Nabiki was waiting at her usual place under the tree when she spotted Ranma coming. Still stuck a girl, I see. She held up a kettle she had prepared for just this eventuality and waved.
Ranma's eyes were hooded as she walked up to Nabiki, a plastic wrapped bundle in her arms. Immediately Nabiki could sense something wrong.
"Ranma?"
Ranma raised her eyes. Anger and betrayal burning in them. She held up a handful of photographs, then tossed them to the ground at Nabiki's feet. "I hope you got a good price for these, Tendo."
"What…? Ranma…" Nabiki kept her eyes on the girl, but knelt to pick up a few of the photographs, her eyes flicking down to them. Then she paused and gave them a better look. What the hell?
She recognized them, of course. They were some old shots from the past year, but… "Ranma, I didn't sell these."
Ranma snorted. "Oh come off it, Tendo. You can't seriously expect me to believe…"
Nabiki held up one of the pictures. "Ranma, these are off the discard pile. Look at them! You think I'm going to sell shots of your male side in girl's clothing to Kuno? No one would buy these!"
"Someone did." Ranma said coldly. She knelt in front of Nabiki and plucked a photo from the ground, holding it up for her to see. "And I bet Kuno would pay a pretty penny for this one, huh?"
Nabiki gaped. The shot wasn't too unusual by itself. She had taken plenty of pics of Ranma undressing. But this was in the girl's locker room, and in the background of the shot…
Rin Ito.
There was only one time both Ranma and Rin had been in the change room together, and therefore this picture shouldn't exist.
"You promised." Ranma said flatly. "You stood there and lied to me." Ranma's eyes were starting to glisten with barely restrained tears. "I believed you…"
Nabiki looked into the redhead's eyes, horrified. She felt a cold pit in her stomach. Her eyes started flicking back and forth as she raced through her memories of the event. I told Hana to just take sports shots! "Ranma, you have to believe me… I didn't…"
"No." Ranma said softly. "I'm done believing you, Tendo. Do you know why? Here's another photo for you. Let's see if you get this one." This time she held up a laminated student card.
Nabiki almost missed it, almost asked why Ranma was holding up her student card, had even opened her mouth to ask… but snapped her mouth shut, eyes going as large as saucers as it clicked that the photo was of female Ranma.
"Yeah. Nice one, huh? Probably one of yours too." Ranma said softly. "Principal Kuno changed my registration. I'm a girl on the school rolls now, and if I don't go along with it and play volleyball for Himura? They're going to use these photos to report me as a lecher and a pervert and get me expelled and charged. So… I hope you got a good price, seeing as you gave them the negatives and everything." She put the card away and stood. "Thanks for the hot water, by the way. Looks like I won't be needing it." She turned and walked away, the package tucked under her arm
Nabiki gaped, feeling that cold feeling spread, her extremities tingling as somehow everything had gone horribly wrong, and it was her fault, and she didn't even know how.
She let out a shaking breath, blinking sightlessly, her mind whirling as she tried to find the thread, the place where she had gone wrong, where she had made the mistake that had caused everything to unravel… until one thought slipped through the maelstrom.
I don't sell my negatives!
000
Hana was leafing through a stack of receipts, whistling to herself happily. She heard the arm slam into the locker above her head, chirping "Hi boss!" without pausing her counting.
"Hello, Hana." Nabiki growled. "Funny thing I'm hearing today…" She fished out the pic from the locker room, but Hana wasn't bothering to look up at it.
"Something about lewds in the locker room, stuff from the discard pile being sold off… oh, and negatives being sold. Big no-no." Hana rattled off, folding the receipts and tucking them away, then pulling out a clipboard and ticking off a few items on a list. "Yeah, that was me." She patted Nabiki's shoulder. "Nice try on the physical intimidation, by the way."
Nabiki was speechless for a few heartbeats. That cold pit in her stomach was twisting itself into a grand old knot of frozen awful, and she knew she had missed more goings on than just sports drama. "How long have you been Himura's pet?"
Hana chuckled, and finally rewarded Nabiki with a scornful look. "Oh please, Nabiki. Himura is a client. She pays the big bucks for the special requests, and I get it done. Just like we've always done."
"Not 'we' Hana." Nabiki growled. "You know what my instructions were. What my rules are!"
"Yeah." Hana smiled wickedly. "'Irrelevant.' Do you want to know why, Nabiki?" She brought herself face to face with the taller girl. "Because you're gone next year."
"What?" Nabiki hissed.
"I was perfectly happy to wait my turn, you know." Hana continued. "But you got lazy. Got sloppy. You haven't been on your game since your little sister came back from China. You've been coasting, and if I had waited until you were ready to step down, you'd have pissed away everything we've built up. Worse, you started to get all doe-eyed around our number one moneymaker. You're just another one of his flock now, and you're too arrogant to realize it. You're the one who broke your own rules, Nabiki. The old you would have been the first one to say you needed to go."
Nabiki bristled, but part of her wondered if the girl was right.
"Oh, did I make things awkward for you and your latest beach conquest?" Hana asked, smirking at Nabiki's intake of breath. "Oh, I know about your fun there, too, Nabiki. I imagine Ranma's fiancees would be interested in getting a copy of those prints, wouldn't they? Maybe even your sister? Especially your sister, I think." She smirked. "Just a little bit of insurance to make sure the transfer of power goes smoothly."
"You don't honestly think you can run this whole operation…"
"Nabiki, look around you." Hana clipped her pent to her clipboard. "Who's been doing your recruiting for the past year? I already run this operation. Now, I believe in fair's fair, so you'll still get your payouts, and everything'll be on track for you to go to business school at the end of the year. You just sit back, relax, read your manga or something, and everyone who was gonna get a happy ending gets one."
"Not Ranma." Nabiki growled.
Hana chuckled and ducked under her arm. "He was doomed from the start and you know it. Pity you hitched your wagon to him in the end. Now, as much fun as this has been, I'm a very busy girl. Ta!" She gave Nabiki a little wave and then trotted off. Nabiki watched as she met up with another group of girls, all surrounding one particular tall blond. Himura.
Nabiki narrowed her eyes at the girl, then turned and walked off silently.
000
Ranma sat at her desk, staring at the student card. Her eyes were dull and empty as she flipped it over in her fingers. She felt numb.
Someone is always trying to take something from me. Even if I never did anything to them. Even if I never met them before. She gripped the edges of the card until they dug into the flesh of her fingers. What did I do to deserve this!?
Ryouga was not the most empathic creature in Nerima, and that was already a pretty low bar to start with. But he knew depression pretty well, and he always had a sense of when something was over the line with Ranma. That sense of seeing Ranma miserable, and not feeling happy. He edged around her hand and curiously glanced at the card she was holding.
It took a second for the significance of what he saw to sink in. The piglet grunted in surprise. Why is Ranma's picture of his girl side on his ID? He turned and looked at her, and oinked inquisitively, sitting on the desk in front of her.
"I seem to have stumbled on someone who's even better at blackmail than Nabiki, Mr. P." She said softly. "And she went straight for the manhood to get what she wanted." She tapped the edge of the card on the desk. "I'm stuck as a girl again, at least at school."
"Bwee?" The piglet cocked his head. Curse matters were serious business. After the matter with the curse-locking ladle, there was something of an unspoken agreement between them that matters involving the curse called for a truce of sorts… at least until Ryouga was certain the problem wasn't contagious.
Must be bad if Ranma is THIS down about it. Ryouga usually only saw his rival this down when faced with a problem without a clear path to a solution. I guess he's… she's… he's…? The pig scowled. Damnit Ranma, only you could ruin PRONOUNS for me! I'll try and remember to add it to the list the next time I'm beating the crap out of you. He glanced up at the girl, neatly fitting his mental overlay of male Ranma over her. You'd BETTER not milk this for sympathy with Akane! I won't allow it! He snorted once, then curled up on the desk to wait out the end of the day.
"Senpai?"
Ryouga looked up as a slight girl with green eyes, straw colored hair, and freckles nervously approached Ranma's desk. If anything she was even shorter than Ranma's girl side, and looked like she might crumble if you looked at her sideways. What is this? Don't tell me he has another one!
"Hey, Rin." Ranma said lifelessly. She flicked the ID card, spinning it on her finger. "What's up?"
"We… Me and Sayuri and Yuka… well, all of us… We were wondering when… you know, you said something about… I mean, if you're not too busy…" She glanced over at Ryouga. "Oh! What a cute piglet!"
Ranma sighed. That's right, I volunteered these guys for this, didn't I? She glanced down at Ryouga, who was growling, ignoring the attempts of the blonde girl to pet him. "Oh calm down, pork-butt. They just wanna train in volleyball. I'm not two-timing Akane."
Rin blinked. "You mean… he understood all of that?"
"Yeah, he's a lot smarter than he looks. Which isn't saying much. Hey!" Ranma yelped as she narrowly avoided getting nipped, jerking her finger out of range. "What did I say about biting, huh Mr. P?"
"So he's Akane's pet? And he's protecting his mistress? That's so sweet!" She finally managed to find the magic spot just behind P-chan's ears.
Ranma Saotome, when I get… get some… mmmnh… hot water… I'm going… going to… do… something… bweee… Ryouga's usually unstoppable 'Kill Ranma' train of thought suddenly ran out of track, skidding to a stop on the bright, sandy beaches of The Zone, which all good little piglets went to when someone found The Spot.
The piglet gave something that sounded like a sigh, slumped bonelessly onto his front, and started making soft, contented oinking noises, eyes half closed.
Ranma was torn between amusement at the thought of Ryouga being so easy to disarm, and mild nausea. "You are such a little bacon tramp." She muttered. She looked at Rin. "Actually… I kinda need to talk to you guys. I… I think I screwed up."
"What?" She turned and beckoned to the other girls, who had been waiting a respectable distance away.
"Not here." Ranma said, as the bell rang. "Let's go out to the field."
000
Rin was cradling P-chan, scritching behind his ears, keeping him zoned out and drooling a little as he rumbled and snorted. Yuka, Sayuri, and Riki flanked her, standing next to the soccer goalposts, all attentively looking at Ranma.
"Alright Ranma. You've got our attention." Sayuri said.
"Five hundred yen says it's a new fiancee." Yuka said dryly.
