One week ago
Akane beamed in triumph. This wasn't her usual sort of fight, but it had been some time since she had had a real 'win' against a tough opponent, and she felt like she needed all the victories she could get.
Normally being sneaky was not something she was good at, but a year of constant frustration did wonders for opening one's horizons. She felt a little guilty, but nothing of what she had talked about with Auntie Saotome was a lie, technically. She was simply using the situation to her advantage.
She figured Nabiki would be proud of her.
"But No-chan…" Genma protested, wringing his hands. "I thought you had already declared the boy as a 'Man among Men'. I don't see why this is necessary!"
Nodoka fixed her husband with a cold glare. She held the family sword in the crook of her arm, wrapped in a blanket, something she hadn't done since before the failed wedding. "While I have held that my SON has upheld his part of the agreement, and has his honor intact, I remain as yet unconvinced that his manliness is due to your teachings. Watching my son for the past year, I have seen him learn more from foreigners and that disgusting man you call your Master than you."
"I taught him the Umisenken!" Genma protested.
Her eyes narrowed, and the blanket wrapped around the family sword slipped slightly. "Which you had declared as sealed, and would NOT have taught him if circumstances had not demanded it. Circumstances which were direct consequences of YOUR actions, which you failed to take responsibility for!"
Genma swallowed as he caught a glimpse of the hilt of that terrifying sword. "No-chan, you really wouldn't demand I fulfill the seppuku pledge NOW, would you?"
"That shouldn't be necessary." Nodoka said. "If you can demonstrate that your teaching techniques are what laid the foundation for Ranma's considerable skills, and NOT what he learned from others while travelling with you. In other words, I require that you repeat your results, to some degree. To that end, dear Akane has volunteered to allow you to train her."
"But… No-chan… There's still so much work to be done on the house…" Genma protested weakly.
"The house is almost complete, and it is the job of the contractors we hired to complete it. They do not need your supervision." Nodoka replied diplomatically, not commenting whether Genma's snoring had been all that instructional for the workers or not.
Genma slumped, defeated. "Yes, dear." Ever since things had gone sour with Ranma and Akane's engagement, Nodoka had been keeping him on a shorter and shorter leash. He HAD been hoping to head off for a nice long training trip with Soun, but Nodoka had put the kibosh on that.
"I am looking forward to learning from you, Mr. Saotome." Akane bowed to him formally. "I want you to train me exactly like you did with Ranma." She set her stance and folded her arms in determination.
After almost an entire summer trying to piece together what went wrong between her and Ranma, she had finally figured it out. It wasn't him... not just him anyway.
Before Ranma came, she was one of the top martial artists in Nerima, which even THEN was saying something. She was in top form, honed through fighting off a literal horde every single day, topped off by fierce clashes with Tatewaki Kuno. It didn't matter that Akane was a tomboy, or couldn't cook, or wasn't very feminine. Akane Tendo was strong. Akane Tendo didn't lose.
Until Ranma came.
He was faster, stronger, more graceful, more sure and more powerful than she imagined was possible. And he did it almost casually, like it wasn't a big deal. And he attracted others who were similarly strong and fast and skilled, privy to secret techniques and training. And despite her protests of being a 'real martial artist', she quickly came to realise she wasn't. Not in Ranma Saotome's world anyway.
She could have handled that. But at the same time, he was also a she, a girl who could with the same casual lack of effort be cute, exotic, vulnerable, charming, and feminine. A boy who hated being a girl was better at her in the things that should be inherent.
The trouble with Ranma Saotome's world was, there wasn't any room for HER in it. Not as a martial artist, not as a woman. Everything she did, those around her now did better. There wasn't a single thing that was HERS, except anger and frustration.
She could have lived with that, maybe. If he had chosen her. If she could have known for certain that she was what HE wanted, that would have been enough. To know that she had something that set her apart, even if it couldn't be quantified... even if it was just in his eyes... she could have managed with that.
But he couldn't say it. He couldn't even give her that much, not out of pettiness, but because he just didn't know.
And she realized what a fool she had been. She had given up so easily on the things that DID make her special, that DID make her strong, in the hopes that she could grasp this ephemeral thing that even HE wasn't sure existed. She wasted time competing with his girl side on things she had never been good at, while she let the things she had always been good at lay fallow.
She was a martial artist. Not a cook. Not a homemaker. Not a swimmer. Not someone to sit on the sidelines of a fight. She had given up the fight when the challenge was first issued, because the task of closing the gap seemed so daunting, so... terrifying. But she realized that it was literally the only choice she had. After a year of struggling and running and trying to find an alternative, another place she could exist in this new relality Ranma had forced upon her, she knew now that she only had one choice. The same choice she had ALWAYS had.
Genma's eyes narrowed, his brow furrowing. "You want to be trained 'just like Ranma', do you?" he crossed his arms. "Very well…"
Akane allowed herself another grin. Genma probably thought he was being intimidating with that. In fact, she was terrified. She always had been, which is why it took her a year to realize she had no choice.
Do your worst.
The Present
Mornings were never an easy thing for Nabiki. On the best of days, she and mornings had a kind of tense armed standoff until there was enough caffeine in her system for her to take her finger off the 'nuke everything' button.
This morning, however, opened things with a pre-emptive strike.
"Unnnnngh!" She unwillingly floundered back to consciousness as the light shone through the window. Her temples pounded as she buried her head in Ranma's shoulder and tried to shut it out.
The mental gear prying itself loose was almost audible as she gradually realized that on THIS side of wakefulness there shouldn't be a shoulder there for her to bury her face against.
Slowly, she cracked an eye open, squinting as the hated sun stabbed her in the eye with needles of light. Next to her was Ranma, eyes closed, face relaxed and tranquil. Her head was pillowed on his shoulder, and his arm was around her.
The cliched response to this would have been to panic, scream, and frantically extricate herself. Nabiki hated cliches. She closed her eyes again and relaxed. Ranma was asleep, and there was nothing urgent pressing her into action, so she had a little time to assess the situation. She pushed past the throbbing migraine and forced her protesting mind to sift through the alcohol-soaked memories from the previous night.
All right… we were drinking… obviously too much in my case. She scowled, not entirely pleased that she had let herself go as far as she obviously had. I was a little buzzed… Ranma was off sitting by himself, being all introspective and moody, so I came over to try and cheer him up. I pulled him up to get him to dance. It was a slow dance, and then I asked him… something. And then… then he…
She winced. God damnit Drunk Nabiki!
Ranma had kissed her. She didn't know if it was because he was actually falling for her, or a spur of the moment thing brought on by the mood and the setting… she sincerely hoped it was the latter… but he had leaned in and kissed her.
Sober Nabiki would have pushed him away, maybe even slapped him, and hit him with such a huge debt that his grandchildren would still be paying off the interest.
'Normal Weekend' Nabiki probably would have let him down gently, maybe even apologized for giving him the wrong idea.
Drunk Nabiki though?
His answer wasn't the one she was expecting. The kiss was soft, tentative… almost more of a question than a statement. That simply would NOT do.
She moved her hand from his pigtail to the back of his head, keeping him from escaping as she returned his kiss with interest, her arms tightening, pulling him in against her. She opened her mouth, her tongue caressing his soft lips, leading him and daring him to follow.
