Ranma and his friends belong to Rumiko Takahashi. They're used here
without permission.

Lemon content is fairly light, but its pervasive. Have fun, kids!

------------------------------
newRanma 17: Deceiving

by Chris Jones
------------------------------

    Ranma was a pervert. That was the only explanation for what
was happening.

    He thought that his body would quit trying to make his
decisions for him when he was finally able to change back from being
a girl. He couldn't have been more wrong. Like before, it was the
little things that really got him, like sitting too close to one of
the girls.

    The day after he changed back, he found himself sitting
behind Akane in class as usual. Like before, his eyes tried to linger
on the curve of her neck. Also of interest was the way her school
skirt rode up her calves when she kicked the floor under her chair.

    What was new were the not-so-subtle stirrings that now
happened in response. Ranma had felt the sensation before, usually
early in the mornings, or if something was rubbing against him for
some reason. Never before had it just... happened... just because he
looked at a girl.

    It was a normal reaction, at least according to the copy of
'Bodywatching' Makuna-sensei had given Ranma. When he thought about
it, he even remembered seeing the tale-tell bulges it caused on other
guys. It never seemed to want to go away, however. Thinking about
martial arts helped somewhat. Once Ranma's concentration was torn
away from female flesh, the almost painful stiffness eased, and even
disappeared after a while. If Akane, Ukyou, or any of the other
attractive girls in his class managed to catch his attention again,
nothing Ranma could do would stop his erection from rising once more.

    It was embarrassing! Did other guys have to deal with this?

    A few hours of surreptitious observation of his classmates
confirmed Ranma's suspicions. Other guys *did* seem to have to deal
with it. Ranma felt a little odd trying to look at other guy's
crotches without being noticed, but one or two of them did seem to
bulge more than normal during the times they stood up in class.
Hiroshi, he noticed, carried a book with him if he left to use the
restroom during the between-class breaks once or twice during the
day. He shifted the book seemingly without thinking about it, keeping
it between his waist and the rest of the room. Ranma could tell by
the tightness around his eyes and tenseness of his shoulders that
Hiroshi was very much aware of what he was doing, and probably more
than a little sensitive about it.

    Other guys seemed not to care. Some guys seemed to care too
much. Hikaru Gosunkuji, who was always sat in the back of the class,
always carried his school bag or a book defensively over his waist
almost every time he got up.

    So it's not just me, Ranma thought, feeling some relief.

    What did seem odd were the other changes in his perception.
For one thing, he felt unusually protective of the girls around him.
He had always felt protective of the girls. It was mostly because he
felt it was his duty to protect those who couldn't protect themselves
as well as he could. Then it was because he felt like he probably got
them all in more trouble than they deserved or could conveniently
handle.

    Now, he was just waiting for someone to attack Akane, Ukyou,
or any of the other girls in his class for that matter. He thought
briefly about how he would get up to the next floor if someone
mouthed off to Nabiki. He wanted someone to attack one of them,
because then Ranma could defend them and... and... then what?

    When he was supposed to be concentrating on an economics
lesson, Ranma thought about the situation. In his mind, an evil,
rapacious warrior had come to Furinkan to enslave all the pretty
girls. He decided to start with Akane, Ukyou, and Nabiki. Ranma leapt
to their aid, struggling a little bit in the fight because he had
been out of action for so long, but then coming through at the end of
the battle, just when it really mattered.

    The girls were all very thankful for Ranma's help, and showed
their thanks by warmly embracing him. Of course, they had not yet
been able to replace the clothes that the evil warrior had torn off
their bodies, so they did this in only tatters of lingerie.

    Then, Ranma grabbed Nabiki by the wrists and started doing
the kinds of things to her that the evil warrior had been about to.

    "Mister Saotome, are you listening?!"

    "Wha...?" Ranma mumbled, jostled out of his reverie by the
teacher's yell.

    "I asked you to come up here and draw the appropriate graph.
Have you been listening at all?"

    "Of course I have," he lied. He glanced over at Ukyou's
textbook. "We were talking about laws of Supply and Demand."

    "If you know so much," the teacher said, seeing through
Ranma's ruse, "then come up here and draw the graph."

    Ranma suddenly realized that would be very uncomfortable and
possibly quite embarrassing, since his previous line of thought had
indeed caused the same physical reaction he had been so worried about
earlier. "Do I gotta?" he asked, quickly trying to figure out how
much of a dork he'd look like if he took a book up to the chalk-board
with him.

    There were a few titters of laughter around the classroom.
Akane looked back over her shoulder at Ranma, curiosity warring with
irritation on her face.

    "What on earth is keeping you from doing what I ask,
Saotome?" the teacher asked in irritation.

    "My leg went to sleep," Ranma improvised. "And if I get up,
then I'm gonna fall right back down again. Everyone will laugh at
me."

    "And that's not already the case?" the teacher asked. "See me
after school, Saotome. Get up here and draw the graph, Kuonji."

* * *

    After school, Ranma started sparring with Soun. There were
people he'd rather be sparring with, but Genma still wasn't back from
his trip yet, and Kunou had been actively avoiding Ranma. He was
rather hoping that Ryouga would show up soon. That would be a good,
hard challenge.

    Still, Soun was pressing him. Ranma thought that it would be
like fighting Akane,  except Ranma wouldn't have to feel bad about
fighting back. Soun surprised him. The man would dodge in, lightly
testing Ranma's defenses. When Ranma tried to take advantage of
Soun's advances, the man retreated and became utterly defensive.
Ranma couldn't help but think that the man's strategy was effective
for prolonging a fight but that it wouldn't win many battles.

    Afterwards, much to Ranma's surprise, Soun gave him a list of
things he had let slip or needed improvement on. Ranma had to admit
that Akane's father was a very good martial arts sensei.

    Ranma considered trying to get Akane to spar with him, but
the girl had been looking at him a little oddly the last few days. He
mentioned it to Kasumi in passing that night after dinner.

    "You've grown quite a bit during the last three months," the
young woman noted. "You've also done some filling out across the
shoulders. Akane is probably just being shy because you look a little
different. That's all."

    Could that be it? Was Akane afraid of him perhaps? Maybe it
was something else. Perhaps she was attracted to him. That couldn't
be. Could it?

    Ranma's train of thought was neatly derailed as he strode
past the guest room door on his way to his own room. He heard his
mother's voice inside. Almost without thinking, he ran to open the
door. He paused just before jerking it open when she started to
shout.

    "What if Soun or the girls saw my hair like this? It would be
horrible!"

