The Journey is the Destination Chapter 13 By poetheather Ranma and Akane spar, Nabiki is given an offer she can't refuse and has her world shaken. Basically another typical day in Nerima.

In the dojo, Akane was really putting herself whole-heartedly into her workout. Now that she was sparring and training with Ranma, she knew she was getting better. As a matter of fact, so was Ranma. Her girl form was a good bit shorter than his male form, and she had lost almost 15 centimeters in height when she had gone through with this. Ranma preferred to fight in her male form, as it gave her more reach and power, so her trying to compensate for the shorter reach was an interesting thing to watch.

“Damn, I’m still misjudging my punches just a bit.” grumbled the redhead, clenching and unclenching her fists.

“Ranma, relax. You body has different strengths and weaknesses now. How many times have you learned that? Fighting Mousse should have shown you that, or when Herb soaked you with the water from the Chisuiton and you didn’t have a male form. Each time you had to compensate and each time you did.” calmly replied Akane recalling all of those misadventures and several others like the full body Cat’s Tongue.

Ranma hung her head. Akane was right. Huffing, Ranma complained, “Yeah. I think the hardest thing for me to change so far is how I fight. My mind is still having trouble switching, so I still make some mistakes. It irritates me.”

Ranma relaxed at the feel of her touch and he leaned into her hand. Akane said, “It’ll be okay. Hopefully you will never need to fight again.”

With a nod Ranma asked, “Shall we spar now?”

“Sure. That should be fun.” Akane settled into her stance and got ready. Ranma, as usual, was in a neutral stance, arms hanging by her side. She felt better seeing that. At least they weren’t held behind her back.

Akane didn’t make the same mistakes she usually did when sparring against Ranma. Her moves were much more controlled and less haphazard. She wasn’t throwing everything she had into each punch or kick, sacrificing power for much needed speed. Ranma had been trying to get her to understand that and it made a tremendous difference in her skill. She might not learn as fast as Ranma when it came to the Art, but she was close and apparently she had been paying attention.

The fight was going well and as Ranma began to use more of the aerial moves that her family style was more skilled at, Akane did what she could to follow. She tried her best to throw punches and kicks while being airborne but it was difficult, as she couldn’t get nearly the height she needed. What she did enjoy was the feeling of joy that was filling her. Ever since the fight on Phoenix Mountain where she had almost died more than once, their relationship had shifted. Ranma now had no problem training her and taking her seriously as a martial artist. That made her happy, which made her relax more, which in turn made her fighting better. Maybe there was hope for her yet.

One difference Ranma noted happily was that Akane was smiling while she was sparring. She recognized it for what it was because it was the same grin she had when she was fighting, an expression at the complete joy at having your entire being focused and moving as one. It was her favorite part of the Art and it was clear that maybe it was Akane’s as well. Besides, it made her look beautiful.

That slight distraction almost allowed Akane to land a punch and Ranma refocused on what she was doing. It wouldn’t do to get tagged because she was dreaming about Akane. The fight ended as expected, when Ranma took down Akane with an arm bar that the girl couldn’t just muscle out of. After their bows, Ranma looked a bit guilty and said, “I am so sorry that I ever thought that you weren’t a real martial artist. I was being an idiot and listening to my father. You are one and I am sorry for ever doubting you.”

“Uhm… thank you Ranma.” Akane was a bit stunned by his statement. It was one thing to know she was being accepted but it was entirely another to be apologized to. Her warm feeling was spreading.

“I just wanted you to know that you really are an excellent martial artist and with more training I am sure you will be able to take Shampoo.” stated Ranma, feeling a bit more confident with her words.

“Do you really think that I would be able to beat her?” asked Akane, stunned by the statement. She had only really been able to fight at that level when she had been wearing the magical suit. However, to be able to do it on her own and with no magic… just the thought itself was heady.

Ranma nodded, her ponytail bouncing. “Absolutely. Your biggest issue has always been your anger and that you tend to fight harder and not smarter. You’re working on dealing with that and that is a good thing. You will be able to beat her in time, trust me.”

