Freemage wrote:

 This is a dark story, with several sexually suggestive scenes,

And a really high body count.

                    ****************************
                    * Chapter Nineteen         *
                    * Rolling with the Punches *
                    ****************************

   Soun Tendou slowly allowed himself to unwind.  The steam, the
 heat of the furo and the wonderfully skilled way Kasumi
 manipulated the tight muscles under his skin all combined to
 drain every last bit of tension from his aching body.

   And replace it with an entirely new one.

   He could only hope she wouldn't notice his... condition.

Kasumi: Father. What is that thing sticking out of the water? It almost
periscope?

Soun: (blushes beet red) This is most embarrasing...but I can hide it from
you no longer. As my oldest daughter, you have a right to know, (allows
Kasumi to see what the 'periscope' is)

Kasumi: What a cute submarine! I didn't know you still played with bath
toys.



And just what the heck did you think it was going to be?! You're all a
bunch o' perverts! ^_^

   {That-that JERK!!  How dare he abandon us at a time like
 this!?  Nabiki's still going to need some recovery time after
 she gets back from the hospital tomorrow, his mother doesn't
 even know she's a widow, Daddy's a wreck....}  Her thoughts
 slowly came to a halt at that last idea.

   Her father _should_ have been a wreck, that was true, but...
 something was wrong. 

Ah. At last someone gets a clue.

Soun Tendou had been distraught, true, but
 certainly within the realm of a "normal" reaction.  {He must be
 getting better--or maybe he was just holding back the real
 waterworks so Auntie Saotome wouldn't figure out what was going
 on....}

   Eventually, the distraction from her grief provided by this
 train of thought allowed the emotionally exhausted young woman
 to drift off to sleep.

Too bad. She was starting to get close there.

   So, now that Akane--{And the others,} 

I think it would be okay to lose the thought brackets for this one.

she reminded himself

shouldn't that be 'herself'?

 forcibly--were out of the line of fire, she could focus on
 cracking the puzzle that surrounded this place.

   {But that'll have to wait til morning,} the redhead reminded
 herself 

two 'reminded herself's close together. I think I'd rewrod one.

   As he rested on the edge of the furo, she busied herself with
 cleaning up their robes from the far side of the room.  Her back
 was turned to him, and as she bent over, straight-legged, to
 pick up his gi, time seemed to slow as he contemplated her
 exposed backside.

   {take her}

Un oh! This isn't good. Of course Kasumi could also be the one in league
with the Illumanti, making this some kind of twisted trap.

   {you bluff  you find life too dear to throw it away in that
 fashion}  Despite the bravado of the words, their tone betrayed
 the anxiety of the "speaker" at having misjudged its quarry.

   {Try me and learn, Foul One!  I would not need to maintain the
 resolve for long, merely an hour or so.

Heh. Good point. 

   "Nabiki, Pop's dead."

   "What?!  Oh, Ranma... I--How?"

   "Sepukku."  The redhead uttered a derisive snort.  "Who'da
 thought he had it in him? 

If Nabiki (or anyone with IQ points) would take a look at what's been going
on the last...what, few days, they should be figuring out something is
terribly wrong here. Especially with the idea that Genma offed himself.
Everything's got to break soon.

   Ranma-chan nodded.  "Right.  Especially not her.  So I've
 moved out, and I'm hoping that whoever's targeting me will move
 on, too."

   Nabiki saw the flaw in the reasoning, and jumped at it with
 the speed of a cobra striking.  "But what if they don't?  What
 if they--whoever 'they' is--strike at the household again, while
 you're gone?"

Well, it's not like he's done a good job so far.

 when she was beat.  "I... care about Akane.  A lot.  I may even
 lo--you know--her.  As far as my 'intentions' go, if we ever get
 through this, I'm gonna follow through on the engagement,

Not that there are any rivals for his affections left anyway, which makes
me real suspicious as to what other motivations might be involved here.
Truthfully I'm surprised Ryouga's made it this far. Greasing him would be
just as easy as the others that don't usually live under the Tendo roof.
After all, they took out Cologne, so his abiltites shouldn't be a problem.
Aside from the fact splashing him with cold water downgrades his threat
scale to almost nothing. 

                          End Chapter 19

Author's Notes:

Originally, this was going to be a short chapter.  Then it grew to a 
really long chapter 

Beg your pardon?

(for me, at least).

Oh. 


Another good chapter, as always. Although I'm waiting for something else
major to happen soon. 

D.B. Sommer