Chapter Two
As Dr. Tofu began to clean and bandage Ranma's wounds and set his broken bones, there came a knock on the door.
"Hello come in please" Dr. Tofu shouted not looking up from his work.
"Hello Dr. Tofu I just came to rerun that book I barrowed from you" Said a cheery voice
Seeing Kasumi in the doorway Dr. Tofu glasses fogged over and he started manhandling Ranma's broken fingers.
"Ouch hey doc watch it" Ranma excamed recoling from the pain.
"Oh Kasumi-Chan funny meeting you here of all places"
"Um Dr. Tofu this is your office"
"huh so it is ha ha ha'
"Are you with a patient right now I could come back later?"
"Oh no it just Ranma….Oh Ranma how did your fingers get twisted like that I'm going to have to get a splint for those"
Going off into his supply room Kasumi enters the room with Ranma. After getting a good look at the current state of him she is filled with sadness and sympathy for the boy. Clutching her hand near her chest she approached his bedside.
"Oh My what happened?"
"Oooo you wouldn't believe the day I'm having"
"Would you like to talk about it?"
"Nah I'm fine Owwww….." looking up into kasumi's face he saw something he rarely saw in anyone actual concern for him it stunned him for a moment and his mind wondered he had never been this close to her and he feminine sent made his heart skip a beat "wow Kasumi really is beautiful" he thought to himself
"No I'm fine, nothing the heir to the Saotome School of Anything-goes Martial Arts can't handle" he said rather more haughtily than he would have like to.
"Well I better go so Dr. Tofu can fix you up I know he gets a little silly when I'm around"
"OK thanks Kasumi see you at home" "I'm glad she leavening before Doc kills me"
He thought to himself and with that She left he could hear her saying her goodbyes to Dr. Tofu and relaxed a little
"Ahhh at least now I can get all fixed up"
He took a deep cleansing breath and got a nose full of Kasumi's sweet sent that sent another shock to his heart.
"What's wrong with me" he shook his head
"I must had gotten hit harder than I thought"
Soon after Dr. Tofu reappeared and now with his glasses unfogged he set to work mending poor Ranma.
"So did Akane give you all these wounds? And is that lipstick on your face"
"Eep... yeah it is doc Damn Kodachi and her paralysis powder."
"Ohhh…" he laughed a bit "well with so many women after you affection no wonder some of them are getting desperate"
"Getting psychotic you mean aarrghh! Why can't they all just leave me alone?"
"Well maybe you should be more firm about you intentions with each one."
"Yeah doc and then just sit back and wait for the others to come and kill me"
"It's a real problem Ranma. But I think your coping well"
"Yeah till one of them finally finishes the job and I'm six feet under"
"Hmmm?"
"Uhh it's just an expression I herd in a movie once"
"Alright well you're all fixed up but I'm going to insist that you stay home from school for the rest of the week
And NO training until your ribs have healed properly"
"aww man"
"Well would you like to spend the night here or go home you well enough to make it that far?"
"I'm going home thanks doc as always you're a life saver"
"I do what I can Ranma. Now just remember what I said and take it easy for a few weeks. Here I'll walk you to the door"
Helping Ranma out of bed and escorting him to the door of his clinic he waves as Ranma starts his short journey back to the tendo's house,
"Bye Ranma be careful on you way home"
Ranma just shoots his hand into the air and gives it a little wave before retuning it to his pocket and continues to walk away with his head bowed. A little way down the street Ranma hung a right and not looking where he was going bumped into some one. Quickly looking up he notice that he had knocked this person off balance and they were about to fall, Using his highly trained reflexes he swooped down onto one knee and easily caught…Her?
Blink Blink
Blink Blink
"Oh Kasumi I'm sorry I wasn't looking where I was going"
"Ahhhh" was all she could say as she pointed to where Ranma was holding her.
With sudden panic he realized that he had one hand around her waist and one hand firmly cupping her breast. He quickly set her upright and jumped back five feet dropping to his knees.
