All Ranma characters are property of Rumiko Takahashi, first published
by Shogakugan in Japan and brought over to North America by Viz
Communications.
Addicted pt 8
Ryoga froze, too terrified to faint. Expecting to die in the next
few seconds, his heart pounded, getting his body ready to run.
Completely stunned, Ukyo and Akane were also frozen. They had been
relaxed and aroused by each other, expecting a leisurely soak before
going to Akane's room and consummating their marriage to each other.
The sudden arrival of Ryoga between them was nearly incomprehensible.
Facing Akane, jammed up against her in fact, Ryoga found himself looking
squarely into her eyes. The confusion he found there, slowly changing
to comprehension, paralyzed him to the point that the sensation of her
body pressed tightly along his didn't fully register. Ryoga watched
spellbound as Akane's face continued to change expression, now going
from comprehension to growing rage.
Ukyo finally overcame her own shock, backing away from the lost
boy. "Ryoga?" She said the name in disbelief, even though the ever
present bandana around his head obviously identified him. With Ukyo now
longer holding him pinned to the youngest Tendo, Ryoga found himself
drifting away from Akane as her battle aura started to manifest.
"P-chan!?!" Akane growled. "You're P-CHAN?!?"
Ryoga backed away another step as Akane's aura lit up the room.
"A-Akane... I... I...." Waving his hands wildly, he tried to explain.
"I never... never took advantage... I never looked... really!"
"Well, you're looking now." Akane stated coldly, her aura crackling
red around her like some archangel of death. She raised a fist and
stepped forward with a blow that would take even the inhumanly strong
Ryoga's head off, and missed.
Ryoga lost consciousness as Akane's words registered and he realized
that he was indeed staring at Akane in the buff. The lost boy slid into
the water under Akane's punch, which literally left air crackling in its
wake. Akane's aura faded as she realized that Ryoga had fainted and was
currently drowning in the tub.
"Ryoga!" Akane screamed, shaking in fury. "Wake up so I can kill
you!"
Ukyo, seeing Akane's battle aura start to fade, ventured closer to
take a look. "Nope, he's out cold."
Akane clenched her fists, glaring down at Ryoga while grinding her
teeth. "I can't believe... he's been fooling me... all this time!"
With a snarl, Akane stomped out of the tub, grabbed a towel and wrapped
it around her. Still dripping, she angrily stomped away.
Ukyo wanted to follow, but one glance at Ryoga stopped her. "Damn
it, Ryoga. Why do I have to save you?" She grimaced and grabbed Ryoga
by the shoulders and started dragging him out of the furo. She dragged
him up on the tiles just as the door opened again. Nabiki and Kasumi,
both still naked, peered in.
"What's going on in... here...?" Nabiki trailed off, blushing
slightly.
Kasumi summed up her feelings succinctly. "Oh my."
Ukyo dropped Ryoga face first onto the tile floor. "Hey.... This
isn't what it looks like!"
Nabiki raised an eyebrow. "It looks like Ryoga fainted in the tub,
and you just dragged him out."
Ukyo blinked. "OK, I guess it is what it looks like."
Kasumi put her hand to her mouth. "Oh my. Did Ryoga-kun get lost
in the bathroom?" Only blushing slightly she came into the bath. "Did
Akane injure him? She seemed very angry." Ukyo rolled her eyes and
grabbed a towel off the wall. Shrugging she dropped it over Ryoga's
lower half.
"You idiot." Ukyo turned to walk away. "Leave him. The pig isn't
hurt." She pushed past Nabiki and exited the bath, muttering darkly to
herself.
Nabiki raised an eyebrow and glanced down at the unconscious Ryoga.
"What are we going to do with him?"
Kasumi sighed softly. "Ryoga-kun will catch cold if we leave him
here on the floor. Nabiki, help me carry Ryoga to the spare room. I
don't think anyone else will be using it tonight."
Nabiki shrugged and nodded. "OK, Kasumi, I'm yours to command,
tonight." Kasumi smiled faintly, blushing shyly as her eyes roamed once
over her younger sister's body. Nabiki found herself blushing as well,
and moved forward to help Kasumi move the lost boy.
