A.N: Sorry it took me so long to update but my exams demanded some study from my part. I really do want to thank everyone who has reviewed last chapter and also those who are interested in my story.
To Clavira89: Yop, I do agree with you that my characters are well, as you pointed out, fucked up but they have to be this way so the story can continue on the path I've been thinking of. Thanks for the constructive review
To Takigirl & Apie: yeah, you both are right, it's time for Akane's revenge
To Michael & Lady Ari: hihihi, good or bad Ukyo?
To Rabid Badger: Thank you soooo much for the compliment. I'm trying really hard to improve my English but it's still resisting to me. Also glad you like my stories.
To Leigh4: Well, Akane did not show that mark to Ukyo but that does not mean it has disappeared…(you know what I mean.. I need it for the plot)
To flys without wings: Well, the intensity of Ranma's hated has not varied it's just he's more at easy with his cousin Ryoga when bringing out the term Tendo and also because he's right now confused. You'll see again in this chapter how he still loathes Akane.
To Nils, Mei, Kiara, Curse Queen & Xoxosilver: sorry to keep you waiting for so long, I hope you enjoy this chapter and let me know.
To love a lot girl: well, I'm sure every curse has its solution it does not has to mean "breaking it" it can also mean changing things in a way everything might be solved
To Flippy's: Yeah, I love Ryouga being that competitive against Ranma it makes things much more interesting (I think)
Be my beloved enemy
My dirty little secret
The sky had poured cold slits of rain the whole Sunday and when Akane stepped outside her front gate that morning, all she could do was gasp at the unexpected sight that greeted her eyes. Tiny snowflakes kept falling softly from the sky, snowflakes that last night had dressed Nerima's streets in the whitest of cloaks. Akane fastened her baby blue and white stripped scarf around her neck; her hand, already covered with matching gloves, grabbed the umbrella that rested against the door frame; finally stepping away of the porch, she bottoned the last top bottom of her navy duffle coat and started to walk away. Smiling inwardly to herself, her gaze left the breathtaking sight of Nerima's streets to rest upon her black polished Mary Jane's.
'Let's see who plays with whom today'
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Ranma knew he was going to be late for school as soon as the annoying sound of the bell tower reached his ears. Despite being already eight, the room was strangely dark, the curtains were closed and the lights were all off. He looked around his quarters; not knowing what he was looking for or even why he was doing so. His prying gaze soon spotted something that caught his eye; there was a little breach in the ceiling, just right above his head.
He stood up on his bed and stretched up to touch the ceiling, his large hands firmly over it; palms flat on the surface as he pushed up; his head crooked to his right as part of the surface came down and some sort of lockgate appeared before his eyes. He peered at it and his hand felt its interior, fine polished wood was the only thing standing out of the rough ceiling surface; it was the only thing he could figure out from the touch. He pulled at it making the near chandelier move softly. When finally a crack was heard, he was left with a piece of carved wood in his rough hands.
The fire on the fireplace lit his features as he sat cross-legged on the mattress, his fingers grazing his discovery. The shadows on his face darkened as he bent down to look at the object close up. The shape looked strangely close to a coffin and the carving showed small patterns with no definite shapes on the back and sides; the top looked polished, he thought that was what he'd indeed touched first; just a tiny engravement was on the left of the cage. His fingers grazed upon the sides and he pressed there without even realising it; the little box opened and Ranma's eyes flickered to the golden orb standing in front of him. He took the little ball in his hands and absorbedly looked at it; his eyes widened as a tiny draw appeared on it, it seemed black ink had formed a letter, then two, then… He opened his hands in shock and the tiny orb fell to the ground with a soft thud. His eyes wide as saucers…
'It just couldn't be…'
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The dinning room was huge, the marble floor shining in its splendour, the crystal chandeliers bringing up a somehow aristocratic feeling, in the centre the dark wooden table was filled with all kinds of food: from exquisite sweets to plain juice.
Without a shred of emotion, Ranma looked around the room; he had been taught how to shield his feelings when necessary and he was grateful to Genma for that. Shampoo, Ryouga and Genma were already at the table eating breakfast together, looking like the happy family they were not. It was cathartic. This whole situation was too bloody wrong.
"Had a good night sleep, my son?"
"Ow, good morning to you too, dear cousin" Ryouga spat.
"Stop sucking up to me!" he roared.
Shampoo had woken up from her seat and had gone up to hug Ranma who just brushed her away.
