A Different Path Side Story. Nabiki's Story ************** Tendou Nabiki had been called the Ice Queen, the Mercenary Girl, Cold Bitch of Money etc. It was because of her drive to make money even when it hurt others, especially her family. That was until a few months ago. What had brought this profound change in attitude? What had been going on that had changed her into more humane? This is her story. "Call me a bitch eh? I didn't want that. I didn't want any of this! But if i didn't care, then we will all be homeless by now! Daddy didn't want to teach anymore. He was overcome by his grief when Mother died. Oneechan had to take care of the household and i couldn't bear to burden her further. Imotochan was too young. So i took over the running of the dojo and the finances." "What could i do? I was too young to do business with companies and the dojo was in the red. So i took over the school betting rounds. That was the begining. I became calculating and cold. I started to blackmail people and took advantage of others' weaknesses. I craved more and more for money. MONEY! MONEY! MONEY!" "Inwardly i cringed and screamed for myself to stop. But my other self turned a deaf ear and forced my inner voice into the deep recesses of my mind. There was no road of return. Until......" ====== Nabiki was crying softly on her bed. Every night before she went to bed, she would let her inner self out and cried to sleep. She was too sad at her own actions in the day, a practice becoming a habit too strong she did not know how to stop or correct. Her blackmailing, forcing people to pay up or else, torturing Akane with the damn morning ritual, enticing Kunou to pay her big money for her sister's or the new pigtailed redhead's photographs. She shivered at her latest scams involving Ranma. Until that fateful day, she had not been able to make any friends. The red haired pigtailed martial artist seemed to sense her pain and tried to make friends with all three Tendou sisters. Unfortunately when the black haired male Ranma appeared and the matter of the engagement was revealed, she felt betrayed. A hatred began its way to the Saotome boy for taking away the red haired girl or so she assumed. By the time the redhead tried to make friends with her, she was too immersed in hatred. Shaking her head sadly, she wondered why she had turned down the only person who wanted to make friends with her voluntarily. Finding no answers in her pillows, her sobbing renewed with vigour. She sat up and wondered if what she had done was worth it. All the food, Akane's bricks, medical fees, dummies, all the damn repairs after each fight. All the boys didn't approach her because they were afraid of her, afraid of her blackmails. A soft knocking could be heard from her doorstep. "Go away!" She croaked. Ranma was in female form and preparing to go to Nabiki's room for yet another photo shoot. She disliked doing this but thought it was the only way to pay Nabiki for the rent. Although Genma very much intended to freeload, Ranma felt it not honourable. So she agreed to the photo shoots to pay for the damages she did everytime someone came here shouting "Ranma Prepare to die!" or challenging her to duels. She felt it necessary to help Nabiki maintain the dojo in the black. She was preparing to knock on the door when she heard sobbing from inside. Wondering what was going on, she decided to enter and found out. Stepping into the room and closing the door behind her, Ranma said nothing waiting for Nabiki to fire the first salvo. Seeing no response from Nabiki's sobbing, she sat down next to the Tendou sister and embraced her. A warmth she had never felt since her mother died swept Nabiki up. Pushing her head up, she saw a smiling redhead holding her serenely. Surprised, her tears flowed down again and she cried even harder. After a while she stopped to thank Ranma-chan for the embrace. "Oh its you Ranma. I would never have thought that of all the people i know you will be the one to see me like this." Nabiki stiffled. "No its quite alright Nabiki-chan. I can understand part of your pain." Ranma-chan soothed her. "Why?" "Why what?" "Why do you care for me? Even when i treated you like a pile of dung? Why do you listen now? I would have thought you to be insensitive and arrogant. Why do you want to talk to me? What do you see in me? I am just a cold blooded mercenary. I am Nabiki the Ice Queen." "Nabiki-chan i will not tolerate you torturing yourself like that. I know you are better than that." Ranma reproached her sternly. "What? What do you mean? I am a being of vice. I am a mercenary, a person only working for money. You dont want to be associate with me. I had no friends. Most of the students cower in fear everytime i approach them. A pest everyone loves to hate!" Nabiki covered her face with the pillows. Irritated by now Ranma snatched the pillows and held Nabiki's shoulders, staring eye to eye. Nabiki was transfixed by the purest blue eyes she had ever seen, her fears starting to ebb over the intensity of the soul looking at her. Eyes are indeed windows to the souls. "Listen carefully Nabs-chan. You are not a pest! You are a wonderful person. Look at yourself now! Is this the person i admire? Is this the strong, self assured girl i know? You and your sisters are beautiful, each in her own way! If only you let others see that beauty of yours!" Ranma said forcefully. Nabiki stared at the red haired girl before her. Why didn't i notice before? She IS beautiful. Not only her looks but her soul. Her heart and character. I could