High Flight

It was a wonderfully pleasant morning in Nerima. The early rays of the sun were casting their magic over the city streets promising a hot day and a warm evening. People around the city were waking up and taking it in, thinking all was right with the world. What could possibly be wrong on a day that was starting so beautifully?

For some reason the warmth of the sun and the bustle of the city didn't work their normal soothing on Kasumi's mind. In fact, she was down right troubled as she sat at a park bench. Just that morning after seeing Akane, Nabiki and Ranma off to school she had received a certified letter addressed to her. Since she was going out to do her morning shopping she absently bid her father and Mr. Saotome goodbye and took it along. As she had read the letter, it shook her to the core and made her question just who and what she was.

The large manila envelope was from a small law firm right there in Nerima. Inside were two smaller envelopes and a piece of paper. The paper had merely been a notice to her that the law firm had been contracted to have the rest of the contents delivered to her after her 21st birthday, which was just a few days past. Also that if she had any questions she could contact them. The first envelope was what startled the young woman. It was addressed to her in her mother's handwriting. Inside was a letter.

Dear Kasumi,

I'm sure this must come as something of a shock to you
getting a letter from me so long after I'm gone. If I'm right though
you probably wish you could talk to me about now. Obviously I
can't know all these years in the past what you are going through
now, or what kind have woman you've become. However I can guess.
I'm going to share some something with you and give you some
advice. First, you should have with this letter a package about a
trust fund I set up for you. Each of you girls have one. You can't
access it until after your 21st birthday. In fact I didn't want each
of you to know about it until then. So please, keep this from
both Akane and Nabiki. Knowing that something like this will be
happening can change a person's outlook on the future, and I wanted
each of you to grow up to be your own person.
Now the advice. Be yourself. Take this money and do something
for YOURSELF. Go to college, start a business, or move somewhere.
Just make a decision to do what you WANT to do. Your father,
bless his heart, is a good man, but is probably overprotective of
you. He probably also has it in his mind that you are going to be
the perfect Japanese wife. That is fine, if that is what YOU want.
If it's not, don't let him or anyone else shape you in the image they
choose. Use this money to find out what you want to do with your
life. Remember, my dear, sweet child, that I will be proud of you
no matter what you choose.

Your loving mother,
Noriko Tendo

Kasumi had been forced to stop for at this bench when she had seen who the letter was from. Now she needed it's comfort to dry her eyes and let the sniffles subside, her mind awhirl. Tentatively she had opened the second envelope that contained the information on her trust fund. The amount had surprised her. The agency that had handled the investments had done so superbly. Though not anywhere near enough to set her up for life, there was more than enough money to go to college at Tokyo University and even fund a goodly amount of graduate work. Is that what she wanted? She used to think she wanted to be a nurse, but since Dr. Tofu had left, that seemed like less of an impetuous.

The idea of what she wanted to do with her life was what troubled Kasumi. She simply hadn't thought much about it. She didn't think that she wanted to spend her entire life taking care of her father though. Besides when Ranma and her sister got married they would inherit the dojo and Tendo family home. Though they would never throw her out, she knew she couldn't live there forever. So, what did she want to do? She honestly wasn't sure. She would have to think on it for a while. It's not like it had to be a snap decision.

The next day seemed to be carbon copy of the one that had gone before weather wise. It was simply too pleasant for words. Kasumi however was still troubled as she attempted to make the morning rounds of her favorite stores. At home though, not a single person had noticed that anything was amiss, either a testament to her outer mask, or how little they noticed her. However, her mind was not on where she was going, and soon she was in a part of Nerima that she didn't often enter. Not that there was anything wrong or dangerous there, just that there weren't many good shops. Besides, all that noise was distracting her.

Kasumi paused to consider the noise, and looked up to it's source. A small airplane was flying nearby. Bright red and white it flashed across the azure background. Suddenly it went straight up, rolling several times while white smoke poured from underneath it's belly. At the top of it's climb it slid backward and reversed direction, gaining speed in a dive until it pulled up again and went around the top in a loop. For her part Kasumi was entranced. What beauty! To be free to fly like that! What a thrill!

Suddenly Kasumi had a thought. Would she like to learn to fly? She didn't know. Is that what she wanted to do with her life? She didn't know. Could she even do it? Again she didn't know. She did know one thing though. She was going to find out.

Having stopped to ask for directions, Kasumi easily found her way to the Nermia Municipal Airport. Though there were several buildings behind the fence that went around the airport, there was only one on this side of the runway with a large "Learn to Fly Here!" sign on it. Another sign proclaimed it to be "Murdock Flight Services" in both Kanji and English. It was a largish, steel covered building painted in a fading powder blue. A few planes were parked out front near a gas pump. Kasumi stared at the door marked "OFFICE" for a few moments before taking a deep breath and walking in.

The office was a lounge like affair with a couple of couches, a TV in one corner and a small coffee table with aviation magazines scattered over it. Large windows looked out over the runway. Along one wall was a counter. Behind the counter was a middle aged man in greasy coveralls and a baseball cap with fingerprints all over it. He stood up from where he had been kicked back looking at a computer screen and smiled at her. "Hello there, ma'am. Name's Mack. How can I help you?"

Kasumi smiled back. "Well, I'd like to find out a little bit about flying."

The man seemed to pause and look her up and down for a moment. Then he grinned widely. "You bet. My regular instructor is up with an advanced student right now, but I've got somebody that can help you." Mack took a couple of steps and opened a door at the end of the counter. Beyond the door Kasumi could just barely see some sort of shop with at least one large airplane in it. "Hey, Kevin, could you come here for a moment?"

There was a muffled reply, and moments later a dark skinned man wearing a T-shirt and jeans appeared. "What can I do for you Mack?"

"Kevin, this young lady, uh Miss -?" Mack looked at Kasumi questioningly.

"Kasumi Tendo," she replied.

The older man nodded at her and turned back to Kevin. "Miss Tendo just came in and asked if someone could tell her about flying. Think you could help her out?"

The younger man looked Kasumi up and down just as Mack had. He noted the plain dress and small shopping basket as well as the bright eyes that seemed to have -something- intriguing behind them. He nodded once. "Well, ya can't really TELL anybody about flying. Ya gotta show 'em. If you gotta explain what's so great about flying, they'll never understand." Kevin though about it for a moment and then looked over at his companion. "When's Shima going to be back with the Pitts?"

"The Pitts? He'll probably have it for another hour or so, but it's due for an oil change." The older man scratched his head for a moment then spoke again. "How about taking the Decathlon?"

Kevin smiled. "Yeah, that'll do nicely. Miss Tendo, why don't you come with me and we'll getcha a headset." With a gesture he indicated the door he'd just come out of.

"Certainly, Mr?" She asked hesitantly.

"Koss, Kevin Koss. Just call me Ace, yo."

After finding a spare headset and a place for Kasumi to put her shopping basket, Ace led her out of the building and over to a blue and white airplane. "This is an American Champion Super Decathlon. It's a monoplane high-wing tail dragger. That means it's got one wing, dat wing is on top, and it has a tail wheel instead of a nose wheel." Now that she had heard it explained, Kasumi could see at a glance what he meant. "It's aerobatic capable, quick responding and overall a nice ride."

Ace reached inside and grabbed a sheaf of plastic covered papers. He explained to Kasumi that it was the checklist and that before any flight you had to make sure the aircraft was in good order. "Remember, EVERYTHING that happens with a plane in da air or on da ground is the pilot's responsibility." Slowly they walked around the plane with Ace explaining what each part was and how to make sure what they saw was correct according to the checklist. Finally he pronounced the plane ready to go.

