(Three years ago)
Ryouga sighed as he stared down the seemingly endless, unfamiliar stretch of road. His pack was already weighing heavily on his back and his feet ached from walking. The sun was already starting to set over the horizon, casting long shadows that only made everything more unfamiliar and strange.
I thought I had it this time, he thought miserably. He pulled out the hand-drawn map he had made on the way to school to help him find his way home. It had been an exceptionally good morning - only needing a couple of hours to make the trip. He had been certain he had found a route even he could follow, but now his own map seemed incomprehensible to him.
Maybe I should find a place to camp for the night… he thought miserably. He had been looking forward to a hot bath, sleeping in his own bed and a clean change of clothes, but all of those things seemed so far out of reach now. He just hoped he didn't start getting comments about how he smelled again. I think there's a vacant lot over there...
"Whatcha reading?"
Ryouga's head snapped up to find two very blue eyes staring into his; eyes that belonged to a familiar (If upside down) face.
"Yaaaaugh!" He threw himself backwards dropped his map, stumbled back and landed on his butt. He pointed at the pigtailed source of his aggravation. "What the hell do you think you're doing!?"
"Just asking," Ranma said nonchalantly as he swung down from the lamp post he'd been hanging from. He scooped up the map and looked at it curiously, turning it over in his hands a few times. "What's this… a treasure map or something?"
Ryouga got up his feet, stomped over and snatched it away from him. "It's none of your business!"
"Hey, hey, I was just asking!" Ranma said, holding up his hands defensively. "I was just wondering because you've been wandering around the neighborhood for hours!"
"How would you know?" Ryouga asked suspiciously. "Have you been following me!?"
"Nah, I live around here," Ranma said. He pointed back in the direction of the empty lot that Ryouga had been considering as a campsite.
Ryouga squinted. "... What, that white house further back?" He frowned.
"What? No! Right there!" Ranma grabbed his head and turned it squarely towards the empty lot.
Ryouga shoved him off, but then realized where the pigtailed boy was pointing him. He squinted, spotting a small, ratty-looking tent that he had initially mistaken for a pile of detritus.
"You live in a tent?" Ryouga gave the boy a skeptical look. "You're homeless?"
"I ain't homeless!" Ranma said testily. "I just toldja, home is right there!" He waved at the lot. "I mean, maybe it won't be there next week, but nothin' wrong with that, is there?"
"I… guess not?" Ryouga admitted. He had spent his fair share of time camping out in empty lots and parks himself, though that wasn't exactly by choice.
"That's what you got in the pack, right?" Ranma glanced behind him. "You're like me'n Pops, right? Looking for a place to set up?"
"I'm not like you!" Ryouga said gruffly, turning to jerk his pack out of view of the boy's scrutiny. "I have a real house! I… just have trouble finding it sometimes."
"Really? Like, with a door and roof and stuff?" Ranma asked. "I've lived in those a few times when I was a little kid. Pops used to rent these places sometimes while we were in the city, but he says I'm too old for that now. Says it makes you soft."
"You mean he lost his job and now he can't afford it, and he doesn't want to admit it," Ryouga replied, a nasty smirk on his face.
"No! Pops could get a job if he wanted! He just… he's got more important stuff to focus on!" Ranma replied hotly. "He's a martial artist! He's gotta focus on the Art over everythin' else!"
"Which just happens to look exactly like being a bum," Ryouga replied, folding his arms and giving the pigtailed boy a challenging look.
"Hey, you take that back!" Ranma snarled, dropping back into a ready stance.
"So, you wanna fight now, huh?" Ryouga said, slipping his backpack off and dropping into a stance of his own. If I can't sleep in my own bed tonight, I'll settle for wiping that smug grin offa this jerk's face!
"Ranma! Where the hell are you boy?! GET OUT HERE RIGHT NOW!"
Ranma' eyes widened. "Crap! I forgot I was tryin' to be scarce!" He glanced back at the empty lot with a panicked look. He turned back to Ryouga. "Look, lemme see that map…! C'mon, we'll finish this at your house, okay?"
"What?! I don't want you coming over to my house!" Ryouga replied, not budging.
"Look, Pops has been drinkin', an'… an' he's pissed that I swiped some rice crackers he had stashed away for later, an' he keeps talkin' about makin' me dig a trainin' pit an'..." The pigtailed boy swallowed. "Look, it's just best if we weren't here for a while, okay? I don't care where!"
Ryouga paused. As much as he just wanted to cave the annoying boy's face in, he could see a flicker of genuine fear in his eyes. He cautiously relaxed his stance. He shot a glance to the empty lot, spotting an older man in a dirty off-white gi and equally unclean headkerchief stumbling around.
"Fine. See if you can find it," He handed over the map, not looking at the boy. "The address is on the bottom of the page. Probably too far to walk at this point, though…"
000
"Shut up," Ryouga snarled as he looked at his front door.
"How long were you walking around?" Ranma asked, checking the address on the sheet.
"I said shut up!" Ryouga growled.
"It's right behind the lot me'n Pops live at!" Ranma said. "You even pointed at it and asked if it was my house!"
"It was a weird angle, okay!?" Ryouga snapped at him. "Also, SHUT UP!" He stomped towards the door. "You coming in or what?"
"I… sure," Ranma said after a moment's hesitation, noting the overgrown lawn and the mailbox stuffed to bursting. "You… uhh… you aren't home much?"
Ryouga slid open the door. He really didn't want to reveal his biggest weakness to the bread thief of all people. "Nobody in my family is. It's…" He sighed and bit the bullet. "... It's a family problem. Everyone in my family has a terrible sense of direction. My Mom manages to make it home occasionally, though lately she and I aren't usually home at the same time."
As soon as the door opened, a black and white blur tackled Ryouga, knocking him onto his back. Ranma yelped and leapt out of the way.
Ryouga's sour mood was momentarily forgotten as he laughingly tried to fend off the young dog's affections. "Ahahahaha!... Shirokuro, that tickles! *snort*... Easy girl!" Ryouga grinned and scratched the young dog behind the ears as she wriggled in joy at his return. "I missed you! How's the house, girl? Keeping the place safe for us? Who's a good girl?"
"You have a dog?" Ranma asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah, Mom brought her home one day. She's still a puppy, really. I feel bad that she gets left alone so much, but she's a smart girl. She already knows how to feed herself. We just gotta leave enough kibble for her." Ryouga sat up, still embracing the dog. He noticed Ranma was crouching nearby, looking uncertain. "Go ahead, she doesn't bite or anything."
Ranma blushed and looked away, then tentatively reached out towards the dog. He nearly jerked back his hand when Shirokuro turned towards him as his fingers brushed her coat, but it was already too late. The black and white dog quickly pounced upon her new playmate and showered him in slobbery exuberance.
Ryouga chuckled as the pigtailed boy laughed and tried in vain to fend off the pup's affections. He stood and stepped inside the house.
"Mom? Dad? You home?" He peered inside the darkened house, but was already sure of the answer. He saw a note pinned to the wall near the door and took it down.
Dear Ryo,
I'm going to be spending the next while in the hospital for tests. It's nothing to worry about, but they want to keep me here a few weeks to make sure my platelets are good. Your mother is coming with me for now, but she'll try and get a cab home once they've got me settled. They think they might have a donor for me, and if they do I'll be here a bit longer, but I'll try and call every day. Take care of Shirokuro and keep up your studies, and I'll see you soon, okay?
Love, Dad.
Ryouga crumpled the note in his hand. This wasn't the first time his father had suddenly left for a 'checkup'. He knew it was more serious; that his father had probably collapsed again. He wished his parents would just be honest with him about the situation.
"Everything all right, man?" Ranma asked from the doorway as he peered inside. Shirokuro stood next to him and whined plaintively.
"Yeah… " Ryouga breathed. "Just a note from them telling me they'll be gone for a bit is all. The house is pretty well stocked, so it's not a big deal." He stuffed the crumpled note in his pocket. "You coming in or not?" He stepped inside, flicking on the lights. It was a bit of a relief to see them come on. Good, power bill is paid. Won't have to sit in the dark.
"Uh, sure…" Ranma stepped inside, looking around as if it was unfamiliar to him to be inside a house. "You got anything to eat?"
Ryouga rolled his eyes. Of course. "Yeah, but I need to check the storeroom first. Whatever's here has gotta last me a couple of months, and I really need a bath first." He glanced over his shoulder at the pigtailed boy, noting he didn't look any cleaner than yesterday. "Furo's big enough for two if you wanna join me."
"Wha…? No, no, I'm fine!" Ranma said quickly, looking suddenly panicked.
Ryouga rolled his eyes. "Seriously? That's what you have personal space issues about? No wonder you're filthy! Haven't you ever been to a public bathhouse?"
"I… when I was little I went with Pops a few times," Ranma said nervously. "Mostly I bathe in streams and lakes an' stuff."
Ryouga just shook his head and motioned the boy to follow him. "Fine. You go first then. Furo's upstairs, you can clean yourself up while I check the larder." Ryouga pointed at the stairs as he walked past them towards the kitchen. "Towels are on the shelf on the left when you enter. Don't make a mess!"
000
Thankfully the Curse hadn't progressed so far that Ryouga couldn't find his way in his own house yet, though he had a few false starts and ended up in the garage once or twice. Thankfully, the storeroom was well stocked with plenty of non-perishables. The kitchen was stocked as well, and Ryouga decided it would be better to eat what he could of the food in the fridge, as chances were good that it might spoil before the next time he was home. Once he was satisfied there was enough to afford some generosity to the bread thief, he decided to check on him.
I suppose it would be just my luck if he drowned in there, Ryouga thought sourly, tromping up the stairs. He reached the door and paused for a moment, listening, but not hearing anything. For a moment he considered just throwing open the door, but decided that was poor form, even if the rotten jerk deserved it. He knocked on the doorframe. "Oi, you alive in there?"
"Wha…?! Yes! I'm fine!" Ranma's voice was high-pitched with surprise.
Ryouga snorted. "Fell asleep in there, didn't you?"
"NO!... Maybe… yeah…" Ranma admitted guiltily. "It's been a long time, man!"
"Whatever," Ryouga said dismissively. "I'm gonna start dinner. You need anything in there before I do?"
"Ummm… Do you have any cloth bandages?" Ranma asked timidly.
"What, like… gauze?" Ryouga asked.
"Like the stuff you'd use for around your… umm, mid-section."
"Sure, I think so. Why, you hurt or something? You're not bleeding all over the tile, are you?" Ryouga felt a sinking sensation as he wondered what sort of hidden problems the pigtailed boy might have that were now stewing in the furo. I better drain and scrub the thing before I take a bath…
"No, no… it's for… y'know, SUPPORT. You know, how martial artists wrap bandages around their mid sections? To avoid injury an' stuff," Ranma said quickly. "Mine kinda came apart when I was takin' em off, and…"
Ryouga sighed. This is turning into a charity case! "Yeah, yeah, there should be something like that in the cabinet in there. Just don't touch any of the medications, okay? Those're for my Dad."
"Okay."
"I'm serious. None of it would be worth anything, and he needs that stuff when he gets home. I'll be checking it when you get out," Ryouga growled.
"Okay! Sheesh, I get it!"
"Okay…" Ryouga said, feeling a little guilty for being judgemental. "Don't fall asleep in there again or I'll have dinner without you. Fifteen minutes, twenty tops."
"Got it."
Ryouga frowned, wondering if there was anything else he should say. He wasn't exactly used to having houseguests, after all. He shrugged and decided it wasn't important and headed back down the stairs.
000
(Present Day)
The next morning was bright and sunny with just a hit of coolness in the air as Fall took hold. The sky was clear, the birds were singing and the day seemed full of possibilities… for those who weren't doomed to spend most of it in a classroom learning how to make numbers do things that only made sense in terms of other numbers. For them, the shining promise of the day was transmuted into a cruel taunt that made crawling back into bed and staying there seem the preferable course.
In other words, it was a typical Monday.
Akane and Ukyou had made the prospect of playing hooky tempting for Ranma. Nabiki had returned to the Nekohanten to resume her training with Shampoo and Ukyou had elected to come over with Akane to meet Ranma.
