These are the words of Hung Nguyen. I just have permission to post. Just want to help give this story the recognition it deserves.
Fighting Blind
Disclaimer: What can I say that will make any difference?
italics: Thoughts
(" "): Chinese Language
In part one, Kasumi had just encountered Ranma and had been told of the crimes that Genma had committed in his name. She had also deduced that Ranma is blind, thereby gaining his respect. Nabiki had been tailing the blind martial artist in hopes of learning his secrets. What she finds are more questions than answers. Kasumi is unable to keep what she learned about Ranma's past to herself and tells Nabiki, which shocks the middle sister to the core. Meanwhile, Akane, in her preoccupation to defeat Ranma had unintentionally wandered into a bad part of town and was attacked by a street gang. Despite her best efforts, she was defeated by the gang leader and was nearly raped when Ranma appeared on the scene to save her. Using his skills as a healer, Ranma tended to her wounds and is now carrying her to Pepper's Place.
Chapter Eight
Akane and Her Sisters Part 2
(Secrets and Confirmations)
"Ranma is blind?!" Nabiki couldn't believe what her elder sister had said.
Kasumi nodded. "Yes, it's true. Ranma is completely sightless. He admitted it to me when we met yesterday."
"He just told you?" Nabiki asked, still in shock.
"Well..." Kasumi's cheeks reddened a bit. "I sort of figured it out for myself, and when I told him that I knew, he admitted it."
"YOU figured it out?!" The middle sister couldn't believe that she could miss an important detail such as this when her normally oblivious sibling noticed it from the start.
"I'm not as dense as some people think I am. "Kasumi said with a small smile. "Haven't you ever noticed that his eyes don't react to bright light or that he doesn't focus on anything in particular?"
Nabiki paused as she thought back to that last fight with Kuno when Ranma used his flute to blind the kendoist. She then recalled all the other times when Kuno tried to ambush Ranma from behind. The blind boy never had looked in Kuno's direction whenever he was attacked. In light of this new information, it made sense. Why would a sightless person look in any direction in particular? She began compiling the other information she had amassed about Ranma and made the connections. The way he always let his opponents make the first move. Why he never seemed interested in movies or anything on television. Why he always ran his fingers across whatever he was reading. Nabiki had found it especially strange when she had seen him one time running his fingers across the sign of the boy's restroom before going in. However, being blind did not explain a few other things, such as the displays at the archery classes and basketball court.
"It can't be. I mean, some of the stuff about him fits in with a blind person, but the way he handles himself he can't be blind."
"He is blind, Nabiki." Kasumi affirmed. "He couldn't tell you what color your shirt was or read a distant traffic sign. He couldn't see the images on a television screen or see anything on the monitor on your computer. I'm not at all certain at how he accomplishes other things, but he did tell me that he had trained in a martial art called the Unseen Light."
"Unseen Light? He mentioned that before." Nabiki paused as she thought about it, then shook her head after slapping her forehead as she realized the irony. "I've always wondered what that name meant, but now, it's funny. Blind people practicing a fighting style that has the word 'unseen.' in it. Talk about missing the most obvious clue."
"Yes, he had us all fooled for a while, although I am rather annoyed at Mr. Saotome for not telling us an important detail like Ranma's blindness. After all, he was the one who caused Ranma to lose his sight!" Kasumi's voice raised in tone as she remembered Ranma's story.
"Nani?"
"It's true. Ranma's father is not a very good man, and I'm rather ashamed that our father is associated with someone like that."
Nabiki couldn't believe what she was hearing. Kasumi was always the dutiful daughter and never once objected to Soun's wishes. Whatever Ranma had told her that day must have had some impact for her to express her own ideals.
Meanwhile, at Pepper's Place...
Cologne and the other Amazons were getting worried. Ranma had yet to return from what was supposed to be a short delivery. They had begun to suspect that the blind boy had run into another one of Genma's ambushes. When it was almost nine o'clock, they were ready to assault the Tendo dojo. It was then that Shampoo heard a knock at the service entrance.
("Hey! Open up! It's me!")
"Ranma!" Shampoo gleefully ran toward the back to let her cousin and intended love interest in. The other Amazons breathed a sigh of relief as they waited for the purple-haired girl to return with their best warrior. A moment later, they heard her shout.
