Project A-Ko Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Vampire Hunter (Darkstalkers) Fan Fiction ❯ Nabiki 1/2 (A Very Scary Thought) ❯ Enter...The Enforcer!... ( Chapter 20 )

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.

"Perfume?" Nabiki gasped, wondering if all Amazon names had something to do with cosmetics.

"You no do right by Cousin," the Amazon girl said as she stalked into the room, still pointing with one of her two axes, "You marry her or be punished!"

"Hey!" Nabiki protested, then shifted to Chinese and tried to explain, <"This isn't something you can rush two people into, you know! I just found out about the marriage the other day, and it's not exactly legally binding in my own country…">

<"You see? You argue the point instead of just accepting! And your Chinese is terrible! Stick to your own barbaric language!">

<"Cousin, this is wrong!"> Shampoo protested, <"I'm not being mistreated or mislead, and my husband is only trying to do what's right for both of us! I love her, but I won't force the issue!">

<"Why are you taking her side?"> Perfume asked, then switched back to Japanese, glaring once more at Nabiki, "You no take Shampoo as wife, you make boy your husband, but he promised to other! Why you no accept Amazon Law as valid? You make Cousin very happy one night, then you reject her next morning! You no good oath breaker…"

"Hey!" Nabiki suddenly felt angry, "I've never broken a contract in my life! My word's as good as Gold Bonds…even better!"

Privately she added to herself: Just don't read the fine print!

"Hah!" Perfume scoffed, raising her axes in a crossed position, "Defend self, betrayer!"

"Cousin!" Shampoo tried again, "No hurt Airen!"

"Get out of Perfume's way, Shampoo-cousin!" Perfume snarled, "No want hurt you!"

"Shampoo no allow!" Shampoo said adamantly, remaining squarely between Perfume and Nabiki.

<"Why do you defend her>"> Perfume demanded, <"She has sapped your will! You hesitate to do what you know must be done and allow yourself to remain abroad in this barbaric land…">

<"Cousin,"> Shampoo said, <"I have seen much good in this woman! She did not intentionally betray me, as I thought! She did not understand our ways…">

<"You know as well as I do that this can have no bearing,"> Perfume replied, <"You would have been the first to punish her, but now…">

<"What I do is my own choice,"> Shampoo said adamantly, <"You think I want to be cast aside? That I enjoy seeing her court another? We are married, but I can only have her if she agrees…">

<"There is no room for choice,"> Perfume replied, <"Would you defy Great Grandmother when she says that this woman must be punished?">

Shampoo stiffened, <"Great Grandmother is here?">

<"I spoke with her this morning and she says I must do this,"> Perfume replied, her voice softening slightly as she added, <"I know you want her, but the law is the law. She came into our village, defeated you honorably, gave her vows, now you must stand aside so that the betrayer can be punished!">

"Shampoo," Nabiki laid a hand on her shoulder, "It's no use, she won't listen. Looks like your friend wants to do this the hard way."

"But…" Shampoo hesitated.

"It's all right," Nabiki said, "I can handle myself. But I don't want to see you hurt on my account."

Shampoo turned to look at her, "Airen love Shampoo? You no want see hurt?"

"Ah…" Nabiki winced, "I don't want to see you hurt, but…"

"Shampoo so happy!" Shampoo clasped her hands together and allowed herself to be gently moved to one side.

"You no see how she hesitate?" Perfume sounded disgusted, "She no say she love, she just use for own purposes!"

"That isn't it at all!" Nabiki snapped, then winced again, realizing how that sounded. She was becoming as bad as Ranma!

"You fight for Shampoo?" Shampoo asked in pleasure, "No get hurt, Airen! Perfume-cousin, you no hurt Airen!"

"I'll try not to hurt her, too," Nabiki pledged as she assumed a fighting crouch.

"You welcome try," Perfume raised her axes and said, "Perfume ready!"

Nabiki was sizing up this girl by her stance, finding Perfume's defenses very strong, and the way she held those axes conveyed confidence and control of her power. Nabiki had no weapons in hand, so she was at a clear disadvantage. She doubted that Shampoo would be willing to loan her Bonbori to this fight, and Nabiki wasn't very confident of her ability to handle them anyway, so she cast about for something she could use to disarm her Amazon attacker.

