Chapter Nineteen

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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.

 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].*

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                    * Chapter Nineteen         *
                    * Rolling with the Punches *
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   Soun Tendou slowly allowed himself to unwind.  The steam, the
 heat of the furo and the wonderfully skilled way Kasumi
 manipulated the tight muscles under his skin all combined to
 drain every last bit of tension from his aching body.

   And replace it with an entirely new one.

   He could only hope she wouldn't notice his... condition.

   ***********************************************************

   Ryouga groaned mentally.  How could he have let this happen?
 He thought back carefully, examining every step that had led him
 to be unconcious in the arms of his greatest rival's _mother_
 while she slept.

   Finally he came to the conclusion that there was nothing he
 could do about it now, as her grip was as firm (if less violent)
 than Akane's.

   Surrendering to the situation, praying to the kami for just
 one lousy, stinking break, he allowed himself to drift off to
 sleep.

   ***********************************************************

   Tearfully, Akane crept into the house on cat's feet, striving
 to remain utterly silent.  She didn't want anyone to witness her
 current condition.

   {That-that JERK!!  How dare he abandon us at a time like
 this!?  Nabiki's still going to need some recovery time after
 she gets back from the hospital tomorrow, his mother doesn't
 even know she's a widow, Daddy's a wreck....}  Her thoughts
 slowly came to a halt at that last idea.

   Her father _should_ have been a wreck, that was true, but...
 something was wrong.  Soun Tendou had been distraught, true, but
 certainly within the realm of a "normal" reaction.  {He must be
 getting better--or maybe he was just holding back the real
 waterworks so Auntie Saotome wouldn't figure out what was going
 on....}

   Eventually, the distraction from her grief provided by this
 train of thought allowed the emotionally exhausted young woman
 to drift off to sleep.

   ***********************************************************

   Moving through the shadows of the abandoned doctor's office,
 Ranma-chan silently set up a small "campsite".  {Best not to let
 the neighbors know about me movin' in, just yet.}

   She didn't know why, but she was sure this place was involved
 in all the craziness in her life lately, and she was certain
 that solving one mystery would help her with the others.

   So, now that Akane--{And the others,} she reminded himself
 forcibly--were out of the line of fire, she could focus on
 cracking the puzzle that surrounded this place.

   {But that'll have to wait til morning,} the redhead reminded
 herself with a bit of reluctance.  {There's one more piece o'
 business that needs tending to, first.}

   With a heavy heart, she slipped out the window into the cold,
 rainy night.

   ***********************************************************

   Soun gave a small, inaudible sigh of relief.  The bath was
 over, and Kasumi was easing him out of the furo.  If she had
 noticed his predicament, she had not mentioned it.

   As he rested on the edge of the furo, she busied herself with
 cleaning up their robes from the far side of the room.  Her back
 was turned to him, and as she bent over, straight-legged, to
 pick up his gi, time seemed to slow as he contemplated her
 exposed backside.

   {take her}

   The voice was small, weak, so much so that he could scarcely
 credit hearing it at all.  But the idea it put forth was strong,
 indeed.

   {she must want it  why else offer herself to you}

   The voice's whisperings continued, and he realized how easy it
 would be to give in.  To force himself upon his eldest daughter,
 and in so doing, ease the physical denial he had long faced
 since his wife's death.  At least it would be easy, were he not
 so injured.

   {that can be remedied}

   And suddenly, he felt the fiery agony in his battered bones
 and bruised flesh fade like dew before the rays of dawn.  His
 blood seemed to course with electricity, invigorating him with
 new life.  He could feel it flood his head, rushing through his
 temples like an undammed river.

   {this is but a fraction of what i offer}

   Steadily, carefully, he raised himself off the edge of the
 furo, and was pleased to find his ankle supported his weight. 
 He turned his attention back to his nubile daughter's exposed
 flesh...

   ... and stopped.  Sitting down hard enough to feel a new pain
 shoot through his tailbone, he thought fiercely to the voice,
 {Listen, whatever name you wish to go by is, I will NOT do this
 thing.  Even as weak as I am, I have my limits.  I have fed you
 on my own base desires, but it will go no further.  I know that
 you might be able to overcome my will eventually, so I make this
 vow to you now:  If you persist in forcing me to contemplate
 this course of action, I shall cast myself down the deepest,
 most abandoned mine shaft I can find, and seal us both in there.
 Am I understood?}

   {you bluff  you find life too dear to throw it away in that
 fashion}  Despite the bravado of the words, their tone betrayed
 the anxiety of the "speaker" at having misjudged its quarry.

