The Liz: Man oh man. Low and behold, I've got a chapter here. I had to rewrite this thing like four times cause I really didn't like it. Still not so sure it's up to par. Anyway, that's why it took so long to update. Because I'm a perfectionist. bleh
"So son-in-law, do you mind explaining a few things?" Cologne asked. It was after nine, an hour after closing time, although the restaurant lights were still on. She stood on the table, making it easier to maintain eye contact with whomever she was speaking to.
Ranma sat on a chair facing her, an impatient look on his face. "It's kinda hard to explain," he said. "The mask, it's defiantly a magical object. When I put it on, I become a completely different person, like that reversal jewel only different."
"Reversal jewel?" Shampoo asked. She was sitting next to Ranma as closely as she could without sitting in his lap, but mention of the reversal jewel made her pull away a millimeter. "How different?"
"I don't know," Ranma said. "Like it enhanced every feeling you have, not just love. Like all your problems are just shoved back and you suddenly get really strong."
Cologne narrowed her eyes. An item like that was dangerous, epically in the hands of her son-in-law. "Why did you not come to me about this?"
"S'not like I had a choice! I tried to get rid of it, but it just came back!" Ranma retorted. "And sides, not everything I do is your business ya know." Although you'd never know it from the way they act...
"When it comes to magical objects, everything is my business," Cologne said calmly. Shampoo nodded in agreement. "Do you have any ideas as to what is the source of its power? If we know that, we can defeat it."
"Well, Dr. Tofu's friend said something about it being possessed by a god," Ranma said slowly, trying to remember what Dr. Zileht had said. "The Norse god of chaos I think..."
"That explains why you couldn't get rid of it then," Cologne stated.
"Chaos love Ranma," Shampoo said, a hint of amusement in her voice. Ranma looked darkly across the table to Cologne.
"Anyway," he said. "Is there anything else you want to know?"
"Calm down son-in-law. You're in enough trouble with the gods as it is, you don't want to go rushing into something with out a plan." Cologne said.
Ranma grumbled something incoherent.
"What were the side effects of this magic?" Cologne said. Ranma looked at her with a blank expression. "What did it make you do?"
Realization dawned on Ranma's thoughts. "Uh well... I could spin around really fast... and I pulled things from nowhere... stuff like that," he said uncertainly.
"Anything else? Something that you wouldn't do if you were normal?" Cologne asked. Her steady gaze locked onto Ranma's eyes, making it impossible for him to look away.
"Something I wouldn't do?" he asked nervously. He could feel the heat rising to his face rapidly. Like flirting with all the girls? Kissing...girls.
You mean Akane?
"N-no. Not r-really," he stammered, desperately trying to push back the voice in his head. He wasn't quite ready to face that thought, at least not here.
Cologne raised an eyebrow and Ranma had a sneaking suspicion she already knew what he was thinking. "Nothing?" Ranma was suddenly aware of the cold look Shampoo was giving him from her position.
No matter what anyone might think, he was not stupid. "Nothing, really!"
Cologne nodded as though she accepted his explanation. "It seems to me that this mask brings out the dormant abilities in someone, both physical and mental."
"So if Kuno has it..."
"Then Miss Tendo is not as well off as we thought," Cologne said, formality in her words.
"Oh come on!" Ranma said. "How bad can Kuno be? I mean, he's nothing like his sister!"
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Akane groaned softly, wondering why her head hurt. Only vaguely aware that she was positioned upright, she tried to bring her hands down from above her. When she felt the unfamiliar resistance of cold steel digging into her wrist, her eyes snapped open. Where am I?
She looked out in front of her and recognized the high school auditorium, dark and foreboding. Her back was pressed up against a long wooden pole that stood in the middle of the stage, spotlights shining down into her eyes. What's going on?
"I see you're awake. That's good," a voice said from the seats. Akane strained her eyes to see out into the auditorium, but the spotlight all but blinded her.
