Chapter Seven: The Good Doctor
After several long weeks at sea since they set out from Yokosuka, the Akane returned to Japan. It wouldn't be staying long, Ranma knew, as they would likely be returning to Delphi once their business in Akiruno was complete. Kuno brought them in at the helm while she stood at the railing, watching the wards of Tokyo grow ever closer and dreaming of the embrace of a hot water kettle that was sure to come.
As soon as they were docked, Ranma was down the boarding ramp with Nabiki not long behind. Dry land was calling and she could feel her body aching for it. "Ranma, hold on a second," Nabiki called after her, holding one of the ship's docking ropes. "We still need to negotiate the Akane's stay here. We need to pay the docking fees, sign the—"
"Oh, Kuno can take care of that!" Ranma blew Nabiki off with a wave of her hand.
"At least let's tie her off first, so she doesn't float back to Delphi. It's been five weeks since you've been a man, Ranma. Ten more minutes won't hurt."
Ranma scowled, but she knew Nabiki was right. Taking the rope from Nabiki, she fastened it securely to the dock. She finished up just as Kuno was coming down the ramp. He took immediate notice of the pig-tailed girl's hard work, and was quick to her side. "Pig-Tailed Girl, you needn't have strained yourself," he uttered, but somewhere his heart wasn't quite in it. Something hadn't been right with him since they left Delphi, and Ranma was still not entirely certain what.
But she knew she could still wrap him around her finger if she needed to. Pressing herself to his chest, her hands delicately placed on his abs, she smiled up at him. "Kuno, darling, you'll take care of all the nasty paperwork, won't you?"
Ranma was surprised when Kuno's hands gripped her by the shoulders and gently pushed her off him. There were sweat beads on his forehead and a general look of discomfort plastered on his face. Kuno felt immediately bad for it, but having her there unnerved him. The shadow of Saotome was still firmly planted in her every motion, and when she had embraced him, so had he. That tender, gentle look in her eyes that she got when she wanted something just looked horrific when mirrored by his nemesis Ranma.
"Kuno?" Ranma asked again.
Clearing his throat, Kuno swallowed his discomfort and tried to speak warmly to his pig-tailed goddess. "My apologies, Pig-Tailed Girl. I will handle the requisite paperwork, and shall accompany you upon its completion."
"Thanks, Kuno!" And with that, she was off, racing down the dock to join Nabiki. Even as she left, some part of Kuno couldn't help but notice the disturbing similarity between the way her body moved as she ran, and Ranma coming in to school every morning. He never would have seen it without Saotome's phantom mirroring her movements. He shook it off quickly and swore Saotome's destruction again to himself.
One kettle of hot water later, Ranma felt like a brand new man. He'd spent great lengths of time as a woman before but never voluntarily, and never quite that long. Nabiki seemed largely apathetic to it, much to his dismay; she was focused on the task at hand. "So, if we head out now, we can take the train to Akiruno. Kuno'll be busy for a while, I can call him from the station and let him know to stay with the ship a while. With any luck, we'll be in and out and back before we know it."
"Yeah?" Ranma asked. "Does this plan involve me being a guy?"
Nabiki rolled her eyes, stepping out of the small alley where they had changed Ranma back. "I'm happy for your newfound manhood, Ranma, but we need to focus. The Oracle said we'd find three things in Akiruno."
"I found one thing already," Ranma grinned. "And I am never, ever giving—" As if on cue, a delivery person on a bike rolled by, the tires striking a puddle and sending the water up to soak Ranma. As the bicyclist went on, Ranma stood still, a vacant expression of stoic dismay plastered on her face.
One kettle of hot water later, Ranma felt a little bit less like a brand new man, but pretty good nonetheless. Still, he was very careful to watch the roads as they headed for the train station.
Nabiki called down at the Port, and they'd let her speak to the strange man in the hakama carrying the bokken. Kuno would probably be a couple hours, so they were going to go on ahead, and he'd take the first train to Akiruno once he was done. The plan was to meet at Akikawa Station at 9 PM, giving them a bit of time to look around first. In addition to getting an early start on Akiruno, this would also avoid any unnecessary complications with Ranma, as Nabiki knew well enough that he didn't particularly want to return to his girl form again so soon.
