Ranma slowly awoke to again find herself held in Nabiki’s arms, the blurs in front of her eyes turning into the concerned faces of Kasumi, her mother and her lover looking down on her. As her eyes focused, Nodoka sat back on her heels with a sigh of relief and Nabiki’s death grip loosened. “It looks like she’ll be all right,” the older woman said, looking up at Nabiki.
Ranma scooted herself up in Nabiki’s lap and looked around, surprised to find herself in the room that had until the previous day been his and Genma’s. “What ‘m I doin’ here?” she asked faintly.
“When you collapsed, Nabiki was afraid she’d hurt you and brought you here,” her mother explained.
“When I collapsed? Why would ...” Then she remembered the last moments before losing consciousness, and blushed as red as her hair. “Oh, right ...” she muttered as she tried to tug on her ponytail, only to find her arms trapped by Nabiki’s embrace. Not that it mattered, since his ponytail went away whenever he was hit by cold water — the leather tie ended up on top of the pile of clothes.
“ ‘Oh, right’,” Nabiki repeated with a relieved laugh. “No more sixty-nines for you, kiddo — they’re too much. Succubae must not be designed to actually have humans for lovers.”
“Does that mean we can’t —” the nature spirit started to say, then broke off as she glanced at her mother and Kasumi, her blush actually deepening.
“Oh my, I don’t believe I’ve ever seen quite that shade of purple on a person before,” Kasumi teased gently, making the other three chuckled — even a reluctant Ranma.
“And no, that doesn’t mean we ‘can’t’,” Nabiki said. “It just means we have to take turns, instead of going at the same time. It was probably the feedback loop we found ourselves in that did you in.”
“Oh, good!” Ranma replied in relief, then winced at a spike of resigned disapproval from Kasumi. She glanced worriedly over at the older Tendo. “Kasumi ... ?” she asked uncertainly even as Nabiki’s arms around her tightened.
It was Kasumi’s turn to wince at Ranma’s worried expression and Nabiki’s glare. She closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath, then opened them to smile gently at the redhead. “I’m happy you’re all right, Ranma,” she said quietly, and two lovers relaxed as they felt the truth of her words. “Now it’s late, even if tomorrow isn’t a school day, and today was a long and hard one. Let’s all get to bed ... or back to bed, as the case may be.”
“Right!” Ranma enthused. “Let’s get ya ta sleep, Nabiki, ya aren’t gonna believe what I got ta show ya!”
“What you saw in your vision?” Nabiki asked, an eyebrow going up, and Ranma nodded enthusiastically. “Sounds like a plan,” Nabiki said as she rose to her feet with the succubus still in her arms, and turned to Nodoka. “Thank you ... Mother, for your help. I’m sorry we’ve kept you up so late.”
“Think nothing of it,” Nodoka said, waving off the apology even as the two felt a flash of joy from her. “Please feel free to come to me whenever you need my help, whatever the time.”
“I’m happy you’re all right, Ranma. Now it’s late, even if tomorrow isn’t a school day, and today was a long and hard one. Let’s all get to bed ... or back to bed, as the case may be.”
Out in the hallway, a fuming Akane quietly slipped away, back into her dark room and closing the door. The need to barge into “Auntie” Nodoka’s bedroom, to rant at the two people that had lied to her (even if she couldn’t see one of them), to demand to be told how much “Auntie” Nodoka knew roiled in her gut, tensed every muscle. But she couldn’t — not with Kasumi there. She knew just what would happen if she did: her eldest sister would look at her with disappointment in her gentle eyes, and all Akane’s anger would drain away to be replaced by guilt. So however hard it was, she’d wait — the morning would be here soon enough. As the angry Akane paced back and forth, she failed to notice the soft red glow that flickered around her clenched fists.
Nabiki opened her eyes to morning sunlight spilling through the window, then sat up and stretched. Even as late as she’d been up and the “exercise” she’d gotten before going to sleep, she felt rested — at least, compared to the way she’d used to feel on first waking up before she’d picked up a bedmate.
And speaking of bedmates, just where is Ranma? Nabiki thought to herself as she got out of bed and pulled on her robe. She opened her window and looked out at the yard below, but couldn’t see any sign of the nature spirit. I know she said she had some thinking to do about the katas she’s been working on after she showed me her vision, but that should have been hours ago and I think I’d better be there when she becomes a he again.
And what a vision it had been. Nabiki shivered in awe again as her thoughts wandered over that all-encompassing view of life, from the smallest weed and insect to the largest whales — and the future that stretched out before the human race was breathtaking. And the part nature spirits played, and the sheer joy and fortitude of the Voice! Though of course, there was a danger there, as well, especially for Ranma ...
“No, I’m not ready to start my training, you lying perverted FREAK!”
Nabiki whirled from her window as a string of invective followed the opening shriek. That was Akane! And it came from the dojo! She charged through the door, headed for the stairs at a run.
