Poetic Irony
Nabiki stumbled through the house, frantically searching for any sign of Ranma. Nodoka, Soun, and Genma looked on with concerned expressions, as she seemed to be wondering aimlessly.
"RANMA!" Nabiki shouted, knowing he was still around, knowing he was watching her, waiting for the opportunity to finish her when it was most convenient. She turned quickly, causing tears of fustration to be sent flying. She knew that there was nothing they could do to stop him, Ranma was proving without a shadow of a doubt that Nabiki was his to do as he pleased.
She ran to her purse, shoving Nodoka and her father out of the way,and found the shade of lipstick that had been used on her mirror. She found it, and stared intensely at the smeared head. He even left evidence of his proximity to his final target. With a roar of fustration, Nabiki threw the ruined lipstick into the wall, cracking it and smearing some of it against the surface of impact.
"RANMA!" she screamed, doing circles to take in all she could of her surroundings, as if she would spot him in the open; smiling darkly at her, taunting her, staring back at her with cold, hard, ruthless eyes that blamed her, as well as his fiancees and Kasumi for the hardships he had faced in his life. "DAMN IT! IF YOU'RE GOING TO KILL ME, DO IT!!!"
Soun quickly came behind Nabiki, and put his hands on her shoulders from behind in a protective manner, "Nabiki, calm down, he's not here! I'm here to protect you from that monster!"
His daughter spun from his grasp, slapping his hands away, "YOU CAN'T STOP HIM! NOT YOU, NOT MR. SAOTOME, NOT THE AMAZONS, NOT THE POLICE, NO ONE!" She turned away from her shocked father, and began screaming again, "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU PLANNING TO DO TO ME, RANMA? JUST GET IT OVER WITH! QUIT PLAYING... playing..."
Nabiki blinked, before she began to chuckle. The other three in the room stared back with surprised looks, when she finally burst into full out laughter.
"Nabiki," Soun said in a firm voice, hoping to gain her attention, "Calm down, it's all going to be okay..."
"THAT'S what the jerk is doing!" Nabiki proclaimed in a small victory of her deduction, "He's trying to break me! He's trying to drive me crazy!" Her wild eyes found three pairs of confused ones, "Don't you get it?" She started, "He spaded Shampoo because she was a horny slut, he beat Kodachi because of her constant surprise attacks, He gave Kasumi a lobotomy, as if she needed an excuse for the way she acted whenever he was in trouble... he wants me to lose control. HE THINKS I'M THE ONE WHO'S ALWAYS IN CONTROL OF THINGS!" Nabiki chocked down the chuckles that were threatening to erupt, while wiping the tears from her eyes, "Well, Ranma, you're not going to win that way. I'm afraid that you're just going to have to change your plans. YOU HEAR ME, RANMA? I KNOW YOU CAN! IF YOU WANT YOUR DAMN REVENGE, YOU'RE JUST GOING TO HAVE TO KILL ME! YOU UNDERSTAND?!?"
The challenge had been issued.
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"Ranma..." a soothing femenine voice cooed, as she approached the figure that sat in lotus position in the dark, unmoving. A delicate hand landed on his shoulder, as the sound of silk rustled from the other's kneeling. "You only have Nabiki to worry about now, what do you plan to do with her?"
Ranma's cold, emotionless slate blue eyes continued to stare ahead and away from his visitor. Her sinister smile could be felt, as she rose back to standing, "That's certainly a novel idea. When do you plan on carrying through with it?"
Ranma stared forward, unmoving.
____________________
Nabiki sensed that the very shadows were after her. Ranma could come at her, and she wouldn't even know it with his umisenken technique, beat her to death at hyperspeed, and there would be nothing that anyone could do to stop him. Nabiki thought about calling Ryoga, but she knew there was little he would be able to do against the enraged pigtailed boy. Nabiki decided that she would hold out until Ranma became too fustrated with this little game, realizing that he failed in his plan. From that, she would recieve some small victory over the pig-tailed psychopath.
She heard the shuffling of someone's footsteps outside her door, either her father or Mr. Saotome. She would have barked in bitter laughter at their futile attempts, if she had it in her. She knew full well Ranma wouldn't be stopped until he was satisfied, and as he always said, Ranma Saotome *never* loses.
Nabiki didn't even notice the blood beginning to stain her jeans, as her nails bit into the palms of her hands; even if she was anticipating it, she wasn't yet ready to die. She needed something to take her mind off the current ordeal, and went to her closet to grab an old book or something to read. She opened the door, and gasped.
Before her, an outfit, the only fully black one she had that should have been buried in the back of her closet, out of mind. A jacket and vest combo that she only wore twice, both on a certain day of the year; the anniversary of her mother's death.
