Author's Notes: Hmmm... There's a bit missing, here. I'll try to get the updated version up soon.
*****************
* Illuminations *
*****************
**************************
* A Ranma 1/2 Fanfiction *
**************************
***************
* By Freemage *
***************
*Author's Note: This story draws on both the anime and the manga.
This is a dark story, with several sexually suggestive scenes,
although no outright Lemon scenes. 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/Panda signs by [X].*
******************
* Chapter Twenty *
* Private Hells *
******************
A scrambled call on a secure line.
"I disagree."
"That is irrelevant. The situation is almost completely out
of control."
"No, it is not. His actions only bring him more into my
sphere."
"Oh, really? And what of the others? Are they, too, under
your complete control?"
"Of course, as they have always been."
"Hmph. We shall see. Remember, our organization does not
seek to cause needless suffering--we inflict purposeful
suffering."
"Naturally. Everything is under control."
"Very well. Consider this a probationary warning, though."
"Why you little--"
"Ah, ah. Manners. And don't worry too much. If things are
as under control as you say, a brief probation will do you no
harm at all. Of course, if it turns out that you've been lying
in your reports...."
"Never mind that. Everything is as I have said."
"That is for us to determine now. Good-bye."
*click*
A phone was slammed into its cradle. "Shit! Opportunistic
little backstabbing worm! Rot in Hell!!"
***********************************************************
Akane greeted the sunrise with a snarl and pulled the blanket
over her head.
The tapping at the door was enough to raise her ire even
further. "Whasit?!" she cried, the nonsense syllables somehow
conveying her meaning.
Nodoka's voice came clearly through the door. "Akane, it's
time to get up. We need to help Kasumi get the house ready for
Nabiki's return."
"Donwana gup."
"Akane, really, this is unlike you. Especially seeing that
Kasumi is so busy that she even asked if you could help her
cook...."
That produced the desired result. "Really? Tell her I'll be
right down! Thanks, Auntie Saotome!"
***********************************************************
Akane made her way down the stairs to breakfast, still a
little groggy after her relaxing bath. "Oh, that smells divine,
Kasumi!" she called into the kitchen where her elder sister was
performing her culinary magic.
"Why, thank you, Akane," came the reply. I've already got
some of the slower-cooking dishes on for Nabiki's welcome home."
"Yeah, I'd almost forgotten, until Auntie Saotome reminded
me." She tried not to let her good mood fade under the weight
of her recollections of why she had lost track of the date.
Turning to face Akane, who had stopped at the door, Kasumi
smiled and asked, "Would you mind reminding Father that he and
Ranma's mother are supposed to pick Nabiki up at one o'clock
this afternoon?"
"Sure thing! Ummm... Auntie Saotome said something about you
needing some help...." Although her cooking had improved
somewhat, she was still a little reluctant to force herself on
Kasumi for such an important occasion.
"Oh, you mean with the cooking? Yes, that's right. I need
you to do some straightenong up, first, but then I want you to
help me mix up the salad and take care of the soup."
Slightly disappointed at the meager nature of the task, yet
unwilling to dampen her sister's good mood, Akane tried to
muster at least a semblance of enthusiasm. "Oh, sure. That'd
be great...."
***********************************************************
Nabiki finished dressing with relief. {Finally, I'm getting
out of this place! Been inactive waaaayy too long.} She
stretched her stiff limbs and began to fidget impatiently as she
waited for her father and Nodoka with the cab. She had tried
several times--the most recent just that morning--to tell them
she would walk and they could save the expense, but Soun had
been adamant that she was going to come home in style.
Restless, she glanced at the clock for the fifteenth time
since she'd gotten out of bed. {I just wish they'd get here,}
she thought petulantly.
As if summoned, Soun burst through the door, followed by a
more sedate Nodoka. "Oh, my little baby girl's all better!" the
Tendou patriarch cried, embracing her.
Nabiki wasn't sure which was more responsible for her
embarrassment: her father's exuberance; Nodoka's obvious
amusement; or the way Soun's hand fell a little too far south on
her back for her to be comfortable with. Regardless, she
decided, she needed to take action.
