Project A-Ko Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Vampire Hunter (Darkstalkers) Fan Fiction ❯ Nabiki 1/2 (A Very Scary Thought) ❯ Game, Set, and Matched... ( Chapter 25 )

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 battle royal was fully underway with Kodachi and Keiko exchanging blows with clubs faster than the naked eye could see. Kodachi's face was intense with concentration as she sought to hammer down Keiko's defenses, while Keiko more than held her own, deflecting each attempt to nail her while returning blow for blow, making Kodachi work as hard as anyone had ever seen her work before in a Rhythmic Gymnastics competition.

"Such style, such grace," Tatawaki said as he watched the performance from a front-row seat, "This Pig-tailed goddess is phenomenal to have lasted this long in spite of my twisted sister's tactics."

"She's something else all right," Ranma said in mild distraction as he continued to watch Nabiki with one eye, the competition with the other.

"You say she has been living at your place for the past several days?" Kuno asked in growing awe as he saw Keiko finally disarm Kodachi by knocking away all twenty of her pins.

"She's a friend of Nabiki's who needed a place to crash," Ranma answered matter-of-factly, "I don't know her all that well except that she got most of her advanced training while in China, and some of the adventures she's had were pretty rough."

"I can well believe that her account must be exceptional," Kuno marveled, "I must meet this girl, perchance to date her…"

"Nani?" Ranma suddenly turned back his way, his attention drawn back by his friend's characteristic admission.

"Indeed," Kuno said somberly, "The more I think on it, the more the idea grabs hold of my imagination. Will you introduce us sometime, friend Saotome?"

"I…" Ranma hesitated, then a smile crossed his face as he said, "That might not be such a good idea, Kuno-Sempei. Besides, you two have met already…"

"I cannot imagine where," Kuno frowned in puzzlement.

"You, um, kind of hit it off," Ranma had difficulty keeping a straight face as he said this, "Keiko's…not like other girls you run into every day…"

"Indeed not," Kuno agreed, "A rose of such quality is only found in the most prized of bushes, the most fecund of soil and the gentlest of breezes…"

Ranma winced as Kodachi attempted to prune the rose that was Keiko by using her infamous razor-edged hula-hoop weapon. Keiko dodged the hoop but it bounced wild off one of the ropes, slicing it in passing before arcing towards the audience and certain disaster.

He was about to leap to the rescue when Akane tossed Keiko her ribbon and in one quick flash Keiko snagged the hoop and deflected it away from innocent onlookers. Unfortunately this left her open to Kodachi, who retrieved her trick club and attempted to brain Keiko with the spiked edge from behind. Akane cried out, as did Ranma and Nabiki, but they need not have bothered as Keiko sidestepped the rush and used the ribbon to ensnare Kodachi's arms.

Moving quickly to take advantage of her opponent's momentary surprise she whipped Kodachi about and threw her end-over-backwards. Kodachi landed with a thud on the stage but rolled to her feet, slipping her hands free while calling to her second to toss her the ball. The crowd was cheering wildly for Keiko at this point, their favor clearly having turned in her direction, and chief among those who called out encouragement was Kuno himself, while Ranma was applauding.

"Go, my beauteous one! Though it is my sister dear you face, know that I, the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High salute your magnificence and your courage!"

Ranma eyed his friend and sighed. He could not let this go much further. Kuno tended to go overboard at the best of times, but setting him up to take a fall like this just was not manly.

"Taichi," he sighed, "There's something you've ought to know about your Pig-tailed-goddess…'"

Keiko meanwhile was flashing her trademark smile as Kodachi glared hatefully towards her, ball balanced on one finger as she prepared to launch it. Keiko assumed an easy stance and tried to look unimpressed, but by now she had learned not to underestimate Kodachi, so she waited to see what the slightly deranged Martial Arts gymnast intended to do next.

Kodachi smiled at her in a way that was most chilling, "I see that for a peasant you are not so lacking in ability, but this is where it ends!"

