Embracing Curse
Chapter seven:
Tendo Dojo:
Akane looked up as Nabiki came groggily down the stairs.
"Hey, sleepy-head, did you finally get enough sleep?" the blue-haired one asked giddily.
"What are you talking about? It's so early the sun hasn't even come out."
"The sun has already set, Nabiki-chan," Kasumi informed as she came out of the kitchen, "You've slept through the whole day."
"Nani?" The young moneymaker rushed into the kitchen; indeed, the clock on the microwave clearly read 'PM'. "Ara, I must've really worn myself out last night."
"I'll say," the eldest sister replied, "What on earth were you and Fideto-san doing?"
"We'll, I could tell you," Nabiki chuckled mischievously, "but I'd rather leave it to your ecchi little imaginations." She then realized something. "That's odd, I don't recall what happened myself." The brown-haired girl leaned against the refrigerator and put her mind into it. "I accompanied Guiseppe-kun to the hotel, followed him up to his suite, we talked, had a night cap, talked a little more, we started getting cozy, he gave me a hickey…and that's as far as I can remember."
"What happened next couldn't be what you suggested," Akane said, "surely you'd remember something that important. Besides," the blue-haired girl approached her sister, "there's no mark on your neck."
"There isn't?" The young money-maker checked her reflection on a pan. "But, I know he did it, I felt his teeth on my skin." She shrugged it off however. "Oh well, it's not that big a deal. And it's probably for the best, I don't want the world to know that someone got his way with Tendo Nabiki."
"I'm just glad you're well," the longhaired sister replied, "I was starting to worry when it became noon and you were still asleep. Now, go take a bath, dinner will be ready in ten minutes."
"Hai, let me get a little something to eat first, I'm starving." Nabiki took an octopus ball from the table, popped it in her mouth, and spit it out almost immediately. "Ugh! Kasumi-chan, when did you buy these?"
"A few hours ago." The brunette tasted another ball. "It's still fresh, there's nothing wrong with them."
"Che, guess I got the bad one then. Could you give me a glass of water, Akane-chan?"
"Hai, here you go." Nabiki couldn't drink either, one sip and she went into a coughing fit. "Chikuso, this is serious. Get dressed, I'm taking you to Dr Tofu."
"Hai, give me second." The brown-haired girl moaned and clutched her stomach, her sisters then noticed the paleness of her complexion. "(groan) By the kami, I feel awful. Has Ranma-kun come back yet? I won't be able to walk on my own."
"Ie, he's still out," Akane answered, "But I'll carry you; if I can lift uncle Genma over my head, you'll be a piece of cake."
"That's true," Nabiki chuckled weakly, "Help me to my room."
Isabella arrived shortly after Akane and Nabiki had left.
"Good evening, Kasumi. Is Catherine home?"
"You mean Nabiki-chan. Ie, Akane-chan has taken her to see Dr Tofu."
"The doctor? Is it serious!?"
"I'm afraid so, she was awfully weak and couldn't keep anything down." The brunette noticed the angst in the Italian girl's eyes. "Oh, you have nothing to worry about. Dr Tofu is very capable, he'll make her feel better in no time."
"I'll say, too capable for my own good in fact. Ahem, could you please take me to his office later on? I would feel better if I could see Catherine for myself."
"Of course, Isabella-chan," Kasumi replied warmly. "Would you like to help me clean up Nabiki-chan's room? It'll distract you from your worries." The purple-haired girl nodded and they went upstairs. There wasn't much to do, just a little sweeping and picking up one or two articles of clothing the younger sisters had left lying around in their hurry. "I only wish Ranma-kun were this tidy, it would help me out a lot."
"He's a guy, Kasumi, you'll have to wait for Akane to- Che cosa!?" Isabella picked up a jeweled brooch. "Kasumi, where did this come from?"
"Eto, it's a gift from Fideto-san, the man Nabiki-chan is dating," the Japanese girl answered, puzzled by the sudden agitation, then started when the smaller one fell to her knees. "Isabella-chan, what's wrong!?"
"It can't be, it just can't be," Isabella murmured over and over. She sprang up. "Stay inside, don't go out for any reason! And tell the others to do the same as soon as they arrive!"
