Wounded: Chapter 9

Author:
Bate

And I’m back again!!
So... This chapter contains LEMONS, which means that there’ll be graphic sex-scenes later on... Anyone underage or those who doesn’t like to read about sexual stuff should either drop reading this chapter, or heed my warnings later on in this chapter - which shows when the heavy stuff starts so you have a choice in whether to read it or not...

Other than that...
Enjoy!


Chapter 9
Akane enjoyed the unfamiliar feeling of warm water cascading over her, letting it massage the stress out of her muscles. Curiously she looked around the bathroom, noticing the absence of a female touch, the few essentials that were displayed, and the ‘just-moved-in’ look of it all. Standing under the shower for what must have been almost half an hour, she finally turned the soothing water off and stepped out in front of the mirror above the sink. Using one of the big fluffy towels, she slowly dried herself, wrapping the other one around her body. #What am I thinking..! Even though he called me ‘Sweetie’ and kissed me, it doesn’t mean he loves me... And why should it matter if he loves me or not..? Do I want him to love me? Could I be in love with him?# Loaning the brush that was on the sink, she brushed her hair back from her face, studying her eyes, looking for some kind of divine sign. #Maybe it’s time to be brave and take the first step... The worst thing that could happen is that I’ll get embarrassed, and that’s happened several times since I first got to know him. But I’m risking our friendship... Still, didn’t he risk it first by kissing me?# Giving herself an encouraging look and a firm nod, she silently walked out of the bathroom with only the towel wrapped around her. Looking into the living room she saw Ranma sitting and sleeping in a corner of his couch. He obviously had another nightmare as he was tossing his head from side to side, muttering. As she closed in on him she could hear certain words.

“...No...Daddy...Please...C-c-cats...Do n’t...Please...Help me...”

Akane could feel her heart breaking at the fear those words radiated, and quickly went over to him with the intention to wake him up. She shook his arm, but before she could utter a single word she was on her back on the couch with Ranma on top of her, his eyes wild and staring, his breathing laboured. Holding her arms above her head, his eyes slowly cleared, and she could see him take in the situation.

“A-akane... Don’t do that! You shouldn’t have done that! I could have hurt you!”

Akane pulled one of her hands loose from his grip and tentatively touched his unshaved cheek, tracing his scar. “I trust you, Ranma. You wouldn’t hurt me, you wouldn’t attack anyone unless you know who they are...” She could feel him tremble above her, his hard body pressing her down into the couch, and his eyes closed for a moment. As he opened them again, they were a stormy sea of emotions.

“Do you know what you’re doing to me? What it does to me when you do simple things like that?” he said in a hoarse voice.

Shaking her head slowly, she said. “I’m not sure. Why don’t you tell me...?”

With a defeated groan, he caught her lips in a rough kiss. Akane gasped, unintentionally opening her mouth so that Ranma’s tongue could slip inside. Her heart pounded as she touched her tongue to his, tasting him, and her free hand slipped around to his neck, grabbing a hold of his pigtail. After a few moments, she started experimenting with responses to his kiss, sucking on his lips, tracing his teeth with her tongue, teasing him with butterfly-kisses. Ranma moved his mouth to her jaw and down to her neck, half kissing and half nibbling, making chills rush up and down her spine, and goose bumps form on her skin. At the top of the towel she wore he traced the lining with wet kisses, pausing at the flick that held the towel up. She felt herself getting tense, her mind going to bad experiences she’d had, and Ranma looked up at her.

“Akane...” His voice was deep and rumbling, and in spite of her fear it was intoxicatingly arousing. “I really want you, so badly... But just say the word, and I’ll stop... I won’t do a thing if you say no ...”

Akane looked him in the eyes, seeing a deep need there, a desire for her and nobody else, and relaxed. She knew she wanted this, needed it as much as he did, and she trusted him to never scare her. She broke into a radiating smile, unknowingly pouring chi into it, making Ranma shake with the feelings she flooded him with, and pulled loose her other arm so she could use them both to pull him down for another deep kiss.

“Ranma...” she mumbled as he closed in on her. “...I want you too...” Kissing him deeply, letting the emotions swallow her up, she hardly noticed that Ranma swept her up into his arms, but she felt the cool covers on his bed as he laid her down and she realised he’d taken her into his bedroom. Momentarily breaking away from her to pull off his shirt, he tossed it to the floor, and crawled over to her. He started kissing her again, letting her decide the tempo as she slowly explored his torso with her hands.

