Complete Control
Part 4
by Sean Gaffney

All characters are (C) 1998 Rumiko Takahashi, Kitty, Viz, etc., though I 
doubt that their creators would have them doing _this_.

This fanfic is rated NC-17.  Proceed with caution, it ain't consensual.  
If this were alt.sex.stories, it would be rated:  mf, mff, mc, nc, inc.


     Kodachi Kunou eyed her brother suspiciously.  She didn't like the 
look in his eyes.  Whenever he looked like that, it meant that he wasn't 
going to be willing to knuckle under to her.  And she needed that right 
now.  She had arrived home to find things different.  The servants were 
acting scared around her, as if afraid she would discover something.  
And now, seeing her brother acting like this, her fears grew.
     She didn't like change.  Every time something in her life changed, 
it was for the worse.  That was why she'd learned early that she needed 
to take control of her life.  To make others do what she wanted.  It 
gave her a sense of freedom, of confidence.  She enjoyed the fact that 
people ran when she walked near them.  They feared her.  Fear was good, 
it was something to control.
     But the look on her brother's face wasn't fear.  Not exactly.  It 
was more of an uncertainty.
     That was another change that bothered her.  Her brother never 
looked uncertain unless he was having another one of his episodes.  She 
didn't want that, not now.  She'd just gotten back from another long 
outing, having to deal with teachers and other authority figures making 
her follow their rules.  Now that she was home, she needed her brother 
to be the boorish oaf he played so well.
     Now he rose, and the uncertainty in her eyes grew larger.
     "Hello, Kodachi."
     No, this wasn't going right at all.  She knew the times when he got 
like this, and knew what happened.  While she occasionally needed it 
too, and sometimes drank it in deeply, it wasn't what she needed _now_.  
Unfortunately, looking at him, and at the way he was looking at her, she 
felt herself beginning to weaken.  She began to wonder what it would 
feel like to allow herself to be held again, and have him whisper in her 
ear.  To know that she was loved and cared for, even if only for a brief 
time...
     "No!"  She was startled to find that she had shouted this out loud.  
It told her how close to losing herself she already was.  Luckily, it 
seemed to have the desired effect, as her brother took a step away from 
her.
     "Sister?" he asked.  That was better.  He still looked serious, but 
he was calling her sister.  She could deal with that.  A sparkle 
returned to her eye and she began to circle around him.  She toyed with 
twirling her ribbon for effect, but decided against it.  The ribbon was 
a crutch.  She didn't need it, she was strong enough without it.
     "Why Brother dear, what have you been doing with yourself?  I come 
home to find the house in turmoil, and you sitting here reading by the 
fire!  Have you given up on your quest to make Akane Tendou yours so 
easily?  Ohhohohoho!"
     He wasn't doing what she wanted.  He was supposed to react 
disdainfully, pull away from her in anger.  Perhaps even recite a 
Shakespearean sonnet or two to show how pure his love was.  But instead 
he just kept giving her that serious look, and was trying to draw in 
closer to her.
     Her control was slipping again.  She felt herself getting angry.  
"What's going on?" she asked bluntly.
     Her brother seemed to draw into himself, which gave her a brief 
feeling of satisfaction.  But then he spoke, and that vanished, replaced 
with a growing fear.  A fear that she couldn't seem to shake.
     "Kodachi...my sister...sit down, please.  There are things we must 
discuss."
     She moved to the edge of the room.  She felt dizzy, as if she had 
stood up too fast.  "What is it?  Is it Father, has he returned?"  She 
tried to make her voice carry disgust, but there was a hint of longing 
in it as well that she cringed at.
     Her brother moved across the room towards her again.  Dammit, why 
did he keep trying to *touch* her?  This wasn't the time for that, she 
couldn't afford that...
     "No, Father has not returned.  But there are changes in this 
household, and you will have to get used to them.  I realise it will be 
difficult, but everything will be all right.  We can get through this 
together, you and I..."
     Kodachi gasped, and almost crumpled.  Those words...she'd heard 
them before from him.  Late at night, when they were alone, drinking in 
each other's bodies in desperation.  Telling each other that if only 
they stayed together, everything would be all right.  But now, when she 
needed her old control so badly, the words were like a knife across her 
wrists.
     Suddenly her eyes snapped open.  She could see it now, in perfect 
clarity.  She straightened, catching her head on his chin.  It sent him 
spiralling back, almost tumbling him into the fireplace, but she barely 
noticed it.  Her control was totally gone now, but it was alright.  Rage 
was another emotion that she felt totally comfortable with.
     "A woman.  That's what this is.  That's why you're talking about 
changes.  You've taken a lover."  He didn't respond, still trying to 
recover from her blow, but that was alright.  He didn't need to.  She 
could see the entire sequence of events spread out before her.
     She advanced on her brother, her mouth curled in a snarl.  "Get 
through this together?  Together for you and _her_, maybe!  You think 
that anyone can accept us, Brother?  No one can ever understand what we 
are!  No one can see what we have suffered!  And now you're ready to 
throw it all away!?  To throw me away?!"  Her voice was breaking now, 
but that was alright, she was barely listening to herself.  Instead she 
began to formulate a plan.
     Her brother had obviously been seduced.  That was the problem.  
Some wench had tempted him, made him forget about what was important.  
She had to find her, had to get rid of her.  Then she could get her 
brother back, and they'd be safe again.  The two of them against the 
cruel world.  As it should be.
     Kodachi did have enough reasoning to see, however, that if she 
admitted this plan to her brother, he might try to stop her.  She knew 
she could take him in a fair fight, but she wasn't sure about him when 
he was this way.  They'd never fought when he'd been like this, they'd 
always...
     She put that out of her mind.  Thinking about that would do no good 
right now.  Instead she leaped onto the back of the chair and headed for 
the casement window.  She had done this several times before, when the 
fights with her brother had turned against her, and knew exactly the way 
to push them so that they opened silently.
     She heard a cry from behind her.  "Kodachi!"  But her brother 
wasn't important now.  He would wait.  What she needed to do now was to 
find out who the woman was, the slut who had led him from the path they 
followed.
     And she knew where to begin with that.  Her brother's obsession.  
The woman who drove him to madness.
     Akane Tendou.