"Nani? Why do we-Matte! Where are you going?" But the purple-haired girl was already gone. "Ara, I hope nothing terrible has happened."
Ranma Saotome's journal, September 1st:
We arrived tonight, much sooner than expected, all thanks to Mousse's quick recovery. I have to admit, he's got a hearty constitution.
The moment the Tokyo skyline came into view, we all heard flapping and turned our heads up. We saw an owl flying straight for us, the sort that is rare in Japan. It was pretty obvious to figure who it was.
"Konbanwa, Aelfred-san," I greeted, "That's not precisely the sort of flying creature I was expecting."
"I've learnt to take on many forms during my travels, Ranko-san," he replied, "Wolf, horse, owl, cougar, stag, monkey, even an orca. But I never have, nor intend to, become a bat." I guess Aelfred-san dislikes stereotypes. I turned to look at the others, Ucchan and Ryoga had welcoming expressions, while Mousse acted warily. Shampoo was hard to determine, I'm guessing somewhere between cautious and curious.
"So, what's the story, Aelfred-san?" I asked, "Now that we know the first part, you're obligated to tell us the rest."
"Hai, still, I must ask you to be a little more patient, I want Ranma-san and Akane-san to listen as well." Do my two guises really look that different? I think it's because attention is diverted from my face while I'm female. I thought Aelfred-san would be above that, oh well.
We talked about other things as we made our way home, trying to avoid the subject of vampires by keeping the conversation simple and friendly. This helped get rid of all the tension, even Mousse lightened up and started acting friendlier towards Aelfred-san.
"Aelfred seem worried," Shampoo noted after a while, "What you thinking about?"
"That Brujah mentioned something while we were fighting, I didn't pay much attention then, but it bothers me now. She was going to get paid for setting up this whole caper."
"You're right," I agreed, "I heard her say something of the sort. That means someone else is pulling the strings!"
"And if experience tells us anything, it's a very strong someone," Ryoga stated. "Who is it and what could he want from us?"
"Let's figure it out." Ucchan gathered us up in a circle. "Okay, the redhead wanted all of us to go, minus Aelfred-san, she wasn't expecting him. Now, what do we all have in common?"
"There's a characteristic we share, which gets us into trouble very often," Mousse said. He was referring to the Jusenkyo curses of course.
"I said all of us. That characteristic doesn't include me, you egotist," Ucchan protested.
"You're all martial-artists, and very capable ones," Aelfred-san said, "This was a battle tactic, you are taken away in order to lower defenses at your homes."
"Matte!" Ryoga shouted, "The note requested for Ranma to show up, that means the home in question is the Tendo dojo. He's going after Akane-chan!"
I started running at top speed, not caring whether the others were behind me or not. The only thought on my mind was: "I've got to save Akane!"
Xian-Pu's diary, September 1st:
I brought Mu-Su home while Ranma-airen and the others went to the Tendo dojo, he still needs to recuperate from all that blood-loss, especially after the beating I gave him. You see, he got a bit too sentimental because of my gesture and threw himself all over me (I guess even he can't be wrong all the time). You might say I overreacted, but if you don't put Chinese men in their place on time, there's no stopping them later.
I can't believe my luck, that tomboy Akane taken by a vampire! Ranma-airen will finally be free from that false engagement and be able to marry me! As it should be. True, Akane's will be a harsh fate, but hey, it's the luck of the draw.
I'll go by the Tendo's tomorrow and give my condolences, it should help me score points with Ranma-airen. I could go out tonight, look for that vampire and make sure things come out my way. But no, it's too risky, I'm too pretty a girl and too big a temptation.
Ranma Saotome's journal, September 1st (continued):
We ran into Isabella-chan just as we were about to reach home, who was very agitated. She told us Akane-chan and Nabiki-san had gone to see Dr Tofu so we hurried in that direction, but once we got to his office he told us the girls hadn't arrived, very upsetting news. There was no time to lose, we split up and started searching.