She pinched the bridge of her nose, the pain in her temples flaring as she did a mental inventory of just how badly she had screwed up. The night was an incoherent blur after that, but she knew that hadn't been the only kiss. There was a definite sense of Ranma rapidly improving his technique as the night went on. She cracked open an eye, and gingerly lifted the sheet covering them both, dreading what it might reveal about the night's activities.
Whew!
She sighed in relief and let the sheet drop back into place. They were still both clothed. In the state they had been in, she doubted they would have had the presence of mind to put their clothes back into place. There was also no sign of any 'wet spot' on the mattress. The LAST thing she needed was the complication in her life of getting pregnant.
Drunk Nabiki wasn't going to get let out again for a VERY long time.
Carefully she disentangled herself from Ranma. Thankfully he was a heavy sleeper; She knew from experience she could dump a bucket of cold water on him and not wake him. She slipped out of the bed as he rolled over onto his side. She felt an intense need for coffee, a shower, and something to wear OTHER than a bikini, in that order.
Naturally, she hadn't set the coffeemaker timer this time. She set about fumbling with the coffee filters, absently taking a couple of pills for her headache as she struggled to make the machine work. Finally getting it burbling away, she stumbled back into the room and sat down on the empty bed, across from Ranma.
Now there's just waking Ranma up, and hoping he doesn't remember anything. She sighed, leaning forward a bit. Yeah, fat chance of that. Ranma had been less drunk than her, after all. With her luck, he'd likely remember the whole night.
Just gotta do it quick. She thought. Whatever… chemistry we have, it's a terrible idea for both of us. I'm going to college in a few months, and he really needs a girl who can defend herself. If we got together we'd be forever stuck at that stupid dojo fending off challengers, fiancees and whoever else his idiot father sold him to. I'll just make sure he understand it's for the best, and not because of anything he did.
She unconsciously brushed a fringe of his hair from his face. She smiled a little, seeing how all the lines of his face smoothed out when he relaxed, making him look almost innocent. Poor guy… He's really not equipped to deal with ONE girl, must less four or five. She felt an odd surge of possessiveness flutter in her chest, and a small, quiet, but insistent voice in her head.
Mine.
She shuddered and withdrew her hand quickly. She ran it through her hair and stood up, making her way purposefully towards the shower. Apparently she needed to get some of her own rebellious impulses under control first.
The coffee was ready by the time she stepped out of the bathroom, wearing a fluffy white hotel bathrobe. She had spent the time under the hot water almost in a trance, carefully retracing her plans and goals for the year, reminding herself of what was at stake, and ruthlessly silencing any dissenting voices. She stepped out of the bathroom and gave Ranma a good, long look, until she was satisfied there were no more unprofessional heart flutters or immature, possessive little voices in her head. She sat back down on the empty bed and took a deep breath.
"Ranma." She said clearly.
She had spent a lot of time observing how Ranma slept, primarily to facilitate getting pictures for her various Ranma-obsessed clients. Ranma slept like the dead, oblivious to anything short of being bodily thrown out a window. Unless someone clearly said his name. Happosai in particular had been caught unawares by that when he had succumbed to monologuing while trying one of his stupid incense schemes in Ranma's room.
Ranma groaned and stirred, cracking open one eye, then closing it with a moan.
Hangover. Good. Maybe I got lucky. Nabiki pushed a glass of water and two headache pills towards him on the nightstand. "You too, I see."
"My mouth feels like I licked the insides of a well-used pair of gym shoes." He mumbled. He made a couple of abortive grabs for the pills on the nightstand before managing to grab them, swallowing them dry.
"The water too, Saotome. You're dehydrated. That's why your head hurts." She took a sip of her coffee as she waited for him to recover a little more.
He slowly sat up, doing a fairly good impression of herself in the morning, bleary-eyed, mussed hair, and blank stare at the floor. He reached for the glass of water, managing to grab it in one try this time and downed it in one gulp.
"Pops and Mr. Tendo are idiots for doing that to themselves willingly." He muttered. "Never drinking again."
Nabiki smirked in spite of herself. "Daddy says exactly the same thing every time he wakes up with a hangover."
"Yeah, well, I mean it. If I want my head split open,next time I'll just go piss off Ryouga." He looked up at her blearily. She could almost see the gears in his head come unstuck as the memories started coming back, his eyes widening, following by a slightly blush on his cheeks. "Nabiki… I… we…"
She held up a hand to stop him. "No panicking, Saotome. I know what we did, and it's okay. Nobody is getting malleted or married over this." She folded her hands and leaned forward a bit. "Take a minute, tell me what you remember first, then we figure it out together, okay?"
"We… uh…" He blushed deeper and took a deep breath. "We kissed. Umm… more than once. Maybe a lot more than once." He wrung his hands a bit. "We stayed at the party for a bit… I remember having a few more drinks. Things got a bit blurry… I think I tried to dance…Then you started falling asleep, so I carried you back to the room. B-but… you wouldn't let go, and I was tired too, so…" He winced and ducked his head a bit.
"You didn't do anything wrong, Ranma." She said quickly. And I am VERY lucky I was with you and not someone else who might have taken advantage of me! Drunk Nabiki is definitely going on permanent hiatus. "So… We can agree we were both drunk, and did something stupid."
He winced at that, and his eyes fell.
Shit. "Ranma… listen to me." She took a deep breath, mustering up the rehearsed speech she had spent her time in the shower putting together. "This isn't anything wrong with you. Or with me, really. This is a situation thing. I'm going to business school… that'll be four years or more of my life where I won't be able to focus on ANYTHING ELSE. You have… probably the most complicated mess of a love life imaginable, and you don't need me complicating it. Especially if you still feel anything for Akane. You need to at least sort that out before you look anywhere else."
He hunkered down a little more at that, looking away.
"It's like Asahi and Chiyako said," She pressed on. "Most relationships don't survive College. This was… A nice weekend that got away from us, okay? This isn't a foundation for anything. It's better we just leave it all here, rather than try and make something out of nothing… Right?"
Ranma balled up his fists and closes his eyes, his shoulders tensing. He seemed to struggle a moment, then relaxed. He opened his eyes again, and they were flat and grey. "No, I understand. My fault for taking you seriously, huh?"
"What? Ranma…" Nabiki bit her lower lip. She had expecting things to be awkward, but…
"All that stuff about figuring out what I want being important. About trying to be happy the only thing that really matters. About how that's the way to finally sorting out my mess of a life." He gritted his teeth. "I guess that was just part of the joke, huh?" He suddenly got to his feet and made his way slowly and carefully to the bathroom.
"Ranma…"
"You should get packed." Ranma said just before he stepped inside. "Don't want to be late checking out."
To say the train ride back was awkward would be a painful understatement.
They sat opposite each other, as far apart as they could physically get. Ranma had been unwilling to do more than give one or two word answers, and Nabiki didn't feel like pushing him for more.
Stupid stupid STUPID! She groused at herself as she gazed out the window, as it was as far from looking in Ranma's direction as she could get. The point of a weekend getaway was to GET AWAY, Nabiki! If you found some nice boy to have a little weekend romance with, then you both go home to your separate corners of Japan afterwards, never see each other again, and get to remember it as a sweet, fun little weekend.
