Well, sent this off to my prereader (for once...) and never got a
response back. Maybe it got lost somewhere in cyber space?
Joy-to-the-world~! Do-do-do-do~!
Okay, I'm overly cheerful for two reasons. I can buy the PS2 I've been
listening to my brother whine about for months on end now, AND I can
buy my domain name! Horray! I'm going to get a domain name! *dances*
I've been trying to convince my parents to let me buy one for four and
a half years, they finally gave in around March, but I didn't have
enough money then, but I do now.
That's the problem with not having a job, you live off your bonds, and
the money your parents give you...
True Identity
Chapter Ten : Punishment
Li Xiang
When the rest of the residents of the House returned, the over
powering stench of blood assaulted their noses.
Xue Shi's band-- minus Oz-- and Rache looked ill, but they didn't
panic. They'd learned months ago that just because every other scent
was drowned out by blood didn't nessicarily mean someone had died. It
just meant Ranma and Jei had been playing, again.
"I thought Irish understood that we don't thrive off this, like he
does," Rache muttered, and her brother laughed.
"Schweister, if Farfello understands anything, its that killing hurts
God, and Kitty's a masochist."
"I'm not a masochist," chided a familiar female voice, "I'm a
sadomasochist!"
"You're messed in the head, you mean," came Omi's dry voice. There was
a collective blink as the seventeen year old sauntered into the House.
"Did you go on a shopping spree?" Ken wondered, eyeing Omi's new
outfit. A white silk duster emblazoned with a blood red cross on the
back didn't really seem like the younger teen's style. Then again,
neither did the black jeans or black vest over a blue t-shirt.
Ranma-onna gave a sniff of the air and smirked. Her nose may not be as
good as Oz's but she could still catch a scent, "Someone's been
messing around with Tendou."
To the group's surprise, Omi failed to blush brightly. Sure, there was
a bit of a pink stain over his cheeks, but the boy grinned and waved
it off. Then he stuck his hands in his pockets and headed to his room.
Ranma scratched the back of her head, "Hey Schuldich? Were you messing
around in his head?"
The flame-haired German shook his head, staring after Omi silently for
a moment. Surprisingly, Ken felt something he'd rather not have, and
decided Schuldich was twisting his thoughts again. Especially when he
heard a mental crow, /Awww, you _do_ care!/
Shaking off Omi's strange behavior, Rache turned to Ranma-onna, "Did
you learn about Bastet, then?"
"You _knew_ about this?!"
"No," Aya cut in, as the group began to disperse to go about their
normal business, "We told her after the 'fight'."
Ranma shot him a pout, and crossed her arms, "You could have told me
you were planning this."
"Not as much fun," Yohji snickered as he strode away. Rache grinned a
bit then bounded after him.
Ranma had a very sadistic smile in place when she turned back to look
at Aya. The male redhead froze, blinking owlishly at her for a moment.
He would have turned tail and run, had it not been totally out of
character for him.
He started to edge away, however, wondering just what was going
through his not-so-sane sorta-best friend's mind. That smile was _not_
healthy. For him.
When Ranma stepped forwards, she said "screw it!" to his pride, and
bolted. He didn't get far-- Ranma _was_ faster than he was, after all.
---
Rei shuddered to herself as her mind conjured up fairly accurate
images of what Charon had explained Bastet had been like.
A sadistical girl, coming at the beck and call of the psychopathic
Ptah, who reveled in the taste of blood. She enjoyed ripping men and
women apart to appease her master.
To the priestess, it was sickening, but oh-so-terribly possible.
Apollo's aura hadn't been a martial artist's, like she had proclaimed
she was, nor the magically enhanced of the Sailor Senshi, or even the
strangly 'dead' aura Charon gave off. Xue Shi's aura spoke of blood.
The life essences of others was in her, a brush of insanity, and
repentless killing, and on top of it all... Chaos. Rei shivered, truly
shivered with a deep seeded fear, at that knowledge. That Chaos, a
mighty and powerful foe, had gotten her claws into another Senshi,
like she had Galaxia.
It was terrifying-- and what was more, Apollo, or rather Bastet, knew
who they were. The Senshi of Mars could only hope that, like Tuxedo
Kamen, any knowledge of who they really were, would be erased, in
order to convert the Sun Senshi to evil.
She rolled over in her bed, clutching at the only stuffed animal in
her room, and tried to sleep. It would be a fruitless effort.
---
Crawford rubbed his forehead irritably. While he was used to the
visions coming out of nowhere, blatantly being sent the equivalent of
a mental email from whoever sent him vision was _not_ a normal thing.
Nor was it a _painless_ thing, he noted, as he entered the House's
kitchen in search of aspirin.
