"Usagi? Mamoru? What are you doing here?" Haruka asked.
"Mamo-chan got invited and he asked me here on a date," Usagi told her cheerfully.
"I met the hosts at work," Mamoru said with a small shrug. "What about you?"
"The hostess knew our mothers a long time go. When she saw me again, she had to invite us."
"So this is your fiance. Usako has told me so much about you."
Ranma took a moment took a moment to size up the older man before shaking his hand. "Nice to finally meet you."
"Like wise."
"That's a very beautiful outfit, Haruka-chan," Usagi commented cheerfully.
A hint of red tinged the sandy-haired woman's cheeks. "Thanks. I...uh... like your outfit too."
The reincarnated Moon Princess gave a little giggle. "Thank you," she said, showing off her off-the-shoulder dress with a white gloved hand. "Mamo-chan liked it too."
Mamoru's face heated and he looked away, leaving Ranma and Haruka to snicker. From the way he'd been looking at her, he'd been liking it LOTS.
Haruka turned as she stopped snickering and looked to her fiance. "What's wrong?"
"I'm just looking for... there they are."
A simple glance in the direction that Ranma was looking told Haruka what she wanted to know. Ranko was leading her boyfriend across the floor. "Hello Ranko. Ryouga. What took you so long?"
Adjusting her sleeveless green dress, the redhead sighed. "He needed to use the bathroom."
As the the others shook their heads in chagrin, Mamoru blinked. "Am I missing something?"
"He could get lost walking in a straight line," Ranma said.
"Shut up Ranma," Ryouga growled.
Ranko bopped her brother on the head. "Leave him alone 'Niichan."
"Hey! Why can't I make fun of him? You do," the pigtailed boy asked.
"He's MY boyfriend."
"Shows you right Ranma," said the Lost Boy.
"But I'm still glad that we took separate limos. Otherwise you'd have been waiting forever for us."
"Aww... Ranko..."
"Don't worry," Haruka said, "Most of these things are just people standing around and talking."
"At least you're dressed for the occassion," said a voice unrecognized by all except the racer.
"Saito."
"How nice to see you again, Ten'ou," said the black haired bishonen, "I see that you finally begun to realize that you are a woman."
"That doesn't mean that you're any less of a jackass."
"Sticks and stones, my dear. You do look ravishing, though. Much better than when you try to to compete in a man's sport, like motorcycle racing."
"And what's it to you?
"I'm sure that I could help you relize how unsuited a woman is for such rough endevours. With a little proper persuasion, of course."
"You leave her alone!" yelled Ranma.
"And who'd you be?"
"Ranma Saotome of the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts. AND her fiance."
Showing mild surprise, Saito gave a laugh of disblief. "You're her fiance?"
"Yeah. Ya wanna make something of it?"
"Amazing. Ten'ou has a man. Unless you went and got a mercy date..."
"'Mercy date' Why you..?!" Haruka began... before Ranma grabbed her arm. They both knew that this was not the place to have a fight. And, oddly enough, Ranma had a better plan.
The pig tailed boy took his fiancee in his arms and gave her a passionate, almost-bent-over half way kisses.
Saito's jaw worked several times, but no words came out.
As they broke apart and looked into each others eyes, the world was only the two of them. No party. No jerk. No friends. Just them.
Meanwhile,:
Sat Aug 17 11:06:57 2002