Ukyo found Akane in her room, dressed in her pajamas and sobbing
quietly into her pillow. Months ago, Ukyo would have found herself
frozen in a similar situation. Now, however, she simply found herself
hugging Akane from behind, putting her arms around her waist and kissing
the back of Akane's head.
Akane stiffened for a moment, then relaxed into Ukyo's arms.
"Why?" Akane asked softly. "Why did he do it?"
Ukyo tried to come up with an answer. "I don't know, really. The
guy had a crush on you, you know. I guess he was afraid to tell you."
Ukyo shook her head. "I can't believe no one figured it out. I mean,
P-chan was your pet for how long?"
Akane stiffened again. "He was my pet! How was I supposed to guess
he was Ryoga? What kind of person would let himself be treated like an
animal?"
Ukyo frowned to herself. "Well, Ryoga was never very big on self
esteem. For him it was probably the nicest anyone treated him in a long
time. I mean the guy doesn't see his family except by luck and I don't
think he has any real friends... besides Ranma."
Akane blinked in astonishment and turned inside Ukyo's grip to face
her. "I can't believe you're defending him!" She paused, blushing
slightly. "Um... would you like to borrow something to sleep in?"
Ukyo looked down at herself, blushed slightly, then met Akane's eyes
with her own. "I'm not defending Ryoga... I just... understand him,
maybe." She slowly drew away from Akane. "I guess I could borrow a
shirt."
Akane lowered her head to Ukyo's shoulder. "I'm sorry, I don't want
to be mad with you." She growled softly. "It's Ryoga I'm mad at."
Akane raised her head and slipped from the bed. "A shirt? I've got a
long shirt or two in my dresser." She opened a drawer and started going
through it. Akane pulled out a long white tee shirt with a picture of
Sailor V on it. "Here, Ukyo." She handed the chef the shirt. "I'm not
really in the mood anymore, OK?"
Ukyo took the shirt and quickly pulled it over her head. "Me
either, Akane-chan. I'm still a little bit in shock."
Akane sat down on the bed next to her. "Me too. I can't believe he
fooled me for so long."
Ukyo hesitated. "Maybe it was more of a case of not wanting to
see...."
Akane closed her eyes and lay back on the bed. "I don't know." She
whispered softly. "Why? Why didn't I notice?" Ukyo lay down next to
Akane, turning on her side to look at her. For several long minutes the
two girls lay silently in the darkened room. Akane spoke up quietly.
"I should have known, the way Ranma was always calling him P-chan, and
how he kept coming into my room with a kettle...." Her eyes went wide.
"Ranma! He knew!" She shot up from the bed and to her feet in an
instant. "Why that... jerk! He knew all along!" Akane started
stomping off, her aura flaring to life again.
Ukyo rolled out of bed to go after her. "Akane, wait. I'm sure
there was some sort of reason."
Akane stopped at the doorway and fixed Ukyo with a questioning
look. "What reason?"
Ukyo hesitated, then shook her head. "Actually, I haven't the
foggiest...."
********************
Shampoo lay cuddled up against Ranma's chest, an extremely content
smile on her face. "Shampoo very, very happy, Airen."
Ranma nodded slightly. "Um hmm." His brow furrowed. "Shampoo, did
you hear something earlier? I thought I heard Akane yell or something?"
Shampoo pouted a bit. "Why is Ranma worried about Akane? You is
with Shampoo now. Akane is fine, probably is having too too nice time
with other wives, yes?"
Ranma swallowed, picturing that. "Oh... yeah, I suppose."
Shampoo started running a finger around and around the center of
Ranma's chest. "Ranma, Shampoo want to know truth... truth of how Ranma
feel about Shampoo."
Ranma blinked, turning his head toward her. "What do you mean,
Shampoo, I l-love you... you know that, right?"
Shampoo nodded, then fixed him with a steady gaze. "Shampoo know
this... but not know if is faithfulness drug talking or is Ranma." She
sniffed slightly. "Shampoo want to know truth. Did Ranma love Shampoo
before?"
Ranma froze, trying to think of something to say. "Shampoo... you
know that I... I...."
