Disclaimer: Rumiko Takahashi owns all rights to Ranma 1/2. I'm just using her wonderful characters for this crazy story.

Well, I finally got this chapter done. I used -R 1/2- symbol to signify the breaks in the chapter. Looks like I can end this story with the next chapter. Hope you all enjoy!

Akane came around slowly. She tried to open her eyes and instantly regretted the decision. Her head felt heavy, like it was stuffed full of cotton, while her stomach kept doing slow lazy rolls, causing nausea to rise up in her throat. She desperately bit it back, silently willing the sensation to subside. After a few long minutes it finally did.

Carefully she opened her eyes once more, her vision still somewhat blurred. She blinked several times trying to clear it, the mere motion causing another round of nausea to rocket through her. She groaned and tried to raise her hand to clutch her head. It was when she was unable to that she finally noticed why.

She found herself bound securely to a wooden chair, one hand was locked behind her, the other strapped down against the arm of the chair, palm up. Her sleeve had been rolled up past her elbow, as if awaiting some evil doctor's administrations.

Akane tried to think back to the last thing she remembered. She'd been making her way to Club Kindred for her late night set, distracted by thoughts of Ranma, when...

She remembered being grabbed from behind, while whoever it had been had pressed something over her face. The smell of it alone had made her feel instantly dizzy. She had tried to fight it, but before long she had felt her legs go weak and then everything had gone black.

She didn't have to think too long to know who the someone had been.

...Kuno

The bastard had snuck up on her.

She struggled briefly against the ropes that bound her, a sudden panic setting in. It was to no avail however. In fact she only succeeded in making the ropes bite further into her tender flesh.

She forced herself to stay calm by taking several deep breaths and letting them out slowly. Think Akane...

She suddenly remembered the last time she'd been attacked. What had Ranma said? That he'd been drawn to her ki? That was how he'd known she'd been in danger. And would he know now?

He just has to...

She closed her eyes then, picturing him in her mind. Using all the concentration she could muster she tried projecting her ki. She may not have kept up with her martial arts training, but she still remembered a thing or two. It began to slowly radiate off her in a steady fiery glow.

She felt it surge up around her and did her best to hold it, hoping it would heighten his awareness of her, as her voice began to whisper over and over inside her head.

Please Ranma... hear me...

-R 1/2-

Ranma felt her ki spike instantly, like a beacon calling out to him. Her voice suddenly bloomed inside his head, whispering over and over, begging him to find her. He winced as it caused the steady throb in his head to pick up in intensity. He still hadn't fully recovered from his attempt at mass mesmerism.

It surprised him that she could tap into this ability, even with what they had shared. It just proved to him that although she had given up practicing the art, she still held fast to all that her father had taught her, finding and utilizing what connected them together.

He frowned at the urgency he heard there, the fear. He felt his anger begin to boil over once more. Kami help him when he got his hands on Kuno. There would be no holding back.

He felt a small smile, one devoid of all humor, begin to surface on his lips. Ryoga had wanted him to find his true nature again and he was about to oblige his old friend.

-R 1/2-

Akane was suddenly startled out of her trance by the sound of a key clicking in a lock. She felt her ki vanish from sight and watched in horror as the doorknob suddenly began to turn, the door inching slowly forward by unseen hands.

In typical dramatic fashion, he paused menacingly in the doorway. Akane frowned at the display. Instantly she felt her anger ride roughshod over her fear. Who the hell did he think he was anyway?

"Ah... I see you are finally awake."

"No thanks to you," she spat in reply, finally releasing some of her pent up venom.

"Such hostility."

"Let me go Kuno," she stated, not rising to the bait.

"And ruin all the fun?"

It was then that he held up the syringe for her to see.

Akane's eyes widened at the sight, as she felt another fissure of fear run though her. It was now all too clear why her arm had been tied to the chair arm in such a fashion. All those rumors about Kuno being some kind of drug lord came into focus. She hadn't been with him long enough to find out if it were true, but it didn't take a genius to figure out not all of his business ties were legit.

Akane swallowed hard, trying to force down her fear. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction. She braced herself as he entered the room and made his way towards her.

He stopped in front of her, his smug look enough to make her want to kick him into the stratosphere.

"Shall we play a game, Akane?" he said waving the syringe in front of her.

She tamped down on her fear, letting her anger rise to the surface. "I'll tell you what," she spat, her eyes narrowing. "Why don't you go play with yourself. I'm sure you've gotten pretty good at that by now."

She watched as the smug expression left his face to be replaced by one of tightly controlled rage.

