Chapter 2~Repeating History
Ryuu held Akai at his side, high up in the tree. "Don't make a sound..." He whispered softly, his hand over her mouth. "Dammit, how did they know...dammit, musta been the guards..."
Akai felt his hand brush the dagger inside her kimono and freeze directly above it. Her eyes met his and she saw betrayal in them. She opened her mouth to speak, but he exerted more pressure on it.
"Shhhh! Do you want to get CAUGHT!" He hissed, his mouth right beside her ears. "I didn't save you to turn you in. That dagger in your kimono is worth nothing now. You owe me your life, because I saved it." He looked directly at her. "But...if you wish to take my life still...and make our families feud grow stronger still..."
Her eyes widened. "..." You're...Sairyuuen's...son?!
He glanced back at the ground. Hai. He answered her mental question thorugh his mind as well. I am his son. Future lord of a decrepit castle...to carry on a stupid feud with the Tendos. He looked over at her again, his eyes softening.
"..." She looked away.
They sat up in that tree for several minutes. He didn't remove his arm from her waist, nor his hand from the dagger.
"The girl must have escaped."
"And that good for nothing son of mine must have helped her, too..." Sairyuuen put his head in his hands. "He'll never make a good lord...perhaps I should just let Maki carry on our name and sell him off to the highest bidder."
She felt his muscles tensen. Her eyes hesitantely moved over to him. What's wrong? She mentally asked.
He held a finger to her lips gently and looked at her, his eyes holding a warning. Stay silent...He thought, then jumped from the tree, landing before his father. "Sell me off to the highest bidder, eh?" He snarled angrily.
"Of course. You let a trespasser escape."
"First off, it was a girl, second, your guards were about to rape her. I didn't know she wasn't a guest to the party, so I walked her to the front gate." He glared levelly at his father. "Now, why exactly were you threatening to sell me off?"
"Because, you'll never make a good leader. You're not rutheless enough."
Ryuu looked at the ground. "Father, I do not see why I must be a rutheless killer to be a good leader. 'I kind, firm hand is more powerful than one that abuses it's children'." His eyes narrowed. "Or so Grandfather told me."
Sairyuuen smiled at his son. "Perhaps, but you must learn also, spare the rod, spoil the child. If you do not disciplin those who do wrong, they will continue to do wrong."
Ryuu watched his father walk away while seething. "You're just dying for me to keep this feud burning, aren't you, chichi-ue!"
Sairyuuen glanced back. "Perhaps...perhaps, I'm trying to keep you from losing your land, son. Perhaps that's what I am doing."
Then, his father disappeared from sight. His eyes rose to the girl sitting in the tree and he saw her trying to escape. She hit the ground and ran. She barely got three feet. She was hit with a full body tackle from behind and rolled by strong hands.
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Ranma sat abruptly, his eyes wide. It was a continuation of the last dream. He shook his head, blinking away the remnants of sleep. I wonder if she dreamt it, too...he thought, looking up at the roof as he lay back down. He let his thoughts drift to Akane.
I wonder if falling in love with her is even safe...she's a Tendo and our families still don't get along...I...I shouldn't like her at all...we should be fighting tooth and nail...but I don't want to fight her...and I shouldn't fall in love with her...but I'm starting to lose control of my heart...
His heart thumped faster as he remembered her chocolate brown eyes. He glanced over at the phone and sighed. Would it kill me to call her? Could I even get away with it? Would she want to hear from me? It's so late...maybe I shouldn't bother...
Suddenly, his phone trilled loudly. He snapped it up and hit the talk button. "Hello?" He asked softly.
"Saotome-kun?!" A soft voice asked, nervoulsy.
"Akane-san?! Are you okay?!" His heart constricted painfully at the thought she could be hurt. "Is anything wrong?!"
"Did you dream?"
"..." He was silent a moment. "The tree? The dagger?"
"Yeah...you did..." Her voice trailed off. "Saotome-kun...what's going on?! I don't understand why I have these dreams and they frighten me!"
He closed his eyes tightly. "I can only think of one thing...we are supposed to end the feud..." He looked at his hands. "It's logical, but...it's almost like history is repeating itself to me...and the first dream...I don't like it...something about this whole thing bugs the hell outta me..."
"Me too..." There was a moment of silence on his end. "I'll help you. I want to find out what happened...if we can only find all of this out through these dreams, so be it...but...Saotome-kun-"
"Call me Ranma, we're working together now."
"This whole thing fightens me..."
His heart bled. "It'll be okay, Akane-san..." He said softly, his eyes becoming sad. "I'll take care of ya...I swear..."
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Akane's heart skipped a beat as she hung up the phone. He swears it...he'll protect me...I don't know why, but my heart is beating so fast now...could I be falling in love with him? She shivered, laying back against the bed and held the phone to her chest.
Oh, gods, I shouldn't be...but...he's so kind...no man has ever been so kind to me...he's the first one who hasn't attacked me or yelled at me for doing something wrong...She closed her eyes tightly in pain. "Why did he have to be related to Sairyuuen...?" She whispered. Why did I have to be born a Tendo?!
