It seems that everyone has a fanfic where they announce that "this is my first fanfic". Why can't it be as simple for me? At present, there are no less than four fanfics that I could call my "first". There's that one 'Magic: The Gathering' fanfic that I composed so long ago. Chronologically, I suppose that that one was my first. Then, in the winter of 95, I began work on what would turn out to be a fanfic of monstrous proportions, based on 'Ranma 1/2' and the Nintendo RPG 'Chrono Trigger'. That would make 'Halftime' my second fanfic, but my first 'Ranma 1/2' fanfic, and probably my only 'Chrono Trigger' fanfic--except that (at the time of this writing) it still isn't finished. During the summer, I took a break from 'Halftime' to create 'I'm Sorry', my first Gargoyles' fanfic (now available on the Gargoyles Fan Website, or on my own page). Since then, I've continued work on 'Halftime' (it's up to 500 K, but the end is in sight). Except for one Saturday. There I was, minding my own business, when suddenly inspiration hit me like a brick. Before I knew it, it was 3:30 Sunday morning, and the following fanfic was in front of me. So, that would make this my fourth fanfic overall, though my second 'Ranma 1/2' fanfic, and my first FINISHED 'Ranma 1/2' fanfic. So, it is with all honesty, that I can say that this is my first fanfic. Or something.

Anyway, the situations in this story arise from my own dark id, though the characters hail from the brilliant, if mildly demented mind of the honorable Rumiko Takahashi, creator of the much loved Japanese Anime and Manga, 'Ranma 1/2'. All the characters, save that of Midori. Her character comes from my aforementioned Dark Id, though her name comes from the 'Magical Interludes' series of fanfics by the imaginative Jon K. Hayashi. I highly recommend reading his works! Anyway, my Midori has absolutely no relation to that Midori. I just thought that the name was neat, and I felt obligated to mention where I got it from.

A few final notes: This story, unlike 'Halftime', assumes a familiarity with the people and places of 'Ranma 1/2'. If you don't know who Ranma is, or his host of fiancees, or his host of rivals, or the buildings that they frequent, this story may be confusing. Link to The Anime Web Turnpike, a wonderfully exhaustive source of information regarding dozens of different animes, including 'Ranma 1/2'. It is a great way to blow many hours of otherwise potentially useful time. Oh, and for those few who don't know, the phrase "Wuoda Airen" (pronounced "Whoa tah Eye-len"), which appears in this story, is a (no doubt badly spelled) Chinese phrase often used by Shampoo to refer to Ranma. Basically, it means "My beloved husband" or something similar.

Finally, many thanx to Scott (my once-and-future roommate), Sebastian Weinberg (author of the excellent 'Ranko 1/2' series), Jared (my brother), and Josie (my sister), for prereading this story.

And so, without further ado:

The ledgers didn't balance. Nabiki knew that. She had a debt that she could never pay, and it weighed on her conscience every moment of every day. It was a debt that she owed to her husband, a man she wasn't sure she loved, and who couldn't possibly love her. How could he love her? He was, after all, coming to collect.

So, Nabiki ran. She was always running; she had been running for months. Ever since the day her husband learned of the debt. This wasn't to say that she was physically running, though she had done her share of that. At that very moment, Nabiki was disembarking from an airplane. She strolled through the terminal, looking quite casual. Emotionally, of course, she was never casual. Not anymore, at any rate, her husband and the debt for which he pursued her ensured that.

Nabiki's mind returned to the past, to the day the debt had been incurred. It had been at least eight months since Ranma's marriage to Akane, but the debt itself began a few days before...

Nabiki Tendo grinned at the obviously happy pair before her. "So, you two are gonna give the ol' ball and chain another shot, huh?" It was bound to happen, after all. Their last wedding attempt three years ago had been a disaster, and Akane had only agreed to it because Akane's father had promised to present Ranma with a barrel of water from the Spring of the Drowned Man as a wedding present, a gift that would cure Ranma of the curse he was under. Both Ranma and Akane had felt that they were too young to be married, but Akane knew how much Ranma wanted to be cured, and agreed for his sake. Ranma, clueless as usual, agreed because Akane had agreed. Mere minutes before the wedding was to take place, Ranma found out the truth, but by then it had seemed too late.

