Wednesday could not seem more daunting, only 5 days until D-Day and Ranma felt as if they hadn't prepared much at all. Kasumi had only gone to get party supplies, but they had yet to figure out who exactly was coming to the party, who was helping, the cake, the theme, the time, and the morning meeting had only intensified the feeling of being unprepared.
"You wanna what?! With so much unprepared you want to move it up to Sunday?"The whole thing is goin' to shit.
"Please, calm down, Ranma." Kasumi attempted to reach out. "Ideally the party would be on Monday but that's a school night and just not possible for most of your friends, it's best for it to be this weekend. Even then Sunday may be pushing it, ideally the party would be this Saturday."
The young pigtailed boy merely gapped at his almost sister, passing glances at Ryoga as if inviting him to contribute or to take his side.
"I don't care either way, I can do what I need to get done in that time." The bandana wearing boy yawned.
"Me too." Kasumi led Ranma to sit back down. "Please understand, Ranma, this is the best choice logically. Today I'll go talk to your mother to enlist her help foe getting invites set up and ready to print before the day ends, just trust in Ryoga and I and do your part."
Ranma frowned. "Okay, understood. But what about things like cake, or food. I can't imagine you can get all the cooking done in time for the party in secret, Kasumi."
"I suppose you have a point." A smile spread across her face. "Why don't you take Akane out this afternoon and get some secret taste testing done. This can give Ryoga time to help me out so I can continue to get more preparation done."
"Ugh, more time with Akane." He stuck his tongue. "You sure I can do it without pissin' her off?"
"I can go with her instead and you can stay here." Ryoga crossed his arms.
"I'd rather take my chances, piggy." He kicked the chair, sending him rolling to the wall with athud."I'll take care a' her, Kasumi. Don't worry."
The older girl gave her unrelenting smile. "I believe in you, dear. Now run along you two, we have a lot to get done and only so much time to accomplish it."
--
"I'm supposed to be training with Ryoga not... dawdling with you around town!" Akane stomped her foot. "And what are you a girl for?"
Ranma flipped his sunglasses down, the disguise was an absolute necessity for this mission, he couldn't have one of his enemies or fiancées or worse a whole new opponent to get in his way. "'cause I wanna eat parfaits, duh, 'Kane. God, we've known each other for almost a year, and you still don't know this by now?"
Akane rolled her eyes. "Fine, lets at least go home so I can change into something other than my school uniform." She crossed her arms. "You should've told me beforehand, so I could've prepared a change of clothes."
The red head whipped her body around and faced off her fiancée, God must be watching out for her to let her have this much self-control over her mouth. She flipped her sunglasses up. "We can go get you a new outfit if it'll shut you up."
"And who's paying for that?"
"Me."I must look so cool right now.Ranma smiled and let the glasses fall down perfectly on her nose. "Let's get going."
"Pfft, with what money." Akane laughed. "Last I checked you still use guys to get free food."
"I have my own money; I've just been savin' it for more important things." Ranma blushed and grabbed the other girl's hand, leading her to a nearby clothing store.
"Money from where? If it's stolen I want no part." Akane followed behind as they walked past the glass stores, the AC hitting her face full force. "God it's cold in here."
"It ain't stolen, Tomboy." Ranma growled. "Great you threw off the whole mood I was buildin' up, just go get changed."
Akane scrunched her face up in anger. "Well if you're really paying might as well." She forced a smile. "Come on, money man, since it's your money might as well see what you're buying."
The shorter girl furrowed her eyebrows but smirked as she followed her fiancée. "I'd rather not know what uncute stuff my money is being used for."
"What, like it'll hurt your cuteness? Since when are manly men concerned about that?" Akane stopped at an aisle, paying more attention to the options in front of her than the appalled redhead.
"How dare you. Girl or boy I still have pride, Akane. Buying uncute clothes for an uncute girl with my money is a sin unto itself."
"You know, Ranma, you're so lucky everyday of your life that I stopped hitting you cause if I hadn't you would've landed in the hospital with what you just said." Akane grabbed 2 pieces of clothing from the rack, clothing hangers shaking as she pulled. "I'm gonna go change so we can get this indignity over with for you."
"Uh, wait..." Ranma called out with no avail as she walked into a dressing room, slamming with such force that the other doors shook around it. Her sunglasses slid down her nose. "I totally pissed her off."
The red head stood dumbfounded for a moment before letting her anger surface, stomping on the ground in the middle of the aisle, caring little for the other shoppers.That damn Akane, if she wants to hit me why doesn't she? Doesn't hurt me as much as she thinks it does. If she just got it over with at least then... at least then I wouldn't have to feel bad like this! Ugh! "Stupid Tomboy."
