Chapter 2: Aftermath of the Attack

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Since I was so late in updating the first chapter, I decided to put chapter two up right away! This has more mushy stuff, I guess... if you can call it that. But before anything important and romantic happens Akane has to wake up! XD So, I hope you enjoy, and feedback is greatly appreciated . I just wanted to create some tension and worry for Ranma, so things will be more dramatic and important when she wakes up.

Notes:

--- change of setting or point of view

""dialogue

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Ranma ran the entire day until dusk, his muscles aching beyond belief, and finally reached a place in the forest that he had recognized from the television. Which way from here? He headed in one direction, only to discover the destroyed bodies of the reporter he had seen on television, and another he guessed had been the cameraman.

Disgusted, he turned away. He was desperate to find Akane alive, and clung to the small piece of hope inside him that told him she still lived. His nerves had been torn almost to shreds when he had discovered the bodies, and only felt vague relief after he had been 100 sure none of them were Akane.

He continued through the deep valley of the forest, the light decreasing steadily as night approached and the shadows grew deeper.

A camp! It's Akane's camp! Akane, please be okay... He ran forward, into the tent, and around the entire surrounding area of the tent, only to discover that there was no one there. Where had she last been? Perhaps that location provided some clues. The river! She had been across the river!

Barely able to see in the distance due to the dusk's darkness, he crossed the river and examined the surroundings on the other side. Where was the tree? There! He ran straight for it, and realized that it, too, was empty. His foot suddenly stepped in something wet, and he glanced down to see the worst site in his entire life.

Akane lay, unconscious, in a pool of her own blood. Beautiful violet lilies lay around her, half-crushed beneath her weight and stained with blood. A terrible gash tore from the left side of her waist diagonally up to the right side of her chest. Her skin, lit by the pale moonlight, felt cold to the touch, and she lay completely motionless on the ground, her face pale as death. Akane! Please! Don't leave me like this...

He desperately felt for a pulse, and almost cried with relief when he found a very faint one at the base of her neck. If she loses any more blood, she'll die! Ranma felt for breathing and discovered that she was still breathing, barely. The air came in and out of her lungs in tiny, weak puffs.

Akane, this is all your fault! Why did you come here without me? Why didn't you wait for me? Don't you dare die on me!

His body began to shake lightly with anger, sadness and relief combined as tears slowly fell from the corners of his eyes. Brushing them away quickly, he placed an arm under her legs and another behind her back, cradling her in his arms as he picked her up and carried her over to her camp on the other bank.

Mindless of the blood stains she left on his own clothes, he began to cut away the fabric of her shirt that covered her wound, and dug through her bag until he found the first aid kit. Thank goodness she at least had the sense to bring this...

Blushing slightly as he pushed up her bra just a little to reach the very edge of her wound, he began preparing to treat her. He fetched water from the stream and kept it in a basin, then grabbed a piece of cloth to wet and wash her wound with. Once this was done, he used the ointment in the package, then remembered what she had come here for: the herbs! He went to fetch them, treated her with them, then carefully bandaged her with all the bandages in the kit. There were barely enough, so he took one of her extra shirts and tore it into strips to use when he would need to change the bandage, hoping that the bleeding would stop soon.

A muted groan of pain escaped from her lips as he lifted her up to finish the bandages, then set her back down. His heart cried out to her, and he wished he could spare her the pain she was feeling. Unsure if it would actually work, he fed her a couple petals from the white flower, hoping it would relieve the pain.

He was about to tuck her into her blankets when he realized she could not sleep in bloodstained clothes. Feeling awkward, his face turning bright red, he began to undress her carefully. She would kill me if she knew I was doing this...oh man... Once she was topless, he carefully removed her skirt (leaving her underwear intact), and held her in his arms for a moment.

She's really beautiful when she's not yelling , he realized. He brushed his hands through the silky strands of her hair, unable to stop himself, and turned a brighter shade of red. He desperately wanted to hold her close to him, but was afraid of hurting her. Taking a thin blanket from the place where she slept, he wrapped it around her, then wrapped the thicker blanket over that to stop her from shivering.

Once that was taken care of, he set out a place for himself to sleep next to her inside the tent and lay beside her, watching her to make sure she was okay. Feelings of restlessness stirred inside him, and he decided to make sure she would survive the night by staying awake at her side. He built up a fire in the middle of the camp, sat cross-legged in front of her, and watched her as long as he could until he eventually fell over from exhaustion in the middle of the night.

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Late the next morning, Ranma woke up only to discover that Akane was still asleep. He prepared some of the food Kasumi had made, and tried to wash out Akane's clothes, though the stains wouldn't go away and not much of the clothes were left intact... The entire day however, along with the next 2, she never woke up once, and Ranma was gripped with the fear that she might never wake up again.

He regularly dressed her wounds, and it seemed to slowly but steadily be healing. Though still unconscious, he tried to get her to eat, without success. She did drink what little water he managed to get into her mouth, which restored his hope in her recovery.

During his free time the second day, he built graves for the reporter and cameraman he had seen, buried them and made wooden crosses for them, decorating them with flowers.

When he returned to the tent, Akane's face was bright red with a fever, and once again Ranma stayed beside her the rest of the night, putting a wet towel on her forehead. Much the same thing happened the next day until dusk began to set in on the third day after her injury.

