It's about bloody time! ^_^:
BTW: You had me confused for a moment until I realized you renumbered the
chapters so that 12 had become 13. You might want to mention that as well.
So here it is, some eight months late.
Felt longer than that. :(
*** Earth 0.000,0.000
Once, she had a name.
She thought it was 'Bitch.' Certainly that was what everyone had called her.
Now, Setsuna Meioh sat in a quiet room and drew,
Changed it from 'Takahashi, eh?" Looks like I'll have to reread the old
chapters and see what changes you made. And save them all to new disks.
*Grumble* *Grumble*
her only relief from
the whirling torrent of images that filled her mind. Anonymous men did
this to her, to try and strengthen the Gift she had. Their foolish
actions shattered her
actions had shattered (I think)
mind, scattering it across infinity.
On the bright side, she always had liked to travel.
She had a gift for drawing, and she used to amuse her classmates with
stories of different worlds. The ten-year old girl she once was had
enjoyed bringing her visions to life, tales of angst and adventure,
stories of love, magic and romance.
Just like some piss poor fanfic author. Like that putz, what was his name?
D.C. Winter? It didn't matter. Hopefully it and the crappy tales he told
were burned from her mind forever.
>
Her mind had sought an escape from that dark future, where a void of
hunger older than the stars snuffed out their lights,
Sounds like my grandfather. Now there's an old all consuming darkness.
>
Worlds would live.
Worlds would die.
Yet, if she did nothing, then all would perish, billions upon countless
billions of lives screaming out their last, before passing away into
that horrible nothingness.
Oh, they're all going to work for the some company I do. Now I understand.
The undermind, the collective subconscious of mankind, yielded up a
secret to her blind grasping, one last roll of the dice that had not
yet revealed its number. She gave that secret to a boy who reminded
her of one of her heroes, a boy she had passed by in dreams.
His name: Soun Tendou, thus sending this fic off in a really weird direction
A girl joined him,
and slapped him.
then another,
who also slapped him.
and still others, both male and
female.
who all slapped or punched him. It was a wonder Ranma Saotome wanted to save
the universe at all.
Magic waited in the wings to enter into this play of passions,
to be brought forth by water and an ancient curse set upon a distant
land.
Gee. I wonder what that could mean? :)
The one she sought must be baptized by this water,
interesting way of wording it. I approve
All of the actors were not yet upon the stage, and their futures were
not set in stone. Each of them still remained stories waiting to be
told.
Tales of Triumph and Tragedy, no doubt.
One of her keepers had noticed the pause in her actions, the
actions. The
page that
was completed beneath her hands gently
was gently
[Rewording it that way sounded better to me. Less awkward.
"I try not to think about it," answered the first. "A terrible shame
though. I was told she wanted to be an artist. Now look at her."
That comment doesn't fit quite as easily with it no longer being the
myterious 'Takahashi'. I guess it still works, though.
"Yeah. Poor woman. The telepaths say she's not even aware of us.
"I wish I could say the same about me regarding you," the first guard said
acidly.
We're only motes in everything else she's experiencing. Sometimes I
wonder what life would have been like for her, in another time and
place."
"Well, this is the real world, my friend. This is the real world."
"You mean we're on MTV?" the first guard asked.
"Afraid so," the other sighed.
Quantum Destinies
A Ranma 1/2 Fanfic
By Jurai Knight (sthesken@earthlink.net)
Ranma 1/2 and its characters are owned by Rumiko Takahashi. This story
is inspired by her works and the stories from some of my fellow fanfic
authors. Among these are D.B. Sommer's "Shampoo 1/2",
A literary god, to be sure. Everyone should send him money. Lots of it too,
not just a few pennies like that last time I said that.
Oh yes, and pay no attention to who sent this C+C. That person is just
posting this for me. Really.
The list of worlds reoccurring in this chapter:
Earth 0.000,0.000 - The world of Scholar Ranma (Baseline cluster)
Earth +1.612,+1.509 - The world of Shampoo 1/2 (Ranma 1/2 cluster)
Aka: The scorecard.
What has gone before in this story (or at least what will help you
understand what is going on):
Always approve of these for longer works to see if they can catch my
interest.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Chapter 13 - The Cook, The Spy, The Lady, and Their Fianc�
AFFIANCED, pp. Fitted with an ankle-ring for the
ball-and-chain.
-Ambrose Bierce: The Devil's Dictionary
Heh. Appropriate.
Genma was trapped, unable to escape from the accusing voices that kept
pursuing him.
"You must eat the jelly donuts," they cried out.
Terror gripped his heart, his breath rasping from his
lungs as he ran, the ragged white gi his only protection from the cold
in the air, vainly hoping to find escape or succor. But he could
discover nowhere to hide from the voices that relentlessly pursued him.
Already ended the first sentence with that. I'd just drop the second,
basically everything after 'to hide'
"You don't belong here," accused Soun Tendo, appearing for only a few
brief moments, emerging from out of the surrounding darkness like an
angry, vengeful god.
The whole 'Hand of Vengeance' thing really helping with the imagery.
