A/N: Sorry it's been so long. Aside from laziness, cold temperatures really sap my creativity, and I live in an old, drafty house that got pretty chilly on those -15F days!

I had an outline for all of the chapters until the end. The next chapter called for Ranma and Akane to go take the entrance exams. I was about to start on it, when I realized, to my horror, that university exams are in January. I would've skipped over the anniversary of them becoming friends! So here's some WAFF, based upon the Christmas OVA. Sorry it's short. (If I had a nickel for every time I've said that…)

Ranma reached the end of the walk, and with one final broom stroke, left it free of the white powder that lay everywhere else. Snow wasn't common in Tōkyō, but it wasn't unheard of, either. And it had come at the perfect time. In about eight hours, they would be starting what was a wonderful tradition at the Tendo house— the Tendo Family Christmas Party. He paused and looked around the yard. Perhaps they'd had an influx of Christians in the area, praying for snow. He shrugged and headed inside.

It hadn't slipped past him that it was the one-year anniversary of when he and Nabiki had really become friends. Over the past week or so, he hadn't been sure if it would make him emotional; after all, very few things did. As it turned out, he'd been inwardly giddy for the past few days. Mushy as it sounds, he could honestly say he'd never felt so in love.

That night one year ago had been magical. It was a clear night; not freezing, but crisp. He distinctly remembered how clearly he could see the stars; he'd been staring at them when Nabiki had walked onto the balcony. From their position, they were looking down on the back walk, the section of the property from the back gate to the back door of the dōjō. They were close enough to see the lights in the dōjō and hear the music filter back, while also being cloaked in semi-darkness. Rather romantic, though he wasn't thinking that way at the time— he had just gotten away from three crazy fiancées and an angry one. Talking with Nabiki didn't put any romantic ideas in his head; rather, it felt like it was lifting an enormous weight off of him. And that was exactly what he'd needed.

What a year it had been since then. He'd expected a lot of it— he was a few months from starting his senior year, after all. The time with Nabiki, though, that wasn't anything he could've planned. She was stressed about the entrance exams, and it seemed like she needed someone to lean on. He was there, and listened, and the effect wasn't just to make her happier. It made them much closer to spend that much time together. When she'd started at Tōkyō U, it was he who heard all about her new experiences.

Looking back, he recognized that there was a great deal of unconscious flirting between them. He'd pat her on the arm if she was stressed; she'd give him a hug on occasion when they had to part ways. And then summer had rolled around. Even at home, she spent most of her time in a two piece, but their beach trip was what stood out the most. Her blanket was right next to his on the beach, and they talked under the beach umbrella for an hour, while Akane spent her time buried in a book. She stayed lost in literature as Ranma decided to take a dip, and Nabiki had joined him (or her, as he'd activated his curse and put on a girls' suit before they left home). They spent the rest of the afternoon wading, with Akane happy to ignore them.

In the water that day came the closest he'd ever come to cheating on Akane. They were standing in the waves, and noticed people standing a ways out, apparently on a sand bar. Nabiki pouted that she couldn't get to it, because like her sister, she'd never learned to swim. Not even thinking of what he was saying, he offered to swim out to it and carry her. It had been a rather intimate moment— she was facing him, arms around his neck, legs around his waist, and her head right next to his, with her chin on his shoulder. Sure, he was a girl at the time (the feeling of breasts touching breasts was still burned into his mind), but they were still in very close proximity. He'd held Akane that close in times of emergency, but never voluntarily— there was always much more space when he'd carried her and jumped across roofs.

That had been at the end of August, and he and Akane's distance wasn't anything new— they were barely on speaking terms by then. It really shouldn't have surprised him when Nabiki asked to switch the engagement a month later, but hindsight was 20/20. He'd fantasized about her a little, but had simply gone on the assumption that she only saw him as a friend.

