Ranma & Kaneda
By Ron Dow75
19: Served Cold
The well-built 162 cm/64" teenage girl made a dash down
the upstairs hall wearing just her polka dot bra and
panties; angrily she yelled, "Don't you understand: I
don't want to fight you! That's NOT the way I want
things! I don't fight girls, either!"
The better built 157 cm/62" teenage girl jogged behind
her in baggy, black, silk pants suit; she almost casually
said, "You just want to fight me when I'm not a girl."
Her loose, long, black hair whipped as Kane-chan turned
the corner away from her room, "Then be a girl!"
The pigtailed Ranma-chan kept going, "And let you be a
guy?" The redhead ricocheted off the wall between
Nabiki's and Kasumi's doors.
Kane-chan tried to pull the lav door shut in her face,
"I'll be one as soon as I get to the water!"
Ranma-chan stopped it with one small foot, "I'll only
make it hot with my "Saotome Instant Hot Water Attack"!"
Kane-chan's hand moved to the sink's tap. But she didn't
turn it on.
Ranma-chan saw she was coming to see that, "It's a fair
match. I can change you into a girl as easily as you to
change me." Well, that wasn't quite true. Besides having
to create enough friction, a certain intensity of battle
aura was needed. Its Chi energy not only amplified the
heat, it also kept her from burning her hands.
Kane-chan did see. It was still true that Ranma was more
likely to change than Kaneda was. There was just MORE
cold water around. That was Kaneda's chief argument why
Ranma should stay a girl. But the pressure that had
seemed to come from all sides for Ranma to be a girl had
caused her to click onto a piece of the puzzle. It had
actually spurred Ranma's fighting spirit to adjust FASTER
to her curse than she would have without them. And now
Ranma had started to regain her balance after these last
hectic days since she arrived at the Tendous.
Now the question was just how serious Ranma was about
having Kane-chan stay in her girl form?
Head held high, Kane-chan walked out, getting some
satisfaction from making Ranma-chan step aside for her.
There was one thing Kane-chan knew: ONE of them had to be
the girl.
Kane-chan jiggled down the hall in her just her taffeta
lingerie for her bedroom.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Ranma-chan followed Kane-chan down downstairs, "You're
just stallin'. If you really need one, an ordinary bra
will do."
Kane-chan was in her spare yellow do-gi, and was wearing
something with it Kaneda normally didn't wear, a tee
shirt, "Look, not all of us can be battle maidens, like
you!" Her natural anger was still there, but she was
trying to keep it low. "Of course, if you want to prove
how tough you are, WEAR an ordinary bra while you're
fighting."
Ranma-chan said, "I'm not gonna wear a bra."
Kane-chan said, "And I really don't want you to." She was
serious. The busty Ranma-chan put on more of a show that
way.
Meanwhile Kane-chan was glad when she got to the bottom
of the stairs and didn't have to think about her own
show. "I promise, if Kasumi hasn't bought me a sports
bra, I'll let her tell me how to wrap my chest."
Ranma-chan's slender brows knit, "That'll delay things at
least until its time for supper."
The blackhaired girl slowed as she looked over her
shoulder, "Why DO you want to spar with me like this?
It'd make more sense to recalibrate your martial arts
skills against a guy.
"Or do you plan on fighting a lot of girls?" Perhaps the
girl in front of you? If she's decided she can take me on
when we're both girls, I lose the one of the very few
edges I have over Ranma.
But Ranma hadn't gone that far in her adjustment, "When
you started your martial arts trainin', did your sensei
prefer you learn with somebody your own age and level?"
Kane-chan turned around again, "My dad's the dojo master.
I used to spar with him a lot!"
The cute redhead said, "But he had to hold back. You
needed somebody about my own height, and weight and such
to establish your norm. Once I got a feel for what I'm
startin' out with, I can THEN challenge it. --And so do
you! I know you could've done better in the guys' can
today when you were the girl."
Kane-chan wasn't in the mood to admit Ranma-chan might
know what she was talking about. But it did have her want
to marry her and make her a partner in running the family
dojo that much more.
Ranma-chan sneezed. "Is somebody talkin' about me?"
Kane-chan said, "If you sneezed every time somebody
talked about you, you'd sound like a bad day in allergy
season."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Inside the kitchen with Kasumi was Nabiki. The bobbed
girl in the shorts and loose tee shirt over a halter
smiled at them, "And speak of the young lady." Kane-chan
knew that Nabiki had purposely placed herself next to
Kasumi for the big confrontation.
Ranma-chan pushed Kane-chan aside, "I haven't 'thanked'
you yet for makin' everybody think I really AM a girl!"
Kasumi asked, "Oh, my! Nabiki, what have you done?!"
The coppery Nabiki explained, "I just did what you both
wanted. I got little brother his fiancee."
Ranma-chan said, trying to control her rage, "I TELL
myself I don't fight girls!" She looked around the
kitchen, "But there are other things I can do!"
Kane-chan told Kasumi, "Nabiki told everybody in Assembly
Hall about Ranma being BORN a girl!" Unlike Nabiki,
Kaneda invested a lot of belief in that.
Ranma-chan cried, "What'd you mean "ABOUT"!!?" She was
holding sticks of yakitori between each finger of each
fist.
If Kane-chan's wish wasn't going to go unchallenged, at
least she could believe Ranma was always meant to be a
girl. It wasn't a big leap for somebody who believed she
was meant to be a guy.
The mistress of the house got in the way of Ranma's aim
at Nabiki. Kasumi pleaded, "This is for supper!"
Still confident in her emotional aikido skill, Nabiki
made the smaller redhead an offer, "It WILL cost much
less to get the documentation to prove Kei Tendou
exists."
Kasumi asked, "Kei Tendou? Is he a relative of--" She
closed the refrigerator door, "Please, let's not waste
food." She was ignoring that Ranma-kun was capable of
turning the yakitori skewers into serious weapons.
Ranma-kun took a step to the right, found his target, and
flicked his wrists. The pieces of meat flew off the
skewers and would've hit Nabiki if Kane-chan hadn't
pushed his arm at the last second. Kane-chan told Ranma,
"You don't fight girls? Haven't you heard of food
fights?"
Nabiki calmly ignored the solid sounds the impact of the
chicken made around her. She was concentrating on
justifying what she'd done, "And I hear Ranma's already
getting the sympathy vote at school. That'll help when
she tries to show up as a guy."
The redhead grabbed some dishes; "What does THAT mean!?!"
Nabiki folded her arms, "Which is the bigger pervert: A
girl who changes into a guy?" She gave her most
challenging gaze, "Or a guy who changes into a girl?"
Ranma said defiantly, "I AM a guy!" She was momentarily
distracted from using his weapons. Nabiki had a hold on
Ranma's emotions through his chi.
Brown-eyed Nabiki looked at her evenly, "Just as your
daddy raised you to believe. You'd do just about anything
to live the life he's laid out for you."
As the belittled girl raised the dishes, Kasumi took them
from the pigtailed girl, "And THIS is a waste of money!"
Nabiki said, "Anything you break in the house, you'll
have to pay for."
Kane-chan tossed something, "Here, Ranma, use this!"
Ranma caught the half-full, galvanized pail. Nabiki, too
late, saw that Kane-chan was holding a mop. That meant
that the pail had--
Splash!
Only Nabiki's assertion of her dignity kept the drenched
oneesan from screaming in outrage.
Kane-chan smiled at the sister who liked to taunt her,
"Join the club."
Ranma almost smiled, "Yeah, when you look at it that way,
it is almost satisfying."
Eldest sister Kasumi looked at Nabiki with some sympathy,
but said, "Oh, my! Well, at least nothing was wasted.
That was water I was recycling from the bath."
Wet Nabiki's hair was closer to her head now; "Now I'M
going to have to take a bath."
Ranma-chan's smile got bigger, "This does get better. *I*
know how irritatin' it is to have to take more 'n one
bath a day."
Mischievous Kane-chan put a pitcher under the kitchen
tap, "We'll be waiting when you're finished, Nabiki." It
was while she was doing this that Kane-chan noticed the
pervasive, strong but low-level energy of had shifted
away from Nabiki.
