Ranma .05 :Vol 2, Part 1 Accidents Happen *** Warning: If you object to explicit sex and bad jokes, you should know then; that as the author of this piece, I don't. *** Author's Notes: Produced by: Horde O' Hentai Productions, Literature Division Darren Demaine: Chairman of the Horde, Founder Lee (Grey Wolf): Pun Minister, Lead Fuzzy Rob (Barbarian): P.U. Officer, Guy Who Throws His Weight Around Series Concept: Darren Demaine Written by: Darren Demaine (Knight of Strawberry Fields; Member, design team: AV-98 Ingram Patrol Labour; Professional F.M.E. [Faceless Minion of Evil]) Story assistance: Lee (Grey Wolf) Ideas, characters, and anything you read in fact, were stolen without shame from: Takahashi Rumiko-no-gamisama Well, the people have spoken (those who sent me mail anyway) and the results have been all of one mind: I MUST DIE! No, not seriously. (Well, maybe not killed, but they did have a few things to say about beating me senseless.) So far, all the mail has been positive enough that I decided to continue the series. Unlike Vol 1, I have no idea other then general plots for Vol 2, and I have no idea how many parts I will include (at the moment, 5 installments are in pre-production). From here on in, I'll be playing it by ear. In actuality, this is Vol 2, Part 1, version 2. Originally I had Nabiki and Kasumi stay for the show, but after I wrote that I looked it over and said, "That just doesn't flow right." This is the end result of the rewrite, and I have to say, I do like this one better. For those who care: The reason why Nabiki grabbed Ranma's mouth and checked his teeth; ever heard the expression 'never look a gift horse in the mouth?' It's because one of the ways you can determine a horse's value is to see what sort of teeth it has. And if you know what 'Ranma' means, you get the joke. Some of you may wonder why after getting a talk about responsibility from Nabiki, the two still engage in risky sex. I have decided, for the sake of the flow of the stories, to mostly turn a blind eye to real-life complications. (Also allows me to (maybe) bring up the pregnancy problem later.) While my characters ignore protection, you shouldn't (public service announcement). Often mentioned in my mail is the fact that people really liked what I did to Akane; they felt it was overdo in a lemon, or even a regular story. Many commented on the fact that I really should have gotten Akane pregnant. (Did that sound as dumb as I think it did?) Sorry folks, maybe sometime in the future, but at the moment I have no idea where to take such a story line. For the time being, here is a checklist of the fine products produced under the Horde O' Hentai Seal of Quality: Ranma .05 Vol 1 (Parts 1,2,and 3) Ranma .05 Vol 2 (Part 1, more to come) Strange Dreams (UY lemon) Lee (Grey Wolf) Shampooing a Mousse (Ranma lemon) Rob (Barbarian) A Dream to Godai For (Maison Ikkoku lemon) Rob (Barbarian) In case you're wondering: yes, I am writing a non-lemon story, but they are harder to write then lemons, and it should be finished about a week after the end of the universe. For the person who asked what 'Ranma .05' means; the original series is Ranma 1/2 right? That can also mean Ranma .5; since my writing is at its best (ha!) only 1/10th as good as Takahashi-no- gamisama's, my series is .05. As always, if you feel my work requires comment, leave some mail at [[[Lee, please edit this]]] and say your ten yen worth. Praises will cause my already swelled ego to form its own gravity well. Flames will cause me to curl up in a corner with my security blanket and cry the night away. Note to some of those who leave mail: GREY WOLF ISN'T WRITING THESE!! I'M NOT GREY WOLF!! I'M JUST USING HIS ADDRESS!! Please remember that when leaving mail. One last comment: Since most of the people who leave mail seem to be unrepentant Ukkyou-philes; you'll be happy to know that the next part actually has Ukkyou's first appearance in this series. This is not the result of pressure brought about by the large number of fans camped outside my house with giant Ukkyou posters and guns, but I had planned to have Ukkyou in the next one anyway. (There. Are you happy now you freaks?) Things to do: Thank these people: James Stone: He's the one who started me on my life of perversion. Lee: For doing the actual work of posting this. Rob: For standing over me with a whip and forcing me to write. Takahashi Rumiko-no-gamisama: All praise and glory be to Her name. You: Who do you think I'm writing these things for anyway? Story Begins -------------------------------------------- "Like