'Mirthless'
It had been several minutes since anyone had spoken. Ranma quietly sipped her tea, attempting to gauge the reactions of all those around her toward her latest blackout. Her father had a smug expression on his face, causing her to wonder if it was because of his ability to revive her, or something else.
Eventually, the silence grew weary on her nerves, and she set her warm cup down, "Thank you Kasumi, your tea is excellent."
The young woman smiled in return, "Thank you, I'm glad it meets your standards."
Ranma wasn't sure how to respond, and decided to turn to the unknown man at the table, "Um, I guess you probably know who I am..."
The man didn't even acknowledge that the redhead was talking to him. "My... my daughter is getting married," He mumbled to himself, before standing up and leaving the table. Kasumi watched him with a concerned expression, as he left the tearoom, presumably back to his own room. She knew he spent too much time there, and that was the reason they rarely entertained guests. What good was it to have visitors if their prime host was never sociable? Kasumi took her own tasks to heart as the proper hostess, for it was something her mother prided herself on.
"To make others feel welcome and secure in your home, that is an accomplishment that is greatly rewarded as none other," Kasumi recalled her mother telling her once. It simply wouldn't do to allow their guests to be put out by her father's behavior.
"Please excuse father," Kasumi apologized, "He means no disrespect."
'So, he's her father,' Ranma thought to herself, before nodding in understanding. "It's alright," the redheaded girl responded, "I'm sorry that we're burdening you like this."
"Please, you're not a burden," Kasumi quickly interjected, "I want you to feel welcome! I... I'm sorry if you're uncomfortable here."
Ranma became more uncomfortable, when she noticed the girl's eyes were beginning to tear again. "Ah... I'm happy to be here, but I-"
"Ranma, if the girl wishes us to enjoy their hospitality, don't argue with it!" Genma interjected, "Thank you... Kasumi, was it? And don't worry about your father, I'm sure he'll snap out of it soon!" Genma himself wasn't all too positive on that, but chose not to acknowledge it.
Ranma herself, even within Kasumi's somewhat cumbersome attempts at making them feel at home, she could see the girl in as much pain as her father was. Ranma's resolve firmed, "Thank you, Kasumi, I, uh, I'm happy to be here, really."
Like a glimmer of sunshine though thin clouds, a genuine smile peaked through Kasumi's mask, "Thank you, Ranma, it is my honor to have you here." With that, the girl excused herself to the kitchen, promising to be back in moments.
"How long?" Ranma asked ambiguously, though the intent of the inquiry was defined.
Genma hummed gruffly, "Only a half hour, your episodes are starting to get smaller."
Ranma smiled hesitantly at Genma's praise, though it still upset her to disappoint her father; if she hadn't been so careless on their training trip she wouldn't be such a burden to him. With a snort, Ranma leaned onto the table, "I'm sorry, Pop, I hate this being such a problem for you."
Genma twitched at his 'daughter's' apology. He wasn't completely callous as to be able to ignore the fact that he was actively lying to her, but knew it was for her own benefit. Who knew how either of Ranma's forms would react if they had knowledge of one another. "Ah... it's alright, Ranma. I mean, eventually they'll go away at this rate!"
Ranma gave her father a half-hearted smile, not sharing her father's positive sentiments. She knew he was simply trying to cheer her up, but she couldn't help but feel ashamed. She also surmised the reason why her father refused to take her to a doctor; they had been traveling with only what they could carry for ten years, according to her father. That meant they had little to no money, and obviously no insurance. If she could, Ranma decided she would try to take this responsibility from her father, so it was one thing he no longer worried about.
Kasumi returned, smiling, and carrying a plate of sparse snacks. Some takoyaki balls that she had quickly microwaved and a bowl of seaweed crackers that she was sure were Nabiki's, but Kasumi was at a loss. "Please enjoy, it's all we have to offer at the moment."
