Provoked

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Chapter 12

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A/N: This story was such a pain to write :(. It took way too much time and thinking...But hard work pays off I guess. Enjoy.

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A nauseous fluttering sensation shot through Akane's stomach as she stood outside the door. Of all the prior situations, she had never felt as intimidated as she felt now. She attempted to mentally prep by telling herself nothing bad would result from this. Regardless, she feared many things. Above all, she feared her reputation. What would people think of her if they knew about her dirty desires?

Worse. What would the one person, who had always been there for her, view her now that she was opening up about it? Akane was almost reluctant to find out. But if Ranma wouldn't help her, there was only one more place to turn. She knocked on the door and waited patiently.

There were a few clatters and shuffles from the inside, before the door opened. Dr. tofu poked his head out.

"Oh. Akane."

"Hello, Dr. Tofu."

He stepped aside and allowed her to pass him on the way in. "It's good to see you," he said, smiling sweetly. "You and Ranma haven't been by to visit me in a while."
He closed the door.

Akane giggled. "Yeah. Sorry about that."

"But i see that as positive. I take it you two have been looking after yourselves, right?"

"Mm-hmm," she nodded.

"That's good." He started over toward his desk and Akane followed bashfully. He took a seat and turned to her. He quickly scanned her up and down before grinning. "What? No new injuries?"

She briefly looked down at herself. "Oh, no. Not this time."

He laughed. "Okay. So what can I do for you today?"

"Um..." She folded her hands behind her back and glanced down. "...Well...actually, I was hoping I could talk to you."

"Of course." His smile faded into solemness. "You can talk to me about anything."

"Well..." She blushed and stared at her feet. She searched for the correct arrangement of her thoughts in words. There was no way of citing it the way she had to Ranma without sounding like a complete fool. And she could only imagine Dr. Tofu's reaction and the awkwardness it would produce. She had known him her whole life. Despite the fact, she had never felt comfortable bringing up the topic of sex. Or anything related to the topic. Dr. Tofu stated several times before that if she had any questions, he'd gladly answer them.

But that failed to restore her comfort. And her previous infatuation with the doctor hadn't made those situations any better.

"Um..." Dr. Tofu waited patiently. "It's okay. Take your time."

"I've been...um...feeling...funny lately."

"Funny how?...What are your symptoms?"

She shuffled her feet, still too embarrassed to look at him. "My stomach feels weird...And I feel weird...other places as well."

"Hmm." Dr. Tofu turned and glanced at his medical tools by the other side of his desk. He rolled his chair over and reached for his stethoscope. "You want me to examine you? Maybe you're coming down with something."

Akane cleared her throat. "Um...no. I'm not... sick or anything."

He looked back at her in wonder. "Oh? Then what exactly is the problem?"

Her face heated with embarrassment and the butterflies in her stomach now rattled violently, fighting for release. She'd might as well swallow all her reluctancy and just force a reply, she wise she'd just stand there stammering for hours.

"I've been having these...urges. And I'm just not sure wha to do..."

A huge weight lifted from her chest as the words stumbled from her mouth. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before looking for the first time.

Dr. Tofu's stare froze on her as he allowed her words to register in his mind. "Oh. I see..." He rolled his chair back to the correct positioning behind his desk.

Akane swallowed and waited for what seemed like minutes, for his reply. She hung her head low in shame.

"Akane, what you're experiencing is very common. Especially for someone your age," he explained, staring down at something on his desk.

Oh god, she thought. 'The talk.'

"Yeah, well...how...how exactly do I...get rid of it?"

He looked back up. It was he was trying to suppress a blush. "Well...generally it'll go away on its own. But if the feelings begin to agitate you or interfere with your everyday life, there are other methods."

She thought about just letting the faze run it's course. Maybe she could just isolate herself from Ranma, and the heat would eventually fade away.

Though it would be difficult to disacknoweledge the increasing pulse, the swooning warmth, and the throbbing ache she felt in certain parts of her body. Her body begged for immediate release in so many ways. And most likely she wouldn't have a peace of mind until she received it. "What are the other methods?"

He glanced up at the ceiling. "Okay, well, there are three. Though, the last one I wouldn't recommend. You could take a cold shower. That could soothe the sensations." Akanenodded, slightly more comfortable with the topic. "Masturbation is another common method...And last...is sexual release. Though I don't encourage that, unless you're positively ready." He looked at her for the first time in several minutes. "That help?"