this, Akane?" Ranma asked. "No...that's not right. Try again." Pause. "Almost Ranma...almost...just a little more...Yes!" With a sigh, Ranma leaned back, wiping his brow. "This sure is hard work." Akane looked at him, "You think this is easy for me?" "I'm the one doing all the work," he replied, somewhat defensively. "You think that I'm not necessary here?" "All right, all right," he submitted. "Without you, I'd just be here trying to do it by myself. Happy?" "I'll be happy when you finish the job." Throwing his hands up, Ranma looked annoyed. "Ok, Ok! Let's get on with it." Akane turned back to the textbook. "The next assignment is question five. Try and get it right this time." Both were in Akane's room, sitting at her desk. Akane was in her chair, and Ranma had dragged in Nabiki's chair from her room. He hoped she wouldn't notice, otherwise he would have to pay usage fees. Ranma scratched his head. "I don't know...I missed a whole week's worth of classes. Even with your help I'm not sure I can catch up." Shaking her head, Akane began reading. "You miss so much school that I don't know how you manage to squeeze through the exams." Grimacing, Ranma replied, "Squeeze through is right. Oyaji was not pleased with my last test results. He was threatening something about cram school." A smile worked its way onto his face. "At least I picked up a new set of techniques." Akane stared at the ceiling. "Techniques, techniques! That's all you ever worry about. Try directing some of that intensity to these problems and maybe we can get done with them." After a moment, curiosity got the better of her and she asked, "What exactly did you learn?" "The secrets of Tae Kwon Do-Rei-Me; anything-goes-martial-arts- musical-instruments." he replied proudly. "Well, I'm glad to see that at least you're good at something. Obviously, it's not math." she said, looking at the answer he had written down. "Give me a break, I skip a week of school to go on a training trip, and when I do come back, Hinako-sensei spends the whole day trying to punish me for being a 'delinquent student.' And on top of that, she gives me this extra homework." Glaring at the paper, he leaned forwards and scratched something down. Watching what were suppose to be answers being written down by Ranma, Akane sighed and leaned back, a defeated look on her face. "No Ranma. I explained the concept to you in the last problem. Don't you remember?" "Of course I remember," Ranma snapped. "Just give me a moment, it'll come to me..." "Just as swiftly as Ryoga's name when he first introduced himself?" she asked, sounding defeated. Turning to her, Ranma sulked. "Well excuse me! I'm so sorry that I don't care much for this dumb work. I'm a martial artist and I have better things to do." "I'm a martial artist too, Ranma, but my marks are a lot higher then your's." Turning away, Ranma laudingly replied, "Well, since you aren't much of a martial artist, and you can't get by on either your looks or personality, I guess that grades are all you've got left." "What was that, Ranma? Would you care to repeat that to my face?" "Can't stand the painful truth can you Akane?" He made a face of dramatic sorrow. "The truth can be so hard to accept." "That's right," she replied, angry now. "And the truth is that you're a jerk!" "Kawaikune!" "Baka!" "Tomboy!" "Hentai!" In the midst of this witty repartee, a knock came at Akane's door. Both were too busy to pay it any attention. After a moment, the door opened, and Nabiki looked in at the two of them arguing. She sighed and stepped in, wearing her usual short white cutoffs and loose-neck, short sleaved shirt. Heading over to the closet, she opened the door and began to rummage around while the room's other occupants continued to hurl insults at each other and ignore her. Taking out some of Akane's clothes, Nabiki scrutinized them. Most she put back after a moment or two of reflection. A few she held up against herself, checking the lengths. In the end, she chose three and draped them over her arm. Leaving the closet open, she started to walk away. Just before exiting the room, she looked over at Ranma and Akane, who were still arguing and ignoring her completely. A small grin, sinister when combined with her slightly-closed lids, made an appearance on her face. Nabiki left the room, closing the door behind her. "Let's get this over with Ranma," Akane said. "The sooner you finish these problems, the sooner you'll be out of my sight." "No one will be happier at the thought of you being out of eyesight then me," he stuck out his tongue at her. She returned the