Ah My Goddess Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ A Tale of Two Wallets ❯ Black Rose ( Chapter 6 )

A Tale of Two Wallets

(An Altered Destiny)

Written by Jim Robert Bader

Proofread by Shiva Barnwell

"I don't know about this, Ranma…" Nabiki said nervously as she held his hand and tried to act calmer than she was feeling.

"Trust me, it'll be all right," he said as he guided her out of the window onto the roof of her house, "You won't fall, and if you do you could always sue me."

"Don't give me any ideas," Nabiki said with an even more nervous chuckle as she allowed Ranma to coax her along until they arrived at a spot where he urged her to sit down beside him.

She privately wondered what had possessed her to let herself be talked into coming up here with Ranma, but she looked at him attentively as he seemed to relax then turned his gaze towards the sky and said, "Now…lean back and look up and tell me what you see."

Nabiki reluctantly did as he requested, resting on her back as she stared up into the night above them then waited a long moment before admitting, "I see stars. So what's so special about that?"

"Look again," he said as though expecting her to enjoy the view the same way that he did.

After a few moments of struggling against a slight exasperation she sighed, "I don't get it, Ranma. What do you expect me to see here? I'm not an astronomer you know."

"You don't have to be," he said patiently, "Doesn't it mean anything to you? The stars, the sky? I mean I find it overwhelming."

"Stars are just balls of superheated gas, Ranma," Nabiki said practically, "The light we see has taken hundreds of years to get here, and we can't really see all of the stars with the naked eye anyway. Too much atmosphere gets in our way, so the little we do see are really just the brightest and closest stars, which our imagination draws as constellations."

"You get that out of a textbook?" he snorted derisively, "Doesn't it mean anything to you that some of those stars could have worlds just like ours orbiting around them, and maybe there's people on those other worlds looking up even now and asking the same questions about us, whether we exist or not, or maybe how different we might be? I always found that idea pretty overwhelming."

Nabiki silently considered what he was saying then reluctantly admitted, "Well…I guess when you put it that way it does seem kind of…interesting."

"Kind of makes us feel small, huh?" Ranma asked, "In a good sort of way, like maybe our problems aren't so bad, like the Universe has got a lot more to worry about than just us, like maybe we don't take enough time to think of how petty we can be always thinking we're the center of everything in the universe or something. I like to stare at the stars and think this way, it makes me feel a little less sad when things aren't so terrific."

Nabiki turned her head to look at Ranma with a question in her expression. He was staring at the stars with a boyish expression that implied greater humility than of what she had ever believed him capable. With just a trace of her usual sarcasm she said, "Why Ranma…that was almost profound. I didn't know you were such a philosopher."

"I'm not," Ranma shrugged, "But with the kind of life I lead, well…"

"Right," Nabiki had to concede that anyone who went through the sort of adventures that he had on a regular basis was bound to become passively philosophical about the matter. She still did not see what it was he wanted to show her by luring her outside, and she had some suspicions that it might be a guy thing, or he might be trying to seduce her, but it seemed very important to him somehow, so she kept to her own council and tried, for his sake at least, to understand what poets found so fascinating about the stars in the heavens.

Ranma, for his part, was trying to hide a mild case of frustration at not being able to convey to her in words what exactly it was about stargazing that always made him feel better about life. He knew that she was a fiercely materialistic person, but he had a sense that there was a deeper part within Nabiki that could understand what he felt if he only knew how to reach her. There was something about having her around that made him feel so much better than he had felt about his life in a very long while. He had never really known how lonely his life was until he had started to connect with her, and whenever she drew back or something came between them it felt so very wrong that he wondered if maybe he really needed her as a friend more than he did as his iinazuke.

Determined fighter that he was, Ranma was not about to relent without making another real effort. The very fact that she had allowed him to bring her out like this, when she professed an acute fear of high places, convinced him that she was at least trying to make the effort at being his friend. It was a rude enough start, but it was something to work with, so he tried a different tact when he next broke the spell of silence that had fallen between them.

"Sometimes I feel so…frustrated, you know," he began, "Like I want to lash out at Pop for putting me through all those stupid tests of his, and some of those training methods he's used in trying to make me the best fighter in the world. Every day of my life I've been in training, I can't remember a time when the Art wasn't the centerpiece of my whole being. It's only lately that I've begun to notice how it is with other kids, how easy they have it, the stuff they take for granted that their parents let them get away with, and I think maybe I just don't know what it means to be normal any more. So what if my life isn't normal now? It's not like I have anything else to compare it."

Nabiki turned in surprise at hearing the bitterness in his voice, the sense of frustration and longing that sounded so surprising coming from someone who often professed they did not have any ordinary needs. It provoked Nabiki to voice her own thoughts on the subject of normality.

"Are you kidding me, Ranma?" she asked, "Do you know how limiting it is being normal all of the time? Other guys are petty, weak, cowardly, even sometimes cruel, and they can't even do a tenth of what you can accomplish. I'm not just talking Martial Arts here, there are a lot of other things you do routinely that make you pretty exceptional."

"Oh?" he seemed genuinely surprised by her statement, "Like what?"

Nabiki felt the first twinge of her usual resentments but forced herself to come clean, "Well…for one thing you're not a bully. You don't take guff from guys like Kuno and Ryoga, but you don't attack them either. And you're a pretty nice guy most of the time…except when you get into an argument with my sister, and then you act like a real jerk, but so does she, so let's not dwell on that. I don't see you throwing your weight around or making the other students in class afraid of you, and you don't shake them down for money…"

"Why would I do that?" Ranma sounded genuinely puzzled.

Nabiki had to smile as she replied, "Trust me on this, lots of bullies like throwing their weight around the forcing other students to pay them money…"

"Like you?" he had not meant to voice the words aloud, and Ranma winced as he said them, knowing that he had just thoughtlessly insulted Nabiki.

Nabiki managed to maintain her dignity in spite of her pained expression, "Yeah, like me, only I never have to resort to the crude stuff. I know lots of other ways of making people do what I want, and none of it involves beating them up. I refuse to stoop to such petty methods. It's brains that make us better than the lower primates, not brutish strength or guttural instincts."

Ranma sighed as he said, "I think there's something else you're missing."

"Oh?" she wondered, "What's that?"

"Spirit, will, the Ki force that comes from deep inside you," he answered, "Animals just know instinct, they don't have a higher consciousness like we do. They react to circumstances, they don't think them out, like some people I could name," he noted with a bitterness, "They never realize their full potential, they just brute on ahead and do whatever they feel like doing at the moment."

