Ranma-Yasha stood in the door of the Tendou home, and waved to Akane and Nabiki as they left. "Itte rasshai!" she called out, then turned to retreat into the house. Kasumi was cleaning up after breakfast (cold miso soup was definitely inferior to warm, but with Yasha injured like that...), and Souun and Genma were sitting down to their first game of shogi since the Saotomes' arrival.
The small demon-girl was wearing a set of Ranma's chinese clothes (red tang and kung-fu pants), as he was enough bigger than her that the pants fit even with her cast. Besides, she just liked big t-shirts, which was basically what the sleeveless tang became when she was wearing it.
As she stared at the game of Cheat Shogi, her eyes seemed to glaze over. They almost did on their own as she failed entirely to grasp the game, but she interrupted her getting bored to try and "wake" Ranma.
Ranma?
No answer.
Ranma??
No answer.
RANMA!!!!!!!
Nothing.
Yasha thought a moment, then internally grinned.
Suddenly, through her head went the sounds of a drag race, fifty sets of cymbals, a marching band, and an atom bomb exploding. Simultaneously.
YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!! WHAT IS IT?!?! ARE WE GETTING BOMBED?!?!?! WHY CAN'T I MOVE!!!! AAAH! I'M A.... girl. Oh. Good morning, Yasha.
[Look, Tendou, my son is planning to eat you!]
Souun turned to see a rather evil grin on the demon girl, but nothing indicating a plan for cannibalism.
"Nonsense, Saotome, I... Hey, where did those five pieces come from?"
The panda failed to whistle innocently. On both counts.
Passenger
Chapter 7: Truth.... or "truth"?
A Ranma 1/2 fanfiction by S. Starblade
Dedicated to everyone out there who knows what they're doing. And most of the people who don't.
Warning: I borrow stuff. I don't just copy. If I borrowed from you, that means I probably liked your work, because I've read it a lot. It's an indication of my respect for you.
Disclaimer: It's not my fault! OW! Dammit, I didn't DO anything! OW! I said, 'THEY AREN'T MINE!!!' OW!!! STOP HITTING ME WITH THE DAMNED HAMMER ALREADY!
Key:
= English
" " = Japanese
[ ] =Jusenkyou Cursed Signs
{ } = Chinese
= internal conversation between our two intrepid main characters
You sleep like the dead, Ranma. Wait, I take that back. The dead would get up earlier.
Yeah, yeah, just because you always wake up at five AM don't mean everyone else wants ta, y'know.
True enough, responded Yasha, walking them to the kitchen, where Kasumi was washing the dishes (with cold water). Although it seems Kasumi here does.
Kasumi smiled a little broader as she heard the smaller girl crutch-step into the kitchen. The expression on Akane's face when they had woken her up and explained the logic of it all to her, was priceless. She hadn't seen anything so funny in years. Perhaps it would really pay to have these two houseguests around.
"Was Akane still blushing when she left?"
Ranma-Yasha laughed. "Yeah. She not look at Nabiki or Tendou-san. Tendou-san get verry worry about Akane, even when leave. Very funny."
Kasumi's smile slipped a little. "I just hope she doesn't think I'm lesbian or anything... That would be very bad." She chewed her lower lip a bit, focusing on a particularly stubborn spot.
The smaller girl blinked. "Why?"
Lesbian? Asked Ranma. What's that? And why would she think that?
It took Yasha a moment of processing to remember that Ranma really didn't know about stuff like that. I'll... ah... tell you later, Ranma.
Finished, Kasumi turned to face her small guest, her smile almost gone, but as incapable of leaving her face entirely as ever. "The only time Akane met a lesbian...." Kasumi's smile took on a sad quality. "The poor girl ended up in the hospital... Akane claimed she was being 'hentai'.... According to the girl's friends, she'd just asked if Akane could give her a hand with her bra in the locker room..."
Yasha paled slightly. "Akane... very angry girl, yes?" Maybe she would have to treat Akane a little more carefully. How had anyone gotten to her age, acting like that, without being arrested for assault or somesuch?
Kasumi sighed. "Yes, Ranma, she is... it's very unfortunate... She wasn't always this angry, you know..." She moved to Ranma-Yasha. "Can we continue the conversation outside? I need to sweep the walk, and some company would be very welcome."
The quilled girl nodded. "Could Kasumi-san help go outside?" The question was really only somewhat of a formality, as the elder girl was already helping her to the door.