gesture. Nabiki walked in again and closed the door with her foot, as both arms were draped with clothes. The styles she carried looked a little older and worn, yet still seemed like something Akane might have bought. Reaching into the closet, Nabiki placed the items in, and arranged them carefully. Leaving the closet door open once again, she wandered over to the bed and lay down, reading a Sailor-V manga. Ranma, his brow furrowed, started to work once again at the assignment. For a time the room was quiet; the only sounds being Akane's suggestions to Ranma and Nabiki turning the pages of her manga. A knock sounded at the door, Akane looked up. "Come in!" The door opened and Kasumi walked in, an innocent smile brightening her face. In her hands, she carried a filled tray. "I thought that the two of you would like a snack for all the hard work you're doing." she said as she put the tray down on the desk. Both nodded their thanks to Kasumi as they grabbed the food. Ranma scarffed his down and would have eaten the others' too if Akane and Nabiki hadn't seen it coming and gotten there first. Kasumi walked back and closed the door, then stood there, smiling at the others. While eating, Akane looked over Ranma's last answer. "You know Ranma, I think that you've finally got it." He looked down at the paper, "Yeah...I guess your explanation last time actually made sense." "I knew that you could get it if you put your mind to it." He cleared his throat and hunched over the book as he quietly replied, "I don't think that I would have gotten it without your help...Thanks Akane." She seemed surprised, then smiled. "So nice to see you two getting along so well," Kasumi said from behind them. Both twitched at the comment; quickly they turned away from each other. "I don't think so," Akane said. "Definitely not." "Right," Ranma interjected. "No way could I ever get along with a violent girl like her." "Loser!" "Macho chick!" "Pervert!" Nabiki looked up from her manga to see the two of them sticking their tongues out at each other again. Sighing, Nabiki rested her elbow on the bed and put her cheek in her palm. "Don't you two ever get tried of that? I don't understand how you can continue to do that to one another day after day. I mean, you've already done the deed, haven't you?" Ranma and Akane nearly bit off their own tongues and choked at Nabiki's bored statement. They turned to face her, fear clearly visible in their wide eyes. Blushing, Akane tried to answer her sister. "O-Oneechan! H-How could you possibly think that!?" "Y-Yeah," added Ranma, equally terrified. "Can you think of one good reason why I'd want to do anything with such a kawaikune girl?" Without turning around Akane absentmindedly backhanded him to the floor. Putting a lazy grin on her face, Nabiki looked at the two younger people. "I know something happened in this house, and it's a pretty safe bet that you two were involved." "Oh yeah," Ranma muttered, getting to his feet and rubbing his bruised face, "prove it." Still with that sly grin, Nabiki reached into the back pocket of her shorts. She pulled out a flattened piece of cardboard and held it up between two fingers. A look a pure terror etched itself over Ranma and Akane's faces at the sight of it. The flattened box for a home-pregnancy test. Her grin not changing in the slightest, Nabiki spoke. "In this household, there are only four possibilities as to who this could belong to. I know for sure it's not mine. There is no way that I'd place money on the possibility it was Kasumi's." The elder sister smiled her innocent smile. "If it's Ranma-kun's," Nabiki continued, "I don't want to know about it. That leaves one option. It's your's, isn't it Akane?" Both Ranma and Akane had turned their red faces to the floor and just stood there for a long moment. Finally, Akane got the nerve to whisper, "Hai." Nabiki let out an annoyed breath of air. "What were you thinking, Akane? At your age, you really should be more careful. Can you imagine what would happen if Otosan found this lying around in the bathroom like I did?" Akane looked up at her sister, "You haven't told-" "Has he been freaking out more than normal lately? Of course I didn't tell him, and I'm not going to. It's your life and your responsibility, but I do expect you to be more aware next time. I don't want Otosan to find more of these just lying around the house." "Yes," added Kasumi, "you know how he feels when we don't pick up after ourselves." The three others in the room slowly turned to look at the eldest sister, who stood there with her seemingly innocent