Nabiki reached the entrance to the dojo just in time to hear her older sister’s voice override Akane’s: “Akane! What do you think you are doing?!” Stepping through into a firestorm of jealousy, angry betrayal, fear, shame, and angry amazement all mixed together, the middle Tendo saw Akane whirl away from a pale Ranma to face Kasumi.
“Kasumi, this pervert and Nabiki have been lying to us all along — there is no ‘Ranko’!” Whirling back to the ponytailed boy, she shouted, “Have you and Nabiki been laughing at us while you were rutting like — ?”
“Akane! That is quite enough, young lady!” Kasumi yelled.
Akane froze, then slowly turned back to her sister. “But Kasumi, they’ve —”
“I know, Akane,” Kasumi said, cutting her off. “I’ve known since I first met Ranma.” As Akane gaped, she continued, “Come to the house, we’ll explain what’s going on.”
Nabiki glanced over her shoulder at the sound of someone hurrying toward them and saw Nodoka approaching the dojo, the fathers behind her ducking back into the house. Turning back, she walked over and hugged her fiancé, suppressing a wince at the tremors she felt running through his body. “No, Kasumi, you and Mother take Ranma up to the house,” she said. “I’ll stay here and have a long overdue talk with the Princess. And Ranma,” she added, breaking the hug to look him in the face, “no running away to the Voice.”
“But, Nabs —”
“Please? For me?” After a moment Ranma nodded jerkily, and Nabiki smiled even as she fought to keep her anger off her face and gave him a gentle push toward her older sister and future mother-in-law. “Go on, I’ll join you in a minute.” And it’s a good thing you aren’t an empath when you’re human.
Akane stared in shock as Ranma was pulled into a one-armed hug by his mother and led out the door, Kasumi shooting her youngest sister another disapproving glare before following them. The raven-haired girl turned back toward her other sister — and right into an open-handed slap heavy enough to twist her half around again.
“I’m trying to keep Ranma sane and halfway human, and you are not helping!” Nabiki ranted as Akane stared at her in shock, one hand raised to her throbbing cheek. “What’s wrong, Princess, having trouble dealing with not being the one the household revolves around anymore?”
“What? ... No, of course not! What do you mean, keeping that ... Ranma sane?”
“Do you think it’s easy to suddenly find yourself turning into a completely different species, with its own abilities and instincts?” Nabiki sneered. “And to find himself turning into that! He’d have a lot easier time if he just turned into a human girl, or even some animals.”
Akane just stared for a moment, then whispered, “Nabiki, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Nabiki closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then gently blew it out, slumping a bit as she forced tensed muscles to relaxed. Opening her eyes again, she gave a sigh. “All right, let’s try again. Remember that nature program about lions we saw a few years ago, how upset you were when the first thing the male lion did after driving off his predecessor was to hunt down and kill the pride’s cubs?” Akane nodded, looking a little sick at the memory. “Remember what Kasumi said to you at the time?” Nabki continued.
Akane nodded again. “She said I couldn’t get upset with a lion for acting like a lion,” she responded.
“So, how would you like to turn into a lion, have your instincts pushing you to act like a lion when you do, but still remember that you’re human, or will be again?”
Akane’s face took on a greenish tint, and she bolted for the doorway. Seconds later, the sounds of the raven-haired girl vomiting onto the lawn came back through the door. Grinning, Nabiki sauntered out to join her sister, leaning against the wall. When Akane finally finished and sat back on her heels, wiping at her mouth with her sleeve, Nabiki softly said, “So now you know what it’s like for Ranma. And to make it worse, he’s learned that he’s never going to be fully human, or at least a man as he defines the term. To tell you the truth, I’m surprised he — she — didn’t suggest last night that she just stay a nature spirit full-time. I’m really hoping he doesn’t suggest it now — as much as I’ve been enjoying my nature spirit lover, I’d miss my human friend ... and fiancé.”
“But ... but what about you sleeping with Ranma?” Akane mumbled, blushing. “Isn’t that perverted — two girls in the same bed?”
“You mean two girls having sex?” Nabiki asked, then grinned as Akane’s blush deepened even as she nodded hesitantly. Nabiki shrugged. “Maybe you could argue that I’m playing the pervert, but not Ranma — succubae don’t care one way or the other. Whatever combination of sex, gender or number you care to name, food is food. Actually, that’s not quite true,” she added thoughtfully. “Ranma has been acting perverted for a succubus — she’s been limiting herself to just me, awake, rather than haunting the dreams of you, Kasumi, Father, his father, the neighbors, whoever. Monogamy is a human concept she isn’t willing to let go of, thank the kami.”
Nabiki gazed at the still-blushing girl in front of her, now staring at the ground, then straightened. “So Akane, why does Ranma scare you?”
“What?!” Akane shouted, her eyes shooting to her sister’s face.
“I asked, why does Ranma scare you? When I got here you weren’t just ranting at Ranma out of anger and jealousy, you were scared. Why?” Akane began to puff up in apparent anger even as Nabiki caught a spike of shame, and the middle Tendo simply smiled sardonically. “Don’t try to deny it, I’m an Initiate — I know.”