So it was that they made their way to Akiruno, but the plan of "just walk around looking for someone you recognize" didn't work out very well initially. They did, however, hear a lot of talk from the people in town.
"Did you see last night's fight?"
"That Ronin sure is amazing, isn't he?"
"I heard they tried to pay him his winnings and he turned them down."
"Well, I heard he mostly just keeps to himself, despite many offers of company from his fans."
With no luck, they stopped and got lunch at a small corner restaurant with an open exterior. "I guess it was pretty optimistic to just think we'd run into whatever we were supposed to, huh?" Ranma asked.
"Maybe we have," Nabiki pondered. "A lot of people are talking about this Ronin guy. You think he's one of the three we're supposed to meet?" She glanced at a small group of people, just down the road. "You stay here. If the waitress comes by, pay her and we can go. I need to find out something."
"Excuse me," Nabiki approached, her curiosity getting to her. "Who's this Ronin everyone's talking about?"
"You haven't seen?!" A young woman stood shocked at the very question. "Did you see the large monitor down the street?"
"Yeah," Nabiki nodded.
"Head over there in one hour. Ronin's fighting Wrecking Ball today. You have to see it, it's incredible, the way he moves…he's so cool. He's got this totally serious expression that never changes, and when he lets out his final attack…it's like something out of anime."
"Yeah," Nabiki looked back at Ranma, waiting for her at their table. "I guess we'll check it out."
"Ladies and gentlemen, WELCOME…to the FIFTH CIRCLE!" The announcer's voice echoed across the arena as the fighters took their positions. The arena itself appeared to be a rugby stadium that had been moved across country to its current location, which Nabiki assumed was very close to Akiruno; the Oracle wouldn't have sent them here unless it was either here or irrelevant to their goal. There was no grass in the arena, however; it seemed to have been covered in hard cement.
Ranma eyeballed the screen carefully; fighting arenas like this were scarce, he'd seen only a few in his travels with his father, and they tended to avoid them. There was something shady about these places; even his father wasn't foolish enough to get involved with them.
"Alright, folks, this is the match you've all been waiting for. He's new, but he's brilliant. Rising to meet every challenge thrown at him, smashing through every adversary with unconscionable force, tearing through every opponent with the strength of a man on a mission, it's WRECKING BALL!" The audience cheered as the fighter stepped out onto the cement, and Ranma recognized him instantly.
Dressed in a tight, black tank top and military camo pants, this was a face that had given Ranma a considerable amount of trouble once. His hair was black and short like Ranma's, but with heavy bangs that stuck out over his face, held only by a single white headband. On his hands were a pair of gloves with a window in the back. The man carried himself proudly, confidently, with a clear amount of arrogance in the smirk that played across his face. When the crowd applauded him, the fighter looked up to the stands, briefly savoring their favor.
"Ryu Kumon," Ranma whispered to Nabiki. Her eyes lit up with surprise; she'd barely met Ryu when he was in Nerima. "He swore he was going to seal up the Yamasen-Ken. He can't still be using it, can he? It would go against his honor."
"If he has any," Nabiki answered. "I guess we'll see."
"And now, the reigning Champion, your hero and mine, everyone give a warm hand for the unstoppable, the unbreakable, the LEGEND himself, RONIN!!!" As soon as he took his first step out into the field, Ranma was taken aback. With black slacks that hung loose around his legs and a yellow sweater covering his torso, and wearing a black and yellow headband that Ranma knew was actually several hidden weapons, there was no mistaking Ryoga Hibiki.
Nor was there mistaking the look on his face, the empty, emotionless face of death that Ranma had seen only a few times in the past. It was the look of the Shi Shi Hokodan in its ultimate form; a face of absolute despair, from which there was no longer any will to live. What had happened to him in the month they'd been away?
"This is the fight you've all been waiting for. The showdown of the century, between the two most talented martial artists ever to enter our arena begins right now. FIGHTERS…BEGIN!"
