Project A-Ko Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Vampire Hunter (Darkstalkers) Fan Fiction ❯ Nabiki 1/2 (A Very Scary Thought) ❯ Chestnuts and Perverts... ( Chapter 31 )

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.

"Nabiki-chan," Kasumi said as she saw him enter the room, and she began to compose herself with great solemnity when something moved from Nabiki's side and launched itself directly at Kasumi.

"Howsabowya!" a happy dwarf cried out as he latched onto her bosoms and began to snuggle there as he copped a feel like a contented pervert.

Kasumi stood rigid where she was, staring ahead in blank surprise, then slowly she looked down into the ancient face with the little boy-eyes and just stared. The little man stared back, as much in surprise at encountering no reaction, not even the outrage he had expected. He looked at her and she looked back for a long tense moment, neither of them saying a word while time seemed to slow to a crawl with silence so absolute you could have heard the fall of a dust mote.

Master Happosai found himself feeling very small, and for the first time he could remember he actually felt ashamed of his conduct. The look in this girl's wide, clear eyes were like that of an innocent… no--not an innocent as the word was usually defined. More like a kind of innocence that held no shame nor grief to humanity, an innocence born of pure intentions rather than the sheltered sort that could be despoiled by a careless whisper.

For no reason he could define he found himself letting go, landing at her feet with a contrite expression, looking very much like a naughty little boy expecting to be scolded by his elders. In contrast to this Kasumi just looked puzzled, then smiled, "Ohiyo, elder. I am Tendo Kasumi, are you a friend of my father's?"

Nabiki for his part had been frozen in paralyzed dismay, for the moment unable to comprehend the behavior of the ancient Master. The sheer idea of anyone having the effrontery to do that with his sister was difficult to register, but when Kasumi spoke in the same pleasant, unaffected manner that she usually had she was galvanized to registering her outrage.

"Why you--Pervert!" Nabiki snarled, reaching down to lay one hand upon the old gnome's shoulder.

What happened next was difficult to describe save that Nabiki felt the old man touch his wrist with his pipe, and then suddenly he was across the room making face-to-wall contact. He landed awkwardly in a heap, too stunned to understand just how this had happened.

"Oh my," he heard Kasumi murmur.

"Not too shabby," Happosai remarked as he relit his pipe, "But you telegraphed your moves well in advance, and your attack was sloppy, you were way too far off balance."

He took a puff as he studied the wall for another minute, then turned as if recalling Kasumi's presence and said, "Forgive me for not introducing myself, my dear, I am Master Happosai, your father's Sensei, but you may call me Happy. I take it you are Tendo Kasumi, his lovely and quite charming elder daughter?"

"Why, how clever of you to have figured that out," Kasumi said brightly, "Father has not mentioned you in quite some time, but I'm sure he will be glad to know his Sensei has come for a visit."

"He already knows, my dear," Happosai said pleasantly, "And I'm sure he wouldn't mind if you did like a good little girl and fetched your old Grandpa a nice hot cup of Cha…"

"Why you--!" Nabiki was on his feet again, unable to believe how calmly his sister was taking this old man in stride as just another houseguest. He launched himself into a running leap and kicked outward, only to find that pipe intercepting him again as he was redirected into the nearest wall. His foot punched right through to the other side but the rest of Nabiki's mass flopped down so that he wound up hanging upside down by one leg, looking and feeling enormously foolish.

"Oh my," Kasumi said again, "How did you do that?"

"A little secret I've picked up in more than a hundred years of training," Happosai replied, coming to stand before Nabiki as he tapped his pipe upon his chin. "I can see how much your Uncle Genma has taught you in the last ten years, but you're sloppy and your technique lacks finesse. I can see I'm going to have to work to retrain you all over…"

"Oh yeah?" Nabiki arched his back and placed both palms against the wall then levered himself so that he could pull his leg out of the hole and flip himself back onto his feet. He prepared to attack again when instinct and his native caution finally got the better of his anger.

