Starry Night
Chapter Three
Akane felt her mallet strike flesh. "Yes!" She could feel her satisfaction coursing through her veins. Quickly, she sidestepped into a back stance for her next strike. As she snapped her head around her eyes sought out her target. She was planning to execute a knife blade attack to the things neck. Then she saw her assailant. Her attack was forgotten as she covered her eyes and screamed for all she was worth.
Ranma woke with a start. Quickly he jumped off of his sleeping mat and dashed down the stairs. Once at the bottom he stopped and listened. Noise. There was noise coming from the kitchen. That was all he could hear in the whole house.
So, of course, this is where he headed.
Kasumi was standing in the kitchen, quietly humming to herself as she chopped some cabbage in preparation for dinner. The tune was nothing spectacular, just a cute little song she had heard somewhere. She so liked the melody; she would have to get the tape. If only she could remember the name. "Yume de? Futari wa mada? Boku-tachi something or another." Endless possibilities continued to run through her mind. She was so engrossed in remembering the song title that she stopped paying attention to her task at hand. Her knife aim was slightly off and she only caught the edge of the cabbage. The next thing she knew the knife was slipping and headed straight for her thumb. There was nothing she could do as the cold steel sliced into her unyielding flesh, all she could manage was a weak yelp of pain. She dropped the knife as pain shot into her hand and coursed up her arm. Quickly she regained her wits and turned on the water to wash the wound. The blood was coming much to quickly for her to tell how serious the damage was, and she was starting to feel dizzy and nauseous. "Oh my!" she said every quietly as she felt her balance start to give away. She was about to grab onto the edge of the counter when she felt a pair of strong arms around her. Instinctively she knew who held her and that she was safe, so she closed her eyes and tried to get the dizziness under control.
Ranma ran into the kitchen just in time to see Kasumi cut herself. "Crap!" he thought to himself, and turned to get the first aid box from the cupboard. He then heard Kasumi's quiet exclamation and turned just in time to see her start to stumble. If any other person had been in the kitchen Kasumi would have hit the ground, but Ranma, thanks to all his speed training, was able to catch her in time. Quickly, and to the best of his ability, he assessed her wound. The cut was deep and nearly severed her appendage. Ranma set Kasumi down at the kitchen table, and wrapped her hand up in a kitchen towel. Once he was sure that Kasumi would be able to hold the towel on her own he went to find a piece of paper and a pen to write a note to the rest of the family. He then returned to Kasumi and gently picked her up. Then he ran to Dr. Tofu's clinic as fast as he could. In his worry over Kasumi, Ranma completely forgot about the scream that had awoken him from his sleep.
Nabiki was returning home from what had turned out to be a very long day. The only thing that she wanted to do was to soak in the furo and let her problems just float away. To feel the tension leave every part of her body would be heavenly. Then she could go to her room and read that manga she had bought last week. All of a sudden she caught a glimpse of someone running through the gates of her home and down the street, and considering how fast that person was running, it could only be Ranma. Who was he carrying? Maybe Akane had returned while she was out shopping, she had better follow and find out. She started running in the direction that Ranma had been taking. He was already way out of her line of sight by the time she reached the sidewalk, so she started to go over the facts in her head. To start with Ranma had been carrying someone. Then there was the fact that he was in such a hurry that he was traveling at a speed that was normally reserved for a fight. He had to be heading to Dr. Tofu's. That was the only logical place to consider. So that is where Nabiki went.
Dr. Tofu was closing up shop for the day when he heard someone burst through his front door. He stopped his sweeping and turned just in time to see Ranma barreling towards him. Ranma was cradling someone in his arms, but he couldn't really tell whom. As protective as Ranma was acting though he was pretty sure it was Akane. "What in the world have those two gotten themselves into now?" he thought to himself with a slight laugh. "Those two are one of the most fun couples to watch. They are more entertaining than a TV show."
