The pair sat together in the cooling water of the furo almost snuggling,
almost clinging to each other as if scared that this was just a dream and
if they let go then the dream would be over. Ranma slowly opened his eyes
and stared down at the young girl...no woman that he held in his arms, it
was almost funny really, it took his murder for them to come clean with
each other and their feelings. He knew that this changed everything between
them now and he just could make himself regret what had happened no matter
how much more difficult this would make what he had to do.
"Akane?"
Akane murmured softly nuzzling tighter against him his voice cutting through the warm happy haze that seemed to cloud her mind. She raised her head to meet his eyes and smiled like the cat who just ate the canary and got the cream.
Ranma swallowed slightly at the expression on her face and dipped his head to lightly place a soft kiss on her forehead and flashed her his famous confident grin. "Are any of my old clothes still here?"
Akane shook her head sadly. "When your parents left your mom took all your things with her, I guess she wanted something of yours, but there is something here you can wear."
Ranma settled back in the furo as he watched her climb out of the tub admiring her shapely rear as she wrapped a towel around her body and disappeared from the bathroom for several minutes. When she returned she was dressed in a pair of sweat pants and a vest top and she was carrying a gift wrapped box.
"Here..." She set the box on the clothes hamper her gaze on the floor so he wouldn't see her sad expression. "I bought this stuff for your birthday from that weird little shop that sells the magicical ingredients." She looked up as she felt Ranma's hand gently cup her chin and lift her gaze to his. She smiled. "He said that the cloth was enchanted would repair any rip or damage to the material and i figured since when you fight your clothes always get ruined you would like them..."
Ranma smiled and lowered his head and gently brushes a soft kiss against her lips. "Thank you."
Akane smiled and wrapped her arms around him. "Meet me in my room when your dressed ok?"
Ranma grinned and shooed her out of the bath room and looked at the box, very carefully considering his past history with magic he lifted the lid of the box and gasped at what was inside it. Almost reverently he pulled the shirt from the box and let it unfold, it was the finest chinese silk with a spiraling dragon of white silk winding its way around the shirt its head resting above where his heart would be. Quickly he dressed the shirt sliding across his skin like liquid and the pair of pants of the same material soon followed and he left the bathroom and knocked on Akanes door.
"Come in."
Pushing open the door he made his way inside noting that not much had changed in the year since he was last here, except this time she wasn't malleting him out the window. "Whats up?"
"What are you going to do about Happosai Ranma?"
Ranma frowned and took a seat in the floor staring up at her choclate coloured eyes and sighed. "Pay him back for what he did to me, its what the Crow says I'm back for...revenge."
He lowered his gaze and sighed. "So what happened after I...left?"
Akane curled up on her bed and looked at him. "Things got bad real fast. With no one to stop him Happosai got completely out of control going beyond stealing panties and bras he started molesting the girls using whatever magical tricks he had on them. Colonge and Shampoo and Moouse all went back to china, but not before Shampoo tried to kill me blaming your...death on me. Your mom was a wreck and your dad and mine decided to drown themselves in a Sake bottle." She stretched biting back a yawn. "Ukyo turned out ok...she stayed behind in Nerima and after about 7 months she agreed to go out with Konatsu and they've been dating ever since. The Kuno's just got crazier and Ryoga still gets lost and turns up when you least expect him."
Ranma shook his head all those martial artists and not one of the tried to find out who killed him. "What about you what have you been doing?"
She looked at him sadly. "I have been mourning the loss of my Husband." She almost giggled at the shocked expression on his face. "Thats what i finally realised after you were gone, it didn't matter to me that we never got married to me you were my husband."
Ranma blushed and started to lean forward to kiss her when through the semi open window the Crow flew in landing ontop of Akanes book shelf. It cawed and started clawing at a book till it fell from the shelf landing ontop of Ranmas head with a thud. "OW!" He rubbed the top of his head and glared up at the bird.
"Ranma look at this!"
Frowning he rose and sat on the bed and glanced athe open book cover. He remember that book, it was a joke from Nabiki a list of Chinese and Japanese Mythology and legends, supposedly so akane would have some knowledge of whatever kidnapped her next time. He glanced at the open page and blinked.
