Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is the property of Viz Communications and Rumiko Takahashi. I make nothing from this story, please do not sue.

Pre-chapter notes: Whew! It’s FINALLY chapter 7 of my little adventure. We back up and focus back on the main cast of characters, as secrets WILL be revealed. What they are? Well, you’ll just have to wait and see. Time to get started! presses the projector button, bringing up the title screen.

First I Giveth

Chapter 7: Revenge of the Blue Thunder Part 1

By Marik Kurakashi

Breakfast had come and gone at the Tendo household and the three school-going members had to embark for said school. It was a quiet meal, though if that was due to the absence of Soun is anyone’s guess. The trio walked in companionable silence, though it was more often a duo than a trio.

It didn’t bother two members of the trio as much as it did the third.

Akane could detect there was something more to whatever was happening around her. She had been suspicious before but couldn’t quite put her finger on it. This morning, however, proved beyond the shadow of a doubt that there was something rotten in the ward of Nerima.

Ranma hadn’t been in bed when she went to wake him.

That wouldn’t have been bad, really, if it wasn’t for the fact that Nabiki had been the one to do it. That sent warning sirens off in her head, more so then her older sister’s odd behavior. But the real topper came when the revelation of the mysterious package that Ranma went to great lengths to conceal was finally revealed.

It wasn’t for her.

Admittedly, she didn’t collect manga, but it still would have been nice to have been given a surprise gift like that. It was hard to fight down her possessive jealousy, as she knew that there was a greater possibility of it doing more harm than good to her relationship with Ranma. After all, with his interest being sparked by something in Nabiki, she just couldn’t blow up on him.

She was, after all, trying to save him from Nabiki.

That was her reason, cut and dry. She didn’t love him, barely even liked him at that, so she figured she shouldn’t get too worked up about things. Of course, there was only so much she could take, and she wasn’t sure just what her limit of taking was.

If she was going to show Ranma that he would be safest with her, then she couldn’t alienate him with violence when she reached that point.

And so, her mind was once more made up. She would save this naïve boy from her callous sister, if only because she felt it her duty as a martial artist to help someone weak in person-to-person relations like Ranma. He had done a lot for her, a lot that she still felt she owed him for.

It would have been annoying to ask who Ranma was every time she saw him.

That wasn’t a sterling example of what was exactly likeable about him. But there was the whole thing that he always tried to say what he felt, though he never could quite get that right. It certainly was endearing to see him try at least.

As long as it wasn’t for those damnable insults of his.

But, that was what made him so interesting. He didn’t use double meanings like Nabiki, it was often his blunt opinion on something instead. And so, here was this boy, sometimes girl, who would spout of the craziest things sometimes.

They were also some of the nicest things she had heard said about her.

When the boys at school talked about her, it was briefly about how cute she was, then onto stuff that made her skin crawl. As if she’d ever let those walking sacks of brainless hormones touch her like that! The very bold nerve of those jerks to insinuate she was the type of girl to do those unspeakable things.

Except for Ranma of course.

She held no illusions now that she wouldn’t have minded having at least a few more boys like Ranma around. He was a lot more level-headed then most of the guys at school, which got her to thinking on certain things. Like, why was it that he could be so nonchalant about things towards her, yet be so overprotective at the same time?

He certainly was an enigma, one that she had yet to figure out.

So caught up in her mental debate, Akane had forgotten they were walking to school with the center of all things unusual, one Saotome Ranma. She snapped back to reality when she heard water splash on the walk behind her. She quickly looked at Ranma, and found him male, which disconcerted her somehow.

“How?” she asked.

“Huh, how what?” Ranma replied, surprise evident that Akane had suddenly decided that she was going to talk after all.

“How are you still a guy? The old lady over there should have nailed you by now,” she clarified.

“Oh, that? I guess I was too early for her,” he answered nonchalantly.

“That’s what I like about you Ranma,” Nabiki interjected, “when you’re around, life is never dull.”

“Are you saying I cause weird things to happen?” he demanded, though not at all harsh.

Just then, a strange boy in black robes ran by. That wouldn’t have been weird if it wasn’t for the winged pink-haired girl on a bicycle chasing him. Of course, even that wasn’t as strange as the full suit of old Samurai armor chasing after the girl.

“Ryo-sama!” the girl cried in tormented anguish. “Ryo-sama, why won’t you love me?”

“Leave me the hell alone!” the boy, Ryo presumably, shouted back.

“Oh Shiori, why won’t you return my love?” the armor asked, its tone of sheer woe made it seem even more ridiculous.

“Get lost Ken!” the girl, obviously Shiori, snarled back.

Once the trio vanished from view, Nabiki, Ranma and Akane all looked at each other with stunned expressions. They didn’t say a word for a minute, even looking around to see what other madness might appear. Once they were sure they were in the clear, they all breathed a collective sigh of relief.

“Yes,” Nabiki said evenly, “yes I am.”

“Fair enough, I suppose,” Ranma answered, still disturbed over the whole spectacle.

“Yeah,” Akane added, “It seems the world isn’t out to get you Ranma.”

“Guess so,” he replied nonchalantly, “but I think we should hurry up before they come back.”

“You said it,” Nabiki said, going into a light jog to speed up the walk to Furinkan.

Ranma and Akane followed suit, purposely going slow so as to not leave Nabiki in the dust. As they got closer to Furinkan, the more they noticed weird things happening around them. Like all the people suddenly tossing water out their windows for no discernable reason.

Luckily for Ranma, they all missed by a wide margin.

Unluckily for Akane, she was hit just as they got within sight of Dr. Tofu’s clinic. She grumbled and sent Ranma and Nabiki ahead, needing a quick toweling down before she arrived at school. As she went towards the clinic, Ranma and Nabiki simply shrugged at one another.

It was just another odd occurrence that had happened since he had arrived.

The pair tried not to dwell on it as they arrived at Furinkan together. The courtyard was fairly packed with the early crowds who usually milled about in the morning before classes. Nabiki said her goodbyes to Ranma and went off to discuss the early mornings happenings with her associates.

‘I guess there are still some parts to her that I don’t know about,’ Ranma thought, as he decided to wait for Akane to arrive.

Meanwhile, behind his tree Kuno Tatewaki was scheming. His strategy was simple, catch the fiend sorcerer off guard and smite him like he should have long before. The best way, he figured, was to wear an elaborate and scary mask that would scare the foul one into forgetting his black magic.

Soon, his loves would be freed from the foul one’s grasp.

He drooled as his favorite fantasies played out in his mind. He quietly chuckled to himself, hoping he wasn’t too loud so the fiend wouldn’t be alerted. Making sure the mask was in place, Kuno peeked out from the tree and spotted Ranma, who was contemplating something it seemed.

‘At last,’ he thought, ‘the foul sorcerer is distracted!’

Seizing the moment, Kuno leapt from behind the tree and charged. Kuno’s plan was a rather decent one, but several flaws had rendered it useless against anyone, let alone Ranma. First, the mask was hardly scary, just crudely painted.

The only way it could scare someone was to startle them.

Which lead to the second flaw of his plan. It was simply that trained martial artists have a tendency to lash out at threats that surprise them. As it was, Kuno dashed headlong at Ranma, who turned and was so startled by the sheer ugliness of the mask that he split it in half with a single kick.

As well as cracking more than a few of Kuno’s ribs.

“Wha, Kuno?” the pig-tailed boy asked, surprised to see his dimwitted annoyance down in a heap.

“Hold…. Foul…. Knave…” the Kendoist gasped in agony, his labored breathing causing a few of the weaker students to rub their ribs in sympathy.

“Ranma?” Akane called as she arrived on the scene.

‘Ah, my fierce Tigress,’ Kuno thought through the haze of pain, ‘punish him for harming your destined love!’

He was to be disappointed, as Kuno forgot that Akane lacked mental powers to hear his silent command. She engaged Ranma in a brief chat that Kuno’s ears failed to pick up. As the two walked off, Kuno finally started to wonder what went wrong.

