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Dragon's Destiny
Nabiki sat on her bed staring at the bladeless hilt that was resting on her desk. It was early morning and she could hear her fiancé and his father sparring in the backyard. After having spent a week doing breathing exercises she had finally been able to activate the weapon briefly. She wondered again if that was a good thing or not as the dreams she had been having since she first touched the hilt were getting stronger and more vivid. What was frustrating her was the fact she could barely remember the dreams except for the fact they were vivid. They faded as soon as she woke up, leaving her with a sense of déjà vu all day.
She stood up and grabbed her bathing supplies, figuring she could take a bath before Ranma needed the furo. With a final glance at the hilt, she wondered just how she had let her life get so out of control.
Coming downstairs, Nabiki could hear her older sister cooking breakfast in the kitchen and she could see her father reading the morning paper as she passed the family room on the way to the furo. She caught a glimpse of Ranma kicking his father into the pond before she turned down the hall to the bathroom. He had gotten his stitches out just the day before and was now back to his full activities, namely beating the crap out of his father.
She reached the changing room and set her clean clothes on a shelf. She reached for the sliding door but stopped when she heard voices inside. Bringing her ear close to the door, she could make out the voices of her youngest sister and Kiima. Curiosity getting the better of her, Nabiki put her ear to the door and listened.
"It's no use Akane, I've followed your advice all week, and the most I've got is Ranma treating me like an annoying sister," Kiima complained.
"I don't understand it either Kiima," Akane sighed, "He must see how much you two are made for each other. He's a dragon, you're a phoenix, it's like yin and yang, a match made in heaven. Maybe if we explained how you could protect yourself better than my sister could he'd pick you. I'm actually afraid those Amazons will try to hurt her to get to him."
"That is true, I am a much better warrior than Nabiki ever could be," Kiima said with great confidence.
Nabiki stepped back from the door at that point with a frown that promised pain. So my sister is scheming to break me up with Ranma so Kiima can have him eh?
For a brief moment, she wondered if maybe she should let the bird woman have her potential husband. Then she remembered the sheer amount of wealth she'd be giving up and squelched the idea. Besides, she seemed to have some deep connection to the copper haired boy. She'd have to formulate a plan to make her sister back off. Kiima wouldn't be too much of a problem. Ranma had already mentioned that he couldn't see her as anything more than a friend or sister. Nabiki was just glad she wasn't like her little sister. If Akane had been engaged to Ranma, she'd have pummeled him into the floor for even being in the same room as another woman, not that she'd ever get past the whole dragon thing to begin with.
Nabiki decided to let the two continue to plot. Placing her bath supplies on a shelf, she went to the kitchen to grab her morning coffee. Kasumi turned to greet her as she came in.
"Sleep well?" Kasumi asked.
Nabiki nodded absently as she poured a cup of the black sludge he older sister had made for her. While not quite espresso, the coffee could probably have been used to roof houses given its tar-like quality. Nabiki took a drink and chewed thoughtfully, just how she liked it.
"Kasumi," Nabiki asked after a moment, "what do you think of Ranma?"
Kasumi stopped to gather her thoughts. "Well, he's polite and kind. He seems to be treating you well. I haven't seen you this happy since..." she trailed off.
Nabiki's smile faded a little. "Since mom died. Yeah, he seems too good to be true doesn't he?"
"Is something wrong Nabiki?" Kasumi asked with concern in her voice.
Nabiki shook her head. "No, not really. It just seems that everything is spinning out of control. I have a fiancé I just met who just so happens to have a curse but he's financially secure, my sister is plotting to break us up so a flaky bird woman can have him. She's doing it behind my back but for my best interests right? Kasumi, a couple of weeks ago I thought that magic was when you pulled rabbits out of hats. It wasn't real. Now..."
Kasumi nodded in understanding. "It has been hectic lately hasn't it? Give it time, I'm sure things will calm down eventually."
Nabiki sighed, "I don't mind the excitement. It's all so new, once I get my mind around the magic thing, I'll be all right."
