Fruits Basket Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Neko's Healing ❯ Acceptance ( Chapter 14 )

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Enjoy!

14- Acceptance

 

Xian Pu glanced about at the people who had moved protectively closer to her new Airen; these cousins of his, and the brown-haired girl with the big, soft eyes. She stared at Tohru for several moments, then nodded her head towards the girl, looking back to Kyo with a question she hoped she already knew at least a partial answer to. “What she, to you?”

 

Her eyes were wary. Kyo had no trouble understanding she was asking if Tohru was her rival for his affections. Unlike Ranma, Kyo had at least been able to watch people interacting while he was growing up; and was therefore nowhere near as socially--inept. Though Ranma was learning better, with help from Tendo Kasumi and his mother.

 

Knowing the story surrounding the Amazon's chase after Ranma, Kyo let his face settle into a gentle, reassuring, and slightly rueful smile, very glad he'd already settled things with Tohru. “She's like my little sister; it's just not by blood.”

 

Xian Pu stared deep into his eyes for several moments, searching. Kyo did his best to let his feelings show on his face; she deserved his honesty, in return for her own. All he really had to do was let her see his eyes...he could never hide his emotions when someone looked into those expressive windows to his soul; not without letting loose every bit of anger he could dredge up, in order to hide behind that intense, distracting emotion. Hardly anyone had ever bothered to look, other than his Shisho, and then Tohru. Not even his mother...

 

Even Tohru couldn't accepted his `true form' as completely as these Amazons had. She was still scared of it, where Xian Pu most definitely was not.

 

Xian Pu looked back to Tohru, seeing only hopeful worry, and a rare innocence in those chocolate-brown eyes. Tohru was very obviously hoping that Xian Pu and Kyo would to be able to form a relationship...

 

Little sister, indeed. Xian Pu's eyes softened, finding the reassurance she needed in both their gazes. Kyo quickly found himself with a very happy Amazon clamped to his arm in a modified GlompTM, being careful not to trigger his neko-curse. She rubbed her cheek against his bicep, almost purring in contentment, while he stared down at her in consternation.

 

After a couple moments, he looked over to Kho Lon, who was downright beaming with happiness even as everyone else sweat-dropped. “Ah...I take it--she's saying, `yes'...?” His expression was a bit bewildered, but with hope showing quite clearly in his eyes. He stared intently at the Matriarch until she nodded.

 

“I'd say we'd better take you two out to the empty lot, so you can get the formalities out of the way.” The old woman cackled merrily, causing neck hairs to rise all about her. “It doesn't look like my great-granddaughter wants to waste any time!”

 

Once again, Shigure found a new lump on his head. He yelped in offended pain, then looked reproachfully up at a glowering Yuki and an amused Kazuma. Glaring a scowl at the karate master, the inu growled in a mock-outraged voice, “Some help you are!” His eyes abruptly teared up as he clasped his hands under his chin and mourned, “Yuki-kun is being so-o-o mean to me...! I wasn't even doing anything!”

 

The inu's expression suddenly went beaming with exaggerated utter happiness as his voice sing-songed out, “And our Kyo-o-o-kun's getting ma-a-a-arried!” Little sparkles and hearts could almost be seen floating about him.

 

The response to his outrageous words was various snorts of amusement from around the room, and the two usual sharp glares from certain house-mates. Shigure sighed long and loudly, one hand to his forehead as he threw his head back, quite theatrically; face set in a the ultimate hammed-up look of long suffering. Crocodile tears poured down his cheeks.

 

Yuki rolled his eyes and once more bopped the inu over the head, though lightly this time. He ignored his older cousin's too-pitiful, mock-wounded look.

 

Kyo looked down in mild distress at the Amazon still happily glomped onto his arm, then over to his shoes; then to the still-cackling Matriarch. Kho Lon took pity on him and called her great-granddaughter away, to prepare for the marriage fight. Kyo gave her a grateful look before quickly finishing dressing.