Was it Black Magic?

No, his ribs hurt too much for some spell. Then did the fiend actually kick him? Again, the pain in his ribs affirmed that yes, it was a foot that hit him.

The Sorcerer Saotome had defeated, no deflected his wrath through actual physical means.

‘Nay,’ he thought, ‘that can not be! He is but a weakling compared to likes of I!’

But why then, did he fail? What was it in his plan that had failed? It should have worked, for the foul beast should have been gripped in the throes of terror!

‘That’s it!’ he mentally exclaimed, ‘The fiend used his magic again! No wait, I already decided against that, so that’s not it. He was just lucky, yes that’s why my perfect plan failed. Why, he was so lucky he wasn’t even afraid! Wait a second, he wasn’t afraid! If he wasn’t in the throes of terror, he could easily use his terrible perfidiousness to foil my plans!’

Nabiki had finally arrived on the scene, volunteering to make sure Kuno made it to the infirmary so she could find out what was going on. She had watched Ranma’s handy defeat of the Kendoist, which hardly seemed like it took any effort at all. It was incredible how fluid the kick had been, like water gently flowing in a direction.

‘Why do I smell something burning?’ she silently wondered to herself before hoisting Kuno up in her traditional Kuno carry and hauled him off for the infirmary.

- - -

Pain. It was the first sensation to reach the brain of Hibiki Ryoga. It was relieving in a way, as it showed he was still alive after his skirmish with that odd Ukyo fellow. He had lost the fight, though whether it was skill on Ukyo’s part or incompetence on his, he still lost.

It was one of the few times he hadn’t lost to Ranma.

Victory had often visited Ryoga, in fact he was pretty much undefeated until he came across Ranma. The other layer of his humiliation about the bread, was that he always got the last bread until Ranma stole it from him. It started out as something fun until it grew to something that he could take pride in.

Just like his martial arts skills.

But then Ranma had to go and ruin that for him by showing he was infinitely superior in the martial arts. He heard the snickers, the jeers behind his back by the other guys who had enjoyed seeing Ranma take him down at lunch. They were supposed to respect him for his skills, yet this thief was making him look like a complete idiot.

Which is why he had to eliminate Ranma.

That was why he wanted to put down Ranma initially. If he could prove himself superior, then everyone would have to go back to respecting him and not sniggering behind his back. And so he had issued the challenge and even picked a site that he thought he wouldn’t get lost on the way to.

Of course, things don’t always happen as they are planned.

He was late, to a large degree, to the duel and Ranma wasn’t there. His chance for vindication gone, he was understandably upset. In that irrational state, he made up his mind that Ranma had actually ran away in fear of him.

And once his mind was made up, it was hard for even him to change it.

He was an obstinate man when he had half a mind to be. He was stubborn about defeating Ranma at all costs, so much so that he followed him to China, with obvious results. So now, he was not only pig-headed, but a real pig as well.

The curse had allowed him to get closer to Akane, though he wouldn’t mind it being cured.

He heard the sound of the surrounding shrubbery rustle, an evident sign that someone or something was there. Unable to move, Ryoga cracked his eyes open slightly, only to snap them shut again as fast as possible. It was much too bright and his head was throbbing from what had happened to him.

Not too many people could survive being blown up and falling down a hill.

“Aiyah,” he heard a voice mutter, “Shampoo wonder what fall down hill last night.”

‘Shampoo,’ he thought, ‘that Chinese girl who was chasing Ranma.’

The purple haired girl quickly uncovered the prone body of Ryoga. She gasped in surprise and murmured to herself, “It that boy from when Shampoo meet Ranma.”

He saw her reach out and start poking him to see if he was still alive. After reigning in a scream from his still sensitive flesh being jabbed, he said politely, “Yes, I’m alive. Could you please stop that?”

“Oh,” the girl exclaimed, pulling her hand back as if bitten. “Shampoo sorry, just couldn’t tell if you is alive with you being covered in soot.”

“Yeah, I suppose you couldn’t,” he said, groaning as he tried to get up.

“Maybe you should no be moving around so soon,” she suggested, wincing as he toppled over. “Shampoo sorry, she would have been here last night if she didn’t want to make sure what cause explosion was gone.”

“So, you hid instead of checking the explosion out?” he asked harshly, trying to cover his embarrassment.

“Would Bandana boy rather wait several days to be rescued then? Because Shampoo can leave and you can fend for self.” she replied, not amused at his attitude.

“No! No, that’s alright,” he said, “I’m just a little upset from being pretty much helpless.”

“It understandable,” the purple haired girl said, bending down and scooping the boy up on her shoulders, “Oof! You is heavy, but should make for good strength training.”

Ryoga said nothing, as fire erupted from all over his body from his injuries being so callously jostled. He was lucky he was sturdy as he was, or else he’d have died for sure. He shivered slightly, for whatever Ranma and his father had done to Ukyo, the mysterious boy was willing to kill for it.

His shivering didn’t escape the notice of his rescuer.

“Hold out just little longer,” she said. “We be at camp soon, then Shampoo treat your injuries as best she can.”

“T-Thank you,” he stuttered, unsure as to why she was being so kind to him.

“It no problem,” the girl assured him, “Say, you have name?”

“My name?” he asked, puzzled by the sudden shift in the conversation.

“Yes, silly boy,” she said, giggling slightly. “What it you want Shampoo to be calling you?”

“H-Hibiki,” he stammered, “Hibiki R-Ryoga.”

“It honor to meet you Ryoga,” she replied easily, before coming to a stop and setting him down on a log. “We here.”

The camp was nothing to look at, just a tent and a modest fire. But then, it wasn’t supposed to be home by any stretch of the imagination. It would do for what it was designed for, which was to rest at before moving on.

It brought a question to Ryoga’s mind.

“Why are you out here? There must be plenty of places to stay in the city.” he asked.

“Shampoo see Har Karu in city,” she answered, looking down at the ground.

“Hair care?” he asked dumbly, “what’s wrong with seeing her anyways?”

“Har Karu,” she said with added inflection so he’d get it right, “is the other pupil of Great-Grandmother. If she here, Great-Grandmother can no be so far behind. If she come, she try and make Shampoo marry Ranma.”

Ryoga grinned, obvious thoughts of trying to hook Shampoo and Ranma up going through his head. As he imagined embracing Akane while Ranma was with Shampoo, he slyly asked, “How is that bad?”

Shampoo shook her head, almost able to see the delusional thoughts running through his head. “Har Karu is ruthless fighter,” she began, “If Great-Grandmother comes and Akane stands in her way, she tell Har to kill Akane.”

The boy’s eyes nearly bulged out of his skull as he heard that. “What?!” he bellowed.

“It true. Har Karu sense of honor only dictates her actions when she feel it best to go that route. If Great-Grandmother say kill, she kill,” she said sadly, hoping that it wouldn’t come to that.

“M-Maybe Akane can fight her off,” he said nervously, “I mean, how good could she be?”

“She second best fighter of this generation behind Shampoo. If Shampoo can easily defeat Akane, then Har have no trouble.” she said, dashing the poor boy’s hopes.

Ryoga started to respond, but a rustling sound in the nearby bushes. He nodded to Shampoo, seeing as he was still too beat up to check it out. He watched in amazement as she pulled her bonbori from seemingly no where, stalk closer to the bushes and hurl one at them.

He was suitably shocked when Soun can leaping from concealment.

“Ho!” the aging martial artist exclaimed, “Bet you didn’t think an old man like me could have avoided that, did you? Yep, still got it.”

“What you doing in bushes?” Shampoo angrily demanded.

Soun turned towards Shampoo and studied her for a long moment before he said, “I was making my way through the forest. I didn’t know your camp was here, or I would have gone around. I’m sorry if I disturbed you.”

“It no big deal,” the girl dismissed as she went to fetch her weapon.

“Ah, Tendo-san,” Ryoga piped up after getting over his shock. “What are you doing out here?”

