Disclaimer: I don't own Ranma or Inu yasha.
Chapter 11Nabiki stared, grim-faced, at the screen in front of her. She rewound it a little. So. She watched as her younger sister… changed. This is it.
She was lucky, she supposed, that she had stayed around after school that day. If she hadn't, who knew how long it would have taken her to find this out. But, what exactly had she found? It would be possible for her to draw any number of conclusions from her new tape. She wanted the right ones, though, so she would have to start with the most likely, and most obvious. And the most painfully obvious thing was that Akane and Ranma were not normal.
Her father had believed in demons since the injury of his wife. Nabiki, and her sisters, had grown up listening to him preach about their evil existence. When she was a young girl, she had found it slightly interesting, but as she grew older she had come to two possible conclusions as to her father's behavior. Either he used his 'demons' as a metaphor, or he was not all there mentally. Now, she wondered if maybe her father was on to something.
But… he couldn't be right about them. Akane was her sister, and Nabiki wasn't about to throw that out the window. Ranma wasn't bad either, a little thickheaded, but not a bloodthirsty monster. If they actually were demons, weren't they supposed to be out to destroy all mankind? Nabiki sighed thoughtfully and watched the tape again. Daddy was never the brightest guy…probably doesn't know as much as he'd like to think.
So, Akane and Ranma were not human, and they were possibly demons. Well, that didn't really bother her. The neko-ken was more advantageous than she first thought. She didn't know how she would be able to use that. Ranma seemed to be attracted to her little sister far more than he let on. Nabiki knew that she could use that one to her advantage, and if she couldn't she could definitely have some fun with it.
She rewound the tape and again watched Akane's disguise fall apart. She found out what she wanted to know, but for the first time that she could remember, Nabiki wasn't completely sure what to do about it.
The canal was as good a place to land as any, Ranma guessed. At least it would be, if it weren't for the whole 'turning into a girl' thing. She pulled herself out of the shallow water and climbed out, using the patterned cement for leverage. When she reached the top, she took a seat on the chain-link fence and rung out her shirt. I remember being surrounded by cats… she thought, absently, I wonder what happened after that…Ranma pulled the Chinese style shirt over her head and grimaced. It was damp and wrinkled – which made it uncomfortable – but at least it wasn't sopping.
Then, her nose met Akane's scent, and she glanced up to see Akane walking towards her. Ranma smiled.
"Hey, Akane!"
Akane looked up from the sidewalk that she had been ardently studying, and Ranma at once noticed the sedate expression painted across her pretty features. "Ranma…"
She beckoned Akane closer with her hand, and they both leaned against the fence and watched the canal silently. Ranma's eyes wandered from the water to Akane and she tried to believe that she was less attracted to her in this form. It didn't work very well, and to keep from doing something she might regret, Ranma stuck her hands in her pockets and broke the silence.
"Well, what's wrong?"
Akane took a quick, sidelong glance at her and bit her lip. Her expression was unreadable.
"Oh… what'd I do?" Ranma asked, uneasily. Then she took in Akane's slightly torn uniform, her barely disheveled hair, and the scent of Ranma herself lingering on her clothes. Ranma winced, not quite sure what to believe. "D-did I…?"
Akane shook her head. "You didn't get very far."
Ranma wasn't sure whether to feel crushed or relieved. Akane didn't seem angry, but looks could be deceiving. Actually she seemed kind of depressed, and Ranma would much rather have her angry. Whether she felt that way because an angry Akane would be easier to deal with, or because sadness seemed closer to rejection, Ranma decided not to contemplate.
"I'm not mad at you."
Ranma looked up at Akane in surprise. She had turned her eyes on Ranma, and while her expression was serious, Akane's eyes flickered with amusement. Ranma gave her a shaky half-smile.
"It wasn't your fault," Akane said. The amusement died. "I shouldn't have let you near me."
"Well, it's not your fault either," said Ranma, frowning. "How would you have gotten away, anyways? I'm faster than you."
Akane faltered. "I… I don't know, but I should have done something."
"Akane, you didn't do anything wrong."
"Yes, I did!" Akane cried angrily. She paused and took a deep breath, regaining her composure, before she continued calmly. "Don't make me lose my temper. I'm not going to run away from my problems."
"Your problems?" Ranma echoed. "I'm a problem?"
