I know this is breaking my posting one fic per series a month rule but
I'm too far ahead not to.

Graduation
Thom Keehn
zinyadel@hotmail.com


Exclusive rights to all Ranma1/2 characters and places belong to
Rumiko Takahashi and are used herein without permission.  This
material is not to be used for commercial gain or in any other way
that is profitable.

The following story takes a huge jump from the preceeding stories and
can easily stand on its own without much knowledge of what went on
before.  This is approximately a year after all the trouble happened
between Ranma and the crew.  Nabiki's Graduation (oh and Kuno's).

The stories of both the Cas series and Wedding Aftermaths are on my
homepage in formatted text files.

http://ravenhale.anifics.com/fiction.html

-----

A sharp squeal from the corner of the room announced the PA system
had been turned on.  Feedback crackled through the speaker as a
microphone was handled improperly.  As usual, the sound of maniacal
laughter issued forth, causing many students to groan.

Nabiki hardly even looked up from her black notebook.  Whatever the
principal had to say, would more than likely have nothing to do with
her.  If he intended to cut hair or any other equally ridiculous
disciplinary techniques, she felt confidant Ranma would deal with it
without her having to lift a finger.

"Good morning, my little keikis," the madman raved over the intercom.
"Me have a big news for all graduates of this here Furinkan High."

Nabiki lifted an eye towards the speaker, which was vibrating from
the abuse of the speaker yelling into the other end.  Apparently the
news would concern her class specifically, which could mean Ranma
wouldn't interfere without her insistance.  Not that it was morning,
though.  Actually it was the last class before dismissal.

"It appears the a budget for this a year's graduation class has
suffered under the much a needed discipline of Saotome Ranma, that
bad little keiki," the principal bemoaned.  "As result, we no have a
funds for a ceremony befitting this a school's station.  Diplomas
shall be mailed to this a year's graduates.  Thank you!"

The speaker shrieked as it was abruptly cut off.  On cue, several
angered whispers drifted about the class.  Nabiki noted with
disinterest that the blame was divided between Ranma and the
principal as to who's fault this was.  She jotted down a reminder to
find out when the diplomas were to be mailed in her notebook next to
the list of schools she was considering to apply to after graduation.

"That wretched varlot!" cried out a familiar, pompous voice.  "He
plagues my tenure at this establishment to the very end!"

Nabiki refrained from commenting, not wanting to spend the rest of
the day in the hall.  However, glancing up she realized the teacher
had already taken leave of the classroom.  Her eyes perused the room
of angry faces before she allowed herself a small smirk.

"You really need to control yourself, Kunou-chan," Nabiki remarked
casually, returning her attention to her list of schools.
"Frightening teachers is not the way to carry yourself through
graduate school."

"I can hardly be blamed for my imposing nature or their cowardly
behaviors," Kunou replied, sitting back in his chair and lifting a
hand to hold his brow.  "Still, the crime against us is very
unreasonable, don't you agree?"

"As long as we get the diploma, does it really matter?" she asked
nonchalantly.  "None of the schools I'm considering for my future
education screen their students according to how grandiose the
graduation ceremony was.  If there isn't the money, there isn't the
money."

Kunou glared angrily at the speaker, clenching his hand into a fist
while the other absently clenched at his side where his sword would
have been had he been dressed in his kendo gi.  "To think that I,
Kunou Tatewaki, age eighteen, should be denied the privilege of
graduating in the utmost of splendor due to that wretch, Saotome
Ranma."  His eyes welled with tears.  "What is the world coming to?"

Bored, Nabiki pushed her notebook to the side to glance through the
paper that she had been reading.  She flipped the pages of her
notebook to a list of companies she was watching and compared the
figures to the ones listed in the paper.  Though she didn't actually
own any stock in these companies, it didn't cost anything to
practice.

"So what school do you plan on attending after you leave this
'establishment'?" Nabiki asked offhandedly, adding the new figures to
her rough spreadsheet.

"It shall be a grand place, befitting my character and prowess,"
Kunou declared.

"So you don't have a clue," Nabiki surmised, not looking up from her
paper.  "You should be more concerned with the after than the event.
It's like planning a wedding without giving thought to the marriage."

Nabiki allowed her own statement to hang heavily in her mind.  She
found it quite witty and decided to use it towards her father just to
see what it would do.  After all, she felt that statement fairly
summed up her father's attitude towards Ranma and Akane's engagement.

"... to think about it boils my blood," Kunou continued ranting.
"Why my father is just as much to blame, squandering our funds to cut
a braid of hair off of that varlot's head.  Unthinkable!"

"So why don't you have your father pay for a grand ceremony?" Nabiki
asked, growing annoyed at his distracting voice.  "It's not like you
are at a shortage of wealth to provide your own ceremony with all the
bells and whistles."

Kunou crossed his arms, shaking his head at her as if she did not
understand.  "Though that may be true, I being so well endowed," the
kendoist admitted with a smug smile, "you must know that something
given is always of more value than something you purchase without a
second thought."

Nabiki leaned back in her chair, wondering if the boy had lost what
little wit was left in him.  "To the contrary, Kunou-chan," she
started, absently crossing her legs beneath her desk, "I have always
been of the opinion that something you work for holds more value
because you had to work for it.  Having your life handed to you tends
to create a sense of things being deserved to you."  She was
purposely aiming the remark at him, but she doubted it would
register.

Of course, it didn't.  Kunou shook his head again.  "Tendou Nabiki,"
he said with a sigh.  "Do women buy themselves flowers?  Of course
not.  They await for the gift to be given to them and I never
disappoint them for long."  He glanced aside at her with a
condescending smile.  "Of course you know not of what I speak having
never received such attentions."

Resisting the urge to flatten Kunou, Nabiki calmly ignored him.  She
thought of things to tell Ranma to get Kunou trounced as she perused
the wanted ads of her paper.  She wasn't looking for a job so much as
checking to see if there was any cheap furniture available.  She had
no intentions of going to school without the bare essentials in
furnishings.

