Chains of the Past
A Ranma ½ Tenchi Muyo Crossover
Chapter Six
A/N: I know that the conversation about the Neko-ken was a cliché, but I really have few ideas on how to change it while fitting in with my story.
To those who placed a review, I thank you for your words and encourage continuing reading the story. It's just getting started.
And now, back to our regularly scheduled programming.
123454321
Ranma steeled himself for what was to be one of the most difficult things he's ever done. "Nabiki, can we talk for a moment?"
Nabiki, who was on her bed reading a new manga that had just come out, looked up. "Sure." Ranma sat next to her on the bed. "So, what's on your mind?"
"Well… I wanna talk about you, if that's alright."
Ranma noticed Nabiki's posture tense a little after saying that. 'Can't push her too hard.'
"What about me?" Nabiki asked curiously.
'Let's try a indirect approach.' "Well, how have you been since we got here? I haven't seen ya relax too much these last two months."
"I've been fine. Just a bit worried about back home, that's all."
Now one thing most people figure out about Ranma is that when dealing with things outside martial arts, he doesn't have way too much patience. "That's all?" Nabiki nodded. "Nabiki, I hate ta say this, but I know you're lyin'. There's more, and you won't tell me. Why?"
Nabiki turned away from him. "Cause I don't want to talk about it, that's why."
Patience wearing thin. "Damn it, Nabiki, why not? I'm worried about ya. You're in pain and it shows. I hate ta see you like this. Please, Nabiki, I'm begging ya. Talk to me. Tell me what's wrong."
"Damn it Ranma why are you doing this? Just leave me alone."
"I'm doin' this cause I care." He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Nab"
Nabiki pushed his hand off her shoulder and slapped him. "If you did care you'd shut up and drop it. Now leave me alone." She started to leave the room.
"After the storms pass
All I seek is
A peaceful night to sleep."
Nabiki stopped moving when Ranma said those words.
Seeing that he had Nabiki's attention, he continued. "You do remember those words, don't ya?"
Nabiki nodded. "You wrote that for your death poem. How could I forget?"
"Out of everyone I expected to try ta stop me, you were not even on that list. When I saw your face, do you know what shocked me the most?" Nabiki turned around to face him and shook her head. "It wasn't the fear, it wasn't the sadness. It was the look of betrayal in your eyes. Seein' that was like watchin' Jusendo happen fifty times over. At the time I couldn't understand why you would feel like that. Here I was some freeloadin' chaos magnet that was making everyone I knew suffer, and… ah hell, I'm not good with words. Listen, Nabiki, what I'm tryin' to say is that you helped me out of what was the worst part of my life. You helped revive me. Now all I want is to do the same with you. I know I'm not the smartest or the brightest guy in the world, but at least give me a try."
Nabiki stood there for a few moments looking at him. Making her mind up she walked up to Ranma and hugged him. "Alright, I'll give it a shot."
Ranma smiled and returned the hug. "I love you."
"I love you, too."
123454321
Sasami looked to the sky with a worried look. Ayeka noticed this and walked up to her. "Sasami, are you alright?"
Sasami looked over to her big sister. "Tsunami is worried, and I don't know why."
Ayeka looked a bit confused. "Worried?"
Sasami nodded. "Yep. Ever since we got here she's been worried about something, but she won't talk."
Ayeka went to her younger sister and gave her a hug. "Be strong Sasami. I'm sure whatever it is it will pass. Besides, Tsunami is our guardian Goddess. Nothing can beat her."
Sasami nodded. "I know. It's just that I wish she would tell me more."
"More?"
"I thought I heard her say something like Tokimi, but when I ask who that is, she won't answer."
Ayeka nodded. "I see. Well whoever this Tokimi person is I'm sure we'll be able to handle it. Now let's go find Grandfather. He wanted to talk to us about something."
Sasami nodded, but she couldn't shake off the feeling of dread that enveloped her.
1223454321
"Nabs, why are we doing this?"
"Well, if you insist on being my shrink, then this is how we do it."
Nabiki was lying on her bed face up and Ranma was seated on a chair that was placed next to the bed. Ranma nodded. "Okay. Now tell me, what's botherin' you?"
Nabiki looked a bit nervous. "Well…I…" Ranma, sensing her nervousness, took her hand and gave it a comforting squeeze. Nabiki smiled slightly. "It's many things actually. I am worried about what's going on back home, but…"
"That's not your main concern, is it?" Ranam asked.
Nabiki nodded. "I've never had this time to think or relax since… since mom died." A tear formed in her eye. "I've always been too busy taking care of everything to have time to do that. All this extra time is strange."
"I know what you mean. I can't remember that last time I had this much peace and quiet (minus the new aliens). It's doesn't feel right."
Nabiki sat up from her bed. "It's given me time to reflect on my life and I can't honestly say that I like what I see."
