Authors Note: Several people have asked excellent questions about the extent of Ranma's ability to preserve the Langolier world with his Ki. I assume that by keeping a small trickle charge to the world, he is preventing it sliding into the dormant state that allow the Langoliers to attack. As far the extent the world that Ranma and Kasumi are in, and what the Langoliers would consume (e.g would they eat the air, Sun, moon, stars, etc..), I'm going to cop out and say that if "Sai" King didn't make an issue of it, neither will I! To be honest, I hadn't really thought of it when I started the story, but the more I think of it, it doesn't make too much sense. I guess that's what I get for using somebody else's idea...

Also, I'd like to apologize for the occasional typos and such. I have no proof reader, and no matter how many times I look through a chapter, it seems like a couple always get through...

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Chapter 12

"Well, what about this one?" He looked around at the house they were exploring. The process of looking for a new place to stay was taking them quite a bit longer than he thought it would take, but it seemed that Kasumi was somewhat choosy about where she wanted to stay. They had been looking for two weeks, when they had come across this place. It wasn't huge or fancy, but it had a warm inviting atmosphere that Ranma took to immediately. Like many of the places in this area, it was built close to the central hot springs and it had the extra feature of a small cool stream running through the backyard. Before he commented on it, he had waited to see how Kasumi reacted to it. After the last three places, he had learned that she was looking for more than just a place to stay for a bit, she was looking for something she could actually call home.

She came back through the kitchen with a huge smile on her face. "Oh Ranma, this place is perfect! I love it." She stood in the middle of the room and looked out through the window to the yard outside. "It's beautiful, it's just beautiful. I never thought I'd be lucky enough to stay in a house like this."

He watched her walk through the rooms again. It was strange that the loneliness that they had been sentenced to was having an opposite attack on the young girl. The peaceful demeanor was still there, but beneath it a spark had been lit. Before the accident, Kasumi had seemed somewhat too tranquil at times, but he had learned that it was a face she wore as she fulfilled her obligations to her family, and that inside, she yearned to have a little more excitement in her life. Most people might have missed the subtle changes in her appearance, but Ranma noticed the extra spring in her step, the sparkle in her eyes, and the growing enthusiasm to do more than just keeping house for a chaotic family and their guests.

"So is this a good one?" he asked the excited girl.

She peaked around a corner. "Yes, yes it is. Do you think we can start moving in right away?"

"Don't see why not. I sure am glad you had some driving lessons in high school. Not only did it help out with us finding this place quicker, but it will really come in handy when it comes time to move." He sat down on the couch by the window and admired the rich tones of the wood paneling. He didn't know who had owned this house, but he liked their style. Nothing ornate or too fancy, just good solid wood, earth toned fabrics, and good use of the natural light coming in through some of the windows.

Kasumi plopped down on the couch next to him. "You know, when you first had this idea, I had to admit I wasn't really thrilled about the idea of leaving my home. It was the only place I've ever lived, and I couldn't imagine living anywhere else. But now...now I feel as if a great weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I get to choose! I get to choose my house, I get to choose my furniture, I get to choose where I live! It's so exciting!"

Ranma felt another wave of an increasingly familiar emotion. It was a combination of happiness and pride. Yes, he had those feelings before about the Art, but this was different. He felt a strange warmth inside that he could help Kasumi be so happy in such a potentially foreboding place. Most of the feeling was a direct result of the friendship that was growing between the two of them, and the reassuring atmosphere that Kasumi generated. Ranma had been so used to the harsh criticism of hi father, and yes, even Akane that he didn't realize its effect on him until it was gone. Every day, Kasumi made him feel worthwhile and appreciated, and it was becoming a feeling that he didn't want to go away.

"Well, I'm glad you like it. I noticed a house next door that we might be able to convert over to a place to train. It won't be your family's dojo, but it should be good enough. I'm just glad you're such a good student." Great student is more like it he thought. It's like she's trying to catch up for all those years of such a quiet life. Heck, she's helping me as much as I'm helping her. "I just wish you got to choose who you got to be stuck with as well" he mumbled.

Kasumi quieted down after hearing the last comment. He still feels like he's unwanted she thought to herself. I'm not sure whether this will help or hurt things, but I've got to try. His idiot father did too much damage to him over the years for him to just come out of this without help.