She glanced at Ranma's reflection in the window. He was looking off to the left, across the aisle. Probably trying to look anywhere but at her, same as she was. But NO. YOU had to go and mess around with your little sister's fiance!
She sighed. It probably would have been okay if Ranma was even remotely the kind of guy his reputation made him out to be; A casanova who got off on playing with girls' hearts. But he wasn't. He was naive, inexperienced… maybe a little sweet… And to him a kiss actually meant something. Not the sort of boy suited to a little meaningless weekend fun.
She scowled. No. I am NOT going to feel guilty about this! Ranma is a big boy, and he knew the arrangement when we started this weekend! It's not like he doesn't know me! Honestly, with all the effort he puts into keeping all his other relationships from blowing up, you'd think he'd show a little restraint!
She smirked a bit, satisfied that she had managed to shift enough of the blame for the situation off her own shoulders to keep the guilt from completely ruining any benefit of the trip. It lasted exactly as long as it took for her gaze to flick back to Ranma's reflection in the window.
~Everyone else who ever kissed him, they kissed him first. I was the first person he ever chose to kiss.~
She winced and screwed her eyes shut. Damn it, that's not fair…
The speaker crackled to life. "Next station is… Tobu-Nerima. Next station is Tobu-Nerima."
"That's our stop." Nabiki said, unnecessarily. She started gathering her bags, trying not to make eye contact with Ranma. She noticed he silently grabbed her heavier suitcase and felt another stab of guilt. Would it kill you to be a jerk so I can hate you for a little while, Ranma? Nabiki fumed. She was starting to get an idea why the relationship between Ranma and her sister had been the way it was.
The walk back home was more uncomfortable silence. Ranma didn't do his usual fence-walking, and simply stayed a couple of paces ahead of her, holding her suitcase over his shoulder. She struggled with the urge to start some sort of meaningless small talk, knowing it was just going to make things worse.
They finally reached the front door, and Ranma stopped and handed her her suitcase. "Here. Don't want anyone getting the wrong idea or nuthin'."
"Ranma…" She sighed heavily, wondering if this was just how he was going to be from now on.
"Oh, and here." he handed her something wrapped in tissue.
She blinked and peeked at it, finding a bar of soap. "The waterproof soap? What am I supposed to do with this?"
"I don't need it anymore." He replied, walking through the front door. "Sell it to Ryouga, toss it in the trash. I don't care." He kicked off his shoes and headed inside without another word. "I'll be in the dojo if anyone needs me."
Nabiki watched him go, gripping the tissue-wrapped bar of soap tightly.
Kasumi peeked her head out of the kitchen as Ranma walked past. "Oh! Ranma, you're back! Dinner's not quite ready yet…"
"It's alright, Kasumi. I'm not hungry." Ranma muttered, and continued towards the dojo.
"Oh… my." Kasumi stared at him wide-eyed, then turned to Nabiki, who was lugging her suitcase in the door. "Nabiki… did something happen this weekend?"
Nabiki gripped the wrapped soap tighter, then jammed it into her pocket. "No! Nothing happened." She stalked past the kitchen. "I'm going to go unpack."
Kasumi watched her sister stomp past, concerned look on her face. She watched her go up the stairs, then her eyes flicked towards the dojo, where she could hear the sounds of Ranma hitting the training post already. She looked back and forth between then two, then decided to return to her kitchen for the time being, though the worried look never left her brow.
~Whack~
~Whack~
~Whack~
~CRACK!~
Ranma sighed and relaxed from his ready stance, the post he had been using as a hitting dummy askew, the wood snapped at the mid point. He glanced at the other two posts he had already broken tonight, and decided to give it a rest. Hitting things wasn't making him feel any better.
He sighed, slumping a little. He set about freeing the broken post, resolving to replace it… again… later. He made his way back to the house.
"Oh, Ranma! Is everything all right?" Kasumi asked. She was waiting for him by the door with a towel.
"Everything is fine, Kasumi." Ranma said, managing to sound completely unconvincing. He accepted the towel and dabbed the sweat from his face. "I'm… going to take a bath before dinner, if that's okay?"
"I… of course." Kasumi replied. "It's just us tonight, father is visiting the Saotomes, and Akane… she's still staying with them for now." She bowed her head a bit.
"Yeah, I figured." Ranma walked away towards the laundry room and furo. He grabbed a change of clothes from the laundry, taking one of his more comfortable red silk shirts. He checked for the occupied sign on the door, sighed in relief and put it up himself, then stepped inside the changing area.
I shoulda known better than to trust Nabiki. He thought darkly. Why did Pops and Mr. Tendo send me on this stupid trip anyway? Nabiki didn't need me along. She didn't WANT me along. He undressed in a businesslike manner, tossing his clothes in the hamper.
"This isn't a foundation for anything. It's better we just leave it all here, rather than try and make something out of nothing… Right?"
Better foundation than I've gotten before. He thought glumly, open the door and stepping into the furo. He sat down on a stool and filled up a wash tub with cold water. At least I actually got to pick the girl this time. Though what the HELL was I thinking picking NABIKI?! He dumped the tub's contents over himself. The soap had finally worn off, and he felt the tingle of the change as his body shifted, proportions changed, and his line of sight dropped as she was now several inches shorter.
She looked up, catching sight of herself in the mirror. She got up from her stool and walked over, wiping away the mist covering it, and finding a pair of deep blue eyes looking back at her from her reflection. She almost felt a pang of guilt for having locked her girl side away so long, though that hardly made any sense given how many times she had been stuck as a girl. Hey again. She thought, looking at her. I guess you're the only girl I can actually trust, huh?
A memory of deep brown eyes, framed by soft brown hair, and a sly smirk turning up soft lips that his memory of was so much more than just visual. "Well, I'm not Akane. I trust you."
Another memory, this time of hazel eyes full of emotion and promise, framed by dark hair. "Do you really hate me that much?"
She closed her eyes and tried to shut the faces out. That's not fair! What was I supposed to do?! How was I supposed to feel?! She slumped down onto the bathroom floor and pulled her legs up to her chest. Her emotions had always been so much closer to the surface as a girl, and she found she couldn't stifle the tears of hurt and confusion anymore.
Why doesn't anyone who I want want me back? What's wrong with me?
She winced and curled up tighter as her mind supplied a steady stream of answer to that, all in Akane's voice. "Pervert. Cross-dresser. Freak. Aquatranssexual. Idiot. Cassanova. Two-timer."
I'm sorry! I'm sorry I couldn't make you happy, Akane! I didn't know what to do! I didn't know how! She shuddered. Hindsight was a cruel, unforgiving thing. She could see all of the chances she had had to do just that, all the ways she had messed it up, and then been forgiven, over and over and OVER, until finally the forgiveness ran out.
"You CAN'T make everyone happy, and you CAN'T hold yourself to dealing with what THEY want before you even get to DECIDE what YOU want." Nabiki's voice cut in. "Otherwise you're just spending your whole life reacting, and never going anywhere or accomplishing anything."
Ranma sighed. "Yeah, that worked out REAL good for me, didn't it, Nabiki?" She rested her chin on her knees. "Knowing what I want doesn't help much if I still can't figure out what anyone ELSE wants…"
"Oh come on, Saotome! Loosen up a bit." There was a memory of a warm hand on his, and soulful eyes that she would like to lose herself in. "Let's just… forget who we are for a while and pretend a little, okay?"
