-----
Still evening in the Tendo residence.
-----
Kasumi carefully lay the clothes on the bed, and stepped back into a cross-legged sitting position. She stared at the ensemble on the bed, and sighed. To her side, she held the basin containing her toiletries with one hand, a little nervously.
Sighing again, then breathing in deeply, she stood up, gripped the belt around her waist, then left the room.
-----
Ranma pulled the door closed behind him and looked both ways down the hallway, decided that going out the back door was not the best way and thus went left past the empty guestroom.
"That's it!" He rushed around the master bedroom, and ran past the kitchen, gaining momentum towards the front door.
He was already on his way out when he stopped suddenly and cursed. He turned toward the stairs rapidly.
"Stop right there!"
He raised his head to realize that he was staring into Kasumi's chest. "AGH!"
"Stop that, too!" Kasumi wrapped her arms around herself self-consciously.
"Get out of the way," Ranma said after getting his bearings.
"Get out of the way?"
"I said, get out of the..." Ranma stopped when Kasumi took a step forward. A loud step.
"Get out of the way?" Kasumi bore down on Ranma slowly, causing Ranma to take a few quick steps down backward.
"Ohhhhh, shhhhiiiiii..."
"I'm in YOUR way now, huh?"
Ranma fell onto his back, having lost steps. Kasumi stepped over him, and squatted over his midsection.
"If I'm in YOUR way," she said, poking his shoulder, "then why don't you MAKE me go, huh?"
"What?" Ranma looked back into the dark hallway, and saw no one.
"Come, on, Ranma!" Every word had the sarcasm of magnanimity. "You said you wanted me out of the way! Well, just make me!"
"What?" Ranma now had to look, as Kasumi pulled him up by his undershirt and dragged him back toward the darkness of the bath.
"N-no! Don't!" Ranma was as panicked as he had ever been, truly terrified by the prospect of meeting Nabiki once more this night.
"Oh, no! You're not getting out of this one, Saotome!" And, with that, they were out the back door.
-----
Nabiki pointedly ignored the two, sighing. She continued to let the heat of the bath tide her over.
-----
By the time Ranma got back onto his feet, he had already been dragged across the stone tiles of the walk to the dojo, through the dojo doorway, and had to roll to his feet as Kasumi tossed him across the dojo.
Kasumi held the towel in her hands and rolled it into a fluffy and flaccid club. Ranma dusted himself off, and checked his back for cuts and bruises. Kasumi faked a step forward, shifting her balance to the front then to the back foot, ersatz club at ready.
When Ranma seemed more interested in checking for bleeders, Kasumi took a resounding step forward. "What is WRONG with you?!"
"ME?" Ranma took a similarly menacing step forward. "YOU'RE the one that DRAGGED me into this DUMB dojo!"
"'DUMB DOJO'?!" Kasumi and Ranma took a cha-cha with Kasumi leading, as Ranma figured that he may have pushed the wrong buttons. "Do you know how long it takes to patch up the floor or the walls when one of those mid-air clashes goes awry? DON'T let me forget how you and your fat father traipsed across the garden like a bunch of circus clowns in tutus!"
"Hey, hey, I'M not the one who starts -"
"But you don't END it, NEIther, do you, PUNK?" Kasumi was bristling and fuming, rolling up her sleeves as often as they fell, as though she wanted to roll someone's neck lengthwise. "You do have some NERVE, waltzing in, IMPOSING yourselves on Dad -"
"I had NO intention of STAYING here... missy!" He tried to be more imaginative, but he had never had practice talking to the opposite sex, much less having a shouting match with one breathing down your neck. "My FATHER -!"
"Oh, OWN up, will you!" Kasumi was as in Ranma's face as his nose would permit. "YOU wanted to do THIS and THAT to my sisters! Oh, sure, Nabiki kissed YOU! But YOU kissed BACK!"
"I DIDN-!"
"And your FATHER intentionally gets himself WET so he can take ADVANTAGE of my sister's charms!" Kasumi stopped, then took a harsh look at him. "Or is it YOUR -!"
"Don't get ME involved with my old man's TRIPS, lady! I wish he NEVER brought me in the FIRST place!" he hissed hotly.
"Well, exCUSE me for being an unGRATEful HOST!" Kasumi wiped away at some of Ranma's spittle on her cheeks. "It's no good that we're just GIRLS here," she wiped her hand on his chest, "but we have to train in this STUPID dojo, while YOU," another swipe, "went on your super-great, ultra-powerful TRAINING TRIP!" She slapped his face twice and stepped back.
