'A Pain in the Back'
"Ranma, if you would just stop for a second..." Nabiki pleaded, chasing down the pigtailed boy as she finished tying the belt to her bathrobe. Ranma continued to stare in shock at the girl with now the noticeable lump covered by the white robe, stumbling backwards and nearly tripping several times.
"Y-y-y-y," was all he could utter, pointing incredulously at Nabiki.
"Ranma!" Akane shouted, rushing out of the bathroom in her own robe, "At least put this on, you jerk! Daddy's going to have a fit if he sees you running around topless!"
Ranma instinctually caught the robe tossed to her, still fearfully retreating from his fiancée. Nabiki was nearly in tears from Ranma's reaction, though she had expected it, "Ranma, I was going to tell you! I just wanted to wait till the right time..."
Ranma tripped onto her butt, before she found her voice, "Tell me? Exactly when would be the right time to tell me that my fiancée HAS A-?!?"
"Well, the way you're overreacting, never!" Akane interrupted; unamused with the way the part-time girl was treating her sister.
Both Nabiki and Ranma stared at the youngest Tendou, not quite in agreement that the situation required less reaction on Ranma's behalf.
"Are... are you a ghost or something?" Ranma finally braved to ask, swallowing a little of her fear, as long as the older girl didn't come closer.
Nabiki sighed, managing to steel her own emotions, "No, Ranma, I'm not dead."
Ranma double blinked, "But... you have a-"
"I KNOW THAT!" Nabiki nearly bellowed, beginning to give into frustration. She immediately calmed down, noticing the pigtailed girl ready to bolt. "I'm sorry, Ranma, I didn't mean to... I mean... I..."
Living or dead, Ranma couldn't contend with the tears of any girl. "Hey, HEY! I'm sorry, that just... ah... kinda startled me, s'all."
"Startled, you were about to wet yourself!"
"Akane, please be quiet," Nabiki quipped. She knelt next to Ranma, finally seeing that the redhead had calmed down, "I understand, Ranma, it's not as if you often find out the girl you had been engaged to just yesterday should by all rights be among her ancestors."
"Um, why aren't you? Dead, I mean?" Ranma enquired, deciding that the other girl wasn't going to latch onto him and drag him to the very hells.
Nabiki sat down next to her, "I guess I got lucky."
"I wouldn't say that," Ranma murmured, looking at the bulge between Nabiki's shoulder blades.
The older girl chuckled, "No, I guess I wasn't."
"What happened?" Ranma finally enquired, as Akane went off to finish her own bath, leaving the two alone.
"Remember when I told you I wasn't exactly the best person?" Nabiki enquired, not looking at the pigtailed girl, "There were things that I did... that I'm not proud of now."
"Ah, yeah, you said something about that last night."
The middle Tendou daughter smiled slightly, though it had no humor in it, "People know me around school. I was the kind of girl that enjoyed having a little extra cash on the side. I made it off of other people, not in the most scrupulous of ways, either."
"What did you do?" Ranma prayed 'prostitution' wasn't the factor.
"You name it, I did it, racketeering, loan sharking, blackmailing... reason why I don't have a boyfriend was because I had a nasty habit of swindling guys out of what they had when we went out on dates, or I blackmailed them with some pretty big secrets they kept."
"Oh."
Nabiki was surprised at the relieved sound in Ranma's voice, but decided to ask about it at a later time, "There was this guy... he did some pretty shady things, but I thought he was pretty harmless. He borrowed money from me, but was a little slow with paying it off. Because of that, I hiked up the interest on him..."
Nabiki bowed her head, recalling her folly, "I should have been more careful after meeting him that night."
"I... guess you didn't know," Ranma tried to console, though neither approving nor condemning Nabiki's actions.
"No, I didn't, but that's not an excuse for everything else." Ranma baulked at the tears in Nabiki's eyes, "I'm a bad person, Ranma. What I've done finally caught up to me, and this..." she pointed over her shoulder to her back, "...gets to serve as a reminder."
"Why don't you just get it removed?"
"Doctors said it wouldn't be an easy thing to do," Nabiki explained, "I was lucky when it went in, I may not be so fortunate if it comes out. It's now separating two chambers of my heart, which would make it difficult to remove without an expensive operation that we just can't afford, even with health insurance."
