***************** * Illuminations * ***************** ************************** * A Ranma 1/2 Fanfiction * ************************** *************** * By Freemage * *************** *Author's Note: This story draws on both the anime and the manga. This is a dark story, with several sexually suggestive scenes, although no outright Lemon scenes. If such material offends or disturbs you, please consider not reading this story--Unless, of course, you like being offended and/or disturbed.... Thoughts are denoted by {X}, text/Panda signs by [X].* ********************** * Chapter Twenty-One * * Run-Around * ********************** Nabiki groaned softly and let her eyes slit open. {Dammit. I'm getting a little sick of waking up to open windows. If it's Ranma-kun again....} Letting the many possible revenges for disturbing her beauty rest simmer on a back burner, the middle daughter of Soun Tendou rose and went over to her window, the source of the offending draft. No one was there. Sliding the window shut, she turned to see if P-Chan had perhaps left, but no, the cursed boy, still in his porcine form, was on a pillow, sleeping off the effects of massive exposure to nude Tendou daughters. Nabiki smirked in the darkness. {If we'd had Kasumi there, he'd have probably slipped into a full-blown coma. Sweet, in a pathetic sort of way.} She shook her head. She'd been having that sort of thought an awful lot, just lately, and was really not sure how she felt about it. {Oh well, time fo--} her thoughts slammed to a halt as she saw them. Roses. Blood red and midnight black, the bouquet sat on her desk like an imp waiting for an unwary moment when it could steal her breath. Hand trembling, she reached for the card, prepared to dive away at the first sign of traps or gas bombs. She removed the small slip of cardboard without incident, then stepped away quickly. In the glint of moonlight coming through the window, she read the words over and over, shaken by a nameless dread: [Nab-chan, hope you feel better. Can't wait to hear from you again. In the meantime, I'll keep the photos from our last get-together. Unless, of course, you'd like me to send them to your family? P.S.--You really should wear a bra at night--you never know who might come slipping into your room.] Suddenly overcome by nausea and a feeling of violation, she raced out of her room and down the hall. She barely made it to the bathroom, where vomit and bile blended with tears of bitter shame. *********************************************************** Akane tried to remember how she had gotten tangled, and couldn't. All she knew was that the cat's cradle of ropes holding her also kept her from plummeting into the nameless horrors shrouded by the mist that writhed underneath her. Looking into the darkness above her, she made out a monstrous figure, a figure which radiated both hunger and compassion. She cringed instinctively as the figure drew out a huge knife and started cutting the ropes, one by one.... As the snarl came somewhat loose, and Akane felt herself drop for a brief(?) distance before being brought up short, she finally broke her paralysis and cried out, "Stop! Why are you doing this?" The answering voice wrapped itself around her like a blanket, even as the knife continued its relentless assault. "Because it's what must be done. Your pride won't allow me to help you. Unless...." "Unless? Unless what?" She now swung precariously be only a handful of ropes, some as slender as a kite's string. "Unless you set aside your pride, Tendou Akane. Beg for mercy, and it shall be yours." The knife cut the second-to-last rope, and now Akane hung by a mere thread over the reaching fog. Akane looked about helplessly. She peered, first at the mists, then at her... savior? captor? ... and finally at the knife that held her fate. And her answer rose up, the only answer she could have given. "Go to Hell!" And so the blade cut, and she fell, screaming, into the mists. Only to land, unharmed and on her feet, a moment later. As she stood trying to catch her breath, she realized there was a noise coming from behind her. She took a moment to process this information simply because the noise was so out of place here, whereever "here" was. It was the sound of clapping. She turned, and nearly facefaulted at the sight of Cologne, smiling and applauding gently. "Now I begin to see why Son-i--why Ranma alwyas chose you, in the end, Akane. You have a wonderful spirit." "Wait a minute! Cologne?! Ranma said something about--you mean this is all a dream? None of it's real?" Cologne allowed a grumpy look to cross her features. "Of course it's a dream--but who's to say it's not real, too? You continually deny your feelings for your fiance, as he does for you, and yet those feelings are still real. So what difference does it make that this place exists only in your mind--maybe the metaphor is still