Subject: [Good Copy][Fanfic.Draft] A Lesson in Love XVI: With a WHole Heart Pt. 1
From: Marisa Price
Date: 6/14/1997, 11:36 PM
To: fanfic@fanfic.com

I really need some help with this chapter.... opinions please...! ^_^

Warning: This contains some sensitive material that might be disturbing
for some.

A Lesson in Love
Chapter XVI: With a Whole Heart
By Marisa Price
Copyright to Marisa Price, 1997, All rights reserved.
This story is based on characters and situations that are copyright to
Rumiko Takahashi.

Part I: Breakdown

	"Why that son of a pig-farmer's. . ." Ranma was fuming. 
	 Ryouga cuffed him smartly on the back of his head. "Hey, no need
to get personal, Ranma."
	Ukyou just shook her head at the two of them, wondering if
someday, somehow, their maturity levels would rise somewhat. Akane had her
mallet clutched reflexively in her hands, wringing over the well-worn
grooves.
	 "Ranchan, Akane. Try to calm down, OK? I mean, you DID hit Kuno
998 times, Ranchan. Don't you think that's suitable punishment for now?"
Ukyou said blithely, trying to sound cheerful. 
	 Ranma growled, "I WOULD have hit him more than that if only
pig-boy here hadn't gotten in the middle of the. . ." 
	 "Hey!" Ryouga protested. "Any more and he would have been in the
morgue instead of just the hospital. After all, Akane had already beat him
fairly flat with her mallet before you even got started." 
	 Akane grimaced. "He wasn't exactly FLAT. . ." 
	 "Akane-chan, I've made okonomiyaki thicker than he was after you
finished with him," Ukyou pointed out. 
	 The mallet was dropped with a sigh, and Akane had the decency to
blush.  "I'm just so ANGRY, I can't help it. I mean, Nabiki finally found
someone to love, and then he does THAT to her. . ." 
	 Ukyou laid her arm comfortably around Akane's shoulders. "It's
okay, I understand. But I think the best thing to do at this point is to
relax and talk to Nabiki. Maybe she has a different story to tell us." 
	 "That jerk, what a loser," Ranma was still complaining. 
	 Ryouga raised an eyebrow archly at Ranma and asked, "You know,
Ranma, I could have sworn you hated Nabiki for always manipulating and
blackmailing you." 
	 Akane stiffened, and Ranma froze. Ukyou shot Ryouga a "This
really wasn't the time to mention that, you idiot" look, and her arm
tightened around Akane's shoulder so as to be a vice more than a comfort. 
	 "Well, I. . ." Ranma began, stammering.  Akane stared at him.
"Well what?" 
	 Ranma looked at the three curious pairs of eyes and, after a deep
sigh, decided to blunder onward.  "Well, even YOU have to admit, Akane,
that Nabiki is like that. Remember the picture incident? Don't even look
at me like that," he paused, holding his hands out in a defensive gesture
at Akane's stabbing glare, "You know I'm right. Anyway, Nabiki HAS been
better lately. I mean, she DID get rid of Kodachi" he paused and shuddered
(I hope this breakup doesn't mean she's coming back, he thought to
himself), "And she DID get Kuno off Akane and my case." 
	"So you feel like you owe her?" Ryouga laughed. "Just showing
again that she doesn't do anything for free." 
	 "ReeeeOOOOOOgah!!!! Grr. P-CHAN!!!" Akane shouted, glowing a
bright blue.  Ukyou dropped her arm from around Akane and grabbed Ryouga
by the collar. Looking frantically at Akane's growing menace she backed
away with Ryouga dragging along. 
	 "As Ryouga was saying, it's late and it's time we went home! Bye
Ranchan, bye Akane-chan! It was fun! Ta!!"  The two pedaled off into the
distance, leaving a smoke cloud. Ranma turned to look at Akane, and found
himself now the object of her anger. 
	 "We have REALLY got to work on that anger, Akane. . ." He mused.
"I wonder if we could come up with some sort of technique. . ."
Akane tore up a stop sign from the pavement and flattened Ranma against a
wall. "Baka!!!" 
	 Ranma pulled himself up and managed to recover with as much
decorum as possible. He looked at Akane with the Saotome-special "Puppy
Dog Look" that always guaranteed to cool down even Akane's infernos of
anger. 
	 "Ranma. . ." she said, hesitantly, and the aura dimmed a bit.
