I do not own Ranma 1/2

Miles to Go Before I Wake

Chapter 2

The walk to the Tendo Dojo was quiet and uneventful. Tatewaki followed behind Nabiki unresponsive, but unresisting. They passed several people on their trip, but for the most part the denizens of Nerima either recognized Tatewaki as a rival of Ranma's, or Nabiki as a member of the Tendo family, and almost subconsciously ignored them. After all, most of them had long ago learned that noticing the strange people and events surrounding Ranma Saotome was the first step in being involved with those strange people and events. Thus for the most part the regular citizens of Nerima tried to live their lives in a semi-oblivious state, ignoring the antics of the super martial artists in their midsts, unless they were either forced to be involved, or the spectacle was entertaining with little danger involved.

Arriving at the gate to the Tendo compound, Nabiki led the way inside and into the front foyer where she quickly shed her shoes and left Tatewaki with instructions to remain there while she went ahead and scouted out the situation in the rest of the house. Since it was after the normal Tendo breakfast time, but well before the lunch hour, Nabiki knew that the members of the household had already gone their separate ways, so she made her way to the kitchen where Kasumi would likely be found. Her elder sister was indeed still in the kitchen, just finishing the cleaning of the mess from breakfast. "Hey Kasumi, is the furo free?" Nabiki asked as she paused in the doorway.

Kasumi turned only slightly away from the sink while continuing to clean dishes as she replied, "Oh I'm sorry, I just drained it, if you would like though, I could fill it up for you again in a few minutes."

"No, its not that big of a deal, I just brought over a friend who needed to get cleaned up, but the shower should be good enough for him. By the way does dad have any clothes that he could borrow? The ones he's wearing now are dirty, and I think that Ranma's clothes would be a little too small for him." Nabiki slightly smirked as she said this, she knew that it would definitely get her sister's attention.

She wasn't disappointed, Kasumi quickly turned off the sink and turned to face Nabiki fully, while wiping her hands with a dish towel. "Oh my, you brought a boy home Nabiki? I'm not sure if ... " Kasumi started to say before she was interrupted by Nabiki.

"Don't worry sis, its just Tatewaki Kuno, I found him wandering around town earlier and he looked pretty beat down, so I offered him a place to rest for a few hours while he collects himself." Nabiki said as she waved her hand in a dismissive manner and then helped herself to the chocolate in the candy jar located on the counter next to the door.

Kasumi had of course heard of the tragic death of Principal Kuno from Ranma and Akane earlier, so she was immediately sympathetic to the young Kuno's plight. "Oh, I hope the poor boy is alright. I should make a nice meal to raise his spirits." Kasumi turned toward a nearby row of cabinets, as she did, she suddenly remembered her sister's earlier request. "I just did the laundry, and there is one of father's old work out outfits drying on the line outside, it should be ready in a little while. Oh yes, and Ranma and his father left for Okinawa this morning, there was a news story about a spring of manliness or some such thing found on one of the islands there, so Kuno can rest in the guest room if he would like." Smiling, Kasumi turned back to finding the proper utensils that she would need to make a suitable feast to aide Kuno in shrugging off his melancholy. She idly wondered if perhaps it was too early in the season for Anmitsu.

Nabiki smiled at the antics of her sister before balling up the chocolate wrappers and throwing them in the nearby recycling bin. She turned and made her way back to the foyer where she had left Tatewaki, and found that he had advanced further into the house and was admiring one of the wall scrolls decorating the main hallway. Although admiring might have been a strong term to use, he was starring at it, but whether he actually even saw it was anyone's guess.

"Come on Kuno-baby, you need to get cleaned up, then you can rest for a while. Trust me, it will all seem better after a nice long sleep." Nabiki's sudden appearance startled Tatewaki out of his silent stupor, and he quickly looked up and met her eyes. His gaze was deep and unfathomable, it shook Nabiki slightly, but the moment quickly passed when Tatewaki again looked away. "Come on." Nabiki said, grabbing one of Tatewaki's arms and literally dragging him to the bathroom. She let go of him in the dressing area when she knocked on the inner door and then proceeded to poke her head into the bathroom to make sure that it really was empty. Turning back to Tatewaki Nabiki said, "Well I assume that you will be able to undress yourself. The bathroom is through there," she said pointing to the inner door, "I'll go and get you some fresh clothes. I'll just leave them out here, just shout if you need anything." Without waiting for anything more than a curt nod from Tatewaki she turned and placing the occupied sign on the door, walked out toward her room. She had cameras to unpack and set up during this perfect opportunity of Ranma's absence.

