POISONED HONOR: A RANMA1/2 FAN FIC BY NUKI_MOUSE
PART THREE: NOONTIME DEVELOPMENTS.
Nabiki entered the room that had served as Ranma and Genma's sleeping
quarters ever since their arrival at the Tendo home. She surveyed with
discuss the bloodstain sheets and futon pad that served as Ranma's bed.
<Burn it, the pad and the sheets> thought Nabiki, <I don't want to even sell
it second hand to a rag man, I WANT to burnt it, (and imagine RANMA in
it.!!) This line of thought startled Nabiki. Although her and Ranma had
their differences, she thought that she never really disliked him. <At least
until he tried to RAPE me and Akane!>.
Actually Nabiki had a strong respect for Ranma's sense of honor,
determination, and self reliance, as well as the steady income she
garnished from taking book on his fights, profits from sale of soft porn
photos of his girl form, and selling his "secrets" to Kuno-Baby and Shampoo,
among others. But his betrayal of Akane's trust and love, and subsequent
rape attempts had utterly destroyed any good will she had felt for Ranma.
<And AKANE, just lying there, not even fighting back, she was so STUPID, did
she WANT to be RAPED?> Nabiki showing anger also at her sister.
She realized that just the hurt Ranma caused Akane, or Akane's inaction
alone, was not enough to account for her intense feelings of anger <I want
to watch him roast, to die of thirst, to .. Well, DIE!> She savagely
thought. <He made me fell so violated and "cheap" when he latched on and
groped me, like I was nothing but a sex toy for him.!>as she gritted her
teeth, <And THEN he chose Akane over.........UHH?!?!> Nabiki's mind when
momentarily numb. < Chose Akane over ....over ...ME?, I di ...di ..didn't
WANT him to RAPE ME!!> she thought. < He's a .. a .. a .. MONSTER!, what he
did, he always acted so noble, so brave. I would have trusted him with my
life, with my secrets, until now I've never known him to lie or betray a
trust, just look at Ryouga and P-Chan, he has never told Akane THAT > She
fumed. <But he .. he .. he's a .. a .. HENTAI, .. a . RAPIST!!>
<STUPID, STUPID AKANE!!, STUPID RANMA!!> Nabiki mentally cried! < Maybe
Akane just pushed Ranma too far, I'M GLAD RANMA CHOSE HER OVER ME, SHE
DESERVES HIM!!> Nabiki's mind screamed. <WHAT AM I THINKING??!! AKANE DOESN'
T DESERVE THAT!!> Nabiki was lost in thought for several minutes as she
reassessed her feelings. < Do I hate Akane?, she MY SISTER!, I LOVE HER!!>
Nabiki Knew <But I am angry at her, but why??, because she almost got
RAPED?>. <But so did I> she thought faintly. <I am mad about what happen,
when Ranma groped me BUT then he WENT to Akane, forgetting all about ME, is
THAT why am I mad?, I don't want Ranma, especially NOW!!> Nabiki thoughts
clarified < Did I want Ranma BEFORE this HAPPENED?, is that IT??, Did I LIKE
Ranma, I mean REALLY LIKE Ranma??, Was I jealous of Akane??.> Nabiki asked
herself < Truthfully, what hurt worst, Ranma's GROPING me, or him THEN
choosing Akane over YOU??.> She asked herself. < BUT I DON"T WANT THAT
HENTAI RAPIST!!, NOT NOW!!, but who do I want?, someone like I thought Ranma
was?, and to think I thought he was just like Kuno-Baby, only not as dumb!!>
<LIKE KUNO-BABY??, WHY is that Important?? they are not at ALL
alike!!> Nabiki asked herself. <Tatewaki, well he so, uhh, NOBLE, and BRAVE,
a CONFIDANT who's word I've always trusted, always ready to defend his
honor, to help the weak, to ... protect ... ?? IS THIS KUNO TATEWAKI OR
SAOTOME RANMA I AM TALKING ABOUT??? > Nabiki mind reeled. < I never thought
of them being at all alike, it just seemed so obvious that they WEREN'T.
