The Bargain

When Nabiki got to school on Monday, she saw people milling about. People would glance at her and laugh. “So Nabiki, do you know who the father is?” one girl taunted.

“What?” she asked confused, her face was flaming.

The girl just giggled to her friend and they left snickering.

Even more confused, she arrived at the school itself to find people distributing fliers. She heard a muffled giggle and everyone looked on expectantly while she reached for a flier with a nerveless hand. She read it, and then allowed it to drop to the ground. It read: ‘The So-Called Ice Princess is a Secret Slut; Nabiki Tendo is Pregnant!” She could feel the colour drain from her face, to have her biggest secret exposed before so many people. “Who would do this to me?’ she questioned while everyone started taunting her. All she could do was stand there and take it as she looked from one cruelly laughing face to the next.

Tatewaki

Tatewaki was slowly walking to school, when one of his Kendo club members, Joben came racing towards him. “Hot news Kuno-kun, Nabiki Tendo’s knocked up!” he said holding a flier towards him. Tatewaki read it and could feel his heart start to race. He crushed it in his hand and demanded, “has Nabiki seen these yet?”

The boy wasn’t sure why Kuno seemed so mad, but said “she just got to school, when I left everyone was making fun of her. It does stand to reason when you think about how many people she blackmailed, now it’s payback time” Joben said.

In his anger, Kuno fisted Joben’s shirt and stared directly into his eyes. “Go find her sister Akane and ask her to come to the nurse’s office” he demanded, it was not a request. One look into those rage filled eyes convinced Joben to obey Tatewaki and he scurried off in pursuit of her.

Nabiki

Nabiki started backing away from their cruelty, only to bump into a solid body. She turned around to see Tatewaki standing behind her, he looked furious. “Kuno….” She began in a small voice, but he cut her off.

“If Nabiki Tendo is pregnant, than I am the father. You will cease your ill treatment of her immediately or answer to me.” He yelled to the crowd at large.

“And me” said Ranma, who joined him on Nabiki’s other side. Nabiki opened her mouth to speak, but Tatewaki just swept her up bridal style and carried her into the nurse’s office. He needed to get her away from prying eyes so that she could pull herself together and they could talk. Tatewaki placed her on the futon while Ranma guarded the door. Noticing she was shivering, he got a blanket and put it around her. He chaffed her wrists and got her a glass of water. “You’re in shock,” he said gently.

Nabiki looked up at him questioningly, but saw nothing but concern “Tatewaki, I didn’t mean for this to happen” she said sadly.

“I believe you,” he said pulling her into a hug, offering her comfort and understanding. She accepted his embrace, grateful for his support at her time of need.

“You’re scared? You don’t have to be, I will support you in any decision that you make” he said holding her closer, needing her to believe that he was there for her.

“I thought about having an abortion,” she said.

She was surprised when he pulled away and gripped her shoulders “Nabiki, please don’t kill our child! I’ll take it and raise it myself, from the minute it’s born, if you don’t want it. I’ll look after you both and you can visit anytime you want if you don’t really want to be a full-time parent, but still want to be involved.” he said urgently.

“But why?’ she asked miserably.

He allowed her to see the most vulnerable side of him “I want to have this child, this will probably only chance I get to be a father. Call me pathetic if you will; but don’t deny me this. How much money do you want for our baby Nabiki Tendo?” he challenged.

“It’s not for sale,” she said sadly. Wondering why he just wanted the baby and not her.

“Then what do you want? I will give you anything, but please don’t abort our child” he said in a pain filled voice.

“But I don’t understand why you would want to be saddled down with a baby so early in life”

“Nabiki, I have virtually no family left to speak of and no one to give my love to. I would hire a nanny to help me and our child would want for nothing,” he promised.

“But what about me?” she asked. All the feelings she was repressing for him came flooding to the surface and she gently stroked his cheek. Seeing him looking at her with such concern made her realize how much she’d missed him. She couldn’t imagine having the baby without him in her life as its father; suddenly her future spent with such a noble man didn’t look so dim.

“Nabiki?” Tatewaki said in confusion as she touched him so gently and bestowed a tender smile to him. He drew in a breath and his pulse started to race when Nabiki leaned forward to kiss him, instinctively he move his lips to meet her own.

Just then Akane burst into the room, halting their kiss. Causing Ranma to charge towards her, then stop when he realized who it was. “What’s this about my sister being pregnant?” she demanded. “Which loathsome pervert took advantage of you?” she cried to Nabiki, her eyes snapping with anger. She stopped short with shock to see Nabiki in the embrace of Tatewaki. “Kuno! No it can’t be!” she said, shaking her head in denial.