Tears of pain filled her eyes. Tears that had nothing to do with her fathers stinging words, or anything to do with the idiots who always attacked her at school. No, these tears were because she was losing her heart to her families sworn enemy. She was losing her heart to someone she wasn't allowed to love, someone who wasn't allowed to love her.
Oh, momma, what am I gonna do?! I'm not supposed to love him! Why does my heart beat so fast when he's around! I can't fall in love with him! Why do I have to fall in love with him...?
More...does he love me too?
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Ranma walked to school, his face remarkably calm.
About half-way there, a boy with yellow bandanna intercepted him. "RANMA, PREPARE TO DIE!"
"Oh, hi, Ryoga." He dodged a few blows, then booted the martial artist into the air. "I have to get to school. I don't have time to play right now."
Akane just shook her head from where she stood. When she satisfied herself that her sister wasn't too close, she caught up with him. "So what are we going to do about this?" She asked softly, her face calm.
He glanced down at her and smiled. "I guess we start researching what exactly went on to see if we can stop the fight this time around." His face turned serious. "Akane-san...you haven't told anyone about this yet, right?"
She nodded. "Hai."
He turned his eyes to the road before them. "This makes me nervous. This whole situation makes me nervous. I don't know why, but it does..."
Her eyes lifted to his face and she shuddered. "Me too..."
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Akane poured over the library book. "Hmmm...it says our families were friends before a battle...I wonder what happened..." She sighed, slamming the book closed. "Nothing else. That's IT..." She put her head in her hands. "We're no closer to the answer than we were this morning!"
Ranma smiled over at her. "Are you done?"
She blushed, realizing that several people in the library were looking at them and whispering. "Hai..."
"Good, I got the same thing in my family history book, but when I was scrounging through the attic, I found a much older book. It had a rune on it for sacred, but I didn't ask my parents about it. There was a reason it was hidden up there, rather than with the rest of the history books." He fished it out of his satchel and set the thick book on the table.
Akane looked down at it curious. "What do you think it is?"
"A shell." He answered, opening it to reveal a hole cut in the book and a smaller book in the middle. "See?"
Curiously she pulled out the book and flipped it open. Her eyes moved down to the signature and she dropped the book to the table. "This...this is a diary...it's Sairyuuen's diary..."
An incredibly evil feeling fell across them and they quickly put the book back into the larger book. "I'll read it when I get home..." Ranma said, placing a hand on her's. "
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"You think you're goin somewhere?" Ryuu asked softly, picking her up and noting there was blood on her. "You're comin with me. Don't worry," He added, noting the frightened look on her face. "I wont harm you."
She opened her mouth to scream, and his hand was over it, smothering the scream. "Don't fight me. I will not hurt you. You will go home after the sun rises. Alright?"
She looked terrified. "How can I be sure? Our familes have hated each other since I was born..."
He pulled the dagger from her kimono and looked at her. "I swear it." He opened his hand, and drug the tip of the blade across his palm. "I swear it, no harm will come to you while you are under my care. I swear it on my honor."
She quivered a bit, but let him carry her into the large castle, then into a rather large bed chamber. In it was a rather large futon, and silk pillows, bed clothes and things. Everything was midnight blue or golden. She stared into the room, shocked.
"This is my room, you may rest and rejuvenate here. I'd like to see your wounds...if I may."
She felt the soft silk of the bed sheets against her back and looked for a way to escape. A finger rested across her lips and she looked up at her captor.
"Why do you feel it nesessary to escape?" He asked softly.
"I am frightened." She admitted. "I was sent here to kill you all...as my father ordered...yet you saved me, and now I owe you a life debt..." She looked away. "I do not know what I will tell my father..."
He smiled at her. "Tell him what you will. Tell him that you were attacked and someone you didn't know helped you escape. It doesn't matter. I just want to end the feud..." He caressed her face gently. "May I see your wounds?"
Hesitantely she nodded, letting him open her kimono and remove it. He examined the wound and left her side for a moment. While he was gone, she blushed. She was on the bed of a man she didn't know and he'd undressed her. Her father could very well kill her for this.
When he returned and knelt beside her, he noticed the blush. "You havn't got a fever have you?" He placed his hand upon her forhead and noticed it was warm. He sighed, shaking his head. "Well, this is an interesting turn of events..."
She shook her head. "I am unaccustomed to be treated like this by a stranger...also, I have never been in a man's room before."
He smiled, gently washing the wound. "I will not make you do anything you do not wish to do. Few would offer that. I promised you nothing would happen to you while in my care and I intend to keep that promise."
She looked away nervously. "Arigato..."
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Akane woke slowly from her slumber. Tonights dream had been oddly uneventful. After the last few dreams, that was odd. Thankfully, however, it wasn't a school day, so she had pleanty of time to get in touch with Ranma.
She reached towards her cell phone and it rang suddenly. "Moshi moshi?"
"Akane-san?"
"I was gonna call you..." She said softly.
"Get dressed. We gotta meet. The library ought to be good enough..." He paused. "No one's up, right?"
"Only Kasumi-oneechan..."
