Another Lonely Night, Part 2 by marymqc Note: Takes place a little after where the other one left off. Unlike the first one, this part has some plot and not a whole lot of sweetness... Disclaimer: Not mine. ~*~*~*~*~*~ The next morning, after he had a chance to think over the events of the night before, Ryouga was just as confused as ever. It didn't make any sense to him. Ranma was the last person Ryouga would have ever expected to kiss him. His lips still tingled from the sensation, forming a warm glow inside him. As he walked down a dirt path that he hoped lead to Nerima, he began thinking. From all of his life experiences, Ryouga knew that things that nice just didn't happen to him. Last night, everything just seemed natural, but today nothing did. He tried to come up with a more logical explanation for the night before. It didn't seem likely that Ranma was under a love spell, since he showed no signs of being cursed before that, but nothing else would explain Ranma's sudden compassion from last night and the kiss that followed. ...Unless Ranma was playing another trick on him. That thought made Ryouga stop dead in his tracks. Immediately, feelings of anger and betrayal welled up inside him. Ryouga hated himself for being so gullible. Why would Ranma, his enemy, the one who had ruined his life, suddenly show concern for the man who was so intent on killing him? Reasons flew into his mind, none of which he liked: To have some fun at Ryouga's expense, to take advantage of him, to make his already miserable life even more darker - any of those would be enough for Ranma to do something so cruel. Ryouga's eyes threatened to water at a mental picture of Ranma laughing at him. Ryouga remembered how he had exposed his open wounds to Ranma, who at the time actually seemed to care. Ryouga had believed Ranma was truly concerned for him, but it had to have all been insincere. All a lie. "You idiot!" Ryouga yelled at himself angrily for letting himself be fooled. With a surge of power, he turned to the nearest boulder and reduced it to shrapnel using the breaking point technique. Ryouga's thoughts drifted to the kiss. Feeling suddenly exhausted, Ryouga fell to his knees and buried his face in his hands. With deep shame, Ryouga remembered enjoying it extremely, and thought Ranma had, too. But what was he thinking? Ranma would never have kissed him, at least not with the same feeling with which Ryouga had kissed him back. Ryouga was sure the kiss, which had given him light in his dark life, held no meaning to Ranma. Ryouga never felt so used before. Ryouga sat on his knees for a long time, depressing thoughts overwhelming him. He wanted to end it all right there and now. It would be easy enough to kill himself, and he certainly had enough reason. Ryouga wiped his eyes angrily, cursing Ranma for giving him hope and then taking it away. He cursed himself for even letting Ranma give him that false hope. Just as Ryouga was about to shoot off a shi shi houkouden, another thought popped into his head. "Wait a minute," Ryouga angrily said aloud. "Two people can play at this game, Ranma." - Ranma smiled happily to himself. The glow from last night surrounded him, making his step light and bouncy. Even though the kiss had shocked him, he had no regrets about doing it. Something was in there that was missing from all of the kisses any of his numerous fiancees planted on him. The kiss with Ryouga was the most beautiful thing Ranma had ever experienced. However, Ranma was a bit worried about the "now what?" that came with the kiss. He felt some disbelief that he could feel so strongly about a kiss with a *guy*. He thought he should be revolted, but he wasn't. He wondered what Ryouga felt about the kiss. Sure, his response had been positive last night, but who knew what Ryouga was thinking this morning. Ranma sighed. He hoped Ryouga wasn't disgusted with him, but considering how Ryouga had wanted him dead just hours before, Ranma was nervous that he may not have liked the kiss as much as Ranma had. And considering Ryouga's horrible sense of direction, Ranma would probably have to wait for several days at least until he could find out. - By the third day, Ranma was ready to scream. He was never good at waiting. He hadn't realized how desperate he was to discover what Ryouga felt about the kiss. Desperately trying to keep