Featherbrite's Tale, the Bet. Rough version
by Gregg Sharp based on Rumiko Takahashi's situations/char
other char TM other authors. 
Metroanime@aol.com
http://members.aol.com/greggsharp/index.html
5a: Some Interest
--------------------------------------
 Ranma crept out to the rooftop as soon as
he could splash himself with cold water and regain his
clothing. It was a chilly night, but the fresh air helped
clear the nausea and whatever had been in that sake.

 "Ranma, why aren't you in bed?" Featherbrite
silently added that it should be with Nabiki, one of the few
ideas that she agreed with the panda on.

 "Yeah, right. Brite, I thought we agreed no
philtres, love potions, or transformations."

 "Yeah, yeah, you are SUCH a spoilsport."

 "Then WHY did I have one girl do a faceplant
in my lap? Shortly followed by two others deciding that
I made a good solid object to lean against?"

 "Oh...your father drugged the sake," the 
faerie shrugged and lay back next to Ranma. "If I had
done anything like that, all three of 'em woulda 
dragged you off to bed and we wouldn't be having
this conversation."

 "S'pose so."

 Featherbrite paused. "Brings back memories,
don't it?"

 "Clear night, stars, laying on a blanket in
the cold? Yeah." Ranma smiled a little. "Some good times,
some bad times, some crazy times."

 "Lotsa crazy times," corrected Featherbrite.
"So...which one do you like?"

 "Huh?! Oh, cut it out, Brite." Ranma was 
quiet for a few minutes. "Brite?"

 "Hmmm?"

 "Thanks for restraining yourself back there."

 Featherbrite smiled a bit wider as she studied
the sky. "You're welcome, Ranma-chan."
-----------------------Morning---------------------
 Nabiki awoke gradually, aware that the morning was
unseasonably cold and that there was a heat source over to the
side. She snuggled up to said heat source, and further details
began to make themselves known.

 Heat source was moving slightly. Defcon Two.

 Heat source was responding slightly to Nabiki's
movement, moving slightly closer itself. Defcon Three. Nabiki's
eyes began to flutter.

 Heat source was breathing. Said breath tickling her
face. Alert status upgraded to Defcon Four. Nabiki cracked an
eye open, silently cursing whoever's idea it was to make mornings
so damn bright.

 Nabiki blinked at what she was seeing as she reluctantly
shoved aside the remains of sleep. Half-memories of what had been
going on the previous night began to filter in and were carefully 
fit together with what her eyes were bringing her.

 It wasn't Ranma. Nabiki noted that the feeling of 
disappointment that this generated and decided she would figure
out why later, MUCH later. Gently disengaging herself from Akane,
Nabiki looked over at where Ranma's futon was rolled up and tucked
into the corner. The exact place where it had been yesterday.

 Nabiki slipped out, noting that she was NOT wearing her
usual pajamas. She figured that this had something to do with what
she had perceived as unseasonable cold. She carefully left Akane on
the bed, still asleep, and quickly put on a set of said pajamas. 

 Nabiki snuck out of the room, not so much from 
the desire to be sneaky as from the understanding that the dull 
throbbing of her headache could get BAD when exposed to loud 
noises. Akane was likely to find herself in a strange bed and react
 loudly. It would not be good to be caught there at ground zero.

 At Kasumi's door, Nabiki slowly opened it to look 
within. Kasumi and Shampoo were accounted for. Shampoo's 
futon hadn't been slept in either. Nabiki wasn't entirely sure 
WHY those two had hit it off so well, but they had. Resisting 
the temptation to go back for her camera, Nabiki quietly closed 
the door. It looked as if they had passed out during a 
pillow fight. Exactly how much had they drunk?

 Still no sign of Ranma.

 Nabiki thought this out. A vague memory of being 
stripped and tucked into bed came to her. Ranma had been 
similarly treated. Now Ranma was nowhere to be seen and 
Akane was in her bed.