"You've opened doors that should not have been
opened, changed things that should never have been changed. You broke
my daughter's heart, Genma Saotome. She was meant to be married to
Ranma. Running away to Nodoka won't save you.
"Sure, you'll have great sex. But in the end, does that really count for
anything?"
They'll all figure out
that you aren't who you say you are.
And rejoice.
You think you're so smart, but
you and I know different."
You're merely brilliant. No better than a genius. Not smart at all.
"What are you talking about?" demanded Genma, turning around to try and
find some means of escape.
Perhaps the hang glider sitting next to him could be used.
Another figure emerged from the gulf of
shadow that
'shadow' or 'shadows' plural sounds better to me, but it is a minor thing.
"Just forget about your old life and embrace this one with both hands,
Genma m'boy," said Happosai, his eyes glowing with a reddish light.
"Become the Genma Saotome that you know you truly are inside. Come on,
it's easy. You can be just like him. You and he aren't so very
different, after all."
"Just eat the jelly donuts," Happosai insisted.
"I'm nothing like him!" shouted Genma, but both Soun and Happosai
simply laughed in reply. "I'll never be like that!"
"He's good at martial arts and I'm crap at them."
"Oh no?" whispered Happosai, quietly. "You think yourself so much
better than him?"
"Of course I am!" shouted Genma. "He was a coward, a fool, a liar, and
a thief!"
"And you're so much better?" whispered Happosai tauntingly.
"Yes!"
"I was never caught," Genma pointed out.
"Then how do you explain this?" came Soun's voice from behind him.
"I was young and needed the money! Besides, lots of heterosexual men do gay
porn for extra money," Genma blubbered.
"Err, not that," Soun explained, his mind seizing up at the particular
imagery conjured by that. "I meant this..."
Genma turned and saw his son as he had been so many years ago, a small
boy less than five years of age. He was lying on a hospital bed, one
among several children of similar age. Each small body was hooked up
to an intravenous drip feed, a greenish-golden fluid slowly flowing
down tubes leading to their arms. Ranma, as well as many of the other
children, was sweating, shivering, and his breathing was labored, as if
caught up in the midst of some sort of fevered illness.
That's what happens when you try to force them to watch 'Mission to Mars' :P
Genma tried to
turn from the sight, but he could not. Shame filled him, and even
after all these years, the guilt from what he had done tormented him so
much at times. Like now.
Nice to see what the Phoenix Process entails. Genma was definitely being
naughty subjected his son to this, even if it paid off in the long run. At
least we hope it did.
The sounds of cats ravaging a small boy was heard behind him, cries of
pain and despair rising from a pit dug into the ground, calls for help
going unanswered. Genma didn't want to look. He knew exactly what he
would see. The sounds gradually faded into a pitiable sobbing that
wrenched at Genma's heart. Tears filled his eyes.
Excellent comparison between the two Genmas. Obviously the two are a lot
more alike than either would admit.
"And how is that so different from this version of you?" suddenly came
Happosai's sarcastic voice from another direction.
"I didn't use cats and my way didn't make Ranma into a borderline
psychotic," QD Genma pointed out.
"Detail, details," Happosai muttered.
"I don't know," whispered Genma, tears streaming from his eyes, unable
to think due to the clamor of voices that arose around him, accusing
him of wrongdoing. So many things done wrong in this life that he felt
obligated to try and atone for while he was here. Perhaps this was
even to be his fate, to live with these mistakes, trapped here until
the end of his days. A tide of despair rose up within him, even as he
was dimly aware of someone shaking him. "I'm sorry. Oh, Ranma, I'm so
sorry."
QD Ranma: I'm not. Chicks dig me now. Anything is worth suffering for that.
Professor Genma Saotome woke to see Nodoka
woke to find Nodoka (since I don't associate 'see' with being shook. Minor
quibble that does work either way)
Just a dream, thought Genma with a sigh. The whole experience was all
just a horrible dream. He snuggled his head a bit against Nodoka's
bosom, letting his fears drain from him.
I see someone forgot what world he was in. :)
Nodoka murmured soft words to her husband as she saw him quickly
regaining control of himself from what must have been a very terrifying
nightmare, somewhat guiltily enjoying the feel of his arms around her.
She began gently kissing the top of his bald head, rubbing her hands up
and down his back as she felt the tension leaving him.
In a moment her hands would begin rubbing over a different body part in
which she DID want tension, however.
> Genma nodded and held her warm body close. Something was tickling at
the edge of his thoughts though, trying to gain his attention.
Luckily his sex drive, which hadn't been getting any for quite a while,
hammered it into unconsciousness.
He
ignored it for now, reveling in the feel of his beloved wife in his
arms. He hugged her to him and sighed with relief. The nightmare was
over.
Heh. Only so to speak.
"It's all right, Dearest," whispered Nodoka. "You're awake now.
Everything is all right. Your family is right here. Me, Ranma, that
nice girl Shampoo."
"With whom Ranma had better provide grandchildren for me soon, since I'm
getting antsy," Nodoka commented.
