The Depths Behind Those Eyes
By tim gueguen
Based on the series Ranma ½, created by Rumiko Takahashi. What, you thought I created these characters? If I did, I wouldn't be including this disclaimer about having no intent to violate commercial copyright for my own gain.
The residents of the Tendo household sat at the dining room table, eagerly waiting for supper, their favourite time of day. Supper edged out their second favourite time of the day, breakfast, because Kasumi Tendo cooked a much wider array of food than the miso soup, rice, and side dishes she usually prepared for breakfast. Tonight she had decided to try a new grilled chicken breast recipe, and the smell of cooking fowl whetted everyone's appetite.
"Akane, could you help me carry out the food?" Kasumi called from the kitchen.
"Sure thing, sis," Akane replied as she stood up and walked into the kitchen. Together the two sisters carried out the evening's meal. Kasumi hoped she had made enough chicken given the hearty appetites (which the more unkind would call bottomless pits) possessed by Ranma and Genma Saotome. As soon as the serving dishes hit the table everyone gleefully began to fill their plates with food.
The meal proceeded like most meals did, with the diners enjoying their food and making occasional small talk. With Nodoka back in the lives of her son and husband the Saotome men behaved much more like normal people, not engaging in a high speed chopstick battle over each other's food. She had even managed to get them to eat at a slower pace instead of inhaling their food, although they still ate much faster than normal people, and ate more, period.
Reaching for the rice bowl for another helping Nabiki noticed a small frown appear on Kasumi's face. "Is something wrong, sis?"
"Oh no, Nabiki, I just…OH MY!" Kasumi's eyes widened in disbelief. She sat for a moment with a shocked expression on her face. This soon changed to a huge grin as she climbed to her feet. She then reached down, and to the shock of everyone forcefully pulled the tablecloth from the table. Food, plates, glasses and cutlery flew everywhere, with Genma ending up with a half full salad bowl on his head.
Everyone stared in shock as Kasumi carried the tablecloth into the living room. They all leapt to their feet to follow her. "Kasumi, whats wrong?" asked a fearful Soun, his worry for his daughter obvious.
"Father, everyone, I'm sorry for the mess, and for scaring you." She reached into a pocket of her skirt and pulled out a felt tip marker. "But I really must get this down!" She quickly spread out the tablecloth on the floor, knelt down on the edge of it, and began to write on it.
"She's writin' some sort of math thing," said Ranma quietly as he and the others watched. He turned to Nabiki and asked, "So, what is that exactly, Nabs? You're good with math."
Nabiki shook her head. "Yeah, I'm damn good with mathematics, but I haven't got a clue what she's doing. That stuff is way beyond me. And don't call me Nabs! I hate people calling me Nabs!"
"Whatever it is, I think we had best let her finish before we ask her," said Nodoka. "Akane and I will clean up the mess." With a nod Akane followed Nodoka back into the dining room, while the others continued to watch Kasumi, keeping a respectful, and nervous, distance.
Kasumi wrote at a rapid pace, quickly filling the tablecloth with equations. After about 20 minutes she came to a stop. She stood up and gave her work another look before walking over to the phone. She punched in a number. "Hello? Yes, its Kasumi. I do believe I've finally done it. Would you be able to…you would? Good, I'll see you in a few minutes." Hanging up the phone she turned to her family. "Once again, I would like to apologise. I know I ruined supper, but I needed a large piece of something to write on, and the tablecloth was the closest."
"If what you needed to do was very important that's all right Kasumi. But what is that you've written?" asked Soun.
Kasumi smiled. "Its something I've been working on for a very long time. And I guess I should apologise for that as well. I know I must have seemed awfully distracted over the past year or so."
Akane and Nabiki looked at each other and shook their heads. They had discussed a number of times in recent months how Kasumi had seemed to get more and more oblivious to what was going on around her over the past year. They both assumed it had something to do with the arrival of Ranma and the ever-increasing oddness that seemed to accompany him. A way of coping, perhaps. But Kasumi's statement indicated that this…whatever it was might have actually been at fault.
