As Ranma started on his next set of chores Kasumi was busy fretting out in the hall. She wanted more than anything to pick up a brush and start cleaning, it was just what came naturally to the girl after too long. Ranma came through with two large bags of rubbish, eyeing her curiously and watched her fiddle with her fingers.
"You know Kasumi, for somebody who's supposed to be relaxing you look pretty stressed." Her head lolled forward in defeat and she stared at Ranma a little hopefully.
"I just don't know what to do with myself. I haven't had a day off like this since, well... ever." Ranma found his hand clenching into a fist uncontrollably, the fact that Kasumi had to work so hard without anybody else pitching in, even occasionally, just made him angry. His eyes softened and his hand opened again when he saw the imploring look she was giving him but he wouldn't relent, she was going to have a day off whether she liked it or not.
"If you need ideas on what to do Kasumi, um..." He never really was good at situations like this. To be honest he was hardly one to talk about free time, all of his own spare time was either spent in problems, getting out of problems, or training for the next problem. "Um, you could always go to the public baths. I guess they're pretty relaxing." He cursed himself; that was a pretty weak idea, nevertheless Kasumi finally perked up at the suggestion.
"That actually sounds alright Ranma, thank you." He was warmed briefly by her radiant smile before they both set off to do what had to be done. Ranma continued going about the chores and Kasumi began gathering everything she would need at the baths. It didn't take her long; there was a perfect map of the house in her head as well as everything that was in it. Soon she had a small bag slung over her shoulder with the necessary soaps, shampoos, towels, and other items.
She set out of the door, still feeling highly strange about the situation, in her mind she should be starting to scrub down the furo right about now. She shook such thoughts from her mind, she was determined not to let Ranma down and actually try and enjoy the day off. Every time she thought those words she'd get a great feeling wash over her, like some small weight was being lifted off of her shoulders, however briefly.
She wound her way through the shopping district, sending her usual happy smiles and nods to the shopkeepers, all of whom knew her by name. They seemed somewhat surprised to see her out this early, even more so when she didn't stop to actually buy anything. More than a few people's daily schedules were thrown completely out of balance that day. Kasumi tried not to notice this as she politely and slowly moved through the crowds. She knew she was merely wasting time but at the same time it finally allowed her to look at the world around her and appreciate it a bit.
Instead she could step back for a moment, not focus on her next task or destination, and just look around for a moment. What she saw surprised her, children running and weaving their way through crowds as their parents happily but tiredly chased after them. There were young couples out holding hands and idly talking about nothing in particular as they gazed lovingly at one another. The occasional bird landed atop stalls to see if there was anything to scavenge today.
She smiled, taking it all in. Day in and day out she had made this same route through the streets yet never once had she really looked, never really paid attention. She saw things that made her laugh, made her wistful and most importantly, things that made her realise what she might have been missing all this time. Of course she loved taking care of her family, it was what came naturally, but looking out over the variety of life out there, anybody would start to imagine a different life or outcome.
As much as she enjoyed watching the world go by around her, and finally be able to see, as long as her feet were moving they eventually had to take her somewhere. She almost surprised herself when she reached the baths, not having expected to arrive so quickly. However when she looked at a clock inside on the wall she realised it had taken nearly an hour just to walk here. She was worried that Ranma would fear she was wasting her day but then realised he had asked her to do things she enjoyed, she had very much enjoyed taking in the sights of Tokyo.
As she walked into the establishment she realised she had never actually thanked Ranma for all of this, she would have to remedy that once at home again. Inside the baths she finally began to relax proper, melting into the waters as if they seemed to leech the very worry out of her skin. It didn't matter to her that she was surrounded by hundreds of other women doing the exact same thing; right now her mind was far too gone.
Ranma had a marginally less-relaxing day, while it was certainly a welcome break from his normal hectic lifestyle it certainly was no picnic. He groaned after Kasumi left, looking down at all the items on the list he had yet to tick off. He straightened up and shook his head. 'Ranma Saotome doesn't lose.' He looked down the list again, prioritizing things in his mind, he also looked over things that could be dealt with whilst he had to wait for others.
With all that in mind he set off for upstairs to scrub the furo; that seemed to be the next biggest issue as it may stain with mildew if left unclean for too long. Unfortunately he was headed off on the stairs by someone he wasn't looking forward to talking to.
