Disclaimer - It is now 2015 and I still do not own Ranma 1/2
AN: This update is a bit later than I wanted it to be... but I was busy busy :) I hope you had a safe and happy new year.
Chapter 11 - Later
Ranma wasn't sure how long he had already meditated but things were starting to feel right. He was imagining a box in his mind and had labeled it 'Later'. He methodically went through all the little things about Akane that had interrupted his Soul of Ice and filed them away in that box. By allowing the thoughts to exist and not ignoring them, he would be fighting less against his heart. As one by one each thought was filed away, he felt calmer and more in control. It was time to test his idea.
Akane heard him finally move and watched him stand up, he looked different. He was colder, not in a mean way but he seemed more in control. She moved to him, using many of the same tricks as before, and tried to break his control. He would grin slyly at her and occasionally surprise her by muttering 'later'. It was amazing to her how he could counter something so quickly. They had only been at it an hour, maybe an hour and a half. Nothing she did fazed him now and his face took on a cocky expression. Time to really see if I can crack the ice.
She pulled him forward by his pigtail again. Repeating the feathery light kisses from before, she heard him mutter a very quiet 'definitely later' but wasn't sure what he meant. His cheeks and lips were cold still and it was an unusual sensation to feel against her warm lips. She gently kissed and used her teeth on his earlobe, feeling him warm for a moment before cooling again under her touch. Smiling she whispered into his ear. She felt his skin heat right before she was propelled backwards landing hard on her bottom. She rubbed her sore backside and looked across the dojo to see what had happened to Ranma.
He was completely unprepared for the words she whispered in his ear. One word, one three letter word, and his Soul of Ice had shattered into a blast of heat. Damn it! He was on his hand and knees trying to regain control of his breathing and heart rate. He couldn't file these thoughts away for later. He needed another box. Still panting he was shocked when he looked for Akane and found her several meters away sitting down but leaning to the side rubbing her butt. He had to quickly look away as her skirt had ridden up from the action and was giving him a view he was certain that she was unaware of. That view was not going to help his thoughts calm down any. "You okay?"
"I'm fine, I just landed hard," She slowly stood back up and walked over to Ranma who now had his upper body propped up on his elbows, covering his face with his hands. "What happened?"
"You are evil. That's what happened." When he felt her hand on his shoulder he flopped over to his side and rolled onto his back. He heard her walk over to where his head was and when he opened his eyes, she was standing over him with a concerned look on her face. The corners of his mouth twitched as he noticed he once again had a great view. "Nice panties! When did you start buying lacy ones?"
She squeaked, blushed and pushed her skirt between her legs, backing away from his head. "Hmmph, I guess you haven't worked it all out yet," she countered as she rolled her skirt back down to its normal length.
"Give me a minute and I will." He started working on a second box. This one would be for thoughts about things that couldn't happen yet, thoughts about her naked body, thoughts about being married to her, even thoughts about future children. He labeled the box 'Someday' and started filing again. All thoughts about that three letter word were going in his new box. With his Soul of Ice back in place he started thinking about revenge.
He walked with purpose across the dojo to where she was standing, spun her around and hauled her backside up against his body. He could feel her warmth trying to battle with his cool, holding her tight he spoke in a calm, controlled voice, "Your hair smells like strawberries, even after you work out." He nuzzled her hair before continuing, "Your laugh makes me want to agree to anything. And I want to kiss you every chance I can, especially every night." He could feel her getting warmer in his arms but she stayed quiet, "Grabbing your hips and pulling you into me, makes me feel manly. Your breasts… oh I love them, they fit perfectly in my palms and I can't wait to get my hands on them again." He continued to torment her the way she had tormented him.
As he whispered all these things in her ear she felt like she was melting inside. She had never felt so desired. Ranma rarely put his thoughts into words for her, she knew he desired her because he loved making out with her. But to hear him say it, without moving his hands at all was incredible. He simply held her against him, her heat against his cold. She could almost feel the air around them battling for control. She heard him tell her that she was the only girl he had ever wanted and would ever want to be with and when she was ready he would be too.
"Oh god," she moaned and twisted in his arms crashing her mouth against his. Her hair blew around in the air currents created by the increased battle around them. She felt Ranma release his Soul of Ice and he held on to her as the warm and cold air exploded out from them, shaking the walls of the dojo. Her skin seemed to buzz with energy, it felt like she was stealing a little of his chi again but this time without activating his chi flows first.