She turned the page and gasped.  Several people instantly crowded
around her, curious as to what could have gotten such a reaction from
her.

The entire page was devoted to a large wanted ad.  The ad
embroidered with red and yellow roses depicted a majestic school with
finely detailed students frozen in the act of going to school.
Nabiki would have sworn the ad was a photograph had she not realized
the students were all unbelievably handsome or beautiful.

"What's this?" Kunou demanded, snatching the paper from her grasp.
Nabiki blinked at the torn remnants of paper in her hands, the entire
center of the paper now in Kunou's.

"Due to an unforseen expense, the Seisyun High School graduation
committee is seeking the aid of another school in similar dire
straits.  Budget analysis will be discussed upon first meeting to
decide if it is feasible of sharing a joint graduation ceremony.
Further details can be negotiated upon acceptance," Kunou read aloud,
his voice trembling.  He gripped the paper and regarded the ceiling
with praise.  "Why, the lady of happiness smiles upon us."

"Kunou-chan," Nabiki said, irritated that her paper had been ruined.
"You are aware Seisyun High School is the school that had their
nadatorium wrecked by certain relations."

Tatewaki pounced to the top of his desk, pointing out the window.  He
began laughing, either ignorant of the incident or uncaring.  Several
students groaned and started gathering their things for the day.

Sighing, Nabiki picked up the ad from the floor where Kunou had
dropped it and checked the contact name and number.  She added the
details next to her reminder in her black notebook before stuffing
her notes and books into her school bag and slinging it over her
shoulder.

"See you, Kunou-chan," she called over her shoulder as she departed
with several other students.  Kunou continued his laughter,
oblivious.

*****

She ate in silence, ignoring the rest of her family as she had done
for a long time now.  Occasionally she would catch some exchanges
that she added her own sadonic remarks to, but in the past year she
had steadily felt it was even worth the effort.  Very little changed
regardless of what she said.  At least she got Kunou back with a well
placed comment about the pig-tailed girl.

"... even care about the graduation?" Akane asked her.  Her younger
sister sat across the table, peering at her with eyes demanding for
her to show some emotion about the subject.

Nabiki averted her eyes just a little so as not to be directly
insulting her sister's concern.  "Does it really matter?" she asked
lightly.  "What do I stand to gain whether we have a ceremony or not?
It's not like we are being refused our diplomas."

Akane was taken aback by her aloofness to the matter.  "B-but you
must feel some anger about this," Akane ventured.  "I wouldn't take
something like that without a fight."

Nabiki tilted her head away, holding her chopsticks relaxed in her
fingers as they hovered over her rice bowl.  "I think we can safely
say that I am not like you," Nabiki commented offhandedly.  "But if
you must know, I've already started arrangements with another school
for a joint graduation ceremony.  With the two schools combined there
will be plenty of money for a ceremony.  We are even considering
throwing in a senior dance, if budget allows."

Akane made a heap of rice vanish from her bowl.  Her sibling swallowed
before continuing.  "You could have just said you were taking care of
things instead of pretending not to care," her sister declared.

"Would you like some more rice, Nabiki?" her elder sister asked with
her familiar blissful smile.

Nabiki glanced down at her empty bowl.  She narrowed her eyes at the
three culprits that might have helped themselves to her meal, but said
nothing.  Akane's distraction had prevented her from accurately
determining who had done it.  She declined the offer with a simple
gesture and Kasumi went about serving the others that had empty bowls.

Ranma pointed at her with his chopsticks, his eyes fixed on her.  "So
what's the name of the school?" he asked.

He was being conversational, suggesting either he didn't do it or was
pretending he hadn't.  Knowing Ranma rarely acted upon such a devious
level, she figured he wasn't the villain.  "Seisyun High," Nabiki
remarked casually.  "You know the school Akane wrecked when she filled
in for one of the teammates of the swimming crew."

Ranma began to chuckle but was cut off when a pair of chopsticks
pinched at his nose painfully.  "It was your fault!" Akane growled,
twisting her weapons downward.

Nabiki wasn't exactly sure how Kodachi injuring a member of the swim
team during one of the usual chases was Ranma's fault.  The blackmail
of Kodachi with those photos of Tsubasa only kept the crazy loon away
when she conveniently remembered it.

"Despite the accident," Nabiki drawled, her voice ending the spat
between the two.  Akane huffed and returned to eating while Ranma
nursed his nose.  "The Seisyun committee chair has agreed to the idea
and intends to meet with me tomorrow concerning the various details of
what, where, when and how.  Konjou-san is quite enthusiastic to say
the least."

Both Akane and Ranma blinked in unison.  "Konjou-san?" Ranma repeated.
"As in M-A-R-I-K-O?"

Nabiki stiffled a giggle.  She nodded once.  "That's her."

"Isn't she too young to be graduating?" Akane asked, irritated.

"She's the head of the committee, not a graduate," Nabiki explained.
"I actually think it quite intelligent to allow a nongraduate to run
the show.  This way the actual graduates don't have to do their own
graduation."

Akane held a hand absently up to her mouth.  "I wonder if Kunou
remembers her."

Ranma snorted in disgust.  "That jerk?" he scoffed.  "He's too busy
proclaiming his love for us to give a girl he hasn't seen in over a
year a second thought."  Ranma stood up, turning away from the table.
"Besides, in the end, she was throwing him about like a weapon.
Violence is hardly an act to show somebody your love."

"What would you know about showing love?" Akane huffed, pouncing to
her feet.  "All you ever do is insult me?"

"I can insult you all I like," Ranma growled, clenching his fists as
he leaned in towards her younger sister.  "I never claimed to be in
love with you!"

Silence followed his declaration, all eyes upon him.  Akane's hand
came across his cheek with a resounding slap before the girl turned
and fled from the room.  Ranma staggered from the blow before taking a
hesitant step in the direction Akane had disappeared.

