Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Destiny's kiss ❯ Have You No Shame? ( Chapter 4 )

Destiny's Kiss

Chapter Four: Have you no shame?

AN: Sorry for the delay… too many things happened at once. My muse left me, my computer got a virus, so I had to rush and get it fixed, but it was a Sunday, and the next day was a holiday so… etc etc. Here's the very long awaited chapter four! I remind you again, since some people have been getting the wrong idea, this is NOT a Ranma/Nabiki. It's one of the few pairings that I don't really believe in. Nabiki is too smart for Ranma, and he's scared of her. Not scared physically, (he could probably twist her into a pretzel without sweating a drop), but with all her connections she could easily make his life hell. So, anyways, on with it!

"_"= spoken

`_'=thoughts

[_]= panda signs

:_: = other language, usually Chinese

A small Japanese dictionary for those who don't know these terms

Tadaima= I'm home

Baka= idiot, fool, jerk

Musume= daughter

Kawaii= cute, pretty

Kawaiikune= uncute

Iinazuke= fiancée

Oneechan= older sister

Otousan= Father

Gomen, Gomen nasai= sorry

Hentai= pervert

Yukata= a special kind of kimono

Mantou= Chinese steamed roll filled with meat and/or vegetables

Oden= Oden is one kind of Japanese stew, which includes fish cakes, boiled eggs, daikon radish, konnyaku (yam cake), and more. (Best eaten in winter)

"I stare for a while… the world around us disappears. It's you and me on my island of hop. A breath between us could be miles. Let me surround you, a sea to your shore… let me be the calm you seek. Oh, but every time I'm close to you, there's too much I can't say. And you just walk away…"

-Sarah McLaughlan

"I love You"

Nabiki woke up with a horrible sore neck.

`Damn,' she thought, wincing. `Note to self: never fall asleep at my desk.' She walked down to the kitchen, still muttering under her breath, when she smelled something delicious wafting through the open door. She peeked her head around the corner and saw Mishomutzu cooking, flipping some fried rice.

"Come on in, Nabiki," he said, without even turning around, adding some red spice to the sizzling contents of a frying pan. Nabiki headed straight for the medicine cabinet, mumbling something about turning the faucet back on. She grabbed a bottle of aspirin and popped two in her mouth. She made a face as she swallowed; Nabiki hated taking pills.

"Did you sleep well, Nabiki Tendo?" the old man said, wiping his hands on an apron and finally turning to face her. She made a sarcastic face.

"Oh, sure, never better," she waved the argument off. "If you consider horrifying nightmares and stiff muscles peaceful rest."

Mishomutzu frowned.

"Is there a reason you're up so early in the morning?" he asked, turning back to his work. Nabiki shrugged her shoulders, leaning against the counter.

"Nothing in particular," she said, grabbing a mantou and taking a bite. "But now that you mention it, I do have a few errands to run."

She headed for the door, then paused, turning back, her eyes landing on the basket full of mantous.

"Hmm," she said, taking another bite of the roll. "Was Shampoo here?"

Mishomutzu didn't bat an eye, he just shook his head. "No. Chinese cooking is my specialty."

Nabiki pursed her lips, and went back up the stairs. She checked the calendar that hung on the back of her door, and sighed.

`It's time,' she thought, slipping on a pair of jeans and her favorite sweater, one Kasumi had given her for her seventeenth birthday. It was a lilac color, and had two crossed hearts stitched in the front. She pulled it down over her head, instinctively closing her eyes. `It's getting too small.' She shrugged and grabbed a purse containing: a band-aid, her infamous notebook, various envelopes, a calculator, a chap-stick, two pens (one with black ink, one with blue ink), and cough drops. She quickly ran a comb through her short brown hair, brushing the bangs out of her eyes, and smoothed out her bed-sheets. (Not that there was much to smooth, since she hadn't even slept in it). The middle Tendo sister shivered. `Must be cold outside. I'll get a jacket.'