"Aiya! Great-grandmother! Come quickly!"
A few minutes later, Akane was placed on a bed in one of the spare guest rooms on the second floor where Pepper made her comfortable. Near the doorway, Ranma finished with his story to the others about his run-in with the gang that assaulted Akane.
"...so you see, I couldn't just leave her there and I certainly couldn't take her to the dojo. Not with Genma and Soun there."
Cologne nodded as she said, "You did the right thing, Ranma. However, we still must contact her family and let them know that she's here."
"I know. I'll be on the phone." Ranma left the room and went to the front counter. Taking out a phone book from under the cash register, he began flipping through the pages until his fingers traced the number belonging to the Tendo family. He then began dialing on the phone beside the register.
At the Tendo residence, Kasumi had just finished telling Nabiki what she learned from Ranma when the phone rang. She went to answer the call, leaving her sister to consider what she had been told.
Good grief, I never suspected something like this. Daddy's friend must be the biggest idiot in the world to have pulled those stunts! Throwing his son into a pit of cats?! Selling off his son for a fish?! Engaging him to all those girls?! I can understand now why Ranma doesn't want to fulfill the promise to unite the schools.
Nabiki started thinking about all this information about Ranma. She had her answers, but there were still more questions. How is Ranma able to do what he does, despite his inability to see? Does he know some kind of special techniques? That could prove very profitable if she could discover his secrets. Then she remembered her promise to Kasumi. She had sworn that she would not use this information to exploit him. She sighed as she realized that her promise might have just caused her to lose a valuable resource. But then again, the pledge didn't really specify which Tendo girl was to marry him. Her father had been stressing that Akane would be the one to marry him, but with a few well-placed words, that could all change.
Nabiki decided to give it some more thoughts. In retrospect, she didn't find it too difficult to be place herself standing before the altar next to Ranma.
Her train of thought was broken when she heard Kasumi's shout.
"WHAT?! WHAT DO MEAN?! OH NO! YES, NABIKI AND I WILL BE RIGHT OVER!"
Nabiki could tell that something big had just happened to make Kasumi so upset. She raced toward the next room and saw Kasumi frantically dialing on the phone.
"Kasumi? What's going on?"
"I'm calling Dr. Tofu! I need to tell him to meet us at a restaurant called Pepper's Place! We have to get there right away!"
"What's wrong?" Nabiki was very concerned. She had rarely seen her sister in this state.
"It's Akane! She's been hurt badly!" As she waited for the young doctor to pick up the phone, she took out a pad and pencil and began writing a note to notify her father and Genma as to where they would be, should they arrive later.
Fifteen minutes later at the restaurant, Kasumi and her sister were sitting at a large table with Cologne and Ranma, while Dr. Tofu and the others were upstairs with Akane. Kasumi was trying her best to keep a level head as she and the group waited for the physician to finish examining her sister. At the time, Ranma had finished retelling his story to the Tendos.
"On behalf of our family, I would like to give our thanks to you for saving our sister." Kasumi and Nabiki gave Ranma a small bow. "On that note, I would like to also give our apologies with the way Akane had been acting against you. She had no right to judge you the way she did."
Ranma nodded. "I'm only glad that I was able to save her in time. As for her attitude against me and boys in general, although I do not care for it, I can understand why she doesn't like the opposite gender. Perhaps, I too have been quick to judge her."
"Oh?"
"Yes. After this attack, I can now see that she has some basis for being afraid to let a boy come close to her. She was scared of me when I tended to her injuries and carried her here. I suppose she feared that I was going to do the same thing that those thugs almost did to her. Furthermore, I can understand why she saw my skills as a martial artist as a threat. She was afraid that if she got beaten, then she wouldn't be able to stop me from taking advantage of her. I guess that I was a bit too hard on her since I beat her that first time."
"Yes, well in any case, I must agree that she does need to improve in her manners. I will endeavor to teach her better etiquette." Kasumi replied.
"That would be appreciated, but for now, Akane needs to have all the support she can get." Ranma said. "She's been through a traumatic experience and will need the support of her family."
At that moment, Dr. Tofu Ono came down the stairs and took a seat beside Ranma. Because of the severity of the case, the good physician was able to keep his sanity in the presence of the eldest Tendo sister.