Kasumi smiled. "I know you will," she reassured her younger sister, "Oh, a messenger dropped this off for Ranma this morning. Could you take it out to him?"
Kasumi handed Nabiki a white envelope with gold trim. Nabiki took it and flipped it around in her hands to look at it. She gasped in shock upon seeing the symbol on the front.
"Sis, this is the imperial seal! Who from the palace would be sending Ranma mail?"
The eldest Tendo shrugged her shoulders, "I have no idea. Can you make sure your fiancé gets it?"
"Uh, yeah. I'll take it out to him now while Akane's still in the bath."
Stunned, Nabiki wandered out to the dojo. Sliding the door open, she was surprised by what she saw. Ranma was sitting in his dragon form in the center of the dojo in what Nabiki could only interpret as a meditative posture. His eyes were open but were glowing a faint blue. He took no notice of her presence so she sat down and examined the envelope while she waited.
A few minutes later, Nabiki saw Ranma move as he came out of his trance. He blinked a couple of times then stretched in a manner much like a cat before he focused on his fiancé.
"Hey Nabiki, what's up?" Ranma said in an amused tone.
Nabiki shook her head to clear her thoughts. Images of curling up next to all that warm dragon flesh kept flitting through her mind. She coughed to cover up her blush and held out the envelope.
"Apparently you've attracted the notice of the Emperor of Japan. Why him and not the tax department or the JSDF I have no idea," Nabiki joked.
A clawed hand took the envelope and Nabiki could swear she felt a spark as Ranma's hand brushed hers.
Ranma used a ki-powered claw to open the envelope and smirked at Nabiki who was watching with interest. "You think that's something, you should see me in the kitchen."
"Oh hush and open the damn thing already!" Nabiki snapped impatiently.
Ranma made a show of putting the envelope to his chin thoughtfully. "I wonder how the palace found out about little old me?"
Nabiki's left eye twitched slightly. She was repressing an urge to go find a really big mallet and put her fiancé into an uncontrolled flight across Nerima.
"I'm kidding!" Ranma laughed as he reached into the envelope to pull out a small card.
The card showed the imperial seal embossed with gold leaf on the front. Ranma pulled a pair of reading glasses out of nowhere and placed them on his snout.
"Dragons are notoriously farsighted you know." Ranma explained as he opened the card.
Nabiki leaned up against Ranma so she could read over his shoulder. She caught a scent of ozone mixed with musk. Berating herself for her loss of control, Nabiki concentrated on the card in Ranma's hand.
"Greetings DaiRyuujin no Nishi. You are formally invited to attend Cha-No-Yu at the palace at four o'clock pm on Wednesday the fourteenth of this month. Formal attire will be required. A limo will be sent to the Tendo dojo at three pm," Nabiki read silently.
She looked at her transformed betrothed in awe. "The Emperor wants to have tea Ceremony with you? Wednesday is two days from now! You have to bring me! Please!" Nabiki was not one to beg but this was the Emperor! Even though he was just a figurehead like the royal family in England there was a certain amount of status involved in just being around the palace. Her fiancé had money, but this was power, plain and simple.
"I'll do anything, name it!" Nabiki pleaded.
"Anything?" the dragon raised an eyebrow.
I suddenly occurred that Ranma might ask her to sleep with him. Given the circumstances, she'd sleep with Kuno for this opportunity. She really hoped Ranma didn't ask for that. She realized she wouldn't mind sleeping with her fiancé as much as she thought she would. A small part of her mind even hoped that was the condition he'd propose.
Ranma seemed to mull over the thought for a few moments before he gave a toothy grin that would have had Genma soiling himself had he seen it.
"All right, you can come," he paused for effect, "on one condition. You go find us some formal wear and help me out on manners and stuff I'll need when I see the Emperor. Knowing my usual tact, I'll likely start a blood feud just saying hello."
Nabiki didn't know whether to feel happy over something she'd likely have done anyway or disappointed that Ranma didn't ask for certain other things. She settled for happy. She was looking to marry what would soon be one of the most powerful and influential individuals on the planet and while he was smart and charismatic, it was only from recent book learning. He would need an experienced manipulator to help him through all the intrigue and backstabbing that money and power presented in the modern world.
