Neko Love 17. Feline Fury!

Author:

Disclaimer: I don’t own Ranma!

Chapter 17

The fury that burned in Akane’s eyes was like nothing Happosai had ever seen before. And for someone that had lived as long as he had, it was something to be feared. Her feral yowl echoed in the room making him quiver with fear. Her newly emerged energy claws dug into the matted floor.

“Now my dear...” Happosai said cautiously. “There’s no need to get upset.”

Neko-Akane spat and hissed at the old man. She didn’t care what he was saying he was in her way. She could smell a faint whiff of her fiancee and somewhere else very familiar. She could tell from the scent where her Ranma was and she wasn’t happy about it.

She pounced quickly, hammering Happosai into the wall. He bounced back trying to trip her with his pipe. But Akane dodged his moves with ease hitting him back harder and faster. The pervert was soon unconscious and hidden under a pile of shredded underwear. Akane hissed and leapt over the old man and out the open window.

She was still angry and upset about Ranma. They still had some unfinished business to attend to and thanks to the old man she knew exactly where to find him.

~*~*~*~

Oblivious to these events Ranma sat in his chains reading the note that was pinned to the wall. He read it over and over just to see if there was anything he could pick up on but it was no use. It looked like Akane’s writing, it had to be hers. She was in some sort of serious trouble and had to go to hospital about it.

‘What have I done to Akane?’ He thought to himself. ‘She must have been really hurt by my cat side.’

“Well son-in law?”

Ranma turned to see that Cologne had entered her restaurant.

“Do you accept the truth?” Cologne asked. “I’ll free you if you’re willing to listen to me.”

“I have to see Akane!” Ranma snapped.

“Face facts she doesn’t love you!” Cologne snapped back.

“I have to see her...” Ranma hung his head as he felt more dejected. He was trying to fight the tears that where forming.

“She left Nerima and is headed to a hospital.” Cologne spat. “It’s because of your irresponsible cat side that you’re both in this mess.”

Ranma kept his head down.

“Of course the best thing to do is to get on with your life.” Cologne continued looking slyly at the hurt boy. She was leased that her forgery had was working on Ranma.

“I’m not marrying Shampoo.” Ranma growled.

“I never said that!” Cologne said shocked. “My suggestion was for you to accompany me to China. It is in both our interests to find cures for the water curse.”

The old Amazon crept closer to Ranma. “Shouldn’t you do something for yourself for a change?” She whispered.”No pressure from us Amazons, I’ve noticed that it doesn’t work on you.”

“Untie me..” Ranma sniffed. “I’ll go.”

“It’s all for the best.” Cologne agreed, her wrinkly face stuck in a huge grin. “Let’s start getting ourselves packed up to leave. The sooner the better son-in...er I mean Ranma.”

The shackles were unlocked and Ranma was freed from the pillar. He moved slowly his own depression making his actions slow and sluggish. Cologne started packing immediately in case he changed his mind and Ranma was soon putting kitchen things away in a box, though he was lacking the enthusiasm.

A knock on the door snapped him out of his depressed daydream and he looked up expectantly. Just in case it was Akane back to explain what was happening. He glumly returned to his work when he saw it was only Ryoga an Ukyo.

“Ran-Chan!” Ukyo cried. “You’re safe and human again!”

“Where’s Akane!” Was Ryoga’s greeting.

Ranma shrugged in response to the pair. He handed them the slightly crumbled letter as an explanation.

“I’m going to China.” Ranma said. “I’m going to do things for me and not my family.”

Ryoga and Ukyo spent a couple of minutes reading the letter.

“Yes!” Ukyo and Ryoga both said, then it was quickly replaced with,

“Oh dear, poor Ran-Chan.”

“You never deserved her anyway.”

“Gee, thanks you guys.” Ranma sighed. “I should have gone to China a long time ago.”

“I’ll come with you!” Ukyo said nodding. “I can cook on the road, no problem.”

“Thanks Uc-Chan you’re a pal.”

“I can help you pack!” Ryoga said earnestly. “Gotta get you to China as soon as possible to find the cure!”

“Don’t worry, I’ll save some of the cure for you.” Ranma whispered, thinking Ukyo didn’t know about the curse.

“I of course shall stay and comfort Akane.” Ryoga said.

“Yeah I bet.” Ranma huffed.

Suddenly the doors clattered open. Everyone turned to look to see who it was.

Shampoo stared back at the all. Her tear stained face obvious even to Ranma. She opened her mouth to say something but a lump was in her throat and the tears came again. She dashed up the stairs hiding her face. Cologne followed her up the stairs concerned at what had happened to her great-granddaughter.

