The Other Tendo Girl.
Chapter 3
…
Her lips pursed as she scrubbed the polished wood. Scrubbing, scrubbing, scrubbing, until her fingers were pruned and cracking and her knuckles were raw and bleeding. Even then, it still didn't feel clean enough. Dark shadows underlined her eyelids as a testament to a night spent with little sleep, and exhaustion crawled under her skin weighing heavily upon her.
Some one had seen her.
Day-to-day, Kasumi's routine was as efficient as it was systematic. Make the bed, brush her teeth, count and clean her weapons, comb hair, hide senbon, cook breakfast, distract Akane from helping, use Akane's distraction to check communicator for updates, send girls off to school, practice her katas, begin on chores—but ever since her run in with the girl at the park, the brunette had felt as though something was amiss. Her usual quick but thorough checks of her various hidey-holes and weapon stashes had devolved into neurotic evaluations that bordered on paranoia.
It was only after her father had caught her counting and sorting the various kitchen knives (which he had thankfully dismissed as one of her cooking-eccentrics) where she finally forced herself to address the problem at hand.
Someone had seen her. Not a family member, not an old classmate, not someone she allowed to see her. No, someone had picked her out from a crowded park, slid through the distraction of rain, ducking for cover, and the shock of seeing a giant panda on the lose, and what's more had pierced through her own well-practiced shield of invisibility and aura of non-importance, and seen her.
"Sorry, I just… well, you were sitting in the rain all by yourself…"
Or was she really just so lonely and desperate that she imagined herself company? It was not impossible, and in her line of work, it wasn't exactly unknown for agents to snap or lose touch with reality. When that happened, the more stable ones were usually retired from active duty while those with more dangerous delusions were quickly and quietly dealt with. Clean, efficient, all loose strings were tied off.
For each of these looming possibilities, it was understandable that the brunette's nerves felt frayed and raw, and as a result, the poor floor took an extra hard scrubbing as she worked to get that nervous energy out of her system.
Furthermore, it didn't help matters that her father had recently become equally jumpy and twitchy since he sorted through the mail. All morning, the Tendo patriarch had moved about the house with a bizarre and frantic energy, straightening pictures, organizing the equipment in the dojo, and all the while muttering to himself.
"Nabiki… no, no that wouldn't work… but then again Akane is so young…"
And then when he caught his eldest staring with her sharp eyes yet perfectly bland expression, he would offer his anxious I'm-not-hiding-anything laugh and scutter off to sweep the front walkway or dig through the attic for his old shoji board or whatever excuse he came up with to dodge her unasked questions.
And as before, she would smile that blithely unaware Kasumi smile and pretend the obvious wasn't obvious, but as she was rinsing out the scrub brush, a sudden thought struck her. The last time Soun had acted this antsy was when her parents had announced Kimiko's pregnancy with Akane. As Kasumi recalled, her father had been similarly closed lipped and twitchy about the whole affair until the entire family had arrived. He was determined that they should hear the wonderful news at the same time.
Kasumi chewed on her bottom lip thoughtfully. Big news, exciting news, but what could it be? What would excite him to this extreme?
Did an elderly relative pass on and leave them a large inheritance? Did father win some award? Perhaps he finally found his old recipe for the "ultimate sauce among sauces"? Did he finally decide who among them was going to inherit the dojo?
That last thought gave her pause. Soun had never made it official, and despite Nabiki's prodding and pressing, he had been surprisingly noncommittal in his answer on who would inherit the dojo. As the only practicing martial artist, Akane was the obvious choice, but while Nabiki had been quite clear about her about her lack of interest in the dojo, Kasumi hadn't. Perhaps, therein lied the issue.
By birthright, the household and dojo were hers, and while she hadn't exactly shown interest in inheriting the dojo, she also hadn't expressed disinterest either. She hadn't left home nor had she given any sign of intending to do so. Over the years, she had maintained the dojo with the same diligence and care as she did her alternate identity. Furthermore, the argument could be made that while she was not an active practitioner of the art, she had at least obtained a fundamental grasp of it, enough so that she could technically follow through on her claim to be the heir if such was her desire.
But to take the training hall away from Akane was too cruel to even imagine. While it may have been nice to remain at the place of her birth, Kasumi didn't need the dojo. All Kasumi needed was a roof over her head, a small stash of weapons, and a door with a good lock to hide behind, but Akane needed a place to call her own, a place where she could truly be herself. She needed a place where she could just be Akane and not whatever everyone else wanted her to be.
However if Akane took the house and dojo, then inevitably Kasumi would have to leave. It came down to a simple logistics issue, and there simply was not enough room for an aging father, a married couple, their children, and an old spinster sister. Yet even it there had been sufficient space, she would still feel like an intruder. Would she still be expected to cook for all of them, play nurse to Akane's children, and wash her husband's clothes?
Kasumi pursed her lips in distaste. Maybe this was her father's subtle way of prodding her, of letting her know it was time to leave the nest.
But to actually part from the dojo? Her stomach twisted up in knots at the mere consideration.
It wasn't about having to change her cover story or settle into a new occupation. No, that part was easy. In one of the hidden panels behind the cupboard, she had a dozen passports, a variety of currency and legal documentation and quick hair dye to transform her into several pre-made identities at a moments notice. She had slipped on enough masks and disguises over the years that picking up another wouldn't be life altering. No, it was much more fundamental than that.
This was her home. Her great-great grandfather had built this home for his wife when he returned from war as a promise that he would never leave her again. A sturdy foundation built on faith and love, strong walls to keep them warm and safe, and a roof that would safeguard them through storms and struggle and strife. Then when their first son was born, he raised a dojo with his bare hands to show that she would always be protected and their children would grow up to be strong.
