Once upon a time, in a place that may or may not have ever actually
existed outside of my own head, there was a man who had far, far
too much time on his hands, and he was becoming rather bored.
Fortunately, this man commanded a rather large and powerful
Fanfic studio, based in a complex that was almost but not quite a
complete rip-off of the Biles' Story Command Center. And one day
he was surveying a room in his complex. It had a large movie
screen that was readily adapted for fic viewing, big, comfy plush
couches, snack-filled refridgerators, and two of the man's lackeys
were in it at the time, arguing over which one got the good couch.
The man had just finished watching a certain show featuring two
bickering robots and a human reviewing movies.
Suddenly, he had something to do with his spare time.
And just for the record, HE gets the good couch.
Submitted for your approval....
LST1/2K: Lunatic Science Theatre 500.
Starring, in no particular order....
Hikaru Gosunkugi: Yes, we KNOW we're portraying him OOC. We
just don't give a damn.
Mercutio: Whose quest for the ultimate tempban will never end.
Mackie Stingray: Obligatory pervert MST'er. You know how it is.
-Begin LST1/2K-
Mercutio: Allright kiddies, lets party! It's time for yet another
installment of.....
--------------------------------------------------
^_- I L L M E T B Y S T A R L I G H T ^_-
--------------------------------------------------
by Susan Doenime and Mike Loader
Mackie: Hey, wait a sec, if this is by Mike, shouldn't our review be
a 'Blame Mike Loader' Production?
Mercutio: Hmm. You DO have a point.
A 'Blame Mike Loader' Production.
Hikaru: Hold on; why should we blame Mike for our craziness? This
MST is the result of our own sad, sad natures.
A 'Don't Blame Mike Loader' Production.
Mackie: EVERYTHING crazy, sick, or messed-up in fanfiction is
Mike's fault! That's common knowledge!
A 'Blame Mike Loader' Production.
Hikaru: Hey, there are LOTS of crazy things that aren't Mike's fault!
A 'Don't Blame Mike Loader' Production.
Mercutio: Umm, no, not really. Remeber when he suckered
everybody into thinking that he and Lara Bartram were going to get married?
Hikaru: That was NOT his fault! Lara just forgot to change her
sigline after "A Faint Hope" came out!
A 'Blame Lara Bartram' Production.
Mercutio: But he didn't deny it either! We actually went out and
bought them a GIFT before we found out it was a sham! Plus, Tai
and Lawson and Zen helped them maintain the deception!!
A 'Blame the Other Writers' Production.
Mackie: Hang about. Mike and Lara..... AREN'T getting married?
Hikaru: No.
Mercutio: Not as such.
Mackie: So..... that would mean that Lara is available, right?
A 'Blame the Perverts' Production.
Hikaru: Oh, like YOU have a shot with her!
Mackie: Hey, I think we'd be cute together!
Mercutio: All RIGHT. Everybody shut UP. Here, how about this:
A 'You Might Want To Possibly Consider Blaming Mike And/Or Lara
For This, And Anybody Else You Think Might Be At Fault Like
Susan, But If Not, That's Okay' Production.
Hikaru: Sounds good.
Mackie: I can live with that.
Chapter 12 - The Tempest
Mercutio: You know, now would be a really really good time for an
actual quote from 'The Tempest', but I can't think of a damn thing.
Hikaru: Lost that "Complete Riverside Shakespeare" volume, eh?
Mercutio: Bite me, stick-boy.
The guilty get no sleep
In the last slow hours of morning
Experience is cheap
Should've listened to the warning
Into temptation
Safe in the wide open arms of Hell.
- Crowded House
Mackie: "....."
Hikaru: Ummmmm........
Mercutio: O....kay......
Jensson turned green, choked back a surge of vomit, and
once again staggered to the head. It wasn't easy; the deck was
doing a pretty good impression of a teeter-totter. He almost
wished the ship would just sink and put him out of his misery.