    "You're being silly, No-chan. They've been around Ranma for
almost a year now," Genma's voice replied. "I'm fairly certain that
everyone knows your real hair color by now."

    Real hair color?

    "You didn't marry a red-head."

    "No, but I've been sleeping with one for the last several
weeks."

    It was true then. Ranma had indeed seen a red curl protruding
from his mother's scarf a few days ago. He wondered why she sought to
change her hair color?

    "Mom?" he called out.

    "Ranma? Oh dear..."

    "Can I come in?" he asked.

    "This is so embarrassing," she mumbled. "Please go
downstairs, Ranma," Nodoka asked after a few seconds. "Your father
and I will be down in just a second."

    Grinning, but still a little confused, Ranma went down stairs
and informed the Tendous that his parents had returned. After a few
minutes, Genma and Nodoka both walked gravely down the stairway and
bowed to the Tendous.

    Genma looked healthier than Ranma had even seen him. He had
lost a significant amount of weight in the last few weeks, and
appeared sharp and alert. A few strands of black hair were protruding
out from underneath his bandanna.

    "Aunty, your hair!" Akane exclaimed after everyone had
welcomed the pair back.

    Nodoka glared at the girl, but didn't say anything.

    Indeed, Nodoka was dressed nicely, wearing a fairly
attractive dress, but her normal hairstyle had altered. It had
apparently been cut, and instead of a large, single bun in back,
Nodoka now wore two small odango-style buns on either side of her
head.

    Most significant was the fact that Nodoka's hair color was
now bright red, a match for Ranma's girl-side.

    "Don't let her intimidate you, Akane," Genma told her. "It's
her natural color, but she's been dying it for years."

    "But why, Aunty?" Kasumi asked. "It's so beautiful."

    "It's embarrassing!" Nodoka exclaimed, her cheeks almost as
red as her hair. "It makes me stand out!"

    "Oh, like that would be a change for the Saotomes," Nabiki
joked.

    "And how did you grow it out so fast?" Akane wondered.

    "And where did you go?" Soun asked. "You both look like
you've spent months at a health spa."

    "Hard exercise does have certain effects," Nodoka answered.

    "But most of it probably came out of that magical onsen in
Hawaii," Genma said. "It was horrible, Tendou," Genma said. "We were
taken prisoner and dumped into a magical bath. At first I thought it
was another curse, but then I found it was infinitely worse than
that."

    "You didn't think it was very bad when those three
priestesses started swarming all over you," Nodoka noted with a
raised eyebrow.

    "I thought we weren't going to discuss that," Genma replied
in embarrassment.

    "Priestesses?" Ranma wondered out loud.

    "Of some pacific island fertility goddess. There were priests
too," Genma noted in an off-hand manner. "At least I think they were
priests. Did you ever find out dear? I was rather occupied at the
time."

    Nodoka blushed and grimaced. "It wasn't my fault!" she
announced a little too loudly. "It was because of that magical
necklace. Besides, I thought you had forgiven me for that."

    "I had. I was just wondering," Genma told her. "After the
priestesses poured cold water on me, they weren't nearly so
interested any more, and tried to chase me away, so I never got the
chance to see what they finally did to you."

    "It doesn't matter after what they made us do together on the
goddess's altar, does it?" Nodoka asked in a quiet tone.

    Genma cleared his throat. "I guess not. That's an experience
I'm not going to forget in a hurry."

    "Oh my!" Kasumi said, blushing to her collar. She turned and
fled from the room.

    "Well, well..." Nabiki said, eyeing the couple in surprise.

    Ranma's eyes widened in shock. Apparently, his parents little
vacation had been quite an... interesting... adventure. Both his
parents sported very guilty expressions. He noted that they were
holding hands, though. Whatever had happened seemed to have patched
the difficulties they'd been having.

    Akane gasped, and glared at Ranma as Soun and Genma started
to discuss the more mundane aspects of the sabbatical.

    "What?!" Ranma challenged her

    "You're whole family is perverted, Ranma!"

    "Shut up, Akane!"

* * *

    When Ranma got back up to his room later that evening, Nabiki
was waiting for him, sitting on his bed. She was fidgeting idly. For
a second, he wondered if she had come to try something naughty again,
but the expression said that something was wrong. Ranma did his best
to keep his eyes from lingering on the hem of her shorts or her long
legs. "What's up?" he asked defensively. He tried to keep a middle
ground in the room, neither approaching nor retreating from the girl.

    "How would you feel about paying some of your debt off?"
Nabiki asked. Her tone was almost pleading.

    "Huh?"

    Nabiki was actually trembling a little bit. "A friend of mine
has a problem," she said evasively, "and if you help us out... her
out... I can make it worth your while."

    "Come on, Nabiki. I really don't feel like getting involved
in one of your scams right now," Ranma groaned. "I've got more than
enough to worry about." He rolled his eyes. Privately, he was more
than a little disappointed that Nabiki didn't seem to be interested
in... other things.

    Nabiki was silent, but Ranma could see the muscles in her
face contracting as her jaw clenched.

    "It's not a scam, Ranma," she said after a few seconds. "We
really need your help. This isn't something I can do by myself and I
thought that you'd jump--"

    "No." Ranma cut her off. "It's not like I'll ever be able to
pay you off anyway, so why don't you just leave me alone and stop
trying to confuse me."

    Nabiki's eyes flashed dangerously. For a second, Ranma saw
the family resemblance between her and Akane very clearly. Then her
shoulders slumped slightly.

    "Please?" she asked in a defeated tone.

    Ranma honesty couldn't remember the last time she had said
that.

    "Please hear me out, Ranma," Nabiki said. Her trembling had
increased. Ranma could see that the girl was actually quite upset.
Tears were standing in the corners of her eyes.

    "So what's this problem," he offered after several seconds.
"I'm not sayin' I'll help, but if you'll tell me what's goin' on,
maybe I'll think about it."

    "It's Taiyoko," Nabiki explained. "She's in a lot of
trouble."

    "With her parents?" Ranma guessed.

    Nabiki nodded. "Her father caught her... in a awkward
situation...  with... another girl." Nabiki blushed at the statement.

    Ranma winced. "Oh geez."

    "It probably looked a lot worse than it really was," she
said, "but her parents aren't exactly the most understanding people
in the world. Both of them said some things to her that they really
shouldn't have. Her mother threatened to send her to an asylum and
her father told her that he's going to send her to a boarding school
in Europe. I don't know whether either one is serious or not, but
Taiyoko seems to think they both are."

    "Yikes!"

