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When You're A Stranger
Chapter Three
New and Improved Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 and all characters, logos, and likenesses therein, are trademarks of Rumiko Takahashi. No copyright infringement is intended by their use in this story. All other material, copyright 2000 Debra Matthews. All rights reserved. Characters and stories are in no way affiliated with, approved of or endorsed by Rumiko Takahashi. This is created by a fan for other fans out of love and respect for the manga and the television show, and is strictly a non-profit endeavor.
Author's Notes have been moved to the end of the chapter.
************************************************ **Splash!**
"Augh! Wha'd ya do that for, Old Man?"
"A good martial artist doesn't sleep his life away! You should be ready for an attack at any time, Boy! Sleeping isn't an excuse for missing an attack by an enemy!"
"Oh, and I suppose you're the enemy now, Pop?" Ranma's higher pitched voice rang out through the walls as she punted her father out the window and into the yard below. Ranma, hot on Genma's tail, continued the fight as her father retreated across the yard, leading his son-sometimes-daughter away from the house and nearer to an area recently dug up for a garden by the koi pond.
"What were you thinkin', Old Man? Now my bed's all wet! I gotta get it aired out before I go to school!" Ranma leapt back away from her father's attempt to dunk her into the pond.
{Gettin' wet is kind of a moot point, but I really don't feel like gettin' tossed inta the pond this mornin'.}
"Listen to yourself, Boy! You're sounding more and more like a woman!" Genma knew that he could bait Ranma into anything by taunting what was left of his manhood. "I didn't raise you to be a woman! You're supposed to be a martial artist! The life of a martial artist is fraught with hardships and ..."
Unfortunately for Genma, Ranma didn't feel like playing along this morning. Ranma bounced off the side of the house she'd been thrown at, arced high over her father and spiked him into the pond like an overweight volleyball. Ranma landed neatly on the far end of the yard and stripped off her tank top to wring it out.
**Ka-Splash!**
A panda leapt out of the pond at Ranma, who simply sidestepped the kick and yelled some more.
"Idiot! Will ya let it go already! Because of your stupid wake-up call I gotta go clean up my bed before I leave! And I ain't even had breakfast yet!"
Nabiki looked out her window and threw a shoe at each of them.
"Do you two mind? People are trying to sleep around here! What kind of people are you anyway? Go use the dojo for your workouts! And keep it quieter!" Nabiki slammed her window, muttering obscenities to herself and plotting retribution for her way too-early wake-up call.
Ranma picked up Nabiki's shoes and dropped them off in the living room. Kasumi was up already, fixing breakfast. She didn't seem bothered by the Tendo houseguests' early morning workout.
"Uh, Kasumi?"
{Man, I really don't wanna bother her with this, but...}
"Oh, Good morning, Ranma. Did you have a good workout?"
"Uh, well, no, I didn't. But that's not it," she waved her off the pleasantries. "I, er, I don't wanna be a bother, but would mind helpin' me with my bedding? My stupid Old Man threw a bucket of water on me this to wake me up and everything's soaked..."
Kasumi blink-blinked and then smiled.
"Oh my goodness! Well, of course I'll help you find a place to air it out. But can I get you to help me out with the rest of breakfast? I won't have time to do it all myself..."
"Sure! Not a problem! Lemme get some hot water and I'll be right up to move the mattress! Thanks a lot, Kasumi! Yer a life-saver!" Ranma ran into the kitchen to find hot water on the stove waiting for a cup of tea wanting to be brewed. A cup later and Ranma was male again and bounding up the stairs ahead of Kasumi.
Genma, on the other hand, was not a happy camper. He made his way into the kitchen, dumped the pot of hot water over his head, then cursed to himself, remembering that it needn't be quite that hot. He rummaged about the kitchen, and seeing that breakfast wasn't finished yet, snagged a few biscuits and went looking for his errant son. He found him out on the back porch with Kasumi, hanging his wet bedding.
{Look at him! He's acting more and more like a girl every day. Hanging laundry like a woman! Damn that curse! It must be making him weak! I will have to be tougher on him if he's going to be a Man among men! Nodoka will never accept him like this and I'll never get to go home again!}
Genma flopped in front of the empty shogi board, pondering his dilemma. Soun had yet to emerge from his room and Genma had a few thoughts about that as well.
{The Master would never have put up with all of this. It's made Soun weak. And to think that my old friend even thought about training his daughter, of all people, in the Art! What was he thinking? The Master would never settle for it!} Genma exhaled and settled down a little, his shoulders relaxing. {Then again, the Master is in no position to be harassing us anymore. Soun and I are free to raise our families in peace and free to choose our own successors to the Schools. We are finally free from the Master.} Genma sent a small prayer of thanks to whatever deity was listening at the time.
Kasumi set out a neatly folded and freshly laundered school uniform for Ranma. The uniform caught Genma's eye, causing his thoughts to turn to other behaviours disturbing him about his son.
{Where did that ungrateful son of mine get money for school uniforms on such short notice? Has he been holding out on me all this time? To think, that he's had money hidden away when I was starving and he didn't tell me? I'll have to go through his things again when he leaves for school... Then again, he might have just picked them up like I did last time. "Why spend the yen on something you can get for free?" the Master always said.} He nodded to himself sagely before his train of thought was derailed by Ranma strolling into the house and meeting up with his clean school uniform.
