Well here's the rewrite of (what is now) part three.
The spell checker still locks up. I think I've got all
the errors but if not, I appologize.


		    Sugar and (SP) Ice

	Part Three	

  	It was not a typical day at the Tendou residence. 
The sounds of practice coming from the Dojo were typical. 
Kasumi busy in the house cleaning was typical. Soun and 
Genma cheating at Go was typical. What was not typical was 
the fact that Nabiki was in the dojo with Akane watching 
from the side as Ranma and Mura sparred.
     "He's pretty good" Nabiki said, never moving her eyes 
off of the fight. Akane said, looking out the corner of her 
eyes at Nabiki. She honestly could not remember the last 
time that Nabiki had come out to the dojo to watch someone 
practice.
     "Ranma's holding back Nabiki". Akane said, looking out 
the corner of her eyes at Nabiki. She honestly could not 
remember the last time that Nabiki had come out to the dojo 
to watch someone practice. She grimaced as she watched Mura 
get nailed yet again. [I have to give Mura an A for persistence 
though.] She thought to herself. "How did you get Ranma to 
agree to train him anyway?"
	"Trade secret Akane, trade secret." Nabiki replied 
grinning. {I owed him] She thought to herself savagely. [After 
what I did, this was the least I could do]
     Ranma stepped back and signaled an end to the bout. 
"Pretty good Mura, you're coming along. Of course you'll never 
be as good as me..."  [ and Nabiki taking 500 yen off of the 
money I owe her each time I teach him helps me put up with 
this...]
	"Yea, well... I don't think I'll ever be as good as 
you are. The few moves that I knew and you didn't you already 
have mastered now. I'm still struggling. Of course I didn't 
start training as early as you either." Mura dropped to one 
knee and breathed deeply. "That's doesn't make me want to 
want to stop learning though.  
	"It's your endurance that's really hurting you Mura." 
Ranma said looking at him. "You do well at the beginning but 
you tire to easily in the long fights." 
    	 Mura looked towards Nabiki quickly and then looked 
away. "That's always been my downfall. I've tried training it 
and around it but it's no use so far." [small lie, Mura. Why 
can't you tell them?] he thought to himself.
 	"Oh."Ranma didn't know quite how to deal with this 
statement. He wasn't used to others admitting to a weaknesses. 
He sure didn't. "Uhmm... let's work on Chi blasts then. Okay?"
    	 "Sure Ranma. What do you want to know?"
    	 "Huh? No. Not me. You. I noticed that when you nailed 
Mousse and Ryoga that you didn't do a blast, you just sort of 
powered up and then hit them. Why?"
    	 "I know how to do chi blasts Ranma. I just don't use 
them." [Another lie, Mura.] he thought to himself [I know how] 
He reminded himself. [It's just that I CAN"T use them.] "It 
doesn't make sense to me to 'throw chi' at someone and miss 
that's all. If I power up my chi I want to make sure that it's 
going to connect. So, I focus it into my fist or into a headbutt 
and then I'm sure. If for some reason I can't hit them than I 
can reabsorb it into myself. [Where I have a much better use 
for it.] If you miss it's wasted.
    	 "Hhmm... I hadn't thought of that use..." Akane and 
Nabiki shared a small smile [Even  'The Great Ranma' can learn 
something from one of us lesser mortals ne?] thought Nabiki. 	
	"Man, Ryoga's in for a surprise whenever he manages to 
find his way back." Ranma laughed. 
     	Akane frowned a little at this statement.
	"Do you mind if we call it quit's for today Ranma? 
Nabiki and I have our first dinner date tonight." 
	Nabiki suddenly flushed at this. She wasn't used to 
the feelings she was having lately. To have someone who was 
interested in her was a novelty. She looked at Mura critically. 
[Hhmm...Good looking, reasonably skilled at martial arts, acts 
like a sensai should. Most importantly he has a mind!] Nabiki 
