Tales of Ranma and Nabiki 7
by: Jeff Rutsch
"Good morning, everybody!" Akane cheerfully greeted all those eating
breakfast.
"Oh, Hello, Akane! Don't you seem to be in high spirits!"
"It's the Christmas Party of yours, Kasumi...it was wonderful!"
"I'm glad you liked it!"
"Hate to dampen your cheery disposition, but you got up too late for
Ranma. He went to school early." said Nabiki.
"Oh? I'm not going to be late for school, am I?"
Nabiki looked at Akane quizzically.
"Don't pretend you don't care. Not after you gave him the presents
yesterday."
Akane laughed uncomfortably. "Don't be so uptight, Nabiki. I was
just being nice. It was Christmas, after all."
"You didn't give the rest of us cookies." Akane paused and bowed her
head before speaking.
"He's...just a crush, Nabiki. I realize...that's he's your fiance."
Akane sat down and started to eat the food Kasumi put out for her.
"You're really telling me you don't have a thing for Ranma?" asked
Nabiki suspiciously.
"How many times do I have to say it?!"
Nabiki didn't respond, and Akane finished her food. She spoke to her
father, busy reading the paper.
"So dad, I might be a bit late coming home from school. I'm thinking
of dropping by Riyo's house." Soun didn't seem to notice, so Kasumi
answered for him.
"Make sure to be back before dinner, Akane!"
"All right, Kasumi."
Ukyou walked down the stairs. She bashfully looked around at the
proceedings before joining the family at the kitchen.
"Hello?"
Soun, Nabiki, and Akane looked back in shock.
"Ukyou?" asked Akane.
"And what are you doing here?" asked Nabiki.
"Well..." Ukyou paused, and Kasumi answered for her.
"She had no place to stay, so Ranma invited her to stay for the night.
Wasn't that a nice thing of him to do?" Kasumi smiled a ridiculously
happy smile. It was a stark contrast to the faces of Soun, Nabiki,
and Akane.
"I thought it was weird for Ranma to leave so early." said Nabiki.
"I can't believe that boy!" said Soun, trying to contain his anger
with very limited success. "Does a betrothal mean nothing to him?"
"There, there, father. She had no place to go, and it was no trouble
for her to sleep in the corner of my room..."
"I'm sorry to inconvenience you..." said Ukyou. "I talked to Ranma
last night, and he told me about...everything. I agreed to rescind my
engagement. I just had no place to go, and he told me it wouldn't be
a problem..."
"Well, come and stay with us for breakfast!" said Kasumi, cheerfully.
"Thank you." replied Ukyou.
"So...what did Ranma say?" asked Akane, trying to look disinterested.
"I thought you didn't care." said Nabiki.
"I'm...just curious." before Nabiki could reply, Ukyou answered.
"He told me he was...was in love with a woman."
"And?" asked Nabiki expectantly.
"And that we should remain friends, but...nothing more." again Ukyou
bowed her head.
"And?" asked Nabiki expectantly.
"Nothing...nothing else."
Ukyou started to eat. It wasn't much longer before she asked a
question of the family.
"If you don't mind my asking, why is there a panda at your table?"
"That's...that's my friend, Genma." answered Soun.
"Oh..." said Ukyou. She didn't know how to respond. Kasumi waited
until Ukyou had finished breakfast to ask what she wanted to know.
"So, what brings you here?" asked Kasumi. "You have a regional
accent, and..."
"Personal business."
"You mean Ranma." said Nabiki, a little coldly.
"Oh no, not that...that was just good lu...just chance. I'm moving
here. Well, I'm moving to this area."
"Oh, where?"
"Well, I'm not exactly sure about that, yet. I hope to find an
apartment in the next few days. Needs to be somewhere around here,
although it won't be this nice, of course." Kasumi looked concerned.
"You mean you don't have a place to stay?"
"Not right now I don't..."
"Well, why don't you stay with us until you do?"
"Can I?" asked Ukyou. Soun stared at her for a few seconds.
"You promise to honor Nabiki's betrothal to Ranma?" asked Soun.
"What?!" asked Nabiki.
"Yes." answered Ukyou.
"Then you may stay."
"What?!" asked Nabiki.
"Nabiki, show some respect for a guest." answered Soun, sternly.
"Especially one who has just learned that her betrothal was invalid.
She can't be blamed for what she did."
"Yes she can! I don't believe this!"
**
"Hey Nabiki!"
"Hello, Ranma." Nabiki sounded indifferent to Ranma, which caused him
to frown briefly.
"So what're you up to?"
"Making some money. You wouldn't understand."
"Oh, very funny."
"It wasn't supposed to be."
"What's your problem, anyways?!"
"Nothing."
"Don't tell me you're upset about that ring business!"
"I don't care about that at all." A crack in her voice gave her away.
"Ha! I knew it! That is it!"
"Ok, pretend it is, Ranma. I don't care."
"Look. I was thinkin' about it...I just didn't want to commit this
early. I mean, we've only known each other a few months!
C'mon...it's our first Christmas together! Isn't that a little
early?"