"Well Dr. Tofu, will Akane be all right?" Kasumi asked.
The chiropractor nodded as he replied, "Oh she'll be fine. The physical injuries she sustained are mending very nicely." He then turned toward Ranma. "Pepper has told me that you were the one who treated Akane's wounds."
Ranma nodded as he extended a hand. "Ranma Saotome of the Joketsuzoku, healer and warrior of Nieuchiezu, at your service."
"Joketsuzoku? Nieuchiezu?" Tofu repeated as he shook his hand.
"You're from the Chinese Amazons?"
"You've heard of us?" Cologne inquired.
"Yes I have." Tofu replied with a bit of awe in his voice. "My sensei had told me about the legendary warriors and healers of the Joketsuzoku. The Chinese Amazons are among the best in both martial and healing arts."
"Why thank you." Cologne said in a pleased voice. She liked this young doctor and from what she could read from his aura, he had considerable skill in the martial arts as well. He would make a fine addition to the tribe. The matriarch put away that thought for later.
Dr. Tofu turned his attention back to Ranma. "I must admit, your skills as a healer are most impressive. Akane's ki energy is already replenishing itself and the way you treated her wounds are exactly what I would have done. In fact, there was nothing more that I could do for her that you haven't already done. You even set her shoulder properly."
"Thank you, Dr. Tofu. I owe it all to my sensei and my mother Jasmine. She happens to be the best healer in the village. In any case, going back to the subject of Akane, I would recommend that she remain here for the night. She's been through a lot and I'm afraid that her experience may have left her emotionally distressed, to put it lightly."
Tofu nodded as he turned to Kasumi and Nabiki. "I tend to agree with his assessment. I would prefer that she was not moved, at least until morning. I used a sleeper point to help her rest, but I would be more at ease if you two were to stay with her. I believe she would be more comfortable with some of her family was with her."
"Of course, Dr. Tofu." Kasumi agreed. "But, my father and Mr. Saotome should be already home by now, and I would think that they would be worried about us being gone."
"Do not worry, Miss Tendo. I'll make a call to your father." Cologne said as she got up. "I will explain everything and tell him that you and your sister will be spending the night here to keep Akane company. I'm certain that he can do without you for one night. You and your sister may sleep in the spare guestroom. We'll make all the necessary arrangements."
"Elder Cologne."
The aged matriarch turned back to Ranma. "Yes?"
"You will explain EVERYTHING to them?"
Cologne smirked. "Do not worry, Ranma. I'll make certain they understand that their presence would not be required."
"Thank you Elder." Ranma paused to listen as Cologne hopped away on her staff.
"What did she mean by that?" Tofu asked. "Shouldn't Akane's father be with her as well?"
Ranma gave a long and tired sigh as he replied, "Well, to put it mildly, I really have no desire to face Mr. Tendo or my father any time soon. That was the main reason why I brought Akane here instead of her own home. You see, my father and her father are bound and determined to make me fulfill a pledge of theirs and if I ever showed up at the dojo, they would do anything and everything to keep me there."
"So what is this pledge?"
Kasumi spoke up to answer. "I'm afraid that father and Mr. Saotome had promised to unite the schools of the Anything Goes Martial Arts. To that end, Ranma was supposed to marry one of us."
"R-R-Really?" Tofu was a bit staggered by this news. His mind began to fill up with images of Kasumi and the familiar madness that usually came with being in close proximity with the eldest daughter began to surface.
"However, my father and his father had decided that Akane should marry Ranma, being that they are both martial artists."
As suddenly as the madness appeared, it disappeared. It was unnoticed to all except for one person. Ranma's acute senses picked up Tofu's sudden change in behavior. He had heard the doctor's heart rate jump from fifty beats per minute, to a hundred and twenty and then back down to fifty again. His breathing rate had almost tripled in that brief instant. His body temperature had gone up several degrees and Ranma could almost feel the slight flushed look in his face. His personal aura was the dead giveaway. The blind boy could feel the aberrations in his ki energy and the heavy emotions emanating from it. The feelings were all directed toward where Kasumi was sitting and Ranma noticed that Tofu was trying very hard to keep them in check.
