I hate wasting bandwidth, but considering the responses i have been getting
for my request for title.  i've decided to break my code of ethics and
repost chapters 1-5.

No Title!
by Michael Chen
michael.h.chen@yale.edu



Author's Introduction:
     This story is a Ranma fanfic, of a more serious degree.  This story
explores Nabiki, and her life...  This story has no violence, I've attempted
to keep down the jokes, it has elements of love, as well some darker thoughts...


Chapter 1 -- Paradox

      As the sun peeked over the horizon, it's path of light slowly crawled
across Nerima.  Where ever, the light landed, life started from the soothing
darkness called sleep.  People yawned, woke up, and got ready for their
lives at work and school.  At the Tendo Dojo, life was as normal as usual,
well normal in their own sense.  Ranma and Genma had finished their
sparring, which as always resulted in a dunking in the pond.

      Akane's cute head poked out of the door.  "Hey Ranma, Mr. Saotome!  Do
any of you want to try my omelettes?"

      Ranma-chan, who was currently in a tangle with Genma-panda, in the
pond.  Both were tossing and turning, splashing water.  After a great amount
of struggle, Ranma managed to subdue his father, and was sitting on the
panda's stomach.

     "What did you say!  Eat your breakfast!  You must think I hate myself
if I am going to eat..."  Hearing Ranma's brutish comment, Akane felt
crushed.  Her pride, her omelettes, her labor and love that went into those
omelettes, and her fiance still had the audacity to deny her work.  As
anger, welled within Akane, her blue aura began to flicker.

     "Ranma! You dumb idiot!  I spent a lot of time and energy, and this is
the thanks I get!"  Akane was crying and shouting at the same time.  She
rushed Ranma with her right hand cocked back, ready to give Ranma an
impression that he would never forget.  But as she approached, she just gave
up, and fell to her knees, crying silently.

      Ranma took a long look at Akane, and gulped.  He really liked Akane,
secretly, and he really felt bad for driving Akane to tears.  `Akane, I must
of really pushed you this time...'  Ranma's feelings start to churn, and
instinctively, he mentally sighs. `Ok Akane, I'm going to hate myself for
this...'   Ranma bent down, and placed his arm around Akane's shoulders.
Trying to comfort her, he whispered into her ear.

       "I'd be happy to try your omelette."  Akane's head jerked up, her
eyes showing a glint of joy.

       "Really!"  Ranma nodded, and walked into the house with Akane, his
hand never leaving her.  Nabiki, meanwhile, was observing this, and couldn't
help but feel jealous for Akane.  Sure, her little sister, who really never
liked men, had Ranma, and a bunch of admirers at school.  Her little sister,
who Kuno had the hots for.  Trying to clear her mind of her thoughts, she
reached over to her desk and picked up her ledger.

       `Who owes me money today...'  Her eyes jumped when she saw that three
people didn't pay back yesterday.  Her eyes mischevious, she picked up her
telephone, ready to make their lives a living hell.  Before she dialed the
telephone number, she paused, her face clearly in doubt.  `Is this worth it?
Ruining someone's life over a lost bet...'  One part of her mind was
shouting `No'  The other was saying `Who cares? It's a matter of money.  If
you let this slide, then no one else will pay.'  Grimacing at the reality,
Nabiki proceeded to dial.
*	*	*
      Ranma gingerly held his chopsticks, as Akane presented her omelette.
Genma and Soun were captivated by Ranma's braveness.  Holding his breath,
Ranma grabbed a piece of omelette and placed it in his mouth.  He
automatically started to chew.  He felt the rubbery chunk of tasteless food
resist his efforts.  After a few seconds of hard chewing, the small sample
of food disintegrated in his mouth becoming a flood of awful tastes.  Ranma
struggled to suppress his gag instinct, and forced himself to swallow the
vile mixture of food.  Nabiki, who had finished her job, was leaning of the
stairs handrail, watching Ranma.  In fact the entire household had stopped
to watch.  Soun was about to place a stone on the go board.  Kasumi was
focusing her pretty eyes on Ranma.  Genma was staring at his son.

      Akane looked at Ranma expectantly. "So?  How was it?"  Ranma struggled
hard to maintain his composure.  His face had aquired a slight greenish hue,
and Ranma could feel his stomach churning in rebellion against that vile
piece of food.   Ranma felt an urge to complain really loudly, but he
controlled himself before he could spontaneously react.  He managed a very
very weak smile.

