The Rain on the Window Pane
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by Florencio B. de la Merced, Jr. (fmerced@pworld.net.ph)
A fanfic inspired by the anime/manga Ranma 1/2, created and copyrighted by
Rumiko Takahashi
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Clouds, not a handful of them, were crossing the horizon up in the sky.
Nabiki raised her hand, blocking out the sun's glare from her eyes. Yes, it
was going to be a pretty day today, she noted. Wondering if the time was
right, she took a peek inside her little black book. "Yes, I think it's
just right."
She strolled out on the yard, no one was there so she was perfectly alone.
She took a look at the flower pots, something her elder sister was quite
fond of. The daffodils were still in bloom, so that meant summer was still
around the corner. She bent down, smelling the scent of the jasmines and
roses that line up at the side of the fence. Yes, that cleared up her mind
about a lot of things. Problems mostly, the financial types that the dojo
seems to be a magnet for. Further down the path were the orchids hanging
off several dead tree trunks. The lovely pink flowers were so beautiful,
she just had to..touch them. Yes, nothing felt greater than to touch
something that was beautiful. Nabiki sighed, her head relaxed, her hands on
her cheeks. It was truly wonderful to be with nature. Truly relaxing.
She was getting near the training hall by now. Though the place was empty,
there wasn't anything inside for her to see. In fact, that was the last
place she'll ever find herself in when she wants to relax. The hall was
just full of ... memories. Fights and more turmoil painted themselves and
left marks all over the walls of the dojo. She just won't be able to relax
in there. So, she found herself going back.
"Hi, there." Nabiki knelt down on the grass, just on the rim of the fish
pond. Kasumi's fish pond was full of life, there were a lot of love in
there. Three species, Nabiki thought. The goldfishes, the smaller black
and blue ones, and the snails. Yes, if it moved inside the pond, it was
Kasumi's handiwork. How she envied Kasumi, knowing how to take care of her
pets. But she also hated Ranma, for doing the most damage to Kasumi's
dearest. She waded her hand in the water, and it felt cold. But later in
the day, Nabiki knew that the sun would eventually warm it up for the little
fishes.
A gentle breeze blew in from the trees. Sweeping Nabiki's short cut hair
for a second or two. That felt nice, she wondered why it stopped. It felt
good, something brushing across her face like the wind flowing through her
hair. She wondered if that sort of feeling will ever be available to her.
Like, in a snap of her fingers, she'll feel warm and fuzzy all over again.
What was it like?
The clouds started moving again, the sun was raging down on her now.
Naturally, she walked back inside the house. There she had all the
comforts, all that she would ever need. A chair to sit on while reading her
favorite book, a table to dine in whenever she was hungry or not, A stairway
where she could always climb up and down just for the fun of it. Yes, this
house was more than a home, it was her world. She found her way towards her
room, kidding herself by knocking before entering.
"Ah, what shall I do?" Her table top was full of papers and notes she still
had to rewrite. The magazine she had read last night was on the floor, just
waiting for her to pick it up. Her closet was open, with most of her
clothes still unpressed. She sighed, knowing how her day was going to turn
up was no fun at all. She decided to sit for a while, doodling on a scratch
paper since she didn't have much to do. Her report paper was due tomorrow
but she had time later, the alarm clock needed new batteries but they
weren't that important. She looked around, wondering if the wall paper
needed some "umph" in them to make things brighter inside her dull room.
That was work, and that was what she had been avoiding.
Outside, it became darker with the clouds converging and graying out the
sun. Nabiki looked out of her window just as the first drops of rain
painted themselves on the glass pane. "Shucks, it's starting to rain." It
didn't take long for the pour to come in and Nabiki found herself trapped
more than ever. The ripples echoed above her head, a rhythm of taps she was
sometimes accustomed to, sometimes rather annoyed at. "Oh well. What
should I do?"
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A knock on her door wasn't answered, so Akane walked in to Nabiki's room
uninvited. "Nabiki, the rain stopped. I was wondering if you would..."
She was rather amused finding her sister lying in bed, way past asleep.
"Oh, I guess I'll ask Ranma to accompany me instead." Akane didn't notice
the grin on Nabiki's face as she turned towards the door. "Happy dreams,
Nabiki." When the door closed Nabiki turned in her bed, still smiling in
her sleep. Her table top was still full of notes, her closet and drawer
were still open, and the walls still had the same color of paper on them.
What was different was her. She was totally relaxed, totally at peace...and
probably dreaming of that warm fuzzy feeling she had always wanted. She
probably realized that it needed the rain tapping on her window pane to free
her from this world.
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The End
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