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As always, C&C is anticipated, accepted, and appreciated.
All original Ranma1/2 Characters and Backstory Copyright
Rumiko Takahashi, and are used without permission.

Please Enjoy!
Coutuva.



Little Red Part Two
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	The business card in her hand looked innocent enough, but 
the name emblazoned across the top seemed to leap off the paper 
at her.
	'Saotome Riding Stables and Boarding Ranch' it read,
complete with the silhouette of a bucking, snorting horse.
	As much as it hurt, she couldn't stop looking at it.  It
had been almost twenty years since she last heard that name, and
it still twisted her in knots -- although now for much different
reasons.
	"Ma'am?  Are you feeling all right?" the red-haired
girl asked, concern etched in her pretty face.
	"Uhhh...  Hai.  I'm fine," she breathed, trying to snap
her mind out of the tailspin it was slipping into.  "I just...
Remembered something.  Anyway, I wanted to come over and
personally commend your work.  Thanks to you and your horses, we're
ahead of schedule," she smiled, forcing herself to put the card
in her pocket.
	"Arigato!" the girl smiled back, as Akane winced at how
much even the smile was the same.  "But I have to give the pats to
the guys that deserve them.  They did all the work -- I was just
watching," she countered genuinely, gesturing toward the trailer
and smiling proudly.
	"Iya.  They performed beautifully, but I've been
noticing how you are with them.  I wish I could motivate my people
half that well," Akane smirked, noting how the girl flushed at
the compliment.
	"I don't do anything special," she began, somewhat
sheepishly.  "They're all smart, and they like to work.  Tell
you the truth, I think there's more ham than horse in this rig,"
she continued, looking back toward it happily.  The obvious
affection in the girl's sparkling blue eyes was not lost on Akane.
It was a look she once knew well.
	"Well, no matter why, they did a great job.  Do you have
an invoice for me?" Akane redirected, trying to steer the
conversation in a certain direction.
	"Iya...  The guy that hired us said we could just mail it
in.  I don't have it with me," the girl flustered, worriedly.
	"That's okay.  I'll see to it that you get paid
immediately.  I believe in rewarding good work," she smiled
back, shooting the girl a wink.  "So, since your family name is
on the business, I assume your parents own it?" she continued,
trying to sound pleasant and businesslike despite the growing
knot in her stomach.
        "Hai.  They did, and they both ran it --until my Dad's
wife passed away.  Now it's just Dad, me, and my two brothers.  
You met Kin already, and Hiro is probably still at the catering
trucks," she noted, rolling her eyes.
	Akane had to suppress a laugh.  "I see.  Then you're
the oldest?" she asked, hoping to get a little more background
info.
	"Hai.  I just turned 19.  Dad says it's more like 18
going on 30, but he jokes around a lot," she smirked, shaking her
head.  "He doesn't know *when* to be serious," she smiled, her
eyes again getting that certain sparkle.
	Akane almost choked.




	The walls didn't change, no matter how hard she stared at
them.  Finally, she puffed out a huge, frustrated sigh and
flopped on her back.  Despite the rather important nature of the
paperwork she had spread out on the bed, she found she simply
couldn't concentrate on it.
	All she could see in her swimming thoughts were images of
him.  How he once looked, how he once looked at her -- and how he
probably looked now.  It was torturing her almost to the point of
tears.
	Rolling on her side, she drew up her knees and bit her
knuckle, unable to believe how the thought of him being only ten 
minutes away was getting to her.  Even after what had happened
all those years ago.
	Her face contorted in a grimace as she tried to force that
thought out of her head, knowing that thinking about it would only
make her feel worse.
	Casting her gaze about the room to try to distract herself,
her eyes fell on her purse, sitting on the dresser/table a few
feet away.  She stared at it for a moment, then gasped out loud.
	In a very neat, homey livingroom in Nerima, a
pleasantly-dressed woman sat quietly reading, her husband out and
son in his room.  A small, content smile decorated her face as she
read, belying the fact that she was well involved in a murder
mystery.
	Abruptly, the phone began to ring insistently, intruding on
her moment with the grace of the proverbial bull.  A soft frown
chased away her content smile as she tossed a look at the annoying
device, followed by a resigned sigh.  Carefully placing her
well-worn bookmark between the pages, she closed her book and rose
smoothly, tucking it under her arm as she crossed the room.
	Settling into the chair beside the phone table, she swept
her long brown hair off her shoulder and smiled, then picked up the
receiver.
	"Moshi, Moshi," she greeted pleasantly, sounding
delighted to get the call.  Her smile, however, faded quickly as
she heard a sniff, followed by her name spoken through a powerful,
running sob.
	"Kasu-mi-hi-hi-hiii!" the voice cried, rattling her
usually unshakable cool and transporting her instantly back in
time -- to a point in her life where such calls were almost daily
occurrences.
	"Akane-chan?  What is it, dear?" she asked soothingly,
upon finally regaining the ability.
	The sodden voice on the other end of the phone sniffed
back its tears long enough to utter a single, stunning phrase.
	"It's *him*!" she sobbed, breaking down all over again.
	Kasumi set down her book.




