A/N: Here it goes, the last chapter of Mellow. I've had fun on this, and thank you guys so much for the wonderful feedback. (:
Mellow
Chapter 8
"I'm not going in." Ranma's voice was hard, but his gaze was harder.
Akane's eyes were wide and uncertain. "Nabiki…" she began slowly. "I'm not sure if…"
With a snort, Nabiki waved a perfectly manicured hand at them. "Stop being so immature, you two," she said bitingly. "Did you really think I have the time for simple-minded social visits? We're here on business."
"But…"
Nabiki sighed, and her gaze grudgingly grew softer. "Come on, Akane. We need a lawyer, and he's a damn good one. You know that," she said.
The youngest Tendou seemed unsure.
"Fine," Ranma said suddenly. "We'll go in." Akane looked doubtful, unsure… afraid of something, but she raised her head proudly and followed Nabiki in when the butler led them into the sitting room.
Ranma turned a neutral gaze around the room. He had been here before… and it had been so very long ago. The furnishings had changed. They had become simpler, neater.
They took a seat on the couch. A maid served them drinks; pineapple juice with little umbrellas.
It seemed like someone's taste still ran in the house.
The door swung open suddenly, and a tall well-dressed man strode in. Nabiki rose, face calm and neutral as she offered a small grim smile to him. "Tendo Nabiki," the man boomed. "What brings you here?"
Nabiki ignored his question. "Good afternoon to you too, Kunou-baby."
But Kunou's face had turned a queer shade of white. He stared; eyes wide and mouth open at the couch. "Saotome Ranma? Tendou Akane?"
Akane could not resist. "Hello, Kunou-sempai," she drew out mockingly. It was terrible of her… but Kunou's shell-shocked expression was almost too much.
Ranma, on the other hand, didn't seem as amused as she was. He gave a tight grin. "Yo, Kunou."
—
Kunou would take on the reading of the will, on another day when all the sisters were present. It was settled, and they left. He had been uncharacteristically subdued throughout the visit, although he seemed to grow in confidence when Nabiki had brought up the details, his demeanor crisp and business-like.
"You kept in touch with him?" Akane asked, as they strolled away from the Kunou estate.
Nabiki laughed humorlessly. "I do need a good lawyer for my business, you know."
They walked in silence. Passing the ice-cream parlor, Ranma stopped suddenly. "Nabiki," he said. "Do you mind going back by yourself? I want to take Akane somewhere."
Akane looked surprised, but Nabiki merely gave them a lidded grin. "Go on," she said casually. "I wouldn't interrupt your lover's chat."
"Nabiki!" Akane said, and her sister laughed genuinely. So they waved the older woman goodbye and let her walk down the street slowly. "Don't take too long," Nabiki had said seriously before she left. "Kasumi wants to clear out Father's room today."
Akane had been a bit quiet after that, but Ranma laid his hand in the small of her back and steered her into the ice-cream parlor wordlessly. She was still in the booth moping silently when Ranma reappeared with two chocolate fudge sundaes.
"Ice-cream is for girls!"
She smiled slightly, and took her ice cream with a word of thanks. Gradually she found herself beginning to cheer up slightly. Ice cream was, after all, good for the soul. Chocolate fudge was even better.
They ate in silence, but it was a good silence. The calm soothing type of silence that made you feel content. It surprised her. Back when they had been teenagers, life was always so hectic. She never ever had a chance to sit quietly by Ranma and just take in the silence.
Akane smiled to herself wryly. So much for Nabiki's idea of a lover's chat.
They finished the sundaes and walked out. He seemed to hesitate for a moment, but then he took her hand.
Akane stared, but smiled. She could already hear the delighted whispers of the staff behind the counter. Some of them had been working at the parlor for years; she knew they recognized Ranma and her. Once out in the sunlight, she smiled brightly, her mood lightened.
They walked back home. The late morning sunlight was weak as it draped down on Nerima, but they had wrapped themselves well and despite the slight crisp chill, Akane was quite satisfied. When it came to the canal, she raised a hand and touched the fence, almost reverently.