Protecting, serving, defending. Love and care had gone into these walls, and her great-great grandfather had built it not only for his wife but for his children and for his children's children, and so on down on the line until it reached her. A house built to last generations, built for her, yet it was no longer hers to claim.
Suddenly the world tilted on its axis and Kasumi bent over at the waist, nauseous and dizzy and feeling like she might throw up. She knew this day was coming, knew she should expect this news eventually, but she just didn't think it would be so soon.
It was her home. It was the only place in the world where Kasumi, the real Kasumi, lived and belonged, and she didn't want to leave. Didn't she deserve a place to live too?
"Kasumi?"
The sudden presence threw her off, and at once she was reaching for the handle of the scrub brush to use as a blunt instrument. She registered the weaknesses of her foe almost mechanically: 'Unbalanced posture, chest exposed, mild scent of sake suggestive of inebriation—easily downed with upward thrust to the jaw followed by flat palm to sternum—black gi, mustache…'
Kasumi stilled as recognition registered. 'Father—not the enemy.'
"What is it father?" she hummed sweetly, instantly switching to the benign housekeeper and doe-eyed daughter. She had to physically force her white-knuckled grip on the wooden brush to go slack.
For a moment, Soun appeared to stumble on himself still unsure of how to handle the scene he had just witnessed of his eldest violently attacking the floor with a scrub brush. It was almost as if—then he shook himself feeling almost foolish at the thought. This was Kasumi, the girl with the temperament of a sage. Anger, much less aggressive tendencies, just wasn't in her nature.
He cleared his throat, "While I appreciate your dedication to scrubbing the floor, our guests will be here within a few hours, certainly no later than dinner time assuming Genma's food priorities haven't changed."
"Guests? Now?" The brunette's eyes widened, and if Soun hadn't known his daughter so well, he could have sworn he picked up on a trace amount of panic in her tone. No, he was just being foolish again, his eldest was simply surprised just as Soun himself had been to find that the long awaited day had finally arrived.
"Yes, my old training partner, Genma Soutome. You met him before, but I doubt you remember him as you were quite young at the time. But at last, the day has come when to two schools of Anything Goes Martial Arts will be reunited!"
When his daughter remained silent and near unresponsive to his speech, he assumed she was still weighed down with the abrupt onset of new burdens of preparing for guests entailed. Or perhaps the great excitement of having guests come over was overwhelming her with its mere anticipation.
Well, at least he was half right.
"Don't worry, I'll go air out the guest bedroom myself. It won't be so hard, and Genma assured me that we won't need to trouble with futons as after years of sleeping on the ground outdoors, they are more comfortable—"
"They?!" Kasumi cut him off, her voice taking an almost shrill tone, but Soun, wrapped up in his memories and the exciting days to come, missed the subtle cues that all was not well in Kasumi's world.
"Ha, ha!" he chuckled at his own forgetfulness, "my old friend Genma will be bringing his son. Isn't that exciting Kasumi? The boy here at last!"
Guests? Here? In her home? Having to pull her veil of identity tightly around her frame and put on a show of normalcy was already challenging enough, but on top of everything else going on, having to cater to strangers while remaining forgettable. This wasn't a crowded festival that she could fade into and vanish, and if these guests were of importance to her father she would inevitably have the tricky task of playing the dutiful daughter yet not being memorable or inspiring. However if she was too plastic and forgettable, then it would reflect poorly on her father. Somehow, they would have to see her without seeing her.
Someone had already seen her.
She took a deep shuddering breath. In and out. She reached for her center of stability, grasping for the impossible balance she had to maintain. This is what she was trained for, not just for spying and killing, but for living and being and surviving. She could do this. The ground might be shaky and uneven but her purpose was not. She could do this. One step at a time.
A pleasant smiling mask slid on her face and her gait was light and cheery, her aura bubbly and light. Only the faintest strain at the corner of her eye and slightly too tight grip on the scrub bucket gave hint that the world of Kasumi wasn't a warm and fluffy as she made it seem.
"Of course father. How exciting."
…
"Kasumi! Hey Kasuuuumiiii!"
The eldest Tendo had been out on a quick run to the market to pick up some last minute ingredients. Her endearing father had neglected to inform her that they would be expecting guests this evening until the last possible conceivable moment, and then he had left her to scramble to get the guest room dusted out, the furo scrubbed, and throw together whatever food she could obtain on such short notice that would pass as a meal.
As hurried as she was, Kasumi didn't have time to exchange pleasantries with anyone, but given the persistence of her pursuer and the nature of their relationships, the brunette very much doubted she would have much of a choice in the matter. Weaving through the busy market and feigning deafness didn't shake the relentless man, and after another fruitless attempt of evasions, she finally gave up and faced the inevitable.
"Dr. Tofu!" she beamed feigning surprise, "How nice to see you."
Almost reflexively, the crowd gave them a wide berth. The citizens of Nerima were long familiar with the unusual and bizarre and as such took particular care to avoid the unusual and bizarre. Instinctively they moved away from the pretty brunette and the young man approaching her and took care to remain out of the doctor's immediate reach.
"Ah yes, it is nice to see me—I mean you. I mean, the sea is nice this time of year!" He stuttered and blushed like a lovesick moron.
Sometimes Kasumi hated these moments, how he would turn beet red and say ridiculous things. Oh, she understood his reasons and his desire to bring a smile to her face, but something about his approach had always left her in a rather uncomfortable position.
"Dr. Tofu, you're so silly!" She said while resisting the urge to bolt.
"Anyways, I found a new book I thought you would like," he said.
"Oh my, that is very thoughtful."
He laughed at her word-tic as though she had said something hilarious. Inwardly, Kasumi puffed up in irritation. She could see the brown manuscript clutched tightly in his hand, likely having been delivered straight from the agency, but the doctor didn't appear in any hurry to hand it over.
"Um… Dr. Tofu?"