Another wave rocked the vessel, and he hastily retracted
the idea. Then he threw up.
Gleeful laughter came from a few bulkheads down. That
would be the weather researcher, delighted by the unexpected
squall. Stupid bastard probably didn't care if the damn thing
sent them to the bottom or not.
Mercutio: Ah-HA!!! So THAT'S where Kodachi's been for the
duration! At sea! I should've known!
He pitied the poor bastards in Japan, because that's
where the thing was heading. And it was going to be a lot
worse when it got there. This was just the fringe of it.
There would be at least one death, he supposed. It was a
big storm.
Mackie: It would appear that Mike & Susan's 'slightly rusty' irony is
making a comeback.
Jensson threw up again.
Hikaru: I didn't need to see that.
^_-
Ranma frowned slightly, then pressed down.
A shriek erupted from Kasumi's lips, and she tried vainly
to pull her hand away. Ranma's grip might as well have been
made of iron for all the good it did her.
"It's okay, Oneechan," Akane said, fighting down the urge
to cry. Kasumi's eyes fastened on her almost gratefully, the
stretched look of pain still trying to shape itself into a smile.
Akane felt ill; why could she just either be the same old
unflappable Kasumi, or a normal girl who'd just been hurt?
Mercutio: Because if she were, we'd be completely spared a
heartwrenching and dramatic internal monologue.
Mackie: Duh.
"Hmm. Very nice of her. And skillfully done, too." Ranma
glanced over to Akane. "Akane, I'm going to need you to hold
Kasumi's arms for me."
Nodding, Akane moved behind her older sister, embraced
her from behind, and looped her arms around Kasumi's, her
hands clamping down on wrists in a viselike grip. "Okay.
Ready."
"Akane... I don't know..." Kasumi's voice was as close to
shrill as she had ever heard it, and the arms she held began to
struggle.
"It's going to hurt a little, Oneechan, and then it'll be
better." It was just like when she hadn't wanted to take her
medicine when she was little, and Kasumi had to make her take
it. Only now it was the other way around, and she was the one
who knew best. Poor Kasumi.
"No... Akane, let go of me..."
Ranma smiled reassuringly at Kasumi, and stepped
forward. "Don't worry, Kasumi-san. I'm very good with
dislocations." His hand gently closed over hers. "This will hurt.
Go ahead and yell if you like. Try not to move too much."
"Akane... Akane, let go, please Akane..."
Ranma's hand closed.
"Hold her," Ranma said quietly. Akane's grip tightened
further, and she braced herself.
"No... no..."
A hideous grating sound, bone sliding against bone, and
suddenly Kasumi was screaming and struggling, fighting her
sister's grip. Akane bit her lip and held on, trying to keep
Kasumi from moving too much.
There was a sickening pop, and Kasumi went limp.
Hikaru: You have to wonder, why the hell would Akane let Ranma
do this sort of thing? He's not a doctor. He's probably never had
any kind of formal training in first aid outside of what you pick up in
martial arts. They've got good'ol Doc Tofu down the street. HE
should've been the one to do this.
Mackie: There are two very good reasons. One, this Akane is
completely and utterly without an ounce of common sense when it
comes to Ranma.
Mercutio: And Two, this is set in the Manga universe. Doctor Tofu
Falls Down an Open Sewer and Dies about halfway through. So
he's not around anymore.
"What... is she okay?" Akane asked, frightened. Her older
sister slumped back against her, murmuring in a low,
miserable whisper.
"Yeah. I popped the joint back in. It's gonna be stiff and
swollen for a while, but it'll be back to normal in a month or
two. Probably hurt a lot, though." He smiled slightly. "Kasumi's
not like us, and she doesn't know pain as well as we do. She'll
be fine, with a bit of rest."
"Did you hear that, Kasumi?" Akane said gently. "It's all
over. You don't have to do anything else."
Kasumi mumbled something inaudible, leaning against
her.
