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Neko Love	By : MzD Category: +M to R > Ranma ½ Views: 42908 -:- Recommendations : 3 -:- Currently Reading : 3
Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 32
- 33
- 34
Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½
Chapter 33
The Medicine
Akane was thankful of the interruption from Ryoga and Ukyo. She was sure she would have pushed Ranma down if they continued. A part of her had wanted to do more to explore him and see how deep she could kiss him. She didn't want to really do those things until they were more of an official couple. She hated having to hide from her family but it was just so embarrassing. She could feel the heat from her face and she knew she would be beaming like a lantern.
"You look so happy." Kasumi said as Akane entered the kitchen.
Akane smiled back but couldn't find the words to answer her. It was a confusing bag of happiness, anger and embarrassment and the mix of the three had made it impossible to give much of a response. She picked up a tray and started selecting cups.
"We have some guests." Akane said. "Ryoga and Ukyo have finally returned from the mountains."
"Oh, shall I go call Akari then?" Kasumi asked. "She gave me her number to call her when her fiancé arrived."
Akane felt a small pang of guilt but quickly turned it into a smile. "Yeah, call her." She answered. 'Ryoga doesn't deserve such a sweet girl.' She thought to herself. She was still undecided about if she would ever forgive Ryoga. She had loved that little black piglet as her own pet. She glanced out the window to see the three of her friends chatting in the garden. It looked more like Ryoga was really fighting with Ranma about something, but then it just seemed normal for them. She clenched the tray and a flash of anger made her imagine slamming the tea tray over the idiot's head.
It passed quickly and she just shook her head. She just needed to stay away from him. He never stirred up the same insane amount of rage she felt when around Ranma. It was more like disappointment and the fact that she had lost a good friend. As she really didn't think she could fully trust Ryoga again, not for a long time.
Akane fumed over these ideas as the tea was made and cookies were added by her big sister. She made her way into the garden determined not to be to show her anger and tried to put on a smile.
"So, I don't have to worry about Shampoo ever again!" Ranma announced to his friends.
Akane nodded as she set down the tray, she guessed he had gone through the story but left out the part of her kissing him below the belt. She really hoped for Ranma's health that he had done that. She gave a quick glance at Ukyo and saw that she wasn't giving her evil looks and for once Akane assumed the best. She was started to feel that she really could trust Ranma. It was almost like she had been released and she was starting to feel more at ease.
"Akari should be here soon." Akane said.
Ryoga groaned. "We need to get ourselves cured though. I'm not sure if I want to meet her till then."
"You're right sugar, I don't want to be tied to this moron all my life." Ukyo sighed.
"I sort of have good news about that, I have a cure from Cologne but it's for the herbal remedy being put on externally. She said she would see you guys at her restaurant. She has a different type of cure for you both." Akane said but she was looking only directly at Ukyo.
"We'll try." Ukyo said. "I think she said it was probably temporary, I hope that's right."
"Well, we all hope for the best, lets drink our tea to that!" Ranma said cheerfully, glad it had all been sorted as far as he could see.
The other three stared at him coldly as they didn't feel so jolly about the uncertainty.
"I guess if you didn't have that positive attitude you wouldn't be Ran-Chan." Ukyo smiled.
"That's part of what I like about him." Akane said in a low voice and blushing furiously.
Ranma tried to laugh it off but was also a deep red. Ryoga in a petty fit of jealousy, elbowed the back of his head so he'd hit the table. As he slammed down he turned round in rage and tried to counter with a punch. Akane and Ukyo watched in silence as the pair began to spar.
"I'm not sure I like that part about him though." Akane grumbled. "He doesn't need to fight all the time."
"You're going to have to accept them with all their flaws." Ukyo laughed. "You'll need all the luck you can get."
"I know and patience…" Akane sighed and then yelled. "Ranma, careful of my Mom's flower bed!" She turned back to Ukyo. "I think I can get used to it, I somehow have already in a way, whatever life throws at us we have the anything goes way. It finds a way to get us out of trouble."
"Guess it's worked so far…" Ukyo said and shouted. "Ryoga, just knock it off! We're having TEA!"
The boys paused mid-kick their feet planted symmetrically in each others face.
"Sorry…" Both Ryoga and Ranma mumbled together.