"Oh my, what is it Kasumi?"
Okay, now he was just messing with her.
"You forgot to give me the book," she pointed out as politely as possible.
He laughed sheepishly, "Oh how silly of me! Here you go."
Kasumi stared dumbfounded.
"Dr. Tofu, I believe that is a hat."
The doctor's bobbed his head, "Oh well so it is! Here you are."
"That's a pen."
"I thought you wanted a pen."
At this rate, it would never end, and it would take her a fortnight to even leave the market. Well, she thought, time to play her trump card. "Oh my," she pouted cutely, "Now you're just teasing me."
He stared at her as if dumbstruck. "But…" he glance at the pen then back at her looking for all the world confused and out of place, "it really is a pen. Right Betty?"
An honest bubble of laughter escaped her, light and cheerful and sweet. It was only when the eldest Tendo caught her breath that she realized how long it had been since she had last laughed so freely and how much she had needed it.
It was the signal her companion had been waiting for, insurance that his own personal mission had been completed. Grinning as if he had won the lottery, he finally handed over the book.
"Thank you," she smiled warmly. It felt as though all the debris in her personal gutter had been washed away leaving her feeling clean and crisp.
"Take care now!" The young man called as her nearly bowled over a nearby pedestrian and sent three more scrambling to get out of his attack zone. "Stop by the clinic sometime. No, wait, don't go get sick or anything—I mean if you do, well, what I mean is—is that a panda?!"
Kasumi laughed again as she waved in farewell. With her mood considerably lightened, she missed the flash of red hair and black fur before it was swallowed by the crowd.
…
The eldest Tendo had long been able to distinguish which sister had arrived first by the way they entered the house.
Nabiki ran like clockwork. She always arrived precisely at 3:15, opening the door in one swift, confidant stroke. Her feet were light and cheerful on the days she was profitable (which was most) and flat and heavy when she was not. She never called out a greeting or broadcasted her arrival in any way, preferring to slip by Kasumi's kitchen and the rest of the household unannounced.
Sly thing that she was, the shorthaired girl thrived off of secrecy and mischief. The moment her shoes were put away, she darted up the stairs and vanished behind knowing smiles and her closed bedroom door.
In many ways, Kasumi saw what she might have become if not for her affiliation in the agency reflected in Nabiki's clever yet enigmatic nature. While she doubted she ever would have developed her sister's obsession over coin, she recognized the same mastery of understanding the way people behaved. Neither girl had used this knowledge to put themselves in a position of popularity or social prowess, yet each had built their own webs and networks that catered to each of the girls' interests. For Kasumi, it was keeping her family physically and emotionally safe, and for Nabiki, it was keeping their financial ledger out of the red.
Yet, oddly enough, it was these same similarities that drew the two sisters apart. Nabiki was politically savvy enough to see through Kasumi's excuses about wanting to stay at home as a front designed to hide her true motivations, and in turn, this made the middle sibling guarded, cautious, and occasionally openly distrustful of the older sister. Meanwhile Kasumi, who could understand how Nabiki favored the reliability of money over the weakness of human nature, still could not grasp why Nabiki insisted on personal detachment from both her business partners and her family.
While Kasumi longed for the ability to be completely open and expressive, Nabiki gleefully embraced her reputation of being cold and callus yet undeniably reliable. Two different objectives.
Perhaps it was for the same reason Nabiki kept her hair so short; so that she would never be confused with Kasumi. As children, they had been so similar in appearance and behavior that they were often mistaken as being twins. Born only ten months apart, it was easy enough to link arms and pretend. They had been so close back then sleeping in the same room more often than not and swapping clothes to see how many people they could fool into confusing them, but all that was before the bracelet, before Akane, and before their mother died.
The girl who returned home from "training camp" was not Nabiki's twin sister but her mother's stand-in. The sleepovers and secretive smiles stopped, and the middle sibling had once gone so far to accuse Kasumi of being a robot replacement or alien imposter and demanded to know where her "real" sister was being held.
It would have been cute if Nabiki hadn't been completely serious.
Yet, there were questions that Kasumi couldn't answer, and those previously linked arms and insider winks transformed into cut hair and closed doors. No one would mistake them for twins anymore.
Sometimes she wondered what they would have been like, who they would have become, if their mother had not stumbled upon that cursed jewelry. Would they still be inseparable or would they have gradually drifted? Would Nabiki still have cut her hair?
But where one sister was closed off and distant, the other was bright and loud and begging for Kasumi's attention. Akane was never one for secrecy or subtlety, and she was easily the most vibrant of the Tendo girls. Since the day she was born, the bluenette was bursting with energy and life, donning bright colors and giving loud speeches and demanding of the world, 'Look at me! Akane Tendo!'
From the moment she could walk, the youngest Tendo had been constantly on the go, unable to sit still even if her life depended on it, and much of Akane's young life had been a dominated by a wild imagination of adventuring on quests and rescuing hapless princesses (frequently Kasumi) from tyrannical warlords (Mr. Tendo and the boys at school). She had big dreams and bigger smiles and grander entrances. Whenever Kasumi slid into the background, Akane was more than happy to step into the spotlight, and more often than not, she would burst on the scene like an exploding firecracker, bustling here and there, and clambering for attention.
She surged with energy and happiness and no time to waste with polite restraint. There were things to do, boys to fight, puddles to splash, and mud to get covered in, and while the years had tempered the whirlwind that was her younger sister, the fun, exuberant spirit had never been restrained.
Sometimes her father would chuckle and say that if it wasn't for Akane's hero worship of her oldest sibling then who knows what sort of trouble she would have wound up finding. The bluenette was so like her mother in that regard without reins or resistance or patience to sit quietly and wait.
