Chapter 13
Nabiki was cursing her younger sister as she walked home. Earlier that morning Akane had found her beloved pet P-Chan, and wanted to pick him up. Unfortunately, Akane never realized that she was standing in wet cement as she petted her pet pig, and when Nabiki pointed out that her shoes were being ruined, Akane made things worse by trying to scrape the cement off her shoes on the not-yet-hardened curb.
After apologizing and giving the cement workers the address of the Tendo home, the two sisters went in separate directions; Akane went home for a new pair of shoes while Nabiki headed to the bookstore for her manga and magazine fix.
Taking note of a new travel agency in the neighborhood, she started to think of ways to turn Akane's cement episode into something profitable. As she waited for the walk light to change colors, she felt the presence of somebody behind her.
"Nabiki Tendo?"
Nabiki turned around and saw three men, one in his thirties, one about fifty or so, and one barely out of his teens. The two older men wore ill-fitting three-piece pinstripe suites, one black, the other blue. The younger man wore a stylish solid dark blue two-piece suit. The two older men were looking at a slip of paper while the younger man seemed to be more interested in fixing his tie.
"Yeah, that's her. You're Nabiki Tendo, right? Come with us." The middle man in the black pinstripe suite pocketed the paper scrap and took his place to Nabiki's left.
"Yeah. Da boss wants to do some business wid ya." The older man moved to Nabiki's right.
Frightened, Nabiki bolted forward into the street and started to yell for help, but when she took her first step, she felt her foot trip on something and she fell forward. When she threw her arms forward to catch her fall, she felt her arms be held by the men next to her.
"We not gonna hurtcha. We wanna do business with you." The older man smiled at her. There was something about the man that made Nabiki think of an oil-slick.
Helping Nabiki to her feet, the other man concurred with his elder partner. "Da boss said he wanna buy something from ya."
Curious about the monetary opportunity, Nabiki straightened the sleeves of her sweater, and asked, "What did your boss wish to purchase?"
The third man, the young one, spoke for the first time. "Poppa said it was something that belonga to the family a longa time ago."
The third man started to adjust the coat of the older man, and Nabiki watched the older man's expression change from a business like demeanor to irritation. After a few moments, Nabiki could almost hear the old man's teeth grind when the younger man started to get a ruler out and measure the outer seam of the black pin-stripe pants.
"Knock it off, Tony! We-a supposed ta be workin'!"
The young man, Tony, quickly made the ruler disappear and stood silently behind the blue pin stripped man.
It was obvious that the three clowns really were to bring her to whoever the "boss" for some business. Thinking that the manga takes second place behind an opportunity to make money, she followed the three men to a restaurant a few blocks away.
Inside, she was escorted to a red naugahyde booth with a red and white checkerboard tablecloth. A few moments later a large, heavyset man stood next to the lone chair at the end of the table and said something in Italian.
"Nabiki Tendo? I'm Dominic Delucci. Welcome to my Poppa's restaurant." He held out his arms for a hug, and when Nabiki hesitated, he smiled and cocked his head, "I don'ta bite!"
Thinking that it wasn't a good idea to be rude and upset a potential customer, Nabiki shyly hugged the man.
After letting go, the man smiled again, and sat her down in the booth. "Thata wasn't so bad, no?"
Nabiki couldn't help but smile. The man had an easy going manner and seemed very friendly.
"No, I guess not."
"Good! Now, where's that soupa?" Dominic leaned back in his chair and waved at somebody out of sight. In moments a waiter arrived at the table and placed a large bowl of minestrone soup in front of her and the fat man.
"Eat up. It's good. We talka business now."
Dominic placed a bib on his chest and started to spoon cheese into his soup. Nabiki picked up her spoon and tasted the soup. She found it a bit rich to her tastes, but was certainly edible.
"Like I saida. This here is my Poppa's place. He came-a here to opena up a restaurante. Anna he came-a to finda family heirloom." The two of them took a few spoonfuls of soup.
"A you buya chest, right?"
Nabiki didn't answer.
"No matta. I know dat you hadda the chest, and youa sold somma da stuff in it. It was my cousin Marco bought da uniform from ya."
Nabiki stared at the man with a look of incredulity on her face. She sold the uniform to a nice Japanese collector of military items. "Marco" is not a Japanese name.
Recognizing the look on Nabiki's face, he offered an explanation. "Biga family, but not all blood. But stilla family, if ya catcha my drift.
"Any way, With that uniform, there wasa supposed to be a ring. You gotta da ring?"
Nabiki ate the last bit of soup and after she swallowed, she place her spoon in the bowl. "What ring?"
"Biga ring. So biga, it-a fitsa on my thumb. Gotta big blue stone in it. You'lla know it when ya see it."
"Sorry, but there wasn't a ring anywhere near the uniform."
The waiter arrived and took the empty bowls away, Dominic waved and spoke in rapid Italian to someone out of sight, then he turned and looked at Nabiki.
Nabiki was uncomfortable. She was captured, being held in a restaurant that had no customers and a few burly workers setting tables and cleaning the floor. Dominic's staring at her made things worse.
"The chesta hada crucifix, da uniform, a flaga, a buncha books and maybe hada Granpa's photobooka."
Nabiki kept her face still when he correctly identified the contents of the chest. Hoping to keep Dominic unsure of who she was and what she had, she did not confirm the contents of the chest. Instead, she repeated her original statement. "I did not see a ring with the uniform."
Dominic called to one of the workers and in a few minutes a telephone was brought to the table. "Calla home. Hava somebody looka at da chesta again."
Two of the workers stood at the edge of the booth. Nabiki smiled and picked up the handset and dialed home. As she waited for someone to pick up the phone, she was trying to judge just how much she could sell the ring for, assuming the ring was in the chest. Given the efforts of Dominic thus far, it was obvious that he wanted the ring badly, and Nabiki knew that much desire meant she could charge a premium price.
"Hello Kasumi. Yes, I know Akane made a mess of her shoes. Yes, I know we'll have to pay for the work to fix the cement. Is father upset? Oh, that's good. Kasumi, is Ranma there? Oh, he is? Could you put him on the phone? Thank you. Oh, no. I'm fine. I'm just having a nice lunch in this Italian restaurant. Oh, it's quite good. No, I didn't order everything on the menu. Okay, I'll wait." Nabiki shook her head, her sister had this uncanny ability of making any problem sound minor. In a few minutes, Ranma came on the phone.
