The Lost Boy's Lost Love

AN: Ugh this site makes trying to format these things so annoying. I'm just giving up on putting my italices and whatever the heck on here, so if that matters to you, allow me to direct you to my LJ or FF.net for easier reading (sn for both is raede)

Chapter 9: Seduction Attempt Number Two

Neither Ryoga or Ranma returned to the Tendo home that evening. Understandably, Ranma still wasn't too keen on having anyone catching him parading around in a dress and proclaiming himself Ryoga's 'long lost fiance'. You'd have to be some kind of dense not to recognize the awful conclusions friends and family were bound to draw from that, and he didn't feel much like explaining himself a dozen times over. Once he had what he wanted and everything was all said and done, then he'd explain, with visual aid handy.

As for Ryoga, he was on his way to the nearest public bath house after a full day of reflection and a bit of training to soothe the mind. What he needed now was a long, hot shower to wash away the filth of his old life as he prepared to begin totally anew, but something about the thought of using the Tendo's tub left a bad taste in his mouth.

He tried to put Lacy and her photo-happy antics out of his mind, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something disastrous lurked in his future. Still, he didn't let that thought bother him too much. Whatever came, he'd tackle it; nothing was going to stand in the way of his happiness this time around. Not even himself. Especially not himself.

Unfortunately for him, miss 'Lacy' was following along close behind, careful to keep herself hidden in the crowds and determined to see to it that Ryoga did, in fact, ruin this for himself. With a little help, of course. She'd spent the whole afternoon trying to figure out how to set Nabiki's camera to snap photos at different intervals, but to her displeasure, that option didn't seem to be available. She decided to try and leave it filming some place instead. After all, she figured, if a picture's worth a thousand words, then a whole movie ought to be worth at least a million or so depending on the length of it, right? Right.

After much seemingly aimless wandering, she found herself becoming increasingly, fiendishly delighted as she realized where Ryoga was headed.

"Oh, perfect. That's perfect," she said to herself, "This ought to be rich." Once the boy had disappeared into the bath house for several minutes, she followed him inside.

Ryoga didn't say anything to anyone save for the woman he paid at the reception desk. He went about his business quickly and quietly, enjoying a half hour in the sauna and another in the pools. The place was calm and relatively quiet. By the end of his visit, he felt thoroughly rejuvenated. He planned to swing by the Tendo's before he staked out a place to set up camp for the night - which he wasn't at all looking forward to. Some people didn't realize it, but camping, or even just sleeping out in public in the city at night was illegal. Sleeping with Akane every time he visited Nerima at least guaranteed that he wouldn't be charged for vagrancy, but he promised himself that he wouldn't be doing that anymore, and he meant to keep that promise. He was a new man.

He stepped into the empty locker room to retrieve his clothes, holding a towel around his waist in one hand and his key in the other. He gazed around until he found his locker number in the aisles; the moment he put in his key and turned it, he heard the heavy entrance door fall shut, followed by the clasp of a lock. Ryoga stopped moving, turned his head, but he didn't hear anyone. Curious, and always on the look-out, he pulled his key out and rounded the aisle to investigate. Indeed, the door was shut, but he still didn't see or hear anybody. For now, he decided not to worry about it - this place was suppose to be open for several more hours still. May as well get dressed before checking if someone had accidently locked him in, he figured.

Ranma crept up behind him, the flat of her barefoot meeting the ground first, then the heel, slowly, softly, without a sound. She, too, had a towel wrapped around her, which she held closed over her chest, and her thieved wig was fastened comfortably on her head. She'd planned on opening with some raunchy line, but once she got right up behind him, she just couldn't resist herself.

"BOO!" she said suddenly, causing Ryoga to spring an inch up off the ground and whirl around in surprise. His back slammed into the open door of his locker when he saw her, sending a metallic clang ringing through the room.

"Lacy!" he sputtered in genuine surprise, "Er, I don't... I don't think you're suppose to be in here." He had to stare in awe at her presence; this place usually ran like clockwork, so how the heck did this whacky girl make it passed security...?

"Finally... you and I get a moment of privacy," she said as she pretended to admire his bare upper-half. That vision of his white-smeared stomach kept popping into her mind, making her skin crawl and strengthening her resolve. She ran a hand over his taut chest and tilted her head up at him with heavy lidded eyes. "Whatever shall we do with it?"

Ryoga peeled her hand off of him and glanced down the aisle. "Lacy, did... you lock the door?" he asked.

"Yep. Don't worry," she said, "No one will disturb us. We can do whatever we want." Her voice was thick with feigned longing.

"You...really should leave," Ryoga said, frowning uncomfortably at her. She seemed to have forgotten all about her teary fit from earlier. It was bizarre, the way her obsession over him stuck no matter how many times he shot her down; both bizarre and flattering, really, but increasingly aggravating.