"So you're saying I can expect the ring before the next Christmas?"
"Well...uhh...I guess I didn't..." Nabiki interrupted him.
"Go away, Ranma."
"Geez...what got into you?"
"A little houseguest of ours."
"Oh...yeah. I invited Ukyou over." Ranma looked completely casual,
which aggravated Nabiki.
"Why? One fiancee not enough?"
"Nabiki! C'mon...she's just a friend. And I couldn't have let her
stay in the woods overnight..."
"Why not?"
"What do you think?!" yelled Ranma.
"I think you shouldn't have invited her over. Goodbye, Ranma."
"Nabiki...don't leave...not while you're still angry." Nabiki left,
still angry.
**
"So you see class, with just two or three council members in your
pocket, you can take even the slightest economic advantage,
collateralize it, and price your competitors out of the market! Then
you can milk the consumers for every yen they own!" The teacher
laughed a maniac laugh. Nabiki leaned back in her chair...it was hard
just to stay awake when the material was this basic. In fact, she
came dangerously close to drifting asleep before she was woken by the
sound of a student moving to the seat next to her. She glanced over
to see who it could be.
"Ukyou?" Nabiki lowered her voice to a whisper. "You're in this
class?"
"Yeah. A little mercenary, isn't it?"
"Well, maybe for you..."
"And what do you mean by that?"
I mean, for an inexperienced businesswoman..."
"I'll have you know I'm going into the okonomiyaki business soon. For
myself!"
"Oh boy. Your own yatai? Those have a profit margin of point four
percent or something, right? I'm so jealous."
"I'm on pace to have enough money to own my own restaurant by the end
of the year. Fifteen, sixteen percent!" Ukyou said proudly. Nabiki
temporarily backed down. But only temporarily.
"Yeah, with the money you're getting, you're probably locked
mortgaging eighty percent of it, and at a seven-five interest rate."
"Ha! Thirty five percent at six-eight."
"Great. Where you opening it, behind the dump?"
"No, in the Nerima Commercial district."
"They'll...they'll double the cost of the lease after the first year."
"Locked lease for the first five." Again Nabiki was temporarily
stumped.
"When did you do this? You just got here yesterday!"
"Why do you think I was in the area?" Nabiki didn't know what to say.
She looked around for a second before she could think of anything.
"Oh yeah? Well Ranma's MY fiance!" Nabiki didn't know why she brought
that up. Before Ukyou could respond, the bell rang. Nabiki packed
up her bags and left instantly, but on a second thought waited for
Ukyou to leave the classroom, and met her there.
"So, what's your reason for going into the okonomiyaki business?"
asked Nabiki.
"Oh...well, I'm the best at making okonomiyaki, and I know I'd good
enough to have a successful shop."
"You gotta stick with your talents." said Nabiki.
"Yeah...and the food service industry, well..." Ukyou chuckled, and
Nabiki chuckled with her. The industry was a bit of a joke for those
who knew the economics.
"I figure Gamara the flying turtle could run a successful okonomiyaki
shop, so I ought to be able to branch in...well...two to three years."
"Sounds reasonable." said Nabiki, estimating profit with the scarce
information Ukyou had given her. Ukyou should be really rolling in
the dough.
"Nabiki..."
"Yeah?"
"About Ranma..."
"What?" Nabiki's attention peaked.
"I know it must be uncomfortable for you with me there...I'm sorry if
I interrupted something special for you last night."
"Well, there's not much you can...do about..." Nabiki slowed to a
standstill. Her attempts at coldness sounded ridiculously insincere.
"Well...ok...just don't let it happen again." said Nabiki.
**
Ranma did another face plant on the ice. This ice-skating was harder
than he thought. Actually, it was getting quite painful. Fortunately
there was nobody he knew around to see him make a fool of himself.
Ranma was no quitter, and it wasn't too long before he had learned to
balance on the ice, and not long after that he was able to move
around, although with a method more like running than skating.
He was just about to venture towards the middle of the rink for the
first time when he saw somebody he recognized: Akane.
Akane spotted him and immediately went in his direction.
"Ranma!"
"Akane, nice to see you."
"Sorry if I'm late. Riyo's parents slowed us a bit. Then I had to
call Nabiki and convince her I really was at Riyo's"
"No problem, I'm just glad we found a way to go out together!" Ranma
paused to build up his confidence and slipped his arm around Akane's
waist. Akane pretended not to notice, but her deep blush gave her
away.
**
Ranma left the ice to use the bathroom. In his rush to return to the
ice he practically ran over a patron in a yellow shirt.
"Sorry about that, buddy. Guess I wasn't looking."
"Ranma Saotome!"
"Eh?" Ranma still didn't recognize the person he ran over, who was
still on the ground but was now yelling.
"Do you know the hell I've been through! Now I'm going to make you
suffer!"
"Ryouga?"
"Damn right!"
"Where were you? What brings you back to Tokyo?"
"What do you mean?! I've been looking for Tokyo since I last saw
you!"
"But that was...well, it musta been a month ago. Longer"
"Don't you think I know that, you knave?! I've been looking for you
this whole time, plotting your destruction!"
