Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma and Co.
When Dr Tofu left the room, Kasumi turned to Akane and hold her hand. "I knew you would come to visit me. Ever since Mother...left due to an illness, you are always worried when one of us is sick even though it is just a minor illness. Don't worry about me, my dear Akane. Dr Tofu is exaggerating when he said I caught a violent cold. It's just a small cold."
"What are you talking about? You look feverish and your face lost its color. Do not try to dissuade me to leave you alone in this state. Although you did not express much, you also had this fear in your heart when one of us is ill or hurt. Even Nabiki and Father are not spared from this fear. We both had to convince Father that you are well taken care of. Father is hysterical when he read the message. Nabiki is now taking care of him or else she would have rushed over like what I did. I trust Dr Tofu that he will cure you but I would not put my heart at ease until I see you healthy again. Besides, I already lost Mother. I could not afford to lose one of you."
Tears trickled down their cheeks as they remembered the painful moment and they tried to seek comfort in each other's arm.
"Ahem."
They both looked up and saw Ranma standing at the door in a stiff and dignified manner as usual. Akane narrowed her eyes in anger. How dare he barge in without knocking? He inquired about Kasumi's heath and was satisfied with her answer which was said in her usual sweetness although her voice was weak. He then looked at Akane and asked her whether she wanted the carriage to be ready for her departure as it was getting late. However the reluctant looks on their face caused Ranma to convert the offer of the carriage to an invitation to stay in the mansion until Kasumi recovered. Akane thankfully accepted and arrangements were made immediately for her stay.
At six o'clock, Akane was summoned to dinner and only complied when she saw Kasumi slept peacefully. She answered Dr Tofu's enquiries about sister and thanked him profusely for taking care of her. As she took her seat, she noted the absence of Lord Ryouga and asked Dr Tofu so. He replied that Lord Ryouga had some urgent matters to attend to and had to leave their company after breakfast. Throughout the meal, only Dr Tofu attempted to converse with her and give her his attention, making her feel at ease. The rest simply ignored her. Ukyo gave her full attention to Ranma who, much to Akane's delight, was annoyed at her disturbance.
After dinner, Akane immediately made her way to Kasumi's room. Once she was out of sight, Ukyo immediately attacked her. Her manners were pronounced to be very bad. "What a proud girl. With no words of thanks, she rushed to her sister room immediately. Although I felt that I was to blame for Miss Kasumi's sorry state since I was the one who personally invited Miss Kasumi to have tea with us and had no complaints about her putting up here, I do not see the need of having Miss Akane to stay here with us. My brother is more than qualified to treat her. She need not have to worry about her sister. With such ill breeding, I'm not surprised that her family had such lowly connections."
"Even though they had lowly connections, this does not mean that they are any less agreeable than their relatives." Dr Tofu answered
"However, their fortune and connections have an upper hand in determining their future husband's status. I'm, of course with my title and fortune, am expected to marry a woman who had an equal standing as me in the society and not anything less. I also expected my future wife to possess few qualities that only few would have and so far, I only met one or two who met or surpass my expectations." Ranma said with a smirk on his face.
"And may I know what qualities are they, Lord Ranma? You must have very high expectations in order for you to safely say that only a handful has the potential to become your lifelong partner."
Akane stood at the stairway with an amused smile, much to his surprise. She overheard part of the conversation as she was coming down the stairs and it caught her interest although she was quite angry with the remarks made by Ukyo about her family.
"For one to qualify as his wife, she must be beautiful. Her posture and bearing must be ladylike and her taste for fashion and style must be superior. Her manners must be first class. Generally, she must live up the words 'accomplished lady' and had an equal status and fortune as him." His faithful assistant announced.
"Most importantly, she must have the passion for martial arts. And of course, she must not be violent." Ranma looked into Akane's eyes as he emphasized the words in the sentence with great care.
"I am no longer surprised at your knowing one or two. I am beginning to wonder whether you know any instead. Never had I seen such combination whose qualities are so contradicting. A lady who is skilled in martial arts is considered by our society as unfeminine. To be accepted by the superior class like yours, I'm sure that the lady must not have any knowledge of martial arts, let alone skills, as it is a man's thing in your class."
"I'm sure that his acquaintances would not mind about that aspect and they would gladly induct her into their society. I knew of many ladies who possess such qualities during our travels. Perhaps your family was too strict on your money expenditure to allow such luxury of traveling." Ukyo replied with an insolent smile.
"Although my circle of friends is not as wide as yours, I'm sure that you would not find your ideal wife here in Nerima. Besides, your future wife would have my sympathies."
"Excuse me, maybe my expectations are too high for your tastes but I'm sure that she does not require your sympathies. I am a lord with vast fortune and the best martial artiste and my wife should count herself lucky to have me as her husband. But for you, you will need mine because no man would want a violent wife like you." Ranma glared at her, indignant at her words.