Genma and Souun were looking at each other across the shogi board, the game in hiatus for now.
"This makes it difficult to get the two of them together, doesn't it, Saotome." Souun mused, rubbing his chin. Something told him that Ranma wouldn't exactly consider being female conducive to getting people to like the boy.
[Too true, Tendou.] ::flip:: [I do know a few things I could try teaching my.... daughter... to help.... her... heal faster...] ::flip:: [It's almost as hard to write as it is to say, Tendou.] The panda gave a slightly pained expression (as much as a panda can, anyways), and took a sip of his morning tea, smacking his tongue against the roof of his mouth at the odd taste of cold tea.
Souun gave his old friend a sympathetic look. "I think I know what you mean, Saotome-kun. I can't imagine what I'd do if one of my girls were to turn into a boy in body, let alone forget themself, at times." He sniffled a bit, but bore up.
Everyone who CAN imagine, raise their hands.
Okay, I can see that we all know how predictable the Tendous' watering system is. You can put your hands down now.
[Well, I agreed to it, and I suppose there's no weaseling out of this one...]
Several of the demons in Hel, most holding umbrellas, found that their preparations were suddenly a moot point, as a blizzard struck.
"Anyways," began Kasumi, as she started to sweep off the walk, "Akane wasn't always this angry. I think it started when Mother died."
Yasha, having figured out by her absence that the Tendou girls' mother had died, nodded. She shifted slightly where she was sitting on the front steps. It wasn't necessarily a correct assumption these days, she thought, what with divorces getting more popular. Come to think of it, what days WERE these days? She was fairly sure it was somewhere post-1990, but where, exactly, she'd be hard put to place. She thought she'd seen a Sega Genesis in a store window, but it could have been the older 8-bit system. Or there was the cell-phone she'd seen, but that could also have been a pager. She hated not having a real head for time.
"It didn't show at first, but then when people tried to talk to her about Mother, she would get upset at them... One day about four years ago, a boy who lived in the area told her she looked pretty, like her mother. I think he liked her, and was trying to give her a compliment... But she was just starting to go through puberty, and I'd had to have 'the talk' with her... and she took it wrong. She beat the poor boy up pretty badly, and ever since then, she's claimed that all boys are perverts. For whatever reason, she doesn't seem to think that about grown men, but I really can't figure that out...."
Yasha sat quietly, putting the pieces into place in her mind. Now it made sense... Sort of. There were a few pieces missing, but they'd be pretty easy to find, she thought.
Ranma, on the other hand, was pretty much totally lost. What was 'the talk'?
"But Akane always much anger when people... ah... mean, right?"
Kasumi nodded, still sweeping. "Yes, she did have a tendency to beat up the other kids if they made fun of someone..." It was certainly an odd thing, to her view. Akane could be great at protecting people, but also just a little too good at jumping to conclusions...
Ranma-Yasha smiled softly. "Is like I. She just have different... begin for anger, and not have so long. Give her year or two to get control it. At that time, only few things make her that angry anymore, unless something very wrong with her."
Smiling broadly now, Kasumi swept one last stroke, and turned to Yasha. "I'm glad you understand... Noone else seems to realize that Akane really is a sweet girl." Kasumi shrugged. "She just has a tendency to be violent at times. Here, lets go around to the back, I've got laundry to hang up."
Ranma-Yasha sat on the back porch, looking at the flowerbeds, and waiting for Kasumi to return with the laundry. It was very nice of Kasumi to spend all this time talking to her. Maybe she should tell the older girl...?
She'd have to consult with Ranma, first.
Ranma?
Yeah, Yasha?
Do you think we should tell Kasumi?
Tell Kasumi what?
Yasha almost thwapped Ranma over the head, before remembering that to do that she'd have to thwap herself over the head. Tell her that we're two different people, Ranma. What did you think I meant, tell her that we're aliens or something?
Oh... Mollified. Well..... I dunno. Maybe talk to her a little more, make sure it's safe. I mean, it seems alright, and she certainly acts nice enough, but I'm not sure yet... Hesitant. Ranma was reluctant to trust Kasumi, he'd only known her for... what, three days? Two?
I suppose you're right. We'll just have to wait for her to come back out here. Yasha sighed. She would have liked to confide in Touhuu, she knew that his being a doctor made him more likely (within limits) to be trustworthy, but she couldn't very well head over there to spend the day on her own.
Kasumi, meanwhile, was having herself a sit down in the laundry room on a handy chair.