"Hello Ranma. Remember the old chest? The one that had the uniform in it? The proprietor of this restaurant believes that there is a ring in the chest. Can you look for me? Yes, I know the chest is empty. Just look anyway." Nabiki saw Dominic wave at her. "Wait a second, Ranma."
"Tella him to lift up da bottom of da chest."
"Lift the bottom of the chest?" Nabiki was confused.
"Si. Sea chests hada false bottoms."
Nabiki slapped her forehead. "Ranma, you there? Good. Dominic here says the bottom of the chest is probably a fake. So you have to lift it up, and you should see some things there. Yes, Ranma, look now. No, no! Don't hang..."
Looking at Dominic, Nabiki placed the handset in the cradle and shrugged her shoulders. "He hung up. I'll call back in a minute."
A few minutes later, Nabiki had called home again and was listening to Kasumi chat on about dinner plans and that she shouldn't eat so much. After promising Kasumi to leave room for dinner, the phone was handed to Ranma.
"You found it? What does it look like? Big and blue? Wait a moment." Nabiki turned to Dominic.
"Yep, he has the ring."
***
In the car, Nabiki and Dominic discuss pricing. Dominic offers ten thousand yen for the ring, Nabiki says she can't accept the offer without at least seeing the ring to put a price on it. Dominic says nothing and the two of them ride to the bridge in silence.
When the car stopped at the bridge, Nabiki and Dominic stood at one end, and watched Ranma wait at the crosswalk. When Ranma crossed the street Nabiki started to walk across the bridge, but was restrained by Black Suit man.
"What?"
"Sorry. Business is business. I offered a ten thousand yen, anda you turna it down. I will hava that ring." Dominic called out to Ranma.
"You gotta tha ring?"
"Yeah!" Ranma started walking in the enclosed pedestrian path and waved. "Hi Nabiki!"
Nabiki couldn't wave, as the two Black Suit man and Blue Suit man were holding her arms her side, but the did not gag her. "It's a trap!" she cried.
Just as she yelled that, a truck rumbled past Ranma.
Dominic, unaware that Nabiki just yelled a warning to Ranma, called out to the pig-tailed martial artist. "I hava deal for ya. Ya gimme da ring, and I'll leta her go."
Nabiki could see Ranma's face darken. Judging by her captors, Ranma could take them down before they knew what happened. The problem was the distance between Ranma and her; as long as Ranma was out of reach, she was in danger, and she knew he was aware of his predicament.
Just then, she felt something brush her leg, she looked down and saw Tony measuring Black Suit man's inseam. When Black Suit man let go of Nabiki to swat Tony away, she saw her opportunity and kicked Blue Suit man's foot.
With the grip weakened on her arm she yanked hard and started running, calling for Ranma. To Ranma's credit, he dashed forward at top speed, and before she knew it, she was scooped into his arms and flying though the air. She could hear the cries of confusion beneath her, and when Ranma landed on the top of a near by building,
In seconds, the building was surrounded by several black cars and men poured out of the open doors.
"We're surrounded!" she cried.
"Hang on!" Ranma picked up Nabiki again. Shutting her eyes and holding on to Ranma's neck for dear life, Nabiki felt the surges of power as Ranma leaped.
After several leaps and a bit of running, Nabiki felt Ranma relax his grip on her, and gently put her feet on the ground. "You can let go now," his calm voice commanded.
Nabiki opened her eyes and stood on Terra Firma. After letting go, she looked around and she saw that she was in a small alley. "We're safe?" she asked.
"I think I lost them a few blocks ago."
"Er, Ranma, there they are." Nabiki pointed to a group of cars passing by on the street. One car stopped and started to turn into the alley. The front doors opened, and out stepped the Black Suit man and Tony.
"Hey! Dominic says he wantsa the ring." Black Suit man and Tony walked to the front of the car and stood next to the bumper. "Why don'tcha just give us the ring, and we'll be on our way."
Nabiki and Ranma heard another car behind them. Turning around they saw Blue Suit man and two goon-ish looking men. Ranma looked at Nabiki, wondering what to do.
As he reached into his pants, Nabiki stopped him. "No. Wait. Leave this to me." Turning to face Black Suit man and called out, "It's yours for a hundred thousand Yen."
Ranma looked at Nabiki then whispered in her ear, "It ain't worth that much."
"It might be to them. Let's see what they say."
Black Suit man looked as if he had been talking to Tony for a moment, and called back. "Just give us the ring and we won't charge ya for taking up so much of Dominic's valuable time."
As Nabiki started to formulate a reply as she watched Tony pull out a several pins and started to roll up Black Suit's trousers when suddenly she felt Ranma pick her up and leap again. She put her arms around him and closed her eyes for another ride.
After what she thought was a long time, she felt Ranma stop and stand still for a few minutes. Thinking things were safe, she opened her eyes and saw the neon signs of the Shinjuku district of Tokyo.
"What are we doing here?" Nabiki let go of Ranma, who let her down.
"They kept following me. Every time I thought I found a safe spot, some black car showed up."
Nabiki looked at Ranma. He wasn't breathing hard or perspiring, but she knew this was taking a toll. "Come on. I know where we can get something to eat cheap here." The two of them walked into the crowded sidewalk, and looked at the business fronts. After walking three blocks, Nabiki pulled Ranma into a small café that was adorned with a large "Coca Cola" sign. After placing an order for two saimen noodle bowls, the two sat and rested.
Leaning back in her chair, Nabiki considered the situation. The Italians were persistent in their chase, and that had two implications. First, Dominic really wanted to be the family leader. Why he wanted the position she didn't know, but if life was anything like television drama, it was possible that internal family rivalries may be involved. Second, they knew her family name, it was also very likely their house was being watched, and therefore not a safe location for them.
The bowls arrived, and Ranma attacked his with abandon. Nabiki took a token mouthful and thought some more. On one hand, she could just give them the ring. This idea wasn't all that appealing, as she gained nothing new in the exchange. She could find who else wanted the ring and try to bring them into the picture. This idea had the best chance of gains, but also was the most dangerous and would take more time than she had at the moment.