***

     Kodachi crept silently along the rooftops, heading towards the 
Tendou dojo.  She had never been inside it, of course, but she knew it 
well enough from the times she followed her brother when he came here to 
ogle Akane Tendou, or to buy photos from her sister Nabiki.
     Arriving on top of the Tendou roof, she paused.  Simply attacking 
might not be the best way.  For one thing, she knew Akane Tendou through 
various surveillance she had done on her.  The girl was not the sort to 
seduce her brother.  In fact, the reports she received suggested that 
the affection her brother had was entirely one-sided.
     However, Akane was the only lead that she had at the moment.  She 
cursed herself for leaving the mansion so quickly.  She should have 
gotten more information out of her brother.  Now that she was away from 
him, away from those serious eyes and that pitying expression, she could 
think more clearly, and realise that she had been rash.
     The sound of giggling from a window below brought Kodachi out of 
her reverie, and she moved closer to the edge of the rooftop.  There was 
a balcony below, but it was in full view of the room, so she couldn't 
chance it.  No, if she wanted to be able to hear more, she'd have to try 
and find some fingerholds on the side of the house.  Luckily, the walls 
seemed to have a number of pits and cracks in them - presumably the 
Tendous were so poor that they could not afford the upkeep on their 
house.  Kodachi gave a snort of disgust.
     She lowered herself off the roof and began to creep down, keeping 
an eye on the window in case she was spotted.  Luckily, the occupants of 
the room seemed to be entirely focused on what they were saying, so her 
scrabbling (which sounded incredibly loud to her own ears) wasn't 
noticed.  She was thankful for the reflexes she'd honed through her 
gymnastics training, as she'd never have been able to manage this 
otherwise.
     Edging towards the window, she now found that she could identify 
one of the speakers as Akane Tendou.  Presumably the other girl was one 
of her sisters.  Establishing a firm grip, she tried to make out what 
they were saying.
     "Kasumi, I can't believe you!" she heard Akane say.  That 
established the identity of the other girl, it must be the eldest Tendou 
girl.  "I mean...it's just so different from what I've come to expect!"
     The other girl giggled again, and Kodachi recognised it as the 
giggle she'd heard earlier.  Odd, from what she'd heard, the eldest 
Tendou sister wasn't the giggling type.
     "I've changed, Akane.  We all have.  I feel as if something's 
opened up inside of me, like I'm a flower just beginning to bloom.  
Listen to me, I'm even starting to talk like Tate-chan!"  She giggled 
again.
     Kodachi nearly lost her grip on the wall.  Tate-chan?!  As in 
Tatewaki?  She must have misheard, there was no way in hell...or was 
there?
     Akane spoke again.  "Kasumi, can you be sure that it's what you 
want?  I mean, I've been talking with Ranma about this, and even he's 
not sure if we're in control of ourselves yet.  How do you know that 
this isn't part of the controls he gave us?"
     "I don't," Kasumi replied.  "But Ranma says that until he gets the 
power to remove those controls, there's no way we can be sure.  I don't 
want to start second-guessing every decision I make, Akane.  I have to 
rely on how I feel.  And all I can tell you is that when I'm with 
Tatewaki, I'm happier than I've ever been."
     Kodachi's eyes glazed over.  She began to doubt her own senses.  
There was no way that she could have heard that.
     Unless...from what she'd read, this Kasumi was a very humble, 
motherly-type girl.  In fact, she seemed to act as a surrogate mother 
for the Tendous.  What if her brother had turned to her as a replacement 
for their own mother?  To get the affection that he lost when their own 
mother died?
     Kodachi heard a rushing sound in her ears, and felt light-headed.  
She gripped the wall tighter.  It did make sense...too much sense.  Her 
brother had grown tired of her.  He didn't need his sister to comfort 
him anymore, he had this woman.  A small whimper began to rise in her 
throat.   That must be it.  They were going to get rid of her.  She'd be 
out on the street, with nowhere to go.  Or worse, they'd put her in the 
hospital.  She'd heard people occasionally muttering about institutions, 
when they thought she couldn't hear them.  She'd rather die than go 
there.
     The voices drifted back towards her.
     "I still can't believe you did it right on his desk!"
     Another giggle.  Dammit, why was she so happy!  "It was a spur of 
the moment thing, Akane.  We were both feeling frisky, and one thing led 
to another.  I hope we didn't ruin the finish."
     "Kasumi!"
     A red haze appeared in front of Kodachi's eyes.  Her brother.  This 
woman.  Making love.
     No.
     Without even thinking, Kodachi was onto the balcony and into the 
room.  Her ribbon had appeared in her hand, but she didn't remember 
taking it out.  All she could see was her brother, making love to this 
woman while he laughed at her...
     She began to head towards the woman, trying to figure out the best 
way to cause her pain.  Akane Tendou appeared momentarily in front of 
her, shouting something, but Kodachi barely broke stride, shoving Akane 
out of the way.
     Kasumi skirted around towards the door, fear growing in her eyes.  
"Are you Tatewaki's sister?" she asked.
     Kodachi growled.  "So.  You do know me.  The two of you planned 
this.  How wonderful, how cosy.  Just fuck my brother and he'll throw me 
away like a rag doll."  She heard Akane call for someone else.  Dammit, 
more witnesses, the rational part of her mind screamed.  She shoved that 
thought aside, though.  Her ribbon lashed out, trying to catch Kasumi's 
wrist, maybe get in a position to break it.  Unfortunately, the woman 
dodged out of the way.
     Trying again, she found Akane Tendou once more barred her way, a 
defiant look on her face.  "I don't know who you are, but no one 
threatens my sister like that!"
     Kasumi was once again trying to get to the door and escape.  
Kodachi ran to stop her, throwing Akane aside again.  She fell against 
the wall again, cracking her head, and slumped to the ground 
unconscious.  
     One down, Kodachi thought grimly.  Unfortunately, the door opened 
and a young man walked in, accompanied by Nabiki Tendou.  This was 
getting desperate, Kodachi thought.  Too many people, and she wasn't 
fighting in the right frame of mind.  She'd have to escape for now and 
try again.  An ambush, perhaps, she was better at those.  In any case, 
she now knew who the woman was who plotted against her.
     The young man was kneeling by Akane Tendou, trying to get her to 
respond.  He seemed distressed, and Kodachi decided to comfort him.  He 
was certainly handsome enough.  "Don't worry, she's only out cold."  A 
smirk appeared on her face.  As if she could ever be beaten by Akane 
Tendou.
     The smirk vanished when he turned on her.  He was angry, that much 
was obvious, but there was more to it than that.  Something in his 
eyes...
     Kodachi suddenly felt afraid.  Afraid for her life.  She couldn't 
tear her eyes away, and this man was going to kill her.  She began to 
back away towards the window, still jack-knifed by his cold stare.  
Nabiki was pulling on him now, repeating the assertion that Akane 
would be alright.  Kodachi was breathing heavily now.  Why couldn't she 
tear her eyes away?
     And then he turned to tell Nabiki something, and she was free.  Out 
of the window and up to the roof.  Speed was of the essence now, she had 
to get home.  She'd be safe there, even with her brother.  She could get 
comfort from him.  She'd be alright with her brother.
     Before she could get to the next roof, though, he was there.  
Coming after her.  She gasped, almost a cry, and turned to run again.
     *STOP!*
     It was like someone had shouted into her mind.  Her legs turned to 
stone, and she couldn't move them.  She began to shake, not 
understanding what was going on.  Why couldn't she move, what was the 
matter with her, she was better than this, he's coming towards us, we 
have to move -- 
     And then he was upon her.  Pulling her down onto the roof, staring 
into her eyes.  His stare was terrifying.  A cold, hard look that spoke 
of repressed anger and rage.  She knew the look very well, of course, 
she had worn it herself on occasion.
     He was pressing himself against her now, and she felt a new fear 
run through her.  He was a man, after all.  Her brother wasn't near to 
protect her, why had she gone off on her own, how could she have been so 
foolish?  She tried to scream, to cry out, to do anything to stop this 
man from what he was about to do to her.
     Then there was something in her head, and protecting her body was 
no longer foremost in her mind.  It crawled along her skull, sifting 
through her memories.  She found herself gagging, trying to get it out, 
to tear it out of her mind, but of course she couldn't, it was *inside* 
her, you can't get rid of things that are inside you, you can only hide 
them, push them back, hope they don't get out.
     Some distant part of her mind, the one that still focused on the 
outside world, told her that she was naked now, that the boy was naked 
as well.  But that wasn't as important now, not as important as the 
thing in her mind looking through her thought and finding out how she 
felt and what she knew and all of her dreams...
     And then the thing in her head tried to change her.
     She could feel it, almost at the same time as she felt a sharp pain 
in her body and knew that he had penetrated her now, that she was no 
longer pure.  But the thing was trying to tell her things, make her 
think things she didn't want to.  Images of her mother and father, of 
her brother back when they were children.  Telling her to act *this* 
way, and not to feel *that* way, and eliminating any traces of the 
controls that she had created for herself.
     Her body lost all control of herself, and she allowed herself to be 
pounded into the rooftop roughly.  There was a slight drool coming from 
her mouth, even as the man tried to kiss her.  She was focusing the last 
vestiges of her control on getting rid of the thing in her head, but it 
was too strong, she was losing.
     Suddenly a warmth flooded through her body, and the thing was gone, 
even as the young man pulled out of her.  And she was alone, inside her 
head once again.  Inside the shattered remains of her mind.
     That was when she finally found the ability to scream.

