Part Three
Nerima, one year after the Nerima Incident...
One year had passed since what was known as the Nerima Incident. The incident in which Ranma Saotome ended up nearly being killed due to the machinations of Nabiki Tendou.
Since that fateful day, things had somewhat returned to normal following the departure of most of the Nerima Wrecking Crew. Out of the group of super-powered martial artists, the Kunou clan had paid for their offense with their lives rather than take their chances with the Mamiya Clan and their infinite resources.
Aside from Cologne, Ukyou Kuonji had gotten out of this mess pretty much unscathed. Nodoka had offered her thanks in her role in saving her son's life. Her father had found out about Ukyou's selfless actions and at Nodoka's suggestion, acknowledged Ukyou as his daughter. Instead of returning home, Ukyou decided to move her shop to Azuban-Juuban, where despite the rampant youma attacks, became a popular eatery.
Happousai was the first to feel Nodoka's wrath. The founder and grandmaster of the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts was found dead from a heart attack while in Roppongi. The nightclub he had snuck into to 'liberate his silky darlings' was in fact a bar frequented by cross-dressers and newhalfs, which led to his untimely demise.
Nabiki had suspected that Nodoka had a hand in Happousai's demise, but kept silent about the matter.
Cologne had closed down the Nekohanten and returned to China. Shampoo was stripped of all her honors, her ki was sealed and her memory was erased of any and all martial arts abilities as the council of elders declared her to be a disgrace, a fate worse than death for any Chinese Amazon. Cast out of the clan, with a death sentence hanging over her head, Shampoo had disappeared into the unknown.
Of course, it was Daisuke and Hiroshi who had discovered Shampoo's fate. An imported Chinese porno that one of the guys had circulated around Fuurinkan had a nude Shampoo on the cover, surrounded by six naked men – now going by the name Dawn Chow.
Mousse, on the other hand, was not as lucky. During the final day of business for the Nekohanten, Cologne had Peking duck on the menu. Said duck was stolen by Genma Saotome, who suffered a bad case of indigestion after consuming it.
Ryouga Hibiki was the one who had found Ranma in the hospital. Unfortunately, so was Nodoka, her brother and her nephew. Ryouga was tough due to the Breaking Point training, but even he could not withstand the onslaught from Nodoka, her elder brother Akira Mamiya and her nephew Kunosuke Mamiya. In the end, Ryouga was in worse shape than Ranma. The Lost Boy barely escaped with his life.
But his troubles did not stop there. Akane had found out about the curse. As it turned out, this one Nodoka had nothing to do with, as it was a pure fluke.
After the Nerima Incident, Ryouga and Akane began to date. Three months after the Incident, Genma had formally adopted Ryouga as his new heir to the Anything Goes style. But one day, as he was escorting Akane back to the Tendou home, Ryouga was splashed by the old lady who was watering her sidewalk. He was never seen in Nerima again. Ryouga sought refuge at Akari's farm, but was chased out by Akari's sumo pig. Nodoka had burned that bridge by notifying Akari of Ryouga's involvement with the near-murder of her son.
Depressed, Ryouga tried to find his way back home. He instead, ended up in the Musk Empire. Prince Herb was less than amused to see Ryouga, as a messenger bird from Cologne had notified him of his involvement in the Incident. Herb's verdict was simple: he used the Preservation Ladle to lock in Ryouga's curse. Without telling Mint and Lime as to who the pig was, he handed them over to his underlings.
Said pig also gave both men a severe case of indigestion. Fortunately, Mint and Lime were made of tougher stuff and survived.
An unfortunate casualty of the fallout surrounding the Nerima Incident was Kasumi Tendou. Originally engaged to Tofuu Ono, the young chiropractor had terminated the engagement and moved his clinic to Juuban six months after the Incident. Nabiki had later confronted Tofuu and gave him two choices: take Kasumi back or she will use all of her power to make his life a living hell.
