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Good Plans
A Ranma 1/2 fanfic by D.B. Sommer
All comments and criticisms appreciated. You can contact me at
sommer@3rdm.net
Standard Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Ranma 1/2 Characters. They are
owned by Takahashi and whomever she sold the rights to.
You can find all of my fics now stored at:
http://angcobra.jumpfun.com/dbsommer.html
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Ukyou stood silent under the night sky, a lone figure in the middle of a
dark open area next to the construction site feeling vulnerable and uneasy.
But the others were right; she had to be the one standing in the open as a
sort of bait. Everything had gone according to the plan so far. The call had
gone off without a hitch. Akane had contacted no one as to where she would
be. The area was secure, at least for the moment. There were several large
holes where the foundation was being laid and quick drying cement on hand to
bury the evidence. Shampoo could shatter the concrete in one of the holes,
and they would refill it with Akane's body mixed in the middle. They would
take care of the excess debris by tossing it into an already existing pile.
All that was left was for the victim to appear in time for her funeral.
Ukyou was surprised to feel few recriminations now that the moment of truth
was upon her. She and Akane had gotten along pretty well for rivals, which
confounded Ukyou somewhat once she got to know Akane. True, their
personalities meshed sort of well, but for some odd reason Akane had rarely
become irritated over Ukyou's own attempts to follow her destiny and marry
Ranma. Not at all like the sort of disdain the youngest Tendou would show
towards Kodachi (which was actually easy to understand since no one liked
her, not even her own brother) or Shampoo for her numerous attempts at
nabbing Ranma, (of course Ukyou had hated the bimbo as well, if not more.
And she was far less forgiving than Akane). Actually, if Ukyou was any
judge, Akane disliked Shampoo even more than that laughing hyena gymnast.
However, the standards concerning those two didn't seem to apply to a rival
like Ukyou. She and Akane had gotten along from day one and had few
disagreements, even when the okonomiyaki chef tried to get Ranma to open his
eyes and realize who his true love was. Perhaps Akane thought if she and
Ukyou were friends, she would back off and not marry Ranma. Ha! Like she
would ditch someone who had been the focus of over half of her life for some
vague friendship with a rival for her love's attentions. But then, Akane was
painfully na�ve about some things. Nabiki seemed to have been the only one
born with any decent judgment in that family.
The chef never had figured out exactly why Akane had behaved in such
peculiar ways when it came to her. And now, she never would.
Ukyou could live with that.
It really was Akane's own fault that events had to come to this. It was
obvious to Ukyou who Ranma's only true love was. From the first moment they
met that had been destined for one another. It was only that fat ass father
of his that ruined everything by betraying her, stealing both her dowry and
Ranma, then abandoning her along the roadside like so much rubbish. It was a
tragedy. Anyone could see that Ranma truly belonged to the one who had
suffered the most for him. But Akane had blinded herself to the truth by
entertaining illusions of her own destiny and even going so far as to
confuse Ranma into believing the youngest Tendou daughter was the one he
loved. Bombing the wedding was a warning Akane chose to ignore. What
happened next was on her head for failing to take heed of the warning. It
was all Akane's fault.
Soon it would finally be over, and Ranma would be Ukyou's. The other two
girls didn't stand a chance against her once Akane was gone for good. Ranma
actually liked her, and would avoid the two deluded idiots like the plague
even after Akane was gone. Of course, once it became evident to them that
they had lost a second time, they would most likely try to 'remove' Ukyou,
even as they were now working in concert to remove Akane. But that knowledge
had always played in the chef's thoughts, even as their plot had been
discussed. Plans had already been formed as to what she had to do next to
secure Ranma for herself now and forever.
"All mine," Ukyou sighed.
"What's all yours?"
"Ah-" Ukyou bit down on her lip to keep from crying out further and alerting
anyone else in the vicinity as to her presence. The unexpected question had
come from directly behind her. Her heart nearly stopped as she recognized
Akane's voice. A brief vision flashed in her mind of Akane having discovered
the entire plot and she had quietly maneuvered into position in order to
sink a knife into Ukyou's back and throw HER body into the nearby hole in
the ground.
Tensing for a fight, Ukyou spun and confronted Akane. The black-haired girl
was just standing there in a plain yellow dress, looking curiously at the
taller girl. No weapon was evident. She didn't even look tense enough for a
fight.
"Sorry, you just scared me," Ukyou blurted out, feeling sorry for a moment
at luring this basically innocent girl to her death now that she was
standing right in front of her. But thoughts of Akane marrying Ranma and
having a horde of children while Ukyou was left to pine away an old maid in
an empty restaurant burned such doubts from her mind. It was all Akane's
fault.
"Why? You're the one that called me out here," Akane's voice was full of
unspoken, anxious questions.
"I wasn't paying attention." Ukyou laughed nervously and tried to calm down.
She knew damn well she was acting suspicious, but couldn't seem to stop
herself. Every breath she took made her afraid of alerting Akane to what was
going on and having her bolt away before the trap could be sprung.
"You're acting weird," Akane stated flatly.
"Me weird? What do you mean?" The question came out three times as fast as
it should, all but shouting out she was up to something shifty. Where the
hell was Shampoo?
It was obvious Akane was having none of that. She continued looking at Ukyou
suspiciously. "Come on. Who are you trying to fool? You didn't call me out
here to discuss finding some Nanniichuan for Ranma, did you?"
Ukyou gulped at the sudden shift in Akane's attitude. She had not brought
her battle spatula, or even her throwing ones, along for fear of alerting
Akane to the trap, as well as trying to maintain a low profile to avoid
catching any passerby's' eyes on the way to the park. But without her
weapons, she was at a disadvantage. Her own pure hand-to-hand skills were
mediocre at best, while Akane's were certainly a good notch above that. Had
the others betrayed her or gotten cold feet at the last minute? Ukyou
suddenly panicked, wondering again if it would be her who would fail to
leave the park alive.
Ukyou's questions went answered as Akane reached forward, obviously irate,
only to fall facefirst to the ground, her legs lashed together by a ribbon.
Akane had just enough time to give a brief cry of pain when a blur seemed to
shoot out from the shadows and land above the fallen girl in a crouch. A
hand lashed out to the back of Akane's neck, and Ukyou could see her eyes
widen for a split-second before they rolled back into her head and it
crashed once more to the ground.
Kodachi let some slack in her ribbon to loosen its hold, then pulled it back
into the confines of the sleeve of the trenchcoat she wore to hide her
trademark leotard. As she emerged from the shrubs she had been using as a
hiding spot, she looked suspiciously back and forth, as though expecting an
attack on her person as well.