On the way down, Nabiki paused in front of Kasumi's door and gently put an ear to the key-hole; she only heard quiet, even breaths, so she assumed that her sister was still sound asleep.

`Lucky her,' she thought, then bit her tongue and took the words back. `She's still got that nasty cut on her arm,' Nabiki thought, heading downstairs, `and she had to see Doctor Tofu yesterday. Wonder how it went?'

Nabiki opened the door and stifled a gasp. The ground was covered in a soft, powdery blanket of snow. Nabiki loved snow. It reminded her of her mother…

**Flashback**

Nabiki skipped along the sidewalk eagerly, her loose braids bouncing, hair ribbons fluttering in the cold winter air. It was almost Christmas, school was out, and she had a new pair of mittens. They were bright red, like the candy apples Nabiki always got at the summer fair, when she wore her flowered yukata. But now it was winter, and the summer fair was only a distant memory in her four year old mind. She loved those mittens; her mother had given them to her. She wiggled her fingers, feeling the soft fleece that protected her from the bitter chill of December. Nabiki slowed to a stop, breathless, when she reached the familiar wooden gates in front of her house. She put down her heavy backpack and gazed up at the sign with the big black painted letters, and squinted.

"Ted- no, Ten-do. Hey! That's my last name! Do-… do-jo. Tendo dojo!" she exclaimed happily, pronouncing each syllable like it had a special meaning. `Special,' she thought. The word rolled onto the tip of her tongue. She repeated it again:

"Special!" she said, loudly this time.

`Special,' she thought. `Like reading.' She loved reading. She read anything she could can labels, picture books, signs, fliers… anything that had letters on it, she wanted to read. Nabiki picked up her backpack and skipped to the door of the house, quickly shutting it behind her. She hung up her coat and replaced her wet snow boots with comfortable slippers.

"Tadaima! Anybody home?" she called, walking into the dining room. She was greeted by a huge embrace.

"Neechan!" Akane smiled happily. Nabiki kissed her little sister on top of her mass of black hair, and brushed her bangs lovingly out of her dark brown eyes.

"Hey `Kane-chan. Is mommy home?" she asked, and Akane nodded her head joyfully.

"Yeah. She's baking cookies! Yum!" and with that Akane turned and went back to playing with her miniature bamboo sword. Nabiki smiled, and headed towards the kitchen. She heard the front door open.

"Tadaima!" Her older sister called, shaking the snow out from her long light brown hair and hanging up her coat. Her sister was only two years older than her, but was very mature for her age.

"Oh, hello Nabiki. Is mother home?" Kasumi addressed her younger sister.

"Yep. I was just gonna go see her, actually," Nabiki said, indicating the kitchen.

"Oh. Well tell her that I did some shopping, like she asked. Do you mind taking the bag to her, Nabiki-chan?" Kasumi smiled warmly at her.

"Nope, no problem sis!" Nabiki said, returning the smile and taking the shopping bag. She faltered a bit, feeling its weight, but dragged it to the kitchen anyways. She heard the low melody of the radio, and the even sound of her mother stirring batter.

Wasurenai…ano niji wo

Wasurenai… ano ai wo

Mrs. Tendo hummed along with the radio, tasting the batter. She screwed open a jar and added a pinch of cocoa powder to the mix. Nabiki put down the plastic bag and hugged her mother from behind, taking in her clean, motherly smell. Ayame Tendo (AN: I don't know her real name, so I'm just going to call her this way) smiled down at her daughter with those big brown eyes that all three Tendo sisters had inherited.

"Why hello there sweetheart. When did you get home?" she asked her daughter, who gave her a big smile.

"Just a couple minutes ago mommy," she said. "Kasumi wants me to tell you she did some shopping."

Nabiki pointed to the bag lying in the middle of the kitchen floor. Mrs. Tendo cleaned her hands on her yellow apron and leaned over to pick up the bag. She looked in it and then turned her gaze back to Nabiki.