Nabiki was strongly tempted to say that he had just given an apt description of his own behavior, but instead she turned the question over in her mind seriously then replied, "You mean like a soul? I'm not sure I believe in souls, Ranma."

"And what do you think happens when we die?" Ranma asked.

"When the electrochemical processes of the brain shut down, you mean?" Nabiki shrugged, "Then we're dead, end of story."

"So you're not worried about an afterlife?" Ranma asked.

"What's the point?" she asked, "If there is one, then we'll find out about it after we're dead. In the meantime I'm not taking any two-bit huckster's word about the scary stuff they use to frighten us into behaving like good little socially conscious boys and girls. It's a sucker play, and they don't have any more answers about life than we do."

Ranma gave a very soft sigh and said, "Animals don't think about it either, but somebody once told me the point where we really became human was where he learned to care about what happens to people who die, when we really start to miss them."

Nabiki became very quiet as she thought that over. She did not like to contemplate the obvious, but it sounded suspiciously as if Ranma had just cleverly turned the argument around and implied that she was more of an animal than he was.

Then the rest of what he said hit home and she turned to look at him in surprise, "You mean…you miss someone you used to know?"

"Don't you?" Ranma asked her back, then before she could reply he sat up and said, "Mind if I show you something, Nabiki? It's something I've been learning to do, and I think it'll make the point even better than I could."

"What could you possibly have to show me that would do that?" Nabiki eyed him cautiously, wondering if the boy were about to play "doctor." She still had not entirely dismissed the notion that he had lured her outside in order to seduce her.

Ranma smiled without a trace of the sort of leer she had half expected to see on his face and just said, "Sit up like this close to me and I'll show you. It's nothing weird or complicated, it's just something I think you should see."

Nabiki reluctantly sat up, then scooted close enough to him that he could have pounced on her had he so wanted. She watched as he extended his hands with the palms facing each other as though holding an invisible ball, then his face relaxed and his breathing became regular. He stared at his hands then murmured, "Put your hands between mine and feel it."

Nabiki reluctantly raised her own hands, almost disappointed that this did not seem to be a play for her after all. She was wondering what he was up to just the same when her hand encountered… something…and the tiny hairs along her forearms bristled as if with static electricity, causing the hairs along the nape of her neck to stand on end in concert.

"What…?" she gasped.

"Hold still," he murmured tonelessly, "You'll see in another minute.'

Nabiki stared at her own palms, which were growing warm in the space between his hands, and was it her imagination or was that area starting to glow a little around the center? As she continued to stare a ball of energy took form, roughly ten centimeters across but clearly visible for the space of several seconds.

Then the ball disappeared and Ranma gasped, falling back somewhat while sweating profusely from his exertion. He did not bother keeping his voice down as he said, "Man, that always takes a lot out of me…Pop said it'd be easier with more practice…"

"N-Nani?" Nabiki whispered, still staring at her palms as if they belonged to another.

"It's called Ki," Ranma explained as he slumped back onto the roof, "The energy that's inside all of us, the spirit or soul or whatever it is you say you don't believe in. I've been learning to harness it since I was ten, I just can't project it outward too much without feeling totally exhausted."

"That…that was incredible, Ranma," Nabiki looked at him with newer admiration, "I never knew you could even do stuff like that."

Though he seemed tired the boy still managed to smile at her and say, "Well, how do you think I'm able to do the other stuff, like the leaping and kicking? I boost my strength by channeling my Ki into my legs or fists. How do you think Akane can break so many bricks and boards? It's not brute strength alone, it's your Ki that does all the real damage."

In spite of her surprise Nabiki managed to smile before replying, "Well…I have had some theories on that, but you're right…it makes a kind of sense, but…it still sounds too much to me like magic."

"What's magic but stuff you can do that somebody else can't understand?" Ranma smiled back at her, "When you know how its done it becomes easy. I just wish it were possible for me to control the other magic that's been screwing up my life."

Nabiki sobered as she thought a moment, then said, "Actually…that's not such a bad deal, really. I mean, I know you hate turning into a girl, Ranma, but there are some advantages that come with the curse."

"Yeah?" he snorted, "Such as?"

"Well," Nabiki smiled slyly, ticking off on her fingers, "For one you get to know what it's like for those of us who belong to the fair sex, and you can appreciate how we feel about guys who always try to hit us up for dates. Two, you get to pretend to be someone else for a while, which is like having a secret identity and lets you duck out on some problems by pretending to be your own cousin. Three, you're pretty good looking in either one of your two forms. You could market your looks and make a fortune as a model or an action movie star…"

"Somehow I just don't see myself doing stuff like that," Ranma slowly seemed to be recovering his strength and managing to sit upright again, "I mean movies…it might be fun for a while, but very few of them are about real martial arts, they're just cheap excuses for a lot of badly executed violence."

"What about the model part?" Nabiki asked cautiously.

"I don't think so," he snorted, "I know some of the girls have been coming on to me and I guess that's nice and everything but I've already got a girl…uh…a friend, and I don't want her thinking I'm a pervert or nothing chasing after other women."

"Oh?" Nabiki tried to act casual, "And your…friend…what if she wouldn't mind other girls just drooling over your picture?"

"Maybe so," Ranma said, "But I'd still feel pretty weird about it."

"Okay," Nabiki said, "What about your girl form?"

"Ugh! No way!" Ranma reacted, "You think I'd like a bunch of hormone-crazed guys sticking me in their lockers? That's worse than having it the other way."

"But they really wouldn't have to know it's you," Nabiki pointed out, "They'll just think it's Ranko and they won't dare hit on you for a date, because of what you'll do to them, with the sole exception of Kuno."

"You think it's funny having other people look at you and get these ideas in their heads about what it's like to date you?" Ranma voiced his disgust, "How would you feel about it if somebody took pictures of you and spread them all over the school grounds?"

"Huh?" Nabiki blinked, never having actually thought about it that way, but now that she did she found herself becoming tremendously disgusted, "Yeah right, as if anybody would tack a picture of me to the inside of their locker! You're the one they want to date here, Ranma."

"Huh?" he replied back as if genuinely not understanding, "I can't believe that! There must be plenty of guys who'd want to be with a cute girl like you. You must be talking to the wrong sort of people if you think you're not pretty enough for dating."

"Is that so?" Nabiki tried to put more force into her tone, though inwardly she felt herself having trouble maintaining her composure, "Well, I know a certain guy who's never bothered to try asking me for a date, not that I'd consider it, of course, since he never seems to have any money."

