Ryouga was waking up far too often with a splitting headache and no memories of how he had gotten where we was of late.
He blinked a few times to clear his vision and recognized the ceiling of his own room. At least I know WHERE I am this time.
He sat up slowly holding his head with one hand, utterly convinced that, if he didn't, it was going to fall off. The unbearable pain seemed to lessen slightly once he was upright. He looked around the room and saw a glass of water and a notecard with a white caplets on top of it.
He grabbed the pills and swallowed, chasing them with a sip of the water. The sip turned into a gulp and he'd finished the glass before he realized how thirsty he'd been. He wiped his mouth, feeling some of the awfulness washed away, picked up the note and read it.
Take these when you wake up and drink more water. It will help the hangover. The girls are in the guest room. Take a shower and, when you feel up to it, come downstairs so we can talk. Don't worry, you're not in trouble!
Mom.
(P.S. Those girls are very cute! When were you going to introduce me to them?)
Suddenly, jumping out of the window seemed like an excellent idea, save for the fact that Ryouga was fairly certain he'd need to find a building at least 50 stories tall, first. He rubbed his temples as his headache throbbed.
Shower, he decided, getting to his feet and trudging towards the door and reached out for the guide-line he had strung to find his way to the bathroom.
000
Shirokuro met him on the stairs as he came down. The shower and a fresh change of clothes had done wonders. His head felt mostly clear as he let his dog guide him to the living room.
His mother was sitting in an armchair while Shampoo and Ukyou occupied the couch. Ukyou looked a little rough but Shampoo appeared bright, bubbly and none the worse for wear.
"Ryo! You're up! I was worried I was going to have to send the girls up to fetch you!" Mrs. Hibiki said, beaming. "How are you feeling?"
"Better…" Ryouga rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Look, Mom, I'm sorry…"
She waved him off immediately. "Ryo, I did the same sorts of things at your age. Well…" she glanced at the girls and smiled knowingly. "... mostly."
Ryouga sighed. I need to head this off before it gets out of hand. "Mom, it's not what you think…"
"Oh no, you don't have to say a thing, Ryo. We've just been chatting and I understand that these girls were very concerned about your intentions towards Ranma, and had you over to talk about it. After which things got… I believe 'a little out of hand' was the phrase you used, Ukyou dear?" She smiled at the Okonomiyaki chef.
"Yes, but…" Ukyou started, realizing that her account of events had been misinterpreted.
"It certainly is reassuring to find out how popular my Ryo is!" she gushed. "I had worried… I mean… when I was his age, I struggled. Our… family condition makes maintaining friendships difficult. Though…" she cocked her head at him. "... don't you have any male friends, dear?"
"Yes, of course!" Ryouga said. "There's…" He trailed off as he realized the only one that came to mind was a girl as far as his mother was concerned and it would be nearly impossible to explain without Ranma actually present to demonstrate the curse. "... Ummm…"
"Thought Pi… Ryouga and Sword-Boy team up now and then?" Shampoo suggested helpfully.
"No, he tried to kill Ryouga last time I saw him," Ukyou said.
"Oh dear! What brought that on?" Mrs. Hibiki asked in a shocked tone, casting a worried look at her son.
"Oh he flipped his gourd when Ranma told him she and Ryouga were engaged," Ukyou said. "He sorta got a bit unstable after that."
Mrs. Hibiki's eyes went wide. "Engaged!?"
The sound of Ryouga's palm hitting his forehead was almost like a gunshot.
"It was a scam!" Ukyou said hurriedly, with a nervous laugh and an apologetic look for Ryouga. "Ranma just told Kuno that to get him to stop pestering her for dates!"
"And so he attacked Ryouga?" Mrs. Hibiki looked concerned. "And are you alright, Ryo? Did you tell the police?"
Ryouga waved her off tiredly. "It's fine, Mom. He and I are cool now. He was… uhh… he was kinda off his meds at the time. He's promised to keep up with them from now on."
"Oh… well… I'm glad to hear it's resolved. That's very understanding of you to give him a second chance, you know. Mental illness is a difficult thing to deal with." Mrs. Hibiki smiled at him. "I was also unaware that you and your 'rival' had that kind of relationship…"
"We don't!" Ryouga said quickly.
"They don't!" Ukyou and Shampoo said at the same moment, in suspicious synchronicity with him.
Mrs. Hibiki raised an eyebrow and looked over the three of them in turn before nodding slowly. "I see."
AAAAUGH! Ryouga could almost hear the clicks in his mother's mind as assumptions and misconceptions snapped into place.
"And the two of you heard about this 'engagement' and were concerned as well?" Mrs. Hibiki asked, pouring herself another cup of tea.
"Oh no, we know is fake story. Know since beginning," Shampoo said brightly. "It get out of hand at school, though."
"Oh? But why the talk then?" Mrs. Hibiki asked. "You obviously thought there was more to it, right?"
Ukyou elbowed Shampoo in the ribs hard. "What she means to say is we had our doubts, but after talking with Ryo… Ryouga alone, we cleared up the misunderstanding, and now we know there's nothing going on between him and Ranma."
"Ah, and finding out my son was unattached was cause for celebration, then," Mrs. Hibiki beamed.
"Yes-NO!" Ukyou yelped as she realized where that particular train of thought was going to jump its tracks. "I mean, I don't like Ryouga that way! He's like a brother to me!"
"I see."
"A younger brother!"
"Mmm-hmm."
"An annoying younger brother!"
"Of course."
Ukyou closed her eyes and clenched a fist. "Shampoo, tell her!"
"Shampoo not decide if she want to sleep with Ryouga or not," Shampoo replied nonchalantly. "So no can be sure of relationship yet."
Ukyou nearly fell off the couch. Ryouga did faceplant behind it.
"WHAT!?" Ryouga and Ukyou both demanded, red in the face.
"Shampoo not spend much time with Ryouga before this, so no decide. Is important thing to figure out, yes?" Shampoo said, blinking innocently. "Not mean Shampo actually sleep with, just if would want to."
Ryouga pinched his nose closed. "W-why would you…?! Th-that's not…! H-how…?!"
Shampoo smirked then kissed him on the nose. "Is cute when stammer. Maybe Shampoo keep after all."
Ryouga's legs went out from under him as he collapsed behind the couch again.
"Oh my," Mrs. Hibiki said, blinking in surprise.
"cOuLd YoU eXcUsE uS?" Ukyou asked, her voice cracking as she grabbed Shampoo by the collar. Not waiting for confirmation from Ryouga's Mother, she dragged Shampoo off the couch and around behind it, grabbed Ryouga by the back of the shirt, and hauled them both off into the kitchen.
"Shampoo, what in the HELL is wrong with you!?" Ukyou growled. She dropped Ryouga unceremoniously on the floor and pinned Shampoo back against the wall. "Have you lost your mind?!"
"Oooh, Ukyou getting rough? Maybe wanted kiss too?" Shampoo asked, giving her a wink.
Ukyou blushed and released her. "Not here you jackass! Not in front of Ryouga's Mom!"
Ryouga pushed himself to his feet. "What's the big idea dragging me across the floor, Ukyou?!"
"Oh you are so lucky that's all I did!" Ukyou snarled at him. "What are you going to do to fix this, huh?!"
"Me!? Why is this on me!? You're the one who told my Mom you were grilling me about a love rival!" Ryouga protested.
"We didn't…" Ukyou shouted back, then quickly modulated her tone to an angry hiss. "... We didn't say anything about a love rival! She wanted to know why we were out drinking together and I was kind of on the spot, okay? I figured the truth with a few omissions was the best policy!"
"Yeah? Well now she thinks the three of us are-!" Ryouga started.
"You and Shampoo," Ukyou corrected him. "I told her that you're like a brother to me!"
"Yeah, and she didn't buy it! She thinks you're just being tsundere!" Ryouga protested.
"I do not have a tsundere bone in my body and I'm certainly not tsundere towards you!" Ukyou growled. "Tell him, Shampoo!"
"Pig Boy and Spatula Girl so tsundere together, should have own anime," Shampoo replied, sounding bored.
"Shampoo!" Ukyou yelped at the betrayal.
Shampoo was leaning against the wall, her arms crossed. She rolled her eyes and sighed. "Both idiots. Mother concerned son find nice girl, latching onto any hint. Ryouga and Ukyou give lots of hints. Even if fix, probably go back to thinking Ryouga in love with Ranma."
"I am not in love with Ranma!" Ryouga protested.
"Yeah, even I don't buy that one anymore, sugar," Ukyou muttered. "Look, we'll just tell her Shampoo and I are dating Ranma and take all three of us off the table."
Shampoo raised an eyebrow. "Is common for three girls to date each other in Japan?"
Ukyou paused. "Uhh… well, no… Okay, so you're dating Ranma and I'm just the sister figure…"
"She already doesn't buy the 'older sister' routine. Look, we should just accept that she's gonna think what she's gonna think and wait until we've got everyone here with a kettle of hot water and a bucket. Then we can sort the whole mess out with her all at once when we've got our stories straight," Ryouga said in a rare moment of clarity. "She's been convinced that there's something going on between me and Ranma for a while now, and nothing…"
"Something is going on between you and Ranma!" Ukyou growled. "And I am not leaving misconceptions like this with another parent-figure! Before you know it we'll walk into a shotgun wedding or there will be some kind of secret 'Hibiki Family Recipe Marital Aid' slipped in our tea to help 'coax us along', or…"
"My Mom isn't like that!" Ryouga protested.
"I can't take your word for it! You're an idiot!" Ukyou shot back.
Shampoo waved her hand in front of her face, as if trying to waft away fumes. "Getting very tsundere in here…"
"Shut up!" both of them shouted at her.
Shampoo shook her head and wagged a finger at them, as if lecturing a pair of particularly slow children. "Is making too complicated. Just reassure mother Ryouga find girl - be taken care of. Keep her happy and not-worry until Ryouga get mess of life straightened out and find actual girlfriend."
"Yes, but how do we do that?" Ukyou said. "I'm sure as hell not gonna play the role! I've finally got my romantic life straightened out…"
"'Straight' probably not best term to use," Shampoo noted playfully.
"Hush! I've got my romantic life sorted out and I don't wanna risk screwing it up!" Ukyou said finally. "So find another girl to play the loving girlfriend and leave me out of it, okay?" She folded her arms and huffed angrily.
"Okay," Shampoo said, unperturbed. She walked over to Ryouga, put her arms around his neck and beamed at him. "Wo ai ni."
Ryouga froze stiff - his eyes widened and his pupils dilated in fear.
"Shampoo, what are you doing?" Ukyou asked, gaping.
"Is playing loving girlfriend," Shampoo said, smirking at her. "Should have good pet name…" She peered at Ryouga, who was still petrified and unmoving. "Bendan? No… Shagua!"
Ukyou pinched the bridge of her nose. "Shampoo, this is an incredibly bad idea…"
"Maybe is jealous, qinai de?" Shampoo winked at her.
Ukyou blushed at the term of endearment. "Y-you can't just call me 'darling' and expect me to go along with whatever stupid plan you're hatching!"
Shampoo looked genuinely hurt at that. "Is not stupid plan! Shampoo trying to help! Care about Ukyou. Ryouga Ukyou's family, so help Ryouga. Do what Ukyou can't, make things easier," she pouted, releasing Ryouga and turning away, folding her arms and pouting.
Ryouga blinked and snapped out of his trance and his brain reset and rebooted into Cute Crying Girl Protection Mode upon seeing Shampoo looking so despondent… maybe even a few tears in her eyes? "Shampoo, I-I appreciate what you're offering to do, really!" Ryouga said earnestly.
Ukyou was caught similarly off guard. "Look… I'm sorry, sugar. You're right, I shouldn't be so judgemental. When you think about it, that's a really big favor you're offering to do for us…"
Shampoo sniffed softly. She gave them a sad smile. "Is okay. Understand hard to trust Shampoo after all she do in past."
"N-no! I trust you!" Ryouga said quickly, moving closer to her, though he was uncertain how to comfort her.
"Yeah, we both trust you, Shampoo," Ukyou nodded, getting caught up in the moment.
Shampoo gave them each hopeful looks. "Prove? Can Shampoo have hug?"
They looked at each other, then nodded again. They walked over and awkwardly hugged the amazon girl between them.
Shampoo sighed and closed her eyes, rested her head against Ryouga's chest and relaxed as Ukyou held her from behind. After a minute she starting making a soft thrumming sound, almost like purring.
"Is… that better?" Ryouga asked nervously. Shampoo no longer being unhappy was causing reality to re-establish himself and, right now, reality consisted of him and Ukyou sandwiching a very attractive, buxom young lady - which was doing unfortunate things to his hormones.
"Shampoo?" Ukyou piped up as well. "Sugar?"
"Mmmmmm… Siblings…" Shampoo murmured in a far away voice.
"Oh god damnit, Shampoo!" Ukyou roared.
000
Nabiki was deep in thought for most of the school day, mentally digesting the events of the previous night.