Ranma had naturally been nervous about how their discovery of the Link had gone, but the two girls seemed more curious about how it worked (though Akane did growl out a warning about 'staying faithful'). Ukyou also seemed rather peeved that Ryouga hadn't confided about it to her, though grudgingly had to concede the matter when Ranma had pointed out it was something of a conflict of interest.
In fact they had been in a surprisingly good mood. Whatever it was that had made them so agreeable, Ranma hoped it happened more often.
Akane's attempt at dinner had been a mixed result; Akane's vegetable stir fry had included sauteed bits from the rubber band she had forgotten to remove from around the broccoli when she was chopping it up, and it was pretty obvious the few dashes of 'soy sauce' she had added to the recipe had, in fact, been chocolate syrup.
Oddly enough, the much more complex spanakopita recipe had come out perfectly. Despite the recipe being hand-written in a mix of English and Greek, and Kasumi insisting that the kitchen didn't stock several of the necessary ingredients. Ukyou had taken a modicum of offense at the success of the recipe over her effort to coach Akane through the stir fry.
They had just slept that night, so Ranma hadn't bothered to change back. A good night's sleep had done wonders for her mood and Ukyou and Akane had teamed up to give her a pretty decent spar in the morning. The combination of Ukyou's restraining and mobility limiting techniques with Akane's direct application of force actually got them a few solid hits in. Ranma noticed them trying a few new things that didn't work as well and paused the exercise to help them work out the bugs. She found that she was enjoying it a lot more than sparring with her father, which tended more to the 'figure it out yourself if you want the hurting to stop' kind of training.
Which brought her to the furo and an odd thought as she reached for the regular soap for a scrub before she rinsed off and changed back to a guy. The waterproof soap caught her eye in its little case next to the regular soap.
If I used the soap NOW, I'd be safe up to the game on Wednesday. Then I could be a guy for the SECOND half of the week for a change… she thought.
She blinked and stared at the soap for a moment. Is that the point I've gotten to now? I'm SCHEDULING when I get to be a guy? She huffed and reached for the tub of warm water to dump it over her head and end the matter, at least for the duration of her bath.
She hesitated before grabbing the tub.
Am I deciding that I'm OBLIGATED to be a guy until I absolutely HAVE to be a girl? she thought, drawing her hand back and examining it for a moment. Am I only a girl because I HAVE to be?
If There wasn't any stupid challenge that required it, no Palm-tree topknot idiots trying to make my life difficult, no psychotic Yakuza princesses, no worries about my parents disapproving… if I was just choosing what I wanted to do each day… would I go to school as a guy? She stared at her hand.
I think you're starting to LIKE being a girl all the time, boy!
Ranma scowled at the echo of her father's voice in her head.
It's unacceptable for you to attend school as a girl! You are a Man amongst Men, and if you refuse to act like it, then you know the consequences! When I find out what you have been doing…
She winced a bit at the threat from the echo of her mother, feeling a shiver at the memory of seeing her mother's carefully schooled mask of control and calm slip, and the glimpse she had caught of the contempt in her mother's eyes.
Her jaw tensed. She reached for the waterproof soap and dumped out the tub, refilling it with cool water as she started to lather up. I decide when I'm a guy and when I'm a girl. Not Pops, not the Pineapple brain, not Himura and not even Mom. If I gotta be a girl for school, it's 'cuz I CHOOSE to follow the rules. No one gets to MAKE me. And… I'm choosing that I wanna be able to change back to a guy in the SECOND half of the week. 'Cuz it's MY curse, an' I'm allowed to decide how to manage it! She smiled in triumph at that last bit, feeling better about the sense of control that thought gave her.
000
Walking to school brought with it the odd sensation of routine.
Sayuri and the team met Nabiki, Shampoo, Hiroshi and Daisuke at the gates of the dojo to wait for Ranma, Ukyou and Akane to emerge. This time they didn't have to wait - the three of them having been up uncharacteristically early. Shampoo naturally gave Ranma one of her flying glomps but the embrace was accepted and returned enthusiastically this time, and with no protest from the others. Ranma in particular had the brightest smile Nabiki had seen on her in some time.
We might just pull this off yet, Nabiki thought wryly.
Kasumi came out with a large sack. She had taken to making one large feast for the group to share at lunch rather than individual bento, despite the protests from the volleyball team that they had their own lunches. Kasumi insisted that this was a small way she could feel like she was a part of things.
"You're all making me wish I was still in high school with all your adventures!" Kasumi said brightly, though there was a hint of wistfulness in her voice.
"You're making it sound like you're an old maid, sis. You're only twenty!" Nabiki chided her.
As they walked away, Nabiki and Akane exchanged glances, then glanced back at the dojo as Kasumi retreated back inside to continue on with her daily routine.
"We gotta find her someone exciting," Nabiki said.
"You guys know plenty of exciting people," Yuka muttered as she dropped back to join them.
"Yeah, but all the exciting people we know are kinda…" Akane started, trailing off weakly.
"... 'Damaged,'" Nabiki finished for her. "Trust me, I've scouted Nerima for a good match for her and turned up nil. Finding someone who might be able to spice up her life and who doesn't have some kind of disqualification and also isn't a complete ass is harder than you'd think."
"Yes, well 'exciting' and 'well-adjusted' don't tend to go together," Yuka commented.
"Hey!" Akane shot her friend an annoyed look. "Was that a crack?"
"Yes?" Yuka shrugged. "Akane, you're a good person and a great friend but let's be real here - you and Nabiki are both completely insane."
"And you hang out with us. What does that make you?" Nabiki asked, smirking and raising an eyebrow.
"I'm the plucky normal human sidekick who tags along and eventually gets rich writing the memoirs of your adventures," Yuka said without hesitation. "Y'know, after society rebuilds."
"Yuka, I know we're bad, but I don't think we're apocalyptically bad…"
"I already know what I'm going to name my pet Deathclaw."
"What's a 'deathclaw'?"
"I'll tell you, but it'll cost 50 caps," Nabiki interjected.
"... caps?" Akane cocked her head, looking more confused.
Yuka sighed in disgust. "You'll never make it in the Wasteland."
"Maybe we should look into importing when it comes to Kasumi's future boyfriend," Nabiki said thoughtfully.
"Yeah… from space maybe," Yuka quipped. "Face it, you lot probably shouldn't be the ones playing matchmaker. Let Kasumi find someone on her own."
Nabiki sighed in frustration and crossed her arms. She hated that Yuka had made a good point. "I don't like the idea I can't do anything."
"You've been on the sidelines lots before," Yuka said, giving her a skeptical look.
"I chose not to do anything," Nabiki said. "I always had an intervention strategy ready to go."
Yuka rolled her eyes. "Yeah? Like picking a fight with the Yakuza, abusing the legal system of a scary Chinese warrior tribe to make a group marriage work and hanging out in a tea shop straight out of one of those old sci fi shows with the creepy narrator? I think I liked it better when you stayed outta things."
Nabiki shrugged and studied her nails. "Really? Well, if I'm not working on Kasumi's relationship problems, I could always help out you and Daisuke…"
"Spaceman dating it is!" Yuka said quickly. "Maybe we could fix Kasumi up with one of Jiro's customers…"
"Jiro isn't a spaceman, he's just… weird," Akane replied, sounding exasperated.
"I never said Jiro is a spaceman, I'm just saying he's the kind of guy who has space aliens as customers."
"Yuka, stop being overly dramatic."
"I am applying only the bare minimum of dramatics, thank you! Unlike you, I manage my drama carefully!"
They neared the Hibiki residence to pick up the last member of their little troupe. Shampoo had explained to Nabiki the 'fake girlfriend' plot she and Ukyou had come up with to deflect Ryouga's mother from worrying too much about him. Nabiki could see Shampoo was mostly doing it because she enjoyed being a flirt and using the smokescreen of 'cultural ignorance' in order to make people squirm. Nabiki thought it was all a bit overly complicated and liable to backfire, but it seemed harmless enough. She elected to stay out of it for now and to pull the poor boy out if it got too rough for him.
Nabiki hung back a bit as Ranma made her way up to knock at the door. Things seemed to be relatively normal as Ryouga came out, dressed in his school uniform. He seemed a little more sheepish than usual as he said goodbye to his mother…
Nabiki caught the movement out of the corner of her eye - a purple streak as Shampoo executed a textbook perfect Amazon Glomp on the poor Lost Boy.
"Wode Shagua!" Shampoo said in a cutesy voice as she wrapped herself around her victim in a move that was part-hug and part grapple, with all the devastating strengths of both.
"I… ack… Shampoo, what are you…?!" Ryouga flailed ineffectually. Even his tremendous strength was useless against the Power of the Glomp, as he quickly discovered.
"Oh, hello, Ms. Shampoo!" Mrs. Hibiki said, raising an eyebrow.
"Shampoo, what the hell are you doing!?" Ranma said with a mixture of shock, outrage, and panic.
Whoops! We forgot to warn Ranma! Nabiki thought, though she opted to watch, curious about the redhead's reaction.
"Shampoo is just greeting her Shagua," Shampoo said sweetly to Ranma, cuddling the struggling Lost boy more tightly. "If act so jealous, people might get wrong idea."
"Ryouga, who's this?"
Nabiki blinked as a familiar-looking girl with greenish hair stepped outside. She had a plaid skirt and a sweater, and was holding up a wrapped bento, apparently intending to give it to Ryouga.
Akari? Uh oh… Nabiki's eyes widened as she started rapidly considering a range of intervention strategies.
"A-Akari, I can explain…!" Ryouga stuttered frantically, a wild panicked look in his eyes.
"Shampoo is Pi-Ryouga's girlfriend!" Shampoo said brightly. "Who is you?"
"I'm Akari…" the green haired girl gave Ryouga a questioning look. "... And I thought Ranma was supposed to be Ryouga's girlfriend this week?"
"What?!" Ranma yelped, then got that same panicked look, glancing at Shampoo, then at Mrs. Hibiki. "Akari you're not supposed to just announce that!" Ranma hissed at her, then laughed nervously, glancing at Mrs. Hibiki.
"What," Akane said flatly.
Nabiki quickly glanced at her sister standing beside her. Even with her untrained senses she could see Akane's aura starting to flare visibly. That's not good!
"Akane, hang on a sec…" Nabiki said quickly, trying to head things off before they snowballed out of control.
Too late! Nabiki thought with growing concern as Akane stomped her way up to Ryouga.
"Ryouga, what is all of this!?" Akane demanded hotly.
"A-Akane…!" Ryouga yelped, eyes going wide. He was sweating visibly now as his eyes darted from girl to girl.
"Oh, is this Akane?" Mrs. Hibiki asked, cocking her head. "The one you were writing all those lovely poems and letters to, Ryo?"
"You… wrote her poems?" Akari asked, cocking her head and giving Ryouga a questioning look. "I don't think you ever wrote me any poems…"
"I trusted you, Ryouga!" Akane snarled, starting to get thoroughly worked up. "I thought you were different!"
"Akane, wait, it's not what you think…!" Ranma said, frantically trying to de-escalate the youngest Tendo before critical mass was reached.
"You stay out of this, Ranma!" Akane snapped at her. "This is between me and your boyfriend!"
"He's not my boyfriend!" Ranma replied hotly.
"Yes he is… Yes he is!" Akari insisted, grabbing Ranma's arm. Her eyes started filling with confused tears. "Ranma, you promised!"
"I… I… I…" Ranma's expression started to mimic Ryouga's as she started to look around frantically as well.
"Airen maybe has some explaining to do too?" Shampoo said, giving the redhead a hard stare. "What Pokemon trainer girl talking about?"
"I'm a Sumo Pig trainer!"
"Same difference."
"It is not!" Akari huffed. "Honestly, I have to have this argument every time I go into town!"
"Oh god…" Nabiki muttered, massaging her forehead as she tried frantically to figure out a way to pull at least some of the volatile factors out of the fire before the explosion that was brewing became inevitable.
"[Ummm, excuse me?]" someone asked in english, tapping Nabiki on the shoulder.