If she recognize a problem, she confronted it head on, unafraid of the consequences or how others would perceive her. In fact, Kasumi could recall one particular instance when they were at the playground together, and some older boys were refusing to share the swings. Akane was still small enough that she could sit in the smaller seats, but Kasumi was stuck waiting for one of the boys to give her a turn. When the boys continued to ignore her, Akane, fearless little spitfire that she was, marched right up to boys easily twice her height and three times her weight and loudly demanded, "You give my sister a turn!"
And they did.
She was easily the most intimidating four year old the playground had ever seen, sticking up for a sister who was almost twice her age not nearly half as vocal. Bullies of any form infuriated her, and their older age or larger size never wavered her determination. She carried righteousness and justice like a sword and shield and a few cuts and scrapes were nothing to be ashamed of. She drew a firm line in the sand that was black and white, unyielding and nonconforming.
Ironically, while Akane was the least politically savvy of the three sisters, she was easily the most social and most popular of the three siblings. There was something about her nature that was both gentle yet fierce that drew people to her. She was the person who would stand by her friends no matter what storm broke loose, and she would fight like hell for what she believed in even if the odds were stacked against her and even if it meant standing alone.
Maybe that is what Kasumi admired most about her little sister, that she could give everything without restraint or fear. She poured her whole heart into all that she did and was unashamed to wear her emotions on her sleeve. She was who she was, proud and true, and she wasn't going to hide it.
Beside her, Kasumi felt like a fraud. She was called sweet and docile but felt more like a katana, cold and sharp, that had been wrapped up in soft, soft velvet sheath. Meanwhile, Akane was the real thing. Akane was the real heir to the dojo and the only one of the three daughters of Kimiko and Soun that might have grown up to be normal. She was open in a way her sisters could never be, and while at times that may have made her appear vulnerable, it was also, in Kasumi's opinion, what made Akane the strongest of them all.
Her friendships were easy and affectionate, her loyalty unquestioning. She was the type of person everyone wanted to stand next to, if only to share in the warmth of her light, and who they turned to for a steady hand up and a firm back to lean on when things looked the most grim.
Yet the most striking feature of all was not her strength, but a quiet underlying sweetness, a softness hidden under the layers of a hard warrior. It was something men would move mountains for because it was a genuine tenderness, a soft caressing kind of gentleness that filled a person up and made one feel as though he was the most important being in the universe. It made one feel light and bubbly as champagne, and you would do anything to see it again.
It was the smile of Kimiko Tendo, radiant and breathtaking. A fitting parting gift for the daughter she would never get the chance to raise.
Yet despite all her warmth and zest, Akane's ability to draw in others is also what led her to her current predicament at school.
In one of the literature classes, they had been reading the myth about Atalanta and Hippomenes. Atalanta was a virgin huntress who was widely pursued but strongly refuted the idea of marriage. Disturbed by men stalking after her and admiring her physical beauty, she declared that whoever wanted to marry her would have to beat her in a foot race, and herself being notoriously swift, she was certain that she would never lose.
According to what Kasumi could wheedle out of Nabiki, this had sparked some interest among the girls who joked that Akane, who was famously single despite having many admirers, should take up a similar challenge but with martial arts in place of running. Akane had laughed and disclaimed such ideas as ridiculous, but somehow or other, word had gotten around to a certain kendo practitioner and what had started off as a joke turned into full out war.
Akane tried to brush it off at first, but as the days wore on and the number of boys fighting her grew, the weariness and irritation began to sneak through the cracks. Annoyance gradually shifted into anger, and it began to show in the little things, like her entrance.
Up until the inciting incident, Akane would rip the door back with both hands as though only the force of both was sufficient to move it fast enough. She'd spin in a circle, kicking off her shoes (and then subsequently chasing after them when they vanished into another room). Then, in a voice that was just a degree below shouting, she would cheerfully proclaim as if it were the greatest news in the world, "Dad! Kasumi! I'm home!"
But as had been the pattern for the last few weeks, the door was quickly opened and closed like a mouse scurrying in before the cat could catch it. Home early again, Kasumi noted with a glance to the clock, this time even before Nabiki.
From the kitchen, Kasumi strained to hear the rustle of skirts or the skitter of kicked shoes, but there was nothing. No greeting, no shuffling feet, just a silence that continued to lengthen. Just as she was setting down the teakettle to come investigate, she heard the largest sigh of defeat before a bag full of books landed heavily on the floor.
The air ached of resignation and weariness as Kasumi turned the corner, and her youngest sister's slumped posture did nothing to ease her concern. Blue bangs shielded the girl's eyes from view, and her jaw was set in a firm line.
"Akane?" Kasumi started tentatively, unsure of the right way to approach the sullen form before her, "Are you alright?"
Belatedly she noticed Akane's tightly clenched fists and the way her shoulder trembled ever so slightly. Finally, the bluenette looked up, eyes red from crying and barely holding back a fresh wave tears and muttered, "I hate boys."
It was the coldest phrase she had ever heard leave her sister's mouth and it was delivered with none of the passion that defined her sister's being. No bristling righteous fury, no fiery determination, or furious declarations for revenge. Just a cold, flat I hate boys.
This wasn't like her sister. This brooding girl who was glaring murderously at the wall was so foreign and strange that Kasumi almost didn't recognize her.
The bluenette growled low, her cheeks burning red in anger. Then she turned on Kasumi, bright eyes as sharp as daggers as they honed in on a new target, "Why do you care anyways?"
Kasumi flinched as if she had been slapped, and somehow that little motion, the slightest hint of fear—because Akane was the only one who could hurt her, really hurt her—somehow her reaction pierced though Akane's porcupine walls, and the girl deflated, instantly appearing ashamed.
"I'm sorry Kasumi. I didn't mean to snap like that. It's just…" she ran a frustrated hand through her hair, "these boys at school—"
The door swung open for a second time, and a beaming Nabiki waltzed in as if she was a queen in her kingdom—which, arguably, she was. Kasumi sent her a warning glance over Akane's shoulder, but the middle sister's up-to-no-good smile only widened as she zeroed in on her target and threw her arm around the youngest sister.