Ranma smiled appraisingly at his neatly washed and pressed uniform that Kasumi had set out for him.
{Wow, Kasumi is the best! I've never had a uniform look like this before!} He gently caressed the soft, worn fabric, smiling to himself.
Genma leapt at Ranma, hoping to catch him unaware again. (That boy's mind has been wandering too much since we arrived! I'll show him not to turn his back on an opponent!} Or so he thought.
Ranma knew the old man was in the house, watching him. {Aw, man! Won't he give it a rest? Like I'm gonna let him mess up all'a Kasumi's hard work!} Ranma danced out of the way and gently tossed his uniform onto an end table as they rushed by. He saw his father's eyes flicker to the pile of clothes as it gently landed out of the way, but continued his assault on his wayward son. {I knew it! He was out ta mess up my new clothes!}
{Damn. The boy got them out of the way. Too bad. Well, I can still give him a good dunking for his attitude this morning. I'll teach him not to mouth off at me!}
Ranma led his father along with a duck, bob and weave retreat through the house out to the yard, with a lot of insults sprinkled throughout the duel for added incentive.
"Yer getting slow, Old Man! I saw that attack comin' a mile away! How're you supposed ta teach me anything new if ya can't even keep up with me now?"
"Insolent Boy! You think you know it all! I'll show you! You haven't seen anything yet! Why, you're still just a babe, wet behind the ears! Here, let me show you..." Genma attempted a sweeping kick to knock Ranma into the pond, but Ranma jumped up, avoiding the sweep and landed on a rock on the far side of the pond.
"Oh, yeah, Old Man, you showed me real well. You got anything better than that? I'll bet Akane can show me better moves than that!" Ranma prepared for another attack from his father by pulling down his lower eyelid and sticking out his tongue.
Genma leapt into the air again, fully meaning to land on his son, but Ranma jumped up to meet him in mid-air. Sensing something vaguely familiar about the attack, Ranma was able to block the incoming blows and smack his father down towards the pond. Unfortunately, Genma also felt the attack was somewhat familiar and had the foresight to grab Ranma's ankle on the way down. The wave from the resulting splash sent a few of the resident koi flopping helplessly across the lawn.
"Wha'd ya do that for, Old Man? You got some kinda water fetish or somethin'?" Ranma stood up, clobbered the wet panda across the head with her tiny fist and pulled off her tank top to wring it out. "Man, lookit this! Mister Tendo's gonna have a fit when he sees this mess!"
"Growf!" Genma panda merely smacked the back of Ranma's head, sending her sprawling across the wet grass.
[Soun Tendo is aware of the great sacrifices of a martial artist!]
"Yeah, but does that include houseguests tearing up the garden and killing the fish?" Ranma punted the panda over the fence. She then started collecting the gasping koi in her damp tank top to toss them back into the slowly settling pond. {Man, what an idiot! I just know Mister Tendo's gonna flip about this! First the water all over the guest room, then the garden, and now the fish! I can't believe Pop'd do all this to a friend's house!}
Soun Tendo walked by the door and gazed out into the yard. He'd seen only the last few seconds of the fight which consisted of Genma-panda's flight into the neighbor's yard.
"Ah, good to see you working out Ranma. And first thing in the morning, too! Very good, very good. Shows good devotion to the Art." Soun nodded in approval at his future son-in-law's work ethics.
"Thanks Mister Tendo! I gotta work out every day if I'm gonna keep in shape!" Ranma replied as she waved back at him, her arms full of a wriggling, wet tank top. Unfortunately, doing so gave Soun an eyeful of Ranma-chan's bare breasts. Guy or no, Ranma was still stacked like a Barbie doll. Soun promptly fainted.
"Aw, man! Why do these things always happen to me?" Ranma lamented.
"Oh, dear! Ranma, what happened to Father?" Kasumi appeared in the doorway to find her father out cold on the veranda. Ranma had dumped the fish back into the pond and was trying to figure out what to do with her tank top.
"Oh, uh, I'm not sure. I think it might have been from seeing all his fish scattered all over the yard. I'm real sorry about that, by the way. I guess Pops and me got a bit carried away this morning." Ranma pulled on her pigtail and looked rather embarrassed.
Kasumi surveyed the carnage and shook her head.
"Well, what's done is done. Akane will just have to repair her garden after school and Father can repair the pond when he wakes back up again. I don't suppose you and Uncle Saotome could be more careful when you spar together in the yard?"
Ranma cringed. {That was Akane's garden? Aw, man! Now she'll really have a reason ta hate my guts!} He sighed and nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, I'll see if I can't get the Old Man to use the dojo instead. I mean, that's what it's there for, right?"
"Yes, it is. Now, would you help me bring Father into the house? It just wouldn't be right to leave him lying here. There's some hot water on the stove."
"Sure, Kasumi!" Ranma tossed the wet, fishy shirt over her shoulder and went to get a quick dose of hot water before returning to carry Soun back into the house.
"Hey, Kasumi? Where's Akane? I kinda thought she'd be up ready ta spar with me this mornin'."