"Why don't you take her up to her room and tuck her back
into bed?" Ranma suggested, glancing towards the stairs. "I'm
gonna change back to male form, and then we can discuss this."
She nodded, and wrapped a comforting arm around her
sister's waist. "All right. Come on, Oneechan. You'll feel better
after some sleep."
A low whimper came from her sister's throat, and Akane
felt a bit of moisture form along the edge of one eye. "We're
going upstairs now, you and I. Up we go..." Slowly, allowing
Kasumi to lean on her, she guided her sister's unsteady legs up
the stairs, down the narrow hall, and into the clean, spotless
room.
Kasumi allowed herself to be put under the frilly sheets,
and stared at the ceiling, unblinking. For a short while, Akane
sat down next to her and held her hand.
"Close your eyes and go to sleep now, Oneechan," she
finally said. "You'll feel better tomorrow."
Her sister kept her eyes fixed on the irregular white
expance of the ceiling.
"I want Nabiki," she said.
Mackie: Don't we all. RRowwr. Hiss.
Mercutio: Thank you for that completely tasteless attempt to lighten
the mood there, Mackie.
Akane gave her hand a final squeeze, walked out the door,
down the stairs, and through the connecting hall to the dojo.
For a few seconds she simply stood in the long, darkened
training hall, breathing in and out.
Then she screamed, a long, painful shout of rage, and
slammed her fist down into a concrete block. It fell apart in
jagged fragments, clattering to the ground in a shower of dust
and pieces.
Mackie: Feisty. I like that.
Mercutio: Don't make me hurt you.
^_-
Ukyou woke, stretched, and groggily struggled out of her
futon. She couldn't remember the last time she had slept that
deeply; it was all she could do to keep her eyes open, and it
was almost nine already...
On the other side of the room, she saw Shan roll over,
mutter something in Chinese, and go back to clutching her
pillow. She chuckled; the bloodthirsty Amazon didn't look half
as fierce while asleep.
Picking up her own pillow, she tossed it at Shan's head.
"Up and at em, lady. We've overslept."
The Joketsuzoku snarled irritably, pushed the pillow
away, and then sleepily clambered out of her bedding. "Aiyah.
Is too early."
"Is almost nine. Get some clothing on."
Shan nodded sleepily. It was a good thing, Ukyou decided,
that she wasn't really a boy. Apparently the Amazon liked to
sleep in the nude.
Mercutio: Er, ah, Mackie, yer drooling on the sofa.
Mackie: Hunh? (whipes drool from chin) Oh, sorry. Just, y'know,
Shampoo, sleeping, not a stitch of clothing on, her soft.... feminine
curves.... covered only by.... thin blanket...... Owwwaaaaahhhhh
Hikaru: You're doing it again, perv-boy.
Mackie: It's a good fantasy, dammit!
Did Tsen?
Mackie: Well THAT pretty much killed my mood.
She irritably pushed the thought away. It had certainly
helped wake her up, though.
Ducking into the bathroom, she exchanged the clothing
she had slept in for a fresh boys' uniform. Maybe Shan had all
the natural modesty of a rabbit, but she had a gender to
conceal. And even if she didn't, she didn't think she would be
comfortable wandering around in the nude anyway.
Mackie: Who cares about YOU?! What about ME? What about MY
needs?
Mercutio: Your needs are illegal in thirty-seven diffferent countries.
Mackie: Thirty-six. Trinidad and Tobago count as one country.
As always, the chest bandage caused her to wince as she
retied it. Maybe when this mess had been settled... maybe after
everything was over, she could throw it away and just be a
woman again.
After Ranma and Akane were happy together.
She swore. Why the hell was she feeling so jealous?
Ranma wasn't exactly the ideal catch; he had some serious
problems that needed to be worked through. If it weren't for
the fact that she knew what he had been before, and for the
chemistry that she could feel between Akane and him... if it
weren't for that, she'd pity Akane.
