Chapter 5 Proper Introductions
{Japanese} *Thoughts*
Ranma smiled at Kate and was about to say how glad he was to be here when they heard a loud crash coming from the other side of the house. "Oh no, I forgot I let Akane help Jennifer in the kitchen." Ranma yelled as he ran from Kate's room. Kate followed him to see if everyone was all right.
Since Kate's room was on the same floor as the kitchen it didn't take them long to reach it to find a very embarrassed Akane and a surprised Jennifer both looking at what had been a very sturdy cast iron skillet. The skillet had been broken into three pieces and was now lying on the gas stove, which was still on.
"Akane, what did you do?" Ranma asked hoping that she would be nice and not get upset at the question.
"Well, I huh." Akane looked about as confused as Jennifer who suddenly blinked and looked as if she was trying to catch up with what had just happened.
"I am sure it'll be okay," Jennifer said directing both Ranma and Akane to the kitchen table, "just sit here while I clean up this mess." She walked back over to the stove, turned it off and began cleaning up the mess.
Kate walked up to her sister and looked at the skillet, "what exactly happened?"
"I guess she's stronger than she looked or the skillet was cracked. Either way when I asked her to stir the hamburger...well...it uh...broke." Jennifer looked slightly disturbed that someone could actually destroy a cast iron skillet.
"That's why we call Akane the 'Kitchen Destroyer'" Ranma quipped and then ducked the incoming mallet only to be hit by a fist.
"Ranma..." Akane growled. The two American girls stood and stared at the girl who seemed to be emitting an angry aura from her being. Jennifer not sure what else to do looked at Kate who also looked somewhat frightened but was able to think of something quicker that Jennifer.
"Hey Akane, how 'bout you come see my room and sign one of my walls. It's a tradition, you know." She grabbed Akane's arm and started leading her out of the kitchen.
"Okay, sure."
Jennifer watched as the tension in the room dissipated as Akane was led out of the room. She looked at Ranma "That wasn't very nice to say." Ranma looked shamefully at the table.
"Well I uh." At a total loss of what to say Ranma stopped talking. *Man, she makes me feel like I was scolded by Kasumi*
Jennifer deciding to lighten the mood in the room changed the subject, "so how long have you and Akane been engaged?"
"About two years."
"Whoa, you two are kinda young aren't you?" Jennifer looked at Ranma who had started to fidget.
"It was our parent's idea. We knew each other for a couple of hours before we were officially engaged. We didn't even get the choice."
"Yikes, I can't even imagine. You know since your hear in America you don't have to be engaged if you don't want to. It's a free country and besides who wants to be engaged at 18 anyway." Jennifer stated calmly getting another skillet from a cabinet. She stopped and looked at Ranma who looked incredibly shell shocked. "Unless of course you like being engaged to Akane."
"Akane is my fiancé and we nothings going to change that. Even if she is as tomboy." Ranma said completely flustered by what Jennifer had said.
"You know being a tomboy ain't that bad. And besides if Akane was a true tomboy she wouldn't be wearing a skirt." Jennifer watched Ranma and could tell that the gears in his head were thinking about what she had said. *Humph, just like Jon*
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------
"Okay everyone, suppers ready." Jennifer called from the kitchen. She brought the food into the dining room.
"Hi mom!" Kate said as she hugged her mom. Just then Jon walked into the door. Everyone sat at the table.
"Alright time for introductions. Mom this is Akane; you knew she would be coming, and this is Ranma Saotome, her fiancé. Apparently her dad didn't want her coming here by herself so he came along with her. Ranma, Akane, this is my mom Jane and my brother Jon." Jennifer dished out two plates and gave them to Ranma and Akane and handed the dish to her mother.
"Well this is unexpected. I am sorry Ranma but if we had known we would have had someplace set up for you to sleep, I guess you can stay in Jon's room until tomorrow then we will set something up for you." Jane said dishing herself out some dinner. She looked at Jon who was getting very pale. "You alright Jon."
"Your name is Ranma Saotome?" Jon pointed at Ranma who nodded, "and your name is Akane Tendo?" Jon then looked at Akane who also nodded. Jon looked at Jennifer and Kate; "you're kidding me right?"
"We'll talk about it later." Jennifer said hoping Jon would take the hint. Just then being that it was summer and about 8 o'clock in the evening the doorbell rang.
