A/N: Amazing! After what seems like forever, I’ve updated this story. Now I hope you guys actually read this, since that’s the reason I updated- Everyone wanted to know what was going on with Kunou!

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Akane stood within the large black crescent of the marble balcony of her room, her palms resting on the balustrade, staring out at the night sky. Far below the balcony, three pairs of guards briskly marched along the circumference of the high black, marble palace walls. Near the barracks, a captain was giving orders to a couple of recruits in a snappy tone of voice.

From a stand of palm trees, a carmeline made its traditional whistling tune, intending to find a mate.

A balmy breeze wafted through the thin material of Akane’s short cotton camisole and her drawstring pants, eliciting a slight shiver from her. Akane rubbed her bare arms. She didn’t know which she found more menacing – the endless guards, or the silent black walls. Dozens of scents blew in from beyond the walls, the smells of meat roasting, clay baking, the smell of sand, and water, and dung. Someone was playing music down there too. A lone tune drifted up to Akane’s ears.

She pondered the events of the evening. After his revelation, Kunou had been overcome with some kind of weakness, and had ordered guest apartments for Ranma and Akane, with assurances that he would continue his story tomorrow. Until then, he hoped they would rest.

Had her blood mother really cast a spell over the whole city? Was Kunou’s story true? The whole thing seemed fantastic, a city cursed to turn slowly to black marble, until even its king began to turn to rock.

Still, everything that had happened ever since she left her home in Jin seemed very unbelievable too. She’d run into a Djinn, for Khaitan’s sake! And her…fiancé…was actually a man who turned into a woman when splashed with cold water!

She leaned on the parapet with her elbows, considering the situation. After hearing Kunou denounce Nodoka, neither Ranma no Akane had dared to mention that they were in Dara looking for Nodoka herself.

Abruptly, Akane felt very alone. She missed her mother and father in Jin. But even they were truly Ranma’s parents, no matter what Genma claimed.

Her only ally here was her sometime fiancé, who acted very un-fiance-like a lot of the time. Akane wished she had a fiancé who was charming, and attended her, and did lovely things for her like bringing her flowers and sweets and charming toys, like the fiancés of the girls back in Jin did.

No, all Ranma ever did was argue, and fight, and scowl, and tease her mercilessly when he was in the mood. She sighed.

There was a whisper of sound behind her, and Akane swung around, reaching for a non-existent dagger. Damn, it had been taken from her. But it turned out that she didn’t need it.

Ranma stood before her, a faint frown crinkling his brow. His intelligent blue-grey eyes were like aqua slits in his desert-browned face. Despite her earlier misgivings, the sight of him unexpectedly relieved Akane. He seemed so strong and capable, his white tunic delineating shoulders wide enough to carry any burden.

“Ranma,” she murmured, still caught up in the night’s stillness. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to talk,” he said shortly.

He’d been caught off guard by Akane’s appearance. He’d expected her to look as she had earlier, in the harem outfit. But she’d obviously bathed since then, and looked to be getting ready for bed. That would explain the thin material of the tiny blouse she was wearing. Was she even aware that he could see her breasts through the blasted thing?

Well, if she wasn’t, he sure as hell wasn’t going to tell her.

The material was only translucent, but enough for him to tell that her nipples had puckered from the cold. Or something else. He had to drag his eyes away from her chest when she spoke.

“How did you find your way here?” she wondered. “There are guards posted outside my door.”

For answer, he looked to the side of the balcony. A thin ledge, purely decorative, stretched out along the wall.

“You walked on that?” she asked, amazed. “It’s barely small enough to hold a mouse!”

He shrugged. It was easy enough for him. “We’ve got to talk.”

“About what?” she asked, looking worried. Ranma wanted to smooth the tiny frown away. And then run his hands down her bare, slim arms.

“Our situation, of course. But we can’t stay here.” Ranma glanced down at the guards still patrolling below. “I was pretty quiet on the ledge, but here sound is gonna carry. And we’re too visible.”

“If we go inside, the guards at the door can hear us.”

Ranma considered. “Come,” he said, taking her by the hand and leading her into the room. Bemused, Akane followed quietly. The room smelled of the incense candles a maid had lit earlier. The music from below had followed them in, though it was fainter now.

But their destination snapped Akane out of her mild trance. “There?” she hissed. They were standing in front of the enormous bed that dominated the apartment.

Ranma hid a grin, and untied a velvet rope which sent long gauzy veils unfurling around the bed, giving it the appearance of a cloud.

“That should muffle any sound we make,” he said, parting one of the veils. “Climb in.” Akane stared mutinously at Ranma, who stood there waiting patiently, one arm still holding aside a veil.

“Climb into a BED with you?” she muttered. “What sort of empty-headed idiot do you take me for?”

Akane’s defiance made Ranma swear under his breath. Losing patience, he grabbed Akane’s arm and none too gently propelled her through the curtains. Startled, she shrieked and fell face-first amid the pillows.

“Princess Akane? Are you all right?” A guard called from outside.

Akane looked up hastily. “Yes, I’m fine,” she called. “Just…slipped, getting into bed. Thank you.”

She glared at Ranma. “How dare you attack me?” she hissed.

He sighed. “I don’t have all night. Get moving.”

She made an irritated noise. If he tried anything, she would…Wait, this was Ranma. No doubt, the thought would never enter his head. Akane scowled warningly and climbed the rest of the way in, never noticing Ranma’s eyes on her pretty derriere. She made herself comfortable against two fat cushions and watched as Ranma followed suit.

“Well?” she said. Ranma took a moment to settle himself, finally placing a cushion over his lap, and leaning an elbow on it.

“Did you believe Kunou’s story?” he asked.

“Which part?” She wanted to know.

Ranma rolled his eyes. “Any part!”