"Hey," Ranma frowned, "Money's not everything, you know…"

"Try living on air, then," Nabiki forced herself to turn away, hiding a look that was at variance with the tone she was adopting.

Ranma just stared at her and wondered what he had said that could upset her like this. Pay somebody a compliment and they go all to pieces…

Nabiki made a sound as though clearing her throat, then held up her hand again and extended her fingers, "Four, you seem more than willing to take advantage of your curse when it comes to extorting sweets out of people like Kuno. I saw you come home with ice cream on your mouth today, and I know for a fact that you didn't have enough money to buy any."

"Uh, yeah," Ranma absently felt along the edge of his mouth as if wondering if he had cleaned his face lately, "Well…if people are going to buy the cute girl act I don't see nothing wrong with that…"

Nabiki eyed him slyly, "And how is that different from using your looks to sell pictures?" then before he could answer her she said, "Reason number five: you get twice as many chances for a date."

She grinned in smug satisfaction at the strangling noise he made over this last suggestion.

Ranma sat up again and was about to say something when they heard sounds from just below as though someone was in the middle of a fight of some sort. A moment later a figure came hurtling out of the night with a maniacal laugh that sounded as if the person making it were mentally unhinged. They saw the figure alight on the roof, revealed in the moonlight as a slender dark-haired girl wearing a leotard. She at once turned to see them then adopted a striking pose and said, "Oh my, a lover's rendezvous? And I had no idea that this roof was taken."

"You?" Ranma said in surprise while Nabiki frowned, "Kodachi."

"Is that you, Tendo Nabiki?" Kodachi smiled in a way that would have done justice to a crocodile, "Then the girl downstairs is indeed your little sister, how quaint."

"Akane?" Nabiki sat upright, "What have you done with my sister, you maniac?"

"Easy, Nabiki," Ranma cautioned as he interposed himself between them, "We don't know what this is all about…"

"Sure we do, Ranma," Nabiki growled, "Weren't you paying attention today when you rescued those girls? Kuno Kodachi likes to ambush her opponents before they have a chance to compete so she can win by default at Martial Arts Gymnastics tournaments."

"Oh yeah," Ranma responded, remembering the incident and everything which followed, then he belatedly did a double-take and said, "Kuno?"

"What outrageous slander," Kodachi said archly, "As if I should need to rely on foul means to win my tournaments. But I forget myself…who is this charming fellow you are dallying with above your sister's very room?"

"You don't remember?" Ranma frowned, then mentally kicked himself as he recalled again that he had been female at the time, "I'm Saotome Ranma."

"Saotome Ranma," Kodachi smiled prettily, "Such a handsome, manly fellow you are. Whatever are you doing in the company of this cold fish?"

"Hey!" Nabiki reacted.

"Um…" Ranma hesitated only a fraction of an instant before he said, "She's my iinazuke…"

"Iinazuke?" Kodachi frowned as she said the word with distaste, "A striking vision of masculinity engaged to this heartless mercenary? Surely you must jest! The gods would not allow such an injustice…"

"Wait a minute," Nabiki growled, "Ranma, are you going to let her get away with calling me that?"

"Huh?" Ranma blinked, "But I…"

"That's right," Kodachi chuckled mirthlessly, "You're just a frail little girl who can't fight her own battles. You content yourself with extorting funds and favors from others, like my idiot brother, but your clever ways do not impress one who is truly steeped in cunning and duplicity. Such a one as you is not worthy of a fine man's affections."

"Hey, wait a minute," Ranma said, "You're the one who attacked those girls, so what gives you the right to come here and say those things about Nabiki?"

"My, how gallantly you defend her," Kodachi smirked, "Are in love with this girl? If so, then how tragic."

She pulled out her ribbon while Ranma and Nabiki reacted to that statement then twirled it around, creating a spiraling wind that Ranma instinctively threw up his arms to ward against. A hail of black rose petals ensued, momentarily blinding them while Kodachi made her strategic exit.

When she had gone Ranma lowered his arms then murmured to himself, "What is she, some kind of a lunatic or something?"

"Or something," Nabiki replied as she emerged from the place she had taken behind him, "I should have expected her to show up, it's a part of her MO. Kodachi is a classic dissociative sociopath who does what she likes and denies responsibility for her actions. I'd stay well away from her if I were you, Ranma."

"You don't have to tell me twice," Ranma snorted, "But she's Akane's problem, not…"

They both turned in surprise and exchanged astonished looks at something they had each forgotten…or rather somebody.

"Akane!" they mutually chorused.

Some hastily convened moments later found the pair in Akane's room, which was a mess that she had only started to clean up, rose petals and overturned furniture and all. To say that Akane was not happy would have been a gross understatement. She looked ready to spit nails and was looking for a target for her anger.

Naturally she turned it towards Ranma.

"You were supposed to help me train for the Rhythmic Gymnastics match, you baka!" she growled, "If it wasn't for Ryoga volunteering to help I'd never get anywhere, while all you could do was stand there and make insults!"

"What are you getting mad at me for?" Ranma asked defensively, "I'm not the one who tried to ambush you in your own room!"

"At least you're all right, Akane-chan," Nabiki said, trying to head off another shouting match between these two, giving Ranma her patented glare as she added, "That's the important thing, after all, no thanks to Kodachi."

"All right," Ranma shrugged, "So she made an attempt on you and it failed. What happens if she tries again?"

"I'm not going to let her bully me," Akane balled her fists as she stood up and angrily declared, "I'm going to train even harder until I'm good enough to beat her! She can't be allowed to get away with this!"

"Yes, well, your enthusiasm is commendable, Sis," Nabiki turned and gave Ranma another patented look, "But just the same we need to be on guard in case she does try something. Kodachi is clever, manipulative and seductive. She uses drugs and home-brewed potions to paralyze her enemies into helplessness, and she'll take every advantage that you give her to see you get taken out prematurely. The one thing Kodachi does not believe in is a fair fight, so you have better be extra careful, and I think Ranma here should keep an eye out for your backside."

"Him?" Akane said hotly, "No way! I'd rather have Ryoga watching my back any day!"

"Ryoga couldn't watch a stopped clock by himself," Ranma immediately replied, ignoring the angry glare from the pig sitting on the bed beside Akane, "Not that I want the job, mind you, but Nabiki's right. You need somebody to play backup, and I'm the only one who can do it."

"You?" Akane did not bother to conceal her contempt at the suggestion that she needed anything from Ranma, let alone his help.