Once he'd found some and drowned them in water, he reflected on the
message. It wasn't a "message", per say, but more like the knowledge
had been implanted into his mind.
"Do this", "Do that"-- it disgusted him that whoever was up there
pulling the strings was trying to direct him. He'd had enough of that
while working for Estet. He'd been ignoring the images being sent of
mass-destruction if he continued with this mission.
He'd seen Ranma in action, though. Anything those Senshi could do, the
marital artist could duplicate. Ken, Schuldich, Nagi and himself had
their own "special powers"-- they could take care of themselves and
the world if need be.
One of Ranma's favorite lines ran through his head, "Life sucks, the
world sucks, but where would all the fun be if we're all dead?"
Usually the sociopathic-cat was referring to that if everyone on the
planet died, there was no one left to "play" with-- and Ranma's
definition of "play" generally involved a fight.
So Crawford was all for ignoring the "message"-- until he realized
something with a start. There had been a warning added to this one.
Images of what had happened to the last allies who had tired to go
against Princess Serenity.
The American began to smirk as a plan began to form in his mind. This
would be most... interesting.
---
Aya scowled into the bathroom mirror, dabbing a cloth at the cut that
crossed his forehead. Stupid, no good...
He was covered in scratches and bruises, much like "Bastet" had been.
The difference between them had been that the "cat-goddess'" wounds
had begun to heal shortly after he and the rest of the House's
occupants had returned home.
Ranma's punishment for not telling her about her then-to-be imminent
transition from Apollo to Bastet had been... painful, to say the
least. Jei had been cut up just as much, but the pale-haired assassin
had enjoyed it. Aya had not.
Being tied up and left so Farfello could trace his veins with a knife
had not been fun. At least Kitty had stayed there so the man couldn't
kill him. The gender-bender hadn't allowed Farfello to cut up his face
though-- she knew Aya had to work the next day.
Of course, that hadn't prevented Jei from "slipping" and slicing the
redhead across the forehead. Ranma had stopped the "punishment" at
that point. Aya never wanted to see Farfello's creepy pout again.
Ever.
At least he'd stopped bleeding, and that his bands covered the wound.
He had enough scars over the rest of his body, he didn't need one on
his face. They were generally considered a bad omen among Japanese and
if was proved with Yohji.
The scar that ran almost through his eye had been impossible to hide.
The majority of his "worshipers" had taken off, or changed "idols"
when they'd seen it.
So far, aside from Rache, there was maybe four women who still
followed him around.
As much as Aya despised the "fangirls" who came to the Koneko no Sumi
Ie, some of them often _bought_ things. Which meant business. They
couldn't loose more customers over some stupid injury.
Besides, if he ended up with a facial scar, people might start to
wonder. One florist with a facial scar could be passed up as some
accident. Two was pretty damn close to impossible-- if they were
_just_ florists.
He grumbled again, wringing water and blood out of the cloth. Giving
that up as a lost cause, he grabbed another cloth, and began cleaning
up the _rest_ of his injuries.
Oh yes, he was going to _kill_ his psychopathic friends. Kill them
dead.
---
Rache crossed her arms and sighed with a pout. Yohji _glared_ at her,
"No."
"But Yohji~" she whined, putting an extra sparkle of tears into her
eyes for effect. Inside, she was already congratulating herself on a
job "well done".
"I said 'No', and I _mean_ 'No'," he was starting to sweat as she
pulled out the dreaded puppy-dog eyes. Must resist... puppy-dog...
eyes...
Rache's pout increased. Really, she thought, it would be funny. Why
was he resisting? "Well, why not?"
He crossed his arms, "I don't want to die."
"Oh, c'mon, Yohji. Ranma won't kill you!"
"Can you say the same about Farfello?"
Rache paused and sighed, "I guess not. Farf can be... impulsive."
"Try psychopathic," the long-haired man grumbled.
"Add bloodthirsty, sadistic, and over possessive," Aya's voice floated
to them. The pair turned as one, to see a shirtless Fujimiya walk past
on his way to his room. It still unnerved _both_ of them the number of
scars that littered his body.
It was worse now, as he had bandages stained red with blood binding
his torso and upper arms. Aya didn't seem all that concerned with
them, though.
"Jesus, Aya!" Yohji barked, "What happened to you?!"
"Ranma."
Rache winced, "Should have known he'd retaliate for being dragged into
something without his own decision."
Aya shrugged, then continued onwards. Yohji and Rache watched for a
minute, before the assassin turned to his companion, "Anything else?"
"Are you _sure_ you don't want to--?"
"I'm not eager to get killed by pretending to be infatuated with
'Bastet'. Thank-you-very-much."