Nabiki turned, her train of thought momentarily derailed. Behind her was a young girl about Akane's age. Her wavy, shoulder-length hair was the color of straw and her eyes were a much deeper blue than Ranma's. Dusting her cheeks were a few freckles and the style of her simple skirt and blouse practically screamed 'farmer's daughter'.
The girl opened an "English to Japanese" phrasebook, squinting, then read out in halting fashion, "'Desolation… Can you say that it is Hibiki residence?'"
Nabiki frowned, then asked in english, "[Do you want to know if this is the Hibiki residence?]"
The girl sighed in profound relief. "[Oh thank mah stars! Y'all speak english! I'm such a dummy when it comes to foreign languages! My name is Anna. Thank you so much for your help!]" She nodded. "[Yes please, could you tell me if this is it? I'm looking for Ryouga Hibiki.]"
Nabiki's eyes widened. No… no way… She couldn't be…! "[Uhhh… Nabiki Tendo. It's nice to meet you. Yes, this is the right place but… right now might be a bad time…]"
Unfortunately, it was too late. Anna glanced past her and spotted the Lost Boy. "[JOE!]"
Ryouga looked up and over at her. His eyebrow twitched. "A-Anna…?!"
The girl skirted around Nabiki and ran up to him, nearly tackling him with a hug. "[Joe! I missed you so much! I've been looking for you for so long!]"
Akane stepped back. From her expression, Nabiki could see that critical mass had been achieved and the point of no return passed. Akari looked shocked and possibly even a little heartbroken. Shampoo looked confused, and Ranma was clearly panicking.
But Ryouga…
Nabiki felt a bit dizzy. She could feel his panic. He wanted to run… needed to run, but he was frozen and unable to move… He was overloaded, it was too much…!
Nabiki noticed Ranma shake her head too as it hit her as well, and realized it wasn't her imagination. And if they were picking up on Ryouga's feelings this far from him…!
Oh crap! Shi shi Hokodan! The boy was having a panic attack, and he had unfortunately taught himself to channel overwhelming negative emotions into a literal explosion. She needed to defuse the situation or get him out!
The girls were arguing now, demanding answers from a mostly unresponsive Ryouga, and generally escalating far too fast to bring them down with words. A bucket of cold water might do it, but Nabiki neither had one, or was sure it wouldn't make things worse with Shampoo's curse and Ranma's ailurophobia.
Get him out it is, she thought. She shot Ranma a look that she hoped conveyed the message 'Back me up!' before she ran over to Ryouga and grabbed him by the shoulders to make him look at her.
Her plan was to fake illness to snap him into his protective instincts. She didn't have to fake it. The wave of heavy chi that suddenly surged through the Link was overwhelming. Her eyes went wide and she nearly doubled over, staggering against him.
"Nabiki…!" He yelped and caught her, her sudden seizure successfully interrupting the impending explosion.
"H-hospital…!" she managed to croak out as her world spun. She felt him scoop her up into his arms and the rush of the ground suddenly dropping away as he began a headlong rush towards what he thought was the hospital. He leapt up onto a nearby lamppost, then a roof, then broke into a run as the shouts of the surprised and outraged girls behind him faded.
Okay… okay… Got him out… Nabiki squeezed her eyes shut and struggled with the overload from the Link that was making the world spin and her stomach churn. Now… just don't pass out… don't… pass out…
… don't...
… pass…
… ou-
000
Ranma felt the sickeningly familiar wave while she was in the middle of trying to calm Akane down. Her eyes went wide and her gaze snapped to Ryouga. Waves of heavy ki were surging from the boy as his emotional state rapidly cascaded into failure. Oh crap!
She caught motion out of the corner of her eyes and saw Nabiki starting to move. Their eyes locked, and Nabiki's expression told her that the Middle Tendo had a plan, and she needed Ranma to support it. A slight nod was all Ranma had time for before everything went down.
"Ranma listen to me when I'm talking!" Akane grabbed the redhead's collar to wrench her attention back.
Ranma didn't have a chance to reply before she heard Ryouga choke out "Nabiki…!" and there was a chorus of shouts of surprise as he suddenly leapt away, apparently carrying Nabiki in his arms.
"Wha…? Wait…" Akane blinked and looked around. "Nabiki…!? NABIKI!" Her gaze snapped to track Ryouga's fleeing form and she coiled to pursue, the flames of murderous rage in her eyes.
Ranma tackled her and pinned her shoulders to the ground.
Akane's breath left her in a surprised wheeze, not having expected the attack. Her eyes widened with surprise, betrayal and a flicker of anger that promised to flare into a full inferno of rage directed at the redhead herself any second.
"Akane, Shi shi hokodan!" Ranma hissed tightly and kept her pinned, holding her gaze until she was sure the youngest Tendo understood.
After a second understanding blossomed in Akane's brown eyes, followed by a horrified expression. "Oh no… Nabiki…!"
"She interrupted it before it was too late," Ranma said, wishing she was as sure of that as she sounded. "But if you go after him right now, it could set it off and she'll be ground zero. Stay down, Akane."
"What just happen?" Shampoo asked, crouching next to them.
"Why did Ryouga leave, Ranma?" Akari asked, crouching on the opposite side.
"Maybe Shagua not as interested in Pokemon as Pokemon Trainer girl hope?" Shampoo suggested with a smirk.
Akari scowled at her. Her lower lip trembled. "That's it!" She stood up and pointed at Shampoo. "Katsunishiki! Kachi-age!"
There was a rumbling from the backyard which rapidly grew louder as something huge started to charge around the house. The massive sumo pig rounded the corner, his eyes locking onto the person Akari was pointing at. He adjusted his course slightly and picked up speed. Shampoo's eyes widened, without enough time to properly react or dodge as the massive animal bore down on her.
And stopped dead.
Not for a lack of trying. His hooves dug furrows in the earth as he struggled to fulfill his mistress's command, but a delicate-looking hand placed almost casually on his forehead was holding him back, seemingly without effort.
Anna stood in front of the pig, facing the group and rubbing the back of her head nervously with her free hand. "[Sorry to interrupt, but… I don't suppose any of y'all speak english and could explain to me what's going on?]"
000
It was about half an hour into his frantic sprint for the hospital that Ryouga realized he had absolutely no clue where he was going.
He leapt over a concrete retaining wall and landed in what appeared to be a small park. There were swing sets and play structures for children, but the park itself was empty at this time of day. I'm not lost in the woods yet. Need to stop before I am, but…
He looked down at the girl in his arms and felt the surge of cold panic again - the need to run - to keep going until he got somewhere with help. He didn't know what was wrong with her, he didn't know what to do and everything was wrong…!
Nabiki stirred, groaning softly, her eyes fluttering.
As quickly as the panic had risen in him, it was washed away by relief. He quickly carried her over to a park bench and laid her down. "Nabiki? Nabiki, can you hear me?"
Her eyes opened. She held up a hand to shield them from the sun. "... Ryouga?"
Ryouga slumped, feeling a suddenly drained. "Oh thank god…"
"Unnh… right… right… The… escape thing…" Nabiki muttered, putting a hand over her eyes. "... Ow… You don't happen to have an aspirin, do you?"
"No!" Ryouga shot back up and started to look around frantically. "I'm trying to get you to the hospital but I can't find my way and I don't see anything around here that…"
He felt her grab his hand, stopping him. He turned to look at her as he felt the Link flare to life and some of the nervous energy started to bleed away through it. "Nabiki, wha…?"
"Ugh," Nabiki grit her teeth. "Ranma had to wade through this? Ryouga, calm down. I'm okay. I'm fine. You're the one who's in trouble right now, so you need to listen to me."
Ryouga blinked, then remembered the situation he'd left behind. "Oh god… Akari and… and Anna… and Mom saw, and Akane…" He hiccuped and his eyes started to get that wild look. "Akane thinks I'm a pervert and Akari has to hate me after that and… and I don't even know what Anna thinks and my Mom… my Mom saw it all…"
Nabiki grabbed the sides of his head and forced him to look at her. "No. Stop," she said sternly. "You're panicking and you need to reign it in before you lose control of it again."
He felt the stern calm through the link as she cut through the waves of dark, sickly fear that were starting to seep into his perceptions. Lose control… He suddenly realized what she meant as he felt it building inside. He tried to pull away. "I've gotta get away…! If I let it out here…"
"Don't you dare!" Nabiki cut him short. She grabbed his hand and firmly laced her fingers with his before he could object. "I am not letting go, so if you want to get away from me you're going to have to break my fingers. What you need to do is stop, listen to me and take a deep breath. Can you do that?"
He wanted to try anyway. He was pretty sure he could slip his fingers out of hers without hurting her. If he went now he had a good chance of getting far enough away that she'd be safe. But… something in her eyes held him fast. Determination, resolve and confidence. The Link only enhanced the effect. If he had ever wondered how Nabiki got away with extorting people who could physically snap her like a twig, he now had a pretty good idea how. He swallowed and nodded dumbly, not able to muster the will to disobey.
Nabiki nodded. "Good. You're having a panic attack. I can feel it. Akane used to have them when she was younger, after Mom died. Feels like you're having a heart attack, right? Fingers tingling?"
Ryouga nodded again. He was familiar with the tightness in his chest. He knew it wasn't an actual heart attack, but it seemed to grip and squeeze his heart with icy fingers.
"I don't blame you. That was a lot of stuff to land on you all at once and you're not used to dealing with it like Ranma," Nabiki said. Her eyes seemed to go unfocused for a moment. "Yeah… I never really wanted to know what one of these felt like, but I guess now I do."
"I'm hurting you…" Ryouga felt the hand squeeze as the urge to run flared up again.
"No," Nabiki said, sternly but calmly, fixing him with another intense look. "I'm just aware of you hurting. I want you to focus on me. Not on anything that happened, just me, okay?"
"... Okay…" he said weakly. He was breathing heavily though he didn't understand why. He wasn't tired. In fact, his muscled ached to move, like there was an electric current running through them, nervous energy that just wouldn't bleed off.
"Better," Nabiki said after a moment, smiling a little. For some reason that made him feel better, too. He could feel her through the link and the anxiety begin to bleed off through it and break up against the solid calm she was projecting. He started to try and steady his breathing - wanting to try and emulate what he was feeling from her, if for no other reason than to ease some of the burden of it.
The impending sense of disaster - of imminent danger - started to fade. Then, rather abruptly, all that nervous energy turned inward, collapsing in on itself and making his stomach protest violently.
"Ulp…" he managed before standing and being violently ill in the trash can next to the bench.
Nabiki, still holding his hand, stood beside him, rubbing his back.
"It's going to be okay," she said.
Normally those words were empty in situations like this, but he could feel her confidence through the Link. He shuddered, coughing as another wave of nausea hit him. Finally his roiling stomach had nothing more to expel, and after a few more dry heaves, his protesting insides finally settled down into an uneasy truce with him.
God I'm pathetic, he thought miserably, still gripping the sides of the trash can for a moment before he straightened up again.
"No, none of that!" Nabiki chided him.
"None of what?" he asked, looking over his shoulder at her, confused.
"Whatever that black, sticky ick is that you're feeling. If I had to guess, I'd suspect you're starting to beat yourself up for freaking out," Nabiki replied sternly. "Don't. It'll just make things worse."
Ryouga scowled and looked away. "I don't need you managing my emotions, Nabiki - any more than I needed Ranma doing it!" He tried to tug his hand from her grasp but she just held tighter.
"Normally I'd agree with you, Ryouga. But as long as your emotions being out of control turn you into a literal bomb, I can't afford to leave things to chance." Her expression softened. "I'm not trying to bully you into feeling better, Ryouga. And believe it or not, I'm not totally operating out of self-interest here. I'm just trying to get you to stop making yourself feel worse when you don't deserve it." She tugged gently on his hand. "Come here. There are some vending machines over there and I'll buy you something to swish that awful taste out of your mouth. Then we'll talk, okay?"
000
After Ryouga scooped up Nabiki and vanished, everyone elected to come inside to try and work out exactly what was going on. Mrs. Hibiki went back to the kitchen to make tea (Ukyou joining her to make sure she didn't get lost) which left Shampoo, Akari, Akane and Anna all looking at Ranma expectantly.
