AUTHOR NOTES
Hi everyone. New chapter here. This one brings a topic I consider important, because it's something our couple have been ignoring up until now. Something we talked in the coments section. Hope you find the chapter interesting. Enjoy!
Noriko was cold, hungry, and thirsty. Her throat was dry and sore from screaming, crying for help all the time she had been there. Where was there, she had no idea. For all she knew, she could even be outside of Japan. She didn't know how much time had passed since she was abducted either. The room she was in had no windows, and the walls were made of bricks. It looked like she was in a cellar. The room's door was made of solid wood and it was very sturdy. She had tried to ram it with her shoulder, but only managed to hurt herself. At least there was a light bulb on the ceiling that worked, so she wasn't in the dark. The only furniture the room had was a ramshackle bed with a dirty mattress and no sheets or blankets.
Why? Why was this happening to her? she wondered. She was not rich, or famous. Why they had abducted her. What frightened her the most was the way they kidnapped her. That shadow on the pavement still made her shiver. All she remembered when the shadow reached her was to feel a hand that pulled her to the ground and then all went black. After that, not knowing how much time passed, she woke up on the trashy bed.
Every once in a while, an Asian guy that looked like a mob thug brought her tasteless boiled rice and some bread in a plastic dish, and a plastic bottle with water. At least they didn't want her dead, she guessed. When the guy came, he locked the door behind him after he entered the room, gave Noriko the food and the water and took the bucket where she had to relieve herself. Then he left the room and locked the door. He didn't talk to her, nor he didn't answer any of her questions when she tried to get some information from him. He limited himself to look at her, many times with a lecherous stare that gave her the creeps.
She deduced that the thug was coming twice each day, and he had come 7 times in total so far, so she guessed that at least three full days had passed since she woke up, and now she was in her fourth day.
She hadn't taken a bath in days, and she had the stench of the grimy bed all over her body, and her clothes were dirty too. She would kill for a warm bath and clean clothes, but she knew that that was something out of the question.
However, Noriko had not been idle in her captivity. She studied and searched the room thoroughly, trying to find something that gave her a clue of where she was or to aid her escape. She inspected the bed vehemently, looking for some piece of metal she could use to pick the lock. No luck. The bed base was made of wood, and she couldn't unscrew any of the screws without a tool. Desperate, she even tried to find some loose brick, just in case she could take it out and see what was outside the room, but the walls were solid.
Noriko knew that the police would be looking for her by now. Her family had to be terribly worried about her disappearance. Hopefully, the authorities would find this place and rescue her, before whatever these people planned to do with her could actually happen.
Sometime later after she finished her second meal (to call it something), Noriko heard the sound of keys. The door opened and two men she had never seen entered the room accompanied by her jailer. One of them was tall, taller than the other man, and even taller than her jailer. He was wearing a fancy white cape with cuts in the bottom that made it look like it ended in feathers. A purple robe was under the cape, and he fancied baggy pants that reminded her of something a character from the Arabian Nights would wear. Precisely, his head was topped with a white turban, decorated with a pink long feathers headdress. The guy definitely liked birds. His face was hidden behind a weird mask that showed no features beside two openings for the eyes, and it was painted half black and half red.
The other guy was even weirder. He wore some kind of breastplate, long boots that reached his knees and long gloves that reached his elbows. The most striking thing was his physical features. He had big monkey-like ears, long sideburns that reached up to his jaw line, elongated arms like those of an ape, and his hairline began pretty low on his forehead. The guy looked like the bastard son of a human and a primate.
Noriko was speechless, and the new guys frightened her, especially the one that looked like a monkey. Both of them stared at her for a few seconds without saying anything.
"What do you think?" finally asked in Japanese the ape-like man.
"She's pretty, and has a nice body. We'll take her. I'm sure our master will be pleased." Replied the masked man.
"Take me where? Who are you? Why did you kidnap me? What are you going to do with me?" asked Noriko with desperation, almost crying, but didn't get any answer from them.
The ape like man turned to look at her jailer and spoke to him.
"Prepare her. We're leaving in half an hour."
The jailer nodded and the three of them left the room, locking the door behind them.
Noriko stared at the door horrified. They were taking her out of there, but where? And from where? What did they want to do with her? What terrified her the most was what the tall man said about her: she's pretty and she has a nice body. She trembled at the implications of that.
The sound of the door's lock interrupted her thoughts, and the jailer appeared with some pieces of cloth and duct tape. The girl looked at him with horror, backing against the wall, tears falling from her eyes.
"No please! Where are you taking me?" she cried.
"Shut that pretty mouth of yours. Don't resist and I won't have to hit you. Just stay still." The thug said in a calmed voice.
The mere mention of him hitting her was enough to make her stop moving and stand still. Her full body was trembling though, and she couldn't stop sobbing. She still couldn't believe that this was happening to her.
"Turn around. Put your hands behind your back." He ordered.
Noriko obliged. The thug got close to her and tied her hands tightly with the duct tape. Then wrapped a piece of cloth around her eyes as a blindfold and gagged her with tape. She was now blind and mute, and unable to use her arms. A few seconds passed without the thug doing anything else, and suddenly, the girl felt a hand fondling one of her breasts while the other was groping her butt. She whirled around, letting out a squeak muffled by the gag, trying to free herself from those hands. A second later she received a strong punch on her back, feeling an intense pain.