They all sat down together and talked about their plans. Akane still hadn't calmed down from her previous encounter with Ranma and Ukyo felt sickened at her blushing bride face. She liked Akane but seeing her happy with the guy she also liked was still too hard for her. She gulped down her cold tea and grabbed onto Ryoga dragging him away. He still wanted to finish his fight with Ranma.
"Give it up…" Ukyo hissed at him as they stood in the Tendo garden slightly away from the happy couple. "Didn't you see how happy they were together? Why are you starting fights with Ranma again?"
"It's a force of habit." Ryoga whispered, he could feel Ranma and Akane looking at them. Akane hadn't really spoken directly to him since they arrived. He was starting to feel a little awkward and sparing with Ranma seemed more natural for him. "Listen… Ukyo… "
"I'm here!" A cry came out and the Entrance gate was knocked down by a giant Sumo pig. Akari glanced over her pig and gasped in shock. "Oh no… Ryoga, I'm sorry."
"It's…okay…" Ryoga gasped under the fence. "I'm sort… of used… to it."
Ukyo watched amazed as the giant pig licked Ryoga as he lay under the gate the pig was standing on.
"That's enough Katsunishiki!" Akari scolded her favourite pet. She slid down and tried to pick up the heavy wood gate. Ukyo sighed and went to help her.
"That's a nice pig you have there." Ukyo said. "Does he always crash through walls?"
"Well, he's just a little enthusiastic, but he's my champion Sumo Pig." Akari smiled patting her pig.
Akane and Ranma were watching from the garden table and Akane made it her chance to whisper to Akari. "Should we tell Akari?"
"About the hugging thing?" Ranma whispered back.
"No, about the P-Chan thing!" Akane hissed.
Ranma smirked and shrugged. "Oh no worries, she knows!"
"So I really was the last to know!" Akane huffed and whatever happiness she had turned back to low resentful anger.
"Well… I'm sure your sisters didn't and… maybe Dr. Tofu… and…" Ranma stuttered but Akane just stayed silent.
"I'll be in my room, I need to prepare anyway…"
"Oh, wait… Akane… we… okay FINE! Do that!" Ranma snapped. "Just be all moody!"
"I will!" Akane shouted back. "Don't disturb me!"
"That pair really do have ups and downs…" Ukyo mumbled and saw that Ryoga was now sitting upright and speaking in a low voice to Akari. She gave a deep sigh hissing air through her teeth. She wasn't sure why she was so frustrated, envious of Ryoga having someone or was it just anger at how much of a two-timer he was. She wasn't sure and not happy about her own flux of emotions.
"Looks like tea-time's over." Ranma said coming over. "She's off to her room, sorry Akari."
"That's okay!" Akari giggled. "I came to see my beloved fiancé!"
"We still have some things to do…" Ukyo said slowly. She didn't want to say to this cute girl the truth about her hopefully temporary curse. "We need to go speak to Cologne."
"If you're sure." Ranma said. "The old crone might not do it for free. Don't trust her completely, she's still a scheming old hag."
"She still owes us for what we did in the mountains for Shampoo." Ryoga reminded them. "Thanks Ranma, we'll see you soon. Though if it's impossible to be cured, we're coming back for our revenge."
"Oh you better believe that one Sugar!" Ukyo added. Ranma gulped and hoped to all the Gods that he hadn't made things worse for himself.
"Shall I come along too?" Akari asked.
"Of course!" Ryoga answered.
The three, plus giant pig left through the hole caused by the Sumo pig. Ranma waved them goodbye and secretly hoped that his impulsive matchmaking hadn't messed up Ryoga's love life. He really didn't want to make his friend any more of his enemy. He looked back to the house and saw the shadow of Akane by her window. She'd been looking at him. He tried to squint to see if he could wave. He wanted to continue what they had been doing before Ukyo and Ryoga butted in. He could feel that they had made some progress but there was still a long way to go before he was satisfied.
"I bet if she didn't have such a temper I wouldn't have fallen for her." Ranma whispered to himself.
Unnoticed by him a bush by the fence shook and began to move as the boy walked back to the house.
000
It took some time knocking on the closed restaurant before the old woman opened the door. "Oh it's you two… and some guests." Cologne said looking at the huge animal and girl riding on it.
"This is Akari…" Ryoga said. "She'll let her pig wait outside, we came for the cure."
