Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½, Rumiko Takahashi and Viz Communications. Don’t sue me, I’m just having fun here, and I will never profit from this. That’s all.

Author Notes: Chapter 8.… how about that? I keep plugging along, and hopefully I’ll have this done before summer arrives, but don’t hold your breath. Wouldn’t want any of you to suffocate….. coughs. Anyways, let’s get this started, as you’re not here to listen to me ramble, you’re here to read the fic. presses a button on the projector, starting up the opening credits until the title screen.

First I Giveth

Chapter 8: The Revenge of the Blue Thunder Part 2

By Marik Kurakashi

Night had firmly settled upon the district of Nerima without much fanfare. There had been no shouting matches or odd martial arts challenges, just a normal evening for a district that was anything but that. If one hadn’t lived there very long, one would not really recognize the difference between this nightfall and any other.

But for one man, the night was anything but peaceful.

Ono Tofu tossed in his sleep as another nightmare wracked his brain. What was a peaceful day for him had turned into an overly stormy night. There were all these weird, jumbled images that assaulted him at random, tearing at the edge of his consciousness and causing him unrest.

Then there were the voices, some quiet and pleading, others loud and demanding. What they were saying was impossible to tell, as they were often in tongues for some strange reason. His mind was beset by some foul presence, and it was determined to prevent him from gaining any rest.

The question of why hung thick in his mind as he blearily opened his eyes and quickly checked the time. 1:34 AM, the digital clock read, its red light causing him to squint to keep it from irritating his eyes. His mind quickly caught up and boggled at the information provided by the clock.

1:34 AM, the time rolled around in his brain. He had been trying to sleep for only four hours, yet it felt like days had passed since he laid down. He silently cursed Father Time, if only in a weak attempt to make himself feel better and get his mind of those nightmares.

But like all storms, they had to end sometime.

He would weather this storm, if not outright conquer it. He lead a simple, yet peaceful life, with few enemies and more than a few friends. His patients were friendly and complimentary, his colleagues were respectful and often sought advice from him.

His family always prayed at the shrines when they could, as well as avoided anyone who would sic evil spirits upon them. He had not eaten anything harmful or strange before bed, thus he arrived at a most improbable quandary. What was causing this most turbulent of nights, and how was he to make it go away?

It was almost enough to make him want to get up and actually try to piece this mystery together. But he needed rest, whatever amount he had managed to get, so there was no time for riddles in the twilight. His patients depended on him, gave their very well being over to him, and that kind of trust he could not betray.

So for now, he snuggled deeper into the covers, hoping for slumber and this night to be over soon.

- -

Morning finally broke over Nerima, its idyllic calm warming the souls of those that always greeted its first rays. Kasumi was her usual busy self, preparing the morning meal with time honed ease and loving practice. While it may not have been a blissful life of ease, it was enough for the simple girl.

Habits were amazing things in their simple complexity. They were often easy to form, yet very hard to break. Bonds formed by a few light taps of the hammer often needed to be cut asunder. Such was the case for the eldest Tendo girl, as it would have been easy for her to get everyone else to pitch in more around the house.

But she was used to doing it, as well as used to not having help. Sure, she never tried carpentry and was clueless when it came to spackling, but she made up for it other areas. Like making sure to try and defuse tempers whenever she could.

Holes in the wall or ceiling often taunted the poor girl’s sense of good housekeeping. Her inability to defeat them like the dust bunnies on the carpet, or a really tough stain on the kitchen counter stuck in her craw. That feeling was one she didn’t particularly like, so she often sought ways to prevent it when ever she could.

That practice would have to be suspended in light of recent revelations.

In recent days, Akane’s favorite activity of quarreling with Ranma seemed to have been shelved. It was to her great relief that it had been, her temper being a little more stilted before Ranma came. In fact, his arrival seemed to curtail her sister’s habit of venting on the poor house.

Of course, there was the mystery of what was developing between their pig-tailed guest and Nabiki. While a friendship between the two was not something she was against, the outright secrecy and minor paranoia put her off base in more ways than one. Though, if dinner last night had been any indication, they had hit a sudden snag as they seemed unwilling to talk to each other outside of asking for something to be passed to them.

