Prison sex, part five:
Descent
indentRanma's new roommate did not come alone- he had a seeming host of personal effects. After his few months here with virtually no possessions at all, even the cloths on his back, it seemed a fountain of luzury, that dufflebag that Anthony had brought with him. And first and foremost amongst those luxuries was the radio. On the outside, of course, it would have been less than spectacular, single speaker, single tapedeck with a knob tuner, but in here, it made Ranma practically drool at the thought of actually hearing music for the first time in his stay. Well, perhaps not the first time, but this would be the first time he could actually hear it clearly.
indentRanma watched with definite interest as Anthony popped the batteries into the back, then pressed play. Suddenly, the low sounds of the band Tool, one of Chris's favorites, echoed across the room. As he always did when he heard this song, he felt a cold chill run up and down his spine. But this time, there was something a bit more sinister about it, something more horrible, more monstrous, than he could actually account for in any single song, except that it was a seeming sinister prophecy and pronunciation of innevitability. Because he knew this song.
indentThe title was Prison Sex.
indentRanma chanced a sudden glance over at Anthony and saw an innocent looking smile on his face. As he watched, Anthony began mouthing the words with closed eyes, "Do unto others... What has been done to you... Do unto others... What has been done to you... I'm treading water... I need to sleep a while.. My lamb and martyr... You look so precious.. won't you.. Come here.. a bit CLO-ser... closer NOW so.. I can SMELL you..'
indent Ranma wrenched his horrified gaze away, a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. Numbly, he registered a growing fear. He's not human.. some kind of monster...
indent"Hey, you okay?" Anthony asked.
indentRanma looked up at him in surprise. "Wh-what? Uh, yeah, I'm fine..." The look on his face was not condescending, or scornful. The expression reminded him of Kasumi, her gentle smile and concern for everyone. "Why are you still looking at me?" Ranma suddenly demanded. "What?"
indent"You just sort of got this look on your face, and turned away." The man replied. "You kind of looked sick or something."
indentRanma felt a bubble of rage. In the background, he heard the words, 'Got your... Hands Bound... Your HEAD down... your EYES closed... You look so precious now...'
indent Ranma ran forward, grabbed Anthony by the shirt, and slammed him against the wall. The shock was evident in Anthony's eyes. "What do you all want from me, dammit!" Ranma snarled through clenched teeth. He raised a fist, when Anthony cut him off with the softly spoken words, in time with the song playing, "I- have- found... some kind of temporary SANITY in this.. Blood on my hands...." With almost a new pair of eyes, Ranma looked at his raised fist in shock. Anthony had made no move to defend himself. Defenseless.
indentRanma shuddered at the realization that he had nearly beaten a non-fighter to within an inch of his life. Looking away, Ranma said softly, "I'm sorry.. I... I've been under some bad stuff since I came here."
indentAnthony put a hand on Ranma's shoulder. "It happens to all of us."
indentRanma sank to his knees, his hair falling in his eyes. "This place... It.. I..." Ranma exhaled in a shuddering sob, but no tears fell- men don't cry. "I've fought all my life. Combat, the way of the art- it's all I ever knew. I've fought the greatest fighters the world over, and I've overcome them all. But it's all I know, all I've ever done. When I'm faced with a problem I try to solve it with my fists, and if I can't solve it that way, I run away until it can be. But I can't solve anything here by violence, nothing changes by it, it only gets worse. And I can't run away. I'm stuck here." Ranma sank down into a cross legged seat. "I don't know what to do anymore."
indentAnthony nodded, then sat his bag on the bottom bunk. "Hey, that's-" Ranma stopped himself. Sighed. No point in arguing over it. But to his surprise, Anthony immediately got up and climbed into the top bunk.
indentThe tape deck clicked as the tape ran out and the play button popped up.
indent"I'll wait until you give it to me of your own free will. Don't forget, though- Nick said you're mine also." Anthony said.
indentRanma felt a wave of despair wash over him.
indentNight time was bad. True to his word, Anthony seemed to be able to go indefinitely without sleep. He'd be positive that the slow regular breathing meant the man was asleep, yet the moment he felt himself drifting away, he'd hear the soft creak of vinyl as the man left the bunk. He'd be up in a flash, on his feet and ready, but his roommate would simply smile serenely and say softly, "Good night, Saotome." He even learned to say his name correctly.
indentRanma was chilled to the bone by the young man's easy going, kind manner. He was almost the portrait of a Kasumi gone wrong, with a undercurrent of something off, but the countenance and attitude that made him untouchable. You couldn't hit Kasumi- And for some reason that bore a strange kinship, no more could you hit Anthony.
indentHis kindness only made it worse. So considerate, and thoughtful.
indentSo easy to forget toi be careful around him.
