Interesting Times
By socchan
Chapter Four: Invitations
Nabiki hurried over to Carmella's store at a quarter to four. She had not bothered to go back into school, instead opting to sit by the field until it was time to go. As a result, she managed to witness more of Ranma's antics, and a very cute 'almost' moment between him and Akane. She cursed the fact that she had to leave so early, but felt picking up Kuno was more important than watching the rest of the scene, particularly with the type of network she had running.
Something chimed above her as she entered the shop, and she glanced up. An ornate bell hung in the doorway, ancient but strong. Nabiki could almost feel the age and magic emanating off of it. She stared at in in awe, slowing her pace to get a better look at it. "New addition?" she asked, casually.
Carmella, who had been sneaking up behind her, grinned ruefully. "You're getting good at that."
"Thank you."
"Yes, it is a new bell. It's supposed to protect against evil. I got it in Norway."
"When was this?"
"This afternoon, while you were gone."
"Somehow, I'm not surprised." She wasn't.
"Chocolate? I got them in Switzerland on the way back."
"Thank you," Nabiki said, taking one. "How's Kuno?"
"He's adjusting well. He's been up and about for the last half an hour, getting used to it."
Nabiki cursed under her breath. "I should have come sooner."
Carmella shook her head. "No, you were fine. For someone who's been under curses as long as he has the results of their sudden removal can be physical as well as magical. You saw an example of this this afternoon. He'll need a little more work, but on a whole, he's adjusting much better than I expected." Carmella laughed. "But then again, this is Nerima." With this remark, Nabiki joined in.
"Seriously, though," Nabiki said, wiping a tear from her eye. "How is he? Is he ready to go?"
"Quite ready, if I do say so myself." A familiar voice said behind her. Nabiki whirled, this time to find Kuno standing there. He smiled a bit, his eyes twinkling in amusement. "Hello, Nabiki."
"I—You—But-!" Nabiki turned to face Carmella again, scowling. "You did that on purpose! You were just a distraction so Kuno could sneak up on me."
Carmella chuckled. "Foiled again. You've really got to learn to be quicker than that, Nabiki."
"Shut up before I accuse you of turning into Ranma." Nabiki growled. She was surprised when both Carmella and Kuno laughed. Normally, Kuno would have gone into 'Avenge Akane and the Pigtailed Girl' mode at the mere mention of his rival's name. I guess that Wish must really work, Nabiki thought, smiling a bit.
"Okay you two, time to get going. I have an appointment in Finland in two hours, and I want to dust this place up a bit." Carmella said, ushering them to the door. "Go! Go on now, scat!"
Nabiki laughed as Carmella pushed her along. "I'm not a cat at the moment, thanks."
"Same principle applies. Now shoo!" With that closing remark, Carmella had them out the door. She smiled and waved before closing it behind them. They watched the store get swallowed up by the surrounding buildings.
Nabiki chuckled and shook her head. "That Carmella…" she said, smiling. She noticed Kuno giving her a strange look. "What is it, Kuno?"
He smiled and shook his head. "Nothing. It's just, I've never seen you laugh before."
Nabiki stared at him as if he'd just admitted to having created Happosai and inserting him in an appropriate place in the time-space continuum through a combination of black magic and second hand underwear. "You've gotta be pulling my leg! I must've laughed in front of you sometime."
Kuno shook his head again, more firmly this time. "No, you haven't. Not like that, at least."
"Like what?" Nabiki was genuinely curious.
Kuno shrugged and made motions in the air as if he were searching for something. "Happy." He said at last, "I've never seen you laugh like you were happy before."
"Oh." They walked in silence for a minute.
"What did you mean by 'I'm not a cat at the moment'?" Kuno asked suddenly.
"Didn't Carmella tell you?"
"No. Well, she told me about why the curses weren't affecting me, but not much aside from that."
Nabiki had been wondering about Kuno's curses, but decided it was the wrong time to ask. "Well, when I first stopped at Carmella's shop, I poked around a bit too much and got this powder on my fingers. I turn into a two-tailed cat on full moons because of it. When it first happened, I went to get advice from Carmella, and she helped me out."
"So you're what, a werecat now?"
"Sorta…" Nabiki searched for a change of topic; she didn't like discussing her curse on the streets. Then something hit her with alarming force. "Hey," she said, poking Kuno in the arm.
His head swiveled to look at her. "Hmm?"
"You're speaking normally."
"How so?"
"You aren't using that flowery Shakespeare dialect."
Kuno's eyebrows went up. "You're right! Wow… that hasn't happened in years." Kuno stopped walking, and started patting himself down, occasionally glancing over his shoulder to see his backside.