    "She's grounded to the house right now," Nabiki continued,
"until her parents can make whatever arrangements they're planning
on."

    "So what can I do to help?" Ranma asked a little more
seriously. He thought that Nabiki should have come right out and said
that Taiyoko was in trouble. He was a lot less hesitant to help once
he knew someone he cared about genuinely needed it.

    "That's the hard part," Nabiki admitted. "Taiyoko's an 'A'
student, and never gets in trouble. Besides her... preference...
she's done nothing to be in trouble. If we can somehow convince her
parents that she's not very serious about it, or that she's changed
her mind, I think they'll be a lot less likely to try pack her away."

    Warning bells started to go off in Ranma's head. "Wait a
second--"

    "That's why you're going to ask her out on a date," Nabiki
cut him off. "If it's convincing enough, they'll relent."

    "Man, Nabiki," Ranma said seriously. "You know as well as I
do how much can go wrong with a plan like that."

    "I don't know what else to do. Can you think of anything
else?" she pleaded.

    "Not really," he admitted.

    Nabiki covered her eyes with one hand, still trembling. She
seemed to deflate, completely out of hope.

    "I'll do it," Ranma said after several seconds of thought.
"I'll probably regret it, but..."

    "Thank you," Nabiki said, her voice full of relief.

    "I'm just glad Taiyoko has a friend like you," Ranma said.

    Nabiki coughed once, but then nodded.

    After he and Nabiki sketched out a quick itinerary for the
proposed date, Ranma sought out Akane to explain things to her.

    "She's gay?!" Akane shouted in obvious distaste after Ranma
explained his plan. "Why, that no-good, lying--"

    "You don't have to throw a fit about it," Ranma cut his
fiancee off. "Why're you so upset about it anyway?"

    "That's just not... not... just not right! She shouldn't be
that way. It's perverted!"

    "Anyway, you understand why I'm gonna go on a date with her?"
Ranma asked, a little leery of the dark-haired girl's reaction.

    Akane was visibly upset, but nodded in agreement. "It's her
own fault her parents are so mad at her, but I guess we should do
what we can do to help her."

    Ranma frowned, wondering why Akane had been set off so badly.
She usually looked at such things at distaste, but the ugly look of
loathing on her face was more intense than he had ever seen on her
before.

    Ranma wasn't sure how Ukyou would react, but was confident
that he could avoid her for the duration of the date. Shampoo wasn't
likely to be a problem because she was back in China. Besides Akane's
trouble outburst, Ranma couldn't think of anything that could thwart
his plans.

* * *

    On the roof of the Tendou home, Kodachi laid a finger on her
chin in thought. The gymnast wasn't certain, but she thought that the
girl that Akane Tendou and her Ranma-sama were discussing had been
one of the guests at the impromptu party a few weeks ago. She had
been distracted the entire time, waiting for Ranma-sama to arrive,
but now that she thought about it, something *did* seem a little off
about the girl.

    Of course, many things seemed odd... since the strange day
when Ranma and the pigtailed girl seemed to... change places.

    Kodachi's mind shied away from the things she had seen and
heard. It was all too much to deal with.

    Still, this latest development could prove problematic. It
sounded all rather too thin to her. It was possible that this was
nothing more than a shallowly-disguised plot to take Ranma away from
her. Kodachi decided that she would follow along... just in case.

* * *

    *ring* *ring*

    "Moshi-moshi?" It was Taiyoko's mother.

    Ranma cleared his throat and spoke as clearly as he could,
"Is Taiyoko home?"

    "And this is..." the woman prompted in suspicion.

    "This is Ranma Saotome," he said. "I'm a friend of Taiyoko's.
You mind if I talk to her?"

    "Uh... no," the woman said curiously. "I'll go get her.
Please hold on just a second."

    Ranma nodded. Nabiki exhaled in relief.

    "Ranma?!" Taiyoko's voice asked over the phone line.

    "Hey, Taiyoko-chan," Ranma said. "I heard you were grounded."

    "Nabiki told you?."

    "Yeah--" Ranma paused, hearing a click on the phone line. He
looked up at Nabiki, and mimed picking up a second receiver and
holding it to his ear.

    Nabiki nodded in understanding. She rolled one hand,
gesturing for Ranma to continue despite the fact that one or both of
Taiyoko's parents were eavesdropping on their conversation.

    "So, at any rate, if you can get out of the house," Ranma
improvised, "I thought maybe we could go on a date." Taiyoko was a
sharp girl. Hopefully she would understand what they were trying to
do without having it spelled out for her.

    "T-that's..." she paused for a second. "T-that would be
wonderful," she replied. "Let me ask my parents."

    There were several minutes of silence over the phone line.
Ranma did his best, but other than a few clicks, couldn't hear
anything but a quiet, static hiss through the receiver.

    After a while, Taiyoko's voice returned. "My parents said t-
that I can go out tomorrow night if it's with you," she said. "That's
really you, right, Ranma?"

    "Yeah." Ranma smiled, knowing the girl was more used to the
sound of his female voice. "I'll come get you at seven, okay?"

    "Hai!"

    After he hung up the phone, he nodded to Nabiki.

    "Well?"

    "Her parents are going to let her go out," he said in a
conspiratorial tone.

    "That's a good sign," Nabiki said thankfully.

    "Hey, don't worry!" Ranma said. "We'll make it work out."

* * *

    The next day, Ranma strolled up the walk to Taiyoko's house.
He had to take a train to get there, but Nabiki had provided him with
a fairly detailed idea of how to get to the house, along with a basic
idea of what kinds of shops and restaurants were nearby. As a matter
of fact, Nabiki had helped Ranma plan most of the date in advance.

    The house itself was fairly large. It must have been
hideously expensive, especially for the high-class neighborhood it
was located in. Ranma remembered vaguely that Taiyoko's father was a
business of some kind and that her mother ran a catering service.
They probably could afford it. He wondered briefly how such well-off
people could be so harsh on their only daughter.

    Still, his first priority was getting Taiyoko out of trouble.
He had some vague ideas about helping her out once she was no longer
in danger of being sent away, but keeping her from suffering her
parents' immediate wrath took precedence.

    He but on his best, most charming smile, and rang the
doorbell.

    Taiyoko's mother greeted him warmly, and ushered him inside
the huge house. She led him down an conservatively decorated hallway,
and into a western-style sitting room, where Taiyoko's father was
reading a newspaper.

    "Hey," Ranma greeted the man.

    Taiyoko's father shook his hand warmly, and started cracking
jokes.