"Son, what have you done?" her father cried from the head of the
table.

Not wanting to listen to her father's antics or Ranma's pitiful
justifications, Nabiki got up from the table and started towards the
kitchen.  Ranma's stammering excuses followed her into the hallway and
diminished when she ducked into the kitchen.  She grabbed a mop bucket
from the corner of the room and dropped it into the sink.

"Stupid," she muttered, turning the faucet.  "Why does he keep doing
that?  It's not like it would kill him to admit it."  She waited for
the bucket to fill a quarter way before cutting off the flow.  She
hauled the bucket out of the sink and steadily retraced her steps back
to the dining room.

As she expected they were still at it.  She felt sorry for Akane,
figuring her sister was probably in her room pretending like it didn't
matter.  But even her pity extended only so far.  She wanted ice cream
now.

"Hey!" Ranma protested as the pail was upended over him.  "What did
you do that for?"

"I'm going out for a quick desert," Nabiki explained.  "With you
along, I'll get it for a discount."

"Desert!" Ranma echoed excitedly.  He grabbed her hand and started
down the hall with her in tow.  "That's a great idea!"

Her father's claims of her being a traitor followed them out the door
and into the night.

*****

Nabiki walked through the park, glancing at the benches.  She was here
to meet with Mariko and discuss a few issues.  Her notebook was ready,
several questions that needed answering with generous space for her to
write down those answers.

Her search ended when she spotted a slender girl dressed in a light
yellow jacket with Seisyun emblazoned across the front in bright red.
At least, Nabiki assumed the word was Seisyun as the girl was leaned
forward with both of her arms crossed in front of her, one forearm
resting against the knee while the other hand cupped her chin with the
elbow resting on her thigh.  The girl didn't notice her, her face
turned away from her.

Nabiki approached the oblivious girl warily.  The girl was quite
energetic over the phone and Nabiki felt certain that once Mariko knew
she was present, the disinterested act would fade if not altogether
vanish.

"Konjou Mariko," Nabiki stated, stopping a couple paces from the girl.

Mariko turned at the sound, uncrossing her legs.  The girl's bangs
were trimmed perfectly at her eyes.  At the base of her bangs, a pink
ribbon stretched around her head and disappeared in the fluff of short
black hair.  She adjusted a small set of wireframe glasses on her
nose, before standing up and bowing politely.

"Tendou Nabiki," Mariko returned.  "I am pleased to meet you."

Nabiki bowed in response, curious as to the glasses.  Mariko hadn't
mentioned anything about them over the phone.  "So how do you propose
to start business?"

The girl adjusted her glasses again, the act seeming more of habit
than necessity.  Mariko gestured to the bench.  "I find that the best
thing to do upon any problem is brainstorming," Mariko declared.
"B-R-A-I..."

"I know how it is spelled," Nabiki remarked offhandedly.  She sat down
and patted the bench beside her.  Mariko, a little upset at her cheer
being interrupted, hesitated before giving in.  Once the girl was
seated, Nabiki continued, "So first topic of importance is the funds.
Your amount given over the phone and our school resources, what little
remains, should be enough to get a ceremony but what exactly do you
have in mind for Seisyun graduates?"

Mariko clasped both of her hands together as her lips pouted in
thought.  "Traditionally we have a caterer hired in for the after
ceremony.  Each student is responsible to give the committee an
accurate count of guests they are inviting so there can be a proper
amount of food prepared.  If that number exceeds our resources, I
suppose we could demand a payment per guest beyond a certain amount."

Nabiki nodded, thinking it would actually be a better idea to charge
all guests other than graduates.  The fare could fund the caterer and
food entirely, and hopefully cover extra costs for anything else they
wanted to include.  "How about having only the graduates eating free?"
Nabiki suggested.  "If we could afford having guardian's free, neither
of our schools would be in this situation to begin with."

Mariko adjusted the glasses again, her nose wrinkled in distaste.
"That seemes awfully disrespectful," the girl stated.  She then
smiled, shrugging.  "But I suppose the parents won't mind if we remind
them they are doing this for the graduates."

'They'll only despise our school officials even more,' Nabiki thought
wryly.  She opened up her black notebook and scribbled the solution to
the first item on her list.

"School spirit is what the communities need today!" Mariko proclaimed,
clenching a fist.  "Healthy rivalries such as the one between Furinkan
and Seisyun are dwindling in number every year.  People cease to care
for the team as evident in our plight today."  Mariko stood up and
pointed to the sky.  "School spirit!  S-C-H-O..."

"Back to the matter at hand," Nabiki cut in, tugging on the girl's
blue skirt to get Mariko to sit back down and stop making a scene.  "I
understand you also want to fund a dance afterwards.  Anything special
involved?"

Mariko blinked, yielding to Nabiki's tug.  The cheerleader sat back
down and said, "Not really.  Both schools have adequate space to serve
as a dance floor.  We might need to hire a DJ or maybe a band."  The
girl's eyes sparkled and she lept to her feet atop the bench.  "We
could bring in Boa!  B-O-A!"

"Budget constraints," Nabiki commented, her brow twitching in anger at
the embarrassment she was suffering.  "We couldn't hope to hire a band
that has actually released an album, let alone a good one.  A DJ will
do fine."

The girl slumped back onto the bench, crestfallen.  "I suppose you're
right," she admitted.  "We could easily afford a DJ without charging
admission."

"Exactly," Nabiki agreed.  "Which leads me to the coordination between
the ceremonies.  The banquet and the dance will happen afterwards,
presumably at the same location.  Shall the ceremonies be held at the
respective schools or somewhere else."

"Separate schools," Mariko commented with a dismissive gesture.  "It
simply wouldn't be right for a Furinkan student to graduate from
Seisyun or vice versa."

Nabiki nodded.  "Would you be against having the banquet and the dance
at Furinkan?" she asked.