Ranma was suddenly regretting all the times had desperately begged people to 'let me explain!' in these situations. Explaining this mess was probably going to be more difficult and perhaps even less painful than just letting them beat the crap out of her.
Especially since one girl didn't even speak the language.
"Do… we know anyone who does speak english?" Ranma asked sheepishly, glancing around, then giving Anna an apologetic smile. Why didn't I pay more attention in English class?! WHY!?
"I know it fairly well," Mrs. Hibiki said, carrying a tray as she walked in. She set it down, took a seat next to Anna and smiled at the girl. "[So you're from America, dear?]"
Anna looked immensely relieved to hear someone speak her language. "[Yes! Omaha, actually! I was amazed to find out that Joe was from so far away!]"
"['Joe?']" Mrs. Hibiki asked, confused.
"[Oh, that's… that's kind of a nickname for Ryouga,]" Anna said, blushing and twiddling her fingers. "[When he first showed up on our farm and saved us from a local gang, we thought he was 'the Joe', the hero from the local legends who was supposed to appear whenever people were in danger. It's… it's silly, I know. But we were so desperate, and he really was the hero we needed, and…]"
Mrs. Hibiki smiled. "[I'm glad to hear my son is making such a good impression even in such faraway lands! So… you came to visit him?]"
Anna fidgeted. "[I… I know J… Ryouga said his heart belonged to another, but… but I never felt this way about anyone but him and… and I know he felt something for me, too! I decided I needed to come to Japan and see for myself - to make sure that he was really happier here with the person he told me his heart belonged to.]"
"[I see. And… if he isn't happy with this other girl?]" she asked. "[What are your intentions?]"
"[To convince him to come back home with me! To the farm with Papa and me in Nebraska where he belongs and where he's needed!]" Anna said firmly.
"[I see,]" Mrs. Hibiki said with a sigh. "[It seems my Ryo has made quite an impression on more than a few young ladies. Who was the girl he told you his heart belonged to?]"
"[Someone named 'Akane'?]" Anna said uncertainly.
"Hmmm?" Akane perked up, hearing her name. "What did she say about me?"
"That my son has some explaining to do," Mrs. Hibiki said with another heavy sigh as she looked over the collection of girls sitting across from her. "And that he is far too much like his father for his own good."
000
Ryouga swished the water around in his mouth. The worst of the bile had been cleansed, but he suspected the bitterness would linger a while. He glanced at the middle Tendo who was sitting next to him and holding his hand so nonchalantly as she did something on her cell phone.
"You don't have to keep holding my hand, you know," Ryouga said. "I'm not going to get lost sitting on a bench."
"Not holding it to keep you from getting lost," Nabiki replied. "I'm holding it because you're upset."
"I'm not…" Ryouga started then sighed in frustration as he realized it was pointless to deny it when she could sense his emotions. "Okay fine, I'm upset, but…"
"And I'm making sure you don't go over the tipping point and waiting for you to calm down enough to talk about stuff. Which hopefully is about now," Nabiki said. "Did you know we're nearly in Kawasaki? That's over 30 kilometers. Pretty impressive."
"How do you know that?" Ryouga asked.
Nabiki put the phone away. "GPS in the phone. I imagine it'd be really handy for someone like you. You don't happen to have any money to buy one with, do you?" She gave him an appraising look.
"Ummm… is it more than a Rail Pass?" He asked nervously.
Nabiki rolled her eyes. "That would be a 'no', then. Not a surprise. I'll seriously need to help you and Ranma use those skills of yours to make some decent money sometime soon. It's criminal how poor you two are. You're wasted on menial manual labor."
"What, you're managing my life now as well as my emotions?" Ryouga muttered. "I get by just fine!"
"Nearly blowing up is just fine?" Nabiki asked.
"That was…!" Ryouga started, then trailed off. He slumped. "... Fine. I'm a mess. Exactly why you shouldn't be wasting your time! Just leave me be and…"
Nabiki leaned over and flicked him on the forehead, right between the eyes.
"Ow! What…!?" Ryouga blinked and jerked back, more in surprise than from any real pain.
"Stop that," Nabiki said sternly. "I decide who is and isn't worth my time, clear?"
"Uhh… yes ma'am?" Ryouga replied uncertainly.
"Good," Nabiki nodded. "I just sent Ranma a text letting her know we're alright. So, since the chances of us getting back to Nerima in time for school are nil, you and I are going to spend a few hours away from the Madness so we can sort out what to do about your Harem Problem."
"I don't have a 'Harem Problem'," Ryouga said crossly.
Nabiki gave him an exasperated look. "Yes, of course, you just about had a nuclear meltdown because a whole herd of attractive young ladies showed up and the situation was totally platonic."
Ryouga blushed. "It… it's not like that! I… I mean, Akari is the only one…"
"Mind explaining why she was insisting Ranma was your girlfriend?" Nabiki asked sweetly. "You know, explain it to me so I can convince my little sister to let you keep your lungs?"
"It's… complicated," Ryouga said, slumping.
"Yes, that's a given," Nabiki replied. She opened her can of iced coffee and took a sip. "Start from the beginning with Akari and we'll work our way through to the new girl."
000
Ryouga stable for now. Crisis averted, but keeping him out of neighborhood until he's more stable and I've got a better idea how to sort the mess out. See if you can straighten things out with his Mom at least. Keep me posted.
Love, Nabs
Ranma read the message and sighed, flipping the phone closed. "Okay, they're both okay. They're probably not gonna be back for a bit."
"Why did Ryouga grab Akane's sister and run of like that?" Akari asked.
Ranma took a deep breath, glancing around the room nervously. Okay… okay, truth. Just get it all out. "Ryouga knows this martial arts technique called the Shi Shi Hokodan. It uses strong emotions… heavy emotions like depression or despair or whatnot… to make an explosion of force. The problem is that if he gets too depressed he can't control it. Nabiki was just faking being sick to snap him out of it long enough to get him out."
"Oh dear…" Mrs. Hibiki said, looking aghast. "When did he learn that?! Who would teach him such a thing?!"
"It was a scroll he found," Ranma said. "It kinda warned that the technique messed up your life if you used it, but…" She felt a pang of guilt. He was so desperate to win a fight with me…
"Shampoo feel bad… Didn't realize Sha-errr, Ryouga affected so much by teasing," Shampoo said, hanging her head.
"So… you aren't seriously interested in my son, then?" Mrs. Hibiki asked.
Shampoo laughed weakly and shook her head. "Shampoo just playing girlfriend because think you worried no one take care of him. Make feel better, but Shampoo already married to Ranma."
Mrs. Hibiki blinked. "... Pardon?"
Ranma opened her mouth a half second too late to stop Shampoo from making the situation way more complex, and snapped it shut as the opportunity came and went.
Mrs Hibiki turned and looked at Ranma. "... Ranma?"
"I can explain…" Ranma started, then remembered she had soap-locked herself that morning. "... uh… Well, lemme show you my ID…" She reached for her pocket, then remembered her ID had been replaced with one with a picture of her girl side. "... Okay, I can't explain. Help…?" She gave Shampoo an imploring look.
"Airen… err, Ranma have Jusenkyo curse," Shampoo said. "Like Ryouga, but turn into girl instead of pig."
"... Jusenkyo… curse?" Mrs. Hibiki said, giving her a blank stare.
Ranme massaged the bridge of her nose. "She… doesn't know about Ryouga's curse either, Shampoo." She glanced to her right. "Akane, could you…?"
Akane shook her head. "Oooooh no! You've had weeks to sort this out! I don't want any part of this any further!"
"Yeah, I'm with Akane on this one, sugar," Ukyou said from the doorway, leaning against the frame with her arms crossed.
"Gee, thanks you two," Ranma muttered darkly. "Akari, could we get some hot and cold water? I can't change right now, but if Shampoo is okay with it we can use her curse to…"
"Shampoo not changing in front of her! Get caught in Pokeball!" Shampoo said quickly.
"For the last time, I am a Sumo Pig Trainer! Pokemon aren't even real!" Akari said angrily. She folded her arms and lifted her chin, pointedly looking away from the Amazon. "Get your own water!"
Mrs Hibiki glanced back and forth among all of them, then sighed and laughed softly. "I see. You had me worried for a moment! I forgot how real some of these games can get at your age. So… do you use dice rolls for these things, or do you play it free-form?"
"Oh god damnit…" Ranma muttered.
000
Ryouga had to admit, it felt good to just tell his whole story without someone interrupting. Nabiki was a surprisingly good listener, nodding and making attentive noises, asking the occasional question, but letting him talk when he needed to. When he paused or was silent, she would give his hand a reassuring squeeze.
It wasn't anything like the Nabiki he thought he knew. But then, he admitted, he had barely known anything about her outside of her reputation. She was always there, but she stayed in the background. He supposed it made sense for her to know these things, given how often she seemed to be three or four steps ahead of everyone else as far as what was going on. He'd almost suspect her of an ulterior motive, but the Link dispelled that notion. To his surprise, he wasn't sensing anything from her that felt like duplicity.
"So… Anna is the girl you dumped to stay faithful to Akane. Akari is the girl you tried to actually give up on Akane for, Akane is the girl who broke your heart, Shampoo is just messing with the whole situation for fun and Ranma is the 'it's complicated'," Nabiki said, recapping. "We can safely eliminate Shampoo as a factor then, but that still leaves you with four. Definitely a Harem Problem."
"It is not," Ryouga huffed. "First off, Akane isn't into guys! I never had a chance with her and we both know it!"
"It's not about what Akane feels, Ryouga," Nabiki replied. "You still hold a torch for her and she's irrationally possessive of you, which means she's in this game no matter how loudly she insists that she isn't."
"Well, Ranma obviously…" Ryouga started, but Nabiki gave him a cross look, shutting him up.
Nabiki sighed. "Okay, fair enough on Ranma, actually. I can't realistically expect you to come to any sort of resolution about how you feel about her without a few years of therapy, a magic potion or one or both of you just flat out snapping. But she's still a factor. For the sake of argument, let's just say she's not realistically a choice…"
"... because she isn't!" Ryouga insisted.
"... Which in real life very seldom stops people, but fine," Nabiki replied, exasperated. "That leaves Akari and Anna. So… tell me about Anna to start. I know you met her while you were wandering around trying to get over Akane and that you saved her farm from a local gang. How serious did things get?"
"Her… Dad was talking about marriage," Ryouga admitted. "She didn't mind and… to be honest, it didn't bother me either, at the time." He turned over an empty water bottle in his hands, studying it as he talked. "I was seriously considering it for a while. I… I could actually see it. I was kind of getting into farm life… I… I felt useful."
"That's all?" Nabiki asked.
Ryouga shook his head. "No… no. I mean…I didn't even consider Anna that way at first. But… but when she was kidnapped… I guess it might be a bit like how Ranma feels when Akane gets kidnapped."
"Not the same as how you feel when Akane gets kidnapped?" Nabiki asked playfully.
Ryouga shook his head, surprisingly not arguing the point. "Whenever Akane was kidnapped… Well, I always knew Ranma would save her in the end. No matter how much I wanted to, I knew I'd never find my way to her in time. It was more a race, to try and beat Ranma there, but..."
"You trusted Ranma to save her," Nabiki finished.
"... Yeah, I guess," Ryouga admitted. "But… with Anna… I was it. There was no one else. She wasn't waiting for some other guy to save her. I didn't have anything to prove to anyone. Just… someone who had faith in me that I couldn't bear to let down. And then… I didn't. And… and that feeling… it was almost enough to make me stay."
"Right feeling, wrong girl?" Nabiki asked sympathetically.
Ryouga closed his eyes and winced. That observation felt a little too close to the mark. "Maybe… I was ready to give up on Akane when it all started and by the end I had every reason in the world to give up on her… but that's when I decided to go find her again. Maybe that's why." He felt a wave of self-revulsion. Was that all Anna was to me? "... I really am a pig."
He felt Nabiki squeeze his hand. He glanced at her and was surprised to see an uncharacteristically gentle expression on her face, something that reminded him more of her older sister.
"You're not a pig. You're a teenager. No one is supposed to make up their minds about this stuff this early," Nabiki said reassuringly. "Though… she came all the way to a country where she doesn't speak the language to try and find you. She sounds like she's pretty sure. So the question is… how do you feel about her now? Do you regret leaving?"
