天道 あかね (asanequal) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2015-05-21 19:31:00 |
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Closing up the studio, should be easy enough. And normal days it was, but there was definitely something going on. It almost reminded her of when there had been a lot of crime. It was why her father wanted to make sure everything was locked up, but he had needed to go with Kasumi to the store for something and so here she was, Ranma..somewhere. No matter. Lock up. Get home. Easy.
Hearing something in the back, the teen blinked before going to investigate. Probably just Ranma messing with her.
“Ranma?”
“Not Ranma.”
Tensing at the voice, Akane’s eyes narrowed. There was no way she was going to let some jerk rob or vandalize the studio. Not on her watch. With that, she lept back, ready to fight when something most decidedly not human stepped out of the shadows.
“EH!?”
Was she living in a horror movie?! Doing her best to keep focused, Akane jumped back into the main studio to better utilize the space. And wow was it fast.
“I also did love a good cat and mouse game.”
She was pretty sure that was a taunt, but adrenaline meant she wasn’t so focused on making sense of English and American turns of phrase. It was more fighting to (try) and take this thing down.
Ranma had been in attendance of Akane’s class, but had left a little early due to the pile of homework he had that wasn’t getting any smaller just because he didn’t want to do it. However it was nearing dinner and Akane wasn’t in yet. Kasumi had sent Ranma to go find out what was taking so long, Ranma hadn’t realized what he was in for. He didn’t understand English enough to pay attention to the internet board thing, so he had no idea about the vampires.
He had no idea one was on their turf when he swung open the door to their studio. “Hey Akane, what’s the hold up?” He was hungry, Akane was late and Kasumi was worried. Even Ranma felt awkward when Kasumi worried or whatever. He’d opened the door of the studio directly into Akane’s current opponent rather hard.
“..Huh?” He heard a thunk and a sound of rage from the shadow draped figure.
Most of what she had been doing was dodging and evasion techniques. What was this thing!? The news said drug addicts but she wasn’t so sure. Not that it mattered at the moment. What did matter was defending herself, the studio, and staying alive. Or Ranma could walk in. And right into the thing she was fighting.
“Ranma, watch out!”
Because now Ranma had caught it’s attention. Though two against one would even the odds out at least. In theory. Or there could be a chuckle from the back and Akane’s eyes widened some. Another one!? What the hell was wrong with this place?!
Now this had Ranma’s attention. What the actual hell was going on in this city? Whatever it was, it amused him a bit. He hadn’t expected to think much of it when he was told they were originally being shipped off to California, but so far it’d been very eventful. The thing on the ground didn’t look human, and yet writhed in pain on the floor for a moment. That was a good sign. It could feel pain even if it didn’t look it.
Ranma winced as suddenly his back was forced against a wall. The thing had inhuman speed, he hadn’t even seen it coming. He grimaced and held out an arm instinctively, which prevented his neck from being bitten-but didn’t spare his arm. The thing sank sharp fangs into his skin and blood dripped from it. But Ranma now had the advantage, through the discomfort the creature was stuck on his arm right in punching range. He was given more than enough room to swing the other one straight into the side of it’s face, knocking it clear down to the floor of the studio.
“The fuck?” His eyes searched until they found Akane. “What sort of creeps are these?” He stood there straightening up for a moment and regaining his bearings.
She was on edge, ready to fight, and to make use of anything she could to defend herself, the school and well, Ranma could handle himself but it wasn’t as if they were incapable of fighting together if necessary. And right now? Very necessary.
“I don’t know, they just showed up.”
Really, all she had wanted to do was close up and go home for dinner. That wasn’t exactly in the cards at the moment. Right now, it was fighting to survive. Because apparently these things, whatever they were, weren’t going down easily. If anything, it seemed they both enjoyed the fighting back as well as getting annoyed, which really wasn’t a good combination.
“It’s so incredible that you’re so rude.”
“When you’re so edible.”
Okay, that.. that didn’t sound good. She was at least picking up on some of the things they were saying and… What the actual hell?! Especially as both vampires lunged at the two teens. Getting separated in the studio was not the plan. Well, anything goes. Which meant that while Akane dealt with her apparent personal vampire, she was using whatever she had at her disposal to try and fight back. She didn’t focus on how exhausting it was, the strain. Just trying to figure out how to defeat these things.
And then she felt a hand on her neck, lifting her off the ground as it squeezed. She was going to die. She could feel her throat being crushed, the desperate need to breathe denied, but she refused to go out like this. So she reached out for whatever she could, fingers stretching for one of the weights to try and hit the thing with to get released.