"Don't be stupid, Ranma. I'm serious."
"Yeah, seriously violent. C'mon, Akane, you can't not lose your temper," Ranma smirked. She was expecting to go flying, not to catch the scent of Akane's tears as she turned away from her. Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit…
"Why don't you trust me?" her voice barely reached Ranma's ears, and before she could think about it Ranma answered truthfully.
"Because you don't trust me! You didn't trust my advice against Shampoo, and you didn't trust me to protect you!"
Akane just stared at her, her forehead wrinkled in confusion and her eyes shimmering. "Ranma… I just needed to think… by myself" – her voice began to get stronger as she spoke, and her eyes cleared – "You said some things at the skating match, and I wasn't sure what you meant by them, or if you meant them at all. I guess I was confused, and I wondered why I wasn't bothered by it as much as I thought I should be… I think I felt unsure of things. It really surprised me, that I wasn't angry at all" –
"Why are you telling me all this?" Ranma cut in. A hint of a smile appeared on Akane's face, and she took Ranma's small hand in hers.
"Because I trust you," she said. Those simple words seemed to resolve everything, while they resolved nothing. But through her hand, and through her eyes, and through her captivating scent, Ranma could read an apology. And that was what made her return it without words and concentrated on the feeling of Akane's hand in hers and feel that she didn't need anything more. They didn't touch often, because contact was foreign to both of them, but when they did it was comfortable and familiar. It didn't matter to either one of them that Ranma was a girl, or that they were in front of an old canal and not a wild, natural river. It was only them, and that was safe and contenting and simple.
"Ranma, can I ask you something?" said Akane, absently. She put the question out lazily, but Ranma was sure she had been thinking about it, just as she was sure Akane didn't need to hear her say yes or see her nod to know she had consented. "This is a strange question, but I was wondering, what do you… want from me?"
Ranma raised her brows. It was a strange question, and the answer was as clear and unclear in her mind as if she had heard it in another language. From you I want everything and nothing. I want everything you have, and nothing you possess. I want everything you are willing to give, and nothing you will not give to me. I want you, and nothing else. Because you are everything, was what she thought. "I'm not sure," was all she said. Akane nodded as if she had expected nothing more.
"I'm not sure either, but I think– "
"Akane."
Both Akane and Ranma turned to Ukyo in mild surprise. Neither one of them had noticed her until she was close, and her humorless tone and solemn face put Ranma on edge. Ukyo nodded to Akane and she nodded back and then she turned to Ranma, and spoke her name, and they nodded to each other. It was a strange thing to do between friends, but her tone and her actions told Ranma that she was here for business. What kind, Ranma could only guess.
A/N: Hmmmmm… maybe this chapter was just a LITTLE sappy and OOC. Oh well. I know this is short and pointless, but I wanted it to be that way. It won't be like this next time, I swear. Okay, I got more reviews than usual for the last chapter (I wonder why…) so I'm going to answer some of them. I'm not going to do this often, though:
Tenshineko: Yes he does (I wanted Ranma to be more violent, and I don't like cats too much, so…) Thanks for reviewing! Getting positive reviews makes me want to write more (hint, hint)
Sterling-Ag: Sorry about the space at the front of the chapters. I don't know why I put it there. I just wanted to… And now I know the right way to spell Koi! I really wasn't sure how to spell it (seriously)
Notaningen: No worries! Nabiki isn't that cruel.
ShogunZX: Yup!
Kanme Jrung: Well, I put Ukyo in early on purpose, so I'm not going to take her out. I wanted her to be in ch.10. As for the last chapter being thrown together, I guess it was, but a lot of the stories in the Ranma series don't seem to run together either.
Flameraven: I read that fic too! It's kind of where I got the idea.
Makotojs: Sorry, but I don't have a mailing list or any other type of update schedule. I'm so unorganized! But I usually update every couple of days.
An Angel without a halo: Thanks so much! I love it when people say that they love my fic! Also, please update your fic, Dreaming of you! That's such a good story, don't stop!!
Nimbus Rey: Sorry, this is a boring chapter, but I'll try to keep it exciting. (if I can't, r&r anyway)
DemonBlade: Heh, I thought so, too.
Goku90504: Yes, Inu yasha can be full demon. It's when his eyes turn red and he goes insane.
C ya next chap. Don't forget to REVIEW!