Ranma didn’t know how long he could stay in control. He’d already thought he’d lost it once, on the couch in the living room. Akane had been too great a temptation for him after the same old nightmare, and he’d lost himself in her sweetness, eagerly taking all he could get. When he’d felt her body stiffen under him, he somehow managed to pull his self-control back up, not wanting to ever hurt her in any way, and tried to word the feelings that rushed him. He still had a shred of control left, even after she offered herself to him, and he felt confident that he could stop this the second she said no. But he hoped she wouldn’t stop this, ‘cause he was feeling great! She somehow pulsed with emotions, her chi radiating, making him feel her joy and arousal, and he wanted more of her, more of how she made him feel.


Okay... LEMON WARNING! This next part is NOT for those underage, and not for those who’re innocent and naive of heart and soul...
I’ll put up another break like this one when it’s safe to read again...
W A R N I N G! VERY GRAPHICSEX-SCENES COMING UP!


“Akane...Can I take this off..?” he indicated to her towel, his hands still shaking slightly with adrenaline and lust. His eyes widened as she with seductive moves and innocent eyes slowly unwrapped the towel, letting him look at her naked body. Her body bathed in light from the streetlights outside the window, some drops of water still clinging to her skin from the shower. Her breast were beautifully formed, not too big and not too small, crowned with hard nipples. Her stomach lightly showed the contours of the well-trained muscles underneath, the slimness of her waist accentuated by the roundness of her hips. A delta of dark, curly hair glistened between her well-formed thighs, and small, cute feet ended her long legs. Ranma thought his heart would crash through his ribs, or his cock rip through the pants he still wore, but surprisingly to him neither happened.

“Am I... Do I look okay?” Akane asked in a small voice. He realised he’d been staring at her with his mouth open, and tried to get his tongue to work again - not an easy task when your brain threatens to take a hike.

“You-...You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in my life..! I... You... Wow!!”

Akane gasped at the look on his face and the tone of his voice, trembling with excitement. #He likes me, thinks I’m b-beautiful..! Oooh, I need this, need to feel beautiful..! I love the way he looks at me..!# She let her hands glide up his powerful arms as he slid them around her and pulled her close. Her breasts tingled as they lightly rubbed against his hard chest, and she arched her back as his hands travelled down her back towards her butt, whimpering with a need she didn’t know she had.

As Ranma gave into his desires and slowly started exploring Akane’s firm body, he was worried he wouldn’t know what to do. He’d heard lots of talk from the guys in the locker-rooms he’d shared, but they never mentioned the awe he felt whenever he was near Akane. He’d even seen a hardcore film or two, but besides that his only experiences had been some unexpected and unwanted kisses. As Akane whimpered when his hands closed in on her firm, delicious butt, he realised he only had to listen to the arousing noises she made to know how she felt. He groaned as she writhed in his arms, his hands eagerly cupping her butt, pressing her against the ache between his thighs. He kissed her neck, making her pant, and her own hands travelled down his back to his pants and started to pull at them. Loosening his hold on her, he let her unbutton his pants, raising his hips a bit to let her slip the pants off along with his socks. She threw them down to the floor with the rest of the clothes, and sat up on her knees in the bed, looking at him with big eyes. Ranma suddenly felt shy, and held his hands in front of the bulge in his boxer shorts. This made Akane smile, her small hands pulling them aside. She curiously touched the bulge with her fingers, tracing it and then cupped it slightly. Ranma let his head fall back on the bed, looking expectantly at her, and let out a gasp of appreciation as she squeezed lightly.

Akane felt brave and very naughty as she grabbed a hold of his boxers and pulled them down. As his stiff cock bounced out she almost jerked back, but curiosity won. Throwing his boxers away, she looked at the most private part of Ranma, marvelling at the difference from herself. Some of her friends had said that they didn’t like to look at their boyfriend’s cocks, but Akane thought Ranma’s hard member was fascinating and quite arousing. Carefully touching it, wrapping one of her hands around it, she was surprised at the warm velvet skin that covered it. As Ranma moaned she felt his cock grow stiffer, the rock-hard core swelling against her hand. Loosening her grip, her hand travelled down to his balls, making him jerk as she curiously touched him.

