"Passionate Spice" A Ranma 1/2 fic by Rpgingmaster Email me at: rpgingmaster2003@yahoo.com Rated PG-13 Note: This fanfic was originally going to be a lemon parody of my "Passion Spice Pandemonia" series, but due to my own desire to write more non lemon, this will be a rather angsty Ranma\Akane. Also, this is set before Ukyo and Kodachi appear, though Kuno, Mousse, and Shampoo appear, as does Cologne, though she will be somewhat of a nonentity. **************************************************************************** As Mousse stopped midway between the Nekohaten and Furinkan High, he ducked into an aleey, where he then pulled out a ladle, a jar of red dust, and a ramen box with a note "FROM SHAMPOO TO AIREN" attached. He opened the box, poured in the red powder, labeled "Passionate Spice", stirred the spice in with the ladle, then he closed the box, pocketed the ladle and jar, then continued on his way, trying his best to look slightly mad, so as to not show the evil smirk playing at his lips. **************************************************************************** As Ranma finished tearing through one of Kasumi's Five Star Bento's (TM), he still felt hungry. As he hoped and prayed that Shampoo would show up with something consumable, he took a look over at Akane, and instantly, he felt a little torn in what he thought of her. Recently, she hadn't malleted him so much, which was good, and he had been called a hentai less frequently, which was even better, and best of all, he and Akane were actually starting to get along a little, the million or so times they pissed each other off aside, and Ranma wasn't sure that he loved her yet, but he felt something for her whenever they peacefully coexisted, and all he knew was that it was a pleasant feeling, and he wanted to continue feeling it. Just as he was about to lose himself in his pleasant reverie, he then had his happiness ruined by several cold hard facts. First, Nabiki had been taking photos of them when they were alone, selling them as evidence to his rivals that he and Akane were actually getting close, a prospect not unwelcome to him, but at this point exaggerated, and it was really starting to fire his temper, though he was able to bottle it up most of the time. Also, speaking of other, Shampoo had been getting more overt in her desire to win his heart, evidenced by her laying naked on his bed one night, something he did not appreciate, especially because he had had a rather peaceful night in Akane's presence, and Shampoo's little effort had screwed over that, and it had taken weeks for him to convince Akane that he wasn't an ecchi and that he had no idea that the Amazon would be in the buff in his room. Just then, his rather profound use of his brain, an organ of his body that had the least wear and tear for quite some time, was cut off by the smell of Nekohaten brand Beef Ramen. he whipped around, and he saw a pissed Mousse, holding a ramen box with his name on it. Before Ranma could react, Mousse rather angrily plopped the box in front of him, muttering, "Shampoo wanted me to give you this, Ranma Shitome.", and with that, Mousse left, but not before adding rather sarcastically, "Have a nice day, you bastard.....", leaving Ranma to briefly wonder what Mousse was so pissed off about. However, the presence of food shortcircuited his brain usage, and as he snarfed down the ramen, he didn't even notice the now smirking Mousse leaving the scene. **************************************************************************** As Mousse headed back to the Nekohaten, he couldn't have been happier. A few weeks ago, Shampoo had tried to drug some ramen with Passion Spice, then she tried to appear naked on Ranma's bed in a desperate attempt to entice him, and she had no idea that Mousse had thrown out the doctored ramen, so she was understandably shocked when Ranma didn't react as she had intended. Shortly after that incident, he found out not only where her supply of the Spice was, but he also had found a second jar labeled Passionate Spice, and according to the instructions, it would unlock a person's hidden feelings. He had stored it away at first, not knowing who to use it on, but that quandry was soon solved as he saw that Ranma and Akane were starting to get along. He had originally tried anything he could to screw Ranma over, even threatening to turn Akane into a duck, but since then, he realized it was in his interest to get those two together, so, in his own quiet way, he tried to encourage their pairing. However, his decision to use the spice was prompted by his discoverance that Shampoo was going to try the Passion Spice ploy again, and Mousse knew he had to act before he lost Shampoo permenantly, hence his own counterplot. However, as he walked home, he was unaware that on the bottom of the bottle, there was a litle warning label: Warning: This spice removes the mental and emotional blocks on the hidden feelings and passions of the one it is used on, and it strengthens the romance, upset, and violence within it's subjuct, and it's only treatment is the object of