Prisoner of the Iron Mask

                             * **  ***  ** *

Disclaimer:

Ranma 1/2 was created by Rumiko Takahashi. Her intellectual property is
used without permission, but also without the intent of making money.

Author's Notes:

This is the third chunk of episodes (12-14).  I would offer a no-prize for
anyone who can figure out where Kodachi's monologue at the end and
all the references in it came from, but I am afraid I don't remember all
of it myself.

Warnings:

The episodes in this part are almost beyond [lime]-ish and getting a bit
too [lemon]-y because of the characters perverted imagination. Read at
your own risk. 

                             * **  ***  ** *

                 Part 12: The Mistress vs. The Maid


Akane was bolted to the exercise bench. Not really bound or chained or
anything, Mistress had just secured her ankle-shackles and collar to the
bench she was lying on  with small metal pins. All she had to do to free
herself was to pull out the pins.

Of course to do that she would have to have her hands free. Her hands were
currently occupied with what Mistress called a lying fly. Pulling her
stretched arms together in front of her while cables connected via a
pulley system to counterweights were pulling her arms out and down to her
sides.

Unfortunately Mistress did not believe in handles on the grounds that they
encouraged students to let go. She had unclipped the stirrup attachments
from the cable ends and clipped Akane's manacles directly to the cables.
Akane could still free herself if she brought her hands together and
fumbled with the clasps for a bit.

Unless mistress Severa decided to be mean and add another plate to the
counterweights. Then Akane would be truly immobilized and helpless. In
fact in Akane's weakened state mistress Severa could achieve the same
result by pushing lightly on the counterweights with one finger as she had
already demonstrated, but then she would not have her hands free to take
advantage of Akane's naked and defenseless body.

Akane was doing her exercises in the nude except for her collar and the
shackles on her wrists and ankles. To her own surprise she had rapidly
gotten used to this. It even felt sort of free and refreshing not having
to wear any clothing. Especially if the only clothing you were allowed to
wear were liable to contract into bondage devices at any moment. But Akane
would master those too.

No Akane felt gloriously unrestricted and when she saw her own naked
reflection in the mirror during her exercises she had to admit that she
also felt a bit sexy showing off her body. Akane felt good.

Mistress Severa certainly seemed to think so, as she took every
opportunity to feel and touch Akane. Not in a bad groping Happosai
way, but in nice way that was halfway between businesslike and
playful. She kept correcting Akane's stances and postures during
exercises by physically moving her body in the right positions.

And when Akane was doing her exercises Mistress would name the muscles
that were benefiting from them and leisurely run her hands along the body
parts in question.

She would for example make Akane squat up and down with a barbell on her
shoulders and run her hands along Akane leg while telling her that the
exercise was good for her quadriceps.

And now Akane was lying naked and sweating on her back and very near to
being completely at her Mistress' mercy.

Akane shivered as Mistress Severa looked down on her.

"You know, little one," Mistress told her leisurely, "you could get much
the same effect by bench pressing some dumbbells or a barbell, but it is
much more fun to do it this way, isn't it?"

Akane gave a noncommittal grunt as she brought her hands back together in
a hugging motion over her head.

"Those exercises are primarily to build your pectoralis-majors," her
trainer explained, "you know what these will do? If you work really hard
they can make your breasts look bigger. Won't that be nice?"

With that she ran her gloved hand over Akane's chest. Akane tried to
concentrate on her exercise.

"If you put a lot of effort in it -- and believe me you won't have much
choice on that part -- and go on the right diet," mistress Severa
continued as she started to knead Akane's breasts in a very distracting
way, "you will have a killer figure once we are done. Just imagine what
your friends will say when they see your new sexy body."

Akane could not help but imagine Ranma's face when he would peek on her
in the bath the next time. She would have to make sure that he got a real
good look before she kicked him out. She might even accidentally neglect
to put on the occupied sign if he took to long to give into his perverted
impulses to peek on her.

She was rudely yanked out of her daydream of pigtailed perverts when
Mistress twisted one of her nipples. Still smiling she continued her
exercise as Mistress hands abandoned her breasts.