"I said don't resist. Move again and you'll receive another punch… Don't worry, I'm not going to fuck you. Your body belongs to the Prince now, but that doesn't mean I can't get a little taste of it before you leave." Said the jailer without raising his voice. He waited a few seconds, and seeing that the girl stopped struggling, he resumed the groping. He was touching her from behind, massaging both breasts roughly with both hands, fondling her nipples over the dress. Noriko cried desperately, disgusted by what the guy was doing to her. He was so rough that he was hurting her. Then he moved one hand from her breast to her groin, rubbing her sex over the panties. Noriko was starting to feel dizzy, and her fear was growing more and more with each passing second the man was molesting her. Her breasts and groin ached from the rude abuse her jailer was giving her. When she couldn't bear it anymore some steps could be heard behind them.
"Is she ready yet?" A voice asked the jailer from the door. The thug stopped what he was doing to her immediately, and Noriko recognized the voice. It belonged to the masked man. "What are you doing?" he asked, a hint of anger in his voice.
The jailer turned around and tried to give the masked man an excuse. "I wasn't doing nothing sir! Just checking that she couldn't free her hands!"
"Don't lie to me! You know that this girl is our Prince's property, and no one is allowed to touch her, least of all some vermin like you."
In an instant Noriko heard a loud thud and a scream, and a second later a body slumped to the floor. Then she felt a hand on her shoulder and gasped in fear.
"Don't worry, he won't touch you anymore. Come, I'll take you to the truck." The masked man said to her in a soothing tone.
Noriko, still trembling, allowed the mysterious man to lead her, making sure that she didn't trip or bump into something because of the blindfold. They exited the room, crossed a corridor and then went up some stairs.
They were on the first floor of whatever building they were using to hold her, and the air here was fresher. She could hear some voices at some distance from them, muffled by walls she could not see. She couldn't tell for certain if they were in a house, warehouse or any other place, but if the place had walls around them, it could probably be a house.
They stopped and the masked man told someone to watch over her. Then, after a short time, she could hear a feminine voice coming closer to where she was. A young voice, a voice that was speaking no words, but suppressed squeaks and sobs. Another kidnapped girl, she assumed. She wasn't the only one. They stopped the girl beside her, and Noriko kept hearing people moving around. A third girl was brought to where the other two were, and Noriko recognized the ape man's voice close to them.
"We're ready. Let's get the girls inside the truck and move on." Said the ape man.
"Ok, the sooner we're leaving the better." Replied the masked man.
"Men! Take the girls to the truck!" ordered the ape man.
A hand grabbed Noriko's arm and led her carefully towards the exit of the house. Once they were outside, she could hear an engine from a big vehicle already starting. The truck, she assumed. She and the other two girls were lifted and pushed inside the truck's trailer, and once they were inside, they closed the trailer's door. A man stayed inside with them and forced them to lay down on the floor.
After a few minutes, the three girls felt the vehicle moving. Where they were taking them, they didn't know, but the words the masked man said about Noriko kept resonating inside her head: 'She's pretty, and has a nice body…'
4 days earlier
"Ooouuuch! What's this stuff? It stings like hell, and smells." Protested Ryoga at some paste Cologne was applying to the cut on his eyebrow.
"You complain like a little girl." Reproached Cologne to the Lost Boy. "It's an old amazonian unguent which recipe is more than 2000 years old. It will do two things: stop the bleeding and prevent the wound from infecting."
"Ok, ok. Can you sew the cut now, please?" asked impatiently the Lost Boy.
"It's a deep cut. I can sew it, but I would recommend you to go to doctor Tofu and ask him to do it himself. The result will be better and the scar will be less noticeable. I'll apply a clean gauze to the wound before you go." Said the elder amazon. "You are lucky. If the chui would have hit your eye, you would have lost it."
"Yeah, I guess." Replied Ryoga not very enthusiastic. He remembered how recklessly he jumped to Shampoo eager to finish the fight.
"Granny is right, Ryoga. Besides, doctor Tofu will sew you with anesthesia." Said Ranma in a comforting tone and resting a hand on her boyfriend's shoulder.
"I wouldn't say no to being sewed with anesthesia." The black haired boy said smiling to her.
"Doctor Tofu is a very skilled physician, Ryoga. He will stitch you up in no time and you'll barely feel it." Said Akane.
"And that way you won't be crying like a 'little girl' when he sews you." joked the redheaded girl, teasing the Lost Boy. Akane had to repress a chuckle.
"Hey! I wasn't crying. This stuff stings a lot." Replied offended a frowning Ryoga.
Ranma started to giggle, trying to not burst out laughing. "Come on big guy, I was joking. Don't make me that face." The redhead beauty said to her offended boyfriend, giving him a kiss on his cheek, making him forget his annoyance and getting him to blush.
Cologne applied a clean gauze to Ryoga's wound, and then used a bandage to hold it, wrapping it around his head. His characteristic yellow and black bandana had been removed before the elder started to treat the wound. When she finished, the bandage held tightly the gauze and made sure the wound would be well protected.
Shampoo was sitting in another chair a few meters from the couple. She had bandages in several places of her body, where many pieces of debris had cut into her skin. Luckily none of the cuts were deep enough to require sewing. Mousse, now in human form, was bandaging a particular ugly bruise in her right arm. Meanwhile, she was observing Ranma and Ryoga interacting. She was having a hard time believing that these two were the same people who less than a year before were at each other's throat. The blue haired girl let out a long sigh.
Cologne saw her great-granddaughter's expression, and despite her disappointment at her disobedience, she felt sympathy for her, and approached the bruised young amazon.
"I knew this would happen, but you needed to realize it for yourself, Shampoo." Told her the elder amazon in mandarin.
"I know now, great-grandmother. I'm sorry I disobeyed you." Said the blue haired girl resigned.