Well now. It seems that the good doctor has a bit of a torch for Kasumi. I don't blame him. If she weren't a Tendo, then I would have snatched her up myself and- what am I thinking? Ranma shook his head slightly to clear it of such thoughts. He had already promised to himself that he would not wed a Tendo. He would never give that stupid panda the satisfaction of fulfilling the one promise that Genma intended to keep after breaking so many others.
"Excuse me, Ranma-san?"
Ranma snapped out of his train of thought at the sound of Tofu's voice. "Yes?"
"When I was examining Akane, I noticed that some anesthetic shiatsu points were used on her."
"You saw them?" Ranma was impressed. If Dr. Tofu could see the almost invisible signs of pressure point manipulation, then he must be a very good specialist in that field.
"I did. You must be a very good shiatsu expert to have hit those particular points. They happen to be some of the most difficult areas. You used just the right amount of pressure and all in the right places."
Ranma blushed a bit at the comment. "Well, among my tribe, I'm considered a fair acupressure and acupuncture user."
"Now don't you be modest, Ranma-san. You're quite good. In fact, I also noticed that you used Akane's Mute point on her. It would take a high level expert to have been able to affect so small a nerve cluster. I've only seen one other case like that recently. Tell me, were you the one who froze the vocal cords of a certain Tatewaki Kuno?"
Ranma was a bit surprised, then he smirked as he replied, "I will answer that question with this question. Were you the one who unfroze Kuno's big mouth?"
"Touch "
Ranma and the others discussed a few things for a while before Cologne returned.
"I have spoken with Soun Tendo and he has been told everything."
"And what did he say?" Ranma asked.
"It was hard to tell. He started bawling at full force and he kept on saying Akane's name in a whining voice."
"That's Daddy all right." Nabiki affirmed. "Is he still on the line?"
"Yes."
"Let me talk to him." Dr. Tofu went over to where the phone was and picked up the receiver. After five minutes of what seemed to be an eternity, He returned and said, "Well, I've explained it all and told him that Akane will be back by tomorrow afternoon. As per your wishes, I also told him not to come near this place until then. He'll call Furinkan and tell them that Akane and Nabiki won't be in class tomorrow because of this. It's all set."
"Very good Tofu-san." The elder then turned to the Tendo sisters. "Now let me show you where the two of you will be sleeping. I believe that the girls have some spare night clothes that you can use." Cologne began hopping up the stairs, leading the other Tendo girls.
The night went by without incident as Akane slept in the establishment. By morning, she awoke to the sound of the morning birds and the first rays of sunlight appearing through the bedroom window. When she opened her eyes, the first thing she noticed was that her body was sore in many places. She moaned a bit before attempting to sit up. Her head throbbed as she got up. One hand went up to rub her right temple and she noticed that her head was wearing a bandage. When she looked out the front door, she saw a familiar person entering the room.
"Good morning Akane. How are you feeling?"
"Kasumi! W-W-Where am I? H-H-How did I get here? I " Her head began to throb even more as the terrible memories of the previous night came back to her. The fight, the humiliation and her clothes being torn off as her opponent and his friends prepared to...
"Akane?"
The youngest sister's face turned pure white as she recalled the events of the previous day. Her body trembled and she began to breathe faster. Kasumi noticed her sister's agitation and put the breakfast tray down. She went over to comfort her sibling by wrapping her arms around her just as she started to cry.
"Kasumi! They... they almost... I couldn't stop them! Waaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!"
"There, there Akane. It's all right. It's all over. You're safe now."
(Whimper) "I tried to... fight them off, but that guy was... too strong. I couldn't... beat him. If... if Ranma hadn't shown up then..." (sob).
"Yes. I know. Nabiki and I have been here with you since Ranma had brought you here. He saved you. You're safe. That's all that matters."
Akane nodded, albeit reluctantly as she recalled that it had indeed been Ranma who had rescued her from being raped and probably killed. She continued to sob into her sister's shoulder and after a few minutes, she began hiccuping and finally went back to sleep. Kasumi laid her back onto the bed and quietly exited the room.
Sometime later, after Ranma and the other girls had left for school, Pepper had decided not to open the restaurant as she, Cologne and Akane's sisters took turns caring for Ranma's patient. It was around noon when she went up to give Akane some lunch.