At the same time, she had practically tried to screw him
in the bathing room the other day.
Mackie: Can we get a playback of the shower scene, please?
Hikaru & Mercutio: NO.
Damn it, she did feel something for him. But not love.
Affection, a little bit of raw lust mixed in - after yesterday,
that would be hard to deny - but not love.
So why did she feel almost resentful towards the two?
Maybe because they had something, and she didn't.
Because they had someone who really cared for them, and she
didn't. Because as messed up as Ranma was, she got the > feeling that he'd walk over hot coals for Akane, and vice versa.
Hkaru: Or possibly DRAG her over hot coals.
"Face it, girl, you're still just pissed that he ran out on
you," she told her reflection in the mirror. Then she brushed
her teeth.
After she had finished, she strolled out towards the
kitchen. Maybe Kasumi had already made breakfast.
She hadn't.
There were plates of... something... on the table. If
Kasumi had cooked it, Ukyou would eat her spatula.
Ranma and Akane were sitting at the table, staring
glumly at the food. She assumed it was food.
"Hi guys," she said brightly, falling into the male voice
almost unconsciously. "What's for breakfast?"
Gingerly, Ranma picked up a fork and poked the glop on
his plate. "Well... Akane tried, I give her that. And it's a pretty
complex recipe..."
"I'm the worst cook in the world," Akane burst out,
depression oozing from every pore. "I was trying to make
omelets, but I think the mayo went bad, and the chocolate
syrup caught fire as I was heating it..."
Mercutio: For those of you wondering, chocolate syrup and mayo
can be used in an actual omelette recipe. If you omit the mayo and
add extra syrup, it's even pretty good.
Hikaru: Merc, that was a lame joke.
Mercutio: I wasn't joking. They call it a chocolate omelette. There's
a restaurant nearby that serves it. The Village Cafe, Fairport, NY.
At least, I think they still serve it. it's been awhile.
Ukyou walked over and sniffed the glop. Her olfactory
buds withered.
^_-
They stood in the dojo, stance neutral, facing each other.
The morning light filtered down on them through the walls.
"Are you sure you're up to this, Ranchan?"
He gave a short bow.
The combat spatula swept up into a ready position.
Well.
She lashed out with a one-handed overhand swing, the
wide blade scything down towards his head. As it descended,
her free hand sent a barrage of throwing spatulas cutting
through the air - not towards him, but along the paths he
would need to take in order to dodge her main weapon.
Ranma stood there, allowing the shuriken spatulas to
pass him by. Then, just before the blade could touch him, he
sidestepped, grabbed, and twisted.
As she stumbled, gasping for breath, her legs were swept
out from under her. A foot planted in her stomach speeded her
descent to the mat.
Ukyou lay on the floor for a few seconds, retching from
the flour and the blow to the stomach, forcing herself not to
cry. Get revenge on Ranma. Spend your whole life training to
defeat the boy who left you. Gee, look how much good it had
done her - she had only been completely defeated in six
seconds.
"Another match?"
"You don't ever relax your damn guard, do you, Ranchan?
You have to trust someone sometime."
"Sometime. Not now."
She shrugged. "Akane would be a good start, you know."
Ranma gave her an odd look. "Maybe in the future."
Ukyou sighed. "Look, do you honestly think Akane would
ever try to hurt you?"
The crooked smile came out. "We'll see."
She threw her hands up in mock frustration. "Okay, okay.
One last thing, though... I understand you two are formally
engaged. Have you given any thought to making the > commitment more... I don't know... personal?"
His smile grew. "Yes. I've thought quite a bit about it."
"Good!" she said, pleased. "Gonna propose to her?"
"I'm going to seal things between us by the end of the
week. I've been looking forward to it."
"I can imagine," she said, trying to analyze where the
vague sense of wrongness she felt was coming from.
Mercutio: Oh gee. Could it possibly be the vague, ominous import
of his no-doubt carefully crafted non-response?
