Project A-Ko Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Vampire Hunter (Darkstalkers) Fan Fiction ❯ Nabiki 1/2 (A Very Scary Thought) ❯ Said the Vulture: Nevermore!... ( Chapter 8 )

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.

"Nani?" Ranma repeated again, looking from Nabiki to this new challenger who called herself Arigami Keiko.

"Just great," Nabiki shook her head sadly, "Why don't you get your own PA system and blab it all over Nerima?"

"I take it lover-boy over there didn't know you were a switch hitter?" Keiko asked as she continued to circle around, trying to find some opening in Nabiki's defenses, which proved as challenging as finding the proverbial needle in a haystack.

"I'd rather you'd let me tell him about that on my own, thank you very much," Nabiki replied as she moved in counter rotation to the Kickboxer, keeping Keiko marginally off balance. Unlike with Kuno, however, she was not about to underestimate her opponent, knowing full well how dangerous Keiko could be should she make contact.

In spite of having a flashy and flamboyant mannerism, Keiko was a serious challenger, not a talented buffoon like Kuno. Their fight had been an epic struggle, but they had wound up friends in the end. It had never dawned on her that Keiko would follow her all this way, but considering how close they had so briefly been, she supposed it was inevitable. The point now was not to lose her control at Keiko's obvious taunting, or let her emotions take control of her, even though her mind could not stray far from the fact that Ranma was looking at her in a different light and obviously had questions.

Keiko made a feint, but Nabiki refused to take the bait and waited a half-second before launching a counter-attack. Keiko staggered back, obviously not anticipating that maneuver, and Nabiki pressed her advantage, going instantly on the offensive. Keiko recovered, but only after deflecting a number of rapid kicks and punches that drove her back away from the house, not to mention Ranma and Akane, who continued watching this exchange with open amazement, barely able to follow even some of their maneuvers.

Of course Keiko had a few surprises in store for her opponent, having obviously come prepared to meet a serious challenge. She raised one knee and stomped her right foot down hard, then followed with her left foot, grounding herself in a firm stance as she brought her hands out to both sides, assuming a posture Nabiki had never seen her use before, but one that radiated power. Keiko clapped her hands together once, then projected both fists outward, and only then prepared for a new offensive.

When her attack came it was virtually without warning. Keiko seemed to just explode outward with an energy and vitality that almost caught Nabiki napping. A single kick penetrated her guard and sent Nabiki flying fifteen meters backwards, but before she could land Keiko was on her again with a second powerful strike. The combination was devastating, and had Nabiki been in less good condition she might not have been able to roll with the second attack nor had the agility to recover and spring to the side, avoiding Keiko's reach long enough to regain her strength and bearings.

"What was that?" asked Akane as she and Ranma followed the battling pair, trying to keep up with their exchanges.

"I don't know," Ranma said, "Mu Tai's not my specialty, but I remember reading somewhere that it involves a lot of powerful kicks and blows, and that fighters often train in bone-breaking maneuvers."

Nabiki was very much aware by this point that she was outclassed in terms of raw physical power. Keiko had clearly improved a lot in the space of a year, and she even had some suspicions concerning just where Keiko had picked up some of her training.

The most important thing of all, however, was that she recognized the nature of Keiko's new fighting style, which gave her an idea to formulate for an effective counter. Therefore when Keiko attacked again she was ready to bend with the attack, absorbing and flowing around it, coming around behind Keiko as though the latter were a vaulting pole, and once Nabiki's feet touched ground she used the advantage of her position to lift Keiko off the ground and hurl her to one side, turning the tables with her own momentum.

"Megamisama," Akane breathed, "Even you couldn't duplicate that feat, Ranma."

Ranma's mouth fell open. As much as he might want to deny it, the complexity of the feat he had just witnessed surpassed his own skill level, which was a very hard thing for his ego. As humiliating as it was, however, Akane's unintentional slight made him flinch inside and square his shoulders with determination.

Nabiki's upset of Keiko's strategy appeared to shake the Kickboxer's confidence somewhat, for while she did regain her footing and renewed her attack, it was not with the same unmistakable confidence of before, a fact that worked to Nabiki's advantage as she drew Keiko along through the garden, trading punches and kicks while each grabbed up objects in their path and used them against one another.

It started with the branch of a tree that Nabiki ducked behind, Keiko shattering it loose before Nabiki could use it to vault into the higher branches. Keiko grabbed up the branch and started swinging it like a club--leaves and all, forcing Nabiki to dart back---not so much from fear of the blow as of possible entanglement. She was quick to vault over the next swing, however, and kicked Keiko back with great force, only to have her leg grabbed and twisted so that the two of them went tumbling together.

