Disclaimer: Ranma ½ belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.

Ranma pulled on the sleeve of his tunic, tugging on the armor over his chest plate as he made his way down the corridors, Ryoga trailing not that far behind him. Over his shoulder he called out, "How far were they from the castle?"

"Possibly an hour by foot," Ryoga called back, "What are you going to do sire?"

Not hesitating a moment longer as he opened the door the war room, Ranma looked back, "What my land calls me to do, cousin."

Tale VI: War on the Horizon

Pulling her legs towards her chest, Akane sat in a plush chair while Akari sat off to the side embroidering a handkerchief as they sat in silence. Trying to think, Akane tried to reason why the name Kumon was so familiar to her.

"Could you enlighten me, Akari; the Kumon…?" Akane asked.

Not looking up from her work, Akari gave a weak smile as she replied, "Well, I'm not quite sure what to say, as I don't know what you know about them, as far as I know milady – there has been a dispute over the land, and they're very adamant about it."

Almost falling out of her seat, Akane shook her head in disbelief, "T-that's it?!"

"That, and something much deeper," Akari added, "I'm not quite sure, I'm not educated in their matters, milady – perhaps when the majesty returns he might enlighten you more."

"Hopefully," Akane sighed as she clutched the robe around her tighter and leaned her head on her shoulder, "What is this war about…"

#

Ranma looked over regal documents, murmuring as his council sat around him – their conversations overlapping. At last, when Ranma regained his thoughts, he announced to his commanders, "Set the first line of defense up, after that," he stood proud and let out a breath, "I'll make the call."

Everyone in the room agreed and disassembled, piling out into the corridors shouting out commands and ushering to their posts. Ryoga stood beside him, his arms at his side, "You sure about this, sire?"

"I'm sure of this, from their history I know they're bluffing at the attack on the men," Ranma said, "This is deeper than this, he knows…about my marriage to the Tendo daughter."

"Tendo daughter, you mean Akane?" Ryoga asked confused.

Letting out a soft laugh, Ranma turned to his cousin and sighed, "Well, my parents had shed light on the girl I married, and her apparent connection with the Kumon."

"And what exactly is that!?" Ryoga asked in surprise, "When did this happen?"

"The morning of my wedding," Ranma said with little humor, "My father told me he recalled a particular conversation he had with her father, and how he had intended to betroth her to Ryu."

"Did it ever fall through?" Ryoga asked surprised, "T-this is a turn…"

"Well, I'm not sure," Ranma said dryly, "Father didn't elaborate, he just said, 'Have fun, son' and left it at that."

"So you think this may be part of that?" Ryoga asked, surprised at the turn of events this whole situation was going.

He watched as Ranma gave a half-shrug, "I can only assume that and the land dispute, but light on recent events…it may be more. The only thing I can do is be the King my people expect and keep my wife safe – nothing's going to hurt her or our kingdom."

"You really love her, don't you?"

The statement was followed by silence and was broken as Ranma turned to his cousin with a knowing smile, he began to walk out of the room, "I do and quite frankly, I will always."

#

The door to their hide-out was opened slowly, Akari jumped up first, adamant to protect the Queen as Akane stirred from a light nap. Akane sat up and peered over Akari to see Ranma's head peek in.

"Good, he brought you here," he said as he stepped in and closed the door behind him, Akari let out a sigh of relief as she sat back down to finish her work and Akane rose from her place. She met him half-way and threw her arms around his neck, he returned the gesture while he used his free hand to rub her back in a soothing way.

"You two are alright?" he asked, his breath mere inches away from her ear.

She gave a nod as Akari gave an affirmative yes from her place. Slowly letting go of his wife, Ranma stared at the girl still clad in his robes, bringing forth a smile on his face.

"I'm sorry to have ushered you two here, but it's important that you two stay here until I think it's clear for you to return back, there is food in that chest there," he pointed to a huge golden trimmed trunk a few feet away from Akari, "As well as water. It's enough for a fortnight of seclusion, but I hardly think this would take that long."

"Ranma?" Akane asked, her voice small, "W-what's going on?"

He kissed her softly on the lips and pulled away, "Nothing that concerns you, it's something that was going to happen even before you came into this kind of life, alright, love?"

