The Tendo family stood at the door with trepidation when the carriage arrived. The identities of their cousins were not revealed to Akane and Kasumi even though the former offered to pay Nabiki for clues. Nabiki, after amusing herself some time with their curiosity and much prompting by her sisters, finally answered when they waited on their guest,
"I must admit, I do not know who we are expecting. Father was adamant to keep their names strictly confidential. I have already told you what I know last night. Besides, he said that we had never seen them before since birth so I was also kept in dark about them. As they are outsiders to our town, my sources are unable to help me in this matter."
When the gentleman finally stepped down for the carriage, the curious neighbors gazed at him with wonder and words were rapidly passed around that from is appearance, he was a man of fine breeding. He was a tall young man and from his build, one can deduce that he practiced some form of martial arts. His air was grave and stately, and his manners were very formal. He stood proudly and eyed at his host with some distaste before his eyes fell onto the youngest family member.
"What a vision of beauty and loveliness lies before thee! Certainly, the gods have favored you and sent me, a man of noble features and birth, to your door and swept your feet away. I, Kuno Takewaki, aged 25, Master of the Kuno clan, also known as 'Blue Thunder of Furinkan' and feared by all who crossed my path, would accept this task assigned to me. My fair lady, prepare to be swept away by my love."
He rushed towards Akane and was rewarded with an upper punch as a greeting from her, much to the laughter of Nabiki and astonishment of Kasumi and Soun.
After they had settled down in the living room, Soun cleared his throat and began the introduction. His father and Soun were long lost cousins by relation and they met only once in a school when Soun was on a training trip. He visibly shuddered when he recalled their first meeting as he managed to leave the school safely but a with shaven head courtesy of the principal's, which was his cousin, parting gift. Since, his cousin was the only living relation he had, there was nothing to clear Kuno from the guilt of inheriting his house.
However, before Soun could explain further, Kuno interrupted,
"I would like to assure the beautiful young ladies that there were no ill-intentions in my visit. Before I proceed to tell these visions of beauty my reasons for this visit, let me introduce myself. . I am Kuno Takewaki, aged 25, Master of the Kuno clan, also known as 'Blue Thunder of Furinkan' and feared by all who crossed my path. Besides my vast fortune and kendo skills, I was also distinguished by the patronage of the Right Honorable Lady, a handsome woman of refined taste and grace. Her vast fortune and prestige made her one of my finest acquaintances. Alas, the fine lady could not come with me as she had other commitments. However she had given me advice on how to make my journey here as fulfilling as possible and I dare say that, after meeting these ladies, I would heed her advice word by word."
Kuno reached out and held Akane's hand, causing her to tense up visibly, and proclaimed to the startled audience.
"Miss Tendo, I give you permission to marry me, Kuno Takewaki, aged 25, Master of the Kuno clan, also known as 'Blue Thunder of Furinkan' and feared by all who crossed my path........."
Before he could finish his elaborated speech, an upper kick sent him through the roof.
Later in the afternoon, the ladies took a stroll with Kuno limping slightly behind. Each was silent and deep in their thoughts except for the occasional proclamation of love from Kuno. As they reached the main path, the silence was shattered by the galloping of two horses. Approaching from the shadows, Lord Ranma and Dr Tofu greeted the surprised group, the former with a nod and the latter with a cheerful grin and wave (that was before he saw Kasumi).
Introductions were made and Kuno, on learning Ranma's name, seized the chance to get himself acquainted with him. Akane, fearing that Kuno's attitude may further worsened Ranma's opinion on her family, gestured subtly but frantically to Kuno to end his speech but he made no indication to do so. She shook her head in despair when she saw Ranma's eyes narrowed and briefly looked at her with accusing eyes before turning back to Kuno.
'This is really not good. Lord Ranma seems very irritated with Kuno. If this goes on, Dr Tofu's and Sister Kasumi's future would be in jeopardy.'
Hoping to salvage the situation, Akane walked towards the gentlemen and politely interrupt them before steering Kuno away from Ranma by engaging him in a meaningless conversation. When she stole a glance at Ranma, she could not help but feared for the worst. Ranma was looking at her with a small smile. The smile of a predator.
On hearing Kuno introducing himself as one of the distinguished acquaintance of his aunt, Ranma silently fumed. Although he had no grudge against her, he did not like her at all for some reasons unknown to many. He listened to Kuno with bored interest when suddenly Kuno's intention of marrying Akane caught his attention. He begun to listen attentively to every word and winced inwardly when he heard about how Kuno would try to use his inheritance to win Akane over.
When Ranma looked at Akane over Kuno's shoulder, he felt worse. Was Akane trying to hide her engagement away from him by hinting Kuno to keep quiet? He wished he knew. Ranma's agitation increases with every sentence and if not for Akane who ended their conversation curtly, he would have shook Kuno and demanded that he break his engagement. However, Ranma's aura diminished as he observed Akane actions. She seemed desperately trying to listen to Kuno without diverting her attention and failing to do so. Ranma smiled. 'I would not let you get her.'
After they parted each other company with much difficulty (Apparently, Dr Tofu's horse went berserk after being repeatedly forced to waltz), the ladies arrived home. Before they could reach the living room, a shrill voice was heard throughout the house, much to the dismay of the two youngest ones.
"How cute! It is mine. George......It's MINE" Whack!
Author's notes: Sorry for the looooooong delay. As an apology, I wrote a very long story. School has started and I had to study real hard.......................I guess you had a good idea of who will be replacing Wickham after reading this. Hehe....well reviews are welcome......................................