"Uhhhh...sure, Ryouga. You know I'm a better fighter, so stop bugging
me, all right?"
"I may not know all the cheap tricks you use, Ranma, but I've been
following you for a little while now, and I've discovered something
which should be very useful."
"Hmm? Like what?"
"Like what you're doing..." Ryouga grinned and looked over at the ice.
"And who you're doing it with."
"You wouldn't dare!"
"Heh. After the abuse you've given me, why shouldn't I? You know,
it's a shame a nice girl like Nabiki has to be engaged to an
unappreciative jerk such as squeak squeak!" Ranma held a now-empty
bucket.
"You can't tell Nabiki anything as a pig, can you? Well, see you in
another month!" Ranma got prepared to punt Ryouga to a place out of
sight.
"Ranma! You found P-Chan! I was afraid he was gone forever!" It was
Akane. She was running over as fast as possible in her ice skates, a
happy expression on her face.
"Charlotte! You found my darling Charlotte!" Before Ranma could
react, a bystander grabbed the pig and raced outside the building.
Akane stared at the door for a second and then turned to Ranma.
"How could...she...a pignapping!" said Akane, stunned.
**
"I can't believe somebody would steal P-Chan!"
"Maybe it was hers or something. I mean you found it, after all."
"Yeah, maybe." Akane sighed as she paid the vendor for her sashimi
dog. The snack was raw fish in a hot dog bun, smeared with mustard.
Ranma recommended it.
"I wouldn't worry too much about it, Akane. I mean, it wasn't even
that good of a pet. You have to admit, it looked more like an obese
rat than a pig."
"Shut up, Ranma!" Akane giggled as she yelled.
Ranma snickered a bit and continued.
"So what do you think of the sashimi dog? Pretty good?"
"Well, the flavor is definitely...unique."
"Oh...unique." Ranma-chan looked a bit disappointed. With mock
depression he said "It's my favorite."
"I like it! I like it!" protested Akane. As if to show this, she
took a huge bite, as much as she could get in her mouth, and turned to
Ranma. She then made a silly face with a smile while rubbing her
stomach.
Ranma laughed and looked away. "Strange girl."
"But sometimes I'm smart!" Akane quoted, her mouth full of food.
Ranma laughed and stuck his tongue out at Akane. "I can't stand weird
girls!"
"Me neither!" said Akane, swallowing her food.
"Hey! I'm not a girl! I just...look like one."
"Ooohh...did I touch a nerve?" asked Akane jokingly. "You really
expect me to buy that 'vendors treat you nicer' story?"
"Well...yeah. Vendors are more generous to females. Trust me."
There was a bit of hostility in his voice. Akane realized she was
getting Ranma upset and decided to back off.
"So this was a great idea, Ranma. Going to the ice rink together, and
everything."
"Yeah, it's just too bad we have to sneak off to do it."
"Well, we won't have if, I mean, if something happens...and we..." the
silly conversation was suddenly getting serious.
"Got married?" asked Ranma bluntly.
"Yeah." Akane blushed, but Ranma seemed sullen, staring at the ground
in front of him.
"I've been thinking about that a lot, lately. Especially after that
whole ring thing yesterday."
"Well, I'd hope so." said Akane, smiling. It didn't lighten Ranma's
mood. Ranma kept on staring at the ground until Akane turned around
suddenly, and Ranma looked at what had caught her attention.
"P-Chan! I thought I heard you!"
"Excuse me, beautiful. Does this belong to you?" A guy Ranma and
Akane didn't recognize, with brown hair, handed Akane the pig.
"Why, yes!" answered Akane enthusiastically. She grabbed P-Chan and
hugged him tightly. "Where'd you find him?"
"My skating partner Azusa has this appalling habit of taking things
she finds 'cute', whether or not they belong her, and then giving them
French names. I saw her take your pet pig."
"I don't know how to thank you enough!"
"I think that in exchange for delivering this pig, a kiss is in
order." Akane's gratefulness quickly turned to anger.
"No way, you pervert!" Akane leveled the stranger.
"What are you doing with my pet Charlotte?" asked a newcomer in a pink
skating outfit. Akane thought she recognized her as the pignapper.
"He's not yours, you...you...thief!"
**
"That's just like you, Akane. Scheduling a fight over something as
silly as a pig." Ranma and Akane were walking towards Riyo's house.
"And what do you mean by that?"
"Nothing. Just...I mean, fighting over a pig?"
"It's not a fight, it's a martial-arts figure skating competition.
Winner takes the pig. Besides, you and your father fight over
leftover food regularly."
"Well...that's different."
"I see..." said Akane, skeptically.
"I mean, we're doing it as a form of training, while you just do it
because you're violent..."
"Shut up, Ranma!" Akane pushed Ranma. Ranma, caught by surprise, was
unable to keep his balance and fell by the side of the road. Ranma,
unhurt but angry, looked up at Akane.
"Wha'd you do that for?"
"I'm...I'm sorry, Ranma." Akane helped Ranma up. Blushing, she
responded "I guess I can be a little violent...at times."
