As the Sun Rises
AN: I kno... "Finally updated huh." I have this chapter half- written for like months... only I never took the time to update and finish it. Sorry. Well, here it is. So read your heart out.
Anyways, I just read some of my reviews. I'm glad readers like this fiction. Thanks to everyone that actually reviewed. Yes, my grammar sucks, I'm trying fixing that ya kno. Wharptcame super close with what I had in mind for this story. But there's like a major twist in it. Something along the lines of... "I love him too much to let him die." Something for ya to wonder about. Under JJ's request... I got to the point of the story. This chapter is would reveal a lot of what was going on.
I got some major inspiration for this fiction last week so I typed... and typed... and typed. I got chapters... 16 and 20 (roughly estimated) written down and had no idea what to write in between those chapters. But hey, it's inspiration and I don't want to lose whatever muse that came to me.
Now off with my rambling and on with the story!!
Chapter Five: Early For Once
"What! He's still alive!"
"That's right, M-m-majesty," the man below stammered. His queen was never one to mess with without a painful and slow death to follow. Her bellowing voice was enough to have him cowering on the floor, fear-stricken eyes glued to the floor instead of the livid woman behind the sheer curtains in front of him. Amazons were often known for their pride and high martial arts skills, even the men, but pride be damned as long as he was alive the next hour. He gulped and continued on his report, "T-They made a t-transfer M-majesty, the girl, Akane Tendo, is now t-th-the a-afflicted."
Instead of ordering her guards in and have him dumped in a volcano or poisoned by one of her deadly poisons, his Queen merely gave a sly smile at the news. Nevertheless, he continued to kneel on the floor, quivering enough that his armor was starting to rattle.
"Akane Tendo isn't it? Isn't she his lover or something?" she questioned curiously, her voice deathly calm. She settled back on her seat in a more relaxed manner and tossed her long purplish blue hair back over her shoulder.
Seeing that his Queen wasn't in the tempered rampage, he relaxed his fanatical nerves a bit and answered with what he knew, "She is his fiancée Majesty."
"Ah..." She fixed him with a glowing ruby eye and demanded, "Anything else?"
"Um... their doctor gave her a serum that slows the process. S-She won't gulp d-die for anoth-another m-month or so."
There was a long pause before she waved her hand dismissively at him. He nearly jumped, thinking that she may be throwing a dead-on knife at him. He scattered to his feet and was out of the door in a matter of seconds.
"Where the hell is she?" mumbled Ranma as he scan the large yard of FurinkanHigh for his blue head of a fiancé.
It had been happening for a few days now. For some reason, he felt an over protectiveness on Akane. True, before he was also rather protective. But that has a lot with the strong attraction trouble has with Akane and her stubbornness. But now, his protectiveness was so than before. He reasoned it was because she was sick. He felt anxious and panicky whenever she wasn't in sight; one reason why he stayed in her room the other night. Then there was that strange dream the other day......... Dreams of Akane was nothing unusual—he was in love with her after all—but that one was downright unnerving.
Now, imagine his worry this morning when he went to check on her and found that she had already left early for school before he even woke. He rushed to school without a second though. For once, he was early for school......... very early. There were only a handful of students around this early and a few teachers making their way to prepare for class.
But no Akane in sight.
He strolled casually forward towards the building's main entrance and ignoring a greeting or two from some classmates. If she wasn't outside in the yard then she must be in class already. And that was exactly where he found her.
'What was she thinking? She should be in bed if she's still tired!'
She had woken up early and left for school only to be napping here instead of at home in her own bed. Her head was resting on crossed arms on the table, eyes closed and her breath came out even. Her bluish black hair fanned along her cheek, slivers of it moved as she exhaled. Compared to the other day, she looked radiant and full of health. She didn't look too pale and a healthy glow was present in the warmed classroom.
He strolled forward, intent on waking her up. When he got closer, long lashes fluttered as she opened her eyes. He stopped three feet away and he stared at her with interest. He watched as she rise from her slumbering position, her beautiful golden brown eyes locked into his serious dark blue ones. The ray of light streaming through the windows illuminated her features even more.
If he wasn't already in love with her he would be now.
"Ranma?" she sleepily asked as she rubbed sleep out of her eyes.
'Kawaii,' was the only though streaming through Ranma's head. He quietly shook himself out of his awe. "You should be at home if you're going to fall asleep like that," he stated bluntly. He sauntered over to a seat beside her. His eyes never left hers.
"I'm fine," she answered softly, nervously pulling the sleeve of her uniform shirt down. She broke eye contact with him then opting for the table instead.
"So why did you left so early today?" he asked.
"I um......... just thought I should be early for once." Akane looked up to give him a small, rather fake smile. She looked over his shoulder briefly before saying, "Look, I think I see Ukyo-chan over there," and hastily walked out of the room. Since when was Akane excited to see one of his other fiancées?
He didn't follow her. As she left the room, he noticed for the first time that day that she was wearing a long sleeve. Summer was just over but it hadn't gotten cold enough to merit long-sleeves indoors. Sighing, he looked up at the clock. Another 45 minutes left before class starts.
"Ah......... too early. What was she thinking?" With that, he lowered his head onto the table face down. Maybe he was worrying for nothing. Akane seemed fine and that should be enough for him. His eyes closed, intent on a light nap until the rest of the Furinkin High students arrive. 'At least there's no Kuno to annoy him today.'
"Don't he look cozy."
Akane jumped at the speaker behind her. She turned on her heels to find Nabiki looking over her shoulder at the slumbering boy. Nabiki accompanied her on her early walk to school this morning. Her hand habitually came up to pat her chest. Her face immediately reddens from being caught watching Ranma as he slept. "Nabiki, you scared me. I thought you left for class already."
Nabiki smiled, leaning heavily on the wall outside the classroom. "This must be the first time he actually came to school without making a mad dash through the gates."
"Yeah, imagine that." Akane glanced over one more time at Ranma then walked with Nabiki down the hall. They had decided to come early to avoid certain inconveniences such as Kuno coming at her and an onslaught of questions on why she and Ranma missed three weeks of school. High school kids were relatively nosy on their fellow classmate's affairs, especially her's and Ranma's. As for Kuno......... the guy graduated a year ago and he still came by the school almost every day to greet her and his 'Pig-tailed Goddess.'
"His dad called me and told me he stormed out of the house after us when he found out you left early," added Nabiki. It was clearly evident that Ranma was in love with Akane. The only problem would be that dear little sister was too insecure and stubborn to see it. Two years of reflexively competing with girls like Uyko and Shampoo—both girls Ranma seemingly favored—would do that to her.
Akane stayed quite, again fingering her right sleeve. Nabiki noticed that whenever Ranma was around or even mentioned, she fingered it. She eyed her younger sister passively. They walked along the halls for another half hour before Nabiki declared that she needed to get going or she would be late for her morning classes at the university. By then, the halls were steadily getting crowded with incoming students heading to their respective homerooms. A few greeted her and asked the expected questions and she answered vaguely like planned.
On her way back to her homeroom to wake Ranma up, she looked out the window at Kuno waiting at the center of the yard. Somehow he heard that they would be returning to school after a three weeks absence and went back to 'greeting' them.
Smiling, she returned to her homeroom. Life wasn't so bad right now even if she would be gone in less than a month. Nothing really had change. For now she would continued as if she had an eternity.
Updated Sept. 23, 2004