Chapter 16

Aftermath

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Nothing is ever quite the same when the person you love more than anything tells you those dreaded words: "Nabiki, we need to talk."

How, exactly, am I supposed to respond to that? There isn't a soul out there that hears that phrase and thinks, "Oh goody, it must be super news."

How many relationships heard that phrase before flat lining?

I mean, what am I supposed to tell him? How much can I tell him? Will he believe me?

"Not here; can you take me to the park again? We can talk there, and I don't want anyone to hear this."

Will he trust me? Will he go with it?

I know some things I already have to plan for. I have to plan for Shampoo to not trust the Japanese Amazon idea. With a great-grandmother like Cologne, you can bet she has some deviousness in her. So I can bet she'll test me, at least until she gets a message back from Cologne. And then, the jig is up.

"Why do ya want to go back ta the park?"

He still doesn't trust me fully. He might never trust me now, thanks to my ungrateful bitch of a sister. She's most likely to blow my cover in front of Shampoo. Hell, I doubt she's even told Ranma what she did yet.

"I know a healing technique to help myself, but I need to be surrounded by nature to provide the energy. A stale office is no place to get what I need. Please, Ranma, trust me."

As he wraps my battered body in a blanket I can't help but feel a burst of hope. Maybe my sister didn't succeed in destroying all of his trust in me.

Despite the warm feeling I have as he holds me close and jumps out the window, roof-hopping to the park, a twinge of doubt resides in me.

What if it is I who fully remove his trust?

Ranma sat her down beside a tree, watching as she pulled her good arm from the blanket and thrust her fingers into the dirt. "Just for my own peace of mind, what are ya doin'?"

She giggled a little, wincing as her ribs still hurt. "I was taught a technique where an injured person can draw ki from nature and use it to speed up their healing. And what have I told you about speaking like that?"

Ranma turned to the side for a moment, before returning his sight to her. His eyes grew as he watched her ki slowly increase before leveling off. He forced his amazement away: his desire to ask her to teach him that little technique. Hell, Kami-sama knew he could have used that on a few occasions, but that could wait. "So, what exactly did you want Akane to explain to me?"

Her cheerful mood quickly went foul at the mention of her sister's name. "That bitch was the one who started the rumors, Ranma. Hell, she even fucked up the hot water at the school and could have killed someone when the boilers exploded."

"And the pictures you took—"

"I said I took pictures of Akane." She looked at him, looking as his eyes still looked questioningly at her. "Before you came, Ranma, I was the one who had to bring money into the house. The only methods I had to do that weren't the most legal or ethical. But when you need to find a way to keep your family home—keep your family together and happy, to keep the house running—what would you do?"

"I wouldn't do that."

"Spare me the sanctimonious act. I know the real reason why Shampoo is after you." She watched as he paled slightly in the moonlight that filtered from the horizon. "You and I both know how far we will sully ourselves and our own personal honor to save those we care most for. You claim to have a problem fighting girls, but that never stopped you from fighting Shampoo to save your father from her.

"For me, it was selling clean photos of my sister—just working out, lounging around. I never sold a lewd or dirty picture of her to anyone, and believe me, there was plenty of requests for it. But I would never do that to her. Too bad she never had that same idea for pictures of you."

"But Kuno said he bought them from you. He was telling the truth, it was in his eyes."

She shook her head. "I talked to his loyal lackey afterwards. He was lead to believe it was me. She left the pictures in a locker, and he left the money. If it had been me, I would have done the transaction face-to-face.

"The crazy thing is, the little brat thought she was doing me a favor. She thought you were blackmailing me somehow. She wanted to make you leave to protect me. Hard to believe when she tried so hard to make you look like a pervert and make me the fall girl."

Ranma slowly moved beside her, sitting down. Nabiki was tempted to lean on him, to try and gain some small comfort from him. But she knew he wasn't ready for that.