She wondered what could have happened that caused their friendship to stall out like it did. Shaking her head, Kasumi turned back to her morning preparations so she could be done before everyone else had woken up. She was sure it wouldn’t be long before everyone else was up and about, filling the house with the sound of activity once more.

And thus, the routine would begin again.

- -

Breakfast had been eaten and the school bound trio was once more off to school. This morning had been different in the eyes of the younger of the school bound sisters, as Ranma and Nabiki seem to stay away from one another rather than the close proximity of the past few days. It was odd to see the two, who had been so buddy-buddy for the past few days, staying as far apart as possible now.

The reason for this eluded her, and she wondered why their sudden avoidance of one another filled her with dread. Perhaps because if whatever tiff between them is quashed, then they will probably be closer for it. Well, she wasn’t too sure of that, as they seemed to be avoiding one another like the other carried some horrible disease.

Akane frowned to herself, she should be trying to formulate a way to take advantage of this apparent rift between the two to save Ranma. But then, did he need saving anymore? After all, maybe Nabiki had already tried to sink her claws into him and he rebuked her, thus leading to their standoffish mood.

She hoped that was the case anyways.

Quickly deciding to move off Ranma, she decided to think about what she should do in order to make sure that when this was passed, the apparent closeness between the two remained friendly. While she lacked Kasumi’s domestic skills and Nabiki’s planning skills, she did make up for it with earnest effort and genuine exuberance. But what could she possibly do that Ranma would see that she was the best one for him?

Martial arts was a common ground, but the gap in skills between them made it impossible for her to impress him through that avenue. She didn’t really think that opening herself to Ranma’s taunting was THAT good of an idea anyways, lest she fly off the handle and hit him. True, she didn’t hit him that often, but she often felt like a heel, rather than the relief she usually got from pounding on a pervert.

Pervert, there was that awful word that had sent Ranma up in a tizzy when he arrived. Though she felt justified in proclaiming him as such, she couldn’t escape the feeling that she was the one in the wrong for it. Maybe because it was the fact that Ranma had yet to taunt her until she had called him that.

She could apologize, but felt that would do no good in the long run.

Jumping back, she narrowly avoided the water from the old lady, wondering again why it was targeting her. Maybe the chaos of Nerima was actually sentient and liked to run on a schedule, thus the old lady would always hit the sidewalk at that particular moment. Or maybe she was just thinking to much about it, which was probably it.

By now, Ranma had probably reached the school minutes after Nabiki, thus leaving her no chance to actually speak with him before class. In fact, outside of the occasional comment at breakfast and small conversation at dinner, he had deftly avoided her for the last few days. It hurt to think that he was avoiding her as well, as though she had done something to offend him.

And what that was, she hadn’t a clue. She had been moderately nice to him before the avoidance, with a bit of light teasing about Shampoo. Her face twisted into a grimace, as she decided to run to get to school, thoughts of her temporary memory loss at the hands of the Amazon flashed through her mind.

Was that why he avoided her? It mattered very little, as she couldn’t waste any more time dallying like this, lest she have to stand in the hall again. Lifting her head, she could sense a disturbance in the distance, a sure sign of a battle between Kuno and Ranma.

Regardless of how much it annoyed her, she certainly didn’t want to miss Kuno getting put in his place again.

- -

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! Oh how he would tremble in fear when confronted with the horrors he had gathered in that box. Why, it was doubtful he would have to even take a swing at Saotome before the dog released his spells.

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?” a guy drolly deadpanned.

“I think they are,” 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… In fact, here came the demon himself now, following that foul Mercenary as well. His time for revenge was nigh, he could taste victory’s sweet nectar as visions of Saotome’s defeat played before his eyes.

Hefting the box carefully, Kuno made his way from behind the tree. A quick pat assured him he was fully dressed, thus ensuring the foul one’s end. Gaining speed without jarring the box, Kuno charged straight at Ranma like a bull who had seen red.