However, Nabiki failed to realize the influence that the Ono family had when it came to Tokyo University. Nabiki was arrested while in class and held in jail for several days. Turns out that the Ono family was just as wealthy as the Mamiya clan, and as Nabiki would later find out, one of the biggest sponsors of Toudai's medical program. Kin Ono did not take too kindly of Nabiki threatening her son.
Kin had threatened to pull the funding out from Tokyo University unless the college revoked Nabiki's scholarship and had her blacklisted from the university. Once the deans had caved in to her demands, Kin confronted Nabiki herself. Kin notified the imprisoned Tendou that she was blacklisted from Toudai, and unless she agreed to keep away from her son, then she would not be released from jail. Nabiki had no other choice but to agree to Kin's demands.
Unknown to Nabiki was the fact that she knew about Soun's wife being of Ainu ancestry (as the Ono family and the Mamiya clan were longtime friends), and Nodoka had passed on the information to Kin. Kin had no problem with the Ainu, but the fact that Soun had married a prostitute and that his youngest children were half-breed bastards did not sit right with her. So she told Tofuu, who in turn terminated the engagement with Kasumi. He did not tell Kasumi the reason why, but did not reveal Kasumi's lineage to her as per his mother's instructions.
Blacklisted from Toudai, Nabiki enrolled into Waseda University. At the same time, Akane began her senior year at Fuurinkan High School. With Ranma gone, Akane was the top martial artist of the school.
However, three weeks into the school year, a new family had moved into the town, and a new student had usurped Akane's top spot as the school's idol.
Fuurinkan High School.
From the second-story window, Akane Tendou watched with great disdain as the boys surrounded the school's idol. Unlike her previous year in which they had to fight her in order to date her, the boys this time around did no such thing. Instead, they presented flowers, candy, poems of love.
From what Nabiki had found out, the girl was the youngest of three siblings – one brother and two older sisters. Their parents had retired and had passed on the family business to the eldest son, Shinji Kazahana. From what she found out, it was something regarding information. Shinji was married to a woman from southern Japan, who was the new principal at Fuurinkan. Nabiki knew the second eldest sister, as she was in several of her classes in Waseda University. The middle sister – Kokoro Kazahana – was a famous swimsuit and racing model and actress who lived in Tokyo.
And then there was her rival, the youngest of the siblings. Mari Kazahana. There were rumors of her being promiscuous, but those were later revealed to be false. She was dating a boy, but he was not a student at Fuurinkan. Nabiki found out that he was a freshman at Toudai, a major in physical education.
At first, Akane dismissed her as a threat. Then Mari took the role of Juliet in the school play. Second, she was a very talented cook in the kitchen, having learned from her sisters, whereas Akane's cooking could count as weapons of mass destruction. Next, despite Nabiki's machinations, Mari was elected class president. The next thing that made Akane insanely jealous was that she was better martial artist than her, having been trained by her brother in Akido, as well as being an expert in Muay Boran, which was her main style.
Last, she had taken Akane's top spot as the school's idol.
Mari Kazahana was seventeen, with short dark hair (ala Ada Wong's RE4 do) and green eyes. She wore a pair of stylish reading glasses, but her vision was correct. On top of that, she had a body which reminded Akane of Shampoo. Despite her status as the most popular girl in school, Mari remained humble and earned the respect of her fellow classmates and faculty.
"I can't stand her," Akane muttered as she watched Mari walk towards the school. "She thinks she's Little Miss Perfect."
Standing beside her, were Yuka and Sayuri. Ever since the Nerima Incident, they remained friends with Akane, but watched her with a wary eye, as they had witnessed Akane brutalizing Ranma's skull with her mallet. That was followed by Akane trying to kill Ryouga upon finding out about his curse. The girls knew that Akane was insanely jealous of Mari because she was everything that Akane was not.
Akane had not even tried to make friends with her because of her jealousy. In her eyes, she was automatically cast aside by the other students and they threw in their lot with Kazahana.
But it was only a matter of time before that jealousy would blow over.
Akane stormed from the window. Yuka and Sayuri exchanged glances. They knew that Akane was going to do something very stupid.