"Honestly, Daddy, you'd think I was a porcelin figurine," she
said, cutting off his sobs as she pushed him back to a more
comfortable distance. The action meant that she got a good look
at his face. "Geez, Daddy! What happened to you? Lose a fight
with a rabid mongoose?"
Soun shook his head, chuckling. "No, no, nothing like that.
I just fell into some rat traps your sister had left up in the
attic."
"Oooh, poor Daddy. Sounds nasty." She turned to her other
escort. "Hello, Auntie Saotome. Thanks so much for coming, but
it really wasn't neccessary."
"Nonsense, Dear, I was delighted to come."
"Well then, shall we go?" she asked, hoping to keep her father
from setting off on another crying jag.
"A capital suggestion!" cried Soun with what Nabiki considered
an uncalled-for level of enthusiasm.
***********************************************************
Akane sorted through her sister's room, causally putting the
occasional stray fashion magazine away in their bins and setting
clothing into drawers. Once the clutter was gone, she moved on
to dusting, stirring up small clouds with the feather-duster
Kasumi had given her. Her vigor increased as her thoughts
turned to her 'favorite' theme.
{That jerk! How-how dare he take off like that!? That's just
like him. Or is it?} The duster stopped moving as she
considered this new train of thought. {Ranma's a lot of
things--stupid, arrogant, pig-headed, mean--but he's not really
a coward... when it comes to a fight, anyway. I wonder....}
Thinking idly, she began moving slowly around the room again,
brushing the dusteralong without really watching what she was
doing. A thump and splash brought her back to the real world.
She realized with dismay she had knocked over a vase onto
Nabiki's computer tower.
{Oh, shit, she's gonna kill me....} Moving quickly, Akane
retrieved the vase and used the lower edge of her t-shirt to
wipe the water off the computer. It was then that she realized
it was still on, with just the screen turned off.
{Has it been on all this time...?} she wondered. Curious, she
clicked the monitor's on switch. And stared.
{Is that... Ranma?} She giggled, blushing. {Oooohhh...
Nabiki, you've outdone yourself this time. And to think his mom
worries about his manliness....} Her blush deepened as she
realized what she was thinking. Then another, more disturbing
thought occured to her.
{I wonder who else she's got on here, as if I couldn't guess!}
She almost went to wipe out all the files, but then realized
that could lead to trouble. Then her eyes fell on the box of
empty disks on Nabiki's desk.
Keeping one ear out for the approach of her sister, Akane
quickly moved all the picture files to a disk. {I'll just check
these out and make sure she doesn't have anything too
incriminating on me. Maybe I'll even let her have the ones of
Ranma back... after I've made a copy or two.... Not that I want
hentai pics of that pervert, but, hey, I've got a right to see
what the other girls at school are checking out, right...?}
Finishing her task, she tucked the disk into her brassiere and
took the vase down to the bathroom to be refilled.
***********************************************************
"We're home!" shouted Nabiki, passing through the door with as
much grace as her still-recuperating body could muster. {Man, I
never thought I'd be so glad to get back here.... Now to rustle
up Ryouga before he follows orders--assuming the Lost One isn't
in Okinawa right now.}
Nodoka and Soun followed closely, and when Nabiki came to a
sudden stop inside the door, Soun tumbled into both women,
causing the whole procession to go crashing to the floor.
Nabiki groaned as Akane and Kasumi came rushing in. Grimacing
in pain, she bit back her initial reaction, which was to light
into her father for all she was worth. Looking over her
battered shoulder, she saw something that would give her a much
more... satisfying revenge.
"Oooh, Daddy," she said, her voice oozing with sarcastic
sweetness, "you really should be more careful. I mean, _we_
all know it was an accident, but to a passer-by it would look
like you just groped Mrs. Saotome... especially since you still
haven't removed your hand from he--"
"Nabiki!" squealed an outraged Kasumi (well, outraged by
Kasumi standards, that is).
With a look of befuddlement, Soun Tendo removed his left hand
from the posterior of the Saotome matriarch, all the while
trying to stammer a confused apology/denial.
