Chapter Nine
Alex strolled quietly through the streets, a smile on his face and, in a bit of a cliché, a spring in his step. His conversation with Cologne had offered many insights. Into Jusenkyo's curse, into the crazy world of Nerima... into himself. He had never considered himself particularly lucky, in general, but happening upon Ranma might have turned out to be one of the most fortuitous events of his young life.
"Hey, Gaijin!" The call came from behind him, and he looked back over his shoulder to see Aki, the young cousin of Dr. Tofu. He gave her a smirk and nodded her over.
"I know what that means, you know. I know you think I'm slow, but..."
Aki gave him a smirk and nudged him gently on the arm. "Then you should know that I mean it in the nicest way possible." She glanced down and saw that he was carrying a small box. Her eyebrows raised again and she glanced back up at his face. "A smile on your face and a takeout box under your arm. Lemme guess..." She tilted her head again. "Ucchan's or Neko Hanten?"
"Neko..." Alex looked suitably impressed. "Must be a couple dozen restaurants just in Nerima, how'd you guess?"
Her arms crossed, and she chuckled a little. "I've seen that look on guys' faces around here plenty of times. It's usually one of the two. Sure, the food's good both places, but I know why you're really going."
He nodded and stared off down the street. "You'd be surprised. Anyway, you can start coming to the Neko soon yourself, if you like. There'll be eye candy you can appreciate once I start working there."
"Oh really?"
It wasn't the words themselves, as much as her tone. There was a slight edge to them, as if he'd said something wrong, and he was worried that she would be annoyed with him. As nice as it was to have Akane and Ranma around, it was even better to have a friend that was actually in his class. He wasn't keen to mess it up. "Uhh..."
As if sensing his nervousness, she gave him a reassuring smile. "What makes you think I don't appreciate the eye candy that already works there?"
Alex thought about it for a moment, and then blinked with realization. "Oh, you're friends with Shampoo!"
"Something like that. Anyway, I just wanted to tell you that once my cousin calmed down, he accepted Kasumi's invitation and then proceeded to rampage around the office some more. We had to close down for the day. We've been doing repairs pretty much non-stop ever since. But you should find out from her whether Sunday is a good day for this, and if so, you should start Tofu-proofing the Tendo home."
He laughed at that, just imagining the scene of Dr. Tofu bouncing through the walls and into the pond. "Something tells me that house is no stranger to property damage, but I'll definitely let Kasumi know."
Aki stretched her arms over her head with a smile. "Great! I stole a bit of what you brought over, so I'm looking forward to more of Kasumi's cooking. I just hope you're ready for what my cousin's gonna do."
"I'll be ready." More ready than I woulda been yesterday. He smiled at her again, and then nodded toward the front door of the Tendo compound. "This is my stop, I'll see ya around, Aki!"
"See ya Sunday!" She called after him, a hint of laughter behind her voice. "I mean it! Pad the corners, bar the windows! Lock up the valuables!"
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
Don walked into the dojo, reeling a bit from the news he'd just received from Akane. It was hard to process, really, what with Akane being so.. young. He realized that it was a matter of an agreement between their parents, but still...
His attention focused to the corner, where Mike was sitting, knees against his chest. He looked absolutely miserable. Don wasn't sure what was up with him, but that wasn't anything out of the ordinary. He made his way over to his forlorn friend, squatting down beside him. "Bad day?"
Mike looked up, eyes barely visible beneath the brim of his red cap. "Bad news. Actually, kind of weird news, really. I'm still trying to figure it out."
"Must be that kinda day. You're never gonna believe what Akane just told me."
"Oh?" Mike's chin raised up a little more, and Don could see his eyebrows were slightly furrowed. "Was it about Ranma?"
Don blinked in surprise. "Actually, yeah. How did you...?"
"Weird news about Ranma?"
The two Americans looked toward the door to see the third of the trio standing there, holding a white box. "Brought some ramen home. You guys hungry?"
