(Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½ or any of the characters and stories associated with it.)

Hospital Visits

When the final bell signaled the end of the day, Nabiki moved quickly to beat the rush of people that usually milled around the entrance to the school. She had heard on her grapevine about her younger sister's little spat with Ukyo and knew in advance Akane wouldn't be along until at least fifteen minutes later.

She smiled to herself as she walked the short distance to the hospital, "Well, well. It looks like little sis isn't going to make it until later. That was defiantly a no-brainer. I should have taken bets on those two getting detention!"

It wasn't very long before Nabiki reached the steel and glass building of the Hospital. Once inside, she visited the reception desk and was told Ranma had been moved to another room upstairs. She thanked the receptionist and made her way upstairs. The room was close by the elevators and once she found the door, she knocked twice and entered.

"Hi Ranma."

Ranma had looked up expecting to see his mom or a nurse, "Hey Nabiki. How ya doin?"

Nabiki quickly glanced at the heart monitor and I.V. needles, along with the large bandage on his shoulder. She smiled a little as she nodded towards his shoulder, "I'm doing just fine, Saotome, how about you?"

Ranma smirked, "You know me, Nabiki. Nothing keeps me down for long."

He chuckled, "I thought for a second you were mom. She said she was going to the cafeteria to get me a snack. Should be back in a few minutes or so."

Nabiki smiled, "Hospital food isn't filling you up, I take it."

"You got that right! Those little trays they give ya are hardly a snack for a guy like me!"

Nabiki pictured Ranma downing hospital food like he does at home and laughed, "Well, when you come home, with both your mom and Kasumi cooking, you'll have more than enough."

Ranma smiled for a while as they shared a laugh, "Why is she being so nice to me? She's been here a whole ten minutes and she hasn't tried to bill me for anything. She's kinda cute when she's like this…"

"Hey Nabiki?"

"Yes?"

Ranma turned a bit so he could see her better by his bed, "The doc said that I was really lucky. That if you hadn't helped to get me here as fast as you did, I might not have made it."

Nabiki ran her finger across the chrome bedrail for a moment, "Ranma, I may be the Ice Queen of Furinkan but I'm not completely heartless. I do take care of my family, and like it or not, you and your mother have become family to me."

Ranma smirked, "I noticed ya didn't mention the panda."

Nabiki grinned evilly, "Well, there are limits to my generosity, Ranma."

They both laughed a bit before Ranma pointed to the bandage on his shoulder, "No, I mean it Nabiki. Whether ya collect or not, I owe ya one. I owe ya my life."

Ranma then reached over to her and offered his hand to shake, "Thanks Nabiki."

Nabiki's eyes widened for a moment as she realized what Ranma was implying. Instead of taking his hand, she smiled warmly, "I'll tell you what, Ranma. You and I got off on a bad foot the first time we met and from then on, it's been down hill ever since. I don't want anything from you except to be your friend."

She then offered her own hand out to Ranma. He looked at the offered hand and raised an eyebrow, "Friend?"

"Yeah, you know. I help you. You help me. We have fun together. It's like being engaged without the icky stuff."

Ranma laughed as he grasped her hand and shook it warmly, "Alright, Nabiki Tendo. You got yourself a deal!"

* * *

Five minutes earlier, a different sort of "friendship" was playing out.

"It's all your fault!"

"You started it!"

Akane and Ukyo had just gotten out of detention and were running to the hospital to visit Ranma. As was typical for the two fiancés, keeping things civil between them always proved somewhat difficult.

"Hah! I was just pointing out the truth about your toxic cooking!"

"Don't give me that! All you can cook up is soggy pancakes!"

Ukyo stopped and grabbed Akane by the arm, "You take that back!"

Akane roughly pulled her hand off and shoved it aside, "Make me!"

The two squared off once again but were interrupted, "Nihao!"

Akane lowered her stance a bit and glared at the Amazon, "What do you want, Shampoo? We're busy!"

The lovely, purple haired Chinese girl smiled playfully, "Akane too too rude. Shampoo only want to see husband. You tell Shampoo where Ranma is, then Shampoo go."

Akane was about to tell Shampoo exactly where she could go when she was interrupted, "Hohohohohoho. Well now, isn't this nice. All the so-called fiancés in a nice, friendly little get together.

Akane glared at the girl, "Beat it Kodachi! This doesn't concern you!"

"My, such rudeness. Very well then, tell me where I might find my Ranma-sama and I'll be off."

Ukyo smirked, "For once I agree with Akane. The three of us are the only ones that have any rights to an engagement. You don't have anything on him, sugar."

"Spatula girl too too right. Crazy girl go home and play with flowers. Ranma no want crazy girl."