"Nah. Five hundred on a new rival." Riko replied, putting a hand on her hip.
"G-guys, don't…" Rin chastised them. She turned to Ranma, "Senpai, tell us what's wrong?"
Ranma sighed. "Principal Kuno and that Himura…" She struggled a bit with finding an appropriate noun for the predatory blonde. "... girl have got a scheme going." She took a deep breath. "Turns out Himura has a nasty streak a mile wide."
"I could have told you that." Sayuri sniffed. "You should hear some of the crap she did to us in training…"
"She's got compromising photographs of me and is threatening to have me charged with sexual deviancy and expelled." Ranma interrupted, clenching her fist.
Sayuri blinked, momentarily silent. "... Okay… Yeah, that beats anything she did in training…"
"Oh no Senpai!" Rin covered her mouth. "Why would she do something horrible like that?"
"Yeah… I mean, Himura holds a grudge, but she's got no reason to beef with Ranma." Yuka said. "I mean, she actually wants Ranma… for... " She trailed off, eyes widening as she put blackmail and volleyball together. "... oh."
"She wants me to play on the girl's team this year. To makes this an even sweeter deal, she got my registration changed to my girl side." She flicked her student ID onto the ground contemptuously. "And the Principal's gonna enforce it. If I wanna be a guy on school grounds ever again, I gotta play ball with her."
"Literally." Rin knelt and picked up the ID. "B-but… where would she get those kinds of photos? I mean… I know Senpai used the girl's changing room, but she was a girl at the time, so it's okay, right?" She looked at the others. "She didn't do anything wrong?"
Yuka sighed deeply and patted her on the shoulder. "Poor, innocent flower." She muttered.
"Ranma has a…" Riko winced. "... Bit of a history of… 'questionable decisions'?"
"Hey, I had good reason for alla that stuff!" Ranma protested. "It's not like I was doing panty raids er nuthin'! I was looking for a cure for my curse, okay?"
"In the girl's locker room." Sayuri replied skeptically.
"Look, there was this pot, okay? And… and it doesn't matter, it was a bust anyway." She turned away from them, slumping and looking down at herself. "Obviously." She muttered.
"O-okay..." Rin said, standing and timidly tugging on Ranma's shirttail, clutching the student ID. "... I guess I sort of understand, but… why are there pictures?"
Ranma turned and threw her arms up in the air. "Because Nabiki!" She snarled. "Because every stupid, humiliating, degrading thing that happens to me has to be photographed for posterity, and sold to the highest bidder by Nabiki Tendo!"
"Nabiki sold you out?" Rin shrank back, aghast. "B-but… I thought she was…"
"Nabiki loves money." Yuka said, folding her arms. "And also money. But above all else, she loves money. And pics of Ranma have been her best seller."
"Apparently it was her chance to get rid of some unwanted stock. She called it her 'discard' pile'" Ranma muttered. "Pics of me in girl's clothes after I had gotten splashed with hot water 'n stuff. Oh, and she had her minions taking lewds in the changing room the day of the game."
Rin yelped and covered herself, accidentally dropping the groggy piglet. "There are pictures of us?!"
"Hana." Sayuri growled. "Ooooh I should have broken that stupid camera of hers!"
"Megumi had one too." Riko said. "At least she did in the changeroom. I didn't see her during the game."
Rin shivered, huddled crouched on the ground, arms wrapped around her knees whimpering at the thought of pictures of her changing circulating around the school. The little black piglet nosed her in concern as she rocked slightly back and forth.
"Well… hang on… You said that we were involved in this somehow, and that you screwed up?" Yuka asked.
Ranma took a deep breath. Well, this is where I throw my best chance of winning away. "Himura decided to be 'sporting' and offer me a chance to win back my registration as a guy and get out of all of this. Each of us leads a volleyball team for the first half of the season. Whoever wins the most games wins. She takes her 'elites', and I get whatever is left over."
"Well, that's not gonna work!" Sayuri said, narrowing her eyes. "Anyone still on the team at this point is definitely gonna be her cronies, even if they're not part of her personal favorites. They'll just throw the games!"
"Yeah, I realized that." Ranma said, bracing herself. "That's why… umm… I kinda asked for you guys to be my team instead."
"Wait, what?!" Sayuri, Riko and Yuka all said in unison, and Rin snapped out of her BSOD.
Ranma held up her hands. "Wait! LookIKnowItWasWrongOfMeToVolunteerYouGuysIDidn'tMeanNuthinByItICanJustForfeitAndPlayForHerStupidTeamPleaseDon'tHurtMe!"
All four girls clustered around the cringing redhead, eyes wide.
"You wanted us?!" Sayuri said, agape.
"Senpai! I'm so honored!" Rin gushed, hugging P-chan to her chest.
"Ranma, why us you dope?!" Yuka scowled. "You could have had Ukyou and Akane on your team!"
"I didn't think of it, okay?" Ranma cringed again. "Besides, she only barely went for you guys because the Principal made her. Look… I know that wasn't fair of me. You don't get anything out of this, so I'll just go tell her she wins, and I'll play for her stupid team. I can get my registration fixed for next year, and she'll have graduated and taken her stupid blackmail pics with her." She slumped a bit. Part of her wanted to argue, railed against accepting a loss of any kind, even one so blatantly unfair. But despite wracking her brain, she hadn't been able to think of anything she could offer. First rule of Social Arts - If you want something from someone, you gotta offer 'em something in return.
… Or trick 'em. Ranma thought, wincing. Like Pops does. But… I ain't gonna be like that! I don't want to…
"Earth to Ranma?" Sayuri waved her hand in front of Ranma's face, having apparently been talking to her while Ranma was struggling with her internal dilemma. "You back? What's the plan?"
Ranma blinked. "I just said…"
Sayuri smirked. "Yeah, no, seriously. What's the plan?"
The rest of them looked at Ranma expectantly.
"Didn't you hear me?" Ranma said, confused. "I said I'm gonna go forfeit so you guys don't have to worry that this'll come back on you or nuthin'."
"You also said 'Ranma Saotome doesn't lose'" Riko said.
"He says that a lot, actually." Yuka snarked.
"You also said we were a team, Senpai." Rin said earnestly. "And you're our team captain."
The all nodded in solidarity, and gave Ranma an expectant look. They were ready for whatever muttered protests, tearful gratitude, or macho bluster Ranma could muster.
… Wide-eyed terror? Not so much.
Ranma backed away, shaking her head. "No… You're not gettin' nuthin' out of this… why would you…?" Ranma's current model of Social Arts was based entirely on self-interest, which worked fine for more of the self-interested sorts Ranma dealt with on a daily basis. It was perhaps a little sad that none of the experiences Ranma used to build the model included examples of a non-family member doing something selfless for someone else, except…
".. You've all fallen in love with me, haven't you?"
There was silence on the soccer field for a long moment. The wind blew through, whirling a scrap piece of paper along the ground. Nothing else stirred, and no other sounds were made in that pause.
"WHAT!?"
"Of course… it only makes sense…" Ranma continued to look horrified, backing away, shaking her head, as if they had all morphed into demons. "... I mean, we played a whole match together. It's happened with less!" her gaze flicked around wildly as she ran through the usual scenarios in her head. "Now you'll want to get engaged in exchange for winning the game, and drag me off to run some family business, and you'll probably try and poison or drug or hypnotize me and…"
~SMACK~
Ranma yelped and rocked back on her heels, holding her cheek where an angry red handprint was already starting to appear.
"GET A GRIP SAOTOME!" Sayuri growled.
Ranma recovered quickly, still holding her wounded cheek. "What'd you do that for!?"
"Because you were hysterical, dumbass!" Sayuri replied, not backing down "What the hell is wrong with you!? What on earth would make you think we're in love with you?! I know you've got a big ego, but…!"
"Well why else would you help me!?" Ranma demanded. "What else could you all possibly get out of this?"
Sayuri quirked a skeptical eyebrow. "We… help out a friend?"
Ranma gave her a blank look.
"You know… like friends do?" Sayuri expanded, trying to lead the redhead to the answer, but seeing no mental traction in her blue eyes.
"You… do know we're your friends, right Senpai?" Rin asked nervously.
"Well… yeah…" Ranma replied. "But that doesn't mean you just do stuff for nothin', right?"
There was another moment of silence.
"How many friends have you ever had, Ranma?" Yuka asked cautiously.
Ranma scratched her head in thought. "Well, lots I guess. There's Ucchan…"
"... Who aren't now fiancees."
"... Oh. Uhh… Well… Ryouga and I were buds…"
"Who aren't trying to kill you on a regular basis."
Ranma felt a bit of sweat on the back of her neck. "... Well, there's always…"
"... Not Hiroshi and Daisuke." Yuka concluded. "We know them. They're idiots."
"I…" Ranma trailed off weakly, then went silent.
Sayuri rubbed her forehead. "The most popular guy in school, and he doesn't actually have any friends. You are such an abused puppy, Ranma." She took the redhead by the shoulders and shook her lightly. "Listen to me. You have been horribly horribly mislead about how friends work, okay? We're gonna take an afternoon sometime soon and sit you down and watch some videos to start your reeducation on this. But for right now, understand that friends do do stuff for each other, without needing repayment, because that is what you do for people you care about. No necessarily love, not… turn into a crazed yandere over. It's normal for just friends to do nice stuff and support each other. Got it?"
"Yeah… I guess." Ranma said uncertainly. "So… none of you are going to try and drag me off on a date?"
"No. Not a chance." Riko said, making a face. "You've used the same bathroom as us! I don't think I could ever date anyone who's used the same bathroom as me."
"Marriage is going to be an interesting problem for you then, Riko." Yuka observed.
Riko batted her eyelashes and placed her hand on her chest daintily. "That is why I intend to marry rich. Separate bathrooms please."
"Rin, what about you?" Sayuri asked. Everyone suddenly had their attention on the girl, who shrank, blushing a little.
"Oh n-no! You don't have to worry about me!" Rin said. "I'm not into girls."
Another moment of dead silence.
"I'M A GUY, DAMNIT!"
000
Nabiki was tapping away on her computer, quickly navigating through archaic newsgroup interfaces and old library databases. Next to her was an open filing box she had retrieved from her closet. There were folders and books of negatives and receipts covering her bed, and she had run down her cell phone battery making calls.
