Disclaimer: Inuyasha, Ranma and Yuu Yuu Hakusho don't belong to me.

Authors Note: Alright, I cave. I had this chapter in storage just in case I took too long to get over writer's block, which I still haven't. But anyway, new chappie here with hopefully more on the way.

Kagome - 20

Ranma - 18

Yusuke - 15

It had been a bad night.

Correction, it had been a very bad night.

And Maeko Amherst was not in a forgiving mood. Or anything but a very black mood for that matter.

So it was only natural that her co-workers gave her a wide berth. The events of the previous night played back in her mind as she slammed her toolbelt on the tablesaw and tossed back a jumbo sized cup of coffee.

Late yesterday...

After the komodo had been airlifted from downtown it had taken the police hours to clear up the accident scene and ensuing traffic jam. Not five minutes into her trip back to the clinic Ten'ou had called on the cell with the news of Midorigami's rapidly deteriorating condition. So she'd pulled a U-turn amid the angry honking of even angrier drivers, and flipping them the bird as she drove back to the Kuno estate.

Sasuke had the gate open for her when she arrived so she drove right by him. Parking and hopping out of the truck she strode to Midorigami's pond and flinched when she laid eyes on the great leviathan.

He had wasted away to almost nothing in the few short hours she'd been gone. And Maeko was doubly unhappy because the calcium lines hadn't done a damn thing for him and his current state of extreme emaciation was not a symptom of calcium deficiency. It was down-right unnatural for an animal, any animal, to lose almost half it's body weight in such a short amount of time. It had been years since she last felt so helpless.

She had hated it then, and she hated it now.

"Maeko ...?" Kodachi trailed off as furious tears ran down both their faces.

"The only thing we can do now is end his suffering ..."

"...no..." Wheezed a pained voice.

A male voice.

With a blink, both girls looked down at Midorigami.

His eyes, which had been dull with illness earlier, were now shining with intelligence.

The squeal of stressed metal pulled her abruptly from her memory as she glanced at the source. One of the go-fers had stupidly stepped in front of the swinging crane and the operator had had to slam on the brake lever. She shook her head and made her way deeper into the site to reflect on what that wily reptile had done to her.

Fuck.

She leaned against an unfinished wall in a far corner of the site, frightened gaze pinned to her forearm.

He never said anything about this. This wasn't part of the deal!

She managed to rip away her gaze and look to the sky. Absently she began to rub her arm and abruptly stopped with a flinch when she felt scales instead of skin.

Oh kami I really need a drink. Shouldn't have come into work today.

Her mood soured rapidly, and it showed.

Manipulative old fossil! He knew I wouldn't say no! Screw this, I'm going home!

"Saotome."

Damn. Thought we'd lost her.

"What'dya want now Nabiki?" He sighed.

"Information, but you knew that didn't you. I must say though, it was unusually clever of you to lead my employees on a wild Mousse chase." Her gaze was cold and calculating, but she noticed the lines of tension around his eyes and the tenseness in his muscles that made her swear to herself to tread carefully around him today.

That hadn't been his idea, it had been Shippo's. And incase it hadn't worked, plan B was to tell an edited version of the truth in the hopes that Nabiki's sense of family would help her to realize the severity of the situation and convince her to back off. If not, there was plan C, and neither of them wanted it to come to that.

"Got nothin' to do with you Nabiki. An' everything to do with me and mom."

He hasn't included Mr. Saotome, and Auntie Nodoka's maiden name is Higurashi. She quickly went over the facts she knew and drew a conclusion.

The Higurashi Shrine is one of the oldest in Japan, dating back to the Sengoku Jidai. The Higurashi family is one of mikos and priests that have guarded the shrine since it was erected. Ranma's mother has two sisters, Higurashi Akiko and Higurashi Atsuko. Higurashi Akiko married, but then was widowed and reclaimed her maiden name. First born is twenty year old Kagome, second born is fifteen year old Sota. Higurashi Atsuko married and her name changed to Urameshi. Nabiki's eyes widened marginally in realization. Her son is Urameshi Yusuke ...

A shiver ran down her spine. Ranma picked up the change in her aura immediately and glanced at her curiously.

Kuno-baby's family is lower class to the Higurashi clan even though they're richer. But to pick a fight with the Higurashi clan is to court dishonour. To pick a fight with Urameshi Yusuke is to court a slow, painful death.

She turned her gaze to the slightly cloudy sky.

The question is ... do I really want to get the Tendo clan involved in this by seeking a short-term profit of getting Saotome to pay me to not reveal where he is?

No.

Especially not so soon after the Wedding Fiasco.

She flinched at that memory. Ranma was watching the emotions play across her face in fascination and finding it a wonderful distraction from his anger. He'd never seen Nabiki so indecisive.

Shampoo was admitted to Emergency yesterday, hospital records state she was attacked by a demon outside Nerima and brought in by Ranma ...

That's where he's been disappearing to, visiting family. Shampoo followed him yesterday, saw him with his family, and jumped to the wrong conclusion. Where does the demon come from though ...?

A small smirk.

Heh. This is Saotome, the nexus of chaos for all of Japan.

KRAKAKOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Suddenly there was a deluge of water being poured on them as lightning lanced the sky in the distance. Nabiki blinked in surprise, the sudden storm derailing, crashing and spectactularly blowing up her train of thought. Then the absurdity of the situation hit her, and she laughed loud and hard; leaving poor onna-Ranma to wonder what the hell was so funny.