<HTML><FONT  SIZE=3 PTSIZE=10>28/4<BR>
-=from the mind of Blue Thunder=-<BR>
	Surely if it had not been clear before, it is clear now. The one known as Nabiki Tendo is surely in love with me. For I, Tatewaki Kuno, do have proof positive that she thinks of me. In the photos of my other two beauties she has sold me, was a most enchanting photo of Nabiki herself. Obviously she cannot stand to be without me, or have me without her, as she has given me a small token to carry with me. And free of charge, at that! I shall ask Nabiki Tendo to date with me, and together, we shall make the Heavens themselves jealous when they see the happiness that which we two share. <BR>
<BR>
</P><P ALIGN=RIGHT>-=Blue Thinder=-<BR>
<BR>
</P><P ALIGN=LEFT>***<BR>
<BR>
28/4<BR>
Dear Diary,<BR>
	If I wasn't sure of it before, I'm sure of it now. I love Kuno, and now I know that he feels the same. I'm happier than I've ever been...but why does it hurt? I know that he loves me, but without the posthypnotic mushrooms, he never would have told me. For all I know, he might never tell me at all. And then where would I be? Pining away for a man who expresses his love for me by stalking my sister, that's where! I didn't get to see his reaction to the picture of me. I hope he understands what its supposed to mean..knowing him, he'll just think that it was put there by accident, or as a joke. All this worrying is making me tired...tomorrow I'll go over it again.<BR>
<BR>
</P><P ALIGN=RIGHT>~Nabiki~<BR>
<BR>
</P><P ALIGN=LEFT>***<BR>
<BR>
	"So, Nabiki, are you going to prom? Its only two weeks away you know," Tenshi asked. <BR>
	Nabiki looked at her friend. "Prom? What do you think?"<BR>
	"Umm..no?"<BR>
	"You got it. I really don't have time. Besides, who would I go with?"<BR>
	"Why don't you go with Kuno?" Kojoko asked.<BR>
	Nabiki froze. They weren't supposed to know about her feelings for Kuno. She wasn't being obvious, was she? "Kuno? Why would I go with Kuno?" she stuttered, glancing around the classroom, making sure no one heard them.<BR>
	"Well, do you have anyone better to go with? Come on, its our Senior Prom, the last dance we'll ever get. You've got to go." <BR>
	"Maybe..." Nabiki mused.<BR>
	"Nabiki Tendo, am I to understand that you have yet to find a date to the Prom?"<BR>
	Nabiki looked up to see Kuno standing in front of her. "Umm..yes, well, I'm really not so if I'm going to go or not."<BR>
	"Of course you will go." He took her hand in his, sending small tingles through her. "Nabiki Tendo, I, Tatewaki Kuno, would be honoured if you were to go to the Senior Prom with me." Kuno declared, proud that he recited the practiced (and revised by Sasuke) lines perfectly. <BR>
	Nabiki's two friends giggled beside her. The rest of the class looked towards the small group curiously. Nabiki simply stared at Kuno, somewhat in shock. "P-prom? With..you? Umm..s-sure, Kuno-baby, I'll go to the Prom with you." Nabiki stuttered. <BR>
	"Very well! I shall pick you up at 7:00. I trust you will be ready. Fare thee well, Nabiki." Kuno smiled, kissing Nabiki's hand gently before stalking out of the classroom, mostly to make a grand exit, considering it was his classroom as well. <BR>
	"Nabiki? Nabiki! Snap out of it!" Kojoko yelled, waving her hand in front of Nabiki's face.<BR>
	"Hmmmmmmmmm?" <BR>
	"Nabiki, are you ok?"<BR>
	"yeah, you're really out of it," Tenshi said. <BR>
	Nabiki, finally snapping out of her daze, smiled, "Couldn't be better. Excuse me, I've got some things to do.." She stood up clumsily and made her way out the door and outside. <BR>
<BR>
~*~<BR>
<BR>
	Outside the Tendo Dojo, everything was peaceful. Birds were singing, the branches of the sakura trees swayed gently in the breeze, and the koi were swimming around in their pond. Inside was quite a bit different.<BR>
