Thank you for all of your reviews! It is good to know that you are enjoying
the story! On that note, I feel I need to apologize for taking so long in
getting this chapter out. I have a lot going on and sometimes I have
problems finding the time to write.
Here we go, the disclaimer..the Ranma characters don't belong to me.blah.blah.I am making no money.blah.blah.
CHAPTER 16
STARRY NIGHT
"I can feel the evil," Soon Hee stated as she gazed at the nighttime sky. "His powers are growing by the hour."
"We are safe for now," Choon Li replied.
A gentle breeze started to make its way across the forest, adding a chill to the already cool night air. Without explanation, Choon Li left the gazebo that he and the matriarch had been talking in, startling Soon Hee. Leaving the matriarchs presence without permission was normally considered a great offense, allowances for his behavior had to be made though. Choon Li had lived almost his entire life alone, away from the village. He didn't always follow the correct protocol.
Just as she started to shiver, she felt a shawl being draped over her shoulders. Welcoming the delicious warmth that spread over her body, she turned to look up at the person whom had brought it to her. Many, many years had passed since a male had willingly waited on her.
"This should help you warm up," Choon Li said as he poured hot tea from a thermos to a cup.
"He is very close to the village," Soon Hee stated, taking a sip from her cup.
"Yes, I can feel him. He doesn't know they are here though," Choon Li answered.
"How can you be so sure, child?"
Choon Li stared up at the sky, looking at the stars as he carefully considered his choice of words.
"I could feel his presence every time I ventured into the sacred woods," Choon Li replied as he watched the elder's reaction. "The woods seem to be acting as some kind of barrier between the pair. They are protected in the middle of the woods while the demons conscious prowls around the perimeter."
"So they are safe as long as they stay in the woods?" Soon Hee asked.
"As long as they only go to the woods in their astral bodies and stay within it woods, then they are safe," Choon Li responded.
Seemingly lost in thought, the matriarch gazed through the dwindling crowd, studying each person that passed by. After a while, she let her eyes close and shook her head, as if trying to clear it of her thoughts.
"Out of all these people," the elder started, "how will we be able to tell which ones are the couple we are searching for?"
A soft sigh escaped Choon Li's lips as he tried to think of an answer for the question. He had been thinking about the same thing for many days now, and he still couldn't think of a solution.
"I guess we will just have to wait until fate is ready to reveal them," Choon Li answered as he rose from his seat on the ground. "Now if you will excuse me, Honored Elder, I am very tired."
Without waiting for a reply, Choon Li turned and headed for the hut that he was sharing with his wife.
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"Come in child, it is getting late," Cologne called out the window of her home to the lavender haired beauty sitting under the tree.
"I'll come in later," Shampoo replied rather sullenly.
"I know you are upset over losing Ranma, but you are still young," Cologne said after stepping out the front door.
Instead of looking at her great-grandmother as she spoke, Shampoo focused on the grass in front of her. She had already anticipated Colognes caviler attitude towards the whole subject, and she really couldn't fault her. After all she had accepted the bet, she had lost the match, and she had lost Ranma. Now things would have been different if they had consummated their relationship, then he would have been hers for life, but things just didn't work out that way.
"I know," Shampoo finally answered in a very quiet voice. She didn't want to hear the lecture that was coming, all she really wanted was an understanding ear, but that wasn't her great-grandmother's way.
"Always remember that you are an Amazon!" Cologne said with pride in her voice. "There will be many men that come and go in your life, but you will only have one tribe. Don't let your feelings for a man interfere with your duty to the tribe."
An empty silence that could not be filled hung between the two women. Shampoo knew that her great-grandmother was waiting for a response from her. Just a word to let her know that she would be obeyed; that the implied meaning behind their rather one-sided conversation had been understood. There was none coming though, not from Shampoo anyways.
After what seemed like an eternity, Shampoo heard Cologne head back towards the house. The corners of her mouth turned up into a small smile as she heard the door latch, she welcomed the prospect of being alone. This way she had the quiet she needed to decide on her course of action.
