Ranma 1/2
'A Very... VERY Thin Line Between..."
Ranma entered quickly through the back door, as silently as possible. His senses were immensely sharp as was usual for animals in flight for their lives. Though nothing escaped his notice, everything; every sight, every sound, blended together in an almost confusing surrealism. To Ranma, it was all distinguishable, and oddly soothing in his panic. He idly noted that this was the same as right before slipping into the Cat Fist.
The pigtailed boy's heart felt odd, as if it were an empty hollow that fluttered like a nest of moths, when he glanced towards the kitchen. He couldn't see into it, but could make out Kasumi busying herself. Ranma made his way silently to the stairs, like a hunted rabbit trying to evade the wolf in its own den, and crept upstairs.
As light as he could be, the pigtailed boy placed his feet, slowly one at a time, upon each acending step, deadly careful with care not to allow a sound to escape. Unfortunatly, a stairboard denied Ranma this, and groaned slightly from its ill support.
The noise froze Ranma in his spot, and without turning back, he tuned into the kitchen. The bustle that came from it ceased, and he could imagine Kasumi looking up, curious to what the sound was. Eventually, the activity in the kitchen resumed, allowing Ranma to take a silent breath in relief.
He made his way to his room, before he heard it; the ticking noise. His fingers lost all tactile sensation as he pulled his hand away from the sliding door to the guest room. Ukyo was in there, she just was and he knew it and he couldn't go in he just couldn't he...
Ranma slapped himself to gain some sense again. It was probably just the alarm clock. Wait, did he have an alarm clock? He wasn't so sure, nothing seemed so sure. No, he was sure he had an alarm clock. Had it ever sounded so rhythmic, like the counting down of eternity? Did it always keep the steady tempo that was in pace with the bony hand of death reaching to grasp his shoulder?
The pigtailed boy backed away from the room; maybe he should hide in another room where he would be least found. He staggered backwards, and opened the door to the next available room behind him.
Ranma took extreme care to shut the door after entering, and froze. The room looked like Akane's, he wasn't in Akane's room though, he couldn't have been...
"Saotome, is there something I can do for you?"
Ranma 'eeped', and turned around to see a passive looking Nabiki, sitting at her desk and staring at the pigtailed martial artist. Ranma recalled that Nabiki, she was normal, she wouldn't go crazy on him like the other girls did. She was safe, and that safety allowed him to gain his steady mind again.
"Uh, you're not gonna, you know, go crazy on me, are ya?" Ranma asked with a shakey voice; it was better to be sure than sorry."
"I wasn't expecting that question, I have to admit," Nabiki replied in a sardonic voice. She blinked as Ranma visibly relaxed, "Uh, Ranma, something wrong?"
Ranma felt a great deal of relief at hearing the middle Tendou daughter's sarcastic reply, and slumped to the floor, "Safe."
Nabiki raised an eyebrow at the young man, "Ranma, you've been acting weird since I got home, earlier."
Ranma turned with wide eyes towards Nabiki, who scooted back from the sight of slight madness permiating them, "They're after me, Nabiki!"
"Well, that top secret Ops team you had after your tail is what I presume you're referring to. So that beggers the question, why did you come into *my* room to evade them? I don't want your trouble, Saotome.
"Not just them," Ranma whispered, Akane and Ukyo and Shampoo and Kasumi, they're all after me too!"
"I think you cracked under one too many new techniques," Nabiki replied, waving the pigtailed boy off dismissively.
"No, they're after me I tell ya! I'll pay anything! Just let me hide here!" Ranma pleaded, getting a rise from the girl.
Nabiki took a short time to muse this over, before replying, "You're serious about this?" She sighed in exasperation at the pigtailed boy's avid nod, "Look, if anyone comes asking, I'm giving you up without a fight, understand? And you can expect to be paying through your nose for this, too." Nabiki said, while taking off her shirt.
Ranma paused, and asked curiously, "Um, what are you doing?"
"Homework," Nabiki replied, removing her undershirt while staring at the papers on her desk.
