Disclaimer: All the characters belong to Rumiko
Takahashi and other respective companies and I am
in no way making any profit from this story. This
is just for my personal enjoyment and for the
enjoyment of those who may read this....aw crap,
it doesn't matter, does it? ALL fanfic authors
are being bad---very, very, bad! Thank
goodness Rumiko Takahashi has a kind soul...
either that or she's too busy swimming in all
that money to really pay attention ^_~.
Rated: PG-13
Email me with C&C: simplyshy@hotmail.com
**************************************************
For the Love of Money and A Kiss To Boot:
Meddlesome Fools
SM
**************************************************
"Ready to talk yet, little man?"
Sasuke, unable to kick the arrogant martial artist before him as he so
desperately wanted to, simply shot daggers at him with his eyes and said nothing.
"Well, the way I see it, you have two options. One, you tell me exactly
what you were doing outside Nabiki's window when you have no business being there
OR..."
Ranma grabbed the small ninja by the legs and lowered him so that he was
hanging just above Nabiki's window.
"I can just toss you inside Nabiki's room and let her and Akane handle
you."
Everyone knew that even Happosai, Master of the School of Perverts and
Peeping Toms would have trembled at the thought of being left at the mercy of
Akane's wrath. Nothing was worse than the pain that Akane could inflict on her
victims...nothing, that is, unless you counted the psychological and emotional
pain that Nabiki Tendo was good at dishing out.
"No! I will NOT betray Master Kuno's trust! As his servant, I have been
trained to withstand the worst kinds of pain. Why, I remember the time that
Mistress Kodachi's pet alligator almost tore me to...."
Before Sasuke could finish recounting why it wasn't a good idea to
have strips of meat tied to oneself, ESPECIALLY around pet alligators, he found
himself facing an annoyed martial artist.
"See _this_?"
Ranma pointed to a long scar on his arm with his index finger.
"And _these_?"
Sasuke's eyes followed the index finger and came to rest on a series
of thin scars on Ranma's neck and temple.
"I got these by just LOOKIN' at her funny..."
The grim expression on Ranma's face changed to one of amusement.
"Imagine what she'll do, no, what BOTH of 'em will do to you..."
The ninja began to tremble with terror. He wanted to believe that Ranma
Saotome was jesting and yet, he himself had often tended to the injuries that
his master had suffered because of the youngest Tendo's short temper.
So, he did what any loyal, honorable servant would do when put in such
dire straits...he squealed like a pig.
"It's not MY fault that Master Kuno fails to use the common sense he was
born with! _I_ am not the one who cares to know of Nabiki Tendo's affections!"
Ranma motioned for Sasuke to stop with a wave of his hand.
"What do you mean, her affections? Ya mean to tell me you were out here
listenin' to girl talk because," Ranma paused long enough to scratch his head,
"_why_ were you listening?"
Sasuke sighed and rolled his tearful eyes in exasperation. He had to
remember that, while the kami had blessed the young man before him with great brute
strength they had failed to fill his head with brains.
"Master Kuno wants to know if Nabiki Tendo has any feelings for him."
The confusion was still evident on the martial artist's face.
"But _why_ would he wanna know a thing like that? Unless...."
It was entertaining, really, to be witness to Ranma Saotome's thought
process. Sasuke found it highly amusing to see the martial artist's
expression change from one of confusion to frustration and, finally, to one of
disbelief. He could only imagine the way that the scarcely used dim lightbulb in
Saotome's head suddenly brightened as he caught on.
"You mean...Kuno has the hots for Nabiki!"
Sasuke sighed at Saotome's rather uncouth way of expressing himself but,
then again, he _was_ a commoner.
"Well, yes, it seems that lately Miss Tendo and Master Kuno have been on
friendlier terms. You, see, he thinks that....what, exactly, do you find so amusing?"
The question only seemed to fuel Ranma's current state of hysterics and
Sasuke suddenly wondered if maybe the martial artist hadn't been hit on the head with
the youngest Tendo's hyperspacial hammer one too many times.
Sasuke shuddered to think what punishment he himself might have suffered
if the temperamental Tendo had caught him eavesdropping outside her sister's window.
It suddenly dawned on Sasuke that Ranma was dangerously close to the roof's
edge and had Ranma not found the idea of the Ice Queen having a heart of any kind quite
hilarious he may have noticed the evil smile plastered on the small ninja's face.
As it was, Ranma's defenses were down and, besides, he was having a grand time
guffawing at the thought that the Ice Queen and the Idiot Extraordinaire were
attracted to each other.
One, then, can hardly blame Sasuke for taking advantage of a perfectly good
opportunity when it presented itself. After all, he figured that since he was going to
suffer some utterly humiliating punishment once Master Kuno found out that he'd divulged
confidential information so easily he might as well make the crime worth the punishment.
