And so it continues....

Oh, some folks have asked about the URL for the Web Page--I'll be
posting that, along with the Chapter 21, as I'm upgrading the Web Site
as I post each Chapter to the list.

  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.

 This is a dark story, with several sexually suggestive scenes,
 although no outright Lemon scenes.  (This chapter is probably the
 most suggestive one yet.) 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}.*

                      *********************
                      * Chapter Five      *
                      * Sins of the Flesh *
                      *********************

     Soun and Genma returned from their grisly errand late
 that night, covered with grime and reeking of garbage.  Soun
 dismissed the curious glances he got from Ranma and Akane
 with a curt, "It's finished."

     Although neither of them was totally comfortable with
 that, they weren't really all that keen to hear the details,
 either.  Kasumi, who had returned from the library earlier,
 just wrinkled her nose at the bedraggled condition of the
 two men (or, as it was, one man and one panda).  "Go on, you
 two.  Get cleaned up, and then I'll clean the furo so that I
 can take my bath."

     Soun, now in his full "river-of-tears" mode, looked
 lovingly at his eldest daughter.  "Thank you, my dear, dear
 Kasumi.  You take such wonderful care of us...."  His voice
 cracking, Soun Tendou followed Genma-Panda upstairs.

   *********************************************************
      
     Kasumi tried to relax, letting the hot bath water soak
 into her skin, working the knots out of her muscles.  {It's
 been a long week, and I don't think its going to get any
 easier, for a while, at least...}

     Unseen, a single eye peered through a dark hole in the
 ceiling of the bathroom.  The position of the aperture
 offered an almost perfect view of the room.  Had Kasumi
 looked up at the right moment, she would have seen the eye
 gazing at her with a mixture of lust, tenderness and regret
 that would be hard to fathom.

     Instead, she simply stretched luxuriantly, allowing her
 unseen observer an even better view of the forbidden
 territory.

     In the darkness of the attic, Soun Tendou, Master of the 
 Anything Goes School of Martial Arts, wept, even as he began
 to relieve the throbbing ache in his loins, the only way he
 knew how....

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

     Sasuke slipped quietly through the darkened streets of
 the Nerima District.  He had been given a job to do, and he
 dared not fail the one who gave him his instructions.  Not
 after what had happened to the senior Kunou....

     He paused briefly to hide when he saw a duck wearing
 glasses strolling down the street.  {Poor Mousse, he has
 almost as many troubles these days as Ranma...}

     He finally arrived at Ucchan's.  Slipping out a small,
 carefully sealed packet of dust, he climbed to her bedroom
 window.  He carefully tore a small hole in the corner of
 the packet, checked to make sure the breeze was right, and
 dumped the silvery contents.  He watched as the sparkling
 cloud settled around the sleeping Ukyou.
 
     Slowly the warrior-chef began to toss in her sleep, her
 breathing deepening into soft moans.  Sasuke kept silent
 watch as her hands moved of their own volition, bringing her
 the kind of pleasure that she had been so long denied.

     Just as her motions reached their climax, Sasuke leaned
 into the window and whispered, ever so slightly, "Ranma
 Saotome sends his love."

     Then he slipped into the night, not even waiting to see
 if the concoction would work the way he had been told it
 would.  He had no worries on that point--these mixtures
 *always* worked. 

     Besides which, he had another stop to make, and the
 timing had to be perfect....

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

     Nabiki tossed and turned, unsleeping, on her bed.  She
 had been in a state of indecision and shock for days, and
 had finally reached a conclusion.  Now she just needed the
 right time, and the courage to go through with it.

     The time would have to settle itself, but she had a
 good idea where she could go for the courage.

     She got up, dressed and went downstairs, careful not to
 wake anyone.  She didn't want anyone to know how much she
 was hurting--not yet, anyway.

     She slipped out the door and into the comforting embrace
 of the dark night, failing to notice the living shadow
 working its way up the back of the house to Ranma's window.

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

     Ranma stirred in his sleep, brought to consciousness by
 some deep, inner instinct telling him he was in trouble.  As
 he looked around the dark room, he realized how right it had
 been.

     Standing there, half-illuminated by the square of
 moonlight coming through the now-open window, was Ukyou, her
 eyes seeming to blaze with some feral hunger.

     "Ucchan...What are..."  Ranma's voice failed him as a
 casual flick of Ukyou's right hand sent to the floor the silk
 belt that had held her robe shut.