"So, she made my life hell, just to get rid of me. Why? What did I ever do to her? Hell, I helped her."

"And therein lies the answer." She could tell he was confused, but she leaned onto his arm a little more. "Akane has always seen herself as the best, even if she's never worked hard at it. You've dedicated your entire life to the Art, Ranma. She maybe dedicates an hour or two a day, and still she expects to be the best. She thought having the title of heir to the school made her better, justified her existence. Believe me; I made more than enough excuses for her behavior in the past. True, she used to be a nice girl, but what she did went way beyond that. She sees both of us as threats to her little world where she's the best."

She leaned a little more into him, tears going down her face. "You have no idea how much I wanted to believe she was capable of changing, of growing as a martial artist and as a person. I didn't want to believe she could ever do something like this."

"If you want me to believe you, tell me the whole truth. How did you stop Shampoo? How do you know why I had to fight her? Better yet, how do you know any of this?"

She could feel her heart breaking again. She could see him disappearing into the night, gone forever. "Please, please promise me that you won't leave again. Please promise me that you'll not abandon me again. Do that and I'll tell you everything."

Ranma sat beside her, trying to weigh the words she had told him. She was afraid of it, that much was certain. She was afraid of him disappearing again but he had only been gone a few hours. Did he want to risk so much to stay, though? Could her secret be so bad that he might be too freaked to stay?

She taught him to use his mind and watch his words. So he did and came to a decision. "I promise to stay until you ask me to leave, on my honor. Unless of course, you're really a guy cursed like me." He tried to laugh.

She did, keeping her giggles small so as to not upset her healing ribs. "No, I'm one hundred percent woman." She was so tempted to ask him to check, but she needed to be serious.

"Ranma, what would you say if I told you this had all happened before? What if I told you I lived this life before? I watched you marry Akane. I watched as she slept with Ryoga just to prove that she owned you. What if I told you I was granted a chance to change all of that?"

Shampoo woke early in the morning. Her sleep had been somewhat restless. In the last day, she had found her target, but found out her target was not a red-haired female, but a black-haired male—a male who was claimed by a Japanese Amazon.

She had never heard of such a tribe. True, she still had much to learn from her great-grandmother. But she would have thought she would have been warned that, while chasing a Japanese girl, she might run across Japanese Amazons.

So what could that mean? Could this girl be lying? She remembered some stories of 'He That Must Not Be Named.' From what she had been told, he was Japanese, and had stolen many Amazon scrolls and treasures. Could he have made this tribe?

No, that made no sense. That...male...was nothing more than a pervert. To believe he could create a Japanese Amazon tribe was preposterous.

Could women of this land have defeated the pervert, and used his knowledge to form their own tribe? That was a possibility. After all, this Nabiki had pulled off an energy attack, while her sister had managed to pull off a weak variation of the Hiryü Shöten Ha, neither of which was written in the technique scrolls taken, nor had the Amazons yet mastered any energy projection techniques.

And they had studied the Musk royalty.

So what was left for her to do?

She needed to make contact with her home to get further instructions. As things stood, they would not believe her, and she might end up cursed at Jusenkyo for it.

She would make contact with her great-grandmother and await her response. After seeing how well she had been able to assist him with the two sisters, the male that ran this healing clinic had offered her a job and a place to stay. So, for now, her room and board was secure. Truth be told, a warm meal and a soft bed would be well accepted after the hell she had gone through tracking Ranma. And there was no law that said Shampoo could not teach what healing knowledge she had, and this Tofu had much more knowledge that she could learn by the time the Elder arrived.

Heading downstairs, she stayed as quiet as she could, heading for the phone and dialing her village. Truthfully, she was a little frightened. First, she was calling her grandmother while it was still late at night in her village.

Second, she would have to call home collect.

The Elder would not be happy. She might bring cursed water just for that.

