Disclaimer:  All characters portrayed in this story are the property of 
Rumiko Takahashi and co.  Situations and ideas are also taken from A
Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.

This story takes place after volume 38 of the manga and draws ideas from
the anime also.

C & C welcomed.

A Ranma Christmas Carol

by

Donny Cheng

	"Gosunkugi!  Open up our file on Mishima Industries.  I want some
workable figures to present when I meet with the board after the weekend."

	Gosunkugi flinched as Nabiki's voice came out from his desk's
intercom.  She always managed to find a way to disturb him when he had
finally gotten settled in for the day.  "Yes, Ms. Tendo.  Right away,
Ms. Tendo," he answered quickly.  Nabiki always assumed he was slacking
off if he was slow in responding to her commands.  She docked his pay for
the silliest and weakest of reasons.

	Warily he brought Mishima up on his computer screen.  This was the 
part of the job he hated most.  He convinced himself that if it was not 
him doing this, there would be another that would take his place and the 
company would still be bought out.  That only worked some of the time 
and the guilty feeling he got this time was only worsened by the fact 
that Christmas was tomorrow.  The thought of some workers being laid off 
right after the holidays never sat well with him.

	Looking at the file on Mishima reminded Gosunkugi of the other
companies bought and sold by Nabiki.  Relatively new, operations financed
from debt to investors like Nabiki, and all with their stock prices on the
rise.  Many a promising company like this were squashed by her in effort
to make an extra dollar.  Squaring his shoulders, he went to work on the
figures Nabiki wanted, knowing that he would be the one out of a job if he
didn't.  The sound of the door creaking open warned him of a visitor.
Millions of yen in computer and other electronic equipment in the office,
but Nabiki didn't see fit to spend a little extra on maintenance of a
door.

	"Hello, Goskungi-kun!  How are you this fine Christmas eve
morning?" Kasumi asked, brimming with joy and good cheer.

	"Kasumi!  How nice to see you.  I'm doing fine.  Here to see
Nabiki?"

	"Yes.  Did you get your invitation to our Christmas party?  It's
at the same usual place."

	Gosunkugi smiled.  Kasumi always took the time to have a little
chat with him before going to meet her sister.  "Yes, I did.  The wife,
the little one, and I will be there with bells on."

	"Oh, my.  Not literally, I hope," Kasumi teased good-naturedly.
It was nice to see Gosunkugi smiling again.  After his son's sickness, he
had been faced with the loss of a son at any moment.  "How is Ten?"

	Gosunkugi kept smiling but his eyes lost some of the previous
sparkle.  "He's getting better. He's out of the wheelchair now and uses a
cane to get around.  The Christmas party is something he's been looking
forward to since December came along."  His son.  Always smiling, always
happy, even in the face of all these hardships.  

	Kasumi was about to comfort him, when she noticed Nabiki stepping
out of the office.  "Good morning, Nabiki."

	Nabiki looked up from the folder her nose had been buried in.
"Sister," she acknowledged, giving her sister a curt nod.  "Gosunkugi, have
you already finished that file?  You must have, if you have the time for
idle chat."

	Kasumi frowned slightly as Gosunkugi paled and went back to work.
She gave her sister a stern look, but it fell from her face when she saw
Nabiki's face without the large folder in the way.  Nabiki looked much
older than her actual age.  She wore no makeup, her hair was cut at the
same severe short length, and she wore a pair of glasses with frames that
were much too large for her face.  She did not look her thirty years of
age at all.  The face of one that didn't have anyone there to look nice
for.  "Nabiki, will you be coming to this year's party?"

	"No.  I have some work to do.  I will probably work most of
tomorrow, so everything will be ready after the holidays.  Holidays just
before the weekend is the most dumbest concept I've ever heard of.  You
know how much money I'll lose because of it?" Nabiki asked, not really
expecting her sister to actually answer.

	"It's Christmas, Nabiki.  This is the sixth one that you've
missed.  Everyone will be there.  It'll be just like old times," Kasumi
pleaded.  Nabiki really needed to get out before she lost all touch with
the outside world and became an old miser.

	"I know, I know.  I'll make up for it with presents with
everybody, okay?"  She knew a department store owner that owed her big
time for some money she had lent him when he was strapped for cash.  She
usually had him send something to her family every once in awhile like
their birthdays and Christmas as a favor.

	"It's not the same, Nabiki..."  Kasumi's sentence was stopped by
Nabiki's wave of dismissal.

	"Besides, Ranma and Akane wouldn't want me there," Nabiki said
offhandedly before heading back into her office.

	 "Have a merry Christmas," Kasumi called out, but Nabiki just 
ignored her.  Akane was their sister.  She would forgive Nabiki for
anything, Kasumi knew.  Ranma on the on the other hand was a different 
story.  Kasumi sighed and placed a small gift-wrapped package on
Gosunkugi's desk.  She motioned for him to give it to Nabiki when she was
free.

			* * * * *

	"Place it over there," Nabiki said without looking up.  Her sister
still hadn't learned.  Wasting money on presents when there was nothing in
this world that she needed that Kasumi of all people could possibly get
for her.

	"Yes, Ms. Tendo.  Um... Ms. Tendo, I wanted to ask you something,"
Gosunkugi fought to keep his voice from stuttering.  He always hated
asking Nabiki for small favors.  He just hoped that this wouldn't affect
his holiday bonus.  As measly as it was, it was something he had come to
count on in buying little gifts for his friends, his wife, and Ten.

	"I suppose you want the day off for Christmas.  Why anyone would
want to give up overtime to spend an extra few hours at home is beyond me.
You can have the day off.  Just remember to come in extra early the day
after to make up for lost time."

	"Thank you, Ms. Tendo.  Oh, and some local charities phoned again.
They wanted to know how much you are willing to donate this year."

	Nabiki gave Gosunkugi a single level look before going back into
her work.