"Why there's the most popular girl at Furiken high!" the brunette exclaimed dramatically.
"Knock it off Nabiki," Akane growled as she shifted to get out of her sister's grip.
While Nabiki had a good laugh at the redness of her sister's face, it was Kasumi who noted the way the youngest had balled her fists and was nearly shaking with rage. Little details, unmistakable to eyes trained for subtlety, but action, well, that was a thing of difficulty.
While Kasumi was a master of reading people, within these walls she was rendered socially inept. Nabiki had loudly (and publically) refused to allow her sister to step in and replace her mother. She shrugged off reprimands like a fly buzzing around her head, and it wasn't until many years after Mrs. Tendo's passing that she finally stopped angrily stomping off anytime she caught Kasumi wearing her mother's apron or mimicking her mother's more famous recipes.
On the other hand, Akane had hung off her sister's every word, taking each statement to heart as if she had received a proclamation from Kami himself. However, as the girls grew older and their differences in age became more pronounced, Akane stove for independence and prided herself in being able to walk through the worst situations without having to reach for her sister's hand for guidance.
And therein lay the problem. Kasumi's hands itched to act, to slip between the two thunderclouds before they crashed. She could see it happening; Akane's face finding deeper and deeper shades of red, the middle sister's grin only growing.
Nabiki would not stop until all the buttons had been pressed or Akane flew into a fit of rage, and Akane's stubborn streak would not allow her to back down from a challenge. Caught between the two, Kasumi fidgeted with the drawstrings of her apron unsure of what to do.
"Why Akane dear," the middle Tendo teased, "I'm shocked, stunned really. How could you run away from all your adoring admirers? Don't tell me you've gone shy now."
"I said, Drop It Nabiki," Akane warned.
Finally an idea came to her, and like most spur of the moment decisions, it was an incredibly stupid one.
"Oh my!," the eldest exclaimed dramatically, "I forgot to pick up water chestnuts for dinner tonight. Nabiki, would you mind running to the market and getting them for me?"
Nabiki turned on her an irritated glare instantly seeing through Kasumi's poorly concocted excuse, but before she could open her mouth and retort, Akane beat her to it.
"I'll do it Kasumi. I have to stop by Dr. Tofu's office anyways."
Then she was gone in a ruffle of blue skirts and slammed doors. Nabiki huffed in irritation, the object of her game lost. Well, no worse for wear, the middle child reasoned, and they could always pick back up later when there wasn't an intervening older sibling to tangle with. Overall, she was quite pleased with herself, and it was not every day that one could ruffle Akane's feathers with just a few sly remarks.
Nodding to herself in satisfaction, she made to return to the domain of her bedroom when a hand shot out and grabbed her firmly by the wrist.
"What's that Nabiki?" Kasumi crooned with a smile so over laced with sugar that even the stone faced businesswoman felt the pinch of nervousness.
"You want to help me in the kitchen and have a good long heart-to-heart? Why how thoughtful of you."
While Nabiki had never been a martial artist, never even pretended to be, she was still fairly athletic compared to most girls her age and strong enough to resist the meager arm-tug of a stand-in housewife, but even she was surprised by the force behind Kasumi's pull. Knocked off balance, the middle sister would have smacked into the floor if she hadn't run into the counter first.
Wincing at the smarting pain radiating from her hip, she wondered when in the seven hells did Kasumi get so strong. As the strange concept rolled through her mind, something was unexpectedly thrust into her hands, and she grasped it instinctively before her brain caught up with her and recognized the foreign object. A dishrag. Noting the pile of dirty dishes next to her, she groaned in realization.
.
Kasumi wasn't giving Nabiki the silent treatment. While effective, that was not the real reason her back was turned to her sister's grumbling complaints and weak excuses. No, far from it.
It was all she could do to keep from shaking.
'Control.' She breathed deeply as she struggled to center herself. Pale skin, cold and clammy, one hand was wrapped tightly around her other wrist, white-knuckled and straining.
'You need to control it.'
She felt bile rise up her throat, cold sweat sliding down her spine. A tremor wracked through her body. 'No!' her mind screamed in alarm, 'not with Nabiki—'
Silence echoed through the room, and the back of Kasumi's neck prickled in alarm. Had Nabiki noticed? She had grabbed the dishrag blindly, shoving it into Nabiki's hands before the other girl could notice the altered appearance of Kasumi's jewelry.
'Safe, keep them safe. Control it. Whatever it takes.'
Feeling as though her throat was closing in, she coughed once hoping to clear her airway. However, this ended up having an entirely different effect.
As luck would have it, Nabiki had been too busy studying the dishrag and the pile of dirty dishes with a look of consternation to have noticed Kasumi's unusual behavior. As it was, the younger girl was too wrapped up in her own bubble of displeasure at what she interpreted to be an implied chore enforced by a furious and meddling older sibling to pay much mind to whatever Kasumi was fussing with (likely vegetables of some sort), and when Kasumi coughed, it was because she was still too angry to talk to Nabiki and was simply prompting her to begin her assigned punishment.
Sighing loudly, the brunette got to work.
The sound of rattling dishes surprised Kasumi so much that she nearly turned around in surprise.
"I still don't see why you're punishing me," the middle sister complained irately, "it's not like I sent those boys after her.
This time Kasumi did turn her head to look, her lips parting in silent shock at the sight before her. Nabiki… washing dishes… But why—then her sister's words caught up with her, and she had to muffle the smile back to the stern frown she was supposed to wearing.
Nabiki didn't know. The burning feeling in her stomach settled, and she carefully released her death grip over her bracelet. Nabiki didn't know.
