{These characters are not property of me. I would never attempt to claim them as my own. This story may not be used without my permission, and may not be used to make money in any way, shape or form. Characters and certain situations were created by Rumiko Takahashi, so don't try any funny stuff!}
Akane was downstairs, trying to keep her composure with Kasumi and Tofu. It wasn't easy, but she was managing. Barely. A sudden thumping from upstairs startled her, and what sounded like a herd of bowling balls coming down the stairs made her whip her head around. She saw Kuno charging down the stairs, his eyes wide, his muzzle covered in red. He ran past the three of them, outside and disappeared into the night.
***
Is a virus alive? Or is it not alive? It has characteristics of living creatures, but also lacks several components of life. Does that mean it is a living thing? They certainly don't have any sort of brain or the ability to think. They don't know what they do, they don't choose their victims. They have only one purpose, however unconscious it may be. Infection.
This virus hadn't been discovered. Whether it was alive or not couldn't be said, but it was very adept at achieving its purpose. Virulent when passed and nearly impossible to cure, this virus could, with only a few viral bodies present in a strong host, achieve complete infection within a month's time.
More insidious and complete than other viruses, it managed to do some very complicated, near impossible, recoding, reworking of the host deeper than the cellular level.
When complete infection was finally achieved, it had almost stopped being a host with a virus. The virus didn't 'die', it continued to exist, and even help its host. So, as the ivy grows and clings to a building, hiding the walls behind it, becoming almost a fixture of the building, the virus and the host had the lines blur between them, shifting toward the formation of one complete being.
And once again, the virus was introduced into a new host. The host was weak; a boon, for it made infection easier, the process faster. Naturally, a healing and recovery period was required, but that was minimal with a total infection. As the virus flooded throughout the body, it effectively attached itself to each organ, beginning its work there, including the brain where the most unpredictable changes took place.
Though healing the host was the first order of business, the virus also happened upon one, no, two more hosts in the earliest stages of development. They were already partially infected, which accounted for their rapid growth, but the virus wasn't so picky and took hold in them as well.
The result of being infected, especially to a host barely a day old, was an amazing amount of growth in a very short amount of time. And with the mother of the two also newly infected and requiring considerable healing, the amount of growth was even more so...
Nabiki opened her eyes, wondering if she was dead. She thought she should be. The fire... The pain... Then darkness. And here she was, awake and alive?
She could identify herself as being in bed, covered by a very light blanket, and there was in incredible pain in her arm. Sitting up slowly, she could hear and feel the blood pounding through her head. Her body ached all over and she felt very nauseous. Slowly turning and swinging her legs out of bed, she realized she was naked and her skin was very sensitive.
Nabiki put her feet down and tried to stand. Unfortunately, her legs refused to support her in any way. Again, the pain in her arm, throbbing. It wouldn't go away. She looked down at it and almost vomited at the sight. Her stomach revolted at the torn flesh and exposed muscle, the wound caked with dried blood.
She tried to call out for her family, for someone, anyone, but she couldn't find her voice. Where was everyone? Maybe she really was dead and she was all alone... But there was one person that should have been there. "Mother!" she yelled.
Akane was sleeping on the floor, her head resting on Ranma. He had a sick look on his face even as the sun started to shine above the wall around the property. He stared blankly out at the yard, at the red-stained grass. At some point in the night, the whole mess had changed from just a huge smear to some sort of... shape.
It was actually a mass, though it looked like just a huge lump of goo. Red, oozing goo. He had been staring at it ever since he had seen it move on its own slightly. It was a thing that nightmares were made of, and Ranma was just glad Akane had gotten her sleep before seeing it.
As the sun rose higher in the sky, the beams coming closer and closer to the mass, Ranma watched with anticipation. And as soon as one ray touched just a stained portion of the grass, an odorous black smoke began to rise into the air. The light drew closer to the mass, a cloud of thick black smoke following its progress.
Ranma put one hand over his mouth and nose as the smell filtered into the house. And then it happened. The sunlight hit the mass, and with an inhuman squealing noise, it burst into flames, giving off more of the smoke.
After about five minutes of flames and smoke, in which Ranma couldn't see a thing, it all seemed to die down. A gentle breeze came by and dispersed the smoke and the smell, revealing the yard, completely devoid of any remnants of what had happened the previous night.
Ranma realized his fingers were dug into the cushion Akane had her head on, nearly ripping through it. Then he heard the scream and his heart nearly stopped. Akane's head jerked upright, her eyes mostly closed and her hair in disarray. She looked back at Ranma, her hands holding onto his leg and the cushion. "Ranma?" she asked quietly, but not calmly.
"U... upstairs?" he said, his voice sounding tired and a little scared. He stood up as quickly as his wobbly legs would allow and helped Akane up, then they both headed upstairs.
The footsteps, heavy, pounding... Not the footsteps of her mother. She wasn't dead... Nabiki forced herself to stand, the blanket held in front of her. Small, painful footsteps carried her closer to the door, her hand outstretched. Before she could reach it, the door opened, and there was...
"Mother," Nabiki said before collapsing into Kasumi's arms.
Soun was already passed out, and Tofu was standing behind Kasumi, looking pretty shocked himself. Ranma and Akane came up the stairs, skidding to a halt on the wooden floor. Ranma's eyes blinked rapidly, unsure if they were actually viewing real life. Akane simply froze in shock at the sight.