"Gee, I'm just shaking all over," Keiko grinned in reply, "Normally I'd really enjoy going nine rounds with a cutie like you, but something tells me you're a one-way-trip to the booby hatch just waiting to happen."

"Strumpet!" Kodachi snarled, though just what exactly it was about the way the girl worded her statement that set her off just then even she was uncertain. She hurled the ball just the same, even as a figure cried out from the stands, "NANI??? IT CANNOT BE!!! I WILL NOT ALLOW IT!"

Keiko jumped instinctively to one side as Kuno leaped up onto the stage to confront her, not with his trademark bokken but with a shocked and earnest expression.

"Say it is not so! Say he lies and you have not forsworn the charms of men…!"

"Look--" Keiko tried to warn him as the ball struck him in the face and bowled him over, exploding into a shower of water like a burst balloon as it knocked Kuno back into the stands and into the laps of several shocked (and slightly soggy students).

"…out," Keiko finished lamely.

"Brother!" Kodachi's face was a mask of shock before it changed to one of disgust as she growled, "Brother…why must you always get in my way?" Then she glared at Keiko and snarled, "You…you are responsible for this!"

"Nani?" Keiko asked in dismay and confusion. On the one hand she felt concern for the boy that had taken the blow meant for herself, on the other hand she was equally shocked at the close brush with cold water that she had narrowly escaped by mischance. To come so close to being revealed before all of these strangers in her cursed form! And then the nature of Kodachi's accusation hit home and she gasped, first with a guilty sense that there was truth in the charge, and then in tacit outrage!

"Hey!" she protested, "How do you figure that was my fault? You threw the ball!"

Kodachi's reply was a quick snap of her ribbon, which Keiko effectively parried. Kodachi then twirled the ribbon in a circle, so fast that it actually kicked up a wind and seemed to focus black energy in its center. Keiko watched in fascination as the vortex drew power, and almost too late she realized that her foe was focusing a Ki attack. She lashed out with her Ribbon to disrupt it before it could gain sufficient strength to be deadly.

Sparks flew where their two ribbons met and hers was repulsed by the shock wave. Keiko gave back, aware now that Kodachi's attack was the most formidable thus far and had defenses that were close to unbreakable. Short of creating a counter-vortex there was no way that she could escape the blast that would most likely send her flying out of the arena, not to mention the gymnasium itself!

But Kodachi was vulnerable in one way. Keiko struck at the stage itself, bouncing her ribbon below the reach of Kodachi's spiral to snag both of her legs and pin them together. Keiko yanked hard, forcing Kodachi to teeter off-balance, her vortex disrupted and the wind it had created subsided. Keiko gave her another flip and sent the Black Rose sailing up and out of the arena.

But Kodachi was not finished just yet. Her ribbon snagged one of the beams far above their heads, and then she pulled out a whistle and blew on it. To Keiko's dismay the arena started moving.

"Key!" Keiko cried, seeing the arena position itself directly under Kodachi, who smiled and tumbled free to make an impossible recovery. She pirouetted around and flashed a smile with teeth, then pulled one of her trademark roses from seeming nowhere and prepared to hurl it at Keiko.

"How did she do that?" Akane gasped.

"Do what?" asked Ukyo, who had just then returned with Perfume the cat balanced upon one shoulder.

Akane glanced quickly at her then said, "Kodachi's cheating even worse than usual! She made the stage move underneath her!"

"What, like it has wheels or something?" Ukyo asked, then glanced up as she saw Keiko dodge Kodachi's black rose, which moved so fast it actually grazed the Kickboxer's shoulder, "Hey! That can't be legal!"

"First blood is mine!" Kodachi leered as she prepared to hurl another rose.

Keiko realized that she was in trouble. Her arm--where she had been grazed, felt numb just from the contact, though the trickle of blood she felt was hardly significant. She guessed that the rose might be coated in something rather potent, and letting a second one touch her would be a very unwise maneuver.