Kasumi looked around, saying, "It IS better to use clean
water than dirty. Especially in the kitchen." She'd have
to do a little extra cleaning, but it apparently hadn't
damaged anything or gotten in any food. "Just be careful
around the paper walls and tatami mats. Those ARE
expensive."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Kasumi said to Kane-chan, "Yes, I have some sports bras
waiting for you.
"Here, Akane, watch things for me while I get you one."
Ranma-chan watched the only woman of the house leave. "Is
this gonna take long?"
The girl in the do-gi stirred the pot with some force,
"Why are you so impatient? We can spar after supper."
Ranma-chan said, "Sparrin's always better on an empty
stomach."
Kane-chan saw that oneesan hadn't put in all of the
ingredients. "Just think of it as training; you can't
always plan your fights according around your meal
times." She put in both the chopped and unchopped
scallions, the whole carrots, daikon radish, and whatever
else she could find in soup.
The pigtailed girl told her, "I'm tryin' to establish a
baseline for this body, I--" She stopped to ask, "What
are you doin'?"
Kane-chan told her, "I'm helping Kasumi," picking up the
condiments near the pot.
Ranma-chan said, "I'm glad you've decided to act like a
girl, but--"
Suddenly Kane-chan squeezed too hard on box of salt, "I'm
NOT trying to cook! --Oh, no!! Look at all the salt that
got in there!!"
Ranma-chan peeked into the pot. "Talk about a waste of
food."
The wildhaired girl had begun to panic, "No, it's not!!
The opposite of salt is sugar! I'll just put the same
amount of sugar in!"
Ranma said, "Sugar is NOT the antidote to salt!"
But Kane-chan wasn't listening, "If YOU think you know
how to cook, tell me what IS?!" She reached for the
spices.
Ranma-chan grabbed Kane-chan's hand before she could
waste again.
But Kane-chan picked the nutmeg up with her left; "We've
HAVE to have this for supper!!" After dumping those in,
she picked up the thyme, "We HAVE to save this!!"
Ranma-chan told her, "Nothing's gonna save this!"
The blackhaired girl dumped in bay leaves, "But Kasumi is
changing her banks!!"
Ranma-chan said, "Make sense!" And she grabbed both of
the girl's arms, "And STOP making things worse!"
Kasumi said, a look of real worry on her face, "That's
exactly what's happening! Nabiki came in here because she
thought Kasumi would protect her from you..."
Now Ranma-chan KNEW Kane-chan'd lost it, "Your big
sister, Kasumi, protect anybody?"
Kane-chan's dark eyes was lost to the here-and-now,
"...But when Kasumi found out what Nabiki had done, she
LET Nabiki be punished! She withdrew her favor!"
Ranma-chan, of course, was familiar with the traditional
way the Japanese punished one of their own. It was
something a Behaviorist would understand. "Nabiki's
persona non grata?" She smiled, "Until she's bows and
begs forgiveness, she's to be ignored by everybody!?!"
Ranma didn't think Nabiki could humble herself easily.
That made the prospect of seeing her do it even MORE
appealing to Ranma. Of course, as an outsider, I'd have
to spy to see that.
Kane-chan shook her head, "Kasumi can't stay mad at
anybody. But she IS going to let what's going to happen
happen. She's not going to intervene to protect Nabiki
from her Karma. And who knows what THAT will lead to!"
Ranma-chan raised an eyebrow, "Uh, yeah. Sure. Your mild-
mannered sister is more powerful than Karma."
Kane-chan glared at the pigtailed girl mocking her, "You
don't think a saint or Bodhisattva can!?! That's
what they do!!"
Ranma-chan said, "Now you're saying your sister is--"
Tall and feminine Kasumi came back, "I brought you the
plain white one, Akane; but I have this cute one with--"
Kane-chan confessed immediately, "I'm sorry, Kasumi! I
ruined the soup!" What she'd sense happening around
Nabiki had clearly spooked her.
Kasumi said, "You did?" She sounded disappointed, but not
upset.
Ranma-chan said, "She said you're a saint." Then she got
a twinkle in her blue eyes, "I guess she didn't think
simple food wasn't good enough for her idol."
Kasumi blushed modestly, "I'm not a saint, but it was
just yesterday I was told I have a pure heart." She was
just being honest; it didn't cross her mind it might
sound like she was bragging. She smiled to her sister,
"Oh, my, I just thought of something. If you're going to
get married, somebody has to do the cooking."
Ranma-chan said, "Unless its over an open fire, it's not
gonna be me."
Kasumi's brow knit, "Oh, my. Firewood in the city CAN be
expensive."
Kane-chan raised her small chin, "I'll be the one,
Kasumi!"
Her oneesan asked, "YOU want to learn the marital arts,
Akane?" This was a hopeful sign.
Ranma-chan said to Kane-chan, "And you say you want to be
a "man". You think she's gonna punish you, too, just for
ruinin' one supper?"
Kane-chan told her, "It's not like that! Honestly!"
Kasumi asked, "Punished?! If you think training in the
marital arts is punishment, Akane, then you shouldn't do
it. It is all about having the proper spirit..."
Kane-chan knew she'd fallen into the river Kasumi. The
current wasn't strong enough to keep her from swimming
back to shore. But Kane-chan could feel how much her
oneesan wanted to be assured. Somebody had to be able to
take over her duties. Only then could Kasumi think about
leaving this house and moving on with her life.
Kane-chan took one last look at Ranma-chan. Her fiancee's
words earlier about how to train came back to haunt her.
"...your sensei preferred you to start out with somebody
your own age and level..." Ranma-chan WOULD be a better
dojo master.
Kane-chan sighed, and bowed her head to what she owed her
big sister, "If it'll make you happy, I'll try." I'd
better work on getting Ranma to think the way a girl
should, or I'm going to end up a *Ouch!* househusband.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Man! How very UN-manly. How Un-Japanese! thought as she
pulled her tee shirt back on her. The fact that she was
wearing a sports bra under it didn't argue against those
thoughts. "Househusband"!! It has GOT to be love. What
else could make a guy volunteer for that! But one of
them had to do it if Kasumi was to satisfied. It was love,
alright, but more for her sister, and her Tofu-sensei.
For THEY to get married, the Family had to prove they
could get on without her.
There had to be some way to weaken her feeling of
obligation, "Kasumi, why DIDN'T you tell you knew that I
could change into a girl? If I knew somebody knew, I
might have been a girl more often." And I could be more
comfortable with being one, now.
Ranma-chan said, "Aw, geez! I KNEW we weren't gonna
workout before supper." She grabbed the teakettle from
off the stove.
Kasumi handed Kane-chan the vegetable platter she'd
prepared; Ranma-chan was still a guest. "I've explained
to you. It had to be entirely your own idea. You seemed
happy as a guy, so Mother only stepped in when you were
having trouble. There were only small ones when you were
a child."
She picked up the tray barbeque sauce and leftovers she'd
gotten from the refrigerator and directed them out the
kitchen door, "I guess when you got older and whether you
were a boy or a girl became more important, I should have
stepped in and told you. You could have had somebody you
could confide in, besides Nabiki." She lowered her head
in shame, "The troubles you're having ARE my fault."
Kane-chan now felt awful, "No, Kasumi, I wasn't trying to
blame anybody! Honestly!" Losing one's self to the cares
of the present, and unable to see the forest for the
trees seemed to be one of the conditions a person needed
to be pure of heart. At least it was in naïve Kasumi's
case.
Ranma-kun put down the kettle and picked up the pitcher,
"It sounded to me like you were. But blame your Old Man,
like I blame mine!"
Kane-chan kneed her in the back of his thigh, "Then why
don't you punish HIM!?" Why didn't *I* change into a guy
when I had the chance? *Sigh* Because I promised I'd stay
ready to spar with Ranma.
Ranma-kun's back broadened as he stopped the line. He
turned and was about to tell the impudent girl about all
the things he WAS doing to punish her pop. ...But just
about every example he came up with was something he
would've done to him whether or not he'd become cursed.
And he DIDN'T want to let Akane know he wanted to stay
engaged to her. She might take it personally.
Ranma-kun scowled and headed towards the family room.
