------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Guilty Secret"
by Angus MacSpon
Based on "Ranma 1/2" created by Rumiko Takahashi.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
It was beginning to get to her again.
Her imouto had tried to cook dinner the night before. It took her three
hours to clean up the kitchen afterward, and some of the pots were going
to need sandblasting again. She found herself thinking unkind thoughts,
and had to take a very long hot bath before she could smile once more.
The next morning, Ranma and Akane got into another fight and broke some
more of the furniture. Neither of them seemed to really notice. She
almost sighed out loud as she cleaned up the mess. Nabiki was quite
impolite about the two when she went to her for money to replace the
furniture, and she nearly agreed with her sister before she realised
what she was doing.
When Ranma, late for school, grabbed his bento from her and rushed out
the door without saying thank you, she came close to frowning.
Her father sat around the house playing shogi with Mr Saotome all day.
They were in the way, and she almost told them to get out of it.
She went out to do the grocery shopping, and when she found that she had
forgotten her purse, she said "Oh, my" with unnecessary force. The
shopkeeper gave her credit, but she was so upset that she almost didn't
smile in thanks.
She had to do something about it before it was too late. She made the
telephone call.
"Kasumi? Is that you?" said her best friend.
"Hai. It's time, Kikuko."
"What, again? All right. I'll be ready."
That evening after dinner, she lifted the loose floorboard in her room,
took out the bundle that was hidden beneath, and tucked it into her
basket. She piled a number of books on top of it, carefully checking
the result to make sure that the bundle could not be seen. Replacing
the floorboard, she went downstairs.
"I'm going to the library," she announced to everyone. "I'll be back
later."
"My daughter is so well-read," sniffled her father. She stepped out the
door before he could burst into tears. Once she was out of sight of the
house, she began to run.
First, the library. She returned the books she was carrying, picked
half a dozen more at random from the nearest shelf, withdrew them, and
dashed out again.
Her family all thought she read so many medical textbooks because she
was in love with the family doctor, and she did borrow some books from
him to keep up the illusion. But the truth was that, by some quirk,
the medical section was the one closest to the door.
Then, on to Kikuko's house. She could not help taking one quick, guilty
glance around as she stepped inside, to see if she was being followed.
But there was nobody in sight.
The books were dumped on the floor. The bundle was pulled out of the
basket. Kikuko helped her change.
Then they were off, to get what she needed ...
****************
Ranma and Akane had been bundled off on another "date" by their doting
fathers. Actually, it was going rather well for a change. They'd only
been attacked three times so far (Kodachi, Shampoo, and some nut they'd
never seen before, disguised as a tree); none of their arguments had
come to blows yet; and in fact neither had insulted the other for almost
an hour. Ranma was feeling quite pleased with himself, so when Akane
suggested they go to a nightclub, he made only a token protest.
It looked quite crowded, though, and they hesitated at the door. Ranma
peered inside. The music was deafening, something with a pounding bass
and a beat that he could feel even from here. The lights flashed and
pulsed; the smoky air almost seemed to glow. The dance-floor was filled
with people moving to the rhythm --
His breath caught. In the middle of the dance-floor, one woman danced
alone. She was breath-taking. All around her people were cheering and
whistling, but none of them approached her. None of them would have
dared. She wore a thin halter-top that was almost transparent with
perspiration, and a pair of tight, _tight_ leather pants that might have
been sprayed on. She was easily the best dancer he'd ever seen. She
seemed to burn. Her movements were smooth, graceful, almost feline; she
danced with an intensity and a sensuous passion, a sinuous eroticism
that was almost palpable. Ranma gulped. He felt hot suddenly.
"Hey!" said a voice in his ear. "What are you staring at, baka?" Akane
followed the direction of his gaze, and sniffed. "Honestly, I leave you
for one moment and you're staring at some tart," she grumbled. "Let's
get out of here, pervert."
"It's not what you think," Ranma protested as she dragged him away. "I
dunno why, but there was something kinda familiar about that woman --"
"Pervert," she repeated.
****************
Kasumi got home at half past eleven. The library had been closed for
hours, but nobody noticed. She had bathed at Kikuko's house, and looked
fresh and relaxed. The bundle in the bottom of her basket was stained
and damp (she'd wash the clothes tomorrow when nobody was around), but
it was well-hidden under her books.
"Hey, sis," grunted Nabiki, glancing up idly from the ledgers she was
poring over. "Good time at the library?"
"Yes, thank you," said Kasumi happily. "I feel much better now."
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Author's Note:
All right, so you tell me: how _does_ Kasumi handle it all? The Tendo
household is one mighty stressful place, and Kasumi doesn't seem to get
out much. How does she cope? Drugs? Kasumi? I think not...
