Disclaimer :

The characters in this story aren't mine, they belong to Rumiko Takahashi and other publications… I'm only here so I can practice my writing…lol… I do not own any of the characters and gains no profit from writing this story… so again please don't sue!!!… I already have enough problems managing bill payments…..

Author's Pre-notes:

Sargon Dorsai about your inquiry:

(You showed a great deal of passion in there.) War Master Lo Xion said to Koh Lon after the council meeting was finished.

(I never thought, I'd see the day where you would one day support me Lore Master.) Koh Lon replied back.

Was Koh Lon calling the War Master, Lore Master? Or was she calling herself Lore Master?

Answer:

Cologne is the War Master with all her martial arts knowledge.

Lotion is The Lore Master more focused in arcane magic, sorcery and wisdom.

Now with that all said and done. Let's get this story going!

Italics Means Thoughts

( ) Means spoken in Chinese

"" Means spoken in Japanese


5 Years has passed.....

Nabiki sighed as she sat on top of the tree branch. She chuckled as she remembered her first impression of the village. She looked ahead to see the village and the people in it. She idly played with her necklace as she watched the villagers dally on with their business. She smiled as she remembered Shampoo gave her the necklace as a welcoming present to her.

Cologne had told her that Shampoo managed to snatch it away from one of the men. She didn't know why but the necklace felt very important to her somehow. It was something from her past. A past she still, until now couldn't remember. Every time she tried to, her head would hurt.

Shampoo once asked her why would she want to remember past when she should be worrying about the future. Shampoo got upset with her since, the impression she got was that Nabiki was not happy living with them and that she would one day leave them once her memories come back.

She had been in Juketsuzoku for 5 years now. She can now speak and understand the language. She never forgot how to speak Japanese though and asked Cologne if she could continue to study Japanese. She was happy that Cologne relented. It was the only thing she had from her past. It also made her learning of Chinese much faster. Another thing that bothered her about not knowing her past was her age. She guessed she must be either 10 or 11 by now. They celebrate her birthday based on the day she arrived at the village. Since she couldn't remember.

At night she would dream of people she didn't know, or whom she used to know. It always starts out the same.

There would be an image of a woman.

And then of a man.

Then the two of them together. But their images are blurred only their silhouettes where known.

Then two other girls.

She could hear laughter at the back ground.

Then an image of them.

The man and the woman along with the two little girls.

All of them laughing.

The woman trying to reach out to her.

When she does, they began to move further away from her.

She tried to run to catch up to them.

The man had his arm out this time.

She almost had it.

She almost had his hand.

Then a great wave washed his image away along with the others.

She was again surrounded by darkness.

She was again left all alone.

She cried out to them.

Called for them to come back but nothing happens.

She remained alone in the darkness.

Nabiki began to cry. She clutched her pendant tightly. She knew the dream was about her family. She wondered if they were alive or if they even thought of her.

Did they miss her at all?

Did they look for her?

Did they love her?

(You shouldn't cry you know. It's unbecoming of a warrior in training.) Said a voice from above her.

Nabiki didn't have to look up to know who it was. She had been a good friend to her along with Mousse and Shampoo. She wasn't happily accepted by the other kids. They sometimes ridiculed and ignored her. Sometimes both. Because she was different. They were the only three she would count as her best friends.

(How long have you been up there Perfume?) She asked her green haired friend.

(Long enough.) Perfume answered as she made her way down so that she now sat along side Nabiki.

(Mind telling me what is bothering you Fragrance?) Perfume asked.

Nabiki chuckled. Shampoo insisted that she be renamed since her name was "funny", she didn't tell her supposedly sister that it was their names were the one that sounded "funny" to her ears but decided to let the matter drop. Perfume and the rest of the amazons acknowledge her as Fragrance. From time to time, Cologne would call her Nabiki the same as the elders, Shampoo and Mousse. A name she doesn't even know if she owned. But she was more commonly known as Fragrance.

(Your trying to remember again, aren't you? Trying to remember your family?) Perfume asked her, but already knowing the answer as she looked atFragrance holding her pendant.

(Yes.) Nabiki looked forlornly. She wished she could remember at least something about her past. Anything.

