***********************
* Chapter Twelve *
* Little White Lies *
***********************
Ranma squinted his eyes against the piercing sunlight. {That
moron never did show up. Probably halfway to Beijing by
now....} He sat up, slowly, his stiff muscles protesting the
movements. {Oooh...Gotta limber up. Can't let my training slip
just 'cause everything's goin' ta Hell.}
After a few quick stretches, Ranma grasped the edge of the
roof and did a casual flip, landing on the large rock next to
the pond. He practiced kata, slowly getting his body to return
to full flexibility. As always, the smooth movements helped
wash away the anxieties that had been preying on his mind, until
his center had been restored.
Just as he finished, he heard Kasumi call out, "Ranma!
Breakfast!"
He turned his head and caught a whiff of Kasumi's cooking.
{Ah! Now that's one of the best things about this place.} He
quickly ran inside, only to run headfirst into Akane, who was
coming out the door.
They both tried desperately to retain their respective
balances, but it was a lost cause. Over they went, landing in a
heap of tangled limbs. Just at that moment, Soun walked in,
brushing his teeth.
He stopped.
He stared at the two teenagers.
He stared some more.
Then he ran, dancing around the room, singing and waving.
When Panda-Genma walked into the room a moment later, Soun swept
him up into the impromptu dance, waltzing to the tune of "Here
comes the bride".
As the pair passes back out of the front room, Ranma stared
after them in disbelief. "Ya know, Akane, I think he's getting
wor...." His voice trailed off as he turned to face Akane and
realize her blue battle-aura was nearly at full strength.
"Uhh...what's wrong, Akane?" he asked, hoping he could defuse
the situation.
Through gritted teeth, Akane replied, "Your. Hand."
Ranma got a puzzled look on his face. He looked at his
right hand, which he had used to brace himself so he wouldn't
crush her when he fell. It was still supporting his weight.
"What about my--" She cut him off.
"The. Other. One."
Ranma looked at his left hand. Somehow, it had managed to
slip into the top of her school uniform, and was now resting
comfortably on her blouse, cupped delicately over her breast.
His muscles tightened reflexively, which had the
unfortunate effect of causing his left hand to squeeze slightly,
producing a predictable brightening of Akane's battle aura.
Ranma thought furiously to try to come up with a way to distract
Akane and defuse the situation.
"So, uhhhh..., Akane. Why ain'tcha wearin' a bra?"
***********************************************************
Gingerly, Ranma lowered himself into the furo.
{If I *ever* find a Spring of Drowned Man,} he vowed to
himself, {the first thing I'm gonna do is dunk that uncute
tomboy in there so I can do that to her, once.}
***********************************************************
"Ranma won't be here, today, Miss Hinako."
"Oh? Why not?"
"He, uh, had a little accident in a sparring match. He
said he thought he would be in a little later today."
"Be sure that he is. He's missed enough school this week
as it is."
"Yes, Miss Hinako."
{Stupid jerk. It's not my fault that Kasumi wasn't able to
do laundry last night.}
Daisuke slipped a note, discretely, to Hiroshi. [Is it
just me, or is Akane looking more "bouncy" than usual today?]
He quickly got a reply. [It's not just you. She's just a
little bit away from Gainaxing.]
The note continued to pass back and forth. [Did you hear
about that ship that sank last night?]
[Yeah. They said on the news this morning that the engine
must have exploded.]
**********************************************************
Ranma came back down the stairs, grumbling to himself.
{Oh, well, at least I didn't have to go to school today.
Course, that means I'm gonna have ta spend the day with the
panda. Hmmmm... Maybe somethin'll come up. I could visit
Nabiki, maybe try to beg for more time for Ryouga....}
His chain of thought was interrupted by the sound of the
news channel on the TV.
"We have a further update on the bombing of the Maiden's
Luck, the passenger ship bound for America that was sunk last
night when a series of explosions ripped through the hull."
Genma, Ranma and Kasumi quickly gathered around the
television. Soun joined them after adjusting a few crucial
pieces on the Go board.
"Investigators are now calling the sinking an act of
deliberate sabotage. This is what a spokesman had to say about
the incident:"
The picture changed to a government official in a brown
suit, looking harried as he spoke with a crowd of reporters.
"We are 100% certain that this is an act of sabotage. In
addition to the bombs we believe ripped open the hull, the
lifeboats had been gimmicked to start leaking the moment they
were set in the water. Even the lifejackets had been replaced
with fakes that provided no floatation support whatsoever, and,
in fact, absorbed the water like a sponge."
The picture switched back to the news anchor. "The
passenger list is being withheld until family notification can
be completed. In the meantime, searchers continue to look for
survivors. According to our sources, early estimates of
casualties suggest that as many as 250 are known to be dead,
with more than 400 still unaccounted for."
