Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Destiny's kiss ❯ Nabiki's Reflections ( Chapter 2 )

AN: I'm back, I was on a loooooong and well deserved vaca. (Exams are extremely stressful). Here is Chappie two, just a tad longer than chappie one. Oh, and you're definitely gonna hate me for the reason Nabiki screams. I love Nabiki, she is such a great character!!! She may be cynical and sarcastic, but she has a more human side to her too. She isn't ugly, contrary to what a few people think, and is by far the smartest member of the Tendo family! I'm off track. Here is chapter two.

Destiny's Kiss

Chapter Two: Nabiki's reflections

"_"=spoken

`_'= thoughts

Italic= sounds

Kawaii= cute

Oneechan=older sister

Tadaima=I'm home

Gomen= Sorry

Baka= idiot

Iinazuke=fiancée

Hentai= pervert

``````````````

Nabiki screamed.

A teacup fell to the floor and shattered.

Ranma gasped.

Even Soun stopped crying.

Akane quickly turned around, fear entering her eyes.

"What is it Nabiki? What's wrong?"

Nabiki was bent over something. She turned to look at Akane, her hand clutching a shard of the broken teacup.

"It's Kasumi! She's fainted!" Akane rushed to her sister's side. Nabiki was stroking Kasumi's pale forehead.

"She's burning up! Ranma!" Akane addressed the pigtailed boy who had been looking around, unsure of what to do.

"Can you carry her to her room?" she asked. He nodded solemnly, slipped one hand under Kasumi's knees and pulled her limp body into his arms. He walked carefully up the stairs, making sure Kasumi didn't hit the banister. Akane followed him, her eyes fixed on her older sister's face. She opened the door to Kasumi's room, the duck shaped English lettered nameplate swung to and fro in a frenzied rhythm. Ranma lay Kasumi on her bed and looked questioningly at Akane.

"She's always had such a weak constitution…" she whispered.

"Hmm… " another voice said. It was the old man, who was checking Kasumi's pulse.

"She fainted from exhaustion. She has a slight fever, but she should be fine with a few days rest," he said, placing her pale hand back down on the pale green bedcovers. Akane's face lit up.

"Really? Then it's nothing serious? Oh, I'm so glad," she said.

"You mistake me young lady. I did not say it wasn't serious. She hasn't slept in several days, and she has a badly infected wound on her wrist. Caused by a knife no doubt," he said, pulling up Kasumi's sleeve to reveal the bandage. Akane bit her lip.

"She should have told us, she could have gone to Doctor Tofu's and been patched up in no time!" she said, shaking her head.

"I don't think the Doc would be much help when she's around," Ranma said, nodding in Kasumi's direction.

"You're wrong Ranma."

*Flashback*

(Image of a younger Kasumi, maybe thirteen years old, watching over a child Akane. Akane climbs into a tree, up to the highest branches, and looks over the suburbs, almost to the tall buildings of Tokyo. She starts to climb back down, then slips, and catches a branch. Kasumi jumps to her feet and calls out to Akane.

"Akane-chan! Are you all right?"

"Oneechan, I can't move! I'm stuck, if I move the branch is gonna break!" Akane screams. Kasumi hears a sickening crack, then carefully starts to climb the tree.

"Hold on Akane-chan, I'm coming!" She slowly pulls herself up. Come on, it can't be that hard, Akane does this every day, Kasumi thinks, willing herself not to look at the sinking ground. She finally reaches Akane's branch, and holds her hand out to her sister.

"Come on, Akane-chan, give me your hand and…" she starts to reach out towards Akane, when the branch breaks and Akane falls.

Falling…

Falling…

Falling…

THUMP!

Akane opens her tightly shut eyes to find her sister crying in pain.

"Ka-Kasumi?" she looks at her sister with a worried face.

"M-my arm," Kasumi is clutching her wrist. Just then, a younger Tofu, (not a doctor yet ^_^) passes by the empty lot and sees Akane bent over a crying Kasumi. He rushes over to them, and bends down over Kasumi.

"Akane, what happened?" he asks concernedly.

"I w-was stuck in th-the tree and- an' Kasumi saved me but sh-she fell," Akane starts to cry. Tofu reaches out and strokes Kasumi's hair.

"Wh-where does it hurt?" he asks, and she looks up into his face, her big brown eyes filled with tears.

"Here," she says, clutching her wrist. Tofu looks carefully at it, and clears his throat.