never bask in such beauty again. She admired me? She said i am beautiful? "How? What?" She choked. "Nabs-chan you have a inner strength. You know that the dojo would NOT still be in your family's hands if you haven't done what you did. You know your family will starve if you didn't do what you have to do. You know Kasumi-neechan will have to be the breadwinner and that will surely burden her further if you had not done what IS necessary." "I can emphasize with your loneliness. I myself hardly have someone to confide to. Pops makes it difficult for me to make friends. Look at what it did to Ucchan and Ryouga. He messed up my life and never even try to teach me good manners. I put my foot in my mouth so many times. Until the Nyannichuan gave me this body and a different perspective to life. You on the other hand have two sisters. You should cherish them. Kasumi and Akane each had been deprieved of a sisterly love for so long. Its time to rekindle the bond between you three. Take my advice and tell them how much you love them. Hug them more. I cannot have that luxury. Talk to them. This household had been stagnant for far too long. You should break apart the dark clouds left by your mother's shadow." "You have a strength of character. You have steel, not letting anyone get to you. You have ambition and guts to do what you want, something i sadly cannot do. You are smart, intelligent and witty. I myself cannot deal with other people without pulling my punches. I have since learned from you that there are smart ways to deal with people, something i do often now with Pops and Kunou. You see Nabs-chan, you are great. If nobody wished to befriend you because they cant see right through your mask, they are fools!" Ranma clenched her fists. Nabiki was shocked. At the confession, at the strengths she herself didnt realise, at the redhead's revelation, at the THOUGHT that Ranma had learned some things from HER! At the fact that she was talking to Ranma about personal issues and not money matters. Shaking her head and smiling wistfully, she looked Ranma up and down. Then without warning she grabbed the shorter girl into a fierce bearhug. "Argh... Cannot.... Breathe!" Ranma croaked out. Releasing the red haired girl, Nabiki gave a sunny smile, something not seen since her mother's passing away and echoed Akane's greeting that first day. "Hi I am Nabiki. Want to be friends?" She put on a cute look and took her hand out. Both girls giggled at the memory. Still giggling, Ranma took her hand and shook it. "Sure. I am Ranko. Do you study Martial Arts Accounting?" Both burst out in gales of laughter. That was the begining of a new dawn. ======= "Since that day whenever Ranko-chan appears we will go out on shopping trips to Harajuku to see the shops or window shopping. We even went to Ibaraki for beach trips. Her warm personality had melted the frozen glacier in me and now it flows like a raging river of summer rain. She even helped me befriend a few girls in school. I am no longer the Ice Queen. I am no longer a outcast. I am no longer a cold bitch. Thanks to her." "One day she took me to an old folks home. That was the most memorable day of my life. I saw her in all her glory. Singing, smiling for the old folks there. The best thing was seeing the old people laughing at her antics or applauding at her singing. Her smiles were addictive. Soon she had the entire home smiling even the other volunteers and workers. A magical moment i will remember always." "I could never reconcile her with that snub male Ranma. Arrogant beyond belief, it seems they are two different persons living in the same body and i had to agree. Though he becomes less insulting and more patient towards everyone." "Getting to know her was the best thing ever to happen to me. If Ranma found a cure, i will miss her very much. She taught me things i will never have known." ====== Kasumi was humming to herself in the kitchen. Putting some spices into the beef stew she was making for dinner, she sat a wok on the stove and prepared to stir fry some vegetables. Looking at the rice cooker to check whether the rice was ready, she didn't realise someone coming towards her until she felt arms embracing her around the waist. Turning, she found Nabiki there. The middle sister was hugging her warmly. She could see her imotochan's face lit up in bliss. Nabiki slowly retracted from the embrace and smiled. "I love you Oneechan always." Nabiki's smile grew even larger. "I love you too Nabiki-chan. But what are you doing?" Kasumi asked sternly. "OH nothing. Just trying to rebuild our relationships. A few reminders and hugs could do wonders. And the best thing is it made us closer like before Mother died. After the funeral each of us grew apart. Its time to renew that closeness." Nabiki smiiled sheepishly. "I see you have come out of your shell. What happened?" Kasumi was a little elated at her sister's gesture. "A few days ago someone came to me and made me realise that all the things i have done is not really my fault. Each of us had a part to play. I just got deeper and deeper until i couldn't stop myself. She pulled me out of that hole and told me how beautiful i really am. She said she admired me and that she wont have me sad and lonely. We became friends quickly." "Thats good Nabiki-chan. I am glad for you. Its good to have friends." Kasumi smiled warmly. "Arigato Oneechan. This sadness that permeated our household had been around for far too long. We will need to get rid of it soon." With that, both girls giggled merrily and went back to the