“Oh, hello Ryoga,” he said simply, “I’m just out on a training trip.”

“Oh, that’s good I suppose,” the boy said, painfully rearranging himself on his seat.

“Goodness boy, what in the world happened to you?” Soun asked, finally taking stock of Ryoga’s beat-up appearance.

“Got into a fight last night with some guy by the name of Ukyo,” he replied. “He tossed a bomb at me and blew me off the hill.”

“Gracious boy,” the elder man said, “you must be awfully sturdy to survive that.”

“Well, I’m not bragging but it’s one of the things I focused my training, ” the boy replied.

“Why is that?” Soun asked, his curiosity piqued.

“Well,” Ryoga began, “I’m not exactly the fastest person. Besides, when you get as lost as me, you need to be able to last walking for days on end.”

“I see,” Soun replied, nodding his head and watching Shampoo finally return to camp.

“Shampoo back. Bonbori squash something, so she go to nearby spring and clean it off,” the girl explained.

“That’s a good philosophy to have,” Soun said approvingly. “You wouldn’t want to catch something now.”

“Hey, uh, Shampoo, why don’t you repeat what you told me about that Har Karu girl?” Ryoga asked politely.

“Oh, uh, yes. He is Akane father after all,” Shampoo said, nodding in agreement before she repeated what she said earlier.

Soun’s brow furrowed in worry. His baby girl was in potential danger! He had to get back to protect her, this training trip be damned.

Then he calmed down.

He had left for this trip because he thought he was suffocating his daughters. He felt that whatever adversity might befall any of them, they should be able to handle it on their own. They didn’t need him to hover over them like a worried mother hen.

There was also Ranma there to protect them.

He wasn’t as young as he used to be. If this Har Karu girl attacked, she probably would have gotten by him if she put forth some effort. He was once one of the greatest martial artists, a man of great skill and strength.

And both of those had eroded in these past ten years.

Now was his chance to recapture some of his past glory. It was his chance to grab some shred of respect from those he had chosen to surround himself with. He could no longer content himself with the idle back patting him and Genma had gotten into.

It was why he stayed.

“She’ll be fine,” Soun said calmly, though worry did bleed through. “Ranma’s there to protect her. He won’t let anything happen to her.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Ryoga said, reluctantly agreeing, “There’s no way Ranma would let Akane come to harm, as much as I dislike him, even I can admit to that.”

As he thought, an image of Ukyo flashed through his mind. As he remembered what happened last night, he began to grow more pale. When he couldn’t take anymore, he surprised the others when he jumped to his feet.

“Ukyo!” he shouted, before calming down to explain his outburst. “The guy I fought last night was Kuonji Ukyo, and he said he was after Ranma. If he can stand toe-to-toe with me, then there’s a good chance that he can go head to head with Ranma.”

“That could be trouble,” Shampoo said, nodding in agreement before continuing, “Especially if Har and this Ukyo fellow team up together.”

Soun was about to respond when he saw Ryoga starting to panic and decided to quell the boy’s coming outburst. “Ryoga-san,” Soun said calmly, “Ranma and Akane will be fine. I’m sure this Ukyo fellow will be nothing for him to beat.”

“Is true,” Shampoo agreed, “Ranma is best fighter Shampoo ever lies eyes upon. Even if this Ukyo attack, he defend himself with ease.”

“You don’t understand!” Ryoga cried, “All Ukyo has to do is delay him long enough for Har to kill Akane! I have to warn them.”

As Ryoga stood suddenly, his desire to protect Akane allowing him to ignore the burning pain, he heard Soun call, “Wait Ryoga!”

“Don’t try to stop me! Akane, I’ll protect you!” he shouted, looking around for his pack but couldn’t remember what he had done with it.

“But Ryoga!” Soun said, hoping the boy would hold on a second.

“I’m coming Akane!” the boy cried, forgetting his pack and charging off into the woods again.

A slight breeze blew gently through the trees as Soun and Shampoo stared in amazement after the lost boy. The silence permeated the very air about them, the wind barely able to be heard over the deafening shock that had settled over the camp. Eventually, both the Tendo Patriarch and the renegade Amazon Champion settled back in their seats, relaxing once more.

“What you going to say to him?” Shampoo inquired.

“I was wondering why he was going off that way, because the fastest way back to the city is the way I came.” Soun answered solemnly.

“Ah,” Shampoo said, shrugging her shoulders and thinking of what to say next.

“So…” Soun said, “what now?”

“We talk?” Shampoo asked hesitantly, unsure how to be around the elder man, as he no longer seemed to be the weepy man she had taken him for in her all too brief meeting with him earlier.

“A fine idea,” he said, nodding his head. “After all, you may be able to help me figure out how I’m supposed to train again.”

If Soun was a good deal younger, his heart would have skipped a beat at the young girl’s answering smile.

- - -

Meanwhile, back at Furinkan, Nabiki was tuning out her teacher as she thought back over the course of the morning. She had left with Ranma and Akane, a good deal earlier than the dysfunctional couple’s usual departure. About a block from the dojo, the light early morning conversation between the three evaporated as Akane fell into an unusual silence.

It served to both relieve and worry Nabiki at the same time.

Since Kuno’s announcement, Nabiki had thought her little sister had lost the ability to think things through instead of reacting to everything. If Akane was actually thinking, then the events of the past few days must have extremely confused her to a point. Her good natured, yet sometimes extremely violent, little sister was actually thinking thinks through, weighing the consequences of her actions instead of diving right in.

It would allow her to delay Akane in finding out her interest in Ranma.

She knew she couldn’t be blatant about this, as she didn’t really want to be engaged to Ranma right now. Their relationship wasn’t exactly one that should be between fiancées, more of a close friendship bordering on boyfriend-girlfriend. She wasn’t sure just on what side of the border she wanted to be on, nor could she decide how far, or close, to the line she wanted to be.

For her relationship with Ranma to work, she would first have to figure out what she wanted before broaching the subject of going further.

And so, she was ready to play the role of amicable chum to Ranma, if that was what it took for her to decide on what she wanted out of their relationship. For now, it would have to do, as she couldn’t exactly just dump everything on him at once. While she had already breached the kiss plateau with him, he had never been an active participant in those stolen kisses.

Whether he wanted to be was a question she wasn’t ready to ask.

She broke out of her reverie to quickly answer an easy question before the teacher went back to droning on about whatever he was talking about. So now, she had a set mindset for how she would go about pursuing Ranma in whatever fashion her heart had decided. She heard the teacher begin to go off on an unnecessary tangent and decided to lean back and think about the enlightening conversation she had with Ranma…

- - -

An awkward silence had encompassed the school bound trio. The three had already spent most of their conversation ammo at the breakfast table, which was rare for them. Of course, Ranma had been awakened earlier than his usual time, so they had a chance to savor breakfast.

So it wasn’t shocking that they didn’t have anything else to talk about.

Ranma developed a rather nervous air about him. He glanced cautiously at the oblivious Akane, as though what he might say next would set her off. He crept closer to her and gently tapped on her shoulder before jumping back into a defensive stance.

Nothing happened though, except Akane kept walking.

“Ranma-kun?” Nabiki asked, unsure what he was doing.

“Shh,” he said quietly, “I need to see if she’s actually paying attention.”

“Wha-why?”

“Because there’s stuff we need to talk about that she doesn’t need to be privy to.” he calmly answered as he again attempted to see if Akane was paying attention.

“Like what?” she said, a little uneasy.

“That picture,” he answered as he checked one last time, “among other things.”

‘Ah crap,’ she thought, ‘I was hoping he’d forget about it.’

“Hmm,” he said offhandedly, “she appears to be out of it.”

“She must have a lot on her mind,” Nabiki supplied. “After all, Shampoo giving up after seeming so sure of victory was shocking.”

“True,” he agreed, “now, about that picture…”

“Save it Ranma,” she said sharply. “There are some things that Akane isn’t privy to, and this is one of them. Even if she isn’t paying attention, I don’t want her to wake up in the middle of it.”

