Disclaimer: The awesome Rumiko Takahashi owns all rights to the wonderful world of Ranma 1/2. I am merely borrowing her characters for this crazy idea!

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Akane arrived at Club Kindred a little before ten. Her first set didn't begin until eleven, but she had wanted to get there early, in the hopes she would spot Ranma and buy him that drink she owed him. Even at this early hour the club was jam packed with patrons. She took a quick glance around and then headed for the bar when she didn't see him.

"Hey, Mousse!" Akane shouted her greeting over the blaring music. She waved when he glanced over in her direction. He pulled his glasses down in front of his eyes, a smile lighting his face when he saw it was her. He returned her wave before finishing up with his current customer, and then made his way down to where she was.

"Hey," Mousse said, his eyes twinkling in a gesture that let her know he was genuinely happy to see her. "Can I get you something?"

"White wine," she replied, returning his smile with one of her own.

"Coming right up." Keeping his glasses on, he reached above the bar for a wine glass and set about making her drink. "What time is your set?"

"Eleven," she replied, as he set the drink in front of her. She thanked him, taking a long slow sip. "By the way, you didn't happen to see a guy about six feet tall, long black hair tied back in a pigtail, with the most beautiful gray-blue eyes you've ever seen?"

Mousse smiled at her description then shook his head. "A pigtail? I'm afraid not, but ask Ukyo, she's been on since nine."

"Okay thanks," Akane said, taking another sip of her wine, letting it course through her, calming her nerves.

She was anxious to see him but a bit apprehensive as well. She couldn't shake the memory of the dream she had had. If one could even call it a dream. From the way she had felt afterward she had to wonder. None of her sexual encounters had ever left her feeling the way that dream had, and she was almost positive Ranma had somehow been involved.

But how is that possible? She wondered. Maybe it was all just wishful thinking she reasoned, or maybe her attraction to him was just much stronger than she had ever imagined. Whatever it had been she couldn't shake the impression that she'd felt his presence somehow. She took a long swallow of her wine at the thought. It was then that she saw Ukyo making her way to the bar holding an oversized tray above her head.

"Hey Mousse!" she yelled, setting the tray down. "I need two Bud lights a vodka on the rocks and a sloe gin fizz."

"Got it," Mousse replied, setting about to fill the order. Ukyo took the opportunity to rest her feet and took a seat next to Akane.

"Hey sugar," she said. "You're here early."

"Yeah," Akane replied. "I was hoping to meet someone but I don't see him."

"Ooh, a new guy!" she exclaimed. "Way to go girl! Is he hot?"

"You could say that," Akane replied, a giggle escaping her at Ukyo's choice of words. "Maybe you saw him? Lithe muscular guy, long dark hair pulled back into a pigtail, gray-blue eyes you could drown in?"

Ukyo thought for a moment. "No, I think I would have remembered a guy like that!"

"Yeah," Akane agreed, laughing. "He's hard to miss."

"So, where did you meet him?" Ukyo asked, her eyes lighting up with interest.

"Here actually," Akane replied. "In fact he saved my ass last night."

She watched as Ukyo's eyes widened in wonder. "You're kidding, Tatewaki again?"

Akane sighed, suddenly very tired. "Close enough. Takeshi."

She watched Ukyo make a disgusted face. "Unbelievable!"

"Tell me about it," Akane replied.

"What a jackass!" Ukyo exclaimed furiously. "This is crazy Akane. It's called stalking. There are laws!"

Akane eyed her friend with appreciation. It was nice to know there were people who cared about her well being. She was lucky to have them in her life.

"It's the same old thing Ukyo, unless he does something…"

"Bullshit!" Ukyo yelled, cutting her off. Akane had to smile.

"I appreciate the concern."

"I have a right mind to kick his ass!"

Akane's smile widened at the outburst. She liked Ukyo. She was tough and full of fire. She admired her tenacity. She knew what she wanted and she went for it. Akane knew her real dream was to open up her own okonomiyaki shop. She merely used this job as a way to save enough money to see her dream to fruition. And from what Akane had sampled of the product, she knew it was only a matter of time before Ukyo had her own restaurant franchise.

"Maybe I should hire you as my bodyguard," Akane joked. "You still have that monster spatula lying around?"

Ukyo gave a small smile, but soon turned serious. "Promise me you'll be careful."

Akane gave her a look of gratitude and nodded. "I promise."

Their conversation was suddenly interrupted by a loud thud, as a serving tray was slammed on top of the bar. Both girls gave a startled jump, their eyes going instantly to the cause of the ruckus. Staring back at them was a very irate Chinese Amazon.