Of course she had also been thinking about something that bothered her about the moving arena. Unless the thing had sprouted legs and moved on its own…

Sprouted legs?"

Keiko smiled, then raised one leg and brought it down again, focusing her Ki into one bare foot in an adaptation of one of her favorite maneuvers.

The stage shook as though experiencing an earthquake, knocking Kodachi off her feet and completely out of the arena. As the black rose toppled, so did the stage itself with numerous groans, gasps, and feminine cries sounding out from below her. A moment later girls in leotards from Saint Hebereke began to stumble out from the toppled arena, some holding their heads while others rubbed hands and staggered, groaning profusely.

Akane felt anger surge up in her, an anger clearly felt by the rest of the Furinkan student body, most particularly the rest of the wounded Furinkan gymnasts, "Why…those cheaters!"

Nabiki let out a sigh of relief as she heard Ryonami let out a whoop of sheer joy, slapping Nabiki on the shoulder as she cried, "She did it, Sempei! Your friend, Arigami-san, came through for you, just as you had predicted!"

Nabiki tried to sound confident as she forced herself to smile and say, "Was there any doubt?"

Ryonami sobered, realizing what a terrible faux pas she had just committed by laying hands on her Boss, "Ah…no, of course not…that's why I decided to follow your example and bet on Keiko-san, just as you instructed me to do with your five thousand yen…" she paused as realization hit her, "I won too! And at twenty-to-one odds…!"

"Consider it your bonus money," Nabiki smiled, "You've earned it for loyal service."

Ryonami's grin was infectious, but almost immediately she began to think about the implications, "Oh my…there will be a lot of angry, discontented people who bet heavily on Kuno Kodachi…"

"Not your problem," Nabiki said, "They threw away their money, not you."

"Very true," Ryonami nodded, then blinked, "What do I do with my earnings? I would like to buy nice things, but if my mother were ever to find out…"

"We'll work something out," Nabiki replied, "And what she doesn't know won't hurt you."

"Feeling mighty cocky are we, Tendo-san?" a familiar voice inquired.

Nabiki did not turn around but she saw out of the corner of her eye how Ryonami did and blanched. Nabiki just sighed and said, "Ohiyo, Asamiya-san. Here to make an arrest?"

"Perhaps," replied Asamiya Saki, who had somehow contrived to find a seat directly behind them. She glanced at Ryonami and said, "Why don't you be a good kid and split. This is between me and your Sempei."

Ryonami looked at Nabiki, who nodded confirmation, "Go collect your earnings, and if anyone gives you trouble, point them out to me."

"Hai," Ryonami replied, and bolted from her seat with as much restraint as her fear of the law would permit.

"Was that really necessary, detective?" Nabiki asked coolly, still not looking back at the pink-haired Sekaban Deka.

"Perhaps," Saki replied, "It wouldn't hurt that one to look over her shoulder more often. She's too nice for a business like this. You'll have to be on your guard that no one takes advantage of her innocence."

"Thanks for the news flash, but I'd already figured that part out," Nabiki said, "What are you really here for?"

She could almost feel Saki's smile, "I thought we could have that talk sometime later today. I'm transferring out of Furinkan on another assignment, but I thought I'd tie up a few loose details."

"I take it I'm one of those details?" Nabiki inquired.

"That's what I want to talk about," Saki leaned over, almost purring, "Provided we do so in less noisy environs. Do you know of a teashop called the Jade Lotus on the Southwest corner of…"

"I know the place," Nabiki said at the level of a dull whisper.

"See you there at four sharp," Saki replied, "I recommend you not be late. This is very important."

"I'll keep that in mind," Nabiki replied, still not giving in to the urge to turn around, and knowing that such would be futile for Saki had already withdrawn from the bleachers.