"Can't you just leave me be?" he asked her irritated while she just smiled at him and sat down again, this time next to him. "I'm starving. Ryouga hand over the plate" he bellowed.
"You know the rules perfectly well, I won't admit of you to be late again. Breakfast is at 8. Understood?" Genma growled at Ranma
"Yeah" He muttered and shoved a pancake inside his mouth.
"Just please, munch the food before swallowing it. Have you no manners at all?"
Ranma growled at his cousin's comment.
"Ranma, I don't want any more news like that one on the newspaper to reach my ears. Understood? I know you wouldn't want such a thing to happen again."
"Don't you ever presume to tell me what I want or not to happen. I already explained myself to you, we were just fighting"
"That's right. Fighting. Because that's all you can do, fight, insult, degrade her, remind her how much you detest her…Do as you've been taught and I'll be proud of you, young man."
"I will but not because you demand me to but because it's worth it. She'll suffer the pain I had to."
Genma stood up and posed himself before Ranma, the insolent boy had pushed him too far. He had to learn who gave the orders and Genma was going to teach him. He grabbed Ranma hard from his T-shirt but the boy kept his head up, daring. Genma pressed him up against his chair making Ranma's skull hit it. The boy's head lulled up and down until it settled, his eyes piercing his father's.
"You'll do as I told you, not because you want to but because you have to. Honour demands you to do it and I order you to follow its path" and with that said Genma pushed the chair back further and Ranma fell from it.
"I don't have to listen to you!" he shouted and quickly dashed for the porthole leaving Genma to spat fire at his obnoxious attitude.
88888
Ryouga ran at a breakneck speed to catch up with Ranma but unfortunately bumped into someone and fell over.
"That Jerk!"
"Seems like every time we meet you are cursing" Akane smiled down at him and offered Ryouga her hand. "Here, let me help you up"
"Thanks" he grabbed her gloved-covered hand and got to his feet smiling back at her "I can't believe how lucky I am to be able to walk to class with such an angel"
Akane blushed at his comment.
"What was it you wanted to talk to me about the other day" she inquired him.
"Yeah, well, I just wanted to excuse myself for the rude way in which I left you at the Furikan gates just after you beat all that guys and my troglodyte cousin came over to bother our walk" Ryoga grabbed her hand and kissed her palm softly, a gesture that she had started to relate to him.
Akane flustered and stuttered as he gently linked her arm in his and started walking away. Ryouga was quite the gentleman, the ladies man and she liked how he behaved with her.
A strange sound had been ringing all through the path; one Ryouga knew pretty well, he examined Akane. There was something weird with her today; she was really cheerful… His gaze fell upon her black Mary Janes and a chuckle left his mouth.
'Damn it! She was intelligent as well as beautiful. She had to be his'
And the grip he had on her arm, tightened
'yeah, that was right. She had to be his'
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Walls had ears and that was something Ukyo had learned the hard way so when Genma had asked her to meet him she was sure of where and when to go. The café was quiet and stylish, some people were gathered in a nearby table, probably workers from a company. At their happy laughs a surge of envy built up in the pit of her stomach.
Genma was already there, with his black suit and cunning face, reading what seemed to her a news paper. When she sat down was when he acknowledged her, his eyes following her every move as she spoke, assessing her information. He grabbed the mug that stood at the table and sipped the hot content as finally Ukyo stopped her speech. His eyes betrayed his calm stance, the fire in them roaring.
Ukyo stood up and walked away her eyes held a mischievous glint as she looked back at Genma's table before finally leaving the café.
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Deserted, that's how Akane found Fruinkan's ground, no boys to beat, nothing. It seemed they had all listened to Ranma's threat. She closed her fists wanting to suppress the sudden anger cursing through her and just then, he appeared; Ranma, the one and only. She smiled knowingly and let go of Ryouga's grasp.
"Ryouga, leave us alone" both of them said at the same time.
Ryouga stepped forward up close to Akane, again brought her hand up and this time took off her glove to place a kiss on her soft skin.
"Take care" he whispered running inside the school's building.
Ranma's blue eyes were sharp, his gaze boring Akane's eyes, cutting her into tiny pieces. His blue eyes made of crystal, of steel of cold ice. The same blue eyes she wanted to rip out of his face to make a collar with its orbs.
"I told you. Don't- let - anyone- touch – you!" with every word he said his voice increased its volume. He stepped forward until his feet touched hers.
