Nabiki in ComaLand
an Ill Met by Starlight side story
by Trisha L. Sebastian
Disclaimer: This is a side-story to that wonderfully dark story called
'Ill Met by Starlight' written by two wonderfully *not* insane
folks, Susan Doenime and Mike Loader. I got permission from
Mike to 'borrow' Nabiki, since they sure weren't using her
at the time. ^_- Spoilers for "Ill Met by Starlight"
In addition, there is some intense language in some parts of this
fic, so if it offends you, please complain elsewhere. I did
warn you, didn't I?
{The crowds thickened, and Nabiki saw the gate of the station
just ahead. Elbowing and pushing her way through the mass of
people, she made for it.}
"we're losing her, we're losing her..."
{She had given it her best shot. Akane would have to do the
best she could, too. Which probably would be considerable. Her
little sister could surprise. Certainly she had never expected
Akane to save...}
{Her foot caught on something, and a push from her left sent
her staggering off the curb. The concrete bit into her knee, and
she picked herself up, irritated at...}
"benny goodman?"
{The scream of brakes became the world, and Nabiki stared in
fascination at the silverglinting radiator grill, shining cold in
the sun. Movement off to her left but that didn't oh my god...}
"careful."
{She was hurt, fuck, bad, oh God, she couldn't move.... her left
arm was flopping like a fish, and she didn't want it to... why
was it doing that, oh no, no, no...}
"nah, it's cole porter."
{She opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out, just
a red, bubbling froth that welled up, choking her. No, please,
no...}
"mr. tendou, i'm sorry to say..."
{The muscles of her neck seemed to turn to jelly, and her head
slipped to one side as the red mist in her eyes began to grow
deeper, deeper... Ranma, there he was, just a few feet away,
with that odd expression...}
{The red of his shirt blended with the red in her vision and
faded to purple, then black, she couldn't see, no, no...}
"ranma jumped out..."
{Her sense of self wavered, no, she didn't want to, God, no,
she was afraid, please no, it rippled and rushed up at her, no,
please no...}
OH GOD I DON'T WANT TO DIE PLEASE I DON'T WANT T
***************
Nabiki opened her eyes to find herself standing in front of the
train station, facing the street. A large car was stopped in the middle
of the street, the motor still running. It was the only sound.
Nabiki turned around. Usually on a day like this (what was today?)
the station would be preparing for the rush of commuters on their
way home. The ramen shop would just start boiling the
noodles they use to fuel the ravenous salarymen getting off the train.
The vending machines would get their innards stuffed with candy
bars, newspapers and socks. A woman with a stroller, or maybe
two women would sit down on the bench facing the station singing a simple
song to their children, waiting for their husbands to come home (what
was home?).
But the whole station was silent. Nabiki's brow furrowed with
concentration. Was there some sort of holiday that she wasn't aware
of? Where would everyone go? She tried to remember what
happened just before she got to the train station, and crumpled to
the ground screaming.
{hecameaftermeandtherewasnowheretorunandhe'llkillmeandrapemeand
throwmybodytothewolveshe'llkillakaneandkasumiandfatherandomigod
ican'tstophimandthecarcameandthelightandthedarknessandican'tsto
phimican'tstophimIcan'tstophimIcan'tstophimI CAN'T STOP HIM!!!}
Nabiki ran, blinded by the tears in her eyes towards the ticket
counter. Finding no one there (and where was her money?) she
vaulted over the turnstiles, running towards the tracks. A loud
rumbling noise greeted her as the red and black train pulled in
to the station. Nabiki tried to stop, but her feet pulled her
inexorably towards the edge of the platform, throwing her over
into the path of the train.
***********************
Nabiki opened her eyes to find herself standing in front of the
train station, facing the street. A large car was stopped in the middle
of the street, the motor still running. It was the only sound.
She turned around to face the train station, but shuddered at
the thought of going inside. Instead she walked down the street
towards the nearest bus stop. Nabiki had to leave town as quickly
as possible... she just couldn't remember why. All she knew was that
she had to leave, taking nothing with her, leaving everyone behind.
As she walked, Nabiki thought about her family, and why she would
have to leave them. Dear father, so happy at the fact that his
daughters were growing up so nicely. Dear Kasumi, tidying up
after everyone, becoming the mother they'd lost so long ago.
Dear Akane, sweet and trusting, entirely too trusting when it came to
psychotic lunatics who kill cats and stare at you with piercing,
mocking eyes.
She reached the bus station in no time, and sat down on the bench.
There was no traffic in the street, no one on the sidewalk. That
was why it was such a surprise when the steamroller came
from behind her, squashing her flat.
**********************
Nabiki opened her eyes to find herself standing in front of the
train station, facing the street. A large car was stopped in the middle
of the street, the motor still running. It was the only sound.
She turned away from the train station, ignored the bus stop and
jumped into the rumbling car. Nabiki had never driven a car before,
but desperation is an excellent motivator. She scrunched her eyes
at the controls, trying to read the dials. "Here goes nothing,"
she murmured, disengaging the parking brake and gingerly pressing
her foot to the pedal (was it the right one?).
The car lurched forward, and stopped short. Nabiki looked around
at the car. "Oops, stick shift... now let's see..." She reached
for the key to start it again, but realized that there was no
key in the ignition. And the doors were locked.
That's why she made such a perfect sitting duck for the semi-truck
to roll right over her.
*************************
Nabiki opened her eyes... and fell into the drainage canal and
drowned.
**********************
Nabiki opened her eyes... and was run over by a rampaging wild boar.
***********************
Nabiki opened her eyes... and screamed as the yakuza hitman riddled her
with bullets.
**********************
Nabiki opened her eyes... and was squashed by a falling 40-foot
crucifix.
**********************
Nabiki opened her eyes to find herself standing in front of the
train station, facing the street. A large car was stopped in the middle
of the street, the motor still running. It was the only sound.
"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS! WHY DO I KEEP DYING! SOMEONE'S GOT
A LOT TO EXPLAIN!" Nabiki shouted, head tilted back to the sky.
"Took you long enough to ask."
Nabiki whirled around to face a samurai in medieval armor, a katana
at his hip. She made warding gestures. "Stay back, don't kill me."
"I'm not going to kill you, not like this. Too unimaginative," the man
said, picking at his fingernails with a toothpick. "Handy little buggers,
these are."
"Why not? Everyone else seems to have it in for me today," Nabiki
grumbled. (What was today?)
"Not everyone, just you."
"What?"
"What's the last thing you remember?" the man asked, starting in
on his pinky finger.
wolveshe'llkillakaneandkasumiandfatherandomigodican'tst
ophimandthecarcameand--
"Shh... it's okay. Take a deep breath." The man reached for a
canteen. "Water?"
Nabiki shook her head. Why couldn't she remember? She started
to edge away from the man.
"Hey, wait! You don't want to go that way!"
Nabiki shouted back, "I don't care, I just have to get out of here!"
She took off running towards the city limits.
The man sat down on the hood of the car. "She'll be back."
***********************
Nabiki opened her eyes... and pounced on the man sitting on the hood
of the car, his throat between her hands. "Explain!"
"*ack*... stop choking me and *ergh* I'll explain!"
Nabiki settled down and glared at the man. "What the hell is going
on here?"
"For me to explain, you have to remember. And for you to remember,
you have to stop running away," he said, sliding off the hood.
She gritted her teeth. "I don't want to remember."
"Then you're never going to leave. You'll rot here forever, wasting
away, disintegrating bit by bit until there's nothing left. And
then you'll die for real," he intoned. "Get it together, Tendo
Nabiki."
"You mean I'm not dead?" Nabiki asked.
"Not dead yet," he amended. "There were some rough spots, but luckily,
they got you to the hospital in time."
"Hospital?" Flashes of light caught Nabiki's eye and she remembered
antiseptic lights, blood and a red and black blur mocking her.
She shook her head to get the cobwebs out.
The man nodded. "Maybe you just weren't healed enough to handle the
memories. Do you think you're strong enough now?"
Healed. Dead. Hospital. A name....
"Ranma," Nabiki whispered, as it all came back to her.
*******************
[Ranma, there he was, just a few feet away,
with that odd expression]
[The red of his shirt blended with the red in her vision and
faded to purple, then black, she couldn't see]
[she didn't want to, God, no, she was afraid, please no,
it rippled and rushed up at her, no, please no]
[turning, falling, her head smacking against the bumper,
red mist spraying over the shining grill]
[turning over, eyes wide open to the world, falling in space
and time and meaning, heartbeat bursting out of her chest]
[falling into darkness, seeing a silver
strand of light grasping out for it...]
...and missing.
*********************
Nabiki opened her eyes. "So, I'm in a coma."
"Very good! I knew you'd figure it out," the man said, taking
a swig of his water canteen. He offered it to Nabiki, who
declined. "You're much smarter than I thought you'd be."
"Thanks," Nabiki said wryly. "So, if I'm in a coma, then are
you a guardian angel?" And if he was a guardian angel, where
was she when she was getting hit by a car?
"Nope. I'm lucky enough *not* to get that duty, though this
seems like it might be worse."
"Who are you?"
"You can call me your celestial social worker. Everyone else calls
me Ishmael," he smiled. Nabiki raised an eyebrow at him. "Okay,
lame joke. In your world, I was known as Tokugawa Ieyasu."
"The first shogun of Japan?"
"Who were you expecting, someone like Bill Gates?"
Nabiki crossed her arms. "Well, you only conquered Japan. Gates-san
has over 90% market share."
