Project A-Ko Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Vampire Hunter (Darkstalkers) Fan Fiction ❯ Nabiki 1/2 (A Very Scary Thought) ❯ Lao versus Nabiki (Round Two)... ( Chapter 65 )

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.

Lao Kane regarded her prey with a mixture of wariness and anticipation. She stalked forward on all four powerful limbs, fully cognizant of the effect her sudden appearance would have on her erstwhile opponents. In truth, she rather relished the moment when stark terror would replace confidence and certainty of victory, as recognition of the presence of impending death blotted out all other thoughts beyond the need for escape, to flee like the frightened bipeds that they were, for in her cursed form she was the most terrifying land predator known on the planet.

And this body she wore was powerful indeed, long and lean with tightly woven muscles over a skeleton that was designed by nature to enable her kind to haul her kill into a tree. Largest and most powerful of all the great cats, pound for pound only the sleek leopard was stronger, and even lions knew well enough to give ground at their approach.

And Lao was not just any five hundred-pound Siberian Tigress, she was a trained Martial Artist, and those skills translated well into her new body, even though her construction was decidedly different. A normal tiger could bring down a bull elephant with a little planning and foresight (not to mention a high place to leap down from), but Lao could take down a Veliciraptor with the swipe of one paw (she knew because she had, once in the past, but that was a different story). She had worked hard to perfect her fighting style so that her body would be an asset and not a hindrance or limitation.

Of course, this body did come with one cursed limitation, as she suspected all Jusenkyo curses had complicating factors to make their experience less than entirely pleasant. In her case, the fierce spirit of the tiger manifested in a certain type of hunger to which her normal self was blessedly not burdened. The Hunger, as she called it, was a source of dread and remorse that she had learned to coexist with. It was difficult controlling the Hunger on the best of occasions, but when she was angry or disturbed it was nearly impossible to repress that aspect of her Tiger nature.

That meant that whoever was the object of her ire at the moment was usually the one to suffer. At the moment that person was none other than Tendo Nabiki, which was too bad for her because Lao actually admired the girl's fighting spirit. She and her paramour had just given Lao the best workout in ages.

I wonder how she'll taste going down, Lao thought to herself impulsively before her more sensible parts could voice their opinion. Probably like chicken, she thought without humor. They usually tasted like either chicken or pork, especially the fat, oily men who thought to get the better of her, a thought that only added to her anger as she stalked up to her prey, watching the fear roll across their eyes at the recognition of their peril.

All save for the one whom she was stalking. Tendo Nabiki was not running away, not showing any signs of backing down or hesitating. She just stood there, virtually naked like a piece of meat on-the-hoof, tempting her by her very delectable presence. Lao's mouth began to water, and it really was such a shame as she really did like this girl (but she'd probably like her even more with a little ketchup)…

Only there was some thing that spoiled the whole effect with the stalk-and-eat-the-pretty-girl schtick. It was the unnatural calm way that Nabiki stood her ground while even her fiancée looked ready to bolt. The mere fact that he stayed at her side up to this point must surely be a testament to his love and stupidity, but what was the reason for Nabiki to remain? Even a top-notch martial artist like her could not seriously entertain putting up a fight against the three-inch fangs and two-inch claws that were now at Lao's disposal.

And then she heard the sound that stopped her in her tracks, though for what reason even Lao could not say. It started low and grew in volume as Nabiki slowly raised her eyes, then arched her back and fell to the floor with on all fours. Lao gaped in Tigrish befuddlement, wondering just what kind of new ploy the clever girl was attempting...only this did not seem particularly clever, in fact there was a decided absence of intelligence in those half-lidded eyes. In fact…

Nabiki meowed again, and this time the sound was so feral that it made her seem less human than Lao was at the moment.

Nabiki had been holding herself in the whole time that she had been fighting alongside Ranma and the others. Her brush with the Neko had nearly put her into the state of mind that she dreaded more than almost anything imaginable. It meant the surrender of her very identity to something other than human, the abandonment of everything she valued of humanity, warmth and compassion. It betrayed her basic core principle that the intellect should rule over the body and meant surrendering to her animal side, to the part of her that was entirely instinctual, that knew nothing of human reason.