"Well, I have it. The parcel arrived from my village this morning, come in."
The three went in and could smell a strange smell coming from the kitchen.
"What are you cooking?" Ukyo asked as she gagged.
"It's the cure, since you ate the tonic, you need to do the same with the antidote." Cologne said. "I'm making a bit of a hot-pot of herbs for you two."
"I love learning about Chinese Herbal medicine." Akari said. "My grandfather likes to rub some lotion on our best pigs, it makes them strong."
"Just be sure you don't eat any of this, young lady." Cologne warned as she stirred her giant pot of bubbling black mixture. "It has an opposite effect on anyone that hasn't taken the tonic."
"Did you give this to Akane?" Ukyo questioned as she held her nose. Her cook senses were screaming that this was a pot fit for throwing away. "Why is it black?"
"Young Tendo has a different kind of cure…" Cologne said as she continued with her stirring.
"There seems to be a small hand… is that a frog's?" Ryoga stuttered as he joined Ukyo in the small kitchen.
"I think I see twigs as well." Ukyo added.
"The patients don't get to complain about their medicine." Cologne snapped. "Plus, I'll drain it soon enough."
The pair sat down and waited, they both felt quite nauseous as the smell of the cooking pot filled the room. Akari gave Ryoga some assure smiles and he faintly smiled back but he couldn't help but cough as he held back his dry heaves. This was once again a situation that he was in because of Ranma.
"Why do you need to take this medicine?" Akari innocently asked.
Ukyo looked at Ryoga who had gone white and seemed to be struck dumb. She looked back at the unsuspecting Akari as she smiled and waited patiently.
"There was a tonic…" Ukyo started and left a gap for Ryoga who was flapping his mouth like a fish. It didn't seem like he could talk anytime soon. "It hypnotises people…" Again Ukyo gave another gap for Ryoga to tell his girlfriend. "We accidentally ate some…" She hissed in frustration as Ryoga continued with his 'Deer in headlights' impersonation. "Now anytime there's a loud crack of thunder we…"
"I'm sorry Akari!" Ryoga screamed. "I am a victim of another curse! I am doomed to hug this woman!"
"Oh dear!" Akari gasped.
"She is too much of a macho girl, this is cross-dressing Ranma obsessed Spatula juggler is no comparison to you!" Ryoga wailed and was instantly thrown onto the floor and spatulas pinned him there.
"You crossed the line P-Chan!" Ukyo snarled. "Special Okonomiyaki gag!" She whipped some sauce and batter from her mysterious pouches and an uncooked Japanese pancake wedged into Ryoga's mouth silencing him. The batter seemed to swell and inflate in his mouth and Ryoga choked back his words.
"Isn't that too much?" Akari asked.
"For my pride, I don't really think so." Ukyo said. "Now, don't you worry sugar, we'll be cured and you can get this dumbass with some bad foot-in-mouth disease. I swear Ranma and you are far too similar."
"I did think he said too much." Akari agreed and quietly sat next to Ryoga checking his nose to ensure he was breathing. His eyes begged at Akari to release him but she only smiled back and stroked his head. "His hair is so soft, like a pig."
Two small bowls of black fowl smelling soup was placed on their table.
"You may need to take that out of his mouth." Cologne said. "The herbal preparation is done, drink it all and listen to my instructions. I need you all to be silent and focus. The hypnosis of this kind cannot be cured by such simple medicine. Like Akane's problem we need you to be ready mentally."
"You hear that Piggy?" Ukyo warned him.
Ryoga just glared back. He couldn't wait till he was cut of all connections from Ukyo. He glared at her as she pulled out her small spatulas from his shirt that were pinning him down. She stared back just as hard and he could guarantee that she would be thinking the same thing.
"Here's to never seeing you again." Ryoga toasted.
"Agreed! Let's never meet again!" Ukyo said as she raised her bowl.
"Concentrate on your memory of who you really love, who do you want to hug…" Cologne said.
Ukyo growled to herself frustrated. She only had Ranma… there was always her live in friend Konachi… She decided against it. The guy was taken advantage by her as it was. She decided to settle on her spatula. If she was going to hug anything it should be her own tools of the trade.