"I think it's broken, so I'm going to have to take you to the hospital. Akane, you go home and tell your father what happened, ok?" he says, turning towards her.

"But daddy cries when I scrape my knee! He's gonna freak if I tell him…" Akane objects.

"Your father needs to know. Hold on, Kasumi," he says, and with ease slips one hand under Kasumi's bent knees, the other supporting her back. He runs off towards the hospital. A few seconds later, Kasumi quietly clears her throat and says softly,

"Thank you, Tofu-san. I… won't forget your kindness."

Tofu blushes profusely, and they enter the hospital.

That's when he decided to become a doctor.

*End of extremely long Flashback*

"So the doc really did have the hots for Kasumi even when he was still in high school! Oh, that's a laugh," Ranma laughed. Akane rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, whatever Ranma. That's beside the point," she said. "The point is that he did know how to act in a critical situation concerning Kasumi."

"Uh-huh," Ranma shrugged his shoulders. The little old man rolled his eyes, and removed the clumsy bandage tied around her wrist. Akane bit her lip. There was a three inch gash along Kasumi's wrist, purple and swollen. The old man (An: GOD AM I SICK OF WRITING THIS LITTLE OLD MAN THING!!!!) clicked his tongue and pulled a fresh bandage out of the first aid kit (which had somehow appeared.)

"She needs to rest. Out, out you two!" he waved them away.

"You haven't even told us your name!" Akane protested. The little old man's narrow eyes pierced her dark brown ones.

"My name is of no importance. But if you wish to know it, it is Mishomutzu. I come from China," he said, and gently shut the door behind him.

"You... you're not here cus I accidentally did somethin' to ya while I was in China are you?" Ranma said, backing away.

"No, no. You have had enough of those encounters. I am here for an entirely different reason. My cousin told me your story, Ranma Saotome, and I came to see if I could set things straight," he said, walking down the stairs.

~****~

Nabiki's bedroom

Click, click, click, bleep.

Nabiki inserted some numbers in her dark blue calculator. The constancy of the numbers soothed her flustered mind. She flopped down on her bed and gently placed the calculator on the floor. She took out a faded photograph from under her pillow, and traced her fingers around the face she knew so well.

`Mom…'

`I'm worried mom. This year I'm graduating, and Akane and Ranma still haven't gotten things straight.'

Her mother stared at her with a passive smile.

`And Kasumi, she fainted again today. She has a nasty cut on her wrist.'

`I'm worried about her. She works too hard for all of us.'

`I'm doing Ok. Profits have gone up five percent this month, and I expect a two percent increase rate next month…'

Nabiki sighed.

`What the hell is the point anyway? No one cares.'

Then something struck her.

`Is that it? The reason why my life is like this?'

She clutched her mother's picture.

`I need to get away from this place Mom, I can't stand it anymore.'

Nabiki shivered.

She decided to walk downstairs for a cup of tea. Her fingers touched the smooth wood of the banister, tracing a curved line as she walked down the stairs. She went into the kitchen and turned on the faucet, taking the teakettle out from the cabinet. A small noise from somewhere inside the house made her jump.

Riiiing. Riiing.

Akane sighed and started to get up when she heard her sister answer the phone.

"Hello, Tendo residence. Yes, this is Nabiki Tendo speaking."

There was a silence.

"I told you that I'd do it this week."

Akane peeked out from behind a corner.

"Yes, goodbye."

Nabiki put down the receiver, and turned around.

She was white as a sheet. Akane looked at her sister with a puzzled look.

"Who was it, sis?"

Nabiki was suddenly aware of Akane's presence, and put on her usual poker face .

"Oh, no one. Just some organization asking for charity," she said, and heard a faint whistle. She strolled back into the kitchen and turned off the gas. She started to pour herself a cup of tea, when boiling water hit her hand. She was shaking. She winced and opened the faucet, letting the cool water soothe her burn.

`Get a grip on yourself, girl, and calm down,' she thought, and took a deep breath. She took her cup of tea to her room and sat down at her desk. She sat in silence for a minute, then opened a drawer and took out a few neatly folded papers. She grabbed her calculator and started punching in numbers. Akane frowned as she heard the familiar click of Nabiki's calculator. Had she just imagined it, or had there been a look of terror on her sister's face?

