Project A-Ko Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Vampire Hunter (Darkstalkers) Fan Fiction ❯ Nabiki 1/2 (A Very Scary Thought) ❯ My Sister, My Enemy... ( Chapter 120 )

Nabiki 1/2

(A Very Scary Thought)

Written by Jim Robert Bader

Proofread by Shiva Barnwell

Based Upon the Altered Destinies Storyline

Inspired by the works of such fans as

Wade Tritshler

Richard Lawson

James Jones

And Many Others

Standard Disclaimer: This is inspired by the work of Takahashi Rumiko and is not my original creation. All characters belong to her. This is only a fanfictional work, and is not intended to compromise the rights of the original owners, distributors and publishers of the Ranma series. I have no money to spare and would very much appreciate if no one tries to sue me.

"Yes, I believe it can be done, my lady," M'shulla announced after many long minutes of testing the surface of the statue that now rested in the middle of the Tendo yard, "Her spirit still resides within this crystal husk that now surrounds our friend, Yasmina. Give me but a moment to summon the spell and I believe that I can undo the crysalist process…"

"Time is a luxury we may not have, old friend," Ling-Ko replied, "Stand aside, I will use my own means to revive my good friend from her protective hibernation."

"As you wish it, my Queen," M'shulla stepped away and allowed the Blood Mother to step forward.

"Think cousin Ling can pull it off, Sis?" Tsien-Ko asked from where she and the others stood near to the back porch of the Tendo household.

"We're about to see," Mei-Ling replied, "But I know that if she cannot do it, then there is little hope of reviving the delegate of Obsidian tribe, and that could lead to a war on a scale that has not been seen in many human generations."

"Um…mind if I ask something?" Natsumi asked, "What exactly is a Blood Mother anyway?"

Leguire just chuckled softly without humor, "As if a mere human could understand such things. Be silent and watch, you are about to see the true power of a Queen in motion."

The Chinese leader of the Tsiel tribe confronted the statue with an intensity to her expression, then Ling-Ko casually drew her belt knife and cut her palm against the edge, then she ran her palm over the surface of the womanly face and intoned words in a strange, incomprehensible language, punctuating her speech with the words, "The Blood is the Life, so mote it to be. Awaken Yasmina of Obsidian, you are once more needed by your clan and those who love you."

She stepped away and for a few seconds more nothing seemed to happen, but then a strange light began to suffuse the crystalis form and suddenly cracks began to form as flakes of crystal fell away, revealing living flesh that emerged from beneath the crystal.

There were several gasps as Yasmina sloughed off the last chips of stone, then shook her long mane of coal black hair and stretched her arms to revel in her renewal of life and animation. She made a soft mewing sound then parted rosy lips to reveal her fangs, and then she turned to see Ling-Ko standing before her and without hesitation reached out to her, cupping the Chinese vampire by the chin and bringing their lips together in a kiss that was brief-yet-sensual kiss before drawing apart and glancing around at their surroundings.

"What an interesting place this is," the dusky hued Vampiress noted, "The force lines converge here, and they form a very interesting configuration."

"That is why I chose this place," Ling-Ko revealed, "It was the perfect place to stage your revival. It is good to have you back, Yas-chan, I would have sorely missed you had you not made it."

"And glad am I to be back," Yasmina turned her head to take notice of the watching civilians then asked, "And who are they?"

"The woman is the matron who safeguards this place," Ling-Ko indicated Nodoka, "The other two are off-duty police officers. I have given them my word that no harm will befall them, nor shall we allow any to occur to the property itself."

"Interesting," Yasmina turned her head to glance the other way before adding, "I sense another Loire…and a Were is with her. I do not know what to make of the other one, but she appears to be between states, almost more ghost than human."

"Indeed," Ling-Ko said, "An interesting story attends her, but one that even Frank is not sharing."

"Frank?" a beautiful smile lit up the dusky skinned Obsidian woman, "Is he here to offer us his protection?"

"He is away pursuing other duties," Ling-Ko revealed, "But the trio is his, so indulge them for his sake."

"I still don't see why we must wait here until sunrise," Leguire complained, "Standing out here in the open is madness. Our enemy could attack us at any moment, and you have declared the only food source available to be off limits."

