Title: Alive
Author: S. Mark Gunther
Part: 3/?
Warnings: Angst, Drinking, Little happiness.
Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 is not mine. The characters are not mine. Only my
opinions about them and the series, and the plot line therin is mine. Hence 
why I'm still poor.
Summary: Changes, changes, such horrible changes.
Archive: Yes to AAML, and the RAAC archive. Anyone else, ask
first.


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-- Attached file included as plaintext by Ecartis --
-- File: Alive3.txt

Alive
By S. Mark Gunther

     "Well I see you definitely told Ranma off, Ukyou..." Konatsu said 
softly, slightly resigned as he put his dining room uniform on. Both he and 
Ukyou had just come into Ucchan's and were dressing in the anteroom of the 
restaurant.

     "I don't want to hear about it, Konatsu." Ukyou felt her body adjust to 
the unique situation of being home. Her hands worked quickly as she gathered 
up her working garb and began to undress. "I will have Ranma go out with me 
sooner or later."

     "Ukyou-sama..."

     "Don't you Ukyou-sama me, Konatsu," the spatula girl said softly, her 
back still turned to the young man. "I don't want to talk to you. I'm still 
not happy with you for what you did to me last week. Now go get the dining 
room ready."

     Konatsu bowed his head a little and shuffled out, his girlish working 
uniform slumping on his body. His eyes looked up in shock as he stepped into 
the dining room. "We're not open for a little while, Nabiki."

     "We know that, Konatsu." Mousse said. His hands clutched at the manila 
folder, Nabiki Tendo standing just off to his right hand side. "But we both 
need to talk to Ukyou before things become busy."

     "Well, she will be out to open the register in a few moments. So take a 
seat and I'll let her know you're here." With that, he bowed a little and 
slid over to his workstation. His hands worked swiftly as he prepared the 
materials for the dinner rush. Nabiki and Mousse both shrugged and took 
seats close to the grill. Soon the countertop was littered with papers, 
pens, and notes as both young people setup their pitch.

     The sunlight shone into the restaurant through the large open window, 
it's beams being cast along the tables and chairs. Konatsu sighed softly as 
he wiped down the chairs and tables with a wet rag. His mind swam with the 
arguments from the days pervious. His hands trembled slightly as he tried to 
block the pain in his heart out from his working life. Soon he looked over 
to the tables that were left and sighed even more, his enthusiasm sapped 
even further from his body. The tight womanly garb he wore chafed slightly 
at his skin as he finished his cleaning and disappeared to the back. "I'll 
tell Ukyou that you're both here," he called out as he disappeared through 
the kitchen door.

     A few moments passed and then Ukyou emerged from the kitchen with a bag 
in her hand. "Hello, you two," she said genially as she opened her register 
and placed the money in. "Konatsu says you have something to talk to me 
about?"

     "Yes. We have a business proposition for you, Ukyou." Nabiki's voice 
was more upbeat then usual as she began speaking. "We want to enter into a 
business partnership with you."

     "You? And Him? With me?"

     "Yes."

     "Sorry. I'm not interested." With that Ukyou turned to her grill to 
start scrubbing it down. But all of a sudden as she grabbed her brush, it 
was knocked out of her hand by a small staff extended from Mousse's hand. 
She turned around and looked sharply at the boy who smiled broadly at her, 
the staff now lying on the countertop. "Don't you both take no for an 
answer?"

     "She may take it, but I certainly don't. Not now. It would be very 
beneficial for you to listen to what I have to say, Ukyou." Mousse felt the 
control in his heart and body grow with every movement he made and every 
word he spoke. "We'll only take 5 minutes."

     "...One moment." With that she reached underneath the countertop and 
pulled up an egg timer. Setting it on the Formica, she set it for 5 minutes 
and looked at Mousse's calm, relaxed face. "You have 5 minutes. Talk."

     "I'll start by asking you a question. Do you get tired of not having 
any income for the morning and early afternoon?" Mousse asked as he slid his 
fingers along the cane softly.

     "I'll admit that it has been bothering me. The dinner rushes aren't 
enough to keep me afloat, as I would like. But what does that have to do 
with both of you?" Ukyou replied slowly.

     "I want to go into a joint business with you. I'll work all morning and 
until you come home from school and you'll work the afternoon and evening 
rushes. We'll make money by doing what we need to do. You'll be able to 
finish school and work, as will I. And we'll make enough money to support us 
both. With my recipes and your skill, we could make a killing."

     "You can cook," Ukyou, asked Mousse, a look of shock on her face.

     "Do you honestly think shampoo was doing all the cooking at the 
Nekohanten? Do you honestly think Cologne could stand all those hours in 
front of a stove without a break? I cooked close to 40 hours out of a 
70-hour workweek because of those two's issues. I was taught to cook by my 
mother and Cologne. I know what I'm doing."