	Gosunkugi berated himself silently for that slight gaff.  It would
be the same amount, Nabiki always put up.  Nothing.  It didn't hurt to
ask, he always told himself, but each year it was the same silent look of
disbelief on Nabiki's face.  It made him feel like a fool for asking.

	Nabiki grunted as Gosunkugi left her office.  Even though he was
not the most competent of workers, he had been much better than nothing.
It would be a long day tomorrow without him there to help her.  She sighed
and wished not for the first time that Kuno was still alive to share some
of the work load.  Her late business partner, as crazed as he was, was 
very good at making her money.  Too bad he died so early in a freak
incident involving a bokken, one of his personal ninjas, and a watermelon.
It hadn't been a pretty sight.

			* * * * *

	Nabiki groaned as she trudged up the stairs of the mansion.  She
really shouldn't have bought such a large house.  But it had been a
bargain from her late partner Kuno.  The Kunos had bought a new house with
the money she made for them and they gave it to her at such a low price
that she snapped it up hoping to resell it for a profit.  It wasn't until
later she learned that no rich person in their right mind would buy
something once owned by the Kunos, a family not noted for their sanity.

	Finally reaching her room, she walked as fast as her tired body
could carry her to the bed.  It was always especially tiring on her during
the holiday season.  Nobody seemed to want to get any work done.  All she
cared about now was a nice long sleep before she headed back to the office
tomorrow morning.  It would be nice and quiet with everybody gone for the
holidays.

	"Naabiiikii.... Naaabiki... Nabikiii!"

	Nabiki sprang up from her bed.  Did she just hear her name?  The
sound of the window to her room clattering soothed her nerves somewhat.
The day's stress was getting to her.  She dragged herself over to the
window to shut it off.  It was only when she got there she noticed that
the window was already shut.  What made that clattering noise?

	"You infernal woman.  Can you not see me?" Kuno asked, which he
should not have been able so do seeing as how he was supposedly dead and
buried.

	Nabiki whirled around only to see the translucent image of Kuno
standing or rather floating beside her bed.  It was him alright.  No one
else could possibly look so pompous.  He wore the same kendo gi, carried
the same bokken, and had the added accessory of very large chains all
around him.  The fact that everything was in white told of Kuno's ghostly
nature.

	"You look well," Kuno said bowing slightly.

	Nabiki pinched herself and found that it hurt a lot.  Okay, not a
dream.  She laughed nervously.  "Hehehe... You don't look bad yourself.  I
mean, being a ghost and everything.  What's with the chains?"  Nabiki
slowly edged back onto her bed as she continued with the small talk.  She
had a small button  installed on the nightstand. It would alert to police
to trouble.  It wasn't until she reached halfway there that she thought
better of it.  There was no guarantee that the police would even see Kuno
and she would run the risk of being called a crazed lunatic.

	"The chains are my penance.  I am forced to carry the weight of 
my sins for all eternity.  I made my money at the expense of the
peasants, no, the people and showed no regret when I died," Kuno said in a
sad thundering voice that echoed about the large spacious room.  He looked
to see that Nabiki was no longer cowering.  "You are taking this news very 
well."

	"You don't live in Nerima without being prepared for the unknown.
I've seen a few ghosts before," Nabiki said dismissively.  She composed
herself and forced herself to look at Kuno in the eye.  "What are you
doing here?  I gave you a great burial, didn't I?  Even wrote a nice
speech, not going into some things that should be kept secret."

	"Oh, you do not need to fear my wrath.  It is true you have been
good to the Kunos and we do not forget such things.  I have been given
permission to warn you of upcoming events.  Repent your ways, Nabiki.  If
you do not, my fate will become yours."

	"What!?" Nabiki did not like the sound of that.

	"You have been given a chance at redemption because of my asking.
Three spirits will visit you in succession.  One tomorrow night at one.
The second at the same hour the next day.  And the third the next night at
midnight."

	"Wait!  What will happen to me?" Nabiki asked frantically before
Kuno could entirely disappear.

	But Kuno was gone.  Nabiki looked about the room.  It was quiet
again and there was no trace of a ghost ever being here as if it had just
been a dream.  Her nerves were still frayed as she thought over what just
happened.  That combined with the work she put in all day, sapped the
last of her strength and she fell asleep.

			* * * * *

	Nabiki awoke at the sound of the old grandfather clock that stood
at far end of the room.  It was twelve.  She bolted up awake.  She knew
she had fallen asleep late, some time around two, but still ten hours was
a rarity for her.  She reached over and clicked on the lamp that stood on
her nightstand.  It just occured to her that if it was noon, she shouldn't
have needed to do that.  With a sense of dread creeping up into her, she
got off the bed and walked over to the window.  It was still dark out.

	The memories of the previous night came back to her as she sat on
her bed thinking on what was happening.  Three spirits.  One tomorrow, now
today most probably at one nighttime.  Nabiki felt her body go numb as she
looked as the clock hands slowly make their circle about the face.  A 
quarter past twelve, then half past.  All this while her body refused to
function as fear crept into her.  Her last chance Kuno had warned her
before she would share his fate.  Too soon, the hands reached the next
hour.  She almost let out a sigh of relief when nothing happened, but that
was soon dashed as a voice called out.

	"Turn on the T.V," a very loud and annoyed voice called out.

	Not exactly what Nabiki was expecting.  With great care, she went
over ond flipped on the switch.  Two extraordinary blond tanned legs came
out of the screen right after the screen flickered on.  The rest of the
healthy looking body soon followed.

	"You're a spirit?" Nabiki asked, shocked.  She did not expect a
ghost to look so _alive_.

	The woman snorted and shook her long platinum hair covered head.
"No.  HE gave them a day off.  HE does that every few decades.  Anyway, my
sister volunteered us for the job without asking me.  So I'm stuck with
teaching you a lesson."

	Nabiki did not know if she should be relieved or not.  A ghost
might have been better than this obviously irate woman.  "How are you
going to do that?"