“But yesterday, you’d said you’d tell me about it later,” he protested, wanting to get the talking out of the way.

“And if we had left without Akane, then I would tell you,” she answered evenly, trying to keep from making a scene. “But than Daddy had to go and leave and we didn’t make plans to talk on the walk before.”

“Yeah,” he admitted, “you have a point there. So when can you talk about it?”

“How about at lunch?” she supplied, shrugging before continuing, “My factors should be able to handle one business session without me.”

“And if they can’t?”

“Get new ones.”

Ranma laughed at her nonchalant response, surprised by the joke. The two enjoyed a slightly companionable silence, even if it was a bit uncomfortable. Ranma could tell by her reluctance to talk about it spoke volumes of how much that one incident impacted her.

It would be slightly interesting to found out how much.

It was somehow different between him and Nabiki. Instead of finding bones to pick with one another, they just talked to each other like people. It certainly was easier than having to worry about getting hit for saying something she didn’t like.

And even during the month he had known Akane, it seemed his foot visited his mouth far too often.

Now, it was all different in some unperceivable way and he was at a loss as to what changed it. Before he caught Nabiki kissing him in his sleep a few days ago, he was pretty sure he knew how things went. He insulted Akane, she hit him for it and sulk, all while Nabiki turned a tidy profit and Kasumi took care of everyone.

And now everyone, and pretty much everything, was different.

He had noticed the subtle shift in Kasumi for the first time a few days ago, the day before he caught Nabiki as a matter of fact. She didn’t seem to be smiling just because people felt better when she smiled, she was doing it because she was actually happy.

Something he hadn’t known before then.

The difference between the façade Kasumi and the real one was vast. While the Kasumi he had known up until then was content with just being nice, the new one seemed to be more concerned with being involved in the dinner conversation without seeming oblivious. It had shocked the entire family at first, but they gradually accepted the change in Kasumi.

If she wasn’t going to be the oblivious polite housewife, then it was for the best.

First was the change in Kasumi, followed by his talk with Soun. That had opened his eyes even further to how much things were changing around him. The normally mercurial Tendo patriarch treated him like a man, something his father rarely did. After their talk that night, he had actually began to view everything in a different light.

And then it happened.

He had been losing sleep for several days leading up to it. It was strange, he had thought Shampoo was gone for good at the time. But then, as brazen as she had made herself to appear, he doubted that it would have stopped at just a kiss.

But he knew better than that.

When she had returned, she had been frank and subdued, like she was a prisoner of some kind. She seemed so different from the bubbly girl from before, so much so that he wondered if it really was her. After a brief conversation, he had found that she was indeed the same girl from before, just a lot less cheery.

She too, had been changed by some unknown force.

But no one had seemingly changed more than Nabiki. She had seemed so indifferent towards him before, rarely having much to say to him at all. It had probably been the biggest shock of his life when he caught her kissing him while he was asleep.

A small part of him wondered why he wasn’t upset with her about it.

He had realized that it was because he had been wondering about the engagement and who he might have chosen if he was allowed to make that choice. The change in his opinion after only a month was shocking, but not too surprising. After all, with the amount of fights him and Akane had already gotten into, it wouldn’t be surprising that he would have second thoughts.

Well, maybe that wasn’t it.

“So,” Nabiki said, after a long pause had enveloped them after her joke. “I’ll see you at lunch?”

“Yeah,” he said, an intense look on his face, as though he was scrutinizing something about her.

Just then, the sound of splashing water drew their attention away from each other. Then Akane had woken up and….

- - -

The sound of the bell signaling the end of the period interrupted her thoughts. She had ignored the teacher in favor of thinking about Ranma and what she would say to him about that picture. She had some misgivings about it, as Ranma’s nasal eruption from the picture made her hesitant to broach the topic.

But she would anyways, as she had already promised to tell him.

It was funny, any other time she made a promise this personal, she would always skip out on it and say she forgot. But, for some reason, she felt compelled to tell Ranma, simply to gauge his reaction to her little story. She really was surprised at how much ground she was already giving up to him, more than she probably should be giving to him.

But if she wanted him in more than a best friend capacity, she had to entice him to look further.

Why she was so interested in him was still a mystery to her. She didn’t honestly believe that she woke up and just desired him. It was something that she would have to figure out for herself before she could work on Ranma any further, as she would have to know where she is going first.

But first, the ever present joy of math class….

- - -

Kuno Tatewaki awakened in the nurse’s room, feeling as though he were dying. He was having trouble drawing breath, and his ribs burned with an inner fire of agony. His complexion was pale, his brow covered in sweat as he labored himself to an upright position.

On further review, that might have been such a good idea.

Quickly snapping himself back down, Kuno took stock of where he was once his head quit spinning. The nurse’s station, he had recognized the sanitary white walls and the traditional sleeping patient blue curtain. He had often visited the little plebian hole after a bout with his beloved Tigress, but was now put here by the foul sorcerer and his dreadful magic.

Why that last thought caused him to furrow his brow in contemplation confused him to no end.

It mattered not, as the foul one had foiled his plan and inflicted serious harm on him. His Fierce Tigress had fallen further under the fiend’s lull, refusing to show even the slightest concern that he had been injured. His next plan would succeed, he was sure of it!

After all Kuno Tatewaki never lost, he just preferred to delay his victory sometimes.

Delayed gratification he had heard it called. Why rush to gain your prize now, when you can work to earn it and savor it long after? It was the biggest reason why he had arranged for the Horde to fight her in the mornings until Saotome had shown up.

If he was going to go all out against her, she had to be able to withstand his assault.

While she might imagine his holding back a slight to her skills, he was in fact paying her a very high compliment. Very few could ever measure up to him in skills, and for him to see the potential for her to become such was the highest compliment he could give. Of course, he still wondered why those fools had fled once Saotome had shown up.

More of the Black One’s vile magic no doubt.

He sat up again, slower this time so he wouldn’t aggravate his injury again. He decided he would have to employ something that he could simply fling at the sorcerer first before engaging him in combat. The fiend’s magic had enabled him to move even when confronted with his mask of terror, something that screamed at him that things that look scary will not work against the cur.

The fact that the mask hadn’t been that intimidating or fear-inducing never crossed his mind.

He decided that he would have to think more on his next scheme, lest there be a repeat of this failure. Once the fiend was inundated with fear, then he could move to strike the beast down. Something from a afar that he could toss on the mongrel, then leap to smite the foul ogre.

But what could it possibly be?

It had to be small, as he couldn’t telegraph what he was going to do, lest the fiend counter with his magic. A caged beast wouldn’t be wise, because someone might unleash it before Saotome would arrive. So, it would have to be small and easily concealable. But what could it be?

Oh what a cruel trick the Gods above had played on him, robbing him of his great intellect when he needed it most!

He wondered how long he had been out and checked the wall clock. He quickly noted that his first period social studies class was already done and math would be beginning soon. He tried to remember his schedule to figure out what class he had after math.

It was something that was important, he could at least remember.

Frustrated that his head was still too clouded to think straight, he growled in frustration and thought harder. If only his twisted sister hadn’t fallen for the miscreant, then he could just feed Saotome to Mr. Green Turtle, that foul demonic alligator that Kodachi was so taken with. But alas, she was smitten, and thus the one time that damnable reptile could help him, the devil wasn’t able to.

‘Wait a second,’ he thought, ‘Mr. Green Turtle? That reminds me of something…’

Then he had an epiphany, a vision straight from the Gods to their champion. He had Zoology after Math, as it finally came to his mind after all the deliberation he had put in. It was because of that devil gator that he was taking it, in hopes of learning some way to slay the beast.

He vaguely remembered swearing to Kodachi that he would smite the beast someday.

Shaking off the memory, he quickly laid back down and pretended to be out. He would simply recuperate before he went back to class so that he could formulate a better plan later. Zoology should open up new possibilities for him to defeat the foul sorcerer and free his loves.