Ryu stepped forward, studying his opponent. Ryoga stood, silent, emotionless. As Ryu paced around him slowly, Ryoga didn't move. He didn't even turn to follow the motion. "I hope you know," Ryu taunted, "I'm going to be the one walking out of this arena." Ryoga had no response, so Ryu pressed deeper. "I can't lose now. Not when I've come this far. I will have that championship money." Still nothing. The lost boy's silence began to unnerve him; he was losing the mental game already, and they'd just started.
"NOW," he shouted, before leaping forward suddenly and throwing his arms in an outward arc to spread Ryoga's defense, while pushing a powerful kick straight into his stomach, "Mouko Kaimon Ha!"
"He IS still using it," Ranma accused the screen, before Nabiki hushed him.
Ryoga took the hit straight on, his face never wavering. The Mouko Kaimon Ha was only half successful; Ryoga still had control of his arms because he had never tried to block to begin with; now wrapping his left arm around the offending leg embedded in his gut, he made his move, throwing up his leg to get Ryu offbalance, then dropping his right index finger into the cement below them. "Bakusai Tenketsu," he spoke in a near empty voice, and suddenly the ground exploded around them.
The shrapnel hit Ryu's back and legs hard as he fell backwards from the toss, but he recovered quickly, turning the fall into a backwards somersault that brought him back to his feet. His mind reeled at Ryoga's defense; he hadn't dodged, he hadn't even tried to block. He'd taken the blow straight on and turned it into an advantage. People talked about Ronin as though he was carved from iron, but this kind of endurance had been unexpected.
He was immediately brought back to the here and now when he had to block Ryoga's strike, first coming from his right fist, then his left. Ryoga swung with his left leg and Ryu kicked it back with his left leg while using the opening to make an open-palm strike to Ryoga's throat. Ryoga tried to catch the arm, but Ryu had him, turning the parry into one of his own and grabbing Ryoga's defending hand by the wrist, before quickly pulling to the right and kicking out the back of his knee to bring him down.
"Kinshi Kinbakusho!" he ensnared Ryoga's free hand with a golden rope and pulled it in, before kneeing him straight in the face. With both arms in his control and his opponent on his knees, Ryu knew he'd—
--SLAM
Ryoga was back on his feet, smashing his head straight into Ryu's face. With both his arms holding Ryoga's, his guard was wide open. At this proximity, it came down to an endurance match, and he'd already seen how thick Ryoga's was. New tactics were in order; releasing the chain and the arm, Ryu blocked Ryoga's side kick with his left arm and drove his right hand in for an open palm strike straight into Ryoga's chest. "Dokuja Tanketsu Shou!"
He had to be feeling that, as the hand sank deep into his torso. Ryoga's face still never changed, but the sweatdrops beading on his face betrayed the amount of pain he was in. Still, he fought on, landing his left fist in Ryu's face. As Ryu pulled at his wrist, Ryoga's grip wouldn't budge an inch. Ryu kicked him in the stomach to try and pull away, but he wouldn't yield. How long could he hold it there, with his injury? Taking another hit to the face, Ryu knew this couldn't go on. He had to get free. With another open palm strike to Ryoga's throat, he found his chance; Ryoga had to release his hand to pull back away from him. Grasping his chest where Ryu had struck him, his guard was open again. But he was still standing, still fighting, and Ryu was sure he didn't want to get that close to him again. This guy was very strong, stronger than he realized.
His face was swollen where Ryoga had struck him, his stomach ached from the blows it had received, but he could still fight. He was sure he'd broken one of his opponent's ribs in return, but that was hardly enough against the legendary Ronin. With a deep breath, he knew he was going to have to use everything for this. He just couldn't let his enemy in that close again.
"KIJIN RAISHU DAN!" he exploded forward, throwing out his arms hard enough to throw vacuum projectiles straight for his enemy. Ryoga noticed just a moment too late, and was hit full force by the attack, tearing apart his shirt and ripping into his flesh. Ryoga hit the ground hard, breathing heavily, his ribs cracked and his chest and limbs torn up by the attack.
"Ryoga," Ranma worried, eyes locked on the screen. He'd fought Ryu before; he knew how dangerous he could be.