      His voice was barely a whisper.  "It was fine.  Excuse me, I'm going
to the bathroom..."  With that, he dashed up the stairs, brushed past
Nabiki.  He skid around the corner, and the bathroom door slammed shut
behind him.  Genma felt most sorry for Ranma.

      "Soun, my son must feel the weight of the entire world on his
shoulders now..."  Soun gravely looked at Genma.

      "No Genma, he must feel the weight of the entire world on his
stomach...."  Akane, who was surprised that Ranma did not make an effort to
embarass her, turned to Genma and Soun, and smiled.  `Wow! This dish must be
an improvement on my usual cooking.'  In reality, it tasted barely better
than her other dishes.

      "Father, Mr. Saotome, do you want to try?"  Both Genma and Soun broke
into a mixture of babbling as they rattled off excuses to avoid the food.

      Ranma was leaning over the toilet, as his body let loose bile from his
mouth for the third time.  His head was dizzy.  He felt nauseated.
Meanwhile, Nabiki was looking in from the door, her face clearly sad, as she
thought. `I wonder what would happen if I was engaged to Ranma...'  Ranma
slowly wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and coughed up the vile
acidic taste from the back of his throat.  After staggering to the sink, he
swallowed a gallon of water to flush his mouth of the aftertaste.  As an
after thought, he looked in the mirror, and immediately saw Nabiki, who had
let her emotions cloud her normally ultra-cool face.  She was obviously sad
and lost in thought.  He did a double take.

       "Nabiki!  What's wrong?"  `God, such sadness.'  Nabiki immediately
blinked out of her dreams and thoughts, and blushed intensely, her thoughts
prodding her to tell Ranma...  She openned her mouth, but immediately
afterwards closed it.  Ranma dried his hands hastily on his shirt, and
placed his hands on her shoulder.

      "What's wrong?"  He bent down a little to take a good look at Nabiki's
eyes.  Fearing the possibility of her eyes betraying her, Nabiki fighting
hard, calmed herself, and walked off, leaving Ranma behind.

      "Sorry to bother you, there's nothing wrong with me."  `Except that my
life, has no worth.'  Nabiki's eyes were on the verge of tears, but she was
glad that her back was to Ranma.

      Later, in the schoolyard before classes started, Nabiki was approached
by a distraught boy.  His hair was wild.  And his cheek showed the reddish
outline of a girl's hand, evidence of an argument with a girlfriend.  His
hair was tangled, and his uniform scuffed.

      "How could you!"  The boy was plain mad.  Nabiki turned her
emotionless face to him.  She struggled to keep her emotions in check when
she saw Ranma perched on the school gate staring at her.  She looked down
immediately her emotions beginning to bubble, when she suddenly remembered
the boy in front of her.  Almost effortlessly, Nabiki calmed her emotions
down to the level of an ice cube.

      "You knew the consequences.  I merely followed my standard operating
procedures.  You did not pay up, so I am obligated to make your life
difficult.  Excuse me, I have some business to attend to."  Nabiki turned
her head, and walked off.  The boy started to foam when heard her words, and
murder and other terribly evil thoughts began to percolate through his mind.
He felt the muscles in his arm tighten and loosen, his breathing increase.
He stalked behind Nabiki.  She tried to ignore him.

      "But you had to tell my girlfriend..." Nabiki gave no response and
walked off.  Standing he shook his fist violently at Nabiki's back, as if
making a silent threat.  He turned around, his thoughts already drafting a
simple, yet effective revenge.  The boy evilly grinned and cracked his
knuckles.  `Nabiki is definitely going to have a meeting with me and my
associates after school.'   He gestured to two other boys they quietly
gathered at the gate.

      The original boy spoke, "Wanna get even with Nabiki after school?  I'm
gonna beat her senseless for ruining my relationship with my girlfriend.
You guys going to help?"  The two other boys smiled, each of them also
victims of Nabiki's blackmail, and nodded.  Ranma, who was still perched on
the gate, heard everything.

      "Over my dead body," he muttered.  As the boys walked off, he silently
leaped off the gate, and ran to class.  He vowed silently to keep a close
eye on Nabiki for the entire day.