 "He left when he realized where he was," came a voice
near Nabiki's ear. "Akane couldn't breathe in her room with all of
the garlic she'd hung, so she migrated to yours about an hour 
later. Such a disappointing night."

 "Got anything for a hangover?" Nabiki glanced to 
the side where she could _almost_ see a pixie sitting on her 
shoulder. The dull throb almost immediately began to unwind and 
fade away. "Thanks."

 "No problem."

 Nabiki stopped, her head slowly coming around to 
stare as best she could at her shoulder. She _could_ almost see
a pixie sitting on her shoulder. She also _heard_ the pixie quite 
distinctly. "Uhm, how come I'm having a conversation with you...."

 Featherbrite turned with a sly grin to Nabiki. "What? 
You think we went to Holly just because I could finagle some 
free food? Everything you ate or drank that came from there had
an enchantment on it."

 "WHAT?!?!" Nabiki immediately clapped her hands
over her mouth. Sounds of irritation came from various points 
around the house in response to her outburst. "What did
you do?"

 "A minor enchantment here, a minor enchantment 
there." Featherbrite pouted slightly. "Ranma said I couldn't use 
the Philtre or the really interesting stuff..."

 Nabiki shuddered slightly as she wondered what all 
she had just been saved from.

 "All he'd allow was the basic stuff he'd suggested."
Featherbrite sounded more than a little disappointed.

 "What kind of basic stuff?" Nabiki tried to control the 
queasiness in her stomach. One of the first things she'd read in 
her new book on Faerie magic had been that transformation was 
one of the easiest things to do with it. Protective magics were a
bit tricky but the spellbook that Holly had given her was from a
mortal who'd traded a few things to the dryad a few centuries ago.
They didn't require some of the specialized ingredients found only
in Faerie. If there was something she didn't want added she could
try and remove it later.

 "Oh, giving you some basic protections if you should 
find yourself in the Faerie Realm again. Remember those two pastries 
I got you and Shampoo? Those will allow you two to see and hear
me, more or less. Makes communication a lot easier, don't you
think? Just remember it also makes you stand out from the crowd
as far as the supernatural is concerned."

 "Oh."
 
 "Basic protective stuff, stuff I did for Ranma years
ago. A warding against disease, good luck invocation, enhancement
of the efficiency of the digestive system, little increases in healing rate
and removal of some nasty little problems caused by your environment 
here."

 "Such as?" Nabiki felt a trickle of panic. She was quite
aware that the little being was Alien in perspective. Only that these
were things Ranma had apparently not vetoed and her reputation
as an Ice Queen kept her from checking various body parts to
make sure that they were unchanged.

 The grin completely faded from Featherbrite's face and
she looked seriously into Nabiki's eyes. Nabiki's eyes nearly crossed
from the effort of meeting that gaze on someone who was still sitting
on her shoulder.

 "Your mother also passed on to you three the very thing
that killed her. The cancer that killed her would eventually have at
least appeared in Kasumi." The moment passed and Featherbrite rocked
back on Nabiki's shoulder. "Plus your youngest sister would have had
some problems down the road with her leg tendons. All history now."

 "Well, she does tend to concentrate on her arms."
Nabiki began to smile. "That's all?"

 "Ranma can be SUCH a stick-in-the-mud sometimes,"
the little faerie confided with a nudge and a wink. "Why, he 
wouldn't even let me use the Lemon Aid. Imagine that!"

 "Yeah, just imagine. What a disappointment." 
Nabiki silently thanked Ranma.

 "So, yeah, just a couple of protective things, plus
you and Shampoo will be able to see and hear me now. More or
less."

 "Ah." Nabiki nodded. Fully understanding the faerie 
was obviously not included in the deal. "By the way, where
IS Ranma?"

 "Still on the roof. After you were both 'tucked in
bed' he left and found a safe place. Your father really wants this
engagement between you and Ranma to work, doesn't he?"

 "The roof? Isn't he cold up there?"