"Curb your appetites, youth," Ling-Ko gave the Loire a sharp look, "No one challenges my word, not even the nephew of my old friend, Phillip."

"I didn't say that I was going to bite them," Leguire hastily assured the Blood Queen, "I merely point out that we have all had a hard night and I, for one, am hungry."

"Then wait until we are in a hotel where you can order up room service," Yasmina reprimanded, "A plump maid should satisfy even the likes of you. Now…what have I missed while I was in hibernation…?"

Lenore, who stood apart from all of this with her companions, Chloe and Kiima, murmured softly to the others, "They were talking about us. Can you imagine that? The Blood Mother of the Tsiel was actually looking in our direction…"

"You sound as though you consider her a celebrity," Kiima mused.

"She is," Chloe replied, "Even my tribe has heard about her, the one who brought peace to the warring tribes of central Asia. Of course, Were's don't much get involved in politics as a general rule, and I see no reason to be the exception."

"Nobody's asking you to, Hon," Lenore assured her, "In fact, much as I admire the Blood Queen, I'd prefer to do it from a safe distance, like, say, a continent or two away, especially if somebody's drawing a bullseye on her back…eh? Now who's coming? A couple of mortals?"

"You are half right," Kiima said in her detached tone of voice, "Two of them are mortal…but the third? I find him difficult to read…"

Soun and Genma were both surprised upon finding a group of strange people gathered about in their back yard, and only Nodoka seemed to be at home of all the usual residents of their strange household. Nonetheless, before either man could say more than, "What's this? We have guests?" their diminutive master caught sight of the cute girls in their midst and reacted in character by charging ahead with a cheerful, "HOWZAA!"

All at once Yasmina found something had attached itself to her chest and was rubbing its face against the exposed portions of her anatomy, giving off a happy sigh of, "Oooohhh…what a heavenly bounty! A bit on the cool-to-the-touch side, but I'll bet that there's a warm heart somewhere underneath these beauties!"

"Master…no!" Soun cried out too late.

"The fur is gonna fly over that one," Genma grimly predicted.

The Obsidian Tribal representative was in shock for several seconds, but then Yasmina screamed and struck with a fist at Happosai's noggin, only to have the little man skillfully elude her as he headed towards the next available target, Ling-Ko, who was just as much taken aback at his aggressive display of untoward affections.

"Mmmm…baby! What ripe melons!"

"HEY!" Tsien-Ko surged forward, "What the hell do you think you're doing with my-URK!!!" she gasped as Happosai suddenly found himself nestled between her breasts and happily rubbing himself against them with gleeful abandon.

"These are even better…bit on the blue side, but what creamy texture…!"

"GAK!" Tsien-Ko cried as she tried to pry the little man off of her chest, "Get him off of me! Mei-Ling!"

"Now sister," Mei-Ling chided, "You really shouldn't have this sort of difficulty with-AWP!" she yelped as suddenly Happosai was on her rear end hugging her fanny.

"Man, what wide hips, and such a tight rear…you could crack an egg on this baby…"

"What is he doing?" Leguire cried in outrage.

"Apparently what other men only dream about but lack the courage to attempt," M'shulla noted.

"Oh man," Lenore groaned, "This is bad…way bad…"

"What the heck is that guy doing?" Chloe wondered.

"Playing with fire, obviously," Kiima noted, "Observe how the Queen reacts. I would suggest we take cover very shortly."

"I can't look," Natsumi winced, "Tell me when it's over."

"Let us just hope he doesn't come over here and try to feel us up," Miyuki remarked as she casually cocked her handgun.

Yui was in shock over being randomly fondled by the impossibly swift moving pervert while Miyu seethed in outrage over the casual grope that she had received in passing, but it was Nagi and Larva who bristled the most with righteous indignation. The former drew his sword while the latter raised his arms as each appeared ready to avenge the dishonor paid to their respective princesses.

"Call him off!" Julian called to the Saotomes and Tendo patriarch, "For the love of all the gods of Light and Darkness, call him off right now!"

"Frankly I would like nothing better than to do that," Nodoka said a bit tiredly, "But Master Happy has a mind of his own, and nothing short of divine intervention is going to pry him away from taking his pleasures."

