As promised, here's the first of the Illuminations series.  You'll be
getting a lot of these over the next several days, but I'll combine
what I can....

Warning! This fic contains gratuitous Panda abuse.


  OK.  I've done the C&C, I've done the Spamfic, I've done the
Shortfic.  Now it's time to get off my back and begin posting
Illuminations, in the vague hope that it might actually merit some
comment.  Here goes nuthin'!

  DiScLaImEr:  Rumiko Takahashi and a bunch of rich corporations own
all the characters in this fic.  My use of them in no way is meant to
undermine those claims, and suing me would be a huge waste of time.
If, for some reason, you actually think this meager tribute to RT's
genius deserves to be further distributed, you may do so, so long as
you: a) reprint this disclaimer; b) give me credit (blame?) for the
story and; c) don't actually sell it (Yeah, like that's a concern!).
And now, on with the fic.

*****************
* Illuminations *
*****************

**************************
* A Ranma 1/2 Fanfiction *
**************************

***************
* By Freemage *
***************

*Author's Note:  This story draws on both the anime and the manga.
 For continuity purposes, it should be noted that:  Ryouga and Ranma
 have each mastered their ki-blasts;  Nodoka is unaware of Ranma &
 Genma's curses and Akari and Tarou are not here.  This is a dark
story,
 with several sexually suggestive scenes, although no outright Lemon
 scenes.  If such material offends or disturbs you, please consider not
 reading this story--Unless, of course, you like being offended and/or
 disturbed....

  Thoughts are denoted by {X}.
  Panda Signs and text are denoted by [X].*

********************
* Hints & Portents *
********************

    It was quiet at the Tendou household--unsurprising, since
 everyone had been up late the night before, after Ranma had
 made a particularly cutting remark about Akane's cooking. 
 That, in and of itself wouldn't have been so bad--maybe an
 hour or two's argument, at most.

    But then he had recommended using it as "pig remover". 
 The second insult to her cooking, coupled with the implied
 threat to P-Chan, was enough to get Akane *really* mad. 

    The clean-up after the dust had settled took almost as
 long as it took Kasumi to bandage up Ranma's injuries.  It
 would be hours before anyone felt like moving--or almost
 anyone.

    The silence was perfect for Nabiki's purposes.  {Oh,
 yeah,} she thought to herself as she passed down the silent
 halls, clutching a small package, {This little baby's gonna
 be the best investment I ever made...}.

    Quietly slipping into the bathroom, she set to work--
 drilling holes, replacing caulking and running cords
 through the floor.  Finally she sat back with a pleased
 smirk.  Kunou-baby would pay dearly for the photos that this
 rig-up was going to get, and she might even get a few that
 would interest Kodachi, as well.

    Thinking about Kunou and his fixation on Akane caused a
 brief twinge of...Better to not think of that.  {Can't let
 emotions get the better of my business instincts, right?
 After all, a girl's got to pay her expenses.}

    Carefully cleaning up all traces of her work, Nabiki
 moved quietly back to her room.

  ********************************************************
  
    Ranma groaned, gently easing stiff muscles through their
 morning routines.  Why did his primary fiancee have to be
 such a tomboy?  {Why can't she be a regular girl, with
 just a hint of cooking skills?  Does she seriously expect
 anyone to eat her food when she can't even tell the
 difference between soy sauce and vanilla extract?  And as
 for `P-Chan'....}

    Sighing, he slipped into his clothes and, grabbing his
 books, winced his way down the stairs to breakfast.

  ********************************************************
   
    Akane and Ranma approached the school quickly.  As usual,
 they were running late, and neither of them felt they had
 time to deal with Kunou this morning.

    Curiously enough, they didn't have to.  "Blue Thunder",
 as he (and only he) called himself, was nowhere to be seen.
 Not so much as a bouquet of roses or cute little dolly
 barred their way.

    They were so pleasantly surprised by this that they
 didn't even take the opportunity to use the time to
 continue the previous night's argument.

  ********************************************************

    Kunou's face tightened as he regarded the shadowed figure
 in front of him.  "I know what the deal was," he said
 through clenched teeth.  Had his classmates heard him, they
 would have been surprised at the absence of overblown
 purpled prose, not to mention the missing classical quotes.

    "I'm telling you, I can't do it any longer.  If I don't
 tell someone the truth soon, I think it will burst from
 my chest, like something out of one of those American
 horror movies."