He looked down at Master Happosai, ignoring his rage, swallowing pride and concentrating his focus on the little man, trying to fathom how he kept deflecting Nabiki's attacks and throwing him about as though he were a rag doll. Master Happosai did not even come up to Kasumi's waist level, yet he had put the fear the gods in both his father and Uncle, which was reason enough to approach this fellow with caution.

Actually it wasn't surprising that a halfway competent fighter could scare Genma. Her Sensei was a notorious coward who never fought a battle unless he was confident of winning. His father, on the other hand, was an honorable if excitable man, not a coward precisely so much as a man who avoided unnecessary conflict. Sometimes he was not sure what the exact distinction was, but the one point that stuck out in Nabiki's mind was that neither Genma nor father were the sorts to get as worked up as they had been unless they knew that they were facing serious danger.

Genma had trained her and he feared Master Happosai as he feared no one, not even Nodoka. She had read his expression often enough to know that the level of stark terror he experienced at Happosai's arrival even exceeded that of when Chu Wan Phat had ordered a henchman to gouge the old panda's eyes out with a fish hook, and Genma was not even tied up this time. That meant that there was very good reason to be wary of Happosai.

"Old man…" Nabiki tentatively began, but Happosai merely raised his pipe and said, "Tut-tut, I know you have questions, but we'll get to them in another moment. Meanwhile I'd like to have some tea and settle down for a bit. I'm not as young as I used to be, and all this excitement is leaving me a little winded."

"But of course, Honored Sir," Kasumi bowed to him, "I'll fetch your tea right away…" she paused before she could turn and looked directly at Nabiki, her eyes suddenly locking on him as though she wanted to say something, but could not quite get the words out.

Instead her eyes roved over Nabiki and she licked her lips as if to try and taste him at a distance. Her face was flush and her body seemed warmer than usual as her nipples poked out from beneath her dress and her overall attitude held none of the innocence she had used upon Happosai.

"Uh, Sis?" Nabiki gently reminded, "The tea?"

"Oh," Kasumi started, recovering from her momentary trance as she bowed and said, "Of course, at once, please excuse me."

She hurried out of the room just a bit too quickly to be the normally calm and affable Kasumi everyone else was used to. Nabiki just stared after his older sibling with dismay and confusion, which was replaced by annoyance as he glared down at Happosai, who was chuckling in amusement.

"So that's how it is around here, eh?" the old man's eyes twinkled in boyish mirth, "I guess you see some of the advantages in having a body like one of those Western Greek Gods. I'll bet you're awfully popular with the ladies…"

"Too popular," Nabiki growled, "That's part of my problem, but like I said, Gramps, I'm actually a woman."

"So?" he smiled, "That just means you know more ways to please your dates, while boys your age usually have to guess and figure it out by trial and error."

Nabiki felt sure that he would have gotten very angry once again, but for some reason he found himself blushing furiously at the gnome's evil insinuations, "Look, can we get back to Cologne? She's my chief problem right now, not Kasumi."

"You sure about that?" this time Happosai was serious, as if divining Nabiki's inner conflict, but he just sighed and said, "You're right of course, Cologne is a problem. We met a long time ago near the beginning of my first training mission…"

"Don't tell me you defeated her in battle?" Nabiki asked.

"What, do I look like that kind of an idiot?" he snorted, "Actually she beat me, but I guess something about me intrigued her enough that she let me hang around Joketsuzoku for a while to get a look at village life and decide if I wanted to stay there. It was a nice enough place, but I figured out before too long that it wasn't a place where a man like me wanted to hang around. I said my good-byes and took my leave of the Amazons and haven't seen or heard much about them ever since. Cologne's an exception, though…we've run into each other a time or two over the years, and I can't say that she's improved much with age."

"So, other than being an old girl friend who used to have a thing for you, what else can you tell me about her?" Nabiki asked.

"Only that she's the second deadliest fighter I've ever known, and probably the only one still living," Happosai answered, "When I first met her I never stood a chance, but she was kind enough to show me a few techniques to help me improve my form, and the next time I met her I was a lot better. I could probably take her now if I wanted to, but who wants to spend the rest of their life in virtual serfdom to that old tyrant?"

