Addicted to Love Chapter 8 by Christopher J. Olsen ===== All Ranma characters are property of Rumiko Takahashi, first published by Shogakugan in Japan and brought over to North America by Viz Communications. ===== Akane 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/