"He's right and you know it, Akane," Nabiki said firmly, "Like it or not Ranma's the best fighter we have, and we can't afford to take any chances with Kodachi…"

"I might have known you two would gang up on me," Akane said stubbornly, "Well, I don't want him anywhere near me and that's final!"

Of course it was not final, and Nabiki was able to talk Akane down into allowing Ranma to hang around the dojo so as to keep an eye out for any unwanted intruders. Ryoga would continue to help train her while Ranma kept himself to a distance and refrained from making his usual sarcastic comments.

Before parting for the night Nabiki turned to Ranma and said, "Ranma, I know you two don't get along very well, but I don't want anything to happen to Akane."

"I know," he replied, "Don't worry about a thing. I'll see to it that she make it to the tournament in one piece, you can trust me on that."

"I do trust you, Ranma," Nabiki informed him, "It's Kodachi I don't trust. Once she sets her mind on something she can be quite a nuisance about it, and I don't like the way she was looking at you earlier."

He smiled at that and said, "Don't worry, I can handle myself. I may not fight with girls, but I won't drop my guard around this one either."

Nabiki let it go at that, but privately worried. Her good mood from before slowly evaporated as she remembered the way Kodachi had been looking at Ranma and the insults that she had hurled Nabiki's way. Something told her deep down that their troubles were only just beginning and that Ranma's supreme naivete around women was bound to land him in trouble. She only hoped it would be worth her time to pick of the pieces should Kodachi prove too much for the both of them to handle…

Nabiki stared long and hard at her desk…and at the thing that lay upon it. After more than an hour, with many false starts, she finally picked it up and began to write again, picking up several days from the point of her last entry:

"Well, the big event came and went," she began, "After Akane fell and twisted her angle it was natural that Ranma would volunteer to take her place in female form, but before all of that happened there was that nocturnal visit from Kodachi.

I guess my problem with all of that was that I was expecting her to come by a lot sooner than she did. She must have been biding her time for just the right moment, which came just prior to Akane's accident, so I guess it must have been a coincidence and not a deliberate set-up on her part. I was not there when Kodachi happened by but I caught sight of her hovering just behind Ranma's back when he came rushing into the dojo to discover about Akane's condition.

My presence had been mere fortuitous circumstance, although I was less than elated when Kodachi exchanged looks with me, and I could see by her smug expression that she had been intending mischief. Of what kind I had no doubt was directly concerning Ranma, but before I had a chance to discover its nature I had a sister to tend to, and the prognosis was not good by even my inexperienced estimation.

"I'm sorry, Sis," I said as I tried to stave off Ryoga's anxious looks with a firm glare that even he respected, "Looks like you won't be able to use this foot for a while. I'm no Tofu-sensei but I can tell by the swelling that you sprained it."

"But I need to compete tomorrow," Akane all but wept, "Furinkan High is depending on me…"

That was when Kodachi gave her patented trademark laugh and said, "Too bad, and I was so looking forward to the challenge, or rather the amusement you would have provided."

I gave Kodachi a studied glare as I said in a moment of distraction, "Ryoga, go find Kasumi and tell her to call Doctor Tofu. Also fetch some ice to help with the swelling.'

"Right," Ryoga replied and left the dojo before I had time to rethink my instructions.

"Won't see him for a while," Ranma said chidingly, "Maybe I'd better go fetch Kasumi myself," but he hesitated to leave, clearly reluctant to leave us alone with Kodachi.

"Go ahead, Ranma-kun," I replied, my eyes locked on the infamous Black Rose as though I were keeping an eye on a dangerous serpent.

When he had gone Kodachi smiled at us and adopted what she may have thought a vampish pose and said, "Your fiancé is quite a fellow. I have conducted some inquiries concerning his recent activities and I must say that I am surprised to learn that he is the same fellow whom my idiot brother has been castigating night and day as some devious sorcerer that has enchanted you both and some other girl he calls his Osage no Onna."

"A sorcerer?" I replied, wondering where Kuno had gotten that notion, "No, Ranma's no sorcerer, just a very nice guy and a better-than-average martial artist."

"I think you are deliberately understating the matter in regard to his prowess," Kodachi noted with a cagey expression, "But I believe that you speak true that he is no enchanter, unless it be of women's hearts," she produced a fan and fluttered it over her face with a mocking expression of allure.

I felt my irritation level growing by the minute but managed to retain my calm with effort, reminding myself that Kodachi was crazy and thus not to be trusted at her word, so I pretended indifference as I replied, "I take it you two were out playing in our gardens?"

I should have chosen my words better because I had just given her the opening she needed, and with a leer that made my bile rise in my throat she said, "You could call it that. Ah, but to recount the words of sweet adoration that passed from his lips just now as I unburdened my soul to his attentive ears… such a charmingly attentive fellow he is. Far too good for the likes of either of you two peasants."

That was the final straw as far as I was concerned and I was about to lose my temper big time, but before I could say anything Akane-bless the gods-spoke before I could thoroughly tarnish my reputation as an ice queen.

"You talk like you think you're anything special, but you're not!" Akane quickly defended, "I may not be able to compete with you tomorrow but I know somebody who can and will beat you, so don't go resting on your laurels just yet!"

"And who could you possibly find at this late hour?" Kodachi laughed dismissively, "Your bluster is quite amusing, Tendo Akane, but it takes more than bravado to compete in my theater of expertise. Still and all, your proposal is an intriguing one. Shall we make a slight wager to that effect?"

"What kind of a wager?" I asked before Akane could answer.

Kodachi's smile was confirmation of my worst fears as the Black Rose replied, "Saotome Ranma. If you can produce a competent foe worthy of competing with me then I shall withdraw my declaration of your unworthiness and acknowledge that you may continue to call him your fiancé, otherwise he becomes fair game and I shall aggressively pursue a date with him to consummate our unspoken love. I think that should prove sufficiently interesting, don't you?"

"Fine," Akane smiled, "The baka's all yours if you win, but I'll hold you to that declaration."

I looked at Akane in dismay as Kodachi laughed haughtily and withdrew, declaring that her date with Ranma was all but sealed. I felt an acute sense of betrayal as I hissed at her, "How could you do that to me, Akane? Do you have any idea what she's going to be like around Ranma?'

"I know she's going to be after him anyway, so what's to lose?" Akane asked, "This way at least we can get her to back off a little. You should thank me for getting her to concede that."

"Concede what?" I all but shouted, "Where are we going to find a replacement for you by tomorrow? Just who did you have in mind…?"

