It was with a weary heart and body that Ranma finally made it into the kitchen, slumping like a dead weight into a chair. Kasumi, interrupted from her chores, immediately rushed over, fearing that Ranma had been injured in one of his many fights again. She had the first aid kit on stand-by but when she made a move to go and get it the teen simply raised his hand to stop her.
"I'm not hurt Kasumi, don't worry about it." At least satisfied that he wasn't hurt physically Kasumi sat down opposite the young martial artist and took him in. His voice had sounded weak, with none of the usual strength and confidence that backed it up. His posture was slouched and defeated, as if every cell in his body had given up. It was his eyes that were the worst, she looked into them, even if he didn't return the gaze, and what she saw was heartbreaking.
"Ranma, what's the matter?" He managed to lift his head and utter two words that had an even greater effect on the girl than his eyes had.
"The usual."
It was said with such despair and hopelessness Kasumi actually wanted to cry from the sheer emotion behind that simple phrase. She contained herself, it would do Ranma no good right now if she were to break down in front of him; it would only make him feel worse. She just couldn't imagine what sick gods would put all this pressure atop an eighteen year old boy's shoulders. More amazingly she couldn't understand how Ranma had bore the weight without cracking under the combined weight of his life already. Ranma had to be stronger than anyone gave him credit for.
Kasumi hated to do this but she still had her various chores to do, whilst Ranma was an important part of her life now she was still a homemaker first. She stood up and turned back around, at least confident that Ranma wasn't going anywhere and she could help him later. However as she made a move toward the counter to start preparing lunch for the other occupants of the house she noticed him move.
He stood up and she turned back to him, noticing that some of the old mask had slipped back onto his face. Even so he spoke with a lot of hesitation and look in his eyes told her that he wasn't expecting great results.
"Hey Kasumi, do you want any help with that?" Again his voice nearly broke her heart; that he would go through all of this, nearly crack under the strain and still be his usual selfless self, it was almost unthinkable. For a fleeting second she couldn't stop the thought that went flashing through her mind 'I don't understand how Akane can always put him in a negative light' She shook away the thought and smiled as warmly as she could.
"Of course Ranma, you did such an excellent job with breakfast this morning." He visibly brightened a bit and for once she was glad that even her words could help him. It made her own smile brighter to think that even her praise could have such a resounding impact on the young man before her. Just like in the morning Ranma threw himself into the work set out before him, more than happy to lose himself to the simple task of cooking and preparing food.
Compared to the rest of his life it was a moment of ease and comfort where he could focus on one thing at a time and forget the plethora of other problems that usually clouded his mind. It helped that every time he did something right he would receive the warmest smile from Kasumi, doubling his resolve to do even better. Suddenly he found all his frustrations leaking out into the food he was cooking, leaving him refreshed and renewed.
Kasumi also noticed the subtle change, whilst Ranma had gone about the cooking with his usual determination he hadn't put his heart into it. As time went on and he kept on with it she could see that change as his step became lighter and his movements more fluid. It was almost as if he was beginning to train and first had to stretch off before he could begin in full. It was almost saddening when they had finished and Ranma had nothing left to do.
She feared for a moment he would regress back to how he had arrived here but after his shoulders sagged for a moment a flash of resolve crossed his eyes that made him stand up straighter. Internally Kasumi found herself breathing a mental sigh of relief; it unnerved her to see Ranma acting so different. At least now he seemed to be on the road to recovery. He then looked up at her expectantly, the small flicker of hope in his eyes starting to grow as more and more fuel was tossed on.
"So Um Kasumi, how did I do?" Once again, just like in the morning she reached down to try some of the food and Ranma watched on with one part eagerness and one part trepidation. She stood back up, her smile now as genuine as it had ever been.
"It's wonderful Ranma, even better than this morning." The boy seemed to inflate at her words, filled almost with a new hope as he finally found something he might be able to use as a release from everyday life.
"Thanks Kasumi, now I can see why you can manage to stay so calm and serene all the time. It's really relaxing." Kasumi probably wouldn't admit it but cooking for her was anything but relaxing, she always felt like Ranma had appeared when she was trying the food. Every day she feared her family wouldn't like the food she had prepared for them, but for Ranma to find it actually relaxing, well, she couldn't imagine how stressful the rest of his life must be. He turned to start laying out the food but stopped in the doorway.
