As the radio had forecast the night before, it was a clear morning. Kasumi could not stop herself from smiling if she wanted to, which she didn't. It was happening! Today, she would go places and see things she never had before. It could be Kagoshima or Nagano or Kanazawa, or many other places she had only dreamed of visiting. Or, knowing Ryoga, it could be Peru, Montenegro, or Bhutan, though she was still not sure if some of his travel stories made even a tiny bit of sense.

While she was waiting for the water to boil, she began packing. 'I'll need to do some laundry before too long. If we pass by a coin laundry, it might not be a bad idea to stop a while.' She sniffed at her sleeping bag as she prepared to roll it up. 'Oh, dear. A bit musty. I wish I could have aired it out yesterday. Shame it was raining.'

Once she had finished rolling up her sleeping bag, she enjoyed a morning tea. 'Isn't Ryoga usually up by this time?'

She decided to page through her guidebook for a moment, but she found herself unable to concentrate on it. 'If he's tired, then he should get some rest, but if he oversleeps, we'll lose part of the day, and… Only one thing to do about it, I suppose.' "Pardon me… Ryoga? Are you awake in there?"

There was a rustling sound from inside the tent. "Oh. Sorry." Ryoga's voice did not sound like someone just coming out of sleep, to Kasumi's relief. "Do you need something?"

"It's not that, I was just wondering if you were feeling alright, since you weren't up yet."

"No, I'm fine, thanks for asking. I was just... thinking. Sorry, I must have gotten lost in my head."

"Oh dear, we can't have that. We want to get lost in other places." She paused. "I don't think that came out quite like I meant it to."

Ryoga chuckled. "No, I think it's right." He unzipped the tent and crawled out. "We'll find nicer things to look at outside of my head."

Kasumi was glad she had packed up so much before Ryoga had gotten up: it turns out that he was even faster at breaking camp than at setting it up. She appreciated his help in getting her tent down-dealing with tents was the one part of camping she was the least familiar with.

He had nearly finished putting his backpack together, and was making a few final touches.

"Ryoga? That kettle is just hot water, not tea."

"Yes, I know."

"You keep plain hot water in a vacuum flask?"

Ryoga blushed slightly. "Haha, well, you never know when you might suddenly need some hot water when you're out hiking, and it's a bit of a bother to set up a stove and everything…"

Kasumi nodded. "I'm sure that Ranma and Mr. Saotome would find that especially useful. I wonder if they have a vacuum flask as well?"

Ryoga's face grew a bit redder. "I suppose they might." After filling the flask, he emptied the kettle over the dying coals of the fire.

He attached the kettle to his backpack, and hoisted the whole load on his shoulders. "Ready?"

She gave him her sunniest smile. "Let's go!"

Soun Tendo made an imposing figure, arms folded as he scanned the horizon. His grim face would not have been out of place in a samurai film. But this samurai was not concerned with how to carry out the orders of his daimyo. He had other things on his mind.

"Of course I would never question the judgement of my eldest daughter."

"Heaven forbid, Tendo. Kasumi is a model of modesty and propriety. The very flower of Japanese womanhood."

"Well said, Saotome. And of course, I would never suspect Ryoga of anything untoward."

"Indeed. He's proven himself on many occasions to be a fine young man and a capable martial artist."

"I agree fully. However. An unchaperoned young man and young woman traveling alone together-even if they are of the highest moral character…"

"As, lest we forget, both Ryoga and Kasumi definitely are!"

"...might succumb to temptation. Imagine if the worst were to happen and they were obliged to get married because of a single youthful indiscretion! Can you imagine the consequences?"

"Indeed. You'd have a grandchild before me! That's completely unfair!"

"No, not that! I mean, I would lord it over you if I were a grandfather first. But if they were to marry, chances are that they'd end up moving to the Hibiki house! Kasumi might never cook for us again!"

"That would be the end of the world."

"Then our way forward is clear. I shall go after the two of them and guard their virtue."

"I think you meant to say 'we' there."

"I definitely did not mean to say 'we.' You will remain behind and look after the others in my absence."

"Surely, as head of the household, you should be the one to watch over your house, while I, a lowly houseguest, will assume this search mission."

"No, it is I who will suffer the misery of travel into the wilderness."

"You just want to get out of cooking!" Genma growled, on the verge of losing his temper.

"And you," Soun pointed at his comrade, "just want to get out of cleaning!"