      At lunch, Ranma found it easy to guard Nabiki.  Akane had decided to
sit with Nabiki to discuss some things, and Ranma decided to tag along.
Although he found the discussion to be rather mundane and boring, he found
it weird that at various times, Nabiki would get this dreamy look whenever
their eyes connected.  Nabiki and Akane would be in a dumb conversation when
Nabiki would look up at Ranma to see him.  Almost immediately, her normally
stone cold expression would melt a little.  Amazingly, Akane didn't notice,
or she didn't react at all to Nabiki's strangeness.  After school, Akane
decided to go to the library with some friends.  Ranma breathed a sigh of
relief, when he didn't have to explain to Akane why he didn't want to walk
home with her.  He silently ran after Nabiki who had already left.
    
      Nabiki calmly walked home alone, for everyone at school had a fear of
her.  To ignore her loneliness, she focused on a couple new money making
schemes that she thought of in class and Ranma.  She slowly turned around
the corner and walked into three boys who were waiting for her.  They
quickly grabbed Nabiki, restrained her, and covered her mouth.  Nabiki
struggled hard, as the boys dragged her into a deserted alley to do their
dirty work.

      Ranma burst around the corner to find nothing.  `Where's Nabiki?'  His
eyes slowly scaned the quiet street, and he was about to give up, when he
heard a muffled scream.  He ran towards the source of that scream, an alley.

      "This is for my girlfriend."  The boy landed a fist into Nabiki's
stomach.  The two other boys were holding her arms, laughing.  Nabiki felt
her stomach explode with pain, and tried to scream.  A boy muffled it with
his hand.  Still defiant, she viciously bit the boy's hand.  Holding his
injured hand, he retaliated by elbowing Nabiki hard in the chest, knocking
the wind out of her.  The other boy kicked her hard in the shins.

      "That was for distributing pictures of me and my second girlfriend to
everyone in Nerima."  Nabiki felt the world around her grow dimmer.
Unaccustomed to this level of abuse, she found herself wishing
unconsciousness to end her suffering.  Her breathing was ragged, and judging
the faces of her attackers, she knew that these boys really wanted to beat
her.  The first boy looked at her evilly.

       "You know, I could be a hero for doing this.  Cause everyone at
school hates you, you emotionless scumbag."  Those words struck Nabiki's
heart, and she felt tears well in her eyes because she knew what he said was
completely true.  The boy brought his arm back, and put all of his energy
into his final punch.  Nabiki saw the fist approach her face, when another
hand dashed in, and stopped it.

      "I don't think so."  Nabiki's eyes looked up and say Ranma standing
there, his face filled with rage and disgust.  His eyes softened as her saw
Nabiki, but her coughing and wheezing forced Ranma beyond mad to insane.
His eyes glowed red, and he hissed through his teeth.

      "How dare you pick on a woman!"  Demonstrating his prowess, he
simultaneously elbowed the person next to him, and kicked the boy who was
going to punch Nabiki in the stomach.  He smiled with satisfaction when the
boy in front of him folded up, and the person to his right dropped to the
floor unconscious.  The last boy took off down the alley, screaming like a
girl.  Ranma spied a short heavy piece of wood on the ground.  He picked it
up and launched it at the fleeing boy.

       The piece strucked him on the back of the head with just enough force
to knock him out.  The fleeing person fell onto the floor and skidded a
couple more feet.  Ranma paused for a second, allowing his emotions to calm
down.  He then turned to Nabiki, and saw her bruised body.

       "Nabiki, are you alright?"  Nabiki collapsed into Ranma's arms.
Sighing, Ranma picked up Nabiki and ran off towards Dr. Tofu.  While Nabiki
struggled to maintain consciousness, her mind echoed, `Everyone hates me...'
* * *
        Nabiki was on an examination table wearing only her bra and pants.
Ranma was waiting outside.  Dr. Tofu was probing her stomach carefully.

        "Does it hurt here?"  Dr. Tofu placed his cool, steady hands on the
black mark on Nabiki's stomach.  Suddenly, her stomach muscles contracted,
and her eyes began to water.   Dr. Tofu, noting the effect, started to
massage the bruise.  After a minute, Nabiki was surprised to find that the
bruise almost disappeared.  Dr. Tofu, satisfied with the result, continued
examining Nabiki, he found another bruise on one of Nabiki's breasts, right
above her bra.  He carefully massaged it, and after another minute or so,
the black mark had almost faded.  He continuously worked on Nabiki, finding
bruises and massaging them to speed the healing.  