It was later, he needed to feel her as every emotion, thought and wish came crashing forward. He started with her arms, running his fingers up and down them, reveling in them as he felt the muscles tighten and relax as he lightly tickled. Next he trailed them down her back, fisting his hand into her shirt at the small of her back. Wanting to feel her skin and muscles the way he did on her arm, he yanked her shirt free pushing his hand underneath. Her back muscles were as well toned as her arms, strength rippled through every part of her. She wasn't thick, she never had been, she was strong and it was amazingly alluring. Cupping her bottom with his other hand he lifted her off the ground, holding her firmly against him.
It seemed like his hands were worshipping her, moving over every inch of exposed flesh. She wrapped her legs around him and held on to him for dear life. She needed him almost as much as she needed air to breath. The hand that was supporting her back moved and reached back to massage her calf muscle and move excruciatingly slowly up her leg as if he was memorizing the shape.
His hand encountered the hem of her skirt and for the briefest moment he considered stopping, then didn't. The image of her moving through that kata planted itself into his brain and didn't budge. He heard and felt her whimper, her need as great as his. Pushing the skirt up as far as it would go, he allowed himself to indulge in her legs.
Worship was definitely the word to use for what his hands were doing to her. Regretfully she pulled back from him and panting heavily she reminded herself as much as him, "Someone could walk in here any minute."
"I can lock the door."
"I broke the lock, remember? And dinner will be ready soon anyway." She didn't let go with her arms or legs and laid her head to rest on one of her arms, still finding breathing difficult, "We will be alone on Saturday."
Ranma smiled at the thought, "Yeah we will." He held her for a few more minutes as his pulse and blood pressure returned to normal before carefully lowering her to the ground. He reached up to straighten her hair even though he liked the windblown look she had gotten, "Best training ever."
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Montaro Tateishi sat in the meditation area of the Suyama Sengen-jinja Shrine seeking the wisdom to know how to proceed. His family had guarded this shrine and the treasures within it for generations. He considered himself an excellent judge of character and when his instincts had been rattled by the young woman yesterday he didn't ignore them. He had felt the presence of the dagger before he saw it hanging at her side. He didn't think it was coincidence that she had brought one of the four objects to the location of another. He played the part of boring old monk well when it suited him, he really did love talking about the restoration of the shrine. His niece currently headed the research team and was meticulous about the recovery. The beads had been recovered shortly after the volcano had erupted, their internal spiritual aura protecting them from damage, although until recently they had been still encased in lava rock. He had followed the pretty girl around hoping to find a way to take the dagger but ultimately had only bored her with stories about the recovery efforts. Regrettably he had lost her when she ducked into the building on the edge of the shrine property that housed the bathroom facilities, modern conveniences were necessary as donations drove the research team's efforts. It was unfortunate that she had visited on the day of the scavenger hunt. There were nearly 300 shrines on the mountain these days and the scavenger hunt was a big event that highlighted the cultural heritage of the various types of shrines.
The beads had been moved to a more secure location nearby after his niece had painstakingly freed them from the rock and thoroughly cleaned them. Only he and one other person knew the exact location of the underground storage site for the more valuable artifacts recovered. Replicas of many of those same artifacts were showcased in the main pagoda for tourist to enjoy, most had no idea that they were not looking at the real thing.
Meditation was proving fruitless so Montaro decided that the best thing he could do for the moment was notify the very short list of individuals who knew about and protected the knowledge of the true power of the four artifacts and the scroll that activated them. The perfect warrior could not be allowed to rise again. The dagger had already been failed to be protected and he was going to have some very harsh words for the man responsible for guarding it. That arrogant idiot never did believe the stories his father told him.
The bell and the mandala were located to the north and south respectively while the scroll was actually somewhat nearby in a small suburb of Tokyo called Nerima. Groaning from stiff joints as he rose to make a few phone calls he truly didn't want to make, the monk bowed to the small statue of Buddha in front of him and said a quick prayer that he was over reacting.
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Akane helped Kasumi carry dinner to the table while Ranma was being grilled by their fathers about how he had figured out a way to counter the weakness in his Soul of Ice. They were getting frustrated because Ranma would only say "I just figured it out okay." By the time Akane sat down beside him, he was blushing and avoiding looking at anyone.
Kasumi changed the subject by asking Akane about her birthday plans. "Do you guys know what you are going to do tomorrow?"
Akane blushed, stole a glance at Ranma who was also blushing, and shrugged, "I don't know, we might go hiking if it is a nice day."
Nabiki rolled her eyes, "Hiking doesn't sound very romantic to me. It sounds cheep."
"Not everything is about money Nabiki." Akane wasn't surprised when that statement only elicited a scoff from her money hungry sister. Akane was trying to think of a way to steer the conversation away from their Saturday plans when a thought struck her, "We missed Ranma's birthday, we should plan a family dinner soon anyway to make up for it."
Ranma looked up from his half eaten meal, "Iffs mo 'ig v'eal."
