Sorry! For some reason this chapter didn't quite upload right. So hopefully this is the full chapter.
STARRY NIGHT
CHAPTER SIX
One week had passed since Ranma had last seen Akane, but to him it seemed like years had gone by. The house was too quiet with her gone. Hell, his life was too quiet with her gone. There was no one left who could fill him with such passion and chase him with such ardor, the other girls best fell way short. He needed to find something to do before he went crazy with worry, something to take his mind off of the black haired beauty that filled his every waking moment, like that was even possible. Everything in his life had revolved around her for so long that he did not know what to do without her by his side for so long except to simply exist. A long, drawn-out sigh escaped his lips as he lay back on the bed in her room. Nodoka had moved him in here the day she moved into the house. She had wanted to share the guest room with Genma and decided that Akane would not mind one little bit if Ranma used her room for a short period of time; she was his fiancée after all. His other
option had been to stay in the dojo, but for some reason he felt more connected with Akane when he was in her room, it was almost as if he could hear her sometimes. Actually, the whole idea was rather scary and unnerving. Maybe he should go talk to someone who was always sympathetic to his plights, someone who, until recently, never jumped to conclusions. Yeah, he really needed to talk to someone about what he was going through, and he could really use a bite to eat. He would go and talk with Ukyou, she always understood him. He stood and started for the door, but stopped as her remembered the conversation he had with her the last time he had stopped in to talk. He faltered for a few minutes, and played with the doorknob as he tried to decide if going to Ukyou would be a wise decision. He had to talk to her though, she had to know and understand that there was never anything more than friendship between the two of them. With a firm resolve he decided that he would find a way
to explain everything to his best friend as he opened to door to leave.
Nabiki sat with at her desk, starring bleary-eyed at the reams of paper in front of her. Finding her sister was going to be a more difficult task than she had originally thought. Had she known that all the new accounts opened in Nerima for the past few days would amount to this mess she was looking at, then she would have arranged for someone else to do it. She felt her stomach start to crawl as she picked up another sheet of names and numbers, as her body let it's opinion of the matter be known. Quickly, she dropped the paper, headed out of her room and down the stairs. Maybe a cup of tea would help to ease her mounting tensions.
The changes in the household were immediately obvious to Nabiki as she came down the stairs. She could no longer hear Kasumi softly humming in the kitchen, the clicks of the go pieces were gone, and her little sister was not running around yelling at someone or something. The whole scene just felt wrong. Nodoka was in the kitchen preparing dinner for the family when Nabiki walked in. She was quietly chopping the vegetables with a grim look of determination on her face. Nabiki had learned that look quickly, and it often meant that dad and Uncle Saotome were giving her some kind of problem. What did she expect though? She had come into their lives and tried to take over. She was bossing everyone around, she was trying to change everything, she was just trying to hard. Everything in this household could not be changed overnight, the process would take a long time. Some how she would get Nodoka to see that, she would help her find her place with this family, and she would
succeed for her sister's sake.
"Good evening Auntie." Nabiki said as she walked over to the stove and retrieved the kettle.
"Good evening Nabiki," Nodoka replied as she looked over her shoulder to see what Nabiki was doing. "Do you need anything? I would be more that happy to help, dear."
"Actually you can help me with something. I would like some nice conversation to go with my tea. Do you have a few minutes?"
"I was just preparing dinner for the family, and a special treat for Kasumi. If you can help me finish the treat and then take it to Kasumi for me, then I will have more than enough time to chat with you."
Nabiki smiled sweetly at Nodoka, then turned her attention back to the stove. She hated to have to be the one to have this talk with her Auntie, she really did not want to hurt her feelings but she did not know what else to do. Emotions were something that she was not very good at handling that was why she never let anyone get to close to her. She did not think she had always been that way though. The relationship she remembered having with her mother was a warm and loving one, but that was the memory of a four-year-old child. The only other person she felt close to was Kasumi, but even she was kept at a distance. She had no choice though, the way she had chosen to support this family put her at a disadvantage. Most of her activities could not be discussed with anyone for fear of other people finding out, after all the best kept secret is the one you keep to yourself. Maybe in time she would be able to break free from this vicious cycle, but for now she was alone.
The softly whistling teakettle brought Nabiki out of her thoughts and back to the task at hand. Soon she had the table set with tea for two, and enough turmoil to last a lifetime. Most of her hoped that this talk with Nodoka would go smoothly and she could get things straightened out, but a small corner of her mind secretly wished that Nodoka would be the person who could save her from the life she had created for herself.
"Auntie, the tea is ready." Nabiki said, "Would you like a snack too?"
"No dear I am fine, thank you." Nodoka replied while taking the chair across from Nabiki. "What do you wish to speak with me about?"
"Wow, right to the point. You don't miss a beat do you Auntie?"
"Nabiki, you have only been speaking to me when you absolutely have to ever since I got here, so I know there is something on your mind."