"Who indeed," Nabiki snorted, "I guess you really do see my problem."

Happosai eyed Nabiki carefully then said, "You have a picture, you said, of what you normally look like?"

"Right here," Nabiki walked over to a table where a recent photograph had been taken of herself standing beside Ranma, not too expertly held but decent enough not to cut off any essential parts. He handed it to Happosai who studied the photo in its frame for a long, quiet moment.

"So," he said, looking up at Nabiki again, then back at the photo, "You really are a cutie."

For no reason Nabiki could determine he actually felt himself blushing, then he looked up sharply as Happosai continued, "I take it that the boy is Genma's son, Ranma?"

"My iinazuke," Nabiki replied, "We've only just met a few weeks ago, but…"

Happosai's look sharpened, and then he smiled, "You've taken a fancy to the boy, my-my! Genma and Soun always said they wanted to unite their families to strengthen the Anything Goes school, and it looks like you and Ranma are the result. Not a bad choice at all, shows more sense than I thought those two had between their lobes. Yes, we've definitely got to get you back into your natural shape. The future of the Anything Goes school hangs in the balance! Good thing this isn't one of those Jusenkyo curses…"

"Eh?" Nabiki blinked, "Why so?"

"Those kinds of curses are permanent," Happosai replied, "It isn't just your body that changes, the curse blends the spirit with whatever last died in the springs. It becomes a part of their Karma…haven't you ever heard the legends?"

"Uh…briefly, while Uncle and I were visiting the area," Nabiki noted.

"The springs all have one source," Happosai resumed, "So you can't use one to cancel out the other. Oh, Cologne told me it might be possible if you found an uncontaminated spring, or another cursed spring that had a different source, but otherwise they don't blend, so you're stuck with whatever you wind up in. Of course that doesn't apply in this case, though, so you'll excuse an old man's rambling on like this. I just thought I'd bring it up as a point of amusement."

"Hah, yeah," Nabiki said weakly, "Amusing. Um, say Gramps…you wouldn't happen to know anything about a certain Cat Tongue pressure point, would you?"

Happosai eyed her with a sagacious smile, "So that's your problem, eh? Well, maybe I do know a few things that could be of service…"

Nabiki winced at the thought of how obvious he was being. Where had his negotiation skills vanished to that he gave away the rice farm in front of this elder? With great effort at regaining a studious expression he forced himself to ask, "How soon will it take me to learn them?"

"Not so fast," the old man gave him a toothless grin and said, "What do I get back in return?"

Nabiki rocked back on his heals in surprise and said, "I thought you were doing this for the Honor of the school?"

His knowing smirk showed that he was far from taken in by her little ruse, "Honor can't warm an old man's heart on cold and lonely nights when he thinks back to his lost youth. I'll expect a few concessions in return for training you in the basics. Do we have an understanding?"

Nabiki felt as though she were bartering with the devil himself and feared that her soul might wind up forfeit. The one thing she had learned early on was to never get involved in a blind contract. Always know the terms of any deal in advance, and study the fine print. Here she was being asked to go against the instincts of a lifetime to trust a man who had just fondled his sister in broad daylight!

Unfortunately he also had her over a barrel, and he knew it. She was in a very poor bargaining position, and if her judgement was right, any hesitation on her part would cause him to show reluctance in teaching her what she really needed. Steeling herself with clenched fists and barred teeth she said, "What do you want me to do?"

"I'll let you know when the time is right," he smiled, offering his hand, "Shake on it?"

Nabiki hesitated this time, but decided to risk hand-to-hand conflict. Instead all the old man wanted was to touch her index finger with his own, then something like electricity sparked between them. He stood back and smiled, then said, "Now, come along and let's enjoy some tea, and after we've meditated for a bit I'll explain to you the problem in your attack pattern…"

Ranma had been too busy to pay much heed to what was going on at the other end of the yard, having just made his ninth attempt at mastering the Amaguriken. Now he was studying Ukyo as she made her fourth attempt, surprising him by snatching out most of the chestnuts before singing her hands.

