DISCLAIMER: Rumiko Takahashi rightly owns the
rights to Ranma and Co.�Diamonds are forever� is a
James Bond theme song and is reproduced here without
permission. So�s Ranma & Co, come to think of it.
       
      
*******************************************************
Diamonds are forever,
Sparkling round my little finger.
Unlike men, the diamonds linger;
Men are mere mortals who
Are not worth going to your grave for.

	The Capital was a nightclub that couldn't decide what
it wanted to be.
      It had opened a few years ago as the latest
hip-hop spot for college students. When a new hip-hop
club opened and it began to lose its clientele, it
switched to being a techno club, with lots of pumping
music and bunny-hopping teenagers.
      Recently, it had closed down for renovations and
was now open again as a slightly shadier and more
grown up version of its former self. A friend of a
friend of mine had heard gun shots there. I was a
little skeptical about that, but it certainly didn't
make me feel any better about the place. 
      I stepped into an alley as I neared the club. My
suit would just draw attention here. I removed and
folded the coat, then slipped out of the long, tight
skirt. The tight, sea-blue silk Chinese tank top and
leather micro-mini skirt I wore underneath would let
me pass through without a second glance. It was good
to be prepared.
       Tucking the coat and its skirt into my
carry-all, where the diamond was hidden as well, I
left the alley and headed to my place of rendezvous. 
       I had barely reached the club when Ranma came
out. 
       For a moment I thought I'd conjured him out of
my thoughts. The ground dropped away from me, and my
knees turned to jelly and didn't want to support me
anymore. My breakfast wanted to come back up the wrong
way. 
       Damn.
       Ranma. 
       Where did he come from?
       He wasn't exactly running but at the pace he
was going, I'd have found it hard to keep up with him.
He was looking back the way he'd come, so with my
sudden halt and his speed, he was almost upon me
before he turned and saw me.
       "I'm sorry, I'm not interested..." He broke off
and belatedly I realized that he hadn't immediately
recognized me. In fact, he'd mistaken me for a...
       I flushed. I couldn't think of a single thing
to say. My first thought was..trust the jerk to say
something that stupid after eight years! 
       I was figuring out how to vocalize that when
his eyes widened in shock.
       "Akane?"
       Tchow!
       Ranma gasped and stumbled against me. That had
been the sound of a gunshot. My first instinct was to
duck but since I couldn't do that, I pulled my gun out
of the carry all and looked around his shoulder,
bracing him with my other arm.
       Two men stood in the doorway of the club, one
grappling with the bouncer, the other aiming his gun
again.
       I fired off a warning shot. Didn't really want
to shoot anybody if I could avoid it. Everyone ran for
cover.
       "Come on, Ranma!" I realized he'd been hit, and
yanked him down the street and around the corner. My
side was wet with his blood, where he was leaning on
me. There was another gunshot and a chip of concrete
flew past me. I could see the gouge in the wall.
Behind me, the guy had turned the corner completely
and was aiming again.
       Enough was enough. I turned and fired off two
shots. One hit the guy in the leg, and the other hit
him in the shoulder, spinning him around like a
chicken on a skewer. The other guy was nowhere to be