The sun was just beginning to come up by the time Nabiki finished her story, ending at waking up after her mental merger between her past self and future self. Her throat was slightly parched, but that could wait until they returned to the clinic. By now her ribs were only slightly sore, and her minor cuts and bruises were gone. Only the most severe injuries remained, and they were reduced to minor pains.

But Ranma now seemed to be in worse pain than she had felt. He was confused after hearing so many details about events he had no prior knowledge about, yet they were all going to come down on him. Future battles he would have to fight, challenges and fiancées that would come and claim him, perverts and Amazons he'd have to tackle, foes that would use him as a tool.

How was he supposed to react? He had just found out everything that had originally happened: from his botched introduction to the Tendos to Herb and Saffron to his marriage and disappearance. He had discovered future engagements, the choice he made, the heart that was broken, the enchanting of a new love, and his mysterious disappearance that made the girl beside him become a better person.

Compared to that, the fact that his buddy Ucchan was really a girl and engaged to him was a small shock.

But in the back of his mind, he was wondering if maybe this was what the dream had been showing him. He had to wonder if that death he had seen was how his future self had dealt with Akane's betrayal and his own in sleeping with Nabiki.

Was that what he had become? Had he been so in love with that girl that he considered his one night with Nabiki to be his own betrayal? Did he believe that, by sleeping with Nabiki, he had been the one to fail the marriage?

He began to rub his temples, trying to understand what he had been told. "I'm so confused right now. I mean, why? Why did I do that stuff? I mean, why would they betray me like that? Why would I run away like Pops?"

"I don't know, Ranma. In that future, Ryoga always hated you because you were closer to Akane than he could ever be. Hell, I think Akane loved you in a way, even if she was an abusive monster. As for why you ran away...

"You always saw Akane as the first person to reach out to you. I guess you spent so much time around her, went through so much, you became dependent on her. That was the only reason I could see for why you would stick around through all that shit she put you through. You caught a glimpse of who she could be, and fell in love with that. So much so, that you were willing to put up with all the shit, just to be near that light. You became so devoted, I guess you saw our time together that night as betraying your love for her.

"The sad thing was, you weren't going to allow her attitude to continue anymore. You were going there to fix your marriage, to try and make the Akane you fell in love with be the one you spent your time with. But let's face it; we both married a couple of self-obsessed losers. By the time we finally figured that out, we were already trapped." She pulled his right arm away from his head and wrapped it behind her own, making him embrace her.

Tears began to pour from her face as she buried it in his shirt. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you this sooner, Ranma. I didn't want you to feel manipulated; I didn't want you to suffer again. Please don't be mad at me, please don't leave me! Please, at least keep me as a friend, no matter who you choose!"

Ranma tightened his hug on her, trying to resist placing the other arm around her. He had too much to think about right now, too many things to deal with.

But in the end, he wrapped both arms around her. He didn't know what he would do now, but he knew he would keep his promise to her. He would not leave her.

But what would happen to them in the future, even he had no idea.

"And that is all that has happened, Elder." Shampoo had just finished explaining her journey and the final night to Elder Cologne over the phone when she noticed that the sun was about to come up, and the owner of this house might inform Nabiki about her being on the phone.

"I see, child. You did the right thing by contacting me. I can honestly say the tribe is not aware of any Japanese Amazons, but that is not to say that they do not exist. We will need to proceed carefully.

"I shall consult with the other Elders and make certain you do not face any punishment for failing to kill the female Ranma. Our tribe would be ill advised to not follow our own rules about Jusenkyo victims. If this Japanese Amazon story does not pan out, would you be adverse to delivering the Kiss of Marriage?"

"This one does not know. Though he may be a strong warrior, it is obvious his other would fight for him. This one is not certain even the Xi Fa Xiang Gao would work on her. We may need to take different measures to induct them into the tribe. The female, Nabiki, seems to know energy attacks. If we can get her to teach us any alterations to Amazon techniques she knows, as well as any techniques she knows outside of ours, we may strengthen the tribe more than a single male could."