Ranma hadn’t even noticed the injury he’d obtained, It was out of sight out of mind. “Get your hands off my fiance.” He threatened after his vampire was thrown straight into the dojo floor breaking several of the wooden boards in the process. They snapped in two right into the vampire’s backside and through the heart. Or what would have been had it been human. It exploded in a fit of dust and Ranma had to hold his arm up to block it from his eyes. It was only then he noticed the injury and winced as it tried to slow him down by sending shooting pain through said arm. “Huh.”
Apparently they didn’t like wood much, or something. Ranma tore the piece of flooring up that had ended his vampire and gripped it tightly. “Akane!” A rush of cold fear spread through him like wild fire. He refused to lose her to these creeps. He gripped the jagged wood and lunged for her vampire, his own true speed and skill showing through. With a deadly accuracy he plunged the bit of sharp wood into the creature's chest and held out said injured arm to stabilize Akane if she fell. “Like I said. Touch her and I’ll kill you. Again apparently.” The creature really couldn’t respond though, piece of wood sort of stopped all that.
If she could just reach a bit more… She was aware of Ranma yelling at the thing, and she noticed the sudden disappearance of the vampire he’d been fighting. What the… Gasping in pain as she felt claws dig into her neck as if in retaliation for Ranma killing the other one, there wasn’t really much time to respond because suddenly there was vampire dust in her eyes, nose and mouth and she felt herself about to fall.
Only to be stabilised by Ranma who had gotten there. Shaking, she hesitantly reached up to her neck, wincing. She might not be able to see it, but she could feel some blood and the bruising. But she was alive. Alive was good. The shock was wearing off slightly and there was fear and relief. No more sounds of intruders. Without thinking because it was reflex, even if it didn’t happen often, or at all, Akane just clung to Ranma, shaking. That had been far too close.
Ranma hadn’t realized his tight almost comforting grip on Akane just yet was a thing he really didn’t feel like losing after watching her nearly suffocate at the hands of one of those things. “You’ll be fine.” He’d make sure of that. He may have tormented Akane on a daily basis and teased her relentlessly but that was because she was his to do so with. Nobody else was allowed.
He didn’t move, his entire body was still tense and rigid. Entirely on guard in case those creature features brought friends. His other hand that still bled carried the bit of wood that had ended them. Bits of blood were beginning to seep down onto it and made it hard to get a good grip. After a moment he finally dropped the item as he spotted the blood on her neck and tore the sleeve of his opposite arm, placing it gingerly but firmly on the small wound.
Focus. Breathe. It was okay. They were fine. They were both fine and no one was dead. Well, besides the creatures that had attacked them, apparently twice over if they’d been dead to begin with. Which really, what the hell had just happened? Those were definitely not drug addicts like she heard her father or Nabiki or Kasumi or Genma mention. Instead, Akane just stayed as she was until she felt a semblance of calmer.
The dropping of the wood caused her to jolt some, senses still on high alert but it was just Ranma. Wiping at her eyes because she hadn’t even realised she’d been crying, the teen took a breath.
“I’ll get the first aide kit.”
Okay, talking actually hurt and her voice was weak. But she should tend to Ranma’s arm.
It hadn’t phased Ranma that the creatures were dead. They deserved to die if they were going to attack them like that. “I’m fine.” He insisted, not bothering to move from where he was, applying pressure to her own wound first. It was a rare thing that Akane cried, in all the years living together he’d only ever seen it a handful of times. He’d be damned if he let her leave while she still was.
“just shut up and sit.” Talking with that bruise wasn’t helping. He pulled her down to the floor instead, not yet releasing her entirely and continuing to hold down the cloth until the wound stopped bleeding. He held her to him in attempt to originally keep her from getting up (at least that was what he’d convinced himself of.)
It really did take a lot to get Akane to actually cry, and that was usually on her own in her room because she didn’t want to be seen when she was upset. Near death warranted it though. Part of it was autopilot and shock. Tend to injuries, take stock of the damage to the studio. All these things were running through her mind yet seemed slow and stuck in something. She was trying to just do something.
But instead she was being pulled to the floor and she didn’t actively fight it as she might have any other day. So she just kept her head bowed but tilted so that it was easier to tend to the neck wound, absently wiping at her eyes periodically. It was a rare moment for the both of them, stubbornness, pride, denial overridden by whatever it was that had just happened.
“Thank you.”
Yes, talking with the crushed throat thing still hurt and didn’t help, but he had saved her and was currently tending to the injury.