Tokugawa leaned forward with a predator's smile. "I was cunning,
ruthless, intelligent, manipulative, diplomatic, Machiavellian,
ambitious, and looked great in a bikini."
"Well, when you put it that way..." Nabiki paused. Bikini?
"Anyway, it's my job to make sure that you're safe in this dream
world you've created," he said, "and that means no running off into
the sunset. You've got a problem here, and you've got to solve it."
"But couldn't you tell me in person, rather than letting me die over
and over?" Nabiki said icily.
Tokugawa shrugged. "It wouldn't have been as much fun."
Nabiki sighed gustily. This could be a long coma. "So, what's
the game plan, Toki-chan?" She ignored the raised eyebrow he was
giving her. "I know now that I can't leave this 'Nerima', so what do
I do now?"
"Use the Force, Nabiki."
"What?"
"I've always wanted to say that," Tokugawa chuckled. "Quite frankly, I
still don't think you're in any condition to do what you need to do
to get out of this coma, but my superiors think otherwise."
"I remembered what happened when I... got to the train station,
didn't I?" Nabiki countered. "If I was healed enough for that, then
why can't I just wake up out of this coma and get back to the real world?"
"Healed? You think you're healed?" Tokugawa swept an arm around.
"Look at this place!"
"So?" Nabiki frowned. "What if I like the peace and quiet?"
"The real world is not supposed to be this way, Nabiki. You know that."
Tokugawa leaned forward. "And to tell the truth, I don't even think
you want to wake up."
"Of course I want to wake up! Do you know how many debts I have to collect?"
Nabiki asked. Tokugawa remained silent. "And my birthday's coming up
in six months, so I have to start reminding people of what I want,
there's a math test next week, and I have to tell Hikaru to..."
Nabiki trailed off, her mouth suddenly dry. She turned to Tokugawa.
"How is Hikaru?"
He shrugged. "Don't know, don't care."
"But Ranma went after him. He could be seriously hurt!"
"From what I could tell of this Ranma fellow, he isn't interested
in bystanders. If he was merely trying to get to you, then he would
have cracked this Hikaru's ribs, maybe broken his arm or something."
"How do you know this?" Nabiki tightened her lips.
"It's what I would have done," Tokugawa replied. "And if you had been
the least bit interested in furthering your martial arts, it's what
you would have done, too."
Nabiki blinked. "I am not like that psychopath."
"He's not a psychopath. He's a control freak. So are you."
Tokugawa walked around her, and she followed him with her eyes.
"You can't stand to have things in disorder. Everything has to be
exactly the way you want it, or you don't play ball. Remember the
school play back in elementary school?" Nabiki's eyes turned hard.
"You wanted the lead role, but it went to one of your classmates.
You didn't want to be the understudy, so what did you do?" Nabiki looked
down at her feet. "You got one of the sandwiches Akane made and gave
it to her as a 'good luck present'. And she had to be rushed to the
infirmary. And you got to be the lead."
"That was a long time ago."
Tokugawa smiled at Nabiki. "Old habits die hard, 'Nabi-chan'."
Nabiki shivered and turned away. "I'm not like him. Not at all," she
whispered.
"The more you deny it, the less you're gonna heal." He snapped his
fingers. "Maybe *that's* what you gotta do to get out of this coma."
"You mean you don't know?"
"They won't tell me," shrugged Tokugawa. "They said it had to do with
this Ranma guy, but they didn't specify."
"Great supervisors you got." Nabiki paused. "Who are 'they' exactly?"
"Can't tell you. Mortals aren't ready for the true answer."
"But I'm in a coma," smiled Nabiki. "Doesn't that count for something?"
Tokugawa laughed, clutching his sides. "Now I know you're not ready.
Go! Examine this world and see what you can make of it." Laughing, he
vaulted over the car and disappeared.
Nabiki shook her head. "What a strange man."
***************************
Nabiki perused the misshapen lump on the ground in front of her. It
stared back, the two eyes on one side of its skull a leering crimson.
The back was all wrong, and instead of six whiskers and one tail, she
got six tails and one whisker--coming out of its nose.
"I think it's a pretty good cat," Nabiki grumbled, poking it with a
stick. She sighed gustily. "Who am I kidding? Maybe I need to go back
to the library and get some more books."
Nabiki blinked, and the misshapen lump disappeared. At least she'd
gotten the hang of *that* trick. It was starting to get crowded in
her coma world with her failed experiments at creation hanging around.
There are only so many places you can hide lifeless, cubist giraffes.
Nabiki walked down to the library, the street littered with cars.
None of them were running, not yet at least. To get a car to run, you
needed people to start them. "And I'm not even good at making *insects*
yet!" Nabiki growled aloud, watching a five legged ant the size of a
Lhasa Apso skitter past her. She would have destroyed the thing long
ago, but just seeing it move was proof that she had the power within
her to populate this world. Besides, she loved to watch it beg for
scraps she "conjured" up from nothing.
"Apsie," she said to the ant-dog, "is it just me, or am I going crazy?"
Apsie shook its antennae and skittered away towards a flowerbed,
burying its mouth in the pollen of the flowers.
"I mean, I've been here for who knows how long without any company
(yourself excluded), wracking my brains out trying to figure out what
the secret of life is." Nabiki put her hands in her pocket. "At
least I figured out how to make books and cups and food."
But what good are books and cups and food, when they aren't enough
to get you home? Nabiki felt like crying. Where had she gone wrong?
Sitting on the curb, she carefully went over her efforts from the past
week.
On the first day, Nabiki cut her hand on a signpost when it sprung up
in front of her, instead of across the street. Once she made it out
of the train station area, she'd found to her dismay that the rest of
the city was blank. Not like a coloring book blank, where there are
outlines and you fill in the color. It was like the world was a clean
sheet of paper, and Nabiki was holding the pencil. So she tried to
reconstruct the town as best as she could from her memory (which was
quite a considerable task, considering she was in a coma and dealing
with a head injury). She made it all the way over to the dojo when
night fell.
On the second day, Nabiki was almost flattened when she realized the
armoire had only two legs. Now that she'd gotten the buildings up,
she started to furnish them. Great detail went into her room, less
in Akane's, even less than Kasumi's. She was so excited when she'd
finished the house, that she went out and did all the houses on the
street, then the school, then the offices. It wasn't until Nabiki got
to the business district that she realized she was hungry.
On the third day, Nabiki recalled why she always let Kasumi do the
cooking. She couldn't make anything from scratch, let alone any-
thing from a box. After the fourth hamburger went up in flames on
the grill, she had shrieked and decided to scrap the whole project. So
who needs home cooked meals anyway? Packaged stuff was just as good.
Nabiki remembered with fondness the little convenience store just down
the street from her house, and taking her bicycle from the gate, pedaled
all the way down there. She feasted that night, watching old reruns
on TV, content with her cup of instant ramen.
By the fifth day, the silence was starting to get to her. Oh, sure,
she had the TV, and the radio, and the CDs, but it was all the same
stuff she'd remembered. Nothing changed. There was no one to talk to
besides herself (and she had once read that talking to yourself was a
sure sign of lunacy), and no one to listen to. So, she'd gotten off
her butt, and hightailed it down to the library. There, in the stacks,
she found lots of picture books on animals and plants and people, and
started to get to work.
Nabiki looked down at Apsie. "Six days, and I still haven't figured
out how to do real living things yet. They always end up looking
deformed, or once they start to look right, they don't move, like dolls."
Apsie barked, then moved to lick her face. Nabiki smiled. "If I didn't
have eyes, I would think you were a real dog." Apsie barked again,
then pounced at her, toppling her over onto her back. Rough doggy
tongue assaulted her face, and she closed her eyes, giggling and delight-
ing in the feel of the dog.
Nabiki's eyes flew open, and her jaw dropped as Apsie jumped off of
her, his fur glistening in the sunlight. He shook his ears, and
bounded off again, in chase of a butterfly that had flown across his
path.
"Oh my God, what did I do? How did I do that?" Nabiki stared
glassily at the dog frolicking with the butterfly. "I closed my eyes,
and remembered the time at Tai Park, when Mother and Father took us out
for a picnic lunch, and we saw the dog, and he played with me, and
there were ducks..."
To her right, a flock of ducks rose from the lake, calling out to
one another. A boy with a balloon ran down the path, chased by a
girl with pigtails. And on the hill, Mother and Father sat, smiling
at their other two children, eating their sandwiches contentedly.
It was the seventh day. And Nabiki rested.
*********************
"The mailman's here!" Kasumi called out from the kitchen.
Nabiki jumped to her feet. "I'll get it," she called back.
"Let me know if there's anything for me," Soun said, reading his
newspaper.
Nabiki nodded, passing through the hallways and out the front door.
She tripped lightly down to the mailbox at the front gate, taking out
the various envelopes and circulars, placing a thin card in her pocket.
Chuckling, she turned to go back into the house.
"Looks like you've done mighty well for yourself, Nabiki."
Nabiki smiled. "Toki-chan... I didn't expect to see you here."
"Really." He was dressed in a polo shirt and slacks, leaning idly
against the gatepost. "I can't let my charge down, can I?"
"I suppose not." She looked down at the mail in her hands.
He smiled suddenly, a beautiful, terrible smile. "Aren't you going to
introduce me to your family?"
"Sure, I was just going to do that, Toki-chan." Nabiki smiled in
return, a cold steel under her eyes. Silently, she led the way back into
the house. When she opened the door, her father rushed up to her.
"Is there anything for me?" he asked, a gleam in his eyes.