“Whoa!” Ranma exclaimed, drawn out of his thoughts by having to leap over the kendoist’s mad charge.

“Hold still, miscreant!” Kuno snapped, taking a rather noble pose that looked completely ridiculous thanks to the box in his hands.

“So what’s with the box, Kuno?” Ranma asked, a taunting edge to his question. “Forgot your stick at home?”

“Ah, Saotome Ranma, only a fool such as yourself would be unaware of the doom this box contained!” the elder boy arrogantly proclaimed, tossing his head back and laughing.

“I would call you crazy, Kuno,” Ranma said, taking a ready stance, “but that would just be redundant.”

“Be silent foul dog!” the crazed kendoist bellowed, placing the box under his left arm as he clenched his right hand into a fist. “For far too long, thou hast mocked me Saotome. But today, thy tyranny ends! The pig-tailed girl and Tendo Akane shall be free to love me as they were meant to, while you turn to dust and bother us no more!”

“Yeah, right,” the pig-tailed youth retorted, rolling his eyes in response to the ravings coming from the elder boy. “So what’s in this box, anyways? I mean, it has to be something if you’re saying it’s my doom and all that.”

“Only someone as ignorant and stupid as you Saotome, would ask to be shown his end.” Kuno said, chuckling in wistful happenstance as he once more envisioned the terrified Ranma being felled by his hand.

“So there’s nothin’ in the box then,” Ranma quipped, speaking quickly in order to get it in between the delusional fool’s next salvo of hot air. “All it is, is an excuse to have me stand here while you bore me into submission.”

“This box contains your demise, as I have previously stated, Saotome.” Kuno shot back in annoyance, “You should not be so hasty to dismiss what horrors are contained within this mere box.”

“Then let’s see it,” Ranma replied, emphasizing most of his words, wanting to get this over with.

“Very well,” Kuno snapped, “meet thy doom, impudent fool!” With that, he tossed the contents of the box onto Ranma.

As the surrounding students gasped and made various noises of fear and dismay, Ranma stood pat and simply waited for the doom to come. Sensing nothing more coming, Ranma studied what was tossed on him and found an enormous sense of disappointment filling him. Was this it? He was supposed to be downed by a few non-poisonous snakes, toads and maybe even a rat, none of these animals particularly vicious by any standard?

He frowned as the crazed kendoist stared in shock as his plan suddenly failed. Couldn’t the idiot have had the decency to get something that would have actually have posed a problem to him? Apparently, the two shared vastly different definitions of threatening, something he was sure to take advantage of.

Quickly gathering as many of the creatures as he could, Ranma then proceeded to chuck them back at his insane schoolmate.

Kuno found himself in a sudden predicament. He had watched his plan fail, which is why he only stared dumbly as Ranma quickly gathered his supposed method of victory and hurled them back at him. He felt himself grow disgusted at the sensations these creatures were sending through his body.

Above all else, he knew he had to endure this setback. He was a man, nay, a Samurai of the highest stock. His strength was legendary, so legendary that the Heavens themselves often gabbed but his perfect skills and often championed him to defeat all who would oppose their will.

It seemed that the demons of the Underworld had found themselves a champion of evil, one who continued to thwart the Heavens and called for a righteous smiting rather than a simple defeat. Thus he continued to battle against Saotome Ranma, the foul Champion of evil, even though it seemed he was outmatched by his evil powers. He had two reasons beyond the will of the Kami themselves, two reasons that he continued to taste the vile flavor of defeat: his cherished loves who he knew were supporting him to free them from this evil beast.

He could see them weeping in his mind, fearful of this cursed dog ravaging them for its own pleasure.

He trembled as fear and sorrow wracked his body. He had failed them again, had left them to the perverted desires of this horrible fiend. His plan had backfired, as it was he who was brought down by his helpers, not his foe.

Another spasm of fear shuddered through him, as his body’s natural impulses of fear gave in to the terror being wrought upon it. It had not the fearlessness of his spirit, thus it was susceptible to such base fear. He would endure this, as he was a Samurai, thus he would get through this as any who were of Samurai stock would.