Plus, he could get out of the math quiz scheduled for today.

The nurse had finally come in to check on her recurring patient. It was no surprise that Kuno was here often, as he had a way of provoking people to hurt him in brutal ways. She shook her head when she saw him still asleep, wondering why she even bothered to check on him in the first place.

She sniffed the air and remembered what had prompted her to check on him.

“It smells like someone was burning something back here,” she muttered and headed back out, shaking her head again.

- - -

It was surprising how something as simple as owning a restaurant could be the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. But for Kuonji Ukyo, it represented the stability she sorely wanted. If she was to scour for Ranma, she would need a better base of operations than a yattai.

Plus, all the memories of her father’s yattai being stolen made her hesitant to own one permanently.

She knew she would never be as stupid as her father, trusting that fat thief with the family cart. How he could be so irresponsible with something that had been a sort of personal vindication for him, it was beyond her. But she couldn’t dwell too much on her old man, as she had thief hunting to do.

And there would be a very painful reckoning for those two thieves.

But first, she would have to set up shop. As much as she wanted to just run around and look under every nook and cranny, she knew that would net her absolutely nothing. This was the best chance she had of catching the Saotomes, her vengeance so close she could taste it.

She remembered overhearing a few students from the local high school talking of Saotome and the chaos that he brought with him. It was odd, everywhere she went, there seemed to be tall tales of sheer insanity that it boggled the mind. If she hadn’t known better, she could almost swear they were purposely leaving a trail that she could follow.

But she didn’t believe that they were that stupid.

She came to a stop and looked over the old abandoned Chinese restaurant. It hadn’t been used in a while, it seemed, as the boards had looked fairly old. She wrinkled her nose as she thought of the time it would take to clean up and redecorate the place.

‘No,’ she thought, ‘this one won’t do.’

She headed on, looking out for a potential building that could serve her needs. She would need both something that could function as a restaurant as well as a place to sleep. She had exhausted her spending money just getting here, but she’d have more than enough to appropriate a place in this district.

Her father had at least financially supported her quest for revenge.

She came to a stop as she saw it. A small, abandoned building sat on the corner, looking like it had recently been closed down. But what had set it apart from all the other abandoned restaurants was that it looked to be an okonomiyaki shop.

“It’s perfect,” she whispered, a slight gleam in her eyes.

She rushed forward and quickly took down the number for the realtor. If she acted fast, the shop could be hers by the end of the day. It was a small step, to be sure, but it felt like the start of a grand journey.

‘And after all,’ she silently mused as she went to look for a phone to call the realtor, ‘every journey begins with a single step.’

- - -

It was the end of Zoology and Kuno Tatewaki had not heard a single word of what the teacher had said. Granted, he might not have understood it even had he been paying attention, but that wasn’t the point. He had spent all of class flipping through his textbook, looking for some terrifying, yet small creature.

He had found several in fact, of which he jotted down some notes upon acquiring some.

The wretched Saotome would finally meet his doom when he was paralyzed by the fear these creatures were sure to induce. Kuno had a clear image of the vile sorcerer defeated, his two loves finally able to express their gratitude and love for him. He had to fight the urge to laugh, as he didn’t feel like being sent out of the room.

He was also glad that Tendo Nabiki didn’t have this class with him. The vile mercenary sister of his beloved Tigress would thwart him, for a simple price. He would not be denied, and as such, he couldn’t allow her to worm her way into his confidence.

As she would surely spread his plans to everyone else.

The game Tendo Nabiki played with him was a dangerous one. There were many times where he felt like asserting his dominance over her, as no woman but Tendo Akane and the pigtailed goddess could ever be his equal. But there were reputations to be had, as well as the fact that he had tried it before, only to be embarrassed further for his troubles.

It would seem that he would often be labeled the loser of their exchanges.

He grimaced as the memories of the previous day flitted through his mind. He had lost his sole advantage over her, his sole ability to keep the prices of the pictures reasonable. He had been careless with that picture, the one thing that would make Nabiki respect him.

And he had lost it in the fight with Saotome, later hearing from witnesses that Nabiki had seized a picture and destroyed it. It was no doubt the picture that had been the very bane of the Ice Queen’s reputation. If only he hadn’t been so careless with it, he could have used it as leverage to force her to plot against Saotome instead of having to do it himself.

Invariably, her schemes seemed to work better than his.

But there was no time to dwell on that now. It was time for lunch, the daily period of sustenance that would allow him to see the beauteous Akane once more. He had poetry to prepare and a performance to give for his beloved.

Plus, all this thinking was making him hungry…

- - -

Nabiki sat hesitantly under the tree she had chosen for her lunchtime rendezvous with Ranma. It was pretty far from most students and often served as a place for more covert business meetings. Here, she could tell him all about that picture and not worry about spin control.

She wondered if she’d be able to squash the rumors about her being a flasher without some serious death threats if it got out. Deciding that she didn’t want to deal with it, she would try to keep Ranma’s volume down so no one would learn of it. His nasal leakage had sparked many curious debates, though most of them were convinced it was some racy shot of Akane that triggered the eruption.

And she lacked the proper motivation to set them straight.

Of course, she would have to tell what the picture really was, which is probably why she was hesitant to quash the rumors. Plus, as long as everyone thought that it was Akane that had triggered the eruption, she wouldn’t have to waste her efforts to play spin control. Sure, working the gossip lanes was easy money, but sometimes it just wasn’t worth it.

Especially if you didn’t want to open yourself to their endless speculative chatter.

She idly ate her lunch while waiting for Ranma, knowing that it would be best to finish before he got here. She had a lot to say to him, a lot more than time would allow if she was too busy eating in the middle of it. Here she was, the Ice Queen of Furinkan High, the sole person that never let anyone in on any of her secrets.

Neither of her sisters understood just what she did and why she did it. There was enough old money sitting around that allowed them to live comfortably without worrying about paying bills. A small part of what she earned went towards a college fund for herself and her little sister, the rest went towards food, household repairs and the odd treat for herself.

There was less for the odd treat though, ever since the Saotomes had arrived.

That was the sheer irony in her budding interest in Ranma, he seemed to be a walking money pit. Him and his fat father ate at an alarming rate that seemed like they walked in from a famine. But, living such a Spartan existence, he had never really understood the meaning of money beyond the fact that enough of it brought food.

She had to chuckle at that, as she remembered the manga he had gotten her. He wasn’t totally clueless to what money could do after all. She was surprised that he had thought of something like that on his own, but wasn’t going to complain about it.

“What’s so funny?” a male voice interjected into her thoughts.

She looked over to her left and saw Ranma standing there impatiently. Figuring that he was waiting for her okay to sit down, she nodded and said, “Have a seat Ranma.”

The pig-tailed boy did as he was told and had a seat beside her. A small bit of silence enveloped them before he said, “Sorry it took me so long to get here, but I had to tell Akane where I was at.”

She blinked at that before she asked, “Why is that?”

He shrugged and answered nonchalantly, “I just didn’t want to worry her unnecessarily. If she knows where I’m at, the less likely she is to come looking for me.”

“Good point,” she agreed, before she continued with sly and humorous lilt. “It wouldn’t do for her to barge in on this conversation, ne Ranma-kun?”

“Uh… yeah,” he said, caught off guard by the playful nature of the girl next to him.

“Relax,” she said, rolling her eyes, “I’m not going to unhinge my jaw suddenly and swallow you whole.”

“Sorry, I’m just not used to you acting this way at school,” he said, waving a hand to dismiss her annoyance, “For the entire time I’ve been here, you’ve rarely acted like this, especially not while we’re at school.”

“I know, but we’re so far from the rest of them so no one will overhear what’s said,” she replied with a shrug, “I don’t really need to act all businesslike right now, as there’s no money to be made right now.”

“That’s true,” he said, “though I have yet to figure out why you’re not charging me for the story.”