"I… didn't really think about it afterwards," Ryouga admitted reluctantly, feeling even more awful.
Another squeeze. "Good. Be honest. You can't make her happy if you're not honest about how you feel." Nabiki leaned forward. "So… that leaves Akari. Now… inane plans to be a better girlfriend aside… Why did you run from her?"
Ryouga swallowed. Oddly enough though, Nabiki had helped him find an answer when talking about Anna. "She was someone who had faith in me… who I couldn't bear to let down… and then I did."
"You made a mistake," Nabiki said.
Ryouga shook his head. "I could deal with it if it was a mistake. I was incapable. My directional curse and my Jusenkyo curse both came into play at once and… she was left alone in the worst place possible. Because I took her there. I… couldn't handle that feeling."
"… Hence your need to fix one or both curses. Just making Akari your Anchor wouldn't be enough," Nabiki said thoughtfully. "And so you're a massive aggregation of anxiety and guilt that's ready to pop until we manage to pull that off, whether you get back together with Akari or not."
Ryouga made a noncommittal sound.
"Well… that sucks," Nabiki muttered. "Nothing much for it but to wait for the results from the doctors."
Ryouga grunted again.
He felt Nabiki's gaze on him, even though he was studying the ground intently. Give up, Nabiki. You can't fix this like you did with Ranma's problems. You're up against a 500 year old curse.
"So, what do you do for fun, Ryo?" Nabiki asked. The non-sequitur snapped him out of his reverie.
"I… what?" He looked at her, confused.
"Fun. Other than martial arts or obsessing over my little sister." Nabiki stretched with one arm, still holding his hand with the other. "Video games. Movies. Theater. Books. Manga. Anime. You're not the socializing type, so it's not that… poetry maybe?"
Ryouga winced. "I tried that once. It was terrible. I… uhh…" He deflated a little. "I don't… really do anything for fun. I spend most of my time just trying to survive, you know?"
Nabiki quirked an eyebrow. "Come on, things have been pretty stable for the past couple of weeks for you. What have you done with your free time after school?"
"Study?" Ryouga said weakly. "Read through the textbooks a couple of times…"
Nabiki rolled her eyes and stood. "Okay, that can't be allowed to stand. Come on, we're going to go find something you want to do that isn't something you need to do." She tugged on his hand.
"Wait, what?!" He looked around nervously. "C-could you let go of my hand at least?"
"Nope!" Nabiki said, smirking. "And yes, people are going to think we're a couple. And no, no one here knows us or is likely to ever see us again, so I don't care and neither should you. That's the advanced part of the lesson. But for now, focus on the basics."
"Lesson?" Ryouga stood reluctantly.
"'How to De-feralize Your Martial Artist'," Nabiki said proudly. "I worked out most of the kinks with Ranma and it did wonders."
"Yes, and you fell in love with him in the process!" Ryouga protested nervously, intensely aware that her emotions had taken on a much warmer color and started swirling slowly.
"Yes, well, that was one of the kinks. Just try not to be too charming and we'll be fine," Nabiki winked at him playfully.
000
"Well… that went about as badly as it could have," Ukyou quipped as they walked.
Ranma hunched her shoulders and jammed her hands deeper into her skirt pockets, scowling. "I noticed. Thank you, Ucchan."
"What is 'Larper'?" Shampoo asked, still confused.
"'Live Action Role Play'," Akane replied. "It's… kind of like playing a game where you act out a story you make up as you go. A 'Larper' is someone who does it."
"Basically she thinks we're making it all up as part of a game, sugar," Ukyou supplied helpfully. "The curses, the stuff about Ki attacks and Chinese Amazons and probably most of the rest of the really difficult to believe stuff. It's a real shame someone decided to use the soap today so they couldn't show her the curse and settle the matter."
"I am aware of that, thank you, Ucchan," Ranma replied tightly.
"It probably would have been enough if you had agreed to change, Shampoo," Akane said, still not entirely understanding the Amazon's objection.
"Hmph!" Shampoo sniffed. "Not want to give Pokemon Trainer ideas!"
"What is your beef with Akari, anyway?" Ukyou asked.
"Make animals fight barbaric," Shampoo growled. "Weak person teach strong animal to fight so no have to be strong themselves! Saw dog fight once. Even Ryouga deserve better than such person!"
"Dog fighting is all underground and unregulated. Sumo pig matches are about as regulated as they get, sugar. I don't think there's a comparison…" Ukyou said skeptically.
Shampoo shot her a glare. "Maybe if Spatula Girl turn into animal herself she learn to be more sympathetic!"
Ukyou took a step back. "Okay, wow… hot button topic, I get it."
"You shouldn't judge Ryouga's girlfriend so harshly, Shampoo. Akari's really a nice girl," Akane said. "He'd be heartbroken if she actually left him."
"Take Ryouga to Joketsuzoku village. Find ten better girls in ten minutes," Shampoo sniffed.
"Not all at once, I hope," Ukyou commented dryly.
"Depends if he challenge all at once."
"Wait, that's a thing!?"
Ranma felt a buzzing in her pocket. She fished out her phone and flipped it open.
Taking Ryo to find him a hobby that doesn't involve blowing up. Ask Shampoo to grab notes for me. Will be back later in the day. Text me if things get too crazy. Love you.
Nabs.
She sighed and flipped the phone closed. Great. Everyone is losing their minds, and I'm flying solo for it. She glanced at the other girls. Oh well… 'Anything Goes School of Keeping A Lid On It' is a go.
"Come on, we should hurry if we wanna make it before the last bell," Ranma said, picking up the pace.
000
"Are you sure you don't feel up to attending school today, dear brother?" Kodachi asked. She studied the shadows that passed across his face as the limo made its way to Furinkan High.
Tatewaki sighed. "Not quite yet, 'Dachi. There is… a great deal for me to make amends for and I am still struggling to decide how best to approach it. I would prefer to… thin the ranks of the apologies I must give before I face the school as a whole."
"You give this place too much credit, brother, and take too much of the blame," Kodachi said sourly. "This school is a cesspit of degenerates and misanthropes. If my Darling Ranma and dear Ran were not forced to attend this place…"
"Don't judge it too harshly, Dachi," Tatewaki said, putting a gentle hand on her arm. "The fault for many of the damaged ways of this place lies with Father and myself. But I think you and I can start to put those things right. It will just take some time."
"Well, I've already made a step in that direction," Kodachi said, an evil smirk crossing her face. "At least until Father gets out of the hospital. So… have you plans to resume your station as Student Council President?"
Tatewaki glanced out the window as the school came into view. "That… will require some thought. I was and most likely am still unfit, but… what I have heard from Ran Saotome and Ryouga Hibiki in regards to what is being done in my absence… I would like very much to speak with Nabiki Tendo before I make a decision."
"Nabiki Tendo? Why her?" Kodachi asked, curious.
"I trusted her counsel once, long ago," Tatewaki replied. "I would ask for her counsel again, should she be willing to give it. But…" He glanced down at the orange pill bottle he was turning over in his hands. "... This leads me to the most difficult of the amends I must make." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Still, you are right, mewling and cowering does not befit a Kuno. If you see her, could you tell her that I would speak with her, if she can or will make the time?"
Kodachi sighed. "I find that mercenary woman distasteful, but… very well, dear brother."
000
Finding a large enough shopping district hadn't been too difficult, thanks to Nabiki's phone. Ryouga had to admit such a device would be incredibly useful, though when Nabiki told him the average price for such a thing, not to mention the monthly plan, he felt his heart sink.
Still, they had experimented with it to see if he could follow the directions of the built-in mapping software, but he had just found himself getting confused by the instructions it was giving him. Several times Nabiki had to stop him from just blowing a hole through a nearby wall to get to where it seemed to be trying to tell him to go.
"So much for that idea," Nabiki said as she guided him through the district, tucking her phone away.
"Sorry…" Ryouga said. It was about the tenth apology he had given.
Nabiki shrugged. "I didn't really expect it to work, given how Doc Tofu said the curse uses your own mind against you. The GPS would probably have to literally trick you into going the right way to make it work. It's not your fault."
That doesn't make it any better… Ryouga thought glumly. He felt a squeeze from her hand and rolled his eyes. "Are you going to do that every time I start feeling something that isn't allowed?"
Nabiki raised an eyebrow. "It's not a punishment, Ryouga. I'm trying to be reassuring! You're allowed to think it sucks, because it does."
"Just don't get too upset over it, huh?" he muttered.
She turned and glared at him. "Could you get your self-pitying head out of your own ass for a second, Hibiki? I am trying to help you and I am trying to be nice about it!"
"I…" He sighed, feeling his resentment drain away. It was tough to maintain any sort of front when the Link was feeding him a pretty decent running tally of how Nabiki was reacting, and he was pretty sure he had just hurt her. "I'm sorry. I get that you're being sincere. I don't get why though. I can't figure out what you're getting out of all this!"
Nabiki bit her lower lip and looked away. "Heh… Even with telepathy I can't get past the Ice Queen image, huh."
Ryouga's eyes widened. "Wait, that's not what I meant…!"
"Yes it is," Nabiki replied. "And… if I'm being totally honest you're not even wrong. As much as I've wanted to be a 'better person', I'm always talking about investments and benefits and justifying what I'm doing in terms of gains and losses." She ran a hand through her hair in frustration then looked at him again. "Look, you're right. I don't get anything out of this. If you want a reason for why I'm doing this? A good one? I don't have it. I don't know. I just… I want to, okay?"
Ryouga stared at her a moment. If her gentle expression before had echoed Kasumi, the defiance and frustration in her eyes echoed Akane. I guess the sisters aren't as different as I always thought. "I… Okay. I believe you," he said finally.
"Good," she nodded, relaxing a little. She bowed her head. "And… I'm sorry. I know I'm being pushy."
"It's fine. I'm… just not used to it," Ryouga murmured, looking away awkwardly himself.
"You're kidding, right?" Nabiki gave him a skeptical look. "You live in Nerima! The Pushy Woman Capital of Japan!"
"I… uh… I meant about the wanting to help me part," Ryouga clarified timidly.
"Oh," Nabiki blushed and quickly looked away, then tugged his hand to get him to follow. "Um… let's just keep going."
Ryouga quickly looked elsewhere. Nabiki blushing was a rare sight and one he wasn't entirely sure he was entitled to see. She was Ranma's girlfriend, after all, and Ranma himself/herself was a complicated enough problem. Letting himself acknowledge Nabiki was actually cute was opening himself to all kinds of potential complications. His memory replayed the conversation they'd had a couple of nights ago, and he realized that the Link could get him into trouble very fast. Unfortunately, he also remembered the hug she had given him, which sparked off all manner of other lines of thought that he had to hastily shut down. What is WRONG with me?!
Nabiki smiled up at him. "That's better, whatever you're thinking about."
"What?" Ryouga squeaked, for a moment wondering if she had actually perceived the contents of his thoughts.
"Whatever it is you're thinking about. It's a lot of complication, but at least it's something you like as far as I can tell." She smirked. "You thinking about one of your girls?"
No! Somebody else's! And I'm a terrible person! Ryouga thought frantically. "No!"
She laughed lightly and leaned against him, batting her eyelashes at him. "Should I be jealous? Thinking of another woman while you've got me on your arm…"
"It-It's not what you think! Honest!" Ryouga stammered nervously.
Nabiki laughed again. "Oh calm down, Ryouga! You're a teenage boy who's got multiple attractive girls on his mind. It's kind of reassuring that your mind wanders to those kinds of things. It at least means you're not totally repressed like Ranma. It's actually kind of adorable how innocent you are about it, though."
She started to looked around at the shops, though Ryouga noticed she was still holding his arm rather than just his hand, and was walking much closer to him. He tried very hard not to let on that he'd noticed.
"So, what kinds of things do you enjoy?" Nabiki asked.
"Huh? What? Uhh… isn't that kind of out of the blue?!" he asked nervously, feeling a bit on edge at how the atmosphere was slipping back into the same dangerous territory as it had on Saturday night.
