The [lime] aspects of this chapter shouldn't bother anyone, I hope, but I
figured I'd better warn just in case. The title probably tells all,
really...
Ranma � -- A Deadly Choice
Chapter 2: The Massage of Newfound Love: Akane�s Emotions are an Open Book
In the darkened room, the strange brew simmering in the large black
cauldron was the only source of illumination. It cast a strange glow on
the face that hovered above it, its expression twisted into a lurid
combination of glee and insanity. Hikaru Gosunkugi cackled softly as he
lowered the wooden spoon into the cauldron and stirred slowly.
�Finally,� he whispered, �I have the perfect means to complete my
plan! All my life I have waited for this to fall into my hands, and
now...� He raised the spoon from the cauldron and let the thin liquid
slosh around in the bowl. �Now, my dream will be realized! Behold, my
greatest creation!� He tipped the spoonful of brew into his mouth and
rolled it on his tongue before swallowing it. �Needs more salt,� he
decided.
In the dim glow provided by his dinner, Hikaru grabbed the salt
shaker, letting his eyes fall briefly on the package that sat unopened on
the counter. The opening of the box would be a sacred act, only to be
performed when the time was right � over a full stomach. �Amazing how
easily a dream can come true for only two hundred yen plus shipping and
handling,� marveled Hikaru as he put the finishing touches on his soup.
After dinner, he decided. After dinner, it would be time to look for the
first time upon the book that would change his life forever.
*************************************************
Ranma trotted up the walk and let herself into the Tendo home. She
could smell dinner cooking as soon as she opened the door. She sniffed
carefully. �Kasumi�s cooking tonight,� she decided. �The smell�s not bad
enough to make my eyes water.�
As she proceeded down the hallway to her room, she nearly ran right
into Akane, who was on her way out of the dining room. Akane wordlessly
handed Ranma a teakettle full of hot water. �Don�t think this means I�ve
forgiven you for what happened this afternoon, because I haven�t,� she
finally said as Ranma changed back into his male form.
�You have no reason to forgive me,� said Ranma. �I haven�t done
anything to be forgiven for.�
�I saw you kissing Kodachi!� yelled Akane.
Ranma shrugged. �For one thing, I wasn�t kissing Kodachi; she was
kissing me. But of course you never listen to my side of things, so I�ll
go right to my second point, which is this: I can kiss whoever I want,
whenever I want. If you want to be my girlfriend, then you might try being
a little nicer to me. As of right now, you�re not my only admirer. If
other girls want my attention, then they�ll get it. You�ve got serious
competition, Akane. And that�s a contest you�re not likely to win the way
you�re going.�
Akane slammed the teakettle hard on Ranma�s head. �You are so
insensitive!� she shouted, storming to her room before anyone could see
the tears running down her cheeks. She buried her face in her hands and
cried. No matter how hard she tried to remain calm, she always ended up
resorting to violence to vent her fruitless frustrations. Her emotions had
become tangled after she had been repeatedly pursued by the entire male
population of Furinkan High School, only to discover her inability to
express her true feelings to the one she loved except through violence and
insults. Why did she always deny those feelings to herself whenever he was
nearby? Why did his presence overshadow her burning desire to believe that
his many shortcomings were not his fault?
A shadow passed over her, and she turned to face it. Ryoga was leaning
against the opposite wall. �You must have had a stressful day,� he said.
�Perhaps I can be of some assistance. I learned an interesting form of
massage therapy today that should help you calm down and get in touch with
your feelings.�
�That sounds nice,� said Akane. �Maybe that�s what I need to help me
get over my � stress.�
�Then lie down on your stomach and take your shirt off, and let my
magic fingers do their work.�
�My shirt? But I�m wearing a dress!�
�Then take the dress off. I won�t look, I promise.� Ryoga turned his
back to Akane. Akane hesitantly lifted her dress off over her head. Even
though he was turned away, Ryoga felt the blood rushing to his nose and
quickly clamped down on his thoughts.