Don grinned. "Always, bring it over here!"
Alex strode across the room to the others, Mike looking at him like eating was the furthest thing from his mind. "Anyway, I got some interesting news about Ranma, too." One bit that I won't be sharing, he thought, that's not mine to share...
The box was already opened, and Don was nearly face-first in the bowl when he looked up, halfway through a slurp. Mike shrugged.
"What are the odds? I mean, in a normal place, anyway. Around here it's probably 100%. So what have you heard, Alex?"
"Well, I didn't believe it when I heard it, but..." the floppy-haired boy paused for dramatic effect. "Ranma is engaged to-"
"Akane." "Ukyo."
The answers back from the other two boys came simultaneously, and they looked at each other with wide eyes. Mike's jaw was slightly agape. "Wait, did you just say Akane?"
There was laughter then, coming from Alex, causing Don and Mike to focus on him once more. "Nope, you're both wrong. Those were some weird guesses, though. Akane, really? They'd kill each other. No, Ranma is engaged to Shampoo."
Mike held up his hands. "Wait, who told you that?"
Alex put his finger on his chin, trying to remember exactly how it came up in conversation. "Well, first Shampoo said it herself, then Ranma had a disagreement with Shampoo's grandmother about it."
Next, Mike pointed at Don, who had already polished off most of the ramen. "And you?"
His head shook slightly. "Heard it straight from Akane herself, dude. Their parents arranged it."
Mike looked slightly dour now. "And I heard my bit from Nabiki, same deal. Some agreement between Mr. Saotome and Ukyo's dad, back in the day. Why would they all tell us different stories, unless they're all... true?"
"I dunno, man, these people are weird. Anything is possible." Don tapped the chopsticks gently against the rim of the bowl. "Three different fiancées. Of course, Ranma doesn't seem all that interested in Akane."
"Shampoo, too. He kept telling her he wasn't going to marry her, and she was awfully persistent..." Alex smirked. "Not to mention hot. There's gotta be something going on."
Mike closed his eyes with a grunt. "Yeah, I'll tell you what's going on. He wants Ukyo. Of course he does." He wished that his vision had included that bit. It was a pretty important detail to just leave out. How was he supposed to compete with their history? With their rapport? At this point, he knew for a fact that his prospects with Ukyo, whatever they had once been, were completely sunk now. Nabiki was right. I should just let go of that idiotic idea.
"Uhh, I have a question." Don chimed in, before slurping the rest of the broth from the bowl. He gave a happy sigh, and then continued. "Why is this any of our concern? Doesn't it seem like we should just stay out of the way of all of this?"
"I mean, I guess." Alex leaned forward, rubbing his cheek. "But then again, we do live here. Akane and Ranma are both here, we can't exactly avoid that."
Don stood up, tossing the empty bowl into Alex's hands. "Whatever, I have Kuno to deal with. If Ranma's into polygamy or whatever, that's his deal. Thanks for the carbs, buddy. I'm off for a run!"
The two remaining boys watched as Don jogged out the door, and Alex scooted over beside Mike, putting a hand on his friend's knee. "Cheer up buddy, things have a way of working out." Mike glanced over to see Alex's smile, and it sort of worked to lift his spirits. Alex had a way with that. Sometimes his easygoing nature could be a little inconvenient, but in this case, Mike was glad for it.
"Say," Alex brushed his fingers through his hair, "You think you could help me with securing the breakables?"
"... what?"
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
Last night had been fun, until it wasn't anymore.
Ukyo had spent the day focusing completely on her work, feeling pretty betrayed by Mike. It hadn't taken Nabiki long to draw him in, a pawn in her twisted games. She wondered how much it had cost to get him to plant the seed about Shampoo in her, the one that had grown into a weed of annoyance all day. It had almost worked: she'd had half a mind to close down Ucchan's for the day and call out Shampoo for fun, or just to see what sort of scheme the Amazon was cooking up to rope Ranma in this time. But she'd resisted, somehow. She didn't want to give Nabiki the satisfaction of knowing that she could get to her.