Ranma lowered his head and played with his fingers.
"And I guess I was being a bit of a jerk..." there was an
uncomfortable pause until Ranma continued.
"I...If you can forgive me when I'm rude...I can forgive you when
you're...physical." It looked like it was causing Ranma physical pain
just to talk. Akane laughed. Ranma also laughed, more at the
uncomfortable situation than anything else.
"It's nice to be able to talk like this." said Akane.
"Yeah..." said Ranma. And it was nice, in a weird way.
**
Ranma and Akane continued through the park on the way to Riyo's. For
the time of year, the weather was exceptionally beautiful. With just
a little imagination, it was easy to see the path lined with cherry
blossoms, to see children playing in the fields, to see flowers in
bloom...which made a passer-by's words all the more unanticipated.
"Excuse me...ma'am...but you have some mustard on your face..."
Akane blushed and offered an embarrassed "Thanks." before turning to
Ranma.
"He's kidding. Did I? No I didn't. It must've been there the whole
time I was talking to Azusa..."
"Uh...yeah. Looks like you do. Right here." Ranma pointed to the
side of his mouth. Akane attempted to wipe the mustard off her mouth,
all the while receiving corrections from Ranma.
"No, the other side."
"No, higher."
"No, lower."
"No, I said lower."
"Geez, that's not it! That's your cheek! What's wrong with you?"
Frustrated, Akane yelled "Will you just get it for me?! It's not such
a big deal!"
Ranma paused, looked at the mustard glob, leaned forward, and
impulsively kissed the glob off. He slid his mouth over until he was
kissing her square on the lips. He couldn't believe what he was
doing...he tried not to think about it.
Akane welcomed the mustard-flavored kiss, at least at first. But her
joy quickly turned to disbelief, and her disbelief quickly turned to
anger. Her eyes opened wide, she stood backwards, and she slapped
Ranma.
"You pervert! I can't believe I ever said that I loved a jerk like
you! What the hell was I thinking?!" Akane stomped off, angry. It
wasn't too long before she thought about what she said, however. She
turned around, frantically looking for Ranma. He was nowhere to be
found.
**
"How could I have been so stupid?" Akane was crying in her friend
Riyo's room. Riyo consoled Akane.
"It was natural. He was fresh with you..."
"That's not it, that's not it...I mean, I've dreamed of him kissing
me! And then when he finally does, I yell at him!"
"It's not your fault...quit blaming yourself, Akane."
"Then whose fault would it be?"
"Akane, stop it. You'll have another chance! Just tell him you're
sorry for yelling at him!"
"What if I don't get another chance? What if he doesn't forgive me?"
"Of course he'll forgive you."
"But what if he doesn't forgive me when his mother arrives? He has to
get married when his mom arrives! What if he decides to marry
Nabiki?"
"Akane, maybe...maybe this is for the best."
"What do you mean? How can you say that?!"
"He's engaged to your sister. Sooner or later..." Akane burst into
tears, and Riyo didn't finish her sentence. She uncomfortably watched
Akane cry. It was almost a relief when the phone rang.
"Ranma? No, he's not here." Akane stopped, or at least slowed down
her crying, and turned to Riyo.
"Akane? It's for you." Akane took the phone.
"Hello?"
"Hello, Akane. Just wanted to remind you to be back by dinner...you
know how much Kasumi enjoys having the family gathered around the
table."
"I'm not with Ranma, Nabiki. You don't have to be so suspicious."
Akane slammed the phone down.
**
"This food looks delicious, Kasumi."
"Thank you, father! Ukyou helped me with dinner, and made us all
okonomiyaki! Wasn't that nice of her?"
"Why, yes. Thank you, Ukyou. You are a cordial houseguest."
"I'm not half as affable as you are for putting me up temporarily."
replied Ukyou, smiling.
"Oh hello, Ranma. You barely got back in time for dinner. Where were
you?" asked Kasumi curiously.
"Just...nowhere. Just walking around. And skating."
"Well, sit down for dinner!" Ranma-kun sat down next to Ukyou, across
the table from Nabiki and Akane.
"So how was the ice-skating?" asked Ukyou. Akane almost answered
without thinking, but stopped herself in the nick of time.
"It was pretty fun. I got a lot better, I guess." Ranma's depressed
look didn't go away.
"Oh, ok." Ukyou started eating some food, and there was a brief lull
in the conversation.
"I met this person I knew today." said Akane out of the blue.
"Oh. That's nice." said Kasumi.
"No...not really." Akane sighed. "I mean, we got along well at
first, but then we didn't."
"Why, what happened?" asked Ukyou.
"Well...he...he did something that surprised me, and so I got mad and
left. I tried to apologize, but before I could he was gone." Akane
was looking right at Ranma.
"Oh, how bizarre. You got mad at somebody? What's the world coming
to?" asked Nabiki sarcastically.
"Shut up, Nabiki!" yelled Akane.
"Case in point..."
Kasumi ignored their argument.
"So what'd he do, Akane?"
"It...it involved mustard. I don't really want to say."
"Let me guess...you squirted him with mustard in a fight? You spilt
mustard on him? You're so clumsy."
