Kasumi was confused at this sudden turn of events. One moment she was on the sidewalk and another moment she was back her in the living room. Her mind tried to make sense of the impossibility of what happened. She watched Ranma die right in front of her eyes, then she tried to block out the pain by concentrating and in the process of concentration, she was somehow transported here, again.
Kasumi could not hide the confusion that dawned on her perpetually beautiful face, eventually her face turned into a scowl. Despite looking like she wasn't affected by anything all the time, she was. She was just very adept at hiding her emotions. This time, she couldn't hide the pain that she was feeling nor could she hide the anger she had for the situation that she was in. She didn't usually show frowns or scowls or sad faces in the presence of others, but she wasn't a saint or a nun. She felt the same things that other women felt, joy and love, pain and sadness. It was only because she had to set a good example for her family why she had to constantly throw up a façade of good cheer. Right now though, even if her entire family appeared in front of her, she wouldn't have been able to keep her emotions in check, not inside of her and definitely not on her face. The only thing that prevented her from bursting into more tears, were the confusion and anger that she was feeling over her sudden transposition in location.
She could remember back to the first time she had been attracted to Ranma. Before that day, Kasumi only considered him to be akin to a younger brother, one who was too young for her romantically. At first, it had merely been an admiration of his strength, his character, his indomitable will to succeed to become the very best; those were the qualities that she lacked and saw in Ranma.
As a child, she had always been vivacious. Full of life and energy, she constantly harassed her mother and father with her unbounded enthusiasm. She could never be seen without mirth in her eyes or a smile on her lips. Not a fake smile, not like the ones she has grown so used to giving like lottery tickets, but a genuine smile, a smile of happiness, of warmth. Nowadays, her true smiles were dispensed very scarcely. Most of the time, they were reserved for a certain significant other that was constantly on her mind. Lately, most notably after they left the Tendo household, she had been able to smile freer and more often. She had begun to see the happiness in the little things once more. It was a startling revelation that just a smile from Ranma brought her joy and lifted her spirits.
After her mother's death, however, she had been relegated to the post of merely being the caretaker of the family. She was the supporting actress, never the leading lady; she was seen but never heard; she was the pillar of strength and yet the epitome of fragility. In contrast, Ranma was always the hero, was always seen and heard, and was always strong against adversity. Sometimes she thought that she had forgotten how to do all those things and that she could never regain those qualities that she lost.
She was attracted to those qualities that she lacked that she saw in Ranma. Although she had come to like him for more than just that, back then she had always felt the strong throb of her heart whenever he was near. She felt hot and flushed, and merely the touch of him would make a smile appear of her face. At first she thought it was simply a passing feeling. As time went on though, she couldn't deny that she had grown to like Ranma more as a brother. There was just one obstacle to her feelings, Akane.
At the time, Ranma was still dating Akane. And as her attraction grew, so did jealousy. She could not stifle that ache in her heart whenever she saw Ranma with Akane. Still, she hid it all in her pretense of a kind smile and calm demeanor. Kasumi knew that she could not usurp Ranma and her sister's relationship, not when it was doing so well after an extremely rocky start. No, she couldn't deny her sister's happiness for her own. But sometimes, she would dream that instead of Akane, it would be her that Ranma would take out to dinner. That it would be her he kissed, her he held in his arms. And then she would shake her head and dismiss it as fast as she thought about it. Kasumi was very grateful that Ranma came into her life; it allowed her to experience love again.
Then a voice quietly drifted into her ears. Softly, it said, "Do you want to see him die, again and again and again? If not, then yield to me Kasumi Tendo." Kasumi's voice was quivering but she remained firm. "No, no matter what happens I will never yield."
"So be it," answered Sang-Ya. "Then you will be here for all eternity. Time has no meaning here and you will never grow old. But this scene will repeat over and over and over again until you yield. Never forget that."
Then Kasumi realized what this test was, a test of her emotional strength. However, knowing that didn't make it any easier for her. In fact, it might have gotten even more difficult to complete this test. She already collapsed into a fit of sobs after watching Ranma die once, how much more when she watched him die more times? She didn't know if she could endure any more emotional attacks. It crushed her heart every time she though about it. And here she was, about to be subjected to the same thing again. She rather would've jump off a cliff, fight a mountain lion or try to steal a precious jewel than watch Ranma be crushed again.