She suddenly remembered what he'd said the first day they'd met. He had commented on her keen mind and sharp wit and that he could assist him. He knew he'd need help with all this stuff! He'd planned it!
"You jerk! You had this all planned out from the start didn't you! You knew you'd need someone who could help you worm your way through the political and economical traps and pitfalls you'd encounter." Nabiki was mad now. "Is that why you chose me? Is that all I am to you? Your personal liaison to high society?"
Nabiki was about to tear a new hole in Ranma's hide when she was suddenly engulfed in a tight hug and her mouth shut with a pair of lips meeting her own. She tensed at first then relaxed as the faint musk scent from before overwhelmed her. A taste of copper came as a tongue entered her mouth and she began to kiss back almost eagerly.
She had no idea how long they remained lip-locked but finally Ranma broke the kiss and pulled back from Nabiki. She looked up and realized Ranma had been a dragon the whole time. That released a completely new flood of erotic thoughts into her mind that she'd really not deal with at the moment. 'Later', she promised herself. Still, she wasn't about to let Ranma off so easily for... what did he do again?
"Nabiki, when I first arrived, I was told I had to marry one of the Tendo daughters. I picked you because your aura showed a personality most compatible to mine. I figured that at the least, you could be like a business partner. But I hoped for more. I want a real partner, one who will be with me in all things. Sure, you can help me now, but I could learn everything I need to know eventually. What I need from you most is just you. I like you Tendo Nabiki and I hope you'll marry me eventually, but not because of what you can do for me but for who you are."
Nabiki felt the ice inside her melt and she collapsed against Ranma. He gently held her as she cried softly. Her aura showed she was happy, which confused Ranma. He never understood why girls cried when they were happy. It took a few minutes for Nabiki to collect herself. She wasn't used to the roller coaster her emotions had been on the last week. Finally, she stood up and wiped her eyes on the sleeve of her oversize nightshirt.
Ranma closed his eyes and shifted back to human form. Nabiki was again presented with a free show as he picked up his yukata near the wall of the dojo and put on the short robe.
"I hope you don't do that for just anyone," Nabiki commented.
Ranma grinned. "Nah, just you."
Nabiki blushed and looked away.
"So why are you still in your pajamas? I would've thought you'd been in and out of the furo by now," Ranma asked.
Nabiki shrugged, "My sister was conspiring with Kiima again to break us up. I didn't feel like interrupting them, and then Kasumi gave me that invitation..."
Ranma frowned. He thought he'd made it clear to Kiima where his attentions lay.
"Don't worry about it," Nabiki told her fiancée, "I told my sister the price for interfering in our relationship. Just leave it to me."
"Well, I'm glad you came out here. You look really cute in the mornings with your hair all mussed up you know that?"
Nabiki reached up and touched her hair, which was a mess, before giving Ranma a dirty look that promised pain.
"They should be done now so I'll see you at breakfast, unless you want to join me?"
"Ah, that's ok. I thought I'd fly around Nerima to see if I could catch sight of what the Amazons were up to before we leave this morning," Ranma replied.
"You're going to fly around in the open as a dragon? Aren't you worried someone will see you?"
Ranma shook his head. "Nope, turning into a human isn't the only shape I can transform into. There's a reason there were over a hundred different springs at Jusenkyou, each with its own tragic curse."
With that, Ranma suddenly shrank down into his yukata and a full-grown peregrine falcon scrambled free from the cotton robe. The falcon winked at Nabiki then took flight out the door of the dojo and into the sky.
Nabiki stared slack jawed after her transformed fiancé. She knew on some level that Ranma was really now a dragon that transformed into a man but she'd never conceived that he had other forms he could turn into.
Deciding she really needed a soak now, Nabiki stomped off to the furo intending to toss out any feathered houseguests whether they were done bathing or not.
Ranma thought about the invitation he'd received that morning as he flew over the houses of Nerima, making his way towards the Furinkan business district.