The thought of Akane being an Amazon filled Shampoo with a disgust that caused her stomach to churn. In the past there had always been a few girls in the tribe that Shampoo didn't like, but nothing to this degree. As far as she was concerned, accepting Akane into the tribe brought disgrace to all of them.
Still, she was a part of their sisterhood now, a sisterhood with a time- honored tradition of protecting one another. Being brought up in that tradition, Shampoo knew that she was not to harm one of her other sisters on purpose. Training accidents were one thing, but murder was another.
This was the only family that she had ever known, and she had always followed the rules that had been set forth. Was having Ranma by her side really worth the possibility of losing everything she had worked for?
Over the years, Shampoo had worked hard to gain her position and titles. She was highly respected by the elders, and, until today, she had been the most skilled warrior in the village. Too lose everything that she had worked for and her family would be like losing her life.
Still, she would have Ranma by her side. No one would need to know what she had done; everything could be made to look like an accident. Then she would have her Ranma back and still have the respect she had worked so hard to earn.
If anyone did discover her deeds though, she would be hunted down and killed. The idea of losing her life was something that she really didn't relish, but what would her life be without Ranma. Either way she went, she would end up losing something that she treasured. The question now was what did she treasure the most.
************************************************
Akane stared in wonder at the boy, no not a boy a man, at the man in front of her. She had been surprised when Ranma had walked up to her as she lay by the lake. That was one of the last things that she had expected to happen. What she had expected was for him to run back to Nerima, or maybe leave to start searching for a cure to his curse again. She never thought that he would search out an Amazon named Yung Ji.
The world seemed to be moving in slow motion for her as she listened intently to every word he was saying. The way he was effortlessly expressing himself to her, like he had known her forever, not only amazed her, but saddened her as well. They had known each other for over a year, and he had never talked to her this way. Yet here he was, pouring his heart out to a supposed stranger.
Unshed tears burned at the back of her throat as she listened to the man she loved talk about his other fiancées. Then Ranma told of her as the jealous one, and the description hit home. All of her petty temper- tantrums came to mind as he continued on. It was then that she realized that she never really gave him a chance to explain himself in any situation. She always jumped to conclusions and he always paid the price.
"Well, what about the jealous one?" Akane could hear her voice waver as she spoke, and knew that Ranma could too. Letting go of her pride, Akane choked back her tears and continued to listen, speaking only when necessary.
Just when she thought that she was going to hit the lowest possible point in her life, hope bloomed in her heart. Ranma was talking about her, singing her praises. He thought she was beautiful!
A fresh bought of tears sprung to Akane's eyes as she rolled onto her side to face the man of her dreams. There he was, inches from her face, looking at her with an intensity that made her heart pound. The warmth of his breath on her face quickly spread to the rest of her body as he spoke the words that she had longed to hear for so long.
"I love you, Akane Tendo!"
The whispered words resonated in her head, and the unshed tears began to tumble from her eyes. Slowly, she closed her eyes as he lowered his face towards hers, and gently kissed her lips. The thrill that ran through her body at that moment was indescribable, bringing a whole new meaning to her life; He had chosen her.
Akane was still savoring the tenderness of the moment when she felt Ranma pull away. She opened her eyes to look at him and saw something there that she had never seen before, a new light shining in his eyes. It was as if the mask of confidence he constantly wore had been stripped away, leaving his soul bared to the world. He was nervously awaiting her answer.
When she didn't answer right away, he stood and reached down for her hand. Gingerly she reached up and took hold, facing him as she stood. She knew that she should say something, but she couldn't find her voice through all of her tears.
She desperately tried to get her tears under control, but to no avail. The more she tried, the more they seemed to flow. Knowing that she would not be able to speak until the tears subsided, she looked down at the ground. Maybe if she couldn't see Ranma, they would stop.
After a few minutes, she felt Ranma wrap an arm around her waist and pull her close. His free hand gently grasped her jaw, pushing her face up, until she was looking him in the eye once again.
"You don't have to say anything if ya don't want to," Ranma said. "I just had to let you know."
The pained look in his eyes was almost more than she could bear. There was only one thing she knew of that she could do to ensure him of her love. Smiling through her tears, she leaned into his embrace, and kissed him.