Akane had been right. Nabiki knew it was something they were going to have to explore and define at some point. To be fair, she was going to need to see where her comfort zone with Ukyou was as well, so it wasn't a unique problem. It would probably be a lot easier with Ukyou, with whom she didn't have any sort of pre-existing relationship, much less have grown up with her as a sibling.
Nabiki wasn't sure if it should disturb her or not how easy it had been to get past the whole 'squick' factor once they'd got going. Ranma was into it, obviously, and that helped them to focus on her enjoyment of the situation. But after a while, as they got more comfortable together, it had become more of a game and the mutual focus on Ranma had gradually drifted.
God, stop using euphemisms, Nabiki, she chided herself as she feigned paying attention to whatever gibberish the teacher was writing on the blackboard. You had sex with your little sister. You weren't coaxed or tricked - you jumped into incest with both feet.
She sighed. They had spent some time the morning after just lying in bed together and talking about it while Ranma still slept. Ironically, Akane seemed to be handling it somewhat better, having freshly stepped out of the closet and still full of defiance for societal prejudices and norms in general. Nabiki, for all her supposed worldliness and open-mindedness, found herself wrestling with it a bit more.
It bothers me that it doesn't bother me like I thought it would - like I think it SHOULD, she decided finally. It certainly wasn't something that she ever would have considered if their circumstances weren't already so far outside the norms but she was fairly certain she could incorporate it into their relationship. And that disturbed her more than anything else.
Taboos and Social Conventions exist for a reason, I guess, she thought glumly. They're not always right or healthy or fair, but they keep the moral footings inside of them simple, safe and secure. Step outside them and everything starts getting crumbly, confusing and complicated. I guess there are consequences to thinking that you know better than countless generations of society as a whole.
One of those consequences was that bathing with her sister was now considerably more awkward. Breaking that particular taboo had stripped Nabiki of the mental filter that kept her from seeing her sister as a sexual being - and now that it was gone, even though Nabiki definitely preferred males, she was forced to admit that the drooling hentai hordes at Furinkan had a point where her sister was concerned; Akane was hot.
I wonder if this is like the problem Ryouga is having with Ranma? Nabiki thought, feeling a pang of sympathy for the Lost Boy. Different taboo but it's still all about being attracted to someone you shouldn't be. At least I'm alright with loving my sister, even if I'm still not entirely secure about expressing it THIS WAY. Ryouga's going from hatred and resentment to… she remembered that warm, red-gold feeling from Ranma that had ever-so-briefly enfolded her, and how something very much like it had connected Ranma and Ryouga… I want to try the link again. I'm starting to see the benefit of having a second opinion on your emotions. Also, Ryouga deserves a hug. No wonder the poor boy has been melancholy lately!
She glanced over at Shampoo's desk and noticed that it was still empty. Where is Shampoo? She didn't meet us this morning, either. Weren't she and Ukyou going to take care of Ryouga? She sighed and hoped that everything was all right with her. Impulsively she pulled out her phone to check, even though she knew Shampoo didn't have a cell phone, and usually didn't bother with such modern contrivances as the telephone.
There were no messages or missed calls but her eyes moved to the cartoony cat face icon that had recently appeared on her phone. A hacker would be a big help but not enough to take the risks they're asking. She switched to her contacts and the three freshly added names: 'Asahi', 'Chiyako' and 'Yuto'.
Yuto might be a useful source of information or he could blow me out of the water by ratting me out to Himura. She pillowed her cheek on her fist and blew out a frustrated breath. I'd RATHER just let him be the eccentric Beer Otaku rather than part of a scheme. Why did Himura have to pick MY Ranma to mess with? I can't even have nice college friends without her screwing it up!
She thought of something else while she was there, though, and scrolled down to another name; 'Rin Ito'. She glanced up to make sure the teacher wasn't looking her way and sent Rin a quick text:
Nabiki: How did things go with your Dad?
Rin was quick to reply,
Rin: Really good! He loved your idea! He's got a meeting with the school principal Monday. The school seemed really excited about the idea too!
Nabiki sighed in relief. Something going right for a change!
Nabiki: Good. Keep me posted. Did the vid Hiroshi and Daisuke got you of next week's opponents help?
Rin: Oh yes! (─‿‿─) Sayuri asked me to thank you. So… thank you Ms. Manager!
Nabiki: Manager, huh? (;一_一) Just as long as I'm just managing you as a TEAM and not your love lives. I get enough of that at home. Speaking of which, how is Mousse?
Nabiki could almost hear the resultant blush.
Rin: Ms. Nabiki! We're just friends…
Nabiki rolled her eyes. "You ruin your own credibility if you actually type the ellipsis, Rin."
Nabiki: Well, keep me posted on that, too? Neriman Martial Artists need a lot of looking after. I'm trusting you to keep him out of trouble.
Rin: I'll do my best, Ms. Manager! ᕙ(⇀‸↼‶)ᕗ
Nabiki tucked away her phone, satisfied. Rin should keep Mousse from wobbling too much and I'll see what I can do to help Ryouga - so barring some outside challenger suddenly appearing, or a new flock of fiancees, that should keep the chaos manageable enough to focus on upending Himura. Nabiki sighed, feeling like she was finally getting on top of a problem where she had been playing catch up since the beginning.
So why did she have a sudden, formless feeling of dread in the pit of her stomach?
000
When Ranma and Nabiki knocked at the door, it was a very pale and tired-looking Ryouga who met them at the door.
"Ryo? You look like hell man! What happened?" Ranma asked, peering at him with concern.
Ryouga sighed. "Long night." He muttered. "Longer day."
"Ryo!" His mother called out. "Who is it?"
"It's Ranma and Nabiki, Mom. We've got an appointment at the hospital. You know, the neurologist?" Ryouga replied.
"Oh, that's right! It completely slipped my mind!" There was the sound of footsteps, and Mrs. Hibiki poked her head out next to Ryouga. "Hello girls!"
"Hi Mrs. Hibiki." Nabiki said with a smile. "Sorry we can't stay for tea today."
"That's okay, girls. We'll catch up next time. I've gotten behind on my housework anyway. I wasted the whole day chatting with Ryo's girls."
Ranma and Nabiki blinked.
"Ryo's… Girls," Nabiki said carefully.
Ranma just glared at him.
Ryouga slumped in defeat.
"Oh, yes! They're classmates of yours, I think? Ukyou and Shampoo. I see Shampoo with you in the mornings. And… does Ukyou have a brother? I thought I saw a boy who looked like her with you. Anyway, I'm just teasing poor Ryo." She patted his shoulder. "They all dragged themselves here late last night and stayed over. I'm sure Ryo will tell you all about it."
Ranma was doing a fairly good impression of Akane's best death glower now.
Nabiki raised an eyebrow. "I'm sure he will."
Ms. Hibiki turned him to look at her. "I'll see you when you get in. Give me a call if you get lost, okay Ryouga dear?"
He sighed heavily and nodded.
Mrs. Hibiki chuckled. "Oh don't look so hangdog! Just remember what we talked about and you'll be fine."
"Yes, Mom," Ryouga said in a defeated voice. He turned and trudged out the door, walking silently past Nabiki and Ranma. Ranma was staring daggers at his back now.
They followed after him and quickly flanked him to nudge him back on course. Nobody said anything until they rounded the corner and were out of sight and earshot of the house.
"Well?" Ranma asked impatiently, glaring at him. "Are you gonna tell me what's going on, or do I need to hurt you first?"
"Isn't that one of Akane's lines, Ranma?" Nabiki asked playfully, more amused than concerned by what was shaping up.
Ryouga took a deep breath. "It's not what you think. And it's not what my Mom thinks, but she jumped to all kinds of wrong conclusions and I can't convince her otherwise." He rubbed a hand over his face.
"Start at the beginning," Nabiki suggested.
"Yesterday Ukyou and Shampoo dragged me off to Ucchan's. They did some kind of… interrogation, I guess? They were trying to disguise their voices, bright light in the face and everything. They wanted to know what my intentions were towards Ranma."
"I do hope you didn't tell them the truth, Ryo. They don't handle competition well," Nabiki said casually.
Ranma nearly tripped. "Nabiki!"
Ryouga just groaned. "Yeah, yeah, make jokes. If having those two have the wrong idea was the worst of this, I would be laughing. So, I hashed things out with them…"
"Figured out the sleeping arrangements? Ranma likes to be in the middle." Nabiki cut in with a smirk.
"Nabiki, stop helping!" Ranma growled.
Ryouga winced. "I cleared up the misunderstanding with them so they know I'm not any kind of competition. But it was kinda rough getting there, so we decided to have a couple of drinks."
"You'd think Ukyou would remember how much trouble sake gets her into," Nabiki said. Then she smirked "Or maybe she enjoys the trouble."
Ryouga gave her a confused look, then shrugged. "Well… We kinda had too much. I probably should have just crashed in the storeroom or something but they insisted on walking me home. By some miracle we actually made it, but…"
"... but you came home drunk with a pretty girl on each arm," Ranma finished. Her angry expression had softened into one of recognition.
"And your Mom saw," Nabiki added, understanding.
Ryouga laughed bitterly. "It gets even better, though! We all passed out, so she took care of us. By the time I had woken up, Shampoo and Ukyou had already blabbed all about how they had grilled me about whether I was interested in Ranma, trying to convince my Mom that I wasn't…"
"... Without realizing that their enthusiastic tactics would imply to the uneducated outsider that they are interested in you," Nabiki finished for him.
"And then they made it worse, didn't they?" Ranma asked. "It always gets worse after that part."
"Well, Ukyou wanted to try and convince my Mom that she's only interested in me as a sister, but Mom wasn't buying it, so Shampoo volunteered to pretend to be my girlfriend to divert her from possibly doing something stupid like arranging an omiai with Ukyou's Dad or something."
"And you went along with that?!" Nabiki asked, incredulous.
"Of course he did," Ranma muttered. "Because Shampoo did that cute little pouty-lip thing she does, and the big pleading eyes, and then you're tripping over yourself to do whatever she asks because she's adorable."
Ryouga nodded miserably. "I'm not any good at plans," he added, "My only idea was to just leave it alone and not worry about it."
Nabiki blinked. "Well… yes, that was the right play. You should have done that."
Ranma and Ryouga both stopped and stared at her.
Nabiki cocked her head at both of them. "You two have realized by now that most misconceptions work themselves out in the end as long as you just act consistently, right?"
They both blinked owlishly at her.
"You haven't noticed that everything you do to try and 'fix' these problems just makes them worse?" Nabiki demanded, growing concerned.
More blank stares.
"You do know that sometimes doing nothing is the best course of action - especially when you don't have enough information to know what the consequences of your actions will be?" Nabiki put her hands on her hips and glared at the two of them.
They both looked sheepish.
"Now we do?" Ranma said timidly.
Nabiki threw her hands up in the air. "Aaaaugh! No wonder your lives are such chaotic messes! You never leave well enough alone!"
Ryouga sighed. "Sorry about this…"
Nabiki blinked at him, momentarily thrown off by the familiar phrase and tone.
Ranma took his arm and started steering him in a different direction.
"R-ranma…?" Ryouga said, confused.
"Ranma, the hospital is this way," Nabiki jogged to catch up.
"I know, but we've got time," Ranma said, eyes forward as she walked purposefully. "And that bad day Ryo just described? I've had that bad day. And whenever I have that bad day, I need ice cream. So I'm taking Ryo for ice cream."
Nabiki raised an eyebrow, though she noticed a light blush on Ryouga's cheeks. Her eyes flicked down to the arm Ranma was holding firmly. Close contact. They're linked right now and Ryouga's picking up on something through it. THAT'S what keeps driving this mess; Ranma can't hide her feelings from Ryouga as well as she can hide them from herself. It would make things a LOT easier if we could just spread that insight around a little.
"As long as you're buying, Ranma," Nabiki shrugged, acting nonchalant.
000
"So she lectured you?" Ranma asked, spoon poised over her ridiculously colorful ice cream concoction. "About being a Casanova?"
Ryouga sulked, chewing on the straw from his milkshake. "She wanted to make sure I didn't lead the girls on, and made my intentions clear, and how I could unintentionally really hurt someone if I wasn't careful."
"Well, that is true, Ryo," Nabiki said thoughtfully, twirling her spoon. She was seated next to him, working on a cheesecake sundae.
Ryouga gave her a sideways look. "I am amazed you can say that with a straight face," he muttered darkly.
She smirked and leaned against him. "Who said I was leading you on, Ryo Baby?" she purred.
"Nabiki, don't tease him," Ranma said impatiently, then paused as an odd expression crossed her face. "When did I become the one who says that?"
"Since you took over Akane's job of being the one leading poor Ryo on?" Nabiki commented dryly.
"She's not leading me on," Ryouga growled irritably.
"It's adorable when you two get protective of each other," Nabiki chuckled. "You don't need to bite my head off, I'm on your side." She leaned forward, pointing her spoon at Ranma. "Which is why I think we should show Dr Tofu how you let me in on the Link before."
Ranma gave her a skeptical look. "... Whyyyyyyyyy?"
