-Well, another day, another chapter. There are probably only two chapters left to this, maybe three. Everything that was brought up in this fic will be answered - I'll be going back over the previous chapters to make sure that I don't miss anything important when resolving stuff. Thanks for all the reviews, everyone. Much appreciated, especially those of you that have reviewed several chapters. I hope to have this story completed by the end of this month, if not sooner.
-Disclaimer: Rumiko Takahashi owns all rights, and she gets to decide who makes money off of her characters. Unfortunately, I am not on that list, and so have to content myself with writing fanfiction.
Better Left Unspoken
The next morning, the two families sat down at the table, waiting in anticipation for Kasumi to bring in the breakfast. A collective sigh ran through them as she laid the food on the table. As one, they dived into it, each wanting to get his or her fair share before it was all gone.
"Good morning everyone!" Kasumi said cheerfully. "I hope you all had a good night sleep?"
"Slept like a baby, Kasumi!" Akane said. "I feel like I could take on the world today."
Ranma mumbled something incoherently. He had had a horrible night. What little sleep he had managed to get had been filled with dreams of Akane and Juro, holding hands and skipping happily off into the sunset. He wasn't in a good mood that morning at all. Akane's apparent deceptiveness had been bothering him non-stop. He wanted to come out and ask her about it, but stubborn pride held him back.
Watching her carefully that day, he noticed things. Things like how every time the phone or doorbell would ring, she would leap up to get to it first. He'd watch her answer it, in obvious anticipation, and see her face fall when it wasn't who she wanted it to be. To make matters worse, the few times he had answered the phone when Akane wasn't around, it was different guys, all asking to talk to her. Thankfully, she had been out of earshot, and wasn't around to hear him rudely cut them off, telling them she wasn't at home, or was washing her hair.
Finally, he couldn't take any more of it. Writing down a quick note, saying he'd be back for supper, he left the house, and wandered aimlessly through the neighborhood. He knew it was stupid to get this worked up over what still might be a misunderstanding, but he couldn't help it. It was time he acknowledged it to himself. He was jealous. He was so jealous it hurt.
Back at the house, Nabiki found the note. Smiling, she pocketed it. She'd make sure that she'd tell Akane about it.
"Oh wait... now what was I supposed to tell Akane?" She singsonged to herself a second later. "Can't remember - what a shame. Must not have been that important then."
A little while later, Akane, realizing she hadn't seen Ranma for a bit, went looking for him through the house. She had seen that he had looked depressed about something, and wanted to see if he wanted to talk about it. Looking everywhere - the house, the dojo, the yard, she had no success. Putting on her shoes, she opened the front door, planning to go for a quick walk up their street to see if he was nearby.
"Oh! Shampoo! You startled me! I'm actually just on my way out, and Ranma's not at home, so..." Akane figured that she could be civil to Shampoo now. After all, Ranma had been back for more than 2 weeks now, and the fiancees had been leaving the two of them alone. She guessed that Ranma hadn't been in contact with them during the 6 months he had been away, and they had gotten the hint. And since pretty much all Ukyo, Shampoo and she had in common was Ranma, it was no surprise that neither of them had been coming around.
"So, pervert girl not have Shampoo's husband after all. Shampoo thought was no chance of husband coming to Amazon village, but now not so sure."
"What are you talking about, Shampoo?" Akane said, completely taken aback at the way this conversation was starting. "Ranma is not your husband. You'd think you would have realized this by now. Anyway, I don't have time for this right now."
"Stupid girl! Shampoo not leave until Shampoo see husband. Stay away too too long, but now Shampoo back to get what is hers." Shampoo planted her feet firmly on the ground, a look of stubborness appearing in her eyes.
Akane sighed. "News flash, Shampoo. Ranma came back for me. Sorry to burst your happy little bubble, but it's pretty obvious that he's made his choice. Not you, not Ukyo, but me. Ranma chose me. This getting through to you yet?"
Shampoo laughed. "If Airen choose you, then why he out with Spatula girl right now?"
This caught Akane's attention. Whipping her head up, she stared at Shampoo. "You're lying! Ukyo hasn't been around here any more than you have since Ranma's been back!"