She smiled. Well, any weapon will do in a cinch. She moved to the side and kicked a stool into the air, sending it flying at Perfume, readying to charge in a rush when the girl would dodge to deflect or avoid it.

Instead the brown-haired Amazon became a blur and slashed the stool into metal fragments. She spun like a top and attacked, causing Nabiki to vault over the nearby work table, landing on the other side as she sought to duck below the other girl's line of vision.

To her dismay Perfume kept right on going, continuing her spin as those axes moved with a speed that was inhuman to chop the heavy wood of the Chemistry workstation like a living buzz saw. In less time than it takes to describe she had removed the obstacle from her path and was leaping at Nabiki, who dodged beneath another table and slid along the floor, seeking to avoid her.

"HIYAAA!" Perfume cried out as she split the second workstation in half, then leaped into the air to soar over the next one and land on the other side, just as Nabiki was emerging from concealment.

Nabiki stared up in dismay to find Perfume standing over her with axes raised for a downward chop. Squawking in dismay, she rolled to the side and came up with a rush, preparing a counter-strike, only to find those axes ready, which forced her to bend backward in mid-attack as she narrowly missed being chopped into three pieces.

Her foot went up in a kick, but Perfume blocked the attack with her handles. Nabiki retracted her legs as fast as she could rather than leave them extended as a perfect target for her opponent. This was very bad! Perfume was too fast for the direct approach, and she handled those axes as though they were extensions of her forearms!

And that's when she began to smell the distinctive scent of horseradishes.

Oh no!

"Shampoo!" she called out as she backed away from the advancing Perfume, "There's a gas leak! Turn off the main valve switch!"

"Gas?" Shampoo blinked, "What gas? And why air smell funny?"

Nabiki grabbed up a stool in either hand and attempted to slam them on Perfume, but the girl moved to intercept and chopped the metal to pieces. Nabiki winced as she vaulted onto a workstation and said, "Don't make a spark or light a flame! If that gas catches fire they'll be one hell of an explosion!"

Shampoo just looked curiously at her, "Why talk so fast? Shampoo not able to follow Airen…"

"Mou!" Nabiki cried as she vaulted as high up over Perfume's next swing as she could manage, nearly brushing the ceiling as she headed for the exit. Perfume, of course, went after her as Shampoo followed closely behind, not interfering but staying close enough to see all the action. As an afterthought she plucked up the remnant of one of the chairs that was in her way and casually tossed it over her shoulder.

It sailed across the room, landing near to one of the demolished workstations and glanced off an exposed metal pipe from which emerged a certain hissing.

BOOOM!!!

The hallway shook, causing Nabiki to fall and slide to nearly the end of the corridor while Perfume halted in mid-stride to regain her balance. Shampoo staggered slightly then looked over her shoulder to see smoke issuing from the room they had vacated and very weakly said, "Oh…that what Airen mean! Why no say so in first place?"

Nabiki scrambled back to her feet and headed for the nearest classroom. Teachers and students all looked up in surprise to see her passing like a shot straight for the window. The fact that they were on the third floor hardly seemed to bother Nabiki as she dropped to the ground with Perfume still hot on her tail, followed dutifully by a much distressed Shampoo, who wondered why Japanese people let such dangerous vapors into their buildings…

"So," Ranma asked as he walked Ukyo towards the Gym, both now wearing athletic shorts, "What do you think of Furinkan so far?"

"Interesting place," Ukyo replied, scanning the field with her eyes, "Does everyone here practice Martial Arts?"

"Well, not quite everyone," Ranma shrugged, "But a majority of students know a few basic moves, mostly low-level self-defense stuff. Not very many are as good as me or Akane, and certainly nobody here is as good as Nabiki."

"Nab-chan is in a class by herself," Ukyo agreed, then eyed Ranma coyly, "So…what is it about her that attracts you the most? The fact that she's a good martial artist?"

"Good doesn't cover it," Ranma sniffed, "But no, that's not the real reason. Nabiki's…well… she's nice…and pretty, and she's very smart with loads of talent and…she has this personality…" he faltered, then sighed, "I'm just no good at this stuff. I just know I want to be with her as often as possible…"

"But she's at least a year older you, Ran-chan," Ukyo reasoned, "You don't share any of the same classes, so you can't really see her except at break time and lunch."

"I know," Ranma sighed, sounding mildly depressed.