his mind occupied, he spent most of his time either in school or practicing in the dojo. Around dusk on the third day, Ranma gave up on trying to distract his mind and decided to go for a walk. The air was warm, with a light breeze cool enough to keep it from being hot. Ranma drank in the air, enjoying the weather. Although the air wasn't nearly fresh or clean, Ranma was too preoccupied to notice. He was interrupted mid-thought when someone from behind him pulled him sharply into an alley. Ranma, annoyed at himself for not noticing anyone approach, immediately fell into a fighting stance. He relaxed though, when he caught sight of the man who had grabbed him. "Oh, Ryouga!" Ranma exclaimed, relief filling him. He looked the boy up and down. "Well, you're looking better." Ryouga's expression stumbled before he grinned at the smaller boy, revealing his fangs. "I'm feeling better." And, wanting to cut Ranma off before he could mock him any more, Ryouga roughly pulled Ranma to him and crushed his lips over the mouth of the startled boy. Ranma only resisted briefly before giving into Ryouga's relentless kiss. Feeling warmth rush through him, he began mashing his own lips against Ryouga's. Ryouga smiled triumphantly to himself as he pried Ranma's mouth open with his tongue. His plan was working perfectly so far; Ranma was responding. Ryouga wasn't sure whether he was reacting this way out of pure want or just to further play with Ryouga's head, but it didn't matter. Ryouga hoped for the former, though, for that would give him the best results. He already pictured the moment when Ranma would realize that he had been the one manipulated and not Ryouga. Ranma felt Ryouga worm his way into his mouth with his tongue. A shiver ran through Ranma, and he began sucking on Ryouga's tongue, pulling it deeper into his warm mouth. Ryouga eyes widened in surprise at the feeling this gave him. his mind called out frantically. Ryouga tried to resist, but found himself relenting as a shudder of desire ran down his spine. Ryouga struggled to regain control by breaking off his kiss. Before Ranma could react, Ryouga grabbed Ranma's shoulders and pushed him up against the brick wall. Trapping him there, Ryouga recaptured his mouth. Not that Ranma wanted to escape. He eagerly pressed back, running his hands up and down Ryouga's back. Ryouga growled lowly in his throat, causing shivers of delight to run through Ranma. The two kissed hungrily, Ranma savoring the feeling the kiss gave him and Ryouga savoring the feeling of things actually running according to plan. Ryouga realized he should break off the kiss first in order to remain in control of the situation. Counting down from ten, Ryouga stepped back abruptly once he reached zero. Ranma was left gasping, leaning against the wall. Ryouga also fought to catch his breath. "Wow," Ranma breathed, smiling at the larger boy. Ryouga grinned back, his fangs gleaming. he thought. - They both agreed on keeping their relationship a secret. As much as Ryouga wanted to humiliate Ranma in front of everybody, he wasn't ready for the pain seeing Akane again would cause. From what Ranma had said, she still hadn't forgiven him. Ryouga wasn't one to trust anything that came from Ranma's mouth, but this time he felt Ranma was telling the truth. Ryouga was in a great mood, proud of a plan he had thought of. Several times over the next few days, Ryouga would silently follow Ranma, always keeping out of sight. Then, when Ranma would least expect it, Ryouga would pop out and pull Ranma behind a tree or into a dark corner and kiss him roughly. Ryouga had gotten some great responses from the other boy. Although Ranma was surprised at Ryouga's strange behavior, he was nevertheless thrilled about his surprise attacks. They always left him breathless and wanting more. He found himself going through the day knowing Ryouga would jump out at any second and eagerly hoping that he would as soon as possible. Just the thought of Ryouga would make him smile and his heart pound at the most unexpected times. Ryouga also smiled often, although his grin resembled a smirk more than an actual smile. His plan was running more smooth than he expected. He would have Ranma at his mercy in no time. Best of all, Ranma didn't expect a thing. Peering up and down the street, Ryouga realized Ranma was alone again. Ryouga