There was more, but the ringing phone distracted everyone's
attention. Kasumi picked it up. "Tendou residence. Yes, he's
here. Please hold on, I'll get him for you." She turned to
Ranma.
"Ranma, it's for you, a Dr. Fujishima."
A puzzled look crossed his face as he took the phone.
"Yes, Doctor? Is this about Ukyou?"
The doctor's voice seemed strained. "Y-yes, it is. You
see, she... She was on the Maiden's Luck. She was going to see
a therapist in the US. I'm sorry to call you like this, but
it's the only number she gave..."
Ranma let the phone slip from his suddenly numb fingers,
then bolted out of the house, calling Ukyou's name.
"Oh, my," Kasumi exclaimed, as she hung up the phone. "I
guess he's feeling better, after all. How nice." She went back
into the kitchen and began washing up the breakfast dishes.
**********************************************************
Whispered voices on a scrambled phone line.
"You understand, of course, that your recent progress is
not the mark of a promising Initiate."
"What's wrong? I've eliminated every threat so far."
"Yes, but you have been forced to do so. An Illuminatus
does not react--We act, and gain power when others dance to our
tune. Sure, it feels heady to wield your power directly, but
you will never complete your Initiation if you favor that rush
when more subtle means are available. Try to act with more
discretion in the future."
"Yes, sir."
"Now, don't get all sulky. You have been an excellent
student thus far. We just want to make certain you don't lose
now that victory is so close to being in your grasp."
"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir."
"Good-bye."
"Good-bye, sir."
*click*
{Arrogant, pompous windbag....}
{Prideful, scheming whelp....}
***********************************************************
"Saotome, I want to thank you for this. I don't deserve
friendship like yours."
"Nonsense. It's the least I could do. You are most
welcome."
"Of course, I'll have to murder you in your sleep."
"I know, Tendou, I know."
Genma sighed. Since his friend had confessed, they had
developed a routine while they tried to think of a more
permanent solution to Soun's demon-spawned fixation on his
eldest daughter.
Kasumi would go upstairs, announcing her intent to take
a bath. Genma would drag Soun into his room and wrap him in
chains. Soun would alternate between professions of gratitude
and vows of vengeance. Genma accepted both in stride. After
all, it was better than contemplating his son's words... or his
own failures.
***********************************************************
"I'm home!" Akane called out as she came through the front
entrance, her bag loaded with Ranma's assignments as well as her
own.
"Oh, hello, Akane. Dinner will be ready in about an hour,"
Kasumi said, sticking her head out from the kitchen.
"Great. It smells delicious... Is Ranma out in the Dojo?"
"No. He left a few hours ago. I think he was going to go
see Ukyou."
"What?! That baka! He's got a ton of homework to do."
Akane lowered her voice and went on, "She's probably fawning all
over him at the hospital. Well, he'd better not try to get me
to do his assignments for him, that's all I've got to say."
"Oh, hello Akane."
[Welcome Back!]
"Hi, Dad, Mr. Saotome." Akane paused, studying her father
carefully. "Umm... Dad? Did you have some kind of accident?"
The Tendou clan's patriarch flustered under her close
scrutiny. "Uh... Ummm... No, no accident, none at all. I'm fit
as a fiddle, right Saotome?"
Genma-Panda nodded vigorously, grunting for emphasis.
"Oh. Then how did you get those chafe marks around your
neck and wrists?"
"Hmm... Oh, those, ummm... I mean...." he paused in his
stammerings and took her aside, out of earshot of the kitchen.
Genma-Panda followed.
"I think I should tell you the truth, Akane." Genma-
Panda's face registered as much shock as the face of a dumb
animal can register.
Akane gave a sardonic smile. "Well, that would be a
refreshing change of pace," she said, her voice absent of any
real malice.
"Heh, heh. Yes. Well. You see, I can't let Kasumi know
about this, because she would be far too distressed."
"What? What?"
The reason that I have these marks," he began.
Akane and Genma-Panda leaned close as his voice dropped to
a conspiratorial whisper.
"is..." He paused, as if for dramatic effect.
"Yes...?" Akane prompted, as Genma-Panda nodded rapidly.
"Kasumi put too much starch in my gi," he finished.
Genma-Panda facefaulted.
"You put me through all that for starch?!" Akane
shouted, removing her mallet from her father's head before
storming upstairs.
"Oh, dear. Father, would you like an icepack?"
**********************************************************
Akane lay on her bed, fuming.
{I'm surrounded by idiots! First my so-called fiance can't
even be bothered to be home when I bring his assignments back
for him, and then my own father tries to pass off that
cockamamie story, as if I'm dumb enough to buy it!}
She threw her head back on her pillow, trying to force the anger and frustration out of herself by sheer willpower.
She was less than successful.
A few minutes later, she was out in the Dojo, hammering away at bricks, practice dummies and any other convenient targets she could locate.