Ranma grumbled, her eyes landing in a mirror as she huffed one final time. I even got all dressed up for her too! I put effort into a disguise that would hide me and make me look decent, just for me to take her out.Her fists slowly unclenched.Doesn't she notice stuff like this at all?
"I hope you weren't lying about the money because I'm ready to go when you are."
The shorter girl panicked, whipping her head around to a continously pissed off girl. Did she see any of that?"Oh yeah, ready when you are."
The pair continued on their way in silence, exiting the store quickly, ready as they were both now in street clothes.
"You know, I didn't actually think you'd pay; I thought you were bluffing the whole time." Akane broke the silence. "Wheredidyou get the money."
Ranma rested her hands atop her head. "You remember the wedding? Remember we got a lot a money?"
"We did?"
"Yeah, didn't our dads tell you?"
"No... which one of them gave you the money?"
"Well, Kasumi was the one who physically handed me the money but the one who was supposed to give you yours was... oh." Ranma paused.
"Who? Who was it?"
"... Nabiki." Ranma sighed. "Your dad trusts her too much."
"Oh of course." Akane closed her eyes. "Well, what can you do? It's probably locked away in some secret safe where Nabiki will do God knows what with it."
"It's okay, you can have half of mine, I don't really need it." She put her hands in her pockets.
"No, it's okay, just buy me stuff with it every once in a while." Akane swung the bags in her hand around, her school bag made her stick out like a sore thumb downtown.
"Sounds good, but by the way I have somewhere I wanna stop by, it's the original reason why I asked you to hang out."
"Really, where?"
"It's this cool ass bakery I've been meaning to go to." Ranma grinned. "You'll love it."
--
Kasumi was a little stressed, to say the least. Or at least the closest she could get to stressed out, maybe planning a surprise party was more work than she anticipated.
"Ryoga, dear."
"Yes."
"Why does all the laundry have a blue stain on it?"
Ryoga looked down at the clothing in front of him, it in fact did have little blue stains on them. "I'm not sure."
Kasumi smiled. "Ryoga, dear, do you know how to get stains out of clothing?"
"Yes."
"I recommend doing that before folding because that my dear is Ranma's, and I'm sure he'll be upset if he gets home to find his clothing covered in blue stains." She peered over. "Well, I supposed purple since blue stains differently on red clothing, but nonetheless, be sure to get it done."
Ryoga frowned. "That weirdo can wear tattered threads for all I care."
"Oh please, Ryoga, I have to go meet with Auntie Nodoka and I already called ahead so I can't stay to help." Kasumi began to pat down her pink button down. "If not for Ranma, for me?"
Ryoga sighed in defeat. "I can't say no to that."
Kasumi smiled and led Ryoga to the kitchen sink and gave him all the supplies he needed before heading out.This is it, the plan will be set in motion.
While it was true that Kasumi had wanted to give her little sister a big birthday party for some time now her true dream for her little sister was different. In truth her dream for this time of year was to finally get Akane to love her birthday. For some reason that had long alluded her, Akane had hated her birthday since they were children. Ever since she was small, Kasumi vividly remembered her little sister crying the nights before.
"I don't wanna!" Akane wailed.
"Please, Akane, we already got you a cake." Kasumi pleaded. But alas to no avail, her little sister had already begun a tantrum.
The 20-year-old smiled fondly, as if recalling a sweet memory. After a few more minutes she had reached her destination, a small home a mere 15 minute walk from the Tendo Dojo. A few days after the school year had begun Mrs. and Mr. Saotome had bought a house, Nodoka stating that she felt bad for imposing on the Tendos. Though in reality, it was only Mrs. Saotome who spent her days here, her husband spent most of the day at the Tendo's and only went back to his home at night. And while her son had a room of his own in both houses, he stayed primarily at the Tendos for what he said was 'convenience'.
"Welcome, Kasumi, come on in." Nodoka pressed a hand on her faintly pink cheek as she led Kasumi through the entryway. "So sorry for the mess, when you called this morning I was in a rush to get everything ready before you came by."
"Oh heavens, forgive me for imposing on such short notice; you're home looks lovely just as always, Auntie." Kasumi entered the main room, all was in order after all.
"Why thank you, and you all know that this home is welcome to any one in your family whenever." Nodoka pulled a chair and led the young woman to sit down. "I'll get you some tea, in the meantime explain what you'd like to discuss with me."
Kasumi took a seat as Nodoka moved around, preparing the cups at the table. "Well, Auntie, Ranma and his friend asked me to help them organize a surprise birthday party for Akane. I have most of the party supplies dealt with but there are a few things I can't manage without outside help."