"Nope, Dad. Just some bills and a flyer for the new supermarket
downtown." She nodded to Tokugawa. "This here is--"
"Ikari Gendou." Tokugawa bowed to Soun. "I'm a friend of your
daughter's."
"Oh, how nice," Soun beamed. "It's so nice to have friends. Why, just
the other day...." Soun started to cry, big fat tears welling up in his
eyes.
"Oh, Father, you must lie down," interjected Kasumi, rushing from the
kitchen to intercept Soun. She escorted him to the couch and pressed
him firmly into the cushions. "Let me get you some tea." Kasumi
rushed back to the kitchen, her hands fluttering.
"Seems like things are going smoothly here, Nabi-chan," Tokugawa
smiled.
"What's with the 'Ikari' stuff?" Nabiki deliberatly ignored the
underlying content of his deceptively bland statement.
"I don't think your family wants to be bothered with who I really am,"
he sighed, taking off his shoes. "I know you don't."
Nabiki snorted in derision. "Listen, whoever you are, whatever you are,
I don't care. I just want to get back to my normal life." The sound
of a feminine yell drifted in from the backyard and Nabiki crossed the hall
to the back porch. Her gaze was drawn to Akane, breaking bricks in front
of the dojo. "Look, I built this from scratch. I made it come alive.
Can I go home yet?"
Tokugawa followed her out to the dining room. "Do you feel like you can
go home?"
"I remembered, didn't I?" Nabiki glared.
"Did you?" he countered.
{foot caught on something and a push from her left sent
her staggering off the curb the concrete bit into her knee}
"Yes," she said, her jaw clenched.
"Not that part," he shook his head. "Back."
{and so here we are, just you... and me... didn't i tell you not
to ever be alone?}
"Mmmm, not that part."
{the hand moved inside her shirt to cup her left breast, fingers
squeezing painfully}
Tokugawa chuckled. "Interesting, but no. You know exactly what
I'm talking about."
{you'll never get a better chance!}
"Almost there..."
{because when you talk about ranma, you almost remind me of him.}
"I didn't say that," Nabiki countered.
"I'd say it still applies, don't you?" Tokugawa stared down at his
fingernails.
"You unbelievable bastard," she snarled at him, a long slim-bladed
knife appearing in her grasp. "I am nothing like him!"
"Whoa there, girl. I think you've had too much practice making things."
He held his hands out in a conciliatory manner, and then Kasumi bustled
in with the tea set.
"Here you go, Father," Kasumi cooed at the sobbing heap on the couch.
Nabiki flicked her fingers open, and the knife disappeared.
"I don't understand," Soun kept crying. "He should be here by now.
They both should be here by now." The man gingerly picked up a hot
cup from the tea set, curling his fingers around the warmth. "I don't
understand."
"What is it, Tendo-san?" 'Ikari' asked his host.
"I'm expecting him to come today... or was it last week? I can't
remember when he's supposed to come, but he promised me he'd be here
with..." Soun burst into tears again, salt tears making runny
tracks down his face.
"Oh, Father, who is it that's supposed to come?"
Soun bawled out, "I can't remember!"
Tokugawa leveled a glare at Nabiki, who'd scowled and turned away.
"Stop!" he commanded, and instantly Soun and Kasumi froze in place,
Akane frozen in mid-leap outside on the grass. "Nabiki." She ignored
him, choosing instead to concentrate on Akane outside. "You can't stop
it. You can't stop him. These events are set in stone, destined to
happen."
Her fist clenched and unclenched, the knife appearing and disappearing
in her grasp. "There are a few set things in the universe, Tendo
Nabiki. The government will always screw with your money, love affairs
will never run smoothly, and Saotome Ranma is going to meet with
Tendo Akane."
Nabiki whirled around to glare at him. "Don't you dare to tell me what
is and isn't in the universe. I made this all by myself! This is my
universe! In my head!" She felt the hot stinging tears in her eyes
and ignored them. "Saotome Ranma doesn't belong anywhere near me
or Akane. He's a psychopath, he's a killer--"
"He's just like you."
Nabiki screamed soundlessly, her face twisted up in rage. She felt her
arm lift itself up, watched the blade fly from her hand, straight as
an arrow towards Tokugawa.
It landed in his throat with a sickening splurch, the blade piercing the
Adam's apple, a rivulet of blood pouring down his throat, staining his
yellow shirt into a sickly orange.
"See?" Nabiki's gaze was riveted to the blade, obscenely bobbing up
and down with each word he spoke. "You conspired to have him killed.
You set up the trap yourself. You watched as he hung there, his grasp
slipping bit by bit. And when he didn't fall, you heard a voice in
your head."
{Not today, Nabiki-chan, not today. Nice try, though.}
"Whose voice do you think that is?" he gurgled, a steady trickle of blood
appearing at the corner of his mouth.
"Ranma's," she glared sullenly.
"Is it?" He glanced down impassively at his now orange shirt. "I think
you're ready now. Actually, I'm not sure if you're ready, but anything
is better than having you make attempts on my life." Nabiki winced at
that statement. He wiped his hand across his lips, blood smearing over
his lips and teeth. "You know where to go. You know what to do. Go."
She nodded angrily. And Nabiki went.
************************************
["Nabiki, stop it!" Akane's little face scrunched up in a pout as she
trailed behind her big sister. Nabiki laughed, and so did the
girl walking beside her.
"C'mon, little sister. You're supposed to be the big shot martial
artist of the family," Nabiki grinned. "Don't tell me you're
afraid of a little temple with a little cursed ghost hanging around
it?"
Akane's bravado won out over her fear. "I'm five years old! I'm not
afraid of anything!"
"Okay then." Nabiki's eyes gleamed. "If you're so scared, you won't be
afraid to camp out in front of it, would you? A bet, maybe?"
Manami turned to glare at Nabiki, but Akane jumped up and down. "I can
do it! Of course I can! You name your price, Nabiki-chan!"
Manami dug her elbow into Nabiki's side, but the girl ignored it.
"1000 yen says you won't do it, Akane. And you have to promise not
to tell Mom or Dad about it."
Akane stuck her hand out. "It's a deal!" Nabiki and Akane shook hands,
and the girl took off running, giving the entrance of the temple
a wide berth and sticking her tongue out at it.
"Why'd you do that, Nabiki?" Manami asked, a concerned look on her face.
"She might get hurt."
Nabiki snorted. "She's not gonna do it. She'll get within one foot of the
entrance and bug out. You'll see. And we'll have the money to go
get those cute school supplies."
"If you say so, Nabiki," Manami sighed.]
As she stood in front of the Oni Shrine, she remembered that day with
much clarity. Sure enough, when the time had come for Nabiki to leave
Akane in front of the shrine, Akane had collapsed into tears and shakes,
blubbering at the sight of the crumbling walls and the "DANGER: DO NOT
ENTER" signs. Telling her about that little girl who had died doing
the same exact thing didn't help much either, and Akane screamed all the
way home, pouring out her troubles in Mother's lap.
What a switching she'd gotten for it! Finally, when *she* had finished
crying and blubbering, her mother hugged her to her chest and said,
"Nabiki, you have a big responsibility being older than Akane. It's not
very nice to take advantage of her like that. Promise me you will never
do that again?"
Nabiki had nodded solemnly...and resolved from then on to use subtler ways
to influence her sisters. It paid off, too, so well, that Nabiki never
had to wash the dishes, cook or inherit the dojo. If the trade off was
that the whole world saw her as a money grubbing bitch... well then,
that wasn't her problem, was it?
Nabiki stared at the temple 20 yards in front of her--20 yards and
certain death, for someone had taken out the stakes that marked where
all the sinkholes were, and filled in the holes with matching sod.
Nabiki smirked. "Very clever," she said to her psychotic adversary.
"I knew you weren't dumb, Ranma. Using my own ploy against me? Two can
play at that game." With that, she reached down into her imagination...
...and came up empty.
Nabiki blinked. "C'mon," she muttered. "I need a bridge!" She imagined
a long steel bridge, spanning the distance between her and the temple
doors, sturdy and strong, rooted in concrete.
Nothing.
"Maybe it's like a computer. Maybe I need to dump some stuff before I
make this bridge," Nabiki wondered aloud. Alright, she can do that.
Instantly, everything around her blinked out of existence, leaving only
the temple and the grounds surrounding it.
"Okay, bridge on!" Nabiki summoned the image of the bridge again, this
time adding some nifty swords at her end.
nabiki, nabiki you don't think *you* did that all yourself
made everything else disappear i have the power now
"Ranma!" His name fell from her lips, her jaw tensing up and a fire
lighting her eyes. "You bastard!"
A mocking laugh filled the air.
come get me if you can
Time for Plan B. When she saw Akane and Ukyo come in through the
front doors, she knew that she couldn't get out the same way she'd
gotten in, because they might spot her leaving the temple. So, she'd
devised a fail safe route through the back of the temple, using the
exposed tree roots as stepping stones.
Nabiki trotted around the temple, scrabbling up and over the fence
to the first tree, marked only by her memory. Gathering up all her
strength, she leapt to the third root from the left, bunched up her
legs again, and leapt across a yawning gap of land to the tree opposite.
It was almost rhythmic. Turn, jump, grab, steady your balance, turn and
jump again. She had gotten into the groove, two trees away from the back
gate when she noticed a flash of red out of the corner of her eye.
Ranma! Startled, she misjudged the last jump and shot over the root,
skittering to the edge of a large hole. Her hands clawed out, reaching
for any purchase she could find--a root, a rock, anything.
Once again, that mocking laugh filled the air, and she felt a heavy
foot stomp on her right hand. Pain exploded, as all four fingers
snapped out of their sockets. Nabiki cried out, and turning, plunged
into the darkness below.
