The front door to a random, local cafe came open and in walked a "happy couple". The young men were jealous of the pigtailed boy, the young women were jealous of the long-haired girl who would probably be better suited to a shorter cut, and the two of them were putting on fake smiles while holding one another closely.
"What an adorable local cafe," Ranma said. "And yet. Not half as. Adorable as you."
"Oh, you!" Akane answered, and do you know that the two of them sounded rather insincere, as though deliberately forcing themselves to think along these lines? Her hand began to rub his chest through his shirt in a circular motion. "You're sweeter than any cake. <i>Dear!</i>"
That should have made everyone gag from the forced flirting, but the two of them were so unbearably cute that it somehow cancelled out, and made all the patrons sigh at the presence of young love. Well. You know what they say: Love is a battlefield. And Nabiki was loving every second of this. All of it. Every moment, every second, every sentence, every move and every possible thing she could do to mess with them.
Like, say, the clipboard she was carrying in one hand and the pen in another. It's amazing what a person will do if you carry those around, watch them closely and occasionally write... Something. Nabiki pointedly stared at Ranma's hand, making sure the boy could see her doing so, scribbled some gibberish on the page while quirking her eyebrow, and then - Heh. That's right. Hold her a little closer. Get used to being inside each other's personal space. Get used to a little touch of intimacy, break down those barriers, and before you know it you'll be banging like rabbits.
Ranma did the gentlemanly thing, took out a seat and let Akane sit in it. Nabiki looked over, nodded and wrote "these two are idiots" on her page. Ranma smirked in triumph, while Akane's eyes flickered with frustration. Just as Nabiki predicted, there wasn't a chance in hell either of them would let the other gain momentum without doing something to steal it away for themselves! She could play them like a deck of cards.
Of course, even Nabiki didn't realise that she was getting a little bit of help from a certain supernatural force that was reading all of their minds. Nalidiel was rubbing his hands with glee. Pride, vanity, not his domain in the slightest and yet there it was. Whatever means he had to play to get his ends were fair game to him!
"Alright, let's see..." Nalidiel began, rubbing his hands together in nearly maniacal glee. "Ranma's feeling a bit cocky about that extra point, while Akane's planning her counterattack... Perhaps if you were to <font color = red>lean over just a little, show him some cleavage. That's bound to earn a few points!</font>"
Which Akane did, just a little bit. As though she wasn't quite sure she really wanted to do that. Over in the corner Nabiki started nodding in an approving manner... But then when Akane drew back, she made a very audible tutting noise and resumed writing.
"So tell me more about your trip to China," Akane hastily asked. "You and your -" she stopped to think for a moment. Nalidiel checked. This wasn't exactly helpful to any lustful intentions in a direct sense, but... <font color = red>He won't mind that, he'll agree with you.</font> "Your idiotic father went there on a martial arts journey, right? It can't have been all bad."
"Nah," Ranma replied. "Only mostly bad." <i><font color = green>Tsk, as if I'm bringing up any of the bullshit I had to deal with in China,</i> especially to a cute chick like her. <i>Huh? She's not cute. Not really. She's just trying to win this dating contest, so she's putting on her best, </i>and I can't take my eyes off her best.<i> I - I mean....</i></font>
Whew, the boy is deeply ignorant of his own sexual needs. Not that the girl is much better.
<font color = red><i>He's going down</i> on me after this date. <i>Grrrk! No chance, ew! As if I'd ever want a boy</i> as handsome and strong and cute as Ranma <i>to do something like that! </i>Then again, if it wins me this contest, maybe I should consider it....</font>
"Alright," Akane said. "If you don't want to talk about it, we could talk about something else?"
It was adorable, really. Normally neither of them would be actively seeking a girlfriend or boyfriend; they were both used to members of the opposite sex tripping over themselves trying to get their attention. Now they were both trying, and even an inexperienced lust demon like Nalidiel could tell that neither of them actually knew how seduction worked. They were both martial artists through and through, always attack, attack and attack some more when the real art of seduction was all about lowering your guard just enough to close it around the other person.
It reminded him of that one panel from that dumb Gambling King arc, probably the best punchline in the entire series: It was a contest of wills between two complete idiots!
There wasn't much else for it but to turn back to Nabiki for some unknowing advice.