"Be very careful Akane," he growled, his face now mere inches from hers. She tried to pull back as far as possible, but he merely leaned in closer. "You wouldn't want to end up like your father now would you?"

Akane let out a small gasp at the mention of her father. It was the way Kuno had phrased the sentence. As if he knew something about her father's death. But that wasn't possible, it had been an accident.

Or had it?

A growing horror began to dawn on Akane.

A smug smile once again surfaced on his lips, the malice hovering just underneath. "How else was I going to make you vulnerable enough to accept my proposal?"

Akane felt as if she'd been hit in the stomach with a sledgehammer as her brain struggled to comprehend the incomprehensible. She shook her head, trying to push away the thought, even as she felt the tears begin to well up in her eyes. She tried to force them back, to refute what he was so blatantly telling her. "No..." she whispered almost desperately, but no matter how hard she tried to deny it, the truth wouldn't go away.

He had doneit. He had killed her father.

-R 1/2-

Ranma felt the sudden and sharp drop in her ki and frowned. It was still there, still connecting them, but now she was no longer projecting it. Before he could even comprehend the meaning he was assaulted with a bolt of pain so sheer he had to gasp for breath. It was deep seeded, and seemed to spread outward with infinite slowness, nearly drowning him in sorrow and loss.

Ranma gritted his teeth against the onslaught. Whatever was being done to her was something blindsiding. He could feel her instant shock, her dawning horror, the sheer agony of loss. It was overwhelming and it made the low throbbing in his head suddenly spike, sending bolts of pain throughout his brain.

He cried out, closing his eyes instantly, as he fell from the sky and tumbled to the ground with a hard thud. He grunted with the impact, as he rolled roughly to a stop. He sat up, clutching the sides of his head, willing the pain and dizziness to subside.

When it let up only slightly he summoned his steel will, and calling upon all his martial arts training stubbornly pushed through the worst of it. He made himself get to his feet. He had to get to her. That was all that mattered now.

He reached for his anger, it wasn't hard to find, and used it to regain his focus. When he got his hands on Kuno he'd make him pay for causing her such pain.

-R 1/2-

"You bastard." the words came out in a whispered rush. She closed her eyes, willing the sight of him away. This couldn't be happening, except that it was, and it was all her fault. Kuno's obsession for her had cost her father his life. The thought cut through her like a knife.

"Count on it."

She felt his hand grasp her chin, turning her face back towards him. Still she refused to open her eyes.

"Look at me, Akane." He said forcefully, squeezing her jaw painfully when she wouldn't. "I said look at me."

Slowly she opened her eyes.

"There's something I don't think you understand. I always get what I want. Always. The faster you learn that the better."

Akane felt her anger pierce through her sorrow. Here was the cause of all her suffering. The reason her father was no longer with her. He'd stopped at nothing to possess her, but what he didn't know was that he'd never have her. Not now. Not ever.

It was then that she spat directly in his face.

He let go of her instantly, wiping his face against the sleeve of his shirt.

"You are going to regret that."

"The only thing I regret is not being able to kick your ass!"

"Why don't you leave that to me." The voice was low, deadly, causing both Kuno and Akane's heads to spin in it's direction. There Ranma sat crouched in the open window, his eyes pinning Kuno with a threatening stare.

He stealthily entered the room, his gaze never leaving his quarry.

"Ranma!"

Akane felt a rush of relief course through her. Projecting her ki had worked. He had found her. Now he could simply mesmerize Kuno and they could get the hell out of here.

Kuno eyed the intruder with a look of sheer boredom. "So," he said almost casually, "this must be the infamous protector."

Ranma's eyes narrowed at the obvious smug indifference Kuno was displaying. As if the whole encounter were a mere inconvenience. Too bad he was about to get a nasty wake-up call.

Unfortunately, it wouldn't be as simple as merely bending Kuno's mind to his will. His head still throbbed and being bombarded by Akane's swirling turmoil of emotions wasn't helping. He pushed aside the pain and tried to hone his focus. He could still move faster than Kuno could comprehend and once he had him it would be over.

Ranma crossed his powerful arms across his chest and managed to look as equally bored.

"And you must be the infamous Kuno, drug smuggler, kidnapper and dirtbag extraordinaire."

Kuno had to bite back his anger, how dare this insolent whelp insult him this way. A lesson needed to be learned, and he'd relish teaching it.

"Don't forget crack shot."

Before Ranma had time to contemplate it, Kuno drew the gun he had secretly hidden and fired. Akane screamed as the bullet hit him square in the chest, passing through and lodging deeply in the wall behind him. Had he been human he would have lain dead, but Ranma was far from human.