"Why are you picking on me, Nabiki?!"
"Ooh. You got angry. One of my guesses must be right."
"Hmph."
"Don't be mean, Nabiki." interjected Ranma.
"Way to stand up for your fiancee, Ranma." answered Nabiki.
"I'm not standing up...or sitting down...for anybody!"
"Can't we have a quiet dinner?" asked Soun. "Stop arguing! And with
a guest here!" Embarrassed, the family finished dinner without so much
as another word.
**
Ranma jumped high in the air and released a barrage of kicks. All
part of his workout.
"Hey Ranma." Ranma paused and looked over at who was addressing him.
It was Ukyou.
"Oh, hey Ukyou. What's up?"
"Not much. Want to spar?"
"Sure."
"Ok, let me warm up first."
"Sure." After a few minutes Ukyou was ready to spar, and the two of
them started mock-fighting.
"That's an unusual technique you have. I mean, I've never seen
anybody fight with a spatula before." Ranma feinted a kick and
connected with his fist.
"Yeah, well, I didn't have any other option. You can't use what you
don't have."
Ranma thought about that while dodging a series of swipes.
"Yeah...you know, you're right." Ranma paid attention to his sparring.
It was a few minutes before Ukyou restarted their conversation.
"Ranma?"
"Yeah?"
"This may sound silly...but can you change...shape?...like..."
"Yeah." said Ranma, trying to be nonchalant.
"You can? I mean, I heard it at school, that you change into a girl,
but I didn't believe it." Ukyou blocked three successive punches.
"Well, it's not exactly something you brag about."
"How'd it happen?"
"It was my stupid pop's fault. We were in China, and there were these
springs, and I didn't know they were cursed until I fell in."
"Mmmm..." said Ukyou. She was taking the news surprisingly calmly,
although she did open herself to a kick in the stomach.
"So when I get in cold water I become a girl, and when I get in hot
water I turn back."
"What's it like to be...both...genders?"
"I dunnow. Not as bad as you'd think. Or at least I thought it'd be
at first. I guess it helps that Nabiki...and Akane, they both treat
me the same either way." Ukyou slipped in a punch.
"Akane? You like her, even if Nabiki's your fiancee, don't you?"
Ranma blushed but didn't answer.
"You don't have to hide from me, Ranma. Tell me as...as a friend."
"OK then...maybe I do."
"Maybe. You know, I thought there was more to Akane's story than
Nabiki was wise to or Akane let on."
"Yeah..." he admitted.
"So have you talked to her yet about...whatever?"
"No."
"Why not?" Ukyou connected a solid hit to the head with her spatula.
"Not so hard, geez, this is just practice! Anyways, lately Nabiki has
gotten kinda jealous, and I don't wanna get her mad. I'll talk to
Akane later. Maybe tomorrow at school."
"If you love her, why should it matter what Nabiki thinks?"
"Because...well, I wouldn't want to get on Nabiki's bad side either."
"Oh, I see how it is." said Ukyou, anger rising in her voice as she
talked. "You told me you already loved somebody and didn't want
another woman. Is two your limit, Ranma?" Ukyou stopped fighting,
prompting Ranma to stop as well.
"Ukyou...please understand. You're a...a friend. I'm glad to see you
again. But until yesterday, I didn't even know you were a girl, much
less that I was engaged to you...and besides, I have to marry one of
the Tendo daughters."
This didn't raise Ukyou's spirits.
"Great Ranma, great. I thought your father's word would mean
something."
**
"Hey." Ranma intercepted Nabiki on her way to school.
"Oh, hello Ranma."
"So I hear you and Ukyou are getting along better."
"Yeah..."
"That's good."
"Yeah..."
Ranma didn't know what to say, and so the two of them walked to school
in silence. For Nabiki, it was...unbearable silence. But what was
she supposed to do? What could she say? She still had to let Ranma
know she was mad at him. If she opened up to him now...he'd think he
could do whatever he wanted with her, no consequences.
Or was this the wrong approach? She knew a little reproachment
corrected a lot of errors in business...but that was business, this
was...something else. It couldn't really be all the same, as she once
thought, could it?
Maybe it could. She had reproached Ranma for the past two days now,
and he was still walking to school with her. Not with Akane...her
sister and her admitted rival.
Her sister...the two of them had never really gotten along. Even as
kids. Nabiki smiled. She'd tease Akane mercilessly, until Akane
finally got frustrated and beat her up. Eventually, mom or Kasumi
would stop them. Nabiki thought back. Their relationship hadn't
really changed. Since then. Maybe toned down a little...
Nabiki was almost at school when Ranma suddenly interrupted her
thoughts. Not by saying anything, but by a simple act...he held her
hand.
Nabiki didn't respond, other than to hold back. But she thought about
it...without even thinking, she had accepted the grasp. And what did
Ranma mean by holding her hand now? Her first thought was that he was
showing off to the people at school...but that couldn't be it. It
didn't seem like Ranma. Whatever the reason was, she couldn't help
but think of the consequence...it was likely, very likely, that Akane
would see the two of them. Ranma had to know that...but he didn't
care. When he finally let go of her hand, Nabiki looked around
jealously...was it Akane? Did he let go when he spotted Akane?
