THE FAMILY BUSINESS
	 Pt 1 An ill Wind Blowing 
	by
	John Trombley	

A Ranma ½ fanfic.   who ever owns the rights to the Ranma ½ trade mark 
please excuse my use of them and do not send your goons after me.

Nidoshi ran through the streets of the Nerima district frantically 
looking over his shoulder as he did.  It was that time of the month 
again.  A day on which all of those in the district feared the most.  
Few set foot outside their homes or business while only tourists and 
those not knowledgeable about Nerima walked the streets.  For today, it 
was PAY DAY.  Although it was foolish to think that he could escape them 
he had to try.  When his father refuse to pay the full interest on the 
loan he had taken his business was destroyed in the following day, in 
one of the many battles that seemed to occur since the Family expanded. 
 Before all they had to worry about was some secrets being leaked out or 
such other minor embarrassment.  But ever since the Saotomes had moved 
in with the Tendos life has been getting dangerous as well as expensive.

It all started a year ago......

At first it was just some punks who where trying to hassle the students 
at Furrinken High.  They used the more base ninja tactics; fear, 
intimidation, and numbers.  They were nothing but punks, well organized 
bullies looking to make some easy money.  The problem was that there was 
one person at the school that was an obstacle in their path.  No, not 
the incredibly powerful Saotome or even the old big man on campus Kuno, 
but the one who held the reins on all business transactions in the whole 
district, a woman.  Nabiki Tendo.  To say her name was to cause fear to 
appear on all the faces of those that owed her money or owed her a favor 
and that was just about every one in the whole city of Tokyo not just 
her little territory.  Now these punks who called themselves "The Fire 
Dragons"for one of the ways their terrorized their streets was by using 
bottles filled with gasoline that caused a lot of property damage as 
well as painful burns on their victims.  They have had minor successes 
in other areas so had decided to try branching out.  
	While Nabiki was businesswoman the Dragons were just punks.  
They figured that if they took her out all the underhanded rackets would 
be theirs to take over, as well as adding new rackets such as 
protection, weapons, and drugs.  Things that no matter how profitable 
Nabiki would not touch with a ten-foot pole.

"So Red is that _her_?" Blue asked as they spotted a girl dressed in a 
Furrinken High School uniform with short brown hair and had a look that 
made all around her where her prey.

"Yea, that's _her_.  Except for a few other girls it looks like she 
doesn't have a posse.  who'd thought that one little girl could make so 
many people afraid of her?" asked Red in a bewildered tone.  "Maybe all 
we gotta do is confront her and tell her to back down or else she'll get 
hurt."

So it was on her home from school and a few business errands that 
afternoon, Nabiki was surrounded by five guys with different colored 
masks on their face but with identical body suits.  Each had knife on 
them and the seemingly leader of the group looked like he was armed with 
more heavy weaponry.  

"Is there some thing I can help you will _boys_" she asked with narrowed 
eyes and ice cold voice.

"Yea bitch, where da Fire Dragons and where taking over your territory 
as of now." the yellow masked individual said with a wicked voice of 
someone who expects people to fear him and he likes it.  "You will turn 
over all your operations over to us and we'll let you live.  If you 
don't we'll let you live after we make you turn over your operations 
over to us."

"Hehehehe" the other members of the group snickered around her.

Nabiki just looks at them with an arched eye brow and states. "Oh, I'm 
so scared.  All five of you _boys_ are going hurt little oh me?"  
Inwardly Nabiki was a little nervous about this she had heard about a 
gang trying to come into the area.  She didn't give it much thought 
thinking no one would be so stupid as to muscle in here what with all 
the mega-powered martial artists that lived in the area. *hum looks like 
I owe Kosenowia a little apology.* still even though she didn't believe 
him doesn't mean that she would over look any threat to her or her 
family.  Pressing a small button on her watchband, she started to stall 
them until help arrived.

"If you _boys_ had wanted anything, I sure we could have come to a 
reasonable price for it."  She continued her voice dripping honey. *come 
on Saotome where are you, you baka*

The dragons were getting very upset about being called boys by this 
small girl who was in fact treating them as if they where little 
children trying to compete in the adult world

"Well," stated Yellow, "it looks we are going to have to cut you up." he 
emphasized the statement by pulling out his own wicked looking knife 
like some thing you would by out of a novelty shop or used by the head 
villain in some action movie.

"Hey Nabiki, who's your friends?" asked a smug voice from on top of a 
wall. 

"Huh! Huh!" The dragons whirl in the direction of the voice and see a 
teenage kid dressed in a Chinese shirt and loose fitting pants, he had 
dark hair tied up in a pig-tail braid.  He was just lying on his side 
looking at the group with humorous interest.

"Oh just a bunch bullies trying to shove their weight around."  Then to 
the gang she states in a smug voice and a slight smile comes to her 
face.  "Well _boys_ it seems your in trouble now.  If I were you I make 
like the wind and blow.  Of course you are probably to stupid to relize 
the world of hurt your going to be in.  You see this is Ranma Saotome.  
Not only is he engaged to my sister but he also hates bullies.  Don't 
you Ranma- baby?"  This she directs to said individual.

"Yea, I hate when people pick on those weaker than themselves just for 
kicks.  But five guys gaining up on one girl."  His voice dripped scorn 
and his eyes flashed brightly as he jumped down from the wall into the 
middle the group next to Nabiki.  "That goes beyond bulling it looks a 
little like a rape attempt.  Ooh what tough guys we have here."

At that, the rest of the gang pulls their blades as one goes after 
Nabiki thinking her an easy target.  The rest try to dog pile on Ranma 
who just smirks and in just a few seconds all of the gang are 
unconscious on the street.  The one who went after Nabiki wasn't so 
lucky.  As he charged her, she used her book bag to block the knife away 
and with a kick that would have done a football punter proud lifted him 
at least two feet of the street, only to land on the sidewalk puking his 
guts out clutching his manhood whimper softly.

Ranma looked at guy on the street and winced in mock pain and with a 
smile raised an eyebrow at Nabiki.  "Well it looks like you didn't 
forget any of the lessons you father gave you." 

"Just because I don't practice all the time like Akane and you doesn't 
mean I can't defend myself"  she replied with a smug grin.

"So, who are these guys any way that you'd give me a beeper?"  Slightly 
curious, Nabiki has asked him (well blackmailed him) to do things for 
her before, but playing body guard was never one of them. 

"They call themselves the Fire Dragons or something."  She replied 
kicking over one of the thugs and taking off his mask.  She didn't know 
him, so that means they where from out of town. "These were just little 
fish in a small pond." she grunts as she rolls over the rest to she if 
she recognized any of them.  Looking irritated at Ranma, "Well don't 
just stand there help me with these guys."  And then directs Ranma to 
line them up and taking out her trusty camera took pictures of all of 
them.  

"I hope you weren't getting too bored Saotome but it looks like were 
going to have a little trouble around here.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
thanks for the help I hope this works
				John Trombley