Genma was salivating, regardless of what was in front of him, "Why, I think I shall, thank you, Kasumi!" Both Kasumi and Ranma stared at Genma, as he quickly shoveled almost half of the contents of the plate Kasumi had just set out into his mouth, before he paused, and looked down at his luke warm cup of tea. "Say, Kasumi? You wouldn't happen to have any sake to wash this down, would you?"
Kasumi gasped, as if she had made a grievous oversight. Her father often drank beer with such salty snacks... before their mother...
"I...I'll be right back," Kasumi quickly exclaimed, rushing to the kitchen.
"Pop, isn't the tea fine?" Ranma asked, not wanting to further trouble Kasumi.
Before her father could answer, Ranma's eyes turned to the threshold, finding a girl with short raven hair, apparently younger than Kasumi and possibly Nabiki, standing in the entry frame, regarding her with a passive curiosity.
"Um... hi," Ranma greeted, not sure how to greet the new person. Even before her accident, she knew she was a bit shy around and unsure how to relate to others. Constant pressures of training had inhibited her social ability considerably; and though she wasn't completely uncouth, she knew she suffered from more than a few eccentricities.
After a few moments, the girl nodded in acknowledgement, before heading into the kitchen. Ranma and Genma watched her; the latter with some indifference, and the former with a touch of concern. Ranma wasn't completely positive, but from the marks on her face, she would have believed that the girl had been...
"Akane," Kasumi exclaimed, finding her sister entering the kitchen, "have you been crying?"
Akane lightly shook her head, even if she knew the evidence was presented in the slightly red streams down her pale face that lead from the inner corners of her eyes. She had a great deal of problems at school, the most prominent one being with boys. To find one occupying the bath, ogling her when she entered, had shaken her severely. She intellectually knew it was an accident, but within her home, she had though herself safe from potential perverted incidents. Then, to find out that she or her sisters were to be engaged to him, she couldn't handle it. "I wanted to get a drink of water."
"If you like, I can make you some juice," Kasumi suggested, also considering something, "Perhaps you could help me entertain them?"
Akane's bottom lip trembled for a moment, before she looked away, "Water's fine. I need to get back to bed."
"Akane, Ranma seems like a nice girl, maybe-"
"No," Akane said, sharply, before walking to the cabinet where the cups were held, and retrieving one. She brushed past Kasumi, turning on the faucet of the sink, and filling her cup. Without another word, she walked out of the kitchen his quick strides.
"Akane, wait," Ranma called out, having heard the girl's name from the kitchen. She wasn't acknowledged, as the raven-haired girl quickly continued out the room, and up the stairs.
A moment later, Kasumi entered the tearoom, quickly setting a glass mug of ice and a bottle of beer down for Genma. Without a pause, she rushed up the stairs in pursuit of her sister.
Genma stared disdainfully at the mug; drinking beer with ice? That was an abominable thought! "Well, the Germans say beer's best when warm, eh, Ranma?" Genma chuckled, before moving to open the bottle, and realizing he needed a bottle opener.
"Akane!" Kasumi commanded, knocking on her little sister's door.
"Leave me alone."
"Akane, is something the matter?" the eldest daughter pleaded, "Please, let me help!" Her urgent request was met by silence. "Akane?"
Finally, the opening of a door sounded, but not Akane's. Nabiki poked her head out of her room, scowling at her older sister, "Knock it off, sis, let her sit in her room and mope all night."
"Nabiki, that isn't fair," Kasumi attempted to admonish, though her reprimand faltered at her sister's harsh glare.
"She's not going to change, Kasumi, we both know full well what she crying about in there; it's been the same damn thing for the last five months." Nabiki pulled her head in from the hallway, "You're not doing anything but being more of a nuisance."
"But that's because of mother!"
Nabiki didn't even favor her sister with the disgusted expression she was now wearing, "Oh no! The resident trauma patient misses mommy. Well if you hadn't noticed, WE ALL DO!"
