Chapter 5

When Nabiki got home the first thing she noticed was thatthere was a Panda sat on her front porch, a battered looking one.

"said something stupid again Saotome?" she asked, temporarily interrupting her lollipop consumption.

"Growf" replied the fuzzball, grumpilly.

Nabiki went straight on into the house, quickly calling out the traditional greeting and heading into the kitchen on a snack hunt.

"Hello Nabiki," said Kasumi, "I was just about to start dinner, "are you staying in or off out."

"Tell you in just a minute, got some calls to make." Nabiki wandered into the hall pulling out her mobile. "Oh sis, where's Saotome junior gone?"

"He's in the furo, he only got back half an hour ago."

"oh?"

"yes, looked like he had been training again." Kasumi added. Nabiki just shook her head, used to the obsessiveness of local martial artists. She went up the stairs and called in to the furo telling Ranma not to be too long. She sat in her room arranging a night out with some of her friends.

She spotted Ranma's head stick through her open bedroom door. "bathroom's free" he said before starting to turn to leave. She stopped him with a wave of her hand. Covering the phone for a moment she turned to him, "fancy a night out stud?"

"Uh, what? Yeah why not" he replied

"you got some party clothes we're going dancing." She finished before uncovering the phone "yup sound's good, I'll bring our guest too."

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Meanwhile Ranma went to his room and dug out some clothes. "Way to go stud" he said, voice dripping irony "you know that this is gonna be a disaster, right. Right. You should just go back in there and tell her you changed your mind, yeah right." He stopped and turned to go and talk to Nabiki. And there she was in his doorway.

"Thanks Saotome," she said "these nights get pretty dull with just us there. I like the girls and all but Kami they haven't got a brain between them."

"Girls" Ranma said one eyebrow arching"I really don't need you setting me up with anyone ya know."

Nabiki leaned back against the doorframe, stretching slightly. She turned her head so that she was looking at him out of the side of her eyes, fully aware of the effect this sort of thing had on most men. "I thought it was traditional. One last fling before you ship out for the big push." She said in a mock accent

When his face suddenly darkened her surprise was very real, "What do you know about that" he asked forcefully. When she didn't reply he stepped over and grabbed her by both arms. Nabiki found herself looking straight into those Blue grey eyes, except this time they were all steel. "If something's got out we need to know, now!"

"I, I don't know what you mean" Nabiki said her voice quavering.

Ranma stopped immediately "shit. Sorry Tendo-san. Of course you don't, how could you." Ranma half turned, "I am just a little wired just now."

"Tranqs wearing down?" Nabiki asked, using the time to pull her composure back.

"probably" Ranma replied thoughtfully.

"You really need to look at your dosage you know." Nabiki said, this time with real concern. "Have a word with your pharmacist, Koda-chan wasn't it, when you get back?"

"You better forget I said anything, and any names you heard too." Ranma said evenly. "I really didn't mean to startle you but I was serious that our secrets have to stay that way. To be honest I shouldn't really have let on about the Command in the fisrt place."

"Hey, secrets are my speciality, my lips are sealed. Besides you didn't tell me about X-com, I told you." Nabiki said. She turned to leave, "oh and for the record I am not trying to set you up with anyone, anyone else." And then she was gone.

"Always has to have the last word, always" Ranma grumbled

"Go with the blue, it would suit you." Came Nabiki's voice through the door.

"Always."

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Some hours later the two were part of a group just stepping through the doors into "Dante's" a hot new club downtown. The music was pounding and the dancefloor crammed, the atmosphere was hot, sweaty and jumping. Once again Ranma had paid for the both of them, despite Nabiki's half-hearted attempt to pay for herself. "Whoa, people," said Ranma. The city centre had been bad enough but this heaving mass of half-naked humanity was way beyond his experience. Nabiki spotted his hesitation, grabbed his hand and dragged him into the room.

Flames burst in the air, cages swayed, and the crowd bounced as the next tune started up. The whole room seemed to shiver in response. Nabiki's smile increased directly in proportion to Ranma's discomfort. Then the rest of the group dragged them over toa table they had found deeper within the hall. Most of the girls were sitting down, two were heading to the luminous bar and the last immediately started talking into Nabiki's ear. Ranma found himself adrift, he was about to sit when Nabiki grabbed him and shouted "Dance!" before leading him towards the slightly sunken dancefloor.

When they got there Nabiki turned and started to move. The smile on her face way infectious but Ranma was still catching his breath. Nabiki was already losing herself in the music, and soon Ranma just followed suit. Lack of confidence had never really been one of his problems but here he knew he was out of his depth. With a few smiles from Nabiki and a lot of looking around he quickly started to outshine the others around him. When their neighbours started to move aside Ranma was having too much fun to care. Nabiki just laughed and smiled larger. When Nabiki signalled him that she needed a break and he came back down their impromptu audience cheered them off, a couple of girls kissed Ranma on the way of the floor and Nabiki shot down a couple of approaches. Both were laughing by the time they reached the table.