smiled to herself at that one. [Plus... I don't know ... he 
makes me feel .... wanted. Yes, wanted. Needed. I think I like 
this.] 
	In the three weeks since Mura had asked to date her he 
had been at the door every morning to walk her to school. [He 
talks to me as a person Gets all of my jokes. Well almost all. 
He hadn't tried to borrow money from her. And most of all: He 
listened. That was a true miracle around here.] her face got 
sad for a moment. [ He held me and listened to me... about 
Mother.]  Suddenly the words he had said to Ranma worked their 
way thru to her [Date. Dinner. Tonight. Oh Gods!]
	Mura looked over at her and the frozen feeling went away. 
[Everything was going to all right, I know it will. Well, at 
least we won't have everyone trying to stop us the way Akane 
and Ranma do]
	"Mura? Ranma ? We're going in now..." Nabiki waved at 
them as she and Akane headed towards the house.
	Ranma waited a moment until he was sure that they had 
gone then he looked at Mura
	"Why Nabiki.?" he asked suddenly. "I mean...uhmm.... 
Nabiki?  I mean... after what happened..." Mura just looked at
 him waiting for Ranma to finish. Unknown to either one of them 
Nabiki had heard her name and she and Akane had quietly walked 
back towards the Dojo window.
	[Ranma, you have NO tact. And no manners either.]  
Mura decided that Ranma wasn't going to continue so he answered 
the unspoken questions as well. 
	"Well, let's see. Kasumi is dedicated to the family and 
from what I have heard and seen here in the last few weeks she's 
in love with Tofu-san."
	 Ranma had a blank look on his face at this news. He 
hadn't known that Mura knew Doctor Tofu.  
		"Akane is... well... I wouldn't be in the running 
for her even if I was interested in her. He said as noncommitingly 
as he could. [She's a violent, jealous,hot tempered tomboyish-pain 
in the...} Is what he was really thinking about her. [If you want 
to get smacked around all day by her you can have her! In fact,] 
he thought suddenly, [You two deserve each other.] "As for 
Nabiki... I think she is beautiful."
	Ranma looked unconvinced at this. Nabiki blushed a deep 
red while Akane watched amused.
	"I really do Ranma.I like her wit and the gleam she gets 
in her eyes." Mura looked down at the floor. "I don't know if you 
believe in love at first sight Ranma. I didn't. Not until Nabiki."
	Nabiki covered her face with her hands for a moment and 
then ran towards the house.akane stood there for a moment 
dumbfounded. Nabiki? Crying? She hurried to follow.
	"Nabiki? Onee-chan? Are you alright?" Akane asked as she 
entered her sisters room. Nabiki just sat there on her bed, crying 
quietly into her hands. "Nabiki? What's wrong? I don't understand."
	"I...I...She started gulping, fighting past the tears. I 
never thought anyone would feel that way about me" She sat there 
looking up at Akane with tear filled eyes. "Kasumi is always pining 
after Doctor Tofu and you already know how he feels about her. And 
you, you've always had all the boys after you." The bitterness was 
back in full force in Nabiki's voice.  (and had even brought the 
sarcasm along as an accomplice) The bittrness that Nabiki knew so 
well. They've always been after you. I've had no one for so long..." 
Her voice suddenly softened "Now this. I... believe it or not, I 
don't know how to deal with this... " She trailed off and put her 
hands over her face again."
	Akane was way out of her depth on this one and knew it. It 
wasn't like she could punch out love. She did the only thing she 
could .
	Don't move 'Biki." She said as she headed out the door to 
find Kasumi. "We'll be right back."
	Not knowing the scene that was playing in Nabiki's room 
Mura finished helping Ranma clean up the dojo and picking up his 
bookbag headed toward his house to get ready for the night out.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 