Nabiki staggered back, tripping over her own feet. The thump alerted her sentinal outside her door, causing Soun to rush in for the rescue, "NABIKI!"
His daughter didn't respond, staring at the black outfit in undesguised fear. Her breathing became still, as if waiting for a vacuum blade to strike her down, or some other violent end to suddenly happen.
Her eyes then scanned around the room, as her father stood by, dumbfounded. Genma had also arrived by that time, and looked on confused. Nabiki's vision found her vanity mirror, and despite Nodoka having cleaned the lipstick off completely, she could see it as if it were still there, the message.
"NO!" Nabiki leapt to her feet, and slammed both fists into the mirror. It shattered upon the impact, littering her small fists with shards of glass, bringing about several more cuts to match the ones in her palms.
Soun caught her before she could collapse in a trembling, terrified mess.
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"How is she doing?" Nodoka asked with a concerned voice, having just returned from a grocery run, but being filled in by her husband on the earlier commotion.
"She's sleeping," Soun said in a tired voice, "You're husband's watching her right now. He is determined to ensure that nothing becomes of my little girl."
"He feels that Ranma's become his greatest failure," Nodoka said in a choking voice, feeling her own emotions come to the surface, "He wouldn't say it, but to see Ranma like he was, just staring..."
Soun nodded, "Yes, the girls' prank went well too far, indeed, but that doesn't justify his actions."
Nodoka's face started to snarl darkly, before relaxing, escaping Soun's notice, "Is it really not justified?"
Soun looked at the woman incredulously, "Nodoka, you couldn't honestly mean..."
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Nodoka interjected, gaining control over herself, "I don't know what came over me."
"The stress is bearing down on all of us," Soun replied, "and the thought of your only child doing such atrocities." Nodoka turned away, not wanting Soun to see her face.
Upstairs, Genma watched Nabiki sleeping. It would be so easy, he thought to himself, she would die peacefully, and not have to worry about whatever was intended for her anymore.
The elder Saotome snorted darkly, he would not allow his son to harm her, wether it be in her sleep or awake. If it meant having to sanction his own son for the last vestiges of honor in the Saotome family, so be it.
But he would NOT allow his son to destroy it all.
____________________
Several days had gone by, and the game Ranma was playing on Nabiki was beginning to wear her down. it was like a twisted game of tag, where he would leave some sign that he was close enough to her to do something, yet only leave the knowledge of how close she was to her fate.
She was beginning to lose sleep, waking up suddenly whenever she dozed off, thinking every little sound could be Ranma, hiding in he dark, standing in the corner, watching her sleep fitfully. Yet she would not crack, she would not give Ranma the satisfaction of seeing her broken.
It was now her determined pride that held her sanity firm, but pride could only go so far. Kasumi had come back home with an intense air of obliviousness that served as a constant reminder as to the evil Ranma was now capable of. After he did crush her, what would he do with her? Would he disgard her like a broken toy, or would he leave her to some sort of listless existance, drooling upon herself as her broken-hearted father was forced to take care of her and her completely vapid sister?
Nabiki's turmoil had weakened her severely, finding it difficult to descend the stairs without assistance from her father, Nodoka, or Genma. Currently, the most latter was helping.
"What's taking that damn son of your so long to finish this?" Nabiki growled impotently.
Genma could only shake his head, "I don't know him anymore. He is a complete mystery to me as he is to you."
"You seem to be handling this pretty well," Nabiki snapped, as they reached the bottom stairs.
Genma had gotten accustomed to Nabiki's anger, because he had began to understand it, "I can only do so much against him, and he knows it. But I'll tell you now, me and Nodoka are suffering almost as much as you are for this."
"Yeah, you look real shaken up," Nabiki replied in a voice laden with angry undertone.
"Dicipline," Genma said, factually, as he set Nabiki down on the couch, "Between my years of martial arts training, and Nodoka's somewhat fleeting medical and psychological studies, we both have a great deal of dicipline to have to weather this out."
"Mrs. Saotome went to medical school?" Nabiki asked with an incredulous voice.
Genma pushed his glasses up to his nose, "Well, she didn't have much to do while me... and Ranma... were on our training trip. She told me not too long ago that she didn't have the money or time to continue her studies, but wished to do so..." Genma sighed at the thought, before looking back at Nabiki, and finding her staring angrily back at him. The fury in her eyes caused him to baulk, "Uh... what?"
With a newfound strength, Nabiki shot to standing, and ran from the room to make a phone call; swearing the whole way of how stupid she was not to realize it.
