'Mirthless'
Chapter 2:
Ranma looked at the warm water of the bath for a moment, and decided that perhaps a warm bath wouldn't be the best of ideas, especially after the intrusion he'd just had. Actually, he'd braced himself for a girl's bloodcurdling scream, as he opened the inner door, and quickly dressed himself. The scream never came, but instead he heard a slight sobbing on the other side of the door.
"Uh hey, you okay out there?" He rubbed his head slightly, and waited just inside the outer door. He was in himself, and a bit too embarrassed to face the raven-haired girl that had just walked in on him. The sobbing eventually quieted, and he could hear footsteps away from the door.
Feeling a bit awkward, Ranma shrugged and exited the outer door. He looked to the left and the right of himself, spotting a staircase up to his left, and what appeared to be a hallway leading to a family room to his right. Hearing his father's voice from the direction of the family room, he made a beeline in that direction.
"Well, as soon as he's done with his bath, I'll introduce you too…" Genma blinked, as he looked up and saw a rather infuriated pigtailed boy standing just in the doorway behind Soun. "Actually, I'll introduce you to my son Ranma now. Ranma my boy, this is my good friend Soun."
Ranma nodded to Soun, then stormed towards his father and grabbed him by the collar. "Where are we this time old man?"
Genma slapped Ranma's hands away as he stood. "Mind your manners boy. Introduce yourself to Soun, then sit."
Ranma growled slightly at his father, then turned his attention to Soun, and bowed slightly. "Ranma Saotome, sorry about this." He then turned back to his father, glared at him, then grabbed him by the shirt collar again. "Don't you think it's maybe time you took me to a Doctor about these blackouts? How long was I out for this time? Last thing I remember, we had just gotten back to Japan!"
"It pains me to see you like this boy." Genma still didn't give his son a direct answer, and instead, batted the boy's hands away again. "Now mind your manners and sit down, we have more important matters to discuss."
Soun sat through all this quietly, more so, he didn't even appear to see, or hear anything other then Ranma's introduction. Eventually, he heard Genma mention the important matters, and looked up from his dark cloud. Weakly his voice came as he called out to his eldest daughter. "Kasumi, come to your father."
As Ranma and his father each took fighting stances, glaring at each other with intents to kill, Kasumi poked her head in. "Yes father? Oh my." She looked at the Genma and some boy she'd never seen before.
"Bring your sisters here. We have something important to discuss." Soun was in his own little world; only a few things from reality reached him, as his mind was a jumble of deep depression. However, his code of honor remained paramount in his thoughts, and anything pertaining to his promise would come in loud and clear to his mind.
"Y-yes father" Kasumi stepped back out of the room with a feigned smile, and went to gather her sisters.
Ranma and his father both looked over as Kasumi had poked her head into the room, then back at each other as she left. Genma watched his son, then sat back down. "Sit my boy, this is not the time to be fighting. We have business to attend with the Tendous."
Ranma was still disturbed by having found himself in yet another strange place following his latest blackout. However, it wouldn't look right if her were to attack his father in front of the grieving family, even if he did have ever reason in the world to kill his old man. "Fine, but you best be careful when you sleep, old man."
A few silent minutes passed as Kasumi returned, followed by Nabiki and the short-haired girl from the bathroom. Ranma gulped seeing her, while Nabiki glared at Ranma and his father before she looked to her own. "What is it dad? I have things to do, you know."
"Girl, watch your tongue!" Genma bit back at her as Soun sat there quietly.
"And what is HE still doing here, I thought I told you you're not welcome here right now.."
"Not welcome?!? Why you ungrateful little…"
"Nabiki, Mr. Saotome, please stop this." Kasumi pleaded with them both. They both turned their heads from the other, and things eventually calmed down.
The youngest girl sat quietly next to her father, she never once looked at anyone in the room, and instead only looked at the floor. Ranma took note of her sad, expressionless face, and he could still see the stain of recent tears upon her cheeks.
"Thank you my daughters." Soun sighed deeply as he looked to his old friend. "Actually, in my younger years, both I, and my friend Genma made a promise to our master that we would unite our schools. To do so, a wedding must occur between Genma's son, and one of you." Soun had pointed to Ranma when he spoke of Genma's son.
"Oh my! But, wasn't Ranma a…" Kasumi blinked hearing her father
Genma cut Kasumi off. "Yes, I'll explain later"
"Really Dad, and what makes you think that your daughters would feel obligated towards your plans?" Nabiki scoffed, openly contemptuous.
"Why you little… How dare you speak to your father like that!" Genma bit back at Nabiki.
Soun's youngest daughter kept her head bowed, and for a moment said nothing.