	It was a nice resturant. Not the best in town perhaps 
but still very nice. Nabiki sat there at the table waiting for 
Mura to come back from the men's room. She was dressed in a very 
nice emerald geen dress which made her look exceedingly pretty. 
White gloves and a purse that matched here dress finished the 
outfit. Mura came back to the table still toting his ever present 
book bag.[another time with it. Gods I hate this] As he set it 
down there was the muted sound of glass hitting glass. The bag 
was completely out of place with the suit he was wearing and 
Nabiki frowned to herself.
	"What's wrong Nabiki?" Mura asked as he sat down. 
	"I have to ask. What is the deal with the bookbag Mura?" 
She asked after a moment.
[Oh boy,] he thought to himself quickly. [Think of something Mura. 
Quick!] Another part of his mind was screaming at him.{The truth 
you idiot!! The Truth!!} He settled for half the truth. {It's 
still half a lie!} [Oh shut up.]
	"Well it has books in it of course. I like to read a lot 
as you know. And ... It has my father's yearly tribute to Master 
Happosai in it. I don't dare let it out of my sight until I 
deliver it." 
	"Tribute? What kind of tribute?" Nabiki asked puzzled. 
She vaguely remebered seeing a package once with Happosai's name 
on it.
	"Well it's more like a bribe actually. We send him 
these yearly packages and he agrees NOT to visit us." Mura and 
Nabiki both laughed at this.
	"So, what is it?"
	Mura looked around and and then lowered his voice. 
"Twelve pairs of panties, Eight bras, four garter belts, a 
Fredricks' of Hollywood Catalog and a 'Not interested' reply 
from Madonna.
	"You mean...?"
	"Yep, We finally found someone that that even Madonna 
wouldn't date: Happosai"
	They both laughed long and loud at that eventually 
Nabiki wound down and looked at Mura wiping the corners of her eyes. 
	"Oh that was precious. I love it." She suddenly became 
serious again." Mura, please don't be upset, but where is all the 
money coming from?" For the first time in her life Nabiki was 
actually embarassed talking about money. "I mean, you have a small
 but nice place, nice clothes, and you allways seem to have enough 
money. Daddy said that the Master of the marial arts school didn't 
have access to the family business." She faltered momentarily. 
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have..."
	Mura leaned forward and took her hand. It's okay Nabiki, 
really it is.Mura sat back and regarded Nabiki. He'd expected the 
question to come eventually, he just hadn't known when. "It's great 
to have my future wife interested in her husband." He quiped at
 her, waiting to see her reaction. It was worth it. He'd timed it 
for when she had a mouthfull of her drink. He almost ended up
 wearing the mouthfull but it was worth it. "Gotcha." He handed 
her a napkin as she glared at him in mock anger.
	Well let's see. I'm sure that you already know that I am 
actualy the eldest.." At her nod he continued. "Hoturi... is not 
able to be a martial artist. He's unbelievably smart. He can pick 
out an opponents week spot in a heartbeat." Mura lowered his voice 
a little. "It's just... He's not physically capable of doing  the 
duty." Mura took a deep breath before continuing. "We decided, the 
two of us, that we would change duties. I handle the school and he 
is responsible for the business. WE decided." He emphasized. 
"Father... was not happy." He looked at her before continuing. "He 
understood, but he was not happy. We forced him to realize what we 
both already knew. Hoturi was not going to be leaving his wheelchair. 
[For some reason he never had the chi power that I do. What little
he has is what keeps him sitting upright.] "So anyway, I run the school 
and 'Turi does all the work. He has set aside a generous amount of 
his own pay to ensure that the school is no longer a 'poor man's job.' "
He added with a sardonic look at Nabiki. She flushed a little at this 
coment and actually looked chagrined. "Not like it's total bust without 
Hoturi he added. We pull in a little over 7,000 Thousand American in a 
month from the students. 
	Nabiki knew exactly how much he took in. She knew that he 
undercut the other dojo's in town by 20% and still made a profit. That 
he offered free classes to the local abuse support groups. 
	"I'm not rich Nabiki, but I'm not poor."
	"What's the UFC?" She asked suddenly, changing the convesation 
abruptly. 
	Mura looked suddenly sheepish. "It's the Unlimited Fighting 
Championship. Father thought it would be a good 'promo' for the school. 
No holds bared. Knockouts or submission to win." He looked up at her 
suddenly his face a mask. "They didn't take a fifteen and a half year 
old seriously. I had to be declared a legal adult before they'd let me 
fight." His voice got more wooden. "My first opponent didn't think much 
of a 'kid'. I broke both of his arms."  His voice lost all expression. 
"I... did much worse before the finals. I'm not real proud of myself for 
that Nabiki. That competition is held strictly for purse money. 40,000 
dollars wasn't worth what it did to me."
	Nabiki did some very fast computing in her head converting dollars 
to yen. [That... Is a LOT of money] Some bit of this must have crossed her 
face because Mura frowned.
	"Yes Nabiki. It is a lot of money. It just cost me a lot of myself 
to win it. I became like my opponents. 
	Nabiki reached out to take his hand. He held on like a drowning
 man.
	"So... Now what?" She asked trying to change the subject again. 
What do you want to do after school?"
	"I don't really know. I wasn't quite expecting to stay here for a 
full school year. Now I never want to leave" He finished while staring 
into her eyes.
	"Oh."

