Chapter 8

"Arrg!" The scream echoed throughout the Tendo residence, as one Nabiki Tendo vented her frustrations at not being able to locate the lost boy.

Kasumi entered the room with a look of puzzlement," What's the matter, Nabiki?"

"I can't believe how hard it is to find Ryoga!" the frustrated middle Tendo replied while practically tearing out her hair in the process. It had been nine months since her plan to use the lost boy to find her sister and so far he had failed to be located or even show up at the doujou.

"Cheer up, Nabiki. I'm sure he'll show up soon," Kasumi replied with a smile.

"But..."

"Yes. I agree with you," Soun replied entering the room. "That boy is due to show anytime now."

"Tendo is right, Nabiki," Genma replied while placing a hand on the young girl's shoulder.

"Well I..." Nabiki started to reply when a loud cry erupted from outside.

"RANMA PREPARE TO DIE!!!"


"There, you see," Kasumi replied. "He finally did decide to show up."


Nabiki and the rest of the family ran out side to greet the lost boy before he decided to get lost again. The middle Tendo daughter was the first one at the lost boy's side. "Ryoga!"

The lost boy turned around at the shout, placing a hand behind his head he nervously stuttered, "N...Nabiki." Before remembering his true purpose for being at the doujou. "Where's Ranma! I'm gong to make him pay for running out on our fight!"

"Oh dear," Kasumi sighed from Nabiki's right. "You mean you haven't heard?"

"Heard, what?" The lost boy replied, completely puzzled now.

"Well. It's like this," Nabiki started to say but her father interrupted her.

"MY BABY AND RANMA ARE MISSING.........WAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Soun cried emotionally.

"What!" Ryoga screamed in surprise. He turned around to leave when he felt a firm hand grip his shoulder. Turning, he stared at the person and growled, "Nabiki, let go so I can find them."

Rolling her eyes, Nabiki replied, "It's not going to be that easy Ryoga-kun. You seeRanma and Akane were going on a trip to Tahiti a year and four months ago. They were caught in an unexpected storm and their helicopter went down. There were search parties sent out but they were unable to find them. They were presumed drowned at sea."

Ryoga's face whitened at that pronouncement and his legs suddenly gave out. The lost boy landed on the ground hard while he shook his head, "N...no. No, not Akane.....why.....and Ranma....oh god...."


Nabiki saw that the lost boy was quickly going into a state of shock so she decided to do something about it. Quickly raising her hand she slapped him hard across the face. "Ryoga! Snap out of it!"

"Huh?" Ryoga replied, blinking at the sudden sensation of pain.

"Ryoga, we think that they may still be alive....but we don't know where they are." Nabiki paused, took a deep breath and continued with her explanation. "We've got the general direction but that typhoon must have blown them way off course... and that's where you come in."

"What?" Ryoga said, clearly missing the point. "Why do you need me?"

"We need you to help us find them," Kasumi whispered quietly.

"WHAT!" the lost boy shouted, shocked at the recent turn of events. "I can't find them!"

"Oh, but we think you can," Nabiki replied. "Only a lost martial artist can find two missing martial artists."

"Ryoga, please help us find them," Kasumi whispered, near tears. The emotional strain from the last nine months had finally caught up with her.

Ryoga noticed that Kasumi was about to cry and his heart broke at the eldest Tendo's expression of despair. Silently, he debated with himself about being able to find Ranma and Akane using his family curse. Sighing, the lost boy finally nodded his head and replied, "Alright...I'll try."


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Ranma and Akane knelt in the middle of a clearing with the gentle rumble of the waterfall was the only sound that marred the silence. A bowl made from a coconut shell sat in between the two. Each stared into the others eyes while a gentle wind ruffled their hair. Slowly, Ranma reached down and picked up the bowl, turning it three times in the palm of his hand, the pigtailed boy concentrated on what he was doing. Ranma preyed that he wouldn't mess this up, then he spoke, "I Ranma Saotome, do pledge myself to be your husband in sickness an' health from this day forward until th' end of our days and into th' next life." Lifting the bowl, he took a sip of its contents before passing it over to Akane.