"Kuno! Where are you? Show yourself!" she yelled. Akane was not a stranger to anger, but the feeling in her heart right now was beyond compare. "COME OUT!"
She heard a deep laugh beyond the light. "You're so beautiful, you know that? So small and helpless up there, trying desperately to act brave. I almost want to take you into my arms and carry you away. Almost."
Akane glared daggers into the light. She braced her back against the pole and pulled as hard as she could at the chains that bound her, but her efforts were futile.
Kuno laughed again. "It's no use; those are chains straight from the closet of Kodachi Kuno herself. She has quite an array of fun things in there you know, quite useful in role-play if you know what I mean," he said.
"Bastard! Let me go now!" Akane yelled. She could actually taste the anger now, as well as something not as familiar. Fear.
"Don't worry; it won't be long before your beloved Ranma comes to save you. Although I'm wondering what's taking him so long," Kuno's voice said.
Akane glared out in silence when something caught her eye. She looked down to see that she was wearing a long silver evening dress with spaghetti straps. The neck line was much lower than she was comfortable with, the silk lining clinging to her body. "What'd you do with my clothes you pervert!" she yelled.
"Like the dress? Also compliments of my deluded sister although I must say, it looks better on you than it ever did on her," he said. "It' made of a special material. Have you heard of memory metal?"
Akane shook her head. She remembered Ranma saying something about memory metal before, but she was at the time trying to pound him into oblivion. Something she wouldn't mind doing to Kuno when she got free.
"Wonderful stuff, memory metal. It delivers a violent electric shock to anyone who touches it. You can imagine the difficultly getting you in that dress, but I must say it was worth it." Akane heard him chuckle, a low and frightening sound. "It'll be kind of hard for Ranma to carry you away in his arms with that on won't it?"
"Why are you doing this?" Akane snapped. She could feel the panic rising in her stomach. This is not the Kuno I know.
"Revenge my dear. Everything more, nothing less," Kuno's voice vibrated with hate and malice. "For too long have I been made the butt of every joke. Ever since Ranma and his damned curse came to Nermia, nobody takes me seriously. But they will now."
"His curse?" Akane asked apprehensively.
There was silence now, no retorts or jibes. Finally, Kuno's voice, low and dangerous, broke the silence. "He'll be coming soon dear. Don't worry your pretty little head."
######
Happosai tried desperately not to giggle. Giggling was something he didn't do often but with this new development, it was hard not to. If what the boy was saying about the mask was true... Happosai felt a shiver of excitement run slowly down his spine, something he hadn't felt since the local mall's first and last Victoria's Secret sidewalk sale.
If he was able to get a hold of this mask and save Akane at the same time, who knows what the possibilities were? With the mask's powers, not only could he increase his collection by twenty percent, women would find him irrististable! Akane would throw herself at him for saving her from the big bad Kuno idiot.
"Sweeto!" he exclaimed from his hiding space in the Cat Café without realizing he had said it out loud. The occupant's heads snapped towards the table he was hiding under. Ranma jumped up from his seat and leapt over the Amazon girl.
"Aha!" he yelled as he flipped up the table where Happosai had been previously. Happosai laughed from his perch on the ceiling fan.
"You'll have to be fast than that to catch me!" he cackled. "I'll tell Akane you said hello!" Happosai leapt from the fan to the window and bounded off down the street. This was going to be too easy.
#####
"Damn it!" Ranma exclaimed. "How much did he hear?"
"Too much from the looks of it," Cologne said sternly. "Trespassing into my domain, eavesdropping on my conversations, Happosai has gone too far!" Whipping around, she pointed her stick accusingly at Ranma. "You must go now. If Happosai were to get the mask, Kuno would be the least of our problems."
"Shampoo come," Shampoo said as she stood up from her chair. "Help fight god. Avenge Amazons against dirty lecher if can."
Cologne nodded solemnly. "Very well then. But be careful, the mask's powers may be stronger than we know."
