Niklas "Hawk" Jonsson
Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2, the characters and whatnot are not mine, though I certainly wish they were! Azumanga Daioh 'aint mine either! The story is mine though, all mine. This series deals with mature subject matters and violence. If this disturbs you, don't read. But if it does, then why the heck are you watching the show/reading the manga in the first place?
Oh, and listen up all you Akane:ites out there. You won't like my Akane. Trust me, you will NOT like her. You have now been warned, so don't say that I haven't warned you.
Feedback/Flames: Yes, please. Both of them are equally fun to read, although I must admit that I greatly prefer the first variety. :)
I can be found on ICQ as 21771860 or through e-mail as , more stories are available at my nifty lil' site at or by clicking on my handle up above if you're reading this on
"speech"
emphasis/shouts/Kindred Domination/post-hypnotic triggers
/thoughts/
/telepathy/
translation
soundeffect/radio/telephone conversation/TV
If that line about "I guess there's some 'faint' Ranma/Kasumi tendencies" from the first chapter didn't already clue you guys in, I guess the fact that this fic is now on CoRK ( ) might have sorta spoiled the 'secret'. So I might just as well admit that this fic will indeed become one with a Ranma/Kasumi pairing.
I like the notion of those two together. Tofu is way to old for Kasumi anyways and Ranma needs someone who's kind, understanding, patient and willing to put up with his flaws until he has adapted to actually living in society, instead of just occasionally visiting it while going somewhere to train.
Of course, I also like the notion of Ranma and Nabiki together. Nabiki is a babe and Ranma needs someone who'll give him the facts of life in a no-nonsense manner, is willing to work with him and who won't flinch at the chaos which seems to follow in his wake.
Both those two are wonderful characters who didn't get nearly enough time in the spotlight in either anime or manga. Thank Kami-sama for fanfiction, where they are allowed to shine and flourish as they take the center stage together with young Saotome.
- Niklas "Hawk" Jonsson, AKA Takamura-san - The Lord of Perverts
"Uhm... I'll... I'll go ask Ukyo." Ranma said, turning around and turning the handle, only to remember that the door was locked. He unlocked it, then tried again, with much better results. "You might as well start packing what you'll need, Kasu-chan. I don't think Ukyo will mind."
She said that she didn't, in fact, mind. Though her smile had seemed a trifle bit strained, so Ranma knew that she wasn't entirely honest about that. She'd no doubt been looking forward to a little time alone with him. Nabiki assured him that she'd explain Kasumi's absence to the rest of the family, though she'd also sighed and for some unfathomable reason whipped out her wallet and handed Ukyo a wad of bills as Ranma walked out of the kitchen.
The sight of Nabiki doing something like that, was so unexpected that Ranma tripped and fell to the floor as he witnessed this unprecedented act.
"Nabiki... Where's... Eh... Where's Kasumi?"
Nabiki turned around from her place at the stove, wiping sweat off her forehead and cursing the horrible course of action which had put her, her, in charge of the kitchen. Akane was still forbidden from trying her hand at cooking, Genma had been drafted to make breakfast yesterday, but never would again. Soun just cried when she suggested that he do it and they couldn't afford to order out, which left Nabiki in charge of cooking. She certainly was a better option then Akane and she wasn't quite as incompetent as Genma, but Nabiki had gained a whole new level of respect for Kasumi now after attempting to make breakfast for the entire family.
She focused her gaze on her subdued sister, standing in the doorway to the kitchen, looking sad, lost and confused. Nabiki restrained a brief impulse that made her want to launch the ladle she was holding at her younger sister. She also restrained the impulse to give her a hug.
Tendo Nabiki dearly loved her family, but after the events of the last few days, her love for Akane had gained the addition of a fair amount of contempt and resentment. It was not good things to feel for her sister, but felt them she did none the less.
When she had heard Akane sprout accusations of rape, she'd been in flames and prepared to skin Saotome alive. She had almost rushed off to get the knifes she kept in her room, when she recalled just how often Akane tended to leap to entirely wrong conclusions. So, she'd forced herself to calm down and attempted to find out just what had taken place. There were no recording devices in Kasumi's room, she'd always thought of that one room in the house as off limits to her. Kasumi's sanctum had always been just that, Kasumi's. She only rarely ventured into her older sister's room these days, in fact, she couldn't recall one single instant in the last two years in which she'd entered it.