"Actually, I was, um, wondering why you were stripping?"
Nabiki threw Ranma a cold glare, as she lifted her hips out of the seat to remove her pants, "Ranma, are you about to tell me my little sis was right about you being a pervert?"
"Huh? But your the one taking her clothes off with me in the room!" Ranma replied, indignantly.
"Gee, if you're fantasizing about me, maybe we aughtta move the engagement back to me?" Nabiki stated with a smirk, while putting her legs on top of her desk and rubbing her inner thigh and licking her lips.
"Stop that!" Ranma whispered harshly, while trying to ignore the girl's gestures.
"Saotome, unlike some people around here who don't care, I *need* to finish my homework," Nabiki replied dryly, while moving her hand slowly higher up her thigh.
"Not that! I mean since when was rubbing yourself and licking your lips like that part of any homework assignment?" Ranma became puzzled at the nervous look Nabiki was giving him.
"Um, Ranma, you're starting to scare me..." She stated with a shakey voice, while her hands moved to her back to unclasp her bra.
Ranma's eyes grew wide, and he turned around before he saw any more, "Scare you? Why the hell are you taking your cloths off and making perverted gestures?"
"Ranma... please leave," the young man in question couldn't mistake the trace of fear that was in the other girl's voice, as she made her request.
"I can't leave! They're after me!"
"I'm... not comfortable with you in here," Nabiki's voice trembled, "Please, just... go."
"I *CAN'T* go! They'll *ALL* find me!"
"Nabiki? Is that Ranma in there?" Kasumi's voice enquired from the other side of the door, "I've been looking for him!" Before the door could open, Ranma shot out through Nabiki's window, and into the night.
__________________________________
Nabiki was one of them. She was crazy like the rest of them! All the women were insane! He had to get away from them. Unfortunately, his flight was interrupted by a Drunken Panda and Tendou Patrairch, both out in the front yard.
"Ranma, son," Mr. Tendou greeted, as he put his prospective son-in-law in a vice-like hug, "I'm so happy that you're going to be part of my family!"
"LEMME GO!" Ranma screamed, struggling in the arms of the man who was three sheets to the wind, "The crazy girls are after me!"
"Oh, they're quite crazy!" Soun agreed, "Isn't that right, Saotome?"
"Gworf!"
"Why, I remember when my dear wife went insane. She started eating vulgar things, and yell at me for no apparent reason. She started getting fat, and hit me, she was always hitting me!" The Tendou Patriarch burst into tears, "Oh, I have such three lovely daughters!!!!"
Ranma struggled in the man's grasp, as he changed to a she from his tears, "THEY'RE GONNA BE HERE! LEMME GO!"
"Now Son, there's no reason to be afraid..."
"I AIN'T AFRAID OF NUTT'N!" Ranma screamed, "It's just Ukyo has a bomb strapped to her, Shampoo is chasing me with a chainsaw, and Akane keeps asking me if she's pretty."
"Oh, that does sound serious," Soun replied, the panda nodded in agreement, "Saotome, do you suppose that all the women are going insane?"
"[Seems likely, you know how womenfolk are,]" read the sign.
"That ain't all! Kasumi was throwing knives at me, while Nabiki was stipping in front of me and accusing me of being a pervert!"
"MY DAUGHTERS HAVE GONE MAD!!!" Soun wailed. The panda had a disturbing throught brought about by his drunken stupor.
"[Nodoka, what about....?]"
"What about Nodoka?" an older femenine voice enquired from behind them all.
"YAAAAA!!!! WOMAN!!!!!" Ranma-chan screamed, breaking Soun's hold on her and ran away as fast as possible. Both Soun and Genma stared in utter fear of the woman, as she watched her child disappear into the distance.
"Oh dear, is something wrong with Ranma?" Nodoka asked, with a puzzled tone, "He's acting rather unmanly."
"Ah, auntie Saotome, was that Ranma just leaving? I needed him for something," Kasumi asked, as she walked out to the front porch.
"Has he been acting peculiar to you?" Nodoka returned with a question. Kasumi smiled.