"Okay, tell her you went for a run or something." There was a pause. "We're gonna have problems..." He said softly.
"What?!"
"I'll explain when I see you. Okay, bye!" There was a click as he hung up the phone.
"What in the world...?" She turned her phone off and quickly dressed in her running outfit, clipping her phone to her waist band. She picked up her gym bag and stuffed a pencil and paper in it. What on earth was he talking about...? She wondered, jogging from her room and down the stairs. When she reached the kitchen, she saw her eldest sister.
"No nightmares today, Akane?" Kasumi asked, not even looking up.
"Nope, I feel wonderful. I'm going for a run, Kasumi. After that, probably the gym, then I gotta work on my report over at a friends. Don't worry about breakfast for me, I'll grab something while I'm out." She jogged out the door and saw Ranma just outside, waiting for her.
His face was almost panicked. "Come on!" He grabbed her hand, dragging her behind him. "We have to hurry!"
"What's going on?!" She asked, startled by his panicked expression.
"Akane, we're going to have MAJOR trouble...just trust me..." When he stopped, they were under the bridge. "Someone tailed me to your place." He said, his face very nervous.
"I thought you said you'd meet me at the library."
"That's before I turned on the light in my bedroom...it was a wreck. I think they were looking for this." He held up another journal. "It's Ryuu's journal." He said softly.
She looked noticably startled. She reached for it against her will and held it between her hands. She got a feeling from it that was exactly the opposite of Sairyuuen's. "Where did you find it?"
"In a box under the floorboards of my room." He said softly, his face irritated. "I found it yesterday when I was helping my mother rip the floorboards up in their room, and hid it before she found it. I hid it under my floorboards. I have a secret compartment under my bed."
She stared at him shocked. "Someone doesn't want us to know what's going on. They want to continue the feud..."
"Right...well...we're not going to let them stop us, right?"
"RIGHT!" She frowned a moment. "Ranma, come over to my house tonight. I want to see if we can find this journals counterpart from my family."
"You mean..."
"Akai's." She looked up at him. "I can't let you do all the work, now can I?"
He nodded. "Come on, let's find someplace not quite so open." He bit his lip and they started walking out of the ditch. "Akane-san..."
"It's okay if you just call me Akane, Ranma..." She said softly, her face blushing slightly.
"Have you noticed how much we look like Ryuu and Akai?" He looked down. "What if... what if history really is trying to repeat itself...?"
She blinked, looking up at him surprised. "I don't understand..."
"When Ryuu and Akai first met, he saved her from guards. When we first met, that guy was going after you and I knocked him out. After that, my mother started telling me about the feud between our two families...but what if...what if things start repeating more often?"
She looked up at him suprised. "I...I almost hope they do..." She said, blushing faintly.
"Huh?" He looked down at her confused. "What d'ya mean?"
"I've never been in love before...and no one has ever truely been in love with me..." She sighed, her face almost depressed. "I'd like to know how it feels...to be loved..."
Ranma stopped, pulling her to a stop. "Your father doesn't love you?"
"He always yells at me if I do something wrong...I never get...acknowledged when I do anything right..." She sighed, her face sad. "He wasn't like this before mom died..."
His eyes saddened. "I'm sorry..." He said softly.
She looked up at him, surprised. "Huh?"
"Everyone should be loved by their parents..." His hand reached up against his will and touched her face. Suddenly, something caught his eye. Their reflection in the water. "Akane..." He whispered, pointing.
She turned towards the water and stared in shock. The sun was rising in the water, but, their reflections weren't the same. Ranma wore some form of Chinese armor, she wore a formal kimono. She gasped softly.
"Akai...be careful, alright?" Ryuu whispered, caressing her face.
She looked over at him, surprised. "Ryuu-sama..." She whispered, her eyes wide.
"Promise me...swear it that I'll see you again..."
"I only promise...I...I will try..." She said softly, her eyes looking away.
He caught her face, lifting it to see her. "I...I know we only just met, but...I have a feeling we're going to always be together..." He whispered. "Perhaps not in body...but...my heart goes with you..." He pressed a fleeting kiss to her lips.
She stared up at him in surprise. "R-ryuu-sama..."
"Just Ryuu..." He said, caressing her face.
Tears filled her eyes and she threw her arms around him. "Ryuu...!"
Ranma and Akane looked at each other as the scene faded and realized they were embracing. They blushed and broke apart, reluctantely. "It happened...that fast?" Akane whispered, staring at the water where the image had been. She sighed.
He looked down. "I feel bad for them..." He said softly.
She glanced over at him curiously. "Why?"
"Because...they loved each other...and they didn't get to be together very long..."
Her eyes saddened. "We better hurry and read some of that journal." She said, pulling him in the direction of the library.
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Ranma sat beside her, leaning over her shoulder as she read. She could feel his warm breaths stirring the hairs on her neck and shivered slightly. I...I don't know how long I'm going to be able to concentrate on this...she thought, her eyes glancing over at him.