"Ranma, just what do you think you're doing?" He smiled in that cocky way, even though it drove Akane nuts he couldn't help it sometimes, it was just ingrained. He shrugged simply, trying to act as innocently as possible, something that struck him oddly considering he had done nothing wrong.
"Going to scrub down the furo?" He motioned with his hand toward the cloth and sponge under his other arm. Akane's eye twitched dangerously.
"That isn't what I mean Ranma. What's with this sudden idea to give Kasumi a day off? Whatever the hell that means." Ranma had tolerated Akane's wild mood swings up until now but he really wasn't going to let that slide. He tried to maintain his composure but he found his resolve slipping as his voice became unintentionally louder.
"Exactly what it sounds like. Kasumi works all day for us and never gets any appreciation. All I'm doing is returning the favour." Akane's eyes were really starting to haze over with red now.
"What do you mean no appreciation? Are you saying I don't thank my own sister enough? Hey where's my day off? I'm your fiancée after all!" That was it, Akane had just gone too far now.
"THEN MAYBE YOU SHOULD START ACTIN' LIKE IT!" He hadn't meant to shout but it was a pure reflex. "You know it's not all about you Akane. The second I try and do something nice you twist it around until I'm the bad guy. I've got news for ya, there's no ulterior motive, nothing for me to gain here and no sick, twisted little plan. I just want to do something nice for someone I care about!" Akane wouldn't listen to reason here, this was just a chance to release all that had been building up in the past week.
The mallet was already in hand; ready to be brought around in a vicious arc that held all her fury and frustration from the last few days. However she was halted mid-swing, and it wasn't by her target of Ranma's head, it was his hand, firmly grasping the end of the hammer. She looked on in shock, he had never blocked her before, dodged occasionally but never purposefully blocked. Her very being shook with anger as she realised what he had done.
"How dare you Ranma?!" Ranma would have returned the shout in kind but he had regained his former composure and looked at her tiredly.
"I don't have time for your tantrums Akane. I still have a lot to do." And with that he simply walked away, leaving Akane seething on the stairs. By that time they had drawn a nice crowd out of the rest of the family and at the bottom of the stairs the two fathers were wailing about the schools never being joined while Nabiki was giving the retreating form of Ranma a sly smile, ideas were already percolating in her mind.
Ranma wasn't long into his job of washing down the large bath before the two fathers burst into the room, Soun crying a literal river and Genma angrily shaking, almost as badly as Akane.
"Son, apologise to your fiancée at once!" Ranma turned to the older man, flames in his eyes.
"Or you'll what exactly?" The older man cringed away from the hateful gaze of his son but his voice only wavered for a second.
"She's your fiancée boy, it's your duty and honour to treat her how she deserves to be treated."
Ranma just scoffed, partly laughing at the very idea of it. "Yeah, what do you think I am doing?"
With Genma speechless at his son's insubordination it appeared to be Soun's turn, who had stopped bawling long enough to bring on his demon's head.
"RANMA! APOLOGISE TO MY AKANE!"
Ranma laughed. "Seriously? You think after Herb and Saffron your little Ki illusion's really going to work anymore?" He sighed and turned around, continuing to scrub down the furo while the two fathers looked on, helpless to do otherwise. When they saw Ranma really wasn't going to relent they had to give up, they just went back down stairs to play Shogi. They passed Akane on the stairs who saw their failure and steamed some more before storming into her room and slamming the door.
Ranma heard all this but didn't even look up from what he was doing, he promised Kasumi a day off and damn it he was going to give it to her! He sighed deeply; at least he had gotten the worst of it while she was out at the baths relaxing. This wouldn't be the end of it but he hoped for the eldest Tendo daughter's sake that Akane could at least hold in her anger for the rest of the day.
Kasumi felt thankfully refreshed and renewed after her time in the baths, she had run into an old friend from school on the way out and they had sat outside a cafe for a while just chatting, catching up. Kasumi was sad to see her go; it had been so amazing reconnecting with her past like that. They both agreed to stay in touch and it gave Kasumi a new idea to track down some of her old friends.
