============
|| Babble ||
============

(Revised) 3/07/1998 - also added several sections from previous post.

If anyone is willing to be a prereader, contact me privately.  Please send
your C&C to Myung at suh1@uiuc.edu

A bit of warning.  Some characters are *slightly* OOC.

========================================================================

Based on Rumiko Takahashi's Ranma 1/2

Certain characters, locations and references in this fanfiction
are copyrighted by their respective creators and/or owners.  These
characters and other associated concepts thereof are presented in a way
that may conflict with their creators' original intentions.

========================================================================

"Good night, oneechan.." 

"Sweet dreams Nabiki." 

Nabiki settled into her cozy bed and allowed herself a secret smile. 
Kasumi almost always checked on her when she stayed up late.  Not that she
minded her.  It was comforting to talk with Kasumi for a few minutes after
hours of homework, investigating pe ople's lives, updating her ledger and
of course, teasing Akane and Ranma for her amusement. 

Nabiki's face slightly darkened as she pondered for the nth time on the
structural damage caused by the latest Akane-Ranma disaster. 

{ Those love birds will never learn..  Always at each other's throats.. }

Nabiki pushed aside her petty irritation and concentrated on sleep. 
She sighed and turned over to her right side, savoring the gentle
warmth of her bed.  She felt the tugs of sleep pulling her down to the
depths of the unconscious. 

Half formed ideas and conflicting images of the past filtered through
Nabiki's awareness as sleep enveloped her. 

A comforting sleep..  Tenderly floating feather of her awareness.. The
empty dark where she could escape the hidden pain.. 

{ love me.. }

========================================================================

It was black. 

Nabiki felt the omnipresent power regarding her as one would a pesky mite. 
Confusion flew around and screeched at her, disorienting her.  Then power
vanished.. as suddenly as it had arrived. 

Nabiki found herself floating in a sea of emptiness.  No light, no form,
no consciousness.  Just the void, a thing and her hidden observer. 

Now it was pleasant.  Her confusion finally seeped away.  Nabiki knew
nothing, floating in this sea.  Nothingness was her savior.  Nothingness
erased her secrets, her inner torments -- the pain.  The pain was finally
gone.. 

Nabiki savored the vast emptiness..  This calm, pleasant sea.  Now she
would know peace.  Peace and quiet, eternal.. 

Then everything changed.  Slowly but surely, the empty dark shifted
through a rainbow of colors.. 

It was now a blazing sea of powdery yellow.  Sand.  Dust. 

A desert.  The sand, the sun and the wind.  The elements attacked Nabiki
without remorse.  She felt nothing. 

Nabiki walked.  She did not know where she was walking.  The destination
was chosen for her. 

Nabiki stared at the well.  It was a strange well.. that well.  The
yellowish rocks of the well crumbling into the blinding sands.. 

Nabiki looked down the well and only saw the inky darkness.  She looked
for untold lengths of time.  She saw a ripple of light at the bottom. 
Nabiki felt a presence..  *something* beside her.  She turned toward the
presence. 

Two young men.  They were twins..  Strange twins.  Nabiki felt a division
between them-- not of mind and body but something more profound. 

The twins had thin frames canvassed by pale white skin that contrasted
with their raven black hair.  One wore an inhuman mask of emptiness.  A
cruel grin was etched in the other's lean face.  The men's eyes were small
black pits, staring through her. 

The desert and the strange twins became blurry.  They were swallowed by
the darkness.  It was nothing now.  Nabiki was back in the comforting sea
of emptiness. 

The emptiness comforted Nabiki.  The worries.. the veiled thoughts did not
bother her in the sea.  It made her forget..  forget..  Nabiki knew
nothing. 

The sea of darkness changed.. for the second.. for the first time.  This
change was the first.  A ripple spread through the sea of emptiness, as if
a disturbing stone of awareness was dropped into it. 

It was misty.  No, it was steam.  Steam was rising around her. 