seen. I'd count my blessings.
       I grabbed Ranma by the arm, and pulled him into
the first taxi that stopped for us. Inside, I didn't
look at him but instead continued to scan the streets
for any sign of being chased. We switched taxis twice
more before I was satisfied. Ranma's face was white
and he was semi-conscious. 
       Finally, we got to my building and up to the
apartment.
       In the dim hallway, I propped Ranma up against
the lilac-printed wall and searched for my keys. He
was sagging against the doorpost, breathing harshly,
his skin pale.
       I shut the door behind him. I really hadn't
wanted to bring him here, not to where I lived, but he
was wounded, and I had no choice.
       Being inside the apartment seemed to return
some of Ranma's strength back to him. I turned to
watch him, as he stood planted in my living room,
dripping slush onto the black silk rug, slowly and
insolently sweeping the room with his gaze, and taking
in the elegantly furnished apartment. I felt my life
being measured. 
       Then his gaze turned to include me, sweeping me
in a lingering look from feet to head. Taking in the
indecently short skirt. The garish blouse. 
       "Mmm...you're in what business...exactly?"
       I could feel my face turning pale, and then
flushing red. I put the carry-all down on a
slender-legged cherry wood table. Forcing myself to
breathe calmly, I picked up the carafe of water and
poured myself a glass. I tried not to gulp it down,
just drank it slowly, and filled it again. 
       "Don't be insulting, Ranma." I turned back, and
noticed again that he was dripping blood, as well.
       I walked up to him. I'd grown a few inches but
he seemed to be a good head taller. I leveled my gaze
and realized I was staring at the open collar of his
neck. Had he really grown so much? Innumerable
questions welled up within me.
       But right now he was my patient. 
       I reached out to examine him and he stepped
forward into my arms.
        Too stunned to react, I felt him nuzzling my
neck. 
       "Mmmm, Akane, you should have said. You must be
very expensive, but I can afford you." 
       I pulled back, habit kicked in, and I threw the
water in Ranma's face. Watched the transformation
close up. The blue eyes looked up at me now.
       "You think THAT will stop me?"
       Ranma grabbed my head and kissed me deeply. I
pulled back, and Ranma froze as she heard the click of
an automatic. She looked down at the .22 Walther PPK
that I was holding against her ribs.
       "Step back. Now."
       Ranma released me and stepped back, her hands
in the air.
       "Still violent as ever, eh, Akane?"
       "Take off the coat, Ranma."
       "Oh, you didn't need a gun to ask me that,
Akane..." the redhead teased, smiling. Something sharp
glinted in the smile.
       "Shut up!" I yelled. "Just take it off!" Ranma
could blow my top like no one else. If I wasn't
careful, she'd make me regress back to the
sixteen-year-old hothead I'd been, I fumed.
       Ranma eased the coat off of herself with a
slight hiss of pain. Her blue shirt was soaked on one
side with blood.
       "I've got bandages," I muttered, "Just wait
here." I went into my bathroom and came out holding a
large first aid kit. 
       "Sit, Ranma." Ranma looked about to argue, but
I raised a finger. "I don't know how bad you're hurt,
but sit down unless you want another hole in you."
Ranma sat.
       I placed the box on the gleaming cherry wood
table and proceeded to briskly unbutton Ranma's shirt.

