Dolled Up 1/2: Forms of Vengeance
Unending BE - episode 749869
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Vengeance is a tricky thing. Quite often when one acts out of spite or malice or revenge, it prompts the victim to retaliate in kind. Nobody sees themselves as anything but an innocent, and anyone that wrongs them as a villain awaiting comeuppance. An eye for an eye would surely leave the world blind. Of all the kinds of vengeane that existed, it was the mindless variety that was the worst by far. Mindless vengeance cannot be reasoned with, cannot be stopped and cannot result in anything but misery for all involved. Even the revenger. Especially the revenger.
There once was a story of a beautiful, vain young woman that, as many like her are wont to do. fell in love with a man. The man would give her expensive gifts and poetic flattery, with the most favoured gift of all being an ornately crafted doll that reminded the young woman of herself. In return for this and more besides she gave him her heart and her body. The doll would go with her whereever she went, her favourite possession and constant reminder of the one she loved so dearly. All went well, until one day she discovered him in the midst of a tryst with another woman. In the struggle that ensued she wound up with a pair of scissors in her chest. The heart that she had given so freely had been pierced and destroyed, leaving her dead on the floor. The man used his influence to have the death ruled as self defense, and even had the cheek to give the doll his former girlfriend loved so to his mistress.
The next day, both were found dead in what had appeared to be an act of murder suicide. The room had been trashed, the girl swinging from her neck while the man lay in several pieces all over the floor. From what could be told by the evidence present, the man had been stabbed to death by the woman, and then she had torn his body apart as best she could with her own bare hands. There was little question of this, given the blood all over her hands and underneath her fingernails. Nobody knew what the cause could be, but the strangest thing about the crime scene was the doll. It lay in the corner of the room, and was the only thing within that did not have one single drop of blood upon it. The location was later turned into an inn, and the doll lay there ever since. It would come to be believed that there was a vengeful spirit within the doll that would come for those that had wronged it, a myth helped along by the mysterious deaths that occured in the nearby area...
While many myths arise from little more than supposition and coincidence there was more to it than that in this case. The doll did indeed have the power to switch its vengeful spirit with that of whoever it pleased, using its new form to get close to anyone that dared disturb it so that it could enact a terrible vengeance upon the guilty party. In this case the intended victim would be one Ranma Saotome, while the possessed victim was his fiancee Akane Tendo. But the doll had reckoned without Akane's remarkable will - no, that is perhaps not the right word. Perhaps determination is better? For she quickly mastered the ability to move around in this new and unfamiliar body and interfered with the attempts by the hijacker of her own physical form to kill Ranma and in the process alerting him to the fact that something was very wrong with "her". This is where we enter this play, as it reaches what would appear at the time to be the final act. Let us see how it carries out from here...
"Whew, that was crazy," Ranma said. He didn't know what was going on, and didn't even want to start to speculate. First Akane started acting all weird and girly around him, then they get interrupted by this moving doll and Akane starts attacking him in a way she never had before. What was all that "Vengeance from heaven" stuff about?
He looked down at the doll lying in his arms. "What an amazing doll," he remarked. "It tried to protect me. Oh, you poor thing. You're all dirty." It wasn't much of a payback for trying to help save his life, but the very least he could do was rub a little dirt off its cheek. Huh. It was weird, but now that he got a better look at it... "It looks like Akane," he mused, then gasped when he realised that the doll was crying. Crying real tears, as though it was more afraid right now than it had ever been. He didn't get the chance to complete the thought, as a sudden movement behind him alerted him towards Akane's presence. The next thing he knew they were both falling from the tree down towards the hot springs below. "Idiot! Falling from this height could kill you!" he yelled.
"I don't care!" Akane cried back. "I'm just using this body to exact my revenge!"
Using? Wait a minute... It couldn't be, could it? No time to think about that! He twisted her around, pulling her on top so that he would take the brunt of the fall. “I won’t let you get hurt!” he declared, hoping that this would be enough. The expression on Akane's face flickered into surprise just before they hit the water. He could feel the air trying to force its way out of his lungs, but managed to control it enough that he could reach down and pull Akane to the surface. "Akane! Are you hurt?"
She patted at her face, pinched her cheek and rubbed the side of her head. "I- I'm me again!" she sniffled. "I'm me again! Wah! I was so scared!" Akane taclked him, held onto him and from this postion all he could do was try to comfort her as she let out all of her relief that whatever had just happened was all over.
After this, the strangest thing happened at the inn. A few months later, a drunken guest stumbled into the doll, knocking it to the ground. He replaced it carelessly and to the surprise of the innkeeper not only survived the night but would go on to return to the inn for many years to come. No further instances of mysterious deaths occured that could be reasonably connected to the doll, though there were of course a few instances that were entirely unrelated. It wasn't as if the doll was the only spirit of vengeance around... Not that it was a spirit of vengeance anymore.
Before we continue, there is something one must understand about Ranma Saotome, and the manner in which he manages to acquire romantic interests. Let us examine the three primary candidates for his heart in the order that they began to become romantically entangled with him after his arrival in Furinkan.