"It's not divine intervention that you need to be concerned with," Julian warned them, turning a fearful glance towards Ling-Ko, "It's the Blood Mother who's going to go supernova in another…oh shit…too late…" he murmured faintly.

All at once Ling-Ko's eyes began to blaze and her slender body began emitting a crimson battle aura that rose up to surround her in a halo effect that drew the eye of every sighted person present. Her fangs protruded from her lips as she gave a savage snarl, and then all at once the hellfire erupted from her body, lancing out to strike the heavens themselves and cause a clear sky to go cloudy, storm clouds congealing moments later, followed rapidly by the flash of instant lightning.

Ling-Ko gestured with clawed fingers and caused the lightning to lash out at where Happosai had been standing mere instants beforehand, but the pervert was no longer standing within radius of the flash, not so Leguire and Genma, who each got hit and felled by the resulting static. Ling-Ko aimed another bolt again at the elusive pervert while everyone else dove for the nearest cover that they could find while flash after flash struck home and missed its target…until a dozen different portions of the yard bore the brunt of instant glass fusion. There were a number of holes torn in walls and fixtures and every electrical system in the house instantly shorted out, plunging the entire yard into immediate darkness.

Ling-Ko finally exhausted her rage and stood panting for several minutes until the blood rage had deserted her, and then her eyes regained their normal cast and she started to recover her senses. She blinked them and looked around, then saw the damage that she had done to the yard and said, "Oh my…I did all that? I'm so sorry…was anyone else hurt…other than the pervert?"

"We appear to all have survived your righteous wrath, my Queen," M'shulla said as he helped Yasmina back to her feet then glanced around and said, "However…Leguire may take a bit of healing."

"G-G-G-Guh..no problem…" the Loire vampire gasped, sparking blue flecks of light from his mouth and nostrils as he twitched upon the ground and slowly ceased spasming altogether.

"Are you all right, Husband?" Nodoka asked, seeing Julian poised above the man, checking his pulse with the professional air of a trained doctor.

"He'll live," the blond lawyer replied, "Quite a stunning constitution he's got there…almost as good as mine, and lightning doesn't bother me all that much. Anyone else take damage?"

"Nah…we'll live…sort of…" Lenora called out from the foxhole that she and Chloe had dug together.

"Anyone else?" Miyu asked, only to stare in disbelief, "You? But…!"

"Did you miss me?" Happosai asked with a cheerful demeanor, "Mighty wicked temper you've got there, young lady. Of course, I always did like 'em when they've got spirit…"

"It cannot be!" Ling-Ko exclaimed.

"What the hell is he?" Tsien-Ko demanded.

"A dead man if he attempts anything like that again," Mei-Ling promised with a dire expression.

"Now is that any way to talk to a poor old man who only wants to enjoy his declining years with the few meager indulgences allowed him," Happosai pouted.

"Master…wasn't the bath house enough to satisfy you?" Soun asked, almost pleading.

"How dare you even ask such an insignificant question?" Happosai snapped, "It just so happens that I'm always up to greeting new ladies when they appear on the scene, and these are some of the finest full-figured females that I've had the pleasure of greeting for a while there. Of course, they are a bit cool to the touch, but you get that when you hang out with Vampires."

Genma stopped squirming and his eyes became as round as saucers, his tone matching Soun's for shock, "Vampires?"

"Be at peace, we mean you no harm," Ling-Ko glanced ruefully around at her own handiwork and added, "At least…nothing beyond what I have done through my own thoughtless actions…"

"Don't even give it a second thought," Nodoka assured her, "Master Happy has that effect on lots of people…just everyone who meets him for the first time, as a matter of fact…"

"Master…Happy?" Tsien-Ko said slowly, "Wait…wait a minute…you mean…Happosai? As in the Demon Happosai?"

"The most feared and legendary terror of dark and unnatural perversion?" Mei-Ling added.

"Oh," Julian straightened out, "That Happosai. I might've known…" he groaned faintly.

"You have…a creature such as this…living with you?" Ling-Ko asked in faint dismay.

"Not willingly," Nodoka replied, "In fact, you might consider him the family curse, the one whose shame we've had to bear for the past several decades…"

"Nodoka-chan!" Happosai called out in a wounded tone of voice.