"For a hobby, remember?" She smirked up at him. "Girls are not a hobby."
"I wasn't…!"
"Uh huh," she sounded unconvinced but she was still smiling. "Come on, we need to find somewhere to start. Does anything catch your eye? Books? Craft store? There's a model shop over there…" She started pointing at the various storefronts around them.
Ryouga sighed and looked at the shops she was pointing out. Reading was more of a means to an end for him. Usually he read camping or survival guides, but that was more practicality than a hobby. Crafts? He had tried whittling several times and could never seem to get his fingers to translate what he saw in his mind into a physical object. Models? They were colorful and appealing, but… it felt like he would need to be more sure of having a regular home that he could find his way back to so he could display them. He sighed heavily and shook his head.
"No?" Nabiki shrugged. "No worries. Plenty of other stuff here, I'm sure."
Ryouga looked around as well, but didn't really see the point of it. Generally, when he had free time, he trained. He just didn't see the point of a lot of the time wasters other people indulged in. Though, to be fair, he was still not accustomed to how much free time having a home he could get back to would open up for him.
He caught a glimpse of a music shop out of the corner of his eye with several instruments displayed in the window - including a violin. He remembered the dream that Ranma had interrupted and, for a moment, visualized the redhead solemnly playing the instrument. Nah. Definitely not her style.
"See something interesting in the music shop?" Nabiki asked, with a raised eyebrow.
"Huh? Oh, uh no, just…" He rubbed the back of his head. "Just something about a dream I had. I don't know anything about music."
"That's not the point," Nabiki chided him. "Does it interest you?"
"I don't know? I like listening to music… sometimes… if a radio is already on…" He sighed. "I'm sorry, I'm not helping much." He frowned as a thought came to him. "Well… wait, what do you do for a hobby?"
"Me?" Nabiki sounded genuinely surprised.
"Yeah. It might give me some ideas."
"Well… uhh…" Nabiki looked genuinely uncertain a moment. She sighed and took a deep breath. "Don't you dare make fun. It's photography."
Ryouga blinked. "Oh… uhh, I guess that's kind of obvious…"
Nabiki scowled. "No! Not like the pictures I take for the idiots at school!" she huffed. "Well… that's part of it, but really that just gives me an excuse to take pictures."
"Hang on… are you trying to tell me you started taking lewd pics of Ranma to feed your photography habit?" Ryouga gave her a skeptical look.
"No, of course not, but…" Nabiki fidgeted. "... I mean, it's part of it though? Getting good shots in bad lighting or the action shots of you guys fighting… it was a challenge that I enjoyed."
"Isn't it all 'point and click' now with digital cameras and stuff?" Ryouga asked. He was a bit of a dope when it came to technology, but cameras and outdoorsmanship went hand in hand and he had absorbed some knowledge just by osmosis from all of the camping journals.
"I don't use digital cameras. I prefer the mechanics of doing as much of it as possible manually," Nabiki replied. She tugged his hand and started to guide him towards a nearby camera shop. "Come on, I'll show you."
000
Himura was in a good mood.
Oh, naturally she always maintained an outward air of cheer - it was part of her public persona, after all. But today it wasn't at all difficult to keep up the smile. All of the pieces of her master plan were finally starting to fall into place.
She was flanked by Omi and Sanae as she walked down the hall toward the lab where the chemistry club met. With the exception of a few limited holdouts, most of the school's clubs had been more than cooperative, especially the non-sports clubs. After years of neglect under Tatewaki Kuno, Himura's recognition and attention had made them almost eager to do her bidding.
Which was why Himura had granted them more equitable treatment, of course.
The club members were hunched over their various experiments, only glancing up as she walked in. She noticed they no longer scrambled to conceal their various projects, despite many of them being quite obvious contraband. To be fair, a good number of those projects were being done at her behest now.
"Madam President…" The club leader walked up and bowed deeply, his oversized, heavy framed glasses nearly slipping off his face. "It… it is an honor to see you!"
Himura smiled pleasantly. "The honor is all mine, Matsuda-san," she bowed in return. "I've just come to check on your progress, if I might?"
"Ah, yes!" he said, his bright response telling Himura she could expect good news. "We've been poring over these recipes you've acquired for us. The compounds that resulted have qualities I've never seen before. The possible applications…!"
"... Will most likely make us both quite wealthy upon graduating high school, yes?" Himura finished with a smirk. "I am glad they meet with your approval, though these are merely the least of the secrets I've wheedled from my Chinese friends. However, my inquiry is one of a more… practical nature. Is the first batch prepared?"
Matsuda's face fell a little. He pushed his glasses up nervously. "Ah… yes… yes it is. H-however…"
"'However'?" Himura asked sweetly, cocking her head. There was no need for any threat in her voice yet - his own nervousness was doing the job for her.
"Y-yes, well…" He beckoned her to follow. "Several of the steps employed idioms that even our Chinese-speaking members were unfamiliar with… that, coupled with the ingredient substitution, particularly the primary ingredient…"
"I understand the difficulties. This is why I brought it to you - to see if such substitutions could be made to work," Himura said reassuringly. "Were you able to produce a viable prototype?"
He took a deep breath and sighed. "A-as far as we can tell, we believe that it matches the description the scroll gives of what the final product should be like. However… there is the matter of testing." He swallowed. "Current law doesn't allow live animal testing and the school rules certainly have forbidden keeping live animals for that purpose, so… we haven't been able to test the final product…"
Himura held up a hand. "Matsuda-san, Matsuda-san, please. You've already done all that I asked of you. Testing is something for which I have other resources." She smiled at him benevolently.
"Y-you… you aren't…." He took a deep breath. "You aren't going to use these things to hurt people, are you?"
Himura was almost impressed that the mousey young man had managed the inquiry. Of course, such things were to be expected and only provided her an opportunity to increase his confidence in her. "Matsuda-san, I am happy to hear this from you. Truly!" She held up a finger. "As the granddaughter of the head of Tanaka Pharmaceuticals, ethics must always be at the forefront of our minds as we forge ahead to make these advances in our understanding of the human condition. Such moral fibre will serve you well with my grandfather's company, I think."
He blinked and a wide smile spread across his face. "T-truly!?"
"Of course!" she assured him. It wasn't even a lie, though perhaps the position might not be as prestigious as he was imagining. Still, there was always a place for someone who could follow directions and not ask too my questions - especially with such… uncertain source material. "Please trust in me, Matsuda-san. Now… the prototype?"
He took a deep breath and nodded. "We have two for each of the 'packets' you provided. We had a couple of failures to start, but we still have two packets of each type for further potions. We were going to go ahead with trying to refine the process once… once you had evaluated the prototypes."
"I'm presuming the last two packets of the twelve I gave you were testing the effects yourselves?" Himura asked with a smirk.
"I…" Matsuda blushed and ducked his head. "W-we heard of such things… most of us have seen Saotome change, after all, b-but…"
She reached out and gently pinched his chin, her voice dropping into a low purr. "I do hope you documented it? I imagine you made quite an adorable girl, Matsuda-san."
His shudder and deep blush confirmed her suspicions. I DO hope your results justify me letting that little indiscretion pass, Matsuda-san. "You do understand the importance of keeping such knowledge discreet, yes?" She released his chin.
"O-of course!" He nodded quickly. "W-we fully documented our findings, i-if you wish a copy…"
She waved her hand. "The effects of the ingredient are well known but I appreciate that it was not simple curious indulgence on your part. Now… about the other items I asked you to prepare?"
"I've… sent the samples of the other formula to the Airsoft Club as requested," he said nervously. "I… have some concerns about the formula, though… The potential of such a fast-acting paralytic to cause cardiac arrest…!"
"It's been thoroughly demonstrated to have no lasting effects by the creator. The difficulty has always been with the delivery method. In its original powdered form it was far too indiscriminate. I have high hopes that your intravenous suspension will be much more useful." She clapped her hands. "Just think of the applications Matsuda-san!"
"I… understand that. I just… should this be something we're developing at high school?" Matsuda looked nervous.
"We just need to provide a proof-of-concept to my grandfather. I assure you this will all undergo exhaustive testing before we ever consider using any of this on a human subject." Himura patted his shoulder reassuringly. "And… your name, as well as the names of your club members, will be the ones getting full credit for the development."
He let out a deep sigh. "That is… you don't know how reassuring that is to hear, Madam President. For… for a moment…"
"Were you worried I was going to load up a bunch of airsoft rifles with this and rampage across Nerima?" She folded her arms and gave him a playfully skeptical look. "I must admit to being somewhat dismayed, Matsuda-san! I find your lack of faith disturbing."
Her shook his head. "Not at all, Madam President! I… even if you were using it for that, you've done so much to earn our loyalty… we are fully committed to supporting you. But I am still relieved to hear that."
"I appreciate that," she said with a nod. "Might I collect those prototypes from you now? I will see about delivering more packets to you once we have some feedback from testing."
"Of course!" He smiled and scurried off to the locked back room.
Sanae leaned over and whispered in Himura's ear. "You do realize he knows too much, darling?"
"Oh, of course," Himura murmured back. "But for now it's fine. We already have more than enough to ensure he remains loyal - even if he has misgivings. He'll learn to look the other way soon enough if he wishes to remain useful. And if not… well, he is so very concerned about testing… He could always make himself useful that way, hmmm?"
Her smile never wavered.
000
Nabiki nodded approvingly as they stepped into the shop. Most camera stores she had come across these days were glorified cell phone stores that had a shelf set aside for a few dusty, lonely digital cameras, or they were high-end stores for professionals that carried only the latest, greatest and priciest.
Her first glimpse of this shop, though, reassured her greatly. In the back she could see a door labeled 'Darkroom' with a red light over it. She could also see behind the clerk's desk what looked like a high-end film processing machine. There were racks of film for sale, as well as display cases that held a wide variety of film cameras and accessories of every vintage. There were digital cameras too, of course, but she felt this shop fell right into the sweet spot of the hobby for her.
"I'll need to remember this place…" she murmured to herself appreciatively. She wandered over to the used camera displays, where there was a table with a number of the lower end cameras, and a locked glass case that contained a selection of higher end models, as well as lenses, filters and other accoutrements.
"So… why use a film camera?" Ryouga asked. "I mean, not that I know much either way…"
"Yes, you and Ranma are luddites, I know," Nabiki replied, grinning at him. "Honestly? There's not really a concrete reason. I'm sure there are some high-end photographers who have specific needs and probably a huge roiling debate about it all. But that's not why I use film." She picked up an old SLR and peeked through the viewfinder at him.
"So… why do you?" he asked.
She clicked the shutter then lowered the camera, unconsciously thumbing the lever to wind it despite there being no film in it. "It was something Mom used to love," she said, popping the back of the camera open to examine the internals. "She took photography in University, just for fun. She'd spend hours just sitting in the backyard trying to get good pictures of the most ordinary-seeming things, like a bird perched in a tree near the pond, or the wash on the line as the sun shone through the sheets. I remember asking her what the funny box was and why she kept pointing it at everything." She chuckled and put the camera down. "Photography kind of became our thing, like cooking was for her and Kasumi, or martial arts for Akane and Daddy."
Ryouga nodded silently, listening.
"Back then we only really had film cameras. Mom even developed some of her own pictures - mostly just black and white ones. I used to love when I finished a roll of film. It's like it became a little treasure chest, with no way to know what was really inside until you developed it. And even then, developing the film felt like you were a rogue in a dungeon; in the dark room, moving the film to the developer in the dark, working with your hands like some adventurer picking the lock of a chest. One wrong move, if just a little light leaked in, the treasure was lost forever. But once you had it in you would get to learn all its secrets. Some of those pictures were on that roll for days or weeks before I developed them. I got to rediscover them all over again." She picked up another camera, examining the settings. "There's so much artistry to it… You can know all there is to know about settings and light levels… try and frame everything perfectly… and then there's the moment. Maybe it's a small thing, like a leaf falling from a tree, or… or the look of joy on your sister's face as she holds up her first training dogi. Sometimes it's something huge like… like someone's very last smile…" Her voice grew quiet. "And you don't have time to be perfect, you just have to reach out and grab that moment. And you can't know what you actually captured until you open that treasure chest." She looked up at him. "That's what photography is for me. As much as I misuse it for silly things like blackmail or feeding the pervs at school." She sighed. "God… I'd kind of forgotten all of that stuff…"
Ryouga gave her a lopsided smile. "It's… not what I was expecting, I admit. I thought it was going to be something about how it's cheaper."