smile. Large, clear drops of sweat made appearances on the other's heads. Regaining her composure, Nabiki turned back to Ranma and Akane. "Just so you both know and pay attention." With that, she threw the box into the waste basket by Akane's desk. The two of them continued to look embarrassed and uneasy. "Anyway," continued Nabiki, "now it's time to get onto the important things." Akane and Ranma looked at her with confusion. With a surprising speed, Nabiki's lazy posture and attitude changed. She pulled her legs over the bed and sat up, leaned forwards, her eyes and posture becoming animated. An eager, rather then sly, smile appeared on her face. Grabbing hold of Akane's hands in her's, Nabiki spoke, "Don't hold out, Akane. Tell us everything." "What?" Both Ranma and Akane gasped. Still with an eager look on her face, Nabiki continued. "What was it like? Did it hurt? How long did it last? How did it feel? Come on Akane, tell your sisters all the juicy details." Kasumi came forwards, "Now, Akane-chan, tell your dear oneechan all about it." Akane just sat there, too stunned to speak. Ranma blinked a few times and tried to say something, but Nabiki turned an annoyed look his way. "Go away, Saotome. This doesn't involve you." Turning back, the two sisters continued to pelt Akane with questions. Haltingly at first, Akane started to answer her sisters' inquiries. Ranma looked on as the siblings quickly fell into a rapid and animated discussion about males in general and a certain member in particular. Eventually, Akane became just as animated in the conversation as her sisters, answering their questions and describing the situation she had been in. After Akane's finishing description, the two other sisters ooohhhed. Then all three turned to face Ranma with the look generally reserved for dissection specimens. "What!?" he asked, somewhat defensively. Without a reply, Nabiki got up from the bed and began to circle him. Ranma watched this nervously, as the other two watched as well. "Hmm," Nabiki muttered as she continued her inspection. "Nice form, an OK butt." She stopped in front of him, pulled his lips back with her hands, and looked in his mouth. "Teeth are fine I guess. Still; Akane, I think that you could have done much better then this." She released his face and left Ranma wondering if anyone had stamped 'Grade A Beef' on his forehead. Kasumi looked over at her youngest sister, "So Akane-chan, when were you thinking of continuing your little romantic affair?" Both of the two looked startled at that. "Just a moment, Oneechan." Akane blurted out. "What happened was...was an accident. It's not going to happen again, is it Ranma?" she looked to him for support. Looking just as uncomfortable as Akane was with this, Ranma replied, "Not a chance, no way, fineeto, hasta-la-vista, iie, nadda. I can't even explain why I did anything with such an unfeminine girl." That was clearly evident he'd taken things too far again as Akane picked up the empty tray and was preparing to shove it down Ranma's throat; sideways. However, Nabiki got in between them and prevented excessive violence. Kasumi sighed, "Are you still going to be fighting? I had thought that something like this would have affected you both very deeply." Nabiki turned to her older sister. "Looks like neither of them is willing to accept the truth yet, Oneechan. Guess we'll have to do our best to help them realize it." That said, she turned, grabbed Ranma's head, and gave him a very forceful kiss. Ranma's eyes widened with shock. Akane leapt up from her seat; "ONEECHAN!" she shouted, horrified. Without a pause, she picked up the empty tray, and with a throw that any olympic discus-tosser would envy, let it fly. Nabiki had turned Ranma slightly to the side during the kiss, so while the flying tray missed her by a few hairs; it solidly connected with Ranma's head. He went to the floor without a whimper. Looking at the twitching form lying on the carpet, Nabiki gently ran her fingers over her lips. "Hm...not as bad as I originally thought. Still, as a package deal, she could have done better." A very angry Akane was trying to get enough control to actually form words as Nabiki turned to face her. "So Akane, if what you two did is just an accident, why should you care what I do to him?" That comment cut through the red haze before Akane's vision. She looked down at Ranma as Kasumi said, "I'm sure Ranma-kun would tell you his feelings if only you'd ask him." She looked down at the prone figure. "You might want to wait until he's conscious before you ask him though." Nabiki