Akane slowly spun in a circle, eyes closed, stretching out the extra sense she hadn’t even known she had. Then she felt it, the same thing she’d been feeling off and on since Ranma had arrived at the dojo — something she’d felt at times all along, but never been able to put a name to, link to anything she could see in the real world. Straining, she tried to tighten it, localize sensation tickling the edge of her mind. The “scent” seemed to shrink, center even as her spin took her past it, so she stopped, backed up … there! “There!” she announced firmly.
“Ya got it!” she heard “Ranko-sensei” say excitedly, and opened her eyes to stare at the spot of empty air that she somehow knew held her sensei, a broad grin breaking across her face. She was so caught up in the moment of exultation that her sister’s voice became unintelligible background noise. Maybe she was no longer the best martial artist around, maybe she had no idea what her older sister was capable of, or of her oldest sister’s apparent secret life, or just how large the world really was, but she still had a place in it!
And then she felt the point of something that was Ranma suddenly rushing toward her in an attempt to catch her off guard and felt laughter bubbling up as she shifted slightly to the deceptively laid back stance her sensei had taught her, from which she could strike without warning. Oh, yes, Akane was going to prove to him — her — that she was still paying attention ... and between one heartbeat and the next all sense of Ranma vanished.
Akane spun in place, stretching out her new sense, searching for the least hint of Ranma — nothing. Turning to Nabiki, she found the pageboy-haired girl staring at where she’d last sensed her sensei, eyes wide and face pale. “What just happened?” the suddenly frightened youngest Tendo asked.
“Oh, kami, I wasn’t the target, Ranma was,” Nabiki whispered, then whirled to grab her book bag and began to run — too fast for the rain-slick grass, and she slipped and slid to the foot of the hill. Ignoring the wet green grass stains on her legs and shorts, she was on her feet and racing for the border of the park.
Akane gaped at the sight for a moment, then raced to catch up to her sister. “Nabiki, what happened?!” she demanded again as they ran.
“Ranma was … was summoned,” Nabiki got out between breaths. “I think I … know where, but … have to get there before … they move.” Then she fell silent as she somehow managed to force a little more speed from her pumping legs.
Ranma’s vision cleared and the succubus quickly glanced around, to find herself floating in a newly-familiar room — concrete floor, shelves and desk full of books, candles, incense, chalk, check. It was the shed she and Nabiki had visited earlier that day. The sallow-faced, sunken-eyed boy she recognized from school was new, though.
At the sight of Gosunkugi, Ranma threw herself forward only to recoil painfully as she collided with an unseen barrier. Right, the summoning circle she was inside of was new, too. “Gosunkugi, just what the hell d’ya think you’re playin’ at?” she growled as she rubbed stinging hands. When she got out of here….
Gosunkugi grinned viciously as he stared at his prize. “Finally, I did it!” he exulted, ignoring the angry nature spirit. “Now I’ll show that puffed up new blood her place. So, should I take my new acquisition to school tomorrow, or stash her in my room for a few days and break her in first and let Nabiki wonder what’s happened to her fuck-toy? Yes, I think that’s the way to go….”
“Yeah, right, like I’m gonna let ya touch me!” Ranma shouted, ignoring the sinking sensation in her gut — the Initiate in front of her seemed very sure of himself….
“Oh, you won’t have a choice,” Gosunkugi replied dismissively as he placed a lid in the incense burner and began snuffing out the candles placed around the circle. “I summoned you, and you are mine to command. If I tell you to follow your former owner around all day to show off what she can’t have anymore, you’ll do it. Actually, that’s not a bad idea, but it’s not enough. Let’s see … why don’t I have you whisper a description of the sex we have in her ear each morning, let’s see how well she does in school with that in her head! I suppose once I get tired of you I could let some of the servants have some fun and have you report that….”
Ranma felt her heart freeze at Gosunkugi’s words, hazy images of just what he was threatening crowding into her mind despite her best efforts to force them away. As the teenage Initiate’s tirade continued, piling image on image, each more perverted and degrading than the last, the Voice whispering in the back of the succubus’s mind rose in response to her gathering despair and a shuddering Ranma fought desperately not to let it sweep her away — however much she was tempted to leave Gosunkugi a next-to-mindless husk, but, No! Nabiki will be looking for me, she’s probably on the way to the shed right now, Akane will be with her. Nabiki ...