Even though the Emperor of Japan had no real political power since the end of World War Two, he was still the spiritual center of the Japanese people. Even Ranma had respect for the Emperor, which was why he didn't want to mess up this meeting.
Formal clothes were likely to be extremely expensive, especially knowing Nabiki. After all, you just don't throw on a suit off the rack to go visit the leader of your country. This would require custom, handmade, kimonos and they only had two days to have them made. Sighing, Ranma banked and landed on a three-story building that overlooked a row of restaurants. He'd have to give Nabiki more money. Even with as much wealth as he had, Ranma was loathe to part with any of it. The dragon side of his personality wouldn't allow it.
He was interrupted from further introspection when he spotted a flash of purple hair. Turning his head to follow the movement of color, sure enough, there was Shampoo on a bicycle with what looked like a takeout box strapped to the rear. After she sped out of sight, Ranma backtracked her residual aura trail to its origin. He groaned internally at the sign on the restaurant. It said 'Cat Café' in Chinese kana. No doubt about it, the Amazons were settling in for a prolonged stay. The elder probably was still set on bringing Ranma into the tribe as a husband cough slave cough to all those Amazons he beat to escape the Joketsuzuko village. As if he'd ever go willingly with a society that practiced murder and slavery as a matter of law.
Spying a nearby clock, Ranma realized he had to get home if he was to eat breakfast before getting to school. With a rustle of wings, he took off in the direction of the Tendo Dojo.
Ku Lon could feel the aura of the dragon nearby and knew he was now aware of the Amazons' location. As the aura turned away and faded into the distance towards the Tendo dojo, Ku Lon gave some last minute instructions to the young women preparing the restaurant before retiring to her room upstairs.
After locking her door behind her, she opened the latches on a large chest she had shipped from China. She removed a small wooden box and placed it on a table that stood in the middle of the room. After checking to make sure the seals were intact from the trip out of Jusenkyou valley, Ku Lon sat back in a chair and lit her pipe.
The contents of the box would have her and any who used them exiled or even killed were the tribe to find out. She hoped it would not become necessary to resort to such measures but for the safety of her people, Ku Lon would even break the law. She would give the girls downstairs another chance to snare the boy before resorting to such extremes.
Again she wondered about the boy who had fallen into the spring of drowned dragon. She was aware of the Musk's version of the DaiRyuujin no Nishi. It was horribly distorted of course. They worshiped the dragon like a god after all. Prince herb even claimed to be a direct ancestor of the original dragon. It was preposterous of course, given the Musk's propensity for interbreeding with animals. Most likely it was some poor lizard tossed into the spring of drowned girl that gave birth to the ruler of the Musk's line.
Regardless, the boy Ranma must have been told the Musk version about how the Amazons killed their god and stole their treasure. If only she could talk to the boy and convince him that the dragon had been an evil creature that had enslaved the whole valley and that the Amazons were liberators not villains. She had hoped that the idea of multiple wives would entice him back to China. Wasn't it every teenage boy's fantasy to be bedded by multiple women?
However, after hearing Xian Pu's last report about the arrival of the Phoenix, she began to doubt it was possible to lure him in such a fashion anymore or if it had ever been possible at all.
Then there was Jusenkyou itself. It wasn't common knowledge yet that the pools were no longer cursed. Only the guide and the elders were privileged to that information although the Musk and the Phoenix certainly knew by now. The thought that Ranma had absorbed all the magic embedded in the cursed springs worried the old crone. Most of the weapons and items used to subdue the dragon the first time were stored in the magical vault, the key to which had been stolen by the person they had used them against. If the reborn spirit of the ancient dragon really had possessed the boy, then the Amazons had little time left before Ranma fully merged with its memories. If that happened he would be virtually unstoppable. Hence the box on the table before her. For the sake of the Amazon nation if not the whole world, she would do what she must.
Tapping out her pipe into an ashtray, Ku Lon got up and put the box away again now that she was sure it was not tampered with. She shut the door behind her and went downstairs. If she was going to help the girls in her care succeed, she needed to make some phone calls.
