"Ha ha, very funny. Ya know that I wasn't trying to force this to happen," a rather disgruntled looking Ranma muttered as he wrapped a sheet around himself.
"Ah, but you did 'rise' to the occasion."
"And ya seemed ta move in all on your own."
The conscious Tendo daughter gave a small shrug. "Can't deny that. Still, this is Ranma Saotome, Miss Kirijo."
"I noticed that," Mitsuru commented, raising a brow at the other girl.
"Oh?"
"Other than the fact that we were rather... intimately aware of each other, the fact is that he is the only boy in the room. It's only logical that he'd be Ranma."
"Too true."
"If you're so quick to agree with me, then why mention it now?"
"Simple. Wasn't sure if you recognized him without one of you laying down."
"Funny," the rich girl responded, allowing a small smile to curve her lips. "And perfectly understandable."
The pigtailed boy sat down on the floor with his sheet wrapped around his body like a cloak as he eyed the long legged redhead who managed to look elegant despite her current lack of clothing. "Okay, so what's goin' on here?"
"I've just been meeting your... companion, and talking with her, Ranma."
"My... what?"
"'Companion', Ranma," the short haired Tendo told him, as she took her own seat and drew her legs up to her chest. "And this is Mitsuru Kirijo."
"'Mitsuru'? That sounds...."
"Yes?"
"It's familiar, only.... Right! It's her!"
"Oh, and that means...."
"She's a girl that I met when I was travellin' on that trainin' journey with my Pop."
"I know that much, Ranma. He can be a bit thick sometimes, but at least you know where you stand with him," Nabiki commented, directing the second line towards the other conscious girl.
Mitsuru nodded with clear understanding. "He hasn't exactly changed a good deal from who he'd been."
"Can't say that I'd know that, seeing as I didn't meet him as a kid... as far as I know. But I can see where that would be true."
"Would someone mind tellin' me what's goin' on?" the martial artist asked, his eyes blinking slightly.
"Nothing much. Just making sure that we know who the others are."
"Which does bring up one question," Mitsuru pointed out, sending a questioning gaze toward the short haired girl. "You still haven't said what your connection with him is."
"Ah yes," Nabiki murmured, recognizing the legitimacy of the claim with a slow nod.
"And?"
"I'm the sister of the fiancee of the jock here."
"Her sister?"
Catching the glance that the other girl gave the snoozing Kasumi, the middle Tendo daughter laughed. "No, not her. Well, actually, she is my older sister. Kasumi is her name. But the thing is that she isn't the one that was supposed to marry him."
"What happened to her then?"
"She ain't here," Ranma bit out, and sulked a bit.
"Unfortunately, that's true," Nabiki admitted. One didn't exactly rush to let others know of family... troubles, but this wasn't a normal situation. "When we heard about the meteor, Akane, my kid sister, went and ran off with her friends rather than stick it out with us."
"And so you felt free enough to...." Kirijo trailed off.
"It wasn't like we expected to survive, and she wasn't looking like she was planning on coming rushing back."
"She was his fiancee though."
"Yes, and I'm not sure how deep the relationship was. On the other hand, it was an arranged match."
"They didn't pick each other?"
"Not really. Our fathers were old training partners who decided to have their children marry, and it fell to her to do it."
"I didn't ask the tomboy ta do it though," Ranma said under his breath.
"In any case, he was staying with us because of that. And the fact that his father was a moocher."
"Some things never change, I suppose," Mitsuru sighed.
"From what I hear, no, not particularly. He's been that bad all the time?"
"Basically...."
Ranma blew out a breath. "Pop? He's always said that grabbin' food's trainin'. Heck, I remember when I met Mitsuru near that place her family owned, and he tried ta get his paws on the treats I got."
"He did have a lack of... understanding. Though it is interesting to see that the boy that I knew now has a fiancee...."
"Not only her," came Nabiki's droll voice.
"Eh?"
"He has another fiancee. Childhood friend. Sells okonomiyaki for a living."
"But did he already have...." the redhead began.
"Oh, the promise with my family was already there. However, old 'uncle' Genma had never met food that he didn't like, and since he could get a food cart out of the deal, he went for it."
"That's....
"Not the end of it. There is also the Amazon 'wife', whose laws say that she has to marry him because he beat her in a fight, and the crazy younger sister of my nitwit of a classmate. And that doesn't bring up the fighters that come to bother him all the time, as well as the odd moron that pops up on occasion."
"Didn't ask for any of 'em," Ranma growled, the sourness of his words twisting his mouth.
"We know that. It's just that we have to recognize that you're the one who all of it follows."
"Just great."
"But in any case, they're not here, and we are," Nabiki commented, glancing back towards the other girl. "I'm the 'thinker' in the family. Make plans, and come up with ideas to make money. My sister Kasumi's on the bed, and looking rather pleased with herself. Wouldn't have thought of it before. She's usually just pretty... domestic, you know."
"Ah, one of the... caretaking type, hm?"
"Pretty much. Though she seems fond of sharing... intimacy with our big stud here."
"Didn't 'xpect that, either," the mentioned boy blurted.
"Don't worry, we didn't think that you did."
Leaning back slightly, Mitsuru raised her brows. "Should be interesting in any case."
"Isn't that so," Nabiki agreed with a grin, while:
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