	"If you would have let me finish, instead of blaming me for what
Ryouga said, I woulda told you that I didn't just do it to pay back
Nabiki. I also did it because she's gonna end up being part of my family
when we finally get married, and I always take care of my family. Well,
except Pop, but you know how that is." 
	 Akane blinked at him, her eyes growing a bit shiny, and then
turned away to look up at the stars, her aura finally dissipating. 
	 "You mean that, don't you Ranma," she whispered.
	 He nodded, taking her hand in his, marveling at 
how her small palm was engulfed by his own.  "Of course I mean it, Akane.
Even though Nabiki can be a pain, she IS your sister, and if you love her,
Iwill do my best to care about her too."
	 Akane chuckled and turned to kiss him on the nose. "When did you
turn into such a romantic?" 
	 "When I finally admitted how cute you are. . ." He smiled,
leaning down to caress her lips with his own. It was a butterfly kiss,
gentle and sweet.  "Let's go home," he breathed against her cheek.
And, hand in hand, they headed for the dojo. 

*****
	 "Oneechan?" Akane asked tentatively as she poked her head around
the  partially opened door. The bedroom was dark, and all she could see in
the slice of light from the hallway was a pile of discarded clothing.  It
was Nabiki's dress, crumpled up in a heap, and her shoes lay at  awkward
angles nearby. Shaking her head, Akane frowned. This wasn't  like Nabiki.
Her sister was usually neat to a fault in her room,  everything
artistically placed. Pushing the door fully open, Akane  crept into the
room and paused by the side of the bed, afraid to wake  her sister's sleep
but wanting to see for herself that Nabiki was all  right.
	 It was quiet, too quiet. She fumbled for the light that she  knew
was somewhere on the endtable, and managed to practically knock  it over
before she finally found its tiny switch and turned it on.  The bed was
empty, untouched. The sheets were crisply tucked in and  the coverlet was
as pristinely smooth as if on display.
	 Akane felt  someone enter the room behind her, and new as soon as
she felt his  comfortable presence that it was Ranma. She turned around
and gasped  as she saw that her fiancee was dripping wet and very female.
	 "Whatcha doin?" Ranma began.
	 Akane shook her head to say that it was fine, and then looked up
and down the bedraggled figure. 
	"What  happened?"
	 Ranma sighed and shrugged in the tuxedo that was now  several
sizes too big for her. "Pop and your dad drunk more than  usual that Shogi
Tournament they were at. They were still celebratin  and makin me drink
that crap... you KNOW how I hate sake... and they  started pourin it down
my throat!" She paused to grimace at the remembrance.
	 "Not to mention that you have a really low tolerance.  Besides,
what does that have to do with you being a girl?" Akane  asked patiently.
	 Ranma frowned. "I dunno. I fell in the pond at some  point." 
	"You FELL in? Well that's unusual." Akane sighed. "Why did  you
have to get drunk right NOW?"
	 "HEY!" Ranma protested. "It ain't  like I had a choice! 'Sides, I
ain't drunk." 
	Ranma struck a manly  pose that made her look more than a little
ridiculous especially as  she was female at the moment, and in an outfit
that made her look  like a drowned penguin. 
	"Takes more than a little sake to get to  ME..." Ranma drawled,
and strutted towards her. She raised her arms  up and put them around
Akane's neck, and stood on her tip-toes to  kiss her.
	Akane grunted and pushed Ranma away. "You MUST be drunk, or  else
you wouldn't be trying to kiss me as a GIRL." 
	Ranma looked down  at herself and blushed. "Err..."
	 "Baka. Get a grip. Nabiki isn't  here, and I'm worried."
	 "Oh, Nabiki." Ranma blinked. "I forgot." 
	 Ranma grabbed her and pulled her out of the room and into the
hallway. "C'mon."
	 Akane fought her grip and tripped in her high-heel  shoes. Ranma
looked down at here and wondered out loud, "Gee, Akane.  Why are you on
the floor?" 
	"RANMA NO BAKA!! At least let me get out of these clothes!! Where
are you dragging me anyway?!" 
	 Ranma looked bewildered and dropped Akane's arm. "I was gonna
take  you to Nabiki."
	 "You know where she is?" Surprise laced Akane's  voice.
	 Ranma nodded.
	 "OK. Wait here. 2 minutes. I need to go change  into something
else, okay?" 
	"Why can't I come? It's not like I  haven't seen it before...."
Ranma drawled, giving Akane an innocent  look. 