Thus, he happily bounced onto Ranma Saotome's head with enough force
to knock him off the rooftop and somersaulted his way down to the grass below.
He bowed to his captor and raised his fist in triumph.
"Give the my regards to the Tendos, Saotome!"
And with that, the stealthy ninja was gone.
Ranma could only mutter obscenities at the retreating ninja and vowed
to pound him to a pulp the next time he saw him. He gripped the edge of the ledge
and was about to propel himself back onto the rooftop but his arms suddenly lost
all feeling.
He felt a sense of dread pass through him as he suddenly felt someone's eyes boring
holes in his back. Ranma would later swear that he saw his life flash right before his eyes.
There was no doubt in his mind that some cruel kami, no doubt the same kami that
made sure that the same old lady with an annoyingly precise aim splashed him with cold
water each and every morning on his way to school, was laughing his ass off somewhere on
some kami plane.
He _knew_ that there was someone glaring at him from below and he also
knew that that someone was undoubtedly female. A very pissed off female to be exact.
Ranma felt like running for the hills when said female spoke, her voice
dangerously sweet.
"Why are you hanging outside my sister's window, Ranma?"
One day, Ranma promised himself, he would find a way to obliterate that stupid kami.
"N-n-nothing..." He winced after hearing his voice rise an octave.
"I'm sure there's a reason. I'll meet you up on the roof in a
little bit, Ranma so you can tell me all about it."
She hadn't sent him into lower earth orbit. Ranma wondered if maybe the
mysterious kami wasn't as cruel as he'd thought.
"Oh, and Ranma? It'd better be a _damn good_ reason."
Scratch that. He would find a way to make that kami meet Akane's
hyperspacial hammer and _then_ he'd obliterate it.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
"I take it that your mission went well, Sasuke?"
Sasuke, a bit unnerved that his Master always insisted on turning his
leather chair so that his back was turned like some evil fiend from an action
movie, gathered his wits before answering.
"The mission was aborted, Master, due to the interference of one meddling
Ranma Saotome."
That was, Sasuke reasoned, not exactly a lie per se. He _had_ been forced
to abort his mission after Saotome had caught him eavesdropping outside Nabiki
Tendo's window. He was just ommitting a couple of facts and there was absolutely
no harm in that. After all, what Master Kuno didn't know would keep Sasuke away
from strips of meat and pet alligators.
Truth be told, and thank goodness this truth was known only to himself,
Sasuke had done a lot of thinking as he made his way back to the Kuno mansion
and had come to a decision of sorts. He did not exactly like being placed
in the middle of whatever might be brewing between Master Kuno and Nabiki Tendo.
He had pondered all the possible outcomes of Nabiki Tendo discovering that
he, an innocent servant of a noodles-for-brains master, had been meddling in her
affairs and, quite frankly, each and every one had involved neverending misery
and torture.
Pet alligators were plush toy bunnies compared to the wrath that Nabiki
Tendo would undoubtedly inflict on Sasuke.
Thus,he had decided that the safest recourse would be to take everything
he had heard at the Tendo dojo to his grave and avoid going to an early grave by
avoiding Nabiki Tendo. Avoidance was not necessarily a bad thing.
"If I may be so bold, Master, why don't you just confront Miss Tendo
with your queries?"
His master swiveled his chair abruptly so that he was facing the small
ninja. That, however, was not as disconcerting to Sasuke as the blank expression
on his master's face.
"That is out of the question, Sasuke. I did not ask for your advice nor
do I desire it. You have proven yourself to be of no use to me in this matter
so you may take your leave."
Sasuke nodded. That was perfectly fine with him, although he hoped that
his relief was not too evident.
He gave the obligatory respectful bow, although he felt anything but at
the moment, and made a hasty retreat from the young master's office. He had no
idea why or how Master Kuno had gotten romantically involved with Miss Nabiki
but he was more than sure that it would be a match made in hell.
Thankfully, he had actually managed to avoid hell's furies...at least for
the moment.
As he passed through the dark hallway filled with paintings of the
deceased members of the Kuno lineage, he couldn't help but feel a bit sorry
for his Master.
Sure, he lacked the common sense given to every other human being in the
world and he was eccentric, bossy, and demanding but he was not all bad.
He was kind at heart and Sasuke was positive that, beneath that
clueless front that his Master put on, there was a decent, intelligent individual.
Well, maybe way,way,way, _way_ beneath the surface.
Besides, although Sasuke was loathe to admit it, he owed his loyalty
to the Kuno clan where serious matters were concerned for the tolerance they
had shown him through his years of service.