Akane's face began to redden, "Damn it! I don't have time for this. Visiting hours are almost over!"

Shampoo turned sharply, "What you mean?"

Kodachi pointed to the hospital down the street, "The only place here with visiting hours would be that hospital."

"Aiyaa, Ranma in hospital!"

Shampoo bolted down the street followed closely by Kodachi. The two remaining girls looked at each other for a moment before taking off after them.

Ukyo turned towards Akane and smirked, "You know, sugar. You really need to control that temper of yours."

Akane clenched her fists as she ran, "Tell me about it!"

By the time the fiancé brigade was nearing Ranma's room, he and Nabiki had just agreed to be friends and were shaking hands.

Ranma turned his head slightly, "Do you hear a rumbling sound?"

No sooner had he said it than the door burst open, "What's Nabiki doing here?"

"Hohohoho! Nabiki, you sly little wench! I'm going to have to teach you a lesson!

"Why sneaky girl holding husbands hand. That shampoo's job!"

"Raanmaaaa! What are you doing to my sister?!"

"Nabiki obstacle. Obstacles are for killing!"

Bonburi's, oversized spatulas, and ribbons suddenly appeared and were readied for the attack. Nabiki released Ranma's hand and backed away from the bed. Ranma sensed her movement and watched out of the corner of his eye as she backed up. Cringing in pain, he climbed out of the bed and placed himself between her and the others. He then raised his good arm in a fist, "Whatcha gonna do, attack a girl with no martial arts skill?"

Before anyone could answer, the distinct sound of a sword being drawn was heard followed by the bright gleam of a finely polished katana being held in front of the four girls' faces.

Nodoka rotated the blade to reflect the light in the girls' eyes, "What is the meaning of this?!"

"Uh oh."

Shampoo gulped, "Sword warrior!"

The woman glared at the four girls with cold fire in her eyes before carefully sheathing the family honor blade, "This hospital is a place of great honor. You four have dishonored it with your disrespectful actions today. You are a disgrace to your families and a disgrace to my son!"

Shampoo took a step towards Nodoka, "Amazon law say-"

"Silence! You're laws are meaningless here! I will hold a meeting in the Tendo household tomorrow at six in the evening. If you are serious about your claim on my son; you will be there on time, you will be respectful, and you will be properly attired."

She turned for a second and noted that even is his present condition, Ranma was still attempting to protect Nabiki. She gave her son a warm smile before turning her attention to the others and glared coldly, "Visiting hours are now over!"

Nodoka then placed her hand on the hilt of her sword to make her point clear.

When the four had left, she quickly turned and grabbed Ranma, "What do you mean by getting out of bed? Those stitches might have opened up."

Ranma eased towards the bed, "You saw them, Mom. Those girls were gonna attack Nabiki."

Nodoka smiled as she helped Ranma back into the bed, "I was right outside the door and saw everything. Although, I'm a bit angry at you for getting out of bed, I'm still proud of you for attempting to do what was right."

She turned her attention to the middle Tendo, "How are you doing, my dear?"

Nabiki took a deep breath, "Looks like you showed up just in time. Thanks, Auntie. I've had to deal with that bunch before. I'm no martial artist, but I have my ways of taking care of business."

The older woman raised an eyebrow, "Nothing dishonorable, I hope."

She smiled and looked over at Ranma, "No Auntie, not any more."

Once Ranma was back in bed and Nodoka was certain there was no damage to the healing wound, she reached in her Kimono and pulled out a fold of paper. "On the way back from the cafeteria, I happened to run into your doctor. He told me that ordinarily people with injuries like yours would be staying for at least a couple of days more."

Ranma looked saddened, "Rats."

His mom smiled as she continued, "I wasn't finished, dear. He also said that because you are healing so quickly, you will be released tomorrow morning."

He clenched his good fist and pulled it tightly, "Yes!"

"I'll be by here tomorrow with a taxi to take you home."

Ranma was smiling from ear to ear, "Thanks Mom! Man, I can't wait to get out of this place! You can't believe how tired I am of bedpans and needles."

Nabiki leaned over a bit and smiled, "Not to mention hospital food, eh Ranma?"

As Ranma and Nabiki laughed, Nodoka put the paper back in her Kimono, "Don't worry, son. You only have to endure your "torture" for a few hours more."

She reached over the bed and kissed him on the forehead, "Get a good night's sleep."

Nabiki gave his arm a quick squeeze as she and Nodoka walked out, "See you tomorrow, Ranma."

The two women then left and headed home. Along the way, Nodoka glanced over at the middle Tendo and wondered, not for the first time, about her relationship with her son.