	Akane counted to ten, tried to lower her blood pressure, and  then
managed to say icily, "I would like to point out that that this 
 ISN'T the time to be acting like a PERVERT!!!!" 
	"WHO'S actin like a  pervert?" But she was talking to the duck on
Akane's door as it  slammed in her face.
	 In a few minutes the door banged open and Akane  strode angrily
out with a white and yellow checkered nightgown on.  Ranma was sitting on
the floor, she back propped against the wall and  her eyes were
half-lidded and sleepy.
	 "All right. How do you know  where she is?" Akane wanted to know,
her sharp voice startling Ranma  awake. She blinked a few times and stood
up, and explained, "Well, I  went to the bathroom to get some hot water to
change back, and I saw  her stuff layin out there, and I could hear her in
there."
	 Akane  nodded. "The bathroom. Okay. Well, you go get ready for
bed, and I will check on her." 
	"Umm..." Ranma grunted. "You mean you want me to  stay like this
all night??!" 
	"It wouldn't be the first time," Akane  pointed out. "If you want
so much to change back, then go downstairs and heat up some water with the
kettle." Without another word, Akane tromped down the stairs and headed
for the bathroom.
	 She slid back the door and entered the changing room quietly, and
saw, as Ranma had  seen, Nabiki's towel and robe in a neat pile on the
cabinet. Creeping  towards the door, Akane listened. She realized dimly
that she  shouldn't eavesdrop, but she wanted to make sure that Nabiki was
actually in the bathroom before she charged in. There was a sound of
scrubbing, loud and rough, and deep breathing, almost gasps. Akane  pushed
the door open slowly, sliding it along the grooves, and peered  through
the crack into the bathroom. The view that was revealed to  her was so
startling that Akane cried out loud and pushed the door  open with a shove
and ran to her sister's side.
	 "ONEECHAN!!!" Nabiki  jerked her head around to face her sister,
and Akane was shocked once  again by the contrast of Nabiki's white puffy
face to the bright red  skin of the rest of her body that had so startled
Akane at first.
	 "A...Akane..." Nabiki's voice was quiet and tight, and her eyes
were  distant and bright with unshed tears. She dropped the scrub brush
down into the water as Akane threw her arms around her, and dimly tried to
figure out what was wrong.
	 "Oneeechan..." Akane sobbed.  "What have you done to yourself?!" 
	Nabiki looked startled, and looked  down to see what Akane was
talking about. "Wha...What do you mean? I was just taking a bath..."
Nabiki broke off, confused.
	 A tear dripped down Akane's nose and fell into the now still and
faintly pink  bathwater with a splash. "You've rubbed your skin raw,
Nabiki! You  are all scraped up..."
	 "Scraped?" Nabiki blinked. "But I was just  trying to get
clean... I felt so dirty... I.. I..." A breath heaved it's way from her
shaking chest, and then another. "I... Oh....  Akane-chan... I..."
	 Then the sobs came. They were long and hard,  pulled out of some
region of Nabiki's body that she no longer  realized she had possessed.
Tears finally overflowed her eyes as she  saw her skin, saw the pink
water, saw the horror on Akane's face, and  heard Akane's screams for
Kasumi as her sister tried to pull her out  of the water. 	Then came
the welcoming darkness.

* * * * *

	 It was already daylight when Nabiki opened her eyes. She felt so
tired still, and yet her body told her that it was time to open her eyes.
Heavy pressure seemed to push down on her, making her body uncomfortable
immobile. Struggling to sit up, Nabiki groaned, and looked down in
surprise to see that she was naked and covered with bandages. She shook
off the weight of several ice packs, now melted, that lay around her and
on top of her. 
	The door opened quietly, and Kasumi walked through the door,
concern plain in her expression. "Nabiki-chan! You are finally awake!"
Kasumi enthused, a reassuring smile brightening her pretty features.
	Nabiki tried to form a few words, but her mouth felt sealed shut.
Finally she managed, "K...Kasumi?" 
	Kasumi sat down on the bed and hugged Nabiki lightly, trying not
to disturb the bandages. "How are you feeling?" 
	"I'm fine," Nabiki began, and then looked at herself again.
"But... What's with the bandages? What happened to me?"
	 The concern was immediately back. "You mean you don't remember?"
	 Nabiki shook her head. "I remember coming home from the dance
last night..."
	Akane walked into the room, hearing her sisters' voices, and broke
Nabiki off mid-sentence by throwing herself at her sister and holding her
in a tight hug that brought a groan from Nabiki's lips.
