A/N: Hey, thanks for all the awesome reviews!!! If not for them , I wouldn’t be uploading anew chapter in the middle of the night, with work early the next day!

About the excerpt in the last chapter, no, I still have no idea about what story it is, but if I ever do find out I will definitely post it.

A WARNING about this chapter. Sadly, it’s almost gratuitous, but what the hell can I say? I needed to show the power of the geas. Yeah, right. Anyway, for those of you who don’t like mild lime, you probably should skip this chapter.

Otherwise, enjoy!

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“Quiet!” Ranma hissed into Akane’s ear as his palm muffled her panicked cries. “It’s just me.”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake!” Akane exclaimed when he removed his hand. “Do you go around trying to frighten people on purpose?!”

Akane rolled onto her side. It was hard to see Ranma in the dim shadows of the tiny loft, which was low-ceilinged but deep. He lay on his side as well, facing her, already under the blankets, which was why she hadn’t made out his shape as she climbed up onto the bedding.

“It’s not my fault that it’s dark in here,” Ranma replied. “But look.” He took hold of the blanket and folded his fingers around it. Akane stared for a second before she understood.

“You’re visible again!” she cried, relieved. Then she remembered their surroundings. “Oh! Oh, no, you’re visible again.” This time, her voice held apprehension.

“Well, at least I got some supper into me. I was about to starve, watching all of you shovel that stew into your mouths,” Ranma said shortly.

“Princesses do not shovel!”Akane hissed indignantly.

“Stuff it,” Ranma retorted, losing interest in the conversation. He was getting sleepy. All the sneaking around had tired him out. He stifled a yawn with one hand.

“You’ll have a problem getting out of the hut,” Akane predicted. “Kasumi and Nabiki have just gone to bed. If one of them comes out, you’ll find it hard to hide.”

“I’ll worry about that in the morning,” Ranma said with another yawn and lay back on the sheets.

“The…morning?” Akane sat up straight, outraged. “You plan to sleep HERE? Absolutely not! I won’t allow…It’s simply not…”

Instantly, the temperature in the tiny loft dropped.

“Princess.” The young man who turned his head to look up at Akane was suddenly a threat. The cold light in his grey eyes abruptly chilled her. Without warning, the memory of being dunked by him in the icy sea returned to her, and Akane was yet again reminded that a stranger lay in her bed.

A hostile stranger, no less. Akane shuddered and began to move away, determined to climb back down the ladder, but Ranma’s arm snaked out, and his hand cupped the back of her slender neck, yanking her forward until her nose was just an inch away from his face.

“If I were you, I wouldn’t push me too hard,” he whispered.

Akane stared into those cold eyes and swallowed. She fought not to show fear, but failed. Her lashes fell, veiling her eyes, and she looked away, her throat suddenly dry.

But her newfound courage wouldn’t let her lose completely. Taking a deep breath, she placed a hand against Ranma’s chest and shoved, trying to release herself.

Ranma twisted deftly, so that he was now on top, his body covering Akane’s slim figure.

“What did I just say?” he asked in a low, lethal tone. “About pushing me?” Anger filled him, but he was careful not to show. He only let cold purpose fill his eyes, and saw when Akane recognized it. She squirmed beneath him, bringing all his predatory instincts to life. Deep within Ranma, the geas, stronger now, recognized only that Akane was trying to escape it/him. The thought brought only fury.

She couldn’t be allowed to escape. He/it had to prove his/its mastery over her, show her how completely impossible it was for her to leave. And trapped as she was, this was a perfect place to start.

Ranma moved his hand from her neck and threaded his fingers into her hair, still silky after days on the road. He gave into temptation and leaned in and breathed the scent deep. The light scent of her filled his lungs and he savoured it.

Akane tried to fight free. “What are you doing?” She demanded fearfully, mentally damning her earlier reckless words to hell. Why, oh why hadn’t she let it rest? Why had she tried to kick him out of her bed? She was so close to the palace, just one day away, and close to freedom.

“I just want to remind you of how things stand, exactly,” Ranma, spurred by the geas, muttered in her ear. “You seem to be getting the mistaken idea that I’m some kind of servant, or protector for you.” He nibbled the small lobe of her ear, and smiled when she gasped. He licked the spot tenderly, and so distracted Akane that she didn’t realize his other hand was climbing her ribs.

“No, I never thought…” Frantically, Akane wondered where this was going. She looked to her left, where the exit to the crawlspace lay. Did she dare call for help?

“That I’m some kind of...knight in shining armour?” Ranma began to place soft kisses against her neck. She was so soft and appealing. He’d kissed girls before Akane. After all, he wasn’t completely isolated on Kulloden’s island, but somehow Akane brought out an urge in him to kiss every last inch of her. The gentle sweep of her jaw, the line of throat, the rose of her lips, all captivated him.

With effort, he reminded himself of his original intent, and his hands grew less gentle, more demanding, creating an unexpected, restless heat within Akane. She bucked and twisted away, shaking her head in denial.

“Ranma…”Akane whispered, eyes closed. She couldn’t escape him. He was taller than her, and lying down, his body covered hers completely. Her toes brushed his ankles. One of her legs was free. Raising it, she brought the back of her heel down sharply on Ranma’s calf. He deftly pinned the leg with his own, trapping her even more effectively.

