[FFML] [Fanfic][Ranma]For Better or For Worst-Case Scenario Ch. 7

And thusly, the last episode.

It's been fun writing this story to completion. I'm going to go and recharge
myself now.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _

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 7
My Last Consort

Morning drew up upon the Tendo house sooner than it should have, or at least
that's how Nabiki felt. Her eyes unwillingly opened to face the muted
sunlight doggedly trying to barge its way into the room without impediment. She
yawned, her brain taking some time to get the rest of her into gear.

She coaxed one leg after the other to slip from the warmth and comfort of
Ranma's body and the bed to-

Wait a second!

The brunette jerked back mentally and gave the bed a good look.

There was no Ranma in bed with her. She breathed a sigh of relief, then she
mentally smacked herself. There was no Ranma in her bed! He should have been
there! He was there last night! She wanted him there!

Her heart scrunched up in panic. Where was he? Where did he go? Why did he-

She had to slap herself physically before she got her wits about her again.
She did not go around panicking like a chicken with its head cut off. She
wasn't a wimpy, crying, little girl. Or, at least not usually, she had to correct
herself. Last night was an exception to the rule. However, she still lived
on.

Very much awake now, her cheek stinging slightly, Nabiki took a few moments
to get suitable attired before heading downstairs to see if Ranma was there.
However, she found no one downstairs but Kasumi who was scribbling something
down on a pad.

"Oh, good morning, Nabiki," she said, looking up with a smile.

"Morning, sis. Where's Ranma?"

"Oh?" Kasumi put down the pad. "Didn't he say goodbye to you this morning?"

"'Goodbye?' For what?" Nabiki gave her older sister an awkward eye. Why
would Ranma want to say goodbye to her?

"He and his father went to see Shampoo at her place of work."

"Really? I thought he would take Daddy with him for that."

Kasumi resuming her writing. "Father was willing, but Ranma felt that he
would be best suited for defense of the home."

More like he didn't want Daddy getting in the way, Nabiki mused, a little
surprised she was getting angry over the thought. True, her father may not be
quite the fighter now as he supposedly was back in his heyday, but still…

Dismissing the thought, Nabiki pried on. "Akane went with them, too, then?"

"No," Kasumi responded in the same tone of voice that she uses whenever
their little sister tried to do some cooking in the kitchen. "She's at school.
She did want to stay with you, though."

"Mmm… well, she wouldn't have been much company after Shampoo's attack last
night." Saying that, Nabiki started to leave.

"Nabiki?"

"Hmm?"

"Would you like to help me with the grocery shopping today?"

Nabiki stopped partway out the room, looking back in at her sister oddly.
"Uh, why?"

"I would imagine that, with you being married to Ranma, you would wish to
understand…" She looked up. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to be presumptuous."

"Oh, presume away. Anyway."

"It's just that…" She bit her lower lip.

Nabiki sighed loudly, walking back in. "Stop worrying so, sis. I know you're
really worried and all, but at this rate, you're going to start inviting me
to the toilet every time you need to pee."

"I'm just so worried about Shampoo."

"Huh?" Her brows doubled over in concentration. "Why are you worried about
her?"

"She is a fragile girl, no matter how she may seem."

"Yeah, about as fragile as a mountain."

"She is not so strong as to withstand pressure on her heart."

Nabiki sucked on her bottom lip for a moment. "Look, sis. While I can
imagine you are in tune with every aspect of Shampoo's romantic notions-"

Kasumi ducked her head in a bow. "I'm sorry, I did not mean to pry again."

"No… no, It's not your fault. Just that… Shampoo's got her own issues and
she's the one that can't deal with the fact that it's over. There's nothing she
can do, short of killing me."

The older woman nodded sadly. "That is what worries me more. If she did… if
she did kill you… she would kill herself, too."

Neither woman moved for a long moment. Finally Nabiki turned away. "I need
to take a bath, sis."

She let her go on, not looking at anything. "Please, Mother…" she said under
her breath. "Watch over your daughter Nabiki."

