THE CLAN
Ch6. - Nabiki



	"I don't know what to think," Ranma admitted.

	He and Akane walked slowly to school. For once, Ranma made
his way on the ground instead of the fence. He was too busy
studying the path in front of him for chain-link to be a viable
walk-way.

	"Do you trust your mother?" Akane asked. "I can't see that
she's really done anything bad, even if she is a vampire."

	"Oh, if you ignore that fact that up until two days ago, I
had to commit seppuku if I turned out 'unmanly', then she's only
kept a secret from me for most of my life. I should trust her
implicitly."

	"Baka."

	"Bite me."

	Akane slugged his shoulder. She would have malleted him,
but her heart just wasn't in it.

	"So how's Nabiki taking it?" Ranma asked finally, taking a
quick look around to make sure that the girl wasn't hiding in
thin air somewhere nearby.

	"She's really enjoying it," Akane responded. "She sat up
for another hour with me after you went out to the dojo, just
doing magic tricks."

	"Magic tricks?"

	"Yeah, she was making cards disappear."

	"Really?"

	"Ummm... I *think* she was just making me *think* that
they disappeared, but I'm not sure. She could tell what I had
for lunch just by smelling me, though."

	"That's impressive," Ranma admitted.

	"Her fangs came out about two o'clock. That was kinda
creepy." Akane shuddered slightly. "She says that she thinks
that they're 'sexy'."

	"I don't think fangs are sexy," Ranma blurted. "Girls
shouldn't drink blood. *Nobody* should drink blood."

	"That's what Kasumi says. She came in after a while, too.
She says we should only do it if there's a need for it."

	"Akane?"

	"Yes?"

	Ranma just shook his head. "You just said 'we'. Tell me...
Tell me you ain't thinkin' about lettin' my mom turn you into a
vampire."

	"No." She wasn't. Not really. Not yet, anyway.



* * *



	Nabiki took her time in striding up to Ranma and Akane.
Both were sitting in front of a tree near the front of the
building, but she wanted to be sure they saw her coming.

	"Nabiki-oneechan!" Akane shouted and waved.

	Ranma raised his eyebrows.

	For some reason, it disturbed Nabiki for Ranma to distrust
her so badly, but she hoped that this would ease his discomfort.

	It was a lot easier to manipulate a person who trusted
you, after all, Nabiki told herself.

	She walked up to the two and held out her arms, fists
clenched.

	"What am I holding," she asked?

	Akane just cocked her head and looked quizzically at her
sister.

	Ranma surprised her. After a second of squinting, he
grabbed Nabiki's wrist and held it firmly.

	"It's not a knife, Ranma," Nabiki chuckled.

	It became evident to Ranma and Akane that Nabiki was
holding two paper bags. They bore the logo of the burger shop
just down the street from Furinken, and the smells coming from
inside indicated that Nabiki brought lunch.

	Ranma let go of Nabiki's wrist, grimacing sheepishly as
his stomach grumbled.

	"You're so predictable, Ranma-kun," Nabiki chided. "I
bought lunch, and you're still waiting for me to attack you."

	"Well..."

	"That was great, Nabiki!" Akane congratulated.

	"It was, and that's not the best part. The principal is
hiding in a statue by the front gate again, and I walked right
by him on my way out. He didn't even notice me!"

	Ranma nodded appreciatively. "At least you don't have to
worry about getting your hair cut," he conceded. "I don't know
that that's a good enough reason to start drinking blood but..."

	"Ranma, Ranma, Ranma..." Nabiki shook her head. "Eat your
lunch. My treat."

	"Quit picking on Nabiki!" Akane smacked her fiancee
lightly upside the head and began to eat her french fries.

	"Hey! Okay..." Ranma grumbled. He too, began to dig in the
paper bag Nabiki had given him.

	"You know what's really great?" Nabiki asked.

	"Hmmm?" Akane had a mouthful of burger.

	Nabiki leaned over and whispered in Akane's ear. "What am
I wearing?" she asked.

	"You're wearing your unif..." Akane stopped, realizing
that her sister was still dressed in her pajamas. "I didn't....
I..."

	"That's the trick!" Nabiki exclaimed. "Ranma, what am I
wearing right now?"

	Ranma glanced over, and back at his hamburger. "Your
uniform. Why?"

	Akane's mouth dropped open in shock.

	"Now if I was threatening him somehow, he'd probably
notice," Nabiki admitted. "Ranma's just like that."



* * *



	While the rest of the day passed uneventfully for Ranma,
Akane was treated to the sight of her sister walking down the
school halls between classes in various costumes and a few
different states of undress. She could tell that absolutely no
one but her was privy to the fact.