    An even, relaxed (if slightly mocking) voice responded
 from the shadows.  "Relax, `Kunou-Baby'." Kunou flushed at
 the words.  "You want out, you're out.  No trouble.  My
 plans no longer require your aid.  Just remember, our deal
 has to remain secret.  Got it?"

    Relief surged across Kunou's face and through his body.
 "You may rest assured, I will not reveal our dealings."

    As he walked out of the motel room, a finger drew a line
 across the desk, wood curling up in the perfectly manicured
 nail's wake, leaving a gouge in the polished surface.

    {No, `Kunou-Baby', I'm sure you won't.}

  ******************************************************** 

                        End Prologue


                      *********************
                      * Chapter One       *
                      * Crossing the Line *
                      *********************

    Kodachi worked hard at her spot in cooking class, mixing
 up a new brew that was sure to make Darling Ranma hers, and
 hers alone.  The other girls gave her a wide berth, having
 learned by painful, and often humiliating, experience that
 when Kodachi had *that* look on her face, you got out of
 the way--and stayed there.

    The school nurse came in, and told her that she had a
 phone call from the hospital--something about a sick aunt.
 Kodachi sighed, knowing that this had to be another of her
 "patron's" ruses, for she had no aunts.  Still, she had
 yet to regret following the advice of this mysterious
 person who gave her helpful information from time to time.

    Following the nurse back to the office, Kodachi picked
 up the phone.  Before she could even say hello, the oh-so-
 familiar voice at the other end started speaking.  By the
 time it finished, a black cloud had descended over Kodachi's
 heart, and, as she left the office, she headed, not back to
 her cooking class (the fumes that came from the boiled-over
 pot would, shortly, render every girl and teacher in the
 room a complete amnesiac), but to the locker room.

    She was going to need every one of her tools for this
 task.

  ********************************************************

    Akane sat at her desk, barely even hearing the drone of
 her history teacher's voice as he discussed in excruciating
 detail some minor battle from Japan's medieval period.  She
 almost broke out in tears when she thought of Ranma's 
 taunts from the night before.

    How could he?  {Just because I'm not as good a cook as
 Kasumi, does that mean he has the right to accuse me of
 trying to poison the household?  Why can't he always be
 like he was over the weekend, when everyone else was out
 of the house?}

    They had sat, watching TV and playing Go, and had had a
 really nice time.  It might have even started to be more
 than that, if P-Chan hadn't returned from one of his long
 disappearances.  Couldn't Ranma be happy that she was happy
 her pet was back?  But no, Ranma had to start yelling and
 ranting, and getting Akane all upset.

    Probably just as well.  After all, the jerk had shown
 his true colors again last night--She couldn't trust him
 not to hurt her when he always talked like that.

    Akane tried desperately to at least look like she was
 paying attention.

  ********************************************************

    In the cafeteria, Ranma overheard a couple of the
 students talking:

    "You say you saw Kunou this morning?"

    "Yeah, but when I called to him, he just blew right
 past me like I wasn't even there--And he was heading the
 wrong way, too."

    "I always thought it was only a matter of time before
 he wigged out."

    "Yeah, well, don't tell anyone I said this, but he
 looked like he was scared."

    "Scared?  Who the heck could scare that megalomaniac?"

    "I dunno, but I sure wouldn't want to cross them..."

    Ranma passed on by, considering.

  ********************************************************

    That evening, Kasumi served one of her specialities, and
 everyone raved over it.  Akane had to restrain herself from
 letting the contrast get to her, especially when Ranma
 shoved P-Chan away from his plate, shouting at the little
 piggy, "Get your own food!"  It looked like he was
 considering making a crack about Akane's cooking, but then
 changed his mind.

    Kasumi announced that the hot water was out, again, but
 rather than run the risk of returning to the public baths
 (Soun sometimes woke in the middle of the night still,
 quivering in a cold sweat at the memory), they all agreed
 to heat the water over a fire outside, and have either
 Ranma or Akane bring the water in to the bather.

    Ranma grumbled about being a waterboy, while Genma, in
 unusual form even for him, put forth on the virtues of
 labor to a martial-arts student, and on how Ranma should
 study the way the water swirled in the bucket and see how
 to apply it to his techniques.
  
    Ranma managed to hold out for almost an hour of this
 before booting Genma into the pond, making him a blissfully
 mute Panda once more.

    Of course, everyone had left the house on various
 errands before Ranma and Akane realized that this
 arrangement meant they would have to pour for one another.