"Because the more we know about the mechanics of how this works, the faster we get a cure, right?" Nabiki said matter-of-factly.
"You just want to get into our heads again," Ryouga muttered.
"Yes!" Nabiki said brightly, then at the dark looks sighed. "Okay, fine, full disclosure. Do you have any idea how hard it is gonna be to hold this relationship together in the long run?" She stabbed her sundae with her spoon, scooped up a bite and popped it into her mouth, swallowing it before she continued. "Right now... all the forces around us… with the exception of Ranma's parents… are actually pushing us all together. Amazingly Cologne is on board and so are Daddy and Kasumi. We've even defused the Kunos. That's not going to last forever."
"Yeah… we're kind of overdue for some kind of major crisis," Ranma said glumly.
"Even without it, we've nearly wobbled this little ship to pieces a couple of times." Nabiki sighed and closed her eyes. "Ranma, you probably don't realize this, but Akane and I just crested a major hurdle last night, and it could have gone bad really easily. You've gone over more than I can count and you've stumbled on a few, and I know Ukyou and Shampoo are having to deal with things as well. This all requires a lot of rapid shifts in perspective and a lot of understanding and patience - which is inevitably going to run out."
Ranma blinked. "Are you saying it isn't going to work?"
Nabiki shook her head. "No… No, honestly I couldn't imagine this working with any other group, but we all seem to be just the right kind of crazy to fit together. But… we'll still need every edge we can get to keep it up. We're not seamless and we're never going to be." She leaned across the table towards her. "Imagine… if we were all linked?"
Ranma's eyes widened. "That's… a lot of people in my head…"
"It wouldn't be all the time, just when we're in physical contact, right? And if you don't 'listen' it's just background noise? You and Ryouga seem to manage okay," Nabiki said quickly. "But… it would be another 'sense' to help us to defuse problems before they start and to head off misunderstandings. If any two of us get mad at each other, we just go sit quietly together and hold hands until we understand each other's feelings. And if we want to be alone with our own thoughts, we just need to be alone. It's not like you and Ryouga are constantly reading each other's minds."
Ranma frowned. "Speaking of which… What about Ryouga? Assuming the link works the way we think it would with that many people, he'd be stuck with it too." She glanced at Ryouga and something like regret flickered across her features. "I mean, choosing an Anchor is supposed to be a major deal for his family, something he was hoping to share with the girl he marries someday. It's already screwed up now because he accidentally picked me, and now you want him to be stuck with four more girls who aren't ever gonna be more'n friends with him? I ain't putting him through that!"
Ryouga looked surprised at the vehemence of Ranma's last sentence. He blushed a and focused his gaze on his milkshake. "It's… not that big a deal, Ranma. You aren't the cause of my romantic problems…"
Nabiki considered. She glanced at Ryouga, then at Ranma. Ranma has a point. I wonder about Ryouga's, though. If Ranma has been his Anchor since middle school, I wonder how that's influenced him? The link pulls them both together, whether they acknowledge it or not. I wonder… "Well, there's no reason if we figure out how to make new links that Ryouga can't make one with someone new."
Ranma looked thoughtful. "I… guess that's true. But…"
"... And we can probably find a way to break the link between you and Ryouga," Nabiki finished, watching them both carefully for their reactions.
Ranma and Ryouga both froze.
"H-hold on…!" Ranma said nervously. "Ryouga's Mom said that it's really really bad for a Hibiki to lose their Anchor…!"
Interesting, Nabiki thought. "This would be presuming we cure the direction curse first," Nabiki added, raising an eyebrow.
"Even so…!" Ranma huffed, busying herself with her ice cream suddenly. "I don't think it would be a good idea to monkey with the original link like that. It could make everything fall apart, make Ryo relapse…" She stuffed a laden spoon in her mouth. ".. Can't we jutht leave it ath ith?"
Ryouga was twisting the straw wrapper, studying his hands. Nabiki could see the muscles in his jaw flexing as he mulled something over.
"I'm alright with you using the Link if it helps you," Ryouga said finally.
"Ryouga?" Ranma nearly choked on her mouthful. She swallowed, then thumped her chest to try and get the chunks of brownie, nuts and whatever else was in her parade float of a sundae down. "You can't be serious...!"
"I'm just here to cure the family curse so my Mom can live a normal life," Ryouga said gruffly. "If I can do that, I won't need an Anchor anymore, or the Link. Having this connection between us is just messing up your life, Ranma, and if we can cut it and still save my Mom, then…"
"No," Ranma said sharply, her eyes flashing.
Nabiki let the tension hang in the air for a moment, curious if anything else would be said. Finally she sighed and nonchalantly scooped up more of her ice cream. "I agree with Ranma on this, to be honest." She popped the spoon in her mouth.
"What?! But you said…" Ryouga gaped at her.
Nabiki chewed slowly and kept her eyes closed, her expression one of schooled indifference. "I brought it up as a possibility, yes… and Ranma made a good point about the potential downside, so I'm revising my position." She opened one eye, fixing Ryouga with it. "Which means we're into Plan B. Which is 'Find a way to explain all of this to the other fiancees so they don't kill us.'"
Ryouga winced and closed his eyes. "I'm sorry…"
"Don't be. This predates everything but Ukyou's claim, after all," Nabiki said in a businesslike manner. "We just need to be careful how we tell them about it, how we explain why we didn't tell them sooner and how we reassure them that this doesn't threaten their relationships with Ranma."
Ryouga and Ranma stared at her.
"This isn't an engagement, Nabiki," Ranma hissed, a light blush on her cheeks. Nabiki noticed her steal a quick furtive glance at Ryouga. Nabiki could see out of the corner of her eye the Lost Boy was blushing too.
Oh this would be SO much easier if you two would just KISS ALREADY! Nabiki thought grumpily. "It's a deep and permanent emotional bond between you that will, as I understand it, last your entire lives. If we assume nothing else changes from how it is now, Ryouga is going to be constantly finding his way back to you, Ranma, so he is going to be a fixture in your life. And by extension he will be a fixture in our lives. You might as well be married."
"Nabiki, don't joke about that," Ranma said quickly.
"I'm sure Kodachi would be overjoyed to help plan 'Ran's' wedding..." Nabiki continued with a smirk.
"Now you're gonna give me nightmares!"
Nabiki giggled. "You'd look cute in a wedding dress, though!"
Ranma flushed and pouted as Nabiki expected, muttering something prideful about how that was only natural, but it was Ryouga's reaction that interested her. In the corner of her eye she saw him stiffen, eyes going wide and unfocused as though he had remembered something.
Well! Did I pick out an image from a daydream, Ryo? Nabiki raised an eyebrow but left it alone for the moment. This is getting ridiculous. I need to get them drunk together or something… This repression is going to give one or both of them a coronary.
"Anyway, we should get going," Nabiki scooped up the last spoonful of her dessert. "Don't want to keep the doctors waiting!"
000
It seemed in the intervening week since the last appointment, Dr. Hirano and Dr. Tofu had been pouring over a bizarre mix of MRI scans, medical charts and dusty old scrolls and martial arts techniques. Dr. Hirano's desk was piled high with manilla folders and ancient texts in equal measure.
"I can't stress enough how incredibly important your contribution to this effort has become," Dr. Hirano gushed as he escorted them to the MRI room. "What you've shown me has remarkable potential but we're still very much in the proving stages. Ono and I have only just begun to codify and rationalize some of the existing knowledge about ki pathways and translate that into a set of assumptions we can accurately test under scientific rigor. The live data the two of you have been providing is… well, priceless."
"Priceless, you say," Nabiki perked up. Ranma could almost hear the *cha-CHING* of the cash register in her mind.
"Yes, absolutely," Dr. Hirano continued, not noticing. "Of course, we have a considerable amount of skepticism to overcome before we have any hope of securing research funding."
"Well, we should get to that!" Nabiki started walking faster, spurring them all on to keep up.
"Ummm… yes… what is your relation to Ms. Saotome and Mr. Hibiki again, Ms…?" Dr. Hirano asked uncertainly.
"Tendo. Nabiki Tendo," Nabiki said, smiling brightly at him. "I'm their accountant and relationship counsellor."
There was a twin crash behind them as both Ranma and Ryouga missed their next steps at the same time and pitched face first onto the floor.
"Are you two alright?" Dr Hirano asked, concerned. "I've heard that there are some problems with loose floor tiles. I'll point out this section to maintenance right away, I'm very sorry!" He knelt and offered them each a hand up.
"Yes, right. Floor tiles," Ranma said tightly. "Oh, Nabiki, could we have a moment in private?" She got to her feet, grabbed Ryouga's arm with one hand, Nabiki's arm with the other and dragged them both around the corner.
"Relationship counselor!?" Ranma hissed, glaring daggers at the middle Tendo. "Are you trying to make this worse?!"
"I love you," Nabiki said and quickly kissed her on the nose, giving her an impish smile to defuse her ire. "Your cover story is that you and Ryouga are engaged, right? Quick question… did you remember to explain the cover story to Dr. Tofu?"
"I…" Ranma's expression slowly morphed into one of horror. "Oh no…"
"Aaaaand Dr. Hirano didn't mention it, so either Dr. Tofu has magically developed clairvoyance and knows that it's all a ruse despite you two having developed a deep emotional bond and getting all quiet and cuddly when you're together…"
"We are not cuddly!" Ryouga protested.
"... You're still holding onto each other," Nabiki noted dryly.
Ranma glanced down, realized she was still holding Ryouga's arm and released it as if it had burned her.
"As I was saying, either Dr. Tofu has decided to ignore the mountains of evidence of a relationship which includes you two blatantly claiming to be in one and has also elected to play along and keep his new best buddy Dr. Hirano in the dark, or… It's officially already worse." Nabiki jabbed a thumb at her chest. "So… relationship counselor."
"She's right…" Ranma sighed, feeling the Cloud of Impending Doom settle over her head. "We forgot to explain the fiancee thing to him and Doc Tofu's been looking at me kinda weird the last few times I saw him."
"But… there's no way he'd really believe you and I are…" Ryouga said, laughing nervously. "I mean…. There's just no way…!"
"I dunno. Dr. Tofu is pretty perceptive," Nabiki said.
"That's right!" Ranma smacked her fist into her palm. "Doc Tofu had me'n Akane pegged from the start! He's good at seeing when people like each other, even if they don't see it themselves! So… we're in the clear!"
Nabiki blinked, winced, then rubbed her temples as if in pain. She walked over and took Ranma by the shoulders and gave the redhead a sad, affectionate smile. "Ranma dear? I love you more than life itself, but… you are so dense."
"Ummm… terribly sorry to interrupt, but… are you maybe ready to get started?" Dr. Hirano called from around the corner.
They resumed their walk to the MRI room, slightly subdued. Dr. Tofu was already there and looking excited. He was seated in the MRI booth, comparing a picture on the screen with one of his dusty old scrolls.
"Ranma! Ryouga! Good to see you!" Tofu beamed, stood up and walked out to greet them. "And… Nabiki Tendo! What brings you out today?"
Nabiki smirked. "We've figured out a new trick, Doc. We figured out how to share the link."
"Pardon?" Tofu said, eyes going wide.
"It only lasted for about a minute," Ranma said. "But we figured a way to push the link through Nabiki's aura."
"We could show you," Nabiki said, beaming at the excuse to try the link again.
"Baselines," Dr. Hirano said quickly. "We need to see if anything has changed with Ryouga and get baselines for Ranma and Ms. Tendo here before we make any more changes." He turned to them. "If you could hold off on your… ah 'demonstration' until we can take a scan of each of you, that would be greatly appreciated."
000
Getting three MRI scans done was tedious, especially given Dr. Hirano's insistence on full-body scans, but eventually it was finally done.
"I apologize for the tedium, but we need to begin our observations with at least a modicum of scientific rigor," Dr. Hirano said. "Now… if you could demonstrate this effect, we can observe it, then take another set of scans afterwards to see how things have changed."
Nabiki nodded. She gave Ranma and Ryouga a grin each, and then extended her hand.
"I think you're a little too into this, Nabiki," Ranma whispered as she put her hand on top of Nabiki's.
"Being telepathic has always been a secret fantasy of mine," Nabiki murmured back. "This is almost as good, and it's real."
"Hopefully it'll even work this time," Ryouga said as he cupped her hand and frowned. "You've been working out with Cologne since then."
"What difference is a few days going to make?" Nabiki asked.
They all closed their eyes. Ranma focused and felt the resistance of Nabiki's ki but, unlike before, she was unable to push through it to connect to Ryouga's.
"Ow…" Nabiki winced.
"Sorry!" Ranma said sheepishly, cracking open an eye.
"Yeah… I thought so," Ryouga said sadly. "Cologne's training is real effective."
"No… that's not fair…" Nabiki whimpered, opening her eyes and looking at her hand despondently. "I didn't even want to train!"
Dr. Tofu and Dr. Hirano glanced at one another. Tofu looked thoughtful for a moment and brightened. "I think I might have a solution." He went to his old fashioned physician's bag, opened it, rooted around and fished out a small bottle. He then shook out a small pill into his hand, a capsule filled with what looked like ground up herbs.