"Shampoo no see why she has to do all work!" The purple haired girl cried. "This no time for social hour!"

Akane watched as Ukyo rolled her eyes. She had to bite her lip to keep from laughing out loud.

"What's the matter Shampoo?" Ukyo sarcastically replied. "Did we wake up on the wrong side of the coffin again?"

This time Akane barely managed to keep from spitting her drink clear across the bar. Leave it to Ukyo to say what was on her mind. Shampoo's eyes shot daggers at Ukyo and if looks could kill Ukyo would have lain dead at her feet.

"Shampoo sure Mr. Toshiro be interested in knowing his worker no pulling her weight."

Ukyo turned and gave Shampoo a look of exasperation. "For your information I'm waiting on a drink order. So if you don't mind crawling back under the rock you came from…" She gave Shampoo a shooing gesture to emphasis her statement. Shampoo merely glanced from Ukyo to Akane, the look of disgust still etched on her face.

"You," She gave a sharp nod towards Akane. "Why everyone make such big deal of you Shampoo no understand!" With that she grabbed up her tray once more and stormed off, leaving Akane to gape after her in wonder.

"What was that all about?"

Ukyo shook her head. "Don't pay attention to her. She's used to getting all the attention. She can't stand sharing the spotlight."

"I see," Akane said, digesting this bit of information. She could see why Shampoo garnered a lot of attention. Even without the skimpy outfit she'd have all the guys swooning. She wondered what Ranma's reaction would be when he got a glimpse of her, and couldn't help the pang of jealousy at the thought.

Stop it Akane, she told herself. After all, you hardly know the man.

Even so, she couldn't seem to help it. She didn't know what kind of hold he had over her, but it was powerful enough to make her want to clobber him if he so much as glanced the Amazon's way. The realization both shocked and amazed her.

"Ukyo, drinks up!" Mousse called, placing the order on her tray. Ukyo gave him a quick nod, hopping off the barstool.

"Oh well, back to the grind," she said with a sigh. "If I see Mr. Wonderful I'll send him on over."

"Thanks," Akane replied, wondering to herself if Ranma would even show up.

Ukyo picked up her tray to go, but stopped and smiled as she turned to Akane and added, "Oh and by the way, I want to hear all about him later."

Akane gave a small laugh. "Sure thing," she agreed, although so far there wasn't much to tell. She watched as Ukyo gave her a sly wink and then disappeared into the mounting crowd.

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Akane was already into the middle of her set when Ranma finally arrived at Club Kindred. He had hoped to get there before she went on, but he had had to convince Ryoga that it was better if he gathered the information on Kuno himself. It wasn't an easy sell. Ryoga was bound and determined to do things his way. Ranma had managed to put him off, but he wasn't sure how long it would last. Once Ryoga got an idea in his head it was almost impossible to shake it. He just hoped Ryoga, in his boredom, didn't rush out and do something stupid.

Ranma tried to push the thought out of his head. He would worry about Ryoga later. Right now he just hoped Akane would forgive him for being late.

He watched her, once again mesmerized by her beautiful voice and her sweet face. So lost was he that he almost didn't hear the waitress come up and ask for his order.

"Just give me a beer," Ranma replied, his eyes never leaving Akane.

Shampoo eyed the handsome stranger, feeling her frustration mount. She wasn't used to the customers being so dismissive of her, especially the good looking ones.

She watched as he stared dreamily at Akane and felt her already burning fury rise steadily. What was so great about Akane Tendo anyway? Shampoo would never understand what any man saw in her. She didn't have the assets Shampoo had, and her short hair was just so tomboyish, surely no man in his right mind could find her more attractive. She gave a disgusted scowl at the thought before storming off to fill the man's order. All this was lost on Ranma as he continued to stare wistfully at Akane.

He'd picked a table right out front so she would see he hadn't stood her up, that he in fact wanted her to come and join him after her set. He saw her give him a quick wink in recognition, which he returned with a wide smile of his own.

When Akane finished her last song, she stood and thanked the crowd as they gave her a wild round of applause. She then descended the stairs and walked straight over to Ranma's table, not even stopping to store her guitar behind the bar.

"Nice set," he commented, greeting her with a warm smile.

"Thanks," she said, leaning her guitar against the table. She smiled back at him brightly, surprised at how happy she was to see him. "I wasn't sure if you would show up."

"Yeah," he admitted. "Sorry about that. I got hung up."

"Don't worry about it." She assured him. "I'm just glad you could make it."

Their conversation was momentarily interrupted as Shampoo, returning with Ranma's drink, abruptly slammed it down on the table. She turned just as quickly, once again storming off into the crowd. Ranma stared after her, a bewildered expression crossing his handsome face.

