"That'll be 9000 yen please," Nabiki held out her hand and put the other
on her hip as if to say "I don't have all day, y'know."

     Kunou slapped a wad of bills into her palm and greedily grabbed the
proferred package, tearing it open almost in the same motion. Pictures spilled
out over the ground as Kunou frantically tried to hold on the remaining few
still left in the envelope.

     Nabiki turned and walked out from under the cool shade of the trees next
to the school building. "Same time tomorrow, Kunou-chan?" she asked over her
shoulder. She didn't expect an answer, nor did she want one - she knew he'd be
there tomorrow with another wad of money. She sighed and wondered idly how
much she'd made so far today, then reminded herself that it was bad luck to
count the money before five o'clock. Smiling, she reached the stairs leading to
the entrance of the school and opened the doors just as a group of boys came
running out, pushing her roughly to the side.

     "Oi!" she exclaimed angrily, "Watch it!" Seeing as the group had no
intention of stopping, she sniffed derisively and walked inside the building.
No sooner had the door had closed, though, than a short, brown-haired boy
peeked around the corner of the stairs, watching Nabiki's retreating form
intently. He began to follow her, then stopped as he noticed a small book on
the ground by his foot.

     He picked it up and began to flip through the pages quickly, stopping here
and there to read. At one page, his brown eyes opened wide and he snapped the
book shut, stuffing it in his pants pocket. Looking around to make sure no one
had seen him, he took off running to the trees next to the building.

                               *      *      *

     Nabiki rummaged through her desk once again, the contents of her bookbag
spread out on the floor next to her seat. "I thought for sure it was in here,"
she thought to herself. "Where could it be?"

     She slammed the desktop down angrily, causing several people to cast quick
glances in her direction. She glared back at those nearest her desk, and
suddenly, everyone found something interesting to look at outside the windows.
Fuming, she rested her head on one hand and drummed her fingers on the desk.
"I know I had it with me this morning. I wonder if I left it in the girl's
locker room..." With a resounding "Hmph," she got up out of her chair and
stalked out of the room.

     Seconds later, the brown-haired boy left the room as well via the other
door.

                               *      *      *

     The window clicked shut as the boy dropped to his knees inside the room.
Looking around in the semi-darkness, he blinked for quite a few seconds to get
his eyes adjusted to the lack of light. Then, quietly, he made his way to the
lockers, ignoring the towels on the floor. He began to read the names on each
in earnest, slowly moving from one to the next as he read.

     Stopping in front of one nondescript locker, he whispered the name aloud
on the plate, "Tendo Nabiki". He produced a folder envelope from his shirt
pocket and slipped it into the vents at the top of the locker. Then, without
wasting any more time, he ran back to the window and began to open it just as
the door to the locker room opened.

     With a frightened look, he quickly ducked behind the nearest object he
could find - the dirty towel bin. The lights came on just then, and he tried
to make himself smaller behind the bin.

     Nabiki strode over to her locker and flung it open. A folded envelope
fluttered to the ground in front of her, and curious, she picked it up, reading
the writing on the front "Tendo Nabiki - Open in Private!"

     She looked around automatically, and seeing no one in the room, she tore
open the envelope and began to read the note inside -

     "Dear Nabiki,
         It seems we have something each other wants. To prove to you
      I have what you want, you should find enclosed a copy of your
      bank statement and a copy of the report filed with the Japanese
      Tax Authority. Imagine what would happen if this were to find
      its way into the hands of the city government, or even into the
      hands of Principal Kunou. If you wish to avoid all these things,
      meet me at the Kinado Bar today after school so we can discuss
      my terms. Don't worry, I can be reasonable, but don't think that
      I am bluffing. I have nothing to lose by making this information
      public."

     Nabiki's face went white, and she clutched the note to her chest as she
slowly turned and slumped to the floor next to her locker.

