The Journey is the Destination Chapter 12 By poetheather The question about how to deal with Nabiki was looming and there had to be some sort of way to get through to her so she wouldn't find out the truth about ranma's plan and expose him.

Kasumi and Nodoka had chatted all day as the two of them cleaned the house. The subject of their discussion was of course Nabiki. Nodoka had asked earlier about Nabiki’s history and was aghast at how mercenary and unfeeling so much of it was. The girl seemed like she would do anything for money. It had already been almost an hour of story and Nodoka wasn’t sure she could take anymore.

Kasumi finally reached the end and said, “And there is the fact that even though she does share some of that money to help us, she keeps most of it for herself. She does help out more when things get more destroyed rather than less. She really is a good person underneath that cold exterior.”

Nodoka frowned. From everything that Kasumi had been saying, Nabiki sounded nothing like a good person. This was not the sort of person an honorable family would want in it. “It strikes me that she is little more than Yakuza. Her activities could be reported to the police as it sounds like she uses extortion and occasionally blackmail to achieve her goals. And selling pictures of Akane and Ranma in various stages of undress is a form of pornography. No, Nabiki should probably be reported to the authorities.”

“Please don’t Auntie Saotome. I don’t want to lose my sister.” Kasumi was worried, absolutely certain that the older woman would follow through with her threat. Auntie Saotome had rather old fashioned ways of looking at things and this certainly seemed like one of them. “She has problems but I am sure she won’t always be this way. Please.”

Nodoka rested a hand on Kasumi’s arm to calm the girl down. For all that she seemed like an adult, Kasumi was only a young woman who had taken on her families burdens and putting her own life on hold. “Kasumi, if something isn’t done, and soon, your sister will make herself into a criminal without any interference from anyone else. If we don’t do something there will be no saving her from herself.”

Kasumi hung her head in defeat, letting the cleaning rag drop from her hand. Auntie Saotome was right and there was no use arguing it. She had seen Nabiki change since Ranma had gotten here and it was not for the better. “Very well Auntie Saotome, what do you think we should do?”

Nodoka smiled sadly, aware what this was costing the young woman who stood before her, “I am sorry about this Kasumi. I wish this weren’t necessary. What I have in mind is…”

Kasumi nodded as Nodoka explained her plan. It might work. She hoped it would as it seemed as if it might be her sister’s last chance before Ranma’s mother took a much harder approach to the issue.

* * * * *

“Tadaima!” called out the two girls as they took off their shoes to change into their house slippers.

“Okaeri.” called out Kasumi from the kitchen, where she was finishing putting away the groceries she would need for dinner. There was still some time before she needed to start the preparations. “How was school?”

“It was fine. There was a bit of a problem during gym, but we took care of that.” replied Akane, smiling happily at her sister.

“Oh my. What happened?” asked Kasumi, concerned for both her sister, Ranma, the other girls and the building. Those two could cause an amazing amount of damage easily.

“Some of the girls were giving Ranma grief over the really stupid Ranma’s a boy joke and Ranma had to show them that their joke was stupid.” Akane got her and Ranma some tea and sipped it happily. “We’re going to get our homework done, okay sis.”

“Sure thing.”

Akane and Ranma headed up the stairs to the room they shared and once in the safety of the room Ranma fell onto Akane’s bed, sighing heavily. “I thought I was a gonner for sure.”

“That could have gone so much worse, you have no idea. Those girls could have made your life pretty miserable. I’m glad an easy solution came up.” Akane fell onto the bed beside Ranma after setting the tea down. In the silence after that, the two grasped hands and intertwined their fingers. They lay there like that for a little while.

Akane broke the silence, wanting to tell Ranma something that had been bothering her for a bit. “Ranma…”

Ranma turned her head and looked at her tomboy, “Yes Akane?”

“I… I… I wanted to let you know it is okay to hug me and… stuff even though we are both girls.” Akane’s face got red quick and she couldn’t even look at Ranma when she said that as she was embarrassed.