    Ranma may have been smiling, but inside, he couldn't help but
remember how these same people had glared at him when he was a girl.
It was an odd contrast, and the disparity in behavior made him feel
almost sick to his stomach. He laughed along with the off-color jokes
Taiyoko's father was telling even though he wanted to scream.

    Ranma turned when he heard Taiyoko's footsteps in the hallway
behind him.

    She nodded and waved weakly. The girl was wearing a cute
mini-dress and heeled shoes. Her immaculate hair and make-up showed
evidence of quite a bit of work. Her smile was forced, however. She
kept glancing at both her parents, her eyes seeking approval.

    "You ready to go?" Ranma prompted, thankful for the
opportunity to leave.

    Taiyoko nodded without speaking.

    Ranma glanced once more at the girl's parents before leading
her from the house. Both had exultant expressions on their face.
Ranma thought that they probably misread the thankful look on his
face as adoration. Let them, he decided. It was better for Taiyoko
that way. As he led her down the street, his heart went out to the
girl, wondering how she could bear to stay with people who hated her
so much.

    "Nabiki t-told you what happened," Taiyoko guessed as they
made their way across the neighborhood.

    Ranma nodded. "It must have been pretty embarrassing, huh?"

    Taiyoko nodded, brightly blushing. "It.... I hope... T-t--"

    "Hey, it's okay! I know all about it!" Ranma assured her.
"You have more or less a general idea of what we're trying to
accomplish?"

    "Nabiki told me that she might try something like this if
something ever happened. I never realized it would be you, though,"
Taiyoko admitted. "Wow..."

    "Hmm?"

    Taiyoko blinked, looking away from Ranma, even though their
arms were intertwined. "I still can't get over how different you look
as a man. It's just like the pictures you showed me."

    "Yeah," Ranma agreed, unsure of how to react to Taiyoko's
statement. "I'm still the same guy inside," he assured her. Realizing
what he had just said, he hastily amended, "Or... I guess that
probably wasn't the best thing to say."

    "No!" Taiyoko assured him. "It's just fine. You're a
wonderful friend, regardless."

    "Just less appealing this way," Ranma guessed.

    "I don't like this," Taiyoko agreed, admitting her
discomfort. "But I know it's necessary."

    "Maybe more than you think," Ranma said suspiciously as they
passed in front of the first shop near Taiyoko's home.

    "What?"

    Ranma paused near the glass window of a dress shop and
pointed at a sequined purse. When Taiyoko was staring at it,
wondering what was going on in her friend's head, Ranma raised his
finger to point at a reflection in the glass.

    "Don't look behind you," Ranma whispered.

    Taiyoko's eyes widened in horror as she realized she could
see both her parents in the reflection as they darted inside a shop
across the street.

    "What will we do?" she asked in terror.

    "We'll have a wonderful date," Ranma told her, a smile on his
face. "And we'll play it to the hilt for our audience. Actually, this
might make our evening a little easier. If your parents see how
devoted your new 'boyfriend' is, maybe they'll lay off you a little
bit."

    "Maybe," Taiyoko said dubiously. "It couldn't hurt."


* * *

    On the roof of a shop on the other side of the square,
Kodachi Kunou waited patiently, wondering how long Ranma and the
insipid girl hanging all over him would be about browsing the endless
little shops that lined both sides of the street.

    She shifted positions uncomfortably, gravel from the roof
digging into her mostly-uncovered bottom through the fabric of her
leotard.

    The only mitigating factor to her ordeal was the idiotic
little comedy proceeding below. Her Ranma-sama was being trailed by
two overweight and poorly disguised idiots, no doubt the parents of
the girl he was helping. Ranma obviously knew they were there,
because he kept his movements wide and open, overacting each
affectionate gesture or comment, hamming it up as if he were on
stage. He and his friend would move along from shop to shop, only to
be followed a few seconds later by their obtrusive tails.

    As of fact, Kodachi felt no compunction to try to stay well
hidden as she was capable of because she knew that the pair below
were so distracting that Ranma and his friend would never notice her.

    As she drifted from rooftop to rooftop keeping up with Ranma-
sama and his 'date', Kodachi decided wasn't sure about the girl yet,
but that it was obvious to her that at least Ranma  believed that he
was helping her in the manner Kodachi overheard.

* * *

    "Here," Ranma said, handing a pretty scarf he just bought to
Taiyoko. "A gift."

    Taiyoko looked warmly at the scarf and her friend. "Thank
you, Ranma!" she said, embracing him warmly.

    Ranma shrugged, a little embarrassed by the girl's gratitude.
"I'm glad you like it, but it's for show, mostly. Nabiki gave me the
money to buy it."

    Taiyoko went misty-eyed for a second. "Oh..." she breathed.

    "Yeah," Ranma agreed. "She's being a really good friend."

    "She really is," Taiyoko said. "A truly wonderful person."

    "I wouldn't go that far," Ranma noted dryly.

    "She always takes such good care of me."

    After walking through the shopping district, Ranma suggested
they go to a nearby park. Taiyoko had calmed considerably after she
managed to make the mental leap from 'date' to a fun outing with one
of her good friends. She even seemed to get into the deception of her
parents, who were doing their best to stay hidden a few dozen paces
behind the pair.

    Once inside, Taiyoko pointed at the couples riding swan-
shaped pedal boats on the large pond in the middle of the park.

    "Do you know how bad an idea that is?" Ranma asked
incredulously.

    "Why?" Taiyoko was genuinely curious.

    "Well, I change with hot and cold water, right?"

    "Yes..."

    "Well... that's a whole lot of cold water. I bet sex-changing
martial artists would upset your parents even more than other girls."

    Taiyoko blushed at Ranma's statement, but nodded in
agreement.

    "How about that?" the martial artist suggested, gesturing at
a booth where an old man was sketching couples.

    "I think that would work," Taiyoko said. "It seems very
romantic, doesn't it?"

    After the two got their picture drawn, Ranma led Taiyoko away
from the park and back into the shopping district. They stopped at an
outdoor cafe and made a very obvious show of ordering one milkshake
with two straws. Even the waiter gagged on that one.

    After the sun went down, the pair strolled around, looking at
the lights and gazing at the distant Tokyo skyline.

    "Are they still following us?" Taiyoko asked after several
minutes of silence between the two.

    Ranma nodded, not even bothering to look for the pair. He
could hear them rustling around in the shrubbery about fifty meters
behind.

    "I t-thought t-they would be gone by now," the blonde girl
noted in a worried tone. "Do you t-t-think they suspect."

    "I wouldn't worry about it," Ranma told her. "They're
probably convinced, and are just being nosy now."

