Be my beloved enemy
Back to you
It was already mid March when Akane left the hospital and went back to school. She had put on the new pair of good luck earrings Ukyo had given her.
"in order to brighten your day" she quoted to herlself between giggles.
She walked slowly taking in her surroundings, paying attention to the familiar road she once more was able to pace. Her tiny feet played with a nearby rock sending it a few meters away then kicking it again as soon as she was close to it. The cloudy grey sky felt heavy for she had to keep her eyes more open than necessary to admire the view.
She smiled to herself, happily to find herself again at Furinkan's gates.
"AKANE!" Shouted Sayuri while Yuka waved her hand up in the air to attract her friends attention.
Akane blinked twice as if trying to awaken from a dream and marched towards her friends.
"How are you feeling?" Asked Yuka animatedly.
"Ready to kick some asses" she said jokingly.
"Believe me when I tell you that might be happening sooner than what you had expected" Sayuri's tone of voice was that of warning.
Just as soon as she turned around Kuno's lips collided with her left cheek in a wet sloppy kiss. Instinct was what made her shove him away with a harsh push. Kuno stumbled to the ground and sat there completely disorientated for a brief moment before crawling back to where Akane stood.
"Don't you ever get tired of this" she spat, looking down at the ground while rubbing her left cheek with a disgusted face.
"NEVER!" Kuno's baritone voice shouted as he got to his feet. His hands reached out to her.
"Don't you dare… don't you there touch me" she said scowling at him.
"But oh fair one, it was the heavenly touch of your skin that arose such beautiful love in me and now, after my lips have tasted this very sweet addiction that is your being I'm no more able to just stay in the dark and not act on my love to you. Because, oh beloved one; this, everyone has seen…"
He continued turning around and addressing now the very crowd
"… You, fool people, have been witnesses to this"
He raised his hands to the sky and posed his gaze to the top of Furinkan Highschool before continuing his nonsensical speech.
" Furinkan's history will bear witness to the fact that today…" he paused either for dramatic effect or just to recall the exact day to continue.
"because today, 17 of March. Love has finally found my way."
"You better have a look around, lover boy" Nabiki's satirical voice startled him and he brought his gaze level to hers.
"who gave you the right to interrupt me?" Kuno's eyes spat fire "You only need to worry about this very moment with my fair lady being captured forever" he said pointing at Nabiki's camera that hung from her neck
"Will you just cut the crap already Kuno?" Nabiki said obviously frustrated with the boy "Everybody has already been gone for at least 5 minutes"
He turned around, frantically looking for Akane.
"You wouldn't have taken notes about my speech, would you?"
"what a stupid basketcase…" she muttered walking to the entrance of the school. "Whatever was I doing standing there?"
"Money, Nabiki, Money". She kept repeating to herself as a mantra.
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"And oh please enlighten me once more. Why are we doing this?" turning around, Shinosuke looked down at Ukyo who was now cocking an eyebrow at him.
"You are being difficult on purpose, are you not?" the girl shoved him a piece of paper and a pen. "If you can't talk to her the least you can do is explain it by the written way"
Ukyo was furious, that much he could tell as she sat abruptly in his bed waiting for him to take action but he was by no means easy to manipulate.
"And do pray tell, why did you deem it necessary of me to lose my classes. It's not as if I'm in a position where I can very easily dismiss school"
"You should know by now how very bad at changing subjects you are. I'll give you one more opportunity; do it or I will."
The click of the desk lamp was the last sign of his resistance and with great worry he sighed defeated. Furrowing his brows the pen finally made contact with the white surface on his desk, and he wrote the first words of a story he had dreaded to tell his whole life.
It all started in 1990 when the world saw the very face of greed and betrayal…
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"Why don't you just stop"
"Because this makes fun" Ryouga's pointed canines showed at a hint of a smirk.
"I'm gonna erase that smug face of yours" Ranma said confronting him; watching how Ryoga blew kisses at his face.