Ukyou watched Shampoo put on a pair of gloves, then check Akane's neck for a
pulse. The Amazon was dressed in a plain, loose sweat shirt and matching
pants, a baseball cap hiding her thick head of hair and making her look like
any other girl rather than the Chinese Amazon she really was. Ukyou was
sorry she hadn't thought of dressing more casual as well, but it wasn't
possible, since she had to prevent Akane's suspicions from bring aroused as
long as possible.
The trio of girls surrounded Akane's body. Ukyou stared at her fallen rival.
She looked so serene now. Perhaps this really had been for the best. It had
been quick and relatively painless. She deserved that consideration, at
least.
"She looks so peaceful, doesn't she?" Kodachi gave voice to Ukyou's unspoken
thoughts.
Ukyou nodded her head in agreement. "Now it's over. Let's get over to a hole
and... hey! Why is she still breathing?!"
"That because Shampoo only apply sleep pressure point." The Amazon said that
with a lifted eyebrow, as though challenging the others to question her
further.
Kodachi responded to the challenge first. "You were supposed to kill her."
"And then we bury the body." Now Ukyou really wished she had brought her
spatula along. Shampoo was up to something. She could feel it in the pit of
her stomach. She should never have trusted the bimbo, or the gymnast, for
that matter.
The Amazon snorted at that. "And what if construction mens realize someone
mess with their foundation? Or what if we pour it wrong? Or what if the
decide to redo it? Or maybe ground no settle right and they dig it up and
Akane's body is found right away?"
Ukyou felt the uncomfortable feeling leap around in her stomach like a thing
alive. This was not the way things were supposed to go. Would she have to
administer the death blow herself? She thought she could. She knew she would
if she had to. "We have to do something with her, and fast. And we still
have to kill her, you know."
"We will, but we do it Shampoo's way."
That perked up Kodachi's inquisitive nature, temporarily overriding her
anger. "And just which way is that?"
"We shouldn't change the plan like this," Ukyou insisted.
"Shampoo have a much better plan," the Amazon assured her in hushed tones.
"Everyone know Akane can no swim at all. So what Shampoo is going to do is
make Akane unconscious, like she is now, and then dump her in the canal next
to the park. There Shampoo make it look like Akane fall in water and drown.
It all look like a silly accident. It's a perfect plan."
"No, it isn't!" Ukyou hissed. "They'll find her floating tomorrow."
Shampoo shook her head. "Akane sink like rock alive, she sink like rock when
dead, too. Or if she does float after she dead, maybe she go with canal and
go out to sea."
"But they'll still find the body eventually," Ukyou pointed out.
"That all part of the advantage Shampoo's plan has."
"Oh? Why?" Kodachi asked, genuinely intrigued. She noted with distaste how
Ukyou was continuing to shake her head. The stupid commoner. Didn't she know
some plans needed to be modified when the occasion called for it?
Seeing she had at least one co-conspirator interested, Shampoo continued.
"This way everyone assume Akane die in accident, and Ranma no waste time
wondering what happen to Akane. There are no doubts about where she is. He
get sad real quick, then Shampoo will be there to comfort him in his time of
trouble."
"We all will be there for our beloved," Kodachi assured her with a warning
glare.
Ukyou shook her head furiously. This was a bad idea. She needed to show
them, and fast. Time was wasting and the longer they were out in the open,
the more likely it was something would go wrong. "What about the pressure
point you used? They'll be able to tell she was rendered unconscious from
that when she drowned."
Shampoo was barely able to restrain her laughter. "No be stupid. Only
Great-grandmother and Happosai have enough experience to tell pressure point
was used. Great-grandmother is obviously not going to snitch, and Happosai
not bright enough to think to check. He'll be too busy crying into Akane's
panties for that."
Ukyo's mouth twitched at being so easily shot down. "What if she wakes up
before you get there, or once she hits the water?"
An answer, Shampoo rolled the unconscious Akane onto her back, then sat her
up, keeping her upright with a hand behind the back. With her free hand,
Shampoo held it high above her head, then lashed forward, the open palm
cracking Akane's cheek so hard that even Kodachi and Ukyou grimaced. Akane
didn't react in the slightest. Smirking, Shampoo gave a slap to the other
cheek. Again the only reaction was for Akane's face to turn red with a
handprint across it.
Shampoo was about to administer a third one when Kodachi prevented it by
haughtily ordering, "Enough! Do you want to alert everyone in a five mile
radius we are here? I am convinced she will not be waking up any time soon.
Or ever again, truth be told."
Satisfied, Shampoo continued her explanation. "Pressure point leave Akane
unconscious for hours. More than enough time for her to drown and no one
think anything other than she slip and fall in. No wounds. No drugs. No
doubts."
"I like this plan better."
"Well I don't." Ukyou barely managed to keep control of her voice. Were they
insane? They already had a plan. Sure, Shampoo might have pointed out a few
holes in it, and yes, on the surface the bimbo's did sound better, but it
was never a good idea to change a plan so significantly without good reason.
They had come up with a solid one and should stick with it. What if there
was a flaw in Shampoo's new scheme that they couldn't see? They needed to
think about this, and they had no time to do so. "We should go with the
original plan. Let's kill Akane now and bury her."
"Nonsense. Shampoo has come up with a superior plan," Kodachi insisted.
"This way we won't have to wait a year or so for Ranma to go on a pointless
quest for Akane before I... that is we, win his heart."
There was that. Ukyou hated to admit it, but that was a very nice advantage
to Shampoo's idea. No incredibly long wait, just a brief period of mourning
and then Ranma would be hers at last. After over a decade of waiting, her
heart would be made whole once again. She didn't even want to wait a month.
She wanted him right now, but realistically she had to wait until her
Ranchan worked through his grief before she could win his heart.
"Very well," Ukyou's admission was more a sigh then a sentence. "Let's go
for it. But let's kill her now, before she hits the canal."
"No be stupid," Shampoo hissed quickly. "If she dead when she hit water,
then everyone know it murder and not accident."
"Her lungs would not be filled with water," Kodachi agreed. "That would ruin
everything. Her death has to be from drowning and no other way"
Ukyou hadn't thought of that; more proof that there could be some other
detail they were missing. Pros versus cons. Which was the better choice? "I
can't approve of this. We should go with the original plan and kill her now.
Sorry."
"Well, I like Shampoo's idea," Kodachi said defiantly.
Shampoo just nodded grimly.
"Then do what you want." This was all going to backfire on them. She just
knew it. And once that happened they would be running for their lives. Ukyou
stalked off leaving the other two to do what they would.
Kodachi and Shampoo watched Ukyou wander deeper into the park and out of
sight. The gymnast shook her head in disapproval. "I don't like this sudden
reluctance on her part. I'd better follow her and make sure she doesn't
screw anything up."
"And leave Shampoo to do dirty work," the Amazon growled.
"If you want me to stay..." Kodachi let her offer trail off.
After considering that for a moment, Shampoo shook her head. "It's better if
Shampoo do it alone. One person attract less attention than two. Besides, it
best if someone follow Ukyou and make sure she no get cold feet."