<font color = blue><i>Look at those two. They're completely clueless. That was the perfect chance for Ranma to score some points by telling her a little more about himself, maybe invite her to talk about her own martial arts training... And if it was really that bad, Akane could have shown some more sympathy about it even if she hadn't known what it was. Put her hand on his. Looked him in the eyes. Maybe, if she was really willing to impress, she could have -</color></i>
Oh, hoho! Nabiki! You devious little devil. That gave Nalidiel an interesting idea for a little bit of fun... But before he could shift attention back towards the daters -
<font color = blue><i>I'd better set up a mirror or something outside Akane's bedroom so I can see this. If I really can talk these two into bed together... Oooh, it would be so hot! Too hot, I might melt where I'm sitting if I'm not careful.</i><color>
Well now. That was certainly interesting! Nabiki was getting aroused by playing around with these two? Interesting, and... What was more....
The first thing Akane knew anything was going on, she'd slipped out of her shoe and was rubbing her foot along Ranma's ankle in a gradual, circular motion. Her initial reaction was panic - until she looked to her side and saw Nabiki nodding along. A waitress arrived with a glass of lemonade, so Akane hid her discomfort by taking the straw in her mouth and staring Ranma directly in the eyes while taking a demure sip.
For his part Ranma was kind of freaking out as well. He sure as hell didn't expect Akane to do something like this. He considered telling her to stop, but <color = green>Nabiki's bound to deduct points if I make her stop.</color> So he didn't stop her. Even when Akane's foot began to trail up the inside of his leg, not pressing too tightly but just barely enough to remind Ranma that yes, that was Akane's foot and yes, it was heading up and up and -
"S-So what about you?" Ranma asked. The poor boy tried to hide his nerves, tried to stall for time any way he could think of. "T-Tell me a little more about yourself!"
"Well," Akane began, and her foot hit her mark. Her big toe poked and prodded the area around Ranma's groin, delicately, carefully, just enough to provoke a tactical reaction that she immediately took advantage of with but a single bit of prompting from Nalidiel. "It's been very <b>hard</b> for me to get any training done because Daddy won't help me anymore." Her foot began to rub along the hardening shaft, much to Akane's own disbelief, but Nabiki was nodding along, writing on her pad with great enthusiasm, so she kept on with this unlikely tactic.
"I've been having to do it all by myself," Akane said, quickening the pace just a little bit. "Pushing and working and sweating in an effort to tone up my fit and healthy body, stretching out every muscle and working up my flexibility -" Squeeze. "- And stamina." Stroke. "But I keep on building and building until I hit a plateau, and then I can't go any higher, higher, higher! Have you ever felt like that, Ranma?"
"Maybe?" Ranma said, the tone of his voice barely audible to humans for it was at the utmost pitch he could manage in male form. However, Nalidiel knew Ranma accepted defeat with all the grace of a drunken jester. His pride welled up, and his hand suddenly seized upon Akane's foot underneath the table. "For all his faults, the dumb panda's a hell of a trainer," Ranma said.
Akane blinked at him. Then her eyes fluttered when Ranma began to rub her foot.
"He knows it's not just about the hard work," Ranma continued. "You've got to let the muscles relax a little, so they settle into your new level of strength. Martial arts isn't just the power or the speed, it's the technique. Right?"
"Uh huh?" Akane said, nodding in agreement and hoping there was more to his reply.
"You gotta know just what to touch," Ranma continued, pressing on the joint of her big toe with his thumb. "You've got to understand the limits of the human body." Then the second toe, popping the digit. "You've got to be able to read your opponent's reactions, so you know how to deal with them." Third, then fourth toes. "Then before they even know it, you've countered their attack and you're the one in control." He flashed her a cocky, and actually quite genuine grin as he pressed on her pinky toe. "Isn't that right?"
"Ah!" Akane gasped, pulling her foot back before things could get any more intense. Nalidiel smirked. Now that the stakes had been raised this far, there was no turning back. These two were the kind of people who would keep on raising the stakes to do anything to win!
It made him wonder what they might try next... Or more like, what they would be <i>willing</i> to do to each other next.
- The date continues along these kinds of lines.
- Someone interrupts the date.
- Meanwhile, what's up with Kasumi?
- Nabiki advances her plan to push them into bed.
- Something else
1 mixed with 4!
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