Hikaru: Either that, or Akane's cooking is still with her. Whichever.
Ranma studied her curiously. "And you don't object to
your fiancee choosing someone else?"
Ah, that would be it. "Not really," she said, flushing.
"Look, that thing in the bath... that was just something that had
been building for a long time. I guess I couldn't decide whether
or not I should love you or hate you."
He chuckled. "Which did you decide on?"
Ukyou smiled. "Neither. I'm going to count you as an old
friend, and enjoy seeing you and Akane together."
The smile that appeared was different from his usual
kind, was far more like the six-year-old she had known.
Wordlessly he hugged her, his head resting over her left
shoulder, his arms loosely around her torso.
"Just relax," she said soothingly, moving her hands up and
down along the back of his chest. "Relax. It's all right."
His head rose from her shoulder, and they looked at each
other for a long time. No masks, no illusions. She was
surprised by the pain, and by the fear. And something else,
which she could not put a name to. Some jagged need...
Slowly, she lifted his hand and placed it inside her tunic.
"She doesn't need to know."
It was an offer of comfort. There would be no
commitment, no promise of a relationship, no request to build
new ties or break old ones. It was simply an offer to be less
alone and hurt for the moment, together, and they both knew it.
Mackie: Ah, comfort sex. Gotta love it.
Hikaru: Oh, like YOU'D know anything about it.
Mackie: Hey, I'll have you know that the phenomenon known as
'comfort sex' is a fairly well-documented and commonly used plot
device. Examine, if you will, Misato's aborted proposition to Shinji
in Ep. 23 of Evangelion, and you'll find tha-
Mercutio: Thaaaaaaat's enough. Gos, stop baiting Mackie. Mackie,
you can give us your lecture on the History of Perversion in Eastern
Entertainment later. (pause) And besides, she hit on the penguin
immediatly after, so it doesn't count.
^_-
Koji had known Nabiki.
Akane sighed. He had obviously known her very well. His
hurt was not quite as raw as her own had been - how could it
be? - but the sight in that room had caused him a great deal of
pain.
He might have been one of her friends or connections.
Nabiki, she knew, had acquaintances from America to Zaire
who she kept in contact with via letters and email. "Business
is connections," she remembered her sister telling her once,
"And the more people you know, the bigger you are. I'm going to
cultivate my contacts before they become rich and famous. And
some of them will, believe me."
Although Koji didn't strike her as the sort Nabiki would
associate with. He was about as likely to be a future leader of
business as Kasumi was.
There was one area - one horribly plausible area - which
made perfect sense, though. And that was the business of
Ranma. The business of getting rid of Ranma.
Akane shuddered. No, Nabiki would never do that... she
didn't like Ranma, that had been clear, but to help kill him...
"Hey. You okay?"
Ranma walked slowly into the entry hall, the dim light
pooling around him. She sagged, looking up at him with tired
eyes.
"I just got back from the hospital. Ranma... I found Koji in
her room, crying. She knew him. I think she was working with
him."
He sighed, a long, slow, sad sound, and nodded. "She was."
Akane stared at him, a sick feeling building in the pit of
her stomach. "You knew?"
His eyes refused to meet hers. "She... she was helping
them. The Ooni Temple was her plan, and she and Tsen were > the ones who arranged the trap at the Ichishi Building..."
Mercutio: I like how even Ranma buys into the "Nabiki: All Powerful
Puppet Master" stereotype by assuming that everything is her doing.
It helps to illustrate that he's NOT the omnipotent badass supervillain
he's been cast as so far.
"Why didn't you tell me?" she said numbly. Nabiki, poor
Nabiki, Nabiki the attempted murderer and person who had
kidnapped her... her sister... how could she...
Ranma met her eyes. "After the accident... I didn't want
to hurt you. She was your sister, and I wanted you to remember
her for the good things."
"Good things," she repeated dully.
"She did... she did love you, you know."