But she had no choice in this for the Neko was a power to which reason and humanity held no sway. It was pitiless and remorseless, a thing of elemental beauty unto itself, like an old habit or reflex triggered by her fear when cornered and unable to escape in any other way than to become the thing she most feared. As the last shreds of the human Nabiki fell away, what remained was all cat, and had a power unlike anything else under the heavens.

The cat was smiling as it felt the hesitation of the Tiger, and suddenly there was a new contender for the top of the food chain. Nabiki gave her low-throated challenge and haunched both shoulders and hips, waiting for the Tiger to make the first move before striking. The entire world narrowed down to just the two of them with nothing else to matter but the resolution of whom was top cat in this alley.

"Nab-chan?" Ranma gasped, suddenly unable to recognize the woman who crouched low beside him.

"Oneechan?" Akane seconded his confused appraisal.

"What's the matter with her?" Ryoga asked as he slowly got to his feet, placing himself protectively close to Akane.

"Something's wrong," Keiko murmured as she and Kodachi were helping her father to stand upright, "Nab-chan's acting crazy…"

"Is she?" Kodachi asked, studying Nabiki's body-language and posture, "I wonder…"

Guile was having trouble getting his eyes to focus, though he was appreciative of the two women whose shoulders between them were the only things holding him upright. His legs felt rubbery and it would likely take another few moments before he could trust them to support his full weight. Privately he was admiring the courage and tenacity of his daughter…a real fighter, like a chip off the old stone. He was wondering about the other girl, but at the moment he was trying to focus on what they were saying about the Tendo girl, the clever one who had officer material written all over her.

What he heard next made little sense as it sounded like something a very large cat would make, and not the sound produced by a Tiger either. It did not sound like something produced by a human voice, but was coming from close nearby, and unless he missed his guess the one making this sound was very, very angry.

"Nab-chan," Ranma tried again, "Are you all right?"

Nabiki did not turn to the sound, but the familiarity of Ranma's voice registered in her animal consciousness and triggered a new element that added further fuel to the fires within her. The Tiger was a threat to the two-legged forms that surrounded her, forms that her instincts registered as friendly sources of comfort and pleasure. The one speaking, however, was special to her, her chosen mate and thus not for anyone else to claim but herself. A single thought ran through her that did not form as a word or even an intelligible meaning but nonetheless was felt on a subliminal level of basic understanding.

MINE!

Lao overcame her hesitation and made the first tentative moves, cautiously exploring the defenses of the now thoroughly possessed Neko-Nabiki. Nabiki had been waiting for that opening to strike, and with a snarl that contained all the pent up frustration and rage of the last several hours she lashed out with a ferocity that even a Tiger was not prepared to encounter.

In a word she exploded into Lao's face, her speed surpassing Amaguriken with her strength backed by the wellspring of her Chi taking Lao totally surprised as the two of them met with Lao recoiling on impact.

To everyone around them it was as though a whirlwind had been unleashed in their midst with the exchange of blows taking place at such great speed that both woman and tiger became as blurs to the naked eye, and suddenly both parties rocketed towards the ceiling as Nabiki pressed her offensive and drove Lao closer towards the heavens.

The onlooking Pirate crew gasped for the first time in seeing their leader balked and repelled by an outsider girl a mere fraction of Lao's cursed size. Cologne, on the other hand, saw everything with clearer eyes and greater understanding and knew what truly was at stake here, and it worried her greatly.

Until now, her former pupil had displayed an impressive command of her talents, showing what progress had been made since leaving the Amazons for exile. There was a danger of matters escalating uncontrollably, for which she shared a more than fair degree of guilt. She had trained both fighters, but not well enough to avoid an inevitable tragedy if she did not take steps here and now to bring an end to the conflict.

But she was bound by Amazon law and custom not to interfere directly in their conflict. She needed other means to stop the fighting, and as she pondered this a sudden flash of inspiration occurred to her. She spun around and hobbled away on her staff, the Pirates watching her take her leave of their midst but doing nothing to stop her. She had to move fast to find the one that could help her before matters passed the point of no return while everyone else was presently distracted.

"What gives?" Honda asked as he looked up from where he was attempting to revive Chun-Li and Cammy, just as the fight touched the ceiling and it exploded upward.

"Oh man!" Bison flinched, "Who opened the sun-roof?"