"I take it you do not like him very much," M'shulla sagely observed.

"That would be an understatement," Nodoka sighed, "My husband and Soun-chan trained under the Master, but they did not like it very much. In fact, they did not like it so much that they once trapped him up in a cave with several sticks of dynamite, a large boulder and several reams of ofudo strips. It held him trapped there for ten merciful years, only to be dislodged when a storm hit and cracked the boulder."

"I see," Leguire noted faintly, "A good effort but ultimately unsuccessful…"

"Pshaw, the boys were just having some fun with me, that's all," Happosai chuckled, "I forgave them for that years ago, it's water over the damn, hardly worth mentioning around strangers."

"So," Yasmina ignored the pervert and looked directly at Nodoka, "May I take it you would not mind if someone removed him off your hands?"

"Be my guests if you can manage it," Nodoka sighed, "You'd be doing us all a favor."

"I…see…" Ling-Ko sighed, "Forgive me…I did not mean to cause you such troubles. I have broken my own word, and by my honor restitution shall be made. Name the price and I shall see it rendered you, and I will cover the full cost of renovations."

"That is very generous of you," Nodoka bowed, "But it is we who owe you a favor for provoking you to wrath in the first place."

"No, I must insist, it is I who bear a blood obligation," Ling-Ko insisted, "I promised you no harm would befall you and harm was rendered. I will hear no contradiction on this subject, and I must insist on repayment. Julian, please see to it that the Tendo family is duly compensated."

"I'll see to it, my lady," Julian replied, "I promise."

Natsumi and Miyuki timidly poked their heads out from behind the furniture where they had taken shelter, then the former asked, "Think it's safe to go out there, Mi-chan?"

"Well, you heard her majesty," Miyuki replied, "And she does seem genuinely remorseful."

"That's good," Natsumi averred, "'Cause I don't ever wanna see somebody like that get mad with me. You see the way she was hurling lightning bolts everywhere? It was freaky…"

"And that, my dear police officers, is why they call her the Blood Mother," Leguire said as he glanced in their direction, "Because rivers of blood will flow if her enemies provoke her. She is as far above the likes of ordinary vampires such as me as one of us is above you mortals. Be mindful to show her the respect that she deserves because the alternative…" he bared his fangs in a nasty smile, "…is not to be contemplated."

Both human women swallowed accordingly then felt along the sides of their necks as if reflexively checking for bite marks.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry…much," Leguire smiled as he turned away, "That isn't where the Queen prefers to take her meals. If she had a mind to snack on the pair of you she would go a bit…lower and sample your nectar before relishing your juices."

In no way, shape or form did the two female officers find that remark reassuring, but Yasmina gave Leguire a chiding look and said, "Pay him no mind, he likes rattling people's cages. In fact, that's usually where he keeps his dates, locked away like cattle in a slave pen."

"That is only where I store the fresh food before its eaten," Leguire said stiffly, "My dates always come in through the front door, and I do my best to…entertain them…before snacking."

"That's enough, Jean," Miyu chided the man before turning to the officers in question and saying, "There is no reason for you to become further embroiled in our affairs, officers. When daylight comes you can be safely on your way without fear that the Goya will be hunting you. Not so the rest of us, who must now gird for battle."

"You think Dimitri is going to try something after all, Princess?" Julian asked.

"I would count on it, especially with this unfortunate darkness brought about by the shorting of the electrical systems in this household," Miyu replied, "The one advantage we have is that we can see them coming a log farther away than they can. Goya are a relatively weak strain of vampires with far too many vulnerabilities that Ling-Ko and I can exploit, but I would feel better if we were at full strength and ready to repel them since Dimitri could have an army of the undead prepared to march upon us, and his more dangerous allies are hardly fellow vampires."

"I fear your assessment is correct, Miyu," Ling-Ko agreed, "The enemy will seek to test our defenses, which is why we will be prepared for when they get here. M'shulla, you and Yasmina can see to preparing a spell of protection."

"It will be done, my Queen," the dusky skinned Shaman bowed in submission.

"I believe that I do know a spell or two that could prove useful here," Yasmina mused as she went with M'shulla to the far end of the yard and started laying down wards to improve their survival chances.

