Project A-Ko Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Vampire Hunter (Darkstalkers) Fan Fiction ❯ Nabiki 1/2 (A Very Scary Thought) ❯ Teatime with Saki... ( Chapter 26 )

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.

"Thanks for stopping by," Saki murmured over a cup of hot Cha that she had been savoring for the past several minutes.

"Not like I had a lot of choice in the matter," Nabiki replied as she took a seat on the opposite side of her table, "I hope you know what a risk I'm taking just by letting myself be seen with you now that you're big secret's out of the bag."

"That I'm an undercover cop?" Saki smiled, "I don't blame you. Some days I don't want to be seen associating with me either, but there you have it. Relax, I'll make sure nobody suspects you of being an informant or anything like that. I know how important it is to build a certain kind of rep in this business."

"Well, if you understand me so well," Nabiki replied, "Why have this meeting?"

"Thought it'd be a good place to clear the air," Saki said as she leaned back in her chair, "Maybe set your mind at rest about my intentions. I'm not here to harass you, I'm not even hanging around long enough to watch the fallout from your little hostile takeover of the campus underground."

"I see," Nabiki eyed her suspiciously, "Then I take it you've already made your arrest quota?"

"Miss Tendo," Saki eyed her with knowing smirk, "It's true I had my doubts about you in the beginning, but I've done some research and I think I know you well enough to say that Furinkan's probably better off with you in charge than the more logical replacements. Word's already gotten around that you intend to do something about the Pimps and the Pushers, and if you really mean what you say about making sure the students study harder you'll even be doing a community service. That's off the record, of course, just my personal opinion."

"And what do your superiors think?" Nabiki asked her.

"I've convinced them that you're not as big a threat as what we've already put down," Saki replied, "They're not exactly crazy about anyone dealing in Vice on school grounds, but to them you're small fry. We've got bigger fish to catch, and you've helped us find new leads on the sharks we're really after. For now they'll look the other way, just so long as they don't hear too much noise from your direction."

"I'll take that as a warning," Nabiki nodded.

"That's good," Saki's tone became sober as she added, "Because you wouldn't like me very much if they decide to send me back this way. You're good, but I've been in this business a couple of years now, and seniority counts. Personally I hope it never comes to that, you'd be a better ally than an enemy, and I already think I like you."

"I have enough girlfriends as it is," Nabiki sniffed.

"It wasn't a pick up line," Saki's tone conveyed seriousness, but she did not seem offended, "I've got to say that watching you from the sidelines has been anything but dull, and some of the accounts in your files make pretty interesting reading. You remind me a lot of somebody I used to know, a girl who thought she knew everything, had all the answers."

"Sounds very heartwarming," Nabiki replied, "Whatever happened to her?"

"Found out the hard way that she wasn't as smart as she thought," Saki's expression was melancholy, "It wasn't entirely her fault, she just underestimated the size of the world and the people who were in it. She took a hard fall, but somebody made her a better deal, and now she's working to pay off past debts. I thought I owed that girl something by letting you know what kind of road lies ahead if you stumble, just like she did."

"I see," Nabiki eyed the pink-haired woman with a wary edge before resuming, "So what exactly was it that turned you into such a social worker?"

Saki actually laughed, "Is that what I seem like? Funny, I used to be a pretty rough customer, as mean and dirty as they get. The vice principal even compared me to the daughter of the Devil. Nobody ever thought I'd turn over a new leaf, especially me. I was everything you only pretend to be, Tendo-san, and worse, so don't ever make the mistake of thinking I got soft when I switched to the opposite team. Believe me, I was just like you at your age."

"Somehow I doubt it," Nabiki said with a touch of irony in her voice.

"What, because I don't turn into a guy when I get splashed with cold water?" Saki asked, then chucked again as she saw Nabiki's shocked reaction, "Don't worry, I'm not going to splash you, although from what I hear you're quite a hunk in your other form. Oh, and before you ask how I found out about your little secret, it wasn't that hard. I've seen crazier things during my time as a Sukeban Deka."