"I'll get it!" Kate was out of her chair and at the door in neck breaking time. "Oh Hi you guys, your all in time to meet our new house guests. You know the foreign exchange student we were supposed to get. Well she brought her fiancé with her." Kate explained as she led Ben, Zach, Chris and Libbie into the dining room, "Alright everyone this is Akane Tendo and Ranma Saotome. Akane, Ranma this is Ben, Libbie, Zach and Chris"
"Oh and not a single word about their name you guys." Jennifer growled when she saw that Libbie was about to say something. Libbie promptly shut her mouth and went to sit next to her boyfriend Jon.
Ben deciding he rarely listened to Jennifer anyway spoke up first, "So you two seen any good anime lately" with that the entire room burst into laughter leaving a very confused Ranma and Akane. Meanwhile Jane looked around at the group of teenagers not really knowing what was funny but also unwilling to find out seeing as she knew the group of kids and rarely understood their humor anyway.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------
Tendo Dojo, Nerima, Japan
"Oh hello Ukyo. How are you today." Kasumi said brightly as she led the younger girl into the house.
"Kasumi, could you tell me where Ranma-honey is? You see he begged me to teach him English and then when he had figured it out he quit coming over in the afternoons. I thought it was just an excuse to be near me but now that I haven't see him in a week I am starting to think he went America or something." Ukyo searched Kasumi's face for any sign of reaction to what she had said but only found Kasumi's eternal happy smile.
"Oh I am sorry but I haven't seen Ranma in about 3 days." Kasumi said plainly. *Technically that isn't a lie. I really haven't seen Ranma in 3 days. * She looked at Ukyo hoping the girl would leave before Nabiki got home knowing full well that Nabiki would sell her information to the highest bidder.
"Okay, have you seen Akane?" Ukyo said hoping that there would be a fault in the girls face.
*I am so glad she is asking the wrong questions. Now I don't even have to lie* Kasumi thought, "No Ukyo I haven't seen Akane in a few days either."
"YOU MEAN THEY LEFT TOGETHER!!!" Ukyo was clearly upset being as she now had the ever-present spatula in hand and was marching out the door in search for a victim. If she had turned around to look at Kasumi she would have noticed that the girl was happily cheering as the Ukyo left.
Ukyo reached the dojo gate when she heard a voice behind her that made her both cringe and leap in delight. "So how badly do you want to know where your dear Ranma is?" Nabiki asked from the other side of the dojo gate.
{Japanese} *Thoughts*
Ranma smiled at Kate and was about to say how glad he was to be here when they heard a loud crash coming from the other side of the house. "Oh no, I forgot I let Akane help Jennifer in the kitchen." Ranma yelled as he ran from Kate's room. Kate followed him to see if everyone was all right.
Since Kate's room was on the same floor as the kitchen it didn't take them long to reach it to find a very embarrassed Akane and a surprised Jennifer both looking at what had been a very sturdy cast iron skillet. The skillet had been broken into three pieces and was now lying on the gas stove, which was still on.
"Akane, what did you do?" Ranma asked hoping that she would be nice and not get upset at the question.
"Well, I huh." Akane looked about as confused as Jennifer who suddenly blinked and looked as if she was trying to catch up with what had just happened.
"I am sure it'll be okay," Jennifer said directing both Ranma and Akane to the kitchen table, "just sit here while I clean up this mess." She walked back over to the stove, turned it off and began cleaning up the mess.
Kate walked up to her sister and looked at the skillet, "what exactly happened?"
"I guess she's stronger than she looked or the skillet was cracked. Either way when I asked her to stir the hamburger...well...it uh...broke." Jennifer looked slightly disturbed that someone could actually destroy a cast iron skillet.
"That's why we call Akane the 'Kitchen Destroyer'" Ranma quipped and then ducked the incoming mallet only to be hit by a fist.
"Ranma..." Akane growled. The two American girls stood and stared at the girl who seemed to be emitting an angry aura from her being. Jennifer not sure what else to do looked at Kate who also looked somewhat frightened but was able to think of something quicker that Jennifer.
"Hey Akane, how 'bout you come see my room and sign one of my walls. It's a tradition, you know." She grabbed Akane's arm and started leading her out of the kitchen.
"Okay, sure."
Jennifer watched as the tension in the room dissipated as Akane was led out of the room. She looked at Ranma "That wasn't very nice to say." Ranma looked shamefully at the table.
"Well I uh." At a total loss of what to say Ranma stopped talking. *Man, she makes me feel like I was scolded by Kasumi*
Jennifer deciding to lighten the mood in the room changed the subject, "so how long have you and Akane been engaged?"
"About two years."
