This is not a joke.  It's just weird.





"Nabiki-chan."

Nabiki looked up from her homework.  Had she missed it?  Had the other
members of the household left and now she was alone?  Alone in the
house with Kasumi?

She stood quickly, knocking her chair over backwards.  She pulled on a
sweatshirt and her spare shoes she kept in her closet.  Grabbing a
handful of cash and shoving it in her pocket, she opened the window
and looked out.

It was quite a drop, but she could handle it.  She'd done it before,
when she was much smaller and lived.

One leg out the window and she was about to throw her other one out when
there was a knocking on her door.

"Nabiki-chan?"  Kasumi opened the door in time to see Nabiki about to
slide out the window.  "Oh dear, Nabiki-chan.  Why are you doing
that?"

Nabiki looked at her, eyes wide with fear.  "Ka..."

"Nabiki-chan, you left your towel on the changing room floor.  It's
time for mother's punishment."  She smiled disarmingly, holding a
length of black leather in her hands.

***

Kasumi's Bitch

***

"Nabiki-chan?"

"Yes, Mommy?"

"Did you push your sister down in the mud?"  Shizu looked down at her
middle daughter, smiling ever so gently.

Nabiki looked down at her feet and shrugged.

"Nabiki-chan, answer me."

Nabiki nodded, a single tear rolling down her cheek.

"You know that's not a very nice thing to do, Nabiki-chan."

Again, Nabiki nodded.

"You know what that means.  Come with me."  The woman took the girl's
hand and led her into the house and up the stairs.

"I'm sorry, Mommy.  I'll apologize to Akane!"

"It's too late for that.  I warned you if I had to scold you again, you
were going to get more than just grounded.  You know that this will
hurt me more than it will you."

Nabiki sniffled in response, betting it was going to hurt her a heck
of a lot more than her mother.

In the upstairs hall, they encountered Kasumi just exiting her room.

"Kasumi-chan, could you go down and take care of Akane.  She's a bit
dirty and upset; I need to take care of Nabiki-chan."

"Of course, Mother," Kasumi said brightly, smiling eternally, and
headed downstairs.

"Nabiki-chan," Shizu Tendo said before entering her room, "you know I
only do this because I love you."

...

"Kasumi-chan, come closer so I can see you."

Kasumi fearfully approached the hospital bed where her invalid mother
lay.

"Kasumi-chan, you... you have to take over for me."  She coughed
weakly, her weakened body shaking terribly from the effort.  "You have
to take care of the family," she continued, flecks of blood on her
lips.  "Keep your father from doing anything rash; he might not be able
to take grief.  And make sure Akane keeps with her practicing."  She
looked Kasumi in the eye, her own eyes eclipsing the weakness of her
body.  "And keep Nabiki in line.  Don't let her get in too much
trouble.  She'll get hurt."

Kasumi trembled and nodded. "Of course I will, Mother."

"I'm so glad I can count on you, Kasumi-chan.  I know the family is in
good hands."

...

"Nabiki-chan, I'm sorry, but this is what Mother has left for me to
do.  I have to take care of you."  The look in Kasumi's eyes wasn't
quite sad.

"But...  I didn't..."

"No buts, Nabiki-chan.  I know what you did at school.  I know you
took that boy's money."  Kasumi frowned barely.  "If you dothings like
that, you'll get yourself hurt, and Mother would be so disappointed if
that happened."

t was the first time and Kasumi wasn't sure if she could do it, but
this was something Mother wanted.  She couldn't disappoint Mother.

Akane peered around the corner and looked at the stairs.  She never
wanted to get one of Kasumi's talks.  Whenever Nabiki came downstairs
from one of Kasumi's talks, she was crying.

But Nabiki was always doing bad stuff.  Akane would never do bad stuff
like that so she wouldn't ever get one of Kasumi's talks.

...

"Nabiki-chan, why did you skip dinner?"

"Because I was over at Tameko's.  Like I told..."

"I don't remember you saying that."

She had _that_ look on her face.  "Well, I told Daddy before I left,
and that I probably wouldn't be in time for dinner."

"Nabiki-chan, I never heard this.  I had a place set for you and you
weren't here."  Her hands tightened imperceptibly on the towel she was
holding.  "I was worried about you.  Bad things could have happened to
you and I wouldn't have known where to find you."

"But Daddy..."

"He's not the one that made dinner and was worried.  He's not the one
that would have to take the call from the police about the body of a
12 year old girl who might be my sister found in a gutter..."
Kasumi's face was eerily neutral, neither angered nor upset.

"But I..."

"Nabiki-chan."

Running was her first instinct, but Nabiki knew that if she ran, it
would only be worse when she came back.  She couldn't stay away
forever after all; she had no place to go.  "Next time I'll..."

"There won't be a next time.  Now you know what has to be done."

Nabiki caved under the expectant look her older sister was giving her.
She hung her head, not even able to look at Kasumi without wanting to
cry.  Not that she didn't want to cry anyway.