Even as I stopped talking I realized whom she had in mind from the way she smiled at me and said, "Who do you think? We need somebody who's quick and agile and a more-than-competent martial artist, somebody who look can look good wearing my leotard and who has very good reason to want to beat Kodachi in tomorrow's match…"

"I brought the ice," said Ranma as he and Kasumi appeared at the doorway to the dojo, then he stopped in his tracks as we both turned his way, and in a nervous voice he asked, "Why are you guys looking at me that way? What have I done now?"

"I'm back!" gasped Ryoga as he stepped into the dojo and said, "I'm so sorry, Akane-chan, I couldn't find your house. Somebody must have moved it…"

"Ryoga-kun," I smiled as I got to my feet and grabbed him before he could wander off somewhere again, "Just the man I was looking for. I need a little favor from you, you big lug."

"You need what from me?" Ryoga gasped in confusion, completely oblivious to the acid look Ranma turned in his direction.

I smiled in satisfaction as I noted his jealousy out of the corner of my eye while I quickly outlined our plan, then hastily headed off Ranma's expected protests by telling him what Kodachi had implied should she claim victory by default. Once he understood the significance of the Black Rose's words he was all ears and agreeable about practicing for the tournament, professing a competent knowledge of the basics from having watched Akane's clumsy efforts.

As I had hoped his words slighting Akane provoked an angry rebuke from Ryoga, who at once agreed to train with him, and then Ranma left to get changed into his girl form while Kasumi gave him a leotard and showed Doctor Tofu to the dojo. Once Akane was taken back to her room I returned to the dojo intent on watching the subsequent training match, my confidence growing by the moment. I actually smiled as the two went at it with great ferocity while I did my best to coach from the sidelines, admiring how the competitive nature of these two premier martial artists made for good training incentive. Kodachi would be in for the match of her life, and I was silently determined to see her eat crow the more I thought of her smug insinuations.

I had let her get to me, and that was a fact that was undeniable. Me, the aloof bet-taker and arch manipulator who some denied even had a heart, jealous of an insanely demented juvenile delinquent who thought herself the gift of the gods when it came to looks and cunning. The more I thought about the tone of her voice as she had looked down on me with contempt the more I wished that it were me going up against her head-to-head to wipe that smug expression off her face for good. Ranma was a good substitute, but he was not of a nature to dish out the sort of vengeance I very much needed. A good thing Rhythmic Gymnastics Martial Arts required no physical contact as it would play against his blind spot and make her work twice as hard at getting through his defenses. Ranma seemed to have a natural gift for picking up on weapons styles and was nearly impossible to hit to judge from the determined effort Ryoga gave to that end, always missing by a good measure.

In the end I had to call a halt to their fun and games, reminding Ranma of his need for rest so that he could be fully alert when he squared off with Kodachi. Ranma professed not to be tired in spite of having gone all-out, but she conceded to my recommendation and retired, being mindful to help Ryoga find the house this time so that the boy could pay a visit to Akane.

Neither one of us bothered to note whether or not he came to her in pig form.

It was almost midnight, however, and I had one thing on my mind as I walked Ranma towards the baths, venturing the subject almost casually by asking him point-blank about his meeting with Kodachi.

She froze in mid-step and turned to me, her expression one of complete nervousness as she said, "You don't actually think I wanted to do anything with that girl? She's completely off her rocker, Nabiki, a total nut case, and she seems to think I'm some kind dating service. No way could I ever go out with a girl like her, no matter what she told you."

"I know that, Ranma," I said as I looked into the pensiveness that was about her clear blue eyes, "But Kodachi obviously doesn't. You didn't, by any chance, say or do anything that might have given her the wrong sort of impression?"

"I don't know," Ranma turned to face me squarely, "Not intentionally, but who knows what goes on inside her head. I wouldn't come anywhere near her if I had a choice about it, and she tried to give me a bunch of those black roses…you know the ones? As soon as they hit the ground I heard a hissing sound, and I don't even want to know what was in them."

"My guess is either Paralysis gas or one of her patented Knock out potions," I replied with a look that as much as said that my suspicions were confirmed on that subject, "You were smart not to take a whiff of it or you'd be as motionless as a statue for the next several hours."

"Close call, huh?" Ranma smiled, then her expression became disconcerted as she said, "Geez…what would she have done to me while I was helpless like that?"

"You don't want to know," I said with a tone and look that insinuated dark and unwholesome things best not contemplated. As slow as he usually was on the uptake, Ranma caught on with an expression of disgust that as much as told me her reaction.

Still as I watched her head off for her nightly bath I felt deeply troubled over the way I was reacting to the whole affair. I had allowed a certifiable nut case to get past my guard and rattle me in a rather significant way. I was actually feeling emotions that were nearly foreign to my nature such as jealousy and rage, and over a guy whom I had barely known for more than a few weeks at best. Something was definitely wrong with me, and until I had taken back control over my life I would not know a moment's peace. I had to make a decision about Ranma.

I knew that sleep would not come easily as I replayed the events of the past week in my mind, including my conversation with Ranma upon the roof of our house when Kodachi had come upon us. It seemed as if I relived every moment of the time I had shared with Ranma from the day of his arrival to the moment I saw him enter the dojo with Kodachi, and the picture it drew for me was difficult to mistake. The plain conclusion was that I had grown very fond of Ranma and enjoyed the time we spent together. I had never had a friend like him, male or female, and I was finding it incredibly easy to relax my guard around him.

He never made demands, never forced me to open myself up, yet I did in a way that I had never done with anyone before, and every time he paid me the slightest compliment I found my breath catching in my throat. It was the first time anyone had really noticed me before, and it gave me a warm feeling to know that there was someone in this world who did not automatically assume that I was on the make or out to get a quick profit at their expense.

I hated feeling this vulnerable. How could I have allowed this to happen? I only agreed to take him as my iinazuke to please my father and possibly exploit his unusual abilities and curse. I knew how I could still do that, I had even thought of it after the first couple of days of knowing him, but I'd hesitated, had second thoughts, allowed myself to get close to him as a person and started to think of him as someone whom I liked being around. My whole life had changed, and I had changed, and I did not know if this was a good or bad thing, I just knew that I felt as though I were losing control over my own destiny. I did not know how else I could get it back except maybe do something that would put a distance between us and give me a chance to make sense of what had happened.

When I woke up the next morning I still had not made up my mind, but I was very irritable and cranky and far less sociable around the breakfast table even than I usually was. Fortunately for me Ranma was too wound up getting ready for her match to pay much attention. I did, however, take notice of the way Ryoga was being attentive to Akane, which somehow lightened my mood just a little.