   {Try me and learn, Foul One!  I would not need to maintain the
 resolve for long, merely an hour or so.  In many ways, I find
 the idea preferable to living out my years with you inside of
 me, parasite.  So, do you yield on this point, or do you more
 fervently desire our mutual destruction?}

   {i  yield  you will continue to supply us in the fashion of
 before yes}

   {Yes.  Though it shames me beyond all else I have ever done, I
 cannot resist the urgings that are truly part of myself.}

   {very well}  And the presence receded from the forefront of
 his mind, and time resumed its normal flow.

   Kasumi stood, drawing her own robe on, further reducing the
 desire within him.  She walked over and helped him ease a fresh
 gi on.  She expressed her delight that he was able to move now
 with only a little assistance from her.

   "Come downstairs, Father.  We'll have the tea Mrs. Saotome
 said she would fix for us."

   "Yes, that's an excellent suggestion, Kasumi.  I'm so lucky to
 have you here to help me."

   "Oh, thank you, Father, but really, it's my pleasure."

   Sighing gratefully at his good fortune, Soun eased himself
 down the stairs with his eldest daughter's aid, and only stole
 two discrete glances of her tender breasts on the way down.

   ***********************************************************

   Nabiki shivered at the sudden blast of cold night air. 
 Forcing her eyes open, she peered blearily across the gloom of
 her hospital room.

   And sat bolt upright.

   Onna-Ranma stood in the window, sillhouetted against the
 flickering of distant lightning, rain-soaked winds causing her
 bangs and pigtail to flutter madly.  The overall effect was of
 unearthly, even fae, beauty.

   {Kami....  She could have anyone she wanted, looking like
 that....}

   "Hello, Nabiki.  Sorry to wake you."

   Unable to muster her usual mask of indifferent sarcasm,
 Nabiki just gaped at the vision before her.  "R-ranma? 
 What-what's going on?  Why are you here?"

   "I came to ask a favor from you.  A big one."

   The words triggered a reflex deep in Nabiki's semi-alert mind,
 helping her reassert her usual demeanor.  "Well, come on in and
 let's talk."

   "No, it won't take that long.  I just want you to give Ryouga
 an extension."

   Now she was fully awake, not to mention annoyed.  "Geez,
 Ranma, you woke me up for that?  I'll tell you what I told
 him--no dice.  I know there's probably been some grand upheaval,
 but that's the normal state of things at the house, and if you
 think--"

   "Nabiki, Pop's dead."

   "What?!  Oh, Ranma... I--How?"

   "Sepukku."  The redhead uttered a derisive snort.  "Who'da
 thought he had it in him?  He even developed a sense of poetic
 justice at the end.  He used Ukyou's spatula."  She paused a
 second time, and the pain in her eyes almost drowned Nabiki. 
 "And he died as a panda."

   "Oh.  My.  God."  The words dribbled from Nabiki like the
 blood-tinted spittle of a punch-drunk boxer.  "Ranma.  I don't
 know what to say...."   The horror of the situation drove her
 mute.

   "The worst part of it is, Mom was there.  So now she thinks
 'Mr. Panda' is dead, but that her son and husband will be coming
 back any day now."

   "Okay, Ranma, you win.  Ryouga gets an extension--one month. 
 Even Akane'd forgive me that much."

   "It might be a little longer than that, Nabiki."

   "Oh?  Why's that?  I hate to be the bitch here, Ranma, but I
 can't just let my little sister think that your biggest rival is
 her pet."

   "Nabiki, I've left the house, and I don't know when I'll be
 back."

   ***********************************************************

   After they finished the tea Nodoka had left out for them,
 Kasumi assisted Soun to his room, then returned to her own,
 where she proceded to dress for bed.  "Busy day tomorrow.  It's
 a good thing Akane will be home; I'll have to see if I can get
 her to help me get things ready.  I may have to let her into the
 kitchen...."

   Distracted by thoughts of impending culinary disaster, Kasumi
 drifted off to sleep.

   ***********************************************************

   Nabiki closed her eyes.  She wasn't sure how many more shocks
 she could take.

   "Ranma, of all the things I've heard you come up with, this is
 the most irresponsible--"  Again he interrupted.

   "Wait.  Hear me out."  Onna-Ranma did enter the room then,
 drawing close to Nabiki so that she could speak more quietly. 
 "There's been a lot of people hurt, or killed, or gone missing
 just lately, Nabiki.  Pops.  The Kunous.  You.  The Amazons. 
 Happi.  Tell me, what do they all have in common?"

   "Well, they all lived in Nerima...."

   "Okay, now what about the Jusenkyo Guide?  What does he have
 in common with everyone else?"