"Of course" she told Akane while running her hand down Akane's abdomen and
towards her crotch, "You will have to get rid of this unhygienic and
ungainly fur for that. It really does spoil the effect and looks very
unappetizing. Have Ashes shave this for you."

Akane took a slight yank on her pubic hair as a cue to answer dutifully:
"Yes Mistress, I will."

<hr width="50%">

"Gah!" Ranma gasped as she peeled herself out of her skintight leather
costume a little bit later.

She still couldn't believe what she had said and done to Akane. The
Mistress personality was getting away from her. Or maybe it was Akane's
meek behavior towards her Mistress that brought on such strange impulses
in Ranma. She hadn't meant to order Akane to get a hair cut down there.
She never would have thought about even suggesting such a thing to Akane
as Ranma. And here just because she had worn black leather at the time and
Akane had acted all submissive and everything she had ordered, yes
ordered, Akane to get the maid to shave her crotch.

And The maid just happened to be Ranma too. Just that she was not nearly
as dominant and self assured as Severa. Ranma hoped that she would be able
to deal with this in her other disguise.

Ranma really regretted allowing herself to go with the flow as Severa, but
that was what Ranma Saotome did. Ranma went with the flow 100% and when
the role called for being all meek and submissive, then she could play
the role. It wasn't as if the real Ranma had suddenly allowed himself to
show some weakness. And when a role called for being an unashamed pervert
like Severa, then Severa would be unashamedly perverted with none of the
inhibitions and inabilities that held back Ranma.

The problem with embracing her inner pervert, Ranma reflected, was that
Akane might end up embracing him too. When Severa had pawed Akane's
nude body and grabbed her breasts, the girl had barely protested. Who knew
where this might lead? 

She would have to build some safeties into the characters she was
playing. Maybe adding a new character that was decidedly non-pervert and
strong-minded enough to stand up to the likes of Severa.

For now she would just have to hold off on doing some of the more...
dangerous activities -- like teaching Akane the technique Ranma had
borrowed from the Amazons about concentrating your chi into your breasts
so that you could jump around without hurting yourself or needing some
stupid bra or sports supporter. Ranma had been really relieved when she
had figured out that part from watching Shampoo.

A pity really as mistress Severa had already had all kinds of wonderfully
naughty ideas on making Akane concentrate and focus her attention on her
breasts.

For that matter she'd better put off the meditation exercises that aimed
at controlling the distribution of ones body fat, too. Ranma could see to
many ways how mistress Severa would use such an opportunity for
unwarranted mischief and Akane would never listen to Prince Wildpferd
talking about her having such a thing as body fat.

Ranma would just have to make sure that Akane ate enough for now and later
have her do something about the regions where fat was not wanted.

But now, Ranma reflected as she divested herself of the last parts of
mistress Severa's costume and put on Little Ashes veil, it was time for
Ashes to suffer the consequences of mistress Severa's lack of restraint. 


                             * **  ***  ** *


When Akane returned from the shower Ashes was waiting for her in the
locker room.

"I guess mistress Severa has already told you," Akane commented on the
shaving utensils that the maid had laid out on a bench.

"Yes, Mistress has already informed me, Miss Akane. Please sit down,"
Ashes directed her towards the towel she had spread out on the bench in
front of her.

The girl seemed a bit uncomfortable at the mention of Akane's trainer.

"I have never, you know, done any hairstyling down there. I guess you are
the right person to show me how to do this." Akane tried to change the
topic as she sat down.

She was referring to Ashes own shaved crotch that was only very
inadequately concealed underneath her sheer uniform.

"Certainly better than Mistress Severa. She would probably tie you down
and then wax depilate you from your toes up to your eyebrows. And she
would enjoy it, too." Ashes seemed to be scowling beneath her veil as she
muttered this under her breath.

So much for change of topic.

Leaning back on the bench and supporting herself on her elbows Akane
spread her legs in front of the maid.

"You don't like Mistress Severa much, do you," she asked as much out of
curiosity as to distract herself from the coming procedure.