Ukyo frowned, then decided to change tactics, "I can see how she'd be fun to hang out with…she was like that when we were kids a few years ago, back when I was pretending to be a boy, and she just took it in stride and even flirted with me and Ryoga…"

"She flirted?" Ranma's tone conveyed worry, "Like how?"

"Oh, you know," Ukyo sniffed, "Batted her eyes, posed as if she were in front of a camera, said stuff that had a double-meanings…girl stuff. I went along to keep up the appearance that I was a guy, but I was really not interested…although there was this one student who I thought had a nice…body…" she smirked, "Kino Makoto, even more of a tomboy than I pretended to be. She knew I was a girl but still pretended to flirt to sort-of give the illusion that I was real butch, dating an Amazon like that…"

"Amazon?" Ranma asked.

"Not like our friend with the purple hair," Ukyo corrected, "She got into a lot of fights, but none of them were caused by her. She enjoyed the Martial Arts like me, we even sparred a little. Last I saw her she got involved with some other girls and hung out with them doing stuff, having adventures," she sighed, "I got kind of jealous at the end there because I wished I could have another friend that I could trust that way. Haven't really felt that close to anyone until lately, not even my father."

"I'm sorry if life was so hard for you, Ucchan," Ranma noted.

"Ah, it was just something I grew out of when I moved here," Ukyo shrugged, "This is a new chapter of my life, so maybe I should come out of the closet and be myself as I am. It'd be a big relief, not to mention an end to a lot of discomfort."

"Discomfort?" he asked.

"Yeah," she smirked, "Like taping down my breasts. That used to be easier to do, but lately they've been filling out a lot more…and it can get pretty constrictive wearing boy's clothing all of the time…"

"Ah…" Ranma decided not to give into his infamous temptation of saying what came first into mind. He was trying very hard not to indulge Ukyo's budding interest in him, and giving her the wrong sort of idea was hardly the way to make progress.

She laughed just the same at his typically male reaction, then said, "Mind you, I've learned a lot from posing as a boy, such as the big difference in the way guys and girls get treated on the whole. For one thing I'd never be caught dead wearing the sort of dresses the other girls seem to fancy…"

"Yo, Ranma!" Akane called out, just before a soccer ball came flying their way, and without pausing to think about it Ukyo darted under the ball and gave it a head butt, sending it back onto the field.

"Nice shot," said Keiko as she trotted up to join them, "Sorry about that, don't know the strength of my own kicks. I was half-afraid it'd wind up in orbit…"

"What are you doing here?" Ranma asked as Ukyo returned to his side, looking smug in an almost boy-like manner, "Thought you weren't going to enroll?"

"Well, nobody's told me to get lost yet, so I thought I'd join Akane and her friends in a little game," Keiko smiled, now wearing a light jersey to go with borrowed athletic shorts, but no footwear, "Seems like a lot more fun than waiting at home for everyone else to show up."

"Still no shoes, I see," Ukyo nodded matter-of-factly.

"Why would I need shoes?" Keiko asked, then smirked, "Still going in drag, huh? Afraid to let it all hang out?"

"I'm considering my options," Ukyo cocked her head to one side, and for a moment Ranma thought to himself that--even dressed like a boy--Ukyo was kind of cute…then he stifled the thought with a guilty start. First Nabiki, now this…!

"Hey, Ranma," Akane grinned, seeing his reaction as a golden opportunity to twist the knife, "How are you getting along with your new girl-friend?"

"Lay off, Akane, I'm not in the…" he started to say when an explosion rocked the landscape, and as one they all turned around to look back towards the main building.

"What was that?" asked Akane.

"I see smoke!" Keiko pointed, "It came from that third-story window!"

"The Chem Lab?" Ranma blinked, "Wonder if somebody mixed the wrong batch? Hey, Akane, you haven't been leaving one of your little recipes lying around for some other poor schmuck to try out?"

"Shut up, Ranma!" Akane snapped, "I'm not that bad a cook…"

"Oh yeah?" he retorted, "Then why does everything you make try to get up off the plate and…"

"Uh," Ukyo glanced at the pair and said, "As much as I find this display of sibling rivalry fascinating, do you think maybe we ought to go see if somebody's been hurt?"

"Fire Marshal will take care of it," Ranma shrugged, "This isn't the first time this has happened."

"Stuff like this happens all the time?" Keiko smirked, "I think I'm going to like it around here…"

"Excuse me!" Nabiki cried as she suddenly appeared running hell-for-leather right through their midst, kicking up a breeze in passage.