"Feels weird, doesn't it, Ranma?" she said softly. "Nerima has changed so much."
He stopped beside her, pensive. Mimicking the young woman, he touched the fence, before a small smile broke reluctantly on his face. How could he explain it? This place had left him with the angriest painful memories of his life… but it had also left him with the happiest warmest reminiscences.
It was here that he was tricked and cursed with some permanent powder, and it was here that he had left, confused and enraged. But it was also here that he spent a few precious years, settling down, forming friendships, and taking root in the town. It was here that he fought to protect those he loved, that he fought with those he loved, that he experienced the highest and lowest points of his life so far. He had gone to school, he had fought challengers, he had made friends… and he had met Akane and her family.
All here in Nerima.
When he had left, the nightmares that had plagued him all occurred in the setting of Nerima. But at the same time, in his darkest loneliest moments out in China, little fragments of his life back here would filter through: a kind smile, a teasing comment, the thrill of a battle won, a tender touch.
Looking around, he almost expected Shampoo to barge out on that blasted bicycle of hers, demanding for a date. Then Ukyou would appear, huffing and wielding her spatula menacingly at the Amazon. And Mousse would come, yelling at the postbox to stop stealing Shampoo from him. And Ryouga would stumble in, lost and yelling in frustration. And then Kunou… then Kodachi… then Akane, angry and upset…
Ranma stopped, looking at the young woman next to him. She seemed to be just as lost in thought as he was, staring dazedly out towards the water that flowed on and on and on…
The point was, he had loved this place once. And now that he was finally back, he could not deny the fact that Nerima had indeed changed. It created a somewhat lost feeling in him.
He turned his gaze back to the fence, wondering. How many times had he walked on this very fence to Furinkan High School, with Akane on the ground next to him? How many times had they bickered on the way home, right along this very path?
On impulse, he leapt up easily onto the fence, balancing out of sheer habit. Akane stared up, startled.
"What are you doing?" she demanded. "Do you know what people will say if they see a full-grown man walking on a fence? Heck, are you even sure the fence can even support your weight?"
Ranma grinned lazily. "Have I ever cared about what other people think? And yes, the fence can support me." He extended a hand then, expression turning serious. "Come on up."
Akane blinked, before folding her arms. "You're crazy, Ranma."
He snorted. "Well, if you can't balance, just say so…"
"Hey!" she protested loudly. "I can so balance."
He watched her. "Then prove it," he egged.
There it was; the spark of steely determination and spirit, the hint of friendly teasing challenge. Akane huffed and stared critically at his hand, still extended.
She had missed that look.
"I'm wearing a skirt…" she began, this time a little more uncertainly.
Ranma chuckled. "Do you see anyone around?" he said.
She threw her hands up. "Fine," she sighed. Ignoring his hand, she leapt, and he smiled, pleasantly surprised when she landed perfectly. Ah, so she had improved.
A look of surprised delight came over Akane's features. "Hey, I'm really balancing!" she said excitedly, stretching her arms out to balance herself.
Of course, in the next moment, she was wobbling crazily, a wide-eyed horrified look on her face. Ranma felt amusement bubbling up from within him. Casually, he reached out to stabilize her, and instinctively she grabbed onto his forearms tightly, leaning her weight into him.
"You're as uncute as ever," he said then, still smirking.
She gaped at him, unsure, until she saw the friendly look in his eyes. She reddened, before stiffening in mock anger. "And you're a pervert! Don't you dare look under my skirt!"
"Why would I?" he returned the banter. "Can't fight, can't cook…"
She joined in, eyes bright and shining now. "And zero sex appeal!"
He laughed, but she continued on, now giggling slightly. "Built like a brick, thighs as thick as trunks…"
Ranma chuckled. "Insensitive jerk, pervert, good-for-nothing…" he recited.
Akane giggled madly, but eventually her laughter died. Releasing her iron grip on one of his arms, she reached up and tried to bat discreetly at her eyes.
He caught her wrist. "Hey, don't cry," he said quietly.