     The boy, not hearing anything for quite a while, chanced to look out from
his hiding place. From his vantage point, he watched as Nabiki got to her feet,
closed the door to her locker and left the room, forgetting to turn off the
lights. Not wasting any more time, the boy quickly scrambled out the window
just as the bell rang signaling the beginning of the period.

                               *      *      *

     Nabiki tiredly trudged into the Kinado Bar an hour after school ended.
Her uniform had traces of chalk around the fringes, and she sneezed every so
often without warning. "Without my book, I can't even convince someone that I
don't need to clap erasers... wait til I get my hands on whoever's got it!"
she thought to herself.

     Looking around the room, she spotted several people at the bar itself and
a few people sitting by themselves in the booths along the walls. One person,
however was looking straight at her; a boy wearing a Furinkan school uniform,
with short brown hair and brown eyes. He smiled and winked at her as he
motioned for her to sit down across from him.

     Angrily she did just that. "Give it back!" she hissed.

     "Now, now, Tendo-san, that's no way to talk to me. Is it?" he said with a
low growl.

     Sullenly, Nabiki folded her hands in her lap. "What do you want?" she
asked in a low voice.

     The boy smiled broadly. "Nothing much. I believe we both know what I
want..."

     Nabiki looked up, shocked. For a moment, she looked intently at the boy,
staring at the all-too-familiar brown eyes. Then she slowly smiled the smile of
the cat that got the canary. "Oh, come now, you don't really want to do this,
do you? I mean, we're classmates, aren't we?"

     "That may be true, but I'll bet you don't even know my name."

     "Of course I do! You're uh... you're..." Nabiki faltered.

     "I didn't think so," the boy said. "Which means that this will be even
easier than I thought. Oh, and by the way, my name's Fuwa Mitsuo, since you
obviously don't know who I am."

     Nabiki's face fell. She was defeated, and she knew it. "Where are we
going to do this?" she asked.

     "At school," the boy replied. 

     Nabiki's jaw dropped.

                               *      *      *

     The next day, Mitsuo stopped in front of Nabiki's classroom before school
and waited. Nabiki turned the corner and stopped short at the top of the
stairs, seeing Mitsuo waiting nonchalantly. She boldly walked over to the
door of her classroom.

     "You're late," he said. "I thought we agreed that you'd be here promptly
at 8:00am."

     Nabiki managed to stifle a snide remark. "I'm sorry," she said in a low
voice. "I couldn't get away from my sister."

     Mitsuo waved her explanation aside. "Come on, we don't have much time."
With that, he opened the door to her classroom.

     The room was empty of people, save the two students. Nabiki closed the
door behind them and leaned against it for a moment. Mitsuo looked at her
quizzically. "What are you waiting for?" he asked.

     Nabiki paused. "I don't know, actually. What did you have in mind?"

     A brief smile crossed Mitsuo's face, and Nabiki looked down at herself,
instinctively crossing her arms over her chest. "He wouldn't dare... not 
here!" she thought. 

     Slowly, he moved over to her and touched her arm. She recoiled
automatically. "What's the matter?" he asked soothingly. Seeing her 
expression, he stopped for a moment, his eyes wide. Then without warning,
he began to laugh.

     Nabiki began to turn a light shade of red. "What's so funny?" she asked
angrily.

     "No- nothing, Nabiki-chan," Mitsuo replied. "It's just that you thought
that we... you and I..." He began to giggle again as he walked toward the
teacher's desk, shaking his head. "You thought I wanted to have sex with you?"
he asked with a slight smile. "I have other plans for you, nice as the idea
sounds right now."

     Embarrassed, Nabiki quickly straightened out her uniform and took her
place at her desk as Mitsuo sat on the teacher's desk. "You still don't 
remember who I am, do you?" he said.

     "You're Fuwa Mitsuo, seventeen years old. You have a younger sister, age
twelve, and your parents are divorced. You live on..." Nabiki started to
recite.

     "No, no..." Mitsuo shook his head in disgust. "Anyone could have looked
that information up in the student files. I mean, do you REMEMBER who I am?"