"Don't trouble yourself with that, child. You'll find another husband. You're very young, and have a whole life ahead of you." Said Cologne, trying to comfort the girl. 'And maybe your future husband is closer to you than you think.' Thought the elder, while looking at Mousse, who was finishing bandaging Shampoo's arm and was looking at her with a sad expression.
Cologne then approached Ranma, who was caressing Ryoga's cheek while looking at him with caring eyes, with the Lost Boy looking back at her with the same expression.
"Ehem." Interrupted the elder matriarch. The two youngsters stopped immediately and looked at her blushing. "I'd like a word with you two."
"Of… of course, granny. What do you want to talk about?" asked the redheaded girl.
"You caught me off guard, and that's something that rarely happens to me." Admitted the elder amazon.
"I think we caught everyone off guard. Even ourselves didn't expect this." Reckoned Ranma.
"What astonishes me the most, is that a year before, you two couldn't stand the other. You were always fighting. Ryoga, I even heard you a couple of times say that you hated Ranma."
"Yeah, for some time I hated him." The Lost Boy then seemed to ponder something, unsure whether to tell. Finally, he spoke. "During Junior High, we fought every day for the bread. Despite that, due to my directional problem, Ranma helped me bringing me home every day, so I started to appreciate him and to consider him the closest thing I had to a friend. One day I challenged him to a fight, but I arrived 4 days later and he wasn't there. Then I heard that he had left with his father. That hurt me. It wasn't because he didn't show up at our challenge, but because he left me. He was my only friend and I felt like he had abandoned me. We couldn't even say goodbye. It wasn't his fault, of course. He had to go where his father decided, but at that moment, I saw it as a betrayal." Explained Ryoga, sadness and regret in his voice.
Ranma was listening carefully with watery eyes. This was something Ryoga never told her. She always thought that his hate and revenge desire against her was because he thought she run away when he finally arrived for their challenge. Now she was learning that even then, Ryoga considered her a friend, and her departure hurt him deeply. She placed her hand on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry Ryoga. I didn't know how you felt about me. I'm sorry I hurt you."
"You don't have to apologize, Ranma. As I said, it wasn't your fault. It was not your decision." Said the Lost Boy taking her petite hand and kissing it. "And I never told you this. Kami, I was so immature."
He said nothing more for a couple of seconds, then turned his eyes to Cologne, and continued. "I was so hurt that I followed Ranma to China. I wanted to find him and demand an explanation. I looked for him everywhere, and then I arrived in Jusenkyo, where I got my curse. From that moment I blamed him for everything, from that moment I… hated him."
Ranma felt a pang of guilt. It was her who threw him into the cursed pond. She lowered her head and stared at the floor with watery eyes. Ryoga noticed, and stood up, embracing her tightly.
"Don't please, don't blame yourself. You didn't force me to follow you to China, and didn't force me to go to Jusenkyo either. Besides, what happened at the ponds was an accident. Only I am responsible for my decisions. I was blind by my frustration and my pain, and since then, I used you as a scapegoat for everything. Please, forgive me." The Lost Boy said to her.
Ranma separated enough from him so she could look at him in the eye, keeping the embrace. "Ryoga, you baka." She said smiling, still shedding some tears, and then kissed him, a reassuring kiss so he would know that there was nothing to forgive.
Cologne witnessed all the scene, and saw how much the two young martial artists cared for each other. Sometimes, love appears among the most unsuspected and improbable people. She grinned. This brought memories of her youth and of a certain lecherous young man that stole her heart.
Akane, Mousse and Shampoo were listening carefully too, absorbed by Ryoga's narration, but the two girls felt some sadness at the show of affection of the couple.
"That's an interesting story Ryoga, one I didn't know. So, what changed to turn that hate into love?" asked the elder matriarch.
"Following our reunion after China, we were forced to cooperate several times, and that calmed the waters between us, so to speak." Explained Ryoga, breaking the embrace with Ranma, but holding her hand. "Our bouts became more of a challenge than a fight, competing with each other to be the best martial artist we could be. That encouraged us to improve. I started to respect Ranma as a rival, and I guess he started to do the same with me. Then came Herb and Saffron, where we saved each other's life, and after I gave up my love for Akane, our rivalry disappeared, and we started to become close friends. I never had been so close to anyone. And that brought me to have feelings for him… for her." Ryoga looked at his girlfriend and smiled at her with complicity in his look. She understood his gaze, and squeezed his hand with a warm smile.
"I see. Well, I must admit my defeat. I had hoped to add Ranma to our tribe by marrying him with Shampoo. A warrior of his skill would have been very valuable, but there's nothing we can do now. Ranma has chosen, and he has chosen you, Ryoga Hibiki. I guess the only thing I can do is to congratulate you." Admitted the elder with resignation.
"Thanks Cologne." Replied Ryoga, bowing his head lightly. Ranma bowed too.
The pigtailed girl felt a great relief when she heard the amazon matriarch admitting her defeat, which meant the ceasing in trying to get her married to Shampoo. She had longed for this since the amazons first appeared in Nerima and Shampoo wanted to marry her. To the redhead, it seemed like an age came to an end. She wondered if this meant that a part of the craziness surrounding her had finally ended. Then, she remembered that Ryoga needed his wound to be sewed.
"Granny, we should go to see Doctor Tofu. Thanks for patching up Ryoga." Said Ranma while Ryoga stood up from his chair, ready to leave.
"Yes, you should go now." Replied the elder. "The sooner that wound gets stitched the better." Then Cologne seemed to ponder something in her mind. "Ranma, Ryoga, I'm sorry for what my great-granddaughter did. You must know that I ordered her to leave you alone and step aside, but I guess this was the only way she could see reason."
