Ki Cutters: 31

The Price

Akane blinked and opened her eyes. It was dark out. A glance at her clock revealed that it was well before daybreak. It was also early Sunday morning. A full day had passed since a horde of demons had descended on Nerima in a quest to bed Ranma in girl-type, terrorizing citizens, tearing up property and nearly destroying the Nekohanten. They had finally stopped the chaos by having Akane, using instant Nanniichuan, bed Ranma instead and the gain the prize that the rogue prophecy had promised.

That had been strange. Ranma had been understandably upset at the solution. 'He was a guy, dammit!' They had spent valuable time arguing over the emotions and mechanics associated with switch-gendered sex before Ranma attempted his soul of ice technique. Akane, worried about their friends who were running interference for them and doubtful even soul-of-ice would be sufficient to steel Ranma for the act, had used her aura to contact Ranma's pleasure centers, essentially seducing her fiancé with direct stimulation. Besides, he deserved to know that he was loved and not simply some object or thing. Ranma's response had been more than she had expected – embarrassingly so. Akane, male at the time, had gotten a bit enthusiastic as well, if in a decidedly unskilled manner. Ranma hadn't said more than two words to her since.

She turned on her side and glanced at the form on the floor. Had the light been better, the hair would have appeared purple. Shampoo slept the sleep of the righteous, unconcerned by events and worn out by her efforts Friday on their behalf and Saturday to recover belongings and equipment from the ruins of the Nekohanten. Her sister of the heart had been the origin of the Nanniichuan idea and while it had worked, the success promised to create problems all of its own. Briefly she considered whether Shampoo had done this deliberately, but then sighed. It didn't really matter. Shampoo and Akane would be battling for a while, yet.

Focusing inward, she took her ki abilities off standby and actively searched her surroundings. In Nabiki's room were Cologne, Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung. Kasumi was in her own room, her father and stepmother in theirs. She pushed her awareness out to the dojo where Mousse and Ranma were sleeping and found the hidden weapons expert alone. Where the hell was Ranma? She swept the grounds and verified he was not present.

She slid out of her bed and glided around the sleeping Amazon, stopping once as Shampoo stirred in a dream. She froze and waited for Shampoo to settle once more. Though she was as yet faster than her friend and rival, she could not fault Shampoo's trained senses. She decided to forego dressing. She glided down the stairs and pulled her jacket over her pajamas. In the genkan, she found her shoes and quietly slid out the door. She looked around then activated her tracking sense.

There he was—that way. She leapt to the top of the wall then to the roof of the nearest building, using every bit of stealth that Ranma had taught her. Ten minutes later, she slid behind a maintenance shack on a roof near the train station. Twenty meters away, Ranma crouched on the roof, his eyes fixed on something below. Akane shifted her focus and expanded her abilities to normal ki vision. Below, walking along the street was a young woman. Akane's brows came together in irritation. What was he up to?

Though the early morning was chill, the young woman on the street below wore net stockings and a strapless dress that came to mid-thigh at best. Ki vision could not reveal the dress's color, but Akane suspected it was red, probably a deep crimson. A gold link belt encircled the slender waist. The dress was cut low in front revealing a cleavage Shampoo might envy. A thin shawl protected her shoulders against the cold. Long hair drifted in the breeze. It had taken Akane only a few seconds to realize why she must be there. This woman walked the night in search of men.

'That jerk!' she thought, the green-eyed monster raging through her. And after what they'd done Friday, too! She barely restrained her urge to run over there and brain him. The brick began to crumble under her grip. How could he?

Those words echoed in her skull. 'How could he? Whoa, girl.' How many times had she blamed Ranma or accused him of something, and then found out she was wrong. 'Watch and learn girl, watch and learn.' She forcibly relaxed her grip and watched Ranma, trying to read his body language. She read tension and the potential for violence. It didn't fit with what she first suspected, so she relaxed a bit more.

A train pulled up and several passengers got off. One man hesitated and walked over to the girl, who drew herself up and looked sexy. They haggled for a bit before the man turned and walked away. To Akane's heightened senses, his comment came clearly. "Over-priced bitch." It made her wonder just what this lady of the night charged. The street emptied once more.