Instead, she realized she was in the courtyard, at her favorite spot
for business before school started.
"I'll see you later." said Ranma, almost nonchalantly.
"You too."
**
Ranma sat at the table, drinking Jinseng tea and talking to Akane.
"So not that much, I guess..." answered Ranma.
"Ranma...about yesterday..."
"Yes?"
Nabiki and Ukyou walked into the room.
"Oh, hey! Where you been?" asked Ranma. It was more than an hour
after school.
"Just signed my lease for an apartment!" said Ukyou, proudly. "First
property I've owned!"
"With more to come!" said Nabiki, encouragingly.
"Nab-chan knew somebody and got me a great deal."
"It's about a half mile from here." expanded Nabiki.
"That's great!"
"So, what're you two up to?" asked Nabiki.
"Oh, you know. Nothing much. Talking."
Kasumi entered the room. "Nabiki, you got a letter, and it's from
another country!"
"Oh, where is it?"
"I put it in your room."
Nabiki turned to the staircase.
"I'll see you later, Nabiki. I've got moving in-stuff to do."
"Yeah, good luck!"
"Thanks!" Ukyou left the house, and Nabiki went to get her mail.
"I'm sorry about yesterday..." said Akane, continuing their
conversation."
"What about yesterday?"
"What do you think? How I hit you!"
"Oh...Oh yeah."
"You mean you don't even remember?"
"Of cour...yeah, I remember. Just I wasn't sure. I guess I forgot,
just for a second."
"I'm glad I'm so important to you!" said Akane, leaving the room.
**
"So what're you so happy about?" asked Ranma as Nabiki entered the
dojo.
"You can tell?" asked Nabiki.
"It's hard not to."
"Nobody else noticed."
"Mmm. So what is it?"
"Well, you know the letter I got from America today?"
"No. What about it?"
"Well, I just opened the letter. Check it out." Nabiki handed Ranma
a piece of paper.
"Well...OK, but you know I'm not so good in my English class."
Ranma started reading in heavily accented English.
"Congratulations! You have been...uhhh...accepted, to the School
of...hmmm...Economics, at the University of California at Berkeley."
Nabiki took the envelope.
"Isn't it great?" asked Nabiki.
"Sure. What exactly...does it mean?"
"You know, UC Berkeley...it's one of the top schools in America! I
got accepted to their business department!"
"Is that good?"
"Of course it's good! It's great!"
"Well, why aren't you going to school in Japan?"
"I wanna get out! I'm not going to do the same old thing everybody
else does! People aren't going to look at me and say 'there's a
thousand people exactly the same!'" Nabiki was clearly excited, far
more excited than Ranma had ever seen her before. "I want...I may
want to go to business for myself there..."
"Go into business for yourself? In America? Why?" Nabiki, not
paying attention to Ranma, continued.
"Yeah! And starting over! I'd have a second chance at life! I won't
be known as 'the girl from the dojo' anymore! Or 'Akane's older
sister!'"
"Isn't going overseas a bit extreme for that?"
"Ranma!" Nabiki looked mad and a little hurt.
"What?" Asked Ranma, a bit startled by her anger.
"Why aren't you more enthusiastic?!"
"Please...please don't get angry, Nabiki. Just...well, I don't know.
I mean, I won't see you if you go off to America."
"You'd go with me, of course."
"I would? I mean, what do you mean?!"
"C'mon Ranma, it's four years, and then I want to get my MBA there. I
may even stay there. I'm not going without...without my husband."
Ranma thought of saying something, but thought better of it.
"Well...OK." said Ranma, suspiciously.
"I knew you'd understand!" Nabiki enthusiastically responded.
"Ranma..." Nabiki blushed.
"What."
"One thing could make this the perfect day...or the perfect hour, at
least."
"What?"
"Do you remember that sushi you promised me? I think I'll cash that
chip in."
"Uhh....I still don't have the money...sorry."
Nabiki looked at Ranma nonchalantly.
"Ahhh, what the hell. I'll treat. I'm in a good mood."
"Thanks."
"But you realize...in a perfect hour I wouldn't be buying."
"Sorry..."
"I was just kidding, Ranma!"
**
"Oh, hello Ranma!"
"Hey Kasumi." Kasumi was busy cleaning the kitchen, although the
kitchen appeared perfectly clean already.
"What are you so downbeat about? Did you not have a fun time with
Nabiki?"
"No, no, it was great."
"That's nice!" Kasumi smiled.
"But..." Ranma looked around to see if anybody else was within
earshot. "I can't make up my mind."
"What about?"
"What do you think? One moment Akane is being all nice, one moment
Nabiki is being all nice. I almost wish one of them would start
acting like a real jerk...just so my decision becomes more clear-cut."
"Oh. About who to marry. Well, it will all come clear to you
eventually."
"But I don't have the time! Pop reminds me at least ten times a day
that when mom comes I'll have to get married."
"Well, you can't make a wrong choice if you like both of them!"