Nabiki took a sip of her tea as she thought about the situation, rushing in helped no one that was one of the small things she had learned in her short life. " I was just thinking about how much things have changed since your arrival. This hardly seems like the same household."
"I am sorry if the changes have unsettled you, dear." Nodoka replied with an understanding smile on her face. "Something had to be done though, don't you agree?"
"Things were going just fine up till now. I don't see why everything has to change all of a sudden. True Dad and Uncle Saotome could help more, but to force them to resume teaching?"
"Stop and think things through clearly Nabiki. One day Ranma and Akane will be taking over this household. My husband and your father are going to need a place to go, and a way to support themselves. Kasumi has coddled them too much, they have grown very lazy, they need to learn they joy of a simple job well done once again. Also, this will not be Kasumi's domain forever. She will need to branch off and start leading her own life sometime soon, she might as well start now. Now that she is staying at the clinic with Dr. Tofu and no one else, what better time is there for her to start preparing for her future? Then there is you Nabiki. You are much to young to have to be worrying about the household finances all the time; your father should have been taking care of that all along. You should focus on your schoolwork, and he should focus on his life's work.
Do you disagree with me?"
Nabiki sat silently sipping her tea as she thought about everything her Auntie had said. Every word of what she said had struck home, all of it was true, but still she did not feel comfortable with the situation. She was not sure why, but she felt a tremble of terror go through her entire being every time she thought of her family members going in separate directions. Her life was just changing too fast for her liking. Silently, she got up and went to the counter where Nodoka had set the cake she had baked earlier and started to put on the frosting. She no longer wished to do this chore, she no longer felt like being in this room, but she had agreed to the terms and she would complete her end of the deal.
Ranma stared at the sidewalk as he walked down the street wondering how he should tell Ukyou about his feelings, how he felt about her. He was so engrossed with his thoughts that he never noticed the shadow that was following him as he went. Ranma stopped across the street from Uchan's and looked through the plate glass windows at Ukyou. A look of indecision briefly crossed his face, and a lack of confidence that was rarely seen there. The person hiding in the shadows noticed this, and started to get worried. There were very few things that this boy lacked confidence in, they could all probably be counted on one hand, and the first one would be girls. He had very limited interactions with girls while growing-up, he was mostly just with his father as they trained. This shadow bound person secretly hoped that Ranma had not made a decision that she would regrettably have to act upon.
As Ranma crossed the street and opened the door of the restaurant, the stealthy girl followed and crouched down under the window by the door. Quickly, she put her hand between the door and the threshold to keep the door from closing, and then she quietly pushed the door open enough to allow her small frame to enter. Once inside, she quietly made her way to the far end of the counter and stayed there so she could hear the ensuing conversation. She could not hear everything that was being said, but she could catch enough of the words to understand that most of what was being said was just gossip. After a while, the girl started to get bored with what she was hearing and was getting ready to make her presence known when she noticed a change in the intensity of Ranma's voice and a small flair in his ki. More alert now then she was before; the girl poked her head around the corner so she could hear more of what was being said. Ranma had just asked Ukyou if she had seen Akane
lately when Konatsu entered the dinning area from the opposite end of the room. He said hello to Ukyou and Ranma then looked around before a confused look came into his eyes. He was a trained ninja, and the girl knew how good his skills in the art of stealth were compared to hers, so before he could say a word about her she jumped from her hiding place and made her presence known.
"Nihao ma airen! Spatula girl, what you do with my airen. He to take me on too too good date today, that right airen!" Shampoo said with the usual lilt in her voice, and the usual glint in her violet eyes.
"Well, Ranma honey and I were just having a private conversation, so why don't you be a sugar and let yourself out," Ukyou replied in a cool voice.
"Airen no want flat spatula girl, he want woman who make him feel too too good."
"I ain't flat, and you ain't no woman!"
"I don't want either one of you!" Ranma yelled, trying to get the situation back under control. "I have more important things to worry about than two silly girls who think they have to fight over me all the time! Do you guys actually think I enjoy this?"
The two girls stopped and looked at him incredulously. They both wondered what had happened to him, and they both quickly came to the same conclusion. Akane must have hit him real hard this time.
"Now if you two will just listen to me for a minute maybe you can help me with my problem. Akane disappeared a few days ago," Ranma stopped there and watched as he saw the growing hope in both young ladies eyes. He just shook his head in disbelief and continued with what he had to say. "She left a note saying that she was giving me my freedom. Have either one of you seen her? I have looked all over Tokyo, but I can not find her."
Both of the girls stopped listening when Ranma said that Akane had left, they were both to busy thinking of their own good fortune to notice the sad tone his voice had taken, but Konatsu noticed. He knew what it was like to lose the one you loved. He could understand the worry that Ranma was going through.
"I have not seen her recently, but I will let you know if I do," Konatsu answered with an understanding look in his eyes.