Like their first kiss, this one started off sweet and gentle, making Akane's heart soar. Slowly, she put her arms around his neck as the kiss deepened, causing her knees to go weak. She had heard some of the girls at school talking about their experiences, but she had never imagined how intoxicating it could be.
Pulling back a little, Akane once again gazed into Ranma's eyes. There was no hesitation this time, no tears, no indecision. She knew without a doubt that she loved this man, she had known for a while. Now was the time for her to tell him, before something else went wrong.
"I love you too, Ranma!" Akane said with a smile, her eyes shining.
Ranma smiled down at her, kissing her forehead as he pulled her close to his body. A gentle breeze started to blow over the lake, adding a chill to the night air. Akane didn't notice though, she was warm in the embrace of love.
*****************************************
Shampoo watched the whole disgusting scene from a distance. She could not hear what Ranma and Akane were saying to each other, but judging from the kissing, she was sure that she wouldn't like it.
The thought of Ranma having to show such affection to that girl was almost too much for the young Amazon to handle. She was just sure that Akane had forced him to marry her just as soon as they had left the competition. After all, why would Ranma choose that tomboy over her? She had so much more to offer!
Waiting for Ranma to leave Akane's side was proving to be much more difficult than she had imagined. The thought of attacking Akane in front of him had briefly crossed Shampoo's mind; she had quickly dismissed it though. Ranma was a very honorable person, and if he decided to withhold the bet then he would defend Akane. Besides, if she wanted to remain a member of the tribe, it was imperative that no one see her commit the act.
Finally, after what seemed like hours of torture to Shampoo, Ranma finally seemed to be heading away from Akane. For a moment, he actually seemed to be lingering at the edge of the woods, like he didn't want to leave. That could not be the case though. Shampoo had heard his litany often enough to know that he did not like the tomboy. He never once sang her praises, only listed her faults. She would be doing the world a favor by ending this weak girls life.
The sound of a twig snapping brought her mind back into focus. Ranma was walking into the forest, heading back to the village.
"Are you sure you don't want me to walk you back to your camp?" Ranma asked, turning to look at Akane.
"No, I'm going to stay here by the lake," Akane answered. "I need to think about some things."
Shampoo smiled when she heard this, her task had just become easy. Everyone knew how clumsy Akane could be, and everyone knew that the girl could not swim. She couldn't use this lake though, too many people from the village walked out there. An idea came into her mind, bringing an ugly, twisted smile to her lips; she had the perfect plan.
"I am going to see you tomorrow right?" Ranma asked.
"Right after I talk with my mother!" Akane said with a big smile on her face.
Shampoo watched as Ranma turned and walked into the woods, and as Akane turned to gaze at the still waters before her. The necessity of action was all to clear to her now.
Without making a sound, Shampoo lowered herself from the tree she was sitting in, and, keeping to the tree line, descended into the valley. Once she could see the various, glittering pools a few feet away from her, she stopped to put her plan into action.
"Help!" Shampoo screamed at the top of her lungs. "Someone, please help me!"
A hard, glint shone in the girls lavender eyes as she purposely thought of losing Ranma to Akane. The scene was not one she liked, but it helped her gain the emotional edge that she needed.
"Oh please!" Shampoo yelled again, her voice now quivering. "Please, someone, anyone, help!"
The sound of footsteps could be heard headed her way. She didn't have to wait very long, but then Akane always did have a big heart. Shampoo made her way through the trees until she by the edge of two adjacent pools. This was the spot she would lure Akane to, if she missed on pool, the other was waiting.
"I'm here!" Shampoo called out in a weak voice. She climbed up a tree whose branches were somewhat extended over the pools. "Hurry, please hurry!"
As she waited in the tree, Shampoo began to have doubts that the person coming was indeed Akane. What if there was more than one person? What was she to do then? Just as the thought passed through her head though, Akane appeared from the trees, and headed towards the pools, quelling all of Shampoo's fears.