"Ranma, I know I've mentioned this before, but you have to believe me. I am happier now than I ever have been since my mother died. I know we didn't choose for this to happen, but I promise you, I wouldn't trade any of it for anything in the world. And yes, I mean any of it, even you. I couldn't imagine a nicer, more caring person to be with. Thank you, thank you so very much." As she finished the words, she leaned forward and gave him a hug. "Thank you." she whispered.

Now it is true that Ranma had been on the receiving end of glomps, grabs, squeezes, crushes and gropes. But until that moment, he had never felt the warmth of a girl's heartfelt hug. It seemed like time stopped for him during that short hug. He felt his face go red, and a feeling of such appreciation and friendship surged through him. He was also surprised at how much he enjoyed the physical contact. Without a mother for so long, Ranma didn't know the joy of a simple hug from someone who cared. It was simply one of the nicest experiences he'd ever had. As Kasumi drew back, Ranma noticed how much he'd enjoyed the smell of her hair against his head. The last few moments, he had drank heavily of her scent, a mixture of fresh soap with a hint of perfume. But it was more than just smells, it was this feeling that if he could smell that smell, he wouldn't need anything else. It didn't make any real sense to him, he only knew that he felt...full when he breathed it in.

"Wow. Thanks Kasumi", he reached behind his head in embarrassment. "I'm really glad you're enjoying yourself."

She smiled at his confused look. "I am Ranma, I am."

--

They had been at their new location for about four months and had settled into a far different routine than that of the Tendo household. Kasumi still had a hard time accepting how bad her life had formerly been. Being sent to this quiet world had given her a completely new outlook on life. As the days went on, she slowly cast off her quiet acceptance of the former daily grind. Her chores only took a small chunk out of each day. This was actually due to three different factors. The first was the wonderful house they had chose. The fact that it was smaller than the old house immediately made a difference in what was needed each day. The second factor was that without the two fathers and two sisters, she had far fewer people that needed taking care of. The final factor was the most unexpected. Ranma had steadily helped out more and more around the house. Without his insensitive father consistently berating him for being nice, he was changing into a far more balanced and sensitive young man.

She turned away from the stream that ran behind the house to watch Ranma chop more firewood. Well, chop wasn't the best word really. He had managed to combine training with chores so that every bit of his physical energy was still focused on the Art. His blows to the wood that he had carried back to the house shattered the timber into fragments that could be used for the stove. As she watched him reduce some huge logs into firewood, she marveled at now how much he was progressing both physically and academically.

Shortly after they had moved in, they had located a local University's library down in the nearby deserted town. Kasumi had some experience in speaking simple Chinese, so it helped them greatly when they mapped out a plan to become fluent in written Chinese. She smiled when she remembered Ranma's reaction to the task they had before them.

"So how long do you think this should take Kasumi?"

"Well, I'd think we'll need a couple of years at least to get good enough to go to the village."

Ranma face-faulted. "A couple of years! Oh man..." he looked around at the library. "Man I don't wanna haul down here each day. I like our new place."

Kasumi looked at him with a curious smile. "Why would you think we have to come here each day?"

"Well you just said it would take a couple of years?"

"True, but why can't we take the books we need to our house and work there?"

Ranma nodded, "yeah, you're right. It's still going to be tough doing all that studying. I never could stay awake in class before, I don't know how I'm gonna do it now."

"Ranma, why do you think you fell asleep in class?"

"Cuz it was boring, why did I need to learn the stuff!"

"But Ranma, if we learn this, not only may we figure out how to get home, but think of having access to the Amazon village. I'm sure they have some of the Martial Arts techniques recorded there. You'd be able to read all of that information."

His face lit up as he considered the possibilities. "Wow, you're right! Lets get some of these books back to the house!"

Since then, he had thrown himself into his studies. The first few weeks were next to impossible. The poor boy never did learn how to study, but Kasumi found that with a little patience she could coax great achievements out of him. All he needed was a little positive feedback. As she listened to his tales of his childhood each night, she realized that he never had somebody to tell him he was doing good. As she nudged his developing academic talents, she also was rewarded with the feeling that she was actually making a difference with somebody, as opposed to just cleaning up after her family.

