DISCLAIMER: Rumiko Takahashi rightly owns the rights to Ranma and Co.

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The Capital was a nightclub that couldn't decide what it wanted to be.

It had opened a few years ago as the latest hip-hop spot for college students. When a new hip-hop club opened and it began to lose its clientele, it switched to being a techno club, with lots of pumping music and bunny-hopping teenagers.

Recently, it had closed down for renovations and was now open again as a slightly shadier and more grown up version of its former self. A friend of a friend of mine had heard gun shots there. I was a little skeptical about that, but it certainly didn't make me feel any better about the place.

I stepped into an alley as I neared the club. My suit would just draw attention here. I removed and folded the coat, then slipped out of the long, tight skirt. The tight, sea-blue silk Chinese tank top and leather micro-mini skirt I wore underneath would let me pass through without a second glance. It was good to be prepared.

Tucking the coat and its skirt into my carry-all, where the diamond was hidden as well, I left the alley and headed to my place of rendezvous.

I had barely reached the club when Ranma came out.

For a moment I thought I'd conjured him out of my thoughts. The ground dropped away from me, and my knees turned to jelly and didn't want to support me anymore. My breakfast wanted to come back up the wrong way.

Damn.

Ranma.

Where did he come from? And what was he doing here?

He wasn't exactly running but at the pace he was going, I'd have found it hard to keep up with him. He was looking back the way he'd come, so with my sudden halt and his speed, he was almost upon me before he turned and saw me.

"I'm sorry, I'm not interested." He broke off and belatedly I realized that he hadn't immediately recognized me. In fact, he'd mistaken me for a hooker.

I flushed. I couldn't think of a single thing to say. My first thought was- trust the jerk to say something that stupid after eight years!

I was deciding how to vocalize that when his eyes widened in shock.

"Akane?"

Tchow!

Ranma gasped and stumbled against me. That had been the sound of a gunshot. The shock of the sound wasn't as great as the feel of Ranma's body against mine. My first instinct was to duck any bullets but since I couldn't do that, I pulled my gun out of the carry-all and looked around his shoulder, bracing him up with my other arm. The warmth of his flesh stunned me.

He's real! The thought ricocheted through my mind even as I tried to see who was taking potshots at us.

Two men stood in the doorway of the club, one grappling with the bouncer, the other aiming his gun again.

I fired off a warning shot. Didn't really want to shoot anybody if I could avoid it. Everyone ran for cover.

"Come on, Ranma!" I realized he'd been hit, and yanked him down the street and around the corner. My side was wet with his blood, where he was leaning on me. There was another gunshot and a chip of concrete flew past me. I could see the gouge in the wall. Behind me, the guy had turned the corner completely and was aiming again.

Enough was enough. I turned and fired off two shots. One hit the guy in the leg, and the other hit him in the shoulder, spinning him around like a chicken on a skewer. The other guy was nowhere to be seen. I'd count my blessings.

I grabbed Ranma by the arm, and pulled him into the first taxi that stopped for us. Inside, I didn't look at him but instead continued to scan the streets for any sign of being chased. We switched taxis twice more before I was satisfied. Ranma's face was white and he was semi-conscious.

Finally, we got to my building and up to the apartment.

In the dim hallway, I propped Ranma up against the lilac-printed wall and searched for my keys. He was sagging against the doorpost, breathing harshly, his skin pale.

I shut the door behind him. I really hadn't wanted to bring him here, not to where I lived, but he was wounded, and I had no choice.

Being inside the apartment seemed to return some of Ranma's strength back to him. I turned to watch him, as he stood planted in my living room, dripping slush onto the black silk rug, slowly and insolently sweeping the room with his gaze, and taking in the elegantly furnished apartment. I felt my life being measured.

Then his gaze turned to include me, sweeping me in a lingering look from feet to head. Taking in the indecently short skirt. The garish blouse.

"Mmm.you're in what business.exactly?"

I could feel my face turning pale, and then flushing red. I put the carry- all down on a slender-legged cherry wood table. Forcing myself to breathe calmly, I picked up the carafe of water and poured myself a glass. I tried not to gulp it down, just drank it slowly, and filled it again.

"Don't be insulting, Ranma." I turned back, and noticed again that he was dripping blood, as well.

I walked up to him. I'd grown a few inches but he seemed to be a good head taller. I leveled my gaze and realized I was staring at the open collar of his neck. Had he really grown so much? Innumerable questions welled up within me.

But right now he was my patient.

I reached out to examine him and he stepped forward into my arms.

Too stunned to react, I felt him nuzzling my neck.

"Mmmm, Akane, you should have said. You must be very expensive, but I can afford you."

I pulled back, habit kicked in, and I threw the water in Ranma's face. Watched the transformation close up. The blue eyes looked up at me now.

"You think THAT will stop me?"

Ranma grabbed my head and kissed me deeply. I pulled back, and Ranma froze as she heard the click of an automatic. She looked down at the .22 Walther PPK that I was holding against her ribs.

"Step back. Now."

Ranma released me and stepped back, her hands in the air.

"Still violent as ever, eh, Akane?"

"Take off the coat, Ranma."

"Oh, you didn't need a gun to ask me that, Akane." the redhead teased, smiling. Something sharp glinted in the smile.

"Shut up!" I yelled. "Just take it off!" Ranma could blow my top like no one else. If I wasn't careful, she'd make me regress back to the sixteen- year-old hothead I'd been, I fumed.

Ranma eased the coat off of herself with a slight hiss of pain. Her blue shirt was soaked on one side with blood.