Quickly, she pulled a thermos full of cold water out of her pack, pouring it over her head. Suddenly, the clothes she was wearing fell to the ground, and the thermos she was holding was left dangling from a string connected to the branch she was sitting on. Out of all the chaos came a white cat with lavender tips on her ears and feet. Neko-Shampoo was ready for action.
************************************************
Mousse paced the floor at the bottom of the stairs. Nabiki had said goodnight and gone up a half an hour ago, but she wasn't asleep yet. There was no way he could risk going up the stairs until she was sound asleep. At the rate Nabiki was going, he would be up for half the night.
As much as he wanted to get this little problem taken care of, there really was no hurry. If he got it taken care of right away, then there would be less to worry about. Besides, Nabiki could really use the help. The whole situation had been making her tense and irritable.
He would wait until she was asleep. He would miss a whole night's sleep if he needed to. All that mattered was Nabiki's welfare. He would not rest easy until she could.
****************************************************
Ranma was walking down the path in the woods, thinking about Akane. He could not believe his good luck! Not only was he engaged to the most amazing girl in the world, but she actually loved him back. For most of his life he had dreamed of finding someone to love, and now he had.
There weren't many people in Ranma's life as he was growing up that he could love. He loved his father in a way, and he loved his best-friend Ukyou. They were pretty much the only constants in his younger life. It was kind hard to form attachments when he moved around so much.
The love he held for his mother was something entirely different. He didn't really know her, or the kind of person she was and he knew that. All he had of his mother for so many years was an idea, a vision of what he wanted her to be. The funny thing was Kasumi fit his idea of a perfect mother much better than his own did.
Then there was Akane. When he and his father first entered the Nerima district he felt that he was at the beginning of something incredible, he just didn't know what it was. Then he had met Akane, and in that instant, when she offered her friendship, he knew that he would never leave her side. He felt drawn to her in a way that he could not comprehend, let alone describe. Back then he was sure that Akane was the incredible thing that he had been feeling, but he knew better now. Whatever he was a part of included her, and was way bigger than either one of them.
He was just able to start making out the lights of the village in the distance when he stopped. A strange feeling came over him, something just wasn't right. With a speed born from years of training, Ranma ran back in the direction he had come from. He needed to get to Akane; he should never have left her alone.
The trees were all blurred as he ran past, and up over the rise. The lake quickly came into view, but he did not see Akane. A sick feeling began to burn in his stomach, she wouldn't have gone into the valley; not even she was that dumb. He couldn't seem to shake the feeling that she was down there though.
He ran down into the valley, heedless of the danger of falling into yet another cursed spring. He was in such a hurry that he merely made note of the little white cat that went streaking past him, ignoring the need to scream in fear.
He could see her now, floundering in a spring, trying desperately to get to shore. Running as fast as he could now, he felt the panic rising in his throat as he watched her go under and come back up countless times.
When he finally reached the side of the spring, she was slowly sinking. Only her hand remained above the water. Not caring if he fell in the pool himself, Ranma quickly grabbed her hand and began to pull her out. Some part of his mind grasped the fact that Akane seemed to weigh a lot more now, but, in his panic, he did not acknowledge the fact. He would only feel calm once he had her safely on the shore.
The first thing he noticed when, he had finished pulling Akane out of the water, was that she seemed taller. A sick feeling washed over him as he realized what must have happened; she had fallen into the spring of drowned man.
He reached out and grasped Akane-kun's hand, rubbing it in an attempt to help warm her. When he realized that the boy wasn't going to gain consciousness anytime soon, he picked him up and carried him over to a tree. He sat down with the boy on his lap and wrapped his arms around him.
Little flecks of golden light began to surround the pair. They were dancing through the air, disappearing then reappearing and moving round in circles. Ranma watched them warily for a few moments before he began to feel very sleepy. He tried his hardest to stay awake to watch the phenomena, but sleep finally overtook him.
The golden light completely enveloped the couple.
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This has been finished for quite a while. (Author grins, while giving off a nervous laugh.) I was planning on adding quite a bit more to this chapter, but it just didn't seem right. So, needless to say, I already have quite a bit of chapter 17 written, and could finish it this very day if I wanted to. ^_^
As always, I want to thank my wonderful pre-readers for all of their help! Without them the chapters wouldn't flow as smoothly.
