Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Wounded (now with spacing) ❯ Chapter 6 ( Chapter 6 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

By: Bate

Chapter 6

“Hey, Akane!” Ranma ran after a familiar girl in yellow shorts and a white Chinese sleeveless top, jumping in front of her. He looked at the girl, her short, styled hair, the delicate lines of her face, and turned around again. “I'm sorry. Wrong girl.” He was just about to walk off as he heard a familiar voice.

“Who are you looking for?”

“A-akane? Is that you?”

“It's better this way, don't you think so? At least they can't grab my hair in combat anymore.” She smiled sweetly at him. He stared at her, amazed at how much her hairstyle changed her. In front of him stood a proud, fierce woman - tomboyish, but beautiful. Her short spiky hair framed her face, enhancing her soft chocolate eyes, her cute little nose, the velvet skin, and her bright smile. Ranma felt like he was looking at divinity, struggling to not fall to his knees and praise her.

“You know, I used to have short hair when I was a little girl. But I had a crush on our local chiropractor, and in an attempt to look more like my oldest sister Kasumi I decided to let my hair grow. Silly, isn't it?”

Ranma tried to hide his jealousy, muttering a mantra of `uncute, unsexy, tomboy' in his head, but it wasn't very effective as he was drinking in her new look.

“It looks good. Suits you.” He managed to get out.

“Thank you, that's nice said.” She sent another warm smile to him, blushing prettily. “So, are you out shopping?”

“Nah, I was just bored, I haven't had much to do since our last assignment, so I decided to take a trip downtown. What about you?”

“There's a couple of things I need to get, but so far I've just been strolling about. Would you like to join me for an ice-cream?”

“Sure.” He said nervously, trotting besides her.

Akane looked at him from the corner of her eyes, her thoughts racing. #He said he liked it! I didn't care about what my father said when I got it cut, nor my sisters or any of my friends, but a nice word from him and my heart races... Mmm… He looks good in that tank top he's wearing. He's so well built… strong and handsome. All the girls we meet are eyeing him. Hah!#

Ranma automatically opened the door to the ice-cream shop for her, and she curtsied mischievously to him.

“Thank you, O bold knight.” She giggled.

“My pleasure, fair Lady.” Ranma bowed theatrically back, and they laughed as they went to sit at a slightly private table. Looking through the menu, Akane spoke.

“So, you mentioned something about Amazons the other day… Want to talk about it?”

“Oh yeah, I'd forgotten all about that. I guess I can tell you - you're my friend, right?”

“Right!” Akane agreed.

“Let's order first. I need something to lighten the story with…”

“Oh… Hm, I think I'll have a Banana Split…”

“I'll have one too, and a Strawberry Delight and a Sundae Surprise, and maybe the Tokyo Special also.” Ranma smiled at the shocked look on Akane's face. “I'm a big boy, so I need more than small girls like you…” he teased.

Akane almost asked how big, but bit her tongue, ignoring the warm look Ranma gave her. She sighed thankfully as their ice creams finally arrived. Diving for her Banana Split, she waved her spoon at Ranma, indicating that he could start talking.

“Okay, okay… After Jusenkyo the guide took me and pop to an Amazon village, and before the guide could warn us, we had eaten of the tribe's first prise in the Fighting competition they held that day. The girl that had won came charging at me, and when the guide explained that it was her prise I thought it would be solved if I beat her. So - in my girl form - I tossed her off the fighting log. She came up and kissed me on the cheek and our guide freaked. The girl had just given me The Kiss of Death, a promise to hunt me down and kill me. We tried to shake her off for weeks. One day we ran into her again, but this time I was in my boy form. As I've said before, I seldom notice if I change, so I reacted automatically and knocked her out. When she woke, she kissed me again, but this time it was The Kiss of Marriage… As far as I could understand the Amazon laws say that if an outsider beat you in combat, you must kill her if it's a girl, and marry him if it's a boy. I tried to explain things, but it was no good. Besides, it was before I met the Gentleman fighter… Now I had her hunting me trying to bring me back to her village as her husband, and soon she had also recruited her ancient great-grandmother, a nasty little witch. There was also a scorned lover involved - this guy named Mousse was head over heals in love with Shampoo, who chased me. Shampoo would show up trying to seduce me all the time, Mousse would always ambush me, but worst was the old goat who knew lots of magic and had centuries of experience. She taught me several techniques, trying to bribe me into going home with her great-granddaughter, but somehow I always managed to slip away. I even beat her in combat once, using C-cat-Fu…”