"Maybe no, but Shampoo knows Airen is out for good walk together with Chef girl. Tomorrow he take Shampoo out on date." Shampoo said matter-of-factly.
"In your dreams!" Akane said sharply.
"Sigh... yes, in Shampoo's dreams, Shampoo not even have to fight for Husband with Spatula girl. But is true. Airen say will choose between Shampoo and other girl. You not even in picture anymore. So today, he out with her, tomorrow, Shampoo. Then make decision."
"I don't believe you!" Akane said desperately. Ranma wouldn't do that, not this way! With a sudden intake of breath, she found a flaw in Shampoo's story. "Ha! Now I know you're lying! You say that Ranma's out with Ukyo, but yet you show up here to see him! So, why would you do that, if you knew he was out? God, Shampoo, you really are twisted, aren't you? Having to come up with feeble little lies that you can't even keep straight. And all for a futile attempt to win back a guy you never even had in the first place! Get a life!"
Shampoo smiled smugly. "Akane is one who is futile, not Shampoo. Shampoo know Ranma out with Ukyo, so come here to wait for Airen to make plan for date. Shampoo know Husband be back soon. When he come with Ukyo, then maybe Akane believe what Shampoo say, hmm?"
Akane's retort died on her lips, not said, as she glanced up the street, and saw Ranma walking back to the house with Ukyo hanging on his arm. As he turned up the walkway towards the door, she let out an audible gasp. Ranma looked up at her, with a frown on his face. That was enough for Akane. Throwing a look of hurt Ranma's way, she darted into the house.
*Shampoo was telling the truth! He was out with Ukyo! So maybe tomorrow he's really going out with her! Oh, god, how could I have been so stupid... Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!* Akane mentally berated herself. Hadn't Nabiki warned her that Ranma would be up to his old tricks soon enough? She should have listened at the time. Now, thinking back on the past two weeks, she convinced herself that the friends deal with Ranma had made him realize that he didn't want to be with her. Stalking through the house, she headed up to her room.
Kasumi heard the heavy footsteps, and came to see what was going on. "Akane? Is something wrong?"
"I don't want to talk about it. I need to go do some homework. Excuse me, please." She said as she pushed gently past Kasumi. She wasn't going to cry. She wasn't going to do that route again. If Ranma wasn't man enough to tell her outright, if he wanted to take the cowards way of showing her that he wasn't interested, that was his loss. Her fingers twitched madly, wanting to reach for her mallet, but she wasn't going to give Ranma, Shampoo or Ukyo the satisfaction. No doubt it was what they were expecting, that Tomboy Akane would fly into a jealous rage. Well, that wasn't her anymore. Going into her room, she grabbed a textbook and paper, and started copiously making notes. She'd study hard, get into a good college, and get out of this town, away from everyone that was a painful memory of her past with Ranma.
"And now, I suppose he still expects us to be friends... like nothing happened. Whatever. He wants it that way, that's fine. I'll be civil to him. But that's about all he can expect." Akane sighed. She had really enjoyed the new found closeness that they had discovered. It was going to be hard to give that up. Thinking about it a bit more carefully, she thought maybe they still could be friends - eventually. It's not like she had any real claims on him, other than the stupid engagement their fathers had put together. Ranma was free after all to pick whom he wanted to be with. She had just kind of hoped it would be her.
Back at the front door, Ranma looked after Akane worriedly. "She didn't even ask for an explanation! Not like I owed her one - nothing was going on. Not my fault I met up with Ukyo on the way home. And besides, who's she to look hurt? She's the one actually dating other people!" Looking around, he saw that Ukyo and Shampoo had already left. "Huh. That's weird. Shampoo didn't even say hi or nothing. And Ukyo didn't say anything about leaving."
Ranma walked into the house slowly. Kasumi was still in the hallway, looking up the stairs where Akane had gone.
"Ranma - is something wrong with you and Akane? She seems a bit upset about something."
"No, nothing's wrong. Your sister has just decided to let me know not so subtly that she's not interested in me anymore. She had a date yesterday you know."
"Oh? I didn't know that. She didn't go out."
"Yeah, only cause I chased the guy out of here before she saw him." Ranma sighed.