�Okay, I�m ready,� said Akane. She had covered her lower half with the
blanket, but not a stitch of clothing now separated her torso from Ryoga�s
hands. He quickly wiped the spot of blood from his upper lip, cracked his
fingers, and set to work, beginning with a light, simple massage before
moving on to Happosai�s Naresome no Shiatsu technique...
*************************************************
Kasumi looked up from her cooking at the sound of the loud metallic
clang. Sighing, she set her utensils aside to help Ranma remove the
teakettle from his head. �Honestly, I don�t understand how your head could
possibly fit into the tiny opening of the kettle,� she said, pulling on
the handle with all her might.
�It doesn�t,� explained Ranma. �But with enough force, anything is
possible.�
�She was certainly upset this time, wasn�t she?�
�As usual, Kasumi, you are the master of the understatement.� The
teakettle finally dislodged itself from Ranma�s head, sending both Ranma
and Kasumi flying backwards. Kasumi stared despondently at the misshapen
kettle.
�This erratic relationship is not helping our cookware situation,�
moaned Kasumi. �The manufacturers have added a new liability clause to
their warranties, voiding them if the object being covered comes within a
hundred yards of this house. Do you think you could try being a little
nicer around Akane?�
�I�ve tried acting every way I can think of,� said Ranma. �Nothing
works. I�ve given up trying to please Akane. Nothing I do makes her
happy!�
�You might want to apologize to her,� offered Kasumi.
�I have no reason to apologize to that ungrateful girl,� said Ranma,
crossing his arms.
Kasumi draped her arm over his shoulder. �Ranma, Akane�s very angry at
you right now. That�s not going to stop, and you know that. But hearing
your apology will help her to feel better, whether or not you�ve done
anything to deserve this treatment.�
Ranma snorted. �If only Nabiki were here, I�d be willing to bet that
no amount of apologizing is going to change Akane�s mood. Just watch. IF
she even lets me get out an apology, she�ll brain me as soon as I�m done
talking.�
�Then you are going to apologize?� asked Kasumi.
Ranma shrugged. �What have I got to lose?�
*************************************************
Akane could feel the tension in her muscles loosen as Ryoga kneaded
the sinews with his fingertips and knuckles. She�d never felt so relaxed.
�Wow, Ryoga,� she said softly in between deep, wonderful breaths. �This
technique is really something. I feel great.�
�The best part is coming up,� said Ryoga, continuing to work the
muscles on Akane�s shoulders with one hand while his other hand deftly
untied his headband and retied it securely under his nose. His hands
slowly worked their way under Akane�s arms toward the special pressure
points Happosai had shown him.
Akane turned her head to warn Ryoga to watch where he was putting his
hands, but at that moment a warm feeling filled her body, like nothing she
had ever experienced before, even during the few times when she�d been
close to Ranma while in a good mood. Her breathing grew fast and furious,
and her mouth dried out. She tried to resist the force that was driving
her, but it was no use. The Naresome no Shiatsu rendered her unable to
control herself as she turned over, grabbed Ryoga by the shoulders, and
kissed him with more passion than he had expected. Blood quickly soaked
his bandana as Akane�s tongue roamed the inside of his mouth. He felt her
soft breasts pressing against his chest and had to fight to remain
conscious. He�d been waiting all his life for this moment, but he�d never
imagined it would be like this...
Out of the corner of his eye, Ryoga saw the door open. On the other
side stood a wide-mouthed, wide-eyed Ranma. �Great,� thought Ryoga. �Ranma
�s gonna kill me!� He frantically groped at Akane�s chest for the release
point, but her chest was pressed so tightly against his that he could
barely get his hands on her breasts. He felt her hands grabbing at his
waist, pulling his shirt up. �It�s not what you think!� he tried to shout
to Ranma, but it came out muffled as Akane�s mouth swallowed his words.
The door slowly closed.
Akane leaned back slightly to slide Ryoga�s shirt off over his head.
Ryoga seized the opportunity to jam his fingers into her cleavage. Akane�s
eyes flew open, and she quickly pushed Ryoga away and grabbed the blanket
to cover herself. �Ryoga � what just happened? Why was I �� She couldn�t
even bring herself to finish.
