Man, two updates in two weeks? I must be on crack!
Anyway, looks like I won't be closing out on six chapters. This one just
sings Godsmack to me (I! Stand alone!), so check this out while I work on the
seventh (which is most assuredly NOT going to be up in two weeks). But it's all
good. I like working on this story. It's fun and all, though I will be
ending things in Chapter 7 -- at least, all the really big major things.
[Note: Underscores for italicized words, since Microsoft Word's such a
princess...]
Ranma 1/2 and all related characters are property of Rumiko Takahashi. No
disrespect intended for this simple fanfic.
For Better or For Worst-Case Scenario
Chapter 6: One Hot Hour
"Wow, it's almost one," Ranma commented as he glanced at the clock on the
far wall. It had been over three hours since he had set first foot in the dojo
in almost a week. Absently, he wiped sweat from his forehead with the back of
his hand, grinning to himself. He had been nonstop in his practice, flowing
from one kata into another and another, and tired, he may have been now, it
felt great. His mind did not clutter with tons of worrisome, wandering thoughts
as it did whenever he tried to exercise in the backyard. He didn't think
about his father no longer living with the Tendos, he didn't think about his
marriage and the various difficulties that crept up with it, and he most
certainly did not think about what Nabiki told him last night. It was just him and
doing the one thing he loved to do - the Art. It was pure, relaxing, and
attentive. It was the core of his being, a lover which he was most intimate with.
All his troubles faded away in the midst of its very essence. There was no
strife, there was only-
The hairs on the back of his neck suddenly stood up on end, tearing through h
is reveling. Ranma blinked in confusion. Something had gone horribly wrong,
he knew, but it didn't make sense; the only times he ever felt like this was
in the face of impending danger. He scanned the room quickly, paying special
note to good hiding places for an ambush, and was at a loss. There was only
him present, and, yet, the feeling did not go away; it felt stronger, in fact.
Trusting in his instincts, the young man exited the dojo quickly. The
feeling seemed to be originating from his in-laws' home. He could feel his heart
thumping in his chest, his mind making a quick estimation of likely troubles he
might encounter. Mr. Tendo and Kasumi, he mentally figured little and no
danger towards them in that order. Akane, perhaps something, though he was
unaware of anyone putting a challenge against her in recent months. Nabiki, on the
other hand…
He smacked himself for wasting time as his feet automatically carried him
into the house, navigating him from Point A to Point B quickly, stealthily. He
was almost bowled over by the strength of his danger sense once he crested the
stairs. His heart hammered inside his chest, fear licking his spine, as he
was almost certain Nabiki was the source. A plan forming in his mind, he
practically teleported over to her room door. In one fluid motion, he grabbed and
twisted the doorknob, flung open the door and tagged the light switch just by
him, bathing the room in its brilliance.
Ranma was prepared for a fight, but the sight before him knocked it all out
of him. Nabiki was laying in her bed wide-eyed and still as death, a trinity
of deadly weapons surrounding her head. A thin line of red ran down her neck
where the blades were touching, and the festively decorated bonbori seemed to
push down on the crossed swords. It did not seem real at all - it had to be a
dream -- but he was afraid to test the theory. He could not, would not, dare
discover the truth; it would be too horrible to face if this was reality,
and his wife was in fact-
His ears picked up something quiet, almost nonexistent. His eyes soon made
the connection, spotting her mouth move slowly, forming the words he could now
hear: "Help… me…"
Like a flash, he threw off his chains of fear and discarded Nabiki's jailors
easily. "Nabiki! You okay? Speak to me!" he cried out, his arms
instinctively going around her and drawing her to his body. "Who did this?"
"Ran…ma…?" Her eyes stared at him unfocused, still stuck in the past
who-knew-how-many minutes.
"Yeah, it's me. I got you. I got you…" He ran his fingers through her hair.
"You're safe now."
At the mention of the word safe, Nabiki's eyes gathered recognition. "It's
you…" she murmured, more for proof to herself. "It's really… you…" Fresh tears
spilled down her cheeks. Her arms latched onto him as if he would disappear
at any given moment, then she buried her face into his chest and sobbed in
earnest.