Then he noticed the see-through negligee that she was wearing, not the
first such thing that she had donned around him. He tried to gently
release her, but her arms now had him in a solid grip even as she
continued to hold him and caress him.
Give it up, Blubberguts. She's going to get some or your hide will be hung
out to dry shortly.
It was becoming extremely
difficult to ignore her hands.
The way they were around his throat as Nodoka said, "You'd better put out
for me, and I mean right now."
"Oh, Dearest, I've missed your touch so much," whispered Nodoka
passionately, still kneeling and holding him close. She moved in for a
kiss and Genma reared back slightly, his sense of honor leaving him
uncertain what to do.
Two little chibi-Genma's popped up on his shoulders.
Devil Genma (the one with the pitchfork): It's immoral to leave a married
woman unsatisfied. Screw her.
Angel Genma (the one with the halo): What he said.
Genma: Shouldn't you be disagreeing with your counterpart?
Angel Genma: We've been married for twenty years and haven't gotten any in
the last twelve or so. Screw that, I want to get laid.
Nodoka sighed. Genma was acting skittish again, and she was tired of
it. She put her hands to either side of his face and turned him to
look her in the eyes.
Should have buried his face in her breasts. A far more effective technique.
"Dearest, whatever is the matter? Ever since
you returned home, you haven't once taken the opportunity to enjoy your
husbandly rights. It's been a week."
"But I don't feel like going out drinking with the boys," Genma said.
"There's someone else, isn't there, Dearest?" Nodoka asked, feeling her
heart growing heavy in her chest at the painful thought of having
possibly lost her husband to another woman. That would explain why he
no longer seemed attracted to her.
Either that or his latent homosexual tendencies were no longer latent. :)
"No!" cried Genma, surprised at the question. To emphasize his point,
he touched her cheek, feeling the first tears rolling down. "No," he
said more emphatically when she met his gaze. He lifted her hand in
his own and kissed it gently. "From the first moment I knew her, there
has only been a woman named Nodoka for me, she who is my wife."
Nice wording. Just like a lawyer. :)
"I-I'm just not the same man you knew when we were first married,
Nodoka-chan," said Genma quietly. He desperately tried to think of a
reason why he would have been avoiding his own wife like this, and then
a sudden inspiration came. He looked deeply into her eyes. "He's gone
now, and I don't know if he's ever coming back. I didn't want to take
advantage of your trust, if you found you didn't want the new me."
Snort. Like that's going to work. What a dope.
"Oh, Dearest," sighed Nodoka, her tone of voice evident that she
thought he was being a complete idiot. "Of course I love you, now more
than I ever have.
Sounds awkward. I picture her as saying just 'now more than ever.'
You're my Genma, the man I gave a son to, the man I
grow to care for more deeply the longer that you are back in my arms."
She pulled him close into a tight embrace and kissed him on the lips.
"I never want this Genma to leave me."
heh. Now that's awkward.
But he may have to someday, you dear, sweet woman, thought Genma sadly.
He was coming to realize that if he did, no, when he did, a piece of
his soul would be left behind on this world, with this simple, loving
woman. She was not his Nodoka, but she was so much like her that it
was very difficult for him to not respond to her pain. He put his arms
firmly around her and kissed her warmly, feeling her initial surprised
resistance quickly melting
melt
away into a return of passion, her tears
stopping. She needed him, as a woman needed the touch of the man she
loves, and he could not in good conscience refuse her any longer. If
it was wrong, then so be it, but he did not think it was.
QD Nodoka: Guess again.
Nodoka felt Genma's hands beginning to roam gently around her body,
smiling as they continued to kiss. She felt him touching her in those
special places that only her husband had ever explored,
Well, only him and her entire high school kendo team. And the Alpha Chi Ro
fraternity when she was in college. And her best friend Achika. And...
and she knew
that the man she loved so achingly deeply
deep (two adverbs in a row doesn't really work for me)
Nodoka knew bliss when Genma whispered those words softly and with
sincere passion into her ear, even as his body began to move with hers
in that most ancient dance of man and woman.
The Funky Chicken?
In another room, Shampoo started awake at the distant sounds coming
from somewhere else in the house. It sounded like someone was being
tortured or something. It was a woman's voice, but other than that she
couldn't be sure. She started to clamber out of her futon when she
heard Genma's name being called out, followed by more of those odd
sounds. Her lips quirked as she suddenly realized what she was
hearing.
And visualized a naked Genma. It was at that point Shampoo threw up.
"It about time," muttered the Amazon. Nodoka had been looking so
longingly at the man for days, ever since they came to this house. It
was good that the two of them were acting more like a proper married
couple now, but Genma's attitudes for the last week might explain why
might have explained (sounds better to me)
Ranma was so clueless when it came to dealings between the sexes.
And she's probably right, though for all of the wrong reasons.
Ranma, sleeping deeply, was blissfully ignorant of the events taking
place around him in the Saotome household.
Of course.