“You know Cat-Fu?” Akane interrupted. “Isn't that a banned technique?”

“Yeah. But my old man didn't bother to read the manual through until after he'd trained me, and now I have an extreme phobia for all c-cats. If I'm exposed to c-c... felines, I snap and turn into one mentally. I never remember what I've done, but I'm told that I'm incredible fast when I'm in that state, and that my chi takes form as claws, shredding everything…”

“So, what happened when you used Cat-Fu against the old Amazon?”

“I don't know…” Ranma said sadly, fiddling with the rest of his Strawberry Delight. “I woke up several miles away from where I'd been exposed. The only way I snap out of it is if I feel safe, or if my curse is triggered. I haven't heard from the Amazons since, but I hope they just gave up… If you've noticed this scar on my left cheek..?” Akane nodded. “…I got it after that night. It's also the last time I ever saw pop…” Ranma looked down, studying the table cloth. Akane reached over and took his hand, squeezing it lightly.

“Ranma… Nothing of this is your fault… And if I know you right I believe that you just scared the Amazons off. I don't think you'd ever hurt anyone on purpose…” He looked up at her, his eyes shadowed with sadness.

“That's just it, Akane… I don't have control when I'm feline… I never remember anything, how can I believe that I won't hurt people - again…”

“You know what, I'll check up on this Cat-Fu business, and I'll see if I can find some sort of a cure, or at least a way to control it. Does that sound good to you?” She patted his hand reassuringly, wanting to help him so badly.

“Thank you… I've never met anyone who is as nice to me as you are, Akane…” He gripped her hand, studying it. She noticed how small her hands were in comparison to his, and even though hers were rough and strong they were like silk compared to his calloused and scarred hands. She swallowed nervously.

“Uhm… I'd better get going, got to do some shopping before the store closes.”

“Oh, okay… Do you want me to walk you there?”

“That's up to you… I don't mind though.” She got up and left money on the table for her ice-cream. Ranma tossed out some money too, and walked after her. “Could you get me a copy of anything you find about C-c… you know… the feline-thing..?” Deep in thought he didn't notice a woman trip nearby before it was too late and he got drenched in cold soda. The woman who had splashed him was spluttering out apologies, and looking pretty confused. Akane grabbed him by his now small hand before he could say anything to the flushed woman, and dragged the now redheaded girl out the door and down the street.

“Don't worry, I'll copy everything I can find for you. Now lets go get you cleaned up… That stuff is pretty sticky…” He could hear the laughter in her voice, and it made him feel better.

“Here, you go into this restroom and get cleaned up… Meanwhile, I'll just go into this store and get some stuff I need, okay?”

“Thanks. I hope they've got some hot water in here…” Ranma grumbled.

“Why? Is it that bad to be a girl?” Akane turned to herhim.

“You don't mind?” he looked surprised.

“No, should I? You're still you, aren't you? I don't care, as long as it doesn't change who you are…” she winked at him and went into the store she had indicated. Ranma locked the restroom door after him to get some privacy, and tried to clean out the sugary-stickiness from his now too large clothes. Typically there was no hot water there, but he felt better after a quick wash-off anyway, and even got dried up under the hot-air blower that was for drying your hands.

Walking into the store Akane had vanished into, he asked the woman behind the counter for Akane, describing her. Following the instructions he got, he barged right into the changing-room Akane was in, just as she was trying on some underwear. She was wearing only a small yellow silk-thong and a matching strapless silk-bra, taking off the bra at that moment, and Ranma panicked trying to get back out of the changing room, banging his head in the door in the rush.

