Interesting Times

By socchan

Chapter Seven: A Chat with a Friend

The following Wednesday afternoon, Nabiki could be found chatting with Carmella in her shop, and generally helping out.

"So I take it you and Master Kuno are significantly more than 'just friends' now?" Carmella asked, a smile in her voice.

Nabiki blushed slightly, and made a face at her. "Yes. Do you have to tell the whole world, though?"

Carmella laughed, musically. "No, it's just good to see I haven't lost my touch after all this time."

Nabiki leveled a suspicious gaze at the store owner. "Was this your doing?"

"No; well, not entirely. You and he would probably have gotten together anyway. I just pushed you in the right direction that's all. Besides, you can't tell me you aren't happy with this."

Nabiki glared. "Yes, I can; it just wouldn't be true." Carmella laughed again as Nabiki opened a rather dusty box. She coughed, and waved the dust away, lifting sculpted clay figures from the box. "How long has this thing been here, anyway?"

Carmella shrugged. "Fifty years, maybe? I'm not entirely sure. I know I wrote it down somewhere, but it's been a while, and where and when it came from isn't exactly important at the moment. What is important is that some kid in America is going to need them soon."

Nabiki raised an eyebrow. "And you're how old now?"

Carmella laughed. "His name is Charlie, if you're interested."

Nabiki rolled her eyes at the obvious elusion of the question. "How do you know that, anyway?" she asked, changing the subject. She never could get Carmella to tell her her age. "I mean, this Charlie kid isn't exactly here, so you can't quite read his aura."

"Well, as soon as the items told me they found someone that could use them, I looked him up in my crystal sheet." Carmella said, leaning over her shoulder. "Now, Charlie will be needing this one," She reached into the box, and pulled out a clay figure wrapped in yellowed French newspaper from the end of the Second World War. She unwrapped it to reveal a largish painted black wolf with two identical amber stones in its eye sockets. "And he'll be visiting sometime next week, if my guess is right." Turning it over, Carmella slapped a sticker reading '$12.00' on the bottom. She raised her eyebrows at the look Nabiki gave her. "What? A girl has to make money somehow."

Nabiki snorted. "That sounds like something I would say."

Carmella grinned. "You're right. So, did you figure out who it is that attracts curses?"

Nabiki blinked. "I'd forgotten about that."

Carmella whapped her lightly on the head, and set the wolf on the counter. "Idiot. How's your life supposed to calm down at all if you don't take care of that?"
Nabiki blushed and looked away. "Well, sorry. I haven't gotten a tug lately. How do you expect me to figure it out?"

Carmella rolled her eyes. "Never mind." She looked at Nabiki. "Y'know," she started, "I've been meaning to get a helping hand around the store… I mean, even I won't live forever. And you might be able to pick up a few tricks if you hang around here more often."

Nabiki stared, openmouthed, at Carmella. "Really?"

Carmella nodded. "Really."

Nabiki broke into a grin. "When do I start?"

Carmella's face lit up. "How's next Monday afternoon sound?"

Nabiki considered a moment. "Deal. Now, what's it pay?" Carmella laughed.

A few hours later, after hammering out the details with her soon-to-be employer, Nabiki left for home. She got back in time to see the climax of the latest fiancée fiasco, and watched till the end, fighting the urge to applaud when the faulty engagement was negated, and Ranma and Akane were allowed to stay together. Nabiki went to bed tired but happy.

Thursday passed pretty much uneventfully for the most part. Nabiki went to school, ate lunch with Kuno, teased Ranma and Akane respectively, stopped briefly at Carmella's store, and went home to finish tallying her latest gains (which were many) and losses (which were few, but despite popular belief, existent). The evening passed with the usual banter, and when Nabiki went to bed, she had all but forgotten there was a new moon that night. She remembered in a hurry, however, when she felt her ears elongate and point, then crawl up her head, and twin tails sprout from the base of her spine. She watched in wry amusement as her fingernails lengthened to form claws.

"Lovely," she murmured, glancing in the mirror. "Now I look like a hanyou." She chuckled, and shook her head. "I read too much Inu-Yasha…"

(Far away and long ago, but at what could be relatively called the same time, a certain half-youkai sneezed. "Inu-Yasha?" Kagome asked, sounding concerned, "Are you coming down with something?"

Inu-Yasha snorted in disgust. "Keh. You should know by now that demons can't catch cold.")

Nabiki sighed, and shook her head. "Looks like I won't be getting much sleep tonight." Resigning herself to her fate, Nabiki changed out of her pajamas and into a set of clothes that wouldn't confine her tails. As an afterthought, Nabiki glanced over her shoulder, and twisted the twin tails together to form one thick appendage. Satisfied, Nabiki nodded to herself, and maneuvered acrobatically out the window and onto the roof.

Nabiki stood up straight, closed her eyes, and breathed in the night. At once, the free scents invaded her nostrils. She let the breath out reluctantly, almost sad to return it to its brethren. At almost the same time, her ears pricked at the sound of a human sigh on the other side of the roof. Cautiously and, appropriately, cat-quiet, Nabiki crept along the roof to see a lone figure in a Chinese shirt and pigtail sitting forlornly, and gazing into the distance. Nabiki blinked. "Ranma?"

