Project A-Ko Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Vampire Hunter (Darkstalkers) Fan Fiction ❯ Nabiki 1/2 (A Very Scary Thought) ❯ From Out of China... ( Chapter 18 )

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.

The Consul General had just endured one of the worst weeks in his entire life, and that was even including a turn in the People's Liberation Army when he had stood watch on the Mongolian frontier in some of the worst weather imaginable staring at the Russian lines and thinking over the possibility that he might have to some day shoot his fellow "Socialist Brothers."

Compared to this week that had been a pleasant vacation in the scenic Hunan province, but this…this was an exceptionally unpleasant time. He had survived purges, seen leaders come and go, had risen through the ranks by taking to the winds of fortune and had even survived the early years of the Cultural Revolution.

But nothing in his vast bureaucratic or military experience had ever prepared him for the onerous task of "entertaining" the old woman who now was standing upon his desk, waiting patiently for the phone to ring and treating the entire Consulate staff as though they were her personal retainers.

No one argued that there was important business the Embassy needed to conduct with the Japanese government, no one dared even to talk to her unless she chose first to address them. One impertinent fellow had foolishly made the effort to persuade her that tying up their phone lines was preventing them from conducting vital affairs of state.

They were still attempting to pry him loose from the impression he had made in the far wall of the chamber. After watching the old woman send him there with but a light touch of her staff no one else had even considered disturbing her meditations. Even the female Captain of the Embassy Guard approached her in nervous trepidation. No man was allowed to serve her the tea she seemed to live upon, and even the Captain was visibly shaking as she did so.

The Consul General eyed the old woman. Old woman? She was a Mummified Gnome! Incredibly ancient and even more dangerous than her fearsome reputation. It was said that the Great Helmsman himself never spoke to this woman but in the most polite and deferential terms, and only through a female interpreter who could speak their provincial dialect. No one spoke harshly in her presence, and the few who actually had met her or knew of her existence fervently wished that they never had to speak with her at all. After all, how was one to behave around this person reputed to be the deadliest woman on the planet?

They said she was over three hundred years old, but he somehow doubted this was accurate. Three hundred and thirty at least, and that was allowing for considerable latitude. Women her age never died of natural causes, most probably because the Grim Reaper himself did not want to be in her presence.

Amazons, the Consul General thought to himself in disgust. The last remnants of pre-Imperial China, remote and mysterious, shunning outsiders and their ways while clinging stubbornly to their three thousand years of traditional independence. Residing in a remote and rather uninteresting part of the Guan Hi district, they were one of the few areas in the vast expanse of China permitted some degree of local autonomy. The Government had tried to subdue and bring them to heal more than once in the past, but countless efforts met with humiliating disaster, and the reprisals that had been visited…

The Consul General shuddered. Yes, better to do what Chairman Mao and those who had followed him had decided to do in their vast and infinite wisdom: Ignore the Amazons in general and pretend they never existed. As far as Beijing was concerned the Amazons of Joketsuzoku were as mythical as the ancient city of the Immortals of Kung Lung in the Himalayas--or the Seven Lucky God Martial Artists of Nekonron, and just as accessible to their dictates. Time and change had no meaning in that part of the world, and as far as the Consul General was concerned they could all be figments of someone's rather fervent imagination.

At last the appointed hour came around, when every switchboard ceased to process calls and a single line was left open to the Consul General's office. Silence fell over the Embassy as everyone waited for the call to come so that they could return to work without arousing the Elder's wrath. The Consul General felt sweat trickle down his forehead but was too terrified to risk movement as he watched the digital seconds tick down upon is desk chronometer.

At precisely 8:00:01 AM the call came through, and the Elder picked up the phone on the first ring and very calmly said, "Speak, Child. What have you to report?"

Seconds ticked while the Elder remained silent, seconds that had come to measure the years of the Consul Genera's life as he waited for the Elder to speak again, sensing that her mood had shifted somewhat from very calm to somewhat angry. Somewhat angry was only slightly less alarming than the warning of an oncoming typhoon. He could remember hearing the stories of how the Politburo had once ordered an air strike to rid themselves of these troublesome Amazons. The bomb was dropped on schedule, only it landed three hundred miles off target, with a not-so-subtle warning that the next one would land in the Chairman's backyard. The incident had never been repeated.

Bad news could only be bad. If this elder felt the need to express displeasure in some way…

"I see, child," the Elder spoke at last, sounding tired and even a trifle bitter, "Very well, you know what you must do."