She walked through the door of the household and noticed no new damage, everything seemed to be progressing as normal with the housework and there was no arguing. She smiled, happy that Ranma had it all under control in her absence, more than once she had considered coming back home just to check up on things. She was about to go and locate Ranma to thank him like she had forgotten but was cornered by Nabiki who suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
"Hey sis, fancy that shopping trip yet?" She smiled politely at her younger sister, still trying to scoot around her as best she could.
"I just have to speak with Ranma first." Nabiki stopped her by placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Oh don't worry about that, he'll be around when we get back, plus he's busy with all the housework and everything." Kasumi looked slightly pained and Nabiki instantly knew she had said the wrong thing.
"Oh my, I hope it isn't too much of a burden for the poor boy." Nabiki tried to get her back on track.
"Please sis, we're talking about Ranma. You know once he gets that thick head of his into something, nothing can stop him." Kasumi quietly nodded "Great, then let's go!" And before Kasumi could make another protest she was practically dragged out of the door. Nabiki wasn't going to be admitting it any time soon but she was looking forward to the shopping trip even more than Kasumi, she had missed just hanging out with her older sister.
They didn't take Kasumi's normal route, instead taking a meandering path through streets that were unfamiliar to the older sister. The wound up at a large mall complex she had never seen before and with an excited gleam that had been missing from Nabiki's eyes for too long, they entered. Of course their first stop was the clothes department where Nabiki spent hours just trying to find something for her sister, insisting that it was her treat. However Kasumi politely declined each time, saying she couldn't or it was too expensive. Eventually the younger sister started to become exasperated at how wholesome her sister could really be.
"You know sis, if you don't cut loose and spoil yourself every once in a while, how are you supposed to have fun?"
Kasumi maintained her perfect smile. "I have lots of fun at home Nabiki. Maybe we should find something for you now?"
Nabiki sighed playfully. "You really are impossible sis. Didn't you hear Ranma? Today's all about you, and I couldn't agree with him more. You don't know how worried I was that you might never properly get out of that house. Heck, if it weren't for grocery shopping I would worry you were agoraphobic." She hung her head down a little. "I'm just a little ashamed it wasn't me who started all this."
Kasumi smiled sadly at her younger sister, instinctively placing a hand on her back in comfort. She looked up and glanced around before something caught her attention. A mischievous gleam entered her eyes as Kasumi followed the gaze toward a store selling swimwear.
"Oh Nabiki, that's rather inappropriate don't you thi-?" She wasn't allowed to finish as her younger sister started dragging her toward the store, intent on actually spending money for once.
Ranma placed a hand on his back and stretched out, hearing a few vertebrae pop back to where they were supposed to be. He never realised that housework might require him to stretch off first. Yet here he was, hanging up the washing with pains running up and down his back. He couldn't possibly imagine how Kasumi managed all of this bending over; 'especially with those weights on her che-' He quickly shook his head of those particular thoughts.
He didn't know what was coming over him but as he continued to work thoughts and images of Kasumi just kept popping into his mind of their own accord. Especially her smile, every time he closed his eyes with his mind idle her smile would flash across his mind's eye for a fleeting second. It thoroughly confused him as he continued with the housework, trying to puzzle it out. In the end he simply put it down to that fact that all of this was for Kasumi and he didn't really have anything else to think about right now.
He noticed the time and realised he should be starting dinner right about now. On one hand he was looking forward to it, he always did with cooking now. On the other hand he was dreading it, without Kasumi to diffuse the situation lunch had been an awkward nightmare. It was just him being slowly stared down by Genma, Soun, and Akane like he had committed a crime until the fathers actually ate that is. For once he even wished his mother was there so that his father could have something else to focus on, namely the large katana on her back.
He rushed back inside but not before tripping over a bucket of water, triggering his curse in the process. While he could live with the effects of the curse it was the water-magnet aspect that really got to him. Sometimes he could swear that water would run uphill just to soak him. A now freshly female Ranma entered the kitchen and started preparing the first course of the meal. He had decided on tempura and sushi rolls today as he knew it was Akane's favourite and might be enough to calm the girl down. It was a long shot but one could hope.
He briefly did a walkthrough of the house taking stock of just who was there, to see how much he would have to cook. He counted himself, Genma, and Soun, added in Akane even though he didn't spot her, Happosai who had just come back today from some 'important business' that was surely perverse, as well as Nabiki and Kasumi, who weren't back yet but he was confident would be.