"I know," she said, tears sliding down her cheeks. "I'm
sorry, Ranma, I can't blame her, I can't hate her, I love her too
much and now she's gone..."
He hugged her fiercely. "You don't have to hate her. No-
one's asking you to."
Lightning flooded the hall with light, and a crash of
thunder echoed through the hall, ringing in her ears long after
the noise had faded. She leaned against his body, tears
coursing silently down, trying to push away the feelings of
betrayal. Nabiki...
"I love you," she finally whispered, the words meant both
for Ranma and her sister.
His arms tightened around her torso, and he met her gaze,
his eyes burning pools, reflecting her own.
"Tonight."
Mercutio: The night! The BEAUTIFUL night!
Hikaru: Uh-uh. And what if Biles happens to read that.
Mercutio: Bite me, stick-boy.
^_-
The waves roared.
Tsen was getting tired.
But the top was in sight. Just a few more feet...
He reached for the next handhold, and then a wave
slammed into him from the side, and he lost his grip.
There was a moment of sheer terror as he fell,
weightless, and then a hand clamped around his arm, pulling
him into the cliff. As he hit, he grabbed for a handhold,
ignoring the coral that bit into his skin.
Ukyou, off balance from his grab, cried out and fell.
With all his strength, Tsen swung out in a kick, aiming
his leg towards the other boy's falling body. Ukyou saw it,
reached out, and clamped his hands around the limb.
The fall had set them back a few feet; but from their
new position, he could make out a opening in the rock. Bone
tired, knowing that he would lose his grip as soon as the
adrenaline rush began to fade, he climbed for it as quickly as
possible.
The opening turned out to be the mouth of a cave.
It was damp inside, but relatively dry. Tsen didn't think
that the water would rise this high; it would probably be safe
to stay here.
"We... we wait here," he mumbled, a bit woozy from the
exertion and the fear. "Til storm gone."
He was somewhat surprised when the other boy placed a
hand on his arm. "Hey. Thanks for saving my life."
"You save mine first." Which was the truth. Ukyou had
done what a man should do, putting his life down for a comrade
without thought or hesitation... so much different from the
soft city people...
They were looking at each other now, and he felt a
certain stirring in him.
Mackie: Helloooooooo, what have we here? Looks like a little
pseudo-yaoi action.
Was this wrong? He wasn't a man.. well, he was, but he
wasn't... No! He was a warrior of the Joketsuzoku and NOT a
man, despite law and curse and anything else... a woman...
He leaned forward and gave Ukyou a quick peck on the
lips. There.
Mackie: Let the release of sexual tension BEGIN!
Something odd moved in Ukyou's face, but he did not move
away. Instead a hand reached out to move along Tsen's chest,
tracing the flat muscle... wrongly flat...
Frustrated by the urges his body was sending him, he
leaned forward aggressively and kissed Ukyou again, not a peck
this time but a hard, full thing. It was returned and the kiss
became an embrace.
The cave seemed to dim about him as the unfamiliar
urges became a screaming need, hormones and adrenaline and
fatigue bearing them both to the floor of the cavern. In a fog he
felt his clothing fall away, felt Ukyou grasp him, guiding him
inside. As he entered her he dimly became aware that the
person under him was no man, but by then such distinctions
had ceased to matter. Frantically he thrust over and over and
over again, heard Ukyou make soft cries as he bore down,
mindless, controlled solely by instinct and need and reflex...
There was an eruption of some sort, his body went taut
and convulsed, and then he felt himself falling, falling into a
moist, wet, watery blackness at the bottom of the ocean. And
then there was nothing.
Hikaru: And thus we witness the fine art of writing a lemon scene
that isn't REALLY a lemon scene.
Mackie: I hate that art.
^_-
Akane lay in bed, half-asleep, unable to take the final
step into slumber.
Tea in the afternoon, as the rain poured down outside.
Warm, steaming bowls swirled slowly, sipped, the hot liquid
savored. Wind and rain and thunder outside, unable to enter,
their very presence making the house seem warmer.