"Something I said?"

Akane sighed, shaking her head. "That was Shampoo," she explained. "She suffers from a personality problem. She doesn't have one."

"Seems more like a hostility problem," Ranma interjected.

"That too," Akane agreed smiling, thrilled to see that he hadn't shown the slightest interest in Shampoo. "Maybe she and my ex should get together. They seem to have a lot in common."

Ranma loved the way her face simply lit up when she smiled. He felt his breath catch at the sight, she was simply beautiful. He mulled her comment over for a moment, suddenly grateful for the opening it presented.

"Thanks for the warning," he commented, his eyes narrowing slightly. "What's Kuno's story anyway?"

"He's the oldest of the Kuno clan," she replied. "His family is very wealthy. They have several businesses which he runs. One of them is Club Axis. I used to play there." Ranma watched as her smile began to fade into a grimace. "I hear he's taken a hit in his profits since I left."

Ranma's eyes narrowed further at this. "So he sent Takeshi to drag you back?"

Akane nodded. "Among other things."

Ranma could feel the anger building inside him at the suggestion in her tone. He could imagine what other things this Kuno had in mind.

"If you don't mind my asking, how did a bright girl like you end up with someone like him?"

Akane sighed, "Honestly, I don't know. I was feeling so lost after my dad passed. It wasn't long after he died that I agreed to marry Kuno." She gave a hard shrug. "He was there for me. I guess I confused that with love. Call it temporary insanity."

Ranma gave her a dazzling smile. "Well, I'm just glad you came to your senses."

Akane felt her heartbeat quicken.

Senses…

The word echoed through her head, forcefully reminding her of her dream from last night. She swallowed hard, trying to push her sinful thoughts away.

"You know," she observed. "When you intervened on my behalf last night you probably got yourself added to Kuno's hit list."

Akane watched as a look of amusement crept into Ranma's smile.

"I think I can take care of myself."

She nodded in agreement. "I'm sure you can," she replied, a smile of her own spreading across her face.

I bet you can take care of a lot of things, she thought wickedly, taken aback by the suddenness of the thought.

Ranma heard the words echo in his head as clearly as if she'd spoken them out loud. He felt a sudden and unmistakable charge of electricity pass between them, stirring his deep seeded lust even as he fought wildly to tamp it down. It wouldn't do, he realized, to give her an orgasm right here in the middle of the club.

Carefully and with much effort he pulled his thoughts back to the task at hand. Before he could get his wits totally about him however, he felt a hand clamp down on his shoulder. He cringed knowing before he even looked up whom he would find standing behind him.

"Ranma!" Ryoga exclaimed happily. "I thought I might find you here."

Ranma cursed silently. He wasn't at all surprised to see his reasoning had fallen on deaf ears. Ryoga had always been one to do exactly what he pleased, even before he'd become a vampire.

Ranma shot Ryoga a look of warning, which Ryoga promptly ignored, before helping himself to a seat.

"Don't be rude Ranma," Ryoga admonished. "Introduce me to your lovely friend."

Ranma gave a tired sigh, resigning himself to the intrusion.

"Akane Tendo, meet Ryoga Hibiki, an old friend."

Ryoga gave her a bright smile, leaning easily, almost carelessly, back into his chair.

"Nice to meet you Miss Tendo," Ryoga said, a sparkle lighting in his dark eyes. "Ranma and I go way back. Don't we Ranma?" There was a teasingly, mischievous glint in his voice.

Ranma's eyes narrowed on his friend.

Why are you here Ryoga?

Ranma sent the thought sharply, pulling it at the last second. Still, he watched as Ryoga gave a sudden wince at the impact.

Watch it Ranma! Ryoga shot back, although he was unable to generate the same amount of power. What are you trying to do fry my brain?

Ranma contemplated the thought. Don't tempt me, he warned. He was interrupted from any further deliberation on the matter by Akane's warm greeting.

"It's nice to meet you Mr. Hibiki."

"You hear that Ranma?" Ryoga asked, giving his friend a light tap on the arm. "It's nice to meet me." He gave Akane another bright smile. "Call me Ryoga, everyone does."

She nodded. "Okay, Ryoga. But only if you call me Akane."

"Akane it is," he replied, still beaming. "I saw you perform the other night. You've got quite a voice."

"Thanks," she said, in a modest tone. "I get by."

"I bet you do more than that," he said, his smile growing. "I hear you had quite a scare the other night. I'm glad Ranma here was there to help you out."

