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And once more unto the breach:
"You have to."
"I cuh... cuh... can't. I'm sorry. I just can't do it.
Pleasedontmakemego."
$*snort*
Methinks you're being just a wee bit suspicious. What if it's a reasd
herring and it's really Nodoka behind it all. Hmm?
Kasumi's voice remained gentle, but firm in spite of Nabiki's hysteria.
"Think very carefully about this. You can only really say goodbye to Akane
once.
$I think she already did, and it was something along the lines of
'Sayonara, bitch.'
Heh. Cute.
"Son, calm down. Nabiki intends no disrespect. It's just hurting her
harder
than she knows how to deal with it. Give her time, and she'll come
around."
$Yeah, she's real broke up about it. (Yes, I peeked this time.)
Heh. I do the same thing frequently.
indicating the remainder of her family and the Saotomes had departed the
household for the funeral. The affair would take place under open skies,
in
spite of the fact it was nearly pitch black from the dark clouds high
overhead. It would take a miracle for it to not rain.
$I dunno, it'd be appropriate for Ranma to pay his last respects as a
girl.
He'd rather do it as a guy.
more spaced out than when Mother died. Hahahahaha."
$A little more emphasis on the last hahaha is needed.
Okay.
Nabiki rose from the chair and went to the bathroom to take a good look at
herself in the mirror. Her eyes were bloodshot and tears still trickled
freely, traveling down her cheeks and around her pouting lips. "Damn. Next
time I have got to use less soap on my eyes."
$Heh heh. I would have used an onion, but whatever works.
Yep.
this tragedy. The bond between the men was tight, and most likely the
elder
Saotome could bring her father out of his depression given a little time.
Nodoka could make the place feel like a home again. It would help bolster
Kasumi too, for that matter. Lord knew if Kasumi was concealing her grief,
Nabiki sure wasn't going to waste time trying to uncover it and help her
deal with it.
$Aww, its heartwarming the way she cares for her family.
She does care, insofar as the way their behavior makes her life easier.
an infinite amount of space in the home. On the other hand, Ranma
sleeping
in Akane's room was probably a bad idea. He didn't need to be reminded of
his loss. At the moment, he was holding up remarkably well, though there
was
a vacant look to his eyes, and he had burst into tears several times when
he
thought no one was watching.
$He took lessons from Soun.
Heh.
Nabiki felt her heart skip a beat. That voice! It couldn't be! It just
could
not be!
$Who? Who, dammit?
Ye' Shall See.
room's solitary window, the little light trickling in silhouetting the
figure's form so that it appeared as little more than a darkened shadow.
One
of the few things she could be sure of was that the shadowy form's
hairstyle
matched that of the voice it belonged to.
$Must be Shampoo. She's the only one with a really distinctive hairstyle.
Well, to a degree.
There were some things she needed to know, or else she would go mad. But
she
needed to protect herself too, for she knew what ultimate fate the other
had
in store for her. A potential solution came to her mind, one that was
hidden
in the room from the prying eyes of the intruder. But she would have to be
subtle, real subtle, in order for it to work.
$What, a bag of catnip? Say... There's an idea... I'll get back to you
on that one.
Can't wait for it. :)
"How can you be here?" She needed time and answers. Though she could go to
the grave without the latter, as long as she remained alive she needed to
know.
$Curious as to why it didn't kill the cat.
It was saved by the goose.
That brought a light snicker in response. "Maybe you not know how to tie a
knot, stupid bitch," Shampoo snarled.
$Maybe, maybe...
True revelation is coming.
Nabiki cursed herself. She had been so certain the knot was good and the
sack durable. It seemed impossible Shampoo could have gotten out of it in
her cat form. She should have drowned!
"No be so disappointed. It was a nice plan.
$Good plan. Heh.
Hmm. Maybe I should switch it.
"What hole?" Nabiki asked, inching her way to potential freedom.
"That's a secret," Shampoo said.
$Xellos, take a bow.
_<
The shadowy form answered, "When you mess with Shampoo.
$Good answer! Good answer!
Heh.