"Akane gets up early for her morning run before breakfast. She got back while you were still sparring with Uncle Saotome." Kasumi settled her father down on the floor and covered him with a blanket. "Breakfast will be done in a little while. Why don't you go take a quick bath until then?" Ranma cringed again, remembering that he was supposed to help Kasumi with breakfast.
"Sure thing." Ranma wrinkled his nose at the scent of pond and fish coming off of his body. "I could sure use it. Hey, Kasumi, I wanna thank you for cleanin' my uniform for me. It looks really great!"
"You're welcome, Ranma." Kasumi smiled as Ranma trotted off to the furo with his uniform in hand.
{Well, he seems nice enough. He's certainly a little rough, but he does try to be polite. I think he and Akane will make a nice couple.} Kasumi returned to the kitchen to finish breakfast, humming happily to herself and thinking that maybe having long-term houseguests wouldn't be so bad after all.
************************************************ (Earlier that morning)
As Akane jogged along her well-traveled route through the streets of Nerima, she took the time to think about the odd turn her life had taken over the last two days.
{Ranma. What do I think about him? I mean, he's a boy. Boys are horrible! But Ranma seems pretty nice. So far. Okay, he still acts like a boy, but he doesn't act like a jerk. I don't know what to think, really.} Akane took a moment to look up at the sunrise as it tossed its sherbet colours across the canal.
{Okay, he's a damn good martial artist, that's for sure. I couldn't touch him on my best day. Not that it means much, since Daddy hasn't trained me in ages. It's just been me and the concrete blocks, and up until recently, the Idiot Brigade at school. This is so frustrating! Even Daddy won't take me seriously! How am I supposed to be the heir to a dojo, let alone the School, if its Master won't take me seriously enough to train me! Look at Ranma! He's so...so... perfect in the Art! I could just clobber him, if I could lay a hand on him, that is.} Akane felt her jealous rage build up inside. She took a few deep breaths and ran a little faster to pull herself out of the mood.
{I can't let this get to me. I have to control this anger... I won't let it control me.} She repeated the mantra until she felt the urge to break things pass.
{I'm more than just a token martial artist. I'm better than that and I deserve respect due to my ranking and achievements. I'm not just some poor, crippled girl that Daddy's trying to marry off.} Akane stopped in the middle of her route, hit with the sudden thought. {At least, I hope I'm more than that. I don't think Daddy would do that to me. I mean, I am his daughter, right? He doesn't think I'm just a bit of bait for Ranma...} She scrunched her face as she started running again, deep in thought at the implications of where her thoughts were going.
{I've got ribbons, medals, trophies and awards from lots of martial arts competitions. I've been the one to represent the Tendo School for several years now. I'm sure I'm good enough to be the heir to the school. And Ranma is heir to his school. I guess it would make sense for us to get married and unite the schools that way. But why did Daddy stop training with me, when Mister Saotome continues to train Ranma hard, even now? Doesn't he want me to be as good as Ranma? I should be the very best as the Tendo School heir!} Akane felt her rage swell up like a great tidal wave as she began to suspect that maybe, just maybe, her father didn't want her to be as good as Ranma.
{No! No, no, no, no, no! I won't let my anger get away from me! I won't let it make me lose control! Daddy's up to something, I just know it, but I just can't let my anger take over. I have to be in control if I want to find out what Daddy is up to! I can't let it get away from me again!}
{Ranma's trained all his life in nothing but the Art. Me, I just got a few hours every day. He's sacrificed his whole life to just training. I guess he deserves to be the very best there is. I really can't begrudge him for that. He's definitely earned it. But what does that say about me? Am I too lazy to be as good as he is? Am I just wasting my time by playing around with cinder blocks and rehearsing katas every day and pretending to be a great martial artist? Would the schools be better off if I wasn't really a martial artist at all and just let Ranma inherit the schools? I mean, he'd be the one to run the schools anyways. No one would want to take lessons from a crippled girl anyways...} Again, the wave of anger and despair rose up inside her, threatening her sense of control and security.
{Dammit! I don't need this! I don't need the charity of strangers to bring honour to my family's School! I can do it on my own! I am good enough! I'll show Daddy! Maybe I can get Ranma to train with me! Then I can be as good as him, and we can both be the best of our Schools. I don't want anyone thinking that Ranma had to marry me because they felt sorry for me, either. I'll show them all I can be the best, too!} Akane felt her anger and rage turn into pure, bull-headed determination as she rounded the corner to the Tendo home.
{I'll do it! I'll work hard, every day, just like Ranma. I'll...} Akane stopped short as she came through the gate and saw Ranma and Genma engaged in a brief but brutal sparring session in the backyard.
The garden area that had taken her weeks to till and prep by hand was a complete disaster.
{I...I guess it's a good thing I haven't planted anything yet,} she thought, stunned. Her shoulders slumped as she watched the aerial combat in front of her. She sighed as she watched the incredible feats of supreme martial arts skill and felt her own sense of self-worth begin to plummet again.
{I guess I have a lot of work ahead of me... But Ranma's my friend. He'll help train me and then I'll be as good as them! I hope...} Akane sighed and wandered inside. Akane tapped Kasumi on the shoulder to let her know she had returned from her run.
"Oh, hello Akane. You're back already? The furo is ready and Nabiki should just be finishing up with her bath right now. Breakfast should be just about ready when you get done, okay?"