Ranma started, and turned around to face her. "Nabiki?" he asked, bewildered, "What are you doing up he-eeee-eeeere?" Ranma's expression froze as he noticed the ears sprouting out of Nabiki's head.

Nabiki blinked again. "Ranma? You okay? Ran—oh." Nabiki felt her face redden as her ears twitched. She smacked her forehead. "Duh, Nabiki! 'Cat'-girl? Geez, I'm getting worse than both Ranma and Inu-Yasha put together!"

("Ah-CHOO!"

"You sure you're okay, Inu-Yasha?"

"I'm perfectly fine, Goddamnit!")

Nabiki sighed, and looked at Ranma. "Well, it's not the Nekoken, so he's probably just in shock." She glanced around nervously as she decided on a course of action. Her eyes again rested on Ranma. "You owe me for this," she gritted out, then heaved Ranma over her shoulder. "Oof! Damn, he's heavy! I don't know how Inu-Yasha manages all the time…"

("Aah-CHOOO!"

"That's the third time you've sneezed… Maybe we should stop for the night."

"Just keep walking, bitch."

"But—"

"I said just keep walking, dammit!")

Nabiki hauled Ranma across the roof, and maneuvered him unskillfully through her window. Exhausted and swearing, Nabiki dropped in after him. She rested a few minutes to regain her strength, then crept downstairs to get a pitcher of cold water and the tea kettle that was always on. As she crept back to her room, she felt the beginnings of a gentle tugging sensation from one of the Wishes. Nabiki grinned; she had been waiting for this.

When Nabiki got back, Ranma was still in shock, and the tugging feeling was even stronger. She opened the drawer where she kept the Wishes at night, and pulled the blue one out by its cord. Nabiki raised an eyebrow; somehow, its color didn't surprise her. She tucked it in her pocket, poured a glass of water, turned, and splashed Ranma in the face. His, now her, reaction was predictable.

"Hey!" she yelped, "That's cold! Oh, yeah, thanks Nabiki." Ranma-chan turned to face her savior. "So, how much do I owe you?"

Nabiki waited ten seconds for Ranma-chan to respond, then poured hot water on her. "Ow! Hot!" Ranma yelped again.

"Better?" Nabiki asked.

"Yeah…" Ranma nodded. "I think I can look at you now. Nabiki, we really need to talk."

Nabiki smiled a saccharine sweet smile. "I'm glad you thing so, Ranma, because I think we need to talk, too."

Ranma shifted nervously. "I'll go first. Nabiki, what's with the whole c-c-(gulp) 'cat' thing?"

"It's a curse." Nabiki stated blandly, shrugging.

"Oh, okay then." Ranma blinked then shook his head with a grin. "Y'know, sometimes I'm scared by how easily that answer is accepted in this household."

Nabiki chuckled. "I know. While we're on the subject of curses, I have something you might be interested in."

Ranma's eyes bugged out. "A cure? You found a cure? What is it? Do you really think it will work? Where'd you get it?"

Nabiki held up her hands to slow the flow of questions. "Woah, woah, calm down Ranma. Yes, I found a cure, and I'm positive it will work. I got it form a small out-of-the-way occult store; I doubt you've been there, and even if you have, I doubt you'd ever have found it. And all I can tell you about what it is for the moment is that it's not Nannichuan water."

Ranma frowned. "Why?"

Nabiki regarded him calmly. "Because you won't like it."

Ranma snorted. "Well, yeah, if it's a sex change operation for my girl side, or something equally stupid."

Nabiki rolled her eyes. "Don't worry, it's nothing like that." Nabiki looked at Ranma carefully for a moment. "How badly do you want a cure?"

Ranma turned serious. "Almost more than anything. Almost."

Nabiki nodded. "I thought so." She stood up, and went over to the window. "Come on; let's go."

"Where are we going?"

"To visit a friend of mine, and help you decide if you really want this cure."

=^-,-^=

Okay, first things first. Ten points to Queen and badgerwolf for recognizing 'as you wish' from 'The Princess Bride', an all-time favorite of mine. Five points to Lord Eclipse, because he didn't actually say what it was from in his review, although he seems to have recognized it (and provided me with quite a few quotes I didn't recognize. You remind me of myself). The rest of you, read the book. In fact, all of you, read it. It's hilarious. Most of you are probably familiar with the William Goldman film version, so I also would like to recommend his abridgement of it. If you aren't, remedy it immediately. Or else. It's so worth it. Oh, yeah, and it isn't mine.

Second, a special 'hello' to any of the Aishiteru Guestbook Gang who decided to visit (whether or not they actually knew who or what Ranma was). Glad to have you with us ^_^ and I hope I've addicted you to Ranma. If not, I'll just have to try harder ^_~. See you at the guestbook!

Same review deal. Be honest, or I'll be angry. And don't you dare beat around the bush, got it?

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ and Inu-Yasha are the property of Rumiko Takahashi, and therefore, not mine. I make no claim of it, and this piece of fan fiction is written purely for entertainment, not for money. The Cat's Wishes and Cursed Whisker powder are my concepts, and Carmella is my character, so you'd better ask before using them—or at least give me some credit. Thanks much!

--socchan