Course decided, Kodachi headed off to follow Ukyou, leaving Shampoo to sling
Akane over her shoulder and walk quickly toward the canal. The added weight
was nothing to the Amazon's superior strength as she moved with catlike
grace, and most importantly, silence, towards her destination.
As Shampoo walked off with her burden, she missed the smug look and barely
restrained laugh Kodachi's features held.
But it was probably for the best, since she missed the smug look Shampoo had
when thinking about her current partners as well.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The figure moved as silently as it could, hoping it had followed the path
Shampoo had taken. It was difficult to travel in the dark, but it knew the
Amazon's destination. The most reasonable route would be the straightest one
she could navigate through the thicker part of the trees. Time was of the
essence, and the longer Shampoo remained in the park with Akane, the more
likely a pair of casual eyes might spot her.
The figure had lost some time in gathering the items it needed when Shampoo
had changed the plan. However, they were necessary to the modification it
had made in its own plans to match the new one Shampoo had come up with. The
wise always took advantage of opportunities they were presented.
Perhaps it was just as well. Had the figure followed too closely, Shampoo
might have sensed its presence and the plan would have to be modified again.
Proper execution was all in the timing. If it was off in the slightest, the
ultimate price might be paid, but if it was completed as it should, then
everything would be perfect.
The figure peered through some bushes lining the walkway to the canal and
scanned the area. It was just as it had thought. There was Shampoo, doing a
quick look back and forth from the spot she had chosen as far between the
lights along the canal as she could. In the darkness, the Amazon was hard to
detect for someone not knowing what to look for. Not invisible, but
definitely low profile and inconspicuous.
The figure waited for the right moment as Shampoo carefully lowered her
burden to the ground right next to the edge of the canal. The figure
wondered why she was being so gentle when it realized that causing any sort
of wound on Akane might raise suspicions. It would be ironic if, after the
all the trouble Shampoo had went through to use a pressure point to mask any
hint of foul play, a casual bump on Akane's head from being handled
brusquely would be misinterpreted by the authorities as a blow that rendered
her unconscious. Obviously, Shampoo had thought out things very carefully.
The figure continued watching as again, with a surprising tenderness,
Shampoo crossed Akane's arms across her chest, almost as though preparing
her for a viewing. Shampoo's own hands went to her chest, then she brought
them down and handled Akane's again. As she held on, Shampoo leaned in
close and kissed Akane on the cheek. A 'Kiss of Death' administered to an
unconscious person. What courage the Amazon was showing! What was about to
happen next would give the figure an immense amount of pleasure.
Shampoo cast one last look back and forth, her eyes lingering on the
figure's position for a moment (a moment in which the figure's heart skipped
a beat), before moving onward. Convinced she saw no one, the Amazon gave a
satisfied smile. The figure smiled in return, even if Shampoo was unaware of
its presence. Apparently pleased, Shampoo rolled Akane over and into the
canal.
The splash carried to where the figure could hear, though it was not very
loud nor did it carry particularly well. The water in the canal was rather
high this time of year, and the distance to the surface of the water not
that great. The figure remained hidden, watching carefully to make sure no
others had heard the splash and appeared or raised an alarm. But there was
no one and nothing. This part of the canal was somewhat isolated, with few
residents within easy listening range. It was a good place to dump a body.
The figure watched Shampoo continue looking back and forth to make certain
no one was approaching, then looked over the side where she had dropped
Akane's body, keeping her hat low so no one could identify her at a
distance. She was certainly being thorough for a change. Good. Not only was
she making certain Akane didn't unexpectedly break the surface, or come
across a random scuba tank, and not drown, but it made what was about to
happen next even easier.
Quietly, so as not to disturb Shampoo's observation, the figure tucked its
necessary tools behind its back and into its belt, hiding them from sight as
it moved towards the Amazon. It had covered only half the distance when
Shampoo sensed its presence, for she looked up from the canal and towards
the figure.
After a moment's tension, Shampoo softly said, "Oh. It's you. Shampoo
surprised to see you here. She thought you didn't want to watch Akane die."
"Can't I change my mind?" The figure moved to the edge of the canal, making
certain to face its front towards the Amazon. One glance at what was behind
its back and it would all be over. Gazing downward into the canal meant
leaving itself vulnerable to Shampoo for a brief moment, but it preferred to
take the chance of something unexpected happening in order to confirm
Akane's death. Looking down, the figure saw a goose floating on the surface
of the canal and nothing else. The waterfowl looked expectedly at her,
seemingly aware of the attention it had drawn. The figure smiled and waved
to it, the looked back at Shampoo. "For a second there, I thought that was a
duck. I was afraid Mousse had somehow sniffed things out."
"Don't be stupid. Mousse is the last person in the world Shampoo would let
know what she had planned for Akane."
The surface of the canal was nearly pitch black, with only a slight sliver
of moon reflecting off the moving water. It was impossible to see anything
underneath. There were no air bubbles, no flailing about in the water, no
unexpected swirls or eddies that could be seen. All was as it should be.
Akane had sunk like a rock and drowned at the bottom. Excellent.
After waiting another three minutes, Shampoo boasted triumphantly, "It over
at last. Now that annoying pest is out of the way, Shampoo's airen will soon
be hers, just as the way it should always have been."
"It sure will." The figure let its hand drift behind its back, making the
move seem casual. It removed the lid off the container with a flick of the
finger. Soon. Very soon now.
Shampoo took one more look at the water. Seemingly satisfied, she moved away
from the edge and took several steps towards the park ."So now what we do?
Go home and wait to hear sad news of tragic death?"
"One of us will," And with that the figure brought out the small container
that had been hidden behind its back and flung the contents forward.
As close as the figure was, all Shampoo could do was widen her eyes in
surprise as she found herself doused with cold water and changed into her
cursed form. Reflexively, she shook her fur out, a mistake as it gave the
figure enough time to bring out the other item tucked behind its back: a
burlap sack.
The sack was thrown over Shampoo, who instantly tried to struggle free. Only
the side had fallen on her, not the opening, though it had effectively
tangled her up for a moment. She could run for it if she could win free of
the material. She was faster than the other. Much faster. All she needed to
do was get out from under the sack and escape.
The material abraded her skin and rubbed her fur the wrong way. She was
confused as to which way was out, despite the relative small size of the
sack. Left, right, backwards or forwards. Which was the closest course to
freedom?
Then she saw a hint of starlight to her right. An opening! Instantly she
lunged that way, her head clearing the edge of the sack.
And then she felt an arm come down hard on the back of her neck.
