Ami ran home as quickly as possible. She wasn't sure how she was going to explain this one. The truth was out of the question, of course. If her father ever found out how she spent most of her free time he would have more then just one of his emotional fits he would probably keel over on the spot.
She rushed into the house hoping she wouldn't be getting a snide remark from her older sister or worse a chewing out from her twin.
"Taidama!" She shouted. She could hear her twin and another girl arguing. The other girl burst out laughing only to be silenced by a loud crashing sound. Horrified, Ami ran into the living room.
The entire family was in the living room. Kasumi was pouring tea. Nabiki was looking nonchalant as she nibbled on a rice cracker. Her father was sitting with a large man dressed in a white gi, glasses and covered his head with a white handkerchief. They were both watching Akane, who apparently had just hit another guest over the head with the dining room table.
"Now that, " the man said, "he had coming."
"How can you say that?" Ami demanded, staring at the twitching redhead lying under the table. "Akane, that's extreme even for you."
Akane glared at her sister. The only way too tell the two of them apart was that Akane wore her hair in a long pony tail while Ami wore hers in a short pageboy cut. "Oh now you show up!" Akane shouted in outrage. "I got shanghaied into this stupid engagement because you were hanging out with that blonde ditz again!"
"Usagi is not a ditz! She's just . . . . . confused." Ami said in the defense of her best friend while not having a clue what was going on.
"Fine! Be that way!" Akane shouted and stormed out of the room.
"What was that all about?" Ami asked.
"Trust us kid you'll thank us for this Nabiki smiled moving the table. "Now, if you could give us a hand here."
** ** *** ***
"I'm beginning to think that Father's going over the deep end," Ami said. "I mean, engaging Akane to a girl. No wonder she's so upset." She said studying the unconscious redhead.
"I told you, Ami, Ranma's cursed. Akane will be fine in a couple of days. You'll see." Kasumi said, as she replaced the cold press on Ranma's forehead.
"That's easy for you to say. You don't share a room with her." Ami grumbled.
"Maybe you'd prefer to be engaged to him," Nabiki said. "You probably wouldn't even notice. Its not like you're ever here"
"Oneechan, be serious," Ami gasped. She had avoided the engagement by sheer luck and she was not about to throw away her advantage and let herself be engaged to a girl. Curses indeed!
"Oh she's waking up." Kasumi interrupted, as the redhead stirred. "You'll have to forgive Akane. She's really a sweet girl. It's just that she's a violent maniac." She said with a smile.
"Oh great, Kasumi, that made real sense." Nabiki sighed.
Ranma rubbed her forehead and got up. "Uh, yeah I see." She mumbled. She turned and stared at Ami. "Say, when did you cut your hair?"
"What?" Ami demanded.
Kasumi smiled. "Oh, Ranma that's not Akane. That's our other sister, Ami.
"Er, hi." Ami stammered, "I'm Ami Tendou. Do you want to be friends?