indentHe is the enemy.
indentHave to remember he is the enemy...
indentIt had been two weeks.
indentTwo weeks with a roommate, two weeks without sleep. Two weeks of constant fighting off the other inmates, anytime that the bulls weren't watching. Somehow, Nick was always on the same work detail that he was, and led either attacks or just patrols watching him. Innumerable times fending off Nick and his pack of rabid dogs, and no refuge at night.
indentOn the fifteenth night, Ranma fell asleep, and dreamt.
indentAkane... Sometimes, he wondered if he would ever see her again. It had been so long, so long since he had last seen her cute smile, or even heard her call him a pervert. He would give anything to hear that now. It had been so long, and she was so far away.
indentHe remebered the feel of her body pressed against him, the night before he had left for the training trip that had landed him here in the United States. Ranma suddenly realized the he had been in the bath a while. Standing up, the shift in balance made him, or rather, her- gasp. The water had run cold enough to change him, and gradually enough that he hadn't noticed.
indentShe considered changing back, then decided against it. Why bother?
indentShe toed the plug in the tub, and watched the water swirl its way down the drain. It was getting cold in the bathroom, as wet as she was, so she took to towel from the rack and began vigorously drying herself off, ignoring the thrilling shiver as she dried... other places.
indentRanma caught sight of herself in the mirror as she dried off, and stopped, mesmeerized by her reflection in the mirror. She ignored the voice in her head that screamed at her that this was crazy, twisted.
indentWrong, even.
indentShe let the towel drop, forgotten, to the floor. Slowly, she unravelled the cord in her hair which replaced the dragon's whisker so long ago, watching her hair fall loose in a luxurious scarlet cascade that draped off her shoulders and down her back in silky feeling waves. She did a small swish, feeling the weight of the hair and watching the lovely ripple it made, gold highlights flashing and dancing in the glow of the bathroom lights.
indentAlmost regretfully, Ranma took the robe from behind the bathroom door and draped it over herself, sliding her arms into the sleeves. She tied the sash smoothly, so the the front fell slightly open, enough to show a modest amount of cleavage but not so much as to be indicted for indecent exposure. Without allowing herself to think of what she was doing or what she had planned, Ranma picked up the hotel courtesy phone. "Operator? Can you give me an outside line?"
indent"How will this be charged, miss- card or to the room?"
indent"Charge it to the room."
indent"Yes ma'am."
indentA dial tone came on the line. Ranma picked up the slip of paper with Chris's hotel phone number on it.
indentRing. Ring. "Hotel Seven, Whitewater and Fairbank. How can I help you?"
indent"Room two-thirteen, please."
indent"One moment, please."
indentRing. Ring. Ring. "Hello?" It was Chris's voice, blurry from sleep.
indent"Chris?"Ranma said, tentatively. "Um, it's me. Ranma. Um.. Can you get down here?"
indent"Something wrong?" Chris asked in a concerned voice.
indent"No, I just, I needed someone to talk to."
indent"We're talking now, aren't we?"
indentNot the language I had in mind, Ranma thought to herself, then immediately quashed that idea as her common sense screamed at her again. "I'd rather talk face to face."
indentShe heard him yawn, then say, "I need time to get decent." You wouldn't say that if you knew.. "Gimme half an hour."
indent"Okay, half an hour, then. Come on up when you get here."
indentAs Chris hung up, she gently set the receiver in the cradle, trying not to think- but she couldn't help every once in a while to shiver.
indentThe warden worked feverishly at his desk, pulling up web sites and bringing up police files on the Saotome Case. This couldn't be- the boy wasn't the type to do what they claimed. Murder with his bare hands- that had been a case of brutality, pure and simple. But he had seen the boy out in the courtyard. His control, his precision. Even fighting Nick in the Common area, each strike and blow was calculated, exacting, and perfect. Why would such a man need to beat an old man about the legs, the arms, any of that? The boy could kill with a single punch should he choose to- he had seen the wall of the Hole after the guard pointed it out to him. Someone with that kind of power would need to hit his target just once, and someone with that boy's kind of skill would never miss it.
indentEspecially not on the body of a slowmoving old man with ties to the mafia.
indentThe warden could definitely smell a rat, but the boy made a confession, with DETAILS...
indentSomething ticked in the back of his head. On a hunch, he flipped back through a paper file, this one, an unsolved passed to him to see if it matched any of the M.O.'s of his crew that were already here. A missing tabledancer named Ranco...
indentThe morning of the sixteenth day, Ranma woke up naked and female, while her roommate got up from the bunk below her.
indentRanma curled up into a ball and began to cry. She didn't stop crying as, with a look of pity, Anthony doused her with hot water from a thermos.
End part Five
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