“I can’t think of a good price,” she answered evenly. “If I charge too much, you’ll be less than likely to keep it a secret, and if I charge too little, I probably won’t feel like you’ve paid enough.”

“Ah… yeah, that’d do it I guess,” he said nonplussed. “So, are you gonna start telling me this, or are we gonna discuss prices?”

“Ah… sure, Ranma-kun,” she said, “just let me get my bearings so I can start at the beginning.”

And with that, they lapsed into a contemplative silence. Ranma was busy mentally speculating about the story behind the picture and found himself oddly excited about it. It was because he was having the opportunity to learn more about his newfound friend.

That may have been it for Ranma, but Nabiki’s nervousness had returned in full force. She had agreed to tell him about one of the most embarrassing moments of her life, and she was developing cold feet. She quickly quashed her nervousness as she began the tale of one of the most embarrassing days of her life…

- - -

It was a going away party for a couple of Nabiki’s acquaintances, the hosts being the two people going away. Sakurai Kikuchi, the class brain as he was often referred to, was the one who suggested they host the party. His sister Tomoe, a little too much of a ditz, had been bouncing about in excitement about this day for the last three weeks.

As it was, they were moving to another district and wouldn’t be going to the same high school as some of their present chums. Visiting would be a stretch for them, as Kikuchi would probably devote extra time to studying while Tomoe would probably be too busy making new friends. It was a sad state of affairs, but the party was going to have a pretty happy atmosphere.

It may have something to do with the fact that Kikuchi and Tomoe were barely liked by most of the people attending the party.

Nabiki sat in a corner, nursing a glass of punch as she waited for the party to actually begin. She was bored almost completely out of her mind as the festivities seemed to have lost their invites in the mail. It was bad enough Kuno had decided to plop himself in the chair next to her, but the fact that the party was dead was worse.

‘Is this a party or a wake?’ she thought to herself. ‘On second thought, wakes at least have people crying.’

“Is it not odd how much Kikuchi talked up this party as some great event, when it is the opposite of such?” Kuno inquired, more for trying to strike up conversation with her than any actual puzzlement.

“You have no idea how right you are,” Nabiki grumbled. “I’m not sure if I buy his excuse of waiting until the time is right.”

“Hmm… ‘tis truly a ponderance,” Kuno mused. “If the time doesn’t get right soon, when the time becomes right, no one will be awake to partake of the festivities.”

“You said it,” she muttered as she took a sip of her punch, “this is driving me nuts.”

Kuno sighed, just as bored as the girl next to him was. The party, if could be called that, was causing several other partiers to wimp out and leave. He idly wondered if the host of the party had bet someone that he could host the dullest party ever.

And it didn’t look like the host would lose that bet.

“You there!” he bellowed at passing partier, “where is the revelry? Where is the merriment for all of us to partake?”

“Heck if I know,” the boy said, stifling a yawn. “I bet Kikuchi is glad he’s moving, or he’d be getting beaten to death for this lame party.”

“Yes, I can see thy point,” the Kendoist said, nodding in agreement. “Speaking of our host, where might he be found? I wouldst have a word with him over the lack of revelry, but I can’t find him anywhere.”

“I think he’s hiding so we don’t lynch him,” the boy answered before he walked off, apparently growing bored with speaking to Kuno.

“Vile bookworm! Who art thou to waste the time of the great Kuno Tatewaki?” Kuno hollered, only to be answered by someone tossing a piece of cake at his head.

“Shut up!” yelled a girl, who went back to looking like she was on the verge of death.

“I will silence mine self, but not because thou hast ordered me,” he answered back, before lapsing into silence in order to glare hatefully at the girl.

“Great, even Kuno-chan’s antics are becoming entertaining, I must be bored,” Nabiki lamented to herself, finishing off her punch and going for a refill.

On her way to punch bowl, she bumped into the missing host. “Oof! Why don’t you- Oh, hello Nabiki,” Kikuchi said, starting strong but falling into a flat tone of nervousness as he shifted his glasses.

“Well, well,” Nabiki said neutrally, “if it isn’t the hermit throwing this party. What happen, you run out of food?”

“I-it’s not that,” the boy stuttered, “I was just too busy trying to dissuade my parents from interrupting the party, that’s all.”

“Does this mean that this will pick up soon or what?” Nabiki demanded in a calm tone.

“Yes,” he answered quickly, “Yes it will. I just need for Tomoe-chan to show up with the music and we’ll be ready.”

“Good,” she smirked, walking past him to refresh her drink….

- - -

“So let me get this straight,” Ranma said, interrupting the story for just a bit. “You actually sat there with Kuno ranting and raving for several hours on end waiting for the guy to show up to his own party?”

“Hey,” she said defensively, “life was pretty dull back then, and Kuno-chan had yet to actually meet Akane, so he was insufferable only a third of the time, as opposed to his usual two.”

“Suuuure,” he said, rolling his eyes, “I believe that.”

She snorted and said, “I’ve known him a lot longer than you, Ranma-kun, so I would know what he was like three years ago when you had no clue he even existed.”

He waved his hands in order to placate her growing irritation and said, “I was just kidding, sheesh.”

“That’s not something to kid about, Ranma,” she said, less hotly then before as she turned away from him. “Do you want to hear the rest or not?”

“Of course,” he said. “I didn’t mean to interrupt, that was just bugging me.”

“Then wait until I’m finished next time?” she asked in a suggestive tone.

“Okay, okay, get back to the story already!”

“Let’s see, I was refilling my punch when…”

- - -

Tomoe had arrived with the music, injecting new life into the party. The music seemed to seize them and fill them with a nervous energy that needed to be unleashed in some fashion. The partygoers danced and gyrated wildly with reckless abandon as they began to enjoy themselves after being bored for so long.

There wasn’t much else they would have been able to do that would entertain them this much.

Nabiki finally sat back down after a good half hour of dancing. Along with a steady aerobic regimen and an active enjoyment of tennis, dancing was how she stayed in such good shape. It was good exercise, though she refused to wear too tight of an outfit while dancing at anytime.

She had a growing reputation to maintain, which meant she couldn’t be seen as someone who flaunted her budding figure if they played the right kind of music. She enjoyed the respect she got from a good deal of the students, it was invigorating in some ways to hear them be wary of her all the time. Their insults really didn’t bother her, as she had plenty of time to purge them from her system before they could annoy her.

Plus, she had methods of getting back at those that dared to speak against her.

As she came down from her adrenaline rush, she was surprised to find Kuno sitting sullenly in his chair. It was curious that he looked so downtrodden, when he had more reason than anyone to be happy with life. He could probably pay to throw hundreds of parties across Tokyo, what was he looking so down for?

“What’s the matter Kuno-chan?” Nabiki asked teasingly, enjoying his annoyed expression at her pet name for him.

“Know that I am no pet, Tendo Nabiki,” he said, winding up for one of his more famous rants, “Nor am I a petulant child that you can talk down to. Know that Kuno Tatewaki holds no closeness nor affection for thy villainous ways, so do not refer to me in such a familiar manner, woman.”

“Whatever, Kuno-chan,” she said, having learned to ignore his more subtle tantrums. “Listen, what the hell is eating you? Why aren’t you dancing?”

“What is… eating me as you so vulgarly put it,” he said matter of factly, “is that I cannot dance.”

“WHAT?!” she gasped in shock.

“I said that I cannot dance.” he said calmly, though it was his way of not looking embarrassed.

“I know what you said, dummy,” she snapped back, “but why would you come to a party that is going to be mostly dancing?”

“Because no one would bother to invite me to one,” he answered.

“That’s right, most kids at school can’t stand you.”

“Thank you for that reminder, I had forgotten that.”

“No problem, Kuno-chan.”

“Grr,” he growled, “don’t call me that!”

“Dancing shouldn’t be that hard, especially when all you have to do is sway a little bit and maybe move your arms and feet a slight bit,” she replied, ignoring his out rage again.

“I tried,” he said, “and was calmly told I dance like I’m having a seizure.”