“Well,” Akane said thoughtfully. “I can’t see Queen Nodoka doing anything like Kunou claimed- turning an entire city to marble, or even being Queen of Dara, for that matter! But you know her better than I do. After all,” she finished softly, “she is your mother.”

“But?” Ranma watched her. His eyes had a faintly predatory gleam that made Akane uncomfortable. Was she imagining it? The bed suddenly seemed a lot smaller than she remembered.

In fact, right now even the length of a room wasn’t enough distance to separate them, she decided nervously.

“But what?” She asked, losing the thread of the conversation.

“Don’t give me that! I’ve been traveling with you for the last Khaitan-knows how long! I know you’ve got something on your mind.”

Akane shrugged. “BUT…Kunou IS half marble. And- I’ve been wondering. If your mother is so long-lived as to have been Queen here, with Kunou as her king, well, how old must HE be? ”

“And yet he looks so young.” Ranma exhaled and leaned back into the cushions, his gaze moving up to study the rich, gorgeous canopy of the bed. “I can’t believe he’s lying completely. But he IS lying.”

“Why, what do you think?”

“I smell a sandrat somewhere, but damned if I know where.”

“Is that why you didn’t mention Ukyou to Kunou when we were with him?” Akane wanted to know.

Ranma’s gaze returned to her, speculative. “I notice you didn’t mention her either.”

Akane studied her fingers. “I was following your lead.”

Ranma snickered. “As if! Pull the other leg, Akane.”

Akane coloured. “To tell you the truth, I don’t trust Kunou as far as I can throw him. And not even that much. And we haven’t even heard his full explanation.”

“I know.”

“Ranma…”

“Hm?”

“Do you think Ukyou and Cologne are all right?” The last they’d seen of Ukyou, she’d been fighting off Tarou’s guards alone in an attempt to let Ranma and Akane escape.

Ranma appeared to think.“I’ve got a feelin’ those two’ll show up sooner rather than later,” he remarked.

“If Kunou turns out to be the villain, how will we kill a man who’s half stone?” Akane wanted to know.

Ranma studied her. “You ask a lot of questions. Didn’t your father ever spank you for being so snoopy?”

“Snoopy?” Akane couldn’t believe her ears. “I’m not snoopy! I’m just trying to get out of this city alive! It was your idea to face down Kunou. Now we’re stuck in the palace with his ‘hospitality’ with no idea how to find out anything useful!”

To her surprise, instead of shouting back, Ranma smiled. “Actually,” he smirked. “You’re wrong there.”

“What do you mean?” Akane asked.

Instead of answering, Ranma studied her, letting the silence stretch until Akane couldn’t bear it any longer. “What?” she demanded.

“Tonight is the night of Filisefin,” he murmured.

Akane sat back as though she’d been slapped. “F..Filisefin?” she mumbled under her breath. “Impossible.”

“Very possible,” Ranma purred. “All you’ve got to do is count the days since our engagement.”

Akane counted frantically. The festival of Filisefin was a day of reckoning, of solidifying a relationship. It was when an engaged couple kissed each other in front of their family and friends. After that, the engagement was considered to be written in rock. Before that, either party could cry off.

Ranma was right. In Jin and Jiya, at this very moment, engaged couples were either kissing in front of their family or breaking off their engagement.

“So what?” she challenged. “We’re not even officially, that is..the ceremony never completed...I mean, you said you didn’t know if…”

Ranma was somehow suddenly much closer to her. “Better safe than sorry, don’t you think?’ he said coaxingly.

Akane found herself bending over backward as Ranma leaned over her. His hand came up to cup her cheek, and his other arm somehow slid around her bare waist, pulling her closer.

And then he kissed her. For Akane, who had been curious about this as well, it was like having the soles of her feet brushed with feathers- a completely unbelievable, uncontainable sensation.

She moaned into Ranma’s mouth, and he smiled against her lips. Hell, but she was sweet. His kiss grew deeper as he crushed her mouth with his own, claiming her.The pressure of the kiss forced her head back onto the pillows, and Ranma followed. He covered her body with his own, and ran his hand up to cover one barely veiled breast. His thumb brushed across the peak, and Akane moaned again, her voice muffled by Ranma’s lips. He teasingly flicked his thumb against her. She writhed beneath him.

He kissed her until heat pooled in them both, until the teasing was burned away in it and only need was left. He slipped one hand under the hem of her camisole and relished the feel of bare skin against his palm. But the shock of a warm hand on her bare breast snapped Akane to reality.

“No!” she exclaimed. “Stop!” Ranma stared at her, the hooded look in his eyes turning him into someone she didn’t recognize. He looked dangerous and predatory.

“Mine,” he said in a low voice, and bent his head again, ignoring her protests. Akane twisted beneath him, trying to escape, but he was very much too strong for her. He kissed her until she was too breathless to cry out.

Finally he raised his head again, breathing hard, to regard her with ill-concealed triumph. “The engagement is sealed.”

Drawing in every shred of breath she could find, she said,” If you don’t stop, I WILL scream.”

For a moment he simply stared at her, then he uttered a sound of disgust, and rolled off her. “Screaming-the female answer to everything.”

Akane, gasping hard, drew her knees up, shielding herself. “If it makes you feel any better, if I’d had a dagger, I’d have shoved it into your ribs instead. Hope that’s…manly enough for you!”

Ranma stared at her for a second, and then began to laugh softly. He rose from the bed, and walked toward the balcony.

Pausing at the entrance, he turned back. “Remember what I said. The engagement is sealed. Nothing on heaven or earth can break it now.”

Akane shivered, and watched as Ranma walked out into the night.

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Okay, the rest of Kunou’s explaination should be in the next chapter. If you want to see it, give me a review! Oooh, blackmail! :)