In fact, since the engagement switch, he'd repeatedly felt horrible for accusing her of trying to make money; he should've known better. He chalked his response to the stress Akane was causing him. Nabiki had told him more than once that she understood and wasn't upset, but he still felt bad.

He got inside the house, swapping his shoes for slippers and leaving his coat by the door. The broom went back to its home under the stairs, and as he was closing the closet door, he heard feet on the stairs. Looking up, he locked eyes with Nabiki. She was dressed down, in a sweater and jeans, but somehow the simple outfit accentuated the beauty of her face. Her body was incredible, no doubt, but above the shoulders was her real beauty.

He met her at the bottom of the steps, and without a word, they embraced, locking their lips in a lingering kiss. When they finally broke apart, she laid her head on his chest. "You're thinking about last year's Christmas party," she said, "aren't you?"

He nodded. "Even before we became a couple it was special, because in the time between, you were probably the best friend I had. I went through some stuff with Ryoga and Uuchan and Shampoo, but they were always kinda half enemy in a way. Uuchan not so much, just that I was afraid to get too close because I didn't want her getting ideas."

"Yeah, well, the way you kept me sane during my exams… no one has ever supported me so much, and you were just being a friend. Really helped me realize how good a person you are. By the time I graduated from Furinkan, I was pretty crazy about you."

He gave her a squeeze. "I was just thinking how we got closer bit by bit over the spring and summer. Remember when we went swimming at the beach in Wakayama?"

"You carried me out to the sandbar."

"Yep. That kinda gave me a tingly feeling. I did my best to ignore it, but…"

"I came so close to making a move on you. If you had been a guy at the time, I probably would've kissed you. I tried to avoid you as much as I could after you bathed, so I didn't have to see you as a guy. And I knew you were trying to patch things up with Akane."

"Trying and failing."

"I should've stole you away back then. Or even before."

"I should've given up on Akane before then. The first six months after Jusendo, things were okay, but by the time fall came around, things were getting bad. And that was a whole year before we got together. I could've been single at the Christmas party last year. I could've kissed you right there on the balcony."

She chuckled. "You wouldn't have. Too shy. Same here. But we probably would've had a crush on each other, and something might've happened within a month or so." She stretched up and gave him another kiss.

"This is bigger than the both of us. Here's the love that's meant to-oo be… It's in the stars above. Why not fall in love…"

Akane and Ukyo sat in a corner of the dōjō. Ukyo tapped her on the arm. "Remember when you guys did this karaoke? The first year you did this party?"

She nodded. "First Christmas a certain someone was here. I actually still liked him then."

Ukyo laughed. "So did the rest of us. Remember how much of a mess it was with all four of us fighting?"

"Oh, yeah."

"Doing any karaoke this year?"

She shook her head. "Nah. Nabiki plans all the entertainment stuff, and I barely even talk to her anymore. I think she's doing something with Ranma. She's been picking through tapes, making recordings."

"Oh, that will be interesting."

"That's my expectation."

Backstage, Nabiki was quickly putting the finishing touches on the sound system, while Ranma paced around nervously. She glanced over her shoulder at him.

"Quit being so nervous, Ranma! You've been sounding great in rehearsal!"

"No, I haven't."

She shrugged and went back to the box in front of her. Finished with the connections, she peeked out through the curtain. The dōjō was lit and filled with people milling about, though the ratio of normal people to crazies was far off of the previous years. Ryoga, the Amazons, the Kunos… all missing. And, unfortunately, that had left her to find new people for the lights. Her and Ranma's fathers were in position, and she wasn't at all confident that they wouldn't screw it up.

She picked up the walkie-talkie lying next to her. "Okay," she said into it. "Bring down the stage lights and flash the house lights." A moment later, the spotlights went out, leaving the stage in a shadow, and the regular ceiling lights blinked off and back on. The people in attendance started cheering. Ranma started to tremble.