***

"Look, I'll clean up the changing room.  I'll do the wash.  You're
right.  It's my fault; I'll take care of it," Nabiki said, trying not
to give away just how scared she was.  "It's really no big deal."  She
gave a nervous laugh.

"If it wasn't a big deal, you should have picked up your towel in the
first place.  Then it wouldn't be necessary to go through all this."
Kasumi took a step forward, her smile unwavering.  "It'll be easier if
you just accept your punishment."

Nabiki's mind was screaming at her that this couldn't be happening,
just like it did all the other times.  Yet, it still happened and she
was powerless to stop it.  "Kasumi..."

"Come down from that window.  It'll be over quickly and then you can
go out with your little friends."  Her grip on the leather tightened,
and the strap creaked ominously.

For a moment, Nabiki was undecided.  She could either jump and run,
coming back later to face a worse punishment, or she could do as
Kasumi said and get her ass whipped six ways from Sunday for leaving a
towel on the floor.

Kasumi had taken the cleaning duties far too seriously.

"I know you don't want to do this, Kasumi.  It was just a towel after
all.  I don't cause nearly as much trouble as Akane and Ranma do
around here, so why don't you..."

"Yes, but Akane's such a nice girl.  She has a fiance, she's really
trying to learn to cook.  She wants to be a good wife."  Kasumi's eyes
looked glazed over for a moment.  "Why aren't you trying to be a good
wife, Nabiki-chan?"

The words came out before she could stop them.  "Because I don't want
to be like you."

"I'm sure there's a boy out there somewhere for you.  If you would
just stop causing trouble, I'm sure you'd find a nice boy you could
marry."  Her smile became sickeningly warm.  "Wouldn't you like to
start a family of your own?  Justlike we used to be."

That was it.  Nabiki had heard enough.  She threw her other leg out and
was about jump.

"Not so fast, Nabiki-chan."  The grip was like a steel trap on her
arm.  "You still have to take Mother's punishment."

Kasumi dragged her back into the room and let her fall roughly to the
floor.  Kasumi smiled the entire time.

***

Nabiki scowled and sent the others scattering.  She didn't want any
witnesses to her indignity.  Instead of sitting as she would normally
do, she kneeled gingerly in the grass and began to eat her lunch.
Sitting in class was bad enough so that she needed to give her sore
back and rear a break.

Kasumi was getting to be too much.  Yesterday it had been a towel on the
floor.  The week before it had been a dirty bowl on the counter
instead of in the sink.  Before that, her shoes hadn't been perfectly
aligned on the mat.

Every little thing was something Kasumi felt she needed to physically
penalize her for.  It was starting to get very... tiresome.  And
painful.

It was like the smaller the problem was, the worse Kasumi was.  Even
though Nabiki had offered time and again to rectify the situation plus
a load of extra chores, Kasumi just wouldn't have it.

Like... Kasumi _enjoyed_ it.

The situation was building to an unpleasant level of stress.

***

"I'll pay you."

"No way!  It's probably just a way to get some blackmail material on
me!"

Nabiki turned to another guy.  "What about you?  Here's the money."

He shook his head and scurried away.

Looking around, Nabiki noted that all the other male students were
suddenly absent.  "Damn it," she swore quietly.  "How will I pull this
off if none... of..."

A likely candidate caught her eye, and sub-plan to her master plan
formed quickly in her mind.

...

"What shameless dress are you affecting?  Has that villain Saotome
managed to sway you with his dark powers as well?"

Nabiki adjusted the translucent black bra and tiny tanktop over it.
Her shorts were really riding up, and she knew she should've put on
some underwear, but then she wouldn't be hanging out the back nearly
as much.

"Kuno-chan, how do I look?"  She turned so he could see all her
assets.

"I... er... uh... gah... hrr..."

"Great.  Let's go.  If Kasumi wants to freak out over something, then
I'm going to give her something to really freak out over."  Hands on
hips, Nabiki was poised as the warrior slut.

...

"I'm home!"

"Nabiki-chan, I..."  Kasumi froze when she saw the way Nabiki was
dressed.  And she hadn't removed her shoes!  And she had just dropped
her bag on the floor, letting her books and papers spill all over!
"Nabiki-chan!"

"Kasumi, could you get us a couple of beers.  Kuno-chan and I are
about to get nasty," she said casually, jerking her thumb at the
stairs.

Kuno's eyelids fluttered as he barely maintained consciousness.

"Nabiki!"

"Hey, don't pass out on me now, Kuno-chan.  We haven't even gotten
undressed."  She smiled at him in what she considered a sultry manner
and so that Kasumi could see her.  "Right, Kuno-chan?"

She stepped up to him and pressed her body to his.  Out of Kasumi's
line of sight, she whispered to him, "Play along."

"Oh, Kuno-chan, do you mean it?  Right here on the floor?" she said,
giggling.  She surreptitiously moved his hands to certain forbidden
points on her barely-clothed body.