"Ah…almost got it that time!" Ukyo swore as she sucked on her fingers.

"Almost only count with Exploding Rock trick," Shampoo smiled in superior fashion, but inwardly she was very impressed with the speed with which the Okonomiaki chef was mastering this technique. Ranma was faster, but Ukyo had a certain style and grace to her movements that made Shampoo wonder what else the other girl was capable of. This whole experience had been an eye opener. Outsiders were not supposed to be this good, especially at mastering Amazon secrets.

"This is a pretty good technique," Ranma said as he looked questioningly at Shampoo, "How come you didn't try something like this on me during our fight?"

Shampoo lost her smile as the question stunned her. Slowly she started to frown as she asked herself the same question, then aloud said to the boy, "Shampoo no think to use special attack. No use Chi-blasts or other secret Amazon techniques either. Shampoo fight boy on one-to-one level, too easy use attacks boy no be able counter."

"Very sporting of you," Ukyo said, "Just the same I'm glad you didn't actually try to hurt Ranchan."

Shampoo stared furiously at the fire. Had she not been trying? At the time she was very angry with Ranma for his insensitive comments, but rather than pound him as she had promised she fought him fairly and was almost beaten. Looked at plainly she realized how dangerous her lack of tactics had been. If Ranma had fought more aggressively…why…then he might have won and become her alternate Airen!

"Shampoo…have good fight with Ranma," Shampoo softly replied, "Ranma good fight for outsider male. Better than Amazon men Shampoo know, including Mu Tsu…"

"Mousse?" Ranma asked with a puzzled look, "Who was he, an old boyfriend of…?"

"NO!" Shampoo said adamantly, then caught herself and remembered that they could hardly know about that aspect of her past, "Mu Tsu…was friend to Shampoo and Perfume…but he very stupid boy, he push himself, try make more than friend. No take advice leave Shampoo and Cousin alone. We both defeat him many time, but he still try force issue, no take hint…"

"Sounds like somebody I knew at my old school," Ukyo noted with a wince, "But I thought you said your only friends were Perfume and Lotion."

"Mu Tsu no friend," Shampoo sniffed, "He pest. Defeat him when three year old, then again and again, he still try defeat Shampoo and become husband."

"What happens if another guy beats you or Nabiki?" Ranma asked, "Does that invalidate the marriage?"

"No simple," Shampoo shook her head, "Only way end marriage is defeat Airen. If Shampoo defeat by other rival, then that rival have claim. Challenge Airen, defeat Airen, then rival claim Shampoo for wife. Shampoo become wife of superior fighter."

"So if somebody were good enough to beat both you and Nabiki you'd have to give up your claim on her and go with him?" Ukyo asked.

"Shampoo say no that simple," Shampoo said softly, "Only defeat Shampoo, but must kill Airen, prevent next challenge. Only death of Airen free Shampoo to marry again."

"Oh," Ranma winced while Ukyo looked horrified, and neither looked willing to broach the subject again, for which Shampoo felt enormously grateful.

Ukyo sighed, "Well, I hate to break this up, but I've got to go inside and get ready. I'm meeting my father at the restaurant in a little while, and that means I'm also going to have to meet my new partner," she said the word with distaste, looking at Shampoo but without the accusation.

"I'll come along," Ranma said, "I don't think you should see her all by yourself at this time, Ucchan."

"Shampoo also come," Shampoo suddenly volunteered, "If Airen permit. She no like see Great Grandmother take advantage of Perfume Airen."

"Yeah, but she doesn't know it's me Perfume wants to marry," Ukyo looked at Ranma and said, "You sure you want to risk it, Ranchan?"

"Doesn't look like I have a choice," Ranma sighed, "She'll be after me one way or another."

"You Shampoo rival," Shampoo pointed out, "Great Grandmother know this. She think boy obstacle, she may do bad things. Ukyo is right, better you no go there."