"Ranma," she gritted through her teeth, grabbing the hem of his collar, "I'm your wife, your problems are mine too – I don't care if I have no say in it, I want to help, you know this."

"No," he said adamant on his decision, "We'll discuss this later, for now – I have to go again," he said as he heard shouting outside the walls of their entrapment.

"Akari, keep her safe," Ranma said before he began to leave and shut the door, "You two be safe."

Akane let out an aggravated sigh as she threw her arms up in the air, "What the hell is his problem, Akari? He's got such an ego!"

"He is our King, he thinks only to protect," Akari protected Ranma, "And he loves you too much to go out there, just…just take this in strides milady. He only means the best."

Akane was at the door, fumbling at it and cursing as she found that it locked on the outside, "Okay, Akari…just this one time – but once this ordeal is over, I'm going to find out what's happening for real."

#

"What is it?" Ranma called out as he made it outside where his men were huddled around a group of people they had tied up and were questioning. Ranma looked over and raised his brows, "Who are they?"

"We don't know exactly," Ryoga confessed as he also had the same look upon his face, "They were … coming onto the land dressed in that state."

"Please let us go! We meant no harm!" one said as he tried to struggle out of the vice grip the rope had around him, "'ere nuthin' more than mere travelin' merchants, we apol'gize if we pl'ndered any customs by entering!"

Ranma let out a groan as he waved his hand to dismiss them, they looked teary-eyed and grateful as they rounded their things and left the scene. Ranma let out a sigh and rubbed his temples, his men trying to undo their undoing.

"Sorry sire..." Ryoga began but Ranma shot his hand up to stop him. That shut him up as he watched his king think. After a few moments, Ranma asked, "I fear I may have put all our people on alarm for nothing, though we may be at war with Kumon, they have no reason to harm civilians... retract the first line and reinstate the guards."

"Sire..."

"Do as I say! Should anything suspcious arise, contact me immediately!" Ranma said as he left, going to retrieve his wife.

Leaving the hide-a-way, Ranma was greeted with his father and mother walking his way. Although he was holding Akane's hand, he had let go to march up to his father and grab him by the collar of his tunic, hoisting him up as he snarled at him.

"Father," he said icily, "You have to enlighten me on your past endeavors from when you were friends with my wife's father."

Genma chuckled nervously as Nodoka stepped aside, illiciting a small gasp from her as she watched the scene unfold. Off to the side, Akane crossed her arms before her chest, interested in what the old man had to say.

"Why," Genma started, "It's rude to comment on a past friendship when the other party is no longer present, my son."

On the verge of almost maiming his father, he pulled him into a spare room off to the side, leaving the women in his wake.

"Mother Nodoka," Akane whispered, "Does this have anything to do with me?"

The old queen gave a weary smile as she gently patted her daughter's head, "Darling, their talk is amongst gentlmen, and as women we have no say in what is being dealt. But for the life of me, I cannot say."

#

"This war was called on many months ago, and I have yet heard word from my own enemy," Ranma spat, "But as soon as word that my marriage to Akane we recieve these attacks, a move from their side! How ironic should it be you should mention something about them on the day of my wedding?"

Genma stood there, playing with a vase on the table, trying to ignore Ranma but his son was not going to take that. Ranma reached forward, knocking the vase off and breaking onto the ground. "Don't ignore me!"

Genma let out a sigh, clutched his robes around him, "First, tell me son, how much do you love Akane Tendo?"

"Saotome," Ranma hissed, "Her name is Akane Saotome."

Resigning a bit by throwing his hands up in defeat, Genma rephrased his question, "How much do you love your wife?"

#

Nabiki curled her hands over the railing behind the house, a sour look on her face as she glared in the direction of the castle. From a distance she heard the humming of the help and found herself annoyed as she turned to go inside only to stop when she saw people approaching the house on horseback. Narrowing her eyes, she saw that they carried flags with them and saw the symbol of the Kumon. She gasped as she scrambled inside to get her mother.

Kasumi peeked her head out and let an illicit gasp escape as she went back into the basement with Satsuki, putting a finger to her lips indicating that she wanted to listen in. Satsuki nodded as she pretended to slowly stir the stew.

Up ahead, the horses came to a stop and the sounds of people getting off their horses became evident. Kasumi strained her ears to hear what was happening.

"Lady Hinako?"