Mousse entered as soon as the Amazon women disappeared, he also looked like he had been running.

“Shampoo!” He called out. He ran towards the nearest person to hug them. Finding that person male and with a pigtail he jumped back. “Ranma?”

“And before you hug any of us it’s Ukyo and Ryoga too.” Ukyo kindly explained. “Shampoo went upstairs.”

“Hey Mousse...” Ranma said, interrupting Mousse before he could dart away after Shampoo. “It looks like I’m going to China with you all.”

“But how?” Mousse asked, split between his concern for Shampoo and his interest in Ranma’s story.

“This explains a few things.” Said Ryoga happily. “I especially like the end bit.” He handed over the infamous letter to the blind Amazon.

“This is from Akane Tendo?” Mousse said confused as he squinted at the kanji. “There are some things that make me worry about this letter.”

“I’d let it lie.” Hissed Cologne, who was coming back down the stairs. “What did you tell Shampoo? She’s too upset to talk.”

“The truth.” Mousse growled. “Which is more than I can say about you and this letter.”

“That is none of your bee’s wax!” Cologne snarled.

“C’mon Sugar, of course it’s the truth.” Ukyo said. “Akane doesn’t love Ranma, she wrote it there in black and white.”

“But why is she going to a hospital to get ‘fixed’?” Mousse complained. “It’s too soon for that kind of fixing. Wouldn’t see go to the doctor to take pills? I also don’t think Akane is the type of girl that would do that.”

“Since when are you an expert on woman’s troubles?” Cologne said.

“It’s is the males Amazon duty to know about these things.”

“News to me.” The old Amazon growled.

“We live in this century you old crone!” Mousse snapped. “You’re probably a hundred years out of date!”

Cologne was going to argue back but there was a loud crash interrupting them. The doors had been slashed open and there stood a feral looking Akane. She stared at everyone in the room, her eyes looking for that certain someone.

“Akane!” Ranma cried out in relief. He had thought she had been shredded by his cat side. He had been completely lost by Cologne’s and Mousse’s argument, unsure what pills and doctors were about. But here was his Akane all in one piece, he then noticed how she’d entered and started to get scared.

‘She’s got claws!’

Akane had heard his call and bounded towards her chosen mate. She mewed a greeting and jumped onto him, pinning the petrified boy down. She purred loudly, snuggling into his chest. Glad to have found her beloved.

“....help....” Ranma squeaked. He didn’t want to move. He’d seen with his own eyes the destruction her new claws could do.

Ukyo charged in tackling Akane, pulling her off her intended husband.

“Get off my Ran-Chan!”

The possessed girl girl hissed back. It was HER Ranma! She kicked Ukyo into the air and juggled her like a ball of yarn. Then the Chef was chewed up and discarded into the wall.

Ryoga quickly followed where Ukyo had left off. He picked up Ukyo’s fallen battle spatula and tried to use it to pin down Akane. The wild girl whirled round like a lethal twister, trying not to get caught. She sliced up the spatula into 6 different pieces and Ryoga was soon disposed of against the wall beside Ukyo.

Mousse attacked with his weapons flying out of his sleeves. Chains, rope, anchor’s and even a stuffed toy were thrown at Akane. She expertly deflected them with her ‘paws’. She leapt onto Mousse biting him behind the neck and she started shaking him. He smelled like a duck so she thought he was one. He finally hung limp in her mouth and Akane was left with only one more obstacle, Cologne.

Ranma watched petrified as the old woman grabbed some left over ramen. She tried to use it to tie up Akane. It was shredded into pieces and the Neko-girl snatched Cologne by the hair. The Amazon screamed to be let go as she was shaken just like Mousse. Akane spat her out, she tasted funny anyway.

With no-one left to save him, Ranma was left to the mercies of Neko-Akane. She sat back on his chest rubbing herself against him and purring loudly. Ranma looked around desperate for help when he saw a figure on the stairs.

Shampoo looked down at the pair with a stony expression. Her face still stained with the tears she had been crying. Ranma tried to plead for help but was silenced by Akane nibbling on his neck making him giggle. This seemed to snap the spell that had been cast over Shampoo. She picked up the bucket that she had been holding and sloshed the cold water over the pair.

“Shampoo hope to never see Stupid girl and Ranma again!” She squealed. “This is just too too weird.” The Amazon turned and left the amazed redhead and young Tendo. Akane spluttered from the water and the wake-up. The tomboy when she got her bearings saw who she was was very close to.

“Ranma!” She gasped. Akane got up off the smaller girl and tried to make her escape. She couldn’t bear it to hear anymore insults from him.