"Just take her in the room on the right Ranma and I will be right there. I need to speak with Mrs. Takei briefly," Dr. Tofu said as he turned to face the other exam room.
"That's funny. I could have sworn I saw the door open a second ago. I will have to call her in the morning and apologize for missing her departure," he thought to himself with a slightly confused look in his eyes. How could he have missed her leave? Was she in that much of a hurry? He headed towards the other exam room while still thinking about how he could have missed someone walking through his door. He would have to check himself over later to make sure he was not getting sick himself.
"What can I do to help you Ranma?" Dr Tofu said as he opened the door. He still was not sure exactly whom he was treating since Ranma was blocking his view of the bed. "Would you like to have a seat in the chair?" he said pointing towards the corner of the room. Then he waited patiently for Ranma to move.
As Ranma moved, Dr Tofu got a full view of his patient and felt the familiar feelings come to the surface. The next thing he knew his glasses were getting all foggy and he was having a hard time concentrating. He gazed at the beautiful woman laying on the stretcher in front of him as he felt the rest of his control slowly slip away.
Nabiki was having a hard time catching her breath. She was not use to running. She was not even in shape. She did exercise on occasion to help keep her figure, but even that was sporadic. By the time she rounded the corner by Dr Tofu's clinic she thought her lungs were going to burst. She barely had enough time to mutter a word of warning to the lady who was quickly running out of the clinic. The lady stopped and looked at her strangely then asked, "Are you Tendo Kasumi's sister?"
"Yes," Nabiki said with some effort.
"She is in there. I would be careful if I were you, you know how he gets!" That was all Nabiki could understand as the lady turned and ran down the street as fast as she could, but the implications stopped Nabiki's heart. If Ranma was carrying Kasumi to the clinic then something bad had to have happened. Nabiki felt a second wind enter her body and sprinted the last quarter of a mile to the clinic.
"Come on Tofu, you can do this! Focus! " Dr Tofu thought to himself as he walked towards what he thought was the exam table. He fought for control as the familiar fog of lunacy came crashing down. She was the most wonderful girl he had ever met, and she needed him now! He needed to stay in control! Is that Kasumi-chan or Betty-chan? I cannot tell. Breath! Don't forget to breath Tofu!" This immaturity had to stop and it had to stop now! How could he ever be considered a respectable doctor if he fell to pieces every time Kasumi walked into the room! With considerable control Dr. Tofu closed his eyes and started some deep breathing exercises.
Ranma sat very tensely in the corner of the room. The chair was very comfortable, but he was tense anyways. Ranma knew that he needed to be ready to run at any given moment. He needed to stay focused so he could grab Kasumi and make a break for the door just in case the doctor wigged out. He knew that he probably should have taken her to the hospital, but he was wagering that Tofu would be able to control himself long enough to save Kasumi's thumb. He was hoping he was right. Ranma readied himself to jump as the doctor started to run in circles in the middle of the room. He was mumbling something, but Ranma was not sure what he was saying. Then the slowly disintegrating doctor stopped in front of Betty-chan and started to ask who she was. That was enough, he had to get Kasumi away from the doctor. If anything happened to Kasumi because he had brought her here instead of taking her to the hospital, then Akane would never forgive him.
Just as Ranma was starting to act something incredulous happened. Tofu regained enough control to start some deep breathing exercises. Ranma was not sure what to do now. He was not sure what the outcome would be, so he just stood and stared dumbly. After a few minutes Dr Tofu's glasses began to clear and his eyes no longer looked crazed. The doctor turned towards Kasumi to assess the wound, but Ranma was not so sure whether or not to trust him. There was still a slight glaze in his eyes. "Is he just concentrating or is he going to go berserk again. To late now, guess I am just going to have to trust my instincts. Please don' t let me be wrong this time." Ranma watched dumbfounded as the doctor moved with an exaggerated deliberateness. The necessary surgical instruments were prepared and set on a sterile cloth on a tray next to the examination table that Kasumi was laying on. Next the doctor started two ivs. The first was a slow saline drip, the second was to replace the blood that Kasumi had lost during the ordeal. Ranma watched anxiously as Dr. Tofu administered the necessary anesthesia through the saline solution. The whole process was really worrisome to Ranma, and just when he was getting ready to ask Dr. Tofu if the second IV was really necessary the doctor began to speak.