Ranma looked at him with her jaw hanging just slightly loose and made a light cough of a sound as though offended. "Ryoga!" she said, playfully accusing, "You're acting like you don't even want to be around me..." She pressed closer until there was no space at all between the two; the only thing that separated them was the width of her arm as she casually held up her towel. "Do I make you... uncomfortable?"

Ryoga took a moment to contemplate how he should respond to that before slowly nodding. "Yes. Yes, actually, you do," he said, pressing himself flat to the lockers as he instinctively tried to back away. "I keep telling you, miss, I can't do this. Why won't you listen to me?" Maybe Akane was right, he began to think; maybe Lacy really was missing a few major screws somewhere upstairs.

"Because, baby," Ranma cooed as she wriggled her free hand out of his grip and trailed a finger playfully along his collar bone. "I know all about you, remember? I know what you like... what you want," she said with a lewd smirk, loosening her grip on the towel enough to let it fall an inch, just to get his heartrate going. "And I know that you're just playing hard-to-get. Why fight it any longer?"

Ryoga didn't like laying a forceful hand on women, but for this one, he thought he could make an exception. He put a palm to her chest and shoved her away from him, then spoke as stern as he could while remaining calm. "I'm not fighting anything," he said as Ranma stumbled back in surprise. "I'm going to say this one last time, so try to pay attention. I don't want you. I don't want to marry you. Right now, I don't even wanna look at you - ...you... you need to get some clothes on!"

Ranma couldn't help but feel a little bit offended. What was his deal? She was just as pretty and alluring now as she was days ago, wasn't she? Of course she was; moreso, even! So why wasn't this working?

She stared at him one long, silent moment, wondering what move she ought to pull out next. Well, she still had the 'big guns' to go to. She didn't want it to come to this, but he'd forced her to it. She let go of the towel and let it slip to the floor.

"O-oh god," Ryoga went tense and stuttered, his eyes wide. All at once he took in the sight of her beautiful, curvy, supple body, and for a few seconds he felt the same lack of will that hadn't let him turn a blind eye to Akane's nudity the night before. But that feeling brought her back to the forefront of his mind: Akane, his love, his soul, his reason for being. He couldn't hurt her. He wouldn't. He shut his eyes tight and turned his head away. "Please... please pick that back up."

However brief, that longing stare hadn't been lost on her. Ranma smirked, knowing she was making progress at last. She lurched forward to press her exposed body close to his; Ryoga squirmed and pushed her shoulders away, but Ranma had already managed good hugging-grip on him and began tiger-ishly nuzzling the gape of his neck. "Mmmn, that's right!" she said, "I love it when you talk to me like I'm nothing to you. It gets me so hot! Take me - right here!"

"STOP! Stop it! Geez, woman, take a hint!"

They heard the door shake like someone was trying to enter; a heavy fist began to pound on it and an angry voice shouted, "Hey! What's the deal? Anybody in there? Open up!"

Shit, Ranma thought; hurry up and give in, moron! But Ryoga didn't look like he had any intention of doing so.

"T-there, you see?" he said, "Now they're gonna catch you in here, and you'll probably be in a lot of trouble." Ryoga didn't really know if that was true or not; he presumed that he sure as hell would be if the staff caught him butt-naked in the women's locker rooms, anyway; but girls had a funny way of getting away with these kinds of things. Still, maybe the fear of being caught like this would get her the hell off him.

Ranma gritted her teeth and weighed her options. Quit now, and try again later? Ugh, but she wanted this to be over with already!

"I don't care," she said feverishly, "Let them find us!" She held her breath as she forced her mouth over his and tried not to let the taste deter her.

"MmmMMF! MMM!" Ryoga hummed in alarm, heart crashing against his rib cage. Thinking of nothing else he could do, having nothing else at all he could justly grab onto, he went for a handful of her soft blond hair and tried to yank her head away.

"HEY, hey!" Ranma panicked as she felt the wig slide back on her forehead. She immediately let go of him and brought both hands up to pull it back into place and readjust it. "Don't pull my hair, asshole!" she spat.

As soon as he was free, Ryoga scooped his clothes out of his locker and ran for the exit. Ranma chased after him, but it was too late; with lightning speed he twisted the latch and burst through the door, zipping by two sour looking patrons and a very surprised janitor.

"Whoa!" the janitor exclaimed, glancing up from his keyring in surprise as Ryoga rushed by. He was even more surprised to see Ranma appear a second later. "WHOA!"

"Ryoga!" she shrieked, "Wait up!" She glanced at the three ogling men, all of whom were staring stupidly. With a frown, she looked over her shoulder and remembered the camera hidden atop one of the lockers. She dipped back inside to get it.

"Hey there, wait a minute!" the janitor called out, "Just a second, miss! You ain't spose to be in here; get yourself a towel or somethin', would ya? Yer gonna shock these fellas outta their skin."

Ranma snatched up the towel and camera and hurried out without a word.

~~~
RAEDE