He had the pad of paper out and was jotting down notes and suddenly, he stopped, his eyes moving over and meeting hers. I'm having trouble concentrating too...he thought, his face puzzled. How did I know what you're thinking...you didn't say that did you? If you did, I didn't hear you....
She stared at him surprised. I thought I was imagining it...she thought, staring at him in wonder. I heard you one day while we were on our way to school...
He swallowed hard. History's repeating itself...he looked over at her sadly.
She quickly turned her eyes to the journal. Her heart was thundering in her chest madly and she bit her lip. Ranma...what if...
What's wrong? He looked over at her again.
What if we fall in love...
Her meek thought made his heart race. What if it's too late for me already? He thought, his eyes searcing hers. He saw shock, and tears started filling her eyes. "Shhhh..." He lifted his hand and tenderly brushed the tear away. He leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Let's continue, ne?"
She nodded nervously. He loves...me? "Ranma..." She said softly.
He looked over at her curiously.
"What if...what if it's too late for me, too?" She whispered, her face looking like she was about to start crying.
He looked over at her surprised. "Akane..." He whispered, his eyes wide with shock.
Their eyes met and an understanding passed between them. They latched onto each other in a tight hug. "We'll beat this...we're not going to let this beat us..."
She nodded, her face pressed into his shoulder. "We'll win..."
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Ranma waited on the Tendo roof, late after everyone else went to bed. He glanced around before dropping to her window. He gently rapped against it. "Akane? Akane!"
Her window opened and he saw her staring at him, her face frightened. "Ranma, someone saw me with you today...and my parents found out about it..." She said her eyes panicked.
He swung into her room and hugged her tightly. "Shhh...don't worry...it's gonna be okay. I wont let anything get between us...not this damn feud and no one else..." He tilted her face up gently. "Trust me..."
She threw her arms around him, her eyes closed tightly. "I don't want them to take me away from you..." She whispered, a tear falling from her eyes as she opened them to look at his face.
He leaned down and kissed the tear away. His lips lingered there a moment before he pulled away, his face nervous. "Akane..."
She moved her arms around his neck and closed her eyes, her face lifted up to his.
Slowly he leaned down and tenderly kissed her lips. Her arms tightened around his neck and his tightened around her waist. The kiss was both of their first, and so it was very hesitant and very quick.
He pulled back, looking down at her as her eyes slowly opened. He swallowed hard and pressed his lips to her forhead. "Let's find the other journal."
She nodded and led him from the room. "It's probably in a box in the attic." She pulled the ladder down and ushered him up, where she closed the door leading outward.
The attic was dark even with the light that burned in it. Inside were lots of books and things, and one large mirror at the back of the room. Akane turned towards Ranma and saw someone else was in the attic. "Who-!"
"You think you are going to end the feud, you're wrong. Your love didn't stop it last time and it will be no different this time around." A very young voice came from the shadows.
"Who are you?!" Akane asked, her face frightened.
Ranma backed up till he was directly in front of Akane in a deffensive stance. "You're tresspassing."
There was a cold laugh and a pretty young man stepped out. His hair was long and black, going down to his waist. "Don't you recognize me?" He smirked at them, his face pleased at the shock on their faces.
"Ehhhh..." Akane tried to place the face. "Are you that guy from...Taiwan! The martial artist movie star guy!"
Ranma shook his head. "No...he's that gaijin from Saturday Night Live..."
"Maybe one of Takahashi sensei's models?"
"Or that guy from China, Mousse?"
The man facefaulted. "Guess not." He straigtened and smirked. "Mikohi..." He said softly, his eyes almost glowing in the dim light.
Ranma's eyes narrowed. "Well...either way, you're on Tendo's property."
The man chuckled. "I think you were looking for this..." He tossed a small book at them. He flashed Akane a grin. "We'll see each other again soon, Akai-chan..." He chuckled, then, vanished.
The pig-tailed martial artist fumed. "Who the hell does he think he is?!"
Akane picked up the book, then dropped it. "It burns!" She whispered, her eyes wide. "It burns like fire!"
He carefully inspected her hands. Sure enough, they were burnt.
She bit her lip. "There's an enchantment on the book, isn't there...it hurts for me to pick it up..."
Ranma looked down at it and reached for it. It burned his hand and he winced. Still, he opened it and looked down at the name on the first page. "It's Akai's..." He whispered, his voice sounding like he was in great pain.
She batted the book from his hand using a blanket. His hands were livid with burns and she winced at the sight. Silently, she knelt beside him and took his wounded hands. "What are we going to do?"
"Find a magician that's on our side..." He said softly. He found a blanket and wrapped it tightly around the book so none of it poked through. He turned off the light and put his arm around her waist. "We're going up, just trust me, alright?"
She nodded hesitantely and he jumped upwards, breaking through the roof. "You're paying for that when this is over," she said softly, although she was smiling.
He was too serious however, to smile back. "I know...now let's see here..." He found a phone book and looked up a number quickly. "I know someone who followed me here...after the training trip with dad...from China...the hag..." He scanned the phonebook for another moment before the light went of. "BINGO!" He cried, grabbing her hand and dragging her down the side walk.
"Where are we going?!"
"Nekohanten!"
