And now a word about

Konatsu Kenzen

During an on-line chat a while back, a friend of mine expressed some distaste at the fact that I could be romantically linked with the girlish kunoichi, the ninja Konatsu. Perhaps I should explain that not only are we romantically linked, we are married, and have been for several years.

This Ain't Anime, This is Real Life

Unlike the manga or anime series, as time has passed since my arrival in Nerima, I have grown older. And much to my dismay and disappointment, it became more and more clear that Ran-chan was not about to "come to his senses". He and Akane are all but married, and if that's what makes them happy, who am I to stand in their way, ne? I continue to play the part of the "buddy chick", but the idea of true romance with Ran-chan has slowly faded to painful memory.

To Lose is to Win

By the time I graduated from university, I had not found anyone other than my idealized and unattainable Ran-chan, and basically assumed I was going to spend the rest of my life alone (kinda sounds like the 'real' Ukyou, ne?). After some thought, I decided that of all the friends I ever had, if I were required to choose one to spend the rest of my life with, it would be Konatsu (at least, that's the Ranma character that my 'Rei-sama' most closely resembles). And I sent a letter to that effect, assuming all the while that it would scare Rei completely away. Much to my astonishment and delight, my sentiments were returned to me, and we were married shortly thereafter (I say shortly ^_^;; I had to wait for two years until Rei got out of college), and we've been together for over six years and counting. We even have a little boy, Dan-chan, who's just about five and a half years old.

In surrendering Ran-chan, I got far better than I expected or deserved. And for those of you who wonder about 'Natsu-chan's erm, leanings, let me say this: you strip us down to the bare essentials, and 'Natsu-chan's as much a man as I am a woman. What more could I ask for?