____________________
Nodoka got off the subway train, and headed for the nearest exit. It wasn't far to the old clinic she had worked in for quite some time while she studied. The building wasn't condemed, but it hadn't seen care for a few years even prior to it closing down. She removed the old key that she kept, and unlocked the door. With delicacy, she pushed it open, barely allowing any of the outside light to enter through the door, regardless of what was supplied in the slightly boarded windows.
The scent of staleness intermingled with old anticeptic that tortured the nose of anyone unfortunate enough to sample it. Nodoka had grown used to it, as she was sure her son had, there was so little that could keep her precious child down.
She walked downstairs to the large cellar area, where cold supplies and other cumbersome items were kept. She came to a stop near the far wall away from the stairs, and waited, before speaking, "Watch your step, Nabiki dear. It's quite a mess in here, I'm afraid."
Nabiki decided that her stealth needed a great deal of work, as she decided to just casually descend the stairs, "So, it was you all along."
Nodoka tilted her head to the side, but didn't turn to face Nabiki, "Why, what gives you that idea?"
"Your husband gave me the final clues I needed," Nabiki stated firmly, "The whole time, you had us believing that it was your son, you sick witch!"
Nodoka whirled around to face Nabiki, with her face still cast in shadows, "Don't you DARE call me that, young lady!" Her voice softened to display a bit of mirth, "You should address your elders with respect, as a proper young lady."
"What did you do with Akane?" Nabiki asked in a terse voice, "and what did you have in mind for me?"
Nodoka walked over to a nearby swivling chair, and sat down properly, "Let's see, Akane dear..." Nabiki could see the other woman's smirk grow in the dark, "Well, we both know how often she attempted to poison my dear son, even I at one point had to sample her atrocious cooking..."
"What does this have to do with... with..." Nabiki's eyes wide, "You poisoned her?"
Nodoka chuckled warmly, parodying the direness of the situation, "No, Nabiki-chan, there are other ways of getting sustinence from her for my darling son."
"What are you talking about?" Nabiki asked, extremely confused.
Nodoka's expression turned cold serious, as she brought herself to standing, "My son has a rather robust appetite... I think Akane fit it rather well..."
Nabiki felt her stomach begin to churn at the notion, as her legs began to feel like jelly, "You're... you..."
"As for you..." Nodoka continued, undaunted, "You're an extremely selfish person, so I thought I would help you protect your most precious commodity."
"What?" Nabiki asked tentatively, as she subtly started scooting back for the stairs, "You were going to hide my money or something?"
"Oh come off it, we both know you're not *that* shallow," Nodoka stated with a dry voice, as she began to slowly approach Nabiki.
"Then what were you planning?" Nabiki felt her foot bump the first wooden stairs, and was ready to make a break for it and call for assistance.
"Well, I went through all this trouble of allowing you to follow me, so I could show it to you..." Nodoka pointed to a largish safe that was against one of the walls, "You see, you hold yourself well above anything else... you think you'll fit, Nabiki-chan?" The last part was said with a little humor.
"But... but..." Nabiki stuttered at the horrible fate that Nodoka had intended for her; to get her into that safe would take a great deal of contorting, "What was all the crap you've been doing to me about? Why go through all the trouble if you were going to do this?"
"Honestly, Nabiki, I would think *you* of all people could take a joke," Nodoka's voice was harsh as she spoke, "What's the matter? You didn't enjoy a harmless prank at your expense? You didn't find it as funny as I did?"
"None of that was funny," Nabiki replied in a terrorized and nearly shaking voice.
"So... it's only funny when it's YOU driving MY SON out of his mind for some 'HARMLESS' prank, but not when it's being done to you," Nodoka's voice was seething, "You little BRAT!!!"
Nabiki turned to run, and dashed up the stairs, only to find the door slam on her, and familiar chuckling from the other side. "Sorry, Nabiki," the voice apologized in a tone that showed it wasn't sincere, "but Mom requested some private time with you."
"RANMA!" Nabiki screamed, pounding on the door, " LET ME OUT!" The sound of steel sliding out of laquer wood drew Nabiki's attention, just in time for her to jump off the side of the wooden stairway, right before the Saotome Family Blade bit into where she was standing.
Nodoka fought with the sword, before finally dislodging it. "I really should have learned to use this thing at some time," Nodoka said factually, as she turned to walk back down the stairs, "Nabiki, please do be careful in here, it's awfully dark, and you might get hurt!"
Nabiki tried to quietly scurry through the cluttered cellar in order to find a hiding place, and accidentally bumped into a display skeleton. That and the scream she emitted when she saw what it was in the tiny light supplied, alerted Nodoka to where she was.
"Oh, there you are!" the Saotome Matriarch stated with a relieved tone, "I was afraid I may have lost you!"