And yet… she couldn't fail Ranma. He risked his honor to take her with him and abandon the Tendo home, so she owed it to him to be strong. Still, she couldn't imagine something like this. In the months that she had grown to care about the man, she could not bear to lose him… Kasumi valiantly tried to seek the inner strength that she had found in the first test and had found none. It was Kasumi's belief in Ranma and Ranma's trust in her that gave her the strength to endure the pain that she had been experiencing. With this challenge however, Ranma was crushed… killed. And with him, her strength had also been crushed and killed. She realized that as much as she didn't want to fail Ranma, she couldn't do it. She couldn't watch it a second time. She didn't know if it was love, certainly she had not experienced enough it to know about it was. But if love was caring about someone so much that it hurts when they go away, they maybe Kasumi did love Ranma, and she couldn't bear the fact that, even if it was a fallacy, Ranma would die.
"Wait… I yield," Kasumi hesitated for just a brief moment before taking a deep breath. "There are many things in this world that I can endure, but not this. This is too much, pain is one thing, but seeing someone you care about lose their life is another. I can't explain it, but all I know is that going through that once is enough for me. Anymore… and I don't know, I just don't know."
"Very well, Kasumi Tendo, you have done well up until this point. Your strength of will has been very admirable. However, this is the end of the line for you. Close your eyes, open them once more and you find yourself back to where you first started."
And so she did as Sang-Ya instructed and shut her eyes. She opened them once more and nothingness greeted her. This time it was just emptiness, not darkness. She could see herself and her surrounding just fine. Except that all around her there was just nothingness. Not a soul was in sight, no sound, no smell. It was a very preternatural feeling.
She tried calling out Ranma's name, Sang-Ya's name, even tried calling out for the old monk and yet to no avail. She tried to run, in any direction, to at least attempt to feel. And yet there was nothing. She ran for hours until her legs gave way and she was breathing heavily, her hands pressed on her knees to maintain support. And yet still there was nothing. It was as if the darkness had swallowed her and inside there was no form, no matter. There was just empty space.
It was a revelation that shocked Kasumi to the core. She didn't know what to do and started to panic. She slumped down to her knees and closed her eyes and focused. Sure, she was lost and alone. Sure, she was in a completely black space with nothing in it. And sure, she was more afraid than any time in her life. However, she focused on the good things, like her family, back when they still had nice, quiet meals and talked to each other. Back to when their mother was still alive and they were still a harmonious family. But more than that, she focused on Ranma and the warm feelings that he gave her. The things he made her feel, feelings that she thought would never surface again.
And just like that she wasn't terrified anymore. Of course, she was still scared, lost and alone. But she had to be strong, for Ranma and most of all for herself. For most of her life, she had watched as life passed her by, being content as merely being an observer. Now however, she was the heroine, the leading lady and she wouldn't fail, because now that when everything counted, she had to be strong. She had to face her fears, she had to face her doubts and insecurities, and to be sure, she had to face the fact that she was in control of her life now. Not her father, who constantly cried. Not her sisters, who treated her like the hired help, and certainly not this Sang-Ya, despite all the dire straits that she had been put through. So she stood up, and opened her eyes, only to find her standing in front of a giant statue of Buddha made from, what had seemed like, gold. It certainly gleamed enough and shone with enough luster to be called gold.
A short, elderly man stood in front of the statue. It was a strange sight, one of contrasts. A small man standing in front a large statue, it made her want to laugh. She almost did, but kept herself in check and approached the old man. As she approached him, she noticed that his eyes were closed. He seemed to be in deep meditation, except that he was doing so while standing. Kasumi, upon reaching him, examined his features. He was a very ordinary old man; he didn't have any distinct features. He had wrinkles all over his face and his hands, with fingers like toothpicks with loose skin hanging on them, were folded on top of the other perched upon a gnarled cane. He was wearing a black robe with gold edges and was nearly bald except for the little tufts of white hair at the sides of his head, on the top of his ears.
"Hello?" asked Kasumi tentatively. She didn't know who this old man was, but she had a feeling that he might be Sang-Ya. But there was no response. The old man didn't even acknowledge her presence. Then she started poking the old man, hoping that maybe that would cause him to stir.
Fortunately for Kasumi, her tactic worked and the old man finally stirred, for about two seconds, but then went back to his meditation. Seeing as her previous tactic had worked before, she continued in its pursuit and poked the old man some more. This time, she got more of a rise out of him, slapping her prodding finger away and giving her a look of annoyance, but when he looked at Kasumi, the annoyance vanished.
He merely responded, "Oh… it's you."
"Yes, it's me. Are you perhaps Sang-Ya?" Kasumi asked.
"Yes, I am Sang-Ya and yes, before you ask, you have passed the tests that were given to you." Sang-Ya stated matter-of-factly.
Kasumi was surprised. She thought that because she had given up, she had failed.
"Don't act so surprised, you were never meant to complete all the tests. Acknowledging your limits and when you should back down is also an important trait for a warrior. Although I don't exactly see you as the warrior type… looks can be deceiving." Sang-Ya turned his back and continued, "Your Ranma is almost finished with his trial, he will be here shortly."