"Sorry, Sorry….I d...d...d...didnt mean to." He raised his hand above his head waiting for the mallet to come down on him but after a few seconds he opened his eyes and saw her just standing there with a hurtful looking in her eye he didn't know she was capable of.
"Why did you react that way with me?"
"Huh? Sorry I guess it just a reflex."
"Not all the Tendo's are a violent as Akane" she said looking close to tears now.
"Umm" he was trying to think of what he was doing to make her look so sad.
"Sorry" he replied drooping his head once again.
"Why?"
"Why?" Ranma looked up confused.
"Why are you sorry you didn't do anything except save me from falling why are you apologizing to me?"
"C-C-C-Cause of….whe…where I touched …you"
"Did you mean to do it?" she asked him now with a much cooler look in her eyes.
"NO! Of coarse not I'm not that kind of guy!'
'Did I shout at you about it?"
"No" he said looking sheepish. "But you had a look in your eyes….Like…I hurt you so I just thought…."
"Just thought what? You did hurt my feeling Ranma but not by saving me." The warmth that was usually all over Kasumi's face was still missing and her coldness in her voice frightened him.
"Then what did I do?....."He racked hi brains looking for the point in the conversation where thing broke down but he was always so bad at it…..then it struck him he had compared her through his actions to Akane "yep" he though "that would piss anyone off"
"Listen Kasumi I'm sorry I acted that way toward you I had no right thinking that you would react the same way as your sister. Please Forgive me." He finished by bowing his head to her.
"Good" She Said Cheerfully.
Ranma's face swung up to see she had hitched the seemingly permanent smile back on her face the difference was astounding the other Kasumi was Scary but the warmth she exuded now made him feel….what he couldn't put his finger on it.
"Thank you for catching me Ranma."
"oh it was nothing I bumped into you and made you fall in the first place…Umm what are you doing out
Here so late"
She blushed silently. "oh I was on my way home and Dr. tofu told me he was going to let you come home tonight if you wanted to so I just thought it would be nice to walk home together."
"How did you know I was going to want to come home to night?"
"I just know you Ranma I know you wouldn't want to spend a night in the clinic. And he also told me that you are not to go to school for a few days and no training until your healed."
"I'm fine kasumi the doc just worried cause he doesn't know how strong I am"
"He told me you almost died today…..If he hadn't found you he said you would have been dead…" the sadness flashing in her eyes and voice again.
"Oh it takes a lot more than that to keep Ranma Saotome Down. As I said he just doesn't know how strong I really am…so you ready to head home" a big smile appearing on his face.
"Yes lets go…I hope no ones upset dinner might be a little late tonight." she said as they both started down the road to their home.
"I'm sure their fine I just hope Akane doesn't try to cook in your absence"
"OH, I didn't think of that yes we should hurry home"
It is only about a five minute walk from the clinic back to the Tendo home once they reached the door and began to take there shoes off.
"Were home" Kasumi stated in her cheery voice.
"Where have you been Kasumi? Wasn't dinner supposed to be an hour ago?" Soun asked his oldest daughter.
"I'm very sorry father…"
As Ranma listened to Kasumi's apology he started to resent Mr. Tendo for the way he was treating her. If he was that worried about dinner he could have ordered some or made some thing himself. What was he going to do when Kasumi finally got married and moved out? When he came around from his thoughts saw that his father was charging forward toward him and bonked him on the head
"Ow old man what did you do that for?"
"Who was the girl you were with today what kind of man goes around with other women behind his fiancé's back?"
"What are you talking about old man?"
"Akane came home from school very upset today. Nabiki told us she saw you in front of the school with lipstick al over your face!"
"Kodachi! She got me with those stupid roses of hers and I was paralyzed! Then shampoo showed up and she kicked me"
"So you were messing around with two women while your Bride to be was in school have you no shame boy'
"Did you listen to anything I just said it wasn't my FAULT!"
"You better go upstairs boy and apologize to Akane"
"Why do I have to apologize? She's the one that hit me!"