	On their way home, Nabiki let a disbelieving Ranma in on
the fact that she had been wearing her pajamas (mostly) for the
majority of the day.

	Nodoka greeted them on their arrival, but Ranma quickly
made his way to the dojo, and began working out. No one in the
house really doubted why.

	Nabiki, having exercised during the day and after spending
a few minutes with Nodoka and Kasumi, decided that her main
strengths lied in deception and illusion, where Kasumi was
apparently super sensitive and Nodoka was adept at mind control.

	"I have *got* to work on these some more!" Nabiki
announced to the two women.

	"What do you have in mind?" Nodoka asked.

	"Actually, I was thinking of going out, just seeing how
large an illusion I can pull off, or how many people I can show
it to," Nabiki mused.

	Kasumi's brow wrinkled in worry. "That doesn't seem very
wise..." she began.

	"But Nabiki must know where her limits are," Nodoka
continued. "It is acceptable, so long as you don't put your
self, or your secret in danger."

	Nabiki nodded. "I already know I can affect a fairly large
group with a minor illusion."

	"Yes, I saw you come in from school in your pajamas,"
Nodoka revealed.

	Nabiki did her best to hide her wince.

	"Remember that another vampire will almost always be able
to see through all but the best illusions," the older woman
warned. "And to any who are sensitive as Kasumi, you might as
well not be casting an illusion at all."

	Kasumi nodded, confirming that she, too, could see through
Nabiki's charade.

	Flustered, but undaunted, she strode from the room.



* * *



	Nabiki had bought the dress on a dare. While it was not
exceptionally revealing, the cut and manufacture of the gown
gave the impression of licentiousness.

	It was very short, but it was composed of two pieces. The
inner garment was an unimpressive, but very well cut evening
dress. It came up just above Nabiki's bustline, and reached well
below her buttocks.

	The outer garment was what created the illusion, however.
While it had a turtle-neck, and was long sleeved, the whole
thing had the opaqueness of wet cheesecloth. It was just
slightly more sheer than the thigh-high stockings she had been
saving for such a special occasion.

	"Perfect!" She breathed.

	With a sharp knife and a pair of scissors, Nabiki cut the
four strands of thread that held the two pieces together. She
roughly discarded the dark dress into her dirty clothes hamper
and shucked her bra and panties.

	She slid into the sheer part of the dress, pulling the
collar over her neck. She smoothed the dress, luxuriating in
feel of the thin, silken material between her hands and breasts.
The sensuous feeling was only intensified by her new abilities.

	"Oh, this is wonderful!"

	She stood on her tiptoes in the mirror. Clad only in the
perfectly sheer dress and the thigh-highs, Nabiki marveled at
her figure. Her nipples and the thin, dark hair of her delta
were clearly visible, as well as the lace tops of the stockings.

	"Better and better," she quipped, bending slightly, and
pulling a pair of dark pumps out of her closet.

	Nabiki made her way downstairs, pausing briefly in the
kitchen, where Kasumi and Nodoka were cooking dinner.

	To say that Kasumi was shocked was an understatement.

	Nodoka only narrowed her gaze, allowing no real emotion
into her expression.

	"How do I look?" Nabiki asked, letting her fangs rest
lightly on her lips.

	"Scandalous!!!" Kasumi muttered.

	"It's rather daring," Nodoka commented.

	"Nabiki!" Kasumi demanded. "You must go upstairs and
change at once."

	Nodoka shook her head slightly. "Are you quite certain you
want to be caught in such a garment if your powers fail you,
dear?"

	Nabiki smiled wickedly. "Watch." She turned, and called
out of the kitchen, "Akane, Ranma, come here for a second."

	After a few seconds, the two entered the kitchen. Ranma
looked away from his mother, who suddenly bore a hurt
expression.

	Nabiki winced slightly. She had forgotten about that.

	"How do I look?" she asked, doing her best to ignore the
tense situation.

	Akane had been staring wide eyed at her sister since she
had stepped into the room. Rather than answer Nabiki, Akane let
her jaw hang loosely.

	"'S okay." Ranma commented calmly. You gotta a date or
somthin'?"

	Nodoka raised her eyebrows speculatively. "That *is*
impressive. Illusion is usually an all or nothing thing. To
apply it selectively..."

	"What?" Ranma asked.

	"Nabiki is casting an illusion on you, Ranma-kun," Kasumi
informed him. Ranma was quite puzzled at her displeased tone.

	"I don't see anything unusual..." Ranma noted.