She shied away from the intensity of his gaze. "I don't know why I'm crying," she admitted. It was a lie; somewhere deep inside her, she knew exactly why she was crying. But she didn't want to bring it up, and she guessed, he knew it too, because with one deft but light push of his finger, he tilted her chin up and wiped her tears away.
"Stupid," he said softly.
She drew in a deep shuddering breath, ducking her head in embarrassment. Ranma was right… she really was being stupid. No amount of self-pitying crying was going to change all that happened. They had done some really stupid things in the past, and they had paid for it dearly. But what was lost could not return, and she could not hope to turn back time, could she?
She missed the times when everything had been all right, and they had laughed and insulted each other without a second thought. But that was gone, along with their adolescence. They weren't children anymore; they were responsible thinking adults who knew how to make their own decisions.
Why then, did she feel so much like a child?
"Don't cry," Ranma repeated, now with a hint of insistence. "You know I don't like seeing girls cry."
Ah, so he still felt uncomfortable at the sight of girls crying because of him. Well, he hid it well. She pushed at him lightly as he leapt down from the fence, taking her along and setting her down easily. "Jerk," she muttered half-heartedly.
Before she could react, he leant down and pressed a short hard kiss to her lips. "I'll race you back," he said as he pulled away, leaving her slightly dazed. Without waiting for a response, he turned and shot off.
Akane stared after him. "Jerk," she repeated, but this time there was a soft smile. Then: "Jerk! You had a head start!"
He paused and smirked at her.
Huffing, Akane wiped the remaining tears away hurriedly and took off after him, feeling somewhat lighter.
So what if they couldn't turn back time?
She pushed herself, running as fast as she could in a skirt.
They still had the future.
—
Nabiki was having a headache. A bad, bad headache.
Sighing, she flicked a lock of shiny auburn hair out of her eyes and straightened, flipping through the several slips of paper in front of her quickly while she jabbed on the calculator with murderous intent. Yes, yes, adding 25000 yen here, subtract the balance, take the remaining and find 1.42 of the total sum…
She stopped, and then glared hard at the figures. She had not made a mistake, so she supposed that was supposed to be a good thing. But it still didn't leave her any clue to why her dear old Daddy had left behind huge debts to be cleared.
I mean, look at the bloody receipts! Why the hell would he need land in a prime spot of Tokyo? Especially when he didn't have the damned money to pay for it anyway!
She could have growled. Still glaring balefully at the creased letter from the debt collector, Nabiki attempted to appease her inner demonic rages (hey, the genes run in the family, after all) and settled for jabbing that pathetic slip of paper viciously with her middle finger. Hah, take that! No one, no one ever made Tendou Nabiki upset.
What was she talking about? She wasn't merely upset. She was pissed.
"Damn it, Daddy, why did you have to be so stupid?" Nabiki muttered. "Didn't we tell you to leave the financial crap to the people with the sense of logic? Where the hell are we going to find the money to pay off your debts?" And the interest, she wanted to add. What in the world had possessed her father to make a purchase with that sort of interest rate? That was essentially financial suicide. Did her father have some sort of secret desire to bankrupt his daughters after his death?
Nabiki wanted to kill something.
There was a knock on the door, before Kasumi pushed it open slightly. "Nabiki?" her older sister said gently. "Would you like some tea?"
She swiveled around in her chair, a falsely bright smile on her face. Hey, what was the point of getting Kasumi to worry, right? After the older woman's little breakdown, Nabiki didn't really look forward to a repeat. "You got coffee?" she responded wryly. "I'd rather have a large mug of hot black coffee. I think I might need some right now."
Her sister studied her intently, and then stepped into the room, shutting the door behind her. "Company problems?" she asked, setting the tea down on a nearby chair.
Nabiki nodded, sweeping the incriminating documents under some files. "Yeah," she fibbed easily.
Kasumi looked at her carefully, and then pressed her lips together tightly. "Is that so, Nabiki?" she said, after a long moment's silence.
Nabiki stared into the calm, beautiful, kind face of her older sister confidently. She opened her mouth, and then gave a miserable groan. No human being could possibly bring himself or herself to lie to Kasumi. It was a useful trait, Nabiki thought distractedly.
