Next section ready for group chewing on. Questions, Comments, etc begged for!
WBS!
Will
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Here we go folks. Next installment. Wish me luck!
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*********************Ranma 1/2:.....After All This Time?!***********************
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All rights reserved by the Takahashi Goddess and her minions. I am
merely borrowing her characters.
Episode 5: ...The Worse They Become
(We see Ranma and Akane deftly avoid the parental discussion tonight as
they make their way into the house and upstairs. Both are tired and want
sleep, although they both have things they have to do. But they're, at
least temporarily, going to skip them for tonight. They head for the
bathroom. Akane helps strip Ranma and helps him haltingly to the
bathtub from his wheelchair. Akane fills the bath..)
Ranma (relaxing): Ah....(suddenly bolts upright out the tub and
is standing on his hands on the edge of the tub) HEY! THAT'S TOO HOT,
YOU KAWAIIKUNE TOMBOY!
Akane (shocked reaction fading to amusement): Alright, it's not hot
now. (She smirks) Poor baby...glad your reactions haven't slowed up.
Ranma (testing the water with his toes): Yeah, yeah. Whatever...Nyah!
Akane (giggling): Nyah!
(Ranma slides down into the water and relaxes. Akane moves behind him
and scrubs his back clean. She then begins to rub it, massaging
his muscles.)
Akane (almost purring into his ear): You could always do your
exercises in here, ya know...
Ranma (who IS purring): yeah...
(Nekohatten)
(We see Shampoo just getting back from somewhere. She's been doing
something that's made her rather sweaty. (CHILL YOU D*MN HENTAI'S!) She
goes up stairs and cleans up. After a few minutes, she comes down stairs
and is met by Cologne and Mousse.)
Cologne (in Chinese): <Where have you been, great-granddaughter?
Winning future-son-in-law over I hope? You have been rather lax in that
recently>
Shampoo (uncomfortable): <Ranma have spell cast on him by tomboy.
He say he no love Shampoo!> (obviously in anguish by the end of her
reply) <Shampoo can no get close to Husband. Not-Nice-Girl and Violent
Tomboy Akane guard him during day and family at night. Is very hard>
(Mousse stands passive, but his eyes are starting to gleam with hope.
Neither Cologne or Shampoo notice this.)
Cologne (angry): <Failure is not acceptable, Shampoo. You know
this. You will redouble your efforts or there will be consequences...>
(She whirls on her staff and bounces out of the room, obviously in a fury).
(Shampoo begins to shed a few tears, but is obviously trying to not let
it show...she's an Amazon after all, not a weakling.)
Mousse (sounding consoling): I'm sorry, Shampoo, that Ranma doesn't
love you...
Shampoo (rounding angrily on Mousse): Husband love me! Just under
spell! (Fury paints her features in an unflattering way)
Mousse (backing off a bit, but pressing his attack): If that's the case,
Shampoo, why hasn't he come to you yet? Why haven't you been able to
convince or use magic on him, or anything else, Shampoo? Akane has a
magic on him alright, but it's not one that's created by spells...
Shampoo (her bonbori in hand): MOUSSE LIE! (stalks towards him) TAKE BACK!
Mousse (shaking his head, almost sad): No, Shampoo, I won't. I may be
obsessed with you, but I do recognize love when I see it...
Shampoo (screaming): MOUSSE LIE! MOUSSE LIE! LIE! (She beats him into
the ground. Mousse offers no resistance; which robs Shampoo of the delight
of the fight. She runs off crying.)
Voice (heard weakly from the other room): Mousse lie...(sobbing follows)
(Ucchan's)
(Ukyou walks up to her restaraunt and unlocks the door. She's whistling a
bit, but it's obvious to those that know her that she's upset...VERY
upset. Something is bothering her and she isn't sure what it is per se,
but she knows it's something fundemental to her. In all ways. She
closes and locks the door behind her. Things are dark, but seem normal,
then, something moves in that Dark...and it's not Ukyou.)
(The Tendo's)
(The bathroom. Akane jerks upright, and Ranma gets his back
wrenched...Akane's hands are contorting him like only Dr Tofu had been
able to previously.)
Akane (eyes wide): What's that?
(The screaming continues)
Ranma (grimacing with pain): I....don't.....know....Akane....it....*HURTS*
(The screams turn animal in nature. Hoarse. Inhuman, but from a human
throat.)