    After a few uncomfortable moments, a couple of awkward
 comments and a quick fight, Akane stormed out to go see if
 she could impose on Ukyou.  As she left she thought she
 heard the jerk calling P-Chan, but then realized that
 that made no sense whatsoever, so she ignored it.

    When she got back, she felt much better.  The bath had
 helped, and Ukyou was fun to be around when she wasn't
 trying to steal Ranma from Akane.  {Not that I'd mind if she
 did,} Akane forcibly reminded herself.

    The house quiet, although she could hear the sounds of
 sparring in the dojo.  She walked over, and was pleased to
 see that Ryouga had found his way back.  Of course, he and
 Ranma were going at it hammer and nails, but even they 
 didn't seem to be actually trying to hurt one another, for
 once.

    She thought about that for a minute, then realized it
 would be better if they didn't know she was back.  Slipping
 quietly back to her room, she went to bed, exhausted.  On
 the edge of sleep, she thought she heard Kodachi's laughter
 in the distance, but the sound faded too quickly for her to
 be concerned.

  ********************************************************

    Kunou walked through the darkened streets, a bouquet of
 red roses in one hand and his ever-present bokken in the
 other.  He had spent the day considering his options, and
 had finally reached a conclusion:  {Deal or no deal, I must
 come clean.  If my love is to be real, it cannot be based
 on a lie.

    He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't see her
 standing on the wall until she spoke:  "Travelling late
 tonight, Brother Dearest?"

    Kodachi.  Trouble.

    Looking up, a slithering beast working its way through
 his innards even before his head finished its ascent, his
 eyes landed first on the hoop, the pins, the ribbon.

    Armed.  Definitely trouble.

    Then she moved, graceful, catlike, out of the shadow of
 the tree which had served to hide her from the light of
 both moon and street lamp, and he realized that she was not
 wearing her traditional battle-leotard, nor, indeed,
 anything at all.

    Trouble of the worst sort.

    He tried to be firm, to send his words piercing through
 the madness that he could see in her eyes, obscuring the
 gentle, hurt soul he knew to be there.

    "Your mode of dress is inappropriate for a public
 appearance, Sister."  Inwardly, he offered a silent prayer
 to whatever powers would listen to a wretch like himself.

    "Oh, Brother Dearest?  You found it quite becoming,
 once upon a time.  Have things really changed so much
 between us?"  she spat out, her eyes narrowing to mere
 slits.  "Has the hold of that Tendou Bitch so gripped you
 that you can look upon me and feel nothing?"  The words
 came from Kodachi's crimson lips in a torrent, stinging him
 like angry hornets even as they triggered a flood of
 memories.

  ********************************************************

    Four years ago.

    An innocent prank on his much-loved sister, surprising
 her when she came out of the shower.  Noticing for the first
 time the differences between their bodies.

    Mutual questions, gentle teasing.

    Curious touches, probing.

    Passion.  Short, gasping breaths.  First sweat, then
 tears, then, finally, blood.  Terror that he had hurt her,
 relief when she told him it was alright, Mother had told her
 about this before she died.

    Father walking in.

    Furious. Convinced, for some deep-seated reason that
 would have challenged Freud, that it was all Kodachi's
 fault.  Screaming that it was her witch-black hair that
 had driven his son to commit this unspeakable act.

  *******************************************************
    
    Kodachi made a small movement, bringing him back from
 horrific past to terrifying present.  A quick gesture was
 all it took for Kodachi to send her wig curling through the
 air and into the street.  Tatewaki flinched at the sight
 of the scars on her scalp.

    Shaving had not been enough to satisfy Father.  He had
 thrown in electrolysis for good measure.

    "Kodachi, I..."
  
    "You what, Brother Dearest?  You are sorry?  When you
 tell the Tendou bitch you love her, will you also tell her
 of our `relationship'?  How will you explain my visit to
 that `clinic' after Father realized that there were more
 lasting effects of our encounter?  Will you tell her of
 the nights thereafter, when you came into my room, to...
 comfort me?"  Kodachi slipped down off the wall, landing
 with her usual feline precision.

    "Did you think I would do nothing while you left me?  Do
 you think it will be even a moment before she tells her
 sisters, or my darling Ranma?  Am I to lose both my loves
 to the Tendou Dojo at the same time?"  Her voice cracking,
 Kodachi slumped to her knees on the concrete.

    Pity and guilt overwhelmed Tatewaki, and he let his
 guard down, approaching her with compassion in his eyes.

    A mistake.