A memory of hazel eyes, and the smell of flowers and perfume "Then do it. Kiss me. Can you just… make believe?"
She dropped her head back into her arms, feeling the tears hot on her cheeks again. "I didn't, though. I wasn't… I wasn't pretending." She dug her nails into her biceps. "I didn't WANT to pretend…"
"Ranma?" A soft, familiar voice came from the changing room, causing her to freeze in place. Kasumi!
"I-I'll just be a few more minutes!" She called out.
"That's alright, I just wanted to leave you some fresh towels." Kasumi replied. "I'm sorry for intruding."
Ranma took a deep breath, steadying herself. She realized she had started talking out loud. "How… how much did you hear?" She looked up, seeing Kasumi's shadow on the other side of the paper screen. She realized that Kasumi could probably see her outline too, all huddled up in a pitiful little ball.
"Not much. Enough." Kasumi replied. "Ranma… I'd like to talk. When you're done."
Ranma bit her lip. "Kasumi, I don't think…"
"Ranma." Kasumi cut her off, a firmness in her tone that was uncharacteristic of the eldest Tendo sister. "You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to, and I won't attempt to force you. But there are some things that I have left unsaid for far too long that I wish to say. Meet me in the dojo when you're done, please."
Kasumi looked up from where she was kneeling as Ranma came in the dojo door. She noticed Ranma hadn't bothered to change back to male, and certainly hadn't had enough time to wash thoroughly. She probably thinks she's here for a lecture, and just wants to get it over with as soon as possible.
Kasumi had set down some pillows to kneel on to try and make things a bit more comfortable. The Dojo wasn't exactly the place she would have preferred to have such a talk, but with Nabiki upstairs, it seemed best to have some distance. Plus she knew that Ranma seemed to be more comfortable in the dojo than anywhere else in the house. Ranma eschewed these and knelt in front of her on the hard wooden floor. Her eyes were closed and downcast, still puffy and red from crying.
Kasumi took a deep breath. "Ranma, you are no longer a guest in this household."
Ranma winced as if struck. She tensed, looking as if she were going to protest a moment, then seemed to deflate and nodded slowly. She opened her eyes, and the misery in them was palpable. "I guess… that was inevitable, huh?" She started to get up. "I'll get my things and…"
"Ranma, sit!"
Ranma blinked in surprise, caught completely unawares by Kasumi's authoritative command. Her foot slipped, and she obeyed by flopping gracelessly back onto her rear, staring at Kasumi as if she had been replaced by some kind of alien pod.
"That was not a statement that you are unwelcome here, Ranma, nor that you've incurred some kind of punishment. In fact, it is exactly the opposite." She sighed and gathered her thoughts. "Ranma, answer a question for me. Do you believe you will be welcome in this house should you choose NOT to marry Akane or Nabiki, or even myself should father and Mr. Saotome decide to shuffle things once more?" She looked into the redhead's eyes, not liking what she found there.
"Well… no…" She slumped, knowing the chances of her marrying into the Tendo family were basically nil… and not even sure if that's what she WANTED anymore.
"And do you believe that if your Mother should decide, against all reason, to attempt to enforce that ridiculous promise of your father's, that we would step back and simply allow it to happen?" Kasumi clenched her fists in her lap, struggling to maintain control and decorum as a thousand old frustrations bubbled to the surface.
Ranma's eyes widened at the look on Kasumi's face. "Kasumi… I'm sorry, whatever I did…!"
"No, Ranma!" Kasumi said sharply, causing the redhead to recoil back again.
Kasumi took a deep, calming breath, closing her eyes and breathing a few times to find her center. "I am not angry with you, Ranma. I am angry with myself and… 'circumstance.'" She opened her eyes. "Firstly, you are NOT a guest in this house, Ranma. You are family. As long as I live in this house, this is your home, and you are welcome here. No matter what. I apologize that I have not made this clear to you."
Ranma found herself blushing as she scooted back to her knees. "Kasumi…"
"Secondly…" Kasumi took a deep breath. She was overstepping herself here, she knew, but this had bothered her for FAR too long. "... Though I do not wish to impune the honor of Mr. Saotome or your mother...I do not approve of the obligation of the seppuku pledge they forced upon you as a child, nor would I have stood by… or allowed FATHER to stand by… should your mother have chosen to render judgement against you. Or should she reverse her decision not to in the future."
Ranma was stock still, staring. She opened her mouth, then shut it again.
"What I am saying is… you have our support. You have MY support. No matter what." Kasumi took a final breath, and released it. "I know something happened this weekend between you and Nabiki… And I will not pry as to what it was. I know that your life is tumultuous, and your future is in question. I just want to be clear that I want to help you, and I WILL help, however I can, and that that help is NOT conditional." She finished, giving Ranma a resolute look. "I want this to be a safe place for you."
"I…" Ranma rubbed the back of her head, blushing. "I… uh… Thanks? I mean… I'm not sure what to say…"
Kasumi shook her head. "You don't have to say anything. Thank YOU for letting me get that off my chest. Now, there IS something you can do for me in return, however."
Ranma froze, sensing the other shoe dropping.
Kasumi bowed her head. "There is something very important you must keep in mind in regards to my sisters."
"Uh…" Ranma looked nervous.
"Ranma." Kasumi fixed the girl with her most serious look yet. "Never forget this, EVER, for I will not repeat myself."
"Y-yes, Kasumi?"
"Ranma, my sisters…" She took a breath. "... Are idiots."
There was a long moment of silence, a pause as Kaumi solemnly stared at Ranma. Finally, Kasumi's mask cracked, the corner of her mouth tweaked, and the tension broke as the two of them dissolved into a fit of giggles.
"You… you had me going Kasumi! Good one!" Ranma giggled, holding her gut and wiping the tears from her eyes.
Kasumi had been more restrained, but was nonetheless beaming. "I did mean everything I said, Ranma. INCLUDING about my sisters." She dabbed the corner of her eye with a handkerchief. "Akane has so much passion about the things she wants, but has no idea how to pursue them. And Nabiki is so adept at pursuing what she thinks she wants, but is so busy chasing meaningless things that she misses out on the richness of life." She sighed. "I have always tried my best with them, but I can't help but feel they have honestly suffered for not having a proper mother."
"What? No, Kasumi…" Ranma crawled over to her and sat next to her. "You're the most supportive, caring, NICE person I know. You did the best you could!"
Kasumi shook her head. "There is a harsh reality, Ranma, that sometimes the best you can do simply isn't enough." She hesitated a moment, then gently patted the girl on the head, earning a blush. "Still, thank you. It means a lot to me that you see me that way. You have always been a little brother to me." She carefully avoided the word 'like'. She had made her statement, and was sticking by it; Even if Ranma never married into the family, he was her brother now. She hoped their parents understood that and would not try and force the engagement on her should things remain sour with her sisters. "And… I mean no offense by this… But in a way you are a little sister too."
Ranma cocked her head, then glanced down at herself. "Wha…? Oh." She blushed a bit.