true, and maybe we can each construct our own realities by force of will. Or maybe you have just been eating too much of your own cooking before bedtime." Caught between at least four different competing reactions, Akane settled for gaping like a fish out of water. "Bah! We don't have enough time for me to instuct you in the mysteries of the Universe, and most of my lessons wouldn't make any sense to you at this time. I need to communicate with your group, and Ranma's dreams are... inhospitable right now, and I don't know when I shall get another chance." Finally, her instincts took over. "Well, good! Maybe a few bad dreams will teach that idiot not to run when things are getting tough!" "Oh, come now, Child. You don't really believe that, do you? Has Ranma ever shown himself to be a coward? Can't you think of any other reason why he might have removed himself?" "But he said--" Cologne cut her off with an imperious wave. "Feh! 'He said,' indeed! I'll tell you what, Child, I am not going to hit you." She promptly rapped Akane over the head with her staff. "Hey!" "Now, which was more important: what I said, or what I did?" Akane grimmaced. "What you did." Cologne crowed in triumph. "There is hope for this generation after all! Now, why might Ranma have left, and why might he have lied to you about it?" "Ummm... Because he wants to keep me out of trouble, and because he thinks I won't follow him if I'm mad?" "Yes! Congratulations. Now, what are _you_ going to do about it?" "I'm gonna find him, I'm gonna help him--whether he wants it or not--and then, when this is all over with, I'm gonna kick his ass into the next week." "Excell--" The crone's praise was cut off as she burst into a pillar of flame. Akane sat up in bed, breathing heavily. She whispered to the shadows of her room, "Ranma, you'd better let me find you...." *********************************************************** Sergeant Abe Hiroyuki sat at his desk, shaking his head sadly. It had been a rough way to start off the morning. The young boy had seemed so sincere. Sgt. Abe's sympathy had been genuine when he had told the young man--what was his name? Oh yes, Happousai--when he had told Happousai that he couldn't release any information at all about the bombing of the Maiden's Luck. After all, the boy was obviously just looking for some solace in knowing how went the investigation of the explosion which had killed his fiance. If it had been up to him, the seargeant would have just let the boy have a quick peek at the file while his back was turned. Orders from high up, however, were quite clear. Under no circumstances was any member of the public to be given information pertaining to the investigation. The official line was that this was to preserve the integrity of the investigation. Sgt. Abe's opinion was that this was to preserve the reputations of the officers in charge of the investigation, who had turned up nothing of relevance, at least as far as Abe knew. He sighed. Covering the Brass' Asses was one of his least favorite chores, especially when it meant he couldn't even reassure a teenager mourning his fiancee. Instead, he had been forced to try to console the lad as best he could, without actually telling him anything. It was a shame, really. Sgt. Abe went back to the file room to retrieve some paperwork on a missing-child report. When he entered, a sharp wind cut across his face, nearly making him drop his coffee. {Odd. That window isn't supposed to be open.} He closed the offending portal, then went over to the cabinets. And froze. The top file drawer was open--not by a lot, but enough that he knew there was no way it could have been left that way by accident. Capt. Hino was a bear when it came to order in the records areas, and numerous reprimands had drilled into his underlings just how vital it was to their careers to keep him happy in this regard. On a hunch, Sgt. Abe opened the drawer. He found himself unsurprised to see that the file on the bombing was sticking up the tell-tale half inch. Only the greenest of recruits under Hino would have dared to leave a file looking like that, and all the men on the bombing case were double-digit veterans. Sgt. Abe had no doubt about what had happened here. He was just uncertain what to do about it. On the one hand, he had a break-in that had lead to no theft or property damage. On the other, he had a superior who would ream him and every other officer in the building for allowing unauthorized civilians into his precious filing room, and who would turn the city upside down in a manhunt for the perpetrator. Looking at it in that light made it clear that there was not decision to make at all. He carefully pushed the file down until it was flush with the others, then closed the drawer, taking extra care to make sure it was locked. He went to the drawer with his original quarry, and returned to