*The Legend of Kai Lun Mau or the Black Crow*
In 1200 ad Kai Lun Mau and his betrothed Lin Mei were a part of a traveling circus. Performers both of them and his betrothed the star of the show her beauty and singing so great she could entrance any man she wanted but she only loved Kai Lun Mau. One day the circus stopped at the camped fort/town in control by warlord Lui Bei and who after watching Lin Mei perform was smitten and when he enquired about availability learned of her betrothal to Kai Lun Mau. Taking Kai Lun Mau aside the Warlord offered Kai 100 gold pieces for her, when Kai refused the Warlord offered him 1000 gold pieces and again was refused. In a rage Lui Bei attacked Kai Lun Mau stabbing him in the stomach and dragged him into the centre of the performing ring and waited for Lin Mei to come for him and when she did he raped her there in the tent and when he was done he had his guards each take a turn with her and left her there to die along side her love Kai Lun Mau. The bodies were dumped in a ditch. Two months later a passing caravan stopped at the Fort to water their mounts to find the place a slaughter house and to find Lui Bei pinned 15 feet off the floor his knives driven through his hands and his stomach slit open his intestines hanging free, but what truly disturbed the Merchant was the picture of a bird was painted around the dead man with blood. A single survivor, a whore belonging to Lui Bei claimed in a bout of hysteria that a demon with a crow for a companion had arrived one evening even though he had been killed and proceeded to murder all Lui Beis horses then guards before finally coming for Lui Bei himself. She claimed that when stabbed by the guards or struck by arrows that he just kept killing finally when it was naught but Lui Bei and her left she finally saw the Demons face, it was the performer Kai Lun Mau but his face was white with black markings (**AN: See Illustraion below**) and when Lui Bei was dead she claimed he left walking towards the bog where Kai Lun Mau and Lin Mei's bodies where dumped.
Both Ranma and Akane read the story and looked at each other both going to speak at the same instant when suddenly a very familiar voice rang out in the garden. "WHERE AM I NOW!"
Ranma grinned as an evil thought flashed through his mind, he could have a lot of fun with this...hopping off Akanes bed he bounced out her window landing silently in the yard finally glad that his body was now fully under his control. "Hey Porkchop its been a while."
***********
Ryoga growled in frustration he was trying to find his way back to Nerima and Akane when yet again he got lost turning up in this garden when a voice damn near shook him to the core causing him to drop his umbrella in shock. No it couldn't be him he was gone. Turning he faced the source of the voice and his eyes widened in panic. "NO...YOUR DEAD...I WATCHED YOU DIE!"
TBC...
"Akane?"
Akane murmured softly nuzzling tighter against him his voice cutting through the warm happy haze that seemed to cloud her mind. She raised her head to meet his eyes and smiled like the cat who just ate the canary and got the cream.
Ranma swallowed slightly at the expression on her face and dipped his head to lightly place a soft kiss on her forehead and flashed her his famous confident grin. "Are any of my old clothes still here?"
Akane shook her head sadly. "When your parents left your mom took all your things with her, I guess she wanted something of yours, but there is something here you can wear."
Ranma settled back in the furo as he watched her climb out of the tub admiring her shapely rear as she wrapped a towel around her body and disappeared from the bathroom for several minutes. When she returned she was dressed in a pair of sweat pants and a vest top and she was carrying a gift wrapped box.
"Here..." She set the box on the clothes hamper her gaze on the floor so he wouldn't see her sad expression. "I bought this stuff for your birthday from that weird little shop that sells the magicical ingredients." She looked up as she felt Ranma's hand gently cup her chin and lift her gaze to his. She smiled. "He said that the cloth was enchanted would repair any rip or damage to the material and i figured since when you fight your clothes always get ruined you would like them..."
Ranma smiled and lowered his head and gently brushes a soft kiss against her lips. "Thank you."
Akane smiled and wrapped her arms around him. "Meet me in my room when your dressed ok?"
Ranma grinned and shooed her out of the bath room and looked at the box, very carefully considering his past history with magic he lifted the lid of the box and gasped at what was inside it. Almost reverently he pulled the shirt from the box and let it unfold, it was the finest chinese silk with a spiraling dragon of white silk winding its way around the shirt its head resting above where his heart would be. Quickly he dressed the shirt sliding across his skin like liquid and the pair of pants of the same material soon followed and he left the bathroom and knocked on Akanes door.
"Come in."
Pushing open the door he made his way inside noting that not much had changed in the year since he was last here, except this time she wasn't malleting him out the window. "Whats up?"