***
Kodachi was sleeping peacefully, a thing Tatewaki was very glad to see. Whenever he tried to leave her alone she would wake up screaming, so it was important that he be there so she could get her rest. That meant he had a purpose, even if Nabiki hated him. He knew she wasn't dead. What he had done had worked because he would have known if she was dead. She was not dead.
It was almost 10 am. It was probably time to wake Kodachi up anyway. "Kodachi," Tatewaki said, patting her hand.
Kodachi stirred and opened her eyes slowly. "Tatchi?"
"I am here. It is time to awaken."
Kodachi's eyes fixed on his, even if they weren't entirely focused. "Is it light out?"
"Yes, Kotchi. The sun is out this fine morning." The look in her eyes scared him.
"The sun is out, Tatchi?"
"Yes, Kotchi."
"I'm glad." Kodachi closed her eyes again and squeezed her brother's hand once before her grip went slack. She would not squeeze it again for quite some time.
***
"How do you feel, Nabiki?" Kasumi asked, sitting on the bed. She had done her best to explain the thing Tatewaki had done and how that was responsible for Nabiki's miraculous recovery to everyone downstairs. She wasn't sure if they had understand since they all still seemed to be in shock.
Nabiki opened her eyes the rest of the way and looked at Kasumi. "Is this a dream?"
Kasumi laughed quietly and squeezed Nabiki's hand. "No. You're awake, but how do you feel?"
Nabiki noticed that she wasn't in any pain except for her arm. "I feel... fine. Except for my arm." She looked at it to see that it was heavily bandaged. "I guess that would be why."
Kasumi nodded, but didn't say anything.
"I'm starved. Is there anything to eat?" Nabiki asked. Her stomach rumbled ominously.
"Yes, just a moment and I'll get you some soup." Kasumi got up and left the room.
Tofu was waiting for her outside the door. "Did she seem healthy?"
"Yes. She seemed perfectly fine. I was just going to get her some soup."
Kasumi had said it wasn't a dream. So why did she feel like she wasn't quite all there? Why did everything feel so strange, so different? But no, not everything felt different. Just her. Just her, but she felt very different, so strange. Nabiki reclined in her bed to wait for Kasumi.
That was when she... heard? Felt? There was something... Her heart rate increased, sounding very loud. And again, almost like a tiny heart beating very slowly. And another, but at a different rhythm. Like two hearts. Maybe she wasn't feeling as well as she thought.
Still feeling tired, Nabiki's thoughts began to drift and she closed her eyes. Her horrible dream of fire and darkness, and pain within the darkness... but they were all OK. Her family was fine, and thanks to him, the two pups were fine...
Two pups? What the hell? Nabiki opened her eyes and shook the sleep away. Thanks to him? Kuno? PUPS? The two heartbeats...
"Kasumi, I don't know how, but she looks perfectly healthy to me."
Dr. Tofu's voice drifted in from the hall. But it didn't really drift. It was more like he was standing right next to her.
"And, I shouldn't tell you this, but under the circumstances... I obviously don't know the details, but it seems that Nabiki is two months pregnant."
Kasumi's "Oh my" blended wonderfully with Nabiki's "Oh shit".
***
"Nabiki, I thought you said you were taking precautions," Kasumi said, looking slightly stern.
"I was! I haven't even been screw..." Nabiki changed her choice of words. "I haven't even been doing that for two months."
"You have to take response..."
"I know, I know. Just save the lecture." Nabiki picked up her jacket slowly, as if it was very heavy. She slipped it over her bandaged arm, then put it on the rest of the way. "I'm about to take care of that responsibility," she said quietly.
Nabiki walked through the gate with determination. She went up to the door and was about to knock when she saw him. Out of the corner of her eye, she glimpsed Kuno walking around the corner of the house.
Sprinting to catch up. Nabiki rounded the corner and saw Kuno wandering around the yard, carrying Kodachi. Kodachi wasn't moving. "Kuno-chan?"
"You do not hate me?" he asked, not looking at her.
"Hate you for what?" If things hadn't been strange enough before...
"You do not know?" Kuno looked at her, very surprised. They hadn't told her?
Nabiki was momentarily confused, but then remembered why she had come over. "There's one thing I do know, and I have you to blame for it," she said crossly.
He looked at her sadly for a moment, then his face seemed to light up. "You... you are..." Kuno walked up to her and stood still for a moment. "Two," he said quietly with a touch of awe.
Nabiki nodded. "You heard them?"
Kuno nodded, shifting his sister in his arms.
"So did I, and Dr. Tofu and Kasumi know too." The implication of what she said didn't even occur to her. "But the strange thing is," Nabiki said, mocking thoughtfulness, "that Dr. Tofu said I was two months pregnant. You wouldn't happen to have an explanation, would you?" She gave him a dangerous look.
Two months? How? But first things first. "They did not tell you?"
"Tell me what?"
No, they hadn't said anything. "You... you would have died. Died unless..." He looked at some trees off to the side.
"Unless what?" Nabiki was suddenly fearful. What had he done?
"Unless I..." Kuno straightened and looked Nabiki in the eye. "I did what I had to. I did what I thought was best." He held on to Kodachi even tighter. "I bit you."