'A Very... VERY Thin Line Between..."
Ranma entered quickly through the back door, as silently as possible. His senses were immensely sharp as was usual for animals in flight for their lives. Though nothing escaped his notice, everything; every sight, every sound, blended together in an almost confusing surrealism. To Ranma, it was all distinguishable, and oddly soothing in his panic. He idly noted that this was the same as right before slipping into the Cat Fist.
The pigtailed boy's heart felt odd, as if it were an empty hollow that fluttered like a nest of moths, when he glanced towards the kitchen. He couldn't see into it, but could make out Kasumi busying herself. Ranma made his way silently to the stairs, like a hunted rabbit trying to evade the wolf in its own den, and crept upstairs.
As light as he could be, the pigtailed boy placed his feet, slowly one at a time, upon each acending step, deadly careful with care not to allow a sound to escape. Unfortunatly, a stairboard denied Ranma this, and groaned slightly from its ill support.
The noise froze Ranma in his spot, and without turning back, he tuned into the kitchen. The bustle that came from it ceased, and he could imagine Kasumi looking up, curious to what the sound was. Eventually, the activity in the kitchen resumed, allowing Ranma to take a silent breath in relief.
He made his way to his room, before he heard it; the ticking noise. His fingers lost all tactile sensation as he pulled his hand away from the sliding door to the guest room. Ukyo was in there, she just was and he knew it and he couldn't go in he just couldn't he...
Ranma slapped himself to gain some sense again. It was probably just the alarm clock. Wait, did he have an alarm clock? He wasn't so sure, nothing seemed so sure. No, he was sure he had an alarm clock. Had it ever sounded so rhythmic, like the counting down of eternity? Did it always keep the steady tempo that was in pace with the bony hand of death reaching to grasp his shoulder?
The pigtailed boy backed away from the room; maybe he should hide in another room where he would be least found. He staggered backwards, and opened the door to the next available room behind him.
Ranma took extreme care to shut the door after entering, and froze. The room looked like Akane's, he wasn't in Akane's room though, he couldn't have been...
"Saotome, is there something I can do for you?"
Ranma 'eeped', and turned around to see a passive looking Nabiki, sitting at her desk and staring at the pigtailed martial artist. Ranma recalled that Nabiki, she was normal, she wouldn't go crazy on him like the other girls did. She was safe, and that safety allowed him to gain his steady mind again.
"Uh, you're not gonna, you know, go crazy on me, are ya?" Ranma asked with a shakey voice; it was better to be sure than sorry."
"I wasn't expecting that question, I have to admit," Nabiki replied in a sardonic voice. She blinked as Ranma visibly relaxed, "Uh, Ranma, something wrong?"
Ranma felt a great deal of relief at hearing the middle Tendou daughter's sarcastic reply, and slumped to the floor, "Safe."
Nabiki raised an eyebrow at the young man, "Ranma, you've been acting weird since I got home, earlier."
Ranma turned with wide eyes towards Nabiki, who scooted back from the sight of slight madness permiating them, "They're after me, Nabiki!"
"Well, that top secret Ops team you had after your tail is what I presume you're referring to. So that beggers the question, why did you come into *my* room to evade them? I don't want your trouble, Saotome.
"Not just them," Ranma whispered, Akane and Ukyo and Shampoo and Kasumi, they're all after me too!"
"I think you cracked under one too many new techniques," Nabiki replied, waving the pigtailed boy off dismissively.
"No, they're after me I tell ya! I'll pay anything! Just let me hide here!" Ranma pleaded, getting a rise from the girl.
Nabiki took a short time to muse this over, before replying, "You're serious about this?" She sighed in exasperation at the pigtailed boy's avid nod, "Look, if anyone comes asking, I'm giving you up without a fight, understand? And you can expect to be paying through your nose for this, too." Nabiki said, while taking off her shirt.
Ranma paused, and asked curiously, "Um, what are you doing?"
"Homework," Nabiki replied, removing her undershirt while staring at the papers on her desk.