Opening the side door and gesturing her to get in he said "This plane is a two-seat tandem. That means that it fits two folks and one sits in front of the other. You get to sit in front."

Kasumi was startled. "Aren't you flying the plane? Shouldn't you be sitting in front?" Surely he didn't intend for HER to fly this plane? This was going to be her first time IN a plane!

Ace grinned at her. "It's got dual controls. I'll fly it from the back seat so you can see everything on the instrument panel in front of you and get a good look at what is going on around us. It will give ya a better feel for flying as well."

Ace carefully helped Kasumi strap in and pointed out what the various gauges were for. He also commented that if she decided to take lessons that she should wear something besides a long dress. Finally he plugged her headset in and got in behind her.

Running down through the checklist verbally, Ace got ready to start the plane, some of which Kasumi had to help with from the front seat. Finally he cracked the side window and hollered "Prop Clear" and hit told Kasumi to hit the starter. The prop turned less than half a revolution before the engine caught with a roar. The plane shook for a moment before smoothing out and Kasumi felt a tingling sense of anticipation.

Unbeknownst to either of them, someone was watching them from another cockpit. "Interesting," they thought as they taxied past.

Carefully Ace throttled the engine up to check it's performance, then called the tower and taxied toward the runway, keeping Kasumi appraised of what he was doing and why. Just before they got to the runway proper he asked Kasumi a question.

"Kasumi, are you thinking about getting a job as a pilot, or do you want ta know what it is ta FLY?"

Kasumi thought about it for a moment. "I'm not sure if I want to get a job as a pilot. I guess I really want to find out about flying."

"Okay, then hang on." Ace didn't bother to slow down as he made the last turn onto the runway and pushed the throttle to the stop. Almost instantly the tail wheel was off the ground. Ace held the mains on the runway for a few moments longer, then pulled back quickly on the stick. Suddenly with a stomach dropping leap they were fifty feet off the ground and climbing like a homesick angel.

"Okay, I want you to grab the stick in front of you and put your feet on the pedals. For right now I just want you to follow me on the controls." Ace waited until he could feel the slight pressure on the stick and rudder pedals that told him she was doing as he asked. Taking his hand off the stick but letting it hover gently around it he spoke into his boom mic again. "Now I want you to gently ease back a little on the stick. Can you feel us start to climb a bit?" Hearing her acknowledge him he gave he more instructions, not letting her know she was actually flying the plane. Soon they had climbed to several thousand feet and had orbited the whole of Nerima several times.

"Alright, now I want you to take your hands and feet off the controls and check to make sure your harness is tight." Carefully Ace took control of the aircraft back while his passenger took the last bit of slack out of her safety belts. "Enjoying your flight so far?"

Kasumi glanced out the window again. It was so wonderful seeing the world from this angle! Perhaps this was similar to why Ranma and the others seemed to relish jumping from rooftop to rooftop. "Yes I am Ace. This is a lot of fun!"

"Well, it's about ta get a lot mo' fun. So far we've been flying. Now we are going to FLY!" With that he throttled the engine back up and pointed the nose towards the ground. Picking up speed to the point he judged as right he pulled back on the stick forcing the nose of the airplane up. The plane zoomed easily over the top and they were inverted for a moment, looking down at the world through the clear Plexiglas at the top of the canopy. Then an rush down the backside of the loop and they were flying straight and level again. "Did you like that?"

Kasumi was so overwhelmed she forgot to speak and merely nodded in response. That was fine as Ace saw the nod and took it to mean he could continue. Again he put the plane first into a shallow dive to pick up a bit of speed, then climbed hard, reveling in the small G-forces. He let the aircraft bleed speed off this time and suddenly they were nearly weightless. Then he kicked the left rudder hard and the Decathlon obeyed and the plane fell off to the left in a classic wing over.

Again Ace asked if Kasumi was okay to continue. Again he got a nod. He figured they had done far more than what was normal for an orientation flight, but wanted to do one more thing. One last time he climbed until the aircraft stalled, letting it fall off onto onside but this time putting the aircraft into a spin. He whooped with joy and carefully watched what he could of his passenger's body to ensure she wasn't getting ready to lose it. In fact, he let the spin continue to three full revolutions rather than the single one he had planned. Finally he halted the plane's rotation and headed back towards the airport.

"Well Kasumi, what do ya think of FLYING?" There was a long pause and Ace began to wonder if he had overplayed his hand. Maybe had guessed wrong about this young woman.

Finally Kasumi turned in her seat to look directly at him. "Wow!" she exclaimed. Then she asked "can we do it again?"

An hour and a half after Ace and the young woman had taken off, Mack was starting to get worried. In fact he had just started reaching for the phone to call Air Traffic Control when he heard the Decathlon taxi up and shut down. Mack looked at his watch and grimaced. Orientation flights were supposed to only last a half an hour. Especially since he gave them away free to help promote his business. Here Ace had gone an hour over the normal time! Still he couldn't blame the younger man. He wasn't one of the regular staff, here helping out only until he had his own plane back in working order. Besides, this time only cost him fuel since he wasn't actually paying Ace. When he saw the wayward pilot and his passenger he glowered a bit for a moment. Then just shrugged his shoulders and went back to his inventory review.

Ace for his part escorted a glassy eyed Kasumi over to one of the couches. He smiled at her look. She was obviously totally infatuated with flight. That was fine, he was too. Getting them each a cup of tea he quietly explained what it would take for her to get her pilot's license and how much it would probably cost. He also explained a few of the laws governing the legal operation of aircraft. Carefully he didn't mention some of his own illegal flights, since those were usually in underdeveloped parts of the world, and tended to be more of the raider or rescue variety anyway.

"How long will it take for me to be able to do the fun stuff we did today?" Interrupted Kasumi.

Ace blinked. He didn't figure her for the type to interrupt you when you were talking. "That depends on how hard ya work at it. It also depends on how fast ya pick things up. To just get your pilots license would take about two months at minimum, and that is providing you can fly at least one hour a day five days a week. You would also need to take ground school as well to get ready for your written test. If ya can fly more it will be faster, if you fly less it will take longer."

"I'll make the time."

Ace grinned at the fierceness in her voice. "Well then, da best thing for you to do is come back tomorrow morning and sit down with Mack and Shima ta hammer out a flight schedule that will suit ya. That will also give you a good night's sleep to think it over."

Kasumi thought about it for a moment, then stood. Uncharacteristically she offered Ace her hand. "Thank you Mr. Koss, Ace, for taking me FLYING today." She smiled at him, picked up her basket and walked out the door.

Watching his new student walk out the door, Mack sauntered over to Ace. "Well, what do you think?"

Ace scratched his head for a moment considering. "She's got it bad. After I did a loop, a wing over and a 3 turn spin, she made me do them all again." Mack looked at him startled. Nobody did aerobatics with someone their first time in an airplane! Then he reminded himself just WHO this young pilot was. "I had her follow me through on the controls the second time, and the third time she did it herself with my instructions. I don't know if she's really a natural pilot or not, but she sure is enthused!"

Mack just shook his head. That was high praise from this pilot. Well, he'd learn more about the young lady the next day when she came to set up a schedule. For now there was other business to attend to. "Okay, by the way, you got a fax while you were flying. Please tell Penny to put a warning on stuff like that. Before I figured out it was for you, I thought I was going to have to go take a cold shower. What exactly is a maneuver 236?"