***

     Her screams hadn't lasted long.  The young man had clamped a hand 
over her mouth and dragged her across the rooftop before she could 
react.  Not that she'd do much about it.  She was simply too terrified 
of what he might do to her to put up much of a fight.
     Then she was back in the room, and being laid on top of a bed.  She 
noticed that she was shivering badly, almost shaking.  Odd, it hadn't 
been that cold out.  She tried to think about why she would be cold, but 
her mind refused to focus on one thing for very long.  Anyway, someone 
was putting a blanket on her now, so everything would be alright.  She 
found herself curling up into a ball, even though it hurt.  Her body 
felt tender for some reason, and she needed to use the bathroom badly.  
She ended up hunching over on her side, wanting to grab her knees and 
being unable to do so.
     The other people in the room were talking, and Kodachi took their 
speech in, though very little of it meant much to her.  She took a deep 
breath, and was surprised to find it come out of her body as a 
shuddering gasp, almost a sob.
     Someone was saying that they'd go downstairs and wait in case any 
neighbours came to enquire about the scream.  Nabiki, she noted a few 
seconds later.  Odd, why wasn't she asking for money to do it?  She'd 
always seemed to be the sort who rarely did things for others without a 
price.
     Kodachi cried out, a small little shriek, and her hands flew to her 
head.  Her hair was still there.  For a moment she'd become convinced 
that it was gone, that they'd cut it.  Her mind was playing tricks on 
her, it wasn't supposed to do that.  She tried to focus.  What could she 
concentrate on?  For a moment she tried to feel the pain in her body and 
use that, but it wasn't working, it simply panicked her for some reason.  
She then tried to focus on the voices, and found this worked better.  
Concentrate on the voices, on what they're saying.  Hang on.  Keep 
control.
     "Do you think she'll be alright?"  Akane Tendou.
     "I don't know.  She's cut and bruised, mostly from the struggle 
during the fight."  The other woman, the one who'd stolen her brother.  
Kasumi.
     "Fight, Kasumi?"
     "Akane, please, just leave it for now.  She's also hurt because 
of...of the sexual encounter.  It was rough, and she was obviously a 
virgin.  I'd like to get her into the bath, but I don't think we should 
move her right now.  She's in a state of shock.  I wish Ranma was here, 
he'd be able to tell us more."
     "I should go check on him, he seemed upset."
     "Are you alright, Akane?"
     "I'm fine, it's just a bump.  There are more important things to 
worry about."
     There was a pause, and a door closing.  Kodachi imagined that 
someone had left the room.  Suddenly there was silence.  She couldn't 
focus on the conversation anymore, and she felt her mind slipping away.  
Panic once again rose in her throat.  She hated it, hated herself.  Why 
couldn't she deal with this, be strong the way she used to be?
     But for now, she was afraid.
     "Please speak.  Let me hear you."  Her voice was a croak that she 
barely recognised.
     "All right.  What do you want me to say?"  Dammit, it was the other 
voice, the woman.  Kodachi didn't want to be near her, wanted to get up, 
get out, get away, but she couldn't move.  She was too tired and she 
hurt.
     It seemed that she could speak, however.  "You've taken my brother.  
Seduced him, turned him against me."
     "So, you are Kodachi Kunou," Kasumi replied.
     Kodachi tried to force a laugh, but it came out as a choked cough.  
"Yes, I am Kodachi Kunou.  Answer me!  Did you seduce my brother?"
     "Well, put like that, I suppose I did."
     Kodachi blinked.  She hadn't expected an honest answer like that.  
She'd expected the woman to deny, or avoid the question some more.  She 
felt her anger lessening, replaced by a despair that she wasn't able to 
get rid of.
     Tears came to her eyes.  It was all for nothing, she could see that 
now.  Her brother didn't need her.  He had this woman, who could give 
him the love that Kodachi obviously hadn't been able to.  He could even 
get sexual pleasure from her.  He had no love left for her at all.  No 
one did.
     Kodachi began to sob, huge, wrenching sobs that wracked her body in 
agony as she felt the pain again.  Both the pain in her body and in her 
soul.  Now she knew where the fear came from.  It wasn't her usual fear 
of the unknown.  It was absolute knowledge of what was to come.
     "Where will you put me?"
     There was another pause, presumably while the woman thought of a 
polite, non-committal response.
     "What?"  She was good.  That had sounded genuinely confused.
     "You know what I mean!" Kodachi screamed.  "The home, the hospital, 
the asylum!  Where you take me so that they can lock me up and take me 
away from my brother and say that it's in the public good!  Isn't that 
what you both want!  Well, you did it!  I give up, you can have him.  I 
don't love him, I never did!  I don't love anybody!"  Her voice was raw 
with emotion, and her face was beginning to sting from the tears.
     Suddenly the blanket was ripped off of her, and she found her body 
being crushed in what must have been some pathetic attempt of a hug.  
Horror ran through Kodachi's mind, and she half-fell, half stumbled off 
of the bed, scrambling away from the woman.
     "GET AWAY FROM ME!!!  You aren't allowed to touch me, understand?  
No one can!"
     "What about your brother?"
     Kodachi stared at the woman, her mouth hanging open.  She could not 
believe what the woman had just said.  Neither could the woman, 
apparently, as she put her hands to her mouth, a horrified look coming 
to her face.  "My God, I'm sorry."
     Kodachi tried to get up, to get over to the woman, to punch her, 
slap her, make her pay.  But she'd barely crawled forward a few inches 
before she folded over and threw up.  For a moment, she felt a hand on 
her neck, but she slapped it away, and after that there was nothing.
     After she had emptied her stomach, she tried to straighten up, but 
this time it seemed as if her traitorous body had hit its limits.  A 
grey dizziness passed over her, and she fell over once again.  Into her 
own vomit, she idly noticed before passing out.  How apropos.

***

     She sat in the furo, staring at nothing in particular.  After her 
intense bouts of rage, fear, and self-pity, her mind had apparently 
decided to have her feel nothing at all.  There was nothing she could do 
now, after all.  She'd tried her best, and the boy had taken her down 
without a thought.
     He'd raped her.  Odd how her mind could deal with the thought now.  
Raped her body and then raped her mind.  There was obviously a lot more 
going on here than when she'd left.  If she was able to feel anything 
else, she'd probably regret her field trip, yet now she was simply able 
to shrug it off.
     She shifted, and felt a twinge coming from her sore vagina.  Well, 
so much for purity.  She wondered what she'd been saving it for.  Her 
brother?  They'd taken comfort in each other, even going as far as 
bringing each other to climax, but that was as far as they had gone.  
After all, they were both Kunous.  Their family name could not afford to 
get soiled.
     To her surprise, she found herself laughing.  The great Kunou 
family name.  What was it now?  An insane father who spent all of his 
time in Hawaii and his insane children.  Any glory that the Kunou family 
once had had long since been tarnished.  Their name meant nothing.
     She found herself thinking of her brother once again.  He seemed to 
have thrown off his blanket of madness.  Would he love her anymore?  
Would he want her anymore?  Was that genuine emotion, or just a product 
of their tortured psyches.  She certainly loved him.  At least she 
thought she did.  She had, at one point.  Did she anymore?  What did she 
feel?
     She looked down into the water, and noticed a reddish tinge towards 
the edges.  Odd, she would have thought that the woman (she still 
avoided using the name Kasumi) would have kept the furo in better shape.  
Then she saw that the red was coming from the sides of the tub.  She had 
apparently been smashing her fists against the sides.  She must have 
been doing it quite hard, for her hands were getting covered in blood.  
She opened them up and saw that her palms had large gashes in them where 
her nails had cut.
     She smiled to herself.  Well, perhaps I do still feel something 
after all.  She began to giggle, watching her hands continue to drip 
blood down into the furo, mixing with the hot water she lay in.  
Sacrificed in the blood of the lost lamb.  That thought seemed even 
funnier to her, so she started to laugh.  Not her affected laugh, the 
one that struck terror into the hearts of her colleagues.  This was a 
full belly laugh, wracking her body almost as badly as the sobs she'd 
uttered earlier.
     After a while, it began to hurt, but she couldn't stop herself.  
She tried to stand, or cry out, but she couldn't stop laughing.  Now it 
was really beginning to hurt, and she was doubling over in pain, her 
hands clutching at her stomach in agony.
     It took five minutes for her to calm herself to the point where she 
could get out of the furo.  She used her forearms to hoist herself over 
the edge, then collapsed to the floor, gasping in pain.
     She lay there, revelling in the feeling of the cool tile against 
her face.  Now that she could feel things again, she was trying to 
appreciate them.  The briskness of the tile against her contrasted with 
the heat in her hands.
     Suddenly she heard voices outside the bathroom.  One of them she 
recognised as her brother!  She tried to raise herself to a sitting 
position, at least, he couldn't see her like this.  She slid up against 
the side of the furo, but caught her hand on the edge and fell to the 
side.  She was really beginning to hurt now, and wondered if she would 
even be able to stay conscious for much longer.
     Then the door opened, and her brother walked in, followed by the 
woman.  The one he'd chosen over her.  Kasumi.
     He still looked serious.  Sane, her mind told her.  That's what you 
mean.  He looks sane, and you do not.  You look like a childish young 
girl who's trying to get sympathy now that she's lost everything.
     Kasumi gasped and came towards her, propping her back up against 
the side of the furo.  Kodachi wanted to scream, to pound on her and 
tell her to leave her brother and never return, but she was so weak.  So 
instead she let the girl bathe her hands in cold water from the bucket 
nearby.
     Thankfully she had to go get bandages, and so Kodachi was freed 
from her presence after a minute or so.  That left her with her brother, 
who had not moved from the doorway.  In fact, it didn't look as if he 
had reacted at all.
     She turned away.  She couldn't look at him now that he no longer 
loved her; it hurt too much.  When she spoke, it was almost a whisper.  
"Have you come to say goodbye, Brother?"
     This at least caused a reaction.  He started momentarily, as if he 
had not been looking at her at all.  "What?"
     She scoffed.  It sounded pathetic to her ears.  "At least have the 
decency to pay attention to me in our final moments together, Brother.  
I know you must find it sickening to face me now, but try please."
     He was moving now, kneeling down beside her and staring into her 
eyes.  "Is this better, Kodachi?"
     In fact, it was worse.  He was calling her Kodachi, and giving her 
a look that could almost be described as smouldering.  She'd always 
loved his eyes, with that heavy-lidded look that all Kunous possessed.  
It leant an air of the seducer to him, something he tried to take 
advantage of when he was in the grip of his madness.
     Now, though, there was no trace of madness in it.  She'd almost 
think it was concern, if she didn't know better.  It made her breath 
come quicker.  It had been a mistake to try and bait him like that.  Now 
he was close, and would surely be able to see and smell the desire that 
she could feel washing off of her.  She felt even more ashamed than 
she'd thought was possible.
     "Please say your peace and go, Brother."
     His voice was loud to her sensitive hearing.  "And where do you 
think I am going?  Sister, please do not try to guess at what I am 
feeling.  Even I have not been able to do so these past two days."
     "Very well then, Brother, I'll tell you what you are feeling.  
You're feeling that you finally have found love and peace with that 
Tendou woman.  You naturally wouldn't want to keep me around, I'd only 
remind you of your sordid past.  Besides, we both know that I am not in 
the best frame of mind.  And thanks to whatever that boy did to me, I no 
longer have even the most rudimentary control."
     She was shouting now, and the Tendou woman had returned, hovering 
by the door.  Kodachi didn't care anymore.
     "So you're going to take me to a very nice hospital, where they'll 
be able to give me the care and attention that you no longer find it in 
your heart to give.  And maybe when I'm sitting in a small room pumped 
full of drugs to keep me stable, you'll be able to assure yourself that 
it was the right thing to do.  And then forget all about me."
     She finally got up the nerve to turn back towards him.  She could 
barely see his face through her tears.
     "And that, Brother, is exactly what I know you are thinking."
     She lay back against the tub, exhausted.  She'd told him, at least.  
Now she could go to her new life with no last regrets of unspoken words.  
He knew.
     For a few minutes there was no sound except the harshness of her 
breathing.  Then her brother began to speak.
     "Kodachi, do you really think so little of me?"
     She blinked.  This was a response from him that she hadn't 
expected.
     "I don't know what sort of person you think I am, but I would 
never, *ever* abandon you like that.  You are my sister, and I love you.  
That is true no matter what your mood, or your mindset.  It will always 
be true."
     Everything seemed to have stopped.  She didn't seem to be 
breathing, and the tears on her face ran dry.  She realised her mouth 
was hanging open, and closed it.  "But..."
     "But what?  What reason do you have for imagining I could do this?"
     "I..."  She stopped as she realised that all the reasons that she 
held fast a few moments ago were now gone from her mind.  She looked 
down, and saw her bloody hands clutching at her sides, trying to wrap 
her body around itself.  "Brother, look at me."
     "I am.  I see a confused young girl who needs love and protection.  
I fail to see how she could get that in some institution."
     Kodachi played her last card.  "But what about her?"  She waved her 
head in Kasumi's direction, earning a flinch from the young woman.
     Her brother didn't react, though.  "What of her?  Kasumi and I are 
in a relationship.  We don't know where it will take us.  I'm hoping, 
perhaps soon, it may develop into love."
     Kodachi gasped, and started to fall again, but her brother caught 
her, and brought his face close to hers.
     "Why would that change what I feel for you?  Listen to me, Kodachi, 
and please take this to heart.  I am your brother, and you are my 
sister.  I will always love you.  We have endured too much together to 
abandon each other.  Do you understand?"
     She felt herself start to deny it, but something stopped her.  In 
among all the hatred and self-loathing, the fears that had been gnawing 
at her for years, was a tiny little spark of hope.
     And smothering that hope was her own love for her brother.  Which 
she realised was larger than she'd ever imagined.
     She smiled.  Pulling back, she tried to emulate his serious, 
concerned gaze.  She couldn't quite manage it, but that wasn't 
important.
     "I think I do."
     She saw her brother nod to Kasumi, who came forward slowly.  She 
held out the bandages, her face asking the question for her.  Kodachi 
slowly nodded, and Kasumi came forward and started to wrap her arms.
     Kodachi stared at her brother.  He was smiling.  A peaceful, warm 
smile.  She wanted to smile like that.  She wondered if she'd ever be 
able to.
     "Brother?"  The name no longer held the distance it once had.
     "Yes, Sister?"
     "Can I come home?"
     His smile grew wider.  "There is no need to even ask.  It is your 
home as well."
     She smiled, and finally allowed her exhausted body to sink into a 
restful sleep.