"Thank you, Keiko-sama, for redeeming the honor of the Furinkan student body," the captain of their gymnastics team was saying as she bowed repeatedly to Keiko, along with her two companions, "We had no prayer of winning, we simply did not wish to look bad, but you have exceeded all our expectations…"

"Hey, Akane-chan would have done the same thing if she hadn't been injured," Keiko insisted, giving Akane an affectionate pat on her shoulder, "She is amazingly talented, and had fortune been more kind it would be her that you would be thanking."

Akane felt oddly pleased and embarrassed at Keiko's considerate praise, but even as she blushed she heard Shampoo say, "You no bad either, Red, is good technique for beating sneaky rose lady. Great Grandmother say you good warrior, also good friend standing up for Akane."

"A-Akane?" another hesitant voice asked her, and Akane turned to find Ryoga standing just to the side of Shampoo with a nervous expression, "I…we caught most of the show…you were a pretty good coach…I…"

"Thank you, Ryoga-kun," Akane smiled, stepping around Shampoo to place an affectionate kiss on his cheek. The boy's eyes got very wide, and then he fainted.

"Whoa!" Ukyo remarked as she caught Ryoga before he could hit the floor, "Get a grip on yourself, you silly! Be a man and tell her how you feel for once!"

Perfume managed to hold her perch without extending her claws into Ukyo's shoulder, but she made a noise that sounded very puzzled.

"How…do you feel, Ryoga-kun?" Akane asked as she looked at the now semi-conscious Ryoga in hope and confusion, "Then why does he always act like this when I pay him a compliment?"

"Who know?" Shampoo shrugged, "Silly lost boy no have sense Gods give to cabbage."

"Some guys just can't take too much happiness," Keiko remarked when she heard a voice snarl, "YOU!"

They whirled around to find a limp Kodachi being supported by a soggy Tatawaki. The Black Rose looked indignantly at Keiko then cried, "This match was a farce! You are not a student of Furinkan High! By what right do you claim to be their champion? You should be disqualified…"

"Funny thing," said Asamiya Saki, who seemed to have sensed a perfect time to stride up just then with a coy expression, "I was just going to suggest the same thing about you. I caught your act and I must say I find it…irregular. Half the tools you used were not legal weapons, and the rest of your methods are…to put it charitably, similarly not legal. If you want to press the point, I could see about having you disbarred from any future competition."

"I assure you, lady, that my sisters actions--while deplorably unsportsmenlike--were not performed with true malicious intention," Kuno said archly.

"Maybe so," Saki replied, "But a few of your stunts endangered innocents. If I were either one of you I'd seek professional help, but since I'm just passing through I'd suggest you take your lumps and accept defeat with whatever grace you can manage."

Kuno stared at Saki for a long moment then said, "You seem fascinating for some indefinable reason. Perhaps you might care to speak with me again when we are not surrounded by the maddening throng?"

"No thanks," Saki said as she turned around, "I try not to date outside my own species."

Akane stifled a laugh, but Keiko turned to Kuno and said, "Try not to let her get to you, Kuno-san. That was a pretty brave thing you did, taking the fall for me. Maybe you're not as bad as Akane-chan always says."

"Then…" Kuno looked at her hopefully, "What Saotome-san told me about you only caring for your own fair gender is a base lie, as I so rightly suspected?"

"Ah---nani?" Keiko turned to see Ranma standing to the side of Kuno and his sister, looking somewhat sheepish.

Kodachi arched an eyebrow and looked sharply at Keiko, "Is this true? Are you…?"

"Yeah, I am," Keiko said warily, "What about it?"

"Interesting," Kodachi mused, "That would explain many questions I've had concerning your activities at the Tendo household. What surprises me is that you would associate with such a base Hentai, Akane-chan. Are you not concerned being in the same room with her…?"

"No I'm not," Akane glared at her childhood friend and said, "But I'm pretty miffed at you! What the hell were you thinking throwing that hoop into the audience? And that spiked club you were using…that's going way too far even for you!"

Kodachi looked both surprised and stricken at the accusation, "Akane-chan…"

"Just go," Akane snapped, "I'll talk with you later about it."