Ranma had finished his bowl and was eyeing her own bowl. Deciding she wasn't hungry, she offered Ranma hers and continued to think while he noisily wolfed down the noodles.
The only other option she came up with was to sell the ring to an uninterested third party. That was the best idea thus far; there would be some revenue gain and there was a fair likelihood that the Italians would leave them alone once they realize that Ranma and she did not have the ring any longer.
Looking out the window, she saw some large black cars on the street. "Ranma, I think they are here." Nabiki made a subtle gesture with her hands, "Look."
Ranma held Nabiki's hand and he led her outside. "This way." Ranma pulled Nabiki towards an intersection crowded with people. When everyone moved, Ranma and Nabiki moved. When everyone stopped, Ranma and Nabiki halted. After walking about fifteen minutes with the crowd, Nabiki tugged on Ranma's shirt.
"Huh? What's up, Nabiki?"
Nabiki shook the hand that was being held by Ranma. "You're crushing my hand. Don't hold it so tight."
Ranma looked down and saw that he was holding Nabiki's hand. Nabiki watched Ranma blush and the pressure on her hand relaxed to the point where she was holding his hand more than he was holding hers.
"Hey, your mother thinks I'm your fiancee. It's all right for you hold my hand." Nabiki waited for Ranma to get nervous, and when he didn't, she stood close to him, letting their shoulders touch. "Come on, I have an idea."
Nabiki led Ranma to an information booth, where she started looking at a listing of shops and services in the area. While she conversed with the Info Guide, she was aware that Ranma was becoming impatient. When she felt tapping on her shoulder, she turned to tell Ranma to stop interrupting.
"Oh, shit." Surrounding the booth were several men, of which she recognized Dominic, Tony, Blue Suit man, Black Suit man, the waiter and the two goons from the restaurant. She also saw several other men, dressed in most of who were dressed in dark pin-stripe suites. They were surrounded, and given the placement of everyone, Ranma may not be able to jump or run his way through the mob.
Nabiki looked at Ranma for comfort. She was confident that these men would not do anything in a public place such as the street, but she if they were in a secluded area there would be no telling what they would do. It would be best, she thought, to conclude everything here, on the street. That way there would be many witnesses to the transaction, and that hopefully repercussions would be minimized.
"Your boyfriend," Dominic pointed to Ranma, "is good. But this is nota time for games. Handa ova the ring."
"Give him the ring, Ranma. It isn't worth it." She could see that Ranma was stressing, ready to explode into a fight if anyone made a wrong move. As she watched Ranma slowly reach for the ring, she noted that Ranma's eyes were on Tony, who was behind her. Looking over her right shoulder, she saw that Tony had several dozen neckties, and was trying to get some of the men to try them on. She watched the man go from person to person, tying to get them to change ties.
Ranma fumbled for the ring, watching Tony peddle the ties.
"Will you knock it off?" Dominic pushed Tony aside, colliding with the Blue Suited man. This caused a domino effect, the Blue Suited man lost his balance, and leaned on the Black Suited man, who in turn tried to hold up both the Blue Suited man and Tony. When he lost his grip, he too started to fall, knocking over one of the waiters from the restaurant.
Ranma saw his opportunity, grabbed Nabiki at her waist, and bolted the gap created by the fallen Italians. In seconds he left a cloud of dust and the Italians behind him.
"Ranma! Stop! Stop!"
Ranma stopped and put Nabiki down on her feet.
"What?"
Nabiki tried to stand up straight. Her back was hurting and her stomach felt like it was folded over. After the worst of the pain subsided, she looked at her fiancee in the eye. "You idiot! I'm not indestructible. That hurt!"
"Huh?"
She could see that Ranma had not an idea of what she was talking about. Holding back her tears, she hoped that Ranma wouldn't panic. Arching her back, she felt more of her muscles recover from Ranma's man-handling.
Nabiki walked up to Ranma, and put her hand on his shoulder. "Ranma, I appreciate you carrying me out like that, but I'm not a suitcase. My belt is not a convenient handle to carry me around with. Next time, be more careful."
"Oh."
Nabiki was beginning to wonder just how tough was her younger sister. If this was a normal event for Akane, Nabiki then knew that she would have to start working out just to prevent herself from breaking.
"Where are we?" Ranma's question put an end to Nabiki's musings.
Nabiki took stock of her surroundings, noting that the two of them were on a sidewalk between a high white wall a very busy street. The wall stretched a good distance in both directions, and it looked like there were towers just behind the wall in the distance.
"I think we're behind the Emperor's Palace. Come on, let's cross the street and see if we can find a sign or something." The map in Nabiki's mind was beginning to warp. There was no way that Ranma could have carried her from Nerima to Shinjuku, and then from Shinjuku to the Palace. It just wasn't possible.
"Stopa right there!" An Italian accented voice boomed from a car that was stopping in front of them. As the door opened, Nabiki saw Domnic start to exit the car. Right behind him was Tony, this time holding several hats.
"I'ma getting tired ofa this. Nowa handa over da ring!" Dominic's expression was tired and angry. Nabiki couldn't find fault with Dominic's attitude, Ranma has been giving him a tough chase, and Tony has foiled Dominic's plans multiple times so far.
Nabiki moved closer to Ranma, standing behind him in case something happened. She put her hand on his back and discovered that his tense muscles were quivering in anticipation.
"Hang on!" Ranma's arms swung behind her, and she felt his hands grab her butt. No sooner than she wrapped her arms around his neck she felt Ranma leap to the top of the white wall and felt him running. Looking back, she saw Tony taking a very large Fedora off of Dominic's head.
For the first time that day, Nabiki kept her eyes open. She watched the street and the buildings whiz by in a blur. As Ranma ran, she wrapped her legs around his waist and tried to support herself.
When she saw the red tower in front of her, she wondered what Ranma would do. The way the day had gone so far, it was conceivable that he would stop at the observation deck, but that would be impossible, wouldn't it?
Nabiki blinked, and then felt a strange surge from Ranma. When her eyes opened, she was looking at the map of Tokyo from inside the observation deck of Tokyo Tower. She climbed off Ranma's back and looked around.