Ryuu held Akai at his side, high up in the tree. "Don't make a sound..." He whispered softly, his hand over her mouth. "Dammit, how did they know...dammit, musta been the guards..."
Akai felt his hand brush the dagger inside her kimono and freeze directly above it. Her eyes met his and she saw betrayal in them. She opened her mouth to speak, but he exerted more pressure on it.
"Shhhh! Do you want to get CAUGHT!" He hissed, his mouth right beside her ears. "I didn't save you to turn you in. That dagger in your kimono is worth nothing now. You owe me your life, because I saved it." He looked directly at her. "But...if you wish to take my life still...and make our families feud grow stronger still..."
Her eyes widened. "..." You're...Sairyuuen's...son?!
He glanced back at the ground. Hai. He answered her mental question thorugh his mind as well. I am his son. Future lord of a decrepit castle...to carry on a stupid feud with the Tendos. He looked over at her again, his eyes softening.
"..." She looked away.
They sat up in that tree for several minutes. He didn't remove his arm from her waist, nor his hand from the dagger.
"The girl must have escaped."
"And that good for nothing son of mine must have helped her, too..." Sairyuuen put his head in his hands. "He'll never make a good lord...perhaps I should just let Maki carry on our name and sell him off to the highest bidder."
She felt his muscles tensen. Her eyes hesitantely moved over to him. What's wrong? She mentally asked.
He held a finger to her lips gently and looked at her, his eyes holding a warning. Stay silent...He thought, then jumped from the tree, landing before his father. "Sell me off to the highest bidder, eh?" He snarled angrily.
"Of course. You let a trespasser escape."
"First off, it was a girl, second, your guards were about to rape her. I didn't know she wasn't a guest to the party, so I walked her to the front gate." He glared levelly at his father. "Now, why exactly were you threatening to sell me off?"
"Because, you'll never make a good leader. You're not rutheless enough."
Ryuu looked at the ground. "Father, I do not see why I must be a rutheless killer to be a good leader. 'I kind, firm hand is more powerful than one that abuses it's children'." His eyes narrowed. "Or so Grandfather told me."
Sairyuuen smiled at his son. "Perhaps, but you must learn also, spare the rod, spoil the child. If you do not disciplin those who do wrong, they will continue to do wrong."
Ryuu watched his father walk away while seething. "You're just dying for me to keep this feud burning, aren't you, chichi-ue!"
Sairyuuen glanced back. "Perhaps...perhaps, I'm trying to keep you from losing your land, son. Perhaps that's what I am doing."
Then, his father disappeared from sight. His eyes rose to the girl sitting in the tree and he saw her trying to escape. She hit the ground and ran. She barely got three feet. She was hit with a full body tackle from behind and rolled by strong hands.
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Ranma sat abruptly, his eyes wide. It was a continuation of the last dream. He shook his head, blinking away the remnants of sleep. I wonder if she dreamt it, too...he thought, looking up at the roof as he lay back down. He let his thoughts drift to Akane.
I wonder if falling in love with her is even safe...she's a Tendo and our families still don't get along...I...I shouldn't like her at all...we should be fighting tooth and nail...but I don't want to fight her...and I shouldn't fall in love with her...but I'm starting to lose control of my heart...
His heart thumped faster as he remembered her chocolate brown eyes. He glanced over at the phone and sighed. Would it kill me to call her? Could I even get away with it? Would she want to hear from me? It's so late...maybe I shouldn't bother...
Suddenly, his phone trilled loudly. He snapped it up and hit the talk button. "Hello?" He asked softly.
"Saotome-kun?!" A soft voice asked, nervoulsy.
"Akane-san?! Are you okay?!" His heart constricted painfully at the thought she could be hurt. "Is anything wrong?!"
"Did you dream?"
"..." He was silent a moment. "The tree? The dagger?"
"Yeah...you did..." Her voice trailed off. "Saotome-kun...what's going on?! I don't understand why I have these dreams and they frighten me!"
He closed his eyes tightly. "I can only think of one thing...we are supposed to end the feud..." He looked at his hands. "It's logical, but...it's almost like history is repeating itself to me...and the first dream...I don't like it...something about this whole thing bugs the hell outta me..."
"Me too..." There was a moment of silence on his end. "I'll help you. I want to find out what happened...if we can only find all of this out through these dreams, so be it...but...Saotome-kun-"
"Call me Ranma, we're working together now."
"This whole thing fightens me..."
His heart bled. "It'll be okay, Akane-san..." He said softly, his eyes becoming sad. "I'll take care of ya...I swear..."
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Akane's heart skipped a beat as she hung up the phone. He swears it...he'll protect me...I don't know why, but my heart is beating so fast now...could I be falling in love with him? She shivered, laying back against the bed and held the phone to her chest.
Oh, gods, I shouldn't be...but...he's so kind...no man has ever been so kind to me...he's the first one who hasn't attacked me or yelled at me for doing something wrong...She closed her eyes tightly in pain. "Why did he have to be related to Sairyuuen...?" She whispered. Why did I have to be born a Tendo?!