But it wasn't, actually, and Ranma and Akane had Nabiki to thank for that. Nabiki had sent wedding invitations to all of Ranma and Akane's friends. And rivals. And nearly everyone else in the entire city. Their accusation that she had done it merely so that there would be more wedding presents was, of course, totally baseless.

Akane's smile faltered for a moment. "Yep. And this time, we'll have a SMALL wedding. Family only. Understand, big sister?"

Nabiki put on an innocent look. "Would I go behind your backs? I'm hurt that you think so little of me!"

"We mean it, Nabiki," Ranma added warningly. "We want it to be perfect. Not like last time."

"I promise, Ranma. I won't invite the mob again." Actually, Nabiki had had no intention of inviting anyone anyway. She was actually very happy for her little sister. She knew the long, often agonizing (especially for Ranma) relationship that the two had endured, and (despite its frequent opportunities for profit) was glad to see that the two of them had finally come to this point.

The two of them had overcome nearly every obstacle that lay between them. Probably of greatest importance was their fathers. Almost every day after the first wedding attempt, Genma and Soun would try to convince their respective children to try again. Ranma and Akane finally beat it into their heads (literally) that they were certainly not going to get married until they had both graduated from high school, if even then.

Next on the list were the suitors. Nabiki had been surprised to learn that Akane's pet P-Chan was actually Ryoga, but Akane had been even more surprised, to say the least. It might have had something to do with all of the nights that Akane had taken the little black piglet to bed with her. She was furious, but probably not as angry as she would have been if Ryoga hadn't told her himself. So, she merely contented herself with beating Ryoga senseless and kicking him into low orbit. When Ryoga finally found his way back again, Akane told him that his apology had been accepted, though she would have trouble ever trusting him again. Ranma, who had apparently known all along, got his share of punishment as well, but Akane accepted that Ranma's sense of honor had held him to the deed. All the same, she made Ranma swear on his honor never to keep secrets from her again. (This impressed Nabiki. Using Ranma's own honor to make sure that his honor never kept anything from her was quite clever.) Ryoga had vanished once more, but had sent letters explaining that he had found Akari again, and that the two of them were very much in love. Ranma was quite relieved that Ryoga was no longer a rival for Akane, and hoped to be on better terms with him in the future.

The problem of Tatewaki Kunou had pretty much solved itself. Mariko, the rather persistent Martial Arts Cheerleader, had wormed her way into Kunou's affections, officially becoming his third love. But the fact that she was the only one of the three who returned his affection made a difference. After a time, Kunou gravely delivered the news to Akane and his darling Pigtailed Goddess that Mariko had demanded that she be the sole recipient of his love. He had come to ask them to forgive him, as he had agreed. Equally gravely, and yet barely suppressing their laughter, Ranma and Akane accepted his judgement and wished him happiness. After Kunou had left, the two of them organized a party at Ucchan's that lasted far into the night.

Tatewaki's sister, arguably the most obsessive of the women pursuing Ranma, had been the only one to actually dump him, oddly enough. She did it immediately after witnessing his curse, something she had never really seen in action. Unlike Tatewaki, Kodachi was actually fairly bright, if extraordinarily demented. She had merely never learned that Ranma was cursed to change into the Pigtailed Girl when splashed with cold water. Certainly, she had been given many clues: the fact that they had the same name, the fact that the Pigtailed Girl had claimed to be 'of one mind and one body' with Ranma, the fact that whenever one was around, the other wasn't, in spite of their supposed relationship with one another. All it took was a splash of water while she was watching him, and she decided that he wasn't manly enough for her. Another chapter in the story of her life had ended, she claimed. Her first passionate love had shown himself to be unworthy, and so Kodachi persevered. It was very poetic, in Nabiki's humble opinion. One might have thought that Ranma would have been happy to be rid of Kodachi Kunou, and he was, but the method bothered him a great deal. He spent the next week, to Akane's great disgust, trying to show Kodachi how manly he was. Each time, however, Kodachi would spray Ranma with cold water and laugh insanely at her until she left. Finally, an ill-tempered Ranma gave up.