"Impossible."
Ranma looked at her with a silly grin. "What's impossible?"
"You. How did we get here?" Nabiki stared peering out the windows. The deck was crowded with tourists, but it so crowded that she couldn't walk up to the rails.
"I just ran and jumped on the elevator. Nothing to it." Ranma was scratching the back of head.
It seemed to Nabiki that this wasn't anything new or special to Ranma. "You've done this before, haven't you?" Nabiki watched Ranma stand beside her and peer out the window.
"Yeah. Sometimes it's easier to come here to loose people chasing me. Not always, but sometimes. Besides, I like the view."
Nabiki couldn't argue about the scenery. The sky was blue with a few silver-white clouds, and visibility was as far as the horizon. She felt Ranma's hand on top of hers, and she turned to see his face looking at her. Feeling self conscious, she tried to straighten her hair with her free hand.
"Come over here." Ranma had a gentle smile on his face, and she felt a little tug on her hand. She let herself be led to the opposite side, where the sun was just beginning to set. Nabiki leaned on the rail and felt Ranma standing behind her, still holding her hand. Silently they watched the sky and city change colors through the twilight.
"Handa over the ring anda nobody gets hurt." Dominic's voice broke Nabiki's and Ranma's solitude.
Turning around, Nabiki saw that the full Italian contingent had surrounded them. Ranma let go of her hand and took a step forward.
"What is so damned important about that ring to chase me an' Nabiki all over Tokyo for?"
"It's a badge of office, kind of lika crown. Da wearer is da boss ofa da family."
Ranma fished in his pants for a moment and then showed the ring to everyone. "You mean if I put this ring on, I'm the boss?"
"Nah. Ya gotta be a family member ta be da boss." Tony was a Ranma's side when he answered, and had a tape measurer in his hands.
Ranma looked at Tony and then at the Italian mob in front of him.
Nabiki could have heard a thought pop into Ranma's mind. She watched Ranma move suddenly, one hand grabbed Tony's wrist and the other hand twisted his hand. Just as fast, Ranma quickly stepped away from Tony.
"Eeeee-Yow!" Tony was holding his hand up, and everyone saw the ring on his hand.
Ranma snorted at the man's pain. "Wuss. That didn't hurt."
Tony looked at Ranma with surprise on his face, "It didn't hurt; you surprised me, thata all." Then he realized he had the ring on his thumb. "Whadya do this for?" Tony tried to take the ring off, but it was lodged beneath his knuckle.
"I don't wanna this ringa. I don't wanna hava restaurante. I wanna be a tailor like Uncle Claudio!" Tony started crying.
"Is there a rule saying that the boss has to have a restaurant?" Nabiki asked.
Dominic started to sweat. Black Suit man and Blue Suit man had huge smiles on their faces, and from them came the chorus, "No!"
Tony continued to cry and started to wail, "Don't wanna cook! Don't wanna wait tables! I hate Italian food!"
Nabiki walked over to Tony and slapped him in the face and yelled in his ear, "You DON'T HAVE TO OWN A RESTAURANT!"
Tony stopped crying for a moment, and between sobs he croaked, "I don't?"
Just then, Black Suit man and Blue Suit man were standing next to Tony, and warmly said, "Nah. You da Boss. You can do anything."
Tony smiled. "I can?" He looked at his father for a moment, then at Ranma and Nabiki. He stood still for a few moments, playing with his measuring tape, deep in thought.
Nabiki watched Tony's expression change occasionally. It was obvious to her that Tony was a little out of his element, and was concerned that he may do something rash.
Finally, Tony spoke again. Pointing at Ranma and Nabiki, he waved at Black Suit man. "Frankie, taka these two down to da bottom anda wait." Tony turned to face his father, who was turning red in the face, then the turned back again to face Frankie. "Oh, anda getta their address, I'ma gonna takea them home."
Ranma looked at Nabiki and then to Frankie. Not wanting to push whatever good graces they found themselves in too far, the couple quickly made their way to the elevator with Frankie in tow.
In the elevator, Nabiki leaned against Ranma. "Is it over?"
Frankie responded. "I thinka so. You twoa gave-a us a good chase."
"What's going to happen now?" Nabiki pulled Ranma's arms around her. She felt Ranma become tense for a moment, but then he relaxed and actually held her.
"Family business, I guess, is gonna change."
Nabiki noted that Frankie had a worried look on his face, and actually felt a little sorry for the old man. Running a restaurant was probably the only thing he knew how to do, and perhaps chase people.
Once on the ground, Frankie led Ranma and Nabiki to a garage where several black cars were parked. He opened a back door to the largest one, and motioned that Ranma and Nabiki should enter. Inside the car, Nabiki told Frankie how to get home, and then the three of them rehashed the day and shared a few laughs, mostly at Dominic's and Tony's expense.
It wasn't long before Tony, Dominic and the rest of the Italians arrived. Dominic had a slight frown on his face, but he didn't look as upset when they left the Tower. Nabiki watched Tony wave to a few people and then opened the front passenger door and get into the car.
Turning around after putting his seat belt on, he smiled at Ranma and Nabiki. "I must thank you. I don't know how to thank you, but I will find a way.
Does Frankie know howa to get you home?"
Nabiki nodded and the car was on its way to the Tendo compound. Conversation between the four occupants of the car flowed freely, and only occasionally did Nabiki or Ranma would have to directions. The four stopped by a Kentucky Fried Chicken for dinner, where Frankie and Tony were amazed by Ranma's ability to eat two buckets of spicy chicken by himself in under five minutes. After eating, Nabiki called the house and told them that Ranma and she just had supper and would be home in about an hour.
Finally the couple was standing at the gate of the Tendo compound, Tony and Frankie had both bowed and apologized one more time before Tony handed Ranma an envelope.
"This is only a parta my apology. I'll senda more later when I putta it all together." Tony had a genuine smile on his face. He watched Ranma hand the envelope to Nabiki.
"Ifa you don't minda me asking, whata is the relationship?"
Ranma answered first, "She's my business partner."
Tony smiled when he saw Nabiki wrap her fingers around Ranma's hand. As he entered his car, he looked back at Ranma and called out, "Take-a care ofa her. Ya got somethin' good there."