Any other time, Ranma would have panicked at the thought of tears. The
apprehension of then had been shoved hard into the recesses of his mind, and he
rubbed her back soothingly. "It's all right, Nabiki… it's going to be all right…
"
"Ranma!"
"Oh, my!"
"My daughter!"
"What's going on, son?"
Ranma glanced over his shoulder. Akane, Kasumi, and Soun were standing in
the doorway draped with their bed robes; Genma stood inside, dusting his gi
sleeve off and adjusting his glasses. A question was raised as to what was his
dad here at this time of night - didn't he go home already? - but it got buried
under the urgency of the time.
He looked back down at Nabiki, who was blubbering unabashedly into his
chest. Remembering how he found her made his blood boil. The two swords could have
indicated anyone; however, he distinctly remembered the abnormal mace, and
only one person who used such a thing.
"Shampoo…"
* * * * *
"Genma, old friend, this has gone too far." Soun paced around on the porch,
sucking a cigarette down to the filter in one deep drag. He crushed it into
the ashtray on the banister among its half-score of brothers, then snapped his
pack out. A sharp thump against the heel of his hand, and he snagged a fresh
stick of cancer between his lips. Adding flame to the naked tobacco at the
end, he took another heavy drag and exhaled a cobalt plume through his nose.
"I know." For his part, Genma was seated on the steps, looking up at the
sky. Absently, he drummed the fingers of one hand on the wood beneath him while
his other slowly hung limply in his lap.
"And you!" Soun turned on his heel. "You were in the other room; why didn't
you stop the intruder?"
Genma regarded his friend. "I was asleep like everyone else."
"You were supposed to be reconstructing the old room!"
"I finished early. Thank to Ukyo's help this afternoon, we got the bedding
and other furniture out of the dojo sooner, so there was no problem."
Despite everything that was going on, Soun was unable to keep his face free
of a hinted smile. "So, it's truly completed?"
"Yes, it is."
"Mm. How you managed to work these past few nights in that room and not
disturb anyone's sleep, I'll never know." He sat down beside Genma. "I had hoped
to give them that present in a happier time."
"We make due with what we have. After all, we survived the Master."
Soun shuddered. If fortune should ever look in his direction and ask to
grant his one heart's desire, never seeing the Master again would be one of the
top three choices. Then his mind linked back to Cologne and her granddaughter
and the placated anger surged again. "We should strike the Amazons down now."
Genma glanced at Soun. "No, let it be for tonight."
He looked at his friend in open shock. "Are you mad? They tried to kill my
daughter!"
"I don't think that was the intention." He pushed his glasses up on his
nose. "If they really meant harm, would they not have struck her down already and
be done with it?"
Soun frowned; he had to agree. "These Amazons are a complicated lot with
their own damnable rules."
"I know, but look at it this way. It could be some kind of warning, or… or a
strange way of granting good fortune upon her marriage." Another look at Soun
told him exactly what he thought of the last. "I know… I'm reaching on the
last."
"You could grab a star out of the sky with that reasoning."
"Hm." Genma folded his arms. "At any rate, let the boy deal with it. His
responsibilities, his future, his call."
Soun scowled. "After tonight, I don't feel so reassured."
"A mistake on his part. He won't make the same one again." The portly man
stood. "Come, let's share a drink. It'll calm your nerves."
"Pardon my rudeness," Soun spoke as he stood beside his friend. "But how can
you be so certain of your son's capabilities?"
Genma spared a glance back. "Because he's my son," he said, one corner of
his mouth turning up. "He's too stubborn to lose."
* * * * *
"Tch! I'm going to kill Shampoo!" Akane raged under her breath as she helped
Kasumi clear off the soiled sheets to dispose of them properly. Cuts and
accidents could be repaired or cleaned, but memory would make them reek.
"I'm sure she's only doing what she thinks is right." Kasumi idly commented
as she essayed the damage the swords had caused to the mattress. Her cheek
still ached from Ranma's accidental punch yesterday morning. Thankfully, the
swelling had gone down, and there was no promise of an ugly bruise marking the
site. She hated to think of the results if that blow was intentional and more
powerful.