Scraping at the grill with fervor, Ukyo glanced up and looked out the window. There had been a car parked there for a while now, a blue sedan. There was a man sitting inside, he hadn't gotten out. He had longish black hair, and he was wearing sunglasses. She wasn't too worried about it; folks parked their cars on the street for all sorts of reasons. Maybe he was waiting for someone? But still, she kept an eye on him. You couldn't be too careful around here.
As if on cue, he started the car and drove off. She wondered a bit about the power of mental suggestion, but her musing was interrupted by the bell on the door. She turned her head to see Nabiki. Uncharacteristically, the mercenary daughter of the Tendo clan looked a little rattled.
"Nabiki." It was about as cold a word as she'd ever spoken, the acid not exactly coming naturally to her, especially toward what was ostensibly a customer.
Although, Nabiki was rarely likely to pay for anything.
"Ukyo. Can we talk?"
She responded with a nod, motioning toward the empty stool across from her. "Turn the sign around."
Nabiki raised an eyebrow, and turned the sign over to the 'Closed' side. She made her way to the stool and pulled herself up. "What can I get for twelve bucks?"
This caught her off guard, and she almost didn't know what to say for a moment. "American? Uhh, pretty much anything on the menu, really. You're actually here for dinner?"
"Don't misunderstand." She pulled the money from her pocket and placed it on the counter. "This is a business lunch, at best. I just thought that in this case, it would be an appropriate way to start."
Ukyo felt confused, and she certainly looked the part. She wasn't in the mood for Nabiki's machinations, today even less so than normal. She knew that she really should just tell the girl to leave Ucchan's, that her business and her business weren't welcome. But there was something about this visit that made her just a little bit curious. "So what do you want, then? To eat, I mean."
Nabiki didn't look up, tapping gently on the four crumpled bills she'd placed on the counter: two Lincolns, two Washingtons. "House Special."
Another moment's hesitation washed over Ukyo, glancing down at the bills, and then the top of Nabiki's head, and then at her batter. She shrugged slightly, then started to make Nabiki her okonomiyaki.
"So, what do you want otherwise? I can't imagine you'd ever have come here just to give me business."
The Tendo girl chuckled cynically. "You sure have my number, don't you, Kuonji? Yes, of course, I have other things to speak to you about. Namely," Finally the girl looked up from the bills with her deep brown eyes. "I didn't send Mike to mess with you. He asked me about you."
This caught Ukyo off guard once again, and she narrowed her eyes. "So you told him to ask about Shampoo? Why would you do that?"
"Fair market value." She tapped the bills another time, emphatically this time. "You of all people should understand that, I think."
A spatula glinted in the sunlight, flipping the okonomiyaki on the grill. The chef stared down at the cooking food, deep in her thoughts. Was Mike truly that desperate for things to talk about with her? They seemed to have gotten on rather well before the incident. Sure, he was a little strange, but he was also in a strange place. And, honestly, who in Nerima wasn't a little crazy from time to time?
"Well, I'd appreciate if you would stop selling information about me, but I won't hold my breath."
"I'd be happy to, but it would cost you." Nabiki smirked at Ukyo, who raised an eyebrow. "Relax, Kuonji, it wouldn't cost you much. You're not exactly the cash cow that your fiancé is. But that's not the point, anyway."
Ukyo gave the okonomiyaki a little poke, then flipped it up and onto a plate. "Well, then what is the point?"
"Just give him another chance. You had the wrong idea and that's my fault for being me, I guess. But don't let your opinion of me color your opinion of him. He's going to have a hard enough time around here with not knowing anyone and having to dodge umbrellas and daggers and whatever else gets thrown Ranma's way all day. Having a friend that doesn't live with us is... well, probably healthy for him." Nabiki knitted her fingers together and leaned forward against the counter. "And, if it'll help to sweeten the deal: if you do this, I'll owe you a favor."