	"You're going to the Prom with WHO?!"<BR>
	"I...am...going...to...the...Prom...with...Kuno. Honestly, Akane, how many times do I have to tell you? You said yourself that Kuno and I should be together, so now we're going to the Prom together. Its really no big deal. Its the last dance we'll have at school, neither of us had a date, and so we decided to go together. As friends only, of course. Besides, I really don't see where its any of your business who I go out with," Nabiki rationalized.<BR>
	Akane and Ranma's mouths both opened and closed silently several times. Kasumi smiled sweetly. Genma and Soun were out getting drunk with Master Happosai, and hadn't heard the announcement yet, which was probably for the better, saving everyone from getting wet by Soun's tears for the time being. <BR>
	"Nabiki, that's wonderful that you and Tatewaki are finally having a date. I'm so happy for you!"  Kasumi bubbled.<BR>
	Suddenly a drunken Soun appeared, sake bottle still in hand. "My little girl going to the Prom? Oh, this is truly a momentous day!" he bawled, pulling Nabiki into a huge hug. <BR>
	"Really, Daddy, its just a little date with Kuno. No big deal," Nabiki wriggled out of her father's grasp and turned to Akane. "Akane, you're going to come with me to pick out my dress, aren't you? And while we're at the mall, we can get you a dress, too."<BR>
	Akane nodded, blushing brightly. She and Ranma had agreed to go to the Junior Prom together..with a little prompting from their fathers. "I'll help you pick out a dress. It'll be fun! I still don't see why you're going with Kuno. He's so...so...Kuno!"<BR>
	"Gee, Akane, if you're so upset about me going with Kuno, why don't you go with him instead? And I'll take Ranma."<BR>
	"NO!" Akane and Ranma shouted as one. "Err...that is..." Akane blushed again. "You go ahead and go with Kuno..."<BR>
	Nabiki smiled. "Glad you agree. Kasumi, how about you? You want to come along?"<BR>
	"Goodness, Nabiki, I don't know...why don't the both of you wear those cute dresses you got from that dear boy, Toma? I could alter them a bit to make them look new, and that way you won't have t spend so much on a new dress that you'll only wear once."<BR>
	"She's right, Nabiki. Ukyo said that she's going to dye hers dark blue and wear it to the Prom. She finally got Ryouga to ask her, even though he doesn't go to Furinkan," Akane giggled.<BR>
	"Yeah, if the Lost Boy shows up in time for the dance it'll be a miracle," Ranma muttered. <BR>
	"Ranma! Don't pick on poor Ryouga, especially when he isn't even here to defend himself!" Akane glared at Ranma. <BR>
	"You two, please don't argue. Nabiki, Akane, would you like me to alter the dresses for you?" Kasumi asked in her usual chipper way.<BR>
	"Sure, Kasumi, that would be great. So nice of you to do it," Akane said.<BR>
	<Not to mention much cheaper than actually buying a dress,> Nabiki nodded, smiling slightly to herself.<BR>
<BR>
~*~<BR>
<BR>
	"Kasumi!! Where's my dress?! Kuno will be here in three hours, and I have to get ready!" Nabiki shouted, more nervous than she could ever remember. <BR>
	Kasumi entered Nabiki's room, a dark green dress draped over one arm. "Here you are, Nabiki. I was just finishing it. I hope you like it."<BR>
	Nabiki took the dress and looked at it. It was dyed a beautiful dark green, and a few extra stitches had been made so as not to show as much skin, but other than that, it was almost exactly like it had been before. Nabiki had to admit, it was very pretty. She pulled it over her head carefully and looked at herself in the mirror. "Wow..it looks good. Thanks, Kasumi."<BR>
	Kasumi smiled blissfully. "I'm so glad you like it, Nabiki. It doesn't look too much like it used to, does it?" <BR>