She had already checked her safety deposit boxes at the Furinkan Credit Union. Both the one she had set aside as joint access for her and Hana, and her own personal box were cleaned out. Hana had never had access to the second one, the only way she could have gotten into it was…
"Furinkan Credit Union. Wholly owned subsidiary of Tanaka Pharmaceuticals." She muttered, confirming what she had already suspected.
Himura was loaded. Her grandfather was the CEO and majority shareholder of a large pharmaceuticals conglomerate. In fact she made the Kunos look like panhandlers. None of which had been in Himura's file.
Of course it wasn't. Nabiki thought. Hana would have cleansed it. Made the file as boring as possible so I never noticed her. I wonder how long she's been in Himura's pocket? She considered and discarded half a dozen ideas on how to deal with the situation, her frustration growing by the minute.
Hana was right. She decided. I was sloppy. I was too quick to hand her the keys. Without better information, I can't trust ANY of my sources from the past year.
She glanced at the pile of documents and books of negatives on her bed. What she had kept personally, from her first two years at Furinkan, she still had, but that put all of her information woefully out of date. To top that off, Hana had pics of her and Ranma at the beach, which would almost certainly get her killed if the fiancees saw.
She allowed her gaze to switch over to the corkboard. She had been avoiding it ever since she got home. She stood up and walked over to it, stopping after a moment and hesitantly reaching out to touch the green line between her picture and Ranma's.
How arrogant was I to think I could pull this off? She thought, feeling an ache in her chest. 'I'll just steal him from The Madness! Out from under the noses of all these other people who want a piece of him! And then we'll live happily ever after, and the past will never come looking for us.' She laughed bitterly. Nabiki Tendo when did you become such an idiot?
Her fingers traced down to Ranma's pictures. It was never going to work, was it? She thought. Not because of you. Because of me. It was easy for Himura to break your faith in me… because I never deserved it in the first place. Slowly, she unpinned the green thread, and removed it from the board.
Her vision clouded, and she rubbed at her eyes with the heel of her hand. I'm… I'm not going to cry over this! It was… it was just a longshot. It was silly of me to think… A hot tear fell on her hand, and she rolled her head back and squeezed her eyes shut to try and keep it all in. Damnit Ranma…
After a few minutes of trying and failing to compose herself, she looked blearily at the board again. She smiled as her eyes fell on the pictures of Shampoo and Ukyou. "He did it to you too, didn't he?" Her fingers reached out to touch Shampoo's picture. "A proud Amazon Warrior, honor bound to kill the Outsider so she could return home to resume her destiny to lead her tribe…" He fingers traced down to Ukyou. "The woman scorned, abandoned as a child, with her identity and pride shattered, living her whole life just to finally get her revenge. And he made you fall in love with him so hard you gave up everything just to be near him… just to have a chance. All without him even meaning to." she sighed, noticing she still had the green threat in her hand, lightly threaded among her fingers. "Why did I think he couldn't do the same to me?"
It's funny. The two people in the world who might understand how I feel are the ones who would kill me if they found out I feel this way. She thought glumly. But even before she completed the thought, there was a spark there. She wiped away a last errant tear as her brow knit, ideas starting to come to mind. Risky ideas. Insane ideas, really. Ideas that could well and truly get her killed.
But… if I'm right… If I'm RIGHT, this would completely undercut Hana's insurance, and give me some freedom to move, and some allies to make moves with. She considered her corkboard. She had been on the verge of taking it down, but now?
She took Ranma's pictures, and moved them to the side, and then took her own picture and put it in the middle. She added a picture for Hana, and then started remaking the lines, referencing them to herself rather than Ranma. There wasn't much to start, but she was going to need a way to keep track of things once she started. Her eyes flicked to Shampoo and Ukyou's pictures again.
They understand revenge. She thought. They'll understand how I feel. I just hope it's enough.
000
"So… seriously, nothing?" Riko asked.
The group was walking together towards through the shopping district. Riko had suggested that ice cream was necessary to lighten the mood, and no one, least of all Ranma, had argued.
I really AM spending a lot of time as a girl these days. Ranma thought glumly. Still, couldn't exactly go get ice cream as a guy…
"If ice cream is unmanly, then manliness is no longer a worthy goal."
Ranma smiled a little at that memory of the older boy. I kinda wish you were here to talk to, Asahi. You… seemed like you had this stuff figured out.
"I-I'm sure Ranma's guy side is-is objectively cute, b-but…" Rin seemed to want to try and pack herself into the school bag she was hugging to her chest. "It'sjustweirdbecauseIthinkofherasagirlPLEASEDON'THATEMESENPAI!"
Ranma casually waved her off, having gotten over her initial outrage. People had had preconceived notions of her gender before. Though it was kind of nice in this case that it was being used as a reason to not laden her with further unwanted romantic attention.
"B-besides…" Rin shrank even further. "He's… not really my type."
That drew the attention of the entire group, eliciting a squeak from the girl and causing her to bury her face in her satchel.
"No, no…" Sayuri put a hand on Rin's shoulder. "You can't stop there. So what is your type?"
"Mrrfgle" Rin replied, quite obviously beet red behind her bag.
Ranma had to admit to herself that she was curious now, too. Having her guy side declared 'second best' in terms of looks was tugging on her competitive nature.
"We're here!" Riko announced. Ranma looked over to see an extremely fancy-looking ice cream shop. It was the sort of place that would have driven off his male side like it was surrounded by a force field. Even as a girl she was a little uncertain. There was just so much pink…
Her doubts fled as they stepped inside, however. The menu was covered in pictures of the various ice cream confectioneries they sold, and Ranma found her mouth watering almost immediately. Elaborate mountains of ice cream, molten fudge running down them like lava flows. Brightly colored sundaes with every imaginable topping. Parfaits…
"Oh no…" Yuka whimpered. "My diet…"
"Oh live a little!" Riko said, practically skipping to the counter. "Hello Mr. Kotomine! The usual please!"
"Riko!" The man behind the counter smiled. "I see you brought friends this time!"
"Uh huh!" Riko replied, and Ranma had to admit she was employing a fairly effective variant of the 'kawaii' routine Ranma herself used when she indulged in her parfait addiction.
"Well then." He turned and presented the girl with a mouth-watering chocolate fudge brownie sundae. "Oh the house, as promised." He winked.
Yuka scowled. "Riko, you sold us out for sweets!"
"You don't have to get anything." Riko singsonged as she headed for a booth with her prize. "They do have diet soda!"
Yuka glared daggers at her, then glanced back at the menu board and whimpered. She wrung her hands in indecision. "But… my diet…"
Sayuri, Ranma, and Rin had no such hesitations. Ranma ordered the strawberry and mango parfait, cradling the treat like a precious treasure as she hurried to join Riko in the booth. Sayuri followed with a decadent-looking banana split, while Rin selected a modest chocolate dipped cone.
Riko had already dug into her sundae, a look of profound bliss spreading across her face.
"So… is it worth selling out your friends for?" Sayuri quipped, settling in next to Ranma, though there was no rancor in her words.
"I'd sell you guys out for one of the samples." Riko moaned, digging her spoon back in. "Just taste it. You will agree with me."
Sayuri raised a skeptical eyebrow, digging her spoon into her ice cream and taking a taste. Her eyes went wide, then she melted back into her seat. "Ooooh yeah… I'd betray me for that..."
Ranma dug into her parfait. She was a fiend for the treats, but she doubted they were that good… right? She popped the spoonful into her mouth. Her reaction quickly mirrored Sayuri as the smooth, creamy dairy flavors mixed with the rich fruit preserves and melted in her mouth in a sweet, sugary hit.
"They churn their own ice cream." Riko said, as Rin sat down next to her and sampled her own treat and similarly melted. "They make their own fruit fillings and pastries. They source all their stuff from the shopping district here, and the district gives them the best stuff they have in return."
"My wallet and my thighs hate you already." Sayuri said, wolfing down another heaping spoonful. "My tastebuds may convince them to forgive you, though."
"So… you never did… uhh… answer the question, Rin." Ranma tried to ask nonchalantly. "What sort of guys are you into?"
Rin nearly snorted her cone, covering her mouth and coughing. "S-senpai!" That earned a glare from the piglet she had been carrying around.
"No, no, she's right." Sayuri beamed. "This is important for… uhh… team bonding."
Rin whimpered, glancing from one to the other. Blushing furiously, she bowed her head. "I-I like guys with glasses…"
"Ohhhhhhhh?" Sayuri leaned in a bit closer, already thinking of a few doujins of hers the girl might be interested in for… 'educational purposes'.
"A-and… long hair, too." Rin continued shyly. "Not many guys around with both, though. O-oh! And it's nice if they're tall!" She blushed a bit and went back to her ice cream.
"Oooh, sounds like the super bishie type!" Riko said. "Know anyone who fits the bill?"
Rin shook her head. "I-I know. It's silly to be so particular. It's not like… many boys notice me anyway." She scooped some ice cream off her finger and offered it to P-chan, who one would swear was blushing before he daintily lapped at the treat.
Ranma, for her part, was trying desperately to contain a fit of giggles. Once she had them firmly locked down, she rejoined the conversation. "Rin, have you ever eaten at the Nekohanten before?"
"O-oh? No… that's that chinese restaurant near the school, isn't it?" She shook her head. "I've never been there. I don't eat out much… it ruins my appetite for dinner." She blinked. "Why do you ask?"
"Oh, no reason. Random thought. Something made me think of it. They have good ramen, though." Ranma smirked. "We should go there sometime as a group. Trust me, I think you'll like the ambiance."
There was a crash as a massive platter was slammed down on the table. They all looked up to see Yuka, having just placed one of the largest ice cream desserts they had ever seen. It was the one from the picture, an ice cream Mt. Fuji, complete with chocolate and caramel fudge lava flows and brownie boulders.
Yuka had a mad gleam in her eye as she held up her spoon. "If I'm gonna cheat, I'm gonna cheat big! BANZAI!"
000
Ranma didn't get home until later, stopping by Doc Tofu's for a quick hot water kettle before he got back. The last thing he wanted was to get lectured by his mother for being too lazy to change back.