Angus
"Guilty Secret"
by Angus MacSpon
Based on "Ranma 1/2" created by Rumiko Takahashi.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
It was beginning to get to her again.
Her imouto had tried to cook dinner the night before. It took her three
hours to clean up the kitchen afterward, and some of the pots were going
to need sandblasting again. She found herself thinking unkind thoughts,
and had to take a very long hot bath before she could smile once more.
The next morning, Ranma and Akane got into another fight and broke some
more of the furniture. Neither of them seemed to really notice. She
almost sighed out loud as she cleaned up the mess. Nabiki was quite
impolite about the two when she went to her for money to replace the
furniture, and she nearly agreed with her sister before she realised
what she was doing.
When Ranma, late for school, grabbed his bento from her and rushed out
the door without saying thank you, she came close to frowning.
Her father sat around the house playing shogi with Mr Saotome all day.
They were in the way, and she almost told them to get out of it.
She went out to do the grocery shopping, and when she found that she had
forgotten her purse, she said "Oh, my" with unnecessary force. The
shopkeeper gave her credit, but she was so upset that she almost didn't
smile in thanks.
She had to do something about it before it was too late. She made the
telephone call.
"Kasumi? Is that you?" said her best friend.
"Hai. It's time, Kikuko."
"What, again? All right. I'll be ready."
That evening after dinner, she lifted the loose floorboard in her room,
took out the bundle that was hidden beneath, and tucked it into her
basket. She piled a number of books on top of it, carefully checking
the result to make sure that the bundle could not be seen. Replacing
the floorboard, she went downstairs.
"I'm going to the library," she announced to everyone. "I'll be back
later."
"My daughter is so well-read," sniffled her father. She stepped out the
door before he could burst into tears. Once she was out of sight of the
house, she began to run.
First, the library. She returned the books she was carrying, picked
half a dozen more at random from the nearest shelf, withdrew them, and
dashed out again.
Her family all thought she read so many medical textbooks because she
was in love with the family doctor, and she did borrow some books from
him to keep up the illusion. But the truth was that, by some quirk,
the medical section was the one closest to the door.
Then, on to Kikuko's house. She could not help taking one quick, guilty
glance around as she stepped inside, to see if she was being followed.
But there was nobody in sight.
The books were dumped on the floor. The bundle was pulled out of the
basket. Kikuko helped her change.
Then they were off, to get what she needed ...
****************
Ranma and Akane had been bundled off on another "date" by their doting
fathers. Actually, it was going rather well for a change. They'd only
been attacked three times so far (Kodachi, Shampoo, and some nut they'd
never seen before, disguised as a tree); none of their arguments had
come to blows yet; and in fact neither had insulted the other for almost
an hour. Ranma was feeling quite pleased with himself, so when Akane
suggested they go to a nightclub, he made only a token protest.
It looked quite crowded, though, and they hesitated at the door. Ranma
peered inside. The music was deafening, something with a pounding bass
and a beat that he could feel even from here. The lights flashed and
pulsed; the smoky air almost seemed to glow. The dance-floor was filled
with people moving to the rhythm --
His breath caught. In the middle of the dance-floor, one woman danced
alone. She was breath-taking. All around her people were cheering and
whistling, but none of them approached her. None of them would have
dared. She wore a thin halter-top that was almost transparent with
perspiration, and a pair of tight, _tight_ leather pants that might have
been sprayed on. She was easily the best dancer he'd ever seen. She
seemed to burn. Her movements were smooth, graceful, almost feline; she
danced with an intensity and a sensuous passion, a sinuous eroticism
that was almost palpable. Ranma gulped. He felt hot suddenly.
"Hey!" said a voice in his ear. "What are you staring at, baka?" Akane
followed the direction of his gaze, and sniffed. "Honestly, I leave you
for one moment and you're staring at some tart," she grumbled. "Let's
get out of here, pervert."
"It's not what you think," Ranma protested as she dragged him away. "I
dunno why, but there was something kinda familiar about that woman --"
"Pervert," she repeated.
****************
Kasumi got home at half past eleven. The library had been closed for
hours, but nobody noticed. She had bathed at Kikuko's house, and looked
fresh and relaxed. The bundle in the bottom of her basket was stained
and damp (she'd wash the clothes tomorrow when nobody was around), but
it was well-hidden under her books.
"Hey, sis," grunted Nabiki, glancing up idly from the ledgers she was
poring over. "Good time at the library?"
"Yes, thank you," said Kasumi happily. "I feel much better now."
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Author's Note:
All right, so you tell me: how _does_ Kasumi handle it all? The Tendo
household is one mighty stressful place, and Kasumi doesn't seem to get
out much. How does she cope? Drugs? Kasumi? I think not...
Angus