Nabiki landed beside a rake, and without thinking twice about it she snatched this up and converted it into a weighted staff to hold Keiko off long enough to back up towards the edge of the garden. Keiko broke the rake with a single kick, but Nabiki employed the two pieces as she sidestepped the next rush and used them to propel Keiko forward. Keiko rolled back to her feet, but now Nabiki had her right where she wanted her and planted a solid sidekick that picked Keiko up and threw her over a row of hedges. There was a loud splash as Keiko disappeared on the other side, which meant only one thing, to Nabiki's chagrin and some small satisfaction.

"The swimming pool!" Akane cried, "You've got her now, Oneechan! She can't get away too quickly!"

"I just hope the water cools her off," Ranma noted as he and Akane started to take the long way around, while Nabiki just vaulted over the hedge, ready to continue the fight should Keiko not be satisfied in the matter.

To Nabiki's considerable surprise, once she landed on the other side, she did not find Keiko waiting for her, though the Olympic-sized pool was vibrating with clear evidence that a body had just fallen into the water. She cautiously approached the edge, wondering if Keiko were submerged, but instead what she saw surprised her greatly as a pair of boxer shorts and tank top were drifting down to the bottom. Keiko's padded gloves and footpads were floating on the surface, there simply was no evidence of the woman herself. This greatly puzzled Nabiki, who doubted that Keiko would deliberately run around nude, no matter what other libertine values she possessed in such abundance.

And then the realization hit her: Keiko had been to China.

Oh no…then that could mean only one thing…

A sudden squawk from behind caught her off guard, and she turned just in time to see a dark shape swooping towards her, catching Nabiki totally unawares and causing her to fall into the pool, turning male the instant she made contact.

He sputtered as she broke water, floundering helplessly only a short distance from where he had landed. He looked around for her assailant, half fearing another attack, but instead came face-to-beak with a very ugly looking bird face. It stared down at him in what could almost be termed as puzzlement, but took no further hostile action as the two of them remained relatively motionless, until Akane and Ranma's arrival.

"Nani?" Akane asked as she came to a halt, staring at the ugly looking bird, which Nabiki now belatedly recognized as a vulture, "Is that one of Kodachi's pets?"

"I wouldn't know," Ranma replied, "She never lets me into her greenhouse."

"Ah," Nabiki-kun said cautiously as he edged towards the nearby stepladder and pulled himself out of the pool, "I think I know where this bird came from…"

"Where is Keiko?" Akane asked, "Did she take off so soon?"

"Yeah," Ranma said, "I thought she wanted to beat you up or something."

"Well," Nabiki hesitated. He was far from the most tradition-bound student of the Martial Arts, but he had been taught the code of Budo by Genma, which held that a warrior should always respect his opponents and not give away their weaknesses unless compelled to by circumstance. He decided that this was not the place to get suddenly scrupulous, however, so he just pointed to the Vulture, half expecting Keiko to take a bite out of his finger.

Ranma and Akane slowly looked at the Vulture, who looked back at them with an expression that could probably only have been read by another vulture. Then Ranma pointed at the bird himself and said, "That…?"

"She said she followed me into China," Nabiki looked down at the bird with some exasperation, "I guess you meant to tell me that you also happened by Jusenkyo?"

The Vulture lowered its head and seemed almost to imitate the human equivalent of a sheepish expression.

"Oboy," Ranma replied, then hesitated before asking, "So what are we going to do about this?"

"What else can we do?" Nabiki sighed, "Take her home and heat up some water…"

"Thanks a lot, Kasumi-san," Keiko smiled as she toweled herself off, having once again donned her shorts and tank-top, which Ranma had fished out of the pool with a long net, "Glad to see that there's no hard feelings, Nabiki-chan. That was a very good fight. You've improved a lot, but for a few moments there I almost thought I had you."

"Glad you're satisfied," Nabiki replied, "But if I were you I'd take my time before I'd show my face again around the Kuno mansion."

"Oh, those two were no problem," Keiko said dismissively, "They wouldn't last two minutes in the Mu Tai ring we fought in. They looked too dependent on their silly weapons."

"Don't judge them too lightly," Nabiki warned, "Ranma made that mistake once, and he's still smarting about it."

"I would have gotten even with Kuno if he hadn't gone soft on me," Ranma snorted from where he sat, looking sullen and less communicative than his usually cheerful, easygoing manner.

