Chapter 7

Bright sunlight streamed through the curtained windows, crawling ever so slowly towards the lump lying on the bed. Finally reaching its destination, it landed on the face of one Akane Tendo, causing her to roll over before opening her eyes. Yawning a few times, she stretched and climbed out of bead. Starting her warm up kata, "Breathe," she murmured. "...mmmm....looks like a good day to do some exploring. I can't wait to see what this old place is hiding.....heeeeeyaaa!" Akane expelled an explosive breath on the last strike finishing off her imaginary opponent. Finally, her warm up done, Akane dressed in her oldest clothes before heading down to the great hall for breakfast.

As Akane passed Ranma's room, she heard snoring coming from within. she huffed while rolling her eyes in exasperation. You'd think he'd be up by nowbut nooo, he's decided to sleep in, she muttered to herself as she reached for the doorknob. Nor for long thoughI think it'd be a good idea to get Ranma to come with me, and said giggling quietly as an idea surfaced on just how to wake him came to the fore.

Stealthily opening the door, with a mischievous twinkle in her eye, Akane crept closer towards the pig-tailed martial artist. Her hands stretched out in front of herself, fingers wiggling in anticipation, Akane tip toed closer to the bed trying to contain her giggles as she got close enough for him to hear her.

Passing the dresser, Akane spotted a metal bucket filled with water. The water had to be cold due to the fact that it sat all night long in the chilly air of the room. Grinning evilly, Akane placed her hands on each side of the bucket, allowing them to absorb the cold, before peeling back the covers. Akane froze when Ranma rolled over, mumbling, "Stupid panda" in his sleep. Carefully, trying not to give any warning to what she was about to do, Akane lifted Ranma's top and placed both ice-cold hands on his back.

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Ranma dreamed:

"Ranma, please come here," Genma said as he knelt by the doujou's door.

Ranma had been practicing in the yard when he heard his father calling him. Grumbling under his breath, he slowly made his way offer to his fathers' side. "Yeah pop, what is it?" he asked, slightly puzzled at his father's strange behavior.

"Boy, since you haven't married Akane and it appears that you never will...Tendo and I have decided that the engagement is null and void," Genma said as he gazed into the distance, thinking.

"WHAT!" Ranma yelled in shock.

"I have gotten this letter in the mail from a girl I had you engaged to before Ukyo," Ranma's father held up a envelope covered in stamps, he waived it around, just out of Ranma's reach.


Ranma started growling under his breath, his eyebrow twitching, the pigtailed boy tried to keep his anger in check. "No," he said quietly, too quiet for his father to hear.

Genma continued since he didn't hear anything. "I'm not asking you to go through with this," Genma paused for effect as he took a deep breath to continue. "I am ordering you to follow through with this. Nokiu will be here in one hour, the priest is coming with her... you will marry your new fiancé!"

Ranma started to clench and unclench his fists, lowering his head he let his hair hid his eyes and thought, "I can't believe he's doing this to me again! Well this time I wont let him. I'm not leaving the Tendo's...not leaving Akane!" The pigtailed boy spoke again, only this time it was louder than before. "NO!"

Genma's head snapped around to face his son's. Growling low in his throat he asked, "What did you say boy?"

"I said, NO! I will not marry Nokiu," Ranma replied as he glanced up into his fathers eyes. Anger was clearly written on the boy's face and reflected in the blue-gray depths of his gaze.

"Boy..." Genma said growling, but he was cut off by someone clearing their throat. Looking over his shoulder, he spotted a girl with green hair with a staff strapped to her back.

"Konichiwa, I am Nokiu," she said as she bowed. "I couldn't help overhearing your conversation. Why is it that you refuse to marry me, Ranma?"

Ranma glanced at her and replied, "I'm sorry, but I am engaged already...to Akane. I don't recognize the engagement between you and I. I will not marry you because I don't love you...I love Akane."

With every word that crossed his lips, anger stirred in the girl's breast and became clearly written on her face. "Love has nothing to do with the engagement. It is a matter of honor! You will marry me because I'm not giving you a choice!"

Ranma stood up and got into a ready stance. He had noticed the way she carried herself and judged her to be a competent martial artist. "I challenge you to a duel. If I win, you will go home and leave me here with Akane. If you win, then I will marry you," he said. Ranma watched as Nokiu nodded her head, pulled out her staff and charged.

Her maneuvers were lightning fast, Ranma had to dodge more than he would have liked and he only managed to get in a few solid hits. Her staff blocked most of Ranma's strikes. Deciding that he had enough of this, Ranma jumped back - "Moko Takibisha!" he fired off a Ki blast. The blast struck Nokiu dead center, throwing her completely out of the doujou. When she landed unconscious on the ground, Ranma quickly turned to his father, grabbed him by the front of his gi and threw him into the koi pond. "Stupid panda!" Ranma growled as he turned to watch his Akane enter the yard.