 Shampoo entered the hallway, stretching. She 
froze when she spotted something sitting on Nabiki's
shoulder.

 "Yes." The faerie giggled with a sound like tiny
bells. "It's his own fault though. Could have stayed in your
nice warm bed, but..."

 There was a cracking noise and Shampoo dropped
part of the doorframe that had somehow come off in her hand.
"Airen...IN...her bed?"

 "Yeah," Nabiki nodded. "I was wondering about that
myself. Why's he so shy?" After a moment she added, "not that
he would have gotten away with anything..."

 "Airen in...HER...bed?!" Shampoo twitched slightly.

 "Oh, I'd better get breakfast ready." Kasumi moved
past everyone with a little smile showing. If she had a hangover
she wasn't letting it show.

 "Airen in her...BED!?" Shampoo turned stricken eyes
to Nabiki. "Snea...Nabiki sleep with airen? And Violent Maniac
Girl say _Shampoo_ too forward?"

 "Nothing happened, Shampoo." Nabiki protested,
though she realized that the Chinese girl was a little out of it
still.

 "Shampoo, can you help me in the kitchen?" Kasumi
was halfway down the stairs, but her voice clearly reached the
group.

 "Shampoo coming," mumbled Shampoo in a clearly 
distracted manner. "Why this happen to Shampoo? Shampoo
nice girl. Shampoo good Amazon warrior. Shampoo cute. Why
not Shampoo one who sleep with airen? What Shampoo do to
deserve stupid Mousse who always annoy Shampoo? Doesn't
Shampoo deserve..."
 
 Nabiki and Featherbrite both (large sweatdrop forming
on Nabiki) watched the Amazon wander off to the kitchen, still
mumbling as she went.
------------------EYECATCH#1----------------------------------
 A hand spreads five cards out on a green surface.
The back of the cards has the series logo. The hand then uses
a single motion to flip all the cards over at once.
 King Of Hearts has Ranma's face, Queen Of Diamonds
has Nabiki's face, Queen Of Spades -Ukyou, Queen Of Hearts-
Kasumi, Queen of Clubs - Shampoo. A sixth card, the Joker, is
added, and the picture on that card is of Featherbrite which winks
at the viewer. A voice provides a single comment
(which changes from episode to episode) this time being: 
"Shampoo not know what mean stacked deck..."
----------Kuno Estate, Nerima-----------------------------------
 Kuno swept through one set of practice motions
to another, exercising on an empty stomach as was his wont.
Later Sasuke would bring forth a light repast, but now was the
time for the constant practice and attention to form that had
made him the living legend that he was.

 The bokken stopped partway through a sweep.
There was a disturbance near at hand. Kuno's eyes narrowed
slightly as he went through the usual interruptions.

 Someone had entered his sanctum? Yes. It was 
definitely a presence. His twisted sister? No. Sasuke? No.
His <shudder> father? No. Akane Tendo? (One could always
hope, but no.) Not the pigtailed goddess, either...

 "Come out, villainous blackguard." Kuno swung
the bokken up, having eliminated anyone who had a right to
be there observing him. "You find the righteous Blue Thunder
ready for whatever perfidy you do intend!"

 A feminine giggle was his only answer.

 Kuno stopped. "Akane Tendo? Winged water 
sprite?"

 "Water sprites do not have wings," came a 
voice correcting Kuno. "Nor am I this other you refer to."

 "Whoever you are, know that I shall not be
tempted to stray from the path of my two loves." Kuno
nodded and lowered the bokken. It was obvious that 
this was not to be a battle after all. No doubt some young
maid who was overwhelmed with his manly presence, not
that Kuno could blame her.

 "Oh?" The feeling of presence came closer.
"Then...I...have no chance at all?"

 "Alas, I..." Kuno's eyes widened as the girl
showed herself at last. A curvaceous and barely clothed
beauty, whose laughing eyes seemed to draw him in.