"What's that?" Dr. Hirano asked, slightly concerned.
"It's an herbal medicine used to suppress a patient's ki in order to facilitate ki healing," Dr. Tofu replied. "It allows the healer's ki to invade to a degree so it might help with what you're trying to do." He hesitated. "I do have to warn you that it's also a fairly potent sedative."
"Is it dangerous at all?" Dr. Hirano asked, concerned.
"Only in large doses," Dr. Tofu replied. "Overly suppressing the ki can lead to the heart stopping, organ failure… it can cause basic life functions to cease. But that's true of any medication, yes?"
"I suppose," Dr. Hirano said, sounding unsure.
"Don't worry my friend, I've been Nabiki's family doctor for ages. I am confident of the dosage." Dr. Tofu handed Nabiki the pill. "Nabiki, you're going to feel drowsy and a little cold." He got a small bottle of water from his bag and handed it to her as well. "That's normal."
Nabiki nodded. She popped the pill into her mouth, opened the bottle of water, and took a swig. "So… how soon will it take effect?"
Tofu checked the clock on the wall. "About half an hour. Go sit down over there. Dr. Hirano and I will process your baselines while we wait."
Nabiki sighed and walked over to the set of chairs against the wall, sat down and crossed her arms. Ranma sat on her right, concerned.
"You okay, Nabs?" Ranma asked.
Nabiki shook her head. "I was hoping it would get easier - that'd we'd be more 'in sync' or something." She pulled her legs up onto the chair with her, hugging her knees to her chest. "I don't like the idea of having to rely on pills to make this work."
"It… doesn't work that way, Nabiki," Ryouga said gently, sitting down on her left.
"It works that way for you," Nabiki retorted. "When you made the link back in Middle School, neither of you even realized that you did it."
"Yeah, but it was just a tether then," Ryouga explained. "A way to find… well, Ranma. It wasn't until…" he looked down, looking ashamed. "... It wasn't until I overloaded it with ki that it got this way."
"Hey, I seem to remember being there too!" Ranma said crossly.
"Yeah, but you were only there…" Ryouga started.
"... Because I wanted to be. I knew what I was doing," Ranma said fiercely.
Nabiki hugged her knees tighter and shivered. "You two are so cute," she said softly with a smile.
"We are not… Nabiki, you're shivering…" Ranma said, noticing halfway through the sentence. She reached out and grabbed Nabiki's hand. "Holy crap your hands are like ice!"
"I guess the pill works faster than advertised," Nabiki said, her voice sounding small. "I feel so tired…"
Ranma started rubbing Nabiki's hand between hers. "Hey, Ryouga, warm up her other hand? I think the Doc overestimated the dosage."
Ryouga nodded and took Nabiki's other hand, rubbing it between his. Ranma started blowing on Nabiki's hand, cupped between hers.
"You're being silly, you two," Nabiki said. "It's just the pill, it's not like…"
She stopped talking just as Ranma felt it. Like a pull, drawing warmth from her hands and arms, through Nabiki's hand like water pouring into a container. At the same time she heard Ryouga gasp and suddenly the Link flared to life. Except it wasn't just Ryouga - Nabiki was there too, and far more intensely than the last time.
"Ooooohh… I feel…" Nabiki murmured, then her eyes opened wide. She took a deep breath and turned her head to look at Ranma as she uncurled. "I feel that! That's you!" She grabbed hold of Ranma's hand tightly then turned to look at Ryouga, gripping his hand tightly as well. "It's working!"
Ranma nodded dumbly. She closed her eyes, feeling a bit of a headrush. "Woo… feels like my ki's going down a drain."
"Nabiki's is almost totally suppressed, so I think ours is filling the void," Ryouga said, his brow furrowing as he tried to focus on analyzing what was happening and not the pink, sparkly, happy emotions that Nabiki was suddenly radiating.
Nabiki had uncurled and stopped shivering. "That's so much better…" she purred, closing her eyes and leaning back in her chair. "It's like a warm bath… Mnnnh… little bit of cold… awww, were you worried about me?" She glanced at Ryouga.
"Worried in general, yeah…" Ryouga said. "Are you feeling okay?"
"Mnnn… Kinda floaty… Don't you dare let go…" Nabiki murmured.
"Doc?" Ranma called out, a little concerned. "Ummm... something happened…"
Dr. Tofu poked his head out of the MRI booth. "Yes, Ranma? It hasn't been half an hour yet."
"I know, but…" She held up her hand, still holding Nabiki's. "We, uhh… we were trying to warm her hands and… Well…"
"The Link?" Tofu immediately popped out of the booth and came over. "Stand up. Keep holding hands, let me get at your backs so I can see what's going on."
Dr. Hirano stepped out as well, curious. "Can you tell what's happening?"
The three of them stood, though Ryouga and Ranma found they needed to scoot in close to Nabiki and prop her up; she was a little unsteady on her feet. "That pill is kinda strong, Doc…" Ranma said, sounding worried.
"Yes, I might have overestimated how much Cologne's training increased her ki," Tofu said. He stood behind them and started methodically touching pressure points on Nabiki's back, pausing at each one as he 'listened'. "Oh my…"
"What? What's wrong?" Ranma asked, starting to sound panicked. She resisted the urge to turn and grab him by the collar, but only barely.
"Not wrong, per se… Nabiki is fine. It seems the sedative effect is just hitting her hard," Dr. Tofu said reassuringly. "But what's happening with her ki… Do you think we can get her onto the MRI table and scan without you two letting go?"
They carefully maneuvered Nabiki onto the table, Ranma on one side, Ryouga on the other, still holding her hands.
"How are you feeling, Nabiki?" Dr. Tofu asked. Dr. Hirano gave her a preliminary check, using a penlight to check her pupil reaction.
"Good," Nabiki said. "Very good. Relaxed, but…" She closed her eyes, as if trying to think of the right words. "All of these feelings… emotions… are flowing… like they're flowing through me. They have a… temperature, I guess? There's some that are cold, but most of them right now are warm… some are even hot, but not… not the kind of hot that burns, if that makes any sense?"
Ranma felt Nabiki weave her fingers around her own, holding her hand more securely. She glanced up, saw Ryouga blush and realized Nabiki had done the same with his hand. She could feel some definitely conflicted emotions from him about all of this.
I haven't looked at Nabiki very closely yet. "Hey… uhh… Nabs…" Ranma said as the Doctors retreated to the booth to start the scan. "How worried about you about us… uhh… 'looking'?"
Nabiki turned her head to look at her. Ranma could see a flicker of fear on her face and an accompanying surge of a darker, colder emotion. Nabiki took a deep breath. "I don't know how long this will last… this isn't really the best or most private place, but…" Nabiki swallowed. "Look at all of it."
"Nabiki?" Ranma furrowed her brow. "Look… even me'n Ryouga haven't done that, and we already know way more about each other than we're comfortable with. Doncha think…"
"Ranma… I… I have a lot of things in my head I'm terrified of you seeing," Nabiki said softly. "I have a lot of things I'm terrified you will judge me for. I have a lot of things I've kept hidden from the entire world. Most things I've kept hidden from the world. And it's exhausting. So… it's okay. Look. See me for what I really am."
Ranma leaned a little closer and grasped her hand a bit more tightly.
"You too, Ryouga," Nabiki said, surprisingly. "I need someone who… who doesn't have a stake in me to see. Someone who'll just judge me for what I am. And I don't know any other way to get my guard down enough to do that than… well… this."
Ryouga scowled. "First Ranma, then you… Why are you all coming to me for therapy?"
Ranma blushed and shot Ryouga a glare, but Nabiki just giggled.
"Because we trust you?" Nabiki said. "You'd think most boys your age would be happy about having a couple of cute girls coming to him for help. Or are we not cute enough for you, Ryo?"
Ryouga blushed and stammered a denial. Ranma narrowed her eyes.
"Don't tease him, Nabiki," Ranma said.
"It helps me figure out what all these colors and shapes and temperature mean," Nabiki replied. "I'm pretty sure that's embarrassment, then. You guys are further along than me in figuring this out, right?" She glanced at Ranma for confirmation, then turned her head back to Ryouga. "Here, Ryo… don't be embarrassed. Look…"
Ranma could feel it as Nabiki reached out for the Lost Boy. Ryouga's head snapped around to gape at her, his eyes widening as she shared her own feelings with him.
Nabiki smirked. "You can't tell me your self-esteem is so low you didn't realize…" Her eyes widened suddenly as she 'looked' a little deeper. "... Oh my god, you didn't! No wonder…!"
"Ryouga's a bit of a… a…" Ranma struggled to find the right term.
"'Kicked puppy'," Nabiki said softly. "Ryouga… You have a very dedicated set of fans among the female populace of Furinkan. There's nothing wrong with you." She sighed and closed her eyes. "The two of you… Ranma's all artificially inflated confidence and you've got an irrationally inflated sense of unworthiness. No wonder you're both so… so…" she closed her eyes and frowned. "... God… you're so lonely. Both of you. Even when you're surrounded by others."
Ryouga frowned. "You're one to talk, Nabiki! You're all surface emotions covering up… covering…" He cocked his head as he 'listened'. "... Fear?"
Ranma could see it too, now. Nabiki's emotions were like a shell. Shapes and colors Ranma recognized as Confidence and Happiness, supported by others that were darker, possibly Avarice or Desire, but all of it was wrapped tightly around a big black ball of something else. Of course Ryouga would know that one, Ranma thought, recognizing some of that blackness in Ryouga himself.
"See?" Nabiki said, smiling weakly. "This is why I wanted this. The stuff that frustrates you and the things underneath it that cause it, that make you sad."
Ranma felt her squeeze her hand, and she was surprised to see tears starting to run down Nabiki's cheeks. "Nabiki?" She could feel some of that black mass start to bubble up, gradually coming to the surface and bleeding off.
"This is… just dredging up some stuff…" Nabiki said, sniffling.
"Your Mom had dark hair… didn't she?" Ryouga asked.
Nabiki looked at him, surprised. "Y-yes, but how…?"
"I got an image from that, a flash…" Ryouga said. "Happened once before with Ranma, too. I think it happens when a lot of emotion is tied to the same memory."
"You get memories too?" Nabiki whispered, eyes widening.
Ryouga shook his head. "Not… really? More like… images associated with strong emotions." He glanced at Ranma.
Ranma dropped her gaze, remembering when she had nearly slipped into the Neko-ken.
"I see… So… Most of my problems lead back to one big memory, while you two have had more variety in your terrible experiences." Nabiki's bottom lip quivered. "I'm… Is it usually this hard to keep control? I usually… don't have to…" she sniffed, "... I don't want to remember…"
"Alright, we're done with this set. You can get and walk around if you like," Dr. Hirano's voice came over the intercom.
Nabiki sat up. She trembled as if cold and was squeezing their hands hard.
"Nabiki?" Ranma said. She could feel more of Nabiki's barriers starting to crumble as more of the black ooze bubbled up. "Are you okay? Maybe we should let go now…"
"Don't," Nabiki said sharply and shuddered again. "Don't you dare Ranma!" Her control started to crack and tears started to roll freely. "Don't you dare uncork this then leave me alone with it!"
Ranma gasped as she started to get image after image. A woman with dark hair, smiling kindly. She reminded Ranma a little of Kasumi in expression and the general 'feeling' she got. Then the smile faded into a sad expression as the eyes grew tired and lifeless. There was a vision of clumps of dark hair in the bathroom sink and the sound of sobbing, and then the woman was wearing a headscarf, looking wan and tired… diminished. Finally a hospital room with beeping machines and a frail-looking figure on a bed with tubes and wires running into her; far too many tubes and wires. Suddenly the machines stopped beeping and there was just one, long tone.
"Ahhkgh!" Nabiki shuddered and nearly doubled over. "I don't want to remember…!"
Ranma moved to comfort her but was shocked when Ryouga beat her to it. He sat down on the table next to Nabiki and put his arm around her, holding her hand it in a firm grasp.
"No," he said with surprising gentleness. "Remember it. It's okay. This is what you said the Link was for, right? Work through it."
"N-not this…" Nabiki hiccuped. "I… I didn't cry then! Daddy said I had to be strong. Mommy looked so sad… I didn't want her to be sad! I didn't want her to be afraid! I'm not… I'm not supposed to cry!" She shuddered again. "Akane cried so much Dad had to take her out of the room but I didn't want that to happen! I needed to be there!"
"You were alone with your Mother when she died…" Ranma said, sitting to her other side and slipping an arm around her as well. "And you didn't cry, even though you wanted to, because…"
"S-she told me not to cry… n-not to be sad… I promised…" Nabiki huddled between them. Ranma could feel the proximity increasing the effect of the Link and focused on trying to send reassuring emotions to Nabiki. She shuddered a bit as the wave of blackness hit her. It's spreading the hurt over the three of us and Nabiki is STILL crying? How long has she bottled this up inside her? She felt her own vision get blurry as she struggled against the sadness.