         Unknown, to Nabiki, Dr. Tofu, besides simply massaging her bruises,
was also looking at her in general with concern.  He could feel a certain
sadness within Nabiki, but he did not want to mention it.   He made a note
to tell Ranma privately.  His hand accidently brushed past Nabiki's leg, and
she winced.

        Carefully rolling up the pants, his eyes landed on the 4 inch bruise
on her shin.  With careful probing, he realized the bruise was more than
superficial.  It went all the way down to the bone in Nabiki's slim and
smooth leg.  

      "Nabiki, you have a bruise on your shin bone.  You won't be able to
walk today.  Tomorrow, you will be able to walk...But this is going to be
painful."  Nabiki nodded. With that said, he began to massage Nabiki's leg.
Nabiki felt pain fire straight up her leg, and she started to cry.  Ranma
burst into the room.

      "What's happening?"  He didn't know whether to be angry or sorry.  He
walked right in and saw Nabiki only wearing a bra.  He blushed and quickly
turned his head away.  `God she's pretty, I wonder why no guys chase her....
Oh, never mind.'  

      Dr. Tofu looked at Ranma, and smiled.  "Oh nothing bad, just a few
bruises, that's all.  Nabiki will probably need you to help her walk home."
Dr. Tofu pressed the bruise again.  Ranma looked up in time to see Nabiki
inhale very deeply...  Ranma turned redder.  Whipping his head away, he
forced himself out of the room.

      "Sure, I'll be right outside."  As soon as he closed the door, he
breathed a sigh of relief.  `I wonder what Akane looks like...'  His mind
began to fill with thoughts and images of Akane.  Moments later, Dr. Tofu
openned to door, and cheerfully stuck his head out.

      "Ranma, all done.  A couple minor bruises, and she shouldn't be able
to walk for the rest of the day.  By the way, I need to tell you
something..."  Dr. Tofu tried to continue, but he was cut off by the ringing
telephone.  Dr. Tofu walked off, and answered.  

      "Hello, who is this? .....Kasumi!"  Ranma could hear Dr. Tofu bouncing
off the wall in the other room.  Sighing, he thought to himself: `I guess
he'll be nuts for awhile...'  Taking a glance at the clock. Ranma peeked
into the room to see if Nabiki was ready.  Instead, he saw Nabiki dressing
herself.  Averting his eyes, he spoke.

       "I guess I get to carry you home today."  Nabiki looked at Ranma,
surprised that he was staring at the corner, and then she realized that she
was only wearing a bra.  She quickly put on her shirt.

       "It's ok to watch now."  Ranma looked up, and breathed a sigh of
relief.  He smiled and joked.

      "I was worried that if I saw you like that too much, I'd forget about
Akane..."  His voice trailed off, and his smile became slightly more intense
as he thought about Akane.  Nabiki, tried to be emotionless.  `So Ranma
really loves Akane...Damn it, why can't I get a decent guy like Ranma...'
Ranma walked over.  And kneeled in front of Nabiki, facing away from her.

       "Ok, you can put your hands around my neck."  Nabiki did so, and
Ranma carefully stood up, his arms carefully holding Nabiki's legs.  She
felt the muscles in Ranma's back ripple as his effortlessly lifted her.  He
than ran out of the door, with Nabiki on his back.  He left the clinic and
continued down the street, some how managing to run without jarring Nabiki
about.  Nabiki sighed and rested her head on Ranma's shoulder.  She could
hear Ranma inhale sharply...

     Her thoughts began to wander, as buildings whizzed past her.  She
thought of what her attackers said. Her mood began to drop.  She thought of
her lack of boyfriends.  Her thoughts turned blacker.  She thought about
Ranma, and she couldn't help but smile a little.  But her smile was
destroyed when she thought about Akane, and how much Ranma really loved her.
Fighting back her tears, she held Ranma tighter.  Again she felt a sharp
breath from Ranma.

     After they reached home, Kasumi was the first to react.

      "What happened?  Nabiki are you ok?  Why is Ranma carrying you?"
Nabiki fought the urge to dump all of her feelings to Kasumi, and she coldly
responded.