* * * * *
"Son."

"Yeah, pops?"

"Perhaps we should give this more thought."

"Give what more thought?"

"Confronting the Amazons head-on like this. It is a reckless plan."

"I'm not confronting the Amazons. Just Shampoo."

Genma coughed. "Son-"

"I should have done this a long time before all this mess got started. Now I
don't have a choice but to deal with it now. Someone's gonna die if I don't."

The older man studied his son carrying a cloth bag slung over his shoulder
for a few moments as they marched towards the Cat Café. "You've truly grown, my
son."

The compliment caught Ranma off-guard. He stopped to look at Genma, a
question forming in his eye. Genma clapped a hand on his shoulder before he could
voice it, though.

"Truly, you are becoming more and more a man every day now." He smiled. "So,
let's end this madness."

Ranma grinned. "Yeah. Let's."

The two men traveled for a while longer until they came upon the Cat Café
building. "All right," Ranma said, standing before the restaurant. "Let's settle
this once and-"

"Actually," Genma interrupted, drawing Ranma's attention. "You go in and
confront Shampoo."

A snake of anger rose unwillingly. "Wait a minute, pop, I thought-"

"As you said, this is something you must deal with."

"Why're you're chickening out now?"

"I am not 'chickening out.' This is your own battle, your own path to
manhood. However," he saw the venom forming from behind his son's lips. "This is
not the time to abandon one's blood without need."

He pursed his lips. "What're you getting at?"

"I will assist when needed. Until then, you are capable of killing the
poison with your own strength."

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Ranma knew that his father was making
sense. Become a man, solve your own problems. However, it felt weird to hear
those words from someone who had done decidedly less than manly things himself.
It felt stranger knowing that he had been more dependent on his father in a
tough pinch.

He snorted and shook his head, the pigtail snapping against his back. "All
right, but don't go getting yourself into too much trouble now. I ain't bailing
your old ass out of a fix."

"Heh…" Genma grinned a little too mischievously. "They'll never see me."

"Hah, I doubt that."

The men broke up with Ranma stepping through the front doors of the
restaurant. A few customers were seated, enjoying their bowls of noodles with various
meats and vegetables. A quick scanning of the premises turned up no Shampoo
hopping to and fro tables. Another perimeter check revealed no obvious traps.
A third scan had him lancing out one arm to snare a length of weighted
chain, snapping it around his forearm and holding fast. "Afternoon, Mousse."

"Saotome!" the blind waiter fumed, balancing a tray of noodles in his free
hand. "What are you doing here?"

"Came looking for Shampoo, dunce. What are you doing here?"

Mousse grunted, dropping the weapon and take a moment to serve a waiting
customer who was startled to see a fight break out. "Doing Shampoo's job. She's
still not back."

Ranma frowned, shaking the heavy chain free from his arm. "What do you mean
she's not back?"

The near-blind Chinese adjusted his spectacles in arrogant attitude. "If you
don't know, I'm most certainly not going to tell you."

"You better start talking if you know something, Mousse."

"I. Refuse. Not as though you can beat it out of me."

He bristled, cockiness roaring forth his posture. "Wanna bet?" He cracked
his knuckles in a tight fist.

Just then, a wooden spoon smashed into Mousse's temple, knocking him over.
"Mousse! Stop flirting with the customers and get back to work!"

He cursed. "I'm not flirting with anyone!" He was rewarded with another
spoon that cracked him across the throat. He fell to one knee clutching the
damaged area, gasping hard for breath.

"No more backtalk! Now, get back to-"

Cologne had come out from the kitchen to berate the Chinese boy further, but
stopped upon seeing Ranma. "Ah, Ranma. I'm surprised to see you here. I
would have assumed you would wish to not see us again."

"After the stunt Shampoo pulled last night? You're crazy and senile, you old
crone!"

The wizened old woman regarded him much as she had Mousse a moment ago - a
belligerent child. "I'm afraid you're mistaken. Shampoo hasn't been in the area
for a few weeks now, and is not to return for another week."