Ryoga did his best to look just as surprised and disgusted as Akane
was. �I don�t understand! I was just giving you a light massage...�
Akane put her hand on her forehead. �I don�t feel very well... promise
me you won�t tell Ranma about this?�
Ryoga thought back to Ranma�s brief intrusion on his private moment.
�I promise that Ranma won�t hear about this from me.� He slid off the bed
and handed Akane�s dress to her. She reached out and grabbed it
gratefully, carefully studying Ryoga�s face as she did so.
�Ryoga, why do you have a bloody bandana tied around your nose?�
Ryoga�s hand briefly explored his face and removed the stained
headpiece. �I � must have banged my nose while �� He threw the bandana
into the trashcan and tied a spare around his head. �I think I need to go
take a cold shower.� He quickly left the room in search of Ranma.
Akane hastily dressed herself and sat on the bed, contemplating what
had just happened. She couldn�t come up with any sort of feasible
explanation herself. Perhaps Cologne had somehow used Ranma as an
unwitting tool to manipulate her mind... no, that wasn�t her style.
Besides, �
Her eyes fell on the desk, where a large book sat. She was positive
she hadn�t seen it before, and it certainly hadn�t been there before Ryoga
entered the room. She picked up the strange book, snorted at the title,
then opened it to a random page and began to read with interest.
*************************************************
Hikaru Gosunkugi finished off the last of his soup and turned
excitedly to his new book. He had already grown impatient enough to tear
open the box, and the book now lay on the counter before him, its untold
treasures waiting only for his eyes to read them. He opened the cover and
read through the table of contents, then turned to the page and began
preparations for his greatest voodoo spell ever. This time, it would work.
It HAD to work. All his life, he�d never been able to claim a money-back
guarantee.
*************************************************
Ranma sat on the park bench and thought long and hard about his
situation. He was definitely acting strangely toward Akane lately. What
had his exact words been? �I�ll kiss whoever I want, whenever I want...�
Something like that, anyway. Certainly not something he would say to the
girl he cared about so much. Sure, he wouldn�t come straight out and tell
her his true feelings, but...
But what, asked the other side of his brain. Hadn�t he just demanded
that she do exactly the same thing? And she had slapped him and run off to
kiss Ryoga. They seemed to be doing a lot more than just kissing, of
course... but was she just doing it to get revenge on him? He wouldn�t put
it past her, the uncute tomboy. She probably even enjoyed it.
Ranma laid his head in his hands and groaned. Had he pushed Akane too
far this time and lost her completely? It wasn�t right. He had to find
some way to apologize...
�Forget it,� said Ranma, not even aware that his thoughts were making
their outlet through his voice box. �I already tried to apologize, and she
was � occupied. I�m going to let her be the one to apologize first this
time. If � IF � she apologizes, then I�ll think about making an apology of
my own.�
Having made his decision, Ranma stood up and headed for home. The red
glow of the setting sun cast a heavy weight over Ranma�s heart as he
traveled, recalling the times he�d walked with Akane through this very
park in the light of so many similar sunsets. He hadn�t gotten far,
however, before an approaching figure brought him up short. He stiffened
and raised his hands, preparing to defend himself if necessary.
*************************************************
Ryoga ran through Tokyo and several surrounding cities, in heavy
contemplation. Surprisingly, as his mind wandered, his body managed to
stay nearly on course... at least, compared to his usual tracklessness.
Still, he had plenty of time to wonder what had gone wrong with the
massage. Happosai had promised him that it would make Akane fall in love
with him. That was what the name meant. Naresome no Shiatsu: The Massage
of Newfound Love.
No, that wasn�t exactly what the old man had said. He�d said it would
bring Ryoga the love of any woman he desired... Ryoga mentally beat
himself in the head. Happosai�s definition of love was just as perverted
as the man himself. It wasn�t a technique that induced romantic
interest... it just made girls horny. His nose wrinkled at the prospect.
No wonder Akane had jumped on him like that! He�d know better than to
trust Happosai again.