flashed another smile to himself. - A few days later, Ranma was feeling a bit depressed. Ryouga hadn't appeared in a while, leading Ranma to the obvious conclusion that Ryouga had gotten lost once more. Ranma knew he should at least be grateful that Ryouga managed to stick around for as long as he did, and he was. But he couldn't help but feel disappointed. Ryouga was getting to be by far the best thing in his life right now. Ranma wondered about the lost boy. In the past few days, Ryouga acted a lot different from his normal self. He was much more bold and overpowering than Ranma would have guessed him to be. Of course, Ryouga had never shown any shyness while trying to kill him, but Ranma just figured he would act more like the flustered, nervous self he was around Akane. Maybe he just felt more comfortable around Ranma. Ranma assumed that was the case. Ranma's heart thumped in his chest. He was beginning to think he was falling in love. he corrected. He wasn't falling in love, he was *in* love. He knew it was kind of early to tell, but no one else made his blood rush or his lips smile every time like Ryouga did. And it seemed as if Ryouga at least had feelings for him, too. Ranma felt very content. Ranma thought with a pleased smile. - Ryouga cursed his foul sense of direction. He had been lost for at least four days. It was screwing up his plan. How could he get revenge on Ranma when he wasn't even in the same country? At least, he didn't think he was in the same country. He couldn't be sure. Right now, all he could see were trees, which didn't help a whole lot. He could be in Russia or he could be five miles from Nerima, for all he knew. Ryouga shifted the heavy pack hanging on his back. Wondering aimlessly grew tiring quickly, and Ryouga was restless. He wanted to find Ranma as soon as possible so he could continue his plan. With a determined will, Ryouga crashed his way through the dark forest, trying to find a way out. Being alone in the woods made his heart feel suddenly heavy. He remember that night when he was at his lowest point, feeling alone in the world. Ranma was there to bring him out of his despair, making him feel wanted, something he hardly ever felt in his life. Ryouga had been so depressed and lonely, he had accepted Ranma's affection without doubt. "What a fool I was," Ryouga muttered, his eyes watering, his heart breaking. There was no way Ranma could possibly have been sincere. A small part of his mind refused to give up hope that Ranma was truly concerned for him, wistfully thinking that there was actually something between the two of them. But Ryouga refused to let himself think that. It was too good to be true. It seemed unfathomable to him that Ranma would have any feelings for him. He knew if he even considered the possibility that Ranma liked him, he would be getting his hopes up only to have them brought crashing down later. That was why he needed to get Ranma before he could get him. Ryouga pictured Ranma in his mind, his heart aching terribly. Ranma really was beautiful. Ryouga felt the tears sting his eyes, felt the hurt that blanketed his whole being. Determination swelled up inside him. He needed to get back at Ranma as soon as humanly possible. After a minute of tramping through the forest, Ryouga found himself at the edge, looking over a town. Recognition dawned on him as he cried out in joy. - Ranma was ready to scream. Waiting for Ryouga with as much anxiety as he had was not easy. In his stomach, butterflies had thrown a large, wild party that had continued for four days straight. All this was new to the usually confident Ranma, and he had no idea how he should handle his nervousness. He found a nice spot next to the river and set himself down into the cool, soft grass. He sighed, watching the water smoothly flow by. The lazy actions of the river contrasted sharply with Ranma's own impatient feelings inside. Ranma drew his arms behind his head and slowly lowered himself onto the ground so that he was facing the endless blue skies. The day was such a lovely day. It would certainly be appropriate if Ryouga showed up sometime that day. Feeling his impatience transform into content, Ranma finally gave into the persuasions of the peacefully floating clouds and let his eyes drift shut. He slowly came back to his senses when he felt another presence standing