Nabiki was right, of course, Akane knew she would be. But it always rankled that her elder sister was always on the money when it came to human behavior. Nabiki just had an eye for reading people and situations. Akane couldn't be mad though, not this time. Kasumi just looked so happy.
Tofu had taken immediate interest in her and had casually joined each group she was in as she made her rounds, greeting people from the neighborhood. Which took a while because she knew everyone. Kasumi was a darling of the neighborhood amongst the young and old alike. Not to mention the men who would have loved a chance to date her themselves, but to their great disappointment, she had shown no interest in any of them. Tofu seemed happy to follow after her, looking at her with a goofy, glazed look in his eyes and it seemed he had piqued her interest, too.
Truth be told, Akane had never seen Kasumi react to anyone like she was to Tofu. Her normally reserved sister was behaving rather girlishly. There was a twinkle in her eye when she giggled at his jokes and she was blushing. Blushing! It was so sweet.
Smiling to herself as she watched the tableau, she turned and bumped directly into someone sturdy. Wide eyed and startled, she looked up and recognized Tofu's friend, Ranma, with a very annoyed look on his face. Looking down she quickly realized why. She had spilled her entire cup of red punch on his very white shirt.
"Oh! I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed. She began to wipe at his shirt with her napkin, inadvertently spreading the liquid and making a bigger mess.
"It's fine." When she kept wiping, he swatted her hands away, exclaiming, "I said it's fine!"
She pulled her hands away and looked up at him with wide, horrified eyes. "I-I really am sorry."
"Yeah, I know," he sighed heavily, looking down at his ruined shirt. He shook his head in exasperation. "Excuse me, I need to change."
"So, you having a good time, Ranma?"
"As good of a time as I can."
"Oh come now! I'm having an excellent time. The people here are so friendly and inviting. I've already received open invitations to dine with five families!"
"Of course you did. I'm sure you being a single, young, handsome doctor had nothing to do with it."
"Stop, you're making me blush."
"How many of those families have at least one single daughter or granddaughter they want to or already have paraded in front of you?"
"Well, all of them actually. But that doesn't change how hospitable and gracious the neighborhood has been."
"Yes. To you."
Tofu had noticed that Ranma was standing by himself most of the afternoon and had come over to check on him. He wasn't really surprised by his behavior though, it always took Ranma a while to warm up to people.
"Well, if you would just loosen up and actually talk to some of the people here, I am sure they would be just as welcoming to you." At Ranma's grunt, clearly showing his disbelief, Tofu continued undaunted. "Your name has come up several times, some by those single, young women you mentioned. Several of them are very attractive," he said with a wiggle of his eyebrows.
"There is only one true beauty here today and she seems to have already caught your eye." At Tofu's questioning look, Ranma added, "You're not being as subtle as you think you are."
Tofu cleared his throat, a sheepish look on his face.
"But that's because I know you. Don't worry, I'm sure only a few other people noticed. Maybe twenty or thirty percent. Okay, maybe half. Eighty percent, tops."
That got a chuckle from Tofu, who clapped Ranma on the shoulder.
"I'm serious, Ranma. Just mingle. There are some really nice girls here. I had a nice chat with Kasumi's sister, Akane. She was funny and sweet, with a pair of lovely eyes."
"Yes, Akane. She is cute but not enough to tempt me, considering she's a complete klutz. Ruined a brand new shirt," he mumbled under his breath.
"Is that why you're wearing that?" Tofu nodded to the Ono Clinic t-shirt Ranma had on. "Here I thought you were just being supportive."
Ranma chuckled. "Don't worry about me, doc, just go back to making eyes at Kasumi. Try to spend time with some of your other guests, too, okay? I'll be fine."
They both walked away, completely unaware that the subject of their conversation was on the other side of the tree, her face burning with embarrassment.
Akane took a moment to gather herself before coming out from behind the tree. Still red-faced, she took a quick peek around to make sure the coast was clear before going the opposite direction she thought Ranma and Tofu had gone. The last thing she needed was to have that…that…jerk! think she was eavesdropping on them. That would have been mortifying. She saw Ukyo over by one of the buffet tables perusing the desserts and went to join her.
"Hi, Akane!"
"Hi, Ukyo."
"What's the matter?"
"Nothing."
Akane then mumbled under her breath. Ukyo could make out a number of words which included jerk, arrogant, jerk, rude, jerk, conceited, and jerk. Someone had clearly gotten under her skin. After her short rant, Ukyo only gave Akane a patient look as she finished her sponge cake. Akane knew that look. It was one she had received plenty of times from Ukyo over the years. Usually when she lost her temper, Ukyo would give her that look until Akane told her everything that was bothering her, then she would feel better. This time was no different and soon Akane told her the whole story.