By the time Kasumi called to her that dinner was ready, Akane had worked out most of her frustrations.
Most of them. {Where is that idiot?}
***********************************************************
After an uneventful dinner, Akane went over to the phone,
using deep breathing exercises to help control her temper.
{I'm sure he didn't mean anything by it. I'm sure that he
just lost track of time. Yeah, that's it. He lost track of
time while visiting Ukyou, and didn't realize it was time to
come home for dinner. Visiting his good friend Ukyou. His
dear, sweet, also-a-fiancee, *cute* friend Ukyou.} Here
thoughts were brought up short by a crunching sound.
She looked at her hand. The phone handset fell, in pieces,
to the floor as she relaxed her grip.
She looked around the living room, and saw how the other
three occupants were staring at her. "I'm going out. I'll be
home later."
Soun and Genma simply nodded, mutely.
Kasumi blinked as Akane slammed the door behind her,
cracking the frame.
"Oh, dear, I'll have to call the carpenter tomorrow." Then
she looked at the phone. "Oh, my. I'll have to go out and get
a new phone so I can call the carpenter, won't I? Oh well, at
least it will give me a chance to do the shopping as well."
Kasumi left, still issuing a litany on her domestic duties
for the next day.
The two men returned to their game.
****************************************************************
The hospital receptionist was not having a good day. First a
government health inspector showed up. Then a family kept trying to
smuggle in their kids to the ICU, despite the rules. And now this.
"I keep telling you, Miss. Miss Kuonji checked out yesterday.
I'm sorry if you weren't informed, but really, that is not my
fault."
Akane glowered, and the receptionist flinched at the thin blue
aura that surrounded her. "Oh, you're right about that. It's not
your fault...It's that two-timing Casanova's!"
With that, the youngest Tendou sister stormed out, striking the
door so hard the top hinge came loose.
The receptionist sighed. {I suppose I'll just have to call the
contractor....}
***************************************************************
Akane passed through the streets of Nerima, emitting a blue
glow that surrounded her like St. Elmo's Fire. As she made her way
to the okonomiaki restaurant that was her final destination,
visions of the scene she would find passed through her head.
Ukyou, eyelashes fluttering: "Oh, Ranchan, thank you ever so
much for helping me. I'm still so weak from my injuries, I don't
know what I'd do without you."
Ranma, juggling medicine, bandages and bowls of food: "Hey,
it's my pleasure Ucchan! I'm always glad to help you out. After
all, you're my *cute* fiancee, right?"
Ukyou: "Oh, yes, I'm nothing at all like that Akane, always
angry at everything. I just want to make you happy!"
Ranma: "And that's why I'm here, rather than at that uncute
tomboy's place." {He leans closer, smiling lecherously.} "Now, why
don't I dress your wound for you?"
Ukyou, wide-eyed: "But that would mean you'd have *undress*
me, wouldn't it?"
Ranma, giving her a sexy smile, voice low and husky: "Yeah,
that's the point."
Ukyou, grinning: "Good. Just wanted to make sure."
Akane continued down the street, leaving a trail of near-
toppled streetlamps in her wake.
**********************************************************
She stared, dumbfounded, at the front of the shop. The awnings
were down, and the windows had been soaped over. She tried to peer
in, but couldn't make out much in the gloomy interior.
{What's going on here? Why did she close up shop? I could
understand if she wanted to shut down while she recovered, but this
looks so... so final.}
Suddenly finding herself in the grip of confusion and dread,
Akane decided to take some desperate measures. With the skill of a
true martial artist, she shot her hand at the section of door
immediately next to the lock. One blow was enough to splinter the
wood, rendering the door ineffective as a barrier. She passed
inside.
She was stunned. The air of finality was even stronger inside
the restaurant. Seats were stacked along one wall, rather than
overturned on the tables for easy set-up. Indeed, the tables had all
been moved against the counter, leaving the center of the shop an
empty, cavernous feel. Numbly, Akane flicked the light switch, but
was not too surprised when the lights failed to come on.
She went to the kitchen, peering through the shadows and gloom
to find her way. Sure enough, all the food had been removed, except
for a few scraps laying on the floor.
{There's no way she could have done this. Not right after
getting out of the hospital,} she thought to herself.
{Maybe she had help.} The thought came to her unbidden, and
even seemed to come from outside herself. {Maybe she simply
directed the operation while a strong friend went around moving
everything. And then, when it was over, and all the stuff was
stored, packed or thrown out, then she and her strong friend....
What?}
"They left." Akane didn't even realize she was speaking out
loud. "They just packed up and left. No good-byes, no arguments,
just a boy and his cute fiancee, walking through life, together."
And with that, all of Akane's anger and frustration fled,
leaving only an empty, hollow despair, and she slumped to her knees,
weeping.
***************************************************************
End Chapter 12
Chapter Thirteen
This page hosted by 
Get your own Free Home Page