"Oneechan?" Akane gasped, "What…?"

"Come back, you coward!" cried a second girl with long brown hair as she vaulted over their heads like a springing panther, then came down at a dead run as she chased Nabiki towards the gymnasium with axes flashing, "Face Perfume and take punishment!"

"Perfume?" Ranma blinked when he was suddenly run down by a charging express Amazon, who knocked them all sprawling.

"Get out of Shampoo's way! Shampoo coming, Airen!"

"What the…?" Ukyo got back to her feet then growled, "Why that purple-haired hussy…" and took off running,

"Perfume?" Keiko winced as she got back to her feet and dusted herself off, "Oh no…this is bad news! What's Nabiki-chan done to set her off this time?"

She then began sprinting after the others.

"Man," Ranma groaned, "What is the problem with these Amazons?"

"I don't know, Ranma," Akane said, "But I think Nabiki Oni-chan is in trouble, we've got to help her."

"Nabiki," Ranma suddenly remembered the brief instant before Nabiki had passed them, the look of sheer panic in his iinazuke's face, and the flash of twin axes, and then he was running after them before he had even formulated the thought, followed closely by Akane…

It had not taken long for Nabiki to come to the conclusion that she was not going to beat this girl without finding some weapons to counter her skill with those axes. Attempting to do so would likely result in her dismemberment, or worse, for the Amazon fought like a living weed-whacker without a single visible hole in her defenses.

That this girl was Shampoo's cousin was obvious from their matching combat styles, but this girl had an edge in speed that made her especially deadly. Perhaps with Shampoo's Bonbori she might have stood a better chance, but at the moment any weapon would do to even the odds a little, preferably hand grenades and missile launchers! This Perfume fought like a tiger, and she did not seem to be taking any prisoners at the moment, nor was she amenable to friendly persuasion.

The Gym was the closest thing to an armory that she could think of at the moment. Half the students practiced some form of martial art, either Kendo, Kempo or Kyudo Archery, which left a range of tools at hand from bows to pole arms to bamboo shinai and wooden bokkens. As she raced through the door she sought one the wall arrays and did not at first register the fact that a class was in session.

Not, that is, until Kuno Tatawaki spied her and said, "Class dismissed! I have just spied my muse and must go to her this instant!"

"Mou," Nabiki grumbled as the fool blocked her way to the wall rack of weapons, "Get out of my way, Kuno! I mean business!"

"As do I, fair Tendo Nabiki," the man smiled, "The Blue Thunder of Furinkan High…"

"Bakusai Tenketsu!" a high pitched voice cried out, just before one wall exploded inward as a new entrance was created. Perfume stepped through the gap and spied Nabiki, then once again raised her axes.

"Kuso!" Nabiki turned around in a look of dismay. How the hell had Perfume done that? Just how powerful was this Amazon girl anyway that a stone brick wall could be shred like paper?

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" Kuno demanded as Nabiki took advantage of his momentary distraction to make a dive for the opposite wall, where she spotted a row of Naginatas.

"Out of way, fool," Perfume waved an axe to emphasize her point, "No have business with you, only Airen to Cousin!"

"If you mean ill will towards the fair Tendo Nabiki, then know that I, Kuno Tatawaki, the Blue Thunder of…"

"You stupid man," Perfume snorted, "No have time for you. Perfume must do mission of Hiibaachan…"

"Your Great Grandmother?" Kuno asked as he held his bokken out in a classic samurai pose, "Why would some old woman want to harm the fair Nabiki…?"

"No you business," Perfume replied, and went into a whirl with both axes flashing. Before Kuno knew it he was clutching a stump, and before this fact registered on him he was sent to dreamland as his head was struck between flat side of both axes.

One almost would have sworn that there was a hollow ringing sound as he collapsed to the floor like a rag doll.

By this time Nabiki had her borrowed Naginata in hand and was holding it out defensively as she looked on in dismay and growled, "What are you, the Tasmanian Devil?"

"You no run further!" Perfume growled, "You make Perfume work too hard, she hurt you!"

"Excuse me, but I thought that was already your idea," Nabiki said as the Naginata whirled in her hand, skillfully wielded like the deadly long-edged pole that her ancestors had once used to unseat charging horsemen.