it's desires, and the only cure is true love's k- and from there the rest was smudged with dust...... **************************************************************************** As Ranma walked on the fence home, with Akane on the ground beside him, he felt a strange warmth pulse in his chest, then it gently dissapated, and as he held his chest to make sure noithing was wrong, Akane, curious, asked, "What's wrong?" The warmth was gone, and he felt normal, so he answered, "I just felt really hot all a sudden..." Akane looked at him quizzically, then she continued on, and for the first time, Ranma was so concerned, wondering if anything was wrong, that he didn't find himself a flyer on Akane Air, thanks be to some stupid comment. Soon, they were back at the Tendo residence, and as Ranma headed inside, ready for food, he suddenly found himself looking at Akane, and he could help but think that..... "What are you looking at", Akane asked, now thinking Ranma was being a hentai again. "....you look really cute...", he carelessly said aloud. As he said it, Akne felt like she had been hit with a lightning bolt. Ranma, of all people, and just....COMPLIMENTED HER? "What did you just say?", she asked, simultaneously curious and hopeful. Ranma finally realized his verbal blunder, and praying that he wouldn't be malleted, he said, this time with some trepidation, "...you're really cute...", and he got no further before Akane, who had finally begun to suspect that Ranma's improved behavior around her was a sign that he was warming to her, held his shoulders, and with glints of happiness in her eyes, asked in a happy whisper, "You mean it?" Ranma was turning red, "...yeah...." With that, Akane glomped him, and as she held him close, he realized that that weird yet pleasant feeling he had been experiencing sparks of was really strong now, and as he tenatively returned her embrace, he realized what that feeling was..... Just then, his lips moved, and he started to speak, "Akane....I....', and he got no further before he heard a camera click. He and Akane looked up, the moment ruined by a now disappearing Nabiki, who was heading to her dark room to develop her newly snapped blackmail. As Ranma and Akane watched her head to her room, he felt really mad, and suddenly, without saying a word, he followed Nabiki, face red with anger, and a stunned and disappointed Akane just stood there, still trying to make Ranma's bout of extreme niceness compute. **************************************************************************** Meanwhile, as Nabiki was closing her room door, it flew open, and a red faced Ranma appeared in her doorway. He was obviously mad, no doubt at her spontaneous photography, but she tried to play it cool by saying, "Ranma, what a pleasant sur-", and she was cut off by a mad Ranma, who said in an eerie monotone, "Hand me the picture...." Nabiki retrieved the film from the camera, and she said, "Fine, fine, just hand me 5000 yen." Again, in that eerie monotone, this time with a little anger mixed in, he repeated, "Hand me the picture...." At this point, Nabiki was getting worried. She had never seen Ranma this livid before, so in an attempt to calm him down, she offered, "Okay, I'll cut the price to-", and that's when his hand grabbed her collar, and he pulled her close, and in a very angry, low voice, teeth bared, he said, "Hand me that picture......NOW!" Nabiki had not known fear many times in her life, but this was one of those times, and when she looked into Ranma's eyes, she only saw blind rage mingled with odium, and now terrified, she handed him the photo without resistance. He took it, put it in his pocket, then the anger seemed to evaporate from his face as he removed his hand from her collar, and with his usual cheer, he left her room, leaving a now scared moneylender in his wake. **************************************************************************** Later, as Akane sat next to Ranma at the dinner table, Ranma having not only returned to his normally upbeat state, she wondered what had happened to Ranma, and she still couldn't get over the fact that he had been nice to her.... Meanwhile, Ranma, having managed to get a decent portion of the rice, was finishing his portion, and as he wolfed it down, he thought of earlier, of how he and Akane had not only gotten along, but they had gotten really close....and that's when Nabiki had....... Suddenly, he felt that streak of rage from earlier take over, and that's when that streak of heat flared up in his chest, and his countenance changed to a look of fury, and since Nabiki had elected to stay in her room, citing a sudden ailment, she was not around to see a second recurrence of what was becoming an explosive anger. His hand clenched underneath the table, and the anger left him when he realized that he was holding Akane's hand, and as she gave no sign of pulling away, he continued to hold on, the inner demons in his heart retreating back to the dark. **************************************************************************** In a last few minutes, she had witnessed