Tatewaki remained where he stood for a few seconds, until the sounds of Nabiki's footsteps had faded away, then he started to take stock of the room he was in. It was nice enough, clean, warm, inviting, small. This was what most people's bathrooms must look like he thought to himself. His only experiences with bathing facilities had of course come from the opulent bathrooms at the Kuno manor where the changing rooms where at least ten times the size of the one he was currently in, enough to hold over twenty people comfortably. Of course there had never been twenty people at one time in his bathroom, so that was mere conjecture. In fact there had never been anyone else besides himself in his bathroom. In the Kuno house, each bedroom was allocated an equally magnificent bathroom, each with their own furo, though there was a larger communal outdoor furo. That was perhaps the most significant difference between the upper class and the rest of mankind, they could afford not to share, and they could afford lots of space. They could afford loneliness.

Banishing his continually depressing thoughts, Kuno began to mechanically undress himself, neatly separating his clothes into a well folded pile with his accessories such as his watch and cuff links placed upon it. He then moved into the bathroom proper and unconsciously taking note of the smallness of the space and how it only added to the charm of the room instead of detracting from it, located the small stool to sit on next to the shower head and water taps mounted to the wall. Twisting one of the taps Tatewaki felt the forceful spray of water hit his body, although he didn't pay particular attention to the temperature of the water. Locating soap and a washcloth, he began to mechanically clean himself.

Nabiki smiled to herself as she heard the water running when she returned bringing a fresh set of clothes with her. For a little while she had been half afraid that Tatewaki was so out of it that he would have been still standing in the dressing room, like a lost and confused puppy. She put the armful of clean clothes down on the counter within easy arm distance of the bathroom door and next to the pile of Tatewaki's dirty clothes. Noticing the Fendi wristwatch and the diamond stud gold cuff links, Nabiki quickly slipped them into her pocket next to Tatewaki's wallet. After all, who knew what kind of unscrupulous person would come by and take advantage of the fact that they were just sitting there. It would be wise if Nabiki stored them for Tatewaki, just for safe keeping. Nabiki then picked up the pile of dirty clothes, and not caring if they might be dry clean only, transported them to the laundry area.

She then made her way to the living room where she turned on the television to a random channel and pulled out Tatewaki's wallet, ignoring the section for cards, going straight to the cash slot. There she found slightly over twenty one thousand yen. Nabiki grinned to herself in delight as she began to calculate just how much Tatewaki owed her for today's services. First there was the bill for the water he was currently using, then there would be the charge for renting out a room, then there was the cleaning fee for his clothing, then the restaurant charge for the meal Kasumi was preparing, and on and on and on. A few minutes later Nabiki had finished mentally tabulating Tatewaki's bill and had only been able to run up the expenses to twenty thousand yen. Frowning slightly to herself, she racked her brains in an attempt to find a suitable excuse to take the last thousand yen. Smirking in triumph, she silently added the finding fee of stumbling across Tatewaki earlier in the morning.

Organizing her thoughts in case she needed to itemize the bill on paper later if Tatewaki asked about his missing money, Nabiki folded the yen into her pocket and perused the rest of his wallet. There was little else in it, only a student ID, a couple of credit cards, whose numbers she quickly memorized, and a set of pictures of Akane and the female version of Ranma. Finding nothing else of interest, Nabiki returned the wallet to her pocket and focused her attention on the television, randomly flipping through channels in an effort to find something worthwhile to watch. About twenty minutes later she had finally found something remotely interesting, when she heard the water to the bathroom shut off. Waiting for another few minutes until a commercial break, Nabiki picked herself up and made her way back to the bathroom.

Tatewaki had engaged in what was quickly becoming a disturbing habit, he had basically blanked out during the shower, only coming back to his senses when he realized that he was washing his left arm for the third time. He gave himself a final rinse and turning off the water, made his way back to the dressing area where he found a new change of clothes. Slipping on the loose and comfortable garments which had become soft and gray from being washed so many times, momentarily he stood there at a loss as to what he should do. Tatewaki collected himself and opening the door, nearly ran into the eldest of the three Tendo sisters.