Akane (looking down, yet still frightened): OH, RANCHAN! (she
uncontorts him fairly well..if a bit inexpertly. Ranma grunts with
the pain). I'll be back, Ranchan. I'm going to go see what it is.
(smooching him briefly on the head)
Ranma (nodding): Alright. Be careful. Happosai might have
unleashed something.
Akane (standing up and nodding): I will. (She runs for the door,
careful not to slip).
(Nekohatten)
(Shampoo is back in her room, crying. Mousse stands at the door and
knocks. His face is contorted in pain...emotional, not physical. He
wants her, but not to harm her.)
Shampoo (wiping her eyes): Who there? oh...it you Mousse. What you
want?
Mousse (stepping in the room barely): I came to apologize Shampoo. I
wanted to say I'm sorry. I should have kept my opinions to myself.
Shampoo (still hurt, but nodding): Shampoo understand, Mousse.
Please, Go?
Mousse (shaking his head): No...If I can't be your husband this night, I
can be a friend. May I come in?
Shampoo (nodding jerkily): Hai...
(Ucchan's)
(The Dark envelopes her like a thick oil. Ukyou moves to the light
switch. She's still troubled. Did she really feel a thrill at kissing
Akane on the ear? That worries her greatly. She's not that way...not at
all! She's a GIRL, damnit, A *GIRL*... yet....)
Ukyou (mumbling to herself): Sh*t. The light switch isn't working.
(she moves deeper into the restaraunt, deftly navigating through the inky
blackness with the familiarity of someone who knows their home well.)
(Silently, something moves behind her...following...)
Ukyou (reaching the second light switch, about to flip it on): AH! Here we
are!
(The Something touches her on the back of her neck. Something cold,
wet...Ukyou screams...)
(The Tendo's, the living room)
(Genma and Soun are playing shoji again and trying to trick each other
as usual. Nodoka is sitting on the couch and looking a bit ill
(pregnancy is *NOT* fun for some women..sometimes it carries from kid to
kid on severity). Kasumi is prancing about the place with excitment over
her engagement cleaning and tidying as usual. Nabiki is lounging on a
mat reading.)
Soun (looking off for a second, but not so long as to allow Genma to switch
pieces): Ah, Saotome-kun. A beautiful night, yes? (smiles
wistfully)
Genma (nodding, but his brow is knotted with concentration...cheating was
harder with Nodoka around): Hai, Tendo-kun. (looking up and out the
door) An ever changing world...
Soun (nodding): An ever changing world....
(Then the screaming started)
(Nekohatten)
(We see Mousse with his arm around Shampoo's shoulders, talking,
chatting, smiling her tears away. She's slowly responding as they
converse, slowly losing her depression)
Mousse (chuckling): Or how about the time that we burned up Cabinet's
weapon when we were young, eh? Cologne beat us pretty well that
time...poor Cabinet. After all the time, she put into that sword's
hilt...carving it. (chuckling and shaking his head) Or how about when
we had to kill that Okinamiyaki critter that hunted you? Or when we
tricked the old..
Shampoo (interrupting): Shh...Great grandmother might be listening!
Mousse (looking about wearily...then turns it into a comical
expression): OH NO! The Revenge of the Evil Ghouls!
Shampoo (laughing): Be nice to Great Grandmother...
Mousse (chuckling): Hai...Hai...Nyah!
Shampoo (giggling): Nyah! back at Mousse!
(Ucchan's)
(Ukyou screams. She flips on the light and jumps around, her back to the
wall. She swings around her battle spatula and prepares to kill
whatever touched her...and sees....)
Tsubasa (smiling and holding a puppy): UKYOU! *SURPRISE!* (the puppy
starts panting and licking its cold, wet nose).
(The Tendo's)
(Genma and Soun freeze as the screaming starts. Nabiki and Kasumi's eyes
open wide. Nodoka looks even more ill from the shock of the scream. They
all remain frozen and in place shocked...Who could be screaming? Why?
The screaming shifts in tone...it's like an animal screaming in pain, but
using human vocal cords.)
Akane (bolts into the living room): WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! JUST
SITTING THERE????? COME ON!
Genma and Soun (nodding to each other): Right.
Genma (to Kasumi): Take Nodoka up stairs and lock the door. Take
good care of her, Kasumi.
Kasumi (nodding): Hai! (going to Nodoka who looks incredibly ill)
Nodoka-san, let me help you. (she leads the trembling Nodoka up the stairs).