"Shampoo have not seen either, but will tell if do. Now Shampoo must leave, have very important business to discuss with great-grandmother." Shampoo said, trying to sound as concerned as possible, but Ranma knew better. He suspected that the important business was yet another trap to capture his heart, and was repulsed by the idea. Would she ever understand that he just didn't think of her in that way?
"I haven't seen her either, sugar, but I sure will head your way if I do," Ukyou said with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. Ranma was sure that she would be visiting sometime soon with some of her specially made okonomiyaki. He would have to think of a way to compensate her for the broken engagement and fast, before she got hurt anymore.
"Well, thanks you guys. I guess I'll see you around," Ranma said as he headed for the door. He wanted to start looking for Akane as soon as possible, but first he needed to stop by the clinic and see how Kasumi was doing, and he really should check with Nabiki first to see if she had found anything.
Kasumi was sitting at the front desk of the Ono clinic humming a happy melody to herself as she watched Dr. Tofu go from one room to the next. He had changed drastically since she was first brought here a week ago. His glasses no longer fogged over when he saw Kasumi, and Betty-chan tended to stay in the closet. This all made Kasumi very happy! She had been patiently waiting for the day when he would be able to express his love for her without acting like a little schoolboy, and she was sure the day was close at hand. Now if she could actually engage him in a conversation where he did not treat her like a patient, if he could maintain control out of his professional side. How was she to accomplish this though? Despite popular opinion, she did have a brain and she knew that Tofu was treating her that way so he wouldn't get all goofy. This was a way for him to remain in control in her presence. Maybe if she became his employee then he would be free to talk to her on a wider
variety of subjects, yet remain in control at the same time. Now would be the perfect time too! His secretary had just quit to go to school full-time, and she had been filling in for the past four days. Who could be better qualified for the job than her? A smile graced Kasumi's face as she thought of this and decided to talk to Tofu about it tonight when he brought her dinner.
Kasumi looked up when she heard a light tapping sound coming from the front door of the clinic. She saw Nabiki standing there with two heavy looking bags in one hand and a smaller bag in the other and stood to help her sister inside. Pushing the door open with one hand, Kasumi reached the other hand out the door to take one of the bags from Nabiki when Ranma appeared out of nowhere and took them instead. She smiled appreciatively at the boy and held the door as both of them entered. She was so happy to see her family; she enjoyed being here with Tofu, but longed to spend time at home.
"Good afternoon Nabiki and Ranma, what brings you here on such a beautiful day?" Kasumi asked, as the smile on her face grew even bigger.
"Like you have to ask, sis," Nabiki responded as she handed the smaller sack to Kasumi.
"Can't we come and check on our favorite sister?" Ranma asked Kasumi. "So how are things going with the good doctor?"
"We can talk in a few minutes, first let me go make some tea. Why don't you two go sit in Tofu's study and I will be there just as soon as the tea is done."
Nabiki and Ranma watched in wonder as Kasumi walked up to Tofu's apartment to make the tea, then they looked at each other with knowing glances on their faces. Kasumi and Tofu seemed to be getting quite cozy with one another. They turned after Kasumi was out-of-sight, walked into Tofu's study, and set their things on the table.
"What do you have in those sack's anyways, Nabiki?" Ranma asked as he sat in a chair at the far side of the table.
Nabiki chose the chair across the table from Ranma and sat down. "These are the information on all the new accounts opened this area. There are a lot more than I thought there would be, so I was going to ask Kasumi to help me look through them. Now that you are here, you can help too."
"I'll look through this stack until Kasumi comes with the tea," Ranma said as he pulled a stack of papers out of one bag and started to scan the names on them.
Nabiki sat and watched him for a few seconds before she took some papers for herself. She started to read them, but then her eyes started to water and blur again, so she closed them instead. She would have to have Dr. Tofu check them for her before she left. She sat quietly for a few minutes, but then the silence started to bother her. Normally she lived for peace and quiet so she could work on her books, but the past week had just been too quiet.
"Bet you didn't realize there were this many people living in Tokyo, did you Ranma?" Nabiki asked in an attempt to end the silence.
"No, I didn't. I also didn't realize there were this many people with the name Akane." Ranma replied.
They both jumped when they heard Kasumi say from the doorway, "Akane is a fairly popular name." She then walked into the room and set the tray she was carrying down in the center of the table. She had the tea and cake served before either of them realized that she had moved to do so.
"What are you doing?" she asked after taking a few sips of tea.
"We are trying to figure out where Akane has gone to. Ranma has been looking, but he has yet to find her trail," Nabiki replied as she attempted to look at another piece of paper, but Kasumi took it from her before she could.
"So you are trying to see if she has opened a new account. What if she really doesn't want to be found you guys? Shouldn't we just leave her alone?"
"You know how your dad is Kasumi," Ranma answered with a shake of his head. "We don't have to bring her back when we find her, but I will stay with her to ease his worries."
"And yours, right Ranma," Kasumi asked with a twinkle in her eyes.
"What! I never said that!" Ranma started to protest at which both of the girls started to laugh.
