Nabiki 1/2

Vol. 1: A Visitor From China

Chapter 2

Ranma looked up from where he was sitting at the three Tendo daughters. Akane looked right back at him, her eyes filled with anger. He’d never meet her before tonight; in fact he’d never really meet Kasumi either. The only one he could remember from his childhood was Nabiki.

At the moment Nabiki was looking at her father, not allowing at the moment, Ranma to look into her eyes. He wondered if she remembered him, from the time he’d meet her at her mother’s funeral.

“What’s this all about?!” Nabiki finally broke the silence as she looked back and forth between her father and his friend Genma.

“Are you really Her? That same girl?” Kasumi looked straight at Ranma not fully believing that what her father suggested could be true.

“hmmm. Where should I begin? Wait… I know.” With swift movement Genma reached over grabbing Ranma by the front of his shirt and tossing him out the door head first into a rather large pond in the back yard of the Tendo residence.

“Ranma” Nabiki gasped and went straight to her feet as soon as Ranma was tossed in the air. Within moments she was at the door leading to the garden searching the water surface for him.

As soon as he saw Nabiki on her feet, Soun knew that he had the perfect match for Ranma. A quick glance to his other daughters confirmed it. Both of them were looking to their sister no doubt wondering why she was so worried about someone she supposedly hadn’t meet until now. Those two should be engaged, I can see it now.

The water bubbled for a moment, before a very beautiful red haired girl leapt from it landing on the bank of the pond. “What the hell are you doing?” The young girl shouted at Genma her eyes filled with anger.

“Ranma?” Nabiki stared in shock at the girl now standing beside the pond. How can this be?

“Now he’s a girl!” Kasumi looked at Genma again, It makes sense, he must be that panda that brought Ranma here.

“Ohhh. My own son… So humiliating… So humiliating.” Genma sighed as he stood on the back porch looking at the moon hanging low in the sky, not even noticing Ranma-chan who walked around behind him giving a strong kick to the middle of his back sending him clumsily into the pond.

The Tendo’s once more gasped in amazement as where once there was a man, now stood a panda. Glasses hung loosely off the panda’s ears as it stared at Ranma-chan.

“Who are you to talk?!” the redhead shouted back at the panda.

“Daddy?” Kasumi turned to her father “Why are you friends with them?”

“They weren’t like this before. Not before they went to china.. and undertook that terrifying training exercise.”

Twenty minutes and a hot bath later, Genma sat once more looking at the Tendo family. “Ah, yes it was two fateful months ago…”

******

Mt. Quanjing, Bayankala Range, Quinhai Province China

“Here sir….” The tour guide spoke as he pointed to the first row of springs, “Is Legendary ‘Training Ground of Accursed Springs.’”

Genma surveyed the springs as the tour guide spoke not even paying attention to what was being said. This is the perfect place to train, and as soon as we finish training here, I can bring Ranma back home to meet his new fiancée. “Are you prepared Ranma?” Genma quickly removed his pack placing it aside.

“This place isn’t so impressive.” Not like the waterfall before, I wonder what is so special about this place?

“You very strange one, no, sir?” The guide turned to look at the two, ”This place very dangerous nobody use now. Is more than one hundred spring here and every one have own tragic legend.”

He’s becoming more and more annoying. “Ranma follow me” Genma shouted jumping up and to the top of a nearby bamboo shaft using it to vault to a higher one above a very large spring. Without saying a word Ranma quickly followed ending up on a bamboo stick several feet away.

“Ah! Sir! What you Doing” The Guide shouted as he ran towards the edge of the springs.

“I won’t go easy on you.” Genma quickly shouted over to Ranma as he moved into position to attack.

“That’s how I want it.”

“Please sir! Very bad if you fall in spring!” The guide shouted to the two uselessly as they were already in the air leaping into attack one another.

Twisting himself in the air Genma brought his right foot forward aiming it at Ranma’s side.

You aren’t going to win that easy, Ranma was already moving as he saw the attack coming towards him. Twisting himself he planted his hands on his father’s kneecap and twisted himself over his father’s head bringing his foot backwards and connecting with Genma’s unprotected back sending him spiraling down. Ranma turned just in time to see his father splash into the spring of the bamboo he had attacked from moments ago. “Gotcha.”

A few moments passed as Ranma watched the bubbles float to the top of the spring. “Pop what’s up? Are we done already?”