Perfume met her first attack and reposted, then moved back and counter-struck, only to have the blade end of the Naginata meet her axe and deflect it. Sparks shot back and forth as the two moved in rhythm to parry and thrust, chop and defend, back and forth while all the other student present looked on in amazement.

Ranma and Akane caught up with Keiko and Shampoo, who were standing before the gap created by Perfume, watching the exchange from the comfort of a marginally safe distance. Ranma took one look at the deadly intent of the two fighters and said, "This is nuts! What are they fighting about anyway?"

"Can't you guess?" Keiko gave Shampoo a look of accusation.

"Shampoo no want this," Shampoo insisted, "Great Grandmother send Enforcer Cousin to…what is word for make do what you want?"

"Intimidate?" offered Akane.

"Yes, that," Shampoo nodded, "Intimidate Airen into returning to Joketsuzoku."

"But that's crazy!" Ukyo snorted, "Why would Nab-chan want to go back after they sent you to kill her?"

"Hiibaachan very tradition-minded," Shampoo replied, "No think Shampoo make good decision. She much want matter settled now so Shampoo can return to village. No can return to village without Airen, unless Shampoo kill Airen, which Shampoo no want."

"Forcing her to choose isn't going to do anyone any good!" Ukyo snorted, then made a dash towards the Gymnasium lockers, shouting, "I can't just sit by and do nothing!"

"What are you going to do?" Ranma called out, feeling just as frustrated as he saw Nabiki give ground, slowing down while the Amazon girl just kept right on coming.

"If you don't want this to happen, then why don't you go in there and help her?" Akane demanded.

The Amazon girl just shook her head sadly, "Shampoo no can go against will of Great Grandmother. Hiibaachan is Elder, help raise Shampoo, along with Cousin."

"Well if you don't do something, I will!" Keiko snarled.

"You no help," Shampoo said firmly, "You make promise to Great Grandmother when she let you go. No interfere in Amazon business."

"But she's going to be killed!" Keiko cringed as she saw the blade end of the Naginata fly off into the distance, leaving Nabiki with only the wooden shaft against the onslaught of the axes, "Nabiki-chan!"

She started forward but Shampoo's hand dug into her shoulder and held the kickboxer motionless, "You no stand against Perfume. She too good, already once defeat you."

Nabiki ducked low and forced the Amazon to retreat with a low sweep of her staff, but now she was obviously tiring, having gone all out, while Perfume seemed to just keep right on going.

"But I have to do something!" Keiko cried, "She has a weakness…"

"You no tell!" Shampoo's voice was firm, "Tell Perfume weakness and Shampoo kill you!"

"Go right ahead," Keiko said with a wince as Shampoo increased the pressure of her grip, "I'd rather die than see Nabiki-chan get hurt. If you cared at all about your precious Airen…"

Shampoo's face was a mask of pain for one instant before she finally spoke the word, "Water."

"Water?" Akane and Ranma gasped.

Shampoo bowed her head and said the word that made everything clear, "Jusenkyo…"

Nabiki was losing and she knew it. Where in the name of all the gods did this girl get her energy from? Shampoo would have long since tired by now, but her cousin just kept right on going! Nabiki was fast exhausting her supply of special techniques while the other girl was just chock full of surprises. In a matter of a few seconds she knew the fight would be all but over.

Oh well, there was one special technique Genma had taught her for dealing with hopeless situations such as this. Nabiki threw her pole hard at Perfume like a Javelin then put the tactic into effect by turning tail and running like hell for the lockers!

Perfume managed to chop the pole into toothpicks, but in doing so she was delayed a few crucial seconds. She darted past the cloud of sawdust that she had just created in time to see Nabiki vanish into the lockers, then without pausing to think about it went charging after her while those athletes near to hand scrambled to get out of her way. They knew instinctively that this lady meant serious business!

"The lockers!" Keiko cried, "Now's our chance!"

"Then what are we waiting for?" asked Ranma, "Akane, just in case, do you think you can find a hose somewhere?"

"Not a problem," Akane nodded, at once heading in the direction of the nearest tool shed.

Meanwhile, Ukyo had broken into the equipment locker and retrieved her baker's peel from where it had been secured. The kid on monitor duty had asked what the heck she was up to, but was wise enough not to object to this boyish girl who had just snapped the lock off its hinges in her haste to get at her favorite weapon.