He glanced down at the hole in his chest, watching it close instantly as if by magic. Kuno stared in disbelief, unable to look away, a mixture of fascination and horror dawning in his eyes.

He shook his head, trying to comprehend what he was seeing. Unfortunately for Kuno, he hadn't seen anything yet.

"That's not possible," his voice came out in a whispered rush.

Ranma gave him a hard stare.

"Like I told one of your lackeys, you can't kill someone who's not alive." To drive home his point Ranma's eyes flashed a brilliant red. He smiled slowly, revealing his pinpoint sharp fangs.

Kuno's eyes widened. He was suddenly remembering the conversation he'd had with Takeshi the night he'd failed to bring Akane to him. The fear in his voice as he'd tried to explain why.

"He… he wasn't human. I... think he might have been a… a vampire."

He had dismissed it all as nonsense, but now here he was staring frozen into the face of hell itself. What made it worse was that Akane seemed to accept the vision before him without so much as batting an eye. Ranma took a step towards him, breaking Kuno from his trance.

That's when all hell broke loose.

Drawn by the gunfire, two of Kuno's bodyguards suddenly burst through the door weapons at the ready. They settled instantly on their target, unloading a clip each in Ranma's direction.

Using his inhuman speed he was soon a mere blur, as he began flying effortlessly around the room. Akane watched him with complete fascination. To anyone else it looked as if he were merely dodging the rounds, but with her keen eye she was able to pick up on what he was actually doing and it left her in utter awe.

When the spray of ammo finally halted Ranma landed deftly in front of the shooters. He narrowed his eyes and extended both his hands, opening them slowly to reveal every single one of the bullets. With a dramatic pause he then tipped his hands slightly sideways, letting them drop carelessly around their feet, the clinking sound as they hit the floor now deafening in the sudden stunned silence.

Both men stood slack jawed, their eyes wide, as Ranma slowly lifted the corners of his mouth to reveal the single bullet he'd caught in between his teeth. He spit it defiantly in their direction. "You missed," he quipped, his grin growing even wider as he saw the fear begin to dawn in their eyes. "Now it's my turn."

Using the same ungodly speed as before he was on them before they knew what was happening. Akane watched as he grabbed hold of one and threw him effortlessly across the room. The man hit the far wall with hard thud, falling instantly into an unconscious heap.

He grabbed the second one by the collar of his shirt and lifted him easily off the ground as if he weighed no more than a feather. He brought the man down so that their faces were mere inches apart.

"You still wanna play?" he growled, low and guttural. The man watched in utter horror as Ranma drew his fangs, his blood red eyes gazing so deeply into the man's own, that the image was now burned into a memory that would haunt him for the rest of his days.

Kuno stood watching the scene, cursing himself for being so dismissive of Takeshi's tale. He had prepared no suitable means of defense. Still, he had one thing the vampire wanted. Perhaps he could trade Akane's life for his own?

His glance slid to where Akane sat. She wasn't even looking in his direction, too preoccupied with Ranma to give him even a moment's notice. Kuno frowned. Even now she was still dismissing him. He felt anger, pure and raw, surge through him.

He lifted the syringe he was still holding. Yes, perhaps trying to save her would be more important to the creature. With it preoccupied he could make his escape.

He smiled slightly at the thought, pulling off the cap with an easy twist of his fingers.

With a vicious growl Ranma heaved the man angrily away from him. He flew backward at an incredible distance, crashing to the floor with a deafening thud. He lifted his head, groaning once before falling into an unconscious stupor.

Ranma then turned his attention to Kuno, only to find it was a moment too late.

He was standing over Akane, a syringe full of clear liquid poised and ready to inject into her arm. Ranma could guess what it was filled with. Shampoo's deadly new drug. Judging by the amount it would be enough to kill her.

"Don't take another step," Kuno warned, as Ranma came forward. He halted in his tracks and instantly began weighing the odds. Would he be fast enough to get to Kuno before he was able to inject the deadly drug into her?

Akane waited for Ranma to simply mesmerize Kuno into letting her go. When he didn't she knew something was wrong. She tried to hold down her panic then, even as she felt the tip of the needle press down against her skin.

Ranma knew if he tried to bend Kuno's will in his current state it could very well backfire. The steady throbbing inside his head wouldn't allow him to have enough control. Kuno would fight it and in turn could cause Akane some serious harm. He frowned, he just couldn't risk it.

"So how about it great protector?" Kuno taunted, breaking Ranma from his thoughts. "Is saving her life worth more to you than killing me?"

Ranma's eyes narrowed. "I'd prefer both actually." He punctured this statement by flashing the tips of his very sharp fangs.