 

Kho Lon gave Ranma a look, nodding once, before escorting Xian Pu from the room. Mu Tse followed them, still remarkably subdued, considering the supposed love of his life was about to officially marry another man. He gave Ranma an unreadable look as he passed the pig-tailed martial artist, then also nodded, a stray beam of light reflecting sharply from the thick lenses of his glasses as he did so.

 

Ranma then proceeded to once more go over with Kyo the few rules of the coming fight. No holding back; a win was by knock-out, to save Amazon pride from verbally yielding. No killing or crippling moves, naturally.

 

Kyo and Kazuma both nodded in understanding, while Yuki, Tohru, and Shigure wore astonished looks. This was the single strangest `wedding ceremony' they'd ever heard of! The groom had to knock out his bride?! Hadn't the Amazons ever heard of priests, and kissing the bride!?

 

Kyo caught their expressions, and snorted at them in amusement. “Think about it, bakas! The Amazons are a warrior tribe, with the women dominant. It would be insulting to them, especially to Xian Pu as their tribal Champion, to fight at anything less than my best. I have to prove I'm good enough to be an asset to their tribe. Her pride won't let her accept an Outsider mate that's less than she is.”

 

Akane gave a start and stared at the neko; then at Ranma, who was watching solemnly. “I've never looked at it quite like that. I couldn't figure out where that rule came from; I always thought it was stupid. I guess...it does kind of make sense, when you think about it...”

 

Ranma stared into his fiancée's eyes, a small smile softening his face as he nodded.

 

They made small talk for about ten minutes, until the Amazons came back downstairs. Xian Pu was now in her Amazon armor, the well-cared-for boiled leather and silk immaculate. She looked very formidable as she stalked down the steps like a lioness, head high and back straight; red eyes fastened on Kyo, and no one else.

 

The neko caught his fluttering breath as he watched her come, bonbori in hand, every inch the proud warrior. He shivered the instant her eyes caught his and softened, with a quick, small smile that no one else saw, before her face went impassive; a warrior more than ready for the upcoming battle.

 

The neko stood straight and instinctively proud, looking to Kho Lon to lead the way. They all trooped from the Nekohanten and down the street, headed for the nearest vacant lot. All could feel the electricity all but snapping between Kyo and Xian Pu.

 

-.-.-.-

 

Tendo Nabiki stepped from the shadows of an alleyway and watched their backs after the group passed by, her face pensive as she clicked off the directional microphone she'd been listening through. She quickly wrapped up the cords and replaced the camcorder, mic, and earbug in their padded travel case, slinging it by the strap over her shoulder.

 

She'd seen Ranma and her sister meet with those strangers after school, then leave with them. More curious than suspicious, especially remembering what she'd told them recently about her findings on Amazon Law, she'd followed, quickly discerning that the group was indeed headed straight for the Nekohanten.

 

Nabiki's mind had raced with possibilities. Eyes narrowed, she'd considered what she'd seen of the strangers, immediately disregarding the two who were obviously not martial artists. One of the younger men didn't strike her as the type to take his training obsessively, though he moved with that peculiar, graceful precision martial artists got after a few years of training. One of the two more mature men she immediately pegged as a Master; his movements and bearing all screamed it out, to one who knew what she was looking for.

 

It was the orange-haired young man who made her eyes widen with excitement, after a couple moments of puzzled staring at his naggingly familiar way of moving. It was the soft sound of a neko's purr from behind her that made her suddenly think of the Neko-ken--and how Ranma moved, when in its throes...when he wasn't on all fours, anyway. She'd glanced back at the large black neko sitting along the fence, staring straight at her, and smiled in appreciation at its inadvertent jog to her memory.

 

She'd been startled when the neko seemed to wink at her, before casually standing up and sauntering away with a flirtatious twitch to its tail. She'd blinked after it in surprise for several seconds, sweat-dropping, before dragging her mind back to more important matters.

