Cursed

CHAPTER 10


“It’s raining again?” Ranma howled in outrage. She was female again, a bloody female demon and it was the third time that day. “Why do I bother changing back?” she yelled at the cloudy wet sky. “I should just stay a girl all the time so you wouldn’t have to bother screwing with me!”

Sango leaned over to Akane, placing her hand on the girl’s shoulder. “Who is he talking to?” Akane grimaced, sitting down to dig a rock out of her shoe. “Damned if I know, he gets like this sometimes, thinks that the universe is out to get him. Don’t worry, it will pass.”

Ranma kicked a tree furiously to vent his frustration. “Isn’t it enough that I have to live like this?” she snarled. No one dared mention that the snarl was adorable on her lightly furred face. It wasn’t enough to turn female, it wasn’t enough to turn demon, I gotta be cute too, she thought angrily, digging her claws into the bark. It felt good to shred something.

While the others were waiting for Ranma’s temper tantrum to pass so they could resume their journey, Inuyasha decided he’d had quite enough. Silently, he searched for a spot of bare earth in the otherwise thick brush and dug his claws into the soft, sticky mud, scooping up a big handful of muck. “Ranma!” he shouted.

“What?” she answered, turning around. Inuyasha hurled the mudball into her face with youkai accuracy. “Shut the FUCK up! You’re giving me a headache, you whiny bitch!”

Mirokmpedmped out the way as the she-demon screamed in rage, covered in a disgusting mess of wet earth and moldy leaves. Ranma charged the hanyou, bowling him over into the mud and trying her damnedest to make him eat it. Kagome sat down on a fallen log and wished one more time for a pair of dry socks. She checked her backpack. Nope, denied again.

*****

“I don’t care anymore. Let’s just camp here tonight.” Kagome was exhausted. Their route through the forest had been a nightmare, even with Ranma and Inuyasha trying to clear the thicker brush so that the humans would have an easier time. They were all scratched and bruised from fighting their way through the trees. At last they’d come to a small clearing next to a stream and everyone fell gratefully on the ground. Kagome grit her teeth, swatting at the ever present flies and gnats that seemed determined to make her their dinner. She dug in her backpack. “It’s gotta be in here somewhere,” she muttered to herself. Her searching fingers found the cool metal of the canister. “Yes!”

Kagome shook the can vigorously and waved to Akane, who was also fighting her own losing insect battle. “Here, this will help.” Akane turned around and Kagome spritzed the other girl and herself liberally with insect repellent. Akane looked relieved, she’d hardly been able to sleep the night before from the biting and buzzing.

“Fuck, not that shit again,” Inuyasha said, covering his nose. He hated the bug spray, it made his nose itch and then go numb. “What have I told you about spraying that crap around me, bitch?”

Kagome stuck out her tongue at him. “Don’t be such a jerk. Just because the mosquitoes don’t bother you doesn’t mean the rest of us should have to suffer.” She held out the can meaningfully to Sango and Miroku. “You sure that you don’t want any?”

Sango grinned and shook her head. She had to admit that she didn’t like the smell of Kagome’s repellent any more than Inuyasha did, although her nose was nowhere near as sensitive as his. Miroku looked unconcerned. “Even mosquitoes have the right to exist along side the rest of us.”

“Suit yourself,” the girl told the monk cheerfully. “If you want to line up to be a hot lunch for the bugs that’s fine with us. At least tonight Akane and her could have some relief. Inuyasha made a disgusted sound as he edged away from her. “Why don’t they bite you anyway?” she demanded.

He smirked at her. “They don’t like the taste of demon, I guess. Ranma and Shippo aren’t bothered either. You and Akane must just be the tasty ones.”

“It’s not a matter of taste, Inuyasha-sama,” Myoga said. He was lounging on his preferred perch, namely Miroku’s shoulder. The Buddhist monk was the only member of the party who was willing to spare a tired flea a drop or two of blood now and then. And he didn’t swat him the way Inuyasha and Ranma did. “Youkai skin is much tougher than human skin, a mosquito would have to work very hard indeed to pierce the flesh enough to draw blood. As a flea-youkai, I am of course strong enough to do so. The young ladies, however, are most tender and attractive to blood feeders such as myself.”

“Ewww,” Kagome said. Akane looked green. “That is so disgusting, flea-jijii.” The girls looked suspiciously at the tiny demon as if he was about to pounce on them for nourishment. Myoga was hurt at their implicit rejection.

“Whatever, I don’t care why they don’t bother me as long as they don’t,” Inuyasha said airily. His nose wrinkled again at the smell of the insect repellent. “I’m getting out of here until you two manage to air out,” he said, springing off towards the trees.

“It doesn’t bother you, Ranma?” Akane asked, looking over at the young demoness who was carefully placing a pot of water over the hastily built fire. “No, I don’t like it, but it doesn’t make me want to run away,” she answered.