Soun (to Nabiki): Come with us. (to Akane) Take Nabiki with you, we'll
search outside in pairs. (grabbing a flash light)
Akane (nodding): Hai, come on, oneechan. (grabs her sister's hand)
(The two of them go left, towards the front of the house, while Genma and
Soun go the other direction searching...the screaming begins to lessen...
fading away...like a bad nightware that one claws awake from).
(cut to Ranma)
Ranma (thinking aloud): Great...I'm stuck...up here, alone...and
someone's screaming outside...or was. I can't hear it now. (He sighs and
scoots over to the hot water tap...)
(cut to the Nekohatten)
(Shampoo and Mousse are laughing now. They are obviously enjoying each
others' company. They have talked of other times and of the present.
Ranma's crazy adventures that always seem to pull them in too. Of
watermelon races and sharks, of love ramen and more...something has
changed in how Mousse holds Shampoo, and subconsciously, Shampoo seems
to accept it...)
(cut to the Tendo's)
(The screaming stopped -suddenly- with a burbbling gagging sound)
(cut to Ucchan's)
Tsubasa (holding out the puppy, voice hopeful): Will you date with me?
Ukyou (furious): TSUBASA! HOW DARE YOU ENTER MY HOUSE! TSUBASA
NO BAKA! (She adeptly hurtles Tsubasa sans puppy out the
window...flinching as she realizes the cost of repairing it as he crashes
through. She eyes the puppy suspiciously at first and then picks it up
and cuddles with it. She wanders about holding and cuddling with it as
she pounders the night as happened. She wonders and sighs of what is to
become of her, of what is to come. Will Ranchan be hers or will he be
Acchan's? She holds the puppy close and cuddles with it. With a shake
she clears her mind; no use dwelling on things that are uncontrollable.
In an effort to think of something, anything, different she screws up her
face into a scowl. Startled yet again by a playful lick by the puppy,
she ponders it.)
Ukyou (thoughtful): What to name you....hmmmm
(cut to the Tendo's; outside)
(returning to the garden)
Akane (to Nabiki): I don't see anything. I'll look a little this
way. (Nabiki looks distressed for a second. She's no coward, but she's
no martial artist either. Akane sees this and smiles) No need to
worry...just a little this way. You check that way a bit.
Nabiki (nodding): Hai...
(cut to Genma and Soun, they're checking the alley. Nothing seems amiss.)
Genma (to Soun): Nothing here.
Soun (back): Nope.
(cut to Kasumi and Nodoka, they're upstairs and are in a room. Kasumi is
holding a bag which Nodoka is vomiting into).
Kasumi (shaking her head): Now, it'll be okay, Nodoka-san...just
normal side effects (she murmurs softly to Nodoka).
(cut to Ranma)
(He looks up. He sees a shadow on the other side of the screens in the
bathroom.)
Ranma (calling out): Acchan?
(cut to Nekohatten)
(Shampo and Mousse are looking at each other...looking at each other as
though they haven't known each other at all. Their eyes hold caring.)
Cologne (interrupting): <ENOUGH!> (furious) <YOU ARE ENGAGED BY OUR LAW
AND RITE, SHAMPOO! YOU. SHALL. NOT. BREAK. THEM!>
Mousse (standing, defiant): <No. She's mine, mummified fiend!>
Shampoo (lowering her head): <Yes, Great Grandmother, you right> (she
gets up and leaves, going to the kitchen)
Cologne (smiling in triumph): <Is she now, Mousse? Is she?> (She
cackles as she hops away)
Mousse (wounded beyond words): ...
(cut to the Tendo's)
Nabiki (moving towards the pond): Akane! I see something! It's on
top of the small stone house by the pond!
Akane (coming over): What is it, oneechan?
(cut to Soun and Genma)
(They are entering the front gate of the residence after circling the
building.)
Genma (shaking his heaad): That was strange...
Soun (chuckling): No worse than most things that have happened
since you came here...
Genma (grunting): ...
(Another scream pierced the night.)
(cut to Ucchan's)
(Ukyou is cuddling her new pet).
Ukyou (cooing): Hmmm...What to name you? Can't name you P-chan. That's
Akane's pet. Can't name you Ranchan...that name's reserved.
Hmmm...we're gonna have to keep ya secreted away too...can't have the health
inspectors seeing you, can we? Hmmm....(she moves upstairs, cuddling the
kawaii little mutt.) Well, Tsu-chan you are...since I'd never call him that!