Shampoo's eyebrow's twitched in agitation. "Ranma tell truth now.
No keep lie in marriage, is very bad for beginning."
Ranma sighed. "Shampoo...." He took a deep breath. "I liked you a
lot, Shampoo. You were one of the people I cared about." Ranma shook
his head. "I'm not even sure if I knew what love was back then."
Shampoo was silent for several moments. "Did Ranma love anyone else
more than Shampoo? If we not drugged, who would Ranma be with?"
Ranma shook his head. "I don't think I would have been with anyone,
Shampoo. I couldn't hurt any of you. I know you all loved me, and I
couldn't just dump you all like that."
Shampoo frowned. "Ranma try dump Shampoo many times. Say, go back
to China, say find someone else, say no love Shampoo...."
Ranma gulped. "Shampoo! I... I... I just didn't want to be forced
into marrying anyone... just because of your laws, or some contract Pops
signed when I was a kid...."
Shampoo sighed. "Shampoo know this." She looked away. "Did Airen
love Akane?" She glanced back at him earnestly. "Does Ranma love Akane
most?"
Ranma was quiet again. "I... I don't know... maybe. We were always
fighting... but... I cared for her a lot. I... I worry about her all
the time." He looked at Shampoo. "This isn't a contest, Shampoo. It
shouldn't matter how much I love each of you. I love you, and Ukyo, and
Akane, and even Kasumi and Nabiki. Before we got drugged I wasn't able
to admit how I felt. Now... everything's different, and we gotta try
and make it work."
Shampoo nodded slowly. "Yes, Airen, is true. Everything is
different now." She wrinkled her nose. "Shampoo not know what she
should think... just, is worried about how Ranma think of her."
Ranma smiled and stroked her hair gently. "Shampoo, drugged or not,
addicted to each other or not, I always liked you. I never wanted to
hurt you. That's never changed. I'm going to do my best to make you
happy, cause I know I do love you now. What happened before, it don't
matter."
Shampoo sighed again. "Shampoo understand."
Ranma frowned. "Shampoo, I think that everyone in our... marriage
is going to be having doubts for awhile. Everyone is going to be
wondering if this is right, if anyone really loves them...." He
shrugged. "We just gotta be patient. You know that the others love
you, just like I do. Just like you love them... right?"
Shampoo smiled and nodded. "Yes, Shampoo does love them all. Is
good feeling." She shook her head in embarrassment. "Shampoo silly to
worry."
Ranma smiled. "Nah, like I said, I'm sure everyone's worried just
like you. We gotta make sure everybody knows we love em, so that they
don't have to worry anymore."
Shampoo was about to answer when the door to Ranma's room burst
open, a redly glowing Akane standing angrily there. Ukyo held on to her
from behind, trying to calm her down. Ranma and Shampoo sat up
immediately in shock, Ranma trying to push Shampoo behind him
reflexively. Akane looked like she wanted to kill him, but something
was holding her back.
Ranma waved his hand at Akane defensively. "Akane! I... I mean...
we...." He blinked. "Hey, wait a second, we're married... we weren't
doing anything wrong."
Akane's gaze never left Ranma, ignoring Shampoo entirely, not
wanting to think about what she and Ranma had just been doing. "Why...
didn't... you... tell... me!"
Ranma blinked again. "Tell you? What are you talking about,
Akane? What didn't I tell you about?"
Ukyo spoke up over Akane's shoulder. "I think she's talking about
Ryoga being P-chan, Ranchan."
Ranma blanched. "Er... how...?" He shook his head. "Never mind
how... Akane, I couldn't tell you! I gave my word of honor as a martial
artist that I wouldn't tell! A martial artist doesn't give away
someone's weakness...."
Akane growled. "So you let him sneak into my bed, sleep with me...
see me naked...!" She tried to keep her rage going to hide the fact
that she was trying not to blush at the sight of Shampoo and Ranma
practically naked, their lower half's only partially covered by a
blanket.
Ranma waved his hands. "It's not like that.... It's not like I
wanted him to do any of those things... and I tried to stop him...
but... I promised.... I didn't know he'd go and do all that... or I'd
have never promised to keep his secret...."