That afternoon at home Soun Tendo noticed that his eldest daughter had a spring in her step. It seemed odd but pleasant. On the other hand she had been gone an awfully long time doing her shopping today. He wondered what might have happened.

In the weeks to come he noticed that Kasumi seemed more cheerful if that was possible. She stayed out longer shopping, leaving as soon after finishing her morning chores as she could. Even Genma noticed and commented that maybe Kasumi had a boyfriend. It made him wonder a little at what was going on. However, it didn't bother either of them enough to distract them from their main hobby of trying to get Akane to marry Ranma.

Kasumi herself heard the speculation and tried to keep too much of her elation from showing. It was hard to go back to her perfect housewife facade after experiencing such freedom though. After Nabiki nearly caught her reading a "Flight Training" magazine she took the step of taking covers off of cooking magazines and putting them over her aviation ones. Her course books for her ground school were carefully hidden in her room where even Nabiki refused to snoop. Truth be known hiding her training from her family was even easier than she thought it would be. They simply did not pay much attention to her really. The thought bothered her obscurely.

It was a wonderfully pleasant morning in Nerima. The early rays of the sun were casting their magic over the city streets promising a hot day and a warm evening. People around the city were waking up and taking it in, thinking all was right with the world. What could possibly be wrong on a day that was starting so beautifully?

Of course it was never a good idea to ask that question when Ranma Saotome was around. Things simply went wrong around him, like a law of nature or something. Today was more of the normal insanity of his life, but a little further afield than usual. Both Shampoo and Mousse had been particularly hard to loose, and the look that Akane gave him when he tried to avoid the amazons spoke of at least a severe dressing down later. Maybe he would try to talk to her in the center of the yard where she couldn't pick up anything heavy to hit him with.

He was fairly sure he'd lost his pursuers, but decided to lay low for a few minutes just in case. Spying a large blue building, he decided that would be a good place to hide. It looked like some kind of big warehouse, and hopefully there wouldn't be anyone inside. Vaulting the fence he ran in to the building, quietly shutting the door behind him. With a sigh of relief, relaxed. Just then a voice behind him made him jump.

"Hi, name's Mack. Can I help you?" Ranma looked at the source of the voice, a middle aged man behind a counter. His greasy hat said 'Golf Ball Liberation Army'. He smiled a bit oddly at Ranma. "Or would you rather cling to my ceiling today?"

Ranma smiled sheepishly and dropped back to the ground. While he was trying to come up with something to tell this man, he recognized a voice coming down the nearby hallway. He glanced over to see a tallish young woman in some sort of blue one-piece coverall. "Kasumi?" He asked startled.

Kasumi looked stunned and pained at the same time. "Oh, my!"

Half an hour after their chance meeting at the airport, Ranma and Kasumi (back in her house dress) were quietly sipping tea at a nearby cafe. Kasumi had taken great pains to explain to Ranma what she was doing.

"Do you see Ranma?" She asked almost desperately. "I'm trying to take my mother's advice and do something for myself. I don't know if it's what I want for my whole life, but it's something nobody else has ever even mentioned to me. It's quite liberating to just act myself, rather than try to fit the mold everybody expects me to." She paused to sip her tea before continuing. "I didn't want anyone to know what I was doing until I was done. Mother didn't want me to let Nabiki or Akane know about the trust funds since it would influence they way they grow up. I was afraid it might influence you with Akane as well."

Ranma looked up at that. "Naw, don't worry about that Kasumi. I made up my mind on Akane long ago. After the wedding attempt we took some time to sort things out. Now we are just trying to stall our parents until WE are ready to get married." He grinned slightly. "I'll keep your secret if you keep mine from Pops and Mr. Tendo. Oh, and please don't tell Akane I told you. She'd kill me."

Kasumi smiled in relief. "Certainly Ranma. We'll consider that a deal."

"Do you mind if I ask you a couple of questions though?"

"Certainly Ranma, what would you like to know."

Ranma scratched the back of his head and decided to ask right out. "Well, I was wondering how good are you?"

Kasumi giggled. It wasn't her normal polite little laugh, but an honest to goodness giggle. "Well, the instructor says I'm doing well. In fact, I soloed last week."

"What's that?"

"I flew an airplane for the first time by myself, nobody else was in the plane to help." Kasumi considered for a moment, trying to phrase it so Ranma would understand. "Think of it as getting the first belt in a martial art. I know something of what I'm doing, but mainly it opens up the way for more advanced training."

That made sense to Ranma. "That's cool! Okay, now what is with that blue coverall thing you were wearing? Not that there was anything wrong with it, but, uh, Wow, um, I guess...well, you looked good in it!"

Kasumi actually blushed, and diverted her eyes for a moment. Granted she felt, with some guilt, the flight suit did show off her figure nicely, but that Ranma would be the first to comment on it to her! "It's called a flight suit Ranma. I don't have to wear it, but it is much more comfortable in the airplane than a dress. Any other questions?"

"Just one. When do you plan on telling everybody?"

Kasumi thought hard for a moment. "Well, when I'm done with training. Maybe later. I'm not sure just yet. Remember, you promised not to tell."

"Don't worry Kasumi. Your secret is safe with me."

Elsewhere at another airport, a girl with dark shades spoke quietly to a woman with a dark expression. "Seriously Miss Wantanabe, I saw Ace take a gal up in a plane over at Murdock's in Nermia. He hung out there for several weeks when he was working on his Osprey. He took her up a few more times, but so did Katsuzo Shima."

The woman got a strange glint in her eye. "Are you telling me that Murdock and Shima got themselves a protégé'? Somebody they thought so much of that they are having Kevin 'Ace' Koss help train?"

"I don't know if I would say THAT Miss Wantanabe. But it does seem he stops by occasionally to check up on her."

"Hmmm....Perhaps that thrashing we gave their last 'special' student didn't teach them a good enough lesson Kyoko. Keep an eye on them and let me know if this girl shows any talent."

Kasumi's instructor Katsuzo Shima looked agitated when she got back from changing into her flight suit. He kept looking out the windows at the sky above the runway and playing with a handheld radio. Normally he was a very self composed man, even when she did something foolish in the plane. "What is wrong Katsuzo?"

"Mack, the idiot, just took his new plane up for a test flight!"

"The funny looking one he built himself? What's wrong with that?" Kasumi asked innocently.

"Nothing!" Snarled Katsuzo. "Except I'm NOT flying until after he is back on the ground. And before you ask NO you can't go up solo while he's flying either!"

Kasumi was slightly taken back at this. "I thought you said Mack was a good pilot?"

"Mack IS a good pilot. The problem is if he is doing anything other than a meat and potatoes flight in a mundane aircraft, he does crazy things. Heck, sometimes even then! That's why we keep him out of the Pitts and any other high performance aircraft." Just then a small airplane flashed passed the hangar with scant feet to spare. "See!"

Kasumi walked to the window and carefully watched as Mack proceeded to bend or break most of the airport regulations she was familiar with. She quit counting at twenty seven violations. Finally, the plane cruised down the taxi way, bare feet off the ground in an impossibly nose high attitude. It seemed to be moving just above a walking pace, engine howling defiance at the force of gravity. Then, with a sputtering, the engine quit and the plane collapsed to the ground right in front of the hangar.