“Oh,” she said, “so that’s what’s bothering you.”

“Other than you,” he shot back, “yes.”

“Would you rather I break down in hysterical laughter at you?” she inquired.

“No, no I wouldn’t,” he said, turning away from her with a sullen look….

- - -

“So that’s what we were doing up to the point that Kikuchi spiked the punch.” Nabiki said.

“He what?” Ranma asked, not understanding what she meant.

“He poured sake into the punch,” she explained, “two bottles full if I remember. I found out from him later that he had purposely made sure Tomoe had forgotten the music while he hunted around his parents’ liquor cabinet for the sake.”

“Why would he do that?” he asked, shocked at the explanation.

“Because he wanted to stir the party up,” she said. “He needed to distract then get his parents out of the house, as well as keep his sister busy until she could go get the music, so the party had to be dull. Since the party was dull until his sister returned with music, he could easily sneak in to spike it. He hid them under the punch table while he looked to make sure no one would catch him, which is when I bumped into him.”

“So, he spiked the punch, just so people wouldn’t hate him for throwing a dull party?” Ranma asked.

“Yeah, pretty bad reason to do something huh?” she asked in return.

“Yeah,” he agreed quietly.

“My catching him is an important part of the story though,” she said solemnly.

“How?”

“Well, you see…”

- - -

“Phew! It’s so hot in here,” she said, fanning herself a bit, “I wonder if Kikuchi has refilled the punch bowl yet?”

“I know not,” Kuno intoned, still looking slightly sullen, “for I am not his keeper.”

“Kuno-chan,” she said flatly, “you’re barely the keeper of yourself, I wouldn’t expect you to be able to be another’s keeper.”

“Bah,” he said dismissively, “that is your opinion and your opinion alone. Never confuse it with fact, you merchant of lies.”

“I’m sooo hurt,” she said, rolling her eyes. “I’m gonna go check on the punch, you want me to bring you a glass?”

“If it is free, then yes. If thy seeks to charge me, then I will employ my legs to carry me there.”

“Fine,” she said, rolling her eyes and walking away….

- - -

“I forgot to explain something,” she said, halting the story in mid-stride.

“What?”

“The fact that Kikuchi refilled the punch bowl with mostly sake instead of punch.”

“Huh?”

“There was just enough punch to cover the sake. I had never drank before, plus I was still feeling the effects of dancing heavily like I had been doing. Kuno, well, he was probably too stupid to realize something was wrong.”

“I can believe that.”

“Anyways…”

- - -

“Here you go Kuno-chan,” she said teasingly, handing him a glass of punch as she took a huge gulp from hers. She noted an odd flavor that she had not had before, but shook it off as he might have mixed a different flavor of punch in.

“Thank you, and refrain from referring to me as that,” he said, accepting the glass and taking a sip from it. It had a curious flavor, but he didn’t know what it was.

Nabiki was feeling a little woozy as the punch worked it’s way through her empty system like lightning. She took another drink, not quite sure what could be causing her wooziness. Things blurred a bit as the alcohol ravaged her mental facilities.

She giggled at the blur she assumed was Kuno.

“Whaat’s sooo funnny?” he slurred, himself drunk from his own indulgence.

“Nooothing,” she drawled, giggling again, “I think I may have danced toooo much.”

“Ah,” he replied wisely, or as wisely as someone who had ingested a beverage that was eighty percent sake and twenty percent punch.

“Wanna ssseee a coool trick?” she asked, swaying back and forth for a few seconds.

“Suuuure,” he said, wobbling slightly.

Nabiki quickly managed to right herself, stuck her hand inside her top and began fidgeting. After a few seconds, she removed her hand with her bra clasped in it. She held it triumphantly for him to see, as though she won some outrageous bet with him.

“Ssseee,” she crowed drunkenly, “isn’t that coool?”

“Very,” he agreed after a few seconds of examining the object to make it out, “but if that is in your hand, what’s holding your b-b-breasts up?”

She raised an eyebrow at his stutter, before she made out what he said. She quickly undid her top and looked down at her bare breasts as she looked back up at him and asked, “These?”

He was taking a drink to calm his nerves when he heard her say something, which he promptly turned his eyes towards her and spits his drink out in shock. Several flashes and cheers go up as Kuno stares at her and her shamelessly bared chest. Several girls comment on Nabiki’s bravery, while other’s started gossiping about what this meant…

- - -

“And there you have it.” Nabiki finished, breathing a sigh of relief to be finished with it.

“Wow,” he said, “that’s absolutely amazing.”

“Isn’t it though?” she asked, “I mean, if it were for the alcohol, I probably never would have done it.”

“Well,” he said, “probably not.”

“What do you mean probably not?” she asked, confused.

“Well…” he said, unsure of how to word this, “maybe back then, you two were a lot more chummy than you are now.”

“Just what are you getting at?” she demanded, that annoying sensation that the answer was just out of her reach buzzing in her head.

“That maybe Kuno liked you more than you realized,” he answered calmly, relieved that he finally got what he wanted to say out of the way.

“Say what?!” she exclaimed in shock.

“Hey,” he said, waving his hands in defense, “You’re the one hanging around him all the time, I would think that you must like him to some degree. So, if that’s the case, I wouldn’t be surprised if you might voluntarily do what you did in the picture is all.”

“Are you out of your mind?” she said loudly, “I can barely stomach him half of the time. If he wasn’t such an easy mark, I’d have nothing to do with him!”

“Hey, calm down, I’m just saying,” he said. “I’m not saying YOU like HIM, I’m just saying he might like you. I mean, considering your rep and how much he proclaims himself to be a champion of the people, it wouldn’t be good for him to take up with one who could be considered an enemy of those same people.”

“No way!” she shot back. “You’ve seen how crazy he goes over your girl-half and Akane. What makes you think he’d like me like that?”

“Because he’s known you longer than both me and Akane?” he snapped back with a slight edge of heat. “Sometimes, I do think he’s nuts over my girl side and Akane, and other times, it just seems forced.”

“Forced?” she asked, puzzled by his word choice. “What do you mean forced?”

“It’s too obvious at times that he is trying to win our affections, sometimes he even spouts the same poetry as he did the day before, or give the exact same speech from the previous encounter. But then, I’ve only known him for a month, so I can’t be certain.”

“But why would you think he’d be interested in me?” she asked, still confused by that point.

“I don’t know,” he said with a shrug. “Where does he usually meet you for pictures?”

“At the café downtown,” she answered, not sure where this is leading.

“Does he buy you food?” he asked.

“What?”

“Does he buy you food?”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“Just answer the question and you’ll find out.”

“Sometimes, yes. Ranma, what’s so important about that?”

“Because, while I’ve never been on a date, that sounds an awful lot like a date that some of the girls in my class described.”

Silence reigned over the pair, as they contemplated the possible revelations that had just been made clear. The awkward, yet pregnant, pause that had enveloped them hung thick like a wool blanket, suffocating all noise under it. Everything around them had gone into a deafening silence, not even the howl of the wind could break free of the quiet’s grasp.

It lasted several more moments, each more tense than the last. When it finally broke, it was broken by the sound of a girl gasping in shock. This sound was quickly followed by a noise of inquiry, most noticeably male.

“What?” Ranma asked in concern, “What is it?”

“Nothing,” Nabiki quickly replied, “nothing at all.”

“Oh really?” he asked, slightly put off that she didn’t seem to want to tell him what had upset her.

“Yes really,” she snapped back curtly. “Lunch is about over, and I have some things to think over. I’ll see you after school.”

“Fine,” he grumbled, getting up, “see if I ever open up to you.”

“What was that?”

“Nothing.”

“Oh, just get going already. You got what you wanted, ok?”

“Yeah, yeah.”

On that sour note, Ranma ran back up the hill, leaving Nabiki alone. She couldn’t help but feel as though she had done something wrong. It was an unusual feeling for her, as she rarely regretted what actions.