Akane awoke to see a strange woman enter the room. She was about around her mid-thirties and had jet-black hair tied in a bun. Her eyes were a warm, hazel color and she had a pleasant figure. She was wearing a red silk kimono and she moved with nary a sound. She smiled warmly at her as she presented a tray that had a large bowl of steaming ramen on it.
"Hello Akane-san. I am Pepper, the owner of this building. I have your lunch all ready for you. Ranma has told me that your injuries should be all healed by today, so it would be good for you to keep up your strength."
"Where are my sisters?"
"They are downstairs having lunch right now, but they'll be coming up shortly, so don't worry. So how are you feeling?"
Akane paused for a moment, assessing her body's injuries. "All right, I guess. I don't feel as much pain as I did this morning."
"Excellent! Ranma had done his job well."
"Yeah, I guess he did." Akane didn't like the fact that she was indebted to a boy, but it had been a far better outcome than what would have happened, had the Unseen Light martial artist not arrived in time. The young girl was still in mental conflict. She hated boys, right? They were nothing but perverted jerks, yet the one person she despised the most had just saved her and didn't take advantage of her. His personality had changed from the arrogant, smart-talking martial artist, to a gentle and understanding healer. He didn't give any snide remarks, other than that time when he used that Mute pressure point on her. It was just so confusing.
"Akane-san?"
"Huh?"
"Aren't you hungry? You haven't eaten anything since last night, and you didn't have any breakfast."
Akane looked down at tray in front of her and realized that she was hungry. The smell of the ramen before her made her stomach rumble. Giving a nod of thanks to Pepper, she began to consume the meal before her.
"This is really good."
"Thank you, Akane-san. It's my own family recipe."
Akane ate for a while in silence as Pepper watched. Her mind was still occupied with thoughts of Ranma. Just who was he? She had thought that she had him pegged down as just another stupid boy but now she wasn't so sure. When her father had announced the engagement and had been pushing her to marry up with him, she had become extremely angry at the fact that she was being forced to be engaged to someone she had only just met. To make matters worse, her status as the best martial artist in Nerima had been destroyed when the very same person defeated her. She had become resentful of his higher skill level and it had become a bit of an obsession to beat him and regain her title. Yet, his later battles with Kuno and Ryoga had shown her that he was far more skilled and powerful than she had first thought. She had trained hard to try and catch up to him, but when it came right down to it; her martial arts had improved very little. That fact had been made painfully clear when she went up against that gang leader. He had not come from any dojo, nor practiced any particular style, but his street-fighting skills were more than a match for Akane. It was also because that he had cheated to win that really made Akane furious. The girl shivered at the memories of his cold, cruel hands as he ripped her clothes off and almost violated her. If Ranma had not saved her, then...
"Akane-san?"
Akane snapped out of her reverie at the sound of Pepper's voice.
"Yes?"
"May I ask you a few things? You don't have to answer if you don't want to."
"Uh okay. What do you want to know?"
"Ranma has told me about your attitude toward him and I must admit that I'm surprised."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, that Ranma is a very good catch and I would have thought that you would be glad that you have an engagement to him."
Akane's automatic denial surfaced at once. "Me?! Happy to be engaged to that jerk?! No way! Why would anyone want that arrogant, smart-aleck?"
"Now Akane-san, I do not think that you're being very fair. As far as to what Ranma and the other girls have told me, he hasn't done anything to you to deserve such treatment. What exactly did he do to you that he warrants such hostility?"
"Well he..."
"Is it because he defeated you so easily and showed that you needed to improve?"
"Well he..."
"Is it because he has gotten so much attention at school since he stopped the morning fights against his fellow Amazons and showed great respect toward the rest of the girls?"
"I wouldn't say..."
"Is it because he called you an ill-mannered brat, though your oldest sister had admitted to me that your social skills need a lot of improvement?"
"Now he had no right to-"
"Or is it the fact that he had saved your life, gave you the proper medical treatment, brought you here to be cared for, and is even taking extra notes in class for you so you wouldn't miss anything?"
Akane became silent at that last comment. A minute later, the last bit of information hit her. "What? He's taking notes for me?"
