The Liz: Okay so here's the deal. I am having some kick-ass writer's block sigh again. So what I'm gonna do is this. I'll post this chapter, then I'm not even gonna try to write until next Saturday. Until then, I am drowning myself in anime (Abenobashi!) So bear with me with this chapter k? I'll try to do better next time.
Ranma girly thoughts. Yes, they do exist now. shudder
Akane jumped down from the brick wall and landed gracefully on her bottom. "Aww man..." she said as she rose from the ground.
She looked out to see a large crowd of police men had formed a ring around a lone figure which was clawing at his face. Akane could see Ranma-chan off to the side watching intently. She could also see Ryouga running away from the crowd in a rage.
"What's going on?" Akane asked herself out loud.
Kuno clawed desperately at the piece of wood that had attached itself to his face. He could feel it merging with his skin, the electricity melting into his pores. His mind was spinning and rearranging itself inside his head and thunder roared in his ears. Then as suddenly as it had begun, it stopped. Kuno felt great.
Ranma-chan watched in apprehension as Kuno rose slowly from the ground, playing up the drama no doubt. There seemed to be nothing wrong with him, he was still wearing that ridiculous outfit and his hair was the same curly brown. If you ignored the fact that his skin was now a bright green, he seemed normal.
"What power is this that courses through my veins? It is though I have been reborn!"
Ranma rolled her eyes. Too normal if you ask me.
"Ranma!" Ukyo yelled as she emerged from the crowd of frightened police men. Kuno turned to face Ukyo, his eyes bright.
"What lovely vision is this? Have you come to challenge me, my lady?" Kuno asked, drawing his sword.
Ranma did a double take. Wait a minute, since when did Kuno get a sword?! "Uc-chan! He's got a sword!"
But Ukyo wasn't even listening. Her battle spatula dropped to the ground with a loud clang and her eyes got all starry-like. "H-hi there," she said shyly, her face turning red.
Kuno was almost as shocked as Ranma was, but quickly recovered. "My dear, you have nothing to fear from me. I mean you no harm," he said as he slid closer to Ukyo, his green face radiating sincerity.
Ukyo blushed and she looked down shyly. "I-I know that," she said.
Gag me with a fork! What the hell is going on? Ranma thought. "Ukyo, have you lost your mind?! It's KUNO!"
Upon hearing his name, Kuno whirled around to face Ranma. "Pig-tailed girl!" he exclaimed.
Aww man, I really don't... he's kinda hot. "ACK! What the hell was that?!" Ranma screamed as she clutched her head in agony.
"My pig-tailed goddess, something ales you! Let Kuno, the Blue Thunder, comfort you in your time of need!" Kuno yelled as he glomped Ranma.
"Ack! Too... strong!" Ranma gasped. There's something horribly wrong going he's so strong. "N-nooo...." Ranma-chan struggled to breath in Kuno's vice grip, something she was not used to.
"B-but Kuno, I thought..." Ranma heard Ukyo say from the sidelines.
"I'm sorry dearest spatula girl, but my heart belongs to only one!" Kuno said whirling around to face Ukyo still holding Ranma-chan extremely close.
"H-help..." Ranma gasped. Her face was turning blue rapidly from lack of lung expansion.
"Excuse me, sorry I didn't mean to, please move, I need to see what's going on!" Akane said to random police men as she fought her way through the crowd. I'm getting nowhere! What is going on up there?
"You mean you're dumping me?"
Akane hear began beating faster. That was Ukyo's voice!
"I'm sorry but I cannot betray my one true love!"
Akane stopped dead in her tracks. "K-Kuno?" Now I've got to get up there. And where's Ranma? Her question was soon answered as she burst through the crowd into the clearing. Ranma was being held in a bear hug by a green faced Kuno, who was trying to convince a love-stuck Ukyo that they could never be together.
"Uh, could someone explain this to me?" Akane asked.
"Most certainly miss," an observing police man told her. "That young man with the green skin over there put on a mask that made him super strong and from the looks of it, a ladies man."
Akane looked from the man to the scene in front of her then back to the man. "You're kidding right?"
"How else do explain that Saotome's girlfriend switching over to that lunatic Kuno?" the police man said.
"You mean you know who they are?" Akane said.
"Who doesn't? Do you have any idea how many "Disturbing the Peace" calls we've gotten because of those hooligans?" He turned towards Akane with sudden recognition. "Aren't you that Tendo girl that's too prideful to admit you like the Saotome boy?"
Akane bristled. "No!" But still, Akane thought turning back to the soap opera in front of her. I've gotta do something before Ranma's strangled to death.
"Kuno!" she exclaimed as she stepped out into the fray. "I challenge you!"
All eyes turned to Akane's not-so-threatening figure. "Akane Tendo! I never dreamed you would challenge me!" Kuno exclaimed as he dropped Ranma to the ground in a gasping heap.
"Damn gasp idiot. Almost as gasp bad as Ryouga," Ranma-chan gasped.
"Back off Akane!" Ukyo yelled. "Kuno's mine!"
Akane ignored Ukyo and stared down a smug Kuno when she began to feel strange. He's not that bad looking really, she thought. She shook her head violently, shaking such vulgar thought from her head. Cut it out Akane, you've got to win this.
"If I win, I will allow you to date me!" Kuno exclaimed as he charged at Akane.
Ranma's head snapped up. Akane doesn't know about the sword! "Akane!"
Akane barely had any time to block Kuno's blow which she quickly realized wasn't normal. She gasped in pain as she felt the swords sharp edge sink into her arm, sinking to the ground in shock.
"Akane!!" Ranma yelled as she ran towards Akane. Kuno got to her first though.
"My dearest Akane! I have injured you unintentionally! Allow me to take you back to my estate to nurse you back to health!"