His thoughts were interrupted as he was yanked into the extravagant
room that housed Mistress Kodachi's various exotic pets.
A young woman dressed in a black leotard, a rose in one hand and
spiraling ribbons in the other beckoned the servant, her ruby red lips
turned up in a mocking smile.
"Oh ho ho ho! Sasuke, would you be a dear and feed my pet alligators
for me?"
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
True to her word, Akane was waiting for Ranma on the rooftop a few minutes
later, her expression neutral. She was wearing the same pig pajamas he'd
always hated [he'd tried to burn them once but had been caught in the act
by Akane herself and he'd gotten a good lashing for it too---he still had the
scars to prove it] if only because the stupid pigs looked suspiciously like
P-chan.
Ranma took a seat beside her, making sure not to let his eyes wander below
her face. Although he and Akane were in a relationship of sorts, he still was
not exactly sure of what liberties said relationship granted him, so
he always avoided getting too personal. He'd long decided that it was safer to let
Akane initiate things and had found the results to be quite pleasant.
Unfortunately, and much to Ranma's dismay, it was difficult at the moment
to keep his eyes focused on her face not only because she had long outgrown
the pajama top she was currently wearing but also because it had risen so that
her stomach, a firm and thus very attractive stomach, was exposed.
There was no way that the girl sitting beside him was uncute, unsexy
and she sure as hell wasn't a tomboy. He had no idea why he'd even suggested
such things in the first place. It was a good thing that they'd straightened
everything out recently because he was more than certain that any other guy
would have given his right arm to have her by his side.
He took a deep breath, reminding himself that she was probably in no
mood to do anything but pound him to the ground and that one false move would
have him knocked off of the rooftop and onto the koi pond.
"Well...," she asked, her eyes narrowed and eyebrows furrowed.
"Umm...well, you see, it's really funny actually." Ranma placed his
hands behind his head and laughed nervously.
"I'm sure it is, and I'm _sure_ that I'll be laughing right along with
you as soon as you tell me what the HELL you were doing hanging outside my
sister's window."
At that moment, Akane felt quite proud of herself having kept her anger
in check for so long. Kami knew that she'd had to fight that familiar urge to
whip out her hyperspacial hammer and blast him to the heavens but because things
had changed between them, and because she liked seeing him squirm, she had
decided to merely threaten him with the tone of her voice.
He should be glad that she hadn't grabbed the nearest rock and lunged
it at his head the way she'd wanted to.
Then again, Akane admitted to herself, he had made quite a picture hanging
outside that window. She'd seen the way he'd been ready to make his way onto the
rooftop and had to suppress a giggle as she remembered how he'd gone still the
moment he'd realized that she was watching him.
Poor Ranma.
Of course, she'd never _tell_ him that. It was too much fun making him
think that, under certain circumstances, she could still be the violent tomboy
she'd always been.
So she made her voice as icy and no-nonsense as she could, tapped her
fingers impatiently and spoke:
"I'm waiting, Ranma."
Ranma took a moment to look, really _look_ at the situation and the more
he thought about it, the more ridiculous everything seemed. He'd faced
demons, mystical creatures, and had gone through all sorts of hell to get this
petite, dark haired woman back to him all those times she'd been in trouble
and here he was shaking like a leaf.
Once he let the first waves of laughter through, there was no stopping
him.
"What's so funny?"
With one fluid motion, Ranma grabbed Akane and gently deposited her on
his lap. He grasped her hands from behind so that they lay crossed on her lap.
"You, me---us. Boy, you scare the hell outta me sometimes, you know."
Akane blushed. As much headway as they'd made the past few weeks, she
still found their newfound closeness a bit disconcerting at times. Not that she
didn't like it, of course. It was just that this would definitely take some
getting used to.
"I find it a bit hard to believe that the 'great' Ranma Saotome is scared
of a harmless tomboy like moi."_
"First of all, I _am_ most definitely great and second of all you are
definitely _not_ a tomboy."
Akane never thought she'd see the day when Ranma would have her purring
with pleasure but that was exactly what he seemed to be doing at the moment.
Ranma had let his lips brush against the sensitive spot below her earlobe and '
she could feel his soft, rhythmic breathing on her neck.
She lay her head on his shoulder and turned it at an angle so that she
was practically offering her neck to him on a silver platter. He began to place
soft, languid kisses along the offered neck.
"Don't, ah, think that, um..." All semblance of anger had left her and
Akane couldn't, for the life of her, remember what the hell she wanted to ask
him.
Ranma's lips curved into a smile at the nape of her neck. To think,
all those times he'd wished he had a way to subdue Akane when she was going
through her fits of anger and here she was practically melting with just a few
strategically placed kisses!
"Ranma, oh, um...that tickles!"