"That's a damn lie, and you know it!" As proof, he tossed the bag open,
divulging the three weapons that imprisoned Nabiki last night. "Where're you
hiding her?"

For the first time in a long time, Ranma saw Cologne's eyes widen almost in
fear and then narrow severely.

"Where did you get these from?"

"Ask Nabiki; she found them pinned around her head last night."

A specter could not have appeared more pale and lifeless as Cologne at that
moment. "How, exactly?"

He bristled, though one brow quirked in some confusion. "What does that
matter?"

Cologne chose to not answer. Instead she knocked Mousse, who was starting to
breathe again, flat onto his back, picked up the weapons, and arranged them
into the exact pyramid form around her unsuspecting subject. "Were they set up
like this?"

Now, he was thrown off. "Well, yeah… but-"

The weapons disappeared in the blink of an eye. Mousse had been propped up
onto his feet again, holding his neck gingerly. Cologne turned her back to
Ranma.

"Leave," she simply said. "Mousse, close up the restaurant."

"Hey! What gives?"

"Ranma," Cologne spoke with slow, measured words. "This is none of your
concern now. Leave, and don't return here."

"Like hell!" One foot skidded back like lightning, and his hands turned into
fists.

She spared him a glance before disregarding his violent intentions. "Now is
not the time for melodramatics, Ranma. You will leave here now."

He growled at the slight, and started to move. However, he found himself
eye-to-eye with his father, as though he just appeared from thin air. His face
was neutral and unassuming.

"Pop!"

"Let us leave. This is not our place."

* * * * *
The walk home wasn't fruitful, as Genma told his son everything he noticed
and discovered. Most importantly, Shampoo hadn't come back to the Cat Café in
some time. Ranma fumed impotently.

"And that mummy acts like this is Shampoo's fucking idea! 'I don't know
where she is.' 'What are you doing?' That old bitch got her hidden away
somewhere!"

"Are you certain of that, son?"

"I know it is! What the hell does that have to do with anything?"

"Just a thought. Shampoo is the one you slighted. If it were Cologne's idea,
then wouldn't she have tried something in the restaurant?"

"Feh! Like that dried-up plum can do anything about me and Nabiki. She
already tried once to make me marry her grand daughter, and I put a stop to that!"

"Exactly." Genma was smug. "You've defeated Cologne magnificently, and she
would never again meddle in your romantic life."

"You're damn right she-"

Genma chuckled as a ton of bricks crunched Ranma into realization. Some
days, even his cleverness surprised him.

His son swore so loudly, a flock of bird raced away from a nearby tree.
"This is Shampoo's idea?!"

"I would imagine so."

"Dammit! What's gotten into that crazy chick?!"

"That, my son, is what we must deliberate on. On full stomachs, of course."

* * * * *
Nabiki inhaled deeply as she dried herself off and threw on her bathrobe.
Perhaps she should have taken Kasumi up on her invitation. It wasn't as if she
had planned on anything to keep herself occupied.

Well, there was her new room… correction she and Ranma's new room. How the
hell did their parents manage to redesign and construct it under their noses
without their acknowledgement? Some things still boggled her mind about her
family at times.

Opening the door, she crossed Kasumi as she was scribbling down a list on a
small notepad.

"Enjoy your bath, Nabiki?"

"Mm hmm…" She peered over her sister's shoulder. "Could you pick me up some
Boba tea while you're out?" She cut off her sister before she could say
something about money. "I'll reimburse you when you come back."

Kasumi shook her head. "Honestly, I don't understand why you would want
something like that."

"Blame Junko. She introduced it to me."

She went rigid at the name. "…please… please tell me she didn't…?" Kasumi
couldn't finish the sentence; she was turning red way too fast to keep talking.

Nabiki grinned, despite herself. "Yes, there was a comment about her loving
to suck the balls through a fat straw."

The most Kasumi could do was lift a hand that begged no more comment. "I…
will… never… understand today's Japanese girl."