"Akane-chan," Kodachi all but whispered, then glared angrily at Keiko, "Have you poisoned her mind against me? Yes, that must be it! This is far from over between us, Peasant. We will meet again, and I will make you suffer for what you have done to my friendship with Akane!"

"You want a rematch?" Keiko snorted, "Fine. Name the time and place."

"That will be for me to decide," Kodachi was once again coy, and she laughed maniacally as Kuno half-dragged her away, the two of them staggering towards the exit.

Keiko waited a full ten seconds before she turned an angry scowl at Ranma, who backed away and said, "Hey, what did I do?"

"You just had to blurt my little secret to your buddy, didn't you?" Keiko growled.

"I was trying to discourage him from putting you at the top of his Obsession list!" Ranma retorted, "Don't tell me you want him harassing you like he does to Akane?"

"Ranma, you jerk," Akane growled, "That isn't the point. How would you like it if people went around gossiping about you and Kaneda?"

"Hey, it's not like that!" Ranma said, then looked in surprise to find his words were echoed by Nabiki. The two of them exchanged looks and then she smiled and said, "You sure about that, Ran-chan? I'd understand if you really did like me in my cursed form."

"Ah…" Ranma blurted.

"What has this goofball been up to while I've been busy with other business?" Nabiki smiled when she caught sight of the thing on Ukyo's shoulder and suddenly tensed, then backed away with a sharp, "C-C-C-Cat!!!"

"Oops!" Ukyo looked sheepish, feeling Perfume dig her claws into her shoulder without quite drying blood, "Maybe I'd better catch up with you guys later…"

She withdrew as quickly as she could without forcing Perfume to dig in for balance while Nabiki took deep breaths and tried to ignore the hammering of her heart. After several moments she found that she could breath more easily, but still the fear did not entirely desert her.

"I can't believe you're that scared about a little thing like…uh…" Ranma searched for a word that was synonymous with the animal in question.

"Believe me," Nabiki said in a ragged voice, "It's not like its something I want to have to deal with…"

"Excuse me, Sempei," Ryonami said as she politely came up alongside Nabiki, "You wished to see the earnings?"

"Ah, yes, quite so," Nabiki found the idea of money was a good anti-toxin and turned to accept the roll of bills her partner in crime handed her, "I trust you've already taken your percentage?"

"Hai Sempei," she nodded her head, "And I've counted your winnings to the last yen."

"Very good," Nabiki smiled, "And what is the total?

"Over two hundred-fifty-nine thousand, one hundred and thirty yen, Sempei," Ryonami said, glancing nervously at the others, "The other students were surprisingly generous when I told them you would visit them if they did not pay up."

"Clever girl," Nabiki smiled, then noticed the shocked look Ranma was giving her, "What? You got something against a girl earning a little money?"

"You gambled on the contest?" Ranma gasped.

"I did," Nabiki said in a level tone before counting off a ream of bills and passing them along to Keiko, "Here's your share. You've more than earned it."

"Me?" Keiko looked surprised as she found herself now holding fifty thousand yen, which was more money than she had ever seen in her own hands in her entire lifetime.

"Think of it as prize money for defending Furinkan against Saint Hebereke," Nabiki turned to Akane, "When I'd heard they'd bet twelve-to-one against you I decided to teach them a lesson. I almost had to withdraw when you got injured, but fortunately Keiko-chan volunteered as your substitute, and I knew she could do it. Just the same, I think you're entitled to some of this money for helping to coach her to victory."

"I…uh, no Oneechan," Akane protested, "I couldn't accept it…"

"Sure you can," Nabiki smiled, "You can share it with Ryoga-kun for helping out. Think of it as a way to finance your first date together…"

"D-d-date?" Ryoga sputtered, having only recently regained consciousness, which fled him once again, much to the disgust of Shampoo, who muttered something in Chinese about stupid foreign men.