"So you didn't cry. Ever," Ranma said softly. She sniffed, feeling the ache in her chest. She could see more images now… of Nabiki's father being withdrawn, listless… of Kasumi's slow transformation into a clone of their mother, her own personality gradually subsumed by the role she took on for Akane's sake… of Tachi and his betrayal. Everyone leaves, even if they're still there. So you stopped caring so it would stop hurting.
"She didn't want you to hurt," Ryouga said softly. "But she didn't want you to stop feeling," He closed his eyes. "When… When my Dad died, I wasn't able to get there to be with him at the end. But… The last time we spoke…"
"... Don't be afraid to cry," Ranma said, getting a vivid image in her head of a telephone, one she recognized from the Hibiki house. A warm, male voice like Ryouga's but older and deeper. "Ryouga, was that…?"
"... Just after Shirokuro had her pups, yeah. I was able to make it home a few more times after you showed me where it was," Ryouga chuckled. "He was curious who 'Yoiko' was… this girl who had convinced me I had a sister. He was worried and asked me if you were okay… Thought you might be homeless or abused..." His jaw tightened. "He… he said the treatments were going well…"
Ranma closed her eyes and huddled in closer, feeling more of that black awfulness flooding out. It was cold and damp and pulled down on her like a weight. It was the same as the feelings that had threatened to crush her in the Shi Shi Hokodan. She wrapped her arms around them both as best she could and crawled in closer to them. No, don't hurt! Please! I'm here! I'm here!
Somehow, that helped - like lashing oneself to the mast in a storm. Gradually, the tempest of released emotions ebbed to leave them all dizzy and shaking. Ranma discovered, to her surprise, that she was sniffling and her cheeks were wet as though she had been bawling. Warmer emotions gradually filtered through the cold, though it was tough to tell at this point from whom they had come, or even if they belonged to anyone individually.
"Is… is it always like that with you two?" Nabiki asked in a hushed voice.
"No… aside from when Ranma and I pushed the Link too hard, that's the first time…" Ryouga replied. They were all huddled together now, their foreheads practically touching. Ranma could see their eyes were red and puffy.
"It feels… better, though," Nabiki said after a moment, sounding almost unsure. "Lighter…"
"Yeah… that's a good word for it," Ryouga replied.
"I don't feel any different," Ranma huffed. "I'm just upset because you two were!"
"That's right… that was just us," Nabiki looked at her. "I wonder why?"
"Are you three all right?" Dr. Tofu interrupted, peering at them. Ranma realized they hadn't been aware of what was going on around them. The two Doctors were standing nearby, though they had kept a respectful distance.
"You were… glowing," Dr. Hirano said, his face pale.
"Up. Now," Tofu motioned them to stand. "Stay in contact with each other for the moment, please." He moved around behind them and began testing pressure points again, eyes closed.
After a few moments of prodding, he stepped back and walked back around to face them again. "Ryouga and Nabiki's ki balances have shifted considerably, though it's hard to tell with all the intermixing going on. Whatever that was, it was a bleed off of a large amount of negative ki. What happened?"
Nabiki smiled. "I guess you could call it therapy…"
"There was some kind of resonance," Ryouga added. "For some reason, Nabiki and I started thinking about… well, we each lost a parent…"
Dr. Tofu rubbed his chin. "Hmmmm… Similar traumatic memories reinforcing one another?"
Dr. Hirano cocked his head. "I'm afraid my knowledge of psychology is somewhat basic, but… I believe it's common for emotions and memories buried by trauma to begin to re-emerge when the individual is in a place of sufficient emotional stability and security to begin to 'unpack' them. I've had a few patients who suffered from various forms of PTSD who sometimes reported such things."
"And because the Link provided support, you think that's why all that stuff came up?" Nabiki said.
"Or it's possible the circulation of emotionally charged ki unbalanced your emotional state and allowed those feelings to surface," Tofu added. "Right now it's almost impossible to tell where either of your ki begins or ends. For now, though, I think we should break the connection while we look over the scans. I want you three to avoid physical contact for at least an hour, to give your ki time to settle and return to normal."
000
Nabiki sat curled up in her chair, pouting as she rubbed the palm of her right hand with her left thumb. She shivered - the feeling of cold was not as bad as before, but there were the lingering feelings unearthed when the memories of her mother had erupted, coupled with a depressing sense of loneliness to contend with.
That was just a few minutes of the Link at full strength. Nabiki thought, her hand twitching. And… I want to grab them and get it back already. It's addictive…
She considered that a moment, pondering if it was, in fact, habit-forming. The Link hadn't been a high, as such... though there had been an almost euphoric rush at the start. It had more been that she hadn't realized how lonely she was until she wasn't anymore.
It felt like… like when Mom used to hug me, when I was scared or hurt or feeling bad, she thought. That's why I thought of her and all that stuff came up. She glanced over at Ryouga. He was sitting slumped in the chair, staring at the wall, looking drained and a little melancholy. She felt the ache of sympathy that came from being far too aware of what he was feeling. Ranma is right… you end up knowing too much about someone. Except…
She glanced at Ranma. The redhead looked bored, but didn't seem to have gone through the same unburdening that she and Ryouga had. I could 'see' the same kind of black mess in Ranma, but… she didn't uncork when Ryouga and I did… as if something is keeping it bottled up. She sighed. Ryouga and Ranma said something about the Neko-ken? Maybe it's good it didn't come up, but… Maybe that just means it should? But what would make Ranma feel safe enough to do that? She shuddered as she imagined Ranma going into a Neko-ken fit and the damage she could cause. That might explain why Ranma has to find someone she feels safe with to snap out of it, though. Maybe if Akane linked with her?
She closed her eyes and massaged her temples. No, I am not considering trying to add Akane to this! Not yet. She glanced at Ryouga. I need to learn more about this. About how this might… CHANGE things.
She took a moment to take inventory of her own feelings. Her opinions of Ryouga had shifted considerably. Mostly it involved a whole pile of guilt for all the teasing and exploiting she had done, as well as a more complex and complete mental picture of what motivated him and what demons haunted him. He was a lot more fragile than she had estimated. Ranma's newfound protectiveness of him made sense in light of what the Link had shown her.
Ryouga noticed her looking at him and returned her gaze for a moment. She smiled at him… not one of her sly, seductive smirks but just a smile which made him blush and look away quickly. She felt a little amusement at his bashfulness, accompanied by a surprisingly strong surge of fondness.
Oh my… Nabiki looked away, blushing herself. She did a rapid mental inventory; living with the constant danger of magical potions or talismans or such altering her own emotions or that of those around her had taught her to think up strategies for determining if she was suffering from such things herself. They mostly consisted of tracing back where all the feelings came from and flagging any feelings that just happened. It presumed whatever magic she was under allowed her to remain rational enough to do such an inventory but it was all a relatively normal person like herself had as a defense.
As far as she could tell, though, all of these new feelings led back to something she had sensed about him from the Link, or something once buried that the link had dredged up. The physical attraction had always been there, same as it always had been with Ranma, but that was hardly a factor. There were plenty of attractive boys around she wouldn't look at twice as anything other than an easy mark or a potential photoset for the female side of the Hentai Horde at school. She hadn't felt anything but mild contempt for Ranma until she had gotten to know him and something about who he was had stirred a response in her. She guessed Ryouga had some of the same qualities that she found appealing and that the Link had just bypassed her usual defenses and accelerated the process.
What IS it with me and strays?! Nabiki thought, somewhat bemused. I'll… have to be careful of my own feelings, though. She glanced at Ranma now, curiously examining the redhead. That's the effect of just a few minutes. Admittedly intense ones, but… Ranma and Ryouga have supposedly spent HOURS linked. What would that DO to two people?
She sighed. Nabiki already knew the answer to that. There wasn't a lot of wiggle room when you and someone else had your souls bared for the other to see, ugliness, pettiness, flaws and all. You would love them or you would hate them. But that didn't make it romantic love. That would require a component of physical attraction and… something else that Nabiki wasn't sure she could define.
Which BOTH of them have for the other, they're just too stubborn, repressed and/or afraid to acknowledge, she thought glumly. That might be for the best, actually. Ranma is right - this whole situation is PROFOUNDLY unfair to Ryouga. If anything happened between him and Ranma there was no WAY it would stop at just a fling. And then Ryouga would either have to compete against Ranma's messed up relationship dynamics or accept the same compromise we all did - assuming the other girls would accept him as well. She sighed. And if we wanted to use the Link to stabilize the Wobbles among the Fiancees, Ryouga would HAVE to be part of it. Unless we find some other way to make this work.
It was a little frustrating. She didn't feel she had wasted her time exactly. The experience had been powerful and… comforting. But she also knew it was now influencing her better judgement specifically because it had affected her so powerfully. She had originally seen the Link as a kind of magic bullet to protect against all of the interpersonal conflicts and pitfalls she foresaw ahead of them, but now? It complicated matters dangerously. Just letting the Link fade would be the best choice, she thought firmly. It compromises my better judgement, creates dangerously intense emotional connections and experiences, and generally has the potential to ruin EVERYTHING.
She rubbed her palm again. It itched.
I could just take them home, the thought crept in - quiet - rebellious. Seduce them both. Wouldn't even be HARD. She shivered at the pleasant mental imaginings of the three of them together with the Link suffusing everything in their shared pleasure. If just a hug was such a profound experience with the Link what might lovemaking be like?
And that would destroy any trust Shampoo, Akane and Ukyou have in me, and destroy everything I've accomplished so far. She winced as the sober, cold, rational side of her dumped a metaphorical bucket of ice water over the fantasy.
She rubbed at her temples again. So now I've got to deal with a naescent 'thing' for Ryouga and the temptation of LITERALLY mind-blowing sex - balanced against the destruction of my relationships with three other people, which includes my own sister AND a girl I've managed to fall for - despite my best efforts… She sighed heavily. Shampoo is right. I'm still not factoring my own emotions into things, and it keeps tripping me up.
"You okay, Nabiki?" Ranma asked, noticing her sigh.
"Is… everything okay?" Ryouga asked at the same time.
He and Ranma glanced at each other, blushed, then looked away sheepishly. It was adorable.
Nabiki looked back and forth between them. She felt a surge of something greedy within her that had been quiet for quite some time now.
MINE.
She rubbed her temples and sighed. God damnit, not this again…
000
"Well, as far as I can tell your ki is back to normal," Tofu said as he examined Nabiki. "As are Ranma and Ryouga. Your own ki should be fully re-established now but I want you to contact me if there are any lingering effects."
"Did you find out anything useful about the Link or solving Ryouga's problem?" Ranma asked, perched on a chair a few feet away.
"A considerable amount, at least as far as how the Link functions," Dr. Hirano said. "The scans are fascinating, though, granted, we focused on Ms. Tendo this time." He held up a printout of one of the scans. "It's almost like a weather pattern, or… osmosis; a flow of high ki to low ki."
"And because there seems to be a constant current between you and Ryouga, where normally there would be no mixing, the action of the link - that 'current' - reacted with Nabiki's own depressed levels and resulted in a constant circular flow between the three of you," Dr. Tofu added. "This allowed your ki to fully suffuse her. The applications for ki-based healing are already enormous."
"If we can replicate this effect outside of Ms. Saotome and Mr. Hibiki," Dr. Hirano added, taking off his glasses and polishing them with a handkerchief. "As it stands it suggests that even if we can replicate the link, it would require a pair of healers who are emotionally committed to one another. I would be more comfortable finding a way to mechanically replicate this effect rather than push us towards making marriage a requirement for a medical license."
"You're exaggerating as usual, Masa!" Dr Tofu chided him. "This sort of process, while a profound change, would never replace the need for traditional surgery, medicine or palliative care!"
"Yes, well, forgive me for having some concern for how rewriting our understanding of the human body and physics in general might have unforeseen effects on the profession, Ono!" Dr. Hirano shot back irritably.
"You'll have to forgive us," Dr. Tofu said apologetically. "We've had this conversation over and over for the past week. I think it comes up every time we reach a new milestone."
Dr. Hirano sighed and nodded. "Please don't mistake my trepidation for a lack of determination to cure Mr. Hibiki's ailment. I am simply… unaccustomed to making discoveries on such a constant and swift basis. I am more comfortable with a steady, methodical mode of research. Continually shouting 'eureka!' gets tiring and not a little disconcerting after a while."
"But you think this is something that you'll be able to use to cure the curse?" Ryouga asked. "And apply it to someone other than me? Soon?"
Dr. Tofu patted Ryouga's shoulder. "I understand your impatience, Ryouga. But we are making rapid progress. Even if your mother should get lost again…"
Ryouga shook his head, closing his eyes tight. They're doing all of this to help me. Even Ranma and Nabiki. I hate this. I hate being a burden. But for Mom's sake, I gotta push. I gotta tell them. "No… you don't understand… if she gets lost one more time… I'll never see her again."
Dr. Tofu paused, his expression shifting. "You sound very certain of that, Ryouga."
