It's Baaaaaaack.
RANMA 1/2--ABORT, RETRY, ESCAPE Pt. 3
by Paul Herring and Kenny Blackwell
------------------------------------------------------------------
Ranma 1/2 is & 1997 Rumiko Takahashi/Shogakukan, Inc. Used
without permission; this fanfic is NOT intended to be resold or
used for profit in any way, shape or form. The Clan Justice, The
Tribunal, The Threat, and The Chronomancers are & 1997 Kenny
Blackwell. Any other characters are & their respective owners.
------------------------------------------------------------------
* * * * *
ABOUT TEN YEARS AGO:
"It was a good plan, Soun. . .a good plan indeed," Happosai said
as he paced back and forth in front of his student. "Getting me drunk
with sake, stuffing me in a box tied with dynamite and tossing me in a
cave. . ."
Happosai glared at Soun as his student just sat there, sweating
profusely.
Suddenly, Happosai broke into a fit of giddy laughter.
"BWAHA HA HA HA HA HA. . .Soun, you *bastard!* Well done! Didn't
know you had it in you!"
Soun almost was relieved to see that the guy was actually pleased.
Happosai's eyes narrowed. "But. . .I'm *still* going to have to
punish you, my boy."
Soun froze. <Oh, god,> he thought miserably.
"Hmmmmm. . .now, let's see. . .what would be a most *fitting*
punishment. . .ah. . .got it!"
After a carefully calculated pause, he swung on Soun.
"Tendo Soun," he intoned melodramatically, "your punishment is as
follows. . .once your first son or daughter is born, *I* will take that baby,
so that I can train in the martial arts."
"Oh-oh, no--" gaped Soun.
Happosai smiled deviously.
"Oh, yes! The moment your baby is born. . .it is *mine.*"
* * * * *
"The orgasm has replaced the Cross as the focus of longing and
the image of fulfillment."
-- Malcolm Muggeridge
"I just want your fresh young jimmy
Jamming, slamming, ramming in me"
--Liz Phair, "Flower"
1997
HENTAI WARD, TOKYO, JAPAN:
After the service, Nabiki dried her eyes and set out for a certain
strip joint in Tokyo's red light district. She hated going in there for
any reason at all, but there was simply no way around it this time.
<The whole funeral,> she fumed as she walked the rain-swept streets,
<the whole damn funeral! What the hell is wrong with her?! Doesn't she
know? Doesn't she care?? Is she truly so far gone. . .like father says?>
But in her heart she knew the answer to that one already.
It was two flights up in one of the posher looking buildings on the
block. The deck vibrated with the pounding strains of Van Halen's "Drop
Dead Legs" from the dance floor below; upstairs was for making the
fantasies generated there into reality. Standing before the door at
Number 69, Nabiki noticed a shady looking fellow dressed in a canary
business suit, sunglasses and a tie that was fire-engine red. Peeking up
just over the edge of his collar was part of a tatto. She recognized the
Yakuza man immediately; she'd worked with him before--and so had Kasumi.
"Oi, Takashi," she called out as she approached, "Get Kasumi right
now. Her sister wants to see her, pronto!!"
"Nabiki!"
Nabiki turned to gaze upon her older sibling. Kasumi wore one of
her. . .well, Nabiki hesitated to call it an outfit: a red leotard-like
costume with yellow trim and high heeled boots. It was so skimpy, it
looked as if she was in danger of falling out of it. . .not that she
would have cared anyway.
"Konnichi wa, oneechan!" Kasumi said happily. Then she giggled,
staggering a bit.
<Probably on something,> thought Nabiki with disgust. Anger flared
within her.
""Konnichi wa oneechan," my ass!" Nabiki spat back. "What is your
major malfunction, Kasumi? Don't you even know what today *is*?!"
Kasumi seemed to be trying to focus her eyes as she steadied herself
against a wall. "Wha--what're you talking. . ." Then she noticed Nabiki's
black suit. A hand went to her mouth.
"Oh--ah, no. . .the funeral. . .ah, shit, it was today, wasn't it."