Meanwhile, he had to square things with Ranma. Their rivalry had
always kept them apart, but this time Ryoga had a feeling he�d stepped
over the bounds. All thanks to that book... Ryoga�s hand went to his
pocket, and he silently cursed himself. He�d left the book in Akane�s
room! He had to go back before she found it... well, no chance of finding
his way back by then. His only hope now was to find Ranma and explain what
had happened � or, failing that, convince Ranma to choose one of his other
fianc�es and forget about Akane. His fists flexed. From what he�d heard
from the Tendo family, Ranma had been rather violent recently. If Ranma�s
jealousy provoked him to attack, Ryoga was more than prepared to defend
himself.
As the sun began to set in the western sky, Ryoga found himself in a
familiar park in the Nerima district. �Finally, I�ve managed to �� he
began, but stopped short. Ranma was just crossing the park now, coming
toward Ryoga. Their eyes would meet any second. And when they did, Ryoga
would see whether he was coming face to face with his worst enemy � or
just an enemy... Their eyes met. Ranma brought his fists to bear as he
continued to advance on Ryoga. Ryoga raised his own fists in defense.
�Ryoga.� Ranma�s greeting was cold but cordial, unforgiving but not
vengeful.
�Ranma.� Ryoga returned the greeting in kind.
�You have some explaining to do.� A simple declaration.
�That I do.� Calm, calculating; Ryoga wasn�t about to say more than he
needed to.
�So? Let�s hear it.� Ranma crossed his arms.
Ryoga sighed. �I�m sure you know that I, too, have a romantic interest
in Akane.�
Ranma snorted. �You haven�t exactly kept it a secret.�
�Recently a book came into my possession that has changed my life
forever. It convinced me that if I am ever to accomplish my goals in life,
I must make my intentions known to everyone who might stand in my way. I
realized then that Akane saw me as a friend but not as any more than
that.�
�So you seduced her and raped her?� Ranma�s ki began to flare.
�No!� shouted Ryoga, throwing his hands up in defense. �I was just
giving her a massage to work out her stress from the dressing-down you
gave her!� Oops � that was definitely the wrong thing to say.
�Are you saying this is my fault?� shouted Ranma. In a flash, he had
grabbed Ryoga�s collar and hoisted him into the air.
�No! Wait! You�ve got it all wrong!� protested Ryoga, but his protest
was cut short as Ranma sent him flying through the air to land in the
fountain halfway across the square. He surfaced as P-chan, choking on a
pig-sized lungful of water. He barely had time to start swimming for the
shore when Ranma scooped him out of the fountain. Ryoga oinked a quick
prayer and looked up into a pair of blazing eyes.
�You were saying?� began Ranma. Ryoga struggled to escape, but Ranma�s
grip on his bandana was too firm, and his feet weren�t nearly dexterous
enough to untie the strangling strip of cloth. �I thought you were going
to say something... �Oink� just doesn�t meet your usual standards.
Although, it does make an interesting last word...� Ryoga gave up his
struggles and waited for the end. Whether Ranma killed him now or left him
to endlessly wander in search of the Tendo house in his pig form, it would
end the same way. Pork chops.
For several minutes, Ryoga dangled helplessly while Ranma appeared to
be fighting some kind of internal conflict. Suddenly, Ranma�s arm closed
around him, but it was far gentler than the stranglehold that he�d
expected. �I guess I�d better take you home and get you turned back into a
human so you can finish your story.� A tear fell from Ranma�s eye. �I don�
t know what�s gotten into me recently, Ryoga. My temper�s out of control,
especially wherever Akane�s involved. I think Cologne had something to do
with it, but... the things I say are exactly what I�ve been thinking all
along and just kept to myself. Can I really pass all of the blame on to
Cologne?�
Ryoga did his best to pat Ranma with his stubby legs and reassure him,
but his own emotions were in turmoil. He knew that at least part of the
blame fell on him; after all, it had been his own two hands that had
administered the Naresome no Shiatsu. The fact that he hadn�t known about
its full effect in advance didn�t excuse him � did it? Ranma�s
overreaction to the situation could have cost Ryoga his life. What would
have happened if Akane and not Ryoga had been the one to face Ranma�s
untempered wrath? Maybe Ranma had been a loose cannon all along, and it
had taken a disaster like this one to demonstrate the danger before
someone had gotten seriously hurt or killed because of it.