Akane grasped the bowl in shaking hands while trying to calm her fluttering nerves. Taking a deep breath, Akane turned the bowl in a clockwise motion three times before taking a sip and reciting her vows, " I, Akane Tendo do take you, Ranma Saotome to be my husband. In sickness and health, through all the chaos that follows us through our lives," she paused for a moment, smiling gently as a small laugh escaped her lips. Then she continued, "and into the next life," Akane took two more sips before passing the bowl back towards Ranma.

He accepted the bowl and turned it again in a clockwise motion and recited, "I promise ta be a faithful loving husband, never ta stray and ta protect ya from any threat as I see fit."

Akane accepted the bowl once more, "I promise to be a faithful and loving wife and I also will protect you as I see fit." Akane saw the protest in his gaze and chided him softly, "I'm a martial artist, Ranma. I won't stand by and see you get hurt if I can fight by your side...I love you." Akane didn't wait for his answer and drank before passing it back to him.

Ranma smiled softly, his gaze full of love as he accepted the bowl for the last time, " I will give you as many children as you want.... and I promise ta be a loving father an' not take th` children away on training trips with out bringin` ya along." Ranma drank the last of the juice from the bowl before setting it down with a final thump. Glancing up into Akane's eyes, he said, "I love you, Akane...my wife."

Akane's smile lit her whole face as she launched herself into his arms with a glad cry, "Oh, Ranma!" Grasping his chin with shaking fingers, Akane brought her lips towards his and whispered, "....my husband."

Ranma smiled before he took her lips in a savage kiss meant to let her know that he claimed her as his and wouldn't let anyone else have that right. The two were lost in each others embrace for ten minutes before he finally broke the kiss and sat back on his heals. "Akane," he whispered softly as he hugged her to his chest.

"Yes, Ranma."

"Let's take the day off. We have plenty of food stashed away and we can always finish the repairs to the hut tomorrow and complete that pool that we were going to make to protect us from the sharks," Ranma suggested softly.

Akane sat in his lap deep in thought before lifting her chin to gaze into his eyes and replied, " Alright, Ranma. I think that," she leaned in closer, daring to take a chance and rubbed her chest against his. "is a great idea," she breathed softly, her breath feathering over his lips and sending a bolt of desire straight through his system.

Ranma gulped as he felt the surge of uncontrollable desire lance though his body. He tried to control himself but when Akane rubbed her chest against his, he lost all coherent thought. Hugging her tightly in his arms, Ranma leapt to his feet and carried her through the forest and into their home. For the rest of the afternoon and well into the night, the island rang with their combined screams of pleasure.

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As Ryoga plodded through a snowdrift, he could see nothing but trees and mountains. "I can't believe I promised to help them find Ranma and Akane...I must have been out of my mind," he muttered with a small sigh. The lost boy remembered that he had made that promise months ago and so far he still hadn't found them. If he tallied the time up correctly, Ranma and Akane had been missing for over a year now and he was no closer to finding them when he had started. "Lets see now," he muttered, lifting his gloved hand and began ticking off the number of places he had been so far. "I've been to Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangladesh, and Tokyo _three _ times, Canada, Hawaii, South America," his voice rose with each finger that came down. "France, England and Spain...." the lost boy stopped and panted for breath, "and according to my map that Nabiki gave me....I'm no where near where I'm supposed to be!"

Suddenly he heard a noise from behind him and turned around to see a small black and white bird waddle across his path. Ryoga sighed as he thought about where he could be now. He knew that he hadn't seen any sign of people living anywhere. Shading his eyes, he glanced around but all he could see in every direction was more trees and more snow. "This is just great...I have no idea where the hell I am," he growled in irritation.