Nabiki slipped through the curtain. On the darkened stage, she tapped each microphone to make sure they made a sound. Satisfied, she ducked back inside, just as Kasumi made her way up to them. Nabiki gave her a smile and pulled the curtain aside. Kasumi went out, and Nabiki grabbed the walkie-talkie.

"Alright," she said into it. "As soon as I introduce her, bring the lights up on her side. Keep the other side down. Once she finishes, there will be ten seconds and the next recording's gonna start. As soon as you hear the next song start, switch the lights. Got it?"

Her father's voice came back to her. "Loud and clear, sweetheart."

She ducked back through the curtain. Kasumi stood in front of a solitary microphone, and she made her way to two others sitting in front of stools on the other side of the stage. "Ladies and gentlemen!" she said into the microphone, sending her voice throughout the crowd. "Kasumi… Tendo!"

The audience broke into wild applause, and Kasumi's side of the stage faded into brightness as the spotlight came on. She ducked back through the curtain, immediately hitting the play button on the sound system's tape deck. Music started to play.

"City sidewalks… busy sidewalks… dressed in holiday style…"

Backstage, Nabiki grabbed Ranma's hand. "Give it a minute," she said, "and we'll get in position." She paused and looked down at her fiancé's hand. "Ranma?" she whispered. "You're shaking."

"I really hate standing up in front of people…"

She gave him a hug. "You'll do fine. Now come on." With Kasumi still singing, she slipped through the curtain to the darkened side of the stage, pulling Ranma behind her. She sat on one of the stools, and Ranma nervously sat at the other.

"Silver Bells… Silver Bells…

Soon it will be Christmas day.

Soon it will be… Christmas day."

The music hit its final chord, and the crowd erupted into wild cheering. Kasumi shyly bowed, while Nabiki gave Ranma one last reassuring smile. The audience continued to cheer. After some silence through the speakers, a swing-beat horn line started playing. Kasumi ducked through the curtain as her lights went out, and those aimed at Ranma and Nabiki came to life. Nabiki readied for her first note.

"I really can't stay…"

"But baby, it's cold outside…" Ranma felt a little better after his first line didn't fall apart.

"I've got to go away…"

"But baby, it's cold outside…"

In the audience, Akane and Ukyo looked at each other in surprise. They'd had no idea what to expect, but a duet with Ranma in his male form had seemed like a remote possibility. After all, the last two years he'd refused to sing when he wasn't a girl. Both expected something cheesy and embarrassing, but this was actually rather sweet. And he'd actually dressed nice, in a shirt and vest.

And on top of it all, he was actually hitting the right notes. He was no Sinatra, but the notes were right…

"Baby it's cold… out… side." They sang a line together and paused for an instrumental break. Ranma gave Nabiki a grin— now halfway through the song, he was honestly enjoying himself. Of course, had he screwed it up he wouldn't have been so happy, but it was all going well. Apparently the time spent practicing actually did some good.

"My sister will be suspicious…" Nabiki fought back a laugh at the irony of the line.

"Gosh, your lips look delicious…" Ranma's line that followed it didn't help, and he momentarily hid his face to conceal his mirth.

"There's bound to be talk tomorrow…"

"Think of my life long sorrow…"

"At least there will be plenty implied…"

"If you caught pneumonia and died…" They both broke into grins at his unintentional stressing of the song's comic line.

"I really can't stay"

"Get over that old doubt"

"Baby it's cold… out… side." The last few chords ended the song, and the audience again erupted into wild applause. Nabiki and Ranma stood and bowed, while Ranma looked ready to fall over. The other stage lights came back on as Kasumi slipped back onstage, and the three of them bowed again. Nabiki grabbed her mic.

"Welcome, welcome, once again, to the annual Tendo Family Christmas party! Eat, drink, and be merry!" They all rushed back through the curtain.

Backstage, she jumped on him and wrapped him in a bear hug. "Ranma-kun!" she exclaimed. "You were great! That went really well!"