"Don'tcha understand ANYTHING about how family works!!?"
she yelled back in frustration.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The line was momentarily halted again when Ranma-kun
stared at Nabiki sitting casually with her father and the
panda beside the family table. She had deliberately
changed into the slacks, shirt and tie she'd worn in
Assembly Hall when she tried to sabotage Ranma-kun's
life. He WOULD enjoy seeing this all-too-sure-of-herself
bitch humbled.
He had brought the pitcher of water.
Nabiki challenged him in that steady voice of hers,
"Remember the paper walls and tatatmi mats, Saotome."
Smaller Kane-chan reminded Ranma-kun, "There's always the
chance magic will dry things out again."
Seeing her for the first time, Soun Tendou rose from his
place, "Miss Akane Saotome!" he smiled. "You shouldn't be
serving. You're a GUEST in this house!"
Kane-chan had forgotten. His dad's shame wouldn't let him
deal with Kaneda, his only son, changing into a girl.
Instead, he had decided the girl WAS, in fact, a stranger
who looked exactly like his dear wife. I guess it's one
step forward, two steps back. At least he's TRYING to
find a way to acknowledge my girl half. His subconscious
probably wants to make up for ignoring the "daughter" he
also had. That was as close as Kane-chan could come to
admitting she wasn't meant to be a guy.
Kasumi smiled, pleased, "Father, Akane is practicing. She
has agreed to let me teach her the marital arts."
Soun Tendou's smile grew brighter, "Is that correct, Miss
Akane?"
The panda signed, [Is it?}
Kane-chan tried to smile, "Er, that's right, Mr. Tendou!"
And as she carried the platter over the threshold, her
own foot got in the way of the other.
Soun cried, "AKANE!!"
Kasumi cried, "Oh, my!" seeing this food about to be
wasted, too.
The panda signed, [Save supper!]
The pigtailed guy reached out with his strong, free arm
catching Kane-chan under her breasts, and saving her
fall.
But water managed to escape out of the pitcher: Splash!
The wet Nabiki accused, "You did that on purpose!"
Ranma-kun used the top of the pitcher to rescue the
platter still in Kane-chan's outstretched hands. The
lighter Kane-chan was mortified, I feel like a stupid,
clumsy, damsel!
Oneesan Kasumi had entered the room now with her own
tray, "Oh, my, how nice. Only the cushion got wet."
Nabiki said, "That's cold, sis," and then shivered a bit.
The open garden door chilled the water more than it
already was.
Kasumi went to set her tray down, "I'm sorry, Nabiki.
I'll go and get some towels."
As Ranma-kun set Kane-chan and then the platter-balancing
pitcher down, Nabiki tried to play one of her cards
against him, "How much extra laundry work will Kasumi
have to do if you keep pulling the water stunt, Saotome?"
Her father put his hand on Nabiki's hand before she could
get up, "Stay, Nabiki. I want you here."
Coppery Nabiki stayed, but protested, "Look at me. I'm
wet, Daddy."
The mustached man cleared his throat without looking,
"Uh, hem! Yes, I know."
Nabiki's gold shirt was fairly thick, but wet, it clung
to her body, with the red necktie weighed down into her
bosom.
Soun asked, "Akane, if you will not consider my son, how
about another of my family? Say, Nabiki?"
Backfaults all around the table: Kane-chan, Ranma-kun,
Nabiki and the panda.
Nabiki was the first to regain her voice, "Daddy!" so
much for her infamous self-composure.
'Akane' said, "You can't be serious!"
Soun looked very uncomfortable, but he continued on, "If
I am wrong about your interest in females of the same
gender, Miss Akane, I deeply apologize!"
The panda signed, [The problem is she IS interested only
in girls!]
Kane-chan said, "But NOT her!! She's my sister!"
The longhaired Soun nodded, not hearing what he didn't
want to, "If you become my daughter-in-law, Nabiki would
become like your sister. But if you, uh, become like a
couple, you can be more."
Indignant Nabiki said, "I do not want to be "more". I
barely tolerate being her sister."
With a touch of sadness, Soun almost a smile, "Then, then
it is as I have wondered these past years. You feel no
sense of sisterhood, of, of womanliness."
Nabiki nearly lost her cool over this bit of illogic, "I
like guys! Believe me!"
Ranma-kun thought he understood, "Oh, that's why you're I
see you wearin' pants whenever you're outa uniform. You
like to be like them."
Kane-chan said to Nabiki, "You DON'T wear dresses or do
the typical girl things, do you?" Before sanity ended the
chance, she was going to get back at her for the times
she'd tormented her.
Her dad nodded, saying wistfully, "No, she doesn't."
Nabiki frowned, "What does that prove!?!" Now even her
damp, clinging clothes were bothering her.
The panda signed, [It's Karma!]
Ranma-kun hit the animal across its head, "You were
eavesdropping outside the kitchen!"
Soun asked, " "Karma"?"
Here was an idea for a tease Kane-chan could work with,
"It IS your Karma catching up with you, Nabiki. You were
a GUY before this life! THAT'S why you're so lousy at
being a girl!"
"Oh, my!!" Kasumi had returned at this moment.
Nabiki told them, "I dress like I do because of business!
People take you more seriously when you look more like a
guy than a girl." Most guys WOULD be looking at her body
right then.
Kane-chan said, "Then why don't you wear business suits?"
Ranma-kun said, "So you'd rather be a guy." He was half-
serious. Apparently he was too earnest to tease well.
The panda signed, [It's Karma. In her heart, she's still
a guy.]
Ranma-kun looked at uncombed Kane-chan, "Runs in the
family, doesn't it?" This was definitely not a tease.
Kane-chan wasn't insulted. Nabiki was. The bobhaired girl
glared at them all.
Kane-chan tried not to smile too hard. Nabiki's silence
meant that, for once, she'd lost a battle of wits. She
really wasn't under Kasumi's protection right then.
Kasumi came over, knelt between her and their father, and
offered Nabiki one of the clean towels. Nabiki took it
and used it. She knew that if she left the table now it
was as good as admitting defeat. She would bide her time,
and wait for an opening.
Meanwhile, Kasumi asked, "What is this about Karma?"
Nobody really wanted to tell her.
But Soun still felt he had to explain why he had started
it. "Uh, it's about Miss Akane Saotome. She's only a
guest in our house. I was trying to find a way to, uh,
invite her into our family."
Kasumi was quite pleased, "Oh, Father! After all these
years."
Nabiki said, "Wait until you find out HOW he wants her to
join."
Kane-chan said, "It's your fault. You should have made
Akane a Tendou in the first place. You and your grand
schemes."
The panda signed, [Personally, I approve!]
Ranma-kun told it, "I think we all know why you'd want
Akane engaged to somebody else. You already tried to get
her and "hitched up" to her guy Kaneda."
Naive Kasumi was confused. " "Engaged"?" She looked over
at Kane-chan.
Her father told her, "Well, I was wondering if there is
somebody else in this family who Miss Akane can be
interested in besides Kaneda."
Nabiki said, "I am not a lesbian."
Kasumi blushed, "Oh, my!"
Soun's blush deepened.
Ranma-kun said, "It's not enough he wants to give one of
his daughters to ME. He really is desperate, isn't he?"
Kane-chan scowled at Ranma-kun, "And yours isn't!? Look,
just as yours is yours, this one is MY dad. The ONLY
thing he's done to me, as far as I'm concerned, is not
tell me the truth."
Ranma-kun said, "Okay, already. I get you. Family is
family, and you gotta put up with them." He looked around
the table, "No matter how much they try and screw up your
life."
Kasumi hesitated. Then, "Father, if you're that--"
Still kneeling, Kane-chan hopped over beside Nabiki:
"Don't you dare, Kasumi!" And she grabbed Nabiki's arm
and leaned her head on it. "I've decided I want Nabiki
after all!"
Nabiki's brown eyes glared down at her, "Don't think I'll
let you get away with this little game."
Kane-chan drew upon all of times she'd watched Nabiki do
you melodramatic turn: " "Game"?" She acted hurt, "If I'm
serious. If I'm not, my name isn't Akane Saotome." She
then glanced across the table at Ranma-kun, "--Or his
name is Kei Tendou."
That roused Ranma, "Hey, yeah! WHO'S been playin' games
with peoples lives? Ranma Saotome ISN'T a girl!!"
Nabiki was pulling her arm free as she pushed Kane-chan
away, "Are you ready to ante up and get into the game,
too?"