Soun's giant Terrifying head came upon Ranma and bellowed
"YOU WERE RUNNING AROUND ON MY DEAR AKANE GO SAY YOU SORRY AND SHE HAD BETTER TAKE YOU BACK!"
"OK OK I'm going" and with that he hoped up the stairs he lingered for a long while outside Akane's door but finally he knocked.
"Akane are you in there it's me Ranma"
"Go away you PERV!"
"Akane could you at least hear me out"
"Fine what?!"
He went on to explain all the days events leaving out what happened with him and Kasumi after a moment Akane slowly opened the door.
"Alright I believe you Ranma"
"Why do you always get so upset with me I cant help the lunatics that fallow me around"
Sniff "yeah that's what you say"
"What's that supposed to mean? Oh... I get it your Jealous! Ha admit it!"
"Who would be jealous of an Idiot like you?!"
"Now that's the Akane I know. The sad look doesn't suit an uncute tomboy like you"
"Sorry for Being so UNCUTE!" and with that she slammed the door in his face
"Well" he thought "at least she's back to normal"
A voice came trailing up the stairs.
"Ranma can you please tell Akane and Nabiki that dinner is ready."
"Yeah" he shouted back he decided to tell Nabiki first to give the tomboy a few more moments to calm down as he approached Nabiki's door a thought struck him.
Knock Knock "enter" came Nabiki's voice Ranma opened her door.
"Dinners ready Nabiki."
"Ok thanks"
"Could you tell Akane for me?"
"She's still pissed at you huh?"
"Yeah you could say that"
"OK but its going to cost you."
Grown "how much?"
"I'll let you know wink"
Ranma makes his way down stairs and is surprised to see he is the first one down to dinner and sits down at the table.
"Ranma can you help me in the kitchen please?"
He looked up from the table Kasumi asking for help?
"Uhh sure Kasumi"
Wandering into the kitchen he notices Kasumi happily humming to herself.
"Uhh what do you need help with Kasumi?"
"Can you set the table please" she retorts without looking up
"um, Sure" He walks over by her reaching over her head to get to the plates getting that same jolt as her Feminine aroma hits his nostrils.
"Sorry our fathers are giving you such a hard time" still without looking at him.
'ahh its nothing, I'm used to it….and um…Than…uh... never mind…" "Why is it so hard to just say thank you I know she doesn't hear it nearly enough" he thought.
Ranma gathered up all the plates and walked out to the living room where Soun and Genma were now sitting at the table
"Hmph…Now my son is carrying dishes have you no shame or do you it just to torment me boy …Oh curse the day when my son became a girl"
"who you callin a girl old man?'
"Ranma my boy have I not spent the last fourteen years trying to teach you what it means to be a man…a man among men?"
"All I know is your 'Teaching' has led me to lose my manhood dose that sound like you're a qualified Sensei?"
"You know son" approaching Ranma. "If your going to wine like a girl and do the women's work you might as well look like one!" and with that he hurled Ranma into the koi pond.
As Ranma sank down to the bottom of the pond he felt his bandages slip over his ribs causing a shooing pain in his side making him unable to resurface. As the pain subsided he popped his head out.
"Damn you old man!"
"NO Dinner for you Ranma go to the training hall and do your katas…I will train that weakness out of you…or do you want me to call your mother?"
"EP... Fine but I hope choke on it old man"
Kasumi's heart dropped, from where she was standing in the doorway to the dining room she watched the whole altercation and it filled her whole being with pity for the young pig-tailed boy. The rest of the family enjoyed there dinner as Ranma did his best to train but hungry cold and broken is a bad way to train every punch he threw felt like agony he could feel his broken rib grinding away as he moved swaying this way and that his anger growing resentment toward his whole life filling his heart until he broke down and fell to his knees
"don't cry Saotome…Men don't cry…your weak….'no I'm not'…then why are you crying"
The voice of his father ringing in his head "Your pitiful son….Your Weak…you call yourself a man?......I'm so ashamed..."
The pain in his heart and the pain in his sides finally bested him and feeling the tears coming ran from the dojo, when he was just outside he leapt to the roof and finally broke down completely.
