-1Chapter 1: What she Always wanted

Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma 1/2 or any of its characters of anything else pertaining to any Jusenkyo entity's. sadly (

Kasumi Tendo worked happily away in the kitchen of the Tendo residence, gently humming some old half remembered song to herself as she prepared the days meals and readied the house for the return of her sisters and of course Ranma.

It was a warm sunny day in early September and Kasumi was the only one home. She opened up one several of the kitchen windows to let in some of the warm fall air. Noises of the singing birds outside and the calm wind in the trees flooded the kitchen. "In a way it was nice being here all alone waiting for her siblings to return." Kasumi thought as she sliced up some Vegetables into a boiling pot of water. Come to think of it her father and Mr. Saotome were also out. Her father was off at some martial arts convention in Sapporo Japan. Something to do with the "International Society of Martial Artist against Ghouls, goblins, ghost, and Lecherous old masters.

"My won't Father be surprised when he finds out that Grandfather Happosai would be tagging along." Kasumi smiled to herself as she diligently continued onto the onions.

Mr. Saotome was Down working at Dr. Ono Tofu's Clinic, He was working as his assistant, just as he had in the past, the job seemed to suit him well since there wasn't that much work to be done at Dr. Tofu's at least for his assistant that was. Every now and again he would have to sweep the floors and maybe mop up a mess or two but over all, he could still be that silly old panda that he was. And of course how could she forget he was excellent with the children, almost as good as Dr. Tofu.

Kasumi Smiled when she thought of Dr. Tofu, he was such a nice person, and of course he was even to handsome to boot, if a bit dafted at times, and of course he was well... Older. Kasumi always liked older men, she wasn't exactly sure why but she just always had. It may have been something engrained in her when she had to drop out of school at the tender age of 15 to keep the Tendo household up and running. It may have been the fact that at the age of 19 she was doing nearly the full job of the perfect Japanese Wife and homemaker. Taking care of three teenagers (5 if you count Genma and Happosai) and her ageing father not to mention his household. Something of the responsibilities of that one could expect of a Woman of her mid to late thirties, not Kasumi a mere teenager herself at the time.

She was 21 Now and Still doing what she had done for so many years, she took care of everyone, everything, at the Tendo household. All in all it wasn't that bad, as a matter of fact in a way it was enjoyable for her. This was all she had known for so long as she had dedicated her life to it and it was all she lived for. She smiled to think of all the people that depended on her everyday and just how much she loved them. "It was really an honor to serve them, Even if she was... "Alone.." she thought as a tear rolled down her left cheek. She sniffled a little as she dumped the Onions in the boiling water.

Anyway Genma was finally bringing in a little bit of money back into this household with his new job and of that fact Nabiki was well pleased. Of course she would be, Nabiki was the one that had managed to help their father keep the dojo open since Ranma and Mr. Saotome had arrived nearly two years ago.

Kasumi smiled when she thought about her sister, and her knack for money, so what if it got her in a little, no a lot of trouble. Like those times she Nearly sold their father to Miss Hannako for 10,000 yen or when she and that young man form the Kasha-oo school of martial arts had a duel and she had barely managed to beat him out of a 1Billion yen bet, still it did prove Very useful for things like Setting the family's budget and making sure that everyone in the Tendo household had what the needed.

"Though Nabiki would never admit it she really did have a heart of gold... well at least in her sister's eyes that was.

Kasumi had always had the unique gift to see the best in everyone, even within the Evil master Happosai was someone special in her book. That's why she always called him Grandfather. She knew he must be sad well deep down inside that was he had lived for 300 years and everyone he had ever cared for (If that was much of anyone besides himself and maybe the odd ladies undergarment) would have been dead long before electricity was even harnessed, and though he had his "Mischievous" side she still thought he was well an OK person somewhere there deeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep inside, after all he was her father's master.