For a moment, Nabiki considered protesting the accusation, but much to her
surprise, she found herself wanting to answer. "You want the truth? Fine,
I'll tell you the truth. You're right. I hated her. I've despised her for
years, and I've wanted her dead for about the last two."
$*nod* I can see that.
Oh? That surprises me.
"Why did I want to kill her? Hell, why wouldn't I want to kill her?"
$Clearly, the whole 'It's wrong to kill your sister' thing doesn't factor
into it at all.
Nabiki: Why would it if she's got something I want?
"You have no idea what I went through to get this little piece of personal
protection," Nabiki spat.
$No, but I'm sure you're going to tell us.
It's either that or for me as the omnicient narrartor to do it. Besides,
Nabby perceives this as her last chance to spout off for a second.
"You're still injured, aren't you? From those kicks I gave you in the
sack?
That's why you're just sitting there, not even trying to make a move to
stop
me, not that you would be able to even if you could. Even at your best you
aren't that fast."
$I wouldn't bet on that. I doubt Nabiki has the kind of training it takes
to fire a handgun accurately (pesky, annoying things, about as accurate as
a
thrown baseball), especially at a moving target.
Probably right. However Shampoo can't move fast at the moment.
lights. There was Shampoo, unmistakable and right before her. There was
the
faded discoloration of the flesh below her right eye, indicating a wound
she
had received there, and it did appear from her facial expression she was
in
at least a little bit of discomfort. There were no weapons visible near
her,
nor anywhere on her Chinese style pink and cream white cheogsam and pants
she was dressed in.
$Like that's an indication. Mousse looks unarmed too.
Yeah, but that's sort of his style.
"How will you explain shooting Shampoo?"
$Why explain? Just dump the cat and clean up the mess.
Body might revert to human upon death. No one's really sure.
The gun's only response to her pull was to make a clicking sound and
rotate
the cylinder.
A misfire.
$That's common, too, especially on guns that are old and have the firing
pin worn down.
True, but Nabby's wrong in this case.
Akane Tendou let the last bullet drop, bouncing off another one of the
five
that had already fallen to the floor. "I've known that gun was back there
for a while. You're not the only one that goes rifling through other's
possessions."
$Good call. I'd sorta figured you'd pull something like this. Obviously,
you weren't going to let her get away with it, not with everyone accounted
for and many kb left to go.
Heh. True. Very true. Someone else has to get away with something else on
their own.
"You're dead! You drowned! I saw you die!" Nabiki protested.
$The trouble with annialation is that you're never quite sure where all
the
bodys are.
Whoa! It'd deja vous all over again. :)
We decided to fake my death, thereby lulling you into a false sense of
security, so that we could nail you all for what you had done and tried to
do. Things were going along pretty well until we got to the canal and you
tried to kill Shampoo. You really screwed everything up with that one."
$Shampoo:That hurt! Now we show how it feel to be kicked in ribs!
Heh. A more nasty fate is in store for her at present.
"Of course I was, you saw me floating right there," Akane said.
$The wave was a nice touch.
Thanks. Tried working the goose in as something not quite so out of place by
having Nabby wave and make the Mousse comment, then leaving because of the
gooses' quacking rather than sticking around to make sure Shampoo drowned.
packet of Instant Spring of Drowned Goose. Once I hit the water, I
changed.
I might not be able to swim as a human, but it's easy when you're a
waterfowl. That was how I rescued Shampoo too, though it was a near thing.
She had nearly drowned by the time I was able to undo the knot you tied on
that sack. After that we had to lie low while I helped her recuperate from
the wounds you inflicted on her.
$Which was kind of fun, for all parties concerned.
Nah. Shampoo's ribs hurt too much.
tell you anything, and why the two of you would work together. She had as
much to gain out of your being dead as anyone else."
$Logic will get you ten to twenty. Or be your undoing.
Here it's more likely to be the latter.
"You don't know anything." Akane turned to look at Shampoo, momentarily
ignoring Nabiki. "Are you all right?"
$HAH!
See? And here you were making jokes about it. :)
Shampoo rose to her feet slowly, in obvious pain. Akane moved closer,
keeping one eye on Nabiki the entire time, letting her sister know she
couldn't escape no matter how fast she ran. Once Shampoo was close enough,
Akane slipped a hand around her waist and held her tight in an
unmistakable
move of affection.