Like a shot Katsuzo was outside, Kasumi coming up fast behind him. He jerked the canopy off the small plane and wrenched Mack from inside of it. Quickly checking to make sure his employer wasn't hurt, Katsuzo started doing something else Kasumi hadn't seen him do in their nearly two months of flying together. He started to scream at Mack. "You flaming idiot! What the hades do you think you were doing! What were you thinking! You could have gotten hurt! You crashed the plane we've spent the last year designing!"

Mack, normal baseball cap replaced with a military style flight helmet and dark shades for the flight, only looked a little out of sorts. He calmly peeled Katsuzo's hands off his shoulders and brushed himself off. Finally his friend wound down and quit shouting. "As crashes go, this one was nothing. Wait to the next one, that'll be a crash." With that he turned and walked over to open the hangar door.

Katsuzo turned purple for a moment then calmed. Without taking his eyes off the inside of the hangar where Mack was trying to start the forklift, he casually started speaking to his student. "He was in a mental hospital once, did he ever tell you? He was released years ago. The first time he did something like this I said that I thought he wasn't crazy anymore. He looked me right in the eye and said 'only on paper'. Since then I don't fly if he looks like he's going to do something nuts again."

Kasumi just shook her head and thanked whatever deities that might be listening that Mack hadn't decided to teach her to fly himself.

Since Katsuzo and Mack were going to be busy getting the remains of Mack's plane into the hangar, Kasumi was told to go up by herself and practice for her upcoming check ride. She breezed through the checklist and soon was happily piloting the Decathlon a few miles away from the airport in her practice area--which in a small fit of rebellion just happened to be centered over her house. It pleased her some that Mr. Saotome complained nearly every day about the noise of planes flying over the house in the mornings.

Since Katsuzo was safely on the ground and out of sight, she decided to practice the maneuvers that Ace had shown her on her first flight. Katsuzo was a great instructor, but wouldn't let her practice anything that wasn't going to be on the test she had coming up for her license. That, she felt, was a major drag. The basic stuff wasn't nearly as much fun. Shortly she was dancing through the air.

After her second loop, Kasumi noticed another plane, a Cessna Aerobat mirroring her maneuvers a mile or so away. She smiled and decided to try something she had read about in one of the magazines she took great care to hide from her family. The Cuban Eight was a classic maneuver and was supposed to be fun and look good too. As she went through the memorized procedure, she kept one eye on the other plane to see what it was doing. Almost immediately she spotted a few minor things that the other plane was doing that she wasn't. So she tried again and it went much better, smoother. It felt so good, so free, she decided one more wouldn't hurt. Just as she was leveling out a voice came over her headset.

"Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;

Sun ward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun split clouds -- and done a hundred things

You have not dreamed of -- wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hovering there,

I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air.

Up, up the long delirious, burning blue
I've topped the windswept heights with easy grace

Where never lark or even eagle flew.
And While with silent, lifting mind I've trod

The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand and touched the face of God."

"See you on the ground."

Kasumi watched as the Cessna turned away and flew towards the airport. Perplexed she looked over at the time and decided she needed to be getting back herself.

It wasn't surprising to Kasumi to see the Cessna pulled up near Mack's hangar, though she was surprised to see Ace getting out of it. She shutdown her own plane and hurried through the the final checklist. By the time she was done, Ace was already tying her wings down for her.

"Yo, Kasumi. That was some nice flying up there. Katsuzo know ya do aerobatics when he's not with ya?" He asked grinning.

Kasumi had the good grace to look slightly abashed. "No, every time I mention them he gets a little upset and says something about you being a bad influence." Ace laughed aloud at that. "What was the poem you recited over the air?"

"That was 'High Flight'. It was written by John Gillespie Magee Jr. in 1941. He was nineteen at the time. He mailed it home then was killed in combat. It's probably the most famous flying poem of all time. Sorta says it all doesn't it?"

"Yes," replied Kasumi. "Yes , it does. What are you doing here, and why are you flying that little Cessna that is here for repairs?"

"Well, my herky-bird," Ace pointed down the runway to a large transport aircraft. "is being unloaded. I saw you takeoff, so I thought I'd go watch. Mack said he finished the Aerobat up yesterday and it needed a good wringing out. Naturally I figured we could help each other out that way."

"He didn't let you into the hangar did he?" Kasumi asked with a smirk.

Ace got a dark look on his face. "Now that you mention it no, he didn't. Why?"

"Let's go have a look." Kasumi escorted her friend and occasional instructor over to the hangar. He glanced at her quizzically before opening the door. The sight of Mack's home built plane laying in a wreck on the hangar floor seemed to nonplus him for a moment. Then he turned to the two men standing over the wreckage like deer caught in a spotlight.

"Crashed the plane didn't he?" He asked nobody in particular.

"No, no, no," answered Mack. "I simply relocated the aircraft with extreme prejudice because of a total loss of the thrust and lift functions."

Ace simply shook his head and turned to Katsuzo. "So, Shima, when are you going to let Kasumi take the ride?"

Katsuzo considered it for a moment. "I was planning on sunday morning. Why?"

"Cause I wanted to be here for the celebration! I'll bring Penny too."

The instructor considered this for a moment. "You shouldn't say things that might jinx it up! Still, Tanaka's not going to to know what hit him when he checks her out!" For her part Kasumi blushed at the unintended double meaning. She decided it would be best to go change and head home.

Ace watched her leave and turned to the others. "There was another plane besides mine up there. Was shadowing Kasumi way high, basically in the sun from her perspective. Said 'Watanabe Flight School'. Mean anything to either of you.

The change on the other men's faces was immediate. Both looked very angry. "Yes," said Mack. "It does. She tried to buy me out a few years ago, and I wouldn't sell. Now she does use every bit of dirt she can."

"Hmmm....that plane was sure taking an interest in either Kasumi or her plane. Won't tell you your business, but I'd keep a close eye on your aircraft, maybe keep them in the hangar at night."

"Don't worry we will. I just hope they don't try to run off our students again. Especially Kasumi. She's sweet." Katsuzo brightened a bit. "You better get out of here before somebody decides to steal your Herc. And remember, Kasumi is going to want to see you after her checkride."

"Okay, then I'll see you all sunday!"

Saturday evening was a quiet time at the Tendo dojo. It was summer break, and Nabiki was going to be gone for the rest of the week looking at several colleges around the country. Mr. Saotome was sleeping off a Ranma induced slumber, so it was a small gathering around the dinner table. Kasumi waited until everyone was nearly finished before making her play. This was going to take skill to make it sound casual.

"Ranma, do you think you would be able to go with me tomorrow when I go shopping? I would like to go to some stores outside of Nerima and I simply don't feel safe going alone." Actually Kasumi felt safe everywhere she went, but it was the best excuse she could think of.

Ranma looked over at Akane who shrugged at him. "You should go with her Ranma. I'm spending the day with some friends at the mall anyways. You'll just be in my way if you come along. Besides, mall security wasn't too happy with you after that last little altercation you had with Mousse there."

Ranma winced slightly at the reminder of the property damage he and Mousse had caused. "Okay Kasumi. Not a problem."

Soun just beamed. This was one of the most civil conversations at the dinner table in some time! Not only were Akane and Ranma speaking civilly, Ranma had virtually asked Akane if he could go. That and Kasumi was asking a favor of her brother-to-be. Maybe when Genma came to they could start planning another wedding.

Later Kasumi managed to get Ranma alone while her father watched TV and Akane took a bath. "Ranma I don't really need your protection tomorrow. I'm taking my check ride for my pilot's license, and I'd like you to be there. I'd like to share this moment with someone in the family, but you're the only who knows about this. Well, that and you've done so good at helping me keep this from everyone."