"Poor father" Kasumi sighed she had known how lonely he had been since Her mother had died all of those years ago. Never the less Soun Tendo was a strong man if a bit Emotional at times, of course being a single father Rising 3 daughters by yourself while trying to keep a Martial Arts dojo open in a world that was all to quickly forgetting the martial arts was nothing short of an epic task.

Thought Kasumi was never as good as Akane much less any of the super martial Artist that had come to live and train (Not mention Try and marry Ranma) here in Nerima, she did know a few forms and Practiced them on occasion's like this afternoon when she was the only one at the house. Her father had trained her to about the level of a black belt in The Tendo School of anything goes Martial Arts, thought she would never ever conceder using it to hurt someone, it was Useful for handling knives in the kitchen and from time to time reaching those hard to dust spots around the house. And even sometimes it helped her to forget...

To forget that she wasn't getting any younger and that most of the men close to her age were either Married or engaged, or off wandering around Japan catching eggs and running from the off pissed off pit-bull's. It was something she rarely thought of, well at least before Ranma showed up. Though Him and Akane didn't seem to get along most of the time Kasumi was no fool and could see at least if nothing else that they really deeply cared for one another even if they did have their skirmishes, from time to time (Every 6 seconds or so) they did serve to remind her of her own loneliness.

In a way she was a mother to her sisters and Ranma but in another way she was just a big sister doing what she had to for the survival of the family. She was a homemaker but not a wife, and though she was ever so happy to greet them when they arriver home at the end of the day she had no one to call her own when it was all said and done. She Cooked alone, she took care of the family alone, she watched the world from the outside alone and she slept alone...

A small tear formed only one, slowly it sat there welling up all of Kasumi's negative energies and then escaped the soft brown sphere that was her eye and slid down a fair cheek before falling to the spotless floor. There weren't anymore tears, no more crying, no more singing no more onions to chop, the only thing that was left was a deep sincere wish, a hope of a hope of a hope that , that there was someone somewhere that really would save her from the old maid she was all to quickly becoming.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile in a local clinic just down the street...

CCCRRRAACCKKKKK... CRUNCH... POP... SNAP...

"feeling any better?" A tall man with glasses asked his patient as he smiled at them gently.

"Ya thanks doc." The boy no young man said as he sat up and rubbed his neck and scratched his shaggy head of hair with a yellow Bandana tied around it. "How much do I owe you?" He asked as he stood up and threw his long-sleeved yellow shirt on over his bruised muscular torso.

"O nothing at all Ryoga" Dr. tofu replied turning around drying his hands. "Though I am curious as to what happened to you, did you loose another fight to Ranma? you know you two really shouldn't fight..."

"Nope not this time, it would have been him in here in my place if that had been the case." The lost boy answered smiling confidently shouldering his backpack "Just a bit of an auto accident, thanks again for helping me out but i have a long journey ahead of me and i need to head out right away.

"Well don't let me stop you" the good Doctor replied as Ryoga, walked out the door. "Dr Tofu smiled to himself.

"Ah to be young again he though so many things I would have done differently, he sat down on one of his examination beds and thought of the things he would change, He would defiantly have gotten higher grades in med-school that was for sure that way he could one day teach himself one day when he was older and didn't have the knack for patching up and setting bones like he use to. Of course it was hard to improve on a 3.887 GPA, and he would defiantly learned to cook better, frozen pizza and Instant Raman were good but did have a tendency to get old after a while, of course there was Kasumi's cooking.

"Kasumi" He thought as the thought of her. His glasses fogged up and a dumb look filled his usually calm cool and collected face. He would defiantly tell her defiantly. he would have told her sooner how he felt about her every day he thought of her and every day he thought of how to tell her yet everyday it got harder and harder to tell her how he felt about her.

He sat there in La la land thinking of her, her beauty her grace her poise her...

"Uh is this the way out?" Ryoga said as the lost boy opened the door and stumbled into the room.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Forty-five minuets and about 87 wrong turns later...