"Oh, Ranma... are you sure? The two of you seemed to be getting along so well. Shouldn't you say something to her? Ask her about it?" Kasumi said in a concerned voice.
"What's the point, Kasumi? She's made her choice, and I'm not it. I just have to accept her decision and get on with my life. I might not like it, but if she only wants to be friends, then that's what I'll have to accept. I've got to be a man, and not stand in her way."
"Did you want me to talk to Akane for you? I'm sure it would help."
"Nah. She didn't let me know about the date - I only found out when that guy showed up, so if you went to talk to her about it, she might think I was checking up on her or something."
"Okay, if that's what you want."
Ranma sat down heavily on the stairs. "No! It's not what I want! But obviously it's what she wants. Part of me wants to go ripping up those stairs and yell at her to tell me what's going on, but that would just make things worse, wouldn't it?" He said defeatedly.
Dinnertime was strained. Both Ranma and Akane sat there, making small talk. Whatever camaraderie they had managed to gain was lost. Each would occasionally throw glances at the other, with eyes full of confusion and hurt. When they would catch eyes though, they'd force an expression of amicableness on their features.
The next day was a little easier. A bit of teasing here and there from both parties started to melt down the wall that had suddenly been erected over the past few days. The closeness they had obtained wasn't back, but it was a start.
*I guess we can be friends...* Akane thought to herself. *It's better than nothing I suppose. At least, until he decides who he's going to be with. I wouldn't be able to stand seeing him with either Ukyo or Shampoo. It would hurt too much, and plus, I just know that which ever girl it was would be laughing at me every chance she got, rubbing it in.*
Neither of them dared to broach the topic that was in each of their heads. It would have been too much for their fragile friendship to bear. But each of them was thinking the same thing:
*Why didn't you just tell me, instead of shoving it in my face the way you did?*
A few days later, Akane approached Kasumi in the kitchen. "Kasumi? You know how you asked me if I wanted to talk about it? Well, would now be a good time?" She looked at her older sister pleadingly.
"Of course, Akane. Let me just put some tea on, and we'll sit down and have a good chat." After doing what she had said, she sat down at the little table in the kitchen and motioned Akane towards the other chair.
Akane sat down, with a large sigh. "It's Ranma. When isn't it Ranma? He doesn't want me THAT way, Kasumi."
"Oh, but..." Kasumi managed to get out before Akane continued.
"No, it's true. He's decided he only wants to be friends. Shampoo showed up here the other day, and filled me in. I wish Ranma could have said it himself, although I don't know that it would have hurt any less."
"Akane, I really don't think that..." Once again, Kasumi was interrupted by her sister.
"But, we're still friends, and that's what counts right?" Akane's smile didn't quite reach her eyes. "If I can't have him exactly as I wanted, I can at least have this for right now. He's made his decision and I'll have to accept it."
Kasumi began to feel an odd sense of deja-vu. Something was not quite right with this picture. Taking a deep breath, she started to talk. "Akane, I talked to Ranma a few days ago, and..."
"He told you? He hasn't even come out and said it to me... Seems like he's just going to leave it this way - showing it with actions, not words." Akane sighed wearily. "It's not as hard as I thought though - other than that first bit when I found out of course, but it's getting better." She stood up abruptly. "Thanks for the talk, Kasumi. I feel a bit better about it all. You're right, a friendship is nothing to throw away, just because feelings don't go farther on one side. Thanks for the advice." She started to walk towards the door.
"Akane, please, there's something you need to hear..." But it was too late. Akane had already left the kitchen. "Oh my..." Something was going on. And in Kasumi's household, if something was going on, she was going to find out about it sooner or later.
That evening, as she was washing up the dishes, she looked out the window. Nabiki was in the backyard, which was unusual, considering that normally she'd be in her room, going over her various financial books. What was even more unusual was that she was talking to a group of people, including Shampoo and Ukyo. Her curiosity getting the better of her, Kasumi opened the window a crack, and turned off the water in order to hear what Nabiki was saying.
"People, people! One at a time. Now, if you'll just all line up, nice and organized, you'll get your money. I have to say, job well done! Thank you very much for your co-operation."
A young man called out from the crowd. "And our debt is forgotten?"