She came out of her musings as Ranma tensed. The street had been quiet for a while and the streetwalker was at the far end of her circuit near an alley-mouth. A shadowy form rushed her, something glinting in its hand. Akane went into overdrive, instincts propelling her forward before her thoughts had engaged. As she cleared the roof, she saw Ranma hit the street and rush forward even as the woman, who was in red, leaped away from the threat. She stumbled as one of her high heels snapped off and fell back with a cry of pain and alarm. The shadow loomed over her, silver glinting in the artificial lights.

(POW! Thud!)

Ranma crouched over the shadow as it bounced off the concrete, one hand snaking out and twisting an arm into a brutal submission hold, the other back and ready to punch if the submission hold proved inadequate. Akane ghosted past to stop by the bar of silver that had clattered from the shadow's hand. "Hey, Akane," her fiancé said, his voice amused. "Couldn't sleep, neither?" He tensed again and half-turned as dozens of running feet converged on them.

Akane jerked and reached for the wakizashi that lay on the platform. She didn't want one of their new attackers to have a weapon available to them. "Stop!" Her fingers hesitated centimeters from the blade. She glanced quickly to the author of the voice who was struggling to her feet, a flat wallet-like object in her hands. "This is police business. Don't touch that!" Akane slowly rose to her feet as men rumbled up, several displacing Ranma holding the woman's attacker. Plastic binding straps came out to secure the man's hands and thumbs.

"We'll take it from here, young man," the woman said, coming to her feet with a little difficulty. She winced as she put too much weight on the abused ankle. "Inspector Jira Noritsubu." She flashed her badge again. "Thank you both for your assistance."

"You… You're welcome," Ranma stuttered. Akane stepped away as a policeman put on plastic gloves and gingerly picked up the weapon.

The policewoman turned to Akane. "Thank you, as well. You're obviously both martial artists. Could I have your names?"

"Ranma Saotome."

"Akane Tendo," Akane answered. "We're glad to have helped."

"Thank you, Miss Tendo," Lieutenant Noritsubu said. "Now can you two come down to the stationto give a statement?" She smiled wickedly as the realization that they were committed to doing just that after giving their names swept across them. She looked archly at Akane. "Don't worry, we don't have a dress code." Akane blushed as she realized the policewoman had noticed her pajamas. "Be glad it's not a school night," she added. They flinched. "I've heard of you two. Nice to hear that some of the rumors are true." She turned and waved to them in a gesture that was eerily like Nabiki's. "Come on, we'll go in my car." Ranma and Akane exchanged glances and shrugged. It wasn't like they'd been sleeping, anyway.

oOo

'Kasumi?" Shampoo asked, bouncing into the kitchen. "Where Akane?"

"If she's not in her room, I'm sure I don't know where she is, Shampoo." Kasumi briefly paused and concentrated, making Shampoo wonder if Kasumi had access to some ki techniques, herself. "Oh! Your grandmother was down already. She took your sisters back to the Nekohanten." She seemed to look within some more. "No… She doesn't seem to be in the house."

"Thank you, Kasumi," Shampoo said while glancing around herself as if for clues.

"Don't worry, Shampoo. I'm sure they are all right."

"That not really what Shampoo worried about." The Amazon huffed, looked at what Kasumi was preparing then began to help out. "Kasumi, why Ranma hate girl-form so much?"

"He doesn't really, Shampoo," Kasumi answered sagely. "It's just that he was raised to think that a man is the ultimate pinnacle of creation. Considering the relationship between Genma and Nodoka, I think that seems rather silly, but that's Uncle Saotome for you." She continued her preparations for a moment. "Why do you ask?" she finally added.

Shampoo didn't answer right away. She frowned and thought about how jumpy and out of sorts Ranma had been since Friday. She tried to put herself in Ranma's shoes. 'How would she feel if she were a boy, and turned into a girl? Relieved, of course! No! No…!' She frowned. She was a woman, the pinnacle of creation. What if she turned into a man? A man? Her thoughts flashed back to the Ranma-iichuan when she had thought she had no return to her human female form. "Aiya!" Horrified, she dropped the spoon she held, letting it clatter on the floor. Her thoughts raced further. What might Ranma or Akane do in compensation to this situation? "Ai-YAH!

"What's wrong, Shampoo?" Kasumi asked, ducking for the spoon.

"Shampoo hope she very wrong, but…" she whispered rapidly to Akane's sister.