It took me over an hour to find Akane-chan, she was far away from our neighborhood. When I asked what she was doing there, she said:
"It's Nabiki-chan, we were walking along when she screamed all of a sudden and ran off. I've been trying to follow her but she's moving much too fast." This was strange, Akane-chan should be able to catch Nabiki-san easily, outrun her even. Naturally, I decided to help Akane-chan and we both went down the direction she had been following. We were on the right track, witnesses told us so. I spotted a married couple, their faces white as sheets, they said they had been attacked by a girl whose description fitted Nabiki-san's perfectly. And not just them, several more we found along the way told us the same thing. Finally, we met a girl who was all by herself, she wasn't scared like the others, she was furious, her loser boyfriend had escaped at the first sign of danger. Again, Nabiki-san was accused of being the attacker. We followed the girl's indications and made it to a high-school.
Ranma and Akane stood on the wall and surveyed the area, Ukyo and Aelfred arrived shortly after.
"Nabiki-san is here, no doubt," the Scotsman assured as he sniffed about, "her scent is strong." He turned to the shorthaired girl. "Akane-san, I want you to stay out of this, it will be too dangerous for you."
"Nani? Listen, baka, I may not be at the same level as you guys, but I'm very capable of beating up any creep who gets in front of me."
"Then how come we end up saving your butt all the time?" the brunette chef questioned.
"You've got experience as a hostage yourself", the shorthaired girl retorted.
"You may be strong physically," Aelfred continued, "but you're not mentally prepared. And the same goes for the rest of you, I'm going after Nabiki-san by myself."
"No dice," Ranma replied, "Despite being a pain most of the time, Nabiki-san is still our friend, and we're not leaving her behind."
"Ranko-san, you…" The silver-haired vampire shook his head. "You people haven't changed, you're as stubborn as ever. Very well, you can come with me. But once we find Nabiki-san, don't confront her, in fact, don't even let her know you're there."
"You make it sound as though Nabiki-san were someone dangerous," Ukyo noted.
"Believe me, I desperately want to be wrong."
Akane Tendo's diary, September 1st:
I knew something was wrong, I could see it in everyone's eyes, but I never thought the discovery would be so horrible. After such an awful revelation, I thought I would be bouncing off the walls, crying hysterically or, well, doing anything but writing on my diary. Yet, here I am, writing down tonight's events, as calm as I could be.
Aelfred-san led the way into the school, he knew exactly where to go, though it didn't seem so at first. We walked all over the building, up and down, in and out, it was exasperating. Ranko-chan told me to calm down, assuring me that Aelfred-san was an excellent tracker.
"Ranma no baka, how am I supposed to calm down!? My sister is in the hands of a creep who's, although the chance is slim, an even worse hentai than you!" I really shouldn't have done that, grabbing, shaking and yelling at her. But how else could I react under all that pressure? Now, as we took our tour of the school, I saw many signs of a pursuit, especially at the science lab; chairs, beakers and all sort of equipment had been knocked to slow down the chaser. At that time, I thought Nabiki-chan was the one trying to defend herself. How wrong I was.
When I entered that storage room and saw that dead body… By the kami, is there a point to writing this down? His throat was torn open and blood stained his clothes. His face was… It was so weird, he looked both terrified and blissful, the last moments of his life had been ecstatic ones. Then I heard the sobbing, and saw the red drops leading to that dark corner. Aelfred-san tried to hold me back but couldn't, and I ended up finding Nabiki-chan. She was frightened, shivering, and scurried away when I reached out for her. And although she tried to cover her mouth, I could clearly see the blood… Funny, she's the monster and I'm the scary one…… Gomen, onee-chan.
(illegible scribbles follow)
My sister is a vampire!! Sounds like a title for a B-movie, but this was fact, not fiction. I still wish this was only a nightmare, one I'll wake up from the moment I close my diary.
Isabella-chan arrived minutes later, or maybe it was hours, I'm not sure. She moved me aside and snapped her fingers on Nabiki-chan's ear, ordering her to sleep, which she did. I almost went into a panic when I noticed she wasn't breathing.
"That's normal," Isabella-chan explained, "considering her new physiology." That made sense, though it didn't tranquilize me at all.
Aelfred-san asked Ukyo to take Nabiki-chan away so that he could take care of something, what he did shocked us all. He spread some liquid he'd brought from the lab and set the room on fire.
