*"Hi, Ruka-chan!"* chirped the voice on the other end of the line.
"I thought that I told you never to call me that, Nabiki!"
*"So, you recognized little old me."*
"Of course! You're the only one that calls me by that silly nickname!"
*"Tsk, tsk. You wouldn't want to mess up that reputation of yours,"* Nabiki drawled, sounding supremely pleased with herself.
"Did you call me just to annoy me with that nickname?"
*"Certainly not. But if you don't like pet names, what does Ranma call you?"*
"He calls me...." the blonde began, but nearly choked as she realized what she'd been about to reveal. "Is none of your business."
*"But it's yours."*
"Yeah? So what?"
*"'So', it might be best for you to brush on your names for him."*
"Why is that?"
*"My dad just got a postcard in the mail. It was from your father-in-law, and apparently, he and Dad had an arrangement where his son would marry me, or one of my sisters. Because of that, Genma is bringing Ranma to my house."
Haruka was surprised that the phone didn't slip from her hands, as the shock of what she'd just heard had made them somewhat limp. Of course, she hadn't seen Ranma Saotome in so long that now that he was going to be returning to the city, she was overwhelmed. But then, he'd always been able to do that to her, as he was the only guy to ever make her actually feel like being a woman like the other girls were.
When other guys had simply been impressed by her racing, both on foot, and on bikes, Ranma had not given her blind adoration. He'd actually given her tips on running, and been friendly to her. A lot of boys had tried to get close to her, but they'd merely seen the image, and dropped into it, while he seemed to be unable to put on a show for her. Unlike what she expected, he'd actually liked that she was strong and tough, while still managing to be cool. In fact, he'd actually gotten into doing things with her simply because he wanted to, and had shown her things that he did that she enjoyed as well. And he made her life bearable, by being willing to be by her no matter what, as well as having a love of life that focused on the moment, rather than on any future worries.
It was almost like having a brother to share things with, except that her feelings were anything but sisterly. Slowly, almost creeping up on her until she couldn't refuse them, were feelings that went beyond friendship. For the first time in her life, she had a guy who not only enjoyed competing with her, but made her happy to face off against him. Before, she'd merely wanted to show that she could equal the boys who whined when she won, and now she had a guy who took any loss in stride, merely declaring that he'd win next time. He had no need to push her into some sort of cliched little behavior box, and actually cared for her as she was.
Before she knew it, more 'girl' clothing made it into her wardrobe, and she began wearing that sort of stuff more. He didn't mind if she showed up in slacks, but for some reason, she actually liked wearing a skirt when she was with him. In fact, she actually found herself wearing feminine stuff for him, and didn't mind the idea of being on his arm as much as she might any other guy. She liked how he saw her, the cool and strong girl, as an attractive woman who was fine as she was. Sure, he could annoy the hell out of her, but his occasional bouts of immaturity seemed to be as endearing as they were able to cause her to sigh.
One day, she just realized that she loved him. Not as a friend, or as a brother, but as the guy for her. She didn't know why, how, or when it'd happened, but when she considered the idea of him leaving her, it made her jaw clench. Even though she understood that those sorts of things happened, the concept that they could happen to him just didn't sit well with her.
As a result, she had a real reason to back her up when she said yes, when he asked her to marry him.
*"Haruka?"* murmured Nabiki.
"Sorry about that," Haruka apologized. "My mind was wandering."
*"Given the situation, that's understandable."*
"And thanks for the info. I appreciate it."
*"Now you can get ready for his arrival, huh?"*
"Definitely. And his father's too."
*"Genma's in for some pain, isn't he?"*
"How'd you guess?"
*"Women's intuition," the other girl dryly answered. "Too bad the has to stay breathing."*
"Yeah, but you try explaining to my mother-in-law why her husband's that hurt."
*"Thanks, but not thanks. Still, there is something that you can do to make his return better."*
"What's that?"
*"Wear that filmy miniskirt. As I remember it, Ranma loves your legs."*
Despite her normal cool, Haruka went pink at that suggestion, and tried not to sputter back at the girl... even if she'd had an idea along those lines as well. But she sure as hell wasn't going to admit it. Telling Nabiki something like that was certain to just give her more ammunition, and the blonde didn't want to do that, while:
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(Posted Wed, 24 Aug 2005 07:18)
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らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
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