Ranma was impressed and elated. He already thought of Kasumi as the big sister he never had, and here she was calling him family! "I'd be honored Kasumi."

Ranma watched carefully as Kasumi landed. He'd spent the time of Kasumi's verbal test and check ride chatting amicably with Ace and his girlfriend Penny. It seemed that they had had a few adventures of their own. Now though, the storytelling had stopped as Kasumi taxied up and shut the plane down.

After what seemed like ages, both Kasumi and her check pilot, Jinrai Tanaka got out of the plane. Politely they shook hands and Jinrai headed directly for his automobile while Kasumi headed toward her friends. She looked a bit dazed. By the time she got to them they were about to burst with questions. Ranma broke first. "Well?"

Kasumi looked at him a bit lost for a moment, then broke out in a smile that seemed to light up the open hangar. "I passed!" Immediately everyone was congratulating her and patting her on the back. She accepted it as demurely as she could but left that goofy grin on her face.

"Well, well, well. Isn't this a maarvelous celebration?" Asked the dark haired woman who strutted into the hangar with a tallish girl in dark sunglasses. The room was hung with banners saying 'Congratulations Kasumi!', and everyone was eating cake and ice cream. She glanced around the gathering, taking note of the people in attendance. Besides Ace, Mack and Katsuzo she saw a well muscled young man and a tallish girl in a flight suit. She homed in on the last.

"I understand you're Mack's new protégé?"

Mack stepped between the two women. "Back off Michiko. Or should I say Miss Wantanabe? What do you want."

Michiko Wantanabe looked mildly annoyed that Mack had stepped between them, then brightened falsely. "I was just here to ask the young lady a question."

"What can I do for you?" Asked Kasumi politely.

"I only ask your name," replied the older woman.

"Kasumi Tendo."

"Well Kasumi Tendo, I Michiko Wantanabe hereby challenge you as the Murdock flight school's champion to an aerobatic fly off next saturday!" She smiled nastily at Mack who couldn't believe what he had just heard.

"Wait a minute!" He exclaimed.

"What's the matter MR. Murdock? Afraid your little sakura blossom can't take MY champion?" She watched as blood vessels started standing out in Mack's temple. Maybe she could get him to keel over with an cardiac arrest and get rid of him and his competing company.

Before Mack or Katsuzo could protest that Kasumi had just gotten her license minutes before, Kasumi herself spoke up. "I accept." Everyone, except for Michiko and her companion felt their jaws drop. She couldn't be serious could she?

Michiko laughed, a full, throaty laugh. "Perfect! And when Kyoko beats you, everyone will know that Murdock and Shima are washed up too!"

Ranma, had been trying to figure out some way to help Kasumi, but there wasn't a physical threat here that he could simply beat up. Challenges though, he had a fair amount of experience with. "Humph, doesn't seem like much of a challenge to me!"

Michiko stopped her maniacal laughter. "What do you mean by that?" She asked in her most menacing voice. Of course compared to some of the foes Ranma had faced that wasn't menacing at all. This lady had no idea who she was dealing with.

"Just that there's nothing at stake, really. If you win, you smear Kasumi, Mack and Katsuzo's reputation." That seemed like this lady's mission in life. He wondered if she was related to Ryouga. "If Kasumi wins, what does she get?" He turned to the Tendo girl. "You don't have to accept this challenge Kasumi. Since this lady is already second string to Mack, she ain't putting any honor on the line. If you're the only one with a stake in it, it ain't a fair challenge." Unseen by Michiko he winked at Kasumi who decided to play along despite his totally nonsensical assertion. He was betting that this newcomer didn't know enough about how their families viewed "honor" and "face" to see the line he was walking.

"You're right Ranma. I'm sorry Miss Wannabe, but I must decline." Mack looked like he was about to choke.

"What!" Screamed Michiko. "I WILL have my revenge! And it's Wantanabe!"

Ranma looked at her for a moment before replying. "Well, if you are set on this challenge, then how about upping the odds on your end a little?"

"Like what?" Asked Michiko suspiciously.

"Well, how about WHEN Kasumi kicks your champion's shiny little backside all over the sky, you have to PUBLICALLY acknowledge that she, Mack and Katsuzo are your superiors. Of course," he added, twisting the knife a little, "if you're chicken?"

"It's a deal!" She snarled. "Kyoko here has the details of the challenge." With that she stormed out of the hangar, slamming the door as hard as it would on the way out.

"Ace, Katsuzo could you please get the information from Kyoko?" Asked Mack in a carefully controlled voice. "I'd like to talk to Kasumi and Ranma for a moment."

"Okay Ranma, just what were you thinking!" Demanded Mack once the two of them and Kasumi were in the office. Kasumi put a restraining hand on Mack's arm. He cooled down slightly.

"Easy man. This lady was going to press this challenge no matter what, right?" Ranma asked reasonably.

"Well, yeah," admitted Mack.

"And since Kasumi accepted it," Ranma shot a dark look at Kasumi. Who didn't look the least bit sorry. "We were kinda boxed in. It was the only thing I could think of that might let Kasumi win more than just keeping your reps intact. This way, when Kasumi wins, the other lady trashes herself. I was hoping the stakes would get her to retract the challenge though." He looked pained for a moment. "Believe me, I know about battles of pride and what they can cost."

Mack took a moment to digest this. "Okay, I guess you're right. Kasumi, are you sure about this? It's going to mean a lot of practice in the next week."

Kasumi simply smiled. "Yes, I'm sure. Besides," she looked over at Ranma with brotherly fondness and smirked. "Kasumi Tendo never loses!"

Ranma just groaned.

A few minutes later Ace and Katsuzo joined them in the office. "Well, it actually looks like Michiko put this together on the level," announced Mack. He'd known the rival flight school owner for some time, and didn't believe she was capable of doing things aboveboard. Dirty and sneaky were her usual traits. Why the JAA hadn't shut her down yet he didn't know.

"How so?"

"Well, it's going to be three separate events using Unlimited Aerobatic Rules." Ace looked at the paper he had in his hand. "First there will be a compulsory set of aerobatics," he handed a sheet to Mack. "That you can practice this week. Then friday night the International Aerobatics Confederation will be faxing both Kyoko and us the unknown program. That means you won't be able to practice the routine ahead of time, Kasumi." He watched Kasumi nod. "Then finally there will be a freestyle event. That could be really fun."

"Unlimited rules?" Asked Mack. "That means that we are going to need to use the Pitts." Kasumi liked that thought. She'd been fascinated with the little biplane since the first day she had come to the hangar, despite Katsuzo's steadfast refusal to let her fly it. "Geez, a week to get you familiar with a new plane and all the maneuvers! Okay. You are going to need to be here first thing in the morning, and we are going to have to work all day, everyday to get ready. Understand?"

Kasumi just nodded.

"Okay. Go home and get a good night's sleep. We'll see you tomorrow."

Kasumi was quiet as she and Ranma walked home. She was lost in thought. Had she done the right thing? She had just gotten her license that very day! Could she learn enough in a single week to put up a respectable show against the star pupil of another school? What had possessed her to agree to the challenge so quickly? She was finally shaken out of her reverie by Ranma.

"We're going to have to tell you're family something," he moaned.

Kasumi considered that for a moment. "We'll tell them the truth."

Ranma looked at her with wide eyes. "But I thought you didn't want them to know yet."

"Well, I'll just tell them that I have accepted a challenge," smiled Kasumi impishly. "We just won't tell them what kind of challenge!"