"Really, Nabiki, you shouldn't say things like that, even in
jest." Although Nodoka's expression was severe, Nabiki was sure
she could see a glint of amusement in her eyes: amusement, and
something else.
{I think she's preening!} Nabiki thought with delight. Aloud,
she answered, "Of course, Auntie Saotome. I'm sorry, Daddy."
"Err... Ummm... Harrumph. Yes, well, Nabiki, just try to be
more thoughtful before you speak. Saotome-san, please, accept
my deepest apologies."
"Of course, Tendou-san. It was a simple accident, nothing
more. Now," she continued, sniffing the air delicately, "it
smells like the miso soup is done...."
The gathering quickly adjourned to the dining room.
***********************************************************
Nabiki leaned back, content.
"That was fantastic, Kasumi. After so much hospital food,
coming back to this is sheer heaven." She smacked her lips,
loudly, just to emphasize her point.
"Why, thank you, Nabiki. I'm so glad you liked it. We're all
so glad to have you home. Isn't that right, Father?"
Soun, sitting bleary-eyed before the shogi board, two empty
saki bottles next to him and a third, almost-empty one in his
hand, slurred, "Thas' right, K's'mi! Iss a wunnerful thing!"
Nabiki snickered, while Kasumi just gave her father a gentlle
head-shake. "Father, I think maybe it's time to go to bed."
"Hmmm... m'be you're right, 'Sumi. Gamz a li'l dull, an'way."
The Tendou patriarch stood, less than gracefully, and stumbled
almost immediately.
"Oh, dear, I think I'd better help you, Father." Looking over
her shoulder on the way out of the living room, Kasumi said to
Nabiki and Nodoka, "Goodnight, you three. Just leave the dishes
in the sink to soak, and I'll finish them in the morning."
"'Kay, Kasumi," replied Nabiki. "G'nite!"
After adding her own "Goodnight, Kasumi," Nodoka turned to
Nabiki and said, "Sounds to me like you're getting a bit tired,
too. Why don't we call it a night?"
Blinking, Nabiki nodded. "Good idea, Auntie Saotome. I'm
beat."
Akane looked over from the sofa. "I think I'll finish
watching this movie, first. It won't be much longer."
As they went up the stairs, once they were out of Akane's
earshot, Nabiki asked, as casually as she could, "Say, have you
seen P-chan anywhere about?"
The look on Nodoka's face made Nabiki wish for a camera. "Oh,
my, that's right! I totally forgot about the poor little
fellow." In response to Nabiki's quizzical look, she added, "I
found him wandering the halls last night. I've heard Ranko
mention how often he gets lost, so I took him in to sleep with
me. I left him in my room this morning, before I went
downstairs. I hope he hasn't made too big of a mess...."
Nabiki stifled a giggle. "Tell you what, Auntie. I'll take
him, clean him up, and see to it that the little pork chop gets
back to Akane, alright?"
Nodoka beamed gratefully at her. "Thank you, my dear, that
would be a wonderful help."
***********************************************************
As she was about to leave Nodoka's bedroom, P-Chan firmly
ensconced under her arm, she remembered Ranma's third request.
{Hmmm... gotta think fast.} "Auntie Saotome, uhm... could you
do me a favor, too?"
"Why, I'd be happy to, Nabiki. What is it you need?"
"Uh, well, you see... Ranko visited me last night." Nodoka
raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. "She told me about Mr.
Panda, and said she needed to spend some time on her own to sort
things out on her own." Nodoka's obvious distress seemed to be
matched by the apparent startlement of the pig.
"I... see. Nabiki, did she tell you that we had a...
disagreement?"
"Uhhh.... She had kind of mentioned something about that, but
didn't go into too many of the gory details."
Nodoka nodded. "I understand. So what is this favor you
need?"
"Well, Ranko said she'd be gone at least a few days, and so
she asked if I would leave her pack in the dojo; she said she'd
swing by later tonight to pick it up."
"After all of us are asleep, you mean?" Nodoka asked archly.
"Oh, no, nothing like that, I'm sure...."