"Your sister is always so helpful. Tell her I said thank you, musume," she said, and began unpacking the groceries. Nabiki hopped up on the kitchen counter and grabbed a chocolate chip from the pink jar on the counter. Her mother watched her from the corner of her eye, and smiled when she saw Nabiki furtively dip her finger in the batter. A bell rang, and Mrs. Tendo carefully opened the oven, pulling out a tin of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. She slid the cookies onto a plate to cool, and Nabiki hungrily watched her mother pour out three glasses of milk.

"Would you go call your sisters dear? I wouldn't want them to miss out on chocolate chip cookies," her mother said, pressing a warm cookie into Nabiki's hand. Nabiki threw her arms around her mother's neck, hugging her.

"I love you Mommy," she said, and her mother smiled.

"I do too, Nabiki-chan, I do too," Mrs. Tendo answered, hugging her daughter's small form close to her.

**End of Flashback**

Nabiki looked down at her red leather gloves, one of the few luxuries she treated herself with. They weren't so different from the mittens her mother had given her.

"Mother…" she said softly. Nabiki shook herself from her daze and proceeded towards her destination; she was going to meet Kuno outside the Nekohanten. As Nabiki proceeded towards the Cat Café, she found herself involuntarily thinking again of her mother. She saw her every day, in Kasumi's sweet smile, in Akane's determined expression and soft brown eyes. She saw her in her own reflection, looking back at her. She missed her mother terribly. Suddenly, Nabiki felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Kuno-chan, don't scare me lik-" Nabiki's expression darkened, her eyes holding surprise and…

"Hi there honey. You got a minute?"

~**~

Akane stretched, yawning as the morning sun filtered through her tightly shut blinds. She clutched her shoulders, shivering. `Cold,' was the only word that came to mind. She sighed, and reluctantly got dressed, running a brush through her short hair. She hummed happily, remembering the night before.

"Akane, Akane are you awake?" Akane buttoned her blouse and opened the door. Kasumi's warm smile greeted her.

"Good morning Oneechan!" Akane returned her smile. "Shouldn't you be resting?"

Kasumi shook her head. "I'm fine. Have you seen Nabiki?"

"No, I just woke up. But she usually sleeps late, doesn't she?"

"Hmm… It's just that she said she was going out this morning, and I wanted to give her something to take to Dr. Tofu. He forgot it here yesterday," Kasumi said, looking down at the covered basket she held. `That's right,' Akane thought, glancing curiously at the basket. `Dr. Tofu came yesterday… I wonder how things went with my sister.'

"Oh, I can take it by if you want. I was going to go Christmas shopping this morning anyways," Akane shrugged.

"Thank you Akane," the oldest Tendo sister said, handing her the basket.

"No problem sis," Akane smiled and closed the door. Kasumi went back to her room and sat on the bed, gripping the edge of the purple coverlet thoughtfully. `She looks more like mother every day.'

Meanwhile, Akane had stepped outside. She gasped in delight at the fresh fallen snow, covering the whole city like a thick blanket. `Ah, it's really starting to feel like Christmas,' she thought happily, waving at her neighbors who watched her walk by every morning. As Akane walked, her eyes were fixed on the wicker basket she was holding. `I wonder what's in it…' she thought, her curiosity increasing. `Ah, just a peek won't hurt,' and she carefully drew away the embroidered yellow cloth that covered it. Inside she found a tin of cookies, a bowl of Oden, and a letter. `When did Kasumi have time to cook all this?' she thought, then the letter caught her attention. She could smell Kasumi's perfume wafting from it, a sweet mix of honey and roses. She fingered it carefully before slowly opening it. To her disappointment, she only found a few lines written in Kasumi's neat script.

`You should stop eating all that canned food. Warm it up in the microwave for thirty seconds, and eat it hot. Thank you for everything, Love, Kasumi.'