	"Ohh! Sorry! I'm sorry, oneechan! I'm just so happy that you are
okay... I was so worried..." Akane's lower lip quivered, and her stormy
eyes threatened rain. 
	Nabiki managed to extricate herself from her sister's grasp and
leaned back against the wall. "Would someone mind explaining to me exactly
what's going on?"
	 Kasumi and Akane exchanged a troubled look, and Kasumi shook her
head almost imperceptibly at Akane. Nabiki caught the message and said
dryly, "Look girls, why don't you tell me what the problem is instead of
acting like I've gone crazy." 
	Akane grabbed Nabiki's hand and tried desperately to be
comforting. "Nabiki, do you remember the dance?" "Of course I remember the
dance, god-awful thing that it was. That BASTARD Kuno tried to..." 	A
finger was suddenly against Nabiki's lips, silencing her.
	 "I know, he broke up with you..." Akane said sadly.
	 Nabiki jerked her hand from Akane's and protested loudly, "WHAT?!
He broke up with ME?! Why that ASS! He did no such thing! I was the one
who broke up with him!"
	 Akane was shaking her head. "Nabiki, you aren't remembering
things clearly. He broke up with you, and decided that he liked Nakoto
instead. Don't you remember?"
	 Blinking, Nabiki growled, "What are you TALKING about? Nakoto?
What does she have to do with anything?!"
	 "They were all over each other at the dance after you left..."
"What??!"
	 "He told everyone that he broke up with you to date her."
	 "Why that slimy, arrogant bastard! So that's how he's trying to
cover his tracks?!"
	 Kasumi interrupted, her gentle voice reminding Nabiki, "Then why
did you hurt yourself, if you weren't upset about him breaking up with
you?"
	 "Hurt myself....?" Nabiki asked slowly. "You mean, I....?" 
	Akane sighed. "I found you in the bathroom like this last night,
Oneechan. You had scrubbed your skin raw. You honestly don't remember?" 
	"I..." Nabiki gasped brokenly. What did she remember? Coming home.
Taking off her dress. Going to clean off Kuno's disgusting caresses.... Oh
no. 
	Kasumi cooed, "It's okay, Nabiki-chan, we understand. . ."
"Kuno's a jerk. He doesn't know what he was throwing away. He isn't worth
your love, Nabiki. . . He's always got two girls he likes at once or
something. He's a pervert, a lecher." Akane added fervently.
	 "I do NOT love that useless piece of garbage!" 
	"But..." Kasumi and Akane spoke as one. "Get OUT. Just get out of
here. I need to think. Believe him instead of me. I don't care. Just GET
OUT!!!" Nabiki screamed at her sisters, throwing the covers back and
pushing them out the open door. Just as Kasumi would have said something,
Nabiki slammed the door closed in her face.
	 "Oneechan!!" Akane cried through the wood barrier. 
	"GO AWAY!!! " There was some whispering in the hallway, and then
the sound of footsteps fading away. Nabiki sunk to the carpet and leaned
her head against her knees, her back against the closed door. A million
memories flooded her head. Kuno touching her. His hateful words. Running
away from the dance and back home, sneaking in so no one would ask her
about the evening. Going into the bathroom to scrub away at Kuno's
presence on her body... 
	What have I done? Nabiki wondered, and peeled off a bandage of her
breast. She turned to look at her full-length mirror and saw the red puffy
skin, as if burned, and the tiny scabs from places where she had rubbed
through.
	 "....a whore a whore a whore a whore a whore...."
	 The words raced through her head and she sank again to the
carpet. She had tried to scrub away Kuno's touch, but that conversation
would never leave hear head...
	 Nabiki looked around her room and all of a sudden all she could
see were things that Kuno had given her. Necklaces, a vase of roses, reams
of poetry, perfume, clothing... Her head screamed. 
	"I've got to get out of here," She breathed, and opened up her
closet to grab the first thing that looked comfortable. A natty blue
sweatshirt went over her chest, loose enough so that no one could tell she
wasn't wearing a bra. It would be too uncomfortable with her cuts. As it
was, even the soft lining chafed against her tender skin.
	 Nabiki looked down at her legs with relief, noting that they were
not harmed. She pulled on a pair of jean shorts, and then grabbed a small
purse and some yen. Opening the door quietly, Nabiki peered out into the
hall. It was quiet upstairs, and she crept slowly out, shutting the door
soundlessly behind her. Tiptoeing so as to not creak the boards of the
floor, she walked down the stairs, pausing every time she heard a noise. 