Something bloomed in her chest as she watched her sibling grumble about chores and housework in general. That was Nabiki, constant, steady Nabiki who hated cleaning and loved numbers and was oblivious as she had ever been to her older sister's antics. Kasumi smiled, and it felt something like happiness.
On a whim, she turned on the radio, and music flooded the small kitchen. Nabiki glanced at her as Kasumi started to hum in time to the beat.
"Ugh, don't tell me you're going to start singing and dancing."
"I may," Kasumi replied playfully as she added an extra twirl to her step.
Nabiki snapped the dishtowel at her. "Stop that," she said trying not laugh, "you know you can't dance."
The eldest grinned teasingly, "Oh my. Nabiki, surely I can dance better than you can sing."
"Wanna bet?"
Her father's dark head poked through the kitchen door. "Kasumi? Nabiki?"
Like twins, the two girls turned in unison, "What is it father?"
"I have big news," Soun Tendo beamed, the corner of his eyes watering in fatherly pride.
The two brunettes looked at each other in curiosity. One smiled mischievously as she hopped off the counter while the other fiddled nervously with her apron.
"I'll get Akane," Nabiki volunteered, darting out the door before her sister could protest.
.
"A fiancé?" the three girls chorused in surprise.
"Yes," her father smiled softly, "the son of a very good friend of mine."
Kasumi glanced at her sisters trying to gauge their reaction to this. Nabiki was wearing her familiar smirk while Akane was beginning to look quite irritable.
Soun continued either oblivious of his daughters' reactions or just outright ignored them. "His name is Ranma Saotome. If one of you three girls were to marry him and carry on this training hall, then the Tendo family legacy would be secure."
'So,' Kasumi thought with a small frown, 'this is how he'll determine who inherits the dojo. All this time…' Internally, she wondered if her father had planned this out since their birth as he initially implied or if it had been a more recent development brought on by unanswered question of rightful heir between Akane and herself.
'If that's the case,' Kasumi shifted in her seat, 'Akane can have the dojo. My life isn't exactly favorable for fiancés.'
As if realizing the same thing, her youngest sister snapped at her father, "Hey wait a minute here! Don't we get to have some say in who we're going to marry?!"
Nabiki leaned into the bluenette's side, her lips twisted in a coy grin, "Maybe you should wait to meet him. You never know, he might be really cute. Right Daddy?"
Kasumi studied the middle sister carefully. Of course she wouldn't be worried about this situation; Nabiki had been saying for years that she had absolutely no interest in martial arts or the running of dojos. More than anything, she was only out to ensure that one of the other Tendo sisters followed through on her crazy father's wild scheme so that the responsibility wouldn't in turn fall upon herself.
Of course, Nabiki would have no interest in such an arrangement beyond juicy gossip and potential moneymaking schemes and had essentially written herself off the ticket the moment her father mentioned carrying on the training hall.
And then there was two.
On the plus side, Nabiki was already trying to coax Akane into the engagement idea rather than pushing it on Kasumi's hands, but the worrisome part was that Akane already was loudly expressing her thoughts on the manner, her posture essentially screaming No! No! NO!
"I hate boys."
Kasumi's attention shifted to her father who was anxiously rereading the postcard he had received and ignoring the various reactions of his daughters. "He'll be here any minute," he announced assuredly.
What here? Now?! Oh no, oh no, oh no! That didn't give Kasumi enough time to work up any excuses, convince Akane, or even make a deal with Nabiki. No time at all. Her knuckles turned white as she squeezed her apron.
"Ranma and his father have been on a training mission," her father continued, "Recently they crossed into China."
"Oooh, China!" Nabiki said with a nudge on Akane's ribs, "He's well traveled, eh sis?"
"So he hiked all the way to China," Akane rolled her eyes clearly not impressed with this selling point, "big deal."
Meanwhile, Kasumi chewed on her bottom lip. While Nabiki was still very focused on selling the engagement to Akane, the eldest Tendo was very aware that if Akane didn't come around or show even the slightest hint of interest, sooner or later the attention would focus on her.
She was the only one who had yet to say anything, to offer any excuse or protest. She shifted in her seat, wringing her hands anxiously. She couldn't afford to get caught up in something like this; an excuse, that's what she needed, and she had to find one quickly.
Well… there were only two legitimate excuses she could come up with that might actually sway the ultimate decision.
One, she wasn't technically a martial artist, not to her family's knowledge at least, and the marriage was supposed to continue the line of the Anything Goes School of martial arts. It was a weak argument though since, despite her limited training, Kasumi was the only one of her sisters that actually knew how to run a dojo, the upkeep, the management, the day-to-day issues that often were overlooked. Her sisters might not know all of what she did, but her father was certainly aware.
Right, so second reason: she and Akane were separated in age by four years. Whatever this Ranma's age was could very well dictate which daughter he ended up with as undoubtedly he would logically end up with whichever girl was closest to his own age.
"Father," she asked with no small amount of trepidation, "how old is this Ranma?"
"Is he cute?" Nabiki piped up quickly as though to distract her father from answering Kasumi's question.
So, Kasumi realized with a start, Nabiki really was playing both sides. No matter which way the house of cards fell, there was no way the middle Tendo was getting saddled down with this kind of unwanted baggage.
Two can play at that game. "Younger men are so…young."
She could have slapped herself. What a brilliant excuse. Beside her, Nabiki smirked triumphantly, and her father didn't even bother to turn around and acknowledge such a remark much less answer her original question—not a good sign.
And Nabiki was already there, speaking over Kasumi's quiet remark, "He's cute right?"
Surprisingly Akane piped in then, "Well what kind of guy is he?"
Kasumi's chest swelled with hope as Akane finally expressed even the tiniest amount of curiosity about the potential fiancé. Even her expression had shifted from one of open hostility to moderate interest.