     Her voice, low and husky, came across the room.  "Shhh.
 Tonight's the night, Lover-boy.  Tonight you undo all those
 years that I spent masquerading as a guy.  Tonight's the
 night I become a true woman."  Even as the full meaning of
 her words sunk into his convoluted thoughts, he felt himself
 responding to the tone of her voice and the half-glimpses
 afforded by robe and moonlight.
     
     "Wha--what about Pops?" Ranma asked, glancing around for
 the slumbering form of his old man.

     "Don't worry.  I saw him downstairs, raiding the fridge. 
 It looked like he'll be stuffing his face for a few hours,
 at least."

     {Damn!  What a time for him to get the munchies.}  As he
 felt desperation take hold, he forced his brain to come up
 with another counter to this 'attack'.  "Wait, Ukyou, this
 isn't right.  If Akane walks in right now, she'll kill us
 both."

     "Oh, would you like me to take care of her first, then?"
 The question came out with no emotion at all, as she
 gestured to the battle spatula propped against the wall.

     "NO!  I mean, no, I don't want anyone to `take care' of
 anybody else!"

     "But, Ran-chan, I want you to take care of me."  Another
 subtle movement sent the robe to rejoin its belt, at the same
 time accenting her figure.  "Don't tell me you're not
 interested--I can tell differently by the line of your boxer
 shorts."

     "Look, Ucchan, it's not that I'm not flattered, and I
 might even be interested--someday.  But until I'm sure who I
 want to be with, I'm not gonna be with anyone.  Got it?  If
 I did take what you're offering, I'd just be using you--and
 I don't use my friends.  You mean too much to me for me to
 treat you that way."

     Ranma noticed, with relief, a fade in that feral gleam
 in his old friend's eyes.  Something about that look had
 done more than just frighten him--it had reminded him of
 something.  If he could just get a moment to think, he was
 sure he could put it together.

     "So this what Sneaky Spatula-Girl get up to at night,
 try to steal Shampoo fiancee!"

     Ranma couldn't stifle the groan that came from the pit
 of his stomach.  {So much for getting time to think.}

  ********************************************************
 
     Nabiki was kneeling beside Kunou's grave.  The fake
 grass lying over it somehow bothered her, and she pulled it
 off.

     {There.  I don't think you would like being under yet
 another false cover, eh, Kunou-baby?  Might as well at least 
 be granted the honesty in death you were denied in life,
 right?}  Another crying jag came over her.  How many had
 there been since the funeral?  It seemed like there was no
 end to the river of tears.  {Honestly, I'm getting as bad as
 Daddy,} she thought ruefully.

     "I should have known *you* would be here."

     The voice, angry, cold, almost inhuman, caused Nabiki to
 freeze.  Slowly, so as to provoke no reaction, she turned to
 look at the place where the voice had come from.  Stepping
 around one of the larger tombstones was...

     "Kodachi."  The name came off her lips like a prayer.
 "Oh, Kodachi, I am so sorry.  You must be hurting so...." 
 Her voice trailed off slowly, as she saw the gleam in the
 eyes of the Black Rose, and realized that any of her words
 that did make it through to Kodachi's mind were travelling
 through a haze of madness.

     "Oh, so you know what this one is going through?  So
 you know how much this one is hurting?"  Kodachi's spat out
 the words, bullet-like, and they seemed to Nabiki to strike
 with an almost physical force.  "How fitting, since it is
 YOU who have caused all of this one's suffering!"

     Nabiki stood, confused and suddenly afraid, taking a
 couple of steps backward, looking for an opportunity to run,
 but afraid to turn her back on the gymnast.  {C'mon, think,
 girl!  Stall for time!}  "I don't know what you're talking
 about..."

     "She doesn't know what I'm talking about," Kodachi
 mimicked with a savage expression on her face.  "I'm
 talking about how you, with your sluttish Siren's charms,
 seduced away my darling Tatewaki, forcing this one to stop
 him from sullying the glorious Kunou family name."

     Nabiki's thoughts roiled, part of her mind refusing to
 accept the horrific conclusion that the rest of her had
 come to.  "You...you killed him?  To stop him...from coming
 to see me?"  Rage started to bloom beside the horror and
 fear.

     "Of course.  That is what one does with an infected 
 beast.  After you had poisoned his mind, how could I do any
 less, when his honor was at stake?"

     "You BITCH!"  Nabiki threw herself at Kodachi, fear
 completely forgotten in the red haze that seemed to have 
 clouded her thoughts.  "I'll kill you!"