In the spit second that his son turned away, Genma-panda pulled himself out of the pond, grabbed a bucket of cold water on the way while growling to himself, "No son of mine will disobey his father!" Genma was more than ready to splash his son, when out of no where, a punch landed directly under his chin. As he flew over the compound wall, Genma noticed the culprit was Akane; she had snuck up to him undetected and had punched him.

Akane then ran over to Ranma, placed her arms around him and whispered, "I love you, Ranma." As she stood up on tiptoe, her lips reaching for his, Ranma felt two ice-cold hands connect with his back.

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Ranma screamed, his legs moving as if he were running away from something evil. This caused him to do a one eighty on the bed, Akane, who had no support anymore, fell across the bed, landing right on top of Ranma with a screech. Face to face with his attacker, Ranma prepared to beat the person to a pulp. He froze as the most haunting pair of eyes he had ever seen captured his gaze. Honey-gold gazed into blue-gray; finally it registered that Akane was his attacker. So, she wants to play?he thought to himself, his eyes glinting mischievously.

Akane yelped as she glanced into Ranma's eyes. The promise held within those blue-gray depths was enough to make Akane jump up quickly and start heading for the door at a run.

Oh no, you don't! Ranma exclaimed as he jumped out of bed and blocked Akane from leaving the room. Grinning, he stalked closer. Akane, backed up with every step he took, turned and ran to the opposite side of the room, Ranma laughed quietly to himself as he gave chase.

You better give up now, Akane! he said as he suddenly lunged, his fingertips brushing her sleeve.

Aww! Come on, Ranmacan't you take a little joke? Akane panted as she deftly avoided his grasping hands by making a sharp turn, jumping over the bed and using it as a barrier. Every time he started in one direction, Akane would go the other way, giggling slightly at his disgruntled expression.


They circled the bed several times, Ranma always two steps behind her before Akane got an idea. It was a risky one, but it was worth a try. Suddenly, Akane charged him when he reached the center of the bed, knocking him onto the mattress.

As she was about to make a break for it, Ranma's arms circled her waist pulling her on top of him. Akane squeaked as she landed on his naked chest.

Akane blinked while gasping to catch her breath, stunned at the strange new sensations that flowed through her body. Akane's heartbeat in a fast rhythm, the skin on her face and neck flushed in excitement, her mouth opened further to gulp more air to her starving lungs. Akane forgot all about getting away from Ranma as her eyes met his once more. She lost herself in the deep blue-gray depths of his eyes, eyes that flickered with some unknown emotion.

Ranma watched as Akane's expression changed from wary to something that he was sure he would never see in her eyes when she gazed at him. He felt every nuisance of her body's reactions as she lay on top of him. Ranma watched as her face and neck flushed, he started to panic. Ranma wasn't sure if she was going to hit him or kiss him. Neither, Akane or Ranma noticed the strange glow that encompassed their bodies, heightening their awareness of each other.

Then, Ranma felt them, two points poking into his chest, telling him that Akane was definitely excited. Quickly running over the few things his mother had told him about how to give a woman pleasure he decided to give it a shot as his body's reaction to her was beginning to make itself known. "Oh Kami," Ranma thought gulping in extreme nervousness, he slowly lifted his head, inching it closer towards Akane's face.

Akane noticed Ranma's head lifting towards hers, her first instinct was to bolt, but for some unknown reason, a second and more powerful feeling surged though her body. It consumed every pore, causing her to moan her excitement and lower her own head to meet Ranma's. His breath pulsed gently over her yearning lips as he paused, silently asking permission to continue. Akane couldn't wait any more and decided to close the gap, she swiftly bent her head the rest of the way, brushing her lips over his and back again to lock with his. The kiss was nice and sweet but something deep within roared to life, causing Ranma to deepen the kiss. Tongues dueled in a battle. A battle that neither one would come out the looser, heat roared, over their skin, they both groaned in pleasure and their hands explored each other. All throughout their passionate embrace, a glowing nimbus surrounded their bodies sending flashes of light into the air.

They were too lost in each other to notice when someone knocked on the door. Slowly, the door opened, Akane's older sister Kasumi entered the room and headed towards Ranma's bed. She didn't see the couple right away because of the piece of furniture blocking her view. Kasumi did notice the strange flashing lights coming from the area were Ranma's bed was located, she wondered what could be causing it when she heard a deep throated moan followed by a higher pitched one. Kasumi froze just before she rounded the furniture. Listening, she tried to determine if it was her imagination or if her assumption was correct since she had failed to find Akane in her room.