$Turns out Akane is more of a cat person than anyone ever knew.
Ohhh. Bad one. Very bad one. I approve.
"Just what in the hell is going on here?" Nabiki's jaw had nearly hit the
ground at witnessing the sight before her. She had thought her quota of
surprises had used up for her lifetime.
$Heh, that's truer than she knows.
Hadn't thought of it, but you're right.
"I think it would be obvious." Akane reluctantly released her arm from
Shampoo's waist. "Shampoo and I are in love. We've been that way for a
little over two months now."
$Gee, what an odd outcome.
Heh. Nice plug. Pretty much forgot about that one. Doubt Wade will ever
finish it though.
"When you..." Nabiki trailed off at that.
After giving her several moments, which Nabiki only managed to fill with
silence, Akane answered for her. "You can't remember."
$Heh. Nice.
It's a nice little detail when you try to twist things around to fit a
certain POV for a tale like this.
"But I'm not in love with him."
$Nabiki: Then let me have him!
Nah. Akane does love him. Hence why she's unwilling to let any of the other
girls have him, especially Nabby now.
"And after that fact got a chance to sink in, I also realized I didn't
love
him as much as he did me. Not like that. Never like that.
$Poor Ranma. Maybe he should go look up that monkey he was engaged to for
a while. At least it's not very likely to betray him.
Nah. A few banannas and Ranma's out on his ass. Trust me on that.
At last realization started to set in for Nabiki. "You mean you're
really-"
$A box eater? A carpet licker? A bonna fide, whipped and tied, lesbian?
Akane: Actually I was going to say 'Greek.'
"As much as I love Kasumi, I think I hate her too. I know I still haven't
forgiven her for that day. I don't think I ever will."
$Nothing to hang around for, then.
Pretty much by now.
will admit I do have an ego, and it's nice to know guys find me
attractive,
even if I don't think of them in the same terms. I know that makes me
sound
like Ranma, wanting attention from others without being willing to give it
back in return. I think that's one of the reasons I resented him wanting
the
other girls' interest; it reminded me too much of myself."
$That or she wished she had the same kind of luck with the girls.
Heh. Hadn't thought of that.
Akane seemed almost embarrassed to answer. "At first, because he put down
my
looks and called me uncute. I wanted to prove to him I wasn't, even if I
went about it backwards. Though I guess it ended up being the way to catch
Ranma's interest, ironically. He hates being chased.
$*nodnod* Many guys do. It's too weird.
They prefer to control tempo and call shots.
pack of lies I told myself to try to fit in. He's a guy, even when he
looks
like a girl. Even if I could somehow change that part of him, I wouldn't;
I
care and respect him too much to do that sort of thing. He is who he is,
even as I am who I am. We just have to learn how to live with what we
are."
$Aww, Akane's being so nice and sweet.
Respectful, anyway.
home with her airen, Shampoo can never go back at all. So Shampoo figure
if
she can no leave and no get Ranma, she would see to it Akane would not get
him either. Since Shampoo could not convince Ranma to be with her, then
Shampoo would try to seduce Akane instead and break them up that way."
$That is a good plan. It's got all the hallmarks of a good plan. Namely,
not trying to kill someone.
Heh. In this one, few people have those sorts of plans though.
the time. It's also the reason I've always hated the way she threw herself
at Ranma and never minded it quite as much as when Ukyou and Kodachi
showed
their affection towards him. It was jealousy, pure and simple.
$Akane reaches out and grabbs one of Shampoo's breasts. Akane: Look at
this thing! If I hand't already found out myself, I'd swear it wasn't
natural!
Cute.
"So when Shampoo hit on me a couple of times in private, I was flattered,
even though I resisted her advances because I figured it was probably some
kind of trick. But then Kunou bought that magic charm from the cursed
antique store that made that colony of ants grow huge and all of us had to
fight them. During the fight, Shampoo saved my life by taking a blow meant
for me."
$That's pretty screwed up.