"That's some kind of ki attack," Ken observed as he shaded his eyes against the sudden glare of the overhead light, "Those two are still going at it and they're not even on the ground."

"Guile," Blanka urged as he came up alongside his old friend and team leader, "Now's our chance to take advantage of all the confusion. We need you with us…"

"I hear you," Guile shook off the last of his daze, then stood on his own power and said, "Let's take the side-route over there, it's less well guarded than the others ones. Gather everyone and make a break for the next level."

"We need hot water," Ukyo said as she held Perfume in her arms while Ryoga helpfully held her spatula in one hand, "Perfume can't fight like this and we need her…"

"Sorry, kid," Guile replied, "It'll have to wait until we can find a source. Keiko…if you and your lady-friend here get wet…?"

"We'll be rendered useless for the fight like Per-chan, father," Keiko acknowledged, "And I don't think we'll have any better luck than her at finding hot water in this place."

"It seems these Pirates have a greater use for the other kind," Kodachi agreed, "I believe that these pirates are under orders not to harm us during the fight. Do you think that might also apply to our escape from these chambers?"

"Maybe," Guile gave Keiko a hard look, "You know this ship, where's the best place for making a stand against these people?"

Keiko nodded and said, "Follow me, father, I know someplace where they won't dare to attack us."

Ranma turned to regard the hole recently made in the ceiling, then grimly arrived at his own decision. As the rest of the team followed Guile and Keiko's lead he murmured his own faint apologies and took off after Nabiki…

Mousse had regained consciousness sometime during these events and had managed to crawl his way through the air duct system until he found his way into the Mess hall, and subsequently wound up in hot water.

Actually it had been his intent to find hot water, but he had not counted on the Chef being as alert as she proved to be, which was how he found himself tied up and dangling by a rope over a boiling pot of hot water, to which the Chef was now adding the vegetables and seasons.

<"There you go,"> she happily remarked in badly accented Chinese while dicing up carrots, onions, potatoes and bamboo shoots with an impressive display of knife-work, <"One special Monkey Stew, beef bullion, very rare delicacy. You ought to be much honored.">

Mousse could hardly agree with that comment, but at the moment he was just having trouble believing what he was hearing. This girl sounded as bad in Mandarin as Shampoo sounded in Japanese! Her accent sounded more like French, however, with a distinctively Celtic tonal pronunciation of the "S" sound as something more like a "Zee." Mousse was very good at picking up languages, and French was one of the major International Tongues, right after English, so he would have wagered fairly that he was a better master of her native tongue than she was of his. So far his impression was that only English and Japanese were universally spoken on this vessel, while Lao's elite staff used Chinese as either their primary or adoptive language.

He also could hardly ignore the fact that this cheerful French blond woman was casually discussing how she would dissect him prior to his being boiled into her soup. He supposed he should be grateful that "Monkey Brains" were not the side dish of choice. French chefs were notoriously arrogant in thinking that they were the masters of the culinary arts and were always finding new and original ways to serve up exotic, rare (and quite possibly toxic) substances that would nauseate the average gourmand. Mousse had no intentions of winding up as her latest experimental dish.

But how to get out of this mess and into the water while he was still intact enough to make some kind of a difference? The knots this blond ditz had tied were so diabolically ingenious that you would think she tied people up for a living! Try as he might he could not find wiggle-room sufficient enough to free even so much as one finger.

His prehensile tail was another matter entirely. Apparently the blond did not consider it significant enough to tie up like the rest of him, but other than swish it from side to side he could find no way to use it to gain his freedom. He was suspended too high over the pot to reach the water and possibly trigger his Jusenkyo curse in reverse, and without a positive demonstration of his true identity it seemed very likely that the blond was bound and determined to transform him into an Anthroposaphagic extravaganza.

Mousse tried once again to get her attention, hoping to maybe play upon her feminine instincts that surely would not permit her to carve up a cute little monkey like he was at the moment. He made exaggerated facial gestures, an art that seemed natural to the body he was wearing, and tried to mimic the nearest thing to human sound that his vocal chords could handle.