   She saw what her sister's fiance was driving at, but she
 didn't want to accept it.  "I-I'm not sure...."

   "Bull.  It's me, Nabiki.  I'm the common link."

   "You can't be sure--"

   "No.  But I can't take the risk, either.  There's only a few
 people left who ain't been hurt, just yet.  I think I could
 probably count 'em on one hand.  I don't want there to be any
 more.  Especially not...."  The redhead's voice seemed to fail.

   "Especially not my sister."  There was no questioning, no
 doubt in Nabiki's voice.

   Ranma-chan nodded.  "Right.  Especially not her.  So I've
 moved out, and I'm hoping that whoever's targeting me will move
 on, too."

   Nabiki saw the flaw in the reasoning, and jumped at it with
 the speed of a cobra striking.  "But what if they don't?  What
 if they--whoever 'they' is--strike at the household again, while
 you're gone?"

   Ranma leaned forward, and Nabiki recognized the flash in her
 eyes, the glint of victory.  "That's why I need you to let
 Ryouga stick around--and we both know that that ain't likely
 once Akane finds out about P-chan, ne?"

   Nabiki slumped backward against the headboard.  "I don't
 believe it," she muttered, "I just got outmaneuvered by a
 Saotome."

   Sitting up again, she said more firmly, "Alright, Ranma, you
 win.  Pork Chop keeps his secret a little while longer.  But
 there's a price."

   Onna-Ranma looked surprised, but nodded her assent.

   Nabiki looked her square in the eyes and said, "You have to
 answer one question, in two parts:  How do you feel about my
 little sister, and what are your intentions for her?"

   Having just sprung a verbal trap of her own, Ranma-chan knew
 when she was beat.  "I... care about Akane.  A lot.  I may even
 lo--you know--her.  As far as my 'intentions' go, if we ever get
 through this, I'm gonna follow through on the engagement,
 assuming she wants me to, that is."

   She gave the fiery-haired martial artist a gentle grin,
 utterly devoid of her usual sarcasm.  "Good.  Now I don't have
 to try and get her and Ryouga together."

   Ranma-chan nearly face-faulted.  "Excuse me?" she choked out,
 voice cracking perilously.

   "Well, if you were going to chicken out, she'd need some kind
 of back-up plan, and I doubt she'd ever realize on her own how
 he feels...."

   Shaking her head vigorously, Ranma-chan drove out the image
 Nabiki's words conjured up in her mind.  "Okay, okay, enough
 already!  Yeesh!"  Then she caught the glint in Nabiki's eyes,
 and they both collapsed into helpless, somewhat frantic
 laughter.  Eventually, they got themselves under control.

   Ranma smiled gently at her.  "Thanks, Nabiki.  You and I both
 know that he'll stick that invulnerable hide between Akane and
 any attackers.  You'd better let him know you've given him the
 extension, though, or else the idiot will spill the beans."
   
   Nabiki nodded in agreement.

   "On the other hand, if you could try to keep him from actually
 sleeping in her bed, I'd appreciate that, too," Onna-Ranma
 added.

   With a chuckle, Nabiki replied, "Sure thing, Ranma.  I can't
 guarantee anything--you, of all people know how much she likes
 sleeping with that pig--but I'll see what I can do about keeping
 him on two legs, at least."

   "One other thing," Onna-Ranma began.

   Nabiki arched her eyebrow.  "Yes...?"

   "Can you pack up the rest of my stuff and leave it in the
 dojo?  I'll swing by for it tomorrow night, when everyone's
 asleep."

   "Sure thing."  She paused, and then drew the Ranma-chan's head
 closer, giving her a kiss on the forehead.  "Take care, little
 brother, okay?  I'm counting on you to come back in one piece."

   "You got it."  The redhead slipped back to the window, stepped
 out on the ledge, closed the impromptu entrance behind her and
 disappeared into the rainy night.

   ***********************************************************

                      End Chapter 19

Chapter Twenty





Author's Notes:

Originally, this was going to be a short chapter.  Then it grew to a really long chapter (for me, at least).  Then it grew so big that I couldn't fit it all on one page, so it became a short chapter again.  As a result, Chapter 20 should be out very shortly--Most of it's written, already.

I _know_ I'm gonna get creamed for putting off the Ryouga Revalations Scene, _again_, but that's how the story went.  For those of you who have been looking forward to it, though, don't worry--even I can't stall too much longer.

As always, C&C, MSTs, Acknowledgements and Flames should be sent to me or the FFML, as I don't have access to your grandmother's mailbox.

--Freemage

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