Akane frowned at him, if at all possible it seemed like he was shoveling food into his mouth faster than before. "Of course it's a big deal. Kasumi will make you whatever you want."
"Oh yeah?" He pointed his chopsticks at her face before stuffing more rice in his mouth and quickly swallowing. "So what are we having tomorrow for yours?"
"She always asks for curry rice, fried calamari and dragon rolls." Nabiki shook her head, "Always. She has no imagination."
Ranma gave her a sideways glance, "Why those three things?"
Akane started to defend her choices when Nabiki interrupted her, "Mom let her pick the menu for her birthday each year. That is the last one she picked before Mom died. Now it never changes."
Ranma felt bad for asking and bringing up a sad memory for Akane but he also thought the tradition was sweet. It would have been nice to have had a special birthday meal made for him growing up. Pop and his constant travels meant sometimes they went without food let alone a special meal. Ranma looked up when his musings were disrupted by Mr. Tendo.
"I remember the year you asked for that meal. You spent three days trying to decide on the perfect menu, kept changing your mind. Your mother had enough food in the fridge to cover a month's worth of your birthday meal ideas. You settled on that particular menu about five hours before we were supposed to eat. Your mother had to run out to buy the calamari quickly so that she would have time to make it." Soun was already crying a little at the memory.
"Father, don't cry. That is such a sweet memory of mother." Kasumi remembered that week as well. She had spent most of it helping her mother keep track of all the changes Akane made. "You took your birthday meal very seriously that year Akane."
Akane had heard the story before but loved hearing it almost every year. She wasn't sure if her mother had already known she was sick at that time but it made her feel like she was special among her two sisters none the less. "At least I don't pick the most expensive thing I can think of each year."
Nabiki shrugged, "When else am I actually going to get it in this house."
"I have gotten to learn many gourmet recipes from Nabiki's choices, the French ones were the hardest." Kasumi passed Ranma another bowl of rice, "Ranma, you think about what you want and I will make it next week."
"Okay. Thank you Kasumi." Ranma was often humbled by the oldest sibling's sweetness and generosity. He didn't know how to tell her that he wasn't sure he wanted a special meal. After he found out about his mother, he secretly had wanted to spend his birthday with her but she was busy and had likely forgotten.
"Saotome, I remember the day I got your letter telling me that your wife had given birth to a boy. My wife was still pregnant with Akane at the time." Tears were streaming down Soun's face again, "We could finally join the schools."
"A happy day that was, I knew the boy would be special. The cherry blossom trees bloomed a full week early just for his birth. His mother said it meant his soul would be beautiful and sweet…"
Nabiki and Akane scoffed at that declaration.
"Hey…" Ranma glared at the two sisters.
"… but I knew that it meant he was blessed by the gods and chosen to be a great martial artist." Genma had his hand fisted over his heart and was preening towards the heavens.
"Ha, hear that? Blessed by the gods." Ranma puffed out his chest and gave a decisive nod to Akane. The next thing he knew he was flying backwards from the table. In hindsight he probably should have kept his eyes open, then he would have seen Akane's fist coming at his face.
"Hey I can't help it if your birth wasn't blessed with magical blooming trees." He saw Akane come at him again and took off running around the yard. Dodging her fists and only barely keeping ahead of her.
"You would think he would learn by now." Soun was smiling as he watched his daughter nearly catch her fiancé.
"I think he likes the punishment." Nabiki watched Ranma pretend to be tired before leaping away from Akane again.
"Tendo, I think we need to check on that shrine in town. It is important to the community you know."
"You are right Saotome, we should be responsible in our civic duty. Don't wait up for us girls."
Nabiki rolled her eyes at the pair, "Sure no problem." They were only looking for an excuse to go drink sake at their favorite bar. Ranma's little pouch should keep them busy for a while.
Kasumi didn't bother Ranma and Akane while they played, instead she prepped the bath for the evening. Humming to herself, she tested the temperature of the water knowing they both liked it nice and hot. One day this house would be theirs to raise their family in, she had no doubt that they would marry and join the schools like their fathers wanted. Somehow they had managed to fall in love through all the craziness that surrounded them. She suspected that once they graduated high school it would not be long before she would be helping Akane plan a wedding. Hopefully by then their various suitors will have given up and the pair could quietly continue with their life. Oh I doubt it, they both seem to attract unwanted attention.
Turning off the faucet she returned to the porch to find Ranma hiding behind around in the doorway that faced the yard. She walked over to stand beside Ranma, placing a hand on her shoulder, "Ranma the bath…"
Ranma felt Akane rounding the corner, she had been chasing him with a bucket of cold water. As soon as Kasumi had put her hand on his should he sensed Akane's attack. Grabbing Kasumi quickly he shoved himself between the water and her.