"I didn't come alone!" Nabiki cried out, desperately, "I-"
"Probably came with that peculiar young man that constantly dresses like a girl, I would imagine," Nodoka interjected, "Really, I wouldn't have expected anything less. You aren't stupid enough to attempt to confront me by yourself, and you don't trust in your father or my husband's abilities, that leaves Konatsu, the one person that to my knowledge had fought my son to a stalemate." Nodoka's sword whistled, before it came to make a 'thunking' sound against a wood banister to where Nabiki had been hiding not too long ago, "I'm pretty sure Ranma is dealing with him properly..."
____________________
Konatsu saw the flash of red hair in the building, and grew concerned; There was no sign of Nabiki, but if Nodoka was visible...
Fearing the worst, the kunoichi rushed into the clinic. Almost as soon as he was inside, Konatsu was forced to dodge away from several throwing knives aimed for his head. He recovered, and rushed in the direction they came from. He saw a flash of red turn a corner, and pulled out his ninja short sword out, as he gave in pursuit. As he turned the corner, he dropped to a slide under a boobytrap that was set for head-level. He rolled back to his feet, and kept giving chase. he saw and heard a door slam, and turned to it. He delivered a thrust kick to the closed door, shattering it, and stood in a low stance with the sword in a reverse grip with his free hand forward in guard.
His eyes surveyed the dark room, to find a figure sitting down in lotus position in the dark. With quiet steps, and bringing his weapon to the fore, the kunoichi stalked silently behind the unmoving figure. The kunoichi deftly placed his blade at the sitting figure's neck, already realizing it was Ranma.
"Ranma-sam... Ranma-san," Konatsu stated in a cold voice, "All this is going to end now..." The kunoichi was surprised to find Ranma not moving, as the blade was kept against his neck threateningly.
"Konatsu, help!"
The male kunoichi blinked at hearing Nabiki's voice, and looked down to the still unmoving Ranma. With a curse, he abandoned the pigtailed young man, and headed for his first objective, the protection of Nabiki.
____________________
Nabiki waited for Nodoka to come close, before tackling the woman. The force of Nabiki slamming into the older woman sent the sword flying into the darkness. Nabiki slammed her fist into Nodoka's jaw, and caught a headbutt in retaliation.
"This isn't... how proper ladies should act," Nodoka said with a slightly dazed tone, as she attempted to clear the cobwebs from her head while coming to stand. Nabiki came out of her daze faster, and took the opportunity to rush to the celler door. When she got to the top of the stairs, she pounded as hard as possible.
"KONATSU, HELP!" She shouted, before she felt an obi wrap around her neck.
"I've had just about ENOUGH out of you!" Nodoka stated in a growl, as she attempted to choke the life out of the young woman. In desperation, Nabiki braced herself against the stairs, and launched herself back, with Nodoka behind her. They both landed heavily against hte stairs, and rolled down to the ground.
Nabiki drunkenly staggered back to her feet, and attempted to climb the stairs once again. The sound of a metal edge sliding against the wood floor told Nabiki she was almost out of time. She tried to get her bearings together, but the mild concussion she was experiencing made it too difficult to focus.
"I'm afraid that this will have to be a bit messier than I hoped," Nodoka stated with a sigh, just as the cellar door shattered inward.
"NABIKI! DUCK!" Konatsu shouted, as he leapt down the flight of stairs. Nodoka's sword was descending upon Nabiki's skull, and almost connected before Konatsu's own blade slide over the younger girl's head, slicing a few strands of hair, and parried the Saotome Honor Sword. While still in the air, Konatsu delivered a snap kick that caught the older woman in the chin, sending her unconcious...
____________________
Nabiki wearily slumped into her room, bandaged from her injuries from a few hours ago. Nodoka was now in custody, and Ranma had been found in a comatose state once more. Nabiki could still remember the confident chuckle Nodoka emitted, as she was being escorted away. The Tendou daughter knew she had won, but something was nagging in the back of her head, that things weren't quite finished.
She realized what it was, she had been hoping to find the body of her younger sister, but the bones would have to do. A tear slid down Nabiki cheek, as she felt the wretched sobs start to overcome her. Mousse and Akane had been the only lethal casualties, but that didn't help Nabiki any. she thought back to when she found that rag amidst all the bright red blood that had dried on the... on the ground...
Something else just occured to Nabiki. She had been living in a dojo her whole life, she had seen bloody injuries quite often. The thick dried red on the blue shred of Akane's jumper didn't... quite look right... as if... as if...
"Now why did you haveta go and do that to Mom?"
Nabiki gasped, as she felt her heart leap from her chest at the sound of Ranma's voice. The redhead stepped out of the dark corner of Nabiki's room, where she had remained unseen.
Nabiki realized it right then...
It wasn't blood...
It was hair dye
.
.