Akane felt her emotions well up inside her. Ranma really did respect her as a martial artist. This was almost better than being told that he loved her. She grabbed the redhead, pulled Ranma towards her, and kissed the girl soundly on the lips. Surprised, Ranma opened her mouth to say something when Akane took advantage of that. Soon the protesting stopped and the two were holding each other tightly, their kisses grew more passionate with each moment. Akane tightened her hand in Ranma’s hair and the girl moaned, a new sensation rolling up and down her spine. She liked this, she really liked this.

Akane was taking charge of things, her mind was spinning, and part of her truly enjoyed that in a way she had never felt before. They fell to the ground and rolled until they were in a more comfortable position, neither of them noticing the impact. Ranma didn’t want the kissing to end and she didn’t want Akane to stop holding her hair like that. Akane pulled back and rested a hand on Ranma’s face. Her eyes were soft and she had that smile the Ranma loved so much. “I love you.”

Ranma’s response was to pull her back down, their lips merging again. Mushy talk later. Kissing now.

* * * * *

Nabiki looked at the blade uncomfortably and she swallowed heavily. Think, She had to think and quickly. How had thing gone so very wrong so quickly? It was so unlike her to have been this blindsided by anything. Nodoka was clearly serious about this and that was a dangerous thing. She was honestly expecting Nabiki to kill herself to restore the Family Honor. The woman had to be crazy. There had to be a way out of this. “What can I do to make amends?”

“Amends? Nabiki Tendo, you became a criminal through your own actions. Do you really think that entitles you to a chance to make amends?” There was steel in Mrs. Saotome’s voice and the woman’s eyes narrowed. Nabiki had seen that same look several times from Ranma, just before a challenger lost painfully.

“What can I do?” repeated Nabiki, struggling to keep her voice from wavering.

Mrs. Saotome sat there and looked at Nabiki as if she were figuring how her head might look mounted to a wall. The middle Tendo sister wriggled uncomfortably under that gaze, positive that running wouldn’t help. Her older sister was also looking at her sadly, as if she had failed the family in some basic way. “Kasumi, please.”

“Nabiki, think about all that you have done. True, you have supplied us with more funds to repair various things or to take care of larger than usual bills, but you basically made money for yourself through extortion, information brokering and by selling pictures of Akane and Ranma. If they were your models, why didn’t they get any money? You have used this family, treating it as if it were not your own.” Kasumi’s words were cold and her tone filled with disappointment and regret. It was the worst sound that Nabiki had ever heard next to being told that her mother was dead.

Nabiki lowered her head. Had she really done something this wrong? She wasn’t sure but due to this reaction it was clear she had. She didn’t want to lose her family and it seemed like this was the moment when everything in her life fell apart. “Kasumi please, what can I do to fix this?”

Kasumi pursed her lips. “What are you willing to offer to make amends?”

Nabiki’s mind raced. There was a way out? “Ten percent?”

Kasumi frowned and Nabiki’s hope dimmed. Nabiki hurriedly said, “Twenty five?”

Kasumi looked over at Mrs. Saotome, whose gaze had never wavered, whose stare felt like it were piercing her soul. The older woman nodded her head slightly. Kasumi replied, “That should work for the family. What about your sister?”

“Ten percent?” she asked hopefully, her mind rolling down the numbers of what she was losing.

“And for Ranma?” Kasumi arched an eyebrow and Nabiki began to sweat.

“Uh… five percent?” She didn’t want to give the bastard anything but it looked like she didn’t have a choice. Why did she have to give money to a free loader?

“Five?” asked Mrs. Saotome, quirking an eyebrow.

“Uh… ten… will ten work?” Again the two women shared a look, again the slight nod.

“That will make amends. Now as for your behavior…” Kasumi looked a bit more relieved and her eyes softened.

Nabiki sighed. She just might make it out of this alive. She could always make more money. “What do you need me to do?”

Mrs. Saotome reached into her kimono and pulled out some white paper that had some writing on it. Nabiki recognized the papers. They looked just like the seppuku pledge that Ranma had signed and had been held over him. She gulped audibly. Ranma’s mother was playing hard ball and she could think of no other option available. She really saw no other way out. She was trapped.