He wiped his brow. "A lot better than I thought it would…"

"You both sounded wonderful!" Kasumi chimed with a smile.

"Thanks, Kasumi, you too," Ranma said. "But I am so glad the singing is over…"

Nabiki tugged on his arm. "Time to get out of the formal clothes, and I could really use a hand with this dress…" He blushed, and she dragged him away.

A few minutes later, they were in her bedroom, a single candle providing the only light in the room. She gave him a gentle push onto the bed and started undoing the buttons on his vest. She took a step back and gave him a sly grin. "Watch me carefully," she said seductively, then started messing with the front of her dress around her thighs. A moment later, her panties dropped out the bottom of her dress, and she kicked them away. "I've been practicing with the garter belt," she said with a giggle.

She climbed on the bed and straddled him, her dress riding up enough that he could see the patch of hair underneath. He squeaked as she lay on him and started rubbing his hip. She gave him a soft kiss and kept her face close to his, her hair falling on either side of his face.

"Bet you weren't thinking of me like this a year ago," she cooed. "You were still Akane's fiancé, huh?"

"I was starting to wonder by then… And I'd be lying if I said I didn't some fantasies about you kinda like this. You've looked the same the whole time I've been living here." He sucked in a breath as she started nibbling at his ear.

She sat up. "You know," she said, "you look so nice in the formal stuff, I think I'll wait to strip you down until after."

"After what?" He squeaked again as she brushed against the growing bulge in his pants, and then started undoing them.

"Nice thing about a dress," she said. "Don't have to remove very much. And you're a man, so you don't have to anyway." She took one of his hands and slid it under the dress. "It's a special day. I'm gonna enjoy this." She paused, and a touch of emotion crossed her face. She leaned back down, putting her face near his like before. "This is… really special. Nobody has ever made me feel the way you have these past few months. It's really…" She stifled a sniffle and squeezed him in a hug.

"Hey, Nabiki?"

"Hm?"

"I, uh…" He sucked in a breath. "I love you, Nabiki."

She squeezed her eyes shut as they welled up with tears, but couldn't stop a couple from falling. She squeezed him tighter. "I love you, too. More than I ever thought I could love anybody." She wiped her eyes, then ran a hand through his hair. "Y'know… it's kinda hard to believe sometimes."

"What's hard to believe?"

"That I met my future husband when his father dragged him into my house and engaged him to my sister. And the father was a panda and the boyfriend was a girl. With bigger boobs than I have."

"I don't know about—"

She stopped him with a kiss. "Though I guess I have bragging rights, seeing that you had four fiancées and you tossed all of them to be with me."

"Don't forget you pushed me off on your sister in the first place." He gave her a smirk.

"Yeah… if we have kids, I'm not telling them that part. Speaking of kids…" He jumped as she grabbed hold of him through his pants. "I think we're both gonna enjoy this…"

About a half hour later, they were in casual clothes and out with the other guests, engaging in the various festivities— playing poker, eating fried chicken and strawberry cake, and drinking eggnog by the quart. Ranma slumped as he looked at his poker hand, and Nabiki got a chuckle out of his terrible poker face. She looked at her own cards; jack-high. Time to bluff. She shuffled the cards in her hands, rearranging them and holding them with three in one hand and two in the other. After a beat, she grabbed an entire stack of chips and slid it to the center.

"Raise." The others around the table paled.

"I fold."

"Fold."

"I'm out."

She grinned as she scooped up the pot and mucked her hand. Ranma leaned over. "What did you have, a full house?" She simply smiled smugly and said nothing. The others at their table turned skeptical.

"Did you really bluff us?" one asked.

"You didn't." someone else chimed. "No way. No— you did. You bluffed that, didn't you? You did. You didn't. You didn't do it. Uh uh. No way. You did. You did bluff that. You seriously… No way…"

"A lady never tells secrets," Nabiki said calmly, taking the next cards that were dealt her way.