�You�re awfully quiet,� noted Ranma.
�Bwee,� replied Ryoga, setting his course in his mind. It probably
wasn�t fair to try to force Akane to love him � not if he cared at all
about Akane�s feelings. But he would do his best to remind Akane that, if
Ranma turned out to be a less than ideal fianc�, there was always another
hopeful guy out there by the name of Ryoga... And this time, he�d choose
his source of dating advice a little more carefully.
*************************************************
Kodachi threw the book onto her desk in disgust. �Some book.� She
snorted. �Change my life for the better? I�ll be getting MY money back,
that�s for sure.� She seated herself in front of her vanity and began to
remove her layers of makeup with a moistened facial wipe. �Nobody rejects
the Black Rose and gets away with it!�
A rustling noise interrupted her. She turned to see the petals of the
black roses that covered the walls and ceiling of her room moving as if
blown by a mysterious breeze. �Just like that brother of mine to come in
here and leave the window open.� She stood up to close the window, then
stopped as she realized that it was, in fact, closed. �That�s odd...� She
turned back to the roses, which had fallen still.
�Hmmm... must have been my imagination.� She resumed her
self-examination, scowling at the still-visible red mark on her face in
the shape of the bottom of Ranma�s shoe. She grabbed a handful of rose
petals, tossed them into a handy mortar, and ground them into a fine
paste. With a cattail frond, she daubed the paste onto her face, smiling
as the rose petal essence masked away the unsightly bruise.
Having made her face sufficiently beautiful, Kodachi shifted her
attention to her long black hair, combing it into long curly tresses
before tying it into a single ponytail. She studied herself in the mirror
and frowned. �Perhaps Ranma has grown weary of this hairstyle. After all,
he himself wears a ponytail... I must try something new to make myself
appeal to him.� She reached for a pair of small rose-adorned hair clips
and secured her hair into a pair of side ponytails. �Maybe he thinks I
look too old. This style makes me look years younger.� She paused to
admire herself from all angles. �Then again, what if he�s more attracted
to older women?� She removed the clips and grabbed a long hairpin,
securing her hair into a bun. �This will add a few months of maturity and
womanly grace.� She took another pause to reflect on her reflection. �I
must say, like a fine wine, I certainly age well.�
The rustling noise that she had heard a few minutes before tugged at
her ear again. She was at first inclined to ignore it, but a movement in
the mirror convinced her to turn around to look once again � and gasp in
horror. The roses that normally covered the walls of her room had
collected into one small spot and arranged themselves in the shape of a
human body. As she watched, the arms began to move, stretching toward her
as if to grab her. Frozen in terror, all she could do was scream as the
roses wrapped themselves around her, choking the air from her lungs with
their petals.
Seconds later, the door opened and Tatewaki Kuno burst into the room
to find the entire floor ankle-deep in Kodachi�s black roses, the curtains
flapping in the breeze from the open window, and his sister nowhere to be
seen. He rushed to the open window just in time to see a young man wearing
a red gi, with his black hair tied into a ponytail, walking across the
lawn in the near-darkness of the night. As Tatewaki climbed onto the
windowsill in preparation to leap out after the figure, the man looked up
at him. For a split second, their eyes met. Then, the figure vanished as
if it had never been there.
------------------------------------------------------------
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. - Unknown
It is also the cruelest form of mockery. - Matt Katinas
"There's a billion places like home. But only one of them's where you
live." - Granny Weatherwax, "Witches Abroad" by Terry Pratchett
"There's a mathematical reason not to trust Christians... The Buddhists
believe that human lives repeat. The atheists believe that human lives
terminate. That means that the Christians must believe that humans are
irrational."
- Matt Katinas
"Not necessarily... they could think that humans are imaginary."
- Rob Pease, in response to the above
My webpage: http://www.rose-hulman.edu/~katinamp