Ranma couldn’t believe his eyes as a large panda leapt out of the spring, which he saw his father fall into. On the panda’s ear hung Genma’s glasses and around the panda’s arms, his clothes. “Wha… Wha… Wha…”

“That is ‘Spring of Drowned Panda’ there is tragic legend, very tragic of panda who drown there two thousand year ago! Now whoever fall in spring take body of panda.” The guide shouted up from where he was standing safely away from the edge of the springs.

“Oh no… Wait a second.” Ranma shouted as Genma leapt again barely giving Ranma time to leap into the air and avoid the attack. Ranma looked over his shoulder to see his father, in the form of a panda land safely on the ground near the guide. However by the time he turned his own mind back to getting himself safely to dry land it was to late, as Ranma fell head first into a small out of the way spring.

“Ohhhh! Not spring of Drowned girl! There is tragic legend. Very tragic of young girl who drown in spring one thousand five hundred year ago! Now whoever fall in that spring take body of young girl.”

Ranma rose to the surface of the spring standing up, but he felt odd. Without looking he reached down and softly touched his chest. Where once it was flat he now felt to very feminine breasts. “uhhh?” she quickly reached down opening her shirt and stared in shock at her chest. This can’t be real, I have to be dreaming.

“You see what I mean?”

******

Ranma looked back up at Nabiki as his father finished the story. For the longest time he couldn’t hear a whisper before the chime just outside the living room sang out.

“The Legendary Ground of Accursed Springs. It’s true horror has always been shrouded in mystery but now…”

“What do you mean ‘true horror’” Ranma felt his anger about to run out of control as he grabbed the front part of his father’s shirt “Old man... what was the idea of dragging me out to a place like that anyway.”

Before Ranma even realized what was happening his father had once more lifted him up tossing him head first into the spring in the backyard. “You sound like a woman! Were you not prepared to give your life for the sake of your training?”

Ranma once more rose to the top of the pond “My life… yes… but this is something entirely different.” Using a move he’d seen many months before Ranma moved his fist hitting the water sending a rather large amount at his father hitting him right between the eyes causing him to change into a panda right in front of the others. Ranma quickly closed the distance attacking his father quick punches, none of them however getting past his father’s defenses.

“Oh what a tragedy” Soun sighed as he watched the two fight.

“Stop that!” Kasumi quickly shouted as she ran over to where Ranma and his father fought grabbing onto the panda’s left arm just as he had gotten a good hold of the Ranma-chan. “You just went to far, Mr. Saotome.”

“Yeah! Even for martial arts training!” Ranma I’m so sorry this happened to you… I wish I knew more I’d kick your father’s ass for this. Nabiki held onto her anger as she tried removing the panda’s paws from Ranma-chan’s shirt.

“What ever made you do something so dangerous?” Kasumi shouted at Genma, the other Tendo’s in shock as they rarely saw her anger. They barely missed the sound of a book falling out of Genma’s shirt, which now was pulled tight over the panda’s arms. “It’s Chinese. A map… and Guide book?”

“Something about ‘training grounds.’” Nabiki quickly added as she struggled to read the text.

“No wonder…” Kasumi turned her eyes from the book to the panda. “You can’t read Chinese can you?!”

As the panda nodded Soun quickly took advantage of the silence by pouring rather hot water Kasumi had set out for the tea on the panda turning him back into Genma… “So when doused with hot water you return to human form.”

“Well it needn’t be quite that hot.”

Soun ignored his friends comment as he made his way over to Ranma-chan, “when doused with cold water you become a girl… but hot water turns you into a boy.” With quick movement gained through lifelong training Soun brought the pot forward barely missing pouring the water onto Ranma-chan.

“HOT WATER NOT BOILING!” the girl shouted as she barely moved out the way of the stream of water.

“No sweat. Your problem isn’t so terrible after all.”

“Huh?”

“Allow me to introduce you to my daughters… Kasumi, nineteen… Nabiki, seventeen, and finally Akane, sixteen.” Before the girls could even say anything about the engagement Soun continued. “Choose which one you want.”

Ranma looked from Kasumi to Akane thinking to himself about how unfair it was to them that their father would do something like this. “I don’t think this is fair…” Ranma quickly looked to Nabiki who returned the look to him. Their eyes locked into each other for several moments as the others watched.

“I think I understand… I agree Nabiki is perfect for you… therefore you two shall be engaged.” Soun smiled at his wisdom ignoring the looks of his daughters.

“I have to think about it.” Nabiki quickly stood up and ran out of the room leaving a stunned Ranma behind.

