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* Illuminations *
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* A Ranma 1/2 Fanfiction *
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* By Freemage *
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*Author's Note: This story draws on both the anime and the
manga. For continuity purposes, it should be noted that:
Ryouga and Ranma have each mastered their ki-blasts; Nodoka is
unaware of Ranma & Genma's curses and; Akari, Tarou and Konatsu
have not yet been introduced. This is a dark story, with
several sexually suggestive scenes, although no outright Lemon
scenes. If such material offends or disturbs you, please
consider not reading this story--Unless, of course, you like
being offended and/or disturbed....
Thoughts are denoted by {X}
Text denoted by [X]*
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* Hints & Portents *
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It was quiet at the Tendou household--unsurprising, since
everyone had been up late the night before, after Ranma had
made a particularly cutting remark about Akane's cooking.
That, in and of itself wouldn't have been so bad--maybe an
hour or two's argument, at most.
But then he had recommended using it as "pig remover".
The second insult to her cooking, coupled with the implied
threat to P-Chan, was enough to get Akane *really* mad.
The clean-up after the dust had settled took almost as
long as it took Kasumi to bandage up Ranma's injuries. It
would be hours before anyone felt like moving--or almost
anyone.
The silence was perfect for Nabiki's purposes. {Oh,
yeah,} she thought to herself as she passed down the silent
halls, clutching a small package, {This little baby's gonna
be the best investment I ever made...}.
Quietly slipping into the bathroom, she set to work--
drilling holes, replacing caulking and running cords
through the floor. Finally she sat back with a pleased
smirk. Kunou-baby would pay dearly for the photos that this
rig-up was going to get, and she might even get a few that
would interest Kodachi, as well.
Thinking about Kunou and his fixation on Akane caused a
brief twinge of...Better to not think of that. {Can't let
emotions get the better of my business instincts, right?
After all, a girl's got to pay her expenses.}
Carefully cleaning up all traces of her work, Nabiki
moved quietly back to her room.
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Ranma groaned, gently easing stiff muscles through their
morning routines. Why did his primary fiancee have to be
such a tomboy? {Why can't she be a regular girl, with
just a hint of cooking skills? Does she seriously expect
anyone to eat her food when she can't even tell the
difference between soy sauce and vanilla extract? And as
for `P-Chan'....}
Sighing, he slipped into his clothes and, grabbing his
books, winced his way down the stairs to breakfast.
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Akane and Ranma approached the school quickly. As usual,
they were running late, and neither of them felt they had
time to deal with Kunou this morning.
Curiously enough, they didn't have to. "Blue Thunder",
as he (and only he) called himself, was nowhere to be seen.
Not so much as a bouquet of roses or cute little dolly
barred their way.
They were so pleasantly surprised by this that they
didn't even take the opportunity to use the time to
continue the previous night's argument.
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Kunou's face tightened as he regarded the shadowed figure
in front of him. "I know what the deal was," he said
through clenched teeth. Had his classmates heard him, they
would have been surprised at the absence of overblown
purpled prose, not to mention the missing classical quotes.
"I'm telling you, I can't do it any longer. If I don't
tell someone the truth soon, I think it will burst from
my chest, like something out of one of those American
horror movies."
An even, relaxed (if slightly mocking) voice responded
from the shadows. "Relax, `Kunou-Baby'." Kunou flushed at
the words. "You want out, you're out. No trouble. My
plans no longer require your aid. Just remember, our deal
has to remain secret. Got it?"
Relief surged across Kunou's face and through his body.
"You may rest assured, I will not reveal our dealings."
As he walked out of the motel room, a finger drew a line
across the desk, wood curling up in the perfectly manicured
nail's wake, leaving a gouge in the polished surface.
{No, `Kunou-Baby', I'm sure you won't.}
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Chapter One: Crossing the Line
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