A/N: There are barely any Nabiki/Tatewaki fics in this site and I'm going to remedy that with this offering! Throughout the show and even the manga to a certain extent, Kuno and Nabiki have expressed a love/hate relationship with each other. Years before I even started writing fanfiction, I had a feeling there was something funny and cute about their unique relationship. I honestly believe that if Nabiki could grow to stop being obsessed with money and Kuno could stop being a two-timing twerp about Akane and 'The Pig-Tailed Girl', they would make a romance work. Hence, this story I bring to you. It takes place a few years in the future when Kuno and Nabiki are in college together. Happy reading!
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Nabiki was growing more and more irritated by the second. Here she was, taking time out of her busy schedule to tutor a fellow student when the guy wasn't even paying attention! Well, this wasn't really a tutoring session; it was actually a study group between Nabiki and a friend, although said friend clearly had his mind on other things. Finally, after nearly twenty minutes of silence from her partner, Nabiki slammed her hand on the table between them.
"Alright, look, Kuno! This is really tiresome! If all you're going to do is sit here and not look at your book and try to help me with this essay, I might as well go home and study by myself! Why is your head in the clouds?"
Kuno cocked his head a bit and he blinked several times before answering Nabiki.
"Ah, I do heartily apologize Nabiki Tendo. My mind has been increasingly troubled of late. Such sorrows fill my soul, which, in turn, burn away the need to study. Forgive me. I did not mean to cause you distress."
Nabiki was surprised by Kuno's reaction to her scolding. Usually he would snap back at her, but this time he was behaving as if he were seriously apologetic. He was being...not an idiot. Freaky. Whatever it was that was bothering him, it was clearly really bad. Nabiki hadn't heard a peep from Kuno save for "Would you care for a drink, Nabiki Tendo?" And that was nearly an hour ago.
Kuno had been so quiet during her stay that Nabiki actually didn't like it. It bothered her and made her uneasy. What in the world could make Kuno so silent? It was driving her crazy. They'd never get any work done while he was like this. The only solution would be to get Kuno to spill the beans and tell her what was going on. Hopefully, he wouldn't avoid Nabiki's inquiry, or they'd never get anything done. Nabiki cleared her throat and pursed her lips.
"Alright. Do you want to talk about it? Maybe if you get it out of your mind, it won't bother you so much."
Not that Nabiki wanted to know, especially if Kuno was going to start crying or get angry and start waving that sword of his or something. It was really awkward when Kuno got so upset over a situation that he started tearing up. It was uncomfortable to watch, well, in Nabiki's case. Crying didn't fit in the personality of the 'Blue Thunder of Furinkan High' even though Kuno always looked macho when he did.
"Nabiki Tendo...is it true that your sister, Akane, is going to marry that ruffian, Ranma Saotome?"
Oh. So that's what this was about. How totally unsurprising. Nabiki sighed and shook her head lightly. "Kuno baby, you never change. You're always predictable."
Kuno scowled and crossed his arms in a defiant gesture.
"Do not avoid the question. You must tell me, Nabiki Tendo, or I simply will not be able to concentrate on my studies."
Nabiki rolled her eyes and slid her pencil behind her ear. She observed Kuno carefully, watching the twitch on his brow and the dissatisfied tilt of his bottom lip. It was always entertaining when Kuno was mad. Nabiki wished she had a camera to take a picture of that scowl.
Then, Nabiki looked at Kuno's lips. Those were the kind of full lips that a girl wouldn't mind kissing. Not that Nabiki would want to kiss Kuno or anything like that, but she did fantasize about it. Daily. It was really getting to be annoying. Best to just tell Kuno the truth and get it over with so they could get back to studying. The attention Nabiki had been giving Kuno was beginning to really bother her.