(cut to the Tendo's)
(To Ranma)
(The screen door slides open and...the lights go out in the bathroom)
(To Nabiki & Akane)
(Nabiki is standing there screaming at the top of her lungs. There, not the
little stone house, was Kodachi head, severed at the neck. Her eyes,
missing. Her face in a mask of horror and terror. The back of head
smashed in, but not oozing at all. Her ribbon fluttering from where it
had been wrapped 'round the stone mound...)
(to Ranma)
(He's pushed himself as far from the screen as he can get inside the
tub. He hears the wheel chair be pushed out of the way. Whatever it is
coming towards him is far from friendly. He can feel *IT*. He prepares
himself as best he can...his battle aura begins to glow and...the lights
come on)
(to Genma and Soun)
(The two fathers have sprinted over to where Nabiki and Akane are.
Akane has turned Nabiki away from it but can't get her to stop
screaming. She shakes her...and just as her father and Uncle Saotome
arrive, she slaps her. Nabiki breaks down into a heap and cries. Akane
picks her up and holds her tight.)
Soun (to Akane): WHY DID YOU SLAP YOUR SISTER!
Akane (shaken herself, nods to the stone house atop the mound):
Look there.
Genma & Soun (gasp): ....
(to Kasumi & Nodoka)
(Nodoka has just finished vomiting again; Kasumi is tending her needs.
Suddenly a sweat breaks out on Kasumi's forehead. A sharp metallic taste
infests her mouth. She feels terror...for no reason she can see.)
Kasumi (grabbing Nodoka's arm): Come! Quick! NOW!
Nodoka (stumbling as she's dragged by Kasumi and wiping at her mouth) huh?
(Ranma, simultaneously)
(He blinks through the brightness to see a woman...a shapely woman,
standing before him. It's....)
Ranma (confused and a little worried): Kodachi?
Kodachi (laughing, nude, carrying only her ribbon): HAHAHAHAHAHA! My
Ranma-sama! I'm HERE FOR YOU!
(cut to Akane & crew)
Soun (shocked to his core): It's...
Genma (equally shocked): the crazy...(gulping)
Soun/Genma (starting to get ill): woman of Ranma's...
Akane (nodding): Head.
(cut to Ranma)
Ranma (looking warily at her, but not as worried...or starts to not be as
worried, but something about her DOES worry him...how'd she get in
here?): Kodachi? How did you get in here?
Kodachi (smiling insanely as ever): Does it matter, my Ranma-sama,
I'm here for you! I've (her voice begins changing, growing harsher) come
(and harsher) to (almost a snarl) get (IS a snarl) you...(She launches
herself at Ranma)
(Ranma shouts and chi-blasts her back through the screen. She stands up
and walks back)
(cut to Kasumi)
(Kasumi drags Nodoka out into the hall and down the stairs.)
(cut to Ranma)
Kodachi (walks forward...unharmed. Not harmed in the least. She smiles
at Ranma in a twisted insane version of love.): Don't you want me, my love?
Ranma (eyes wide and terrified, voice steady though): No.
Kodachi (smiling still, but it slips to something that's a perverse twist
on the typically manaical Kodachi grin): Good.
(cut to Akane & crew)
(They turn their heads and see, through a window, Kasumi and Nodaka
running down the stairs and outside through the door. The group moves to
them with concern. The movement distracts them from the macabre sight
they had just witnessed: Kodachi severed head.)
(cut to Ranma)
(He chi-blasts her again. and again. Yet she stands unharmed,
unmoving. Laughing, insanely)
Ranma (screaming it): DAMN YOU!!!!!!!
Kodachi (smiling twistedly): No. I'm here to damn you, Ranma-sama.
(Her face splits and quivers. The shimmering, pulsing ooze between the two
halves of her face ripple and shift to form another face....something
hideous...yet still a face...emerges)
(cut to Akane & crew)
Akane (voice shaky, but not stirred): What-? (she gets cut off)
(cut to Ranma)
Kodachi-thing (laughing evilly): Summoned, I was. Summoned I am.
My destinity is set. My path to be cut. My fate is bound with yours.
When the Saotome thread is cut and the tapestry burned, I may sleep.
Ranma (unsure of it's words, but sure of it's evil, he picturing this thing
attacking Ucchan and Acchan screams murder and stands, in incredible
pain): HIRYU SHOTEN HA!!!!!!!! (a chi Dragon arcs out from Ranma and
engulfs the hell-thing)
(cut to Kasumi)
(She races, almost dragging the still ill Nodoka out the front door as
the upper floor of the Tendo Residency explodes...)