.
.
Fin
Nabiki stumbled through the house, frantically searching for any sign of Ranma. Nodoka, Soun, and Genma looked on with concerned expressions, as she seemed to be wondering aimlessly.
"RANMA!" Nabiki shouted, knowing he was still around, knowing he was watching her, waiting for the opportunity to finish her when it was most convenient. She turned quickly, causing tears of fustration to be sent flying. She knew that there was nothing they could do to stop him, Ranma was proving without a shadow of a doubt that Nabiki was his to do as he pleased.
She ran to her purse, shoving Nodoka and her father out of the way,and found the shade of lipstick that had been used on her mirror. She found it, and stared intensely at the smeared head. He even left evidence of his proximity to his final target. With a roar of fustration, Nabiki threw the ruined lipstick into the wall, cracking it and smearing some of it against the surface of impact.
"RANMA!" she screamed, doing circles to take in all she could of her surroundings, as if she would spot him in the open; smiling darkly at her, taunting her, staring back at her with cold, hard, ruthless eyes that blamed her, as well as his fiancees and Kasumi for the hardships he had faced in his life. "DAMN IT! IF YOU'RE GOING TO KILL ME, DO IT!!!"
Soun quickly came behind Nabiki, and put his hands on her shoulders from behind in a protective manner, "Nabiki, calm down, he's not here! I'm here to protect you from that monster!"
His daughter spun from his grasp, slapping his hands away, "YOU CAN'T STOP HIM! NOT YOU, NOT MR. SAOTOME, NOT THE AMAZONS, NOT THE POLICE, NO ONE!" She turned away from her shocked father, and began screaming again, "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU PLANNING TO DO TO ME, RANMA? JUST GET IT OVER WITH! QUIT PLAYING... playing..."
Nabiki blinked, before she began to chuckle. The other three in the room stared back with surprised looks, when she finally burst into full out laughter.
"Nabiki," Soun said in a firm voice, hoping to gain her attention, "Calm down, it's all going to be okay..."
"THAT'S what the jerk is doing!" Nabiki proclaimed in a small victory of her deduction, "He's trying to break me! He's trying to drive me crazy!" Her wild eyes found three pairs of confused ones, "Don't you get it?" She started, "He spaded Shampoo because she was a horny slut, he beat Kodachi because of her constant surprise attacks, He gave Kasumi a lobotomy, as if she needed an excuse for the way she acted whenever he was in trouble... he wants me to lose control. HE THINKS I'M THE ONE WHO'S ALWAYS IN CONTROL OF THINGS!" Nabiki chocked down the chuckles that were threatening to erupt, while wiping the tears from her eyes, "Well, Ranma, you're not going to win that way. I'm afraid that you're just going to have to change your plans. YOU HEAR ME, RANMA? I KNOW YOU CAN! IF YOU WANT YOUR DAMN REVENGE, YOU'RE JUST GOING TO HAVE TO KILL ME! YOU UNDERSTAND?!?"
The challenge had been issued.
____________________
"Ranma..." a soothing femenine voice cooed, as she approached the figure that sat in lotus position in the dark, unmoving. A delicate hand landed on his shoulder, as the sound of silk rustled from the other's kneeling. "You only have Nabiki to worry about now, what do you plan to do with her?"
Ranma's cold, emotionless slate blue eyes continued to stare ahead and away from his visitor. Her sinister smile could be felt, as she rose back to standing, "That's certainly a novel idea. When do you plan on carrying through with it?"
Ranma stared forward, unmoving.
____________________
Nabiki sensed that the very shadows were after her. Ranma could come at her, and she wouldn't even know it with his umisenken technique, beat her to death at hyperspeed, and there would be nothing that anyone could do to stop him. Nabiki thought about calling Ryoga, but she knew there was little he would be able to do against the enraged pigtailed boy. Nabiki decided that she would hold out until Ranma became too fustrated with this little game, realizing that he failed in his plan. From that, she would recieve some small victory over the pig-tailed psychopath.
She heard the shuffling of someone's footsteps outside her door, either her father or Mr. Saotome. She would have barked in bitter laughter at their futile attempts, if she had it in her. She knew full well Ranma wouldn't be stopped until he was satisfied, and as he always said, Ranma Saotome *never* loses.
Nabiki didn't even notice the blood beginning to stain her jeans, as her nails bit into the palms of her hands; even if she was anticipating it, she wasn't yet ready to die. She needed something to take her mind off the current ordeal, and went to her closet to grab an old book or something to read. She opened the door, and gasped.
Before her, an outfit, the only fully black one she had that should have been buried in the back of her closet, out of mind. A jacket and vest combo that she only wore twice, both on a certain day of the year; the anniversary of her mother's death.