Since I was functioning as Ranma's defacto manager I made certain that we both arrived at the Saint Hebereke gymnasium where the match was scheduled to take place. It was Ranma's first time there, while I'd only been there once before during my last semester on an entirely unrelated matter. I knew that it was an all-girl school and that it used to be a convent run by Catholic missionaries during the American occupation. It was originally named for Bacchus, the Roman god of wine, ecstasy and madness, which was the basis for its present name meaning "Falling down drunk," an apt enough title considering the kind of rich clientele that attended.

I explained all of that to Ranma, who gave me the sort of dull response that as much as said it went in one ear and out the other. It was plain that she was already mentally preparing herself for the match, and when we got to the lockers she was more than alert enough to spot the danger from the bouquet or roses sitting on the bench next to his panda father, who was busy reading the paper.

Oh wait, did I forget to mention that Genma's been working with Doctor Tofu as his assistant? As lazy as the old man was at times, I had to admit that he was helping pay at least part of the expense for his room and board with us, while Ranma and I-being students-were not supposed to get outside jobs that might conflict with our school work. Official policy sucks, but I manage to bring some money in by other means while Ranma…well, his idea about starting up the dojo makes sense and is worth further exploration.

I don't want to hash out the details of what happened next, aside from the fact that Ranma and I beat a hasty exit from the lockers just before the bouquet exploded and knocked Genma out for the duration. A good thing Ranma was wearing the leotard Akane had given her from the night before-cleaned and readied care of a thoughtful Kasumi-so the matter was a slight inconvenience but not a total crisis. I'll also spare you the preliminaries leading up to the match at it was just Kodachi's usual antic behavior coming down in a wedding dress with fireworks that strangely seemed to go off in our direction.

I will mention that Ranma rescued me from one exploding rocket by picking me up and leaping to safety. My heart was in my mouth when we came down, safe and sound, while Kodachi naturally pretended ignorance of the whole incident and the judges claimed inattention, so the match began with an exchange of names with Ranma using her Ranko alias, which caused a lot of commentary from the bleachers as some of the students from Furinkan recognized her from previous battles.

I'd skip the fight altogether except for the most noteworthy details, such as Kodachi cheating at the outset by slapping a handcuff on Ranma attached by a chain to a cute black pig (three guesses who) that Kodachi had found wandering lost just outside the gym. Akane, who had been sitting close to the arena, at once recognized her pet and wanted to thrash Kodachi on the spot but had to content herself with urging Ranma to stomp my rival flat. Ranma herself looked thoroughly disgusted, while the pig attached to her arm glared with beady little eyes that all but promised mayhem the moment Ryoga found some hot water.

Kodachi was in rare form pulling out all the stops and cheating with a will against the fiery redhead who stubbornly refused to fall for her dishonorable tactics. Ranma was restrained from giving as good as she got but still managed to frustrate Kodachi at every turn, and after five furious moments from which the Gymnastics world may not soon recover he finally got the upper hand on Kodachi and was about to turn the tables by throwing her out of the ring, only the ring itself suddenly moved to keep the Black Rose from exiting over the ropes.

Up until that moment I had suspected the judges of being firmly in Kodachi's pocket, clearly favoring the home team Captain, but this was too much even by my jaded standards. I ducked down under the arena and-sure enough-there was the rest of Kodachi's team helping to move it around whenever Kodachi blew her whistle.

They saw me and I smiled back in reply, seeing a perfect opportunity to get back at Kodachi. As the Black Rose's whistle sounded again I pointed at the floor and cried out, "Hey look, is that a mouse?"

My words had the desired effect of distracting the girls, who reacted like the silly chits I took them to be and failed to cover for their Captain, moving about in agitation with exclamations of fear at the thought of their toes being nibbled at by rodents. As I expected when I emerged from beneath the tarp Kodachi's failure to anticipate this move left her with no cover as she went flying out of the ring at the end of Ranma's ribbon. The match was over by a clear knock out and Ranma emerged the victor, for which fact there was double relief from both of us.

Of course when it came to owning up to her end of the bargain Kodachi proved remarkably fair minded…at least for Kodachi. She came limping up with the assistance of her brother, glared at me with clear distaste, then squared her shoulder and attempted to put some weight on both legs, assuming a formal posture before bowing to Ranma, whom she seemed to regard with a new appraisal.

"You are a worthy foe," she said, "Perhaps we shall meet again under more favorable conditions?"

"Whatever," Ranma sniffed as she returned the bow, but-being Ranma-she could not resist twisting the knife by adding, "Whenever you're ready to have your butt handed to you again, lady."

"Hmph," Kodachi sniffed, then looked at me and said, "You have my permission to continue your courtship of Saotome Ranma…for now, peasant. I fail to see what he appreciates in you, but there must be some virtue beyond your mercenary ways if you go to such trouble defending him as courting this…red headed strumpet."

"My twisted sister does not speak for the both of us," Tatawaki said as he took Ranma by the hand and bent down to kiss it, "Your performance was exceptional, and I am more determined than ever to woo you from the clutches of your foul cousin. Until next we meet, my Osage no onna."

Ranma's expression made it plain that it would be a cold night in a fiery hell before she let Kuno look at him in that expressive manner again. Still we managed to walk away from the whole encounter in better spirits than when we entered. Furinkan had triumphed over Saint Hebereke for the first time that anyone could remember, and I picked up a cool profit from the bet I had laid on the fight with some of the local students and overall I checked the matter up as a plus.

Except for the walk home where I began having my doubts return in full force. Ranma and I were having one of those moments when awkward silence was the only thing between us. Ranma was still in girl form and looked eager to get home so she could change back, but she seemed pensive for other reasons, and after we were nearly halfway home she finally glanced my way and said, "Thanks for helping out back there…with the other gymnasts, I mean."

"Oh sure," I said, "No problem, Ranma. I was glad to do it."

After another long pause she said, "I guess Kodachi's still going to be a problem for us. I don't know why but I think she's after me…I mean my male form, I mean. You think you can handle that?"

"What makes you think I can't handle her?" I challenged, "I've known her longer than you."

"Yeah but…well," Ranma seemed to be looking for the right way to phrase her next words, and having a rather limited imagination she finally just came out and said, "She can't be trusted and she's proven that she's dangerous in a fight. That hoop with the razor edge means she doesn't care whether or not she hurts innocent people, and if you got into a fight with her…"

"If I got into a fight with her what?" I asked as Ranma's voice trailed off.

