'Secret' is my middle name
Disclaimer: I have no rights on the Ranma and friends side, but at least the rights on the plot.
So if you like this story, give me all your money and I'll give these rights over to you...
Just kidding..
maybe..
Prelude – A New Day in Nerima Ward
It is a new day around here in Nerima, a really beautiful morning, with the promise for an even more beautiful day. The sky is blue; the sun is shining, warming up the earth, the trees in the parks and their flowers and don't forget the butterflies.
As I said it is a beautiful morning. Butterflies are dancing from flower to flower, a little squirrel is running around, collecting a few nuts, birds flying around, singing their songs of joy out into the morning breeze, singing and dancing and twisting around in midair while looking for their landing spot, which happens to be a large see in the middle of the park.
Wait a minute..
That's no bird..
That's..
Splash
"Oh, this uncute tomboy. When will she ever stop hitting me?"
Any questions about who that might be? No? Thought so..
"It's not that I did something wrong. I've just told her the truth. The thing she calls food just crawled out of the front door. Why did she mallet me for telling her that she must be related to Frankenstein? After all she created life!
Still.. Who ever has heard of food running away from their cook AFTER it came out of the oven? And I should TASTE it? Stupid tomboy."
"Maybe, just maybe you should close your mouth and stop insulting her once in a while?"
Ranma whirled around in a ready stance, which he relaxed soon after as he realized that it was just Nabiki.
"Stop doing that. Every time you see me.. It is really annoying you know? How do you do that anyway? Sneaking up on me without me noticing?"
"Sorry. No can tell," answered a smirking Nabiki. "A girl needs to keep her secrets."
"Yeah, so that she can continue with her blackmail, money grabbing and other 'fun' activities? Just the thing one needs as a hobby."
Ranma's mouth is again in his famous insult-it-now-think-about-it-later-if-ever mode, but hey, what else is new?
The only sign Nabiki gives him for this comment is a slight rise of her brow. Nothing anyone would see, except you're waiting for it. Ranma, as usual, isn't seeing anything.
"Anyway.. How do you think you'll pay me my money back? It's already three weeks over your due time and I have yet to see even one yen. I think it's high time for your payment, don't you think so?"
"Hey, what can I do? The old ghoul doesn't need any help right now and there is no other way for me to come to money." Ranma clearly has no clue as how to pay her back. But if you know Nabiki, you'll know that she has always a backup-plan ready.
"Hmm, now that you've mentioned it.. There is a way for you to get money. Just let good ol' Nabiki have a look into it and you'll literally swim in it. Meet me tomorrow after school and we'll work something out."
And with that, Nabiki was on her way back home, leaving a bewildered Ranma behind.
'She has a job for me?'
…
'I'll get money to pay my dept back?'
…
'There wasn't a shark-like grin on Nabiki's face, was it?'
…
'No can't be. I must see things.. Don't I?'
…
Maybe he is seeing things, maybe..
…
But maybe not.
'Secret' is my middle name
Chapter 1 – A not so normal job-interview
"Ok, I am here. And I am on time, so.. Where the hell is Nabiki?"
Ranma isn't in his best mood. First his father tried to drown him in the pond.. At 6 o'clock on a SUNDAY MORNING!!
After a quick wash up in the furo he was hit with a well known mallet and send on a one-way-flight over Nerima by Akane-Air. Why? Just because he tried to 'pick on her P-Chan'.
Why must she show up, just as he wanted to kick the pig straight up to the moon?
It's almost as if she has a 'Ranma-picks-on-P-Chan'-Radar and just 'knows' he is about to pick on her poor little thing, (while she ALWAYS missed the times when the pig starts the fights).
And finally as Ranma was about to sit down to watch a bit of TV or something other, Nabiki shows up and claims he has to get ready for his job interview, (while forgetting to mention anything about his employer, what happens to his payment or anything else asked about his so called interview and most of all: WHY is there a job interview on a SUNDAY??.)
A short time later he watched her as she told her and his father about his horrifying financial situation and that she had found a job for him.
They were a bit indifferent about it, because Ranma is still a minor in the eye of the law, so..