Mariko huffed indignantly.  "That might be convenient for you, but
hardly acceptable," the girl replied.  "The events should be split
between the two schools.  The dance at one and the banquet at the
other."

Nabiki contemplated the issue.  It wasn't very reasonable concerning
how much travel would be involved if the Furinkan students had to
ferry over to Seisyun for the meal and then ferry back for the dance.
However, the issue of space came to mind that she had overlooked.  The
auditorium had fixed seating and couldn't be used for either dance or
banquet which left only the indoor gym for both events.  The time for
clean up would easily be longer than a trip to Seisyun High.

"Agreed," Nabiki said.  She jotted down a couple notes.  "Furinkan can
house the dance."  'Because a banquet would be an entire mess if the
usual thing happened,' she added with disdain.

"Okay then," Mariko called, seeming bored.  "Any other things left
unfinished?"

"Most definitely," Nabiki admitted, shutting her notebook.  "But a
couple phone calls when those issues come up will be sufficient."  She
stood up and bowed to her companion.  "I think we can conclude our
meeting."

Mariko got up and bowed in return.  She fidgeted with her glasses
again before removing them and slipping the lenses into a pocket.

Nabiki was about to comment when the girl pulled a contact case out of
the same pocket and proceeded to put the lenses on.  "Contacts?"
Nabiki asked, unable to let the act slip without saying something.

Mariko nodded, keeping her eye wide open as she pressed a small circle
against her brown iris.  She dabbed her finger in the other case to
retrieve the other lens.  "I've had them for ages," she remarked
offhandedly.  "Can't wear glasses when I'm cheering for the team."
She finished with her other eye and flashed Nabiki a smile.
"T-E-A-M!"

Nabiki wondered if the girl was as much of a nutcase as most of the
people in her life.  "Why bother with glasses then?" she asked.

"My friend Keiko said I was positively adorable in them!" Mariko
explained with an exuberant smile.  "Didn't you think so?"

Nabiki twitched.  "Um... yea."

*****

Akane tossed the crumpled invitation over her shoulder.  "As if I'd go
with him even if he paid me to go," she huffed, sitting down in the
open hallway facing the pond.  "When will he ever get a clue?"

Ranma was already seated at the other end of the opening, his arms
drawing his knees up to his chin.  "At least he'll be gone after
graduation," Ranma reasoned.  "It will be strange with him gone.  For
that matter, Nabiki gone too.  Much has changed since that day."

Akane flinched, understanding what day Ranma spoke of.  She had to
admit he was right.  Shampoo didn't even attempt to win him anymore,
Mousse never showed up as Ranma was never doing anything with Shampoo,
Ukyou and Ryouga had both disappeared for an entire year without so
much as a goodbye and now Kunou would be gone.  Life was almost
peaceful.

"Akane!" an old man cried out, leaping towards her.

Instinctively Akane threw her fist out but it landed upon nothing.
There was a smash as a head was pushed through the wooden boards.
Akane looked up, seeing not quite what she expected.

Nabiki removed her foot from the old man's head and took up a seat
next to her.

"Hey!  No fair!" Ranma protested, getting to his feet.  "I wanted to
clobber him!"

"Go ahead, I'm not stopping you," Nabiki remarked offhandedly.  Her
sister turned to regard her with a lethargic stare.  "Planning to give
Kunou a final wish before he ventures off into the unforgiving world
of reality?"

"Not me!" she protested.  She then angrily fixed her eyes upon her
fiance.  "Why don't you do it, Ranma?  You have dated him before."

Ranma frowned, confused.  His face flashed through the emotions of
confusion to outrage to denial in seconds.  "That was for my curse!"
he protested.  "It would have worked if stupid hadn't wasted all his
wishes!"

"But she does have a point," Nabiki stated flippantly.  "Kunou-chan
wished for a date with you instead of Akane."

Ranma's protests weren't even intelligible, angering her even more.
Eventually he managed, "I wouldn't be caught dead at that graduation!"

Satisfied for now with Ranma's response, Akane returned her attention
to her sister.  "What about you, Nabiki?" she asked.  "Are you
planning on going with somebody?"


Her sister shrugged.  "I don't need to go," she declared dismissively.
"I'll get my diploma and that will be the end of it.  It's not like I
have anybody to go with."

"No way!" Ranma gasped.  "You mean you can't extort someone to go with
you!"

Nabiki regarded Ranma as if he were insane.  "What would be the point
in doing that?" she demanded, getting up to her feet.  "It's not like
I'm going to meet any potential business clients at a school function.
That would be a waste of my resources!"

"Well... what about your friends?" Ranma asked, waving his hands in
front of him, unaccustomed to Nabiki's wrath.

Nabiki sighed and returned to her seated position next to Akane.  She
pressed a fist into her chin while her other arm pulled her knees up.
"They have dates already," she explained.  "I'm not going alone and
I'll be damned to go as a third wheel."

Feeling Ranma was to blame for Nabiki's sudden depression, Akane got
to her feet and glared at her fiance angrily.  "You jerk," she
growled.  "Why don't you take her?"

Nabiki hopped up beside Ranma and mirrored his warding gestures.  "No,
no, no," they both protested in unison.  "I can't go with your
(sister/fiance)."

Akane grabbed Nabiki by the shoulders and pleaded with her eyes.
"Nabiki," she said softly.  "You graduate from high school only once.
You'll regret it if you don't go."

Nabiki's head lowered.  "But... I can't," she murmured softly.

"You have my blessings," Akane assured Nabiki.

"She doesn't have mine," Ranma protested.  "Don't I have a say in
this?"

"Don't be such a jerk, Ranma," Akane huffed.  "Can't you see how
important this is to her?"

"Well... I um..."

"I suppose I could make it worth your while," Nabiki said softly.  The
girl's eyes raised and fixed upon a nervous Ranma.  "I'll go so far as
to cancel all your debt if you wish."