"Dad left behind some pretty bad debts, Kasumi," she admitted finally. "He must have lost her mind when he bought the land, considering he doesn't really have the money to pay for it. I already checked his bank account, most of it is wiped dry by the payments already."
"Oh," said Kasumi intelligently. Then: "Oh!"
"Yes, Kasumi," Nabiki sighed. Maybe she had to search the house for Vallum, Kasumi could be a bit weird sometimes. "Unless you happen to have a stash of cash somewhere, I wonder how we can pay this. Not even I have the money to deal with this. We're talking big money here, sis."
Kasumi was silent, then Nabiki felt the older woman's warm hands rest on her shoulder lovingly. "Don't worry," Kasumi said with a mysterious smile. "Don't worry a single thing about it."
"…Don't worry!"
Nabiki swore, there had to be Vallum somewhere in this house.
"Don't worry," Kasumi repeated, smiling rather happily. "We'll find a way to deal with that once the will is read."
Lord. Nabiki threw her hands up and stood up. She needed more than a mug of coffee, she needed some quiet time alone. Maybe then she might understand why her family members could be such… brainless morons.
Ouch, harsh. Thinking quickly, she withdrew her thoughts. Calling Kasumi a brainless moron was equivalent to crushing a mouse's head with her bare hands. Utterly heartless.
"Nabiki," came Kasumi's voice, slightly reproaching now. "Will you trust me on this?"
She sighed, how could she not? "Yeah, Kasumi," she answered, leaning slightly against the doorframe. "I guess I do."
There was no reply from the older woman, but Nabiki imagined that Kasumi smiled. Moments later, she felt a gentle hand on her upper back, guiding her out the door.
"So," said Nabiki. "Got any more tea?"
Kasumi smiled.
—
"Where's Akane?"
"In Father's room. She told me that she's leaving in two days' time."
"So soon?"
"Yes. Something about a grumpy director and work commitments. She won't be spending Christmas with us this year, I'm afraid," Kasumi sighed. "Well I supposed getting away from here is the right thing. She needs to get back to life."
A pause. Nabiki looked down into her cup. Then, quietly: "Is she clearing out Dad's stuff now?"
"Yes." A soft sigh. "I would help, but… I'm afraid Akane chased me out. She said I might need a rest."
'I would be inclined to agree.' Nabiki snorted inwardly. "Maybe you do. Where's Tofu?"
"In his room."
A moment of thoughtful silence. Then: "Why don't you join him, hmm?"
"Well… I don't know, Nabiki-chan… I…"
She interrupted smoothly. "I'll even wash up for you."
There was a slight laugh from the older woman. "Very well."
She watched as Kasumi left the kitchen, then picked up the cups and headed to the sink.
—
They emerged from the room a few hours later, just as Nabiki padded up the hallway. The older woman glanced into the room behind them with an unreadable expression.
"Whoa," she said finally. "You cleared everything?"
Akane nodded. "Those two boxes…" she pointed. "Go to the Salvation Army. That one…" she pointed once more. "Is full of rubbish. And that one…" she gestured towards the smallest box, looking a bit more subdued. "We keep."
She turned around slightly to take in the room. The walls were bare. Nabiki was right, they had cleared everything.
Perhaps that would explain why her chest felt so constricting.
She watched her older sister walk to the box of belongings that they were to keep and drop to her knees. With careful precision, she flipped open the covers and began to lift articles out.
Soun's favorite gi.
A worn shogi set.
A comb, with several strands of gray hair still entangled within the teeth.
A training gi.
Nabiki's fingers shook suddenly, but she quelled them.
A framed photo, faded and old, of their mother.
A photo album. Her brow quirked with interest as she flipped the album open deftly. Her fingers traveled softly over the yellow faded pictures. Akane in a tiny training gi, aged 4. Kasumi, aged 7, licking batter from a spoon in the kitchen with their mother. Nabiki, aged 8, dozing in the patio. Soun and Kimiko, smiling. A trip to Kyoto. Visits to the beach. Baby pictures. Wedding photos.