Ryoga should have it easy as he had Akari, he glanced at her smiling face as she sat quietly watching. He knew she was the one for him but then he imagined his sweet Akane. He glanced back at Ukyo who also looked as puzzled.
"FOCUS!" Cologne hit them both on the head. "You need to cleanse yourself with the strength of your own will. Any weakness now and you could have dire consequences."
"What if we don't want to randomly hug anyone…?" Ukyo asked.
"Then focus on why you want to stop this curse." Cologne added.
For Ryoga it was obvious but for Ukyo she struggled. She needed it for herself. Her own honour was at stake. She looked around the room and saw Akari. She was the innocent hurting during all of this. The same thing happened to her, but in a different way because of the misunderstanding with Ranma and his father. If only her life was different, she could have been in her home town happily working from her stall. She didn't need to hurt this girl and give her too much pain. Akari needed Ryoga cured, she was too sweet to really deserve him but she so obviously loved him.
Both of them closed their eyes and thought about why they wanted to be cured.
"When I clap my hands it will sound like thunder to you to…" Cologne said. The two stayed quiet as they listened intently, they were fighters so focusing on a goal was easy enough for them. The clap came and Ukyo felt her body move without volition and collide into another body.
"It didn't work!" Ukyo cried as she opened her eyes.
"Darn it!" Ryoga sighed. "Sorry Akari."
"I don't mind." Akari giggled as she was hugged by both of them. "I sort of think it's cosy!"
"Looks like there is more work to be done…" Cologne said glumly. She gave a passing thought to Akane, she had a bad feeling that she may have given it out too prematurely.
000
Akane sat at home looking at the pink bottle Cologne had given her. It was almost bath time but she really needed to go through this cure. It needed a lot of peace and meditation. She just needed thirty minutes of quiet to be able to do it. She knocked on Ranma's door.
"Are you alone?" Akane whispered. "Ranma?" She was quickly pulled into Ranma's bedroom and he was grinning at her.
"Yeah, I'm all alone… why, you want to do something?"
"No, not now!" Akane hushed him as she batted his arm and got herself free of his hug. "I need to take the cure but I want you to be on guard."
"Huh?"
"I need to take it in a bath." Akane explained. "Cologne gave me Medicinal bath salts. I need complete silence and under no circumstances should I be disturbed until I'm finished."
"So you want me to guard the door?"
"And the roof, keep a close eye in case anyone comes." Akane said. "You want me to be cured? Well I need to meditate in the bath, alone and without distraction."
"Why wait till now?"
"Everyone is busy downstairs, it's the perfect chance. Our Dads are drunk playing Go, Kasumi is in the kitchen and Nabiki is watching her favourite TV show."
"Oh, okay…"
"And…and…" Akane stuttered looking down.
Ranma cocked his head down to look her in the eyes. "And?"
"I wanted to say sorry for snapping earlier…I, eh, was feeling angry at Ryoga, not you."
Ranma laughed. "Makes a change!" He gave her a hug and she squeezed back. It made whatever control Ranma had, was lost and he swept Akane from a hug into a deep kiss.
"Ranma… I need to focus… you're making it more difficult." Akane sighed as she gave him a swift kiss back.
"Y'know, I it's difficult for me too." Ranma said.
"Why?"
"Cos; you're too cute I can't help but want to kiss you every time."
Akane choked and pushed him away. "How corny!" She was blushing furiously though.
"Heh, heh, sorry." He was just grinning.
"You idiot…" Akane gasped but pulled on his pigtail to kiss him again. "Just watch my back."
"Only your back…? I thought I couldn't come in to watch?"
"I mean the door." Akane sighed she slowly wondered why his flirting was going to continue. It would be harder to hide from the family if he was such grinning pervert. In a way she was really enjoying this side of Ranma and she fought her own urge to take his hand to lead him out to the hallway.
Neither of them noticed the dark shadow that had been watching from the window the whole time.
000

Author's Note: I am so sorry, I did it again! One year update!
It's getting near the end of this story and I need to wrap up all the small threads of plot. That takes time and I'm not sure how well I'm doing it. So take this as the first draft as I may go over this again and rewrite parts. I already have a rewritten uncensored version uploaded on Archive of our Own (another fanfic site abbreviated to AO3.)
Next time, we'll see if Akane can do the meditation cure by herself. We'll also find out about who was watching from the shadows.
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Neko Love