    Kodachi had completed the move before he even saw it
 start.  A small dart, cupped in the palm of her hand, flew
 out and pricked the skin of his neck.  Before he had even
 recognized the nature of the threat, he fell to his knees,
 his breathing labored.

    He fell back, barely even feeling it when his head
 struck the curb.  Blood trickled down the gutter as Kodachi
 pressed her lips to his, and as the darkness closed around
 him, it seemed that the sound of his poor, broken sister's
 laughter would follow him down into the endless sea of black
 nothingness.

   As he slipped into unconsciousness, he managed to utter,
 for the first and last time, "I love you, Nabiki..."

  ********************************************************

   Kodachi's mad laughter rolled through the streets, and
 only one set of lips, the same pair which had spoken to her
 on the phone, smiled at the sound.

  ********************************************************

   The Chinese ship sailed into Tokyo's harbor.  Clad in the
 manner of his nation's military, the man on the prow hoped
 he had not come too late to undo the damage he had wrought.

  ********************************************************

                        End Chapter One


                         ****************
                         * Chapter Two  *
                         * Heaven Cries *
                         ****************

    The casket slowly sank into the ground, rain spattering
 as it struck the lid.  As it passed the lip of the grave,
 Kodachi threw a single black rose across the top.

    The Tendou/Saotome clan watched in silence, still stunned
 by Kunou's sudden death.  Akane clutched P-Chan on her lap,
 and neither of them objected to the arm that Ranma had
 draped over her shoulder, while the other held an umbrella
 over all three.

    {Man,} thought Ranma, {I never would have thought he'd
 be the first to go.  Poor Kodachi, finding him in the gutter
 like that.  This is just the kind of thing that could push
 her over the edge for good.}

    Kodachi passed by the other mourners, her eyes briefly
 meeting Ranma's.  He was chilled by what he saw there.  No
 despair, not even grief.  He couldn't even have called it
 attraction.  It was more like pure, animal lust.  Then she
 broke the connection, stepped into the limo, and was gone.

    Akane had felt his arm tense, until it felt like there
 were a bunch of strained steel coils across her shoulders.
 She looked up to see what had caused such violent emotion,
 and she, too had seen the...the *hunger* in Kodachi's eyes.

    Most of the rest of the mourners walked back in twos and
 threes, and no one noticed that only Nabiki had stayed
 behind, standing in the rain.

    Alone at last, the tears--tears she had held back since
 Kasumi had first brought the news--now flowed freely, as
 her shoulders heaved with the force of her sobs.  She
 slowly slipped to her knees, her cries muffled by the
 endless patter of the rain, which seemed to her like the
 tears of heaven itself.

    {Oh, Kunou-Baby, how could you let this happen?}

  ********************************************************

    The worst of all was that they had been so close to
 breaking the walls that had stood between them.  She had
 gone to the place where his body had fallen, and found the
 bouquet where it had blown under a bush.

    The card in Kunou's handwriting--Nabiki made a study of
 just about everyone's handwriting, you never knew when 
 something like that could come in handy--The card had said
 so little, yet so much.

    "To Nabiki, my one, and only, love--Kunou"

  ********************************************************

    It took a while, but routine finally settled into the
 Tendou Dojo again.  Kodachi had not been seen for a week,
 now, and Ranma had shaken off that feeling of dread.

    The phone rang, and Nabiki answered before anyone else
 had even moved.  She spoke quietly so that Soun and Genma
 would not overhear (The rest of the house was eating at
 Ukyou's tonight).

    "Yes, I know."  Pause.  "Can't it wait, just this once?"
 Another pause.  "No, I don't mean that."  A grimace. 
 "Alright, just give me little more time, OK?"

    Nabiki had to retain every bit of self-control in order
 to keep from slamming down the phone.  {Why this, why
 *now*?} she thought despairingly.

  ********************************************************

    One year before Ranma arrived at the Tendou Dojo.

    Nabiki found the flyer offering big bucks for teenage
 models in the morning mail.  Christmas was around the
 corner, and she could really use the money.  Making up her
 mind, she headed down to the studio, where she joined a line
 of about fifty other girls.  She was one of the few to make
 the final cut.
    
    The photographer (a woman) had been delighted to see her,
 saying she was perfect, and laying on all sorts of flattery.
 The photographer was very patient and careful in explaining
 everything, and started Nabiki out in summer dresses and
 fur coats.

    As she got more comfortable in front of the camera, they
 worked her up to mini-skirts and backless evening dresses.
 Then the photographer said she paid more for swimwear shots.