He set about the work, compensating for his, Happosai's and his father's much larger appetites. It was joyful to lose himself in the simple movements, flowing from one step to the next, much like a kata. Except he found it took less effort while at the same time the same amount of skill, just in a different way. He would have to halt this unconscious dance he was performing every once in a while to check up on things or consult the cook-book. Then he would be right back into the flow of things, moving from station to station, dish to dish until everything was finished.
It was strange not to have Kasumi taste-test his food but nobody had complained at lunch, at least about the food. He happily laid the table and as usual the smell of food drew the rest of the household from their respective activities until everybody was around the table. Even Kasumi and Nabiki had returned, both talking animatedly with one another about something. Ranma once again took his place in Kasumi's spot as both shared another humour filled look, only spoiled by the daggers Akane was mentally throwing at him.
Dinner continued in silence so thick one could cut it with a knife, nobody wanted to be the one to break it, especially with the veritable volcano that was Akane waiting in the corner. Ranma tried to focus on his dinner, which he was allowed to eat slightly slower thanks to his position away from his father. All the while he could feel the hole Akane was trying to burn into his skull as she ignored his cooking completely, content to stare at him until he started an argument.
He didn't give in however so dinner also finished in utter silence, the only sounds being people finishing and placing their chopsticks down before politely excusing themselves. Eventually Ranma had to get up and start clearing away the dishes, despite Kasumi's meek protests to the contrary. He purposefully avoided Akane's seeing as she hadn't had a single bite, he mentally shrugged; she would feel the consequences of that later on anyway.
Eventually he got around to Kasumi's plate where the girl was still sitting, once again unsure of where to go from there. He picked up the plate and she looked at him with a mixture of feelings he couldn't decipher. He offered her a warm smile which she returned before standing up.
"Ranma, I want to thank you for today, it was very sweet of you to do all this for me." He blushed, but even more so when Kasumi pulled him into a brief but warm hug which he tentatively responded to by placing his arms around her. It was rather awkward due to the height difference between his girl form and Kasumi but he found that a hug that wasn't one-sided like Shampoo's glomps was actually pretty nice. Of course any nice moment in Ranma's life couldn't last for long and before he could part from Kasumi they both heard a yell from right next to them.
"RANMA! STOP DOING PERVERTED THINGS TO MY SISTER!" Before he could react, literally in milliseconds, he felt a massive impact on his right side that could match a blow from Ryoga. He was sent straight through the far wall and high up into the night's sky. Once again he found himself sighing as he soared past a low-flying plane before bracing for the inevitable watery impact. 'At least I'm already in my girl form, every cloud right?'
Kasumi frowned at her sister, something that on her features was more just a lack of a smile. Still it was enough to shock Akane out of the red-mist covering her eyes who had been waiting for the resulting praise from her sister for removing the pervert before he could molest her.
"Akane, why did you do that?" It wasn't said with anger, more a deep disappointment that, if anything, had an even greater effect on the younger girl who wasn't at all used to Kasumi speaking in such tones.
"B-But Kasumi, he was being a pervert, and I had to punish him." The elder daughter sighed deeply, she had feared something like this might result from her time with Ranma and she couldn't help but blame herself a little. However it was not her fault that Akane had conveniently edited out the fact that Kasumi had initiated the hug, as well as the fact Ranma was not even a guy at the time. In fact Akane was a little confused, she really thought she had been helping out her sister, yet here she was, without a single word of praise.
"Akane is that really what you saw? In what way was Ranma being a pervert? Did you not see that I hugged him?" She wasn't sure why she asked that last part, of course Akane saw it, she just twisted her own memories to better suit her goals.
Her sister was trying to process the new information. 'No, that's not right, I definitely saw Ranma hug Kasumi and then I'm sure he would have started doing all sorts of things to her.' She looked up, confidently now, sure of her answer; however something in Kasumi's gaze made her falter.
'Kasumi would never lie, would she?' No, she shook her head, her oldest sister was the most noble and honest person she knew, with Ryoga a close second. She really thought about the incident for a few seconds and for once the red mist parted just enough that she could in fact see that it was Kasumi who initiated the hug. Suddenly she burst into Kasumi's arms, wrapping the older girl in a mighty hug.