"I've got bandages," I muttered, "Just wait here." I went into my bathroom and came out holding a large first aid kit.

"Sit, Ranma." Ranma looked about to argue, but I raised a finger. "I don't know how bad you're hurt, but sit down unless you want another hole in you." Ranma sat.

I placed the box on the gleaming cherry wood table and proceeded to briskly unbutton Ranma's shirt.

"You act like this is all familiar to you," Ranma cocked her head.

"I've patched up people before." I gently moved the cloth away from the wound until I could see it clearly. It was fairly shallow, but wide, which was why it was bleeding so much. It looked like the bullet had grazed a rib. I opened my box.

"That's great, Akane, but I have to get back to the Capital."

"What's your hurry, Ranma?" I was cleaning the wound now. It was odd how we were acting like we weren't meeting again after eight years. "I contrive the impossible."

"I have to meet someone there, someone who." Ranma stopped. I refused to look up as I placed a clean gauze pad on the wound and began to tape it up. I'd figured out who my 'guard' was. I'd just said the password to confirm it.

"It's you. The impossible is easy to attain." Ranma sounded stunned. I allowed myself a mental smirk. It looked like she'd figured it out, too. The only way we could identify our contacts was through the exchange of passwords. As soon as I saw Ranma, I knew who it had to be. Huh. Call it a hunch.

I used her astonishment to begin to wind gauze strips around her ribs. I had to almost hug Ranma to do it. A slim forefinger firmly lifted my chin, forcing me to meet Ranma's astonished gaze.

"You're the agent. YOU work for Mr. Yamayato?"

"He pays very well," I muttered. I pulled away and continued to wind the gauze around Ranma's slim frame. I noted in peripheral vision that Ranma was still as busty as ever. That was okay, I'd filled out a little, too.

"I don't believe it. Little Akane, Daddy's pet, the dream girl of Furinkan high's male population.I thought you'da married Kuno by now and be livin' it up in the Kuno mansion. Or maybe Ryouga."

"Ryouga?" I tied the ends together and stood up. "Ryouga's disappeared into the Himalayas, last I heard."

Ranma stared up at me. "So how did you end up here, Akane? Why the U.S? Why in this job?"

"It's really quite simple," I said. "I got a scholarship to a university here. A friend of mine was into this. It got me interested in the whole field, and then Mr.Yamayato was impressed by my fighting skills, and offered to train me.in other things. And he did."

"Ummm..."Ranma watched me, her blue eyes smoky.

I didn't like the silence pooling around us. Normally, I didn't mind, but it was so rare to meet someone who knew me from Japan. I especially didn't like the way Ranma was staring at me, like a cat staring at a bowl of cream. Speaking of cats.

"What about you, Ranma? How did you show up here?" I said suddenly, remembering Shampoo had not come out to greet me. I figured she must be roaming around outside. I wondered if Ranma still suffered from cat phobia.

"Special task force from Osaka, loaned to Uncle Sam, along with a few others."

What I'd really wanted to find out was what he'd been doing all these years, but did I really want to know?

"They couldn't have wanted to let you go."

"I volunteered. I didn't really want to stay in Japan. Or Asia for that matter."

"Then you've picked the wrong assignment. We're heading to Shanghai."

My pager vibrated. It was Mr. Y's message.

"We're summoned." I looked up. "Note the operative 'we'."

Ranma smiled. "He knows we met."

"Hm, we're meeting him at the Electric Circus." Great. Another fancy club. "We need to dress up a little." I eyed Ranma's silk dress shirt and dark slacks. "Although you're ahead of the game."

"I was...interrupted on my way out." Ranma said, with a frown. "The call for this assignment came real suddenly."

"Hot date?" I asked, smiling.

"Sizzler."

"Reeeally..." I didn't feel so pleased anymore. I stood up. "Well, your shirt is a lost cause. Are you ok to walk?"

"I'm fine."

"Good. I'll find you a spare shirt. The bathroom's in the hall, if you want to change."

I watched as Ranma disappeared into the bathroom. What on earth was wrong with him? Why was he coming onto me like I was a six-course dinner and he was a starving prisoner? The Ranma I knew would have just called me 'uncute' and got it over with.

Confused, I went to rummage in my closet. I found a navy silk shirt I'd used for an outfit once. It was too large for me, so it might fit Ranma.

Looking through my closet, I pondered clubbing clothes. It wasn't a problem. Black, lacy underwear, not that I was planning on flashing anyone, but it was nice to have everything match.I pulled on a blood red silk tank top and buttoned my favorite black, net short sleeved shirt over it. My matte-black leather pants completed the outfit. I quickly ran a brush through my still short hair, applied eyeliner and my deep red lipstick and then put on the real stuff. The knives, the garrotes, the 'special' locket...

Returning to the living room, I studied the bathroom door. Behind it was Ranma. I'd given him the shirt and I knew he wasn't a figment of my jet- lagged imagination.

I began to pace around the room. Ranma was back in my life, for how long I was unsure, but I knew it wasn't for longer than it took for this assignment to be over. No way was he going to forgive and forget what I'd done to him, and I'd better remember that.

Automatically, I rechecked my knives, and the little 'extras'. Everything was secure, and it calmed me down to feel the familiar tools, the stuff that belonged to me.

Ranma strode out of the bathroom, back to his normal size and shape. "Ready to go. .Akane." He stared at me, then said silkily, "My, don't you look edible."

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Notes: Yes, I'm insane as I have an assignmnet due tomorrow and so I'm procrastinating by writing this at 3am.. Sooo..y'all be nice and leave me some reviews so I don't wake up in the morning and hate myself! ^_^