Afterwards she mentioned something along the line, that if they don't want him to earn his own keep, they could help anytime. They just have to come to her and she'll find them a job to help with the household.
Needless to say that they were at once for this 'little bit of work' that Ranma would have to do. His father even tried to tell him how a 'man should earn his own keep and don't live on the expenses of others'. Genma asked himself why they looked at him like that before he ignored it and shoved Ranma upstairs to get his clothes. 'Good first impressions' and all.
And so here he is. Wearing his better clothes and looking all around for any sign of his wayward slave driver.. (Not that he would say that out loud. He knew from experience that Nabiki has her ears everywhere.)
"Where is she? She wanted to be here half an hour ago, so where the heck is she?"
Ranma is about to forget it all and head home when a hand lands on his shoulder.
"AAAaaaaaah!"
Whirling around he comes face to face with Nabiki.
Still standing in a ready-stance he yells: "DON'T DO THAT!! I nearly got a heart attack!"
"Oh, poor little Ranma is scared of lill' ol' me? Oh, my poor Ranma, here is a lolly for you."
Please meet Miss Sarcasm. 'It's a pleasure.'
"Did you have to wait long for me?" Oh, I forgot.. Here is Miss Innocent. 'Monsieur.'
Ranma, just being back in control, (at least he likes to think so,) spoke with his usual finesse.
"I was just heading home. Have fun. I am out'a here. I don't like ta wait half a day, just so you can.."
"Ranma, Ranma. Hasn't anybody ever told you, that you should close your mouth before a fly comes for a visit?"
"That's it. I'm out'a here!" With that he prepares to jump to the next rooftop with the intention for a quick run homewards, when a picture was shoved into his way.
"Oh, in that case there isn't any way that I'll forget about this picture of you kissing Ukyou. I am sure Akane might find them more than interesting. Or what should I do with these pictures of you? Hmm, maybe Tatewaki and Kodachi are willing to pay me the money you own me. Such a shame.."
"But.. But I.. But she... Ok, ok, I give up" a slumped down Ranma answers, "where do we need to go?"
Half an hour later Nabiki and Ranma are seen entering one of the many skyscrapers in the downtown area of Tokyo.
Ranma looks around in awe as he enters the place. Never before has he seen such pompous displays of money. Wherever he looked, everything is made of marble and gold. A huge bronze statue of Atlas, the god who carries the world on his shoulders, stands there in the middle of the entrance hall, looking down to his visitors.
Nabiki ignores all this as if she had seen this already thousands of times and goes straight through the hall and to the receptionist.
"Hello, we are Ranma Saotome and Nabiki Tendo and we're here for our appointment with Mr. Yakazuma," says Nabiki as soon as the woman looks at her.
"Ah, yes. You are here for the job interview, aren't you? My name is Miss Harashino and I'll see to it, that you'll reach your destination as quick as possible. Please follow me."
With that she leaves her place at the reception and leads them to an elevator, a slightly secluded one. Not one of all the other people in the entrance area come even close to this one as they take the central and out in the open elevators to wherever they go.
At the elevator the woman takes a keycard out of her purse, uses it in a hidden keycard reader to call the elevator and motions for them to step inside, once it is there. They don't hesitate a moment and enter.
Two minutes and a silent ride later they reach the upper floor of the skyscraper with a 'Ping'. Up here it doesn't look any less pompous than the entrance hall. Marble is still the most prominent character but it isn't as hard and as sterile as the entrance was. Here grow a few flowers and even a small tree is standing in a corner.
The woman leads them to a waiting room.
"Please have a seat while I inform Mr. Yakazuma of your arrival."
She smiles one last time to them and leaves the room.
As soon as they were alone Nabiki grabs Ranmas Hand to pull him to her and whispers: "Ranma don't tell anything stupid. The best is you don't talk at all. Let me handle the negotiation and everything will be fine. Do you understand?"
"Yeah, yeah. You've told me that at least twenty times already. Don't ya worry, it'll be alright. You'll do the haggling and I am only there to stay close and look good. Yeah, yeah, I know.." answers an obviously bored Ranma.