"Ara.... I never told anyone that much before... It's nice to have someone to talk to. Something about the way Ranma's acting right now, though.... it's kind of... off... from how she acted before. When she was a he. They're almost..... different? No, it couldn't be.... could it? I mean, she did slip up there, earlier.... But how am I going to make sure without being rude? Oh dear, oh dear..."
It should be noted that the way Kasumi acts is not a result of cluelessness. It is not a result of wearing rose-coloured glasses. It is only partially a result of living in Nerima for so long. Mostly it comes from a desperate desire not to hurt anyone. Which it is difficult to avoid if you make yourself out to be a person who will respond to force. Although there is that part where living in Nerima tends to inure one to wierdness and violence somewhat. Not at all entirely, but to a degree violence and wierdness are looked on as completely normal by Nerimans.
It is said that in Nerima, the richest and smartest people are those who work in the construction industry.
Largely because of the tendency of large wandering lizards, semi-berserk martial artists and supervillains to ignore such unimportant things as large stone walls.
It should also be noted that, in Nerima, noone ever bothered to sue anybody for assault or property damage.
Having composed and prepared herself, Kasumi stepped out onto the back porch with the basket of laundry. It was carefully braced on her hips, her hands gripping the far side as she leaned back to balance out the weight. She had to take a bit of care rounding the corners, but, as usual, she managed it gracefully and smoothly.
Yasha was sitting there, whistling "Bouree" by Jethro Tull. Bare toes whispered through the grass at the edge of the yard as she sat on the not-quite-a-porch, good hand in her lap. Her tail lashed slowly along the floor.
Looking around, Kasumi confirmed that only she and "Ranma" were in the immediate area right now. Smiling slightly at the music, she began hanging up the laundry. There had to be some sort of a question she could ask.
Time passed.
Yasha had just finished whistling McCavity (from "Cats"), when Kasumi asked, calmly, quietly, and out of the blue...
"What's your favorite city, Ranma?"
Without thinking, Yasha answered "San Francisco. Is nice and foggy, and everything there in same place. Is crowded, but not too bad."
Kasumi smiled as she stepped out from behind the sheet she had just hung, and bent over to pull the next one out of the wickerwork basket. Spread, flap, flap, fold, clip, stretch, clip.
Yasha just watched Kasumi while Ranma tried to figure out what was going on here. He had the distinct feeling that he had just been maneuvered, like he would get in a fight sometimes, but damned if he could tell what that had to do with Kasumi's question. He decided not to voice his concern to Yasha.
"Why you ask, Kasumi-san?"
"I just haven't travelled much, Ranma-chan."
Ranma winced. He didn't like that "chan" being there.
Yasha shrugged. "Some don't."
Kasumi kept smiling, and went back to the laundry, humming a bit. It didn't take Yasha long to pick up on the tune, and start up a mild harmony, with a little bit of stumbling occasionally.
Early that afternoon, Ranma-Yasha and Souun sat across from each other in the dojo. Their visages were both serious, if somewhat dulled by boredom. It had been a quiet, uninteresting day, really not worth much note.
"Well, Ranma, my friend Saotome has suggested that I teach you a few things I know that might help you get back in good health again."
The demon-girl would have nodded but for the neck brace, so she settled for "Hai."
"These are some family meditation techniques that I learned from my father. They help to relax your chi and allow it to help heal your physical injuries. Just be aware that, while you are using them, they can have some interesting side effects. Also, a few are addictive." He nodded solemnly. There could be grave consequences.
"Side-effect? What means this?" Yasha asked, unfamiliar with the longer Japanese word.
"Side effects. Like when you take a medicine, and it makes you feel better, but something else becomes wrong."
"Ohhhh. ...what kind side effects?"
In reply, Souun Tendou burst into tears. (# 72: My Future Son-In-Law is Eager to Learn What I Have To Teach, I'm So Happy.)
Yasha sweat-dropped, and Ranma mentally facefaulted.
Genma sat at the family room table, reading the paper. A phone book was beside him, he was planning on looking up that doctor they'd taken his... daughter... to, and speaking to the doctor directly. He still didn't trust that demon. Maybe he could get the sensei to put up some sort of wards or something before the next visit? Or have a monk bless the place. Yes, that might do. He started to flip through the phone book to try and find a temple, first.
Kasumi sat nearby, doing some embroidering.