     Nabiki slowly shook her head and sat at her desk.

     "Well, let's start off by saying that I owe you a great deal," he grinned
sardonically.

     Nabiki's eyes opened wide. "I don't remember you being on my list!" she
exclaimed.

     Mitsuo shot her an angry look. "NO! I don't owe you any money! What I owe
you is worth far more. I owe you pain! I owe you anger! I owe you frustration!
The last three years have been spent wallowing in exile, all because of YOU!"
With that, he jumped to the ground and started walking over to Nabiki's desk.
"YOU are the cause of all my problems! YOU are the one solely responsible, and
YOU will NOW PAY!"

     Nabiki shrank back with each word. In a smaller voice, she said, "Look, if
it's money you need, why didn't you say so? I'd loan you some, free of interest
even."

     Mitsuo angrily banged his fist on her desk. "I don't want you stupid
money," he said in a tight voice. "I'm going to make you pay. You're going to
experience the exact same thing I went through. Exactly the same."

     Nabiki tilted her head slightly. "What do you think I did to you?" she
asked plainly.

     Mitsuo smiled and turned around, heading for the door. "You know how
everyone knows who you are?" he said over his shoulder as he reached for the
door handle. He slid the door open and walked through. "Not anymore."


                               *      *      *


     The bell rang signaling the end of classes for the day. Nabiki sat in her
desk, fuming, as her classmates gathered their books and exited the room. When
the room was at last empty, save for herself, Mitsuo entered quietly.

     "How was your day?" he asked with a half-smile.

     "What the hell did you tell people?" Nabiki exclaimed, barely holding
her anger in check.

     "The truth, or at least parts of it. A few omissions here and there, but
what people don't know won't hurt them, yes?" Mitsuo smiled a knowing smile.

     Nabiki exploded out of her chair and crossed the room in record time.
Mitsuo stood his ground as Nabiki approached. "Do you have any idea what
you're doing?" she exclaimed. "You're going to ruin everything I've worked for
in the last five years!"

     "That's not my problem, is it?" Mitsuo replied, irritatingly calm. "You
should've thought of that before you lost your book."

     Nabiki reached out and grabbed Mitsuo's shirt, lifting the smaller boy
off the ground. "Let me tell YOU a thing or two, mister," she snarled. "Akane's
not the only martial artist in the family."

     Mitsuo only grinned. "I know," he said. "Saotome's the other one." Nabiki
blinked. "You can't even bluff me, Tendo Nabiki," Mitsuo said with menace in
his voice. "I know everything. Your dreams, wishes, goals, darkest secrets,
everything." She slowly set the smaller boy back on the ground, and he
nonchalantly walked over to her desk. "I hope you took good notes, I could use
them."

     Nabiki's head jerked toward her desk. "What?"

     Exasperatedly, Mitsuo waved her aside. "You know. Notes. Class work.
Blackboard. Notes. Hurry up and give them to me. I need to make copies."

     "You're in my class?" Nabiki asked incredulously.

     Mitsuo smiled again, but this time the smile was not friendly. "Good of
you to notice," he said. As an afterthought, he added, "Finally."

     Nabiki walked over next to Mitsuo. "How come I didn't know?" she mumbled
to herself.

     "Because you never paid me any attention," Mitsuo answered quietly. "And
just like today, now no one is going to pay any attention to you."

     Nabiki's eyes widened as she realized now why everyone had seemed to be
avoiding her. Several of her friends had strangely decided to have lunch
without her, and even her teachers had refused to call on her all day. "No
way..." she stammered.

     "Oh, yes," Mitsuo replied. "Believe it."

     Nabiki grabbed Mitsuo's arm. "But since you're mister nobody yourself, no
one would notice if YOU disappeared."