    "But what if t-they're not?" Taiyoko worried out loud. "What
if t-t-they know already? My father's going t-t-t-to st-t-tart
hitting me again--"

    "Hitting you?!" Ranma demanded incredulously.

    "--and my mother's going t-t-t-to send me a way and I'll
never get t-t-t-t-- I'll never get t-t-to see--"

    Ranma considered his options for several seconds before
making what he considered to be a tactical battle decision. Taiyoko
was rapidly becoming incoherent with her stuttering and stammering.
If she got much worse, she risked giving them away and ruining the
deception they spent all afternoon building.

    He silenced her stammers with a kiss.

    Their lips met. Taiyoko was shocked at first, her eyes open
wide in horror and disgust, until she realized that Ranma's eyes were
open as well.

    Ranma did his best to convey his apology and intentions with
his expression, darting his eyes back towards the distant shrubbery
once.

    Taiyoko seemed to understand what he was doing. After a few
seconds of stunned silence, she started woodenly returning the kiss.
After a few more seconds, she closed her eyes.

* * *

    The little slut was kissing her Ranma-sama! Kodachi was
outraged. She leapt down from her perch, preparing to strangle the
tramp with her ribbon.

    She was almost ten paces away before she saw the look of
horror and self-loathing on the blonde girl's features.

    Kodachi stopped, and leapt up into a nearby tree just before
she struck, examining the two a little more carefully.

    Neither looked very comfortable. Ranma's expression was stony
and resolute. The blonde girl, Kodachi thought her name was Taiyoko,
actually had tears standing in the corners of her eyes. It was hard
to tell, but Kodachi thought that neither her Ranma-sama nor the girl
he was helping liked what they were doing very much.

    There was none of the excitement that Kodachi always thought
would surround such an illicit kiss. The atmosphere between the two
was tense, but it was strained and showed no arousal.

    Kodachi suddenly realized that everything she had overheard
was true.

    Her anger shifted from the blonde girl to the pair she could
see smirking at the spectacle in the bushes behind her Ranma-sama.
She began to grow frustrated with the sheer amount of time she had
spent spying on this hapless duo.

    In irritation and disgust, Kodachi leapt from treetop to
treetop, away from the gruesome spectacle. It was just too much to
bear!

* * *

    "Do you t-think they saw?" Taiyoko asked after their lips
parted.

    "I think everyone on this side of town saw," Ranma noted.
"They're certainly paying very close attention right now. I'm sorry."

    "Don't be," Taiyoko pleaded. "I understand why you did it. We
can do it again if you think it will help."

    "Let's not get too carried away just yet," Ranma said,
carefully judging the distance between them and the spies. "If I'm
right, that sort of thing usually happens around the end of a date,
so why don't I walk you home? They'll have to run on ahead if they
want to be there when you show up."

    Taiyoko nodded nervously. "Still... it wouldn't hurt if you
were..." she gulped, "you were a little more... touchy."

    "I will," Ranma offered. "If you really think it would help."

    "Boy or girl, you're one of my best friends," she
rationalized. "I won't be upset if you put your hands on me... just a
little bit."

    Ranma nodded. With a warm smile, he wrapped his arm around
the girl's waist and pulled her close to him as they walked along.

    "Are they gone yet?" she asked after a few minutes.

    Ranma shook his head.

    By the time they reached Taiyoko's house, Ranma's left arm
was around her slender waist and his right hand rested familiarly on
her hip. Taiyoko grew more and more upset when it became apparent
that her parents intended to follow them all the way back.

    Indeed, it appeared that the two had no intention of trying
to end their feeble deception.

    "Please, please don't leave me alone," Taiyoko pleaded as she
unlocked her front door. "If you leave me, t-they'll send me off t-
tomorrow."

    Ranma doubted the veracity of the girl's fears, but decided
to do his best to comfort her. He smiled and followed her inside.

    She seemed to calm a bit once they were inside the dimly-lit
front room.

    "I bet that your dates are usually a lot more normal than
this," she said, sitting down on a sofa facing the front picture
window.

    "You'd be surprised," Ranma said. "Went on a date with Akane
once, but she was dressed up as a guy. Went on a date with Nabiki,
but ended up on a date with Akane. I'm still not sure how that
happened. Went on a date with Kodachi, but I got trampled by cows."

    Taiyoko giggled out loud. "You're kidding!"

    "I wish! I even went on a date with Kunou, but that was
because I was trying to cure my curse with some magic sword he found.
I've been on lots of dates with Ryouga, but it's always because of a
fight. You haven't been hugged until you've been squeezed by a guy
strong enough to break rocks with his bare hands."

    "That's horrible," Taiyoko laughed.

    "But true. This is the most normal date I've ever had," Ranma
admitted, sitting next to her. "If things were a little different,
maybe--" He froze, hearing muffled swearing just outside the window.

    "Maybe what? Ranma?"

    "Dammit. They're in the bushes now."

    Taiyoko froze, going stiff against Ranma.

    "Do you really think your dad is going to hit you?" Ranma
asked in a serious, whispered tone.

    Taiyoko was silent, but started shaking.

    "I can stop him," Ranma offered. "Easily. I'll do anything
you want me to."

    "Kiss me again," Taiyoko said, her voice tremulous with fear.

    "If they aren't gonna come in--"

    "Please," she begged. "Don't let them send me away!"

    Ranma nodded, and took the girl in his arms. He kissed her
gently, and held her close. He could feel her shivering against him.

    In truth, Ranma felt a little like shivering himself. What
they were doing was getting more and more dangerous, but more and
more stimulating at the same time. Ranma thought that the best way to
handle the situation was probably something other than what they were
doing, but for the life of him, he was having a hard time thinking of
anything else that could be done.

    "Like this?" he asked, gently caressing Taiyoko's neck.

    The blonde girl nodded, leaning into his embrace. He was
quite surprised when she began to lightly place kisses along the side
of his neck. It was all part of the deception, he understood, but it
still made every hair on his body want to stand up. He tightened his
embrace, and began to return Taiyoko's light kisses.

    Ranma noted that the simulation they were creating had caused
the rustling in the bushes outside to stop. He hadn't seen or heard
anything to make him think that the girl's parents had quit spying on
them, but it was a good sign. Perhaps they were deciding that Taiyoko
was not so 'abnormal' as they thought.

    Ranma suddenly realized that if that were the case, it would
probably mean that he would have to maintain the fiction that he was
dating Taiyoko in order to protect her. It was both a repugnant
notion and an interesting proposition at the same time. It almost
seemed as if what he was doing was justified. He wondered about this
as he kissed Taiyoko again, sucking on her lips briefly.