Ukyou's ardor for Ranma had simply faded over time. Ukyou finally realized that she had no chance against Akane, despite the facts that she could cook better than Akane, that she could fight better than Akane, and that she was much cuter than Akane (of these three facts' it should be known that the first was definitely true, the second was debatable, and the third was Ukyou's own opinion), Akane had, and always would have, something that Ukyou wouldn't: Ranma's heart. Nabiki herself was rather surprised that Ukyou would just give up like that, but she had to admit that she, too, had never seen much point in fighting for hopeless causes.

Really, the only problem still remaining today was Shampoo. Even after Ranma told her to her face that he loved Akane, that he didn't love Shampoo, and that he never would love Shampoo, she still didn't give up. She did, however, become extremely cold. Ranma was no longer welcome to free meals at her restaurant. She had attacked Akane several times. The first time, Ranma assisted Akane in defeating her, but as the attacks continued, Akane began to concentrate on her martial arts training, and was soon able to repel Shampoo on her own. Shampoo had even delivered a series of ultimatums, poorly written in Japanese, threatening to kill Akane if Ranma didn't return with Shampoo to China. Cologne had, more or less, faded into the background. But it was evident that she was still encouraging Shampoo, and training her. On the bright side, Mousse, while still not giving up on Shampoo, was no longer as hostile towards Ranma. He finally had come to understand that Ranma had no interest in Shampoo, and had, in fact, developed a strong disinterest in her as of late. Mousse devoted his considerable energies to try to prevent Shampoo and Akane from killing one another, a fact that alienated him from Shampoo and her great-grandmother, who evicted him from their house. Fortunately, he found a new home and employment with Ukyou, who was happy to have another employee to lessen the workload.

Nabiki amended herself. Shampoo wasn't the only suitor remaining. Merely the most persistent. Gosunguki Hikaru still carried a torch for Akane, but he rarely did anything to express his unrequited love. Though he did still take photographs of Akane at every opportunity, glare hatefully at Ranma whenever possible, and nail Ranma-shaped voodoo dolls against walls whenever glaring was not possible.

Basically, this meant that even if Nabiki had invited everyone once again, only Shampoo would be likely to cause any trouble, but there was little point in reopening old wounds by advertising their wedding to any of their old suitors. However, she'd truly be a fool to invite Shampoo, there was no denying that.

Truly a fool, Nabiki thought with agony. If only she had remembered those words.

Nabiki adjusted her sunglasses and glanced around the airport once more, still trying to look casual. She needed to make sure that her husband wasn't here. It had happened before; she would disembark only to find her him waiting for her. Those were the times that she had to actually run, usually screaming for airport security to save her, and while they piled on him, she would choose a flight at random and depart again.

But she was in no condition to run, now. Truly, her furtive glances were futile. If her husband was here now, she would never escape in time. Still, she would prefer to see him coming, and it would at least be possible that the security here might be enough to stop him. But not likely.

The coast was apparently clear. Evidently, Ranma hadn't anticipated a journey to the Czech Republic. The city of Prague would, hopefully, offer a few days rest for the weary woman. With no immediate threats to be found, Nabiki's mind once more drifted back, this time to three days before the wedding.

Nabiki was returning from the bank, having just withdrawn some cash to buy a wedding gift for Ranma and Akane. "Nabiki Tendo," an aged voice called.

Nabiki recognized the voice of Cologne. Nabiki turned and critically regarded the withered, but still formidable old woman. "I thought I'd be seeing you, sooner or later," Nabiki remarked.

Cologne looked back at her with a calm stare. "You know why I am here, no doubt."

Nabiki studied her fingernails. "Of course. You heard about the wedding, and you want to know more. Sorry, no sale."

"Do not be hasty, child," Cologne responded. "Perhaps if I were to explain my reasons, you would agree. Shampoo and I have been away from our village for far too long. We had both expected Ranma to agree to return with us immediately, but instead we have been pursuing him for years. It is time to admit failure. Though it is not specifically stated in the Book of Amazon Law, if a male outsider who defeats an Amazon is already married, the law that he must marry the Amazon is typically ignored. Once Shampoo witnesses Ranma's marriage to Akane, I will be able to convince her to return home."

Nabiki's eyes narrowed. She believed not a word. "Really. And why the sudden change of heart? You've been supporting Shampoo's claim from the beginning. Why should you want to stop her now?"