Akane deflated, her eyes again dropping even as Nabiki caught another spike of shame, mixed with fear this time. “It’s just ... it’s just all this ... this weirdness, this magic, it isn’t natural!”
Nabiki stared at the slumping, downcast girl, stunned at what she sensed. And was Akane actually shivering? The middle Tendo thought back over what she had sensed before from her younger sister, and when, and had to keep herself from slapping her forehead. She had been such an idiot! “Akane, would it help if you could actually see Ranma when she’s a nature spirit?” she asked with studied nonchalance.
Akane brightened immediately. “Can you do that?” she asked eagerly. “It can be a little ... frustrating ... how he — she — he could be hanging around and we not know it. I mean, sure, he’s seemed all right, but he’s still a boy! And who knows what else he can do when he’s a succubus?”
Make that ‘scared’ and that sounds about right, Nabiki thought sardonically. Still, she does have a point. As well ... “Perhaps I arrange that — making it so you can see her,” Nabiki said slowly. “Ranma won’t like it — she never reacts well at first when she meets someone that can see her, she doesn’t like people seeing her nude,” — Akane blushed again — “but she’s been having a problem with the katas she’s been trying to develop for her new body. She needs someone she can spar with.
“As for what she can do,” Nabiki continued, stepping forward to grasp Akane by the arm, “you’re getting a visitor in your dreams tonight. No, it won’t be for anything sexual,” she added hastily as Akane stiffened with anger and disgust, At least, not so far as you’re concerned — perhaps this’ll broaden your horizons a little. “Just a vision she had last night. It’s ... really spectacular.”
Akane’s gaze had shot to her sister’s face at the mention of a dream visitor, and her protest died at the gentle smile on the face of the sister whose nickname of ‘Ice Queen’ she had privately thought a perfect match. “A-All right, Nabiki. But if she tries anything she’s gonna regret it!”
“Right ...” Nabiki drawled, smile gone sardonic, then pulled her sister toward the house. “But right now, you have an apology to make.”
Kasumi had thought fast as she followed the shaking ponytailed boy and his mother out of the dojo, and once in the yard motioned to Nodoka to guide Ranma to the kitchen entrance. The fathers weren’t going to be any help with this, and the kitchen was a private domain that didn’t involve a bed. Hopefully, that would help.
As soon as the three stepped through the door into Kasumi’s private kingdom, Ranma looked around, then headed for the sink and turned on the water.
“Ranma, you promised your fiancée!” Nodoka said firmly when she realized what Ranma was doing.
“Yeah, an’ I’ll keep it. I just wanna be able ta feel again!” Ranma said as he stuck his hand under the running faucet, and sighed with relief as her clothes dropped through her to the floor, the surrounding non-living materials went translucent, the Voice was suddenly a faint whisper in the background, and a wave of emotions washed over her from her mother and future sister-in-law — love, concern, love ... and a great deal of anger. The now red-haired succubus floated around to face the two, her shoulder-length hair floating free, too upset to be even faintly embarrassed at the naked bodies now on display through their almost invisible clothing. “Um ... Mom, Kasumi, why are ya angry? I mean, Kasumi, I know ya don’t really like me an’ Nabiki sleepin’ together, but ya seemed mostly alright with it last night. And you’ve never seemed ta care, Mom.”
The two women glanced at each other and Kasumi sighed, then forced a smile as the anger from the two seemed to drain away. “It’s Akane I’m — we’re — angry with, Ranma, not you — you don’t get angry with a lion for being a lion. Yes, if you were human and I found that you were sleeping with Nabiki I’d insist you find another place to live until the two of you married. But you aren’t — I’m just having a little trouble accepting that. Apparently, Akane’s having an even harder time.”
Ranma began to shake, her eyes dropping, as the memories of what Akane had shouted at him returned. “She c-c-called me a ... a whore and ... and a ...” Suddenly, she found herself hugged from both sides, Kasumi’s breasts pressed against hers through the Tendo sister’s housedress, and her mother’s against her back as their arms circled her.
“You just ignore what she said,” Kasumi murmured. “She may be acting the ignorant, bigoted idiot but we know better.”
“And by the time your fiancée finishes dressing her down, so will she,” Nodoka added.
Ranma didn’t reply, but her shivering eased and vanished under the wave of love radiating from the two older women. She sighed in contentment, then broke the hug long enough to make it a three-way embrace.
She didn’t know how long the three simply stood there, before Nabiki’s voice came from the doorway from the kitchen into the hallway. “Ah, there you are!”
Ranma immediately broke away from Kasumi and her mother, blushing furiously. “I’m leavin’ the Voice alone, just like I promised!” she shouted as she turned toward her fiancée, then froze at the sight at the youngest Tendo standing beside her.
“Sure, I know,” Nabiki assured her, waving off her declaration of innocence. You aren’t acting giddy, for one thing. Pushing forward an Akane staring at the floor even as she radiated guilt and fear, she continued, “Now, Akane here has something to tell you.”
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(Posted Sat, 09 Oct 2010 05:52)
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