"Love, Kasumi?" Akane read the words over and over again. Was there something going on between her sister and Dr. Tofu that she'd been oblivious to? Akane quickly put the letter back in its envelope, tucking it back beneath the tin of reindeer-shaped cookies. She paused, facing the concrete building in front of her. The walls were painted with a pinkish color, a neon light glowing from a few windows. A familiar sign hung on the fence: Dr. Tofu's Clinic (ring for emergency). Akane knocked on the closed door that led to the doctor's apartment. After a few minutes, she knocked again. A sturdy-looking brown haired man came to the door, tying the belt on his dark blue fleece robe.

"Good morning Doctor," Akane smiled warmly at the man in front of her, who looked half asleep. He slipped on his glasses, and his eyes focused on Akane's pretty face.

"Ah, good morning Akane. Quite cold, isn't it?" he said, shivering.

"Yes," Akane answered, laughing. "I'm sorry Doctor, did I wake you up?"

"No, no. But Akane, why are you here? Have you hurt yourself again? Or is it Ranma that needs patching up? You two fighting so early in the morning…" the Doctor grumbled.

"No, it isn't at all like that Doctor," she stammered, blushing as she remembered what had happened the night before.

"I have something for you. From Kasumi," she said, recomposing herself, and handed him the wicker basket. She raised an eyebrow. `Why isn't he all blushing and stammering when I say my sister's name?'

"Thank you. Tell your sister… Kasumi I thank her too," he said. "Would you like to come inside?"

He gestured to the apartment. Akane stepped back.

"No, thank you doctor. I have a lot of errands to run, and… well, goodbye!" she saluted her former crush, walking quickly back down the stairs. In her mind she was thinking `A-ha! I knew it! Something has been going on between him and Kasumi! And it's about time too…' She sighed, hoisting her small backpack onto her shoulders.

"OK! Step two, Christmas shopping!" she said to herself, clapping her hands together, and headed off towards the shopping center.

~****~

Ranma woke up late. He'd slept hardly at all the night before, with his father's loud snores and heavy thoughts on his mind. He remembered the way Akane's hand had felt against his cheek; so soft, warm, smooth… he secretly wished there had been more moments like those for them. He had long since figured that he…

"Ranma-kun! Good morning," Kasumi greeted him as he opened the dining room door.

"Oh, g'morning Kasumi," he answered. He looked around the table. Kasumi was sipping green tea, a shawl around her frail shoulders, his father was already scarfing down food, Soun Tendo was making sure his daughter was alright (he repeated "Are you all right?" every five seconds), and Akane… was nowhere to be seen.

"Uh, where's Akane?" he whispered to Kasumi, not wanting to start an argument on how "the schools would be joined".

"She left about twenty minutes ago," Kasumi answered impassively in the same low voice. "I asked her to drop something off for me, then I think she went shopping."

Ranma felt a stab of guilt. He had promised to help her go Christmas shopping, and he had completely forgotten about it. `Oh, damn,' he thought. `I don't have any cash, and I'm already enough in debt with Nabiki as it is…'

"Here," Kasumi handed Ranma a bowl of rice.

"Arigato," he mumbled, taking it carefully from her hands. `Eh?' he thought as a piece of paper found its way into his hands. He looked down into his lap, eyes wide. It was a five thousand yen note. He turned to Kasumi, who was still sipping her tea, eyes closed. On the corner of the bill, in tiny neat letters was written: I thought you might need this. Just be sure to pay me back. And PS: I'm not as harsh on the interest as Nabiki is.

Ranma looked up in shock. But Kasumi remained impassive, her face not giving the slightest hint of emotion.

"Thanks," he whispered, getting up, and she nodded knowingly.

Genma looked up from his plate, but only to steal his son's portion of rice.

~****~

Kuno paced in front of the Nekohanten, which remained closed.

`She's late,' he thought, crossing his arms in front of his muscular chest. Sasuke sat on the curb, sighing, muttering something about `hating winter' `holed shoes' and `master's obsessions'.