"Doing what's right? What's right is for her to keep her nose out of my
sister's affairs and not try to kill her!"
"True in different times." The older sister touched her finger to the
incisions. "However, things are more complicated now. There's too much difficulty
in doing the right thing when you feel wronged, so instead, we do what is
right." Though she said them aloud to Akane, the words were really meant for
herself.
Akane gave her sister the odd eye. "What are you talking about?"
Slowly, Kasumi withdrew from the mattress, though her eyes never left it. It
should have been a simple thing two weeks ago. How did things get so out of
hand? All she wanted was for Nabiki to have respect for relationships and
marriage. Just hearing how her sister toyed with Ranma and Akane before made her
blood boil; she let the matter slide, then, figuring that things would work
themselves out in the end.
However, the situation escalated rapidly with Ranma and Nabiki announcing
their wedding for the next day, and their fathers racing to get everything set
up in time. Akane was crushed to hear the news, and the bride-to-be was
flippant to concern. Then she overheard Nabiki setting the pieces to ruin her own
wedding and collect on the resulting proceeds.
Quiet, patient Kasumi snapped under the weight of the last straw. She made
up her mind to humble her younger sister if it was the last thing she would
ever do. And to work she went. Surprisingly, everything she needed came to her,
no questions asked and at no charge. It was completely effortless the way she
pulled it all together, getting in touch with the right people at the right
time, coming across as earnestly and compelling as anyone else… Even now, it
astonished her how well her plan succeeded.
And yet, she ultimately failed. What should have been a moment of humility
and newfound respect turned into a day of disbelief and celebration. Kasumi
could do nothing to stop the monster she birthed - too dumbstruck by the
incomprehensible to even fathom that outcome - and it was all downhill from there.
She felt stupid and ashamed of what she helped bring about, but that paled in
comparison to Akane. She was numb the night of the wedding and most of the
next day. It was late at night when the broken girl came to her in private,
wanting to know what should she do next. The sight of her defeated and lost
youngest sibling made her heart ache and twist even more, so Kasumi prescribed
something that, even now, she didn't know why she said it: help the newlyweds
celebrate.
In that moment, it felt like the right thing to do, the only that could have
been done. Now, she felt like an idiot. What started out as an indirect
lesson evolved into a very direct threat on Nabiki's life. "I caused so much
trouble…" she mumbled to herself, her hand going to her mouth.
Akane felt the heavy shift in mood. Looking up, she closely regarded her
older sister. "Hey, sis… cheer up; Nabiki's safe, and, well, Ranma will get-"
"It'll always be difficult seeing Ranma now, won't it, little sister?"
"Huh?" She mentally tripped over herself. "Um... yeah. It'll be pretty
rough, you know, since we were engaged like three days before he got married to
Nabiki…" She glanced towards one corner of the room.
The older girl bit her lip, then looked at her little sister. Akane had
every right to know what she did. She felt that she deserves any and all
consequences to befall her. Perhaps someday she'll be forgiven for her transgression.
"Akane, I'm-"
"But," she continued in a suddenly louder voice. They both blinked in
surprise at the change in tone, but Akane continued speaking, this time at regular
volume. "But it gets easier everyday. And…" She sat on the very foot of the
bed, her eyes unfocused on the floor. "Truth be told, I think when you get
down to it, Nabiki really could use him in her life."
Kasumi was wide eyed in surprise. "Akane…"
"I'm not saying it's right or fair…" She balled up her hands. "But
sometimes, things just happen some way, and… and we get caught up in everything, and…
well…" Akane tried suppressing the wetness of her eyes with the back of her
hand. "It's kind of like what you said. We go and do what we think is right,
even if it's not..."
The young woman took a deep breath and forced herself to relax. "Sorry, sis,
I'm babbling."
"No, it's all right," Kasumi smiled at her little sister. "Truthfully, I
wish I had some of your inner strength."
The comment left Akane confused as well as blushing a little. "What? No, I'm
not really strong…" She held the back of her neck as she stood up again.
"All I do lately is cry and wonder about why people do the things they do…"
Reaching out, Kasumi hugged her firmly, catching her target off guard and
embarrassing her even more. "Believe me, you're perhaps the strongest one here."