The kisses stopped for a second but that was enough time for Akane to
push Ranma onto his back and position herself so that she was straddling his
waist.
"Seriously, Ranma. What were you doing outside my sister's window?"
How the hell, Ranma wondered, did she expect him to answer that question
when the only thing he could think about was the way her toned thighs were
pressed against him? Besides, his brain was a bit preoccupied with various
images that had nothing to do with windows...or clothing, for that matter.
He gave a sigh of frustration before answering.
"I found Kunou's stupid ninja Sasuke listening in on your talk with
Nabiki and had a little chat with him."
Akane chewed on her lip, confusion evident on her face.
"But then how'd you---"
"I'm getting to that. He told me that Kunou'd sent him to see if he
could find out whether or not your sister had the hots for him. I started
laughing my ass off, because really who woulda thought the Ice Queen would
ever---"
Ranma felt Akane stiffen and thought better about telling her how he
found the idea of Nabiki loving anything besides money ridiculous.
"Ha ha, um, anyway, he caught me off guard and pushed me off the freakin'
rooftop."
He was hesitant about looking up at Akane's face for fear that he'd
upset her with the whole Ice Queen comment. After all, Nabiki may have been
a cold, calculating, and ruthless business woman but she was _still_ her sister.
Much to his surprise, Akane had a faraway look on her face and her eyes
had an odd spark he'd never seen in them. The gentle smile on her face only
made her that much more breathtaking in his eyes.
No, she was anything _but_ a tomboy.
"This is great! So Kunou likes Nabiki and she, of course, likes him.
Well, she didn't really admit it, but I KNOW she does because I can _see_ it
and Nabiki's gonna have a boyfriend, Kunou of all people, and here I was
thinking she might be a lesbian!"
Ranma wondered how one person could say so much without taking one so
much as a breath of air.
"Oh I feel so happy for my nee-chan! She finally has someone she
likes and he likes her and.."
Ranma cleared his throat.
"Before you go off and get 'em married, I think there's something,
actually _two_ somethings you're forgetting about Akane."
"What?"
"Well, have you forgotten about that idiot's 'pig-tailed girl' and
his 'beauteous Akane'? You think he's gonna stop chasing after them just
like that?"
The wedding bells stopped ringing.
"Well...no. Unless..."
Akane lowered herself so that she and Ranma were eye to eye. She placed
her hands on either side of his head and began to run her fingers so that
she was massaging his scalp.
"We help them out a little."
There were few things that Ranma feared more than the "meet-my-
trusty-hammer Akane" unless it was the "I've-got-an-idea-and-you're-going-
to-help-me-out Akane."
When a woman had a plan it was time to run for the hills.
He would have too, if he hadn't been so distracted by those fingers
running through his hair and those expressive eyes that were focused on him
and him alone and, kami, she was soft and smelled nice!
"A-ak-ane...um, he's seen my, um, ch-ch-ange and, ah, that didn't
stop him from, ah....ah, chasing after me, remember?"
Akane merely placed a soft kiss on his lips before moving to his
jawline and, finally, his ear. She gave his earlobe a gentle tug before replying.
"Don't worry, Ranma. I'll think of something."
The last coherent thought Ranma had before his surging hormones
took control of his almost defunct brain cells was that soon all hell
would break loose.
Next Chapter: "When Hell Breaks Loose"
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Author: Hello, everyone! My Muse is back! Say hello to everyone, Muse!
Muse: *waves*
Author: Where the HELL have you been?!
Muse: Well, exCUse me for not wanting to stay around while you suffered
a nervous breakdown due to stress, university food poisoning, and final exams.
Oh, and did I mention that you were so drugged up on caffeine that you were
starting to talk to imaginary, furry, pink bunnies?
Author: ;- _ -
Muse: Thought so. In any case, I'm back and there's no stopping me.
Author: Oh, by the way, I'm going to graduate school next year.
Muse: See ya!
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Author's Note: No, I didn't disappear, nor did I give up on finishing this fanfic.
With NabikiXKuno fanfiction being so sparse did you honestly think that I would
leave this unfinished? Oh, ye of little faith. No worries, though.
Sorry if this chapter was too Ranma/Akane WAFFish but I promise that the next
chapter will be chalk full of Nabiki/Kunou goodness.
In any case, I'm back, my Muse has returned and I think I have two more
chapters to go before this is finished. I'm into Inuyasha now (another creation
from the greatness that is Rumiko Takahashi) so expect some fanfiction about
everyone's favorite hanyou and his friends as soon as I'm finished with
my current fanfics.
I sincerely thank everyone who's left C&C and encourage you to let me know what
you think of this new chapter.