***

     It was almost three in the morning by the time Kodachi and her 
brother arrived back at the Kunou mansion.  By that time, he was almost 
falling asleep standing up.  He bade her good night, hugged her briefly, 
and then went off to his room.
     She went up to her room, but she couldn't sleep.  Besides the sleep 
she had gotten earlier, her mind was just filled with too many things 
for her to relax.  After about fifteen minutes staring at the ceiling, 
she abandoned the hope of any more sleep that evening and decided to go 
down to the garden.  Though she had instructed the servants as to the 
care of her plants while she was on the trip, they had lacked the extra 
care that she gave to them.
     As she entered the garden, she seemed to calm down a little more.  
She had always felt at peace here, among the plants and flowers.  Giving 
life, taking it away.
     Kodachi arrived at her pride and joy.  The black roses that had 
become so much a part of her life that eventually she had taken their 
name as their own.  They were so much like herself in some ways.  
Thought of as a darker counterpoint to the more popular red variety, yet 
not a true black.  A deep, deep purple that was a rich colour all its 
own.
     She worked on them for about half an hour, pruning, coaxing, making 
them fulfil all of their unrealised potential.  Making them beautiful.
     Kodachi wished that someone had been able to do that for her.  At 
first, in her early years, there was...there was...
     A bloom was crushed in her hands, and Kodachi stepped back, waiting 
until she had stopped shaking.  She did not wish to cause any more harm 
to her roses.
     Nonetheless, it would appear that certain subjects were still not 
safe to think about.  So she put it out of her head and moved on further 
down the garden path.
     Next to her black roses lay her brother's red ones.  He rarely paid 
much attention to anything else in the garden, but he had been as 
devoted to his flowers as she was to hers.  Now, though, she began to 
notice the lack of care they had seen over the past two days.  
Apparently since her brother's change, he had been neglecting them.  She 
would have to talk to him about that.  She would not allow him to let 
them die.
     She frowned as she came to the next row.  Here was where she kept 
most of her poisonous plants and flowers, the ones she used to trap and 
incapacitate her rivals.  She felt strange when she looked at them.  On 
the one hand, there was a feeling that she no longer needed them, that 
they were a part of her past that was best left forgotten.  On the other 
hand, you never knew what might come in handy, and if there came a day 
when anyone turned against her, well...
     Putting her hands to her temples, Kodachi decided this was another 
subject to put off until a later time.  For now she would continue to 
tend them, and if she decided later that she no longer needed their 
effects, she could transplant them and give them to someone who could 
care for them.
     A splash echoed from the far end of the room, and Kodachi smiled.  
One more visit to make before she returned to her room.
     Midorigame rose to the top of the pond as she sat on its edge, and 
she patted him on the nose.  Midorigame was something else that she had 
chosen for herself when...not in the best frame of mind.  Certainly 
having an alligator as a pet, especially one that was as brusque towards 
visitors as he, made her laugh.
     But she would never dream of getting rid of him now, no matter what 
her mindset.  She felt he understood her, even more than her roses.  
Sometimes even more than her brother.  She loved Midorigame, and was 
sure he returned that love.
     She wished she could be as certain about her brother.  Had Tatewaki 
meant those words he had said?  They seemed so sweet, but they were 
exactly what she needed to hear.  Had they truly come from his heart?
     Did she even know her brother anymore?  After she had woken, Kasumi 
had brought her into the Tendou living room, where they explained to her 
what had happened.  It was uncomfortable, both for her and for them.  
She paced the room at times, rubbing her hands up and down her arms as 
if suffering a chill.  At other times she clung to her brother like a 
leech, trying to reassure herself that he was not going to abandon her.  
She was pleased to notice that when she did this, Kasumi Tendou seemed 
to look mildly jealous.  It was nice to know that the woman could have 
emotions other than kindness and caring.
     They had explained how they had come together.  The boy, Ranma 
Saotome, apparently possessed some sort of mental power that enabled him 
to control other's minds.  They gave her a long, convoluted explanation 
as to how this came about, something about China and curses, but to 
Kodachi it was unimportant.  Ranma could bend other people's will to his 
own, that was what mattered.  
     Furthermore, he was not able to control himself when he did it.  
All of the people in the room, including her brother, had been raped by 
Ranma.  She noted that the Tendous avoided using the word, so she 
mentioned it as often as possible.  No use denying basic facts.  He was 
getting slightly better at controlling his power, but (as Kodachi 
herself showed) he was still able to subjugate anyone on a whim.  The 
whim in this case being her disabling of Akane Tendou.  Seeing her hit 
the wall unconscious had driven Ranma into a frenzy, and he had lashed 
out at Kodachi without even realising what he was doing.
     Perhaps the thing that terrified her the most was how calmly the 
Tendou women took this.  To them, this was a problem of Ranma's that 
could be overcome through hard work and everyone helping him.  Kodachi 
saw a man who had become a monster and was still trying to deny it.  And 
she suspected that the next time Ranma was faced with a dangerous 
situation, the same thing would happen.
     She suspected her brother was thinking along the same lines, from 
the looks he shared with her that evening.  She suspected the only 
reason he did not voice it was that it would upset Kasumi.
     Her face darkened, and Midorigame slid under the water.  He may 
have confessed his love for Kodachi, but she could see it was not the 
same as what he felt for that Tendou woman.  When he looked at her, 
Kodachi felt she was looking at a character from some shoujo manga.
     Getting up, she began the walk back to her room.  The dark thoughts 
in her mind deepened, and she began to think of ways that she could 
prove her brother's affection.  She didn't think she could stay here if 
she couldn't be sure that he loved her, more than he loved that other 
woman.
     She suddenly felt dizzy, and had to put her hand against the wall 
to steady herself.  She should stay in the garden more often; the moment 
she had felt her head felt fuzzy again, and her train of thought began 
to jump and swerve, making it difficult to keep to the point.
     Arriving at her room, she allowed herself to fall face first on the 
bed.  She was crying now, and allowed the emotion to take hold of her.  
What would she do if her brother was lying?  If all his words were meant 
to keep her happy, and to prevent her from going on a rampage?  Would 
she go on a rampage if he didn't love her?  Could she even do that 
anymore?
     She no longer knew if she could trust herself.  She used to be so 
sure, so confident in everything she did.  Now every decision was 
accompanied by a chorus of self-doubt.  Even now, her mind was screaming 
at her, telling her that she was just being paranoid, that everything 
was alright, that she should trust her brother.
     But she could no longer believe herself.  Which made it impossible 
to believe others.
     She needed proof that Tatewaki loved her.