Nabiki staggered back, tripping over her own feet. The thump alerted her sentinal outside her door, causing Soun to rush in for the rescue, "NABIKI!"
His daughter didn't respond, staring at the black outfit in undesguised fear. Her breathing became still, as if waiting for a vacuum blade to strike her down, or some other violent end to suddenly happen.
Her eyes then scanned around the room, as her father stood by, dumbfounded. Genma had also arrived by that time, and looked on confused. Nabiki's vision found her vanity mirror, and despite Nodoka having cleaned the lipstick off completely, she could see it as if it were still there, the message.
"NO!" Nabiki leapt to her feet, and slammed both fists into the mirror. It shattered upon the impact, littering her small fists with shards of glass, bringing about several more cuts to match the ones in her palms.
Soun caught her before she could collapse in a trembling, terrified mess.
____________________
"How is she doing?" Nodoka asked with a concerned voice, having just returned from a grocery run, but being filled in by her husband on the earlier commotion.
"She's sleeping," Soun said in a tired voice, "You're husband's watching her right now. He is determined to ensure that nothing becomes of my little girl."
"He feels that Ranma's become his greatest failure," Nodoka said in a choking voice, feeling her own emotions come to the surface, "He wouldn't say it, but to see Ranma like he was, just staring..."
Soun nodded, "Yes, the girls' prank went well too far, indeed, but that doesn't justify his actions."
Nodoka's face started to snarl darkly, before relaxing, escaping Soun's notice, "Is it really not justified?"
Soun looked at the woman incredulously, "Nodoka, you couldn't honestly mean..."
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Nodoka interjected, gaining control over herself, "I don't know what came over me."
"The stress is bearing down on all of us," Soun replied, "and the thought of your only child doing such atrocities." Nodoka turned away, not wanting Soun to see her face.
Upstairs, Genma watched Nabiki sleeping. It would be so easy, he thought to himself, she would die peacefully, and not have to worry about whatever was intended for her anymore.
The elder Saotome snorted darkly, he would not allow his son to harm her, wether it be in her sleep or awake. If it meant having to sanction his own son for the last vestiges of honor in the Saotome family, so be it.
But he would NOT allow his son to destroy it all.
____________________
Several days had gone by, and the game Ranma was playing on Nabiki was beginning to wear her down. it was like a twisted game of tag, where he would leave some sign that he was close enough to her to do something, yet only leave the knowledge of how close she was to her fate.
She was beginning to lose sleep, waking up suddenly whenever she dozed off, thinking every little sound could be Ranma, hiding in he dark, standing in the corner, watching her sleep fitfully. Yet she would not crack, she would not give Ranma the satisfaction of seeing her broken.
It was now her determined pride that held her sanity firm, but pride could only go so far. Kasumi had come back home with an intense air of obliviousness that served as a constant reminder as to the evil Ranma was now capable of. After he did crush her, what would he do with her? Would he disgard her like a broken toy, or would he leave her to some sort of listless existance, drooling upon herself as her broken-hearted father was forced to take care of her and her completely vapid sister?
Nabiki's turmoil had weakened her severely, finding it difficult to descend the stairs without assistance from her father, Nodoka, or Genma. Currently, the most latter was helping.
"What's taking that damn son of your so long to finish this?" Nabiki growled impotently.
Genma could only shake his head, "I don't know him anymore. He is a complete mystery to me as he is to you."
"You seem to be handling this pretty well," Nabiki snapped, as they reached the bottom stairs.
Genma had gotten accustomed to Nabiki's anger, because he had began to understand it, "I can only do so much against him, and he knows it. But I'll tell you now, me and Nodoka are suffering almost as much as you are for this."
"Yeah, you look real shaken up," Nabiki replied in a voice laden with angry undertone.
"Dicipline," Genma said, factually, as he set Nabiki down on the couch, "Between my years of martial arts training, and Nodoka's somewhat fleeting medical and psychological studies, we both have a great deal of dicipline to have to weather this out."
"Mrs. Saotome went to medical school?" Nabiki asked with an incredulous voice.
Genma pushed his glasses up to his nose, "Well, she didn't have much to do while me... and Ranma... were on our training trip. She told me not too long ago that she didn't have the money or time to continue her studies, but wished to do so..." Genma sighed at the thought, before looking back at Nabiki, and finding her staring angrily back at him. The fury in her eyes caused him to baulk, "Uh... what?"
With a newfound strength, Nabiki shot to standing, and ran from the room to make a phone call; swearing the whole way of how stupid she was not to realize it.