	It sounded like her sisters and Ranma were in the kitchen, and her
father and Genma were most likely out in the garden. Nabiki ran to the
front door and grabbed her white keds, and ran out the door before she
someone happened along. She slid one shoe onto her left foot, hopping on
her right, and then switched. After both feet we settled, Nabiki broke out
into a run for the gate, and didn't stop until she was at least a block
away from the dojo. Nabiki leaned against a lamp-post, gasping for breath,
not as used to running about as Akane and Ranma. 
	She wondered what to do and where to go. She felt like eating
something, but all of the restaurants nearby had too many memories
attached to them of Kuno plying her with treats. The river? Maybe she
should go take a walk along the banks. No. Any sort of water would
probably result in having something to do with Ranma, and Nabiki didn't
want to take that chance. 
	The woods.
	There was a brace of trees near Furinken high school, where
several of the students would eat lunch on sunny days. It was a popular
haunt during the school week, but practically empty on the weekends, as
Nabiki had once discovered when she was a freshman. Ever since that year
she had often gone there to take walks when she needed to clear her head
and concentrate.

*****
	 She wasn't quite sure where to go, or who to turn to. Everything
in this foreign place reminded her of the past, and of what had happened.
How many days ago was it? Time seemed to blur together as she wandered,
she desperately tried to find herself as she lost her way. Akari tried to
wipe the ever-present tears from her eyes, rubbing her cheeks until they
were sore. Inevitably, Katsunishiki stopped, the underbrush too thick to
plow on, and Akari blinked at her surroundings.
	 She was in a forest, but what forest she did not know. How would
Ryouga-sama have felt in this situation? Would he have had been pained and
hopeless? Or would he  be as numb as she felt right now? Maybe she should
go back to Nerima, to Akane and Ranma. They would help her, they would
understand. Perhaps they would even know if she could win Ryouga back. 
	Katsunishiki looked at his mistress with sad eyes, sensing her
pain. He nuzzled her with his snout, and grunted. Akari wrapped her arms
around his thick neck and pressed her damp cheeks against the warm smooth
skin of her pet.
	 "Where are we, Katsunishiki?" She wondered, more to herself than
the pig, and then whispered, "Maybe we should just go home..."
	 But that would be giving up. For once, Akari wanted to fight for
something herself. Ryouga was everything to her, she loved him. He
couldn't possibly not care about her anymore. She had just been
insensitive to his feelings, to the pain he had suffered, the terrible
experiences he had endured. She would face what he had gone through, and
seek to understand his woes... Then, perhaps... 
	A twig snapped, and both Akari and Katsunishiki jumped in
surprise.
	 "Who... Who's there?" She called cautiously.
	 From between a cluster of trees appeared a familiar-looking brown
haired girl. Akari blinked in surprise.
	"Uh... Aren't you... Akane-chan's sister?" 
	Nabiki looked up at the girl, startled and somewhat disgruntled
that there was someone else in the woods where she had been seeking
privacy. The usually pretty thing with the two pink streaks in her hair
looked awful, her white shirt dirty and torn, and her plaid skirt askew.
The pig wasn't even it's normal clean self, but there was no denying who
stood in front of her. Ryouga's girlfriend, Akari. Or, Nabiki reflected,
she must be his ex-girlfriend as he had been pretty kissy-huggy with Ukyou
at the dance the night before.
	 "Um, hi Ashkari." 
	 "Akari."
	 "Yeah, Akari. Sorry about that. What's wrong? Forgive me for
being blunt, but you look like crap."
	 Akari studied Akane's sister and noticed her pale and puffy face,
and retaliated, "You don't look so hot yourself."
	 Nabiki grimaced. "Touch." 
	 "Is this Nerima?"
	 Nabiki looked surprised. "Of course it is. Don't tell me you
caught the lost-bug from Ryouga."
	 "I... Well, I guess I did. I was trying to get lost the way he
does, and see what he had suffered."
	 Astounded, Nabiki choked, "W...Why...?"
	 "I hoped maybe I could understand what I had done, how
insensitive I had been, and maybe figure out why he stopped loving me..." 
	"Love?? Love is bullshit. There's no such thing. A guy only wants
one thing, SEX. If you aren't putting out, he's going to find someone that
is," Nabiki ground out, sitting down on a fallen log and kicking a few
rocks at her feet.
	 Akari blinked. "S...s...sex?" Her voice was confounded. "You
mean, you think he brouke up with me because I wouldn't.... uh..." 