***

     Kodachi stared at the far wall, willing her feet to move in a 
perfect line.  She'd always eschewed balance beams, believing that she 
should have enough mental discipline to create a straight line in her 
head to follow.  Indeed, for a year or two her head had been far more 
disciplined than her limbs, and she'd had to force herself not to give 
up.
     It had paid off, though.  For almost two years, she'd been the top 
gymnast at St. Hebereke's, after growing up watching older and stronger 
girls win the title.  She'd revelled in the feeling, the first time 
she'd felt truly happy since her mother had...
     She staggered, and put out a toe to steady herself.  Growling, she 
went back to the edge of the room and started over, visualising her path 
in front of her.  She should have known better than to try and think of 
such things while she was practising.  She looked over to the rack in 
the corner, where her pins and hoops lay waiting, but forced herself to 
turn away.  She wasn't ready for them yet.  Not when she couldn't even 
handle basic moves.
     She did feel more comfortable with her weapons, though.  After a 
lengthy stay at the top of the field in normal gymnastics, she'd found 
herself growing bored.  She longed for something to challenge her, to 
take her out of herself.  Anything to stop her thinking about her life.
     And so she'd followed the path of her brother, and began training 
for the martial arts gymnastics tournaments.  While she found herself 
challenged once more, it galled her to find herself once more at the 
bottom of the heap.  Furthermore, there were girls her age who'd been 
training for far longer than she had.  Beating them was going to be 
almost impossible by normal means.
     Kodachi, however, was not one to be stopped by normal means.  She'd 
found ways of making herself the best once more.  Hoops ringed with 
razor edges, a group of girls loyal to her who could adjust the ring if 
need be.  And of course, there was nothing in the rules that said that 
the contestants couldn't settle things before the fight.
     And so gradually she reached the top again, leaving a long line of 
competitors in her wake.  And if they limped slightly, well, her family 
had enough clout that no one would really look into the matter.  It 
wasn't important anyway.  What mattered was the winning...
     She stumbled forward, catching her toe on a crack in the floor.  
Cursing, she tried to throw her hands outward to keep herself upright, 
but her reflexes weren't fast enough and she fell to the ground.
     She turned over and stared at the ceiling.  When she had woken this 
morning, she went straight to the practice hall, reasoning that if the 
garden served to clear her mind, then the hall would have the same 
calming effect, and enable her to determine just how much she had lost 
thanks to this man rampaging through her mind.
     The answer was not pleasing her.  Fearing the worst, she had 
started with the basic balance exercises she'd done as a child.  She was 
finding them difficult.  It was a chore to try and focus on the line she 
was creating mentally in front of her *and* think of other things at the 
same time.
     It didn't help that her mind was struggling with the basic concepts 
she had held dear for years.  She thought of her previous methods of 
obtaining victory, and was shocked to find them...distasteful.  Her 
victories felt hollow now.  Ranma's influence, no doubt, but that didn't 
mean she could just discount it.  The others had said that when Ranma 
gained enough power, he could eventually free them, but Kodachi couldn't 
rely on that.
     For better or worse, she had to cope with these new feelings.  And 
that meant deciding whether she should completely ignore them...or try 
to incorporate them into what she now was.
     She got up and headed for the mats in the far corner to do some 
cool down stretches.
     A noise from the entryway made her turn.  Her brother stood there, 
wearing his old kendo outfit.  Her stomach dropped for a moment, but she 
quickly observed that there was none of the old madness in his stance.  
She let a small sigh of relief escape her.  She did not want her brother 
to become what he once was, and what she still was to an extent.
     He looked as if he was about to turn and leave, but she called out 
to him.
     "Wait, Brother, please."
     He turned back towards her, raising an eyebrow.  She smiled.  She'd 
always told him he looked like Mr. Spock when he did that.
     "Please, don't let my presence affect your training.  I am pleased 
to see that you have not abandoned your martial arts skills as easily as 
you have your gymnastics."
     Now her brother looked genuinely surprised, and walked over to her.  
She watched the smooth movement of his body, and had to clamp down on 
herself to stop from shaking.
     That was the other thing she'd been told about last night.  It had 
been glossed over, but she was wishing now she'd paid more attention.  
She had woken up sexually aroused, and it had not gone away, not even 
after the concentration of her practice.  She probably would have 
pleasured herself before rising if she hadn't been so sore.
     Now, however, she was feeling much looser, thanks to the stretching 
and workout.  This led to her brain entertaining itself with images of 
her brother stripping out of his clothing and standing naked before her.
     She blinked and shook her head.
     He seemed to notice.  "Good morning, Kodachi.  You are...you are 
looking well.  Much better than I had thought, in fact."
     She found herself blushing.  "Thank you, Ta--Brother."  Though he 
used her first name almost exclusively now, she couldn't yet bring 
herself to do it.  She was afraid that if she did, she would totally 
lose any inhibitions and try to make love to him.  And while he may not 
have minded in the past, she couldn't take the chance that he wouldn't 
become enraged and abandon her.
     She felt herself shaking again, and leaned back against the wall.  
"It is difficult," she said.  "I cannot rely on things that I once took 
for granted.  I thought that when Ranma invaded my mind, that I would 
lose everything.  For a few minutes, I did.  I was little better than a 
babbling maniac."
     Kodachi took a deep breath.  She felt like a babbling maniac right 
now, but couldn't stop the words from coming out.  "I'm still not 
recovered.  I don't know if I ever will be.  Some important part of 
myself was lost when Ranma did that to me, I think.  But in some ways, I 
feel more lucid then I had before.  I can reason calmly, without letting 
my emotions interfere, as you can attest they always did."  She laughed 
sharply.  "I seem to have picked up some moral principles somewhere as 
well, though I am fairly certain those came from the boy."
     Her brother didn't laugh, and she had to turn away before 
continuing.  "Unfortunately, it seems that I am unable to reason 
coherently enough to be able to accommodate any of these new thoughts.  
Every time I try to keep a coherent thought in my head, my mind strays 
away from it.  When I was my old self, I knew what I was doing, even if 
it was the wrong thing.  My psyche may have been in question, but my 
mind was not."
     She felt tears running down her face.  It seemed she couldn't even 
control that.  "But now that I can finally see what everyone else thinks 
is right, and begin to understand why they believe that, I can't do 
anything with it.  If I try, I get dizzy, or a headache, or I become 
aroused.." She blushed harder, and her face stand with the heat of her 
tears.
     She felt her brother's hand touch her shoulder, and before she 
could stop herself she reached out and pulled him into a fierce hug.  
This was probably a mistake, as she could feel the tautness of his body 
against hers.  She leaned into him, adjusting her body so that it rubbed 
against his.  Her mouth moved up to his ear, whispering into it.
     "You can see it even now, Brother.  I'm losing control.  I don't 
think even you would be able to stop me now."  She could feel his length 
hardening against her thigh, and it spurred her further.  She tightened 
her grip.
     "It's getting too hard to not pay attention to my feelings.  They 
said I'd be sexually aroused, but I didn't realise what that meant.  My 
entire body is one raw pulse."  Now she turned her head, to look into 
his eyes.  They were glazed over slightly, and he was breathing 
shallowly.  She smiled at the reaction she was getting.
     "It's odd, because I can't imagine myself doing it with anyone 
other than you."  She slipped her hand inside his shirt, feeling the 
thatch of hair covering his chest.  "I've always loved you, Brother.  
From the first time we came together, that one night."
     Now she grasped the edges of his tunic and pulled, the material 
falling to the ground.  She leaned her head against his chest, hearing 
the quickening pace of his heart.  She inhaled, and now the smell of him 
was there, sweat and musk.
     "Do you remember it, Brother?  I was crying, feeling myself for the 
first time in I don't know how long.  But it was too much for me to 
take.  Mother's...mother's death was on my mind, and I'd never felt more 
alone."
