Happy New Year!  I think that one of the hardest parts of writing this is all the Japanese stuff.  I barely know any Japanese, and I'm sorta at a loss for everything.  Like high schools in Japan.  I'm pretty sure they don't have freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors, and upper/underclassman doesn't say much.  And the bathrooms and tables are different, whole bunches of details that I'm so paranoid about getting wrong.  Oh wellz, I hope you guys don't mind too much. 

Also, Kuno might seem a little OOC in this.  Sorry, I'm not very good at doing Kuno—I think he's one of the hardest characters to portray if you don't want him to sound like an idiot.  So he might seem a little too… normal I guess.  Just a note of warning.

Chapter 6—Revelations

It was a dark and stormy night. 

That's a really bad cliché, but it fits, Kuno thought.  The first of the pre-winter storms had arrived early.  He hoped someone would lend him an umbrella when he left.  It was raining cats and dogs—in Nerima, terms like that are literal.  The house was shaking a little.  Kuno wondered if this small house was safe.  His own mansion was much sturdier.  But, then again, he thought, watching the splatter against the windows, his house was also much lonelier.  Besides, Kodachi always got into these… moods… on rainy days, that he would rather avoid, especially around this time; she reminded him too much of Mother… He concentrated on listening to Nabiki, who was downstairs trying to haggle with Mr. Saotome for the last carton of mochi balls.  Maybe he should go down and get her to bring up something warm instead, like hot chocolate, considering how cold it was.  He grumbled and continued cutting the colored paper.  No, he couldn't. 

It was at the same time comforting and awkward to be in her room again.  So many things had changed, but were at the same time different.  Everything had moved around since he had last been there ten years ago.  Well, duh, he thought to himself, why wouldn't she move things around?  And what the heck are all those file cabinets?  He resisted the urge to look.  They were probably locked anyways.

But her room still had her essence in it—everything was so neat and clean and organized, with perfect color coordination and arrangement.  Come to think of it, her fung shui was very good… 

"Catch." 

A mochi ball appeared in mid air, and Kuno caught it absently.  "Thank you." 

"Mm-hmm, your welcome."  Nabiki plopped down with the entire carton beside her.  She picked up a sheaf of printed-paper and peered at it intensely, mumbling something about pandas and nuclear fission.

Kuno gazed at the mochi ball.  A thin layer of frost glazed the surfaced.  He shivered.  "Nabiki, is there any way I could get something warmer to eat?" 

She shrugged, and gestured toward the stairs without looking up from her papers.  "Help yourself."  When he hesitated for more than five minutes and seventeen seconds, she glanced at him.  "Whatsa matter?" 

He stared at his mochi ball for a moment, looked at her, then popped the whole thing in his mouth.  "Nuffig."  Kuno blinked for a moment, the grimaced.  "My teef arf fwozed."  Nabiki watched him chew methodically away at the mochi, an eyebrow raised skeptically.  "Umm, Kuno-baby, that's because it was in the ice box five minutes ago.  That means it's cold.  Go get something warm to drink so you can get back to work." 

"S'ok." 

"Whadda you mean 'it's ok'?"  Her eyes narrowed slightly, and her face took on a slightly pensive look—one that she was famous for exhibiting right before she decided to pounce on her prey.  "Why don't you want to go downstairs?" 

Damn these smart women and their prodding tendencies.   Kuno balked. 

"Are you scared of something?  Afraid there's a bogey monster that lives under our stairs?"  Nabiki smirked at him.  But while she teased him, a second part of brain was operating on a completely different level.  Somehow, her intuition told her, there was something more here than appeared at first glance.  Something deeper that fear of the first floor of the Tendo house was bothering Kuno, that he did not want Nabiki Tendo to know about.  So naturally, curiosity piqued, she changed gears and began to turn the teasing into an informal inquisition.  But even then, her second sense was still not satisfied.  Kuno wasn't telling anything.  Just sitting there and cutting the damned colored paper and saying noncommittal things that didn't make sense.  What am I doing wrong?  She thought, frustrated.  Why can't I get anything out of him? 

"Come on, Kuno, it's not like Kasumi's gonna bite you or anything," she drawled in a bored voice.  "And you don't hafta be scared of Ranma or Akane, you see them every day…" 

"I'm not scared of them," Kuno replied stiffly. 

"Then what?"  Nabiki exclaimed, exasperated.  "C'mon, Kuno-baby, spit it out.  Why don't you want to go down by yourself?" 

"I don't feel comfortable." 

"And you feel comfortable being alone with a girl in her bed room?  C'mon, give me more than that.  Why are you uncomfortable about it?"

"I don't feel at liberty to tell you."

"GAAWWWD."  Nabiki groaned.  She flopped on her bed and stared at the ceiling.  There was silence in the room.  And tension too, Nabiki could sense it.  It was weird, but somehow she got the feeling that what Kuno was hiding was another Pandora's box.  Why would Kuno's petty fears even be significant at all? She thought disgustedly.  I don't even know why I'm even bothering.  Nabiki glanced at him from the corner of her eye.  Sitting on the floor, surrounded by colorful confetti and doggedly chewing mochi balls, anyone else would have been a comical figure.  But as it was, he almost looked regal…and pathetic and forlorn.  She sighed quietly, stared at the ceiling, and listened to the wind rattling the tiles on the roof, and the rain pelting against the windows. 