After being fetched from her chambers, and assuming Kasumi had gone to the castle, Hinako appeared, "Oh, sire, welcome, thank you for coming on such short notice."

Nabiki raised an eyebrow in curiosity as her mother led the King of another land into their house. The man, known as King Ryu Kumon, obliged as his armor clanked against the ground. His eyes were hardened as he only asked, "Have they already married?"

Hinako laughed uncomfortably as she was under his hardening gaze, she could only stammer, "There is perchance….that they have."

Bringing his hand down onto the oak table, rattling the legs and letting the objects on top of it topple, Ryu glared merciless at the older woman.

"When I was called," he said in a low drawl that Nabiki felt goose bumps rise on her skin, "I was expecting her to be ready for me to take her away."

"Well," Hinako said, gaining back her courage, "We could fix that."

"How do you suppose that is?" Ryu asked, his gaze faltering over to Nabiki, whom blushed and retracted her own gaze, muttering under her breath, "She was mine to begin with, and now she belongs to him."

"Of all the people," Ryu exclaimed, clenching his fists as he glared at Hinako, "She had to be smitten by him."

Closing the space between the two, Ryu lifted his hand to raise Hinako's face to his, so their gazes would not part, "What part of the agreement didn't you understand when you married Soun, woman? All you had to do," he emphasized his point by putting pressure into his hold, "Was keep the girl ready for me until it was time. But you ruined that, didn't you?"

Hinako cringed as she remembered how it all came into play and her heart sunk.

"You were on the verge of death," Ryu continued, "But my father brought you back to life. And how do you repay him?"

Letting go of her and turning around, the Kumon King walked across the room and stared out the window to see just the faint outline of the castle walls in the distance, "You allowed your only form of payment slip away."

"It wasn't supposed to be like that!" Hinako defended. Ryu turned around swiftly, his eyes reading her body language - her shoulders folder and back straight, the hands of an old woman parted by her sides, "That damn Saotome knew of the secret somehow."

"How ironic," the king jested, "That that had to happen…however," Ryu grabbed his armor and placed it back on, sliding down his helmet he turned to Hinako, "I have another appointment to meet, I'll be back by nightfall – where we will discuss retributions."

Nabiki cringed at the way he said retributions but kept her silence as her mother bowed her head.

"Yes, sire."

#

In one on of the many chairs that lined the corridors, Akane took a seat in the one closest to the room where Ranma had brought his father into. Lady Nodoka cringed when she heard the breaking of the vase, muttering something about sentimental value it must have held and repeatedly folded her hands over-one-another as they waited.

Looking down at the ground, Akane shuffled her feet across the floor as she finally heard the door slam open and see Ranma walked towards her, pull her up and dragged her away. All Akane could do was watch as she saw Lord Genma leave the room with Nodoka cradling to him.

"Ranma?" Akane asked as she turned her body around and gave a sideways look to her husband, "What was tha—"

She was unable to finish the question as Ranma had brought them to a stop, leaning down to capture her lips with his to silence her. Effectively doing what he anticipated, he slowly broke away and made sure that their eyes stayed on one another as he said, "No matter what anyone says, I will always love you, Akane. You understand that?"

Nodding her head, Akane silently gave her acknowledgement to that. Her lips parted slightly to interject with her pervious question, but she was once again deferred as he kissed her once more. When they parted then, he rested his forehead against hers, "And regardless of what happens, I will always save you."

"Ranma."

#

His name left her lips in a sultry tone, the hairs on the back of his neck rose on their ends as he kissed her. Each kiss was more possessive than the last, more enchanting and intoxicating as he brought her down from each high only to bring her back. They found themselves in their bedroom – how they got there, they had no clue. But each article of clothing slowly found its way to the ground as the two continued their actions and said naught more than sweet nothings into the late-morning.

Author's Note
So, it's been what, (2) months since I last wrote on this? Well, this story is roughly 2,500 words, less than I thought I had. But I can't tell when I'm writing on my phone. I transferred the data over today and continued to write on it until this point, which I think is a good stopping point for right now as I have to remember where I put the plot and outlines for this story. However, it will go more in-depth for the plot in the next chapter where it will be talking mostly about Ryu and the history with the Tendos, as well as Hinako's play in the whole ordeal. And of course, more lovely feasible RSAT moments, right? Well, enjoy! Thanks for reading!