'Okay, Kasumi. Thank you.' Akane signed slowly to her big sister. She was very glad that Kasumi had decided to learn some simple sign language. It was really a pain to have to carry her writing board with her everywhere.
{At least Ranma's shown an interest in learning to sign. Now, if I can just get Nabiki and Daddy to learn it too.}
With that thought, she gathered her things and headed for the furo.
************************************************ Nabiki was rudely awakened to a bright and early morning by the noisy antics of the new houseguests. She had impulsively thrown a pair of shoes at them in retribution, but she was now lamenting the idea of having to go and fetch them herself.
{Damn. You would think they would have more consideration for the other people living in this house. At least Akane is quieter with her workout. Even if she is as obsessive about it.}
She watched the fight dance around her backyard through heavy-lidded eyes, not really ready to wake up at the moment. She woke up quite suddenly as she remembered how lithe and powerful Ranma looked last night while he was sparring with his father in the dojo.
{I know quite a few girls that would pay for some pictures of that body! He is sooo photogenic! This will definitely rake in a lot of yen! If I set out the right bait, of course.} She grabbed her camera and pointed it out her window, hoping to catch Ranma in a few great poses while he pounded on his father. Unfortunately, Nabiki caught him as he got dunked into the pond, and was now bouncing pertly all over the yard in a wet tank top and boxers. She slumped at the lost opportunity.
{Wait, Ranma's girl form is a knockout! I can sell pictures of her to lots of the guys and they'll never be the wiser!} Yen signs reappeared in Nabiki's eyes as her camera caught more than an eyeful as Ranma-chan bounced around the yard in the continuing battle. {If they ask, I could always tell them that she's related to Ranma.}
After a few minutes, Nabiki figured she had more than enough pictures of the new girl in town to pique the interest of a few overly hormonal boys.
{Well, it looks like I better get in and get my bath in before Akane gets back. Otherwise, I'll never get a turn until after breakfast!} As she left her room, she was struck with a sudden bit of impish inspiration. She grabbed her camera and stowed it inside her bundle of clothing and made her way to the furo.
Nabiki quickly showered and settled into the hot furo for a long soak and deep thinking session. Having Ranma and his father living in her household was going to be a draw on the expenses, thereby cutting into her weekly allowance. But with Ranma having two totally gorgeous bodies and Akane's fan club, she could pad her wallet nicely with the extra photos. She sighed and smiled contentedly to herself as she continued thinking about all the neat things she could buy in the near future.
{Kuno, of course, still has to be dealt with, but Ranma can take care of Akane. Now that he's her fiance, he can do all the dirty work. I won't have to look out for her anymore. Which means, more time and more money for me!}
Nabiki found her egg-counting interrupted by a soft knock at the door.
"I'm in here!" she called out.
Akane slid the door open a little and waved at her sister.
"Oh, it's just you, Akane. Well, I was just getting out anyways, so you're welcome to the bath. Don't take too long. Our guests will suck down all of breakfast if they get the chance," Nabiki said as she climbed out of the furo and wrapped herself into a large towel. "I'll see you at the table, Little Sister."
Akane smiled and nodded as she upended the wash bin of cool water over her head.
Nabiki entered the dressing room with a grin on her face. She picked up Akane's things and hid them in the hamper, then removed the "Occupied" sign from the door.
{This is the photo opportunity of a lifetime! Not to mention it'll really piss Kuno off!}
************************************************ After a nice heavy scrubbing and a cool water rinse, Akane lowered herself into the furo and sighed happily as she sank into the hot water.
{Oh, there's nothing like a good hot soak after a workout. I really love this,} she thought. She sank down in the steaming water to eye level and let the quietness of the morning settle into her mind.
************************************************ Ranma grumbled to himself as he stripped down in the changing room, tossing his wet clothes onto the hamper. Grabbing his bathing supplies and a towel, he went into the bathroom and started washing off, not noticing Akane quietly thinking in the tub. Akane, however, noticed movement through her drowsy eyelids and saw a very naked and very male Ranma sit down to scrub.
{What in the world?! What is he doing in here?! Can't that baka read? I left the 'Occupied' sign on the door when I came in here! Omigod! He really is some kind of pervert! He came in here to see me naked!} Once again Akane's temper began to boil and she felt the familiar rush of adrenaline hit her system. As she stood up, she began to slow her breathing and counted to ten before she would consider bouncing her writing tablet off of the back of his head.
{Wait... the back of his head? He doesn't even see me in here!}
By then, Ranma had heard Akane stand up in the furo and saw the look of rage on her face. He was backpedaling quickly while the expression on her face changed. Ranma, for his part, still hadn't moved his eyes from her nude, wet body as she stood in the furo.
"Ack! Akane! I didn't know...! There wasn't a sign! I'm really sorry! I didn't mean to...! I'm... I'm..." Ranma, wearing little more than the soap bubbles generated from scrubbing, grabbed his washcloth and ran out of the room.
{Why didn't he know I was in here? 'There wasn't a sign'?} Akane's eyes got big, then narrowed as she realised what must have happened. {NABIKI!!! Oh NO! Ranma thinks I'm mad at him!}
Akane leapt out of the furo and raced after Ranma, trying to stop him from getting the wrong idea.