When Mari arrived at the school's front doors, she saw Akane waiting for her. "Something you want Tendou?" Mari asked. In her mind, the mallet-wielding girl was no threat.
But even Mari was getting tired of Akane's accusations of her cheating whenever Akane lost to her, be it the school play or the election for class president.
"You're damn right, there's something I want!" Akane snapped. "I was the best martial artist! I was the best this school has to offer! Me! Then you showed up and took everything from me!"
Mari cocked one eyebrow. "You're kidding, right? I took nothing from you. I earned it."
Akane ignored her. "I challenge you to a match! A match to see who is the true idol of Fuurinkan High!"
"A match to see who is the true idol of Fuurinkan, huh?" Mari took a moment to think about that for a moment. She could have said no, but the thought of putting the arrogant Tendou in her place proved to be very enticing for her. "And when would you like for me to splatter you all over the schoolyard?"
"One week from today," Akane replied. "If I win, not only will you acknowledge me as the better martial artist, but you will also give up your seat as class president and give it to me!"
Mari shrugged her shoulders. "Suit yourself. But I will not lose to you, Tendou. In fact...I'm gonna make you say 'matte' in front of everybody here. When I win, you will acknowledge me as the better fighter," she said, her tone casual as if she was asking about the weather. "By the way, our match is going to be full contact, anything goes."
That said, Mari stepped aside Akane and entered the school.
Waseda University, later on...
Turns out that Akane wasn't the only one with problems regarding a female Kazahana.
Nabiki's chief rival was Samara Kazahana. A business major with a ruthless streak, she was more than a match for Nabiki in skill and cunning. Nineteen years old and a sophomore in Waseda, Samara was not impressed with the Ice Queen of Nerima, and made her point known when Nabiki confronted her during class one day.
However, Samara made it clear that she could just as easily crush Nabiki and not lose any sleep over it. Much to Nabiki's surprise, she also knew about the Nerima Incident.
"I know what you are thinking, Nabiki," Samara had replied. "You are going to destroy me. Far better people had tried...and failed. You may think you're good at this game...but I'm better. This is the big leagues, little girl. No one from Nerima is here to save your neck...especially your sister's ex-fiance. Take that into consideration should you wish to continue down this path."
Nabiki knew that Samara was right. Ranma was clearly off limits, and her father was pretty much useless. So Nabiki kept her distance from Samara.
Until today.
The phone call came from one of her underlings back home. Akane had just challenged Mari to a match to see who was the top idol of Fuurinkan High. No holds barred. Full Contact. Anything Goes.
Nabiki turned her head to Samara, who had just received the news via text from her cellphone. Pocketing the item, she gathered her books and started to leave, but was stopped by the Ice Queen of Nerima.
"I take it you heard about your sister's match with Akane?" Nabiki asked, smirking.
"I've heard," Samara replied, obviously uninterested. "I really don't see why I should be bothered with this."
"Think that your dear sister might lose?" Nabiki prodded, hoping to get a response.
"Quite the opposite. Akane is not a challenge for her."
"So prove it," Nabiki replied. "Put your money where your mouth is. You back Mari, and I'll back Akane."
Samara thought about it for a moment. "Done. But...from what I've heard, Mari will make Akane submit. She does that, you pay triple."
"And if Akane knocks Mari out, you pay triple," Nabiki replied.
"Deal."
The two girls shook on it.
Nabiki's network of informants and spies were working overtime on getting any dirt on Mari and Samara Kazahana. Anything for Nabiki to gain an edge over her rival in order to force Mari to take a dive. Aside from that, most of the bets were in Akane's favor, which meant she would make a killing should her sister win.
Akane, on the other hand, was training like mad. That is, if breaking bricks and punching out Ranma-shaped training dummies count as training. Since the match was Anything Goes, Akane could use her mallet. Despite what she knew by word of mouth, Nabiki had no video of Mari practicing. Any of her underlings attempting to spy on the Kazahana compound ended up in the hospital and the video equipment shattered.