Perfume bit her lower lip. Her friend was always melancholy. She seemed to be in her own little world most of the time. She preferred to be alone most of the time or would rather train with Elder Koh Lon or Elder Lo Xion than be with them and the other kids in the village. Not that she could blame her.

The other kids were not very accepting of her, because she was different. She and Xian Pu would sometimes get into fights when trying to defend her. She had already gained the name "Ice Queen" from the other kids. They would taunt her again and again, and she would simply walk away. Leaving Xian Pu angry.

Her cousin Xian Pu was another story. She understood why Fragrance wouldn't fight back. If she did, the taunting will not stop and she would further be shunned. But Xian Pu never understood this. To Xian Pu her not confronting the others made her weak. When she knew different.

While all of them get along quite well, tension would arise when Fragrance would become pensive. It wasn't oblivious to them that their friend would leave them once she began to remember who she is. A situation they all dreaded, more so by Xian Pu. The three of them were being trained as warriors by Elder Koh Lon. Mousse was exempted because of his status as a male. Though they heard he was taken in as an apprentice by another elder specialising in using tricks.

It made Perfume sad to think of her friend leaving them. She knows how Xian Pu must feel. Xian Pu was so happy to have someone to talk to other than her great grandmother. Like Fragrance, the kids weren't big on her either since she was a bit of a blow hard, claiming she will become a great warrior when she comes of age just like her great grandmother. Ultimately becoming a War Master and a matriarch, a goal in which their fellow peers sneered and laughed at. For Perfume's case she had developed a rare condition that only the people close to her knows. An affliction that will affect her social status in the future.

She looked over her long time friend. Fragrance would make a great warrior. She has the strange cunning of a fox and the shrewdness of an owl. Her own skills and abilities surpasses even her own. She will be a formidable warrior one day or a Lore Master. That is if she stays with them. She sat there in silence with Fragrance. Both not saying a word but each other's presence was enough to comfort them.

(Hey you two!) cried by a familiar voice down below them.

Nabiki smiled. A boy with long raven black wearing thick spectacles was waving at them from down below the tree. Without a second thought, Nabiki looked at her friend beside her. Gave her a mischievous grin before pushing off from the branch where she sat.

Mu Tsu, was shocked as he sawFragrance jumped from the tree. Free falling. Immediately he cursed and scrambled to catch her.

Perfume grinned as she watched her friend jumped from her seat. Honestly, sometimes she didn't understand her. One minute she was crying and then the next, she's playing tricks on Mu Tsu! She shook her head in dismay.

When would Mu Tsu learn that Fragrance enjoyed scaring the crap out of him. Like her friend she leapt down from her seat but unlike Fragrance she preferred to swing from branch to branch until she came down. Unlike Fragrance she didn't want to give their friend a heart attack.

Nabiki's grin grew as she saw how frantic Mousse became to try and catch her. Just when she was a couple of metres above him, she twisted her body like a cat and pushed herself off of his shoulders with one hand while the other snatched his spectacles. Needless to say it left the boy to curse even more.

Both girls laughed at the boy's expense.

(That was not funny Fragrance! You could have gotten hurt you know!) Mu Tsu reprimanded Nabiki.

(Oh come one Mou-chan! You should know me by now.) Nabiki said as she punched Mousse on the shoulder lightly. Perfume just continued to giggle.

Nabiki handed Mousse's glasses back to him. Mousse snatched his glasses begrudgingly and glared at the giggling Perfume.

(You look so Cute when your angry, did you know that Mousse?) Nabiki said teasingly. Making the boy blush and which made Perfume laugh even more.

(By the way Xian Pu is looking for you two. Elder Koh Lon was apparently looking for the two of you as well.) Mousse informed them once his blush subsided.

(Well what are we waiting for then?) Asked Nabiki.

All three looked at each other before grinning.

(I'll race ya!) exclaimed Perfume. Then dashed off towards the village. The other two soon followed as they raced toward the village.


Back at Nerima...

Soun watched solemnly at his wife's picture. Next to it was the picture of his middle daughter. She would have been Eleven this year. He sat there in the shrine. He had taken a day off from work. He no longer taught the art. He had lost his passion for it since it brought too much sad memories for him.

Like how eagerly Nabiki and Akane use to emulate his moves as he taught his class. He still taught Akane though. He now worked at the local police district since teaching martial arts wasn't really bringing them much income now a days. Kasumi bless her heart, had taken over her mother's duties under the tutelage of her Aunt Nodoka who came to visit them from time to time.