The fever had cooled down, and Ranma began eating some of the food left. I'm lucky Kasumi packed so much...

Suddenly, Akane began thrashing around in her sleep. Her fists tightened, sweat appeared on her brow, and though her fever did not return, her brow creased and she struggled helplessly as she lay asleep. Ranma stuffed the rest of his food in his mouth then went over to see what was wrong. She kept twisting from side to side, with a terrified look plastered on her usually calm sleeping face.

Unsure of what to do next, Ranma sat down beside her and whispered: "Akane... It's okay, it's going to be alright..."

He took one of her clenched fists in his hand, and held it in his own. Slowly, her fist relaxed and she entwined her fingers with his. Her violent movements did not cease, but seemed to appease a little the more Ranma talked to her. He felt her shaking beside him, and gathered her into his arms and across his lap. Resting her head on his shoulder, he continued; "It's okay, everything will be okay... You're safe, I will protect you Akane. I will never let anything happen to you."

She must be in some really bad dream... Please, calm down Akane...Man she's even violent in her sleep...

Akane's lips parted slightly and trembled as she talked in her sleep.

"H...H-h-help....please...."

"Shhhh.... Everything will be okay...Just hold on Akane..."

He stroked her head calmingly and wrapped his arms around her, enveloping her in his warmth and hoping she felt more calm and reassured this way.

She calmed down much more visibly in his warmth, and he let out a sigh of relief. To his surprise, in her sleep she continued whispering: "R..R-Ranma.......Ranma... Ranma, I....... but........Ranma..." finishing with a sigh.

With her lips slightly parted, and her body naturally curving around his for warmth, Ranma felt a strong desire to kiss Akane. It overpowered his senses and before he knew what he was doing, he bent down and placed his lips against hers. She was warm, pliant and soft, and her lips relaxed against his. She drew him in without even realizing what she was doing, and he couldn't stop himself. She tasted sweet and he yearned to delve deeper. His tongue slowly drew the contour of her lips, then edged inside to caress her mouth softly.

She sighed once more, then relaxed against Ranma, giving him free reign over her. Her grip on his arm tightened as she clung to him like a lifeline, pressing herself against him tightly. Ranma suppressed a groan in his throat as he reigned in his control. Still playing with her mouth with his lips and tongue, he wrapped an arm around her delicate waist to ensure he never hurt her.

Suddenly, Akane began responding, and her small, soft tongue began playing with his.

Ranma quickly regained his senses. What am I doing? If she wakes up, she's going to be so pissed, and she's going to say this is all my fault...

Slowly he pulled himself away and lay her back down on her bed in the tent. She made a small whimpering protest at the absence of his warmth, then lay still, her breathing returning to normal.

Ranma left the tent as quietly as possible and headed to the river, taking a handful of water and splashing it onto his face.

Man... what am I getting myself into... His fingers touched his lips, where he could still feel the imprint, warmth and softness of Akane's lips. Lately, as he had been taking care of Akane, he had grown so used to being around her. Her calm, relaxed face was so beautiful and peaceful. He wanted to touch her, caress her cheek, kiss her soft pink lips, feel her curves against him, as if she was melting into him.... No, he wasn't allowed to think that way. Then again, was he? He was her fiancé after all...

Damn, I need to think about something else! Maybe I should take a bath... Cold water will probably help...

He quickly removed his clothes and waded towards the deep part of the river, washing himself quickly and cooling himself off so he wouldn't think of Akane, lying beckoningly in the tent with her sweet sleeping face.

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Once she got through the dark tunnel of dreams, she fell into a deeper sleep, reliving the past attack in her dream. Except in this one, Ranma was there, and he was hurt, and it was her fault. She was fighting her hardest trying to save him, but all she did was get in the way, or get hurt. She grew panicked and restless, and she neared consciousness without even realizing that she was dreaming. Her fists tightened as she braced herself for the fight to come. She approached the monster, but it simply knocked her away. Determined, she pulled herself up again.

"Ranma" she cried through her sleepy haze... Suddenly he was beside her, telling her to stay out of the fight. He squeezed her hand. This feels so real... she thought. "Ranma..." she cried again.

"Stay out of this Akane!" he yelled to her.

Distressed, she continued: "I... but... Ranma!"

His lips descended on hers, and slowly she drifted into consciousness, waking to find herself wrapped in Ranma's arms, with his lips on hers. Without even opening her eyes, she could recognize his scent, the feel of his clothing, and his present warmth...

He's safe... This is a wonderful dream... Ranma I'm so glad you're here...And you're not mad at me... Forgive me...

She leaned into him and he slowly explored her mouth. He felt so strong, with his arms protectively wrapped around her. She felt more safe here than anywhere else in the world. And at the same time she couldn't calm the rapid beating of her heart and desire to touch him and caress him back... tentatively, she began moving her tongue against his, strong and yet yielding to her touch. Somewhat startled, he carefully pulled away and laid her down, and Akane resumed her deep sleep.

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Let me know what you think! Should I put more up? ;) I know they seem to be more open about their feelings, but that's because I tried to put them in a situation where their concern for the other would override their pride and shyness. Though they don't even realize how much they're showing, what with Akane just sleeping XD. Much feedback appreciated!