Good. Kasumi smiled. Good.
Her father laughed somewhat uneasily, leaving his daughters hanging on the edge, waiting for him to answer even one of their questions.
Instead, Soun looked over his shoulder and sheepishly admitted, "I don't know."
"You don't know," Nabiki deadpanned clearly annoyed.
"I've never met him." Her father stated nonchalantly with a wave of his hand as though such a thing was inconsequential.
Kasumi started at her father's back with a mixture of horror and disbelief. Never met him?! This Ranma could be anyone, a serial killer, a member of the agency, or worse, an enemy sent to spy on her. This friend's son excuse could be a well-crafted lie to buy a ticket into her house, under her roof, breathing down her neck.
She struggled to remain calm, again glancing at her sisters for some guide point on how to handle this news. Akane looked ready to storm out of the room and leave this mess for her sisters to deal with, and Nabiki's ever-present smirk had vanished into a discrete frown.
But before any of the girls could vocalize their thoughts to their father's less than helpful explanation, there was some sort of commotion at the front door.
"Let go you old fool!" someone was shouting, "I told you I don't want any part of this!"
For a moment they all just stared at each other with expression mixed between excitement, irritation, and quiet alarm. No one moved, not even at the loud bang that shook the left side of the house. Soun looked pleased as he waited to see which of his daughters would react first.
Nabiki too was glancing between her two sisters, a smug look on her face. Who was willing to take the leap? Who was going to lose the unspoken contest? Akane looked as though she would rather gag herself then answer the door, and looked as though she had every intention of pretending no one was there.
Internally, Kasumi sighed and accepted the bait. As neutrally as she could and careful to show no particular interest, she said, "It sounds like we have visitors."
"Oooh," Nabiki nudged Akane as she swiftly got to her feet, "It must be Ranma." As the other two girls appeared reluctant to move, Nabiki shrugged and followed after her father to answer the door.
Meanwhile, the youngest Tendo was glowering irritably at the table, wishing she were anywhere else. Feeling pity on her little sister, Kasumi put a hand on her shoulder giving her best 'it-will-be-alright' smile. Tentatively, Akane smiled back, and the two stood together peering into the hallway Nabiki and their father had rushed down.
Only to immediately backpedal when Nabiki came sprinting back towards them screaming. A split second later, Soun Tendo rounded the corner pursued by a giant panda nearly twice Kasumi's height. It was only after Nabiki had hid behind her, intent on using the oldest sister as a human meat shield, did Kasumi notice that the panda was actually carrying something.
Or rather, someone.
"C'mon pop," the girl shouted as she smacked the panda in the side of the head, "you're scaring them senseless."
It was that girl, the one from the park. Kasumi shook her head, pinching her arm, and when the image still didn't go away, she whispered to Nabiki, "Am I wrong or is there a panda in the hall?"
Nabiki's grip tightening on Kasumi's shoulders. "You're not wrong," she moaned.
Well, at least that saved her a trip to the psychologist. 'So father," Kasumi asked uncertainly, "this is your friend?"
The head of the Tendo household shook his head violently, eyes wide in shock. He made some sort of distressing noise, a gurgle as though he were choking on his own spit.
"Oh so this panda just decided to drop in?" Nabiki added snarkily.
The panda plopped the young girl down. Soun Tendo blinked, not having noticed the girl previously, and Nabiki leaned around Kasumi to get a better look.
"You… wouldn't be…" her father stuttered, his composure still thrown of by the presence of the large bear.
The girl ducked her head either in embarrassment or shame. "I'm Ranma Saotome" she admitted quietly, "Sorry about this."
"At last… you're here…" Soun hesitated. For some reason, he imagined Ranma being, well… taller, having more of a "man among men" kind of build. Something was off about the boy that he couldn't quite put his finger on.
"Oooh, he is cute," Nabiki nodded, again elbowing Akane encouragingly. The blue haired girl crossed her arms with a huff as if to say 'big deal.'
Kasumi looked at them all in surprise. This was a girl; the ample protrusions on her chest were evidence enough of that. It took one awkward hug and a longer than necessary fondling session from Nabiki, before the rest of the family to realize the obvious.
Akane perked up, clearly pleased at the vanishing marriage proposal, but Nabiki's expression had soured slightly, like a cat disappointed that the canary had escaped. Soun Tendo, however, had exceeded the amount of surprises he was capable of handling in such a short period of time and promptly fainted.
Kasumi sighed as the others just stared at her prone father. Rolling up her sleeves, she stepped towards him with the intention of moving him back inside at the very least. As she knelt beside him, looping an arm under his shoulder, the hair on the back of her neck prickled and she felt it again.
The stare. The girl was watching her.
"Akane, could you help me please?" It took all of Kasumi's will power to keep her voice even and steady.
It wasn't like the time when she caught one of her classmates staring at her, yet it felt more intense than that, like the red-haired girl was trying to read her or something. The feeling of unease crept up her spine as she very decidedly did not meet that curious gaze.
"Sure," Akane bent and together they moved the unconscious man inside.
.
Closing the kitchen door behind her, Kasumi sighed in relief. Akane, that wonderful, wonderful creature, had taken Ranma down to the dojo, and the eldest Tendo girl finally felt as though she could breathe again.
Everything was going to be okay. Ranma was a girl, she wasn't engaged, and even that strange panda seemed to have disappeared. The bills were paid, the house was warm, and she was making her favorite food tonight. Everything was going to be okay.
… But why did it still feel like a storm was brewing?
Her mother pulled her close, pressing Kasumi against her chest, and stroked her hair lovingly. "My Kasumi, my beautiful Kasumi."
The older woman's hands shook, tears streaming from her eyes. "You will be brave won't you? Take care of your sisters?"