In the distance, lightning flashed across a cloud-drenched and darkened
sky as two warriors fiercely engaged each other in single combat, their
forms remaining indistinct in the gloom. Scattered bodies lay strewn
about the field of battle around them, a few of the fallen groaning in
a state of semi-consciousness, but most lying unconscious, mute
witnesses to the struggle now taking place. The grunts of pain-wracked
and wearying flesh, and the distinct sounds of fists and feet impacting
hard against tissue and bone, sounded across the landscape. One
warrior staggered, a blow to the stomach having robbed the victim of
breath. Taking advantage of the momentary weakness, the other figure
landed a bone-breaking punch across the victim's face. The first
figure dropped to the ground, where it too now lay unmoving.
Nice imagery.
Lightning flashed nearby, illuminating the face of Akane Tendo as she
gave a disdainful look to her fallen foe, her breath coming to her in
shallow gasps of air.
I doubt it would be gas fumes she was wiffing. I'd drop 'of air' as being
unneccesary.
at having finally defeated her remaining foe. She lifted her eyes up
to the sky, and raised her arms, as if basking in the storm of
lightning and thunder raging as backdrop to this scene. At her feet
lay the badly-beaten and unconscious form of Utena Tenjo, the young
woman dressed in a dark green gi, her face swollen and bloodied.
Of course this would be on her mind, since she suspects Utena of having done
something with Ranma recently.
"I am the strongest!" Akane shouted to the skies. They responded with
another clash of lightning arcing across the heavens. "I have proven
myself worthy! The prize is mine!"
" There can be only one!"
Several bolts of energy suddenly roared down from the heavens, crashing
together in a blast that almost knocked Akane off her feet, before
finally solidifying into the form of Ranma Saotome. He stood for a
single moment, glowing with celestial glory, the image of a god of
battle, before the light faded to leave behind a man. He wore a white,
sleeveless tunic of purest silk, loose black pants gathered in at the
ankles and waist, and slippers of costly make. A golden sash encircled
his hips. A smile that warmed Akane like the sun rested upon his lips
when he turned his gaze to her.
QD Akane is one sick puppy. :)
With a glad cry, Akane rushed into his waiting arms in almost a single
bound, her tears of joy at finally having won the man of her dreams
filling her eyes. She had fought so hard for him, her love for this
man carrying her through battle after battle. The pains of her recent
injuries faded out, washed away by the touch of his hands upon her.
She was content, her body enjoying a feeling of bliss at feeling his
warmth against her.
Well, she does mean well, in an odd sort of way.
"You have done well, young warrior," rumbled the voice from above, the
clouds parting to reveal an angelic being that somewhat resembled
Kimiko Tendo.
Of course the Goddess of War for Akane would be her own vicious mother. :)
"Let no one take your prize from you. Struggle with all
your might to keep him against all future challengers, for men like him
love women of spirit and strength.
True
"I will," whispered Akane, turning her gaze upwards to capture Ranma's.
For a timeless moment, they stood there, as Akane felt her heart
thundering in her chest. She closed her eyes as his face moved gently
down towards hers, and she held him tightly in her arms. "I'll never
let you go, Ranma Saotome. You're the warrior I've been waiting for
all my life. I love you."
Their lips moved closer to forge a kiss together-
-and the beeping of Akane's alarm clock shattered the perfect image
Of course.
> to her chest. She blinked at the morning light from the sun just
peeking over the horizon, the happiness of a moment ago now lost. She
grumbled at the clock, her hand fumbling to turn off its incessant
noise. Her lips curled into a snarl as memories of the events of the
weekend filled her thoughts. Her head still hurt a little from the
impact of the barbell into the back of her skull, and it had taken her
hours to scrub the last traces of manure from her skin and hair.
Yeah. It's hard to get that lingering scent off. Know it from personal
experience. :(
"That pink-haired bimbo is going to pay for that," Akane muttered,
Sure she will, Akane. You just head to Ohtori with all of your other rivals
and I'm sure matters will take care of themselves.
Boy, I'm evil. :)
******************************
"Oh, Kodachi," Ranma murmured into the noblewoman's ear softly, his
lips brushing lightly against her skin.
Gee. I wonder if this is another dream. :)
A shiver of pleasure ran
through her at his actions. "How could I have been so blind to your
incredible beauty and grace? You are my one, true love." His hand
stole upwards to take hers in its grasp as he sat back to gaze lovingly
at her, his eyes meeting hers. He was richly dressed as a nobleman of
centuries past, in a red and black kimono of fine cottons, his feet
shod with sandals. A smile lit his face.
Nice contrast on the way each girl fantasizes about him.
"And you are mine, my beloved," whispered Kodachi softly, feeling her
face reddening at his boldness, even as she felt herself yearning for
him to do more. Much more. "Never has any man made me feel such
glorious passions."
Except for her first boyfriend. And the first guy she had sex with. And that
hot looking guy
she had seen on the train the other day. And her brother...
She lowered her gaze, suddenly unable to contain
the feelings that the sight of his blue eyes generated within her. Her
nose inhaled the sweet scent of cherry blossoms from the blooming trees
surrounding them, further heightening her feelings.
heh. All of the girls tend to melodrama too, I see.