"Ranma, I was concentrating so hard that I almost forgot that you were in the room with me. I realize that some of this procedure might seem a bit much to you, but believe me it is necessary. I needed to start the second IV so I could administer anesthesia to Kasumi. Now normally I would have just given her a local anesthesia, but there were two things that made me change my mind. The first reason is the severity of the cut. Not only is the cut an inch and a half long, it also goes down to the bone. The second reason is because Kasumi is unconscious. If she were to wake-up during the procedure we have no clue how she would react. If you don't mind Ranma I am not going to talk anymore until I am finished. Also, I would appreciate it if you could stay in the chair and remain quiet. You know how I react when Kasumi is around and I really need to be able to stay focused."
"Sure thing Dr. Tofu." Ranma replied very quietly as he focused in on the doctors eyes. He needed to remain alert just in case the doctor had a momentary relapse so he could quickly put himself between the two.
Nabiki came to a stop in front of the exam room door just in time to see Dr. Tofu start to prepare his instruments. He was moving slower than usual, but seemed to be in complete control of all of his facilities. This is a good sign. Nabiki thought to herself as she bent over and put her hands on her knees in an attempt to catch her breath. When she was finally able to breath easily again, she straightened just in time to see Dr. Tofu start an IV. He was in complete control of himself still. The idiot that he normally became was nowhere to be seen. This is too good to be true. Nabiki thought to herself as she whipped out her camcorder. I better get this on tape for future reference. This might make a good wedding present some day. Nabiki watched in amazement as the good doctor was able to keep himself under control throughout the entire procedure. The more he worked on Kasumi, the quicker his hands moved and the more assured of himself he seemed. Finally the last stitch was in place and the doctor replaced his last instrument on his tray.
All right. He is going to lose it any minute now. Nabiki's thought was mimicked by Ranma. He was standing up in preparation to defend Kasumi. This is too good to be true. Nabiki thought to herself as the doctor turned to face her. She noticed the grim lines of determination starting to fade from his face. "Ranma, Nabiki, I need to speak with both of you in the waiting room for a moment. Kasumi needs her rest now, so please turn off the lights on your way out of the room," Dr. Tofu said as he brushed past Nabiki. Nabiki, in turn, looked at Ranma, shrugged her shoulders and followed the doctor.
"I am honored that you chose to bring Kasumi to me, Ranma. You can not imagine the pride that I feel in your trust. I realize that I turn into a muttering idiot when Kasumi is around. I have been trying to hard to get past that problem. She is so beautiful though that it is very hard to control myself. I guess that was my way of protecting myself from rejection. If I could not get close enough to her to ask her out then she could never break my heart," Dr Tofu stopped at this point and seemed to be thinking about the next words that he was going to say. Then he smiled at them and continued. "Kasumi's cut was very serious. Thankfully though I was able to repair all of the damage that had occurred. Also, Kasumi is very lucky that the knife was very sharp. A clean cut always heals better. I will need to keep Kasumi overnight to keep an eye on her wound. The consequences of an infection are not very pretty. If all goes well she should be able to return home either tomorrow or the following day." With that the doctor turned and walked back to the exam room.
"That was very interesting! I wonder if Kasumi will believe us when we tell her what happened," Ranma said while watching the doctor close the door to the exam room.
"She will believe every part of this day for years to come," Nabiki said while patting her camcorder. "I think things are finally going to change for those two. Come on Ranma, lets head home." They walked the entire way home in silence. The day had been long and they were both tired.