At this, Kasumi finally grew angry, "Nabiki! You weren't the one who's blaming herself for mother's death! Don't you DARE try to associate what you're feeling with Akane!"
For several moments, there was silence.
"It's Mom's own damn fault for trying to save Akane in the first place," Nabiki responded, quietly, before her door gently closed. Kasumi stared at Nabiki's door in disbelief, before glancing back at Akane's door. Fighting off her own emotions, Kasumi quickly rushed for the stairway. She wanted to try to comfort Akane, she wished she could put Nabiki in her place, she wished she could entertain the guests they were currently hosting, she wished she could keep the whole house and grounds as pristine as it used to be, she wished she could be the perfect cook. But she could not do those things.
She simply wasn't their mother.
Akane sat on her bed, with her knees tucked to her chest. She had heard all that went on outside her door, but stayed quiet throughout. Even Kasumi blamed her for their mother's death. Kasumi, the one who was working so hard to keep everything together selflessly. It was an unpleasant surprise to hear Nabiki's view, but it was wrong. It was her fault that their mother was dead, and because of that, Akane wished she were the one dead in their lost parent's place.
Ranma quickly scurried back down the stairs, just as she saw Kasumi turn to head towards them. Feigning as if she had returned from the bathroom, Ranma entered the tearoom again and sat next to her unusually subdued father. After a few moments Kasumi returned, this time barely holding a faltering smile in place. She looked down at Genma's unopened beer, and nearly broke into shuddering sobs at what she had forgotten, "I'm sorry, Mr. Saotome, would you like me to open that for you?"
"I-if it's okay, Kasumi," Ranma interjected in a quiet voice, "We're kinda tired, so we'll turn in for tonight." Ranma faintly expected some argument from her father, but found him strangely passive, and nodding in agreement.
"If that is what you wish," Kasumi answered, "I'll lay out bed mats for you." With that, she wandered upstairs, stepping quietly not to alert her sisters of her proximity.
After her departure, Ranma and Genma both looked at one another; the former with a heavily concerned expression, the former with a more subdued version of the same.
It had been several minutes since anyone had spoken. Ranma quietly sipped her tea, attempting to gauge the reactions of all those around her toward her latest blackout. Her father had a smug expression on his face, causing her to wonder if it was because of his ability to revive her, or something else.
Eventually, the silence grew weary on her nerves, and she set her warm cup down, "Thank you Kasumi, your tea is excellent."
The young woman smiled in return, "Thank you, I'm glad it meets your standards."
Ranma wasn't sure how to respond, and decided to turn to the unknown man at the table, "Um, I guess you probably know who I am..."
The man didn't even acknowledge that the redhead was talking to him. "My... my daughter is getting married," He mumbled to himself, before standing up and leaving the table. Kasumi watched him with a concerned expression, as he left the tearoom, presumably back to his own room. She knew he spent too much time there, and that was the reason they rarely entertained guests. What good was it to have visitors if their prime host was never sociable? Kasumi took her own tasks to heart as the proper hostess, for it was something her mother prided herself on.
"To make others feel welcome and secure in your home, that is an accomplishment that is greatly rewarded as none other," Kasumi recalled her mother telling her once. It simply wouldn't do to allow their guests to be put out by her father's behavior.
"Please excuse father," Kasumi apologized, "He means no disrespect."
'So, he's her father,' Ranma thought to herself, before nodding in understanding. "It's alright," the redheaded girl responded, "I'm sorry that we're burdening you like this."
"Please, you're not a burden," Kasumi quickly interjected, "I want you to feel welcome! I... I'm sorry if you're uncomfortable here."
Ranma became more uncomfortable, when she noticed the girl's eyes were beginning to tear again. "Ah... I'm happy to be here, but I-"
"Ranma, if the girl wishes us to enjoy their hospitality, don't argue with it!" Genma interjected, "Thank you... Kasumi, was it? And don't worry about your father, I'm sure he'll snap out of it soon!" Genma himself wasn't all too positive on that, but chose not to acknowledge it.