"Hey Kasumi, maybe you could teach me how to cook properly, after all you're the best one I know." Kasumi couldn't stop herself blushing at the compliment, especially from somebody who had two professional chefs for fiancées. She managed to control herself but the smile from Ranma after seeing the blush just set it off all over again. When he did leave she berated herself for acting so immature around him, even if it did improve both their moods.
Even so she couldn't remove the new smile now firmly fixed on her face; she just hoped nobody would notice. Usually Nabiki was the only observant on in the house but with her off at University during the day she wasn't around to worry about. Somehow the girl had managed to balance her new workload with keeping the family solvent enough to get by and Kasumi could never thank her enough for it. She sat down at the table next to an equally smiling Ranma and waited for the rest of their families to start trickling in.
The next few days saw a return to what was considered normal in Nerima. Ranma was at least partially back to his old self. At the same time however he continued his self-imposed mandate to be nicer to those around him, especially Akane. It was unfortunate that he was the only thing to change, his fiancées and rivals were just as persistent as ever and Akane still treated him exactly the same. That wasn't strictly true; in fact she had begun to treat him with even more suspicion and jealousy than usual, unsure of what to do with his more upbeat and friendly attitude but certain he was hiding something she had to punish him for.
While all his usual hardship and exhausting life continued on course Ranma at least had something to look forward to. Every morning he would awake nice and early, vault the stairs and help Kasumi out with the cooking. She in turn began to give him pointers and tips on what he could do better. She was amazed, but not all that surprised, at how well he incorporated her every word of advice into the cooking. She knew just how adaptable Ranma was with his art, so why shouldn't that carry over into his everyday life?
Then Ranma would go to school, he had begun to get a bit better at that actually. Every day he made sure to get a full breakfast so there were no distractions and managed to keep himself awake throughout the morning. The change was welcomed by all his teachers, especially Miss Hinako, who he had surprised one morning by getting her a lollipop. Everyone but Akane was caught up in the teen's continued and infectious good moods; she only became more frustrated as she couldn't figure out its cause.
It was almost a miracle to those around him that Ranma managed three days in a row without having to leave school early, his grades even picked up slightly. Whether or not that was for better or worse remained to be seen. While he was improving in school his teachers finally saw that his previously bad grades weren't stemming from a lack of understanding, but a lack of care and attendance.
The teachers really clamped down on misbehaviour in school, determined to continue Ranma's streak now that he at least seemed to be paying attention. Miss Hinako especially tolerated no antics in the classroom, adamant to help the boy however she could. At first Ranma wasn't sure if this was good or bad but when his grades improved and he found it didn't really take that much more effort than usual his moods only improved.
After school he would rush straight back home, dealing with the occasional challenge if he had to, and quickly plough through his homework in times that would make Nabiki boggle. He didn't necessarily get it all right but it was a marked improvement. After that he would train until Kasumi called for him like he had asked her to. When he put his heart into something he put it all in so he worked on his cooking in the evenings as well as the mornings.
Akane continued to stew as his skills increased and his food became even better. She despaired inwardly that the same couldn't be said for her own cooking, or at least that was what everybody seemed to tell her. For her part she couldn't really see what the fuss was about, it couldn't possibly taste that bad. She only tried to make the recipes a bit more exciting, who says you shouldn't add Peruvian puff pepper to oatmeal? It should give it more kick right?
Unfortunately for the blue-haired girl she had no way to vent in that whole week as, try as she might, nothing the pigtailed boy did was something she could twist to give her a reason to hit him. It probably helped that Shampoo seemed to have backed off, at least for a little while. Her frustrations only grew as Ranma continued to act cheerfully while she was left behind, for some reason unable to join in on his good moods.
To Ranma's credit it wasn't for lack of trying, he had been on his best behaviour around Akane the entire week, not once insulting her or responding to her own jibes. There was even a frightening moment in the middle of the week where Akane had offered Ranma some of her own food, sure that he would just refuse so she finally could have a reason to hit him. Instead, with a very much forced smile he actually took a bite, surprising everybody in the room.