The birds chirped happily in the sun. Some insects droned in the neatly trimmed hedges. There was the sound of a siren in the distance, and the wind ruffled their hair.
"You did what?"
"You were dying. I had no choice. I would not do things differently if given a chance." He held his head high, secure in the knowledge that he believed everything he said in his heart.
"I can't believe you did this to me." Nabiki held her hands around her stomach. "I can't believe you did THIS to me!"
"But don't you feel..."
"No! I don't feel fulfilled! And I don't want any kids! Let alone your kids!"
"But it is..."
"I don't give a damn about any laws of nature. Right now, I don't give a damn about you or these... these..." Nabiki looked down at herself, an angry frown on her face. 'Pups. Half-breeds. They're not even human.'
"I will not allow you to harm them," Kuno said calmly. There were horrible things women could do to their unborn children.
"And what say do you have in this?"
Kuno growled. "If you do not want them, then I will care for them. They are mine and I have as much say in what happens to them as you do."
Strangely enough for her, Nabiki snarled and growled back. Where did he get off making demands of her? Nabiki turned and walked toward the front gate.
Kuno set down his comatose sister gently and trotted after Nabiki. He wouldn't let her go so easily, not without knowing the fate of his... children. He grabbed her from behind and turned her to face him. "You will not harm them."
They looked at each other, anger simmering just below the surface. "You don't ever tell me what to do," Nabiki said dangerously. "I'm not either one of my sisters, or my father. Or my mother."
"You are so much more than any member of your family now." Kuno's tone had changed radically from anger to sudden desire.
Nabiki snorted. "Don't give me that bullshit. You think I want to have sex with you after everything you've put me through? Think again."
Kuno was unaffected by her comments. "I want to see you change," he said bluntly, holding her arms tightly.
"Yeah, so keep dreaming. You think I'd ever..."
"You will. Eventually, you will. You took your opportunities with me, and now I will have with you the same opportunities."
Nabiki laughed. "I'd like to see you try. Now get your hands off me." The look of hatred on her face made Kuno release her. "And now I will be going. Give my regards to your sister." Then she walked away.
Kuno watched her go until she was almost at the gate, and called out weakly, "Don't hurt them." He saw Nabiki turn and look. "Please, don't hurt them..."
Nabiki turned and left.
***
He attended to his sister nearly night and day. Kuno knew he needed someone to take care of her professionally, but who could he trust? "Kotchi, it's time for your bath. Don't you want to wake up and wash yourself?"
Kuno waited for her answer, but as usual, there was no response. He sighed and lifted her from the bed. It was too much of a toll, he couldn't go on day after day, taking care of her. He carried her to the bathroom where he undressed her. The dreams had stopped, so even when she was nude, he could only see his sister as a hollow shell of her former self.
In his robe, he began to bathe her, speaking gently, trying to get her to awaken from her coma. "'Tis a full moon tonight. We can sit outside and watch its ascendance." His response from her was her quiet breathing.
He took as clinical an approach to washing her as he could. "What do you think, Kotchi? Would you like that?" Kuno ran the sponge down Kodachi's arm, cradling her body against his.
He cleansed her delicately, a sad smile on his face. "I should have told you about the dream I had. You would have laughed at me for such a thing." Using lukewarm water, he rinsed the soap away. "Aren't you happy to know you shall be an aunt? I know Nabiki is not your favorite person, but you two shall be related by blood. I am sure you will want to see your new relatives when they are born."
Kuno choked back a sob as he rinsed her other arm.
***
"Nabiki, I will not allow this. You must..."
"No! Like hell I am. I'm going to do what I damn well please, and I don't really care what the responsible or proper thing to do is!" Nabiki dismissed Kasumi with the wave of her hand. "Forget it. I don't want to talk to you."
Nabiki picked up her jacket, her arm feeling much better, and walked away. Just what she needed. Kasumi blackmailing her. So who cared if everyone knew she was... The thought frightened her. Not that everyone would know, but just the fact that she was. Pregnant. And with what? Surely not... pups.
But what difference did it make? It was expected that a bitch has pups... The way that sounded, the terminology made her sick. And Kuno's attitude... 'Eventually my ass. I'll be dead before I turn into a wolf.'
***
"She's coming, Kodachi. Maybe she has finally decided." For the first time in a long while, Kuno felt excited about something. The window was open and a rather stiff breeze was blowing in. It was carrying Nabiki's scent with it. It was possible to tell, with the way it was getting stronger, that Nabiki was getting closer.
In fact, sometimes at night, he would stand at his window, the breeze blowing in his face, and inhale the faint traces of her. Even just her smell made him want her desperately.
Being without her was turning out to be more difficult than he had anticipated, and he was desperate to reclaim her. It seemed it might finally be his chance. Kuno tucked in the blanket over his sister and ran through the house. He burst out the door and ran to wait by the front gate. It would be so nice if she decided to...
The gate opened and Nabiki stepped through. That was Kuno's sign to immediately latch on to her, hugging her tightly. Even though she didn't pull away, she didn't return his affection either.
"You can let go now," Nabiki said, suddenly, frighteningly not wanting him to let go.
And Kuno didn't let go, relearning the feel of Nabiki's body against his own. The four days he had been without her had been very stressful, very difficult on him, and he wasn't about to just let her go so easily.
