Nabiki listened to what transpired outside her door
and relaxed. She'd let the blind-boy sweat it out a
few days, but she was satisfied. Still it did mean
that she needed to put her plan into practice a little
sooner than she intended. Not that she would have
waited long on any account. She looked to the Jusenkyo
water's hiding place.
It wouldn't be much longer before Kasumi finally
noticed its presence in the house. Nabiki was good,
but she wasn't good enough to keep magic like that
under her sister's nose forever. Of course, Kasumi
might just ignore it and let things develop as they
would. She did a lot of that, so far she hadn't asked
about Nabiki's choice of battlefield either. Nabiki
sighed irritably, things got so much more complicated
when magic was involved.
"And dangerous," Nabiki muttered, and suddenly the
world seemed all that much lighter. Nabiki turned her
mind to more practical matters, lying back in her bed
to think and rest at the same time. "Now, how to
splash Ranma with out him knowing it was me, or at
least on purpose." She let her body slip back into
sleep as she considered her problems.
Ukyou only barely recovered from her surprise to
catch the descending Okonomiyaki.
"You found Nabiki, WHERE?!?" the chef demanded as
soon as everything was well under control again.
Ryouga blinked, what was she so upset about, it wasn't
like she was the one cursed.
"At the edge of Jusenkyo," Ryouga grumbled. "And
I'll probably never get back there again."
"Nabiki was at Jusenkyo," Ukyou pointed out. "Do
you think she was there to fight Copycat Ken, she
knows better than that."
"So what was�" Ryouga narrowed his eyes and then
paled. "Nabiki with Jusenkyo water." The horrifying
possibilities paraded through his and Ukyou's mind. Of
course, Ryouga had no problem with one of those
possibilities, the one that saw him getting cured. The
others, however, the ones that had Nabiki in every
corner and the idea of being cursed with any of a
number of other forms for annoying the little loan
shark. Those were the possibilities that really
terrified them.
"Okay, we have time," Ukyou forced herself to
breathe. "She was about dead on her feet earlier, we
can wait until Ucchan's closes and then check this
out."
"And what are we going to do, sneak around her room
while she's asleep?" Ryouga asked narrowly.
"No, thank you," she paused a moment to frisbee an
okonomiyaki out to a customer. "What kind of
insensitive idiot does something like that?"
A still barely conscious Mousse sneezed as Ranma
disappeared towards the dojo.
"Hey, Akane," he shouted cheerfully. "I got through
an entire tutoring session without being�" Ranma
stopped cold when saw what Akane was doing.
"Hey, Ranma," Akane called back cheerfully, as if
she weren't teaching a dangerous lunatic anything-goes
martial arts. She turned to Kodachi for a moment. The
shorter girl irritably corrected some small point in
the gymnast's stance. "You still need more work on
that," Akane muttered, then entered stance and shifted
positions. "Try that a couple of times."
"Hai," Kodachi said and nodded determinedly. Ranma
blinked, there were apparently no Kunoesque speeches
coming from her at the moment.
"Uh, Akane," Ranma whispered walking up next to her
and eyeing Kodachi. The gymnast's forehead was
crinkled in determination while she practiced the
motion Akane had shown her. "What are you doing?"
"I'm training Kodachi," Akane answered simply.
"I see that," he watched Kodachi perform the
indicated motion slowly and then a little faster as
she got the proper feel of it. "Why?"
"I was bored, you were stuck with Hinako-san,"
Akane shrugged. "And I think she could use some."
Ranma couldn't argue with that last one. "Okay, I
think you got that down�now the strike is like this,
can you do that."
"Like this, Tendo-sensai?" Kodachi asked imitating
the motion. Ranma face-faulted.
"Tendo-sensai?" Akane sweatdropped.
"I can't get her to stop calling me that," Akane
explained, frustratedly. Ranma examined Kodachi
closely for a moment. Every once in a while her glance
would flicker nervously about the room. Other than
that she was calm, quiet, and; most strange of all;
nearly��normal.
Ranma thought about it and realized that in the
time she had been living at the Tendo dojo, he hadn't
had near as much trouble with her as he should have.
In fact the only time she had really flown off the
handle was when they had to pull her off his father
that one time. He still hadn't figured out what Pops
had done to provoke her, of course Genma's overly
vehement denials of responsibility didn't help the
sometime-panda.
"Uh huh, you don't mind if I keep an eye�"
*CRASH*
Akane and Ranma sighed as the dojo wall caved in.