"Is this what your dreams about Saotome-kun are always going to be
like?" asked a wondering voice, sounding a little exasperated. "Every
time it's the same thing. I would expect them to be a little bit more
exciting than holding hands by now."
"Who?" asked Kodachi, looking around.
Why Kodi-chan, don't you recognize the sounds of your other personalities
running around in that addled little cranium of yours? ^_^
>
"Just me," replied the figure who stepped out from behind a tree,
dressed in the gray and white uniform of Furinkan Reformatory High
School on a different Earth.
A place that Miss Hinako would call heaven. :)
After a few moments spent with the two just staring at each other,
Sukeban-Kodachi coughed once and stepped past Kodachi to approach
Ranma's unmoving form. She reached out and touched his cheek gently,
saying, "A good-looking guy we've got here, Kuno-dono. I know I'd do a
damn sight more with him than hold his hand."
Sukeban-Kodachi: We'd go to movies too.
back at the noblewoman with a grin, she knelt down a bit and gave Ranma
a passionate kiss on the lips, one that was returned eagerly when the
figure of the boy suddenly came alive again, as if the puppeteer had
returned.
Heh. Shows how much free reign each personality has running around in here.
Kodachi blushed to see another version of herself acting so forward
with Ranma. It was so scandalous, even if it was nothing more than
some sort of dream-simulation version of him. But she did not
interrupt and simply watched the other girl demonstrating her kissing
technique, one which apparently involved tongues as much as lips.
heh
"Fascinating, isn't it?"
Spock?
detachment. Kodachi had forgotten she once needed glasses, and she was
grateful that she did not need them in her present existence.
If only such was the case for me. *Sigh*
Ranma's device. Now I'm just part of the greater whole, the gestalt
that was gradually formed by multiple versions of one person all sort
of co-existing in one brain. And you're the dreamer, so I guess that
makes you the manifestation of that gestalt personality. It's all
quite interesting from a psychological perspective."
That it does. I forgot that they tend to forget their dreams, although
doesn't Nabiki remember hers pretty well?
"Not to worry," interrupted Scholar-Kodachi placidly. "We've had
almost this same conversation at the beginning of every one of these
lucid dreams you have. When you're awake, we all merge back into that
gestalt personality, composed of the memories from every one of the
alternate lives we've absorbed. It's only when you're asleep that this
playground of the subconscious forms, and we can talk as relative
equals. Some memories of that can carry back into the waking world,
but I guess it's not very much." She made a grandly sweeping gesture
that encompassed all three versions of Kodachi. "The three of us are
the main personas, but there are others that might pop in from dream to
dream."
Makes sense.
"Like who?" asked Kodachi.
"Like Elvis," Scholar Kodachi said.
"So that's what really happened to him," Kodachi said with a hint of wonder.
terribly lonely in her life, practicing her dancing and acrobatics with
all her passion, since it was all she really had. Meeting a man like
Ranma, even as merely a part of us, has made her happier than she was
for a long, long time."
"Just because you're a borderline MPD is no reason to think you can't win
him," Scholar Kodachi assured her.
bright red blush to Kodachi's face to see. "She always likes it when
you bring her favorite playmate to dream-life, and I've learned not to
disturb her until she's satisfied her desires.
Yeah. I can see where that would fall under the category of 'bad idea'
Whenever you feel the
urge to just pin Ranma against a wall or some piece of furniture and
have your wicked way with him, that's pretty much her. Anyway, gang
girl
Heh. Nice nickname.
"Oh my," said Kodachi, turning to look at what was now going on. The
two figures had all but ripped the clothes off each other now, both of
them struggling against each other with licentious abandon. Kodachi
could only stare, fascinated to see another version of herself doing
such things with Ranma. "So, she wasn't..." She trailed off, unable
to ask Scholar-Kodachi.
"Virgin? Unblemished? Unsullied? Pure as the driven snow?"
Kodachi is sooo naive.
asked
Scholar-Kodachi with a straight face. "What do you think?" Seeing the
deep blush on the other girl, she smirked. "No, but I think Ranma's
performance is taken from memories of an old boyfriend of hers from her
Earth, Miki something-or-other.
heh. Nice foreshadowing. I wonder if Miki used his 'muscian's hands' to play
Sukeban-Dachi like an
instrument of pleasure.' :)
"Would Ranma like that, do you think?" asked Kodachi softly. While
watching what Sukeban-Kodachi was doing to her companion, she tried to
recall why the name Miki sounded familiar, but she gave up when the
memory eluded her.
Heh. Soon, dear girl. Soon.
The sight of what was going on before her was too
distracting, but she could not seem to bring herself to turn her gaze
aside from witnessing the spectacle.
Like watching a porno you're starring in without actually having been in it.
Sounds kinky.
When it was over, Kodachi began fanning herself with a large, painted
fan she removed from a fold of her kimono.
Heh. I guess it was almost as good for her too. :)
"Well, while she pulls herself back together," said Scholar-Kodachi
slowly. "Have you given any thought as to what you're going to do
about this Utena Tenjo situation?"