Kasumi's face grew troubled. "Oh, my! I hope you're mistaken, Shampoo. They're not married, yet."

oOo

"Are you certain you don't want a ride home?" the lieutenant asked. She was much more approachable in her normal street clothes, though Akane found it disturbing how she went from fatally attractive to almost Kasumi-nice with a little eye-liner and some lipstick. "Whichever you decide, though, I want to meet the rest of your crowd sometime."

Ranma shrugged and glanced at Akane. "Car or rooftops, tomboy?"

Akane sighed and noticed the gray filter of the coming dawn. "Car, I think, if it's all right with you, Ranma."

Ranma smirked. "Lazy!" He ducked a tired punch from Akane and red-eyed her.

"You asked, so I told you." She huffed and turned away. "Go rooftop and see if I care."

She didn't see Ranma's face, but the lieutenant did. She paused all of two seconds before she decided to do some damage control for the martial artists. "Hey! Hey, there! Akane, he was just teasing; Ranma, so was she. Jeez! No wonder I've heard that you two fight all the time. You're so-o-o-o sensitive." She almost sighed in relief when they turned and glanced shyly at one another. 'Damn! They looked good together.'

"I think," Akane said after quietly gazing into Ranma's eyes, "we need to take ourselves home, Noritsubu-san."

"What she said," Ranma said with a smile, never taking his eyes off of his fiancée.

"Fine," Noritsubu said, relieved to see them at ease with one another again. "I meant what I said about wanting to meet your friends."

"Call ahead, Noritsubu-san," Ranma said, giving her a really breath-taking smile. Weekends are best I suppose."

"If you two are ever interested in taking up police work, give me a call, okay?" Ranma and Akane grinned then took off over the rooftops, moving at a speed that left Lt. Noritsubu breathless. "Wow! I'd love to do that!"

"Do what, lieutenant?" asked one of her colleagues, walking by.

"Learn how to fly, Kentaro, learn how to fly…"

oOo

"Yoo-hoo? Anybody home?"

"Is that…" murmured Soun, his head coming up.

"It sounded like Nabiki," remarked Hinako.

"Hi, everyone!" Nabiki pertly stepped around the corner and waved. She wasn't quite fast enough to avoid the hug her father dealt out.

"Nab-i-ki-i-i-i-i," wept Soun, picking his daughter up in his arms and hugging her as if she'd been gone for years.

"Gawk!" Nabiki's eyes bulged. Behind Nabiki, Sakurida Kamiko restrained a grin at her roommate's discomfort and raised an eyebrow, hoping Soun would notice and stop the over-emotional display. She hadn't seen this technique since the last time Tamiya stopped by to visit Keiichi. You'd have thought Soun would be better controlled, being married again and all, but…

Soun caught her eye and winked at her while continuing his outrageous wailing. Sakurida couldn't help it. Laughter bubbled to the surface and burst out as she realized that, at least for the moment, Soun was conning Nabiki.

"Ugh! What are you laughing at, Sakurida!" Nabiki groaned, trying to remember enough martial arts to slip her father's hug. She finally got her arms over her head and slid out of his grip. "Daddy! Enough! You're embarrassing me."

"Nabiki!" Kasumi caroled out. "Sakurida! Come in; sit down. Have you had breakfast?"

"One of the nice things about coming home so early in the morning," Nabiki smiled, recovering.

"Hi, Kasumi. I brought some sweet buns," she held up a neatly wrapped box.

"Why thank you, Sakurida!"

"Don't mind if I do." Everyone's expression went neutral as the house pest reclined on the table munching something. Sakurida glanced at the box in her hand weighing it mentally then back to the pest who smiled and licked his fingers. The box was still tied up as it was before, but…

"Ahhh…!" Sakurida suddenly yelled. "You ate one! I had a baker's dozen in here and you ate one!" Sakurida was well aware of the impropriety of giving gifts in fours.

"Don't worry, dear," Kasumi calmed her. "One just didn't get to the kitchen. We understand." She accepted the gift and turned to the freak. "But would it have hurt, Grandfather, to have waited and received the gift with the rest of us?" After delivering her admonishment she returned to the kitchen, artfully dodging Hinako as she came in with part of the breakfast.

Happosai teared up. "But Kasumi…"

"Move out of the way, Grandfather," Hinako said shortly.

"Why? I am the eldest in the family! I should get some respect!"