	"No, no, its great," Nabiki hugged her older sister. "Now will you help me finish getting ready? I want to look really good tonight. Err...since its the last dance, that is.." Nabiki sat on her bed quickly, trying to hide her blush. <BR>
	Kasumi giggled, "Of course, Nabiki. You'll look so good tonight that you'll have to beat all the boys off with a stick."<BR>
	<BR>
~*~<BR>
<BR>
	>Knock knock knock<<BR>
	Kasumi opened the door, smiling sweetly as always. "Hello, Tatewaki. My, don't you look dashing in your tuxedo. Please, come in."<BR>
	Kuno stepped in and bowed. "Miss Tendo, it is sure that you have gotten your share of the beauty of the Tendo women." Kasumi blushed as he went on. "I, Tatewaki Kuno, have come to escort your younger sister, Nabiki to the Senior Prom. Pray thee, is she ready?"<BR>
	"Right here, Kuno-baby," a sultry voice called from the top of the stairs. Everyone looked up to see Nabiki slowly descending the stairs. She stopped at the base, did a small turn to show off, then walked to Kuno. "Ready to go?" she asked, sliding her arm to link with his. <BR>
	Kuno could only nod and stare at Nabiki, completely speechless. <BR>
	Soun got up from the shogi board to hug his middle daughter, leaving Genma-panda to 'fix' the board to his advantage. "Oh, Nabiki! If only your mother were here! She would be so proud of you!" he sobbed. <BR>
	"Ok, Daddy, I have to go now. Don't want to be late," Nabiki once again pulled herself out of her fathers grip and ran out the door, dragging Kuno behind her.  Once outside she relaxed and composed herself. "Well, that crisis is taken care of," she said. "Shall we?" <BR>
	Kuno just nodded, still stunned by her beauty. He took her arm and lead her to the limo. Sasuke stepped out and opened the door for them. "Master Kuno, Mistress Tendo," he bowed and helped Nabiki into the car. <BR>
	Nabiki crawled into the limo, looking around in awe. "Ooh, its so big," she giggled. She spotted a small bar and poured herself a glass of red wine. She sat back into the seat and sipped at the glass.<BR>
	"N-nabiki Tendo, is it wise for you to be drinking before the Prom?" Kuno asked, taking a seat across from her as Sasuke started the car. <BR>
	"Don't be silly, Kuno-baby. It's just one little glass, it's not like I've never had a glass of wine before. And tonight, I'm just Nabiki, ok?" she took another drink from the glass.<BR>
	Kuno nodded slightly, "As you wish. Tonight is our night, and anything you want, you shall have."<BR>
	Nabiki smiled and refilled her glass. "You sure you don't want any? It's good."<BR>
	"No thank you. I shall pass this time."<BR>
	"Oh come on, don't be such a wet blanket," Nabiki crawled over to the other side and sat rather close to Kuno. "Have some!" she put her glass to his lips and forced him to drink a bit. <BR>
	Kuno swallowed and gently took the glass from Nabiki. "Nabiki, if you get drunk now, then you will not be able to enjoy the evening. Now, please, sit back and be patient. I believe we're almost there."<BR>
	"Oooh, if you insist," Nabiki pouted, sliding her arm into his and snuggling up to his side. She wasn't about to tell him that she had already had a little to drink before he had gotten there. She had been nervous, and wanted to calm herself a bit. Besides, this was one of the biggest nights of a person's life, she was entitled to a little drink or two, wasn't she?<BR>
	<BR>
~*~<BR>
<BR>
	Several hours later, Nabiki stumbled out of the hotel the Prom was being held in on the arm of a very worried Kuno. She was extremely pale, and crying rivers of tears. "Kuuunooo..I don't feeeel so good..."<BR>