Kasumi's eyes bugged out.  Her mouth worked, but not a sound would
come out of it.

Nabiki glanced at her, pleased to see the reaction she was hoping for.
"Well, if you're not going to, I'll just get those drinks myself."
She brushed past Kasumi, dragging Kuno along.

In the kitchen, Nabiki propped Kuno up against the wall and went to
the cupboards.

Kasumi followed as if in a daze, her motherly instincts running at a
pace she thought would never happen.  Nabiki...  She should have
expected it, shouldn't have thought Nabiki would stay small time.  Her
little sister was going to get the punishment of her life!

"Kuno-chan, you want something to drink?" Nabiki asked over her
shoulder as she reached into the cupboard.

He might have nodded, Nabiki wasn't really sure.  She got him a glass
anyway.  "Here, catch."  She hurled the glass at him, bouncing it off
his head.

It whizzed past Kasumi and smashed against the wall.

"Nabiki!"

"You want a glass too?"  Nabiki turned and fired the glass at Kasumi,
who dodged out of the way at the last moment.

Glass flew and littered the floor.

"How about I just get you a bottle, Kuno-chan?  It doesn't look like
you can handle a glass."  Nabiki was rooting through the refrigerator
now.

"Nabiki!  If you don't stop this right now..."

"Yes, sister dear?" Nabiki said sweetly, holding a leftover pie.

Kasumi looked beyond horrified.  "No, not that.  Not the pie.
Please."

"You want to keep your pie safe?  Catch!"  She hurled it at Kasumi who
caught it right in the chest.

"Oh, look.  The beginnings of dinner.  I bet this would look good on
the floor!"  Snarling, Nabiki threw the food on the floor, not even
seeing Kasumi.

Whatever punishment Kasumi could come up with, it wasn't enough to
deter her from her path of rebellion.  Kasumi could beat her until she
was bloody and that would make it all worth while.  Maybe then Kasumi
would see just how absurd she was acting, that there was something
really wrong.

"Come on, Kasumi!  Look at me!  I'm making a mess!  I'm not being a
good little girl!  Aren't you going to spank me?"  What will Mother
think if you don't keep me in line?  Huh?" Nabiki literally screamed
at her older sister.

Kasumi was stunned, face pulled into a mask of comic disbelief, pie
smeared all over her dress and arms.

"Come ON, Kasumi!" Nabiki raged.  "Hit me!"

Instead of the reaction she was expecting, Kasumi suddenly burst into
tears and ran out of the kitchen.

...

Nabiki stood outside Kasumi's door after having changed into something
more presentable.  She listened to the sound of her sister crying for
more than a minute before knocking quietly.

She didn't wait for Kasumi's answer, and just opened the door.
"Kasumi?"

"How could she do that?" Kasumi asked herself, rocking slowly.  "How
could she be so mean to me?  I only did it because Mother asked me to.
I never meant to hurt her."

Nabiki winced.  "Kasumi?  I didn't mean to hurt you.  I just...  I
couldn't take it anymore."

"I had to do it, don't you see?  I had to.  Mother wanted me to.
Mother wanted me to, and I..."  Kasumi looked back, eyes red and her
face stained with tears.  There was a small cut on her forehead that
had bled down the side of her face.

"What, Kasumi?  You what?"  Nabiki wasn't sure whether to be
sympathetic or angry.  Her sister was obviously distraught, but that
bitter, angry spot in her heart was too large to allow Nabiki to
forgive her sister.

Kasumi stood up very slowly and walked toward Nabiki.  She stopped a
foot or so away and lifted her arms like she was preparing to give a
hug.

Nabiki flinched slightly away, but did not give any ground up.

At the last moment, Kasumi lashes out and slapped Nabiki across the
cheek.  She took a step, smiling gently now.  "Thank you, Nabiki-chan.
I needed that."

Nabiki stared in shocked amazement at her sister for a moment.  Then,
with an animalistic growl, she attacked Kasumi, getting her hands
around her sister's throat.  "You're gonna die!"

"Nabiki-chan, this calls for something a bit more... severe," Kasumi
croaked, her hands curved into claws.

...

"Tendo, what is all that noise?"

"I think the girls are having a disagreement.  They'll get over it;
they always do.  You should have seen the two of them when Nabiki
didn't do her homework."  Soun chuckled.  "Ah, kids grow up so fast."

There was the sound of gunfire from upstairs, and Genma couldn't help
but look warily at the stairs.

Soun took this opportunity to quickly rearrange the pieces on the
board in his favor.

"Grown up, eh Tendo?  But for how long?"

"Really, don't worry about it.  They get it from their mother.  She
was 35 before she finally succumbed to that bullet that was too close
to her spine."  Tears started to trickle from Soun's eyes.  "I
remember how she used to use the frying pan when I didn't pick up my
dirty socks..."

Genma looked from the stairs to his friend.  "And I thought Nodoka was
a psycho bitch..."