Disclaimer: In no way, shape, or form do I, Chibikat, own the characters used. Except for the ones that came from my mind. . . those I own. I'm positive that nobody ELSE wants to own them, so I guess I'm a happy little camper. I'd be much happier if I owned Kuno and Ryoga though. Mmm. ^^ Bwee, I'm a sick sick little girl.



Author's Notes: Well, that last chapter was short, I know, and I left y'all on a cliffhanger. Not that a whole bunch of people are reading my story, but for the few that are, I'm sorry 'bout that. ^_^ This chapter will have much more action; but just may leave you more confused than poor Kuno. If that's possible. Gomen nasai!



As usual:

'...' indicates thought

"..." indicates speech

*=*=* indicates next part of story

//~*~// indicates the beginning/end of a dream sequence



Rating: Sticking with R so far. Whee, rhyming is fun. ^_^



Now, Chibikat Productions proudly presents the third installment of. . .





Pandora





*=*=*



Call him paranoid, but Kuno had the distinct feeling that he was being watched as he made his way down the small street towards his mansion. Looking behind his shoulder, his eyes scanned the immediate vicinity for anything suspicious-looking. There was hardly anybody on the street; an old washer-woman who was sprinkling liquid on her front lawn and a couple little kids playing hopscotch, but nothing else that he could see. Reluctantly he turned around and began walking down the sidewalk again, trying to shake the strange feeling that made his arm hairs stand on end. Slowly but surely, his thoughts began to wander from paranoia to the strange events of the day.

'Why have I begun to have these dreams? Why are they effecting my body?' Tatewaki asked himself, his hands folded behind his back, his hakima billowing in the breeze. He kicked a small pebble down the street as he walked, his head swarming with questions that, as of yet, had no answers and were confusing him a great deal. He tried to make connections to his bodily behaviour and his dreams, however nothing very logical came to mind. Kuno figured it may be a one-time thing, that it was just some freak accident that had happened to him. Maybe it wasn't. The kendoist sighed in resignation, realizing that it would take a greater deal of thinking on his part to unravel the mystery surrounding him; perhaps, somehow Ranma Saotome was to blame. If that were the case, it would make things so much easier; all he would have to do is surprise that wretched boy and beat him silly with his bo-

There was a rustling in the trees surrounding him. Kuno whirled around, drawing out his wooden sword, scrutinizing the foliage, attempting to see if anybody was hidden and watching him. He squinted his eyes against the glaring sun; that certainly wasn't helping his cause at all. From what the boy could see however, there seemed to be nothing.

'Perhaps I am just imagining things. Effects of the fever' Kuno concluded, cautiously reverting back from his kendo stance to a more relaxed form. He sighed, his heart beating a mile a minute and adrenaline coursing through his veins. The death grip on his bokken slacked, and he turned to walk to his mansion.

There was another stirring in the trees, and in a blink of an eye Kuno found himself thrown back into a brick wall, cracking it with the tremendous force of his body. He slumped to the ground, his bokken clattering noisily on the pavement. He blinked his eyes, trying to force away the bleariness that overcame him, reaching blindly for his wooden blade and managing to grab it before he was again smashed into the wall, clearing through it easily and onto the other side. Kuno rolled painfully off of the broken bits of cement and bricks, shaking his head clear and twisting his head in every direction to see his assailant. The roads were empty as far as the eye could see; which made Kuno even more nervous. The iron grip he held on his weapon made it splinter slightly, his body ready to move at the smallest sight or sound. His muscles tensed, ready to attack.

Scraping of feet - behind him! The Blue Thunder whirled around, bringing his kendo sword down onto the place he heard the sound. Kuno saw that, indeed, there was a person behind him, and they had just dodged his sword strike. The boy's reflexes seemed to act on their own, his bokken moving at lightning speed, living up to his nickname. The blur that was the person attacking him managed to dodge every one of his strikes and somersault behind him, kicking him squarely in the back. He hit the ground hard, hearing an audible crack in his rib cage - which meant another trip to the hospital; which made Kuno extremely angry. Anger and pain was not a good mix if you were opposing one Tatewaki Kuno.

The boy emitted a rather bestial cry of infuriation, forcing his body up and jabbing his sword at the abdomen of his attacker. The person managed to jump and do the splits in mid-air, allowing the bokken to pass through the air harmlessly. Kuno was now allowed a good look at his opposition.

