Disclaimer: The concept of Ranma 1/2 and Naruto belongs to Rumiko Takahashi, and Masashi Kishimoto. This is a product of pure amusement values, with no profits made.
"It's been a while since all four of us have gotten together, hasn't it?" Tsunade whispered huskily into his ear, her body trembling, pressed tight against him.
Ranma grunted, shifting to wrap his other arm around her.
"Would you two quit making out in front of me?" A voice hissed faintly behind them. Two heads snapped back to the previously unconscious form slumped against the wall.
"You're awake, finally." Ranma breathed a sigh of relief, his arms still around Tsunade, supporting the majority of her weight as they hobbled over to their groaning companion.
"What the fuck hit me?" Jiraiya asked, holding a hand to his head.
"Backlash from the attempted summoning." Tsunade murmured as she sank down to her knees next to him, rummaging in her pouch in the dim light, her body shaking uncontrollably. She pulled out a small vial and handed it to the shinobi. "Drink this."
Jiraiya made a noise of disgust. "I hate this stuff, you know."
"I do. Drink it."
"Tch. What happened to you, Tsunade?"
"Rare muscle relaxant from the dice. Won't be out of my system for a couple of hours. I'm using up Chakra just sitting here." The ash-blonde grimaced. "This whole mission is a setup from the beginning. They had everything planned specifically against us."
"Well... shit."
"Be silent." A serpentine hiss, followed by a flicker of black and white from the window. Orochimaru quickly pressed his back against the wall, golden eyes focused on the opened slit of the window. "I counted at least thirty combing the streets, they're heading this way."
"What the fuck? Did they have their entire village camped here?" Jiraiya shouted, then wilted at the look Tsunade shot him.
Ranma shook his head, and pushed the mask to the top of his head, wincing as the movement brought a fresh burst of pain from the wound on his arm. He padded over to Tsunade's side, giving her a poke on the shoulder.
"From the Jutsu they used, this is a combined attack from the Mist and the Cloud." He paused, catching the fresh roll of bandage from the medic-nin before moving to his pale companion's side, mechanically wrapping the white gauzes on the shinobi's bleeding hand. "They knew you like to summon frogs, Jai, and they've been pinning me down with Genjutsu and Bushin..."
"Orochimaru?" Jiraiya inquired.
"Hit and run." Tsunade muttered, wrapping her arms around herself in an attempt to calm the shaking.
Orochimaru glanced back from the windowsill, carefully pushing it close with his uninjured hand. "If I try to summon Manda..."
"Don't bother." Tsunade cut him off, "We all ate together. The poison will send your body in a shock like Jiraiya was in, possibly longer since you'll be focusing a greater amount of Chakra to call Manda."
"Think of something then!" Orochimaru snapped, pulling the window open slightly, a sliver of moonlight slipping through the crack, illuminating his already pale visage as golden eyes peeked out again. "They're starting to search door by door."
Tsunade closed her eyes, taking a several long, deep breaths. Golden-brown snapped open. "Jiraiya, can you move?"
The white-haired man grimaced, pulling his legs under him, "I'll try."
"Do that." Another deep breath. "Ran, take Jiraiya and run for the Waterfall Country. Since they'll be expecting us to break for the Hidden Leaf, you should have a lesser chance of getting caught. Orochimaru, you'll be in charge of cleaning up their trail. I'll provide a distraction in the meantime to hold them off on this end."
"Bullshit." Jiraiya protested, standing up with the support of the wall, but wisely kept his voice down, "They'll just chase us down, Tsunade. I won't allow you to sacrifice yourself for nothing."
"Shut up, Jiraiya." Golden-brown turned to him, determined. Her hands clutching the necklace tightly to her chest. "Ranchan, get ready... and I need you to give a message to Nawa...."
Stormy blue eyes narrowed. "No."
She reared back in surprise, then glared. "I am in charge of this mission, and you will follow my orders."
"Not when your life is on the line, Tsu-chan." He pulled the mask off of his head, along with the katana, and tossed them in her lap. "Orochimaru."
Gold looked up.
"I don't want to do this... But I need a favor."
Kami-sama, I don't want to do this...
He took a deep breath, calming raw nerves, "Genjutsu. Of a pit, dark..." Another deep breath, "I'm in it, can't... can't get out..." His heart was hammering loudly against his ribcage, he took another breath in a vain attempt to calm himself, "And I'm surrounded by... surrounded by c-c-c-cats..."
... But I will because I have to...Blue eyes scanned the room, noting Tsunade's confusion, and Jiraiya's fuming outrage, finally locking to skeptical gold. "Don't release it until I give you the signal, no matter what."
"Stop being ridiculous!" Jiraiya hissed, "This isn't the tim..."