She hung up the phone, clenching her staff in tiny, brittle-looking hands (brittle? HAH!) as she seemed to think ponderously about something, and then she turned to acknowledge the Consul General's presence and spoke the words he had been dreading:

"I need another favor from you, if it is not too much more trouble…"

Nabiki awoke to awareness that there was something very different about this morning. It took a half-second to figure out what it was, and then the urge to start and sit bolt upright was overwhelming.

She controlled herself with effort, reminding herself that this was part of the arrangement she had made with Shampoo, and that it was too late to reconsider her decision. True, the girl was taking liberties by sneaking into Nabiki's bed at night, but if Nabiki kicked her out now it might provoke a scene, one she did not want to have repeated.

Shampoo looked so innocent by her side, one hand resting on Nabiki's masculine chest (and just when had she gotten wet during the night, she wondered, and why hadn't she awakened?), one leg curled over Nabiki as though the Amazon were offering herself as a bed warmer to go with her blankets. There was such a look of peace about her that Nabiki regretted having to disturb her at all, but with nature calling furiously she had to get to the bathroom and relief, then take a hot bath and get ready for school that morning.

Ordinarily she'd be looking forward to her morning ritual of pounding the hell out of Genma, but she was did not trust herself that far at the moment, so she had ordered him to remain in panda form for the remainder of the night and he was not to change back until she gave her permission. Akane was too busy training with Kodachi anyway to bother with learning other new routines, so for once Nabiki decided to skip morning training. She'd practice in the afternoon, after getting home from school, after she and Ranma had time to talk away from all the others. There was too much to do before class, and she needed her mind clear and her wits sharp to carry out the promises she had made on the previous evening.

She was just glad that Akane and Kodachi were still both fast asleep. She did not need to have the black haired Kuno girl asking how Kaneda had wound up in bed with the Amazon girl, or the fight that would inevitably ensue when matters were explained in detail. She was even gladder that Ranma could not see her as she gently pried Shampoo off her person and laid the Amazon out on the futon they had somehow wound up sharing. The futon offered to Shampoo was, of course, empty.

Only one thought disturbed Nabiki at this point: where was Ukyo? Kasumi and Nodoka had offered to put her up in their room for the night, it having been too late for the girl to go home with her father. She was less troubled by wondering where Keiko was about, of course, since the Kickboxer had volunteered to share the same room as Ranma and Ryoga…

She smiled as she remembered the way the two boys had reacted to that news, even given Keiko's assurance that she was not interested in either boy, could care less what they looked like in their underwear and would just the same spend the night in her cursed form, nominally to "Keep the Peace" between those two with claw, beak and feather.

This place was getting much too crowded for her liking. The Tendo Home had never been designed to accommodate so many people under one roof. Granted Kodachi and Ukyo were only temporary stay-overs, but if they did not soon fine a home for Ryoga and Keiko…well, it might become a problem. For one thing Ryoga would probably not be able to find his way back from another residence, and for another thing it was better to know where those two were and what they were up to.

Besides which Nabiki privately thought that Akane liked having Ryoga around. The boy was the antithesis of everything Akane hated in his sex and always spoke with courtesy in her presence. It was nice to see him gradually turning away from interest in Nabiki as Akane's charms worked their magic on the lost boy's wayward soul. Ranma might resent him in principle, but he, too, was coming to find Ryoga a good sparring partner, the only one he did not mind going all out with.

Nabiki sighed as she got ready for her bath, washing herself off prior to stepping into the hot bath so that she could restore herself to normal. Though Ranma might train with her and certainly had gotten used to fighting hard, he still could not bring himself to risk injuring Nabiki, even in male form. Nabiki had to admit to feeling the same way about him, even if she knew that he was tough enough to withstand some punishment. Beating up on Ranma was more Akane's way of venting her rage. Nabiki just wanted to be near him and not have to do anything special. After last night she was going to have to work especially hard to repair relations with her iinazuke, even given his assurances of understanding her position.

Nabiki only wished she could be as forgiving about Kuonji Ukyo. All right, the girl had not been at fault for the conduct of her father, nor for Genma making that stupid pact in the first place. Still, it was annoying as hell that the girl in drag had helped to spoil a perfect moment between Nabiki and Ranma. Worse still, she actually seemed to be considering the marriage issue favorably, having seen what a nice guy Ranma could be up close, which was poaching in Nabiki's territory. The last exchange between them during the night had openly promised that trouble was not long in the future.

Still, if Ranma could trust her on Shampoo, could she do less with him about Ukyo? Nabiki wished she were a generous enough soul to say yes about that, but she cared too much about Ranma, and to have any woman look at him that way was like being stabbed through the heart. She was going to have to think long and hard about what to do if Ukyo pressed the issue or insisted on their engagement.