Ranma stood up and stretched, looking around her with a vague dissatisfaction. One of the things that bothered him the most about being in his female form was that he almost always got an unbelievable craving for sweets. She knew that Kagome’s stash of treats had run out several days ago. Ranma peered into the brush, catching a glimpse of bright color. A closer investigation brought a happy smile to her face. “Hey, we’ve got blueberries over here!”

“I love blueberries!” Shippo squealed as he ran to join Ranma. The two of them buried their faces in the thick leaves, scarfing up the succulent berries. Ranma bent over as far as she could, slapping the kitsune’s paws away from the sweet treats. “Get your own bush, Shippo, this one’s mine,” she rumbled.

Miroku sighed and leaned his chin on his hand, watching Shippo and Ranma stuff their faces. Actually he wasn’t so much watching them scrabble in the brush as much as he was admiring the view that the demoness was providing. Sango noticed his dreamy gaze and scowled darkly. “Don’t you ever give it a rest?” she said sharply.

He blinked at her innocently. “I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about, Sango.” She planted her hands on her hips. “The hell you don’t, I can tell exactly what’s on your mind.”

“Good,” he said mildly, turning back to fix his gaze on Ranma’s bottom. “In that case I won’t have to explain myself.” The girl made an annoyed sound and went to sit as far from the hentai monk as she could. “It’s disgusting,” she said under her breath to Akane.

The other girl chuckled. “I have to agree, but what else can we do? If he’s stupid enough to grope Ranma’s cursed form, he deserves what he gets. I just hope I’m around to see it.” Akane knew that nothing got under her fiance’s skin like having other guys grabbing onto his female body. That was a quick trip to the emergency room as numerous male citizens of Nerima had found out. Certainly Miroku didn’t seem to be quite as dense as the boys she went to school with, but at least the friendly monk had sense enough to keep his hands to himself so far. She herself still itched for her chance to get at those adorable little ears.

Ranma straightened up and heaved a huge sigh of contentment. “Those were fantastic,” she proclaimed, rubbing her mouth on the back of her fist. Purple juices were smeared all over her mouth and chin and the demoness caught the disapproving glance of her fiancée. “What?” she demanded.

Akane fished out a water bottle from her pack and tossed it to her. “You’re a mess, Ranma, wash your face off before you attract flies.” The she-demon scowled and tipped water into her hand to rub her face. Convinced that took care of the problem, she now found herself thirsty after her blueberry gorge and noisily drained the bottle. “Thanks,” she said, tossing the now empty container back to Akane. Ranma belched loudly and scratched herself with an absentminded attention. “Now I gotta take a piss,” she commented to no one in particular, heading for the trees.

Sango and Kagome shuddered. “That is just so wrong,” Sango said, shaking her head. “Has she always been like that?”

Akane laughed. “You forget that when Ranma is in his girl form, it’s just his body that changes. Inside, he’s the same person and yes, he’s always been that disgusting. It’s just more noticeable when he’s a female.”

“Noticeable is right,” Kagome answered, fishing around in her backpack for her detestable math textbook. “Akane, are you still going to help me figure this out?” she asked plaintively. The other girl grinned and scooted over to sit beside her friend. “Of course, it would be a mark of dishonor against the Tendo dojo if I allowed you to fail geometry.”

*****

Akane was watching Ranma out of the corner of her eye. Her fiancé had been moodier than ever that evening, snapping at Kagome when she asked him to pass the rice over dinner, pushing Shippo away when the little kitsune boy wanted to play. It wasn’t like him at all, she reflected. Normally he annoyed her with his happy-go-lucky, don’t-give-a-damn attitude, but she found herself missing his cocky cheerfulness when it was absent. Right now he sat quietly, picking up sticks from the ground and sharpening the tips on his claws, then shoving the sharp ends deep into the soft earth. She sighed, her companions were all asleep or almost there, but Ranma still stared broodingly at the fire. Prepared for yet another rejection, she went to sit next to him. “Hi.”

He didn’t look over at her. “Hi yourself. Shouldn’t you be getting some sleep, Akane? We’ve got another long day tomorrow.” Myoga the flea had estimated they were still a day or two’s journey from the river that would take them north and west. Hopefully they’d be able to avoid whatever conflict was boiling in the Western lands between the dog-demon clans. He was curious and apprehensive about it, wondering what he would do if they did meet any dog-youkai. If they’re all like that Sesshomaru, it wasn’t going to be a fun experience.

“I’m not sleepy yet,” the girl said softly. “Ranma, what’s wrong? You’ve been biting everyone’s head off. It’s not like you.”