Kasumi nodded into her mother's kimono not understanding the situation. This was back before. Before her parents sold her to the agency, before the car accident, before the family's foundation cracked and buckled, before Kasumi tightened the notch in her belt and raised it up again…
Before a beautiful bracelet dangled from her wrist.
This was before any of that, when her mother came home after a long day, the doctor's words still ringing painfully in her ears. Pregnant. Another girl. Mrs. Tendo had run all the way home, her vision clouded and her thoughts rolling over and over like a stone tumbling down a hill. Pregnant. A third daughter.
She had failed them, and it wouldn't be long before Kami's wrath rained down from the heavens and struck down upon them.
Blindly, the young mother had opened the door, and like a flash of lightning, her vision cleared. There was her eldest daughter standing in the foyer with her school bag still slung over her shoulder.
Mrs. Tendo, still dripping wet, reached for her daughter, clung to her with all that she had. Her Kasumi, her precious Kasumi. She wouldn't live long enough to see her little girl grow up. There were so many things she would miss: her girls growing, learning, living. She would miss their first fledgling romances, and she would miss their weddings. Mrs. Tendo would become an empty place at the table, a void that would never be filled, a vacant seat on their wedding days… Her girls, her beautiful girls, she sobbed.
She would miss everything.
Her fingers tangled in Kasumi's hair, filled with longing and regret. Her gaze danced around wildly, trying to take everything in at once as though she could be spirited away at any moment. Each second was so precious, yet how she longed for more.
Kasumi held onto her mother, terrified of her strange behavior. What? Why? Was mama okay?
"You're such a good girl Kasumi," her mother brushed her hair soothingly, "I know you will be brave."
A silver chain dangled from her mother's wrist, and Kasumi eyed it curiously, admiring the way the light of the foyer reflected off the tiny silver links.
.
She nearly dropped the tray of tea when she returned to the dining room and suddenly there was strange man sitting next to her father. She hadn't sensed the newcomer enter the premise, but here he was, addressing her father familiarly as though he had been here all along.
She had only brought two cups. Normally this was the time of day that she would share with her father. The girls would be busy doing their homework, and father would have just finished his work. They would just sit quietly together sipping tea and enjoying the lovely sunset.
It was their time. Time when she didn't have to share her father with anyone else, and she could just be his daughter instead of an assassin, spy, or housekeeper.
As she approached, their hushed voices suddenly died down, and it was clear that they were talking about something for which eavesdroppers wouldn't be appreciated. She set down the tray quietly and unloaded the kettle and the two cups before slipping back out of the room with a swish of her skirt.
"That was Kasumi, my eldest," she heard her father saying as the stranger's eyes trailed after her.
Kasumi wasn't like Nabiki. She had already made a career out of spying on others, and she didn't feel inclined to include her family members in that circle. There were lines that she did not cross, and this was one of them.
She was about to return to the sanctuary of the kitchen when suddenly there was a loud piercing scream that tore through her heart. Akane.
The broom was in her hand before she remembered reaching for it, and she was taking the stairs two at a time when Akane suddenly came crashing into her from the opposite direction. The two girls collided in a tangle of sharp elbows and bony knees.
Before they could tumble over, Kasumi stuck her broom through one of the spaces in the banister. Wood creaked, threatening to snap, and Kasumi pushed Akane backwards so that she would land on her butt rather than her head.
The wooden post snapped under Kasumi's weight, and the sisters fell in opposite directions. Kasumi was about to execute a last minute handspring to avoid any potential head trauma when the sight of Akane stopped her.
She was at home; she couldn't just react to things as she normally did. So she fell stiffly, only moving enough to brace herself for impact.
Then her arms jerked forward as someone grabbed hold of the broom, and it felt as though her arms were about to be ripped out of their sockets by the sudden change in force. Had Akane…? Her eyes followed the path of the broom up where two hands grasped at the bristle end.
A boy with messy black hair was standing awkwardly over Akane, feet planted as though he had almost bowled her over in his haste to grab the broom. Kasumi was so shocked by the turn of events that the stranger had to practically drag her back up to the step she had been on, patiently waiting for her to regain her balance before he dared let go of the handle.
Kasumi's mind was reeling. How had yet another person snuck into her home without her awareness? Blue eyes stared at her intensely, and if it had not been for Akane's intervention, she very much doubted she would have been able to look away.
"Hey! Stay away from my sister you pervert!"
The youngest Tendo stepped in front of her sister protectively. Glaring at the stranger that had not only invaded her home but her privacy as well, and then the leech has the nerve to look at Kasumi! Hands clenching and her face reddening in anger, she swore she was going to hit this guy all the way to Osaka for this.
"Akane," her oldest sibling asked with a nervous edge to her voice, "do you know this man?"
The blue haired girl snorted. "Know him?! Kasumi, this, this pervert was sneaking a peak on me in the bathroom."
"Hey now," the boy protested, "you're the one who came in on me!"
"You scoundrel!" she shouted, "Trying to spy on girls while they bathe. How low can you get?!"
"How did he even get in here?" Kasumi wondered out loud.
A throat cleared behind her, and the two girls spun around to see Soun Tendo and his mysterious guest standing at the bottom of the stairs.
"Akane, Kasumi," their father intoned, "this is my old friend Genma Saotome." The short, burly man in a worn-out gi nodded at the two girls respectfully. "…and this is his son."
'What?' Two head snapped back around to stare at the boy at the top of the stairs. He was still holding Kasumi's broom awkwardly, and stared at his feet at the sudden attention.
"I'm Ranma Saotome," he announced somewhat apologetically. "Sorry about this."
…
A/N: I know this chapter has been a long time coming, and I may have never posted it if it wasn't for the persistent cheering from SomebodyLost (proof reviews & encouragement do make a difference). If you too like the story, please let me know. I also love hearing your theories and ideas about where the story is headed, and who knows maybe you'll be right!