something incredible. She had been sitting next to Ranma, who had, at first, given no sign of being that extremely sweet side of his persona he had been earlier, and she was at first alarmed when she saw pure odium from an unknown source crease his face. However, whatever had enraged him seemed to flee as he held her hand, and a quite look of contented peace crossed his features, and by the time he slowly released his hold on her hand, he had returned to his usual self, and by the time dinner concluded, she was still wondering what had happened to Ranma, and as they sparred several moments later, she had come to a rough, albeit partially inaccurate conclusion. As far as she could see, something was troubling Ranma, and her presence seemed to make that dark spot in his happiness go away, and that's why he had been so....nice...in her prescence. It was her primary conclusion, and she had no idea how much right and how much wrong she was. Just then, as he launched a sweep kick attack, she was a little slow in jumping back, and as she fell to the floor, she banged her ankle against the floor, causing her yelp slightly from the newly fresh bruise that started to appear. As she made her way to her feet, she was surprised to find that Ranma was helping her up, and even more surprised when he asked, with emotion, "Are you alright?" She felt pretty okay, aside from a sore ankle, so she replied, "Yeah...", and that's when she found his arms around her in an embrace, and as she returned the favor, she heard him murmur, "I'm glad....." **************************************************************************** The next morning...... As Nabiki woke up and got ready for another day, she went over again an image that had haunted her since yesterday. Ranma, angry and upset, holding her by the collar, angry that she had interrupted what had apparently been a personal moment, looking at her with pure hatred....... She tried to screw up her courage, telling herself she was being a coward, but as she vainly tried to figure out the macabre tableau of the previous day's events, she came to a conclusion. Apparently, Ranma and Akane were having a rather romantic moment, a rarity for them, a miracle for their parents, and what she had done had apparently not been in her best interest, as all she had suceeded in doing was pissing Ranma off, and the moment must have been more precious that she had originally thought especially given the fierce rage he had displayed. As she finished donning her school uniform, and completing her thoughts, she decided she would stay out of Ranma and Akane's way for awhile, at least until whatever had angered him so much blew over. **************************************************************************** As her and Ranma walked on to school, Ranma on the fence, his usual upbeat expression present, Akane found herself lost in her thoughts. Something had changed in Ranma, and she had seen it last night, and she didn't know what had caused it, but she had seen sides of Ranma that she had never seen before. One, she had seen him angry, angrier than he had ever been to the best of her knowledge, and he had given the impression that had whatever had angered him so, he would've utterly devastated it's source, and the only thing that seemed to pour the balm of Gilead on his passionate, fiery temper was her presence. Speaking of her presence, she had seen a second side of him while he was in her presence, when it was just the two of them. She knew Ranma as not only a jerk, but an occasional hentai as well, but yesterday, she had been twice a witness to a rather charming and gentle side of him she hadn't even known had existed, in fact, she could have almost called what she had been witness to was.....romantic. In fact, the first time he had shown his inner charming side, he had been trying to say something, and sounded like the beginning of the sweetest words in the dictionary of affection.....I love you...... She was so lost in thought, she had no idea that he head was hunched over, so absorbed as she was in her reminiscing, and it alarmed a now concerned Ranma, who asked in that same affectionate tone he had shown earlier, "Akane....is something wrong....." She lifted her head, and answered calmly, "No...nothing's wrong...thank you....", and as they continued walking, all Akane could think about was what was happening to the bishounen teen she had once been reluctant to call her fiance...... **************************************************************************** As Ranma and Akane walked through the school gates, he tripped and landed headfirst in a cold puddle, changing him into a girl. As Ranma-onna rose to full height, an ironic look on her face, that's when she heard a rather proud and exultant voice cry out, "Akane, Pig Tailed Girl....the sun doth beam happy rays of light upon th-", and before Kuno could finish belting out another sonnet, that's when he felt the aforemented Pig Tailed Girl's fist connect with his jaw bone. Kuno's hand instantly went up to his sore jaw, and that's when Ranma-onna planted a foot dead