*****************************************
"b.p.'s decreasing."
"what's going on? where are you taking nabiki?"
"someone get these people out of here."
"i'm afraid both of you will have to wait outside".
"clear the o. r."
"nabiki! don't go, we love you!"
"hold on, nabiki! hold on!"
******************************************
"Head aching, vision blurry, large lump.... Yep, I'm probably
concussed."
When Nabiki came to, she found herself at the very bottom of a large
hole. High above her the small circle of light mocked as she struggled
to her feet, immediately wincing when she attempted to stand.
"Left ankle is probably twisted, no make that broken," Nabiki mused to
herself, staring dispassionately at the large tomato that had sprouted
above her left foot. "I haven't seen swelling that huge since Kunou broke
his leg."
no matter you'll be dead soon
"Listen, you little shit," Nabiki growled into the darkness around her.
"I am fucking tired of this! You wanna come get me? Then show yourself
and we'll settle this face to face!"
poor little nabiki are you scared do i frighten you
"Like hell you do," Nabiki spat on the floor.
oh i know i scare you you see me in your nightmares you see
me in your daydreams you'll never be able to get rid of me as
long as you live
so you have to die
A fist rocketed out of the gloom, catching Nabiki under the chin, sending
her sprawling across the empty space and crashing into a wall. Dirt rained
down upon her, her eyes stinging from the pain. She felt her right hand
yanked up, jagged shards of pain traveling from her fingers all the way
up her arm.
you know i can kill you without a thought you'll disintegrate bit
by bit an eyeball here a hand there
A frission of fear wormed its way into Nabiki's belly, her mind screaming
defiance even as her right hand was tugged, tugged, tugged until it
plopped off with a squishy splurch.
"No!" Pain laced Nabiki's anger with a tremulous tone, her inner
strength quivering under the assault. She doubled over, gasping for
breath. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness, and Nabiki tilted her head
up, and cradled her profusely bleeding stump to her stomach. A form
towered above her, a figure in dark pants and a dark shirt.
you keep trying to deny the undeniable i am here and i am here
to stay
"Fuck you, Ranma!" Nabiki cried.
From out of the darkness came a rolicking, gut-wrenching laugh.
you think i'm ranma that's priceless i never thought you'd be so
dumb as to completely miss the obvious
A whisper floated across her tear-streaked face, as she felt lips
lightly touching her own.
i am you
*********************************
Nabiki watched from her hiding spot in the tower as Ranma entered the
temple. He looked around warily, as he should, then stepped closer
to the light.
"Who are you, dead man?" he ordered the dummy she'd placed at
the opposite end of the room. It was a rather clever feat, no one
else would have been able to calculate the precise system of pulleys
and levers that had placed the chair in the exact spot she'd picked.
"Arrogant, insufferable bastard," she muttered under her breath.
Flicking the microphone on, she intoned, "I'm the one who will see
you die." It really was worth the extra money to get the receiver
*with* the digitally enhanced equalizer. "See you die and rot in
hell," she whispered.
Nabiki didn't even need to watch to know the precise moment he fell
through the floor, weakened by weeks of preparation. It would have
taken less time if one of her associates had helped her, but this was
Nabiki's special project.
No longer would he terrify her. No longer would he take away
every bit of security she'd enjoyed in her home. No more would
she have to endure his presence on earth.
Tendo Nabiki folded up the microphone, smiled, and waited for
Ranma to lose his grip.
*************************
"oh her? why's she here again?"
"some sort of spontaneous internal bleeding in her right arm."
"we can't explain it."
"scalpel."
"are we recording this? it would make for a great case study."
"more blood. we need more blood."
"i really dig this song."
"i can lend you the cd if you'd like."
"suction."
***************************
Why didn't he just fall already?
Nabiki munched on a sandwich, her binoculars balanced on the
rotting wood of her watchtower. "If he keeps this up, I'm gonna
have to start throwing rocks at him or something," she said,
shaking her head.
She knew that he was strong. She knew that he would have been
able to survive the long drop, calculating on a couple broken
bones and a head injury. Then, he'd be in the bottom of the pit,
and she could go home happy.
But to be able to hold on to that tiny piece of concrete for that
long? Nabiki cursed herself for the lapse in judgement.
The longer he held on, the more likely there was a chance of
Akane finding the challenge note. And when Akane found it,
she would rush over in "hero mode" and rescue him all by herself,
cementing Ranma's hold upon her.
Which is why Nabiki had to do something about Ranma now. She figured that
he'd be extremely pissed off at this point for having fallen for the
trap, so a short range attack would do her no good. It's a shame
she couldn't just stomp real hard on his fingers, making him plummet
to the ground below. Long range attack was fine, but she had no
ammunition to hurl at him, not even an ornamental stone. Pity she didn't
have a gun, one of those guns that had the laser sight--just like
the movies. She'd play her little laser over Ranma's face, aiming
for the right eye, then pull the trigger, sending bone fragments and
blood flying all over the temple grounds.
She sighed, cleaning up the remains of her lunch and settled back
into her waiting position, peering forth into the binoculars.
****************************
"she's slipping again"
"i need more time"
"she keeps sucking up the blood and it's not helping"
"c'mon, girl, live"
****************************
"What?"
Nabiki pulled back, passed a hand over her weary eyes, then looked again.
Ranma wasn't there.
"Did he fall?" She stood up, and leaned over the low wall that
surrounded her hidey-hole. "If he fell, he would have made some
sort of sound." A scream, a moan, a "I'm gonna get you, bastard"
... anything.
Should she go? This could be a trick. He could still be hanging
around down there, and when she goes up to check on him, he'll swing
up using some esoteric martial art form and with one blow from his
toenail, send her tumbling down into the abyss below.
But what if he did fall? She could go home and be at peace finally.
Akane'd get over him, his dad sure would be glad to get rid of
him, not a single soul would miss him at all. Sure, the Hibikis
wouldn't get to have their revenge, but too bad for them. The sooner
Saotome Ranma died, the better for everyone.
Decisions, decisions....
*******************************
"we've got a choice here"
"i can do it, i just need a couple more minutes"
"she's losing too much blood"
"we don't know what's wrong"
"five minutes, damnit"
"we're losing her"
********************************
"Fuck it. He dies."
Nabiki descended the watchtower stairs two steps at a time. She grabbed a
near-rotted piece of wood from the bottom of the stairs and hefted
it in her grasp. It felt heavy. It felt good.
Gingerly, she made her way around the perimeter of the main room of
the temple, pausing slightly across from the huge moss-encrusted
statue of Buddha. "Wish me luck, big guy," she saluted him, and
cautiously approached the pit.
"Time to die, Ranma!" she cried, and swung her bat.
Nabiki looked up at herself and screamed.
*********************************
"she's going into convulsions!"
"two minutes"
**********************************
As if in slow motion, Nabiki saw herself bring the wood across, arms
fully extended, like a baseball player hitting a home run ball
out of the park. Her stump reached up belatedly as fire blossomed
across her eyes, rattling them in their sockets.
Nabiki turned with the force of the blow, her head snapping harshly
to the right, an audible "pop!" echoing in her ears. She swayed in
a lazy arc, turning, turning towards the darkness below.
[cameaftermeandtherewasnowheretorun]
A second blow caught her from the opposite direction, and her head
snapped back to center, watering eyes glued to the sight above her.
[we'relosingher]
Ranma was Nabiki.
nabiki is ranma.
Nabiki.
Ranma.
Nabiki.
{i am you}
Nabiki.
[elightandthedar]
Nabiki raised her club one more time.
Nabiki lost her grip.
She turned as she fell, fell, fall, falling into the darkness of the pit.
********************************
"flatline!"
"get the paddles"
"one more minute"
********************************
[Nabiki, there she was, just a few feet away,
club raised high]
[her vision faded to purple,
then black, she couldn't see]
[she was afraid, please no, she was triumphant]
[ground rippled and rushed up at her, please no]
[turning, falling]
[turning over, eyes wide open to the world, falling in space
and time and meaning, heartbeat bursting out of her chest]
[falling into darkness, seeing a silver
strand of light grasping out for it...]
*********************************
And Nabiki opened her eyes.
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
[Original notes from first publication]
7-25-99: One down, one to go. It's kinda funny how the idea for
this fanfic got generated. I had just finished "Kasumi the Biker
Slut" and was totally jazzed when I got word that I finished second
place in the Best of Ranma monthly voting. Thrilled with my win,
I bragged about how my next story would be something like, "Nabiki
the Submissive Lesbian"--which unfortunately has already been done
in some form or another.
Then, IMBS ended.
Obviously, the Keep Rats had a lot to say about it, and most vocal
was Lara Bartram who thought that Ranma should die and Nabiki got the
shaft in the whole deal. She decided to write her
own side story crossover, "SWiM/BiCS" (you must ask her for the
correct acronym explanation) that deals with two Nabikis crossing
over into each others' universes.
That, of course, got me thinking. When would Nabiki wake up? If she
did wake up, what would she be like? And what *does* a person see
when he/she is in a coma? Hence, with Mike's permission and approval,
this story was born.
I am very proud of this work as it is the first official side story.
I hope that other people can see this work and possibly write
their own. Perhaps a story from Ryouga Hibiki's point of view...?
I'd like to thank Susan Doenime and Mike Loader for writing such excellent
source material and creating a wonderful universe full of rich, well-
written characters and my prereaders (the Keep Rats) for putting up with
the constant NabiComa updates.