Stunned senseless, she was only faintly aware of being manhandled and thrown
into the sack properly. She could faintly hear the sound of the drawstring
along the top being pulled shut, trapping her in a canvas prison from which
she could not escape, at least not without considerable time to use her
claws and scratch her way to freedom. It would probably take ten minutes to
work a hole big enough to move through, even for her. It would be more than
enough time for the other to finish her off. And she had little doubt that
was what the end result was going to be for this betrayal: to eliminate
Shampoo even as she had eliminated Akane. Perhaps it was some perverted form
of symmetry for the treachery she had done to this other, even if it wasn't
fully aware of that detail at the moment.
Fighting for her life, Shampoo drew in a breath to begin caterwauling and
draw attention to her dilemma, but a hard impact from what could only have
been a foot crashed into her stomach, forcing the air out of her lungs and
sending white hot shards of agony into her chest. At least one rib was
broken, maybe even two or three. She was certain of it.
"Bad kitty!" The words were hissed so that only Shampoo could hear them. She
was vaguely aware of the other snickering at her plight.
"Oh, this is too good." There was clear amusement in the figure's voice as
it listened to Shampoo trying to catch her breath. "And to think, originally
I was going to try to trick Ryouga into killing you by showing him pictures
of you administering the death blow to Akane and sending him into a frenzy.
But I like this way better. I'm just lucky someone left a container and an
empty sack lying around the construction site. Lucky for me, unlucky for
you, you stupid, slutty, Chinese bimbo."
A second kick followed the first, only glancing off Shampoo's left leg, but
it was more than enough to send a gasp of agony through her clenched pointed
teeth.
"God, you disgust me with your stupid, brainless antics. If you had even
half the intelligence to go with your looks, you would have had Ranma
wrapped around your little finger in a week. But no, you have all the
subtlety of a runaway train and the restraint of a five-year old. No wonder
you've screwed everything up so badly that he doesn't give a shit about
you."
Shampoo felt the sack, and subsequently herself, lifted in the air.
"I will give you this, drowning Akane was a brilliant idea. I'd have to say
it's the best plan you've ever come up with, at least for one that worked.
In fact, it's such a good idea, I think that I'll use it as well to get rid
of a pesky little kitty that should have stayed in a her backwater little
hovel and married the blind village idiot."
The sound of water drifted somewhere below Shampoo. Now she knew what the
other was talking about. She struggled as hard as she could. Every movement
was pain incarnate, every breath torture, but she had to escape. She had to.
Shampoo had barely managed to get out a low howl when she felt herself
falling. She took a deep breath and held it, but she hit the water
headfirst, the blow shooting enough pain through her to make the world turn
white, then black. The last thing she heard before drifting off into the
night was the sound of a goose honking in alarm. The cry reminded Shampoo of
the odd little squeeze horn that had been on her bicycle when she first
purchased it. She had gotten rid of it in favor of the ringing bell that had
served as a warning before she landed her bicycle on someone. The mind
really came up with odd things when it boarded on unconsciousness.
And then there was nothing.
The figure turned away without a backward glance. The goose's honking might
alert others, and with no way to shut it up, it would be best to be as far
away from the area as it could when Akane's body was eventually discovered.
It didn't need to stick around. Shampoo was dead. The bag had sunk like a
rock. It had kicked the cat hard enough to break bones, and it had tied the
drawstring into a knot that, while not very great, wouldn't come undone by
merely being dumped in water. It didn't know if Shampoo's body would revert
to its natural human form once it died, but it hoped not. The idea of the
Amazon being mistaken for a common alley cat that had been drowned for the
vermin she really was appealed to it on some basic level.
Besides, there were other plans to enact, and time was wasting.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Kodachi Kunou looked over the variety of workout uniforms hanging in her
closet with a careful eye. A full spectrum of colors was presented before
her, each especially tailored to mold to her nubile form perfectly. A bright
red leotard was chosen, something to match her cheery mood. Almost
twenty-four hours had passed since the plan that had resulted in the death
of Akane Tendou had been officially initiated. True, the body had not been
discovered yet, but that was hardly a surprise. Since the early morning
hours it had been raining heavily, nearly a typhoon level gale judging by
the way the wind shook the house, and few people would have been out and
about to stumble upon the body. That was assuming it wasn't still at the
bottom of the canal. Akane did have the buoyancy of a rock; even Kodachi
knew that. It would be amusing to think no one would ever find the wicked
girl, leaving her corpse to be picked apart by the animals that made the
canal their home.
Now that Kodachi thought about it, drowning while unconscious was too quick
and painless a death for one who had stood in the way of her happiness for
so long. Better they had fed the awful little harridan to Mr. Green Turtle,
which would also have served to dispose of Akane's mortal remains as well.
In truth that was only an idle fantasy, unrealistic in the extreme. A simple
drowning really was the best way to get rid of the annoying girl. Besides,
poor Mr. Green Turtle might find the meal too tough to enjoy. Such a brutal
woman might adversely affect his delicate palate.
Once suited up, Kodachi went through the house to the private gymnasium of
her home. Working out some kinks in her neck, she loosened up, then started
her workout routine. As she began the first elaborate motions of her floor
exercises, she thought about how difficult it was to believe so many of the
simple peasants lacked such rudimentary necessities. That was one thing the
Black Rose would have granted Akane, at least she had her own dojo to work
out in, quaint little thing that it was.
Now that his relationship with Akane was severed forever, it placed Ranma's
likelihood of inheriting that piece of real estate in doubt. Perhaps Kodachi
could plant the seeds of their future union by allowing him to use her
facility to work out and give hints that it could be his as well someday.
Likewise, the Kunou gymnasium lacked the 'painful' memories of the few
awkward moments he had shared with that wicked girl. After being with the
one he would share his future destiny with for a while, he would quickly
forget Akane had ever existed at all. Kodachi would see to every step of his
recovery personally; she loved him that much.
Ranma. He would be hers at last. All of her dreams would finally be realized
and her heart would know peace once the love of her life rested comfortably
in her arms. All the problems of the world would disappear the moment they
became of one flesh. He would pluck that single 'Black Rose' from the field
of red and make her his own. It was so painfully romantic. Kodachi stopped
her work out and hugged herself. So very, very soon, it would be just the
two of them.
Shaking herself out of her fantasy, Kodachi picked up a couple of gymnastic
pins and began an intricate kata, the weighted objects dancing in her hands
like they were alive. Never had she felt so happy and satisfied with
herself. Soon it really would be just her and her beloved Ranma.
An even wider smile broke across her features as she thought about her so
called 'rivals'. That poor little foreign slut, believing nothing more than
a vacant stare and a large chest was how to win Ranma's heart. Or that
ridiculous cross-dressing country bumpkin, who thought 'buddying up' to
Ranma was the way to go. Stupid peasants. They had not one tenth the class
or style Kodachi possessed. Neither of them were worthy enough to stand in
her shadow, much less vie for Ranma's heart, and deep down inside they knew
it. No doubt once the other two foolish girls burst through their delusions
and realized they were in the process of losing once again, they would
attempt to remove Kodachi next. Knowing there was nothing in all of Heaven
and Earth that would break her and Ranma apart, they would conspire to
dispose of her just as they had Akane. Or at least they would have, had
Kodachi not already taken matters into her own hands.