"What's so funny!" Ranma demanded.
"You, always trying to hide your feelings for Akane, that's what," Nabiki replied between giggles. "Here Kasumi, you can look through this pile."
They sat together in a comfortable silence, looking through the papers, and sipping their tea. Not one word was spoken, not one sound was made until Kasumi muttered a very soft "oh my!" Then, as if one accord, Nabiki and Ranma looked towards Kasumi, eager to hear what she had to say.
"Ranma, I didn't know there was anyone in your family by the name of Akane,"
Kasumi said with a smile.
"Our sister seems to be lacking in the imagination department," Nabiki said with a grin on her face as well.
Ranma just sat there with a goofy looking grin on his face as he said to himself, "Wow! I can't believe she willingly took my name!"
"Great-grandmother!" Shampoo yelled as she entered the Nekohatten, "Shampoo have good news, great-grandmother!"
Cologne hopped out of the kitchen when she heard the urgency in her granddaughter's voice. Hopefully she had finally figure out a way to capture her son-in-law once and for all.
"What is it granddaughter?" Cologne asked as she sat at a table in the restaurant.
"Ranma talk with Shampoo today! He ask where is Akane, say she leave and not know where! Is good news, no?"
"This is a very good stroke of luck! With Akane out of the picture Ranma is all but yours!"
"But Great-Grandmother is forgetting Spatula Girl. She try marry Shampoo airen too." Shampoo said with a pout on her face.
"Listen carefully granddaughter, anyone with eyes can see that he only thinks of the Kuonji girl as a friend and nothing more. Tomorrow we shall go talk with him and demand that he return to China with us, I have had enough of these silly games."
"But what if Ranma no want go. What if he no want Shampoo?"
"Child, did I raise you to be an Amazon or an idiot? What does any Amazon do when a male will not listen?"
"They punish male for not be obedient, but Ranma no easy punish."
"We will just leave him no choice in the matter, he will honor our ways."
Ever so slowly, the smoky, transparent figure emerged from the crystal that had been its home for so many years now. Looking towards the nighttime sky, the creature studied the star formations while its body finished materializing from its prison. It felt good to be out again, and it laughed evilly as it thought of all the lives there were to be consumed in this world, so many weak minds that were easily swayed to its way of thinking. First though, before it could do anything else, it would need to find a body to inhabit. It would not be able to survive for long on this plane of existence in its current form. Yes, it would need a body, and preferably one that was in impeccable shape so it could begin its conquest of this world immediately.
The mists began to swirl around Akane's ankles again, raising up over her head as she walked. This did not bother her anymore though, she had been having this dream nightly and it was always the same. She would walk for a while and then run into that hideously ugly creature again. She kept trying to think of ways that she could defeat the creature so she could breakout of this dream cycle, but everything that she had tried so far had failed. Hopefully, tonight would be different and she would be triumphant for a change. Finally, she reached the part of the woods where her log was and she sat down. She had tried in other dreams to go past the log, but no matter how far she walked she always came back to this same spot, so she had learned to just sit and await her fate. As she waited, she thought of Ranma and what he would do in a situation like this. The thought just caused her to laugh a little, he was so ridiculously strong that he probably wouldn't even break a sweat
against that creature. He would probably just hiryu shoten ha the thing and send it into space. Who was she kidding, what could she do against this creature. She had become so use to relying on Ranma that she had become rusty in her techniques. Maybe instead of sitting she should be up practicing a kata or something.
Akane had just started running through her basic forms when the creature appeared. She could feel its approach and turned just in time to block its first attack. Then she countered with a combination of her own, a quick jab to the face followed by one to the neck, then a snap roundhouse to the kidney and hopefully the creature would fall. However, Akane's attack had no effect, it blocked every single one of her moves and she was starting to get very frustrated.
She took a deep breath and went in again, this time a foot swipe followed by a blow to the head. Both missed and she struggled to keep her temper under control. Finally the creature was able to break through her defenses and aimed its strike right for the side of her head, she would not be able to move or block in time.
"Ranma! Where are you when I need you!" She thought too herself as she felt the strike connect, then her dream world went black.
"Akane!" Ranma yelled, jumping up from his bed. He looked around the room and as the last of his dream started to fade away. Hopefully, he would be able to remember it this time, but more than likely he would forget again. He had been having these dreams ever since Akane disappeared and all he could ever remember was that she needed him, now all he had to do was figure out why.
"Having the dreams again, Ranma?" Nabiki asked from the doorway into Akane's room. "Maybe you should go visit Dr Tofu after we check on Akane's new bank account tomorrow."
"I was just thinking the same thing myself. Sorry for waking you Nabiki, I just wish I knew where she was so I could help her."
"Yeah, well go back to sleep. I'll give you five to one odds that you will be leaving Nerima before the day is over, so get some rest."
Ranma just smiled at Nabiki, and then watched her close the door to the room. If everything went right tomorrow, then he would be on his way to get Akane. His Akane. Then he would never leave her side again, no matter what.