But her own room had one and after listening in on what it had recorded, she had been able to faintly make out Kasumi and Ranma speaking through the wall to Kasumi's room. She couldn't make out what they were saying, but there had been no sounds whatsoever that she would have associated with rape. As the family rushed upstairs as the event happened, Kasumi hadn't seemed like the victim of a rape and her treatment of Akane certainly put the entire matter in doubt right off the bat. But after she had heard that tape later the day after the accusation, Nabiki knew that Akane had leapt to an entirely outrageously ridiculously faulty conclusion yet again.
Only... This time, Nabiki didn't hold any illusions that it would be easy to smooth over. Perhaps, it would even be impossible. Ranma leaving shouldn't be a matter of much concern, he'd been thrown out and even left of his own accord a couple of times before, but always came back in the end. However...
Nabiki knew Ranma. She had examined him from all angles, she'd learned as much as she could about him and in the few discussions they'd had, she'd drawn out more and learned more from him then the poor fool would ever suspect in his darkest nightmares. She was no psychologist, but rape just didn't seem like something that Ranma would ever do. Heck, considering his near Ryoga-like way with women, he'd probably vomit while fainting if he ever even contemplated such an act.
No, rape wasn't something Ranma would do and considering his reaction once when he'd walked through the room as Nabiki watched the news and a segment on a particularly brutal rape had come up, being accused of doing such an act would not be easily forgiven. The glass of lemonade he had been holding at the moment, had been shattered and Ranma hadn't even noticed. He'd just glared at the TV with such a look of overwhelming rage in his eyes that Nabiki had inched away from him as she noticed it. He'd just stood there, fuming and dripping blood on the carpet as he ground the shards of glass even further into his hand as his fists clenched until they turned white.
She wondered if that rage, that disgust, that desire to hurt the ones responsible, was something Ranma had always felt or if it was something he had acquired after he got his curse. Ordinarily, he wouldn't have to worry about that. But there was always weakness Moxibustion, curses, magic and just plain bad luck. He had been hurt often enough, stumbling back towards the dojo in his cursed form, injured and ripe for plucking by some ruthless character. Was his reaction due to him resenting the act in general, or was he afraid of it happening to himself? Perhaps someone had tried before, perhaps even succeeded?
Nabiki gave a mental shake. No, the last one wasn't possible. Ranma would have torn up half the city to prevent it, then stomped the remains into the ground while getting his revenge once he recovered, should somebody actually succeed. But one thing was certain, he loathed the act with a passion and being accused of it... That would not go over well, had not gone over well.
Even Akane seemed to be aware of just how big a mistake she had made this time, she looked like hell turned over. She had hardly eaten anything since the event, only rarely left her room and this was the first time Nabiki could recall her saying more then 'No' or 'Go away' to her since the event.
"I... I knocked... I knocked on her door, but..." Akane mumbled, looking down at the floor to avoid looking Nabiki in the eye during the elder sisters scrutiny of the younger one. "Where's Kasumi?" she asked again, in a faint and horribly distressed voice.
"She left." Nabiki answered flatly, then closed her eyes and forced herself to rid her voice of accusation, resentment and anger. She still loved her little sister, she truly did. She couldn't allow herself to make matters worse, she'd already lost one... No, two! Two members of the family. She surprised herself by that reaction, by actually viewing Ranma as part of the family. She pushed that thought aside for further consideration. She'd already lost Ranma and Kasumi, she wouldn't loose Akane as well. "She went with him. They're staying at Ucchans for the moment." Nabiki continued in a much kinder voice. There was no need to elaborate upon who 'him' was.
"He's at Ucchans? That cheating bas..." Akane began, hints of anger starting to flash in her eyes before it was quenched by grief, sadness, self-loathing and regret. "Oh..." was all she said, looking down at the floor again. "Is... Is... Is she... Is she coming back?" Akane inquired. "Is he?" she added in an even fainter tone of voice.
Nabiki's heart went out to Akane and she crossed the space between them, wrapping her arms around her grief-struck sister, hugging her close.
"I don't know, Akane... I don't know..." she admitted and much to her own surprise, felt moisture gather in the corner of her own eyes. She only rarely cried and never, never, in public, when anyone could see her. She certainly didn't intend to begin now, even though she too mourned the absence of her older sister and mother figure. In a way, she loved Kasumi even more then she had her mother. In Kasumi, she had both a beloved older sister and a loving mother figure. Kasumi had always been there, always been there for her and everyone else in the family.
Ever since their mother died, Kasumi had never left the house for any extended amounts of time. She'd never went along on overnight school trips while she was still in school. She never visited out-of-town friends unless she could be back later in the same day. This was the first time Nabiki could ever remember that Kasumi hadn't spent the night in their home, other then during vacations with the entire family. The house just seemed... Wrong somehow... Empty... Without Kasumi in it.