"Nabiki? May I ask you something? Something a bit personal?"

"About Ranma?"

The older woman chuckled, "Very perceptive of you. Yes, if you don't mind, I would like to know how you feel about him. Is there something special going on between you two that I should know about?"

Nabiki's cheeks flushed slightly as she took a deep breath, "It's true that I like him, Auntie. I probably like him a lot more than I'm willing to admit right now. With all the stuff that's been hitting him lately, he needed a friend and quite frankly, so did I. I don't think that either of us are ready or willing to get too deeply involved at the moment, though. As you saw in the hospital, there's also the constant problem of the other fiancés, and most importantly, Akane. She is the only true fiancé recognized by our families."

"Thank you, Nabiki. I thought as much, but I wanted to hear it from you as well."

Nabiki smiled to herself, "I can't tell her the whole truth. Not right now."

"Auntie, I need to ask a favor of you?"

Nodoka smiled, "Certainly. What can I do for you?"

Nabiki looked over at the older woman for a second, "I'm going to be making an announcement this evening right after dinner. It's very important and will affect the entire family. When I do, I'm pretty sure the fathers are going to act up. Kasumi can pretty much control Dad, but I need you to keep Mr. Saotome in line."

"Does this concern Ranma?"

"Not really right now. But it will after he comes home."

A somewhat sadistic smile formed on Nodoka as she patted her katana, "Don't worry, dear. I have a feeling my husband will be a perfect gentleman this evening."

By the time the two had arrived home, Kasumi was already beginning the food preparations for later that evening. Nabiki stuck her head in the door and grinned, "Hey Kasumi."

The older sister looked over and smiled as she chopped the carrots, "Hello Nabiki. How was your day? Did you get to visit Ranma?"

Nabiki smirked, "It went okay and Ranma's doing pretty good. Looks like he'll be home tomorrow to finish his recovery."

"That's wonderful, Nabiki. I'll have to make a special meal for him tomorrow."

Nabiki gave a more serious look, "You should probably talk to Auntie before you decide on that, sis. She's going to have a family meeting tomorrow at 6 and all the fiancés will be invited.

"Oh my."

Nabiki chuckled, "I thought you'd say that. Listen, I need to make an announcement this evening right after dinner. It's pretty important and concerns the whole family."

"What is it, Nabiki?"

"I'm not saying right now, but all I need is for you to keep Daddy under control. I have Auntie watching the panda and I only need you follow my lead and keep Daddy calm while I'm talking."

Kasumi nodded as she continued to prepare dinner, "Alright Nabiki, I'll do my best.

Later that evening, Kasumi knocked on Nabiki's door and opened it, "Dinner is about to be served, Nabiki."

"Alright, sis. I'll be right down."

Nabiki opened up her book bag and placed the photo album inside. She then picked up a separate framed photo and also placed it in her bag. Before she left her room, she glanced over at the photos of Ranma on her desk and smiled at the images, "Well, Ranma. There's no going back for me now."

She gently traced her finger around the two images before turning out the light and leaving the room. When she got downstairs Kasumi and Nodoka were already serving dinner.

Kasumi watched as Nabiki placed her bag under the table and raised an eyebrow, "Nabiki, would you please tell the fathers we're serving dinner? Akane is already washing up from her workout."

Nabiki went to go tell the fathers and Akane. When she returned, everything was set and ready for dinner. During the meal, Akane was especially quiet. She said nothing, and avoided looking at Nodoka whenever she could. When she finished eating her dinner, she stood up and excused herself.

Nabiki raised her hand, "Akane, I have something important to announce to the family. Since in a way it concerns you, I think that you might want to stay and listen."

Akane nodded and sat back down, "What can my sister be up to? She still owes me an explanation for this afternoon."

When dinner was finished and the dishes cleared, Nabiki stood up, "Sorry to keep you all here, but I have an announcement. As many of you know, I have been providing a large portion of the income that keeps this family afloat. It pays for the food, repairs the house and dojo, and fills in when needed for every day necessities."

Nabiki reached in her bag and pulled out the photo album, "While some of the income comes from the interest I receive on loans and other speculations, the majority of it comes from the sales of photos I've taken of Ranma and Akane"

Akane growled, "If it wasn't for you, we wouldn't have that Kuno after us!"

Nabiki smirked, "Hang on, sis. I'm getting to that. As I was saying, these photos earned hundreds and sometimes thousands of yen each day from buyers such as Kuno. Unfortunately, as Akane just mentioned, these photos also brought unwanted attention to both herself and Ranma. Because of this, and the problems they have caused, I am no longer going to be selling any more candid photos of this family."

Akane looked surprised, "No more photos?"