And on the last page, a family portrait: a dark-haired woman smiling broadly as she carried a sleeping toddler, while another child dozed on her lap. Her husband sat nearby, chuckling, while the oldest little girl napped, propped up against his chest.
Nabiki closed the photo album abruptly. Returning the articles to their box, she rose to her feet, her face calm and collected.
"Here's something about life, little sister," she said simply. "It goes on. So stop crying."
She turned and walked down the hallway with precise smooth steps.
Akane watched her sister go, before brushing away the few tears that had leaked out upon seeing Nabiki flip through the album. Her sister might not have known it, but in those few moments of gazing at the photos, Nabiki had never looked more lost.
"Oi."
She turned a piercing stare onto Ranma. "Don't you start," she rebuked. "I'm in mourning here."
He held up his hands slightly, gaze softening. "I know," he said finally. "I know, Akane."
She stepped forward hesitantly, before wrapping her arms around him tightly. He held her, and for that she was thankful as she clung onto him.
She did not cry.
Nabiki was right, life did go on.
She did not cry.
—
They had the will read two days later.
Soun's estate and assets were divided equally among his three daughters. Kasumi would get the house, of course. Akane got most of the investments and some of the remaining properties.
Nabiki got a plot of land in a prime spot in Tokyo. The very same one that was still undergoing payments.
"See?" Kasumi said to her after the reading of the will. "There was no need to worry."
She stared at her sister. Now Nabiki was the one saddled with the debts, and Kasumi told her that there was no need to worry? She didn't understand, couldn't understand, in fact. And Nabiki hated not understanding and being in control.
She stood in the doorway of Kunou's office, watching as her sisters left the room. Tofu and Ranma were waiting outside. This was wrong, she thought. Wrong, wrong, wrong.
"Nabiki?"
She looked over to Kasumi, who had stuck her head back into Kunou's office. "Yeah?" she answered sullenly.
Kasumi smiled obliviously. "Won't it be nice if you could work in Tokyo?" she remarked brightly. "We could meet up and have dinner often."
Nabiki's eyes narrowed. Work in Tokyo…?
Kasumi continued smiling. "Oh, look at the time," she said suddenly, looking mildly surprised. "We'd better hurry, Nabiki. Akane's leaving tonight, don't you know? Tofu made reservations at a restaurant for dinner."
"Hn," was her only reply. Work in Tokyo… work in Tokyo…
Nabiki's eyes widened. "Kasumi, you genius," she muttered, before breaking out in a huge smile. Yes, yes, judging by the market value of her current business headquarters… If she sold her headquarters then used the money to pay off the debts then…
"Kunou-baby!" she said happily, swiveling around to view her company's lawyer. He glanced at her quizzically, still in the middle of packing his briefcase. Chuckling, Nabiki rubbed her palms together and grinned widely. "This is a cause for celebration," she told him. "Break out the wine, Kunou-baby. We're relocating to Tokyo, where business is definitely going to be more lucrative in Daddy's plot of land."
—
"Won't you stay a little more, Akane?" Kasumi asked, patting the younger woman on the arm gently. "We could still spend Christmas together."
Akane drew her older sister into a quick hug before pulling away. "Sorry, Kasumi," she said guiltily. "I did intend to spend Christmas here… but… anyway I have to go back. The director will go ballistic if I don't."
Indeed. The email had come to her three nights ago, crisp and demanding. There had been an emergency; they can't possibly hold the filming back any longer; get back here on the first possible flight or we'll all be doomed and you can forget about working with me for the rest of your life. This could be the ticket to fame, and you'd be a fool not to take it… yadda yadda blah blah.
Akane sighed. After all that had happened… she didn't really feel like returning to her hectic schedule of filming. She wanted to stay awhile in the sleepy cozy town of Nerima and spend some time with Kasumi and Nabiki and Tofu and… and Ranma.
She had told him that she was leaving the day she managed to secure an airplane ticket. But he hadn't said much, merely tightening his jaw. She didn't know if that were a good sign or a bad one.