"Old man, we have guests. You'll get respect when you act respectfully." The ki vampire frowned at the obstacle, holding the dishes above her head. "Stop being so childish."

"But Nabiki's family! Besides, you have your hands full so you can't get me," Happosai grinned. "I'm the eldest in this house but nobody pays any attention…" (Bam!) Sakurida's hammer stood up from his skull. Slowly, he toppled sidewise.

"Eeep! Sorry about that," Sakurida gulped bringing her hammer back to guard. "I didn't mean to… I mean it wasn't my place…"

"Never fear, Sakurida dear," Hinako drawled, placing her burden on the table. "If Akane or Ranma were here, they would have handled it in similar style."

"Where are they, by the way?" Nabiki asked, receiving her breakfast after her friend. She nodded to Shampoo, who was present and unusually quiet. "And why is Shampoo here?" She divided her watch between her father's face and Hinako's.

Soun frowned blinked and then turned to his wife. "Why is she here this weekend?"

Hinako rolled her eyes. "I told you. The Nekohanten was nearly destroyed Friday and Akane offered a place for her friends to stay until their home is repaired."

"Oh," Soun nodded, "That's right." He fluffed his paper and turned to Shampoo. "Aren't you hungry, dear?" He nodded to a place at the table.

Shampoo looked up and smiled wanly. "Yes, thank you, Tendo-san."

oOo

Ranma and Akane came over the wall and dropped to the grass beside the pond. It was their favorite entry to the property as it gave the excuse of lingering in the garden's focus. The sensation was like a hug from Baradandya. They briefly scanned the house. There was no sense of urgency this morning, and Ranma seemed far more relaxed and sure of himself after helping arrest a dangerous criminal. Akane hoped it had given Ranma a boost to his self-esteem. She leaned against him and felt a distinct sense of relief when he let his arm encircle her shoulders and pull her closer. They ducked around the corner of the house when the gate swung open.

Ranma groaned as they watched Nabiki and Sakurida enter the grounds and walk up to the front door. "Awww man…"

"Don't be that way, Ranma," Akane said weakly. The last thing she needed right now was an excuse for Ranma to keep her at arm's length. "Nabiki's been more reasonable lately…"

"Lack of opportunity," he suggested.

She elbowed him softly. "Hey! That's my sister you're talking about."

"Who used to sell pictures of both of us…"

"And hasn't done that lately, either," Akane reminded him, more self-assured. "Nabiki's not like that anymore."

"No, she's moved on to bigger and better scams."

"Ranma!" She glowered at him and Ranma could feel a hammer coming on. He quickly decided to change the subject.

"I… I think maybe a bath would be a good idea," he suggested nervously.

Akane gazed at him with half-lidded eyes. Her nose wrinkled as she detected that he had a point. The suddenly she stopped glowering and started grinning like a Cheshire cat. "Why, Mr. Saotome, are you suggesting we share a furo?" Ranma gulped and shivered, blushing badly. His eyes narrowed when he saw that, despite her words, she wasn't in much better shape. An eyebrow tracked up and a smirk began to emerge. The furo had hot water, after all.

"What would ya say if I said yes?" His hands suddenly felt hot through her jacket. She gulped.

Her heart pounded as he slipped his arm under the back of her legs. Her arms around his neck. He began to pick his way around the back of the house toward the bath. "Ah… Ranma? Are you serious?" He grinned, an expression that sent hot flashes straight through her.

"Nihau!"

"Ahhh!" Ranma almost dropped Akane in their joint shock at Shampoo's sudden appearance at the kitchen door. "Don't do that!" exclaimed Ranma, slumping against the side of the building and letting Akane regain her feet.

"Where you go?" Shampoo asked suspiciously and almost sadly. "I wake up, Ranma and Akane both gone."

"Ranma was gone when I woke up," Akane said, one hand on her bosom. Her heart was still pounding from Ranma's earlier words and actions and Shampoo's advent on the scene. "I got worried and decided to follow him."

"So… Where you been since then?" Shampoo's expression was curiously neutral.

"The local police station," Ranma said resignedly. The mood was totally broken. "We were there a couple hours answering questions…"

"Ranma!" Soun Tendo was suddenly there, nearly knocking Shampoo down and unleashing a demon head at his prospective son-in-law. "How dare you get my daughter mixed up in a life of crime! You're just like your father! Oh the shame…" Behind the Tendo patriarch, the rest of the household contingent could be seen peering out at the scene. "…How will the school continue with such a dubious reputation in its — URK!" The demon-head collapsed as Akane reached through the apparition and grasped Soun by the tongue.