Ukyo turned around just in time to see Nabiki dart into the locker room, surprising the boys who were only partially dressed at her unexpected presence. Ordinarily, Nabiki might have taken advantage of the situation to ogle some of the male talent on display, but with a screaming maniac on her tail this did not seem like a very good option. Instead, she ducked behind one row of lockers and made a shushing motion at the boys gaping at her.

Perfume trotted in, surveying the room with a momentary look of distraction, then forced herself to ignore these men as she growled, "Where you, Tendo Nabiki? Come face me now!"

"Ah," one of the boys timidly asked, "Did you know this place is for guys only?"

"What about?" Perfume asked him coldly.

"Ah…just asking," the boy blanched as she flashed her axes.

"You smart boy, you leave now," Perfume winked at him, then said, "Only here for Tendo Nabiki! Rest of you go now or Perfume hurt you."

"Right," one of the boys said, and on cue they started to file out of there while Ukyo took cover and waited until the field of battle cleared of non-combatants. She could sense Nabiki trying to maneuver away from the Chinese girl's approach and she readied her baker's peel, wishing she had also had time to grab her bandoleer of throwing spatulas for an extra-added bonus.

"You good fighter," Perfume called out as she scanned the lockers with wary caution, "But you no defeat Perfume like Shampoo-cousin! Stand ground and stop running!"

Nabiki took the opportunity to position herself atop one of the lockers, laying flat and remaining as silent as could be managed. She kept her breathing low and even, but her heart was hammering with fear, and this girl seemed to have ears as sharp as any feline. Perfume moved unerringly until she was just under the lockers where Nabiki lay flat, then she whirled and imbedded one axe just inches away from the Tendo girl's nose. Nabiki gave an instinctive yelp and rolled off onto the other side. Perfume circled around and trapped her there, deflecting Nabiki's attempted counterstrike easily as she backed her into the wall and held one axe up to her throat.

"You swear you do Perfume's bidding, she let you live," Perfume hissed.

"Guess again, Sugar!" Ukyo cried as she sprang from concealment.

Perfume whirled around, naturally, and had her axes into place, but this time they met the flat end of a piece of solid metal wielded by someone who had trained in its use since childhood. The rest was a simple matter of kinetics.

POW!

Ukyo's spatula picked Perfume up and knocked her flying, straight at the showers, where she disappeared amid the splash of running water.

"Got her!" Ukyo grinned broadly, "You okay, Nab-chan?"

"H-hai," Nabiki gasped, "That's one I owe you, Ucchan."

"Anything for an old buddy," Ukyo grinned, "Just remember that Ranma's MY iinazuke."

"Like hell," Nabiki said as sweetly as she could manage, then paused a moment before saying, "She hasn't come out by now…"

"That is odd," Ukyo frowned, "Think maybe I got her worse than I thought?"

"I doubt it," Nabiki sniffed, "More like she's waiting in ambush."

"You could get away and leave her to me," Ukyo pointed out, her baker's peel held at the ready.

"I could," Nabiki said, "But I'm tired of running, and this is as good a time as any to finish this up. Mind backing me up for another minute?"

"If you don't mind sharing," Ukyo nodded and the two of them crept cautiously towards the showers. They flattened outside the door, then Ukyo took the initiative, going inside first, half expecting to see axes flying her way at any second.

Nothing happened, so Nabiki crept up behind her, keeping a defensive crouch and wondering where Perfume was hiding. The room seemed largely intact, just a few naked guys standing about with puzzled expressions…and then they both saw something on the floor that made their eyes widen.

Perfume's axes were there, while her clothing was crumpled up and matted down while a showerhead continued to spray it with cold water. They were just starting to make some sense of this when a low growl filled the room, and the both of them turned to see a soggy feline glaring at them both with a sullen expression.

Feline? Nabiki's eyes went wide!

A…CAT!

"What the hell?" Ukyo frowned, "Where's the Chinese Buzz Saw gone off to, and who let this pet get into the place? Nab-chan…Nab-chan?!?"

Nabiki had backed up all the way to the wall, staring at the creature looking up at her as though it were a devil made flesh. Whatever fear she had experienced until now, it paled to insignificance as her eyes fairly bulged with the starkest horror imaginable.

The cat looked up at her and offered a puzzled, "Mew?"

"Gah!" Nabiki screamed, and fled the showers in abject terror…

Continued

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