Nabiki was cursing her younger sister as she walked home. Earlier that morning Akane had found her beloved pet P-Chan, and wanted to pick him up. Unfortunately, Akane never realized that she was standing in wet cement as she petted her pet pig, and when Nabiki pointed out that her shoes were being ruined, Akane made things worse by trying to scrape the cement off her shoes on the not-yet-hardened curb.
After apologizing and giving the cement workers the address of the Tendo home, the two sisters went in separate directions; Akane went home for a new pair of shoes while Nabiki headed to the bookstore for her manga and magazine fix.
Taking note of a new travel agency in the neighborhood, she started to think of ways to turn Akane's cement episode into something profitable. As she waited for the walk light to change colors, she felt the presence of somebody behind her.
"Nabiki Tendo?"
Nabiki turned around and saw three men, one in his thirties, one about fifty or so, and one barely out of his teens. The two older men wore ill-fitting three-piece pinstripe suites, one black, the other blue. The younger man wore a stylish solid dark blue two-piece suit. The two older men were looking at a slip of paper while the younger man seemed to be more interested in fixing his tie.
"Yeah, that's her. You're Nabiki Tendo, right? Come with us." The middle man in the black pinstripe suite pocketed the paper scrap and took his place to Nabiki's left.
"Yeah. Da boss wants to do some business wid ya." The older man moved to Nabiki's right.
Frightened, Nabiki bolted forward into the street and started to yell for help, but when she took her first step, she felt her foot trip on something and she fell forward. When she threw her arms forward to catch her fall, she felt her arms be held by the men next to her.
"We not gonna hurtcha. We wanna do business with you." The older man smiled at her. There was something about the man that made Nabiki think of an oil-slick.
Helping Nabiki to her feet, the other man concurred with his elder partner. "Da boss said he wanna buy something from ya."
Curious about the monetary opportunity, Nabiki straightened the sleeves of her sweater, and asked, "What did your boss wish to purchase?"
The third man, the young one, spoke for the first time. "Poppa said it was something that belonga to the family a longa time ago."
The third man started to adjust the coat of the older man, and Nabiki watched the older man's expression change from a business like demeanor to irritation. After a few moments, Nabiki could almost hear the old man's teeth grind when the younger man started to get a ruler out and measure the outer seam of the black pin-stripe pants.
"Knock it off, Tony! We-a supposed ta be workin'!"
The young man, Tony, quickly made the ruler disappear and stood silently behind the blue pin stripped man.
It was obvious that the three clowns really were to bring her to whoever the "boss" for some business. Thinking that the manga takes second place behind an opportunity to make money, she followed the three men to a restaurant a few blocks away.
Inside, she was escorted to a red naugahyde booth with a red and white checkerboard tablecloth. A few moments later a large, heavyset man stood next to the lone chair at the end of the table and said something in Italian.
"Nabiki Tendo? I'm Dominic Delucci. Welcome to my Poppa's restaurant." He held out his arms for a hug, and when Nabiki hesitated, he smiled and cocked his head, "I don'ta bite!"
Thinking that it wasn't a good idea to be rude and upset a potential customer, Nabiki shyly hugged the man.
After letting go, the man smiled again, and sat her down in the booth. "Thata wasn't so bad, no?"
Nabiki couldn't help but smile. The man had an easy going manner and seemed very friendly.
"No, I guess not."
"Good! Now, where's that soupa?" Dominic leaned back in his chair and waved at somebody out of sight. In moments a waiter arrived at the table and placed a large bowl of minestrone soup in front of her and the fat man.
"Eat up. It's good. We talka business now."
Dominic placed a bib on his chest and started to spoon cheese into his soup. Nabiki picked up her spoon and tasted the soup. She found it a bit rich to her tastes, but was certainly edible.
"Like I saida. This here is my Poppa's place. He came-a here to opena up a restaurante. Anna he came-a to finda family heirloom." The two of them took a few spoonfuls of soup.
"A you buya chest, right?"
Nabiki didn't answer.
"No matta. I know dat you hadda the chest, and youa sold somma da stuff in it. It was my cousin Marco bought da uniform from ya."
Nabiki stared at the man with a look of incredulity on her face. She sold the uniform to a nice Japanese collector of military items. "Marco" is not a Japanese name.
Recognizing the look on Nabiki's face, he offered an explanation. "Biga family, but not all blood. But stilla family, if ya catcha my drift.
"Any way, With that uniform, there wasa supposed to be a ring. You gotta da ring?"
Nabiki ate the last bit of soup and after she swallowed, she place her spoon in the bowl. "What ring?"
"Biga ring. So biga, it-a fitsa on my thumb. Gotta big blue stone in it. You'lla know it when ya see it."
"Sorry, but there wasn't a ring anywhere near the uniform."
The waiter arrived and took the empty bowls away, Dominic waved and spoke in rapid Italian to someone out of sight, then he turned and looked at Nabiki.
Nabiki was uncomfortable. She was captured, being held in a restaurant that had no customers and a few burly workers setting tables and cleaning the floor. Dominic's staring at her made things worse.
"The chesta hada crucifix, da uniform, a flaga, a buncha books and maybe hada Granpa's photobooka."
Nabiki kept her face still when he correctly identified the contents of the chest. Hoping to keep Dominic unsure of who she was and what she had, she did not confirm the contents of the chest. Instead, she repeated her original statement. "I did not see a ring with the uniform."
Dominic called to one of the workers and in a few minutes a telephone was brought to the table. "Calla home. Hava somebody looka at da chesta again."
Two of the workers stood at the edge of the booth. Nabiki smiled and picked up the handset and dialed home. As she waited for someone to pick up the phone, she was trying to judge just how much she could sell the ring for, assuming the ring was in the chest. Given the efforts of Dominic thus far, it was obvious that he wanted the ring badly, and Nabiki knew that much desire meant she could charge a premium price.
"Hello Kasumi. Yes, I know Akane made a mess of her shoes. Yes, I know we'll have to pay for the work to fix the cement. Is father upset? Oh, that's good. Kasumi, is Ranma there? Oh, he is? Could you put him on the phone? Thank you. Oh, no. I'm fine. I'm just having a nice lunch in this Italian restaurant. Oh, it's quite good. No, I didn't order everything on the menu. Okay, I'll wait." Nabiki shook her head, her sister had this uncanny ability of making any problem sound minor. In a few minutes, Ranma came on the phone.