“Iiik! A pervert!” Akane screamed as she spun around, holding her arms in front of her naked breasts. “Wha-? Ranma! What are you doing in here! Get out!”

“I'm sorry, Akane!” Ranma tried to find his way back out with his hands covering his eyes, banging into another wall as he tried to explain. “I just asked the sales clerk if she had seen you, and she sent me in here! If I'd known you'd been naked I wouldn't have rushed in here like this! Sorry!”

“Off course she told you where I was, you're still a girl! She couldn't smell you're a boy! Now get out!” She took a hold of his slim shoulders and pushed him hard through the door behind him, making him land on his back on the other side of the store with a crash. He just laid still for a while, listening to the grumbling swearing that came from an enraged Akane.

“Did he call my name first - nooo. Did he ask the clerk what I was doing - nooo. Did he look to see what kind of store he was in - nooo. God damn, where's my fucking bra?”

In spite of the bruise Ranma could feel was forming around his eye and the bumps on his head, he could see the humour in the situation, but the chuckle stopped in his throat as he suddenly realised what he had just seen and done. #Oh, man… Fuck… Tipple-fuck! Oh, well, at least I'm not a guy, so there's no boner to embarrass me even more… Though I probably hadn't been told where she was if I were a guy… Wow, she sure is strong! But I've got a feeling I got off the hook way too easy… Better be careful…#

Akane slammed open the door to her changing room, standing in the opening looking like an angel of vengeance, fixing Ranma with a fierce stare.

“You… you…” she was breathing hard, waving the yellow underwear she'd been trying at him. When she noticed what she was pointing with, she hid it behind her back before she stalked off to the checkout counter, muttering under her breath. Ranma carefully got back on his feet, walking slowly after her. At the counter the clerk seemed terrified of the smouldering Akane, trying to sooth her with small-talk.

“Was the underwear to your satisfaction?” the clerk asked nervously.

“It's fine, I'll take it.”

“I see your friend found you.” The clerk tried again.

“Yes.”

Wanting to get this awful customer go away, the clerk hurriedly packed up the underwear and gave Akane the correct change, practically pushing the things at her. Without a word, Akane turned and left the store. Ranma gave the clerk an apologetic look, and jogged after her.

“Hey! Akane! Wait up!”

Akane froze, turning slowly to Ranma who slowed down as Akane stared at him with a slightly flaming battle-aura.

“You are this close to being punted into the stratosphere.” Akane whispered, indicating a quarter of an inch with her thumb and index finger.

“Chill it, will you… I didn't mean to walk in on you like that…”

Akane just turned and walked off. Ranma fell in besides her, trying to cool her down.

“What do you want me to do? I've already got a black eye forming, and you knocked me across the store…”

Akane didn't say anything, but her walk slowed a bit. Feeling lucky, Ranma continued.

“…Besides, it's not like you've got anything to be ashamed of or anything..!” This brought Akane to a full-stop again.

“What do you mean by that!” she demanded, feeling her rage rise again.

“I'm just saying that I can understand that you'd been angry if you'd turned out to be uncute, built like a stick, unsexy, with thighs too thick, flat-chested, sexless, etc…” Akane felt more and more depressed with every word Ranma spoke. “… but you're not, so cool down will ya.”

Looking at the small red-head in front of her, Akane felt a storm of confusing feelings battling for control, stretching from joy and rage, to shyness and hysterical laughter. #What's going on here? How can he make me loose control like this? I haven't been this moody since I was 16! And even when he looks like a girl I respond to him as if he was a boy! Well, he is a boy, but I shouldn't feel the way I do when he's a girl too, should I?# Ranma cocked his head, looking up at Akane with a grin. Sighing with defeat, Akane rolled her eyes towards the sky and beckoned for Ranma to follow her.

“Come on, let's get you some hot water. I don't think I can take this kind of a shock twice in one day…”