I claim no ownership rights to any of the works of Rumiko Takahashi or Naoko Takeuchi.

Nabiki slowly came half-awake, blinking in the early morning light seeping around the curtains of her suite. Something ... her personal tablet chimed again from where she'd left it on the bedside table, and she sighed as she snuggled against the warmth pressed along her back, luxuriating in the feel of silk sheets on bare skin. She should have put her phone on 'do not disturb'. Then her eyes shot open, abruptly as awake as if she'd been doused with cold water — because she had put her phone on 'do not disturb'.

Throwing off the thin sheets covering her and Kodachi, she rolled over her lover to scrabble for her tablet. Finally snatching it up, she hit the 'emergency accept' button on the screen and felt her heart stop when it the window that opened revealed Ru Pei, the head of the Amazon security detail guarding the Tendo dojo. And a woman that looked as if she'd rather be dead than reporting to her boss.

Before she had a chance to say anything, Ru Pei started speaking in faintly accented Japanese. "Tendo-san, there was an attack on the dojo this morning," she reported. "A delivery van with the markings of a local furniture store that has regularly passed by on the street stopped in front of the gate entrance and a shaped charge placed on the lock. We immediately took the van under fire, but the sides were armored and without a warrior on the dojo roof we were unable to target the side of the van facing the dojo."

Nabiki suppressed a wince; the Amazons had requested permission to place a guard there when they were first hired, and had been refused. Those of the dojo's inhabitants that were able to think rationally at all at the time (mainly Nabiki and Nodoka) had wanted life to be as 'normal' — or at least as quiet — as possible for those that weren't.

Ru Pei continued, "We immediately attacked, but thanks to two of the attackers acting as a rear guard were unable to prevent the rest from getting into the house. I am afraid the damage to the interior was extensive."

It was all Nabiki could do not to shout at the tablet — like she cared about the house — but couldn't bring herself to speak. The tablet in her hand began to shake. Then her lover's arms circled her waist, and Kodachi rested her chin on her shoulder, nuzzling against her cheek. The Meioh heir whispered, "Easy, you're the Ice Queen."

Nabiki jerked a nod and took a deep breath to ask the question that terrified her, only to be preempted by Ru Pei.

"Tendo-san, has Kasumi somehow joined you? We cannot find her within the grounds of the dojo. The last we saw her was when she returned from 'shopping' " — meaning the firing range, Nabiki knew — "yesterday afternoon. Nobody and nothing else went in or out of the compound before the attack, but she simply isn't here."

Nabiki stared at her subordinate for a long moment, then gusted out the breath she'd taken. "No, she isn't. All right, I'll take it from here. No dishonor to any of you for the attack, you warned me of how vulnerable the dojo is and I didn't listen. Were any of your people hurt?"

"Dung Jen and Te Ching were shot and Sang Bau stabbed, but nothing life-threatening or permanent."

"Good. I imagine the police should be arriving any moment, give them your full cooperation and get your wounded to the hospital. I'll start the hunt for —"

She was interrupted by pounding on the outside door to her and Kodachi's suite. Akane's excited voice: "Nabiki, let us in!"

She closed her eyes briefly. How am I going to tell Akane about this?

Akane pounded on the door again. "Nabiki, open up, Kasumi's here!"

Nabiki's eyes flew open. Without bothering to terminate the call, she tossed her tablet onto the bed and threw herself out of the bedroom and at the outside door, unlocked it, and yanked it open. She only vaguely noticed the presence of Ranma, Usagi and Ryoga alongside Akane with little Ukyo in her mother's arms, she was too busy staring at her older sister. Then she stepped forward and threw her arms around a very startled Kasumi. "You're all right!"

Kasumi stiffened in shock at the emotional outburst from her normally controlled, even cold sister, then her expression softened and she gently returned the embrace. "Yes, little sis, thanks to Ryoga I'm fine."

Twisting slightly to the side to look at Ryoga, Nabiki announced, "I owe you for this, big guy, and Tendo Nabiki always pays her debts." At least, I do now. The last thing she needed as the Empire's youngest Otokodate boss was a reputation for being ruthless and untrustworthy. Then she frowned. The Lost Boy was staring off to one side, face red, and ... "Ryoga, your nose is bleeding, you didn't take a hit to the head while saving Kasumi, did you?"

Akane had a sudden coughing fit. Ranma glanced sideways at her wife, then said, "Uh, Nabiki ... you're naked. And you smell."

From where she was now lounging against the bedroom doorframe, an equally naked, smirking Kodachi said, "A night of hot, steamy sex will do that to you." She turned back to pick up Nabiki's tablet from the bed and asked a grinning Ru Pei, "You heard all that?"

"Yes, Kasumi has joined you thanks to Ryoga."

"Good, Nabiki will call you back as soon as she has more for you."

"Wait!" Kodachi paused at Nabiki's shout, her thumb hovering over the button that would end the call, and Nabiki said, "Ru Pei, when the police arrive, Kasumi was not home. She decided she wanted a private vacation with no media coverage, so after we left you personally smuggled her out. You don't know how to contact her, if the police want to talk to her they need to contact me. Got it?"

