Akane's Gift: Looking for an Eggs-cuse

Unending BE - episode 1190495

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Crap crap crap crap!

What was she going to do? Kasumi could ruin everything. Either Nabiki sees her, or she stops Akane, or worse tells people and the entire thing collapses on itself. Opening Nabiki’s closet she pulled out a spare blanket and threw it over the egg. “There we go.” Akane said, dusting off her hands in front of the giant egg shaped object covered in a barely large enough blanket.

……

“This isn’t going to work at all!” Akane picked up the egg bundle, looking around wildly to find a place to hide it. Of course! The closet! She shoved the egg into the closet, slammed the door shut, and dashed out of Nabiki’s room, shutting the door behind her just as Kasumi reached the top of the stairs.

“Oh, hello Akane.” Kasumi said brightly.

“Hey… Kasumi.” Akane said, her eyes shifting to the side.

“Is Nabiki in her room?” Kasumi asked innocently.

Lie. Lie. Lie! “...yes.” Damn it Akane! One just doesn’t lie to Kasumi.

“Oh? Is she busy?” Kasumi said, smiling, “I was thinking about asking her what she’d like for dinner.”

“Kind of.” Akane said. “We’re, uh, having a discussion.”

“What about? Can I help.”

“Not really… it’s about my wedding.”

“The wedding? That was rather exciting wasn’t it! I hope my wedding is as fun.” Kasumi said, a pure and innocent smile on her face..

“Well if you ignore the part where I didn’t actually get married it was great.” Akane muttered.

“Yes that was a little bit of a problem wasn’t it.” Kasumi said, attempting to walk past Akane into Nabiki’s room, but Akane didn’t move. “Uh, Akane?”

“I don’t think you should bother Nabiki now. She’s not, uh… happy right now, with what I need.” That works, she thinks. Now Akane needs to think of something she’ll need Nabiki to give her that she can explain to Kasumi.

“Oh? What do you need?”

“My.. uh… my money!” Akane said quickly. “All that cash that was given as wedding gifts. I never got it. Nabiki took it all when she invited every lunatic in Asia.” She use to think it was just every lunatic in Tokyo, the invitation to Keima disproved that theory handily.

“Why do you want that?” Kasumi asked, innocently.

Akane blinked, “Because it’s supposed to be a wedding gift. It’s mine and Ranma’s money.”

“Oh but Nabiki likes money so much. I think it’s more important to make your sister happy, don’t you?” Kasumi asked, without the slightest trace of irony.

And what about my happiness? Akane thought bitterly. Kasumi and Nabiki shoved Ranma on to her, then never once helped either of them actually did anything to support her during the engagement. Nabiki actively sabotaging their relationship was troublesome enough, but Kasumi was somehow the exact reverse of helpful regardless. Akane’s mind drifted back to Do-chan. Later, with hindsight, she had seen that whatever plan Ranma had been involved with, he had given up on it and was trying to apologize. But then everybody else had butted in, and Kasumi had said exactly the wrong thing, without even thinking! Handing her weapons “in case Ranma tries something” whenever they were left alone, when he never had tried anything at all! She never had anybody to talk to about her feelings. Nabiki would blackmail her and Kasumi just didn’t seem to care.


I wish I had more eggs. This dark thought flitted through Akane’s mind, before she shook her head to clear it. No. Kasumi didn’t need this. Nabiki was the bigger problem, by far. “I think Nabiki will live with a little less money.”

“She’ll be very disappointed.” Kasumi said, before attempting to walk past Akane. When Akane didn’t move from the door, she frowned. “Akane, please move.”
“I want to talk to Nabiki privately.” Akane said.

“You can talk to her after I do.” Kasumi said in a tone that didn’t brook much argument. Akane, who had grown up listening to and obeying her big sister, found it hard to ignore that tone.

“Please… just…” Akane mumbled.

Crash! A loud crash sounded outside. “What do you mean he’s dead!?” Akane recognized the voice as Pantyhose Taro.

“Kasumi! A guest! Maybe you could make some tea for him?” Akane said quickly.

Kasumi blinked, “Oh you’re right. I guess I can go talk to Nabiki later.” She gave a bright smile, “Ask her to come down if she’s not busy!” With those words her older sister cheerfully went back downstairs. To prepare tea, for whenever Ranma managed to beat Pantyhose Taro and the latest tantrum he would be throwing. Opening the door to Nabiki’s room, she quickly moved to the closet, opening it up and pulling the blanket off the egg. To her eternal relief, it wasn’t hatched yet. However, Akane could see some cracks forming. It would be hatching soon.