     Suddenly he was moving, gathering her up in his arms.  She gasped, 
startled at the sudden jolt.  But then she felt his hands moving over 
her body, exploring, and she relaxed, letting her brother lead the way, 
while trying to continue her words, hoping they would encourage him 
while keeping her mind stable.
     "You had heard my sobs, and came into the room.  At first I thought 
you were there to insult me, or get revenge for the things I had done to 
you.  But all you did was sit on the bed and hold me, Brother."  He 
brought her face to his, and she could see the love in his eyes again, 
tinged with a lust that left her feeling weak.
     "I don't know if you realise how that made me feel," she continued.  
Then all speech was stopped as her brother brought her mouth to his in 
a kiss that answered her question.  She made a small sound at the back 
of her throat, somewhere between a moan and a cry, and returned the 
kiss, opening her mouth for him.
     For a minute, there were no words between them.  Their tongues 
explored familiar territory, but the passion that was behind them seemed 
brand new, burning like heat from a sun.  Finally they had to break for 
air, panting.
     The respite did not last long, however, as her brother began to 
pull at her leotard, trying to remove it.  She smiled as she realised 
that it wouldn't last long; it was one of the oldest ones she had, and 
was even a bit small.  She must have chosen it unconsciously this 
morning.
     She decided to continue her monologue, to see if she could 
encourage him some more.  "I think when I first kissed you, it took you 
by surprise.  I could feel you tense up as I tried to slide my tongue 
into your mouth.  But then you let me taste you, and it was wonderful, 
Brother.  I never knew a man could taste so good..."
     She felt the fabric give way and the cool air hit her body.  She 
was now laying naked on the mat, and she stretched out to give her 
brother a good look at her body.  She panicked for a brief moment, 
wondering if he might notice the slight discolourations on her skin 
where Ranma had bruised her, but he didn't even seem to notice.
     He moved down to kiss her again, and this time he was the one to 
press his body against hers.  She tried to raise her body off the 
ground, but was kept down by the weight of his own.  She tried to keep 
her breathing normal.  "And as I kissed you, I realised that I wanted 
more of that taste, wanted more of you.  I could feel you against me, 
and the thought of seeing it made me so hot.  You were my first, you 
know, Brother.  I knew about sex, but I'd never had any experience until 
you."
     Now he was moving lower, his lips working down her collarbone.  She 
cried out when he stopped on her neck, his tongue feeling the pulse of 
her heartbeat.  Then he was moving further, heading towards her breasts.
     "I was expecting you to try and stop me, to tell me that I was 
doing something bad.  But I reached down inside your pants, and grabbed 
your cock.  It twitched in my hand, and I almost lost my nerve.  But I 
managed to free it, and it was the most wonderful thing I had ever seen.  
Long and hard...for me.  You felt that way because of me, Brother..."
     Now he was suckling her breasts, and it was driving her mad.  He 
refused to stay in one spot, first licking the left nipple, then moving 
to the right.  Further, his hands were roaming along her back, straying 
down occasionally to cup her ass cheeks.  It would have been far less 
maddening if he'd picked a spot and stayed with it, she thought between 
gasps of pleasure.
     It was becoming very difficult now to keep her mind on her story, 
but she did so.  "I was afraid at first.  I kept stroking it, watching 
it get even bigger.  I wondered how big you were going to get, it didn't 
seem like it was going to stop.  And then I finally got up the courage 
to take it into my mouth.  I licked around it, getting the feel of a new 
sensation.  It was a different taste, but I liked just as much as I had 
when I kissed you."
     She managed to extract herself from her brother's attentions long 
enough to pull his pants off.  They were reluctant, as he was now 
incredibly aroused.  She stopped her speech to gaze again at his penis, 
which still took her breath away as much as it had those years ago.
     "Then I took the tip into my mouth, and you cried out.  I liked 
that a lot, getting you to lose control like that.  I was always the one 
who lost control.  I couldn't take you all in...I still can't.  But I 
wanted to.  I wanted to be able to take you inside of me.  And so I 
moved up and down, taking more and more of you into my mouth, until I 
was almost choking."
     She was saying the words without even thinking now.  Her body was 
moving against his in a frenzy, pressing her opening against his member 
without actually letting it enter her.  But she stopped, panting, and 
looked into his eyes, forcing him to pay attention to her.
     "We've revisited that night many times, Brother.  You've given me 
pleasure as well, and we have comforted each other many a night.  But we 
have never actually made love to each other.  I was still a virgin, and 
you would not spoil that.  And I loved you for that.  I do still.
     "But I am no longer a virgin.  Ranma has ensured that.  Any damage 
that could have been done has, and no husband will be able to despoil me 
on our wedding night."
     She was crying again, but these were almost tears of joy, of an 
event she had been longing for finally coming to pass.  It was time for 
another barrier to be broken.  She spoke her next words carefully.
     "Tatewaki, would you make love to me?"
     She'd said it.  All of her feelings and desires were laid bare for 
him.  What would he do?  She bit her lip, wondering if she had pushed 
things too far.
     Then he smiled, and kissed her again, and she felt her heart soar.
     He steadied himself over her.  She was puzzled as to why he 
treating her so oddly, and then realised that he was afraid of hurting 
her.  She smiled at him in encouragement.
     Then he was entering her, and she realised that he had a point - 
she was feeling some pain.  She tried to hide it from him, but something 
must have given it away, because he stopped suddenly, and tried to draw 
out.
     She grabbed his rear and drew him down, not allowing him to leave 
her.  This had the unfortunate effect of pulling him deeply inside her, 
and she let out a small shriek.  She'd mentioned how impressed she was 
with his size earlier, but that was a very different experience from 
having it inside her.  For a moment the pain was almost overwhelming, 
but then it began to fade, and she began to realise that feeling her 
brother inside her at last was something very, very good.
     She opened her eyes, and tried to smile up at him.  "Don't stop 
now," she moaned.
     And then all thought was lost to her, as he began thrusting in and 
out, leaving her drowning in a pleasure of sensation.  She began to move 
in tandem with him, their bodies thrusting up and down on the mat.  They 
were sliding down towards the middle of the room, but she was beyond 
caring.  Her legs rose into the air, trying to give him more room, to 
enable him to drive in even further.  She opened her eyes, and saw the 
look of intense passion that drove him as he continued to delve into her 
depths.
     Then he cried out, and she felt him releasing his seed inside of 
her.  That thought triggered something within her, and she found herself 
coming with an electric intensity, something she'd never achieved 
before, whether through her own ministrations or Tatewaki's stimulation.  
This was something different.  This was...love.
     She felt a surge of happiness run through her.  She knew now that 
Tatewaki would never be able to abandon her.  If he had been concealing 
his feelings for her, he would never have been able to make love to her 
like that.  Still feeling little quivers of pleasure running through 
her, she managed to mover her lips up to his ear again.
     "I love you, Tatewaki."
     He didn't answer, but there was no need for verbal agreement.  She 
felt his love within her, both literally and figuratively.
     Suddenly his arms tightened around her, and she felt him pull out 
of her.  Something had happened.  She turned and saw the reason for his 
actions.  Kasumi Tendou stood in the doorway, one hand over her mouth.
     Tatewaki got up, and began to struggle into his clothing.  His gaze 
never left Kasumi.  Kodachi stared at him, not daring to believe that he 
could just ignore her as he seemed to be doing.
     For a moment the only movement was of Tatewaki getting into his 
clothing.  Kodachi tried to think of what she should do next, what she 
should be feeling.  Nothing was coming.  She was feeling anger, passion, 
love, hatred, jealousy, and none of these told her what to do.  They 
just flared within her, each taking command for a brief moment and then 
settling back into her psyche.
     Finally, her body managed to settle on a course of action.  She got 
up and ran out of the room, not even looking at the woman still frozen 
in the doorway.
     She made it halfway to her room before the shaking became so 
uncontrollable that she fell to the ground convulsing.