work. *********************************************************** Akane and Nabiki made their way to school, passing down the street without much conversation, until Nabiki turned to her sister with a sigh and said, "Alright, Akane, out with it." Akane tried to seem unaware of what her older sister was talking about, but she failed utterly. "Okay, I need you to help me with something." Nabiki's eyebrow rose. "My, that was quick, wasn't it? So what do want me to do?" "I want you to cover for me at school today, and then tonight when you get home, too." Nabiki nearly facefaulted. "And what, pray tell, are you going to be doing during this time, as if I couldn't guess?" Akane blushed, but pressed on. "I'm going to go find Ranma. If I can't find him, then I'll give up and come back tomorrow. If I do find him, though, I won't be back until _he_ comes back with me." "Akane...." Nabiki struggled to find the right words. "Have you considered the possibility that he doesn't want to be found?" "Yes, and I know why, I think. I also think you can guess the real reason he took off, too." Akane pressed on, not guessing the real reason behind Nabiki's guilty flinch. "Nabiki, I know... I know I'm not in his league as a fighter... But if he and I are going to have any chance together at all, then I have to know that I can stand by him when things are tough--otherwise, I'll... I'll wind up like Ukyou, not around him when I really need to be. And I don't want that." "Akane, I don't know.... This is pretty big, you know." "Yes, I know that, Nabiki. That's why I want you to take this--it'll help you set up a cover story." With those words, Akane shoved a large wad of bills into Nabiki's hands. Unbidden, the words from the note her "admirer" left came back to Nabiki: "Can't wait to hear from you... unless you'd like them sent to your family...." Aloud, she said, "Akane, congratulations. You've just made me an offer I can't refuse." She pushed the bills into her purse, and as her sister took off down a side-street, Nabiki prayed she wasn't making the worst mistake of her life. *********************************************************** Akita Sakue sighed. The boredom she felt threatened to totally overwhelm her. The life of an office girl in the bowels of the Immigration Department was not all wine and roses; more like vinegar and thorns. She was so lost in her thoughts on the injustice of it all that she failed utterly to notice the styrofoam panel in the ceiling over her head rise up into the space between her floor and the one above. She did notice the faint sound of feet landing behind her, but before she could even think about turning around, her head was caught in a vise-like grip that ended with a hand sealing her mouth shut. She was still trying to grasp her situation when an arm--a woman's arm, no less--was thrust in front of her field of vision. The whispered question, "Understand?" seemed to come from impossibly close to her ear. She nodded. How could anyone in Japan fail to understand the threat implicit in that tattoo-covered arm? Yakuza. To deviate from whatever she was told would mean death, she knew. The arm was quickly removed from her sight. Then the voice whispered again, and she began to understand what was required of her. A few quick moments of typing secured the information she was asked for--records on the immigration status of the owner and employees of a Chinese restaurant in the Nerima Ward. She had no idea why her unwelcome visitor wanted the information, and she didn't care. Although given the name of the place, she figured it was probably a prostitution front--maybe one that had failed to pay proper dues to the oyabun. A few more whispered commands, and some more records were called up. Her captor seemed to pore over this screen for a long time, then uttered a few final commands. Nothing unexpected: "Don't turn around. Tell no one what has happened. You will not be harmed." Nothing unexpected, that is, until the hand had released her, and her assailant had retreated back into the buildings innards. Faintly, as she sat trying to hold back her sobs, she heard a voice say, "I'm sorry...." Akita Sakue sat long enough to be sure she had retained her composure, and then very quietly fled the building, praying with all her soul that the rest of her life would be dull and lifeless. *********************************************************** Soun carefully drew back the door to the outer bathroom. He knew it was a foolish risk, but even after his somewhat accelerated healing from the oni, he was still too stiff to make the jump up to the attic, and the stairs were still unrepaired. Kasumi had left about an hour ago, and Nodoka had just announced her intention to bathe. He couldn't resist the opportunity. Pausing long enough to make sure there had been no reaction to the door's slight movement, he carefully peeked through the small