Tears of pain filled her eyes. Tears that had nothing to do with her fathers stinging words, or anything to do with the idiots who always attacked her at school. No, these tears were because she was losing her heart to her families sworn enemy. She was losing her heart to someone she wasn't allowed to love, someone who wasn't allowed to love her.
Oh, momma, what am I gonna do?! I'm not supposed to love him! Why does my heart beat so fast when he's around! I can't fall in love with him! Why do I have to fall in love with him...?
More...does he love me too?
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Ranma walked to school, his face remarkably calm.
About half-way there, a boy with yellow bandanna intercepted him. "RANMA, PREPARE TO DIE!"
"Oh, hi, Ryoga." He dodged a few blows, then booted the martial artist into the air. "I have to get to school. I don't have time to play right now."
Akane just shook her head from where she stood. When she satisfied herself that her sister wasn't too close, she caught up with him. "So what are we going to do about this?" She asked softly, her face calm.
He glanced down at her and smiled. "I guess we start researching what exactly went on to see if we can stop the fight this time around." His face turned serious. "Akane-san...you haven't told anyone about this yet, right?"
She nodded. "Hai."
He turned his eyes to the road before them. "This makes me nervous. This whole situation makes me nervous. I don't know why, but it does..."
Her eyes lifted to his face and she shuddered. "Me too..."
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Akane poured over the library book. "Hmmm...it says our families were friends before a battle...I wonder what happened..." She sighed, slamming the book closed. "Nothing else. That's IT..." She put her head in her hands. "We're no closer to the answer than we were this morning!"
Ranma smiled over at her. "Are you done?"
She blushed, realizing that several people in the library were looking at them and whispering. "Hai..."
"Good, I got the same thing in my family history book, but when I was scrounging through the attic, I found a much older book. It had a rune on it for sacred, but I didn't ask my parents about it. There was a reason it was hidden up there, rather than with the rest of the history books." He fished it out of his satchel and set the thick book on the table.
Akane looked down at it curious. "What do you think it is?"
"A shell." He answered, opening it to reveal a hole cut in the book and a smaller book in the middle. "See?"
Curiously she pulled out the book and flipped it open. Her eyes moved down to the signature and she dropped the book to the table. "This...this is a diary...it's Sairyuuen's diary..."
An incredibly evil feeling fell across them and they quickly put the book back into the larger book. "I'll read it when I get home..." Ranma said, placing a hand on her's. "
****************************************
"You think you're goin somewhere?" Ryuu asked softly, picking her up and noting there was blood on her. "You're comin with me. Don't worry," He added, noting the frightened look on her face. "I wont harm you."
She opened her mouth to scream, and his hand was over it, smothering the scream. "Don't fight me. I will not hurt you. You will go home after the sun rises. Alright?"
She looked terrified. "How can I be sure? Our familes have hated each other since I was born..."
He pulled the dagger from her kimono and looked at her. "I swear it." He opened his hand, and drug the tip of the blade across his palm. "I swear it, no harm will come to you while you are under my care. I swear it on my honor."
She quivered a bit, but let him carry her into the large castle, then into a rather large bed chamber. In it was a rather large futon, and silk pillows, bed clothes and things. Everything was midnight blue or golden. She stared into the room, shocked.
"This is my room, you may rest and rejuvenate here. I'd like to see your wounds...if I may."
She felt the soft silk of the bed sheets against her back and looked for a way to escape. A finger rested across her lips and she looked up at her captor.
"Why do you feel it nesessary to escape?" He asked softly.
"I am frightened." She admitted. "I was sent here to kill you all...as my father ordered...yet you saved me, and now I owe you a life debt..." She looked away. "I do not know what I will tell my father..."
He smiled at her. "Tell him what you will. Tell him that you were attacked and someone you didn't know helped you escape. It doesn't matter. I just want to end the feud..." He caressed her face gently. "May I see your wounds?"
Hesitantely she nodded, letting him open her kimono and remove it. He examined the wound and left her side for a moment. While he was gone, she blushed. She was on the bed of a man she didn't know and he'd undressed her. Her father could very well kill her for this.
When he returned and knelt beside her, he noticed the blush. "You havn't got a fever have you?" He placed his hand upon her forhead and noticed it was warm. He sighed, shaking his head. "Well, this is an interesting turn of events..."
She shook her head. "I am unaccustomed to be treated like this by a stranger...also, I have never been in a man's room before."
He smiled, gently washing the wound. "I will not make you do anything you do not wish to do. Few would offer that. I promised you nothing would happen to you while in my care and I intend to keep that promise."
She looked away nervously. "Arigato..."
****************************************
Akane woke slowly from her slumber. Tonights dream had been oddly uneventful. After the last few dreams, that was odd. Thankfully, however, it wasn't a school day, so she had pleanty of time to get in touch with Ranma.
She reached towards her cell phone and it rang suddenly. "Moshi moshi?"
"Akane-san?"
"I was gonna call you..." She said softly.
"Get dressed. We gotta meet. The library ought to be good enough..." He paused. "No one's up, right?"
"Only Kasumi-oneechan..."