	"There isn't anything the Ghost of Christmas Past can do that I,
Urd, Goddess of Love can't.  I'll be taking you on a tour of your life.  I
have to say though, it will not a pretty sight.  Most humans go crazy,
remembering bad incidents and mistakes."

	"What!?" Nabiki asked and backed away.  However, Urd managed to
grab a hold of her hand and suddenly they were gone from her room.

			* * * * *

	Nabiki opened her eyes slowly.  Just moments ago, Urd had taken
her out of the room and into the sky.  Though they didn't seem to be
flying exactly, just floating in one place, it was unnerving nevertheless.
Now, they were back on the ground.  She looked around and was shocked to
see she was back home at the Tendo Dojo.

	"Relax, this isn't the same Dojo as in the present day.  This is
back when you were young," Urd smirked when she saw Nabiki's face pale.

	Nabiki nodded absently, her mind having already deduced that as
she looked around the yard where they were standing.  Beside the rocks of
the koi pond stood a woman that brought a catch to her voice.  "Mother..."

	"She can't hear you by the way.  We're only here to observe."

			* * * * *

	Nabiki looked worriedly at her mother.  "Mommy, are you alright?
You're coughing again."

	"Yes, I'm fine, Nabiki-chan.  Just a little cold," she comforted
her daughter.

	"Okay," Nabiki said, instantly believing her.  She would never
lie.  Nabiki went back to playing with her two sisters, making snow
angels.

	"Oh, my little Nabiki-chan.  I worry about you the most.  Kasumi
is turning out to be a fine young girl and I've taught her everything I
know.  Akane is still young and doesn't know much yet.  You, my lonely
little angel, will have the hardest time."

	Soun came out of the house to stand by his wife.  He had heard
what she just said and would not let her see his tears, he had promised
himself.  Gruffly as he could, he said his words.  "Don't worry about her.
She'll be fine."

	"She looks so lonely.  Every time I pick her up from school, it's
the same thing.  The other kids pick on her for being so much smarter.
Kasumi and Akane both have many friends they can turn to when I'm gone,
but she won't."

	Soun held his wife as she cried into his chest.  "I'll be there
for her.  I'll try my hardest."

			* * * * *

	"Boring!" Urd yawned out.  "Let's get out of here and look at
something else."

	"No!" Nabiki yelled out.  She had to stay longer, just a little
longer.  Urd had already changed the scene, however.

	"Why would you want to stay anyway?  That was not what I would call a happy scene back there," Urd said backing away slightly from the crazed look Nabiki had on her face.

	"I... I don't know," Nabiki said after she thought a moment and
regained her composure. It had been sad, but at the same time wonderful.
She had gotten over her mother's death some time ago and it had felt good
remembering of their past Christmases together.  "I wish I had given that
kid on the street I saw today a dollar at least."

	"What was that?" Urd asked as the scene of the dojo once again
appeared, only this time they were inside it.

	"Never mind," Nabiki muttered, thinking of what she just said.  She
had walked past a little girl begging on the street, claiming to have lost
her parents, and like usual passed on by without stopping.  It never 
bothered her before as she knew that many street urchins lied about that
sort of thing.  Though, now she wondered if it might have been true.

	"Quiet then.  This looks to be a great juicy Christmas."

	Nabiki went to look what had Urd's attention and immediatedly 
regretted it.  It was Ranma in bed with her past self waking him up.  The
first Christmas after Ranma's breakup with her sister.

			* * * * *

	"Cheer up, little brother.  It's not the end of the world.  You're
bringing everyone down," Nabiki said sternly at Ranma.

	"Don't rub it in.  I'm not your brother anymore.  Just leave me
alone," Ranma muttered and buried his head in his pillow.

	"What are you so worked up about?  I thought you two divorced each
other because you both agreed to, didn't you?" Nabiki asked.

	"She wanted it.  I wanted to work it out again," Ranma sniffed.
He cracked an eye open and immediately shut it again.  It was too damned
bright outside.

	"Serves you right for drinking like that last night.  Anyway, you
guys tried dozens of times, remember?  Marriage councilors were starting
to charge double because they thought it was hopeless.  You guys just
weren't right for each other."

	"I don't see why not," Ranma grumbled as he finally gave in and
got up from bed.  Nabiki stood at the foot of his sleeping mat, smirking 
at him.  He cursed his luck silently.  Nabiki was in a teasing mood.

	"Let's face it.  Akane wants to cook, clean, and do all stuff just
like mom used to do.  You stop her every time she tries.  I know she's bad
now, but she'll never get better if you don't let her.  But _no_, Ranma
has to have his breakfast edible and clothes wearable."

	"Hey, it's not like I wanted to do that stuff for her.  It's not
manly," Ranma argued, trying to defend himself.

	"That's the point.  Even when you don't try, you're better than
her at what is supposed to be a wife's duty.  Not that I care for that
stuff myself.  The thing is she found out you didn't need her.  Not for
cooking, cleaning, or helping out with the dojo's classes.  Then you had
to blow a gasket when she wanted to go to university."

	"She would have been gone for four years," Ranma said miffed at
the way Nabiki was saying it was all his fault.

	"Better than gone forever, right?" Nabiki asked, though it wasn't 
really a guestion and more like a confirmation.  "You should have let her
go."

	"I know that now, but that doesn't help anything.  Six months
she's been gone and not a letter home.  I think she's happy without me."

	Ranma looked so pitiful lying there, Nabiki didn't think it was
time to tell him that Akane had found a guy she liked at University.  She
liked him so much so, that she didn't come home with Nabiki for Christmas.
"Come on, let's phone some of your students up.  Daddy told me that you
haven't taught classes for a month and it's bad for business.  No wonder
too.  You're in _bad_ shape," Nabiki added, knowing how to get a rise out
of Ranma.

	"Am not!"

	"Is that a spare tire I see on you?"

	Ranma threw a pillow at Nabiki.