"That's IT!" Ranma stomped, and Kasumi could see the two, three, four planks crack under the blow. He flexed for a open-palmed front stance.
"And you're gonna PAY for those!" She pointed to the floor.
"So?" Ranma spat out, not giving her the advantage.
Kasumi smirked, pulling up into a gymnastic slouch. "Not so stu-"
Ranma took three paces in his stride, and came in low. Halfway there, he was flung to a side by Kasumi's pirouetting leg.
"Correction," Kasumi said, raising her leg and her arms. "You ARE stupid!"
Ranma bit back his response, and stood up, wiping at his mouth. He took slow in getting to his stance, bangs covering his eyes, maintaining the solidity of his silhouette.
"You know, you're so STUPID," she nearly shouted the last, "you can't even hit a GIRL!"
"SHUT UP!" He was suddenly right next to her, screaming righteous fury.
Kasumi was so sure that she'd pushed the wrong buttons, that he was going to do... something, but it never happened.
She unclenched her eyes, her jaw, and the fists at her sides.
He stood there, barely a foot away, breathing heavily.
Something wet fell to the floor.
She stepped back, completely aghast.
Ranma ran the back of his fist across his eyes, and he still could not face his opponent.
Kasumi was still stepping backward, shaking her head, biting her lip, not unsure what to do. That was the reason that, when Ranma shouted, she was slightly off-balance, and barely coordinate a dodge to his sudden charge, staying within his path, and continuing to backpedal.
She felt the fists rush through the air, swiping continuously at her, then away. The heat was palpable.
Before she could raise a fist, she slammed into the wall. She barely had time to turn her head away from the fist that emerged from the darkness two inches away...
... once again, she found herself unscathed.
The fist embedded itself to the wall, not caught on the splinters that it caused.
For almost a full minute, the two of them stayed in that pose, both sagging little by little, but unable to move much more than that.
Finally, with a very heavy heave, Ranma pulled the fist out of the niche it made. It hung limply, then he turned on his heel.
"COME BACK HERE!" Kasumi pushed off of the wall, but it took her a moment to catch her legs.
Ranma stopped his maddening crawl at the exclamation, but continued at the same pace after a short pause.
"Oh, no," Kasumi breathed into her collar, "you CAN-NOT just RUN AWAY!"
Ranma turned so quickly that Kasumi almost crashed into him. "Oh YEAH? Why the HELL NOT?"
Kasumi countered, "Because you OWE me, you idiot!"
Ranma was blustering. "I don't OWE you ANYTHING!" He pointed at Kasumi. "I don't owe YOU, I don't owe your FATHER, I don't owe your FAMILY, and I SURE as HELL don't OWE *YOU* ONE - DAMN - THING!" He turned on his heel once more.
Kasumi opened her mouth, but closed it angrily.
Ranma was already at the door when he heard her deadly whisper.
"You... sexist... pig..."
He stopped, surprised.
"You... pervert... you animal..." He heard her stand up and step resoundingly on the planks.
He suddenly realized how weak he felt, the day's tension sucking his energy, seeping onto the dojo floor. He could barely hold on to the door, barely able to move, least of all turn back, completely rooted to the spot.
"You... you can't possibly realize... can't... understand... what... what it feels... what it feels... to be... a... woman..."
"And you do?" thought Ranma snidely. He also thought that he heard a hurried rustling behind him.
"How could you...?" She folded and refolded. "Could you understand the problems behind growing up first... growing up too fast...? Having to live up to everyone else's expectations... except your own?"
"And you do?" his thoughts repeated.
"And then," she sounded like she was right behind him, hissing in his ear, "as this is happening, your body is changing - "
She used her belt to snag his hand. She tugged, and he turned. The lack of light in the room did not hide the fact that the top of her gi was now neatly lying a few feet off.
His hand clasped onto her breast fully.
" - more than you can hold in both hands," Kasumi ended.
-----
The night was broken by a hideous scream.
-----
Age Don't Matter
an alternate history Ranma 1/2 story
by Nikholas "Switch" F. Toledo
I know that Ranma 1/2 is not mine. It belongs to Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Kitty Film and Viz Communication. Luckily, it also belongs to all of us. Long live the masses!
Next: I don't know what's wrong with you, son.
As per usual, C&C is welcome, and anyone willing to be a pre-reader or a continuity consultant will be given the load as soon as they want it.
