Kiyomisa: Ahh!! You guys are so wonderful to me!! *hugs Demonblade and Waku-chan* you've reviewed more than once! Ehem…gomen ^-^' got kinda carried away. As for why there aren't more reviews *frowns slightly* well, you have to admit, I've been posting rather quickly ^-^. Plus not everyone who reads reviews *frowns again* *shakes head* Oh well. The beginning of this chapter might be a little silly, since I'm listening to the Chinese cover of YMCA ^-^'. I think it actually sounds better in Cantonese than English. Anyways…you all probably want to read the fic instead of listening to my wild life style *rolls eyes* so-oo…here it is!
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"Ne, Ukyo-chan, there's a hot-springs on the skirts of the village, would you like to go relax with me?" Sango asked as the group sat around in Kaede's village waiting for the return of the others.
Ukyo glanced up at her friend, then at the group. Shampoo was helping Mousse polish his plethora of weapons, chatting quietly, laughing easily every once in a while. Miroku was sitting by himself, gazing off into space, supposedly meditating. Ukyo guessed he was trying to figure out which girls in the village he had yet to ask his question. Shippo was trying to play a game of Go with a pensive Inu-Yasha.
Ukyo sighed. There really wasn't much for her to do, except practice her martial arts and cook. Sango was the only one she could spar with, and no one seemed very hungry at the moment, so she agreed and stood up to follow the exterminator.
She didn't notice how Miroku's eyes followed them, although his face remained facing forward. Sango did however, and she shot the monk a warning glare. Miroku let a small grin appear on his face, but made no other motion to say that he'd acknowledged her. Or that he'd behave himself.
At the spring, Sango gathered several small stones with a good throwing heft into a small pile easily reachable from the pool. Satisfied, she disrobed and slipped into the warm water, joining her new friend, who quirked a curious eyebrow at her.
"Why the stones, Sango?"
"Monks," she replied simply.
Ukyo's eyes widened. "He wouldn't!"
Sango raised her own eyebrow and gave the cook a look. "Oh?"
Ukyo didn't look as sure as before, and she glanced at the surrounding foliage suspiciously.
"Don't worry. We have a few minutes yet," Sango assured her, closing her eyes and letting her head rest on the smooth rim of rock.
Ukyo sighed. "Well, it's not as if I have to worry about it. He'll be trying to see you, not me."
Sango opened her eyes and looked at the other girl in concern. "What are you talking about Ukyo-chan?"
Ukyo laughed self-mockingly. She gestured at herself. "Well look at me. I'm not exactly the picture of femininity. I don't even know how to act like a woman, I've pretended to be a boy for ten years."
Sango sat up, a little alarmed at the disparaging tone in Ukyo's voice. "You look fine," she hastened to assure. Ukyo rolled her eyes, not believing it for a minute.
"You do! And just between you and me," Sango tried to keep a straight face, "you act more like a woman than Akane does."
Ukyo giggled and Sango's serious expression began to crack and a little grin showed through. Soon both were giggling quietly to themselves.
But at the sound of a twig snapping, Sango stopped and whipped her head towards the sound. Narrowing her eyes, she calmly picked up a stone and chucked it in the direction the snap had come from. There was an unmistakable yelp and the sounds of a hasty retreat.
Sango smirked in triumph, and Ukyo began giggling all over again.
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When they returned several minutes later, it seemed as if nothing had changed. Except for the fact that Miroku was now sporting a spectacular black eye.
"Miroku-san, what happened?" Ukyo inquired through a snicker, trying to keep the amusement out of her voice.
"I asked a girl in the village my question. She did not respond as I had hoped," he replied smoothly.
"Meaning she socked him a good one," Shippo supplied with a waggle of eyebrows. Ukyo began to laugh, but she covered her mouth with a hand and pretended to cough.
Sango could not help but smile a little. "Really, Houshi-sama? Gomen nasai. But while you were out, did you happen to see anything near the hot spring? Ukyo and I thought we heard a noise."
Miroku considered it thoughtfully before answering with a straight face, "Regrettably, no. By that time my heart was hurting too much from rejection and I could not concentrate on anything much."
Ukyo snorted. "His eye had swollen shut from that rock you threw, Sango."
Inu-Yasha snorted and Shippo began giggling. Ukyo giggled too, but Sango merely looked smug as the two girls entered the house for fresh clothing.
"You never learn, do you Miroku?" Inu-Yasha asked.
Miroku looked at the half-demon calmly. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
* * *
Shampoo sat next to Mousse, watching the sunset, her head comfortably resting on his shoulder.
"Xian Phu," he began timidly.
"Yes?" She didn't look at him, she was feeling too nice right where she was.