			* * * * *

	"Ooh!  Getting kinky.  I have got to see more of this," Urd smirked as she watched the pair pillow fighting in the middle of the room.

	"It's really not that exciting," Nabiki said quickly.  The smile
that had been on her face a second ago, vanished at Urd's teasing.

	"Oh, come on.  I might as well have some fun on this trip."  Urd
then changed the scene again.  "You two look like a great couple."

	"We're not a couple," Nabiki mumbled as the memories of the past
resurfaced.  "You'll see what I mean."

			* * * * *

	Nabiki put the phone down.  What Kuno suggested sounded
interesting.  Having been in the same business classes, she knew Kuno had
quite a mind for cash despite how he lost so much of it to her during
their high school days.  All she needed was to put up some investment
money and she would have a share in the company Kuno was starting up after
their last year of school was done.  Otherwise, he would still hire her on
as an employee.  That did not sound as appealing as the first option.

	But where could she get the cash.  All the money she had saved up
had went to advancing her education.  She had hoped to find a nice job
and start from scratch again, but this opportunity was too great for her
to miss.

	"What are you doing out here?" Ranma asked as he stepped out
of the dojo.  It was getting noisy in the dojo.  These annual Christmas
parties, while fun, were also tiring on him.  He was never good at being
the host.  He sighed as he thought of the cleaning up he would have to do.  
Mr. Tendo lived with his parents in the south now in retirement.  Akane 
had moved out to make things more comfortable for him and to be closer to
her new boyfriend, he suspected.  Kasumi moved in with her husband, Dr.
Tofu.  Nabiki was the only one left that lived in the dojo for the past
year and there was no chance of her helping him with the after party mess.

	An idea came to Nabiki then, while she gave Ranma a thoughtful
look. "Say, Ranma.  You own the dojo, right?  I mean it's in your name."

	"Yeah.  Akane gave me everything after the divorce.  I feel bad
about it, since it was my fault."

	Nabiki rolled her eyes.  The guy Akane was with was well off.
Akane was a highly paid trainer to celebrities even though she was still
going to school.  As long as the dojo kept the name of Tendo in it and
taught the art, Akane was happy to let Ranma have it.  "That's bad to
hear."

	"Why's that?" Ranma asked, not knowing where this conversation was
leading.  With Nabiki he could never be too sure.  She didn't try to scam
him as much these past few years, but still a tiger never lost its 
stripes.

	"Well, you're stuck here.  You can't go anywhere if you're
teaching here.  I hear a student of yours is making an even _bigger_ name
for himself."  Nabiki let made sure to emphasize the word bigger.  When
manipulating Ranma, it was always best to let him come to his own
conclusions.

	"You mean Ryu?  He's not bad.  I didn't exactly teach him much.
He knows more than me in some areas.  I just taught him stuff he didn't
know."

	"I bet the next time he comes back, he's going to _waste_ you,"
Nabiki continued, ignoring Ranma.

	Ranma frowned, "I can still beat him.  I learned a few things
from him too."

	"Oh, wow.  You learn once in awhile, maybe, from some stranger
that happens to come by the dojo.  He finds suped up martial artists every
time he travels.  Next time he shows up, tell me.  I need to set up a
betting pool."

	Ranma stared as Nabiki stood there muttering numbers to herself.  
She didn't look like she was teasing him.  Was she right?  She did have a
point in that Ryu improved faster than Ranma did these days.  He was taken
out of his reverie by the closeness of Nabiki's face.  She was staring
right into him.  She moved his lips to his and kissed him.  "What the
hell was..."

	"Mistletoe," Nabiki said and pointed up above the two of them.

	"I put a mistletoe there every year.  You never did it before,"
Ranma said forcing his hands to stay by his side.  Akane had been the only
girl ever to kiss him.  It was strange having the lips of another girl
touch his.  His lips seemed to itch.

	"Well maybe something made me notice it today," Nabiki said as
demurely as she could.  She then got up and made a big production of
scurrying off back to the dojo.  The more Ranma thought, the easier it
would be to mess up his mind.

	Ranma shook his head clear of all thoughts.  That had been just
too weird.  Could it be that Nabiki had fallen for him?  Though his old
suitors had all left after he had married Akane, he gained more than his
fair share of admirers after it was learned he was single again.  Some of
his marital art classes were almost all women.

	He knew that with his manliness, girls just couldn't stay away.
Maybe the past year of living together alone finally got through to Nabiki
and she now knew what a hunk of male flesh he was.  He frowned, because he
didn't want Nabiki, who still called him brother, to get hurt.  He could
never look at her that way.

			* * * * *

	"That was entertaining.  Sometimes, it pays to be a Goddess.  That
man has got to have the biggest ego ever," Urd said as she read Ranma's
thoughts out loud to Nabiki.

	"I think I knew what he was thinking, thank you.  I did plan it
that way after all."  Nabiki did not feel any pride in that at all, though.

	"I've got to see how this turns out.  You sure know how to get a
man to follow you.  And here I was thinking that you were hopeless.  After
this assignment, I was planning on bringing you two together.  I can see
that you don't need my help," Urd chortled.

	"I think you gotten it all wrong," Nabiki said with a hint of
sadness in her voice.  "Can we skip the next part?"

	"Absolutely not.  Like I said, I want to see this."  Urd was
starting to get interested.  Maybe this wasn't a waste of a Christmas
afterall.

			* * * * *

	"There you go," Ranma said as he signed the papers and handed them
over to Nabiki.  "All yours.  You better take good care of her.  You sure
those instructors you hired know how to use the Tendo school of Anything
Goes?"

	"For the thousandth time, yes," Nabiki said in an exasperated
voice.  "You just have fun on your training mission.  When have I ever
lost money on a business venture?"

	Ranma nodded.  He stretched and felt like a great weight was
lifted off of him.  "It's great to know that the dojo will be in good
hands while I'm gone.  I can't thank you enough, Nabiki.  You really
pulled through for me."