Here we go, the disclaimer..the Ranma characters don't belong to me.blah.blah.I am making no money.blah.blah.
CHAPTER 16
STARRY NIGHT
"I can feel the evil," Soon Hee stated as she gazed at the nighttime sky. "His powers are growing by the hour."
"We are safe for now," Choon Li replied.
A gentle breeze started to make its way across the forest, adding a chill to the already cool night air. Without explanation, Choon Li left the gazebo that he and the matriarch had been talking in, startling Soon Hee. Leaving the matriarchs presence without permission was normally considered a great offense, allowances for his behavior had to be made though. Choon Li had lived almost his entire life alone, away from the village. He didn't always follow the correct protocol.
Just as she started to shiver, she felt a shawl being draped over her shoulders. Welcoming the delicious warmth that spread over her body, she turned to look up at the person whom had brought it to her. Many, many years had passed since a male had willingly waited on her.
"This should help you warm up," Choon Li said as he poured hot tea from a thermos to a cup.
"He is very close to the village," Soon Hee stated, taking a sip from her cup.
"Yes, I can feel him. He doesn't know they are here though," Choon Li answered.
"How can you be so sure, child?"
Choon Li stared up at the sky, looking at the stars as he carefully considered his choice of words.
"I could feel his presence every time I ventured into the sacred woods," Choon Li replied as he watched the elder's reaction. "The woods seem to be acting as some kind of barrier between the pair. They are protected in the middle of the woods while the demons conscious prowls around the perimeter."
"So they are safe as long as they stay in the woods?" Soon Hee asked.
"As long as they only go to the woods in their astral bodies and stay within it woods, then they are safe," Choon Li responded.
Seemingly lost in thought, the matriarch gazed through the dwindling crowd, studying each person that passed by. After a while, she let her eyes close and shook her head, as if trying to clear it of her thoughts.
"Out of all these people," the elder started, "how will we be able to tell which ones are the couple we are searching for?"
A soft sigh escaped Choon Li's lips as he tried to think of an answer for the question. He had been thinking about the same thing for many days now, and he still couldn't think of a solution.
"I guess we will just have to wait until fate is ready to reveal them," Choon Li answered as he rose from his seat on the ground. "Now if you will excuse me, Honored Elder, I am very tired."
Without waiting for a reply, Choon Li turned and headed for the hut that he was sharing with his wife.
********************************************
"Come in child, it is getting late," Cologne called out the window of her home to the lavender haired beauty sitting under the tree.
"I'll come in later," Shampoo replied rather sullenly.
"I know you are upset over losing Ranma, but you are still young," Cologne said after stepping out the front door.
Instead of looking at her great-grandmother as she spoke, Shampoo focused on the grass in front of her. She had already anticipated Colognes caviler attitude towards the whole subject, and she really couldn't fault her. After all she had accepted the bet, she had lost the match, and she had lost Ranma. Now things would have been different if they had consummated their relationship, then he would have been hers for life, but things just didn't work out that way.
"I know," Shampoo finally answered in a very quiet voice. She didn't want to hear the lecture that was coming, all she really wanted was an understanding ear, but that wasn't her great-grandmother's way.
"Always remember that you are an Amazon!" Cologne said with pride in her voice. "There will be many men that come and go in your life, but you will only have one tribe. Don't let your feelings for a man interfere with your duty to the tribe."
An empty silence that could not be filled hung between the two women. Shampoo knew that her great-grandmother was waiting for a response from her. Just a word to let her know that she would be obeyed; that the implied meaning behind their rather one-sided conversation had been understood. There was none coming though, not from Shampoo anyways.
After what seemed like an eternity, Shampoo heard Cologne head back towards the house. The corners of her mouth turned up into a small smile as she heard the door latch, she welcomed the prospect of being alone. This way she had the quiet she needed to decide on her course of action.
The thought of Akane being an Amazon filled Shampoo with a disgust that caused her stomach to churn. In the past there had always been a few girls in the tribe that Shampoo didn't like, but nothing to this degree. As far as she was concerned, accepting Akane into the tribe brought disgrace to all of them.