Nabiki was in a shower room with steam all around her.  She stood in front
of a mirror.  She saw her skin shedding from her face.  It disturbed
Nabiki. 

This was not her sea of emptiness.  She desired to escape.. and merge with
the emptiness once more.  Why were these-- things blocking her simple
wish? 

Nabiki peeled away the skin of her face.  Nabiki started in horror. 
Strange men..  Twins were staring back at her in the mirror.  The men's
eyes were black opals, staring through her.  Their unflinching glare was..
unpleasant.  Their eyes disturbed her. 

Something was wrong.  Nabiki knew those eyes.  She saw them.. before? 

The steam and the strange twins became blurry.  Nabiki was back in her sea
of emptiness.  Yes, now she was happy.. happy to get away from..  from.. 
from.. 

It did not concern Nabiki.  She was in her sea of emptiness, and it made
her happy.  It made her comfortable.  It made her forget.. and protected
her from her hidden thoughts. 

The sea of darkness changed.. for the third.. for the first time.  This
change was the first time since she arrived.. here?  The tranquility of
the emptiness was shattered like..  What.. What? 

The inky black pools frothed, becoming brighter.. brighter.. 

Nabiki was in the desert.. again?  No.  It was her first visit to this
desert.  She tried to convince herself, but she could not shake off the
thick coat of doubt. 

Nabiki was walking on the dusty yellow sand.  She did not feel the sand,
the sun or the wind.  She stopped. 

A beautiful woman clothed in a stunning white kimono.  A lithe teenage
girl wearing a T-shirt and short pants.  Somehow, Nabiki knew they were
*not* her mother and her sister.. but they were. 

Dead.  They were dead.  They were very pale.  Their death robbed them of
their speech.  The woman and the girl stared at Nabiki.  They disturbed
her. 

Two young men appeared next to Nabiki.  She had a vague sense of
recognizing these twins.  Yes. These twins were.. 

Their black opal eyes..  Something about those eyes.  Nabiki saw them
somewhere before.. this. 

The young men startled her by talking to EACH OTHER.  Nabiki tried to join
their dialogue, but she was restrained.  She could only hear them. 

One with the cruel grin hissed to the other.  "You're dead.  You committed
the ultimate crime.." 

Nabiki felt a growing sensation of panic from the other.  His mask of
emptiness was cracked by rage. 

He screamed to the grinning twin.  "What crime?!  What crime?!  I didn't
commit a crime.. of any sort!  Did I?!  No!!  You lie!  You lie!" 

Black tears running down his face, the grinning twin simply replied.  "You
wasted your life.." 

"nononono!! notagainnotagainnotagainnotagain!!! thisisnothing!!
thisisnothing!! thisisnothing!! yourlying!! yourlying!! yourlying!!" 

Her mother and her sister.. were they her mother and sister?  Yes and no. 
They.. They spoke in unison. 

"Guilty." 

This accusing word shattered the twins like an ice pick breaking the early
spring ice.  The twins vanished. 

Nabiki could think nothing, say nothing, just stand there. stand there. 
She was just a shattered container.  she was breaking apart all the stored
comfort draining draining like the precious water from the cracked pitcher
drained no more it existed nothi ng hide hide hide

The desert and the women blurred.  They disappeared into the darkness. 

Nabiki was back in her sea of darkness.  She enjoyed the comfort again. 
Yes.  forget.. forget.. forget the.. 

It did not matter anymore.  Yes.. She was free.  Free!! 

Wait..  The sea was different now..  A tendril of.. worry now reached to
her..  tickling her..  probing her.  The blackness warped and something
entered the sea of darkness.  No..  It was fear! 

The inky blackness pulsated, and it became someplace..  She was in a
meadow.. with flowers.. no!  no!  run!  there!  there!  the rock!  the
rock!  the huge rock tumbling toward her!  run, all she could do was run
stay ahead of the rock dont look back run she looked back she saw the
flowers the flowers crushed by the rock no no no the pain the FEAR!! 
NNOOO!! 

