Chapter Six----------------
"Do you all understand the plans?" Soun asked, looking around for any objections to the raid. Silence greeted him.
Finally, a raised hand appeared and a voice questioned, "Why can't we let Miss Kasumi or Miss Nabiki marry Lord Kuno and be leader of the Tendou Clan?"
Soun flared up; his precious daughter had been taken away by some tough ruffian and here this idiot was trying to replace Akane with Kasumi or Nabiki. "Because, you fool," he grit out, "Kasumi is already married and Nabiki is not suitable for the position. She herself has declined the position and her ears were impervious to my pleas."
The man cowered and hid himself amongst the other soldiers.
"We'll leave now and strike when it is dark." Catch them unaware and get his daughter back, then marry her to Kuno and initiate her as leader of the clan.
"Yes!" the soldiers shouted and left.
Akane removed the lid of the box which Ranma had given to her a few days ago. She could not stop the smile from appearing on her lips when she saw the small knife with beautifully carved patterns on its hilt.
He had looked embarrassed throughout the whole thing as if it were an ordeal. She had laughed, amused by his behaviour.
Tonight, he would bring something else for her. She knew it. At approximately ten at night, he would materialize at the door to their room and tell her he had gotten her a gift. Ten o' clock... which was about... right now.
The wooden doors swung open and a gale was allowed in. Ranma stood there in his Chinese clothes and his hands tucked in his pockets. "I've got a present for you," he announced nervously. He walked towards her and kicked the door shut behind him with his right leg.
He lifted a tiny pouch from his pockets and handed it to her, looking away all the while. Akane thanked him and emptied the pouch, dropping the contents onto her palm. It was a key. A key...to...
"What's this?" she asked, toying the key with he fingers.
"It's a key which... you'll know when you need it," he finished and took off his shoes and sat on their bed.
Akane wasn't sure if it was the right time to ask questions but she still mustered up her courage. "Um, Ranma?" she didn't wait for him to answer and continued, "Why is it that you always bring me things?"
There was no answer and she turned to find Ranma staring at the ceiling, contemplating his answer.
"I mean," she said coyly, "we're married. You don't have to court me."
"Who says I'm courting you?" he retorted.
"Then why all the gifts?"
"What am I supposed to do with my wife?"
"I don't know. You're the husband," she pointed out.
"But I don't know."
"Ranma," she sat beside his form on the bed. She put one leg onto the bed and let the other dangle on the side. He looked at her questioningly and she stared back at him.
"What?" he asked innocently.
She hid a coy smile. "I never noticed how cute you were."
"W-what?" He was flustered and his eyes wide.
"Gotcha," Akane grinned and cuffed him lightly. Then she gave him a chaste kiss on the forehead. "Goodnight."
"So," Ranma said slyly, "you want to play, eh?"
He pulled her towards him and kissed her fully. She succumbed for awhile, allowing herself to enjoy his forceful attention. Then she pushed him away softly.
"It's late and I'm tired. Let's play some other day," she commented and grinned.
She got off the bed and blew out the candle flame. She pushed back the blankets and got in when suddenly Ranma sat up.
"I've got to get some fresh air."
He removed the blanket from over his legs and lifted them off the bed.
"Are you sure? It's late already."
He gave a curt nod and left, leaving Akane bewildered.
"Damn you," she muttered to herself. What if something happened to him? She rolled over onto her side and huddled tighter into a ball and gave a 'hmph'. "I shan't worry about that fool anymore. I need my beauty sleep."
Ranma hopped onto the roof and landed on his right leg. He slipped on the wet tile but managed to regain his balance just as quick and made his way to the top. He lay down on the roof and did some light and hasty reflection. He knew he liked her, there was no doubting that. But he didn't like her a lot. Just a friend... or actually, just a wife. How did one treat wives, anyway? Trust him to be so inexperienced. Perhaps he should get some advice from Genma the next day when the sun rose.
No, Genma would tell him to buy more gifts for Akane and she would say he was wooing her. Nodoka was better; his mother was much wiser and serious when it came to such matters.
Ranma stared at the stars and admired the starry night for minutes before the lulling wind and the rustling leaves lead him on the road to sleep.
Yahiko crept silently beside Jittan. Pushing back the obstructing tree branch, he peered out from his spot amidst the darkness.
"Hey, Jittan, do you think it's time?"
Jittan squat down and sighed, obviously bored. He shook his head and cursed indifferently. "You idiot, we wait for the signal. They're not preoccupied yet."
Yahiko sighed and let his tense body relax slightly. "Our men our taking a long time. Can't they hurry up?"
"They've slacken since their last training."
Jittan grumbled, while wiping beads of sweat off his forehead. "They're the laziest bunch of people you'll ever find. Lord Tendou has to thank us for being hardworking officers."
Yahiko was about to retort smartly when Jittan stood up abruptly; his eyebrows were knitted together, forming a frown. Yahiko got onto his feet and stared at the sky. An orange flare with a fiery red tail was making its way into the sky. It was the signal.
"Yea, man, they're having a war right now!" Jittan jumped into the air, whooping and cheering.
"Shut up, we've got to get Miss Akane," Yahiko shushed his friend and pulled him through the thick blankets of leaves and branches and into an open clearing. They climbed over the wall and discussed the situation in whispers.
"Which room is she in?"
"I don't know!" Yahiko said, frustration etched onto his features. "Why ask me?"