Those that did not end up in the hospital were arrested by the Nerima police. Not even when she told the cops that she was working for Nabiki, they still wouldn't release her, despite the fact that Nabiki had dirt on several of the cops (which explained why Akane was not in jail for assault), not to mention that they would not let Nabiki visit her underlings, as they were in solitary confinement.
Their response to Nabiki despite her demands was that they had higher orders.
Fuurinkan High School – the day of the match.
Nabiki watched as Akane warmed up and stretched. Her henchwomen were busy as always, placing bets on her sister to win the match. After all, no one would dare to bet against Akane after what had happened with Ranma. Genma and Soun were also present, rooting for Akane.
Nabiki grinned. She was certain that Akane would get the win.
At that moment, Mari Kazahana arrived. Unlike Akane, who was dressed in a karate gi, Mari was dressed in a black tanktop, and a pair of black-and-red boxing trunks. Boxing tape was wrapped around her hands, wrists, ankles and feet.
Flanking her were her siblings. Shinji Kazahana was the eldest of the siblings, thirty years old, with slicked back dark hair and a goatee. He was dressed in a suit for the occasion, all black. His wife, the principal of Fuurinkan High (and more sane and competent than her predecessor) was at his side. Next was the famous idol, Kokoro Kazahana. She was there to support her sister, despite having left a photo shoot looking like a Gothic Lolita. Last, was Samara Kazahana.
The fight was to take place in the school courtyard, and everyone was in attendance. As Mari walked into the impromptu arena, Samara walked over to Nabiki.
The Tendou mercenary grinned. "Looks like the odds are in my favor, Kazahana," she said as Mari began to perform the Wai khru ram muay. For a practitioner of Muay Thai or Muay Boran, the wai khru ram muay was a ritual dance which also served as a warm-up for the match. As such maches were fought before the Thai kings, the dance also serves as an apology to the King for the brutality in the fight.
"It means nothing," Samara replied, shrugging her shoulders.
Nabiki grinned. "We'll see. Just remember to pay triple when Mari loses."
'You wish,' Samara thought darkly. One thing she failed to mention about her younger sister was that she was the junior martial arts champion. The look on Nabiki's face would be priceless once Mari makes Akane submit.
One of Nabiki's underlings stood in between Mari and Akane. "The rules of this match are very clear. Full contact. Anything goes. You can win by knockout or submission." To Akane, the underling said, "And try not to kill anyone."
Akane snorted. "Whatever."
The underling turned to Mari. "Mari Kazahana, ready?"
Mari nodded and stood in place, not going into a stance.
The underling turned to Akane. "Akane Tendou, ready?"
"Yeah!" Akane shouted as she went into her stance.
At that moment, Samara snapped her fingers. "Oh! I forgot to mention one thing about Mari," she said to Nabiki.
"What's that?" the Ice Queen asked.
"Aside the fact that she is a black belt in both Muay Boran and Akido, that you probably already know," Samara rattled off, "she's also the junior martial arts champion in the Tokyo region."
Nabiki's eyes went wide at that little revelation.
"Ready...and GO!" the underling shouted as she ran back to the sidelines.
At the same time, Akane charged, her fist cocked back for a knockout punch. With a bored look on her face, Mari ducked, and slammed her elbow into Akane's face. Akane went down, falling into a heap, blood pouring from the nose as Soun screamed Akane's name.
"Is that it?" Mari asked, bored. She turned to Nabiki. "I expected more out of her. Call the match. It's over."
"NO!"
Mari turned around. Akane was back on her feet. "I'm not done yet!"
Mari smiled. Then she went into a Muay Boran stance. From the sidelines, Genma looked worried. He had spent time in Thailand during the training trip, and knew just how formidable Muay Boran was. He tried to warn Akane, but she refused to listen.