Nabiki started to lift her arms to put them around Kuno, but stopped herself. Yet, with her face pressed into his chest... He smelled so good... She inhaled deeply, and had to wonder. Was it how Kuno had felt? There had to be more to this 'curse'.
And he wanted her. No one had ever wanted her, needed her as badly as he did. Except for that piece of shit Kinnosuke, and that had been a lie, even if he was her first l...
Not that she loved Kuno at all. It was obviously just some affect of his change... her change. And now she was pregnant and turned into a wolf. That effectively killed the rest of her social life. Her arms went around Kuno anyway.
She rubbed her face against his chest, breathing deeply. He leaned down and kissed her next to her ear. Then he growled, moving his hands up and down her back. "I'll help you," he whispered. "It's not so bad."
Nabiki almost jerked away. How could he ask her to do something like that? He had a lot of nerve to even suggest that she might turn into an animal... She found herself thinking the same things he had, the same things he had told her he didn't like to consider, and she felt pretty... awful. Nabiki shook her head.
Kuno refused to let things go that easily though. He separated from her, taking her hands in his own. He pulled her gently toward the house. "It won't be so bad. You'll see." He tugged on her hands and she took a reluctant step forward. "Would this help?"
Nabiki watched him start to change, and quickly shook her head. That definitely didn't help at all.
Kicking it into reverse, Kuno resumed his fully human appearance. "You might even find it enjoyable." He tried to appear reassuring.
"Do you?" Nabiki asked, taking another step.
"Sometimes. There are things I find far more pleasing..."
"I bet." Nabiki took another step forward.
"One of those things is you."
Nabiki began blushing, which made her feel stupid. She knew how she must have looked, but she didn't know why she was blushing. "I can't. I don't want to." Why did her voice sound so weak? 'Because you...'
"You can not deny it forever. I am very sorry for putting you through this, but it can not be undone. So now I simply wish to help you adjust to the inevitable." His smile grew a little firmer.
'I bet that's not all,' Nabiki thought. Still, he felt really nice against her, and he smelled incredible, and what could it hurt? 'And what the hell am I thinking?' But she was taking regular steps now, allowing Kuno to lead her to the house.
He led Nabiki inside and to his room. "It may be uncomfortable at first, but it will get easier." Kuno dropped to his knees in front of her and began to undress her slowly.
It was Nabiki's turn to fight the insecurity and questions. The fact that her clothes were being removed didn't even register to her brain. What was she doing? Why was she doing it? What was happening to her?
Kuno ran his hands up Nabiki's nude body. She was looking at him, but she wasn't really seeing him. Maybe he had pushed too hard. Maybe he should have just let her be... But she was so close, just on the edge, and he didn't think there would be anything better than sharing his existence with her if they were both wolves.
Kuno barely fought down the maddening desire to change. "I... I need you."
What the hell was he going on about? He sounded half insane. Half insane, but inviting. Nabiki could hear the quiet noises he was making, probably subconsciously, but she was definitely starting to respond to them. 'I don't want to do this. I really don't want to do this,' she repeated to herself, closing her eyes.
Then Kuno held her face in his hands and kissed her deeply, drowning out all her thoughts with the pure assault on her senses. The smell, the sound, the feel, the taste...
Kuno pulled away and Nabiki felt a strange sensation in her hands and feet. It was a kind of tingling, like a low electric current, almost a buzzing. And she was suddenly cold... Looking at Kuno confusedly, seeing the sparkle in his eyes, Nabiki shook her head. "I can't..."
Then her own experience with the pain of change began and there were no words left to say.
Kuno watched Nabiki with a satisfied smile on his face. It faltered somewhat when he heard her cries, but he made no move to assist her.
He winced a bit when it came to Nabiki's head. That was always the most uncomfortable part for him. It was just such a massive change that it didn't get a whole lot easier. But, looking at Nabiki's new form, the results were very impressive and well worth the trouble.
"Nabiki, please stand up." This would be the test.
Opening her eyes, Nabiki got slowly to her feet, wobbling slightly. She was not used to making the rapid physical adjustments that martial artists dealt with and had to hold on to Kuno to keep her balance.
Everything was so strange now. Things looked... smaller. In fact, she was looking down at Kuno. And everything was in black and white. That was the most disconcerting thing of all.
"How do you feel?" Kuno asked, trying not to get knocked over.
Nabiki looked at Kuno and growled. She cuffed him and ended up knocking him to the floor with a bloody gash on his forehead. Feeling somewhat satisfied and a little surprised at her strength, Nabiki looked in the mirror Kuno had replaced. All she could do was stare.
Oh God, that wasn't really her, was it? Yet, when she blinked, the piercing red eyes blinked too. She lifted her hand and placed it against the mirror's surface. Why did things have to happen this way? The truth was, things didn't have to be like this. Nabiki's anger started to grow. But if things hadn't gone the path they did, then she'd be dead, and she didn't want to be dead.
"Are you upset about this?" Kuno asked, getting to his feet, touching his forehead gingerly.
Nabiki glared at him, still very upset about it, even if it had been the only choice at the time. She was about to yell, really wanting to ream Kuno out, but the most threatening noise she could muster was a deep growling. Instead of the verbal, Nabiki turned to the physical. She grabbed the front of Kuno's shirt, lifted him into the air and unceremoniously flung him across the room.