Ranma-kun said, "I pass."
Nabiki got up, "You do have more sense than I thought."
The proud tactician saw that retreat was the only option
left to her at the moment.
As she passed Ranma-kun, he casually said, "I'm gonna
wait until tomorrow at school. That'd be the best place
to mess with your reputation."
A growl got stuck in Nabiki's throat. She turned and left
the room.
But before she disappeared from sight, Ranma-kun called,
"Nabiki!"
Nabiki didn't answer. She knew what was coming.
Splash!
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The pigtailed guy set the empty pitcher back down on the
table and started eating, "I might get to like this idea
of getting revenge."
Kane-chan started eating to, smiling between bites, "And
we're not breaking the Code. Well, at least not the
letter." Its spirit...well, that was another matter.
Kasumi went to mop up the water with the extra towel
she'd brought. The woman in the apron sighed sadly, "It
will only cause more trouble." She knew her sister
Nabiki. But she sounded as if she was resigning herself
to whatever happened next, "But if this is the will of
Karma."
Her father asked, "What did you say, Kasumi?" he was
distracted by the beauty of Akane. Even in her do-gi she
seemed like a work of art, well worth any price he had to
pay to have it in his home. As far as he was concerned
she was the double of his dear, departed wife Kimiko.
The panda paused in it eating, [She said Akane and Nabiki
as a couple has her blessing.]
Kane-chan told it, "No she didn't! Kasumi's just going to
tolerate it for a while." At least until the time Kasumi
could see if Nabiki really did need her intervention. It
would be all Karma for a while.
On her knees, Kasumi paused in her task; she was talking
more to hear herself think than anybody else, "Nabiki
hasn't gone on many dates with boys, has she?"
Kane-chan reminded her, "Kuno was the last one. And she
only did that because he's rich."
Kasumi bent back to her chore again, "And she doesn't act
very ladylike."
Ranma-kun said, "She doesn't act much like a girl at
all." Of course, his stereotypical definition of what a
girl should be like was more like that of Kasumi Tendou.
Kane-chan continued down the tease track, "Nabiki is more
like a guy than a girl. She just hasn't admitted to
herself she likes girls, yet."
Patriarch Soun Tendou, his arms crossed, nodded his head,
solemnly, "Yes. I HAVE read in the paper about how
difficult it is for a girl come to terms with preferences
that deviate from the social norm." He continued on with
his self-justification, "As her father, I am helping her
come to terms with her perversion. No, wait, "perversion"
is probably not the word I wanted to use." He was having
trouble carrying any justification off, though. It would
be easier when he could just ignore what he didn't want
to see. He was very good at that.
Since Kasumi had been brought to look at a problem she
hadn't really contemplated before, she chose not to be
fooled. Her pure heart pointed her in the correct
direction, "Nabiki DOES need to be motivated to become
the girl I know she can be." Of course, she thought the
same thing about Akane.
Kasumi rose. She'd made her decision. "While it is not my
place to force others to adopt better manners, neither
will I stop the forces that can." She smiled warmly at
Kane-chan, "I am ever ready to teach the marital and
other womanly arts."
A lump of food remained in Kane-chan's mouth. The
implication was not lost on her.
Suddenly Ranma-kun shivered, "Brr! Close the garden door!
I just felt a cold chill go through me."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
With the two fathers watching on, it had quickly gone
beyond a simple sparring match. In the ten minutes or so
they'd been in the dojo, Ranma-chan had barely taken two
steps before she was in the air again. With her having
the higher ground, as it were, it was hard for the
wildhaired Kane-chan to take effective evasive action.
It'd been Kane-chan's tactic to stay away from the little
dynamo as much as she could, using a lot of bobbing,
weaving, ducking and tumbling. But just as that first day
Ranma-chan arrived, the redhead was able to anticipate
her movements almost before Kane-chan had made them. The
result was that Ranma-chan's hands and feet were getting
closer and closer to Kane-chan.
It was when she felt the Ranma-chan's thumbnail barely
graze her cheek that Kane-chan knew she had to change her
tactics. If Ranma ever gets the idea that it's okay to
hit me.... "Hey! This is sparring!"
The pigtailed girl smiled sweetly, "I guess I over
compensated for the short reach." She wiped her sweat
with the back of her small hand; "I will say it's easier
to jump with the lighter body and better thigh muscles.
Just not as fun. Not with boobs."
Her pop told her, "Now you see why I wanted you to get to
know your body on our way back from China."
The redhead glared at the Old Man, "NOW you're back to
wantin' me to tryin' out the girl body?" Until now, he
and Mr. Tendou had been staying pretty much quiet near
the wall, acting like sensei assessing their students'
progress.
Mr. Tendou had begun crying again, "Oh, Miss Akane! You
remind me so much of my dear wife Kimiko. How she loved a
good fight." He then suddenly rose to his knees, "Protect
yourself at all costs! Disguise your pattern: Use drunk-
fu!"
Irritated, too, Kane-chan cried, "She wasn't a drunk!!"
Soun Tendou begged forgiveness, "I didn't mean to imply
that you are, either! I was just advising you as your..."
Genma wasn't about to be "out-sensei-ed" by his old
comrade in adversity, "Ranma! A true martial artist must
learn to turn a weakness into a strength. If your breasts
are weighing you down, you must teach yourself how use
them to buoy you up."
Pow! Ranma-chan gave him a solid blow over the head,
"What kinda mental image are you havin'!?"
Soun was more concerned about the girl Akane than the
Art, "Miss Akane, if you do not like the idea of drunk-
fu, may I suggest the Quixote technique? It makes
excellent use of the upper body, which," and a little
bragging entered his voice, "as I hope you know, is the
chief emphasis of the Tendou School."
Before he could take her arms and demonstrate, Kane-chan
fended him off by wildly flailing her arms about, "You
want me to act like a demented windmill!?"
Holding his head, Genma told Ranma, "See?! She knows more
about how to keep her breasts out of the way."
Ranma-chan was forced to study Kane-chan's movements for
some clue of how she did it. "Hnh! She isn't nearly as
good at it as girls who are girl all the time." She
refused to acknowledge the slight heat she felt across
her cheeks.
Soun Tendou on the other hand gave no indication he
harbored such feelings, even for somebody who reminded
him so strongly of his dear wife. "Excellent, Miss Akane!
But a truly demented windmill would change the pitch and
yaw of her vane defense."
Kane-chan stopped her vain defense, and actually cocked
her fist back. 'Miss Akane' was sorely tempted to get the
kind of satisfaction Ranma had just gotten from hitting
his dad.
Instead she turned to head to, "Ranma? Remember what you
were saying about having to put up with family?"
The little redhead nodded, "Yeah. It's stronger than the
Code."
Kane-chan said, "We got around that today, too."
It took only a moment for Ranma-chan to understand.
"Okay, now let's get all we can out of this match!" And
she charged Kane-chan as she charged her.
They met each other with the same judo hold to their
upper gi-coats. Each swung the other around--And threw
the other girl at the other's father with all of their
force:
POW! POW!
Both of the grown men fell limp and unconscious to the
polished floor.
Still on her feet, Kane-chan looked over a few meters
away at her, at last quiet, father. She asked Ranma-chan,
"Well?"
Ranma-chan had been doing the same with her own pop. "I
have better reasons to take out my problems on the guy
who gave them to me."
Kane-chan nodded, "Yes, I'm afraid this isn't the answer,
either." She gestured over to her, "Come on, let's take a
shower."
Ranma-chan headed for the dojo door, "Is it safe?" She
was only half serious.
Kane-chan was also half serious, "No, not if I become a
guy again." She followed after the petit redhead.
Ranma-chan said, "Then I'll become a guy."
Kane-chan said, "Then you'll be safe."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Out in the upstairs hall, Nabiki nodded, "Yes, Kasumi. I
understand."
The girl in her pajamas then entered her room. She had to
think to keep herself from slamming the door.
Nabiki swore, "Just you wait... If I have to act like the
"proper, young girl", I'm not going alone. And it all
truly begins tomorrow at the "birth-day party"!"