Still, she was a part of their sisterhood now, a sisterhood with a time- honored tradition of protecting one another. Being brought up in that tradition, Shampoo knew that she was not to harm one of her other sisters on purpose. Training accidents were one thing, but murder was another.
This was the only family that she had ever known, and she had always followed the rules that had been set forth. Was having Ranma by her side really worth the possibility of losing everything she had worked for?
Over the years, Shampoo had worked hard to gain her position and titles. She was highly respected by the elders, and, until today, she had been the most skilled warrior in the village. Too lose everything that she had worked for and her family would be like losing her life.
Still, she would have Ranma by her side. No one would need to know what she had done; everything could be made to look like an accident. Then she would have her Ranma back and still have the respect she had worked so hard to earn.
If anyone did discover her deeds though, she would be hunted down and killed. The idea of losing her life was something that she really didn't relish, but what would her life be without Ranma. Either way she went, she would end up losing something that she treasured. The question now was what did she treasure the most.
************************************************
Akane stared in wonder at the boy, no not a boy a man, at the man in front of her. She had been surprised when Ranma had walked up to her as she lay by the lake. That was one of the last things that she had expected to happen. What she had expected was for him to run back to Nerima, or maybe leave to start searching for a cure to his curse again. She never thought that he would search out an Amazon named Yung Ji.
The world seemed to be moving in slow motion for her as she listened intently to every word he was saying. The way he was effortlessly expressing himself to her, like he had known her forever, not only amazed her, but saddened her as well. They had known each other for over a year, and he had never talked to her this way. Yet here he was, pouring his heart out to a supposed stranger.
Unshed tears burned at the back of her throat as she listened to the man she loved talk about his other fiancées. Then Ranma told of her as the jealous one, and the description hit home. All of her petty temper- tantrums came to mind as he continued on. It was then that she realized that she never really gave him a chance to explain himself in any situation. She always jumped to conclusions and he always paid the price.
"Well, what about the jealous one?" Akane could hear her voice waver as she spoke, and knew that Ranma could too. Letting go of her pride, Akane choked back her tears and continued to listen, speaking only when necessary.
Just when she thought that she was going to hit the lowest possible point in her life, hope bloomed in her heart. Ranma was talking about her, singing her praises. He thought she was beautiful!
A fresh bought of tears sprung to Akane's eyes as she rolled onto her side to face the man of her dreams. There he was, inches from her face, looking at her with an intensity that made her heart pound. The warmth of his breath on her face quickly spread to the rest of her body as he spoke the words that she had longed to hear for so long.
"I love you, Akane Tendo!"
The whispered words resonated in her head, and the unshed tears began to tumble from her eyes. Slowly, she closed her eyes as he lowered his face towards hers, and gently kissed her lips. The thrill that ran through her body at that moment was indescribable, bringing a whole new meaning to her life; He had chosen her.
Akane was still savoring the tenderness of the moment when she felt Ranma pull away. She opened her eyes to look at him and saw something there that she had never seen before, a new light shining in his eyes. It was as if the mask of confidence he constantly wore had been stripped away, leaving his soul bared to the world. He was nervously awaiting her answer.
When she didn't answer right away, he stood and reached down for her hand. Gingerly she reached up and took hold, facing him as she stood. She knew that she should say something, but she couldn't find her voice through all of her tears.
She desperately tried to get her tears under control, but to no avail. The more she tried, the more they seemed to flow. Knowing that she would not be able to speak until the tears subsided, she looked down at the ground. Maybe if she couldn't see Ranma, they would stop.
After a few minutes, she felt Ranma wrap an arm around her waist and pull her close. His free hand gently grasped her jaw, pushing her face up, until she was looking him in the eye once again.
"You don't have to say anything if ya don't want to," Ranma said. "I just had to let you know."
The pained look in his eyes was almost more than she could bear. There was only one thing she knew of that she could do to ensure him of her love. Smiling through her tears, she leaned into his embrace, and kissed him.
