Yes, It's been nearly 2 1/2 years since I've published
a chapter, but I'm back in the game. A little shakey,
a little rusty, but back in the game.
Since this is chapter 12, and one of the passages
depends upon knowing what happened in a scene in chapter 11,
I suggest you read 11 before 12.
Since it's been 2 1/2 years, and my works have been out
of the 'news' for some time now, I humbly suggest reading it
from the begining for full effect.
My fanfiction page is at:
http://www.josephpalmer.com/fanfic/fanfic.shtml
All 12 chapters of Yellow, formated in beautiful, valid
XHTML can be found at:
http://www.josephpalmer.com/fanfic/colors/Yellow.shtml
If you want to know why it's taken so long, I've been
a bit busy. See my blog:
http://www.josephpalmer.com
P.S. Please join us at the Fanime Fanfiction UnPanel --
I can guarentee that the "panel" will be the largest and
most talented in Fanime history! ^_^
The tenative schedule is for Sunday at 11:00 in Panel
Room 1. I will post a new time and location in the FFML
if there are any changes.
FINNALY:
Chapter 12 is reproduced below, but I humbly suggest that
the HTML version is easier on the eyes...
... Besides, I need the hits.
___________________________________________________________
Yellow
By Joseph Palmer
Chapter 12
She drifted awake as from a dream.
Hard.
Cold.
Her back was pressing on something hard, and it was cold.
Soft.
Warm.
There were soft things in her hands, and they were warm.
Shouting.
Sister.
She could hear shouting, and the person shouting sounded
a lot like her sister. The shouting stopped and she felt a
warm hand caress her cheek. She opened her eyes to find
Souichi kneeling by her side, and Ranma and Akane standing
over her.
"Nabiki--Nabiki, are you okay?" Souichi asked, gently
brushing her hair.
"Oh-ouch", Nabiki replied. "What happened?"
"Well, there was the door, and then, umm, my sister.."
"Your sister? What about your sister?"
"If you don't mind..." Mariko reached up and grasped
Nabiki's left hand and peeled it from her chest. "As long
as you're asking..." She grasped Nabiki's right wrist and
used it to prize her other hand free. "I'm just fine". She
sat up, and crossed her arms over her chest protectively.
"I do believe that makes us even."
Ranma and Akane looked at each other. "Even?" they
asked each other.
"Oh, never mind." Mariko waved her hand dismissively.
"It doesn't matter." She tilted her head and peered at
Ranma.
"Even for when she groped me..." Nabiki interrupted,
pointing at Mariko. She tugged at Souichi's sleeve. "Your
sister groped me. In the woods." She sat up and rubbed
the back of her head. "Ouch."
Mariko eyed Ranma up and down. "Well, I was looking
for a topless girl at the time..."
Souichi looked confused. "But--why would you be looking
for a..."
"There I was," Nabiki interrupted, "Just walking along
in the woods, minding my own business, and the next thing I
know, I'm on the ground, and her hands were..." She waved
her hands vaguely over her chest, "...all over." She looked
over her shoulder at Ranma. "It really should have been you,
she was chasing after you, you know."
"Oh, I was not," Mariko protested. "Not like that."
Nabiki caught Mariko's eye, "Oh, yes you were." She
grinned, and made suggestive squeezing motions with her hands. "Just
like this!"
Mariko sneered back. She wondered why Nabiki was making
fun of her.
Nabiki continued her hand motions, but her eyes flicked
towards Ranma and Akane, then she gave a wink and a barely
perceptible nod.
"Oh---!" Mariko said, finally getting the invitation.
"No, no, no, It wasn't going to be like that," she said,
wrinkling her nose and mimicking the squeezes. "More like
this." She smiled cheerfully, cupped her hands, and made
gentle stroking motions.
"Ah-- I see." Nabiki nodded sagely and copied the motion
"Okay, I think I've got it now." She turned to Ranma and
said, "More like this."
"Yeah, that's it. You've got it," Mariko said, joining
in the pantomime. "Like this!"
"Will--you--two--CUT IT OUT?" Akane seethed. She took a
step forward, but Ranma held her back.
Nabiki eyed her sister. "Ara--, a little sensitive, are
we?" She turned to Mariko, and whispered loudly; "She seems
a little protective, don't you think? I suspect she might be
jealous."
"Jealous?" Mariko glanced back towards the restroom door.
"No..." She caught Akane's eye. "I suspect she might be
ticklish."
Akane blushed, grabbed Ranma by the arm and pulled him
aside. "What... what did she see?" she asked him in a
whisper.
"Mariko was near the doors, she saw me when you pushed
me out."
"What about Nabiki? Did she see us?"
"She was right outside with Souichi... but I don't think
she saw anything."
Akane bit on her thumbnail and looked off into space.
"This could be bad. We need to separate them and talk to
Markio before she spills the beans to Nabiki, or we're
never going to hear the end of this."
"Hey, what are you two whispering about over there?"
Nabiki called.
"N- n- nothing sis, ummmmm... how are you feeling? Akane
reached out her hand to help her sister. "Maybe we should
take you up to the room..."