Both of them saw Kodachi flicker through a moment of
panic before that familiar haughty expression passed
over her face. Suddenly that Kodachi was back.
"Nihao!" Shampoo called out cheerfully. The dust
hadn't settled by the time Shampoo crossed the dojo
and glomped onto Ranma. "Airen no talk to
Nabiki-sister and crazy-girl."
"Tempestous wench!" Kodachi shouted. "You dare to
flaunt your low brow attempts at seduction in front of
Kodachi, the Black Rose of St. Hebereke? Very well, we
shall see how you fare. OHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!!!"
"RANMA!!" The aforementioned boy cowered as he saw
the looks on the other two-girls' faces. He barely had
time to slip out Shampoo's glomp and leap back from
mallet range. Shampoo, he noticed rather cheerfully
avoided Kodachi's ribobn and landed directing a bih at
her apparent rivals.
"Wait a minute," Ranma muttered. "Since when has
she let me go that easy?"
"What are you doing here?" Akane growled.
"Silly girl, do you think to accomplish with this
idiocy! You can't possibly win Ranma-darling's heart
with us as competitors." Ranma and Akane blinked.
"'Us?'"
"Think stupid-Mousse up to something," Shampoo
explained casually.
"Then why are you here?" Akane yelled. "I haven't
seen Mousse. Have you seen Mousse?"
"Not since leaving the Nekohanten," Kodachi
answered with an upturned nose. "Not that I see why I
should have to explain myself to this primitive
tease." Kodachi was still braced to fight, Akane
noticed a small paper packet in her hands. Shampoo
growled.
"What about you Ranma?" Akane narrowed her eyes as
she saw him examining a spot on the ceiling. "Okay
Ranma, where is he?" The building battle auras of the
other two girls dissipated as all eyes were turned to
Ranma.
"Well�." Ranma sweatdropped. He really didn't want
to be the cause of three angry females tracking down
the hidden weapons expert, he'd only get blamed for it
later. On the other hand, not saying anything could
get three angry females on him now. Fortunately the
decision was taken from him.
"Saotome�" Mousse moaned as he stumbled into the
dojo and fell flat on his face.
"What happen to Mousse?" Shampoo asked curiously,
but without much excitement.
"What could do this to such a valiant and powerful
warrior?" Kodachi gasped. She kneeled down turned over
the ki-drained Mousse. "He's been drained dry!"
"So what did Hinako-san punish him for?" Akane
asked, recognizing the symptoms.
"Hinako-san?" Kodachi asked. "That ki-draining
she-demon educator?"
"Oh, Shampoo no like fighting around her."
"Well, Ranma," Akane waited impatiently. "What did
he do? Jaywalk, speak out of turn?"
"Hey, why don't you ask him?"
"Because he's�..coming around."
"What was that for," Mousse demanded wearily,
sitting up. "I mean it wasn't like I was peeping on
her or anything."
"Uh, Mousse," Ranma was too late to help the
oblivious chinese boy.
"Peeping on who?" Akane asked levely.
"Nabiki, of course," Mousse answered. "What
happened to you Ryouga?"
"Oh man, now he's going to get it."
"I'm Akane! And what are you doing peeping on my
sister?!!"
"Akane�but�but�"
"What do you need my help with Shampoo for?"
Kodachi shouted. "You seem to be busy enough with that
cold-hearted calculator."
"Kodachi, is that you?"
"Stupid Mousse bother hurt and tired Nabiki?!"
Battle auras flared. A mallet, gymnast club, and
bonbori smashed Mousse to the ground.
"I tried to warn you," Ranma said backing away.
"What you mean 'help with Shampoo'? Crazy-girl no
match Shampoo with blind-idiot!"
"OHOHOHOHOHOHO!!!" Kodachi laughed. "We'll see
who's an idiot, you primitive little trollop."
"Hey wait�what are you?" Akane dodged back out of
the fight range to watch with Ranma. "This isn't a
fair fight." Akane scowled at Shampoo. The amazon was
teasing Kodachi. They both ducked a ribbon propelled
barbell that clonked a bihhing Shampoo in the back of
the head. The surprised Amazon tumbled forward into a
roll coming up with a snarl.
"Where am I?" Akane and Ranma looked down at the
awakening Mousse.
"Sneak into my sister's room again and you won't
have to worry about that," Akane growled at the still
dazed martial artist. Ranma arched an eyebrow at
Mousse, what exactly did it take for this guy figure
out the phrase "shut up." Glancing back at the fight,
Ranma noticed that Shampoo's bonbori had come out.
