Suggested changes: {before : after}
On Wed, 17 Jul 2002 00:42:03 -0400 Sam Vilsmeier <syp104@email.psu.edu>
wrote:
Ranma gulped, and wiped his sweaty palms against his pants as he entered the
lobby. Here he was, entering a {Love Hotel : love hotel : _love hotel_} with a girl he had only really
known for a day. Of course, they had already had sex, they were planning to
wed, and she was carrying his child. The shit had hit the fan, and he really
couldn't say that he minded.
The beautiful young woman flushed an even deeper crimson when she realized
that Ranma's affectionate gaze was upon her. Hotaru looked down demurely and
spoke softly. "Ranma, we need a {room," she said. : room."}
The fat manager slowly lowered his manga, looking somewhat perturbed {about : by}
the interruption. In a dull and somewhat disinterested tone he asked, "Which
room?"
As Ranma looked over the selection, he gagged. The selection of rooms was
colorfully themed, and some of them were extreme. This included a {Los : Las} Vegas
themed room, complete with a massive heart shaped bed, like ones he had seen
in the movies; as well as an S&M room, the look of which reminded him of
Kodachi
Quickly deciding on something plain, Ranma spoke up. "Err... Number Twelve?"
"Rest or Stay?" asked the bloated attendant. {Afghanistan :}
Trying to tie in with current events? That might make the story seem dated
later. :}b
Hotaru slowly opened her mouth, but then remembered a old rumor she had
heard the girls at school talking about, a rumor about {Love Hotel : love hotel} rooms
holding hidden surprises. While she knew that was probably nothing more than
paranoid foolishness, it was best to be sure.
Her hands were sweaty, her heart was pounding in her chest, her stomach was
churning, she was almost paralyzed with dread. What would he think of her
once he knew the full truth? He would reject her. Cast her and their child
away like yesterday's trash. No one in their right mind would *ever* want
anything to do with someone like her.
So why does she think Ranma would have a problem?
Ranma leaned against the wall {: and} made that cute little "I'm the best" grin that
just turned Hotaru to jelly. "It's easy... My pop showed me lots of ways ta
spot cameras and bugs and stuff..." he paused for a moment and cocked his
head toward Hotaru. "So, what do you wanna show me?"
Hotaru felt her knees go weak. There was no way out now, no turning back.
There was only the horrible truth behind her existence. Would Ranma reject
her because she was nothing more than the Death Star in a mini-skirt?
Well. It's a very short mini-skirt which he hasn't seen yet.
Hotaru's breath slowly began to elevate, and her eyes started to moisten as
she thought. What would she do if he rejected her? She would be more alone
than ever! All alone in the world, with an innocent child who would pay for
her mistake! What kind of mother could she be? She was a weapon, the
{Harbinger : Bringer : Force} of the Apocalypse.
She's not a harbinger, she _is_ the apocalypse or at least the agent of
it.
Hotaru quickly calmed down. She could get lost in {these : those} depths.
As Ranma slowly walked away from her, Hotaru knees once again {going : went} weak and
once again tears slowly began to build up in her eyes. He was wrong. She
didn't think so little about him. It's that the truth is just so big. It was
a {monolithic : gigantic} factor that shadowed her, damned her, in her past life, and
{will : would} do so again.
As the corona of mystical energy faded Sailor Saturn was revealed. This was
the moment {where : when} her fate would be decided. In a weak, unsure voice, she
said, "Ranma, I'm Sailor Saturn."
The two stood in place for a moment or two, then Ranma spoke up. "So... you'{
:}re a Magic Girl. No prob' there...."
"I am weapon, Ranma. I can destroy the world if I want to. That was why
Sailor Saturn was created, to be a kind of {twist : twisted} Mutually Assured
Destruction tool. I can end all life on Earth."
Hotaru's words were so low that no normal person could hear them, but Ranma'{
:}s senses were far from normal. "Why would I do somethin' stupid like that?"
Ranma did not allow Hotaru to continue her sentence. "No buts, even if ya
turn into... {what every : whaterver} ya turn into, you're still you. It doesn't matter
one bit."
"Don't you... have anything else to say?" He was going to reject her, she
knew it. He *had* {too : to}. No one in their right mind would want someone as
pitiful and as dangerous as her.
Ranma's eyes narrowed and he grabbed her by the shoulders, giving her a firm
shake. "No Hotaru, it wasn't you, it was me! If any one here is a freak, it{
:}'s me! I turn into a goddamn girl! That's a lot worse then a magic girl
transformation, and I don't care if ya can destroy a planet! That's old news
ta me!"
Ranma smiled and stared at the {Love Hotel's :} ceiling. Well, he was right. She
was more energetic in her Senshi form, MUCH more energetic.
Ranma blushed. Man{: ,} Hotaru was cute when she smiled. He had always thought
Akane's smile was cute, but it didn't even hold a candle to Hotaru's. She
looked even cuter with that Senshi tiara on. It made her look like some kind
of princess.
Ranma sighed, he'd really screwed the pooch this time. "Hotaru, listen ta
me, and listen ta me good." Hotaru began to open her mouth, but was shushed
by Ranma. "I said that I don't know if I love ya, not that I don't like ya.
Yer really cute, really nice, and ya treated me better then almost anyone I'{
:}ve ever met!"
As they were about to exit the lobby, the attendant coughed to get their
attention. "You're late. You're going to have to pay {over time : overtime : for the extra time : for the overtime}."
Ranma blinked, and looked at the room's wall clock. "Come on! It was only
five minutes!"
The man behind the counter shook his head. "Five minutes or fifty, {your : you're}
late... that'll be 2,500 yen for the additional hour."
I notice he didn't mention the bisected table.
Ranma opened the door and the two continued back onto the street. "I want
you to meet my friends too... My mom would love to meet ya, and if we can
hunt down the baka, I wanna introduce you to my best bud Ryo-- oh, shit!"
Ranma exclaimed as they turned the corner that led out of the {ally way : alley}.
Hotaru's blood froze in her veins, and a big blank {smiled : smile} made its way to
her face. "Hi... Haruka-papa!"