“Oh really?” he sneered. He turned to look at Akane finally. “There’s a lot that’s not like me right now.” She’d never seen him so down before. Akane reached to touch his hand. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“No,” he said roughly and yanked his hand away. Ranma stood up, brushing the dirt off his hands. “Just let me alone, I don’t need any help from you, or anyone.” He disappeared into the brush and Akane glared after him. “You asshole!”

She heard a derisive snort from somewhere up in the trees. “Glad I’m not the only one who thinks so. Talk about wasting your time on someone who’s not worth it.”

Akane glowered up at the hanyou. “What do you know about it?” she said sharply. “You don’t even know him.”

Inuyasha yawned widely, settling himself more comfortably on his branch. “So go after him, girl,” he said sleepily. “Unless you’re afraid of him. I didn’t think you were that easily scared.”

“I will,” she snapped. Inuyasha watched the girl storm into the forest after the cranky young demon. He smiled as he laid back and prepared to sleep. She’s a feisty one, he decided. Hope Ranma knows what he’s getting himself into.

Akane was mad and she was hurt by Ranma’s callous rejection. She walked deeper into the dark forest, stumbling over tree roots she couldn’t see. The girl put her hands out keep from running into the low branches and suddenly reflected that chasing Ranma in the dark when he could see and she couldn’t wasn’t exactly the best idea. Her foot found a hole in the soft forest floor and she tripped and caught herself painfully on her palms before hitting the ground. “Damn it!”

“What are you doing?” Ranma had appeared out of the darkness, his hands automatically reaching for her arms to help her up. She shoved him away, frustrated and angry. “What do you think? I’m looking for you, you big jerk!”

“What did I do?” he demanded. “Just because you can see where you’re going…”

She cut him off. “I came looking for you because we need to talk about this. I’m tired of you pushing me away, I know you’re going through a really hard time right now but I’m not going to stand for this any longer! We’re in this together, do you understand? I know that you don’t want any help and that’s fine, but you don’t have to treat me like crap when I offer it!”

She was breathing hard, surprised by the depth of her hurt and anger. He stood quiet for a moment, she couldn’t see his expression in the darkness. “I’m sorry,” he murmured, his hand touching her hot cheek lightly.

Akane relaxed. “Well, you should be,” she grumbled, not exactly ready to let him off the hook. It would help if she could see his face. She jumped as his fingertips touched her hair, moving it gently off her forehead. “I’ve been a real jerk, haven’t I?”

“It’s not like I’m not used to it,” she grinned and then regretted her flippant reply as his hand withdrew. Akane grimaced, it seemed like it just never got any easier for them. She bit her lip. “What I meant to say was, I know you don’t mean stuff the way you say it. I’ve just gotten used to seeing past that tough guy act.”

He laughed, surprised. “So you think it’s an act? I thought I had you fooled this whole time.”

“You can’t fool me, Ranma.” Akane guessed where he was standing and darted her hands to his his ribs, which she knew were ticklish. He caught her wrists easily in the dark, holding her hands pressed against his chest. “I guess I shouldn’t try,” he said softly.

She swallowed, suddenly very aware of his nearness. “Ranma?” He didn’t answer, but instead brushed her cheek with his lips in a feather soft kiss. “I’ll try to be nicer to you,” he whispered, closing his eyes and inhaling the fragrance of her hair and skin. One of the benefits to being youkai he had disced wed was that good things smelled even better. He could hear Akane’s heart beating faster, smell the scent of her racing pulse. Strange impulses filled him again and he gently tugged the girl closer.

Akane let Ranma hold her, wondering at the change that had come over him. He ducked his head again, ruffling her haith hth his nose and she could hear a strange vibration echoing from deep within his chest. It was actually kind of nice, she thought, leaning her head against his chest, feeling the light vibration through his shirt against her cheek. She closed her eyes, it was more than kind of nice, it was wonderful. She relaxed and let herself lean into him, feeling his strong arms tighten around her protectively.

Ranma wasn’t sure where he’d suddenly gotten the courage to hold Akane like this, his brain was buzzing with a hundred different impulses. And the way she was pressing against him left him in no doubt that she approved. Somt bet befuddled, he reached up to caress her soft hair, wondering how he’d gotten so lucky that Akane had wanted to come with histeastead of staying home where she was safe. He wanted to kiss her, wanted to very badly, but he wasn’t sure if he could trust himself right now.

Akane reached up to touch his face, her soft hands exploring his features in the darkness. It was a warm, moonless night and she decided that she probably wouldn’t have dared to do this if she could see him clearly. ma, ma, for his part, could see quite clearly and he was amazed at the tenderness in Akane’s slight smile. Maybe it was the demon blood inside him making him feel reckless and brave, but he couldn’t resist any longer and put his hands on her shoulders and pressed his lips against hers in a swift kiss.