Kuno is so obsessed with quoting Shakespeare or Byron, and Ranma is so
obsessed with his curse. Tatewaki is free and generous with his gifts and
money, Ranma was always quick with his help or aid. BUT KUNO-BABY HAS NOT
CHANGED INTO A HENTAI RAPIST!> she ended with a mental scream.< No, Kuno
dumped me for the "love" of his "Pig Tailed Girl" and Akane!. Kami, don't
fool yourself!, Kuno dumped me FOR AKANE, long before Ranma arrived.> Nabiki
continued bitterly.
< FOR Akane!, FOR Akane!, why do all the best ones want Akane. Kuno,
Ranma, Ryouga, they all fall over themselves For Akane!, STUPID Akane!
(Well, she can HAVE Ranma, I don't want HIM!!)> Nabiki ranted. < I only want
some one to care for ME, to protect ME ... like they all protect Akane?, DO
I WANT A HERO?, a stupid knight in shining amour to save me?, a St George
to slay my enemies?> she wondered. <Maybe I just what some one to care for
me the way they all seem to care for Akane, the way Ranma seemed to care for
Akane>. As this thought stunned her. < Akane's always been the one who
hated boys, who is so good at sports and fighting, who can't do any feminine
task!> Nabiki fumed . <She hates Kuno-Baby, she hates Ranma, she ignores
Ryouga, but she gets kidnapped by princes, and is fought over by every boy
in school> she continued very quietly <why don't anyone chase or fight for
me??>
At this point Nabiki mind started going numb on her confused feelings
for Ranma, Kuno, and her newly discovered jealousy and envy of her sister
Akane. As Nabiki continued to survey the guestroom, her eyes lighted on the
pile of strange clothes in the center of the room. Nabiki found them to be a
bright red chinese silk blouse and matching pants festooned with a floral
orchid design. <Only Shampoo could get away with wearing THAT while sneaking
around on rooftops without tearing and staining the silk!> Nabiki felt the
cool soft fabric and marveled at the detailed design as she wondered how
much she could get for it, retail. <I wonder how I would look in it> also
crossed her mind. As she further examined the clothes a small white
soapstone bottle fell free. Picking it up she recognized it as a chinese
medicine or potion bottle. Looking around she found an even fancier green
jade bottle near Ranma's futon. <What Shampoo was doing with these bottles?>
Nabiki thought as she remembered the cat still under the bucket.
Nabiki slowly removed the books and tipped the bucket, expecting a very
angry cat to dart out, instead found a limp form covered in vomit and blood.
Nabiki prodded the cat with her foot and got a weak "meowing" noise.
Neko-Shampoo's eyes where half open and appeared to be glazed and unfocused.
Sudden concern overcame Nabiki, as she squatted down and gently picked up
Shampoo and carried her to the nearby futon. The shifting motion triggered a
spasm of nausea in the cat, resulting in mainly dry heaves and a little
vomit. <As much as I dislike Shampoo, and would LOVE to get her fixed, I
think she really sick.> Nabiki concluded. <Uh .. could she have a
concussion?> Nabiki thought, as she remembered hitting her on the head with
the bucket. <No, this is something more than that.> as Nabiki thought of the
two potion bottles. <Could she have OD'd on a potion or drug, something a
human could take that maybe poisonous to a cat?> Nabiki could feel a panic
start to build as she realized that if Shampoo died here under mysterious
circumstances, Cologne and the entire amazon tribe would probably give them
all the kiss of death. <Dr Toufu!!, Kasumi should be calling him, now. He'll
know what to do!> As she headed out the door and towards the kitchen.
Kasumi was walking towards her room to check on Akane when Nabiki came
out of the guestroom.
"Kasumi!, did you call Dr. Toufu yet?, Is he coming here!?" cried out
Nabiki when she spotted her older sister.