"How dare you!" she snarled at her father. "Ranma saved an undercover policewoman from a violent, serial rapist. We spent hours giving testimony at the station to ensure no one ever suffers from him again! How dare you attack Ranma before you hear the entire story?" Her focus was distracted as a dull clapping noise came from the kitchen. Nabiki stood there applauding wryly. "Something wrong with that?" Akane challenged. Soun extracted his tongue from her grip and retreated behind Hinako.

"Not at all," Nabiki replied smiling warmly. "In fact it's a nice change from the way you used to jump to conclusions." Akane grimaced and glanced at her fiancé as everyone sighed a little.

The situation now defused, Kasumi smiled happily. "Breakfast will be soon. Why don't you two get a bath before we eat?"

Shampoo giggled. "Make it threesome?"

Ranma and Akane blanched as Nabiki positively twitched and Soun looked like he was about to have a stroke.

"Come on, Shampoo," Akane stepped into the house and caught her Amazon sister by the arm. You and I will go first. Honestly! People will get entirely the wrong idea about you!"

The situation defused, the morning now had an opportunity to proceed in a more orderly fashion.

"So, the lieutenant might be interested in attending the dojo?" Soun asked at breakfast, as they finished explaining where they had been that morning.

"Daddy…" Nabiki sighed and looked toward the ceiling. "That's not what they said. She only said she wanted to meet everyone." Nabiki smirked. "For all we know, she plans to deliver a warning about all the property damage they cause."

Soun shriveled at the thought. Akane glanced at Sakurida and Nabiki. Nabiki usually called ahead. But Kasumi would have told them if… Why was she home? "Nabiki! What are you doing home?" Akane put her bowl down with a look of trepidation strongly written on her face. Nabiki had been very helpful, lately, but considering what happened Friday, this could be trouble. Ranma also eyed Akane's sister with concern. That didn't stop him from accepting a bowl of rice and pickles from Kasumi and continuing his morning swallow.

"Oh, I heard there was some trouble the other day," Nabiki said, sitting back to pick at her food. "I would have come sooner, but..." She pouted slightly at the looks on their faces. "What? Can't I be concerned about my family?" She turned to Ranma. "Oh, Ranma… Ranma, Ranma, Ranma." Ranma flinched at her regard. For a few moments, no one said anything.

Soun frowned. "Is something wrong, Ranma? Does this have to do with the damage at the Nekohanten?"

Ranma flinched slightly. "Wadja hear?"

Nabiki sipped her orange juice and stared over the rim of the glass, a lazy smile on her face. "You know my methods and my resources, Ranma." Ranma swallowed and lost his appetite. With a face like stone he put down his unfinished bowl. Nabiki smirked. He probably didn't need that fifth bowl anyway. "You really did it this time, Saotome." She looked startled though, when he suddenly stood up and left the table.

"Ranma," Akane called out. "Ranma?" When he left the house for the dojo without answering, she turned to her sister and snapped, "He didn't deserve that, Nabiki!"

Soun, sitting next to his wife, glanced back and forth, confused by the tug and whirl of emotions. "Would it be too much trouble for someone to tell me what he's upset about?" He watched as his younger daughters reacted to his request and Nabiki's friend turned a wide-eyed look his way. He missed the eye contact between Hinako and Kasumi. When the silence grew too long, the latter broke the standoff with an edited version of the finale of the previous week.

"Oh, Father, you know how it is around Ranma. He had another challenge." Kasumi blandly understated the enormity of the threat the young martial artists had faced.

"More than one," Hinako added her face a mask. "You know how those demons began showing up? And remember what I said about the damage in the yard? Things got rather tense for a while."

"He and Akane worked together to beat the final challenger," Kasumi continued. "They fought with honor and defeated their opponent, saving everyone, including myself and Ranma's mother. They even learned a few new ki techniques as they went along."

"Shampoo help, too," the Amazon offered weakly.

Soun straightened with concern and eyed Happosai.

"Hey! Don't look at me! I didn't do nothing," the old man growled. "I was outa town. On business."