"Wow, he really does sound like an arrogant jerk."
Ukyo looked over at the subject of their conversation and gave him a thoughtful look. He was attractive even in borrowed his t-shirt, she'd give him that. But she had had two conversations with the man and found him quite unlikeable. He acted haughty and above it all. Even now, as he was talking to two shopkeepers he seemed bored, his manner patronizing.
"You know, if you want, I think I could accidentally spill some teriyaki on his new shirt."
Akane smirked at the idea.
"But Dr. Tofu probably has more in the back. I could go for his pants, right in the front."
Her lips twitched.
"I doubt that Dr. Tofu has any pants around, maybe some sweats. Can you imagine Mr. GQ walking around in sweats?"
The smirk turned into a smile. Ukyo cocked her head to the side, her eyes narrowed in concentration as she came up with another idea.
"You know, if I used water and took really careful aim, I could make it look like he wet himself."
Just like Ukyo wanted, Akane giggled and soon the girls were laughing as they came up with more ways to give him a comeuppance.
Across the lawn, completely unaware of the plots against him, Ranma was standing by himself and observing people from a distance, the way he liked them best. The sound of laughter grabbed his attention and he turned toward the sound. He stopped dead and could only stare with his drink half way to his mouth.
Damn. What a beautiful smile.
"Did you see how Tofu doted on Kasumi today?"
"It was hard to miss with him following her around all afternoon."
"I know," Hinako said in a superior tone. "I got some unfriendly looks from some of the other mommas," she added. Despite her eye-roll she looked thoroughly pleased with herself. Soun's lips twitched in amusement. "The grand mommas were tittering over it all afternoon. They were all speculating about when an engagement announcement would come." Now there was no hiding how smug she was feeling.
The grand mommas were a group of grandmothers and great-grandmothers from the neighborhood who ruled over the social scene. At every event, they gathered to gossip, with their progeny bringing them food and drink. It was a common joke that they knew everything that was happening before it happened.
"He seems like a good man. Someone who will take care of her," Soun said thoughtfully.
Hinako knew that he meant that Tofu would look after Kasumi emotionally as well as financially. She looked at her husband fondly. Soun often joked that he didn't care who his daughters married as long as they came from good families, but she knew that he worried about every one of his girls. Yes, he wanted them to all marry well, but what parent wouldn't? Life was hard enough without having money problems. But he also wanted them to marry someone who would be good to them. That meant different things for each daughter. Kasumi was the kindest of all the girls and he was worried she would marry someone who would take advantage of that. Hinako was less concerned, she knew that underneath the kindness Kasumi showed, there was spine made of steel.
"He does seem like a very good man. I'm sure he's going to treat her very well."
"And with them living so close by, we can keep an eye on things…make sure he's making her happy."
"Of course, honey." She patted his arm in amusement. "Just think, soon we could have the house all to ourselves."
"But what will we do with all that time alone?"
"Oh, I can think of a thing, or two," she cooed.
The next week found Hinako in an exceptionally good mood. It seemed that everyone's speculation had been spot on. Tofu's youngest sister, Kodachi, had called to invite Kasumi over for tea. The haughty girl had subtly snubbed everyone she was introduced to and did not send invitations to any of the other girls in the neighborhood. It seemed that everyone was in agreement it was a good sign of Tofu's interest in Kasumi. They were convinced Kodachi only wanted to get to know Kasumi to see if she was fit for her brother.
Kasumi seemed quite pleased about the prospect and had spent a good portion of the morning helping Hinako making a variety of sweets for the occasion. She would have made them herself but she had been feeling a bit tired over the last couple of days. When the snacks were done, she packaged them into a small basket.
Akane couldn't help but smile at the excited look on Kasumi's face. Of course to most Kasumi would seem as serene as she always did. Even most of her sisters wouldn't be able to tell how excited she was, but Akane was proud to say she could read her sister better than anyone. Almost anyone. Hinako, was acutely attuned to all of her girls. She always said that with five daughters it was a means of survival. There was probably some truth to that and the Tendo girls had found it vexing, especially during their teenage years. Unlike their friends, the Tendo girls got away with very little with Kasumi needing almost no monitoring and Nabiki needing the most. But underneath it all, the girls knew it was because Hinako loved them all dearly. Watching her sister hum to herself as she flitted around the kitchen, Akane couldn't help but frown a bit. Kasumi looked a little peaked.
"Kasumi, are you feeling well?"
"Yes, of course."
"You're looking a bit flushed."
