But he was still subject to a woman in need.
"Let see if I get this. You met some old friend of your mother's and she invited us to a party?"
Haruka bit her lip. "That's about it."
"Ya couldn't say no?"
"She's kind of... insistent. And despite her... need to push in, she's always tried to help me," said the blonde woman said. "Even if I wanted her to or not."
"She is an old friend," put in Nodoka.
Ranma sighed. "I guess I'll go..."
"Thank you," Haruka told him, and gave him a peck on the cheek. Then she turned red with embarassment and her eyes widened in shock.
The Saotome Matriarch gave her own sigh. The poor child simply had to loosen up more.
^^^^^
In the realm of the latest anti-magical girl group, Slate sat and pondered. He was powerful. He was smart. He was also with a pack of losers.
It really wasn't fair, but when the only other person with any sort of idea of how to fight is so in love with the queen that you don't see that she's an idiot, you tend to lose hope. Heart. Whatever the Hell minions of evil lose.
He was sure that he'd have some plans. They might not work, but at least he was planning. That was more than he could say for the rest of them.
It was still Shale's show though. The blond man was likely to be getting ready to get his ass kicked again.
Slate decided to go and check out what he was doing. Who knew? It might be good for a bit of a laugh.
^^^^^
That Saturday, Ranma and stood and waited for his date to finish getting ready. Not very well, but he was waiting. The pigtailed boy was alternating between fidgiting in his seat or pacing the room. There were two good reasons for this. First, he didn't like wearing a tuxedo. It was tight and unfamiliar. And second, he'd never had a date that didn't end in some kind of idiocy. He just hope that it would be fine this time.
"Oh, Ranma. Haruka's here," came his mother's voice.
Ranma turned to the voice... and stopped.
There was nothing masculine about Haruka on this night. She was wearing a sexy above the knee black and gold dress with a matching light jacket over it. Her legs were hugged by a pair of dark stockings and there a pair of shiny black low heels on her feet. He could see a hint of make-up on her face and there was the hint of a soft scent in the air.
"How...how do I look?" asked an oddly hesitant Haruka as she clutched a handbag that matched her dress with both hands.
"I... Um... well..," stammered Ranma, "You look... look..."
"Yeah..?"
"Hot... sexy... beautiful..."
"Really?"
"Oh yeah. Ya look... great."
The Senshi of Uranus gave a rare blush. "Thanks. You look," 'Like a hunk', "pretty good yourself."
Nodoka smiled at the exchange. "You two had better get going. The limo's waiting out front."
"Thanks Mom." Ranma took Haruka's arm and led her to the waiting limo.
"You two have fun now!"
"We will!" they chorused.
It was a quiet ride as Haruka considered cuddling with her fiance and Ranma surpressed the urge to run his hands through his fiancee's styled locks. Once there, they made the obligitory hello's before finding someone they recognized, who was:
Mon Aug 12 20:32:30 2002