Cologne's eyes gazed downwards. "I am getting old. I am already a shadow of the woman I was a century ago. I had hoped to see Shampoo settled with a good, strong fighter before I passed away, but if she continues to pursue Ranma, that may never happen. Surely there must be someone else worthy of her." Cologne snorted. "Perhaps even Mousse, if he ever learns to assert himself. But I will never know, unless Shampoo gives up. I cannot force her, and unless she sees for herself, she might never believe that the two have finally married."

"I'm touched, really," answered Nabiki. "But the answer is still no."

"Perhaps this will change your mind. This is my wedding gift for Ranma:" Cologne fished within her robes, and withdrew a small cask. On it were stenciled the Chinese symbols that Nabiki knew represented the Spring of the Drowned Man. "Enough for one. And for your trouble, ten million yen, to be used for the benefit of you and your family."

"Look, you don't seem to understand--did you say ten million yen?" Cologne nodded. Nabiki's thoughts swam. Ten million yen was a lot of cash. "Where did you get that kind of money?"

"From the sale of the Neko Hanten," Cologne replied. "We will no longer need money, once we return to our village, and we will still have more enough to pay for the journey home. Well, is it a bargain?"

Nabiki thought about it. Ranma would really want that cask, and there was a lot that Nabiki could do with ten million yen. There were so many family debts that could be paid off, or small luxury items that could finally be afforded. And really, she had only promised not to invite the whole gang. She had said nothing about just inviting a few. Finally, she reached a decision. "I'll tell, on one condition. Neither you nor Shampoo are to do anything during the wedding to try to get Ranma to marry her. This is Ranma and Akane's wedding. I don't want to see any poisons, or Shampoo throwing herself at Ranma, or challenging Akane."

"Agreed," answered Cologne. "But you must keep our attendance a secret. Others may not trust our intent."

Nabiki sighed. "I don't trust your intent," Nabiki responded dryly. Still, Ranma and Akane had thwarted Shampoo's surprise attacks before, and there was at least a chance that Cologne was telling the truth. "Very well. The wedding is in three days. It's scheduled for four o'clock in the Dojo. Remember your promise."

"Of course," Cologne answered. She handed Nabiki a thick bundle of yen, but kept the cask. "I will present this myself, once the wedding is over," she explained. "Farewell."

As the shriveled old warrior woman hobbled off on her staff, Nabiki couldn't help but to feel a pang of guilt. She was being foolish, she admonished herself. Ranma and Akane had endured much worse than those two had to offer. Nabiki decided to use a substantial portion of the cash to buy Ranma and Akane an especially nice wedding gift to make up for any disturbance Shampoo and her great-grandmother might cause to ruin an otherwise perfect wedding.

Nabiki shuddered with revulsion at herself, drawing a few concerned glances from some of the other bystanders who, like herself, were waiting for a taxi. How could she have been so stupid? Cologne had outsmarted her, pure and simple. Nabiki had considered only two possibilities: that Cologne was telling the truth, or that she actually intended to make another futile attempt to get Ranma to marry Shampoo. That Cologne and Shampoo simply wanted revenge never crossed Nabiki's mind.

Finally, a cab pulled up. The rough voice of the driver called Nabiki's name. Nabiki absently climbed into the back seat, still shaking her recent thoughts out of her head. "Take me to the Hotel Duo," she ordered. The Hotel Duo was a decent three-star hotel. Nabiki had, by necessity, become used to less expensive surroundings, but had decided that nicer accommodations were in order, considering the state she was in.

"I don't think so, Nabiki," the driver answered, in the chillingly familiar voice of her husband. Ranma twisted in his seat to meet Nabiki Saotome's terrified eyes with his own sad gaze.

The wedding was in full swing. Nabiki was definitely getting nervous. She kept glancing around, expecting an attack from Shampoo or her great-grandmother at any moment, or at least to see them. The fact that they had not appeared was, perhaps, a good sign, Nabiki tried to reassure herself. They would, after all, most likely have hidden themselves, to observe without causing alarm. If they were holding to their agreement.

Nabiki turned her attention back onto the couple before the altar. Akane, as she had three years before, looked stunning in her wedding dress, and Ranma cut quite a figure of a man in his tuxedo. The two of them were clearly nervous, if somewhat less nervous than they had been the last time. Ranma was just about to place the ring on Akane's finger. Almost predictably, it slipped through his nervous fingers. He crouched to retrieve it, and that was how he survived.