Everyone was gathered at the breakfast table except for Kasumi who was finishing cooking breakfast and Ranma who had not yet returned. Kiima was giving Nabiki dirty looks who in turn refused to acknowledge the feathered warrior. The two fathers ignored the proceedings in favor of the ever-present shogi board. Said board was suddenly overturned as a falcon flew between the two men and landed in the tearoom. A gasp was heard from Akane as the falcon turned into a large wolf. The wolf winked at Nabiki as it ambled out of the room and headed for the stairs.
Everyone heard an 'Oh My!' from Kasumi as she came out of the kitchen with the rice cooker. The wolf yipped at the scent of food and ran upstairs. A couple of minutes later Ranma came downstairs in his normal silk shirt and leather vest. He sat down next to Nabiki, much to Kiima's disappointment.
As Kasumi served everyone, Ranma related his discovery of the Amazon's new home.
"I did not expect them to give up easily," Kiima said.
"It's good that prince Herb will be here soon then," Ranma replied.
Nabiki took secret pleasure in how Kiima shuddered at the mention of the Prince of the Musk.
Breakfast was soon over and Akane ran out the door to school. Ranma went to grab his school bag when Nabiki stopped him.
"We're not going to school today," she told him, "We need to go be fitted for new kimonos and accessories."
"This is going to be expensive isn't it?" Ranma asked already guessing the answer.
"Unfortunately. We can't go see the Emperor in our street clothes though. It would be a major insult."
"I hate to spend that much money but I wouldn't mind seeing you in a fancy kimono," Ranma replied. "Let's go to the dojo for this. Kiima, I want you and your lieutenants to guard the dojo while Nabiki and I are inside. Don't let anyone in, especially out fathers."
Kiima gritted her teeth but nodded in acknowledgment.
Once in the dojo, Ranma summoned the vault key and opened the huge doors. Nabiki followed him down the tunnel to the first treasure room. Knowing what to expect did little to suppress the awe she felt upon seeing all the wealth once again. Her curiosity got the better of her though and she asked Ranma what was down the other corridors.
"I'm not sure. I kinda remember what should be there but who knows what the Amazons have done in here. You want to go look?"
He didn't get a verbal reply, his arm almost being pulled out of its socket as she dragged him to the first doorway was answer enough.
The first room was basically more chests and weapon racks. There were more smaller chests though on shelves against the walls. Nabiki wondered if she'd ever get the opportunity to go through everything and catalogue it all. Curiosity satisfied for the moment she pulled her amused fiancé to the next room.
This room was full of crates and furniture. There were a few chests as well. The most noticeable thing however was a large object in the middle of the room covered in a camouflage patterned tarp. It was nearly twenty feet across and was taller than either of them. Nabiki wondered how something that big could have been brought here.
Ranma seemed curious as well. He went up to the tarp and pulled it back to reveal the side of an armor-plated vehicle. Giving the tarp a good tug, Ranma uncovered the whole contraption. Nabiki frowned in puzzlement, the vehicle looked like some sort of aircraft. Not quite a jet not quite a spacecraft, it had sleek lines and curves that ended in sharp points. On closer inspection, the entire thing was covered in runes perfectly spaced and etched into the metal. The canopy was a clear crystal that seemed to literally fuse to the metal. Off to one side stood a suit of armor that looked too space age to have been built thousands of years ago. The armor was made from the same metal as the aircraft and seemed as if it had been made to work with it.
Ranma grinned in recognition as Nabiki found her voice. "Ranma, how old is this thing?"
"This is an old Atlantean fighter chariot. I forgot all about this," he said as he ran his fingers over the runes in the fuselage, "It was pretty useless after the war that destroyed Atlantis. It runs on Mana and when Atlantis and Lemuria were destroyed there was a Mana backsurge that rendered magic pretty much useless on Earth."
"You mean to tell me this thing runs on magic?" Nabiki asked in disbelief.