Her breath caught in surprise at the kiss as it took her completely off guard. He watched her face anxiously, looking for signs of anger or annoyance. Ranma was pretty sure that she wanted him to kiss her, her body was giving off all the signs, but he wasn’t sure how to read her right now. Akane herself put an end to his apprehension, her hands moving softly around his neck and her eyes lighting up in a pleased expression. She tilted her face up to meet his and he kissed her again, this time more slowly. Her mouth met his eagerly, her fingers twisting in his unruly hair and she concentrated on kissing him back as firmly and undeniably as she could. She felt his lips part moistly under hers and joyfully slipped the tip of her tongue between them. Her tongue found the tip of his fangs a little more aggressively than she’d intended and Akane jerked back in surprise.

He tasted her blood in his mouth and Ranma wasn’t sure where he was anymore. His head was spinning and his body was starting to tingle with desires. “Careful,” he whispered huskily, kissing her lightly on her cheeks, then her eyelids and the tip of her nose. His lips caught hers again and this time Ranma felt no hesitation in claiming her sweetness for his own. Akane felt her legs go weak as Ranma held her against a tree, kissing her with a passion and intensity that she’d only dreamed of until now.

Akane held onto him as tightly as she could, gasping aloud as his mouth moved to kiss her throat, the soft kisses and flicks of his tongue against her sensitized skin was more than she could bear. She whispered his name over and over, winding her hands tighter in his hair, his braid coming undone as she pressed his head against her neck. Ranma growled softly, tasting her with all his senses now, reveling in the warmth of her response. He let his hands explore her as he moved his mouth back to hers, taking her lower lip in his teeth gently and sucking it like it was a sweet. His hands had a mind of their own, slipping under her shirt to touch her hesitantly. She arched her back, pressing ast hst him with an abandonment that astounded him.

Breathing hard, he became more daring and felt a wild possessive urge to grab Akane and carry her off to some secret place. She leaned forward, kissing his throat and under his jaw, her fingers digging into his arms as she grew more excited. Somewhere in the back of his mind he thought this was moving too fast, he wouldn’t be able to keep himself under control if they didn’t stop soon. Ranma didn’t think she knew what she was doing to him, driving him wild and adding fuel to the fire that burned inside him with her hands and her lips answering his so clearly and strong. He pushed her back, he had to get some breathing room and fast before she drove him right over that dark edge.

“Ranma?” her voice was husky, heavy with her newly woken passion. He licked his lips. “Akane, are you, I mean, I can’t hold back for us both if you aren’t sure…” Her fingers ran over his lips in the darkness, reaching for him. “Ranma,” she murmured again.

Something new invaded his senses and his body went rigid. Without hesitation he grabbed the girl roughly and hurled her out of the way just as a slavering monster plowed in the tree right where she’d been standing. I didn’t hear it coming, he thought urgently. Not until the last minute, it could have taken her.

Snarling with rage he attacked, tracking his enemy easily in the nearkneskness that was bright as day to his youkai eyes. He struck at the monster, a long winding snake of a demon hissing at him angrily. “Your blood will taste as sweet as hers,” it rumbled menacingly.

“Just try it,” he said, his eyes glinting dangerously. Akane was huddled on the ground, looking around her frantically. “Just stay there, Akane,” he ordered. She can’t defend herself, she can’t even see it. Akane could smell something rank and horrible and her skin had been snagged by splinters when thee wee was torn apart. He stood between Akane and the snake demon and laughed harshly. “What are you waiting for, snake? Come and get a taste of me if you can.”

The snake hurled itself at the youkai again, venom slobbering from its dark fangs. Ranma flipped over it, landing on the reptile’s back and sinking his claws joyfully into the monster’s hide. The snake shrieked angrily, trying to twist the youkai off as it rolled around the damp forest floor. Ranma had no pro han hanging on, his hands were covered in stinking blood and he struck again and again. The feeling of the hot blood gushing between his fingers was as pure and blissful as any sensation he’d ever known. For the first time he wanted to cause something pain, he wanted to punish and revel in the destruction. Akane was sobbing, covering her face with her hands at the sounds the dying monster made, piercing shrieks of agony and far worst of all the cold, horrible laughter that made her heart freeze inside her chest. It was Ranma, he was enjoying it, she was suddenly glad she couldn’t see his face. “Stop it,” she screamed, unable to deal with the horrible sounds any longer. “Just kill it, don’t…don’t play with it!”

Something hard crashed into her back, sending the girl sprawling. Hard claws sank into her arms, not puncturing her flesh but gripping her harshly just the same. Akane tried to get her feet under her to fight off the creature on her back but suddenly found herself soaring straight into the air, helpless as a mouse caught in the powerful talons of an eagle. “Ranma!”

He looked up from his slaughter of the snake demon in time to see Akane hauled into the sky but some winged, reptilian creature. She was shouting for him and he threw himself off the snake and tried to reach her, but she was already far above him. “Akane!” he screamed. END END CHAPTER 10