The End of this chapter
[You don't think Soun would do that to one of his
daughters? The original tried to encourage Ranma to make
Akane pregnant so she would have to marry him. It's only
his view of lesbianism that is challenged.]
c
By Ron Dow75
19: Served Cold
The well-built 162 cm/64" teenage girl made a dash down
the upstairs hall wearing just her polka dot bra and
panties; angrily she yelled, "Don't you understand: I
don't want to fight you! That's NOT the way I want
things! I don't fight girls, either!"
The better built 157 cm/62" teenage girl jogged behind
her in baggy, black, silk pants suit; she almost casually
said, "You just want to fight me when I'm not a girl."
Her loose, long, black hair whipped as Kane-chan turned
the corner away from her room, "Then be a girl!"
The pigtailed Ranma-chan kept going, "And let you be a
guy?" The redhead ricocheted off the wall between
Nabiki's and Kasumi's doors.
Kane-chan tried to pull the lav door shut in her face,
"I'll be one as soon as I get to the water!"
Ranma-chan stopped it with one small foot, "I'll only
make it hot with my "Saotome Instant Hot Water Attack"!"
Kane-chan's hand moved to the sink's tap. But she didn't
turn it on.
Ranma-chan saw she was coming to see that, "It's a fair
match. I can change you into a girl as easily as you to
change me." Well, that wasn't quite true. Besides having
to create enough friction, a certain intensity of battle
aura was needed. Its Chi energy not only amplified the
heat, it also kept her from burning her hands.
Kane-chan did see. It was still true that Ranma was more
likely to change than Kaneda was. There was just MORE
cold water around. That was Kaneda's chief argument why
Ranma should stay a girl. But the pressure that had
seemed to come from all sides for Ranma to be a girl had
caused her to click onto a piece of the puzzle. It had
actually spurred Ranma's fighting spirit to adjust FASTER
to her curse than she would have without them. And now
Ranma had started to regain her balance after these last
hectic days since she arrived at the Tendous.
Now the question was just how serious Ranma was about
having Kane-chan stay in her girl form?
Head held high, Kane-chan walked out, getting some
satisfaction from making Ranma-chan step aside for her.
There was one thing Kane-chan knew: ONE of them had to be
the girl.
Kane-chan jiggled down the hall in her just her taffeta
lingerie for her bedroom.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Ranma-chan followed Kane-chan down downstairs, "You're
just stallin'. If you really need one, an ordinary bra
will do."
Kane-chan was in her spare yellow do-gi, and was wearing
something with it Kaneda normally didn't wear, a tee
shirt, "Look, not all of us can be battle maidens, like
you!" Her natural anger was still there, but she was
trying to keep it low. "Of course, if you want to prove
how tough you are, WEAR an ordinary bra while you're
fighting."
Ranma-chan said, "I'm not gonna wear a bra."
Kane-chan said, "And I really don't want you to." She was
serious. The busty Ranma-chan put on more of a show that
way.
Meanwhile Kane-chan was glad when she got to the bottom
of the stairs and didn't have to think about her own
show. "I promise, if Kasumi hasn't bought me a sports
bra, I'll let her tell me how to wrap my chest."
Ranma-chan's slender brows knit, "That'll delay things at
least until its time for supper."
The blackhaired girl slowed as she looked over her
shoulder, "Why DO you want to spar with me like this?
It'd make more sense to recalibrate your martial arts
skills against a guy.
"Or do you plan on fighting a lot of girls?" Perhaps the
girl in front of you? If she's decided she can take me on
when we're both girls, I lose the one of the very few
edges I have over Ranma.
But Ranma hadn't gone that far in her adjustment, "When
you started your martial arts trainin', did your sensei
prefer you learn with somebody your own age and level?"
Kane-chan turned around again, "My dad's the dojo master.
I used to spar with him a lot!"
The cute redhead said, "But he had to hold back. You
needed somebody about my own height, and weight and such
to establish your norm. Once I got a feel for what I'm
startin' out with, I can THEN challenge it. --And so do
you! I know you could've done better in the guys' can
today when you were the girl."
Kane-chan wasn't in the mood to admit Ranma-chan might
know what she was talking about. But it did have her want
to marry her and make her a partner in running the family
dojo that much more.
Ranma-chan sneezed. "Is somebody talkin' about me?"
Kane-chan said, "If you sneezed every time somebody
talked about you, you'd sound like a bad day in allergy
season."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Inside the kitchen with Kasumi was Nabiki. The bobbed
girl in the shorts and loose tee shirt over a halter
smiled at them, "And speak of the young lady." Kane-chan
knew that Nabiki had purposely placed herself next to
Kasumi for the big confrontation.
Ranma-chan pushed Kane-chan aside, "I haven't 'thanked'
you yet for makin' everybody think I really AM a girl!"
Kasumi asked, "Oh, my! Nabiki, what have you done?!"
The coppery Nabiki explained, "I just did what you both
wanted. I got little brother his fiancee."
Ranma-chan said, trying to control her rage, "I TELL
myself I don't fight girls!" She looked around the
kitchen, "But there are other things I can do!"
Kane-chan told Kasumi, "Nabiki told everybody in Assembly
Hall about Ranma being BORN a girl!" Unlike Nabiki,
Kaneda invested a lot of belief in that.
Ranma-chan cried, "What'd you mean "ABOUT"!!?" She was
holding sticks of yakitori between each finger of each
fist.
If Kane-chan's wish wasn't going to go unchallenged, at
least she could believe Ranma was always meant to be a
girl. It wasn't a big leap for somebody who believed she
was meant to be a guy.
The mistress of the house got in the way of Ranma's aim
at Nabiki. Kasumi pleaded, "This is for supper!"
Still confident in her emotional aikido skill, Nabiki
made the smaller redhead an offer, "It WILL cost much
less to get the documentation to prove Kei Tendou
exists."
Kasumi asked, "Kei Tendou? Is he a relative of--" She
closed the refrigerator door, "Please, let's not waste
food." She was ignoring that Ranma-kun was capable of
turning the yakitori skewers into serious weapons.
Ranma-kun took a step to the right, found his target, and
flicked his wrists. The pieces of meat flew off the
skewers and would've hit Nabiki if Kane-chan hadn't
pushed his arm at the last second. Kane-chan told Ranma,
"You don't fight girls? Haven't you heard of food
fights?"
Nabiki calmly ignored the solid sounds the impact of the
chicken made around her. She was concentrating on
justifying what she'd done, "And I hear Ranma's already
getting the sympathy vote at school. That'll help when
she tries to show up as a guy."
The redhead grabbed some dishes; "What does THAT mean!?!"
Nabiki folded her arms, "Which is the bigger pervert: A
girl who changes into a guy?" She gave her most
challenging gaze, "Or a guy who changes into a girl?"
Ranma said defiantly, "I AM a guy!" She was momentarily
distracted from using his weapons. Nabiki had a hold on
Ranma's emotions through his chi.
Brown-eyed Nabiki looked at her evenly, "Just as your
daddy raised you to believe. You'd do just about anything
to live the life he's laid out for you."
As the belittled girl raised the dishes, Kasumi took them
from the pigtailed girl, "And THIS is a waste of money!"
Nabiki said, "Anything you break in the house, you'll
have to pay for."
Kane-chan tossed something, "Here, Ranma, use this!"
Ranma caught the half-full, galvanized pail. Nabiki, too
late, saw that Kane-chan was holding a mop. That meant
that the pail had--
Splash!
Only Nabiki's assertion of her dignity kept the drenched
oneesan from screaming in outrage.
Kane-chan smiled at the sister who liked to taunt her,
"Join the club."
Ranma almost smiled, "Yeah, when you look at it that way,
it is almost satisfying."
Eldest sister Kasumi looked at Nabiki with some sympathy,
but said, "Oh, my! Well, at least nothing was wasted.
That was water I was recycling from the bath."
Wet Nabiki's hair was closer to her head now; "Now I'M
going to have to take a bath."
Ranma-chan's smile got bigger, "This does get better. *I*
know how irritatin' it is to have to take more 'n one
bath a day."
Mischievous Kane-chan put a pitcher under the kitchen
tap, "We'll be waiting when you're finished, Nabiki." It
was while she was doing this that Kane-chan noticed the
pervasive, strong but low-level energy of had shifted
away from Nabiki.