He screamed in terror and fainted.

Ranma, for his part, rolled his eyes at the shrieking of the older boy. Didn’t he get that a man shouldn’t scream like that? No matter how scary those things were supposed to be, he should’ve just sucked it up and ignored them.

Of course, his views on how a man should act were a bit warped for the most part, but that didn’t stop him from snorting in contempt and stomping off to class. He caught a glimpse of Nabiki as he walked past her, his eyes meeting hers briefly before she turned away from him.

He shook his head, unable to figure the girl out, and quickly decided to worry about her later. He didn’t really understand her standoffish behavior towards him, but figured that it had something to do with his assumption that she and Kuno had been an unofficial couple. An involuntary shudder quickly wracked his body as he thought about the implications that statement held.

Okay, so maybe he COULD understand why she seemed pissed off by that.

He couldn’t do anything about that now, he had been late to class enough as it was. He quickly hurried towards class, missing Akane calling for him to wait up. The girl came up short and stared after the retreating form of her fiancé, annoyance and fear racking her body as he continued on without a sign of hearing her.

What had she done for him to avoid her like this? She hadn’t said anything nasty to him in the past few days, heck, she had even refrained from hitting him at all. It was baffling, as it was apparent Nabiki had not sunk her claws into him, so he wasn’t ignoring her at her sister’s behest.

But why would he ignore her like this? The late bell sounded, signaling the fact that she had stood there for far too long. Cursing under her breath, she quickly hurried up in the hope of sneaking in the classroom to avoid bucket duty.

The puzzle that was Ranma, their engagement, and where her older sister fit into it would just have to wait for now.

- -

Meanwhile, across the district, Kuno Kodachi was playing hooky in order to shop about for the pet that would bring Ranma to her. Sure, she could have done it after school, but she needed the time spent shopping to figure out how to best approach Ranma from a less haughty stance. The pet wouldn’t make up for personality, especially if she continued to look down her nose at people below her station.

After all, she had strong feelings for one of those supposed peasants, something that surely should effect her view of people of lower class standings. That must have been another thing that irked Ranma, as her attitude towards others of his station had only served to make him uncomfortable instead of feeling blessed. She would have to also make the attempt not to look down on others, as it would seem to lessen her feelings for him.

Pausing, she gazed into a pet shop window and wondered if she really should make such sudden and sweeping changes to herself. While the reward was nice, the risk was great, the potential pain even greater. Shaking it off, she decided to worry about the consequences later, as thoughts of failure only bred more of its kin.

She had no intention of failing at all.

Coming to a stop, she stared into the next pet shop window, eyeballing all the excessively cute animals. It would be hard pressed for anyone to be intimidated by her if she carried one of these creatures around wherever she went. The thought slightly sickened her, but when weighed against having Ranma afraid of her, she quickly got over it.

Deciding that this had the best array of animals, she quickly entered the shop in order to get an even closer look at them. She looked at the cages, memories of searching for a pet when she was younger flooding her mind as she took in the various pets. Kittens, puppies, an assortment of exotic birds and fishes all caught her eye as she appraised them each for their merit in disarming Ranma.

She stopped by a display of kittens, enthralled by their cuteness as they mewed for her in hopes of going home with her. She smiled at their enthusiasm, amused that they seemed to sense her need for them in her noble quest. Turning about, she went to look around the store, but kept a part of her mind on that particular display case.

Perhaps what she was looking for was right there.

The shopkeeper, for his part, simply smiled as the girl walked around his store in wonder of the animals. He was attuned to the signs of people who sought to purchase from him, and those whom were merely window shopping. This girl, however, gave off a sense that she was looking for something special, perhaps a gift for a loved one or someone equally important to her.

To that end, he left her alone.

Kodachi had finally finished her tour of the shop and returned to the first display of kittens she had seen. They had been hard to shake, as they had been simply too adorable for her to forget. She shrewdly examined them all as she appraised their cuteness and disarming factor, looking for that perfect one to soften her image.