Ranma herself, even within Kasumi's somewhat cumbersome attempts at making them feel at home, she could see the girl in as much pain as her father was. Ranma's resolve firmed, "Thank you, Kasumi, I, uh, I'm happy to be here, really."
Like a glimmer of sunshine though thin clouds, a genuine smile peaked through Kasumi's mask, "Thank you, Ranma, it is my honor to have you here." With that, the girl excused herself to the kitchen, promising to be back in moments.
"How long?" Ranma asked ambiguously, though the intent of the inquiry was defined.
Genma hummed gruffly, "Only a half hour, your episodes are starting to get smaller."
Ranma smiled hesitantly at Genma's praise, though it still upset her to disappoint her father; if she hadn't been so careless on their training trip she wouldn't be such a burden to him. With a snort, Ranma leaned onto the table, "I'm sorry, Pop, I hate this being such a problem for you."
Genma twitched at his 'daughter's' apology. He wasn't completely callous as to be able to ignore the fact that he was actively lying to her, but knew it was for her own benefit. Who knew how either of Ranma's forms would react if they had knowledge of one another. "Ah... it's alright, Ranma. I mean, eventually they'll go away at this rate!"
Ranma gave her father a half-hearted smile, not sharing her father's positive sentiments. She knew he was simply trying to cheer her up, but she couldn't help but feel ashamed. She also surmised the reason why her father refused to take her to a doctor; they had been traveling with only what they could carry for ten years, according to her father. That meant they had little to no money, and obviously no insurance. If she could, Ranma decided she would try to take this responsibility from her father, so it was one thing he no longer worried about.
Kasumi returned, smiling, and carrying a plate of sparse snacks. Some takoyaki balls that she had quickly microwaved and a bowl of seaweed crackers that she was sure were Nabiki's, but Kasumi was at a loss. "Please enjoy, it's all we have to offer at the moment."
Genma was salivating, regardless of what was in front of him, "Why, I think I shall, thank you, Kasumi!" Both Kasumi and Ranma stared at Genma, as he quickly shoveled almost half of the contents of the plate Kasumi had just set out into his mouth, before he paused, and looked down at his luke warm cup of tea. "Say, Kasumi? You wouldn't happen to have any sake to wash this down, would you?"
Kasumi gasped, as if she had made a grievous oversight. Her father often drank beer with such salty snacks... before their mother...
"I...I'll be right back," Kasumi quickly exclaimed, rushing to the kitchen.
"Pop, isn't the tea fine?" Ranma asked, not wanting to further trouble Kasumi.
Before her father could answer, Ranma's eyes turned to the threshold, finding a girl with short raven hair, apparently younger than Kasumi and possibly Nabiki, standing in the entry frame, regarding her with a passive curiosity.
"Um... hi," Ranma greeted, not sure how to greet the new person. Even before her accident, she knew she was a bit shy around and unsure how to relate to others. Constant pressures of training had inhibited her social ability considerably; and though she wasn't completely uncouth, she knew she suffered from more than a few eccentricities.
After a few moments, the girl nodded in acknowledgement, before heading into the kitchen. Ranma and Genma watched her; the latter with some indifference, and the former with a touch of concern. Ranma wasn't completely positive, but from the marks on her face, she would have believed that the girl had been...
"Akane," Kasumi exclaimed, finding her sister entering the kitchen, "have you been crying?"
Akane lightly shook her head, even if she knew the evidence was presented in the slightly red streams down her pale face that lead from the inner corners of her eyes. She had a great deal of problems at school, the most prominent one being with boys. To find one occupying the bath, ogling her when she entered, had shaken her severely. She intellectually knew it was an accident, but within her home, she had though herself safe from potential perverted incidents. Then, to find out that she or her sisters were to be engaged to him, she couldn't handle it. "I wanted to get a drink of water."
"If you like, I can make you some juice," Kasumi suggested, also considering something, "Perhaps you could help me entertain them?"