"In the meantime, the rest of you will join me in your dojo," Ling-Ko informed the others, "It is more defensible than the house itself and should provide us with shelter that will be needed for when I do my own part in the casting."

"We'll be happy to help out in any way that we can, right husband, Soun-chan?" Nodoka asked.

"Er…what?" Genma blinked.

"Ah…what do you have in mind?" Soun asked, wishing that someone would take pity on him and give him a clue as to what was going on here.

"Anything I can do to help, ladies?" Happosai asked.

"How about eat shit and die?" Yui snarled in disgruntled ill humor.

"I sure hope Frank and Donovan get back soon with that new Master that they were talking about," Tsien-Ko noted.

"I am certain that Doctor Steinberg is doing everything that is inhumanly possible to round up this case," Mei-Ling assured her sister, "And as for Donovan, well…we both know how formidable he is."

"Oh yeah," Tsien-Ko grinned, "Formidable is the word for him all right…" but in all truth the blue skinned Chinese vampire was not thinking of the towering spiritualist in terms of his fighting potential, rather she was mentally admiring his physique and undressing him in a way that her sister might not find too appropriate…were it not that she nursed similar thoughts on her own that ran closely parallel to that direction…

"Doctor Tofu?" Nabiki asked in concern as they arrived, "Tofu-sensei?"

"Hey, look!" Ranma pointed, "The side door's open!"

"What?" Natsumi declared, "But…I…Tachi and I…we only left him a few minutes ago…"

"True enough," Tatewaki frowned, "Yet obviously someone has been here during our absence…someone strong enough to force the locks off their hinges by the look of things," he said as he paused to examine the side entrance.

"Someone strong…like a vampire?" Keiko asked.

"You mean Kasumi?" Kurumi asked.

"Um…let's not jump to conclusions just yet," Mousse tried to reassure, only to find that he was talking to himself as the rest of their group went rushing into the clinic rather than pause to listen to his voice of caution. "Why do I even bother?"

Inside their group came to another abrupt halt, this time balked by the sight that confronted them, of the towering form of Donovan Bane, who was presently reviewing the contents of a desk while Anita sat on the nearby examination table swinging her legs back and forth with a faintly bored expression.

"How did you get here so fast?" Nabiki asked.

"When I have need for haste I have my own way of covering distance," the spiritualist replied without turning around, examining some papers with somewhat more than casual interest, "I regret that I had Anita force the lock on the side door, but the clinic was otherwise as you see it when we got here."

"And Doctor Tofu?" Natsume asked.

"As I found him," Donovan nodded without looking up from the papers he was reading.

All heads turned to follow the man's gesture…and there, sitting on a chair at the other end of the room, was Doctor Tofu staring somewhat dreamily out into space but otherwise still quite obviously breathing.

"Tofu-sensei?" Ranma asked.

"Tofu-sensei!" Natsume was at Tofu's side in a flash, kneeling down to study him as she tried to make sense of his lack of physical reaction, "Tofu-sensei…can you hear us?"

"Odd," Nabiki said as she came to join her adopted sister, "He seems to be in some kind of a trance…"

"Indeed," Donovan replied without looking up from his inspection, "A kind of trance with which I am well familiar…but he is in no immediate danger and will recover from it shortly."

"You mean he's been hypnotized?" Mousse asked.

"More like maybe he's seen Kasumi…" Kurumi started to say when Tofu stirred from his trance and murmured the word, "Kasumi…"

"Well, there you have it," Nabiki smiled, "Oneechan strikes again. One look at Kasumi and Tofu always goes to pieces."

"Oh, is that so?" Natsume asked as she used a hand to gently turn Tofu's head to the side so that his neck could be exposed to their view, and in the dim light of the room everyone could plainly see a pair of puncture wounds spaced apart as though by a pair of wicked incisors.

"Oh," Nabiki said with a somewhat dumbfounded expression.

"Oneechan bit Tofu-sensei?" Ranma gasped.

"Does that mean…she really is a vampire?" Kurumi gulped.

"Possibly," Mousse cautioned once again, "In China not all vampires are malevolent creatures, and often they only take a small bit of blood while leaving their victims in a trance-like state from which they eventually recover…"

"Recover?" Natsumi repeated.