"No Akane. I won't be taking any photos of you or Ranma unless you want me to. It's over."

She turned to the rest of the family, "However, we now have a bigger problem on our hands. Without that income, we now don't have enough money to pay our bills. Even if Kasumi rations out the food we have right now, it won't last week."

She was interrupted by Soun's wailing, "Waaaaa! We're all going to starve!"

Kasumi winked at Nabiki before turning her attention to Soun, "Father! Please control yourself!"

Soun looked up at his oldest daughter and cringed at what seemed to be disappointment. Feeling quite guilty, he quickly forgot his emotional outburst and sat back down."

Nabiki smiled, "Thank you, Kasumi. While this is indeed a problem, it isn't the end of the world. There are two plans that I've come up with that will keep our bills paid and our refrigerator full. The first plan involves you, Daddy."

Soun shrugged his shoulders, "What do you mean, daughter?"

Nabiki continued, "Just outside these walls stands a very important part of our family's heritage, the Tendo dojo. It was built by you, Father, to be used as a martial arts classroom. Before mom died, you were using that dojo to teaching students our version of the art."

"Nabiki, I haven't taught since then. It-it brings back too many memories for me."

Nabiki opened up the binder, pulled out several photo sheets, and slid them across the table towards her father. Photos of both Akane and Ranma were clearly visible.

She pointed at Akane, "Is this what you want for your daughter, Father? Do you want her image plastered on every pervert's locker to be ogled at? Do you want strange men to recognize her and follow her to school, or back home?"

Soun looked at the photos for a moment before glaring back at his daughter, "No, it's not what I want! You said there was a second option as well. What is it?"

"Ah, yes. My second plan calls for Kasumi to go to work at the library. I inquired and found out that they are looking for a good, hard working girl about her age to put books back on the shelves during the day. It runs for 8 hours a day, every day from Monday through Friday."

"Kasumi smiled weakly, "I could do that, Nabiki."

Nabiki continued, "This plan does have its problems. With Kasumi gone, we will have to take up the slack for the household duties. I can do the clothes and floors, Akane can do the cooking.

Akane clapped her hands, "Yippee!"

Soun paled, "That's it?

Nabiki looked at Kasumi and then back to her father, "Only you and Kasumi are old enough to work, Father. One of you will have to earn a living for us, or we will be in serious trouble."

Soun shrugged his shoulders, "Even if I agreed to teach, we don't have any students. That sort of thing takes time to develop."

Nabiki reached inside her bag and pulled out some papers. She then walked over to her father and sat down next to him, "Look here. I've already lined up four students for you. Their parents will be paying five thousand yen a month for the classes.

Soun gasped as he read the sheet, "You already have students? How did you-."

"You should know me by now, Father. I have my ways of doing business."

He glanced at the names and the information before looking back at his daughter, "These are all children, Nabiki. The oldest is only eight years old."

She got up and walked over to her place and sat down, "You were teaching Akane at a far younger age. This shouldn't be any anymore difficult."

Soun picked up the paper and after folding it, placed it in his pocket, "I guess I don't have a choice, now, do I? Well then, it looks like the Tendo dojo is once again open for business."

Akane clapped, "That's great, Father."

The rest of the family, as well as the Saotomes cheered the Tendo Elder.

When the commotion had died down a bit, Nabiki reached into her book bag and pulled out the photo frame, "Classes start tomorrow and will be held on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. And don't worry, father, we'll all chip in and help when you need us."

As the family nodded in agreement, Genma puffed out his chest, "You bet, Tendo! Why, between the two of us, we'll have those kids whipped into shape-."

Nodoka interrupted, "I'm afraid not, husband. The cost of repairing our home is much more than we have in the bank. You will also have to get a job in order to help make the payments. I think tomorrow is a good time to start looking, don't you?"

Genma cringed inside at the icy tone of her voice and slumped his shoulders, "Of course, dear."

As the rest of the room breathed a sigh of relief, Soun pointed to Nabiki's hand, "What is that you're holding, daughter?"

She walked over to where Nodoka was sitting, "This is my own way to earn a bit of extra money. Mind you, it isn't steady income, but it's honest and can help. In addition to my normal photography, I also make portraits like this. This one is for Auntie here, but I can do other subjects just as easily, for a price, of course."

Nabiki handed the photo to Nodoka, "I want you to have this, Auntie. It's one of the first I made, and still one of the best."

The older woman gasped when she saw the photo. Tears began to stream down her cheeks as she held it against her chest, "Thank you, Nabiki!"

She then turned the photo so that everyone could see it. Akane's eyes widened as she stared at the very well-done and professional looking portrait of her fiancé.