Like I said, one down, one to go.......
an Ill Met by Starlight side story
by Trisha L. Sebastian
Disclaimer: This is a side-story to that wonderfully dark story called
'Ill Met by Starlight' written by two wonderfully *not* insane
folks, Susan Doenime and Mike Loader. I got permission from
Mike to 'borrow' Nabiki, since they sure weren't using her
at the time. ^_- Spoilers for "Ill Met by Starlight"
In addition, there is some intense language in some parts of this
fic, so if it offends you, please complain elsewhere. I did
warn you, didn't I?
{The crowds thickened, and Nabiki saw the gate of the station
just ahead. Elbowing and pushing her way through the mass of
people, she made for it.}
"we're losing her, we're losing her..."
{She had given it her best shot. Akane would have to do the
best she could, too. Which probably would be considerable. Her
little sister could surprise. Certainly she had never expected
Akane to save...}
{Her foot caught on something, and a push from her left sent
her staggering off the curb. The concrete bit into her knee, and
she picked herself up, irritated at...}
"benny goodman?"
{The scream of brakes became the world, and Nabiki stared in
fascination at the silverglinting radiator grill, shining cold in
the sun. Movement off to her left but that didn't oh my god...}
"careful."
{She was hurt, fuck, bad, oh God, she couldn't move.... her left
arm was flopping like a fish, and she didn't want it to... why
was it doing that, oh no, no, no...}
"nah, it's cole porter."
{She opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out, just
a red, bubbling froth that welled up, choking her. No, please,
no...}
"mr. tendou, i'm sorry to say..."
{The muscles of her neck seemed to turn to jelly, and her head
slipped to one side as the red mist in her eyes began to grow
deeper, deeper... Ranma, there he was, just a few feet away,
with that odd expression...}
{The red of his shirt blended with the red in her vision and
faded to purple, then black, she couldn't see, no, no...}
"ranma jumped out..."
{Her sense of self wavered, no, she didn't want to, God, no,
she was afraid, please no, it rippled and rushed up at her, no,
please no...}
OH GOD I DON'T WANT TO DIE PLEASE I DON'T WANT T
***************
Nabiki opened her eyes to find herself standing in front of the
train station, facing the street. A large car was stopped in the middle
of the street, the motor still running. It was the only sound.
Nabiki turned around. Usually on a day like this (what was today?)
the station would be preparing for the rush of commuters on their
way home. The ramen shop would just start boiling the
noodles they use to fuel the ravenous salarymen getting off the train.
The vending machines would get their innards stuffed with candy
bars, newspapers and socks. A woman with a stroller, or maybe
two women would sit down on the bench facing the station singing a simple
song to their children, waiting for their husbands to come home (what
was home?).
But the whole station was silent. Nabiki's brow furrowed with
concentration. Was there some sort of holiday that she wasn't aware
of? Where would everyone go? She tried to remember what
happened just before she got to the train station, and crumpled to
the ground screaming.
{hecameaftermeandtherewasnowheretorunandhe'llkillmeandrapemeand
throwmybodytothewolveshe'llkillakaneandkasumiandfatherandomigod
ican'tstophimandthecarcameandthelightandthedarknessandican'tsto
phimican'tstophimIcan'tstophimIcan'tstophimI CAN'T STOP HIM!!!}
Nabiki ran, blinded by the tears in her eyes towards the ticket
counter. Finding no one there (and where was her money?) she
vaulted over the turnstiles, running towards the tracks. A loud
rumbling noise greeted her as the red and black train pulled in
to the station. Nabiki tried to stop, but her feet pulled her
inexorably towards the edge of the platform, throwing her over
into the path of the train.
***********************
Nabiki opened her eyes to find herself standing in front of the
train station, facing the street. A large car was stopped in the middle
of the street, the motor still running. It was the only sound.
She turned around to face the train station, but shuddered at
the thought of going inside. Instead she walked down the street
towards the nearest bus stop. Nabiki had to leave town as quickly
as possible... she just couldn't remember why. All she knew was that
she had to leave, taking nothing with her, leaving everyone behind.
As she walked, Nabiki thought about her family, and why she would
have to leave them. Dear father, so happy at the fact that his
daughters were growing up so nicely. Dear Kasumi, tidying up
after everyone, becoming the mother they'd lost so long ago.
Dear Akane, sweet and trusting, entirely too trusting when it came to
psychotic lunatics who kill cats and stare at you with piercing,
mocking eyes.
She reached the bus station in no time, and sat down on the bench.
There was no traffic in the street, no one on the sidewalk. That
was why it was such a surprise when the steamroller came
from behind her, squashing her flat.
**********************
Nabiki opened her eyes to find herself standing in front of the
train station, facing the street. A large car was stopped in the middle
of the street, the motor still running. It was the only sound.
She turned away from the train station, ignored the bus stop and
jumped into the rumbling car. Nabiki had never driven a car before,
but desperation is an excellent motivator. She scrunched her eyes
at the controls, trying to read the dials. "Here goes nothing,"
she murmured, disengaging the parking brake and gingerly pressing
her foot to the pedal (was it the right one?).
The car lurched forward, and stopped short. Nabiki looked around
at the car. "Oops, stick shift... now let's see..." She reached
for the key to start it again, but realized that there was no
key in the ignition. And the doors were locked.
That's why she made such a perfect sitting duck for the semi-truck
to roll right over her.
*************************
Nabiki opened her eyes... and fell into the drainage canal and
drowned.
**********************
Nabiki opened her eyes... and was run over by a rampaging wild boar.
***********************
Nabiki opened her eyes... and screamed as the yakuza hitman riddled her
with bullets.
**********************
Nabiki opened her eyes... and was squashed by a falling 40-foot
crucifix.
**********************
Nabiki opened her eyes to find herself standing in front of the
train station, facing the street. A large car was stopped in the middle
of the street, the motor still running. It was the only sound.
"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS! WHY DO I KEEP DYING! SOMEONE'S GOT
A LOT TO EXPLAIN!" Nabiki shouted, head tilted back to the sky.
"Took you long enough to ask."
Nabiki whirled around to face a samurai in medieval armor, a katana
at his hip. She made warding gestures. "Stay back, don't kill me."
"I'm not going to kill you, not like this. Too unimaginative," the man
said, picking at his fingernails with a toothpick. "Handy little buggers,
these are."
"Why not? Everyone else seems to have it in for me today," Nabiki
grumbled. (What was today?)
"Not everyone, just you."
"What?"
"What's the last thing you remember?" the man asked, starting in
on his pinky finger.
wolveshe'llkillakaneandkasumiandfatherandomigodican'tst
ophimandthecarcameand--
"Shh... it's okay. Take a deep breath." The man reached for a
canteen. "Water?"
Nabiki shook her head. Why couldn't she remember? She started
to edge away from the man.
"Hey, wait! You don't want to go that way!"
Nabiki shouted back, "I don't care, I just have to get out of here!"
She took off running towards the city limits.
The man sat down on the hood of the car. "She'll be back."
***********************
Nabiki opened her eyes... and pounced on the man sitting on the hood
of the car, his throat between her hands. "Explain!"
"*ack*... stop choking me and *ergh* I'll explain!"
Nabiki settled down and glared at the man. "What the hell is going
on here?"
"For me to explain, you have to remember. And for you to remember,
you have to stop running away," he said, sliding off the hood.
She gritted her teeth. "I don't want to remember."
"Then you're never going to leave. You'll rot here forever, wasting
away, disintegrating bit by bit until there's nothing left. And
then you'll die for real," he intoned. "Get it together, Tendo
Nabiki."
"You mean I'm not dead?" Nabiki asked.
"Not dead yet," he amended. "There were some rough spots, but luckily,
they got you to the hospital in time."
"Hospital?" Flashes of light caught Nabiki's eye and she remembered
antiseptic lights, blood and a red and black blur mocking her.
She shook her head to get the cobwebs out.
The man nodded. "Maybe you just weren't healed enough to handle the
memories. Do you think you're strong enough now?"
Healed. Dead. Hospital. A name....
"Ranma," Nabiki whispered, as it all came back to her.
*******************
[Ranma, there he was, just a few feet away,
with that odd expression]
[The red of his shirt blended with the red in her vision and
faded to purple, then black, she couldn't see]
[she didn't want to, God, no, she was afraid, please no,
it rippled and rushed up at her, no, please no]
[turning, falling, her head smacking against the bumper,
red mist spraying over the shining grill]
[turning over, eyes wide open to the world, falling in space
and time and meaning, heartbeat bursting out of her chest]
[falling into darkness, seeing a silver
strand of light grasping out for it...]
...and missing.
*********************
Nabiki opened her eyes. "So, I'm in a coma."
"Very good! I knew you'd figure it out," the man said, taking
a swig of his water canteen. He offered it to Nabiki, who
declined. "You're much smarter than I thought you'd be."
"Thanks," Nabiki said wryly. "So, if I'm in a coma, then are
you a guardian angel?" And if he was a guardian angel, where
was she when she was getting hit by a car?
"Nope. I'm lucky enough *not* to get that duty, though this
seems like it might be worse."
"Who are you?"
"You can call me your celestial social worker. Everyone else calls
me Ishmael," he smiled. Nabiki raised an eyebrow at him. "Okay,
lame joke. In your world, I was known as Tokugawa Ieyasu."
"The first shogun of Japan?"
"Who were you expecting, someone like Bill Gates?"
Nabiki crossed her arms. "Well, you only conquered Japan. Gates-san
has over 90% market share."