************************************************ Nabiki was quietly laughing to herself as she saw Ranma enter the furo. She grabbed her camera out of the towel shelf where she had stowed it earlier and cracked the door slightly to get a few good shots of Ranma.
(Damn. Can't see Akane. She must've sunk down into the bath when he came in and is just spying on him! I can hold this over her head later on...} Nabiki continued taking pictures until suddenly Ranma realised that there was someone else in the room with him. As Akane stood up in the furo looking terribly angry, and Nabiki knew the shit was about to hit the fan.
{Time to get out of here,} she thought as she snapped off a few last pictures of Akane facing off against Ranma in the bath.
Unfortunately, Ranma bolted for the door, plowed into Nabiki in the process and they tumbled across the floor. Akane began to shake when she saw the two of them tangled on the floor as she caught up to them, the camera still in Nabiki's hands. Ranma took the moment to bolt out of the dressing room and away from whatever carnage was going to happen behind him. Akane looked down at her sister. Nabiki looked very smug and nonchalant as she got up off the floor and wiped off the suds from her uniform.
"You know, Little Sister, you should really get a better alarm system when you take your bath," she said, while fondling her camera. "You never know who might wander in on you, especially since you can't tell them you're in the room at the time. These will be great souvenirs for posterity." Nabiki's smug look didn't last long.
Akane leapt across the dressing room and grabbed her sister by the neck and pounded her against the wall.
"Ow! Hey! Akane! You're overreacting! It's just a little fun! No one got hurt, right?" Nabiki yelled as Akane shoved her violently out of the furo and slammed her against the wall across the hall. Akane grabbed the camera out of Nabiki's hand and threw it into the furo, then turned and slapped her sister across the face. Her hand had become a fist and was ready to strike her again when it was grabbed from behind. Akane turned and saw Kasumi holding back the strike meant for Nabiki. Nabiki glared at her little sister as she held the side of her face. She was going to have a black eye by noon, no doubt about that.
"Dammit, Akane! You and your temper are gonna get in trouble for this!" Nabiki looked at Kasumi for confirmation to soothe her wounded pride.
Akane collapsed on the floor in tears, realising that Nabiki really didn't give a damn about her feelings at all. And, she feared that Kasumi was going to berate her for striking her sister, regardless of the circumstances. Instead, Kasumi gathered up her littlest sister and herded her back into the dressing room, brushing back her hair and making soothing noises. Nabiki stormed in after them.
"Kasumi! Akane hit me! I mean, she really hit me this time. And she shoved me against the wall and she threw my camera... my expensive camera into the furo! She's really out of control again. And what about poor Ranma? He ran out of here practically terrified for his life!" Akane stopped crying and just shook in anger in Kasumi's arms while Nabiki ranted.
{I can't believe what I'm hearing! She's making me sound like some kind of monster! And it was all her fault to begin with!}
"Nabiki, how exactly did your camera get into the furo? And why would Akane want to do that in the first place, since she was in the furo by herself? You had already finished your bath." Kasumi met Nabiki eye to eye, and Nabiki turned away in outrage.
"I can't believe you, Kasumi! Are you going to take her side? She's the one who hit me and wrecked my camera!"
Kasumi wrapped a towel around Akane and started drying her hair with another.
"You know, Nabiki, you should really be more responsible if you insist on playing these practical jokes on people. You have to accept the consequences of you actions, especially when you get caught or when someone gets hurt." She gestured to Akane, who was still glaring daggers at Nabiki.
"I...I don't believe you Kasumi! You are taking her side! How could you!" Nabiki left in a huff, hoping that her little demonstration of outrage would be enough to get Akane a serious reprimand from Kasumi. If she were lucky, maybe Kasumi would tell Daddy that Akane was out of control again. But there was still a little matter regarding her ruined camera...
************************************************ Ranma, in the meantime, was standing shivering in his room. The small washcloth he had grabbed out of reflex was little more than an olive leaf than anything practical.
{Damn. I'm still covered in soap. The itching is drivin' me crazy! But I can't just wander back there, Akane would kill me. Nabiki, too, I guess. What was she doin' in the dressing room anyways? Didn't she already finish with her bath?} He gathered up his remaining courage and decided to chance it.
{I gotta go back there anyways. My clothes are still in there. And I gotta rinse off this soap...}
Ranma snuck his way back to the furo, washcloth in hand and naked as the day he was born, only to find Kasumi sitting on the floor consoling a very distraught and upset Akane.
{Yup, I'm dead. No doubt about it. I hope she lets me get rinsed off and dressed first.} Ranma cringed and tried to hide around the corner of the doorway and look nonchalant about his nakedness. Which was hard to do when his rear end was sticking out in the hall. Swallowing what was left of his pride, he looked into the dressing room and coughed quietly. He felt his heart stop as both Akane and Kasumi looked up at him. He released the breath he was holding when he saw that neither were looking particularly angry at him. He smiled awkwardly at them.
"Uh, ah, my clothes..." he pointed to the pile of clothes next to the sink. "I'd kinda like ta get some of this soap off, too," he finished apologetically.
Kasumi smiled while Akane just nodded. She helped her little sister up off the floor, adjusting the towel around her so it wouldn't fall off. Akane rubbed her face to hide the tear tracks.