Akane Tendo, the youngest daughter of Soun Tendo and heir to the Tendo school of Anything Goes Martial Arts. She was engaged to Ranma as part of an arrangement between her father and Ranma's. Neither particularly wants to get married, and the two of them argue like cat and dog on a fairly consistent basis. In spite of that the two of them have developed strong romantic feelings towards one another that neither is capable of admitting even to themselves.
Shampoo, champion of her generation from the Joketsuzoku. Due to a spot of carelessness and hunger by the Saotomes while visiting her village combined with the fact that Ranma was in girl form at the time, Shampoo wound up making an attempt to murder Ranma in girl form only whenever she caught the slightest glimpse of the target. As soon as she realised Ranma was male, she switched her emotions around with the stated intention of marrying him instead.
Ukyo Kuonji, okonomiyaki cross dresser and childhood friend to Ranma Saotome. Her father attempted to make a deal with Genma Saotome, that he stabbed them in the back for. Ukyo discards her femininity out of abject humiliation, and then trains furiously in the attempt to seek revenge on the Saotomes. She finds Genma and beats the living hell out of him, then attempts to do the same to Ranma. With one phrase all of her years of hatred melt away and she decides to pursue him romantically instead.
Does the pattern become clear quite yet? Then let us put it another way. There is a tendency for strong feelings of initial hatred towards Ranma Saotome to blossom into romantic feelings, at least where girls are involved. Once is amusing. Twice is a coincidence. Three times is a pattern. Would it be all too surprising to learn that the pattern held?
It was the first night after the Tendos and Saotomes had returned home from their vacation, and Akane was getting ready for bed. She was still rather cross at Ranma for what happened at the inn. His carelessness not only nearly got him killed, but it nearly got her stuck as a doll for the rest of her existence! Sometimes he was so thoughtless and inconsiderate. It was inevitable something like this would have to happen eventually. It was inevitable this would catch up to him, but why did she have to be the one to pay for his mistakes? And on top of everything else, the doll just had to go right ahead and strip naked right in front of him! Showing him everything!
Then again he had tried to take all the impact from that fall. And he did notice that the doll looked like her which had made her cry. A neat trick considering that when she checked later on the doll didn’t have any tear ducts.
Chalk it all up to another case of Ranma being confusing. Insulting one minute, sweet the next. He was impossible to read. Just when she thought they were getting closer, something else pulled them apart. Was it any wonder they got into arguments all the time?
Akane rolled into bed, pulling her covers over her as she went to sleep. Forget it, she advised herself. Just, try to put this nightmare behind you and get on with your life.
She was in a dark hallway that seemed to stretch into eternity. How had she gotten here? Where was she? “H-hello? Is anyone here?” she called into the darkness, hoping that someone would answer back and help her get home.
“Down here,” a voice called from further down the corridor, much to Akane’s relief. “I would like to talk with you for a moment.”
With a heavy sigh of relief Akane walked down the corridor towards the voice. She couldn’t see who was talking, which upon realising made her tense up ready to run at the very first sign of trouble.
The corridor did indeed eventually end in a familiar looking door. “Come inside,” the voice beckoned, and Akane threw the door open, not knowing quite what to expect. She had to be ready for anything!
Ah, but she wasn’t ready to see the dojo! Her dojo! A place that she had spent so many hours in over the years. A place that she knew every bit as well as the back of her own hand. Every little scratch, every bit of repair work, every dent every imperfection every everything. But how did she get here? What was going on?
“You are dreaming,” the voice said. “We are inside your mind, and I would have words with you.”
Akane spun on her heels towards the sound of the voice, instinct drawing her into a battle stance. On seeing the two eyes shining in the darkness her instinct changed its mind, causing her to back away in fright. She’d never been able to handle scary movies, and this was like a moment ripped right out of one!
“Hello Akane,” the voice said. She could make out the outline of the voice source now, and it didn’t make her feel any better. “I felt that it would be best if we conversed in the place that you feel the safest. This is your home of homes. The anchor of your mind. Please forgive this intrusion, but it would appear that we are stuck with one another.”
It was the doll. That damned doll that had possessed her and tried to - “I won’t help you! I won’t let you kill Ranma!”
“I no longer have any intention of killing your fiance,” the doll replied, its lips unmoving. “Your beloved showed such chivalry and self sacrifice that even I, a spirit of vengeance, could not help but be moved. It was enough of a distraction that your soul slipped back into its rightful place, and usurped me of control. You thought I had gone back into the doll? I have not. I reside inside your form even now.”
Mental note to self: Visit a priest tomorrow, ask for an exorcism.
“Now now, my dear. Let’s not be hostile. There is no need for such things,” the doll said, prompting Akane to realise that the doll was of course entirely aware of what she was thinking given the present circumstance. She stepped back a fraction. The doll moved forward just as much. “There is no need for the two of us to fight one another. Not when I could so easily help you. I would like to have the opportunity to experience life once again. Surely you can see that it would be beneficial to have my advice and ability available to you as well?”