*

Kuno did not raise his head when she walked out of the room.  He could understand perfectly—why would she even want to be in the same room with him anyways?  For the past week, he'd been enjoying the time he'd spent with her after school—it was peaceful—and he'd thought that she'd enjoyed it too, to a certain extent.  But once again he was reminded that, of course, she hadn't wanted to do this stupid project with him in the first place.  So, now, she'd walked out.  Hell, he thought bitterly, my life is all about walkouts.  My mom, my dad, my sister, the Tend…. No, the Tendos didn't walk out on me.  I walked out on them. 

*

"Here." 

Kuno glanced up at the figure in front of him. 

"It's peppermint tea…" 

"Oh.  Thank you."  She remembered, he thought to himself.  Their fingers brushed as he took the steaming mug.  Kuno flushed slightly at the contact, but there was no response from Nabiki, who silently sat back down, back against her bed, and, sipping her own cup of peppermint tea, continued to read the printouts. 

Nabiki knew that if Akane had accidentally brushed fingers with Ranma like that, either one of two things would have happened.  1.  All hell would break loose, she would scream and rail at him for being a pervert, smash him over the head, kick him into the out of the stratosphere, and go sulk.  2.  She would blush, stammer, shake, and blink pathetically with huge Bambi eyes, causing Ranma to think she was actually cute, and attempt to kiss her.  Nabiki was sure of this—it was on page 45 in her notebook labeled AKANE: ANALYSIS, under the section "Reactions".  The Ranma part was on page 62 in the RANMA: ANALYSIS notebook.  (She had notebooks on all the major people in her life, with tips on characters, personalities, quirks, fears, loves, psychology, etc.  This made it so much easier to exploit them.).  Yes, she thought, I have notebooks on everybody.  Everybody except myself.  So now what?  How was I supposed to that?  The problem is, she thought, I don't know.  I'm always on the sidelines and nothing ever happens to me.  I don't even have a personality anymore.  Or, at least, I don't know what it is, she amended.  I know I did feel something when we brushed fingers, but I don't know what.  I don't know how to react to that.  So… I didn't react at all. 

Kuno watched her become more and more agitated as time slipped by.  Was it his fault?  Damn, it was always his fault, wasn't it, when it came to Nabiki Tendo. 

"So," said Nabiki, in an effort to change her thoughts around.  "How about telling me now why you won't go downstairs?  I even brought you a cup of tea."  She grinned as she said the last sentence (as in, hint hint Kuno-chan, that was bona-fide bribery!).      

Kuno regarded her, the corner of his mouth quirked into a smile.  "I will tell you…" Nabiki gleamed.  "…If you tell me what is in the blue folder that you have carelessly left on your desk." 

Nabiki knew which folder he meant even before she glanced over to look. 

Kuno knew he'd hit the jackpot when she froze like a deer in the headlights.  "Not to fear, I have not looked in it yet.  But if you do not wish me to, then please do not ask me about why I do not desire to go downstairs." 

But now she had to know!  What was so important about this secret that possessed Kuno to bargain with her????  Before she could stop her self, Nabiki rose, grabbed the folder, and threw it at Kuno's feet.  Then she reconsidered.  "No, wait!"  She lunged for it and snatched it away before he could pick it up.  Somehow, with Nabiki slipping and Kuno's haste to grab it, they ended up on the floor with Kuno half on Nabiki, who was clutching the folder to her chest. 

"Kuno-baby, you're sweet and I like you a whole bunch, but please get the hell off of me.  I can't feel my legs." 

Kuno scrambled up, beet red and apologizing profusely and incoherently.  Nabiki sighed and sat up.  "Sit down, Kuno.  It's fine, nothing happened.  I'm not going to press charges because you fell on my knees."  When he didn't listen, she tried a more direct tactic.  "Kuno.  Shut up."  He shut up.  "Ok, listen.  You tell me why you don't want to go downstairs, and I'll show you what's in the folder."  Well, not everything, but you never specified that, did you Kuno-baby?  Besides, what you have to tell me isn't worth half of what's in here. 

She's tough, Kuno thought.  I didn't really expect her to accept the exchange.  Now what?  Am I going to agree to this?  Am I going to tell her?  His glance fell on the mug of peppermint tea.  Maybe…  Old hopes that he hadn't dared dream of forever came trickling back.  Maybe…

"Deal." 

"Wait."  Nabiki stood up.  "Is this going to be a long, emotional, weepy confession of a long-time, secret love for me?"

"Uh…"

"I knew it.  Let's clean up first so we can sob comfortably."  She began to organize the papers and throw away the colored paper scraps.  "Hey," she snapped when Kuno didn't move.  "Help out.  You want confessions?  You clean first."  They finished in less than five minutes. 

When they were comfortably settled, Nabiki looked at him.  "Oh goody," she muttered.  "I can't believe this.  I've sunk to having a Truth of Dare slumber party with Kuno.  I need more friends.  Ok.  Ahem.  Kuno, why don't you want to go downstairs?" 

To be continued…

Wahaha!  Cliff hanger!!!  Hope you're enjoying this so far.  Next installment:  Kuno's secret, which, if I may say so myself, actually kind of sad.  C&C please.  I'll be back!  (Though sooner or later, who can tell).