‘Damn it, Ranma,’ she mentally cursed, ‘I can’t tell you everything. At least, not yet anyways.’

Still, the unsettling implication that Kuno might have been covertly dating her these past few months did not sit well with her. She wasn’t interested in him, and he showed no interest in her, so why would he do something like that? It was completely preposterous, a foolish notion thought up by some socially backward boy.

Plus, it was giving Kuno entirely too much credit.

Still, she had some measure of guilt coursing through her. She didn’t mean to shut him out like that, it was just she needed some time to think to herself. He was jumping a little too hard at the good friend aspect of their relationship, something that disappointed her greatly.

Maybe she’d apologize later, but it was doubtful…

- - -

Meanwhile, at the Kuno mansion, Kuno Kodachi was getting ready to get dressed for the evening. On the one hand, she wanted to dress properly like her mother taught her, but on the other, she only had her idiotic brother who might not notice that she was prancing around naked. Tatewaki could be charming in his delusion obliviousness, but it often wore thin.

The “poisons” she put into his food were merely a means of getting him placated around home. She rarely used any powder, only using it when he was purposely annoying her. She didn’t know if she could bear it if she let the staff prepare his food and medication, she’d never have any peace!

The horrid things she’d do to him just for some quiet time around the Mansion.

But they were oh so necessary, as brother dearest often would make some noise about something. Sometimes, she would drug the snack she’d often bring him to dull the nightmares of their father’s insanity that he would have. It was an evil, underhanded way to keep him in line, but she was at a lost as to how to deal with it other wise.

She’d figure something more permanent out later, but for now, she was content.

Ranma, her great and mighty Ranma-sama, a specimen of a man to be sure, but looks weren’t everything. Part of her chase was just for the amusement of seeing that harridan Akane grind her teeth in anger at her antics. The other part, was that she felt something for the blithering fool of a boy, but she knew she did not love him to the obsessive bent she showed.

But alas, to keep up appearances as they are, she would continue to moon over him for little reason.

Kodachi sighed as she got dressed, idly sniffing one of her black roses as she remembered her mother. Her mother was every bit the proper noble women, gracious and humble. Kodachi missed her mother dearly and did her best to remember her.

She was, after all, her mother's daughter.

As was her elder brother her mother’s son, overbearing yet loveable in his own way, lout that he is. But it always seemed to her that he still loved playing the pretend game that they would play as a family on Sundays. Her father would play the great Daimyo, her mother, his wife. She had the role of proper court maiden while her brother played the noble samurai protecting his lord.

It was a great and silly time for them all. One of the few times that they actually were close as a family. Tatewaki had been so happy then, no wonder he was always playing the samurai.

He was hoping Mother would come home, or maybe he could find her if he was strong enough.

‘Heh,’ Kodachi thought, a slight tear tracing down her face. ‘Tachi loved her so, probably more so than his two destined loves. How I wish she would be able to come home, but alas.. it is not to be..’

She cut off her thoughts there, knowing that the tears were threatening to pour down her cheeks in great torrents. No one had ever broken the truth to Tatewaki that his mother was dead, but he knew implicitly that she was gone. The fact that his invincible samurai might couldn't save her only drove him further into dementia. She wished dearly that the sweet boy her brother was would just come back to her, so she wouldn't have to be cruel to him.

But she knew that it too, was not to be.

‘Mother,’ she silently thought, ‘perhaps I really should try harder to win Ranma-sama’s affections. I don’t want to grow into a miserly old woman.’

How to do that was a source of great ponderance. She had a good inkling that she made him nervous, and not for the attention she would lavish upon him. Her often aloof attitude made it hard for her to be around him without him cringing in terror.

She did not understand what was so fearsome about herself. In all honesty, she was frail in comparison to him, yet he seemed to shirk away from her whenever she was near. Maybe it was the way she presented herself, or maybe it was something else.

‘But what is it?’ she thought. ‘Just what is wrong with me that he seems to be put off by? Mother help me please.’

Unbidden, the memory of when she had shown up at his school came back to her. He had seemed quick to cower from her, as though she were hideous. Of course, her tears had managed to get him to confess that it wasn’t that.

Was it how she usually acted that caused her to unconsciously push him away?

‘Maybe I could soften my image to him,’ she silently admitted. ‘He might not be used to how a proper lady may act, which leaves the poor darling frightened by what he doesn’t know. But how am I to do that?’

With that, she began to scour her room for clues to help her soften her image to Ranma. It would be hard to change herself dramatically if that was what it would take, but she hoped she wouldn’t have to go too far. She wanted to attract him to Kuno Kodachi, not some façade that she had created to cater towards his tastes.

After all, how was she to know if he truly loved her if she cultivated herself to his ideals too much? She wanted Ranma, she made no real bones about that, but to how far she wanted to go to have him was as much a mystery to her as it was to everyone else. She again wondered just how far she would go for him, and if she really wanted to go that far.

She had to consider the fact that she might not succeed.

Pushing the negative thoughts and emotions down, she spotted a catalog for a pet store on her nightstand. She snatched it up and began leafing through it at a breakneck pace. In her whirlwind search, she managed to formulate various plans with other animals she came across until she found it.

It was perfect!

There was an adorable picture of a girl holding a kitten close to her cheek and smiling brightly. How anyone could find that frightening was beyond her, and quite frankly, she didn’t really care at this point. Elated to have this clue set in front of her, Kodachi practically skipped from the room as she sought to appropriate this vital necessity.

The cackling from the Kuno Mansion became two-fold and a certain pig-tailed boy shivered in trepidation….

End Chapter 7

Teaser for Chapter 8:

Kuno shuffled his feet nervously as he glanced cautiously at the box at his feet, filled to the brim with unsettling creatures. He was fright- no, made uncomfortable by all of the slimy things, to the point his skin crawled when he even glanced at them. But he would not be denied, his quest was far too important.

Today Saotome Ranma, top cur amongst all curs, would finally be brought to justice!

He chuckled, then quickly silenced himself as something in the box seemed to move. After a few tense seconds, he resumed breathing, the bandages on his ribs easing the injury he suffered only yesterday. He had put hard work in the drama department crafting that war mask, and for Saotome to destroy it so callously, it was just another injustice to wrought swift vengeance upon him.

How the fiend would wail for mercy once the Blue Thunder had finally defeated his magics and freed his loves. They would leap in his arms and lavish him with thanks and affection, their joy at being free would show through to all. He could almost feel their warmth now….

“Why is Kuno-sempai hugging himself?” a passing student queried another.

“I don’t know, and even if I did know I don’t think I’d wanna know,” his companion answered, averting his gaze and walking faster.

Kuno narrowed his eyes. How dare these fools mock him as though he were not there! He would show them the errors of their ways!

He grasped his bokken and jerked it upward mightily, loosening the tie on his Hakama, causing the folds to come undone. As was his usual wont, he had no secondary pants on, therefore exposing his apparent love of teddy bear boxers. Of course, so caught up his desire to punish these miscreants, he had not noticed the chill down below as he set off after them.

“Oh, Kuno-sempai, put some clothes on!” a girl cried, dismayed at the sight of the nearly-half naked Kendoist bounding about.

“…..Are those teddy bears on his shorts?” another girl drolly deadpanned.

“I think they are,” yet another girl answered cutely, though her disgusted tone distorted the effect somewhat.

Finally glancing down, he noticed that his Hakama had suddenly vanished, leaving him unduly exposed. With a yelp, he charged back to his tree, face burning in embarrassment as he hastily redressed. The crowd had erupted into raucous laughter by now, compounding his shame even further.

Somehow, he knew this was all Saotome’s fault…

Notes on Chapter 7:

It’s worth noting that if the flashbacks confuse you, they are done more in the vein of television style then any type of perspective. Also, I know I was a bit gratuitous with them, but what the hey, it could have been a lot worse then it was. Anyways, sorry for the wait, but this chapter is in the books, and hopefully, I’ll get the Nekoken and Cologne out of the way. Later.