Nabiki arched an eyebrow as she studied this girl who seemed barely older than herself, yet whose eyes seemed shadowed as though her years were full of tragedy and sorrow. She decided to dispense with all pretenses and just came out and asked, "What happened?"

Saki flinched from the directness of that query, but after a moment she reached under the collar of her jacket and pulled out a thin chain upon which dangled a set of bells, which tinkled softly.

Very quietly, at first, Saki replied, "I had a good friend once, someone who brought light into my life, and when she died…part of me died with her. I'd do anything to have her back, but all I can do is…honor her by making sure that scum like the ones who killed her never get the chance to corrupt any more such innocent lives."

There was real heat in Saki's soft-spoken words, and her look was dark and fierce as if she could see faces before her eyes of the long dead and well damned. She mastered herself after a moment of tense struggle and looked hard at Nabiki before saying, "I'd also do anything to spare you from making the same mistake as I did, sister."

Something about her tone chilled Nabiki's spine, and after a moment's hesitation she asked, "What do you mean by that?"

"Your friend Ryonami," Saki said, "And others like her. You can't watch them all the time, and you can't always count on the power of intimidation. Be mindful about the waters you swim in, Nabiki-san, some sharks have been known to go after families, and there's worse than physical pain of the body. Some wounds never heal. It's better to never take them in the first place."

Nabiki said nothing for the longest time. A dozen flippant replies came easily to mind, but somehow none of them offered any comfort as she considered the implications of what Saki was sharing. The girl seemed to be struggling to master her own emotions, as though she were baring a part of her soul that she rarely shared with anyone. To say anything that might diminish her words would be crash and boorish, especially since it was the voice of experience talking. Cynic that she was, Nabiki never ignored a competent warning.

At last Saki broke the silence, almost off-handedly saying, "By the way, did you know that the contract on your head's been cancelled?"

Now Nabiki did not bother to hide her shock, but neither did she ask how the Detective had known about it in the first place, "It has?"

"Yep," Saki sniffed, "You and the old man no longer have that reason to keep one eye over your shoulder. Damnedest thing, one minute you're worth ten thousand American dollars dead or alive in Hong Kong--preferably the latter--the next is that Chu Wan Phat's discovered religion and is retiring from the rackets."

"Somehow I find that very difficult to believe," Nabiki snorted.

"You aren't the only one," Saki smiled, "I've never met the bastard personally, but I've heard the usual stories. Rumor has it he was visited late one night by the ghost of the Baba Yaga, and the next thing you know he's put the word out that no one is to touch a hair on your head, and that he's forgiven and forgotten all about the way you made him lose face before the other Tong Lords. I don't mind telling you that just hearing about that makes me reconsider everything I've ever said about religion."

"Baba Yaga?" Nabiki softly repeated. The words meant "Old Woman of Death," a reference to an obscure Indo-European devil woman said to travel about on a house that walked on legs, and who was reputed to eat children. The image this conjured was puzzling indeed, for what did a Chinese Gang Lord and Slaver have to fear from an old world myth? It was quite a puzzle, especially considering the mental state Chu Wan Phat was in the last time she had seen him.

"Thought you might want to know, in case you ever meet this Baba Yaga," Saki said with a sniff as she started to get up, "Good luck with the rest of your life. I don't envy your problems, but I have to say I do envy you for still having options. I can't advise you any more than I have. It's up to you to run your own affairs. Just be careful whose toes you step on in the future."

"I'll keep that in mind," Nabiki said, this time without the least trace of irony. In a very odd way she was starting to like this Asamiya Saki. There was something about the girl that almost felt as if she were an older sister, or at least someone who knew the score as well, if not better than she did.

Saki nodded to the table, where Nabiki saw a plain card lay, along with a phone number, "Keep that, just in case you ever need to talk. I know what it's like out there. Not many other people do, which is both a good thing and a great pity."

"You think I'll need a guardian angel?" Nabiki asked.