<"What zis?"> she asked as she finally took notice of his efforts, <"You try make Juliana laugh, little Monkey? Oh, you is so cute…a pity you must soon wind up as dinner, but zhat is life, Non?">

Mousse tried again to convey through his antic protests that he understood the threat she had just made. All this earned him was a raised eyebrow as she considered the point, then said, <"You try say something? How odd. Juliana almost think you know what she is saying. You try talk French to Juliana?">

Mousse felt more like strangling the bubble-headed bimbo on general principles, and not just because it might favorably improve the gene pool. He became more animated in his vocalizing his opposition to his current situation, and this time he thought he saw her nod perceptively as if finally catching on to the basic plot.

<"Oho,"> she mused with a smile, coming closer to where Mousse was dangling, <"You try tell Juliana you not just some ordinary monkey who wandered into her kitchen? Maybe you special Monkey, like one of those people who are cursed by the waters of Jusenkyo to take on an animal form when splashed with cold water?">

Mousse tried to vigorously shake his head in the affirmative, but the blond just smiled and said, <"I make joke! Who ever heard of Spring of Drowned Monkey? You just very clever animal, but Juliana no have time for play now. So sad, but time to make preparations for rest of dinner. Hope you know good prayer to Monkey ancestors."

She held up one of her knives to Mousse's vulnerable throat as he froze in petrified terror. The gods were certainly not smiling on him now, and what a stupid way to get killed! The only bright thing he could think of in this situation was that at least this chef was not British…

The sound of the rear wall to the Mess kitchen exploding inward brought a halt to the impending tragedy. Juliana yelped as she was propelled forward by the force of the blast, losing her grip on her knives as she tumbled over into her own cook-pot. Her knives--by some incredible miracle--struck the rope supporting Mousse above the pot and tumbled him in atop her while Juliana yelped in protest. A moment later the water-cooled slightly as the heat was absorbed into a body experiencing a sudden transformation, thus sparing both of them from a serious scalding. After a few moments of intense struggle Juliana managed to project her head above the water, only to find that the pot she now occupied had a second occupant, who was making things a bit too crowded!

<"Ah," Mousse managed to get his hands free as the ropes had not been tied with the intent of confining a human, "I can explain everything, I…">

Mousse was not wearing his glasses at the moment, and his vision was not so good in human form as when he was a Monkey, so all he could see of the blond was a fuzzy blob with yellow hair pressed far too close to him for either of their liking. Mousse had tried instinctively to push her back but found both hands had squarely focused on something highly padded that gave a little to his contact. The feeling was so unexpected that Mouse instinctively cupped his hands and tried to explore their shape so that he could form a mental impression of just what they might be, only it did not take a mastery of Braille before his mind could form a coherent picture.

<"Uh oh…"> he faintly murmured.

<"Vous--!"> Juliana responded violently, <"PERVERT!!!"> and the next thing Mousse felt was himself flying out of the pot and against the far wall by the force of a slap that would do credit to a martial artist. His last thought before losing consciousness again was that he thought Lao's women were better trained than this, and what happened to all that submissiveness training where girls like this wee supposed to welcome that kind of intimate contact?

Needless to say, the true parties responsible for his liberation hardly gave any notice at all to these transactions, as Nabiki was tearing at Lao with a ferocity that went beyond the word superhuman. It was all Lao could do to fend off the attack as she struggled to keep her distance from well-manicured hands that were tearing into her as though Nabiki were sporting claws of Adamantium. She simply could not comprehend where the girl was drawing her strength as she moved to attack again and again without quarter or mercy as she drove Lao further and further back to the far side of the kitchen, then beyond it…

<"What was that?"> cried Lotus as she looked up from her spyglass.

<"It sounded like a body crashing through one of the walls,"> Blossom frowned, <"But isn't that sort-of impossible? After all, this ship's hull is reinforced by magic.">

The floor under their feet shook suddenly, causing both former Amazons to exchange worried looks as if expecting it to collapse at any moment.

<"Um,"> Lotus hesitantly suggested, <"You don't suppose our lady has maybe-possibly bit off more than she can chew this time?">

Blossom gave her friend an appalling look of dismay, <"How can you even suggest such a thing? Do you have any idea what she would do to the both of us if she heard you display less than total confidence in our Lady? Remember the last time?">

Lotus most certainly did, and out of reflex she brought both hands around to cover her bottom as if fearing an impending spanking session. Or--worse by far--being tickled by goose feathers!