"KIJIN RAISHU DAN!" Ryu threw out another one as Ryoga tried to get back on his feet. The vacuum blades ripped open his back, throwing him against the arena wall, before he collapsed. Struggling, he started back to his feet, and Ryu had to admire the remarkable endurance his opponent demonstrated. But it was over; Ryoga's knees buckled and he fell back down, catching himself with his arms.
"You've lost," Ryu approached, watching him carefully for any sign of movement. "Concede, Ronin. The fight's over." Ryoga's fingers dug into the pavement, and again Ryu had to admire the sheer strength of the man, that he could carve the arena floor open with just the strength of his hands. "The money's mine, Ronin. You're beaten. You lose."
Ryoga gritted his teeth, and for the first time that wasn't a technique, he spoke. "I haven't lost."
"You can't even stand!"
"I don't have to." Ryoga didn't even look up. He didn't move a muscle. He simply spoke three words: "Shi Shi Hokodan."
Both fighters were suddenly enveloped in a pillar of energy fourteen meters across; a massive wave of ki appearing above them. Ryu had just a second to look up, before it came crashing down from above, crushing them both into the arena floor and digging deeper. Ryu hit the floor hard, catching himself with his arms and meeting Ryoga on his knees. The sheer weight of the blow crushed his collarbone, but he was able to weather it. Ryoga, on the other hand, seemed completely unaffected. He merely rose to his feet again.
"Shi Shi Hokodan."
Another heavy blow slammed Ryu down harder, widening the crater they found themselves in. His back strained at the force of the attack. His mind raced, looking for an answer. Get up, get the rope, get away, get to safety, find—
"I don't care about the money. It's meaningless to me. But I will never lose again. Shi Shi Hokodan."
A third and final pillar of energy filled the arena, crushing what strength Ryu had left. His body hit the ground hard, his muscles wrecked and several bones crushed. He barely felt the powdered cement beneath his cheek, the destroyed arena floor, before consciousness abandoned him.
The crowd was in an uproar. Around Ranma and Nabiki, another crowd of spectators cheered the screen. The announcer came back on. "Winner and still champion, the undefeatable RONIN!!!"
"Nabiki, did you see that?" Ranma was still staring at the screen, even though it had gone dark.
"I saw the fight. Is there something specific on your mind?"
"Ryoga's Ultimate Shi Shi Hokodan was a lot bigger than it usually is." He would know; he'd been crushed under it before.
"That's his despair move, right?" Nabiki never really had a good head for keeping track of the various martial arts that get thrown around Nerima.
"Yeah," Ranma confirmed. "If it's bigger, then that…well, it isn't good."
"Those fools," an older voice could be heard from the parting crowd, one Nabiki remembered from her childhood. "They're going to get themselves killed if they keep this up."
"Hold that thought, Ranma," Nabiki broke away from him and started through the crowd. It couldn't be….
"I know, Doctor," a young, feminine voice followed.
"The crowd cheers while they kill each other, and then I get to pick up the pieces. It's stupid, it's brutal, it's mindless, it--"
"I know, Doctor." As Nabiki moved through the crowd, she first saw a young woman in a long miniskirt, wearing a red jacket over her shoulders. The woman had dark hair swept back into a ponytail that hung halfway down her back.
"You see something?" Ranma asked behind Nabiki, to which she shushed him.
"I just don't see the fascination with…" The man ahead of the woman stopped suddenly, as something had caught his eye in the crowd. He had short brown hair combed down professionally and thick glasses with black rims that covered his eyes. There was a thick stubble over his chin that ran up between his nose and lips that looked as though he hadn't shaved in a few days. He was dressed in dark blue jeans and a white, button-up shirt tucked into his waist, and he suddenly looked very familiar to her. From the look on his face as he stared straight at Nabiki and Ranma.
"Dr. Mikazaki?" Nabiki asked tentatively.
"Kami," the old man whispered quietly, before speaking up. "You wouldn't be one of Kimiko Tendo's little girls, would you?"
"You remember?" Nabiki asked quietly.