The room itself was a nicely decorated open one with some chairs and tables at the walls and a big table in the center. It looks like this is the room where the CEO negotiates with other Higher Ups. This is the place where Nabiki wants to be after she has done her college degree.
Looking around, Nabiki approves of the nicely furnished room and fantasizes about her being at the head of the table and ordering her lackeys around.
Hey, who can blame her? It's after all just her dream of the future.
Meanwhile can Ranma be found in the nearest chair. He flops down on it and is soon idling around. At first he tries to kill the time by flipping through some magazines. He tries his luck to find something even remotely connected to Martial Arts. (Without much luck. Everything inside is just stuff like how to make money and keep it flowing. It is just the reading material for Nabiki, but for Ranma? It is just good enough for a campfire.)
A few minutes later the door opens up again but instead of the woman who led them up here there are a few really muscular man.
The kind you'll find in the gym.
The kind who thinks they are the top of the world and everybody else is so beneath them.
To be short, the kind you see when you see Tatewaki Kuno. I think you got the point?
But back to the scene..
They enter the room and as soon as they lay their eyes on Nabiki, they are just over her, like flyes over a ... I spare you the details.. They flirt with her (or whatever you like to call that) and show of their muscles and shapely bodies. It is so much fun to watch them doing their worst..
Except you are in the middle of it all.
"Nice Fanclub there, Nabiki. Where did you get all these nice boys on such a short notice?" comes the laughing voice from Ranma as he tried in vain to keep his laughter inside.
"It is nice that at least one of us has fun today" mumbles Nabiki as the men give her a bit room for breathing.
"Why don't you come and try if you'ree more lucky? I just happen to have a glass of water with me."
This causes the men to stop short and mumble a bit in confusion about what she meant with that, but soon let that behind and advances forward on Ranma.
"Hey you! We don't like your face around here. So leave us alone and go home to your mommy. Don't you hear her calling? She wants you to come home, your bed is ready. So go home and leave this lady to people who understand her needs."
Ranma isn't really reacting to this so the man continued to rant to him, how he is nothing and needs his mommy to hold his hand and so on.
While doing so they miss one small detail.. The temperature in the room is rapidly dropping.
As they finally realize that their breath can be seen in the air, they start to wonder what just happened.
Nabiki realizing what is about to happen tries to defuse the situation. She knows, Ranma has a lot of patience. But never, and I really mean NEVER, insult his mother. This is one point where he can't just stand by and take what ever comes. Even his rivals have learned the lesson to never talk ill about his mother. They learned this lesson extremely thoroughly in a effective but really, really painful way. This day nobody speaks ill of Ranmas mother.
"Ranma, just ignore them. They are just a bunch of arrogant boasters. There is nothing behind their speech so just let them be."
Calling them arrogant and boasters wasn't exactly the right approach, as one of them shoves her hard, causing her to nearly fall down.
At this moment hell broke loose..
To say that a fight indoor tends to ruin some furniture is as if you say fire tends to be a bit hot. Both can only be proven by experience.
Nabiki stands at the door, looking back inside the room. Literarily every piece of furniture was destroyed and there were holes in some walls. Not to mention all the destroyed paintings. She thought that some were really old originals, but now there are only rugs in broken frames.
Broken on a head, to send the victim to unconsciousness, smashed through by steel hard fists or broken by a well placed kick were only some of the ill fates of all the chairs, tables and paintings in the room.
"They shouldn't have done that," comes the mumbling voice from her right side.
Ranma stands there looking only slightly touched from it all. Even after all the fighting going on inside this room, only a small tear made it to his shirt. Everything else is still as good as before. Only slightly more ruffled.
"You should learn to let small things like an insult not to get to you. It corrupts your perception and makes you do dump things like destroying a complete room."
Nabiki isn't angry.
"Do you know what the interior of the room costs?"
She may be furious but she is not angry.
"DO YOU HAVE A BLOODY IDEA WHO MIGHT PAY FOR ALL THE DAMAGE? YOU???"
At least not much.
"YOU F#§&§§..." (Censored because of language)
I think..