	"That's the point, baka!" Akane scolded. "What's she
wearing?"

	Irritated at being chastised, Ranma stared grumpily at the
girl. "A brown dress. So what?"

	Flustered, upset and more than a little embarrassed, Akane
growled and stormed out of the room. Ranma looked after her in
confusion.

	"I *really* don't get what's going on here..." Ranma
wondered.

	"Come on, Ranma," Nabiki commanded, taking the
uncomfortable youth by the hand. "I'll tell you."

	Both Kasumi and Nodoka raised their eyebrows sharply as
Nabiki led Ranma from the kitchen.

	Kasumi poked her head out of the kitchen just in time to
see Nabiki whispering in Ranma's ear.

	Much to the youth's shock, she pecked him on the cheek
once, and walked down the hallway.

	As the door closed behind Nabiki, Kasumi noted Ranma's
shocked, wide-eyed expression, and the slight trickle of blood
dripping off his upper lip.



* * *

	'The Rose Garden' was a fashionable downtown Tokyo club.
It was one of the most exclusive clubs in the city.

	Nabiki walked right past the bouncer. She even patted him
on the shoulder as she passed.

	Coming in from the dim sunlight of the early evening into
the dim club, she had to stand several seconds for her eyes to
adjust. Apparently, they were much more sensitive now. It was
something she'd have to remember.

	Careful not to forget her illusion, she made her way to a
table, and waved down one of the passing cocktail waitresses.
She ordered a glass of wine, and set back to let her illusion
settle in.

	"Hey, sugar!" A drunk young business man shouted at her.
"Why don't you come dance with me and my friends?"

	Nabiki smiled coolly, and shook her head. "Maybe later,"
she offered. "I'm waiting for someone."

	The business man swaggered over to her table, and plopped
down in the seat across from her. "And just who are you waiting
for that could possibly be a better date than me, honey?"

	"Him." Nabiki pointed to the door.

	The man yelped, seeing a bulky body builder walking into
the club. He was clad in a fine Italian suit, but the sleeves
stretched across his biceps ridiculously.

	He caught sight of the businessman and glared intently.
Cracking his knuckles, he strode over to the table.

	The businessman scurried off, not ready to face the
monster of a man staring at him with such a murderous
expression.

	The cocktail waitress who reached the table with Nabiki's
drink was quite puzzled.

	"Why did he run off from me like that," the girl asked out
of curiosity. "There's not anything wrong with my costume, is
there?" she asked, checking to make sure her 'bunny' outfit was
in order.

	Nabiki, doing her best to keep her breath, accepted her
glass of wine and shrugged. "Some men just fear women," she
said, glancing off in the direction of the bathroom, where the
man was currently hiding.

	When the waitress left, Nabiki let her breath out in a
whoosh. Two illusions at once very nearly floored her. She
almost lost both of them. She would have to start smaller.

	Not wanting to let alcohol erode her concentration, Nabiki
sipped lightly at the wine as she surveyed the room.

	There was certainly a crowd tonight. Everyone was dancing
and drinking and just generally having a good time. Nabiki idly
wondered if you could get drunk by drinking the blood of someone
who was already drunk.

	One particular couple lurched away from the dance floor
and into seats at a table near hers.

	Nabiki could *feel* their hearts pounding from dancing and
their shared arousal. The girl was dressed very nearly as
scandalously as she was, and the young man was pawing at her
continuously. With little ado, they leaned their chairs up
against the wall and began to neck.

	"Ahh," Nabiki uttered sarcastically. "Young love..."

	"Is that such a bad thing?" A deep, masculine voice asked
from behind her.

	Nabiki whipped around, again careful to keep her illusion
in place. Standing behind her was a tall, dark skinned man with
a roguish expression and his hands in the pockets of his
obviously *very* expensive Italian suit jacket.

	Impressed, but refusing to show any indication of her
surprise that he was able to sneak up on her, Nabiki only raised
one eyebrow speculatively.

	"It depends," Nabiki responded, keeping her cool. *It must
be the alcohol, or the smell of it that kept me from noticing
him,* she theorized, keeping her eyes on the man. "If 'love'
puts you in a bad spot..."

	She motioned to the young couple. She could hear the
scraping of the legs of the chair. Waiting for it, but looking
almost like she had commanded it, Nabiki smiled merrily as the
chair came out from under the girl.

	She slipped, pulling the young man down with her by his
tie. Having hit her head, the young woman sat on the floor
drunkenly crying while the young man struggled for air as he
ripped at his tie.

	Titters of laughter began to circulate through the club,
causing the useless girl to cry harder and even more
pathetically.