____________________
Nodoka got off the subway train, and headed for the nearest exit. It wasn't far to the old clinic she had worked in for quite some time while she studied. The building wasn't condemed, but it hadn't seen care for a few years even prior to it closing down. She removed the old key that she kept, and unlocked the door. With delicacy, she pushed it open, barely allowing any of the outside light to enter through the door, regardless of what was supplied in the slightly boarded windows.
The scent of staleness intermingled with old anticeptic that tortured the nose of anyone unfortunate enough to sample it. Nodoka had grown used to it, as she was sure her son had, there was so little that could keep her precious child down.
She walked downstairs to the large cellar area, where cold supplies and other cumbersome items were kept. She came to a stop near the far wall away from the stairs, and waited, before speaking, "Watch your step, Nabiki dear. It's quite a mess in here, I'm afraid."
Nabiki decided that her stealth needed a great deal of work, as she decided to just casually descend the stairs, "So, it was you all along."
Nodoka tilted her head to the side, but didn't turn to face Nabiki, "Why, what gives you that idea?"
"Your husband gave me the final clues I needed," Nabiki stated firmly, "The whole time, you had us believing that it was your son, you sick witch!"
Nodoka whirled around to face Nabiki, with her face still cast in shadows, "Don't you DARE call me that, young lady!" Her voice softened to display a bit of mirth, "You should address your elders with respect, as a proper young lady."
"What did you do with Akane?" Nabiki asked in a terse voice, "and what did you have in mind for me?"
Nodoka walked over to a nearby swivling chair, and sat down properly, "Let's see, Akane dear..." Nabiki could see the other woman's smirk grow in the dark, "Well, we both know how often she attempted to poison my dear son, even I at one point had to sample her atrocious cooking..."
"What does this have to do with... with..." Nabiki's eyes wide, "You poisoned her?"
Nodoka chuckled warmly, parodying the direness of the situation, "No, Nabiki-chan, there are other ways of getting sustinence from her for my darling son."
"What are you talking about?" Nabiki asked, extremely confused.
Nodoka's expression turned cold serious, as she brought herself to standing, "My son has a rather robust appetite... I think Akane fit it rather well..."
Nabiki felt her stomach begin to churn at the notion, as her legs began to feel like jelly, "You're... you..."
"As for you..." Nodoka continued, undaunted, "You're an extremely selfish person, so I thought I would help you protect your most precious commodity."
"What?" Nabiki asked tentatively, as she subtly started scooting back for the stairs, "You were going to hide my money or something?"
"Oh come off it, we both know you're not *that* shallow," Nodoka stated with a dry voice, as she began to slowly approach Nabiki.
"Then what were you planning?" Nabiki felt her foot bump the first wooden stairs, and was ready to make a break for it and call for assistance.
"Well, I went through all this trouble of allowing you to follow me, so I could show it to you..." Nodoka pointed to a largish safe that was against one of the walls, "You see, you hold yourself well above anything else... you think you'll fit, Nabiki-chan?" The last part was said with a little humor.
"But... but..." Nabiki stuttered at the horrible fate that Nodoka had intended for her; to get her into that safe would take a great deal of contorting, "What was all the crap you've been doing to me about? Why go through all the trouble if you were going to do this?"
"Honestly, Nabiki, I would think *you* of all people could take a joke," Nodoka's voice was harsh as she spoke, "What's the matter? You didn't enjoy a harmless prank at your expense? You didn't find it as funny as I did?"
"None of that was funny," Nabiki replied in a terrorized and nearly shaking voice.
"So... it's only funny when it's YOU driving MY SON out of his mind for some 'HARMLESS' prank, but not when it's being done to you," Nodoka's voice was seething, "You little BRAT!!!"
Nabiki turned to run, and dashed up the stairs, only to find the door slam on her, and familiar chuckling from the other side. "Sorry, Nabiki," the voice apologized in a tone that showed it wasn't sincere, "but Mom requested some private time with you."
"RANMA!" Nabiki screamed, pounding on the door, " LET ME OUT!" The sound of steel sliding out of laquer wood drew Nabiki's attention, just in time for her to jump off the side of the wooden stairway, right before the Saotome Family Blade bit into where she was standing.
Nodoka fought with the sword, before finally dislodging it. "I really should have learned to use this thing at some time," Nodoka said factually, as she turned to walk back down the stairs, "Nabiki, please do be careful in here, it's awfully dark, and you might get hurt!"
Nabiki tried to quietly scurry through the cluttered cellar in order to find a hiding place, and accidentally bumped into a display skeleton. That and the scream she emitted when she saw what it was in the tiny light supplied, alerted Nodoka to where she was.
"Oh, there you are!" the Saotome Matriarch stated with a relieved tone, "I was afraid I may have lost you!"