above him. Opening one eye, he gave the other figure a lazy smile. "Hello, Ryouga." It took all Ryouga had not to scream out loud as he gazed down at the boy lying on the ground before him, his pigtail laying askew from his head. The sun bounced off Ranma brilliantly, causing his hair to shine and his eyes to sparkle. His peaceful appearance and laid-back smile was enough for Ryouga's heart to thump. How could one so beautiful be so cruel and heartless? He concentrated on turning his anger into determination. This time, he was going to win, and Ranma will end up being the one humiliated. "Hey, Ranma," Ryouga responded, his two fangs showing through his grin. The wolfish, predatory smile Ryouga gave him caused shivers to run down Ranma's spine. He almost looked like he was about to attack. When a blazing heat spread through him, Ranma realized he was hoping Ryouga would. Ranma jumped to his feet. "Ryouga, I've been waiting to talk to you..." he began hesitantly, at a frustrating loss for words. Ryouga became alarmed. He immediately assumed Ranma was about to reveal his prank before Ryouga could reveal his own. Ryouga's whole goal was to humiliate Ranma before Ranma hurt him. Ryouga knew he would have to act fast. "Can I tell you something first?" Ranma shrugged, startled. "Um, sure, go ahead." Ryouga took a deep breath and flashed Ranma a superior grin. "I got you." "Huh?" Ranma gasped, total confusion evident on his face. "I got you," Ryouga snickered. He shoved his face into Ranma's, enjoying Ranma's shocked expression. "You know this whole week? None of it was real. It was a set up." The blood drained from Ranma's face. "What...? I-I don't understand. Set up for what?" "To beat you at your own game." Ryouga watched Ranma's pale face with delight. It felt good to finally have his revenge on Ranma. "I gave you a taste of your own medicine," Ryouga told him proudly. Ranma paled even further, if that was possible. "You mean...this whole week...was nothing but a *game* to you?" Ryouga nodded gleefully. Ranma felt a horrible sickness in his stomach. He lowered his gaze to the ground before him, his eyes burning. He barely listened as Ryouga ranted in front of him. "That's right, Ranma. You thought you could fool me, but this time I-" Ranma cut him off as he leveled his gaze at Ryouga. "How *could* you?" he whispered dangerously. Ryouga involuntarily took a step back. "How could you use me like that?" Ranma's voice rose steadily with each word. "You heartless bastard, HOW COULD YOU!?" he screamed at Ryouga. Ranma's violent reaction gave Ryouga a hollow feeling in his chest. He had expected humiliation and shame, not this raw, open rage. He felt anger rise in himself. "Look, Ranma," Ryouga began, narrowing his eyes. "*You* started it. You're the one who thought it'd be *funny* to play with a man at his lowest point! You toyed with my emotions, Ranma! 'Ha, ha, poor Ryouga! Let's see if I can trick him into thinking that someone actually *cares* for him!'" Ryouga mocked angrily. His voice lowered. "Well, Ranma, you didn't fool me this time." Ryouga's words pierced through Ranma sharply. "But I did care, you delusional idiot!" Ranma shot back. "I did care! Why would you think I didn't?" His voice became a whisper. "I even thought that I...I was in love with you, you insensitive *jerk*! And I thought you felt the same way." Ranma paused, his eyes burning into Ryouga's. "Obviously I was WRONG!" he shouted. Ryouga was completely stunned. Speechless, he shook his head. "No, you-" he struggled to argue. He was unable to finish his statement. In a flash, Ranma rushed up to him and slammed a hard fist into his abdomen. With a gasp, Ryouga doubled over in pain from a punch that normally wouldn't have affected him at all. Ranma stared at the bent over lost boy. "No. Don't say anything," he commanded coldly. Ryouga winced at the icy tone. "I HATE YOU! I hope I never see your *lying* *rat* *face* *again*!" Ranma's voice broke. Then he ran off, his feet pounding angrily into the soft, green grass. Ryouga slowly straightened himself out just in time to see Ranma disappear in the distance. As the lazy river gurgled by his feet peacefully, Ryouga felt his heart shatter from the pain that enclosed it. THE END - (Well, for now anyways. The next part should come out soon.) Comments, please? Did any of it make sense? ^.^;;