     "But why do you think your food will work in my restaurant?"

     "Why would it not?" Nabiki chimed in, her own voice gaining confidence 
as she saw Ukyou's resistance fading fast. "We all know Ranma loved to mix 
your Okonomiyaki with the ramen from the Nekohanten. Why would you think any 
other people in this city would be any different?"

     "Don't remind me of Shampoo please," Ukyou said softly, her cheeks 
reddening slightly.

     "Well you're going to be reminded of her if we work together, Ukyou. So 
you'll just have to deal with it. She's gone and I have the deed to the 
Nekohanten but I cannot do it all myself. I figured we'd use the money from 
the sale of the Nekohanten to fund a joint project here, renovate and 
enlarge this place to fit more people and actually put a place together that 
can make us some money. Plus," the Chinese boy added with a smile, "There 
are the added benefits for you..."

     "Which are?"

     "Principally, you'll have more time out to be able to take care of and 
be a friend to Ranma. I mean, we all know that akane's not doing a good job 
of it, so this will open the door for you to snatch him up." Nabiki flinched 
inwardly as she heard Mousse's words against her sister but she kept her 
poker faced smile on her lips. Her control shocked even herself as she 
listened in with Mousse. "With the lessened stress of the morning off your 
shoulders, you can concentrate on winning that boy over."

     "I don't know what you're talking about," Ukyou replied coyly, her 
cheeks reddening even more.

     "Sure you do, Ukyou." Nabiki leaned forward and looked in the cook's 
eyes, her own eyes burning with the acknowledgement of the advantage she now 
held over the girl, her contemporary. "It's why you asked me for so much 
information about him. It's why you wanted pictures of him. It's why..."

     A spatula slapped down on the countertop. Ukyou felt her anger and 
frustration boiling over slightly as she heard Nabiki's hateful words. 
"Please. Stop. Now." A long moment passed as the cook shook with emotion and 
frustration. "How I feel about Ranma is none of your business."

     "Ok. I'll buy that. For now." Mousse touched Ukyou's hand with his 
fingertips and pressed softly on the veins just beneath the surface of her 
skin. "But the fact still remains that you need someone who can help you 
make more money for the place. I need more money and you need more money. 
That's the bottom line. I'm offering a solution for both of us to make it 
here, seeing as there is no reason for us now to be in competition."

     "But I never was in competition with you, Mousse."

     "I worked with Shampoo, did I not? I worked for Cologne and Cologne 
wanted nothing to do with you having a shot at Ranma. So you were in 
competition with the two people I worked for."

     "Maybe so."

     "Right. But now that they're both gone, I need to at least be civil 
with everyone here. My dream is gone back to China and I don't have a home 
now. I can't afford to be petty anymore." He smiled inwardly as he saw the 
double meaning in his statements. How much the better that the hook he was 
dangling in front of Ukyou was something he had to deal with anyway.

     "I don't know," Ukyou said softly. "Where does Nabiki fit in all this?"

     "I'll be doing the financials for both of you. I'll be handling the 
money for the restaurant, leaving both of you able to concentrate on what 
you do best. I'll make sure plenty of good press comes out for your place 
and that you at least have a fair shot with the very ugly media. In short, 
I'll be your biggest cheerleader." Nabiki folded her hands and kept her 
patient, calm poker face throughout her spiel.

     "Well being a cheerleader isn't like you, Nabiki. So right away I don't 
buy that statement."

     "Maybe cheerleader wasn't the best of terms for me to use. But I will 
be a champion for this place. Ukyou, I need money as well. Ranma and Akane 
are destroying my house wholesale and I still have a father and two sisters 
to keep housed. The way I see it, Mousse is right. We all have talents we 
could use to make our situations that much better. We could all grab a piece 
of the pie instead of fighting for the crumbs from the crust."

     For a long moment, Ukyou didn't speak. Nabiki and Mousse followed her 
lead and waited. A clock on the wall ticked softly as the minutes passed. 
The egg timer showed less then a minute remained in their conference. "I'll 
tell you what. I have to open the shop and begin my workday. Leave your 
information with me and I'll think on it. Tomorrow afternoon I'll tell you 
my decision. Come here at the same time and we'll talk." Ukyou held out her 
hands in resignation, her emotions beginning to get the best of her.

     "Fair enough," Nabiki said as she began to put her papers in order. 
Mousse followed suit and in a moment both were standing and looking at the 
cook at her register. "We'll leave this with you so you can make a 
decision." she dropped another folder beside the register, which Ukyou 
promptly snatched up and slid under the countertop. At that, both youth left 
and walked out the door, leaving a slightly shaken Ukyou alone with her 
feelings. She could barely hear Konatsu behind her as her hands went on 
their own accord. Her unconscious mind centered on the tasks as hand but her 
conscious mind rattled with the thoughts of the encounter. She was shook, 
well and truly.

