Akane paused her hand inches from rapping on Nabiki's bedroom door. She
had yelled at her sister pretty recently, and said some nasty things. But
now she needed her.
"Oneechan?" she whispered. "You awake?"
There was a small pause. "No, go away."
Akane slipped inside and closed the door gently behind her. The lights were on. Nabiki was sitting at her computer and gazing at what appeared to be a random set of symbols, as far as Akane could tell.
"I said, go away."
Akane shrugged. "You also said you were asleep, no da?"
After a couple of moments of silence, Akane tried again. "I'm really very sorry about what I said before, Nabiki. I hope you'll forgive me."
Nabiki turned to face his younger sister, her expression surprisingly bleak. Akane wondered how anybody could look that bleak and still be smiling.
"I'm not really angry with you," Nabiki informed her. "Or not very. But I couldn't let it go just like that, now could I?"
Akane felt relieved and disgusted all at once. "I think both of us are a little on edge," she hazarded.
"You can say that again," Nabiki replied tiredly. Her eyes flickered to the screen and back again.
"Nabiki - you know I'm worried about you. I think Kasumi is, too. Even father has to have noticed you're acting strangely. It's not like you to foul up a transaction. Next time you might really get hurt." Akane paused, wondering if she could continue. If Nabiki wouldn't get seriously angry if she did. She clenched her jaw. "Maybe its time to quit while you're ahead?" Akane found that she'd trailed off a little at the end.
Nabiki's eyes flickered with some indefinable emotion. "Perhaps you're right."
Akane jumped. "Excuse me?"
"I'm working on a project right now that seems to be taking up all of my time." She gestured obliquely in the direction of her computer screen. "With all the work I'm doing, I don't sleep, I barely eat. maybe its time to devote myself to this one endeavor entirely." Nabiki raised her hand to her mouth as she yawned.
Akane frowned. "I-is it that important?"
Nabiki didn't reply, but Akane supposed her question had been pretty self- evident.
There was a pause in which Akane did her darndest to observe the contents of Nabiki's computer screen. As far as she could tell, the characters were not in any language she'd ever seen before.
"Is there something else?" her elder sister inquired dryly.
"Y-yes. Actually." Akane swallowed. "Would that - I mean, can you."
"A favor?" Nabiki tried raising her eyebrows coolly but spoiled it by yawning.
"Please," Akane tried again. "I-I think I'm beginning to remember those missing months."
Nabiki's eyes flew open. "You are?"
"There's a girl who was staying with us. Right?"
"A girl?" Nabiki blinked, as if unsure about how to proceed. "Well, yes, she stayed with us some of the time. Why?"
"Was her name Ranma?" Akane whispered.
Nabiki sat bolt upright in her computer chair.
"And - and is she. did she."
Nabiki nodded. "I'm afraid so."
"Since she stayed with us, do you have any pictures of her that I could see, please?"
Nabiki's lips twitched, as though she were trying to start a smile. "Picture? She- she liked pictures, and she was very photogenic. I'm sure I have some. Let me look, and I'll give you a couple tomorrow. Is that okay?"
Akane threw her arms around her sister's neck. "Thanks, oneechan. I really owe you."
Nabiki's arms looped loosely around Akane's waist. "Nope, you don't - I'm not doing that stuff right now, remember? But I'll keep it in mind. for later."
"Oneechan?" she whispered. "You awake?"
There was a small pause. "No, go away."
Akane slipped inside and closed the door gently behind her. The lights were on. Nabiki was sitting at her computer and gazing at what appeared to be a random set of symbols, as far as Akane could tell.
"I said, go away."
Akane shrugged. "You also said you were asleep, no da?"
After a couple of moments of silence, Akane tried again. "I'm really very sorry about what I said before, Nabiki. I hope you'll forgive me."
Nabiki turned to face his younger sister, her expression surprisingly bleak. Akane wondered how anybody could look that bleak and still be smiling.
"I'm not really angry with you," Nabiki informed her. "Or not very. But I couldn't let it go just like that, now could I?"
Akane felt relieved and disgusted all at once. "I think both of us are a little on edge," she hazarded.
"You can say that again," Nabiki replied tiredly. Her eyes flickered to the screen and back again.
"Nabiki - you know I'm worried about you. I think Kasumi is, too. Even father has to have noticed you're acting strangely. It's not like you to foul up a transaction. Next time you might really get hurt." Akane paused, wondering if she could continue. If Nabiki wouldn't get seriously angry if she did. She clenched her jaw. "Maybe its time to quit while you're ahead?" Akane found that she'd trailed off a little at the end.
Nabiki's eyes flickered with some indefinable emotion. "Perhaps you're right."
Akane jumped. "Excuse me?"
"I'm working on a project right now that seems to be taking up all of my time." She gestured obliquely in the direction of her computer screen. "With all the work I'm doing, I don't sleep, I barely eat. maybe its time to devote myself to this one endeavor entirely." Nabiki raised her hand to her mouth as she yawned.
Akane frowned. "I-is it that important?"
Nabiki didn't reply, but Akane supposed her question had been pretty self- evident.
There was a pause in which Akane did her darndest to observe the contents of Nabiki's computer screen. As far as she could tell, the characters were not in any language she'd ever seen before.
"Is there something else?" her elder sister inquired dryly.
"Y-yes. Actually." Akane swallowed. "Would that - I mean, can you."
"A favor?" Nabiki tried raising her eyebrows coolly but spoiled it by yawning.
"Please," Akane tried again. "I-I think I'm beginning to remember those missing months."
Nabiki's eyes flew open. "You are?"
"There's a girl who was staying with us. Right?"
"A girl?" Nabiki blinked, as if unsure about how to proceed. "Well, yes, she stayed with us some of the time. Why?"
"Was her name Ranma?" Akane whispered.
Nabiki sat bolt upright in her computer chair.
"And - and is she. did she."
Nabiki nodded. "I'm afraid so."
"Since she stayed with us, do you have any pictures of her that I could see, please?"
Nabiki's lips twitched, as though she were trying to start a smile. "Picture? She- she liked pictures, and she was very photogenic. I'm sure I have some. Let me look, and I'll give you a couple tomorrow. Is that okay?"
Akane threw her arms around her sister's neck. "Thanks, oneechan. I really owe you."
Nabiki's arms looped loosely around Akane's waist. "Nope, you don't - I'm not doing that stuff right now, remember? But I'll keep it in mind. for later."