Keiko favored him with a wry look and said, "Wouldn't mind seeing what you're like in action, Kid. Bet you've got some moves Nabiki's never seen before."

"Keiko-san!" Nabiki snapped, then visibly colored.

Ranma looked puzzled, as if he did not get the reference, but Akane smiled as she looked at him sidelong and said, "You're such a Guy, Ranma…"

Keiko did not look the least bit ashamed of her behavior. She just kept grinning at Nabiki, then casually said, "Oh, by the way, I ran into an old friend of yours from another High School. You remember Hibiki Ryoga? He was looking for you, like always."

"Ryoga-kun?" Nabiki blinked her eyes, "Looking for me? Why?"

"I expect he'll want to tell you himself," Keiko smiled knowingly, "But I think it's safe to say that you made quite an impression on him., not that it takes much to get on his good or bad side."

"Well," Nabiki considered the point for a second, then smiled, "I guess it really doesn't matter. I'll find out when I see him. What I'd like to know is how you managed to find me. I wasn't exactly leaving road markers."

"I just figured you'd come home to your roots sooner or later," Keiko said, "You told me once that you had a family in Nerima, and that they owned a dojo. Now I may have been kicked a few too many times in the head, but my brains aren't that scrambled."

"So," Ranma tried to sound almost disinterested as he asked, "How long have you two known each other anyway? Where did the two of you meet?"

"At another High School in the Kyoto province," Keiko replied, "We attended the same classes for a semester, then her Uncle pulled her out of school suddenly one day and I didn't see her again until we ran into each other in Hong Kong. Matter of fact, that was a pretty surprising coincidence, us both winding up contending in the same Mu Tai arena."

"That was four years ago," Nabiki said, "I didn't know about you going to China until we met in the arena. I still don't understand why you ran away from home before High School."

"Like I told you then, a long story," Keiko said dismissively, "The point is that I've finally managed to catch up with you. I nearly did in Jusenkyo, where I'd heard you and your Uncle were headed, but some crazy boy chasing a Panda knocked me into that cursed spring when I got there. Know anybody who might match that description?"

Nabiki, who was back in her real form, looked somewhat nervous as she said, "I've no idea. Must have been a couple of crazy locals."

"No doubt," Keiko smiled right at her, "I suppose I should be upset with you or something, but I never could stay mad at you for very long, even when you stole my title. Actually it's not really all that bad…I mean, my form isn't as awful as some of those Pools I've heard legends about. For one thing I get to fly, and I can still fight as a vulture, just not quite the same way. The only problem for me is having to find hot water with wings instead of hands, and explaining what a naked girl is doing there when I find it. Oh yeah, and having to constantly hunt down my belongings."

"Sounds like you've adapted," Ranma said, trying not to sound impressed by the girl's perpetually cheerful attitude.

"Never saw any point in moping about stuff I can't do anything about," Keiko shrugged, "Those villagers I visited first told me that there was no known way to cure yourself of a Jusenkyo curse, except maybe appeal to something they called the Ancestor Stone, which was being guarded by an elder…"

"You've been to Joketsuzoku?" Nabiki asked in surprise, then added, "Um…while you were there…you didn't start any fights with the locals?"

"What do you take me for, some kind of idiot?" Keiko sniffed, "I've heard the legends about that place, and I sure as hell don't want any blood feuds with one of those Amazon maniacs…"

"Amazons?" Ranma repeated.

"Excuse me," Akane spoke up, "You're a very good fighter, but where did you learn to fight in Chinese Mu Tai style?"

"I've studied Kickboxing since I was a little girl," Keiko replied, "My Dad taught me the basics before he went home to the states. He and Mom never married, so, well…turns out I had to use it a lot to defend myself growing up. Some kids my own age thought I was some kind of national embarrassment or something."

"So, how did the two of you get to be such good friends?" Ranma asked, "Was it sparring?"

Nabiki winced slightly, hoping Keiko would not elaborate, being already sensitive to the way Ranma had been looking at her since Keiko's arrival.

Unfortunately the gods of Luck and Fortune were not smiling on her that day, for this was Keiko she was sitting much too close to, and in typical gregarious form the girl leaned over and put an arm about her shoulder, grinning that knowing grin of hers and saying, "Didn't she ever tell you? Nabiki-chan, you're much too shy! She came to my rescue one time and fought of some off my attackers. I could have taken them all, of course, but she didn't know that at the time. That's when I asked her to join the Kickboxing team of our school. We were competing for the championships, and her Uncle thought it was a good idea to broaden her training."