"I'm fine. Don't worry about it. I'm just a bit tired."
"You? Tired?" The idea was preposterous. Kasumi never seemed to get tired. "Maybe you should cancel your tea."
"Really, Akane. Don't you think you're overreacting?" Hinako said exasperatedly.
"No. Kasumi rarely gets sick..."
"I'm not sick." "She's not sick." Came two simultaneous responses.
"I know that. But we don't want her getting sick. There's a chance of rain today, what if she catches a cold?"
"I'm not going to catch a cold. I'll be fine, Akane."
"Just remember to bring an umbrella with you when you go."
"Of course."
Shortly after she left, Akane found Kasumi's umbrella forgotten in the genkan. Kasumi must have been feeling worse than she said was if she forgot the umbrella. Kasumi was usually meticulous about things. Akane flinched at the sound of thunder. She opened the door just as the rain started pouring down. With a sigh, she closed the door and went into the kitchen.
"It's raining and Kasumi forgot her umbrella. I hope that she's okay. Hopefully she got there already."
"She'll be fine, Akane," Hinako said with a roll of her eyes.
Feeling her mother was being much too blasé about the situation, she added sarcastically, "If Kasumi should have a dangerous fit of illness, if she should die, it would be a comfort to know that it was all in pursuit of Dr. Tofu."
"People do not die of little trifling colds." Hinako only stopped long enough to look at her blandly. "Now, shoo, I need to get dinner started."
"Oh, really?" Akane said, perking up. "Can I help?"
Hinako sighed inwardly, cursing her inattention as the result of being harassed by Akane. She would never have said that aloud had she been paying more attention. Now she would have to spend the next hour carefully watching out for Akane in the kitchen and would no doubt be left with a huge mess to clean afterwards. Outwardly, she just smiled indulgently.
"Of course you can."
Not too far away, Kasumi was feeling equally annoyed. She had left the house with plenty of time to make her lunch date and would have been there by now had she not been stopped by not one, not two, but three well-meaning neighbors who wanted a word with her. They all just happened to ask her where she was going, while giving her meaningful winks. She could only smile politely as she tried to get on her way.
She had just extricated herself from one of the grand mamas when the sky opened up angrily. Within a minute she was drenched. She continued on her way though; she wasn't one to just shrug off her obligations. Not that lunch was an obligation, it was something she was looking forward to. A thought that she kept repeating to herself as she made her way to the clinic.
Kasumi was greeted at the front door by Kodachi and Azusa, who were both shocked by her state. They ushered her inside and helped her dry off, giving her an old dress to wear before sitting down for their tea. Kasumi had been relieved to find that her desserts made it through the storm better than she did and looked as good as when she packaged them.
The three ladies spent a lovely afternoon getting to know each other over tea. If Kasumi felt the Ono sisters were a little critical in their comments of the townspeople, she brushed it off as them not really knowing the people they were discussing. If they sounded condescending when talking about how 'cute' the neighborhood was, it was because they lived in the city and had to get used to a slower pace of life. If Azusa's obsession with cuteness seemed a little excessive, Kasumi just considered it quirky. If Kodachi's laugh was a little…bracing, well she couldn't help the way she laughed, now could she? Overall, Kasumi enjoyed herself.
It wasn't until the end of their tea that things took an unexpected turn. Kasumi had just gotten up when she suddenly felt light headed. The next thing she knew, Kodachi and Azusa were both looking down at her with concern.
Shortly before dinner – while Akane was setting the table – the phone rang. Since her mother was still finishing dinner and her sisters were upstairs, she went to answer it.
"Hello."
"Is this the Tendo residence?"
"It is. Is there something I can help you with?"
"This is Kodachi Ono. Your sister Kasumi had tea with me earlier."
"Yes. Is everything alright?"
"Who is it, Akane?" Hinako asked from the kitchen.
"It's Kodachi Ono."
There was a quick shuffling of feet that told Akane Hinako was headed to the hallway.
"Can you please hold a second, Kodachi? My mother would like to speak with you."
Akane thought she heard some unhappy muttering before her mother took the phone.
"Hello, this is Hinako Tendo. Is everything alright with Kasumi?"
"She's fine now, but she fainted earlier."
"Oh dear."
"Really, she's fine. My sister and I helped her into bed and my brother came home shortly after. He's given her an exam and it looks as though she came down with a pretty bad cold, she has a fever and is shivering a bit but Tofu has given her some medicine and she's resting."
"Okay, we'll come get her right away."
"Tofu doesn't really want her to be leave, he wants to monitor her for a while."
"Why does she need to be monitored, I thought you said she was fine?"