That poor Chinese tramp, dying like the animal that she in truth was. Had
she simply accepted that Ranma was not for her, all would have been well and
she would have been allowed to survive and live out her meaningless
existence to the end of its natural life. Actually, had the girl been more
agreeable, Kodachi would have paid her a tidy sum for the efficient disposal
of the gymnast's only true rival. But alas, the foreigner was pitifully
stupid and believed herself above her proper station. Subsequently she had
paid the price for her mistake.
With the Amazon out of the way, only one opponent remained, and Kodachi had
already seen to setting up Ukyou's demise. It might have cost her a pretty
penny, but it would be worth every cent of it. All that was left was the
delivery of the special 'package', and it would all be over but the
romancing.
The door to the gymnasium flew open and slammed against the wall with a
resounding crash that echoed throughout the room. Irate that her thoughts
had been interrupted so rudely, Kodachi spun to confront the intruder. She
stunned to see that it was her brother, the look of murder clear in his
eyes.
He knew! That panicked thought flew through Kodachi's mind before she forced
herself to relax. It was impossible. Her brother had retired early last
night thanks to a little something she had slipped him at dinner, and she
would have known if he had followed. He had the stealth of pregnant water
buffalo, even on his best days.
"Brother dear," Kodachi soothed with honeyed tones. "What brings you he-"
"SILENCE!" Kunou roared as he entered the room and headed directly for his
sister.
Kodachi backed up, holding her pins up in a defensive posture. Things were
happening too fast. She needed time to think. Maybe it was something else
that had raised his anger, though she had never seen him this enraged before
in her life. "Tell me what wrong you believe I have done and I can explain
it." Perhaps she could still talk him down.
Her illusions were quickly shattered as he roared. "I have seen the
pictures! I know the truth! Do not lie to me about your crimes, you who
deserve punishment that only the gods can mete out to you. And so they
shall, when I send you to them."
It was only then that Kodachi was able to turn her gaze from her brother's
murderous glare to the weapon that was in his hands. No simple wooden
surface was held in them, but rather the shiny naked steel of a katana that
reflected the milky glow from the lights high above. It was the family blade
that usually rested in its honored place on a mantel in the main living
room. She could not recall it being removed from there in her lifetime. Now
it was what it had always been created for, a deadly tool in the hands of
one who was a master of such a weapon.
A base betrayal! It could have come from only one person. They would pay.
Oh, how they would pay. Kodachi would see to it that their suffering lasted
forever and that they would beg for a death that would never come. But
thoughts of vengeance were for later. Now all that could be afforded were
thoughts of survival.
"Brother dear, allow me to explain things to you so that you might
understand what truly happened. You are being lied to. Manipulated." A half
truth, one she hoped, no, prayed that he would believe.
The tears poured freely from Kunou's eyes and traveled down his cheeks.
"Your life has been naught but lies, an existence beneath the station you
were born to. Do not die with one on your lips. Accept justice as befits a
Kunou."
That settled it. There would be no talking him out of this; her death was
too firmly in his mind. Matters were now reduced to nothing more than a
fight for survival.
In not so feigned terror, Kodachi backed away. Ice. She had to be ice if she
was to live to be with her beloved Ranma. A desperate plan formed. It was
remarkable to Kodachi how the mind would reduce even a family member to
nothing more than an obstacle which was in the path of continued survival.
What remorse she felt was pushed to the back of her mind, eliminated from
conscious thought. The man before her was no longer her brother, but an
enemy, one that desired her death beyond anything else. He had to be killed
first. It was the only way things could be.
"Brother, please stop!" she pleaded with genuine tears falling from her
eyes, matching his own. She allowed one of her pins to fall from her hands,
and the other dangled limply in the other, posing no threat to her brother.
"Did Akane say those selfsame words to you before you killed her?" There was
pain in his voice, but no hesitation in his gait. He might have been her
brother by blood, but now he would be her executioner as well. The two
positions were not mutually exclusive.
Kodachi felt her back brush against the far wall. There was no longer
anywhere left to run. No escape. It all came down to if she could execute
the move that had come to her in time.
She slumped against the wall, crying. "Forgive me, brother. I was wrong.
Show mercy," she pleaded with what sounded like all of her heart, but were,
in truth, hollow words. Her heart was completely ice now. All or nothing.
Kunou stood before her, drawing up in all of his glory, what little he felt
he still possessed. "I shall make it a quick cut. That is the mercy you
deserve."
"So be it," Kodachi bared her neck, steeling herself for what was about to
happen.
Kunou looked at her in approval and drew back his katana, raising it high to
the lights above, aiming for a spot on the offered neck.
Time seemed to move in slow motion as the blade continued to rise. In
response, the pin dangling in Kodachi's hand, the one currently hidden from
Kunou's view, twisted so that it was firmly in her grip. A quick flick of
the wrist activated the deadly spikes concealed within.
"She has a weapon!" a voice from behind Kunou cried out in alarm.
Any chance Kodachi had of beating her brother to the blow was lost as she
hesitated, recognizing the hated voice. The voice of the traitor that had
not simply informed her brother of her perfidy, but had lingered long enough
to see that its plan was fulfilled.
Reacting on instinct, Kunou adjusted the swing of his blade, bringing it
down prematurely before it reached the height of its intended arc. Kodachi
tried bringing her own pin up and into her brother's stomach, but it was too
late as the blade came down and severed her arm five centimeters before the
hand.
No cry escaped Kodachi's lips, the shock of losing the limb overwhelming her
sense of pain. It deadened the further agony as Kunou reversed the blade and
brought it up and forward in one fluid motion, stabbing his sister clean
through the heart and a lung. Backing off a full step, he removed the blade,
keeping it at the ready.
Kodachi's remaining hand came up to where he had cut her, partially covering
the wide wound, though blood poured freely from it. Her other arm moved in
mock parody of its opposite limb, as though her hand was still attached.
Dark blood burst from her mouth and flowed down her lips and neck in a
stream, deepening the red of her leotard as the fabric greedily absorbed the
liquid.
Senses rapidly leaving her, Kodachi chose as her last action to look at her
executioner in fascination, noticing for the first time just how noble her
brother truly was. How wrong she had been to mock him, for whatever boorish
exterior he bore, there was a core of principle deep within him that she had
not recognized until now. It was not so bad, dying at his hands. He was a
Kunou, after all.
It was a comforting thought that traveled with her in the afterlife.
Near silence reigned for almost a full minute, only the soft drip of blood a
testament to the tale of Family and Death. Muted horror filled the room, the
effect only being augmented as Kunou finally found a strength that matched
his earlier resolve.