Kuno shot him a look. He was actually worried. It wasn't like Nabiki; she would never be a full fifteen minutes late for an appointment. `Should I go look for her? But what if she were to arrive during my absence?'

"AARGH! What should I do?" Kuno clutched at his temples in mock desperation.

"Uh, master," Sasuke interrupted timidly.

"What, Sasuke?" Kuno turned exasperatedly towards the ninja, who pointed towards the curb, where Nabiki had just turned the corner. Kuno let go of his hold on Sasuke and turned to face the middle Tendo sister.

"Sorry I'm late, Kuno-baby, but I had a few errands I needed to run first," she said. He stepped back `Nabiki Tendo? Apologizing?' That was definitely not normal.

"OK, here's your order, now just give me seven thousand yen and scram," she said. There was a strange tremor in her voice. Kuno took a close look at her. She had a scratch on her lower jaw, where blood was still dripping, drying slowly; her knees were dirty, and she was deathly pale.

"Fine," she said, thrusting the envelope at him. "Pay me when you come by."

She started walking away, when Kuno grabbed her wrist.

"Wait, Nabi-" he started, but he was cut off by her scream of pain. He quickly removed his hand, stammering any sort of apology. She knelt on the ground, clutching her wrist, shaking. He slowly approached her again, and gently pulled up her sleeve. She hissed as he revealed a series of large black bruises all along her wrist and forearm. She pulled her sleeve back up with a jerk.

"Nabiki Tendo, what vile man has hurt your person? I request you tell me the truth," he said boldly.

"Cut the crap Kuno-chan," she said, brushing herself off with her other hand. "I fell down the stairs."

Kuno raised an eyebrow. He pictured the bruises in his mind. They were not so irregular as could be caused by falling down a flight of stairs.

"Those bruises are not self-inflicted," he objected. Nabiki turned to him, with venom in here eyes.

"Are you calling me a liar? Listen here Kuno, I could make your life so miserable that you would be begging be to die before the end…" she brought a hand up to slap him. He caught it easily, and pierced her eyes with his inquisitive gaze. She stared at him for a minute, surprised by his unusual reaction, then her eyes filled with tears. She looked away and lowered her hand, which he still refused to release.

"Let me go," she said in an unusually low voice.

"No," Kuno answered determinedly. "Not until you tell me what has happened."

She shook her head sadly.

"I can't," she said, and started to walk away. She winced, feeling a stab of pain come from her ankle.

"At least me take you to a suitable hospital," he said, before she could go any farther. She turned, smirking.

"Such gallantry, Kuno-chan. I'm not worth it," she said, looking back up at him. Her eyes were full of a dark sadness that pierced Tatewaki Kuno's heart. `But you are,' he thought.

"I insist," he said, and before she could object he picked her up and headed off towards the clinic. Nabiki raised both eyebrows, her muscles stiff where his hands touched her. Gradually, she relaxed against his muscular chest. `Hmm…' she thought, the faintest hint of a smile on her lips. `Thanks… Kuno-chan.'

TBC

AN: It's finished! It's over! Yay! I worked a long time on this short chapter… I know there's not much action in it, and it's mostly on memories and family, but I think I've introduced some interesting twists in the plot. I love writing Nabiki. Can you tell? Maybe because I'm really so much like her… sigh. No, I don't blackmail people. Oh, and lately I've been re-reading a few old fanfics that I downloaded once upon who knows when. Reading them I figured something out: no matter how well written they are, one really does get sick of the `Ranma loves Akane, Ryoga loves Ukyo, Shampoo loves Mousse etc. etc.' fics. I was originally going to have this story be one, but I changed my mind. The world doesn't need another one. Honestly. Don't worry, romance plays the major role here, but I'm just going to leave a few things unresolved, a few things left to be imagined… you'll see! Please please please review! Thanks to all my reviewers so far!

See ya in Chapter five!

-Midnightwitch (midnightwitch33@yahoo.com)