“You won’t think I am some sort of pervert?” asked Ranma a bit worried about the answer. The whole pervert thing had been a huge source of their problems and Ranma dearly wanted that to fade.

“No, I won’t. I know you aren’t a pervert. Look, we take baths together now and I hold you in the water so why would you holding me make me react like that? I… I want you to hold me.” replied Akane, a bit nervously since she had been a major factor in the pain she had endured here in Nerima. She knew her temper and sense of what was perverted had not worked in the redhead’s favor.

“I guess I still feel like all of this is surreal and that at some point the real world is going to interfere and you’ll go back to malleting me. This could even be a mallet induced dream.” Ranma’s voice was quiet and she was looking up at the ceiling.

Akane felt like she was at a crossroads. Many responses stretched before her but only one or two were going to lead her to the happiness she craved with Ranma. She had to get through to the girl. She turned towards Ranma and touched the girl’s face, cupping her cheek. “Ranma, I love you and you love me. We’ve kissed, even since this began. Have I once called you a pervert since then?”

Ranma turned and her blue eyes glistened wetly with potential tears. Her worry was starting to brim over. “No.”

“Than why don’t you relax and know that I am here for you. I want to keep kissing you and maybe even more and I don’t care if you are a boy or a girl when it happens. We are going to make it through this, get married and everything will be good. Okay?” said Akane, drawing the shorter girl’s face towards her’s, Ranma almost rolled on to her side to make the connection.

Ranma looked over at Akane and smiled, tears trickling down her face, pooling slightly between her nose and one eye. She bit her bottom lip nervously and then leaned over and kissed the girl she had loved and still loved. She scooted closer until their bodies were touching. Akane kissed back hungrily and wrapped her strong arms around the petite redhead, holding her close. They stayed like that for a while before Akane broke the kiss, both of them panting for air. “Is that enough proof for you?”

The redhead blinked dazedly at the tomboy. “Wha?”

Akane snickered at the effect her kissing had on Ranma and patted the flushed girl on the cheek. “I love you, baka. So never fear touching me, okay.”

Ranma nodded and kissed Akane again. They held each other for a while before Ranma said, “Shouldn’t we be doing our homework?”

The two giggled, climbed off the bed, and got out their textbooks. There were a few assignments they had to do for history class and Akane was working hard to help Ranma actually catch up. Since Ranma’s dad had been pretty anti-education, Ranma was trying to hit the books to achieve something else her father was against. It was giving her plenty of motivation to succeed.

* * * * *

Dinner was again subdued, as the only two talking were Ranma and Akane, talking back and forth about ideas of things to go do for fun later in the week, their topic almost always coming back around to ice cream. Nabiki was paying rapt attention to the conversation while doing her best to not pay attention. It was a trick she had learned that had helped her eavesdropping abilities quite a lot. She was managing fairly well because of all the practice she got every day, overhearing a large number of things. However, once dinner was over, she goggled when Kasumi slid over to her what looked like a bill, a very large bill from the total at the bottom.

Nabiki was trying to make sense out of this whole bill issue and looked over at Kasumi, missing what the other girl had been saying. “Excuse me?”

“I said this is your bill for all the work that is done for you as well as the cost of your meals. I have tallied it all up since Ranma has gotten here and everything should be noted right there. I know you have made money off her with pictures, information and the like. You have also done this with Akane and because that is not how family should treat each other, it is only fair that if you do such activities that you pay the full cost of your upkeep.” replied Kasumi calmly.

Nabiki looked shocked at her older sister’s words. This had completely hit her out of left field. “What is this Kasumi? You know I have helped this family out a lot. When the house has been damaged because of that baka Saotome, I have managed to get the money we needed to pay for the repairs. I have taken care of things!”

“You mean like how you took care of Akane’s wedding?” Kasumi’s voice was soft but the effects of her words were like a gunshot.