Nabiki nodded.
"Oh, God, ah shit, man, I'm sorry!" Kasumi apologized. "I was too. . .
preoccupied with work, you know, that's all."
<Too busy taking it up the ass, you mean,> thought Nabiki. Quickly
she composed herself.
"It's not too late, Kasumi," Nabiki said. "Cancel whoever you're
doing and come with me to the cemetery."
Kasumi opened her mouth as if to speak, said nothing, and bowed her
head in silence.
"Please, Kasumi," Nabiki pleaded. "Akane believed in you! The least
you could do is pay your final respects to her."
"You--you're right, Nabiki," Kasumi mumbled. "Look. . .give me a sec
to get cleaned up here and I'll be all set."
"I'm sorry, Ms. Tendo," Takashi spoke up, "but you can't leave.
Mr.Tsukino offered a lot of money for you to service him."
"Then Mr. Tsukino can wait," Kasumi retorted. "I'm going to see my
little sister. Rescedule his ass for tomorrow."
"No. Today." He moved to block her. "You can't leave."
"Fuck you then! I'll just have to accept your challenge." Kasumi
positioned herself into a fighting stance.
"Your funeral," replied Takashi. "Let's go." Nabiki moved back in
the narrow confines of the hall.
Kasumi was the first to act, throwing a kick at the Yakuza man,
who blocked it. Takashi quickly grabbed her feet, tripping her to the
ground. Immediately he dropped down on her. Landing a punch to her stomach,
he knocked the wind out of her, then reared back, attempting to punch Kasumi
in the face. She caught his fist, however and pressed her feet against his
chest in an attempt to throw him over her. But Takashi grabbed her ankles
as he moved and slingshot her into the wall face first.
"Kasumi!" Nabiki shouted.
Kasumi slid down the wall, a thin trail of blood oozing from her nose
and mouth. The Yakuza agent calmly backed off.
"I apologize for this. . ." said Takashi, "but you are not allowed to
leave until you're finished--"
Kasumi suddenly thrust a foot out at the yakuza man, lightly touching
his groin with her toes.
"Sekkusu Bakudan!" she said, then quickly rolled away toward Nabiki
and leapt to her feet.
"Okay, sis, let's split," Kasumi said.
"I said you can't leave!" the thug protested. "I. . .I won't. . ."
"Feeling something?" asked Kasumi with a sly grin. "I've just
nailed you with my patented Sex Bomb move! You've got, oh, about 20
seconds left to live, now."
"Wha. . .?" the agent looked down as he felt himself hardening
tremendously within seconds.
"If I were merciful, I would negate it's effects before you
explode. . .but I'm not feeling any mercy today. 10 seconds. We'd
better go, Nabiki. What happen's next WON'T be pretty."
"No. . .NO! Wait! Please!!" The hood rushed toward Kasumi and
Nabiki just as the hall door closed on him.
Kasumi counted down the seconds in her mind.
<...3
...2
...1>
A loud squishing sound emulated from the hall. Seconds later, a
thick wave of blood rushed from underneath the door, running warmly
around Kasumi's bare feet.
Nabiki swallowed heavily and everted her eyes. Kasumi merely shook
her head, sighed and wiped her own blood from her nose.
"Taro-chan!" she called out. "Be a dear and get housekeeping, would
you? There's a mess in the hall that needs cleaning."
The rain had stopped falling, but the ground was still wet.
At the cemetery, Kasumi stared at the funeral portrait of
Akane. . .the only thing that could fill the place of her body, which
was yet to be recovered from China. This was one of the very few times
Kasumi could be seen wearing what for her could be considered a
conservative outfit: a long black dress. . .which was cut very low,
making her look sexy rather than merely trampy.
Nabiki looked on as Kasumi continued to stare at Akane's picture,
deep in contemplation. A single tear trickled down her right cheek.
"How. . .how die she die?" she asked Nabiki.
"Well. . .you remember the bird-man who showed up a couple of
weeks ago?"
"Saffron? Yes, I do. But I thought the Kuno sisters took him out."