He had turned a number of amusing colours before he politely excused himself to go to the bathroom. Kasumi wouldn't forget the noises of Ranma violently throwing up for the rest of the night very soon. She wasn't even certain he had swallowed that one bite. It was by luck alone that Akane had missed the whole episode, instead she was lost in her own thoughts about the whole affair. Kasumi merely hoped this wouldn't encourage her to start cooking again, she had meant it when they said they couldn't afford any more kitchen-ware for the blue-haired menace to experiment with.
Over the week, under Kasumi's tutoring, Ranma grew better and better with his 'new art', but something else started happening. The pigtailed boy started to realise just how much Kasumi did around the house. While he cooked under her watchful eye she would go about with her other chores, making sure to order them so that she could be around Ranma as much as possible when he cooked.
Other times she would be scrubbing down the Furo, hanging out the laundry, cleaning, ironing, bringing everybody their clothes for the day, talking to the builders about the various property damages, and much more. It was almost mind-boggling what she had to go through every day and even though Ranma wouldn't say he had it easy by comparison it was still enough to give him pause. Yet she did all this with nary a frown on her face and a skip in her walk, in fact, with the cooking being taken care of for once her normally impenetrable serenity seemed only to increase.
Ranma also found himself unconsciously watching Kasumi as she worked, not even realising it half the time. His eyes would just drift away from what he was doing and start to watch as she cleaned or tidied. Most of the time it would cause him to almost make a mistake in what he was doing, eliciting a small giggle from the older girl, which in turn, would cause him to blush bright red. He didn't know exactly what it was about her, but the way she moved with the same confidence as he did was entrancing.
He had no idea that was exactly what Kasumi saw as she watched Ranma cook; it was heartening to see him so lost in a passion in the same way he was with martial arts. In a way, to the gentle girl, it was even better as, while she knew Ranma only ever used his skills in self defence or the protection of others, at least cooking didn't involve violence. It allowed her to appreciate the graceful movements and show of skill all the more.
It was approaching the end of the week and Ranma had earned a deep respect for the quiet girl who kept most of their lives flowing without anybody really noticing or appreciating it. He had resolved to change that, at least for one day. He cautiously approached the older woman, now unsure of how he could start this as he stood there, listening to her hum some tune he faintly recognised. She solved his problem for him as she turned around, still with her serene smile and warm eyes.
"Oh hello Ranma, is there something I can do for you?" He laughed, he couldn't help it. With what he was coming to ask her only to get that response, it was just ironic. Kasumi politely waited for him to finish, now curious about his intentions.
"No Kasumi, there's nothing you can do for me, you've done enough." She smiled warmly, not quite sure what he meant but grateful for the sentiment anyway. He looked a bit more nervous now, not entirely sure how Kasumi would take what he had to say next.
"I was thinkin' Kasumi, that you do so much around here, you know that, um-" She giggled as the increasingly red teen in front of her continued to stumble over his words.
"Yes Ranma?" He shook himself and managed to find his grasp on Japanese once more.
"Well, I was wonderin' if I could give you a day off." She actually slipped her cheerful facade for a moment to exchange it for puzzlement. For a moment Ranma feared he had upset of somehow insulted Kasumi, or that the Saotome foot-in-mouth disease had started acting up.
"Whatever do you mean Ranma?" He smiled sheepishly.
"Well I noticed that you're always lookin' after us and stuff so I thought it was only fair you got a day off every once in awhile to enjoy yourself. I'd do all the housework and everything so you could just do what you want to." She smiled at him, gratefully but shook her head sadly, even if the offer was tempting.
"Sorry Ranma, but there's just so much to do around here, you wouldn't know where to start." His resolve hardened even as a smile started sprouting out of the corner of his mouth.
"So make me a list." She faltered a little and he took that opportunity to continue. "Don't worry about the house for once Kasumi, I'll handle it, just have a day to yourself." His smile alone was enough to make Kasumi reconsider, in the last week she had gotten to know the boy better than she admittedly had in the past two years she had lived with him. In that time she had found out that not much could stand up to Ranma when he was determined.
"Well, if it was all being taken care of-" Ranma's smile turned into a beaming grin.
"Great, you won't regret this Kasumi. Draw me up a list of things that'll have to be done tomorrow and start thinking about what you want to do." She tried to protest weakly.
"Tomorrow? But that's not enough time. What about-?" He cut her off with another heart warming smile.