<"Um,"> Lotus adopted a demure 'baby-girl' pose she sometimes used for situations such as this and asked her partner timidly, <"You don't mean to tell her…will you? I…could make it up to you if you let it slip this one time…">

<"Hmm,"> Blossom smiled as she contemplated her lusciously curved partner, looking Lotus up and down and mentally picturing her stripped naked and spread out on a table with whipped cream and strawberries… <"Perhaps I could be persuaded…provided if you make the offer interesting enough…">

Lotus smiled back at her fellow Amazon, remembering the good times and bad that they had shared (among other things) and picturing her now in something leathery that would set off Blossom's blue hair to full advantage. She could almost feel herself dangling by her wrists as Blossom played "Grand Inquisitor" again and pretended to be a disappointed Elder criticizing her naughty "little warrior" for a less than satisfying performance…

In fact, so far were these two off-time lovers into enjoying their mutual fantasy worlds that they almost missed the sounds of actual mayhem that were passing right by outside the Bridge. Each turned their heads hearing a snarl that they knew could only be made by a Tiger get drowned out by an even more savage noise that did not fit in with any member of the family of cat to which either girl had previously been privy. In fact, if they did not know such a thing to be ridiculously implausible, they would almost think that the other creature was beating the tar out of their lady.

<"Uh…"> Lotus hesitated to say what she knew had to be in both of their minds, that their lady could stand to have some help if she really had met her match in this battle. The problem was that stating this aloud would involve making an actual statement of implied doubt towards their lady, an offense for which flogging was considered too lenient.

<"I didn't hear anything,"> Blossom hastily responded, cutting off that potential line of trouble, <"If our lady requests us she will make her will known.">

Lotus felt relief flooding through her, even as she felt a warring conflict with her loyalty for their mutual childhood friend, for whose sake they had wandered through fire and torture repeatedly (and twice nightly on luaus), <"Of course…if she needs us she will make her intentions plain.">

<"We live to serve our lady,"> Blossom stated as though this were the absolute truth and not merely a condition of their Terms of Service, <"Our lady is powerful and can overcome legions.">

<"She has never known the hand of defeat,"> Lotus agreed as she stated the rote phrase, then the two of them exchanged silent looks for another fifteen seconds.

<"To hell with this!"> Blossom snarled, <"Our lady left us in charge, I'm calling out the Marines!">

<"But our lady left us to guard this post,"> Lotus pointed out.

<"We'll still be guarding it,"> Blossom tried to sound reassuring, knowing that they'd soon be dangling in separate hanging cages if it turned out that she was wrong, <"We'll just be guarding it from someplace else. Are you with me?">

<"We hang together,"> Lotus replied fatalistically, and privately hoped she was not being too optimistic…

The Nekoken is the Ultimate Technique of the Saotome branch of the Musubetsu Kakuto Ryu. Its name was feared in legend as the irresistible Fist of Fury throughout the whole of Asia and its practice has been banned for generations since mastering the technique has been known to induce acute trauma in the victim--ah--Master.

Only someone as thoughtless and irresponsible as Saotome Genma had been at the time would have subjected a young girl to the terror of the Neko's secret. It involved wrapping the student in links of fish sausage before tossing them into a pit of hungry felines, not once but several times until the effect was well rooted. Nabiki had been only nine years old she had been lowered into the first pit of hungry starving cats, and said cats had been VERY hungry. What happened after that was a blank space in her mind, but all Nabiki knew for certain was waking up with scratches all over her body and a very tired feeling like exhaustion.

Oh, that and the considerable amount of property damage that was independently tabulated in the millions of yen. Only by skipping town and finding a doctor on their way out had she and Genma avoided having to account for her strange actions. Nabiki was not able to form a coherent picture of what all she was alleged to have done in her Neko phase, but it was shortly after this incident that she set about to thoroughly and methodically punish her "uncle" Genma.

The Neko involved learning to think and fight like a cat, but in reality it was a beserker state not unlike demonic possession. The cat parts literally overwhelmed the human, augmenting her strength and resilience to a fantastic degree, turning the whole of the bodies into a living engine of wanton destruction. The fear-induced trauma was the natural result of a human psyche trying to cope with overwhelming physical danger, for in trying to escape from the pit of cats, Nabiki had actually reverted to being one of the cats and fighting them off as any feline would outside of mating season.