“Shut up.” He repeated again, he didn’t need her to keep talking just now, he needed her to stay still so the damn thing stopped bleeding. Fortunately for her it was just a surface wound, likely wasn’t about to need stitches or anything. His other arm remained around her. He didn’t say much else. The blood between his fingers was getting annoying to manage, but he’d tend to himself later on. Right now he was only thinking about the neck injury. It took a while, but finally it seemed to stop bleeding as much. He took her other hand to hold down the bit of cloth while he reluctantly got up to get said kit.
“I’ll get the kit. Keep your hand there.” He didn’t know much about doctoring, but he knew you had to keep the injury from bleeding to be able to put a bandage on it. Ranma hadn’t been gone very long before he returned with said kit and knelt down again. It wasn’t that he hated Akane, obviously he could be kind to her. He just hated their situation. He could remember wanting to be her friend when they were young, and some of that still remained. He bandaged her neck the best he could with his hand. “Better get that looked at by a real doctor but I think it’ll be fine.” He shrugged some.
At the moment, that was all she wanted to say so it wasn’t hard to fall back into silence and just sitting there with Ranma, completely ignoring what it actually was. It wasn’t even uncomfortable that one might expect. Uncomfortable because bleeding from the neck and injuries for both of them? Yes. But that was the understandable type. Still, so long as she didn’t need stitches or anything more dire, it was something.
With Ranma getting up, Akane remained as she was, holding the cloth down on the wound and thinking. Or trying to think and sort through everything that had happened. Ranma wasn’t the only one who hated their situation and it was times like these where it was that much more obvious. Because when it was just them, it was easier to fall back into the friendship and conversation from before their fathers ruined everything. It was why it always bothered her. The insults could hurt, sure, but it was more the underlying reasoning. The shift because meddling parents just had to meddle.
The mention of a real doctor was met with a nod to his arm. Fine, she wouldn’t speak, but his arm still needed to be looked to and if they were going to end up going to a doctor anyway? He was getting his arm tended to as well.
Ranma was calm for having taken out two vampires. He didn’t care about them at all. He didn’t know if they were human or not, nor did he give a shit. They attacked Akane and that was what he cared about. He didn’t know if they were human or not, but it didn’t matter to him. His nerve wasn’t lost at the prospect of it. He was steady as always in his attempt to play doctor with Akane and hurt her as less as possible.
“Yea yea don’t worry about it.” He waved it off again, once more just putting a cloth on it instead. It didn’t stop the bleeding, he’d likely be the one needing the real doctor soon. But for now he didn’t care enough. He sat back on the floor and flopped over on his back. “Man that was weird.” And looked up at the ceiling. “You attract weirdos.” He mused aloud.
And of course he was just brushing it off. Because it was Ranma and he was going to make it difficult for her to try and tend to the injury even if having something to do with her hands would be nice nice that he had bandaged her neck. Given the fact it had been dead person’s nails, a doctor would still be needed since infections and the like.
No. You know what, she was going to tend to Ranma’s arm, whether he liked it or not. With the first aide kit in reach, Akane just pulled out what she needed then took Ranma’s injured arm to actually tend to it. If he was going to be all lying on his back, she’d just have to use her lap to keep it elevated.
“They just showed up, there was no attracting.”
If he was going to muse, she was going to respond despite the fact she shouldn’t. Her head was bowed as she focused on working to get Ranma’s arm to stop bleeding, antiseptic and applying pressure. Like hell was she going to just let him brush it off.
“That one seemed to like you..” Ranma said absently, not jealous. No. Shut up. It was a dusted vampire, nothing to be jealous of. He didn’t move though, but he did glare at her. It was a look that said don’t you answer back. A pointed one with all the effort he put into her bandaging she was just going to start bleeding if she did that weird angry neck vain thing again or something. The dark haired teen just looked up at her for a moment and then away.
“I’m glad you’re okay..” He trailed off as the bleeding stopped, it likely wasn’t going to need stitches.
Where did he get the idea the vampire liked her? It was going to kill her. It very nearly did kill her. Still, at least he didn’t move when she decided to tend to his arm, the glare met with a pointed look of her own. At the moment though, she didn’t respond and focused on his arm. No angry neck vein thing, just a pointed look because really?
The next comment caused a slight blush, which was stupid and she silently chided herself about it. Instead with his arm no longer bleeding, she just squeezed his hand to return the sentiment. This had been one really strange day and the shock, adrenaline and confusion was wearing off into exhaustion. They’d still need to get to a doctor though. And let their fathers know since there were now going to need to be repairs and the like. Just thinking about it made her even more tired. Great.