"But that's the thing! I can! What if I marry one of them, and then
decide I made the wrong decision? What if my sister-in-law becomes
the woman I love!"
"Ranma, I'm sure you'll make the right decision. Just let your heart
guide you!" Ranma was scarcely paying attention.
"I mean, Akane's cute, and headstrong, but in a...lovable sense, and
we have a lot of fun together, while Nabiki's so interesting and
intelligent, and she can be so...so passionate. Even when she's being
cold, she does it passionately, if that makes any sense. Ahhh!!! Who
should I choose?"
Kasumi laughed.
"What's so funny, anyway?!"
"You sound like this Kunou I keep hearing about."
Ranma thought about that for a moment.
**
"Oh hello, Akane! Dinner just started!"
"Ok, Kasumi." Akane looked depressed.
"What's the matter?"
"Oh, I just lost P-Chan to this girl Azusa. You remember that pig I
found and then lost. Anyway, I lost a match, and the wager was P-
Chan...now P-Chan is Azusa's pet 'Charlotte'"
"That's terrible!" said Ranma, as sincerely as possible. Nabiki gave
Ranma a knowing glance.
"Yeah." Akane sat down.
"Nabiki." Soun said. "There's plenty of good colleges in Japan!
Don't leave me!" Soun started bursting into tears.
"I told you daddy, why settle for second best? Besides, it's a little
late to start cramming for entrance exams, especially if I want to get
into a top Japanese school."
"I hear the market is the United States is practically totally
unregulated!" offered Ukyou encouragingly.
"Well, that's an exaggeration, but it's far less regulated, yeah..."
"So go for it! Wait..." a thought crossed Ukyou's mind.
"Would...assuming you were married...would Ranma go with you? Would
you wait until after you got back to get married?"
"Yes, and no." Nabiki blushed faintly, but otherwise maintained her
cool exterior.
"Oh." said Ukyou.
"But I need Ranma in the dojo!" protested Soun.
"You can run it for a few more years, daddy! It's not that hard of a
job, considering you don't do anything."
"That's right! I don't do anything, so who's going to pay college
bills?"
"I have three and a half million yen saved up, daddy. I'll come up
with something." Soun looked shocked.
"Three million, five hundred thousand yen? How...how is that...how is
such a thing...possible?"
Nabiki smiled. "Not many people were short selling in ninety one. I
was of the lucky few. Bought at ninety-three hundred, it's now a
'penny stock.'" Ukyou whistled in amazement.
"Well, still, three and a half million may be a lot, but it isn't
enough for two to live in America, is it? And go to college?"
"Yes." replied Nabiki. "Depending where I go. It should cover the
first year at the very least...and I can make up the difference,
believe me."
"Doesn't Ranma get any say in this?" interrupted an angry-sounding
Akane. "He isn't even married to anybody yet, and you're sending him
off to another country!"
"He'll be married to me by then." answered Nabiki tersely.
"What if he doesn't WANT to marry you?!" yelled Akane.
"You don't think he wants to marry YOU, do you?" Nabiki said, with as
much disbelief and disgust as she could put in her voice.
"Well, why don't you ask him?!"
Akane and Nabiki, both clearly in fighting spirits, turned to Ranma.
"Uh..." said Ranma, uncomfortably.
Akane and Nabiki continued to stare.
"Let me...let me get the door."
Ranma was eager to leave the room and answer the doorbell. When he
answered the door, a sweet-looking woman smiled back at him.
"Hello, and you are..."
"Don't you remember me? Well, I suppose it has been a long time...You
look just like how I imagined...Ranma, I'm your mother!"
"Mom?" the face wasn't familiar, but Ranma didn't care. He hugged his
mother. She hugged him back, and began to cry.
"You don't know what it was like, knowing I had a son...I wasn't even
sure what you looked like, what you were doing..."
"It was terrible just having pop." said Ranma. Nodoka didn't
respond, but continued hugging Ranma. After a short time had passed
Ranma spoke again.
"Well, let me show you everybody" he said moving his mother's bags
inside.
"I hear you have a fiancee." said Nodoka, a smile on her face.
"Yeah..." said Ranma, blushing.
"I can't wait to meet her. Do you plan on getting married anytime
soon?"
"I don't know. I guess. I don't know. I thought you would make me
marry her immediately."
"No, of course not! You're only sixteen...although, the sooner the
better!" smiled Nodoka. Ranma held the door to the dining room door
open.
"Honey!" said Genma.
"Husband. So which one's your fiancee, Ranma?"
Ranma looked at Nabiki, and then turned turned to glance at Akane.
Ranma started to talk, but before any words came out, he looked again
at Nabiki. So beautiful. So busy was he looking that he didn't
notice a stick of bamboo lying on the ground that Kasumi somehow
hadn't cleared before dinner. Almost like a nightmare, with time
slowed to a standstill, Ranma tripped and fell. And of course he fell
right at a bucket of water lying on the floor.
Ranma-chan turned to his mother and tried to muster a smile. "You'd
never believe what happened to me just a few months ago."