***

     When she woke, she was lying on her bed, covered by a blanket.  She 
wanted to believe that it had been Tatewaki who had helped her to her 
room, but the sight of the blanket neatly tucked into the corners of the 
bed belied that.  It had been the woman who'd done this to her.
     She should have known better.  She'd been fooling herself.  She 
wanted to believe in his professed love so badly, but now it was quite 
clear that he only had eyes for Kasumi Tendou.
     Well, she'd asked for proof.  There it was.
     She opened her eyes slowly, waiting to see if there was anyone else 
watching her, but the room was empty.  Gingerly, she lifted the blanket 
off of her - her skin was tingling, whether from the aftermath of her 
sexual encounter of some other means, she had no idea.
     Standing up, she realised that she was still naked, and moved to 
her closet to see what she could find.  Her usual leotard was probably 
not a good idea, especially as the last one she'd worn was in shreds on 
the practice room floor - that is, if the woman hadn't disposed of it 
already.  She settled on a loose fitting shirt and slacks, giving 
herself enough freedom of movement without hugging her body.
     She lay back down on the bed and stared at the ceiling.  She needed 
to try and think about the state of her mind now.  It was apparent that 
she was thinking clearly again, but this was after another breakdown in 
the hallway, with uncontrollable shaking.  Was it random, or coming from 
the situation?
     Her reverie was interrupted by voices outside her door, which she 
recognised as that of Tatewaki and Kasumi Tendou.  Her voice seemed 
excited for some reason, but she was unable to discern what her brother 
was thinking from the monotone of his responses.  She closed her eyes 
and focused on what they were saying.
     "...been doing some reading," Kasumi was saying, "And I think I was 
able to figure out some of what might be affecting your sister."
     "Oh?"  Her brother's voice didn't seem either interested or 
offended.
     "I had some textbooks that I didn't get a chance to return to Dr. 
Tofu before he left, and they have some definitions of personality 
problems that your sister might be suffering from."
     "And you believe that you these definitions might help her?"
     "Well, I'd need to speak with her, but I think so.  I think I found 
her type described in here."  There was a brief fluttering of pages.  
"Borderline can be defined as major shifts in mood, unstable self-image, 
and/or marked impulsivity.  There is also a tendency towards 
relationship problems..."
     Kodachi had heard enough.  She didn't know how long she'd be able 
to deal with this before breaking down again, but she was willing to 
take that chance.  She leapt to her feet and threw the door open, 
startling Kasumi.  Grabbing the book, she threw it down the hall.  She 
then rounded on the woman, grabbing her shoulders and throwing her 
against the doorframe.
     "If you are going to live in this house with my brother, then you 
are going to have to live with me.  And I will not be treated like some 
sort of lab rat for your experiments!"  She felt herself getting 
angrier.  She tried to stop it, but it was out of control now.  She 
raised a hand to hit the woman...
     And had her wrist grasped by her brother, stopping her in mid-
motion.  She spun around to look at him, the anger still in her face.
     "No," he said.
     She gasped, and found herself looking into his eyes.  There was no 
expression there, no love, no hate, nothing.  He didn't feel anything.
     She pulled her arm away and tried to get back into her room, but 
fell to her knees before she could clear the doorway.  Letting out a 
small sob, she fell forward into the room, kicking the door closed 
behind her.
     She'd done it again.  Embarrassed herself in front of her brother.  
Shown that she was sick, not fit to live with him.  She'd tried to hit 
his lover, expecting him to be offended, upset, enraged.  But she didn't 
even merit that.  He felt nothing for her.
     Calming, she could once again hear the voices from outside the 
door.
     "You knew that she would be listening!"  Kasumi Tendou actually 
sounded fairly upset.  Kodachi hadn't believed that she could be 
anything other than pleasant and friendly.
     "My sister's hearing is exceptional.  I have always had to be very 
careful about what I say aloud in this house, lest she find out and use 
it against me in some way."  The words tore at Kodachi, especially as 
she knew that he knew that she was listening.
     "Then why did you allow me to say such things!  I don't want her to 
hate me!"
     "If my sister is going to be helped, it will be done with love and 
caring.  It will not come from any textbook.  I would advise you to 
remember that."
     Footsteps followed, quickly heading down the hall.  Kasumi's, 
Kodachi realised.  She waited for her brother to enter the room, to take 
her up in his arms, to tell her how mistaken he had been, and that he 
loved only her, and that Kasumi was gone.  Then he'd lead her to the 
bed, and they'd make love again, uninterrupted, and it would be so 
sweet...
     Instead, after a few minutes of silence, she heard his footsteps 
follow those of Kasumi down the hall.

