[Episode 104331] [Episode 104331]She’d started out fine, meeting Hibiki and Saotome eye to eye, her mood detached and amused, as if she’d done nothing worthy of them being mad. She’d started to give a line of patter, laying down the situation and why they would have to let her walk out the door, with a good wad of cash in her hand, and that big stupid idiot Ryouga hadn’t listened to a word she said. He’d simply walked over, taking hold of her and dragged her over to a set of modified gym rings hanging from the ceiling. Where he had proceeded to tie her wrists above her head.
The set up was obviously intended for Ranma-chan, and wasn’t that interesting, so she was not forced up on her tip-toes. She was able to set both feet flat on the floor, but her arms were stretched nearly tight. She struggled and to her shame actually shrieked with outrage. “Hibiki, you are in so much . . . Grumppp.”
“Shut up,” Ryouga said, rather unnecessarily, as he stuffed a balled up bandana into Nabiki mouth, and secured it with another bandana wrapped around her head. Ignoring the look of death she directed at him, he turned his back on her, dodging a kick without thinking about it, and walked over to where Ranma was standing, her back to Nabiki, and her hands clenched into fists. He lifted his hands to set them on her tense shoulders, and then let them drop.
Ranma’s mind had been broken by the abuse he’d suffered at the hands of his/her father, and most of the other people in his/her life. And that shattered mind had some very strange twists and turns. Her relationship with Ryouga was one of those strange twists. To Ranma, they were play-mates. She literally saw no difference between the way they’d played cowboy and Indians as kids, and the way they played such games as poor little virgin school-girl gets her ass raped, now. It wasn’t sex. It was playing.
Part of that mind set meant that Ryouga could never, ever, admit to her, or in any way show, the love he had for her. Ranma, as a guy, was one of his best friends, but Ranma, as a girl, was his heart, he soul, the reason he got through his life day to day.
So, as her playmate, all he could do was stand behind her and listen to her nearly crying as she whispered, “Why couldn’t she leave us alone? We weren’t hurting anyone! She’s going to ruin everything. All the guys at school will laugh at me, and the girls will all think I’m stupid little kid. What’s wrong with playing some simple games.”
“Nothing!” Ryouga said firmly. “But, you know Nabiki. She’ll make it seem like it was something else. Like . .. We’re in love.”
Ranma facefaulted. “What! You have got to be kidding! No one is that stupid! We’re both guys for Christ sakes!”
Ryouga gave a weak grin and said in a rather strained voice. “You know that and . . .I know that, but you know Nabiki. She can twist anything.”
“Shit! What are we going to do?”
Ryouga had to step carefully here. Ranma’s fractured mental processes should go along with this. But she might not be deluded enough to bend that far. All he could do was try.
“We could let Nabiki play with us?” he said tentatively. “She wouldn’t be able to fake the evidence if she’s in the pictures as well.” Ryouga waited for Ranma’s reaction.
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(Posted Wed, 02 Jun 2004 00:20)
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