    Her eyes widened for a second in surprise, but she started to
return Ranma's ministrations after just a couple seconds. "Do you
think they'll believe this?" she asked warily.

    "Maybe."

    If he did have an excuse to continue, would Taiyoko want him
to? He wondered about this. In his mind, Ranma thought he knew what
Taiyoko's preference meant. After all, hadn't he been through almost
the same thing?

    As a girl, Ranma's body didn't seem to care. She reacted the
same way to a touch whether or not it belonged to Kunou, Hiroshi,
Nabiki, or Shampoo. Her mind, on the other hand, knew what was really
going on. She was repulsed by the affections of her male suitors, no
matter how much her body wanted her to let them have their way.

    Did Taiyoko feel the same way right now? Was her body telling
her that what was happening was enjoyable and exciting?

    "Why aren't t-they going away?" she whispered, her shivering
increasing. Ranma could see that her eyes were full of fear and
defeat.

    "I don't know," he admitted.

    "We haven't done enough yet," she said, grabbing Ranma's
hands and placing them at the top of her dress. "Here."

    Ranma suddenly realized what she wanted him to do.

    Gently, carefully, he began to unbutton Taiyoko's dress.

    "Please leave..." he heard her whisper under her breath.

    The buttons were close together and were a little hard to
unfasten. Ranma's shaking hands only complicated the problem. Soon,
however, he had exposed her torso as far down as her navel. Trying to
quell the shaking, he let his fingers run across her smooth, pale
flesh.

    He kissed her again, and let his fingers close around the
strap of her lace brassiere.

    Did at least some part of Taiyoko want this? Was some part of
her singing out, even as Ranma had done when she dreamed about making
love to Ryouga, or when Kunou kissed her? Was some small fraction of
his frightened friend waiting for him to make the next move?

    Ranma pulled the strap off Taiyoko's shoulder, allowing it to
hang loosely against her arm. Still kissing her, his fingertips slid
across the textured fabric until they rested on the soft swell of the
girl's breast.

    With an almost undeliberate motion, he began to squeeze,
cupping her slightly. He could suddenly feel her nipple stiffening
against his touch, even through the lace. Ranma became bolder,
squeezing more firmly, and even kneading a little bit.

    Carefully, deliberately, he shifted his grip until it was
resting on the length of lace stretched in between the two cups. The
brassier was fastened there by a small metallic clasp.

    A few of the bras Ranma had worn as a girl in the past had
worked the same way. Ranma had no trouble working the tiny catch.

    Taiyoko inhaled sharply as her assets were exposed but made
no other noise.

    Ranma stared. Taiyoko's breasts were small... smaller even
than Akane's. They were perfectly shaped, however, each about the
size of a large plum or a small peach. Her nipples were tiny and red.
Each one was stiffened, protruding a centimeter or so. They seemed to
drive all the way into Ranma's brain.

    At the same time, he realized that they had twisted on the
sofa until one of her legs had wrapped behind him. He could feel her
knee at his side and her heel in the small of his back.

    Breathing hard, Ranma leaned in and began to suck gently at
the base of her neck, his lips and tongue seeking out her flesh. He
held her close with one arm and began to cup her breast again with
the other hand. His fingertips sought out her erect nipples, and
began to tweak them ever-so-gently.

    His kisses began to move downward, until his lips were
actually on her other breast. From there, it was only a few more
centimeters until they brushed her nipple. Ranma closed his mouth on
her, and began to lightly suck, occasionally lapping at the taut
flesh of her areola.

    Taiyoko gasped at the sensation and made a quiet squeak. Her
trembling had increased until Ranma felt the need to hold her as
tightly as he could.

    His hand began to roam down her back, and onto her hip. He
caressed the length of her thigh, and began to slide his hands up
under her dress. Her legs were spread apart in order to accommodate
Ranma, so his fingers didn't have any trouble sliding his fingers
down the front of her panties. He could feel the soft tuft of hair on
her mound.

    "Why aren't t-they going away?" Taiyoko cried. "I've done so
much and t-t-they're still watching. Why?!"

    Ranma's body froze, just as his fingers ran across the very
top of Taiyoko's cleft, about to spread her nether lips apart. He
realized that he wanted to touch her there... to slide his fingers
across the sensitive nub of flesh he knew all girls had. He wanted to
touch her in the most private and personal way possible, regardless
of how she felt about that touch.

    He was startled by how quickly things had progressed.
Uncertain, he looked up into her eyes for guidance.

    Tears were rolling down her cheeks. Taiyoko's expression was
utterly defeated and humiliated. There was no trace of the arousal or
need that Ranma knew decorated his own features. There was just
fear...

    Fear of him, and what he was about to do.

    "Taiyoko..."

    "Please don't stop now," she begged. "Maybe if t-they see it,
t-they'll leave me alone. Please, Ranma."

    "But..." Ranma realized that his skin felt like it was on
fire. He was suddenly very aware of how hard he was, and that his
member was poking into Taiyoko's hip, even though the fabric of her
pants.

    "It... It has t-t-to happen sometime, right?" Taiyoko cried.
"I mean, sooner or later, it will have to happen. At least t-this
way, it's... it's... a friend... someone who cares about me..."

    A strained sob caught in the girl's throat, but she clapped
her mouth shut and clenched her teeth. She turned her face upwards to
the ceiling.

    Ranma was shaking. He was so close! It seemed like everything
in the world that really mattered at that moment was under his hands.

    "I'm sorry, he said. Gently, Ranma pulled his hand out of
Taiyoko's panties and tried to get up. He kneeled on the couch at
first, surprised at how weak his knees were. Then he stood. "I can't
do this," he told her.

    It was a lie, and Ranma knew it. He *could* do it. He wanted
to do it. In fact, quite a large portion of his mind and body was
demanding that he do so. He had to struggle to keep from kneeling
back down and falling upon Taiyoko's body like a ravening wolf.

    "No," Taiyoko begged, scrambling across the sofa to Ranma.
She wiped her eyes on her sleeve. "Please don't let them send me
away. I'll stop crying, I promise!"

    "No." Ranma said more firmly. He felt sick to his stomach. It
was almost physically painful. "No, because even if we do, it would
just cause more problems. It wouldn't be just this once... It
couldn't be. It would be every time your parents got upset. I don't
want that."

    He did want that, so badly that he could smell her. He knew
that would ruin any chance that either of them would ever have.

    "Pleasepleaseplease..." Taiyoko bawled.