Ranma shook his head. "At least I don't have to worry about ending up poor…"

She nudged him with a smirk.

At the same time Kasumi stood at the front of the stage, leaning on it while she surveyed the party in front of her. She always felt accomplished when a gathering went off without a hitch, and that night, everything had gone beautifully. That was the reason she enjoyed housework so much— the sense of accomplishment that came with it a job well done.

A sigh escaped her lips. There was one part that hadn't gone as well as she'd hoped, but it wasn't the party itself— it was the lack of attention from a certain doctor. She'd broken out an old dress of hers, one from high school. Unlike her normal long skirts and blouses, she'd chosen a dress that hugged her body. It wasn't showy— a red piece that made it to her knees and wasn't cut low enough to display a great deal of cleavage. Still, she'd hoped it would turn his head.

She already knew it could turn other people's heads; she'd caught more than one boy staring. Too bad they were all Ranma and Akane's age…

So far, though, she hadn't had a chance to talk to him. In fact, she wasn't completely sure he'd even noticed her. Every time she'd found herself near him, he was his usual goofy self, entertaining everybody in the vicinity but not allowing her any decent one-on-one time. Just how was she supposed to make an impression on him?

At that moment, she noticed him on the far side of the room, alone. It was perfect— nobody around to cause a distraction. She quickly made her way around the outside of the room to where he stood.

"Doctor Tofu!" she said cheerfully.

"Oh, Kasumi!" he replied, his face twisting into an idiotic grin. "So you came to the party, too?"

She blinked. If that was a joke, it wasn't a very good one. "I… live here. I put much of this together."

"Oh! Well, it's lovely! Very Christmas-y!"

She beamed at the compliment, then decided it was the perfect time to make a bit of a move. "Do you like my dress?" she asked, doing a quick turn. "It's an old one from my high school days, but I thought I should break it out for the party."

He paled a bit and leaned against the nearest wall. She reached out to him. "Oh!" she said, worried, "are you alright? You look like you're having a dizzy spell!" She grabbed hold of his arm, and his sudden dizziness seemed to vanish. In a flash, he leaped into the air and grabbed hold of one of the ceiling rafters with his arms and legs.

"Kasumi! You—" He lost his grip and crashed to the floor with a thud, causing a few people near them to turn and stare, before leaping back to his feet. She chuckled halfheartedly. He could be very funny, yes, but it hardly left any decent opportunities for them to get closer. She was going to have to up her game, or give up completely.

He scurried away, and she turned to leave, once again being greeted by the eyes of half a dozen teenagers who'd apparently been ogling her from behind. She sighed. How was it she managed to attract every guy in the room except the one she wanted?

A/N: Want to know the songs I used? "Silver Bells" YouTube video PzeAImrvtqw - "It's Cold Outside" YouTube video FTNheCEUP_A

A note about reviews: If I find sufficient reason to block you, you may not leave reviews on my stories. Last chapter someone logged out to evade a block, but I could tell who it was. I deleted that review, but if it happens again, I'm reporting the person responsible to FFNet for stalking. Don't get your account and all of your fics deleted because you can't stand to be wrong.

And to the part about being wrong— The person in question was complaining about my use of "Furinkan" as a location in an earlier chapter. It would take me a dozen pages to point out every single way that they're ignorant of the Japanese addressing system, but I don't have to. Kindly obtain and watch OVA 10, "Oh, Cursed Tunnel of Lost Love!" In the first few minutes, we see the "Furinkan Neighborhood planning committee". So, whether or not you believe me, the publishers see it my way.

But to everybody else who at least partly enjoys what I write, sorry again for the delay. I'm hoping to do better on the next chapter of "Who Hates Boys?"

Oh, and did you get the How I Met Your Mother reference? Probably not; I rarely pull those kinds of things off. But that's what the poker game piece of dialogue was supposed to be.