The attack was swift and lethal. Where Nabiki had expected a challenge, there was instead a dual assassination attempt. Shampoo's bonbouri crunched sickeningly into the side of Akane's head, as a second of the blunt, heavy weapons zipped over Ranma's head to embed itself in the wall of the Dojo.

"RANMA NO WANT SHAMPOO?! THEN DIE, RANMA, AND VIOLENT GIRL, TOO!!!" Shampoo's cold voice rang out. Seeing that Ranma had survived her initial attack, Shampoo began to stride up the aisle, unhindered by the shocked guests.

Ranma was holding Akane's body in unmistakable disbelief. It was obvious that Akane would not be recovering, this time. The heavy, mace-like weapon had crushed her skull, though her face had not been touched, remaining deceptively lifelike even as her body cooled.

"NOOOOO!!!" Nabiki shrieked miserably. The uneasy guilt she had been feeling for three days suddenly gripped her heart like a vice. The worst-case scenario had turned out to be even worse than she had thought possible.

Her voice seemed to act as a catalyst. The immobile guests surged to life, and Shampoo began to charge at Ranma, lifting an ornate scimitar as she ran. Ranma, in turn, turned to face her, a look of hopeless rage on his face. Shampoo's sword descended, and was abruptly clipped in two by a kick. Ranma's unrestrained fist found Shampoo's stomach, far faster than she had any hope of blocking. A rapid series of blows followed, cracking bones and bruising and tearing flesh. Shampoo stood no chance at all. After a time, Shampoo was smashed into the ground. She lay there, breathing raggedly and unevenly, blood streaming from a corner of her mouth. She stared at a heavily breathing, and still wild-eyed Ranma with a gaze no longer cold, but filled with a sort of longing. "Wuo...da...Airen," she coughed. Then, her eyes grew dim and unseeing.

The events of the next few minutes were hazy as far as Nabiki could remember. Evidently, Genma and Soun had either gone completely insane, or become saner than they had ever been before. The two of them, seeing Akane dead, decided that desperate measures needed to be taken to make sure that the promise that they had given one another to see Ranma marry one of Soun's daughters was still kept. How her father managed to contain the misery that he would unleash upon the household throughout the coming weeks, Nabiki never guessed, and was in no state to try to guess at that moment. Neither she, nor a bloody-fisted Ranma resisted when the two of them were set before the altar and an extremely flustered minister. They could barely comprehend what was happening as they were led through a hastily abridged version of the rituals Ranma had just undergone, and Nabiki suddenly found herself, wedding ring on her finger, kissing Ranma. The moment she realized this, she broke off the kiss. She had no right to Akane's husband. She had the least right! Before she could say anything, though, their fathers had bustled the two of them off to the hastily prepared bridal suite that had been arranged in Akane's room. There was the distinct click of the door being locked behind them.

Ranma was sitting on the bed, gazing into empty space. "She's dead, Nabiki," he whispered, as though finally realizing.

Nabiki felt a sick lurch in her stomach, but she retained control. "I know, Ranma." She choked slightly on the next words. "I'm sorry." How pitifully inadequate that was! What small comfort! Tears began to stream down her face.

Ranma gazed forlornly at his hands, and then seemed to notice the ring there. "Are we... Are we...?" he tried to ask.

"Yes, we're married." Nabiki answered, her voice barely a whisper.

Ranma seemed to consider this a moment. He slumped slightly. "It doesn't matter."

Suddenly, he crumpled. "She's gone, Nabiki!" Ranma was sobbing uncontrollably. "She's not coming back this time!"

Nabiki, unable to restrain her own tears, sat down next to Ranma and put an arm around him. The two of them cried together, he crying at his loss, and she crying at his loss. Nabiki's tears were the first to begin to slow, and she came to a decision. If it was to be her punishment to be the wife of the man whose fiancee she had helped to murder, so be it. And it was the least a good wife could do to try to comfort her husband when he needed comforting.

Summoning her resolve, Nabiki tilted Ranma's face towards hers. His eyes were shut, and he was still heaving with sobs. Nabiki tentatively kissed Ranma's lips. The act seemed to startle him, as he opened his eyes. Nabiki immediately kissed Ranma again, this time a bit more passionately. Ranma seemed to hesitate a moment, and then shut his eyes and began to return the kiss. His arms wrapped around Nabiki's body, and pulled her closer. The two of them collapsed onto the bed, still kissing, and Nabiki's last thoughts before allowing more primal instincts to take over were how small a price this was to pay for what she had done.