"Look at me now, I am weak, pop was right I don't have the right stuff, Sniff I'm so alone…."
After dinner Akane retried back up to her room Nabiki hung around to watch TV while Genma and Soun played chess. Kasumi did all her nightly choirs. After cleaning up the kitchen and sweeping up the floors she had to take the trash out. She was just coming back in when she herd girls voice and she was crying. Looking around Kasumi saw that it was Ranma in Girl-Form nut he had never herd him cry no matter what form he was in. she took a deep steadying breath and tried to push it out of her mind after all it was none of her business and she knew that Ranma would not want anyone to have seen him in that state. as she ventured back in the Tendo home she came back into the dinning room seeming that everyone had gone to bed she thought she would do something nice for him and proceeded to make him some dinner she knew he hadn't eaten much that day so after whipping up a simple diner of leftover chicken and rice she heated up some water do that he could change back into his male form before he ate. After setting his dinner on the table she went back into the kitchen to fetch the warm water and found Ranma raiding the fridge.
"Oh Ranma I made you some dinner and theirs a kettle on the hot plate for you too."
Blink Blink "Thanks Kasumi" he spoke as he was putting the items he had pilfered back in the ridge.
"I thought everyone had gone to bed."
"I was just on my way but I thought you might want a snack before bed" she said as she picked up the kettle and poured it on his head.
"That's better, thank you"
She just smiled at him and led him out to the dinning room and sat him down in front of his food.
"Would you like some tea Ranma-Kun?"
"Ranma-Kun? You've never called me that before"
"I'm sorry would you prefer if I didn't?"
"N-No its fine it's just…been a long time since I herd anyone say it"
"So would you like some tea...Ranma-Kun?"
"Yeah Thanks…Kasumi"
Ranma didn't know why but he couldn't bring himself to be so causal with kasumi and the fact that she was being so nice to him (not that she wasn't always nice to every) somehow made him feel uncomfortable. She went off to get him some tea and he was left alone with his own thoughts mostly they just deweled on the fact the he had just broken down for the first time in his life and that he thought maybe his father was right in that he was still weak and needed more training. Kasumi returned shortly with the tea and to his surprise she did not just leave him and go to bed but had poured a second cup for herself and sat opposite of him at the table.
"I thought you were going to bed?"
"I just thought you might like some company."
Ranma just stared down into his tea not knowing what to say he never had spent any alone time with her but she was the first to speak.
"How are your injuries?"
"Well... my fingers are fine and my head doesn't hurt very much"
"How about your broken rib?"
"Oh its fine I can barely tell that's there's anything wrong with it"
Kasumi stood up so suddenly I caused Ranma to finch back for a moment he thought he might have just practiced he most powerful martial art on Kasumi the Ranma Saotome Foot-In-Mouth technique
But she just strode around the table and kneeled next to him much too close for his comfort and stared him right in the eyes, he blinked, but she just held his gaze.
Blink Blink
POKE
"Ahhhhgerrrrrrr! What did you do that for?" Ranma spat a kasumi as she withdrew her finger.
"Just as I thought you never were a convincing liar"
"But you didn't have to poke me so hard"
"Maybe that will teach you not lie to me"
"Look I'm having a bad night so if you don't mind I'm going off to bed"
"Alright good night Ranma-Kun"
Kasumi watched as Ranma tramped up the stairs thinking to herself how she could help this sad…Man?
"No he's just a sad and confused boy not a man." But did she really feel this way? She wasn't sure of her own feelings though.
"He stills needs someone to help him…but how? Maybe I'll just sleep on it"
So after clearing the table and washing the dishes she went off to bed. After about and hour of laying there tossing and turning unable to find sleep she thought she might just take a bath to relax. While gathering up her bathing necessities she headed to the bath room. After striping off her evening garments she sat on the stool filling up her wash pale with cool water taking out her scrub brush she started to soap her self up washing all her body with the cool water trying to was away her troubles for the day as she was rinsing herself off she looked down at her body looking at her breast thinking.
