“Fine. You win, Ranma. Tab wiped, extra favors, and none of this gets out,” Nabiki sighed.
“Excellent!” Ranma replied. He clapped in satisfaction and rose off the wall. “Now, if you’d excuse me…”
“Wait!”
Ranma stopped and raised an eyebrow at her; she couldn’t seriously be changing her mind, could she? “Yes?” he cautiously asked.
“Well, along with getting me the Senshi as clients and…” she cleared her throat, not bothering to mention the other part of the bargain; they both knew what it was, and it was a less then savory topic of conversation. “…Well, can you… that is to say…”
Ranma couldn’t believe what he was seeing; was the Ice Queen actually…? Dear Lord! She was fidgeting! What could she want that would have her acting like some awkward school girl? Whatever it was, Ranma knew it was going to be at least blackmail material that would set him for life.
“Yes?” He repeated, this time sounding oily, even to himself.
“Um… can you…” she tried to get out again, before letting out a huff of frustration. “Oh, this is ridiculous!” she muttered. She took a deep, calming breath, and said the absolute last thing Ranma was expecting:
“Can you get me their autographs? Please? I’m a really big fan!”
*Thunk!*
Ranma peeled his face off the floor, still not quite believing it. It couldn’t be, could it…? “You’re a Senshi otaku?” he asked disbelievingly.
“Yeah…”
Ranma couldn’t help it: he cracked up, negotiation be damned. This was just too fucking funny!
“Okay. Fine! Laugh it up! You can already ruin me without much thought! Why not rub it in while you’re at it!”
Ranma reined it in after a while, though a small hiccup would occasionally find its way out. “I’m—*hic* I’m sorry, Nabiki, it’s just… out of all us loons here in Nerima, you probably have the least moral scruples. And yet, you’re a closet fan of the warriors of love and justice! Think about it! A criminal is a Senshi otaku! The irony here is fucking hilarious!” he broke down again, tears of mirth once again finding their way to his eyes.
Nabiki was silent for a moment, before she let out a surprisingly Kasumi-like giggle. “Okay, fine, I’d admit: it is pretty funny, from a certain point of view.”
“Glad you think so,” Ranma said, reining in his laughter once again. “Okay, fine, I’ll get you their autographs. But in return, I want you to get started on something for me right away.”
Nabiki nodded. “Alright. What is it?”
“I want you to start working on getting me transferred to Juuban High. I don’t know when I’ll be going, but I need to leave as soon as I’m finished with everything here. The fuss needs to be kept at a minimum, and with as little people knowing as possible. Got it?”
“Um… alright. That might take me while, but I’m sure I’ve got some strings I can pull.”
“Excellent. Anything else I can do for you, Nab-chan?” Ranma smirked at the raised eyebrow he got for his little liberty taken. Of course, there wasn’t a thing she could do about it, and they both knew it. Ah, the joy of having the upper hand for once.
Ranma hadn’t been expecting an answer, so he was surprised when an uncertain “Well…” from a fidgeting Nabiki. He wondered what else she could want; he was already giving her a lot of stuff. He found out soon enough.
“When you get those autographs, I need an extra copy.”
It was Ranma’s turn to do the eyebrow raising. “May I ask why?”
“Um… well… I kinda want to give one to Kasumi, too.”
“Why would…” Ranma blinked. Then blinked again, as realization came to him. “No way. Don’t tell me…?”
Then Nabiki did something Ranma thought she hadn’t been capable of: she smiled. Yeah, that’s right: smiled. Not that callous little smirk she always wore, but a real, honest-to-God, smile. And, unless she had learned how to manipulate her aura in the last fifteen minutes, it was a genuine smile.
“Yeah, onee-chan’s an otaku, too. She’s a big fan of Sailor Moon, in particular, and… well…”
Ranma saw where she was headed, and was surprised to see this side of Nabiki. She sounded almost… caring when referring to Kasumi. Ranma allowed himself a small smile; maybe she wasn’t so heartless, after all…
Outwardly, he nodded and finished for her. “I understand. I owe Kasumi-dono a lot, too, for putting up with me and the old bastard. I’d do anything for her, and if she wants an autograph from Sailor Moon… well…” Ranma gave Nabiki a smirk. “She IS my baby sister—I’m sure I can convince her.”
Nabiki smirked back in understanding; yes, sometimes younger siblings just have to be… persuaded in doing what was right. She should know—she had Akane, after all.
“Well, Nabiki, it was nice doing business with you-” and he was completely truthful, too; it had been sweet getting one up on her for once “-but I must get back to bed. I’ve got quite a few things planned, and you never know what opportunities will come your way. It would be such a pity if I missed my chance because of a little fatigue.” Chuckling, Ranma opened the door and stepped out. “Good night, Nabiki,” he said, waving over his shoulder.
A short walk back to his room later, Ranma was once again under the covers of his bed and slowly drifting off, wondering who he was going to take care of next. Who ever it was, though… they better pray to whatever gods they worshipped.
Because Prince Ran was back, and he wasn’t going to take shit from NOBODY.
See other episodes by The Fanfic Stealer
(Posted Tue, 05 Feb 2008 23:42)
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らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
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