"No problem Cologne. Somehow, I understand how she feels. Luckily, no one was badly hurt. No bad feelings." Said the Lost Boy.
"Yeah, I knew this was something coming from Shampoo alone. Otherwise, you would have been there too." Replied Ranma to the elder, winking at her.
"Smart child." Cologne said smiling.
The three friends said goodbye to the amazons, taking their leave to Tofu's clinic. They took a look at the streets. It was starting to get dark, and the streetlamps were already lit. The young couple of martial artists wondered when they were going to enjoy a single day without someone trying to kill them, harass them or harm them in any other way? Was there some divine will conspiring against them? In any case, they wouldn't stop fighting anything that threatened their happiness.
Doctor Tofu took good care of Ryoga's wound. After they explained how it happened, he applied local anesthesia to the zone and stitched the cut flawlessly. A thin line over the Lost Boy's eyebrow was all that could be seen of the wound now, beside the stitches, of course. Once Ryoga had been taken care of, Akane left the couple with Tofu. She explained that Kasumi needed her help to move a few things in the dojo, so she left.
When the couple were alone with Tofu, they started to explain their new relationship, but he told them that he was already aware of the new situation. 'News travels fast', he told them. Kasumi passed by the clinic and explained everything she knew. Despite his weird behaviour every time he saw Kasumi, he forced himself to pay attention to what his eternal love interest told him, and caught enough to be aware of what happened. Despite feeling sorry for Akane, he was happy for the young couple. One must follow their heart, he said to them.
Finally, Ranma and Ryoga thanked the good Doctor for his work and help, and said goodbye to him, leaving for their home. It was already dark, and after the troubled day they had, they needed to rest.
Sometime later, the couple were home. They greeted Shirokuro, and without wasting time, they went upstairs and left the shopping bags in their room. Ryoga tossed his blood stained clothes to one side, picking up some clean pajamas and underwear, and went to have a shower. Ranma, on the other hand, changed clothes to some of her pajamas too. When she felt the comfortable garments, she felt relaxed. While Ryoga was having a shower, she went downstairs to prepare something to eat. She was too tired for something fancy, so she took a look at the fridge, and picked a couple of beef steaks. Then grabbed two packs of instant ramen, started to boil water in a pot and when it was ready, she poured the ramen inside the pot. With the ramen taken care of, she proceeded to grill the steaks on an electric griddled.
When she was preparing the cooked meals in dishes, Ryoga entered the kitchen wearing his pajamas. He leaned on the door's frame, just observing the red haired girl getting the dishes ready, love in his eyes. She turned her head to look at him, and seeing his expression, she smiled.
"I thought I could use the time you were having a shower to make some dinner. Nothing fancy this time." She said, resuming her task.
"Whatever you're preparing, it will be fine." The Lost Boy replied.
"Then you'll be enjoying a delicious beef steak and an excellent ration of instant ramen." She said in a joking tone.
"It sounds perfect to me." He said smiling.
He then approached the redheaded beauty and embraced her from behind, resting his chin of her shoulder. Then he kissed her neck, and felt under his lips the softness of her skin. She let out a light whimper.
"Mmmm, that feels good." She said closing her eyes and moaning softly.
I know." He said to her, almost whispering.
The Lost Boy kept kissing her, moving slowly from below the jawline to the base of the neck, tenderness giving way to passion. He unbuttoned her pajamas' top, and once done, started to massage her exposed large breasts. The redheaded girl was moaning louder each passing moment, his touching making her crazy.
"What about… ooohhh Kami… the food?" she said between moans.
"We can heat it up in the microwave… later." He replied, not stopping fondling her breasts, so soft, so delicious under his touch, Ryoga thought he was in a dream. At the same time, resumed his kisses on her neck.
Ranma felt his hardness pressing against her butt, and this aroused her even more. She reached a hand to his groin, and started to fondle his member over his pants, getting soft groans from the Lost Boy.
"Ranma, you're so incredible…" he whispered to her ear while gasping. He couldn't hold it much longer. The need to taste her lips, to touch her tongue with his was too much. He made her turn around to face him, and brought her lips to his, opening her mouth so his tongue found hers, and locked in a fiery dance of lust that extended over a minute.
"Ryoga…" whispered the red haired beauty, interrupting the passionate kissing. "Please, make love to me. I want to feel you inside me."
He nodded, and pulled down her pants and panties until they fell to the floor. She stepped out of them, and with one quick kick, threw them to one side. Then she did the same with Ryoga's pants and boxers.
"You want to do it here?" asked the Lost Boy with a mischievous smile.
"It's as good a place as any other." The pigtailed girl replied, returning the smile. "C'mon my love, I want you so badly." She said pleading.
"Wait, there's something special I want to do for you." He said to his increasingly desperate girlfriend.
"Something special?" she asked confused. Ryoga kneeled before her, and placed his face in front of her groin, looking up at her. "Ryoga… are you going to…?" she asked again, her boyfriend winked at her, and then spread her thighs and buried his face in her crotch, rubbing his tongue against her folds.
Ranma didn't expect this. She felt like two or three hands were caressing her womanhood at the same time, and a voluptuousness invaded her body, beginning in her sex. She groaned… no, she howled, feeling a pleasure so close to an orgasm, she wasn't sure if she was already coming. Ryoga's tongue moved with skill between her 'other' lips and her little button, electrifying her crotch, a building pleasure bigger each passing moment. She placed her hand on his head, grabbing his hair, not wanting him to stop. She was close now, and Ryoga knew, so he focused his caressing to her clit, licking it with lightning speed, stealing louder and louder moans from the beautiful redhead. Then she came, and let out a long groan, tensing her hold on the Lost Boy's head. The pleasure irradiated through her whole body, during several seconds, making her tremble. When pleasure started to retreat, she felt a little disappointment, wishing it lasted longer.