The doctor smiled with a warmth Nabiki hadn't seen in anyone in years. "You have your mother's face. It's…excuse me." Removing his glasses, the doctor rubbed his eyes for a second.
His assistant was quick to explain. "Doctor Mikazaki hasn't felt entirely well since…well…."
"Since we lost mom?" Nabiki asked.
The doctor only smiled again. "Your mother was very special to me." Clearing his throat, he placed his glasses back on his face. "But that's in the past. What brings you out to Akiruno? Are you still living in Nerima?"
"Yeah," Nabiki nodded. "I guess you could say we're here on business. Oh!" She finally noticed Ranma, standing very confused beside her, and pushed him forward. "This is Ranma Saotome. His daddy and my daddy decided he was going to marry Akane, so he's staying with us. Ranma, this is Dr. Mikazaki. He was mom's physician before she passed away."
Ranma could see the doctor's eyes light up when he heard Nabiki's introduction. The old man reached one arm forward, clasping Ranma's in his firm grip. "Ranma Saotome, huh?" He sounded just a little impressed, but Ranma admitted that could just be his own pride. What was more surprising was the doctor's strength; his handshake was like a vice. "It's good to meet you. It's a good family you're marrying into. They've got a strong history."
Ranma blushed intensely. "Well, I'm not really—I mean I don't—I mean I—"
To this, the doctor simply clapped him on the shoulder. "Boy, trust me. I know how that goes. When I was your age, I had an I'm Not Really I Don't I Mean I too. I'd like to tell you the important thing is learning to be honest with yourself, but at your age, it's hard to do. You're still growing, still developing into the man you're going to be when you're an adult, and it's hard to know what you'll be like five or ten years from now. I would love to tell you that it all works out and you have your happy ending, but life has ways of introducing curves that sometimes we don't see coming. Sometimes it does work out, and when it does, it can be wonderful. But sometimes it doesn't, and when that happens, all we can do is take the lessons that we learned from it and try to keep them in mind in the future. Either way, we're stronger for it."
Ranma just blushed and looked down at his feet.
"Sorry, I do tend to get carried away. But believe me, Ranma. I was in your shoes over thirty years ago, and I know how good it can feel at the right times. You just need to let it happen."
Ranma smiled just a little, before curiosity came to him. "Did it work out for you?"
At this question, the doctor looked a little sad, and turned his eyes away. There was a moment's silence before he responded. "Like I said, life has ways of introducing curves that we don't see coming." Quickly changing the subject, he turned back to Nabiki. "Do you two have a place to stay? I've got a few guest rooms that nobody's using."
"I was hoping it wouldn't come to that," Nabiki admitted. "But it looks like we might be here a while."
"Come with me, then," the doctor grinned. "It's been too long since I've had company."
"We might have one more. Is that okay?"
"Of course." The doctor gestured to the young woman with him. "This is my personal assistant, Natsumi. If you need anything, she'll be happy to oblige."
As the doctor led the way towards his home, Ranma popped up with a question. "What was that place we saw on the TV? The fighting arena?"
"Yeah," Nabiki joined him. "I heard you talking about it. It sounds like you're not a fan."
The doctor just grunted in frustration. "That is my place of employment these days. I'm paid to tend to the injuries of the fighters at the Fifth Circle. It's a terrible place, run by a shyster named Sennin Mitsuhara. You shouldn't worry too much about it; I don't want good kids like you getting involved with him."
"This place is incredible," Nabiki eyeballed the doctor's palatial estate with moneybags filling her daydreams. The place made the Tendos' home look downright humble. While not quite as large as the Kuno estate, it became very quickly evident that the good doctor was very well off.
"Come with me," the doctor led the children inside, leaving his shoes at the door. Ranma and Nabiki followed, kicking off their shoes and stepping through the doors. Just inside was another door leading to a courtyard, and at the center of the courtyard sat a water fountain shaped like an hourglass, pouring water over the sides. Ranma couldn't help but notice a little bit of steam rising from it. "Is that heated?" he asked the doctor.