Kasumi looked around, saying, "It IS better to use clean
water than dirty. Especially in the kitchen." She'd have
to do a little extra cleaning, but it apparently hadn't
damaged anything or gotten in any food. "Just be careful
around the paper walls and tatami mats. Those ARE
expensive."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Kasumi said to Kane-chan, "Yes, I have some sports bras
waiting for you.
"Here, Akane, watch things for me while I get you one."
Ranma-chan watched the only woman of the house leave. "Is
this gonna take long?"
The girl in the do-gi stirred the pot with some force,
"Why are you so impatient? We can spar after supper."
Ranma-chan said, "Sparrin's always better on an empty
stomach."
Kane-chan saw that oneesan hadn't put in all of the
ingredients. "Just think of it as training; you can't
always plan your fights according around your meal
times." She put in both the chopped and unchopped
scallions, the whole carrots, daikon radish, and whatever
else she could find in soup.
The pigtailed girl told her, "I'm tryin' to establish a
baseline for this body, I--" She stopped to ask, "What
are you doin'?"
Kane-chan told her, "I'm helping Kasumi," picking up the
condiments near the pot.
Ranma-chan said, "I'm glad you've decided to act like a
girl, but--"
Suddenly Kane-chan squeezed too hard on box of salt, "I'm
NOT trying to cook! --Oh, no!! Look at all the salt that
got in there!!"
Ranma-chan peeked into the pot. "Talk about a waste of
food."
The wildhaired girl had begun to panic, "No, it's not!!
The opposite of salt is sugar! I'll just put the same
amount of sugar in!"
Ranma said, "Sugar is NOT the antidote to salt!"
But Kane-chan wasn't listening, "If YOU think you know
how to cook, tell me what IS?!" She reached for the
spices.
Ranma-chan grabbed Kane-chan's hand before she could
waste again.
But Kane-chan picked the nutmeg up with her left; "We've
HAVE to have this for supper!!" After dumping those in,
she picked up the thyme, "We HAVE to save this!!"
Ranma-chan told her, "Nothing's gonna save this!"
The blackhaired girl dumped in bay leaves, "But Kasumi is
changing her banks!!"
Ranma-chan said, "Make sense!" And she grabbed both of
the girl's arms, "And STOP making things worse!"
Kasumi said, a look of real worry on her face, "That's
exactly what's happening! Nabiki came in here because she
thought Kasumi would protect her from you..."
Now Ranma-chan KNEW Kane-chan'd lost it, "Your big
sister, Kasumi, protect anybody?"
Kane-chan's dark eyes was lost to the here-and-now,
"...But when Kasumi found out what Nabiki had done, she
LET Nabiki be punished! She withdrew her favor!"
Ranma-chan, of course, was familiar with the traditional
way the Japanese punished one of their own. It was
something a Behaviorist would understand. "Nabiki's
persona non grata?" She smiled, "Until she's bows and
begs forgiveness, she's to be ignored by everybody!?!"
Ranma didn't think Nabiki could humble herself easily.
That made the prospect of seeing her do it even MORE
appealing to Ranma. Of course, as an outsider, I'd have
to spy to see that.
Kane-chan shook her head, "Kasumi can't stay mad at
anybody. But she IS going to let what's going to happen
happen. She's not going to intervene to protect Nabiki
from her Karma. And who knows what THAT will lead to!"
Ranma-chan raised an eyebrow, "Uh, yeah. Sure. Your mild-
mannered sister is more powerful than Karma."
Kane-chan glared at the pigtailed girl mocking her, "You
don't think a saint or Bodhisattva can!?! That's
what they do!!"
Ranma-chan said, "Now you're saying your sister is--"
Tall and feminine Kasumi came back, "I brought you the
plain white one, Akane; but I have this cute one with--"
Kane-chan confessed immediately, "I'm sorry, Kasumi! I
ruined the soup!" What she'd sense happening around
Nabiki had clearly spooked her.
Kasumi said, "You did?" She sounded disappointed, but not
upset.
Ranma-chan said, "She said you're a saint." Then she got
a twinkle in her blue eyes, "I guess she didn't think
simple food wasn't good enough for her idol."
Kasumi blushed modestly, "I'm not a saint, but it was
just yesterday I was told I have a pure heart." She was
just being honest; it didn't cross her mind it might
sound like she was bragging. She smiled to her sister,
"Oh, my, I just thought of something. If you're going to
get married, somebody has to do the cooking."
Ranma-chan said, "Unless its over an open fire, it's not
gonna be me."
Kasumi's brow knit, "Oh, my. Firewood in the city CAN be
expensive."
Kane-chan raised her small chin, "I'll be the one,
Kasumi!"
Her oneesan asked, "YOU want to learn the marital arts,
Akane?" This was a hopeful sign.
Ranma-chan said to Kane-chan, "And you say you want to be
a "man". You think she's gonna punish you, too, just for
ruinin' one supper?"
Kane-chan told her, "It's not like that! Honestly!"
Kasumi asked, "Punished?! If you think training in the
marital arts is punishment, Akane, then you shouldn't do
it. It is all about having the proper spirit..."
Kane-chan knew she'd fallen into the river Kasumi. The
current wasn't strong enough to keep her from swimming
back to shore. But Kane-chan could feel how much her
oneesan wanted to be assured. Somebody had to be able to
take over her duties. Only then could Kasumi think about
leaving this house and moving on with her life.
Kane-chan took one last look at Ranma-chan. Her fiancee's
words earlier about how to train came back to haunt her.
"...your sensei preferred you to start out with somebody
your own age and level..." Ranma-chan WOULD be a better
dojo master.
Kane-chan sighed, and bowed her head to what she owed her
big sister, "If it'll make you happy, I'll try." I'd
better work on getting Ranma to think the way a girl
should, or I'm going to end up a *Ouch!* househusband.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Man! How very UN-manly. How Un-Japanese! thought as she
pulled her tee shirt back on her. The fact that she was
wearing a sports bra under it didn't argue against those
thoughts. "Househusband"!! It has GOT to be love. What
else could make a guy volunteer for that! But one of
them had to do it if Kasumi was to satisfied. It was love,
alright, but more for her sister, and her Tofu-sensei.
For THEY to get married, the Family had to prove they
could get on without her.
There had to be some way to weaken her feeling of
obligation, "Kasumi, why DIDN'T you tell you knew that I
could change into a girl? If I knew somebody knew, I
might have been a girl more often." And I could be more
comfortable with being one, now.
Ranma-chan said, "Aw, geez! I KNEW we weren't gonna
workout before supper." She grabbed the teakettle from
off the stove.
Kasumi handed Kane-chan the vegetable platter she'd
prepared; Ranma-chan was still a guest. "I've explained
to you. It had to be entirely your own idea. You seemed
happy as a guy, so Mother only stepped in when you were
having trouble. There were only small ones when you were
a child."
She picked up the tray barbeque sauce and leftovers she'd
gotten from the refrigerator and directed them out the
kitchen door, "I guess when you got older and whether you
were a boy or a girl became more important, I should have
stepped in and told you. You could have had somebody you
could confide in, besides Nabiki." She lowered her head
in shame, "The troubles you're having ARE my fault."
Kane-chan now felt awful, "No, Kasumi, I wasn't trying to
blame anybody! Honestly!" Losing one's self to the cares
of the present, and unable to see the forest for the
trees seemed to be one of the conditions a person needed
to be pure of heart. At least it was in naïve Kasumi's
case.
Ranma-kun put down the kettle and picked up the pitcher,
"It sounded to me like you were. But blame your Old Man,
like I blame mine!"
Kane-chan kneed her in the back of his thigh, "Then why
don't you punish HIM!?" Why didn't *I* change into a guy
when I had the chance? *Sigh* Because I promised I'd stay
ready to spar with Ranma.
Ranma-kun's back broadened as he stopped the line. He
turned and was about to tell the impudent girl about all
the things he WAS doing to punish her pop. ...But just
about every example he came up with was something he
would've done to him whether or not he'd become cursed.
And he DIDN'T want to let Akane know he wanted to stay
engaged to her. She might take it personally.
Ranma-kun scowled and headed towards the family room.
"Don'tcha understand ANYTHING about how family works!!?"
she yelled back in frustration.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The line was momentarily halted again when Ranma-kun
stared at Nabiki sitting casually with her father and the
panda beside the family table. She had deliberately
changed into the slacks, shirt and tie she'd worn in
Assembly Hall when she tried to sabotage Ranma-kun's
life. He WOULD enjoy seeing this all-too-sure-of-herself
bitch humbled.