========================================================================

Nabiki's eyes snapped open, fully expecting the boulder to be on top of
her.  She controlled the raw impulse to scream.  A brief sensation of
fright washed over her and withdrew, leaving behind only weariness and
anxiety.  She stared at the ceiling for se veral long minutes, gasping for
her breath and eventually calming herself.  She felt her face with her
hand and slowly rubbed her slick fingers covered with her sweat. 

Nabiki groaned and slid out of the bed, her clammy skin exposed to the
cool air of the early morning.  She looked around the room.  It was bathed
in a pale blue gray light, since the sun was still below the horizon.  For
an instant, she did not recognize the room.  Nabiki shook her head. 

{ Silly me.  Frightened by that.. strange dream.. }

Nabiki glanced at her clock. It read 5:39 AM. 

Shivering from the cool air, Nabiki stumbled out of her room and tread
toward the bathroom. 

========================================================================

Hidden near the secluded corner, Nabiki glanced around the premise of
Furinkan High and spotted her prey.  Just as she expected.  Garbed in dark
blue hakama, Tatewaki Kuno strode toward her, his bokken strapped to his
back, ready to strike the fools who dare opposing him. 

"Hell--o Kuno-baby.  You're a bit late today." 

Kuno ignored Nabiki's remark.  "Nabiki Tendo.  I presume you have the
lovely visions of Akane Tendo and the Pigtailed girl." 

"Why of course Kuno-baby." 

Nabiki flashed several of the risque photos to Kuno.  His eyes glazed then
changed to a wild glimmer which Nabiki had witnessed many times. 

Kuno's voice slightly wavered.  "How much Nabiki Tendo?" 

"For a standard set of five, 5000 yen.  For the extra set of the 'special'
pictures, 9000 yen." 

".. Though the cost is extreme, I will take them all, Nabiki Tendo." 

They made their transaction.  Kuno quickly leafed through the pictures,
gazing at them with his frenzied eyes.  Satisfied of their quality, Kuno
pocketed the photos and resumed his role of a 'traditional' samurai. 

"Nabiki Tendo, your skills of photography are unrivaled." 

"Why thank you Kuno-baby.  Well, better go to class.  The bell will ring
any minute now." 

Nabiki swiftly walked through the school gate with a bemused smirk.  Kuno
had an insatiable appetite for her photos.  She could always count on him
to earn an easy yen. 

Not that it shamed her to rely on the buffoon to earn a portion of her
income.  She had no qualms at all, though an insignificant part of her
mind did object to her extortions.  Nabiki easily controlled that
annoying, moralizing conscience, always. 

However, for some inexplicable reason she felt the rare tingles of guilt
that morning.. from selling the photos of Akane and Onna-Ranma. 

{ What's with me?  I've done this a hundred times..  That nightmare must
have affected me more than I thought. }

Nabiki shelved these trivial thoughts as she rushed to her classroom.  She
forced more important matters into attention.  Money and school work. 

Still outside the school entrance, Kuno reverently fingered the purchased
photos.  However, his fantasy of embracing the two girls of his dreams
crumbled as he recalled.. the obstacle. 

His face contorting in righteous fury, Tatewaki Kuno brandished his bokken
and proclaimed aloud. 

"My two Goddesses..  I will free you from the evil clutches of that
sorcerer Saotome!  The vengeance of heaven is slow, but sure.  I, the Blue
Thunder of Furinkan, swear by my name!!" 

A clap of thunder resonated from the cloudless blue sky, accentuating his
oath. 

========================================================================

"Now, Tarou.  Your payment is four days overdue." 

"N-Nabiki..  Please.  Let me have one more day..  Just one more day." 

"You're taxing my patience Tarou.  Fine.  You have one day to pay me back
with the penalties.  Don't tell anyone I've been lax on you."

"Th-Thank you, Nabiki." 

"Good.  Better cough up the money, Tarou, if you want to avoid your
mother's.." 

"Y-You have my word!  You'll get your fu--, uhmm y-your money.." 