Typical of Nerima plans for vengeance though. Only by screwing up do you
cause the opposite affect to occur.
"Which was ironic since Shampoo was trying to kill Akane at the time," the
Amazon admitted. "She not see giant ant trying to attack Akane from
behind,
and Shampoo accidentally take blow instead."
$Typical.
Yep.
"Since that was Shampoo's intention all the time, she return kiss and from
there go on to successfully seduce Akane.
$Heh. That'd be a funny lemon. I hope no one writes it, though.
Don't look at me. My yearly quota was used up quite some time ago.
except Mousse, and we know all about him. So instead of telling Ranma what
happened, Shampoo wait and think about things. She was left with choice of
making Ranma hate Akane too, and make everyone miserable, or making
Shampoo
and Akane happy by having a relationship. Shampoo always prefer being
happy
to miserable."
$Good plan.
It worked for her.
Having somehow managed to absorb the information, all Nabiki could do was
shake her head. "Congratulations. I had absolutely no idea. Not much slips
by me, but that one completely did."
$Blinded by hatred.
well, Akane is good at keeping things to herself as well sometimes.
Akane gave Nabiki a serious look. "There's just one thing I want, no, I
need
to know. Why did you really get involved with all of this? And don't tell
me
it was for the money or the opportunity to kill me. You were motivated by
something else, or you wouldn't have killed Ukyou and set her up to take
the
blame."
$She wouldn't have? I would have, in the same situation. Is good plan to
cover tracks.
Unless someone realizes it was faked, then it telegraphs that someone else
set it all up.
Nabiki shrugged. "I changed my mind since then."
It took almost a full minute for Akane to find her voice. Slowly, in
carefully measured words, she said, "Do you mean to tell me you killed two
people,
$Three. Or does Akane not no about Kuno?
Whoops! My bad. Will revise.
Nabiki looked at Akane as though she was stupid for even asking the
question. "Why not?"
$Girl's got a point.
Because it's sociopathic behavior?
Nabiki backed away towards the window, trying to figure out what words to
use to postpone her fate so that she could escape it. But for the first
time
in recent memory, nothing came to her. There wasn't anything she could
think
of that had even a remote chance to get her out of the situation. It was
as
if she had been trapped in one of her own schemes, a spider caught in its
own web of lies and deceit.
$Please, oh please, delete that last line. Let the reader make that
analogy.
Hmm. I thought it was rather good, and I don't use analogies or metaphors
too often in my work. I'll consider it, though.
It wasn't fair. She was the mastermind. She had come up with all of the
plans and was the smartest one around. She had set everything up
perfectly,
and it had all come apart because she hadn't noticed that her sister was a
dyke that was screwing some Chinese slut. Impossible! If Nabiki Tendou was
to be taken down, it should have been for better reasons than that wild
tale
she had been given.
$*sniff* It should have been over money.
Nabby: Yeah. That would work for me.
up with this? Cologne? She's always been pretty on the ball. I could see
her
suspecting me and coming up with something like this. I don't mind being
outsmarted by her. Or was it Ranma? When he's forced to, he can be pretty
crafty, though I don't see him being this smart. I bet it was the little
troll."
$Nah, too unlikely. Too 60's-ish.
Nabiki's grasping. She wants to believe it was someone other than Akane who
outfoxed her.
'Akane' shook her head sadly and moved forward. Nabiki knew she could do
nothing to defend herself, so she remained motionless and allowed her
'sister' to embrace her intimately in those powerful arms she possessed.
Nabiki had to admit, even up close, she couldn't tell the difference
between
this girl and the real Akane.
$I doubt she was embraced that much by Akane.
Maybe when they were younger.
Leaning close enough so that she could whisper in Nabiki's ear, Akane said
in soft, almost affectionate tones, "Do you remember when I was eight and
broke my arm?"
$Nabiki: No, why? You broke your arm?
Heh. That would get her thrown out faster.
Feeling her older sister stiffen, knowing that Nabiki at last understood
and
accepted the truth, Akane said softly, "It was because you shoved me down
the stairs and pretended it was an accident. It's time for me to return
the
favor."