 

Had Saotome Ranma actually managed to find a real, true, Neko-ken Master?!! Nabiki hadn't thought that would be possible!! Was there actually a way to train in that technique, that didn't drive the trainee insane? But--that young man didn't look any older than Ranma...

 

The question foremost in her mind was, could Ranma actually stand to lose to such a person? Nabiki bit her lip, an unaccustomed level of worry--and hope--getting the better of her emotional control, for a moment. She'd never expected Ranma to come up with someone for Shampoo, not this quickly! Nabiki had figured she'd be the one having to dig up someone who could beat Ranma, and take the engagement off his hands. She'd also planned on Ranma vetoing at least the first few she found, simply because he thought of Shampoo as a friend--he'd never allow her to be “foisted off” on somebody who wouldn't treat her right.

 

She should have known, when Ranma and her little sister had returned after a mere week on their `training trip.' She'd expected them to be gone at least a month, when they told her their plan to look for a suitable Airen for Shampoo, and asked her to cover for them. Ranma must have had someone already in mind before they even left.

 

The group hadn't been hurrying via the rooftops like the local martial artists usually did, once they left the school. Nabiki had had enough time to run to the nearest of her lieutenants' houses to pick up some eavesdropping equipment, then arrive outside the Nekohanten just as they entered. She'd been set up and listening from the alley a minute later, hopeful curiosity all but killing her!

 

The Sohma name had given her a start; especially Sohma Shigure. Kasumi owned most of his books, both the romances and the serious works; and Nabiki had taken the time to read, and enjoy, more than one of them. Shigure-san was quite the accomplished author, with a sharp, dry wit laced subtly throughout his works that more than appealed to Nabiki.

 

Though they weren't quite as outlandishly rich as the Kunos, the Sohma family was still very well-to-do. The scent of money was in the air, nearly causing her nose to twitch as she strained to catch every minute sound.

 

Hearing confirmation of her suspicion that Sohma Kyo was a real, true Master of the Neko-ken had nearly caused her to drop her equipment in shock, even if she'd been half-expecting it. She'd seen what happened to Ranma, when he accessed his Neko-ken skills; and she knew how someone was trained for it. Had this Sohma Kyo actually managed to go through that, and stay sane?! Who was his sensei, that could be as stupid as Ranma's father?!!

 

Could Sohma Kyo help Ranma get over the fear of nekos the training had left him with?? That sudden, hopeful thought eclipsed everything else in her mind, for a moment. For her little sister's sake, as well as Ranma's, she truly hoped so. She was so distracted by her own thoughts, she nearly missed hearing Ranma state their reason for being there to Cologne.

 

“He's here to challenge Xian Pu.”

 

Nabiki had gasped out loud at that, her eyes growing to saucer-size. Yes!! The Amazons might no longer be a problem in the very near future! A fierce grin broke across her face.

 

As the explanation to Cologne went on, she'd had to remind herself to breathe. Was Ranma really going to be able to get rid of one of his too-persistent extra fiancées?!! A rival for Shampoo's hand in marriage had to be at least Ranma's equal, for the Amazons to be able by their own Laws to make the switch in Airens...and a true, sane Master of the Neko-ken would be a real good bet. Ranma's ego would be the real sticking point; as he was so fond of saying, “Saotome Ranma don't loose!”

 

Nabiki didn't have time to dwell on it; they were still talking. Information was power, even more than money--and much more addicting, at least in Nabiki's opinion.

 

The Jyuunishi curse on the Sohmas made her quite thoughtful. Her quick mind immediately grasped many of the problems such a curse might have given them, over the centuries--including some of the inter-family ones. Nabiki could easily understand that parents weren't always thrilled to have children born under such a curse. She wasn't able to see the demonstrations of the various curses, not without getting herself caught; but she could tell just from Sohma Kyo's voice, that his bakemono form must be truly vile.

 

Besides...she could smell it, all the way out in the alley. She'd winced in sympathy for him, from that alone.