Kuno slammed against the wall and slumped to the floor. That was enough of her attitude in one day for him. He had given her fair warning before, and now it seemed he would have to go through with his threats. Not that he minded. Kuno stood, removing his shirt as he rose.
When he saw Nabiki staring in the mirror again, he could imagine what she was thinking. She hadn't had time to acclimate herself to her 'condition' the way he had, so of course she would be upset. Eventually she would come to see the beauty in her form the way he did. Wolf or man, it made no difference. She really was irresistible.
Kuno tossed his shirt aside and changed, keeping his eyes locked on Nabiki. She would learn very quickly that the dominant male was not to be toyed with. Though, once he changed, he couldn't keep his hormones from going berserk. She was what he had been waiting for, and she was all his.
His change seemed to cool her fire a little as she turned and saw him. Nabiki put her back to the dresser, her tail whipping back and forth subconsciously. He was definitely a threat, but not really... She lifted her hands in a weak gesture of self-defense.
Kuno stalked toward her until he was within arm's reach. Instead of making an aggressive move, he looked from Nabiki's face down to her stomach. In her current state, it seemed to be slightly swollen, which was strange that she should be showing so soon. He put his hand on her stomach, ignoring the snarl on her face.
Kuno imagined he could actually feel it... two of them... He closed his eyes. A male... and female. Then his hand was knocked away and he snapped his eyes open. Why was Nabiki so uncooperative all of a sudden? Kuno was trying his hardest not to get upset.
He stepped closer, grabbing hold of Nabiki's wrists, feeling her strength that was present, and forced them behind her back. Instead of returning her snarls, he leaned down and nuzzled her neck, pinning Nabiki's body against the dresser.
The snarl was the only way Nabiki knew how to express her displeasure with the entire situation. What she really wanted to do was hit something, or someone. She just wasn't feeling well as a whole, and Kuno wasn't helping in the least.
Nabiki growled and struggled against Kuno, but he wasn't giving her any space. As he lowered his head and gently nuzzled her, Nabiki bit down on the thick, loose skin around his neck. It wasn't enough to draw blood, but it was enough to get his attention.
Letting out a strange gurgling yelp, Kuno pushed away from her. Then he did snarl. Apparently, Nabiki didn't give a damn about being treated with kindness and gentleness. That was fine, he could play her game too.
Nabiki watched Kuno snarl at her, then he dropped down on all fours and inched toward her. While standing upright, Kuno looked a bit slow and lumbering, but when he was down... He moved like a true animal. He was powerful and graceful, a beautiful and deadly, living machine. And he was making his way toward her.
***
"This is nuts! I didn't do nothin'!" Ranma was yelling loudly, but also keeping himself carefully guarded. He didn't need to say the wrong thing now. A single drop of sweat rolled down the side of his face. "Tell the truth." Slowly, the pig-tailed young man would break down and tell what had happened. "I... I am." Ranma swallowed. "N... nothin' happened," he said with less conviction this time.
"I won't tell anyone. I just want to know the truth. You won't be in any trouble. Just tell the truth."
Ranma felt the pressure coming down quickly. "I... I... I can't do it anymore!" He threw his hands in the air. "Yeah, I did it. I just couldn't help myself."
"That's perfectly fine, Ranma. I'm happy to hear it," Kasumi said, smiling gently.
"She was smilin' and... and... Argh!" Ranma suddenly looked like a trapped animal. "You won't tell Pop what I said, will ya?" he asked desperately.
"No. I'm just happy to see you two getting along better." Kasumi stood up and smoothed her apron. She opened the door before saying, "Good luck, Ranma. You've made Akane very happy."
Ranma sighed dejectedly, as if he had just donated both his arms to science. "If Pop hears about this..."
"What's with you?" Nabiki asked a widely smiling Akane.
"Oh... nothing," Akane answered dreamily.
"Sure. Now why don't you just tell me what Ranma said?"
"Ranma didn't... say anything." Akane was a bad liar.
"Right. Did he tell you he loved you?"
"No!"
"Did you tell him you loved him?"
"No!"
"Why not?"
"What? I don't love that... that..."
"Macho pervert? He called you cute, didn't he?"
Akane didn't answer.
"Why don't you just admit it? It would make everyone's life much easier."
"Me? What about you?" Akane asked, quickly changing the subject away from herself.
"What about me?"
"You know. You and Kuno-sempai."
Nabiki's face automatically assumed a neutral mask. "Yeah. So?"
"Don't you l..."
"No."
"But you..."
"That has nothing to do with love."
"Don't tell me you're doing it just to get his money."
"I would never sink that low. I wouldn't need to."
"Then why..."
"Look, Akane, you wouldn't understand, so just don't worry about it. One day I'll explain, but not now."
Akane's voice got very quiet. "Am I going to be an aunt or..."
"Where did you hear that?" Nabiki asked darkly, her eyes narrowed.
"I heard Kasumi and Dr. Tofu talking. I didn't really believe it, but now..." Akane almost felt betrayed that no one had told her.
"Does Dad know?" Nabiki asked worriedly. She knew she'd be able to handle him, but still.
Akane shook her head. "Kasumi and Dr. Tofu didn't know I was there. They don't know that I know."
"Oh. Well... yeah, I guess you might be," Nabiki said quietly.
"Might be? Either I am or I'm not."