After a moment to try to interpret that information, Soun turned back to his new wife. "I should have been called! Genma and I could have helped. Still it's gratifying to know that Ranma and… and my little girl… working together… results worthy of true martial artists…" His outbreak of joyous tears was aborted by a thought. "Why does Ranma seem upset, then?" Soun's eyes darted between Akane, Kasumi, Shampoo and Hinako. "Is anything wrong?"

"Oh… ah…" Akane winced and looked down, mumbling incoherently. Inside she was kicking herself. 'What the hell am I supposed to say?' she thought. 'I used Nanniichuan and seduced Ranma when he was a girl?'

"You know Ranma, Daddy," Nabiki broke in. "Even though he won, he probably didn't win the way he expected and that always makes him grumpy." She waved a hand dismissively. "He's such a control freak." She smirked at the others as Soun cheerfully accepted this and leisurely finished her breakfast. Done, her eyes returned to Akane who had continued to glare at her. "Oh, all right," she huffed lazily. "I'll go apologize to Ranma." She rose languidly to her feet. "Just come along and hold him down long enough for me to say I'm sorry."

Akane, Shampoo and Sakurida rose and stiffly followed her out. As Nabiki strolled over to the dojo, they held a quick conversation. "Did sisters tell you about prophecy and fight?" Shampoo demanded quietly.

"Yes! I think it's awful that you two had to resort to that," Sakurida replied. "Senbei got his, though," she said with almost spiteful satisfaction. "He isn't ever coming back, not in any form. No one hacks Yggdrasil and gets away with it." Shampoo nodded with satisfaction.

Akane winced. "Don't tell Ranma about that unless he asks. He was so upset by Saffron's death. If he thought Senbei was permanently gone, and that it was his fault…"

"I won't," Sakurida nodded in understanding, her eyes softening. "He is such a softie."

"Sakurida?" Akane asked as Nabiki reached the shoji, knocked, and then thrust them aside.

The kami met her eyes and tilted her head questioningly.

Akane nodded. "I'm not certain, but I think I hurt him somehow when we… did it."

"You know him better than me, Akane," Sakurida shrugged. "I don't have any advice for you. Heck! I don't even have a boyfriend." They jerked as Ranma's voice rang loud from the dojo. Hurrying in they found Ranma standing furious before an unconcerned Nabiki.

"Just leave me alone," Ranma was shouting. "Fine. Yer sorry! Laugh it up, why doncha?"

"Should I be laughing?" Nabiki asked calmly. "What concerns you concerns Akane. I don't want to see my sister hurt."

"She's fine," Ranma snorted. He returned savagely to his kata, missing badly on his timing. "I'm the only one who got screwed around here."

Nabiki's eyes flickered to the girls, taking in Akane's pale face, Shampoo's sigh and Sakurida's tight-lipped frown of disapproval. She watched them, detailing their reactions and coming to conclusions. She turned back to Ranma. Nabiki's ice queen façade melted away. "Oh, damn. Ranma… I am sorry. I didn't realize you'd really been hurt." Her hand reached out and gingerly pressed against his upper arm, making the contact firmer when he didn't move away. "I guess I'm to used to you being the impervious superman around here, but…"

Ranma didn't meet her eyes, but his shoulders sagged a bit. "Couldja just leave me alone, Nabiki?"

"I can't. I owe you too much, kiddo." Nabiki said softly. Her hand massaged the steely muscle of his shoulder.

Sakurida eyed her friend. "How do you know what happened, Nabiki? I know you didn't hear the conversation I had with my sisters."

"My dear roommate," Nabiki drawled, "You are a technical genius beyond compare but you know how technical competence is yet susceptible to my low tech solutions." The short brown hair tossed as she flipped her head. "I'm probably better informed than the police or the newspapers about most goings on in Nerima. I heard about the rain of rats. I was called about the statue. I had a report about a man, made out of water, running along the street. Having a pocket hurricane attack a classroom was a bit unusual, but I figured that might have been one of Ranma's Hiru Shoten Hai…"

"Was wind demon," Shampoo corrected.

"Whatever. The reports kept building in violence and bizarreness. We could see the light show on Friday, clear to the university. That scared the hell out of me." Nabiki shook herself. "I thought for a minute I should have invested in a bomb shelter," she added contemplatively. "When I checked in with my contacts this morning, I learned of the mad race through the streets with monsters chasing Ranma on a flatbed truck."