They glared at each other for a moment, then sighed.

"Well, Saotome, we'll need to postpone this argument for another time."

"Agreed. Another battle awaits us." He held up some printed advertisements. "I've got the supermarket specials."

"And I've got the shopping basket. There's two-for-one on napa cabbage and 30% off pork cutlets! Battle awaits us!"

"Death or glory!"

To actually be on the road with Ryoga, Kasumi mused, was quite an unusual thing. To have gone so far in such a short time had to be somehow logically explainable. Perhaps he just instinctively could find shortcuts? Shortcuts a half-hour long that took you from Okinawa to Hokkaido?

Though that was just a guess. There had been a beach at one point, and quite a lot of mountains a bit later. But in both cases, there wasn't anyone nearby to ask and confirm their location.

She'd be lying if she said it wasn't at least a tiny bit unnerving. But Ryoga didn't seem to be worried, so she decided not to be, either.

And really, this is what she had signed up for.

As they were walking along a roadway next to the ocean, Kasumi spied something on the side of the road. "Ryoga?" When she got his attention, she pointed at some massive red stones at the side of the road. They climbed down a small path leading to them.

There were images of men sculpted into the rock. Years of exposure to sun, wind and sea had worn them down considerably. Kasumi retrieved one of her guidebooks and rapidly looked through it.

"The 'Sixteen Rakan Rocks.' Carved by a single Buddhist monk at the end of the Tokugawa Shogunate. A monument to local fishers."

"Was this one of the things you were wanting to see?"

"Not particularly. I hadn't even heard of it before now. But I am glad to see it." She paused. "Have you seen it before?"

He scratched his head. "Maybe? I might have been on this road before, but I don't always look around as I'm walking."

Kasumi nodded. "It says in the book that we're in Yamagata prefecture. I think I might take a picture." She set down her backpack and pulled out an inexpensive point-and-shoot camera. Ryoga stood to the side, but Kasumi motioned him in. "I want you to be in the picture."

"Wouldn't you like me to take it, instead? Then you can be in it."

"We can do that the next time."

Somewhat grudgingly, Ryoga faced the camera, and Kasumi clicked the shutter. As she returned the camera to her pack, she wondered whether anyone at her house had a photo of Ryoga. She made a mental note to ask Nabiki once she got back.

It happened again. Shortly after leaving the rocks, Kasumi got distracted for a moment. The next thing she knew, the ocean was nowhere to be seen.

That was not what bothered her. The real point of concern was that cars were driving on the right lane rather than the left. The only place in Japan she was aware of where traffic was on the right was in Okinawa, back in the 1970s.

Kasumi was not certain if she was more disturbed by the notion that they had casually crossed, at minimum, to mainland Asia, or that they were still in Japan, but had somehow become unstuck in time.

'I really hope this is just Korea. That's not so far, right?'

She wondered if it was a better idea to tell Ryoga, or to just continue walking and hope for the best. She became somewhat more nervous when she noticed that the local signs were in the Latin alphabet rather than any Asian script. 'Vietnam, perhaps? Or the Philippines? They're only a few hours away by airplane.'

She had never been more aware in her life that she did not have a passport.

She distracted herself by taking some notes of the local writing. Maybe later she can reconstruct where they were.

This made her feel slightly less anxious. By the time she had finished transcribing a local road sign ("Üdvözöljük Szolnokon") in a pocket notebook, she looked up to find themselves in a different location once more.

Seeing Japanese road signs again was a massive relief.

This manner of getting around was going to take some getting used to, but she felt like she was already making progress in becoming accustomed to Hibiki-style travel.

Ranma poked at his (store-bought) bento with a chopstick.

"So, I wonder what Kasumi and Ryoga are doing right now?"

Ranma gave Akane a flat look. "Are you still goin' on about that?"

Akane frowned. "I know you don't like the idea of possibly one day being in the same family with Ryoga, but…"

Ranma held a palm out. "Stop. I'm not going to even begin thinking that your crazy theory is right."

"But, Ranma, it makes sense!"

"Did Kasumi tell you that she's eloping with Ryoga?"

"Not in so many words, but…"

"Fine. Tell me about it when she does tell you in so many words."

Akane's face grew sour. "Ugh. Boys are so unromantic."