{I don't want Ranma seeing me like this! Not crying like a baby because my sister did something stupid and hurtful! I don't want him to think I'm some kind of wimp!}
"I... Akane, I'm really sorry," Ranma started to apologise. He was surprised to see Akane wave it off and shake her head. Kasumi understood and interceded.
"Akane, are you angry with Ranma for walking in on you?" Akane looked up to her sister, then to Ranma and shook her head.
"You're angry with Nabiki for setting the two of you up, aren't you?" Akane nodded and Ranma's eyes grew wide.
"You mean...you mean that Nabiki set us up? On purpose?" Ranma boggled. "Why would she do that?"
Kasumi smiled at him as she led Akane back to her room.
"Don't worry about it right now Ranma. We can talk about his later. Why don't you finish with your bath and we'll meet you downstairs for breakfast? We'll wait for you."
"Uh, thanks Kasumi," he said. Ranma suddenly remembered his state of undress and hopped back inside the furo to finish his bath.
When Kasumi was certain Ranma was in the furo, she stepped back into the dressing room and retrieved Akane's clothes from where Nabiki had hidden them.
{Nabiki, you may be clever, but even you can be terribly predictable at times,} she sighed.
************************************************ Ranma sank into the furo, glad that he and his father weren't the ones in trouble this time.
{I wonder how long it'll last. Not too long before our hosts get fed up with the Old Man for tearin' up the place or eatin' everything in sight.} He sighed, then smiled as his mind wandered to a just a little earlier when he'd seen Akane standing naked and wet in the furo.
{Surprised the hell outta me, that's for sure,} he thought, grinning broadly. {'Course, then I thought she was gonna kill me fer walkin' in on her like that. How was I supposed ta know Nabiki hid the sign?} He did a quick scan of the room to make sure no one was spying on him, then he relaxed again. Pulling up her image in his mind once again, he took note of the heavy scarring on her arms and legs.
{I really didn't notice them yesterday in gym class. Well, maybe a little, but they didn't seem as bad as seeing them in here. The rest of her body got some long scars on her left side. Guess that's from the car accident, too.} He furrowed his brows as he turned her image around in his mind. (She's built pretty good, though. There's a lot of strength in her arms and legs, and everything else looked nice and trim...} He blushed as he thought about "everything else".
{All in all, the scars on her neck ain't so bad, really. Not when she's got all those other scars too. They all kinda fit together. I guess it ain't so bad, considering the mess of scars I got all over my body.} He looked down at his own hands and arms and scanned across his chest, noting the smaller, criss-cross scarring from an encounter in a dark hole in his mind many, many years ago. Ranma shivered at the unpleasant memory.
{Okay, I gotta get outta here before I freak myself out. 'Sides, Pops'd prob'ly eat everything if I don't get down there pretty quick.} As Ranma stretched out one last time, his foot kicked something in the bottom of the furo. {What the hell?}
Ranma reached down and pulled out a rather expensive, water-logged camera.
************************************************ Kasumi had refused to set out any food at the breakfast table until everyone had arrived and was seated. She had learned the night before that Mr. Saotome would eat all of his portions and his son's (as well as anyone else's) if not for her diligence. As it was, his manners were very near rude as he continued to look her way, waiting impatiently for her to serve the meal.
"I've already said, Uncle Saotome, we're waiting for Ranma to come to breakfast. It wouldn't be right to start the meal without him."
"If my lazy son is too slow to get to the breakfast table on time, then he should be expected to miss out. Why should we be punished for his tardiness? Why, a True Martial Artist should know to take advantage of a properly set table in a timely manner..."
"Or what, Old Man? You'll eat everyone out of house and home before they can blink twice? Some houseguest you are, Pops." Ranma plopped onto the cushion left out for him, next to Akane. He tossed the dripping camera at Nabiki, who caught it before it landed in her bowl. Akane's eyes caught his and they exchanged a polite smile. {Cool, she really isn't mad at me,) he thought. He looked back at her sister.
"Is this yours, Nabiki? I found it in the furo. It's a weird place to keep your camera, if ya ask me."
"Yes, well," she replied. "It seems that some people with violent tempers can't take a joke around here." She glanced at her father, hoping he heard the exchange. Soun looked over the top of his newspaper at his daughters and future son-in-law and decided that he'd had enough excitement for one day. He went back to reading the market reports and sipping his tea.
Ranma heard Akane's chopsticks break, but before he could say or do anything, he found himself defending his breakfast from his father's attacks. Kasumi had begun to serve the meal and it was now a free-for-all between the Saotomes.
"Oh, my goodness, Akane. Would you like me to get you another set?" Kasumi asked, pausing in serving her father.
Akane shook her head and waved her off, gesturing that she would get her own chopsticks. Akane disappeared into the kitchen, and Ranma suspected it was for more than just to get another set of chopsticks.
"Nabiki, I think you should apologise to Akane and Ranma. That wasn't a very nice thing you did to them this morning." Kasumi chastised her younger sister.
"Oh, honestly, Kasumi. It wasn't that bad. No one got hurt, right? Akane just needs to loosen up and get a sense of humour. That temper of hers is what keeps getting her in trouble anyways. I mean, look at me, Big Sister! I'm going to have a black eye before the end of the day because of her!" Soun peeked over his paper once again, hoping that Nabiki was over-reacting again to some dispute between the three girls. Unfortunately, she was sporting a nice lump on the side of her face. But before he could intercede, Kasumi continued with her grilling.