Nodoka grimaced. "Precisely like that, I'm afraid, although I
do appreciate you trying to blunt the truth just now. Tact is a
vital womanly virtue, and one that is sometimes... less than
prevalent around a home where men have been in charge for too
long."
{Shee... Talk about 'tact'. I'd be hard-pressed to prove it,
but I think she just ripped on Daddy.}
"To continue, I would be glad to help out. I can leave the
pack down there, and I will also leave Ranko some food in a
basket and a gift I had one of the local craftsmen make for
her--to try and patch things up."
Nabiki could tell the older woman was near the point of
weeping openly, and she wasn't sure she could handle that, just
yet. "I think she'd like that, Auntie. Thanks." She moved to
leave before things could go any further along the
"touchy-feely" axis, but was surprised when Nodoka stood and
moved to join her.
Seeing Nabiki's expression, Nodoka said, "I might as well get
Ranko's clothes from the hamper--there's no telling how long
she'll be gone, and she doesn't have a large selection even at
its peak."
Stifling a fidget, Nabiki gave a quick nod and headed numbly
down the hall.
***********************************************************
Nabiki dawdled in the outer room of the bath as Nodoka sorted
through the clothing. Finally, the older woman stood up and
sighed.
"You know, it really is pretty silly for me to just do
Ranko's clothes. I'll just take the whole load down for
Kasumi." She turned to Nabiki with an expectant look on her
face.
The middle Tendou sister simply looked back, blankly.
"Your clothes," Nodoka explained, gently. "There's just
enough here for one load of darks and whites each, if I throw in
yours. Besides," she added, as Nabiki tried to formulate an
objection, "they'll just get messed up washing P-Chan
anyway--I've noticed that he always puts up a fuss when Ranko
tries to bathe him. I'll just leave a robe for you when I come
back upstairs, okay?"
Nabiki turned it over in her mind furiously, but she was just
too damned tired to think up a counterargument. "Okay, Auntie,
if that's how you want to do it." She opened the door to the
inner bath. "Let me just set Porky here inside the other room
so he can't wander off."
She placed P-Chan down firmly on the floor, whispering, "If
your eyes are open when I come back in, Kasumi's gonna be
serving pork balls for dinner tomorrow." Obediently, the piglet
screwed his eyes shut.
Satisfied, Nabiki stood, shut the door and stripped. In
turn, socks, jeans, sweater, bra and panties were turned over to
the patiently waiting Saotome matriarch, who smiled at her with
satisfaction. "Thank you, Nabiki. I'll just leave the robe in
the outer room for you."
"Thanks, Auntie. Good night." She stepped into the furo
room, checking to make sure the porcine occupant was still
behaving himself, and shut the door behind her.
***********************************************************
Nodoka finished loading the clothes in the washing machine,
then stepped to the door of the living room. Clearing her
throat to draw Akane's attention, she said, "Don't stay up too
much later, Dear. Is that a good movie?"
"Pretty good, I guess. It's an American movie, actually, and
I don't think the translators did a very good job. It's called
'Insomniacs in a Big City'. Kind of a sweet love story."
"Oh, how nice." She paused, and Akane noted how hesitant the
older woman became. Panic bells started ringing in the back of
her mind.
"Tell me, Akane. When I last broached the subject of your
engagement to Ranma, you seemed... hesitant. Is it that you
don't want to marry my son? Is he not... manly enough?"
Akane hated the trapped feeling she got when talking about
these things with Ranma's mother. "Oh, no, Auntie Saotome, it's
not that at all. It's just, well, I--" She struggled to find
the right words, words that didn't let out too much, but would
keep the Saotome matriarch from caressing her katana in that
annoying fashion she had. "It's just that I don't know what I
want. I haven't ever really gotten the chance to think about
the engagement on my own." She felt a surge of relief as she
saw the tension drain from Nodoka.
"I see. Well, then, I don't think there will be much trouble
at all. Thank you, Akane-chan, for your honesty. Good night."
"Good night, Auntie Saotome."
As Nodoka reached the bottom of the stairs, she turned back
and called out softly, so as not to wake Soun, "Oh, and if you
wouldn't mind, could you leave a dry robe in the bathroom? I
just threw Nabiki's clothes in the wash. Besides, she's got a
pleasant surprise for you."