"That was the deal. You do me a favor, I do you a favor. Plus, I'm giving you a bonus, since it didn't take anywhere near as long as I thought it might to break those two up."
"This better have worked, sugar." Said Ukyo. "You promised that Ranma honey would be free after this for me to work my consoling magic on."
"Not you, Shampoo be one to console Husband!" Called a purple haired Amazon a few people back in the line."
Nabiki quickly squelched the fight that looked about to start. "Details like that is not my concern. What happens from here on in is up to you. Just don't do it around here. So, who's first? Ah, Juro. Great job, baby. Ever think about the stage as a career? So, let's see. Debt of 12500 yen, erased. Payment of 5000 yen, here you go. Next!" Rapidly, she changed figures in her books, while handing out various sums of money.
Kasumi stood in the kitchen in shock. Nabiki? She shook her head. She wasn't really all that surprised, she supposed. It had been obvious that Nabiki was extremely mad at Ranma for coming back. But still, to go to these kind of lengths, and at the expense of her sister's own happiness. It wasn't right. Shaking herself loose from the turmoil running through her at the sight of her sister paying off people, she looked out the window. Nabiki had taken care of all her business, and was seeing the last of the accomplices out the gate. Dusting off her hands, she smiled happily, and headed for the house.
Kasumi quickly ducked her head away from the window. Trembling, she sat down. Just as quickly, she stood back up. Untying her apron, and hanging it neatly on its hook, she left the kitchen, just in time to see Nabiki enter her room and shut the door. Purposefully, she climbed the stairs and knocked sharply on the bedroom door.
"Who is it?" Nabiki called from inside.
"It's me, Kasumi - can I come in?"
"I'm a little busy right now, can it wait?" Was the reply.
Kasumi opened the door and walked in. With uncharacteristic anger, she said "No, it can't. You and I have to have a talk. Now." She shut the door behind her.
End Chapter Seven
-You know, I'm really not happy with how I portrayed Nabiki in this fic. Although she can be mercenary, and cold at times, I like her character. I didn't mean to write her this way - it just happened. And then it was a question of - do I go back and change it, or work with it? So, I worked with it, and coming up next, obviously, is a confrontation between her and Kasumi. Anyways, hope you liked it, R&R please!
-Disclaimer: Rumiko Takahashi owns all rights, and she gets to decide who makes money off of her characters. Unfortunately, I am not on that list, and so have to content myself with writing fanfiction.
Better Left Unspoken
The next morning, the two families sat down at the table, waiting in anticipation for Kasumi to bring in the breakfast. A collective sigh ran through them as she laid the food on the table. As one, they dived into it, each wanting to get his or her fair share before it was all gone.
"Good morning everyone!" Kasumi said cheerfully. "I hope you all had a good night sleep?"
"Slept like a baby, Kasumi!" Akane said. "I feel like I could take on the world today."
Ranma mumbled something incoherently. He had had a horrible night. What little sleep he had managed to get had been filled with dreams of Akane and Juro, holding hands and skipping happily off into the sunset. He wasn't in a good mood that morning at all. Akane's apparent deceptiveness had been bothering him non-stop. He wanted to come out and ask her about it, but stubborn pride held him back.
Watching her carefully that day, he noticed things. Things like how every time the phone or doorbell would ring, she would leap up to get to it first. He'd watch her answer it, in obvious anticipation, and see her face fall when it wasn't who she wanted it to be. To make matters worse, the few times he had answered the phone when Akane wasn't around, it was different guys, all asking to talk to her. Thankfully, she had been out of earshot, and wasn't around to hear him rudely cut them off, telling them she wasn't at home, or was washing her hair.
Finally, he couldn't take any more of it. Writing down a quick note, saying he'd be back for supper, he left the house, and wandered aimlessly through the neighborhood. He knew it was stupid to get this worked up over what still might be a misunderstanding, but he couldn't help it. It was time he acknowledged it to himself. He was jealous. He was so jealous it hurt.
Back at the house, Nabiki found the note. Smiling, she pocketed it. She'd make sure that she'd tell Akane about it.