Nevermind that things always seem to conspire to splash me, and cold water is way more common than hot. Ranma thought glumly. It'll be nice to see her and Pops though. Dunno how I'm gonna explain all this stuff at school though…
He paused, sighed and let his head thunk against the door frame. And I left pork butt with Rin! I forgot she even had him! He's gonna hold THAT against me a while. So much for a peace offering with Akane...
He slid open the door. "I'm home!" He called out, announcing his presence as he kicked off his shoes at the door.
"Ah, Ranma!" Kasumi leaned her head out of the kitchen. "Your parents are in the living room waiting for you."
"Ah." Ranma said, trying to keep the trepidation out of his voice. "... And Akane?"
"She's upstairs unpacking."
Ranma took a deep breath. He knew his parents, especially his mother, were disappointed in him since the fiasco of the wedding, and particularly for the fight that put the final nail in the coffin of his and Akane's engagement. They had suggested Akane spend her time out with them, rather than Ranma, and he was sure it was in an attempt to 'fix' things.
Ranma walked into the living room. Nodoka Saotome was sitting at the table, sipping tea. Genma was already in his usual spot, playing shogi with Soun.
"Ah, you're home!" Nodoka immediately brightened at the sight of her son. "You stayed after school?"
"Ah… yeah… Helpin' out with the Volleyball team." Ranma said sheepishly. Which is true, technically, right? She don't gotta know it was helping four girls eat a mountain of ice cream AS a girl.
"As long as it does not interfere with your training." Nodoka cautioned, earning a wince from Ranma. "While I understand the necessity of a certain level of education, it is important you do not let it distract you from your true calling, my son."
"Yeah, I won't." Ranma sat down at the table. "So, uh, how was the trip?"
"The train ride was long, I won't bore you with it." Nodoka replied. "The weather is nice, thankfully. We have also made great progress on the repairs to the house. I hope you will come and see it soon."
"Yeah, I'd love to." Ranma said honestly.
The conversation trailed off into awkward silence. Both of them were aware of where the conversation was about to go. Nodoka loathed to lecture her son upon first seeing him, but… there did not seem to be much else to fill the empty space.
"When are you going to apologize to Akane?" She asked quietly.
Ranma sighed. He felt tired suddenly. The old reflex to defend himself, to protest writhed in his gut, but it was a tired, sickly thing by now, beaten and starved. "I did apologize to her. She didn't accept it." He said carefully, not wanting to start a fight, but not quite willing to just surrender.
Nodoka sighed. She reached over and put her hand on his. "Ranma, I understand your frustration. I do! You and Akane are both… people with a great deal of passion, and strength and independence. Neither of you are used to being in partnership with another, and that is a difficult thing. The ebb and flow of a relationship… can be stressful."
"There isn't any 'ebb and flow', Mom." Ranma replied. He sighed deeply. "Just conflict."
"And that is what you must learn to mitigate, my son." Nodoka replied. "This arrangement between the two of you… it is important, I hope you understand that. It is bigger than just you and Akane. The two of you represent the future of both our families."
"I know… and… and I've tried…" Ranma tried to protest. "Especially after what happened at Jusenkyo, but…"
Nodoka squeezed his hand. "The challenges you face I know you can overcome, as a man amongst men. You and Akane are destined to be together. Your resistance to this only causes you pain. Go… talk to her. Beg her forgiveness, and to take you back, so that we can put all of this behind us."
No! This isn't what I want! I DON'T WANT TO DO THIS ANYMORE! Something rebelled within Ranma, and he reflexively jerked his hand away, startling his mother. "I'll… I'll go talk to her." He mumbled weakly, rubbing hand as he stood and bowed, slipping out of the room quickly before things got any more awkward.
Kasumi watched from the hallway outside the kitchen, quietly listening and watching. Oh Ranma…
000
Ranma took the stairs two at a time, hoping lightly on the balls of his feet. He was hoping he could just slip down the hallway, grab his bath things, slip back downstairs, and manage a quick soak in the furo before dinner without having to bump into…
"Ranma?"
His head snapped up, but he already knew by the voice who it was. He had heard it in his dreams plenty since he had last seen her. He stopped dead at the top of the stairs, gripping the handrail, like an anchor to keep him from going forward or back.
Her dark hair was a little mussed. It looked like she might have been taking a nap, but it just served to soften her face, and make her look more angelic. She was wearing shorts and a t-shirt, but in his mind's eye he still saw her in that red chinese shirt she had borrowed from him, smiling at him as she cupped his cheek.
The moment stretched for an eternity before either of them spoke. They both opened their mouths, then shut them again. Finally, after a few more tries, Akane spoke up.
"This is… a little awkward, huh?" She said softly.
"Yeah." Ranma breathed. A little tremor ran through his arm, and he gripped the railing tighter as he felt the maelstrom of emotions warring inside of him.
"Your mother has been helping with my cooking." She said after another pregnant pause. "She says my vegetable stir fry is getting better…"
"Mnnn." Ranma replied noncommittally.
"She and I have been talking a lot, actually." Akane said softly. "I… she always wants to hear about you."
"Mnn." Don't, Akane. Please… Don't...
They were silent another few moments. Finally, Akane managed a weak smile.
"Ranma… maybe… maybe we should try again?" She said. "Mother Nodoka and I were talking, and…"
"Akane, don't."
Akane inhaled sharply, eyes widening.
Ranma was gripping the railing hard enough to cause it to crack, his eyes shadowed. "Please, Akane…" He shook his head. "Please don't make me do this again."
"Ranma, I…" She took a half step forward, reaching for him.
"I love you… but I don't like myself when I'm with you."
Akane froze, hearing her own words thrown back at her. Her eyes started to cloud. "Ranma, please…"
"It's not your fault, Akane." Ranma shook his head. "This week? This week has sucked. But… I got a glimpse… an idea… It ain't enough, you know? Just… just loving you." He looked up at her, and his own eyes were wet. "I'm… it's like there's all this stuff that I'm supposed to know… that I just don't. Basic people stuff. How… how am I supposed to… to act right with someone I love if I don't even know how to act around regular friends?" He took a deep breath. "I know… I've always known… that you needed something from me. Something… something that should be easy, but it isn't. And… and as much as I want to give it to you… I can't. I don't know how. And as long as that's true, we'll… we'll just keep tearing each other apart."
"I'll… I'll be more patient." Akane said, taking another step towards him, drawing closer. He shuddered as he caught a whiff of her scent. She rarely wore perfume, mostly she usually smelled of clean soap, and a warm fragrance of her hair that he couldn't give a name to. He wanted to reach out and pull her in close to him and just lose himself in that… just for a moment. "I'll try and be more understanding. And… and if you know what the problem is, then together…"
"Enough, Akane!"
She jerked back. He hadn't said it loudly, but there was a force behind it that rocked her back on her heels.
"I can't… I can't keep hurting you… And I can't keep getting hurt by you." He shook his head. "Don't you get it? If we keep at this… we're gonna end up hating each other."
Akane stared at him a moment longer. He felt his resolve waver, but before it could, he saw the storm clouds roll in in Akane's eyes, her expression twist as the sting of his words took their toll.
"Fine…" She said, her eyes hardening. "Go off and marry Ukyou. Or Shampoo. Or Nabiki for all I care! At least… at least I tried, Ranma! At least I cared enough to do that! Which is more than I can say about you!" She whirled and ran off, opening her door and slamming it behind her as she locked herself in her room.
Ranma closed his eyes, slowly and painfully releasing his grip on the railing. The end of it had shattered in his hand, driving several splinters into his palm and drawing blood. He stared at it dumbly, then slowly resumed his walk to the room he and his father had once shared.
After both had left, another door cracked open, and Nabiki peeked out. Her eyes flicked to her sister's door, then took a more lingering look at the door Ranma had just closed behind him. She curled a piece of green string around her finger. She glanced at Akane's door once more, then slipped out of her room and padded quietly down the hall.
000
Ranma already had the first aid kit out by the time he heard the quiet knock at his door. "Go away, Akane." She sighed.
"It's Nabiki." The middle tendo replied from the other side of the door.
"Then really go away, Nabiki." He growled. He plunked himself down cross-legged in the corner of the room furthest from the door, fishing a set of tweezers out of the kit and examining his hand.
"Ranma… look, we need to talk about what happened."
"What's there to talk about?" Ranma replied.
Nabiki sighed. The door jerked, and she slid it open, stepping inside, and then sliding the door closed behind her. "I'm not doing this through a door."
"I thought I locked that." Ranma said darkly, not looking up. He gently eased a splinter out from under his skin, dropping it onto a sheet of tissue paper.
"You did. If you jerk the doors upwards in their tracks in this house, it pops the locks open." Nabiki said quietly. "Same problem with the furo door. It's why Akane keeps walking in on you."
"Just because you can open a door doesn't mean you're welcome inside." Ranma said, extracting another splinter. "Please leave."
"Do you want some help with that?" Nabiki asked, watching him tend to his injured hand.
He stopped,finally turning his head to look at her, an incredulous frustration twisting his features. "If you were a martial artist, you'd be out the window already, you know that, right? What do I have to do to get you to leave me alone, Tendo?"
She winced a bit as he continued to address her by her last name. "I'm not here to ask forgiveness."
"Yeah…" He turned back to his hand. "... Yeah, at this point I'm kind of not in a forgiving mood."
"Look, you need to know what's going on." Nabiki said. "I'll leave you alone after that. But… Himura got to my people, okay? Hana cut me out."
"So someone out Nabiki'd Nabiki Tendo. How terrible for you." Ranma finished extracting the splinters, dabbing antiseptic on the spots lightly. It wasn't bad enough to need anything more; the small cuts had already stopped bleeding though they would likely sting for a bit. He stood up, grabbing his bath towel.
"It isn't about me right now." Nabiki replied, reaching out to grab his arm as he tried to push past her. "If Himura has compromised Hana, then she knows everything about you that I do."
He glared at her coldly. "Then I'm in luck, aren't I?" He pulled his arm away. "'Cuz you don't know anything about me."
That hurt. He felt a pang of guilt as the hurt flashed in her eyes. She opened them again, and stepped out of his way, bowing her head. "Just be careful, okay Ranma? I still don't know everything that's going on with her, but she's dangerous."
"Yeah, I always am." Ranma said, waving her off casually as he headed back down the hallway towards the stairs.
She watched him go. You're also a terrible liar, Saotome.
000
"Time to wake up, boy!"