     "Why Tendo Nabiki, was that an evil thought?" Mitsuo replied mockingly.
"That might have worked about two weeks ago, but you forgot that _I_ now
control your accounts." Nabiki tightened her grip on his arm. "Which include
some of Nerima's less-than-reputable people..." he trailed off.

     Nabiki released Mitsuo's arm and slumped into the seat next to hers.
"How long is this going to go on?" she asked quietly.

     "As long as it takes," was Mitsuo's vague response. Grabbing a notebook
off her desk, he walked to the door and exited the room.

     Nabiki sat there looking at her desk for a long, long time.


                               *      *      *


     "What do you mean the access code isn't right?" Nabiki yelled at the ATM
machine. Several people nearby cast quick glances at the angry girl that banged
her fist several times on the ATM's small monitor. Nabiki noticed the unwanted
attention and quickly flashed the calmest smile she could muster, watching as
people returned to their own business.

     With a huff, she took her ATM card back from the machine and walked to a
nearby public phone. Several minutes later, she angrily snatched her phone card
from the phone and stalked away.

     "He wasn't kidding," she thought. "Somehow he changed all my codes and
locked me out of my accounts." Spotting a nearby bus stop, she sat down on the
bench and took out a pen and a pocket notebook.

     Three buses came and went before she looked up. "At this rate, the money
stashed in the attic will last through the end of the week. After that..." her
thoughts trailed off.

     Another bus pulled up and opened its doors. Nabiki stood up and walked
over to the open doors. "No thanks," she said. "I was just resting for a bit."
The bus pulled away as she started her long walk home.


                               *      *      *


     "Oi, Nabiki, what's wrong with you?" Ranma asked, sitting down at the
table. Nabiki's sour mood was noticed by all at that point.

     "Nabiki?" Soun asked. "Is there something wrong?"

     "I'm fine, Daddy," she snapped. "Nothing's wrong."

     Soun went over to the corner and began to cry. "Scary!" he said, in
between sobs.

     Akane looked at her sister doubtfully. "Does this have to do with that
Mitsuo guy?" she asked.

     Nabiki looked at her in shock. "How did you...?"

     Ranma smirked. "Let's just say that a couple of guys were more than
willing to talk, once properly... motivated."

     "And for some reason, they just begged us to stay and listen to them,"
Akane said with a wink.

     Nabiki's face grew serious. "So what's the deal?"

     Akane leaned her arms on the table. "Well, it seems that Fuwa Mitsuo is
now the guy to go to if you need some extra yen."

     "In fact," Ranma cut in, "he's done everything but say out loud that
you're 'out of the business'." Ranma grinned. "Not that I wasn't immediately
glad to hear that, mind you."

     Nabiki made a face. "Ha ha," she said emotionlessly. "What else did he
say, Akane?"

     Akane looked at Ranma before continuing. "Well, he's got the cash to back
up everything he's done so far, and he managed to buy off several people -
people that normally hang out with you, in fact."

     "Rumor has it that even some teachers have been ... bought," Ranma added.

     Nabiki clenched her fists under the table. "He's using MY money to buy
off MY friends so they won't speak to me?" she thought angrily.

     "Oh, and by the way," Ranma continued, "I found this by the dojo the
other day." He held up a small piece of paper. "It's got some numbers and
stuff on it, so I figured it was yours."

     Nabiki snatched the paper out of Ranma's grasp almost as fast as his
Tenshin Amaguriken technique. Ranma, for once, blinked. "Good... er, I mean,
thanks, Ranma," she said, as she recognized the bank account on the paper,
along with several notes jotted in the left margin. "This will help a lot,"
she continued, reading the notes.

     Ranma shrugged and stood up. "No problem. It's time for me to go to bed
anyway."

     Akane leaned farther over and whispered to Nabiki. "If you want, I can
find out more..." she trailed off and cracked her knuckles.

     Nabiki smirked. "I don't think that'll be necessary, sis," she replied.
"You two have done enough. Thanks."

     With that, she arose from the table and went to her room.