    Forcefully, Ranma pushed her away and pulled the front of her
dress back together.

    Angrily, he turned away from her and strode to the front
door.

    Taiyoko's parents were kneeling in front of the bushes,
starting obscenely into the darkness, trying to see what was going
on. With a sick feeling, Ranma realized that they probably couldn't
see very much of what had went on through the dark window.

    Very briefly, Ranma wondered about the upperclassmen girl he
had spied on several weeks ago. He wondered what she would have felt
if she had known she was being spied upon.

    They both heard the front door open when Ranma stepped out
and started in surprised. They and were about to scramble away to
hide again, but panicked when they realized Ranma had seen them. They
froze, even though Ranma leapt directly at them. After only a second,
Taiyoko's mother turned and tried to bolt. She was brought up short
when Ranma roughly grabbed her by the collar of her ridiculous-
looking overcoat.

    "What the hell are you doing?!" Taiyoko's father demanded
angrily. "Unhand my wife right now!"

    "You can just shut the hell up, asshole," Ranma swore,
grabbing Taiyoko's father in the same manner.

    "I'll call the police!" the man threatened.

    "You do that," Ranma agreed, "and I'll tell them all about
how you've been beating your daughter and threatening to throw her
out."

    "No, Ranma!" Taiyoko pleaded, rushing out the front door.
Holding her dress closed with one hand, she dropped to her knees in
front of Ranma, and grasped him around the waist in supplication.
"Things are bad enough already. Please don't make it any worse."

    "You hit Taiyoko?" her mother asked, incredulously.

    "Like you're any better," Ranma accused. "So your daughter's
a little different. There ain't nothin' wrong with her at all, yet
you still threatened to send her to a loony bin."

    "That's none of your business!" the woman screeched. "I had
hoped that Taiyoko had finally found acceptable friends, but now I
see how badly I was mistaken."

    It was with will alone that Ranma resisted the urge the
violently shake the woman. Instead, he let both of them drop to the
ground, and stood over them. Angrily, Taiyoko's father leapt to his
feet, and took a swing at Ranma.

    The martial artist didn't even bother to dodge the weak,
ineffective punch. He let his head rock slightly with the mild blow
to his cheek.

    "Ranma! Father, no!" Taiyoko screamed.

    While the man's punch had almost no effect on Ranma, the
backhand slap he directed thoughtlessly at his daughter's face
knocked the girl down.

    "Stay out of this!" he growled. He turned back to Ranma and
threw another punch at the martial artist. Again, Ranma let the man's
fist connect, and rocked with the blow. It didn't even really hurt.
Before the man could make a third punch, Ranma caught the man's fist
in his own hand and began to squeeze.

    Taiyoko's father tried to pull his fist back away, but
couldn't break free of Ranma's crushing grip. For the first time, a
flicker of fear crossed his face.

    "I could squish you like a bug," Ranma noted derisively,
throwing the man's hand down. "But I'm not even going to bother.
You're not worth it."

    "Get out of here." the man commanded.

    "Do you even have any idea what just went on?" Ranma asked,
ignoring him. "Do you have any clue at all?" he demanded, turning to
address Taiyoko's mother, who was watching the whole scene in growing
horror. "Do you have any notion of what your daughter was willing to
give up just so that the two of you would quit hounding her?"

    "What we do with our daughter is our own business," Taiyoko's
father said  coldly. "And the only thing that's going to stop our
'hounding', as you put it, is for her to grow up and get over her
sick perversion. You're obviously not helping, so get out now, before
I call the police!"

    "Okay," Ranma said. "I'll go. You'll never see me again. Get
up, Taiyoko. We're going."

    "What?" she sobbed, still lying on the ground.

    "You just heard 'em, Taiyoko-chan. They ain't never gonna let
up. No amount of play-acting is gonna make 'em happy. You could screw
a thousand guys, and the second you show any affection at all to
another woman, they'll send you away or hit you again."

    "It's not like that," Taiyoko protested, scrabbling to her
knees.

    "Ain't it?" Ranma asked, his voice rising in anger. "Tell me
you really don't think that's gonna be the case. Tell me that some
day, you don't think they're gonna push you into marrying some guy
you could care less about, and that on your wedding day, you'll be
laying there just like you were tonight, hoping it doesn't hurt too
much when he fucks you! Tell me!"

    Taiyoko broke down into voiceless sobs again.

    "Are you gonna be happy with that, Taiyoko?" Ranma asked
seriously. "Is your entire life worth making your mom and dad happy?"

    He knelt down next to her, and took her hand.

    "You've caused enough damage already!" the older man accused.
He backed off when Ranma glared over at him over his shoulder.

    "It's not going to get any better, Taiyoko," Ranma said. "Do
you even need me to tell you that?"

    The girl shook her head, unable to look up in her grief and
pain.

    Ranma helped her to her feet. "Go get some stuff," he said.
"And I'll take you back to the dojo. I'm certain the Tendous' won't
mind helping you out. Nabiki will probably have some great ideas."

    "You really t-think so?" Taiyoko asked, her eyes lighting up
at the mention of Nabiki's name.

    Ranma nodded, smiling warmly.

    The girl ran back into the house. Ranma kept her parents from
running after her by the simple expedient of standing between them
and the doorway and glaring menacingly the entire time.

    Taiyoko came out just a few seconds later, carrying a few
dresses, an overnight bag, and a stuffed doll. She ran past her
parents, unable to meet their eyes.

    Taiyoko's mother turned to try to catch up with her, but
Ranma leapt in front of her.

    "No," he commanded. "I ain't gonna let either of you hurt her
any more. Taiyoko's a big girl, and she made the right decision. I'll
die before I let you unmake it for her."

    "What right do you have to take our daughter away, faggot?!"
Her father asked in rage and sorrow.

    Ranma paused, suddenly seeing the face of the man who
attacked Makuna-sensei. Did he really think that Ranma was...

    Ranma shook his head. It didn't even really matter.

    "No right at all. I ain't the one taking her away, though.
She's the one who's leaving. Remember that," he told them. "Remember
that you drove her away. Nobody else could do that. It was the two of
you!"

    "Fine," Taiyoko's father screamed after his daughter in
impotent rage. "Run away, you crazy little whore. If you leave now,
you'll never set foot in my house again!"

    "Nuhuh!" Ranma said, holding his fist up. "You can stop that
right now. And if you ever do try to come after her or hit her again,
I'll hurt you. I'll make you understand exactly what it is you've
done to her. You understand me?"

    Without waiting for an answer from either one of them, Ranma
turned and took off after his friend.