Presently she was regarding Lao as a threatening female out to poach on her territory. If Lao had yielded to her at the beginning or even now shown signs of backing down it would have changed the outcome of the fight as Nabiki's natural instinct was to be dominant feline in her designated territory. She could accept another female who acceded to her will, but so long as Lao posed a credible challenge the fight would go on with Nabiki's will drawing on unconscious levels of Chi not normally accessible to the human mind. Unconsciously she was manifesting an "Iron Skin" wall of force around her body, protecting her human flesh from normal damage, while the manifestation of her will was like a set of invisible claws extending six inches beyond the reach of her hands, able to sheer through molecular bonds like sharp knives through paper. She did not have to touch Lao to rake her with these claws as the Tiger was bleeding from a score of such minor wounds, having prudently managed to so far keep its distance.

But Lao was not backing down, had never run from a fight in her life and was not about to concede victory to this scrawny excuse for a teenager, even if she sensed how lethal Nabiki's attacks were at the moment. She fought defensively, unable to find an opening in the other girl's defenses, even in spite of the fact that her claws could have sliced a buffalo to ribbons with one swipe. The other girl seemed impervious to fear and was not tiring in the least, qualities that Lao would have even more admired had it been someone else besides her on the receiving end of the Tendo claws of vengeance.

They were fighting upon the upper deck of her ship now, Nabiki always attacking, Lao giving ground, always with the greatest of reluctance. Being in the open should have worked to Lao's advantage as she was pretty agile, in spite of her considerable size and mass, but Nabiki was fast and agile, too, and she had animal ferocity on her side, the real thing, as opposed to Lao, who still thought like a human.

Lao tried to use her powers against Nabiki, summoning a water-attack while still in her cursed form, but all that did was change Nabiki's sex so that the Neko-charged man she became stopped thinking like a female and reacted like a male tomcat seeking to dominate by beating a mere female into submission.

At last Nabiki pounced on Lao's back and grappled her to the floor with a strength that would have done credit to Tarzan. Lao found herself in the ridiculous position of being pressed face-down onto her own deck while Nabiki took a position from behind, still possessed by Neko instincts that demanded a special kind of concession from a female cat that had dared to challenge his position. Lao's eyes got very wide as she mentally pictured how she must look in this situation as a human male firmly pressed her down with one hand while spreading her legs too wide for proper support with the other. She had a pretty vivid idea of what was next on the itinerary and actually froze in the spot in disbelief that Tendo Nabiki would even attempt such a thing, let alone try to execute it.

There was absolutely no leverage to use her greater strength and mass to get out of this confounding situation…nor did she find herself entirely willing at this point since her own belated instincts were starting to kick in. Lao was befuddled and amazed to find a part of her complying with the unconscious demand Nabiki was placing upon her body, as though a strong part of her wanted him to execute the deed. Incredulous at his audacity, Lao waited for Nabiki to make the inevitable penetration…

There is no telling whether it might have come in the next several instants, or not, save that suddenly someone else intervened to save Lao at the last possible second. Neither of them had noticed until then that figure that had boldly approached their spot with a fearless look of determination that had turned to puzzlement, and then to outrage.

"Good Girl Special Attack: Happo-Five-Yen Satsu--Malice, Evil, Illness, Pain, Magic!"

A sudden light flared, startling Lao while only slightly distracting Nabiki before the draining began to strike both of them, Lao more directly as she was closer to Hinako-Sensei. Nabiki released Lao and backed away from the perceived sense of danger, putting distance between himself and Hinako's Five-yen attack, allowing the Tiger to take the brunt of the absorption magic.

Nabiki heard a sound and turned in surprise just before he felt himself being doused with hot water, turning her female once again as she looked up to find that the source of her conversion was none other than Ranma.

"Nabiki, snap out of it!" Ranma cried as he set down the borrowed pot he had been holding, "Whatever this thing is that's got a hold on you, you've got to fight it! This isn't accomplishing anything…"

"Be careful, Son-in-law," Cologne cautioned, "She won't recognize you while she is in this state…"

"She'll recognize me," Ranma insisted as he reached out to draw Nabiki away from the struggle that was currently being waged between Hinako-Sensei and Lao the Tiger.