"Sister, I did love you," Kunou sobbed out as the full ramifications of what
he had done finally set in. The blade fell from his fingers and to the
floor, rolling a moment before coming to a rest at his feet.
"You did what had to be done."
Turning, Kunou nodded sagely at the other occupant in the room. The other
stood there, hands behind the back and giving the young man a stare full of
conviction. Kunou bowed slightly in return. "My thanks for the timely
warning. Had it not been for you, my sister possibly would have dealt
grievous harm to me."
The other nodded in agreement. "True. I had to make sure she died first,
since you're much easier to fool."
Before Kunou could react to the words, the other's gloved hand darted from
behind its back and brought up the pin that Kodachi had dropped in order to
lure her brother into a false sense of security. Spikes protruding from the
weapon, they embedded themselves deeply into Kunou's neck.
"I guess that trick with activating the spikes wasn't so difficult after
all." The other possessed a grin of satisfaction for a job well done.
Kunou's eyes widened in disbelief, even as his sister's had done earlier.
The other backed away, mindful not to let the young man come into contact
with it. Kunou managed to pry the club from his neck, only to cause the flow
of blood to double. He fell to the ground, spinning and falling right in
front of the body of his sister.
As he lay there, Kunou noted that evidently his sister had been correct
about him being manipulated. That was unacceptable. In the name of righteous
vengeance he tried to regain his feet, but could not. Instead, the only
option that lay before him was to remain where he was, bleeding profusely.
Within seconds, light left his eyes, though they remained open, staring at
nothing for eternity.
The figure looked at the scene of carnage with an approving eye. It had made
certain the Kunous were alone in the house before starting the endgame
involving Kodachi. It was unfortunate for Kunou he had to be dragged down as
well, but it had to look like they killed each other in a fight to the
death. Since nearly everyone regarded the Kunous as being terribly
unbalanced to being with, few would question the idea that they had
willingly killed one another. It really had been quite simple to do. Show
Kunou incriminating photos of Kodachi being present at Akane's 'demise'
(even if the actual death had taken place later), convince him that Kodachi
deserved to die for her 'crime', and make sure they were both dead by the
end of the night. And it had gone off perfectly. Now there was just one more
loose end to tie off, and then the figure's goal would be achieved at last.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The smell of tea hit Ukyou the moment she entered the front door of the
Ucchan. She had spoken to Konatsu earlier in the day, dialing him up in
Hokkaido where she had ordered him to take a vacation since he had worked so
hard for her, (in reality, just an excuse to make sure he wasn't underfoot
when the 'plan' was unveiled and acted upon). Since that meant it couldn't
possibly be him, that left only one other suspect, the only other person
Ukyou had given the key to her place, due to the secret meetings necessary
for the two to plot and scheme so that it was they who came out on top and
not those other two troublemakers.
"Hey there. How's it going?" Ukyou asked the figure who was behind counter,
obviously in the middle of preparing some tea. The okonomiyaki chef locked
the door behind her. If anyone were to blunder in, like Ryouga or Tsubasa,
things would de VERY difficult to explain.
"All right," the other answered. "I finished up with our final business
tonight. Closing the deal, so to speak."
"I've been busy too," Ukyou agreed. "Making my own final preparations."
"Oh?" The figure raised an eyebrow quizzically in her direction. "Meaning
what?"
"You'll find out soon enough."
"Find out what? It's a little late in the game to be holding anything back.
"It's a surprise."
"I don't like surprises."
"You'll like this one."
The figure didn't like that enigmatic smile at all. Not one little bit.
Ukyou was acting like she had a secret. Secrets were dangerous at this
point. The figure knew. After all, it had secrets of its own.
Similar thoughts were going through Ukyou's mind. Thrust and parry. Parry
and counter-thrust. It was like combat, only more subtle, but the stakes
could be just as high, if not higher. Trust was a valuable commodity,
especially given the nature of this game the duo were playing. And tonight
they would find out just how much they trusted one another. Ukyou already
knew her answer and wondered if the other had already guessed what it was.
There was a palpable tension in the air. Both figures stared at one another
intently. Then, in unison, each gave a smile to the other. Had anyone else
been in the room, they would have thought they were looking in a mirror, the
kind one found in a carnival funhouse, distorting the image and twisting it
so it barely looked like the person it was reflecting. Only the smile would
have been the same, a thing that was in many ways more disturbing than a
look of hate.
"Fine," the other conceded. "I guess I can wait for the surprise." It turned
off the stove and placed the teapot on a serving tray. Two porcelain cups
were already sitting there, along with a container of sugar and some honey.
Sitting down at one of the tables, Ukyou allowed the other to set down the
tea and pour some for both of them. Once finished, the other sat down across
from Ukyou, watching her expectedly.
Ukyou picked up her cup, started to put it to her lips, then paused. She
regarded it carefully, then cast yet another smile to her companion. The
chef stretched across the table, offering the cup. "Why don't you drink from
this instead?"
The figure appeared taken aback. "Don't you trust me?"
"Of course I do. Look at all we've done so far. Now drink."
The figure shot Ukyou an irritated glance and took the offered drink. It
looked the cup over, carefully examining it. For a moment, the figure made
as if to pour the contents on the table, but then smiled and took a large
gulp. It made a big production of letting it travel down its throat, then
gave a loud sound of content. "Satisfied?"
Ukyou waited a moment before becoming convinced the contents of the cup were
safe. "Very. Now drink from your cup as well."
The other all but slammed the cup in its hand on the tabletop, nearly
breaking it in the process. Without preamble it picked up the cup that sat
in front of it and took a sip before placing it more gently upon the table.
Ukyou made certain the amount of liquid in the cup was lower than before. It
wouldn't do to be sloppy at this point of the game.
"I've had just about enough of this crap," the other informed its companion.
"Just making sure, sugar," Ukyou said soothingly, taking the cup that had
been in front of the other and helping herself to it. The one that had been
slammed down looked like it might have cracked slightly when it met the
tabletop.
"After all we've gone through, I would think having doubts at this stage in
the game would be a little late."
The other was all but snarling at Ukyou. She decided to ease her partner's
distress by holding up her end of the bargain. She brought a piece of paper,
folded over, from out of the confines of her okonomiyaki seller's outfit.
Taking her time, she unfolded it slowly, savoring each move before placing
it flat on the table in front of the other.
Her companion grabbed it greedily and allowed its eyes to pour over the
words written on the surface of the parchment. "It all looks like it's in
order. It's got your signature, making it nice and legal."
Ukyou nodded in agreement. It was a simple exchange, after all. "All you
need to do is sign it and our deal will be closed." As the other read over
the paper again, Ukyou went to place some sugar in her tea. Just as her hand
brushed the surface of the container, she could have sworn the other tensed
up slightly. It was hard to judge, since it appeared the other was busy
intently rereading the contract, but how could she be really certain?