"Oh I'm so sorry Kasumi!" The older girl calmly removed herself from her sister's grip and looked down at her as sternly as possible, which once again was more a lack of smile that anything else.
"Akane, I'm not the one you should be apologising to." The younger girl sniffled a bit but nodded reluctantly before sadly leaving the kitchen to wait for Ranma to come back. Kasumi cheered up a little bit. 'Perhaps there is hope for the two of them yet.' She was definitely glad to see Akane as the one who finally saw herself in the wrong. Too often it was Ranma unnecessarily taking the blame, only to get punished for it even worse because Akane felt validated in her malleting.
Now that Ranma was out for the moment Kasumi quickly tidied up the rest of the plates and put them in the dishwasher. However her little venture hadn't gone unnoticed.
"I thought we told you not to do that sis." Nabiki said it with a smirk but Kasumi turned like a deer caught in headlights. "Ah don't worry about it, what Ranma doesn't know can't hurt him." The two brunettes shared a conspiratorial laugh, the shopping today really letting them bond. Nabiki wandered off as her sister recovered from her large blush, intent on stopping herself trying to do any more housework, at least until she could see what condition Ranma was in.
She didn't have to wait long before a sopping wet Ranma stumbled grumbling through the front door. She rushed over, towel already in hand. She guessed she would have to be a Jusenkyo victim to understand but sometimes she really marvelled at how much they could really attract water, even if it wouldn't activate the curse. Momentarily she shuddered; the thought of having one of those curses after all the chaos she saw them bring daily was enough to give her pause.
As she handed over the towel she spotted Akane out of the corner of her eye, who was already walking over, looking dejected and apologetic. She smiled warmly but Ranma misinterpreted it as her smiling at him as he grinned right back, momentarily forgetting the state of his clothes and not noticing the increasingly angry blue-haired blur before it was too late.
"Ranma, stop flirting with Kasumi!" Once again, before he could react to her presence the mallet was out. However instead of her sending him into Low Earth Orbit she delivered a nasty downswing that nearly embedded the poor martial artist into the floor. Now completely sure that Ranma had been trying something with her sister Akane huffed and stormed off before Kasumi could even try and convince her otherwise.
Kasumi's gaze flickered painfully between the retreating forms of both teens; Akane strode off confidently in one direction while Ranma moved slowly off in the other, rubbing a sore spot on his head. Her loyalties were torn between someone she had come to care for and her sister whom she knew was in the wrong but like always she didn't know how to correct the girl. Just as she thought she was progressing she would immediately revert back to her old ways at the slightest hint of possible unfaithfulness from Ranma, imagined or otherwise.
These were the thoughts that enveloped Kasumi as she lay in bed that night. She was struggling with what she might be able to do with the two teens as stray thoughts started flashing by with no real purpose other to confuse her further. 'If Akane doesn't start realising that Ranma cares for her deeply then she'll lose him. He won't put up with this forever, and I don't think she realises that.' No matter how much in the wrong the young girl was Kasumi never wanted to see her sister unhappy, and that would be just what would happen.
'He's been trying so hard lately to gain her trust but she doesn't even seem to notice. What could be wrong with that girl?' It was true that even she had noticed Ranma trying his very hardest around his first fiancée. She didn't know about the outburst from earlier today but even so she would have seen the reasons behind it and probably mentally scolded the fathers for their actions.
'Maybe that's the problem; instead of thinking about things I should actually do something about them.' Kasumi sadly shook her head. No, she wasn't the type to confront people with things she didn't consider her business to intrude in. 'But why isn't it my business? I care for Ranma, so why shouldn't I act to help him? He cared enough to help me in my business, so why am I not allowed to return the favor?' To be honest Kasumi didn't know the answer to her own question, perhaps she would and then again maybe she wouldn't.
Her sleep was fitful that night but in the morning her confusion would be piqued when she remembered her last waking thought being along the lines of. 'I only hope Akane realises what she'll lose in Ranma if she continues down this path.' What exactly did she mean by that? While she wouldn't answer herself her dreams were filled with everything she had come to know about the pigtailed martial artist in their recent time together.