"Oh excuse me!" Kasumi said after the near collision, one arm occupied by several dish towels, the other she had put out to support the younger boy who seemed to be unsteady having reacted more strongly to the encounter. "I was just on my way to get more towels for the kitchen and I wasn't looking where I was going, I'm sorry."

"No, its my fault entirely I'm sure, I did not pause and insure the corridor was unoccupied before entering it." Tatewaki replied with an attempt at a smile, a sad and pale shadow of an attempt.

Seeing this disturbing expression, Kasumi collected herself. "I was sorry to hear about your loss, I know how hard it is to lose a loved one, especially a parent. But I hope that you will recover quickly and return to being the cheerful young man that Ranma and Akane are always going on about." The last part was said with a genuine Kasumi smile, a very bright and hopeful expression. One that allowed Tatewaki to dimly recognize the depth of his own depression by giving him a basis for comparison. Briefly he wondered if he had ever been able to smile with as much grace and happiness as the girl who stood before him. He quickly banished his thoughts as the eldest Tendo daughter turned away from him and continued on to the kitchen, passing Nabiki as she went.

"Okay, Kuno-baby, I've got a great place for you to sleep it off, follow me." Nabiki said as she walked up to Tatewaki before turning and leading him to the Tendo guest room. Entering they found the room immaculate, whether to Ranma's need to having everything organized, or to Kasumi's cleaning it was unclear. Motioning to the turned down futon on the floor Nabiki said, "Well Kuno-baby, sweet dreams, I'll see you when you wake up."

Tatewaki turned to thank Nabiki, but found only the door closing by the time he had moved his head. Staring at the door for a second more, Tatewaki then turned his attention to the futon on the floor. As he did, the whole weight of the previous days fell upon him and he found himself exhausted. So he quickly turned off the overhead light, and climbing into the soft and clean smelling sheets, quickly fell into a deep and restful slumber.

Hours later he awoke, the light entering through the window, while still bright to his eyes, was slowly dimming. Tatewaki laid in bed for a few moments more, contemplating the dust motes as they danced in the waning sunlight. For the first time in a seemingly long while, he felt rested and at peace. Soon however his digestive system brought attention to the fact that he had been neglecting it of late with a loud and drawn out gurgle. Tatewaki grimaced slightly at the sudden stomach pains he was experiencing, and sat up in the futon with a hand over his midsection. Deciding that it was necessary to obtain sustenance, Tatewaki reluctantly left the comfort of the futon and stood fully upright. He made his way through the guest room door and noticing enticing smells coming from the lower half of the house, he then navigated the hallway and found the stairs leading downward.

Upon his decent, Tatewaki was greeted by the surprised face of Akane Tendo. She had spent the day at her friend Sayuri's house, and while Nabiki had informed their father of Tatewaki being their guest, she had somehow failed to be as kind to her sister. So Akane was understandably surprised to see Tatewaki in her house, wearing her father's clothes. "Upperclassman Kuno! What are you doing here?" Akane asked while noticeably paling.

Distantly, Tatewaki knew that since he obviously loved her, he should start to try and woo the beautiful girl who stood before him. But he really didn't feel up to the task, it felt somehow inappropriate. So he smiled a small sad smile, and opened his mouth to reply, when he was interrupted by Nabiki. "Don't worry about him sis, I found Kuno-baby here exhausted outside, so he's just here to rest up. He's probably still a little too tired to chase after you, but give him a couple more hours and he should be back to normal." Nabiki said as she swept in between the two. "Now come on Kuno, dinner is about to be served and you look like you're wasting away." She grabbed him by the arm and pulled him into the dinning room where Soun Tendo was already sitting at the head of the table. Tatewaki was shortly seated adjacent to Soun, and across the table from Nabiki and Akane, with the final place at the foot of the table left open for Kasumi since it was the closest to the kitchen.

Soun quietly contemplated the young man before him, of course he had heard of Tatewaki's deeds from not only Akane and Ranma, but from Nabiki as well. Further, he had seen Tatewaki in action on occasion when he had attacked Ranma in the Tendo home. If he had not seen with his own eyes the usual antics of Tatewaki, then he would never have believed the boy next to him was the same person described by his children and his future son-in-law. Soun saw none of the brash arrogance and ruthless confidence that had been the hallmarks of Tatewaki's character. Instead he saw before him a withdrawn and pensive young man, bowed by the weight of the world.