Turning around, he decided to take another direction in hopes of ending up somewhere warmer. Ryoga had only taken ten steps when the air around him began to shimmer. However, he took no notice of this fact since he was deep in thought about how the heck he was going to find them. Suddenly he began to notice that the air around him was no longer cold and that at that particular second, he felt like he was going to have heat stroke. Glancing up from his musings, Ryoga saw that he was walking on a tropical beach. Quickly, he removed all of his heavy clothing before taking stock of his surroundings. Over to his left, he saw a nice hut that was situated in a clearing with a waterfall nearby. "I hope I'm not on an island where the natives eat other people," he muttered quietly to himself as he started walking in the direction of the hut. He was very careful to keep it in site, lest he get lost again. Just as he was about to enter, Ryoga heard the sound of laughter ring throughout the forest, cocking his head, he listened closely and muttered, "that sounds familiar..."

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A new day dawned over the island when Ranma was suddenly awakened by the sound of his wife tossing her cookies. Groaning, Should I go and help her or just leave her alone? he debated with himself for a few seconds before coming to a decision. Quickly, rolling out of bed, Ranma made his way to Akane's side and held her while she went through he ancient ritual of Morning sickness. Whipping her brow with gentle strokes he asked, Are you alright, Akane?


Ooh, I feel like I'm going to be sick again, she groaned before her stomach heaved once more. This went on for another two minutes before Akane was able to lean back in his embrace, panting for breath. Akane wished that this would go away but she knew that she had only been pregnant three months and was due to continue with the morning sickness for quite some time. Every morning it had become routine for her, roll out of bed and make a break for the edge of the forest where she would be sick. Then when that was over, Ranma would carry her back to the hut, get her something light to eat before getting himself his own breakfast. Then the day would be spent taking care of the things that needed to be done. Yesterday, they had gone hunting and much to Ranma's protests, she had insisted on going along. Akane smiled as she came out of her musings and found that once again she had been carried home. Thank you, Ranma. I'm really hungry right nowcould you please get me some of that? Akane said while pointing towards a pile of fruit.

Sure, Akane, came his cheerful reply as he quickly grabbed a heaping portion of guava fruit. Grinning, Ranma rolled his eyes at the thought of what he was doing but he knew that Akane needed to eat more in order to keep herself and their child healthy. Every time he glanced at Akane and her slightly rounded stomach, he was filled with some unnamed emotion that made him want to hold her in his arms and never let go. Turning, Ranma lugged the huge pile a fruit towards Akane and set it down. As he watched her eat, he was amazed at the amount that she was able to pack away. It almost surpassed the amount of food that he ate with every meal and she was only three months along. I think that she'll be eating twice as much in a few months since she's carrying a Saotome, he thought to himself while his eyes shown with love.

MMM, that was good! Akane chirped while rubbing her stomach. Smiling, she turned her attention back towards Ranma and asked, .what are we going to do today, Ranma?

The pigtailed boy sat in silence for a moment while he thought about the vast amount of chores that needed to be taken care of. Suddenly, he sat up straighter and began tracing the plans in the sand next to the porch and replied, I think we should build that fishing pool over by the south beach. Here is what I think it should look like.

Akane leaned closer as she watched the plans take shape. Hey! That's not a bad idea! But, if we leave little gaps at the top of the rocksonly small ones mind you, then it will let the fish in and keep the sharks out! Turning, Akane beamed a megawatt smile his way as she stood up and began running towards the south beach. Come on, Ranma let's go! she yelled over her shoulder.

Akane! you shouldn't be runnin like that! Ranma called out, worried that she might seriously injure herself or their child. Jumping to his feet, he chased after her down the beach. Man, she sure does recover fast from bein sick, he muttered as he finally caught up to her. Ranma didn't bother to explain what they were going to do, but Akane watched as he walked directly the cliff face and glanced over his shoulder and called out, Stand back, Akane!

What are you doing, baka? Akane called back but moved out of the way like he asked.

I'm getting us enough rocks to build the pool, he yelled back while concentrating. Positioning his hands in front of himself, he focused his energies before taking a deep breath. he screamed as he sliced huge chunks of rock off the cliff face.