"It is gratifying to see you are learning, my child. It inspires much confidence within me to see you taking things and making them work for the best of the tribe. I shall arrive within a few days. I want you to continue working for this Doctor Tofu Ono. Learn as much as you can about his healing techniques. Also, seek out this Nabiki and have her begin teaching you what she knows. Her fighting style last night would have been sloppy if the anger you sensed was correct, but you should be able to tell if an Amazon from our village did teach her, or if she is self-taught.

"Until I arrive, you are not to deliver any Kisses: Death or Life. We wish to stay on good terms with them until we understand the situation. Make friends with them; enjoy their company.

"And if possible, enjoy your free time, child. You are out in the world, and it would serve you well in the future to learn what you can. But I also want you to enjoy yourself. You have spent too much time as it is, concentrating on your skills. Take some time for yourself. I look forward to seeing you when I arrive. Be well."

"Be well, great-grandmother." Shampoo hung up the phone, knowing she had done the right thing.

Now she knew what she had to do. In a few hours, Nabiki would be fully healed, and was likely to begin training again after her fight with her sister. If she would be willing to spar with Shampoo, or even allow her to watch her sparring with Ranma, she would have a better idea where she stood against the two.

But she was more interested in the energy techniques that Nabiki could control. All of the tribe's references were based on what they observed the Musk Dynasty using, and it was dangerous to get too close unless you wanted to end up as a Musk Bride.

"Shampoo still not know why they no marry own women. Why always need animal and Drowned Girl Spring?"

She shook her head. That was another matter for another day. The Great Spirit only knew how many hours of debates the Amazons had spent on that very issue.

But now, she had the option to do something no one in her tribe had done, aside from a few Elders who would have hidden such abilities to further guard their own power: she would learn an energy attack. It would help ensure she would be the best of her village.

And depending on how Nabiki's story panned out, she might even be able to find a husband here as well.

She had a small smile as she went back to bed. She could get a few more hours in before the doctor would wake her, and she wanted to be well rested for when she began to observe her link to Japanese Amazons: Nabiki Tendo.

Ryoga had just started walking around again, enjoying the early morning sounds of the birds in the air, the cicadas making their usual noise in the green.

For once, Ryoga felt happy to be alive. He had come to terms with his past with Ranma, and what's more, his old self. Nabiki had been right; he had been blaming everyone for his own problems, instead of facing them head on.

The results had been the corruption of his Art. He knew now that he could have seriously hurt someone at that school.

It had showed a side of himself he didn't want to admit to, but had to face.

But now, he had faced his darkness, and was ready to do what he had wanted to for the last two years: have a showdown with Ranma Saotome.

It was true, he no longer blamed Ranma for missing the fight. Ryoga had finally accepted the fact that it was his own fault he was late. He no longer blamed Ranma for the curse. He blamed the stupid panda who shoved him towards the cliff and himself for following Ranma.

It was hard to accept that he had blame in his life, but he had to, to move on. And now that he had, his heart may have felt a bit heavier, but his soul was much lighter.

So Ryoga set course for Nerima. He had no clue where he was, aside from running across that village again where he had stopped that raging boar. But with his luck, he should arrive there within a week, two at most. Until then, he could enjoy the comfort of nature, the peace of the wild, and try and come up with a new technique to try and defeat Ranma with.

If anything, his Iron Cloth technique would endanger innocent bystanders, and he would not allow that to happen. Maybe they could find an empty lot or a field where they wouldn't have to worry about his curse activating or any innocents around to interfere or get in the way. They could have a full on brawl, just like they liked.

"DAMN IT TO HELL!"

Ryoga stopped and turned towards the voice, seeing a guy messing with what looked like a portable grill. "You need any help?"

The guy looked up towards him. "Nah, I just need to get a new valve gasket the next town I come to. My grill broke down. And I thought I was taking such good care of it too."