	Even now, she couldn't believe it was happening.  She was
sitting on the shoulder of a long dirt road, sipping at a 'go'
coffee, and staring up at the elaborate gates of the Saotome Riding
Stables.  It was an eerie feeling, seeing that name in such huge
lettering, spanned across the mouth of a long, immaculately
maintained drive.
	Like it was inviting her to venture back into its domain.
	Trouble was, she couldn't be entirely sure she had ever
left.
	In their rather one-sided conversation the previous
evening, Kasumi had suggested that the only way to really know
the score was to face him.  As much as she objected at first, she
eventually realized that Kasumi was, as usual, very right.  Now
that the demon had been reawakened, it had to be satisfied or 
killed -- or it would never allow her to rest.
	Taking another look up the road, she set her coffee in the
holder, stepped on the clutch and turned the key.
	"Now or never, Akane," she said aloud, dropping the car
in gear and launching away in a cloud of dust.
	Wheeling into the expansive property, she slowed to a
respectable pace and continued up the drive, eventually pulling
up in a parking lot.  Noting the absence of the trucks and large
trailer from the shoot location, she wondered if anyone was even
around.
	Stepping from the car, she looked around for some clue of
where the office might be, finding instead a pathe leading through 
what looked like stables.  Short of options, she started down the
walkway, her heart pounding against her tightening chest.
	A few minutes later, she passed between the buildings and
into a large central yard, ringed on three sides by other
structures.  Off to her left, and surrounded by incredible
landscaping, stood the largest house she had ever seen.  It even
had a full deck out front and a sunporch off the far side.  To
her right was what looked like an equipment shed, sporting five
bays and a mandoor.  The structures she had just walked between
were indeed stables, which by the looks of things could easily
accommodate 70 horses.
	The open area included a huge fenced arena, and several
strange-looking armed contraptions, on one of which was tethered
a horse, quietly walking in a long circle.
	"Masaka," she gasped, totally overwhelmed.  She had
always figured he'd do well for himself, but what she saw before
her boggled the mind.  Particularly since she wouldn't have
expected him to even know what a horse was.
	After a few more minutes of mindless gaping, she finally
collected herself and started toward the house, figuring if
anyone was around, they'd likely be in there.  She hadn't managed
two steps, however, before a sound caught her attention.
	Off in the distance she heard what sounded like hooves, 
and as she listened, she noticed that they were coming closer.  
Turning, she looked across the expansive yard and out into the 
huge paddocks beyond, watching for signs of movement.  
	A few moments later, she could see someone approaching at
a medium clip, riding a light-coloured horse.
	As she watched breathlessly, the rider passed through the
fenceline, stopped his mount, then turned back and closed the
gate without dismounting.  The rider then started toward Akane
once more, this time at an easy walk.
	Akane felt her heart rate rise, but wasn't sure if it was
anticipation -- or fear.
	Finally, the rider came into range, and immediately tipped
the brim of his hat.  Akane saw a smile cross his darkened face,
but couldn't see it well enough behind his hand.  Quickly, she
looked him over, hoping for some other sign.  It didn't help.
	If the man in the saddle was who she thought it was, he
had definitely changed.  He was bigger, more chiseled, and seemed
very comfortable in his western shirt, well-worn jeans and boots.  
So comfortable in fact that he almost radiated inner peace -- even
from a distance.
	Swallowing hard, she started toward him, smiling pleasantly.
He lowered his hand, slowed and stopped his horse, then draped the
reins over his saddle.  In one fluid motion, he was off the horse
and standing beside it, dusting off his clothes.
	Abruptly, he stood straight, faced Akane and lifted off
his hat.
	Akane froze.
	Ranma froze.
	"Oh."
	"My."
	"God," they alternated, each bearing the same wide-eyed
expression of disbelief.
	Ranma was the first to break the stalemate.  "You," he bit
off, his tanned, slightly older face hardening.
	Akane responded from somewhere she had tried to forget.
"Yeah, me," she shot back, more gruffly than she wanted to.
	He looked her up and down for a long moment, then huffed.
"Why?" he asked pointedly, his eyes flashing.
	"I...  Don't know," she responded, quietly.
	He chewed his lip.  "Neither do I," he stated darkly, then
turned, pulled off his gloves and started to loosen his horse's
saddle.
	Sensing things weren't going well, she tried for a change
of subject.  "I...  Met your daughter," she began, only to have
him turn back and spear her with his eyes.
	"Did you tell her?" he snapped, startling her.
	It took her a second to realize what he was actually asking.
"No," she finally responded, emphatically.
	His face softened.  "Good.  She doesn't know about you -- or
Nerima," he began, then leaned toward her slightly.  "And I don't
want her to," he added, fiercely.
	The ferocity in his expression actually frightened her.  She
hadn't expected him to be all that happy to see her again, but
neither did she expect so much anger -- especially after such a long
time.  Resignedly, she accepted the obvious, and lowered her gaze.
	"Gomen nasai, Saotome-san.  This...  Was a mistake.
Sayonara," she bowed smartly, then turned and walked away -- quickly.
	Before she even realized it, she was back in her hotel room,
staring at her neatly-made bed.  Two seconds later, she was sprawled
on top of it, crying her heart out.




	It was nearly supper time.  That was the first thing she
realized as she regained her wits, and the second thing was that
both her eyes and chest hurt -- a lot.
	Her first reaction was anger.  She couldn't believe that she
had let her guard down so easily, and allowed him to mess her up so
badly.  It was as if the last twenty years hadn't even existed.
	Her second reaction was a rather pronounced reminder that
she hadn't eaten since her rather rushed breakfast.
	Huffing, she dragged herself off of the bed, pausing briefly
as she noticed the fact that her pillow was drenched.  Shaking her
head disgustedly, she made a note to call room service for a new
one.
	Then she froze, realizing what had just happened.  In her
initial plan, she had figured on being home by this time, since she
was already a day late getting back to the office.
	"Damn you, Ranma," she cursed, storming off to the bathroom.



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END - Little Red Part Two               A Ranma1/2 Fanfic By Coutuva

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coutuva@vecdev.com