Akane wasn't really sure what to make of that one. "Ummm...
Okay, Auntie Saotome.... Thanks, (I guess...)."
***********************************************************
"Okay, Ryouga, it's like this: Ranma figures that whatever
is going on is centered on him, so he thinks that if he takes
off he'll draw the trouble off with him. However, just in case
he's wrong about that, he wants you on the scene, to help
protect Akane. Got it?"
The Lost Boy sat in the furo, staring intently at the wall,
trying every mental trick he had learned over the months he had
spent as Akane's pet to keep from thinking about the fact that
Nabiki was just a few feet behind him, utterly naked. "So that
means I get a reprieve?" he asked hopefully.
"For now, anyway. But I still don't want you taking
advantage of it. We'll try to keep you human, and failing that,
I'll try and keep you out of Akane's bed. Got it?"
He swallowed hard, then nodded his aquiescence. She
continued, "If it comes down to it, we'll have you sleep in my
room. But as long as you're human, I'll arrange it so you can
stay in the dojo. Now stay quiet. I don't want Auntie Nodoka
to hear you when she drops off that robe. In fact, maybe we
should change you back, just in case...."
Ryouga nodded, started to get up, then sat back down in a
hurry. "Nabiki!" he hissed, "That wasn't funny!" He could tell
by her barely stifled snickers that she disagreed.
When she finally had herself under control, Nabiki said,
"Ryouga, look at it from my point of view." Momentarily she
paused, biting her lip to stop another giggling fit. "Okay,
poor choice of words," she said as she saw a blush spreading
over Ryouga's shoulders.
"In order for you to change back," she continued, whispering,
"you'll have to get out of the furo. Now, I'm not about to shut
my eyes so you can peep while you go over to get the shower.
Once you're out of the furo, I'll dump the bucket on you and
shift you back to P-Chan, and we'll sneak into my room.
"After everyone's asleep, I'll take you downstairs, get one
of your spare outfits and use the teakettle to shift you back.
After that, I'll take you out to the dojo, where you will _stay_
until morning. Got it?"
Although her hushed tone left no room for argument, Ryouga
felt the need to try at least once to preserve his honor.
"Nabiki, I can't just get out of the furo," he hissed. "I'm
na--I'm nak--I'm not dressed!"
"That's your tough luck, Hibiki-baby. If you had told Akane
the truth from the start, all this sneaking around wouldn't be
neccessary, right?" Her voice was no longer a whisper, but a
low purr, and he realized she was almost right behind him,
murmuring into his ear.
Steeling himself, Ryouga surredered, and slowly stood up,
giving Nabiki enough time to back away before he stepped back
out of the furo. She was about to go for the bucket when she
realized that his shoulders were not his only well-muscled
feature. She paused for a moment to admire the view.
And so sealed their fates.
When the door slid open without preamble, Ryouga spun around,
reflexively adpoting a defensive stance which did nothing to
conceal his assets.
It took him a moment to realize that he, Nabiki _and_ Akane
were all naked. The resultant blood flow (into blush, nosebleed
and major-league erection) left his brain somewhat starved for
oxygen, with a predictable outcome.
As he slowly sank to the floor, Akane slid the door shut.
Nabiki barely heard her mutter something about their Auntie
Sotome's idea of "pleasant surprises".
She looked at the unconscious boy wearing nothing but a
bandanna and said to the room, "For once, I know _exactly_ what
it feels like to be Ranma."
***********************************************************
Ranma awoke with a sneeze, then slumped back miserably on the
hard examination table he had been using as an impromptu bed.
It had been a lousy day; his first foray into the realm of
detective work had proven a total bust.
He had failed utterly to turn up any leads on the building
that he had adopted as his interim base camp. And as far as the
mysterious figures Cologne and Happi had called "the Illuminati"
were concerned....
"... More like too many leads," he muttered to the shadows.