"I didn't say anything because it's just stories," Ryouga said finally. "But… but I remember it came up when I asked my parents about my grandparents and why I'd never met them. My grandparents on my Dad's side had just passed away, but… my grandfather on my Mom's side was still alive then. He might still be alive now for all we know." He swallowed. "My Mom didn't want to tell me but my Dad felt it was important I understand, once… once he was diagnosed, and he knew he might not have a lot of time. Once someone in my family loses their Anchor, the moment they have that realization, it triggers something. The curse starts to get worse."
"It gets worse?" Dr. Hirano asked, eyes widening. "How so?"
"Right now it's just… just random, whether I can find my way or not. But… it's a curse. It was put there by someone or something that wanted us to suffer. When someone in our family loses their Anchor, they… they wander. Uncontrollably. And they can never find their way back to the people and the things they care about. It steers them away." He swallowed. "Dad told me about my grandfather, when grandma died. He and Mom tried to keep him in the house, using a string so he could find his way, watching him carefully… even locking him in his room. One day he just… disappeared. They started getting letters from him, but the address was different every time, and by the time they sent a reply he was long gone. Dad showed me the letters, said he hoped I might be able to learn something to help me manage. In each letter things got worse and worse for grandpa. The times between them got farther and farther apart as he started having trouble even finding his way to other people. The last one… the last one he gave to a hermit to deliver for him. There wasn't anything after that." He bowed his head.
"Are you suggesting the 'curse' is sentient?" Dr. Hirano asked skeptically.
"No… it wouldn't need to be," Dr. Tofu said. "The poisoned ki causes its effect by affecting the entorhinal cortex, correct? So, as the condition worsens, it progresses from injecting random chaos to misdirecting all attempts at navigation, inverting their attempts to get to their goal. The harder the person tries, the worse the effect. And… when their desperation increases as they are gradually separated from the familiar, their desires change to focus on survival and finding less and less specific things… first a town rather than a neighborhood. Then a region rather than a town, then just any town. Then just any civilization. Then, finally, just anyone."
Dr. Hirano rubbed his chin. "You are supposing it uses the victim's own desperation to find their way against them?"
Dr. Tofu nodded. "Like a behavior-modifying fungus. Look at Ophiocordyceps unilateralis. The fungus drives the host to take very specific actions, but relies on the host's own sensory processing to ensure that the conditions it's seeking are met."
"So the victim's own cognitive abilities are set against them, working unconsciously to prevent the thing they are most trying to accomplish?" Dr. Hirano said. "Is that possible?"
"I've encountered things like pressure point techniques that can permanently alter a person's perception of temperature. That is a relatively simple, single-point change. This…" Dr. Tofu motioned at the MRI printout. "... This is far more complex; something the knowledge of how to do has been lost… thankfully. But… a diabolical enough mind, with enough knowledge and control over ki techniques..."
"Which leaves the problem of how to permanently flush this 'poisoned ki' from his system as it is self-replicating." Dr. Hirano said thoughtfully. "Perhaps if we could duplicate the 'flushing' effect on Ms. Tendo?"
Dr. Tofu shook his head. "I'm not sensing any permanent changes to Nabiki's ki. Plus Ryouga's own ki reserves are massive. The dosage of the medicine he would need to suppress his ki sufficiently for the effect to work would be… dangerous."
"Hnnnn… Still, this is progress," Dr. Hirano said finally.
Dr. Tofu turned to Ryouga, putting a hand on his shoulder. "We're going to need some more time to look over this data, Ryouga. But we're making progress, I promise you! Give us a week, and I'll have something for you."
Ryouga sighed heavily. "Thanks Doc. Just… anything you figure out that might help my Mom…"
"You'll be the first to know," Dr. Tofu said.
Ryouga shook his head. "No. Tell Ranma. Or better, tell Nabiki first. They aren't liable to be lost somewhere in the mountains at any point. Nabiki would be able to figure out what to do with it and my Mom knows and trusts Ranma."
Tofu got an odd expression across his face. "She knows about you and Ranma, then?"
"The Link? Yeah," Ryouga said. "She was the one who figured out Ranma was my Anchor."
Tofu frowned. "Err… yes, not exactly what I… nevermind." He shook his head. "It's not relevant. We'll be in touch if we learn anything. Likewise, contact Dr. Hirano or myself if you notice any changes in the Link or your curse."
Ranma hopped off of her chair. "C'mon, Ryo. Sayuri wants to try and get a few hours of practise in tonight and we still gotta get you home."
"I can take care of that, Ranma," Nabiki stretched and yawned. "I know the way."
"You sure, Nabiki?" Ranma asked, though her expression indicated she was eager to go.
"Watching you play is far too tiring for me right now, anyway," Nabiki said, standing up. "As long as Ryo is okay with it?"
Ryouga shrugged. "Whatever. I appreciate it either way."
000
The walk back was done in silence for the most part.
It wasn't that Ryouga didn't want to talk. But small talk wasn't exactly his forte, and after what had just happened, what topic could he possibly think of that wouldn't sound like… well, exactly what it was; a pathetic attempt at small talk to fill the dead air.
He found himself studying her as she walked. He hadn't ever really bothered to look at Nabiki before. His vision had always been clearly focused on Akane or… admittedly, Ranma. The other Tendos had kind of just been there - background noise that occasionally became significant then faded back into the static. Nabiki was an ordinary girl, not a martial artist, after all.
After today, though, that was going to be very hard. Nabiki had always been cool, collected, detached, cynical and in control. And now he knew just how much of an act all that had been. As with Ranma, the cardboard cutout had suddenly popped into three dimensions, full of depth and complexity. And a very, very familiar pain.
All the Tendo sisters had echos of what he assumed was their mother's elegance. Some sort of nobility that drew people to them and manifested in different ways. Kasumi was grace and poise, Akane was energy and expressiveness and Nabiki was control and confidence. Each of them was beautiful and each had something that made them equally unapproachable. Kasumi was too pure, a gentle, kind, understanding soul that you felt guilty looking at in anything but a detached, respectful way. Akane was competitive and quick to temper and Nabiki was cynical and manipulative.
After what he had seen through the Link, part of him wondered if that was on purpose. He wondered if Kasumi and Akane had similar wounds that they had wrapped their own defenses around. His arm twitched as he fought down the nonsensical urge to reach out and take Nabiki's hand.
The Link is gone. Doc Tofu says she's back to normal, so what would it accomplish other than making me look stupid? Worse, I'd look like the Casanova I accuse Ranma of being! He sighed and looked away.
"Ryouga, do you love Akari?" Nabiki asked softly, without looking at him.
He nearly tripped. He skipped a couple of times to keep his footing. "What!?"
She turned her head to glance at him. Instead of the usual cynical, impatient scowl or the sly smirk, there was just a smile, her expression open and honest. For some reason it made him feel nervous, like he was seeing something he shouldn't - something meant for someone else.
"Do you love Akari?" she repeated. "I mean… really love her?"
He stammered a bit, tried to dredge up a vehement affirmation of his pure and true love for Akari, but something in her eyes made it hard to just blurt out anything without thinking. It felt like what he said had weight and import that might change the course of his life depending on what he said. "Why do you want to know?" he finally managed.
She sighed, turned around and walked backwards in front of him, her hands clasped behind her back. "I don't blame you for being suspicious of me, but… I'm honestly just curious," Nabiki said. Her smile seemed almost a little… sad? Wistful, maybe. Not at all a Nabiki Tendo smile. She held up a hand. "I swear I'm not scheming anything, nor will I use what you tell me to scheme. I just want to… understand you a little better."
"Understand me?" Ryouga asked, cocking his head.
"We barely know each other, even though we've known each other for over a year," Nabiki said. "I hardly know you as a person, despite now knowing way too much about you and your feelings. It's a paradox, and as I can't fix it by unlearning stuff, I'm trying to learn stuff - to provide some context for all of this emotional knowledge I have now."
"Can't you just ask me what my favorite food is or something?" Ryouga muttered, rubbing the back of his head. "Asking a question like that makes it sound like… like…"
"Like I'm interested in you and feeling out what my chances are or how serious the competition might be?" Nabiki asked with a hint of her old sly smirk.
Ryouga blushed. "I didn't mean… I wasn't… I mean I wouldn't actually think that…"
"... Because I am, kind of," she finished.
Ryouga did trip this time, and landed heavily. He managed to catch himself before he his face hit the tarmac, though. Idiot! She's teasing you again!
She stopped and crouched next to him, holding out a hand. "Ryouga? Are you okay?" She had what looked like a genuine look of concern on her face.
"I'm… fine," he growled and pushed himself to his knees without her help. "It was just an uneven bit of sidewalk. I thought Ranma told you to lay off with the teasing?"
She let her hand fall back to her side and looked away. "What if it wasn't teasing? What would you say?" she asked quietly.
"Nabiki, come on, I'm getting annoyed," Ryouga said gruffy, standing quickly.
"Ranma is the reason you haven't gone to see Akari, isn't she?" Nabiki asked, not moving.
Ryouga was silent for a moment. He clenched his fists then forced himself to relax them. "We should get going. I don't want to make Mom worry."
"How do you do it, Ryouga?" Nabiki demanded, standing and stepping in front of him to block his path. She had a defiant look in her eyes which suggested that not all of the fire in the Tendo family had gone to Akane. "I was linked to you and Ranma for minutes and already I'm struggling to keep myself from doing something really stupid with you. You and Ranma have been linked for weeks. You've spent hours messing with this. How do your turn it off?! How do you… you put all those feelings you get back into the box after they've gotten out? How do you make your palms stop itching?!"
"You don't, okay?!" Ryouga said sharply. She took a half step back from the vehemence in his voice.
He closed his eyes. "You don't. It doesn't go away and you just accept that no matter how much you want it, you can't. So you try and avoid it; try and stop torturing yourself - and you move on." He opened his eyes and looked into hers. They were the same hazel-brown as Akane's but, at the same time, so very different. He could see a thousand questions there. "Haven't you ever loved something or someone you couldn't have?"
Nabiki scowled slightly. "I tried it once. It didn't work out as good for me as figuring out a way to have them did."
Ryouga snorted. "Lucky you. But that doesn't always work. I've got more than a little experience in that." He moved to step around her, but she stopped him with a hand on his chest.
"Then answer my question," Nabiki said. Her head was bowed, but her posture was tense.
"What…?" Ryouga blinked, uncertain.
She raised her head, fixing him with an intense stare. "Do you love Akari?"
"Why…?"
"Because I know how much you hurt!" she growled. "I know and I have no idea how you deal with it, but you do, and I'll be damned if I just let you do that stoic walk away of yours knowing you're just going back out into an empty, cold world with nothing waiting for you! Ranma loves you. You know that as well as I do!"
"Even if she or I could deal with that, her dance card is full," Ryouga said. "I know that she loves you, and there wasn't any Link responsible for it. I know that she loves Akane because she's put everything on the line for her - repeatedly. Ukyou and Shampoo? Well… if she can say it to them, I'll give her the benefit of the doubt on that too. There isn't room."
"That isn't the question I asked," Nabiki growled. "Do you love Akari?"
Ryouga was silent. He closed his eyes and thought for a moment. "I think… before all this started… Hell, even a week ago? I'd have said 'yes' without hesitating. And… how I feel about her hasn't changed. But…" He bowed his head in shame. "... I don't know if it's really love. I want to see her again, I want to find out, but… But I ran away."
Nabiki's expression softened. "Okay," she said, her voice gentle. "Good. I can help with that."
"Help?" Ryouga said, confused.
Nabiki's fingers curled, gripping the front of his shirt lightly, her eyes dropping. "I need to make sure you're okay. Don't ask me to justify that, I just do, okay? I think if you had been sure either way I would have been worried, because… because I felt so much confusion from you I know you're not. I know you've been through a lot, and some of it is my fault, directly or indirectly. After what just happened… I have to do something or I'll go crazy. So I want to help. And I know you can't go to Ranma with this, either."
Ryouga sighed. He wasn't sure what to think about this 'new' Nabiki. He didn't know if this was recent or he was just unaware of it. Without thinking her reached up and put his hand over hers. "Nabiki, I don't think…"
Whatever he was going to say was immediately obliterated from his mind as the Link flared to life between them.
Ryouga heard the gasp from Nabiki at the same time as he became intensely aware of just how colorful her own feelings were right now. He was surprised to find that the dark core had diminished significantly, and there were many more warmer colors
They just stared at each other a moment.
Ryouga tried to swallow, finding his mouth suddenly dry.
"Oh…" Nabiki said softly.
Ryouga closed his eyes. Naturally it did nothing to shut out the awareness of her emotions, which were swirling, changing pattern, speed and color as the realization of what had just happened sank in.
"This… complicates things a little, doesn't it?" she asked softly.
"Doc Tofu said your ki was normal!" Ryouga protested, too stunned to think of removing his hand from hers for the moment.
She took the option away from him, turning her hand and clasping his firmly. "Maybe it's not something that he can detect. He never detected the link between you and Ranma, after all." Her emotions started to swirl faster, becoming warmer and brighter. "Ryouga, don't you get what this means?"
"Akane, Ukyou, and Shampoo are going to kill me?" Ryouga said nervously.