Akane blinked at the results, she had never seen Ranma used his full power before so she was a little bit amazed at the amount of destruction it could cause. From what she could see, they had enough materials from that one blast to build two pools. she whispered quietly before getting an idea. Hey, Ranma!

You have_ got_ to teach me how to do that! Akane yelled while practically bouncing with eagerness to learn a new technique.

Ranma chuckled nervously while grinning. He wasn't sure if it was a good idea to teach her something like that, in her condition, she might just hurt herself, he thought. Turning, he was about to refuse when he noticed her look of wonder and happiness at the thought of learning. Sighing, he gave a half hearted protest, But, Akane, you might hurt yourself and the baby.

You worry too much, Ranma. I'll be fine! she replied with a growl.

Alright, but first ya gotta learn how to focus and in order to do that.ya gotta learn how to control your chi. Ranma walked over to the pile of boulders while Akane followed two steps behind, he pointed to the largest boulder and said, Ya gotta lift that and place it right at the edge of the water. But, in order to lift it, you have to focus your chi into your arms to make you stronger.

Akane nodded while focusing on what her husband was telling her before she replied, "Ok, Ranma. You know this stuff better than I do." Bending down, Akane focused her energies into her arms and lifted a ton of rock with little effort. As she walked over to the waters edge, Ranma blinked and muttered, "yep, she sure does have brute strength alright." Ranma grinned as he made his way over to the rock pile to lend a hand.

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It was late in the afternoon a week later when Ranma stood up from placing the last boulder. Finally, the task of hauling boulders to make a special swimming/fishing pool was completed. Stretching the kinks out of his sore arms and shoulders, Ranma glanced up and called for his wife, Hey Akane! When there was no reply, he became a bit worried. Ranma knew that she had been helping him just a two hours ago but she had decided to take a short break. Ranma realized that Akane had never come back, so he set out in search of her. Hmm, Maybe I'll check back homeif she's not there then I'll just check somewhere else, Ranma thought as he made a break for the tree line.

Ducking and weaving through the thick foliage, Ranma ran steadily towards his destination. He hoped that he wouldn't find Akane to be in any serious danger. Heck, she could still be eatin for all I know. Right now, she can almost give me a good workoutnot as fast as Pop though, but she's getting there! Ranma grinned while remembering last night's fiasco at dinner. He had just finished roasting some pig and had set the table when Akane had walked in. She had taken one look at the meal and fell on it like a slavering wolf.

Ranma smiled, remembered turning around to see half the dinner consumed and Akane working on finishing the other half. He had to scramble to get a small piece before she could eat it. Ranma had seen the look in her eyes when she watched him finish it and had immediately put some fish over the fire to try and abate her hunger. Akane's pregnancy isn't showing yet, but it won't be long now before she starts to gain weight, Ranma mumbled as he pushed aside a large vine hanging in front of his face.

Arriving at their home, he quickly climbed the stairs and entered, he called loudly while scanning the lower lever and checking the two other rooms. When he received no answer, he climbed up stairs and checked the loft. Akane wasn't there either. Ok, now I gotta go check somewhere else.I know, he exclaimed, smacking his fist into his palm. I'll check the larder! She's gotta be a hungry from all that work! he yelled to no one in particular as he dashed out the door.


When he arrived at the falls, he quickly took the safest path that led behind the thundering water without the risk of getting wet. Ranma knew that Akane had gotten into the habit of eating inside the caves for two reasons. The first being that she was close to the food and didn't have to travel too far and the second, it was nice and cool inside the cave and gave her a break from the stifling heat of the day. Walking around, Ranma didn't want to risk missing her, so he checked each chamber just in case. When he couldn't find any trace of her he exclaimed, Aww, man! She's not here! Guess I'll have to check the hot springs.

Ranma left the falls and began running at a quick pace for fifteen minutes before he could see the steam from the springs just up ahead. Quickening his pace, Ranma burst into the clearing and found Akane. Man, she shouldn't be sleeping out here, he mumbled while making his way to her side, lifting her out of the water, Ranma gently set her down on their drying rock before shaking her shoulder to wake her. "Akane, it's time to get up."