Ryoga Habiki had finally managed to escape the labyrinth that was Dr. Tofu's Clinic all 3 floors of Doors and rooms and... and.. well anyway he was finally out. Though by no means was it easy it was a large fairly confusing building, at least to Ryoga and the doctor was wearing one of those faces again so he was about as much help as a Habiki map on a cloudy day.

Ryoga sighed as he Knew Just like everyone else in Nerima the reason for that face, that was his Kasumi face, the face he always wore when he was thinking of the woman he loved.

"How Pathetic" Ryoga thought I mean if the man loves he so much how come he cant just come out and say it to her, all he dose is make a complete Ass of himself every time he sees her not to mention that he becomes a danger to everyone around him who's skeleton wasn't made of Adimantium."

Suddenly Ryoga realized what he had just said and then how it applied to himself and... "O Ryoga you Idiot Your just like him All these years you have thought of Akane, Swore your love to Akane up and down to all the stars in the Night sky, to all the street signs in Japan, all the time You sent her souvenirs and promised that you would become a man and tell her. Why ... Why Ryoga Are you am man or are you a..." Ryoga half expected to go off Squealing like a pig because of the many times it had happened before but no such excuse manifested itself as he sank down and finally said the words...

"Coward" He whispered softly reluctant to acknowledge his shame.

"But this time its different!" Ryoga roared jumping to his feet his fist clinched in as if in victory and determination "This time Ill find you Akane this time Ill Tell you what I have felt for all of these long years this time ill stand up and embrace my destiny, my love. This time ill tell you of how I love you and how I'd follow you into the Depths of Hell itself!!!

"I LOVE YOU AKANE!!!!!!" He yelled off into the evening. When he was finished he began to walk off it was today that he was going to tell her he was finally ready finally man enough to tell her and he had all the confidence in the world that he could when

"Hey where's the Tendo's anyway?" He asked himself out loud.

"AAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG" He screamed with his hands on either side of his face, jaw gaping wide open "NO I forgot how to get there!!!!!!!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Ranma, Akane its time for dinner." Kasumi's Sweet words rang in the cool fall air as Ranma barely managed to doge Akane's blurring fast bokken attack.

"Coming!" Ranma yelled in back leaping from Akane's second story window. 'Well you coming slowpoke?" He asked her as he fell towards the ground from the second story.

For most people it would have been quite a fall but for Ranma it was little more than a step, down a gentle stair. Quickly a girl in Yellow Pajamas Wielding a Bokken followed leaping from the window like a great cat pouncing on its prey and then hitting the ground like a rock with a thud. However with much effort she managed to keep her footing and darted off after the young man with the pigtail. "Ranma!!!!" She yelled as usual her face a bright red flushed with anger and frustration as she seemingly beat at the air around the young man in Chinese clothes he was moving so fast.

"Can we eat now?" Soun asked his daughter as she carried the last of their dinner out and set it down on the table.

"Not yet father." she said caringly. "Ranma and Akane should be here any minute.

The Tendo's watched through the thin rice paper walls as Suddenly outside "RANMA!" Akane's yelling could be heard along with the sound of a bokken ripping through the wind, followed by the classic. "Ah ah ah... Sploosh!"

"What'd do that for!?!" A Woman's voice sounded form outside and the Rice paper door to the dining room slid open. There stood a Voluptuous Soaking wet Redheaded young woman wearing Chinese clothes and something of an annoyed face, as she reached up and caught the bokken in mid strike with her left hand as she stepped inside.

"Man what's for dinner in starving?" She asked the smile returning to her face as she let go of the practice sword and took her place at the table.

Akane sat beside of her noticeably calmer than just moments before and looked at the table a strange look of surprise filled her face.

"Uh sis," Nabiki said as she walked into the room and glanced wide eyed at the table. "Is it a special occasion or something?" Since when was the last time we had Take out ramen Sushi and sashimi? Not to mention Okonomiyaki and takoyaki and Chinese pickles." The middle Tendo Daughter asked always mindful of money.