"No… well, yes, if I don't spin this just right to them. But it means we made a permanent change to my ki. Which means we should be able to make a permanent change to yours, too, right? And your Mom's?" Nabiki started to smile. "That was always the problem, wasn't it? If you're linked to Ranma long enough it suppresses your curse, but it never sticks, but now that we know how to make changes permanent…"
"Hang on, we don't know that this is permanent yet," Ryouga said, though he admittedly felt a flicker of hope. Part of him desperately wanted it to be true, while another part of him despaired at what kind of damage it might do to his already frayed sanity to be emotionally bonded to both Ranma and Nabiki.
"I know, I know…" Nabiki said, but it was obvious she was already scheming. "... but if it is…!"
"It complicates everything!" Ryouga protested, feeling a little panicked.
Nabiki looked into his eyes and he felt the shift in her emotions even as he saw the defiant sparkle light in hers. He felt her fingers tighten around his hand and there was a surge of warm emotion through the link as some kind of resolution was made.
"I like complicated," she said finally.
000
"So are you sure you wanna try this, Senpai?" Rin asked nervously.
The dojo had been set up with a volleyball net strung across it once more, and Ranma was confidently doing some stretches to limber herself up on the opposite side of the net from Rin. The rest of the team was standing on the sidelines in their practise gear, watching.
"Gotta figure there's someone else with an arm like yours, right Rin?" Ranma gave her a wink. "I figure if we can work out counters to our best moves, it'll give us something to work from when we need to whip up a counter to someone else's best moves. Or figure out a counter to their counter."
"Or a counter to their counter of our counter?" Yuka suggested playfully. "That sounds like it could get ridiculous fast, Ranma."
"Yeah, well, after I started getting my own best moves tossed back in my face when I fought Herb, I decided I didn't want to be caught off-guard like that again." Ranma took a ready stance. "Gimmie the best Thunderbolt you can, Rin. I'll dodge if I can't figure out how to dig it out, don't worry."
"A-all right…" Rin replied uncertainly. She tossed the ball into the air, arcing it ahead of her. She skipped a few steps to get a bit of speed then leapt as the ball came down, lining up a perfect strike on Ranma.
Just as she did, Ranma felt an unexpected surge of warmth. It rushed through her, accompanied by a powerful burst of emotion that robbed her limbs of their strength and clouded her vision as she was overcome by a very pleasant sensation of heat.
And then the volleyball hit her in the head.
000
For a moment… just for a moment… He was afraid she was going to kiss him.
She didn't. Quite.
Ryouga had been hugged by a girl before, of course. Usually it was enough to cause a major malfunction in his brain just from the proximity. He had gotten somewhat better over time but he still wasn't used to physical contact of any type, much less from an attractive girl.
But in this case, the deck was stacked further against him.
Nabiki smiled at him, wrapped her arms around his chest, closed her eyes, and kind of leaned into him in a way that pressed her entire body up against his. At the same time, the proximity and close contact magnified the Link, almost like it was enveloping him. She hooked her chin over his shoulder and sighed softly. He felt a surge of warmth and an almost possessive affection from her. She smelled nice, the heat of her body was comforting and she was soft in all the right places.
He didn't lock up like he normally did. His breath caught in his throat, to be sure, and he hesitated. But in the past, he had always frozen up out of fear, out of lack of knowledge of what to do or out of fear of rejection. This time he hesitated because he knew exactly what to do. There wasn't any doubt of her feelings or what she wanted. He wanted to hug her back and she wanted him to.
He also knew that if he did that, he was going to let something take root in his heart for her - that he'd start down the road he had walked so many times before. His arms moved of their own accord and instead of wrapping around her, he put his hands on her shoulders and gently but firmly pushed her back.
"Nabiki, think what you're doing!" he said firmly. "You're Ranma's fiancee."
There was a flash of hurt and confusion in her eyes, and then a flicker of anger. "I thought that part was obvious?" she said, frowning. "It's a hug, Ryouga. I'm not seducing you! Friends hug each other."
We have a difference of opinion there, Ryouga thought as he struggled with the emotions she had already stirred up. "It's a little more than that to me," he said carefully. The Link makes hugs dangerous!
Nabiki quirked an eyebrow. "And I'm a little more than a friend now. Am I your Anchor now, too?"
Ryouga felt a cold ball form in the pit of his stomach, a gnawing sense of dread. He felt like he did whenever Ranma had fooled him with a disguise and had led him into betraying his devotion to Akane, except… he wasn't entirely sure he was ready to fully acknowledge what that feeling indicated just yet. "Ranma is my Anchor, and even then it's… it's…"
A slight smirk appeared. "I think the proper term for things is 'It's complicated', don't you?"
He squeezed his eyes shut and groaned in frustration. Conflicting images of Akane, Akari, Ranma… even Ukyou, Shampoo, Anna, and Nabiki herself… some happy, some crying, some looking betrayed, each emotion brought up by his situation tied to one image of happiness and ten of disaster. "Too complicated!" he said, shaking his head rapidly to clear it. He took a deep, cleansing breath to steady himself and another moment to get himself centered then schooled his expression into one of stern sincerity. "Look, I appreciate you wanting to help and… and I'm happy you got what you wanted out of this. B-but… you know how easily I get the wrong idea. How much I get… get wrapped up in it. The Link makes that a lot easier, so… I need some space. I don't want to start getting the idea that you're…" He struggled with the humiliation that came with the last part. "... That you're in love with me," he finished quickly, blushing brightly.
Something like a sad smile crossed Nabiki's face. She reached up and lightly cupped his cheek, causing him to freeze. "No… I'm not… but I could get there," she said, her voice low and soft, causing his brain to seize up hard. She sighed and let her hand drop away, taking a step back from hm. "And that's how I know you're making a good point. I'm sorry."
He swallowed, struggling against the lump that had suddenly appeared in his throat. "I…"
"I won't ask anything else, and I won't tease you anymore," Nabiki said softly. "I'll help you figure out things with Akari if you still want me to, and if you want me to stay away I'll do that too. Just…" she looked away, "... don't be alone, okay?"
There were probably a thousand responses he could have given. A hundred that he should have given. But he couldn't think of a single one. Instead he just nodded slowly.
"... and if you want me to help you figure things out with a certain redhead, I'll do that too," she added, her sly smile returning. "But just keep in mind - we're a package deal." She winked. "Goodnight, Ryo. Sleep well."
He stood there, blinking dumbly as she turned and walked away. Finally, the gears in his brain re-engaged and something resembling rational thought reasserted itself.
"Wait… how do I get home?" he called out to her.
She turned, continued to walk backwards away from him, smiling. She pointed casually to his left, across the street.
He followed where she was pointing and saw… his house. They had arrived without him even realizing it.
She waved and continued on her way, turned and rounded the corner, vanishing from sight.
He scrubbed his hand over his eyes. He felt shaky and disoriented, but at the same time… at the same time…
No matter what I do, the chaos around Ranma keeps dragging me back in, he thought glumly. That used to be a source of comforting rage for him - how he could trace all of his woes back to Ranma Saotome, blame them all on him. He could set aside all his guilt and shame because it was Ranma's fault, not his.
And it was true, in a sense. Bad things kept happening to him around Ranma Saotome and because of Ranma Saotome. But it wasn't Ranma's fault. He could see that now.
I cling to Ranma, he thought, leaning against the doorframe. How might things have been different if I had just gotten back in time for that stupid duel? I never would have followed him to China, right? I never would have made him my Anchor… right?
There was no answer. The concept was foreign - incomprehensible. Though all of his life since then had been strife and struggle… his mind could not conjure an alternative. Ryouga clenched his fist. Why can't I imagine my life without him?!
Years of wandering, or striving in the Art. Jusenkyo. Finding home again. Meeting the Tendos. Akane. Akari… The Bakusai Tenketsu. The Shi Shi Hokodan. Everything that had defined his life led back somehow to Ranma Saotome.
An image appeared in his mind, unbidden. Bright blue eyes and red hair, framing an impish, cocky smile with a sparkle in her gaze that part of him wished was for him.
Jusenkyo is cruel, he thought miserably. The curse, and Ranma's increasing acceptance of it, had robbed him of the last degree of separation between himself and Ranma that he needed to keep his life from being utterly consumed.
Trust Saotome to already be hoarding any girl I take an interest in, he thought sourly. Even herself!
He wasn't entirely sure that thought made sense but it was comforting to be able to dredge up a little of the old indignation. He reached the door and paused.
Would it really be so bad? The thought was treacherously wistful, like the fantasies he used to have around himself and Akane. There was no real concrete idea of how it would even work… there never was… Just a pang of longing for something he didn't really believe he would ever be able to have.
I wish I had a sign - some indication of what I should do. Ryouga thought glumly as he opened the door. "I'm home!" he called out, wondering if there were any leftovers from dinner. After the day he'd had, he was exhausted and famished.
"Oh, Ryouga!" his mother called from the living room. "I'm glad you're home! There's someone here to see you!"
"Someone here to…?" Ryouga began, but he could already hear the frantic scrambling of feet on the floor. Before he could orient himself properly to see who it was, a smaller body slammed into him, pushing him back against the door. Slender arms wrapped around his waist and kept him pinned there.
Ryouga looked down to see long, greenish tinted hair with streaks of pink at each temple. The girl it belonged to looked up at him, her eyes shining with tears.
"Ryouga, I was so scared I'd never find you!" Akari sobbed. "Please… please promise me you won't leave me again?"
000
Nabiki returned to the Tendo Dojo to find Ranma out cold in the middle of the living room, tucked into a futon they had brought out from storage with a cool, damp cloth on her forehead.
"You brained my fiance?" Nabiki asked sternly as Rin grovelled in front of her.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Rin gushed as she bowed dramatically. "I didn't mean it! We were just practising, and she wanted to see if she could block a Thunderbolt, and… and…!"
"It really isn't Rin's fault," Akane said. "I saw it happen. Ranma just kind of… locked up, just before the ball hit. It looked as if something had distracted her."
Nabiki blinked. You don't think…? NAH. "Well… drat." She plopped down cross-legged next to Ranma's futon. "I had something I wanted to talk to her about!"
"You should probably let Ranma rest," Kasumi said, carrying in a tray of snacks and setting it on the table. "I'm not sure what you were doing today, but she seemed more worn out than usual. Normally she's quick to bounce back from these things, but she's been out for quite a while."
"Yeah, it is unusual," Akane said. "I mean, Rin's Thunderbolts hit hard, but…"
"What were you guys doing all day with 'Ryo', hmmm?" Yuka asked with a knowing smirk. "Did the three of you wear yourselves out playing doctor instead of going to the doctor, maybe?"
"Don't be silly, Yuka!" Akane waved her off. "Ranma doesn't swing that way and… honestly… Ryouga and Nabiki!?"
"Aheh… yeah… *Ahem* actually the stuff the doctors are doing to try and fix Ryouga's directional problems involve a lot of ki." She yawned, feeling those exertions start to catch up to her as well.
"I'm surprised they involved you in this too," Sayuri said. "You're not really the person I think of when I think of 'ki', Nabiki."
Nabiki quirked an eyebrow. "Maybe I have some aspects I keep hidden, Sayuri?"
Yuka cleared her throat. "Yeah, maybe you shouldn't talk, Captain?"
Sayuri scowled at her. "And what exactly does that mean, Yuka?"
"Something about you doing something with ki when you do a trick serve that even Ranma and Ryouga working together haven't managed to figure out?" Riko asked cheekily.
"Oh?" Nabiki raised an eyebrow. "This is the first I've heard of this!"
"Mostly because we don't even know if that's what it is yet," Sayuri groused. "It's just the theory they're working with. And honestly, I think they're a little cracked."
"Is there anything else you've neglected to tell me about team developments?" Nabiki asked playfully. Secret techniques weren't exactly mission-critical knowledge but they were always fun. And they generally allowed her to massage the odds for the betting pool.
"I don't think so…" Rin said, brow furrowing as she concentrated. "... Oh! Well, there was that one thing about Senpai's registration, and how it's surprising the Regulatory Commission hasn't noticed Senpai's school registration doesn't match her birth records."
"... Wait, what!?" Nabiki gaped at her.
Sayuri sighed. "We thought you knew? Yeah, according to Ukyou, the Regulatory Commission for High School level competitive team sports has cracked down on situations where a student's gender is in question. Something about schools fielding male players on female teams and dressing them in drag? Anyway, they check your registration against your medical records and your Family Register, and if one of them doesn't match, they pull the plug."
"We figured Himura must have someone on the Board in her pocket to make sure Ranma didn't get looked at too closely," Yuka shrugged. "I mean, it's not like it'd be all that tragic if Ranma did get booted out. It would mean that Himura wouldn't have any way to complete her challenge or to have Ranma play for her even if she could, and chances are they'd just disqualify the entire team for the year."
"Yeah, it'd be kind of a pyrrhic victory," Sayuri added. "I'd rather beat her at her own game, to be honest."
Nabiki frowned and rubbed her chin. "That's not like her… something like that would completely blow Himura out of the water! There's no way she would leave something like that to chance if she knew about it."