And Shampoo…what to do about her? Nabiki actually liked the girl, or from what little she knew of her from their brief discussion about nocturnal arrangements. Shampoo had been adamant about sleeping in the same room as her "Airen," but had seemed to accept that sleep was all that would be allowed. Sharing the same room as Akane meant propriety would be observed. Shampoo obviously had taken some liberties during the night, but innocent ones for the first place, and all she had really done was sleep with her "husband…"

Nabiki shuddered. She was never going to get used to being referred to as that! This whole situation was crazy, but if she were going to get through it alive without hurting anyone then she would need to keep her wits and not provoke trouble by insisting that Shampoo behave with more restraint. She rather doubted the word restraint was in Shampoo's vocabulary at any rate! As intelligent as the girl might be when spoken with in her native language, Shampoo was too elemental and volatile to sit still for very long without doing something expressive to convey her considerable passion.

She wants me, Nabiki thought to herself with sad realization. It's not just the stupid tribal laws compelling her, she actually desires me, and not just because I turn into some guy she thinks is handsome. It must have something to do with the stupid curse that makes the male me irresistible to women…except maybe to Keiko.

All right, so Shampoo had a crush based on their one night together. The feeling could go two ways if she thought hard about it because there was a lot about the Amazon that had attracted her on that fateful night nearly two months ago. Nabiki had actually considered what life would be like if she ever got stuck as a man, and having someone devoted like Shampoo for a companion was hardly the worst fate one could consider.

The problem was that she still wanted Ranma.

Nabiki sighed, finding no answer for her problems came to mind while she soaked out her troubles in the hot water. It felt good to lay there and soak, however, so she lingered for a bit longer than was her usual custom and did not notice when the door to the bathroom opened until she heard Ranma's nervous, "Oops! Sorry about that…"

Nabiki chided herself for once again forgetting to lock the door, a habit she still had yet to break but would have to work harder on. Just the same she smiled and was about to tell Ranma that it was all right and she did not mind the intrusion…when a feathered form shot past him before he had time to slide the door shut, and like a flittering comet that form dove into the tub as Ranma sputtered out a choked, "Hey--get back here!"

The next moment Keiko surged from the water, grinning broadly at Nabiki as she chirruped a bright, "Nihao! Wo ai ni!"

Nabiki stiffened, "Keiko…!"

"I said get out of there!" Ranma stormed into the room, wearing only his boxer shorts and a bathrobe and looking as mad as the proverbial wet hen, "What do you think you're doing…"

Keiko just smiled as she tossed the soap bar directly where Ranma was about to set foot, which sent him flying on a different trajectory as he collided with the far wall, then landed flat on his backside.

"Oh, poor baby," Keiko cooed, "Fall down and go boom?"

"Keiko, what do you think you're…?" Nabiki started to say, then jumped as she felt a foot slide under her beneath the water, "KEIKO!"

Suddenly Shampoo was there, yanking hard on Keiko's pigtail as the girl yelped at being yanked out of the tub, dripping wet. Shampoo's expression was livid as she said, "What you do with Airen, stupid girl? You no interfere in Shampoo business!"

"Hey, easy, I wasn't doing anything…much!" Keiko protested.

"What's with all the noise?" asked Ukyo, who saw Ranma laying on the floor and cried, "Ran-chan!"

"This is not good," Ranma groaned as Ukyo rushed up to him and supported his head in her lap, heedless of the fact that she was only wearing a borrowed bathrobe that clearly belonged to Nodoka. He had a very nice view of her face from a lateral horizon, and seen at this angle he was wondering how he could ever have mistaken her for a boy.

Then he saw Nabiki standing over both of them dripping wet and livid.

"Help," he softly whispered, expecting to be pounded into the floor at any moment.

"What in the name of heaven is going on in here?" a sleepy Akane asked as she scratched her head and yawned, standing there in pink pajamas with a pair of floppy bunny slippers on her feet. She came wide-awake when she saw everyone who was gathered in the bathroom, "Nani?"

"Oh, communal baths?" Kodachi asked nonchalantly, "And here I thought you Tendos were rather uptight about such matters."

"It's not what it looks like!" protested a wide-eyed Keiko.

"No look very long like you do," promised Shampoo as she drew her fist back.

"Could you people please keep it down?" asked Nodoka as she happened by the altercation, "Kasumi is making your breakfast, and you'll awake your father. Now, everyone take their turn using the bathroom, then let's get freshened up and ready for the morning."

"Hai Auntie Nodoka," Akane said politely, turning to look in, "Oneechan, it's not very proper to show Ranma what you look like before you're married. Kuonji-san, you were offering to help Oneechan make breakfast?"

