A/N: Jeez, I'm updating a lot recently! Must be something in the water… Anyway, thanks for reviewing in the past and remember to review in the present and future!! ::passes out cookies with Natsuko's picture on them::

"PPPPPPPPPPPPPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRVVVVVVVVVVVVVVEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!"

Everyone in the house jolted awake and sprinted into the hall. And if there was any doubt for the rest of Nerima that the Tendo household was up, it was put to rest now. Four doors (Akane's, Nabiki's, Soun's, and 'Ranko's', if anybody cares) opened at the same time and the people inside watched as two figures went running down the hall.

Surprisingly, it wasn't Ranma and Akane.

"GET BACK HERE AND DIE LIKE THE PIG YOU ARE!!"

"If you'd just listen to me--"

"THE TIME FOR WORDS IS PAST!! DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIE!!"

With one swift, well-aimed punch, Hotaka went flying into Akane's room, through the open window, and into the kio pond outside.

#10.0# Genma-panda's sign read as he held it up from his door.

Ignoring the panda behind her, Natsuko stomped over to Akane's window and stuck her head out.

"Serves you right, werewolf!" she screamed at the water logged wolf pulling himself out of the pond. With a "humph," she slammed the window down, and turned to face the rest of the household crowding around her. Kazuma and Banna were the ones to push their way to her.

"Why'd you throw Hotachan out the window?" Banna asked.

"Nats, what happened?" Kazuma asked, concernedly. Sure, Natsuko had thrown Hotaka out of plenty of windows, but she hadn't called him a pervert in a long time. Leading with he shoulder, she pushed her brother out of the way.

"Just leave me alone!" she screamed.

"Nats--?!" Kazuma started, grabbing on to her shoulder. Natsuko pushed his hand away, not even bothering to slow her pace or face her twin.

"What do you care about me for?! I hate your father, and I can't be your girlfriend, so what's the point?!"

To say Kazuma was shocked would be an understatement. To say the world around them froze and crumbled would also be an understatement. If this was Ranma and Akane we were talking about, or even Natsuko and Hotaka, everyone in the room would have just shrugged it off; but this was Natsuko and _Kazuma._ They _never_ spoke to one another like that.

Yet, it happened. Kazuma could only watch as Natsuko stomped off into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her with such force that the whole house shook. Everyone was frozen, shocked at what they had just seen between the two twins. The first one to move was Banna.

She burst into tears and ran into Ranma's room where she had stayed with 'Ranko' and Nodoka last night. The little girl threw herself on her futon, knowing fully well what had just happened, but not understanding why. Motherly instincts taking over, Nodoka went over and tried to calm the little girl down, but nothing seemed to slow Banna's sobs and unintelligible half sentences.

Next to regain the use of movement in her limbs was Perfume. She managed to make her way to her fiancée and put a hand on his shoulder.

"I'll talk to her," Perfume whispered. Kazuma only nodded.

What could happen to make her so cold? Perfume thought as she built up her courage to walk into the bathroom. Twin bonds aren't things that are easily broken, especially not theirs. For all the years I've known them, I've never seen her act like that towards Kazuma. Natsuko, what's the matter?

***

Natsuko scrubbed furiously at her hair. She had taken it out of its normal braid, and was washing it, seemly taking out her anger on it. It formed a small blue, soap covered mountain on the top of her head.

"What's your problem, Natsuko? I thought you hated Pops."

"I hate your father, and I can't be girlfriend, so what's the point?!"

"Papa, I hate you!"

She scrubbed harder, trying to block the voices out of her head.

"Papa, I hate you!"

No, I don't, it's a lie! A lie! How could I hate my own father? My brother would never turn on me! It was just a dream! Just a dream… Oh, Kamisama, I want to go home.

*Knock, knock.*

"Natsuko?" Perfume's voice called from the laundry room outside the bath. "Are you okay, Nats?"

"Oh, yeah. Peachy keen," she replied bitterly.

"Natsuko, what's the matter? You gotta talk to me; it's not healthy to keep things bottled up, not to mention it's really not like you. I'm the one who did that, remember?" she half laughed. Perfume paused, as if waiting for a reply. It never came. "Can I come in?"

"Just go away," Natsuko said quietly, dumping a bucket of cold water over her head.

Despite Natsuko's wishes, Perfume pushed open the bath's door and stared at the tiger cub on the floor, water running down her nuzzle. Somehow, Perfume didn't think it was from the bucket of cold water that she dumped on herself. She gently picked up the kitten and hugged it to her chest.

"Oh, Natsuko…"

***

"You did _what_?" Akane asked, stunned.

Hotaka grimly nodded.

"No wonder she was screaming this morning," Akane comment.

"When I climbed into bed with her, I swear it was just to calm her down. I didn't do _anything_ to her, and I had no intention to either."

"Then why did you?"

Hotaka focused and his shoes and mumbled, "She needed me." He rose his head, and spoke more strongly. "Nats and I might be rivals, but I couldn't let her just toss and turn all night like that. When she was held, she seemed to calm, so I thought if I climbed into bed with her, it might help her nightmare subside. It works when I do it for Banna," he mumbled.

"Hotaka, there is a big difference between your little sister and Natsuko."

"You don't think I know that?!" he exclaimed, jumping up. A moment later, he looked shocked, then sat back down. "Sorry Akane. Is this why you wanted to talk to me?"