He had brought the pitcher of water.
Nabiki challenged him in that steady voice of hers,
"Remember the paper walls and tatatmi mats, Saotome."
Smaller Kane-chan reminded Ranma-kun, "There's always the
chance magic will dry things out again."
Seeing her for the first time, Soun Tendou rose from his
place, "Miss Akane Saotome!" he smiled. "You shouldn't be
serving. You're a GUEST in this house!"
Kane-chan had forgotten. His dad's shame wouldn't let him
deal with Kaneda, his only son, changing into a girl.
Instead, he had decided the girl WAS, in fact, a stranger
who looked exactly like his dear wife. I guess it's one
step forward, two steps back. At least he's TRYING to
find a way to acknowledge my girl half. His subconscious
probably wants to make up for ignoring the "daughter" he
also had. That was as close as Kane-chan could come to
admitting she wasn't meant to be a guy.
Kasumi smiled, pleased, "Father, Akane is practicing. She
has agreed to let me teach her the marital arts."
Soun Tendou's smile grew brighter, "Is that correct, Miss
Akane?"
The panda signed, [Is it?}
Kane-chan tried to smile, "Er, that's right, Mr. Tendou!"
And as she carried the platter over the threshold, her
own foot got in the way of the other.
Soun cried, "AKANE!!"
Kasumi cried, "Oh, my!" seeing this food about to be
wasted, too.
The panda signed, [Save supper!]
The pigtailed guy reached out with his strong, free arm
catching Kane-chan under her breasts, and saving her
fall.
But water managed to escape out of the pitcher: Splash!
The wet Nabiki accused, "You did that on purpose!"
Ranma-kun used the top of the pitcher to rescue the
platter still in Kane-chan's outstretched hands. The
lighter Kane-chan was mortified, I feel like a stupid,
clumsy, damsel!
Oneesan Kasumi had entered the room now with her own
tray, "Oh, my, how nice. Only the cushion got wet."
Nabiki said, "That's cold, sis," and then shivered a bit.
The open garden door chilled the water more than it
already was.
Kasumi went to set her tray down, "I'm sorry, Nabiki.
I'll go and get some towels."
As Ranma-kun set Kane-chan and then the platter-balancing
pitcher down, Nabiki tried to play one of her cards
against him, "How much extra laundry work will Kasumi
have to do if you keep pulling the water stunt, Saotome?"
Her father put his hand on Nabiki's hand before she could
get up, "Stay, Nabiki. I want you here."
Coppery Nabiki stayed, but protested, "Look at me. I'm
wet, Daddy."
The mustached man cleared his throat without looking,
"Uh, hem! Yes, I know."
Nabiki's gold shirt was fairly thick, but wet, it clung
to her body, with the red necktie weighed down into her
bosom.
Soun asked, "Akane, if you will not consider my son, how
about another of my family? Say, Nabiki?"
Backfaults all around the table: Kane-chan, Ranma-kun,
Nabiki and the panda.
Nabiki was the first to regain her voice, "Daddy!" so
much for her infamous self-composure.
'Akane' said, "You can't be serious!"
Soun looked very uncomfortable, but he continued on, "If
I am wrong about your interest in females of the same
gender, Miss Akane, I deeply apologize!"
The panda signed, [The problem is she IS interested only
in girls!]
Kane-chan said, "But NOT her!! She's my sister!"
The longhaired Soun nodded, not hearing what he didn't
want to, "If you become my daughter-in-law, Nabiki would
become like your sister. But if you, uh, become like a
couple, you can be more."
Indignant Nabiki said, "I do not want to be "more". I
barely tolerate being her sister."
With a touch of sadness, Soun almost a smile, "Then, then
it is as I have wondered these past years. You feel no
sense of sisterhood, of, of womanliness."
Nabiki nearly lost her cool over this bit of illogic, "I
like guys! Believe me!"
Ranma-kun thought he understood, "Oh, that's why you're I
see you wearin' pants whenever you're outa uniform. You
like to be like them."
Kane-chan said to Nabiki, "You DON'T wear dresses or do
the typical girl things, do you?" Before sanity ended the
chance, she was going to get back at her for the times
she'd tormented her.
Her dad nodded, saying wistfully, "No, she doesn't."
Nabiki frowned, "What does that prove!?!" Now even her
damp, clinging clothes were bothering her.
The panda signed, [It's Karma!]
Ranma-kun hit the animal across its head, "You were
eavesdropping outside the kitchen!"
Soun asked, " "Karma"?"
Here was an idea for a tease Kane-chan could work with,
"It IS your Karma catching up with you, Nabiki. You were
a GUY before this life! THAT'S why you're so lousy at
being a girl!"
"Oh, my!!" Kasumi had returned at this moment.
Nabiki told them, "I dress like I do because of business!
People take you more seriously when you look more like a
guy than a girl." Most guys WOULD be looking at her body
right then.
Kane-chan said, "Then why don't you wear business suits?"
Ranma-kun said, "So you'd rather be a guy." He was half-
serious. Apparently he was too earnest to tease well.
The panda signed, [It's Karma. In her heart, she's still
a guy.]
Ranma-kun looked at uncombed Kane-chan, "Runs in the
family, doesn't it?" This was definitely not a tease.
Kane-chan wasn't insulted. Nabiki was. The bobhaired girl
glared at them all.
Kane-chan tried not to smile too hard. Nabiki's silence
meant that, for once, she'd lost a battle of wits. She
really wasn't under Kasumi's protection right then.
Kasumi came over, knelt between her and their father, and
offered Nabiki one of the clean towels. Nabiki took it
and used it. She knew that if she left the table now it
was as good as admitting defeat. She would bide her time,
and wait for an opening.
Meanwhile, Kasumi asked, "What is this about Karma?"
Nobody really wanted to tell her.
But Soun still felt he had to explain why he had started
it. "Uh, it's about Miss Akane Saotome. She's only a
guest in our house. I was trying to find a way to, uh,
invite her into our family."
Kasumi was quite pleased, "Oh, Father! After all these
years."
Nabiki said, "Wait until you find out HOW he wants her to
join."
Kane-chan said, "It's your fault. You should have made
Akane a Tendou in the first place. You and your grand
schemes."
The panda signed, [Personally, I approve!]
Ranma-kun told it, "I think we all know why you'd want
Akane engaged to somebody else. You already tried to get
her and "hitched up" to her guy Kaneda."
Naive Kasumi was confused. " "Engaged"?" She looked over
at Kane-chan.
Her father told her, "Well, I was wondering if there is
somebody else in this family who Miss Akane can be
interested in besides Kaneda."
Nabiki said, "I am not a lesbian."
Kasumi blushed, "Oh, my!"
Soun's blush deepened.
Ranma-kun said, "It's not enough he wants to give one of
his daughters to ME. He really is desperate, isn't he?"
Kane-chan scowled at Ranma-kun, "And yours isn't!? Look,
just as yours is yours, this one is MY dad. The ONLY
thing he's done to me, as far as I'm concerned, is not
tell me the truth."
Ranma-kun said, "Okay, already. I get you. Family is
family, and you gotta put up with them." He looked around
the table, "No matter how much they try and screw up your
life."
Kasumi hesitated. Then, "Father, if you're that--"
Still kneeling, Kane-chan hopped over beside Nabiki:
"Don't you dare, Kasumi!" And she grabbed Nabiki's arm
and leaned her head on it. "I've decided I want Nabiki
after all!"
Nabiki's brown eyes glared down at her, "Don't think I'll
let you get away with this little game."
Kane-chan drew upon all of times she'd watched Nabiki do
you melodramatic turn: " "Game"?" She acted hurt, "If I'm
serious. If I'm not, my name isn't Akane Saotome." She
then glanced across the table at Ranma-kun, "--Or his
name is Kei Tendou."
That roused Ranma, "Hey, yeah! WHO'S been playin' games
with peoples lives? Ranma Saotome ISN'T a girl!!"
Nabiki was pulling her arm free as she pushed Kane-chan
away, "Are you ready to ante up and get into the game,
too?"