"I see, how cute, you kids are so full of energy." She served tea in both cups. "What would you like me to help with?"
"Well..." Kasumi began, barely containing the excitement in her voice. "I was thinking you could get some cooking done? With it being a surprise party and all I can't get all the food ready in secret so I'd like you to help."
"I'd be happy to, but why not enlist the help of those two girls, what are their names again? Shampoo and Ukyo?"
"That was my first thought but I remembered how it turned out for the wedding, and decided it was best to invite them as guests only." Kasumi peered down at the beverage infront of her. "They're lovely cooks, but they're rather destructive when it comes to Akane."
"I suppose." The older woman took a sip of her tea. "Well, do you have an idea of how many guests are coming to this party?"
"I'm thinking around 30, a few school friends and the kids, and then the family." She sighed. "Not too many but a good amount."
"A decent size, I say. Who all else is helping us?"
"Just us for the cooking, Ranma is going out as we speak to get some cake tasting done."
"By himself or with someone else?"
"With Akane, in secret of course." Kasumi sighed with a lovely exigence around it. "So cute, he still tries to play it all off as trying to prove a point to Akane."
"So, he still hasn't made his feelings known? That boy of mine." Nodoka tsked, though a smile stayed on her face. "Oh well, that all sounds lovely, dear, I'll be happy to help."
"Thank you, I was also wondering if you could help me right now get the invitations prepared? I have them in my bag and just need to write names and put them in their envelopes."
"Of course." The older woman clapped her hands. "Lets start, surely it won't take long."
Kasumi felt a weight fall off her shoulders, everything was going well, all that was necessary to do was to make sure it stayed on track.
It's all falling into place.
--
"What took you two so long to get home?" Ryoga posed. "I was supposed to train you today, Akane"
The pair stared ahead, sharing a glance before smiling.
"Dude, are you wearing an apron?" Ranma laughed. "Is that one of Kasumi's."
"Ah-shut up, jerk!." Ryoga blushed. "My shirt gets wet if I don't."
"Don't wanna get soaked do ya? Oh no, I'm Ryoga and I love wearing the frilly aprons of my friends sister." The red head teased. "Or could it be something else?"
"Oh, can it, asshole." Ryoga grumbled, tearing off the apron and throwing it at his belly laughing friend. "Do you still want to do training today?" he looked over at Akane, who was stifling a laugh. Least she has the decency to not be an asshole. Akane's too above that.He smiled.
"I don't see why not, it's best to keep training consistent." Akane took a deep breath to not let a laugh escape. "Let me go get ready."
Ryoga watched as the short haired girl ran up the stairs, but quickly returning his attention back to Ranma, who had since calmed down.
"So how did it go?"
Ranma looked up the stairs, wiping a tear from her eye. "Good, she likes strawberry the best, pass it on to Kasumi. Oh, and specifically, the ones with real strawberries on the inside filling."
"I feel like I shouldn't be surprised, she likes cute things." Ryoga smiled.
"Yeah to make up for her lack of said cuteness."
He rolled his eyes.He of all people, definitely doesn't deserveher."You're the only person alive who thinks that."
"'cause I'm the only person with common sense." Ranma crossed her arms. "You should've seen her today, acting all snotty like she's all that."
"Probably because you were being an asshole."
"I was being myself and she, as usual, wanted to pick a fight with me. Not my fault she can't handle it, besides-"
"We both know you're lying, Ranma." Ryoga punched down on her, only enough to get her to stop talking. He starred directly at her, locking eyes. "Why can't you at least be nice to her?"
The two stood in silence.
"What are you two doing?" Akane spoke, though only looking at Ranma as she asked. She quickly turned her eyes to Ryoga. "I'm ready when you are."
"Great, lets head to the dojo then." Ryoga ignored her previous question and feigned a smile towards Ranma. "There's hot water in the kitchen, Kasumi said to leave it on for you."
Ranma nodded as she watched the two walk off, smiling side by side excited for the rest of their afternoon. Especially Akane, always so eager to improve. She looked happy as they left her eye.
This was the cute side that Akane only reserved for the deserving, not for him to see. A chord struck, a tint of jealousy shone that Ranma had previously not allowed himself to indulge in. She walked to the kitchen and dumped the water over herself, feeling his body grow taller as he did.
It's not that I don't want to be nice. Ryoga just doesn't get it, unlike me he has no pride.Ranma stopped the thought.At least the fools got some decency, unlike me too.
Sadly that rabbit hole thought was left in the dust as Ranma closed in on something, his face contorting to anger.
"Are those my fucking clothes?!" He grabbed them, examining as his anger rose. "Are these stains on my silk?!"