"So, will you-"

"Only because I love you. Only because I love you."

* * * * *
"But, Cologne-"

Mousse was normally inured to the elder's disavowing silence. After being
raised in a culture that heavily emphasized the woman, her physical prowess, and
birthright to lead, while relegating the male counterpart to more menial
domestic tasks and occasional breeding bulls, it was to be expected. For the
most part, he never thought one thing was wrong about it.

However, with the rapidity Cologne was moving throughout the kitchen after
having an apparent bombshell gift hand-delivered to her, he had to question
what it meant. It was a simple pyramid of toys to him, and pretty crude in the
end; he could construct a more lavish setup with chains and yo-yos. So why was
the old woman so brutal and severe?

"Cologne!"

"Never raise your voice at me, Mousse." She never spared him a glance, but
her words alone made his legs quiver, as though the bones within were being
turned into pudding.

"I-I don't understand. What's going on? Where is Shampoo?"

Abruptly, Cologne whirled on him, the gnarled end of her cane punching him
dead-on in his sternum. Mousse skimmed air over a table and crashed heavily
onto his back, grunting a mixture of surprise and pain. Blinking, he found his
attacker standing on his chest. She barely weighed more than a child, but he
found himself gasping for breath in short order.

"Listen well, Mousse. I will only say this once…" Her owlish eyes narrowed
in firm concentration on the young man, stilling any objections he might have
raised. "You will obey me, to the letter, on what we are to do about his
unexpected development. No questions, no protesting. My will is your aim, and all
you can do is serve me until no more need be done. Is that understood?"

He grunted in discomfort, and tried to open his mouth. For his trouble, the
pointy end of Cologne's staff pressed a little too firmly against the hollow
of his throat.

"I understand your spirit, but this is not the time to argue with me." She
looked at him with an uncharacteristic softness, almost maternal in vibrancy.
It went unnoticed. "Lives are very much at stake, so please, help me as I need
it."

He bit the inside of his lip at that. Puckering his mouth inwardly, Mousse
slowly unwound his tension. "What do you need for me to do, Cologne?"

The old woman stepped off his chest. "Prepare to kill Shampoo."

* * * * *
Soun was enjoying a nice smoke outside. The sun was warm and inviting, the
day was crisp. Even the water in the backyard pond looked more like a mirror,
it was so still.

He let himself reminisce for a minute, thinking back to when he and his wife
would sit out here, watching the day pass by. Of course, it was well before
they had children of their own. He had inherited the house for his father, who
also took pride in the martial arts.; however, he never saw fit to teach his
son the art, as apparently, young Soun had chosen otherwise when he was
still an infant. "Choose the fist and live, my son, or choose the ball and join
your mother, boy" it had been explained to him later in life. Soun had chosen
the ball and played on.

As a result, his father ostracized him from his life, never acknowledging
him beyond the simplest of things. Never was he a human, just property to be
kicked out of the way whenever it was in the way. The neighbors' pets were
accustomed to far better treatment that his own father afforded him.
Nevertheless, Soun sought to prove himself to the older man day in and day out. Though he
loved his mother, he could not become what she wanted him to be - a doctor,
or an accountant. He wanted to become a better man than his father in the Art.

When Soun was fourteen, his mother died from what could only be described as
SADS - Sudden Adult Death Syndrome. Some closer to her would say she died of
grief for her son. No matter, Soun mourned her passing, but his father was
like ice. "And this is the fate you ascribed yourself to, boy." Those frozen
words sparked an inferno in young Soun, and he declared that he will leave home
and return a strong fighter, stronger than even his father.

"Do that, and you will own all that I have."

For five years, he struggled and trained with the toughest of men, learning
the Art. He was so enflamed that he surprised and surpassed every expectation
had in him. At the end of the five years, a grown man of nineteen years, he
returned home to confront his father.

They stood out in this very backyard - there was no pond at the time - to do
battle. The squared off, measuring each other. And then-

=CRACK
Soun slumped over, a knot swelling on the back of his head.