"I haven't decided yet." Nabiki's words were barely audible.
"You... don't mean..."
"Look, it's a long story. They might not be... right."
Akane moved to sit closer to Nabiki. "Why don't you tell me what happened then?"
Nabiki shook her head slowly. Akane was just so naive. "You just wouldn't..."
"Understand? It sounds like you don't really understand either. Why don't you just tell me? It might make you feel better." Akane smiled reassuringly. "Does it have something to do with what Kuno-sempai did to you?" she added quietly.
Nabiki looked at Akane with surprise. Maybe she would understand...
***
Kuno looked at his sister. "You're sure nothing will happen to her?" he asked worriedly.
"Of course not, sir. I'll watch over her all the time I'm here." The nurse was appropriately respectful and solemn.
"Good. Then I shall retire for the evening." Retiring for the evening at six o'clock, like he was some old man. He left the nurse and went back to his room. The woman would do well enough with his sister, he was confident.
He considered his encounter with Nabiki. It hasn't gone over well at all. She had only gotten more angry with him, and once again, she refused to see him...
***
Nabiki stared up, looking into the darkness. That incident with Kuno... That had been upsetting. He had been able to get any response out of her he had wanted. And then he had easily overpowered her, taking his liberties with her unfamiliar body...
Actually, she hadn't minded the liberty-taking. They had... fit very well together, and it had been enjoyable, but... After. The change back. It had been horrible, more painful than the change to a wolf. And her stomach had felt like someone had driven a white hot spear through it.
The remembrance of that pain made Nabiki roll over and curl up. It was definitely something she didn't want to experience ever again. And damn it, that made her feel guilty for several reasons. First and foremost, what made her feel the worst, was that she had poked and prodded, and made him change whenever she wanted him to. Also, the fact that actually being in that wolf's body (her body) had been enjoyable... The strength and power... It had been more than just enjoyable.
Nabiki shivered pleasantly. The simple memory of the way she had felt was enough to get her excited. A breeze ruffled her curtains, bringing with it a faint, faraway howling. There was also the wonderful scent of...
Nabiki closed her eyes and shook her head. If only she could close her ears and nose as well. The howling continued, softly, but steadily, as if Kuno was making sure she knew he was there. She just wanted him to shut up so she could get some sleep. Or did she? It was getting hard to figure out exactly what she wanted any longer.
And then the howling stopped, leaving only the chirping of the crickets to make their noise. Nabiki tried to sleep, but found herself much too restless. She got out of bed and paced silently around her room. She wasn't happy, she shouldn't be feeling like this, shouldn't be so troubled over the whole situation.
Nabiki went to her window and looked out, her eyes gazing wistfully at the sky. Why? It was someplace new, away from everything... Maybe that was it, the appeal. Nabiki got the urge to run off and leave everything behind suddenly. Before she knew what she was doing, she was sitting in the window with her feet hanging outside. She took one deep breath and pushed herself away from her perch.
The sensation of free-fall was amazing, if short-lived. And then the landing, which Nabiki expected to be jarring, was just as if she had hopped out of bed. The wet grass was cold on her bare feet, but it didn't matter to her; only being outside, being free mattered.
Kuno sat out in the yard, howling quietly. At least, more quietly than normal. He would make her respond to him eventually, damn it. She couldn't ignore him forever, he wouldn't allow her to.
It was all so frustrating. He had really wanted to be cured (or had he?) and he really only wanted what was best for everyone. It had worked out half way, but more problems had ensued. Now he was in a worse predicament than before.
Maybe, as a peace offering, he could find a cure for Nabiki, by himself this time. She didn't seem to like turning into a wolf at all, even if she knew all about it from him. That was fine. He could cope with her not wanting to deal with the change like that, but she hadn't mentioned anything about the babies... His babies. His son and his daughter...
The fact that she could even consider... killing them... It didn't matter if she didn't want them because he would take care of them as best he could, but he could not allow them to be killed. That meant he had to watch Nabiki closely, and that would be a lot easier if she would actually consent to see him. Which meant finding a cure and keeping his eye on her at the same time.
Where to begin though? Sure, Gosunkugi had cured Kasumi, but that had obviously been magic. Kuno had no magic, no special powers to speak of... But hadn't they determined (or at least in his mind, assumed) that Gosunkugi had somehow infected Kasumi? That wasn't magic completely because Kasumi hadn't had any sort of contact with Gosunkugi. So whatever he had used, maybe he had a way to counter it. A pill or potion... something, anything at all.
So that was that. He would go over to the Gosunkugi home, sneak in and ransack the monster's room. In fact, with the very barest of crescent moon out, that night would do almost perfectly. He didn't really like running through the neighborhood in his condition, but this night, it couldn't be helped.
The house was dark when he arrived. Not surprising really since it was a little past midnight. As Kuno snuck up to the side of the modest home, he carefully peered into a window. The sudden smell coming from inside was awful, even through the closed window. Something was rotting inside. Kuno tried the window, and finding it unlocked, lifted it the rest of the way. The stink of decay came at him in waves; he could only imagine what it was.
Kuno climbed through the window and into the house. It took a moment to locate Gosunkugi's scent through the stink, but when he did, he followed it straight to his room. The interior of the house that Kuno saw was rather nondescript, with plain walls and very few decorations.