"They did. But he showed up again just a couple of days ago. . .
and this time the Roses weren't there to save Akane."
Nabiki's face reddened.
"He came at night, while she was sleeping, the gutless coward," she
choked. "He. . .he sent a note just the other day. . .gloated that he'd
drowned her. Gloated!" She clenched her fists with an abiding rage.
"He's dead," stated Kasumi. "Next time he shows up, just consider
the fucker dead, Nabiki."
Kasumi closed her eyes and wept freely just then, clutching the
picture to her chest.
"Oh, my oneechan. . .you never did learn how to swim. . .for
you to drown. . .ah, god. . ."
* * * * *
1997
JUSENKYO SPRINGS,
PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA
"I must tell you, Akane. . .I hold no grudges toward you or
any of your family members. Really! I-I don't."
Akane was hanging upside down, and Epoch stood upon the soles
of her feet, looking down upon the length of the helpless girl's
body. Below her lapped the black waters of a Jusenkyo spring. Akane
managed to move her head upward enough to stare balefully at the
maroon-haired girl.
"Well, you better *believe* that my father won't think that way
once he finds out about this!" she shouted. "He'll kick your ass
AND Saffron's!"
"I won't be a part of your death, Akane," Epoch said quietly.
She looked up at the sound of footsteps to see Saffron approaching
them.
"And besides," Epoch continued, "just between you and me,
things'll soon get very hectic. Yes, very hectic indeed." Like a
ballarina in zero gravity, she pranced hoizontally down Akane's body.
"What?" asked Akane. "What do you mean?"
Epoch knelt down upon Akane's chest, staring into her eyes,
into her mind, into her very soul, and saw that
<She's afraid,> she thought. <Yet, she shows no sign of fear--
she remains strong. Adamant.> A smile. <By the OmegaSpan, I love this
girl's spirit.>
"Judgment Day is coming for this world," Epoch said, her voice a
ricepaper whisper. "It will be an Apocalypse such as had never before
been dreamed of by even your wildest Prophets. Be thankful that you will
not be a part of it."
Epoch leapt off of Akane, flipped and landed next to Saffron as he
arrived at the spring.
"A little private conversation with the sacrifice, eh, Epoch?"
Saffron asked. His tone was nonchalant, but distrust shone bright in
his eyes. Epoch waved a dismissive hand.
"Nothing that can save her, now," she said. A pause. "I'll be leaving
for a time, Saffron."
"Oh? Why?"
"Other commitments. You know where to find me if you need me."
Epoch turned away from the spring and walked into her
surroundings, vanishing with a characteristic warping of the landscape.
"Hmp. Well, Akane. . .I guess it's just you and me." Saffron smiled
at the helpless girl. "If you have any last words in mind, my dear, now
would be a good time to utter them."
Akane just glared at the bird-man with contempt.
"I hope my father plucks you bald before killing you, you
bastard," she hissed. Her voice was that of an angry lioness.
"I shudder with sheer terror," yawned Saffron, reaching for something
behind his back. Pulling out a tri-bladed dagger, he continued,
"Still, you show a warrior's courage, and should thus be honored. Your
death will herald the creation of the first new cursed spring in over a
thousand years!"
"Excuse me for not jumping for joy. I'm tied up at the moment."
"You're right," said Saffron. "We should do something about that."
Saffron raised the dagger and leaned back.
"Sayonara, Akane-chan."
With a whistle as it rent the air, the dagger sliced through the rope
with ease. Akane screamed as she plunged head first into the icy depths.
Bound hand and foot, Akane couldn't swim even if she knew how to.
Nonetheless, she struggled wildly to break free, holding her breath,
conserving as much of her air as she could.
A surge of adrenalin enabled her to snap the ropes holding her wrists.
Blood from the cuts clouded the water. She was very far down now, the
weights attached to her legs carring her farther into the blackness with
each passing second.