The next day, Nabiki and Ranma had tried to get used to the fact that they were now married. Akane's death was still fresh in their minds, though neither had further tears to shed. Almost no tears. Akane's funeral was like reopening a half-healed wound for both of them. She looked very peaceful, her single, terrible wound hidden by the pillows of the casket. Ranma and Nabiki each cried as she was lowered into the ground, and they were not the only ones. Tatewaki Kunou had, of course, attended the funeral, and had composed a stunningly beautiful Haiku in Akane's honor. He spoke to Ranma, and had the decency to remain civil, merely offering his condolences on his loss, and congratulations on his gain. As he spoke the latter, Ranma glanced at Nabiki and blushed, making Nabiki feel unbearably guilty again. How can I possibly live like this? she wondered. But she knew that she would endure whatever she had to to try to make Ranma happy.

Shampoo was problematic. She was dead, and no one seemed to know what to do with her. Her great-grandmother, it was found, had taken a flight back to China the day of the wedding, and so was unable to handle funeral arrangements. The problem was solved, of course, by Mousse. He was the only one truly sorrowful of Shampoo's demise, in spite of the circumstances. Still, he did not blame Ranma in the least for what he had done to her. If Akane had killed Shampoo just as Mousse was about to marry her, he would certainly have wanted to see Akane dead. It was eventually learned that Mousse had returned with the body to China, though Mousse was never seen in Nerima again.

A few days passed, and by unspoken agreement, there was no follow-up to the passion of Ranma and Nabiki's first married night. The two of them still needed to get used to one another. And there was also the matter of Ranma's developing obsession. He found it extremely suspicious that Cologne had returned to China the very day Shampoo had crashed his wedding. He became certain that Cologne had had something to do with Akane's death.

"I have to find out," he eventually told Nabiki. "If she helped to kill Akane, then she has to die. It's justice."

Nabiki tried to persuade him not to go, tried to persuade him that Shampoo's death was enough. But it was to no avail. Ranma had decided that anyone that helped to kill Akane had to die. So it was with tears of both sorrow and fear that Nabiki waved farewell to her new husband. For she knew that once Ranma found Cologne, Cologne would die. But before Cologne died, she would very likely take great pleasure in informing Ranma that his wife had given her the knowledge she needed to use Shampoo in her vengeful role. The day Ranma set out on foot, Nabiki made arrangements to flee Nerima, never to return. Even then, she knew that would not be enough. She would never be able to stop running until either she or Ranma was dead.

Originally, she had fled for fear of her own life. After a time, however, she began to wonder if that was such a worthy object to preserve. But by that time, she had gained another reason to continue running. For Nabiki found herself with child.

Nabiki instantly grabbed for the door handle, but found it locked. The lock itself had been broken off. She was trapped. She looked back at Ranma, and asked, "How did you guess I'd go to Prague?"

By this time, Ranma had started driving again. Where, Nabiki didn't know. He spoke, "Actually, I had no idea. I just made sure I was on the same flight as you."

"You were on my flight?" Nabiki asked in disbelief.

Ranma nodded. "Flight 142 from Sydney to Prague, right? I learn from my mistakes. Every time I've tried to get to you in public, you yell, and then everyone is all over me. By the time I fought my way free you were always gone. So, I decided to trap you this time. It worked, too."

Nabiki suddenly realized that this was the first time she had actually been able to talk to Ranma since he had left to find Cologne. In spite of the fact that she was, most likely, soon to die, she decided to make use of the opportunity. "So, I assume Cologne's dead." Ranma nodded. "And she told you everything?"

Ranma nodded again. Then he spoke, and his voice had a touch of misery in it. "Why didn't you just stay home, Nabiki? I didn't really believe her, until I came home and found you gone. Why? I didn't ever have to know the truth."

"I was scared, Ranma," Nabiki answered. Then she sighed, "And I didn't want to have to lie to you. When I saw what Cologne had done with the information I had sold her," Nabiki pronounced the word 'sold' with an especially bitter tone, "part of me died. I had a debt to you that I knew I could never pay. I tried. I thought that maybe if I could make you happy, or at least less unhappy, I might start to cover the interest, at least. But I wouldn't, I couldn't lie to you. And I didn't want to die."