	Nabiki turned away from Ranma, scared to look at him lest she give
something away.  "Yeah, good hands.  You can count on me."

	"What's the matter?" Ranma asked.  Years of living with Nabiki
taught him to notice how she was feeling almost as good as Kasumi could.

	"Nothing, probably the turkey," Nabiki lied.  She needed to be
somewhere else.  Not here, alone with him.  "Don't you think we should
head back in to the dojo?  The party can't go on without the host."

	Ranma shook his head.  "Kasumi can handle it by herself.  It seems
these parties get bigger every year, but she still manages.  Anyway, I
wanted to give you something while we're out here."

	Nabiki bit her lip to keep from saying anything.  The guilt she
felt was suffocating her and her chest hurt badly.  She tentatively
reached out for the gift.  "What is it?"

	"It's nothing," Ranma said, waving his hands in front of him in an
exaggerated motion.  "I never thanked you for being there when Akane left
me and just being an overall good... sister to me.  Yeah, that's it!"

	Nabiki frowned.  If it was really nothing, Ranma would make a big
production of it and claim it was something that had cost him thousands of
dollars.  Saying that it was worthless told her that it was _something_.
Plus, he never called her _sister_.  She opened up the small package and
gasped as a bracelet inlaid with several gems came in to view.  It had to
have cost a small fortune.

	"Ah... heh, so do you like it?" Ranma asked in the most casual
voice he could come up with.  Unfortunately, the wringing of his hands
totally ruined the effect.

	"Thank you," Nabiki said simply, holding herself steadily.  Her
resolve couldn't break now just when she was so close.

	Ranma face fell in disappointment.  She didn't like it.  Not that
he cared really.  He just wanted to thank her.  Maybe she could sell it
off for money.  It did cost a lot.  If she didn't like it, it was fine
with him.  It didn't matter one bit.  Who cared about some stupid, tacky,
little... Ranma was never able to finish his thoughts as Nabiki yanked his
head down and gave him a much different kiss than last year.

	"Mistletoe?" Ranma asked awhile later, dazed.

	"Mistletoe," Nabiki agreed.

			* * * * *

	Urd frowned.  She hated her job.  "That was evil."

	Nabiki shrugged.  Her eyes still on her former self, not looking at Ranma.  She looked much younger back then, even though it was only seven years ago.  She wondered offhandedly if Ranma changed at all.

	Urd checked her records again to confirm what she had read in
Nabiki's mind.  A few button presses on her handheld computer and she was
knew it was true.  "You used your knowledge of him to trick him for a year
of your true intentions with the dojo, managed to make him fall in love
with you, and then dumped him and the dojo.  All for some money?"

	Nabiki nodded.  She watched as her former self led Ranma back to
the dojo to dance the night away.  He hadn't been all that great a dancer, but it had been fun that night.

	"You used the money from the sale of the dojo to open that
business firm with someone else.  Ranma found out about it when he came back a few months later.  He had to go borrow money from your sister Akane and from a bank to buy back the dojo at double the cost.  He still owes the
bank money to this day.  All because he felt it was a slight on his honor to your father and the Tendo family," Urd continued as she read the file on this particular case.  She knew she shoulder have listened to Belldandy and read the mission log before going to see Nabiki.  Couplings gone sour always left a bad taste in her mouth.

	"And neither Ranma nor Akane ever talked to me again," Nabiki
finished for Urd, her voice weak.  She couldn't look at the scene anymore.  "Can we go home now?"

	"No!" Urd yelled.  She was in a foul mood now.  No wonder this
girl was going to one of the damned.  The role of Ghost of Christmas Past
finally forcing its unearthly will on her.  "You need to be taught a
lesson."

	Nabiki watched as the scene changed again.

			* * * * *

	Ranma smiled wanly as he watched the people, party.  The party was
smaller than it had been a year ago.  The dojo had lost a lot of respect
when it had shut down suddenly, earlier in the year.  It had taken a lot
of hard work and Akane's help to get everything back to normal.  He
supposed he really should be grateful as this gave him a chance to get his
and Akane's past differences out of the way.

	He looked at the present that Nabiki had sent.  It was a
nondescript sweater that everyone else had gotten.  Along with it, came a
small note congratulating him on being an owner again.  There had also
been a large sum of cash in it.  The cash he had sent back immediately.
The crumpled up note was in Nabiki's handwriting.  He had dumped it and
the present away a dozen times only to pick them back up again.  He would
later put them both away in a small trunk the attic and every other
Christmas gift Nabiki sent his way.  The money, he always sent back until
Nabiki finally gave up including it.

			* * * * *

	"No more!  Don't show me anymore!" Nabiki screamed at the equally
angry Goddess.

	"I'll show you every Christmas if I have to!" Urd yelled back.  She
calmed down again when Nabiki finally backed down.  "Now then.  It does not
look like all hope is lost.  When this job is done, I'll see if I can patch
things up between the two of you."

	Nabiki shuddered involuntarily as a crazy gleam appeared in Urd's
eye.  "Patch things up?"

	"Obviously, that was what I was sent here to do.  I am the Goddess
of Love, after all!  Hahaha..,"  Urd stopped laughing as she suddenly
noticed that they were back in Nabiki's room.  The clock hands nearing one
again told of the time.  "No, wait!  You can't take me away yet!  I have a
job to do..."

	Nabiki blinked as Urd suddenly disappeared.

	"Hello, merry Christmas," a warm voice greeted.

	Nabiki turned around to catch a glimpse of a woman stepping out of
the the full length mirror in the room.  She couldn't help but notice the
resemblance to her sister Kasumi in voice, personality, and her smile.  "Hello."

	The woman smiled slightly.  "It isn't hard to say, Nabiki.  Merry
Christmas, I'm Belldandy."

	Nabiki found the woman's smile to be infectious and smiled back.
"Merry Christmas, Belldandy."