Nabiki couldn’t remember the last time she felt such an amazing combination of warmth, comfort, and safety. The closest time she could think of was when she was a little girl, and she would be able to snuggle up to her mother and fall asleep, knowing she was loved. That’s when she felt light and awareness return to her, and for a moment she resented it. Can’t reality see how happy she is? Yet the light continued to grow, spiderweb cracks pushing against her urge to sleep. She pushed up, a cracking sound… eggshells breaking?

Awareness returned to Nabiki Tendo, and she found herself looking straight into the eyes of her little sister.

“Are you OK Nabiki?” Akane asked.

Nabiki rolled her eyes, “Of course I am. I just… uh….” Nabiki’s mind was a bit fuzzy on that. She remembered some kind of discussion with Akane. Then she… she did something. Nabiki couldn’t remember what. Then that amazing warmth, and now she was looking at her little sister while sitting in a giant egg-shell.

Nabiki didn’t find that odd for some reason. In fact, Nabiki found herself not thinking about much except the young woman in front of her. It was an epiphany to the usually selfish individual she was. How had she never noticed how absolutely amazing Akane was? Standing in front of her was the most perfect person in the world, she realized. She was beautiful in every way. Nabiki was 100% straight but she realized that moment that Akane transcended anything like that, a shiver ran down her spine with the realization of how this beautiful, perfect person was actually worried about her. It was a Goddess worrying about some ant!

“Here, I’ll help you up.” Akane held out her hand to Nabiki. For a moment Nabiki stared at that small, soft, yet strong looking hand. Finally, it hit her that Akane wanted her to grasp it. So Nabiki obeyed, and Akane helped her up, the egg-shell surrounding her breaking apart as she stood up and walked out of the closet.

“So….” A dozen things to call her ran through Nabiki’s mind, (Master, My Lady, Madam…) but in the end she settled on the familiar, “...sis. What were we talking about?”

“My wedding.” Akane said, dourly, sitting back on Nabiki’s bed.

Oh yeah! That had been great. All those psychos and their wedding gifts, she had gotten sooo much money from that trick. Hilarious too when Kuno switched, mid rant from trying to destroy Ranma to wanting to marry him with Akane from the application of cold water. Yet Nabiki noticed Akane was frowning. Was she… not happy about it? “Err… what about it?”

Akane let out a little sigh, the kind that she did when she was upset. Nabiki became worried. If Akane was mad at her… what would she do to punish her? “First off, what made you think that you could take the wedding gifts?”

“Why not?” Nabiki answered, her usual smirk on her face, “I mean, it’s not like a wedding was going to happen once they all showed up. So it was free money.”

“But the wedding would have happened if you hadn’t invited them.” Akane pointed out evenly, “So you invited them knowing they would ruin it, so you then had an excuse to take all of the wedding gift cash, right?”

“Well… yes. That sounds about right.” Nabiki admitted.

“I see.” Akane clenched her fists, took a few deep breaths, “Nabiki.” She said, her tone serious.

“Yes?” Nabiki said, feeling small under her little sister’s gaze. “What… ah… um… do you need?”

“Where do you keep your money?” Akane asked. If any other person were to ask this, Nabiki would have blown them off. But this was Akane asking.

“In the dojo, beneath a floorboard under Mom’s shrine.” Nabiki answered honestly.

Akane’s eye twitched upon hearing that, for some reason. Nabiki didn’t see the issue, after all, why not keep her loved ones close together?

“OK... “ Akane took a few deep breaths, “Nabiki. I want you to go get all the wedding gift money you got. Bring it up here, and give it to me, OK?”

There wasn’t a second of conflict or delay. Akane wanted that money. “Sure, I’ll go get it. Are you going to wait here?” Akane nodded, “Well, OK then. Be right back Sis.” Nabiki stepped out of her room.

  1. On the way, Nabiki runs into Kasumi
  2. Or perhaps Ranma
  3. Maybe nobody?
  4. How about Both?
  5. *How’s Akane taking it?
  6. Something else
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Tritan

Fri Aug 26 02:02:01 2016

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