"Mistress is perverted and sadistic. She likes to tie down and torment
innocent young girls. She likes to dominate and control. And what she
likes most is when her victim likes it, too. She makes them act all
meek and submissive even if they are not normally like that at all. She
makes them enjoy giving up control." Ashes blushed heavily as she said
the last part.

Akane tried to look at Ashes, but the girl would not meet her eyes and
instead busied herself in her work as she began spreading shaving cream
over Akane's crotch.

Akane leaned back her head and looked at the ceiling instead attempting
to keep her mind occupied with what she had just learned and not think so
much about the  sensations coming from between her legs. 

The prince had insinuated that Severa preferred the company of other
girls. And Akane had noticed herself that her trainer could come on a bit
strong on occasion. Had Little Ashes been the victim of Mistress Severa's
torments and was now embarrassed to actually have enjoyed it?

Somebody would have to tell the girl that this was not actually something
to be embarrassed about. True, it was unquestioningly perverted. But it
was not the same sort of perversion as for example the behavior of
Happosai or Kunou or the various little perverts in training at her
school.

It was more like the little games she played with Ranma sometimes. When he
had tried to learn his fathers technique and stolen all her underwear or
when he had to peek on her in the bath because of his mother and she had
teased him about it....

Akane was interrupted in her thoughts as Ashes had finished her
preparations and was now beginning to apply her razor to Akane's mound.
What she could see of the maids face was still very red and she appeared
to fully concentrate on her sensitive work.

Akane watched in fascination as the maid used her little fingers to draw
taunt her skin and use the razor on it.

She could certainly imagine the little girl being in the grasps of her
strong mistress.

Little Ashes bound and helpless in Mistress Severa's dungeon -- both
wearing nothing but their veils. Mistress alternating between tormenting
and caressing her. Whipping her tender body and then bringing her pleasure
by touching her in intimates places.

And then when Ashes almost could not take it any more, the mistress would
take of her veil and bring her head towards the other girls crotch -- the
one that she had made her shave. And she would first stroke it with her
fingers an then she would slowly begin to lick her bare mound with her
cold tongue. She would maddingly tease her by not actually going to her
price, but slowly work her way all around it. Only occasionally inserting
a finger into her to pull her skin taunt so that the cold tongue could
reach everywhere.

Akane was rudely jerked from her erotic daydream as Ashes splashed a
bucket of cold water over her crotch.

"Done!" she exclaimed still blushing heavily.

But Akane hardly noticed. She was far to embarrassed herself. She hastily
got dressed in her ribbon dress.

How had that happened? Had Ashes noticed? And most importantly why during
the end of her daydream had one of the girls suddenly had red and the
other short black hair?


                             * **  ***  ** *

                           Part 13: Bad Habits 


A new day had dawned for Akane and in the light shinning through her small
iron-barred window she could see a new addition to her cell.

One of the treadmills from the gym had been moved to her cell while she
was sleeping. It was rather disturbing to think that she had not woken up
to notice whoever had moved it here. Akane tried not to think about the
facts that she was prone to throw off her covers at night and that due to
lack of sleepwear she was currently sleeping in the nude. She busied
herself instead with inspecting the exercise machine.

A note was pinned to it informing her that she would not receive breakfast
until after she had run a certain distance on it. The distance worked out
to be about half again the length of her usual morning jog. A cable from
the odometer lead together with the electricity cable out under her door.
They could probably tell if she complied from the outside. The note was
written in harsh clear strokes she presumed that it was from Mistress
Severa and not an empty thread.

Slowly Akane began to jog expecting all the while spanks on her butt to
spurn her on.

Only after she finished and Ashes entered with her breakfast and a couple
of towels did she realize that she had done the exercise naked out of
recently acquired habit.

The castle was getting to her, Akane thought as she freshened up with
water from the sink and toweled of with one of her new towels in full
sight of the maid.

During her surprisingly large breakfast she considered this revelation.
Nabiki had a book like that from that vampire author. A beautiful princess
got abducted by a perverted prince to a castle full of perverts where they
did perverted things to her until she became a pervert herself. Akane had
hated that book and its two sequels.