	Belldandy nodded her approval.  "It seemed you learned a few
things about yourself tonight, if you were able to actually say the
words."

	"Yes, I have.  What will you be teaching me tonight?" Nabiki
asked, resigned to her fate.

	"Take my hand.  We will be taking a tour," Belldandy smiled
reasuringly as she held out her hand.

	Nabiki took the hand that was offered and once again the
surrounding area changed.  A woman stood near the stove cooking up a
storm.  She recognized the woman as Gosunkugi's wife, Sayuri.

			* * * * *

	"Where are those two?" Sayuri wondered aloud.  She dipped her
spoon into the gravy and took a small taste.  It was just the way Ten
liked it.

	"We're home!" Gosunkugi called out.  A small frail looking boy sat
on his shoulder.

	"Mother, we're home," Ten echoed from his perch.

	"Well finally.  Another second longer and I would have started
dinner without you," Sayuri said in mock anger.

	Ten, however, knew better.  Grabbing his cane from his father, he
went over to his mother and gave her a hug.  "Merry Christmas, Mother."

	Sayuri forced herself to remain smiling.  She used the back of her
hand to quickly dab the tears that flowed from her eyes.  "Merry
Christmas, Ten."

	Gosunkugi coughed slightly.  They promised each other that they
would make sure that Ten would have the best possible holiday ever.  There
would be no crying today of all days.  "We brought back the turkey."

	Sayuri put her hand to her mouth in exaggeration.  "You weren't
kidding.  It is big.  We could never have fit it into our small oven."

	"Yep, it's the biggest and best turkey in the world," Ten agreed
solemnly.

	"I promised that I would let you help me cut the turkey this
year," Gosunkugi smiled.

	"Oh, thank you, Father!"  Ten ran as fast as his can could let him
back to his father and gave him another great hug.  "After we're done, are
we going to the party?"

	Sayuri nodded and smiled as a beautiful smile also formed on her
son's face.  "Ranma-sensei said that he will personally reserve three
pieces of Kasumi's wonderful cake."

			* * * * *

	"He's going to die, isn't he?" Nabiki asked.

	"I see a small headstone and many flowers by its side," Belldandy
answered truthfully.

	Nabiki had found that she liked this young boy that never seemed to 
be sad despite everything that was going on.  It was as if he was the 
silver lining that threatened every dark cloud.  He represented all that 
was right in the world, she felt.

	"If the future is not changed, that is what I see.  What does it
matter anyway, it is no concern of you," Belldandy said and then gave
Nabiki a level look.

	Nabiki flinched at the look Belldandy gave her.  It was the same
look she gave Gosunkugi when asked whether or not she would donate any
money this year.

	Belldandy took a hold of Nabiki's hand and the scene changed again.
They went through many more houses just like Gosunkugi's.  Some in good
cheer, some not.  All of them directly related to Nabiki in some way.
Most of them were families from companies like Mishima that Nabiki had
bought out.

	When Nabiki finally could not take it anymore, they arrived at
their destination.  The Tendo Dojo again.

			* * * * *

	"I would like to toast my sister Nabiki," Kasumi said, holding a
glass of egg nog to the guests in the room.  It was only a small gathering
before the real party began.  A gathering of family members that could
make it. She rarely drank anything strong, even on Christmas.

	"What?  No, we are not going to do that," Akane said glaring at
her older sister.  She backed down sheepishly as the thought of who she
was glaring at came to her.  "She doesn't deserve it."

	"Akane," Kasumi chided, "she's our sister."

	"I thought she was rich," Hiro, Akane's husband asked.  "She
surely doesn't need it."

	"What if she is?  She doesn't do anything with it.  Doesn't use it
to help people or to even buy things for herself," Kasumi answered.

	"It's her own doing," Ranma muttered, finally putting his thoughts
on the table.

	Kasumi sighed.  Would Ranma ever forgive Nabiki?  "I pity her.  It
wouldn't hurt her to join us at all.  She could finally be in company that
_cares_ for her.  I don't suppose that money could do the same."

	Akane had the decency the blush as Kasumi's gaze passed by her.

	Ranma ignored everyone and sat with his head down.

	The quietness only last a few moments as soon as the first of the
guests arrived.  Soon, music and good cheer all around filled the room.

			* * * * *

	"Go on," Belldandy urged.  "Join them."

	Nabiki took a step forward before stopping again.  She had
forgotten how happy the place looked during Christmas.  Her eyes wandered
to Kasumi and she laughed as her sister danced with a bumbling Tofu.  One
would think that all that dancing with his skeleton, Betty, would make him
a better dancer.

	She smiled with pride at the woman Akane had become.  She
resembled mother so much now.  Everyone complimented Akane on her cookies
and when she danced she flowed with a grace that denied her ever being
clumsy.

	Nabiki even smiled when she took in the face of Ranma.  A group of
children were teasing him horrendously with buckets of hot and cold water.
Ranma bore all this with a very fake frown.  Even after all these years,
he couldn't act to save his life.

	Soon, she lost herself among the crowd.  Pretending to mingle with
various people about the room that she remembered.  Time seemed to fly and
soon the clock reached midnight.  Nabiki looked around her and she was
back in her room again.  Belldandy was gone.

	She waited as she remembered Kuno's words again.  At twelve the
last of the spirits would come.  She knew it would have to be the Goddess
that would take the Ghost of Christmas Future's place tonight.

	A yelp in her personal bathroom told her of the arrival.  She
waited for the Goddess to show herself, fearing the worst.  Her future,
her fate would be revealed to her.

	"Geez, it's cold.  Don't you raise the heat in this house at
all?" the girl asked as she shivered.  Reaching into her clothes, she made
some minute changes and smiled as she warmed up.  "Electric clothes.
Neat, right?  Anyway, I'm Skuld.  I'll be your guide tonight."

	"_You're_ the one taking the Ghost's of Christmas Future's place?"
Nabiki asked incredulously.