She finally spotted one that stood out amongst the others, one that seemed to outshine all the others. Its fur was pure white except for a curious black ring around its right eye. It looked so unusual that people would be more likely distracted by its presence to be made uncomfortable by her.

It was perfect in all fields.

“Shopkeeper,” she said, managing to restrain her arrogant tone to something less snooty.

“Yes miss?” he queried in return, a slight smile on his face.

“I would like to purchase one of these kittens,” she said, with no trace of bossiness, just a simple statement made by a simple girl.

“Sure thing,” he said, coming out from behind the counter and over to the display. “Which one you want?”

“That one,” she said, pointing to the white kitten with the black ring around its eye.

“Sure thing,” he said, opening it, then grabbing the kitten that was requested.

The transaction had gone smoothly, as such, Kodachi was making her way from the pet store with her new kitten in tow. She hadn’t decided on a name just yet, but she would get to that later. She had to focus on the more important thing, which was to keep up the normal girl act in front of Ranma.

It wouldn’t do to break back into her haughty arrogance when around Ranma and that Tendo girl. Oh, and that Tendo girl’s family would have to be extended that courtesy too, or it would just blow up in her face. So she would have to ignore any digs that may come her way from them, as she had her eyes on a prize that would make up for the sting of the insults.

And when she had Ranma, she wouldn’t have to care about Tendo Akane’s feelings anymore.

- -

Later that day, the school going trio had returned home from their mutual activity. Upon arriving home, they had all went their separate ways, all in an effort to escape the thick blanket of silence that had covered their walk home. Not a word had passed between them on the way home, which made for a curious sight as they all seemed that they wanted to say something, but something stopped them at the last second.

Now separate, each had found a weight that had been pressing onto their shoulders had lifted, leaving them with some excess energy to burn. Akane had decided to occupy the dojo, while Ranma sought out his father to get an extra hour of practice in, as Nabiki decided to some aerobics in her room. Anything, as long as they avoided speaking to one another.

Kasumi had silently watched their apparent unease with one another with frank worry. It was never a good thing when her sisters were at odds with one another, add in the pig-tailed youth unwittingly causing said rift, and well it was enough to make anyone wring their hands in worry. She would try to make overtures of peace at the dinner, as well as she could without Genma clueing into what she was hinting at.

But for now, she allowed them space or else they would simply reject whatever help she offered.

Out in the backyard, Ranma was staring down his father. He had to push it from his mind, purge the worry and unease and focus back on the art. The art had yet to betray him, and was always there as a crutch when life threatened to overwhelm him.

The art didn’t have feelings, nor could it say harmful things to make him feel worthless. The art couldn’t stamp on him for accidentally opening a can of worms he had no clue were there. The art most certainly didn’t make him feel stupid for trying to be friends with someone.

He managed to get his mind on the fight again, as he sailed through the air from being thrown by his father. He twisted about and managed to regain enough control to land on top of the garden wall. It had been years since his father could toss him that easily, a sure sign that he wasn’t paying attention.

Again he focused himself, as he sprang from the wall and came roaring in with a hard right. His father barely ducked under it, shuddering as the current created by the swing caused his bandana to flutter on his head. Thinking on his feet, Genma hopped back from his son and kept hopping until he was a safe distance from the boy.

“What’s the matter boy?” the father queried, his gruff tone masking his concern and fear. “It’s not like you to be this wound up.”

“Nothin’ pop,” Ranma said, shaking his head as he calmed down. “Just some stupid thing at school is all.”

“Really?” the portly man asked, noticing something off about the reply, “What’s bothering you then?”

“It’s nothing,” the pig-tailed boy grunted, taking a fighting stance. “Let’s get back to sparring.”

“Are you sure you want to spar?” came the elder Saotome retort, “It sounds to me like you just want to beat on something to get rid of some frustration.”

“And if you don’t get ready, you’re gonna be that something.” the son snapped back, annoyed that he couldn’t purge these annoyances from himself.