But Akane would not give up. As Ashes helped her dress and attach the
ribbons to her shackles she vowed that she would resist those perverted
influences.

Once she was dressed the maid informed her, that the first item on her
schedule this day would be lessons in 'proper behavior' by Sister Holle.

"She can be a bit strict," Ashes warned on their way to the lessons.

"Like Mistress Severa?" Akane asked not really feeling up to handling
another instructor like her trainer.

"Er, no. Not like Mistress Severa at all. In fact it might be best not to
mention her name in Sister Holle's presence. The two don't see eye to eye
on many issues. Sister Holle thinks that Mistress Severa is a pervert. She
thinks that about a lot of people...." Ashes mumbled her explanation.

Akane felt that this was very good news indeed. Finally somebody sane in
this mad-house. Somebody who would agree with her on the pervertedness of
the people and going's on around here.

She was so happy that she calmly waited in her classroom after Ashes left
her. The room looked like it was a repurposed meeting room. There was a
big desk with a comfortable chair in front of a blackboard, that Akane
assumed would be the teacher's place. Opposite it in the center of the
room was a low table with a cushion in front of it. She guessed that she
would spend the lesson kneeling not sitting, but she was still so glad
about finally finding an ally in her fight against the perversion of this
place that she took that in stride.

Finally Sister Holle entered the room and Akane's savior from
the perversions of this place turned out to be a veiled
woman wearing a nun's habit and horn-rimmed glasses.

"Hello my girl," she introduced herself in an overly friendly tone, "my
name is Sister Holle and I am going to be your tutor. My main function
will be to teach you about your future home and ensure that you will learn
proper behavior for a Lichtenburger lady. I also aspire to serve as a
counterweight to balance out the influences of certain other persons who
shall remain nameless. I hope that despite everything here, I will manage,
when it is time for you to be wed, to present you to your groom and his
people as a proper, decent and throughoutly moral young lady fit for our
prince."

Despite her appearance and somewhat irritating voice Sister Holle appeared
to be exactly what Akane needed. She was going to keep her save from all
those perverts.  Akane thought that what she had said sounded pretty good
-- except for that marrying the prince part of course. Akane would not
loose, but she would not tell the woman that. No need to antagonize her
prospective ally. 

"Akane," the nun continued, "I hope you will think of me not just as your
instructor and spiritual mentor, but as a friend -- someone you can
confess to."

A confidant would be nice, thought Akane.

"Because child I think that you are clearly in need of someone you can
turn to with your problems." Sister Holle explained. "I have taken the
liberty of having someone obtain your files from your former school. And
it seems that you are in serious need of moral guidance."

A file was opened on the teachers desk. Judging by the pineapple seal on
its back it was authentic. Somebody must have broken into Akane's school
to steal it for the nun.

"I understand that it is seen as 'cool' by the young to rebel against
established norms and a young girl your age is exposed to all kinds of
temptations, but you really can't go on like this, Akane," the nun told
her earnestly.

Slowly shocked realization began to dawn on Akane's face. She could not
possibly mean...? Akane did not want to believe it.

"I fear for you Akane. But I will help you, because I think that your acts
of moral turpitude are just a silent cry for help from a confused young
woman," Sister Holle promised. 

This could not be true. Out of all the people in the castle, out of all
the people at Furinkan this woman had the nerve to accuse her? Akane could
not take it any longer.

She jumped up from her cushion and screamed: "I am not a pervert!"

But she was just as soon jerked down again by her rapidly contracting
bonds. She had forgotten to unclasp the ribbons when she felt like she was
about to loose control and before she could remedy that fact she was
kneeling bound and gagged on her cushion again.

She tried to calm herself down, but the fact that she could not defend
herself against these baseless accusation made her just angrier.