Chapter Three
Akane felt her mallet strike flesh. "Yes!" She could feel her satisfaction coursing through her veins. Quickly, she sidestepped into a back stance for her next strike. As she snapped her head around her eyes sought out her target. She was planning to execute a knife blade attack to the things neck. Then she saw her assailant. Her attack was forgotten as she covered her eyes and screamed for all she was worth.
Ranma woke with a start. Quickly he jumped off of his sleeping mat and dashed down the stairs. Once at the bottom he stopped and listened. Noise. There was noise coming from the kitchen. That was all he could hear in the whole house.
So, of course, this is where he headed.
Kasumi was standing in the kitchen, quietly humming to herself as she chopped some cabbage in preparation for dinner. The tune was nothing spectacular, just a cute little song she had heard somewhere. She so liked the melody; she would have to get the tape. If only she could remember the name. "Yume de? Futari wa mada? Boku-tachi something or another." Endless possibilities continued to run through her mind. She was so engrossed in remembering the song title that she stopped paying attention to her task at hand. Her knife aim was slightly off and she only caught the edge of the cabbage. The next thing she knew the knife was slipping and headed straight for her thumb. There was nothing she could do as the cold steel sliced into her unyielding flesh, all she could manage was a weak yelp of pain. She dropped the knife as pain shot into her hand and coursed up her arm. Quickly she regained her wits and turned on the water to wash the wound. The blood was coming much to quickly for her to tell how serious the damage was, and she was starting to feel dizzy and nauseous. "Oh my!" she said every quietly as she felt her balance start to give away. She was about to grab onto the edge of the counter when she felt a pair of strong arms around her. Instinctively she knew who held her and that she was safe, so she closed her eyes and tried to get the dizziness under control.
Ranma ran into the kitchen just in time to see Kasumi cut herself. "Crap!" he thought to himself, and turned to get the first aid box from the cupboard. He then heard Kasumi's quiet exclamation and turned just in time to see her start to stumble. If any other person had been in the kitchen Kasumi would have hit the ground, but Ranma, thanks to all his speed training, was able to catch her in time. Quickly, and to the best of his ability, he assessed her wound. The cut was deep and nearly severed her appendage. Ranma set Kasumi down at the kitchen table, and wrapped her hand up in a kitchen towel. Once he was sure that Kasumi would be able to hold the towel on her own he went to find a piece of paper and a pen to write a note to the rest of the family. He then returned to Kasumi and gently picked her up. Then he ran to Dr. Tofu's clinic as fast as he could. In his worry over Kasumi, Ranma completely forgot about the scream that had awoken him from his sleep.
Nabiki was returning home from what had turned out to be a very long day. The only thing that she wanted to do was to soak in the furo and let her problems just float away. To feel the tension leave every part of her body would be heavenly. Then she could go to her room and read that manga she had bought last week. All of a sudden she caught a glimpse of someone running through the gates of her home and down the street, and considering how fast that person was running, it could only be Ranma. Who was he carrying? Maybe Akane had returned while she was out shopping, she had better follow and find out. She started running in the direction that Ranma had been taking. He was already way out of her line of sight by the time she reached the sidewalk, so she started to go over the facts in her head. To start with Ranma had been carrying someone. Then there was the fact that he was in such a hurry that he was traveling at a speed that was normally reserved for a fight. He had to be heading to Dr. Tofu's. That was the only logical place to consider. So that is where Nabiki went.
Dr. Tofu was closing up shop for the day when he heard someone burst through his front door. He stopped his sweeping and turned just in time to see Ranma barreling towards him. Ranma was cradling someone in his arms, but he couldn't really tell whom. As protective as Ranma was acting though he was pretty sure it was Akane. "What in the world have those two gotten themselves into now?" he thought to himself with a slight laugh. "Those two are one of the most fun couples to watch. They are more entertaining than a TV show."