She released her boyfriend's head, panting, her legs weakened by what just happened and barely keeping her on her feet. Ryoga stood up, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and stared at her with a satisfied smile, knowing he had given her something special, something she had never experienced. Ranma returned the stare, her face as red as her hair, and gasping heavily. Her breasts rising and falling with each breath through the open pajama top.
"Ryoga… I… I can't believe what you did…" she managed to say between gasps.
"I assume you liked it?" He said kissing tenderly her chin, then her cheek.
"Fuck yeah." She replied with her eyes closed, enjoying Ryoga's kisses. "I didn't know you could do this, and that it could feel so good…" she said, still gasping.
"I didn't know either, but I like to improvise." He replied in a whisper, kissing her ear, then moving to her neck, again feeling the softness of her skin, something he loved to feel. His lips were starting to arouse her again, feeling the need of his love.
She turned around, leaning her back over him, grabbing his hand and placing it over her groin, swaying her butt against his hard manhood.
"Now it's your turn, handsome. You deserve a present. C'mon, take it." She said, brushing her skin against his.
Ryoga's heart was beating like a runaway horse. He made her lean on the countertop, with her hands resting on its surface, and positioned his member in her openness. Then he entered her, letting out a long gasp. Ranma whimpered at the sudden feeling of his member penetrating her, tilted her head back, arching her back at the intense sensation.
Ryoga grabbed her hips firmly, and moved his own hips all he could against hers, entering her up to his full length, and then moving backwards. He kept a fluid movement, in and out, groaning and panting while feeling a pleasure she could only give to him, a pleasure he didn't want to feel with anybody else, because what they were sharing was born from their love and passionate attraction for each other.
The redheaded beauty felt again her orgasm building up, growing with each thrust from her boyfriend. She could feel his hips hitting her butt, his full warm member inside her. Her body was shaking with his movements, her breasts bumping with his thrusts, her moans filling the room. They were so close now. Ryoga leaned over her, moving his hands from her hips to her breasts, fondling them, feeling their smoothness and her nipples hardness, keeping his hips pushing and pulling, until he orgasmed, releasing his seed inside her. She came too, for a second time, with her body twitching at the immense pleasure, and both let out a long groan, while Ryoga wrapped his arms around her waist, his member still releasing inside her. A few moments later they slumped to the floor, sitting on their knees side by side, panting heavily with sweat all over their bodies. They looked at each other and Ranma caressed Ryoga's face affectionately, while the Lost Boy moved some damp bangs of red hair that were covering her eyes. They smiled at each other and fused in a loving kiss. When they separated, Ranma cuddled with Ryoga, resting her head on his chest while caressing her index finger on his shoulder. Ryoga stroked her red mane with tenderness.
"That was great. Each time we do it you're getting better, lover boy." Said Ranma with her breathing steadier, looking up at her handsome boyfriend with love in her eyes.
"I think we're both getting better. You're amazing." Replied the Lost Boy. She smiled at the compliment, and kissed him with gratefulness.
When they broke the kiss, the two youngsters said nothing for a couple of minutes, just enjoying the silence and the feel of their bodies together. Then Ryoga added, kidding. "I guess I'll have to shower again."
"Yeah, me too. This is all your fault, by the way. I was minding my own business preparing dinner and you came and set me on fire with your kisses and fondling my tits. And when you kneeled and… Where did you learn to do all that?" the redheaded beauty said to him chuckling.
Ryoga laughed. "Ok, I admit it, it's my fault. But you looked so beautiful and cute in those pajamas that I had to kiss you and caress you."
"Oooh, you rascal, you were hornier than a dog in heat." Ranma teased him.
"Well, sorry. I can't help it, having the prettiest and hottest girl I have ever seen in my life as my girlfriend." Retorted Ryoga smiling.
Ranma blushed at the compliment. "You mean that?" she asked with her cheeks pink.
"Of course, every word. But not only that. You are smart, funny, strong and kind."
"Keep saying things like that and we'll have a second round here on the kitchen's floor." She said with a mischievous smirk.
"Wow, wow, if we keep having sex at this rate, we'll end up having a baby in no time." He said jokingly, but then his expression turned serious.
"Honey, what's wrong?" asked the redheaded girl with concern.
"Having a baby…" he said looking at the floor.
"Oh my…" said Ranma when she realized what he was thinking. Ryoga nodded looking at her. "Do you think… I… I can get pregnant?"
"I don't see why not. We've been having sex while you are a woman." Answered the Lost Boy.
"Yeah, but… what if there's something missing inside me? What if there's something wrong that can't let me get…? This is a curse. This body could be… a fake!" Said the redhead scared, with watery eyes. She hadn't thought about this possibility. She had been so busy accepting her female side, her womanhood, that it didn't occur to her that her curse could not be giving to her a real female body. Ryoga felt a pang of guilt inside him, because a long time ago, he thought of Ranma's girl body as a fake, but he didn't think that anymore. He was realizing that this was something important for her, and he had to soothe her fears.