<How deep *is* this friggin' pool, anyway?!> she thought as she
franticlly tore at the hemp binding her ankles. The shimmering spot
of light which marked the surface grew smaller and smaller, the pressure
on her lungs worse and worse. It was with relief that she hit the soft,
sand-coverd floor with a bump. Sinking to her knees af if in prayer, she
continued to work.
<Don't panic, don't panic,> she told herself repeatedly. It was very
dark down here and she could not see what she was doing, but Akane could
feel the nails on her fingers snap as she worked at the ropes that held her
fast. To her horror, she could *feel* her energy draining away as the cold
spring water called to her.
<Calm CALM. I can't give up now. I just can't. Daddy. . .> Had she
been on dry land, one would be able to see tears in her eyes. <Daddy. . .
taught me better. . .than that. A Tendo. . .never gives. . .up. . .oh. . .>
Her lungs now seemed as though they were on fire, as though they were
over-filled bycicle tires. Her mouth ached with the effort of keeping it
closed; her eyes bugged and she was sure that her face was purple by now--
and she was right.
<CALM. FOCUS,> she screamed in her head. <YOU WILL NOT DIE YOU WILL
GET OUT OF THIS YOU WILL YOU WILL JUST A LITTLE LONGER JUST A LITTLE MORE
TIME OH GOD OHGODOHGODOHGODNO-->
Finally she could hold out no more. With fireworks exploding before
her eyes she opened her mouth in a mighty silent scream, a great,
rushing, liquid inhailing of ice, of fire, of death.
For alittle while after, a few seconds, perhaps, she still tried
to get free, working at the ropes with fingers she could no longer feel.
Then she fell slowly over onto her side, drifting, actually, quite graceful,
her head coming softly to rest on the sandy bottom.
<Daddy. . .> Akane's final thoughts were a distorted echo in her head,
the oxygen-starved braincells winking out like whole clusters of candles
being smothered at once. <Daaa-Daa. . .I t-t-tried nnnnnot to g-give
up. . .I t-t-t-tried. . .ooooooooohh, mmmmmomma. . .> With her last strength
she reached towards the shimmering vision she saw before her. Then her arms
went limp, and a great peace befell her body.
Her tears mingling with the spring water, Tendo Akane quietly died.
* * * * *
1997
NERIMA WARD, TOKYO, JAPAN:
Kasumi's face was a stone mask as she continued to stare at
Akane's photograph.
"What does father plan to do?" she asked Nabiki.
"He and one of the Kuno brothers. . .or all of them, I'm not
sure. . .they're going to lead an army to China to kill Saffron."
"I see. . ." Kasumi looked away. Nabiki stared at her with a
dawning amazement.
"You. . .are you going to join them?" Even as she asked, a dark,
ugly part of her which she didn't like to get too aquainted with
sensed the answer.
"I. . .don't know if I can." Kasumi turned back to her sister with
a look that was supposed to denote stoic seriousness. "I have a duty to
to uphold, here, and--"
"You *turd*!"
Kasumi stepped back in shock; her younger sister was actually scarlet
with rage. "N-Nabiki!!"
"THAT'S RIGHT, YOU-YOU *CUM* SWALLOWING, TWO-BIT, CHEAP-ASS, DICK-
SUCKING LITTLE--"
"Nabiki." This time there was an undertone of quiet deadliness in her
voice. Nabiki was not impressed.
"Oh, what are you going to do?" she demanded, "use your patented
Sex Bomb move on me? Make my boobs explode or something?! Well, ya know
what? I DON'T GIVE A FUCK!!"
"N-Nabiki. . ."
Nabiki struggled to calm herself down. "Listen Kasumi," she
continued after a couple of minutes, "I know your. . .your *job* pays
well. Hell, I've even hired you to beat up people who owe me! But
Kasumi. . .there are some things more important than money!"
Kasumi blinked twice in disbelief.
"D-Did you just say what I *think* you said?" she whispered in awe.
Pigs sprouted wings and took flight, the moon morphed into a
ball of green cheese and somewhere far away, a horned demon
screamed "NOOOOOO" as the first snowflakes began to alight upon
Hades' floor.