Shampoo blinked. "Akane not know about pig boy curse? Is not too
too obvious?"
Akane's eyes slowly found there way over to Shampoo, threatening to
burn holes in her. "You knew too? And you didn't tell me?" It was all
Akane could do to maintain her anger. Inside she was almost crying. <
How could they? I thought Ranma at least loved me?>
Shampoo shook her head. "No was place to tell. Jusenkyo curse is
secret, big weakness. If Shampoo tell others, then pig boy tell
Shampoo's curse! Tell stupid sword boy, crazy sister or pervert boys at
Akane school, or Shampoo enemy Pink and Link? What you think happen to
Shampoo then?"
Akane blinked and her aura faded. "I didn't think of that...." A
picture of Kodachi Kuno splashing Shampoo with cold water then throwing
her to her pet alligator Mr. Turtle came to her mind, and she
shuddered. "Shampoo, you know I would never tell anyone about your
curse...." < I wouldn't... I... I care about her too much now to see
her hurt.>
Shampoo nodded. "Then maybe Akane know why Shampoo and Ranma no
tell, yes?"
Akane looked startled. "I... I never thought about it like
that...."
Ukyo looked thoughtful. "It makes sense. Akane, I really don't
think Ranma wanted Ryoga to take advantage of you like that... but it
would have been just as wrong to go telling his secret, especially if he
promised to keep it."
Ranma looked uncomfortable. "It was... kinda my fault he got cursed
in the first place. Back when I first got cursed, I was chasing my pop
around Jusenkyo, and I accidentally knocked Ryoga into a spring...."
Akane stared hard at him. "Ranma... I just... why? Why would he do
that? Why would Ryoga pretend he was my pet for so long?"
Ranma shrugged. "I don't really understand it myself... except that
he has had a crush on you for just about as long as he's been around.
Most of the fights we've had since then were cause of that. Ryoga's not
really that bad a guy... just an idiot. I finally realized that he
doesn't have it in him to do nothin to yah... he just couldn't stop
coming back."
Akane sighed, letting the last of her anger flow away. "Oh damn
it... I just want this to go away. I don't want anything else to go
wrong. Things are too complicated as they are." She glanced longingly
at Ranma and Shampoo, suddenly wishing she could trade places with the
purple haired Amazon, or even just join the two of them. She turned
away with a sigh. < Not tonight. I promised.>
Ukyo put an arm around her reassuringly. "We'll handle it together,
Akane. It's late, and we have school tomorrow. Lets get back to bed."
Akane nodded. "OK." She smiled slightly. "We should let these two
get back to their honeymoon." Akane fixed Shampoo with a knowing look.
"Just don't wear him out too much. I want my turn, after all." She
blushed red even as she spoke. "Er... you know what I mean."
Shampoo grinned knowingly. "Shampoo know exactly what Akane mean!"
Ukyo laughed. "Yup! I'm looking forward to my turn as well,
Ranchan."
Ranma's face was crimson. "Jeeze, what am I, a roller coaster?" He
blinked. "Wait a second... how did you two find out about Ryoga
anyway? Is he here or something?"
Ukyo wrinkled her nose. "We left him in the bath... I'd guess
Kasumi and Nabiki have put him somewhere for the night by now." She
waved her hand to forestall questions. "Let's just leave it be till
morning, alright? We can talk about this some more then."
Akane frowned. "I don't know if I really want to talk to him
again."
Ukyo patted her on the back. "You don't have too if you don't want
to. I'll get rid of him myself in the morning, so you don't have to
deal with him."
Akane looked thoughtful. "No, on second thought, I do want to talk
to him, just not now." She yawned, looking tired. "In the morning.
This has been a really long day." She backed out of Ranma's room,
closing the door. "Get some sleep you two. Ranma has school in the
morning."
Shampoo nodded. "Shampoo take good care of Airen. Goodnight,
Akane."
Ranma spoke up just as Akane was about to close the door.
"Goodnight, Akane, Ucchan. I'll see you in the morning."
Ukyo watched Akane close the door and followed her back to her
room. "Akane, are you alright?"