Ranma blinked then stood and promptly punted his father into orbit. "What were you thinking old man!!! Going and getting me engaged like that, what about my blackouts? Isn't that more important!!!"
"Show some respect boy, you aren't the only one suffering, and we must offer this family our support." Genma growled, as he stood from the small crater that had formed in his landing.
The youngest daughter looked up and sighed. "I'm going to bed…"
Ranma blinked and looked at her, she seemed so cold-spirited, so lost and depressed. He followed her quietly from the family room as she went towards her room.
Genma watched and looked at the three remaining Tendous. "Allow me to explain about my son. Since our training mission in China, he's been suffering from a rather complex curse."
"Then, who was that girl I met earlier? Didn't she also introduce herself as Ranma?" Kasumi blinked a bit, watching Genma confused.
"Who cares about her," Nabiki interjected," let's get back to the subject of importance, which is explaining the idiocy of this engagement.." Nabiki glared at Genma with intents that would have likely freeze rivers, were intents able to do such.
"Yes Kasumi, that girl from earlier, and the boy you just met are one and the same. You see, ever since we trained in Jusenkyo, and he fell into one of the cursed springs, there have been two completely different people living within my son. Cold water causes him to become the redhead you met earlier, warm water changes him back. However, neither gender is aware of the other's existence. I don't think Ranma could handle knowing of his other self while still retaining none of her memories, and vice versa." Genma sighed looking at Soun he seemed to be staring off into space, then looking at Kasumi who had a shocked and dazed look upon her face.
Nabiki meanwhile yawned, and spoke her mind. "I don't care about his 'curse' in fact, I don't care about you, or that stupid promise you made with my father. Now, if you don't mind, I have more important things to do then deal with your stupidity." With that Nabiki left the room.
Genma glared at the middle Tendou daughter, he had so wanted to rip her head off for her rudeness, among other things to her personality. However, he looked back at Soun, who was still catatonic, then to Kasumi. "It would be a great favor if you didn't tell Ranma of his curse. It pains me to see my boy suffer as he does, and I wouldn't want him to suffer anymore."
"Please, stop following me." The youngest girl of the Tendou family had stopped just after turning down the upstairs hall that led towards her room.
"Look, if this is about earlier, I'm sorry. I don't even remember how I got in your bathroom." Ranma pleaded with the girl, to no avail.
"I don't care, just stop following me, I want to be alone."
"Could, could I at least get your name?" Ranma sighed, he couldn't help but feel sorry for the girl. She must have gone through something terrible to be so dispassionate and broken.
"Akane…" At that she walked to her room, opened the door, stepped inside, closed, then locked the door behind her.
Ranma blinked, he'd been trying to help, but she didn't seem to want it. Actually, he'd determined she did want it, but wouldn't take it. He sighed as he slowly walked back downstairs, then saw the middle daughter coming up them. This girl scared him slightly, and gave him the same gaze of complete contempt she'd offered his father as they passed. Ranma gulped as he reached the bottom of the stairs, then headed back into the family room where Genma had just finished speaking.
"What gave you the idea to run off boy?" Genma looked at his son.
"She looked pretty upset..." Ranma trailed off as he looked back towards the stairs.
"Don't mind Akane, she was hardest hit by mother's death,." Kasumi sighed, her normally cheerful expression fell to one that seemed more natural to her. She loved her younger sister dearly, but she couldn't speak of her without losing her cheerful front.
Ranma blinked a bit, then looked at Kasumi. He barely remembered his own mother, he could understand how they might feel, though at the same time it was different. "Is there anything I can do for her?"
Kasumi looked at Ranma, then towards Akane's room. "Did you talk with her? Akane unfortunately doesn't have many friends anymore, it's nice that you're showing such interest in her,." Kasumi's feigned smile returned, and in an instant she was faking her cheeriness as best she ever had.
"Well then boy, it's settled. You'll marry Akane."
"Dammit pops, this isn't a game!"
Genma growled as he splashed his cup of water in Ranma's face, he'd had enough of his son's disobedience, perhaps his 'daughter' might be more agreeable. At least she was more pleasant to be around.
"Huh? What happened?" Ranma, a girl once again, looked around the family room, then saw Kasumi, her father, and another older man she didn't recognize, the new man was completely oblivious to the world, she could see that.
"You had another blackout in the bathroom, bo-... er, girl." Genma had almost made that mistake again, and his 'daughter' kept asking about it, he had to watch himself around her.
Kasumi had seen it with her own eyes, and still barely believed it. Ranma was indeed two people. She had promised to play along and not let Ranma in on his curse, and spoke. "We were just about to have tea Ranma-chan, would you like to join us?"