Ranma blinked.  He leaned forward, grinning at Nabiki.  "You really
mean it?"  Her sister nodded.  "What am I supposed to wear?"

*****

Nabiki tugged on his arm, forcing him to keep up.  "Stop dragging your
feet," she complained.  "You said you would be going with me so act
like I'm not forcing you."

Ranma nodded dumbly at the girl swathed in a shimmering, midnight blue
dress.  Her black, low heels clipped at the cement walk as they
approached the doors to the gymnasium.  Her bared shoulders bobbed
slightly with her gait.  He had never let himself think on how
pretty... nevermind.

Nabiki's face turned over her shoulder and peered at him, scowling.
"Am I going to have to drag you?" she demanded, her brows turned down
in anger.  "Be a man about it!"

His manhood suddenly in question, Ranma managed to gather his feet
beneath him.  He paused to fix the dark burgundy tie that was
strangling him.  The middle Tendou waited impatiently with her arms
crossed below her bust, tapping white gloved fingers on her elbow.  He
smoothed the wrinkles of the bright red, long-sleeved dress shirt he
was forced to wear for the occasion before casually continuing their
walk towards the door.

He had only succeeded in a couple steps before a gloved hand slipped
through the crook of his elbow.  He glanced aside, checking for any of
the customary signs of affection he had grown accustomed to that
followed such a gesture, if the accused didn't jump to outright
hugging him.  Nabiki wasn't paying him any attention, her eyes
forward.  Ranma decided if this didn't bother her, it shouldn't bother
him.

Snapping his eyes forward, Ranma noticed a familiar regal figure
flanking the doorway.  The man held himself with confidence, his black
tux bleeding darkness into the fading twilight.  His gaze was
steadfast upon the path towards the dance, awaiting.

"Yo, Kunou, what's up?" Ranma waved to his upperclassman, thankful for
the distraction.

"Saotome, you shall address me properly," Kunou remarked with a scowl.

"Sure thing, moron," Ranma jeered.

Kunou stepped forward, fists raised.  Noting that the upperclassman
wasn't wielding his bokken, Ranma wondered if it was even fair of him
to taunt Kunou.

"Kunou-chan, be kind to my guest," Nabiki ordered simply.  "What are
you doing out here?"

Kunou visibly relaxed a smirk playing itself upon his features.  "Why
don't you know?" he asked as if it were obvious.  "I await the arrival
of my dates for this fine occasion."

Ranma didn't even want to ask who Kunou had in mind.  He stepped past
the upperclassman, only to be paused by Nabiki.  He glanced at her
inquisitively but her attention was fixed on her classmate.

"You really should come inside, Kunou-chan," she suggested.  "Have
some punch at least.  This shall be the last time you are on school
grounds as a student."

Kunou tossed a hand at them dismissively.  "Fear not, Tendou Nabiki,"
he said assuringly.  "My wait shall be rewarded."

"Suit yourself," Nabiki responded, continuing forward.

'Rewarded with disappointment,' Ranma thought as he opened the door.
He gestured for Nabiki to go first and she did so without the
slightest sign of gratitude.  Accustomed to Nabiki's attitude, Ranma
followed after her without complaint.

The gym was dimly lit, splashes of colors swirling about the floor
from unseen lights.  Couples intermingled in a writhing mass of bodies
that bobbed and twisted with the beat of the music blaring over the
speakers.  Ranma blinked at the spectacle, wondering what he was
getting himself into.

Nabiki's tug lead him away from the entryway towards a small desk that
had been set up.  Three girls were seated behind the desk, each
bearing a small stamp that they pressed down on the back of the hand
of graduates and guests alike after confirming with a list.  The
stamps left red marks in a design that proclaimed the event belonging
to Seisyun and Furinkan High.

Ranma recognized the girl in the middle.  She had bangs that hung
perfectly down to her eyes, and a red ribbon that tied about her head
and disappeared behind her ears in her fluffy black curls.  However,
this time a pair of thin glasses were raised up to her brow, much like
Mousse wore his at times.

Ranma hadn't realized how loud the music was until he saw Mariko's
lips move in response to something.  They stepped forward after the
student in front of them finished.  Mariko waved energetically to
them, her yellow jacket that emblazoned her school's name in red
shaking.

"... good time!"

Ranma heard Nabiki barely over the din of the music.  He strained to
hear Mariko's response, stepping closer.

"... to be expected!" the girl shouted back.  Her eyes turned, smiling
at him.  "Who's your cute friend?"

Ranma blanched in terror.

"... sister's fiance!" came the response.  Nabiki held out her hand
and it was promptly stamped.  "There's someone outside you should
either shoo away or get to come inside!  He's quite stubborn!"

"Loiterer, eh?" Mariko concluded, wagging a finger for Ranma to put
his hand down.  He did so with some reluctance.  The cold stamp
pressed upon his palm and lifted away, leaving a wet mark upon his
skin.  "I'll see to it!"

Nabiki nodded and waved her farewell to the girl before escorting
Ranma away from the table.  They weaved their way through the crowd,
somewhat aimlessly as Ranma had no clue as to what he was supposed to
do next.  He supposed Nabiki was en route to finding her friends and
sharing gossip.  That was what Akane had told him to expect.

In the dim haze of the room, the sickly sweet smell of a variety of
perfumes and the horrid odor of an equal variety of men's cologne
assaulting him with a wave of nausea, Ranma couldn't distinguish one
figure from the next, except gender.  Nabiki shrugged, probably coming
to the same conclusion and turned to face him.  She shrugged again,
allowing her eyes to wander about the room.

"What do we do!" Ranma shouted over the din.

Nabiki wagged her palm at him to come closer.  He bent his head down
and she cupped his ear.  "I can't see anybody in here," she declared,
her voice clear.  "You wouldn't object to dancing, would you?"

Ranma screwed his face up in distaste.  "I've never tried it!" he
admitted, not attempting to do the ear thing to Nabiki.  He glanced
about, noticing a few couples doing something that he felt even
Shampoo would be embarrassed to do... at first.