"What are you going to do about Happosai Ranma?"
Ranma frowned and took a seat in the floor staring up at her choclate coloured eyes and sighed. "Pay him back for what he did to me, its what the Crow says I'm back for...revenge."
He lowered his gaze and sighed. "So what happened after I...left?"
Akane curled up on her bed and looked at him. "Things got bad real fast. With no one to stop him Happosai got completely out of control going beyond stealing panties and bras he started molesting the girls using whatever magical tricks he had on them. Colonge and Shampoo and Moouse all went back to china, but not before Shampoo tried to kill me blaming your...death on me. Your mom was a wreck and your dad and mine decided to drown themselves in a Sake bottle." She stretched biting back a yawn. "Ukyo turned out ok...she stayed behind in Nerima and after about 7 months she agreed to go out with Konatsu and they've been dating ever since. The Kuno's just got crazier and Ryoga still gets lost and turns up when you least expect him."
Ranma shook his head all those martial artists and not one of the tried to find out who killed him. "What about you what have you been doing?"
She looked at him sadly. "I have been mourning the loss of my Husband." She almost giggled at the shocked expression on his face. "Thats what i finally realised after you were gone, it didn't matter to me that we never got married to me you were my husband."
Ranma blushed and started to lean forward to kiss her when through the semi open window the Crow flew in landing ontop of Akanes book shelf. It cawed and started clawing at a book till it fell from the shelf landing ontop of Ranmas head with a thud. "OW!" He rubbed the top of his head and glared up at the bird.
"Ranma look at this!"
Frowning he rose and sat on the bed and glanced athe open book cover. He remember that book, it was a joke from Nabiki a list of Chinese and Japanese Mythology and legends, supposedly so akane would have some knowledge of whatever kidnapped her next time. He glanced at the open page and blinked.
*The Legend of Kai Lun Mau or the Black Crow*
In 1200 ad Kai Lun Mau and his betrothed Lin Mei were a part of a traveling circus. Performers both of them and his betrothed the star of the show her beauty and singing so great she could entrance any man she wanted but she only loved Kai Lun Mau. One day the circus stopped at the camped fort/town in control by warlord Lui Bei and who after watching Lin Mei perform was smitten and when he enquired about availability learned of her betrothal to Kai Lun Mau. Taking Kai Lun Mau aside the Warlord offered Kai 100 gold pieces for her, when Kai refused the Warlord offered him 1000 gold pieces and again was refused. In a rage Lui Bei attacked Kai Lun Mau stabbing him in the stomach and dragged him into the centre of the performing ring and waited for Lin Mei to come for him and when she did he raped her there in the tent and when he was done he had his guards each take a turn with her and left her there to die along side her love Kai Lun Mau. The bodies were dumped in a ditch. Two months later a passing caravan stopped at the Fort to water their mounts to find the place a slaughter house and to find Lui Bei pinned 15 feet off the floor his knives driven through his hands and his stomach slit open his intestines hanging free, but what truly disturbed the Merchant was the picture of a bird was painted around the dead man with blood. A single survivor, a whore belonging to Lui Bei claimed in a bout of hysteria that a demon with a crow for a companion had arrived one evening even though he had been killed and proceeded to murder all Lui Beis horses then guards before finally coming for Lui Bei himself. She claimed that when stabbed by the guards or struck by arrows that he just kept killing finally when it was naught but Lui Bei and her left she finally saw the Demons face, it was the performer Kai Lun Mau but his face was white with black markings (**AN: See Illustraion below**) and when Lui Bei was dead she claimed he left walking towards the bog where Kai Lun Mau and Lin Mei's bodies where dumped.
Both Ranma and Akane read the story and looked at each other both going to speak at the same instant when suddenly a very familiar voice rang out in the garden. "WHERE AM I NOW!"
Ranma grinned as an evil thought flashed through his mind, he could have a lot of fun with this...hopping off Akanes bed he bounced out her window landing silently in the yard finally glad that his body was now fully under his control. "Hey Porkchop its been a while."
***********
Ryoga growled in frustration he was trying to find his way back to Nerima and Akane when yet again he got lost turning up in this garden when a voice damn near shook him to the core causing him to drop his umbrella in shock. No it couldn't be him he was gone. Turning he faced the source of the voice and his eyes widened in panic. "NO...YOUR DEAD...I WATCHED YOU DIE!"
TBC...