"That was Ryoga in curse-form, with wig," Shampoo informed her helpfully.

"Whatever," Nabiki said irritably. "I also heard this: "Scarlet hair, a virgin bides…" She proceeded to recite the prophecy of which Baradandya had informed them last week.

"Ngngngng! Where did you hear that?" exclaimed Sakurida.

"Really, Sakurida," the girl drawled, "Those monsters this weekend may have been powerful but most of them were only slightly brighter than a brick wall. A couple of them cornered one of my people and asked what it meant. My contact was clueless, but the same cannot be said for me."

Ranma winced.

Sakurida scowled as Akane twiddled her fingers. "So what do you think it means, Nabiki?" she asked. She winced, herself, when Nabiki gave her a get real look.

"Oh, please, Akane-chan," her sister said. "I knew Ranma was the focus of this thing long before I heard that bit of doggerel. I just hadn't realized why he was involved." She turned a pitying eye on Ranma. "And I hadn't, till now, realized that he lost."

"He didn't lose!" Akane snapped angrily before Ranma could react.

"That's not what the look on his face said, Akane." Nabiki noted the haunted look that her sister swiftly covered up. Shampoo looked away. "Look… You need me… to evaluate the threat and prepare a defense. Damage control is part of my Art. I need the whole story. I want to know who knows and what they've been told to say. Details, people. Give me the details."

Ranma sighed and sat down on the dojo floor. Everyone gathered close, Shampoo and Akane giving Ranma support and Nabiki kneeling attentively before them. "It started Wednesday. Akane and me was sparrin' in the dojo…"

Nabiki knelt, her face still holding that intent concentration that always characterized her business mask: the mask of competent intelligence. But it was a hollow mask at the moment and the light in her eyes had gone out to be replaced by an uncomprehending blankness. Akane had picked up the narrative at the point Ranma had been rendered unconscious by ki-overuse at school and brought home. It was shortly after her recital of the suggestion Shampoo had made concerning the Instant Nanniichuan, that Akane suddenly realized nobody was at home behind Nabiki's normally expressive, if controlled, face.

"Nabiki! Are you listening?" Akane asked crossly. "Nabiki!"

But nobody seemed to be home. Sakurida clucked nervously and glanced between Ranma and Akane. "I think she's unconscious."

Shampoo grinned. "She so deep, bet if someone kiss her, get ki-vision."

Akane glanced at her dryly. "Be my guest," she offered, indicating Nabiki. Shampoo looked nervous.

"Shampoo… not want risk it. Maybe there other way to bring mercenary-girl around?"

Sakurida unlimbered her mallet. Ranma's hand shot out and gripped the weapon just below the head. "Whoa! You're gonna hit her? To wake her up?"

"Hasn't Akane-chan woken you up that way?" Sakurida asked. "It's better than throwing a bucket of water on her."

While they discussed the pros and cons of malleting, Nabiki came around on her own. "Akane!" she said suddenly. Her head turned to her younger sister. "Akane… You used Instant Nanniichuan…" The normally unflappable young woman's voice faltered as she boggled at her sister. "You had sex with…" Her hand came up and she made an odd, almost Kodachi-ish titter.

"It's not funny," Ranma groused.

"I didn't say it was," Nabiki said, her eyes snapping back to him. "But it's a lot better than what I thought had happened and now that you've told me, I don't know why I didn't think of that as a solution, myself." She stared intently at Akane. "So… What was it like?"

"Nabiki!" Akane yelped. Ranma shook his head in disgust.

"Just kidding." She sat up straight and thought for a moment. "All right. I see what's wrong now." Ranma sweated. She knew? He tried very hard to control his breathing. If Nabiki understood how he felt about the whole incident, understood his turmoil and self-doubt… "If this gets out uncontrolled, your reputations are screwed, if you'll excuse the expression. It will seem as if you orchestrated the act because you both wanted to be perverts, not because it was necessary."

Ranma and Akane's jaws dropped and they turned to one another with looks of horror.

"Crap! I didn't even think of that!" they exclaimed almost in unison.

Nabiki held up her hand. "Never fear, Nabiki is here. Shampoo, are you serious about that sister of the heart business?"

Shampoo bridled. "Akane is as much my sister as yours! Maybe more!"

"And your sisters are hers as well? Barring your contests, of course."

"Yes!"

"Then here's what we'll do…"