"Ranma… I know the curse is a sore point for you, and I know it is something you must deal with how you feel best. But… I also understand that there are many things that you are suddenly expected to know, being a seventeen year old girl, that you have no way of knowing. Questions that might seem obvious to someone who was born female, but which might be mysteries. I want you to know that it's okay to come ask me about these things, no matter how embarrassing."
"I… thank you Kasumi." Ranma said quietly. In other circumstances she probably would have gotten flustered and angrily denied needing such things. But her 'normal' weekend had made her painfully aware that there was an awful lot to life she simply didn't KNOW, and she wasn't sure she was okay with leaving it like that anymore. She wasn't sure what that meant in relation to the curse yet.
"Now, it is far past time I got dinner ready. I have been getting lax in my housework with everyone away on their little weekend vacations." She smiled. "Would you care to help me?"
"I… sure, Kasumi." Ranma nodded. Feeling useful would be a good way to calm her thoughts.
They started back to the house, Ranma finally posed the one question that had tugged at the back of her mind. "Kasumi, you said I was like a little sister to you, right?"
"Not 'like'. You ARE a little sister to me, Ranma."
"Errr… yeah. And… what you said about your sisters…"
"Yes?"
"Does that… apply to me?"
"Now Ranma, I believe I said I wouldn't repeat myself, and to answer your question I would have to do just that."
"H-hey!"
Nabiki lay back on her bed, staring at the selection of brochures for local and not-so-local business schools she had been pondering. She had narrowed her selection to five, which she believed she had both the finances and grades to manage to get into. When she was upset, one of her favourite ways to center herself was to review her choices, visualizing through the promotional pictures herself attending each school, imagining daily life at each.
Currently it wasn't helping.
Right now every time she tried to close her eyes and imagine herself in one of those pictures, surrounded by other students, they all had the faces of Asahi, Chiyako, Yuto, Asami and Itsuki. That on its own wasn't so bad, it leant a certain realism to the fantasy that hadn't been there before. Now she had a better idea of how she might interact with other students at college, what sorts of people they would be.
The problem was, in her mind all of her interactions with that group had Ranma firmly at her side. And being reminded of Ranma by her fantasy world defeated the whole purpose of the escapism.
Damnit, Saotome, you just HAD to ruin this for me, didn't you? She thought sourly as she put the pamphlets aside. Instead she pulled out the tissue-wrapped bar of waterproofing soap. Geeze… I'm even starting to THINK like Akane. I need to get out of Nerima for good. Living on the fringe of The Madness is starting to affect my mind.
A rogue thought pricked the back of her mind. ~Must REALLY suck for the guy stuck in the middle of it all, huh?~
Nnnn! No! I am not doing this! Nabiki ground the heels of her palms into her eyes and tried to banish the guilty little voice. She was used to doing it. Good at it, even. But for some reason, it was refusing to go away.
~Especially since you gave him a taste of normalcy, and he liked it. Nothing like giving someone a taste for something they can't have, right?~
Shut UP! She tossed the soap across the room, as if it was somehow connected to the voice. The wrapped soap thunked against the wall and hit the floor intact. She rolled over and looked away from it. I am NOT going to feel guilty for how screwed up HIS life is! NONE of that is my fault!
~You haven't helped.~
How!? She turned and looked up at the ceiling. How on EARTH could I possibly help straighten out that mess he calls his life?!
~You know you could. You just knew he'd never be able to afford what you wanted to charge for the long-term effort it would take.~
What right do I have to meddle like that, anyway? She switched mental tack, momentarily ignoring the futility of arguing with herself. How do I know he doesn't prefer things this way? He certainly hasn't do anything to straighten out the mess himself!
~He doesn't know how.~
She winced at that. Her conversations with him during the weekend had made that painfully clear. He was like a feral child who had never been taught the language of normal human interaction. Still…
~He's never shown any interest in any of the things offered to him here, but the minute we showed him normalcy, he chose it.~ The voice stated. ~He chose US.~
ARRRRGH STOP! She gripped her temples. I am NOT marrying Ranma Saotome! I am not DATING Ranma Saotome! I am not getting involved with him IN ANY WAY!
~You already did.~
STOP!
~You promoted him from fake boyfriend.~
I WAS DRUNK!
~You kissed him.~
He kissed ME!
~You wanted him to.~
She whimpered and curled into a ball, turning onto her side. Shut up shut up shut UP!
~You made him want something he can't have.~
What do you want me to do about it!?
~Fix it.~
HOW!? She rolled onto her back, panting as she came to the end of the mental struggle with herself. She realized with a sinking sensation that she had just accepted responsibility for an impossible problem. Ranma wants Normalcy, but there's absolutely no way in hell to DO that with all of these random factors pulling at him and stirring things up and… and…
She paused her line of thought as something sparked. She started mentally running through all those 'random factors'. Because they weren't REALLY random, were they? They were all connected, tied to each other, so that the smallest force on one caused the whole thing to rattle. But, if she could MAP that, plot it out…
She rolled off her bed, retrieving the large hanging corkboard she had once used to post up IOU slips before she went digital. She hung it back up on the wall, then opened up her desk and started rummaging through her photograph files, selecting pictures of the various figures in Ranma's life, as well as some red and green yarn, and a package of thumbtacks. She stuck a picture of Ranma dead center in the board, then started to arrange the pictures around him, running green and red lines of yarn between them as appropriate. Her movements had the feverish, frantic nature of an inventor who was caught in the throes of inspiration. She returned to the desk, rummaging around for some cue cards, and started frantically scribbling notes, pinning them up as well.
When she was finally done, she stepped back, a little short of breath. It wasn't complete by any stretch; She'd need to tweak it, add more factors and connections, throw in more peripheral individuals who might affect things. But it was a start, the start of something she had never been crazy or desperate enough to attempt before.
She was mapping The Madness. And it was starting to make sense. There was a structure to it that could be manipulated. One she had unconsciously been tweaking for her own profit, but now, one she could use to dismantle the whole thing.
"Oh my god…" She breathed. "... I can fix Ranma Saotome."
Breakfast the next morning was suitably awkward. Ranma and Nabiki sat in their usual spots, but neither was meeting the eyes of the other as they ate in silence.
"I got a phone call from Father before you two got back yesterday." Kasumi said, trying to fill the empty void. "They had fun in Okinawa. He's staying with the Saotomes for a few more days to help with repairs to the house. He says that once that's done, he'll be coming home. With Akane."
Ranma flinched at that, but didn't look up from his miso. He was eating at a sedate, almost normal pace, probably the closest he would normally come to being put off his food.
"You'll get all the assignments from the teacher for her, won't you Ranma?" Kasumi asked. She knew this was uncomfortable for him, but she knew the two of them needed to find SOME sort of reconciliation.
"Yeah, sure." Ranma muttered. He glanced at Nabiki, then at the clock. He sighed and put his half-finished bowl down. "I'm… gonna head off early. Thanks for breakfast, Kasumi." Without another word he stood and headed for the door.
Kasumi gaped, never having seen Ranma leave food unfinished before… unless it was from Akane. She looked at Nabiki, who was reading the newspaper… or at least looking at it and trying to appear like she was reading it, and absently finishing her own breakfast. "Nabiki… are you sure you don't want to walk with Ranma?"
"He's a big boy. He can find the way on his own." Nabiki said.