"You realize that if I can't have her no one will."

"And you realize if I'm forced to turn her, there will be nowhere you can hide."

Akane couldn't believe what she was hearing. She felt her anger spike. This was her life they were playing with and they acted as if she had no say in it. She hated feeling so helpless. Frankly, she didn't know what she was more frightened of: The thought of actually dying or of being brought back as a vampire.

"Dammit Kuno, you don't own me!" she blurted as her frustration won out over her fear. Ranma had to admire her tenacity, even as he silently cursed her bravado.

"Oh but I do Akane, you will always be mine." He increased the pressure of the needle enough that she felt the pinch as it punctured her skin. She gasped causing Ranma to take an instinctive step forward.

"Uh uh," Kuno warned, his thumb now hovering over the stopper. "I really doubt you'd condemn her to your kind of life."

Ranma halted, his glance sliding to meet Akane's for an instant. Kuno was right. As much as he wanted her with him forever, could he really condemn her to this life? He pushed the thought roughly away. He wouldn't think about that. He would simply stop Kuno before it ever had to go that far.

He once again turned to gaze upon his quarry, his red eyes blazing with anger as he readied himself. This was it. It was all or nothing.

Ranma rushed forward with blinding speed, yet for a moment everything seemed to go in slow motion. He felt his hands connect with Kuno's shoulders as he shoved him harshly away from Akane. The momentum continued to carry them past her until Kuno connected roughly with the far wall.

The loud thud brought everything back to full speed, as the wall shook with the impact, sending bits of drywall crumbling all around them.

Kuno winced visibly, trying to regain his senses. Before he could even contemplate it Ranma was on him.

He felt his anger surge as he grasped the front of Kuno's shirt and hauled him forward, only to slam him back into the wall once more. He was rewarded with a satisfying groan of pain as the back of Kuno's head connected with a painful thud. Once again he hauled him forward, so close their faces were mere inches apart.

"You are going to pay for trying to hurt her," Ranma's voice was low, guttural. Deep down he knew what had to be done. Akane wouldn't be safe until it was. He felt the anger surge through him once more and let go, allowing the vampire in him to take over completely.

His eyes grew even brighter, until even the whites were glowing red. With a nasty snarl he bared his sharp, gleaming teeth. He could hear Kuno's blood rushing through his veins, causing his hunger to suddenly rush upwards, consuming him.

Not able to hold back Ranma pinned a now semi-conscious Kuno to the wall. "Welcome to my nightmare," he growled before violently sinking his teeth deeply into his jugular vein. The blood flowed instantly, soaking the front of his shirt even as he drank deeply.

Ranma was suddenly flooded with raw power as the blood coursed through him. His headache was gone in an instant, replaced instead by the sheer thrill of the kill. It was a feeling like no other. A raging high that rolled over him in waves. Never before had he given in so completely to his nature. No doubt it would have greatly pleased Ryoga had he been there to see it.

It wasn't long before Ranma felt Kuno's life force fading. When it was gone he released his hold, letting the drug lord slump to the floor in a lifeless heap.

He closed his eyes, trying to wrestle back control, forcing the demon inside him to sleep once more. When he was sure it had he slowly re-opened his eyes, which were now their natural grey-blue color.

With the high beginning to wear off he began to feel a little sick. Disgustedly he wiped away the excess blood from his lips. Though he knew in this case it had to be done, murder was not something he relished. He had done it for her, only for her.

"Ranma?" the voice startled him. It was faint, almost far away. For the first time Ranma realized he could barely feel Akane's ki. He turned slowly towards her as if in a daze.

It was then that he spotted it. The syringe, now empty and still embedded in her arm, was dangling there, almost as if to mock him. He hadn't been fast enough after all. Kuno's instinct had been a second quicker.

He heard the drug lord's words come back to him then. "If I can't have her no one will."

He felt his heart siege with pain and fear. "No," the plea came out in a whispered rush. "Please, no..."

He ran to her side, yanking out the syringe and tossing it away angrily. He began breaking the bonds that bound her, snapping the ropes as if they were no stronger than paper, cradling her as she fell into his arms, almost lifeless.

"Akane," he whispered, brushing the hair away from her eyes lovingly as he gently rocked her. "Please hang on, don't leave me."

There was no response, she remained perfectly still, her eyes closed.

He felt his panic rise as he gathered her up quickly, hugging her close, his mind racing. He had to get her help and fast. Without a second thought he ran for the window, flying swiftly through it and out into the night.

Well there ya go! Sorry about the cliffhanger but the chapter was 13 pages long! Hope the confrontation was all you guys hoped for. I'd be interested to hear!