nodded to Kasumi. "I think Oneechan, that it's time we left these two alone to figure out their own problems." Kasumi smiled at Akane, stepped over Ranma, opened the door and walked out. Nabiki patted Akane once on the shoulder and headed out as well. Just before closing the door, she leaned back in and said, "Good luck you two." she thought as she closed the door. * * * Awhile later, Ranma had finally regained his senses. The two were sitting down once again; but this time they were ignoring the homework. After a long stretch of silence, Akane looked up at Ranma. "I'm sorry for hitting you. It's just that...I got so mad for some reason." Ranma was about to reply something nasty; but for once in his life, actually thought better of it. "Don't worry about it Akane," he finally responded. "I'm used to it." Another moment of silence followed; then Akane stood up and walked a short distance away. Her back to him, she hesitantly spoke. "R- Ranma? About what I said regarding what we did..." He watched her closely. "You mean about it being an accident?" "Yes. I-I want to know...is that...is that all it was?" Ranma sighed. "Half the time I don't know my own feelings, how can I be expected to know for both of us?" She took a deep breath; "What do you think?" "What do you think, Akane?" he asked back. "W-we never seem to be true to ourselves; can we actually be honest to each other?" Ranma paused, then finally answered, "I don't know." After that, they fell silent for a time. Wringing her hands together, still facing away from him, Akane said, "There...there is a way to see if...if..." Ranma stood up slowly. "See if it was just an accident." he finished. She nodded. Silence fell between them. Ranma took a few steps over to her and placed one hand on her shoulder. A look of concern on his face, he asked, "Is it really that important we know?" Akane turned to face him. Looking up into his eyes, she paused, then nodded. Slowly, Ranma put his arms around her waist; Akane raised her arms and wrapped them about his neck. "For this," Akane said softly, "We tell each other the truth." "The truth," he agreed. He closed his eyes and leaned forwards; she did the same. For a long moment, they kissed in a gentle embrace. Akane broke the kiss and turned her head to the side; she followed by turning her body around in his arms. Eventually, her back was to him; she then pressed up against him, her hands reaching around his waist. Ranma slowly rose his hands up from her midsection across her chest. Her body's curves flowed under his hands as he raised them up to her shoulders. Taking hold of her suspenders, he pulled them apart, and let them fall down her arms. Because she was pressing up against his pelvis, her skirt didn't fall down. Their deep breathing whispered about the room. Rubbing her ass against him, Akane could feel Ranma's growing reaction to her. Slowly, she began to rock up and down with her knees, grinding into him harder. Ranma moved his head down to kiss her neck as his hands undid the top buttons of her shirt. One of these hands wormed its way into the opening available and rubbed the top of her breast not covered by her bra. After a few moments of this, she turned her head to meet his and they kissed deeply. Akane stepped away from him then; her loose skirt immediately fell to the floor. She turned to face him and started to work on the rest of the buttons on her shirt. Ranma also began to remove his clothing, throwing his top and undershirt onto the chair. Because of its length, Ranma could only see the smooth form of Akane's legs before she finally let her shirt fall down her arms. They gave each other nervous smiles as Ranma loosened the band around his waist and let his pants down. Kicking them aside, the two stared at each other for a moment; each only in undergarments. After a moment, Ranma raised his arms to her. Akane put her hand in his and was drawn in for an embrace and deep kiss. Again, Akane turned around in his arms and pressed her ass into his pelvis. This time, Ranma put one hand behind her back and unhooked the clasp on her bra. Akane hunched her shoulders and let the garment sag off. She then took a deep breath that did things for her free bosom. Placing both hands on her front now, Ranma stroked the yielding breasts; the soft skin contrasted by the rapidly-stiffening nipples. Enjoying this, Akane pressed back harder into him, feeling him rise to meet her. One hand still kneading her flesh, Ranma crawled the other down her tummy to her panties. Gently, he reached under the silky fabric and pushed a finger