STARRY NIGHT
CHAPTER SIX
One week had passed since Ranma had last seen Akane, but to him it seemed like years had gone by. The house was too quiet with her gone. Hell, his life was too quiet with her gone. There was no one left who could fill him with such passion and chase him with such ardor, the other girls best fell way short. He needed to find something to do before he went crazy with worry, something to take his mind off of the black haired beauty that filled his every waking moment, like that was even possible. Everything in his life had revolved around her for so long that he did not know what to do without her by his side for so long except to simply exist. A long, drawn-out sigh escaped his lips as he lay back on the bed in her room. Nodoka had moved him in here the day she moved into the house. She had wanted to share the guest room with Genma and decided that Akane would not mind one little bit if Ranma used her room for a short period of time; she was his fiancée after all. His other
option had been to stay in the dojo, but for some reason he felt more connected with Akane when he was in her room, it was almost as if he could hear her sometimes. Actually, the whole idea was rather scary and unnerving. Maybe he should go talk to someone who was always sympathetic to his plights, someone who, until recently, never jumped to conclusions. Yeah, he really needed to talk to someone about what he was going through, and he could really use a bite to eat. He would go and talk with Ukyou, she always understood him. He stood and started for the door, but stopped as her remembered the conversation he had with her the last time he had stopped in to talk. He faltered for a few minutes, and played with the doorknob as he tried to decide if going to Ukyou would be a wise decision. He had to talk to her though, she had to know and understand that there was never anything more than friendship between the two of them. With a firm resolve he decided that he would find a way
to explain everything to his best friend as he opened to door to leave.
Nabiki sat with at her desk, starring bleary-eyed at the reams of paper in front of her. Finding her sister was going to be a more difficult task than she had originally thought. Had she known that all the new accounts opened in Nerima for the past few days would amount to this mess she was looking at, then she would have arranged for someone else to do it. She felt her stomach start to crawl as she picked up another sheet of names and numbers, as her body let it's opinion of the matter be known. Quickly, she dropped the paper, headed out of her room and down the stairs. Maybe a cup of tea would help to ease her mounting tensions.
The changes in the household were immediately obvious to Nabiki as she came down the stairs. She could no longer hear Kasumi softly humming in the kitchen, the clicks of the go pieces were gone, and her little sister was not running around yelling at someone or something. The whole scene just felt wrong. Nodoka was in the kitchen preparing dinner for the family when Nabiki walked in. She was quietly chopping the vegetables with a grim look of determination on her face. Nabiki had learned that look quickly, and it often meant that dad and Uncle Saotome were giving her some kind of problem. What did she expect though? She had come into their lives and tried to take over. She was bossing everyone around, she was trying to change everything, she was just trying to hard. Everything in this household could not be changed overnight, the process would take a long time. Some how she would get Nodoka to see that, she would help her find her place with this family, and she would
succeed for her sister's sake.
"Good evening Auntie." Nabiki said as she walked over to the stove and retrieved the kettle.
"Good evening Nabiki," Nodoka replied as she looked over her shoulder to see what Nabiki was doing. "Do you need anything? I would be more that happy to help, dear."
"Actually you can help me with something. I would like some nice conversation to go with my tea. Do you have a few minutes?"
"I was just preparing dinner for the family, and a special treat for Kasumi. If you can help me finish the treat and then take it to Kasumi for me, then I will have more than enough time to chat with you."
Nabiki smiled sweetly at Nodoka, then turned her attention back to the stove. She hated to have to be the one to have this talk with her Auntie, she really did not want to hurt her feelings but she did not know what else to do. Emotions were something that she was not very good at handling that was why she never let anyone get to close to her. She did not think she had always been that way though. The relationship she remembered having with her mother was a warm and loving one, but that was the memory of a four-year-old child. The only other person she felt close to was Kasumi, but even she was kept at a distance. She had no choice though, the way she had chosen to support this family put her at a disadvantage. Most of her activities could not be discussed with anyone for fear of other people finding out, after all the best kept secret is the one you keep to yourself. Maybe in time she would be able to break free from this vicious cycle, but for now she was alone.
The softly whistling teakettle brought Nabiki out of her thoughts and back to the task at hand. Soon she had the table set with tea for two, and enough turmoil to last a lifetime. Most of her hoped that this talk with Nodoka would go smoothly and she could get things straightened out, but a small corner of her mind secretly wished that Nodoka would be the person who could save her from the life she had created for herself.
"Auntie, the tea is ready." Nabiki said, "Would you like a snack too?"
"No dear I am fine, thank you." Nodoka replied while taking the chair across from Nabiki. "What do you wish to speak with me about?"
"Wow, right to the point. You don't miss a beat do you Auntie?"
"Nabiki, you have only been speaking to me when you absolutely have to ever since I got here, so I know there is something on your mind."