Well, the oppositions breasts, at least. In the position she was in, Kuno's eye level was exactly parallel to the woman's cleavage, which was barely contained in a green tank-top that hung loosely, exposing a fair amount of her chest and abdomen. Her denim skirt was hiked up, displaying the bottoms of her white cotton panties. Her ink black boots reached above her knees and had massive platform heels, explaining why being kicked was so painful. Her brown hair flowed out around her, two blonde streaks sticking out amongst the sea of mahogany. A green headband running across her forehead kept it all in place.

Kuno barely had time to react when she swung off the branch of a cherry blossom tree and locked her legs around Kuno's neck, burying his face into her most private area. Tatewaki couldn't breathe; not just because of the woman's crushing lock on his neck, but for the fact he was so embarrassed and quite taken by surprise. Kuno could feel some of the weight shift from her legs to her upper body, but was a bit too. . . erm, *preoccupied* to do anything about it.

The woman allowed her upper body to fall in a controlled manner so her hair was scraping the pavement. Making sure she kept her legs around her opponent's head securely, she positioned her hands on the ground, and shifted her weight to her arms, allowing for a good and steady anchor.

She jerked Kuno's head and body with her legs as if it were a test, and milliseconds later his body was mercilessly smashed into the ground with her powerful legs. The woman remained in an arch, her head bent backwards and looking at the brown haired boy, who bounced a couple times on the pavement before coming to a complete halt. The girl back walkover to get out of her arch and, standing upright, walked slowly to what seemed to be an unconscious teenager lying in the middle of the road surrounded by debris.

It certainly would not do to have some idiotic passer by see the scene and call the police. That could ruin everything, the girl concluded. She half dragged, half carried the boy's carcass into a nearby clearing which was shrouded from view by some well placed shrubbery and new building developments. The woman unceremoniously dropped the boy so he was laying on his back, looking up with closed eyes. The brown haired girl flopped beside the unconscious boy, examining the way his chest fell up and down as he breathed, his well toned muscles, and his defined face. By all terms, he was quite handsome.

'Too young for my tastes' the girl concluded. Wiping a stray piece of blonde hair out of her green eyes, she decided to review the short fight she and the boy had had but minutes ago.

'He's fast, but not quite fast enough. The boy has a massive amount of strength; but he doesn't quite know how to direct it. His reactions are impeccable and he can really do damage with only a wooden sword, which by all means is amazing for a seventeen year old. He also doesn't seem to be aware of his developing skills; but I suppose that's where I come in' she thought, debating whether she should use the smelling salts she brought just in case or let him come to on his own. Explaining something to an unconscious boy was not only useless, but completely stupid.

The girl heard a groan behind her, and turning around she saw Kuno start to get up. He was rubbing his head and looked just a tad bit confused. Turning his head, his grey eyes met the woman's deep green ones. Kuno couldn't help but allow his own gaze travel down her face and her neck to rest at her bosom, which wasn't covered to its fullest degree. The girl noticed this, and couldn't help but laugh.

"You're a teenager through and through, Tatewaki," she said, her voice not quite deep but smooth nonetheless. Blinking and tearing his attention away from her chest, Kuno looked back up at the woman's face, surprise evident on his own features.

"How do you know my name?" he asked, a hint of panic in his voice. The girl had beaten him in combat but a few minutes ago; and now she knew who he was? His muscles tensed, and his hand found his kendo sword lying in the grassy field just a few feet in front of him; he clutched it tightly, pointing the end of it at the girl's face. Instead of feeling threatened like Kuno had wanted, her eyes simply softened and she smiled lopsidedly.

"Relax, I'm here to help you," she told him in a tone befitting a small child. With one hand she lowered his bokken while placing the other on his shoulder reassuringly. Kuno shrugged it off, not believing a word of what she was saying.

"Help me? You surprise attack me, knock me unconscious, drag me to this field and tell me you're going to help me? Vile wench. I am sure you also cracked one of my ribs," he spat, gingerly touching his right rib and recoiling at the sharp, stinging sensation. The kendoist bit his lip, half in frustration, half to keep from yelping in pain. The girl lolled her head from left to right, fixing a titled gaze on Kuno's face.

"Now now little Tacchi, aren't we the testy one?" she asked in amusement. Kuno gave the woman a deep scowl; a very scary looking scowl indeed. He rose to his feet, his bokken not drawn still at the ready. Traces of surprise lingered in the death glare he was diverting to the brown haired lady before him.

"Only my father ever called me that," he flatly said, "how do you know these things, woman?" The girl rose as well, her stare never leaving Kuno's eyes. Although her platform boots gave her considerable height, she still only came up to Tatewaki's chin in height, and even then just barely.