"Oh wait... now what was I supposed to tell Akane?" She singsonged to herself a second later. "Can't remember - what a shame. Must not have been that important then."
A little while later, Akane, realizing she hadn't seen Ranma for a bit, went looking for him through the house. She had seen that he had looked depressed about something, and wanted to see if he wanted to talk about it. Looking everywhere - the house, the dojo, the yard, she had no success. Putting on her shoes, she opened the front door, planning to go for a quick walk up their street to see if he was nearby.
"Oh! Shampoo! You startled me! I'm actually just on my way out, and Ranma's not at home, so..." Akane figured that she could be civil to Shampoo now. After all, Ranma had been back for more than 2 weeks now, and the fiancees had been leaving the two of them alone. She guessed that Ranma hadn't been in contact with them during the 6 months he had been away, and they had gotten the hint. And since pretty much all Ukyo, Shampoo and she had in common was Ranma, it was no surprise that neither of them had been coming around.
"So, pervert girl not have Shampoo's husband after all. Shampoo thought was no chance of husband coming to Amazon village, but now not so sure."
"What are you talking about, Shampoo?" Akane said, completely taken aback at the way this conversation was starting. "Ranma is not your husband. You'd think you would have realized this by now. Anyway, I don't have time for this right now."
"Stupid girl! Shampoo not leave until Shampoo see husband. Stay away too too long, but now Shampoo back to get what is hers." Shampoo planted her feet firmly on the ground, a look of stubborness appearing in her eyes.
Akane sighed. "News flash, Shampoo. Ranma came back for me. Sorry to burst your happy little bubble, but it's pretty obvious that he's made his choice. Not you, not Ukyo, but me. Ranma chose me. This getting through to you yet?"
Shampoo laughed. "If Airen choose you, then why he out with Spatula girl right now?"
This caught Akane's attention. Whipping her head up, she stared at Shampoo. "You're lying! Ukyo hasn't been around here any more than you have since Ranma's been back!"
"Maybe no, but Shampoo knows Airen is out for good walk together with Chef girl. Tomorrow he take Shampoo out on date." Shampoo said matter-of-factly.
"In your dreams!" Akane said sharply.
"Sigh... yes, in Shampoo's dreams, Shampoo not even have to fight for Husband with Spatula girl. But is true. Airen say will choose between Shampoo and other girl. You not even in picture anymore. So today, he out with her, tomorrow, Shampoo. Then make decision."
"I don't believe you!" Akane said desperately. Ranma wouldn't do that, not this way! With a sudden intake of breath, she found a flaw in Shampoo's story. "Ha! Now I know you're lying! You say that Ranma's out with Ukyo, but yet you show up here to see him! So, why would you do that, if you knew he was out? God, Shampoo, you really are twisted, aren't you? Having to come up with feeble little lies that you can't even keep straight. And all for a futile attempt to win back a guy you never even had in the first place! Get a life!"
Shampoo smiled smugly. "Akane is one who is futile, not Shampoo. Shampoo know Ranma out with Ukyo, so come here to wait for Airen to make plan for date. Shampoo know Husband be back soon. When he come with Ukyo, then maybe Akane believe what Shampoo say, hmm?"
Akane's retort died on her lips, not said, as she glanced up the street, and saw Ranma walking back to the house with Ukyo hanging on his arm. As he turned up the walkway towards the door, she let out an audible gasp. Ranma looked up at her, with a frown on his face. That was enough for Akane. Throwing a look of hurt Ranma's way, she darted into the house.
*Shampoo was telling the truth! He was out with Ukyo! So maybe tomorrow he's really going out with her! Oh, god, how could I have been so stupid... Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!* Akane mentally berated herself. Hadn't Nabiki warned her that Ranma would be up to his old tricks soon enough? She should have listened at the time. Now, thinking back on the past two weeks, she convinced herself that the friends deal with Ranma had made him realize that he didn't want to be with her. Stalking through the house, she headed up to her room.
Kasumi heard the heavy footsteps, and came to see what was going on. "Akane? Is something wrong?"