Genma winced as Mari's knee met Akane's jaw, Akane falling to the ground yet again. But the youngest Tendo wasn't down for long. Genma saw why, and grinned. Mari had hopped out of the way, as Akane's fist had left an impact crater in the ground. Akane had somehow acquired a second batch of Super Soba noodles and consumed it, giving her superhuman strength.
Nabiki had paid a pretty penny for the batch of Super Soba, as she wanted to see Samara knocked down a couple of pegs. But Samara didn't look worried as Mari danced around Akane, tagging her with punches, knees and elbows. Following a butterfly twist to avoid Akane's wide mallet swing, Mari countered with a knee to the face, knocking Akane down again. A second elbow to the face knocked Akane back down again.
Akane got back to her feet and charged, hoping to get in close so she could grapple Mari into submission. "Predictable," Mari snorted as she sidestepped the attempt, grabbed Akane's extended wrist, and twisted the arm to the point where it looked like Akane was forced to bow at the waist.
SMACK-SMACK-SMACK-SMACK-SMACK-SMACK.
Mari struck Akane's head repeatedly with her first, her opponent's head rocking violently to the side with each blow, which was followed by an akido hip toss, sending Akane to the ground.
"So...Little Miss Martial Artist..." Mari began, "who do you think will win? Me, the junior martial arts champion? Or the wannabe martial artist who doesn't have a chance in hell of beating me? Save yourself the trouble and just forfeit. Less painful for you."
At that, the people who had placed their bets on Akane had become very angry. Nabiki glared at Samara, who whistled innocently as the fight continued.
Akane got back up again, despite the throbbing pain in her head, and attacked again with her mallet.
"Your funeral," Mari replied. "Today, you shall be the ass-kick-ee, while I will be the ass-kick-er."
When Akane overextended her reach, Mari moved in and kicked the mallet out of her hands, right before unleashing a volley of elbows on Akane's face. Left elbow, right elbow, left upper elbow, right upper elbow, which Mari finished with an overhead elbow strike to Akane's skull, knocking her back to the ground.
Now the fight was in Mari's favor. Her attacks were precise, no wasted movement. Straight punches to Akane's face caused one eye to close. An uppercut ended with Akane biting her tongue. A kick to the stomach caused her to vomit up the Super Soba. Mari leapt into the air, her left leg extended to strike Akane in the face. Akane saw it coming and ducked, but failed to notice Mari's right leg lashing out, catching her square in the face. Mari was back on her feet and landed another punch to Akane's face.
When Akane tried to kick her, Mari countered it, and flung her to the ground, where she landed facedown. Before Akane could get back up again, Mari leapt into the air, and drove her knee into her spine, causing Akane to cry out in pain.
With Akane pinned, Mari grabbed her right arm and twisted it backwards in a bone-breaker move.
"Say it! Say it, Akane!" Mari shouted.
"Fuck you!" Akane shouted back.
"Wrong answer!" Mari shouted as she yanked back on Akane's arm. A sickening POP was heard as Mari dislocated Akane's arm out of its socket. Mari then dropped the useless arm and Akane felt Mari's hands on her head, twisting it to the point of breaking.
"Say it!" Mari shouted. "Say it in front of everyone! Say it now or I will snap your neck!"
"AAAAHHHH! Matte! Matte!" Akane screamed as her other hand tapped the ground repeatedly.
Mari did not let up. "Who is the idol of Fuurinkan? Who is the best female martial artist in Nerima?"
"You are! YOU ARE!"
"Good." Mari released her hold on Akane. "Never forget that, Tendou."
With the exception of Soun wailing about his baby girl, the crowd was silent. Nabiki was furious. Not only did Akane lose, but she lost a lot of money.
Mari didn't look barely winded in the slightest. In fact, she looked disappointed. "Hell, the competition was a lot better back in the junior tournaments. This was a joke."
Holding her dislocated shoulder, Akane got back to her feet. Upon seeing that Mari's back was facing her, she reached for her mallet. Hefting it with one hand, she let out a scream and charged, hoping to cave in Mari's head as she tried to with Ranma one year ago.
Samara saw the sneak attack and thought one thing. 'This isn't going to end well.'
