Interesting Times

By socchan

Chapter Eight: A Cure and an Arrangement

Nabiki and Ranma walked the late-night streets of Nerima almost silently. "So we covered why I was on the roof," Nabiki said, quietly, "Why were you up there?"

"I was… thinking." Came Ranma's reply.

"About?"

"…"

"You want that cure or not?"

"That's blackmail!"

"No, it's extortion."

"Same dif!"

"No, it's not, and I'll thank you not to insult my Art. I don't insult yours, do I? And stop trying to change the subject. What were you thinking about?"
"…"

"I take it you were thinking about Akane." Nabiki grinned as she felt the air around the boy heat up and heard his pulse get faster.

"So what if I was?"

"It appears I was right. Is that all you were thinking about? Or were you thinking about doing things with her?"

"Dammit, I know you're smiling now, Nabiki!" A pause. "Okay, fine, I'll tell you. But only if you tell me where you went last week, and with who. Akane said you were positively glowing when you came back, but she refused to say why."

"You're getting good at this."

"I learned from the best."

"Okay, fine, I'll respect your privacy. We're here anyway."

Blink. "What? Already?"

Nabiki knocked lightly on the back door. "Carmella? It's me." She called softly. The door opened to reveal the woman in question, still dressed in the day's work clothes.

"Nabiki? What's up? I thought you wouldn't be needing any more midnight visits."

Nabiki sighed. "Yeah, well, I kinda ran into an emergency, and couldn't avoid it. This was the best place to go. I got another tug from the Wishes, and I want the recipient checked out before I give it to him. I don't want a repeat of the Kuno incident."

Carmella raised an eyebrow. "You're going all out for this one."

"Yeah, well, I figure he's dealt with enough failures so far. I don't want any lousy side effects for this one. Ranma," she said, addressing the boy behind her for the first time since they arrived, "I'd like you to meet Carmella. She's been a great help to me in figuring out my own curse, and I'm sure she can help with your cure. Carmella, this is Ranma, my sister's fiancée." Nabiki moved aside, and Ranma stepped into the doorway, bowing slightly.

"Pleased to meet you." He said politely.

Carmella smiled. "Likewise." She moved inside the door a bit, and ushered them with her hands. "Come in, come in; people will think I'm inhospitable."

Ranma blinked. "What people? It's the middle of the night."

Carmella's eyes twinkled. "You'd be surprised." (A.N. cough cough Readers! cough cough) Nabiki and Ranma followed her in, and Carmella had Ranma take a seat on the bed as she looked him over. "Hmm…" she said, scrutinizing, "The Jusenkyo curse is plain as day, and it's definitely got a connection to one of the Wishes. He's also inherited a rare form of 'Foot-in-mouth' curse*, as well as one that attracts attention from the opposite gender, which seems to have been amplified a bit by the Jusenkyo curse. I can see the problem. The cure, however, won't affect any of these inasfar as they don't affect one another." Nabiki frowned a bit at the flash of worry that crossed Ranma's face at the mention of the second inherited curse. He's worried Akane might be affected by it… she realized. Carmella straightened. "I can't see any real problems with the Wish taking," she said, meeting Nabiki's gaze squarely. Nabiki nodded, a bit anxious.

"Um, Carmella…?" she asked, nervously, "Could we sit down? There's some other stuff you might need to know in relation to the Wish…"

Slightly confused, Carmella nodded. "I'll get some tea started. Ranma, you can take a seat at the table now."

Ranma stood, relieved, and went to his new seat, Nabiki following suit. Carmella soon joined them at the table, after setting out a few cups. "Now, what's the problem you're talking about?"

Nabiki glanced at Ranma one more time before turning to face Carmella. "Ranma's afraid of cats."