"It's actually quite easy," Nabiki said, pulling his head down to her.
"You move slightly forward, I move slightly back to maintain the
distance between us.  You move to the right and I follow.  Just don't
go too fast and don't step on my feet."

She let his head go and took his hand in hers.  Her other hand grabbed
his other and pulled it to her waist, pressing the palm against the
smooth dress.  Ranma cringed instinctively, retracting the hand.  She
seized it again, struggling to pull the hand back.

"What are you doing?" he hissed, scanning the crowd for someone to
come crying out his name and infidelity or whatever nonsense that
preceded one of his fights.

"Quit acting like a baby," Nabiki scolded him, her words surprisingly
loud though he knew she wasn't intentionally doing so.  "The sooner
you realize this isn't groping, the sooner we can dance."

"I... I can't," Ranma protested weakly.  Despite his words, she
managed to get his hand to her waist once again.  He trembled with
anxiety but forced his hand to stay in place.  Her hand slipped to his
waist and they started to move slowly.

"Geez, Ranma," Nabiki snorted, not looking at him as they caught up to
the pace of the music.  "You promised me this night and remember I
wouldn't have bothered coming if you hadn't agreed to take me.  If we
are going to do this, we are going to do it right."

Ranma nodded, seeing some logic in her tirade but feeling queasy all
the same.

"It's not like I'm taking you home with me afterwards," Nabiki
muttered before chuckling.  "Okay so I am, but not in that manner."

He wisely let the remark slide without comment.  Instead he
concentrated on the music and moving his feet.  It played through him
in a demanding pulse, moving his body carefully at first, not certain
if he wanted to yield to the music.

Moments passed that seemed like hours.  The music changed several
times, and he was aware only that he was denying the music from
touching him.  He was still resisting the flow of notes and beats
coursing through the air.  Slowly he yielded to its incessant thrum.

Warmth pressed against him and he felt surer of his movements.  He
moved and it yielded.  He turned and it followed.  The sound of the
beating was closer, filling his veins with the desire to continue in
an endless waltz.

"... shall not continue!" cried out a shrill voice, stabbing into his
consciousness.  The music was gone but the warmth remained.  Ranma
blinked, not understanding what was happening at first.

He was shoved as Nabiki disentangled herself from him.  The music had
stopped and several people were looking at him.  Actually as he
glanced around, he realized they were looking at a girl with a long
black tail of hair that was pointing an accusatory finger at him.  Her
black gown billowed out beneath her, sparkling with silver glitter
that gave him the impression he was witnessing the starry sky on a
clear night.

"Kodachi?" he asked, confused.  In the corner of his eye, Nabiki fixed
her hair and straightened her dress before crossing her arms in an
annoyed posture.

"How could you dance with the likes of her when you have me?" Kodachi
demanded, her grayish eyes blazing with fury.

Ranma blinked, finding the claim utterly absurb but also familiar with
unreasonable claims from his admirers.  He sighed and thumbed in
Nabiki's direction, his red sleeve sticking to his skin with sweat.
"Probably because she is graduating from this school whereas you
neither are graduating nor are attending this school," he growled with
frustration.

"That doesn't excuse..." Kodachi began petulantly.

Feeling a frustration beyond any he had ever felt, Ranma snapped,
"Will you just stay out of my life!" he shouted.  "You take part in
wrecking my wedding and now you are trying to screw Nabiki out of her
graduation!  And what ticks me off most is that I'm going to get
blamed for your intrusion!"

For the first time he could remember in his life, he didn't give a
damn when the girl started crying.  He turned away but he was alone.
Nabiki had vanished.

*****

Mariko found the figure just where Nabiki had said he would be.  She
flicked her wrist, a baton sliding out of her sleeve into her hand.
She stepped up behind the figure and rapped him once on the head with
the baton.

"Excuse me, but either you come in or you go," she declared, her eyes
closed as she welled with self importance.  "You can't simply stand
out here like an idiot."

"Kunou Tatewaki may be wherever he pleases," the figure proclaimed,
turning upon her.  "Who are you to question my presence?"

Mariko opened her eyes, the voice familiar.  She gasped, recoiling
from the young man as if he were approaching her with a weapon.  "It's
you!"

"I see you must be one of the workers minding the peasants as they
celebrate this day," he remarked offhandedly.  "Need not worry about
me, fair waif, as I can take care of myself."

Her momentary shock subsided, replaced with anger.  "Is that all you
have to say?" she shot back angrily.  "If it weren't for me, you
wouldn't have this dance to attend."

"Then pardon my uncouth behavior," Kunou remarked, his arrogant tone
belying sincerity.  "I am Kunou Tatewaki, age eighteen and graduate of
Furinkan High, captain of..."

"Yea, yea, I know who you are," Mariko muttered, thwapping him on the
head with her baton.  "Now get in or get lost."

"I demand to know who you are," Kunou growled, leaning down upon her
imposingly.  "Such rude behavior will not be tolerated and I shall
report you at once."

"Like I said, I'm the one running..." she paused, growing more angry
as his words settled in.  "You don't even remember who I am?!"

Kunou straightened, rubbing his temple with his forefinger.  "Should
I?"

Mariko's eye twitched with annoyance.  She then glanced at him,
standing alone outside the dance hall.  Her anger was replaced with a
smug grin.  "Where's your girlfriend?"

Kunou whipped his head to face the path, as if the words would bring
the girl to him in that instant.  "She'll be here soon," Kunou
declared solemnly.

Mariko didn't comment.  Instead she waited with Kunou, watching her
wristwatch as fifteen minutes slowly ticked by.  Several people came
and a couple left, but there was no sign of the pig-tailed one that
Kunou had chosen over her.  She allowed another five minutes to pass,
noting that the time was getting late and soon more people would be
leaving than coming.