cooking. From a corner, a familiar red haired girl smiled. Good luck Nabs-chan. ======= Nabiki stood in front of the dojo, cracking noises of breaking bricks and wooden dummies could be heard along with a litany of "I HATE BOYS!" repeating over and over again. She cringed at the quiet sobbings she could hear despite the sounds of destruction. Gathering up her courage, she stepped through the shogi and closed the doors behind her. "What are you doing here? I thought you don't like martial arts huh?" Akane shouted. Steeling her nerves and ignoring her sister's angry glare, Nabiki stood before her sighing and started to speak. "Akane-chan i came to apologise for what i did to you, all the morning fights, selling photos to Kunou, betting on your engagement and pushing the agreement to you. I am sorry. Please forgive me. I know all the sorrys in the world would not make you feel better. I will make it up to you." "MAKE IT UP TO ME?! You damn well know that the fights had not improved my skills! In fact they had deteriorated alot! And the damn Kunou dont want to fight me with his true abilities. You made me believe a lie, an illusion that i am the best martial artist in Nerima until Ranma arrived to let me see the brutal truth! AND YOU WANT ME TO FORGIVE YOU!" Akane seethed with rage. Taking a deep breath, she continued the verbal assault. "And you and Kasumi practically shoved the engagement to me! That's not all! You have to take advantage of the engagement and make money out of it! You dont know how it hurts when the girl i thought i could befriend turned out to be a snobbish and insulting pig headed pervert! And thats all you can say! Sorry?" She was now crying openly, tears rolling in torrents. She felt Nabiki's arms wrapped around her waist and a lovely feeling coursing through her veins. Relaxing a little, she could hear Nabiki whispering sorry again and again. "Imotochan give me a chance please? I'll make it up to you. Mother's death had taken a toll on us and its time to rebuild our fragile sisterhood. She would not want us to be like this would she?" Nabiki sobbed softly. Without a word, both girls hugged each other closer and cried softly. All the pain and sufferings were being released from the prison they have etched. They both looked up from their sobbing to see Kasumi enter and sat down next to them. All three looked at each other before going into a group hug and crying louder this time. Unseen by the sisters, Ranma-chan was perched just outside the dojo, doors slightly ajar to peek into. She smiled contentedly. Well done Nabs-chan. Well done indeed. Giggling happily she left the touching moment with a wide grin of happiness. ====== "Thanks to her advice, Kasumi, Akane and i grew closer each day. It was like in the past where we will go out together or chat or just lounge around or sunbathe in the yard. The shadows of Mother's death had been cast away and i am sure Mother will be smiling at our present situation in Heaven." "I don't know what will become of me if she had not come and see my problems. Explain my strengths and give me advice. She shared with me her strength and helped me solve my problems. Someday i vowed i shall help her in return. Her gift. The chance to redeem myself and see my own beauty and inner self." "I didn't want her to leave. She deserved an existence of her own more than Ranma did. I was sad when he was 'cured' bur i did not believe. There was no cure and every supposed cure he tried failed. SO what did she do this time?" "I will find you Ranko-chan. No matter where you are. No matter how much time and effort i spent. I will find my best friend again." The day before she vanished, Ranma-chan was helping Nabiki make friends with Mariko Konjo. It turned out that Mariko fell in love with Tatewaki and she was shy to make her feelings known to him. Nabiki found out that Mariko was a cheerleader with Seishun High School and she was pretty. In fact the two of them became fast friends. Nabiki began to tell Mariko of Kunou's obsession with his pigtailed goddess and Akane. The latter began to sob. Ranma-chan patted Mariko's shoulder and soothed the crying girl. She took the latter's hands and told her that soon Tatewaki will notice her. Wondering what that was all about, Mariko and Nabiki tried to siphon the answers off her but all she said was "That's a secret!" Both facefaulted and mumbled "I am begining to understand what Lina Inverse must have felt whenever Xelloss pulled that stunt." "I helped Mariko get Kunou's attention but he was too steeped in his obsessions. I can only hope the engagements to be resolved soon for Mariko-chan to have a shot at him." "All in all i have friends, renewed family relations and a life of happiness. I even dated a few boys. But i am not going to be serious in a relationship yet. I was planning to set up my career first. Its a wonderful feeling. And all thanks to her." Nabiki smiled and looked up at the night sky, stars sparkling in the sea of darkness. Yes someday we shall meet again. ****** Author's Notes: Whew! Finished the first side story. Next could be either of the three: Cologne, Kasumi or Nodoka. Anyone wishing to do either one of these ones can email me and submit their ideas. My email is jumeau@pacific.net.sg Why did i paint Nabiki like this and not the mercenary she was often cited by other fanfics? Because i felt she is different. Her temptations to get more money digs deeper and deeper. She had a humane side that cried in sorrow in her heart everytime she blackmail or came up with some devious schemes.