-----

     "You know I should slap you for what you said about my sister, Mousse," 
Nabiki said softly as they stood outside the restaurant, a kiddie corner 
between their destinations. The subway station seemed to exude a certain 
heat and tension as they walked towards it. "I may think she has less on the 
ball then other but she's still my family. I don't want you badmouthing 
her."

     "You think I liked talking about her like I did?" Mousse replied as he 
walked down the stairs into the station. They both made their way to the 
platform and waited on the train. "You know that was all about selling her 
on the idea. I don't think Akane's done a bad job with Ranma, considering 
the strange events that seemed to come up for the both of them."

     "Let's not talk about it now. Let's go back to your house and talk. I 
want you to come over for dinner tonight so we can talk more." With Nabiki 
pressed herself against the window glass of the car. Mousse slid in next to 
her as the car began to fill up with people. The train lurched forward and 
picked up speed as it roared down the line. Mousse felt Nabiki's arm slide 
around his waist and hold on tight, her head resting against his shoulder 
slightly. He looked down and saw the incredible confidence that normally 
permeated her face has drained away. Instead of a confident, forward moving 
young woman beside him, all that clutched at him was a frightened looking 
girl.

     He slid an arm around her body and silently held her close till the 4th 
stop on the line. Nabiki shook her body away from him and stepped out, the 
Chinese boy close behind him. The emerged onto the sidewalk above and began 
walking, Nabiki leading the way. Soon the Nekohanten showed up in front of 
them as they walked and Mousse opened up the store. They went in and looked 
around. No one had come in or done anything and the entire place felt 
defeated. A lack of energy or joy was evident throughout the restaurant. 
Mousse sighed softly as he went to the stairwell.

     "I miss her, Nabiki."

     "What?"

     "I just said that I miss her." Mousse climbed up the stairs and 
disappeared into the upper level of the building. Nabiki merely stood and 
waited, her hands idly playing with themselves as her eyes scanned the now 
darkened walls. Soon Mousse came back with a small bag on his shoulder. He 
slid over to a large booth facing the main window and sat down. Nabiki 
followed him and sat beside him. For a moment they didn't speak.

     "You miss Shampoo?" Nabiki asked, as if the conversation had never 
stopped.

     "Yes. I miss her terribly. I'm trying to stuff it all down with work 
and making my life better but whenever things stop for a moment I still have 
to deal with the feelings inside my heart." A sigh, a pause and a moan 
escaped from Mousse's lips. He sank lower into the seat, his whole body 
losing it's confidant posture. "I thought it would be easier to go on. I 
thought it would be easier to make a clean start. But I miss her so badly."

     "Even as she cuckolded you, Mousse?"

     "Even as. And for the record, I don't think she cuckolded me. That 
would have to assume she gave a shit about me. And I don't think she did."

     "You want to know what I think? I think she liked you more then you 
would ever let her."

     "How so?" His eyes turned to her and they stared at one another. Their 
hearts seemed to slow down with their words and time seemed to blend into 
something less then normal.

     "You obsessed over her, Mousse. You chased her away because you never 
let her get over her obligation to Ranma. She told me that she had grown to 
become attracted to you when you finally did stop chasing her everywhere but 
by then Cologne needed her elsewhere. You did this to yourself." Nabiki 
sighed and looked down at the tabletop.

     "And you found that it was your business to play god. Typical. But yes, 
you're right. It was my fault. I could have played the waiting game from the 
get go and not make a play for her but I could have lost her. I had to take 
that risk. The ends justified the means, or so I thought." Mousse rubbed his 
eyes a little and sighed softly. "But I never knew how much she cared."

     "No one did. Except for she and Cologne. And now me, I guess." The 
middle Tendou daughter laughed a little as her face scrunched into something 
between a frown and a grimace. Her body shook slightly as she spoke when the 
sad laughter died down. "I...I didn't want to do this to you, Mousse. But I 
had another reason for doing what I did."

     "And that is?"

     "Kasumi. She's attracted to you."

     "I see."

     "Do you know how long my sister has been attracted to you?"

     "No."

     "She's been attracted to you since the first time you came to challenge 
Ranma at our house. She saw you from the kitchen window and never let your 
memory go." Nabiki's shoulder rose slightly as she took a deep breath. 
"She's getting older. As am I. We're both beginning to want to find someone 
to have. And she wanted you. She wants you."

     "Does anyone here still realize that I'm still madly in love with 
Shampoo? Does anyone care that my life with Shampoo, my dream for so many 
years, is gone? Do you or your sister care that it might be years before I'm 
able to ever think about another?" Mousse asked sharply, his own emotions 
beginning to get the best of him.

     "Yes. To all of those points, yes we do care."