"Look, Kuno, I'm not going to lie to you. Ranma and Akane have been engaged for three years. After all of the hell that you, Ryoga, Gosunkuji, Ukyo, Shampoo, your crazy sister, Kodachi, and God knows who else out of all those psychotic fiancés and jealous rivals put them though, they actually grew closer. They both have gotten a bit wiser - they're older now, so that makes sense. Ranma doesn't say dumb stuff to antagonise Akane anymore and Akane is more apt to give Ranma the benefit of the doubt and she doesn't get upset over every little thing that Ranma may say or do. The last thing they'd need is another person coming in between them. So they decided to get married and stop prolonging things. Sorry, Kuno baby, but that's just the way it is."
Kuno smiled and nodded his head. Nabiki mentally prepared herself for a ridiculous prima donna outburst from Kuno, as usual. Strangely, all she got was silence.
Odd. Typically, Kuno would be swearing on his life's blood - or some crap like that - that Ranma would pay and he would defeat Ranma - when really, he would lose, as he always did - in glorious battle. This quiet behavior from him was out of character.
"...you okay, Kuno?"
At her query, Kuno merely sighed and turned to look at Nabiki.
"Remarkably...I am well, Nabiki Tendo. I must confess that my ardor for your sister has relatively cooled over the past few years. She never cared for me the way I did for her. It is unfortunate that my constant pursuit of her meant nothing, but I have learned my lesson. I will no longer attempt to woo a lady unless I am certain of her affections towards me."
Nabiki blinked. This was interesting. Had Tatewaki Kuno finally grown up? His confession was definitely surprising and it was even a bit endearing. Witnessing Kuno actually act like a man was definitely not what she expected. He went from stepping in a puddle to jumping in the lake. Nabiki felt a smile growing on her face. Damn it, she was proud of the guy!
Nabiki was going through all of these thoughts in her head and had forgotten that she had company. Kuno was staring quote intently at her, and had been staring at her for the past few minutes.
"Do you believe me, Nabiki? Is it truly possible for a man to change like this?"
Nabiki laughed and stood up, touching Kuno's shoulder gently. She gave him a reassuring smile.
"Kuno, baby, anything is possible, as you've just proved to me. You've finally accepted the truth that Akane loves someone else, and you aren't even mad or flailing in a frenzy. That, to me, is definite growth on your part."
Kuno smiled back at Nabiki and pulled her body close to his, hugging her close. Nabiki blushed at the sudden gesture and let her hands hang by her sides. What the heck was she supposed to do, hug him back? They'd never hugged before. His warm body pressed up try made her blush, and that was embarrassing because she never blushed.
Nabiki was about to pull away when she caught of whiff of Kuno's scent. He smelled like vanilla and wood. An unusual combination, but a nice one. So she decided to hug him back since she'd be able to smell it a little longer.
They stayed in each other's arms for several minutes, which was a very strange thing, as Kuno only hugged someone he felt passionate about and Nabiki never hugged anyone since she wasn't the touchy-feely type. They were hugging longer than what would be considered appropriate, but at that moment, Nabiki couldn't have cared less. It just felt right.
It's got to be a sin to smell this good, she thought to herself as she continued inhaling him.
Nabiki wondered if Kuno was smelling her, too. If he did, hopefully, he caught a whiff of the cinnamon spice perfume that she sprayed on before coming over. Not that she put on perfume to impress Kuno. That would be ridiculous.
After a few more minutes, Kuno pulled back and rested his hands on Nabiki's shoulders. Nabiki stared at him awkwardly, wishing that he hadn't broken their hug. It was a nice hug. Kuno interrupted Nabiki's reverie when he began to speak.
"You are a good friend, Nabiki Tendo. I appreciate your being here for me in my time of duress. Thank you. It means a lot to me. Truly."
Nabiki's heart started beating furiously, like a jungle drum. She merely smiled and nodded, not trusting her voice to speak without cracking with emotion. He actually cared what she thought? This was definitely not the Tatewaki Kuno that Nabiki had grown up with. This was a changed man.
This was a man who Nabiki was beginning to like for the first time in the entire twenty years that she had known him, and who knows? Maybe that feeling went both ways...
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So, Kuno is over Akane - thank God! - and Nabiki isn't trying to extort money from him anymore. Things are definitely looking up for these two, but it'll get even better in the next chapter. Stay tuned for more! ❤️