Until next time,
Latin Usako
latin_usako@tokyo.com
Takahashi and other respective companies and I am
in no way making any profit from this story. This
is just for my personal enjoyment and for the
enjoyment of those who may read this....aw crap,
it doesn't matter, does it? ALL fanfic authors
are being bad---very, very, bad! Thank
goodness Rumiko Takahashi has a kind soul...
either that or she's too busy swimming in all
that money to really pay attention ^_~.
Rated: PG-13
Email me with C&C: simplyshy@hotmail.com
**************************************************
For the Love of Money and A Kiss To Boot:
Meddlesome Fools
SM
**************************************************
"Ready to talk yet, little man?"
Sasuke, unable to kick the arrogant martial artist before him as he so
desperately wanted to, simply shot daggers at him with his eyes and said nothing.
"Well, the way I see it, you have two options. One, you tell me exactly
what you were doing outside Nabiki's window when you have no business being there
OR..."
Ranma grabbed the small ninja by the legs and lowered him so that he was
hanging just above Nabiki's window.
"I can just toss you inside Nabiki's room and let her and Akane handle
you."
Everyone knew that even Happosai, Master of the School of Perverts and
Peeping Toms would have trembled at the thought of being left at the mercy of
Akane's wrath. Nothing was worse than the pain that Akane could inflict on her
victims...nothing, that is, unless you counted the psychological and emotional
pain that Nabiki Tendo was good at dishing out.
"No! I will NOT betray Master Kuno's trust! As his servant, I have been
trained to withstand the worst kinds of pain. Why, I remember the time that
Mistress Kodachi's pet alligator almost tore me to...."
Before Sasuke could finish recounting why it wasn't a good idea to
have strips of meat tied to oneself, ESPECIALLY around pet alligators, he found
himself facing an annoyed martial artist.
"See _this_?"
Ranma pointed to a long scar on his arm with his index finger.
"And _these_?"
Sasuke's eyes followed the index finger and came to rest on a series
of thin scars on Ranma's neck and temple.
"I got these by just LOOKIN' at her funny..."
The grim expression on Ranma's face changed to one of amusement.
"Imagine what she'll do, no, what BOTH of 'em will do to you..."
The ninja began to tremble with terror. He wanted to believe that Ranma
Saotome was jesting and yet, he himself had often tended to the injuries that
his master had suffered because of the youngest Tendo's short temper.
So, he did what any loyal, honorable servant would do when put in such
dire straits...he squealed like a pig.
"It's not MY fault that Master Kuno fails to use the common sense he was
born with! _I_ am not the one who cares to know of Nabiki Tendo's affections!"
Ranma motioned for Sasuke to stop with a wave of his hand.
"What do you mean, her affections? Ya mean to tell me you were out here
listenin' to girl talk because," Ranma paused long enough to scratch his head,
"_why_ were you listening?"
Sasuke sighed and rolled his tearful eyes in exasperation. He had to
remember that, while the kami had blessed the young man before him with great brute
strength they had failed to fill his head with brains.
"Master Kuno wants to know if Nabiki Tendo has any feelings for him."
The confusion was still evident on the martial artist's face.
"But _why_ would he wanna know a thing like that? Unless...."
It was entertaining, really, to be witness to Ranma Saotome's thought
process. Sasuke found it highly amusing to see the martial artist's
expression change from one of confusion to frustration and, finally, to one of
disbelief. He could only imagine the way that the scarcely used dim lightbulb in
Saotome's head suddenly brightened as he caught on.
"You mean...Kuno has the hots for Nabiki!"
Sasuke sighed at Saotome's rather uncouth way of expressing himself but,
then again, he _was_ a commoner.
"Well, yes, it seems that lately Miss Tendo and Master Kuno have been on
friendlier terms. You, see, he thinks that....what, exactly, do you find so amusing?"
The question only seemed to fuel Ranma's current state of hysterics and
Sasuke suddenly wondered if maybe the martial artist hadn't been hit on the head with
the youngest Tendo's hyperspacial hammer one too many times.
Sasuke shuddered to think what punishment he himself might have suffered
if the temperamental Tendo had caught him eavesdropping outside her sister's window.
It suddenly dawned on Sasuke that Ranma was dangerously close to the roof's
edge and had Ranma not found the idea of the Ice Queen having a heart of any kind quite
hilarious he may have noticed the evil smile plastered on the small ninja's face.
As it was, Ranma's defenses were down and, besides, he was having a grand time
guffawing at the thought that the Ice Queen and the Idiot Extraordinaire were
attracted to each other.
One, then, can hardly blame Sasuke for taking advantage of a perfectly good
opportunity when it presented itself. After all, he figured that since he was going to
suffer some utterly humiliating punishment once Master Kuno found out that he'd divulged
confidential information so easily he might as well make the crime worth the punishment.