"Are…are you happy with this?"
Shampoo frowned at the worried note in his voice and she sat up so she could look at him. "Happy with what?" she demanded gently.
"With…us…me…" Mousse couldn't look at her.
Shampoo took hold of his face with a hand on each cheek and gently turned his face to hers. "Mu Tsu, I would much rather marry my childhood friend than some random stranger who happened to beat me in combat. When I was younger, I always expected you to be the one to beat me first…but now I'm with you, and even Great-Grandmother can't do anything about it." She smiled at him and kissed him lightly.
Mousse blinked and Shampoo giggled as she sat back again. He smiled at her and wrapped an arm loosely around her waist to pull her next to him. They resumed watching the sunset.
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On the other side of the well, things weren't going so well.
"Ranma no baka!" CRASH!
Akane wiped the sweat from her brow and glared at the pile of broken cinder blocks in front of her. She wished it was the real Ranma she'd hit, but she'd been refraining from injuring him so that they could return to the others on schedule. Just two more days. The casts had been removed, but Tofu had said that the bones would remain a little fragile for a few more days.
But that didn't mean that the jerk could just insult her all over! She picked up a rather large chunk and tossed it in her hand a couple of times. "That jerk. I am not clumsy!" she muttered before tossing it high in the air, preparing to punch it on it's way back down.
"Careful kultz," an amused voice called out, distracting her. She missed the chunk and it landed heavily on her foot. Akane went down with a cry, tears stinging her eyes as she began cursing loudly.
"Akane?" Ranma asked a little unsurely.
A string of colorful phrases flew back at him, and they relaxed him. If Akane was truly angry, she'd go all quiet on him. "I told you to be careful. You really are clumsy."
With a roar of anger, Akane leapt up to charge him, but her foot wouldn't support her and she crashed back down again, with a strangled cry of pain.
"Akane!" Ranma was alarmed now and he squatted down beside her as she shifted into a sitting position. He couldn't stand the sight of tears running down her cheeks, so he busied himself by looking at her foot.
It was quite swollen and was quickly turning an ugly shade of purple. Ranma stared at it in horror for a moment while Akane sniffled.
"Th-that looks bad." Ranma reached forward and gently brushed his fingers near the bruise. Akane whimpered and jerked her foot away.
"Baka! Don't touch it!" she mumbled, trying to stop crying.
Ranma frowned. "I'll go get some ice and a bandage. Don't move it, I'll be right back," he said sternly before dashing off.
Sooner than Akane could believe, he was back with an ice wrap and an ace bandage. "Here, give me your foot."
Akane glared at him.
Ranma took an irritated breath. "Look, I'm tryin' to help you, so trust me little, okay?"
Akane blinked in surprise and let him take her foot. He lifted it gingerly into his lap, touching as lightly as possible. Akane let out a small hiss as he wrapped the ice wrap carefully around her foot.
"Gomen," he mumbled, still intent on his task.
"I wasn't expecting it to be so cold," Akane murmured in explanation.
He secured the ice with the bandage, then moved her foot back.
It was throbbing now, from the cold and the slowing of the swelling, but the ice numbed the pain. Akane began to lever herself up, but Ranma stopped her.
"Wait, you'd better not walk on it. I'll carry you to Dr. Tofu's."
"I don't need to be carried," Akane bit out.
Ranma gave her a skeptical look and swept her up into his arms anyway.
"Hey! I said-"
"And I said that I'd carry you," he retorted as he strode out of the dojo.
Akane gave a token huff, but settled in comfortably enough. She felt tired now, from crying and the pain, and she let her head come to rest on his shoulder; she let her hands hang loosely on the back of his neck. Warmth radiated from him, and Akane resisted the urge to snuggle closer, and took a deep, shuddering breath. He smelled like cedar-wood.
He's been using my soap again, Akane noted distantly, before dozing lightly off.
Ranma moved as quickly as he could without jostling the dozing girl in his arms. "Why is it," he muttered under his breath, "that the only time I get to hold you in my arms is when you're hurt."
"Because you're a jerk the rest of the time," was her equally mumbled, though amused, reply.
Ranma chuckled a little. "Is that so?"
"Yep."
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Kiyoimsa: Argh. Gomen for the short short chapter,( *glances up at the chapter* and it's all fluff too -_-') but I'm working on a whole bunch of stories at once (I lost count) and this one might have to sit for little while until I get some more inspiration. It shouldn't take too long. I'm starting school tomorrow and as soon as I have more important things to do, it'll come rushing out. Have to have something to do during class ^-^. So please be patient with me, I'm doin' my best because you guys are great ^-^.