Suddenly, the echo of the Voice resonating through Ranma’s mind crescendoed and the room around the nature spirit vanished in a blazing kaleidoscope of light, washing her away. When her vision cleared, she was stunned to find herself floating in a summoning circle in the room she shared with Nabiki, her stunned fiancée staring at her with wide eyes. Ranma tried to shout her relief, but what came out was, “What happened? Where the hell is this?”
“Who are you?” Nabiki asked.
Who am I? I’m Ranma! Ranma tried to look down at herself, but her head refused to move and she found herself saying, “Don't freak out, I'm not a ghost or anything like that.”
“Of course not,” Nabiki replied, shock fading — and was that fear? “You're a nature spirit, and from your human shape, probably represent an emotion or other thing associated with man.”
“Ah! You can see me?" Ranma yelled as embarrassment flashed through her and her hands moved to cover her groin. “I'm naked!” Wait, this is the first time I met Nabs! Ranma managed to think through her shock and the Voice sounding through her, distracting her from what was happening. She watched as the first meeting continued playing itself out — her demand for hot water, Nabiki’s deal, her return to China — and tried to smile. That had been a good day, certainly a lot better than today was turning out to be — Nabiki was no Gosunkugi.
At that thought, Ranma mentally frowned to herself. Why had it been such a good day? Certainly Nabiki wouldn’t have dreamed of the kind of sickening things Gosunkugi had been ranting about, but she was no saint — she would have had no compunctions about demanding the obedience summoning mandated. So why hadn’t she, why had she bargained instead of simply demanding like he was? Maybe, because there is no obedience mandated. Did you actually feel any urge to kowtow to that sick bastard?
Even as she considered the thought, the Voice slowly faded back toward its earlier whisper, the China landscape broke up into a swirl of colors to reform into the school shed, and the red-haired succubus found herself again staring at a still-ranting schoolboy, spittle actually spraying from his lips. Okaaay … so, let’s test this out. Ranma turned her thoughts inward, testing her freedom and found … nothing — not so much as a hint of anything restricting her in any way. Hopefully, that meant there wasn’t any instead of simply not being in use. Next step, get out of the circle.
As Gosunkugi finished his latest description, Ranma broke in. “I can see why ya don’t have a girlfriend. But as entertainin’ as you’ve been you’re wastin’ yer time — Nabiki’ll be here any moment, and that’ll be that.”
“Right, as if she knows where we are, she’ll never find us,” Gosunkugi sneered.
“Sure, she does — we’re in the shed at the high school where ya keep yer basics,” Ranma riposted with a nonchalant shrug, and her summoner blanched and looked around wildly.
“I have to get you home —” he started to say.
“Yeah, right, does yer pop know what you’ve been up to?” Ranma tossed out, and grinned viciously when Gosunkugi flinched. Gotcha! Just like Akane was, all self-teaching an’ arrogance.
“Okay, the school, then,” Gosunkugi hastily decided. “I’ll just have to stash you in one of the storerooms and deal with your education later. You can think about what you have waiting for you until I can smuggle you into the house tomorrow. Follow me.” Scratching a break in the multi-colored lines of chalk, he turned toward the shed door.
“Yes!” Ranma flashed through the break in the circle and past her self-declared “master.” Whipping around the boy, she grabbed an arm and jerked him along with her as she passed. As Gosunkugi spun in place, staggering, the redhead flew to a corner of the shed, twisted around, and dove back toward him with her fist extended to bury it in his gut with all the force her speed allowed. Gosunkugi doubled up, and Ranma grabbed an arm to lock the elbow and used it as a brace to spin around and crack a heel into the back of her summoner’s head, driving him face-first into the floor. She flew to the ceiling, then back down feet first to smash into his upper back, feeling ribs crack under the impact. She was flying toward the ceiling again when Gosunkugi rolled onto his back and stared up at her as she twisted around for another dive, ignoring her normally fascinating exposed nakedness to focus on her rage-twisted face. “B-B-Begone!” he stammered out, and the world whited out.
When her vision returned, the succubus found herself floating in the park where she had been training Akane. She looked around wildly, but the park was empty in the early evening drizzle, her soaked clothes still lying on the ground where the Tendo sisters had left them in their haste the only sign that anyone had been there. Choking back a sob, she manifested her red bat-like wings and flew as fast as she could toward the dojo and Nabiki’s wards.
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(Posted Sat, 18 Dec 2010 04:23)
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らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
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