Akane got to her door before answering. "Yes." She finally
answered. "Surprisingly, yes, I'm alright." She sniffed in wry
amusement. "After everything else that's happened, finding out that
Ryoga is P-chan seems mild in comparison." She held her door open for
Ukyo. "He's not worth losing a night's sleep over. We have bigger
problems to worry about."
Ukyo sighed, going over to the bed. "Don't I know it."
As she got into bed beside Ukyo, Akane tried to settle her racing
thoughts. < Why couldn't Ranma tell me earlier? Why didn't I see? Why
did Ryoga do it?> She answered herself almost immediately. < Because
he's too honorable and too stubborn to ever break his word... because I
didn't want to see it... but Ryoga... does he really love me?> She
thought back, remembering incident after incident in a new light. < He
does, doesn't he. That idiot, why couldn't he have said something?
What am I going to do about him.> Ukyo's arms wrapped around her and
pulled her in close, and Akane sighed. < I'm not going to be able to
sleep if I can't let this go.> She turned into Ukyo's embrace and
kissed her lightly on the lips. "Ucchan?" She whispered. "Can I call
you that?"
Ukyo kissed her back on the forehead. "Sure... Acchan, if you
like. What is it? You want to talk about Ryoga?"
Akane flinched. < Acchan? On second thought, maybe pet names
aren't such a great idea.> She sighed. Then Akane shook her head very
slightly. "Not tonight... just... just... if you could... make me
forget about it... just for tonight." She looked guiltily at the chef.
"I'm sorry... I feel like I'm using you... I shouldn't ask...."
Ukyo kissed Akane on the lips then moved back. "I love you, Akane.
Ask for anything, I'll try and give it to you." She gently caressed the
back of Akane's head, running her fingers through her hair. She smiled
slightly. "I thought you weren't in the mood?"
Akane blushed slightly. "I wasn't... but...."
Ukyo giggled softly. "Well, it's a woman's prerogative to change
her mind." She started to kiss Akane lightly over and over again,
punctuating each kiss with a word. "And... suddenly... I'm... in...
the... mood... too."
*******************
Kasumi was, as always, the first to wake that morning. What was
unusual was her finding that she wasn't alone. Nabiki slept at her
side, slightly snoring, and Kasumi regarded her sister with a fond
smile, recalling the circumstances of their night together. She slipped
silently out of bed, knowing that Nabiki liked to sleep in a bit later
than herself, and quietly slipped on her nightgown. Moving as quietly
as she could, Kasumi headed to the bath so she could get clean before
starting her daily chores. On the way to the bath, Kasumi stopped by
the guest room to check on Ryoga, but the futon she and Nabiki had laid
him on was empty.
Kasumi frowned just slightly. "Oh dear, where has Ryoga-kun gotten
off too?" She wrinkled her nose. "What was he doing in our bathroom
last night, I wonder?" Kasumi closed the door and went to the bath.
"Well, perhaps Ukyo-chan knows what happened. I'll ask her at
breakfast."
Nabiki stretched slowly, sensing something not quite right. Having
someone in her bed, then leaving hadn't been enough to wake her up,
given her activities the night before, she would have almost been
surprised not to be sharing a bed with someone. The way the light shown
in her eyes, from the wrong direction, and the slightly unfamiliar color
of the walls disorientated her enough that she forced herself awake just
to see what was off.
"Oh." Nabiki realized drowsily. "I'm in Kasumi's room." The
previous night came back to her and she lay back. "Married. I'm
actually married." She corrected herself. "By Amazon law only, of
course... but that's certainly solid enough to count...." Nabiki sat up
and stretched, noting her lack of sleep wear. "That's twice in a row
that I wake up naked in the morning." She observed with detachment.
"Not that I'm complaining." She rubbed her head. "Ach... remind me not
to drink so much before going to bed... at least the hangover isn't too
bad." She frowned, wondering if there was anything she had forgotten.
A pressure in her bowels brought back another memory. "I remember...
Kasumi had me drink a whole lot of water before coming to bed.
Something about hangovers being worse when you're dehydrated."