"Put me down!" Akane yelled as Kuno picked her up and slung her over his shoulder. "I'm not done here!"
"Let us be off!" Kuno yelled as he bounded over the heads of the shocked police men and onto one of the near-by roofs.
Ranma watched Kuno's retreating figure in shock. Did what I think happen, just happen? "Kuno! You bastard, get back here!" Ranma yelled as she quickly followed Kuno.
Ukyo watched Ranma jump from roof to roof in pursuit of Kuno, shook her head violently, then turned to the police man Akane had been talking to. "Did-did I just make a pass at Kuno?"
Grimly the police man nodded. "Right," Ukyo said firmly. "That hits my weird limit for today." With that, she turned and walked away.
Nabiki smiled as she turned off her camera. "Well that was interesting. And not a minute of it will end up on the cutting room floor."
"Kuno! Where'd you run off to?" Ranma yelled into the night. She looked around frantically for any sign of the green faced freak but it was as though he had disappeared without a trace.
Ranma distinctly remembered the chaos he left in his wake when he wore the mask but there was no path of ruble to track down Kuno. Something isn't right about this Kuno though. He seems normal but I don't think he's even kidnapped anyone, especially Akane. There's something going on here that we don't know about.
Suddenly, the sound of a bell rang in the air, signifying chaos. "Nihao Ranma!" Shampoo exclaimed in her high pitched voice as she crashed her bike on Ranma's head. "You come to Café yes?" she said as she pulled out a full kettle of hot water from behind her, pouring the contents onto Ranma's head. "Talk to Great-grandmother."
"Get off me! I gotta find Kuno!" Ranma yelled in his loud male voice.
"It might be unwise to do so," Cologne's crinkled voice reached Ranma's ears. "Without a feasible plan at the very least."
"What the hell are you talking about? I go in there, kick his butt, get Akane, and leave," Ranma said impatiently.
"Forget violent girl, marry Shampoo!" Shampoo squealed in his ear.
"I think we should discuss this somewhere a bit more private?" Cologne suggested.
"What's there to discuss? I can take Kuno any time, any day!" Ranma yelled.
"Not as he is. He may not have discovered it yet, but he will soon discover the depth of his power. What will you do then?"
Ranma grumbled something incoherent as Shampoo snuggled on him. He knew the extent of the mask's power
"Exactly. Now let's get going, I want you to explain to me what has happened exactly as it happened," Cologne said as she hopped away on her cane.
Ryouga trudged through thick foliage he knew wasn't there five minutes earlier. "Damn that Ranma! This is all his fault!" He pushed aside a rather large branch that snapped off the tree. "Him and that damned mask."
Kuno sighed as he landed gracefully inside the Kuno manor walls. As much as he admired the beautiful Akane Tendo, carrying her over his shoulder half way across town kicking and screaming was a bit annoying.
Akane on the other hand was perfectly content to scream till her lungs exploded. "Put me down you pervert! You didn't beat me yet!"
"Really Miss Tendo, kicking only makes your plight worse," Kuno said in a cold voice.
Akane stopped immediately at the tone of her captor's voice. "Who are you?"
"Very simple really," Kuno said as he carried Akane further into the house. No one seemed to be home, which would suit his plan perfectly. "I am the same Kuno that you know and love, only shall we say, a bit more intelligent."
"What do you mean by intelligent?" Akane asked, fear crawling into her body. A smart Kuno was not a good Kuno.
"I am no longer hindered by the veil of hallucination as I once was," Kuno said, turning down the hallway and continuing to walk. "I see the world anew through these eyes and I have come upon a revelation."
"What's that?" Akane asked coldly.
"That honor has gotten me nowhere in my life. That my sister had the right idea when she chose the path of a coward, choosing trickery and manipulation over truth and a sane mind."
"Sane mind?" Akane commented. "Since when did you ever have a sane mind?"
"Since about ten minutes ago when I put on the mask," Kuno answered.
This isn't good, Akane thought as she was carried down the hallway. If Kuno starts acting like Kodachi, we'll all be in big trouble. She heard Kuno slide open a door into a dark room. Where's Ranma? "Ranma..." Akane began.
"Yes, Ranma," Kuno said with malice in his voice. "He will pay for making a fool of me all these months." He picked her up and put her softly down on the bed. "And you'll help me my love," Kuno said dangerously as he turned around and opened a closet.
Suddenly Akane recognized what room they were in. "Why are we in Kodachi's room?"
"Don't worry my dear," Kuno said, turning around. Akane saw something sparkly resting in his palm. "Just sleep."
Akane's nose was suddenly full of a sweet smelling powder, and she began to feel sleepy. "Ranma," she gasped before falling asleep on the bed.
Kuno smiled as he turned back to Kodachi's "Closet of Fun Things to Play With". "Now where's that dress?"
The Liz: Tis done! I might need to explain things though.
One: Kuno's sudden abilities are of course helped by the Mask. He was intelligent when he put on the Mask, but being the intelligent person he was now (as well as conniving) he didn't let on till he had Akane all alone. And I'll explain "The Humiliation" Ranma caused him later. Trust me, it's bigger then it sounds. Also, Kuno's ability to attract women is spawned from Kuno's "Natural" woman magnetness which is hidden by his insanity.
I know I didn't do a really good job on this chapter. Which is why I'm taking a break. I'm not even going to think about the story till next Saturday (thank god for outlines). Till then, I'm off to Hastings!
Reviews:
To Magnus17: I'm really, really glad you liked that chapter. I swear, I was between laughing hysterically and twitching uncontrollably when I wrote that.
To LadyCresentStar: Glad you liked the chapter! I had that song stuck in my head for at least three days after I wrote it.
To Koala Kitty: YES! I have achieved my goal of weirdness! Although I hope it was a good weird for you.
Off to Hastings!