"Just take her in the room on the right Ranma and I will be right there. I need to speak with Mrs. Takei briefly," Dr. Tofu said as he turned to face the other exam room.
"That's funny. I could have sworn I saw the door open a second ago. I will have to call her in the morning and apologize for missing her departure," he thought to himself with a slightly confused look in his eyes. How could he have missed her leave? Was she in that much of a hurry? He headed towards the other exam room while still thinking about how he could have missed someone walking through his door. He would have to check himself over later to make sure he was not getting sick himself.
"What can I do to help you Ranma?" Dr Tofu said as he opened the door. He still was not sure exactly whom he was treating since Ranma was blocking his view of the bed. "Would you like to have a seat in the chair?" he said pointing towards the corner of the room. Then he waited patiently for Ranma to move.
As Ranma moved, Dr Tofu got a full view of his patient and felt the familiar feelings come to the surface. The next thing he knew his glasses were getting all foggy and he was having a hard time concentrating. He gazed at the beautiful woman laying on the stretcher in front of him as he felt the rest of his control slowly slip away.
Nabiki was having a hard time catching her breath. She was not use to running. She was not even in shape. She did exercise on occasion to help keep her figure, but even that was sporadic. By the time she rounded the corner by Dr Tofu's clinic she thought her lungs were going to burst. She barely had enough time to mutter a word of warning to the lady who was quickly running out of the clinic. The lady stopped and looked at her strangely then asked, "Are you Tendo Kasumi's sister?"
"Yes," Nabiki said with some effort.
"She is in there. I would be careful if I were you, you know how he gets!" That was all Nabiki could understand as the lady turned and ran down the street as fast as she could, but the implications stopped Nabiki's heart. If Ranma was carrying Kasumi to the clinic then something bad had to have happened. Nabiki felt a second wind enter her body and sprinted the last quarter of a mile to the clinic.
"Come on Tofu, you can do this! Focus! " Dr Tofu thought to himself as he walked towards what he thought was the exam table. He fought for control as the familiar fog of lunacy came crashing down. She was the most wonderful girl he had ever met, and she needed him now! He needed to stay in control! Is that Kasumi-chan or Betty-chan? I cannot tell. Breath! Don't forget to breath Tofu!" This immaturity had to stop and it had to stop now! How could he ever be considered a respectable doctor if he fell to pieces every time Kasumi walked into the room! With considerable control Dr. Tofu closed his eyes and started some deep breathing exercises.
Ranma sat very tensely in the corner of the room. The chair was very comfortable, but he was tense anyways. Ranma knew that he needed to be ready to run at any given moment. He needed to stay focused so he could grab Kasumi and make a break for the door just in case the doctor wigged out. He knew that he probably should have taken her to the hospital, but he was wagering that Tofu would be able to control himself long enough to save Kasumi's thumb. He was hoping he was right. Ranma readied himself to jump as the doctor started to run in circles in the middle of the room. He was mumbling something, but Ranma was not sure what he was saying. Then the slowly disintegrating doctor stopped in front of Betty-chan and started to ask who she was. That was enough, he had to get Kasumi away from the doctor. If anything happened to Kasumi because he had brought her here instead of taking her to the hospital, then Akane would never forgive him.
Just as Ranma was starting to act something incredulous happened. Tofu regained enough control to start some deep breathing exercises. Ranma was not sure what to do now. He was not sure what the outcome would be, so he just stood and stared dumbly. After a few minutes Dr Tofu's glasses began to clear and his eyes no longer looked crazed. The doctor turned towards Kasumi to assess the wound, but Ranma was not so sure whether or not to trust him. There was still a slight glaze in his eyes. "Is he just concentrating or is he going to go berserk again. To late now, guess I am just going to have to trust my instincts. Please don' t let me be wrong this time." Ranma watched dumbfounded as the doctor moved with an exaggerated deliberateness. The necessary surgical instruments were prepared and set on a sterile cloth on a tray next to the examination table that Kasumi was laying on. Next the doctor started two ivs. The first was a slow saline drip, the second was to replace the blood that Kasumi had lost during the ordeal. Ranma watched anxiously as Dr. Tofu administered the necessary anesthesia through the saline solution. The whole process was really worrisome to Ranma, and just when he was getting ready to ask Dr. Tofu if the second IV was really necessary the doctor began to speak.