"You're father will go ballistic on me if he thinks I let you get backed into a challenge." Ranma thought for a moment before continuing miserably. "Especially since that is exactly what I did."

"Ranma," responded Kasumi with velvet wrapped steel in her voice "I was going to accept that challenge from that arrogant woman regardless of what anyone else wanted. I don't know what set me off like that, but I'm going to run with it. Maybe that's me, maybe it's not, but I'm going to find out. My family practices Anything Goes just like you, and you know we don't refuse challenges." Kasumi softened slightly, "besides, you were a big help with that. You and I can just tell father that it isn't a martial arts challenge and he doesn't have to worry about me getting hurt."

"They are gonna to wanna watch."

Kasumi grinned a grin that unnerved Ranma. "I think I'll let them!"

As was her usual tactic Kasumi waited until after dinner to broach the subject of her upcoming challenge. She felt everyone was more receptive to potentially bad news on a full stomach. "Everyone I have an announcement to make." Instantly everyone's eyes were riveted on her. She was grateful nobody looked at Ranma, so they couldn't tell he knew what was coming.

"Today while Ranma and I were out, I was challenged. I will be meeting the challenger next Saturday. I would like you all to watch." Soun, Genma and Akane looked at her with their jaws in their laps. Ranma braced for the explosion.

"RAAANNNNNMMMMAAAAA!!!!!! How could you let my sister be challenged! She'll get hurt!"

"Boy, you were supposed to watch out for her, not get her into trouble!"

"My baby is going to be killed!"--long pause--"Ranma!"

Ranma looked at the three angry people advancing on him and closed his eyes. He figured this would probably hurt a bit.

"That's enough!" Kasumi barely raised her voice, but the assembled family members still fell silent and looked at her. "Please, sit down everyone." Though in Kasumi's normal level tone, everyone knew that polite request was a command and collapsed bonelessly to the floor. "You are all wrong that my getting challenged was Ranma's fault." Not surprisingly everybody, even Ranma, looked a bit sheepish. "I accepted this challenge of my own freewill. Though is it not the policy of the Tendo Dojo to accept any challenge father?" Her father winced but nodded. "Besides it's not a martial arts challenge. There's no chance of me getting hurt." Her speech concluded she waited to see if anyone had anything to say.

"Now, I'm going to be spending the rest of this week doing some special training. I'm sorry, but you will have to either eat out or cook for yourselves this week." Ranma winced at the thought of Akane trying to cook for them this week while the fathers paled. Kasumi decided that maybe should could help some other things along as well. "Ranma could you help Akane with meals if you decide to stay home to eat?" Both nodded back at her. "Thank you."

Akane was actually pleased with that idea. Things had been better between her and Ranma for a while now. Since Kasumi had asked him to help, nobody was going to tease him about 'woman's work'. Along with her father and Mr. Saotome's fear of her in a kitchen it would be quiet time alone!

Kasumi gathered up a armful of dishes and walked towards the kitchen. She paused just as she got to the door and looked over her shoulder. "Oh, and don't bother trying to follow me to my practice. Ranma will make sure you don't." Everyone looked at Ranma who just grinned and cracked his knuckles.

For everyone but Kasumi the week passed slowly. Several times Ranma had to keep either his father or Mr. Tendo from trying to follow Kasumi. Surprisingly Akane didn't try to follow her sister, instead staying home and fretting. Ace, Mack and Katsuzo were working hard on both Kasumi and the plane. One person wasn't worried about Kasumi's safety though. They were worried about something they felt she hadn't considered adequately.

Kasumi was walking out of the hangar late Friday afternoon when Penny stopped her. "Kasumi, we need to talk." Kasumi smiled and assented, leading Penny to the same cafe she and Ranma had stopped for tea. She wondered what the slightly older girl wanted.

"It's great that you are so calm about all this Kasumi, but you're working so hard on the flying part that I'm afraid you've overlooked another part of the challenge." Penny sipped on her tea for a moment before continuing. "You see this as a challenge of flying skills, right?"

"Well, yes," admitted Kasumi. If there was something else in the challenge, she had completely missed it. Suddenly she was fearful that she had overlooked something. "What did I forget?"

Penny chuckled. "I don't think you forgot, I think you just didn't think of it." Penny paused to sip her tea again, mostly for the effect. "Style."

"Pardon me?" Asked Kasumi confused.

"Style. A challenge like this just isn't about bare bones skill, it's about doing it with style. You got to have panache, you got to look and play the part as well as be able to fly."

Kasumi merely looked at her, wondering if this was going someplace, and fearing that it would go someplace she wasn't comfortable in. She was right.

"Okay, let's try it another way. What image do you want to project?"

Now Kasumi was really bad off. What image DID she want to project to other people. She knew that she had always been most comfortable being 'correct', but was that her? This question seemed as big as the one her mother had thrust upon her in the letter. "I'm not sure what image for myself. For tomorrow though, what do you think?"

Penny grinned hugely. "Well now, to play the successful aerobatic pilot, people expect a little flamboyance. Big smiles, waves, flamboyant talk and looks. We're gonna have to get rid of that whole housewife walk you do too, and the way you blush whenever anyone praises you. For starters."

"For....starters?" Kasumi was horrified at the thought of starting something new on top of what she already had on her plate.

"Yep," Penny thought hard for a moment. "It's too bad Brit's not here, she loves to shop."

"Shop?"

"Makeup, hairdresser, accessories that sort of thing. New flight suit too, to match the plane--they're repainting it tonight you know."

Kasumi stopped to take all of this in. Her friends were going through a lot of work to make the plane look good for tomorrow's competition. Shouldn't she look good to match? Act to match? Shouldn't she at least make the effort to look like a competitor? Was there any reason she shouldn't try?

"Can you help me?"

"Not only can I, but I insist!" Penny slurped down the rest of her tea and stood. "Let's get going. We got a lot of work and planning to do tonight!"

The morning dawned clear and calm. A perfect day for flying. Each of the days main participants left early for the airport. Ranma waited until a mere hour before the appointed time to show his father and the Tendos to the airport. Nabiki, who had just gotten home and heard the story the previous night was full of questions that Ranma refused to answer. Even the threat of raising the interest on his debt didn't shake loose any information. Finally they arrived at the airport to find the place plugged with hundreds of spectators.

Ranma walked over to Penny where she stood near the hangar, his family in tow. "Hey Penny, what's up with all these people?"

Penny turned and gave him an irritated look. "That witch put an ad in the paper and invited everyone to come see her 'glorious victory'. If you look over by the fence you can see a couple of television crews setting up." Ranma looked and saw that there was indeed a pair of news vans setting up. One of them was local, the other one the Global News Network with a satellite uplink. "They tell me they will be broadcasting this live! Michiko must have pulled in some serious markers for this."

Before she could fume some more Nabiki broke into the conversation. "Okay Saotome, it's time for some answers. What are we doing at this airport and just what sort of challenge is Kasumi into?" Behind her the assembled Tendos strained to hear what Ranma's answer was.

He sighed. He wished Kasumi had done this part herself. "Well, Kasumi has been learning to fly over the last few months. Last week her flight school was challenged by a rival school to a flyin' competition. She's this schools only student, so she's their champion. Think of it like a couple of rival dojos. We're here to watch and lend our moral support."

