Chapter 8: Game on.

As soon as Kasumi had headed upstairs, Nodoka began grilling Tofu. Ranma watched the fun as he helped Akane set the food out. Fortunately, Tofu seemed to be an old hand at deflecting questions.

"So Doctor…"

"Unless you are seeing me as a patient, just 'Tofu' will do fine." He pulled out two large bottles of sake and placed them on the table.

Genma's eyes lit up. "Whoa, that's some of Sawanotsuru's finest there." As he reached for the bottle, Happosai's pipe immediately smacked his hand. "Oww! Master!"

"Show some respect for that nectar. You will not guzzle that. Get a wine bowl." Happosai stated.

"So Tofu, how long have you been practicing medicine?" Nodoka asked.

"I don't practice Nodoka, I'm very good at it." Tofu reached into the bag again and pulled out a bottle of Tennessee whiskey and some shot glasses.

"You brought Bourbon, Ono?" Soun enquired. "This must be a special occasion."

"Let's just say I'm very happy to be home in Nerima, Mr. Tendo," the Doc replied.

"I'm sure. So how long will you be home this time?" Soun asked.

"Actually, I think I'm done traveling about the country now. I was forced to tend to some family business for a while, but it seems to have settled down." Tofu answered. Happosai's eyebrows shot up as he heard the reply, but he said nothing as he poured himself a shot.

"So does that mean you'll be settling down now as well?" Nodoka asked, trying to get the conversation back on track.

"Yes. The clinic needs some updating and I've been in discussions with Nerima General about merging with their own expansion plans," Tofu commented, derailing her efforts again. "They've been talking about off-loading some outpatient operations for a while now, and I've built a good rapport with them over the years."

Soun's face darkened a little. "It's about time Nerima General realized it's not the center of the universe," he said as he poured himself a shot.

"Hear, hear," Tofu agreed raising a shot glass to Soun's comment and then downed it with a swallow. Soun followed his example.

"What is that, Doc?" Ranma asked.

"It's a very potent alcohol the Americans make. I've developed a taste for it over the years, but I'm very careful to only have a glass or two in a night and no more." He placed a little more in the glass. "If no one objects, dip your finger in it and have a small taste." Tofu waited a heartbeat for Genma or Nodoka to say something, and then extend the glass to Ranma. Ranma did as he was told, and put the acquired drop in his mouth. He promptly made a very sour face.

"May I try?" Akane asked. Tofu's eyes flashed to Soun, who nodded his head slightly. Tofu then extended the glass to Akane. She dipped her finger in the glass as Ranma had done and moved the finger to her mouth. Once she tasted it, she began coughing and reached for her water glass.

"You actually drink that stuff?" Ranma exclaimed with a shudder.

"As I said, it's an acquired taste." Tofu commented.

Akane set her water glass down. "I'll skip acquiring it," she coughed.

"Mission accomplished," Soun said softly with a grin at Tofu. Tofu just winked.

Nodoka tried again, leading off with a more innocuous question, "So how long have you been in Nerima, Tofu?"

"It's been quite a bit now. I guess I'm a fixture in Nerima now," he admitted. "Or at least enough that people actually notice when I'm here or not here."

"Yes, I understand there was a near riot at the clinic this morning." Genma added, ignoring the dirty look from his wife. "Next time you should try arriving during the dead of night. It might be the only way you can get in the door of your own clinic." When her look became questioning, Genma added, "Ono is an expert in many of the ancient medical arts, as well as the modern."

"Indeed, some people consider him to be the local witch doctor," Soun threw in, causing Ono to wince internally. "He has a knack for alleviating pain, including the pain from some cancer treatments without interfering with the treatments themselves. As soon as the rumor started that he was back in town, people began lining up at the clinic."

"It was an active morning," Tofu confessed.

"He's also one of the few people in the city that can understand half the scrolls in my library," Happosai threw in, just to stir the waters. "And he's a martial artist of some modest ability." He grinned at Tofu's black look.

"I see," Nodoka almost purred at Tofu. "And yet, a man of your stature in the community is not married. How is that so?"

Tofu recognized Nodoka's game of 'Match the Single Man Up.' She was too much of an unknown quantity to play with – he considered that it might be time for 'Duck and Dodge'. He had to be careful though. If Kasumi should come back in the middle of the dodge, she might be offended. He kept an eye on the stairs. "As I mentioned, I've been traveling quite a bit. Until now, I've had no time for a wife or a family. A man should know where he stands before he considers looking for commitments."

"But you just admitted that you have stopped traveling. So, maybe you should be looking now."

