Author's Note: This one-shot was written for DeviantArt's June 2014 fanfiction contest: fav dot me slash d7kdc8i It didn't win. (._.) That's okay; it was my first contest attempt. A warning before it throws you- as were the terms of the contest, it's written in second-person POV. Never heard of it? You'll see...
He'll never see you the way you see him.
He'll never understand.
You're sitting at the table in the washitsu. The same table where you sat a year ago, staring at the boy who had arrived as a girl, turned up as a boy, and then turned back into a girl right before your very eyes. You rest your elbows on the table and your head in your hands. Oh, the things that can change in a year.
Why did he have to come into your life in the first place? Everything was fine. You were the business queen of Furinkan High School; the woman who could could get anything for anybody… for a price. You ruled that town to everyone under the age of twenty, and even a few above it. You were Nabiki Tendo, ice queen.
Now, you can hardly say you have ice water in your veins, at least when Ranma's around. This inability to bury your feelings irks you more than anything else. As if to punctuate the point, a commercial on the television starts blaring romantic music with an ad for a romantic vacation package. You strongly consider chucking the remote at the screen, but settle for another channel.
At first, you didn't think much of him. He's half-girl, after all. And he can be a real jerk sometimes. It was the girl part, though, that made you push him off on Akane. He seemed defective, and defective wasn't good enough for you.
But now… While Akane doesn't seem to notice his strong points, you do, day in and day out. It never escapes your notice when he does something nice for Akane. It usually escapes her notice, but not yours. And every single one of those kind gestures stabs you in the heart like a knife. He may have other fiancées, at least according to them, but you can see what they apparently can't— his mind is already made up.
He hasn't chosen them. And, of course, he hasn't chosen you, either.
In a way, those other fiancées have it easier than you. They'll eventually have to face the music and realize they can't have him. After that happens, they can just walk away and never see him again. But you can't. He's going to be your brother-in-law. He's going to be at every family function for the rest of your life.
Goodbye ice queen. You will forever be Nabiki Tendo, the girl that loves her sister's fiancé.
As if the kindness in his core weren't enough to make you mad at yourself for rejecting him, the original reason makes you want to smack yourself. You tossed him away because he has a curse that allows him to become a girl. It seemed logical— you don't like girls, after all. Except… he's not really a girl. In fact, he's a textbook example of how much gender identity can be distinct from one's body. Even when he's a girl, he's not a girl— he tromps around like a caveman, not walking delicately like a real girl would. He grabs food by the handful and jams it in his mouth. He strolls around without a top on. He laughs without covering his mouth, and he scratches every itch that comes along.
Those things sound gross, but in the end, it's just what you'd expect from a guy. And that's what makes you mad at yourself. You still see him as a guy, even when he's in his cursed form, and it gives you… thoughts. Before he came along, you had never once fantasized about touching another woman's body. You still don't… assuming that girl acts like a girl. But something about touching a woman that acts like a man is becoming increasingly erotic. As a result, every time he winds up a girl, you get the strongest urge to put your hands anywhere and everywhere.
The very reason you rejected him is one of the biggest reasons you want him. Talk about catch-22.
Of course, that's not the only thing you like about him. His personality has gone way beyond what it seemed at first glance. Sure, he says dumb things from time to time. Really dumb things. But he cares. He does his best to help and protect everyone around him. Even you. The problem is, he doesn't act like he's protecting a girl he's in love with; he acts like he's protecting his sister. That's what you are to him— a sister.
You sigh. He sees you as a sister, and you see him as a lover. There's no way for that to end well.
You even had a shot at him once, when you named yourself as his fiancée. It seemed like a perfect way to get close to him. As time went on, though, you could tell he was pining for Akane. He never said it, but you could tell. So you played it off. You pushed them together and pretended it was all a big joke. But it wasn't, and it still isn't.
You hear a noise from the hallway, and after a moment, there he is. It's the worst thing you could expect to see— he's a girl, wearing nothing but a pair of boxer shorts. You try not to stare, but you fail. Miserably.
"Hey, Nabiki," the masculine girl says, plopping down at the table.
"Saotome," you say, trying your best to be nonchalant. "Akane's going to give you hell for walking around without a shirt on."
"Eh, she ain't around. Does it bother you?"
A million possible answers fly through your mind, but you end up choosing the simple one. "Nah."
He nods and turns toward the television, and you place your head back in your hands, staring at his glorious feminine body.
He'll never see you the way you see him.
He'll never understand.
A/N: A note to my followers- the next installment of "Who Hates Boys?" will be up in a day or two. It's in the final proofreading stage.