"I – don't – have – to –listen - to – you" she said in the same stance.
"This cocky attitude of yours is going to make this worse for you"
"Cocky? Look who's one to talk. You stupid jerk"
"Ow, did I make you that angry that you had to curse?" he mocked her and then grabbed her wrist and yanked her deep into his chest. Ranma lowered his head until it rested against her shoulders.
"Leave me!" she demanded him though kept unmoving. Just her voice showed her fury.
"You are mine" he breathed every word softly into her ear but it was not a sweet thing, it was raw, it was a warning, it was all he could say.
He took a step back, his hand held on her wrist. He noticed she was letting him do it, she did not struggle, did not move…but what he feared most was what he saw in her chocolate eyes: a devilish flame was dancing in her pupils. She did not dread him any longer. Her eyes slicing through him like broken glass.
"Mine is a word you haven't gained access to"
"Now, we've become philosophical" again he laughed at her.
He pressed her wrist all of a sudden.
"Don't let him touch you"
"What is this? You're mantra?" for the first time she mocked him "don't let anyone touch you. Will you be repeating that all day?"
"Just until you get it through your head"
"How do you think repeating me what you think I must do will make me do it when it clearly doesn't work with you" her eyes full of venom. She pulled her hand free of his grasp.
"Don't you dare talk to me in that disrespectful manner. You are not worthy of even being alive, you should have died that day too. You should be dead." His hands grabbed her arms but she didn't move. She felt no fear whatsoever and he could feel it.
Ranma took a step back, his hands holding her in place.
"I wish you had died back then" he told her; she didn't know what he was talking about "Why won't you die?" his voice was no more than a murmur. "Tell me!" he bellowed this time.
Silence was all they could hear after Ranma's outburst; they kept boring holes at each other until Akane moved, bringing both of them near, as she walked the step he had backed up from earlier. She stood on her tip-toes and her mouth touched his ear with every move.
"I'll tell you my dirty little secret…" she spoke the words deliberately slow, letting them sink into his mind. "…you have to die first; and I'll be the one to kill you" she kneeled him hard on his groin and he fell back onto the snow. Akane had started walking away.
That's when he heard it, the sound, that annoying sound he had to stop, had to banish from his head, to evict from this earth. He looked at her back as she walked away, her polished black shoes standing out of the white snow; two golden orbs standing out of her Mary Jane's straps. Two cat bells.
"WAIT" he shouted at her as he regained his composure and stood up. Akane had already turned around, her shoes ringing at each step. She bent down in front of him, grabbed one of the bells from her shoes and pressed it.
There was a terrible din, a soft cry of a cat and then there were thousands of them circling her and Ranma. He blanched at the sight in-front-of him and Akane again stood on her tip-toes as she breathed in the ear of a very still Ranma.
"Is the all so mighty Jerk scared of a bunch of cats?"
"No" he said between his teeth.
"No?Maybe this will scare you" she voiced out as a déjà vu what he had said to her before biting her. Akane lowered her head and bit down hard bringing blood, its metallic taste was horrid; just as horrid as him.
She stepped back, eyes boring into his as she spat his blood all over the golden bell and pressed once more. He took a step forward, fighting his fears as he too, lowered his head and bit her down hard, drawing blood… until the cats gathered to gain his attack. Akane stood there, just a mere inch apart from him and she smiled, relishing her moment of triumph. The blood stained her beautiful scarf but she didn't seem to care.
"I'll tell you my dirty little secret…" he said in her ear "…you won't find me an easy prey"
Akane pressed the golden ball once more and the cats mauled at Ranma, one after the other, like an interminable battle. They kept jumping, biting; grabbing at him so hard he fell onto the floor, his form barely recognizable as he was completely covered with cats.
Akane had started to walk away when a sudden cry reached her ears and once again she turned around. She saw the cats lying unconscious bordering Ranma; he was agitating badly, his eyes had gone white, his veins had popped out and Akane run up to him. She hadn't meant to kill him hadn't meant to… And all of a sudden he was up, standing like a predator ready to kill.
She had no time to move as he jumped on her making her fall backwards, her heat hitting the cold surface of the snow as he aimed at her. He seemed out of his mind and for once she greatly feared for her life though, there was something as they both looked into each others eyes… Something nearly human. He had stopped. They were looking at one another deeply just as they felt cold water being thrown at them.
She noticed Ranma's mouth open.
"Sorry" he whispered before collapsing against her body
A.N:Woah…took me long.