"Yeah, well. . .I guess I did." Nabiki gave a small smile.
Kasumi stared at her middle sister, thinking hard, contemplating
her options. Finally she just shook her head.
"I-I can't," Kasumi said in a small voice. "I took a big risk
breaking from the strip joint and wasting Takashi like I did. If I do
the Boss *real* well by way of apology, I might come out of this alive,
but as it is I'll be lucky if I don't lose my head."
The two just stared at each other for a moment.
"So that's it?" Nabiki said, anger returning to her voice. "Just,
"Ya know, too bad about my sister, but I gotta stay here and take care
of business?! Well, I guess Akane was wrong about you, after all. You're
just as heartless as those bastards you work for!" Her eyes a cold stab
of accusation, she turned on her heel and began to stalk away.
"Nabiki, please--"
"Go to hell, Kasumi!!" The youngest surviving Tendo sister stormed
out of the cemetery, leaving Kasumi alone in the quiet, alone with the
many gravestones.
Bowing her head, Kasumi burned with an emotion she had not felt in
many a long year:
Shame.
"What's in a name? That which we call rose by any other name would
smell as sweet."
-- William Shakespeare
"Ali Babba and the Forty Thieves!
Ali Babba and the Forty Thieves!
. . .Most illin'est B-boy
an' I'm rhymin' and Stealin'!"
--Beastie Boys, "Rhymin' and Stealin'"
The Kunou mansion was huge, bigger then any other house in the area.
It needed to be. A family that consisted of three sons and five daughters,
plus myriad servants for each of them, needed space. With four stories,
eighty rooms it's very own dojo ("The Sentai School of Indesciminate
Slaughter") and fifty whole acres of land surrounding, it naturally
couldn't be located in Tokyo proper, which of course ment long commutes
into town every day for the principal.
Normally his children would make the same trip in one of the family
limo's but today was an exception. They were all at home, except for
the Principal, who had his duties. All things considered, it was for the
best.
Kuno Taimatsu sat on the steps of the Kuno Dojo, her face buried
in her hands, her shoulders heaving with the sobs. Her neon-pink hair,
normally impeccably kept and garlanded with ribbons, was a disheveled
mess, like she hadn't combed in since half-past forever. She couldn't
remember when last she'd cried so much. The news that her best friend
Tendo Akane had died had left her shattered, inconsolate, for the past
week. She couldn't bring herself to go to the funeral--it was too
horrible, and somewhere deep inside she was half-convinced that if
she didn't go, then that would mean that Akane somehow wasn't *really*
dead after all, and. . .in any case, she'd just end up crying her eyes
out there.
<And God knows,> thought Taimatsu with a sudden savage flash of
anger, <a Kuno is supposed to be *strong,* "Iron of Mind and Will"
isn't that how mother always puts it? Like her brothers and her
sisters. . .but not me.> She wiped her eyes, red from so much crying,
and looked even more miserable then before. No wonder Kodachi considered
her a disappointment. You never see HER cry when any of *her* friends die.
Of course, she mused, Kodachi didn't HAVE any friends. Only those who
feared her.
"Pink Rose. . ." A voice similar to hers, high-pitched, musical, but
slightly gentler, sounded behind her.
Taimatsu The Pink Rose gazed up to see her sister, Kuno Shitori,
looking down at her, her face a mask of quiet concern. She was clad in
a flowing white gown, similar in design to what her other identical sister
Kodochi, the Black Rose, occasionally wore.
Shitori smiled kindly as she leaned forward to wipe away the tears
of her beloved twin. Unbidden, she sat down beside her, and Taimatsu
rested her head upon her shoulder.
"Want to talk about it?" asked Shitori.
Taimatsu sniffled, staring straight ahead into nothing as she spoke.
"S-Shitori. . ." she grasped, "I. . .I. . ." She burst into tears,
embracing the White Rose tightly. Shitori stroked her, running her fingers
through the tangled silk of her hair.
"Sssshhhh. . .it's all right, oneechan, it's all right. Let it out, I
know it hurts," Shitori whispered softly.