"He'll be here as soon as he can" answered Kasumi. "WHY!?!, Has
something happen to Akane!?!," she said her eyes going big and round with
concern at the anxious fearful tone in Nabiki's voice.
"No, no, no, it isn't Akane!, It's Shampoo!!, I .. I .. uh .. think she
is really sick, maybe even dying!" responded Nabiki in a rush.
"Shampoo?!?, what wrong with her?!!, did Ranma .. uh. 'hurt' her?" asked
Kasumi.
Nabiki thought about it <DID Ranma hurt her?, He Did take her
virginity, could he have also injured her in other ways? No, if anyone did
hurt her, It was ME and that bucket, not Ranma!!>
"I don't think it was Ranma, but I could have hurt her when I threw the
bucket" said Nabiki after thinking about it. "But what I really think is
Shampoo may have OD'd on what ever was in these bottles" as she held up the
two potion bottles for Kasumi to see.
"You really think she may be dying??" question Kasumi, only to be
answered by Nabiki's slowly nodding head.
<Oh my Kami!> thought Kasumi. <What can we do??, We can wait for Ono,
but he maybe awhile. I could call emergency but what do I tell them? "Oh
yes, emergency?, I have a sick cat here that is really a female chinese
amazon that may have poisoned herself. Could you send an ambulance?" They'll
send someone alright, with a straight jacket, looking for ME!.> Kasumi
thought. <Maybe Cologne?, I could call the Neko-Hatten. She would probably
know what was in those bottles, but do I really want to face her NOW?.
There is no telling just what she may do if she blames us for Shampoo's
condition!!.> went through Kasumi worried mind. <But ... If I don't tell
her, and Shampoo IS sick, wouldn't that be worse? ... uh .. I guess the best
thing to do is to first call Ono again, then I can call Cologne and tell her
Dr Toufu's coming here.> Kasumi concluded.
"Nabiki, will you keep an eye on Akane for me while I make some more
phone calls?" Kasumi asked in a gentle voice, trying to calm her sister. "Dr
Toufu doesn't think we shouldn't leave her all alone right now. Also,
please, don't do or tell her anything that may upset her further!" Kasumi
continued, as she turned and headed back the way she just came.
* * * * * * * *
* * * * * * *
Kasumi had just reached the kitchen phone when she heard the melodious
tones of the old bell hanging at the main entrance of the Tendo home,
announcing a visitor. <Could that be Ono-chan already?!> she thought as she
rushed to the door.
She opened the door and instead of the good Doctor, Kasumi found the
diminutive form of Cologne, the Amazon Elder, carefully balanced on her
wooden staff. <OH MY! . How could SHE know already?>
"Good day, Kasumi, Is everything here OK? I must to talk to Akane and
Ranma about a matter of some importance" Cologne said with a very serious
expression on his face. "I must warn them, actually warn you all, to be on
guard against my great granddaughter" as Cologne hopped forward and tried to
push pass Kasumi.
"Shampoo!! Uh .. Wha .ug .Why?" Blurted out Kasumi with a very guarded
expresion on her face. "Are you here to threaten us!?" Kasumi said in a rush
as she stepped aside and allowed the Amazon into the Tendo home.
Cologne, after carefully looking at Kasumi's face and hearing the tone
in her voice, thought <Drat that girl, Something tells me I may be already
too late!> "Has Shampoo been here already?!, Quickly, did she give either
Ramna or Akane anything to eat OR drink?!!"
"I .. uh .. don't really know if Shampoo gave Ranma anything!, And I
don't really CARE! Akane is in some kind of emotional shock and Shampoo
seems to be very sick." Said Kasumi, who then quickly informed Cologne of
all the mornings events, while she lead the Elder back to the Tendo family
sleeping chambers. "So Ranma's gone NOW, WE kicked him out! Akane is in my
room and Shampoo is in here." Kasumi concluded as she showed Cologne the
door to the guest room.
Cologne quickly hopped over to the futon and started to examine her
ward. "Quickly Kasumi, I need some hot water!!, it is the only thing I know
of that may save her!!" as she gently cradled the body of Neko-Shampoo, with
tears in her eyes.