Everyone stared at Ranma like he had grown another head. Finally Nabiki put a few things together. "So she really hasn't been taking longer to shop because she was going further away for better items." Ranma shook his head with a grin. "And she doesn't have a secret boyfriend like daddy thought?" Again, Ranma shook his head grinning. "Instead she fooled all of us except you for the last several months?" That part REALLY seemed to grate on Nabiki, so Ranma changed his grin into a smirk. "AARRRGGGHHHH!!!! How could she do that!"

Ranma only had moments to feel victorious before Penny grabbed him and pointed out some chairs to the side of the hangar. "Okay Ranma, why don't you and the others go sit down over there. Things are going to start cracking in a few minutes and those are the best seats in the house!"

"Attention everyone! Welcome to the First Nerima Unlimited Aerobatics Challenge Match!" Blared the airport's overpowered public address system. "Today's contestants will be Kyoko "I am a mirror" Nakajima from Wantanabe Flight School flying the black Edge 540!" The crowd shouted approval as Kyoko waved from near her plane in front of the crowd. Dressed in a jet black flight suit with a military style helmet dangling from her hands she seemed comfortable with the crowd's attention. It was obvious she was well known and well liked. Beside her Michiko was soaking up the applause as though it was meant for her.

"Our other contestant is Kasumi "The Misty way to Heaven" Tendo from Murdock Flying Services flying a Pitts Special S-2C!" The crowd applauded again, but fell silent as they didn't see Kasumi or her plane. Then music began to play softly over the PA (instrumental anthem from Top Gun) and a small biplane emerged from the hangar being pushed by Mack, Katsuzo and Ace. It was a brilliant shining white and hot pink with a rising sun on the top wing. Polished to a near mirror sheen, it seemed to glow in the morning sun.

Stopping the plane a few feet from the front of the crowd, Ace and Katsuzo walked away from it leaving Mack alone. Everyone followed his gaze as a lone figure walked out of the darkness of the hangar. There was a gasp as they saw Kasumi. Matching her plane, she wore a hot pink flight suit, with a stripe of white down one side. Her hair was pulled back in her normal loose ponytail, but streaming down her back instead of over her shoulder. In her gloved hands dangled her headset, and she seemed to be looking at the world in a calm, detached manner through her mirrored aviator's sunglasses. She didn't just walk though, she sauntered, careful to match the pace and hip swing that Penny had so laboriously taught her the previous night. When she got to her plane she shook hands with Mack, turned to smile brightly at the crowd and waved. The crowd broke out in thunderous applause as Michiko scowled.

Finally both pilots mounted their airplanes. Kasumi had won the coin toss and elected to let Kyoko fly the compulsory maneuvers first. The announcer explained the rules to the crowd as Kasumi watched Kyoko take off to begin her routine. "I would like to take a moment to introduce you to today's judges. First is Jinrai Tanaka of the Japanese Aeronautical Administration!" There was a pause for the polite clapping from this announcement. "Second is Al Yackey of the Flat Rock Air Attack Training Base!" The pause was a bit longer as there was more enthusiastic applause as a few people recognized his name. The portly gentleman stood and waved before sitting back down. "And last, but certainly not least, Wayne Handley!" The applause was even louder this time and a few people ran over to get the former aerobatic champion's autograph.

The announcer let it go for a few minutes then noted that it was time for Kyoko to begin her routine. The crowd hushed as they watched the small, black plane go through the maneuvers. Starting with a simple loop, it progressed to a hammerhead stall, then to several rolls and competition turns. In all it was a short ten minute program ending with a 3 turn spin. The whole thing was done well, very well and crisp. The crowd loved it and enthusiastically showed it.

As soon as Kyoko landed she taxied over to a fuel truck and watched Kasumi takeoff. Each of them would have to fuel up between each of the events. When she had finished she taxied over in front of the crowd again and watched Kasumi go through her first set of maneuvers. The crowd "ohh'd" and "ahh'd" as each part of the routine was done easily and with an amazing amount of grace. When the crowd applauded loudly Kyoko watched Michiko scowl.

Ranma looked over at Ace. "What do ya think?"

Ace thought for a moment. "I'm going to bet on Kasumi. Kyoko's flight was technical but cold. Kasumi's was warmer and more graceful."

It took a few minutes for the judges to make their decision. They seemed to agree with Ace. "Attention please!" Called the announcer. "The winner of the first round of this challenge is Kasumi Tendo!" Kasumi smiled broadly and waved at the crowd from where she stood next to her airplane.

Michiko scowled menacingly ushered Kyoko into her plane. It seemed that all of the practice that Kasumi had done the previous week had really paid off in the first round. She must have flown the same set of moves time and time again. However, since neither of the pilots had had a chance to practice the unknown routine, it would go to the person with the most experience.

Kasumi started a bit as Ranma, Akane and Ace walked over to her. She had been busy watching Kyoko takeoff. "Do I look that good in the air?"

"You looked even better Kasumi! That's was beautiful!" Exclaimed Akane.

"Sure was!" Seconded Ranma. "Looks fun too!"

"We just wanted to wish you good luck again," said Ace. Kasumi merely smiled and looked skyward again. Even if the other plane and pilot were her competitor, she still loved to watch planes dancing in the sky.

"What do ya think this time, Ace?" Asked Ranma as they walked back to their seats.

"Well Ranma, Kasumi is good, but she's still new at this. She might loose this round since she's not as familiar with the moves overall. I'd hate to bet though. I think Kyoko is still a bit overconfident and overconfidence makes you sloppy." Ranma and Akane both nodded at that.

After both Kyoko and Kasumi had finished their unknown routines, the judges settled down to decide the winner. Both contestants watched from beside their planes, a few feet apart out on the tarmac. "Okay everyone," crackled the PA system. "The winner for the second round, by a narrow margin is Kyoko Nakajima!" The crowd applauded. Kyoko soaked up the applause this time, as if it was her just due. Beside her Michiko beamed mightily and threw a sneer in Mack's general direction. "This means that the final event, the freestyle program will decide the outcome of the event! First up, Kyoko!"

Instead of watching from the stands this time, Ranma, Akane and Ace watched with Kasumi near her plane. Kasumi was downcast from her loss in the second round. She was worried that she couldn't do this, that she would humiliate Mack and Katsuzo with her pathetic skills. "Kevin, I mean Ace, I'm not sure I'm going to be able to win."

Her three companions looked at her critically and then shared a look. Ranma was the first to speak. "Well, you're sure not gonna win talkin' like that!" Akane scowled at the way he was talking to her sister. "Ya gotta go into it like you want to win, not that you're afraid ta loose! Remember what Mack said the other day: 'When the going gets tough, the tough get aeronautical!' Just do your very best, and you don't have to answer to anybody else."

"I see what you're saying Ranma, but what about you? I've never seen you do your very best in a fight. Every time I think you've topped out, you do something more." Kasumi appreciated the advice, but it seemed too much like 'do as I say, not as I do'.

Ranma surprised her by grinning. "We're in different situations Kasumi. I'm at the top of my Art. I have to tone things down to keep my sparring partners interested. If I defeat them before they can get a blow in, they stay away and then I don't get any training and slide. You and I both know you are just starting out in this stuff. You do your best and we're here for ya. Anybody wants to talk about your honor or abilities after that can take it up with me!"

Kasumi blushed at the praise and the advice, as well as how foolish she was acting. "Thanks Ranma." She looked over to see Kyoko landing from her freestyle routine and realized they had been talking long enough to miss it. "I better be going though."

Kasumi started to get into the Pitts, then turned her head back to look at her family and friends as they walked away. Win or lose they were all here, pulling for her. They really did care about her. Somehow that thought made her more determined than ever to win.