Thus, he happily bounced onto Ranma Saotome's head with enough force
to knock him off the rooftop and somersaulted his way down to the grass below.
He bowed to his captor and raised his fist in triumph.
"Give the my regards to the Tendos, Saotome!"
And with that, the stealthy ninja was gone.
Ranma could only mutter obscenities at the retreating ninja and vowed
to pound him to a pulp the next time he saw him. He gripped the edge of the ledge
and was about to propel himself back onto the rooftop but his arms suddenly lost
all feeling.
He felt a sense of dread pass through him as he suddenly felt someone's eyes boring
holes in his back. Ranma would later swear that he saw his life flash right before his eyes.
There was no doubt in his mind that some cruel kami, no doubt the same kami that
made sure that the same old lady with an annoyingly precise aim splashed him with cold
water each and every morning on his way to school, was laughing his ass off somewhere on
some kami plane.
He _knew_ that there was someone glaring at him from below and he also
knew that that someone was undoubtedly female. A very pissed off female to be exact.
Ranma felt like running for the hills when said female spoke, her voice
dangerously sweet.
"Why are you hanging outside my sister's window, Ranma?"
One day, Ranma promised himself, he would find a way to obliterate that stupid kami.
"N-n-nothing..." He winced after hearing his voice rise an octave.
"I'm sure there's a reason. I'll meet you up on the roof in a
little bit, Ranma so you can tell me all about it."
She hadn't sent him into lower earth orbit. Ranma wondered if maybe the
mysterious kami wasn't as cruel as he'd thought.
"Oh, and Ranma? It'd better be a _damn good_ reason."
Scratch that. He would find a way to make that kami meet Akane's
hyperspacial hammer and _then_ he'd obliterate it.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
"I take it that your mission went well, Sasuke?"
Sasuke, a bit unnerved that his Master always insisted on turning his
leather chair so that his back was turned like some evil fiend from an action
movie, gathered his wits before answering.
"The mission was aborted, Master, due to the interference of one meddling
Ranma Saotome."
That was, Sasuke reasoned, not exactly a lie per se. He _had_ been forced
to abort his mission after Saotome had caught him eavesdropping outside Nabiki
Tendo's window. He was just ommitting a couple of facts and there was absolutely
no harm in that. After all, what Master Kuno didn't know would keep Sasuke away
from strips of meat and pet alligators.
Truth be told, and thank goodness this truth was known only to himself,
Sasuke had done a lot of thinking as he made his way back to the Kuno mansion
and had come to a decision of sorts. He did not exactly like being placed
in the middle of whatever might be brewing between Master Kuno and Nabiki Tendo.
He had pondered all the possible outcomes of Nabiki Tendo discovering that
he, an innocent servant of a noodles-for-brains master, had been meddling in her
affairs and, quite frankly, each and every one had involved neverending misery
and torture.
Pet alligators were plush toy bunnies compared to the wrath that Nabiki
Tendo would undoubtedly inflict on Sasuke.
Thus,he had decided that the safest recourse would be to take everything
he had heard at the Tendo dojo to his grave and avoid going to an early grave by
avoiding Nabiki Tendo. Avoidance was not necessarily a bad thing.
"If I may be so bold, Master, why don't you just confront Miss Tendo
with your queries?"
His master swiveled his chair abruptly so that he was facing the small
ninja. That, however, was not as disconcerting to Sasuke as the blank expression
on his master's face.
"That is out of the question, Sasuke. I did not ask for your advice nor
do I desire it. You have proven yourself to be of no use to me in this matter
so you may take your leave."
Sasuke nodded. That was perfectly fine with him, although he hoped that
his relief was not too evident.
He gave the obligatory respectful bow, although he felt anything but at
the moment, and made a hasty retreat from the young master's office. He had no
idea why or how Master Kuno had gotten romantically involved with Miss Nabiki
but he was more than sure that it would be a match made in hell.
Thankfully, he had actually managed to avoid hell's furies...at least for
the moment.
As he passed through the dark hallway filled with paintings of the
deceased members of the Kuno lineage, he couldn't help but feel a bit sorry
for his Master.
Sure, he lacked the common sense given to every other human being in the
world and he was eccentric, bossy, and demanding but he was not all bad.
He was kind at heart and Sasuke was positive that, beneath that
clueless front that his Master put on, there was a decent, intelligent individual.
Well, maybe way,way,way, _way_ beneath the surface.
Besides, although Sasuke was loathe to admit it, he owed his loyalty
to the Kuno clan where serious matters were concerned for the tolerance they
had shown him through his years of service.