"Go on," Ranma gently encouraged.
"All I can see… is me making money for the house. That's it. No friends, no social life, no… no fun."
Ranma sat next to her and placed an arm around her shoulder. Nabiki responded by leaning up against his body. "I remember when I was young all I wanted to do when I grew up was to be like mom. She was nice, caring, funny, always knew what to do… I miss her so much."
"And now I see Kasumi doing what I wanted to do and instead of being envious, I see the cage around her. She never wanted to be like mom. She wanted to go to med school and become a doctor or a nurse. She didn't want to stay at home and take care of everyone. When mom died, I was the only one who could take care of the bills. Father… he… he basically abandoned us."
As the tears started to flow Ranma enveloped Nabiki into a hug. "We waited, oh kami we waited for him to come out of his depression but he never did. The day I realized he wasn't going to help us I cried. I cried all night. I hated him, and I still do."
"I started to hate everyone. Watching them go on without a care while I had to get money anyway I could. Everyone at school, everyone in the neighborhood, even Akane."
"I saw her continuing to train in our family's art form like father was going to come out of his fits and actually help her, and it made me mad. I tried to understand why she could be so stupid. I wanted to tell her to stop doing that and help out, but you know how she is. She couldn't help Kasumi with the chores and she doesn't understand the true value of a yen. So instead I let her live her fantasy of being a martial artist, and I watched on jealously."
"As time went on I learned more and more ways to earn money, but I found the easiest and quickest way was through 'dirty' means. I also learned to be a businesswoman, to let no emotion show. They started to call me the Ice Queen in middle school. No matter what I did, I couldn't afford to let anyone close, so I distanced everyone away. I was easier to conduct business that way."
"Going through middle school and high school was hard, but then you showed."
Ranma slightly grimaced. He was already guessing what she was about to say wasn't going to be pretty, but he knew she needed to get it off of her chest
"At first I thought the engagement would be the best way to get out of my situation, but your curse scared me. After you became engaged to Akane, I started to find reasons to hate you. You being a carefree martial artist who did what he loved to do. I hated you most of anyone I ever met. I did everything I could to make your life hell."
"Then your problems started to come in. First there was Ryoga, then Shampoo, then Ukyo, and everything in-between. As more and more piled on I began to see you in a different light. You went from carefree martial artist to a man who had more problems than me. I guess that's when it hit me. There were people out there who had a similar situation to mine. I wasn't truly alone."
"I watched you and Akane go hot and cold for so long. When the engagement was switched to me I was trying to get Akane to admit that she did have feelings for you. I was trying to play on her jealousy. While you two were engaged I was hoping I could help rebuild the dojo's reputation and use that to make money for the family using more legit means. You see, I started to hate being the Ice Queen. I wanted to do what my father couldn't, give our family a secure future."
"After Jusendo, I caught wind that Genma and father were planning a surprise wedding. I knew any chance for a relationship wasn't going to last if they did pull it off, so I went behind their backs and invited everyone. I didn't know they would take it to that extreme."
"And then more of your fiancés started to show. I saw you and Akane drift apart. Whatever happened at Jusendo didn't matter anymore. I also saw you growing more and more depressed. You were worrying me."
"When I saw you in the dojo with your white robe, I didn't think about anything. I just wanted you to… to live. You want to know why I felt betrayed?" Ranma nodded. "I had started to admire you a bit for being able to go through so much and still had so much life in you. When I saw you sitting there ready to give up, it angered me. The only time I ever felt that betrayed was when I realized that my father was not coming back, that he would remain a shell of his former self."
Ranma sighed. "I didn't know you felt like that. I guess I wasn't really thinking about anyone but myself." Ranma noticed that Nabiki was still crying silently against him. "Hey, Nabs, don't cry."
"I'm so sorry Ranma. I'm so sorry for what I did."
Ranma pushed Nabiki slightly back and wiped her tears. "Don't worry, okay. I forgive you."
Nabiki looked Ranma right in the eyes. "You do?"
Ranma nodded. "Yeah, I do. I love you, and nothing's gonna change that."
Nabiki immediately gave him a bone-crushing hug. "Thank you. Thank you Ranma."
Ranma slightly grunted when she applied the hug. 'Man she's grown strong.'
123454321
"Give me a status report."
"Still no sign of her, my lady."
"And what about the planet Yosho is on? Any sign there?"
"None, my lady."
"Leave." Her minion faded away. "Seven-hundred years Tsunami. How long do you think it'll be before I find you? Sooner or later, you'll drop that cloak of yours. When that happens, we will have a long overdue… talk."
A/N: I know this chapter is a bit shorter than the last two but I wanted the main focus of this chapter to be more about Ranma and Nabiki than anything else, but I also wanted to hint about things to come.