Still evening in the Tendo residence.
-----
Kasumi carefully lay the clothes on the bed, and stepped back into a cross-legged sitting position. She stared at the ensemble on the bed, and sighed. To her side, she held the basin containing her toiletries with one hand, a little nervously.
Sighing again, then breathing in deeply, she stood up, gripped the belt around her waist, then left the room.
-----
Ranma pulled the door closed behind him and looked both ways down the hallway, decided that going out the back door was not the best way and thus went left past the empty guestroom.
"That's it!" He rushed around the master bedroom, and ran past the kitchen, gaining momentum towards the front door.
He was already on his way out when he stopped suddenly and cursed. He turned toward the stairs rapidly.
"Stop right there!"
He raised his head to realize that he was staring into Kasumi's chest. "AGH!"
"Stop that, too!" Kasumi wrapped her arms around herself self-consciously.
"Get out of the way," Ranma said after getting his bearings.
"Get out of the way?"
"I said, get out of the..." Ranma stopped when Kasumi took a step forward. A loud step.
"Get out of the way?" Kasumi bore down on Ranma slowly, causing Ranma to take a few quick steps down backward.
"Ohhhhh, shhhhiiiiii..."
"I'm in YOUR way now, huh?"
Ranma fell onto his back, having lost steps. Kasumi stepped over him, and squatted over his midsection.
"If I'm in YOUR way," she said, poking his shoulder, "then why don't you MAKE me go, huh?"
"What?" Ranma looked back into the dark hallway, and saw no one.
"Come, on, Ranma!" Every word had the sarcasm of magnanimity. "You said you wanted me out of the way! Well, just make me!"
"What?" Ranma now had to look, as Kasumi pulled him up by his undershirt and dragged him back toward the darkness of the bath.
"N-no! Don't!" Ranma was as panicked as he had ever been, truly terrified by the prospect of meeting Nabiki once more this night.
"Oh, no! You're not getting out of this one, Saotome!" And, with that, they were out the back door.
-----
Nabiki pointedly ignored the two, sighing. She continued to let the heat of the bath tide her over.
-----
By the time Ranma got back onto his feet, he had already been dragged across the stone tiles of the walk to the dojo, through the dojo doorway, and had to roll to his feet as Kasumi tossed him across the dojo.
Kasumi held the towel in her hands and rolled it into a fluffy and flaccid club. Ranma dusted himself off, and checked his back for cuts and bruises. Kasumi faked a step forward, shifting her balance to the front then to the back foot, ersatz club at ready.
When Ranma seemed more interested in checking for bleeders, Kasumi took a resounding step forward. "What is WRONG with you?!"
"ME?" Ranma took a similarly menacing step forward. "YOU'RE the one that DRAGGED me into this DUMB dojo!"
"'DUMB DOJO'?!" Kasumi and Ranma took a cha-cha with Kasumi leading, as Ranma figured that he may have pushed the wrong buttons. "Do you know how long it takes to patch up the floor or the walls when one of those mid-air clashes goes awry? DON'T let me forget how you and your fat father traipsed across the garden like a bunch of circus clowns in tutus!"
"Hey, hey, I'M not the one who starts -"
"But you don't END it, NEIther, do you, PUNK?" Kasumi was bristling and fuming, rolling up her sleeves as often as they fell, as though she wanted to roll someone's neck lengthwise. "You do have some NERVE, waltzing in, IMPOSING yourselves on Dad -"
"I had NO intention of STAYING here... missy!" He tried to be more imaginative, but he had never had practice talking to the opposite sex, much less having a shouting match with one breathing down your neck. "My FATHER -!"
"Oh, OWN up, will you!" Kasumi was as in Ranma's face as his nose would permit. "YOU wanted to do THIS and THAT to my sisters! Oh, sure, Nabiki kissed YOU! But YOU kissed BACK!"
"I DIDN-!"
"And your FATHER intentionally gets himself WET so he can take ADVANTAGE of my sister's charms!" Kasumi stopped, then took a harsh look at him. "Or is it YOUR -!"
"Don't get ME involved with my old man's TRIPS, lady! I wish he NEVER brought me in the FIRST place!" he hissed hotly.
"Well, exCUSE me for being an unGRATEful HOST!" Kasumi wiped away at some of Ranma's spittle on her cheeks. "It's no good that we're just GIRLS here," she wiped her hand on his chest, "but we have to train in this STUPID dojo, while YOU," another swipe, "went on your super-great, ultra-powerful TRAINING TRIP!" She slapped his face twice and stepped back.