"I .. uh . it will be a minute" as Kasumi quickly thought <OH NO! the
hot water tank is still off and cold! and something is wrong with the
stove!> rushed though her mind. <I need to heat some water FAST. Maybe a
fire? But where? . I could turn the hot water heater back on, I just need to
start the gas again. !THE GAS! It's off, that's why my stove isn't
working!>
"I will have to .. um ... heat some water up, Cologne, our .. a.. hot
water tank is .. um .. cold" Kasumi nervously explained as she ran back to
the kitchen to turn on the gas and re-light her stove. It was a very anxious
5 minutes for Kasumi as her tea kettle heated on the now working stove,
<Please, Kami-sami, don't let Shampoo die on us! I don't want those crazy
Amazons after us AGAIN! And PLEASE!! PLEASE!! let Akane be OK!!>. Just as
Kasumi determined (due to her long experience with Ranma's curse) that the
water in her kettle was hot enough, once again the old bell at the front
door rang out. <Thank you Kami! That HAS to be Ono-chan this time!> as she
grabbed her kettle and headed for the door.
* * * * * * * * *
* * * * * *
Dr. Ono Toufu, oversized doctor's bag in hand, quietly fidgeted as he
waited for someone to answer the door. <I MUST remain calm, I CAN NOT
overreact, I WILL maintain MY composure. I MUST remain calm, I CAN NOT
overreact, I WILL maintain MY composure. I MUST .... > Repeated over and
over again in his mind almost like a Mantra.
The door opened and there was his beloved Kasumi, holding a tea kettle
and for once looking somewhat upset and slightly disheveled. "Ka .. Ka..
KASUMI!, HOW ARE YOU DOING TODAY!!" He blurted out with an extremely large
goofy grin on his face. <Boy, that really sounded STUPID!!, WHAT a really
DUMB thing to say!!> Ono cursed to himself.
Kasumi gave the Doctor a reproachful look <Oh Ono! Keep control!> she
tried to mentally project to him, but of course he couldn't hear her. "We're
doing just Great!" She said with a note of sarcasm in her voice, as she lead
Ono into the house.
<REMAIN CALM!, DON'T OVERREACT!, COMPOSURE! .. REMAIN ..> Raced faster
and faster through his mind. "Has there been any change in Akane condition?"
asked the concerned Doctor in him, as he noticed the apparent worry and fear
in Kasumi's voice and body language.
"Akane? She's .. a .. the still same?" replied Kasumi as she sudden felt
very guilty <Akane! I haven't checked on her lately! Is she alright? She may
have needed help!, needed me! She's the one I should be worried about .. OH
NABIKI!, that's right! She's with Akane! She would have called out if there
were anything wrong!> "It's Shampoo, she's very ill, her great grandmother
is with her and thinks she maybe dying! OH MY!! I NEED TO GET THIS HOT
WATER TO HER RIGHT NOW!" remembered Kasumi as she brandished her teakettle
and took off in a rush, leaving Ono to follow her.
<I would follow you ANYWHERE, Kasumi!!> thought Dr Toufu as he followed
behind her. <Hot Water? What for?, Tea? Some kind of chinese herbal
medicine?> Puzzled Ono, who then became more serious as he thought about
Shampoo. <Cologne's knowledge of Herbal medicine and her ability as a healer
rivals my own! There must be a legitimate reason for the hot water other
than for tea> he knew. <Shampoo . Shampoo . OF COURSE!> Ono suddenly
realized! <She must be in her cat form! That's what the water's for!>
Although he knew of Shampoo's curse, he had never seen her close up while
she was a cat, or seen her change forms before. <This should be
interesting!> Thought the analytical portion of his mind.
As they reached the guestroom Dr Toufu entered after Kasumi and spied
the still form of a Himalayan cat with lavender ear points and paws nestled
in Cologne's lap. < KAMI! Lavender must actually be Shampoo's natural hair
color, I always assumed it was dyed. But where did that little set of bead
earrings come from?> wondered Ono.