Kasumi waited until she heard the sliding door closed, and was certain Ranma was out of earshot. "Nabiki, is everything alright?"
"It's fine." Nabiki mumbled, distracted. "Why do you ask?"
"Because you've been reading the same page of the newspaper for twenty minutes." Kasumi replied, snatching it up as she cleared away the breakfast dishes. "Upside down."
"Hey…!" Nabiki protested, then blushed as she got called out. "Okay, fine! I just didn't want to try and carry on an awkward conversation. I've got a lot on my mind." She stood up, brushing her dress off unnecessarily.
"Nabiki." Kasumi paused, incidentally right in the path of any easy escape out the front door. "How do you feel about Ranma?"
"Oh my GOD!" Nabiki rolled her eyes. "Can we not have this conversation please, Kasumi?"
"Nabiki, he's your fiance now." Kasumi stood her ground. "You just spent a weekend together, and after you got back I found him in girl form in the furo crying. I've just watched my baby sister lose any chance she had with him when they obviously cared about each other very much because she couldn't be honest about her feelings, and I do NOT want to see it happen again!"
Unused to the resolve her sister was showing, Nabiki's usual cool, calm demeanor crumbled. "K-Kasumi…?" She gaped at her older sister a bit, then something else got traction in her mind. "Ranma was crying…?"
"Don't you DARE tell him I told you." Kasumi said sternly. "And don't you dare use it against him either, but yes." She sighed. "I did not approve of you and Ranma going off together unescorted like that, but given how poorly the situation tended to be handled by father when he DID escort Ranma and Akane, I didn't feel I should object. You have always been more… 'worldly' than the rest of the family, and I supposed I should have been more concerned about how that might affect someone as… frankly innocent as Ranma." She closed her eyes and huffed. "Did you at least use protection?" She said quietly.
Nabiki flushed deep scarlet. "Kasumi! Nothing like that happened!" She very carefully shoved back down the thought that if she had been just slightly less drunk it might well have.
"That's a small mercy, I suppose. But whatever DID happen obviously affected him, at a time when he was already vulnerable." She wrung her hands. "Please be careful, sister. Ranma does not have the same kind of support network your or I do, and while he is resilient I fear he is at his limits right now."
Nabiki felt a twinge of annoyance. Even Kasumi is assuming I'm completely blind to his feelings. Am I the 'Ice Queen' to you too, Kasumi? "I know. I already decided to lay off him before the weekend even started. I swear, I wasn't messing with him. I was trying to HELP, it just… got a little misunderstood."
Kasumi nodded slowly, then stepped out of the way. "You'd better get going or you'll have to run."
Nabiki grabbed her bookbag and started past her towards the door, but Kasumi caught her shoulder as she passed.
"Nabiki… I meant it when I said I don't want to see what happened to Ranma and Akane happen again. Be honest about your feelings about him. At least to yourself."
"I'm not marrying Ranma Saotome." Nabiki muttered darkly.
"That's not what I said, Nabiki." Kasumi corrected softly.
Nabiki sighed. "I AM honest about my feelings. And he's a nice guy under all the machismo and bizarre upbringing. But I don't like him THAT way." Nabiki fixed her sister with an unwavering gaze, making sure that she was showing her that she was entirely confident and clear on this point.
Kasumi nodded. "Then perhaps help him to deal with the other girls? They are likely to be a bit more… opportunistic when they learn he is not longer tied to Akane."
"I'll… take it under advisement." Nabiki said, and made her escape before her sister could jump to any more conclusions, or lay any more guilt upon her. She stalked out the front door, her mood already soured before the day had even begun.
REALLY should have been more worried when she started getting into all those psychology books. She sighed and started the trudge towards school. I don't need her getting the idea I'm repressing some hidden attraction for Saotome! She's right though, he IS kinda fragile at the moment. She considered as she walked. Maybe I can run interference for him on Kuno. Still gotta work out if I should even try and meddle in his life any more than that, though. I won't do anything without letting him know. She nodded, satisfied she was doing enough to salve her inconveniently budding guilty conscience. As for the remaining fiancee brigade…
Mine.
YOU SHUT UP!
Ranma reached the front gates of Furinkan with ample time to spare, having sprinted the whole way. He had wanted to be sure Nabiki wouldn't catch up with him and make things more awkward, which had unintentionally resulted in one of the signs of the apocalypse coming to pass: Ranma Saotome was EARLY for school.
Maybe I'll get to slip past Kuno this time? He thought as he walked through the gates, earning surprised looked from some of the students already there.
"HALT, FOUL SORCERER!"
Yeah, of course not. His expression soured as he looked up to see the self-proclaimed Blue Thunder of Furinkan High standing before the main doors of the school, bokken in hand, levelling it dramatically at him in challenge. "Geez, Kuno, how early do you get here, anyway?"
"Ha! Did you think simply altering your timetable would catch me unawares, Ranma Saotome?" Kuno shouldered his bokken and sneered. "I anticipated this tactic almost a full year ago, and have been prepared!"
Ranma blinked. "Hold on… You've been coming to school early…"
"5 AM in fact!" Kuno announced proudly.
"... You've been coming to school stupid early, for an entire YEAR, on the off-chance that I tried to get by you by coming to school early?" Ranma folded his arms and cocked his head, not sure how to deal with that level of obsession. Waiting for a duel for three days? That was one thing. But coming to SCHOOL early for a year? On the off-chance that your rival MIGHT show up early? That required a special level of obsessed!
Ranma felt something almost like respect for that.
Kuno smirked. "Ah, how the baying mongrel cowers when it realizes it has been cornered by a wolf!" He stepped forward, leveling his bokken. "Already your power slackens, and the fair tigress Akane Tendo has wrenched herself free from your grasp! Today, I complete your fall and forevermore tear the Pig-Tailed Goddess from your vile clutches!"
Ranma sighed. Another day, another time, this would have been a good way to blow off some frustration. But Kuno looked to have a serious head of steam, and putting him down would probably make him late for class, which he didn't want to deal with. Plus, Nabiki would be there by then, which he really didn't want to deal with. He started rapidly figuring options, and considering different angles of attack to solve his problem, when inspiration hit.
Socializing is a Martial Art. Everyone wants something, right? Ranma ran through what he had learned over the weekend like he was mentally reviewing a kata. What Kuno WANTS is the Pigtailed Girl. The only reason he wants to pound ME is because he thinks I'm in the way. If I change that, he'll leave me alone, right?
He looked at the advancing swordsman, an idea forming. And the best lies are mostly true, with a few details switched around to suit the situation.
"Okay, fine." He said. "You can have her."
Kuno stopped in his tracks, eyes narrowing. "What sorcery is this? Do mine ears deceive me? I know your ilk, cur, and you have not the wit to know when to give up. What plot are you hatching?!"
Ranma chewed on the corner of his lip. Kuno was suspicious. He'd have to word this carefully. "I ain't giving up! I'm just sick of fighting my sister's battles for her!"
"Sister…?" Kuno blinked.
Ranma pressed the attack, sensing an opening. "Yeah. You know, the Pig-Tailed Girl? Didn't you ever notice the resemblance, or the fact we have the same name? Same age? Same birthday?" He crossed his arms and looked away. "Geez, dude. A year of chasing her and you never even asked."