Tokugawa leaned forward with a predator's smile. "I was cunning,
ruthless, intelligent, manipulative, diplomatic, Machiavellian,
ambitious, and looked great in a bikini."
"Well, when you put it that way..." Nabiki paused. Bikini?
"Anyway, it's my job to make sure that you're safe in this dream
world you've created," he said, "and that means no running off into
the sunset. You've got a problem here, and you've got to solve it."
"But couldn't you tell me in person, rather than letting me die over
and over?" Nabiki said icily.
Tokugawa shrugged. "It wouldn't have been as much fun."
Nabiki sighed gustily. This could be a long coma. "So, what's
the game plan, Toki-chan?" She ignored the raised eyebrow he was
giving her. "I know now that I can't leave this 'Nerima', so what do
I do now?"
"Use the Force, Nabiki."
"What?"
"I've always wanted to say that," Tokugawa chuckled. "Quite frankly, I
still don't think you're in any condition to do what you need to do
to get out of this coma, but my superiors think otherwise."
"I remembered what happened when I... got to the train station,
didn't I?" Nabiki countered. "If I was healed enough for that, then
why can't I just wake up out of this coma and get back to the real world?"
"Healed? You think you're healed?" Tokugawa swept an arm around.
"Look at this place!"
"So?" Nabiki frowned. "What if I like the peace and quiet?"
"The real world is not supposed to be this way, Nabiki. You know that."
Tokugawa leaned forward. "And to tell the truth, I don't even think
you want to wake up."
"Of course I want to wake up! Do you know how many debts I have to collect?"
Nabiki asked. Tokugawa remained silent. "And my birthday's coming up
in six months, so I have to start reminding people of what I want,
there's a math test next week, and I have to tell Hikaru to..."
Nabiki trailed off, her mouth suddenly dry. She turned to Tokugawa.
"How is Hikaru?"
He shrugged. "Don't know, don't care."
"But Ranma went after him. He could be seriously hurt!"
"From what I could tell of this Ranma fellow, he isn't interested
in bystanders. If he was merely trying to get to you, then he would
have cracked this Hikaru's ribs, maybe broken his arm or something."
"How do you know this?" Nabiki tightened her lips.
"It's what I would have done," Tokugawa replied. "And if you had been
the least bit interested in furthering your martial arts, it's what
you would have done, too."
Nabiki blinked. "I am not like that psychopath."
"He's not a psychopath. He's a control freak. So are you."
Tokugawa walked around her, and she followed him with her eyes.
"You can't stand to have things in disorder. Everything has to be
exactly the way you want it, or you don't play ball. Remember the
school play back in elementary school?" Nabiki's eyes turned hard.
"You wanted the lead role, but it went to one of your classmates.
You didn't want to be the understudy, so what did you do?" Nabiki looked
down at her feet. "You got one of the sandwiches Akane made and gave
it to her as a 'good luck present'. And she had to be rushed to the
infirmary. And you got to be the lead."
"That was a long time ago."
Tokugawa smiled at Nabiki. "Old habits die hard, 'Nabi-chan'."
Nabiki shivered and turned away. "I'm not like him. Not at all," she
whispered.
"The more you deny it, the less you're gonna heal." He snapped his
fingers. "Maybe *that's* what you gotta do to get out of this coma."
"You mean you don't know?"
"They won't tell me," shrugged Tokugawa. "They said it had to do with
this Ranma guy, but they didn't specify."
"Great supervisors you got." Nabiki paused. "Who are 'they' exactly?"
"Can't tell you. Mortals aren't ready for the true answer."
"But I'm in a coma," smiled Nabiki. "Doesn't that count for something?"
Tokugawa laughed, clutching his sides. "Now I know you're not ready.
Go! Examine this world and see what you can make of it." Laughing, he
vaulted over the car and disappeared.
Nabiki shook her head. "What a strange man."
***************************
Nabiki perused the misshapen lump on the ground in front of her. It
stared back, the two eyes on one side of its skull a leering crimson.
The back was all wrong, and instead of six whiskers and one tail, she
got six tails and one whisker--coming out of its nose.
"I think it's a pretty good cat," Nabiki grumbled, poking it with a
stick. She sighed gustily. "Who am I kidding? Maybe I need to go back
to the library and get some more books."
Nabiki blinked, and the misshapen lump disappeared. At least she'd
gotten the hang of *that* trick. It was starting to get crowded in
her coma world with her failed experiments at creation hanging around.
There are only so many places you can hide lifeless, cubist giraffes.
Nabiki walked down to the library, the street littered with cars.
None of them were running, not yet at least. To get a car to run, you
needed people to start them. "And I'm not even good at making *insects*
yet!" Nabiki growled aloud, watching a five legged ant the size of a
Lhasa Apso skitter past her. She would have destroyed the thing long
ago, but just seeing it move was proof that she had the power within
her to populate this world. Besides, she loved to watch it beg for
scraps she "conjured" up from nothing.
"Apsie," she said to the ant-dog, "is it just me, or am I going crazy?"
Apsie shook its antennae and skittered away towards a flowerbed,
burying its mouth in the pollen of the flowers.
"I mean, I've been here for who knows how long without any company
(yourself excluded), wracking my brains out trying to figure out what
the secret of life is." Nabiki put her hands in her pocket. "At
least I figured out how to make books and cups and food."
But what good are books and cups and food, when they aren't enough
to get you home? Nabiki felt like crying. Where had she gone wrong?
Sitting on the curb, she carefully went over her efforts from the past
week.
On the first day, Nabiki cut her hand on a signpost when it sprung up
in front of her, instead of across the street. Once she made it out
of the train station area, she'd found to her dismay that the rest of
the city was blank. Not like a coloring book blank, where there are
outlines and you fill in the color. It was like the world was a clean
sheet of paper, and Nabiki was holding the pencil. So she tried to
reconstruct the town as best as she could from her memory (which was
quite a considerable task, considering she was in a coma and dealing
with a head injury). She made it all the way over to the dojo when
night fell.
On the second day, Nabiki was almost flattened when she realized the
armoire had only two legs. Now that she'd gotten the buildings up,
she started to furnish them. Great detail went into her room, less
in Akane's, even less than Kasumi's. She was so excited when she'd
finished the house, that she went out and did all the houses on the
street, then the school, then the offices. It wasn't until Nabiki got
to the business district that she realized she was hungry.
On the third day, Nabiki recalled why she always let Kasumi do the
cooking. She couldn't make anything from scratch, let alone any-
thing from a box. After the fourth hamburger went up in flames on
the grill, she had shrieked and decided to scrap the whole project. So
who needs home cooked meals anyway? Packaged stuff was just as good.
Nabiki remembered with fondness the little convenience store just down
the street from her house, and taking her bicycle from the gate, pedaled
all the way down there. She feasted that night, watching old reruns
on TV, content with her cup of instant ramen.
By the fifth day, the silence was starting to get to her. Oh, sure,
she had the TV, and the radio, and the CDs, but it was all the same
stuff she'd remembered. Nothing changed. There was no one to talk to
besides herself (and she had once read that talking to yourself was a
sure sign of lunacy), and no one to listen to. So, she'd gotten off
her butt, and hightailed it down to the library. There, in the stacks,
she found lots of picture books on animals and plants and people, and
started to get to work.
Nabiki looked down at Apsie. "Six days, and I still haven't figured
out how to do real living things yet. They always end up looking
deformed, or once they start to look right, they don't move, like dolls."
Apsie barked, then moved to lick her face. Nabiki smiled. "If I didn't
have eyes, I would think you were a real dog." Apsie barked again,
then pounced at her, toppling her over onto her back. Rough doggy
tongue assaulted her face, and she closed her eyes, giggling and delight-
ing in the feel of the dog.
Nabiki's eyes flew open, and her jaw dropped as Apsie jumped off of
her, his fur glistening in the sunlight. He shook his ears, and
bounded off again, in chase of a butterfly that had flown across his
path.
"Oh my God, what did I do? How did I do that?" Nabiki stared
glassily at the dog frolicking with the butterfly. "I closed my eyes,
and remembered the time at Tai Park, when Mother and Father took us out
for a picnic lunch, and we saw the dog, and he played with me, and
there were ducks..."
To her right, a flock of ducks rose from the lake, calling out to
one another. A boy with a balloon ran down the path, chased by a
girl with pigtails. And on the hill, Mother and Father sat, smiling
at their other two children, eating their sandwiches contentedly.
It was the seventh day. And Nabiki rested.
*********************
"The mailman's here!" Kasumi called out from the kitchen.
Nabiki jumped to her feet. "I'll get it," she called back.
"Let me know if there's anything for me," Soun said, reading his
newspaper.
Nabiki nodded, passing through the hallways and out the front door.
She tripped lightly down to the mailbox at the front gate, taking out
the various envelopes and circulars, placing a thin card in her pocket.
Chuckling, she turned to go back into the house.
"Looks like you've done mighty well for yourself, Nabiki."
Nabiki smiled. "Toki-chan... I didn't expect to see you here."
"Really." He was dressed in a polo shirt and slacks, leaning idly
against the gatepost. "I can't let my charge down, can I?"
"I suppose not." She looked down at the mail in her hands.
He smiled suddenly, a beautiful, terrible smile. "Aren't you going to
introduce me to your family?"
"Sure, I was just going to do that, Toki-chan." Nabiki smiled in
return, a cold steel under her eyes. Silently, she led the way back into
the house. When she opened the door, her father rushed up to her.
"Is there anything for me?" he asked, a gleam in his eyes.