But for now, it seemed as if the Tendo household would have to make do without Kasumi in it.
"I wonder how they're doing..." Kasumi said, frowning down at the cup of tea in her hands.
"Nabiki will take care of things." Ranma assured her. Kasumi pondered this for a few moments, then nodded as she realised the truth of that statement. Nabiki was the only one whose dedication to the family came close to her own. Akane loved her family, but was too much of a selfish, spoiled brat to help out. Soun was a manic-depressive wreck, a spineless coward who never lifted a single finger to help out. Happosai was... Well, Happosai. Genma was a lazy gluttonous fool. Ranma was here with her.
But Nabiki...
Sometimes Kasumi wondered just whom had made the bigger sacrifice of the two of them. Sure, she had given up her life in order to fill her mothers shoes. But Nabiki had sacrificed her innocence, morals and ethics to keep the family afloat. Her dedication to the family was unquestionable and Kasumi knew that Nabiki wouldn't let anything happen to her family.
Kasumi felt ashamed over just leaving like that, putting an even heavier burden on Nabiki's shoulders. But she couldn't stay, she just couldn't! Even her own thoughts were proof of that. /'Spoiled brat', 'spineless coward'.../
Kasumi could hardly believe that she was capable of such horrible thoughts regarding her own family. She'd called Akane a monster and slapped her. If she had remained at home, who knew what would have come next? Would she had hit her father? Would she have thrown Genma out of the house? Would she have lashed out at Nabiki?
Kasumi shuddered. She didn't recognise herself anymore. Until she could trust herself to be around her family again, she couldn't return. She loved them too much to inflict her current self upon them.
She raised her right hand and just looked at it, turning it around as she considered it. /This is the hand that slapped Akane./ she thought. She just couldn't believe that it was the very same hand that had stroked her sister's hair when she cried herself to sleep after their mothers funeral. This was the hand that Akane had feverishly clutched during the funeral. This was the hand that wiped away Akane's tears the first time she had her heart broken by a boy. This was the hand her mother had held in her sickbed, when she asked Kasumi to take care of the family for her. /This is the hand that slapped Akane./
"Try not to think about it, Kasumi." Ranma interjected, reaching out to gently grasp her hand. She jumped and nearly spilled her tea, but just barely managed to avoid it. "Just... Take it easy for a while. I'll go see if Ucchan needs a hand." he added. Kasumi knew that he felt guilty about imposing on Ukyo, despite the fact that she assured them both that Nabiki had paid for the inconvenience.
However, Ranma had seen the amount of money Nabiki had handed over and knew that it wasn't nearly enough to pay for the both of them. Ukyo had revealed that she had gotten more, but even that wouldn't be enough, he knew. Nabiki had probably turned over all she thought she could afford. Things would be tight at the Tendo dojo for a while, as Nabiki would be too busy handling the household in addition to school and her business. She likely wouldn't be able to make as much money as before, as she simply wouldn't have the time to do it in.
Though she didn't believe for a second that this was all that was behind Ranma's sudden urge to go downstairs. More likely, it had something to do with the fact that he was cooped up alone with an emotionally unstable woman. Ranma was so transparent sometimes. The fact that he was nervous and didn't really know what to do to comfort her was so obvious. And since it was her, 'kind, gentle Kasumi', he couldn't resort to his usual standard operating procedure and start tossing out taunts and insults to cover up his insecurity.
"I'll come with you." Kasumi said and stood up. Ranma looked as he was about to protest, but she held up a hand to stop him before he voiced his opinion. "I need to do something to keep me busy, or I'll just brood." she informed him. It was even the truth, if she didn't find something, anything, to distract herself with, she'd grow moody and depressed. While it was oh so tempting to utilise Ranma, she just couldn't. Not only wasn't it fair to Ranma to use him like that, but there was also Akane and Ukyo to consider.
He was their fiancée. Kasumi was only a possible future sister-in-law. Well, she hoped that she was his friend as well, in addition to that. Oh Kami-sama, she hoped she was his friend and he hers! She really needed a friend right now. She blinked tears away from her eyes and adopted that oh-so-familiar smile. Although both of them now knew just how fake it was, but it was all she could do at the moment. Ranma wasn't the only one who had a favoured defence which he pulled out whenever he was uncomfortable with a situation. He taunted and insulted, Kasumi smiled. Ranma looked at her for a moment, then reluctantly nodded before the two of them walked downstairs to help Ukyo run her restaurant.
The End! ( For now... )