"Okay, tell her you went for a run or something." There was a pause. "We're gonna have problems..." He said softly.
"What?!"
"I'll explain when I see you. Okay, bye!" There was a click as he hung up the phone.
"What in the world...?" She turned her phone off and quickly dressed in her running outfit, clipping her phone to her waist band. She picked up her gym bag and stuffed a pencil and paper in it. What on earth was he talking about...? She wondered, jogging from her room and down the stairs. When she reached the kitchen, she saw her eldest sister.
"No nightmares today, Akane?" Kasumi asked, not even looking up.
"Nope, I feel wonderful. I'm going for a run, Kasumi. After that, probably the gym, then I gotta work on my report over at a friends. Don't worry about breakfast for me, I'll grab something while I'm out." She jogged out the door and saw Ranma just outside, waiting for her.
His face was almost panicked. "Come on!" He grabbed her hand, dragging her behind him. "We have to hurry!"
"What's going on?!" She asked, startled by his panicked expression.
"Akane, we're going to have MAJOR trouble...just trust me..." When he stopped, they were under the bridge. "Someone tailed me to your place." He said, his face very nervous.
"I thought you said you'd meet me at the library."
"That's before I turned on the light in my bedroom...it was a wreck. I think they were looking for this." He held up another journal. "It's Ryuu's journal." He said softly.
She looked noticably startled. She reached for it against her will and held it between her hands. She got a feeling from it that was exactly the opposite of Sairyuuen's. "Where did you find it?"
"In a box under the floorboards of my room." He said softly, his face irritated. "I found it yesterday when I was helping my mother rip the floorboards up in their room, and hid it before she found it. I hid it under my floorboards. I have a secret compartment under my bed."
She stared at him shocked. "Someone doesn't want us to know what's going on. They want to continue the feud..."
"Right...well...we're not going to let them stop us, right?"
"RIGHT!" She frowned a moment. "Ranma, come over to my house tonight. I want to see if we can find this journals counterpart from my family."
"You mean..."
"Akai's." She looked up at him. "I can't let you do all the work, now can I?"
He nodded. "Come on, let's find someplace not quite so open." He bit his lip and they started walking out of the ditch. "Akane-san..."
"It's okay if you just call me Akane, Ranma..." She said softly, her face blushing slightly.
"Have you noticed how much we look like Ryuu and Akai?" He looked down. "What if... what if history really is trying to repeat itself...?"
She blinked, looking up at him surprised. "I don't understand..."
"When Ryuu and Akai first met, he saved her from guards. When we first met, that guy was going after you and I knocked him out. After that, my mother started telling me about the feud between our two families...but what if...what if things start repeating more often?"
She looked up at him suprised. "I...I almost hope they do..." She said, blushing faintly.
"Huh?" He looked down at her confused. "What d'ya mean?"
"I've never been in love before...and no one has ever truely been in love with me..." She sighed, her face almost depressed. "I'd like to know how it feels...to be loved..."
Ranma stopped, pulling her to a stop. "Your father doesn't love you?"
"He always yells at me if I do something wrong...I never get...acknowledged when I do anything right..." She sighed, her face sad. "He wasn't like this before mom died..."
His eyes saddened. "I'm sorry..." He said softly.
She looked up at him, surprised. "Huh?"
"Everyone should be loved by their parents..." His hand reached up against his will and touched her face. Suddenly, something caught his eye. Their reflection in the water. "Akane..." He whispered, pointing.
She turned towards the water and stared in shock. The sun was rising in the water, but, their reflections weren't the same. Ranma wore some form of Chinese armor, she wore a formal kimono. She gasped softly.
"Akai...be careful, alright?" Ryuu whispered, caressing her face.
She looked over at him, surprised. "Ryuu-sama..." She whispered, her eyes wide.
"Promise me...swear it that I'll see you again..."
"I only promise...I...I will try..." She said softly, her eyes looking away.
He caught her face, lifting it to see her. "I...I know we only just met, but...I have a feeling we're going to always be together..." He whispered. "Perhaps not in body...but...my heart goes with you..." He pressed a fleeting kiss to her lips.
She stared up at him in surprise. "R-ryuu-sama..."
"Just Ryuu..." He said, caressing her face.
Tears filled her eyes and she threw her arms around him. "Ryuu...!"
Ranma and Akane looked at each other as the scene faded and realized they were embracing. They blushed and broke apart, reluctantely. "It happened...that fast?" Akane whispered, staring at the water where the image had been. She sighed.
He looked down. "I feel bad for them..." He said softly.
She glanced over at him curiously. "Why?"
"Because...they loved each other...and they didn't get to be together very long..."
Her eyes saddened. "We better hurry and read some of that journal." She said, pulling him in the direction of the library.
****************************************
Ranma sat beside her, leaning over her shoulder as she read. She could feel his warm breaths stirring the hairs on her neck and shivered slightly. I...I don't know how long I'm going to be able to concentrate on this...she thought, her eyes glancing over at him.
He had the pad of paper out and was jotting down notes and suddenly, he stopped, his eyes moving over and meeting hers. I'm having trouble concentrating too...he thought, his face puzzled. How did I know what you're thinking...you didn't say that did you? If you did, I didn't hear you....