slit he had created between the door and the frame. And met the eye of Nodoka Saotome. He struck the wall opposite the bathroom door with enough force to reform some of the bruises on his back. As he tried to stammer out some kind of rational excuse for hs behavior, Nodoka reached out and firmly placed a hand over his mouth. And smiled. "Oh, you don't have to explain, Tendou-san. I understand." "Y-you do?" "Of course. It's been many years for you, Tendou-san... almost as many as it's been for me." Soun's heart began to drown out his hearing. "In many ways, it's a relief, actually. While I know my husband is truly a manly man, it has been long since I believed he was honorable in all ways. It is good to see that Ranma has another role model, one who is manly, and who does not shirk his obligations." She slid closer to him; he would have sworn he felt the warmth of her body across the slight gap between them. "I want you to know, Tendou-san, that-that I want this, too. When Genma and I are back together, we can't ever speak of it again, but... but for now, I want to-to--" Her voice failed her with a sharp sob. He looked at her, and realized there was no doubt in his own mind, or his own heart. He knew there would be problems, ramifications; it didn't matter. He would care for her, and take her in, and deal with all the rest later. As that final frustrating inch between them closed, their robes fell to the floor. Neither of them noticed the other occupant of the hallway, who had entered only a moment before. At least, not until its oversized incisors sank into Soun's ankle with much more force than would be expected for such a small pig. *********************************************************** Ii Go watched the video tape from the security cameras over the open-air market one more time. He had never seen anything like it. The redhead was the obvious one. She bounced over booths, slipped under tables, and did everything else possible to avoid being seen by the girl with the short dark hair, who was obviously looking for someone. The wierd thing about it was that Darky, as he was calling her, seemed to be asking the booth vendors who told her no the first time a second question, and judging by her hand gestures, using a completely different description. It was almost like she wasn't sure who she was looking for. And then _she_ would go through some lesser maneuvers herself, dodging frantically to get away from someone she had apparently just caught a glimpse of. It took Go awhile to figure it out, but eventually he realized that she was reacting whenever she saw the one player Go did recognize, a pretty, sweet-faced young woman with long brown hair in a ponytail he had often noticed in the market. She seemed utterly unaware of the frantic actions of her playmates, going about the business of shopping and greeting the vendors as he had seen her do so often before. It was beyond his comprehension why both the girls were avoiding the young woman, not to mention why Red was avoiding Darky, who was looking for Red and, judging by those same gestures, a young man. Go tried several times to see if he could find anyone on the monitors that matched her pantomimes, but to no avail. He was still trying to figure out what to do about it all when the three figures simultaneously departed, in three different directions. Go sighed, content that it was now safely Someone Else's Problem. *********************************************************** Isihiyama Oda stared dumbfounded at the battered dockworkers in front of him. He tried to make sense of their ramblings, so that he could begin to file the paperwork (paperwork, the bane of every dock foreman in Tokyo) on the assault. The part that stopped him cold every time was when they tried to describe their assailant. If he understood them correctly, nearly a dozen of his burliest workers had been taken down by a sixteen-year-old girl. Not only that, but she was asking all sorts of strange, one might even say incomprehensible, questions about purple cats and ducks with vision problems. Just as they began to get the story straight, Ito burst in and started blabbering about _another_ sixteen-year-old girl, who apparently was looking for someone, and Oda noted glumly that the second-hand description of her quarry was a pretty good match for the first teen terror. Just as he was beginning to absorb that piece of delightful news, Ito explained that the new arrival had evidently taken umbrage at some of the gentle flirtations of the dockhands. At first Oda was afraid that she was going to contact the police, but then Ito explained that, no, the young lady was quite happy to take care of the problem, with the aid of several large crates that were currently being reduced to kindling over the laborers' heads. Oda slowly lowered his head into his hands. He knew, just knew, that his fingers were going