"I'm coming too." Ranma saw Mousse step out from the kitchen; his glasses perched on top of his head. "You will need help to fight this great evil," he said. His face was the picture of seriousness, a noble glint in his eye.
"Yo Mousse," Ranma said. "I'm over here."
Mousse reached up and slid his glasses over his eyes and blinked several times at the napkin dispenser he was preaching to. "What are we waiting for Saotome?" Mousse said as he turned towards Ranma, seeming undaunted by his mistake.
Ranma nodded. "Okay, let's go."
Mousse smirked. Perfect. All I have to do is get the mask from that idiot Kuno, and use it to defeat Ranma. Then all my problems are sol- Unfortunately, Mousse's thoughts were cut short by a wooden clog clonking him in the head.
"What the hell?" Ranma bent over and picked up the clog. The strap was tied on by a small note. Ranma untied the note and dropped the shoe back on a woozy Mousse's head.
"It challenge," Shampoo said peering over Ranma's shoulder.
"From Kuno," Ranma said. "It says he's at the high school."
"Then leave son-in-law, before Happosai can get to him first," Cologne said.
Ranma smirked. "You don't have to tell me twice."
#####
Ryouga stomped through the thick foliage angrily. This is all Ranma's fault. It always has been! Damn him! Damn him to hell! "Ranma Saotome! You will pay!" Ryouga slammed his foot down on the ground to emphasize his point when he heard a strange rumble beneath him.
He looked down to a huge ravine, small chunks of pebbles rolling along the ground and into the abyss. "Uh-oh." Suddenly the ground underneath him crumbled and he fell screaming into the rapidly moving river beneath him. "Damn you Ranma!"
#####
Akane was not a happy little girl, but being tied to a wooden pole does that to you. She had been trying for a while now to break free of the chains but it was no use. Acutely aware now of the material she was wrapped in, Akane was almost afraid to free her hands. Why I get my hands on that pervert, he's gonna pay.
"Say my love," Kuno's voice said from the audience. "Where's that lover of yours? You'd think he'd come barging in to rescue you as soon as he knew where you were."
"Shut up! He's coming," Akane yelled angrily. I know he is.
"True. I've challenged his pride and kidnapped his girlfriend, how many more reasons does he want?"
Akane fumed. "I'm not his girlfriend!"
She heard Kuno's loud and haughty laughter. "Oh I'm sorry. His fiancée."
Akane glared into the light, imagining Kuno quivering in fear under her daggered gaze. She smiled at the image briefly then she frowned. Ranma, where are you?
#####
"Saotome, do you have any idea what you're doing?" Mousse said. Ranma glared at him from the dark gymnasium.
"Yes!" he snapped. "The challenge said he was at the high school. It's not my fault he did tell me where!"
"Mousse know where stupid boy is?" Shampoo said accusingly. Mousse looked down at the ground sheepishly. "Shampoo think so."
"Man! Where is that idiot?" Ranma said.
"Stupid boy make show. Where shows?" Shampoo said calmly. Mousse and Ranma looked at her questioningly for a moment, and then suddenly realized what she was saying.
"The auditorium!"
Shampoo shook her head ruefully. "Aiyah, men so stupid."
The Liz: So what'jall think? Any good? I sure hope so. I'm sorry this is so short, I'm brain dead. le sigh Only a few more chapters to go. Yay. Can you feel my enthusiasm? You can? How, I can't even feel it! I'm going to try to update as soon as I can.
Reviewers!
To LadyCresentStar: Hehehe, well Kodachi is very much a gutter girl if you know what I mean- And it's kinda sad when I know all the lyrics to all the songs in the movie. I don't have any maracas to play with though. Lucky
To Shinigami: To tell the truth I never went that deep into Nabiki's anger but now that you mention it, all that's true. I'm glad you picked up on that, I'm too dense too really
Love you all! Ja Ne!