in. A long gasp escaped Akane at the sensation, and she arched herself back tighter against him. Keeping Akane upright with his body, Ranma rubbed Akane's sex and her passageway. By his fingers Ranma could feel Akane's sweet honey start to flow. His hand became moist and slid gently around. With short, rubbing strokes, he caressed her clitoris and laid her body open. Taking some deep breaths, Akane savoured this before she began to kneel down. Twisting as she went, she forced Ranma to remove his hands; they ended up gently on her shoulders. Once on her knees, Akane was facing Ranma, her head to his waist. Clawing her fingers onto his boxers, she gave a swift pull and sent them to the floor. Ranma twitched a bit as his member snapped free. Taking a hold of his semi-stiff rod in one hand, she began to stroke his inner thigh with the other arm. Leaning forwards, she opened her mouth and ran her tongue over the head before her. Through his nose, Ranma sucked in a deep breath. Still just playing with the tip, Akane continued to lick the head of his penis. One hand grasping his manhood, she could feel it finishing its hardening, and was now straight and thick before her. Playing a little, Akane popped the tip into her mouth and sucked just on the crown. Ranma's hips drove forwards reflexively, but she pulled her head back first. She looked up to see his flushed features staring back at her. Standing up before him, she pushed him until the back of his knees hit the bed. Gently laying him flat, Akane put one hand on his chest as the other raised his swollen rod into the air. Once again she circled the tip with her tongue, gently teasing him. Then she grasped the head in her lips, and slowly let her head fall down his length. Swirling her tongue over the captured territory, she reached the base and pulled up sharply. Sweating, Ranma groaned as she continued the up and down motions. Akane too was having trouble keeping her composure. Her eyes half- closed from the emotions that pounded through her, she removed her hand from his chest and ran it over her own sweat soaked body. She reached straight down past her chest, making her hand active inside her panties. While she sucked Ranma, her hand probed her own body. Gently parting herself, Akane poked a finger inside and winced with pleasure. She drew the finger out and left a wet trail of honey up to her sex. Finally Akane's head paused at the bottom of one of her strokes. Stiffening her jaw muscles, she drew her head back up once more; lips tight around his swollen member. Ranma moaned as she pulled up tightly; another moan was wrenched out of him as she released his manhood at the top of her stroke. Breathing deeply, Akane got up from her knees, and leaning on the bed for support, moved a ways up. Looking up at her, Ranma seemed torn to say something. He slowly reached out a hand. "Akane..." She took his hand in both of hers and held it to her cheek. "I know Ranma," she whispered, "I know." She kissed it once, then let it go. Tugging her sticky panties down her legs, she raised one leg over him and moved to place her knees on the bed. She settled down on top of him; his stomach between her legs. Ranma put a hand behind her head and drew her down for a long kiss. Gently, Akane placed her hands on his chest and raised her hips off him. Scooting down, she removed a hand and grasped his stiff member, pointing it upwards. At this point, both of them were gently trembling. With a small pause to look him in the eye, she placed him at her entryway; then slowly brought her body down. Moistened by her juices, Ranma's penis slid easily inside Akane. Both gasped at the sensations as he slowly filled her. Burying him in all the way, Akane completed her downwards motion. Just as slowly, she began to raise herself again. Looking up, Ranma saw her flushed face and half-opened eyes. Her chest rose and fell with her deep breathing. Leaning forwards on her arms for support, Akane rocked up and down, gripping him in a tight, wet embrace. Reaching up, Ranma ran his hands over her sweaty body to cup her breasts. Keeping a tight grip on his rod inside of her, Akane started to pump her hips in earnest. Sweat dripped from her body onto Ranma's, who was pressing back into the bed. As Akane brought her weight down, Ranma began to meet it with a rise of his own hips; trying to drive deeper. The sweet torture for the two continued as Akane freed a section of him with each rise; only to reclaim it when her hips came down. Both were now panting, gasping in air with each new lunge. Sliding his hands from her