Quietly folding and setting aside the newspaper that he had been perusing, Soun remarked, "I heard about the recent death of your father, I'm very sorry for your loss. I heard that he was a good man." Akane reflected upon the loss of her own mother, and her heart went out to Tatewaki, and she nodded her head in agreement. Nabiki also reflected on her loss, and frowned slightly. If Tatewaki was going through even a fraction of the pain that she felt when her mother had died, was it really alright to continue to cheat him out of money? She quickly shied away from that thought however, and tried to focus on all the nice things she could do with the money that she had earned earlier.

Tatewaki for his part, was becoming used to hearing the empty condolences of strangers. However he was surprised by Soun's description of his father as a good man. Smiling in masochistic amusement, Tatewaki replied, "Well then it seems that we are thinking of two radically different individuals. For my father was many things, but I doubt that anyone who truly knew him would describe him as a good man." As he spoke, Tatewaki's hideous grin turned into a grimace and he turned his head so that no one at the table would be able to see the tears threatening to spill from his eyes.

Soun was shocked at Tatewaki's blunt words, but he could also understand Tatewaki's position. Everyone handles in their own ways, some are sad at the loss, some try to ignore the loss, and some like Tatewaki become angry and resentful of the lost person, blaming them for leaving. Soun was about to try and talk Tatewaki into seeing the death of his father in a more healthy light, but was delayed by Kasumi entering the room with her ams loaded with food.

The original meal that Kasumi had planned to help alleviate Tatewaki's pain had been instead served as lunch since he had gone to sleep shortly before it had been completed. When she had gone upstairs to check in on Tatewaki, Kasumi didn't have the heart to wake him up when he looked so peaceful, so she had redoubled her efforts and produced a dinner that was even more stunning than lunch had been.

Sadly, after the meal had been laid out and everyone had given Kasumi the obligatory thanks and compliments, the first few minutes of the meal dragged on in silence. The silence was at first hesitantly broken by Akane as she began to relate how she had spent her day, then as the subject of popular idols was brought up, she became more passionate in her speech. Soon, Kasumi and Nabiki joined her in the usual dining banter, revolving around several shallow subjects. Tatewaki was silent as he slowly ate, and Soun was silent as he watched the younger man quietly wrestle with his emotions as he tried to pretend to be unaffected.

Kasumi had indeed outdone herself in the preparation of the meal, but to Tatewaki, it might as well have been soggy bread picked up at a local convenience store, the food merely turned to ash in his mouth. Instead of concentrating on the delicious food before him, Tatewaki found himself strategizing. The first order of business would be to hire a new staff at the Kuno mansion the next day, when businesses would be open again. However Tatewaki realized that he needed to be somewhat frugal in expending the Kuno fortune since it was currently limited. He supposed that the house could get along well enough with only two maids, a butler, a chauffeur, and two chefs. The next order of business that he needed to address would be to reverse the decline of the Kuno funds. He needed to get a complete analysis of the current situation, then he needed to develop a solid plan that would invest the fortune in a more profitable manner than it currently was. Unfortunately, Tatewaki knew that his limited knowledge was no where near adequate to being up to this task. He needed the services of a professional investor.

Tatewaki's eyes briefly went to the face of Nabiki, who was distracted by a humorous story that Akane had just related, but Tatewaki mentally shook his head. He knew that nothing good would come of Nabiki knowing the specific details of the Kuno finances, also while she seemed to be remarkably successful in her personal investments, that was not nearly enough guarantee for Tatewaki to trust her with an account as large as his. He supposed that he needed to investigate and perform research on possible financial advisors when he returned home.

Tatewaki's revery was broken when Soun pleasantly inquired, "Well Kuno, you are in the same grade as Nabiki right? That means that you will be graduating soon. What plans do you have for the future?" Soun smiled as he asked this, he just wanted Tatewaki to share in the table conversation, which had largely died down as Akane had run out of things to say.

Tatewaki was caught flat footed. Truthfully, for most of his life, he had dedicated himself to the art of Kendo, pouring almost every waking hour into it, that was until he had met Akane. His goals then shifted to winning first her attention, then her heart. He had never really given much thought to his life other than that, merely taking it for granted that as long as he continued to do well enough in school he could do whatever else he wanted elsewhere. Of course now that had all changed. Not only was he about to graduate from high school, but he was now head of the Kuno household. He suddenly had responsibilities he had never really even thought of thrust upon him. He had to stop thinking only of and for himself, and start thinking about the future of the Kuno name. In light of that his previous goals seemed small and inadequate.