Nodoka didn't react, at least at first. Eventually, a tear came to
her eye. She left the room, and returned with two white suits and two
swords.
"Your father promised me, as a condition of your training, that if the
training did not make you a real man, the two of you would together
commit seppuku."
Nodoka looked at Ranma and Genma gravely.
"It's difficult to lose a husband, and it's difficult to lose the son
who I have not seen in so many years. However, I must hold you to
your promise."
Nabiki piped in. "This is insane!"
"They still promised, and a promise may not be broken."
"What do you mean, they?! Only Genma promised! Why should Ranma be
held to Genma's promise? He was only six at the time! Even if he
knew about it, he wasn't mature enough to understand! No court of law
would ever honor this contract!"
"Are you Nabiki, Ranma's fiancee?"
"Yes."
"Then this must be especially difficult for you to understand. But to
one living under the samurai code, a father's promise is just as valid
as your own, and a promise must be adhered to. My son is not a real
man...look at him! Therefore, my son...must commit seppuku."
Nabiki splashed Ranma, still on the floor but facing his mother, with
tea. Ranma turned back into Ranma-kun.
"It's just a curse! It's not a conscious decision! It's not
permanent!" Nabiki thought for a second. She was better when she gave
herself a little time to think things out.
"What would you say makes a 'real man'?" asked Nabiki.
Nodoka thought a little.
"Well, he would act manly, I suppose."
"Meaning..."
"Well, he'd be married, and he'd be honorable, and he'd have a loving
wife..."
"Great!" said Nabiki. "So if he honors his engagement to a loving me,
he'd be set!"
Nodoka thought about this for a second. She walked up to Nabiki, and
hugged her.
"You...you have saved the life of my son, and you have saved the life
of my husband. I am forever in your debt."
"I...I like that."
"I will plan your wedding immediately." said Nodoka, turning around to
leave.
"Wait!" yelled Ukyou.
"What?" asked Nodoka.
"I'm Ukyou Kuonji. I too am Ranma's fiancee!" Ukyou got a lot of
surprised looks from around the table.
"Ranma has two fiancees?" asked Nodoka.
"Yep. I'm his first, actually."
"And how did this happen?"
"I was betrothed by...your husband, to your son, when I was small."
"But she renounced the engagement." said Nabiki, obviously nonplussed.
"You can't..." before Ukyou completed her sentence, she was
interrupted by Nodoka.
"Genma, you did WHAT!!!!"
"Please...I was...hungry! And I..." Genma stopped. He couldn't think
of anything, he was so nervous. His condition was not helped when he
noticed his wife pulling a katana out of its sheath.
"Uhhh...gotta go!" he said, running out of the house. Nodoka followed
him, her sword drawn.
"What an odd family." said Kasumi.
"Ukyou," asked Nabiki, cooly, "what the hell are you doing?"
"Relax. I needed some form of revenge on Mr. Saotome."
"Understood, but why at my expense?"
"What do you mean 'your expense'?"
"Don't pretend it was an accident that you mentioned yourself as a
viable candidate for marriage."
"It's not like that." Ukyou sighed. "Look, you know how I feel about
Ranma. But I'm not making a play at him..."
"What are you doing then, anyway?" yelled Akane.
"It's just...I don't want to see him railroaded into a decision."
answered Ukyou.
"You think he'd have to be railroaded into marrying me?" replied
Nabiki cooly.
"Yes!" yelled Akane.
"Who asked you anyway, Akane. It's obvious that he'd marry me instead
of you. Isn't that right, Ranma?"
The three girls turned to look at Ranma. Ranma was still on the
ground, in the same basic position he had been when he fell in the
water. He appeared unable to react to stimuli.
"Oh my!" said a startled Kasumi.
**
This concludes chapter 7 of Tales of Ranma and Nabiki.
Ahhh!!! I'm actually approaching the end of this puppy! Don't worry,
chapter eight won't be a wrap-up, there's more chapters coming where
ying and yang can't stop a great romance...Three more, perhaps?
Something like that.
I'll post this a week or two after I post Ranma & Nabiki 6, which
should be in a few days. (So around March 5th or so). If there are
any last minute type errors (heck, any comments), I'd appreciate them
being pointed out.
Uhmmm...visited the Nabiki Shrine site today, and saw her measurements
listed as 36-24-38. What the hell? Maybe there's a second Nabiki,
lurking in the shadows, who I'll introduce in R&N #8.
Oh yeah. Won't have #8 out for a while. Bleh. Probably won't start the
actual writing until Easter Break, which happens two weeks before
Easter. So it'll be a while before you see the mysterious pseudo-Nabiki.
****jdrutsch@ucdavis.edu***********************Jeff Rutsch*************
"Ranma's not a boy...he's a girl!"
"Akane is MY fiancee! You TOUCH her, and I'll KILL you!"
"Ranma, change back into a boy while I buy you some time."
"But if I seem to act unkind/it's only me, it's not my mind."
"Ranma [sic],/give your heart to Akane [sic]. /Soon,/right away."
**^_^*****^_^*****^_^*****^_^*****^_^*****^_^*****^_^*****^_^*****^_^**