There was the sound a surprised yelp as Genma bodily hurled the teenager out the window, followed by a splash, and an outaged feminine cry from the pond outside.
What Ranma was having difficulty parsing was that he was still dry, in his futon, and male.
He scrambled up and ran to the window, spotting Genma squaring off against a soggy and very annoyed Akane, still in her pajamas.
"Hey Pops! I think you need to get your prescription checked! You grabbed Akane!"
"Quiet, Ranma!" Genma called back up. "I know what I'm doing! Akane asked me to train her exactly as I trained you, so that's what I'm doing!" He looked back at his opponent, a little unnerved by her visible red ki aura. "Though I was hoping she would have given up by now…"
Akane gave a battle cry and charged at the older man, starting with a series of punches that he dodged, followed by a roundhouse kick to his side.
Genma caught her leg and smirked, but it lasted only a moment before she pivoted, sacrificing her stance to spin and lash at his head with her other leg, forcing him to release her and dance back. She rolled herself back onto her hands and flipped herself neatly back onto her feet, slipping back into her ready stance.
Genma threw a strong right punch that she deflected just to the left of her head with her arm, getting inside his guard enough to grab the front of his Gi. She pulled him roughly back as she rolled onto her back, kicking her leg up and propelling him up and over, and into the pond himself.
"You're getting slow, old man." Akane said with a fierce grin, bouncing back to her feet as a disgruntled panda emerged from the pond.
"Don't get cocky, boy!" The panda produced a wooden sign, then a second one that read. "I haven't taught you everything I know just yet!" With that, the Panda charged, using the signs as improvised weapons, forcing the dark haired girl back as she dodged his swipes and strikes.
Ranma had dashed downstairs to get a better view, finding the rest of the family there watching. He slipped in next to Soun and his mother, watching wide-eyed. "Could someone explain to me what the hell is going on?!"
"Language, Ranma." Nodoka said gently.
"Saotome has graciously offered to teach my baby girl his side of the Anything Goes School." Soun said, tears running down his face. "I'm so proud of her!"
"They're going at it pretty hard!" Nabiki noted, watching with interest.
Ranma returned to watching. Nabiki was right, Pops wasn't holding back. The impressive thing was Akane was keeping up with him. They've been doing this… what, a week maybe? And Akane has improved THAT much! It was frankly amazing. But what was more…
The look of utter glee on Akane's face. She had obviously taken some hits, and was favoring her right leg, but her grin was a mile wide. She was having the time of her life, like a kid on the best amusement park ride ever.
Is this what she wanted all this time? Ranma felt a stab of guilt, and a sinking realization of how easily he could have made things better between them. She just wanted to play too. And I never let her.
His eyes flicked guiltily from Akane, to Nabiki, and back again. He sighed. After a night's sleep, the rancor had drained away, and now he was just left feeling awkward and guilty about the whole mess.
MessES. He corrected himself glumly. That's TWO Tendo sisters I've screwed things up with.
Genma attempted to block a strike from Akane, but the dark haired girl simply smashed right through the wooden sign, grabbing a handful of fur and bodily heaving the massive beast over her shoulder. However, Genma managed to get a hold of her clothes in the process, and rolled with the throw, pulling her along and throwing her over his shoulder in turn and pinning her to the grass, knocking the wind out of her. She gasps, and looked as if she might get up, but found the remaining sign at her throat. It now read "Yield?"
"Hmph… You got me this time old man." She growled, but nodded her surrender. Genma growfed, and walked back towards the house, plunking down at the table and reaching for the kettle he had prepared beforehand.
"I'll get you next time." Akane sniffed, but she couldn't quite keep the smirk off her face.
Genma had poured the hot water over his head, transforming back. "In your dreams, boy. You have a long way to go in your training still. Now, cleaned up and into your gi, I'll meet you in the dojo in ten minutes."
"But… what about breakfast?" Akane protested.
"There's no breakfast for losers, boy. You can eat AFTER you've proven to me you AREN'T one!"
Akane growled, but stalked off to the furo room. "Baka Oyaji."
Ranma leaned over to Nabiki and Kasumi. "Have… you ever had that weird sensation that everyone around you has gone insane and nobody bothered to let you know?"
Nabiki smirked at him. "Welcome to the edge of The Madness, Ranma. Buckle up and enjoy the show."
000
Breakfast was quiet. Genma had wolfed down his portion and trotted off to spar with Akane further, at least sparing Ranma half of the awkwardness he was due that day. He found himself eating at a more sedate pace. Truth was, he had a problem.
"Mom? I… uh… have a bit of a problem." He said nervously. He ignored Nabiki's curious look.
"Yes? What is it?" Nodoka smiled, setting down her chopsticks and folding her hands as she gave him her full attention.
Ranma took a deep breath. "Truth is… The Principal of the school is… kind of on my case. He's kind of issued a challenge."
"Has he?" She smiled. "That's to be expected. You are Furinkan's premier martial artist, after all."
"Yeah." Ranma replied uncertainly. "See, the thing is… he's got it arranged that… until I complete his… uhh… challenge… I've gotta attend school as a girl. Or he'll expel me."
"I see." Nodoka closed her eyes in thought a moment, considering. She took a deep breath, then nodded. "I'm sorry, Ranma, but that just isn't acceptable."
Ranma winced. He was afraid of this. "Then… what should I do?"
"This is your challenge, son. That is something you must discover for yourself." She said. "I accept that your curse is… an unfortunate reality, and one that you have managed admirably. For the most part. But… you already indulge in too much worrisome behaviour in respect to it. Further indulgence, even in the name of answering a challenge, I feel would run the risk of eroding the progress you've already made as a man amongst men."
"But… He'll expel me."
"That is also unacceptable." Nodoka replied firmly. "You must answer this challenge quickly and firmly, without compromising yourself. You cannot allow your curse to be a vector your opponents use to attack you." She smiled. "I know you will find a way."
"With all due respect, Mrs. Saotome, those are mutually exclusive." Nabiki piped up. "Ranma can't complete the challenge while refusing to observe the conditions of the challenge!"
Nodoka gave Nabiki a surprised look. She sighed. "I… am a bit surprised, Nabiki, but pleased you are coming to my son's defense. That is proper for a fiancee, even if your status as such is just a… temporary measure." She smiled. "But overcoming such contradictions is the heart of the Saotome School." She placed a hand on Nabiki's shoulder. "You aren't a martial artist, dear. I don't expect it to make sense to you. Trust in Ranma to find a solution." She smiled at Ranma. "Right, son?"
"Yeah… sure…" Ranma replied. He sighed and put down his chopsticks, finding his appetite was gone. "I'd… better get going early then. You know… challenge stuff to do." He stood up and bowed. "Thank you for the meal." He said formally, then headed out into the hall.
Nabiki, for her part, kept staring at Nodoka. She waited until Ranma was out the door before she spoke again. "What the hell, Mrs. Saotome?!"
"Language dear." Nodoka picked up her chopsticks and resumed eating.
Nabiki shook her head. Her calmer, colder, mercenary side was telling her to take the information she had and just go, that there was damage control to do, but something hot and angry bubbled up within her. "No, this isn't okay! I know about this challenge, and I know what Ranma is up against. You making it literally impossible for him isn't helping him to be a 'man amongst men'!"
Nodoka sighed heavily and put her chopsticks back down. She gave Nabiki a pitying look. "I understand this is frustrating for you, Nabiki. And it heartens me that you have grown fond enough of my son to be so protective of him. But allowing him to disregard the obligations of his honor simply for the sake of convenience is not honor at all, and not the action of a man amongst men. It is something you will understand when you are older, my dear."
"Like how saddling him with endless marriage agreements so your husband can stuff his belly is honorable?" Nabiki snarked. "Do you have any idea how impossible the situation is your husband put him in!?"
Nodoka winced a bit. "My husband's… indiscretions… are regrettable. But that, too, is Ranma's responsibility as a Man to put right. I know that seems unfair…" She held up a hand to forestall Nabiki's protest. "... But life is not fair, and part of being a man amongst men is being able to bear these burdens, heavy though they may be. I know that is difficult to grasp when you are young and idealistic… I know it was for me when I was younger."
"It's not 'idealism'!" Nabiki protested. "Saying 'life is unfair' isn't justification for making Ranma's life even more unfair! Where is the honor in abdicating all of your responsibilities as his parents?!"
"Nabiki, that is quite enough…" Nodoka began.
"You aren't my mother!" Nabiki snarled, startling the woman. "My mother was responsible enough to clean up her own messes, and admit to her own mistakes." She stood and stomped out of the room, slamming the sliding door behind her hard enough to rattle it on the track.
Nodoka simply gaped. She cleared her throat, taking a deep breath to calm herself. "Soun… indulges that girl far too much." She muttered to herself as she took a sip of her tea. I cannot allow the engagement to remain in the state it's in much longer. Nabiki is definitely not suitable for Ranma. She sighed. She means well, but she simply lacks understanding to be a proper wife to him. She doesn't understand that as much as I wish to help my son, I CAN'T. Coddling him now would simply undo all of the progress Genma and I sacrificed so much for.
She glanced out the door into the yard, hearing the sounds of Genma sparring with Akane. I begin to wonder… as attached as I am to Akane, is she the best choice either? It is not proper for a wife to be so… competitive with her husband. She sighed. Perhaps Nabiki DOES have a point. Selecting a proper wife for her child is a mother's duty. Maybe leaving the matter in Ranma's hands to resolve is not the proper thing to do. She considered. Maybe it's time for me to meet these other potential brides formally.
000
"You know, you look like an anime stereotype right now, Akane." Nabiki observed, amused as Akane ran up with a piece of toast in her mouth, pulling her schoolbag over her shoulder.
"Shut up, Nabiki." Akane growled around her mouthful. She slipped her shoes on and followed her sister outside. "The Panda kept me from getting ready until I could pin him."
"You're even starting to sound like Ranma." Nabiki noted, amused. "Should we be considering a pigtail for your next hair style."
Akane's expression darkened. "Don't even joke about him, Nabiki. I'm so done thinking about him." She raised her chin, but Nabiki could see a tightness in her jaw.
"Yeah… I heard." She said softly. "For what it's worth… I'm sorry."
"What do you care?" Akane asked sharply. "Other than just pushing the engagement back onto me now that you've made your money off it, huh? How much you planning on charging me for Ranma this time?"