"Ojisan?" She asked, not looking up from her needlework. Steady rhythm was kept. In, out, pull, check thread. In, out, pull, check thread.
"Yes, Kasumi?"
"You've traveled a lot with Ranma, haven't you?"
Genma looked at Kasumi, wondering why she was taking an interest in this. She must be looking out for her sister. It was good to know that Souun had instilled a certain degree of family protectiveness in his daughters. Now if he could get Ranma in on it... oh, wait, Kasumi's question.
"Yes," He replied, nodding. "We've travelled all over the globe. Except for Europe. Nothing useful there."
"So, you've been to America?"
"Of course. Many great martial artists have travelled there. And Native American fighting styles are a martial art to themselves. We," He continued, meaning his son, "learned a lot of useful things there." Come to think of it, wasn't there an American-style hamburger joint nearby? The phonebook began flipping towards the fast food section.
Kasumi stopped her needlepoint. "Where in America have you been?"
Genma thought hard, as Kasumi resumed the embroidering. He absently wondered what she was embroidering, but focused on remembering where he'd taken Ranma in America.
"Well, first we went to South America, did some survival training in the Amazon. It's amazing how good crocodile tastes. Anyways, then we headed North. Found some interesting foods in Mexico. Not as spicy as Thai, but an entirely different flavour from anything I'd encountered before. Only place that appreciated the value of an afternoon nap, too. Then, in the States, we started off by going to a few dojos in Florida, though they weren't worth much. Just fitness places. There were a few interesting ones in New York, though. That Lawyer-Fu was rather odd, too. No physical combat, but lots of litigation, whatever that is. I decided we didn't need anything from there, either. Besides, they would only teach you in exchange for all your sons for the next five generations."
Kasumi blinked at that, but kept up her steady embroidering.
"From there, we went up into Canada for a ways, came back down into the States on the other side of the Great Lakes. Swam lake Michigan, too. Hah. Great lakes. More like ponds. There weren't even any dangerous animals or anything. Regardless, we then continued through the Dakotas, and made for Texas. Mm. Ranchhouse chili." Genma drifted off.
Kasumi waited for a couple of minutes, but the man didn't pick up his narration.
"Ojisan? Where did you go from Texas?"
"Eh?" Genma sat up, shaking off his reverie. "Oh, right, after Texas. We headed back up across Nevada, and eventually left from Washington, heading up to Alaska, before returning to Japan and preparing for the final leg of our trip, into China." Speaking of legs, he needed to know the best routes for traveling around this district of Toukyou. The pages began turning towards the map.
Kasumi blinked, then checked back over what Genma had said. They'd gone up the East coast, then over to the west, then back south through the center of the U. S., then north along the mountains...
"Didn't you go to San Francisco?"
"No, of course not."
Kasumi stabbed herself with the needle accidentally. Fortunately, she didn't stab hard, and only bled a couple drops before it stopped. She sucked on the tip of her thumb regardless, in part out of thoughtfulness.
"No renowned dojos or fighting styles there. Damned hippies don't bother with that sort of stuff, it seems." Continued Genma, obliviously. "Why do you ask?"
Kasumi wiped her thumb on a tissue, and threw it away. (The tissue, not her finger.)
"Oh, no reason, I just heard from one of my friends that San Francisco is a really nice place to visit. Supposedly it's very pretty, the bay and the ocean."
Genma snorted. "Pretty?! We didn't go to America for Pretty! It was a training trip, girl! We were there to learn martial arts. None of this sitting, gazing at the sunset or any of that pansy crap. Why, if we had..."
Kasumi tuned Genma out as she finished the embroidering. She was right. Now, how to confront 'Ranma' about it....
When Genma noticed that Kasumi was no longer listening, he returned his attention to the search through the phone book for... for... what was it he'd been looking for? He looked down at the open pages in hopes of a reminder, only to find himself looking at the trucking company listings.
Now, what the hell had he wanted with overland shipping? Had to have been important. But he couldn't remember.
The next morning, when Yasha stepped into the kitchen after seeing Akane and Nabiki off, Kasumi was just finishing washing the dishes. As the sink drained, she turned to the smaller girl.
"You're not Ranma, are you." It was not a question.
Yasha sweated.
See? Kasumi ISN'T an airhead.
"I like that food. I like that ravioli best. It's like backwards ramen in sauce."
-Ranma, "Girl Days"
Further notes, June 30, 2004:
Although, by the looks of things, Genma might be.
Just noting.