"Wouldn't hurt," Saki replied, "I've needed one now and again, but if you like, it doesn't have to be about the business."

"I'll keep that in mind," Nabiki slowly nodded, her smile more relaxed and thoughtful.

"Oh," Saki hesitated as if recalling something as an afterthought, "About your friend, Gosunkugi. An interesting boy, if a little strange about the corners. I've got a special interest in him, so I'll probably be in the area now and again between assignments."

"I didn't think he was your type," Nabiki sniffed.

"You never know," Saki's grin was devilish, "I've learned never to underestimate the nerds, but I was more interested in his other undercover skills. He's the sort the people I work for like to recruit early. Major talent like that is something to keep an eye on."

"So I've already decided," Nabiki returned the smile with a mischievous gleam of her own, "You can never have too much information from the ground level."

"Be seeing you," Saki bowed before leaving.

"Hai," Nabiki returned her bow, pocketing the card before murmuring, "Domo Arigato…"

Nabiki was sitting in her favorite place above the roof of the dojo, staring down at the pad before her as she tried to make some sense of the names she had written down in neatly printed Konji. Her own name was at the top of the list with Ranma on one side and Shampoo on the other, and below them were the names Ukyo, Keiko and Perfume, all six forming a hexagon that she was staring at as though it were a religious mandala.

Perfume had been docile for most of the day as she rode atop Ukyo's shoulder on the opposite side from the Bakers Peel handle. As she seemed to behave herself no one had even suggested putting her back in a cage, and even Ukyo was starting to get used to her presence. She joked around other girls, explaining the cat was a pet and even took to giving her the nickname of Per-Chan.

Once they were home, however, Perfume had wasted no time seeking out a hot bath and changing back into herself, where she promptly recovered her silken outfit and retrieved her axes. When she appeared again it was in full warrior mode, but she did not instantly leap to attack Nabiki. Instead the girl just walked right up to her and said, "You honor Cousin, Perfume no fight. Great Grandmother decide when she arrive."

"Okay," Nabiki had tentatively replied, tilting her head slightly as she asked, "Bygones be bygones?"

Perfume just sniffed and turned away from her, then her face set in a beautiful smile as she looked towards Ukyo and said, "Airen."

That had not gone very well. Ukyo flinched from Perfume the girl as she did not from the presence of Perfume the Cat and tried to dissuade the girl from latching onto her arm and hugging her with affection. At first her reaction puzzled Perfume as the girl did not seem to understand why Ukyo was treating her differently. After all had she not been worried about Perfume when she was captured by Kodachi?

"That was different!" Ukyo had insisted, trying to free herself from Perfume's embrace, "It was my fault you got captured! I was only trying to protect you…"

"Ukyo loves Perfume!" Perfume had cried with joy, misunderstanding entirely, so Ukyo turned in desperation to Shampoo and tried explaining herself to the other Amazon, only to find the purple haired girl no more understanding than her Cousin.

"What Spatula girl try tell Shampoo?" Shampoo had asked in honest confusion, "You no want Perfume Airen? Why you care what happen to Perfume when stupid rose girl take her?"

Nabiki smiled and shook her head in memory of that perplexing moment. Ukyo had looked at her with pleading eyes and Nabiki had tried her best to explain to Shampoo that it was not the custom in Japan to fall madly in love with someone just because they beat you in combat.

Neither Amazon could understand what they were trying to tell them. It was so central to the core of their nature that they would marry the man who defeated them in battle. Perfume had deliberately chosen to define Ukyo as a superior Warrior of indeterminate gender, while Shampoo recalled Nabiki as she had been in cursed form. Try as they might they could not explain that Ukyo could like Perfume without LIKING her THAT WAY…

Nabiki sighed, staring down once again at the hexagonal pattern. She wanted Ranma but had to honor a commitment to Shampoo. She could not acknowledge her marriage to the Amazon as legitimate in legal terms, but she was obligated to see to Shampoo's welfare. On the other hand there was her commitment to Ranma, and her father was most insistent on the primacy of that claim, so even if Nabiki and Ranma did not get along any better than Ranma and Akane they still had a family obligation to get married.