“Why don’t you just tell me what’s bothering, boy?” Genma asked simply, shaking his head at his son’s lack of control.

“Fine!” Ranma snapped, relaxing from his stance as he eyeballed his father. “It’s just that some idiot threw some animals on me, as though I was supposed to have a breakdown in fear or somethin’.”

“That’s it? You tried to knock me goofy over something as simple as THAT?” Genma snorted, his eyes rolling eyes.

“That’s not all, but I’m not saying anything, because I doubt you would understand.” Ranma said, turning around.

“Why you ungrateful boy! Here I am, trying to be a good father and allow you to unburden yourself and this is the thanks I get!” Genma wailed indignantly.

“Well if you wanna know, you gotta catch me first!” Ranma said, chuckling as he took off.

“Come back here boy!” Genma mock roared, chasing after his son in a reversal of one of their old games.

Ranma bounded all about the yard, his worries forgotten for now. He finally had the fat fool chasing after him, something he had always wanted after all the times he had chased the old man. He was the one in control, and it actually made him feel good to have someone like his Pop around.

Unbeknownst to either Saotome, or the Tendos in the house, they had a pair of visitors. They hadn’t announced themselves, nor would they. Kodachi had heard Ranma and his father in the backyard, talking about something, so she hid by the gate as fast as she could. Once she saw him coming towards her position, she leaped into action!

Ranma was having a whale of a time, as he was giving his father a good work out. He didn’t see Kodachi as he came towards her, nor did he when he landed in front of her. His eyes were fixed on the-the-the THING in her arms.

And the world faded to black for him as he fainted.

- -

In the dojo, Akane exercised repeatedly as she continued to try and beat down her frustration. She had warred with herself to keep from confronting Nabiki about her sudden interest in Ranma. It was too early to show her hand, to show that she had an noticed the shift in their behavior towards one another.

She had planned to rescue Ranma from her sister, as such, she needed to gather enough information to accurately present her concerns in a reasonable manner to her sister. If she went in there yelling, she’d probably be washing the windows of Furinkan in her underwear if she wasn’t careful. No, this called for tactics and a clear-head. She would have the battles all on her terms, with victory assured first.

Her feet made a steady thump as she formulated plans. She would have to actually start trying to get Ranma’s attention now, seeing as he and Nabiki had a falling out. Once she was sure of having him suitably out from whatever scheme her sister had hatched to ensnare him, she would confront her sister and get all the sordid details of that plan, just for peace of mind.

Of course, her planning would go a lot easier if those idiots in the backyard would quiet down.

Again, she told herself she was doing this for the good of Ranma, not for any interest she may have in him. She didn’t really want to be engaged to him, but she did admire his ability to try and tell the truth once in a while. She also admired several other things about him, not the least of which was his considerable skill in the art.

This rare beast, this beautiful and naïve boy Saotome Ranma, had to be preserved from the harshness of reality. He had to be protected from those who would dare take advantage of his good nature and using them for their own wicked end. This boy, as smooth as polished silver, had to keep his luster, lest he lose his unique traits and become dull like all the rest.

Which is why she tore from the dojo when she heard him scream…..

- -

Up in her room, Nabiki was doing her aerobics as she had always done them, slow and steady, in a nice orderly fashion. Aerobics were easy to manage, there were no curveballs the system of exercise could throw at you, no real detours from the straight and narrow. So she was content to just pour through her routine over and over again.

She was at war with herself, feeling right in being standoffish towards Ranma, and feeling wrong for not forgetting what he said. This was a new position for her, having to feel split on a decision that was made in haste. Usually, she was often right when she made them, and it never bothered her before. Of course, she didn’t live with, nor see much of, the subjects of those decisions.

She constantly tried to put aside the feeling that she should apologize for snapping at him like that, but it continued to gnaw at the edge of her mind like a termite. Finally stopping her exercise, Nabiki leaned against the wall and thought about how to apologize for something like this. It wasn’t like she could just tell him sorry without certain undesirable elements hearing what she was apologizing for and why.

Beyond everything else, her sisters and Mr. Saotome had to be kept in the dark to the details.