 "Oh, poor baby, you _have_ had a hard time
of it, haven't you?" Holly looked over the swordsman. 
He'd do. He definitely would do. His healing would take
a long time...best to start as early as possible.

 "I..." Kuno decided that breakfast would be
a good thing. He was quite ravenous of a sudden.

 "Come, brave warrior," purred the dryad.
"I think we might have much that we could interest the
other in."

 "As you say," Kuno walked forward, following
the dryad into the apparently solid trunk of a tree.

 Sasuke appeared ten minutes later to see if
Master Kuno would like breakfast. He found no sign of 
his master.

 Kuno was already having breakfast anyway.
-------------Elsewhere in Nerima----------------------------
 "Documents are signed and sealed, copies 
with the proper authorities."

 Isao nodded at the Yakuza member. The deal
with the oyabun was simple. Knowledge would be shared.
The smuggling uses alone for someone with Ranma's 
abilities were staggering. "Equipment?"

 "Standing by."

 Isao nodded. "We roll in a half-hour, have
everything in place."
--------------Tendo-ke, Nerima----------------------
 Ranma was at least grateful that the usual battle
over food wasn't taking place this morning. A more 
leisurely pace allowed her to enjoy more fully the flavors
of the simple breakfast that Kasumi had prepared.

 Ranma had switched to his cursed form during
the night. The yousei form seemed to throw off the effects
of alcohol better, despite the decrease of mass.

 "Thank you, Kasumi, that was delicious!"
Ranma placed her chopsticks down across her bowl. 

 "Shampoo still having some trouble with
food." Shampoo's voice was absolutely miserable.
Last night had been a mistake, a _big_ mistake. 

 A shriek from upstairs let everyone know
that Akane had finally attained consciousness and 
discovered that she was in a strange bed.

 "So, Ranma, where did you spend the
night?" Soun ignored the sounds of crashing as
someone accidently knocked over her dresser in an
attempt to get dressed at high speeds with a 
hangover.

 "Uhm," began Ranma, stopping when
a particular loud smashing noise came from Akane's
room. "Uh, well, I spent it on the roof. Fresh air
helped clear my head, y'know."

 Soun waited briefly for Genma to put
his two-yen in but the other seemed distracted by
something. Whatever it was, it was not the sound
of someone tripping over a drawer and smashing
into a wall.

 "She must really be feeling the effects 
of that stuff." Nabiki sipped at her tea. She'd wait
until after Akane was done before going up and
starting to assess the damage.

 "Oh, Ranma, thank you for fixing those
things that Akane broke earlier. Especially that 
bowl. It was something that Mother had made back
during a ceramics class." Kasumi smiled, seemingly 
oblivious to the sound of someone falling down the stairs.

 "I'M LATE!!!!" Akane cried, throwing
the door open and charging out at full speed.

 "Akane, today's Sunday," Nabiki
said. She considered yelling but some people
might still have a hangover. "Oh well..."

 "Such energy she has today." Kasumi
smiled in the direction Akane had vanished in.

 Soun blinked, his mind having stuck
on something his eldest daughter had said earlier.
"The bowl your dear mother made in high school?
Broken?" The waterworks began.

 "It's all right father, Ranma fixed it like he
did my cup." Kasumi sipped at her tea again.

 Soun stopped in mid-weep. "Oh...he
did? Oh. Well done, son." Maybe Genma was
wrong...

 "Not a problem," Ranma dismissed it.

 "Airen very useful."
-----------------Street nearby-------------------------------
 "I'm late!!!!" Akane rushed by the van
and its two attendent cars, her attention on getting
to school on time.

 "Late?" Isao looked at his watch then
back at the rapidly disappearing girl. "Young people
nowadays."

 "Sir?" A heavily scarred chauffer looked
back at the researcher.

 "Nevermind," Isao said curtly. With any
luck he wouldn't have to go back to teaching such
students at the University of Tokyo again.

<clip to 5b>