Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Chained World: The Fall of the House of Kuno ❯ The Tightening Spiral ( Chapter 32 )

This was originally published by me under the name Anduril at Anime Addventures, with the only changes being a few corrections in spelling, punctuation and the occasional word choice. If you like the beginning of my story but think I've gone off the rails, or have your own ideas for a great branch-off, or think I'm taking too long to update and want to continue the story yourself, come to Anime Addventures and join in the fun!

I claim no ownership rights to any of the works of Rumiko Takahashi.

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Ikari Gendo gazed expressionlessly at the man dressed in Ikari livery standing before his desk, the raven-haired, bearded man's gaze flinty-hard. “So, Kasai-san, the asset you failed to acquire — and more importantly keep away from the Kunos — at the auction is again within reach,” he said tonelessly.

Kasai nodded jerkily. “Y-y-yes, Ikari-dono,” he stammered. “With Ranma out of the Kuno mansion and in a known location, we will be able to get a strike team in to grab her.”

“And how will Kuno think that we knew where she is?” Gendo asked. “Ranma will be disguised, the otokodate won't know who she is, the police won't know she's there at all, all that leaves is the agent of the Half-Closed Eye as the most likely way that any strike team would know where to find her. While that delusional fool is unlikely to think of that, his retainers are very impressive — they will, they will investigate, and we will be forced to eliminate our agents at the agency before the acquisition is traced back to us.”

“True, my lord,” Kasai hastily agreed. “Normally a single asset wouldn't be worth giving up the intelligence our agents in HCE give us, but this is Ranma!”

“And if Ranma resists being acquired?”

“But ... she's been Adjusted, so long as we're careful to use nonlethal force she won't be able to effectively resist us,” Kasai protested.

“Idiot! Didn't you bother to read the adjuster's report? The Adjustment is almost certain to fail at the first true test. You are as lazy as you are incompetent. Instruct Personnel that you are to turn your duties over to your second and be transferred to desk duty at our Switzerland office.”

“Yes, sir,” the now profusely sweating Kasai acknowledged, bowed deeply, and jerkily marched from the office.

“As incompetent as Kasai-san is,” said the young woman sitting off to the side of the briefing, “he did have a point about the value of the target.”

Gendo sighed slightly. “True, Katsuragi-san, but only if we found some way to convince him to serve us willingly. If he believes his honor is involved that is unlikely — and it is likely he does, why else would he still be warming Kuno's bed?

“Besides, Tendo Nabiki is also involved, and that young woman has hidden depths — we didn't scent so much as a hint of her under-the-table financial dealings until the Kuno retainers had already seized them. She will have a plan for Kuno, and Ranma is almost certainly part of it. No,” Gendo mused, “when your enemy has placed a viper in his bed, leave it there.

“But whether they succeed or fail, they are likely to cause a certain amount of chaos — perhaps enough for us to act,” he mused, then nodded. “Update our plans for mobilizing a strike on the Kuno mansion if the opportunity presents itself.”

/oOo\

“But Hahn-chan, that makes no sense,” Kodachi protested to her ninja minder as she slowly circled the young woman in the center of her brother's personal dojo, eyes searching for a chink in the ninja's position, anything that would give the teenage aristocrat the opening she needed. “It simply replaces no honor at all with someone else's; you still have none of your own, nothing that someone else doesn't give you.”

“No, mistress, we are servants,” Hahn disagreed, her purple-clothed body turning in place to always face her circling mistress. “The honor is in the service, doing all we can to see to our lord's — or lady's — wellbeing and to fulfill their wishes and desires.”

“And you think that will be enough, when you stand before Amaterasu's throne? `I murdered, stole, lied and swindled, but it's all right because it was what my superior wanted'?” Kodachi asked.

Hahn seemed to hesitate for just a moment and in a flash Kodachi was rolling toward her sparring partner, bouncing out of the roll with her fist thrusting ... through empty space. Desperately, she twisted to the side, and felt a muscle in her side twinge even as Hahn's counterstrike swept through the space where she'd just been. The Black Rose hopped back out of immediate range and resumed her circling, breathing deeply.

“What does that matter to you?” Hahn asked as she resumed turning in place. “I'm not sure you even believe in Amaterasu.”

“I'm not sure I do, either,” Kodachi agreed. “But if she does exist, and does judge her descendents, I'd want a better explanation for the harm I've done than that I was someone's pawn.”

Suddenly, Hahn was charging forward, reaching out, and Kodachi found herself spun in place, her feet kicked out from underneath her, and the mat smacked her in the face as a leg and arm were twisted up behind her. “And `I did it because it was fun' is an improvement?” the ninja inquired as Kodachi struggled futilely against her hold. “At least I have dedicated my life to a greater cause than my own pleasure, fame or power.”