She pinched her eyes shut, a few tears freely rolling down her cheeks.
"Sis…" She responded in kind, holding onto her oldest sister/mother figure,
shredding a few silent tears of her own.
* * * * *
_Karma._ The word echoed inside of Nabiki's head over and over again as she
laid in the bathtub, staring though the ceiling as if to try and find the
gods laughing at her in the clouds. Right now, she couldn't fault them for all
that had happened in the last few weeks. In fact, on some level, she even felt
that she got what she deserved - she gingerly touched the gauze pads taped
to either side of her neck in memory of tonight - if not more.
She should have never done the things she did to Ranma and Akane. She should
have been smart enough to refuse her sister's impassioned outburst of
transferring the engagement over to her. She should have not made Ranma get so
involved in her little game. She should have let things be.
Worse yet, she should have listened to Kasumi. She closed her eyes and
sighed deeply. Kasumi was right all the time, and Nabiki snubbed her for her own
amusement. In the end, any anger, past or present, towards older sister had no
leg to stand on. She couldn't blame her for ruining the wedding sabotages she
crafted. She couldn't blame her at all…
Languidly, she turned her head towards the bath entrance. Ranma sat nearby
on the bath stool with his back to her. It was funny; the very person she
wronged most was also the one to come to her rescue when she needed it. Normally,
she would call such a guy a sap, and two weeks ago, that would have fit
Ranma perfectly. Lately, though, she had to wonder if she was really the sap here.
She studied him for a few minutes. Crass, arrogant, immature, egotistical…
Nabiki could think of more words to describe his flaws and failings in detail.
And yet, there was something about him that had been drawing her into his
life. At one point, she would have said his heroics were the culprit, but now…
"Ranma."
"Hm?" He tilted his head, but didn't look at her.
Unexpectedly, she felt her heart twist at the action, and it derailed her
line of questions. "Are you angry with me?" Inwardly, she cringed as the words
came unbidden out of her mouth.
The question had the same kind of effect on him, though for a different
reason altogether. "Angry? Why would I be angry?"
"I don't know. But if you're not angry, why won't you look at me?"
"Because you're taking a bath."
The clenching feeling ebbed at the new revelation. Nabiki felt relieved.
"We're married; you have the right."
"No."
"Huh?" She could feel her heart being squeezed again, and his response
confused her even more. "What? Don't you find me attractive?" Again, she wanted to
dunk herself under the bath water as her mouth made another automatic
response without consulting her.
"…What does that have to do with anything?" Ranma had almost turned around
in shock. A last second reminder of where he was kept him at bay.
"Were you lying when you said I was cute?" It was obvious some alien entity
had taken over her mouth, because she wasn't thinking about any of this, let
alone wanting to talk about it.
"Of course not! Some days you're more than cute."
"Don't lie to me." Even without seeing his face, she could tell he was
getting frustrated and annoyed with this line of talk. However, she was beyond
control here.
"I'm not lying!"
"Then why won't you look at me?"
"I'm trying to respect your privacy!"
A jolt went through Nabiki's body. Amazed, she gazed at him. "'Respect my
privacy'? But Ranma, we're-"
"That doesn't mean anything."
Her heart froze. "B, but-"
"I don't wanna to do something just because I 'have the right.' If you want
me to look at you, that's a different story, but I'm not gonna do something
you're not cool with. Understand?"
For the longest minute ever recorded, the bath house was obnoxiously loud
with silence. Nabiki, finally regaining control over her mouth, could think of
nothing to say. Her body, on the other hand, was very expressive: her cheeks
burned scarlet as she could feel her heart like a hummingbird, and there was a
heady presence of energy tingling all over and through her.
On impulse, she pulled herself out of the bathtub and sat on the edge facing
him, her legs slightly parted. One arm planted itself across her lap as the
other turned into a headrest, elbow propped against her thigh. She placed her
chin on the heel of her hand, and she leaned forward. She smiled a little.
"Ranma, I don't know if you love me, or feel sorry for me, but right now,
that doesn't matter." She cleared her throat as she watched him straighten up
and tense around his neck. "However, I want to make a few things clear."