"That's IT!" Ranma stomped, and Kasumi could see the two, three, four planks crack under the blow. He flexed for a open-palmed front stance.
"And you're gonna PAY for those!" She pointed to the floor.
"So?" Ranma spat out, not giving her the advantage.
Kasumi smirked, pulling up into a gymnastic slouch. "Not so stu-"
Ranma took three paces in his stride, and came in low. Halfway there, he was flung to a side by Kasumi's pirouetting leg.
"Correction," Kasumi said, raising her leg and her arms. "You ARE stupid!"
Ranma bit back his response, and stood up, wiping at his mouth. He took slow in getting to his stance, bangs covering his eyes, maintaining the solidity of his silhouette.
"You know, you're so STUPID," she nearly shouted the last, "you can't even hit a GIRL!"
"SHUT UP!" He was suddenly right next to her, screaming righteous fury.
Kasumi was so sure that she'd pushed the wrong buttons, that he was going to do... something, but it never happened.
She unclenched her eyes, her jaw, and the fists at her sides.
He stood there, barely a foot away, breathing heavily.
Something wet fell to the floor.
She stepped back, completely aghast.
Ranma ran the back of his fist across his eyes, and he still could not face his opponent.
Kasumi was still stepping backward, shaking her head, biting her lip, not unsure what to do. That was the reason that, when Ranma shouted, she was slightly off-balance, and barely coordinate a dodge to his sudden charge, staying within his path, and continuing to backpedal.
She felt the fists rush through the air, swiping continuously at her, then away. The heat was palpable.
Before she could raise a fist, she slammed into the wall. She barely had time to turn her head away from the fist that emerged from the darkness two inches away...
... once again, she found herself unscathed.
The fist embedded itself to the wall, not caught on the splinters that it caused.
For almost a full minute, the two of them stayed in that pose, both sagging little by little, but unable to move much more than that.
Finally, with a very heavy heave, Ranma pulled the fist out of the niche it made. It hung limply, then he turned on his heel.
"COME BACK HERE!" Kasumi pushed off of the wall, but it took her a moment to catch her legs.
Ranma stopped his maddening crawl at the exclamation, but continued at the same pace after a short pause.
"Oh, no," Kasumi breathed into her collar, "you CAN-NOT just RUN AWAY!"
Ranma turned so quickly that Kasumi almost crashed into him. "Oh YEAH? Why the HELL NOT?"
Kasumi countered, "Because you OWE me, you idiot!"
Ranma was blustering. "I don't OWE you ANYTHING!" He pointed at Kasumi. "I don't owe YOU, I don't owe your FATHER, I don't owe your FAMILY, and I SURE as HELL don't OWE *YOU* ONE - DAMN - THING!" He turned on his heel once more.
Kasumi opened her mouth, but closed it angrily.
Ranma was already at the door when he heard her deadly whisper.
"You... sexist... pig..."
He stopped, surprised.
"You... pervert... you animal..." He heard her stand up and step resoundingly on the planks.
He suddenly realized how weak he felt, the day's tension sucking his energy, seeping onto the dojo floor. He could barely hold on to the door, barely able to move, least of all turn back, completely rooted to the spot.
"You... you can't possibly realize... can't... understand... what... what it feels... what it feels... to be... a... woman..."
"And you do?" thought Ranma snidely. He also thought that he heard a hurried rustling behind him.
"How could you...?" She folded and refolded. "Could you understand the problems behind growing up first... growing up too fast...? Having to live up to everyone else's expectations... except your own?"
"And you do?" his thoughts repeated.
"And then," she sounded like she was right behind him, hissing in his ear, "as this is happening, your body is changing - "
She used her belt to snag his hand. She tugged, and he turned. The lack of light in the room did not hide the fact that the top of her gi was now neatly lying a few feet off.
His hand clasped onto her breast fully.
" - more than you can hold in both hands," Kasumi ended.
-----
The night was broken by a hideous scream.
-----
Age Don't Matter
an alternate history Ranma 1/2 story
by Nikholas "Switch" F. Toledo
I know that Ranma 1/2 is not mine. It belongs to Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Kitty Film and Viz Communication. Luckily, it also belongs to all of us. Long live the masses!
Next: I don't know what's wrong with you, son.
As per usual, C&C is welcome, and anyone willing to be a pre-reader or a continuity consultant will be given the load as soon as they want it.