After a moment Kodachi slapped the mat twice. Hahn released her and stood up and away as her mistress rolled to her feet. “You're too aggressive,” Hahn said reprovingly. “You sometimes get so caught up looking for ways to strike at your opponent that you forget that opponents can also attack.”

“Ya got that right!” came Ranma's voice from the dojo's doorway, and the two turned to find the redhead standing there beside a wide-eyed Usagi. “Good ta see you're sparring with someone besides me,” Ranma continued. “Ya were gettin' too used ta my moves. An' it seems yer bodyguard is worthy of the name.”

Hahn bowed in gratified respect at the compliment. “You honor me, my lady,” she said softly.

“Just callin' it like I see it,” Ranma replied. “And don't call me that. I'm not nobody's lady, I'm a slave.”

“It is our lord's command —”

“Yeah, whatever,” Ranma said, cutting the ninja off with a wave of her hand. “Anyway, I gotta tell ya all somethin' before we start — this'll be the last sparring session fer awhile, `cause I won't be here.”

“What?! Where will you be? Tatewaki-dono isn't disappointed in you, sending you away, is he? Ranko, I can talk to him —” Usagi babbled, only to break off when Ranma gently shook her by the arm.

“No, Kuno-dono isn't `disappointed' in me, far from it,” Ranma replied, grimacing slightly. “I won't be here `cause I'll be on a job ...”

/\

“ ... an' so when the slaves are freed an' their slavers dead or in jail an' soon ta be dead, we can start up sparrin' again,” Ranma finished.

“Ranko, I ... this sounds dangerous, are you sure ... ?” a pale Usagi managed to get out.

Ranma shrugged. “Yeah, I'm sure. An' it shouldn't be all that risky. I'll be arrivin' in the morning, a few hours before the police bust down the doors, so none a' the thugs there should have time ta play with me, I'd think that sorta thing happens mostly during the evening.”

“Rape, Ranko, call it by its proper name,” Kodachi said sharply. Usagi's already pale face bleached white, and she unconsciously reached out a hand, softly ran it along Ranma's arm. Interesting, Kodachi thought. I knew Usagi and Ranma were getting close, but has Ranma made another unintentional conquest? She cast her mind back over the past several weeks. Perhaps ... she doesn't seem to be attracted to girls generally, but around Ranma ... perhaps. Amazing — locked in the wrong sex, and he still draws girls like moths to a flame. I wonder why?

As Kodachi had been ruminating, Ranma had hesitantly reached out and pulled Usagi into a one-armed hug. “Okay, yeah, so it's rape, but it probably won't happen. An' if it does, I'll survive and the bastard that does it won't, not long. If I don't kill him, the law will.” Taking a deep breath, she continued, “Now, I think we're here ta practice?”

/oOo\

Lord Kuno didn't gasp with relief when the button lit up and soft chime sounded indicating an incoming call from his secretary, but only through an effort of will. The endless columns of numbers covering the finances of the Kuno Family holdings were becoming comprehensible thanks to the efforts of his endlessly patient (and carefully noncondescending) accountants, but they were mindnumbingly boring, even taking into account how ... exciting ... things had become for the Kunos economically, thanks to Hibiki Ryoga, several other strikes from unknown enemies, and the increased security the attacks necessitated.

Hitting the button to accept his secretary's call, Kuno straightened as a new window opened on his monitor, showing the cute redhead. “My lord,” Itsuko said, “you have a call from your Master of Servants, he wishes to speak to you.”

Kuno's eyebrows rose. “Put the call through,” he ordered, and Itsuko disappeared to be replaced by Pyo dressed in his butler's garb. He bowed as soon as he saw his lord.

“So, Pyo-kun, what is so important that it couldn't wait until this evening?” Kuno asked calmly as soon as their respective greetings were given.

“It might well be that this could have waited, but I couldn't be certain,” Pyo admitted. “Your sister has asked permission to visit you at your office — she insists it cannot wait until this evening. Since it was your direct order that she be restricted to the mansion, I felt this required seeking your permission first.”

Kuno simply stared at the screen for a long moment. Why on earth would Kodachi wish to speak to me? Has the time spent with my life's heart had its effect and my twisted sister is finally awakening to the nature of the depravity she has taken part in? Or is she simply looking for a way to escape the watchful eyes of our retainers and resume her debauched ways? “Certainly, send her here, I will somehow make room for her in my busy schedule.” Was that a hint of a smile on Pyo-kun's face? “But provide a sufficient escort so that she ... will not be tempted.”

Pyo bowed as best the monitor cameras allowed, and after politely finishing up the conversation Kuno returned to his labors. Or tried to, anyway — he found himself impossibly distracted by curiosity, his thoughts constantly returning to the coming meeting.