	"Shhh, shhh. Nabiki, I know. You've had too much to drink. I told you not to drink so much, but you didn't listen, did you?" he picked her up gently and carried her the rest of the way to the waiting limousine. "Sasuke! The door, quickly!" The little ninja opened the door and stood back as Kuno placed Nabiki on one seat and climbed in himself. "Back to the Kuno estate."<BR>
	Sasuke nodded and got back into the limo, racing back to the Kuno mansion. <BR>
<BR>
	Before the car was at a stop, Kuno flung the door open and was carrying Nabiki into the mansion. Nabiki was close to unconscious when Kuno lay her out on a bed in one of the guest rooms. <BR>
	"K-kuunoooo...?" she mumbled, her eyes halfway open.<BR>
	"Shhh, Nabiki. Sleep. You may talk to me in the morning," he replied, placing a damp cloth over Nabiki's eyes. The only reply was a gentle snoring. "Sleep well," he whispered, and kissed her gently on the forehead.<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
	When Nabiki awoke the next morning her head was pounding, and she was in an unfamiliar room. "Whaa..? Where am I?" She tried sitting up to get a better look around, but the pounding in her head and the blinding light behind her eyes told her it was better to stay horizontal. Short images of the previous night flashed through her head. <BR>
	"Nabiki...Nabiki, how dost thou fare?"<BR>
	"Kuno-baby? What happened?" she turned her head slightly to see Kuno kneeling beside the bed, looking as if he hadn't slept all night. <BR>
	"You had too much to drink and got rather ill," he said. He held a glass full of an odd coloured liquid to Nabiki's lips. "Drink. It is supposedly a remedy for the hangover that surely you are suffering."<BR>
	Nabiki did as told and drank the entire glass. After a moment the headache faded, and she was able to sit up. "Thanks, I feel a lot better now. Can I ask you something?"<BR>
	"Surely you may." Kuno stood and perched himself on the edge of the bed next to Nabiki.<BR>
	"Last night..did I do anything stupid? Or maybe say anything?" she asked.<BR>
	Kuno thought back to the night before, with Nabiki hanging all over him, declaring her love to him to everyone in sight. "Actually, you did. In several instances you told everyone that you l..lo.." Kuno trailed off, for once at a loss for words.<BR>
	"That I love you?" Nabiki asked. Kuno nodded. "Kuno-baby...that wasn't just the alcohol talking...." she whispered, suddenly finding the hem of her dress very interesting.<BR>
	"Nabiki Tendo, do you mean to say that you love me?" <BR>
	Nabiki just nodded mutely, still staring at the hem of her dress.<BR>
	"Oh I'm so happy!" Kuno threw his arms around Nabiki in a tight embrace. "Nabiki Tendo,  come with me and be my only love!"<BR>
	Nabiki slowly wrapped her arms around Kuno, returning the embrace. The two sat in silence in each others arms, still in their Prom clothes. Nabiki smiled to herself. <Eat your heart out, Akane...><BR>
<BR>
<BR>
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-=A few comments=-<BR>
Longer than origonally intended...or is it shorter? I really don't know, I wrote it totally as I went along. I took the liberty of giving the two friends names. Tenshi meaning 'Angel' and Kojoko meaning 'Princess-child', a little borrowing of my best friend and my nicknames. *^.^* Some parts may be a bit..iffy, but isn't it always? Anywhoo, this concludes my longest, and most trying fic. Hopefully I'll start writing again soon. <BR>
<BR>
-=Sankyuu to=-<BR>
Tamara-chan, for a lot of editing<BR>
Brian for writing a scene or two<BR>
Bryon and Diana for yelling at me to finish, but not helping at all<BR>
My Kuno-babble guy (gomen nasai...I lost everything when AOL went baibai, and cant remember)<BR>
My two prereaders for volunteering, although I didnt get any feedback..^.^;;;<BR>
And anyone who bothered to read this far.<BR>
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