Akane was looking as though she might faint herself, but when she looked down at Ryoga she just smiled and quietly accepted the money Nabiki passed into her hand.

Nabiki turned to Ranma and said, "I hope you don't feel too dishonored by my conduct, Ranma-kun. I know how you feel about gambling, but I didn't just do this to make extra money for myself. I'm building an account to help pull the family out of debt so that we can afford to reopen the dojo."

"Oh," he said, looked somewhat embarrassed, "I…forgive me for jumping to conclusions…"

"How can I forgive you when there's nothing to be forgiven?" Nabiki just smiled at him with none of her usual cynicism, then noticed Shampoo's angry glare and smiled, "But you know, I think we all deserve a little celebration after this big event. What say we take a small part of our earnings and find a nice restaurant where I can treat the lot of you?"

"Nabiki-chan mean go on date?" Shampoo asked as her anger faded, to be replaced by a look of pure delight, "Oh, Shampoo so happy…!"

"She meant all of us," Keiko reminded her, "And I'm the guest of honor here…"

"You no push it," Shampoo glared, then sighed, "If Shampoo must share Airen with Boy and Red-Hair, then Shampoo do what Airen tell her."

"Sham-chan," Nabiki sniffed, "You're one in a million…"

"Um…Sempei?" Ryonami politely coughed.

"You can come along if you want," Nabiki told her, "I'm feeling generous enough to treat you as if you're part of our little family group."

"That is most generous and kind of you, Sempei," Ryonami bowed, "But I just wanted to say…well…it is a great honor to know you," she bowed very deeply.

Nabiki just blinked at her, then returned the bow and said, "No need to always be so formal around me, Ryo-chan. I owe it to you for helping me make the right connections."

"I'll continue serving you as faithfully, Sempei," the dark haired girl said earnestly, "You won't regret the trust…"

"I'm sure I won't," Nabiki gave her a tolerant smile, but inwardly she felt deeply touched by the girl's display of respect. She had not counted on making a convert this soon, and she wondered if maybe she ought to keep an eye out for her welfare as Saki had warned her.

"Servant girl show respect for Airen," Shampoo noted with a neutral expression, "Is good she recognize Airen's status, but Shampoo hope girl no think she get above herself."

"Oh, I would never dare come between any of you!" Ryonami protested, "I'm just honored that you'd even accept me into your group. You guys have no idea of what kind of reputations you're building. Already they're calling you the Tendo Posse."

"Tendo Posse?" Ranma blinked, "Like a gang or something?"

"Posse, eh?" Nabiki mused, a thought coming to her as she considered the implications, "Well, I've been called worse, and I suppose it's natural considering that we're some of the best fighters in Nerima."

"Shampoo always best," Shampoo insisted, "Only Airen better."

Something about the way the Amazon said the latter reminded Nabiki strangely of Asamiya Saki, the same cocky tone mixed with a trace of bitterness and pride, hinting at a wealth of emotions. Nabiki could not help wondering, with Saki's odd hair color, if the two of them might be distantly related. Then she filed the thought away and shrugged her shoulders before saying, "Let's go, Posse. I've worked up an appetite just watching things on the sideline."

"Shouldn't we get Ucchan and if she wants to join us?" Ryoga wondered, having at last regained both consciousness and nerve.

"Ah…maybe later," Nabiki hesitated, "She could always catch up with us after she…um…takes care of her Perfume problem."

"Cousin no problem," Shampoo smiled, "She purr much happiness. Shampoo think Spatula Girl maybe coming around to see Perfume in different light."

"You think so?" Ranma asked in a clear mix of overlapping emotions.

"I wouldn't put money on it, Ranma-kun," Nabiki sniffed, "But…I've been known to be wrong a time or two."

"Well gee," Keiko smiled, "I guess you're human after all, but I'm not going to lay my bets either way. Something about that Perfume seems awfully determined."

"Ah, yeah," Nabiki frowned, "Whatever…"

Continued

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