"Shampoo's getting a little serious," he muttered
before moving. Akane looked up and saw Kodachi's
ribbon snag a bucket across the dojo, something Ranma
didn't notice considering he was moving to disarm
Shampoo. Akane did not bother asking how the bucket
got there. Her personal belief was that the water and
its containers tended to materialize around
jusenkyoites.
"Ranma, look out!" Ranma turned around in time to
see a flash of gray and a familiar shimmer before he
was hit from two directions. Fortunately for those in
the vicinity who were not-Akane, he took virtually all
of the water and so nothing splashed into Shampoo.
Kodachi saw it coming way too late to do anything,
and she didn't see why she had to anyway. It wasn't
like this was training, this was a fight. Nothing
REALLY bad happened in a fight. Then the water
cascaded over her Ranma-darling and something
miraculous happened. A Kuno figured out about Ranma.
As Ranma landed, momentarily dazed, Kodachi watched
him become a her in an instant that seemed to last
forever.
"Ahh! Ranma!" Shampoo shouted, noticing that her
Airen's head had some how gotten in her bonbori's way.
She would have helped Ranma-chan up if the red-head
wasn't already angrily sitting up, rubbing her head.
"You hurt your head?" Ranma dazedly looked up and
noticed Akane stalking over. Some thought about
getting through Hinako-san's tutoring session and
karma flashed through his mostly recovered head.
"Get off of me, Shampoo," Ranma-chan shouted
desperately. "Get off of me!" Se glanced over at
Kodachi and noticed the gymnast on her knees with her
head bent at an angle. Kodachi was just sort of
staring at her. "Oh shit." He barely noticed Shampoo
releasing him quickly and backing up.
"Shampoo think she see�must be tired."
"RAN-MA!!" Ranma cringed as the mallet came out,
frantically pointing in the catatonic gymnast's
direction. When the mallet didn't land she blinked
open an eye, and breathed a sigh of relief when she
saw the mallet was gone. Ranma-chan noticed Shampoo
pouting behind her. "Kodachi?"
~Ha! She didn't smash me with the mallet this
time.~ Ranma-chan almost felt like sticking her tongue
out at the Amazon. The thought of Kodachi sitting like
a life-size doll killed that thought. "She's ummm�.not
laughing�any guess as to what that means?"
Mousse groggily looked over to see a white blur and
a red blur standing over a black blur. Somewhere to
the right of the trio of blurs was a greenish blur
leaning against a wall. He noticed quickly enough that
Kodachi's usually shrill, edgy voice was missing from
the conversation, and in fact she seemed to be the
subject of the conversation. Mousse slipped his
mangled glasses down over his eyes, and then began
searching out for an unbroken set of spares. When he
finally found a set he discovered them standing over a
catatonic Kodachi.
"What did you do to her Saotome?" Mousse demanded
grabbing Ranma-chan by her collar.
"I changed," Ranma said dryly. "In front of her."
Mousse released Ranma and turned an about face.
"Kodachi! You have to snap out of it!" Akane
resisted the urge to mallet him and instead turned the
blind boy to face the named girl.
"She's there, baka." Mousse sweatdropped
momentarily and started to shake the non-responsive
gymnast.
"Crazy-girl snapped big time," Shampoo noted with
at least a trace of concern, not much though. This was
the girl that had, for the past few years, been
alternately drugging and ambushing every martial
artist in Nerima. Mousse glared at her, or tried to,
and then took Kodachi up in his arms and leaped
through one of the as yet unrepaired holes in the
dojo.
Kodachi was sitting in her room and quietly
regarded her reflection in the mirror. There were no
more distractions on her mind now, the last door was
closed. She couldn't remember why she had left it open
so long. All that noise and fuss, it wasn't fitting
that a lady of rank should have to put up with it.
The reflection Kodachi saw in the mirror, and the
image she held, would not have been recognized by most
of the Nerima group. Her skin was a healthy tan, her
eyes lacked the bloodshot look of a cornered animal,
and she was dressed in shorts and shirt. Not really
lady-like, but this she was around the house, so it
didn't matter. The important thing was, and she didn't
consciously consider this, there were no scars to
cover with cloth or makeup. Her hair hung loose over
her shoulders as she walked to her bed and laid back
with a content sigh.
She sighed happily at how�how�her brother would be
so proud of her. She was beautiful, educated, and
talented. There was no better gymnast than her in the
area, she was popular, and she had a wonderful
boyfriend. She picked up a photo of her boyfriend
and�blinked.