Nodoka unfolded the prepared document and slid it over to Nabiki. The Ice Queen of Furinken High looked at the paper and shook a little. It was a seppuku pledge. The thing spelled out the conduct required by her quite clearly and any deviation meant death. She was scared. Signing this would hamstring her and basically ruin her empire. Then she got to the last condition in the list and her head snapped up, eyes wide in disbelief. “Are you serious?”

Nodoka just stared at her without emotion, her eyes focused in a way that she was familiar with. It was the same look Akane got just before she broke bricks. That meant her gaze had softened. Nabiki took that gaze as an answer and stammered, “So… I can… and… and you mean you won’t…?”

“This pledge is meant to be fair and to keep you from falling deeper into this life of corruption you have found. It is meant to help you with your family. It is also meant to punish you some for your actions. Towards that end, this was a compromise. Will you sign?” Nodoka’s hand rested on the honor blade. With the way her hand rested, the woman could draw the weapon and score a hit in the blink of an eye. Nabiki looked between the paper, her older sister, and Ranma’s mother a few times as if measuring something. She swallowed heavily and reached for a pen and her stamp.

* * * * *

Nabiki walked towards the dojo, rubbing her temples. Now that she had signed her life away, she had to apologize to her sister and Ranma and it galled her to do so. It looked like that bastard won again, like he almost always did. She stopped and closed her eyes, clenching and unclenching her fists. Did she really have to do this? Her thoughts turned to the paper she had just signed and she sighed, continuing to walk.

She stepped up onto the building and slid open the door. The sight that met her made her stumble backwards and almost fall off the little porch. Ranma and Akane were in there and they were making out, seriously making out. Akane was holding Ranma’s hands down and her gi had apparently fallen open, the girl’s bra clearly visible. The redhead’s Chinese top was open as well and it looked as if the cup of her bra had been pulled down. Were those Akane’s lips on her Ranma’s breast? Nabiki’s world spun and she flumped onto the wooden floor loudly.

Inside, the two teens heard the sound and both of them registered what was going on. They eeped in surprise and quickly got themselves situated, with Ranma having to do the most. Akane walked out first, wiping her lips with the back of her hand and saw her sister sitting there, dazed. “Nabiki?”

“I… I… came out here to apologize and you were… uh… making out with him.” The notion that she had so misread that relationship was upsetting. Today was just not going her way.

Akane blushed. “I was kissing her and making out with her and enjoying it. I love her Nabiki.”

Nabiki nodded, a bit numb. Too much had happened today and she needed to just take her bath and go to bed, pretending today never happened at all. “I am sorry Akane for using you. Here.”

Akane took the envelope her sister held out and looked inside. It was filled with rather large Yen notes. “Wha… Nabiki?”

The mercenary girl turned to face Ranma, who was standing in the doorway unobtrusively, as if trying to give them some privacy. She bowed and said, “Ranma, I am sorry for using you.”

Even though her voice wasn’t as sincere as it had been when she had said it to Akane, it was still a true apology. That much was clear in her voice. Ranma bowed back, smiling faintly, “Apology accepted.”

Nabiki held out an envelope that was of a similar thickness to Akane’s. Ranma hesitantly took it and was surprised to find that it was also filled with money. Nabiki just giving her money with nothing in it for her? Was the world coming to an end and no one had bothered to tell her?

The girl spoke again and was unable to meet either of their eyes. “I will also be giving the two of you cuts of whatever I make with your pictures from now on.”

The two girls goggled at this. Akane crouched down next to her sister and looked her deeply in her eyes, “Is this for real?”

“Yes, it is.” Nabiki got to her legs and was a little unsteady when she headed back towards the house. It was clear that the girl seemed a little bit dazed by events.

When Nabiki entered the house and was no longer in sight, Akane turned to Ranma and whispered, “I can’t believe that worked.”

Ranma just nodded, still too stunned to speak. All of this was a bit overwhelming and unexpected. Were they really free? Had someone actually beaten Nabiki at her own game? The notion defied all reason but the envelopes spoke for themselves.