                               *      *      *


     The next morning, Nabiki awoke blearily to the sunrise streaming through
her window. Pausing to look at herself in her mirror, she decided to wear
dark sunglasses because of the circles under her eyes. She knew Mitsuo had her
over a barrel but could not for the life of her figure out how to get out.

     The sounds of fighting near the pond drew her attention to the window.
Ranma and Genma jumped at each other in another sparring match, trading blows
as they flew by each other. Nabiki noticed that on each pass, Ranma and Genma
never really touched each other - each blow was countered by another attack in
rapid succession.

     She picked up the piece of paper that Ranma had given her the night
before and stared at it for a long moment before setting it back down. On a
hunch, she pulled out her diary and flipped through the pages.

     Not finding what she was looking for, she rummaged through her books and
pulled an older diary out from under a small stuffed animal, slightly worn
around the edges. Many of the pages had been torn out, but nonetheless she
had kept the book anyway. She briefly leafed through the pages before a smile
grew on her face. Snapping the diary shut, she looked out the window as Ranma
plummeted into the pond. She had an answer.


                               *      *      *


     "You're late," Mitsuo said, rising from Nabiki's desk.

     "I'm sorry," Nabiki replied, "but I slept in."

     Mitsuo's face grew dark. "You can't do that!"

     Nabiki smiled a smile of genuine warmth. "Of course I can. I simply shut
off the alarm and turn over."

     She watched as Mitsuo stood up and walked angrily to the door. "You'll
regret this, Nabiki-chan." He slammed open the door and left.

     Nabiki only smiled as she sat down at her desk and began to write in a
small green notebook.


                               *      *      *


     At the end of the day, Nabiki sat patiently in her desk, waiting for
Mitsuo to arrive. Her hands were folded on top of the small green notebook
she had been making notes in earlier. She had been talking to whomever would
listen to her, asking about Fuwa Mitsuo and writing it down in the notebook.
She was confident her quick research would yield some kind of return; after
all, it wasn't every day that she zeroed out people's debts in return for 
information. What kind of return would result she didn't know, however, and
that knowledge didn't sit well with her.

     Mitsuo quietly opened the door and looked around. Seeing Nabiki was alone,
he quickly stepped into the room and shut the door behind him.

     "What were you thinking, Tendo?" he asked angrily.

     "About what?" she asked innocently.

     "This morning," he growled. "Think very carefully before you answer."

     "Oh, that," she replied. "I decided I didn't care anymore."

     Mitsuo blinked. He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came
out.

     "Let me clarify," Nabiki said, rising out of her desk. "I found a bit of
information yesterday that shed some light on several things." She walked
over to the teacher's desk and looked up at the chalkboard. "One of which
was the mystery as to who you actually were," she continued without turning
around to look at Mitsuo.

     Mitsuo's expression went from complete surprise to anger to confusion in
the span of several milliseconds. "I told you who I was!" he began. "You were
the cause of all my problems!"

     Nabiki paused to let Mitsuo's growing rage dissipate and turned to face
the boy. "Look, Mitsuo-kun, I know that you think I caused you to be ignored
by the school populace..."

     "Damn right you did!" Mitsuo interrupted.

     "But the fact is that you did nothing to help yourself either," Nabiki
continued, ignoring Mitsuo's outburst.

     Mitsuo stopped to consider what Nabiki was saying.

     "It took me a while to figure out what had happened - why you were so
mad at me," Nabiki said, sitting in the teacher's chair. "8th grade biology,
wasn't it?"

     Mitsuo's face turned a shade of red, and he glared out the window.

     "Thought so. You had just transferred to the school and were trying to
make friends or something, right?" she asked. Not getting any response, she
continued, "And I was the first person you asked to tea, wasn't I?"

     Mitsuo growled, "You really don't remember, do you..."

     "Of course. You were persistent. Flowers, notes, small gifts, things
only a person who really likes another person would do." She let out a small,
calculated sigh and looked at Mitsuo to see if what she said was having any
effect.