"How did this get here?" she said looking at the
picture of a familiar Chinese boy. She ripped the
photo out of the frame and prepared to toss it, but
stopped herself. Why was that familiar, it was some
friend of�.of�her boyfriend. She mumbled irritably for
a moment and crumbled the photo up, a little bit of
searching found the noble and serious face of her
boyfriend.
The sound of a door creaking open irritated her a
little further, and she hadn't even gotten to dwell on
her love's shapely face. Walking to the door she heard
the whispering outside, and cringed.
"-haired girl," the voices whispered. "Tatewaki
wants you dead. Ranma loves Akane�" Kodachi's cheerful
expression returned as she softly shut the door.
Kodachi glanced at the mirror and screamed, her
reflection was changed. The skin was deathly pale, she
was thin, almost dangerously thin, and the irritated
veins in the eyes had returned. The reflection smiled
rolled a shoulder of her t-shirt down to view the scar
of an old training injury. The reflection held a cold
beauty, an arrogant voice and a feeling of
viciousness.
"This is my brother's love," the reflection growled
as it faded away. "He's tried to kill me twice."
"Training is dangerous," she tried to retort.
Kodachi dashed into her bed and hid under the covers
gripping her boyfriend's photo. She glanced down and
saw him and some girl happily cuddling on a rooftop.
The photo flew across the room with an almost growl. A
window slammed open and the voices outside filled the
room. Kodachi felt a wind passing over her as she
approached the window and sealed it shut. Then all was
quite again, safe in the room.
"OHOHOHOHOHO!!!" Kodachi turned toward her
reflection, which merely laughed at her.
"Quit that," Kodachi pleaded. The reflection kept
laughing, pointing at her hysterically. "Please stop
that."
A pair of windows on opposite sides of the room
ripped open and the voices started streaming in.
Kodachi cringed in the middle of her room, which was
suddenly decorated with lethal instruments of all
kinds. Then the sound of the words seemed to slow down
and turn softer.
"Please wake-up," she heard someone say, that wind
was rushing past her again.
"I am awake," she whimpered. Suddenly there was the
wind again, as if she were leaping through the air.
Kodachi looked down and screamed. She looked like that
horrid lunatic version of herself.
"We're almost to Dr. Tofu's already."
"Tofu?" Kodachi asked herself. A memory sparked,
sitting on a bed after having a broken leg splinted..
*"Listen, Kodachi, there's this other family that
comes to me," Tofu insisted. "The oldest sister even
shows your talent for healing. Maybe you could stay
with them. Then there'd be someone instantly on hand
when you have one of your 'accidents.'" She stopped
smiling as she considered that. "They run a dojo."*
"It isn't important," Kodachi snapped, trying to
ignore the thoughts that she couldn't bare. At least
she was thankful for her room, the voice couldn't all
reach her here, and soon she'd seal them away as
before. Her room, the nice pleasant room that been
changed to a torturer's dream, seemed to shatter
around her. She was alone in the dark with the voices
and memories, memories uninfluenced by self-lies.
"Move it, girl," something shouted through the
shimmering darkness. "Do you want the darkness
forever?" Kodachi almost didn't hear, again
overwhelmed by the voices that all belonged to her.
The new voice scared her and she nervously backed
away.
"Everything is going to be okay," Kodachi whirled
to where she thought she'd heard the sound. It was
away from the Fear Voice, and she fled after it.
Mousse landed in front of the clinic and was
stopped short as Kodachi's hands whipped up around
Mousse's shoulders and neck. He looked down and saw
Kodachi looking at him, shell shocked and speechless,
but no longer that unnatural, empty stare.
"Everything is going to be fine," he smiled at her.
She nodded quietly and let herself be carried into Dr.
Tofu's office.
Kasumi breathed a sigh of relief as Nabiki's
breathing and ki returned to normal. Her sister wasn't
telling her everything, but at least now she was
getting some real sleep after her trip to china. The
girl shifted in her sleep piling the blankets as she
pulled them together. Kasumi watched as one tear
worked itself from of Nabiki's long time dry eyes, and
a melancholy expression passed softly on her face.
Kasumi sighed worriedly, she was going to have to have
a talk with Nabiki.
=====
"Caffeinated Kender? What's that, a berserk spell?" -
Tribble, Kender Warrior of the Celestial Kingdom
Signed
He of Too Many Names (Thrythlind/Thryth/Luke/Hyperbole/Pika/Pooka)
http://members.aol.com/thrythlind/snake.html
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