"Doctor" Cologne said with nod of her head, as she acknowledged Dr.
Toufu presence. <With his skill and knowledge, we just may save Shampoo's
life!> Thought Cologne. <Although it might just be fruitless, if Shampoo
really did use 'The Forbidden Knowledge' to "win" Ranma.> as Cologne
strongly suspected may be true.
"Honorable Elder" answered Ono, as he quickly set down his doctor's bag
and retrieved his stethoscope. "May I ... ?" as he reached out towards
Neko-Shampoo, his actions silently asking for Cologne's permission to
examine Shampoo.
Cologne quickly hugged her grand daughter, then laid her back on the
futon for Dr Toufu to examine. "Please be quick, I think her best hope is
to become human again!" begged Cologne as tears streamed down her face.
Dr Toufu bent over and placed the diaphragm of his stethoscope on the
body of the cat. Shampoo's heart rate was almost too low and slow to hear,
and she felt very warm to the touch. Ono held his finger by Shampoo's nose
to judge her respiration, and discovered that the cat seemed to be
hyperventilating. <low pulse and pressure, fever, hyperventilating?, It
could be anything!> Ono felt the swollen bump on shampoo's head, checked her
eyes and noticed the wound on her right paw. <Possible concussion, film over
the eyes, no reaction to light, deep laceration to right paw.> Ono continued
to mentally list her symptoms <I don't see any other physical injuries, but
I wonder if it could be.?>.
"Cologne, Shampoo's illness maybe um.. Pharmacological, She didn't use
any. usual medications, did she?
"Ever since her Jusenkyou curse, she has stopped using anything that may
have an adverse effect on her cursed form. but ." Cologne answered with
apprehension in her voice "She may have used a .. secret.. drug .. To help
her ... force Ranma, somehow, to marry her."
"What drug?, if you know, Cologne.."Ono Began.
"If I knew, I would be doing something mmoore than just ca ..crying."
Cologne said as she started to sob. "Sshhee broke iinntoo my drug
ccaabinettt, .sshhee took all ..(sniff) .. I don't Know wwhhicch , I hope
that maaybee (sniff) cha.a.angiinng her back willl ha... help.."
<Kami! I have never seen Cologne show any strong emotions before!, she
is almost 300, she must have dealt with illness or death before?!"> thought
Ono. <But she maybe right, Shampoo's only chance maybe to trigger her
curse.. If she survives the change.>
"Cologne I agree with you. It maybe her only chance but it isn't without
risk, it takes a lot of energy, maybe more than she has.." concluded Ono.
"The decision must be yours"
Cologne took her great granddaughter in her arms once more and hugged
her fiercely, before laying her cat form in the center of the futon, and
stroking the smooth fur of her back one last time. Turning to Dr Toufu all
she could do was shake her head in compliance.
"Kasumi, can you hand me your tea kettle?, please?" Ono asked, as he
reached out towards her.
Dr Ono Toufu slowly poured the hot water on to the comatose body of
Neko-Shampoo. The fir on her body rippled and the limbs began to distort,
then .. nothing!. The body was still a cat. Dr Toufu, quickly checked
Shampoo's vitals <Damn, well I warned her..!>
"Cologne, I'm sorry, but." Ono started to say..
"I know, doctor, I can see Auras quite well" Cologne "It's too late.."
as she sat down by the still body, looking every year of her age for once.
"Ono, you don't mean she's dead!?" asked Kasumi. "Can't you, um..
revive? Her"
"I am a doctor, not a vet!, Jim!, . uh.. I mean Kasumi" was his answer.
END PART THRE.
A.N.: Could not resist the obligatory "Star Trek" reference!
this was a Ranma fanfic which I wrote for entertainment reasons only, I will
not receive any monetary gain from it. these characters are own and
copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi and VIZ
nuki_mouse nukmouse@bellatlantic.net
Feedback welcomed!!!!