Energy tendrils were leaching out from Lao to Hinako as the little girl started to grow while the Tiger crouched and felt her strength leaving her body. Nabiki instinctively flinched and did not resist the urging of the nice-smelling boy speaking to her with great familiarity and urgency. Lao, on the other hand, was mesmerized by the sight that confronted her as Hinako continued to grow and fill out in her yellow dress until she was suddenly a full sized adult with a voluptuously perfect figure.

"You lied to me!" Hinako said, "You told me that you were a simple merchant seeking to conduct her business in legitimate enterprises, but Cologne-san tells me that you are a very wicked person who deals in human cargo, and that makes you the ultimate delinquent!"

Lao gripped the deck with her claws and said nothing, just seemed to hold on while the energy flowed from her into Hinako. This lasted several long moments, but then Hinako's expression went from one of sternness to surprise, then dawning panic.

"It's not stopping!" she cried out, "I'm draining her Battle Aura, but there's more to it than I've ever felt before!"

"Then stop now, child!" Cologne cried out, "Break the contact!"

"I-I cannot!" Hinako cried wildly, "There's so much more than I've ever felt before…so much energy…!"

Lao opened her eyes to that, then smiled and suddenly leaped forward, catching Hinako by surprise as Cologne called out a warning…too late. Hinako went down as the tiger pinned to the deck, using its greater mass to hold her underneath it.

And then as Ranma and Cologne held their breath in tense anticipation the Tiger…licked Hinako's face, then smiled…or at least gave that basic general impression.

"Nani?" Ranma gasped in amazement, then his surprise redoubled as he became aware that Nabiki was purring beside him, rubbing her body against his as she nuzzled his cheek with her face and made a happy sound of, "Meow…"

"Huh?" Ranma turned to look at her, and in doing so unwitting brought his mouth up to within range of her own as she pushed forward with her face and pressed her lips against his, opened her mouth as she stuck out her tongue and…licked him.

"Meow!" she enthused, then began to purr once more as she continued rubbing him with her whole naked body.

Naked? Ranma suddenly became very aware that Nabiki had lost whatever semblance of clothing she had appropriated on the move. This fact, coupled with her bumping him with her naked flesh, contributed to his sudden backward tilt as his knees lost all their strength and he fell back onto his rump, landing with a solid THUMP as Nabiki came down with him, then took advantage of his lap to curl up into a ball and begin purring in earnest.

"Well," Cologne mused, "At least that is one potential crisis that seems to have been successfully averted. Now about your situation, Hinako-Sensei…"

Hinako sputtered as the tiger continued to lick her face and the exposed areas of her body, "Get her off of me!"

"As you wish," Cologne replied, producing a teakettle from seeming nowhere, which she then helpfully tilted over the tiger, transforming her back into Lao in one easy motion.

"Hello, my pretty," Lao smiled, looking down at Hinako with an expression that still looked remarkably like the Tiger's, "Fancy finding you inside that child's body."

"Do you mind?" Hinako asked with as much dignity as she could manage.

"Not at all," Lao said as she sat up, and to everyone's surprise she was once more wearing the same clothes she had worn before transforming.

Hinako sat upright and backed away from her, fixing Lao with a dangerous look that promised much mischief if the Pirate Queen made any more attempts towards her.

"Well, Elder," Lao slowly rose to her feet, turning to regard Cologne sardonically, "It seems you were not able to abstain from involvement in my fight after all. Does this mean that you intend to challenge me for mastery of this vessel?"

Cologne narrowed her gaze, "I see no reason to intervene at all as it is plain that my Daughter-in-law is the victor in this encounter…"

"This round, true," Lao replied, turning to regard Nabiki with wry amusement, and taking special note of the stunned expression on the face of Ranma, "I must confess that I never expected to have to face the Nekoken. That was a formidable technique, if a bit excessive. I can also reasonably say that I've never had anyone successfully attempt something like that with me. A pity you interrupted us when you did as I would have been most curious to see if she would have carried out her attempted violation."

"You actually sound disappointed," Hinako said in mild surprise as she rose back to her feet, now almost as tall as Lao herself (and certainly stacked in such an interesting way that Lao immediately fixed her with a speculative expression).

"Novelty is something I have come to value greatly, Hinako-san," Lao casually replied, "Losing a fight is one thing, being sexually ravished by your opponent is another, not that Nabiki-san truly intended it that way, I am certain, but as she is not presently in a state of mind to answer the question, let us turn instead to you and this…remarkable talent you have of disguising your real age. Assuming, of course, that the form you now wear is the real you, granted your standing as a teacher."