"Nope, Dad. Just some bills and a flyer for the new supermarket
downtown." She nodded to Tokugawa. "This here is--"
"Ikari Gendou." Tokugawa bowed to Soun. "I'm a friend of your
daughter's."
"Oh, how nice," Soun beamed. "It's so nice to have friends. Why, just
the other day...." Soun started to cry, big fat tears welling up in his
eyes.
"Oh, Father, you must lie down," interjected Kasumi, rushing from the
kitchen to intercept Soun. She escorted him to the couch and pressed
him firmly into the cushions. "Let me get you some tea." Kasumi
rushed back to the kitchen, her hands fluttering.
"Seems like things are going smoothly here, Nabi-chan," Tokugawa
smiled.
"What's with the 'Ikari' stuff?" Nabiki deliberatly ignored the
underlying content of his deceptively bland statement.
"I don't think your family wants to be bothered with who I really am,"
he sighed, taking off his shoes. "I know you don't."
Nabiki snorted in derision. "Listen, whoever you are, whatever you are,
I don't care. I just want to get back to my normal life." The sound
of a feminine yell drifted in from the backyard and Nabiki crossed the hall
to the back porch. Her gaze was drawn to Akane, breaking bricks in front
of the dojo. "Look, I built this from scratch. I made it come alive.
Can I go home yet?"
Tokugawa followed her out to the dining room. "Do you feel like you can
go home?"
"I remembered, didn't I?" Nabiki glared.
"Did you?" he countered.
{foot caught on something and a push from her left sent
her staggering off the curb the concrete bit into her knee}
"Yes," she said, her jaw clenched.
"Not that part," he shook his head. "Back."
{and so here we are, just you... and me... didn't i tell you not
to ever be alone?}
"Mmmm, not that part."
{the hand moved inside her shirt to cup her left breast, fingers
squeezing painfully}
Tokugawa chuckled. "Interesting, but no. You know exactly what
I'm talking about."
{you'll never get a better chance!}
"Almost there..."
{because when you talk about ranma, you almost remind me of him.}
"I didn't say that," Nabiki countered.
"I'd say it still applies, don't you?" Tokugawa stared down at his
fingernails.
"You unbelievable bastard," she snarled at him, a long slim-bladed
knife appearing in her grasp. "I am nothing like him!"
"Whoa there, girl. I think you've had too much practice making things."
He held his hands out in a conciliatory manner, and then Kasumi bustled
in with the tea set.
"Here you go, Father," Kasumi cooed at the sobbing heap on the couch.
Nabiki flicked her fingers open, and the knife disappeared.
"I don't understand," Soun kept crying. "He should be here by now.
They both should be here by now." The man gingerly picked up a hot
cup from the tea set, curling his fingers around the warmth. "I don't
understand."
"What is it, Tendo-san?" 'Ikari' asked his host.
"I'm expecting him to come today... or was it last week? I can't
remember when he's supposed to come, but he promised me he'd be here
with..." Soun burst into tears again, salt tears making runny
tracks down his face.
"Oh, Father, who is it that's supposed to come?"
Soun bawled out, "I can't remember!"
Tokugawa leveled a glare at Nabiki, who'd scowled and turned away.
"Stop!" he commanded, and instantly Soun and Kasumi froze in place,
Akane frozen in mid-leap outside on the grass. "Nabiki." She ignored
him, choosing instead to concentrate on Akane outside. "You can't stop
it. You can't stop him. These events are set in stone, destined to
happen."
Her fist clenched and unclenched, the knife appearing and disappearing
in her grasp. "There are a few set things in the universe, Tendo
Nabiki. The government will always screw with your money, love affairs
will never run smoothly, and Saotome Ranma is going to meet with
Tendo Akane."
Nabiki whirled around to glare at him. "Don't you dare to tell me what
is and isn't in the universe. I made this all by myself! This is my
universe! In my head!" She felt the hot stinging tears in her eyes
and ignored them. "Saotome Ranma doesn't belong anywhere near me
or Akane. He's a psychopath, he's a killer--"
"He's just like you."
Nabiki screamed soundlessly, her face twisted up in rage. She felt her
arm lift itself up, watched the blade fly from her hand, straight as
an arrow towards Tokugawa.
It landed in his throat with a sickening splurch, the blade piercing the
Adam's apple, a rivulet of blood pouring down his throat, staining his
yellow shirt into a sickly orange.
"See?" Nabiki's gaze was riveted to the blade, obscenely bobbing up
and down with each word he spoke. "You conspired to have him killed.
You set up the trap yourself. You watched as he hung there, his grasp
slipping bit by bit. And when he didn't fall, you heard a voice in
your head."
{Not today, Nabiki-chan, not today. Nice try, though.}
"Whose voice do you think that is?" he gurgled, a steady trickle of blood
appearing at the corner of his mouth.
"Ranma's," she glared sullenly.
"Is it?" He glanced down impassively at his now orange shirt. "I think
you're ready now. Actually, I'm not sure if you're ready, but anything
is better than having you make attempts on my life." Nabiki winced at
that statement. He wiped his hand across his lips, blood smearing over
his lips and teeth. "You know where to go. You know what to do. Go."
She nodded angrily. And Nabiki went.
************************************
["Nabiki, stop it!" Akane's little face scrunched up in a pout as she
trailed behind her big sister. Nabiki laughed, and so did the
girl walking beside her.
"C'mon, little sister. You're supposed to be the big shot martial
artist of the family," Nabiki grinned. "Don't tell me you're
afraid of a little temple with a little cursed ghost hanging around
it?"
Akane's bravado won out over her fear. "I'm five years old! I'm not
afraid of anything!"
"Okay then." Nabiki's eyes gleamed. "If you're so scared, you won't be
afraid to camp out in front of it, would you? A bet, maybe?"
Manami turned to glare at Nabiki, but Akane jumped up and down. "I can
do it! Of course I can! You name your price, Nabiki-chan!"
Manami dug her elbow into Nabiki's side, but the girl ignored it.
"1000 yen says you won't do it, Akane. And you have to promise not
to tell Mom or Dad about it."
Akane stuck her hand out. "It's a deal!" Nabiki and Akane shook hands,
and the girl took off running, giving the entrance of the temple
a wide berth and sticking her tongue out at it.
"Why'd you do that, Nabiki?" Manami asked, a concerned look on her face.
"She might get hurt."
Nabiki snorted. "She's not gonna do it. She'll get within one foot of the
entrance and bug out. You'll see. And we'll have the money to go
get those cute school supplies."
"If you say so, Nabiki," Manami sighed.]
As she stood in front of the Oni Shrine, she remembered that day with
much clarity. Sure enough, when the time had come for Nabiki to leave
Akane in front of the shrine, Akane had collapsed into tears and shakes,
blubbering at the sight of the crumbling walls and the "DANGER: DO NOT
ENTER" signs. Telling her about that little girl who had died doing
the same exact thing didn't help much either, and Akane screamed all the
way home, pouring out her troubles in Mother's lap.
What a switching she'd gotten for it! Finally, when *she* had finished
crying and blubbering, her mother hugged her to her chest and said,
"Nabiki, you have a big responsibility being older than Akane. It's not
very nice to take advantage of her like that. Promise me you will never
do that again?"
Nabiki had nodded solemnly...and resolved from then on to use subtler ways
to influence her sisters. It paid off, too, so well, that Nabiki never
had to wash the dishes, cook or inherit the dojo. If the trade off was
that the whole world saw her as a money grubbing bitch... well then,
that wasn't her problem, was it?
Nabiki stared at the temple 20 yards in front of her--20 yards and
certain death, for someone had taken out the stakes that marked where
all the sinkholes were, and filled in the holes with matching sod.
Nabiki smirked. "Very clever," she said to her psychotic adversary.
"I knew you weren't dumb, Ranma. Using my own ploy against me? Two can
play at that game." With that, she reached down into her imagination...
...and came up empty.
Nabiki blinked. "C'mon," she muttered. "I need a bridge!" She imagined
a long steel bridge, spanning the distance between her and the temple
doors, sturdy and strong, rooted in concrete.
Nothing.
"Maybe it's like a computer. Maybe I need to dump some stuff before I
make this bridge," Nabiki wondered aloud. Alright, she can do that.
Instantly, everything around her blinked out of existence, leaving only
the temple and the grounds surrounding it.
"Okay, bridge on!" Nabiki summoned the image of the bridge again, this
time adding some nifty swords at her end.
nabiki, nabiki you don't think *you* did that all yourself
made everything else disappear i have the power now
"Ranma!" His name fell from her lips, her jaw tensing up and a fire
lighting her eyes. "You bastard!"
A mocking laugh filled the air.
come get me if you can
Time for Plan B. When she saw Akane and Ukyo come in through the
front doors, she knew that she couldn't get out the same way she'd
gotten in, because they might spot her leaving the temple. So, she'd
devised a fail safe route through the back of the temple, using the
exposed tree roots as stepping stones.
Nabiki trotted around the temple, scrabbling up and over the fence
to the first tree, marked only by her memory. Gathering up all her
strength, she leapt to the third root from the left, bunched up her
legs again, and leapt across a yawning gap of land to the tree opposite.
It was almost rhythmic. Turn, jump, grab, steady your balance, turn and
jump again. She had gotten into the groove, two trees away from the back
gate when she noticed a flash of red out of the corner of her eye.
Ranma! Startled, she misjudged the last jump and shot over the root,
skittering to the edge of a large hole. Her hands clawed out, reaching
for any purchase she could find--a root, a rock, anything.
Once again, that mocking laugh filled the air, and she felt a heavy
foot stomp on her right hand. Pain exploded, as all four fingers
snapped out of their sockets. Nabiki cried out, and turning, plunged
into the darkness below.