"Got it, good thinking," Ru Pei replied. "I'll make sure to send you any details I invent for the police."

"Great."

At Nabiki's nod, Kodachi ended the call and laid the tablet back onto the bed, then rose from the bed and sauntered toward the bathroom. "I'm grabbing a shower," she announced.

"I'll join you," Nabiki called, then grinned at the slightly glassy-eyed looks on Ranma and Ryoga's faces — and Usagi's. "Don't let your imaginations run too wild," she said over her shoulder as she turned to follow, adding a slight swing of her own to her firm buttocks. "We have some serious business to discuss when Ko-chan and I are done."

/\

Nabiki strode out of the bathroom, Kodachi right behind her, the pair now wrapped in towels and drying their hair with another. In spite of her insinuation before, except for some nips and tickles (Kodachi effectively distracting her from thoughts of the assault on her sister) she and Kodachi had actually focused on washing each other clean so they hadn't been that long.

The two girls were headed for the closet where they'd stored their clothes, when Ranma called out, "Hey, Nabs, ya had another call, yer phone wouldn't let us answer it."

"Really?" Nabiki turned away from the closet to walk over and pick up her tablet from the bedside table. She frowned when she saw the alibi for the number — yup, one of the numbers her phone app wouldn't let through without identification. "Hiroshi? What could he want?" she mused. She discarded her towels and started pulling on her underwear, to be followed by tight shorts and a t-shirt. She made sure Ryoga could see her through the open bedroom door and winked at him when he choked — this was fun!

Don't get too used to it, you can't act like this at home, she reminded herself. You're supposed to be respectable now, at least when you're officially in public. Still, this vacation had been fun. Maybe she should take Kodachi's route on a more permanent basis, act just respectable enough to remain acceptable in polite company, while tweaking the noses of the more uptight nobility? Of course, part of the reason Kodachi could get away with it was the sheer wealth and power that her adopted mother brought to the table — except for the most powerful of the daimyo, no one in their right mind would offer insult to Meioh-dono. If that meant putting up with her scandalous daughter they'd just have to grin and bear it. Though if I attach myself to the same rising star, even more than I already am...

She put the thought aside for another time, and glanced over at Kodachi. On finding her lover fully if skimpily dressed in a tiny purple dress, she nodded toward the door. "Privacy seal on this one, Ko-chan, for both our sakes."

Kodachi lifted an eyebrow, and it was all Nabiki could do to keep her gaze steady as she realized it was the first time she'd used that intimate version of her lover's name in private – when they weren't putting on a show. But Kodachi simply nodded and walked out the door, sliding it closed behind her.

Nabiki stared at the closed door for a long moment, before turning to her personal bag. Pulling out a small white noise generator disguised as a jewelry box, she activated it then picked up her tablet. She made sure her Ice Queen face was solidly in place, then a quick password and thumbprint tested for body temperature later a window opened up to reveal Hiroshi.

"So," Nabiki said, said without preamble, "what was so important that you interrupted my working vacation?"

/\

Nabiki walked into the front room and immediately found herself the center of attention of everyone else — concerned attention, at that. Looking around and not finding any empty seats, she sauntered over and sat on Kodachi's lap and snuggled up against her as her lover's arms circled her waist. Her expression, however, was serious. She announced, "There was an assassination attempt on Father Bill this morning."

" ... Who's Father Bill?" Akane demanded from where she sat beside Usagi, with Ranma on their friend's other side.

Usagi spoke up: "An American priest that has a church in Juuban." When everyone turned to look at her, she shrugged. "My brother Shingo's mentioned him in his emails. He really likes him."

"Shingo's your brother?" Nabiki asked, then continued without waiting for an answer. "Well, if he's the Shingo that's running with a gang in Juuban, he got into a shoot-out with the would-be assassins." Usagi stiffened in shock, and Nabiki hastily added, "He's fine, though he's in police custody at the moment — one of the assassins is dead and the other in the hospital. But he won't be charged with anything, the police are going to trace the gun back to a street samurai working for Mori — Juuban's otokodate boss, for now. Apparently, one of the assassins dropped it and Shingo picked it up."

Usagi had the oddest expression, worry, shame and pride chasing each other across her face. She opened her mouth several times, but closed it each time without saying anything. Akane shifted Ukyo to one arm and slipped the other around Usagi's waist, and the blonde finally sighed and leaned her head on her friend's shoulder. "I really don't know how to react to that," she admitted.

"Be proud," Nabiki instantly replied. "With the courage, initiative and quick thinking your brother showed he's going to be moving up the chain, and thanks to Father Bill he won't be just another jumped up gurentai with delusions of grandeur."

Shifting her attention to Ryoga, she said, "You've gotten control of your wandering curse, haven't you?" At his surprised nod, she chuckled. "Thought so, I always suspected that the way you showed up last year just on time to save our lives was a little suspicious, and now this morning — you haven't become a precognitive, have you?" At his blank look, she explained, "The ability to see the future."