"Like I said, don't worry about it, be a little selfish for once." And she was inclined to believe him as he strode away, merrily whistling the same tune that Kasumi had only moments ago been humming herself. She stood stock still for a while, still unsure if everything that just happened was real or if she was dreaming. She walked back to her room, worriedly rubbing her hands across one another as she thought about the implications of what tomorrow would bring.
A single tear escaped her eyes, something that hadn't happened in the decade since her mother's death and as soon as that particular floodgate had a crack, the torrent that followed was inevitable. She didn't know exactly why she was crying, and she knew it wasn't from sadness but then a realisation hit her that briefly stopped the tears from flowing. She was crying because that was the nicest thing anybody had done for her in so long that she could barely remember the last time.
Ranma woke early as usual, immediately bouncing to his feet with a goofy smile plastered to his face. He bounced through the house just as cheerfully but without making a sound. When he got downstairs he fully expected Kasumi to already be up, wasting her day off. He couldn't degrade her dedication after all. However he was pleasantly surprised to find the kitchen and all of the other downstairs rooms nicely Kasumi-free.
In fact Kasumi had woken just as early as Ranma had and had been about to move out of bed before she remembered what Ranma was doing for her again. It was with moderate discomfort but a slight smile of appreciation she slipped back under her covers for those few extra minutes of sleep she so rightly deserved. She almost felt naughty for doing so and a part of her that had lain dormant for too long felt moderately excited.
Ranma found the note Kasumi had conveniently left for him on the kitchen door. He gulped at the sight of it, he knew the girl did a lot for the family but between going to school and his hectic life he had no clue just how much. The list was massive but he steeled his eyes, set a smile on his face that would make Kasumi proud and started on it. He of course started with the breakfast first, attending to the smaller stuff like cleaning the kitchen as he waited for things to boil or cook.
He was still surprised Kasumi hadn't come down yet, but quietly proud of her for making the most of a day off. In fact it was Soun and Genma who were the first down to the table. His father had given up trying to get him to train with him in the mornings a while ago, but he still grumbled in annoyance when he saw Ranma cooking the breakfast. Soun also knew this was the norm now but after a few minutes of not seeing Kasumi he began to get worried.
"Ranma, where's Kasumi? She isn't sick is she?" Before the man could start his waterworks Ranma quickly interjected.
"No, I gave her a day off for doing so much around here all the time." Soun looked shocked and Genma looked equally panicked.
"A day off boy? But who's going to look after the house? What were you thinking?" Ranma started to get moderately annoyed at the two blubbering men, wondering how Kasumi managed to take all of this in stride.
"I'm handling it. She gave me a list of stuff that needs to be done." With that thought he jerked his head up and rushed over to the oven, quickly removing the item inside before it got burnt. The two fathers's exchanged a look but realised there wasn't really much they could do about it, and neither really minded Ranma's cooking, especially after Kasumi had taught him what she knew. However Genma wasn't smart enough to realise that the conversation was over.
"Boy, stop this at once. The cooking I could deal with but you are not spending the day acting like some kind of housewife!" Ranma didn't drop the smile for an instant but his eyes hardened at the older man in a way that, even through Genma's thick head, made him want to cringe back.
"Oh stuff it Pop, you don't even realise just how much Kasumi does for this house do you? All you do is sit on your ass and play Shogi all day while she goes completely unappreciated. Well I noticed and I for one think she deserves a day off, so unless you want to help me with the housework, go and sit down!" He managed to keep his voice level but that didn't make the words lose any impact.
Somehow Genma actually listened to what his son had to say and like a scorned dog he sat back down at the table, tail between his legs. Unbeknownst to Ranma, Kasumi had just reached the bottom of the stairs when Ranma had his outburst. She was touched and another tear managed to roll down her cheek before she quickly wiped it away. Once again she berated herself for letting her emotions get the better of her.
She came in and sat down at the table, still finding it strange not to make her normal beeline straight to the kitchen. Soun saw this and took it as all the proof he needed that his daughter was indeed not sick so he went back to reading the morning paper. As a joke she sat down in between Genma and Akane's seats, in Ranma's usual spot. She decided with a small internal giggle that if Ranma was intent on taking over her life for a day then the swap should be complete.