"Then why don't you, you know, like the Americans do; where some charity sponsors the operation for some poor shmuc-er-person with a fatal defect or something?"
"I'm not exactly a 'feel good story', not with my background," Nabiki admitted, "If word got out of what I used to do, I think people wouldn't be all that enthusiastic about helping me out."
"Well, can't you just have the handle cut off? That has to be uncomfortable!"
"That would cause all new problems. If the blade got lost under my skin, it could do even more damage." Nabiki smirked, "And besides, it doesn't feel bad at all anymore. In fact I can move it around, see?" Nabiki reached around her back, and started jiggling it around."
"STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT!!!" Ranma shouted, rushing backwards in a crabwalk. The redhead blinked, and frowned at her fiancée's chuckles, "Hey, that ain't funny!"
"Well," Nabiki began, standing up and feeling much better, "I have to finish getting ready for school. You might want to hurry too, since you're coming with us, I believe."
"What? School?"
Ranma eyed the chain fence next to them longingly, preferring the high ground to his current position on the ground, next to Nabiki.
He wasn't going to outright admit it, but he remained completely unnerved by the girl and her predicament. As hard as he tried, he couldn't help but feel his eyes drawn to the costume angel wings she was wearing to cover the issue up. Every time he had leapt up onto the fence, even after stating it was for balance practice, Nabiki would slump a bit. If anything, Ranma didn't think that was a good idea for someone with Nabiki's affliction.
Nabiki could feel Ranma's gaze on her, and wished that it was for more flattering reasons. Nonetheless, the ticklish feeling behind her sternum was from something other than the cold steel lodged under it. "Ranma, I'm sorry if I'm making you nervous."
Ranma almost jumped at being addressed, "Who, me? I ain't nervous!"
Nabiki continued, "I know it can't be easy to deal with this, but if I can get used to the idea of being engaged to a guy who occasionally is a girl, then you can get used to the idea of being with a girl who'll always have to be on top."
"Huh?" Ranma enquired, the innuendo flying right over him, "But I'm not occasionally a girl, I'm 100 percent guy!"
Nabiki looked towards the old woman with a bucket and ladle, to the dripping, unamused redhead, "I stand corrected."
Sighing, Ranma turned around, "I'm going back home to take a bath."
"Sorry, but you just don't have the time," Nabiki interjected, grabbing onto the pigtailed girl's arm.
"You expect me to go to school like this?"
"I know a place you can get some hot water from, although it'll take a few moments."
Ranma sighed, deciding it wasn't worth arguing over, "Fine, just... just hurry."
"Dr. Tofu? It's me, Nabiki," The middle Tendou sister called out, as she and Ranma strode into the clinic.
"So, who's this guy?" Ranma enquired, looking around; her eyes finding a skeleton replica next to a counter.
"Well, I would be more than happy to introduce myself," A man in his later twenties stated, standing behind Ranma. The pigtailed girl nearly jumped, surprised she hadn't even sensed him approach. "Hello, Nabiki, no problems with your injury, I hope? And those angel wings look rather cute on you."
'Injury', what a novel way of putting it," the redhead thought to herself.
"Hello doctor, do you really think they're cute?" Nabiki asked, twirling and demonstrating her partial costume for the doctor. Tofu smiled, and nodded. "I'm doing fine. I've been keeping the blade clean with hydrogen peroxide like you suggested after bathing."
The good doctor nodded, "And who's your friend here?"
"This is Ranma, my... um..." Nabiki looked over at the pigtailed girl, before looking away, "friend, she's the child of a family friend."
Tofu blinked at the light blush on the middle Tendou daughter, but decided that it wasn't all that important, "Well, it seems like the two of you get along pretty well. So what brings you by? I would think you would be on your way to school by now."
"We were, there was just a little accident," Nabiki commented, "Have you heard of anything about a place called, 'Jusenkyo'?" Ranma stared back at Nabiki, almost feeling a light sense of betrayal. Then again, the young martial artist rationalized that it may be best to get explanations out of the way, in case this became a daily habit.
"Hmm, actually, I have. Some sort of mythical training ground with cursed pools. It's only legend, though, why are you so interested?"
"Believe me, doc, it isn't 'mythical' in the least, unfortunately," the redhead quipped.
"Oh?" Dr. Tofu enquired, sure he was about to receive an explanation.