“I’m sorry, did I hurt you?” Akane quickly withdrew her hand, scared she’d hurt him.

“No, no..! What you did was good, it was wonderful..! Please, don’t stop...” Ranma pulled her hand back to him, pressing it against his cock. Then he grabbed her and pulled her on top of him. “I like what you do to me...” he murmured in her ear, caressing her back down to her butt and thighs.
Running a finger down between her thighs he made Akane gasp. She rolled over to her back and tried to pull him with her. He resisted, gazing at her with a big smile on his face. Smiling wickedly back at him she placed his hands against her breasts, arching her back and closing her eyes, moaning in a low voice. Ranma stroked her breasts carefully, experimenting with different pressure and movements, learning what she liked by the way she reacted. Laying on the side, partially leaning over her while supporting his weight on one of his arms, he used one hand to trace patterns over her breasts. Kissing her deeply, he let his hand travel down her stomach. Stopping at her pubic hair, he looked her in the eyes. They were a darker shade of brown than usual, and they where part pleading, part seductive and part joyful.

“Will you let me touch you..?” He whispered, lowering his hand into the hairs. She spread her legs and lifted her hips, but Ranma made no move to touch her. “Do you want me to touch you..?” His voice was almost teasingly, but the raw desire shone clearly through.

“Ranma, please!” She pleaded, stroking his cock eagerly where it rested against her hip.

“Please what..?” His rough smile told her he liked to tease her like this, and knew it turned her on as well. “Say it... Please what..?”

“Please! Please... t-touch me...”

“Not good enough, sweetie. Try again...” His horse whisper made her mad with desire, and she’d do just about anything he told her to.

“Please... I’m so wet... I-I can’t stand it... Touch me, please!”

“Well, who would be able to resist such a sweet plea.” Ranma grinned as he slowly let his hand touch lower and lower, feeling her hips grind as his fingers touched her wet lower lips. He thought he would burst at any second, but somehow he’d kept it going every time he felt he could take no more. It just kept building, and by concentrating on pleasuring Akane he could keep from loosing his control and enjoy the excitement and pleasure of playing with her body. He was surprised when one of his fingers disappeared into something incredibly warm, wet and tight. Akane yelped, and the muscles surrounding his finger tightened even more. Pulling slowly out, he slid his fingers back up, finding a little knob that made Akane moan and gasp at once.

“Are you okay..? I didn’t move too fast for you, sweetie..?” He was worried that he’d ruined her excitement by finding her entrance so clumsily, and bent down to kiss and lick at her nipples, his fingers rotating around the knob he’d found as Akane tried to answer.

“Aiih..! Oooh! So good!” Her fingers pulled at his hair, pressing him down to her breasts, and her hips were restless, grinding against his hand. “Ranma... I think I... I think I want something more... Now..!”

Ranma rested his head against her breasts, breathing heavily.

“Maybe it’s better if you were on top so you can decide the tempo, Akane... My control is so thinly worn now that I might be too rough for you, ‘cause I want you now - fast and hard... I’ve got to admit that this is my first time, and I’m trying my best to take things slow, but I need you to take control now...”

Akane shone at Ranma’s words, aroused by the thought of being the one with the control, and happy about being his first. “I guess it’s pretty obvious that it’s my first time too...” She sat up, pushing him onto his back, and slowly climbed so she sat across his stomach. “You’ll help me, right? I’m not sure how to do this...” She blushed, looking very innocent and trusting, and Ranma sat up, putting his arms around her. She could feel his cock pulse against her butt, but didn’t feel scared anymore.

“Let’s try it like this...” Ranma whispered before he kissed her. Still kissing, he steadied her as she lifted her hips so she could grab his cock, and carefully she used the head of his cock to stroke herself with. Ranma groaned shakily into her mouth, and she could feel his stomach muscles tighten. She felt incredibly powerful and sexy, and she unconsciously glowed, her aura mending old wounds in her soul, and quite a few in Ranma’s as well. Gently she lowered herself onto him, moaning loudly at the feeling of the pressure of his cock against her sensitive opening. Ranma let out a whimper, and she could feel his hands on her hips, shakily trying to pull her further down. She quickly pushed his hands lower, putting them underneath her butt instead, and he looked at her with a boyish pout. She resumed her focus on the slow penetration, taking her time to let her body adjust to the big intruder. She’d lost her hymen long ago to the stretches and exercises the martial arts required, but it still felt a bit sore to use the muscles of her sex for the first time. Ranma kept making deep rumbling groans and pleading whimpers, and she held him close, kissing him, kneading the muscles in his neck and down his back. She started when she felt his cock jump within her as he used his muscles, but she calmed down and continued to kiss Ranma as she lowered herself another inch. His member jumped again, and this time she was prepared. Teasingly she rotated her hips, and Ranma threw back his head, gasping.