 

Nabiki had quickly started equating the Sohma Clan Head with Saotome Genma, when she heard that Sohma Kyo was to be locked up after he graduated high school--for the rest of his life. Just because he was born with a curse, something he had no control over! He didn't sound like a bad guy; she knew Ranma more than well enough to know if he was trying to get Shampoo to marry this Sohma Kyo, then Sohma Kyo had to be worthy of her, in Ranma's opinion. The baka was too honorable for his own good; no matter the dirty tricks and coercions the Amazons had tried on him to date, he still thought of them as friends.

 

Saotome Ranma was the single most forgiving person Nabiki had ever known in her entire life. It was probably a good thing, too--she knew what she would have done, in retaliation for some of the things she'd pulled on Ranma! And many of his rivals and fiancées would likely have been hospitalized, at the least, for some of what they'd done.

 

Whispers of what she thought might have happened in China, with Saffron, echoed through Nabiki's mind. No one had come right out and said it, but she was pretty darned sure that Ranma had actually killed a kami, to save her little sister's life. The mere thought sent a shiver of ice down her spine and a tremor into her hands. She quickly buried that thought in the depths of her mind, away from conscious worry. Ranma was still Ranma, after all; even if he was insanely good as a martial artist.

 

With an internal sigh, Nabiki quietly admitted to herself that they'd all certainly deserved retribution from Ranma, many times over. Especially herself...she winced as a memory of exploding food at a certain failed attempt at a wedding flickered across her mind's eye.

 

Luckily, Nabiki wasn't so absorbed in the fascinating byplay inside the Nekohanten that she didn't notice the soft jingle of a certain purple-haired Amazon's bicycle through the soft pattering of the drizzly rain. The mercenary Tendo had time to flatten herself against a shadowed wall before Shampoo walked by with her bicycle, and so remained unseen.

 

She hadn't really needed to see Shampoo's actions to know the manner in which she `checked out' her prospective Airen. The heavier breathing and frequent gulps her mic picked up told her the Amazon had the, er...intense attention of every male in the restaurant. A smirk grew on her face as she used her knowledge of the Amazon to fairly accurately picture what Shampoo was doing to the Neko-cursed Sohma.

 

What she wouldn't have given to have a video pickup in there!! The amusement factor alone would have been worth it, even if she never sold it. She wouldn't risk ticking off the Sohma family, not at the risk of her own family; their Clan Head struck her as the vindictive type, from what she'd just heard of his treatment of his own kin. She doubted he'd be any nicer to complete strangers.

 

Nabiki ducked back again when she heard Ranma's footsteps, realizing he was heading towards the door before he might see a certain couple feline transformations. The pig-tailed martial artist stayed right by the door, senses too preoccupied with happenings inside the Nekohanten to notice a non-threat--or, non-physical threat, anyway--like Nabiki. She figured the presence of felines inside, even if they were really just cursed humans, would keep him from noticing her as long as she stayed quiet. If he did catch her out, well, she'd heard too much now--he'd simply have to include her, in that case.

 

A brief thought of that memory-altering shampoo the Amazons had once used on her little sister crossed her mind, and she quickly plugged her cell phone into the camcorder and sent the recorded data to her e-mail account, along with a brief text message in her own personal code. If her memory were to be erased, that would ensure she could get the important information right back. She set the equipment to automatically squirt the continuing data to her e-mail every three minutes, then focused back on the voices inside.

 

Akane brought Ranma back inside soon after that odd <poof!> noise happened a second time. Nabiki assumed that was the sign of a Jyuunishi curse activating. She nearly forgot to pay attention to her surroundings when Sohma Kyo's bakemono form was released from his seal once more. She found she had to remind herself to breathe; she'd been holding her breath in concerned anticipation of Shampoo's reaction. It was crucial that the purple-haired Amazon accept her new suitor; for everyone's sake!

