Rightfully Mine
Chapter 3
He stood by the window with a glass of scotch on his hand. The liquor seems to lose its power to effect him after three rounds of it. The burning feeling it once give as it runs to his throat had somehow dissipated and had tasted just like water to him.
He drew the curtain slightly revealing the scenic view of the city. Establishments have retired and the city is quiet. The once crowded street is now empty. A few souls are wandering but no one stayed to linger.
Ranma gulped the rest of his drink before he turned to his mini-bar. He took the bottle of scotch and poured it in for the fourth time tonight. It seems that for each passing day, sleeping is becoming a burden for him.
Drinking had once been his tool for sleep but now even that is useless. Sleeping pills is quite the same, it no longer work on him even on a higher dosage. His comfortable bed no longer invites sleeps. He only see the emptiness in that huge space.
He sat back on his chair and closed his eyes for a second. But nothing happened, it seems that he would no longer sleep tonight the same with last night or the night that had passed. He watched the clock intently. The seconds' finger appeared to be moving slower than it used to be. Time takes longer when you're waiting for it.
It went on until the clock strikes two in the morning. He hadn't notice that he was staring blankly into space and he was drifting away from reality. The reverberation clank had brought him back to world. The icebergs of ice that once was on his glass had melted and mixed up with the liquor.
"What a waste?" he thought as he realized how unproductive his night had been.
Then without second thought, he walked pass to his bedroom and went directly to his bathroom. It is rather large for one person complete with all the bathroom luxury that a person could wish. He gradually undresses and slid inside the shower.
At first, the cold water made him shiver but as his body temperature adapted to it, he felt so at ease with it. He hated having cold shower but now he had learned to appreciate it, as it became a constant reminder for him that he is human. Even though he has learned to suppress his emotions, to be numb from all the pain and be deaf of all the verbal abuse, he could not stop himself from shivering at the first touch of cold water. He knew its effect is not just on his physical form but the coldness runs to his heart and soul. It's not just adapting to the temperature but he is somewhat embracing it to the very core of himself. His shivering gives him an indication that behind that icy persona of his lays a man.
Twenty minutes passed and he was done. He came out from the shower naked. His naked image reflecting on the mirror made him stop. Scars were all over his body but one scar is very noticeable of all. It is a scar on his chest going up to his shoulder. With his fingers, he traced it, remembering how he got it.
Flashback….
"Ranma? No!" Ranko shouted at him as she saw him go.
"Oh, come on, Ranko. Mother wouldn't know that we came here," he said continuing to go forward.
"But there are monsters in there. You know it. You've heard their stories," she answered.
"Its just stories, Ranko. None of it is true. They only tell it to keep children from going there."
"Maybe its best if we just follow them," she said keeping her ground.
"Don't be a scaredy cat, sister. Where's your adventurous side? Come on, lets go," inviting her to go with him.
"I don't feel like going. My gut feeling says we shouldn't go and I think we should follow it."
"If you're too scared to come then don't. Just don't tell mom about this because I'm going without you."
And so the young Ranma came to the woods to find some adventure. Darkness came and there was no sign of Ranma anywhere. Both his mother and sister were worried sick of what happened to him. When late night came and there was still no Ranma, Ranko finally confessed the truth to their mother. Nodoka immediately asked for help from their neighbors and they began searching for him. Ranma was found on a big hole at the northwest section of the woods. He has scratches all over his body. His biggest wound was the one on his chest which they thought he got after running away form the panther which he called 'a big black cat with sharp teeth'. He almost died because of it after being scratched that deep and falling into a six feet hole. He was lucky that they've found him immediately, if they were an hour late then he would have died in that hole. Ever since that day, he had been terrified of cats for it reminds him of that horrible night. It creeps him to see the cats' eyes that seem to glow at night and how it stare at him with such strong intensity that makes him so scared as if he is reliving that eventful night.
End of Flashback…
He smiled at the memory. "Maybe its time for me to visit that place again," he thought looking back at his scar.
Walking through his closet, he chose a navy blue polo with sleeves and a conservative tie that match with it. His suit was already laid on his bed, which his housemaid retrieved from his dry cleaners the day before. He looked at the clock again, which was then thirty minutes pass three. Two hours more before he could start his work. So he went to his study room and started reading some of the documents he brought home.
When it six in the morning, his butler came in and brought him some coffee of which he gladly accepted. After taking a few sips and some phone calls, he left to go to work.
"I'm sorry, oneechan but I can't. I have to meet a very important client right now," the woman said as she entered the lobby of the hotel.
"Nabiki, please… You're just going to watch over father for an hour or two," the voice on the other line begged.