     Kodachi sidestepped, laughing.  "I am sure you would
 like to add another of the Kunou clan to your roster of
 death, but I am afraid that you will be denied that option
 this night."

     She pulled a hoop from behind another tombstone, and
 sent it spinning through the cool night air.  As it dropped
 around Nabiki's body, it contracted, pinning her arms to
 her sides.

     "Ohohohohhoho.  I shall have to thank Sasuke.  This
 playtoy he designed worked perfectly."

     Nabiki lay on the ground, trying to rise.  With the last
 of her breath, she opened her mouth and screamed.  "AKANE!
 RANMA!!  HELP!!!"

     "Now, now, can't have any of that, can we?"  A red
 gymnastics ribbon snapped out, wrapping itself around
 Nabiki's head, muzzling her.  She could feel some kind of
 adhesive on the inner side of the ribbon, sealing it to her
 face.

     "Now what shall this one do with you?  Hmmm...I guess
 it would be best if I took you back to the mansion to finish
 this business.  We wouldn't want to be interrupted, now would
 we?"

     Nabiki watched, helplessly, as Kodachi pulled out a 
 throwing pin.  Just before it descended, she heard Kodachi's
 words.  "Don't worry, you won't be alone.  Father is already
 down there...."

     And then there was pain, and darkness overwhelmed her.  She
 welcomed it.

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

                             End Chapter Five


Author's ramblings:
   I nearly called this chapter "Priest's Sin", but I decided that
 was a little too obscure.  I don't know how both masturbation scenes
 wound up in the same chapter (what am I saying--I'm not even sure
 how I wound up with any masturbation scenes...).  Anywho, thanks for
 staying with me this long--I'm pretty sure this is going to run about
 20 chapters, so your endurance is appreciated.  *mutters to self,* 
 "Sure, great idea, write a quick little spamfic blaming all Ranma's
 problems on the Illuminati.  Good for a laugh, right!"

   Sorry about that.  Just my two bits on the "How do you plan a fic"
 discussion....

                      ****************************
                      * Chapter Six              *
                      * Dancing in the Moonlight *
                      ****************************

     "Nasty Spatula-Girl stay away from darling Ranma!"

     Shampoo's battle cry was accompanied by a bonbori swing 
 that would have removed Ukyou's head if it had connected.
 Fortunately, Ukyou saw the move coming and dodged easily,
 rolling across the floor and coming up in a combat stance.

     Shampoo tried to charge her before she could ready
 herself or counterattack, but Ranma leapt between them,
 blocking Shampoo's attack.

     "What wrong?  Surely fiancee not want to make whoopie
 with Spatula-Slut?"

     "Uhhh...Not exactly...But, uhmmm...You see..."

     Ukyou's voice came from behind Ranma.  "Articulate as
 ever, eh, Ranma-sugar?  Don't worry--I've got the perfect
 rebuttal for the Chinese Menace right here."

     Trying to fight down his ever-rising panic, Ranma took
 a quick glance over his shoulder.  At least he meant it to
 be a quick glance, before what he saw practically petrified
 him.

     Ukyou had apparently taken advantage of the distraction
 to recover her spatulas.  She had not, however, bothered to
 recover her robe.  As a result, the leather harness used
 to hold the smaller throwing spatulas was having an...
 uplifting effect on her already-attractive figure.

     Even more arresting were the eyes, which now blazed
 with a rage Ranma had never seen in her (or to be truthful,
 in anyone else).  Coupled with the slight, enigmatic smile
 she wore, Ranma could only come to one conclusion.  {She's
 actually *enjoying* this...}

     Reaching into the backpack that lay next to the wall,
 Ukyou pulled out one of her exploding flour bags.  "Hit
 the dirt, lover!" she cried, hurling the bag at Shampoo.

     Ranma pinwheeled out of the way, catching himself on
 the windowsill, and watched in dazed confusion as Shampoo
 leapt over the incoming missile.  The packet struck the
 wall over his futon.  There was a brilliant flash, followed
 by a concussive wave that drove all three through the
 remnants of the outside wall.

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

     Mousse-Duck waddled up to the Nekohanten.  {Oh, my 
 darling Shampoo!  Why do you insist on pursuing that foul
 cad Saotome, when the one who truly loves you is within 
 you reach?}
   
     So distracted was the young man-turned-duck by these
 thoughts that he failed completely to notice a diminutive
 figure coming running around the corner.  Of course, that
 figure's traditional ninja garb might have had something to
 do with it, too.