"Why the hell did you do that!?" Ukyo asked.
"Safety measures," Aelfred-san explained as he took Nabiki-san in his arms. "If people were to find a corpse with bite marks on the neck and almost no blood, there would be a panic. I've seen this happen a hundred times before." The very idea of finding a charred body sent shivers up my spine, but I had to agree with Aelfred-san's precaution, I don't want an angry mob after my sister.
…I was in a trance, walking down the streets without knowing or caring where I was going. Ukyo snapped me back into reality.
"Will you get a grip? If you're going to mope around without thinking of a solution, then you don't deserve a man like Ran-chan." She was right, complaining won't do any good, I had to cool my head and think clearly, it was the only way I could help Nabiki-chan. So I decided to summon my courage and seek out answers.
"You are also a vampire, ne Aelfred-san? And so is Isabella-chan."
"Hai, although we'd rather be referred to by our clan names," he answered, "You have to believe me, Akane-san, we never wanted this to happen." I didn't say anything then, but I did believe him, the gleam in his eye was an honest one. And poor Isabella-chan, for some reason, this ordeal was affecting her even more than I. Good thing Ranko-chan was the first to talk to her, I never would've gotten the nerve.
"Where are we going?" she asked, "This isn't the way back to the dojo."
"Oh, we can't take Catherine home yet," Isabella-chan answered, "This sort of news can't be given out just like that, we must prepare her family first."
"I understand," I replied, "I still need time to adjust, and Otousan is no good at receiving this type of news. But you haven't answered Ranko-chan's question, Isabella-chan. Where are we going?"
"Sorry. I'd like Catherine to stay with me at the Renfield's for tonight."
"Renfield? You mean the crazy guy from that movie?" Ranko-chan asked.
"It's what I call the people I hypnotize so I can stay at their homes," Isabella-chan explained, "And I got it from the book, mind you."
Isabella-chan's resting place was no surprise, it was none other than the Kuno household. Kuno-sempai and Kodachi came out to greet us in the usual manner.
"Tendo Akane, Fire hair! How joyous your visit makes me!"
"How dare you harlots invade my home!?"
Ranko-chan and I were about to send those two over the horizon when Isabella-chan snapped her fingers, they knelt in front of her and pledged allegiance, with phrases so ridiculous that I will not write them down.
"They're under my complete control, they won't misbehave," Isabella-chan told us. "Tatewaki, carry Catherine to my room. Kodachi, prepare something for my guests."
"As you wish, Mistress," they answered. It was amazing how docile those two behaved, and kind of funny.
"Such level of servitude usually takes years," Isabella-chan explained, "these guys became 100% obedient in a matter of minutes." I think it has a lot to do with their submoronic IQ levels.
We went down to the basement, where they keep all that weird stuff, Kuno-sempai placed Nabiki-chan on a canopied bed and left. Now that the blood had been cleaned from her face, she looked peaceful and calm. Isabella-chan sat beside her and started stroking her hair. I wanted to do the same but, gomen Nabiki-chan, I couldn't gather the nerve to get close to you.
"How soon until she recovers?" Ranko-chan asked.
"She'll sleep through the rest of the night and obviously through the whole day as well." Isabella-chan answered.
"Please wait for us at the Tendo dojo," Aelfred-san requested, "I promise we will explain everything tomorrow night."
"Hai, we'll be waiting for you," I replied, "In the meantime, take good care of Nabiki-chan." I was very reluctant to leave my sister at that nuthouse with two vampires for companions (I still wasn't so sure about them), but it was the only option. Besides, I couldn't take Nabiki-chan home; as I said before, Oyousan won't be able to stomach this. Most importantly, there's no place dark enough to keep her safe until sundown. So, we left Nabiki-chan in Aelfred-san and Isabella-chan's care. She offered us dinner but we refused, I don't trust Kodachi's cooking, even under hypnosis.
On our way home, minna-san told me what had happened at the woods.
"I was expecting some big secret from those two," I said, "but I never conceived something like this."
"It seems that each new person we meet gets weirder and weirder," Ukyo joked, I didn't find it funny. "Now what do we do?"