"I'll try but I won't promise. And if I won't be able to come I'll ask Akane if she can substituted for me. Will that be ok?"
"I'm counting on you, Nabiki. I've already tried calling Akane but is seems that she had turn off her phone so you have no choice but to come."
"Oh, I hate you. You are outsmarting me," Nabiki said jokingly.
"Of course, I learn from the best. See you later, oneechan. Bye."
And with that their conversation ended.
"Mr. Kuno's Reservation please," Nabiki said to the receptionist as she entered the hotel's restaurant.
"This way, ma'am," the lady said then leading her to a table for four.
Immediately after she sat, the waiter came and asks for her orders of which she had refused saying that she would order later after her companion would arrive.
Five minutes later, a man in a black business suit came towards her. Nabiki tried to stand up but the man stop her from doing so.
"No need for that, Ms. Tendo," he said demandingly before sitting down.
"Mr. Tatewaki Kuno could not come so he asked me to represent him in this business deal," she said instead.
Then the waiter came and asks for their orders which they hastily given.
"I never thought I will see you like, no, I didn't even imagine that you would be this big," Nabiki bursted in that moment whom was full of amazement and awe.
"I came here to talk about business, Ms. Tendo and not with what you think or imagine of me. What's past is past," he answered earnestly.
Nabiki counted one to ten before she continued. His last remarked had really infuriated her to the extent that she wanted to leave or make him pay for what he said because no one shuts off Nabiki Tendo, not even Kuno can do that to her. But the fact that this business deal means a lot to K and T Mall or to the Kuno Corporation, Nabiki is forced to be civil to him.
When the main dish was done with our business, would you mind if we talk of something other than it? Say how about a hobby or something light for a topic," she asked.
"Continue…," looking a little amused.
"So how was your sister?" she blurted out.
"I do not want to talk about my personal life nor my sisters," he answered, disgusted with her choice of topic.
"You're very presumptuous, Mr. Masaki. I'm merely asking if your sister is doing well. But if you don't want talk about her nor your personal affair then you wouldn't mind if I tell mine."
Ranma simply looked at her with a blank expression.
"This Ranma is a very difficult man to read. No wonder, he was called a money-making machine," Nabiki thought as she watched him closely, "but I won't give up. They didn't call me Ice Queen Bitch for nothing."
"Were you there at the Saotome's Grand Celebration?"
"Yes, I was there. I came with Mr. Saotome's niece, Ukyou," Ranma answered obediently but all the talk was starting to bore him.
"Really? I thought Akane was kidding when she told me that you came," smiling evilly as she saw the sudden change in Ranma's countenance. "She even mentioned how big the difference, no, it wasn't difference…," thinks for a while, searching for the accurate word before she continued, "… transformation you have been. And I guess she was right after all…"
Ranma's boredom was suddenly change as Nabiki mentioned Akane. Even when he thinks that she could no longer affect him, she still does. The mere mentioned of her name wakes his blood and his heart to skip a beat. The sight of her makes him do things he didn't plan to do. What more could she do to him? What about her kiss? Would her kiss make him forget and even go crazy about her just like before? He doesn't know and he doesn't want to go that far with her.
But with Nabiki's story telling about Akane and what she thinks of him on their first encounter after what happened, Ranma began to be curious. There is a tiny spark in his heart, hoping that maybe he was wrong about her and maybe she did care about him. Yet he suppresses this little hope and denies the little truth he hears for it has no space in his plans.
"Did you see them? Don't they look perfect for each other? I know the wedding is still after six months but they are so excited about it. The two are inseparable; they just can't leave each other away even for a second…" Nabiki go on while enjoying her triumph over Ranma. "This is my revenge, you jerk. Now we're even, no, actually I'm winning…," she thought.
"Indeed, they look good for each other. Your sister is perfect for Mr. Ryoga Saotome," Ranma agreed thus making Nabiki into a sudden stop, "I wish you could send me an invitation, if they would say their vows. I don't want to miss that spectacular event," he added. "They are perfect together. Both are fraud," he thought scornfully.
The waiter chose that moment to appear with their desserts at hand. Both had already lost their appetite and were eager to go yet not one of them wanted to yield. Nabiki was a bit surprised with his words. The old Ranma they knew would have broken their table in half. He was a very jealous man but the Ranma now, is somewhat a bit compose even after what she said. He even managed to say those words.
They silently finished their desserts; both were engrossed in their own thoughts. When Ranma was done, he bade farewell and left Nabiki alone. Minutes later, Nabiki followed and had gone home to watch over her father.
Authors Note:
Gosh! I just lost my chapter 4 draft... now I have to rewrite it again And to think I've already done with encoding chapter 5...