Seeing the young man hesitate, Soun tried to give him time to think by saying, "Well I know that many young people think that after high school they should immediately get a job since they don't really want to go through anymore schooling. But personally speaking I believe that if they are able to afford it, they should continue on to college and get an advanced degree. After all, as time goes by a college degree is becoming ever more necessary for being successful." Soun gave a guilty look at Kasumi as he said this, silently asking for her forgiveness at his lapse in adequate financial planning. But she missed it since she had suddenly found something on her plate infinitely absorbing.

Tatewaki had before only briefly entertained the thought of attending college. He knew that his grades, while not being at the top of the class, where still good enough to recommend him to several decent schools. But he needed time to analyze his choices. Would it be better for the family if he went to work immediately after school and tried to focus himself entirely on the affairs of the house, relying on investments to grow his fortune. Or would it perhaps be better if he attained a higher degree and was able to obtain a high paying job. But what if he flunked out of college? How damaging would that be to the finances of the Kuno fortune?

Deciding that this was another issue that he needed to address after quiet and careful consideration, Tatewaki turned to his host, "I'm afraid that I'm not too sure as to what my future plans are going to be. I thought that I had everything settled, but then my father died, so now I must change my plans. I'm no longer the eldest son of the Kuno family, responsible for my own actions. Now I am the head of the Kuno family, and I am responsible for everything that comes with the title." he said to Soun in a subdued tone of voice.

Nabiki and Akane starred across the table towards Tatewaki, as if they had never seen the boy before in their lives. It was as if some alien had come along and replaced the over-the-top, obnoxious, and disconnected from reality Kuno they knew with someone who was not only capable of rational thought, but aware of others besides himself. Soun for his part, nodded to himself. He was well aware of how fluid plans become after a tragedy such as the one which befell the young man before him. He was also dimly reminded of how well he handled the death of his wife, and made note of how much better Tatewaki seemed to be handling the death of his father.

Feeling the need to fill the lull in conversation that he had created, Tatewaki looked around and asked, "I was under the impression that the Foul ... that Ranma Saotome was living here. Is he not joining us for this wonderful repast?"

Soun managed to look both uncomfortable and embarrassed as he put his hand behind his head and replied, "Well, both Ranma and his father had to leave suddenly to go to Okinawa to find ... I mean they went there on a training trip. That's it, a training trip!" He chucked nervously as Tatewaki didn't seem to want to question his blatant lie.

"Okinawa, a wonderful place, especially this time of year." Tatewaki replied as he lifted his glass and starred at his dim reflection. "We used to have a beach house there years ago, but sadly it was heavily damaged in a typhoon and we sold it shortly thereafter." Kuno vividly remembered the clear ocean, the white sand, and the perfectly blue sky just outside the patio doors of the beach house. He also remembered how much his mother loved being there, and how beautiful she had been during one of her many walks along the shoreline.

Suddenly feeling his sadness return, Tatewaki fell silent, and the rest of the meal carried on without any further conversation. When the meal was over, Akane volunteered to help Kasumi clean up the table and dishes, while Soun picked up his paper and retreated to the back porch to finish reading it. Leaving Tatewaki to reflect on the grain lines in the top of the table, and Nabiki to reflect on the new Kuno sitting across from her.

"So Kuno-baby," Nabiki started, after her sisters had removed the last of the dishes from the table and the sound of the kitchen faucet had started. "Are you feeling any better now after a good sleep and a good meal?" She leaned her elbows on the table as Tatewaki raised his eyes to regard her.

"Yes, I am feeling much better than when you found me this morning. I must say that you were correct when you said that things would appear easier after a good rest." Tatewaki replied in a manner which shocked Nabiki due to its normalcy.

She had been quietly surprised all evening as Tatewaki acted like a normal human being for once, instead of an egotistical jerk. She had began to feel something strange towards the boy in front of her as she contemplated the drastic change in his behavior, and the drastic catalyst that had been necessary for him to act that way even briefly. That feeling being guilt. For perhaps the first time in her life Nabiki was starting to feel remorseful about a business transaction. She had begun to replay her actions in her mind and question whether it had been appropriate to take advantage of Tatewaki in his current state. She finally came to the conclusion that perhaps it had been rather mean of her to take Tatewaki's money without asking.