"She knows," Sayuri said. "Ukyou says she ran afoul of it when Himura tried to recruit her to the team."
"Then she must have had it taken care of before she even made her challenge to Ranma," Nabiki said, pondering. "But still… there's no way she could own the whole commission, especially not being cut off from her Grandfather's resources." She chewed on the end of her thumb. "I don't like this…"
"Why not?" Sayuri asked. "It sounded to me like a whole lotta stuff that could blow up in Himura's stupid face, but nothing that would really hurt us at all."
"That's why I don't like it," Nabiki muttered darkly.
"No offense, but you sound a little paranoid, Nabiki," Yuka said, chuckling. "There's more than enough stuff set to blow up in our stupid faces for us to be worrying about Himura messing up her own paperwork."
"Maybe," Nabiki replied, unconvinced. I need to look into this. Ugh! Why did I have to find out about it on a weekend!? She sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose then wobbled a bit. She managed to catch herself and shook her head to clear the fog. "Nhhh… How are things going otherwise? Anything else I need to know about?" she asked, trying to act nonchalant.
"Nothing that can't wait until tomorrow," Akane said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "We should get you to bed before you fall over like Ranma did."
"Can I just crawl in with Ranma?" Nabiki asked, quirking an eyebrow at her. She leaned in and added in a whisper. "I'll share."
"Nabiki!" Akane hissed, blushing and glancing toward the other girls nervously.
"I think it's best if you all sleep in your own beds tonight," Kasumi said gently. "You've worn out poor Ranma quite a bit over the last few nights - and worn out Father as well." She sighed. "I wonder how expensive soundproofing would be?"
Both Nabiki and Akane stared at the floor, beet red while the other girls all gaped at them.
"I want to judge," Yuka said finally. "I really, really do… But after thinking about the available selection of boys at school and in the surrounding area…"
"... And the fact you haven't had a date in two years?" Sayuri added sweetly.
"... And that, thank you, Sayuri…" Yuka said through clenched teeth, "... I'm starting to think you may have made the only rational choice. Which is to share the one non-perverted guy in all of Furinkan. Who also happens to be a girl." Yuka sighed and pillowed her cheek on her fist. "Being a totally straight girl with standards isn't easy."
Rin timidly raised her hand. "I haven't had a date either… if that makes you feel any better."
"You hush, you have the duck!"
"N-no I don't! I-it's not like that!"
"You bought yourself a duck plushie two days ago! It has glasses! You call it M-chan!"
"Eeeeeeeeeee! You promised you wouldn't tell about that!"
000
Ranma woke up with a mild headache to the smells of breakfast being prepared. She rolled over and hesitated for a moment, not having encountered the usual impediment of another body next to her own. Carefully she opened one eye.
I'm… downstairs? She blinked and sat up slowly. She was on a futon that had been rolled out in the living room. "Uh… hello?"
"Oh, you're awake!" Kasumi poked her head into the room. "Just give me a minute, Ranma, I've got to get the soup simmering and I'll be right out. Don't go anywhere!"
"Umm… okay?" Ranma said, rubbing the back of her head. She realized her hair had come out of its braid again. Ugh, don't feel like dealing with it long today, but it's getting to be a pain to braid. Maybe I should go back to a ponytail, since that stupid dragon-whisker curse is gone? Doesn't quite feel like 'me' that way though.
Kasumi stepped into the living room, walked over and knelt next to the futon. "I'm sorry for putting you down here, Ranma, but you seemed exhausted and… as much as my sisters love you, I worry that they might forget you're just one person and that you need your rest too. I had to shoo them back upstairs half the night!" She smiled. "How's your head?"
"Not bad," Ranma said, rubbing her forehead. "Ugh, what happened?"
Kasumi looked concerned a moment. "You don't remember?"
"It's a little fuzzy," Ranma rubbed her eyes.
"Ranma, are you a boy or a girl?"
"What sorta silly question is that, Kasumi?" Ranma said. She gestured at herself. "I'm a girl, obviously."
Kasumi's eyes widened. "... Oh my…"
"An' if you want that to change, you gotta wait until Monday sometime, 'cuz the soap is still good until then." She stretched, then noticed Kasumi's agape expression. "... What?"
"It's just… well, there was that one time you hit your head…" Kasumi fidgeted. "... I'm sorry, Ranma, I just wanted to be sure!"
"Oh… Oh! Right, that!" Ranma winced as she remembered the incident. It wasn't so much because she'd believed she was a girl anymore, but more a matter of just how cringe-worthy a girl she had been. She blinked, suddenly realizing that she was able to remember the details of that event - from both sides. "No, no, nothing like that. If there's something wrong in my head, the volleyball didn't do it. I just can't remember why I froze up. It felt like my sixth sense went nutso or something."
"Well, that's a relief," Kasumi said. Then after a pause, she reached out and put a hand on Ranma's shoulder. "Ranma… forgive me, but… are you a boy or a girl? I don't mean your current form."
Ranma looked into Kasumi's calm, brown eyes for a time, then looked down to contemplate her own hands. "I woulda freaked out if you had asked me that even a week ago," Ranma said. "Two weeks ago I'd have shouted the answer 'I'm a man!' from the highest rooftop." With a heavy sigh her voice dropped to a near whisper. "Now? It… depends on the day. It depends on the company. It depends." She chewed on her lower lip. "When I'm centered, it feels like I'm somewhere in-between." Pulling her knees up to her chest, she draped her arms over them. "I'm sorry… I know that isn't an essay question. The first thing I did this morning was obsess about hair, so… I guess I'm on the girl side right now?" She offered a weak smile.
Kasumi clucked her tongue and hugged the redhead. "Ranma, we already talked about this. I don't honestly believe anyone who really cares about you is overly concerned about the matter."
"Well, except for my parents," Ranma said, a little glumly.
Kasumi pointedly did not amend her statement. "You said you were worried about your hair?"
Ranma nodded and reached back to pull a handful over her shoulder. "Kinda felt like having it in a braid again, but it's such a pain to do up."
"It's not that bad if you have help," Kasumi said brightly. "Here, turn your head and I'll do it. It is good to see you taking better care of your hair. I know it's more difficult, but it really is better to let it out of the pigtail now and then."
"Yeah, well, Kodachi'll be cross if I let it get bad like it was before," Ranma said, leaning forward a bit to allow Kasumi to draw her hair back.
"You've made friends with Kodachi now too?" Kasumi asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah. As a girl, if you can believe that. She still thinks me'n the curse are two separate people," Ranma said, closing her eyes.
"You… mean you and your male side," Kasumi corrected carefully. "You're currently in your cursed form."
"... Hmmm? Oh, yeah… What did I say?" Ranma frowned, then shrugged it off as unimportant. "Anyway, 'cuz she thinks I'm Ranma's sister she's gotten all buddy-buddy… 'cept, I think she was lonely 'cuz she hasn't really been using it to get an advantage in the omiai like she said she was planning to. She's… well, she's still kinda out there, but… She's been serious about trying to take care of me. Girl-me, I mean."
"That's good," Kasumi said. "I imagine a family like hers leaves a mark. I remember her brother used to be quite different in the past, when he and Nabiki were still friends in Middle School."
"'Tachi', right?" Ranma asked. "Actually… He's kinda back. Turns out their Dad was messing with his medication. He's a lot more like how Nabiki described him in Middle School now."
"Oh? Well then… if I remember correctly, he was quite a little charmer at that age. Perhaps you should be careful?" Kasumi teased playfully as she divided Ranma's hair into strands and began to weave them.
Rather than get offended or indignant, Ranma just chuckled. For some reason, the idea didn't seem so threatening anymore. "I can actually see that. But he knows I'm taken and he seems kinda mortified about how he's been behaving. I dunno how long it'll last, but…"
"He knows about you and Nabiki?" Kasumi asked, sounding startled.
"Oh, no, I… uh…" Ranma blushed as she realized that she hadn't kept Kasumi in the loop about a number of things. She swallowed nervously. "Actually… he thinks me'n Ryouga are engaged."
Kasumi paused in her braiding for a beat, then continued. "... I see. Should I start setting a place at dinner for him, then?"
"No, no…!" Ranma said quickly, fidgeting in embarrassment. "It was ploy that got outta hand. I told Kuno that I was engaged to Ryouga to get him off my back, then Ryouga told the hospital I was his fiancee so I could bail him out, and then that got back to the people at school and…" she sighed. "It kind of snowballed. It hasn't gotten back to his Mom yet, thankfully…"
"You've met Ryouga's parents?" Kasumi asked, surprised. "I thought he lived alone?"
"He did. It's complicated. His Mom has the whole sense of direction problem too. Dr. Tofu thinks it might actually be a legitimate curse, something passed down through his family. She only just made it back to town, an' now we gotta find a cure for the curse, because his Dad died recently and…" Ranma trailed off, realizing she was getting into Link territory. "... Umm, it's complicated, but her curse is getting worse, and if she gets lost again, it'll probably be the last time he ever sees her, unless we find a cure."
"Oh my… and this is what you have been doing with him every weekend?"
"Yeah!" Ranma said. "We met this Neurologist named Dr. Hirano who figured out some stuff about his problems, and got him in touch with Dr Tofu, and between 'em they figured out most of how the thing works."
"Nabiki said it involved using a lot of ki?" Kasumi asked uncertainly.
"Yeah… Ryouga's got a mess of bad ki in his noggin that causes the problem. We've just been trying to find ways to flush it outta him." She glanced at her hand, feeling the palm itch. 'Cept instead we keep making the Link between use stronger and having freaking THERAPY SESSIONS. An' even dragged Nabiki into the last one. I wonder… I wonder if what they were talking about… about the Neko-ken is true? Could the Link be a way to cure that? Would it be worth taking the risk, even?"
"You got quiet," Kasumi said, startling Ranma out of her reverie.
"Oh, uh… Sorry," Ranma said sheepishly. "Just thinking about the Neko-ken. My own mess of badness in my head. Wondering if there might be a way to fix that, too."
"Emotional trauma and curses are usually two separate things," Kasumi said gently. "But… I suppose it's hard to say." She finished up the braid and wrapped the end with a red ribbon and tied it off neatly. "There… that's not quite how you usually wear yours, but your hair has gotten longer and fuller and this is fairly unisex."
Ranma reached back and felt her braid. It was somewhat thicker than she was used to, tapering more gradually from the back of her head rather than the nape of her neck. It didn't pull nearly as tightly, but it felt secure. "I think this'll do just fine."
Kasumi handed her a mirror. "I thought you might appreciate a more mature look this time."
Ranma examined herself in the mirror. It was definitely less of a pigtail and more of a braid. And Kasumi was right - she could easily imagine it looking good on her male side as well - almost like something you'd see on a wandering samurai in some manga.
Hold on.
"Wasn't there a manga about a samurai with red hair in a style like this?" Ranma said, giving her a smile.
"Rurouni Kenshin?" Kasumi asked. "Oh no, his was in a ponytail."
"O-oh…" Ranma deflated a little.
"This is more Duo Maxwell." She winked. "I preferred mecha and spaceships to samurai growing up."
Ranma giggled. "I guess the samurai stuff was a little too close to home, huh?"
There were footsteps out in the hall they both turned to see Nabiki stumble blearily into the living room.
"Nabiki? Why are you up so early? It's Sunday," Kasumi said, cocking her head curiously.
"Nnnf… Boyfriend," she muttered. She cracked one eye open, then closed it. "... Girlfriend," she corrected. "Whatever. Make tongue flappy noises… language… thingie…"
"Oh, you want to talk with Ranma?" Kasumi nodded and stood, brushing off her skirt. "All right. Shall I make you some coffee?"
"Mnnn… Black stuff…" Nabiki nodded. She stumped her zombie-like way over to Ranma, who was still sitting on her futon, grabbed her by the back of her shirt and tried to drag her into the back yard.
"H-hey! Okay, okay, I'm coming!" Ranma got up, though Nabiki didn't stop trying to drag her. Ranma hastily adjusted her tank top and boxers; She had picked up a little feminine modesty, despite her best efforts.
"You okay, Nabs?" Ranma asked, peering at her.
"Mornings… suck," Nabiki mumbled, managing some level of coherency. "Gotta tell you sum'n tho."
"What?" Ranma cocked her head.
By way of a reply, Nabiki reached out and grabbed her hand.
Ranma sucked in a breath as she felt the Link flare to life. She snatched up Nabiki's hand in both of hers and held it as she stared at her. "You still have it!?"
The ghost of one of Nabiki's signature smirks crossed her face and she nodded. "Yup. Found out last night. Came home to tell you, but you were out. Got up early instead." She yawned and started to walk back towards the house, towing Ranma along by the hand.
"Wha…? Wait, where are we going now?" Ranma asked, confused.
"Back t'bed. It's Sunday."
"Umm… but I'm not tired, why'm I…?
"Because cuddles," Nabiki growled in a tone that told Ranma she should probably just shut up and accept her fate for the next little while.
000
Poor Ryouga.
Spoiler? It kinda gets worse from here for him.