Kodachi: We bow out gracefully?
Scholar Kodachi: (to Sukeban) Yo-yo. (Sukeban hands her one. Scholar hits
Kodachi with it ) Try again.
"We trash the little bimbo!" snarled Sukeban-Kodachi, startling the
other two with her sudden appearance. Though only a moment had passed,
she was dressed once again in her uniform,
The nice thing about being nothing more than a dream image: magic clothes.
^_^
her yo-yo gripped in her
hand. "Nobody steals a man away from the Black Rose! Especially not
my Ranma!"
Kodachi: Why would Ranma try to steal a man from us?
Sukeban Kodachi: (to Scholar ) Yo-yo. (Scholar hands her one. Sukenban hits
Kodachi with it ) Try again.
Actually it reads fine, but if you try hard, you can misinterpet it. ^_^
She cast a fond look back at the apparently-slumbering form
of her recent partner in coital activities, before her face returned to
its fierce look.
"Quite," said Scholar-Kodachi mildly, after blinking at her fellow
Kodachi-variant's outburst. "After we give her a fair warning to stay
away from him, though."
Kodachi: I think breaking her leg would serve as an effective warning.
Sukeban Kodachi: Good idea. You're learning.
"I agree," said Kodachi. "Ranma may have simply been using the little
tramp to gain some experience. Men are like that,
Yes, we are. Gaining experience is the only way to level. :P
"That sounds like fun," said Sukeban-Kodachi, lashing out with her yo-
yo to take the head off a marble statue.
Such a nice girl, once you get to know her.
"You're so violent, you rage-aholic," teased Scholar-Kodachi. "How I
can share a mind with an emotional jock like you is beyond me."
Heh
"Can it, geek girl!" snarled Sukeban-Kodachi, although there was not
much venom in her tone, more like the teasing done between friends.
Nice to see they do get along. Would be a real mess in there if they didn't.
Her grim look faded as she turned to look at Kodachi. "So when are we
finally going to bed the real Ranma? Doing it with these dream images
is fun for awhile, but a girl's got needs, ya know."
Sukeban Kodachi: Like shopping.
Scholar-Kodachi came to her rescue, saying, "Stop pushing her, gang
girl. I think once we get Nabiki occupied with Tatewaki, that'll clear
the field for us to claim Ranma's heart.
In other words hell is going to freeze over before the field is clear. :)
The two of them seem to have
some attraction for each other. If I do say so myself, I think it's
one of my best schemes.
Thus, helplessly dooming said scheme.
With Akane gone to Furinkan, and after we warn
off this Utena girl, then all will be well. We'll be the only one in
Ranma's life.
It's amazing how someone can be so wrong about something.
The trio continued to talk about many things,
of shoes, of ships, of sealing wax, of cabbages and kings. ^_^
hours seeming to pass in
this dream-world. Despite their strong differences in personality,
there were enough things they all held in common that they could talk
about. Whenever Sukeban-Kodachi got bored, she would wander off from
the other two, either to fight with dream images of Akane, Nabiki, or
sometimes Utena. Occasionally she would go for another session of
'wrestling' with the Ranma-image.
Active girl.
After a time, off in the distance a bell suddenly began to sound.
What? Not toll? :)
Kodachi heard the soft chimes of her alarm clock sounding,
Think you can drop 'sounding' since we can already assume that she hears the
chimes.
waking her
from a pleasant dream involving Ranma. The details were somewhat
vague, many of them quite erotic, but she felt very refreshed by it.
Still only half awake, her mood darkened as she recalled Ranma had
ended his innocence in the arms of another woman.
Ah, so many women enraged at Utena and she didn't get any satisfaction at
all.
That experience
should have been hers.
Or the least Ranma could have done was invite her in a three way. Thanks to
Sukeban-Kodachi, she was quite decadent now.
As long as I have Ranma, then all will be well, thought Kodachi with a
loving smile. After she had come back, almost in tears from what she
had heard while visiting Ranma's house that night, Sasuke had noticed
how upset she had been and had shared a secret with her to try and
cheer her up: Ranma was her fianc�.
Another cat out of the bag.
The noblewoman still did not know
if she dared believe it or not, but she would not force the man she
loved to marry her only out of obligations of honor.
Unless that was the only way she could have him. But that went without
saying.
She wanted Ranma
to come to her willingly, to choose her above all the other women now
pursuing him. After she had dealt with Utena Tenjo, she would tell him
how she felt.
Kodachi: Yes, once we get rid of all the women pursuing him, then he can be
free to choose.
Drawing her knees up to her chest, Kodachi hugged them and slowly
rocked back and forth on her bed. Ranma will come to love me, she
reassured herself, and his love will keep me sane.
In the back of her mind, a small chorus of voices, each identical to
her own, murmured agreement with the sentiment.
Kodachi definitely has issues.