Slam. The door shuddered. All four of them froze.
"Do it!" Ranma commanded, blue eyes pleading.
The room blurred around him as the window burst open with a rain of shattered glass.
His last conscious thought was Tsunade's scream, accompanying his own as he willingly tumbled into his dark hell.
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Warmth, spreading from the center of his chest, all the way down to the tips of his hair and toes, tingling every nerve within his body in a thousand fuzzy embraces, and he happily expressed his contentment with another bout of rumbling purr.
His nose twitched at the scent of crisp pine and wet moss, a pleasant scent, reminding him of the blissful heaven of catnip. Smiling, he nuzzled against the softness around him, and purred again when the petting resumed. He could feel the nimble fingers running down his scalp, combing his hair in slow, gentle strokes.
Wait... softness? Petting?!Blue eyes snapped opened, and caught an eyeful of black.
Ack! I'm blind! The darkness shifted, and streaks of light pierced through the curtain of black. Oh wait... that's just my hair.
"Ran? Ranchan?" A familiar voice murmured above him, the fingers stilled his hair, then pulled away. "Are you... you?"
He gathered a handful of raven hair, and tucked it behind his ears, slowly raising his face from the snug nest he was nuzzling against.
"Umm..." The nest shifted, and he looked up from Tsunade's lap, feeling uncomfortable warmth concentrating in his cheeks.
"Thank the Hokage!" He caught a flash of golden-brown, wide with fear and relief before arms wrapped themselves around him, squeezing hard. "I thought you... you..."
"Tsu-chan... air..." He managed weakly, patting her awkwardly on the back.
The arms loosened around him, and he was immediately jerked around, limbs flying in the air, red tear-marked face suddenly nose to nose with him, spiky white blobbing as strong hands shook him back and forth with dizzying speed, "Ran! What did you do? How did you do it? Why didn't you do it sooner! How come you never told me you could do that? I didn't know you were scared of... you know! You are, aren't you? Why didn't you tell me!"
"Jai." Ranma coughed, tugging at Jiraiya's hands in vain. "Thanks for your concern, and I feel quite well, by the way."
"Oops." Jiraiya grinned sheepishly, releasing the front of his shirt. He staggered back, a smile on his face as he turned.
Orochimaru lifted his chin slightly in silent greeting, curtain of raven obscuring his pale face, the gleams of golden pinning him, thoughtful and calculating.
Ranma's smile wilted. "So... what happened?"
Silence.
"You don't remember?" Jiraiya began, hesitantly.
...teethsinkinginandaloudscreamohhowthebloodflows...
Ranma blinked, shaking his head at the flash of something that skidded past his eyes. He smiled in confusion. "Err... should I?"
A deliberate rustling noise behind him. He looked back to Orochimaru...
The pale shinobi uncrossed his arms, revealing an object in his hand as he held it out...Ranma stared at the mask, the once white porcelain covered with streaks and splatters of dried red. A weight was missing from his back, and he raised his hand slowly, curling his fingers and stared at the muddy-red stains under his nails with a growing sense of horror.
"Ran?" Tsunade murmured, pushing to her feet.
"I..." He touched his throat, suddenly realizing his mouth tasted funny. Salt and copper, lingering under his tongue, becoming steadily stronger against his taste buds. "I..."
Snarling, he slapped the body away, the crunch of bones grinding into flesh music to his sensitive ears.
Yowling loudly in triumph, he bit down, and convulsed in ecstasy as the sweet taste of blood filled his mouth before ripping the meat away and swallowing in a single gulp.
"Kami-sama..." Ranma whispered, clapping a hand to his mouth as something vile rose from his throat. Blue eyes bore into golden, receiving a miniature nod in confirmation.
He lurched to the side, sinking down to his knees, and became violently sick.
-------
"Hello." She smiled at him, chocolate brown eyes closing in a happy smile.
"Hey..." He murmured, sitting down next to her, suddenly feeling self-conscious. "What are you doing?"
"Chakra bonds." He noticed her sneaking a peek at him from the corner of her eye as she sat the brush down with a flourish. "All done."
"It... looks very pretty." He offered lamely.
"Thank you." She gave him another smile, and his chest clenched as he became the focus of those familiar brown eyes.
"Would you like to... get something to eat, together?" He inquired, tentatively.
Akane's face lit up in another breath-taking smile, sweet and tender and familiar and bringing such a deep aching to his beating heart he wanted to curl up and weep the world away.
"I'd love to!"
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TIMELINE – Year Six, early March.
My absolute favorite chapter so far... maybe it's blood and gore, eh? Note of thanks to everyone on the anifics forum who had helped out greatly with the grammar and spelling in this part... now, onward!