Eyes widening, Ryoga frantically shook his head. Nabiki suppressed a frown — his rejection had been stronger than she'd expected. And had Usagi stiffened? Later, not important right now. She continued. "You can tell us all about it later, right now I have another request — I'd like you to take Kasumi on that private vacation I mentioned to Ru Pei."

"What?!"

Nabiki waved her hands at the simultaneous shout from everyone present except Kodachi. "Wait, wait, wait! Let me explain. Kasumi, you heard my instructions to the Amazons at the dojo, the only way to explain your absence to the police is to say you weren't there to begin with, so you can't go home — like it or not, you're getting that vacation." She waited until Kasumi reluctantly nodded, then shifted her attention.

"Ryoga, Kasumi can't join us. The tabloid sharks know exactly who has come along on this working vacation, and if she pops up out of nowhere they're going to report it. So if you could take her on an extended trip around the world, we'll owe you even more — not that we can repay you what we already owe, but hey!" She shrugged.

"But I had to leave my backpack behind, I don't have a tent, stove, anything until I can replace it," he protested. "I'm going to be living rough for me, much less Kasumi."

Nabiki stiffened as she realized that the huge backpack that was his constant companion was missing, then relaxed. Okay, so the police will know how Kasumi got away, but will accept the Amazons' story at face value for public consumption. Why didn't the Amazons recognize it themselves when they searched the place? A quick review, and she realized that none of Ryoga's visits over the past year had involved him actually entering the grounds through the outside gates, the Amazons had never seen him. Focus! "Right, hold on," she replied. She wriggled out of Kodachi's embrace and dashed for the bedroom. Returning a minute later, she handed Ryoga a card and Kasumi another card and a cell phone.

"Here's cash cards, untraceable. Stock up everything you both need — far away from here." She glanced at an ornate clock on the wall. "Stores will still be open on the US Pacific coast. Kasumi, hold on to the phone, I'll call when it's time to come home. But don't hold your breath, it's going to be a few weeks at least." Especially since we won't be moving back into the dojo. But she didn't have the heart to say that to the closest person she had to a mother figure, not the way Kasumi loved their home. "Call me if you need more funds, I'll let you know when it's safe to drop by without being seen."

Ryoga and Kasumi exchanged shy glances. The eldest Tendo was blushing faintly, and Nabiki had to suppress another grin. It seems big sis's bed time with Ranma hasn't made her any more outgoing. Though maybe she's thinking of branching out? A little while ago that would have been inconceivable, but after sharing Ranma's bed... The pair nodded almost simultaneously.

"Great! Let's get you on your way."

Kasumi quickly hugged her sisters and 'sister'-in-law and Usagi, then took Ryoga's offered hand and followed him through the bedroom door, closing it behind them.

Nabiki waited a few moments, then opened the door to reveal an empty room. Ruefully shaking her head, she turned back to the rest. "That's that, let's get packed. I'm going to have to hold an impromptu press conference to pass on the usual platitudes for a situation like this, and we still have a plantation to drop in on today."

"You're still doin' that?" Ranma asked, then when Nabiki cocked an eyebrow added, "I mean, an attack on the dojo an' on one a' your people in Juuban at the same time? It's obviously aimed at you. Aren't ya headin' home ta deal with it?"

"A wise woman told me that the secret to proper upper management is to find subordinates you can trust and then trust them. Besides, we brought Dr. Mizuno along for a reason, and I can't just drop it." Nabiki waved her hands, shooing them toward the door. "Go, go! Oh, and don't mention any of this to Nodoka, I'll pass the word that Kasumi's fine and brief her on the rest in private when I get the chance."

/\

"So, how was Ranma?" a smiling Ami asked when Usagi strode through the door of the suite the two were sharing. She had been reduced to gaping silence when Usagi finally broke down under her questioning about what was obviously going on between her, Ranma and Akane (obvious to her, at least, but she knew Usagi as well as anyone these days). Once she recovered from her shock, though, Ami had begun gently teasing her princess in private.

But now her smile vanished when Usagi's grim expression registered. Usagi slashed a hand across her throat, and Ami turned to scrabble in her personal bag before pulling out a white noise generator identical to Nabiki's, though disguised as a portable music player. She activated it, then asked, "What's wrong?"

"It's more like what's right, and the answer is not much," Usagi replied, before relating what had just happened — though mostly skipping the prelude to Ryoga's arrival, all the while blushing furiously. Story finished, she said, "Ryoga's reaction to Nabiki's suggestion that he could see the future was too strong. But what if he's telling the truth? What if he isn't the one that can see the future?"

"Pluto!" Ami exclaimed.

"Yes, Pluto. We know she was playing games during the Nerima Blowout, I think she may be playing games again."

"Perhaps." Ami frowned thoughtfully. "Are you going to call her on it?"

Usagi considered it for a time, then finally shook her head. "No, not yet. If it was her I can't complain about the results, after all. Just think of it: 'Setsuna, how dare you save Kasumi's life! No cookies for you!' "

Ami giggled. "So we let it go and keep an eye out for ... less benign interventions?"

Usagi paused, reconsidering, then nodded. "Yes. Come on, let's finish packing."