"Hello Ranma. Remember the old chest? The one that had the uniform in it? The proprietor of this restaurant believes that there is a ring in the chest. Can you look for me? Yes, I know the chest is empty. Just look anyway." Nabiki saw Dominic wave at her. "Wait a second, Ranma."
"Tella him to lift up da bottom of da chest."
"Lift the bottom of the chest?" Nabiki was confused.
"Si. Sea chests hada false bottoms."
Nabiki slapped her forehead. "Ranma, you there? Good. Dominic here says the bottom of the chest is probably a fake. So you have to lift it up, and you should see some things there. Yes, Ranma, look now. No, no! Don't hang..."
Looking at Dominic, Nabiki placed the handset in the cradle and shrugged her shoulders. "He hung up. I'll call back in a minute."
A few minutes later, Nabiki had called home again and was listening to Kasumi chat on about dinner plans and that she shouldn't eat so much. After promising Kasumi to leave room for dinner, the phone was handed to Ranma.
"You found it? What does it look like? Big and blue? Wait a moment." Nabiki turned to Dominic.
"Yep, he has the ring."
***
In the car, Nabiki and Dominic discuss pricing. Dominic offers ten thousand yen for the ring, Nabiki says she can't accept the offer without at least seeing the ring to put a price on it. Dominic says nothing and the two of them ride to the bridge in silence.
When the car stopped at the bridge, Nabiki and Dominic stood at one end, and watched Ranma wait at the crosswalk. When Ranma crossed the street Nabiki started to walk across the bridge, but was restrained by Black Suit man.
"What?"
"Sorry. Business is business. I offered a ten thousand yen, anda you turna it down. I will hava that ring." Dominic called out to Ranma.
"You gotta tha ring?"
"Yeah!" Ranma started walking in the enclosed pedestrian path and waved. "Hi Nabiki!"
Nabiki couldn't wave, as the two Black Suit man and Blue Suit man were holding her arms her side, but the did not gag her. "It's a trap!" she cried.
Just as she yelled that, a truck rumbled past Ranma.
Dominic, unaware that Nabiki just yelled a warning to Ranma, called out to the pig-tailed martial artist. "I hava deal for ya. Ya gimme da ring, and I'll leta her go."
Nabiki could see Ranma's face darken. Judging by her captors, Ranma could take them down before they knew what happened. The problem was the distance between Ranma and her; as long as Ranma was out of reach, she was in danger, and she knew he was aware of his predicament.
Just then, she felt something brush her leg, she looked down and saw Tony measuring Black Suit man's inseam. When Black Suit man let go of Nabiki to swat Tony away, she saw her opportunity and kicked Blue Suit man's foot.
With the grip weakened on her arm she yanked hard and started running, calling for Ranma. To Ranma's credit, he dashed forward at top speed, and before she knew it, she was scooped into his arms and flying though the air. She could hear the cries of confusion beneath her, and when Ranma landed on the top of a near by building,
In seconds, the building was surrounded by several black cars and men poured out of the open doors.
"We're surrounded!" she cried.
"Hang on!" Ranma picked up Nabiki again. Shutting her eyes and holding on to Ranma's neck for dear life, Nabiki felt the surges of power as Ranma leaped.
After several leaps and a bit of running, Nabiki felt Ranma relax his grip on her, and gently put her feet on the ground. "You can let go now," his calm voice commanded.
Nabiki opened her eyes and stood on Terra Firma. After letting go, she looked around and she saw that she was in a small alley. "We're safe?" she asked.
"I think I lost them a few blocks ago."
"Er, Ranma, there they are." Nabiki pointed to a group of cars passing by on the street. One car stopped and started to turn into the alley. The front doors opened, and out stepped the Black Suit man and Tony.
"Hey! Dominic says he wantsa the ring." Black Suit man and Tony walked to the front of the car and stood next to the bumper. "Why don'tcha just give us the ring, and we'll be on our way."
Nabiki and Ranma heard another car behind them. Turning around they saw Blue Suit man and two goon-ish looking men. Ranma looked at Nabiki, wondering what to do.
As he reached into his pants, Nabiki stopped him. "No. Wait. Leave this to me." Turning to face Black Suit man and called out, "It's yours for a hundred thousand Yen."
Ranma looked at Nabiki then whispered in her ear, "It ain't worth that much."
"It might be to them. Let's see what they say."
Black Suit man looked as if he had been talking to Tony for a moment, and called back. "Just give us the ring and we won't charge ya for taking up so much of Dominic's valuable time."
As Nabiki started to formulate a reply as she watched Tony pull out a several pins and started to roll up Black Suit's trousers when suddenly she felt Ranma pick her up and leap again. She put her arms around him and closed her eyes for another ride.
After what she thought was a long time, she felt Ranma stop and stand still for a few minutes. Thinking things were safe, she opened her eyes and saw the neon signs of the Shinjuku district of Tokyo.
"What are we doing here?" Nabiki let go of Ranma, who let her down.
"They kept following me. Every time I thought I found a safe spot, some black car showed up."
Nabiki looked at Ranma. He wasn't breathing hard or perspiring, but she knew this was taking a toll. "Come on. I know where we can get something to eat cheap here." The two of them walked into the crowded sidewalk, and looked at the business fronts. After walking three blocks, Nabiki pulled Ranma into a small café that was adorned with a large "Coca Cola" sign. After placing an order for two saimen noodle bowls, the two sat and rested.
Leaning back in her chair, Nabiki considered the situation. The Italians were persistent in their chase, and that had two implications. First, Dominic really wanted to be the family leader. Why he wanted the position she didn't know, but if life was anything like television drama, it was possible that internal family rivalries may be involved. Second, they knew her family name, it was also very likely their house was being watched, and therefore not a safe location for them.
The bowls arrived, and Ranma attacked his with abandon. Nabiki took a token mouthful and thought some more. On one hand, she could just give them the ring. This idea wasn't all that appealing, as she gained nothing new in the exchange. She could find who else wanted the ring and try to bring them into the picture. This idea had the best chance of gains, but also was the most dangerous and would take more time than she had at the moment.