“Mmm, you like that, baby..?”

Nodding his head vigorously, he grabbed her hips again and quickly pulled slightly out and pushed in a bit farther. Akane shouted out, the pleasure of it surprising her, but still she removed his hands.

“Bad boy..! You said I could be in control..!”

“Akane... You can have all the control you want, but if you don’t stop this teasing soon I’m gonna go crazy..!”

“Oh, okay... Spoilsport...” She grinned to him, and slowly pulled her hips up a bit before she let herself drop down, again and again, dropping lower each time until she met his hips with her own. She thrilled at the feeling of being the one to make Ranma shake and moan, and she felt her control slip. Bouncing faster and faster she whimpered and moaned, loosing the rhythm now and then in her eagerness, inexperienced with the movements. She wanted more, but didn’t know how to get it. Feeling Ranma struggle with the remains of his own control, she suddenly wanted to make him loose it. Getting a kick at the thought of driving him over the edge, she slowed her movements, deliberately teasing him with gentle rotation, and light caresses with her hands and mouth.

“Oooh, Akane..! Please..!”

“Please, what..?” She laughed, remembering his own reply earlier. Giggling, she batted her eyelashes at him, pouting seductively as she slowly grinded her hips against his. “Something you want, baby..? Don’t you like it slow and easy..? I was planning on taking my time... After all, you gave me the control, remember..?” She grinned evilly at him, relishing in the heated look he gave her, and she could almost see his control crumble. With a roar he rolled her to her back, still with his cock buried deep within her. #Yes! This is what I want! I’m in control, and he’s out of control... And I’m not afraid! He doesn’t scare me, it’s actually intensely arousing that he wants me so much..!#

Ranma looked dark and dangerous, but Akane knew she never had to be afraid of him, and she trusted him completely. She wanted him to want her so badly he couldn’t take it, and now she’d made him give up his self-control to get her. She grinned broadly as she met his burning stare.

“Having fun, sweetie..?” He smiled an evil smile. “...Let’s have fun together, shall we...?” Akane didn’t know whether to cry or laugh as she realised he somehow still had enough control to take revenge for the teasing. He took a hold of her arms, holding them with one hand over her head, and kissed his way down her neck. Supporting himself on his other arm, he moved over to concentrate on her breasts, suckling the nipples, switching the attention all the time. Akane yelped and whimpered, but wouldn’t give in to pleading just yet. Using her muscles she squeezed his cock with her sex, trying to tempt him to give up the teasing. She smiled in triumph as she heard Ranma moan, but her smile turned into a whimpering scream as he pulled almost out of her and pushed back in with a quick thrust. Then he laid still again.

“Ranma..! God damn it..! Stop the teasing and fuck me!” She yelled in frustration. She almost got angry when he smiled triumphantly, but her need for him smothered the anger.

“Does this mean I win..?” He asked in a voice heavy with need.

“Whatever, just take me..!” Her eyes had tears of frustration and desire, and Ranma’s smile softened.