center in his gut. At that, Kuno doubled over, and Ranma was about to kick the teen samurai in the head, had it not been for Akane pulling her away from him. Minutes later, Kuno was carted off to the infirmary, moaning, "Pig Tailed Girl...why...", and Ranma and Akane were in Ms. Hinako's class, Ranma winding down, and Akane wondering just what had Kuno done to tick Ranma off so bad. **************************************************************************** It was around lunchtime, and Ranma was back to his usual self, and as Akane talked to her friends, she wondered if anyone had noticed the weird change in Ranma, who was now tearing through his lunch, while half listening to Hiroshi and Daisuke. Thye had been having an anime discussion, and they had been heatedly talking about the American dubs of Trigun and Gundam Wing, and Ranma after having finished his lunch, almost found himself faling asleep........ Suddenly, the familar sound of the Bicycle of Death, and the smell of ramen jolted him awake, and despite the feeling of extreme annoyance that were crashing over his psyche like a flood, the want for more food was a natural imprint that nothing could dislodge, and as Shampoo headed for him, he remained as he was, head down on the table, so Shampoo couldn't glomp him, something he was finding very quickly pissed him off for some reason. As Shampoo appeared next to him, she put the ramen before him and announced cheerily, "Shampoo bring airen lunch!" "That's nice....", was all that he muttered before he tore into the ramen, which less 30 seconds later was gone, and Ranma had been so ravenous, he had to avoid from trying to eat the box too. As he finished, Shampoo leaned over into his face and asked, "Airen want to date Shampoo tonight?" For some odd reason, even though her presence was starting to annoy him, he smiled and said, "No." Shampoo backed away, aghast. Usually, Ranma would have looked really nervous, then Akane would have malleted him into next year for cheating on her, and neither were happening, so Shampoo asked, worried, "What violent girl do to airen?" Now, Ranma was getting annoyed, so he said, slowly and sarcastically, like one would say to a petulant child, "Shampoo, I...said...NO!", and with that he stomped off, leaving a stunned Shampoo, and a shocked student body. **************************************************************************** That afternoon........ As Shampoo finished Cologne about how her attempts to charm Ranma had flown down the tubes, she wailed, "WHY AIREN NOT LIKE SHAMPOO?!?!" As she did, Mousse had to bend over the pot of ramen he was stirring a little more so she couldn't she the smile on his face. He had heard that not only had Ranma resisted her, but he rather flatly told her no when she asked him out, which meant that his little plan was working, and thanks be to his own spying, he saw that Ranma and Akane were getting along much better, a feat he fully credited the Spice, and as he continued toiling away in the kitchen, all he could think of was the happy day when Akane and Ranma married, and Shampoo would finally choose his as her airen, and finally say the magic words. Wode airen....wo an ni...... **************************************************************************** A week or two later......... As Akane went to bed, she realized that what she had originally thought had happened to Ranma was different, so as she lay awake, all she could think about was what had changed in Ranma. Overtly, strictly at first impression, nothing had changed. However, whenever he was around others for some reason, he seemed to change. Around her, when it was just the two of them, he was really sweet, almost to the point he was unrecognizable, and when she had almost broken her arm while sparring one night, he was almost near tears, and she was numb as he kept apologizing over and over, and as he went to bed, he still seemd upset that he hurt her. By now, nearly everyone, to a greater or lesser extent, knew Ranma had changed. Shampoo, for example, had tired everything, including trying to grind up against Ranma one day to seduce, and thus far, nothing happened, and when Shampoo had once tried to attack her with her bonbori, Ranma had not only jumped to her defense, but had snapped the bonbori in two. Mousse, on the other hand, seemd almost estatic, and every time he and Ranma met, they were surprisingly cordial, and the two of them weren't exactly friends, but they weren't trying to dash in each other's brains either. As for Kuno, after a few days of Ranma nearly beating the living hell out of him, Kuno seemd to say in the shadows, occasionally ranting about dispelling the spell that held the pig tailed girl and the fair Akane in thrall. As for the student body, all of them kept their distance, and Ms. Hinako even complimented them on what she remarked was that they had finally decided to act mature. As for their fathers, they had kept a respectful distance and just let the easing of tensions btween the two of them go on it's natural course, and after she watched Ranma, in the space of two