"Yeah," Akane said, giving Ranma a sweet smile, one that was full of gratitude, and something else---something that burned just underneath the surface. Ranma could feel it throughout his whole being, that sudden spark of electricity, enough to drive him insane. "I was really lucky that he was there."

Ranma could feel himself treading on dangerous ground. The lust he felt for her was steadily building inside of him again, threatening to break free. He couldn't allow that to happen, he had to control it.

He began to wonder if it was Ryoga's intention to make it happen. After all, he was fascinated by this particular ability, and Ranma wouldn't put it past him to do so out of sheer boredom.

"Glad I could help," he stated simply, still urgently grappling for control of his runaway emotions.

"So modest Ranma," Ryoga chided. "You're a real hero."

Ranma gave his friend a look that told him he wasn't amused.

Are you quite finished!

The thought suddenly filled Ryoga's head, echoing painfully throughout his brain. He winced again, his frustration with Ranma mounting.

He closed his eyes briefly at the magnitude of force behind the thought. Had he been human his brain would have been leaking out his ears. Carefully and with much effort he slowly opened his eyes, giving Ranma an angry stare.

Give me something better to do, he challenged. He could almost hear Ranma's mental sigh as he conceded defeat.

Fine, this Kuno, he owns Club Axis. Why don't you go and check it out.

Ryoga smiled inwardly. He knew Ranma would give in if it meant he would go away. He could sense his friend struggling to control his feelings for Akane. He knew the feelings were mutual on Akane's part. The sexual tension between the two of them was thick enough to cut with a knife. His senses tingled with the almost electric charge in the air.

He supposed it had been wrong to exploit their attraction for one another, but then again, if Ranma hadn't been so stubborn in the first place he wouldn't have had to rely on such drastic measures. And he surmised, even if Ranma hadn't taken the bait, the resulting effort had been too tempting to resist.

Akane watched the looks being exchanged by the two friends and was fascinated by what she saw. It was almost as if they were having their own silent conversation. She supposed being such old friends had something to do with it, yet she couldn't help but wonder just how deep a connection the two of them had. She wasn't sure, but she got the sense that Ranma wanted Ryoga to leave.

"Well," Ryoga finally piped, breaking the silence. "It would seem

Ranma here is a bit shy about his hero status."

"Oh I don't know," Akane returned, with a glint in her eye. "I find a little modesty very attractive in a man." She gave Ranma a warm smile that he felt all the way to his toes.

Ryoga grinned smugly to himself.

A man? Do you want to tell her or should I? Ranma heard his friend's smug teasing echo through his head. He grimaced, trying not to lose his temper as Ryoga continued his tirade. I'd say she'd wants you Ranma. You aren't going to deny the little lady are you?

Go away Ryoga!

Ranma sent the thought laced with his frustration, he pulled it at the last minute, but it was still enough to make Ryoga give a sudden gasp, as a bolt of pain rocketed through is head.

"Ryoga, are you okay?" Akane asked, a sudden look of concern etched across her face.

Ryoga rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands. "Actually, I feel a sudden headache coming on." He gave Ranma a piercing look, before pushing his chair back and getting to his feet. "I think I'm going to take off."

He glanced at Akane, giving her a short nod and a smile that suddenly made her blood run cold. There was something almost feral in his eyes. She shivered inwardly then chastised herself for being so silly. Telling herself she was simply imagining things.

"It was very nice meeting you Akane."

"Same here," she managed to reply, almost relieved as he turned swiftly and walked off into the crowd. She stared after him a moment longer, the feeling of disquiet refusing to leave her.

Ranma could sense her unease, could in fact smell it coming off her in waves. No doubt she felt put off by Ryoga. He couldn't really blame her. Ryoga didn't really take pains to hide what he was. The signs were there if one chose to see them. Obviously she was one of the more intuitive souls. It was one of the reasons he hadn't wanted Ryoga to come tonight.

Gently, Ranma sent out a subliminal thought of comfort to put her mind at ease. He was relieved to see her begin to relax once again, the tension going slowly out of her shoulders.

"Do you have another set tonight?" he said quickly, before she had time to contemplate what was happening.

She shook her head as if to clear it. "Um… no, not tonight."

"Can I walk you home?" he asked.

She gave him a small smile and nodded. "I'd like that."

He stood quickly and extended his hand to help her up. She accepted eagerly, placing her hand in his and feeling the same bolt of electricity pass between them. From the look in his eyes she could see he felt it too. She took a deep breath, grabbing her guitar as he led her deftly out of the club and into the night.

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Well, not too long a wait ne? Heh, if you can't already tell I'm not a big fan of Shampoo's! Anyway, let me know what ya think!