~***~

The next morning, Tendo residence.

"Kasumi dear, please, stay in bed. I understand your good intentions but you need to rest," Soun gently pushed his oldest daughter back into bed.

"Nonsense father," Kasumi protested. "I've got breakfast to make!"

Akane entered her sister's room with a tray.

"Good morning oneechan! Here's your breakfast!" she set the tray down on Kasumi's lap. Kasumi smiled feebly, eyeing the breakfast, which actually didn't look so bad. Akane caught her sister's train of thought.

"Don't worry Oneechan, I didn't make it, that little old man who was here last night did, remember? Oh, and Doctor Tofu should be here around noon to check up on you," Akane said, and internally sighed. `That is, if he can muster up the courage to come here and actually TALK to her.'

"Thank you very much, Akane. Father, really, stop crying, I'm fine," Kasumi comforted her father, who was shedding tears all over her favorite carpet.

"M-my little girl's all grown up!" he bawled. Akane raised her eyebrows. `And where did that come from?' She walked to the door.

"Ok Kasumi, call me if you need anything. Come on, Dad, let's leave Kasumi alone," she said, dragging her father out of the room. Upon entering the dining room, she was welcomed by a delicious smell. She walked over to Ranma, who was already inhaling his food, and plopped down next to him.

The peace in the Tendo home never lasts for long.

"Nihao Ranma!" Shampoo actually OPENED (more like slammed) the door, and glomped on Ranma, who started to choke on his rice. Punctually, Akane's fist connected with his jaw.

"Isn't it a bit early in the morning for deliveries, Shampoo?" Akane said, eyeing the container Shampoo brought with her, removing her fist from Ranma's face.

"For Airen I go anywhere, anytime," Shampoo hugged him even tighter, causing Ranma to turn blue.

"Akane dear, would you like some more… oh…" Mishomutzu eyed Shampoo, eyebrows floating high on his forehead. It was then Shampoo noticed him. She promptly let go of Ranma and stepped back in shock.

"You…" she turned white.

"Hello Shampoo, it has been a long time," Mishomutzu said, addressing the blue haired girl who was looking paler by the second.

"What… what you doing here?" Shampoo managed to say.

"Don't you know? I'm here to help dear Saotome solve all of his problems," Mishomutzu said, eyeing Ranma, who was still catching his breath.

There was a silence.

"…you…"

"Pardon?" Mishomutzu cocked his head. Shampoo looked down, shaking.

"You cause enough trouble in Shampoo village! What you doing here?" she said angrily, spitting the words out in worse Japanese than usual. Akane looked up from trying to get Ranma's circulation going again and blinked. Shampoo looked positively livid.

"But Shampoo, all I did was…" Mishomutzu objected.

"I KNOW THING YOU DID! You ruin Shampoo's life in China, and come ruin it here? How… how…" she yelled, blue hair falling on her face.

"Come Shampoo, you know perfectly well your mother's death wasn't my fault," Mishomutzu said calmly. Shampoo turned around and ran… straight through the wall.

"What the heck was that all about?" Nabiki asked to no one in particular after a few minutes.

~***~

"Isn't it a wonderful thing? The sunlight," Ukyo sang softly, pouring some batter on the grill. She wiped a drop of sweat from her forehead, when she heard someone yell,

"WHERE IN THE WORLD AM I NOW?"

Ukyo sighed, put down her spatula and walked outside. A fanged boy with a yellow bandanna stood with her back to her door, looking frantically around. Ukyo rolled her eyes.

"Ryoga. Ryoga. RYOGA!" he finally turned around, staring into the brunette's skeptical face.

"Ukyo? What are you doing in Hokkaido?" he looked back at her with a puzzled expression.

"Good Lord, Ryoga, can't you even tell you're in Nerima? And you're standing outside my restaurant," Ukyo said, sighing. Ryoga looked around for a minute.

"Oh yeah, come to think of it, I think I did pass the park on my way here. Or was that a forest?" he said, scratching his head. Ukyo smiled, then smelt something cooking.

"You hungry, Ryoga? I just put a shrimp special on the grill," she said, gesturing to the open door behind her. Ryoga looked sheepishly down towards his feet and put his hand in his pocket.