"Ranma, look at me. Please, my love, look at me." Ryoga said to her while placing his hands on her shoulders. When she turned her eyes to him, he continued. "You're a real woman. Forget what Akane could have said to you, seeing perverts everywhere. Or the mean things I said to you in the past when I was an angry idiot. And forget about curses. You yourself told me that you didn't consider this a curse anymore. You have everything a woman should have. For Kami's sake, we have made love several times already, and my man's instinct tells me that your female body is perfectly ok, that I made love to a woman, that you feel the things a woman should feel. When I kiss you, I feel I'm kissing a woman, not a fake. I'm seeing you right now, and all my being tells me that I'm looking at a woman… a real woman, Ranma."
"I'm a real woman…" the pigtailed girl said with a blank stare, some tears rolling down her cheeks. Then she looked at her boyfriend, who had a pained expression, worried about her. "Ryoga… thank you." She said to him, and then hugged him, resting her head on his shoulder. "Thank you for being with me… Thank you for loving me."
Ryoga felt tears forming in the corner of his eyes, and squeezed tightly his girlfriend. After a few seconds, he put some space between them so he could see her face. "Look, if you still have some doubts, we'll see Doctor Tofu tomorrow. I'm sure he's absolutely able to tell you for certain what I already know, that you are a real, complete woman. And we'll ask him about the pregnancy thing as well. Ok?"
"Ok" she smiled, and rested her head again on Ryoga's shoulder.
They stayed that way for a few more seconds. Then they broke the hug, and Ryoga talked. "Let's have a shower. We can do it together upstairs. The shower tray is big enough for both of us. After that, we can heat the food in the microwave and eat something. I don't know about you, but I'm hungry." He told her smiling.
"Ok, but both of us will be guys when we shower together." Said Ranma, with some concern in her eyes.
"I don't have any problem with that. Do you?"
Ranma smiled, comforted by her boyfriend's words. "No, I don't."
"Then let's go." He said, giving her a quick kiss.
Ranma and Ryoga were at the door of Tofu's clinic. Ranma's day at school was luckily uneventful. He feared they could have drawn something again on his desk, but to his relief, it was clean. Ukyo, Akane, Hiroshi and Daisuke stayed with him the whole day, and the rest of classmates limited themselves to stare at him from time to time, but nobody tried to tease him or make fun of him.
When Ryoga came back from work, Ranma changed to girl form, she put on some jeans and a blouse, and they went to see Doctor Tofu as soon as his clinic opened in the afternoon.
The young couple entered the clinic, and stayed in the waiting room. They called for the doctor, who quickly appeared in the room.
"Ranma! Ryoga! I didn't expect to see you so soon. Is there a problem with the wound, Ryoga?" said Tofu as soon as he saw them.
"No, the wound is fine Doctor. You did a great job treating it. We're here for something about Ranma. She has some concerns… regarding her female body." Explained Ryoga.
"Ok. Let's sit at my office and you can explain to me what those concerns are." Told them the Doctor, inviting them with his hand to enter his office.
The young couple followed him. The room was ample, with several storage cabinets on the walls and a few posters with anatomic images. Doctor Tofu's desk rested on one side of the room, with a monitor and a keyboard on it. He had computerized his patients' records some months ago, lightening the administrative workload. His old plastic skeleton was standing behind the desk, in front of a window. Once everyone was seated, Tofu asked Ranma.
"Ranma, tell me. What troubles you?"
The redheaded girl didn't talk immediately. She hesitated for a few seconds. Then she felt Ryoga's hand on her shoulder, and her courage strengthened.
"I… I have come to accept my girl half as a part of me. When I change to female, I don't feel it as a curse, not anymore. I feel it as I'm still me. Both bodies are part of me. But yesterday, Ryoga mentioned something about having babies, and I suddenly feared… that this body could not be complete. That… because it's caused by a curse, it may be a fake, it may be missing things a real woman would have. I…" Ranma stopped for a moment. "I'm sorry Doctor, I guess you're thinking I make no sense." Said the young girl, staring at the floor.
Tofu had been listening to Ranma very carefully, and when she finished, he shook his head. "Not at all Ranma. I understand what you're trying to tell me. You fear that your female body may not be capable of doing everything a woman's body would do, and you're thinking in one thing in particular. You said that these concerns appeared when you were talking about having children. Are you… planning to start a family?" Tofu asked the couple.
Both youngsters blushed intensely. Ryoga was the first to talk. "The topic just came up yesterday, so we haven't talked about it seriously, but if… if Ranma wants, I'd love to have a baby with her, someday. But just if she feels ready and wants to do it. If not, I'll still be happy just to be with her."
Ranma wished that Ryoga hadn't been so sincere. The possibility of having a baby was still something weird for her. She just had accepted her feminine side, for Kami's sake. But wasn't having a baby part of being a woman? Wasn't her fear of not being a real woman because she was afraid she couldn't be a mother?
"I think I'm not yet prepared for that, but it's something I don't want to rule out." Said Ranma.
"And that's why you fear that you may not be a real woman. I really doubt that there could be something wrong with you, Ranma, but I can examine you and run some tests, to ease your concern. Come with me to the examination room." Said Doctor Tofu while standing up.
Ranma stood up as well, an embarrassed expression on her face, and followed the Doctor under the concerned gaze of her boyfriend. When she was about to enter the examination room, Tofu placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't be afraid, Ranma. This is a safe place. Your privacy is absolute, and I'm not going to hurt you, so leave any fear behind."
She nodded, a timid smile on her face, and entered the room. The Doctor followed her and closed the door.
Ryoga waited impatiently. He was nervous. He didn't really care if Tofu discovered that Ranma was missing something or that something wasn't right, as long as she would be ok. He loved her, and that was all that mattered to him, but feared that if the Doctor found something, it could hurt Ranma's self-esteem and her confidence. He knew how important was for her girlfriend her womanhood now that she had come to terms with her female half. He didn't want to call it 'curse', because to him or to her, it wasn't. At least Ranma's. His, on the other hand, was a whole different kettle of fish.