"… is ready." Kasumi stood shocked watching Ranma change in front of her. She heard her sister yell apologies from the yard. "Oh my, are you okay Ranma?"
The girl smiled back at her, "I'm fine. Are you okay?"
"Oh I am okay," she giggled, "You bravely took the hit for me. Thank you."
Akane ran up to the porch, "I'm really sorry Kasumi, I will clean up the mess."
"I think that is a good idea." Chuckling she returned to the kitchen to clean up the dinner dishes.
Akane grabbed a towel from the bathroom and started to soak up the water on the floor. "Aren't you going to help me?"
"Ha! No way, you were the one who grabbed the bucket. Beside it is your fault my clothes are all wet now. The bath is ready; I get it first today so I can change back." She huffed and strolled away while Akane stared daggers at her back.
Ranma kept his bath short, anxious to get shopping for Akane's birthday present over with, he dried off and redressed in dry clothes. He found Akane in her room and let her know the bathroom was free before returning to the guest room. Waiting until he heard the bathroom door close, he tilted the dresser back to retrieve the little money he had saved.
Frowning when he didn't feel it sitting where he had tucked it into the corner he moved the dresser to look underneath it. The pouch was gone. His aura flared instantly, Pop took it! "POP YOU BETTER RUN, I AM GOING TO KILL YOU."
Akane was getting ready to step into the bath when she felt the flare of Ranma's battle aura. What is going on? When she heard him yell she sighed and resumed climbing into the tiled tub. If Ranma was mad at his father, she was going to stay out of it for now. She was exhausted, it had been a really long day.
Nabiki heard the house-shaking yell and casually strolled to the guest room. As she approached wood and pieces of wall shattered outward in her direction. She leapt back before storming into the room. "That is going to cost you." Ranma only stared at her, seething with anger. She was almost surprised he wasn't breathing fire, she had limited martial arts training but even she could see his aura was overheating.
He finally focused on Akane's sister standing in the doorway, "Not like I can help pay for it, when Pop steals my money every time he finds it."
"Putting holes in the wall is not going to get your money back." She carefully walked toward him, "I have a solution to your problem, and you know that. All you have to do is delay your day with Akane one day and you will be able to get her a nicer present as well."
He seemed to be looking through her, "Fine. What time do we leave Saturday morning?" Killing his father still sounded like a good idea too.
"6am and you better not over sleep. We'll discuss the details of our arrangement on the train there. I suggest you find a better hiding spot." Grinning Nabiki returned to her room to consult her research. She had files on each of the fighters likely to show up at the tournament. None of them seemed like they would give Ranma much trouble, so she had to consider how to draw out each fight to increase the betting against her future brother-in-law.
Akane found Ranma sitting in the guest bedroom on his futon. "What happened? You felt really angry."
"You could feel my aura?" He was rather amazed; she was getting really good at sensing auras even when she couldn't see them. At least his anyway, "It's nothing. Pop just made me really mad."
She leaned over and put her arms around his shoulders. "Tell me what happened."
He leaned back into her, enjoying her warmth. Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, "Pop is just a jerk." He knew he should tell her about Saturday, Was it so bad to want one day without upsetting her? Today had been great, exploded eggs and all. Later, I'll tell her later.
Ranma seemed really upset and she thought she even heard a little sadness in his voice. "Come on, let's get our homework done."
"Yeah, that is a good idea. If I am in here when Pop gets back, I might beat him to a pulp." He stood to follow Akane with his book bag to her room. She was wearing a simple tank top and exercise shorts. "No pajamas?"
"Kasumi has my yellow ones to fix them and my other sets aren't clean right now."
Ranma walked over to his drawer and pulled out his blue pajama set with fish cakes on it. He handed it to her, "Here you can wear mine if you want to."
She took them from him and held up the pants to her waist and laughed, "I'll be walking on these. Your legs are a lot longer than mine." She handed back the pants and pulled the shirt on over her tank top. It hung down past her hips and fit her more like a short nightgown but it was really comfortable. Holding her arms out and spinning around, "what do you think?"
He grinned at her antics, "I like it." He hoped it would smell like her when he finally got it back.
"Thanks for loaning it to me. You know, I never really figured out if these were stars or fish cakes." She studied the little pictures on the sleeve, "I mean fish cakes are round but they are the right color."
"Come on silly let's get our work done. Besides I think they are fish cakes." He followed her towards her room.
"That is just because you are always thinking of food."
"Not always."
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AN: Mandala is a spiritual and ritual symbol in Hinduism and Buddhism, representing the Universe. The basic form of most mandalas is a square with four gates containing a circle with a center point.
Thank you for continuing to read. R&R as you like.