*****************************************
"b.p.'s decreasing."
"what's going on? where are you taking nabiki?"
"someone get these people out of here."
"i'm afraid both of you will have to wait outside".
"clear the o. r."
"nabiki! don't go, we love you!"
"hold on, nabiki! hold on!"
******************************************
"Head aching, vision blurry, large lump.... Yep, I'm probably
concussed."
When Nabiki came to, she found herself at the very bottom of a large
hole. High above her the small circle of light mocked as she struggled
to her feet, immediately wincing when she attempted to stand.
"Left ankle is probably twisted, no make that broken," Nabiki mused to
herself, staring dispassionately at the large tomato that had sprouted
above her left foot. "I haven't seen swelling that huge since Kunou broke
his leg."
no matter you'll be dead soon
"Listen, you little shit," Nabiki growled into the darkness around her.
"I am fucking tired of this! You wanna come get me? Then show yourself
and we'll settle this face to face!"
poor little nabiki are you scared do i frighten you
"Like hell you do," Nabiki spat on the floor.
oh i know i scare you you see me in your nightmares you see
me in your daydreams you'll never be able to get rid of me as
long as you live
so you have to die
A fist rocketed out of the gloom, catching Nabiki under the chin, sending
her sprawling across the empty space and crashing into a wall. Dirt rained
down upon her, her eyes stinging from the pain. She felt her right hand
yanked up, jagged shards of pain traveling from her fingers all the way
up her arm.
you know i can kill you without a thought you'll disintegrate bit
by bit an eyeball here a hand there
A frission of fear wormed its way into Nabiki's belly, her mind screaming
defiance even as her right hand was tugged, tugged, tugged until it
plopped off with a squishy splurch.
"No!" Pain laced Nabiki's anger with a tremulous tone, her inner
strength quivering under the assault. She doubled over, gasping for
breath. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness, and Nabiki tilted her head
up, and cradled her profusely bleeding stump to her stomach. A form
towered above her, a figure in dark pants and a dark shirt.
you keep trying to deny the undeniable i am here and i am here
to stay
"Fuck you, Ranma!" Nabiki cried.
From out of the darkness came a rolicking, gut-wrenching laugh.
you think i'm ranma that's priceless i never thought you'd be so
dumb as to completely miss the obvious
A whisper floated across her tear-streaked face, as she felt lips
lightly touching her own.
i am you
*********************************
Nabiki watched from her hiding spot in the tower as Ranma entered the
temple. He looked around warily, as he should, then stepped closer
to the light.
"Who are you, dead man?" he ordered the dummy she'd placed at
the opposite end of the room. It was a rather clever feat, no one
else would have been able to calculate the precise system of pulleys
and levers that had placed the chair in the exact spot she'd picked.
"Arrogant, insufferable bastard," she muttered under her breath.
Flicking the microphone on, she intoned, "I'm the one who will see
you die." It really was worth the extra money to get the receiver
*with* the digitally enhanced equalizer. "See you die and rot in
hell," she whispered.
Nabiki didn't even need to watch to know the precise moment he fell
through the floor, weakened by weeks of preparation. It would have
taken less time if one of her associates had helped her, but this was
Nabiki's special project.
No longer would he terrify her. No longer would he take away
every bit of security she'd enjoyed in her home. No more would
she have to endure his presence on earth.
Tendo Nabiki folded up the microphone, smiled, and waited for
Ranma to lose his grip.
*************************
"oh her? why's she here again?"
"some sort of spontaneous internal bleeding in her right arm."
"we can't explain it."
"scalpel."
"are we recording this? it would make for a great case study."
"more blood. we need more blood."
"i really dig this song."
"i can lend you the cd if you'd like."
"suction."
***************************
Why didn't he just fall already?
Nabiki munched on a sandwich, her binoculars balanced on the
rotting wood of her watchtower. "If he keeps this up, I'm gonna
have to start throwing rocks at him or something," she said,
shaking her head.
She knew that he was strong. She knew that he would have been
able to survive the long drop, calculating on a couple broken
bones and a head injury. Then, he'd be in the bottom of the pit,
and she could go home happy.
But to be able to hold on to that tiny piece of concrete for that
long? Nabiki cursed herself for the lapse in judgement.
The longer he held on, the more likely there was a chance of
Akane finding the challenge note. And when Akane found it,
she would rush over in "hero mode" and rescue him all by herself,
cementing Ranma's hold upon her.
Which is why Nabiki had to do something about Ranma now. She figured that
he'd be extremely pissed off at this point for having fallen for the
trap, so a short range attack would do her no good. It's a shame
she couldn't just stomp real hard on his fingers, making him plummet
to the ground below. Long range attack was fine, but she had no
ammunition to hurl at him, not even an ornamental stone. Pity she didn't
have a gun, one of those guns that had the laser sight--just like
the movies. She'd play her little laser over Ranma's face, aiming
for the right eye, then pull the trigger, sending bone fragments and
blood flying all over the temple grounds.
She sighed, cleaning up the remains of her lunch and settled back
into her waiting position, peering forth into the binoculars.
****************************
"she's slipping again"
"i need more time"
"she keeps sucking up the blood and it's not helping"
"c'mon, girl, live"
****************************
"What?"
Nabiki pulled back, passed a hand over her weary eyes, then looked again.
Ranma wasn't there.
"Did he fall?" She stood up, and leaned over the low wall that
surrounded her hidey-hole. "If he fell, he would have made some
sort of sound." A scream, a moan, a "I'm gonna get you, bastard"
... anything.
Should she go? This could be a trick. He could still be hanging
around down there, and when she goes up to check on him, he'll swing
up using some esoteric martial art form and with one blow from his
toenail, send her tumbling down into the abyss below.
But what if he did fall? She could go home and be at peace finally.
Akane'd get over him, his dad sure would be glad to get rid of
him, not a single soul would miss him at all. Sure, the Hibikis
wouldn't get to have their revenge, but too bad for them. The sooner
Saotome Ranma died, the better for everyone.
Decisions, decisions....
*******************************
"we've got a choice here"
"i can do it, i just need a couple more minutes"
"she's losing too much blood"
"we don't know what's wrong"
"five minutes, damnit"
"we're losing her"
********************************
"Fuck it. He dies."
Nabiki descended the watchtower stairs two steps at a time. She grabbed a
near-rotted piece of wood from the bottom of the stairs and hefted
it in her grasp. It felt heavy. It felt good.
Gingerly, she made her way around the perimeter of the main room of
the temple, pausing slightly across from the huge moss-encrusted
statue of Buddha. "Wish me luck, big guy," she saluted him, and
cautiously approached the pit.
"Time to die, Ranma!" she cried, and swung her bat.
Nabiki looked up at herself and screamed.
*********************************
"she's going into convulsions!"
"two minutes"
**********************************
As if in slow motion, Nabiki saw herself bring the wood across, arms
fully extended, like a baseball player hitting a home run ball
out of the park. Her stump reached up belatedly as fire blossomed
across her eyes, rattling them in their sockets.
Nabiki turned with the force of the blow, her head snapping harshly
to the right, an audible "pop!" echoing in her ears. She swayed in
a lazy arc, turning, turning towards the darkness below.
[cameaftermeandtherewasnowheretorun]
A second blow caught her from the opposite direction, and her head
snapped back to center, watering eyes glued to the sight above her.
[we'relosingher]
Ranma was Nabiki.
nabiki is ranma.
Nabiki.
Ranma.
Nabiki.
{i am you}
Nabiki.
[elightandthedar]
Nabiki raised her club one more time.
Nabiki lost her grip.
She turned as she fell, fell, fall, falling into the darkness of the pit.
********************************
"flatline!"
"get the paddles"
"one more minute"
********************************
[Nabiki, there she was, just a few feet away,
club raised high]
[her vision faded to purple,
then black, she couldn't see]
[she was afraid, please no, she was triumphant]
[ground rippled and rushed up at her, please no]
[turning, falling]
[turning over, eyes wide open to the world, falling in space
and time and meaning, heartbeat bursting out of her chest]
[falling into darkness, seeing a silver
strand of light grasping out for it...]
*********************************
And Nabiki opened her eyes.
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
[Original notes from first publication]
7-25-99: One down, one to go. It's kinda funny how the idea for
this fanfic got generated. I had just finished "Kasumi the Biker
Slut" and was totally jazzed when I got word that I finished second
place in the Best of Ranma monthly voting. Thrilled with my win,
I bragged about how my next story would be something like, "Nabiki
the Submissive Lesbian"--which unfortunately has already been done
in some form or another.
Then, IMBS ended.
Obviously, the Keep Rats had a lot to say about it, and most vocal
was Lara Bartram who thought that Ranma should die and Nabiki got the
shaft in the whole deal. She decided to write her
own side story crossover, "SWiM/BiCS" (you must ask her for the
correct acronym explanation) that deals with two Nabikis crossing
over into each others' universes.
That, of course, got me thinking. When would Nabiki wake up? If she
did wake up, what would she be like? And what *does* a person see
when he/she is in a coma? Hence, with Mike's permission and approval,
this story was born.
I am very proud of this work as it is the first official side story.
I hope that other people can see this work and possibly write
their own. Perhaps a story from Ryouga Hibiki's point of view...?
I'd like to thank Susan Doenime and Mike Loader for writing such excellent
source material and creating a wonderful universe full of rich, well-
written characters and my prereaders (the Keep Rats) for putting up with
the constant NabiComa updates.
Like I said, one down, one to go.......