"Thanks," Ranma smiled at her and said, "You know, in spite of everything, you're really not all that bad. I hope we can be friends when this is all over. I mean…if you don't mind having a guy for a friend…"

"You no bad for outsider boy," Shampoo half-smiled, "No worse than Mu Tsu. You only try do what right for Airen, Shampoo know this."

"Right," Ukyo sighed as she got to her feet, "Hope we can finish this another time. We still haven't settled that bet over which of us is faster, Ranchan."

"Bet still good," Shampoo smiled, "Looking forward having good Okonomiaki."

"I'll certainly enjoy those delicious noodles you cook," Ukyo smiled back at her, and the two seemed to enjoy a culinary moment together while Ranma threw dirt upon the pit fire and started to get up.

He turned around, intending to head for the house when he saw his father and Soun still kneeling in the dirt and whimpering like a pair of lost souls. He went up to them and said, "Otosan, Ojisama? What's wrong?"

"Our worst nightmare has come true!" sobbed his father, "Run and hide yourself, my boy, and hide the women with you!"

"What's this?" Ukyo blinked, "The world coming to an end or something?"

"Something far more horrible!" Soun openly winced, "The Master has returned to reap his vengeance on both our houses!"

"Master?" Ranma blinked, "What Master?"

"Our Master!" Genma looked up at his son through tear-stained eyes, "My son, there is so much I wished to tell you, and now that the end us upon us all…"

"Would stupid men make sense?" Shampoo sniffed, "Why Ranma and Airen fathers act like such weaklings?"

"Yeah, what gives?" Ukyo asked, "Who's this Master you guys are so worked up about?"

"Master Happosai," Soun replied, "The founder of our School, the very embodiment of all we have so long dreaded…"

"Happosai?" Shampoo suddenly looked pale, which Ranma caught as he turned a questioning look in her direction, "He here?"

"You know about this?" he asked her curiously.

"Happosai," Shampoo whispered the name, "Is legendary demon! Elders use name to frighten children and make brave Warrior tremble! He very bad man, steal much treasure from Amazons, make very bad time in village."

"Sounds like a guy I might not want to meet," remarked Ukyo.

Shampoo stared and pointed at a small figure they saw sitting beside Nabiki before a tea stand, "No have choice…that look like statue carved of Demon Happosai! Shampoo very frightened…"

"Him?" Ranma frowned, seeing an old, balding, terribly wrinkled man in a brown martial arts gi who did not seem very dangerous, at least from his perspective.

He took a step forward but Shampoo thrust a hand in his way and hissed, "No go in there. Shampoo no want face demon."

"Come on," Ranma said, "What harm could he do us?"

"Remember Cologne?" Ukyo reminded, "Your father and Mister Tendo were scared out of their wits. Whoever this guy is, I wouldn't judge him by his appearance."

Ranma thought about it, then said, "Okay, so what do you girls suggest we do?"

"Go for walk sound nice," Shampoo said, "Maybe see parts never seen of Nerima."

"I'm with you there, Sham-chan," Ukyo nodded, "You with us, Ranchan?"

Ranma hesitated a moment then sighed, "I guess a walk won't hurt anyone…just as long as we get back in time to get ready to visit your father…"

Ryoga was curled up on the mattress in the laundry room, where Kasumi had found the boy when he tried to find Ranma's room with his usual lack of success. Kasumi had decided to cover him over with a blanket and allow him to sleep, not being of a mind to attempt carrying him to somewhere else, and the poor boy looked exhausted. She did not have the heart to wake him.

Nabiki and Master Happosai were still conversing over something that had to do with energy patterns and sensing the currents of force in the air, things that did seem fascinating from the vantage point of a trained Martial artist, but which had little to do with the things Kasumi was concerned with, so she had left them alone in order that she might finish preparations for dinner.