Only when they got there things were different. Abi, one of the smarter friends was standing, obviously flustered. "what's the matter Abi?" said Nabiki. The girl didn't hear Nabiki leaned in and shouted straight into her ear.

"Jess-chan is gone. I only left to see if I could see any of the others, it was only for a moment." Abi said into her ear.

"And?" asked Nabiki in return

"She wasn't feeling good" Abi replied.

"Check the toilets." Nabiki said, still not that concerned

"You don't understand, there were these guys, they came over after you left,they were-"

"Ranma, Jess could be in trouble." Nabiki said as the music suddenly dipped. Ranma saw the seriousness in Nabiki's eyes, his whole body changed shape and steel flashed in his eyes. He immediately started looking around.

"I'll check the door you go check the gents" Nabiki said.

"What's up there?" he asked pointing to some stairs nearby.

"vip room" answered Abi

"She's up there"

"How –"

"Otherwise we would have seen them." And then he was gone, taking the steps four at a time. Nabiki looked at Abi and followed, albeit somewhat slower.

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"you can't go in there" Ranma had arrived at a short landing the other side of which were two gorillas in monkey suits. The size of their hands was only rivalled by their lack of intelligence.

"This party is Private" said the other primate squeezing his hand back into a fist. But there was a snigger in his voice. Ranma turned his chin, his neck went "crick" and then he decked them both. By the time their overdeveloped bodies hit the floor the door they were guarding was already shattered.

Inside was a scene out of some dirty expose documentary. One guy was snorting a line of white off a mirror, another was sitting with his hand down his trousers while the third was molesting a passed out teen, Jess.

Even as Ranma entered the room exploded into motion, one falling over the other two jumping up and fixing their clothes. Ranma was through the door and off to the right before the first sound finished echoing.

"Who are you" demanded rapist number one, monkey spanker nodded along. Ranma ignored the two of them and went straight to Jess. He saw that her eyes were open and staring.

"You better pray you didn't get very far"

"This is a private room bitch" said rapist one.

"Do you even know who we are?" demanded two, while the third just laughed.

"We're Spunk-Jam!" said one as if it was a proclamation of divinity. Ranma bust his nose with a straight arm, open palm punch that threw him clear over the couch. He turned to 'handy-man.'

"Did he rape her?" he demanded. The palm pilot just blubbered. " I will ask you one time then things start to break!" At this time the other girls were stepping over the bouncers and into the room. " Biki-chan, Abi sort Jess, RV at the restaurant," Ranma said, neither even thought of disobeying. They quickly moved over to Jess, sorted her shirt and skirt and carried her out. Meanwhile pocket poker man was fussing over his friend.

On the way down the stairs Abi turned to Nabiki, "Who the hell is he, Jackie Chan's Love child? And what the hell is an RV"

"Rendez-vous, replied Nabiki. "and he's just a friend"

"Right, sure he is Biki-Chan" replied Abi, sarcastically.

"Buster you just made the last mistake of your life, I am gonna hit you so hard your mamma's gonna……" Rapist was briefly up, ranting, and then another palm-strike knocked him back over an armchair. This was too much for his 'friend' who jumped at Ranma only to be thrown down ontop of the first who was still trying to get to his feet.

Ranma stalked over, kicked the wrist wrangler into the corner and put his foot on the rapist's chest. "You were right I HAD no idea who you were. Now I do.

"If it turns out that you Have raped that girl. I Will find you and then You Will wish that someone had drowned you at birth. Pray that I don't have to come after you." He then applied just enough pressure to his chest to flex rapist's ribs, winding him. Then he left, turning the table over onto druggy's still giggling form. As he was walking out one of the bouncers was standing, another palm strike just bounced him off the wall onto his comatose friend.

The other girls of the group were by now already leaving. Ranma caught them up at along the way to the restaurant that they had started the night in.

" How is she?" he asked

"Groggy, but coming round. How are they?" asked Nabiki.

" Sore." Replied Ranma, it was enough to tell her not to ask any more.

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A little while later the whole group was back at Abi's flat. It was a nice bachelorette pad, three rooms and a big fridge. The girls were sitting around in the kitchen-come-dining room. Jess was sitting, shaking with a cup of tea tin her hands, Abi was off to one side crying. The others were comforting both ofthem as much as they could in their rapidly sobering states. Ranma was by the door, standing sentinel. Nabiki looked up from the couch, her arm still around Jess. "Relax" she mouthed towards Ranma. He nodded and headed to the fridge.

"You should all eat something, Its good for shock." Ranma said, already pulling ingredients from the fridge.

"don't tell me you cook." Said Nabiki.

"Only Chinese" replied Ranma as he started to chop ingredients.