"Yes. Ranma took a tape recorder with him when he and the others left for school. He's planning to give you that tape when he returns. Since you both share many of the same classes, he thought that you would need it to keep from falling behind."
"But why would he do that for me?"
Pepper looked at Akane's confused expression, then smiled. "He of course will not admit it but he doesn't think you're all that bad."
"Really?"
"Yes. You don't know much about Ranma, now do you? Well, I'll admit that I'm not an expert on him myself, but I've received many letters from his mother Jasmine over the years. In any case, Ranma was not born in the Amazon village. He was adopted by Jasmine when he was eight and let me tell you, it wasn't easy for him. Being a male and an outsider to boot, Ranma found it very difficult to make friends with the village children at first. The Amazon society generally viewed the male gender as inferior before Ranma arrived." Akane couldn't help but smirk at that one, but she quickly smothered it when she saw Pepper's expression harden. She nodded for the restaurant owner to continue. "Anyway, Ranma fought hard to gain respect from the others. He was constantly picked on and beaten up several times. Through it all, he never gave up on trying to fit in. Since our village prided itself on strength, Ranma trained to become a warrior. He showed remarkable talent in that field, and it wasn't long before he began to outperform the rest of his generation. This proved to be quite detrimental to his attempts to make friends since the others became jealous of his ability. Fortunately, Jasmine was there to train in him in another art. The art of healing."
"What's does that have to do with anything?" Akane asked.
Pepper chuckled a bit as she replied. "In many of the fights that Ranma got into later on, after he had beaten up his opponents, he would then use his healing skills to tend to their injuries." She paused for a moment to break into a small laugh. "By doing this, Ranma showed that he respected the others enough that they began to return his kindness. He began making friends out of enemies."
Akane had to agree with that one. Ranma had become very popular with the boys at school since he had tended to their injuries after they had tried to battle Shampoo, Lilac and Perfume.
"This went especially well with the females of our tribe." Pepper continued. "Ranma has a certain charm that they find very attractive and since he shows great respect toward their gender, they couldn't help but fall for him. He treated them as his equals, if not his betters. As of now, just about every unwed girl in the village, between the age of fifteen to twenty-five, is trying to land him as a husband! And I can understand their attraction to him. He's tall, handsome, a great warrior and healer, gentle, kind, and shows respect to those who deserve it."
"He's never shown any respect to me!" Akane retorted.
"That's only because you've never given him any reason to." Pepper responded. "He may not think that your martial arts or social manners are deserving the respect that you demand, but he still respects you as a person. If he didn't, then he wouldn't have done all those things such as save your life, heal your injuries and take extra notes for you."
The youngest Tendo sister became silent at that. Pepper's words made sense. In the past, she was proud of her skills as a martial artist and she had to admit that she had been a little cocky about it. A little bit, mind you. She was always saying that she was a martial artist to anyone who would listen and she had felt a certain pride when people would acknowledge it. Was that her problem? Was she too wrapped up in just the title? Was she really that conceited? Then something scary hit her. Images of herself became superimposed with images of Kuno. In her mind, she saw him posturing and declaring to all that none was better than he was. Then she remembered her own comments about her being second to none. Was she just like Kuno? Only wishing for others to acknowledge her superiority? She shivered at that thought, then thought of something else.
Oh no! It's not true! I can't be like Kuno! I'm nothing like Kuno!
Pepper confirmed her fears as she said, "Ranma had told me that you took great pride in your skills as a fighter, but he wasn't really impressed. If there's one thing that Ranma dislikes, it's a person who tries to force others to acknowledge that that he or she is better than he is, simply by saying so. He had enough trouble with Mousse. I've heard that he's had quite a bit of problems lately from some idiot named Kuno." Pepper noticed that Akane had winced at the comment. "Akane-san, is something wrong?"
"No!" Akane blurted out then calmed down. "It's nothing."
Pepper looked at the girl on the bed with a thoughtful expression, before getting up and taking the tray of empty dishes. It was then that she heard a gentle knock at the door.
"Come in." The door opened revealing Kasumi and Nabiki. "Kasumi! Nabiki!"
"Hi sis." Nabiki greeted as the two entered the room. Pepper nodded to them and left the three sisters to be alone.