"You realize that we could only afford the DJ for six hours," Mariko
commented offhandedly.  She pointed to her watch as she continued, "In
less than three hours there isn't going to be a dance for you to be
at."  He couldn't see the time of course, it being well past ten.

"Patience is a virtue, my dear," Kunou said in a patronizing tone.

"Yea whatever," she muttered, thumbing towards the door.  "Get inside,
you moron.  I'm not going to watch you waste your graduation in this
ceaseless stupidity."

"What did you say?" Kunou growled whirling upon her.

She hopped back a step.  "M-O-R-O-N!" she shouted, slapping him in the
head with her baton.

He grunted, rubbing his head.  "How dare you treat me as such!" he
protested.  "Who are you?"

Mariko crossed her arms, rolling her eyes in frustration.  "Konjou
Mariko," she said obligingly.

He rubbed at his chin in thought.  He stopped, his eyes burning into
her with a bright flash.  Her heart skipped under the intensity of his
gaze.  "Do I know you?"

The pavement was cold and hard against her cheek.

*****

Ranma wandered down the hall, the muffled sound of music resonating
behind him.  The incident had been dismissed by most of the students,
the celebration resuming only seconds after he stepped out of the gym
in search of Nabiki.  He silently cursed Kodachi for being so...
there.

His ears were still ringing from the loud music they had been
subjected to.  His heart continued to beat loudly in his ear, the
sound strangely alone.  He slipped into the auditorium, deciding to
check for Nabiki here before making his way into the classrooms.

She was there on the stage, her dress wrinkled from the abuse of her
drawing her knees under her chin.  Her head was hung low and her
shoulders were bobbing.  Ranma approached quickly, wanting to assure
Nabiki that Kodachi was gone and they could go back to whatever she
had planned for the evening.

He paused a couple steps from her, aware that the motions of her body
were from crying.  He couldn't hear much over the ring, but the faint
sound of sniffling was filled in by his own imagination.  Uncertain on
how to proceed, he laid a hand upon her shoulder.

"Nabiki?" he said, his voice cutting through the silence.  She
recoiled from him, violently pulling her shoulder away.  "I'm sorry if
I spoiled your graduation."

She didn't move, only the bobbing of her shoulders suggesting that his
words had no effect.  He sat down beside her, letting his legs hang
off the edge of the stage as he fidgeted with his hands.  He glanced
aside, the profile of her tear-wracked face an unwelcome sight.  Of
all the girls, he had never thought he'd see her cry.

"What's wrong?" he asked, feeling pathetic.  A moment passed without
response.  Unable to bear the silence, Ranma supplied his own possible
reasons.  "Kodachi?"  She shook her head.  "Is it because you are
graduating?"  Same reaction.  "Is it something you ate?"  She glared
at him incredulously.  His hands came up but she had already turned
away.  "Help me out, here," he demanded.  "I'm only concerned about
you."

She turned abruptly and grabbed his dress shirt.  The pained look on
her face struck sorrowfully into his heart, immobilizing his hands
just as they closed around her wrists.

Then she was against him, her lips pressed against his in a flurry of
emotions that threatened to incapacitate his senses.  His protest was
muffled around her lips.  He felt her warmth, but this time it scared
him.

Just as quickly as it had started, it ended with her backing away.  He
glanced upon her, her tears dry against her cheeks, a mixture of
feelings he didn't want to understand roiling through him.  A sharp
smack against his cheek startled him out of the reverie.

"Damn you!" she snapped at him.  "How dare you make me feel like that,
saying you don't know a thing about dancing!"  She got up to her feet
and stomped across the stage, heels clicking sharply against the wood.

"But I didn't," Ranma protested, getting to his feet and pursuing
after her.  "You are the one that wanted me to learn to dance,
remember."  He grabbed her by the shoulder, arresting her departure.
"It's not my fault I'm good at dancing!"

She whirled upon him and pulled him down into another kiss.  He was
still offguard but found his lips no less willing.  Again she pulled
away before his mind caught up to current events.

"What?" he started and the hand came across his cheek, leaving another
stinging mark.

"Don't follow me!" Nabiki growled.  She stomped down on his instep,
causing him to hop on one foot while nursing the other.  The middle
Tendou fled the auditorium in the instant.

Pissed that she had kissed him and completely confused, Ranma gave
chase.  He charged out of the auditorium and hustled down the hall at
a dead sprint towards the retreating trails of midnight blue fabric.
The sound of music loudened as the gym door was opened and crashed
back to its muffled din.  Ranma turned around the hall and blasted
through the door causing it to rattle upon its hinges.

Cherry flavored punch was poured over him.  He growled at his
antagonist that stood beside him, wearing a smug look on her face as
she dropped the punch bowl.  The music stopped again, the DJ probably
amazed by his transformation.

"What did you do that for?" Ranma demanded angrily, the wetness of the
punch seeping into her clothes unwelcomed.

"All's fair in love and war," Nabiki commented dryly.  "Kunou-chan!
Your pig-tailed girl is here!"

Ranma growled at the girl who promptly took to running across the
dance floor.  The crowd parted willing for the two as Ranma chased
Nabiki calling her a traitor.

*****


"Kunou-chan!" a voice called from inside.  "Your pig-tailed girl is
here!"

"At last my patience is justified," Kunou declared, waving his fist to
the sky.

Mariko rolled her eyes, wishing the dumb girl hadn't shown up.  With a
sigh, she opened the door for the kendoist as he charged towards it,
spouting sonnets of love.  She followed him at a lax pace, not really
wanting to see the exchange but curious all the same.

The crowd was parting and her friend Nabiki came dashing past Kunou.
Without a word, the Tendou girl hurried past her, apparently intent
upon leaving.  Kunou paused at the spectacle, allowing Mariko an
opening to vent some of her frustration.  She flattened Kunou with her
baton, feeling much better.

