Ok, this is the last part of Escape. Its a direct lead in to Ice Age.
I'll put Ice Age 1 up at lunch.
Characters are mostly by Takahashi, except for the ones that aren't.
Matthew Trotter, And now for more fun with my project...yay.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Escape From Nerima
--------------------------
Part nine: Calm Before The Storm
--------------------------
Hello, all you loosers
You've got nothing to fear
This my not be the end of the world
But you can see it from here
-John Mellencamp
--------------------------
Nabiki lay on her back and looked up at the stars. She barely felt
the cold at all. She wondered if Tatewaki was OK...then again he
deserved to be hurt, he was the one with the bright idea to go up on the
mountain tonight. Still, it had been beautiful. And he had kissed her.
That was probably what had caused them to slip and fall, but she wouldn't
trade that moment for anything.
"Nabiki Tendo," Tatewaki's voice seemed muffled, "are you all right?"
"Yes, Kuno baby, I'm fine. Next time we are going to fall down the
side of a mountain could we bring a sled?"
"I'm sorry Nabiki Tendo, in my haste to be in your company I left my
toboggan in the lodge. I will be sure to bring it on further ventures into
these snowy heights."
He was definitely not the Kuno of old, he seemed to be more. . .
intelligent, more...well interesting, and far less obsessed. Nabiki
watched him stand up and dust the snow from his hands.
"I believe it is probably past time that we return ourselves to the
comforts of the lodge. It is generally not recommended to stray too far
from the warmth on the first night after recovering from illness."
Nabiki pushed herself to her feet, "All right, Kuno baby, I don't have
to be convinced to go back in you know."
--------------------------
I just sent Ranma and Akane off together. Alone. Ranma and Akane.
WHAT THE HELL WAS I THINKING?!?!?!? Ryoga glanced across the room to
where Mrs. Saotome and Kasumi were discussing....what were they
discussing? They both looked up and smiled at him...uh oh.
"Don't worry Ryoga, I'm sure Ranko and Akane haven't run away, they
should be back soon."
Oh yeah, I was thinking, Ranma and Akane are both girls and its
probably fine if I send them off so that Ranma's mom will leave us
alone. How could I have forgotten that? Ryoga looked up as the door
opened, Ranma and Akane walked in. They looked...different...Akane
looked blissful..and Ranma looked guilty? WHAT?!?!? They were both girls
they're not supposed to...
"Oh, Ranko, you know Ryoga has been on edge waiting for you to get back."
Ranma caught his eye, it was a look that said, "OK Ryoga, I know you
were worried about me and Akane, but I ain't gonna sit here while my mom
tries to get us together." Ryoga hadn't really believed there could be
much communication just by eye contact, but then this was a fanfic, and
signals never got crossed in a fanfic. Ranma winked at him. ??!?!?!?
What the hell was that supposed to mean? Was ... no that was unthinkable
...UGH! Ryoga decided to go take a nice long walk.
--------------------------
Everyone was already in bed, or at least upstairs when they got back
in. It was almost as if some higher power had cleared the building so
that they could be alone together...
--------------------------
Fellowship waved at the reader.
"Your not supposed to do that in a fanfic you know..."
"He's the one who gave us this lame segway part.."
--------------------------
Nabiki blinked and wondered if that was really supposed to be a link, or
if it was just some kind of random non-sequiter like the other half of
the story. Oh well, she pulled the blanket tighter around herself...the
cold was really beginning to catch up to her. The fire was starting to
die down and Tatewaki was still somewhere looking for another blanket.
Suddenly footsteps broke the still that had settled about her like dust
on expensive computer equipment, something moved in the twilight gloom
that held the rest of the lodge in its silent spell. Tatewaki stepped
into the pale hemisphere of light that the fireplace was providing. He
had a thin looking blanket with him.
"This was all I could find, Nabiki. I fear it will not provide you the
warmth that you need."
She sighed, it was too bad. She had wanted to stay up and sit with
Tatewaki...oh we....Tatewaki wrapped the blanket around his shoulders and
sat down behind her.
"Tatewaki, I don't..."
He wrapped the blanket around her shoulders and pulled her back against
him. Nabiki felt herself getting warmer, she knew she was blushing.
This felt so intimate...even more than a kiss...
"Do you feel any warmer?"
His voice was right in her ear, she could feel his breath against her
neck. God that was erotic. He leaned back and pulled her back with
him. As she lay there with her head on his chest she could feel his
heart beat and his breathing....
--------------------------
Nabiki opened her eyes...Kasumi was sitting in one of the high backed
chairs across from them . . . ? them.. . ..she had slept on the couch
with Tatewaki all night?!
"Good morning, Nabiki."
"Good morning, sis. I..."
"You two looked so peaceful that we didn't want to wake you."
We? She wondered how many people had seen them like this...it could
be the end of teasing Ranma and Akane if they had seen her cuddled up
with Tatewaki like this.
"Don't worry, Nabiki, Mrs. Saotome and I are the only ones awake right
now. I'll keep your secret."
Nabiki knew she was blushing again, but she couldn't stop herself.
The way Kasumi said she would keep her secret. . . .it felt like she was
caught doing something...
Kasumi smiled, "What would you like for breakfast?"
--------------------------
She crossed her arms. There, she hadn't interfered. That would show
Sarcasm. He probably was off sulking. Fellowship looked at the table,
it was kind of surprising that things had worked out...just like Sarcasm
said they would....that was the only bad part. Sarcasm was right again.
Oh, who cared, he could go be right all the time. The thing that
mattered was that things did work out. She decided to go find him and
tell him that she was sorry. If you apologized when you were wrong
things would always seem better after that. She decided to check the
library, he was probably in there reading some inconsequential piece of
literature.
Sarcasm was in the library all right. He wasn't reading. He was just
sitting there. Staring. She wasn't sure, but she was willing to bet
that he had been there staring at the door ever since he had left. It
was creepy. He didn't move. Not even to blink.
"Sarcasm?"
"Fellowship, do you know what today is?"
Oh goody, she had probably forgotten something really important.
Something he'd just love to humiliate her with. The air behind his chair
crackled. It seemed to shimmer with a staticy look.
"Sarcasm, what's going on?"
Sarcasm stood up. As he did the room behind him flickered. One
moment it was the library, the next it was the courtyard. While that
really surprised her, the thing that stole her voice was everyone she
knew was there. All the young gods. And they were singing. Happy
birthday to you...Fellowship felt the tears well up in her eyes. She
couldn't stop them, they started to roll down her cheeks. She wanted to
tell them all how much she loved them, but her heart was up in her
throat, and it was hard enough to breath, there was no way she would be
able to say anything now...
"Today is your birthday, Fellowship. Today you are older, and wiser.
Today you showed restraint. Today you made me proud of you."
It was the first time Sarcasm had given her praise for anything since
she was about Emotion's age. He smiled a sad little smile at her, then
the rest of the room flickered out and she was in the court yard. She
knew he wouldn't be here. He never went to parties. It didn't matter.
It was the best day of her life...
--------------------------
"Well?"
Doubt looked up from the table, "He's coming. Kuno just went to look
for his sister. Its about to hit the fan. How about you?"
"She was crying she was so happy. Despair?"
"Abandon all hope."
Sarcasm nodded. Some things just had to happen. It would kill
Fellowship to see it all go to hell right after it went so right.
--------------------------
Mousse kicked the door off of it's hinges. They were all there,
sitting around the fire and talking. As if she wasn't even missing!
"WHERE THE HELL IS SHAMPOO?!?!?!?!"
coming soon
I C E A G E