"Aye, and now that I think long and hard about it," Tatewaki remarked, "That famous work by the Englishman, Bram Stoker, did hint that it would take several attempts before a vampire could completely drain its victim and turn them into one of the undead."

"Makes sense," Nabiki shrugged, "The human body contains on average about nine liters of blood, and I don't see how-other than magic-anything human could drink that much in one bite."

"Especially something as richly intoxicating to a vamp as human hemoglobin," Frank remarked as he ducked his head and shouldered his way into the clinic, "For them it's like drinking fine wine, about a hundred-fifty proof. Try doing that in one sitting and they'll be pouring you off the rug. That's why it takes so little blood for the average vamp to sustain him or herself, and why a single bite just won't do it…unless it's applied by a Tribe that can store excess liters and transport them somewhere for using later."

"And what kind would that be?" Keiko asked.

"Nosferatu," Frank replied, "One of the oldest and darkest of bloodlines. When they suck your blood they actually teleport it through their bodies back to their coffins or crypts and bathe it in later. That's why some crypts that get opened have bodies floating in blood in them, which was always taken to be a sure sign of vampirism in the old country. It's also why Nosferatu are so rare when compared to other tribes of Vamps…too easy to spot 'em in a crowd, and hunters had no problem tracking them back to their lairs for immediate extermination."

"You forget to add, old friend, that Nosferatu are the type of Vampire who can be most troublesome to the human populations," Donovan noted, "Their thirst is greater, they know fewer limits, and as such are more avaricious, and a single one of them can depopulate an entire area for a ten kilometer radius. They are also, thankfully, the most vulnerable when it comes to garlic and sunlight."

"And holy symbols," Frank grimly noted, "Nosferatu can't stand the sight of anything with a positive life charge, and they cast no reflection in a mirror. They also need to rest on sacred earth and can't travel as far as a day from their own coffins."

"Some tribes have none of these restrictions," Donovan noted, "But it was not a Nosferatu who did this. What is this…?" his voice took on a note of curiosity, and he moved his hand across the desk to select something that was sitting on a nearby shelf, gripping it in hand and holding it up to the light for a closer examination.

Frank saw what the other man was holding and gasped, "Is…that what I think it is?"

"A Bloodstone," Donovan said almost reverently, "Very rare and priceless, and this is a true stone capable of producing the special nutrition that can nurture a vampire. With one of these a vampire need never know the ravages of the hunger…"

"Really?" Nabiki asked, "Does that mean…it could be of use to Kasumi?"

"If she knew what it was and what to look for, which obviously she did not," Donovan answered before sweeping his gaze across the clinic, "Clearly there is more to this Doctor Tofu than I think anyone else may have imagined. With all the occult lore and special objects at hand I am tempted to conclude that he is a Watcher."

"A Watcher, huh?" Frank nodded, "Makes sense. I'll bet he's even got the mark under that wrist watch he's wearing."

"I do not believe this," Natsume slowly shook her head, "Tofu-sensei has been attacked and you just stand around here casually discussing these things when my oldest sister has become a monster?"

"Huh?" Ranma blinked.

"What do you mean a monster?" Nabiki frowned, "This is still Kasumi we're talking about here."

"I mean what I said," Natsume snapped, turning back and bowing her head to the motionless Tofu, "Forgive me, Doctor, I should have listened to you when you tried to prepare me. I…I did not want to believe in such things…that I could become something that must now prey upon my own flesh and blood…but I have no more choice in this matter than my sister. I see this clearly now, and I know what must be done."

"Say what?" Kurumi asked, "Oneechan?"

Natsume straightened up then turn around and her face was as grim as a death mask, "I must hunt down and find Kasumi, and I must put her out of her misery before she bites anyone again."

"Hey, what?" Nabiki reacted.

"My love…is that wise?" Tatewaki asked.

"You're talking about going after your own sister?" Mousse averred in dull amazement.

"I am not talking about killing my sister," Natsume said grimly, "But of slaying the thing that she has become. That is what I have become is it not, the Slayer? And is not the destiny of a Slayer to hunt down and extinguish vampires?"