"Whoa, you two are kinda young aren't you?" Jennifer looked at Ranma who had started to fidget.
"It was our parent's idea. We knew each other for a couple of hours before we were officially engaged. We didn't even get the choice."
"Yikes, I can't even imagine. You know since your hear in America you don't have to be engaged if you don't want to. It's a free country and besides who wants to be engaged at 18 anyway." Jennifer stated calmly getting another skillet from a cabinet. She stopped and looked at Ranma who looked incredibly shell shocked. "Unless of course you like being engaged to Akane."
"Akane is my fiancé and we nothings going to change that. Even if she is as tomboy." Ranma said completely flustered by what Jennifer had said.
"You know being a tomboy ain't that bad. And besides if Akane was a true tomboy she wouldn't be wearing a skirt." Jennifer watched Ranma and could tell that the gears in his head were thinking about what she had said. *Humph, just like Jon*
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------
"Okay everyone, suppers ready." Jennifer called from the kitchen. She brought the food into the dining room.
"Hi mom!" Kate said as she hugged her mom. Just then Jon walked into the door. Everyone sat at the table.
"Alright time for introductions. Mom this is Akane; you knew she would be coming, and this is Ranma Saotome, her fiancé. Apparently her dad didn't want her coming here by herself so he came along with her. Ranma, Akane, this is my mom Jane and my brother Jon." Jennifer dished out two plates and gave them to Ranma and Akane and handed the dish to her mother.
"Well this is unexpected. I am sorry Ranma but if we had known we would have had someplace set up for you to sleep, I guess you can stay in Jon's room until tomorrow then we will set something up for you." Jane said dishing herself out some dinner. She looked at Jon who was getting very pale. "You alright Jon."
"Your name is Ranma Saotome?" Jon pointed at Ranma who nodded, "and your name is Akane Tendo?" Jon then looked at Akane who also nodded. Jon looked at Jennifer and Kate; "you're kidding me right?"
"We'll talk about it later." Jennifer said hoping Jon would take the hint. Just then being that it was summer and about 8 o'clock in the evening the doorbell rang.
"I'll get it!" Kate was out of her chair and at the door in neck breaking time. "Oh Hi you guys, your all in time to meet our new house guests. You know the foreign exchange student we were supposed to get. Well she brought her fiancé with her." Kate explained as she led Ben, Zach, Chris and Libbie into the dining room, "Alright everyone this is Akane Tendo and Ranma Saotome. Akane, Ranma this is Ben, Libbie, Zach and Chris"
"Oh and not a single word about their name you guys." Jennifer growled when she saw that Libbie was about to say something. Libbie promptly shut her mouth and went to sit next to her boyfriend Jon.
Ben deciding he rarely listened to Jennifer anyway spoke up first, "So you two seen any good anime lately" with that the entire room burst into laughter leaving a very confused Ranma and Akane. Meanwhile Jane looked around at the group of teenagers not really knowing what was funny but also unwilling to find out seeing as she knew the group of kids and rarely understood their humor anyway.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------
Tendo Dojo, Nerima, Japan
"Oh hello Ukyo. How are you today." Kasumi said brightly as she led the younger girl into the house.
"Kasumi, could you tell me where Ranma-honey is? You see he begged me to teach him English and then when he had figured it out he quit coming over in the afternoons. I thought it was just an excuse to be near me but now that I haven't see him in a week I am starting to think he went America or something." Ukyo searched Kasumi's face for any sign of reaction to what she had said but only found Kasumi's eternal happy smile.
"Oh I am sorry but I haven't seen Ranma in about 3 days." Kasumi said plainly. *Technically that isn't a lie. I really haven't seen Ranma in 3 days. * She looked at Ukyo hoping the girl would leave before Nabiki got home knowing full well that Nabiki would sell her information to the highest bidder.
"Okay, have you seen Akane?" Ukyo said hoping that there would be a fault in the girls face.
*I am so glad she is asking the wrong questions. Now I don't even have to lie* Kasumi thought, "No Ukyo I haven't seen Akane in a few days either."
"YOU MEAN THEY LEFT TOGETHER!!!" Ukyo was clearly upset being as she now had the ever-present spatula in hand and was marching out the door in search for a victim. If she had turned around to look at Kasumi she would have noticed that the girl was happily cheering as the Ukyo left.
Ukyo reached the dojo gate when she heard a voice behind her that made her both cringe and leap in delight. "So how badly do you want to know where your dear Ranma is?" Nabiki asked from the other side of the dojo gate.