Nabiki rose from the bed and looked around for her clothes. "Now
where did I put...." She blushed. "Oh... strip poker... I can't
believe I lost!" She glanced at the door. "I wonder if anyone would
care if I went out like I am?" She snickered. "I bet Ranma would still
have a heart attack. For a guy with five wives, he still is really
shy." Nabiki went over to Kasumi's chest of drawers, looking for
something to wear. A small stack of papers caught her eye. "What's
this? I Nabiki Tendo, do promise to...." Nabiki groaned and smacked
herself in the forehead. "Ach! Note to self, drinking and poker do not
mix!" Her eyes crossed slightly. "Second note, don't hit yourself in
the head when you're trying not to make your headache worse."
Ukyo and Akane woke at about the same time and looked over at each
other. "Morning." Akane murmured sleepily. She was starting to get
used to having someone in her bed.
Ukyo stretched and yawned. "Morning, Acchan." She rose and looked
down at her lover. "I think I'm starting to like waking up in your
room, Akane."
Akane smiled up at her. "I like having you here, Ucchan." < I
guess I can stand Acchan.> She sat up as well. "Hey, I think I smell
breakfast!"
Ukyo sniffed and smiled. "Yup! Come on, suddenly I'm starving!"
The two girls quickly dressed and headed downstairs. Ukyo glanced over
at Akane as they walked down the stairs. "So... do you think Ryoga's
still around?"
Akane shook her head. "I don't know." The two girls entered the
kitchen to find, as expected, Kasumi cooking breakfast in one of her
normal house dresses and apron. "Kasumi, do you know where Ryoga is
right now?"
Kasumi turned around, shaking her head. "No, I'm afraid not. He
seems to have wandered off again."
Akane frowned angrily, then snorted. "Why am I not surprised?" She
blew out a breath and let herself calm down. "I guess I'll just have to
wait until he wanders his little pig self back here."
Ukyo snickered at that and Kasumi looked confused. "What are you
talking about, Akane?" She sniffed the air and quickly turned back to
the stove. "Oh yes, breakfast is almost ready. Could you wake up Ranma
and Shampoo for breakfast? You have to leave for school in less than an
hour."
Ranma poked his head around the corner. "Breakfast?" He smiled
happily at the sight of the cooking food. "Alright! Hot off the
stove!"
Shampoo wandered in behind him wearing one of Ranma's red shirts and
yawning. "Is good cooking! Kasumi very good in kitchen."
Kasumi smiled pleasantly. "Why thank you, Shampoo. Why don't you
all go into the living room now, Nabiki should have the table set for
breakfast, then you can all get clean and dressed for school."
******************
Ryoga wandered in a daze, glowing faintly green with despair.
"No... no... Akane hates me... I have nothing to live for...." He
stopped, the glow around him intensifying as his depression worsened.
"RANMA, THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!!! SHI SHI HOKODAN!!!" A gigantic blast
of energy shot up into the sky, then came crashing down on top of him
creating a huge crater but leaving the lost boy unharmed.
A pair of burnt and smoking forms crawled out of the rubble that was
all that was left of the east wing of the Kuno mansion. "What...
perfidy is this? What monster dares to desecrate the Kuno manor?"
Tatiwati Kuno rose unsteadily to his feet. "Who dares to interrupt my
breakfast with my poisonous sibling?" He paused in thought. "Although
this is better than I usually feel after breakfast with my dear
sister...."
Kodachi pulled a ribbon out of the tatters of her school dress and
grabbed what was left of the kitchen table, then proceeded to flatten
her bother with it. "You dare to profane my cooking, brother? For
that, I must punish you!" Even as she proceeded to do so, Ryoga walked
by, still in a stupor, and evidently unaware that he was wearing nothing
but one of the Tendo's bathroom towels. Kodachi cut off beating her
brother to take an appreciative glance. "On second thought, brother
dear, I think I've seen something more interesting to do...." Whipping
off the remains of her school uniform to reveal her ever present
gymnastic leotard, Kodachi leaped happily after the lost boy. "Oh Ryoga
dear, wait for me!"
End Addicted pt 8
To be continued....
You can find previous chapters at this page:
http://home.datawest.net/firethorn/