Tatewaki looked at Akane “yes, I am the loathsome pervert. But I assure you, that I never took advantage of her in any way that she didn’t wish to be”

“But Nabiki why him?” asked Akane.

“Just because” was all Nabiki answered, no longer afraid as the secret was out, so she didn’t have to hide it anymore.

Ranma drew Akane outside the door to speak with her “Akane they need to talk” he said, leaning the startled girl against a wall.

She looked at him suspiciously “you knew?”

“I suspected, I only found out for sure about a week ago. It could be a lot worse. He’s a decent guy, who can afford to look after them both. Besides he loves her and I doubt that she’s indifferent to him as she would like to be” he explained.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked.

“It wasn’t my place to tell” Ranma explained. “It was theirs,” he said indicating the closed door.

“Kuno Baby, how do you know I didn’t let this happen on purpose because I’m a gold digger?” Nabiki asked sadly, knowing that some people were going to think that. She watched in surprise when he started laughing. “What’s so funny?” she demanded.

“Nabiki, you already got a considerable chunk of my money by selling me pervy photos. Blackmail and extortion are your style, not gold digging. Just think, you literally screwed yourself out of your best customer. Gold diggers don’t do that. They also don’t reject rich men when they admit their unwanted feelings of love; they take advantage of that fact and feign it back”

Nabiki laughed too, “but what shall I do?” she asked him.

“We’ll figure it out together,” he promised.

“My father isn’t going to like this” Nabiki said cautiously.

“Then come on, no time like the present to tell him. We’ll do it together” he said holding out his hand to her.

She went pale “right now?”

“Might as well get it over with, his decision is going to effect ours” Tatewaki answered. Flanked by Ranma and Akane, Tatewaki held Nabiki’s hand as they walked towards the Tendo residence, his eyes glaring a challenge to all those who watched their progress.

"Besides," he said "I can't let a fair maiden face adversity alone" he said with a twinkle in his eyes.

"Don't start that again" Nabiki said with a groan, but gave the poetically waxing boy's hand a squeeze.

“Principal Kuno” said Ms. Tanaka, his secretary. “There’s a ruckus going on in front of the school, and it seems to be about this” she said, handing him a flyer.

“Wahine Nabiki Tendo is pregnant? Do you know who the father is?” he asked her.

She refused to meet his eyes “ I was there when Tatewaki Kuno claimed to be the father of her child. He issued a challenge to any who wished to dispute it” she said grimly.

“Tachi?” he said stunned and then reached up and removed the palm tree from his head, placing it on his desk. Then he wrote a brief letter. “Please give this to the school board, it’s my letter of resignation. I’ve enjoyed working with you” he said, giving her a brief hug. “Could you please do me a favour and order Nabiki a maternity school uniform in her size and have it delivered to her house? Bill me for it” he requested.

She nodded, “but where will you go Principal Kuno?” she asked.

“Home, my family needs me,” said the suddenly serious Principal.

On his way back to his small rental apartment, he stopped by his dead wife’s grave. “Saruka, I abandoned our children because I couldn’t handle life without you when you died. I….haven’t been myself for a while, but promise you that I shall make this right before our grandchild is born” he said and briefly touched his wife’s headstone. Despite the fact it was a cool day, the headstone was warm, as if she was giving him her comforting support.

He walked home to his small apartment and gazed at his artifacts of Hawaii. He remembered arriving there and discovering a different sort of lifestyle. People living slowly and easily, free of all responsibility. Their lives comprised of surfing, eating food they caught and sleeping to the sound of the waves. He realized that this was what he wanted. Not watching his beautiful beloved wife die, her body being slowly devoured from within by cancer, despite her brave smile. Free of the beautiful children, who’s pleading dark eyes, so like their mother’s, begged for answers and guidance.

Embracing the whole new exciting culture and becoming one with it; he had jumped into the blue, blue ocean still clad in his business suit. Only to emerge reborn on the obsidian sand as a whole other person, free of all responsibilities in the word. He lived there for years, as free as a bird, yet something drew him back. So he took a job he didn’t need to see his son everyday, who refused to acknowledge him. To see his daughter, who accepted him without question. To see how bent and warped they had both become personality wise from his act of selfishness. Yet he couldn’t go back to that life, it wasn’t who he was anymore.

He pulled out a garbage bag and began filling it with the posters, the statues, and his Hawaiian shirts; these he threw into the dumpster along with his surfboard. He left a note for his landlord, giving him notice that he was never returning and pulled out the final item from his closet; his business suit. He donned it for the first time in years and headed towards the mansion.

He took out his keys and let himself in to the house he had abandoned, to resume the life he had shunned. “Master Kuno?” gasped Sasuke.

While Kodachi ran into his arms yelling “Daddy!”

He looked at them both “I’m home,” he said with authority in his voice.