What he said to Tofu was the truth though. He'd love to have a baby someday with Ranma. The Lost Boy let his imagination run free for a moment, and imagined Ranma, her hair loose and prettier than ever, holding in her arms a beautiful baby girl with red hair, just like her mother. He was beside them, making funny faces to their daughter. Could they achieve something like that? He kept his hope that someday, they could…
After a while, the examination room's door opened, interrupting Ryoga's thoughts. Ranma exited the room and sat down beside him. She was sweating a little and looked troubled. Ryoga held his breath.
Doctor Tofu followed her and he sat down on his chair, behind the desk. "Ok, according to the physical examination and the test I run, you're perfectly right Ranma." He said smiling. The faces of both youngsters lit up like the sun, hugging each other. Both felt like a huge weight was lifted from their bodies. "Yes, ovaries and uterus, everything is where it should be and looks perfectly fine. The ultrasound scan I ran on you confirmed it. You're a perfectly normal, healthy woman, Ranma. And you can get pregnant and have a baby, if that's what you decide in the future."
Ranma couldn't be any happier. She felt relieved, and complete. All her concerns forgotten. Ryoga was equally happy for her. They could be parents someday, if Ranma wanted. However, he remembered that there was another matter that troubled them, and that they needed to tell the Doctor.
"Doctor…" started Ryoga, but was having some trouble continuing.
Tofu saw his face and asked. "What's the matter, Ryoga? Do you have more concerns?"
"Yeah... There's something else we need to tell you… We…we had…" he tried to explain. Ranma knew what he was trying to say, and her face went red as her hair.
"Take it easy Ryoga. Breathe deeply. You can tell me." Tried to reassure the good Doctor.
"We've had sex a few times… unprotected sex, and since Ranma can get pregnant, we wanted to ask you if you could…" managed to say the Lost Boy, blushing furiously.
Doctor Tofu showed them a sympathetic expression. "Of course Ryoga, we can run a pregnancy test on Ranma. Don't be ashamed. Having sexual relationships is perfectly normal for a couple of your age. But you need to be careful if you don't want an accident to happen."
Tofu then stood up from his chair, and opened a drawer from a storage cabinet in the other side of the room. He picked up a little long box, opened it and took out a long device like a pen, and gave it to Ranma. "Here. I need you to go to the bathroom and pee on the mark of this device. Wait for a few minutes. If you see this line here, the control line, the test is correctly done, and if you see a second line here, it'll show a positive result, meaning you're pregnant."
Ranma gulped. Looked at her boyfriend, then at the device. Then she stood up and went to the bathroom, which door was right in the office. Again Ryoga had to wait. This time he was really nervous. What would they do if the test was positive? He would be a father, but their life right now was rather convoluted to have to deal with a pregnancy too. He didn't have to wait much longer to clarify the doubts. After a few minutes, Ranma exited the bathroom with the test device in her hand. She looked relieved.
"Just the control line. I'm not pregnant." She said smiling. Ryoga let out a long sigh. He approached her and hugged her tightly, feeling relieved as well.
"Excellent Ranma. I hope that all your concerns are now gone." Said Doctor Tofu.
"Yeah. Thank you Doctor. You're awesome." Said the pigtailed girl to the good Doctor.
"Oh, come on. You don't need to thank me. It's my job." He said, blushing a little.
"Doctor, what… um… protection should we use when, you know…?" asked Ryoga.
"Oh, just use a condom each time you have sex. It's really secure and cheap, but it's not foolproof. If Ranma suspects she could be pregnant, run a pregnancy test immediately. I can give you a few, but you'll have to buy more in a pharmacy." Replied Tofu, then going again to one of the storage cabinets and coming back with a few packaged condoms, which he gave to Ryoga. "On the other hand, Ranma could take contraceptive pills. She would have to take them on a daily basis. I don't recommend them though. With the ability to change genders, if Ranma was in male form while taking the pills, he would receive large quantities of female hormones that could have undesired effects on the male body, some of them even dangerous. So stay away from them. Ok? Just stick to the condoms."
"Ok Doctor." Replied the pigtailed girl nodding. "I have a final question, if you don't mind." said the redheaded beauty.
"Of course Ranma. Go ahead." Replied Tofu.
"If I got pregnant… not now of course, in the future… and I decided to give birth, what would happen if I accidentally changed to male form during the pregnancy? Would that kill the baby?" she asked, again concern in her voice.
"Sadly, I'm not very versed in curses, Ranma. I think it would all depend on how advanced you were in the pregnancy and what would happen with the embryo or fetus after you change. The embryo or fetus would be considered a foreign object in your body when you change to male form, and I don't know if the curse would make it disappear, or would try to relocate it inside your body. If it disappears, there would be no danger to your life, though I know that would be of little comfort to you, losing the child. If the curse keeps the embryo inside you, beyond the sixth week, it would be big enough to cause damage to your body, and if you would be in the final weeks of your pregnancy, it would certainly kill you." Tofu could saw the pain in both youngsters. Ryoga especially was horrified. Not only would he lose his child, but Ranma as well.
"I don't want to discourage you with all this." Continued the Doctor. "But you have to know the risks if an accident happens with your curse. In any case, I'm sure there must be ways to lock your curse so you can't change even when splashed with hot water."
"Yeah!" exclaimed Ranma relieved. Up to that moment she hadn't thought of the different ways she knew that could stop her changing. "We can use the water-proof soap to prevent me changing, and there's also the Pail of Preservation Herb used on me when we met him. It would lock me permanently though. And surely Cologne would know more methods to lock my ability to change."