"I don't want to talk about it. I need to go do some homework. Excuse me, please." She said as she pushed gently past Kasumi. She wasn't going to cry. She wasn't going to do that route again. If Ranma wasn't man enough to tell her outright, if he wanted to take the cowards way of showing her that he wasn't interested, that was his loss. Her fingers twitched madly, wanting to reach for her mallet, but she wasn't going to give Ranma, Shampoo or Ukyo the satisfaction. No doubt it was what they were expecting, that Tomboy Akane would fly into a jealous rage. Well, that wasn't her anymore. Going into her room, she grabbed a textbook and paper, and started copiously making notes. She'd study hard, get into a good college, and get out of this town, away from everyone that was a painful memory of her past with Ranma.
"And now, I suppose he still expects us to be friends... like nothing happened. Whatever. He wants it that way, that's fine. I'll be civil to him. But that's about all he can expect." Akane sighed. She had really enjoyed the new found closeness that they had discovered. It was going to be hard to give that up. Thinking about it a bit more carefully, she thought maybe they still could be friends - eventually. It's not like she had any real claims on him, other than the stupid engagement their fathers had put together. Ranma was free after all to pick whom he wanted to be with. She had just kind of hoped it would be her.
Back at the front door, Ranma looked after Akane worriedly. "She didn't even ask for an explanation! Not like I owed her one - nothing was going on. Not my fault I met up with Ukyo on the way home. And besides, who's she to look hurt? She's the one actually dating other people!" Looking around, he saw that Ukyo and Shampoo had already left. "Huh. That's weird. Shampoo didn't even say hi or nothing. And Ukyo didn't say anything about leaving."
Ranma walked into the house slowly. Kasumi was still in the hallway, looking up the stairs where Akane had gone.
"Ranma - is something wrong with you and Akane? She seems a bit upset about something."
"No, nothing's wrong. Your sister has just decided to let me know not so subtly that she's not interested in me anymore. She had a date yesterday you know."
"Oh? I didn't know that. She didn't go out."
"Yeah, only cause I chased the guy out of here before she saw him." Ranma sighed.
"Oh, Ranma... are you sure? The two of you seemed to be getting along so well. Shouldn't you say something to her? Ask her about it?" Kasumi said in a concerned voice.
"What's the point, Kasumi? She's made her choice, and I'm not it. I just have to accept her decision and get on with my life. I might not like it, but if she only wants to be friends, then that's what I'll have to accept. I've got to be a man, and not stand in her way."
"Did you want me to talk to Akane for you? I'm sure it would help."
"Nah. She didn't let me know about the date - I only found out when that guy showed up, so if you went to talk to her about it, she might think I was checking up on her or something."
"Okay, if that's what you want."
Ranma sat down heavily on the stairs. "No! It's not what I want! But obviously it's what she wants. Part of me wants to go ripping up those stairs and yell at her to tell me what's going on, but that would just make things worse, wouldn't it?" He said defeatedly.
Dinnertime was strained. Both Ranma and Akane sat there, making small talk. Whatever camaraderie they had managed to gain was lost. Each would occasionally throw glances at the other, with eyes full of confusion and hurt. When they would catch eyes though, they'd force an expression of amicableness on their features.
The next day was a little easier. A bit of teasing here and there from both parties started to melt down the wall that had suddenly been erected over the past few days. The closeness they had obtained wasn't back, but it was a start.
*I guess we can be friends...* Akane thought to herself. *It's better than nothing I suppose. At least, until he decides who he's going to be with. I wouldn't be able to stand seeing him with either Ukyo or Shampoo. It would hurt too much, and plus, I just know that which ever girl it was would be laughing at me every chance she got, rubbing it in.*
Neither of them dared to broach the topic that was in each of their heads. It would have been too much for their fragile friendship to bear. But each of them was thinking the same thing:
*Why didn't you just tell me, instead of shoving it in my face the way you did?*
A few days later, Akane approached Kasumi in the kitchen. "Kasumi? You know how you asked me if I wanted to talk about it? Well, would now be a good time?" She looked at her older sister pleadingly.
"Of course, Akane. Let me just put some tea on, and we'll sit down and have a good chat." After doing what she had said, she sat down at the little table in the kitchen and motioned Akane towards the other chair.
Akane sat down, with a large sigh. "It's Ranma. When isn't it Ranma? He doesn't want me THAT way, Kasumi."