“I can’t deny you anything, sweetie...” He mumbled, releasing the grip on her arms as he put both arms around her, moving slowly within her. Akane sighed with relief, holding him close. Ranma pulled up one of her legs, holding it to his hip as his tempo intensified. She couldn’t believe the feelings that rushed through her, the pleasure that threatened to push her over some unknown edge. Putting her other leg around his hips, she locked both of them around him, trying to keep him inside of her. He let his hand slip from her leg to her hips and up to her breasts, caressing them eagerly, and she tried to hold back a scream of pleasure. She pulled his head down to kiss him, caressing his tongue with a mix of tenderness and rough desire, groaning loudly into his mouth. Her sounds drowned out his own rumbling moans. He passionately moved with as long strokes as her leg-grip allowed him to, and pushed hard into her again and again. She was more or less screaming with every deep push he made, gulping in air in between kisses. She dimly heard Ranma moan her name, and she new he finally had given up the last of his control, feeling it in the powerful thrusts he made, the way all his muscles held her down, taking what he needed so badly. That’s when she let her own control go. With a high-pitched scream she threw her head back, chills exploding up her spine, her whole body racking with pleasurable shudders. She felt herself contracting around Ranma’s cock, and he suddenly stiffened, forcing himself deeply into her, his cock swelling with sperm before he exploded with a horse yell softened against her neck. He shook violently for several moments before he slumped down on her, his member buried within her. With much trouble he managed to dig up enough energy to rearrange them so he could lie beside her, holding her close. They were both slippery with sweat, but none of them noticed it in the afterglow. Kissing each other sweetly, they smiled and caressed each other with deep tenderness. Akane thought her heart would burst with feelings, and she couldn’t stop kissing Ranma. In between kisses she sighed contently and mumbled words of awe.


Phew!
The first lemon scene is over now, so it’s safe to read again for a bit...
But there’ll be another warning/scene further down...


“Wow! I didn’t know it would be like that..! I’m still trembling...” she breathed.

“Mmm... I liked it too... A lot...” Ranma smiled and looked at her with proprietarily air, running his fingers through her damp hair. “You really are beautiful, you know...”

Akane blushed, but awarded him with a glittering smile, kissing him deeply. She kneaded his shoulder muscles, delighting in the feeling of them rippling against her hands. Drawing back a bit, she looked at him, taking in his dark body gleaming with sweat, his powerful arms a lot more muscled than any other she’d seen, his broad chest hard and scarred - his skin stretched tight over it. His washboard stomach had a trail of hair from his navel down into the curly hair around his now soft member, and his long legs and slim hips didn’t have nearly as many scars as his torso, although there were more scars there than what was normal. She could se many slim, claw-like stripes on him, and realised they were from his Cat-Fu training.

“Ranma, can I ask you something..?” He just looked at her and smiled, and so she continued.
“When you told me about the Amazons you sounded like you thought you’d hurt them, but now you’re looking for your parents... Don’t you think you hurt your dad - who did all those terrible things to you?” Ranma’s smile had disappeared, but he didn’t draw back from her. “You don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to.” She quickly added.

“No, it’s okay... You’re one of the few I’ve met who I can actually talk to...” Ranma smiled again, but the smile didn’t really reach his eyes. He started to stroke her arms and back, and with a low voice he tried to explain. “You see... At first I thought I’d killed them all... After all, this c-c-Cat-Fu thing is supposed to be a dangerous fighting style - not only for those who learn it, but for those exposed also. I had all these confused feelings when I thought of my pop. I kind of wanted to believe I’d killed him, but still - he’s my pop, you know... But anyways, last year some time I met someone who’d seen my old man... Her name is Ukyo, and I knew her when I was a little kid. Back then I thought she was a boy and a friend, but obviously my old man had promised her dad that he’d take her along as my fiancée in return for their cart or something... But, my disgusting old man left Ukyo behind, and that brought great shame onto her family. She’d always lived as a boy, as her father needed a son more than a daughter, and she’d searched for us ever since to get her revenge. Well, she found my father first. Almost beat the crap out of him, but before he passed out he’d told her about me. About where to find me. He actually knew where I was. So she went after me, and tried to beat me up too, something she wasn’t very successful with... I was so shocked when she told me who she was, and the shock only intensified when she told me she’d met my old man. She’d found me in one of those shabby fighting arenas in China, and accidentally found out about my curse also. She totally freaked, and told me she’d never want to marry me, that there would be a greater disgrace in going through with the agreement between our parents than to just take it out in blood even without getting her kill... I was in shock already, and before I knew it she’d swung this giant battle-spatula at me. The pain of being sliced pulled me back to reality, and I ran for it, somehow getting away.” Ranma pointed to a long, broad scar running under his ribs on one side of his torso and towards his back. “It took me a couple of hours with a lot of thinking before I decided what to do next. She’d said she’d run into him in Japan, so that’s where I wanted to go. If he knew where I was but didn’t go after me, then there was something fishy going on, maybe even something about my mom ... Well, you know the rest...” Ranma looked at Akane, nervous to see her reaction to his tale. He knew she never reacted to things the way other people did, and he wondered how she’d take this reminder of the curse. #Please...# His train of thoughts got interrupted as Akane grabbed a hold of him and pulled herself close to him. She held him tightly, and whispered into his ear.