"Cologne? You mean Shampoo's great-grandmother? Of course! She is an expert in curses. She could guide you way better than me in this matter." Said Tofu. "Anyways, you should not worry yourselves with these questions yet. You don't plan to have a baby in the short term, so you can wait until you make up your mind, and then consult Cologne about what would be the best way to prevent you from changing."
Ranma nodded. "You're right, Doctor. We need to talk about this a lot more before I can make a decision. Thank you for all the help. I really appreciate it." She thanked the Doctor.
"No problem. I'm your Doctor, and it's my duty to help you in every way I can. You can visit me whenever you want if you have more concerns." Replied Tofu with his gentle smile.
"Thanks Doctor. You've been of great help." Thanked the Lost Boy too. "We should take our leave Ranma."
"Ok." She said smirking. The young couple said goodbye to the Doctor and left the clinic holding hands. Once outside, Ranma turned to look at her boyfriend.
"Thank you Ryo. If you hadn't suggested coming here I would have had an anxiety attack. This really had me worried." Said the pigtailed girl with appreciation for her boyfriend in her face. The way Ryoga always tried to help her with her problems made her feel safe, and loved. She had never felt this way, always depending only on herself to get by. She had been so lonely, despite being surrounded by people throughout the last year and a half. One could argue that she had Akane, but the short haired girl never understood her. And the impossibility to communicate with her in a civilized way, made the redhead feel rejected all the times she argued with her. With Ryoga on the other hand, she had his understanding, his friendship, his complicity. He was not only a boyfriend, but a partner and someone who would help her in every way he could. She could depend on him, something she never dared to do with anyone else before.
"I already knew your female body is fine. But you needed reassurance and confirmation from a professional. I hope that this soothed your fears." Said the Lost Boy.
"Yeah, it did. I'll never doubt again." She said smiling. Then went silent, thinking about something for a few moments. "Hey, it's still early. How about taking a walk to a park I know near here. It's on our way home, and I think it has a food and drink stand. I'm not hungry yet, but we can order something to drink and enjoy it there. Maybe lay down in the grass, snuggling together?" She told him, drawing circles with her index finger on his chest.
"The two of us, resting on this nice day in the grass with some cold drinks, and cuddling to each other? It sounds delightful, beauty. Lead the way." Ryoga said, extending his arm inviting the redheaded girl to guide him. She grabbed his hand, kissed his cheek and began to walk with joy. The visit to Doctor Tofu had lightened her mood. Her concerns about her womanhood alleviated. She was a real, complete and fully functioning woman. It still amazed her that this could make her this happy. She had no worries about her male side, but if she was going to accept being a woman as well, she wanted the whole package. That meant being able to start a family, even if she hadn't yet decided that's what she wanted to do in the future. With that out of the way, the only thing she was hoping for in this moment was to enjoy what was left of the afternoon quietly and in the company of the man she loved.
Ryoga was leaning his back against the trunk of a large tree, an iced tea drink in one of his hands and the other one stroking the red hair of his girlfriend, who was laying in the grass face up, with her head resting on his lap, looking at him pensive. The Lost Boy was staring at another couple who were enjoying their drinks and the good weather, sitting in the grass ten or fifteen metres away from them. He smiled. Dozens of couples and families had the same idea as them.
Ranma took the drink from his hand, sat up a little and took a sip of the soda. Then gave it back to him, and rested her head on his lap again.
"Did you mean what you said to Tofu, Ryoga?" asked him the redhead.
"What do you refer to?" replied the Lost Boy, turning his eyes to her.
"When you said that you would love to have a baby with me." She clarified.
"Of course." He paused for a moment. "You've become the most important person for me, Ranma, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. We have the chance to have a baby, if you want, and I would love to share something so precious with you."
"I can have a baby… It's so crazy. I still feel funny thinking about it. Half a year ago I still considered myself a man among men, now we're talking about having a child together. This is going so fast…" she reflected, her gaze fixed at the sky.
Ryoga placed his hand on her cheek, wanting to get her attention. "Ranma, you don't have to take that decision tomorrow, nor the next year. Just you know that the option is there, waiting until you feel ready. And if you think that this decision is too much for you, that's it. We won't talk about it never again. The last thing I want is you feeling pressured, or scared. To me, the thing I care the most is to be with you."
The redheaded girl smiled to him, grabbed his hand and kissed it. "Thank you Ryoga. Don't worry, I don't feel anything of that. It's just that I need to get used to the idea."
"Then take all the time you need." He said, squeezing her hand.
"'A man among men'. What a pile of bullshit." She said after a moment.
"That's your father's fault, not yours. Forget what he taught you, and just be yourself. Be the person you want to be, not the person others wanted you to be."
"I know. Right now what I want to be is the person you love, and the one who loves you." That made Ryoga smile. "But beyond that, I don't know if I want to be a sensei, a mother or just a waitress. My future is surrounded by a dark mist."
"You'll know when the time comes. For now, just live the present. We'll think about the future later. Come here…" said Ryoga, wanting to reassure her. He made Ranma to sit up and wrap her arms around him, wrapping his around her. "Whatever comes, we'll face it together."
"Yes, together…" repeated the redhead beauty.
The couple of martial artists watched the sun set on the horizon, an intense orange sky behind the shiny ball. Ranma now had to worry about a new challenge in her life: motherhood. Something so alien to her, that up until now, since she had the curse, it never crossed her mind. Now she knew it was possible. She could create life. Did she want something like that? Was she prepared? Only time would tell.