Nabiki suppressed a giggle, and stopped beside him. "What are you doing?"
"Checking for any other obviously negated curses."
The laugh tickled at her throat, threatening to burst free. "Find any yet?"
"Not really, except it's finally hitting me how stupid I look in this Kendo uniform."
With this statement, the laugh at last escaped Nabiki's grasp, bubbling up her throat and flowing from her lips. "Hahahahahahahahahah—Oh, God, that's funny! Kendo outfit! Hahahaha hah!"
Kuno glared at her in mock annoyance. "It's not quite that funny, thanks. I mean, just because the hakama looks like a skirt is no reason to laugh!" This only served as fuel to the already blazing fire.
"HahahahaHAAAAA--! Oh-oh-oh-a-a skirt! Hah ha ha ha ha…" Nabiki crowed, clutching her sides. "Okay, okay, I'm calming down now. Heh…" Nabiki straightened, and wiped her eyes. "Ah… ha ha ha… hah… whew…"
"Good." Kuno eyed her with a sort of peeved skepticism. "Let's see if that's true. Hakama." Nabiki burst out laughing again. Kuno threw his hands up in exasperation. "I knew it!"
"Oh, heheheh, give it a, hah, rest, heehee, Kuno." Nabiki squeezed out between laughs.
"You know, if I still thought I was God's Gift to Women, I'd swear it was my charm and amazing wit you were laughing at, as opposed to my idiotic behavior." Kuno stated dryly, eyebrow quirked. "Now I know better, and I can't decide whether or not ignorance is bliss."
"Oh, come on, Kuno," Nabiki said, finally getting control of her laughter. "You're a lot more charming than you give yourself credit for. At least, you are now." Realizing what she had just said, Nabiki blushed and ducked her head. Why the hell did I just say that? Nabiki thought, I don't think it's a Wish. At least, I don't feel one right now. Plus, Carmella said the next one wouldn't have to control me. When she managed a glance up, she noticed Kuno looking at her oddly again. "What?" she demanded, somewhat crossly.
"Nabiki Tendo," Kuno said, eyebrows raised, "did you just compliment me?"
"Don't read too much into it." Nabiki said, praying none of the nervousness she was feeling had gotten into her voice. "If I didn't say something nice to you once in a while, I'd loose my best customer."
Kuno was silent a moment. "Nabiki," he said at last, "I have a request to make."
"Yes…?" Nabiki couldn't help feeling a bit anxious.
"Being freed from all those curses has helped me sort out a few things in my life, and I think that I would like to stop being your customer."
Nabiki bit back a shocked gasp. "Okay, Kuno." Her voice quaked a bit, but it was barely audible. "That's fine with me… I mean, if it's what you want, then…" She found herself unable to continue.
"Instead, I would like to be your friend."
Nabiki's shocked gaze met his serious one, and although her eyes were a touch moist (probably from all that bright sunlight; she certainly wasn't afraid she'd loose Kuno. Nope, not a bit), she could tell he was sincere. "Thank you, Kuno. I would like that very much."
Kuno smiled at her and she felt her heart jump a bit. "Good. Then, as my first act of friendship, I would like to treat you to dinner. After all, five yen is awfully cheep for something as useful as a Cat's Wish. What do you say? You free next Friday, say, seven-ish? We can swap stories, and you can fill me in on all the missing details of the whole Ranma/Akane/curse/whatever situation."
"I… sure. I'd probably be curious, too, if I were in your situation." Nabiki's smile matched his. "Thanks."
"Well, then, I'd best be on my way. My sister is probably about to terrorize something or someone, and I'd like to see what I can do about it. I'll see you tomorrow, Nabiki."
Nabiki was surprised to find herself in front of Kuno's mansion. "Alright." A small smile came to rest on her lips as she waved good-bye to the kendoist. Whistling the tune to a song she'd long forgotten the words to, Nabiki very nearly skipped home.
=^-,-^=
I would like to take this time to personally thank SailorVeggi and SailorAnime for providing me with my first complaint. Hope I got your names right, and I'm sorry, but I'm afraid there won't be much action in this story. I'm not unhappy to get compliments, but I like to appreciate everyone. Besides, I like to think that this will soften the blow when I try to publish a novel, and my book keeps on being rejected (or worse, is printed, and only sells three copies). Anyhow, I'm still accepting the worst as well as the best in terms of reviews.
Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is property of Rumiko Takahashi, and therefore, not mine. I make no claim of it, and this piece of fan fiction is written purely for entertainment, not for money. The Cat's Wishes and Cursed Whisker powder are my concepts, and Carmella is my character, so you'd better ask before using them—or at least give me some credit. Thanks much!
--socchan