"Yeah, pretty much." Ranma tapped a rune and a panel slid open revealing a display that lit up with more runes. "I'll be damned. It's got a full charge. So I was right."
"About what," Nabiki asked, feeling a little left behind in the information loop.
"This morning I was feeling out the Dragon Lines, the energy flows of the Earth. I found that they are nearly healed to where they were before the war. That means this vault has just become a lot more dangerous. Almost everything in here besides the money is magical in some manner. We can't let the Amazons or anyone else get a hold of it."
"Just how dangerous are we talking about here Ranma?"
Ranma blew out a deep breath that made his bangs flip up for a second, "It's hard to say without seeing what's missing but I'd say the magical equivalent of several nukes, not to mention the time traveling mirror, the various armor, scrying equipment, teleportation items..."
"I get the idea. Damn, just when I thought things were going all right too. At least no one knows what's in here right? The Amazons couldn't have figured it out without help right?"
Ranma looked troubled. "I hope so. There are a lot of books here, some of them educational material. A truly dedicated person could theoretically teach themselves magic from them once they learned the language."
Nabiki ran a hand over the metal skin of the armor, surprised at the warmth of the metal. "Maybe we should wait until after we talk to the Emperor. Who knows maybe we can re-establish the musk and Phoenix here in Japan like you were discussing with Kiima. That way there would be more than just you and me protecting this vault."
Ranma seemed to lose himself in thought as Nabiki led him to the third room off the main treasure room. The third room was made up like a study with chairs, sofas and a few tables. The rest of the room was filled with bookshelves packed with books, scrolls and what appeared to be crystals inscribed with more runes. At more than one table was a mirror set into some device that had a hole that would just fit the crystals. Nabiki was stunned that there was such a high level of technology so far back in Earth's history. She wondered if the crystals were video, data, or maybe a mixture like a DVD ROM. Ranma seemed out of it for the moment so she didn't really bother to ask.
She picked up a crystal and turned it over in her hands, it was almost a foot long and an inch across at the widest. It was hexagonal and tapered down to a six-sided point on one end. Turning to one of the machines, Nabiki looked for an obvious way to turn it on, a button of switch or something. Seeing nothing apparent, she slid the crystal point first into the unit. There was a crackle of static as the mirror lit up from inside. A smooth panel in front of the mirror became backlit somehow through the gold colored metal that made up the device. Runes lit up in a manner suggesting a keyboard as well as a blank area that could be a drawing surface or mouse type interface.
The screen lit up and began scrolling a list of runes. It was organized much like a table of contents so out of curiosity, Nabiki moved her hand to the clear panel and grinned as a stylized pointer resembling a pen appeared on the screen and followed her hand movements. She moved it to the first item listed and touched the panel. The file or whatever it was highlighted and Nabiki stepped back as the sound of a full orchestra began to play throughout the room. There was no sign of anything like speakers anywhere that it could be coming from and Nabiki assumed it was just more magic. It felt like she was really surrounded by the instruments as they played. She recognized the horns, flutes, and drums but the string instruments didn't sound like violins or cellos. It was just another example of how things had changed over thousands of years.
Nabiki sat back in one of the huge plush chairs and thought about everything she had seen. It was just too much. The technology, the history, heck even the music, it was all priceless. People would kill to possess this or kill to prevent it from ever being known. She had access to things that could turn the modern world on its ear and she couldn't tell anyone for fear of her life.
She slowly became aware of Ranma gently shaking her shoulder. He had a concerned look on his face that made her smile. The only other person who had ever looked at her like that had been her mother. Knowing she wasn't alone in dealing with everything gave her the strength to collect herself and take Ranma's offered hand.
Standing up, Nabiki took a deep breath and centered herself much like she'd been learning with her new sword. "I'm all right Ranma. It's just a little overwhelming. This is a huge responsibility you know that right?"
Ranma nodded solemnly. "This is the largest storehouse of magic on Earth. Atlantean magic anyway. If it weren't for all those old memories, I'd feel like a caveman with a brand new computer. As it is I barely know how half this stuff works. I remember more and more every day though so eventually I believe I'll be fully bonded with the original dragon."