The movements of air against her face, and the slight sounds heard,
gave her mind a clear picture of what surrounded her. She deftly cut
and thrust with both the butt and blade of the weapon. The balance was
quite a bit different from her battle spatula, but polearms had always
been her favorite weapons, especially the naginata. She shifted her
grip slightly as she spun down into the conclusion of her kata, and she
grounded the butt of the weapon with a final flourish.
Right into her foot.
"And you were doing so well up to that point," Yumi said as she watched her
niece hop around on one foot while chanting a continuous mantra of
'Owowowowow.'
"I was aware of your presence, Aunt Yumi," said Ukyo calmly
having used 'The Force.'
"Care to talk about what's bothering you yet?" Yumi inquired. "You
came back in a foul mood the other night, not to mention smelling of
lard."
Akane: Which is infinitely better than smelling of shit. Take it from me
Ukyo grumbled. She set the naginata down in the weapon rack in the
backyard region of her aunt's restaurant and picked up a ninjato.
But Yumi isn't holding a ninja, so how can Ukyou be holding a ninja to?
Yes, that was horrible of me. I'm still not going to apologize.
"I see," said Yumi. "Man trouble, eh?"
Heh. Perceptive.
Ukyo's precise movements faltered for a split second, and her facial
expression changed to a frown as she said, "I went over to Ranma's
house to visit him. Things didn't go too well."
Ukyou: Fell on my ass. Fell from a roof. Fell from a window. Got kicked in
the head. Had a bowling ball hit me. It was like being trapped in a crappy
Macauly Culkan film.
"She won't be one for long," Ukyo muttered, her blade ringing against
Yumi's.
Ukyo: You see, I got this plan. All I have to do is dress up like one of the
Ohtori Academy male students in disguise and go there and confront Utena.
What could possible go wrong?
"He's my fianc�."
Only for the length of the engagement. :)
Just the thought of someone else poaching
on her 'territory' bothered the young ninja, and she had never felt
this possessive about a guy before. But Ranma was pretty cute, fun to
be with, not to mention nicer to her than any guy near her age she had
ever met.
Since he was the only one that knows she's a girl, that really shouldn't be
a surprise. :P
Ukyo suddenly ducked, her distracted thoughts having let her aunt get
through her defenses to nick her hair, trimming off a few stray locks.
For the next several moments, both of them were too involved in their
duel to talk, but Ukyo felt herself actually relaxing a bit as the
sparring match went on. Fights were easy. It was relationships that
were hard.
True.
"Where there's one rival, there can be others,"
Even a small herd.
commented Yumi a minute
or two later. A slightly darker look was upon her face, as if
remembering something unpleasant.
Ah, she has a shady past too.
the girl's speed was astonishing for one so young to have. "But you're
going to need to get even better if you have a rival for Ranma's
affections, since I'm willing to guess that she gave you those bruises
you had."
Well, from those and the anti-pervert traps she suffered from. ^_^
And I won't see you lose Ranma to another woman, not like I
once lost-
A man named Happosai.
Oh, now that would be evil, though he's long since dead here.
"I see," said Ukyo tightly. She caught her breath and tried to calm
herself. "I'll make you proud of me, Aunt Yumi. No way am I going to
fail my family and lose my fianc� to some bimbo."
Famous last words.
"That's the Kuonji Clan spirit, Ukyo," cheered Yumi, clapping her niece
on the shoulders. "Our ancestors would be proud of you."
Ancestors: Right. We are so proud of our cross-dressing descendent. Let's
shout out how proud we are that so many people think she's a guy.
"Stupid jerk," she muttered, a sad heaviness in her chest. She hated
feeling like this, so weak and vulnerable, all because she lov- liked
Ranma Saotome. The feelings from her analog had mixed with her own,
and now she could not tell where one left off and the other began. And
the clear memory of what she had discovered in her father's desk the
other day, while she had been innocently looking for a pen,
and innocently looking for the password to his computer,
Ranma had been her fianc� for over a week,
The worst kept of secrets, I see.
she knew he was still unaware of their engaged status. Her head said
one thing, her feelings another. She felt betrayed. That other Nabiki
may have been content to share Ranma with other women, but this one
hated the idea.
Heh. Nice contrast between her and AVST Nabby.
As Nabiki retracted her arm, her other fist hit the bag with equal
force to the other savage strike. Sweat rolled down her face from the
intensive efforts she had been making since long before dawn. She had
slept poorly, her thoughts refusing to let go of the image of Ranma
inviting Utena Tenjo to his house for the night.
You'd think the shower 'visitation' would affect her more. ^_^
Nabiki's fists drove hard into the bag in a staccato pattern. It was
filled with small, steel ball bearings, and her mother had always made
her use it to toughen her hands and feet into weapons. Akane still
used this bag daily, and Nabiki was quickly regaining the ground lost
to her sister due to her long period of half-hearted training.
I'd say she's more than regained it by now with how well she fights.
Nabiki watched it fly out the door of the training hall to slam into
the wall of the yard, and the heavily-abused bag promptly burst open to
spill out a pile of ball bearings beneath it.
It's dead, Jim.