"Ranma, if you would just stop for a second..." Nabiki pleaded, chasing down the pigtailed boy as she finished tying the belt to her bathrobe. Ranma continued to stare in shock at the girl with now the noticeable lump covered by the white robe, stumbling backwards and nearly tripping several times.
"Y-y-y-y," was all he could utter, pointing incredulously at Nabiki.
"Ranma!" Akane shouted, rushing out of the bathroom in her own robe, "At least put this on, you jerk! Daddy's going to have a fit if he sees you running around topless!"
Ranma instinctually caught the robe tossed to her, still fearfully retreating from his fiancée. Nabiki was nearly in tears from Ranma's reaction, though she had expected it, "Ranma, I was going to tell you! I just wanted to wait till the right time..."
Ranma tripped onto her butt, before she found her voice, "Tell me? Exactly when would be the right time to tell me that my fiancée HAS A-?!?"
"Well, the way you're overreacting, never!" Akane interrupted; unamused with the way the part-time girl was treating her sister.
Both Nabiki and Ranma stared at the youngest Tendou, not quite in agreement that the situation required less reaction on Ranma's behalf.
"Are... are you a ghost or something?" Ranma finally braved to ask, swallowing a little of her fear, as long as the older girl didn't come closer.
Nabiki sighed, managing to steel her own emotions, "No, Ranma, I'm not dead."
Ranma double blinked, "But... you have a-"
"I KNOW THAT!" Nabiki nearly bellowed, beginning to give into frustration. She immediately calmed down, noticing the pigtailed girl ready to bolt. "I'm sorry, Ranma, I didn't mean to... I mean... I..."
Living or dead, Ranma couldn't contend with the tears of any girl. "Hey, HEY! I'm sorry, that just... ah... kinda startled me, s'all."
"Startled, you were about to wet yourself!"
"Akane, please be quiet," Nabiki quipped. She knelt next to Ranma, finally seeing that the redhead had calmed down, "I understand, Ranma, it's not as if you often find out the girl you had been engaged to just yesterday should by all rights be among her ancestors."
"Um, why aren't you? Dead, I mean?" Ranma enquired, deciding that the other girl wasn't going to latch onto him and drag him to the very hells.
Nabiki sat down next to her, "I guess I got lucky."
"I wouldn't say that," Ranma murmured, looking at the bulge between Nabiki's shoulder blades.
The older girl chuckled, "No, I guess I wasn't."
"What happened?" Ranma finally enquired, as Akane went off to finish her own bath, leaving the two alone.
"Remember when I told you I wasn't exactly the best person?" Nabiki enquired, not looking at the pigtailed girl, "There were things that I did... that I'm not proud of now."
"Ah, yeah, you said something about that last night."
The middle Tendou daughter smiled slightly, though it had no humor in it, "People know me around school. I was the kind of girl that enjoyed having a little extra cash on the side. I made it off of other people, not in the most scrupulous of ways, either."
"What did you do?" Ranma prayed 'prostitution' wasn't the factor.
"You name it, I did it, racketeering, loan sharking, blackmailing... reason why I don't have a boyfriend was because I had a nasty habit of swindling guys out of what they had when we went out on dates, or I blackmailed them with some pretty big secrets they kept."
"Oh."
Nabiki was surprised at the relieved sound in Ranma's voice, but decided to ask about it at a later time, "There was this guy... he did some pretty shady things, but I thought he was pretty harmless. He borrowed money from me, but was a little slow with paying it off. Because of that, I hiked up the interest on him..."
Nabiki bowed her head, recalling her folly, "I should have been more careful after meeting him that night."
"I... guess you didn't know," Ranma tried to console, though neither approving nor condemning Nabiki's actions.
"No, I didn't, but that's not an excuse for everything else." Ranma baulked at the tears in Nabiki's eyes, "I'm a bad person, Ranma. What I've done finally caught up to me, and this..." she pointed over her shoulder to her back, "...gets to serve as a reminder."
"Why don't you just get it removed?"
"Doctors said it wouldn't be an easy thing to do," Nabiki explained, "I was lucky when it went in, I may not be so fortunate if it comes out. It's now separating two chambers of my heart, which would make it difficult to remove without an expensive operation that we just can't afford, even with health insurance."