Nabiki took a sip of her tea as she thought about the situation, rushing in helped no one that was one of the small things she had learned in her short life. " I was just thinking about how much things have changed since your arrival. This hardly seems like the same household."
"I am sorry if the changes have unsettled you, dear." Nodoka replied with an understanding smile on her face. "Something had to be done though, don't you agree?"
"Things were going just fine up till now. I don't see why everything has to change all of a sudden. True Dad and Uncle Saotome could help more, but to force them to resume teaching?"
"Stop and think things through clearly Nabiki. One day Ranma and Akane will be taking over this household. My husband and your father are going to need a place to go, and a way to support themselves. Kasumi has coddled them too much, they have grown very lazy, they need to learn they joy of a simple job well done once again. Also, this will not be Kasumi's domain forever. She will need to branch off and start leading her own life sometime soon, she might as well start now. Now that she is staying at the clinic with Dr. Tofu and no one else, what better time is there for her to start preparing for her future? Then there is you Nabiki. You are much to young to have to be worrying about the household finances all the time; your father should have been taking care of that all along. You should focus on your schoolwork, and he should focus on his life's work.
Do you disagree with me?"
Nabiki sat silently sipping her tea as she thought about everything her Auntie had said. Every word of what she said had struck home, all of it was true, but still she did not feel comfortable with the situation. She was not sure why, but she felt a tremble of terror go through her entire being every time she thought of her family members going in separate directions. Her life was just changing too fast for her liking. Silently, she got up and went to the counter where Nodoka had set the cake she had baked earlier and started to put on the frosting. She no longer wished to do this chore, she no longer felt like being in this room, but she had agreed to the terms and she would complete her end of the deal.
Ranma stared at the sidewalk as he walked down the street wondering how he should tell Ukyou about his feelings, how he felt about her. He was so engrossed with his thoughts that he never noticed the shadow that was following him as he went. Ranma stopped across the street from Uchan's and looked through the plate glass windows at Ukyou. A look of indecision briefly crossed his face, and a lack of confidence that was rarely seen there. The person hiding in the shadows noticed this, and started to get worried. There were very few things that this boy lacked confidence in, they could all probably be counted on one hand, and the first one would be girls. He had very limited interactions with girls while growing-up, he was mostly just with his father as they trained. This shadow bound person secretly hoped that Ranma had not made a decision that she would regrettably have to act upon.
As Ranma crossed the street and opened the door of the restaurant, the stealthy girl followed and crouched down under the window by the door. Quickly, she put her hand between the door and the threshold to keep the door from closing, and then she quietly pushed the door open enough to allow her small frame to enter. Once inside, she quietly made her way to the far end of the counter and stayed there so she could hear the ensuing conversation. She could not hear everything that was being said, but she could catch enough of the words to understand that most of what was being said was just gossip. After a while, the girl started to get bored with what she was hearing and was getting ready to make her presence known when she noticed a change in the intensity of Ranma's voice and a small flair in his ki. More alert now then she was before; the girl poked her head around the corner so she could hear more of what was being said. Ranma had just asked Ukyou if she had seen Akane
lately when Konatsu entered the dinning area from the opposite end of the room. He said hello to Ukyou and Ranma then looked around before a confused look came into his eyes. He was a trained ninja, and the girl knew how good his skills in the art of stealth were compared to hers, so before he could say a word about her she jumped from her hiding place and made her presence known.
"Nihao ma airen! Spatula girl, what you do with my airen. He to take me on too too good date today, that right airen!" Shampoo said with the usual lilt in her voice, and the usual glint in her violet eyes.
"Well, Ranma honey and I were just having a private conversation, so why don't you be a sugar and let yourself out," Ukyou replied in a cool voice.
"Airen no want flat spatula girl, he want woman who make him feel too too good."
"I ain't flat, and you ain't no woman!"
"I don't want either one of you!" Ranma yelled, trying to get the situation back under control. "I have more important things to worry about than two silly girls who think they have to fight over me all the time! Do you guys actually think I enjoy this?"
The two girls stopped and looked at him incredulously. They both wondered what had happened to him, and they both quickly came to the same conclusion. Akane must have hit him real hard this time.
"Now if you two will just listen to me for a minute maybe you can help me with my problem. Akane disappeared a few days ago," Ranma stopped there and watched as he saw the growing hope in both young ladies eyes. He just shook his head in disbelief and continued with what he had to say. "She left a note saying that she was giving me my freedom. Have either one of you seen her? I have looked all over Tokyo, but I can not find her."
Both of the girls stopped listening when Ranma said that Akane had left, they were both to busy thinking of their own good fortune to notice the sad tone his voice had taken, but Konatsu noticed. He knew what it was like to lose the one you loved. He could understand the worry that Ranma was going through.
"I have not seen her recently, but I will let you know if I do," Konatsu answered with an understanding look in his eyes.
"Shampoo have not seen either, but will tell if do. Now Shampoo must leave, have very important business to discuss with great-grandmother." Shampoo said, trying to sound as concerned as possible, but Ranma knew better. He suspected that the important business was yet another trap to capture his heart, and was repulsed by the idea. Would she ever understand that he just didn't think of her in that way?