"If you don't mind my asking, what exactly is Ranma's trial?" Kasumi thought that it was probably like hers, enduring physical and mental challenges. Kasumi knew that Ranma could easily complete the challenges that were set before him. She knew that Ranma was strong and could never break down like she did.
"It was a simple challenge, nothing as elaborate as yours. His martial skill and physical prowess are already well-known and we have no doubt that he could withstand the training here easily. However, his patience and his discipline must be tested. He cannot use what he would learn here without the proper discipline lest there be complete chaos." Sang-Ya calmly explained. He proceeded to tap his cane three times on the floor, as if to signal something.
"So what was his test?"
"To watch you suffer. That was his test."
A gasp reverberated across the room, extending even into the dark expanse around them. Kasumi had a look of horror after uttering that horrible sound. She couldn't believe that Ranma watched her suffer. It was a terrible, very painful thing that she went through and she didn't want anyone to see her like that, and she especially didn't want Ranma to see her at her nadir.
Soon footsteps echoed through the hall and Kasumi turned and tried to discern where the footsteps were coming from. There were two distinct pairs of footfalls and Kasumi surmised that it was Ranma and that other monk that was with them during their stay. Kasumi peered across the darkness and couldn't locate anything or anyone. The footsteps grew louder and louder still until she could recognize two figures that were approaching her.
She saw Ranma and the old monk come out from the darkness. Ranma had his head down as he walked, with his shoulders slumped down. He looked like a man defeated and Kasumi wondered why. As Ranma approached he lifted his head and gave Kasumi a tentative smile and then lowered his head again. Kasumi wondered what was wrong with Ranma as he seemed nervous, but most of all, seemed defeated.
"What's wrong?" Kasumi asked. The old monk muttered some words and excused himself to give the two some privacy. Kasumi lightly touched Ranma's arm when he started to shake. Then, he abruptly gathered her into his arms and held her tightly as if never wanting to let her go.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry for not being able to save you… help you. I know I should have done a better job in protecting you. I'm sorry, please forgive me." Kasumi looked at Ranma's eyes and saw the tears that were forming there.
"Why are you crying Ranma? I thought men among men weren't supposed to cry?" Ranma wiped the tears from his eyes and lightly smiled. "Well, just this once, we're allowed too. I couldn't bear to see you suffer. But every time I tried to do something, that old coot always said to 'have patience' and 'be disciplined'. Believe me, every time you were in pain, I wanted so badly to help you but I couldn't. The old monk wouldn't even let me go to where you were. Heck, I didn't even know where you were. I almost went insane trying to figure how to help you and I couldn't come up with anything. So I placed my faith in the fact that Sang-Ya wouldn't try to truly hurt you. Fortunately, I was right."
"What would have you done if I hadn't been alright?" Kasumi smiled at the fact that Ranma was worried about her. Few people took the time to be concerned about her well-being since she was always in the house. Most people thought that she was the safest one, but sometimes being in the house alone is more dangerous than being out with friends, especially at night. Now, in Ranma's arms, she felt safer than she ever had been anywhere else, even with her family.
"I would have beaten the stuffing out of that old monk until he told me where Sang-Ya was and then I would beat the hell out of Sang-Ya as well until he told me where you are and then I would beat on him some more, just for putting you in harm's way like that." Ranma looked into Kasumi's eyes, "I would never, ever let anything hurt you. I will protect you, that's a promise and if there's one good point about me, it's that Ranma Saotome always keeps his promises."
Kasumi laid her head on Ranma's shoulder and she felt warm and safe. Somehow she knew that Ranma would keep his promise, even though it may have been something so sensational. It was impossible for Ranma to protect her from everything, but she knew the meaning behind his words.
"Thank you, that means a lot to me, Ranma. I… I've never had anyone tell me that before."
Sang-Ya interrupted them with a loud coughing noise.
"Well… I hope this heartfelt reunion has readied the both of you. Since you have the privilege or, as some might say, the misfortune of training with me. This training is about honing the mind, the body and the spirit, because without all three, you cannot become a complete fighter." Sang-Ya laughed a little, as if what he said was some little joke that only he could understand. "Many have failed and we will see if you can prove to me that you are able to withstand what I am about to teach you."
With that, Sang-Ya merely snapped his fingers and the couple collapsed and fell unconscious, Sang-Ya merely laughed and thought that this would be interesting.
Notes:
1. The rest of the cast and crew of the Ranma world will be back next chapter, so tune it to that
and their reactions to Ranma's absence.
2. See the details of Ranma's test, and discover what exactly their training entailed.
3. Keep on reading, because I will keep on writing. Even if it takes two months.