Kasumi quickly was on her feet running after her sister as Akane turned another look of anger towards Ranma. But she quickly found that she couldn’t hold the anger, it wasn’t really his fault. More like his father’s fault… looks like he’s about as lost as my father. Maybe I should be friends with him… with all the craziness around here he’ll need all the friends he can get.

“Ranma… I’m sorry about earlier.” Akane whispered as their father’s went off to talk about the engagement. “I hope we can still be friends anyway.”

Ranma turned to look at Akane for several moments before nodding, “Thanks.”

******

Nabiki sat on the edge of her bed looking at a very old picture taken on the day that her mother was buried. In it a very young Ranma sat with an arm around Nabiki who had her head buried into the little boys shoulder crying.

“I was right. You knew him before today.”

Nabiki gasped as she saw Kasumi glide into the room and beside her giving her a sisterly hug. “How did you know?” Nabiki watched as her sister lifted the old picture out of her hands and carefully examined it.

“I had a feeling… you panicked when Ranma was thrown into the pool, the way you looked at him. I’ve grown to be able to understand how you all think just by looking at you.”

“Just like mom.” Nabiki softly added as she looked at the floor again. “I miss her so much Kasumi.”

“I know we all do.” Kasumi reached over and pulled Nabiki into a hug. “I need to get back before daddy goes through the roof about dinner… will you be okay Nabiki.” The eldest Tendo sister handed the old picture back before she made her way to the door waiting for her sister’s answer.

“Sure I’ll be fine… I just need some time to think about what just happened… it’s a lot to take in.”

As soon as Kasumi left the room Nabiki made sure to lock the door before she dug out her old picture album from under her bed. Was this the same way that mom and dad meet? Was it an engagement set up by grandmother and grandfather? Paging through the album brought back painful memories. Memories of her mother showing a very young Kasumi around the kitchen, followed by memories of her father teaching Akane martial arts appeared in her head. Where did I ever fit in, Nabiki didn’t even notice the tear fall from her eyes until it splashed across one of her baby pictures. “When will I ever really fit in?” she softly asked to no one in particular.

******

Ranma-chan sighed deeply as she entered the bathroom again. The curse required hot water for her to return to her original form, which means constant trips to bathhouses or heating water. Things just keep getting more and more complicated. Ranma-chan thought to herself as she made her way over to the shade blocking the bath from the rest of the room.

As the redhead opened the door she looked up right into Nabiki’s eyes, moments before she felt a stinging sensation on her cheek. “I’m sorry” Ranma-chan whispered as her eyes never lost track of Nabiki’s. It wasn’t under after Nabiki slipped past her and dressed that Ranma-chan finally sank to her knees looking at the bathwater still rippling.

What am I going to mess up next, Ranma finally stepped into the water and relaxed watching the water move as he changed back into his normal form.

******

“Ranma, I was hoping you might be able to tell me how it seems that you and Nabiki knew each other long before today?” Kasumi sat down beside the living room table across from where Ranma sat. “I could see the way you two look at each other.”

Ranma looked at the table for several moments before he spoke, “It wasn’t very long before my father and I went on the training voyage. He stopped by to give his condolences on your mother’s passing. He didn’t know that I followed him. When I had reached the funeral… I had noticed someone sitting by herself…

Nerima, Tokyo, Japan 10 Years ago

“Hello” A six-year-old Ranma softly spoke to a girl not much older than he. Ranma had noticed that she had been sitting away from the burial group. He watched the girl for several moments as she continued to stare at the group, not moving.

“I lost my mother today.” The little girl spoke finally after what seemed like eternity.

Ranma sat beside the girl and put his arm on her shoulders letting her have someone to lean on. He sat as still as he could as the girl turned her head into his shoulder and cried softly.

Turning his attention back to the group, he noticed his father standing near another man whom Ranma guessed to be the girl’s father. Beside her father stood a nine-year-old girl holding the hand of a girl about the same age as Ranma. I wonder why she’s out here all by herself?

“Thank you” the little girl softly said as she stood up again, Ranma hadn’t realized how much time had passed until he looked at the group again to see many of the people dispersing as the funeral came to a close. “My name is Nabiki… I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier.”

“Ranma”

The girl without even thinking leaned over and kissed Ranma on the cheek, when she’d realized what she did her face turned into a bright blush as she turned and ran to rejoin her family.

Maybe we’ll meet again someday, Ranma, thought to himself as he quietly snuck off to where his father had left him earlier. Hopefully then maybe I can do something to help her smile all the time.