"I haven't seen her either, sugar, but I sure will head your way if I do," Ukyou said with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. Ranma was sure that she would be visiting sometime soon with some of her specially made okonomiyaki. He would have to think of a way to compensate her for the broken engagement and fast, before she got hurt anymore.
"Well, thanks you guys. I guess I'll see you around," Ranma said as he headed for the door. He wanted to start looking for Akane as soon as possible, but first he needed to stop by the clinic and see how Kasumi was doing, and he really should check with Nabiki first to see if she had found anything.
Kasumi was sitting at the front desk of the Ono clinic humming a happy melody to herself as she watched Dr. Tofu go from one room to the next. He had changed drastically since she was first brought here a week ago. His glasses no longer fogged over when he saw Kasumi, and Betty-chan tended to stay in the closet. This all made Kasumi very happy! She had been patiently waiting for the day when he would be able to express his love for her without acting like a little schoolboy, and she was sure the day was close at hand. Now if she could actually engage him in a conversation where he did not treat her like a patient, if he could maintain control out of his professional side. How was she to accomplish this though? Despite popular opinion, she did have a brain and she knew that Tofu was treating her that way so he wouldn't get all goofy. This was a way for him to remain in control in her presence. Maybe if she became his employee then he would be free to talk to her on a wider
variety of subjects, yet remain in control at the same time. Now would be the perfect time too! His secretary had just quit to go to school full-time, and she had been filling in for the past four days. Who could be better qualified for the job than her? A smile graced Kasumi's face as she thought of this and decided to talk to Tofu about it tonight when he brought her dinner.
Kasumi looked up when she heard a light tapping sound coming from the front door of the clinic. She saw Nabiki standing there with two heavy looking bags in one hand and a smaller bag in the other and stood to help her sister inside. Pushing the door open with one hand, Kasumi reached the other hand out the door to take one of the bags from Nabiki when Ranma appeared out of nowhere and took them instead. She smiled appreciatively at the boy and held the door as both of them entered. She was so happy to see her family; she enjoyed being here with Tofu, but longed to spend time at home.
"Good afternoon Nabiki and Ranma, what brings you here on such a beautiful day?" Kasumi asked, as the smile on her face grew even bigger.
"Like you have to ask, sis," Nabiki responded as she handed the smaller sack to Kasumi.
"Can't we come and check on our favorite sister?" Ranma asked Kasumi. "So how are things going with the good doctor?"
"We can talk in a few minutes, first let me go make some tea. Why don't you two go sit in Tofu's study and I will be there just as soon as the tea is done."
Nabiki and Ranma watched in wonder as Kasumi walked up to Tofu's apartment to make the tea, then they looked at each other with knowing glances on their faces. Kasumi and Tofu seemed to be getting quite cozy with one another. They turned after Kasumi was out-of-sight, walked into Tofu's study, and set their things on the table.
"What do you have in those sack's anyways, Nabiki?" Ranma asked as he sat in a chair at the far side of the table.
Nabiki chose the chair across the table from Ranma and sat down. "These are the information on all the new accounts opened this area. There are a lot more than I thought there would be, so I was going to ask Kasumi to help me look through them. Now that you are here, you can help too."
"I'll look through this stack until Kasumi comes with the tea," Ranma said as he pulled a stack of papers out of one bag and started to scan the names on them.
Nabiki sat and watched him for a few seconds before she took some papers for herself. She started to read them, but then her eyes started to water and blur again, so she closed them instead. She would have to have Dr. Tofu check them for her before she left. She sat quietly for a few minutes, but then the silence started to bother her. Normally she lived for peace and quiet so she could work on her books, but the past week had just been too quiet.
"Bet you didn't realize there were this many people living in Tokyo, did you Ranma?" Nabiki asked in an attempt to end the silence.
"No, I didn't. I also didn't realize there were this many people with the name Akane." Ranma replied.
They both jumped when they heard Kasumi say from the doorway, "Akane is a fairly popular name." She then walked into the room and set the tray she was carrying down in the center of the table. She had the tea and cake served before either of them realized that she had moved to do so.
"What are you doing?" she asked after taking a few sips of tea.
"We are trying to figure out where Akane has gone to. Ranma has been looking, but he has yet to find her trail," Nabiki replied as she attempted to look at another piece of paper, but Kasumi took it from her before she could.
"So you are trying to see if she has opened a new account. What if she really doesn't want to be found you guys? Shouldn't we just leave her alone?"
"You know how your dad is Kasumi," Ranma answered with a shake of his head. "We don't have to bring her back when we find her, but I will stay with her to ease his worries."
"And yours, right Ranma," Kasumi asked with a twinkle in her eyes.
"What! I never said that!" Ranma started to protest at which both of the girls started to laugh.
"What's so funny!" Ranma demanded.