So much had happened in the last few days that it was hard for anyone to sort things out without taking a few moments of reflection. Kasumi saw a lot happening around her but had long since learned to let things slide off without affecting her, especially those things which were either too overwhelming or beyond her understanding. She was not quite as oblivious as many believed, being a fairly good observer of odd circumstance, but she generally did not take an attitude to confronting problems directly. That suited someone who believed that force was the answer to every situation, not Kasumi. She believed every problem contained its own solution, if you just knew where to find them.

Nabiki believed in solving her problems with intelligence. Kasumi respected that, just as she resolved her problems through love and patience. Kasumi had helped unite the family during the troubling times that followed her mother's death, and with Nodoka-sama's kindly assistance the two had held the line and kept the family reasonably solvent.

But Nabiki had brought a new kind of hope to their lives with her financial acumen and ability to harness the dormant potential of the dojo and other family assets.

It was troubling to think of the tensions that had arisen between them, mostly Kasumi's fault for her inexplicable reaction to seeing her sister change into the most gorgeous hunk of masculinity that she had ever encountered. It was a silly complex, she well knew, and one that irritated Nabiki to no end, but Kasumi could hardly help experiencing whenever they were in the same room together. Just to look on Nabiki, or touch her male form brought shivers of excitement never before experienced in her life. Even Tofu Sensei never inspired this sort of a reaction in her, an indescribable need that was threatening to drive her crazy.

It was not that she meant to force Nabiki to revert to her cursed form, but just the thought of having that wonderfully male presence close nearby gave Kasumi a shiver that would stay with her for hours. To think that a dash of water was all it would take to turn her tomboy sister into the very essence of masculine virtue…

Kasumi forced her mind away from the subject of her often-denied physical needs. She would have to discuss this with Nabiki at some point, to bring her private fetish out into the open where they could settle the matter like reasonably mature adults. She could not bear to have Nabiki think ill towards her older sister, and most of all she valued the companionship of someone near to her own age which she had not enjoyed since graduating from high school. It was much easier to talk to Nabiki when she was her sister (yet even that was not proving much of a barrier of late), but they had yet to attain the level of closeness that Kasumi might wish for. Nabiki was intelligent enough to understand and maybe suggest some way of resolving this problem, or at least confirm for Kasumi's own benefit the need for therapy.

Maybe if she asked Tofu-Sensei…but no, he was very shy and seemed to have difficulty speaking with her. Perhaps someone with whom she had no interest or involvement…

"Kasumi-chan?" Kasumi heard aunt Nodoka call out to her, "Have you seen Akane-chan anywhere about?"

"Hai, Obasama," Kasumi replied, "She's up in her room with Keiko-san and Kodachi-san."

"Kodachi-san?" Nodoka arched eyebrows, "Well, it seems they've decided to make up. I knew Akane could not stay angry at her friend for very long, though I do wish Kodachi could learn to behave with more moderation."

"She is spirited, Auntie," Kasumi replied, "And she does not like to lose. Perhaps having Keiko-chan with Kodachi means that Akane is helping to mediate their differences. Perhaps they will wind up as good friends."

Nodoka smiled indulgently, "You're always looking for the best in other people, Kasumi-chan. Perhaps it is possible they will be friends, but I will be content if they simply do not kill each other or destroy the house. The problem around here is that too many people believe in using violence to solve all of their problems."

"Hai, Obasama," Kasumi agreed, "Would you like me to check on them, just in case?"

"Please do," Nodoka replied, "And tell Akane that dinner will be ready within the hour. We should be able to accommodate Kodachi since Ukyo is taking Ranma and Shampoo with her to see her new restaurant."

"Then she may be moving out soon?" Kasumi asked.

"I hope so," Nodoka sighed, "She is a very nice girl, but I do not like giving her the wrong impression that I favor her claims upon my son. Better to put some distance between them so she has time to see that Ranma's claims on Nabiki are stronger."

Kasumi did not know how to reply to that. She basically liked Ukyo (but then she liked everyone on principle), while the thought of Ranma with Nabiki made her feel very…strange. She left Nodoka and headed for the stairs, sparing only a glance towards the magnificent profile of her sister, then she shuddered slightly and hurried up to the second level.