Ranma had finished his bowl and was eyeing her own bowl. Deciding she wasn't hungry, she offered Ranma hers and continued to think while he noisily wolfed down the noodles.
The only other option she came up with was to sell the ring to an uninterested third party. That was the best idea thus far; there would be some revenue gain and there was a fair likelihood that the Italians would leave them alone once they realize that Ranma and she did not have the ring any longer.
Looking out the window, she saw some large black cars on the street. "Ranma, I think they are here." Nabiki made a subtle gesture with her hands, "Look."
Ranma held Nabiki's hand and he led her outside. "This way." Ranma pulled Nabiki towards an intersection crowded with people. When everyone moved, Ranma and Nabiki moved. When everyone stopped, Ranma and Nabiki halted. After walking about fifteen minutes with the crowd, Nabiki tugged on Ranma's shirt.
"Huh? What's up, Nabiki?"
Nabiki shook the hand that was being held by Ranma. "You're crushing my hand. Don't hold it so tight."
Ranma looked down and saw that he was holding Nabiki's hand. Nabiki watched Ranma blush and the pressure on her hand relaxed to the point where she was holding his hand more than he was holding hers.
"Hey, your mother thinks I'm your fiancee. It's all right for you hold my hand." Nabiki waited for Ranma to get nervous, and when he didn't, she stood close to him, letting their shoulders touch. "Come on, I have an idea."
Nabiki led Ranma to an information booth, where she started looking at a listing of shops and services in the area. While she conversed with the Info Guide, she was aware that Ranma was becoming impatient. When she felt tapping on her shoulder, she turned to tell Ranma to stop interrupting.
"Oh, shit." Surrounding the booth were several men, of which she recognized Dominic, Tony, Blue Suit man, Black Suit man, the waiter and the two goons from the restaurant. She also saw several other men, dressed in most of who were dressed in dark pin-stripe suites. They were surrounded, and given the placement of everyone, Ranma may not be able to jump or run his way through the mob.
Nabiki looked at Ranma for comfort. She was confident that these men would not do anything in a public place such as the street, but she if they were in a secluded area there would be no telling what they would do. It would be best, she thought, to conclude everything here, on the street. That way there would be many witnesses to the transaction, and that hopefully repercussions would be minimized.
"Your boyfriend," Dominic pointed to Ranma, "is good. But this is nota time for games. Handa ova the ring."
"Give him the ring, Ranma. It isn't worth it." She could see that Ranma was stressing, ready to explode into a fight if anyone made a wrong move. As she watched Ranma slowly reach for the ring, she noted that Ranma's eyes were on Tony, who was behind her. Looking over her right shoulder, she saw that Tony had several dozen neckties, and was trying to get some of the men to try them on. She watched the man go from person to person, tying to get them to change ties.
Ranma fumbled for the ring, watching Tony peddle the ties.
"Will you knock it off?" Dominic pushed Tony aside, colliding with the Blue Suited man. This caused a domino effect, the Blue Suited man lost his balance, and leaned on the Black Suited man, who in turn tried to hold up both the Blue Suited man and Tony. When he lost his grip, he too started to fall, knocking over one of the waiters from the restaurant.
Ranma saw his opportunity, grabbed Nabiki at her waist, and bolted the gap created by the fallen Italians. In seconds he left a cloud of dust and the Italians behind him.
"Ranma! Stop! Stop!"
Ranma stopped and put Nabiki down on her feet.
"What?"
Nabiki tried to stand up straight. Her back was hurting and her stomach felt like it was folded over. After the worst of the pain subsided, she looked at her fiancee in the eye. "You idiot! I'm not indestructible. That hurt!"
"Huh?"
She could see that Ranma had not an idea of what she was talking about. Holding back her tears, she hoped that Ranma wouldn't panic. Arching her back, she felt more of her muscles recover from Ranma's man-handling.
Nabiki walked up to Ranma, and put her hand on his shoulder. "Ranma, I appreciate you carrying me out like that, but I'm not a suitcase. My belt is not a convenient handle to carry me around with. Next time, be more careful."
"Oh."
Nabiki was beginning to wonder just how tough was her younger sister. If this was a normal event for Akane, Nabiki then knew that she would have to start working out just to prevent herself from breaking.
"Where are we?" Ranma's question put an end to Nabiki's musings.
Nabiki took stock of her surroundings, noting that the two of them were on a sidewalk between a high white wall a very busy street. The wall stretched a good distance in both directions, and it looked like there were towers just behind the wall in the distance.
"I think we're behind the Emperor's Palace. Come on, let's cross the street and see if we can find a sign or something." The map in Nabiki's mind was beginning to warp. There was no way that Ranma could have carried her from Nerima to Shinjuku, and then from Shinjuku to the Palace. It just wasn't possible.
"Stopa right there!" An Italian accented voice boomed from a car that was stopping in front of them. As the door opened, Nabiki saw Domnic start to exit the car. Right behind him was Tony, this time holding several hats.
"I'ma getting tired ofa this. Nowa handa over da ring!" Dominic's expression was tired and angry. Nabiki couldn't find fault with Dominic's attitude, Ranma has been giving him a tough chase, and Tony has foiled Dominic's plans multiple times so far.
Nabiki moved closer to Ranma, standing behind him in case something happened. She put her hand on his back and discovered that his tense muscles were quivering in anticipation.
"Hang on!" Ranma's arms swung behind her, and she felt his hands grab her butt. No sooner than she wrapped her arms around his neck she felt Ranma leap to the top of the white wall and felt him running. Looking back, she saw Tony taking a very large Fedora off of Dominic's head.
For the first time that day, Nabiki kept her eyes open. She watched the street and the buildings whiz by in a blur. As Ranma ran, she wrapped her legs around his waist and tried to support herself.
When she saw the red tower in front of her, she wondered what Ranma would do. The way the day had gone so far, it was conceivable that he would stop at the observation deck, but that would be impossible, wouldn't it?
Nabiki blinked, and then felt a strange surge from Ranma. When her eyes opened, she was looking at the map of Tokyo from inside the observation deck of Tokyo Tower. She climbed off Ranma's back and looked around.