His thoughts were interrupted as he was yanked into the extravagant
room that housed Mistress Kodachi's various exotic pets.
A young woman dressed in a black leotard, a rose in one hand and
spiraling ribbons in the other beckoned the servant, her ruby red lips
turned up in a mocking smile.
"Oh ho ho ho! Sasuke, would you be a dear and feed my pet alligators
for me?"
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True to her word, Akane was waiting for Ranma on the rooftop a few minutes
later, her expression neutral. She was wearing the same pig pajamas he'd
always hated [he'd tried to burn them once but had been caught in the act
by Akane herself and he'd gotten a good lashing for it too---he still had the
scars to prove it] if only because the stupid pigs looked suspiciously like
P-chan.
Ranma took a seat beside her, making sure not to let his eyes wander below
her face. Although he and Akane were in a relationship of sorts, he still was
not exactly sure of what liberties said relationship granted him, so
he always avoided getting too personal. He'd long decided that it was safer to let
Akane initiate things and had found the results to be quite pleasant.
Unfortunately, and much to Ranma's dismay, it was difficult at the moment
to keep his eyes focused on her face not only because she had long outgrown
the pajama top she was currently wearing but also because it had risen so that
her stomach, a firm and thus very attractive stomach, was exposed.
There was no way that the girl sitting beside him was uncute, unsexy
and she sure as hell wasn't a tomboy. He had no idea why he'd even suggested
such things in the first place. It was a good thing that they'd straightened
everything out recently because he was more than certain that any other guy
would have given his right arm to have her by his side.
He took a deep breath, reminding himself that she was probably in no
mood to do anything but pound him to the ground and that one false move would
have him knocked off of the rooftop and onto the koi pond.
"Well...," she asked, her eyes narrowed and eyebrows furrowed.
"Umm...well, you see, it's really funny actually." Ranma placed his
hands behind his head and laughed nervously.
"I'm sure it is, and I'm _sure_ that I'll be laughing right along with
you as soon as you tell me what the HELL you were doing hanging outside my
sister's window."
At that moment, Akane felt quite proud of herself having kept her anger
in check for so long. Kami knew that she'd had to fight that familiar urge to
whip out her hyperspacial hammer and blast him to the heavens but because things
had changed between them, and because she liked seeing him squirm, she had
decided to merely threaten him with the tone of her voice.
He should be glad that she hadn't grabbed the nearest rock and lunged
it at his head the way she'd wanted to.
Then again, Akane admitted to herself, he had made quite a picture hanging
outside that window. She'd seen the way he'd been ready to make his way onto the
rooftop and had to suppress a giggle as she remembered how he'd gone still the
moment he'd realized that she was watching him.
Poor Ranma.
Of course, she'd never _tell_ him that. It was too much fun making him
think that, under certain circumstances, she could still be the violent tomboy
she'd always been.
So she made her voice as icy and no-nonsense as she could, tapped her
fingers impatiently and spoke:
"I'm waiting, Ranma."
Ranma took a moment to look, really _look_ at the situation and the more
he thought about it, the more ridiculous everything seemed. He'd faced
demons, mystical creatures, and had gone through all sorts of hell to get this
petite, dark haired woman back to him all those times she'd been in trouble
and here he was shaking like a leaf.
Once he let the first waves of laughter through, there was no stopping
him.
"What's so funny?"
With one fluid motion, Ranma grabbed Akane and gently deposited her on
his lap. He grasped her hands from behind so that they lay crossed on her lap.
"You, me---us. Boy, you scare the hell outta me sometimes, you know."
Akane blushed. As much headway as they'd made the past few weeks, she
still found their newfound closeness a bit disconcerting at times. Not that she
didn't like it, of course. It was just that this would definitely take some
getting used to.
"I find it a bit hard to believe that the 'great' Ranma Saotome is scared
of a harmless tomboy like moi."_
"First of all, I _am_ most definitely great and second of all you are
definitely _not_ a tomboy."
Akane never thought she'd see the day when Ranma would have her purring
with pleasure but that was exactly what he seemed to be doing at the moment.
Ranma had let his lips brush against the sensitive spot below her earlobe and '
she could feel his soft, rhythmic breathing on her neck.
She lay her head on his shoulder and turned it at an angle so that she
was practically offering her neck to him on a silver platter. He began to place
soft, languid kisses along the offered neck.
"Don't, ah, think that, um..." All semblance of anger had left her and
Akane couldn't, for the life of her, remember what the hell she wanted to ask
him.
Ranma's lips curved into a smile at the nape of her neck. To think,
all those times he'd wished he had a way to subdue Akane when she was going
through her fits of anger and here she was practically melting with just a few
strategically placed kisses!
"Ranma, oh, um...that tickles!"