Akane's older siblings went over to her and sat down beside heron the bed.
"So how are you feeling Akane?" Kasumi asked.
"A little better Kasumi, thanks. I don't feel any more pain."
"That's good. Ranma told us that you'd be well enough to come home with us tonight. He's been very thoughtful and he's even taking notes for you in class so you wouldn't miss anything."
"Yeah, Pepper told me about that."
"So Akane, how do you feel about him now?" Kasumi asked out of the blue.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Akane was surprised the Kasumi would be this direct.
Kasumi wasted no time in getting her point across. "Ranma had just saved your life and healed you. He didn't ask for anything in return and even now he's making sure that you don't fall behind in class. After the way you treated him since he came here, he's doing all this for you. Don't you think that you should let go of this hostility toward him? The least you can do is thank him. It's only proper."
"Well I..." Akane began.
Nabiki joined in. "Oh come on now Akane. It's not like he's going to demand that you marry him or something. We've been talking with Cologne and she assures us that Ranma wants nothing in return."
Remembering what Kasumi had told her, she added, "Besides, he's got enough problems as it is."
"What do you mean?"
Nabiki looked at Kasumi and said. "Should we tell her? I mean..."
Kasumi took on a thoughtful look. She had already been skating on dangerously thin ice by telling Nabiki, but then again, she would have figured it out eventually. However, after thinking about how unfairly Ranma had been treated by her youngest sister, she just couldn't stand the thought of him being subjected to Akane's rage.
With that in mind, she decided that it was time that Akane's eyes were opened. Saying a silent prayer for Ranma to forgive her, she said, "Ranma has a condition in which we had just recently discovered."
"A condition?"
"Yeah." Nabiki nodded. "I was more than surprised when Kasumi told me about it. She made me promise not to use this information to exploit him, but after hearing his story, I don't think it would be right for me to do that to him."
Nabiki was actually turning down a chance to make money? Just what did Ranma have that was so important? Akane held her breath and waited for Kasumi to give her the answer.
"I admire him for overcoming his disability."
"Oh yeah. I was impressed, too." Nabiki admitted. "I never would have guessed that Ranma was like that."
"Like what? What are you two talking about?" Akane was getting bewildered.
"I'm not surprised that you didn't pick it up, Akane." Nabiki said with a slightly smug look. "You've been so busy trying to beat him, that you didn't notice the clues."
"Will you please tell me just what you are talking about?" Akane said in an exasperated voice.
"Akane... Ranma is blind." Kasumi said in a quiet voice.
As soon as Akane heard this, her entire view on the world was forever altered. She just couldn't believe what she had just been told. No it can't be! He can't be blind! Nobody could be that good and be blind! A blind boy can't have beaten Kuno all those times! And that fight with that Ryoga person... It was then that she realized something else. I was beaten by a BLIND BOY?! It... it's impossible!
Kasumi noted her sister's disbelief and confusion. "It's the truth, Akane. Ranma admitted it to me after I had deduced it. We spoke with Cologne downstairs and she too had confirmed it. Ranma has been blind for more than ten years now, and it was all the fault of that friend of father's."
"It is?" Akane asked, still in shock over what she had been told about Ranma.
Nabiki continued the explanation. "It seems that Daddy's panda friend had not told us all the details." She then began to tell her younger sibling on the trials and tribulations of Ranma's life. Unfortunately for Kasumi, her revelation of Ranma's blindness to Akane would have serious repercussions for the eldest Tendo sister.
Some time later, Akane made her way down the stairs when she felt she was well enough to get out of bed. She was still in a bit of a shock over what her sisters had told her about Ranma. She was still dressed in the pajamas that were borrowed from one of the Amazons and she was slightly annoyed that the chest was a little loose and the waists were a bit tight. The figures of the warrior girls had every female student in Furinkan jealous and the males panting. When she got to the first floor, she saw Shampoo's great-grandmother sitting in a booth, organizing some papers. The Amazon elder saw Akane appear and gave her a warm smile.
"Good afternoon, Miss Tendo. I see that you have recovered from your ordeal."
"Thank you. " Akane said as she took a seat opposite to where Cologne was sitting. "Please, call me Akane."