"Your sister… is the Pig-Tailed Girl?" Kuno blinked, the rusty mechanisms in his brain groaning, stirred into unfamiliar motion.
"Yeah. Twin sister. Why do you think she hangs around with my fiancee all the time? Or dresses like me? Or that we call the same guy 'Pops'?" Ranma grinned, knowing he had hooked the kendoist, and just needed to reel him in.
"Then…" Kuno desperately searched for a counter argument. "Then why do you so vehemently oppose our love!?"
"Name one time I got between you and her." Ranma smirked, folding his arms across his chest. "I only kick ya around because YOU pick fights with ME."
"But… but…" Kuno's gaze started to dart back and forth, as if watching the various pieces slot into place. "... No! It makes sense! The same style of martial arts! The same home address! The protectiveness of each other!" His eyes widened. "All this time… have I been battling the very flesh and blood of my beloved?!" He dropped to his knees and clutched his head.
"~Okay, geez, milk it why doncha ya drama queen.~" Ranma muttered under his breath. "Yeah, so… since I'm not with Akane anymore neither, I guess I'm no longer an obstacle, right? Not much point in wasting your time on me." He folded his hands behind his head and starts to nonchalantly walk past the shocked kendoist.
"No…" Kuno stared at the dirt for a moment in shocked contemplation. Then, as Ranma walked past, he suddenly bolted to his feet, grabbing the startled pigtailed martial artist by the shoulders. "NAY! THIS WILL NOT STAND!"
"Holycrappleasedon'thurtme!" Ranma babbled as his personal space was violently invaded. By the obsessed older boy.
It didn't get much better when the kendoist solemnly looked into Ranma's eyes, and then crushed him to his chest in a hug.
"I have wronged you, Saotome! Slandered the name of the man who's approval I should always have sought! Blinded by petty rivalries and pride! O cruel fate dost thou punish mine hubris so!" He released Ranma, holding the stunned pigtailed boy at arm's length. "No wonder my love was ever reluctant to accept my embrace!"
"Eeeeeeeeeeeee…" Ranma for his part was white as a sheet, and stiff as a board.
Kuno released him and clenched his fist, tears running down his cheeks. "And yet despite our animosity, you have given me a gift! Moved by my determination and spirit, no doubt! Ah, I swear to thee, Ranma Saotome, I shall not squander this opportunity! I shall prove to thee I am worthy to court your sister, and be your brother both! This I, Tatewaki Kuno, the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High, do swear!"
Thunder boomed ominously in the distance as lightning flashed.
Ranma glanced left, then right, then quietly made his escape, wondering what fresh hell he had just invented for himself.
Furinkan was a large school, and thankfully, being a year apart meant that it wasn't all that hard to avoid Ranma. There were some rumblings about something weird that had happened that morning between Ranma and Kuno that smelled of profit, but right now, for once, she wasn't as concerned with the almighty yen as she was with avoiding an awkward conversation. She had carefully fended off inquiries from her friends and associates about her current status of being engaged to Ranma, and since the LAST time she had taken the engagement for a little quick cash, they just assumed this would be more of the same.
It was the first few classes of the year, which was a lot of introductions to things she already knew pretty well, so she had some leeway to let her mind wander. She was still mentally working on her corkboard diagram of all of Ranma's various entanglements, and pondering how to unravel them, or at least get some slack.
Objectively, it was a fascinating problem, and the profit potential was enormous. If she had stumbled on the idea before she would be salivating over how much she could make just by tweaking a few factors.
But now? She was FAR too close to getting tangled up in it herself. That wouldn't have been a big problem a year ago, but with finals and the entrance exams for the schools she was gunning for looming, she didn't have the time or inclination to deal with being some kind of replacement Akane. She needed to sweep the board clean, or at least arrange things so she could step out of the mess before it closed around her and tangled her up in it.
Never, EVER be part of the Madness. Even if that means sacrificing a few easy yen. She thought.
But there was the crux of the problem; To undo the gordian knot of Ranma's problems, she would have to do just that. Worse, she would be arrogantly trying to play PUPPETMASTER to it. The potential for personal disaster was huge.
She slipped out of school quietly after classes were done, avoiding both her friends and her technical fiancee. Rather than head home right away, she opted to get herself a coffee, and some time away from The Madness to think. She avoided most of the usual coffee shops, knowing that she ran a high risk of running into her friends or acquaintances from Furinkan there.
So… what do I do? She pondered. I could fix or neuter most of Ranma's problems, I know I could. The answer is THERE. But it'd be easier and safer to just do what I did last time, play the fiancees off against each other, sabotage Daddy's attempts at any impromptu weddings, then make a break for college, and leave Ranma to deal with the fallout.
She looked up, noticing for the first time an odd looking little tea shop. The sign above the door read 'Clara's Leaf Tea Shop' with a perfectly preserved large red ovate leaf attached to the wooden sign. The door was a traditional sliding door with paper windows, but absolutely nothing else about the shop was remotely traditional. The outside was adorned with various wind chimes and prayer tags and whirlygigs, arranged along the awning and down each post. Outside there was a small table and two chairs that looked long unused. The trim was green and faded, more of a western style than the rest, and there were knickknacks and oddities on the windowless wall that seemed to be from all over the world. A hand-drawn sign of artfully done brushed kanji stated the shop was open.
She opened the door and stepped into the dim shop, curiosity piqued. "Hello?"
"Oh, hello dear! Welcome! I'll be with you in just a moment" A figure at the far end of the dimly lit shop came over. It was a tall, lean man, his hawkish nose and thick eyebrows at odds with his effeminate demeanor and poise, as well as the admittedly competently done make up. He wore a light woman's kimono, and had what appeared to be a head kerchief entirely covering his hair.
Nabiki blinked, but such oddities barely registered on her weirdness meter anymore. She looked around the shop - One side of the small shop was dominated by a long wooden counter, with stools at one end for patrons to sit and enjoy their tea, as well as a number of plain teapots on burners. The back wall was covered in shelves, stocked with clay vases, each labelled a different tea variety. On the far side of the shop were a few tables and booths, but all were currently empty.
She slipped onto one of the stools, a little nervous that there didn't seem to be any other patrons, but she had been seen, so it would be rude to duck out now.
"Thank you for waiting dear!" The man came over, beaming, showing off his large, perfectly straight and brilliantly white teeth. "Welcome to my little shop! This is your first time here, isn't it?"
"I… uh… was just passing by and…" Nabiki stammered, not entirely sure how to handle the exuberant individual. "... Do you by any chance have any coffee?" She winced, getting the sense that asking for such a thing in a place like this might come off as offensive.
In fact, the man chuckled and patted her arm. "Oh, no, no, no, dear. Coffee is all well and good, but each beverage has its time and place, and afternoons are definitely meant for tea. Wouldn't be fair to let the British have gone through all that drama over it to only get the idea you could substitute any old drink, eh?" He pulled out a plain white teacup and picked up a tea kettle seemingly at random. "I'm Jiro. Just Jiro. And who might you be?"
Nabiki boggled a bit as the man was already pouring tea without he having stated a preference. "Uhh… Nabiki. Nabiki Tendo."