"And what about Ranma, Nabiki? You set him up as well. That was very dishonourable on your part, disgracing a guest like that. You should apologise to him as well. Don't you think so, Father?" Kasumi suddenly pulled Soun into the dispute. He knew from past experiences that this was one place he didn't want to be. Facing down Evil Martial Artist Masters was far preferable than settling a dispute between his daughters. So he did the next best thing. He waffled.
"Well, Kasumi, I'm sure you have everything well in hand. You really don't need my advice on this, do you?"
"Really, Daddy, my very expensive camera was thrown into the furo! What am I supposed use now? And I had saved up a very long time for it, too!" Nabiki lamented.
"Nabiki," Kasumi warned. "You know very well that what you did was wrong. Father, please tell her she should apologise to Ranma and Akane."
"Er, uh, well, I guess that sounds reasonable, doesn't it, Nabiki?" Soun withered under Kasumi's hard gaze.
"Right. I can see where this is going. You're all supporting Akane in her time of need again, aren't you? When are you going to learn that she has to get thick skin to deal with the world. You can't keep coddling her like this. She should just get over it." Nabiki stood to leave, no longer hungry.
"Nabiki!" Kasumi reached for Nabiki's arm as she stood up to leave.
"Look, I'm sorry my camera got trashed and I'm sorry Akane isn't strong enough to take a joke, okay? I'm going to school now." Nabiki picked up the camera as she left. {At least I might be able to salvage the photos. I could retouch them at the lab if they're too badly smudged. Good thing this is fairly waterproof...}
"Hey, Nabiki?" Ranma stopped her before she got too far. His bowl was empty and no longer under attack from his father. "You might want this," he said, holding up a long, wet roll of exposed film. "I wanted to see what kinda pictures you were takin' but I guess ya hadn't taken any. It's all blank." Ranma tossed the whole mess to her.
Nabiki nearly lost her patented Poker Face, but managed to reign it in as real anger boiled up inside. She let the ruined film fall to the floor, making no attempt to catch it.
"Well, Saotome. You have once again renewed my faith in the intelligence of males. You ruined the film the second you opened up the camera and exposed the film to light. I'll just charge it to your account. Remember, you owe me, Ranma." With that, she left for school.
Akane came out of the kitchen, her eyes red and puffy. Ranma looked from Akane to Kasumi, hoping for a clue from either of them. {What the hell did Nabiki mean I "owe her"?} A feeling of dread crept over him.
Kasumi served Akane breakfast from what she had held back from the Saotome's feeding frenzy.
"You should hurry up and eat, Akane. You'll need to leave for school soon. Ranma, could you help me with the dishes, please?" With that, Kasumi began collecting the dishes from breakfast while their fathers went off to play yet another never-ending game of Shogi. Genma looked back at his son, half in worry, half in disgust at Ranma becoming so henpecked already. Ranma, for his part, remembered that he was supposed to help Kasumi with breakfast earlier, but didn't due to another impromptu sparring match with his father.
{Well, at least I can still help her out while Akane finishes breakfast.}
Genma noted that Ranma was all too willing to help Kasumi in the kitchen. {Well, finally he's getting tired of the Cripple and wants to check out his options. Heh, he would do well sticking with Kasumi. Just like I told him. He should listen to me more often. I'm always right when it comes to women. He'll discover that soon enough. And to think, he was ready to toss aside a lifetime of excellent food from a perfect housewife for a broken wanna-be who thinks she's good enough to be Soun's heir. I still wonder what the hell Soun was thinking when he began training that girl.} Genma flopped in front of the Shogi board across from his old friend and began setting up the tiles. {Perhaps, one day I shall ask him. Right after Ranma and Kasumi are married, that is.}
Akane finished her breakfast just as Kasumi filled the sink to rinse the dishes. She looked a little better than she had a few minutes earlier, but she still looked a little distressed. Ranma set his load of dishes on the counter and retrieved Akane's as well.
"Why don't you two get ready for school. I'll have your bento ready for you in just a minute."
"You don't need ta do that, Kasumi. Me an' Akane can fix 'em up if you show me where the stuff is. Right, Akane?" Akane looked startled for a second, then smiled and nodded. Kasumi let them fix their own bento, keeping a close eye on Akane in the process. She pulled Ranma to the side for a second while Akane dug through the refrigerator.
"You need to keep an eye on Akane when she cooks. She gets a little... enthusiastic and tends to overdo it a bit." Kasumi advised.
"Huh?" Ranma looked confused.
"Just keep an eye on her, and don't let her make too big of a mess, alright?"
"Uh, yeah, okay Kasumi." Ranma wondered what was up, until he saw the pile of foodstuffs Akane had pulled out of the refrigerator and was trying to match together for their lunches. He quickly leapt in to the rescue.
"Uh, Akane? You sure you wanna eat that for lunch today? I mean, I guess it's okay, but wouldn't it go bad sittin' in the bento all morning?" Akane looked at what she had started to put together for herself and Ranma, looked up at him, then gave it a second look.