"Good eye," Mikazaki answered, before gesturing to the wooden boards under it. "Remove those and there's a heated pool under it. It feels wonderful during the winter nights, and it's still very relaxing in the summer. Would you like to see for yourself?"
"That'd be great!" Ranma exclaimed. A heated pool…the very concept dazzled him. The idea that he could go for a relaxing swim without turning into a girl thrilled him inside.
"I'll set it up later tonight. Now, if you'll follow me," the doctor led them down the hallway. "Over here are the guest rooms. This is where you'll be staying. Now, I have a bit of work I need to get to. Natsumi's room is just down the hall on the other side of the courtyard. If you're hungry or need anything, just ask her."
"So what do you think?" Lying on her back on a small bed in one of the guest rooms, Nabiki looked up at the ceiling.
"I think I can't wait to get at that heated pool," Ranma grinned.
"Not about that." Thinking to herself, she pondered what they'd seen today. "The Fifth Circle sounds like it's worth looking into. If it's really as shady as Dr. Mikazaki says, then they could have all sorts of connections going on there. The Oracle said we'd find information here. Maybe this is our shot?"
"Maybe," Ranma admitted, before swallowing. "I've already decided to check it out. If anything, I need to talk to Ryoga."
"You're worried about him?" Nabiki sat up, glancing over to the martial artist, cross-legged on the floor.
"He's my friend. He's in trouble. I can't just walk away from that." His words rang deep in Nabiki's memory, as her mind returned to the Cave of Doubts, as it had many times since they'd left Delphi.
"Ranma…." She wasn't sure how to say this. "…I don't know for sure that he's your friend anymore."
"What do you mean?" Ranma piped, curiously.
"Look, Ranma…the Oracle said we'd find three people here: an old friend, a bitter rival, and a new enemy. Now, we've already run into Dr. Mikazaki; if he's the old friend, then which one is Ryoga?"
Ranma fell quiet. He hadn't considered that. "I don't know," he admitted.
Leaning over, Nabiki placed her hand gently on Ranma's shoulder. "Just…be careful, okay? You two have a shaky enough relationship as it is, and he tends to take things VERY personally. He might not be your friend anymore, if he ever even was to begin with."
An awkward silence filled the room, and after a couple seconds, Nabiki pulled her hand away. Glancing down at her watch, she stood up. "It's getting late. I'll go get Kuno. It's better if he sees me at the station than you."
Ranma let her go without a word. His mind was lost on the problem with Ryoga.
"Ahhh, now this is nice," Ranma sank deep into the heated pool, letting the water come up to just under his chin. "Very fancy, doc." His clothes lay on the side except for his boxers, which stayed with him in the water. The doctor had dropped his shirt, but was letting his pants soak. Ranma assumed he was simply used to it.
"Glad you like," the doctor chuckled. "Where did Nabiki disappear to?"
"She went to pick up Kuno," Ranma answered. "Man, you don't know how long it's been since I've been able to just relax like this without turning into a—" He stopped suddenly. The doctor was eying him curiously. "—never mind."
With a shrug, Mikazaki looked back up at the sky above them. The sun had gone down and the stars were out in force. "She seems like she's grown up into a fine young woman," the doctor spoke again.
"You just met her," Ranma chuckled. "Trust me, she may seem nice now, but don't turn your back. She's paranoid, selfish, and…" he stopped for a second to think. "I don't know."
"You seem like you're getting along just fine," the doctor pointed out.
"We've got an arrangement," Ranma replied. "Yeah, she's being nice right now, but that's because she has to. She'll be back to scamming people out of every cent they've got just as soon as we're done. Trust me."
"She must have taken her mother's death very hard."
"She…." Ranma fell silent. There was something he'd never really put much thought to. Nabiki was a cold, emotionless, manipulative creature and that's all he'd really thought of her before. Her emotional breakdown on Delphi was something new, something he never thought she was even capable of. And there was that time she'd snapped at him over not revealing himself to his mother.