"That I did," said Ukyo as she straightened up, giving Nabiki a wry look that ignored the angry glare in the eyes of the middle Tendo daughter. She left as if she had not a care in the world, passing Shampoo and Keiko by, the latter still dangling by her pigtail.

"Um," Ranma was looking up at Nabiki, then forced himself to look away with great reluctance. Nabiki belatedly remembered that she had forgotten to grab a towel in her haste. She did so now, feeling her entire body flush crimson.

"Shampoo-chan," she asked once she had covered herself appropriately, "Leave Keiko-san for now. You can punish her later."

"Okay," Shampoo replied, dropping the red-haired girl back into the water.

Nabiki sighed to herself. It was going to be that kind of a morning…

"Um…" Ukyo murmured as she brought out plates of food for the others, "I don't mean to pry, but did you guys know that there's a panda playing near the Koi pond?"

"Don't worry," Keiko assured her, "You get used to it."

"Why do I never see your cousin sharing breakfast with the rest of you?" Kodachi asked as she daintily sipped her tea, having finished her bowl of noodles.

"Ah," Nabiki thought fast, "Kaneda…doesn't actually live here, he just stops by on visits."

"Who Kaneda?" Shampoo wondered as she accepted a plate full of Okonomiaki.

"Just some guy I like to hang around with," Ranma said matter-of-factly, earning a warm look from Nabiki's direction.

Ryoga glanced at Akane and said, "She still doesn't know?"

"No one's told her yet," Akane smiled in double pleasure, first at the joke on Kodachi, second because the boy had actually spoken to her without tensing up. This was progress!

"Hey!" Ranma spoke up as he glanced at the food he had just eaten, "This Okonomiaki tastes great!"

"And why not?" Ukyo beamed at him proudly, "It's my family's special recipe. We make the best Okonomiaki in Japan…maybe even the world!"

Nabiki frowned at her rival, her pleasant mood turning sour, like the weather.

"Wow!" Ryoga smiled, "This tastes like nothing I've ever had in my life! Crisp on the outside but fresh and light on the inside, and the sauce is so good that it's got to be home made…"

"I agree," Soun beamed proudly, "You are a magnificent chef, Ukyo-san. You're going to make some lucky boy a wonderful wife…"

"Dad!" Nabiki growled in betrayal.

"Now dear, be charitable with our guest," Nodoka smiled pleasantly, taking another biteful of Okonomiaki and chewing it thoroughly before smiling and saying, "It's very good. I'd love to have the recipe…"

"Sorry," Ukyo smiled, "Family secret, but I'll be opening my own restaurant pretty soon, and you people are welcome to stop in at any time for free samples."

The panda was there eating another Okonomiaki he had stolen off of someone else's plate and was now holding up a sign that read: "Free samples? That's very generous!"

"Ah…" Ukyo paled, then very faintly asked, "Trick panda?"

Nabiki glared at the panda, who got the message and slunk away, very subdued.

"Shampoo agree is good," Shampoo said, "Shampoo good cook, too. You starting business, maybe Shampoo come work?"

"Well," Ukyo seemed to consider it, "I haven't actually talked to anyone yet. Dad promised he'd have the place ready for me by the end of the week, but why would you want to work in a restaurant?"

"Shampoo think maybe find job to help family of Airen," Shampoo replied, "Shampoo know family need income, and Shampoo no want be burden."

"Well," Ukyo smiled, "I don't see why not. Heck, a little diversity is good for any business."

"Going into business for yourself?" Nabiki arched an eyebrow, "I take it you know what the odds are of turning a profit?"

"Hey, I've been studying for this all of my life, Sugar," Ukyo replied, "I've already got it worked out to the decimal point. I'll be advertising for my grand opening shortly, and I plan to use word of mouth to boost sales, and since my location will be within an easy half kilometer from the school I figure on appealing to the student body. With low overhead and affordable prices I should clean up and pay my Dad off by the end of six months."

In spite of herself Nabiki raised an eyebrow. This sounded interesting, even if Ukyo was her self-proclaimed rival.

"I think it's very nice that someone your age has good business sense," Kasumi noted as she came in with a tray of fresh juice and clean glasses, "You and Nabiki ought to get along together…"

"Ah," Nabiki was on her feet, grabbing for her book bag and Ranma as she headed for the door, "Gee, look at the time! We'd better hurry up if we're going to get to school, Ran-chan…"

"But…!" Ranma protested, "I haven't had a glass of Kasumi's delicious ice-cold mint tea!"

"Wait up you two," Ukyo smiled as she reached for her spatula and another book bag, "I was planning on coming with you."