Like their first kiss, this one started off sweet and gentle, making Akane's heart soar. Slowly, she put her arms around his neck as the kiss deepened, causing her knees to go weak. She had heard some of the girls at school talking about their experiences, but she had never imagined how intoxicating it could be.
Pulling back a little, Akane once again gazed into Ranma's eyes. There was no hesitation this time, no tears, no indecision. She knew without a doubt that she loved this man, she had known for a while. Now was the time for her to tell him, before something else went wrong.
"I love you too, Ranma!" Akane said with a smile, her eyes shining.
Ranma smiled down at her, kissing her forehead as he pulled her close to his body. A gentle breeze started to blow over the lake, adding a chill to the night air. Akane didn't notice though, she was warm in the embrace of love.
*****************************************
Shampoo watched the whole disgusting scene from a distance. She could not hear what Ranma and Akane were saying to each other, but judging from the kissing, she was sure that she wouldn't like it.
The thought of Ranma having to show such affection to that girl was almost too much for the young Amazon to handle. She was just sure that Akane had forced him to marry her just as soon as they had left the competition. After all, why would Ranma choose that tomboy over her? She had so much more to offer!
Waiting for Ranma to leave Akane's side was proving to be much more difficult than she had imagined. The thought of attacking Akane in front of him had briefly crossed Shampoo's mind; she had quickly dismissed it though. Ranma was a very honorable person, and if he decided to withhold the bet then he would defend Akane. Besides, if she wanted to remain a member of the tribe, it was imperative that no one see her commit the act.
Finally, after what seemed like hours of torture to Shampoo, Ranma finally seemed to be heading away from Akane. For a moment, he actually seemed to be lingering at the edge of the woods, like he didn't want to leave. That could not be the case though. Shampoo had heard his litany often enough to know that he did not like the tomboy. He never once sang her praises, only listed her faults. She would be doing the world a favor by ending this weak girls life.
The sound of a twig snapping brought her mind back into focus. Ranma was walking into the forest, heading back to the village.
"Are you sure you don't want me to walk you back to your camp?" Ranma asked, turning to look at Akane.
"No, I'm going to stay here by the lake," Akane answered. "I need to think about some things."
Shampoo smiled when she heard this, her task had just become easy. Everyone knew how clumsy Akane could be, and everyone knew that the girl could not swim. She couldn't use this lake though, too many people from the village walked out there. An idea came into her mind, bringing an ugly, twisted smile to her lips; she had the perfect plan.
"I am going to see you tomorrow right?" Ranma asked.
"Right after I talk with my mother!" Akane said with a big smile on her face.
Shampoo watched as Ranma turned and walked into the woods, and as Akane turned to gaze at the still waters before her. The necessity of action was all to clear to her now.
Without making a sound, Shampoo lowered herself from the tree she was sitting in, and, keeping to the tree line, descended into the valley. Once she could see the various, glittering pools a few feet away from her, she stopped to put her plan into action.
"Help!" Shampoo screamed at the top of her lungs. "Someone, please help me!"
A hard, glint shone in the girls lavender eyes as she purposely thought of losing Ranma to Akane. The scene was not one she liked, but it helped her gain the emotional edge that she needed.
"Oh please!" Shampoo yelled again, her voice now quivering. "Please, someone, anyone, help!"
The sound of footsteps could be heard headed her way. She didn't have to wait very long, but then Akane always did have a big heart. Shampoo made her way through the trees until she by the edge of two adjacent pools. This was the spot she would lure Akane to, if she missed on pool, the other was waiting.
"I'm here!" Shampoo called out in a weak voice. She climbed up a tree whose branches were somewhat extended over the pools. "Hurry, please hurry!"
As she waited in the tree, Shampoo began to have doubts that the person coming was indeed Akane. What if there was more than one person? What was she to do then? Just as the thought passed through her head though, Akane appeared from the trees, and headed towards the pools, quelling all of Shampoo's fears.
Quickly, she pulled a thermos full of cold water out of her pack, pouring it over her head. Suddenly, the clothes she was wearing fell to the ground, and the thermos she was holding was left dangling from a string connected to the branch she was sitting on. Out of all the chaos came a white cat with lavender tips on her ears and feet. Neko-Shampoo was ready for action.