Instead, Ukyou grabbed the container of sugar that was already on the table
and poured the contents from it into her drink.
The other seemed satisfied with the document. It took a pen from its pants'
pocket and began writing. "I'm surprised selling half of your place isn't
harder for you."
"Getting Ranma all to myself is worth half of the restaurant." Ukyou
shrugged as she watched the other sign and began drinking her tea. "To be
honest, I'm surprised Kodachi didn't come up with the idea of trying to
bribe you into stabbing me and Shampoo in the back too."
The other laughed at that. "Oh, she did. She just made the mistake of not
offering as much as you. In her case, it really didn't pay to be cheap."
"You've got that right," Ukyou felt oddly satisfied at the deaths of her
rivals. The truth was, she had liked Akane more than either of them, even if
the youngest Tendou was, or rather had been, the worst threat to Ukyou's
future happiness. Helping to participate in Akane's death numbed her to the
pain involved in the necessity of removing the others. To her, one of the
worst things about the whole experience was that her Ranchan would never
know to what lengths she had gone to unite the two of them, never
appreciating the sacrifices to her personal honor she had made because of
the foolishness and stupidity of those around her.
"You seem a little lost in thought," the other said, folding up the paper
and putting it in a pocket.
"Just thinking about what I've had to do," Ukyou sighed. "And what I still
have to do."
"You mean about how to convince Ranma to marry you?"
"I mean about tying up the only remaining loose end that knows what really
happened and could blow everything for me."
Ukyou stood up, unlimbering her spatula from her back. The other moved
quickly, darting from the seat and out of easy reach of her attacker. "What
the hell do you think you're doing? We had a deal."
"And I've lived up to it," Ukyou intoned menacingly, not leaving the
slightest doubt in the other's mind that this was no hollow threat. "The
deal was we eliminate Akane together, then we get rid of Shampoo and
Kodachi, which would leave Ranma for me. In exchange, you get half my
restaurant and profits, and half of any future business as well. And you
will get half of everything for the rest of your life... which is going to
consist of about two minutes."
"You bitch!" The other spat out, continuing to back away but quickly running
out of room. "I lived up to my end of the bargain."
Ukyou sneered. "Right. And you are just so trustworthy that I would never
have any doubts. Get real. You were eager to stab the others in the back,
and you'd do it to me in a heartbeat if you saw an advantage to it."
The other tried to run to the left where it might be able to flee out the
back entrance, but Ukyou lunged that way with her spatula, cutting off the
potential escape avenue. It resorted to pleading again. "No way. You can
trust me. I need you alive to keep getting half of everything, right? It's
not like I can run a restaurant, so obviously I wouldn't harm a hair on your
head."
That brought a scoff. "If anyone offered a better deal than the one I gave
you, you'd turn on me without a moment's hesitation. Or you'd just blackmail
me for a higher percentage if you felt like it. I know you too well."
The other couldn't come up with a plausible response to that. Instead, it
said, "I have several copies of a letter that details everything we did in
someone's possession. If anything happens to me, and I don't contact the
person that has them, they'll send them to the authorities and Ranma. It'll
be a contest to see who gets to you first. If you're lucky, the cops find
you first you end up in jail for life. Even I can't begin to guess what
Ranma will do to you, but I think you'll agree, he can be creative when he
feels the need to be."
Ukyou laughed. "I considered that you might do something like that, but
ruled it out. You see, I have some idea of how your slippery mind works, and
I refuse to believe you would leave anything lying around that would
potentially incriminate you. And there's no one you trust enough to give
something like that since if they looked it over, they'd be able to burn
your own ass with it."
"Shit," the other could not help hissing. Ukyou was far more clever than the
other had given her credit for. Still, the other needed to buy some more
time. There was still a chance it could save itself. "So how are you
planning on getting rid of me?"
"Bludgeoning you to death with this." The large spatula reflected the light
almost as thoroughly as Kunou's sword had. "If you stay real still, it'll
only take a blow or two. I'm not much for drawing things like this out."
"What about the getting rid of my body?"
"You are just full of questions tonight, aren't you?" Ukyou teased. "Since
these are your last moments, I'll humor you and let you know. I've a large
meat grinder that's stored somewhere in back. I'll probably slice and dice
you with my eyes closed and grind up your remains. As for your bones, I'll
pound them into powder with a hammer. Then I'll toss the whole lot down a
sewer or something."
"That's sick," the other said, in genuine disgust, finally backed into a
corner and left with nowhere to run.
"Very, but I'm a desperate woman in love with a man. I'll do anything to
keep him, even if it means butchering you like a pig." Ukyou knew it was the
end at last. There was nowhere left to run, and there would be no damage to
the restaurant, which was why she had driven her prey into a corner where
there would be no wild swings, near misses, or evasions that would destroy
her property. Just a final, quick death.
Raising her weapon to administer a blow, Ukyou became caught up in the
moment and decided to release some of her suppressed anger. "You want to
know something? On some basic level, I'm actually going to enjoy killing
you. I didn't really like doing it to the others, even second hand. Akane, I
liked. Shampoo and Kodachi, I at least respected since they were acting out
of love as well, even if it was for a man that neither of them deserved. But
you, you're different. You're just a manipulative jackass looking out for
number one. You could have had it all, including Ranma, but you pissed it
all away because you're nothing more than a total piece of shit. I
completely and utterly despise you. Of all the people that have died in the
last couple of days, you're the only one that really deserves... it. Now
drop... dead?"
Ukyou found she could no longer swing her spatula, no longer do much of
anything, as an odd sensation began tingling throughout her body. Her
muscles seized up on her, the heat of her passion masking the subtle signs
that would have given warning her that all was not right with her body. Now
she could no longer ignore it as her muscles refused to respond to any of
her commands. Instead, she lost all sensitivity in her fingers, and her
weapon fell to the floor with a loud clamor. Her legs began trembling,
unable to support her weight.
"Waugh huppen?" Even her tongue was failing to work.
A sigh of relief passed through the other's lips as it drew itself up to its
full height to stand next to Ukyou. "Kami-sama! I thought it would never
kick in. That idiot Kodachi said it would work inside a minute. I'll kill
her for screwing that up. I mean, I would if I hadn't already killed her.
Heh."
Smirking at finally regaining the advantage, the other pushed Ukyou over
before she herself had a chance to fall on her own. Her body hit the floor
hard as she lacked enough muscle control to break her decent. She was more
helpless than a turtle thrown on the back of its shell. Her body refused to
obey any orders she gave it.