"Wait up, Nabiki!" a girl's voice called as the crowd parted again.
Mariko contemplated striking the pig-tailed girl but paused when she
noted the girl was wearing clothes that bore a striking resemblance to
the ones Nabiki's date had worn.  She stepped forward, intent on
stopping the girl when Kunou miraculously sprung up from the floor to
hug the soaked girl.

Enraged, Mariko took her baton in both hands and brought it down upon
the kendoist head.  "Jerk," she muttered.

Kunou turned his eyes lazily upon her, his grip unfazed.  "Would you
stop doing that?"

The pig-tailed girl's eyes were closed, her eyebrow twitching.  "I
don't know," she started.  "Would you stop grabbing me?"

Mariko crossed her arms, tapping her baton absently on Kunou's head
with a flick of her wrist.  "Why are you still with this half-wit?"
Mariko demanded angrily.

"I'm not with him!" the pig-tailed girl shot back.

"Oh, but you are," Kunou declared, hugging the girl tightly.

The pig-tailed girl shoved a hand upon Kunou's face, pushing the
kendoist away.  "Kunou, it's over!" she shouted.  "How many times do I
have to tell you I'm not interested!"

Kunou disengaged himself from the girl, tossing his head aside with a
laugh.  "Surely you jest out of shyness," he proclaimed.  "But be not
afraid of the love your heart harbors for me."

"I don't care if you accept it or not!" the pig-tailed girl declared.
"If you grab me one more time, I'm going to press charges!  You are
aware that your actions, when unwanted are unlawful!"

Kunou blanched.  "You... you... you're serious?" he stated in shock.
"But you... love me?"

"No, Kunou, I'm sorry," the pig-tailed one said through gritted teeth.
She clenched her fists and waved them angrily at the kendoist.  "Your
incessant obsession over me has convinced me to find love elsewhere."

Kunou growled waving his fist in the air.  "Speak the name of this
knave that has stolen you away from me and I shall smite him dead!"
Kunou shouted.

The girl crossed her arms over her chest, wearing a smug expression.
"Tendou Akane."

Somehow, Kunou blanched even whiter.  "Tendou Akane?" he repeated.
"It can't be!"

The pig-tailed girl nodded.  "Sorry, moron," she said not the least
bit apologetic, "but I have to go home to my lover now.  See ya!"
With that said, the pig-tailed girl hopped out of the room in a couple
bounds.

Several voices rustled through the crowd, some snickering about how
stupid Kunou was, while others cried in outrage that such a beautiful
girl would be driven into the arms of another woman by Kunou's antics.

Having watched the entire exchange from the sidelines and sensing the
crowd would soon be tearing Kunou apart, Mariko took the opportunity
to strike Kunou over the head again.

The blow seemed to revitalize his senses as he immediately scowled at
her.  "Woman, would you stop doing that!"

"That's for driving that girl to deviance," Mariko huffed angrily.
"To think I once loved you makes me sick."

"You love me?" Kunou asked, taking her hands in his in a quick
gesture.

Mariko blinked, her baton dropping to the floor.  It bounced loudly in
the silence that ensued.  "I didn't say that," she protested,
recovering from her shock.

"Who are you?" he demanded, shaking her hands in his.

"You jerk!" she growled, trying to free her hands.  "I already told
you my name!"

"But you did love me, didn't you?"  His voice was pleading, if not
desperate.

Her eyes narrowed in annoyance.  "If I say yes, will you let my hands
go?" she muttered.

Her eyes widened as his arms wrapped all the way about her in a tight
embrace.  "Then you did love me," he cried, tears staining her yellow
jacket.  "Please tell me your name!"

She gasped, pounding on his head with her fists.  "Let me go," she
protested.  "I already told you my name!"

*****

Ranma stopped just short of the entrance, noting Nabiki was leaning
against the wall, staring up at the stars.  Cautiously, Ranma moved
closer, gauging his opponent for signs that suggested hostility.

"I'm okay now," Nabiki curtly remarked, her eyes never leaving the
sky.  "I'm done for the night."

Ranma slipped up beside the middle Tendou, still wary.  He didn't
understand much of what was going on, but whatever happened between
them he sorely hoped wouldn't get back to Akane's attention.  The last
thing he needed was for Akane to pound him for molesting her sister.

"Nabiki," Ranma started, "about the auditorium..."

"What auditorium?"  Her eyes didn't leave the sky.  Ranma glanced away
from the girl, gazing up at the stars in question.

"You know," he said softly.

"I don't know what you are talking about," she replied curtly.  "Did
something happen?"

"I suppose not," Ranma admitted, realizing the wisdom of Nabiki's
words.  If she wanted to pretend nothing happened, he was all too
happy to play along.

"Exactly," she stated.  "Nothing happened."

The door was thrown open and the Konjou girl came flying through the
portal.  "Stop him, somebody!" she screamed.  She sprinted down the
path.  "I don't want to be loved by him!"

"Come back here, my love!" Kunou shouted, barreling down the path
after the girl.  "You still haven't shared with me your name!"

Ranma blinked at the sight, wondering what on earth had come over
Kunou.  He sighed, supposing it didn't matter much.  Tomorrow he'd be
back to spouting sonnets at his girl half.

"They'd be a cute couple if Kunou-chan would get a clue," Nabiki
commented dryly, leaning on his shoulder.

"I'm just surprised he didn't stop to profess his love for me on the
way out," Ranma declared, shrugging.

"Maybe he's over you at last," Nabiki suggested sardonically.

'Yea, and maybe we didn't kiss,' Ranma thought dismally.

-----

This took forever to write.  I don't know how well I portrayed Mariko.
The rest of the characters of course had some liberties applied to
them but I hope I kept a healthy balance without destroying the accepted 
themes.

Last comment of course is to point out that this is not intended as a
Nabiki-Ranma pairing.  I blatantly have Nabiki deny the entire event
of happening because that is exactly what I'd expect her to do.

Comments and criticism are always welcome.

zinyadel@hotmail.com

Ciaow





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