Title: Love For All Time Part 14 Author: Jade Hunter A.N: Alrighty then. It's time for a quick view into the wacko world we know as Nermia. Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer is on parts 1, 4, 8, and 12. "talking" **thoughts** _emphasis_ ////memories//// <> ############################################################################# Nabiki Tendo, the Ice Queen of Furinkan High, the Mercenary Bitch of Nermia, also known to frightened dept-owners as She-who-is-can-track-money- faster-than-a-bloodhound, was, for the first time in her life, frusterated almost to the point of tears. Almost. She was ready to pull out her hair, or better yet, the hair of a certain fat martial artist who changed into a panda. For over four months now, almost half a year, no one had seen hide nor hair of He-who-is-the-poster-child-of-chaos, better known to his multiple enemies and fiancees as Ranma Saotome. Her household was in shambles, but the most important factor in all of this was that no matter how hard she tried to get around it, the disgusting little fact came popping up wherever she went. She had underestimated Ranma, ergo, Ranma had outsmarted her. No one had been able to get an upper hand on her since before her mother's death. Then, she had been the quiet and ignorant one of the family, the middle sister that was passed over for anything and everything because she was a wallflower, shy, and was there to listen and never complained. Still, her mother had loved her, and she had worshiped her mother's ability to manipulate everyone into doing as she thought was right. As soon as mother had passed on, Nabiki had vowed to herself that no longer would she be the ignored one, she would learn to manipulate people and be an important part in the familiy. To her young mind, nothing had been as important back then as money. Even then, she realized that it was the lack of money that hampered their ability to save their mother; if they had been rich, they could have paid for the expensive medicine that mother had needed and not have had to watch her wither away, slowly and painfully. Her father had made it painfully obvious that he could not teach anymore, not with the grief he felt. And everyday that he wept in his room, their bank account got smaller and smaller. To Nabiki, that had been a turning point in her life, where she had vowed that she would make sure that her family stayed afloat and respected in the community, as her mother had. So, she had taken up the burden of being responsible for the money, for her family's well being, even if she had to resort to more...............unconventional methods. With her determination and entire being focused, she had always been one step ahead of everyone, ready to sell the information to more ignorant people. And no one had been able to escape her once she caught their scent and how they worked. Until now. Nabiki didn't know how Ranma was avoiding all of her contacts and spies, but she was damned if she was going to be outsmarted by a jock. Even if she didn't know his true capabilities, there was no way he could outsmart her. No way. ***** Kasumi Tendo, by far the best cook in Nermia, the gentlest person in all the land of Japan, also fondly called She-who-has-a-perpetual-smile-on-her-face by those in the shopping district, was, for the first time in her life, almost considering on using extreme force to get what she wanted. Almost. With Ranma leaving to find his own path in life, she could practically see the wa of the household tip against her favor. While Ranma was here, Chaos reigned, but Ranma was there to control it. But now, Ranma was gone, and there was no focus to the Chaos, and no one to control things from getting out of hand. Her family was falling apart, and with it, so was her inner peace. A few weeks ago, she had felt something she hadn't felt before her mother's passing on: anger. When her mother had been alive, Kasumi knew quite well what was expected of her since she was the oldest, even at that age. And much to her mother's horror, she was _not_ the quiet, demure girl that was expected of a Japanese female. She, in spite, chose to be rebellious, getting into fights and letting her temper control her actions. She was the most skilled at the Tendo style of Mutsabetsu Kakuto Ryu, despite her slim form. Nabiki, no matter how father had tried, simply did not have the agression and determination it took to be the heir. But, to his delight, in Kasumi, Soun had found the dedication, and the passion. However, as the eldest, she was expected to be the quiet housewife that was capable of taking care of her family. She was expected to know how to cook, how to sew, how to clean, and how to calm people down and keep the balance of peace in the home. She hated these lessons with a passion, choosing, instead, to run off anf practice father's katas. Her mother had a horrendous time trying to teach her all that a proper daughter should know. Whenever Kasumi pointed out that quiet Nabiki would be better suited to the demure woman act, her mother had scolded her, saying that Kasumi was the eldest, it was her responsibility, and besides, didn't she know for a fact that nothing besides Kami-sama himself could get her little sister to set foot in the kitchen? And when mother had died, Kasumi had been terrified, thinking