       "You act like this is all familiar to you,"
Ranma cocked her head.
       "I've patched up people before." I gently moved
the cloth away from the wound until I could see it
clearly. It was fairly shallow, but wide, which was
why it was bleeding so much. It looked like the bullet
had grazed a rib. I opened my box.
       "That's great, Akane, but I have to get back to
the Capital."
       "What's your hurry, Ranma?" I was cleaning the
wound now. It was odd how we were acting like we
weren't meeting again after eight years. "I contrive
the impossible."
       "I have to meet someone there, someone who..."
Ranma stopped. I refused to look up as I placed a
clean gauze pad on the wound and began to tape it up.
I'd figured out who my 'guard' was. I'd just said the
password to confirm it.
       "It's you. The impossible is easy to attain."
Ranma sounded stunned. I allowed myself a mental
smirk. It looked like she'd figured it out, too. The
only way we could identify our contacts was through
the exchange of passwords. As soon as I saw Ranma, I
knew who it had to be. Huh. Call it a hunch.
       I used her astonishment to begin to wind gauze
strips around her ribs. I had to almost hug Ranma to
do it. A slim forefinger firmly lifted my chin,
forcing me to meet Ranma's astonished gaze. 
       "You're the agent. YOU work for Mr. Yamayato?"
       "He pays very well," I muttered. I pulled away
and continued to wind the gauze around Ranma's slim
frame. I noted in peripheral vision that Ranma was
still as busty as ever. That was okay, I'd filled out
a little, too.
       "I don't believe it. Little Akane, Daddy's pet,
the dream girl of Furinkan high's male population...I
thought you'da married Kuno by now and be livin' it up
in the Kuno mansion. Or maybe Ryouga."
       "Ryouga?" I tied the ends together and stood
up. "Ryouga's disappeared into the Himalayas, last I
heard."
       Ranma stared up at me. "So how did you end up
here, Akane? Why the U.S? Why in this job?"
       "It's really quite simple," I said. "I got a
scholarship to a university here. A friend of mine was
into this. It got me interested in the whole field,
and then Mr.Yamayato was impressed by my fighting
skills, and offered to train me...in other things. And
he did."
       "Ummm..."Ranma watched me, her blue eyes smoky.
       I didn't like the silence pooling around us.
Normally, I didn't mind, but it was so rare to meet
someone who knew me from Japan. I especially didn't
like the way Ranma was staring at me, like a cat
staring at a bowl of cream. Speaking of cats...
       "What about you, Ranma? How did you show up
here?" I said suddenly, remembering Shampoo had not
come out to greet me. I figured she must be roaming 
       "Special task force from Osaka, loaned to Uncle
Sam, along with a few others."   
       What I'd really wanted to find out was what
he'd been doing all these years, but did I really want
to know?
       "They couldn't have wanted to let you go."
       "I volunteered. I didn't really want to stay in
Japan. Or Asia for that matter."
       "Then you've picked the wrong assignment. We're
heading to Shanghai."
       My pager vibrated. It was Mr. Y's message.
       "We're summoned." I looked up. "Note the
operative 'we'."
       Ranma smiled. "He knows we met."
       "Hm, we're meeting him at the Electric Circus."
Great. Another fancy club. "We need to dress up a
little." I eyed Ranma's silk dress shirt and dark
slacks. "Although you're ahead of the game."
       "I was...interrupted on my way out." Ranma
said, with a frown. "The call for this assignment came
real suddenly."
       "Hot date?" I asked, smiling. 
       "Sizzler."
       "Reeeally...." I didn't feel so pleased
anymore. I stood up. "Well, your shirt is a lost
cause. Are you ok to walk?"
       "I'm fine."
       "Good. I'll find you a spare shirt. The
bathroom's in the hall, if you want to change."
       I watched as Ranma disappeared into the
bathroom. What on earth was wrong with him? Why was he
coming onto me like I was a six-course dinner and he
was a starving prisoner? The Ranma I knew would have
just called me 'uncute' and got it over with. 	
       Confused, I went to rummage in my closet. I
found a navy silk shirt I'd used for an outfit once.
It was too large for me, so it might fit Ranma.
       Looking through my closet, I pondered clubbing
clothes. It wasn't a problem. Black, lacy underwear,
not that I was planning on flashing anyone, but it was
nice to have everything match...I pulled on a blood
red silk tank top and buttoned my favorite black, net
short sleeved shirt over it. My matte-black leather
pants completed the outfit. I quickly ran a brush
through my still short hair, applied eyeliner and my
deep red lipstick and then put on the real stuff. The
knives, the garrotes, the 'special' locket... 
       Returning to the living room, I studied the
bathroom door. Behind it was Ranma. I'd given him the
shirt and I knew he wasn't a figment of my jet-lagged
imagination. 
       I began to pace around the room. Ranma was back
in my life, for how long I was unsure, but I knew it
wasn't for longer than it took for this assignment to
be over. No way was he going to forgive and forget
what I'd done to him, and I'd better remember that.
       Automatically, I rechecked my knives, and the
little 'extras'. Everything was secure, and it calmed
my down to feel the familiar tools, the stuff that
belonged to me.  
       Ranma strode out of the bathroom, back to his
normal size and shape. "Ready to go... Akane." He
stared at me, then said silkily, "My, don't you look
edible." 
       
*******************************************************

       Notes: Yes, I'm insane as I have an assignmnet
due tomorrow and so I'm procrastinating by writing
this at 3am� Sooo..y'all be nice and please leave me
some C&C so I don't wake up in the morning and hate
myself! ^_^




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