	"Ghost!?  Nobody said anything about a ghost!  Ick!  Eww!" Skuld
took off the black cloak she had been wearing and threw it to the ground.

	Nabiki bigsweated.  This had not been what she was expecting.  "If
you are done, can we get going?  What lesson must I learn that will help
me change my fate?"

	"Oh, alright.  Just follow me."  Skuld motioned with her hands the
the scene changed once more.

			* * * * *

	"Who'd she leave the money to?" A short balding man asked.

	"To the company, I think.  You really expect that she would have
left the money to family or to some charity?" A tall darkly handsome man
asked back.

	"No, not really.  So any you going to the funeral?"

	"I might if they serve food," A big portly man laughed out.

	The rest of the men laughed out loud at this.

			* * * * *

	Nabiki recognized those men.  They were all rich and the sort of
people she dealt business with.  "Who died?  Ms. Natsume?  She was always
hated by us."

	Skuld shook her head and changed the scene again.

			* * * * *

	"So, what did you take?" A man dressed in a chef's outfit asked.

	"I took the curtains from her room.  They were the only decent
ones in the house.  She never gave a rats ass about changing the dirty
ones in the rest of the house," the maid answered.

	"You did this while her body lay dead?" The man asked surprised.
The maid just shrugged.

	"I took that black dress they were going to bury her in.  It was
the nicest one she had, just bought a month ago.  I can't believe they
would waste it on her like that," the other maid said.

			* * * * *

	Nabiki stepped back, horrified at the three people in the room.
Who would do such a thing to someone that had just died.  "I think I
understand, Skuld.  This woman could be me.  If I don't change, that's 
how I'm going to end up."

	Skuld, however, was not listening.  She was livid.  "That's
disgusting.  I have half a mind to set some bugs loose on those creeps."

	Nabiki sighed and wondered what the hell the person in charge of
this had been thinking when they sent a kid to her.  "Is this the lesson?"

	"Huh?  Oh, not yet.  Another place to go to."

			* * * * *

	Nabiki walked around the room as it seemed nobody was doing any
talking.  The room was packed and not a single person had a dry eye.  Who
had died that would draw such a reaction.  She noticed Kasumi, Akane, and
Ranma there by the open casket.

	Fear reached out and touched her heart.  Was she the one that had
died?  She was slightly surprised to see to many mourners.  Walking up the
casket, she noticed Gosunkugi and his wife was there also.  It further
scared her.  These were the people that knew her best in the entire world.

	Forcing herself to remain calm, she peered in the casket.  A small
gasp escaped her lips.  In the casket was Ten, Gosunkugi's child.
Belldandy was right.  He wouldn't make it.

	A frantic thought occured to her.  "Skuld, who was the other
person that died?"

	Skuld shifted her feet.  "Do we have to know?  I _really_ don't
want to go to the cemetery!"

	"Take me there!" Nabiki yelled, her voice hard as iron.

	Skuld nodded and changed the scene.  "I'm not going in there with
you though."

			* * * * *

	Nabiki walked hesitantly to the grave in front of her.  The area
around it was dark and weed ridden, like nobody cared to tend to this
grave.  The tombstone also seemed oddly shaped.  Probably bought at low
cost.  Nabiki paused as she stood in front of the grave.  A tear fell down
her face, followed by another, followed by another.

	On the tombstone, read: Tendo Nabiki.

	Frantic as a mad woman, she raced back to the where Skuld stood
cowering.  "Tell me all this is reversible!  Nothing is for sure, right?"

	Skuld didn't know how to answer.  She didn't really have the power
to access all of the future's plans for Nabiki.

	Nabiki grabbed onto Skuld's should, hope starting to fill her
face.  "There must be a chance!  Why show me all this if there was no
hope?  I'm not the woman I once was.  I've changed.  I've learned my
lesson from each of you, Goddesses.  I've CHANGED!"

	Skuld, however, had turned into a Nabiki's bedpost.  Light shone
in the room of her bed room.

			* * * * *

	"Yes!" Nabiki cried out as she looked around her.  She was alive.
She never felt so alive.  The only word that could be used to describe her
feeling was giddiness.  She felt absolutely giddy.  She jumped out of bed
with a vigor she handn't felt since she was girl.

	Her mind raced to think of what to do first.  Gosunkugi!  Racing
to her phone she dialed the number of the most expensive restaurant she
could think of.  The sort of places she was forced to take some of her
higher client base to.  "Hello?  This is Tendo Nabiki.  No, I do not want
a table for myself.  I am calling for a good friend of mine.  I want you
to make sure that he is well taken care of.  Do not let him know it is me.
Make something up about a prize that he won or something.  Put everything
on my tab and here's his phone number."  Big turkey indeed!  The turkey
they served at the restaurant wouldn't even fit throught the Gosunkugis'
door much less oven.

			* * * * *

	"Was that a prank?" the waiter asked the manager.

	"No, look at the caller ID.  The number came from the Kuno
Mansion.  Quick, I want the best table set up.  Call up their number and
say that they've been chosen as the winners of our first annual Christmas
dinner.  Well, what are you waiting for?" the manager asked.  Must be a
big client if Ms. Tendo would go to all that trouble.

			* * * * *

	Nabiki fussed about the room looking for the right clothes.  She
had no party clothes!  She grabbed the most colorful, a drab red dress,
and would have to make do.  Fortunately she had some makeup left.  She
never wore much before, when she was young and didn't think she would need
much now.  Just a little here and there.  She made sure the lipstick she
chose was not smearable.

	Her speed, however, diminished as she neared her nightstand.
Slowly, reverently, she opened the drawer and pulled out a dusty
container.  She hadn't touched it for six years.  Blowing off the dust,
she gently opened it.  The bracelet still shone with a fiercesome
brightness.  He really had spent a fortune, Nabiki thought with surprise
and delight.  While it was a greedy thought to think of its value at a time like this, it nonetheless stood out in her mind.  The idea that Ranma was thoughtful enough to get her what she valued at the time, warmed her and made her all the more eager to see him again.