Nabiki winced and closed her eyes. Yeah, I poisoned THIS well pretty good too, didn't I? "Akane, Ranma is in real trouble."
Akane stopped in her tracks. She peered at Nabiki, her eyes widening. "You're serious?"
Nabiki nodded. "Principal Kuno and a senior named Himura Tanaka are screwing with him."
Akane scowed. "Another girl? What did Genma promise her parents?"
Nabiki shook her head. "It's not like that. She's not after him to marry. In fact, she doesn't like his male side at all."
Akane's face twisted into a mask of disgust. "So, she's a pervert then. That's a perfect match for him then." She huffed and turned, resuming walking.
Nabiki massaged her temples in frustration. "Would you listen, Akane!? She's threatening him with sex offender charges!"
Akane stopped again, looking at her aghast. "What did that lech do to bring that on?"
"Nothing!" Nabiki exclaimed, losing her patience. "Akane, Ranma is not a pervert, and you damn well know it!" She walked up to her little sister and poked her in the chest. "Could you get off your high horse for long enough to help me keep Ranma from ending up in prison?!"
"I…" Akane's expression flickered between anger and a touch of concern. Finally she dropped her head and sighed. "Fine."
"Okay. So, Himura wants Ranma as a ringer for the girl's volleyball team for her championship run. She got the Principal to change his registration from boy to girl, and he has to play for the girl's team or get expelled. But if he doesn't show up to school as a girl in uniform, he'll get kicked off the team."
"Okay. How's that different from the full body cat tongue, or when the curse got locked?" Akane asked. "Ranma can just got to school as a girl like he did then."
Nabiki shook her head. "Nodoka forbade it. It's not 'manly'." She put a hand on Akane's shoulder. "That's why I need you on board with this. Because I'm pretty sure Ranma is going to stop at Tofu's and switch there, but if it gets back to his Mom that he's attending school as a girl…"
"Oh no…" Akane covered her mouth, grasping the situation at last. "Poor Ranma! Okay… okay, what do you need me to do?"
Nabiki breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, something that went easier than expected. "Just… be aware, okay? Run interference for him. And don't let anybody take any pictures. At all."
"What? Why?" Akane asked, confused.
"Himura bought out my… uh… my associates." Nabiki said, trying to avoid the word minions. "I'm done taking pictures, so if anyone is snapping shots, it's not me, it's Himura. She's already got my negatives, and anything more she gets will just make the noose around Ranma's neck tighter."
Akane's expression darkened. "So this is your fault then!"
Welp, so much for 'easy.' Nabiki swore mentally. "I… Yes, okay? Yes, this is my fault." Nabiki growled. "And Ranma is very aware of that, and he isn't exactly happy with me. And that's why… as your sister… I am asking for your help to fix this before something goes really really wrong, and something happens that Ranma can't just bounce back from."
"What do you get out of this?" Akane asked suspiciously. "You never help out of the goodness of your heart!"
"I also never did anything to hurt anyone. Not really. Embarrass, maybe. Inconvenience? But… do you have any idea what Ranma would go through if Himura goes through with her threat? Even if Ranma beats the charge, it'll follow him his whole life. Getting expelled wouldn't be terribly great for him either." Nabiki gave her sister an imploring look. "Believe it or not, I do care about Ranma, and I will do whatever it takes to avoid his life getting wrecked because of my screw up!"
Akane regarded her sister a moment, looking into her eyes and seeing something in there. Something familiar. She put her hand on the one on her shoulder. "He got to you, didn't he?"
"What?! No, Akane, this is… I don't…" Nabiki stammered, not expecting that level of insight from her younger sister.
Akane squeezed the hand and smiled. "It's okay. I know how you feel. I know… exactly how you feel." She took a shuddering breath. "He drives you mad, doesn't he? All arrogance and confidence, even when he has no idea what he's doing… and you can see him walking into the fire over and over and he won't listen… and somehow he keeps coming out the other side."
Nabiki felt a lump in her throat. "He… He's trying to be better. He's learning, a little."
Akane's eyes dropped, though her smile never did. She sniffed lightly. "Then he's doing better with you than he did with me."
Nabiki shook her head. "No… No he's not, sis. I mean… look at the mess I got him into?" She gestured towards the school. "I've spent almost two years exploiting him and making his bad situations worse for money. It's a little late for me to jump on the bandwagon. I just… I just want to get him through this. After that…" She felt her breath hitch in her throat. "... After that he's all yours."
Akane looked up at her. There were a few tears in the corner of her eyes, but at the same time, there was hope shining there. "R-really?"
"If he's what you want." Nabiki said, softly. "Be sure of that, first. Promise me. Take some time to really be certain that he's the one you're willing to bet your whole future on. But if he is… Go all in."
Akane nodded. "What about you, though?"
Nabiki smiled. "I'll get over it. It… it was a nice fantasy."
Akane looked unsure. Nabiki squeezed her shoulder once more. "Come on. We'll be late if we keep dawdling, and getting detention isn't conducive to scheming. I'll explain the rest as we walk."
000
Ranma plucked at the blouse of the school uniform. Doc Tofu had been understanding, like he normally was. He even promised not to breath a word to Ranma's parents under 'Doctor Client Privilege', whatever that was. Ranma wasn't sure if that would cover Kasumi freakouts though, so she resolved to let Kasumi know what was going on at the end of the school day. She was fairly certain, with Kasumi's stated opinion of the Seppuku Contract, that she'd be willing to keep the secret.
This sucks. Ranma thought. I hate keeping secrets from Mom like this, but what choice do I have? He almost hopped up on the fence, but realized at the last minute this was probably a bad idea in a skirt, and ended up doing a halfhearted skip.
Ugh, look at me. Ranma thought miserably, looking down at herself. Mom is right, this isn't manly. If she knew… She shuddered. That was something she never wanted to deal with. The idea of being forced to fulfill the contract…
Would this even bug me that much if it wasn't for that? She thought glumly, looking at her hand. It was smaller than her male side's, dainty, almost delicate. But still hers in some undefinable way. Was it being a girl that drove me crazy with the Full Body Cat's Tongue and the Chiisuiton? Or was it not being able to change? She clenched her hand into a fist. I've done everything Pops taught me to do. Mom said I'd fulfilled the contract. So why… do I feel like such a fraud?
She rounded the corner, reaching the gate.
"PIGTAILED GIRL!"
Ranma reflexively held up her schoolbag, holding it out as Kuno faceplanted into the satchel, twitching, his hands still flailing and grasping uselessly. No. No I am NOT in the mood for this idiot right now. She pondered a moment while Kuno rebooted. Eh, mebbe I can get him on my side for this? Not like he likes the Principal any more than me.
"Kuno-senpai… I-I'm sorry. I would gladly leap into your arms, but… The news is so terrible my weak, womanly heart can hardly bear it!" She cranked up the drama, placing a hand over her heart.
"Offmh fair pfig-tailed girl, mwhat ailfs thee so?" Kuno mumbled from the other side of her bag.
"The Principal, your father, has banished my brother!" She cried, hamming it up a bit more for Kuno's benefit. "He denies my brother the education he needs to carry on my family's school. If I don't play volleyball for the cruel taskmistress Himura Tanaka, then my brother can never return! And if he is seen on the school grounds, we will both be expelled!"
Kuno extracted his face from her back, the impression of the straps still visible as red welts. "What's this? My Psychotic Progenitor is imposing his vile schemes on your and my future Brother-in-law?" He straightened, clenching his fist. "Aye, he has long sought to clip the pigtails of you and your brother both. It seems if he cannot do so through honorable combat, he would stoop to trickery and scheming. Does his depravity know no bounds?!" He grabbed her by the shoulders, his eyes suddenly filling with tears. "Pig-tailed girl, I know now what I must do. There can be no joining of our families while this Pompous Patriarch sits at the head of the Kuno clan. I, Tatewaki Kuno, shall show to him there is room for only one Kuno at Furinkan High, and wrest from him control of our family both! Wait for me, my love, until I have returned victorious!" He drew his bokken and ran back into the school, ranting on about victory.
I feel kinda bad using him like that. Ranma thought glumly. For all his faults, Kuno had been downright reliable since she figured out the right way to phrase things to him. If he would only calm down the grabbiness around his supposed 'loves' he might even have been a halfway decent friend.
At least… by MY standards… Ranma thought, remembering Sayuri's lecture on friendship. She continued on towards the school. She bowed her head, lost in thought as she made her way to her homeroom class on autopilot. As she stepped into the classroom, she noticed a lot of the students clustered around Rin's desk.
"Oh, Senpai!" Rin's head popped up from the crowd. She gently extricated herself from the group and bounced over. In her arms she was carrying a very familiar and a very cross little black piglet.
"Senpai, I'm so sorry!" Rin bowed deeply, then held out the piglet, head bowed in submission. "IcompletelyforgotIwascarryinghimuntilIgothomeandhadtoopenthefrontdoorandIdidn'tknowwhatyouraddresswasoryourhomephonenumberand…" her voice continued to get higher and squeekier as she rapidly ran short of breath, but kept going.
"Rin? Breathe." Ranma commanded her.
Rin suddenly sucked in a deep, grateful breath, coughed a bit, then hiccuped. "~Hic~... Sorry!"
Ranma gently took the piglet from her offering hands, deftly avoiding Ryouga's attempts to nip her. "It's fine. Thank you for taking such good care of him. Honestly he gets lost so easily I'm surprised you managed to hold onto him."
"Oh, it wasn't easy." Rin cringed. "He kept wandering off, so I had to keep a constant eye on him, and I tried to give him a bath but he would go anywhere near the water, and then he did wander of sometime during the night and I thought I lost him but it turns out he got lost and ended up in the hall closet, and then I got really scared when I found him bleeding from his snout when I was getting changed for school, and I thought I had done something horrible, but he seems to be okay now please tell me he's okay!"
"Wow, that seems like quite the adventure." Ranma held up the piglet by his bandanna. "I'm sure Akane would love to hear all about it."
P-chan immediately stopped struggling, his eyes going wide. He shook his head rapidly.