"It says here," the nun continued reading from her file indifferent to
Akane's outburst and her subsequent stripping and bondage," that you were
involved in every major disturbance at the school since you began
attending there. There is a long list of violence and destruction at this
school that center around your person. This Ranma person, who I am given
to understand was your fianc� before you were taken in by prince
Wildpferd, appears to feature heavily in those disturbances too. In fact
many of the fights were between him and other boys who had proclaimed
their love or at least their carnal interest in you. Did you encourage
those fights Akane? Did it make you feel good to make those innocent boys
fight over your affection?"

Akane was shaking her head and yelling into her gag.

"Why then did you not put a stop to this? Why did you not openly declare a
winner or at least tell them that you were not interested in either Ranma
or this Kunou boy or any of the other interested parties? And is it not
true that before your fianc� appeared and put a stop to it, you openly
challenged the entire male student body to fight you every morning, giving
them hopes of winning a date with you? Did it make you feel desirable and
special to see all those boys exert themselves to win your favor?"

At this point Akane was rocking back and forth on her cushion and red in
the face from trying to scream denials and explanations.

"So these pictures of you," Sister Holle held up several photos, "that
your sister circulated for profit did not give you any satisfaction
either? Even if you did not profit from them directly did it not feel nice
to be wanted by so many boys? Even if you did not encourage the sale of
these photos, you also never actively stopped your sister from selling
them. Perhaps you appreciated knowing to the Yen how high you fellow
classmates valued your beauty."

Akane was near tears from the inability to justify and explain herself in
the face of those accusations. The woman had gotten it all wrong. Why
wouldn't she let her explain herself before jumping to such conclusions
about Akane being a pervert.

"Or maybe you are not a self-centered shallow girl who teases and plays
with the boys in her life to have her insecurities pandered to. Maybe
those photos were a form of advertisement. Maybe you participated in those
fights because you secretly hoped that they would overwhelm you. Maybe you
encouraged the fights between your suitors, because you hoped that one of
them would claim the spoils of victory afterwards. Has it been an accident
that you were all too often the prize in the fights of your fianc�?

Akane was openly crying tears of frustration. The woman could take some
totally harmless facts and twist them into the most perverse scenarios.
Akane was not like that at all.

Sister Holle had gotten up and was now standing next to Akane.

"There, there," she consoled the sobbing girl, "no need to cry there is
hope for you yet. Sister Holle will help you mend your ways. With my help
you will become a selfless and virtuous young lady."

Akane just wished that she could get her hands free so she could strangle
the stupid penguin.

                             * **  ***  ** *

                    Part 14: Romantics and Perverts


"You don't think I am a pervert, do you?" Akane later asked Little Ashes
when she was escorting her to the gym.

"Of course not, Miss Akane. Don't worry about Sister Holle," Ashes was
quick to reassure her, "she says such things about everyone. You are no
more a pervert than I am."

Akane reflect that this would have been far more reassuring if it hadn't
come from someone who walked around in a very minimal near-transparent
uniform all day.

                             * **  ***  ** *

During gym and against her better judgement Akane breached the same topic
with Mistress Severa.

Between exercises when Akane was for a short time not tied, bolted or
weighed down she asked her trainer if she thought that Akane was a
pervert. Mistress laughed.

She grabbed her shoulders and turned her towards the mirror covering one
of the walls in the gym.

"Look at that Akane," she told her, "and tell me what you see."

Akane saw a girl wearing nothing but shackles and a collar with another
one clad in skintight black leather standing behind her. In short she saw
two perverts, but she decided not to give voice to that observation.

Severa answered for her: "I see a beautiful young woman who has nothing to
be ashamed of. You are desirable, you are sexy and there is nothing wrong
with going out and making people realize that. There is nothing wrong with
taking it as a compliment when people fight over you. And for all that
other crap about you wanting to be beaten. You would not be here training
to become a better fighter if you wanted the prince to beat you, would
you?"

Akane relaxed. That made sense... she hoped. At least she was not going to
question it to closely as long as it meant that Sister Holle's accusations
were completely unfounded.