Soun knelt down to examine the tablecloth, being very careful not to disturb it. He studied it for several minutes before standing back up. "If this is what I think it is, I wish I had studied physics more," he said.
"Huh, that's got somethin' to do with mind reading?" asked a perplexed Ranma.
Akane rolled her eyes. "Physics, you baka, not psychics!"
A knock on the front door preempted a retort from Ranma. Kasumi walked to the entrance and opened the door, letting in a middle-aged visitor. "Thank you for coming sir," she said to their guest as he removed his shoes. She led the bald man into the living room. "Everyone, I'd like to introduce you to Professor Okuda."
Nabiki instantly recognised him. "You're Shinichi Okuda!" She turned to the others. "Professor Okuda is one of the world's top theoretical physicists."
"It seems my reputation has preceded me," he said with a chuckle. "Now, Kasumi, where is this discovery of yours?"
"Right this way," she replied and lead him over to the tablecloth. They both knelt down in front of it, and Kasumi began to explain her equations to him. It soon became obvious that it would be a long time before she was done, so the others found things to do while they waited. Soun sat and listened to Kasumi and Professor Okuda talk. Ranma tried to listen to them talk but quickly fell asleep on the couch. Akane and Nabiki went off to do their homework, while Genma and Nodoka played a quiet game of shogi. (Had anyone been paying attention to their game they would have been shocked to see Nodoka cheat as much as Genma did.)
For more than an hour Professor Okuda and Kasumi went over her work. Finally Kasumi came to the end, and the pair stood up. The professor gave Kasumi a very deep bow. "My dear, I have no doubt that you have done it."
Kasumi blushed a bit and smiled. "I couldn't have done it without your help, Professor."
"So, are you gonna tell us what that thing is?" asked Ranma, who had just woken from his nap.
"Quite simply, young man, if her proof holds up, and I think it will, Kasumi has discovered the Unified Field Theory," said Professor Okuda. Jaws dropped across the room, with one exception.
Ranma blinked. "So whats this unifying whatis thingy do?"
Nabiki let out a loud sigh. She just knew trying to explain it to him would give her a headache. "It's the so called Holy Grail of Physics, Ranma, a single set of equations that ties together all the forces of physics, like gravity and electromagnetic forces."
"Think of it this way," interjected Soun. "Imagine there was one kata that, if you learned it, would allow you perform any martial arts technique you could imagine. That's sort of what the Unified Field Theory is supposed to be."
Ranma nodded slowly. He could sort of see what they meant.
Soun began to blubber. "And to think, that my daughter, would be the one to come up with it, right here in my own home…I'M SO PROUD OF HER! WAAH!" He broke into full on cry mode. Genma quickly steered his friend away from the tablecloth before his fountain of tears could soak it.
"Your father is rather emotional it seems, Kasumi," said Professor Okuda as he watched the spectacle that was Soun Tendo.
"You get used to it," said Nabiki with a shrug.
"Well, I had best be going. Tomorrow is certain to be a long day," said Professor Okuda. "I'll be back with someone to transcribe things, and we should consult some of my colleagues to get their take."
"I'll see you out, Professor," said Kasumi. The pair walked back to the front entrance.
"So, Kasumi workin' on this thing was why she seemed so spaced out all the time," said Ranma.
"Ummm, yeah," said Akane, not really sure if spaced out was an insulting way of putting it or not.
"Like her always calling Ryoga my friend even when he said he was gonna kill me."
"Right," agreed Nabiki. "Or her not getting properly angry, like she used to."
"Especially when people like Shampoo smash throught the walls," added Akane.
Ranma nodded in agreement. "Or like how she…."
This is just my contribution to the whole "there's more going on in Kasumi's mind than people think" concept, taken to a rather silly extreme. It didn't quite turn out the way I planned, but I hope you enjoyed it anyways.