When Dr Tofu left the room, Kasumi turned to Akane and hold her hand. "I knew you would come to visit me. Ever since Mother...left due to an illness, you are always worried when one of us is sick even though it is just a minor illness. Don't worry about me, my dear Akane. Dr Tofu is exaggerating when he said I caught a violent cold. It's just a small cold."
"What are you talking about? You look feverish and your face lost its color. Do not try to dissuade me to leave you alone in this state. Although you did not express much, you also had this fear in your heart when one of us is ill or hurt. Even Nabiki and Father are not spared from this fear. We both had to convince Father that you are well taken care of. Father is hysterical when he read the message. Nabiki is now taking care of him or else she would have rushed over like what I did. I trust Dr Tofu that he will cure you but I would not put my heart at ease until I see you healthy again. Besides, I already lost Mother. I could not afford to lose one of you."
Tears trickled down their cheeks as they remembered the painful moment and they tried to seek comfort in each other's arm.
"Ahem."
They both looked up and saw Ranma standing at the door in a stiff and dignified manner as usual. Akane narrowed her eyes in anger. How dare he barge in without knocking? He inquired about Kasumi's heath and was satisfied with her answer which was said in her usual sweetness although her voice was weak. He then looked at Akane and asked her whether she wanted the carriage to be ready for her departure as it was getting late. However the reluctant looks on their face caused Ranma to convert the offer of the carriage to an invitation to stay in the mansion until Kasumi recovered. Akane thankfully accepted and arrangements were made immediately for her stay.
At six o'clock, Akane was summoned to dinner and only complied when she saw Kasumi slept peacefully. She answered Dr Tofu's enquiries about sister and thanked him profusely for taking care of her. As she took her seat, she noted the absence of Lord Ryouga and asked Dr Tofu so. He replied that Lord Ryouga had some urgent matters to attend to and had to leave their company after breakfast. Throughout the meal, only Dr Tofu attempted to converse with her and give her his attention, making her feel at ease. The rest simply ignored her. Ukyo gave her full attention to Ranma who, much to Akane's delight, was annoyed at her disturbance.
After dinner, Akane immediately made her way to Kasumi's room. Once she was out of sight, Ukyo immediately attacked her. Her manners were pronounced to be very bad. "What a proud girl. With no words of thanks, she rushed to her sister room immediately. Although I felt that I was to blame for Miss Kasumi's sorry state since I was the one who personally invited Miss Kasumi to have tea with us and had no complaints about her putting up here, I do not see the need of having Miss Akane to stay here with us. My brother is more than qualified to treat her. She need not have to worry about her sister. With such ill breeding, I'm not surprised that her family had such lowly connections."
"Even though they had lowly connections, this does not mean that they are any less agreeable than their relatives." Dr Tofu answered
"However, their fortune and connections have an upper hand in determining their future husband's status. I'm, of course with my title and fortune, am expected to marry a woman who had an equal standing as me in the society and not anything less. I also expected my future wife to possess few qualities that only few would have and so far, I only met one or two who met or surpass my expectations." Ranma said with a smirk on his face.
"And may I know what qualities are they, Lord Ranma? You must have very high expectations in order for you to safely say that only a handful has the potential to become your lifelong partner."
Akane stood at the stairway with an amused smile, much to his surprise. She overheard part of the conversation as she was coming down the stairs and it caught her interest although she was quite angry with the remarks made by Ukyo about her family.
"For one to qualify as his wife, she must be beautiful. Her posture and bearing must be ladylike and her taste for fashion and style must be superior. Her manners must be first class. Generally, she must live up the words 'accomplished lady' and had an equal status and fortune as him." His faithful assistant announced.
"Most importantly, she must have the passion for martial arts. And of course, she must not be violent." Ranma looked into Akane's eyes as he emphasized the words in the sentence with great care.
"I am no longer surprised at your knowing one or two. I am beginning to wonder whether you know any instead. Never had I seen such combination whose qualities are so contradicting. A lady who is skilled in martial arts is considered by our society as unfeminine. To be accepted by the superior class like yours, I'm sure that the lady must not have any knowledge of martial arts, let alone skills, as it is a man's thing in your class."
"I'm sure that his acquaintances would not mind about that aspect and they would gladly induct her into their society. I knew of many ladies who possess such qualities during our travels. Perhaps your family was too strict on your money expenditure to allow such luxury of traveling." Ukyo replied with an insolent smile.
"Although my circle of friends is not as wide as yours, I'm sure that you would not find your ideal wife here in Nerima. Besides, your future wife would have my sympathies."
"Excuse me, maybe my expectations are too high for your tastes but I'm sure that she does not require your sympathies. I am a lord with vast fortune and the best martial artiste and my wife should count herself lucky to have me as her husband. But for you, you will need mine because no man would want a violent wife like you." Ranma glared at her, indignant at her words.