"Sleep," Shampoo spoke softly as she pulled the man into a posture to foster
the image of one who has dozed off. Stubbing the cigarette on the porch, she
dropped the butt down in the grass. And without a look backwards, the
Chinese girl slipped inside the Tendo residence.

* * * * *
Dressed in simplistic jeans and a tee shirt, Nabiki came downstairs. She
made a beeline for the kitchen.

"You know, maybe I should have went off with sis after all."

"It no matter."

Nabiki's blood chilled. The quiet voice was behind her, but she would not
turn around. She refused, in fact, to empower it anymore than it was already
allowed.

"It's no big deal to sneak around in the middle of the night either, is it?"

"Challenge must be delivered."

"A challenge."

"Final challenge. You no live."

Nabiki swallowed hard. Blinked hard. "Funny you challenge someone that can't
fight back. Not like you."

"It no matter. Challenge not of fight but of honor. Take Shampoo honor, must
be challenged."

"Bull. You just want revenge."

"Revenge not only reason."

And on that, Shampoo's sword slipped around Nabiki's head, the sharp steel
hovering close to her throat.

"Final challenge. We no live."

* * * * *
"So, this is were I'm to die? In my own backyard?"

Shampoo had marched Nabiki, broadsword holding her life hostage, out of her
house and into the backyard. This is how they remained standing for the better
part of five minutes.

"Not kill in home. Taint home. No taint sister. Only Shampoo."

"Funny… you respect my little sister's life, but not-"

"No mistake. Older woman."

Nabiki bit her lip. "Kasumi…"

"Respect, yes?"

"She's the one-"

Shampoo looked at the back of Nabiki's head for a odd moment. "Say
something?"

"It's nothing. You leave her out of this."

"Shampoo do. Kill here."

"Good. Now we got that out of the way, why do you want me dead so badly? You
could have killed me last night?"

"Coward way."

"Like sticking your damn weapons around my head was any better!" She bit off
the rest of her explosive fury; she felt the blade quiver serenely against
her throat.

"Challenge delivery. No choice."

"Bullshit… you always got a damn choice."

"Never choice. Only do."

Nabiki forced herself to not cry. "Dammit, Shampoo… you're so hard up for
revenge that you want to kill a pregnant woman?"

It suddenly grew unnaturally quiet. Nabiki herself didn't know why she had
said it, but the thought, long since buried, roared to the surface. Was she
really pregnant? It wasn't something she put a lot of credence in since before
Kodachi's blackmail plot.

Was this… her sense of motherhood forming?

The silence started to hurt her ears after a few moments more. "Shampoo…?"

A roar of violence escaped right behind her head, and stars burst into full
bloom in Nabiki's sight. She felt weightless for a moment, just before she ate
grass and dirt, spiraling vehenemently across the yard.

"You lie! You lie! Ranma no give you child!"

Nabiki forced herself to rise up on one elbow, and she spat out earth to
gasp in horror at her captor. A wave of vengeance descended upon the Amazon,
mixed in with her tears that went unnoticed, and became vices of murder and
depravity.

She evolved into an emotional monster.

"Oh gods…"

Like lightning, Shampoo pounced upon her, sword forgotten, and struck with
her fingers like claws, grabbing, clutching at Nabiki's throat.

"Wo xi ni! Wo xi ni!"

The sky and everything turned rapidly purple, bleeding darker and darker.
The very air and sounds were suffocated. Nabiki tried to break her grasp, but
was no match for the tower of rage. Her strength drained, she started to let go
of life.

"WO XI NI!"

And then, it was all over. Nabiki no longer felt Shampoo's hands on her
throat. In fact, she no longer felt Shampoo on her at all. It was peaceful,
tranquil.

It was nothing like how she expected death to feel.

"Nabiki?"

Her eyes opened of their own accord, and she found blue eyes staring down
into hers.

"Ranma?"

"Yeah. You all right?"

"I'm not dead?"

"No… not dead."

"Okay…"

"You stay here with Pop."

"Why?"