Akane was still looking in awe at Ranma as they sat back down. "Ranma, I'm impressed. I didn't know you could cheer someone up like that."

Ranma looked uncomfortable for a moment. "Well, I had to do something. This is the first thing Kasumi has ever done with any flash. I don't want to see her quit because of this."

Akane softened as she looked at him. "Sometimes you do actually manage to say the right thing." Quietly she put her hand in his.

Kasumi paid no attention to Kyoko and Michiko as she taxied the plane past. Ranma was right. She just had to do her best and everything would work out. She was sure of it. Carefully she took off and got to the altitude she had selected to start her performance. A quick call to the ground and Penny pushed a button on the CD player hooked into the PA system. The same music began to play over her headset and she lost her self in it's rhythm and the rhythm of the airplane.

On the ground the loudspeakers began to shake the airport with one of Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov's most famous works: Flight of the Bumblebee. Kasumi's pink and white plane stood out against the startling azure sky. It seemed to dance as it she transitioned from one move to the next, white smoke trailing behind. Cuban Eights, inside loops, outside loops, hammerhead stalls, eight point hesitation rolls, vertical snap rolls, knife edge passes and avalanches all flowed smoothly one to the other. There was no wasted energy from the plane or the pilot. The crowd watched, struck dumb by the beautiful sight. It was one of the finest aerial ballet any had seen, even those jaded by many competitive events. Finally as the music built to a crescendo, the plane snapped into the ultimate move of the routine. The plane snapped into a dangerous maneuver that made it appear to be virtually out of control. The PA system blared "TSUNAMI!" and the crowd roared wildly.

Kasumi came out of her trance as the music faded away in her headset. As planned she was directly over the runway in front of the crowd. It seemed that everything had gone as perfectly as she could have hoped. Before she could even line up to land, Mack's voice came over the headset. "Good job Kasumi! Oh, the judges have already made their decision." Kasumi's heart seemed to drop to the pit of her stomach in a way that all the G-forces she had just endured couldn't do. She listened with all her being to the voice from the ground. "You won!"

Michiko too had heard the judges decision. She couldn't believe it! How could some half-trained pilot beat her star pupil! She was supposed to humiliate this girl and Mack too! Now she had been the one humiliated, and on Global Television no less! She looked over at Kyoko who simply nodded, knowing she had been out flown. Somehow that seemed to enrage her anymore. Finally she calmed down. She knew the value of honor and had to go and make the announcement. "This isn't the end Kyoko. Mack Murdock better look out, we will be back. And maybe we can settle up with Miss Tendo as well."

Kasumi was nearly in shock about the decision. She'd won! She had won a challenge match in something she was doing for just herself! She thought back and tried to measure it against something she knew, but couldn't. Outside of her new friends and mentors she was the only one she knew who did this. She only had to measure herself against herself! By that meter stick she was a success! She COULD find her own way in the world! Just then her engine sputtered and quit. Suddenly she also realized the old joke about the propeller just being a fan to cool the pilot was true. She started sweating.

The crowd gasped as Kasumi's engine quit. Soun started crying and Nabiki and Akane glanced fearfully at each other. Ranma looked over at Ace, Mack and Katsuzo. They felt his gaze and Katsuzo answered the unspoken question. "It's not a problem. She just overestimated her fuel supply. She's got plenty of altitude to bring it in for a nice, safe landing." Hearing this Soun stopped wailing about his baby dying, and the remaining Tendo sisters let out breaths they didn't know they were holding.

They watched as Kasumi pushed the plane over into a steep dive. That brought a gasp from her mentors this time. That didn't look like a landing profile! Seemingly only feet off the ground she pulled up and looped the small biplane. She then coasted downwind doing an eight point hesitation roll and then turned 180 degrees as she reached the end of the runway. She let the plane settle slowly, touching first one wheel then the other before letting momentum take her right to her parking place in front of the crowd.

As Ranma, the Tendos, Ace, Penny and seemingly half the crowd rushed out to Kasumi's plane Katsuzo looked over at Mack. "THAT is why I didn't want her watching those Bob Hoover videos!" Mack didn't even look sheepish, but grinned like a maniac.

Kasumi stood near the koi pond in the backyard looking up at the stars. They were so beautiful tonight, she felt she could reach out and touch them. Behind her in the house her friends and family were celebrating her victory. She was a little tired of it, especially after her interview with the GNN reporter who seemed that she wanted to make Kasumi out to be some kind of demigoddess or something. Worse still was listening to Michiko fulfilling her end of the challenge. Kasumi felt a little bad about the woman's embarrassment since it was at her hands. Still, due to the thrill of victory she was relaxed and content.

Ace and Penny had already expressed their congratulations. Penny had a few suggestions about the phone numbers several men had handed Kasumi on the way out of the airport. She also asked Kasumi to be a bride's maid when she finally talked Ace into walking her down the aisle. Ace just blushed while trying to wave it off. Mack and Katsuzo had praised her flying skill, and their skill as instructors, to the high heavens. Her father and Nabiki were still puzzled why she decided to learn to fly, but were happy that she enjoyed it. Her father however had given her a stern dressing down about not telling him what was going on, as well as a large hug and long speech about how proud he was of her. These warm feelings from her closest friends and family kept company with the embarrassment, yet addicting rush of power she had felt from playing up the crowd's adulation earlier in the day.

Lost in her own world she didn't hear Ranma and Akane come up behind her until the last minute. She turned to see something rare. They were holding hands. The smiled in unison and looked up at the stars as well.

"They sure are pretty tonight, aren't they Kasumi?" Asked Akane.

"Yes," she replied. "Yes they are."

"Whatcha gonna do now?" Asked Ranma

"I'm not sure. I want to keep flying though."

"Well you certainly reached out and grabbed something none of the rest of us would have thought of!" Enthused Akane. That apparently off-the-cuff comment caused several unrelated concepts to meet in the center of Kasumi's brain. Reach out and touch the stars. Reach out and grab something nobody else thought of. Be your own person. Stars sure are pretty tonight. A vague notion of what the future might hold began to form in her mind. She barely heard Ranma and Akane take their leave and go back in the house.

This new thought kept rolling over in the back of her mind. Higher, further and faster. Mack had shown her the movie "The Right Stuff" one day when it was too windy to fly. Maybe there was something other than stunt flying or flying passengers on the Osaka to Tokyo run. She'd have to think on it a bit.

Then the depressingly familiar sound of water being spilled followed by Ranma's female voice raised in anger at Mr. Saotome brought Kasumi back to earth. She turned to look at the assembled gathering. Both Ranma and his father were in their cursed forms and doing battle in the living room. Ace and Penny seemed nonplussed while Mack and Katsuzo were both staring with their jaws open.

Mack got his mouth working before anybody else. "Okay, who put the stop payment on my reality check?"

With a laugh Kasumi headed back into the house. After all, Mack, Ace and Katsuzo had so graciously introduced her to the world of flight, the least she could do is introduce them to her own world.

Thoughts of the future could wait for another night.

Author's Notes:

Non-Ranma Characters borrowed from other places:
Kevin "Ace" Koss--Gold Digger
Penny Pinscher--Gold Digger
H.M. "Mack" Murdock, aka "Howlin' Mad Murdock"--A-Team
Katsuzo Shima--First test pilot of the Mitsubishi Zero fighter of WWII
Al Yackey--John Goodman's character from the movie "Always"
Wayne Handley--Famous retired Aerobatic Pilot
Bob Hoover--Aviation Legend