"We wait for Aelfred-san and Isabella-chan, just as they said," Ranko-chan answered, "Normally, I don't like doing as I'm told, but in this case, I'll make an exception."
Ukyo left for her restaurant, promising to go see us first thing tomorrow night. She also said that if she were to run into Ryoga-kun, she would bring him along. I hope he's safe. I got a small consolation when Ranko-chan and I got home, P-chan was at the front door to greet me.
It wasn't easy to come up with an excuse for Otousan, Kasumi-chan and Uncle Genma. Finally, we told them that Nabiki-chan was at a slumber party with some friends. It was very hard to say that while keeping a straight face.
I broke some tiles and bricks before coming up to my room, then cried for a while before starting to write, I needed to, what happened to Nabiki-chan is…well…tragic, I suppose.
I can't despair, we've all been through worse situations and there has always been a solution. Aelfred-san and Isabella-chan are our friends, I know they'll help us. Maybe that's the reason I'm so at ease, because I'm certain everything will turn all right in the end.
It's nearly dawn, I didn't realize it was so late (Or is it early?). I better get some sleep, Ranma-kun and I have a lot of things to do so we can be ready for tomorrow.
Kuno mansion:
"I gotta hand it to you, you picked a nice place to stay," the Gangrel said, "Though I'd rather sleep out in the park."
"You may leave if you want," the Italian girl replied, "I can take care of Catherine on my own." She hadn't moved from Nabiki's side, nor taken her hand away from the newly-fledged vampiress' face.
"I didn't mean it that way, don't forget, Nabiki is my friend and I want to help her out. Plus, we must plan on how to explain this to Ranma and the others tomorrow."
"What do you mean explain? Hypnotize is what I'm going to do to them, make them believe Catherine was killed in a freak accident and take her away."
"After all we've been through, they have the right to know the truth," Aelfred protested, "I am honor bound to the Saotome family."
"And what about being bound to the rules?" the purple-haired girl questioned, "We're supposed not to exist. One or two people finding out about us, okay; but six or more, unacceptable."
"I am aware of that, still, I promised an explanation and I won't back up on my word."
"You and your stupid honor," Isabella huffed, "Fine, we'll do it your way. Besides, I too owe Catherine's family for failing to protect her." Sighing sadly, she laid down beside the moneymaker and held her. "I'll never forgive myself for this."
"You're very attached to that girl," the silver-haired man noticed, "And why do you keep calling her Catherine?"
"Duh, that's what I named her. After all, that's one of the first things a-Erk! That is, one who's been…umm…" Isabella would never have made it out of that one hadn't Nabiki started tossing and woken up.
"IE, STOP IT!!" The shorthaired girl's scream echoed through the dark abode. "By the kami, what a nightmare. Nani? Where am I?"
"You're safe," the childlike vampiress answered, "Catherine, this will be hard to understand, but you need to listen."
"Ie, you listen! All I know is: I was with Akane-chan one second and here the next." Nabiki started to walk away. "I knew there was something fishy about you two, but kidnapping? You are in deep trouble."
"Matte, Nabiki-san," Aelfred held her by the arm, "Don't you remember what you did?"
"I'm supposed to have done something while unconscious?" the brown-haired girl asked sarcastically. The other two looked at each other and came to the same conclusion.
"Mental block," Isabella said, "Catherine, I have to go inside your head for a moment."
"Yeah right, I don't know what you're trying to pull, but I'm not going to-Hey!!" Aelfred came up from behind and took hold of Nabiki. "Let go of me! Let-KYAA!!" The longhaired girl placed her hand on her head and buried information arose. Nabiki Tendo had a blurry vision of herself chasing a young man through the streets of Nerima; when she finally caught him, she bit savagely into his neck and started drinking. The memory was horribly vivid, the moneymaker could even taste the blood in her mouth, it was so overwhelming that she fainted on the spot. Isabella rushed over to pick her up.
"My poor little rose. I swear, that bastard is going to pay for what he's done to you."
"I'm afraid Nabiki-san is the one who will pay," the fanged man corrected as he carried her back to the bed, "we all did at our time."