     Mitsuo's face was unreadable. "That wasn't it at all," he said in a low,
tight voice.

     Nabiki held a sneer in check. She had been right after all; the guy was
just trying to get revenge for her snubbing of him. 

     "And of course you would forget," he continued. "It didn't matter to you
anyway, so you didn't care."

     "And what might that be, Mitsuo-kun?" Nabiki asked, barely able to keep
the sarcasm out of her voice.

     "It was what you said to your friends afterward," he said, turning to
face her with tears in his eyes. "I overheard you."

     He stood up and walked over to the window. "You were talking to your
friends about all the stuff I had gotten you, and you were embarrassed. They
asked if maybe it was something serious, and you said that I was just some
guy who liked you. You said that, 'He's just a guy that's got too much time
on his hands.'" Mitsuo's hand started to shake and he folded his arms over
his chest. "You said, 'I don't like him, and I never did.'"


                               *      *      *


     Nabiki sat with her friends in the shade of the gazebo on the school
grounds. Next to her sat a stuffed bear with a bright blue ribbon tied around
its neck. The wind lazily blew the ribbon around as her friends admired the
gift given to her by the new boy in school.

     "Gee, Nabiki," a girl with long red hair said, "I wish I got gifts from
guys the way you get stuff from Mitsuo-san."

     Nabiki tied her shoulder-length brown hair into a small ponytail with
a small green ribbon. "Well, I guess it's nice," she replied, "but it _is_
kind of embarrassing at the same time."

     "It's so kawaii!" another girl exclaimed. "How come you get all the
nice boys to ask you out?"

     "Megumi!" Nabiki chided, "I didn't do anything! He just started giving
me all these things."

     "So that's why you two talk all the time during class, passing notes back
and forth," Megumi replied. "Give me a break!"

     Nabiki tried not to blush.

     "I think Mitsuo-san is cute," the red-haired girl said. "You're so lucky
to know such a cute guy!"

     "Arigato, Noriko, I think," Nabiki sighed.

     "Come on, Nabiki! He really does like you! Why else would he send you
flowers and put stuffed bears in your locker?" Megumi asked.

     "I dunno," Nabiki shrugged. "Maybe he's just got too much time on his
hands or something."

     "I doubt it," Noriko said. "I think he just likes you."

     "Look, there's no point in even worrying about it. He's just a friend.
I don't like him any more than that and I never did."

     A noise in the bushes to their right caused Megumi to jump up and scream
in surprise. As the girls gathered their wits, Nabiki thought she saw a boy
scampering around the corner of the building.

     "What was that?" Megumi asked, scared out of her wits.

     "Somebody was hiding in the bushes," Nabiki replied. "Probably spying on
us."

     "That is so not nice!" Noriko exclaimed.

     "Boys!" Megumi said emphatically, her hands on her hips. "Sometimes they
can be so nice, and others can be so mean!"

     "So true!" Noriko added. "Don't you think, Nabiki?"

     Nabiki only stared off at the corner of the building.


                               *      *      *


     "After that, I went back to class and found a note waiting for me,"
Mitsuo said. "My mother had come to pick me up to take me to Tokyo General.
My father had been injured in a construction accident.

     "So, I didn't go back to class that day, and I asked if I could spend
the rest of the year studying at home to help care for my father. I admit
it was also so you wouldn't have to 'put up with me' any longer."

     Nabiki sat in stunned silence. She had forgotten all about that. "Why
didn't I put it in my diary then?" she asked herself. Then the answer came
to her: the torn pages.


                               *      *      *


     Nabiki sat in her room, staring at her diary. Weeks of entries lay 
shredded on the bedspread, each having some kind of reference to Fuwa Mitsuo:
notes that he had left her, a bit about a gift during lunchtime, a quick 
glance or two in the hall, a snippet of overhead conversation.