***

     For the rest of the day, she remained in her room, only emerging to 
find something to eat.  There was no sign of either Tatewaki or Kasumi 
Tendou when she did so.
     Much to her surprise, she slept like a rock.  All of the emotional 
ups and downs she'd gone through the other day must have exhausted her 
more than she'd thought.  Well, that plus the combination of a thorough 
workout and intense sexual passion...
     She could not get the encounter with Tatewaki out of her mind.  
Thinking about it still sent a shudder of desire through her body.  His 
hands moving over her body, the feel of his mouth on hers, the joy when 
he finally entered her.  All of this kept replaying in her head over and 
over again, adding to her difficulties in concentration.
     She was beginning to realise that her attacks were provoked by 
excessive emotional encounters.  When she tried to be angry, or happy, 
or any other type of strong emotional state, her mind drew back, and 
caused the dizziness and convulsions within her.  She wondered if that 
meant that she would only be at peace with herself if she remained a 
neutral zombie, unable to feel anything for fear of bringing on those 
symptoms.
     She decided that she would rather die than live that way.
     She was startled by a knock on the door.  She moved towards it, 
expecting Tatewaki to have come to speak with her.
     Opening the door, she fought down her panic and rage.  It caused a 
spasm to run through her and she winced briefly.
     Kasumi Tendou stood in the doorway, looking almost as wary as 
Kodachi felt at the moment.  She was holding her hands open in front of 
her, in almost a supplicating posture.
     "I don't have any books, and I promise I won't try to psychoanalyse 
you.  I just want to talk to you.  You can throw me out anytime you 
like, and I'll go."
     Kodachi blinked.  "Fine, get out."
     "No!"
     A smile came to Kodachi's face.  "You did promise."
     Was that a look of irritation that crossed her face?  Kodachi 
remembered her surveillance reports about this woman.  She didn't get 
irritated.
     "Please, just let me talk to you for a few minutes."
     Kodachi sighed.  She had the feeling that if she refused, the woman 
would just try again later.  Besides, her initial outburst seemed to 
have passed, and she was ready to try and have a conversation with the 
woman without breaking down.  She nodded briefly and showed Kasumi into 
her room.
     Just because Kasumi wanted to talk, however, did not mean Kodachi 
had to be a gracious host.  She lay back down on the bed, turning face 
down into her pillow.  "So talk," she said, her voice muffled.
     "I..."  Kasumi seemed uncertain, or deceptive.  Kodachi couldn't 
tell which, and suspected it was a little of both.  "Despite what you 
may think, I want to be your friend, Kodachi."
     Kodachi rolled over and glared at her, forcing herself to remain 
calm.  "Very well, *now* get out.  I don't need to lie here and listen 
to you lie to me.  You do not wish to be my friend, you wish to 
ingratiate yourself with my brother.  Do you think I'll simply sit here 
and let you use me as a --"
     "SHUT UP!" Kasumi yelled, jumping to her feet.  The action was so 
unexpected that Kodachi did stop, her mouth open slightly.
     Kasumi marched over to the bed, leaning her face down towards 
Kodachi's.  "What the hell am I supposed to do?  You're here!  I have to 
deal with you!  Quite frankly, I'd be happy to have you shut away and 
never have to hear from you again, but your brother loves you, so I 
can't!  So will you please allow me to talk to you without telling me to 
leave, so I can see how I can deal with you and find out how NOT to 
offend you every time we speak?!"
     For a moment, they were frozen in that position, the only sound 
Kasumi's breathing as she came to the end of her outburst.  Then Kodachi 
began to laugh.  It was a long, loud, belly laugh, and it felt very 
good.  She stopped after a few moments when she felt her body start to 
quiver again.  Dammit, she couldn't even laugh anymore.
     She turned back over, but this time lay so that her head was turned 
towards Kasumi.  "Thank you.  You've just made me feel a lot better."
     She almost laughed out loud again at the look of total confusion on 
the young woman's face.
     "Please understand, until now I had thought that you were a 
wonderful, kind, caring, perfect woman.  That even your mistakes were 
made through pure and noble intentions, and that you truly thought the 
best of everyone.  You have no *idea* how relieved I am to hear you 
admit that you've no idea what to think of me.  I've certainly no idea 
what to think of you."
     Kasumi seemed to have recovered from her earlier outburst, and sat 
down on the chair next to Kodachi’s desk.  "What do you mean?  You 
barely know me."
     "You're the eldest of three in your family, a family with a long 
history of martial arts.  Although you and your siblings all trained in 
the basics of martial arts, you and Nabiki Tendou abandoned the art 
after the death of your mother ten years ago.  Since then, you have done 
your best to fill the void she left by becoming the perfect wife, 
mother, and housekeeper, with the exception of taking up your mother's 
place in the bedroom.  Everyone who knows you describes you as a perfect 
example of the Japanese woman, kind, caring, sympathetic.  Your only 
supposed flaw is that you still didn't have a husband, and several of 
the town busybodies were thinking of talking to your father about an 
arranged marriage of some sort for you."
     She paused to notice the stunned expression on Kasumi's face, and 
decided to make things easier by explaining.  "The Kunous are a wealthy 
family.  I've been keeping surveillance on anyone who might threaten it.  
And since until recently, my brother had an obsession with your sister 
Akane, and had in the past some sort of friendship with Nabiki, that 
included your family."
     Having confessed that, Kodachi decided to remain silent, wondering 
what the woman's reaction would be.
     Eventually Kasumi spoke.  "You already know what Ranma did to each 
of us.  You've seen what it's done to you.  Don't think that the rest of 
us have gotten off with no changes except an increased sexual drive.  
For a while, I was totally devoted to stripping away my old persona.  I 
wanted to go out and screw the first man I could get my hands on, just 
for the sheer joy of it.  It turned out to be your brother.  Ranma had 
just...taken him, and I went to see if he was alright.  I couldn't 
control myself, and we ended up having sex."
     Kodachi sat up suddenly, thinking of something.  "What was your 
reaction when you walked in on Tatewaki and I having sex in the training 
hall?"
     Kasumi's hands clenched at her dress.  "I had told Tate-chan that I 
understood the love that he had for you, and that if he wanted to take 
it further, it wouldn't bother me.  After all, my sisters and I had made 
love several times in the past week."  Kodachi raised an eyebrow at 
this, but said nothing.
     "But when I saw the two of you in the hall...I was upset!  I 
couldn't believe that he would do it so quickly!  When you ran by, I..." 
She stopped and looked down, turning red.
     Now Kodachi was curious.  "You what?"
     "I almost hit you," Kasumi muttered, almost inaudible.
     There was another long silence while Kodachi tried to work out what 
to do next.  She chose her words carefully.
     "I want you to know that I still intend to win the love of my 
brother.  No matter what I may be like now, I will do whatever it takes.  
Unfortunately, it seems at the moment that he is enamoured of you, so we 
have to deal with each other."
     Kasumi nodded.  "You should know, then, that I intend to win your 
brother's heart as well.  Don't think you can scare me off as easily as 
you did yesterday."
     Kodachi waved her hand vaguely.  "Yes, of course, I wouldn't expect 
anything less."  She then became more serious.  "I also want to make it 
perfectly clear that I do not want or need any help from you in getting 
better.  That is my problem and I will deal with it myself.  If I think 
you are starting to treat me like a patient rather than a person, I will 
not be held responsible for what I do.  Understand?"
     Kasumi sighed.  "I apologise, if that means anything."
     "It doesn't."  Kodachi stood up.  "I also don't want you avoiding 
me.  I intend to tell Tatewaki the same thing.  I don't know what I can 
do to improve my mental state, but one thing I've noticed is that I feel 
better when I am around others.  If this means we must suffer the 
other's company, then so be it."
     This time Kasumi smiled, looking more like the woman Kodachi was 
familiar with.  "Of course.  By the way, I should add that I still have 
every intention of sleeping with your brother as often as possible."  
There was a gleam in her eye.
     Kodachi accepted the unstated challenge.  "As do I.  We'll have to 
be very careful not to wear him out.  Oh, and be warned.  You say that 
you have slept with your sisters, but you will not be sleeping with me.  
Understand?"
     Kasumi smiled, and held out her hand.  "Perfectly."  There was a 
gleam in her eye that Kodachi distrusted, but she took the other woman's 
hand anyway.
     They were interrupted by another knock on the door, followed by 
Tatewaki entering the room.  "Is everything all right?" he asked.  
Kodachi could tell by his wary expression that he had been expecting 
another fight.
     She strolled over to him, rubbed her leg up against his crotch, and 
gave him a deep kiss.  After 30 seconds or so, she broke it, and looked 
back into his eyes, which were starting to glaze over again.
     "I wouldn't say all right.  But I think things are going to be 
interesting."
     Suddenly Tatewaki was jerked from her arms, and Kasumi was kissing 
him, trying to surpass Kodachi in intensity.  After a full minute she 
let up.  Her brother was now wearing a look of delirious bliss on his 
face.  "Very interesting, I agree." Kasumi said, smiling at Kodachi.
     Kodachi smiled back.  She'd have her work cut out for her.


Epilogue

     Ranma sat on top of the Tendou home, watching the sun sink over the 
homes and businesses.
     Things were getting dangerous.  Dangerous and scary.  Once again, 
he hadn't been able to control himself.  He was beginning to wonder if 
something in him subconsciously wanted to do these things.  Ryouga had 
showed him that it *was* possible to work with the mental abilities 
without giving into the lust and power.
     The last time, with Kodachi, and almost done him in.  He'd tried to 
hide it, but Kodachi's mind hadn't been like the others.  It wasn't a 
matter of unblocking memories, or adjusting thought processes.  
Kodachi's problems seemed to involve some sort of chemical imbalance.  
And there was absolutely nothing he could do about that.
     It had hurt him to go into her psyche like that.  He had almost 
lost himself within her, tortured by a mind so different from the ones 
he had seen previously.  He'd ended up taking it out on her physically, 
hammering himself into her during sex so hard that she developed 
bruises.  He had totally lost control.  Again.
     It had been Akane.  Seeing Akane lying unconscious against the wall 
had driven Ranma into a frenzy.  What made it hurt even more was that 
she knew this.  She knew and she thanked him for caring about her.  He'd 
almost bitten his tongue when she said that.  Caring?  He'd raped her 
and her sisters, for God's sake!
     He wasn't deserving of her love, and felt ashamed when she gave it 
to him anyway.  It ashamed him that he couldn't run away from it.  He 
needed her love, however false it might be.  And he would stay with her 
until he could free her from his influences...stay until he could watch 
that love turn to hate.
     He lay back, staring at the darkening sky.  His life was such a 
mess.  He couldn't control his mental disciplines, and had been too 
distracted to keep up with his physical training.  Kasumi was trying to 
figure out whether she was a homemaker or a wanton rebel, Nabiki was 
sinking further and further into depression, and Ryouga lurked at the 
edge of the city, waiting for Ranma to fall.  And now he had Kodachi to 
worry about, a girl with mental problems that couldn't be solved by just 
reaching into her head and flipping switches.
     A noise at the edge of the roof made him turn.  Was Akane coming up 
here?  He got up and walked over to see what it was.  After a few 
moments he concluded that it must have been his imagination and turned 
back towards the centre of the roof.
     A large weight smacked him in the face, knocking him down onto his 
back.  He tried to spin to get back up, but someone was upon him now, 
trying to knock him out with a blow to the head.
     Then he realised that it wasn't a blow to the head, but more of a 
massage of his scalp...and then everything turned black.


End of Part 4


Author's Notes:  Well, here's yet another part that changed a great deal 
between initial concept and actually writing it.  Trying to get the 
balance between Kodachi's mood swings is one of the more difficult 
things I've written, and I hope I managed to achieve it.

Part 5 will be Ranma-less, as our little group of maladjusted young 
people tries to figure out what happened to him, what to do about it, 
and whether they *should* do anything about it.  Hopefully, Akane will 
be the star of that part, although I will continue the Kunou/Kodachi/ 
Kasumi plot.

And yeah, that was Shampoo at the end.  Surprise, surprise...^_^

Thanks to the usual suspects in the Keep, and special thanks as usual to 
Lara Bartram for snicker-snagging on me till I wrote this.

--SG