So steeling herself, Nabiki confessed, "Uh, Kuno-baby, earlier today I kinda went through your wallet and took some money to cover your expenses for staying here." Seeing his non-reaction at the news, Nabiki clarified, "It was over twenty thousand yen. But I was thinking that maybe that was somewhat overboard. Friends don't charge friends for helping them, and right now I think that what you need most is a friend, at least for today."

Tatewaki still looked nonplussed at her confession. "It's alright, consider it a consulting fee." He said smiling slightly. "Because I wanted to ask you a question anyway. What exactly are your plans after graduation?"

Nabiki was understandably confused by Tatewaki's reply. It must be nice to be rich enough that such a large amount of money means so little, she mused to herself. Shifting gears quickly, Nabiki replied, "Well I've been saving up for going to college, and if I can get the financial aid that I've applied for, I'm set. I'm planning on majoring in business administration, then getting a nice job at a large firm."

Tatewaki for his part was surprised at how completely prepared Nabiki was for the future. It seemed that unlike him she had actually thought about the prospect of life after high school for longer than ten minutes. Having satisfied his idle curiosity, Tatewaki moved on to a more personal question. "Also, I was wondering, what advice would you give someone who was just starting out keeping track of their finances?"

Nabiki regarded Tatewaki for a moment, quashing the momentary urge to say something flippant. Giving the new Tatewaki the benefit of the doubt, she answered honestly. "Well Kuno-baby, I guess it would depend on the size of the finances you are trying to track. If its a personal checking account, you could probably easily get by with doing that on paper. But if it were a larger amount of money, say hypothetically, a family's finances, then I would invest in getting a computer. There are a lot of computer programs out there that are specially built to work with money."

Tatewaki received this advice with a grain of salt. Having dedicated most of his life to Kendo, had left him woefully ignorant of most technological devices, including computers. However he knew that what Nabiki was saying was correct, anyone truly serious about money management almost always relied in some way on a computer. Therefore he needed not only to purchase a computer, but find someone willing to train him how to utilize it.

Tatewaki's train of thought was interrupted by the arrival of Kasumi, who had just finished the dishes a few minutes prior. "Here you go Kuno, I cleaned your clothes for you. I'm afraid that only your shirt was machine washable, but I tried to clean the jacket and pants as best as I was able." Kasumi said as she handed Tatewaki a pile of clothes.

Smiling at her kindness, Tatewaki replied, "I'm sure that you did a wonderful job. Excuse me while I change." So saying he stood and making his way past the sisters, traced his steps back to the bathroom. He quickly changed out of the borrowed clothes and left them in a neat pile on the counter, before donning his own clothes. He decided that the evening was too warm to comfortably wear his jacket, so leaving his top shirt button unfastened, he draped his jacket over his arm and waked back to where he had left the two Tendo daughters.

When Nabiki saw him, she rose from where she had been sitting and turned to face him. "Leaving so soon Kuno-baby?" She asked.

"Yes, I'm afraid that there is much work that needs to be done, and the sooner I return home, the sooner I can accomplish the tasks that I need to accomplish." Tatewaki replied, noticing Kasumi quietly slipping out the door in order to give the two some privacy.

Nabiki reached into her pocket and withdrew Tatewaki's watch, cuff links, wallet, and after a moment's hesitation, a wad of yen bills. "I was keeping these safe for you Kuno-baby, but here they are." Nabiki said with only a slight trace of reluctance.

Tatewaki had completely forgotten about his accessories, and had only remembered his wallet when Nabiki had mentioned going through it earlier. He reached down and reclaimed the cuff links and watch, putting the watch on and slipping the cuff links into his pocket. They were really too much of a hassle to put on without the help of a maid. And he then took his wallet and slipped it into another pocket.

"As I said earlier, feel free to keep the money as a consultation fee." Tatewaki said as he began to walk past Nabiki towards the front door. "After all, I've known you long enough to know that your services don't come cheaply."

Nabiki felt unusual as she watched Tatewaki walk away, for the first time in her life, she did not feel like she had earned the money in her hand. She also felt hurt at what Tatewaki had said, even though it was accurate.

As she watched Tatewaki open the door and walk out into the night which had quietly settled while they had been eating dinner, Nabiki knew that even though she had made over twenty thousand yen that day, she was never going to spend any of it.

More to come.

Thanks for the Reviews

Still looking for beta

Notes: Probably only one more chapter after thi