Unfortunately Ranma had been thoughtlessly engaged to Ukyo by his idiot father, and yet Ukyo was similarly trapped into a relationship with Perfume by the same system of obligation that held Shampoo to Nabiki. Coupled to that was the fact that Shampoo and Perfume seemed all too willing to pledge themselves to female "Airen." They had been raised to believe in the rightness of the Amazon system, which valued strength and saw the bonding of two warriors as the highest expression of love to which they could aspire. Both acknowledged Nabiki as the strongest fighter, but both seemed willing to tolerate Ranma. Ukyo might not be happy with the arrangement, but the alternative was to hurt Perfume's feelings, and they all agreed that this was not to be desired.

Nabiki privately wondered if she really could stand up to Perfume in a straight fight. With those twin axes the girl seemed totally invincible, but a glass of water was all that was needed to take the fight out of her. Then again there was that other weakness Perfume had that neither she nor Shampoo liked discussing, which Keiko had hesitantly revealed only when necessary to Nabiki's survival because of her honest fear of retribution.

And that brought her back to Keiko, who freely admitted to her feelings for Nabiki but seemed willing to abide by a truce, most probably because she feared what Perfume and Shampoo would do to her if she tried to force the issue. Keiko was loyal and daring, a good friend in need, and certainly no molester. It was hard imagining her being afraid of anyone, but she seemed more subdued around Perfume than at any other time, and flinched at the mere mention of the mysterious Elder to whom the Amazons kept referring.

What to do about Keiko? Well, the girl had no where else to go, and she was proving a good companion for Akane, who seemed taken with the redhead's worldly ways, and Keiko seemed to honestly like the youngest Tendo daughter without the slightest implication that she intended to take advantage of Akane's innocent fascination.

Nabiki had to smile at that. Keiko surely had to be a better influence on her sister than Kodachi…

Instinct warned her in time for her to roll to the side and come up to her feet, just seconds before a sharp object struck the tiles atop the dojo and exploded one to fragments. Nabiki raised her arms and deflected the pieces of tile that flew in her direction, eyes closed to block out the dust as she reached out with all her senses, feeling the rush of air pressure warn her of an impending attack, and moving to block it.

A rapid exchange ensued in which her arms met and deflected the cunning thrusts of a wooden staff being jabbed at her very fast repeatedly. Nabiki backed up to give herself more room for a counter-attack, but the onslaught ceased as swiftly as it had begun. She opened her eyes wide and stared in confusion…

And came face-to-face with a mummified visage. An old woman perched atop a gnarled wooden staff looking at her with curious wide eyes. The woman was a shrunken doll-sized figure in a stylish green silk dress that was printed with spiraling patterns yet she hovered atop the end of the staff studying Nabiki with a smile. After a moment she faintly nodded, as if in approval.

"Not bad," she said in perfect Japanese, "You sensed my attacks and met them with skill. Perhaps Shampoo was right to choose you for her Airen."

Nabiki had already made the connection, "So…I take it you're Kho-Lon the Elder?"

"You may call me Grandmother, Son-in-law," the ancient woman cackled, enjoying Nabiki's reaction.

"Son in law?" Nabiki sniffed, "Someone ought to check your eyesight, Granny."

The old woman inclined her head politely, "Daughter-in-law, if you insist, though I think Shampoo prefers you in the other form. I don't mind saying I'd like to see you as a man as well, I understand you can be quite attractive…"

"What can I do for you, Elder?" Nabiki asked as politely as she could manage, feeling very annoyed at the insinuative tone the other was using, as if she were deciding Nabiki's fate even as they were speaking.

"I think you already know what I am here for, Daughter-In-Law," Kho-Lon replied, "I've come all the way from Joketsuzoku to insure that you honor the promise you made to my Great Granddaughter. I need her back in the village, and this will not be possible without your presence."

"I'm not going back to China," Nabiki replied, "Unless you know of some way to cure my curse."