	The conversation turned to other, nicer subjects, and the night 
went on. They spent the rest of the night being what they were: A pair 
of teenagers on a date.

        It seemed to good to be true to Nabiki. So of course it was. 
	It seemed that this could last forever. So of course it wouldn't.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


             Four weeks passed without incident for Mura and Nabiki. Of 
course
the usual mayhem was still occurring around Ranma and Akane but that only 
affected them in the money that Nabiki made and the laughs it provided for 
them both.
             Plans were made for a second date. Skating and then dinner 
and a movie. It sounded like fun. 
    
             "Mura, Let's go eat first okay?" Nabiki asked suddenly as they 
left the Tendou household. "I'm starving."
             Mura looked at her and then briefly at his bookbag. [Damn. Is 
there any in there? The timings off but I don't want to disappoint her.] 
"Okay Nabiki, no problem, but I need to go by my house first. Is that alright?"
             "That's fine Mura. All prospective wives should see how 
bachelor's live." Mura stumbled and almost tripped as she said this. He 
ooked at her in astonishment. "Gotcha." she smirked.
             
             "Well.. This is it." he said opening the door and with a bow 
and a flourish he waved her inside. "It's not much and it's rented."
	"I know Mura I've been here before. Remember?"
	He flushed slightly remembering holding her.            
	 They entered into a small and slightly messy house, books and 
magazines were strewn everywhere. There was no television but a decent 
stereo system took up a bit of room considering the number of CDS. Nabiki 
looked around intently as she walked over to the CD rack. Mura had 
unpacked the system since her last visit.
             "Oh Gods. Mura how could you? That's it. The dates off." 
Nabiki looked at him in outrage. Mura looked at her in confusion. She 
held up a CD by the corner as if she was holding something slimy. 
"Country music? How could you?" She finally burst out laughing at him. 
"Oh Mura it's okay. I'm just picking. I don't know how you can stand the 
stuff but as long as you don't try to make me listen to it, it's okay."
	"Hey! I like Travis Tritt!" He replied. "Besides he has a song 
that reminds me of Ranma."
	"Oh really? He has a song called 'Rude Crude and Wet?' " She picked 
her brain for another one. "I know... I bet it's called 'Sometimes a Lady'"
	He laughed at that one . No, it's called 'Ten Feet Tall and 
Bulletproof'.  I just wish that Ranma came with kryptonite.
	Nabiki started laughing at that. "You and every one else Mura. 
You and everyone else."
              Mura sighed in relief as he headed towards his room. "I'll 
be out in a moment, make yourself at home." Once inside he immediately headed 
for the small refrigerator in the corner of the room. Searching thru it he 
quickly found the bottle he needed. He could hear Nabiki as she poked and 
prodded thru the other room.
             "Interesting bunch of books you have." She called to him. 
[Everything from Sun Tzu to Shakespeare] She frowned at that one [Doesn't 
he hear that enough from Kunou?] She picked up a beat up book by someone 
named Lackey. [Lots of fantasy books and a lot of business magazines. And 
martial arts books too of course.] She set the book down. [What is taking 
him so long?]
             She stepped across the room and opened the door.

             Her world turned to ashes in an instant.

             There stood Mura with his left sleeve rolled up and a 
hypodermic needle in his right hand inserting it into his arm. A small 
ampule of some kind sat on the small refrigerator next to him.
             He looked up at her in astonishment. "Nabiki...
	{Drugs... Mother...]
             "You bastard." she hissed at him. "You miserable bastard. At 
least now I really know what's been in that bag!" she backed up steadily 
towards the front door.
            " Nabiki.... No. It's not what you..." He reached out for her.
             "You disgusting... don't you touch me. Don't you dare touch 
me. I never want to see you again! Never!!" She sceamed the last and bolted
 out the door.
             "Nabiki... No... Please listen... please" He stuttered to a 
finish and looked down at the needle in loathing. [awww... shit.]

             He got to the Tendou house as fast as he could. It was already 
to late. Soun Tendo met him at the door and wouldn't listen to a word he 
had to say.
             "Leave my house now." He said. "You are a disgrace to your 
family name and only my respect of your father... " He trailed off and 
stared impassively at Mura.
             "Tendou-san, if you will only let me explain..." That was as 
far as he got before being cut off by Soun.
             "There is no explanation to be heard. Leave now. Do not come 
here again." With that Soun closed the door in Mura's face. [How could he?] 
Soun thought as he headed towards the house. Towards a nearly hysterical 
Nabiki. Tears were streaming down his face. [I really thought he would make 
a wonderful son in law]  
             Mura stood there for a long moment before shuffling down the 
road towards his house. [It's not like that] He thought to himself as he 
stumbled down the road. [You didn't let me explain. You didn't let me... ] 
Unshed tears stung his eyes as he walked.... not to his home. His home was 
where Nabiki was. 
             He didn't think he'd ever see home again.


End of Part Three

C&C please. I need it. 
HELP! Anyone know a Villain  (Ranmaverse) that needs a 
Severe Thrashing? I need one for part three. This is NOT
turning out the way I thought it would. I've been thinking of
Pantyhose but I'm not sure yet.

The title change is because of the other fanfic that is out there
Entitled 'For love Or Money'  it is a very good story (IMO)
and I did not wish to cause confusion. 
This title applies in three different ways.

Thank you all who sent me C&C on parts one and two.
Patrick
Now LoneStar, you will realize that Evil will allways 
triumph over Good... because Good is Dumb.