Utena Tenjo was not going to complicate Nabiki's plans for Ranma. He
was _her_ fianc�, and no one else's.
Except for Kodachi's. And Ukyou's. And Utena's if Nodoka has her way...
The okonomiyaki chef had managed to appear in Nerima to complicate
Nabiki's life in this timeline, a quite unwelcome random factor in her
plans, and her abilities as a fighter were still unknown. Nabiki felt
certain that she was probably quite good. Yuka had given her an update
on the weekend, covering Ranma's activities that week, before his fight
with Utena. Among the entries was the status of the other two marriage
meetings.
Good spy.
Nabiki felt somewhat reassured to hear that neither of the meetings had
apparently resulted in any firm agreement between the Saotomes and the
other two families,
Well, maybe not that good.
but she did not trust Genma to leave things well
enough alone. And Ranma, that idiotic jerk, had taken the little,
cross-dressing, backwoods bimbo out on a date. To make matters worse,
only a few days later, he had taken the other cross-dresser, Utena
Tenjo, to his home for the entire night. Nabiki found herself
wondering about that. Just what was it with Ranma and his attraction
to these cross-dressing girls? Did he like that type?
Time to get some tailor made suits, Nabby-chan. ^_^
Feeling her levels of frustration rising once again, Nabiki began
working them off on the other punching bag. Fists and feet began
brutalizing the thick leather skin of the bag, and she began muttering
Just used 'began' in the previous sentence. Might want to switch to 'she
muttered a mantra'
******************************
"That Utena girl was very nice, Ranma," said Nodoka with a smile
Oh, you could just see it coming.
time. But she was more interested in the marked improvements to her
son's social life than chastising her husband on his chronically bad
habits of late, so she let it pass for now. A wonderful vision of
grandchildren that she could help take care of filled her mind, cute
pink-haired girls and darling black-haired boys.
Oh yes, right on the horizon, that one is. :)
"So would you like me to speak to Utena's guardian about arranging a
marriage with her?"
And she goes for the grand slam!
"What?" Ranma yelped. "Of course not!" Judging by his mother's
reaction, he thought that might not have been the expected response.
Heh.
"Well, I suppose I could wait until you try out the other three girls,
to see which one is most compatible for you," said Nodoka with a placid
expression.
Ah, the wonders of having a liberal mother. ^_^
"You are welcome to bring any of them home with you, of
course. Just try to be a little quieter when you show them how manly
you are. All that banging and crashing was quite distracting."
And Nodoka falls victim to the standard Takahashi misconception. :)
Ranma almost did a spit-take with a mouthful of rice. A shiver ran
down his spine at the thought of what the other girls would do to him
if they thought he was trying them all out _that_ way.
It would involve lots of broken bones, probably all of them, and namely his.
A vision of a
wrathful Nabiki, who he could admit was _almost_ as good a fighter as
he was, caused his pigtail to stand out straight from his neck. He
swallowed his rice nervously, hoping the conversation would change to
something else.
It did. Nodoka held out a garment. "Here's Utena's panties, the ones I found
laying in your room. Why don't you give them back the next time you see
her?"
"Nabiki and Kodachi should really be your first choices for a wife
anyway," said Genma smugly. "That Kodachi girl's father and I go way
back, and the Tendo's connections would make for a good match."
One's rich and the other I favor as a Tendou.
"Yes, Mother," said Ranma, hoping that sounding agreeable might stop
her from pressing the issue. He was already dreading what was surely
waiting for him at the Academy after his loss to Utena in front of the
Dean and his coach. The girls could wait until he settled that matter.
Ah yes, pride before survival. ^_^
"Have a good day, Ranma," said Nodoka with a smile. She would have to
remember to give him Utena's panties, the ones that she had found in
his room after the girl had left. Returning them would give him an
excuse to see his new lover, and Nodoka was sure that Ranma must have
been looking forward to seeing the other girl again. After all, he had
returned home looking so distracted from escorting Utena to the train
station.
Hehehehe. Oh, he is so screwed.
Then, Nodoka's expression darkened as she recalled the challenge letter
that had arrived that morning. She would have to train extra hard to
ensure that she crushed Kenseiko's desires for revenge.
Yeah, right. I can see the two older women going at it tooth and nail.
Should be a fun sight to behold.
spent as both rival and friend to Achika, Nodoka had learned of the
Masaki's illustrious history, going all the way back through the
centuries to the mysterious Yosho, the enigmatic wanderer who once
saved an Emperor and did battle with powerful demons.
Might be closer than you think.
>
Ranma went out the door feeling like a condemned man. His only bright
thought was at least the girls weren't aware of Utena's presence at his
house overnight.
Hehehe. Sad to see just how wrong someone can be.
Training would relax and focus him, and he was sure
that this week wouldn't have any new surprises. After all, how many
complications could one be dealt?
Depends on how much time the author has on his hands. :)
Well, that's enough for now. Will get to the second part of my C+C as soon
as I can. It's great to see you starting this back up at last. It's been way
too long since we've seen it. Now if only you can get the next chapter out a
little sooner...
D.B. Sommer