Arriving at the door to Gosunkugi's room, Kuno carefully opened it with just the tips of his claws, as if he was afraid it might bite him. The door slid open easily, however, revealing the blackness of the room behind it. Not seeing anything threatening, Kuno entered the room and shut the door behind himself.
Fumbling for a light switch and eventually finding it, Kuno turned on the overhead light, illuminating the room. Squinting, he looked around the mess at the various books and candles. Nothing that he could tell offhand that might be what he was looking for, but there was still the closet, a set of drawers, and a desk to look through. Kuno wasn't sure he wanted to mess with the books on the shelves.
Rifling through the desk, Kuno found nothing. Then through the drawers, and finding nothing, Kuno opened the closet. He shrank back from the sight. Propped up in the closet were two decomposing bodies. A man and a woman Kuno figured to be the parents. Even they hadn't know the truth about their son until it was too late.
Kuno shook his head and searched around the bodies, but still couldn't find anything. He closed the closet door and exhaled heavily. Nothing. His eyes were drawn to the books on the shelves. Maybe it was one of those... It couldn't hurt to browse at least. Then if he happened to see something, all the better.
Running his finger along the spines of one row of books, Kuno saw nothing that looked of any interest. The next row was just as uninteresting as the first one. For the most part, they looked like books available at any store. The silly titles and faux gold embossing were dead giveaways. Suddenly, Kuno ran his hand along the top of the bookcase, knocking all the candles there to the floor.
So far, it had turned out to be completely pointless to search the room, to even be there. What could he possibly accomplish on his own when he had seen what happened to Gosunkugi. Gosunkugi had tried it on his own and ended up a... a monster. Kuno brought his fist down on the shelves in frustration, doing a pretty good job of breaking the top in two.
That was when the book caught his eye. Looking down between the split board, Kuno could see a book tucked behind all the others. This one looked quite different from all the others though. He pulled out the other books, dropping them to the floor. Apparently, this was a book Gosunkugi had been eager to keep from prying eyes.
Kuno pulled out the mysterious volume and looked at it curiously. The cover was made out of some sort of hide, though it was ashen gray in color. There wasn't any sort of writing or print on it, no indication of any sort of title. It was just plain gray.
He opened it slowly, as if it might be a demonic pop-up book, holding it away from his body. The only thing that came from the open pages was a puff of dust. Deadly flames weren't going to shoot from the pages or anything. Kuno looked at the book and tried to decipher the strange writing. The foreign language covered every inch of each page where there weren't any illustrations.
Flipping past each page, it was all gibberish to Kuno. The book could hold the secrets of the universe, but it wouldn't matter. He was about to toss the book away with the others when an illustration grabbed his attention. It was a picture of a man in front of a portal, a mass connecting the man to the portal. Kuno turned the page and almost dropped the book. There was a picture of him! Well, sort of. Not really him, but of a wolf creature like him.
The other page had a series of drawings that looked to be some sort of notes. There were drawings of what looked like cells, labeled with increasing amounts of gibberish. Kuno turned the page to see a drawing of a human skeleton and nervous system. There were dots on various points of the body and extensive amounts of writing. And on the facing page was the same drawing, but not of a human. It was a wolf creature.
Being able to see the differences in the bone structure made Kuno's entire body ache. To think he went through those changes every time...
But this was obviously how Gosunkugi had been able to cure Kasumi. Maybe it was even how he infected her. So maybe Kuno couldn't read the book, but he was betting that he could find someone who could. Kuno closed the book and was about to leave when he noticed something very odd.
Reflecting in the mirror, there seemed to be a tiny patch of... blankness. Not blackness, merely blankness. A spot about the size of an American quarter where nothing was reflected. It was just a shiny spot in the mirror. A reflective surface being mirrored on a reflective surface...
Facing the mirror, the blank spot was in the middle of Kuno's chest. The concept was mind-boggling. How was that spot there, or not there? Kuno approached the mirror, his eyes on the blank spot. He touched the mirror, feeling the cool, flat surface beneath his hand. Just what the hell was that spot?
Kuno looked down at his chest. No hole there. He waved his hand through the air in front of him. No hole there either. No hole in the mirror... Completely unnerved, Kuno backed quickly from the room, turning the lights off and closing the door.
He left the house the same way he had entered, clutching the book tightly in his hand. He planned on heading home for the night and getting to work on the book in the morning.
Nabiki wandered through Nerima in the darkness. She wasn't sure why she had the desire to be outside in the middle of the night, but she just couldn't stay cooped up inside. She had to continually fight the internal urge to change, the memory of the pain she had experienced helping her.
Why had this all happened? It seemed to be a question Nabiki asked herself all the time, though she never got an answer. She found herself walking through an area she didn't recognize too well and sighed. Figures she'd manage to pull a Ryoga Hibiki in the middle of the night, wearing only her pajamas. "Damn it," Nabiki swore softly.
She looked around and started in the opposite direction she was facing. 'Hold on a minute,' Nabiki thought. 'This shouldn't be so difficult. I'm just not using my asse... abilities.' If Kuno could use them to his advantage, then so could she. How she was supposed to do it though, she didn't know. Nabiki didn't even know what to expect, but it was as good a time as any to try.
Standing still, Nabiki was about to kick herself for feeling like a complete moron when she suddenly smelled something familiar, however faint. It wasn't home, but it was good enough.