Ranma shifted uncomfortably, and Carmella's eyes widened in surprise. "Oh, dear…" she said, "I can see how that would be a problem…" Nabiki picked up the faint scent of Carmella adding a touch of magic to the water on the stove. "Ranma…" Carmella said, regarding him carefully, "I think we'd better start at the beginning…"

Ranma nodded. "I was wondering what all that 'Wish' stuff was all about…"

Carmella turned an expectant gaze to Nabiki, who let out a long-suffering breath. "Alright," she said, wearily, "I'll tell it. It started a couple of weeks ago, on my way home from school…" Nabiki's tale wove through the air around them, causing Ranma's eyes to widen in surprise more than once. She omitted certain details, such as her conversations with Akane and her current relationship with Kuno, but otherwise almost nothing was spared. "Tonight's the new moon, which is why I look like this." Nabiki gestured to herself, nearing the end of her story. "I didn't exactly want to get caught, so I went up to the roof, which turned out to be pretty moot after all. And you know the rest of it."

Ranma nodded, eyes focused on the table in front of him. Carmella was new to her meeting with Ryonen, but hadn't said anything, instead only raising an eyebrow. The tea had been delivered a short time after she had started her story, and Nabiki found out that the magic Carmella had worked was to make the tea calm soothed nerves. Nabiki, for one, was grateful for this.

"So that's why Kuno hasn't been chasing us any more…" Ranma said softly. He turned his eyes to Nabiki, and met her gaze, seeming to be slightly unnerved by her slitted pupils. "And that's why you were worried about the cure."

"Ranma," Carmella's voice made him turn back to face her. "If you really want that cure, you're going to have to face one of your greatest fears to get it; your fear of cats. It's not something easy to do, but it sounds to me as if it will be well worth it."

Ranma nodded. "I know… It would feel like cheating if I didn't have to do anything to get it. I don't like it, but if it means not turning into a girl whenever I get splashed with cold water, I'll take it."

"There's something else bothering you…" Carmella's forehead creased in a frown. Ranma looked away.

"You're worried that Akane likes you because of that curse you've inherited." Nabiki stated. Ranma nodded slightly. Nabiki smirked; here was something she could help. "Don't worry about it. Our family's probably immune. I mean, it didn't work on either me or Kasumi, so it probably didn't take on her, either."

"Yeah, but what if it's a recessive trait or something, and you an' Kasumi didn't get it, but Akane did?" Ranma's voice was shaky when it came out; he still couldn't meet anyone's eyes.

"If you develop feelings for a person, your natural defense system should negate the affects of the curse on that person." Carmella's tone was warm and reassuring. "The curse was originally designed to help whomever it was placed on find the right person by introducing enough prospective paramours for him or her to decide which one he or she loved. The spell is supposed to deactivate selectively for that person, so the one under the spell can determine if the one they loved loved them because of the spell or for themselves. It'll deactivate completely once the first person finds someone he or she knows returns his or her love." Nabiki nodded to herself; so that was why Ranma still had his fiancée problems.

"Ranma." Ranma was startled out of his reverie when Carmella placed her hand over his. He looked up at her. "People do find happiness; it happens every day. It can happen to you, too, but it's up to you whether or not it will."

Ranma held Carmella's gaze a moment longer, searching for something, then nodded. "Thanks." He said, quietly. He turned to Nabiki. "You, too. Even though I don't act like it a lot, you're one of the best potential sister-in-laws a guy could have, and I wanted you to know that."

Nabiki made a face. "Oh, yeah? What about Kasumi?"

Ranma blinked. "Kasumi? Good God, she's almost more like a potential mother-in-law than sister-in-law! Not that it's bad," he admonished, quickly. "It's just, y'know, different."

Nabiki grinned, and punched him lightly in the arm. Of course, knowing Ranma, it probably wouldn't have hurt much no matter how hard she punched, but it's the principle of the matter. "C'mon, 'bro', we need to get going. Thanks for the help, Carmella."

"And the tea," Ranma added, rising from his seat.

Carmella smiled. "You're welcome. Feel free to drop by any time you have trouble, but if you can wait until more decent hours, I'd appreciate it."

"We'll keep that in mind," Nabiki said, smiling. "Let's go, Ranma…"

"I can walk just fine without you pulling my arm like that, you know. Can we take the high road home?"