In a haphazard stack lying in a shaft of moonlight, he could
make out the dozen library books he had turned up when he pulled
a search for the group. A dozen books, and each seemed to offer
at least two totally contradictory views of this group that was
supposed to be his newest foe. A day's study, probably more
intense than he had ever put into any assignment by
Hinako-sensei, had yielded a sheet filled with differing
viewpoints.
Depending on which self-declared "authority" he was reading,
the Illuminati were: a long-gone secret society; a massive
hoax; responsible for the creation (and subsequent use) of the
atomic bomb; devout pacifists; the next level of human
evolution; a catch-all name for any of a dozen groups; alien
invaders; magi; all of the above; or none of the above.
It was just too much for him to try and fathom. Looking at
the position of the moon, he realized that everyone at the
Tendous' should be asleep. Eager for an excuse to get out
again, he leapt to his feet and slipped into the night, dancing
over the rooftops.
***********************************************************
Akane practically stumbled into her room, one hand still
clutching the towels she had been carrying for herself and her
sister. {Nabiki and... Ryouga?!} Her mind just couldn't seem
to wrap itself around the concept. Finally, she just gave up
and collapsed numbly on top of her bedcovers.
When Nabiki, wrapped in a bathrobe and carrying the
still-unconscious P-Chan, came down the hall a minute later, she
paused briefly to ease Akane's door shut.
***********************************************************
Ranma stared at the darkened home for several minutes before
crossing the last street. He started to go straight to the
dojo, but then paused. {I really oughtta make sure Ryouga ain't
takin' too much pleasure in his reprieve.} Having completed the
necessary steps of the Saotome Anything-Goes Rationalization
Technique, the pig-tailed boy made his way to the window of his
fiancee.
Leap. Grab. Flip. Slide. Crouch. Drop.
He hung down from the eaves outside her room, and waited
paitiently as his eyes adjusted to the darkness inside. It
didn't take long--the moon shone full into her room, and the
shafts cut right across her bed. She was more visible than he
was expecting, in fact; he realized this was because she was on
top of the covers, not underneath. It was also because she was
naked.
Flush. Release. Fall. Crash. "Ouch."
He immediately rolled into the bushes, in case anyone had
heard his descent. Fortunately, he seemed to be the only one
around, so he carefully eased back out into the yard.
He paused, uncertain how to proceed. {Is she feelin' okay?
I know she doesn't usually sleep in the... like that. Maybe I
should check--} His mind came to an abrupt halt as he pictured
the result of Akane waking up, naked, with him looming over her
in the dark.
After a few more minutes, he came up with a plan.
He dipped both arms in the water of the pond, simultaneously
triggering the curse and acquiring a lot of excess water on her
hands. She then carefully scaled the back wall of the
house--easily enough accomplished, as numerous repair jobs had
left the occasional skewed board as a foot/handhold.
Once she reached the window, she carefully slid it open, then
waited in silence, below and to the left of the aperture. When
she could make out Akane's gentle snores, she slid up to take a
quick glance. Well, maybe more than a quick glance, but
considering the room currently had on display the cutest set of
cheeks in Japan, it was a reasonably quick look. {Geez, Mom'd
be proud.}
That thought set her moving again. Lowering herself back out
of sight, she left her hand in position and flicked little
droplets of water in the direction of Akane's bed before pulling
her arm back down to the rest of her.
A moment passsed, then two, and just as she was about to try
again, she heard gentle footpads and the slide-squeak of the
window above her being shut. She waited for several more
breaths, then eased herself up carefully.
Akane was once again asleep, and this time she had made it
under the covers. Ranma flushed at the mix of relief and
disappointment she felt at that fact. Smiling at her once more,
Ranma dropped down again, deliberately this time, and headed for
the dojo.
On the floor were not one, but two, bundles. She had been
expecting the pack, but not the bulky-looking cylinder wrapped
in brown packing paper. She eased over quietly, and smiled
sadly as she saw the label: [To Ranko, with my apologies. Your
Auntie Saotome.]
Sighing, she hefted the pack on her back and picked up the
bundle--she had been right, it was bulky--and headed back to the
doctor's office.
***********************************************************
Chapter Twenty-One
Author's Notes:
Hmmm... There's a bit missing, here. I'll try to get the updated version up soon.
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