Granted, there's no real reason for her to get mad her piglet was being cared for overnight by someone else, but given how jealous Akane gets… She smirked, then tucked the piglet into the crook of her arm. "I'll make sure I get him home this time." She walked over to her desk and settled down, depositing him on top of it. "Look… I'm sorry about forgetting you with Rin. I kinda got distracted by having my life turned completely upside down."
The piglet huffed and looked away.
"Akane is coming to school today, you can see her in a few minutes." Ranma continued. "We've got a spare set of clothes for you at the dojo, and I'll loan you my pack if you really wanna take off. Otherwise, I'll see if I can find out where Kuno put your stuff."
"Bwee?" The piglet turned, giving him an inquisitive look.
"Akane's doing pretty good. She's started training with Pop, and that seems to blow off a lot of steam." He sighed. "And yeah, still not engaged to her."
The piglet snorted.
"Look, man, give me a break! I'm tryin' to own up to my faults and do what's best for her right now" He poked the pig in the belly, earning a snap. "Besides, why are you still so hung up on Akane, huh? Haven't you been dating Akari for something like six months now?"
P-chan froze, then seemed to deflate a little. "Bwee…"
"Been having trouble finding your way back to her farm?"
P-chan nodded miserably.
"Well, no wonder you're so eager to take my head off." Ranma muttered. "You've at least gone on a few dates with her by this point, right?"
P-chan seemed to shrink further.
"None? Seriously?" Ranma felt the urge to take a jab, but his growing awareness of the negative effects of that caused him to curb the response, taking an extra beat to formulate a response. He noted it took a lot more effort than it did with Nabiki. "Well… I'm not one to talk." He took a deep breath. Need to make peace with the rivals. "If you want me to, I can try and help. Mebbe we can trek out there on the weekend or something."
The piglet looked up at him, and the look of disbelief, and beneath it the wavering, flickering candle of hope, was a little embarrassing to see.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, don't go all doe-eyed on me." Ranma muttered. "Focus on not getting lost today first, 'kay?"
More students were filtering into the class. Akane finally slipped in, just barely beating the last bell. She looked a little out of breath. Ranma considered just keeping quiet and letting her take her seat before slipping the piglet onto her desk, but… That wouldn't be manly, would it? She glanced down at herself and scowled. Not that I really qualify right now. Regardless, she scooped up P-chan and walked over to Akane's desk, not sure of the reception she'd get.
"Uh… hey, Akane…" She said sheepishly. As soon as the girl looked at her, she held out the pig awkwardly. "Umm… here."
"P-chan!" Akane exclaimed, practically snatching the piglet from Ranma's grasp. "It's been so long! Where have you been, baby?" She hugged the piglet tight to her chest.
"Figured you'd want the little porker back." Ranma said, turning to leave.
Akane reached out and caught her hand. Ranma turned, and was met with one of the most brilliant, genuine smiles she had seen on the girl's face in weeks.
"Thank you Ranma. Really, I mean it." Akane said. There were practically tears in her eyes. "You have no idea how much I've been missing P-chan. This was really sweet of you."
Ranma had frozen, like a deer caught in headlights. Her heart had leapt into her throat.
When it came to looks, Akane was certainly cute enough, despite Ranma's protestations. Even beautiful when she dressed up. But her most disarming quality was her smile. It was like a thousand megawatt spotlight. Blinding and stunning, and the reason so many tended to fall in love with her so hopelessly. And for all of her frustrations with the girl, Ranma was not immune.
"I… ummm… Well, I mean…" Ranma mumbled, blushing. She rubbed the back of her head nervously.
Akane had an old familiar feeling bubbling inside. This. THIS is what I want it to be like. She thought. Ranma can be so sweet when he tries!
There was something else, though. An uncomfortable awkwardness. In the past, it had always resulted in one of them tossing out a casual insult to break the tension, reset things to a comfortable distance. But now?
You're losing him.
I know, but… Akane had a moment of fear stab through her, that these moments would soon not come again if she didn't do something. What can I do?
Reward him.
But… He's a girl right now… Akane thought. To be honest, Ranma's girl side hadn't even been much of a concern for her. In a lot of ways it made it more comfortable to be around Ranma; It cut the supermale machismo when it was coming from an adorable redhead who was shorter than she was. Being both was all she had even known Ranma to be. But still… with the whole class here?
Nabiki would.
That cinched it. She had always been jealous of the way Ukyou or Shampoo could be so free with their affection for Ranma, but she had never worked up the nerve herself. But after last night, and then the revelation that Nabiki was now in the race…
When Uncle Genma had been teaching her to roof jump, he told her "Sometimes you have to leap without knowing where or how you will land. If you stop, you lose all your momentum, and you never end up getting anywhere."
All of this played out in a fraction of a second. The track this particular line of thought ran on was well-worn and deep, and every time she would reach the edge and put on the brakes, realizing she couldn't see the other side. This time, though… She jumped.
She put her hand on Ranma's shoulder, leaned in, and kissed her cheek. There was that same sensation of fear, of free fall as the bottom dropped out of her stomach when she had started roof running with Genma. But there was also the exhilaration. She held it just a bit longer than she needed to, stood a bit closer than she needed. Ranma's cheek was warm, her skin soft, and she smelled of nice things. It made her think of cinnamon and oak, though it wasn't really either of those. Ranma smelled like Ranma, even though she smelled differently depending on the form. But it was a smell she decided she liked.
She stepped back, and felt a small thrill at seeing the redhead's reaction.
Poor Ranma was blushing. Not the red face of humiliation, but… honestly blushing, with a look of shock and surprise that Akane found rather fetching on her. Maybe I'm starting to see why Shampoo glomps her as a girl Akane thought wryly. She's cute when she's flustered.
She smiled at her and turned and returned to her desk, her heart pounding. I can't believe I just did that! She felt that same excitement she had when she had landed that first uncertain jump. That sensation she had felt when she had fought Kurumi for the second time and realized that she could actually win.
Having done it once, part of her wanted to do it again. She hoped Ranma gave her an excuse again sometime soon.
Ranma for her part had completely thrown a mental piston, and was still standing in the middle of the aisle, brain sputtering as she tried and failed to process what had just happened.
Akane just kissed me…
She's gotta be under a spell! A potion, or another reversal jewel type thing, or…
She smells nice…
She kissed me while I was a GIRL…!
Did Shampoo switch bodies with her or something? Nah, her Japanese is too good…
She kissed me while I was a girl IN FRONT OF THE WHOLE CLASS…!
I should be nicer to P-chan more often…
She kissed me while I was a girl in front of the whole class AND UCCHAN.
There was something very much like the sound of squealing tires as Ranma's disjointed and jumbled thoughts suddenly crashed into each other in a massive pile up of realization as she turned slightly, seeing the Okonomiyaki chef standing just inside the doorway to the classroom, having ducked in just slightly before Ms. Hinako herself. She was staring at Ranma with wide eyes, the look of hurt and betrayal just starting to seep into her expression.
Oh shit...
000
Nabiki did her best to focus on class, but her mind was worlds away. In her notebook she had unconsciously scribbled a representation of her corkboard diagram, scribbling notes and thoughts as she ran through who might be left she could trust.
I think I'm going to just have to write off anyone at the school itself. She thought glumly. She had passed several of them on her way to class, and they way they avoided making eye contact with her told her all she needed to know. This obviously isn't a spur of the moment thing. They all knew about it.
That left a number of resources outside the school that she still had to feel out. That left her resources a little threadbare, and kept leading her back to an inescapable conclusion; I need to get the other fiancees on board.
Which raised the problem of Hana's blackmail pics. There was a way to defuse that, but it was risky, and if she had read the players wrong… She shuddered. It would definitely cut the number of fiancees down by one.
"Ms. Tendo!"
Nabiki looked up, realizing the teach had been calling on her, eyes going wide as she realized that she had absolutely no idea what he had just asked her, or even what topic they were on currently. The rest of the class tittered around her, not at all opposed to seeing Nabiki's usual smug confident demeanor crack and having her go down a few pegs.
Before Nabiki could open up her mouth, there was a crash from outside that rattled the walls. Then the thumping of feet, and the sound of objects being thrown through the air.
"I'msorryIdidn'tdoanythingUcchanpleaseletmeexplain!" Ranma's voice came as the redhead rushed past the room. Nabiki swore there was a doppler effect. Several silver flashes followed, and then an extremely enraged Ukyou Kuonji.
"Ah, sorry sensei, I'll be happy to answer any question you have for me in a minute, but first I need to keep those two from wrecking the school." Nabiki bowed and ran out of the room before the stunned teacher could protest.
"Ranma Saotome, prepare to die you two timing jerk!" Ukyou howled, taking a swipe at Ranma with her battle spatula that narrowly missed the redhead, caving in a whole group of lockers.
"Ukyou, please, just lemme explain…!" Ranma pleaded, looking behind her and realizing she was rapidly running out of hallway.
"She's not even your fiancee anymore you jackass!" Ukyou brought her spatula down in a savage strike that shattered the floor tiles.
Nabiki noticed that despite her apparent rage, there were tears in Ukyou's eyes. Damn it all Ranma! Can't you keep from blowing things up long enough to deal with the LAST thing that blew up? She noticed Akane was running after them, looking honestly concerned, rather than insanely jealous, telling Nabiki exactly who the 'she' Ukyou was referring to was.
Now!? NOW you take the initiative!? Nabiki internally raged as she stalked forward. The chaos was far less entertaining when she wasn't making a profit off it, and with everything else that was happening, she just wasn't in the mood. She stomped in between Ranma and Ukyou of them, holding up a hand to each of them. "Stop. Right now!"
The authoritative note in her voice was enough to catch both of them off guard, and they automatically obeyed.
She pointed at Ranma. "Ranma. Akane kissed you, didn't she?"
Ranma nodded dumbly. Ukyou started to protest, but Nabiki held up a hand in her direction. "As a girl?" Nabiki clarified. She was pretty sure, but…
Ranma blushed and nodded again, and Nabiki noticed her sister blush as well. Well… damn. I didn't know you had it in you Akane. Nabiki had to admit to being grudgingly impressed. Public displays of affection towards Ranma's girl half were usually a major trigger for the girl. Maybe I misread jealousy as homophobia? She turned to Ukyou. "You're mad because you didn't get to kiss Ranma, right?"
"She had no right…" Ukyou said tightly. "... She broke the engagement!"