Nabiki rolled her eyes. "Oh god no! Film isn't cheap, and the developing costs… Then there's the hassle of actually finding a place that can do it these days. It's a dying art. Hana was the first person I met who actually knew what an 'F-stop' was…" she trailed off. She remembered how Hana had aspired to be a photographer for the student newspaper and to make a name for herself… only to find that no one cared. Nabiki had found her cradling her beat up old hand-me-down camera and it had sparked a conversation that had led to a friendship, and then a partnership.
Hana WAS my friend… maybe I lost sight of that, Nabiki thought glumly. We had two things in common - photography and ambition. I guess the latter won out for both of us.
"So… what is an 'F-stop'?" Ryouga asked.
"It's… a lot of technical jargon," Nabiki said with a heavy sigh. "You probably wouldn't be interested in it."
"Hey, just because no one ever actually explained it to me doesn't mean I wouldn't find it interesting," Ryouga protested. "That was the point, right? I'm here to learn about your hobby to see if anything catches my interest."
Nabiki blinked at him. She smiled slightly, feeling uncharacteristically shy. Photography was personal, after all.
She removed the lens from the camera she was holding. "All right, we'll start with the basic anatomy of a camera. This is an SLR - that's 'single lens reflex' - camera; there are other types, but if you're doing any serious photography you'll usually end up with one of these. The lenses are interchangeable, and the shutter here protects the film from accidental exposure so you can swap them on the fly. When you take a picture, this shutter opens for a brief instant to expose the film, which is treated with a light-sensitive chemical that reacts to capture the image. The lens itself also has a setting on it, called the Aperture, that determines how much light is let in." She flipped the camera over and popped open the back. "The film is loaded on these rollers and each crank of this lever advances it one frame. So you crank the film forward, set your shutter speed and the aperture depending on how much light you have, what kind of film you're using and whether it's a still shot or something that's moving, then take your shot, crank to the next frame and repeat."
"Sounds… complicated," Ryouga said. "And… What's an 'F-stop'?"
Nabiki chuckled. "That's a couple more lessons in, Ryo. It's basically the setting for your aperture. We haven't even gotten to film ISOs yet."
"Film ISOs?" Ryouga repeated, confused.
"You ever see those numbers after the film, like 'ISO 400' or so?" She cocked her head. "No? Ugh… Well, it's roughly like this: A higher number means the film can capture an image faster and with less light, but the picture itself is granier. So for really crisp, clean images you need a low ISO - but for those pictures to come out, you need whatever you're shooting to stay still and for there to be a lot of light."
"So for shooting something fast-paced, like a martial arts duel, you'd go for a higher ISO?" Ryouga asked tentatively.
"Exactly!" Nabiki beamed at him. "You and Ranma in particular had me going through ISO 1000 like it was going out of style." She trailed off a moment. "Which… I guess it has. Nevermind! All this stuff is there with digital cameras too, of course, but most people just let the automation handle it for them. And they end up with mediocre drek for pictures. The mechanics are all the same, it's just an imaging chip rather than a piece of film."
"Sounds like a lot of stuff to juggle, especially if you gotta snap a pic right away," Ryouga said.
"Exactly," Nabiki grinned. "That's the challenge. Sometimes you don't have time to do the math. You just have to wing it - to go with your gut and take the shot. I always liked that… the skill and precision set against the element of unpredictability."
"Describes you pretty well, actually," Ryouga noted wryly.
Nabiki blinked as she felt a momentary rush of heat to her cheeks and looked away quickly. "Y-yeah, well… Me and photography… we're both complicated so I can easily understand why people aren't willing to deal with either of us."
Ryouga picked up a camera and examined it. "I dunno, I kinda like complicated things."
Nabiki's eyes widened, and her blush spread rapidly. She wondered if he realized that he had echoed her words from Saturday night, which had been a fairly blatant come-on from her.
Ryouga didn't seem to notice, carefully examining the old camera in his hands.
She closed her eyes and slapped her cheeks in an effort to wrestle her emotions back under control. Stupid! You're getting carried away! She sighed, realizing that opening up about her beloved hobby had undermined her usual armor of cynicism. Ryouga's guileless and honest interest wasn't helping much either.
She decided to let that slide for now.
"So… what's it take to get into this?" Ryouga asked. "Are the cameras expensive?"
Nabiki was surprised again. "You… you seriously want to get into photography?"
Ryouga rubbed the back of his head. "Well… I mean… you wouldn't believe the number of times I've been out in the middle of nowhere and seen something and thought 'Man, I wish I had a camera!'. And… what you said earlier, about a roll of film being kind of like a treasure chest… I kinda like that concept." He shrugged. "I don't remember half the places I've been. It would be kind of cool to get back after wandering, develop a few rolls of film and have those reminders. And if it works without batteries, all the better."
Nabiki raised an eyebrow. "That's… actually a really good point. I guess you're often too far from civilization for a regular digital camera to be of much use with how fast they can chew through batteries." She looked across the table. "We could get you an older model. It would still need batteries for the light meter but those would last for years…" She picked up an old Fujica-brand and frowned. "Ugh, not a 701… We need something that uses a battery that's still made in this century, though…"
"A-are they expensive?" Ryouga asked nervously as the middle Tendo started shopping.
"Not really. There are lots of decent old cameras and not a lot of demand anymore. We could get you a decent old SLR and some lenses to get you started for…" She trailed off as her eyes lit on one in the locked glass case. "... Warrflgh…!"
"I… I'm sorry? How much?" Ryouga leaned in, trying to hear.
Nabiki pushed past him and nearly ran to the case. "A Leica M6! I've always wanted one of these! They're impossible to find for less than…" Her eyes dropped to the price tag and her face fell. "… 800,000 yen… yeah… about there actually." She sighed and let her head thunk against the glass.
"There are cameras that go for that much?" Ryouga asked in a slightly hushed voice.
"Not many anymore," Nabiki replied. "This is different though. Lecias are like the Ferrari of film photography and it's hard to find one that's in pristine condition like this." She gave him a reassuring smile "Don't worry, I can probably get you started for… 20,000 yen for everything?"
Ryouga sighed heavily. "That's… that's not a lot better for me, you know," he muttered.
Nabiki rolled her eyes. "Right, right, Martial Arts skill goes hand in hand with total lack of money management, I forgot." She rubbed the bridge of her nose, considering. "Are you serious about wanting to try this?"
"I… uhh…" Ryouga rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah. I mean, it sounds interesting anyway. I can take some part time jobs and…"
"Chump change," Nabiki cut him off. She looked at him and gave him an appraising look. "… Tell you what. I'll loan you my spare camera to get you started, and I'll find you a job that pays enough for you to get your own in no time, but I get a percentage. Deal?"
"Woah, hold on!" Ryouga held up his hands. "What kind of job?"
Nabiki's old smirk returned in full force. "What's the matter, Ryo? Don't you trust me?"
"No?" he said.
Nabiki tsked then folded her arms. "Full disclosure? I don't know what the job is yet because I have to find it. But I guarantee I can find something that pays better for your skill-set than anything you'd find." She extended her hand. "Plus I'll give you veto if it's not something you like - so you aren't going to get roped into something humiliating or unethical… as high-paying as those could be. Call it a 'Talent Agent' arrangement, if you like. Fair?"
Ryouga scowled, then a look of sudden inspiration crossed his face. "Shake first. Then I decide if I agree," he said, extending his own hand but leaving her to make contact. He gave her his own confident smirk.
Nabiki frowned then suddenly realized what he was up to. "You sneaky… You're going to use the Link to see if I'm lying to you!"
Ryouga's grin broadened. "Yeah, I am. Makes a pretty good lie detector. Is that a deal breaker for you, Ms. Tendo?"
Nabiki scowled at him, then clasped his hand firmly. She could feel how smug he was through the Link. "I was always on the up and up. You lot just never read the fine print or asked for details. But… fine. Trust me now?"
"Seems like a good deal, sure," Ryouga replied, shaking her hand once firmly then letting go.
"Hmph. It's a better deal than you'll get literally anywhere else," she said haughtily. She turned and headed back out of the store, fishing her phone out of her pocket.
"Thought you'd be the first to say something about 'If it seems too good to be true…'" Ryouga replied, following her.
"Oh, it's hardly that. That's part of the problem with all of you - your assessment skills are terrible," Nabiki replied flippantly, tapping away at a text message. She glanced over her shoulder at him. "And you're not always going to have something like the Link to let you cheat around it. Sometimes trust is a leap of faith, Ryouga."
"That… doesn't sound like you at all," Ryouga replied skeptically.
"It's absolutely like me," Nabiki replied. "I just don't have a lot of faith to waste, so I prefer to verify as much as possible first. Speaking of which…" she hit 'send' on the message… "you and I have an appointment to see Dr. Tofu. Ranma will meet us there. We need to verify what we actually did with the Link and see if maybe the good Doctors can use that to help you."
000
"You what?!"
Nerima was decidedly short of adults that Ranma respected enough to actually pay any heed when they scolded her. Doctor Tofu, however, was one of them. She found herself unconsciously shrinking back a little and feeling a pang of shame.
"We didn't do anything on purpose, Doc," Ranma said defensively. She had hopped up onto Tofu's examination table. Ukyou, Akane and Shampoo sat off to the side while Ryouga and Nabiki, the latecomers, were forced to stand.
Tofu waved Ranma off, seeming almost irritable. "No, no, I'm not mad, Ranma, I'm just…" He tapped his chin as his brow furrowed in thought. "If the changes to Nabiki's ki are permanent… maybe it doesn't show up under individual examination…" He looked up. "The three of you, over here. Stand in a circle holding hands please, backs outward."
Ranma hopped down from the table and walked over, giving the two of them a sheepish grin. "I guess we're in trouble?" she said, holding out her hands to them.
"That's hardly new territory for you, Ranma," Nabiki replied with a snort, taking her hand. It was reassuring for Ranma to feel Nabiki's strong undercurrent of confidence when the link surged to life as they made contact.
"Yeah, but I ain't the one in trouble this time." Ranma winked at her, then took Ryouga's hand.
Nabiki reached out and took Ryouga's other hand, then closed her eyes.
Ranma could feel both their presences. There was a kind of flow to being in a circle like this, like an active circuit - a tingle of moving energy that wasn't really electrical, but was still definitely some kind of current. She could feel Dr. Tofu moving behind her, probing a few spots on her back, and then moving on.
"Hmmmnn… Ki is definitely circulating between you… I see! I missed the change because it's a subtle shift between the three of you…" He continued to mutter to himself. "This is interesting… and you are all three able to sense one another's moods through this?"
"Yeah," Ryouga said.
"Actually," Nabiki piped up, "It doesn't always need physical contact if one of us is feeling something intensely enough…"
Ranma winced as she remembered Ryouga's near meltdown.
Tofu's head popped up over Ryouga's shoulder. "Really? No, no, that would make sense for Ryouga or Ranma… you would all be attuned to each other's Ki, and if they started broadcasting…" he paused. "Ryouga didn't…!"
Ryouga rolled his eyes. "I avoided being a bomb, Doc. Thanks for the vote of confidence towards my self control."
"But you were upset?" Doctor Tofu didn't wait for an answer, rubbing his chin as he paced around them. "When we suppressed Nabiki's Ki with the herb… that's right, you were on either side of her, like an electrical current run through a resistor." He snapped his fingers. "With your resistance lowered so much, the flow was mostly unimpeded. It's the circulation that did it, between the three of you! That constant wash of ki must have somehow caused your body to become attuned to their energy in an incredibly short span." He considered. "But just a flow of ki wouldn't be enough, or we'd end up with patients attuning to their doctors all the time. It must be something unique… something about that ability Ryouga said he had to form such a link in the first place…" He resumed probing. "Ranma, Nabiki, have either of you had any directional problems since this started?"