Nabiki had an inkling of how mad Akane may be, should her baby sister learn of her older sister’s interest in her fiancé. Akane didn’t like it when someone poached on what she considered hers, but she was far from a brat. In fact, her infamous temper was mainly attributed to a few isolated incidents and a ridiculous amount of embellishment.

But that wasn’t to say this wouldn’t set her off. Akane was very forgiving of a lot of things, just there was a line when taking stopped and giving started. Nabiki was sure that most of the blame would be shifted onto Ranma, with a severe amount of shouting and guilt being shoveled onto her.

Kasumi, on the other hand, was a wild card. The eldest Tendo daughter made no bones about her disapproval of the fights between Ranma and Akane, mainly because the fights themselves were incredibly childish. Kasumi was unsettled by how much tension there was between the two despite being acquainted for less than a month.

Above all else, she feared Kasumi way more than Akane. When Kasumi went from big sister, to BIG Sister, it was a cause for concern and worry, as it took a lot for Kasumi to put her foot down. Too often had Nabiki encountered BIG Sister Kasumi, and it left her feeling meek and scared. How could someone so gentle and nice make what would be a simple prank seem like it was going to offend the Emperor?

The reactions of her sisters would be something that would hopefully come later, as she doubted she could handle it now.

Deciding to focus back on her apology, Nabiki sat down on her bed and thought. It couldn’t be a simple sorry, or even an I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. No, this had to be a true, honest, and sincere apology, one that would put her back on good terms with him.

A small, shrinking part of her wondered why she was going to such links for some boy when she could easily find someone else. Then she recalled how it felt when she talked to him about things that second night, and how it felt when he gave her that manga. Where would she find a guy who would be more concerned about who she was, instead of how easy she was to lay?

That question would have to wait, as Ranma’s scream pierced the air, causing Nabiki to sprint from her room to find out why….

- -

Some time later, a shell shocked Kodachi returned home to her mansion. She simply couldn’t believe what she had learned while at the Tendos. How could her darling Ranma-sama have such a ridiculous fear? It was simply preposterous for anyone to fear something that mundane.

And yet, she heard his scream when he saw it, as well as watched him faint. She had fled mainly in shock, as well as having no desire to deal with the Tendo sisters and their base accusations. It was just so shocking to see her brave Ranma-sama just collapse like that from the sight of it.

Maybe he really wasn’t so flawless after all.

“Sister,” Tatewaki intoned behind her, “you are late coming home from school. Where were you?”

“Brother,” Kodachi returned tiredly, turning towards him, “do not bother me with your nonsense. I have had a trying day, all I request is that you allow me to rest now.”

“Answer me!” he thundered back, stepping closer with a look of anger on his face. “As man of this House, I am entitled to answers!”

“All you’re entitled to,” she said slowly, rolling her eyes at the display, “is to go soak your head in the moat.”

“And allow that demon pet of yours to fest on my head? Never!”

“Then leave me alone, Brother.”

“Nay Sister,” came the elder sibling’s reply, “I refuse because I believe you have been seeing that cur Saotome again.”

“And if I have?” she asked, stepping away from him in an effort to avoid this conversation. “What of it?”

“I knew it!” he bellowed, reaching out to grab her by the shoulder, which prompted Kodachi to shove him away. “You know of my rivalry with that fiend, why do you seek to take up in his arms?”

“Because I do not share the same feelings as you, Brother,” she snapped, gritting her teeth. “Who I choose to give my heart to has nothing to do with you.”

“It has everything to do with me!” he hollered, stepping close once more. “You, my last remaining kin, I cannot bear the thought of harm befalling you. I forbid you to pursue him further.”

“TACCHI!” she screamed, “You are not Father! You have no right to make such a demand of me!”

“Do not start with me!” he snarled, his face twisting into a mask of fury. “I have lost my two loves to him, I will not lose my sister as well!”

“You’ve lost nothing!” she shot back, her composure gone from both her brother’s words and the incident with Ranma earlier. “You have to have something in order to lose it and you never had them to begin with!”