minutes, fully thrash his father and her in a match, they agreed to leave the two of them alone. However, one thing troubled her. Ranma hadn't become possessive, but the fierce, angry passion that had come to define him now scared her, and she was worried that he would lose control, but at the same time, was glad because whatever had happened, it had transformed her fiance into someone she had fallen in love with. **************************************************************************** The next morning....... As Tatewaki Kuno sliced the heads off three training dummies in one slash, he admired his handiwork. A week ago, Saotome had apparently used the dark arts to give himself more power, and in the process, had turned the pig tailed completely 'gainst his affections, and since then, he realized he would have to train harder so he could defeat the sorcerer and break the spell that bastard had enshrouded his beloved heart with. Now, as Kuno went inside, he composed a little note of challenge for the magician, then he had his breakfast, then he went on to school, an arrogant, proud spring to his step. **************************************************************************** As Ranma and Akane entered the school gates, that's when Kuno showed up. Instantly, Akane could see that animal fury inside Ranma start to tense up, but it aborted itself when Kuno tossed a scroll at them, which Ranma caught, then he strode inside, deliberately avoiding eye contact. Ranma caught the scroll, read it, and an amused smile flickered across his face as he read, then he amusedly tossed the note to her as he walked inside. As she read the note, her mouth dropped open, and she stared at Ranma's disappearing form. Kuno was challenging Ranma....and he had no idea what Pandora's Box he had potentially opened...... **************************************************************************** That afternoon..... As Ranma and Akane approached the clearing where he and Kuno were supposed to fight, he seem calm, almost too calm in Akane's opinion, and as they stepped in what seemed to be the center of the glade, that's when thunder flashed, and the blue robed teenage samurai made his appearance. As he made his introductory speech, Ranma listened attentively, for once in his life, and then he took a battle stance, and as they sized each other up, Akane stodd by the sidelines, not knowing who to be more worried for. *************************************************************************** As Mousse sat down to his afternoon snack of leftover chicken ramen, he pulkled out the little bottle that was quickly making his dream come true. Ever since he had used the Passionate Spice, Ranma had fallen hard for Aknae, and Shampoo had been constantly rebuffed some many times, it was only a matter of time before she fell into his arms. However, he found that the Spice had the unfortunate side effect of making Ranma's anger a lot more explosive than before, but with Akane around, it seemed to dim, and thus far, Ranma had't been around anyone he hated long enough to perform an act of violence he would regret..... Mousse suddenly remembered hearing from Akane that Ranma would be fighting Kuno today, and as thae implications of that, coupled with his knowledge that Ranma would be a mindless beserker in battle, Mousse suddenly grew worried, realizing for the first time that maybe his plan had been lacking in a failsafe. Instantly, he scanned the bottle, looking at the label, and on the bottom, he found the warning label, and as he read on, he hurridely scraped the dust from the flask, finally reading the rest of the warning, and with a sudden, panicked concern, he set off, using his martial art sixth senses to detect Ranma's battle aura, and perhaps reverse the spell, finally realizing the potential catastrophe he had unsealed, and as he passed over the rooftops, he prayed he wasn't too late to undo his own machinations. *************************************************************************** As Akne watched, she finally realized that if Hell had had a sneak preview to be shown in theaters, this would be it. Tatewaki's skills were apparently a lot higher than they had been, and only that and his indefatigible pride was the only thing that kept him fighting, despite the fact that he was covered in blood and battered beyond recognition, and Ranma was much the same, fueled by an insane anger that was mindless as the ultimate objective of a devil, seeking only to kill and destroy, and as the two fought, it became apparent that Kuno was losing, and as she stood transfixed, she felt as if nothing could stop Ranma, a man she had come to love, now a senseless violent monster. Just then, Tatewaki started to fall from sheer fatigue, but Ranma caught him by the collar, lifted him up, and as Kuno looked into Ranma's now odious gaze, he saw the true face of hatred, and for once in his life, all bravery left him, and as he felt all powers of resistance fade, Ranma drew back his fist, prepared to send it through this....thing's skull, ending it's life....... "RANMA...NO!!!!!!" As