A swift kick landed in the ribs of Principal Kuno's unconscious form, eliciting a loud moan of pain from the incapacitated man. Kodachi cackled haughtily over the defeated form of her father, his challenge having been answered and defeated easily. "Honestly father, to think that I would ever dream of attending such a base and unkempt academy as Furinkan. It is both beneath me and undesirable in every way that such a thing can be." Pocketing her ribbon, along with her other myriad weapons, the wealthy girl collected herself and left the Kuno family dojo. Stopping briefly at a mirror that rested on one of the walls, she adjusted her ponytail and wiped some of the dirt and grime from her sweaty face.She mulled over the recent battle, pondering a few of the riskier moments, where her victory had been in question. Had the winds of fate shifted even minutely, she would have found herself attending Furinkan High rather than St. Hebereke, and that could not be allowed. Who knew what horrible fate might have resulted from such an outcome? *-*-*-* Possibilities, Man of Action Noriko's Tale A sidestory to the Ranma Fanfiction series "Possibilities" by Brian *-*-*-* Nabiki had found her business for the day, and it would not be possible for Onnama to escape. To even attempt it could mean a fate worse than death. The only option remaining to the slight schoolgirl was to try and plead her way out. Dropping to her knees, the terrified young woman clasped her hands together in prayer. "Please, Nabiki. I promise I'll pay you what I owe tomorrow. It's payday at my job. I swear." Nabiki looked down at the puppy-dog eyes confronting her, and couldn't help but burst out laughing. It was just so pathetic, that even she found herself unable to resist the humor of the situation. "Oh, Onnama," she began, wiping a tear from her eye. "You really are a tragic figure sometimes." The mercenary girl's face hardened as she glanced at the young woman in front of her. "You know I don't grant extensions. I mean, if word got out that I'd gone soft nobody would fear me any more. Can't have that." Crouching down until their eyes met, the middle Tendo daughter smirked at her prey. "But who knows, maybe your boyfriend will be more understanding than me about these pictures." She waved a small manilla envelope in front of the younger girl's face. "They wouldn't be necessary if you hadn't borrowed my money in the first place, but you know how it is." A growl emerged from the smaller girl as her fate dangled before her eyes. Onnama was a nerd, a computer geek, not a fighter, but right then all she wanted was to tear Nabiki's throat out. With a scream, she extended her arm toward her tormentor, grasping and clawing toward the older girl's face. A look of surprise darted across Nabiki's face as she backpedaled away from her target. A shaking hand wiped a tiny trickle of blood from her cheek, as one of Onnama's fingernails dripped the same scarlet liquid onto the concrete of the alleyway. Nabiki, while having given up the art long ago, was not completely untrained, she just didn't enjoy it the way her sister did. When Onnama launched a second untrained jab at her, the mercenary girl managed to slide out of the way, grasping the hand as it passed her chest and twisting it up behind her attacker's shoulderblades. It was the only hold she knew, really, but it happened to fit situation. Shifting her weight, Nabiki pressed Onnama into the wall of the alley, bringing her face into close contact with the brick and mortar of the wall. With a dismissive twitch of her arm, Nabiki cast the younger girl down to the ground. "Onnama, you're going to pay for that." The smaller brunette laughed hoarsely as she watched the other young woman walk out of the alleyway and into the early morning street. "You already took all my money, Nabiki, try and collect." *-*-*-* Entering the school grounds, Nabiki collapsed against the side of the imposing building, clutching her chest to quell the rampant quaking inside it. Reaching into her blouse, she retrieved the empty manilla envelope that she had dangled in front of Onnama. Tearing the heavy paper into smaller and smaller pieces brought a certain level of calm back to the middle Tendo as she considered what had just happened. Onnama had been pushed too far, that much was clear, and that meant Nabiki had made a mistake. The mouse-like girl had seemed so timid as to not have a breaking point, but whatever she thought had been in the envelope had apparently been it. A voice behind the short-haired girl startled her from her thoughts, and she screamed internally as she found herself face to face with the pig-tailed boy that was engaged to her sister. Ranma repeated himself. "Nabiki, you okay?"