"My, she is persistent," Tofu thought. He drank from his water glass while he re-ran the conversation and considered the next move. Another thought struck him: "Wait. She knew I was unmarried before I said anything. She already knows something about me." He studied the audience. Genma looked confused. Ranma was paying polite attention, Happosai was keeping score between the two players, and Akane was taking notes on the players' techniques. Soun looked a little pale though. Based on Genma and Soun's reaction, Tofu figured that Nodoka had no sisters, daughters, or nieces she was trying to match up. That meant the Nodoka's targets were Nabiki or Kasumi. Scratch Nabiki – no one could be that clueless about the middle Tendo daughter. Tofu figured that he might have a possible ally if he played this right.

"Well, if the right woman came along, I'd consider the possibilities," he admitted.

Nodoka looked like a cat with a canary. "Well, it seems to me that someone I know has three unwed daughters, and only one is committed. Maybe one of the other two would be suitable, although one is just about to start college. Isn't that right, Soun?"

Soun was now white. Genma had decided to shut up – he was in a no win situation caught between his wife and his best friend. Ranma had politely excused himself to re-fill the water pitcher. Normally, Ranma felt he was a decent actor, but he didn't think he could hold it together this time before the laughter overtook him. Akane and Happosai, for once in agreement, wore expressions of exaggerated innocence. Tofu maintained a slightly amused look on his face, as if he hadn't quite figured out who Nodoka was indicating. In reality, Tofu was suppressing manic glee – Kasumi had just started to come into view as she quietly descended the stairs with Nabiki.

Soun's voice stumbled out, "Well, you have to understand, Nodoka. Doctor Ono has been the family physician for years. I'm sure that none of the girls would feel that it was appropriate to be engaged to him."

"Oh, I don't know, Dad," Akane chimed in. "If he was our GYN, that would strike us as a little creepy, but Dr. Tofu has always appropriate with us. While the conversations were frank, they were never that embarrassing." She fluttered her eyes at Tofu. "I'll admit to having a crush upon the Doctor once upon a time." Tofu winked at her as Soun began to sputter. Akane went on, "I do think that Nabiki has her plans set in stone, but Kasumi may be open to the idea of an arranged marriage with Doctor Ono. I don't think she has made any long term plans yet, but it may be time for her to consider her options."

In the kitchen, Ranma was on the floor holding his stomach in silent laughter. Once Akane had started her little speech, he was so happy he left. He crawled over to the counter and began to look for necessary supplies. He had a feeling this was going to get better and he wanted to be ready.

Tofu pretended to considered. "I must admit Mr. Tendo, your daughter Kasumi is an absolutely charming young woman. If you were to present me to her as a possible suitor, she might view the proposal favorably. Granted, she might still view me as the teacher I once was to her, but that was when she was in high school. She has been an adult by all legal definitions for some time now and her responsibilities have been heavy. She may see me in a different light now." On the stairs, Kasumi and Nabiki had stopped upon hearing the conversation. Nodoka could see them, but Soun and Genma had their backs to the girls and could not see them. Both of the young women were wide eyed at the topic.

"But you're old enough to be her father!" Soun burst out.

Again, Tofu looked thoughtful. "Perhaps, but she only has one father, and I doubt she sees me in such a light. It's not a May-December romance – I'm not that old." In his thoughts, he gleefully finished "Actually, I'm a century and half, so the truth is far, far worse." Out loud, he continued, "I am in very good health and come from a very long lived family. It's an equal chance as far as who would out live who." Tofu resisted the urge to slap Happosai. Fortunately, no one else noticed that the little man had rolled himself into a ball and was holding his own gut shaking slightly.

Soun began to get panicky. "But you have to understand that I have no dowry to offer for Kasumi." Kasumi's eyes narrowed on her father.

Tofu looked over at Soun. "Oh, don't worry about that. I'm not sure people worry about that anymore, but I may be out-of-touch. Besides, such a lovely woman is a prize all in herself. If money is a concern, I'd be happy to pay for the wedding and any such expenses, provided Kasumi agrees to the arrangement of course." He added the last part quickly, feeling Kasumi's eyes switch to him. While he was having fun at Soun's expense, he was not going to tick off his fiancée. "My family is quite well off."

Genma perked up at this. "Well Tendo, maybe you should consider this carefully. Expenses have a way of piling up at weddings."

Soun rounded on Genma. "Are you insane? Offering a dowry is one thing, but I am not selling one of my daughters!" He turned to Tofu. "You're not fooling me. You've had an insane crush on my daughter since she was 18."