"You, always trying to hide your feelings for Akane, that's what," Nabiki replied between giggles. "Here Kasumi, you can look through this pile."
They sat together in a comfortable silence, looking through the papers, and sipping their tea. Not one word was spoken, not one sound was made until Kasumi muttered a very soft "oh my!" Then, as if one accord, Nabiki and Ranma looked towards Kasumi, eager to hear what she had to say.
"Ranma, I didn't know there was anyone in your family by the name of Akane,"
Kasumi said with a smile.
"Our sister seems to be lacking in the imagination department," Nabiki said with a grin on her face as well.
Ranma just sat there with a goofy looking grin on his face as he said to himself, "Wow! I can't believe she willingly took my name!"
"Great-grandmother!" Shampoo yelled as she entered the Nekohatten, "Shampoo have good news, great-grandmother!"
Cologne hopped out of the kitchen when she heard the urgency in her granddaughter's voice. Hopefully she had finally figure out a way to capture her son-in-law once and for all.
"What is it granddaughter?" Cologne asked as she sat at a table in the restaurant.
"Ranma talk with Shampoo today! He ask where is Akane, say she leave and not know where! Is good news, no?"
"This is a very good stroke of luck! With Akane out of the picture Ranma is all but yours!"
"But Great-Grandmother is forgetting Spatula Girl. She try marry Shampoo airen too." Shampoo said with a pout on her face.
"Listen carefully granddaughter, anyone with eyes can see that he only thinks of the Kuonji girl as a friend and nothing more. Tomorrow we shall go talk with him and demand that he return to China with us, I have had enough of these silly games."
"But what if Ranma no want go. What if he no want Shampoo?"
"Child, did I raise you to be an Amazon or an idiot? What does any Amazon do when a male will not listen?"
"They punish male for not be obedient, but Ranma no easy punish."
"We will just leave him no choice in the matter, he will honor our ways."
Ever so slowly, the smoky, transparent figure emerged from the crystal that had been its home for so many years now. Looking towards the nighttime sky, the creature studied the star formations while its body finished materializing from its prison. It felt good to be out again, and it laughed evilly as it thought of all the lives there were to be consumed in this world, so many weak minds that were easily swayed to its way of thinking. First though, before it could do anything else, it would need to find a body to inhabit. It would not be able to survive for long on this plane of existence in its current form. Yes, it would need a body, and preferably one that was in impeccable shape so it could begin its conquest of this world immediately.
The mists began to swirl around Akane's ankles again, raising up over her head as she walked. This did not bother her anymore though, she had been having this dream nightly and it was always the same. She would walk for a while and then run into that hideously ugly creature again. She kept trying to think of ways that she could defeat the creature so she could breakout of this dream cycle, but everything that she had tried so far had failed. Hopefully, tonight would be different and she would be triumphant for a change. Finally, she reached the part of the woods where her log was and she sat down. She had tried in other dreams to go past the log, but no matter how far she walked she always came back to this same spot, so she had learned to just sit and await her fate. As she waited, she thought of Ranma and what he would do in a situation like this. The thought just caused her to laugh a little, he was so ridiculously strong that he probably wouldn't even break a sweat
against that creature. He would probably just hiryu shoten ha the thing and send it into space. Who was she kidding, what could she do against this creature. She had become so use to relying on Ranma that she had become rusty in her techniques. Maybe instead of sitting she should be up practicing a kata or something.
Akane had just started running through her basic forms when the creature appeared. She could feel its approach and turned just in time to block its first attack. Then she countered with a combination of her own, a quick jab to the face followed by one to the neck, then a snap roundhouse to the kidney and hopefully the creature would fall. However, Akane's attack had no effect, it blocked every single one of her moves and she was starting to get very frustrated.
She took a deep breath and went in again, this time a foot swipe followed by a blow to the head. Both missed and she struggled to keep her temper under control. Finally the creature was able to break through her defenses and aimed its strike right for the side of her head, she would not be able to move or block in time.
"Ranma! Where are you when I need you!" She thought too herself as she felt the strike connect, then her dream world went black.
"Akane!" Ranma yelled, jumping up from his bed. He looked around the room and as the last of his dream started to fade away. Hopefully, he would be able to remember it this time, but more than likely he would forget again. He had been having these dreams ever since Akane disappeared and all he could ever remember was that she needed him, now all he had to do was figure out why.
"Having the dreams again, Ranma?" Nabiki asked from the doorway into Akane's room. "Maybe you should go visit Dr Tofu after we check on Akane's new bank account tomorrow."
"I was just thinking the same thing myself. Sorry for waking you Nabiki, I just wish I knew where she was so I could help her."
"Yeah, well go back to sleep. I'll give you five to one odds that you will be leaving Nerima before the day is over, so get some rest."
Ranma just smiled at Nabiki, and then watched her close the door to the room. If everything went right tomorrow, then he would be on his way to get Akane. His Akane. Then he would never leave her side again, no matter what.