	Nabiki smirked at the handsome man. "I'm not the sort to
put myself in bad spots."

	The man chuckled at the scene, sitting down next to Nabiki
anyway.

	"Oh, I'd say you're already in a bad spot. You haven't
chased me off yet."

	"Don't think I won't..." Nabiki warned, allowing a glint
of steel come into her eyes as the man began to appraise her
figure.

	"You are a rare woman," The man complimented her. "It's
rare that I meet an attractive woman that's not afraid to show
her mind. Can I buy you a drink?"

	"I'm fine, thank-you," Nabiki replied coldly, using a
fingernail to tap her glass. The man was dangerously attractive,
and quite the talker. If she hadn't been so ill at ease, she
would have had a difficult time keeping the flattery from going
to her head.

	Was it just that he managed to sneak up on her? Nabiki bit
a lip in thought.

	"So what brings you to 'The Rose Garden', Miss...?" he
prompted for her name.

	"Mother told me never to give my name or address to
strangers," Nabiki responded, idly tapping at her wine glass.

	"Now, how can I be a stranger?" he asked in mock
indignation. "Why... We've been talking for over a minute now!"

	Oddly, Nabiki felt herself loosening up around the man. He
seemed more interested in their verbal sparring, rather than
ogling her still-concealed body like most of the men who had
passed by her.

	"Can't a girl have a good time by herself?" Nabiki poked.

	The man shook his head. "No can do. It's an absolute crime
to deny your charming wit and lovely face to some lucky man."

	Still smiling he held out a name card to her. Aside from
an unimaginative company logo, the card was rather unadorned.

	"Akuji Oto," Nabiki read, raising her eyebrows slightly.

	"You're not afraid of me, are you," Akuji asked.

	"Why would I have any reason to be afraid of *you*,"
Nabiki parried.

	Akuji clutched his chest, and arched back in his chair.
"Shot to the quick! You really are something, Miss...?"

	"Tendou, Nabiki Tendou."

	"Ah, Nabiki Tendou. Next you'll be telling me that you are
a demon ninja and will be able to tear me apart if I try
anything too forward."

	"Daddy does run a dojo," Nabiki admitted coolly, the
warning implicit in the statement.

	"Would it be too forward to ask you to dance, then," he
prompted, a serious expression replacing his jovial smile.

	"Dance?" Nabiki let a narrow smile grace her lips. "I
don't see that would be opening myself up *too* much.

	Akuji smiled mischievously and took her proffered hand.
Gently, but firmly, he led Nabiki out to the garishly lit dance
floor.

	Nabiki did her best to keep the illusion going. It was
always more difficult when she was moving, as she had found in
the Furinken hallways. To alter one's appearance when you were
sitting still was one thing. To keep the illusion going when
your dance partner was swinging you around thirty or forty other
people was quite another.

	Nabiki didn't *think* she let it drop. She was getting
worn out from the dancing, however. Akuji was a great dancer and
he had incredible endurance.

	Akuji didn't show any indication that he had seen anything
unusual, but after an hour or so, Nabiki led him from the dance
floor to a quiet spot sheltered with long vines from the potted
rose bushes, the club's trademark.

	"That wasn't so bad, now was it?" Akuji asked.

	Slightly out of breath... her senses singing with the
heartbeats of all the people still on the dance floor, Nabiki
shook her head demurely, brushing a strand of hair out of her
face.

	"I hope you won't think I'm too forward then..." Akuji
began.

	"For what?"

	"For this," he leaned in and cupped her chin. Gingerly at
first, but then more forcefully, he pressed his lips to hers.

	Nabiki jerked forcefully, but the kiss was not unpleasant.
In fact, after a second, she felt herself leaning into it.

	*This is getting WAY too serious,* she thought as she
began to suck lightly on Akuji's tongue. All the warning bells
were going off in her head.

	Part of Nabiki wanted to run. The other part wanted to
simply stay where she was, and hope that the night never ended.
Still... Nabiki couldn't help her cold analytical nature from
stepping in.

	Still experimenting, she allowed her illusion to drop a
fraction.

Akuji didn't seem to notice, as his hands continued to roam
Nabiki's back.

	She shifted slightly, allowing her now slightly
translucent dress to catch the wildly pulsating light from the
dance floor.

	Still seemingly unnoticing, Akuji continued to caress her
back. After just a second, however, he turned her slightly, and
gripped her left breast forcefully through the shear fabric.

	Nabiki gasped into their kiss, again struggling to keep up
the illusion as Akuji began to gently tease her erect nipple
through the fabric.