* * *

    The trek home was fairly long, but Ranma did his best to
comfort Taiyoko on the train ride. She cried endlessly, staining his
shirt.

    It was difficult, however, having her so close to him. He was
still very much attracted to the girl. He still wanted her, but knew
that it would never... could never... happen.

    By the time he got her back to the Tendou's house, it was
after midnight.

    Nabiki was waiting, her eyes wide with worry. Both Akane and
Kasumi were also up, so Ranma explained that Taiyoko's father had hit
her. Kasumi assured the girl that she could stay as long as she
needed to.

    Finally, Nabiki got both Ranma and Taiyoko alone in her room
to ask what really happened.

    After Ranma gave a brief description of the evening, glossing
over the details of the simulated makeout session that had almost
become too real, Nabiki glared darkly at him.

    "If you had just walked her home, it would have been okay!"
she accused.

    "Maybe it would have been," Ranma said. "But maybe her dad
woulda beat the shit out of her again. Maybe I don't wanna see my
friends hurt for no reason."

    Nabiki deflated somewhat, but still glared darkly at Ranma.
She took a deep breath, and glanced at Taiyoko, who looked pretty
sheepish about the whole ordeal. "Well, it can't be helped. This
complicates things, but it's not completely unsalvageable."

    "That's good," Ranma agreed. "Do you mind letting Taiyoko
stay in your room?"

    "Of course I don't mind."

    After he left the two of them alone, Ranma went back to his
own room, noting in passing that his parents seemed to be gone again
on the way down the hallway. He was tired, and emotionally exhausted.
More than anything else, he wanted to lie down.

    After tossing and turning for about a half hour, he realized
how aroused he still was. Even the fight with Taiyoko's parents
hadn't made his erection go away. Worse, the whole time they sat
together on the train, Ranma held the girl's body close to his own as
a gesture of comfort.

    Ranma started to wonder what it would have been like if he
had taken her somewhere private after they got off the train. What
would it have felt like if he had taken her body, there on her
parents sofa?

    Of course the fact he knew intellectually about Taiyoko's
preferences didn't mean that his body didn't still long for her.

    After a short while thinking about Taiyoko's slender body and
the way it felt under his hands, Ranma was more aroused than he was
tired. He realized that there was no help for his situation but
another 'long bath'.

    Sighing in resignment, but secretly looking forward to what
was about to happen, he went looking for a towel.

* * *

    The bathroom was steamy. The gas burners that heated the furo
were turned almost all the way up, sending streams of vapor coiling
through the room. It condensed on the cold tile walls and made them
slick and wet. The two people in the furo, however, were warm and
comfortable.

    "Are you sure you're okay?" Nabiki asked.

    "Of course I'm okay, Nabiki. I have you and Ranma to take
care of me, after all!"

    "You're acting a lot more cheerful than you look."

    "I'm trying not to think about it."

    "That bad, huh? Are you okay, Taiyoko-chan?"

    The blonde girl nodded, sighing deeply.

    "Did he hurt you?" Nabiki asked seriously.

    "It hurt a little when he slapped me, but I was more afraid
than anything else."

    "I meant Ranma."

    Taiyoko was silent for several seconds. The only sound either
girl could hear was the slow, but steady dripping of water from the
shower nozzle.

    "Ranma... Ranma did what I asked him to."

    "You didn't actually--"

    "No!" Taiyoko cut her off. "But... he could have. I could
tell that he wanted to. I think I would have let him if it meant that
my parents wouldn't try to keep us apart anymore."

    Nabiki sighed. "Ranma was correct about one thing. Your
parents probably wouldn't have let up on you any more just because
they saw you playing around with a boy. If anything, it would have
made matters worse. I guess what he finally did was the right thing.
It's going to complicate things, but..."

    "Are you mad at me?"

    "Of course I'm not mad at you. You'll have to make it up to
me, though."

    "Oh?" Taiyoko asked, a tone of interest entering her voice.

    There was a splash of water as Nabiki moved around behind
Taiyoko. Two pale knees poked up on either side of the blonde girl,
and Nabiki's hands surfaced briefly around Taiyoko's waist.

    "Oh..." Taiyoko noted in a breathy tone. She leaned her head
back against Nabiki's shoulder.

    The dark-haired girl dropped her head slightly, allowing her
lips to brush Taiyoko's cheek.

    There was another splash.

    "Oh... ohhh..."

    "So... what was it like?" Nabiki demanded in a mischievous
tone. "Having Ranma paw all over you, I mean."

    "Frightening. I didn't like the way it made me feel at all.
Ranma's one of the nicest people I know... besides you of course...
so it wasn't as bad as it could have been. It still makes me shudder
when I think about where he put his mouth on me."

    "I'm so sorry. I never intended for this to hurt you."

    "It's okay. You just wanted to keep them from sending me
away, and Ranma was doing his best too. All I want now is to forget
that it happened."

    "I may be able to help with that," Nabiki said.

    "Oh? Oh!" Taiyoko squeaked.

    Nabiki chuckled evilly. The water began to slosh around in
the furo again.

    "Oh! Stop it!" Taiyoko giggled. "No... don't stop..."

    "Mmmmm..."

    Nabiki leaned a little further over and placed her lips
against Taiyoko's. As the two began to kiss, Nabiki's hand came up
out of the water, slowly sliding up Taiyoko's wet abdomen. Her other
hand slid down even further under the water.

    Taiyoko's knees rose up out of the water, spread far apart as
she could get them.

    "You like that?" Nabiki asked, breaking the kiss for just a
second.

    "It feels... Oh... Ohhhhh... Please, Nabiki..."

    "Please what?"

    "Please... please don't stop..."

    "Never," Nabiki assured her.

    "Ohhhh.... Ohhhhhh!"

    Then the door slid open. Stirred by the cool air from outside
the room, the misty fog dissipated.

    Ranma was standing in the doorway, a towel hanging around his
waist. His mouth worked up and down soundlessly as he stared at the
two girls.

    Taiyoko's entire body blushed. Nabiki started to glare.

    "Do you mind?" the dark-haired girl finally said. "Or are you
going to stare at us all night?

    Ranma turned and fled.

-----

~to be continued...
* * *

C. Jones - guilty@furinkan.net - http://www.furinkan.net

Public Key: http://www.furinkan.net/key.txt

Everybody in the room stared at Mihoshi. The policewoman
began to cry. "I didn't mean to infect the world! I'm so
sorry!!!! WAHHHAHHHHHHH!!!!"

                       - From 'The Virus'


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