Akane's bottom lip trembled for a moment, before she looked away, "Water's fine. I need to get back to bed."
"Akane, Ranma seems like a nice girl, maybe-"
"No," Akane said, sharply, before walking to the cabinet where the cups were held, and retrieving one. She brushed past Kasumi, turning on the faucet of the sink, and filling her cup. Without another word, she walked out of the kitchen his quick strides.
"Akane, wait," Ranma called out, having heard the girl's name from the kitchen. She wasn't acknowledged, as the raven-haired girl quickly continued out the room, and up the stairs.
A moment later, Kasumi entered the tearoom, quickly setting a glass mug of ice and a bottle of beer down for Genma. Without a pause, she rushed up the stairs in pursuit of her sister.
Genma stared disdainfully at the mug; drinking beer with ice? That was an abominable thought! "Well, the Germans say beer's best when warm, eh, Ranma?" Genma chuckled, before moving to open the bottle, and realizing he needed a bottle opener.
"Akane!" Kasumi commanded, knocking on her little sister's door.
"Leave me alone."
"Akane, is something the matter?" the eldest daughter pleaded, "Please, let me help!" Her urgent request was met by silence. "Akane?"
Finally, the opening of a door sounded, but not Akane's. Nabiki poked her head out of her room, scowling at her older sister, "Knock it off, sis, let her sit in her room and mope all night."
"Nabiki, that isn't fair," Kasumi attempted to admonish, though her reprimand faltered at her sister's harsh glare.
"She's not going to change, Kasumi, we both know full well what she crying about in there; it's been the same damn thing for the last five months." Nabiki pulled her head in from the hallway, "You're not doing anything but being more of a nuisance."
"But that's because of mother!"
Nabiki didn't even favor her sister with the disgusted expression she was now wearing, "Oh no! The resident trauma patient misses mommy. Well if you hadn't noticed, WE ALL DO!"
At this, Kasumi finally grew angry, "Nabiki! You weren't the one who's blaming herself for mother's death! Don't you DARE try to associate what you're feeling with Akane!"
For several moments, there was silence.
"It's Mom's own damn fault for trying to save Akane in the first place," Nabiki responded, quietly, before her door gently closed. Kasumi stared at Nabiki's door in disbelief, before glancing back at Akane's door. Fighting off her own emotions, Kasumi quickly rushed for the stairway. She wanted to try to comfort Akane, she wished she could put Nabiki in her place, she wished she could entertain the guests they were currently hosting, she wished she could keep the whole house and grounds as pristine as it used to be, she wished she could be the perfect cook. But she could not do those things.
She simply wasn't their mother.
Akane sat on her bed, with her knees tucked to her chest. She had heard all that went on outside her door, but stayed quiet throughout. Even Kasumi blamed her for their mother's death. Kasumi, the one who was working so hard to keep everything together selflessly. It was an unpleasant surprise to hear Nabiki's view, but it was wrong. It was her fault that their mother was dead, and because of that, Akane wished she were the one dead in their lost parent's place.
Ranma quickly scurried back down the stairs, just as she saw Kasumi turn to head towards them. Feigning as if she had returned from the bathroom, Ranma entered the tearoom again and sat next to her unusually subdued father. After a few moments Kasumi returned, this time barely holding a faltering smile in place. She looked down at Genma's unopened beer, and nearly broke into shuddering sobs at what she had forgotten, "I'm sorry, Mr. Saotome, would you like me to open that for you?"
"I-if it's okay, Kasumi," Ranma interjected in a quiet voice, "We're kinda tired, so we'll turn in for tonight." Ranma faintly expected some argument from her father, but found him strangely passive, and nodding in agreement.
"If that is what you wish," Kasumi answered, "I'll lay out bed mats for you." With that, she wandered upstairs, stepping quietly not to alert her sisters of her proximity.
After her departure, Ranma and Genma both looked at one another; the former with a heavily concerned expression, the former with a more subdued version of the same.