Donovan nodded grimly, "That is indeed the duty of a Slayer…however…"

"Then I must go and fulfill my destiny," Natsume said as she started forward, elbowing her way past Ranma and the others.

"Hey, now wait a minute!" Nabiki spoke up as she belatedly hurried up to catch up with the grim-faced Natsume, "Just hold on a second there! You're not going to do anything to Kasumi while we…!"

"Sit around and dither while lives hang in the balance?" Natsume shot back, "Or would you rather wait until she comes for us in the dead of night, to drain our blood one by one so that we wind up like Tofu-sensei? I think not…"

Nabiki gripped Natsume by the arm and said, "You're not going out there with that kind of attitude, young lady! I'm still your elder and I…!"

"Let me go," Natsume said resolutely as she halted in mid-step.

"Not until you listen to me…!" Nabiki began to say when Natsume reacted by twisting her arm and ensnaring Nabiki in a reverse locking hold, then with great force hurled her towards the front door to the clinic, sending Nabiki flying through the wood, glass and paneling with such force that she was propelled past the gates and all the way across the street before coming to a dead stop.

"NABIKI!" Ranma surged out through the hole created by Nabiki's passing, arriving seconds alter at his wife's side, only to find Nabiki was getting up off the asphalt on her own power, cut and bruised but otherwise only mildly shaken.

"Neechan?" Natsume gasped, amazed and appalled at her own actions.

"Now that was a bad career move," Nabiki growled as she straightened up, "You think that impressed me, Nat-chan? Because it didn't! Now you just hold right there while I come back in there to clear your clocks, Sis!"

"Did you see that?" Kurumi gasped, "Oneechan threw Nabiki through a wall like it was nothing…"

"Yeah, I saw it," Keiko replied in equally appalled tones, "When'd she get so strong all of a sudden?"

Natsume recovered from her surprise as she turned to meet the angry glare that Nabiki shot at her and said, "I did not want to do that, Sister…but if you press your luck, I will be forced to do it to you again."

"You and what army?" Nabiki asked, then threw a punch Natsume's way that was as fast as lightning and ought to have knocked the other girl sprawling in the carpet…

Instead, Natsume seemed to see the fist moving as though through a lens where motion was slowed down to a fraction of normal speed, and with no difficulty on her part she was able to duck low beneath the punch and counter-attacked with a fist of her own that caught Nabiki completely napping and sent her hurtling back through the ruined door, albeit not as far this time as the last one.

"Yikes!" Ranma cried as he moved to intercept Nabiki's flight path, catching her up in his arms and steadying her for the several seconds it took her to recover.

"My love strikes with the power of a lioness," Tatewaki marveled.

"Yeah, and she hits hard too," Keiko winced, "Thought she was gonna take Nabi's head off with that last blow."

"Hey, we don't got time for this!" Frank started to growl when his sudden lunge forward was cut off by Donovan thrusting an arm into his path.

"Stay a minute, old friend," Donovan urged, "I think that we should permit them to fight, if only to determine what limits are of this new Slayer. Her power is much greater even than I estimated, and if she is able to control it…"

Nabiki shook off Ranma's attempt to restrain her and confronted Natsume once again, "That's twice you've gotten lucky, Sis, but I'm not playing around this time. If you want to go after Kasumi, you'll have to do it by stepping right past me."

"Stepping on you would be more like it," Natsume replied, "Clan elder or no, you are not going to keep me from my appointed duty, and if I must beat you black and blue to do the deed that we both know must be done, then so be it. Have at you, Sister!"

"Hey, guys!" Ranma called out, only to duck real fast as Nabiki went flying over and past him.

"Ouch!" Kurumi winced.

"That's gonna leave a mark in the morning," Keiko cringed.

"Should we attempt to separate my love from her sister until their passions have cooled down?" Tatewaki asked.

"Are you nuts?" Mousse shot back, "You could get killed if you try to get between them! Those two aren't playing around, they're really going to go at it!"

Indeed, Nabiki and Natsume were taking their fight out onto the street, and this time both were fighting with better control and coordination to their power, though it was rapidly turning out that Natsume had the advantage in raw strength, speed and power. Where normally it was Nabiki who dominated the sparring matches between these two, now she was the one who was clearly on the defensive, overmatched in raw physical terms, which-given their relative skill levels-was a telling point in these exchanges.