"Oh, but..." Kasumi managed to get out before Akane continued.
"No, it's true. He's decided he only wants to be friends. Shampoo showed up here the other day, and filled me in. I wish Ranma could have said it himself, although I don't know that it would have hurt any less."
"Akane, I really don't think that..." Once again, Kasumi was interrupted by her sister.
"But, we're still friends, and that's what counts right?" Akane's smile didn't quite reach her eyes. "If I can't have him exactly as I wanted, I can at least have this for right now. He's made his decision and I'll have to accept it."
Kasumi began to feel an odd sense of deja-vu. Something was not quite right with this picture. Taking a deep breath, she started to talk. "Akane, I talked to Ranma a few days ago, and..."
"He told you? He hasn't even come out and said it to me... Seems like he's just going to leave it this way - showing it with actions, not words." Akane sighed wearily. "It's not as hard as I thought though - other than that first bit when I found out of course, but it's getting better." She stood up abruptly. "Thanks for the talk, Kasumi. I feel a bit better about it all. You're right, a friendship is nothing to throw away, just because feelings don't go farther on one side. Thanks for the advice." She started to walk towards the door.
"Akane, please, there's something you need to hear..." But it was too late. Akane had already left the kitchen. "Oh my..." Something was going on. And in Kasumi's household, if something was going on, she was going to find out about it sooner or later.
That evening, as she was washing up the dishes, she looked out the window. Nabiki was in the backyard, which was unusual, considering that normally she'd be in her room, going over her various financial books. What was even more unusual was that she was talking to a group of people, including Shampoo and Ukyo. Her curiosity getting the better of her, Kasumi opened the window a crack, and turned off the water in order to hear what Nabiki was saying.
"People, people! One at a time. Now, if you'll just all line up, nice and organized, you'll get your money. I have to say, job well done! Thank you very much for your co-operation."
A young man called out from the crowd. "And our debt is forgotten?"
"That was the deal. You do me a favor, I do you a favor. Plus, I'm giving you a bonus, since it didn't take anywhere near as long as I thought it might to break those two up."
"This better have worked, sugar." Said Ukyo. "You promised that Ranma honey would be free after this for me to work my consoling magic on."
"Not you, Shampoo be one to console Husband!" Called a purple haired Amazon a few people back in the line."
Nabiki quickly squelched the fight that looked about to start. "Details like that is not my concern. What happens from here on in is up to you. Just don't do it around here. So, who's first? Ah, Juro. Great job, baby. Ever think about the stage as a career? So, let's see. Debt of 12500 yen, erased. Payment of 5000 yen, here you go. Next!" Rapidly, she changed figures in her books, while handing out various sums of money.
Kasumi stood in the kitchen in shock. Nabiki? She shook her head. She wasn't really all that surprised, she supposed. It had been obvious that Nabiki was extremely mad at Ranma for coming back. But still, to go to these kind of lengths, and at the expense of her sister's own happiness. It wasn't right. Shaking herself loose from the turmoil running through her at the sight of her sister paying off people, she looked out the window. Nabiki had taken care of all her business, and was seeing the last of the accomplices out the gate. Dusting off her hands, she smiled happily, and headed for the house.
Kasumi quickly ducked her head away from the window. Trembling, she sat down. Just as quickly, she stood back up. Untying her apron, and hanging it neatly on its hook, she left the kitchen, just in time to see Nabiki enter her room and shut the door. Purposefully, she climbed the stairs and knocked sharply on the bedroom door.
"Who is it?" Nabiki called from inside.
"It's me, Kasumi - can I come in?"
"I'm a little busy right now, can it wait?" Was the reply.
Kasumi opened the door and walked in. With uncharacteristic anger, she said "No, it can't. You and I have to have a talk. Now." She shut the door behind her.
End Chapter Seven
-You know, I'm really not happy with how I portrayed Nabiki in this fic. Although she can be mercenary, and cold at times, I like her character. I didn't mean to write her this way - it just happened. And then it was a question of - do I go back and change it, or work with it? So, I worked with it, and coming up next, obviously, is a confrontation between her and Kasumi. Anyways, hope you liked it, R&R please!