The kisses stopped for a second but that was enough time for Akane to
push Ranma onto his back and position herself so that she was straddling his
waist.
"Seriously, Ranma. What were you doing outside my sister's window?"
How the hell, Ranma wondered, did she expect him to answer that question
when the only thing he could think about was the way her toned thighs were
pressed against him? Besides, his brain was a bit preoccupied with various
images that had nothing to do with windows...or clothing, for that matter.
He gave a sigh of frustration before answering.
"I found Kunou's stupid ninja Sasuke listening in on your talk with
Nabiki and had a little chat with him."
Akane chewed on her lip, confusion evident on her face.
"But then how'd you---"
"I'm getting to that. He told me that Kunou'd sent him to see if he
could find out whether or not your sister had the hots for him. I started
laughing my ass off, because really who woulda thought the Ice Queen would
ever---"
Ranma felt Akane stiffen and thought better about telling her how he
found the idea of Nabiki loving anything besides money ridiculous.
"Ha ha, um, anyway, he caught me off guard and pushed me off the freakin'
rooftop."
He was hesitant about looking up at Akane's face for fear that he'd
upset her with the whole Ice Queen comment. After all, Nabiki may have been
a cold, calculating, and ruthless business woman but she was _still_ her sister.
Much to his surprise, Akane had a faraway look on her face and her eyes
had an odd spark he'd never seen in them. The gentle smile on her face only
made her that much more breathtaking in his eyes.
No, she was anything _but_ a tomboy.
"This is great! So Kunou likes Nabiki and she, of course, likes him.
Well, she didn't really admit it, but I KNOW she does because I can _see_ it
and Nabiki's gonna have a boyfriend, Kunou of all people, and here I was
thinking she might be a lesbian!"
Ranma wondered how one person could say so much without taking one so
much as a breath of air.
"Oh I feel so happy for my nee-chan! She finally has someone she
likes and he likes her and.."
Ranma cleared his throat.
"Before you go off and get 'em married, I think there's something,
actually _two_ somethings you're forgetting about Akane."
"What?"
"Well, have you forgotten about that idiot's 'pig-tailed girl' and
his 'beauteous Akane'? You think he's gonna stop chasing after them just
like that?"
The wedding bells stopped ringing.
"Well...no. Unless..."
Akane lowered herself so that she and Ranma were eye to eye. She placed
her hands on either side of his head and began to run her fingers so that
she was massaging his scalp.
"We help them out a little."
There were few things that Ranma feared more than the "meet-my-
trusty-hammer Akane" unless it was the "I've-got-an-idea-and-you're-going-
to-help-me-out Akane."
When a woman had a plan it was time to run for the hills.
He would have too, if he hadn't been so distracted by those fingers
running through his hair and those expressive eyes that were focused on him
and him alone and, kami, she was soft and smelled nice!
"A-ak-ane...um, he's seen my, um, ch-ch-ange and, ah, that didn't
stop him from, ah....ah, chasing after me, remember?"
Akane merely placed a soft kiss on his lips before moving to his
jawline and, finally, his ear. She gave his earlobe a gentle tug before replying.
"Don't worry, Ranma. I'll think of something."
The last coherent thought Ranma had before his surging hormones
took control of his almost defunct brain cells was that soon all hell
would break loose.
Next Chapter: "When Hell Breaks Loose"
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Author: Hello, everyone! My Muse is back! Say hello to everyone, Muse!
Muse: *waves*
Author: Where the HELL have you been?!
Muse: Well, exCUse me for not wanting to stay around while you suffered
a nervous breakdown due to stress, university food poisoning, and final exams.
Oh, and did I mention that you were so drugged up on caffeine that you were
starting to talk to imaginary, furry, pink bunnies?
Author: ;- _ -
Muse: Thought so. In any case, I'm back and there's no stopping me.
Author: Oh, by the way, I'm going to graduate school next year.
Muse: See ya!
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Author's Note: No, I didn't disappear, nor did I give up on finishing this fanfic.
With NabikiXKuno fanfiction being so sparse did you honestly think that I would
leave this unfinished? Oh, ye of little faith. No worries, though.
Sorry if this chapter was too Ranma/Akane WAFFish but I promise that the next
chapter will be chalk full of Nabiki/Kunou goodness.
In any case, I'm back, my Muse has returned and I think I have two more
chapters to go before this is finished. I'm into Inuyasha now (another creation
from the greatness that is Rumiko Takahashi) so expect some fanfiction about
everyone's favorite hanyou and his friends as soon as I'm finished with
my current fanfics.
I sincerely thank everyone who's left C&C and encourage you to let me know what
you think of this new chapter.
Until next time,
Latin Usako
latin_usako@tokyo.com