---
End Chapter
No, that last scene has no real relevence to the story... I just
thought it was funny. ^-^V
response back. Maybe it got lost somewhere in cyber space?
Joy-to-the-world~! Do-do-do-do~!
Okay, I'm overly cheerful for two reasons. I can buy the PS2 I've been
listening to my brother whine about for months on end now, AND I can
buy my domain name! Horray! I'm going to get a domain name! *dances*
I've been trying to convince my parents to let me buy one for four and
a half years, they finally gave in around March, but I didn't have
enough money then, but I do now.
That's the problem with not having a job, you live off your bonds, and
the money your parents give you...
True Identity
Chapter Ten : Punishment
Li Xiang
When the rest of the residents of the House returned, the over
powering stench of blood assaulted their noses.
Xue Shi's band-- minus Oz-- and Rache looked ill, but they didn't
panic. They'd learned months ago that just because every other scent
was drowned out by blood didn't nessicarily mean someone had died. It
just meant Ranma and Jei had been playing, again.
"I thought Irish understood that we don't thrive off this, like he
does," Rache muttered, and her brother laughed.
"Schweister, if Farfello understands anything, its that killing hurts
God, and Kitty's a masochist."
"I'm not a masochist," chided a familiar female voice, "I'm a
sadomasochist!"
"You're messed in the head, you mean," came Omi's dry voice. There was
a collective blink as the seventeen year old sauntered into the House.
"Did you go on a shopping spree?" Ken wondered, eyeing Omi's new
outfit. A white silk duster emblazoned with a blood red cross on the
back didn't really seem like the younger teen's style. Then again,
neither did the black jeans or black vest over a blue t-shirt.
Ranma-onna gave a sniff of the air and smirked. Her nose may not be as
good as Oz's but she could still catch a scent, "Someone's been
messing around with Tendou."
To the group's surprise, Omi failed to blush brightly. Sure, there was
a bit of a pink stain over his cheeks, but the boy grinned and waved
it off. Then he stuck his hands in his pockets and headed to his room.
Ranma scratched the back of her head, "Hey Schuldich? Were you messing
around in his head?"
The flame-haired German shook his head, staring after Omi silently for
a moment. Surprisingly, Ken felt something he'd rather not have, and
decided Schuldich was twisting his thoughts again. Especially when he
heard a mental crow, /Awww, you _do_ care!/
Shaking off Omi's strange behavior, Rache turned to Ranma-onna, "Did
you learn about Bastet, then?"
"You _knew_ about this?!"
"No," Aya cut in, as the group began to disperse to go about their
normal business, "We told her after the 'fight'."
Ranma shot him a pout, and crossed her arms, "You could have told me
you were planning this."
"Not as much fun," Yohji snickered as he strode away. Rache grinned a
bit then bounded after him.
Ranma had a very sadistic smile in place when she turned back to look
at Aya. The male redhead froze, blinking owlishly at her for a moment.
He would have turned tail and run, had it not been totally out of
character for him.
He started to edge away, however, wondering just what was going
through his not-so-sane sorta-best friend's mind. That smile was _not_
healthy. For him.
When Ranma stepped forwards, she said "screw it!" to his pride, and
bolted. He didn't get far-- Ranma _was_ faster than he was, after all.
---
Rei shuddered to herself as her mind conjured up fairly accurate
images of what Charon had explained Bastet had been like.
A sadistical girl, coming at the beck and call of the psychopathic
Ptah, who reveled in the taste of blood. She enjoyed ripping men and
women apart to appease her master.
To the priestess, it was sickening, but oh-so-terribly possible.
Apollo's aura hadn't been a martial artist's, like she had proclaimed
she was, nor the magically enhanced of the Sailor Senshi, or even the
strangly 'dead' aura Charon gave off. Xue Shi's aura spoke of blood.
The life essences of others was in her, a brush of insanity, and
repentless killing, and on top of it all... Chaos. Rei shivered, truly
shivered with a deep seeded fear, at that knowledge. That Chaos, a
mighty and powerful foe, had gotten her claws into another Senshi,
like she had Galaxia.
It was terrifying-- and what was more, Apollo, or rather Bastet, knew
who they were. The Senshi of Mars could only hope that, like Tuxedo
Kamen, any knowledge of who they really were, would be erased, in
order to convert the Sun Senshi to evil.
She rolled over in her bed, clutching at the only stuffed animal in
her room, and tried to sleep. It would be a fruitless effort.
---
Crawford rubbed his forehead irritably. While he was used to the
visions coming out of nowhere, blatantly being sent the equivalent of
a mental email from whoever sent him vision was _not_ a normal thing.
Nor was it a _painless_ thing, he noted, as he entered the House's
kitchen in search of aspirin.