"O not really Nabiki, its just a gift form a friend, speaking of which they should probably be arriving soon." Kasumi said thoughtfully as she smiled Non-shontly at everyone just like always.

"Don't tell me Shampoo and Ukyo sent all of this stuff only to be arriving later so they can hold a No-holds-barred-Shake-the-pillars-of-heaven-battle-royal-fight-to-the-finish in our backyard Again!" Akane growled her red battle Aura flickering around her as she spoke.

"Of course... Not." Kasumi replied happily. It looked as if there were something on her mind something that she was preoccupied with something that had her all excited and Something she was anticipating. But of course she was anticipating that someone's arrival it had been nearly 2 weeks since that day in the kitchen when she had allowed her mind to wander off, and on those crazy thoughts she had acted sending over Some soup and curry to a certain someone in hopes that They would return the dish tonight just as she had planed.

True Kasumi was waiting on someone else to show up for dinner tonight and that thought in its self had her quite happy, in fact happier than normal if such a thing were truly possible.

It was then that a deep Roaring echoed in the distance, it was calm but noisy at first like rolling thunder, as it seemed to come Closter the beast seemed to awake and growl with more and more ferocity with each passing moment growing ever Closter until the noise seemed like it was just outside the Tendo's front gate. The entire Tendo family rushed to the front door and stared in anticipation of what lay behind the wall Roaring and growling like a lion in triumph of his glorious kill.

Suddenly the deep low growl came to a complete stop and transformed in a single instant to a chilling silence. Everyone's eyes bugged as they stared around the corner looking out toward the front gate doing the best they could to hide themselves from view. Hoping one to watch in secrete and two watching Kasumi who was standing on the tile landing waiting for this "Person" in the case that she needed some kind of Assistance martially that was.

Somewhere in the mad rush to the front gate Genma had become a Panda with a bucket oh his head and Crowded a lot more than he did normally. "Common back off old man." Ranma's one octave female voice tried to whisper but it came out as more of an annoyed soft yell than anything else. As she elbowed her father in the fat furry ribs.

"Sushhhhh..." Nabiki buttered in Smacking both the girl and her father with an empty plate. "Your busting up the mood" She said as the gates slowly creaked open.

The light of the full moon had risen all evening and was just now shining brilliantly on Kasumi as she caught a look of Their no her strange guest, Though He was shrouded in the shadows of the dojo wall and trees around him, Kasumi could make out A Tall rugged Manly solute, walking slowly in her direction. As he got cluster she could see the mess of hair that he had hanging in his face and then from nowhere caught the glint of moonlight off of his lenses.

Her heart jumped within her It was him he was finally here and he wasn't acting a fool and and... but the shadows seemed to form and contort around and embrace him slowly covering and masking his face and true identity as she walked carrying something about the size of a soup bowl in his left hand, the shadows seemed to retreat and draw back only to engulf his face at the last possible moment hiding him until after what seemed a short eternity he finally stepped into a full beam of moon light and Kasumi's heart jumped within her, as the rest of the Tendo household prepared to attack in the defense of their dear Kasumi...

Ya know the world is fairly hard to see form Kasumi's Point of view, but hopefully I did a good job of it ) So who's the guy that Kasumi has been waiting on? Is this him is it someone else? What was the low Growling noise? Anyhow I got the inspiration for this story while I was bored one day and fed up with the Ranma X Kasumi Fics that I see a good deal of. Kasumi is a great girl and defiantly the best Catch of the Tendo three, but Her and Ranma common, course that is just my lowly option. Anyhow I said to myself What dose Kasumi really want and the story just kind of told itself to me Shrugs Well tell me what you guys and gals think, good bad indifferent I Want to Know ) Request Are considered and Im always open to seguestions.

Icescythe