for a fact that if she had been more obediant, she wouldn't have caused her mother so many problems. Little Kasumi was sure that it had been her doing that made her mother sick, that her rebellion had take it's toll on her poor mother. Subdued more than she ever thought possible, Kasumi had taken up the duties of her mother, even as her father grieved. Though she wanted to say that she was an immediate success in the kitchen, she couldn't lie. Her first time cooking had been a disaster, and it had been takeout that night. As she days passed, she remembered her mother's few lessons, and read from her mother's notebook. Her cooking improved gradually, and jumped the final chasm to perfection when she not unwillingly handed over the finances to her younger sister Nabiki, who had become very closed off. It was her goal to keep the peace in the house, and so she locked her emotions up elsewhere and enamated an aura of ignorance and happiness and encouragement. Perhaps it was not the best thing that she had done, but she had kept the peace in the household........at least, until a certain red-haired girl came into their home. Then, Chaos ruled, but Kasumi tried her very best to keep the peace, the balance, by sitting as a roadblock before the arguements could result in more than a hole through the roof. Ranma had helped a little; though he was rough around the edges, when rough times were ahead, he always came through. She never knew if Nabiki noticed how easy it was to sneak into Ranma's room to take pictures when Ranma was supposedly the best martial artist in the district. It hadn't taken her long to note that whenever they were in serious need of money, Nabiki would suddenly end up with the perfect opportunity to rake in some yen. He also took responsibility for his actions, sometimes, and did his best to keep harm from her or Nabiki, since in his eyes, they were defenceless, though she could have easily gived Shampoo or Ukyo a run for their money, and Nabiki was in level with Akane. Akane did not remember, though, and thought that her big sisters were defenceless, and that she was the martial artist in the family. Now, Ranma was gone, and the inner sanctom that had been the peace in the house was disturbed, and nothing could bring it back. And she had lost her temper. Why, just yesterday, she had refused to cook for Saotome-san and had, in a burst of anger, thrown a packet of Instant Ramen at him, propelled by a bit of her ki and had managed to strike him between the eyes, knocking him out. She hoped that Ranma would come back soon, for the peace of the house. For her peace of mind. ***** Akane Tendo, by far the worst cook in Nermia, the most abusive person in the district, and admist a myrad of snickers, called She-who-gets-kidnapped-the- most-though-no-one-knows-why, was almost ready to beg to get Ranma back. Almost. Her pride, stinging a bit, was still going strong, however, and she was not letting herself be instulted this way. She had seen Ranma leave, and had seen him disappear into the night, but did not believe that he would have left her so easily. After all, she was sure that he loved her. How could he not when every boy in Furinkan had been after her? How could he not when he had rescued her from Kirin? From Toma? Sure, there had been times when she had pounded him, splashed him, yelled at him, and so on, but he had deserved all of that. Well, until a month or so after he left, that is. Then, she could ignore no longer the whisperings of the kids at school, the attempts by Kuno and the other guys to challenge her again, the indignant sneers of the girls who always felt that Ranma deserved better. When reality finally set in, she became a raging demon, evicerating the morning group with no mercy, blowing her top whenever the chance came up, and beating up a Ranma-dummy every chance she had. She was angry, but still confident that he would come back. Everyday after school she came home, asked if Ranma was back yet - the baka, find out the negative answer, go to the dojo, and beat up the dummy, muttering about how much she would hurt him when he came back. Then, another month or so later, she had lost that anger, the belief that he would come back. She was no better than her father, crying, weeping, wailing, and lamenting any chance she got when she was alone. Only when she was alone. In the company of others, she feigned indifference, but every morning her eyes would be red and swollen, almost as much as Ukyo's eyes. She was frigid to the other fiancees, not even bothering to tolerate them any longer, even Ukyo, who had always considered her a friend. She was more temperamental, at the same time being more mellow. Her moodswings were more frequent, and with no Ranma as a target, the males of Furinkan High's medical bills were over the top. Still, even after all this, her pride was raging a war with her heart, and she could do nothing more than cry and treaten great bodily harm to Ranma if he didn't come back. She believed that he might come back, a far cry from her earlier confidence, but still, something she could hold on to. She knew, as all the others did, Nermia wouldn't be the same without him. He had to come back. ############################################################################# To be continued in Part 15. ~~~~~Jade Hunter~~~~~