She stared at him surprised. I thought I was imagining it...she thought, staring at him in wonder. I heard you one day while we were on our way to school...
He swallowed hard. History's repeating itself...he looked over at her sadly.
She quickly turned her eyes to the journal. Her heart was thundering in her chest madly and she bit her lip. Ranma...what if...
What's wrong? He looked over at her again.
What if we fall in love...
Her meek thought made his heart race. What if it's too late for me already? He thought, his eyes searcing hers. He saw shock, and tears started filling her eyes. "Shhhh..." He lifted his hand and tenderly brushed the tear away. He leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Let's continue, ne?"
She nodded nervously. He loves...me? "Ranma..." She said softly.
He looked over at her curiously.
"What if...what if it's too late for me, too?" She whispered, her face looking like she was about to start crying.
He looked over at her surprised. "Akane..." He whispered, his eyes wide with shock.
Their eyes met and an understanding passed between them. They latched onto each other in a tight hug. "We'll beat this...we're not going to let this beat us..."
She nodded, her face pressed into his shoulder. "We'll win..."
****************************************
Ranma waited on the Tendo roof, late after everyone else went to bed. He glanced around before dropping to her window. He gently rapped against it. "Akane? Akane!"
Her window opened and he saw her staring at him, her face frightened. "Ranma, someone saw me with you today...and my parents found out about it..." She said her eyes panicked.
He swung into her room and hugged her tightly. "Shhh...don't worry...it's gonna be okay. I wont let anything get between us...not this damn feud and no one else..." He tilted her face up gently. "Trust me..."
She threw her arms around him, her eyes closed tightly. "I don't want them to take me away from you..." She whispered, a tear falling from her eyes as she opened them to look at his face.
He leaned down and kissed the tear away. His lips lingered there a moment before he pulled away, his face nervous. "Akane..."
She moved her arms around his neck and closed her eyes, her face lifted up to his.
Slowly he leaned down and tenderly kissed her lips. Her arms tightened around his neck and his tightened around her waist. The kiss was both of their first, and so it was very hesitant and very quick.
He pulled back, looking down at her as her eyes slowly opened. He swallowed hard and pressed his lips to her forhead. "Let's find the other journal."
She nodded and led him from the room. "It's probably in a box in the attic." She pulled the ladder down and ushered him up, where she closed the door leading outward.
The attic was dark even with the light that burned in it. Inside were lots of books and things, and one large mirror at the back of the room. Akane turned towards Ranma and saw someone else was in the attic. "Who-!"
"You think you are going to end the feud, you're wrong. Your love didn't stop it last time and it will be no different this time around." A very young voice came from the shadows.
"Who are you?!" Akane asked, her face frightened.
Ranma backed up till he was directly in front of Akane in a deffensive stance. "You're tresspassing."
There was a cold laugh and a pretty young man stepped out. His hair was long and black, going down to his waist. "Don't you recognize me?" He smirked at them, his face pleased at the shock on their faces.
"Ehhhh..." Akane tried to place the face. "Are you that guy from...Taiwan! The martial artist movie star guy!"
Ranma shook his head. "No...he's that gaijin from Saturday Night Live..."
"Maybe one of Takahashi sensei's models?"
"Or that guy from China, Mousse?"
The man facefaulted. "Guess not." He straigtened and smirked. "Mikohi..." He said softly, his eyes almost glowing in the dim light.
Ranma's eyes narrowed. "Well...either way, you're on Tendo's property."
The man chuckled. "I think you were looking for this..." He tossed a small book at them. He flashed Akane a grin. "We'll see each other again soon, Akai-chan..." He chuckled, then, vanished.
The pig-tailed martial artist fumed. "Who the hell does he think he is?!"
Akane picked up the book, then dropped it. "It burns!" She whispered, her eyes wide. "It burns like fire!"
He carefully inspected her hands. Sure enough, they were burnt.
She bit her lip. "There's an enchantment on the book, isn't there...it hurts for me to pick it up..."
Ranma looked down at it and reached for it. It burned his hand and he winced. Still, he opened it and looked down at the name on the first page. "It's Akai's..." He whispered, his voice sounding like he was in great pain.
She batted the book from his hand using a blanket. His hands were livid with burns and she winced at the sight. Silently, she knelt beside him and took his wounded hands. "What are we going to do?"
"Find a magician that's on our side..." He said softly. He found a blanket and wrapped it tightly around the book so none of it poked through. He turned off the light and put his arm around her waist. "We're going up, just trust me, alright?"
She nodded hesitantely and he jumped upwards, breaking through the roof. "You're paying for that when this is over," she said softly, although she was smiling.
He was too serious however, to smile back. "I know...now let's see here..." He found a phone book and looked up a number quickly. "I know someone who followed me here...after the training trip with dad...from China...the hag..." He scanned the phonebook for another moment before the light went of. "BINGO!" He cried, grabbing her hand and dragging her down the side walk.
"Where are we going?!"
"Nekohanten!"