"I know many things about you, Tatewaki Kuno," she whispered, her words carrying on the wind and brushing past Kuno's ears, "many, many things."

Unsettled was an understatement in Tatewaki's case. Here standing before him was a woman who could and would beat him mercilessly, and seemed to be exhibiting all signs of a crazy stalker. His legs wanted him to run far, far away; however his mind told him that she would find him without a doubt. Kuno mustered up as much courage as he could, and stood in defiance, narrowing his eyes at the girl in front of him.

"You seem to know who I am, and yet I am clueless as to whom you are," Tatewaki stated, making sure his eyes never left her lithe form. Closing her eyes and smiling, the woman brushed one streak of blonde hair from her face.

"Of course. My name is Noryoku Damasu," she said while opening her eyes and turning her head to the sun, "and whether you believe me or not, I am here to help you." She watched Tatewaki out of the corner of her eye, examining what type of reactions he was having. He seemed to be calm on the outside; however Noryoku could sense that he was confused and feeling rather aggressive; a dangerous combination indeed.

"You have still not answered my question, Noryoku Damasu, of how you know my name," Tatewaki growled, a dangerous edge in his voice cutting through the conversation like a blade. Noryoku's smile slowly faded, and her features hardened considerably. She turned her back to Kuno, looking out at the surrounding foliage, her brown and blonde hair swirling about her face.

"Answer me you odious minx or I shall-" the boy began, his handsome features contorting to anger while he drew his bokken and pointed it squarely at Noryoku's back.

"How many nights have you dreamed dreams of anger?" she quietly said, cutting the boy's angry rattle off. Kuno's stance and bokken faltered.

"What do you. . .?" he asked, not sure of what else to say. The woman stood unmoving, not facing Tatewaki as she gazed at the lands before her.

"You are so full of rage, Tatewaki Kuno. How many nights have you imagined a rampaging fire overtaking you? Of flames swallowing you whole? The blissful yet terrible feeling of controlling your personal fire?" Noryoku asked in a hushed tone. Kuno felt numb all over; disbelief and shock running through his veins.

She turned her head, looking over her shoulder at the baffled Kuno, who was gaping at her, his mouth somewhat open and hanging. Noryoku's eyes held a very deep sadness and an even deeper understanding for Tatewaki's predicament. Brown hair blew around her face as the wind steadily picked up around the clearing. Trees rustled and leaves danced around the two people standing, looking at each other.

Noryoku turned her face away once more. Kuno took an uncertain step forward; not sure what to do in the uncomfortable silence.

"You know about the dream I had?" Kuno asked in a meek and small tone, surprising him greatly. The girl emitted a low, hollow laugh, lifting her hands to the back of her head. She tugged at the knot holding the band over her forehead and began to undo it, her hands making fast work of the bound piece of cloth. Noryoku let the green headband flutter harmlessly to the ground by her high heeled boots. She turned around to face the young man behind her.

Positioned centrally on her forehead was what looked to be a blue-green jewel in the shape of a water droplet. The sun's rays glinted off of the beautiful gem, making it look like it was glowing in a surreal way. Tatewaki scrutinized the jewel; unsure of what to make of it. Almost as if sensing his question, Noryoku stepped towards Kuno and let her fingers trail softly across his forehead. Her eyes locked with his, and she raised herself nearly to Kuno's level on her tiptoes. Noryoku's deep red lips hovered precariously close to Tatewaki's ear.

"We are more alike than you think, Tatewaki Kuno," she whispered, her breath traveling down the back of his neck making Kuno shudder involuntarily. Noryoku cupped his face with both her hands, and held it steady. Her eyes searched his face for what seemed to be an eternity; Kuno feeling extremely awkward and nervous, while a look of sadness passed over Noryoku's pretty features. Although seriously doubting his sanity at the moment, Kuno could swear the jewel on Noryoku's forehead changed colour. . .

There was a snapping of twigs from behind the pair. Noryoku's head twisted around suddenly, her eyes searching the surrounding woods for any sign of human life. Quickly, she turned her face back towards Kuno; she stroked his cheek once with the back of her hand before running and jumping into a nearby tree, disappearing from Kuno's sight.

The Blue Thunder stood in the middle of the field, eventually sinking to his knees in pure, exhausted confusion.



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Well, that was confusing and not very helpful, now wasn't it? Anyhoot. . . R/R s'il vous plait! ^_^