"Ranma, I was concentrating so hard that I almost forgot that you were in the room with me. I realize that some of this procedure might seem a bit much to you, but believe me it is necessary. I needed to start the second IV so I could administer anesthesia to Kasumi. Now normally I would have just given her a local anesthesia, but there were two things that made me change my mind. The first reason is the severity of the cut. Not only is the cut an inch and a half long, it also goes down to the bone. The second reason is because Kasumi is unconscious. If she were to wake-up during the procedure we have no clue how she would react. If you don't mind Ranma I am not going to talk anymore until I am finished. Also, I would appreciate it if you could stay in the chair and remain quiet. You know how I react when Kasumi is around and I really need to be able to stay focused."
"Sure thing Dr. Tofu." Ranma replied very quietly as he focused in on the doctors eyes. He needed to remain alert just in case the doctor had a momentary relapse so he could quickly put himself between the two.
Nabiki came to a stop in front of the exam room door just in time to see Dr. Tofu start to prepare his instruments. He was moving slower than usual, but seemed to be in complete control of all of his facilities. This is a good sign. Nabiki thought to herself as she bent over and put her hands on her knees in an attempt to catch her breath. When she was finally able to breath easily again, she straightened just in time to see Dr. Tofu start an IV. He was in complete control of himself still. The idiot that he normally became was nowhere to be seen. This is too good to be true. Nabiki thought to herself as she whipped out her camcorder. I better get this on tape for future reference. This might make a good wedding present some day. Nabiki watched in amazement as the good doctor was able to keep himself under control throughout the entire procedure. The more he worked on Kasumi, the quicker his hands moved and the more assured of himself he seemed. Finally the last stitch was in place and the doctor replaced his last instrument on his tray.
All right. He is going to lose it any minute now. Nabiki's thought was mimicked by Ranma. He was standing up in preparation to defend Kasumi. This is too good to be true. Nabiki thought to herself as the doctor turned to face her. She noticed the grim lines of determination starting to fade from his face. "Ranma, Nabiki, I need to speak with both of you in the waiting room for a moment. Kasumi needs her rest now, so please turn off the lights on your way out of the room," Dr. Tofu said as he brushed past Nabiki. Nabiki, in turn, looked at Ranma, shrugged her shoulders and followed the doctor.
"I am honored that you chose to bring Kasumi to me, Ranma. You can not imagine the pride that I feel in your trust. I realize that I turn into a muttering idiot when Kasumi is around. I have been trying to hard to get past that problem. She is so beautiful though that it is very hard to control myself. I guess that was my way of protecting myself from rejection. If I could not get close enough to her to ask her out then she could never break my heart," Dr Tofu stopped at this point and seemed to be thinking about the next words that he was going to say. Then he smiled at them and continued. "Kasumi's cut was very serious. Thankfully though I was able to repair all of the damage that had occurred. Also, Kasumi is very lucky that the knife was very sharp. A clean cut always heals better. I will need to keep Kasumi overnight to keep an eye on her wound. The consequences of an infection are not very pretty. If all goes well she should be able to return home either tomorrow or the following day." With that the doctor turned and walked back to the exam room.
"That was very interesting! I wonder if Kasumi will believe us when we tell her what happened," Ranma said while watching the doctor close the door to the exam room.
"She will believe every part of this day for years to come," Nabiki said while patting her camcorder. "I think things are finally going to change for those two. Come on Ranma, lets head home." They walked the entire way home in silence. The day had been long and they were both tired.