"Sniff. Ah, ahh--oh sister. . .it-it's not *faaaair,*" Taimatsu
whimpered. "Sh-she was my friend, my only real friend, not counting you
guys. It's nuh-not fair, she was so sweet, never harming anybody. . ."
"I know, Pink Rose, I know. Akane was my friend, too," replied Shitori.
She frowned. "But some things. . .they're just beyond our power to control.
It's a horror that Akane was taken from us so soon, so brutally. But she
is with the Kami now, in a place much better than here, and when we see her
again, it will be in our next lives, and we'll be together once more. At
least take solace in that."
"Oooooh, that was sooo sweet I'm bound to get cavities!"
Taimatsu and Shitori knew who it was immediately. Taimatsu sighed,
and they turned to stare at their ebon-clad double.
"It's bad enough I had to cover for you at the funeral," Kodachi
snapped as she placed her hands on her hips. "But then I come home to see
the two of you like *this!* By all our ancestors, it's an embarrassment to
the name Kuno!"
"Kodachi, *please,*" Shitori muttered. "Now is not the time--"
"Oh, spare me, oneechan! You are as naive as Taimatsu! You--"
Shitori had had enough. She sprang to her feet, eyes flashing
dangerously. "YOU should keep that big mouth of yours shut, Kodachi! If
you've nothing decent to say, then just leave us alone!"
"At least she didn't laugh," said Taimatsu. "I HATE that laugh!!"
"Who doesn't?"
With a scowl of annoyance, Kodochi turned to see her other two
identical sisters, Kurotaisho and Kinako, clad in red and yellow,
respectively.
"So you never liked Akane," Kinako spoke. "Big deal. YOU are
entitled. But now, you're being a hypocrite, taking out your hatred on
your own flesh and blood."
"Akane wasn't my friend either, Kodachi-san, but she didn't deserve
to die like she did," Kurotaisho proclaimed. "So I say we suit up, join
our brothers and Tendo-san--" The Red Rose cracked her knuckles in
anticipation, "--and go take out that bastard Saffron once and for all.
Who's for it?"
"Fuck yeah! You can count *me* in, Kuro-chan," the Yellow Rose said.
"I'll go too," Shitori, The White Rose, announced. "What Saffron did
was wrong. He must be dealt with."
"I. . .I'm in," Taimatsu said. A pang of stabbed deep in Shitori
for a moment--Taimatsu's face was set in a very uncharacteristic look of
cold fury.
Kurotaisho, The Red Rose, locked eyes with her black counterpart.
"Kodachi?"
The Black Rose shook her head in disgust.
"I don't know who's more of a fool!" she spat. "You for considering
this, or me for listening for so long! Do this if you will, but without
me--I will NOT be a part of this Fiasco!"
"It's four against one, Black Rose," Kinako said with quiet deadliness.
"Maybe so, but you remember the rules!" Kodochi smile turned devilish.
"Either all of us goes, or none of us!" She turned to leave. "So I guess
we're stuck here, ne? OH, HO HO HO HO HO HO HO HO!"
Kodochi's laugh died away as she entered the dojo and closed the doors
Kinako stroked her temples.
"GOD, I hate that laugh!" she moaned.
"I'm pretty sure she was adopted," Kurotaisho muttered.
After a strenuous workout, Kodachi took a long, hot, shower. As the
warm water pelted her face, shoulders and ample breasts, she remembered how,
a year or two ago, she had dealt with the Furinkan High Rhythmic Gymnastics
team, and how they'd ask Tendo Akane to represent them.
The memory brought a smile to her lips.
The poor girl was so *clumsy!* She didn't know the first thing about
martial arts rhythmic gymnastics! She had her dead to rights, that trophy
was destined to be her's as were so many others. . . but then the Pink Rose
just HAD to train her! "To be fair!" A snort of disgust. Of all the
reasons. . .
Kadochi clenched her fists in anger.