Ryoga had to laugh a little at that. "Nah. No matter how much you take care of things, they'll always break down on you sooner or later. Where you headed?"

The man slowly stood up, giving Ryoga the sight of a giant spatula strapped to his back. "Nowhere in particular. I'm just looking for some guys who screwed me over. You?"

"I'm just heading to Nerima to meet an old friend and fight him. We owe it to each other."

"Um, you do realize Nerima is in the opposite direction of where you're going?"

Ryoga scratched his head. "Damn, my curse is acting up early this morning." He saw the spatula man giving him a questioning look. "I've got a family curse that messes with my sense of direction. We can get lost following a straight line. Name's Ryoga, by the way."

"Ukyo Kuonji. So, who's this friend you're looking for, if you don't mind me asking?"

Ryoga was getting a weird sense from this guy, telling him something wasn't right. But he couldn't put his finger on it. "Well, his name's Ranma. We owe each other a fight, and he's one of the few guys I can go all out on without worrying too much about hurting him."

Ukyo's eyes furrowed. "That wouldn't happen to be Saotome, would it?"

Damn, what did his old man do now? "Listen, if you have a problem with Ranma, you should probably be placing all the blame on his worthless old man. That fat bastard was the reason we never had our fight two years ago."

"Well, I owe them both for what they did to my family. So they're in Nerima, huh?"

"Listen, he's my friend, so you won't attack him if you know what's good for you. He may not have had anything to do with whatever his old man did to you, so maybe you should drop this righteous anger bullshit and give him the benefit of a doubt. I didn't and I nearly hurt some people who had nothing to do with our fight. I had to learn better, so don't ignore what I'm saying." Ryoga's mind found it difficult to believe he was defending Ranma, but he trusted the fact that most of Ranma's problems really were the fault of his old man.

Ukyo just stared at him, wondering if what he said could be true. "Okay, I'll give him a chance to explain himself—one chance! If what he says doesn't clear him, then his ass is mine, deal?"

Ryoga shook his head. "Deal. But it'll be a civilized chat, not a yelling match. I'll be damned if I let some hothead attack him because he doesn't answer in three seconds with a video tape proving his story."

"Fine, then. Let's head to Nerima."

With that, the two were off, neither one knowing what awaited them.

Omake!

Akane slowly came to, barely feeling any pain.

"Oh, you're finally awake!"

She turned her head, seeing Dr. Tofu. "Oh, Dr. Tofu. Why am I here?"

"I'm afraid you had a battle with Nabiki. Ranma brought you here as quickly as possible, but…there is some bad news, and some good news."

Akane began to fear the worst. "W…w…what's the bad news?"

"I'm afraid you'll never practice martial arts again."

She was near tears; martial arts were her entire life, without them…

But wait, he said good news. That meant she had hope, hope of one day making Nabiki pay for this suffering. "What's the good news?"

"I just saved a bunch of money switching my car insurance to Geico."

Akane was wrong. First, Dr. Tofu would die, then Nabiki.

Omake by Howard.

He began to rub his temples, trying to understand what he had been told. "I'm so confused right now. So, you say you're from the future?"

With a roll of her eyes, Nabiki said with exasperation, "We've already covered this. Yes, I'm from the future."

"And you've lived through all this before?"

"Uh-huh."

"And years and years beyond today?"

"Yes," she said, her voice growing tight.

"So let me get this straight. You're some old lady who came back in time, just for me?"

"Now just wait a minute!"

"You're like this shriveled old hag from the future that's trying to get in the pants of a handsome sixteen-year-old boy from your past."

"Ranma!"

"Some old mummy that wasn't getting any so you're using time travel to rob the cradle."

"RANMA!"

"You're some kinda warped, ancient pedophile from the future!"

"RANMA NO BAKA!"

WHAM

The moral of this story? You can't pair up Ranma with a Tendo without getting a mallet.

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