Anyway, she didn't know if it were right to leave Kasumi and Nabiki alone. Well, more of Kasumi, actually. She seemed much better since the few days after Soun's death, but still…
"There goes the first call," Nabiki commented, stepping forward. Akane heaved the bags over her shoulder.
"I guess I ought to go now," she said awkwardly.
It took her a split second to make a decision, but before Nabiki could blink, Akane had dropped her bags and flung her arms around her in a tight hug. Nabiki made a choked noise of sorts.
"Air!" she gasped, flapping her arms comically. "Damn it, Akane, air!"
Akane let go and giggled. "You won't die that easily," she told her. Pausing to give Kasumi and Tofu quick hugs, she picked up her bags once more. "I'll call when I reach the airport," she promised with a wobbly smile, taking a step in the direction of the check-in counters. "Have fun this Christmas."
She turned and began walking. She didn't know why her hands were shaking so badly, or why she began to tear up suddenly.
"Aren't you forgetting something, Akane?" Nabiki's voice called out suddenly. She sounded amused, and Akane turned around.
Only to see Ranma stalking towards her with a determined intense look on his face.
Oh no. Oh no. Akane began to back away, holding her hands out in front of her. "Ranma, you can't…" she began.
Too late. In one instant, he was in front of her, his arms tightening around her form. His lips pressed onto her in a fierce insistent kiss and she felt herself drinking him in despite herself, her fingers curling against the warmth of his chest. Her bags had fallen to the ground, long forgotten, but she couldn't care less.
"Ranma…" Her voice was supposed to be firm when she finally pulled herself away reluctantly, but even to her own ears she sounded weak-kneed. "I can't, Ranma, and you know it."
She dropped her head then, aware of the intense blue gaze upon her.
Then: "I know."
She lifted her head, mildly startled, and was in time to see his eyes softening as he smirked down lightly at her. "Ranma?" she began to ask, but he beat her to it.
"Get going," he pointed, picking up her bags for her. She accepted them wordlessly. At the light nudge in the small of her back, Akane started forward uncertainly.
"This isn't over, Akane," he promised her suddenly, and before she knew it, he tipped her chin upwards and pressed a quick hard kiss to her lips. Before she could even respond, he pulled away and smiled at her, walking back to join the rest of Akane's family in the distance.
"Nice job, Saotome," Nabiki remarked when he came within earshot. Ranma smiled wordlessly, but his gaze was fixated on her little sister who, at the moment, seemed a little out of it. She watched as Akane touched her lips unthinkingly, before a smile spread over her face. Surreptitiously, Nabiki took a quick at Ranma. Yep, Akane's smile was working wonders on him already. Ah, how cute.
Watching as Akane gave a short wave before jogging off to the counters, Nabiki touched her chin thoughtfully. "Three thousand yen," she said easily.
Ranma glanced at her warily. "What?" he answered.
"Four thousand yen for Akane's apartment number, cellphone, address, email," Nabiki listed. "Oh, and for an additional two thousand yen, you can have her director and agent's number, so you'll always know where she is."
Ranma stared.
Nabiki watched him predatorily for a moment, before she dropped her expression and chuckled. "Ranma, Ranma, you are too funny for words," she commented with mirth. "I was kidding." Pulling a Post-It from her tote, she slipped it into his hand smoothly. "Here, have everything free-of-charge," she told him. "It's your Christmas present. It's high time Akane got married anyway."
Ranma slipped the Post-It into his pocket and grinned.
"Shall we leave?" Kasumi's voice broke into their conversation, and they turned to her. The older woman smiled and beckoned. "It looks like snow tonight, don't you think?" she continued. "Hot cocoa before bed will be nice." As she took Tofu's arm, she turned slightly to Ranma. "Will you be staying for the night?" she asked.
Ranma smiled. "Yeah, I guess. I had planned to leave as soon as possible, but I think I might be spending some time in Nerima after all."
—
Yep, Mellow's ending. Epilogue will be posted next week to wrap things up, then it's byebye to this story.
Ah, I feel nostalgic.