Of course, idiot, he thought to himself. Why else would she dump hot water on me, throw me a pair of pants, and drag me to her room.

"Yes," Akane replied. "And I have one other thing."

Hotaka looked up, surprised.

"What else could there be?" he asked.

"I know with Nodoka here, you guys have been playing the 'loving future newly weds.' What I want to know is if Nodoka wasn't here and there was no pressure or charade, what you would think about Natsuko?"

"The girl's my rival. She's always whapping me, and I whap her back. We argue constantly and mercilessly. I can't even start to count all the property damage that's been caused because of us," he said. There was no resentment in his voice, no annoyance, if anything it sounded tired. "We've known each other, I mean, _really_ known each other for only three years. We fight everyday. Yet, there are these moments…"

He shook his head.

"More like non-moments they happen so rare," he corrected himself. "Last night, I just wanted to help."

"I know now, Hotaka," Akane replied.

I just don't think Natsuko does, she mentally added.

***

Kazuma sat on the porch outside the dojo, Banna in his lap. Since Hotaka had been dragged into Akane's room right after the incident this morning, Banna had taken comfort in the next best thing to her brother's lap, and that was Kazuma's. Nodoka sat next to them on the porch; she didn't want to get into family matters, and she wasn't quite sure what was going on, but she wanted to do something to help. Her gaze shifted from the boy twin with the little girl in his lap to the girl twin in the dojo.

Natsuko was dressed in what Kazuma had called a 'danced gi.' It was a gi made of more flexible and thinner material than a normal gi that allowed her to kick higher and move more freely. Kazuma had apparently brought a few things for her that she had forgotten at home, and this dance gi was one of them. Nodoka watched the girl exercise a kata that looked more like a dance, but there were the unmistakable martial arts in there as well.

It was beautiful to watch. Every move seemed to perfectly blend with song on the radio she was listening to. Kazuma had told her earlier that his sister did this fair often, just let herself get lost in the music and her Dance Fu.

o/" I took my love and I took it down,

I climbed a mountain and I turned around,

And I saw my reflection in the snow-covered hills,

Well, the landslide brought me down o/"

As the song on the radio sweetly, sadly began, Natsuko fell into a dance position. Watching with a fascinated curiosity, Nodoka watched the girl dance with an invisible partner. She flowed so smoothly from one move to another like it was nothing to her; she made it look so easy.

o/" Oh, mirror in the sky-- what is love?

Can the child within my heart rise above?

Can I sail through the changing ocean tides?

Can I handle the seasons of my life?

Uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh, ooo-ooo-ooo o/"

"What's she doing?" Akane asked. Nodoka turned around to see her and Hotaka standing behind her.

"Hotachan," Banna whispered, crawling into his brother's lap when he sat down.

"She's dancing," Kazuma said, not taking his eyes off his sister. "Losing herself in the music, trying to forget."

"Forget what?" Akane asked. Kazuma frowned.

"I wish I knew. She won't talk to me."

o/" Well I've been 'fraid of changin'

'Cause I built my life around you

But time make bolder; children get older

I'm getting older too o/"

"Where'd Perfume go?" Akane asked.

"Out with Ranma and Nabiki," Kazuma replied. "Said they were gonna find something to cheer Natsuko up. Told me to stay here in case she wanted to talk, like that's gonna happen."

"She's too damn stubborn," Hotaka agreed.

*BAM*

The small black radio that Natsuko was listening to connected with Hotaka's skull.

"I can hear you, ya know; I might be too damn stubborn, but I ain't too damn stupid like some people," she said coldly.

Hotaka was about to open his mouth and say something in retaliation, but he was cut short by the front door opening, closing, and then three pairs of feet racing down the porch. (Okay, maybe only two were racing and Nabiki was walking.)

"Natsuko!" she cried excitedly. She was about to say more, then she remembered what she was supposed to sound like, and readjusted her accent. "We find way to cheer up!!"

"And I even gave a discount," Nabiki added.

"Come! Shower! Change! Going we must soon!" she declared, dragging Natsuko towards the bathroom.

"Perfume! Hang on!" she broke her hand being held from Perfume's. "Where are we going and what are we doing and why are you so anxious to get there?"

"In order of question, see will you, know once we get there, and to cheer you up! Now go!" she shoved Natsuko in the bathroom and went into Akane's room to pick out some of Natsuko's clothes that she and Kazuma had brought with them for their depressed friend to wear.

"Ranma, what do you have planned?" Akane asked her fiancée. Ranma smiled deviously.

"Something to bring Natsuko back to her old self. It was Perfume's idea, and Nabiki put it into action."

"At a discount," Nabiki added. "I was feeling generous, and I couldn't stand having everyone serious, especially the two love birds."

"Which ones?" Akane grumbled.

Nabiki cast a quick glance at Hotaka before looking back at her sister.

"You'll see," she said.

A/N: The depressing chapter. Don't worry, next time it will be back to the lighter, (hopefully) funnier mood. Anyway, Natsuko's become the focal point. Well, I do have a lot of things to cover for her… Like her father for one… And Nabiki giving discounts?! WOW!!

By the way, the lyrics used when Natsuko is dancing are the lyrics of 'Landslide' by the Dixie Chicks. I take no credit for them, and I found them on www.letssingit.com. Please don't sue me. I'm only a crazed anime addict with nothing really worth anything.

Anyway, I hope you liked it and I hope you keep reading! Don't forget to review! Ja ne!