Ranma continued to drive in silence for a few moments. Then he spoke again, "She was a monster, Nabiki. When I found Cologne, she gloated--gloated!--about how her great-granddaughter had killed Akane. Then she told me about you. She tried to give me a cask, saying that it had been part of the deal, but by then all I wanted to do was to kill her. I don't think she thought I could do it, but I did."

"And the water?" asked Nabiki.

"Poison," Ranma answered. "I tested it on a chicken, and the chicken died instead of turning into a man." Nabiki slumped. She had hoped that Ranma would have been cured, at least. Instead, it seemed that Cologne had tried revenge once more.

Suddenly, Ranma pulled the car to a halt. It was dark outside, and Nabiki could see that they were in an all-but deserted part of town. "Nabiki," Ranma began, turning slightly in his seat, "you mentioned a debt to me. But your debt isn't to me. It's to Akane. She needs justice."

Nabiki met his sorrowful gaze, and a tear rolled down her cheek. "I understand," she replied. A moment of terror washed over her when Ranma began to reach for her. "But, please, not yet!"

Ranma stopped, looking somewhat puzzled. "Why?"

Nabiki laughed sharply. "Take a look at me," she answered. "There's no need to kill two of us."

Ranma's eyes widened. Hard as it was to believe, Ranma must not have noticed that Nabiki's belly was distended with an infant in the later stages of development. His sorrowful gaze turned to one of wonder. "Ours?" he asked. Nabiki nodded. "But we... It was only once!"

"Once is enough," Nabiki answered.

"When?"

"Soon." Then, Nabiki felt a stab of pain. She whitened a moment. "Maybe sooner than I expected." She remembered reading somewhere that too much excitement could cause a pregnant woman to give birth prematurely. She had certainly had enough excitement that night. Nabiki was relieved that this was happening now, rather than a few months before. The baby would stand an excellent chance of survival. If they were to reach a hospital.

Ranma's eyes widened further, and he whipped around in his seat and gunned the motor. Soon, the two of them had arrived at a hospital.

The hospital staff was quite experienced, and knew exactly how to deal with tourists in Nabiki's condition. The birth was painful, as Nabiki knew it would be, and lasted several hours. When her labors were complete, the baby was carefully examined and judged to be strong and healthy despite being nearly a month early, and was in no need of intensive care. The somewhat wrinkled baby girl was crying continuously as a nurse handed her to an exhausted, but happy, Nabiki. So filled was she with wonder at the miracle in her arms, that she didn't even frown when Ranma approached her side. The baby calmed down after a moment, and fell asleep.

Ranma tentatively asked, "Can I hold her?" Nabiki nodded, and handed the sleeping child to Ranma. Ranma gazed at it tenderly. "She's beautiful. What are you going to call her?"

Nabiki smiled. "I've always liked the name Midori," she replied. "What do you think?"

"It's wonderful," Ranma answered.

Then, Nabiki's face clouded. "Please, Ranma. It never really seemed important to me before, but it does now. Please, tell me that you don't hate me for what I did!"

Ranma's face was serious. "Nabiki, I don't hate you. I've never hated you." He embraced Nabiki with his free arm. "Please, never think that."

Then, Nabiki heard a crack, like a twig snapping. Her vision darkened, and she realized that her neck had been broken. It was painless, not at all a bad way to die, she supposed. Her last thoughts before darkness overwhelmed her were of Ranma and little Midori. Please take care of her, Ranma.

Tears streamed down Ranma's face as he slowly lowered Nabiki back onto her hospital bed. "I've never hated you," Ranma said again, "But justice had to be served." He gently closed Nabiki's unseeing eyes. Your soul can rest easy, now, Akane, Ranma thought bitterly. Though I doubt mine ever will.

Ranma glanced at the child cradled in his arm. Almost as though she had sensed her mother's death, Midori had awakened and begun to bawl again. Ranma rocked the baby gently, and eventually she returned to a fitful slumber. Midori, he thought, I hope you don't come to hate me for what I've done, much as I may deserve it. And I hope that you never have to choose between justice... Ranma looked sorrowfully at Nabiki's still form ...and love.