"Mmm," she murmered, slowly her eyes opened. "Ranma..."

"Yeah." he smiled gently beore replying, "I thought you were just gonna get somthin to eat?"

Yawning, Akane sat up and streatched, "I was, but then I thought about taking a bath. One minute I was in the water and the next thing I know, you're waking me up. What happened?"

"You fell asleep," he replied grinning. "Come on, I finished the fishing pool." Ranma stood, dragging Akane up with him and started walking towards the beach with Akane in tow.


"Alright," she yawned while following her husband.

When they arrived, Akane blinked at the site of the completed fishing pool. It was huge and it ran about the length of a soccar field. "Wow," she breathed in disbelief. The site of the finished product was amazing compared to what Ranma had drawn in the sand. Now all they had to do was wait a few days since the pool was designed to trap the fish when the tide went back out to sea. Turning around, Akane hugged Ranma while exclaiming, "That was a brilliant idea, Ranma!"

Embarrased, he blushed while putting a hand to the back of his head, "Aww, it was nothin, Akane."

Akane grinned when she saw his blush and decided to tease him a bit, "You know that it was a brillant idea and when we get home, I'm going to shout it out to everyone in our neighborhood."

"Hey! Don't you dare...after all, I've got a reputation to uphold!" he protested with a mock glare.

Akane giggled while backing up a step before sticking out her tounge, "Naaa! I'm going to do it and you can't stop me!"

"Akane!" he growled taking a step closer.

Akane laughed while she ran, her voice floated across the distance as she sped away down the sandy beach, "You have to catch me first, Ranma!"

Ranma blinked in astonishment as he watched his wife run, he grinned, a mischivious smile while his eyes glittered with amuzement, "So," he chuckled. "Akane wants to play, huh?" Ranma quickly, ran after her, calling her name and laughing all the way, "Akane! Get back here!"

Akane laughed as she ran down the beach and passed infront of their home,"Hehehe, You can't catch me!"

Ranma laughed, "Don't bet on it, Akane!" he shouted, closing the gap between them, he reached out his hand and grazed Akane's ticklish spot, causing her to squeal with laughter.

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Ryoga stepped out onto the porch and gaped in disbelief at the site of two people running past him. Squinting, the lost boy's brain finally processed the information of what he just saw and felt his nose start to tingle. He realized that he had seen a girl run past him wearing next to nothing and accompanied by a boy with a pigtail, "Akane?....and....Ranma?!"

Blinking, Ryoga glancing around himself and realized that what he was standing in must be the home that they had built. "I can't believe it!" he gasped. "I've finally found them!" he muttered as they streaked past him heading for the tree line.


Realizing that they were getting away from him, Ryoga ran after them shouting, "Hey! Get back here! Ranma!...Akane wait up!" They had a good lead on him and dissapeared into the forest. Ryoga was determined to keep them in site as he tried to follow them. Pushing vines and branches out of his way, he panted for breath, the hot muggy air made it difficult to breath. Pausing, he tried to get his bearings and heard the sound of laughter off to the right. Turning, the lost boy dashed off in that direction hoping that he would catch them soon. He never noticed the air around him start to shimmer and warp as he ran.


Realizing that he could no longer hear their laughter, Ryoga paused and glanced around, he finally noticed the change in the senary and realized that he was now standing in the middle of a huge forest instead of a tropical beach. The tree trunks were thirty feet around on the base and some of them had roads cut straight through them. Ryoga cursed and screamed, "Where the hell am I, now!"

Turning, he started walking and thought, "I have got to tell Nabiki that they're alive!" Ryoga grinned while he started walking faster. The senary blurred once more as he wondered at the reaction he would get when he informed the Tendo and Saotome families. The lost boy hoped that he could make it to the Tendo's soon so that he could tell them the good news. "Boy," he muttered quietly. "They looked diffrent from what little I did see of them...."


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