The other resisted kicking Ukyou's fallen form. There could be no additional
injuries on the chef's person. At least no unplanned ones, not if the
other's finale was to work right. Instead, it pulled out a set of surgical
gloves from the pocket of its pants and donned. Quickly, it began wiping its
fingerprints from every surface it had come into contact with. It knew where
they all were, having paid very close attention to everything it had touched
from the moment it entered the restaurant. After that, it removed the tea
service and placed it in a plastic garbage bag it had brought along. Once
that task was finished, it began recovering the items it had gathered
together and hidden in back and out of sight for just this moment.
To pass the time as it began setting up the scene, the other began talking.
"You're probably wondering what's happened to you. You were right about me
putting something in the drink. It was a little thing Kodachi whipped up for
me specifically to take care of you. She came up with this whole scheme.
It's a rather simple, yet ingenious, little concoction. You see, the tea was
indeed laced with a nasty little paralytic. No, it's not fatal. It's just
something to keep you docile until things are set up good and proper for
your real demise."
The other continued placing objects in their proper places. "The tea was
laced with the stuff, but it didn't affect me because it was a binary
compound. There's a lot of technical terms behind it that I don't really
understand, but the gist of it means the paralytic doesn't have any effect
until a second ingredient is added to it. In this case, the other half
necessary to work its magic was just common commercial sugar, sugar." The
other gave a cruel smile at the word play, mocking Ukyou further. "I knew
you always drink your tea with sugar from those times we got together. As to
the paralytic itself, it's something that's real subtle and barely leaves a
trace in the bloodstream. Kodachi said unless you know what to look for, or
get real lucky, you won't find it. Believe me, she knows her drugs."
The other took out a piece of paper and held it before Ukyou's face. "This
is a written confession in detail by you about all that's happened.
Actually, I wrote it, but you know what I mean. I'll admit it leaves out my
part in all of this and substitutes yourself in most of my places, but it
actually reads pretty well. It all makes sense, from you guys getting
together to conspire to kill Akane, to changing Shampoo into a cat and
dumping her in the river with Akane's corpse, to sending Kunou in a rage
with the pictures, to you finally killing yourself because, 'In the end,
none of us deserved Ranma, not even me'. They're going to love that bit, let
me tell you.
"You're probably wondering how I managed getting your handwriting down so
well. Since you were kind enough to let me have a key to this place, it was
a simple matter to pop in here one day while you were at school and Xerox
your little dairy, then return it so you wouldn't know it was ever taken. I
used that as my blueprint to write your 'magnum opus' to speak. I'll admit
to having to make up several of the words on my own, but I'm damn good at
forging stuff. I'll take my chances that anyone looking at it carefully
won't pick up on the discrepancies.
"Besides, after this matter is over, I think the cops will be perfectly
happy with closing this case quickly and with as little fanfare as possible.
After all, this is Japan, and we don't have insane, obsessed, cross-dressing
serial killers running around in our country. At least not ones we'll admit
to. It's especially true if said serial killer confesses her crimes right
before committing seppuku. Cleans up all the loose ends that way, and the
whole matter can be swept under the table quickly and efficiently. Everyone
knows how totally obsessed you are with Ranma and how violent you are with
those you consider a threat to your continued happiness with him. Once the
police find that out, they'll find it easy to believe you finally snapped
like a dry twig. As thorough as the cops are, they're still like everyone
else. If they uncover what they want to find and it makes life easier for
them, they won't bother looking hard anywhere else, not that I'll leave
anything for them to find."
Ukyou's eyes widened at that. She wouldn't ever see Ranma again! Worse, he'd
know at least part of the truth and hate her for the rest of his life. She
couldn't let that happen. She had to survive. She had to find a way.
Slowly, she felt sensation return to her fingers. The paralytic must have
been wearing off. All she needed was some more time, then she would escape
and make her traitorous companion suffer. Just a little more time.
The other noticed Ukyou's shock at its plans and laughed. "Come on. Surely
you didn't think I was going to leave you alive? No way. You're my last
loose end, one that's about to leave her entrails all over the floor. I'll
admit that you did surprise the heck out of me with the whole trying to kill
me first bit. I underestimated you. I didn't think you would have the nerve
or savvy to do something like that, you deluded, love-sick bitch. Lucky for
me that stuff kicked in when it did. Now upsy daisy."
The other placed its hands behind Ukyou and lifted her into a sitting
position, placing her legs directly under her. It was a bit difficult at
first, but the other managed to keep Ukyou upright as it pulled out a tanto
and forced Ukyou's hands and fingers around it, positioning it at her
stomach tip first.
Ukyou could feel more sensations slowly return, but it was almost too late.
She had to move and force the blade away right now. Her grip tightened on
the knife as she mumbled out, "Tell me why you betrayed me?"
The other smiled and said, "No answers." Wasting no more time, it plunged
the blade in, cutting through the flesh as cleanly as a surgeon's scalpel.
Once in deep enough, it moved the blade across the stomach in a slow motion
as what little strength Ukyou possessed went into an attempt to prevent the
cut. All it did was increase the agony as she felt herself disemboweled more
slowly by the weapon, making the wound more jagged and forced, inadvertently
making it appear more genuine.
Once satisfied the cut would be fatal, the other quickly loosened its hold
and moved away from Ukyou's form. Releasing the young woman allowed her limp
body to fall forward, a low moan of pure agony escaping her lips as her
lifeblood and other parts, poured from the wound and onto the floor.
The other looked down at the surgical gloves that encased its hands. There
was some blood on them, but not much. That was good. The more blood
splattered around Ukyou, the better, as far as it was concerned. Waiting
until the chef had regained some muscle movement was a bit risky, but the
other felt it was necessary. Recovery of some motion meant the majority of
the drug had been absorbed into her system, and the struggle with the blade
that she was holding made it appear that the cut was difficult for her to
do, adding authenticity to the supposed suicide that had just taken place.
It double-checked everything in the restaurant, making sure it had left
nothing behind that could incriminate it, as well as making absolutely
certain that Ukyou had expired from her wound. That the suicide had taken
place in a public area that was frequented by hundreds of people every week
meant any small hairs or tissues it might have left behind would blend in
with all of the others, making any intense investigation difficult for the
detectives involved. Besides, it was fairly certain with this sort of public
relations nightmare of a youth gone bad, they would bury the case in a
hurry.
Satisfied at the results of its handiwork, the figure doffed a wide-brimmed
hat and left the restaurant through the back exit next to the alley. It
would dispose of the clothes it had specifically bought a couple of months
ago for this very occasion later in a dumpster a district away, so that even
if someone spotted the figure in the alleyway, it could deny ever owning
such garments.
At last, it was finally over. The idiots had all been disposed of and the
figure's true goal open to it at last. It was a pity that it couldn't sell
off its half of the restaurant to someone, but that 'bill' had been nothing
more than a feint to disguise its true motives. But the world would find
those out soon enough, even if they didn't realize that was the real reason
so many worthless lives had been thrown to the wind.
It had been a good, if busy, couple of days.