Ukyo chuckled, sliding the plate in front of Nabiki. "That sweetens the deal how, exactly?"
"You're kidding, right?" Nabiki's tone went slightly cold once again. The businesslike assassin coming back to the surface. "Do you know, exactly, how many favors I hand out? None, that's how many. You know what I can do, and you'll have me at your disposal for one thing you need, no questions asked. Don't be a fool, Kuonji... you'll never have an opportunity like this again."
Ukyo leaned against the counter again, pondering this. It seemed almost too good to be true, and she felt like she was being played. But she also knew that Nabiki's word was her bond: her reputation was everything to her, and reneging on a deal wasn't her style. Maybe she was letting Nabiki's spy back into the fold, though for what reason Nabiki would need to spy on her, she had no idea... but having a favor from Nabiki in her pocket was basically money in the bank.
Literally.
"No questions asked, anything I need?"
Nabiki nodded. "Chance of a lifetime."
"Fine then." Ukyo nodded and held out her hand to shake. "I'll talk to him at school tomorrow."
With a shake of the hand, Nabiki sealed the deal. She stood up, then, and started for the door. "I'll see you around, Kuonji."
The chef looked down at the plate, an untouched House Special Okonomiyaki sitting expectantly on top of it. "What about your business lunch?"
The middle Tendo sister glanced back over her shoulder. "It's yours, on me. You really should take a break every once in a while..."
"You're going soft, Nabiki."
Ukyo received a half a shrug in reply.
"Maybe. Or maybe I'm just clearing my plate."
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
"She saw me again, Koji. I know it."
The bald-headed man didn't look up from his book, but his jaw clenched ever so slightly. This was the second time that same girl had managed to see the face of his associate. She may not even have recognized that she'd seen him before, the second time. By all accounts, she hadn't reacted to him. Still, he was getting sloppy.
"Well, what do you suppose we should do about it?" There was a challenge behind the words, the dark, narrow eyes of Koji Hongo slowly rising now from the book, to meet the sunglasses his partner was wearing. The idiot wore those damn things all the time, even indoors. It was obnoxious. He thought that it was cool, but it made him look like a moron. "You going to talk your way out of it if she points you out to the police? There's only so far that silver tongue of yours is going to carry you before your mistakes catch up to you."
The man in the glasses pondered for a moment, deep in thought. He thinks he's the damn mastermind. But if he was, he would be in charge, and not just the one they sent out to case their targets. Koji waited expectantly for the man's answer, patiently.
Finally, it came, "Maybe we should just call it a loss and move on. There's something weird about this place, Koji. It's not normal. The people here are..."
"They're just people, Nobuo. Just a bunch of marks, just like everywhere else. We're here to do the work, and when I'm satisfied with the take, then we move on. Not a moment sooner."
He set down his book and rose from his seat, the gold ink of his tattoos glinting softly in the available light.
"You've done your job, haven't you? So which place is it gonna be?"
Nobuo sighed softly, pushing his glasses back up his nose. "From what I've seen, Neko Hanten would be the easier target. Some old bag and her granddaughter run it. Granddaughter barely speaks Japanese, old lady looks to be about a billion years old. So, if you're okay with taking money from someone's grandma..."
Koji scoffed. "Just let Taichi know, we'll hit it in two days. After that, we go after that big estate on the edge of town. One bank, one restaurant, one mansion. That's the job. Don't let your carelessness screw this up, or I'll make sure you're not around to make another mistake."
Nobuo sighed again, and left to speak with the third member of the team. Koji was glad to be rid of him. He was getting more and more on his nerves every day, and that was less than ideal. Maybe after these jobs, I just get rid of him anyway. How hard could it be to find a new lookout?
He settled down into his seat, muscles tense, and picked up his book again.
The ink in his arms was glowing, ever so slightly.