“Preposterous!” he bellowed, turning red, “That cur stole them from me!”

“Then why is it you carry on with Akane’s older sister?” she demanded, playing her trump card early in order to win now and gain her peace. “You never just ask Akane for a date, yet you can call up her sister and take her out to eat like it’s nothing?”

“What are you getting at?” he asked, slightly annoyed.

“Brother dear,” she sneered, “what I am getting at is the fact that you spend more time with her sister than her! If she is your love, then why are you always calling or writing her sister? Buying her sister gifts and meals, as if you didn’t know what that may signify to someone who has less than full knowledge of your business arrangements with that mercenary?”

“I-wha-huh?” he babbled, clearly having never thought of this before.

“Did it ever occur to you that Akane rejects you because she doesn’t want to encroach on her sister’s territory?” she pressed, seizing the advantage while he was flat-footed.

“It… it could be.” he answered, his anger forgotten by the weight of this revelation.

“Now,” she said, deciding to at least give him some hope that he would not “lose” her. “I have some thinking to do on my feelings for Ranma-sama after this latest quirk of his I discovered.”

“Oh?” he said, recovering slightly while pushing back the thoughts stirred up by Kodachi’s earlier outburst. “Did you discover that he truly is the fiend I proclaim him to be?”

“Oh please,” she said, rolling her eyes again and suppressing her urge to gag. “I just found he has a funny.. quirk to him is all.”

“Such as?” he pressed, his interest piqued.

“It’s just…. He’s afraid of cats.” she said in mock indignation. “Have you heard of anything so ridiculous?”

“He… is?” he asked in surprise, a plan beginning to hatch within the vast reaches of his alleged mind.

“Yes… now if I may be excused?” she asked, hoping that was all she would have to answer.

“Oh, yes. Yes, go on.” he said, waving her away.

He didn’t register his sister leaving, nor did he care. The Kami had finally given him his means to annihilate that cur Saotome once and for all! The dog was afraid of cats, a sure sign of its wickedness. If the foul sorcerer was afraid of cats, then…..

“Saotome Ranma, I shall send you to cat hell!” he proclaimed to the heavens, before dissolving into a fit of cackles.

End chapter 8.

Teaser for Chapter 9:

Akane and Nabiki had arrived at Ranma’s side almost simultaneously. Both eyeballed each other for a long second before checking on the boy who was currently passed out in front of their gate. It seemed odd for him to faint for no reason, as he had plenty of energy in sparring against his father.

They were curious where the kitten came from, and why it seemed so cozy on Ranma’s chest.

It simply perched there as if it belonged there, even if this was probably the first time this kitten and Ranma had met one another. It was even more peculiar that Ranma had a look of complete terror on his face, his mouth frozen in a scream. Neither Tendo sister knew what to make of it, both silent as they tried to make sense of this whole predicament.

Then Mr. Saotome landed.

“What was that boy of mine wailing about?” he asked, before he spotted the kitten and went silent.

“Saotome-san,” Akane queried, “do you know what’s wrong?”

“I-uh-me? Why would I know anything about this?” he shot back in defense, old guilt and a sense of dread running through his body.

“Because you’ve been with him for the past ten years,” Nabiki answered, narrowing her eyes at the Saotome patriarch. “Let’s hear what you know.”

“I don’t know anything.” he said, looking around for some cold water.

“OUT WITH IT.” both sisters demanded, employing a form of their father’s old demon head trick, which made it appear as though they were towering over him.

“Urk! Um, it’s just that the boy is afraid of cats…. Very of afraid of them. You could say he’s almost scared to death of them, that you could.” the portly man babbled, sincerely terrified.

“And why is that?” Akane pressed, her anger rising as she had an inclination that Genma was somehow behind this.

“uh hee-hee…” he chuckled, before bolting away in a bid to reach the pond.

Author notes: Well, it’s finally done. Oh well, I’m sure those of you who still care will continue to read. Next up: The Neko-ken and the (hopeful) introduction of Cologne. Ciao.