 

Sohma Kyo had managed to catch her sympathy already, and she didn't even officially know the boy! Nabiki shook her head, smiling wryly. There was now yet another person who would be making her Ice Queen reputation difficult to maintain.

 

She smirked when she heard Ranma's near-strangled “Eeep!”--she'd bet that meant Shampoo's Jusenkyo curse was being demonstrated for the Sohmas. She could almost hear Ranma's Neko-ken-induced shivers through her equipment!

 

It was a real struggle to hold back near-hysterical giggles when Shampoo transformed back from her feline to human. Nabiki just knew the purple-haired Amazon was doing a reversed strip-tease in there, just from the slowness of the rustling of cloth and the brief stop of many breaths--not to mention the racing heartbeats! Hearing what sounded like Sohma Shigure getting bopped again for being hentai made her smirk.

 

From what she'd been able to see of the Sohma males when they met Ranma and Akane at Furinkan, in the looks department they definitely gave even Ranma a real run for the money. She could hardly blame the Amazon for quickly becoming interested in Sohma Kyo!

 

The thought vaguely passed through Nabiki's mind that there was another Sohma in there, that looked roughly her own age...she wondered if the gray-haired young man was with that brown-haired girl--Honda Tohru, hadn't it been...?

 

Nabiki snorted at herself, her smirk widening for a moment in amusement at her own thoughts. She knew she wasn't any more ready to settle down and get married than Akane was; not even if the prospective husband was filthy rich, and gorgeous.

 

The mercenary Tendo knew very well that the Amazons had known Ranma was Akane's for a while now. Jusendo had simply driven the fact home with finality. If they'd truly wanted to, there was no doubt in her mind that Cologne could have overcome Ranma with drugs and/or obscure ancient Amazon martial arts techniques and carted him off to China, will-he, nil-he. She figured the only reason they hadn't done it, was worry over what would happen if he broke free of their control some time in the future. A truly angry Saotome Ranma was a rather scary thought; and there had to be some point where even his temper would finally snap.

 

She'd also figured the only reason they were still hanging around, was the hope that Ranma would figure out a way out of his `marriage' to Shampoo that would save her honor. Nabiki had found that their own tribal Laws forbade them directly telling him how to go about it. Her research had also shown her what Shampoo's likely punishment would be, though, if she returned home without her Airen a second time.

 

Nabiki shuddered slightly. She didn't blame Cologne for not giving up yet. Annoying as her overly bubbly, bouncing `bimbo' act could be, Shampoo didn't deserve either to be locked in her cursed form for the rest of her life, or killed. Nabiki was very glad it looked like Ranma really had managed to find someone who could give an honorable way out for the Amazons.

 

Sighing softly as she watched the group disappear down the street towards the nearest empty lot for the Amazon version of a wedding ceremony, Nabiki carefully shut down her equipment, after being certain the last of the data had been sent for delivery to her e-mail account. She stared at the bag in her hands for a moment, debating if she had time to return it before the fight began...debating if she truly needed to watch that match, much less film it.

 

A smirk covered her face and her feet started forward almost of their own will, carrying her after the group. Her mind quickly agreed with the impulse; no way was she missing this battle! Even if she didn't make any money off it, she personally wanted to see how things turned out. The strap was quickly slung over her shoulder, the bag gripped snugly under her arm as she walked with fast, but quiet steps.

 

Maybe Shampoo would appreciate a tape of the fight as a wedding gift..

 

-.-.-.-

 

I like Nabiki! Even if I actually have more in common with Kasumi; people-relating-wise, anyway. I'm even on the local `untouchable' list, the same way Kasumi is; `cause I'm so automatically helpful to everybody that needs help. You don't mess with me in a bad way, or everybody else will nail ya to the wall--with railroad spikes! Heh. Boy, it's a good thing I don't abuse the privilege of their regard.

 

Usually.

 

At least, not where they might catch me at it... ::snicker::

 

`Til next chapter!