Ranma shrugged. His mind was elsewhere. 'She has to be wrong. She has to be. If she were right-what the hell is Ryoga playing at? Does he really have something going on with Kasumi? Is he actually giving up on Akane?'

'But even if he did, that doesn't fix things.'

It was frustrating. 'I need to have another talk with him. And not let him run away this time.'

"...Ranma? Are you listening?"

"What? Huh?"

Apparently Akane was no longer sulking at his skepticism. She had put a finger to her chin. "I was just thinking… I wonder what they'll name their first child?"

Ranma smacked his palm into his face.

Kasumi smiled. She may not have seen any of the particularly spectacular sights of Japan, but the feeling of walking through a bamboo forest was heavenly. It reminded her of when she had gone on a similar walk, years ago on her school trip.

This was pleasing to all her senses. The sun through the bamboo leaves radiating a soft, green light. The coolness of the breeze on an otherwise hot spring day. The smell of earth, and most of all, the rustling sounds of the bamboo as wind blew through them.

She tried to remember if she had ever enjoyed being in any one place more than this. 'Perhaps I am old-fashioned, after all.' Nabiki had teased her in the past for not being quite so modern as herself. But if being old-fashioned meant she could feel completely at peace on a walk through bamboo, then it was worth it.

"Thank you," she said to Ryoga.

"It's no problem," as he returned her camera to her. "You took one of me, after all."

"No, I mean-thank you for indulging me. It's been one of the best days of my life."

He wrinkled his brow. "Really? Are you sure? We didn't actually see all that much. Just some rocks, and the sea, and this place."

"Maybe from your perspective, but for me, today has been like a miracle. I've been walking through a world I've never been before. I wouldn't have been able to do it without you. Thank you."

He blushed slightly. "I didn't really do anything."

"You did enough." Kasumi closed her eyes and soaked in the atmosphere. "After a day like today, I feel like I've seen so much, I wouldn't even be sad if the journey ended today."

"I must have been tempting fate," Kasumi grumbled under her breath.

It wasn't all that surprising when they had initially reached an urbanized area. There were hundreds of cities in Japan, after all. Of course they'd wander into one at some point.

When things started feeling vaguely familiar, Kasumi tamped down those feelings of anxiety: you could find the same brands of stores all over Japan. It might seem a little bit like home, but it couldn't possibly actually be home.

Besides, Ryoga returning after wandering off a mere three days later? Surely that was unprecedented.

But when they crossed what was obviously the Shakujii River, she didn't need a guidebook to tell her what she already knew: they were back in Nerima.

Ryoga stopped and squinted his eyes. He pointed towards a distant girl, riding a bicycle. "Huh. That girl looks just like Shampoo." He looked around. "Kasumi?"

His travel companion was hiding behind a cigarette vending machine. She pulled at his pack. "Ryoga! Duck out of sight!" she whispered loudly.

With a blank expression on his face, he hid next to her. "I wonder what Shampoo is doing in Kyoto?" he mused.

Kasumi sighed. "No. This is Nerima."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"That's great news! You can go back home to your family, safe and sound!"

Kasumi frowned. "No."

"What?"

"No. I don't want to go back yet. It hasn't been long enough."

"But you said you wouldn't mind…"

"I didn't mean I wanted it to happen. I still want to be lost. Let's get lost, again. Please."

"But, Akane will be…"

"Please, Ryoga. I wanted more time. I wanted to see more. I can't go back yet."

Ryoga gave it some thought. "I'm nervous about it, but if you want it that badly…" Kasumi nodded. "Okay."

Kasumi felt a rush of relief. "Good. So, if we go back the way we came, it should take us…"

"Lady Kasumi?"

Both Ryoga and Kasumi were startled at the sudden appearance of a kunoichi waitress/delivery girl.

"K-Konatsu! What a lovely surprise!" Kasumi pulled her behind the now-crowded cigarette machine as well.

"You have returned from your journeying already?" She cocked her head. "Oh, and you seem to have found Lord Ryoga as well."

"No, we were actually just passing by. We were on a long journey, and we should be on our way…"

"Everyone will be so pleased to hear you're back! Shall I escort you to your home, Lady Kasumi?"

"No." She shook her head. "Quite the opposite."

"You want me to… exile you from your home?"

"Not that much of an opposite. While it was lovely to see you, and I do plan on telling you all about my trip when I actually get back, there's something I need you to do for me."

"If it is my power, Lady Kasumi."