Nabiki waved Akane's hand away. "I'm fine." She turned
to Mariko. "What's all this about being ticklish?"
Akane elbowed Ranma in the ribs. "Do Something", she
hissed through clenched teeth. "Now."
"B- but that was quite a fall you took, Y- you should
have Kasumi or my mom take a look at it." Ranma turned to
offer a piggy-back ride. "Here, I'll carry you."
"No thanks. Please stop being so nice to me. You're
making me nervous." Nabiki stood up, then grabbed a handful
of Souichi's shirt to steady herself. "Okay, maybe I am a
little..."
"Whoa, I've got you", Souichi said. In one continuous
move, he turned, dipped, and lifted Nabiki onto his back
before she could protest. "Which way?" he asked.
Nabiki pointed into the hotel. "It's that way, faithful
steed". She lay her head on his shoulder as he reached for
the door handle.
"Oh, you can take that one," she said to Mariko, nodding
her head towards Ranma as they passed though he door.
"You can get up now, Ranma", Akane said. "She found a
better ride."
"You -- you really are a boy," Mariko said in amazement.
"Well... yes..." Ranma said.
"I mean you don't look like one just now, but you really
are one, aren't you?"
"Yes, but what makes you say that?" Ranma asked.
"Oh, come on. Think about it. You offered to carry
Nabiki when there was a perfectly good boy handy. Did you
really think she would take you up on that offer? Only a
boy would have done that."
"She has you there, Ranma", Akane said, shrugging her
shoulders.
_________________________________________________________
"Are you sure you're not a martial artist?" Nabiki
asked. "That was a pretty smooth move back there."
Souichi walked on a few steps before answering. "Well,
I couldn't very well let her carry you."
"Thanks." Nabiki smiled. "But I'm really okay. I was
kind of faking it."
"I'd guessed that", Souichi chuckled.
"You can put me down now."
Souichi kept walking. "In a little bit."
Nabiki rest her chin on his shoulder. "Okay."
_________________________________________________________
Ranma swore under his breath, dug into his pocket,
pulled out a another 100 Yen coin and dropped it into the
machine.
"I don't know why he always goes for those fighting
games, he's really not very good at them", Akane sighed.
"Souichi likes them too. I prefer the snowboard game."
Mariko looked around the game room. "They don't have it
here."
Akane took a deep breath. "Mariko, can I trust you?"
"Mmmmmmmm?"
"It's ah..." Akane looked around the room, then motioned
Mariko to follow her to a corner near the karaoke machine.
"It's ummm.... related to what you saw earlier." She
blushed and took Mariko's hands in hers.
"Mmmmm?" Mariko replied defensively.
"Can you keep a secret?" Akane squeezed her hands
gently.
Mariko nodded cautiously. "Mmmm."
"It'll be our secret, no one else needs to know."
"Our Secret?" Mariko took a step back.
"The three of us. You, and Ranma, and me."
"The th- th- three of us?" Mariko gulped. "No, Akane,
I... I can't... I... Mmmmmmmmmm..."
"Oh please, it would really mean a lot to both of us",
Akane pleaded. "Please?"
"Akane, no. Please, don't ask. I can't".
"Why not? -- Please?"
"It's just that I really prefer..."
"Prefer?"
Mariko yanked her hands free and crossed them over her
chest. "Akane! I really prefer boys!"
_________________________________________________________
When they reached the elevators, Souichi turned so that
Nabiki could push the "up" button. The doors opened, and he
carried her inside where he bobbed and ducked playfully
while she tried to reach the correct floor button. After a
few attempts she finally punched the "3" button. He sighed
and let her slide off his back. As the doors closed, he
stepped to the back of the car to wait, but Nabiki loitered
at the front, tracing around the buttons with her fingertip.
The metal panel was smooth and cold --- smooth and cold like
the door handle had been. She stared at the buttons, lined up
in two even columns, awaiting the touch of her finger,
awaiting her command. She was in control.
When the elevator was between the second and third
floors, Nabiki pulled the halt switch, and the car jerked to
a stop. Souichi began to speak, but she placed her index
finger over his lips and gently shook her head.
Souichi's heart began to pound. He could hear the blood
rushing in his ears. He studied the soft brown pupils of her
eyes, the graceful curve of her eyelashes, the girlish shape
of her nose. When he reached her lips he took a ragged
intake of breath. He wanted them. He leaned forward, letting
his lips gently touch her finger.
Nabiki's eyes darted between his lips to his eyes. She
slid her hand to cradle his cheek in her palm. She wet her
lips, closed her eyes, and waited for his kiss.
May 25, 2005
_____________________________________________________________
"Yellow Parts 1-12" 1997 - 2005 Joseph Palmer
Copyright Notice:
1. The characters and stories of Ranma 1/2 are Copyright �
Rumiko Takahashi, and are used here without permission
or license.
2. No claims to the above copyright are made by the author
of this work.
3. This work is for non-commercial use ONLY, and is produced
for the enjoyment of fans only.
4. This work is the expression of the author and the depiction
of the Ranma 1/2 characters herein are in no way represented
to be a part of Ranma 1/2 as depicted by the original author
and copyright holder(s).
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