Once he'd found some and drowned them in water, he reflected on the
message. It wasn't a "message", per say, but more like the knowledge
had been implanted into his mind.
"Do this", "Do that"-- it disgusted him that whoever was up there
pulling the strings was trying to direct him. He'd had enough of that
while working for Estet. He'd been ignoring the images being sent of
mass-destruction if he continued with this mission.
He'd seen Ranma in action, though. Anything those Senshi could do, the
marital artist could duplicate. Ken, Schuldich, Nagi and himself had
their own "special powers"-- they could take care of themselves and
the world if need be.
One of Ranma's favorite lines ran through his head, "Life sucks, the
world sucks, but where would all the fun be if we're all dead?"
Usually the sociopathic-cat was referring to that if everyone on the
planet died, there was no one left to "play" with-- and Ranma's
definition of "play" generally involved a fight.
So Crawford was all for ignoring the "message"-- until he realized
something with a start. There had been a warning added to this one.
Images of what had happened to the last allies who had tired to go
against Princess Serenity.
The American began to smirk as a plan began to form in his mind. This
would be most... interesting.
---
Aya scowled into the bathroom mirror, dabbing a cloth at the cut that
crossed his forehead. Stupid, no good...
He was covered in scratches and bruises, much like "Bastet" had been.
The difference between them had been that the "cat-goddess'" wounds
had begun to heal shortly after he and the rest of the House's
occupants had returned home.
Ranma's punishment for not telling her about her then-to-be imminent
transition from Apollo to Bastet had been... painful, to say the
least. Jei had been cut up just as much, but the pale-haired assassin
had enjoyed it. Aya had not.
Being tied up and left so Farfello could trace his veins with a knife
had not been fun. At least Kitty had stayed there so the man couldn't
kill him. The gender-bender hadn't allowed Farfello to cut up his face
though-- she knew Aya had to work the next day.
Of course, that hadn't prevented Jei from "slipping" and slicing the
redhead across the forehead. Ranma had stopped the "punishment" at
that point. Aya never wanted to see Farfello's creepy pout again.
Ever.
At least he'd stopped bleeding, and that his bands covered the wound.
He had enough scars over the rest of his body, he didn't need one on
his face. They were generally considered a bad omen among Japanese and
if was proved with Yohji.
The scar that ran almost through his eye had been impossible to hide.
The majority of his "worshipers" had taken off, or changed "idols"
when they'd seen it.
So far, aside from Rache, there was maybe four women who still
followed him around.
As much as Aya despised the "fangirls" who came to the Koneko no Sumi
Ie, some of them often _bought_ things. Which meant business. They
couldn't loose more customers over some stupid injury.
Besides, if he ended up with a facial scar, people might start to
wonder. One florist with a facial scar could be passed up as some
accident. Two was pretty damn close to impossible-- if they were
_just_ florists.
He grumbled again, wringing water and blood out of the cloth. Giving
that up as a lost cause, he grabbed another cloth, and began cleaning
up the _rest_ of his injuries.
Oh yes, he was going to _kill_ his psychopathic friends. Kill them
dead.
---
Rache crossed her arms and sighed with a pout. Yohji _glared_ at her,
"No."
"But Yohji~" she whined, putting an extra sparkle of tears into her
eyes for effect. Inside, she was already congratulating herself on a
job "well done".
"I said 'No', and I _mean_ 'No'," he was starting to sweat as she
pulled out the dreaded puppy-dog eyes. Must resist... puppy-dog...
eyes...
Rache's pout increased. Really, she thought, it would be funny. Why
was he resisting? "Well, why not?"
He crossed his arms, "I don't want to die."
"Oh, c'mon, Yohji. Ranma won't kill you!"
"Can you say the same about Farfello?"
Rache paused and sighed, "I guess not. Farf can be... impulsive."
"Try psychopathic," the long-haired man grumbled.
"Add bloodthirsty, sadistic, and over possessive," Aya's voice floated
to them. The pair turned as one, to see a shirtless Fujimiya walk past
on his way to his room. It still unnerved _both_ of them the number of
scars that littered his body.
It was worse now, as he had bandages stained red with blood binding
his torso and upper arms. Aya didn't seem all that concerned with
them, though.
"Jesus, Aya!" Yohji barked, "What happened to you?!"
"Ranma."
Rache winced, "Should have known he'd retaliate for being dragged into
something without his own decision."
Aya shrugged, then continued onwards. Yohji and Rache watched for a
minute, before the assassin turned to his companion, "Anything else?"
"Are you _sure_ you don't want to--?"
"I'm not eager to get killed by pretending to be infatuated with
'Bastet'. Thank-you-very-much."
---
End Chapter
No, that last scene has no real relevence to the story... I just
thought it was funny. ^-^V