Slowly Akane's eyes fluttered open, ` God what an awful dream!` When suddenly a voice she should not have been hearing burst her bubble.

"Good was wondering you'd be waking up ya dumb Tomboy."

"No no nonono your dead I'm hearing things you cant be here they promised me that I'd stop hearing you with time please please please stop don't I grieve enough!" Akane squeezed her eyes shut trying her best to block out the voice that part of her so longed to hear again. She flinched when she felt a hand rest lightly on her shoulder and very slowly allowed her eyes to open to find herself staring into a pair of crystal blue eyes that were so familiar. "Ranma."

Ranma slowly lifted his hand from her shoulder trying to fight the flood of memories that assaulted his mind. "Yeah it's me." Suddenly he sailed across the room as a small but very powerful fist connected with his jaw.

"Liar!" Akane struggled to her feet her crimson battle aura flaring uncontrollably around her scorching the wooden floor at her feet as her anger grew. "Ranma's dead!" Tears slowly leaked from her eyes as she watched the man stand. "He died a year ago, I don't know what you are, ghost mirror demon or somebody just trying to hurt me, but you are not Ranma Saotome!"

Rubbing his sore jaw he smirked a rather familiar smile as the bruise faded within seconds and he stood keeping his distance letting her rant He knew how hard this must be for her, hell he didn't want to believe it himself but he was standing there in the dojo. Slowly Akanes rant tapered off and she sank to her knee's tears running down her cheeks and just like before Ranma was unable to stand her crying, very quietly he crossed the wooden floor till he stood beside her and kneeled gently wrapping her in his arms rocking her back and forth as she cried into his his bare chest.

Akane couldn't think she could only react as she was held, her small arms sliding around his body pulling him tighter against him, she knew she must have lost her mind she could smell him, that scent that was purely his own. "Please don't let this be a dream, please dont have let me finally lost my mind?"

"I'm here Kane, your not insane, your not dreaming, I'm really here."

Akane nodded and turned her eyes up to see his face, he looked grimy and dirty as hell but his eyes were what finally told her it was really him, his eyes held the same fire that she had grown to love over the several year she had stayed at the Dojo. "Oh god it is you." She didn't think she just reacted her hands pulling away from his waist reaching up one rest on his cheek the other gripping his hair painfully as she pulled his head down to hers, she didn't care if he was dirty all she cared about was that somehow he had come back to her and very soon all rational thought stopped as the pair of long seperated teenagers kissed.

Tongues dueled as hands wandered across bare skin as finally all the barriers came down between the pair came crashing down, theres nothing like death to really clarify the mind and so lost in the sea of emmotions were the pair that soon enough clothes were strewn across the dojo floor and a desperate coupling, a need for physical contact began as whispers of I love you and don't ever leave me again were made. Postioning himself Ranma slowly filled her feeling her barrier give way beneathe his touch. Akane gasped as she felt the pain grow inside her, not wanting to cause any alarm in the house with her screams she sank her teeth into ranma's shoulder to stifle her screams. Gasps and moans of pleasure filled the dojo as the pair surrendered their most personal possessions to their lover, their virginity...

Almost an hour later the pair lay curled together on the mats Akane pressed tightly against him as if afraid that if she let him go he would disappear again forever. "Ranma..."

Ranma opened his eyes staring down at her still trying to comprehend what just happened between the two of them and a silly grin was plastered over his face, finally she was his and he was happy, but inside part of him still raged at Happosai and the two others involved in his murder and he knew that he had to track them down but for now he just wanted to hold her in his arms. "Yeah Kane?" He asked sleepily.

"What happened, why have you come back, I saw your bo...I found you lying in the dojo Ranma!"

Ranmas arms tightened around the girl as he felt her shudder from thememories he could feel her hot tears running down his bare chest. "Happosai happened, he and two others, I don't know who were waiting for me here in the dojo after our date, I was so distracted after having had a good time with you my reactions were off and before I knew it I was dead..." He winced as the memories of the attack burned through him once again and his grip on the girl in his arms tightened. "I came back for you, I couldn't leave you alone, unprotected, I was going mad with fear." Akane looked up at him and glared and opened her mouth to speak but his finger pressed against her lipssilencing her. "I know what your going to say Akane, your a martial artist, but I was the best, and look what happened to me."

She glared but she nodded as the realisation hit her, they killed Ranma, she would have been no threat, especially if Happosai was involved. She giggled. "You need a bath, you stink."

Ranma mock glared at her. "Well your no spring chicken yourself you know." He sighed. "But I can't exactly use the furo now can I, I don't want the others to know I'm back, ah don't want Happosai to know I'm coming for him till it's to late for him to stop me."

Akane nodded and slipped out of his arms. "I understand, but I'm the only one here, everyone else has left to go to your mothers house for the evening, my father wanted to spend today with yours and your mothers to honour you, Nabiki is at college and Kasumi is at cooking contest in Juban, so you are taking a bath with me understood!"

Ranma grinned and climbed to his feet noticing his control over his body was improving and he gently pulled his lover to her feet. "C'mon then!"

********** TBC....