$Payback's a bitch, ain't it?
And then some.
entire life. It wasn't because her younger sister was killing her; Nabiki
could accept that since it's what she would have done had their positions
been reversed. No, it was because not only had Akane been more popular and
attractive than Nabiki, but she had also proven herself smarter and more
devious in the end as well.
$Seductive too. She managed to save her own life with that.
True. Too true.
At her position in the window, Akane looked down to see the shattered
remains of her sister far below. The way her head and neck were turned, as
well as the matted gore of the remains of her face, informed Akane that
Nabiki was as dead as one could get. There would be no miraculous 'escape'
from death as there had been in Akane and Shampoo's case.
$Keep track of that body. She may have weaseled out a 'Get out of dying
free' card.
Nope. Dead as dead can be.
toss it into a near watery grave. There were no more tears for the monster
her sister had become, or perhaps had been the entire time and had just
hidden it well. The evil creature was dead, and the world was a better
place
for it.
$*ding-dong* The bitch is dead!
Most of them are. Only a few left now.
The sound of a hammer being pulled back from somewhere behind Akane
shattered the silence even more loudly than Nabiki's body striking the
ground had.
$Shampoo have good plan, too.
Heh. Exactly.
It was Akane's turn to stiffen, even as Nabiki had in her embrace just
moments before. The shock of what the sound meant was immense, perhaps the
worst that the youngest Tendou girl had suffered in her entire life.
$Not counting the whole sister trying to kill her bit.
Nah. Subconsiously she might have expected it from Nabiki.
The words came easily to Akane's lips. She was surprised by that, but then
again, sometimes the truth was easy to say once one could accept it within
her heart. Lies were always difficult for Akane to manage, even if much of
her life had been based on one. "I always knew you still loved Ranma, even
when we were lying in bed together after having made love.
$Aww, *sniff*, that's too bad.
And it almost gets way worse.
Seeing Akane's puzzled gaze at the container, Shampoo continued grinning
in
an almost mocking fashion. "This is Akaneniichuan mixed with water from
Chiisuiton, and no ask Shampoo what she had to go through to get that.
$She didn't want to go through the trouble of making up an explaination.
Besides, the writer did more than enough explaining in this bit. Too much,
really. He'll see if he can at least cut a few things here and there.
Shampoo grab some last time she went home to Joketsuzoku. Now it's going
to
be very useful when 'Akane' show up from nearly drowning and have very bad
memory of what happen. Maybe hit self on head too so it look like partial
amnesia is likely. And as to Shampoo's speech pattern, when 'I'
concentrate,
'I' can speak pretty good Japanese. I've been studying and practicing it
for
months now, but keeping it hidden in case I needed to throw someone off by
speaking it well. It's a pretty good plan, yes?"
$I thought so.
Shampoo: That make it una... unamin... that mean everyone agrees.
That Shampoo was taking such delight in tormenting Akane made the betrayal
hurt even more. Why couldn't she have just shot her in the back without
gloating and be done with it?
$It's not as fun.
There is that too.
The Amazon made a show of looking at a nearby clock. "There's not much
time
left. My plan actually has a lot more phases to make it look convincing,
but
that's the gist of it. Do you have any last words?"
$Akane: Umm, 'SHIT!', and... let me see... 'Please don't kill me?'
Heh. That's not going to work at this point though.
easy, but I would have done everything in my power to make you never know
another moment of pain. I'm sorry I failed you. I hope you and Ranma have
a
happy life together and even though you're still doing this, I really and
truly still love you." There wasn't anything else to say. It was
everything.
Simple, yet complete.
$Nice. Saves her ass, too.
So to speak.
Shampoo just shook her head. "Nice try, but flattery like that only works
on
the really stupid, and I'm anything but. You should know that by now."
$Don't be silly, flattery works on everyone.
Nah. I know people that are immune to it. Mostly women that I hit upon. :)
Satisfied Akane was finished with what she had to say, Shampoo threw the
contents of the container over her head and pulled the trigger of the gun
at
the same time.
$Ooooh, what a cliffhanger. Onwards! I C&C on!
And on to that I go as well.
D.B. Sommer