    The money was right, and after all, Nabiki might even get
 to keep a few of the suits, too--although she had to admit,
 a few of the ones the older woman came out with were a bit
 more revealing than Nabiki had expected.

    After an hour or so, the photographer wrapped up the
 shoot, and said she could come back next week, too.  The
 cash felt good in her hand, and she quickly agreed.

    She decided not to tell Soun just yet, because she
 wanted to surprise everyone after it was all over.

    When she got back to the studio, she was surprised to
 see that they were the only ones there.  The photographer
 explained that Nabiki was the only model she needed, making
 the girl's head swell with pride.

    They started right in with the swimming suits this time,
 by mutual agreement.  Several of these were even skimpier
 than the first batch, including more than a few thongs.  The
 lights were really hot, but there were plenty of bottles
 of mineral water--Nabiki thought they tasted a little odd,
 but the cold liquid was really good under those lights.

    Then came the next offer:  Even more money in exchange
 for lingerie shots.  Nabiki was unsure, but the photographer
 made so much sense when she pointed out that the underwear
 actually covered more than some of the suits she had been
 wearing, so what was the big deal?

    Her thinking was a little fuzzy by now--{Must be the
 lights}, and it was hard for her to think of any convincing
 counterarguments.  So she agreed.

    After getting her relaxed, the photographer picked up the
 pace gradually, forcing Nabiki to make faster and faster
 clothing changes between shoots.  The only way she could get
 breaks was to ask for more mineral water, which she needed
 anyway.

    Of course, she wasn't completely oblivious, and was not
 particularly surprised when the subject of nude photos was
 brought up.  To this, fuzzy head or no, she had answered in
 a firm negative.  The photographer just chuckled, and told
 her to look down.

    Nabiki was shocked to realize that the bra and panties
 she had on (and, as she looked around in dismay, several of
 the previous ones as well) were so sheer that they seemed
 more indecent than plain nudity would have been.

    That was when she started to panic.  She threatened to
 tell her father, and had been even more frightened when the
 photographer just laughed.

    "And when he gets here, along with the police or
 whoever, do you know what he'll find?  An empty studio,
 rented in the name of someone who doesn't exist.  But cheer
 up, maybe I can send a few of the pics to your school for
 their yearbook."

    Nabiki realized she was trapped.  In exchange for the
 negatives for the lingerie pics, she agreed to do some
 "body-only" nude shots.  She didn't even protest when the
 photographer joined her in front of the automatic camera
 for some "bonus shots", although the touch of the woman's
 hands and the feel of her tongue made her want to vomit.

    But she did get the negatives, and she made sure the
 camera was always low enough that it missed her face.  She
 was such a fool.

    It was less than three weeks later that she got the
 package.  In it were pictures from the shoot, but taken from
 further back, apparently from a concealed camera.  The pics
 showed everything, including her face.  She had barely
 recovered from the shock when the phone rang.

    The obviously disguised voice laid out very simple terms:
 She could either make regular ``security deposits'' on the
 more explicit shots, or they would be made available to the
 male population of Furinkan High, and to her father as well.

    "But look at the bright side--At least you won't have
 trouble finding someone willing to `date' you," the voice
 had mocked.

    She broke down, and had asked how she was supposed to get
 that kind of money.  The voice had been impatient:  "The
 same way I'm getting it from you."  It had gone on to
 explain that many of the students at Furinkan would pay
 dearly for photos of Akane while she was sleeping...

  ********************************************************

    Nabiki shuddered at the memories, and sat down at her
 computer.  Typing quickly, she called files that only she
 could access, graphic files that were the product of the
 digital camera she had installed in the tub before Kunou...

    {Stop that,} she ordered herself.  {You can't think
 about that now, you've got work to do.}

    She started opening the files, one by one.  And then the
 world dropped from beneath her for the second time in a
 week.

  ********************************************************

    A bus pulled up to the stop outside the motel.  Dressed
 in Chinese military garb, a stout man stepped out, drew a
 key from one of the Mao coat's innumerable pockets, and
 went to the room he had rented since his arrival.
  
    His worst suspicions had been confirmed.  Now all he
 needed was the courage to act.  This he would do tomorrow.

  ********************************************************

                          End Chapter Two


  C&C may be sent anywhere you like, but I'll only see it if you
 put it on the list or reply directly.  MST's are highly desirable.
 Thanks for reading!
 

--Freemage


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