"Actually, I was, um, wondering why you were stripping?"
Nabiki threw Ranma a cold glare, as she lifted her hips out of the seat to remove her pants, "Ranma, are you about to tell me my little sis was right about you being a pervert?"
"Huh? But your the one taking her clothes off with me in the room!" Ranma replied, indignantly.
"Gee, if you're fantasizing about me, maybe we aughtta move the engagement back to me?" Nabiki stated with a smirk, while putting her legs on top of her desk and rubbing her inner thigh and licking her lips.
"Stop that!" Ranma whispered harshly, while trying to ignore the girl's gestures.
"Saotome, unlike some people around here who don't care, I *need* to finish my homework," Nabiki replied dryly, while moving her hand slowly higher up her thigh.
"Not that! I mean since when was rubbing yourself and licking your lips like that part of any homework assignment?" Ranma became puzzled at the nervous look Nabiki was giving him.
"Um, Ranma, you're starting to scare me..." She stated with a shakey voice, while her hands moved to her back to unclasp her bra.
Ranma's eyes grew wide, and he turned around before he saw any more, "Scare you? Why the hell are you taking your cloths off and making perverted gestures?"
"Ranma... please leave," the young man in question couldn't mistake the trace of fear that was in the other girl's voice, as she made her request.
"I can't leave! They're after me!"
"I'm... not comfortable with you in here," Nabiki's voice trembled, "Please, just... go."
"I *CAN'T* go! They'll *ALL* find me!"
"Nabiki? Is that Ranma in there?" Kasumi's voice enquired from the other side of the door, "I've been looking for him!" Before the door could open, Ranma shot out through Nabiki's window, and into the night.
__________________________________
Nabiki was one of them. She was crazy like the rest of them! All the women were insane! He had to get away from them. Unfortunately, his flight was interrupted by a Drunken Panda and Tendou Patrairch, both out in the front yard.
"Ranma, son," Mr. Tendou greeted, as he put his prospective son-in-law in a vice-like hug, "I'm so happy that you're going to be part of my family!"
"LEMME GO!" Ranma screamed, struggling in the arms of the man who was three sheets to the wind, "The crazy girls are after me!"
"Oh, they're quite crazy!" Soun agreed, "Isn't that right, Saotome?"
"Gworf!"
"Why, I remember when my dear wife went insane. She started eating vulgar things, and yell at me for no apparent reason. She started getting fat, and hit me, she was always hitting me!" The Tendou Patriarch burst into tears, "Oh, I have such three lovely daughters!!!!"
Ranma struggled in the man's grasp, as he changed to a she from his tears, "THEY'RE GONNA BE HERE! LEMME GO!"
"Now Son, there's no reason to be afraid..."
"I AIN'T AFRAID OF NUTT'N!" Ranma screamed, "It's just Ukyo has a bomb strapped to her, Shampoo is chasing me with a chainsaw, and Akane keeps asking me if she's pretty."
"Oh, that does sound serious," Soun replied, the panda nodded in agreement, "Saotome, do you suppose that all the women are going insane?"
"[Seems likely, you know how womenfolk are,]" read the sign.
"That ain't all! Kasumi was throwing knives at me, while Nabiki was stipping in front of me and accusing me of being a pervert!"
"MY DAUGHTERS HAVE GONE MAD!!!" Soun wailed. The panda had a disturbing throught brought about by his drunken stupor.
"[Nodoka, what about....?]"
"What about Nodoka?" an older femenine voice enquired from behind them all.
"YAAAAA!!!! WOMAN!!!!!" Ranma-chan screamed, breaking Soun's hold on her and ran away as fast as possible. Both Soun and Genma stared in utter fear of the woman, as she watched her child disappear into the distance.
"Oh dear, is something wrong with Ranma?" Nodoka asked, with a puzzled tone, "He's acting rather unmanly."
"Ah, auntie Saotome, was that Ranma just leaving? I needed him for something," Kasumi asked, as she walked out to the front porch.
"Has he been acting peculiar to you?" Nodoka returned with a question. Kasumi smiled.