Mari grabbed a juice box from a spectator, spun around, shoved it in Akane's face, and squeezed. Orange juice spilled out, splashing onto Akane's face, blinding her.
CRUNCH.
The gathered students winced as Mari unleashed a rising knee, which knocked Akane out cold. Samara, in the meantime, collected her winnings, Nabiki being outright furious over the fact that her sister had lost, and that she had lost to Samara once again.
Samara turned to Nabiki and gave a small bow. Even the bow screamed, 'Fuck you' to Nabiki. The Kazahana clan the left the arena without a single word.
Three days had passed and the news had spread like wildfire. Akane Tendou had lost her match against Mari Kazahana. Despite the witnesses that saw Akane lose the match fair and square, Akane claimed that Mari had cheated. But the results were clear. Akane was not a martial artist, but a thug.
Mari was humbled following her victory. She did not gloat over it. After all, she kicked Akane's ass with plenty of witnesses.
As a result, Akane lost her remaining friends and admirers. And it all came to a head when Akane tried to ambush Mari while she was at home.
Nabiki frowned as she hung up the phone. Her sister was currently held in Nerima's police station.
Apparently, Akane had tried to ambush Mari while at a family gathering inside their home. Even more worse was that she tried to mallet two of her relatives who had tried to stop her. After Akane had gotten beaten down by Mari once again, the police were summoned and had carted Akane away. Once again, Nabiki had tried to use her clout with the local police to have Akane released.
When they refused, Nabiki reminded them that she still had dirt on both men, and wanted her sister released within the hour. Surprisingly, the police told her respectfully to fuck off.
Then, Nabiki received a second call. She was expecting it to be from one of her underlings. Instead, it was Samara Kazahana.
"If you want Akane to see daylight, come to my home. We have much to discuss. Your refusal would be most unwise."
Kazahana Compound, night.
Inside the study of the Kazahana home, Nabiki sat in front of Samara Kazahana, who sat behind her brother's desk, her laptop open. Standing beside her was an older man, around the age of her father, looking quite dapper in his dark business suit.
"What do you want?" Nabiki demanded, not used to being ordered around.
Samara's expression was calm. "No need to be rude, Tendou. I just asked you to come by for a friendly chat."
The hairs on Nabiki's neck began to rise. This was the same method she used whenever she had some dirt on her intended targets.
Samara gestured to the man standing beside her. "This is my uncle, Hayate Kazahana, of the Koanchosa-sho. He was present during our sisters' match...and he was also present when Akane tried to assault Mari earlier."
"The Public Security Intelligence Agency?"
Hayate nodded. "One and the same. Normally, I would turn a blind eye as to what my niece does, but your sister attempted to cause bodily harm to my son and daughter. This...is something that I cannot forgive, as I am forced to act."
"You're wondering why your sister was not released when you talked to the cops?" Samara asked. "Easy. My uncle has quite the influence within law enforcement. As for you, you no longer have any leverage on them. The computer shop where you had your laptop and computer repaired? The employees work for my brother. All I had to do was ask nicely for the info stored on your hard drives. Once I told the police that your leverage on them was gone, not to mention who my uncle was, they decided to keep Akane in jail for a little while longer. But I got plenty of dirt...on you."
Nabiki retained her cool. "Are you threatening me? You know I love empty threats."
"No threats. Just cold, hard facts," Samara replied, interlocking her fingers Gendou Ikari-style. "Your greatest sin is pride. In fact, the Christian Bible has a verse on the sin of pride that I like very much. Proverbs 16:18. 'Pride goes before the destruction, and a haughty spirit before the fall.'"
"Your problem is that you think yourself to be untouchable," Hayate continued. "So what's stopping me in having Nerima's finest hauling you away and putting the National Tax Agency on your doorstep? Information, Nabiki. That is what the Kazahana deals with. My family made quite a living as information brokers. We research our quarry."
"Then, we either blackmail them or sell that information to their enemies," Samara said. "You and I are the same, Nabiki. Only difference is that you are a shadowy reflection of me."