"I told you to cut it" Ranma demanded and slapped the back of his head. "I don't even know why I bothered to walk you to class. I should've left you there"
"Well, technically if it weren't for me you wouldn't be walking this path just about now." He said sardonically. "Haven't been able to sleep for weeks, have you?" a mocking grin appeared on his face.
Ranma halted in place, his eyes betraying his astonishment at his cousin's words.
"You should have borne in mind, my dear cousin, that the world has eyes"
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"Stupid jerk" shouted Akane from inside the girl's bathroom.
"Don't you think you are overdoing it a little bit?" Yuka said.
"I can still feel it" she said rubbing with even more force the soap against her cheek.
She had been doing that for quite some time now, first with soap gel, then with a soap bar she had borrowed from a classmate. She opened the faucet and grabbed with both her hands a great amount of water to splash on her face.
"Oh gods, did it leave a stain?" Akane asked getting closer to the mirror to examine the exact spot she believed to be polluted.
"Now you are being ridiculous" spat Sayuri
"It was just a peck it's not as if he was giving you a hickey, for god's sake. You are being irrational about this."
"Just go ahead, I still want to make some more rounds before going to class" she said showing the bar at her friends.
Yuki and Sayura sighed defeated
"Just don't be too late."
Akane never heard the banging of the door when her friends where gone but she dismissed it believing her friends had had the decency as not many did to actually accompany the door as it was closing.
The bell rang through the hallways announcing the beginning of the class. Reflected in the mirror a figure Akane knew well smiled at her. She turned in surprise.
"Oh, you are there. You startled me for a moment"
Shampoo showed her what she had written.
"Really, there's no need for that it was just an accident, Akane offered"
The girl didn't seem to take it and ushered Akane out of the class and down the corridor. Shampoo dragged her along the school yard yanking her hand stubbornly.
"What the hell do you think you are doing?" Akane demanded
Shampoo stopped for a brief moment and without letting go of Akane's hand wrote something on her board.
'You'll see. It's present for forgiveness"
The stairs to get to the swimming pool were muddied and the handrail was so rusted that Akane felt it was going to fall down if she even as much as touched it. On top, the large swimming pool was filled with clear water and it reflected the clouds of the sky. Shampoo had let go of Akane and now the purpled-hair girl was kneeling at the verge of the pool, her eyes intent on the water.
"What are you looking for" Akane called from the stairs, afraid to get close to the water.
Shampoo's eyes settled on her and her hand shot out bringing her fingers in an out, beckoning for her to go and see for herself. Akane hesitated but Shampoo's insistent gesture and encouraging face made her move and get closer to the other girl.
'You can sit here' read the board. Shampoo patted her side and carefully Akane sat down.
"So, what are we here for?" she didn't pretend to be impolite to the other girl but seeing herself in such a predicament, again so close to a tank of water; Akane was by no doubt nervous.
Shampoo pointed something inside the water but Akane still failed to see what the girl meant with it. She shrugged her fears away and changed her position, this time she knelt on the very border of the pool. Her body bent down, her head nearly touching the transparent water.
"I still don't see anything" she murmured and saw how Shampoo scribbled something in her board.
'You have to get closer and have patience' Akane could read it from the corner of her eye.
Her body bent more down if that was even possible and she placed her hands on the edge of the slippery tiles of the pool. Her head angled a little to her right in order to let the sun rays illuminate the under water.
'Nothing' she thought.
Until…
SPLASH
Someone had obviously pushed her inside; her lungs burned for lack of oxygen, her whole body trembled at the cold impact with the water. She tried to help herself out with feet and hands but she only sank deeper. Still in her state she could hear the voices coming from outside the water; she tried to scream in order to catch their attention but only won with that a good gulp of fresh water.
"Shampoo" Ranma shouted running towards her. Then his gaze fell on the turbulent water and without thinking, he dove inside the water.
Ryouga stood by Shampoo wondering about Ranma's doings. Shampoo had tried to run after him, probably to prevent the event to occur. The first thing Shampoo saw when Ranma emerged, were his menacing eyes.