	"Well, he was sure making out with Ukyou last night."
	 "Ukyou?? You mean, he's going out with that manly-looking boss of
his?"
	 It was Nabiki's turn to look surprised. "You mean, you didn't
know?" 
	Her voice shuddering, Akari looked down at the ground. "No... I
had no idea. I just knew that... But then that explains..."
	"... A lot, I bet. Boy are you naieve."
	 Akari was talking in a quiet voice, almost to herself. "Then that
would explain why he left from my house... it wasn't the training, it was
that I wasn't spending much time with him doing... doing...."
	Nabiki nodded at her, "I bet. I don't know what you are talking
about, but I bet that's the reason still. Men are pigs. Especially THAT
man." 
	Katsunishiki grunted, and Nabiki gave him a sardonic grin. "Oops,
no offense intented, pig."
	 "His name's Katsunishiki," Akari prompted.
	 "Yeah, whatever."
	 There was silence for a few moments, the quiet of the woods only
broken by their breathing and an occasional scurry or song of a forest
creature. Both girls were lost in their thoughts. Nabiki considered what
had made her react so violently to Kuno's words and caresses, and Akari
wondered how Ryouga could have been so base, so shallow. 
	"I think you are wrong." Akari whispered.
	 "What?" Nabiki asked, having heard only a mumble.
	 Firmer and more confident this time, Akari stated, "I think you
are wrong. About Ryouga-sama. About men. There are a few out there who
aren't interested in that, and I think Ryouga's one of them. He's good,
and kind, and loyal, and..."
	 "Spare me," Nabiki laughed. "Men are all like that. Except
possibly Ranma, because he hasn't tried yet to get it on with my sister.
That's probably only because he's half girl, or else he's scared shitless
that Akane will pulvarize him if he even tries."
	 Akari still shook her head. "No. Ryouga had a chance once, when
we were paired in the same room togther. He didn't do anything though, he
was simply kind and caring."
	 "Maybe he never really was interested then," Nabiki pointed out. 
	Her back stiffened at that, and Akari cried, "That's not true! I
know he did love me... Ryouga-sama loved me... He wrote me letters and
postcards and every time we were together... It was special. Even if he
ended up with someone else, I can't pretend that he never cared, because I
KNOW he did."
	 "Whatever," Nabiki brushed her hand in the air, as if to wave off
an unpleasant smell. "He's head over heels for Ukyou now though, and,
sorry to break it to you, I don't think you have a chance."
	 "I... I see." Akari breathed sadly. The conversation lapsed into
silence once more, and Nabiki studied the withdrawn expression on Akari's
face. 
	Finally she had to ask. "Do you hate him now? Do you want to kill
him for betraying you? Why don't you call him a jerk, or a..." 
	"Stop it!" Was the desperate reply, and Akari shook her head, the
tears rolling down in fat trails on her soft cheeks. "I... love Ryouga. I
will always care about him. I can't hate him. I guess I even love him
enough to let him go to someone who makes him more happy than I ever
could."
	 Rolling her eyes skyward, Nabiki chortled. "What a bunch of
romantic drivel. Do you really believe that?"
	 Akari all of a sudden looked wise, her eyes older than a moment
before, as if suffering brought her a special sort of wisdom.
"Tendo-san..."
	 "Nabiki."
	 "Nabiki. Haven't you ever been in love? Haven't you ever loved
someone even though you knew it would be wrong to have them? Haven't you
ever had to let someone go because you knew you would end up making them
miserable?"
	 "Love. Love is for ninnys and fools."
	 The seashore. A book, a card. A vase full of sunflowers. Dinner
by candlelight. A kiss, a touch..... Nabiki shook it all away. 
	"I don't need anyone but myself," Nabiki said firmly.
	 Akari sighed as she looked at Akane's mercenary sister, and
comprehension filled her.
	 "You are scared to love for some reason, aren't you?"
	 "Of course not."
 	"I wish you luck, Nabiki-san, because I think you are even more
miserable than I am. I may have lost a love, but at least I know what love
is... You have yet to find it."
	I know what love is, Nabiki thought to herself, looking up at the
tree tops, it's pain. It's letting someone control you.
	 There was a rumble, and Nabiki knew Akari was leaving. She looked
up to tell the girl goodbye, but the girl and the giant pig were already
gone. And Nabiki was left alone with her pain and her thoughts, trying to
forget the recent past, and struggling to keep down memories of someone
she couldn't forget...

* * * * *