Nabiki flinched back some, stung by the accusation and the truth behind it. Her mind began rushing quickly to find any foothold, anywhere to turn this arguement. “Kasumi… I…”

Soun began to cry, huge tears flying out threatening to soak the tatami. “My daughters are fighting. What a sad day!”

“You mean like how you sell inappropriate pictures of your sister to a madman? Like selling information about private things to other people, so that they know all of our business? Is that how you are taking care of things?” Kasumi’s words were measured and reasonable, completely ignoring her father’s words.

“I… I didn’t want Akane to end up in a loveless marriage to that jerk! I hate him and that stupid fat panda! What good are they? They are a couple of freeloaders who have only taken advantage of us!” Nabiki lost it, getting to her feet, and pointing accusingly at the two.

“So are you saying that all that you have been doing is to protect Akane and us, is that your point?”

With a growl Nabiki replied, “I have been protecting this whole family ever since mother died. It was my responsibility!”

Kasumi looked at her younger sister sadly. “And who asked you to?”

Nabiki recoiled as if struck. “I…”

“It is father’s job to protect us and provide for the household, not yours. It is true that you have gotten money for us when necessary but the majority of what you have collected has gone to yourself and not us. You claim that you have been protecting the family, when it is closer to say that you have been using the family and our guests for your own gain.” Kasumi said with a note of finality to it. “And since that is the case, you can pay for your upkeep as if you were no more than a guest at an inn.”

Kasumi took up the dishes and headed into the kitchen with them.

Nabiki had her head down, stunned by what had just happened. The room was silent and everyone was watching her. She burned with shame at Kasumi’s words, as bits of their truth clung to her, making her shift uncomfortably. She was aware that she had been using her family some. Kuno paid good money for the pictures of Akane and Ranma, and she had managed to get some risqué pics of both of them that had sold for ten thousand Yen a pop. How was this a bad thing? How was she doing wrong? Nabiki had been trying to take care of her family, trying to make sure that they had enough money for a comfortable cushion in case of emergencies. Wasn’t that a good thing? So she kept a good chunk of it, was that really bad?

As she sat there thinking, people drifted away from the dining room. Genma and her father moved to the shogi board to hide in their game as usual, bringing along some sake to drown their sorrow in. Ranma and Akane, who were embarrassed about what had occurred, had quickly changed and gone to practice in the dojo. Mrs. Saotome remained, sitting there calmly in seiza, her legs under her, and the Saotome honor blade at her side.

Nabiki looked up, her eyes flicking to the katana and frowned. “Is it your turn now?”

“Nabiki Tendo, you have violated my daughter and you expect me to do what to you now, chastise you? No Nabiki Tendo, I will not chastise you. You have dishonored yourself and your family through your actions. You are well on your way to becoming nothing more than Yakuza. There is naught I can do for you except offer to be your second.” Nodoka’s voice was calm and steady, as Kasumi’s had been.

Nabiki’s hand rushed to her throat protectively. Was her honor and her families honor tainted so much that seppuku was the only option left to her? What had she done that warranted such an action? All she had done was to take pictures and sell information. How was that bad?

Ranma and her damn father were to blame. Ever since they showed, the family had needed more money to feed the gluttons and so she had gotten more. Sure, she had all but blackmailed Ranma into several photo shoots but the jerk had gone along with it and he deserved her derision. He was nothing more than a means to make the two of them pay for their upkeep. She had done nothing wrong.

But still, she had sold her sister out to Kuno and others several times. But the thing with the wedding… she was just looking out for her sister, wanting to make sure that her sister didn’t make a mistake and marry a lazy, arrogant, good for nothing jackass. She knew that Ranma didn’t like her and she didn’t like him. It was clear what they were feeling by watching them fight and bicker. She was just looking out for her family.

The honor blade sat there threateningly and Nabiki knew things were worse than she had thought.