"All right. You may call me Cologne. I am Shampoo's great-grandmother." She looked down at the bandages and noted their condition. She then used her senses to assess her ki levels and nodded. "Do you feel any pain Akane?"
"No. I feel great! I feel as good as new."
"Then you shall no longer be needing those bandages." With one quick motion of her staff, she stabbed forward and removed all of the wrappings in the blink of an eye. Akane was dumbfounded at the speed in which she moved and wondered if she could learn a trick like that. Cologne had removed all the wrappings without even taking off her clothes. She then looked down at her leg and saw that the ugly gash she had received in her fight was gone without even a trace of a scar. All of her other injuries were also totally healed.
Cologne nodded as she assessed her body. "Ah, Ranma had done an excellent job. His mother would be pleased. Though I would advise you take it easy for the next day or so."
"Yeah, I guess he wasn't bad." Akane admitted as she tried to think up a way to ask the matriarch her next question. Finally, after a long pause, she decided to ask her straight out. "Cologne-san, may I ask you something about Ranma?"
"You may, though I have a feeling that I already know the question."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, while you were upstairs, I had a discussion about Ranma with your sisters. It seems that they too had found out a few unexpected things about him."
"Then it's true, isn't it?"
Cologne made eye contact with the Tendo girl for a long time before finally answering. "Yes. Ranma is blind. I was there eight years ago when Jasmine brought him to the village. The doctors that visited our village every few months had confirmed that Ranma was clinically sightless."
"But how is it possible? He doesn't act like he's blind at school and I've seen him fight against Kuno, Ryoga and... he even beat me..." Akane said the last part with great reluctance.
Cologne smirked a bit. "Ranma had taught us all that the world doesn't end when it goes dark. He practices a martial art known as the Unseen Light which allows him to 'see' in a way that is far better than a normal sighted person would. He has also learned other skills that have made him extremely formidable, both as a warrior and a healer. I have nothing but the utmost respect for him."
"Unseen Light? I've heard him mention that before."
"It is an ancient fighting style that has been around for about twenty-five hundred years now. I had been acquainted with Ranma's former mentor in that discipline and he told me of its history. It was created by a band of blind Zen monks, who had developed a way of sensing not only the ki of others, but also objects as well. They had also developed their senses to the point in which they could detect things hidden beyond the surface of objects and even things of a mystical nature. It was so secret that none of the techniques were ever written down and were only passed down from master to student. As of now, Ranma is the sole master of that nearly lost art."
"He is?"
"Yes. Ranma's sensei, Koga Shinura, had passed away a few months ago, leaving Ranma as his only heir. His mother Jasmine has raised him to be a fine, young man and many of the girls in our village are quite taken with him."
"I see." Akane said as she thought about the hardships that Ranma must have gone through to reach his current status. She began to understand what Kasumi meant when she said that her tendency to judge others by appearance would be insulting to someone like Ranma. Then she realized that some of the other things that she said about him were inappropriate and perhaps, just perhaps, she may have been wrong about him.
Akane put that last thought away as she sat up. "Thank you for your time Cologne." She then headed upstairs to think.
At the end of the day, Ranma and the others returned from school, just as the Tendo sisters were preparing to leave. Ranma stepped up and handed Akane a cassette tape, telling her that it contained all the notes that she needed to catch up in class. Akane looked down at the cassette in her hands and then gave Ranma a polite bow. "I would like to thank you for all you've done for me, Ranma Saotome."
Ranma's senses had picked up no hint of anger or the usual hostility toward him in her aura. He was a bit surprised at the sudden lack of resentment against him, but didn't question it. "You're welcome."
"Ranma-san?"
"Yes?"
"Could we start over? I would really like it if we could forget all that's happened and I would really like it if we can be at least be friends?"
Ranma considered her words carefully before replying. "Maybe."
Akane gave him a questioning look before nodding. It wasn't a definite answer, but it was a start. She would just have to work on building on it.
The three Tendo sisters left Pepper's Place and headed back toward the dojo.
To be continued...
Author's Notes
Well, the rewrite has made a few changes as I am taking some suggestions form my readers. As a result, I am adding a third part to this chapter. I will give my final comments on it later. Ranma is currently unaware that all three sisters know his secret.
Please read and review!