"Why not? It's not like a change in perspective could do any harm to that thick skull of yours…"

Carmella chuckled as the pair left the shop; someday, she might have to have children of her own if these two were any indication of the experiences she'd have.

It was the wee hours of the morn when Ranma and Nabiki finally landed back on the Tendo's roof. Nabiki caught his arm before he had a chance to run off. "We need to work out what you're giving me for that Wish," she explained. Ranma nodded, and followed her once again through her window. They sat across from one another on the floor.

"So how much do you want?" Ranma asked, breaking the silence.

Nabiki shook her head. "I've been planning this too long to ask for money now. Besides, you don't have any." Ranma grimaced.

"So what do you want?"

Nabiki waited until he was forced to meet her eyes. "I want you to go on a training trip around the world."

Ranma blinked. "That's all? I would've thought—"

Nabiki cut him off. "And I want you to bring my sister along, and actually train her."

"What?"

"I want you to take Akane on a training trip around the world, and I want you to train her." Nabiki repeated firmly. "And I want you to take a while, so the two of you can actually enjoy the sights. In exchange, for no extra charge, I will give you the Wish, which as long as you wear it will keep you from turning into a girl. In addition, if you need financial aid at any time during the trip, you can write to me and I will give you money."

Ranma looked at her carefully. "Why are you doing this?"

Nabiki massaged her temples. "Ranma, this is going to be really hard for me to do, so once I start, don't stop me, and don't repeat it. Believe it or not, I care about my sister a lot. You make her happy, and apparently, she makes you happy." Ranma's cheeks stained pink. "If that weren't true, I wouldn't be doing this. There is little Akane would like more than to travel the world with you, or to be trained better. She wouldn't admit it; chances are, she doesn't even know it, but I do. So, because I have the opportunity, I'm doing something about it. I'm not asking you to get married or anything; I'm just asking you to get to know each other."

Ranma was silent. Nabiki raised an eyebrow, and it poured out. "But what if she won't go? What if she thinks I'm going to do something perverted? What if she—"

"Ranma!" Ranma's mouth snapped closed. Nabiki looked at him sternly. "Don't worry about it. I'll tell her. She'll listen to me, and eventually, she'll listen to you, too. I'll leave a couple of believable notes—I've been forging your handwriting for a while now, and I won't even imply that you're together, so if you write back, watch what you say. Only one thing: I want you gone by dawn. Think you can handle all that?" Ranma nodded. "Good." She handed him the Wish. "Now go get packed—I'll wake Akane, and send her to the dojo." Ranma strung the claw around his neck, and the two walked out of the room in separate directions.

"Akane."

"Mmmm… whazzat?"

"Akane!"

"Wha? Nabiki? Why are you shaking me? What's up?" Akane sat up, still half asleep.

"Pack your stuff. Ranma's agreed to take you on a training trip."

"What?" Akane was wide-awake now.

"I got him to agree to train you. Get packed, because the only way you can pull this off is if you're gone by dawn. When you're ready, meet him in the dojo. Pack light, but for all occasions."

Akane nodded, believing her sister. She got out of bed, and headed to her closet, then paused. "Nabiki?"

"Yeah?"

"Why are your eyes glowing?"

Nabiki smacked herself on the forehead. "It's a curse."

"Ah, okay then. And thanks."

"For what?"

"For getting Ranma to train me. There's no way he would've done it on his own."

Nabiki grinned. "You're welcome." She crawled back to bed and went to sleep.

When she awoke that morning to sounds of distress, Nabiki smiled broadly.

=^-,-^=

*I couldn't resist.

I'm tired right now, so I'll make this brief. There might be a sequel to this, and if I decide to go through with it (after something else, of course) this is where it will pick up, with Ranma and Akane. I don't have it all planned out yet, but the idea is there. I won't ask for opinions on me doing a sequel just yet; I want to wait until this entire thing is posted. That'll give you some time to mull it over. I'll see you next chapter, and remember, as far as comments go, I take the harsh with the kind.

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is 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