“Oh Ranma... None of it is your fault..! You couldn’t have known about the deal..!” Ranma buried his face into her hair, drawing in a shuddering breath and held her as he’d never let her go.

“She didn’t want me... My father doesn’t want me... Nobody wants me...” Before he could stop himself, his words had slipped out, and he felt incredibly vulnerable.

“Ranma, that’s no true! And you shouldn’t put so much into what your stupid father does, or what a girl with revenge in her mind thinks. Besides, I... I...” Ranma pulled back, looking at her with big eyes. He saw her blush shyly as she looked at her fingers tracing his chest muscles and mumbled something he barely could hear. “...I still want you...” The silent words had a tremendous effect on him. Feeling the need for her explode within him again, he held her chin with one hand, and kissed her hungrily. The way she melted against him, moaning willingly, only intensified the fires. #She wants me, she still wants me! Even with... Oh, I need her, now! She’s mine!#


WARNING! Yet another LEMON/SEX-SCENE coming up!!! Back off, all those who’s not supposed to read this next part!!!!!!
The rest of the chapter is all lemon, so those of you who’s underage, or fragile of mind and heart, need to wait for the next chapter to read more...


His hands ran across her body, more experienced now, and he took in her reactions as a starving man. Using all he’d learned about pleasuring her, he felt triumphant as he soon found her sex wet again with anticipation. Placing himself eagerly between her legs, he steered his cock into position and pushed himself into her with one deep thrust. He caught her mouth as she screamed in pleasure, and she grabbed a hold on him with her legs and arms. He didn’t wait, but immediately started a strong pace, making her scream turn into those delicious whimpers she made that excited him so. Suddenly she pushed back forcefully, and they rolled over so she was on top. Surprised, he looked up at her, hoping nothing was wrong, and shuddered at the sensual smile she gave him.

“Akane...?”

“You said I could be on top last time... Well, I want to have you under me so I can se every reaction on your face...”

Ranma drew in a deep breath as she started to move, and felt her eyes burn into his as she smiled knowingly at the look on his face. But he didn’t care if she could read every emotion he couldn’t hold back, and his attention was riveted to the way her body swayed and bounced. Her back arched, her hips rotated and bounced, and he slid his hands over her warm body to her breasts, enjoying the feeling of the handfuls of soft flesh and the sounds that escaped her as he teased her hard nipples. He saw her eyes darken and her smile broaden, and realised he was grunting and panting loudly. Slipping his hands back down to her restless hips, he helped her find a rhythm that made them both whimper, and as he started to meet her dropping hips with hard pushes upwards with his own hips she started to let out small screams of desire.

“Akane..!” He moaned, trying to control himself. Akane leaned forward, supported on her arms, and kissed him roughly. Her breasts pressed against his chest, and he could feel her rapid heartbeats as she kissed her way down his neck. Getting impatient, he took a hold on her waist as to hold her still, and by bending his knees he could move his hips quickly, thrusting in and out of her wet sex.

“Rah...Ranma!” Akane squealed, falling down on him as his powerful motions rocked her balance. “Oooh, Ranma..! Y-yes..! Ah!” Somehow she managed to get back up off him, standing on all fours over him, and swayed back rhythmically to meet his hard thrusts with her own. Ranma knew he made a lot of noise, but couldn’t keep it back for all the money in the world. He massaged her waist and hips eagerly, increasing the tempo, and nibbled her neck and shoulders in between his heavy, fast panting. He felt her excitement, felt her wetness trickle down his pounding cock, and heard the begging tones in her whimpers and screams. Everything brought him closer to climax, and he struggled to control it as long as possible. Suddenly Akane went rigid, falling down again with a yell, and Ranma gratefully let himself go, enjoying the explosion and the way Akane’s trembling muscles milked him dry. Holding her close, relishing in the intimacy, he heard Akane’s breathing slow down, and as he felt himself drift off he heard a small snore coming from her.


Phew! There, all done...
So... Too much? Too little?
I’d love to get reviews on this chapter...