to be lost to writer's cramp before this day was out. *********************************************************** Ryouga pulled on his clothes hastily. After he had spoiled the mood, Soun had pursued his cursed form into the bathroom. Soun called out to Nodoka to go on downstairs--he would join her in a minute. P-Chan, understanding that the Tendou patriarch desired that she not be in hearing range of the upcoming discussion, had nodded and slipped into the furo, emerging as himself. They had gone down to Nabiki's room to discuss the matter further. "Alright, Son, say what you have to say." Ryouga looked a little awkward. "I--I'm sorry, Tendou-san, but I couldn't stand by and let that happen. Ranma would never forgive me, and neither would Akane." "I see. And so you sought to 'protect' her?" "I don't know. I heard what she said, but, damnit! We're martial artists! We're not supposed to-to--" "To take advantage of others' weaknesses?" Soun finished for him. "Yes! And frankly, I didn't care for what it would mean for Akane's honor, either. You are the head of the clan, after all." "Hmmm... We'll return to the subject of your concern for my daughter's honor in a minute." Ryouga gulped nervously. "But first," continued Soun, "let me make one thing perfectly clear. Nodoka is a widow. Granted, a recent widow, but it follows a prolonged separation. There is no dishonor in the two of us seeking solace in one another's arms." "Ummm... Maybe not, sir, but have you considered the fact that she doesn't _know_ she's a widow yet? From what I know about her, once the... passions had burned down, I don't think she would have been able to handle the guilt. I don't like to think of her with that katana in easy reach...." Soun paled visibly, then sighed. "You're right. But does that mean neither of us can find the happiness we deserve?" Ryouga looked at the older man and felt a surge of sympathy. {Ten years... In some ways, he's been alone longer than I have.} "No, sir, but it does mean that you'll have to be patient. I've been thinking while we've been talking, and I have a possible solution." Soun adopted an interested look. "Proceed." "Well, what if she never learns the whole truth? I mean, we could tell her that Genma died in the jungles of Vietnam, or something like that. We could even tell her he was cremated. Do you know what happened to... to his remains?" "No, Nodoka insisted that she knew how to handle that. I was in too much shock to disagree." "Well, if they can't be recovered, we could still just give her an urn full of ashes. Then...." "Then, after a decent period of mourning, she would be free!" Soun was almost giddy. He turned a thoughtful gaze on Ryouga. "Have you been spending much time with Nabiki?" Ryouga flushed guiltily. "Uh, er, why do you ask?" "No reason, it's just that that's the type of solution she'd come up with." "Oh. Aheh. Imagine that." "Now, about Akane's honor...." "Erk." "I'd like to know how, exactly, you feel qualified to chastise me on that particular point, all things considered." "Ah, uhm.... It's like this...." Nodoka had to wait quite some time before Soun came down with P-Chan, allowing her to compliment him on making peace with Akane's pet. The mood, of course, had been completely wrecked for the time being, and neither of them spoke of what had almost occured. *********************************************************** Ranma-chan crept back into the dark office, and slowly made her way through the rooms to the little campsite she had made in the middle of what had been the waiting room. The day had been a total wash-out, other than relieving some of her tension in that fracas at the docks. Still, she had a few tidbits of negative information, and she supposed she could make some kind of pattern out of those in the morning, when her mind was fresh. She stepped into the receptionist's area, and stopped dead just as a kerosene lantern came alive, basking the room with a dull orange glow and giving a sinister underlighting to the room's other occupant. "Hello, Saotome. It's about time you got here--I've been waiting for over an hour." "Heh. Uh, hi, Akane. How's things?" *********************************************************** End Chapter 21![]()
Author's Notes: Whew! Kept it all in there. Even managed to follow my outline, although a few of the specifics got altered in the translation from mind to print (Ranma's activities were originally more lighthearted, and Soun and Ryouga's confrontation was supposed to be much more harsh, for instance). The use of one-shot characters was kind of a new thing for me, so I'd really like your opinions on that--was it too much, did it work for this chapter but not for most others, should I go back and write the whole story from strangers' perspectives (mind you, I'm not saying I'm gonna _do_ everything you suggest, but I'd still like to hear about it). ^_^