"So get to the point. What do you want?"
Samara smiled. "You want Akane out of jail? It will cost you. Your racketeering and betting pools have made some serious coin over the years. I want sixty percent of your overall profits."
Nabiki rose from her seat. "You just screwed with the wrong mercenary, Kazahana. Both of you. I will make not only your life hell, but your sister as well."
As Nabiki reached the study's door, she was frozen in her tracks when Hayate began to speak. "In that case, give your father my regards. So tell me...how is Soun? Is he still a member of the Nerima Council? Although, he and Genma Saotome might not be healthy enough to understand the ramifications of your actions should you walk out that door."
Nabiki was frozen as Hayate continued to turn the knife.
"Although...if you need anymore convincing, I'm just as partial to Kasumi. In fact, I know her very well."
Nabiki turned around. "What...?"
Samara smirked. "So the Ice Queen does have a weakness after all. Like I said, gathering information is a Kazahana specialty. Not as good as Ranma's family, but we take pride in our work. We deal with all sorts of people; the government, the Yakuza, even businessmen, as long as the price is right. So imagine my surprise when Uncle Hayate here picked up a young woman from a bar in Kabukicho who had just recently been dumped by her fiance for reasons unknown. They had a...tryst stand inside a love hotel."
Samara punched in several keys and spun the laptop around.
Nabiki's eyes went wide as the color drained from her face.
"YES! OH! OH MY! HARDER! DEEPER!"
Kasumi, naked, in the throes of drunken passion with Hayate himself. The hidden cameras clearly showed her face as he plowed into her from behind, Hayate's face covered with a mosaic.
Nabiki sank back in the chair.
"Even though I am a widower, I do get the occasional itch," explained Hayate. "And dear, chaste Kasumi was the one who scratched it. She was very sweet...and very pink," he added in a lecherous tone. "In fact, she was so nice, that I fucked her twice."
Samara turned the laptop back around and paused the video. "Imagine my surprise when I found out that the woman in the video was none other than your older sister. The video is already a big hit in America. Over a million hits and counting. I haven't released it here...yet. Imagine...sweet, not-so-chaste Kasumi as a porn star. All I got to do is press 'Enter' and I will stream this video over the internet here."
Samara then tapped the button. "And that is that."
"NO!" Nabiki shouted.
"Oopsie. That was the 'shift' button," Samara said, chuckling. "Your sister is safe...for now."
Nabiki breathed out a sigh of relief. But she knew that this wasn't going to end well for her.
"So...how do you like my 'empty threats' so far?" Samara taunted. "Now the demand is seventy-five percent. I'm sure the Yakuza would be very interested in seeing how Kasumi works in their soapland brothels..and they'll take all of your profits and force you to work for them. One phone call is all that is needed. And here, I'm giving you a bit of leeway."
"This is extortion! You're blackmailing me!" Nabiki accused. "That money goes to my family!"
"Bullshit. Your family has been living off of your mother's life insurance. You make money just for the hell of it."
"But..."
Samara shrugged her shoulders. "Not like you did the same to innocent people. But I prefer to call it good business. Refuse, and what was it you said to me...'I'll make your life hell.' Kasumi will be the first. I can release it to our classmates in a mass e-mail. Just imagine...the sister of the 'Ice Queen' in her own homemade porno. I think I would also release it to your high school alumni. And imagine what kind of reaction the video would get from the various criminal organizations. I heard the Red Mafiya pays a handsome price for such a woman. And let's not go into what the Albanian sex traffickers would do..."
Nabiki was shaking her head, as it this was a bad dream. "No..."
"Akane...well, an altered birth certificate does wonders when you want to send someone to prison," continued Hayate. "She'll have the honor of being the first teenager to be sent to an adult prison before she's legal. On second thought...forget about making your life hell. I'll just simply destroy you, and not lose any sleep over it. I will destroy you, your family, and your elder sister will be known as the town bicycle. Who knows...maybe she will be a big hit at the Yakuza-owned soapland brothels in the red-light district. So, Tendou...yes...or no?"