"Oh," Tofu answered. "You mean the tic thing followed by the temporary insanity? That's wasn't a crush, that was something similar to post traumatic stress disorder. Unfortunately, Kasumi became a trigger due to an unusual set of circumstances centered about a trip I made to China three years ago. She caught me at a bad time in my treatment which I was undergoing due to events that happened during the trip. That was one of the things we talked about before coming here. I'm finally cured and I felt I owed her an explanation for my irrational behavior. That's another reason I felt like celebrating this evening. Happily, she's forgiven me for my foolishness. Since she doesn't hold grudges, I don't think it would be a factor in an arranged marriage." Kasumi had a slightly disbelieving expression on her face, but Tofu felt he was on safe ground. Soun was about to go over the cliff though…

"B-b-But my daughter is not suitable for marriage," Soun stuttered. "She's a simple girl who has been sheltered her whole life and needs to remain so. While she can maintain a house and is a decent cook, Kasumi has never shown much aptitude in school, and may be a bit feebleminded. For that matter, she's never dated or even expressed an interest in boys either." Soun's eyes were wild now. "In fact, boys have seemed to shy away from her, maybe because they understand her interests lie elsewhere." Everyone in the room (and the kitchen) went absolutely still in shock as Soun continued. "So you see, Doctor, placing Kasumi in an arranged marriage would cause a loss of honor for both parties."

Tofu's eyes went wide and then narrowed. "Loss of honor? Game over," he thought. "If this cowardly little man who spends his time hiding from life is going to speak ill of Kasumi, he can do it around a mouth full of broken teeth – father or no father." Akane and Nabiki weren't far behind in their thoughts. Ranma was a little further behind, but only because his system was still shedding massive amounts of disbelief that Soun had said that about his own daughter. Genma's system was wallowing completely in disbelief though. Nodoka was suffering from extreme guilt – had she not actually believed that herself as recently as this morning?

Kasumi had pressed her lips together tightly. This wasn't the first time her father had tried to scare away a potential suitor. She had heard the "feebleminded" crack before and dismissed it as due to strain on her father's part. But he had never gone so far in implying her unsuitability in quite this manner before. However, she wasn't inclined to put up with it any longer. She had promised her mother (and herself for that matter) that she would live her life, and now struck her as the perfect time. Her eyes flew to Tofu's and read 'murderous intent.' "Oh no, no, dear one," she thought. "While it's nice to know you care, there are better ways. You're a Kitsune – I'm sure you'll keep up."

Kasumi started by clearing her throat, startling everyone in the room. She then addressed the gathering. "Well, that was a very interesting discussion. I must admit I'm flattered by the good doctor's interest, but I see I haven't been quite as thorough as I thought in hiding my secrets. I guess I should have realized it this morning when I talked to Nodoka."

Soun stared at his daughter, his eyes growing even wilder. "K-K-Kasumi…" he stuttered. "Realized what?"

"Oh my. That if Nodoka could figure things out with the short amount of time she has been with us, then the rest of you could as well."

Nodoka looked at Kasumi. "I'm sorry? What have I figured out?"

"Oh, it's all right, Nodoka," Kasumi responded. "I only hid things for Father's sake. Apparently he knows. Remember what you said to me? You told me that I haven't hidden it all that well. You went on to say that in all the time you've known me, I've never once looked at a man. And when a man does approach me, it's obvious that that I am pretending not to understand him."

Tofu relaxed his fists as he watched Kasumi for clues. She had clasped her hands so that her ring was visible to him. Ranma materialized on to the floor next to Akane, as if by magic. He held three bowls of popcorn. He passed one to Akane and another to Nabiki, who had like-wised materialized next to Happosai, and held the last bowl for himself. Genma still looked stunned. Nodoka eyes sharpened as she reviewed her blunder this morning to which Kasumi was referring.

Nodoka then replayed the current conversation and realized where Kasumi was heading. "I owe her," Nodoka thought. "I'm in." Out loud, Nodoka sighed. "Yes, Kasumi. I did warn you that you were being too obvious. Meeting that woman in the park like that."

"What woman?" Soun asked.

"A very special friend of Kasumi's. I forgot her name, but she is a stocky woman with short black hair." Nodoka answered. She move moved her hand an appropriate height above the floor. "She stands about so high and is usually dressed in a gray gi." Recognition dawned in the eyes of the teenagers. Tofu's eyes widened as well.

"It's Shizuka, Auntie." Kasumi supplied.

"Oh, that's right." Nodoka turned to Soun. "If it's any consolation, Soun, she's a very handsome woman."

"I-I'm s-sorry-ry?" Soun's eyes now looked like full moons.

Kasumi reviewed the room. Genma has changed into a panda and was playing with a beach ball. Tofu looked at Kasumi with his hand covering his mouth. He was striving to look disappointed, but she could see amusement in his eyes. Happosai had taken some popcorn out of Nabiki's bowl. Nabiki seemed to be making counting gestures to Ranma and Akane – it looked like she was trying to goad them into betting about something without interrupting the show. Kasumi decided it was time for the kill.