"Like…?"
"These last few weeks have been utter hell on me, with snatches of heaven
tucked in between. It couldn't have been much easier on you, either, I know, and
I haven't been so appreciative of you… till now." She glanced over his
shoulder, noting that he relaxed. "I've done a lot of horrible things to you in
that time, and yet, you didn't hold anything against me. Even now, you could
milk and exploit our arrangement, but you won't."
Nabiki placed her hands on the tub, arcing her back slightly. Then she stood
up slowly and padded over to Ranma. Kneeling behind him, she slipped her
arms around his waist and pressed her wet naked body against him. "I'm sorry…
for everything."
He breathed a sigh and smiled. "Hey, it's cool, Nabiki. I-" Then a thought
occurred to him. "Um, Nabiki, are you…" He trailed off as she squeezed his
hand. He squeezed it back as he felt the heat rise in his face and elsewhere.
"Ranma, I want you to look at me, no matter what I'm doing, or where I am,"
she spoke softly into his ear. "I want to feel your touch, your hand stroking
me, your lips on mine and elsewhere. Just you, and no one else."
Upon hearing that, his eyes flew wide open. "Nabiki…" Like a magnet, he
found himself unable to resist turning around to face her. She smiled at Ranma.
"Are you serious?"
She nodded. "I've been denying a lot of things, but-" Her normally sure eyes
turned downward. "-After tonight, I can't do that anymore." Deliberately,
she stood up before Ranma and took a few steps backwards. "I know I'm probably
the last person you expected to end up married to, but somewhere during all
this…" Nabiki looked him directly in the eye. "I don't know how it happened,
but… I think - no - I know I'm in love with you. So… will you accept me… as
your wife?"
The young man stared at her, his lips parted as if to say something, but
unable to come up with anything.
"I mean, you don't have to answer right now," Nabiki said, trying to hide
the panic and dejection she was beginning to feel the longer he went without
answering. "I can understand if you want some time, or… or you can't forgive me
for breaking up-"
"Yeah."
"-you and Akane. I, I mean, hell, I'm not even going to ask that you love me
back, just that-"
"I said yeah."
"-you'll look at me from time to time and touch me and-"
"Nabiki."
She finally looked at him. "Huh?"
Shaking his head, Ranma chuckled. "That has got to be the first time I ever
heard you babble."
"Shut up…" Nabiki blushed anyway. "It's not so easy… giving away all my
power to you."
He stood up and placed himself scant inches away from her. "You know, the
deferral, dutiful housewife act really doesn't suit you."
She looked away. "It's not an act… I don't think. I just… you know… I want
you to like me, even if it's only a little."
He reached out and stroked the length of her damp hair, deepening her
blushing. "I do like you. You're fine just the way you are."
"But I'm such a bitch," she said morosely.
"Bitchy is good."
"Liar."
"No, really. Say something bitchy."
"No…"
"Go on."
"No."
"Come on…"
"Goddammit, Ranma, will you stop this? You know I want you so-"
He kissed her breath away. "That's more like the Nabiki I know…"
"Bastard…" She braced herself against the wall, finding that her legs didn't
quite want to cooperate with her at the moment. "You're going to pay for that
…"
He beckoned her with two fingers. "Bring it on."
She gazed at him with a sly, hungry smile as she slid into his arms. "Be
careful what you ask for…" she murmured, pulling his head down to hers.
The next thirty-odd minutes were the best times the once-reluctant newlyweds
shared together as they energetically enjoyed the benefits of their
marriage. The climatic ending found the two soaking in the bath tub water, entwined
together. A soft glow enveloped them as they talked softly to each other.
"That was amazing…" Ranma said, his wet fingers feathering down Nabiki's
hair.
"Oh, gods, yes, baby." She kissed him softly. "I'm ashamed that we couldn't
have remembered our first time."
"Bah. After seeing that tape, that might have been a blessing in disguise."
"Ranma!"
He kissed her shoulders. "I distinctly heard you mutter you wouldn't be
caught dead looking like a drunk lout ever again. And I still can't believe you
bit me there!"