The doll stepped forward once again, and Akane tried to step backwards in response. There was nothing behind her but wall. “Wh-what sort of abilities? I don’t want to kill anyone, if that’s what you mean!”
“Of course not, my dear. I was talking about my other skills. Seduction. In particular, I can help you seduce Ranma Saotome.”
“Who’d want to seduce a jerk like him?!”
“You. Don’t be coy. I’ve been forced to watch your surface thoughts ever since we switched back. Though your surface thoughts deny it, your subconscious desires are filled with such naughty desires that even I had to blush. You want him, and believe me he wants you. Don’t tell me it’s not tempting to take him and make him putty in your hands!”
Akane shook her head. No. It wasn’t like that. She knew he was good looking and could be the most charming person on the planet when the mood struck him. But he was such an arrogant, immature jerk most of the time that he never bothered. Like somehow his looks were enough to merit girls fawning over him (which admittedly they did, but she wasn’t one of them!)
“Stubborn to the last. No wonder he calls you uncute when you have such a desirable figure. It is not an appraisal of your looks but of your personality. Did you not hear how he joked he would rather have me? Had I not been trying to kill him, he would have been mine inside of another ten minutes. Just like he could be yours. And only ever yours.”
“Sorry, not buying,” Akane insisted, scared out of her mind at what the doll might try now but not nearly scared enough to agree to some Faustian bargain. “I want you out of my head! After what you pulled, you think I’ll trust you?”
“Unfortunate, Miss Tendo. As you must surely know, I am a spirit of vengeance. This means that I have certain powers relating to revenge. Would you like a demonstration?”
“No! I won’t hurt Ranma! No matter what you do to me, I won’t do it!”
“Silly little girl,” the doll laughed. “Revenge doesn’t just mean hurting someone. There are other ways of getting revenge as well.”
Before Akane could ask what the doll meant by that, a strange mist descended upon the dojo. The doll was covered up and vanished into it. She couldn’t even see the other walls or the floor anymore unless it was directly in front of her. With a panicked gasp she realised that the doll must surely be trying to make her lost in her own mind so that it could take over! No! Not that! Anything but that!
“Akane?” a voice called, and she turned to face where she thought it was coming from. She could make him out. She could see his shape, if only barely, standing in the mists.
“Ranma!” she cried, running towards him. A symbol of hope in the hopeless mist. Maybe he could help her escape? She would have to wake up and tell everyone what had happened, so that -
“You are so uncute.”
So that she could punch Ranma right in his stupid face. She gripped his waist tighter with the intention of suplexing him into the floor, when suddenly he dispersed into fine mist.
“Wh-what?”
“Unsexy!” Ranma’s voice called from one location. “Unappealing!” another cried. “Better built than you!” a girl Ranma called from somewhere else.
“Ranma! What?! What are you -” Akane stopped herself and took several deep breaths. Illusions. The doll was trying to make her angry at him.
“True enough, but not the full truth,” the doll replied. Akane looked up, and collapsed to the floor. The doll’s face had replaced the ceiling! “There are other forms of revenge that to inflict physical harm. Sometimes it is much more satisfying to prove someone wrong.”
“Unfeminine!”
“Isn’t it funny how those other boys thought you were cute and sexy? Isn’t it funny that they all seem to desire you so? Wouldn’t you like to shut him up? Prove him wrong. Prove that you’re none of the things he accuses you of.”
She grasped her ears, trying to block out the insults. No. No. She wasn’t falling for it. She wasn’t listening to anything they were saying. Lalala, can’t hear you! She wasn’t letting the doll get to her like that!
“Uncute!”
“Stop it.”
“Unsexy!”
“Stop it!”
“Better built to boot!”
“STOP IT!”
Akane woke up drenched in sweat. What a nightmare! Then again what did she expect given what had happened yesterday? A nightmare like that was inevitable. A frown etched its way across her brow. Come to think, what hadI that nightmare been about? She remembered the doll’s face on the ceiling, remembered inching down a dark corridor... But the rest of it was all a blur, like searching through mist.
But it was just a bad dream. Nothing more than that. The doll was back at the inn, she was in her own body. There was nothing to be afraid.of. She was safe and she was awake, so it was time for her to go on her morning jog.
As Akane made to leave the room clad in her normal jogging gear - jogging shorts, a baggy shirt and a headband - she stopped by the mirror and peered at her reflection. She smiled at what she saw staring back at her, and mumbled “Who is uncute again?” before lightly jogging out of the room, feeling rather a lot better all of a sudden than when she’d woken up.
Meanwhile in her mind, there was an echo of laughter from a former spirit of vengeance. Soon enough her host start listening to her without such manipulation. Then the fun could really start.
- Akane has adopted a bit of a new outlook, and is set on trying to convince Ranma that he's wrong about how unsexy she is.
- The doll has granted Akane certain vengeance based abilities.
- Later at school, Principal Kuno makes an announcement. (possibly leading into the Aloha Virus chapter, which immediately follows in the manga)
- The doll thinks about what it wants and how best to go about it.
- Something else
Go back - Go to the parent episode.
Lumitiel
Mon Jun 25 10:07:52 2012
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