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Mousse paced the floor at the bottom of the stairs. Nabiki had said goodnight and gone up a half an hour ago, but she wasn't asleep yet. There was no way he could risk going up the stairs until she was sound asleep. At the rate Nabiki was going, he would be up for half the night.
As much as he wanted to get this little problem taken care of, there really was no hurry. If he got it taken care of right away, then there would be less to worry about. Besides, Nabiki could really use the help. The whole situation had been making her tense and irritable.
He would wait until she was asleep. He would miss a whole night's sleep if he needed to. All that mattered was Nabiki's welfare. He would not rest easy until she could.
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Ranma was walking down the path in the woods, thinking about Akane. He could not believe his good luck! Not only was he engaged to the most amazing girl in the world, but she actually loved him back. For most of his life he had dreamed of finding someone to love, and now he had.
There weren't many people in Ranma's life as he was growing up that he could love. He loved his father in a way, and he loved his best-friend Ukyou. They were pretty much the only constants in his younger life. It was kind hard to form attachments when he moved around so much.
The love he held for his mother was something entirely different. He didn't really know her, or the kind of person she was and he knew that. All he had of his mother for so many years was an idea, a vision of what he wanted her to be. The funny thing was Kasumi fit his idea of a perfect mother much better than his own did.
Then there was Akane. When he and his father first entered the Nerima district he felt that he was at the beginning of something incredible, he just didn't know what it was. Then he had met Akane, and in that instant, when she offered her friendship, he knew that he would never leave her side. He felt drawn to her in a way that he could not comprehend, let alone describe. Back then he was sure that Akane was the incredible thing that he had been feeling, but he knew better now. Whatever he was a part of included her, and was way bigger than either one of them.
He was just able to start making out the lights of the village in the distance when he stopped. A strange feeling came over him, something just wasn't right. With a speed born from years of training, Ranma ran back in the direction he had come from. He needed to get to Akane; he should never have left her alone.
The trees were all blurred as he ran past, and up over the rise. The lake quickly came into view, but he did not see Akane. A sick feeling began to burn in his stomach, she wouldn't have gone into the valley; not even she was that dumb. He couldn't seem to shake the feeling that she was down there though.
He ran down into the valley, heedless of the danger of falling into yet another cursed spring. He was in such a hurry that he merely made note of the little white cat that went streaking past him, ignoring the need to scream in fear.
He could see her now, floundering in a spring, trying desperately to get to shore. Running as fast as he could now, he felt the panic rising in his throat as he watched her go under and come back up countless times.
When he finally reached the side of the spring, she was slowly sinking. Only her hand remained above the water. Not caring if he fell in the pool himself, Ranma quickly grabbed her hand and began to pull her out. Some part of his mind grasped the fact that Akane seemed to weigh a lot more now, but, in his panic, he did not acknowledge the fact. He would only feel calm once he had her safely on the shore.
The first thing he noticed when, he had finished pulling Akane out of the water, was that she seemed taller. A sick feeling washed over him as he realized what must have happened; she had fallen into the spring of drowned man.
He reached out and grasped Akane-kun's hand, rubbing it in an attempt to help warm her. When he realized that the boy wasn't going to gain consciousness anytime soon, he picked him up and carried him over to a tree. He sat down with the boy on his lap and wrapped his arms around him.
Little flecks of golden light began to surround the pair. They were dancing through the air, disappearing then reappearing and moving round in circles. Ranma watched them warily for a few moments before he began to feel very sleepy. He tried his hardest to stay awake to watch the phenomena, but sleep finally overtook him.
The golden light completely enveloped the couple.
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This has been finished for quite a while. (Author grins, while giving off a nervous laugh.) I was planning on adding quite a bit more to this chapter, but it just didn't seem right. So, needless to say, I already have quite a bit of chapter 17 written, and could finish it this very day if I wanted to. ^_^
As always, I want to thank my wonderful pre-readers for all of their help! Without them the chapters wouldn't flow as smoothly.