"Cause I'm gonna have to stop Shampoo again. She won't stay down!" He
snarled a little on the last sentence and ripped himself out of her view.

She could hear the sounds of flesh impacting against flesh, but the scream
never came. Instead, "Ranma understand. Do all for Ranma sake."

"Goddammit, you crazy girl, stay down! Don't make me kill you here…"

"Shampoo no leave challenge."

And it all clicked into place for her. In moment, everything that had been
said to her up until now, made no sense. However…

Nabiki sat up like a shot, accidentally headbutting Genma, who was leaned
over her. Her skull throbbed like fire, but she ignored the pain. "Ranma stop!"

"Huh?"

The scene was clear. Shampoo, bleeding from her little mouth, struggling to
remain standing, using her now-broken broadsword - the missing part of the
blade was a few feet away from Nabiki's head - to push herself upright. Her face
was as serene as her voice earlier. She was even smiling, ready to throw
herself at Nabiki again.

And did - the sword handle barely escaped Nabiki's head by inches, thanks to
Ranma shooting out his foot just in time to catch the pommel hard and
deflecting the clumsy projectile. Nabiki ignored it.

"She's trying to die here!"

Shampoo faltered, but said nothing. "Mercenary Girl trick Ranma. No live
like pet. Shampoo save Ranma."

"You crazy chick! I love Nabiki, so don't even start that shit!"

Nabiki's heart caught in her throat. Her face warmed immediately, and she
fought like hell to not duck like an embarrassed school girl.

Shampoo, on the other hand, froze. Like a wax doll. She remained painfully
frozen for a moment too long, then, continued advancing on her. "Shampoo know
Mercenary Girl trick Ranma. Trick Shampoo. Trick everyone. No love Mercenary
Girl. No love… no love IN Mercenary Girl."

"That's enough, Shampoo. This challenge is complete."

Everyone craned their heads towards the new voice. Cologne and Mousse stood
in the doorway of the Tendo residence. Soun, still unconscious, was as Shampoo
left him.

"I am deeply regretful for what my great-granddaughter has sought to do
against all of you. I assure you, this will never happen again." As she spoke,
Mousse quietly produced two lengths of chains. He didn't look at anyone, not
even Shampoo.

"Yeah, right, old lady. Like you're going to keep her from coming after
Nabiki."

"The challenge," Cologne spoke surely to Ranma. "Is at an end. I do not
expect you to believe me, but you will most certainly never see Shampoo again."

"Don't, Cologne," Nabiki suddenly piped up. "She's-"

"This is what she ascribed herself to. An ancient challenge rite that hasn't
been practiced in almost a hundred years. She sought this one specifically
while away from Japan. This is the path she chose to walk."

"There's got to be another way. Like… like I forgive her her transgression…
she doesn't have to-"

"No more, Mercenary Girl."

Nabiki cut her eyes towards the young Amazon. "Shut up, you idiot! I'm
trying to-"

"Great-Grandmother right. Path chosen. No look back."

Ranma bounced his eyes from one player to another, getting more and more
confused. "whoa, whoa, hold on! What the hell's going on here?"

"A matter that is not of your concern."

"Wait a second, Cologne. You saying that Shampoo's life is not my concern
now?"

"It okay, Ranma." It took every bit of willpower to walk towards him. All
hostility and aggression was gone. She looked like a fragile doll. His instincts
growled to life - protect the girl! - but he suppressed them sharply without
knowing why.

"It okay." She reached out slowly, winching in pain from the thousands of
blows her body absorbed, and touched his bleeding hand. Her eyes, lifeless and
sad, smiled into his. He couldn't pull away from the next moment.

One kiss. A bloody reminder of her presence.

And then, Mousse had her giftwrapped in loops of steel.

"Sorry about this, Saotome," he said, never looking in his direction. "But
we must deal with our own lives our own way."

Nabiki tried to say something, but her voice was stolen. All sound had been
held hostage, arrested by the one look Cologne gave everyone. Then she set it
free with the turning of her back. No one spoke as she, Mousse, and a
trussed-up and limp Shampoo disappeared from view.