An offered bowl, the ritual examining of tea leaves, an
offhand joke. A easy, happy laugh.
Sitting together, no tension, just warm tea and rain and
a cozy room.
Dinner, Kasumi almost cheerful again, the dinner made by
three people. Chopping vegetables. An onion, juggled to > impress her. A sheepish look when it fell.
Hikaru: Now would've been a perfect spot for Ranma's patented
knife trick.
And then to bed.
Tonight.
What did it mean? She had nodded when he spoke the
word. Tonight. What did she mean? What did she want it to
mean?
Mercutio: Geez, Akane, buy a CLUE. Twelve Chapters, and so far
all the salient plot foreshadowings have flown WAY over your head.
She closed her eyes.
Tea in bowls, and the patter of rain on the window.
Tonight.
She opened her eyes, knowing, and looked up. A shadow
stood at the foot of her bed.
Lightning, and before the thunder pealed, Ranma. In a
light robe of white linen, the outline of his form clear beneath
it.
He stepped forward, the robe rustling softly, and climbed
to the surface of the bed. She watched as he made his way
forward on his knees, arms and legs on either side of her, until
his face hung in shadow before hers.
He lowered himself down onto her, and kissed her.
Akane let her hands move under the robe, brushing across
his skin, and one by one the buttons of her top were removed.
The lips were moved to her right breast, and she gave a low
sound of pleasure, watching him in the flashes of light from
the storm.
The robe fell away, ripped by her hands, and she felt her
pajama bottoms be pulled away. Ranma raised himself, and in a
swift stroke of lightning she saw what protruded from
between his legs, daggerlike.
Mackie: I could've done without THAT simile, than you very much.
He pushed down, and entered her.
The pain was minimal. Years of daily highkicks had long
since removed the obstruction. What discomfort there was
seemed to add spice to the incredible sensation, as their
bodies began to move, and the thunder echoed, and the wind
howled and shrieked above their cries...
At last, she thought, the world thrusting into her, filling
her, impaling her. At last.
Mercutio: For the record, according to Mike, the alternate title for
this is "Chapter 12: Everybody Copulates Like Bunnies." (pause)
Maybe this should have been a 'Blame Mike Loader' Production,
after all.
^_-
Tsen woke.
For a long time he knew nothing, stared in disorientation
at the rock about him, the lightning searing occasional flashes
into the cave. And then he looked down at the woman beneath
him, the woman he was still mounted upon, the woman whose
legs enfolded his in the embrace of lovemaking.
The woman.
Ukyou was a woman.
Mercutio: It's not a man, it's a mask, baby!
Mackie: Oh sure, call ME a pervert, then turn around and rip off
Austin Powers. THAT'S fair.
He had done THAT with a woman.
Mackie: Stop complaining, dammit!! You SCORED! You should be
happy!
A sob escaped from his lips. That was it, then. He was
male. He had rutted like a man with the first woman he could
get alone, emptied his seed into her, and fallen asleep. Just
like a man.
Jyusenkyou had won.
Hikaru: Ranma holds out for several years: Shampoo buckles in
a matter of months. THAT makes a lot of sense.
Some things are worse than death, Cologne laughed in his
mind, sneering at her great-grandson. You may find this one of
them.
^_-
Thunder rumbled, low and sullen in the distance, and his
eyes flicked open.
Akane lay nestled in the curve of his side, the dim light
playing across her nude form. They had slept and woke four
times, the moans giving way to the breathing of sleep, moving
together in a haze of sleep. Like a long dream.
His hand stroked lightly through her hair.
They were young, and as fit as anyone their age could be,
and their lovemaking had been much like their sparring
sessions.
Mackie: Would it KILL them to give some details?
Mercutio: You really want an answer to that?
She smiled slightly in her sleep as his hand slipped down
along her neck, tracing the curve of it.
The rain had pounded an accompaniment.