"Impossible."
Ranma looked at her with a silly grin. "What's impossible?"
"You. How did we get here?" Nabiki stared peering out the windows. The deck was crowded with tourists, but it so crowded that she couldn't walk up to the rails.
"I just ran and jumped on the elevator. Nothing to it." Ranma was scratching the back of head.
It seemed to Nabiki that this wasn't anything new or special to Ranma. "You've done this before, haven't you?" Nabiki watched Ranma stand beside her and peer out the window.
"Yeah. Sometimes it's easier to come here to loose people chasing me. Not always, but sometimes. Besides, I like the view."
Nabiki couldn't argue about the scenery. The sky was blue with a few silver-white clouds, and visibility was as far as the horizon. She felt Ranma's hand on top of hers, and she turned to see his face looking at her. Feeling self conscious, she tried to straighten her hair with her free hand.
"Come over here." Ranma had a gentle smile on his face, and she felt a little tug on her hand. She let herself be led to the opposite side, where the sun was just beginning to set. Nabiki leaned on the rail and felt Ranma standing behind her, still holding her hand. Silently they watched the sky and city change colors through the twilight.
"Handa over the ring anda nobody gets hurt." Dominic's voice broke Nabiki's and Ranma's solitude.
Turning around, Nabiki saw that the full Italian contingent had surrounded them. Ranma let go of her hand and took a step forward.
"What is so damned important about that ring to chase me an' Nabiki all over Tokyo for?"
"It's a badge of office, kind of lika crown. Da wearer is da boss ofa da family."
Ranma fished in his pants for a moment and then showed the ring to everyone. "You mean if I put this ring on, I'm the boss?"
"Nah. Ya gotta be a family member ta be da boss." Tony was a Ranma's side when he answered, and had a tape measurer in his hands.
Ranma looked at Tony and then at the Italian mob in front of him.
Nabiki could have heard a thought pop into Ranma's mind. She watched Ranma move suddenly, one hand grabbed Tony's wrist and the other hand twisted his hand. Just as fast, Ranma quickly stepped away from Tony.
"Eeeee-Yow!" Tony was holding his hand up, and everyone saw the ring on his hand.
Ranma snorted at the man's pain. "Wuss. That didn't hurt."
Tony looked at Ranma with surprise on his face, "It didn't hurt; you surprised me, thata all." Then he realized he had the ring on his thumb. "Whadya do this for?" Tony tried to take the ring off, but it was lodged beneath his knuckle.
"I don't wanna this ringa. I don't wanna hava restaurante. I wanna be a tailor like Uncle Claudio!" Tony started crying.
"Is there a rule saying that the boss has to have a restaurant?" Nabiki asked.
Dominic started to sweat. Black Suit man and Blue Suit man had huge smiles on their faces, and from them came the chorus, "No!"
Tony continued to cry and started to wail, "Don't wanna cook! Don't wanna wait tables! I hate Italian food!"
Nabiki walked over to Tony and slapped him in the face and yelled in his ear, "You DON'T HAVE TO OWN A RESTAURANT!"
Tony stopped crying for a moment, and between sobs he croaked, "I don't?"
Just then, Black Suit man and Blue Suit man were standing next to Tony, and warmly said, "Nah. You da Boss. You can do anything."
Tony smiled. "I can?" He looked at his father for a moment, then at Ranma and Nabiki. He stood still for a few moments, playing with his measuring tape, deep in thought.
Nabiki watched Tony's expression change occasionally. It was obvious to her that Tony was a little out of his element, and was concerned that he may do something rash.
Finally, Tony spoke again. Pointing at Ranma and Nabiki, he waved at Black Suit man. "Frankie, taka these two down to da bottom anda wait." Tony turned to face his father, who was turning red in the face, then the turned back again to face Frankie. "Oh, anda getta their address, I'ma gonna takea them home."
Ranma looked at Nabiki and then to Frankie. Not wanting to push whatever good graces they found themselves in too far, the couple quickly made their way to the elevator with Frankie in tow.
In the elevator, Nabiki leaned against Ranma. "Is it over?"
Frankie responded. "I thinka so. You twoa gave-a us a good chase."
"What's going to happen now?" Nabiki pulled Ranma's arms around her. She felt Ranma become tense for a moment, but then he relaxed and actually held her.
"Family business, I guess, is gonna change."
Nabiki noted that Frankie had a worried look on his face, and actually felt a little sorry for the old man. Running a restaurant was probably the only thing he knew how to do, and perhaps chase people.
Once on the ground, Frankie led Ranma and Nabiki to a garage where several black cars were parked. He opened a back door to the largest one, and motioned that Ranma and Nabiki should enter. Inside the car, Nabiki told Frankie how to get home, and then the three of them rehashed the day and shared a few laughs, mostly at Dominic's and Tony's expense.
It wasn't long before Tony, Dominic and the rest of the Italians arrived. Dominic had a slight frown on his face, but he didn't look as upset when they left the Tower. Nabiki watched Tony wave to a few people and then opened the front passenger door and get into the car.
Turning around after putting his seat belt on, he smiled at Ranma and Nabiki. "I must thank you. I don't know how to thank you, but I will find a way.
Does Frankie know howa to get you home?"
Nabiki nodded and the car was on its way to the Tendo compound. Conversation between the four occupants of the car flowed freely, and only occasionally did Nabiki or Ranma would have to directions. The four stopped by a Kentucky Fried Chicken for dinner, where Frankie and Tony were amazed by Ranma's ability to eat two buckets of spicy chicken by himself in under five minutes. After eating, Nabiki called the house and told them that Ranma and she just had supper and would be home in about an hour.
Finally the couple was standing at the gate of the Tendo compound, Tony and Frankie had both bowed and apologized one more time before Tony handed Ranma an envelope.
"This is only a parta my apology. I'll senda more later when I putta it all together." Tony had a genuine smile on his face. He watched Ranma hand the envelope to Nabiki.
"Ifa you don't minda me asking, whata is the relationship?"
Ranma answered first, "She's my business partner."
Tony smiled when he saw Nabiki wrap her fingers around Ranma's hand. As he entered his car, he looked back at Ranma and called out, "Take-a care ofa her. Ya got somethin' good there."