"But it happened, and you're mad." Nabiki pressed. "And right now we're in the middle of school, so we're looking more for quick fixes than long term relationship counselling. So if you got to kiss Ranma too, would that be enough to even the books for you and let me get back to math class?"
"WHAT?!" Akane and Ranma yelped simultaneously.
"Akane, hush, you kissed someone else's fiancee in front of them. You don't get a vote." Nabiki said sternly. She looked at Ukyou and quirked an eyebrow. "Well?"
"W-well…I mean… in front of everybody?" Ukyou was blushing fiercely, twiddling her fingers. In her boy's uniform, with her hair tied back and breasts bound, she looked like a nervous teenage male about to ask a girl out to the prom. No wonder I used to get so many orders for pics of her. I wonder if she realizes the illusion is that good? Nabiki thought.
"Akane did it in front of everyone in class." Nabiki pointed out. "You gonna lose to her?"
"Nabiki, stop helping!" Akane snarled.
"I-I guess." She swallowed, and took a step over to Ranma, putting a hand on the shorter redhead's shoulder. "If… if Ranma is okay with it, that is."
Ranma's eyes were wide, and in full panic mode, as they flicked from Ukyou, to Akane, to Nabiki, then back to Ukyou. She made a soft whimpering noise in her throat, like an abused dog about to get hit.
Nabiki shot a glare at Akane that cut off the younger Tendo's building rage. She mouthed the word camera, and thumbed behind them.
Akane glanced in that direction, seeing Hana raising her camera, snapping pics of the entire event. She remembered her discussion with Nabiki that morning, growled and cracked her knuckles, having found an eminently suitable target to bleed off some of her hyped up emotion on.
You always had great timing Hana. Nabiki smirked. And now that Akane has something to keep her busy… She felt a certain satisfactionat hearing Hana's yelp as Akane reached her. "Now or never, Kuonji." She said softly to the okonomiyaki chef, and gave her a firm push.
Ukyou stumbled forward, nearly knocking Ranma over, wrapping her arms around the shorter girl to steady herself. The two of them blushed, looking at each other.
Normally they would have stammered, blushed, and eventually Ranma would have said something stupid to ruin the moment, or another fiancee would crash in, or something else would occur, and thus the balance and status quo would be maintained. Fear kept anything from happening.
But after a year and a half, fear gets tiresome. And both of them had grown tired and frustrated with it, and so both of them, for separate reasons, and through separate journeys and trials, managed to reach the same point at the same time.
Ranma managed a smile, and said. "Go ahead, Ucchan." And closed her eyes, awaiting the kiss on the cheek. I'm tired of making them all unhappy to keep them from being even unhappier. Screw the consequences, let Ukyou have this.
Ukyou had been restrained by an odd mix of shame and insecurity. She had spent most of her life hiding herself away. While she would happily match Shampoo or Akane's advances on Ranma, whenever she got her alone, she always settled into those old, comfortable, 'best friend' routines. Cook a meal, talk about their problems, laugh… and nothing ever went anywhere. Because stepping over that line meant she could lose it all. As long as she was just 'there', in the gaggle of fiancees, it was safe. Ranma was never going to single her out. Bit if she pushed, and lost, she could lose him, even his friendship. And so she had been afraid, and hid in Ranma's 'best bud'. And it had hurt.
And she was done.
As soon as Ranma assented, she leaned in closer, and cupped the girl's cheek. She waited until Ranma opened her eyes again, and looked into hers, and saw her intent. She waited until she saw Ranma's eyes widen in realization, and then she closed her own eyes and did what she had been wanting to do for so very long.
"Mmmnnh?!" Ranma felt Ukyou's lips press against her own. For a brief moment, she had a horrifying, sickening flashback to Mikado, and the overwhelming urge to push Ukyou away. She put her hands on the tallers girl's shoulders… and felt her trembling. She realized the kiss was different. It was gentle… questioning, Ukyou's lips touching hers, but not forcefully claiming, questing, like Mikado's. She tasted the faint bitter salt on her lips, and realized Ukyou had been crying.
She was afraid, and sad, and… and looking for acceptance? There were so many subtle little messages that she could feel through the connection. She felt a pang herself, remembered how she felt when Akane had rejected her, when Nabiki had rejected her, and for the first time she put two and two together and understood what Ukyou had felt when she had been rejected so long ago.
She slipped her arms around her neck, and pressed back into the kiss. She wasn't thinking anymore about repercussions, or the crowd, or what was going to happen in the next 30 seconds. All she was thinking was that she knew how much it would hurt if she rejected Ukyou now, and she couldn't bear to do that to her.
After a second she wasn't thinking about the sting of rejection, either. Because Ukyou's lips were soft, and her arms strong, and her body warm, and she felt the tingle of the heat she had gotten a taste of on the beach. It was different, but the same, somehow, and she didn't want to let it go this time.
Nabiki watched, realizing very quickly she had made a mistake. Experience taught her this was going to be a peck on the cheek, or maybe the lips. Something timid and awkward and not this.
She had given Ukyou an opportunity and expected her not to take full advantage of it, and she was quickly realizing this was quite possibly the dumbest thing she had done in her young life.
Something seemed to have sparked in both of them. The kiss had started off innocent enough, if a little close. Ranma had been stiff as a board, as usual when she was kissed, and then… and then she had melted. And the kiss had evolved into something very intense, very passionate, and very real.
And despite appearances, it was also a kiss between two girls, so about half of the male spectators had passed out from blood loss.
Mine!
Something quailed within Nabiki's breast as she watched. It hurt, it made her angry, and she had no one to blame but herself, which made her angrier. But worse, it made her sad. Because all of her cynicism couldn't keep her from seeing that Ukyou deeply and desperately loved Ranma, and that Ranma was responding to that. Just how she had seen glimpses of Akane's own feelings, and how Ranma responded to her.
Most of us have to lose this, don't we? She felt a pang, of regret, of sadness… not because she might lose Ranma, but because she might win, and what that would do to at least two people who cared for Ranma as much as she did, if not more. It kept her from intervening, from yelling at them to come up for air, or from doing anything but watching them as the kiss deepened. Part of her wondered where Kuonji had learned to kiss like that at an all-boys school.
Finally, the kiss trailed off, and slowly their faces moved apart, just enough to look into each other's eyes. Ranma's heart was pounding in her chest, and she had a real and fundamental sense of loss, because she could sense that things would never quite be the same between her and Ukyou.
A few feet away, Akane had watched the entire scene, jaw agape. She had Hana pinned up against the locker, and was holding her camera with the other hand. Almost absently she smashed the camera against the wall, earning an outraged squawk from the mercenary girl. She tossed the ruined camera in the trash, and after a moment, tossed Hana after it, and started walking down the hallway towards the two. She was still in that quiet place of disbelief that she went before she got really really angry.
This time, however, she didn't get the chance.
"WHAT FOUL SORCERY IS THIS!?"
She turned to see Tatewaki Kuno, shaking with rage, and glaring hateful daggers at, of all people, Ukyou Kuonji.
"Deceiver! Foul Illusionist!" Kuno howled, stomping forward. "Unhand the pigtailed girl this instant, and release her from thy ensorcelled grasp!" He drew his bokken, levelling it at Ukyou.
Ukyou stepped back from Ranma. "I would have thought you'd enjoy seeing two girls kiss, sugar." Ukyou crossed her arms and smirked.
"Nay! No woman art thou!" Kuno snarled. "I see it clearly now! You've used some form of trickery to change your aspect to a more pleasing shape to elude my suspicion! Perhaps the magicked waters of some spring. And yet, unlike a true maiden, you took no notice of the pre-eminent male of Furinkan High! And now, you return to your true form and reveal thine intent! To steal the lips and heart of the Pig Tailed girl! Have you no shame, Kuonji!?"
"What…" Ukyou boggled at the incredible leap of stupidity that she had just witnessed. "I'm a girl jackass!"
"Nay, thou shalt not trick me again. Thou art as male as I!" Kuno snarled, raising his bokken over his head. "Now you shall know my wrath! THUNDER BREAK!"
Fortunately for all involved, Kuno elected to use his new ability indoors. In fact, his bokken was touching the metal frame of one of the fluorescent light fixtures. This meant that the entire fury of his thunderbolt was immediately dispelled into the school's electrical system.
Unfortunately, The Furinkan High electrical grid was not designed to withstand anywhere near that kind of voltage. Pretty much anything that had a fuse blew out spectacularly. What didn't have a fuse arced impressively, and one of those arcs managed to trigger the sprinkler system.
The sprinklers started erupting in series, starting where Kuno was standing. He immediately screamed, yelping and trying to cover himself, and from the steam it was apparent why. Ranma's eyes widened in fear as more sprinkler heads started erupting, showing other students.
"Ow! Hey, that's hot!"
"I already had my shower today!"
"Augh!"
"They're going off in the classrooms too!"
"Run!"
Ranma exchanged a glance with Ukyou and Akane, a half second acknowledgement that they knew what to do. Without any further ceremony, Ranma scooped up Nabiki in bridal carry and started to sprint for the window, followed by Akane and Ukyou.
They passed by the bust of the Principal. The head swivelled to follow them, and there was a soft whirr from inside. Probably a camera of some sort.
If I get hit with that water and he gets it on camera, I'll get kicked off the team! Ranma thought, panicked. And if I get kicked off the team, I get expelled! She pushed herself to move faster, spotting the window at the end of the hall. The sprinklers were starting to erupt just behind them now. Everything was going in slow motion. She heard a yelp from behind her as Akane and Ukyou were sprayed, and with a last surge, she leapt, curling around Nabiki protectively and rolling as she crashed through the window, the brightness of day momentarily blinding.
000
Well, THIS turned into a monster chapter.
Big thanks to my proofreader Zen for helping me with this.
This is a little bit of the characters getting away from me, but in a good way. I wanted to treat the girls fairly and give them all a fair shake. This has also resulted in things getting even MORE chaotic. Poor Ranma. Also seems that Principal Kuno is more interested in getting Ranma expelled than playing by Himura's little game, hmmm? I mean... HOT water in the sprinkler system? That's not suspicious or anything.
Hope you all enjoy! And please keep reviewing and commenting! It helps me keep going!
And what is the OTHER Chinese Curse? It's the one Ranma has suffered from his entire life: "May You Live In Interesting Times."