"Even if I did, which is not likely, I would not be inclined to do so," Kho-Lon gravely answered, "Shampoo's status in the village requires that she return with her husband, or else the head of the impudent girl who took advantage of her innocence. Since Shampoo has elected to accept you as her Airen, it therefore is incumbent on you to accept your place with the Amazons as the senior wife to the Champion of Joketsuzoku."

"Wait," Nabiki frowned, "Are you saying I should either help Shampoo by becoming a man and going back to be her paramour, or take her place as the Champion for your people?"

"My other Apprentice did not mistake your intelligence," the old woman said approvingly, "You had demonstrated great potential as both a fighter and a negotiator, two skills we much prize among our people. Obviously I would rather Shampoo retain her status in our village, but if she defers to your superior abilities, then it is just as acceptable. Either way you are coming back with us."

"Like hell!" Nabiki snorted.

"You would be treated well if you elect to become Shampoo's husband," Kho-Lon continued as though not the least affected by Nabiki's protest, "Men are not our slaves, and as a man you would have status and honor. You could not have a voice in Council meetings, of course, except those rights afforded to other men of Joketsuzoku…"

"I'm not doing it!" Nabiki insisted.

"However, if you prefer remaining a woman, then you will have full rights and a voice upon our Council," Kho-Lon continued, "You would have to take Shampoo's place, and she would not be permitted full rights as her status would be dependent on you, but she can act as your advisor, and I have trained her well in the hopes that one day she would herself become an Elder."

"Hey, are you listening to me?" Nabiki almost shouted, "I'm not going along with this! I know those are your laws but I want to remain here with my family…"

"Perfume tells me that there is a boy in which you are interested," Kho-Lon noted, "If you wish to retain his company, and Shampoo is agreeable, then it is your right as senior partner to take a male concubine, so long as you both share him with the intent of providing healthy babies. That will, of course, only apply if you retain your female form, unless he is the sort who likes his own gender…"

"Ranma…!" Nabiki realized that she was losing her temper and worked very hard to recover control over her voice, "Ranma would never agree to that. He and I are pledged to one another with the blessings of our parents…"

"I'm afraid that obligation cannot take precedent," Kho-Lon said harshly, "Three thousand years of Chinese Amazon history are on the line here. Either you accept the terms I have outlined for you or you must suffer the consequences."

"Consequences?" Nabiki sniffed, "What do you intend to do, old woman? Kill me?"

The ancient mummy just cackled a laugh, "How feeble an imagination! No, child, I will not and cannot take your life. It is not permitted for me to interfere to that degree. It must be Shampoo's choice to kill or marry you, and she has already chosen. No, I am merely here to enforce her decision."

Without warning the woman hopped off her staff, and before Nabiki could raise her guard again she thrust it forward and tapped her lightly on the chest. Kho-Lon backed away and once more resumed her balancing act atop the wooden staff.

"There," she smiled, "Now you have no choice but to obey my decrees, or else you'll never be able to hold your precious iinazuke in your arms again."

"What?' Nabiki gasped, "What did you do, old woman?"

"You'll find out," the Amazon elder cackled in reply and vaulted off the roof, using her staff as though it were a pogo stick as she leaped away.

Nabiki touched herself where the staff had tapped her and looked down in confusion. She felt a tingling there, but could not sense anything wrong. Her breathing and heart rate appeared normal, which would not be the case if she had been struck in a vital area. The human body had many nerve clusters that could be explored through Shiatsu, but none of the important ones she knew about had been affected.

She retrieved her note pad, looking off the way the Elder had vanished. That wizened old ghoul would be trouble, there was no mistaking it, and from the way she had fought there was no doubting her power. In spite of her incredible age she moved with a speed far in excess of anything Nabiki had ever previously encountered.

"Three hundred years?" she sniffed to herself, "Doesn't look a day over four hundred."

That was when she decided that she was hungry and elected to go back inside, eager to sample some of Kasumi's marvelous cooking…

Continued

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