     As the two collided, Mousse felt his glasses slide down
 his beak, landing just in the right spot to be crushed by
 the falling ninja's splayed arm.

     "Oh, Master Mousse, sir, thank heavens I've found you!" 
 Mousse thought he recognized the voice as that of the
 servant of that strange gymnast girl who had also fallen
 under Saotome's evil spell.

     Mousse then felt the welcome flow of hot water spilling
 over his head, even as the ninja continued his frantic
 speech.  "I've come to warn you!  Miss Shampoo is in
 danger!"

     An icy dagger pierced Mousse's heart.  "What!?  Where
 is she?  What danger is she in?"  Even as he spoke, the
 Master of the Hidden Weapons Technique reached under his
 armpit and pulled out a small, folded piece of white cloth,
 the size of a handkerchief.

     The small man replied, "She is at the Tendou Dojo,
 battling her attacker even as we speak.  You must hurry!" 
 Internally, Sasuke was amazed as the male Amazon snapped
 the cloth three times, causing it to unfold into a
 complete set of clothing, which he rapidly donned.

     "Thank you, my friend.  Shampoo!  Hang on, I'm coming
 to rescue you!"  Mousse leapt up to the rooftops, a
 cavalry of one.

     Sasuke watched the retreating figure with a morose
 expression.  {You poor, deluded fool.  I can only hope....}
 He shook his head at that line of thought.  It seemed like
 hope had abandoned Nerima, of late.  With a heavy sigh, the
 ninja once again became one with the black, velvety night.

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

     Akane awoke to a thunderous blast.  She could tell it
 had come from Ranma's room.  {What is that idiot up to now?
 Doesn't he know people are trying to sleep?}

     Running down the hall, she started to worry when she
 saw the door hanging on a single hinge.  Looking through the
 doorway, she became even more worried.  Although a lot of the
 room was filled with a cloud of white powder, Akane could
 see that much of the far wall had been taken out by the
 blast, and she could dimly see two figures leaping over the
 pond in back, apparently swiping at one another as they
 passed in midair.

     Without thinking, Akane whipped around and dashed past
 the others who had gathered in the hallway behind her,
 ignoring their questions and confused looks.

     As she emerged through the back door and into the yard,
 she came to a screeching halt.  {What got into those two
 maniacs, now,} she wondered.  Shampoo was really no
 surprise, but to find Ukyou naked and attacking like some
 sort of character in a video game was a bit much.  Then
 she saw Ranma, on all fours in the grass, obviously trying
 to clear his head.  Even as far as she was, she could see
 the blood dripping from his forehead.

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

     Heart pounding, Mousse ran-hopped over the rooftops of
 Nerima, blindly charging toward the Tendou Dojo.  He could
 only hope that he was not too late to save Shampoo's honor.

     In his anger, he had not been willing to take the time
 to replace the glasses Sasuke had clumsily broken.  As a
 result, he was only able to see forms and colors--no details.

     {That's alright.  I know the way there by heart--and I
 am sure I will be able to recognize the devil Saotome when I
 need to.}

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

     Ranma came around to the sound of Ukyou and Shampoo's
 battle, just as Akane came running out the back.  He half-
 expected her to launch into an attack, and was pleasantly
 surprised when she simply helped him to his feet, a worried
 expression on her face.

     "What happened?"

     "I dunno.  First Ucchan showed up, acting all crazy, then
 Shampoo came in after her in some kind of rage."

     Nabiki's cry cut short their conversation:  "Akane! 
 Ranma!  Help!"  They ran off, Ranma pausing only long enough
 to shout to his father, "See that those two don't hurt each
 other, Pop!"

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

     Genma studied the Amazon and the chef as they squared off
 against one another.  Bonbori met Big Fucking Spatula [TM],
 while throwing spatulas gleamed in the moonlight.

     {There is no way I am getting involved in that one.  I've
 got too many responsibilities to risk myself so recklessly in
 a battle like that, no matter how strong my personal desire
 to act.}

     The Master of the Anything-Goes School of Martial Arts
 Secret Rationalization Technique retreated into the family
 room....

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

     Although Nabiki's cry had been too far away to pinpoint
 its precise origin, Ranma, like many martial arts masters,
 had learned how to tell the direction of a single sound. It
 was only the distance that he was unsure of.