"It can be very difficult on a child when their parent dies, especially one so young. In my line of work, I've seen it more than I would like to remember. Everyone deals with loss in different ways, but children have it the hardest. Sometimes they simply press on in spite of the loss, refusing to deal with the pain and letting their hurt and their hardship boil up inside, until they're ready to explode at even the slightest provocation. Sometimes they're forced to step up and take responsibilities on themselves that they're not ready for, and they do it with a smile because they feel that it will bring them closer to their loved one. And sometimes they just shut down completely."
"Huh…" Ranma looked up, thinking. "What if they—"
"SAOTOME!!!" A very familiar outrage echoed from the foyer. "I know not what brings you to this house of medicine, Ranma Saotome, but it is good fortune indeed." The samurai stood firm, feet planted on the wooden floor, with bokken in hand. Beside him, Nabiki simply rubbed her forehead and sighed.
"What are you going on about now, Kuno?"
"I have seen the evidence of your twisted machinations on the Pig-Tailed Girl, Saotome. Though you may mask your evil presence, I have witnessed with my own eyes the image of your controls over her mind. The magicks controlling her reek of your presence!"
Pulling himself out of the pool and trying to avoid the eyes of a very confused Dr. Mikazaki, Ranma cracked his knuckles. "Look, Kuno, I don't know what you're babbling about now, but this ain't the time."
"There is no better time to destroy you, vile sorcerer."
"Kuno," Nabiki spoke firmly. "We're guests here. Even Ranma. This isn't how guests behave."
Kuno seemed to take that under consideration. After a few seconds, he returned his bokken to its holder. "Very well. I shall permit you sanctuary, Ranma, so long as you remain under this roof. But know that the moment you set foot in the world outside, you and I shall have our long-awaited duel, and the Pig-Tailed Girl's freedom shall be won."
Stepping out of the water, the doctor approached the newcomer. "I'm Doctor Touya Mikazaki. Nice to meet you."
"I am known by many names," the boy introduced himself. "My name is Tatewaki Kuno. Most know me as the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High." Nabiki groaned at this. "I am honored to accept your hospitality."
The doctor chuckled. "The honor's mine. NATSUMI!"
"Yes, doctor?" The young woman approached from down the hall.
"Please, be a dear and show this young gentleman to his room." He looked back to Kuno. "Perhaps once you're settled in, you'd like to join us?"
"If Saotome is here, then I shall have to decline," Kuno answered. "It is better that I spent less time in his wretched presence."
"Right this way," Natsumi gestured, walking down the hall towards the guest rooms. To this, Kuno simply stood firm, his eyes locked on Saotome, watching him carefully. "Um, sir?" Natsumi came back, but Kuno paid her no mind. "It's just down the hall."
"KUNO." Nabiki spoke firmly, and that seemed to shake him out of his murderous glare. "You know what? You guys just go back to what you were doing. I'll take him to the guest rooms."
"I honestly don't know what your problem is, Kuno-baby," Nabiki grumbled as she walked Kuno down the hall. "Don't really care, either. Dr. Mikazaki is an old friend of my family. You could try to be civil while you're here."
Kuno sighed. "It was not my intention to create a problem. I saw opportunity when I saw Saotome."
"You always do," Nabiki grumbled.
"Not like this. I have seen the proof with my own eyes, Nabiki Tendo. Apollo's gift has purified my sight. When I see the Pig-Tailed Girl, the shadow of Ranma Saotome stands over her like an eagle, waiting to tear apart its prey. This is the undeniable evidence of his sorcerous manipulations. Do you not see it?"
Nabiki rubbed her forehead. She did not want to deal with this right now. "Look, do whatever, alright? Just don't cause a scene in my friend's house."
"I will respect the hospitality offered," Kuno nodded. "Even if it means sharing a roof with Saotome. But I will be waiting for an opportunity."
"Great. Wait. I don't care."
"I am however curious about your friend, the doctor. What do those markings mean?"
Nabiki sighed. "What are you babbling about now?"
"I speak of the markings upon his chest that run down his arms and face. I have never seen any such writing upon the body of a man, and it doesn't appear to be an actual language, at least not one that's familiar to me."
Nabiki stopped walking suddenly. "…alright, Kuno, I'm listening, but be very careful because you're on thin ice already. One wrong answer and you lose all your points. Now go back and explain it again, from the beginning."