"Is that… how it ends?" Nabiki said, trying hard to not let her fear enter
her voice. No one answered her. "Ranma…?"

Ranma sank to his knees at that. Nabiki stifled her anguish, but her tears
flowed regardless. Genma bowed his head and said a silent prayer. Soun never
did awaken during the entire thing.

It was the exact same way Kasumi found them ten minutes later. She didn't
ask any questions, but she did look after her father, who finally came to in a
haze of pain. Akane never knew of the fight earlier, but she knew something
was deathly wrong. She found strength to ask Nabiki, whose throat was bruised.

"She's gone."

"Who is?"

"Shampoo…"

The odd tone of voice was not expected, but for Akane, the feeling it evoked
was not something she would soon forget. "Like…"

"Yes, just like Mother."

She wanted to say something, question the feeling, but something had changed
in her older sister. It wasn't something she could understand, and she chose
not to pry at the moment. Maybe in a few days. Or weeks.

* * * * *
"Ranma?"

"Uhnn?"

"…did you love her?"

"…never really thought about it."

"…okay."

They were laying on their bed, clothing changed. His hand bandaged up. Her
throat covered.

"Do you think I could be pregnant?"

"…dunno."

"…do you want to be a father?"

"Yeah… but I don't know if you're pregnant. Are you?"

"Too afraid to find out right now."

"Mmm…"

The clock on the bedstand read 10:01.

"Will you love me?"

He looked at her. "Where'd you think that I love you?"

She didn't snap back. "It's all right if you don't… I just-"

He sighed. "Sorry, it's not, it's not easy to, y'know, love you-I mean-"

"Don't consider a career in politics." One light kiss. "But I know what
you're trying to say."

"Sorry… I'm just…"

She laid beside him, her leg coiled around his. Her arm around his waist.

"You love Shampoo, though. Not romantically."

"…I guess, I dunno."

"It's okay to love, I think. It's really okay."

"…okay…"

His arm around her body. One hand under his head.

"I just don't get why she did what she did."

Her head on his shoulders. Eyes closed.

"Because she couldn't bear love without you in it. She didn't want to live
without knowing you in her heart. She only used me to make you kill her. You
were the last face she wanted to see before dying."

His mouth quirked. Eyes heavy with exhaustion.

"Gods, she's stupid. She could have just said it."

"No. Girls are completely different. I think I would have done the same
thing."

"Really?"

"If it were me, probably."

"Scary…"

"I know."

Her hand on his hip. Lips on his collar.

"I really don't know why it bothered me, but you really would have slept
with Shampoo."

"…why you say that?"

"Because she's everything I am. Fragile. Tough on the outside, but fragile
inside."

"She's not-"

"She wanted you to kill her, so she could see you one last time."

"…okay, so maybe she is. I still don't…"

"Mmm… understand now?"

"Not really, but I think I know what you mean now. Did you just-"

"Yes… I think I'm ready for this marriage. To be married."

"…I think I'm not."

"I know. You still love the hero role."

"Y, yeah… damn you, Nabiki. You could stop me at some point."

"No. I love you as you are. Okay, so there are a hundred things I want to
change, but you wouldn't be yourself if I managed one success in that
department."

The clock read 11:17.

"So, is this what marriage is like?

"I don't know. You still want to be the hero?"

"I don't want to think about saving anyone right now."

"You could always save me."

Beat. Another beat.

"Since when did Nabiki Tendo need saving?"

"Since she became Nabiki Saotome. She needs saving from her old self. She
wants to be better than Nabiki Tendo."

"…I think I can do that."

11:21

"Then, can you save me from these clothes?"

Smile.

"Yeah. I can save you."

The End

Adrian Moten

Man: Hey, Genie, I wish a bridge built from San Franscico to Hawaii.
Genie: That wish would take far too many resources to complete.
Man: Then I wish to understand women.
Genie: ...so, you want two lanes or four?