"She is. Tofu is just concerned about how quickly this came on and with how badly it's raining out, he doesn't want to risk her getting drenched again. He would like it if she could stay here overnight so he can keep an eye on her. Please don't worry, we have plenty of space now and she is under excellent care. In fact, Tofu's in there with her now or he would have called you himself."
"Alright, if you're sure it's no trouble."
"None, at all. Tofu will call you in the morning with an update."
"Thank you, goodbye."
"Goodbye."
At Akane's questioning look, Hinako explained everything to her.
"Oh, no. Do you think I should go check on her?
"No, she's fine. She has her own personal doctor looking after her."
"Mother, you could sound a little more concerned. You sound suspiciously happy about the situation," Akane said accusingly with her arms crossed.
"Happy that my daughter is sick? Never. But I can't help but think this is a wonderful opportunity for Tofu to be around your sister more. You never know what can happen."
"Yes, I can see it now. A darkened room, Tofu and Kasumi talking to each other late into the night. Tofu leaning over to whisper sweet nothings in her ear. Telling her how beautiful her red, puffy eyes are, the pallor of her skin, all while she wipes the snot from her nose. Yes, mother, so romantic," Akane said sarcastically while rolling her eyes before going to finish setting the table.
The next morning the sun shone clear and the air smelled fresh. The only evidence of the thunderstorm yesterday were the puddles around the neighborhood. Akane was just finishing her warm-up three mile run and on impulse turned left instead of right and headed towards Tofu's clinic. It was early enough that she was a bit concerned about disturbing Tofu but was pleasantly surprised to find him already up and outside, sweeping the front step.
"Hello, Dr. Tofu. I don't know if you remember me..."
"Of course I do, Akane. How are you doing today?"
"Good, thank you. How are you?
"I'm doing very well, thank you. But I'm sure you're more concerned about Kasumi?"
"Yes, I am. I hope I'm not bothering you too early in the morning."
"Not at all, please come in."
As they made their way upstairs, Akane could hear people moving around.
"Do you have other patients staying here, Doctor?"
"Please, call me Tofu. No, my family is staying in town to help with setting up the practice and for an extended visit." They reached the upstairs to find everyone seated around the dining table. "Everyone Ms. Tendo has come to visit with her sister. Akane, you remember my sisters, brother in-law, and Ranma?"
Akane was a bit startled to see everyone, especially him, and subtly tried to fix her hair, but she only smiled at everyone before greeting them. "Good morning."
"Good lord, did you run here?" Kodachi asked. While her question conveyed curiosity, her tone was scathing and mocking.
"I did." Akane replied simply, keeping her head high while Kodachi and Azusa eyed her head to toe. It was embarrassing standing there in her exercise gear - still sweating from her run – while they were both wearing lovely dresses with their hair perfectly styled and make-up perfectly applied. When no one said anything more she added, "I'm sorry to disturb your breakfast. Tofu, if you can show me where Kasumi is, I'll get out of your hair."
"Nonsense. Please do join us after you look in on your sister. I just checked on her myself a little while ago and she had fallen back asleep. I'm sure you'll have so much to add to our conversation," Kodachi said giving her a patronizing smile.
"Yes, that sounds like a wonderful idea. I'll show you to her room," Tofu said with excitement, completely missing his sister's tone.
When they reached the door, Akane heard the sound of giggling and hoped they weren't talking about her.
"Did you see the state of her clothes? She had at least six inches of mud splattered all over her leggings. She looked practically medieval," Kodachi sneered to her sister.
"Not to mention her hair. It was flying all over the place."
"Or how red and blotchy her face was? I wonder if that's how she looks whenever she gets sweaty," Mikado said, making no doubt what he was talking about. He got a playful slap on the shoulder from Azusa. "Talk about a mood killer." The sisters broke into another round of laughter.
Despite his comments, Ranma couldn't help but think Mikado was paying too much attention to Akane. Perhaps it was because he knew she was soon to be subject to Azusa and Kodachi - who were as lethal and cold as sharks when it came to other women their age – but a little protective of the girl. "I think the exercise seemed to make her eyes bright."
Kodachi was no longer giggling. Her face turned stiff and stony as she watched Ranma. His gaze was still on the hall, his expression thoughtful.
A/N: I was a little sad writing this chapter when I realized that Darcy doesn't actually show up much in the first few chapters. Which means Ranma won't. Which means no Ranma and Akane?! What? So, I'm adding to the P&P plot because I needs me some R&A.
Thank you to everyone who is following this story for your patience. As I said before, I will try to update this as much as I can.
Big shout out to alwaysZutarian for all her help even when she's got papers and finals!