"Except perhaps," Mistress slowly continued, "if you did not want to have
just anyone beat you. Perhaps that boy who would not acknowledge your
beauty, who has shown that he would be capable of taking you if he wanted,
who has won you in uncounted challenges where you were the price, but
never claimed what was rightfully his, perhaps you would not mind so much
loosing to him?"

Akane blushed deeply. She wanted to deny this ridiculous theory.

"But that wouldn't make you a bad person either, would it? If that was
what you really wanted and what he wanted -- and let's be frank here, how
could he not want you -- then there would be nothing really wrong with
this, would there?. Don't let others tell you what is right for you, it
is none of their business. Understood, little one?"

Akane took a slap on her bare behind as her cue to dutifully answer: "Yes,
Mistress."

What had she expected from someone like Mistress Severa? She was a pervert
after all and had the same sort of perverted ideas about her relationship
with Ranma as Sister Holle.

Only she did not condemn her for them, but instead cheered her on. And
again she could not put the record straight, just this time it wasn't
because of a gag blocking her mouth, but because she had no idea how to
put into words how she really felt about Ranma.

The worst part was that the two of them had now put those perverted images
and ideas into Akane's head which had most certainly not been there
before.

That night Akane dreamed about Ranma fighting Prince Wildpferd for her.
She would watch from the sidelines chained naked between two posts as
Ranma's clothes got shredded during the fight. And then when he had
finally won and beaten the prince, Severa would hand over the key for
Akane's chains to Ranma. He would go to her but instead of freeing her he
would pocket the key and smile.

And Akane would also smile.

                             * **  ***  ** *

While Akane was dreaming of Ranma claiming his prize, Kodachi was staying
up late in her room, brooding.

They had not called her. The others must surely have started to organize
a rescue for the Tendo girl by now. But nobody had thought to invite her.

She had intercepted Sasuke delivering some intelligence to her brother
and had now a hint where to look for Akane.

She could just go there tomorrow and join the gang if she spied the
others. If they asked her why she would want to help a rival for her
Ranma's affection she could always make up some excuse.

But what if they did not want her to tag along? What if it had not just
been an oversight not to invite her but a deliberate snubbing? Could she
risk the public rejection and humiliation?

Was it not perhaps best to give up on those silly dreams and become a
normal respectable girl with a normal and traditional future. 

Her sanity was not yet as far gone as her brother's and she could still
turn around, become a sociable schoolgirl with normal friends, get good
grades and not question or poison her teachers, go to a prestigious
university befitting her wealth and intellect, end up a traditional and
respectable housewife like million others.

Was that what she wanted, a live more ordinary?

What did she want?

She wanted her knight in shining armor.

She wanted a handsome prince and a majestic man-eating dragon.

She wanted to be a femme fatal and a damsel in distress.

She wanted to take that kitchen drudge to the ball and put that castle to
sleep under a thicket of roses. 

She wanted to save her kingdom and risk her life by trusting on her
abilities in the bedroom and the powers of a thousand cliffhangers. 

She wanted to launch a thousand ships and seduce Ceasar and Mark Antony.

She wanted to reach out from her lake to the rightful king with Excalibur
and she wanted to crush that harlot Guinevere for sleeping around on her
half-brother.

She wanted to voyage to distant worlds and pilot Tellurian warships.

She wanted to go from rural Toulouse to become a favorite of the king at
Versailles. She wanted to be captured by pirates and be sold to the
sultan's harem.

She wanted to tame the beasts of Barsoom and to tempt the lord of the
jungle into her temple of Opar.

She wanted revenge herself on the King of Bohemia and to taunt the great
detective.

She wanted the feeling of romance and the sense of wonder she had known as
a kid. She wanted the world to be what they had promised her it was going
to be -- instead of the tawdry, lousy, fouled-up mess it was.

She had one chance tomorrow and she would not let it slip away.


                                                              )  )" <
                                                             tsu zu ku

             .---Anime/Manga Fanfiction Mailing List----.
             | Administrators - ffml-admins@anifics.com |
             | Unsubscribing - ffml-request@anifics.com |
             |     Put 'unsubscribe' in the subject     |
             `---- http://ffml.anifics.com/faq.txt -----'