"Well Father, Nodoka had discovered my preferences, but she also figured out that I wanted to have children. So, she had a few suggestions she wanted to discuss with me."

Soun's waterworks factory kicked in. "WAHHH! My daughter is a lesbian!"

"Oh Father!" Kasumi scolded. "It's all right. Nodoka's suggestion was very practical. After all, Nerima General has an artificial insemination program that's helped lots of couples. And once I ask around the town, I'm sure I can gather some volunteers."

"WAHHH!"

"Oh, bothering with Nerima General won't be necessary Kasumi," Tofu cut in. "You are a healthy woman. I'm sure I can handle the procedure at my clinic using one of the less complicated methods. Just think, Mr. Tendo – you could have an heir without the messiness of a wedding within the year."

"WAHHH!"

"Oh my. That's a definite thought, Doctor Tofu. The dojo is in my name. With Akane's and Ranma's help, I could start classes this summer. It would give me a source of income."

"Hey, we'd love to help," Akane chimed in. Ranma nodded. "Ranma could help Kasumi teach, and I could take over the cooking and cleaning."

"WAHH!"

"You know," Kasumi added thoughtfully. "There may be a market for a dojo catering to alternative lifestyles. We could make the Tendo dojo famous though out Japan."

WHAM!

Silence reigned in the room, at least until Ranma called out "Hah! Pay up Nabiki! He didn't make it five cries."

Nabiki just buffed her nails on her shirt. "I'll deduct it from your tab, Saotome."

Kasumi looked over at her father passed out on the floor. "That went better that I hoped it would. When he wakes up, he'll be relieved to know the truth. In the meantime, we should eat. This sushi is very good, but it won't keep forever."

Nodoka stopped her. "Oh no you don't, Miss Tendo. We played your game, now we want to collect our reward. What's this announcement? It's not that the good Doctor is back – the whole town knows that. So what is it?" Akane nodded her agreement.

Kasumi looked at Tofu, who grinned and slid over to her. He put an arm around her shoulder and faced the group with Kasumi. Kasumi let a slight smile show on her face and held up her hand, displaying the engagement ring.

"YES!" Akane shouted, jumping up and running to hug them both.

"CONGRATULATIONS!" Nodoka grinned like a mad woman and moved over to kiss both of them on the cheek.

Ranma and Nabiki exchanged small grins and then also stood to congratulate the couple. Happosai stopped raiding the sushi long enough to pour a cup of tea and throw it at the panda. "Hey moron!" he yelled. "Come over here and congratulate your niece!"

Dinner proceeded as expected after that. The food was very good and the conversation was kept light. They moved Soun over to the couch with an ice pack on his head and placed some food into the fridge for him. Nabiki excused herself briefly to make a few phone calls and notify some betting pools of the engagement. Genma proceeded to get drunk (much to his wife's displeasure) so as to avoid talking with Soun later that evening. Happosai had his fill of food and then put a good dent in the whiskey bottle before retiring for the night. The newly engaged couple sat very close together during the meal, but Kasumi eventually ended up sitting in Tofu's lap by the end of the night. This in turn inspired Akane to try and get Ranma (a.k.a. Captain Oblivious) to pay attention to how a normal couple behaves. She was pleasantly surprised to be rewarded by some hand-holding, only light teasing, some very pleasant words, and a *very* decent hug that she happily took to her dreams. Ranma and Tofu carried Soun up and put him in his room. Ranma then said his "Good Night" and retired to the attic where he had been sleeping since the weather warmed up, giving his parents some privacy.

Soon it was just Kasumi and Tofu standing outside the front door. "I expect you back here before breakfast tomorrow to talk to Father," she told him. "You're not leaving me to suffer alone."

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," he promised.

"Good. Do you plan on telling Father your heritage?" she asked.

"I'm not sure yet. It's probably going to be necessary. If nothing else, he needs to understand something about how I've been aging and that I'm able to share my life with you as equals," he answered.

"All right. I expect to see you here by 7AM. You can help me make breakfast then."

"Deal." He moved in to kiss her when she placed her finger to his lips.

"One last question…" she said.

He took her finger away and kissed her anyway. "You used up your last question long ago."

She smiled back. "Tough. How come Nodoka and Akane missed my ring when we first arrived? They were looking for it…"

His eyes sparkled with merriment. "I put a small glamour on the ring. Only those you want to know can see the ring, but once you break it for a person, the glamour stays broken."

"Oh my. It is a real ring though, isn't it?"

"Of course it is. I paid real cash for it after you left Nagoya. I have no intention of cheating on this courtship. I told you, I never cheat on anything (or anyone) important."

"Good." The kiss was much longer this time.

With a smile, another kiss, and a "Good night," Tofu turned from his fiancée and leapt from the doorstep to the top of the property wall. With the same smile, he leapt off into the night.