His hand softly formed a semicircle around her throat,
his fingertips brushing lightly against the hollows of it.
Slowly, gently his other hand moved to trace the inside of her
thigh, lingering briefly among the short, tangled hair.
His eyes glowed with something, and his heartbeat
quickened.
Second by second, with infinite slowness, his hand
tightened. Its mate moved up along her stomach, tracing along
the muscles, until it came to lie above her heart. To feel the
beating of it.
His breath came shallow and fast, his eyes widened
slightly. Muscles tensed.
Akane gave a soft sigh, stirring in her sleep, and pressed
against him.
His hand tightened, tensed, and then slipped away from
her throat. His ring finger lingered for a second on the very
hollow of her neck, feeling the veins and arteries pulse
beneath the skin, and then moved on to stroke her hair.
Ranma smiled, relaxed, and waited.
Hikaru: This is REALLY starting to resemble a curious amalgam of
Basic Instincts and Fatal Attraction.
^_-
Ukyou awoke, cold and stiff, and smiled. Last evening...
Maybe it had been unplanned, at the spur of the moment,
and unadvised, but it had been incredible. And she couldn't help
but feel it marked the end of her decade-long life as a boy. No
more bandage. Not more pretending. She was a woman.
She stood up, and froze.
"Good morning," Mariko said, smiling in a friendly
fashion. "You've just won an all-expence paid trip to an island
resort. I'd advise coming quietly."
"I promise not to hurt Ranma or Akane," Shan Pu told her,
eye shining with a cold, hard light. "Not say anything about
lying bitch."
Mercutio: Well, you know what they say: we always hurt the ones
we love.
Ukyou shrugged. "Guess I have no choice."
She stood up, arranged her clothing, and then whipped her
spatula around in an arc.
There was a scream, the spurting of blood, and a brief
glimpse of Shan holding her hand, screaming in fury and pain.
And then Mariko's umbrella slammed into the side of her head,
and all was blackness.
^_-
It was the day after, and Akane was walking.
She had woken up in his arms, the air clean and fragrant,
the sparrows in the yard calling to each other. She couldn't
imagine a better way to awaken.
It was the most wonderful thing, and it would be hers
forever. He would be hers.
Nerima was clean, silent, cleansed by the storm. Fallen
branches lay on normally immaculate lawns as she passed, the
air still, charged, waiting. It was like the first day of
creation, unsullied and new. A new life.
She would leave Nerima today. For a long, long time. This part > of her life was over. She had passed a threshold, and now
her fate and Ranma's were irrevocably joined. They would
stand or fall together, for the rest of their lives.
"Tendo Akane?"
She turned.
"I've got a package for you," said Hikaru. "It's from your
sister. From Nabiki."
-< End of Chapter 12 >-
Mercutio: Enter the incredibly convenient plot device! What lies
inside the mystery box?
Hikaru: Go Hikaru, with the last-minute save! You the MAN!
Mackie: Of, you're just happy because somebody with your name
actually has a backbone and cunning.
Hikaru: Hey, the Voodoo counts as cunning.
Coming Soon: the finale of Ill Met By Starlight
Chapter 13 - The End of the Matter
Hikaru: Seems a shame to end it. I was really starting to get into
this.
Mercutio: Don't worry; IMBS will live on in crossover and
elseworlds form.
C&C Welcomed.
-End LST1/2K-
Reviewers Notes: Just to clear up some details, the omelette scene
was NOT a joke. There is such a thing as a chocolate omelette,
and it is served at the aforementioned restaurant. There's been
some confusion over that.
I also was not kidding when I mentioned that Mackie and Lara
would be a cute couple. I think it would work. The idea popped into
my head when I met Lara (briefly) at Otakon, and would not go
away.
Stop staring at me, dammit! Thay WOULD!! Think about it!! Really,
think hard!
I have to run now, before evil Lara from Dojo Raider II comes and
does things to me.