"Then why don't you, you know, like the Americans do; where some charity sponsors the operation for some poor shmuc-er-person with a fatal defect or something?"
"I'm not exactly a 'feel good story', not with my background," Nabiki admitted, "If word got out of what I used to do, I think people wouldn't be all that enthusiastic about helping me out."
"Well, can't you just have the handle cut off? That has to be uncomfortable!"
"That would cause all new problems. If the blade got lost under my skin, it could do even more damage." Nabiki smirked, "And besides, it doesn't feel bad at all anymore. In fact I can move it around, see?" Nabiki reached around her back, and started jiggling it around."
"STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT!!!" Ranma shouted, rushing backwards in a crabwalk. The redhead blinked, and frowned at her fiancée's chuckles, "Hey, that ain't funny!"
"Well," Nabiki began, standing up and feeling much better, "I have to finish getting ready for school. You might want to hurry too, since you're coming with us, I believe."
"What? School?"
Ranma eyed the chain fence next to them longingly, preferring the high ground to his current position on the ground, next to Nabiki.
He wasn't going to outright admit it, but he remained completely unnerved by the girl and her predicament. As hard as he tried, he couldn't help but feel his eyes drawn to the costume angel wings she was wearing to cover the issue up. Every time he had leapt up onto the fence, even after stating it was for balance practice, Nabiki would slump a bit. If anything, Ranma didn't think that was a good idea for someone with Nabiki's affliction.
Nabiki could feel Ranma's gaze on her, and wished that it was for more flattering reasons. Nonetheless, the ticklish feeling behind her sternum was from something other than the cold steel lodged under it. "Ranma, I'm sorry if I'm making you nervous."
Ranma almost jumped at being addressed, "Who, me? I ain't nervous!"
Nabiki continued, "I know it can't be easy to deal with this, but if I can get used to the idea of being engaged to a guy who occasionally is a girl, then you can get used to the idea of being with a girl who'll always have to be on top."
"Huh?" Ranma enquired, the innuendo flying right over him, "But I'm not occasionally a girl, I'm 100 percent guy!"
Nabiki looked towards the old woman with a bucket and ladle, to the dripping, unamused redhead, "I stand corrected."
Sighing, Ranma turned around, "I'm going back home to take a bath."
"Sorry, but you just don't have the time," Nabiki interjected, grabbing onto the pigtailed girl's arm.
"You expect me to go to school like this?"
"I know a place you can get some hot water from, although it'll take a few moments."
Ranma sighed, deciding it wasn't worth arguing over, "Fine, just... just hurry."
"Dr. Tofu? It's me, Nabiki," The middle Tendou sister called out, as she and Ranma strode into the clinic.
"So, who's this guy?" Ranma enquired, looking around; her eyes finding a skeleton replica next to a counter.
"Well, I would be more than happy to introduce myself," A man in his later twenties stated, standing behind Ranma. The pigtailed girl nearly jumped, surprised she hadn't even sensed him approach. "Hello, Nabiki, no problems with your injury, I hope? And those angel wings look rather cute on you."
'Injury', what a novel way of putting it," the redhead thought to herself.
"Hello doctor, do you really think they're cute?" Nabiki asked, twirling and demonstrating her partial costume for the doctor. Tofu smiled, and nodded. "I'm doing fine. I've been keeping the blade clean with hydrogen peroxide like you suggested after bathing."
The good doctor nodded, "And who's your friend here?"
"This is Ranma, my... um..." Nabiki looked over at the pigtailed girl, before looking away, "friend, she's the child of a family friend."
Tofu blinked at the light blush on the middle Tendou daughter, but decided that it wasn't all that important, "Well, it seems like the two of you get along pretty well. So what brings you by? I would think you would be on your way to school by now."
"We were, there was just a little accident," Nabiki commented, "Have you heard of anything about a place called, 'Jusenkyo'?" Ranma stared back at Nabiki, almost feeling a light sense of betrayal. Then again, the young martial artist rationalized that it may be best to get explanations out of the way, in case this became a daily habit.
"Hmm, actually, I have. Some sort of mythical training ground with cursed pools. It's only legend, though, why are you so interested?"
"Believe me, doc, it isn't 'mythical' in the least, unfortunately," the redhead quipped.
"Oh?" Dr. Tofu enquired, sure he was about to receive an explanation.