As she approached Akane's room, however, she heard sounds coming from inside, and at first she thought that they were fighting. She sighed as she prepared to knock on the door when the moans and groans she heard changed to other sounds that sounded very…strange. It occurred to her at once that fighting was not the nature of the activity inside there.

Kasumi pressed her ear up next to the door and listened. After many incoherent sounds she finally heard a voice said, "Now see…that wasn't so bad? Hey, 'Dachi-chan, doesn't Akane look nice rubbed down with body oils? Now it's your turn…"

Kasumi stood upright in shock and alarm. Could it be possible? Was that…? Did they actually…? Her mind would not complete a single one of these sentences. Other pleasurable sounds followed, some very soft and sweet, leading to more voluble noises.

Akane? With Keiko?? And Kodachi???

They could not…not under their father's roof! And just down the hall from where he slept at nights, and Kasumi for that matter…with Aunt Nodoka…

"Kasumi-chan?"

Kasumi almost jumped in fright as she turned around to find Nabiki standing halfway up the stairs looking in her direction. Nabiki noted the alarm on his older sister's features and asked, "Is something wrong? You look awfully pale…"

"Oh no, I'm fine!" Kasumi said a bit more nervously than she intended. She politely cleared her throat then said, "I was just…checking up on Akane-chan to see who she was feeling…I mean…how she is feeling…"

"Is Keiko up there with her?" Nabiki asked, "I may need her help later on today, and I wanted to apologize if I hurt her feelings earlier…"

"Oh, I, um…haven't seen Keiko-san for a while," Kasumi temporized, telling herself that she was not actually lying to cover up for the behavior of her youngest sister, "I will give her your message, though."

"Good," Nabiki took a few steps up the stairs and said, "Maybe I'd better talk to Akane myself. I haven't been much of a sister to her for the past several days…"

"Why, that is silly," Kasumi gently reproved, "You have done many fine things for Akane-chan…there's no reason for you to feel inadequate…" she stopped herself as the sight of Nabiki's approaching form was doing something very indelicate to her insides.

"Just the same I'm sure I should tell her myself," Nabiki paused to see the way Kasumi was looking at him and sighed, "Oni-chan…"

"Hai?" Kasumi asked, finding her breath caught at the way he had pronounced that.

"This…really has to stop," Nabiki sighed, looking blandly at her, "I'm flattered and everything, but you're my sister…"

"Oh, yes," Kasumi recalled herself, "You are quite right, of course. Please forgive me…"

Nabiki blew a bittersweet laugh and said, "Don't worry, I don't even think it's really your fault. Gramps seems to think Jusenkyo curses do something to our Karma. Maybe it makes me irresistible to women, or something like that. Even Keiko seems to react funny around me. I wish I could say that things will get better, but…well, look. Tell Akane I'll want to talk with her later, to straighten a few things out, and Sis? We're going to need a long talk about you and this water fetish of yours."

"H-Hai," Kasumi agreed, but in doing so she took a few steps closer to Nabiki.

"Uh…" Nabiki started to back away in alarm, "Look, I told Gramps I'd meet him in the dojo. He's promised to teach me a special technique that I can use on Cologne. We'll…talk later, all right?"

"Hai," Kasumi said softly, a blissful smile on her face as she watched Nabiki turn around and head back towards the dining area. Only when he was gone did Kasumi lean against the rail and heave a sigh. She was tingling badly all over and had to do something to relieve herself. A quick shower might do the trick, or a lingering bath (no, she had to help get ready for dinner). She turned away with that thought in mind when another thing seemed to register in her consciousness.

Nabiki had been walking down the stairs in a very odd way, she'd noticed, and there was a strange sort of bulge around the area between his legs…

Kasumi's eyes got round with surprise at the thought of her causing that sort of reaction in her…brother? Her smile became very delighted as other thoughts came to mind, and she decided a cold shower was not what was needed in this instance. Unlike Nabiki, warm water was far from out of the question…

Continued

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