"Now, Nabiki, I have a bit of a ritual I hope you will allow me to indulge." Jiro said pleasantly. "First cup is always on the house, but I insist you allow me to try and guess your preference." He poured out the tea, and without asking added two sugar, then placed the teacup on a saucer in front of her.
"You seem quite… uhh… confident." Nabiki gave the tea a skeptical look, lifted the cup, and sniffed. Seeing Jiro was watching with rapt anticipation, she shrugged inwardly and took a sip. She immediately raised an eyebrow, tasting a hint of bergamot. "That's… that's actually quite good!"
Jiro beamed and clapped his hands. "I knew it!" He leaned in conspiratorially. "Earl Grey always seems to go over well with the serious thinkers. I've been tweaking that blend for ages to get it just right. A certain customer of mine is VERY demanding about his tea. You know how fussy frenchmen can be." He put the teapot aside. "Now, I imagine you have some momentous decision that needs pondering."
Nabiki covered her surprise by sipping her tea. "Is that another guess?"
Jiro chuckled. "No, no, of course not. No… most people who find their way in here are puzzling some great decision or another. Something of great importance to them. That's why this shop exists." He nodded and placed his hand over his heart in solemn salute. "To provide a soothing cup of warm tea, a sympathetic ear if it's needed, and a quiet place to make a difficult choice."
Nabiki smirked at the routine. Truth be told, though,a sounding board did seem appealing right now. Though deep problems in Nerima had a bit of an issue. "I'm… not sure how to really lay out my problem without sounding crazy."
"Oh pshaw, my dear." He made a dismissive gesture. "I've had actual madmen come through here ranting about boxes and screwdrivers and how much they hate pears. I can tell the difference, trust me."
Nabiki took a deep breath. "Well, this has to do with… well, a boy."
Jiro snorted. "Honey, it always has to do with a boy."
Nabiki scowled. "Not like that! Well… a little like that, but that's not the point. The problem is, his life is… well… a complete mess. And at first I didn't pay that any mind because he's a loudmouth and a braggart and exactly the sort to end UP in those kinds of messes, so I figured it was just what he deserved. Maybe even that he wanted it that way."
Jiro nodded, listening raptly.
"Well… Then circumstances kind of forced us to spend some time together. Not like that!" She said quickly. "But… we talked for a bit, and I guess I got a look at how he actually thinks, and some insight as to why he kept getting into these messes."
"He was a bit more than you figured?" Jiro asked, sipping his own cup of tea that Nabiki hadn't actually seen him pour.
"Yes… and no. Actually a lot of the opposite." Nabiki said, and felt a small pang of sadness. "He… well, he missed out on a lot of… normal stuff. Going to school, first crushes, learning how to interact with people. A lot of his problems are just because he doesn't really KNOW any better."
"A lot of silliness boils down to just that." Jiro said softly. "And that people are often too prideful or arrogant to simply admit they don't know what to do."
"Yeah, well 'prideful and arrogant' describes him pretty well. But…" She bit the corner of her lip, looking into her reflection in the dark liquid in her cup. "His skin is a lot thinner than I could have possibly imagined. I think I really hurt him."
"And now you're wondering how to make it right?"
Nabiki shook her head. "That's the thing. I know how to make it right. I've almost got it entirely figured out. I can fix the mess of his life, get things stable enough so that he can handle the rest on his own, and maybe even start picking up all those things about dealing with people he missed out on. But… If I start this, I have no choice but to see it through. And if it goes bad, it'll pull me down with it, and I'm so close to getting to where I want to be in life."
"Mmmm… So!" Jiro pushed a plate of biscuits towards her that she had also not seen his get, taking one for himself. "You have to decide if it's worth risking your future to make a bad boy with a sensitive side happy?"
Nabiki frowned. "It's not that simple…"
"Well, you implied he was…"
"No!" Nabiki glared at the effeminate tea shop owner. "He's actually surprisingly smart. All it takes is for someone to show him he can USE these skills, and he picks them up incredibly fast!"
"But he's arrogant and prideful!"
"That's just his cover, because he literally doesn't know how to be any other way, because his idiot father taught him he has to be 'tough' all the time, so he can never actually just ask for help!" She pushed herself to her feet, eyes blazing.
"You know what I think?" Jiro said with a knowing smile as he bit into a cookie. "I think you already know what you want to do, and are really just deciding if you should talk yourself out of it or not."
Nabiki's indignant anger immediately drained away as Jiro's words hit the mark, and she blushed. "This is NOT the sort of thing I'm known for doing…"
"And are you the sort of person who does things because it's what others expect her to be doing?" Jiro raised an eyebrow, then took another bite of his cookie, grinning. "I didn't think so."
Nabiki smiled in spite of herself. What is reward without a little risk? She thought. If this is really my martial art like Ranma said, then what kind of martial artist would I be if I turned down a challenge? "Thank you. This helped."
"It always does." He said softly. "Oh!" He straightened, holding up a finger and ducking down behind the counter to rummage. "Before I forget…" He pulled out a large shallow box, filled with teacups. "Last tradition of the day, I swear. I get all of my customers to pick out a teacup before they go, so that the next time they visit I can serve them from their own cup, that no one else uses."
"That… doesn't sound very cost effective…" Nabiki said skeptically.
"If you're running a tea shop for the profit margins, darling, you're in the wrong business." Jiro said saucily, and placed the box on the counter in front of her. "Go ahead, pick whichever one catches your fancy."
Nabiki looked at the eclectic collection of cups, of all different sizes, shapes and colors. She was originally going to pick one at random, which one caught her eye.
It was white, with an octagonal shape that curved inwards to the base gracefully. Drawn on the sides of the cup in black and yellow ink was a tastefully done scene of a sunrise over the water, with rolling dunes of a beach spreading out to the sides. She carefully picked up the cup, feeling it was far too valuable to be in a simple tea shop.
Jiro smiled and nodded, taking out the matching saucer and placing it on the counter in front of her. "It will be waiting for you when you next visit."
Nabiki smiled wistfully, then looked up at the tea shop owner. "Thank you, but I'm not sure I'll be back. I kind of came out of my way this time." She reached out to touch the cup, feeling a little bad about it.
"Oh, I know. I have many a cup that haven't seen their owners in a long time." He put a large, calloused hand over hers. "But that's good too, if they don't have any more big decisions weighing them down. Either way, it's something for me to remember them by."
Nabiki smiled at the odd man and nodded. "How much do I owe you?"
He shook his head. "Just a repeat visit, if you should find yourself pondering another life-changing dilemma."
Nabiki smirked. "I might have to take a rain check. I'm really not the sort for personal dilemmas."
Jiro smiled and nodded. "You're not, are you? Ah well, I DID say one did not run a tea shop to get rich, didn't I?"
"I'm sure you'll do fine." Nabiki replied, patting his arm. She turned and made her way out of the shop, feeling a good deal lighter and more confident.
Jiro watched her go, smiling. He sighed, shook his head, and collecting her cup and saucer, carefully placing it on a rack behind the counter with innumerable other cups of varying shape, style and size. "I'll need to order in more Earl Grey."
(Author's Note: I reworked the Akane scene a little, as it felt clunky, and more importantly didn't acknowledge the big huge elephant in the room of the Ranma/Akane breakup, or the fact that it was what was motivating Akane. I really do appreciate all the feedback I've been getting on this story so far!)
