[Episode 133887] [Episode 133887]She was Ranma's girlfriend. The only one he ever had. She should know; she'd investigated him thoroughly. She'd known he'd have no interest in her, and even if he did, he wouldn't dare pursue her romantically.
Somehow he'd acted counter to all her predictions.
He'd said he was curious about dating. He'd said that the date didn't mean they were in love. There were no ties between them. Just because they'd dated didn't mean he was her boyfriend; it just meant he'd wanted to go on a real date.
But he'd asked her for a second date.
It was the most tenuous of relationships. It could end at any moment. Either of them could call it off without explanation needed. It would end if either of them stopped making an effort to continue it.
But it was a relationship no one else had ever achieved, although many desired it.
She'd loved Ranma for a long time. She'd done what she could to keep him at arm's length, in spite of the pain that caused her. Even under normal circumstances, falling in love and having it reciprocated would leave a girl glowing. But Nabiki had been laboring under the emotional pain of believing no one could love her. To have the person, whom she'd been working to make dislike her, the person she desired, say he cared for her, did wonders for her self-worth and happiness.
And then there were the compulsions Ranma applied to Nabiki. He'd told her that he'd only date someone who was "something special", that she was smart, beautiful, and had plenty of style. She was on top of the world.
And because Ranma's suggestions had removed that nagging doubt over her self-worth, she didn't feel the need to prove her superiority. If she were still suffering, she might have felt the temptation to rub one of the fiancee's noses, as disastrous as that would be for her health.
She was Ranma's girlfriend because Ranma wanted her to be. Even if they were forced to never see each other again, it wouldn't change a thing. Ranma cared for her.
It was inevitable that others would notice the changes in Nabiki and Ranma. But everyone bought their explanations. Nabiki claimed to be happy from the wad of money she made at Ranma's expense; the majority of the money coming from Kuno, supposedly. No one would voluntarily engage Kuno in dialogue to determine the truth.
Meanwhile, Ranma was obviously avoiding Nabiki, with an expression of fear whenever anyone saw him with Nabiki. Ranma's fear originated from his inability to hide his emotions from his face. He was scared someone else, besides Nabiki, would discern the confusing welter of emotions he now felt when seeing Nabiki.
If someone else knew how he felt, it would go badly for him, but it could be disastrous for Nabiki. Granted, she could talk her way around everyone in Nerima, but if one of the fiancees, their suitors, or one of the adults became angry enough to attack first, and talk afterwards, she'd be in real trouble.
Ranma had made his life much more complicated, but in the wake of their date, he really couldn't bring himself to regret it.
Once, Kasumi had appeared seconds after they'd shared a quick kiss. The thought of what could have happened had she shown up earlier, was sufficient to fuel Ranma's anxiety until their next date.
For their next date, Ranma, and his camping pack disappeared. In their place, Ranma left a note about going back to Mt. Terror for a weekend training trip to learn a new technique.
Nabiki sold the information to the Amazons, the Kunos, and Ukyou. The fathers dragged Akane to spend time with her fiancee. Akane carried P-chan with her. And the rest of the mad house followed for one reason or another.
Meanwhile Ranma met up with Nabiki in another ward of Tokyo. After all, Mt. Terror was pretty big. It wasn't his fault if they never found him. He'd just have to claim the technique he was trying to learn was inferior to one he already knew. A speed technique that was slower than the Amaguriken, for example.
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(Posted Mon, 11 Apr 2005 18:51)
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らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
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