"Hmm I'm only 21 and there already beginning to sag and look at my waist and thighs I really need to get more exercise "craning around and looking down she smiles.
"At least I still have a cute butt"
After rinsing off she sat on the corner of the bath running the hot water thinking about many things she didn't feel herself capable of saying or doing and a pang of jealousy griped her as she thought about how many times Akane and Ranma have seen each other in the buff in this very bathroom. Just once in her life she would like to something like that happen to her to be there with another person totally exposed body and soul of coarse she knew that those two didn't think of it in that way but Akane was an impetuous child the baby of the family who never grew up and Ranma….he was so different from all the other men she knew. Another stab of jealousy as she remembered all the times Ranma had risked his life to save his ungrateful sister. The last time he was nearly killed by Pantyhose trying to save her and less than twelve hours later she had already malleted him sending him back to the clinic. It was true that more than half of the time he spoke he did while nibbling on his shoe laces but the amount of pain she had inflicted on him was…there was no other way of putting it…Cruel…yes that was the only word she thought fit her sister's actions. And yet he never hit her back… never…and half the time he never even try to doge her malleting she was sure he could of everything you could say about Ranma Saotome you could not deny he was one of the best martial artist in the world but he was also kind and gentle a little rough on the out side but she thought that was because of the life he had lead traveling around all over the place with his father never having any real friends and never having much social interaction at all. But over the last two years she was starting to see him for what he really was…a man who doses anything he can to help those he cares about. Having filled the bath she slips in and wave of relaxation hit her almost immediately. She grabs her washcloth from the edge of the bath and after dipping it in the soothing hot water folds it neatly and puts it on her head. She sinks lower into the bath letting her ears drop blow the water witch is of course the time that someone knocks on the door.
Ranma opens up the door to the bath looking around to make sure no one was in there having walked in on Akane so many time but in the little changing room with the washer into he didn't see anyone clothes laying about(of course Kasumi would never leave anything just laying about) he took off his cloths and opened the door to the bath it being late and he not really looking around he didn't notice some else was in the bathroom so he just sat down on the stool and began to fill his wash pale with cool water he hated the fact that he had to turn into a girl every time he wanted to bathe but was used to it by now. Kasumi still with her eyes closed enjoying just laying down in the bath suddenly became aware that she heard water running and sat up to see who it was figuring it was just one of her sisters she got quite a shock to see the wide muscular back and black pig-tail sitting not ten feet from her frozen by shock she made an almost inaudible gasp but his highly trained senses heard it as if she had shouted in his ear. Horror Stuck him a little voice in his head told him not to turn around but it when unheard slowly tremulously he turned to see the face of doom something deep in his heart told him who I had to be before he ever turned around he knew it had to be Akane. It took a moment to register who he was looking at. Soft brown hair big scared eyes, beautiful face, and a nice pair of ... Ranma stood up out of fear looking to get out of there but it also gave him a bird's eye view of her whole body. The shock stating to wear of her eyes wandered down his body noticing his large chest rippling arms perfect six pack abs and …..Oh my... he certainly wasn't a boy.
Ranma being the first one to act shut his eyes and dropped down in to his begging position.
"Sorry Sorry Sorry I'm SO SORRY!... I didn't know any….."
While he was pleading his patented luck kicked in and Akane woke up to use the bathroom seeing no sign on the door she just walked in and froze. All she saw was her sister holding washcloth over here breast and a naked Ranma prostrate on the floor. Retrieving her mallet from thin air she swung it back and the last thing that went thought Ranma head was the thought
"I hope Akane never finds out about this She'd KILL ME!" well that, and the floor.
"Oh no Akane what did you do that for"
"WHAT! This pervert was trying to molest you"
"No he wasn't it was an accident"
"heh! You don't know him Kasumi he's a total Hentai!"
"Listen Akane I came to take a bath because I couldn't sleep I didn't put the occupied sign up it's my fault."
"Yeah then why was he Naked in here creeping toward you on the floor?"
"He wasn't he was just apologizing f-"
"For what being a Pervert?"