"I didn't come alone!" Nabiki cried out, desperately, "I-"
"Probably came with that peculiar young man that constantly dresses like a girl, I would imagine," Nodoka interjected, "Really, I wouldn't have expected anything less. You aren't stupid enough to attempt to confront me by yourself, and you don't trust in your father or my husband's abilities, that leaves Konatsu, the one person that to my knowledge had fought my son to a stalemate." Nodoka's sword whistled, before it came to make a 'thunking' sound against a wood banister to where Nabiki had been hiding not too long ago, "I'm pretty sure Ranma is dealing with him properly..."
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Konatsu saw the flash of red hair in the building, and grew concerned; There was no sign of Nabiki, but if Nodoka was visible...
Fearing the worst, the kunoichi rushed into the clinic. Almost as soon as he was inside, Konatsu was forced to dodge away from several throwing knives aimed for his head. He recovered, and rushed in the direction they came from. He saw a flash of red turn a corner, and pulled out his ninja short sword out, as he gave in pursuit. As he turned the corner, he dropped to a slide under a boobytrap that was set for head-level. He rolled back to his feet, and kept giving chase. he saw and heard a door slam, and turned to it. He delivered a thrust kick to the closed door, shattering it, and stood in a low stance with the sword in a reverse grip with his free hand forward in guard.
His eyes surveyed the dark room, to find a figure sitting down in lotus position in the dark. With quiet steps, and bringing his weapon to the fore, the kunoichi stalked silently behind the unmoving figure. The kunoichi deftly placed his blade at the sitting figure's neck, already realizing it was Ranma.
"Ranma-sam... Ranma-san," Konatsu stated in a cold voice, "All this is going to end now..." The kunoichi was surprised to find Ranma not moving, as the blade was kept against his neck threateningly.
"Konatsu, help!"
The male kunoichi blinked at hearing Nabiki's voice, and looked down to the still unmoving Ranma. With a curse, he abandoned the pigtailed young man, and headed for his first objective, the protection of Nabiki.
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Nabiki waited for Nodoka to come close, before tackling the woman. The force of Nabiki slamming into the older woman sent the sword flying into the darkness. Nabiki slammed her fist into Nodoka's jaw, and caught a headbutt in retaliation.
"This isn't... how proper ladies should act," Nodoka said with a slightly dazed tone, as she attempted to clear the cobwebs from her head while coming to stand. Nabiki came out of her daze faster, and took the opportunity to rush to the celler door. When she got to the top of the stairs, she pounded as hard as possible.
"KONATSU, HELP!" She shouted, before she felt an obi wrap around her neck.
"I've had just about ENOUGH out of you!" Nodoka stated in a growl, as she attempted to choke the life out of the young woman. In desperation, Nabiki braced herself against the stairs, and launched herself back, with Nodoka behind her. They both landed heavily against hte stairs, and rolled down to the ground.
Nabiki drunkenly staggered back to her feet, and attempted to climb the stairs once again. The sound of a metal edge sliding against the wood floor told Nabiki she was almost out of time. She tried to get her bearings together, but the mild concussion she was experiencing made it too difficult to focus.
"I'm afraid that this will have to be a bit messier than I hoped," Nodoka stated with a sigh, just as the cellar door shattered inward.
"NABIKI! DUCK!" Konatsu shouted, as he leapt down the flight of stairs. Nodoka's sword was descending upon Nabiki's skull, and almost connected before Konatsu's own blade slide over the younger girl's head, slicing a few strands of hair, and parried the Saotome Honor Sword. While still in the air, Konatsu delivered a snap kick that caught the older woman in the chin, sending her unconcious...
____________________
Nabiki wearily slumped into her room, bandaged from her injuries from a few hours ago. Nodoka was now in custody, and Ranma had been found in a comatose state once more. Nabiki could still remember the confident chuckle Nodoka emitted, as she was being escorted away. The Tendou daughter knew she had won, but something was nagging in the back of her head, that things weren't quite finished.
She realized what it was, she had been hoping to find the body of her younger sister, but the bones would have to do. A tear slid down Nabiki cheek, as she felt the wretched sobs start to overcome her. Mousse and Akane had been the only lethal casualties, but that didn't help Nabiki any. she thought back to when she found that rag amidst all the bright red blood that had dried on the... on the ground...
Something else just occured to Nabiki. She had been living in a dojo her whole life, she had seen bloody injuries quite often. The thick dried red on the blue shred of Akane's jumper didn't... quite look right... as if... as if...
"Now why did you haveta go and do that to Mom?"
Nabiki gasped, as she felt her heart leap from her chest at the sound of Ranma's voice. The redhead stepped out of the dark corner of Nabiki's room, where she had remained unseen.
Nabiki realized it right then...
It wasn't blood...
It was hair dye
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Fin