"So what does that mean? Are you still going to be you or are you changing into someone else?" Nabiki asked a little more than worried. She had come to really like her new fiancé and didn't like the idea of him changing into a stranger.
"Well, other than a few bad habits I picked up from Pop, our personalities are very similar. I doubt I'll change much except maybe pick up some better manners and study habits. The DaiRyuujin no Nishi was kind of a nerd, always researching and building stuff. Even he liked a good fight though."
Nabiki went over and pulled out the crystal. There was a spark of electricity and the unit went silent. She hoped she didn't just break it as she set the crystal back where she'd found it.
Noticing Ranma wince a little at her actions she asked him, "Um, I didn't break it did I?"
"No, but there is a shut down procedure so you don't accidentally wipe the memory crystals clear."
"Oh, sorry." Nabiki said contritely.
"I'm sure it's ok. I'll teach you how to use one later but I believe we had some errands to run today."
"The Kimonos! I totally forgot. Come on it's all ready late morning we need to hurry!"
Again, Ranma was dragged by his arm to the main room where they gathered up another sack of gold and a couple of gems then hurried out of the vault.
Having ditched the bird woman Kiima on the pretense of having her stay in case Prince Herb showed up, the young couple walked casually down the street towards the Furinkan financial district. There were a variety of shops there that would serve their needs. The first step was to be fitted for a formal kimono worthy of seeing the Emperor of Japan in. Then there were accessories like shoes, and hair settings. Nabiki would have to have her hair done as well as see someone for a makeover the day of the meeting, something she enjoyed doing yet she winced at the cost of having it done. She would have to see about investing some of Ranma's money so they wouldn't keep cutting into the principle. She could set up several accounts that could net them several million yen a day just on the interest. It would all come down to being able to legally convert a huge amount of gold into usable currency. Nabiki winced at the thought of having to pay the taxes on Ranma's horde. That was one of the things she'd have to discuss with the Emperor. After all, Ranma was a mythical creature and hopefully wouldn't be bound to the same laws as the average mortal man right?
"So how are we going to convert all this gold to something useful? Pawn shops will only buy so much, and the conversion rate sucks too." Ranma asked as they walked.
"Well, for today I'm hoping to exploit basic human greed. We'll try paying with just straight gold and gems. If that doesn't work then we'll have to go to one of the securities exchanges, it's kind of like a bank for things like foreign currency, stocks, and precious metals. Hopefully they can do something for us. Last resort is to hire a lawyer and have him work it all out legally. I want to do that anyway but only after Wednesday. I'm hoping I can broker some kind of deal with his highness."
Ranma nodded, "I knew I could count on you for things like this."
Nabiki blushed under his praise.
They continued on for a ways, talking inconsequential things, mainly just enjoying each other's company. It was when a shadow appeared over them that Ranma quickly pulled Nabiki out of the way.
An area almost ten feet across shattered into a shallow crater as a red umbrella struck the pavement. A small piece of shrapnel struck Nabiki in the temple.
As everything became dark, Nabiki saw a figure stand up from the center of the crater and level the umbrella in their direction.
"Ranma! Because of you I've seen hell!" was the last thing Nabiki heard before consciousness fled.
Author's rant:
I've gotten some new ideas for this fic so I'm back in action once again. This combined with the fact that my website has almost a thousand hits has motivated me to finish this chapter as well begin the next one.
So why is Ryouga so mad at Ranma? Jusenkyou is no longer cursed since Ranma fell in so it couldn't be because he turns into a little black pig does it? We'll have an interesting turn of events next chapter as well as some more flashbacks to the age of Atlantis.
Come visit my website (click the link on my profile page) to read works that aren't hosted on as well as see the dragon's destiny fanart drawn by me. Oh and any fanart would be awesome if anyone out there wants to flex their art skills (or lack thereof). If I get enough I'll put up an art page.
Several other fics are nearing completion of chapters so hopefully there will be more updates soon. As long as I don't get distracted by anything shiny in the meantime (oOo tinfoil!)