Ranma stopped in mid-stride and just stared at the ground in front of her, then very slowly she turned around and looked at me with the oddest expression. I couldn't quite put my finger on what was in her eyes, but I knew when I stared back at her that Ranma was feeling was a lot more intense than the anger she had shown around Kodachi. I was feeling something very strange as well looking into her blue eyes and finally I knew that it was concern for me that she was trying to convey. It was fear for my welfare, an honest, open concern that lacked the usual reserve Ranma had in expressing her emotions.

"You could get hurt," she said at last, "I wouldn't want that. I don't want you ever to be hurt on my account…ever."

"Well," I finally managed to say, "It's not like I've ever really been in danger around Kodachi, any more dangerous than living in Nerima generally is anyway, especially since you showed up in town."

Her eyes narrowed as she looked at me and asked, "What do you mean by that?"

"Nothing," I said, "Except maybe the way you seem to keep getting into fights, and the weird stuff that's been happening lately. I'm not saying it's your fault, Ranma, but…"

"Sounded to me like you think it is my fault," Ranma sighed, "I never asked for any of this, you know, the curse, the engagement, the people who seem to be out to either date or kill me, and I sure never meant to get you involved, you know…"

"I know," I said with a certain tightness, hearing the bitter fatigue in her voice and wondering if maybe I were coming down with his tendency towards brutal and spontaneous honesty. If so, then it meant I was even farther lost than what I was afraid of.

I was coming to a point where I realized that the danger to my sanity and well being was coming down to a decision on whether to accept Ranma as my fiancé or to end the engagement now before I got any deeper. I was vexed by the point that Ranma had raised about my safety and well-being from the likes of Kodachi and anyone else who might get it into their head that I was an obstacle to the pursuit of a relationship with Ranma.

I had to get out now while I could. The risk of coming any closer than I was meant that a more painful separation was eminent if I did not either slow or reverse our relationship. I did not want to risk being hurt by another guy, especially someone who could leave me so confused with just a compliment or a careless statement. A relationship such as ours was much too strange to continue. He was a brawler, I was a thinker and beyond that we had so little in common. The fact that we did seem to be bonding on a certain level could not be allowed to interfere with my judgement on this matter.

Of course there would be a problem with convincing Daddy that we were basically incompatible, especially in light of the way everyone was now taking it for granted that Ranma and I were an item. I was certain that Akane would want nothing to do with Ranma at this point, while Kasumi seemed even more wrong than me for Ranma. In point of fact, the more I thought on it the more I wondered why Ranma should be forced to marry anyone he did not choose of his own volition.

After all we both were still quite young, and he had confessed to me that he did not want to be tied down before he had seen more of life and the world. Just as I was not interested in being a housewife I knew that he would never be happy as some nine-to-five guy working in an office. The dojo might be a way for him to earn a living, but it was too much like forming permanent roots and I just could not see him turning into a clone of my father, or his father for that matter.

But if I could arrange matters so that Ranma would have cause to reject me then he might make it easier for others to see that we were not ultimately meant to be together. It would mean risking alienation from the other members of my family, but it would help free Ranma from the commitment he had been forced into by our parents. I had to make an ending now, so I finally resolved to do the thing that I had hesitated to do, relying on my Ice Queen reputation to protect me from the repercussions.

I'm trying to explain in words what motivated me as I returned to my room and sought a certain object among my personal possessions. My reasoning may seem flawed even to me now, but I was determined to push on ahead with my plan, which would incidentally mean raising some extra capital to go with what I had earned from betting on Ranma.

The camera was a prized possession, a Nickon automatic with a shutter speed of 1/350th of a second. I had obtained it for a photography class I had taken in middle school and had ever since used whenever I needed to obtain photographic evidence for whatever scheme I was involved with at the moment. I was quite good with this camera and had even briefly entertained the notion of making a living on my photography skills. It would serve me well for what I had in mind now as I left my room and sought out Ranma.

As I expected my transformed iinazuke had gone to his room to take a catnap, having tired himself out during the match. He had been so wound up the night before, and there had been such fatigue about his eyes that I knew he would sleep like the proverbial log, which was perfect for my plans. I made sure to obtain a kettle full of heated water with a glass of cold water as I slipped into his room and put my plan into action.

It was almost too easy applying just enough water to trigger his transformation without disturbing his rest. I positioned myself and began snapping pictures, all the while hearing a little voice in my mind telling me that what I was doing was wrong, that I was betraying his trust and doing something for which I could never hope to be forgiven.

I changed him back with the hot water then withdrew as quietly as I had entered. The whole thing had taken less than a minute, but I could feel my heart hammering in my breast as the realization of what I was doing began to settle about me like a lead weight. I was about to re-enter my room when another thought came to me and I sought out Akane in the dojo where I found her working out with the weight set.

I excused myself when she asked what I was doing and took a few quick snapshots to finish off the roll, then I returned to the house and went to work developing the photos in my dark room. I was figuring about that time that if I was going to humiliate Ranma I might as well include Akane and methodically processed the film until I obtained the images that I was after.

When they were done drying I returned to my room and spread the finished product on the floor, kneeling down and examining each one with a critical eye before making my selection. I judged that ten photos of the twelve that I had taken of Ranma were of sufficiently that I could market them at top value. I also decided that five of the seven that I took of Akane were equally good, so with these fifteen bundled up into a package I reached for my phone and placed a call to a certain party.

Two hours later I sat across from Kuno in the very same café where he had bought me a meal and some ice cream that I wound up sharing with Ranma. I wasted very little time pitching my proposition before Tatawaki then sat back on the bench and studied his face for a reaction.

I was not to be disappointed as he reacted the way I had expected, his eyes going wide as he clutched each picture up to his face in a way I would have found comical under different circumstances. I did my best to control my emotions as I set my price, prepared to haggle him into submission.

To my complete surprise he agreed to take the entire package with very little complaint, other than his usual appeal to the Heavens for mercy. I stared at the twenty thousand in yen which he set down in front of me, ignoring the cash as though it were of very little consequence. I stared at the yen in return, wondering privately to myself at the current market equivalent for twenty-two pieces of silver.

I was about to slip the cash into my purse when a figure plopped down on the bench beside me and almost scared me out of ten years growth. Ranma in girl form smiled cheerfully at me then looked at Kuno and asked what he was holding in his hands like a deck of cards full of aces.