"Oh, hush. You enjoyed it, you know it…" She bit his earlobe, and he
couldn't help but moaning gently. "See?"
"Bah…"
Nabiki giggled and bit him elsewhere, eliciting a stronger moan of pleasure.
"Stop it… we gotta keep it quiet."
"Oh, let the world hear, I don't care." She settled on top of him. "I'll
tell them all myself: that I. Love. You."
He smiled wanly. "You really mean that, don't you?"
"Of course. If I have to prove it to you a thousand times, I'll do just
that."
"Mm."
"I know… it sounds so unlike me, I have never felt so… so free. I can do
anything I want. I could even send those Amazon bitches packing back to China."
"Well, good… you take care of my light work; I'll be catching a nap."
"Hey now, let's not get carried away here."
He grinned. "What happened to all that courage?"
"It made room for common sense," she replied, smiling broadly.
He laughed, and she quickly caught the bug, following his lead.
"Mmm… Speaking of which, what are you going to do about Shampoo?"
"I'm going to pay them a little visit tomorrow morning." He clenched his
fist, making his knuckles crack loudly. "I'm sure they're see things my way."
"I think you should take Daddy with you?"
"Why's that?"
"In case they try something. You won't be alone."
"…Yeah, I see your point. I'll think about it."
She took his hand into hers under the water. "I want you coming back to me
alive and in one piece, baby."
"I know, I know… I am kinda surprised you hadn't insisted on coming with me."
"If a fight does break out, you'd be too distracted with protecting me to
fight effectively. That's why I'm going to stay home."
"Makes sense. But what if, someone comes to finish what they started?"
"Your father's here. I'm sure he'll do a fine job standing guard here."
"Wow. You've already thought everything out.. I'm impressed."
Nabiki beamed. "Thinking is what I'm good at. However…"
Ranma looked at her. "What?"
"After this is over…" She pursed her lips for a second. "I want you to get
me in shape."
"Hm? What are you talking about? You're in fine shape as it is."
"For a housewife, maybe. That's not good enough for me, though. I don't want
to be caught like that again."
He looked levelly at her. "You want me to show you how to fight?"
"I want to be strong enough to defend myself. So I'll never feel that level
of fear like I did tonight. It's embarrassing, losing control over your bodily
functions."
The young man let his eyes close. "I can imagine."
"So, will you help me?"
He opened his eyes. "Sure thing."
"Thanks, baby." She kissed him warmly.
"Mmm… Man, we better get out of the tub before we resemble raisins."
"All right." Nabiki started to stand, but then returned to her placement on
him. "But, um…"
Ranma looked at her, slightly puzzled. "What?"
"Well…" She looked off to her side, her finger between her teeth. "I was
just thinking, maybe we could-oh!"
He gave her a sly smile. "Yeah, I was kinda thinking the same thing…"
"Naughty boy…" Nabiki spoke teasingly, kissing her husband lovingly as they
submitted close to a third of an hour reveling in each other's secrets.
Afterwards, they cleaned themselves up, changed into fresh pajamas and started to
leave.
"Where to, my husband?"
"The dojo, where else? My bedroll's still in there, so we can share that."
Nabiki purred. "Mmm… I like sharing," she said, slipping her hand into his.
He squeezed it firmly in reply. "Seems like it's gonna to be a long night,"
he said, smiling.
"Oh, I'm sure we'll pass the time somehow… I can think of a few ways…"
"Heheh… you're such a naughty girl."
She gave him a seductive smile. "Only because you make me so."
"Mmmmm… time's a-wasting."
"Lead the way."
Hand in hand, Ranma and Nabiki exited the bathhouse. The stifling turmoil
gone between them, they were beaming and happier than they had been in a long
time. What tomorrow brought, neither knew, but they were prepared to face it
head on together.
_TBC_
Adrian Moten
"Oh, come off it. You think you can just escape? Walk out of this world like
it's some bad movie? It's too easy to make like a bird. To flap your wings
as you chicken out. The tough part's walking. Taking what comes along and
walking right through it. That's what real people do."
-Eikichi Onizuka, GTO
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