Akane stormed out of the bath room as angry as she had ever been why was Kasumi trying to defend him. She went back to her room fuming just repeating.
"Ranma…Idiot…Pervert….Ranma…Idiot…"
"Ranma-kun are you alright?" asks a still nude Kasumi Tendo
"GAWaerurd…DeeEEUrp.."
"Oh My….."
Kasumi hurried off to get her robe while Simi conscious Ranma continued to lie in a heap on the floor. Rushing back to him and covering him with a towel she turns him over to see that he didn't look too badly hurt.
"Ranma-Kun…Ranma-Kun" she calls to him while shaking him gently "Ranma-Kun are you alright?"
Ranma comes to rubbing his head
"ooohhhh…What happened?"
"Akane she-"
"Figures"
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah….S..S..Sorry for walking in on you…"
"NO!...I mean no..sigh…it was my fault it was late and I didn't think to put up the sign."
As Ranma was getting up the towel he was wearing slipped off. He quickly covers himself back up while his face turns a vivid shade of red and runs from the bathroom back down the hall into his room leaving Kasumi all alone in the bathroom all flustered seeing as she was kneeling down when his towel fell and got a close up view of his little warrior. Recounting the night's events in her head she cleans up the bathroom and makes a mental note to call the mason in the morning to fix the floor. Heading off to bed head buzzing full of thoughts of Ranma, how he's treated, what Akane dose to him, his body, all the stress from having so many fiancé, his body, and his manhood. She shakes her head trying in vain to clear *Those* images from her mind. Lying down in bed she drifts off to sleep dreaming all of very very naughty thing one could do with a half boy-half girl.
Rising early Kasumi set out to get breakfast ready. Heading down stairs and into the dinning room she sees that someone is already at the table looking sleepily into the distance. Still wearing his standard white shirt and boxer shorts he senses someone else has entered the room with him.
'Good morning Ranma-Kun." Kasumi spoke in her sweet cheery voice
"Good morning Kasumi….listen about last night I-"
"As far as I'm concerned it never happened so don't worry Ranma-Kun, have you been up all night?"
"Yeah after….the thing that didn't happen I couldn't sleep and the old mans snoring was buggin me so I came down here"
"Hmm..Well sense your up would you mind helping me get breakfast ready for everyone?"
"Sure"
Following her into the kitchen she busied herself with getting out ingredients for the morning meal taking out fruits and vegetables a slab of meat and various containers and utensils.
'Ummm…what can't I do" Ranma asks hesitantly
"Well you could boil some water for the tea"
While trying to give instructions to him she lost her focus for cutting the vegetables and the knife slipped over her index finger making a rather deep cut. She recoiled from the pain and Ranma ran to her.
"Are you OK"?
"Yes it just a cut how silly of me"
"Yeah that looks bad hold on let me get the first aid kit" Ranma said while running over by the stove where it was kept.
"Here Kasumi sit down" he said gently pulling her to a small chair in the corner by the door.
"Oh I don't want to be a bother"
"Your not, how many times have you used this kit on me now it's my turn so please just sit here"
Placing the kit on the floor and opening it he pulls out a sterile gauze pad and mops up the blood on her finger. She notices his hands, how gentile he is being with her, how she had seen these very hands smash threw wood and concrete and yet as rough and callused they were she could tell the expert care he was using when touching her like she was made of glass and would shatter at any moment. After applying the bandage she tried to stand up to resume her cooking but Ranma held her down firm.
"Your injured you just stay here I'll make breakfast"
"You're far more injured than I am Ranma-kun"
"Just sit there please"
Giving into him she gave him a little nod and a smile as he set to work preparing breakfast.