"When did you start having a speech impediment, Tarou?  You know, your
mother won't be happy to hear what you did with your *boyfriend* in HER
house." 

"I-It's nothing, N-Nabiki..  You'll get the money..  Just don't t-tell my
mom about that.." 

"It all depends on you Tarou.  It all depends on you." 

========================================================================

"Nabiki, you HAVE to tell us!" 

"I can't stand it when you have us in suspense like that!" 

"Who WAS that blonde girl wearing the sailor fuku?  Is she another fiancee
of Ranma?" 

"Of course, Naoko!  She HAS to be a fiancee since she was chasing Ranma
like that Chinese bimbo!" 

"No, Sayuri!  She can't be Ranma's fiancee!  She kept shouting youma this,
youma that at Ranma!" 

"She's a nutcase!  Calling him a youma..  Ranma is the most handsome man
I've ever seen..  Ohh..  He's soooo cute!  (Sigh)" 

"In your dreams Himeko.  You don't stand a chance." 

"Gee.. Thanks for the confidence, Sakura.  I'm sure Ranma will like your
glasses." 

"Hkkmm.  What puzzles me was that weird wand she was waving.  What was she
doing with that?  Trying to 'enchant' Ranma to love her?" 

"Now now girls, I can answer your questions..  for a small fee." 

========================================================================

{ Another day..  Another 16,000 yen.. }

Safely hidden from the zaniness of Nerima in her room, Nabiki sighed in
content as she closed her ledger.  Her net profits from the day overflowed
her expectations.  With Ranma and his 'particular' problems, Nabiki's
opportunities for reaping money grew tenfold, excluding the usual
extortions.  Though the blonde wearing the sailor fuku was a pleasant
surprise, even for Nabiki. 

The girl suddenly appeared with several of her costumed friends at the
Dojo the night before and started chasing Ranma, who inadvertently crashed
into Akane.  Without waiting for an explanation, Akane pummeled him
through the roof into the night sky, including the blonde. 

Nabiki questioned several of the blonde's friends, whom gave veiled
answers.  They said they made a 'mistake,' promptly apologized and left in
search of the blonde.  Of course, after they left, Nabiki investigated
into these girls using her network of contacts around Tokyo. 

The results were a bit outrageous, but Nabiki mentally shrugged and
recorded them into her burgeoning files.  She was used to Nerima.  Her
efforts returned profits during the school lunch break next day when the
blonde showed up, chasing Ranma again.

Nabiki broke her rememberence and sighed, this time for Akane's anguish
caused by the recent events.

{ Ranma.. You better not hurt my little sister..  }

Nabiki stifled a yawn, her fatigue catching up as her concealed excitement
from the day and her profits wore off. 

She got in her bed and immediately fell asleep.. 

========================================================================

Nabiki was in the forest, lost, not knowing how to continue the endless
Journey.  The three beasts were behind her, waiting..  waiting for her to
stray deeper into the forest. 

Two strange men appeared before her.  They were twins, but they were
different.  One had a cruel grin on his face; the other wore the mask of
indifference.  Their raven hair contrasted with their deathly pale skin. 

They approached her, with unknown intent. 

She backed away, frightened.  She was afraid of them.  They were not of
her; she was not of them.

Suddenly, incomprehensible gibberish flooded her. 

	babble.. 

Nabiki ran away.  She was scared.  Scared. 

	babble.. 

She found herself in the heart of the dark forest.  The three beasts were
grinning.  The beasts were stalking her.. closer..  closer.. 

Then they were gone.  The twins replaced them.  They were walking toward
her - one grinning, the other indifferent.  Their black opal eyes.  She
saw them before..  Their eyes.  Their eyes.. 

	babble.. 

Nabiki ran away.  She had to run away from them.  They were overwhelming
her, scaring her.  They were trying to say something, but it was not
working.  It was just nonsense. 

No!  It was terror.  It was hate.  She had to run away.

	Babble..  Babb--