"Directional…" Ranma frowned, then her eyes widened. "Wait… you're not suggesting that the curse is contagious?!" She felt a sudden surge of fear, eyes snapping to Nabiki. I can handle getting lost and having to camp out in the woods, but Nabiki…!
"I haven't had any symptoms," Nabiki replied, glancing at Ryouga.
Ranma felt a surge of guilt and worry from Ryouga, his gaze alternating between Nabiki and her. She gave his hand a gentle squeeze to reassure him.
"No, I'm not," Tofu said. "Which is unusual, because there doesn't seem to be any barrier to ki flow between the three of you now, which would suggest Ryouga's 'poisoned' ki should circulate as well. But… there's no trace of it. There has been nothing in either of your MRI scans either." He paused and considered. "It's possible that, because the ki is malignant, it is not attuned to Ryouga's natural Link-forming talent. It seems to be invisible to Ryouga's own body - but Ranma's ki strongly suppresses it with exposure, almost like an immune response to a tumor. Not enough to excise it by itself, but…" He glanced at Nabiki. "With three of you now to create a circular flow… hmmm…"
"W-wait… have you got something, Doc?" Ryouga asked nervously.
"We would need to suppress Ryouga's ki levels the same way we suppressed Nabiki's. Leave the poisoned foreign ki exposed as much as possible, and boost Ranma and Nabiki's levels as much as is safe…" He looked at Nabiki. "You've been training with Cologne, yes? Yes, of course, I can feel the change. Still, it would take weeks to get your levels high enough naturally."
Akane timidly raised her hand. "Doctor Tofu?"
"Hmmm? Yes Akane?" Tofu raised his head, giving the youngest Tendo a smile.
"You would need a lot of ki to cure Ryouga, right?"
"Yes… More than Ranma alone can produce safely," Doctor Tofu replied. "There are ways to increase one's ki production temporarily, but…"
"What if we added another person to the Link?" Akane asked, earning startled looks from Ukyou and Shampoo.
Doc Tofu cocked his head. "Well… I mean, theoretically, yes, but at this point that would result in a permanent emotional bond to Ranma, Ryouga, and now Nabiki, and I doubt they would welcome either myself or Doctor Hirano, even if Doctor Hirano had the requisite ki levels…"
"I mean me, Doctor," Akane added quietly.
Doc Tofu blinked, then glanced at Ranma, Ryouga and Nabiki. "I… Well… yes, you would bring a considerable amount of ki to the equation that would…"
Ranma's eyes widened as she felt a sudden surge of surprise and… happiness from Ryouga. She looked at him, her eyes narrowing. You're STILL not over her, are you?! Even after all of this are you STILL getting your hopes up about her!? You JERK! Her grip on his hand tightened enough to have been painful for anyone else but him, but naturally he didn't even notice.
"Hold up! If Akane is joining the Link, then so am I!" Ukyou said, standing quickly and clenching her fists.
"Shampoo join too!" Shampoo stood next to her.
"Now hold on, girls!" Tofu held up his hands. "While I appreciate your willingness to help, please understand what you're suggesting. This… 'link' that Ranma, Ryouga and now Nabiki share is an unknown quantity. All that we do know is that it is something that - barring some unknown future development - will affect you for the rest of your lives. You won't just be linked to Ranma or Ryouga, you will each be linked to them and each other. There is no turning it off, no going back once this procedure is over with. We can't even be sure what the long term effects of having that many people linked to each other would be!"
"We know, Doc," Akane said softly. "We've… we've already been discussing it."
"You have?" Doctor Tofu glanced at each of them, a perplexed expression on his face.
"We… uhh… We figured this might be necessary at some point," Nabiki said quickly. Ranma realized that she was covering for the fact that Doctor Tofu wasn't up to speed on all the relationship wrinkles. We'll have to let him in on it all at some point, but… UGH that's going to be an awkward conversation...
"That's… remarkably prescient of you," Doctor Tofu said, chuckling weakly. "I don't suppose you've predicted any other possible treatment steps?"
"Would it work, Doctor Tofu?" Akane asked again sternly.
Doctor Tofu blinked. He studied the determined set of her jaw a moment, then sighed and relaxed. "To be honest? It would probably be our best option. It would almost undoubtedly be the safest - the only other alternative I could think of would be to train Nabiki to increase her ki levels, and even then it would take an extended period of time and likely require dosing both her and Ranma with some rather unsafe compounds to accelerate their ki production temporarily. Even if we were to assume all five of you were in the link together, Ryouga's own ki must be dampened, which will require a potentially dangerous dosage of the herb I previously used on Nabiki."
"Is this dangerous to any of them at all?" Ryouga asked. Ranma could feel a surge of what she believed was protectiveness from Ryouga. Ryouga's still trying to protect Akane, even after all this, huh?
Doctor Tofu glanced at him. He sighed, pulling his glasses off and polishing them with a corner of his gi in an unconscious mimicry of Dr. Hirano. "No significant dangers that we know of, but there are so many unknowns with this that it's hard to say for certain. I would want to monitor the process and each participant closely to be sure."
Ryouga nodded. "Will this get us a cure that will help my Mother faster?"
Doctor Tofu paused, then sighed heavily, putting his glasses back on. "Almost without question. Even if this method isn't applicable, the data we can glean from six subjects rather than just two…"
"Then… then let's do it," Ryouga looked at the three girls. "If… if you're really willing."
Ranma felt a surge of apprehension as the distant possibility of the entire Fiancee Brigade joining the Link went from nebulous possibility to near-immediate certainty. "Hold on, hold on!" Ranma protested. She let go of Nabiki's hand and tugged Ryouga's. "Ryouga, can we talk a sec? In private?"
"Wha…? Hey!" Ryouga reacted too slowly for the redhead, and she resorted to simply dragging him bodily outside by the hand.
"What's the big idea, Ranma?!" Ryouga said as Ranma dragged him out of the building. He snatched his hand back, breaking the Link for the moment.
"Someone has gotta think this through for ya!" Ranma huffed. She wasn't exactly sure why she was suddenly annoyed with him, but she was. "You… you can't just go jumping into this! Think about it! You're talking about being Linked with five girls. An' none of 'em is Akari! Isn't this gonna screw things up with you an' her?"
"I know, but…" Ryouga sighed. "The Link only really applies if I come in contact with one of you, right? If we cure the curse, then I won't need an Anchor anymore. I'll be able to find my way, and I can get out of your lives!"
Ranma blinked and took a step back. She felt a cold stab in her gut. "S-so… that's why you're so eager, huh? You wanna get away from me that bad?"
"What? No! I..." Ryouga closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Damnit, Ranma… you need me out of your life!" He stepped forward and took hold of her shoulders. "Listen to yourself! Five girls. You're not even qualifying it anymore! When was the last time you were a guy, huh?"
"I… last week… sometime…" Ranma said weakly, realizing she didn't clearly remember.
"Uh huh. I can't tell because I haven't seen guy Ranma for a lot longer. I don't know about you, but that's messing with my head and it's gotta stop!" He sighed heavily. "Look, go inside, change into your spare guy clothes and get some hot water, and let's discuss this man to man, okay?"
"I… uh… can't," Ranma said, looking away and fidgeting nervously.
"What? Again!? Why?!" Ryouga said, scowling.
"I used the soap, okay?" Ranma glared back at him defiantly. "I decided I wanted to use it now for the Wednesday game so I could change back right after!"
"Ranma…" Ryouga closed his eyes, a pained look crossing his face. "God damnit…"
"Hey! It's my curse! I decide how I wanna deal with it, and which form I wanna be in!" Ranma replied hotly, pulling away from him. "It's still me! Who I am doesn't change! They understand that!" She waved towards the clinic. She poked him in the chest, forcing him back a step. " And you do too! You were the first guy to get it! You were the first guy who didn't treat me any differently because of my form! If you're having 'issues', then they're with me, not with my body! Nothing changed with that part of me."
"That's even worse!" Ryouga protested.
"Why? Because the person you've been sharing feelings with is a guy?" Ranma put her hands on her hips, her ire rising. She felt… offended, even though some small part of her was wailing in sympathy with Ryouga's distress.
"No! That's not it! I mean…" Ryouga took a shuddering breath. "Are you? A guy, I mean."
Ranma opened her mouth, but he cut her off.
"Don't give me the pat answer, Ranma." His eyes were dark and intense as he stared her down. "I've been inside your head… way more than anyone should be. And… and after seeing Nabiki's mind too… You have been changing. In your head. Not a bad change but…" He ran his fingers through his hair as he struggled for the words. "I… I'm scared that it's my fault. That… that being linked to me is… is pushing you somehow. Like… you're changing to be what I need you to be. And I haven't done anything about it because I did need you. T-to cure the curse, I mean!"
Ranma set her jaw. For some reason Ryouga framing needing her as a bad thing hurt more than she expected. "And now you see a way outta needing me, huh? Got some better options? I mean hey, now you can finally get into Akane's head, right? That's even better than sleeping in her bed I bet!"
"What?!" Ryouga's expression darkened with old anger for a moment, but then it was replaced with a more confused, inquisitive look. "... Wait, are you jealous?"
Ranma felt heat rise in her cheeks. "Oh, gee, why would I be jealous?! Felt like you won the lottery when she offered, didn't it? Bet you…"
"Are you jealous because you're being possessive of her?" He asked, cutting her off. "... Or possessive of me?"
Ranma's rant died in her throat. She opened her mouth to reply, then snapped it shut. "I… I… don't be stupid!" She turned away quickly. She forced a laugh that she didn't feel. "You're… you're getting real full of yourself there, pig-boy. Even if I was inta guys, you'd have a better chance with Akane than you would with me!" She whirled back to face him. "And just to be clear, so you and your stupid glass heart get this once and for all, your chances with her are nil!"
"Okay, okay…" he held up his hands defensively, taking a step back. "I get it, okay?" He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Fine, I'm not totally over Akane. Maybe I never will be. That doesn't mean I have any delusions of anything happening. I gave up on that a long time ago." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "So… I'm guessing you don't want to go through with all of this?"
"I…" Ranma found she didn't have a good answer. After all, it was the fastest way to solve the problem, and she was always inclined to take the shortest route to a solution. What am I even objecting to this for? This gets me'n Ryo out of each other's hair the fastest, he can fix things with Akari an'... Her train of thought trailed off as she felt a pang at that.
"L-look… I… I just wanna make sure you know what you're in for," Ranma said after a moment. "The girls are… intense. An'... they got some boundary issues. An'... Akari was understanding about you an' me, but this is a lot to ask her to be okay with, so I just wanna make sure you aren't taking that for granted. That's all."
"I won't get in between you and your…" Ryouga struggled for a word that wouldn't set the redhead off. "... family, I promise. And… I'll find some way to repay all of you for doing this for me."
"Y-yeah…" Ranma said quietly. Now that the irrational surge of anger had died down, she felt an odd… emptiness? Like she had been wanting something else from all of this.
"So… are we good?" Ryouga asked tentatively. "We should probably talk with Doc Tofu to hash out details."
"Yeah…" Ranma said, subdued. "Yeah, we're good."
Ryouga nodded. He hesitated a moment, as if he wanted to say something more, then turned to head back in.
"Ryo…" Ranma said to his back. "We're… we're still friends, right? Past all of the Link nonsense and you needing me to fix the curse and alla that?"
Ryouga paused. He looked over his shoulder at her and smiled. "Yeah. Always were, Ranma. I'm just really bad at the whole 'friendship' thing." He continued on inside, waving at her to follow.
"Yeah…" Ranma said under her breath. "Me too."
000
So still working through the backlog. I insist on doing a once-over after my editor is done. Because we've had edits, but what about SECOND edits? Re-reads? Review? Panicked, frantic flipping through pages of notes because you realize you've forgotten to address a plot thread you've left dangling too long? Afternoon tea?
Believe it or not I AM building to something here, and it's important all the pieces be in the right place at the right time. I've also been accused of using the Link to fix everything neatly and… in hindsight, that WOULD be a pretty obvious use for a deus ex machina like that, wouldn't it? Yes, that would lead to a very nice, neatly wrapped up ending, wouldn't it?
Shame I didn't think of that.