"Oh, I do hope I'm wrong about this. Auntie said that their behavior was going to change, but she didn't say that it would be soon," Kasumi thought to herself. Then lifting her eyes in a quick prayer, Kasumi rounded the furniture and blinked several times to make sure she wasn't seeing things, both Ranma and Akane were locked in a passionate kiss, neither noticed as she neared the bed. Her jaw dropped in shock as an outline of what appeared to be two hazy images too distorted to see clearly, draped across her sister and her fiancé. The images grew brighter with each flash of light from Akane and Ranma.

Deciding that she should do something before things got out of hand, Kasumi cleared her throat several times to get their attention, but they didn't hear her. Quickly she scanned the room for a handy glass of water. Spotting the bucket on the dresser, Kasumi quickly lifted it and in one motion dumped its freezing contents on them. This had several immediate effects as both Ranma and Akane snapped out of it, "Yaaaa!" they screamed, shocked by the icy cold water hitting their heated skin. They quickly jumped apart and bolted to opposite sides of the room. Ranma and Akane were breathing heavily trying to figure out what had just happened. Unnoticed by both of them, the images slowly faded from view.

Kasumi decided to make her presence known again by clearing her throat once more, "Ahem."

Akane's head turned towards the sound, her cheeks flushed dark crimson in color as she saw the look on her sister's face. Wetting her lips several times to alleviate the dryness, she finally managed to greet her sister. "KKasumi...hi," she stammered in nervousness. "Um...what are you doing here?" she asked, wincing slightly at the way she phrased the question.


Kasumi took a steadying breath before she managed to dispel her shock, steeling her features into her usual calm facade she answered, "Noduka sent me to wake you two up, but I can see that you are already very much awake."

Ranma-chan stared at the floor, her face flushed as bright red as her hair as she remembered the past ten minutes with Akane. Swallowing a few times, Ranma-chan tried to gather her thoughts into some semblance of order. She still felt aroused and slightly out of balance as her feelings warred with her head. "I can't believe I did that! I k...kissed Akane? I mean, why would I kiss an uncute tomboy like her? She can't cook, can't sew and she's not the best at martial arts."

"But..." Ranma glanced over towards Akane and noticed that she was currently talking to Kasumi. Running his eyes over Akane's face and body, he remembered the sounds that she had made when he touched her and when they had kissed. He couldn't believe that Akane was so responsive to him. Ranma knew that if anyone else tried to touch her, he or Akane'd beat them to a pulp. At the moment he absently noted how cute she looked, especially when she was trying to explain what they had been doing, but he could see that she wasn't having much success. Deciding that she should do something to distract them, Ranma sighed quietly and cleared her throat to get their attention. "Ahem."

Akane heard him and grinned in silent relief, she knew that Ranma had come to her rescue once again, even if it was to distract her sister from asking some really embarrassing questions about what they had just been doing. She still couldn't believe that they had been doing that. "I don't understand this...one minute we're having some fun and the next, I felt like I was burning up from the inside out. I couldn't control myself when he touched me," Akane thought flushing a brighter shade of crimson.


"Yes Ranma," Kasumi said as she glanced over at the pigtailed girl. Kasumi wondered how they had managed to hide their feelings from each other, or if it was because of that strange glow that had surrounded them earlier that had caused their reaction. Maybe they had feelings towards each other and didn't want to show them? "Oh, this is too confusing...I'd better act like I disapprove of their behavior and tell them to meet me down stairs," she thought to herself, schooling her features, she waited for Ranma to answer her.

"Kasumi, um...we ah...um..." Ranma tried to explanation but she was way too nervous, bringing her hands up in front of herself, she began poking her two index fingers together as she flushed under Kasumi's disapproving stare. "Ah man...now I'm a wreak. I can't seem to think of anything to say...I know I had something ...but...oh well, time for the Saotome School of Anything Goes Secret Attack...RUN AWAY!" she thought bolting past Kasumi. Ranma-chan grabbed a thermos as she ran past, grabbed Akane and then bolted out the door.

Kasumi blinked as Ranma-chan suddenly bolted past her, grabbed Akane, who by the way had no inclination of what he was about to do and only had a split second to voice any protests before they were out the door and some distance down the hall.

"Wha..., I don't believe he used that on me...he really must have been extremely flustered to do that," Kasumi said out loud to herself as she grinned mischievously. Turning, she walked out the door and down the hall heading towards the great hall for breakfast. "Maybe I'll tell Auntie what I just saw them doing...oh and that strange glow that surrounded them. Auntie will want to know about that, too."

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