“Akane wait!” Ranma called after her. She picked up the fallen letter and tried to catch up to her fiancee.

Mousse moved from his position as he heard them leave.

“Ugh!” He groaned, then he rerun the event through his head. “Did Shampoo just...?”

It had been Shampoo that had said, ‘Never want to see Ranma again?’ The blind boy dashed up the stairs, hopeful that finally Shampoo wasn’t so emotionally blind.

Ukyo pulled herself from the wall. Her gut was telling her to chase after Ranma but the rest of her body wasn’t obeying her command. She wobbled onto her feet and collapsed.

“You’re a state!” Ryoga said as he pulled himself up undamaged. Because of his training he had a better recovery time.

“Just shut up.” Ukyo groaned. “Help me go after them.”

“If you insist.” Ryoga shrugged. He lifted Ukyo up and over his shoulder.

“Not like this you caveman!” Ukyo objected.

“Do you want me to drop you?”

“No!”

“Then shut up!”

“I will not!”

The two left arguing as a battered Happosai entered the restaurant limping for extra effect.

“It was horrible!” He moaned. “Akane went insane with rage! Nothing could stop her!”

Cologne glared at the pervert through her hazy vision.

“How did the girl get access to fish.” The old woman hissed.

“I don’t know what you mean.” Happi coughed looking shifty.

“It’s her Neko-Ken trigger.” Cologne growled.

“Well a bit of information between partners would help!”

“Consider ourselves ex-partners.” Cologne spat. “This has been a complete disaster! It stops being fun when someone gets hurt!”

“That person being you?” Happi observed as Cologne painfully cracked her spine back into place.

“Exactly!” She moaned.

~*~*~*~

Meanwhile Ranma had cornered the fleeing Akane and they stood facing each other not sure what to say.

“Hey.” The red head said.

“Hey.” Akane answered.

“I gotta know...” Said Ranma nervously.

“Yeah me too...” Akane agreed, just as nervous.

“This letter?”

“What you told Cologne?”

“Um...letter?” Akane asked.

“What I said?” Ranma wondered.

“You said you didn’t want to marry me because of my cat side.”

“No I didn’t. I wouldn’t tell that old crone anything like that.” Ranma snorted, trying to look macho.”Did you write this?” He handed over the scroll.

“No.” Akane said after examining it. “It has to be a forgery.”

“Then you...” Ranma paused as she tried to find the words.

“Um...” Was all Akane could say.

They stood there in awkward silence as they both tried to regain control of their tongues.

“So...” Ranma stuttered cautiously. “You don’t, NOT love me?”

“That’s a double negative.” Corrected Akane turning red. “But I never wrote ‘I don’t love you.’”

Ranma grinned nervously as she heard the words pass Akane’s lips. She scratched the back of her head unsure what to say next.

Akane was beetroot red herself from the embarrassment. Especially since Ranma was a girl at the moment and they had attracted a small crowd wanting to watch the ‘lesbians’. She grabbed one of the onlooker’s hot drink and splashed Ranma with the contents. He shook himself slightly glad of the change. Disappointed the people milling about went back to their business.

“Wanna go home?” Ranma asked breaking the silence and held out his hand. He looked down at the ground not wanting to make eye contact.

Akane nodded her head and gently took his hand. The both waited to see if the other would pull away but their grip remained. Ranma smiled slightly and lead Akane back home.

~*~*~*~

Author’s Note: Awww! Nice bit of warm fuzzy ending to the chapter! ^_^

Though I’m continuing next chapter so don’t worry, I thought I’d be nice and not have a cliffhanger. Feel the privilege!

I’d just like to add to Sakuraforce that there is no way I am bringing any controversial abortion into this story. The ‘hospital’ part of the note was a red herring placed by Cologne to make Ranma think the worse. There is no way I’m bringing such a touchy subject into a story like this. I mean I am evil with the cliffhangers sometimes but I do try not to offend anyone.

To Joseph D. Hale: Where do you get your ideas? That wasn’t exactly what I was thinking but keep up the ideas!

To Doctor Emmit Brown: Yeah I know, Akane needed to be really gullible even more than usual, but I think her insecurities about Ranma and this whole Neko love mess she would buckled under Cologne’s suggestions. Ranma saying ‘my Akane’ last chapter got edited because you’re right he wouldn’t say that, not with Happi there anyway. Thanks for spotting that I am lacking a Beta reader so I depend upon my reviewers to tell me if anything’s wrong or out of place!

So next chapter Ranma and Akane head home and just guess who’s back waiting for them?