if a light had been turned on, Ranma's face lit up with sentience, and as he turned to face Akane, the fire in his eyes died, and as he shock and terror became all the more real to him, for the first time, he acknowledged what he had been in the process of doing, and as he gently dropped Kuno to the ground and walked towards Akane, she lept at him, holding him close, and as she wept, he felt the salty trickle of tears stain his own cheeks, now realizing the blind fury he had started with had almost driven him to kill another human being, and as he cried, Akane realized how to combat the madness that threatened to destroy Ranma. She looked up into his eyes and in an emotional voice, asked, "Ranma... do...do...you....l-love...me....?" Ranma wanted to say yes, but realizing how low he had sunk, he didn't feel as if he deserved anything except hatred for the blackness in his soul, yet hope, a glimmer of light no magic could dispel, asked in return, "Could you love me.....even after this?", and to which, Akane, her own hope for saving Ranma swelling, answered, her mouth centimeters from Ranma's own, "....yes.....", and as she said it, her lips met his in a pure, sanctifying, holy kiss, their auras, their hearts, their souls touching. As they kissed, Ranma's aura flared into red flame, and as it did, the corona of magic, the Passionate Spice, faded away, leaving a soft blue light of pureness and serenity, and even this faded, leaving a sixteen year old martial artist, sobbing in the arms of Akane, but crying tears of happiness, the demons of his soul removed with the magic that had awakened them, and as he lay there in his true love's arms, having received the holy blessing of true love's kiss, a boy in white robes and glasses, whose own singleminded ambitons had initiated this crucible, departed the scene, glad for Ranma and Akane, but sadness for the demons of his own soul, for his unending ambiton, and how his own desire had almost destroyed another. ************************************************************************** Epilouge.......A month later...... Kuno had recovered from his duel with Ranma, though now it had seemed to give him back the sanity he had seemed to lack, and rather than fight the inevitable, he gave Ranma and Akane his blessing, their love now as firm as bedrock, immovable even to the Fates. However, even though Mousse also gave his blessing to them, he cursed himself for his ambition, which had nearly destroyed one's soul, and had nearly killed another. Now, even as he held a crying Shampoo in his arms, hungry for love in his arms, he couldn't bring himself to rejoice, for her sadness was an indirect result of his own actions, and when she choked out in their native tongue, "Wode air-", he cut her off, and he told her the truth, how he had tried to force her to be his by using means that had caused pain to others, she hung on every word, listening to the end, and he concluded, "...and for my sin. I don't deserve to be loved.......", and with that he began to cry. As Shampoo gazed upon his weeping form, she realized that she could not condemn Mousse, for she had not been much better, having sunk to every dishonorable tactic in the book to win Ranma, and now that that chance was lost to her forever, she saw that her own soul was too stained with the pitch of her own blackend soul to ever allow her to marry Ranma, for because of her own treachery, she shamed herself as a suitor for Ranma's hand, and with that in mind, she realized her need for restoration, but first, she would have to restore another before she could cleanse herself of her own blackness, and with all the love she could muster, she seized Mousse's lips with her own, holding him fast in a kiss, giving him love. She held the kiss for a long time, never letting go, and when she finally parted from his lips, she drew him close, realizing the love he held for her for the first time, and she hoped, that with the first step taken, she could shed her shame, and he could his, and they could love another, with jealous passions abated, and love as pure as snow...... The End........or a New Beginning......? *************************************************************************** Author's Note's: When I first wrote this, it was supposed to be a farce of my "Passion Spice Pandemonia" Series, but when wrote it, it became less of a farce, and more of a tragedy, albeit with an ending that is a portence to hope, not defeat. Well, anyway, in this fic, I wanted to show how the ambiton of one's actions could lead to as much pleasure as pain for others, and I wanted to make a serious portrayal of the Passion Spice "deus ex machina", to show how using unnatural means could lead to a end, though an end with consequences of joy and sadness equal, and it is my sincere hope that I have acheived this task, and since this my first Angst/Romance, I hope I have done both genres justice, and I hope that all who read this find it enjoyable and compelling, and I welcome all reviews and suggestions on this work and my others, and as I wish to all: Have a nice day!!!!!!!