"Then, forget you saw us."

"I don't understand?"

"Don't tell anyone you saw us. Pretend this never happened."

"But… Lady Akane must be so worried!"

Ryoga cleared his throat. "Ah… How much?" Kasumi and Konatsu looked at him with confusion.

"What did you say, Lord Ryoga?"

"How much to not tell anyone?"

Konatsu gasped. "You wish to bribe me? I'm an upstanding retainer of Lady Ukyo. I wouldn't accept your money, even if you paid me fifty…"

"One hundred." Ryoga slapped a coin in Konatsu's palm.

"One… hundred… yen?"

Ryoga reached into his pocket for more spare change. "If that's not enough."

Konatsu stood up straight and faced the pair. "I have not seen you. And I was never here."

A smoke bomb went off. Once it cleared, the kunoichi had vanished.

Kasumi took Ryoga by the hand. "Follow me!"

Together, they ran back across the bridge the way they had come. Only to find themselves running towards a panda carrying a garbage bag. Fortunately, his back was to them, so if they just turned around…

Kasumi looked in the opposite direction. Mousse with a delivery box holding a map next to his face.

"Is this for real?" It seemed the universe was conspiring to keep her back home.

And now, Mousse was approaching them. There were no escape routes. Their only hope was that he would not recognize them because of his terrible eyesight.

Mousse stopped, lifted up his glasses and squinted. "Hey, is that…"

Kasumi heard Ryoga whispering to her. "Don't scream." He scooped up her legs with one arm, the other behind her back. Then he bent his knees and leaped.

She had seen Ranma, Ryoga, and some of their friends jumping over the rooftops before, but this was her first personal experience. She didn't think she liked it. She closed her eyes and held on to Ryoga's shirt as tightly as she could. "Please! Stop!"

After a moment, Ryoga seemed to land. They didn't appear to be moving anymore. "Are you hurt? Sorry, I don't usually do that with another person."

Kasumi chanced opening her eyes. They were on a suburban street. "I'm fine. Just a bit rattled. And surprised."

"Yeah, sorry. I figured, to avoid those two, the only way to go was up, so…"

Despite herself, Kasumi laughed softly. "That wasn't a solution I had considered. And it looks like it worked." She let go of his shirt. "You can let me down, if you don't mind."

"Oh. Haha, sorry." He set her on her feet, and scratched the back of his head. "I'm not sure where we are exactly, but that's probably a good sign, right?"

She saw a nearby bus stop sign. The schedule should show what city they were in, at least.

Saitama. Not very far away from Nerima at all, but better than they had been before. Still, too close for comfort. Maybe they could take a train instead of relying on Ryoga's inconsistent ability to get lost?

She breathed deeply. "That certainly was exciting, but I'm afraid I was too surprised to enjoy it. I hope you do give me a little more warning the next time you do that."

'Wait, what do I mean by "next time"?'

Nabiki checked her watch. Should be done by now.

Normally, she was frugal when she had her film developed. This time, however, she felt justified in paying for the premium one-hour service.

The clerk saw her as she walked in and handed her the envelope of prints. "Here you are. Thank you as always for patronizing our store."

"Thanks." She waved as she left. "See you next time."

Normally, she had enough patience to go home, lock her door and draw the curtain before looking at a new batch of photos. This time, she had already had enough of waiting. She riffled through the photos right there on the street.

Kasumi hiding.

Kasumi pulling Ryoga into her hiding place.

Kasumi and Ryoga talking with Konatsu.

Kasumi pulling Ryoga by the hand. She got three shots of this.

Ryoga scooping Kasumi into his arms.

Ryoga and Kasumi, mid-jump. Okay, that one came out too blurry to recognize them, but it worked as part of the whole sequence.

"Very interesting," she murmured.

This was definitely a new angle on the 'Kasumi decides to go on an impromptu vacation' story. Akane had told her about Kasumi's phone call the night before, but she had been quite terse on specifics.

Her younger sister actually had a decent poker face, but unfortunately for her, Nabiki knew all her tells. Akane had been hiding something, and now Nabiki knew what it was. Or at least, part of it. This new information, correctly used, might just get Akane to spill out some more details.

Nabiki smirked. "This is going to be fun."

Author's note:

This chapter took much longer than I had anticipated to finish it. I'm hoping the next chapter won't take as long to finish.

I hope you enjoyed it.