What was she doing out? She was supposed to be in bed, yet she was heading toward him. Holding the book tightly, Kuno decided to meet her half-way and see what the problem was. 'What is she doing?' he thought as he tracked her.
If she had started to act out of control like Kasumi did... That was a guarantee for trouble. Apparently, it was up to him to reign her in since none of her family seemed to be able to. Not surprising really. No one had been able to before except Kasumi, but he'd bet his tail that Nabiki wouldn't listen to Kasumi in the least.
As Nabiki walked, it seemed that the entire night was crowding in on her. From every side there was noise... a lot of it. Just the wind through the trees seemed like it was incredibly loud. Passing by a darkened alley, Nabiki looked down it and could see all the night denizens moving. Even worse was that she could smell them.
Staggering a little, Nabiki leaned against a post office box and panted. When had she gotten so winded? She swallowed, her mouth and throat feeling incredibly dry. Sliding down, Nabiki sat roughly on the ground, her entire body trembling.
Nabiki brought a shaking hand to her forehead and felt the sweat pouring off her. "Oh no you don't..." It was a stealthy bastard, sneaking up on her just when she wasn't expecting it. She tried to fight back the sick feeling in her stomach, tried to fight back the inevitable.
But at one point, hadn't she told Kuno that he only changed because he wanted to? Well right now, she most definitely did not want to change. That didn't seem to stop the way she felt though. Maybe, just maybe, a part of her did want it.
'Yeah, right. It was so much fun, I just had to do it again,' Nabiki thought, letting out a low moan.
The scent was intensifying, but not in the manner Kuno was used to. Of course, as you move closer to something the scent will get stronger, but this was getting much stronger, much faster than it should have been. He knew he was close, but he didn't know why the smell was stronger than if he was standing right next to Nabiki.
It wasn't fear, that much he could tell, so he knew she wasn't in any trouble. His ears picked up a faint moan that was unmistakably Nabiki's, and Kuno started running like his life depended on it.
Kuno had said it was his head that bothered him the most. It was obvious that he had never been pregnant when he changed or he would have said it was his stomach, the entire area, that bothered him most. Nabiki could just imagine that what she was feeling was a pretty good simulation of giving birth.
She had her eyes closed tightly, holding on to anything within her reach. "It'll get better eventually... It will..." she said, trying to get her mind away from the pain. It basically felt like someone was using a bulldozer to rearrange all her intestines, but kept hitting a rock that refused to move.
"You little brats cooperate before I explode," Nabiki said half joking. She knew she wouldn't explode, but she was sure it was the Talbot twins that were giving her so much trouble. Still, the pain was too much.
"Come on, kids, give me a break. You're not making this any easier," Nabiki said, feeling close to passing out.
The creepy thing was that they seemed to understand, if not her words, then her desire, and the intense pain in her abdomen suddenly ended. That meant the rest of the change proceeded as smoothly as could be expected.
No wonder the scent had been so potent. As Kuno arrived, Nabiki was just struggling to her feet. She looked like she was in pain and disoriented. One of her hands was on the post office box while the other was on her stomach. Somewhat comically, she had managed to retain her pajamas, though they were ridiculously stretched.
Kuno walked up to her slowly and put his hand on her shoulder. It was almost possible to feel the surrender in her. She had gotten things she'd never asked for, never wanted, yet was forced to deal with them. Forced to deal with such life-changing events a day after recovering from death itself. Kuno whined, squeezing Nabiki's shoulder and leaned his head in, licking her ear.
Not used to the show of affection in that manner, Nabiki jerked away, though she couldn't manage any show of anger, she felt so drained. And, really, being angry was getting very tiresome. It always made her stomach queasy and gave her a throbbing headache, as if it was her body's way of disagreeing with her mind.
Maybe it was time to just put it all aside and come out and say it. She was afraid and she didn't know how to deal with anything she was supposed to anymore. Sure, Kuno would understand, and so would her family, but did she really want to admit it? "Kuno-chan," Nabiki tried to say.
The strange combination of sounds surprised her, but Kuno seemed to know exactly what she was trying to say. He grunted and tried to lead her away back to his house or her house, any place but in the middle of a neighborhood, under the lights.
Unfortunately, it didn't seem that Nabiki was quite up to walking all the way to either home. Her steps were unsteady and it was plain to see that she didn't have complete control over her alternate form, let alone was she comfortable with it. It was his doing so he would take responsibility for Nabiki's safety and well-being.
Kuno lifted her, feeling the added weight of her form. Yes, she was heavier, but at the same time he could feel her heartbeat and her deep breathing, finding it very pleasant. He looked down at her covered stomach and sighed happily. If anything, Kuno hoped Nabiki could adjust to make everything easier during the birth.
The idea thrilled him, but also worried endlessly. He didn't know anything about childbirth. What if something went wrong and... and something awful happened? What if one of them were to die? The thought made him sick to his stomach.
Kuno hid in some deep shadow as a single person turned a corner and walked toward them. He held completely still as the person crossed the street and went to the door of a house. Only when the person was inside and the lights were out did Kuno relax. He hated being forced to hide in the shadows, always wondering whether he had been seen or not. Always wondering if he would end up reading about about himself in the next day's paper, the horrible monster someone had spotted... And now Nabiki had to worry about it too. And he had to worry about her.