"Nani?" Nabiki looked at her, "Why?"

"Because I've just enrolled in Furinkan myself, and by the most amazing coincidence," Ukyo grinned broadly, "I'm going to share the same homeroom as Ran-chan."

"Ah oh," Ranma groaned as Ukyo took his other arm, and he half feared discovering what it felt like to be taffy.

"You're going to our school?' Nabiki's voice was toneless.

"Guess I should be getting ready myself," Akane smiled, "I think I'll have time enough to walk you to Hebereke, Kodachi-chan."

"I wouldn't mind the company in the least, Akane-chan," Kodachi replied with a grin, "Maybe on the way you could tell me more about your fascinating cousin."

"I'll tell you everything I know," Akane promised, thinking smugly that she would probably make a lot of it up, then she turned and said, "Too bad you aren't enrolled in school, Ryoga-kun."

"Ah," Ryoga hesitated, "Wouldn't be much point to it. I'd never find it in time. I was always in detention back at Crossroads…"

"What if I helped be your guide-dog, Ryoga-kun?" Keiko smiled brightly, "That way you could enroll and be closer to Akane."

"Ah…" Ryoga responded, his expression a mix between pleasure and blind panic.

"An excellent idea," Soun said, "Maybe it's time you enrolled yourself. You say that you've missed a few years, but that's nothing that couldn't be solved with a little remedial education."

"I don't need to go back to school, sir," Keiko said as politely as she could, "And after four years I doubt anyone would be able to find my transcripts."

"We may be able to help you out there," smiled Aunt Nodoka, "We could claim we were your guardians. A nice girl like you should receive all the benefits of a proper education."

"Shampoo think she go see what school like," Shampoo said as she rose to her feet, "Shampoo also want spend time with Airen."

"Ah…" Nabiki saw the look the Amazon was giving her, noting the secretive smile and suspected mischief.

"Then it's settled," Soun beamed in a fatherly way, "Off to school with the lot of you. Leave the housework to us adults."

"What a nice idea," Nodoka smiled at him, "How kind of you to offer to help out, Soun-chan."

"Ah…?" Soun started blinking.

"Why father," Kasumi said brightly, "I think it would be a marvelous idea. It would give you something to do besides play Shogi with Uncle."

"Good luck, old man," Nabiki sniffed, already out the door with Ranma and Ukyo at her sides, followed closely by a dutiful Shampoo, who walked three paces behind her.

Once they were on the street and headed for the school Ukyo glanced at Nabiki and said, "Is there something wrong between you and Kasumi-chan? You seem to tense up whenever she gets near you…"

"Only when there's cold water in her hands," Nabiki sniffed, "Or anything else cold and fluid."

"You sister very nice, but Shampoo think she also very strange person," Shampoo observed, "Good cook, almost as good as Shampoo cooking."

"Ah…Shampoo-chan?" Nabiki asked, "When we get to the school…do you think you could do a little favor and not call me Airen?"

"What Airen want Shampoo call her?" Shampoo wondered.

"Ah…Nab-chan will do," Nabiki inwardly winced, "I just don't want anybody to know about the…ah…marriage business. They wouldn't understand."

"Shampoo no understand Japanese customs," Shampoo admitted, "You no ashamed of having weak girl for wife?"

"What?" Nabiki found her mind going in a tailspin trying to keep up with this girl, "No, I mean…"

"People don't know about the curse," Ranma supplied helpfully, "They think Nabiki and Kaneda are two separate people. If you want to call yourself Kaneda's wife, that would be better, but you'll break a lot of hearts."

"Sadist," Nabiki whispered, "I'm going to get you back for that, Ran-chan."

"Kaneda is name Airen prefers when man?" Shampoo raised eyebrows, then smiled, "Is no problem. Should have told Shampoo in first place."

"You guys sure live some interesting lives," Ukyo sniffed, "I think I'm going to like it here."

Nabiki growled something unintelligible under her breath, unaware that other eyes were watching them from across the street. Shampoo did notice a familiar shadow following them but said nothing. She did appear troubled, however, and was glad no one was in a position to see this.

"By the way," Ranma murmured softly to Nabiki when they turned a corner, "I never got the chance last night to thank you…about my father."

"Oh," Nabiki replied, "No…problem, Ranma."

He took her hand and gently squeezed it, oblivious to the stares that earned from both of their female companions, "I'll never forget what you did. He may have done some bad things in his life, but…he's still my father."

"Anytime," Nabiki replied again, squeezing his hand back as she thought of the one thing Genma had done in is life that redeemed all of his shortcomings. If not for the old man there would never have been a Ranma…

Continued

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