"Ah," Hinako was used to people staring at her body, but the way this lady was looking her over made her frown in a guarded manner. She was beginning to suspect that there was little difference between Lao as a woman or a tiger.

"Happosai taught you the coin trick you use to steal Battle Auras from your enemies," Cologne replied to Hinako's silence, discussing the matter as though it were no more than a unique form of kata, "Originally you used it to bolster a weak constitution, but over time your body has evolved to require the ki-force of Battle Auras in an almost vampire-like sense of the word. It has slowed your metabolic age down to a mere fraction of your chronological development, so that the only times that you can manifest in a body that reflects your true age is when you have freshly absorbed a new Battle Aura."

"I see," Lao surmised, "So in a way your power is also like a curse, and this no doubt contributed to your choice of a teaching profession, placing you nearer to discipline situations where Battle Auras are common."

"It is true that my power allows me to maintain discipline among even the most unruly of students," Hinako said warily, "But it does them no permanent harm, and they don't seem to mind so much once they get a chance to look at me in this manner…"

"Quite understandable," Lao nodded her agreement before looking up in time to see Blossom and Lotus approach with a score of lady pirates.

"My lady, are you well?" Blossom inquired.

"Well enough," Lao replied, "But why have you two left your post unguarded? There are still hostiles on board this vessel."

"We have the room sealed off with wards, my lady," Lotus replied, "But we were worried when we saw you fight…"

"You caught that, eh?" Lao sighed ruefully, "Not my finest hour, though I most certainly enjoyed the roe, isn't that right Tendo-Nabiki? Tendo-san?"

Nabiki did not answer as she seemed curled up fast asleep on Ranma's lap, still purring as Ranma seemed to have gotten past his surprise and now was stoking her hair as though to gently soothe it.

"Hmm, still out of it, I see," Lao smiled, "Well, I can wait to renew our discussion. Now, where are the others at the moment, I wonder?" she paused and seemed to glance down at the deck for a brief moment of silence, then looked up again sharply, "Oh no! They wouldn't go there? The little fool…!"

"What is it?" Cologne asked, raising an eyebrow at the sudden note of alarm in the tone of her former pupil.

"Keiko's led her father and the others to the chamber of the Dragon Orb!" Lao turned and started to run, "The one part of this vessel that I would have thought she had sense enough to stay clear of! Come, Grandmother…we must get there before it is too late!"

"A dragon orb?" Cologne's own tone became frightened, "Then we must not waste any time, child! If they should awaken the eye…"

"My lady," Blossom pointed with her cutlass at Ranma and Nabiki, "What do you wish done with these two?"

"Leave them alone," Lao called out over her shoulder, "They deserve some time together, and she really does look cute curled up like that. Return to the bridge and wait for my further instructions!"

"I take it this orb is a dangerous thing to awaken?" Hinako asked as she quickened her own pace to follow them, doing as best she could in high heels.

"Let's hope we don't find out," Lao replied, "Because if we, do things are going to get awfully unpleasant around here. I said this ship was hundreds of years old and alive, do you have any idea what's its like when the thing starts having nightmares?"

Ranma watched them leave, feeling oddly detached by the unreality of the entire situation. His iinazuke was a cat, and she had just kissed him with her tongue, and now he was stroking her hair as if it were the most natural thing in the world, and everybody else was running around talking like it was the end of the world or something…

"Mmmmeeeo---rrrRannnmaaaa," Nabiki sighed contentedly in her sleep, the word suddenly comprehensible again though she was too tired to regain full consciousness.

Ranma looked down at the woman he loved, and suddenly felt very right about the whole matter. Nabiki needed him and he was helping her regain her humanity. He prayed she would be all right very soon (though he wondered what they were going to do this time about her lack of clothing). Somehow he found it easy to ignore her gorgeous nudity, when it once would have given him nosebleeds. Nabiki was beautiful to him, and she was everything he desired in a woman. He would let her rest a little more before attempting to awake her. She was looking so peaceful, and it was hard not to share in that contentment, knowing that whatever came in their future he would gladly face it at her side.

His iinazuke.

His Nabiki…

Continued

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