Defeated. She, The Black Rose, *defeated* in her sport of choice by an
uncoordinated, clumsy, tomboyish piece of common trash. Since that day,
Akane was the sole focus of Kodachi's blowtorch animosity. She would not
deny that a small part of her mourned Akane's death--a perfect hatred can
be almost akin to love, in some respects--but she wouldn't miss Akane. No,
not at all.
Stepping out of the shower, Kodachi was suddenly found herself face to
face with her mother. Deep within, a part of her quailed, as it always did
when she was confronted with her mother and Master; outwardly she met her
steely gaze with one of her own.
"Kodochi," Kuno Nodoka said to her first daughter. She held a bath
towel
under her arms. "I understand you had a disagreement with your sisters.
Again."
"Hai, Okaa-sama. Please give me the towel," asked Kodachi, trying for
an air of disinterested nonchalace. "I don't want to talk about it right
now."
"Well I do," replied Nodoka icily. "Why can't you get along with your
sisters? They want to help your brothers and Soun, and you won't let
them! Why?"
"Mother. . .they wish to avenge Tendo Akane's death!" A scowl of rage.
"I HATED Akane! I don't wish to be any part of this! Let them go themselves
if they care about that little cow so much."
Nodoka spoke in a voice of strained patience. "Kodochi,the Roses are
supposed to be a team! A long time ago, you and your sisters promised to
support one another, no matter what--"
Kodachi rolled her eyes. "Oh, not *this* again."
"--And if you break that promise, Kuno Kodachi, I will--"
"Let me guess, commit seppuku?" Kodachi smirked. "Mother, I just got
out of the shower, and I want to dry myself off before I die of pneumonia.
So please give me the towel!"
"You won't change your mind, then?" asked Nodoka quietly.
"No."
"Fine! Here's your towel!" Nodoka tossed the towel at Kodachi,
revealing
what lay underneath--her wakizashi, her short sword, the heirloom which had
been intheir family for over four centuries and which was as deadly now as
it was the day it was first forged. The towel fluttered to the floor,
unnoticed. The Black Rose's eyes were focused solely on the blade, glowing
with the reflected florescent lights of the bathroom. Her stomach knotted with
fear.
"What--are you--" stammered Kodachi.
"What does it look like?" Nodoka dropped to her knees and opened the
intricate folds of her blue/yellow kimono, letting it fall from her shoulders.
With her eyes still focused on Kodachi, she aimed the blade directly
between her breasts.
"This blade is sharp enough to slice through bone as if it was air,"
Nodoka explained, as though speaking to a particularly bright student.
"I WILL cut myself open from sternum to naval. It isn't exactly seppuku, but
it'd be quite effective."
"You're--You're bluffing!" Kodachi said, more to herself then to her
mother. The older woman gave a predatory smile.
"Oh, Kodachi--you should know by now that I *never* bluff."
Kodachi stood deathly still as she stared at the blade positioned
at her mother's breastbone indecision warring with resolve in her soul.
Then the tip of the blade lightly punctured the skin between Nodoka's
breasts and a drop of scarlet traveled down from her chest, over her
stomach and into her crotch.
"I'll go," burtled Kodachi with sudden panic. "Mother! Please,
don't!!"
She fell to her knees clasping her hands before her as if in prayer. In her
mind, a part of her screamed in frutrated rage at this weakness, at her
allowing herself to be blackmailed this way, but it was smothered by the
fear.
"Don't kill yourself," she begged. "Please! I-I-I'll do whatever you
ask! Just put the blade away, Great Mother!"
Tears oozed from Kodachi's eyes.
"Please."
Nodoka smiled at her eldest daughter. Calmly, she placed the blade
down on the bathroom floor, then embraced her.
"I hate doing this to you, Kodachi," she said into the wet strands of
her hair. "But you must learn--your sisters are a part of you. The five
of you must function as a whole personality in order to survive the challenges
of this world."
"I. . .I understand," Kodachi whispered. "Very well, then: I'll aid my
sisters in Saffron's end."
Nodoka patted Kodachi on the back.
"Good girl," she cooed.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Family. Ain't it wunnerful ^_~?
C+C, everyone!
--Paul & Kenny