			* * * * *

	"Tendo Nabiki just called and said that she was giving us an
extension on our loan," the vice president of Mishima Industries told his
boss over the phone.  "I called you as soon as I heard the news myself."

	The president of the company let out a sigh of relief.  This was
not the phone call he had been waiting for.  Ever since their stock
started to rise dramatically, he feared the worst in that Nabiki would
come calling.  A rare Christmas gift.

			* * * * *

	"An anonymous caller just agreed to donate a hospital in the
area," the operater told his supervisor.

	"I knew people would come through on this day!" the supervisor
exclaimed.  Inwardly, he knew that it wasn't always true.  Bless, the
Christmas spirit on this day.

			* * * * *

	The doctor smiled.  That little boy Ten just found a sponsor.  All
the fees for the operation would be paid for.  He could not wait to tell
the parents.

			* * * * *

	Kasumi opened the door and immediately smiled.  "Nabiki!  You're
here!"

	"You sound so surprised," Nabiki giggled as she suffered a hug
from her older sister.  "You invited me, remember?"

	"Is that true, Kasumi?" Akane asked angrily as she came to the
door.  It was much too early for the guests to arrive, she had thought.

	"Well, yes, she is family," Kasumi said holding Akane by the
shoulders.

	Nabiki knew that while not very strong, Kasumi's hand was the only
thing that was saving her face from being beat to a pulp.  "Akane has
every right to be angry, Kasumi.  I sold the family home.  I had hoped
that I could ask for forgiveness in front of mother's shrine."

	Kasumi gently squeezed Akane's shoulder.  "Of course, you can.
Please come in."

	Akane's gaze softened as she took in the sight of her two hugging
sisters.  Soon, she too shared in their reunion.

	"I just hope daddy will learn to forgive me," Nabiki said quietly
as she looked around hoping to see that mustache again.  She knew though
that he was still in Florida from the vision the Goddesses showed her.

	"Oh, I think he will," Akane said helpfully.  "We never told him
what you did.  Ranma had taken all the blame, saying it was his fault."

	Nabiki stared at Akane.  She always wondered why her emotional
father never said a thing whenever she found the time to call him.  She
had thought that he was trying to make her feel guilty about it.  Ranma did this for her?  She winced as she thought of the demon head Ranma must have had to face at the time.  "Where is _he_?"

	Kasumi looked at Akane.  There was no questioning who _he_ was.

	"He's just outside the dojo.  He's been there since morning,"
Akane finally answered.

			* * * * *

	Ranma sat in a meditative state.  He could hear the sounds of a
person walking towards him.  He could guess who it was from the phone call
he received in the morning.  "What are _you_ doing here?"

	Nabiki did not flinch away at the angry sound in Ranma's voice.
"Kasumi invited me."

	Ranma sat there in silence before finally opening his eyes.
Nabiki sat beside him, saying nothing, just watching him.

	"I won't kick you out," Ranma finally said.  "This is the Tendo
Dojo after all."

	Nabiki nodded.  "So, you own the place now.  What are you going to
do with it?"

	Ranma's jaw hardened at this.  "You didn't have to pay off all my
loans.  I would have paid them all off eventually.  I will pay back every
cent to you."

	"I won't take it," Nabiki said stubbornly starting to show a
little emotion.  It was hard to keep cool and collected when Ranma was
like this.

	"Well, I won't sell it off, that's for sure," Ranma said
mockingly.

	"I'm sorry," Nabiki said, her own anger dying down in the heat of
Ranma's own.  Only standing this close to him did she know how truly mad
he must have been at her.

	Ranma had been prepared for every possible counter Nabiki could
have said after years of thinking of this very conversation.  He was not,
however, prepared for a simple apology.  "Huh?"

	"I said, I'm sorry," Nabiki said again.

	"Oh."  Ranma still didn't know what to say so he just sat there.

	"I brought you a gift," Nabiki spoke after another moment silence
developed between them.

	"I already have enough grey sweaters thank you very much," Ranma
said, anger returning to his voice as he thought about it.

	Nabiki winced.  The store manager sent the same sweater every
year?  "No, I brought you something I chose this time."  She put the box
she had been carrying on the ground and slid it towards Ranma.

	Ranma stubbornly ignored it.

	Nabiki sighed as Ranma's jaw seemed to harden and set in place
again.  She pulled on the sleeve of her dress and played with her bracelet
in silence.

	Ranma wondered for the hundredth time if Nabiki was pulling some
kind of prank on him.  Did she really expect to sit there all day playing
with _that_?  Acting as if it was just a toy.  He ignored the warm feeling
he got when he realized that Nabiki actually kept it.  Well he could fight
fire with fire.  He'll play with her gift too.

	Suddenly he didn't feel like playing when he opened the gift.

	It was mistletoe.

	"You don't have mistletoe out here anymore," Nabiki said as if
just noticing, breaking the silence.  "Do you want me to put it up?"

	"Nabiki, is this a game?  If it is, I swear that I'll never talk
to you again."  Ranma's put his head in his hands.  It hurt to think of
what Nabiki might be planning.  She was manipulating him again, he was
sure.

	Nabiki said nothing.  She reached out for Ranma head and lifted it
to her own lips.  Ranma responded with equal fervor.  "Does it seem like a
game now?"

	"How did you know that I would fall just like I did all those
years ago?" Ranma asked as he brought his hands to his lips.

	"You are the most loyal man to his feelings I have ever known.
Even now, I bet you hold a place in your heart for Akane."  That was
better than saying a Goddess told her, Nabiki thought.

	Ranma blushed and noticed that Nabiki was nearing his face again.  
"Mistletoe?"

	"No," Nabiki said and kissed him again.

	Nabiki lived every Christmas to its fullest from that day forward.

			* * * * *

The End.

Fanboy and fanfic writer. ^_^
Homepage at http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Ginza/4537