"Don't worry sugar, it's on the house," she said, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank you, Ukyo," he said, walking in after her.

"No problem," she said, flipping over the okonomiyaki. Ryoga set down his heavy backpack and sat down on a stool.

"So, Ryoga, what have you been doing? I haven't seen you in a long time, come to think of it, not since Ranma and Akane's…" she trailed off, seeing his expression change.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to…" she said apologetically.

"Nah, it's all right," he said, propping his elbows on the counter.

"I've just been wandering around, going no place in particular," he said, looking longingly at the okonmiyaki Ukyo flipped on a plate. He took a small bite and smiled.

"It's delicious, Ukyo, thank you," he said, and began to eat. Ukyo observed the lost boy while he ate. `That must mean he never found Akari,' she thought. `Poor guy, I feel bad for him.' Ryoga finished eating and put his chopsticks down, bowing slightly.

"Is there anything I can do to repay you for your kindness, Ukyo?" he asked, warning her with his eyes that he wouldn't take no for an answer.

"Now that ya mention it, yes," she said, starting to clear away the plate.

"You see, Konatsu found a new job, and it's kinda hard working this place on my own, now that I've got so many customers. I could even give you a place to stay for a while, if you want, that is," she put her spatula's down on the oily grill.

"I would like nothing better," he said, a smile lighting up his face. Ukyo smiled back at him.

"Right then, I'll show you to your room. It may need to be cleaned up a little because it's been a while since… uh, Ryoga, that's the closet," she said, as Ryoga opened the wrong door and was promptly hit in the face by a duster.

"Sorry Ukyo. I still need to get used to this place," he grinned sheepishly. Ukyo frowned, then smiled warmly.

"Call me Ucchan."

~***~

Nabiki walked along the dusty road that led to the center of Nerima. She had a Cat Café container in one hand, two envelopes in the other. She sighed, a cold wind biting at her skin. She clutched the envelopes to her chest and came to a halt as she saw a familiar sign posted on the door of the Nekohanten.

Closed for the day.

Nabiki frowned.

`Huh, that's strange. And today's Saturday too,' she thought. `Must have something to do with what happened this morning.' She put the container on the doorstep, carefully placing the bill for a new door underneath it. She smoothed out her short skirt and kept walking. She paused, hearing a sound from far away, and soon enough, Tatewaki Kuno landed face first in the dust next to her.

"Good morning Kuno-baby," she said, bending over to see Akane's familiar footprint on his face

"Ah, Nabiki Tendo. It is a glorious morning," he said, straightening himself up. Nabiki raised an eyebrow.

"I take it you've been to see Akane," she said, amused.

"Ah, yes, Akane Tendo. I have been to see my love, when I discovered her and Saotome together, that vile rogue!" he clenched his fists.

"Cut the storytelling, Kuno-baby. Here I have ten pictures of Akane and your pigtailed girl for only eight thousand yen," she said, waving the envelope smugly. Kuno winced.

"Your photographs grow more costly by the hour, Nabiki Tendo," he said.

"Sorry Kuno-chan, but I don't have time to chat. Nine thousand yen, take it or leave it," she waved the envelope mischievously.

"Very well, Nabiki Tendo, I must have the pictures of my beautiful pigtailed goddess," he said, pulling out his wallet and taking out a ten thousand yen note. Nabiki grabbed it and handed him the envelope.

"It's a done deal Kuno-baby! Pleasure doing business with you, now I have other things to do. Bye-bye!" And she walked off. Kuno watched her retreating back, and when she was around the corner he opened the envelope, flipping through the various pictures. He sighed, and threw the pictures towards the garbage bin, walking away.

AN: Oooh, I'm so evil, I love cliffhangers! A bit of a preview of the next chapter: we find out Ryoga's story after the ruined wedding, and Mishomutzu causes not just a little bit of trouble at Furinkan high school! Also, Ukyo acknowledges her true feelings for Ran-chan, and Shampoo's origins are revealed. I don't know if I'll be able to write much, but I'll try! Oh, and thanks to the people who have reviewed my stories and contacted me, I really appreciate it!

Midnightwitch

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