     He paused only momentarily when the cemetery wall loomed
 ahead, cutting off the narrow alley.  Then he went over like
 one of the cats he so hated, barely even touching the top of
 the wall before he landed inside.

     Akane actually stopped for a second, considering.  {I 
 *should* go back, and get some help...I don't think anyone
 else heard...And the graveyard is spooky at night...But then
 Ranma wouldn't have any back-up....}

     The last thought settled it for her.  She sprang to the
 top of the wall, looked to see Ranma standing by one of the
 graves, jumped down and walked over to him.

     "Look at this."  He held out his hand.  In it was
 Nabiki's money pouch.

     Akane grew even more worried.  "No *way* did she drop
 that voluntarily."
  
     "What was she doing out here, anyway?"

     "I think your answer is right there," she said,
 pointing at the nearest tombstone.

     "Kunou's grave...You mean that she..."

     "We can ask her--When we've found her."

     "Right.  Look around, see if you can find any clues as
 to who did this or where they might have taken her."

     The two of them started searching in an ever-widening
 circle.  Akane shuddered, thinking about the gravesites she
 was passing by.  {This kind of omen I *don't* need.}

     Ranma stopped short.  "I think I know who took her--and
 where they went."

     "What do you mean?"  Then she saw it. A gymnastics
 ribbon, lying on the manicured grass of the graveyard.

     "Are you sure it's hers?"  There was no need to
 identify Kodachi as the one they were talking about.

     "Yep.  And the only reason I can think of that she would
 have left it here, rather than on Tatewaki's grave, is that
 she had a more important burden...."

     "I think we need to go back and get the others.  That
 mansion is a giant death-trap."

     Turning back to the house, Ranma grimaced.  "More like
 a *series* of death-traps."

     They ran back to the house.

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

     Mousse sped up as he heard the sounds of battle.
 Adrenalin surged through his body as he caught a faint trace
 of Shampoo's gasp.

     {He struck her...Knocked the wind from her lungs...Ranma
 Saotome, you shall PAY!!!}

     He finally arrived on a neighbor's house, trying to make
 out the blurred forms he saw through moonlight and myopic
 eyes.

     There was Shampoo, obviously.  The purple hair was
 impossible to miss, even for his vision.  And that must be
 Saotome she was fighting.  He paused.  Was Saotome...naked?
 Yes, yes he was sure that there was nothing but flesh tone
 visible under that black hair.

     Suddenly it became clear.  Saotome had lured his precious
 Shampoo here, only to try to attack her and steal her virtue!
 This heinous deed could not go unpunished....

     "Tonight, Ranma Saotome, you die!"  he cried, leaping
 into the fray.

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

     Ukyou swung again at the feisty Amazon.  She was still a
 little fog-headed, but things had started, just barely, to
 clear.  She was beginning to wonder at her behavior this
 evening, even as she held off Shampoo's attacks.

     {I think I'm gonna have some apologizing to do...}

     She managed a lucky swing, knocking Shampoo's breath
 away.  As her opponent's attacks were slowed, Ukyou had even
 more time to collect her wits.  She was about to start to
 talk truce--for one thing, she had just realized that she was
 naked--when an angry cry cut through the night, distracting
 her.

     "Tonight, Ranma Saotome, you die!"

     She turned to see who this new threat to Ranma-Sugar was,
 and was stunned to see Mousse--almost as stunned as she was
 to see the sharp blades streaking toward her, edges glistening
 in the moonlight....

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

     "Tonight, Ranma Saotome, you die!"

     Ranma heard the all-too familiar battle cry as he came over
 the fence.  The strange thing was that the direction was all
 wrong.  The speaker, Mousse, was clearly not facing him.

     Ranma froze.

     He saw Mousse leaping from a neighbor's roof.  He saw Ukyou
 spin, responding to Mousse's cry.  He saw the sharp points
 on the tips of Mousse's chains pierce flesh. 

     And he saw blood.

     "UKYOU!!!!!"

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

                           End Chapter Six

  Random ramblings:  I didn't do it.  Really.  I would never dream
 of hurting Ukyou.  Never.  Must've been those damned Illuminati,
 again.  Yeah, that's it.  They obviously accessed my e-mail
 accounts and posted this whole story under my name, just to keep me
 from being able to blow their cover, see?  Ummmm...Anyone buying
 this?

 
--Freemage  

Left the Author's Notes for this chapter in, just because....
_________________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com