Eventually Akane and Nabiki trickled into the room, both so caught up in their sleep-addled minds they saw absolutely nothing wrong. After all, all the seats that were supposed to be filled were so. It was only when Nabiki was through her first cup of coffee and Akane had angrily turned around to grumble something at Ranma that either girl realised the pigtailed teen was nowhere to be seen. Before they could inquire said teen burst out the kitchen, setting the table with food in a style that would put Shampoo to shame.
He noticed Kasumi in his usual spot and with a small chuckle he sat down in hers, understanding the joke. Akane was about to burst out and ask what the hell was going on when Nabiki beat her to the chase.
"Could someone kindly explain why Ranma and Kasumi seemed to have swapped bodies? Did the Amazon's decide to pay a visit I'm unaware of?" Kasumi giggled slightly and Ranma blushed deeply, at least confirming to Nabiki they were who they appeared to be. She would never let it slip past her cold, calculating exterior but she was rather irked that something drastic seemed to have happened in the household without her finding out about it first. Ranma feared he would have to explain the whole thing again but luckily Kasumi saved him the trouble.
"Ranma was nice enough to give me a day off." Both Nabiki and Akane looked extremely puzzled and Ranma could see Kasumi didn't want to give the explanation as it obviously embarrassed her.
"Yeah, well, she does so much around here I figured she deserved it." He shot a smile at Kasumi that Akane didn't miss for a second and her morning anger only grew. However she couldn't hit or argue with Ranma over it as even she knew that would just make her seem petty. Nabiki for one seemed pleased, she of all people knew just how much work Kasumi put into keeping their lives moving, in the same way the middle daughter kept them financially viable.
"Good for you sis. Honestly it's about time." It was Kasumi's turn to blush at her sister's encouraging words. "Given any thought on what you'll do today?" The older Tendo furrowed her brow in thought and mild embarrassment.
"Well, no I was distracted last night preparing the list for Ranma as well as..." She trailed off, remembering her crying fit, "...other things" If Nabiki noticed the pause she didn't show it.
"Well if you make up your mind let me know, I'd be more than happy to help out." Kasumi shot her the warmest smile of the day and for reasons he couldn't quite pin down Ranma actually felt a bit jealous.
"That's very kind Nabiki, perhaps we could go shopping later." For once the ice queen of Furinkan melted under her sister's loving gaze and she actually returned the smile, much to everybody's surprise.
"Yeah, I think that would be nice sis."
Akane seemed to have just caught up with the conversation as she seethed at the far end of the table. "Wait, what list are you talking about?"
Ranma shot her a mildly confused look. "Well with Kasumi gone who'd you expect to do all the chores?"
Akane shot a look right back. "I knew that. I was just wondering why she didn't ask me!" Ranma laughed a little, something Akane didn't seem to find amusing at all.
"Hey if you wanna help out that'd be great, this list is huge." She stormed over to Ranma's end of the table, adamant that the pigtailed teen was exaggerating. When she snatched it out of his hands however she paled. This was truly the first time she realised how much Kasumi really did. Her eyes shot straight to everybody's worse fears.
"Well there! I can do the cooking." She smiled happily, waiting for the praise from her family over taking on a few of the jobs. Instead it was everybody else's turn to pale, even Kasumi surprisingly.
"Oh, I'm sorry Akane, I already promised that Ranma could do the cooking. He's been practising ever so hard lately." Akane's face took on the image of a child with their favourite toy taken away as she grew grumpy and mumbled to herself.
"I'd practise too if you let me." Then her frustration turned back into anger as she rounded on Ranma. "Fine, you can just do all of it then!" She stormed out of the room, confident that Ranma was at least getting punished. The aforementioned boy however, was more than happy to do so, after all what kind of ingrate offers to do a job then becomes petulant about doing it?
With breakfast apparently over the rest of the family member's dispersed, leaving only Kasumi and Ranma, who was busy washing up the mess everybody else left behind. Kasumi approached him slowly.
"Are you sure you wouldn't mind help with even a few things Ranma?" He turned on her, chuckling lightly.
"Hey, I stick to my promises. You don't have to do a thing for the house today, just decide what you want to do." With that he confidently returned to his work, leaving Kasumi to walk out timidly, not at all knowing what to do. She hadn't had a day off since she had taken on the role of homemaker, sacrificing her friends, school life, and slowly, the rest of her life to do so. She had no idea where to begin.