Akane'seyes scanned the room in uncertainty. "...Yeah..." For some reason she felt unsatisfied with his answers. A cold shower sounded good. If it would help. But the idea of masturbation had always...Actually she hadn't thought much about it. But the idea just...disturbed her.

Even with a shower, her problem ran much deeper ten just physical. At first, bringing up the "hitting" was out of the question. But now she was beginning to have second thoughts.

She had to face it. If she wanted real help, she'd have to open up.

"Um...Doctor..."

"Uh-huh..." he said.

"...There's...There's more. I kind of have a problem..." She paused and waited for a response.

Dr. Tofu stared, expectantly. "I'm listening." Akane took a deep breath. Wow. It felt a lot more difficult confessing this to him, than it had to confess to Ranma.

Once again, she'd just have to force a reply.

"Something...strange began happening to me today...I...I don't know why this happens...but... I think I...maybe, b-become aroused...by hitting Ranma."

Doctor Tofu's eyebrow slightly arched. "W...Say that again...You become...AROUSED...by HITTING Ranma?"

She nodded, shamefully.

Dr. Tofu briefly looked away. "Hmm. That's interesting..." She waited many seconds for his next reply. "...And. it's just Ranma, right?...No one else?"

She hadn't thought about that.

"I don't think so...What could be causing this?"

Dr. Tofu turned back to his desk, as if the answer was waiting there. But they both knew it wasn't. Seconds later he turned back to Akane with a slight grin.

"Akane...I'm going to ask you a question. And don't worry, you can answer truthfully. I won't tell anyone."

Akane nodded. "Okay..."

"Do you have any romantic feelings toward Ranma?"

She blushed slightly and glanced down, remembering their confessions from earlier that day. "Um...yes."

Dr. Tofu's grin spread. "Aha...You've just answered the first part of your question."

She slightly frowned. "But...I don't get it...What does that have to do with..."

"Okay, so how long have you had feelings for him?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. For a while. Almost since we first met...Maybe a little after."

"Exactly...And from what I've witnessed, you've always had a violent way of dealing with him, right?"

She nodded, listening carefully. "Well, you two still have a violent relationship. And I guess after behaving that way for so long with all your repressed feelings, th two have sort of become interlinked. Violence has really been the only manner you've used to express yourself to him. And now that your feelings for him have grown, they have adapted to your usual manner of expression. And it's created, what we like to call a paraphilic disorder."

Akane nodded, remembering the subtopic of paraphilia she had read about earlier. Though his explanation failed to reach her full comprehension, for the most part, she understood.

To put it simply, her romantic and sexual feelings for Ranmahad merged with her usual violent gestures. So the only worry that remained was...Un-merging them.

"Okay...but how do I...make it stop?..."she asked.

"Well, usually paraphilics openly accept their conditions...As long as it isn't physically harmful to themselves or someone else."

Akane sighed. "I'm not sure if Ranmais completely okay with this...He says he but...at the same time, I don't want to keep hurting him..."

"I understand...Well, overall paraphilia is completely normal. But if someone is really earnest about reducing the condition, therapy can be considered...I don't know if you really want to resort to that measure."

She considered it. If it meant release from her cursed condition, then she definitely would accept it. "I want to cure myself."

"Well, think about it for a while, Akane. Okay? And then when you've reached your decision, come back and let me know. I'll direct you to a therapist."

She blinked. "...Oh...okay. Thank you SO much, Dr. Tofu."

He smiled. "You're very welcome. I know it must have been difficult to discuss this."

Akane took a deep breath. "Was it ever...But I'll return soon, when I'm ready for therapy."

"Um...Okay. But, uh...Akane."

"Yes?"

"Just a word of advice...Before you jump to a decision, I'd sit down and talk this whole thing over with your fiance...You never know. What you dread at first, may later earn your appreciation."

Akane stared at him puzzled. "...okay..."

She thanked him once again and departed the clinic. She sighed, partially content. Now it all made sense. It wasn't as abhorrent now that she understood why hitting him had the effect it did. Now only one thing remained.

She glanced down at herself. She had to rid these temporary feelings of lust that left her hot and throbbing.

She anticipated the cold shower that waited for her when she arrived home.

A/N:Thank you for all your reviews. After two long months, I've finally decided how the story will be concluded. With luck, it'll turn out as expected and I, as well as all my readers will be satisfied. :) Thanx again.