They ran past a cowering figure. A figure clad in black robes and-
"A person!"
"A person?" Jittan echoed.
"W-who are you?" the man asked.
"Who are you?" Jittan, being the quick witted and loudmouthed ninja he always was, replied.
"Hiroi, sentinel of the lady Akane's room." Hiroi said proudly, then remembering the past events, his ego deflated and his stance shrank, "or used to be."
Jittan grabbed Hiroi up by the robe and slammed him against the wall. "Miss Akane. You know where's her room? Tell us now!"
"What have I done wrong that I deserve this? Why is everybody picking on me nowadays?" Hiroi's voice rose into a shrill octave. Yahiko grimaced and covered his ears. He couldn't stand such people.
Jittan smacked him onto the wall again. "Quit whining, baby. Where is the lady? Tell us now!"
"I'll tell you but you'd better watch out for lord Ranma," he muttered under his breath.
"I'll ignore what you just said because your voice was inaudible and because I'm not a busybody. Now, lead us to Miss Akane's room!"
Hiroi nodded fervently and kicked his legs in the air. "How am I supposed to lead if you don't let go?"
Jittan dropped him to the hard, cold floor. Hiroi groaned and stood up.
Mumbling something about how he would love to boil his adversaries in leek soup, he walked away with his back hunched due to the pain caused by Jittan.
Akane saw a green crystal-like object hovering about the air. Air? Wasn't she in the air, too, surrounded by a myriad number of clouds, floating with her legs beneath her like a duck waddling in a pond?
A sword suddenly materialized in the air along with Soun, her father. What was Soun doing there?
Soun raised the sword and brought it down, slicing the green crystal neatly into two. The green crystal broke and fell onto the ground, smashing into smithereens. Then the parts automatically united and formed two small d-
Akane's eyes flew open. It was a dream. And Akane usually wasn't disrupted from dreams. She must have noticed something subconsciously while in deep sleep. She turned over and faced cold air. Ranma was gone. No wonder she felt that something was amiss. It was only the case of the missing idiot which had interrupted her from her sweet slumber. She yawned, feeling her eyelids shutting.
Plop!
A noise. Somebody was in the room. Ranma? No, this person had a different aura. She sat up forcefully and while frowning, she ordered the person to come out. But nobody responded to her request.
She was just dreaming. It must have been her overactive imagination. Or remnants of her dream. She decided to go back to sleep when she heard the sound of muffled coughing.
Her legs went taut with fear and she yelled into the dark, eerie emptiness. "Come out! Whoever you are!"
"You got me." More muffled coughing accompanied amused laughter.
"Or," the voice went on, "should I say, 'us'?"
Akane filled her body with cold energy from her surroundings. Not ice or anything, just plain cold energy to blow the person away.
"Uh-uh," the unknown intruder tutted, "that's sort of like cheating, isn't it. Preparing before we even attack."
"It's not and you know it."
"Anyway, it's still to late."
Akane was about to ask what was too late when she felt the damp wad of cloth pressed over her nose. It was wet with chloroform!
"What a dirty trick..." she managed to mutter out. Her voice was faint. "You could have paralysed me or something..." She fainted.
Arashi ran as quickly as her legs would let her. She had to inform lord Ranma's wife of their current plight before the enemies got to her. Apparently, she was told by a hysterical Yuumi that lord Ranma had been one of the first to discover the enemies at the gate. He had been cut off from his sleep when he heard them tiptoeing about the entrance. Lord Ranma had hastily commanded the sentinels to be extra alert and to retaliate when they attacked.
Arashi wished she didn't have to wear the skirt at the moment. Its hem was whipping about her ankles furiously, depriving her of proper movement.
Finally, she saw lord Ranma and lady Akane's room up ahead. Arashi ran up to the doors and burst in.
"Miss Akane! Miss Akane! You're in danger! Hurry, we've to get you to Master Genma and Mistress Nodoka! Miss Aka-"
Arashi's hands fell to her side. The only sign of life in the room was the curtain swishing about the window frame. The window was open and the bed was empty. There wasn't any signs of struggle but... who would go out through a window when there was a door? Unless...
Author's Note:
I know, I know. It's been ages since I last updated. And this should be considered the worst time. Why? Cause my exams are just around the corner (next Monday, Math paper) and my Mathematics isn't really a cup of tea to me. I suck at it! And to imagine, I used to get full marks for tests. Sob. I'm trying very hard to become better in the subject but... I'm failing miserably at that task. Guess I'll have to pray to pass and then try harder next year.
But looking on the bright side of life... my birthday's coming soon! Very soon, in fact! Can't wait can't wait... or maybe CAN wait. I don't want to turn a year older. I'd rather stay a baby. Free from stress and all. Or maybe I'm just running away from my own demons, which is wrong. I should face up to them...
Oh, and one thing I shouldn't (and will never) forget is to thank you all for reading! And thanks to those who reviewed: Cringe, Key, Sieg1308, Airen2 (Thank you so much for the compliment!), Prizz (sorry 'bout that. I've added borders to that chapter already.... I think), Don't eat yellow snow, Bunny / Sailor Moon, lonestar88, Hououza (well, there may be something more... but there may not be something more...but then again...), Lady Mokodane (Ahaha... sorry, no wedding night. .; About Shampoo and Ukyo, they HAVE to be friends... while working under/with Ranma), Archmage of Necromancy.