     "You have a funny way of showing it." At that Nabiki turned her face 
away to hide the painful blush coming to her cheeks. A tear flowed from her 
cheek as she tried to keep it all in check.

     "You know what, you're right. You're not ready to love anyone because 
you're too selfish to love anything but your own damn dreams." Nabiki spat 
out bitterly as she turned to rise up and leave. Mousse slid over and 
gripped her wrist, keeping her there and keeping her in focus on him.

     "That's not true, Nabiki."

     "It's not? You sure have a funny way of showing it."

     "Just because I'm heartbroken and trying like hell to deal with this 
with dignity doesn't mean I'm being selfish. I'm not going to let people see 
my pain and I'm not going to lie to anyone anymore. Especially not someone 
as beautiful as Kasumi."

     "You mean," Nabiki, said softly, "You mean that you are attracted to 
her?"

     "Why would I not be? She's like my mother. She's caring, soft and yet 
she holds things together with an incredible grace. She held me when I was 
low, kissed me when I was hurting..."

     "She kissed you?"

     "Err, um..."

     "Mousse, don't try to lie to me. You know I have ways of finding out 
what I want to know." At that Nabiki turned back to him and smiled a tear 
stained smile. He saw the joking tone in her voice and pulled her closer to 
him. She slid closer and they embraced for a long moment.

     "I was training this morning and she kissed me as she was toweling me 
down. We talked. She told me that she wanted me, in not so many words." 
Mousse flipped the hair out of his eyes and Nabiki's nose and face as the 
middle Tendo buried her face into his tunic. For a moment, they remained 
silent and reflective, the sunlight framing their bodies in the pale, warm 
glow.

    "Mousse, can I level with you?"

    "Shoot." Nabiki pulled back from the boy and looked into his eyes.

    "I need you to help me. I'm...I need you to help me get someone."

    "Get someone?"

    "Yes." At those words, she lowered her head and dropped her eyes in 
shame. Mousse strained to hear her next words as she spoke. "Since you're 
going to become a partner with me one way or another, I need to have the one 
person I desire come to me. I need you to help me get one man."

    "You? You actually love someone?" The words escaped Mousse's mouth 
before he even knew what had happened and he was rewarded by a tortured look 
in Nabiki's eyes. Instantly he tried to speak but her hand covered his 
mouth, cutting him off.

     "I've had a crush on him for as long as I can remember. But when my 
mother died, I had to take up the family finances as a way to help us all 
survive. And...And I guess it was a way for me to deal with the loneliness I 
feel inside. I miss my mother as well, Mousse. And this person began to 
change as my mother left. His mother left him as well and from that point 
on, he wasn't the same. I've wanted him so long now that I'm almost afraid 
to still be around him because one of these days I'm going to explode and 
rip him apart."

     "Who is he, Nabiki?"

     "Tatewaki Kuno."

     "...Forgive me for saying this, but damn. I never knew..."

     "No one does. No one knows how much I desire to be with him, bad prose 
and all. He's the only man I've ever known who knows how to be romantic to a 
woman. Other then you, of course." She smiled sadly at him and was rewarded 
by a small hug. "He does it all wrong but at least he has the concept. He's 
the only one who tries to be a gentleman in our school. And he's the only 
one I know that used to like me as a friend. Now that I've become the ice 
queen extortionist, I get so lonely sometimes. I..." Her voice trailed off 
and Mousse didn't try to pick up the conversation. So they sat. And sat. And 
sat.

     "You know what the worst part about all this is?"

     "Hmm?" Mousse answered, his voice emerging from the fog of thoughts now 
clogging the narrow spaces in his brain.

     "I had to manipulate someone just to get them to sit down and talk to 
me about this stuff I've been keeping inside. I can't make a friend if 
someone paid me." At that, she began to laugh again but Mousse didn't. He 
merely held her close and waited till she was done.

     "Nabiki, I might be mad at you for sending Shampoo away but that 
doesn't mean I wouldn't have listened to you. I'm not a tyrant. And you're 
not an ice queen. We both just try to take on too much. We've both grown up 
so fast that it's made us both very bitter, I think." Mousse smiled a little 
as he spoke and Nabiki warmed to his words.

     "I know. I just think I need to have a friend. And since you're the 
only person who'd do this, you mind taking that role?"

     "Do I have a choice?"

     "Nope." At that Nabiki clamped her arms down on his ribs and he sighed 
good-naturedly, hugging the girl back.

     "Then I guess I'll have to be your friend." Mousse nodded softly and 
pushed Nabiki back softly. "I think we should go. If we stay here any longer 
we're going to both need psychiatric counseling." The girl nodded and they 
both stood up to go, confident in the knowledge that better days were 
coming. Mousse locked up the shop and they walked off into the distance 
towards the Tendo home.




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