Ranma-kun said, "I pass."
Nabiki got up, "You do have more sense than I thought."
The proud tactician saw that retreat was the only option
left to her at the moment.
As she passed Ranma-kun, he casually said, "I'm gonna
wait until tomorrow at school. That'd be the best place
to mess with your reputation."
A growl got stuck in Nabiki's throat. She turned and left
the room.
But before she disappeared from sight, Ranma-kun called,
"Nabiki!"
Nabiki didn't answer. She knew what was coming.
Splash!
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The pigtailed guy set the empty pitcher back down on the
table and started eating, "I might get to like this idea
of getting revenge."
Kane-chan started eating to, smiling between bites, "And
we're not breaking the Code. Well, at least not the
letter." Its spirit...well, that was another matter.
Kasumi went to mop up the water with the extra towel
she'd brought. The woman in the apron sighed sadly, "It
will only cause more trouble." She knew her sister
Nabiki. But she sounded as if she was resigning herself
to whatever happened next, "But if this is the will of
Karma."
Her father asked, "What did you say, Kasumi?" he was
distracted by the beauty of Akane. Even in her do-gi she
seemed like a work of art, well worth any price he had to
pay to have it in his home. As far as he was concerned
she was the double of his dear, departed wife Kimiko.
The panda paused in it eating, [She said Akane and Nabiki
as a couple has her blessing.]
Kane-chan told it, "No she didn't! Kasumi's just going to
tolerate it for a while." At least until the time Kasumi
could see if Nabiki really did need her intervention. It
would be all Karma for a while.
On her knees, Kasumi paused in her task; she was talking
more to hear herself think than anybody else, "Nabiki
hasn't gone on many dates with boys, has she?"
Kane-chan reminded her, "Kuno was the last one. And she
only did that because he's rich."
Kasumi bent back to her chore again, "And she doesn't act
very ladylike."
Ranma-kun said, "She doesn't act much like a girl at
all." Of course, his stereotypical definition of what a
girl should be like was more like that of Kasumi Tendou.
Kane-chan continued down the tease track, "Nabiki is more
like a guy than a girl. She just hasn't admitted to
herself she likes girls, yet."
Patriarch Soun Tendou, his arms crossed, nodded his head,
solemnly, "Yes. I HAVE read in the paper about how
difficult it is for a girl come to terms with preferences
that deviate from the social norm." He continued on with
his self-justification, "As her father, I am helping her
come to terms with her perversion. No, wait, "perversion"
is probably not the word I wanted to use." He was having
trouble carrying any justification off, though. It would
be easier when he could just ignore what he didn't want
to see. He was very good at that.
Since Kasumi had been brought to look at a problem she
hadn't really contemplated before, she chose not to be
fooled. Her pure heart pointed her in the correct
direction, "Nabiki DOES need to be motivated to become
the girl I know she can be." Of course, she thought the
same thing about Akane.
Kasumi rose. She'd made her decision. "While it is not my
place to force others to adopt better manners, neither
will I stop the forces that can." She smiled warmly at
Kane-chan, "I am ever ready to teach the marital and
other womanly arts."
A lump of food remained in Kane-chan's mouth. The
implication was not lost on her.
Suddenly Ranma-kun shivered, "Brr! Close the garden door!
I just felt a cold chill go through me."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
With the two fathers watching on, it had quickly gone
beyond a simple sparring match. In the ten minutes or so
they'd been in the dojo, Ranma-chan had barely taken two
steps before she was in the air again. With her having
the higher ground, as it were, it was hard for the
wildhaired Kane-chan to take effective evasive action.
It'd been Kane-chan's tactic to stay away from the little
dynamo as much as she could, using a lot of bobbing,
weaving, ducking and tumbling. But just as that first day
Ranma-chan arrived, the redhead was able to anticipate
her movements almost before Kane-chan had made them. The
result was that Ranma-chan's hands and feet were getting
closer and closer to Kane-chan.
It was when she felt the Ranma-chan's thumbnail barely
graze her cheek that Kane-chan knew she had to change her
tactics. If Ranma ever gets the idea that it's okay to
hit me.... "Hey! This is sparring!"
The pigtailed girl smiled sweetly, "I guess I over
compensated for the short reach." She wiped her sweat
with the back of her small hand; "I will say it's easier
to jump with the lighter body and better thigh muscles.
Just not as fun. Not with boobs."
Her pop told her, "Now you see why I wanted you to get to
know your body on our way back from China."
The redhead glared at the Old Man, "NOW you're back to
wantin' me to tryin' out the girl body?" Until now, he
and Mr. Tendou had been staying pretty much quiet near
the wall, acting like sensei assessing their students'
progress.
Mr. Tendou had begun crying again, "Oh, Miss Akane! You
remind me so much of my dear wife Kimiko. How she loved a
good fight." He then suddenly rose to his knees, "Protect
yourself at all costs! Disguise your pattern: Use drunk-
fu!"
Irritated, too, Kane-chan cried, "She wasn't a drunk!!"
Soun Tendou begged forgiveness, "I didn't mean to imply
that you are, either! I was just advising you as your..."
Genma wasn't about to be "out-sensei-ed" by his old
comrade in adversity, "Ranma! A true martial artist must
learn to turn a weakness into a strength. If your breasts
are weighing you down, you must teach yourself how use
them to buoy you up."
Pow! Ranma-chan gave him a solid blow over the head,
"What kinda mental image are you havin'!?"
Soun was more concerned about the girl Akane than the
Art, "Miss Akane, if you do not like the idea of drunk-
fu, may I suggest the Quixote technique? It makes
excellent use of the upper body, which," and a little
bragging entered his voice, "as I hope you know, is the
chief emphasis of the Tendou School."
Before he could take her arms and demonstrate, Kane-chan
fended him off by wildly flailing her arms about, "You
want me to act like a demented windmill!?"
Holding his head, Genma told Ranma, "See?! She knows more
about how to keep her breasts out of the way."
Ranma-chan was forced to study Kane-chan's movements for
some clue of how she did it. "Hnh! She isn't nearly as
good at it as girls who are girl all the time." She
refused to acknowledge the slight heat she felt across
her cheeks.
Soun Tendou on the other hand gave no indication he
harbored such feelings, even for somebody who reminded
him so strongly of his dear wife. "Excellent, Miss Akane!
But a truly demented windmill would change the pitch and
yaw of her vane defense."
Kane-chan stopped her vain defense, and actually cocked
her fist back. 'Miss Akane' was sorely tempted to get the
kind of satisfaction Ranma had just gotten from hitting
his dad.
Instead she turned to head to, "Ranma? Remember what you
were saying about having to put up with family?"
The little redhead nodded, "Yeah. It's stronger than the
Code."
Kane-chan said, "We got around that today, too."
It took only a moment for Ranma-chan to understand.
"Okay, now let's get all we can out of this match!" And
she charged Kane-chan as she charged her.
They met each other with the same judo hold to their
upper gi-coats. Each swung the other around--And threw
the other girl at the other's father with all of their
force:
POW! POW!
Both of the grown men fell limp and unconscious to the
polished floor.
Still on her feet, Kane-chan looked over a few meters
away at her, at last quiet, father. She asked Ranma-chan,
"Well?"
Ranma-chan had been doing the same with her own pop. "I
have better reasons to take out my problems on the guy
who gave them to me."
Kane-chan nodded, "Yes, I'm afraid this isn't the answer,
either." She gestured over to her, "Come on, let's take a
shower."
Ranma-chan headed for the dojo door, "Is it safe?" She
was only half serious.
Kane-chan was also half serious, "No, not if I become a
guy again." She followed after the petit redhead.
Ranma-chan said, "Then I'll become a guy."
Kane-chan said, "Then you'll be safe."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Out in the upstairs hall, Nabiki nodded, "Yes, Kasumi. I
understand."
The girl in her pajamas then entered her room. She had to
think to keep herself from slamming the door.
Nabiki swore, "Just you wait... If I have to act like the
"proper, young girl", I'm not going alone. And it all
truly begins tomorrow at the "birth-day party"!"
The End of this chapter
[You don't think Soun would do that to one of his
daughters? The original tried to encourage Ranma to make
Akane pregnant so she would have to marry him. It's only
his view of lesbianism that is challenged.]
c