     "Nothing, a few boys tried to attack me.  Ranma managed to chase them
off."  Everyone was shocked.  Nabiki had treated an obviously brutal attack
as if it were something that could be brushed off.  Kasumi, feeling
something, thought `Something must wrong with Nabiki.'  Nabiki slowly walked
up the stairs.  She locked the door behind her

      Nabiki sat at her desk, having no heart to look at her ledger.  She
looked about her depressing room.  Nothing there truly interested her.  She
looked at her desk, and found nothing captivating.  Her world was completely
wrong.  `I should be having fun.  I have plenty of money.  I have an easy
life....But I don't have fun.  I don't have a boyfriend.  Everyone's scared
on me....'  Leaning to her side, she unlocked a drawer and took out her
secret stash of alcohol.

       Pouring herself a glass, she quickly swallowed it.  After four
glasses, she was still, if not more depressed.  Quickly hiding her alcohol,
she sat in her chair, lost in a drunken stupor.  Her mind was just
completely melloed out and she could only about one thing.  After an hour or
so of contemplation, she grabbed a sheet of paper, and wrote on it, slightly
shakily since the alcohol was still affecting her.

  `Dear Kasumi, Soun, Akane, and Ranma.
I thank you for being nice to me.  I've realized that in my pursuit of
money, I have alienated everyone else.  The incident today has made me
realize this.  Since my life has truly been unfun and useless, I've been
rethinking my plans, and I'd prefer it this way.

By the way, Ranma, I kind of love you...'

      Her hands shaking, she somehow unlocked her cabinet, and poured
herself a few more drinks.  By now, Nabiki was completely drunk, and she
started to cry.  Looking through a haze, she managed to read the time, and
she limped over to the bed and cried herself to sleep, knowing what she
planned to do tomorrow.  After a few minutes, her mind gradually fell
asleep, her face still twisted with emotions, her dreams no more comforting...

       Nabiki woke up to the sound of Kasumi knocking on the door.

       "Nabiki, are you alright.  If you don't wake up, you might be late
for school.  Akane and Ranma are already leaving."  Still feeling the
effects of alcohol in her head, Nabiki moaned and struggled out of bed,
surprised that her bruises were no longer painful.  Her mind was still in a
state of semidrunk blankness.  She quickly packed her bags, and ran out.

      "Sorry Kasumi, I'm going now."  Nabiki ran out of the door, leaving
Kasumi behind.  As Nabiki passed Kasumi, Kasumi's beautiful nose wrinkled in
distaste as she smelled alcohol.  She closed the bedroom door, and got to
the stairs when she realized that the smell came from Nabiki.  Her mind
quickly deduced that Nabiki had been drinking.  She rushed into Nabiki's
room, and started to desparately search.  Her eyes landed on the only locked
drawer in Nabiki's desk.
  
      Focusing hard, Kasumi, recalling to the days when her father taught
her martial arts,  punched the drawer, completely destroying the lock.  She
pulled open the drawer, shocked to find a couple bottles of beer and sake...
Her eye's landed on the desk, and she picked up the sheet of paper that
Nabiki had written last night.  As she read it, her eyes openned wide.  Her
face filled with fear and terror.  She glanced at the clock, realizing that
school had already started, she ran out the door and dashed down the stairs.

      Kasumi zoomed down the stairs, the sound of her light feet rapidly
flittering down. Soun and Genma were immediately interrupted from their
usual game of go.  Soun looked up and was surprised to see Kasumi
overreacting.  Soun's mind began to wheel about, thinking about Kasumi.

      Stammering he asked.  "Kasumi, what's wrong?"  Kasumi quickly took off
her apron, almost ripping it, and and ran out the door, uncharacteristically
exhibiting her athletic abilities.  Soun tried to run after Kasumi, but
found that he couldn't keep pace.  Kasumi rushed off towards the high
school, leaving a cloud of dust behind her.  

      She quickly ran down the streets, everyone surprised to see Kasumi
Tendo without a cheerful face.  She turned around the corner and saw the
gates to the school.  Entering the yard, she looked intently around.  No
sign of anyone or Nabiki.  Her mind began to wander crazily.  `Where's
Nabiki.  Where's Nabiki.'  She started to take deeper breaths to calm her
mind, as she thought about Nabiki.  Some how, her sixth sense began to
tingle, and she looked up and gasped.

      Nabiki was standing on the edge of the roof of the school.