"No question about it," Frank said, "That kids gotten a lot better than what I remember."

"Being a Slayer means that all of her natural abilities are magnified to an extraordinary level," Donovan noted, "And if she was highly skilled before, then what she has now in her arsenal will be truly devastating."

Devastating was a word that Nabiki herself would have used were she not presently engaged in a fight for her life against a Natsume who fought like ten Natsumes and who seemed to be everywhere at once, her fists and feet moving like lightning in a devastating pattern of attack that even Amaguriken speeds could barely hope to match. Only the highly trained reflexes that had made Nabiki a living legend in the Nerima area kept her from suffering a worse pounding than she had taken on the first three hits, yet try as she might to use special maneuvers and her more advanced techniques to turn the advantage back in her favor, she was frustrated by the fact that Natsume had seen each of her special techniques and knew how to counter them effectively, often neutralizing her maneuvers before they were even fully executed.

"You are tiring, my sister, while I am not even fighting at my best," Natsume bragged during one lull in these exchanges, "Surrender now and I will not be forced to injure you."

"Surrender?" Nabiki said between pants for breath, "Never heard…of the word! Don't think…I'm out now…just because…you've gotten…a little better…"

"You think that my speed and strength have improved," Natsume said confidently, "Then wait until you see this!"

With that Natsume whipped out her rug beater, her primary weapon of choice. Nabiki saw this and murmured a very faint, "O-shit-!"

With several sweeping passes and a pirouette that made it seem almost as though she were performing a ballet maneuver, Natsume leaped high into the air and cried out, "WINDS OF THE ICE DRAGON-SHO!!!"

And with that a freezing blast of cold whipped up into a cyclone that hit Nabiki head on as the latter raised her arms to deflect the force blast, but all this did was cause ice-cycles to form up on her arms, legs and upper body, and then a wall of ice began to form up to surround her, and within seconds she was completely encased in a block of solid ice that stood eight feet high and about as wide at the base.

"Whoah," Frank remarked.

"An effective technique," Donovan complimented.

"Nabiki!" Ranma started forward, only to halt in his tracks as he sensed an internal surge of ki power emanating from his wife, which reassured him that she was a far cry from defeated.

"I did it!" Natsume declared, clearly not sensing a similar tell-tale ki-surge, "I finally beat her! I've defeated Nabiki in battle!"

"Wow," Kurumi exclaimed, "Oneechan has not only gotten stronger, she's gotten more control over her Ice Dragon Wave Attack."

"Yeah, but does that mean she's got to marry her?" Keiko asked.

"What?" Natsume turned a non-plussed look in the Kickboxer's direction.

"Not necessarily," Mousse replied, "Natsume is Amazon by adoption, and therefore not subject to compulsory marriage laws since she is technically not an outsider."

"What a relief that is," Tatewaki sighed, "As much as I admire your family unit, Ranma-kun, I have no great urgent desire to become a part of it with Natsume."

"Uh…guys?" Ranma said as he started to duck away, "Take cover!"

"What…?" Natsume blinked as she sensed the cracks that suddenly appeared within the ice block that she had created.

One moment later the ice shattered from within, chunks of it being hurled in all directions as Nabiki raised her arms and started to glow with the fury of her intensified battle aura, the waves of ki-force rolling from her slender frame as she kicked her legs free of the remaining ice then glared an angry glare towards her cousin-slash-adopted sister.

"NATSUME…" Nabiki snarled, power flowing down her arms into her fists, "TIME FOR ROUND TWO, SISTER DEAR!!!"

And with that she unleashed a ki-force attack that Natsume barely was able to counter by whipping up a wind with her rug-beater, and the fight renewed itself, ratcheting up to another level.

"Hooboy," Frank winced, "This could take a while."

"Indeed," Donovan agreed, "And I sense that these two have barely even gotten started…"

Nearby to the two men the little girl named Anita just sighed, "Adults are such idiots…" but she was no less drawn to the spectacle of battle as the two Tendo sisters waged a war for the sake of their absent sister, Kasumi…

Continued

Comments/Criticisms/Clash of the Sisters: Shadowmane@msn.com