"Ryouga, bring her home and keep an eye on her" he said, his venom voice commanding.
"And you" he directed himself to Shampoo "better try running for your life." He brought Akane up to the surface making Ryoga gasp in surprise. "This…This will have hell to pay".
Ranma stood up, his drenched clothes heavy against his skin. Akane now lay on the ground half her legs clung to the border of the pool. He bent down again and scooped her in his arms.
"What are you waiting for?" He wailed turning around and facing them once more. "GO!" He bellowed and they disappeared into thin air.
Akane coughed heavily and mumbled something that sounded close to "So much for good luck earrings"
"What are you mumbling?" Ranma asked more to himself than to her.
He bent down, his face mere centimetres from hers and she coughed again now letting go some of the water she had swallowed. Ranma having been taken by surprise just stumbled back on his heels and sat on his butt cursing.
"Stupid bench. Shouldn't have expected better" he said wiping with the back of his hand some water that had splashed on his face.
Ranma looked at her face now. Akane looked calm as she opened her eyes. Ranma had covered her with a dusty blanket he had found at the gymnasium and then had rested her against a tree trunk.
"It was about bloody time" he said and it took some time to Akane to register who was standing there so close. "What were you thinking? Where you planning to suicide?" his voice sounded completely harsh, his movements frantic and his breathing shallow.
"I…" her voice felt small under his scrutinity.
"You…?" he coaxed.
"I…" she continued noticing how dangerously close Ranma's face was coming. "What the hell do you think you are doing?" she snapped at him daringly.
"Why are you shouting at me for? Jeez… I was the one saving your sorry butt out there" Ranma said aggravated 'the nerve of this girl'
"No one ever asked you to play hero!"
"you are very welcomed" he spat sarcastically.
"What? Were you waiting for a thank you here? I'm sorry to burst you bubble but that ain't gonna happen!" She said standing up, the blanket falling to her feet "And now if you'll just let me pass, that'd solve this problem"
"You are going no-where! Who the hell do you think you are?" Ranma had also stood up. "You are going no-where. We are going to have this conversation right here, right now!" he bellowed irritated.
"Who the hell do I think I am? Who the hell do you think YOU are? And don't you ever think you have the right to manhandle me because of an awful kiss I didn't even want to receive in the first place."
He looked at her, eyes wide as saucers.
"Forget I even said anything. Just let me go" she demanded, getting angrier by the second.
He smirked deviously.
"So now it was a kiss…I just thought it was your sorry ass I saved back there"
He advanced one step at a time until she had backed away and he had her cajoled. His hands placed themselves on the trunk and his body moulded so closely to hers she felt unable to move. His mouth now closer to her ear.
"an awful kiss you say? I should prove you better" his hot breath tickled her skin. For a moment he drew back and his clouded eyes met hers.
Akane realised she was being seduced, her whole body trembled but her hand still snatched to the back on his neck, urging him on. An electrifying shock went through her body and then it ran to his…
"AKANEEEEEE" shouted Yuka
"She must be here somewhere" said Sayuri.
Both Ranma and Akane halted in their spot, unable to move.
"This never happened" whispered Ranma hotly in her ear.
"Agreed" she said dumbfounded.
As Ranma's warm arms unwrapped from her little form and hers felt to her side Akane discovered something.
She had wanted to be kissed.
Kissed by him.
A.N: halloooo, thanks to all of you guys that take the time to review.
PPM Katie: thanks. Yeah, spain was fun…it's always nice to go back home
Xochitlakran, Apie, Miko-chi, -Wind-, Andreuish, Mirokugurl101, Michael85, Blackbeauuty, Candellight chaos, llamaglasama, Akanne-anne, Endoh chiaki, the reviewergirl, fearless FREAK on a MOTERCYCLEthanks to all of you for being patient enough as to wait for this new chapter.
Materia-blade: it's nice to get a long critical review. Thanks
Iwata-hatori: youlike the atmosphere of the story? Oh, great! Thanks a lot