"So you studied Kickboxing too, Oneechan?" Akane asked her.

"A little," Nabiki replied, "I've picked stuff up here or there, anywhere I thought I could find something useful to use against your Dad…I mean…to impress Uncle Saotome."

"Funny thing you running off like that after a new kid came to our classroom," Keiko mused, "For a brief while there we were paired up with a couple of guys, Ryoga was one…I think the other guy was named Ukyo or something…"

"Ukyo?" Nabiki frowned, wondering why that name struck a bell. She never forgot an acquaintance or a client, but if they had not known each other very long, then why was the name so familiar…?

"Yeah," Keiko smiled, "I hung around with him and Ryoga-kun for a time, then I had to transfer to another school and…stuff happened. I can't tell you the details, except that I wound up a few weeks later in China."

"You ran away?" Akane asked her.

"Ah, not exactly…" Keiko hesitated.

"So you saw each other a year ago in that arena," Ranma prodded, "What happened?"

"Nabiki won, of course," Keiko grinned, "It was ten-to-one odds in my favor, so I guess she was better motivated. We made up after our fight and spent the next few hours in each other's company. I helped show her the sights, then you left and I followed."

"Why?" Akane asked.

"Didn't have much reason to stick around," Keiko shrugged, "I'd kind of worn out my welcome, so it seemed like a good time to visit the rest of the mainland."

"I'm glad to see you finally got away from that place," Nabiki said, "But I still don't see why you decided to look me up like this. A private fight isn't going to restore your title."

"Maybe the title isn't what really matters to me," Keiko said seriously, "You were the first girl--and the only fighter in my weight class--who'd been able to knock me out of the ring, so I knew you could give me the sort of challenge I need. Not too many people I can compete with on level grounds these days. In fact I'm kind of hoping you'll let me hang around and study with you. This is a dojo, right? I'd like the chance to study with you and your Uncle."

"You don't mean you plan to move in?" Nabiki asked, more than slightly appalled at the notion.

"I wouldn't want to impose on you," Keiko assured her, "I can sleep mostly anywhere, and I'm used to being outdoors. Besides, if it gets too cold, I can always turn back into a Vulture. You won't believe how insulated those feathers can be…"

"Why, we wouldn't have it that way," said Nodoka as she came into the room carrying a tray that had tea, crackers and cookies, "You can stay here for the night. My husband, Genma, is going to be sleeping out in the dojo anyway…"

"What did he do now, Okasan?" Ranma asked her.

"Never you mind, dear," Nodoka said pleasantly, though one would have been stretched to know if her smile was genuine or not, "It's the least we can do for an old friend of Nabiki's."

"Ah," Nabiki started to sweat, looking at Keiko as if the girl were going to fawn over her at any minute.

"Thank you very much, but the dojo would suit me perfectly, Nodoka-sama," Keiko bowed to her, once more the picture of feminine propriety, in spite of her scanty dress, "I'm hoping to find more permanent lodgings, but if I can stay with you for a while it would make life every so pleasant."

"It is our pleasure," Nodoka returned the bow, "Such a nice girl like you must have had a very rough life to come through so much and still retain such excellent manners."

"My mother taught me well," Keiko replied, "You remind me a lot of her, lady. She could be so kind and thoughtful to strangers."

All but unnoticed in her corner, Nabiki was sweating bullets…

"Ranma!" Genma called out, finding his son perched in the branches of one of the trees in the garden, "What are you doing up there, boy? It's almost time for dinner!"

"I'll be down in another minute, Otosan," Ranma replied, still staring up at the sky as if searching the clouds for some reason or pattern.

"Ranma?" Genma looked at his son with a questioning expression, "Something bothering you, son? If you want to talk about it with your old man…"

"Not really," Ranma started to say, then checked himself and said, "Otosan?"

"Yes son?"

"You know Nabiki, right?"

Genma sighed. That was a very loaded question!

"A little, boy," he replied evasively, "As well as anyone could know her."

"Can you tell me why she acts so nervous around that crazy girl, Arigami?"

Genma studied his son as he considered his answer, then replied, "Keiko is a very unusual girl. I knew that when she and Nabiki were friends, both very little and quite talented for their age. She and Nabiki were…close for a time, but their parting was sudden. Perhaps Keiko represents too many memories that your iinazuke finds difficult to deal with."

