Guilt was not something Nabiki was used to. In fact, the only person she thought could pull her into feeling guilty about a particular act was Kasumi. When Kasumi was displeased about something and had the wherewithal to actually voice her concern, it made Nabiki take notice.
Now, as Ranma stared back at her, she found that old sinking feeling returning. Ranma’s brow furrowed only slightly; her lips turned downward into an almost-pouting frown. She eased herself up from her position with Urd and sat up, her eyes never leaving Nabiki. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Nabiki grimaced. “I... I didn’t want you to worry any more than you already had! After your male side was killed and you had to deal with being a girl all the time now and being pregnant... I thought you had too much to worry about already.” She bowed her head. “I’m sorry, Ranma.”
Ken blinked at this news; he noted that the girl giving Nabiki the guilt trip matched photos he’d seen of Ranma Saotome’s ‘other half’. He accepted it for now; however, confirmation would need to come before saying definitively that this was Ranma. Also, he crossed Nabiki and Ranma’s names off of the suspect list; they weren’t acting. “Um... er, Ranma... do you mind if I ask you a few questions?”
Ranma glanced between Nabiki, Urd, and Belldandy; all of their looks said to trust the man, so she nodded. “I guess...”
Ken pulled out a minirecorder and set it on the table. “First of all, state your full name and age.”
Ranma sighed. “Ranma Saotome.” She felt Urd’s hand on her thigh underneath the table, a touch more comfort than seduction. “Age... seventeen.”
Ken nodded. “Do you claim to be the son of Genma and Nodoka Saotome?”
Ranma bit her lip. “I... was their son. A few days ago, my male side was murdered, and I’ve been stuck in my girl form ever since.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Male side? Girl form?”
Ranma nodded sadly. “I was born a man; this body is the result of a curse I received at Jusenkyo. When I was splashed with cold water, I changed into a girl; whenever I was splashed with hot water, I would change back into a guy.” She swallowed nervously. “I... I was in a fight five days ago. I was pretty drunk; I don’t remember who the other person was. The next morning, I woke up as a girl among this group... and found out I was stuck as a girl because my male half was dead.”
Ken’s eyes turned toward Belldandy. “Is this true?”
Belldandy nodded. “Yes. Due to one of Urd’s potions, we were similarly incapacitated, and didn’t realize the condition Ranma was in until too late.”
Ken blinked again. The people who lived here were good people, he knew; however, this was taking a strange bent. “What sort of potion?”
“A... My best aphrodisiac,” Urd whispered, embarassed. “I put it in the punch and in Belldandy’s drink; once it took hold, no one was in a proper frame of mind.”
“I... see,” Ken spoke, coughing nervously. He turned his mind back to the task at hand. “Ranma, do you know who would have had motive to kill your father?”
Ranma shook her head. “Who wouldn’t? He’s stolen and cheated from so many people in his life it’s a wonder this didn’t happen before.” Her chin dropped to her chest. “Stupid baka father...”
He decided to raise the stakes. “Of the women who sought your affection, which ones would have had motive to kill your father?”
Ranma frowned. “Ucchan was pretty pissed at Pop - he pretty much abandoned her as a child years ago. But she wouldn’t have gone off and killed me... I think...” She sighed. “Kodachi... there’s no telling what she’d do. If she thought he was standing between her and me, then she might. Same with Shampoo - ‘obstacles were for killing’, according to her laws.” She took a deep breath. “As for Akane... I don’t know, and don’t care anymore. She got what she wanted, then threw me away like garbage.”
Ken nodded slowly at the news. Something about all of it triggered in his head. He just needed one last bit of confirmation. However, he needed to frame it just right. He asked her to describe her history with Akane, then Shan Pu, to avoid certain biases. Then he asked the question he really wanted to hear.
“Describe your history with Ukyou Kuonji.”
Ranma sighed. “Well, we met in the early part of Pop’s training trip. I didn’t know she was a girl back then; we were just good friends who played around. We eventually moved on, leaving her behind. What I didn’t know at the time was that Pop had engaged me to her, and accepted their yatai as a dowry. She spent ten years hunting me down for her revenge... but we made up once she found out that I didn’t know what had gone on then.” She frowned. “She was like most of the other fiancees - she was trying to get me, and wasn’t above underhanded dealings to do it. However, she was at least nicer than Shampoo and Kodachi about it. And at least she never lied to me about what she wanted...” she finished ruefully.
Officer Ken absorbed that last detail and compared it to earlier statements - and all of it pointed in one direction. He had a prime suspect now. He asked one last question about Kodachi, then racked his brain for one last question.
“Ranma... what do you plan to do from here?”
Ranma gulped. “Well... stay here for now. Urd and I...” Their fingers intertwined, and Ken needed no further words. He shut off the recorder, stood up, and bowed to the group.
“Thank you for your time, Saotme-san. Hopefully, we should be able to solve your father’s murder from this.” He smiled at the others. “Belldandy, it’s been a pleasure, as always.”
“Thank you, Officer. Please, come by anytime.” Her eyes twinkled. “Now, are you going to do something about Miyuki?”
He pulled a red velvet box out of his coat. “Yes,” he replied, his eyes twinkling. “Now, if you don’t mind, I need to hurry.”
Belldandy sighed. “Of course. And good luck, Ken-san.”
Nabiki stared out at the police officer as he exited the shrine, her features cast into a frown. “He knows who did it.” Her eyes took on a steely glint. “And so do I.”
Ranma blinked at her. “What? Who?”
Nabiki shook her head. “Let me get more definitive proof first, little sister,” she said, her eyes twinkling. “Acting prematurely would do more harm than good.” She grinned ferally. “Besides, you’ve got other things to worry about. Should I tell your mom where you are?”
Ranma paused for a moment. Now that she was female and pregnant, she really wanted her mother’s help; on the other hand, she didn’t know if that would endanger more people. “Only if you think no one would become a target because of it.” She rubbed her abdomen. “Before this... if I’d died, it would have been just me. Now...” She left the statement unfinished, as she entangled herself in Urd’s arms again. “Just one question. Was it Akane?”
Nabiki shook her head. “No. She may be outdoing me in the selfish department right now, but she didn’t do this. I was with her most of that first night anyway.” She let out a deep breath. “I’m sorry to go so soon, Ranma, but I neeed to look into this. I’ll be back in a few days. If I know something for certain... I’ll let you know. Okay?”
Ranma nodded. “Okay.” She gave Nabiki a gentle smile, one that reminded Nabiki of Kasumi. “Take care, okay?”
Nabiki smiled. “I will.”
See other episodes by Nightelf
(Posted Wed, 25 Dec 2002 02:04)
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