"Let me show you how a real martial artist make breakfast" he said with al the bravado he could muster
She was amazed by not only the speed of his hands but the way his whole body got into the act, it was like a dance, a perfect series of movements not one wasted step. Using his Chestnuts roasting on an open fire technique he slice all the fruits and vegetables in a matter of seconds tossing them into the air and catching them in separate bowls each one perfectly cut. Kasumi was really enjoying the show not only because he was quite entertaining, make the whole thing out to look like a performance but also because it had been so long since anyone had cooked for her. Next he took the chicken spinning it in his hands and doing something she couldn't see it hit the plate fully cooked. Filing each plate with the morning's meal the casually tossed them out the kitchen door each one landing on the table not spilling a morsel of food. He turned back to her. With the look of wonder on her face he couldn't help but smile.
"Where did you learn to do that?"
"Well... you know with all the crazy martial artist that come around here I thought it was just a matter of time before somebody form a school of martial arts cooking came to challenge me."
"I had no idea, I knew you practiced day and night but I didn't know you were training like this"
"Yeah but don't tell pop he thinks cooking is only for the women"
"But I couldn't take credit for your cooking Ranma-Kun."
"You have to look if you don't wanna say you did it just don't say anything at all."
Breakfast went fine Kasumi never mentioned that Ranma did the cooking even though there were several praises toward the meal she felt bad about taking credit but honored his wishes after breakfast Akane and Nabiki went off to school Genma went off to his part time job at Dr. Tofu's and Soun went into town to stock up on sake. Kasumi started her morning routine as she was cleaning up breakfast she wondered where Ranma had run off to she hadn't seen him since he finished eating he had looked depressed this morning. After she had washed the dishes and sanitized the kitchen she when to the laundry room to find it was empty shocked (for it had never happened before she wondered where all the cloths had gone once she had gotten back down stairs she saw all the laundry had already been washed and was drying out on the line but that wasn't all. All of her morning chores were already done the floors were swept and washed the trash was taken out the house was sparkling clean yet there was still no sign of Ranma. She was certain he had done all her choirs but couldn't figure out how and why. Why, she had some idea but the 'how' was more troubling how could a man or anyone for that matter especially with the injuries he had complete her entire morning routine in a matter of ten minutes. She was beginning to really worry about him now. Searching the house she found no sign of him he wasn't in his room or the dojo or anywhere in the house. Then a thought hit her he's not 'in' the house so going out side and into there shed she got out a latter and putting it on one of the lower roofs she slowly made her way up. Once on the roof she clambered around carefully until she heard him snoring, peaking over a crest she saw him laid out in the center of the roof fast asleep.
"Wow he is cute when he's sleeping" the recognition of the thought griped her "where did that come from"
She wondered while she continued to stare at him. But she couldn't help it ever since they had been together at Dr. Tofu's every time he was close to her every time he looked deeply into her eyes she couldn't help it her pulse quickened her face grew warm and an almost paralyzing fear tugged at her heart though she couldn't explain it unless… "Am I falling for Ranma?…No no no I can't be…I shouldn't…he's Akane's fiancé, but how does he feel, NO!" she forcefully told herself trying to clear the thoughts of him from her head. Looking back at Ranma she jumped back to see that he was gone. And at once realized she was falling she had lost her footing and now was sliding down the roof closing her eyes waiting for the crash that never came. She kept her eyes closed for a moment waiting for her mind to catch up on what was going on then looking up she saw the face of Ranma and it was in pain. He set her down and dropped to one knee holding his side and asking if she was all right.
"Yes I'm fine but you shouldn't have not with your injuries."
"You rather I let you fall?"
"I" she stammered and taking a steadying breath "no…thank you Ranma" she gave him a small bow and a somber smile.
"What were you doing up there you could have been hurt."
"I was looking for you I hadn't seen you since breakfast and…."
"And"
"And you did all my work without a word, nothing, I was worried about you."
"…I just wanted to something nice for you. You are always so kind to me and pop" he said rather nervously pushing his fingers together in front of him.
"Thank You Ranma-Kun" she said with a beaming smile and a deep bow this time.
As the moments passed an uncomfortable silence fell between them both each wanting to say more but each fearing they had said too much.
"Would you like to have some tea with me Ranma-kun?"
"ahh no I have to go…Bye"
And without saying another word he jumped to the roof ran along the edge for a moment and leaped over the wall and out of sight.