Nabiki slumped her shoulders. She had not felt this helpless since her mother had died. But she had no other choice. "Okay. You win."
"Good to see you're not stupid." Samara then produced a contract. "Sign the papers. Better make this binding and legal. And add your hanko to it."
Nabiki did as she was told. Samara then signed the contract, and sealed it. "Pleasure doing business with you Nabiki."
"And Akane?"
"Akane will be released and will be waiting for you when you get home. I give you my word. As for this video, I'll hold on to it. Just to be sure that you know your place. I will be expecting payment come tomorrow." As Nabiki rose from her seat, Samara decided to let loose one final parting shot. "Not so fun when you're on the receiving end, isn't it, Tendou? Remember this night. I own Akane...I own Kasumi...I even own your ass. You're no longer in charge of Nerima. I am. But to keep up appearances, you will still be the Ice Queen of Nerima. But you will answer to me and me only. Now get out."
Nabiki gave Samara one more hate-filled glare before storming out of the study.
Hayate took the copy of the contract and left the study. Minutes later, Mari entered the study. Minutes later, Mari entered the study. "Well?"
Samara grinned. "What was that line from that gaijin show that Dad used to watch? 'I love it when a plan comes together?' That was pretty devious, even for you, little sister. Dad would be very proud of you."
Mari smiled. "I learned from the best, after all. The fact that Kasumi was a star in an impromptu porno gave us the advantage. Pretty nice bluff with releasing the video overseas."
"Thank you."
It was after the last time that Akane had accused Mari of cheating that Mari finally had enough. It was when she had identified Kasumi in the video with the Yakuza that she began to plan with Samara. A plan which would ultimately dethrone the Ice Queen.
The police that Nabiki had dirt on and the computer shop where Nabiki had gotten her computer repaired was more than willing to help. As it turned out, one cop was taking money on the side, while another was having an affair. Once Nabiki found out, she had both men by the balls.
Mari and Samara then formulated a plan against the Tendou sisters; using Akane's pride as a martial artist and Nabiki's love of money and of her sisters against the both of them. Mari even planned as far as to beating Akane down within an inch of her life when she tried to ambush her again, but opted for calling the cops on her instead.
"You could have gone for broke and take everything Nabiki had. Why didn't you?" Mari asked.
"I could have, but it would be unfair and ungenerous of me to do so," Samara replied. "I am no tyrant, but Nabiki still needed to be humbled. The choice of paying us the cash or facing up to twenty years in prison and having your sister outed as a whore tends to do that to some people."
"And my cut?"
"You'll get that tomorrow," Samara replied.
Mari nodded and returned to her room. Samara leaned back in her seat and smiled at her victory.
Tendou Home.
Sure enough, Nabiki saw that Akane had been released from jail and was in the furo. Soun and Genma were crying tears of joy following Akane's release from jail.
Nabiki passed the kitchen and saw that Kasumi was inside, preparing the evening meal. As she watched Kasumi cook, she remembered the day that Tofuu had dumped her and Kasumi was out all night. Nabiki assumed that she was at a friend's house, and had left it at that.
Instead, she was getting her brains fucked out by Samara's uncle.
"Is something the matter, Nabiki?"
Kasumi's voice snapped Nabiki out of her thoughts. "Um...nothing. I'm not hungry, so I'll be skipping dinner."
"Oh. Okay then."
Nabiki departed from the kitchen and headed for her room. Once the door was locked, she slid down against the door as the totality of the day's events had played out in her mind.
Nabiki Tendou was known for her mercenary ways, that she always got what she wanted one way or another. Now, someone else had used her own tactics against her, using her own sisters as clout. And now, there was nothing that Nabiki could do.
The helplessness returned with a vengeance as Nabiki remembered Samara's final words to her.
"I own Akane...I own Kasumi...I even own your ass."
With that thought, Nabiki Tendou broke down and cried.