"Do you not see the—"
"No, I don't," Nabiki answered firmly.
Kuno cleared his throat. "When he stepped out of the water to greet us, I could see symbols written on his body. This strange lettering is all over him, from his chest to his arms and even reaching up into his face. It has a golden glow to it, much the same as Saotome's shadow, and there's something…else." Kuno thought for a moment. "I can't explain it, but when I first confronted Saotome, I saw something out the corner of my eye, before he stepped out of the pool. It was as if the symbols on his face were glowing brighter in anticipation of something."
Nabiki rubbed her chin, looking back down the hall. She wasn't sure if she should trust Kuno; he was an idiot. But if he really could see something that the rest of them couldn't…well, that WAS what Apollo was saying he was going to do, wasn't it?
"I'll ask him about it later tonight. Just go get settled in, alright?"
It was just another fifteen minutes before Nabiki joined the boys in the heated pool. She'd had the foresight to bring along a bikini, since they were going to be spending so much time at sea. Ranma berated himself for not thinking of the same.
"You were right, Ranma. This IS nice." She let out a contented sigh as she rest her head back against the side.
Ranma simply floated near the fountain, letting his arms steady him in the water. "I want something like this someday. It's perfect."
"Isn't it just?" the doctor laughed. "It was just an idea I had when I first bought this house. Architect looked at me like I'd gone nuts, but I just had to have a big, heated pool in the courtyard."
"Sorry about Kuno," Nabiki offered the good doctor. "He's suffering from a terrible medical condition. You've probably heard of it. Chronic stupidity?"
The doctor smiled. "It's fine. I'm more worried about the two of you. You told me you were here on business, but you still seem so young. What kind of business could you possibly be seeking?"
"It's complicated," Nabiki answered quickly. This only earned the doctor's skeptical eye.
"You're not here to join the Fifth Circle, are you?"
"No!" Nabiki answered hastily. "No, no no no…well, sorta."
The doctor let out a long sigh. "I was afraid of this."
"It's not what you think," Ranma offered helpfully. "That guy, Ronin. He's actually a friend of ours, and we're worried about him. I want to try and talk to him. See if I can knock some sense into him."
"Hmm…" the doctor considered. "While not a bad reason, you should still be very careful, Ranma. Sennin is a terrible man. He will do everything in his power to keep you if you let him get his hands on you."
"I'm not afraid of him!" Ranma insisted.
"You should be. He wields a terrible power."
"Speaking of," Nabiki interjected. "Kuno mentioned something to me earlier." Her eyes narrowed as she locked her gaze on the doctor, as though trying to see something that wasn't there. "He said there are markings all over your body. Now, maybe he's just deluded. It IS Kuno. But it got me wondering."
The doctor was taken aback by this. "Is that what he told you?" He looked up for a few moments, thinking. "That's…actually rather impressive of him." Looking back down at Nabiki and Ranma, the doctor nodded his head. "He must have seen my Herbal Marks. They're invisible to the naked eye. It's something I picked up years ago, when I was touring Japan. I ran into a small village in the Hokkaido region that uses herbal medicines in mystical practices. Their healers were supposed to be miracle workers, and they offered to show me. To this day, I'm not sure if they actually do anything, but my medical practice has really taken off since then. But how did he notice, I wonder?"
"Good question," Nabiki looked away nervously. She had her answer, at least. "I'll ask him later," she lied.
Ranma stretched and let out a yawn. "It's getting late, and I want to check out that arena tomorrow."
"Yes," the doctor agreed. "We should turn in for the night. This pool will still be here tomorrow, after all."
Ranma grinned. "I really want one of these back home."
"Get some rest," Mikazaki told him. "If things go well, you'll have a hard day tomorrow. If they don't…much harder. Good luck with Sennin."
"Thanks," Ranma smiled. "What about you, Nabiki?"
"I think I'm just going to soak a bit longer," the mercenary responded. "Good night, Ranma."
"Night."
As the boy walked away down the hall, towards his room, Nabiki closed her eyes and sank down into the hot water. "Good luck," she whispered, where no one could hear.