Happosai was still around. He was back to his normal self. But he took off from time to time, sometimes leaving for weeks at a time. Happosai was aghast when he had learned the news of what had happened to their trip. But deep down he knew she was alive. He could just feel it.

He told Soun this and at the time he believed him. He search for her endlessly but was in vain. The search was fruitless and in the end, Nabiki was proclaimed dead. There was no body found. So they only have a picture of her. But Soun still believed she was alive. Happosai spent some days looking for the girl. Not really knowing where to look since she could have ended up anywhere and she has grown up by now. He prayed to the Kamis that wherever she was she was in good hands.

It didn't help that Happosai, in his search of looking for the girl gets a little sidetracked with stealing women's undergarments. In the end Soun just finally gave up. He only have two daughters and he would die to protect them. He will fight for them and give his life to them if need be. They are all he has left now. Nothing else matters. Tears then began to fill his eyes. It's amazing after all this years he still had tears to shed.


Unbeknownst to him, Kasumi watched her father kneeling and praying at her mother and sister's altar. She knew what day it was today. It was to be Nabiki's 11th birthday. To this day she still remembered how happy their family once were.

How, on Nabiki's birthday they had gone out to the local fair. Akane perched on her father's shoulders while she and Nabiki clung to their mother's hands. She still remembered how happy they all were. Their laughter emanated in her ears.

Kasumi clung to the side of the door as she began to cry. She blamed herself for her sister's lost. She should have never let go of her sister. She remembered the events too well.

How relieved she was, that her father had gone back to the ship but saw despair in his eyes when she saw no sign of her sister.

How she saw her father breakdown.

How silent it was on the way back home and how Akane questioned what had happened to the other sister.

Akane was now 10 and she now understood the disappearance of her sister. It left her angry and filled with mixed emotions all at the same time.

Anger because she was too young to understand.

Angry because the search and rescue people didn't try hard enough to search for their sister.

Angry because her family had now become smaller and most importantly angry because she couldn't do anything from preventing things from happening the way they did.

Bewildered why her sister Nabiki would run off and leave their older sister's side.

A little jealous because until now her father mourns for her and because she is now with their mother.

But they all missed her. Somehow they knew she was alive. Soun insisted that Nabiki's room stays the way it is. Untouched but cleaned and maintained, in the hopes that she will come back to them.

It was hell on Kasumi since she had to face her sister's empty room. Blaming herself from her loss. She tried to think positively and tried to believe their father's words that she will come back. But faced with a very frightening and horrible truth that their sister will not return. Brings her no comfort and brings so much hurt that left her heart breaking each time she entered Nabiki's room.

It left her hurt and gut wrenching in pain. It was too much for her to keep digging into old and very painful memories of the past. But she needed to remain strong for both her father and younger sister. She will carry out her mother's wishes. She might have failed Nabiki but she will not fail everyone else. Even if it means sacrificing her own.


Author's notes:

Hope you all like it. I wanted to explore what had happened to the Tendo's at Nabiki's disappearance/absence. But never fear as in the next chapter I will write Nabiki's confrontation with a certain person or two. Could you all guess who it is?

Lol

By the way, I'm looking for suggestions as to how Nabiki and Ranma should meet. Feel free to email me.. So far I only have two ideas…

1) Ranma bumps into Nabiki before he gets cursed. Nabiki began attacking him since he was in Amazon territory and Nabiki (ultimately lost). Nabiki awards him with the kiss of death to avenge her injured pride. Only trying to scare him. Later on when Ranma stumbles into the Amazon tribe (now cursed) he challenges Shampoo (according to canon).

2) Ranma befriends Nabiki way before he was cursed, when he sees her practicing her katas. Nabiki then challenges him. During they're supposedly innocent battle. Nabiki felt mischievous and decided to kiss Ranma, which was witnessed by Perfume. Ranma was dragged away by Genma to the cursed springs and get cursed. Then goes to Amazon tribe according to canon where he inadvertently challenged Shampoo. After being given the kiss of death by Shampoo, he sees Nabiki and calls for her help.

Well that's all for now… I'll be awaiting for your reply!

Please review and read my other stories!

Stay tuned!

Ja Ne,

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