"Iinazuke," Ranma repeated, sounding troubled, "I can't understand her. One minute she's so nice and pretty, and then she goes and talks about business as if it were another kind of Martial Art. I still can't get over the fact that she made that bet against me over a week ago, and now I find out she bet on herself in that tournament…"

"It…wasn't exactly a tournament, Ranma," Genma corrected, "Different rules applied. In point of fact, the game she got involved in was nominally illegal."

"Illegal?" Ranma looked down at his father, "Why?"

"Kickboxing is a very much beloved sport in that part of Asia, Ranma," Genma explained, "But the more traditional kind is a bit less…restricted than the legal kinds that are approved by the government. The kind of match those two fought in is a free-form style that involves a lot of hard maneuvers that have been known to cause permanent injuries, even death for the contestants."

"You mean like Mortal Combat?" Ranma was visibly appalled, "Why would Nabiki and Keiko fight a duel to the death? I thought they liked each other!"

"It wasn't to the death, Ranma," Genma corrected, "It just meant that sometimes…accidents have been known to happen. The fight lasts until one or the other opponent is too bloody to continue, or gets knocked out of the ring, or collapses. In their case Nabiki won by a knock out."

"She knocked Keiko out?" Ranma asked.

"More like knocked her completely out of the ring," Genma replied, "It's one of the only times I think I've ever seen Nabiki look worried about the fate of someone she had beaten. The two made up very quickly after that and we collected our winnings. Then…well, let's just say someone took exception to us walking away with that kind of money and we…had to make a point about it."

"How did you guys ever get mixed up in something as dangerous as that?" Ranma wanted to know.

Genma lowered his head and replied, "I wish I could explain it to you, son, but life on the road is not always as soft as a futon. Sometimes you do things you can't be proud of after, but staying alive is the foremost lesson of the Anything Goes School. At least we've never caused harm to anyone who did not in some way deserve it."

"I'm not sure if I want to know what all that means," Ranma said, then changed the subject, "Could you at least tell me something about that Mu Tai system? It looked for a while as if Nabiki was in trouble."

"She told me something about the fight," Genma nodded, "According to Nabiki-chan, Keiko-san employed a special technique called the Stone Foot Method. It works on the principle of Earth, drawing Ki from the very elements to reinforce one's stability and power. Apparently she has had a very good teacher, one who has helped her to master this difficult technique. Once Nabiki realized this, however, she switched to using the Water technique, which is the natural counter of Stone. Stone may last through time, but Water erodes it. Remember that should you ever meet such an opponent."

"I guess…maybe Nabiki is pretty good," Ranma paused before continuing, "Too good. I don't know if I'll ever be as good as she is…"

Genma looked sharply up at his son, then kicked the base of the tree, causing it to shake so hard that Ranma lost his balance and tumbled out, barely managing to roll to his feet as he landed, "What? What did you do that for?"

"Listen, Boy!" Genma leaned over to Ranma with a very angry expression, "Nabiki-chan is good, never mistake that! She is quick and intelligent and learns everything that she can from an opponent. She adapts quickly to challenges and can fight with complete control over her emotions…but do not mistake me when I say that you can be every bit as good as she is! No son of mine will ever admit that he is inferior to a woman, do you understand me?"

"H-hai, father!" Ranma gasped, backed up to the tree, visibly shaken by his father's stern demeanor.

Genma relaxed and sighed, "I know she can be a handful, Son, but you can't let yourself become jealous of your own iinazuke. Any time you start to doubt yourself you just remember that you are a man, and as a man you have unlimited potential. Your life is what you make of it in training, so you don't have to let things get to you. You can always work them out by improving your form and trying even harder. Nabiki will help you if you let her…do not refuse her offer! It will make things easier if you get used to training with her as your primary sparring partner. In fact, now that she is here, Keiko-san might also be of use in helping to train Akane."

"You don't really mean to let her stay, Otosan?" Ranma asked, unsure of why the thought made him so uneasy.

"Where else is she going to go for now?" Genma asked reasonably, "Besides, Nodoka likes her, and anything I can do to make her happy can only improve life for the both of us. Besides, it's not like it's forever."

"I guess you're right," Ranma replied, looking back towards the house and finding his thoughts once more returning to Nabiki, "I suppose I should go talk to her now."

Genma smiled, not needing to ask to whom Ranma was referring, "It probably wouldn't hurt, but just in case…knock first."

Ranma looked at the ground as he sighed once again, "I just wish I understood her better."

"She's a woman, Ranma," Genma replied, "You're not supposed to understand her…"

Continued

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