She looked at her watch. She was due to meed Ranma in their nearby "dojo" in a half an hour. Just as Ranma was taking so well to studying, she found that she was enjoying Anything Goes just as much. Ranma was developing into a great teacher. Several times he stopped and had to think of a better way to teach something than his father did. The most difficult thing was to convince him to move beyond simple katas and stretching. Simply put, Ranma didn't hit girls. He'd said so many times, and at first it had been impossible to convince him otherwise. About the same time they started studying Chinese, the issue came to a head.

"Sorry Kasumi, I just can't do it" he sighed.

"But Ranma, we need to be able to spar if you're going to teach me anything else."

"I know, I just can't do it. I remember how much it hurt to train, and " he paused, looking down at her feet. "I don't think I can hit you."

"Ranma, I want you to think hard about this. Why not? You've fought Cologne, Shampoo and other women, you know they're not weak. You fought Ryoga, and I know you weren't mad at him every time. Why can't you train me?"

"It isn't right, a guy hitting a girl."

"OK, what if you're a girl a the time? Could you train me then?"

"Don't know. I'm not sure...I could try..."

Kasumi had to use all of her talents to teach Ranma that sparring and training were different than hitting in anger. It had been a slow process, but they were at the point where the small redhead was comfortable training her. When they first moved to the new house, Ranma had been adamant about running to the hot springs whenever some stray water triggered her curse. As the months went on, Kasumi started noticing that Ranma wasn't quite as uncomfortable with her alternate form. Without the Nerima Wrecking Crew and her family around to constantly humiliate her when she was a girl, she found that it really wasn't the issue they tried to make it. Kasumi herself wasn't really fazed at all. In some ways, she had two friends to keep her company, Ranma-kun and Ranma-chan. In her eyes, they were just different sides of the same wonderful soul.

Ah, yes, Ranma's wonderful soul. That was an interesting problem in itself. When Ranma first showed up at the Dojo, she had no interest in a 'younger man.' Turns out, she was just as wrongly prejudiced about 'younger men' as he was about 'weaker women.' Her time with Ranma had proved her suspicion that he was a true gem. Yes, he still had some rough edges, but his kindness, innocence and good nature were growing and emerging every day. What started for her as a friendship of common banishment was now on the verge of changing into something more.

Simply put, Kasumi was starting to fall for Ranma. Even now, she really couldn't imagine anybody she'd rather be with. With him around, she no longer felt lonely or unappreciated. The problem was, Ranma's honor still had him bound to Akane and Kasumi really didn't know how to make him reconsider his options. Well one day at a time, maybe something will work out. She walked into the dojo where Ranma had entered shortly before her.

"Ready Kasumi?" Ranma had already shifted to her female form, and was stretching near the wall of the nearby house they had converted to their own personal dojo.

"Yes Sensei." she smiled at his embarrassment at the title.

"Ah come on Kasumi..." he moaned.

She giggled, "Well, aren't you my Sensei?"

"Yeah, but it just sounds weird."

"Nonsense, you've become an excellent teacher, and you should accept the compliment!" she chided him.

"All right, lets get going."

The next two hours were spent in a flurry of punches, kicks and leaps that showed how much Kasumi was progressing. Ranma loved seeing the look of joy on her face as she soared through her moves. I can't believe it, I think she likes this as much as I do. He wasn't sure, but he felt he could start trying used Ki-based moves again. He could feel his reserves building again now that he was working out with Kasumi.

They were about done with the workout when Kasumi's fatigue caused her to misjudge a move, causing her to tumble into the corner where the floor was still bare. By the time Ranma realized she might land off the mat it was too late, He watched with horror as she fell wrong and her head whipped against the tile in the corner. There was a sickening thud, and then no motion from the taller girl.

"Kasumi? Are you okay?" Ranma was leaning over the girl, hoping she was just temporarily stunned. When she didn't see any motion she over and nudged the girl. "Kasumi?" Still no movement. Ranma's felt a terrible chill hit her as she realized she didn't see Kasumi's chest moving.

"Kasumi!" She wasn't breathing. He had to do something, but there was no Tofu, nobody around to help. It was the one unspoken nightmare they both shared. What if something serious happened to one of them?

"Kasumi!"