     She glared at the pieces of paper as if she could set them aflame. As the
anger in her reached its boiling point, she picked up the torn pages and put
them in her metal trash can. Grabbing a book of matches that lay behind the
candle on her desk, she lit one and held it over the trash can for a long 
moment.

     Her mind went back to that afternoon's conversation with Megumi and 
Noriko. She replayed the conversation over and over from start to finish. It
began to make her head swim.

     "How come you get all the nice boys to ask you out?"

     "Maybe he's just got too much time on his hands..."

     "I wish I got gifts from guys the way you get stuff from Mitsuo-san."

     "I don't like him any more than that..."

     "He's just a friend..."
 
     For the first time since her mother's death, Nabiki thought she might 
cry. "No," she thought, "I won't cry. I promised..." Her gaze strayed to the
lone picture on her desk of herself and her two sisters, with her mother
standing behind them. She looked around the room at the many books, stuffed
animals, and posters. "I have to be strong for Father... for Akane..." Her jaw
set, she turned her attention back to the trash can in her hands.

     She watched the pages quickly become charred ash as the flames ate every
scrap of paper. She covered the can quickly with a large notebook to snuff out
the flames and set it on the floor next to the window. Then she went
downstairs to fetch some cleaning supplies from Kasumi.


                               *      *      *


     Nabiki shuddered as the reality of it all came flooding back.

     "Anyway, the next time I saw you, it was a year later, here at Furinkan.
You paid me no attention, but I hadn't forgotten you," Mitsuo continued. "I
was content to just be a forgotten soul... until the day I found your little
black book."

     He wiped his face with his sleeve before pulling the book the book in
question out of his coat pocket and setting it on the desk. "Here's your
stupid book," he said bitterly. "I'm only sorry that I ever laid eyes on it.
I should've just left it where it lay."

     Nabiki stood as Mitsuo quickly walked to the back of the room. "I never
wanted anything more than to show you how much I liked you back then," he said.
"And then, I didn't want anything more than to show you how much I hated you
now." He paused as Nabiki took a small step towards him. "But the bottom line
is that I did something I shouldn't have, and I'm sorry for it."

     With that, he opened the back door and left the room. Nabiki waited for a
moment, then walked over to the desk and tentatively opened the book. Inside
was everything she had been missing, including some new handwritten notes in
the margins - obviously Mitsuo's new passwords.

     She picked up the book and held it to her chest as she looked out the
window to see Mitsuo slowly walking away from the building, his head down,
shoulders sagging wearily.

     Nabiki closed her eyes and turned away from the window. "Me too,
Mitsuo-kun... me too," she whispered.


                               *      *      *


     The next day, Nabiki got to class early and watched as all the students
filed into the room.

     Mitsuo did not arrive. His desk sat empty through the entire day. And the
next day after that.


                               *      *      *


     At the end of the week, Nabiki went to the attendance office. "Excuse me,"
she said politely. "Did Fuwa Mitsuo come to classes today?"

     The secretary looked over the bridge of her glasses at her. "Why do you
want to know?"

     "I'm in his class, and I just wanted to know if I needed to take him my
notes or not."

     The secretary sniffed but glanced at the day's absentee sheet. "He is not
on this list," she replied. "Oh wait just a moment," she added, leafing
though some additional papers on her desk. "He transferred to Hokkaido two
days ago. Apparently there were some family issues that needed to be taken
care of."

     "He... he transferred?" Nabiki asked in surprise.

     "Hai, Tendo-san. Why? Did he owe you something?" the secretary asked.

     The question was lost on Nabiki. "A- arigato," she stammered as she
left the room.

     Nabiki closed the door behind her and leaned against the wall in the
hallway. She looked down at the stuffed bear she held tightly in one hand, a
faded blue ribbon tied around its neck.

     A single teardrop fell to the ground unnoticed.





"Blackmail"
(c) 1998 Digital Knight Communications
written by Paul Gallegos
http://www.tass.org/~ranma/home.html