breasts over her shoulders and down her arms, Ranma gritted his teeth, determined to hold on. The two continued to stroke into each other. He could feel the pressure in his captured rod cycle high with each pump of his heart. Running his hands back up Akane's arms, he flanked her breasts, slid his palms down her curves, and grabbed her hips. Akane needed no incentive from him; she had already began to increase the tempo of her motions in response to her own desires. A couple of small grunts worked their way out of her mouth; her eyes screwed shut, her face flushed. At last, Ranma felt the pressure converge into one final hardening of his muscles. With a grimice on his face, his head rose off the pillow as he spasmed. His swollen manhood ripped control away and he moaned as he unloaded into Akane's slick vagina. Feeling him twitch under her, Akane leaned forwards and placed her sweaty forehead against his. Ranma's hand moved up from her hip and grasped the nape of her neck; holding her to him. Riding the slick pole held inside her, she pressed down hard once more as the sensations claimed her conscious thought. Sweet agony arched out along her nerves as she surrendered to the climax. A painfully intense spark ran up her limbs, forcing a long, low moan from her clenched teeth. Then a soft warmth flowed; replacing the bittersweet torment. Shuddering with the emotions, she pressed her lips against his; collapsing both of them against the bed. For some time, the two lay one on top of the other, exhausted. Slowly, their breathing softened. After a moment, Ranma began to run one of his hands through her hair. Gingerly, Akane opened her eyes; in a very quiet voice she asked, "Was it an accident?" Cooling off in the night air, Ranma looked up at the ceiling. "Yes," he muttered softly, "an accident. Something we can never do again." She closed her eyes and smiled. "We tell each other the truth." "The truth," he agreed softly, and gently embraced her. Still smiling, Akane buried her face in his chest. Slowly, she began to sob softly. Outside, Nabiki removed her ear from the glass she had been pressing against the door. Once again, the sly smile appeared on her face as she walked away. * * * Next day at school, the 'Blue Thunder' of Furinkan High sat calmly eating his bento. As he delicately devoured his noon-day meal, a shadow fell over him. Looking up, he put a polite smile on his face. "Greetings to you, Tendo Nabiki. May I be of assistance to you?" Perching herself on his desk, she cocked her head and looked down at him. "It's not what you can do for me, Kuno-chan, it's what I can do for you." A soft snort escaped Kuno's lips. He turned his head to one side and looked out the window with a wistful expression on his face. "To assume that I: Kuno Takewaki, 17 years old, the 'Blue Thunder' of my peers, would require assistance from you. It is to laugh." A soft chuckle sounded deep in his throat. "I am touched by your consideration. A delicate member of the distaff like yourself could give me nothing that I would desire. But fear not; I will remember you noble sentiment." While Kuno spouted poetry Nabiki was busy polishing off the rest of his lunch. "Even important information about Ranma-kun and Akane's relationship?" she asked charmingly. Like a gunshot, Kuno's head snapped back around to look at Nabiki. "Is this true, Tendo Nabiki?" "Hai." Kuno stood up before her. "Tell me now!" Swallowing the last of his shrimp, she extended her hand. "5000 yen please." Kuno handed it over with an eager look on his face. Nabiki sighed, sounding depressed. "I overheard them say that everything which moves their relationship ahead are in fact, accidents that they have no intention of repeating." "Can this be true, Tendo Nabiki?" he asked forcefully. "Have I ever lied to you, Kuno-chan?" A look of joy dawned on Kuno's face. "My long hard work is to finally be rewarded! Their relationship is soon to be over! At last, the sweet Tendo Akane will be free of his clutches!" Kuno hugged himself with joy for a moment, then a distressed look appeared. "But wait; if Saotome gives up Akane-kun, then he will devote all his energies to stealing my Osagi-no-onna! I must prevent such a tragedy! Yet, I must console poor Akane-kun! But I can not stand to see my goddess in Saotome's arms! And yet..." Leaving Kuno to loudly rant and rave, Nabiki sat down in her desk, counting her new money. When finished, she looked up to see Kuno still arguing with himself. she thought. Her sly grin made its appearance. ----------------------------------------------------------------