	"What else aren't you wearing," Akuji asked, pulling away
from the kiss, still gripping her in the semi-privacy offered by
the bushes.

	Breathily, Nabiki chuckled lightly. "Wouldn't you like to
know?" she asked. She slapped his hand lightly before he could
reach around to grip her buttocks.

	"I certainly would," Akuji admitted. "And the garden is
just a bit public for my tastes. I've got a flat nearby..."

	"Are you trying to pick me up, Oto-san?"

	"I thought that I had already done that."

	Nabiki smiled, doing her best to keep her excitement and
nervousness from showing. Besides the good time she was having,
it would be a good opportunity to max-out her illusion.



* * *



	The door unlocked with a click.

	As it opened, Akuji traipsed inside, and flicked on a
lightswitch. Nabiki followed shortly after.

	"Have a seat, my dear, and I'll make us a drink," He
offered, motioning Nabiki to the plush sofa sitting in the
middle of the room.

	Nabiki smiled, graciously accepting. As Akuji began to
make noises in the kitchen, Nabiki sat back and took in the
apartment. It was a large, spacious affair. Not quite a studio,
but far, *far* too large in Tokyo to be owned by anyone who
didn't have serious money to drop.

	The walls were a dark creme color, some with tasteful
paintings. The apartment was moodily lit.

	Something was off, though. After a few minutes, Nabiki
realized that there was a faint staleness to the air, as if the
room had been locked up for too long with no air conditioning.

	In fact, the bowl of fruit on the table smelled too ripe.
Almost... rotten.

	*He must travel extensively,* Nabiki realized. *Doesn't
get a chance to tidy up very often.*

	Nabiki got up too look around at some of the paintings.

	"It's fairly abstract," Akuji said from behind her.
"Picked it up in Seoul..."

	"Who painted it?" Nabiki asked, moving out from in between
Akuji and the painting. She could almost feel his eyes slipping
past her disguise as he gazed intently at the painting.

	"A young village woman. I never got her name. I understand
that she passed away shortly after I met her... Quite tragic,
actually."

	Nabiki raised one eyebrow speculatively. This was the sort
of conversation you used to get a woman in bed?

	"She lived life with a passion, though. You can see it in
her work. How important do you think passion is, Nabiki?" Akuji
asked in a low, dangerous tone.

	Nabiki, careful not to interrupt the man's line of sight,
turned and moved closer to him. She took the proffered drink and
sipped lightly, allowing her body to press up against his as she
did so. She let her free hand come to rest on his broad chest.

	"There's a restroom in the back, if you'd like to...
freshen up a little..." he suggested.

	Nabiki was letting the illusion run at a little less than
half strength. The man was trembling slightly, his hands resting
on her narrow waist. Nabiki *thought* that the illusion was
having it's intended effect, arousing the man subconsciously
while not allowing him to see what she was actually wearing.

	Disengaging herself, Nabiki smirked and walked toward the
hallway, allowing a little more of the illusion to drop with
each step. The effort was incredible, and by the time she
reached the bathroom, she was certain that her buttocks were
*almost*, but not quite visible to the man.

	She gasped with the effort as she closed the door behind
her.

	It was too much. She had almost exhausted herself with
that stunt. Feverishly, she looked around the narrow bathroom.
The rotten smell was more intense here, only adding to her
anxiety. She had to leave, and *now*.

	A glance out the window revealed a fire escape leading
down a story to the ground. Feeling very slightly guilty about
leaving Akuji in the lurch, Nabiki began to work at the window's
latch.

	*CLICK*

	The window latch snapped off in her hands.

	"Trying to leave, are we, Tendou-san?"

	Nabiki turned around in shock as the bathroom door was
thrown open.

	What stood in front of her.... was not the same man she
had left the club with.

	Akuji had disrobed completely. He stood menacingly over
her, as she cowered near the window. But... where his suit had
covered, Nabiki could see... flaws... in his body. There were
patches of skin where the normal tan flesh had broken or had
been torn away. Behind the bloody gashes was a dead, pasty
white.

	Where his member should have been, the flesh was torn away
entirely. Instead of normal equipment, the monster had a huge,
callused spike the same
was horribly intense now. From the smell and sight, Nabiki had
to fight to keep from retching.

	The thing that was Akuji smiled wickedly, licking its
lips. "Shall we dance again, my dear? It's so seldom that I get
to taste the blood of a vampire, let alone a virgin vampire."

* * *
Chris Jones - guilty@arn.net
The Ranma 1/2 Gallery - http://cyberwheel.simplenet.com/ranma

It's 1999. Do you know what your children are?