Kuno had the good grace to hide the photographs as he stared back at her in disconcertion. It was almost a repeat of the last time we had been together there, only now I could feel my veins turn to icewater as my thoughts raced ahead of my emotions. HE KNOWS my instincts cried, and the realization of that held me paralyzed while Ranma proceeded to tease Kuno then casually asked if he would like to buy us both some ice cream.

Some crazed animal part of my mind made me want to get up and flee from there, but there was no way that I could do that with Ranma sitting on the outside half of the bench. She fixed me with a look that I could not decipher while Kuno at once signaled a waitress and instructed her to give us chocolate triple fudge sundaes, which oddly made me want to gag in spite of the fact that it was my second favorite desert. I cringed inside at my premature exposure then reluctantly reminded myself that this was what I had intended all along, giving Ranma a reason to resent if not outright hate me.

That had been my intention, but now that it seemed on the verge of being a reality I had all kinds of second thoughts. I was staring at the table in front of me as the sundae was served, feeling like the condemned being given their last meal. Ranma was not betraying any harsh emotions as yet, but the casual way she was acting in front of Kuno was somehow ten times worse than if she had been shouting in my eardrums.

Ranma ate her sundae while I could barely bring myself to touch my own, so at last she asked if she could have mine as well and I gave it to her without comment. At last Ranma got up after cleaning her face off and made an excuse, telling Kuno she would return in another moment. I took the opportunity to slide myself out of the booth at last and told Kuno I had other business to attend to.

Before I made it to the door, however, I saw Ranma again coming out from the kitchen slightly damp but looking at me with that strange gleam again, then he gave a less pleasant look in the direction of Kuno. I could not stand any more at that point and finally fled from the café, letting the reins on my emotions slide away as I hurried off staring at nothing.

I had violated his trust and gone against his express wishes in taking pictures of his female form. Worse by far was the fact that he now knew it. It was over between us before it had even really started. I could not stomach seeing him look at me with what I imagined would be accusation and betrayal. I had succeeded in my plan to drive a wedge in our relationship, now I thoroughly intended to go home and smash my camera to pieces. It was a prized possession but now it would only serve as a reminder to what I had done and I could not live with myself if I did not make some token sacrifice in homage to my quest for independence.

Only it did not quite happen that way. About two blocks from the café I found my way was blocked, and with some surprise I looked up to see Ranma standing directly in my path. Without a word he pulled out the very photographs I had just sold to Kuno and held them out to me with neither accusation nor explanation. I stared at them, then at him and said nothing, allowing the silence to speak volume as I waited for him to say the words that I expected.

Instead what he said was, "You know, if you need money that badly you could always come to me and asked. I never knew you were this serious about the photo idea, Nabiki. Of course I never would have believed that baka would shell out twenty thousand yen for pictures of the tomboy and me. Is he an idiot or what?"

"Yeah," I replied, which was about the only thing I could bring myself to say at that point.

He inclined his head and said, "I'm not mad or nothing, but weren't you the one who warned me against feeding his stupid obsession? I'd give these back to him but I'm not sure I'd even like to think what he might do with them. I don't suppose you were also planning to sell more photos of me to Kodachi?"

I winced at that but forced myself to say, "If necessary."

"Would you mind telling me why?" he asked, "Did I do something really horrible to make you mad at me? Was this your way of getting back at me for something?"

This time I flinched before saying, "It's nothing you did, Ranma. This isn't about you or revenge, and I can't think of anything you've done lately that could make me angry."

"Then why?" he asked, "I'm entitled to know that much at least."

"Yes you are," I said, forcing myself to meet his stare and finding it even harder than before to read him, "It was just a business decision, nothing personal, just business."

"A business decision," he repeated, and somehow I heard the echo of his earlier accusation, "Is Money all you ever think about?" but he did not say that this time. Instead what he said was, "Money for the dojo?"

I looked at him in confusion and did not answer. He took my non-response as a yes reply as his expression softened, then he said, "Twenty thousand yen could buy a lot of things Kasumi needs around the kitchen. It could also pay for repairs for the damage me and Ryoga did last night to the dojo, right?"

I blinked. Was he deliberately putting a good spin on my actions or did he honestly believe that I had done this out of altruism? I had wondered about his obtuseness in the past, but to ignore the baser motives for my deeds this way was a charity I knew that I did not deserve. Yes the money would have been used on the dojo but that was not the real reason for the photographs and he should well have known that.

The problem with Ranma is that he tends to see the good in people, like Kasumi. It's a basic part of his nature, and though I had seen ample evidence of this in the past, until that moment I had failed to believe it. I was guilty of a crime all right, the crime of taking his feelings for granted. Now he was showing me a courtesy such as I rarely extended to others and it made me feel…unworthy of him in some fundamental way, as though Kodachi's accusation had been right on target the whole time.

Ranma glanced at the photos in his hand and sighed, "Well, I guess I'd better get these back before Kuno notices they're missing. They're not too bad overall, but I hope you'll ask me next time instead of trying to make me think I've wet my bed or something…"

"Ranma…" I finally said at last, causing him to look at me in surprise.

For maybe ten seconds I stood there looking into his eyes, then I slowly walked up to him and put my arms around his waist, resting my head on his shoulder and holding him as I could find no other means of expression my emotions. Ranma stood there without responding for another ten seconds before he awkwardly put his arms around to steady me as he felt me trembling slightly. It was a moment for which I almost wished I had a camera, but I was just as glad that the streets were nearly deserted as I clung to him there, feeling tears upon my cheeks for the second time in the week. He must have seen those tears because a moment later he softly asked me not to cry, assuring me that everything was all right and that I should not feel bad about needing to earn money.

And that was when I finally knew that I was lost. I had given it my best shot and it failed to turn out the way I expected. Ranma was too noble, too decent to get angry because of some cheap stunt I pulled in a lame attempt at making him reject me. I now knew beyond question that I did not want to ever feel his rejection, that I could not live with myself if I had driven him away. I had lost the battle and quite possibly the war, yet somehow I was not sorry as I felt something warm inside me as Ranma accepted me as I was without question.

And now I am left with the brutal truth that Kodachi was right all along, I'm not worthy of being Ranma's iinazuke. That being said I am not willing to give him up either, especially not to someone who considers him as little more than a notch in her belt or a trophy. I am ready to concede to the engagement without further protest, even if it means I have to go and marry the baka because I'll never know this kind of happiness again if I ever lose him. We are still two very different people but we share enough in common to make a start at building a relationship, and who is to say if we won't ultimately prove to be good for each other?

If only he still didn't sometimes drive me so crazy…

Continued

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