{You know he's right, Akane. You still can't cook. Don't freak out over it. You even told him so yourself, so why are you trying to prove it to him? Why not let him figure out what's good. Then you'll know what he likes to eat, right? It's really not worth losing your temper over, is it?} Akane chided herself. She took a deep breath and nodded for Ranma to take over. She took a step back and went through her calming ritual while Ranma salvaged something edible from her overzealous attempt at lunch. Akane did keep an eye on what he put into his bento, just to make sure she could do it, though.
{I'll learn to cook. I'll be a good cook, too, Ranma. Just wait and see!} Akane smiled to herself and made another resolution to try cooking again. It never hurt to learn a new skill.
After a few minutes of stuffing and cramming, Ranma and Akane had two, reasonably respectable bento ready to go. They grabbed their book bags and left for school, leaving Kasumi happily humming in the kitchen.
{Yes, those two will make a nice couple one day,} she thought happily as she finished the morning's dishes.
************************************************ (Meanwhile)
Nabiki walked briskly as she made her way to school through the early morning hustle and bustle of small shops setting up their wares to be ready for the hoard of housewives that descended upon the market every day at this time. This was her favourite spot, to be amid the hubbub of marketing and bartering at it's finest. More things to buy, sell and trade, more money to exchange hands. This was her ecstasy, the headiness of consumerism as the shopkeepers vied for her attention and her yen, each plying her with their very best temptations. But she held them all off with an air of aloofness. Nabiki Tendo was far above the single-minded slavishness of the housewives that came into the market to provide food and succor to their families every day. No, Nabiki didn't find anything at all interesting about a life dedicated to others. Especially at the expense of one's own interests.
{I will not become another Kasumi. And I can't believe she did this to me! Who does she think she is, treating me like a child! She and Daddy have been coddling Akane so long they've forgotten what it's like to have to deal with the real world out here. Too bad. Little Sister has her Prince Charming now, and he can take care of her.} Nabiki stopped at a booth selling pocky, and against her better nature to spend her own money, her stomach overruled her wallet, reminding her that she had skipped out on breakfast. After a brief exchange of bartering and yen, Nabiki set off again with a small bag of pocky. And at a bargain price, too!
{I should do something to get Akane back for hitting me. But Kasumi would never let me hear the end of it. As long as she's still in charge of the house, I can't do a damn thing on my own. I can't wait for college. Then, I am sooo out of here so fast, Daddy won't have time to wonder where the college fund went!}
{I can't believe Kasumi and Daddy let her get away with that! And Ranma! How clueless can he be, exposing the film because "he wanted to see what I'd been taking pictures of". Does he really think I'm that stupid? I don't believe I almost let Daddy engage me to him! I don't believe Daddy engage any of us in the first place, especially to that Saotome family! Mr. Saotome looks almost as bad as they come! Is that what Ranma is going to look like in a few years? They say there's a lot in genetics. I have to wonder about Mrs. Saotome, and what she thinks about all of this. Then again, if Daddy and Mr. Saotome didn't tell any of us until the last minute, there's a good chance she's been kept in the dark, too. Now there's an interesting thought. I wonder how much Mrs. Saotome would pay for this information? And how much would Mr. Saotome pay to keep it quiet?}
{I don't believe Akane and Ranma actually agreed to play this thing out for a year to see if the engagement would work out. I sure as hell don't want it hanging over my head. If I have kids, they sure aren't going to end up engaged against their will, either. Not to that family! Daddy is so out of the times. He's going to wake up one day and find that the days of Honour and Duty are long gone. This is the 21st century. Women aren't property anymore, and you can't just marry your kids off like cattle in a breeding program. And I am not going to stick around to find out that Daddy's promised me of to some loser for the "sake of Family Honour." I mean, really! Like anyone's honour is going to be salvaged by a wedding of two total strangers! If anything, it'll end up in a nasty divorce. Not me. I'm going to college and making a real life for myself.} Nabiki munched on pocky while she brooded about her dreams for the future.
{I wonder what Ranma and Akane are going to do when their one-year time limit is up? I'll bet they'll freak out and try to duck out of the engagement altogether. I can't see anyone like either of those two actually wanting to get married while they're still in High School. Not like those soft-headed romantics... like Sayuri.} Nabiki sighed as her thoughts turned to Sayuri. {Now why do I keep bailing these girls out? It sure can't be because I care, because I don't. But Daisuke did pay me pretty well to keep Sayuri out of trouble. And I wouldn't wish Kuno on anyone. Too damn bad I lost that film. I could have had some extra leverage against (the snitch). Oh well, gotta work with what I have here and now.}
{Granted, the look on Tatewaki's face was when I showed up and broke up his late night plans was worth every yen Daisuke paid me.} Nabiki smirked. {He was too upset with what Sayuri told him to be upset with me for upsetting his plans.}
************************************************ (Yesterday Afternoon)
Nabiki watched from across the courtyard as Hiroshi, Dai, and Yuki tried desperately to convince Sayuri not to accept this "date" with Tatewaki Kuno. She couldn't really hear what was being said, but it looked as though there was definitely going to be a falling out of some kind.
{Either way, there'll be hearts broken and money to be made,} Nabiki thought to herself.
She watched the four argue while the rest of the student body of Furinkan High swarmed around and past them like a river in their rush for home.
************************************************
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