“I’m no knight, Akane. No archaic code of honour binds me. I’m your captor- the villain of the piece,” he reminded her. “I can do whatever I want with you.” To prove it, his fingers closed around her breast, eliciting a shriek from Akane that Ranma muffled with his hand before it could escape.

“Sssh, you don’t want to wake your hosts, do you?” he murmured with a smile. “You’d have a lot of explaining to do about having a strange man in your bed.”

Her frightened eyes stared at him over his palm, and Ranma felt a brief pang of guilt. But it was brief indeed. Living with Kulloden had washed away most of his softer sentiments, he told himself, and he had to prove to Akane that she couldn’t gainsay him.

Softly, he began to stroke her breast, and Akane shut her eyes. She was frightened of this Ranma, the one with the cold grey eyes, but her body was responding to him anyway. She opened her eyes briefly, and was fascinated to see that Ranma’s eyes had begun to change colour. They were almost smoky coloured, now, a blue-grey, framed by his long spiky black lashes.

“Are you going to be quiet?” he asked.

Akane nodded. What choice did she have? She had no illusion that Kasumi or Nabiki would be of any help, even if she did wake them. Ranma would no doubt dispatch them quite neatly. Not knowing the full extent to which the geas bound Ranma, she dared not test it here.

Ranma quirked his lips when he saw resigned understanding flow into Akane’s eyes. He leaned down and his lips began to tug at her nipple through the thin material of her gown.

Akane’s hand, trapped between them, curled into his shirt as her body began to enjoy what he was doing to it. Ranma’s hand left her mouth and began to slide down her body. Reaching her legs, he found the high slit in her dress and slid his fingers in to rub against her warm flesh of her upper thigh. Akane jerked in shock at the contact, and her eyes flew to Ranma’s.

“Fine,” she gasped. “You’ve proved your point. I won’t call for help, and I’m not going to disobey you any more. Please, Ranma, stop.”

In the grip of desire, Ranma almost wanted her to continue to fight, but the geas had eased, satisfied, at her acquiescence. Still, educating Akane was a lot of fun. But she’d played by the rules. She’d acknowledged defeat. Still, maybe he could…rub it in a bit?

He moved his hand further up her thigh, and Akane squirmed against him.

“You can’t do that!” she squeaked, trying to inch higher up the sheets, away from his hand.

“Can’t…?” Ranm inquired politely. Akane realized her mistake, but she didn’t know what to say to correct it.

“I’m glad you’ve realized the error of your ways,” he purred, “but being the captor means I get to say when we stop.”

He only took in Akane’s stunned face for a second before he bent his head and kissed her, ravaging her mouth with stunning accuracy. Akane didn’t dare fight him, her mind taken up with the bitter realization that Kasumi and Nabiki, far from helping her, were now effective hostages to her good behaviour.

The kiss was lazy now, almost challenging. Ranma’s thumb was drawing small circles against her leg, and she moaned with the onslaught of feeling. Unconsciously, her body began to arch against his, and she was lost in a haze of unwilling pleasure.

Another low moan escaped her, and Ranma raised his head to smile down at her. The smile was slightly warmer now.

“Good night, Akane,” he said, and slid to lie beside her. In the dark, Akane stared at the ceiling, trying to figure out what had happened. One moment he’d been kissing her, and now…?

“What…?” She began, but Ranma shushed her. “Sleep now,” he said. She had little choice. Ranma’s arm stayed snug around her waist, and she closed her eyes.

In the morning, Ranma was nowhere to be found when Akane woke up. She saw the rumpled blankets beside her, but that was the only evidence that Ranma had been there. That, and the feeling of lethargy that enveloped her.

Quickly, Akane climbed down the ladder and was met by a brisk Nabiki.

“Good morning! Did you sleep well? There’s water outside for washing up. Kasumi heated some for you. Just walk around the corner of the cottage and you’ll see it.”

“Thank you.” Eager to remove some of the grime of the road from herself, Akane accepted the towel and sliver of soap that Nabiki handed her, and made her way outside. It was early morning, and a cooler time of day.

Wondering where Ranma was, Akane went around the side of the cottage, and found a rickety old barrel standing half full next to a heated vessel of water. Sneaking quick peeks around, Akane shucked out of her gown and slipped into the barrel, sighing as the hot water covered her to the waist.

It was heaven.

“Enjoying yourself?”

“Aack!” Akane crossed her arms over her breasts and spun around to see that Ranma had appeared out of nowhere. “Where did you come from?”

“I’ve been here, practicing my invisibility,” Ranma said, grinning at her obvious embarrassment. “Or rather, practicing my control, as it were.”

Akane sank into the barrel so that only her head stuck out on top. “Go away, I’m washing up.”

“No.”

Akane glared at him. “Listen, Is aid I won’t disobey you, but that doens;t mean you can violate my privacy completely, all right?” Brave words, but inside she trembled with an emotion she couldn’t name.

Ranma must have seen it in her eyes, because he backed off. Somewhat.

“Fine, I’ll turn my back,” he said. “You can’t stay out too long or Kasumi will come looking for you, and we need to talk.”

Akane watched as Ranma turned his back, his tunic delineating the strong line of his shoulders well. His pigtail flopped halfway down his back.

She shrugged. He was right, they were short on time, and she wasn’t going to give up this bath to save whatever tattered shreds of modesty she had left. She settled deeper into the barrel and began to scrub herself.

“All right, I’m listening,” she said. “Talk.”

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