The Other Tendo Girl
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Chapter 5
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As soon as the younger crowd had left for school with varying degrees of enthusiasm, Kasumi retired to her room for a quick nap. The dishes were soaking, she had already prepped some cold somen for lunch, and her handler had graciously offered to pick up the groceries for her given the last minute nature of her mission the night prior.
She still had her report to transcribe, and headquarters was undoubtedly still buzzing at the success of her mission. She wasn't engaged, and Akane was walking Ranma to school. The sheets were clean, her mattress was soft, and there was a knife stashed under her pillow. Everything was as it should be.
For the moment, life was good.
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Meanwhile, Akane was going through her typical pre-school routine as she kicked and dodged her way through a hoard of boys eager on proving themselves worthy enough to date the lovely lady. She spun, twisted, and punched her way through the crowd leaving crushed hearts and an array of broken sports equipment in her wake.
From a distance, Ranma watched the display caught somewhere between perplexed and horrified. It was like watching a train wreck occur, wishing he hadn't seen it yet somehow unable to look away. He winced at the poor fool who got caught by her uppercut and was sent flying into a tree, a one way ticket on the Akane express. He made a mental note to dodge those wrecking ball hits if the bluenette ever directed her ire on him.
"Hurry up Ranma," Nabiki called from a second floor window, "or you'll be late for class."
"Yeah but…" It was the middle school cafeteria all over again, but instead of boys fighting each other for bread, they were fighting for a girl. Fighting the girl to win the girl. It was so strange and bizarre and illogical that even Ranma who frequently found himself in ridiculous situations was stupefied at it all.
"Don't worry," Nabiki called back reassuringly, "Akane can take care of herself. This happens every morning."
Which wasn't reassuring to Ranma at all. These bozos lined up every morning to get their heads beaten in? It didn't take a genius to see that this approach clearly wasn't winning any points with Akane despite their persistent efforts so why bother? Maybe their heads had gotten knocked in one too many times. Who had come up with the brilliant idea to try to pick up a girl by beating her in combat anyways?
A question that was quickly answered as the clown of the year showed up, blathering bad poetry and sounding about as appealing as a dead rat. "Like the fair goddess Atalanta, who spurred unworthy men so does my love turn away from those undeserving of her affections. Graceful huntress yet refined like the lily, my inflamed heart has no choice but to pursue, to win her as she has won me."
Akane had already tuned out the kendo captain with a roll of the eyes, shoving her way through the bodies of the fallen and into the building before the "spirited" young man had even realized she had left.
"Hark, where has the sweet maiden flown to?"
"Probably to class," Ranma said as the other boys began to regain consciousness and likewise began crawling towards the building. "Better hurry up bud, or you'll be late."
Ranma moved to enter the school, but he was abruptly cut off when a wooden training sword was thrust in his face.
"You fiend!" The blue-robed clown shouted, "Who are you, and what have you done to the fair Akane Tendo!? No-wait. Is it not proper to provide one's own introduction first? Very well then, I am Tatewaki Kuno, captain of the kendo club, and the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High, age 17."
And somehow beyond all reason, Ranma had just unknowingly and unintentionally created his, well, third "eternal rival".
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Dinner was strangely subdued that evening. Apparently Ranma and his father were engaged in some kind of food-stealing battle, and Akane had firmly taken up Kasumi's usual spot so that rather than sitting next to the strange guests as would have been expected of the matriarch, the eldest Tendo was instead wedged between her father and Nabiki.
Kasumi was unsure how to feel about the current arrangement as the Saotomes attacked food as if they had never eaten before while Akane fluctuated between glaring at Ranma and ignoring them completely. Still, the bluenette was sitting next to her theoretical fiance which Kasumi could only hope was a good sign.
"So Akane and Ranma visited Dr. Tofu today," Nabiki started once the heated food battle had started to abate.
Kasumi reflexively scanned Akane, searching for any hidden injury or bruises she may have missed. "Oh my, Akane you didn't get hurt did you?"
Nabiki burst out laughing, spitting some of her food across the table, "Yes Akane, why don't you tell us what happened?"
The youngest Tendo shifted uncomfortably, looking down at her food as her cheeks turned red. "It was an accident!" She squeaked, "It's not my fault Ranma is so clumsy and his face ran into my fist."
"You punched me!" Ranma sputtered indignantly, "There was nothing accidental about it!"
"You ran into the girls' locker-room. That punch was justified!" Akane returned. "Pervert! Peeping tom!"
"Oh come on! Why would I want to look at a tomboy like you?"
Akane's face grew red and she looked as if she were on the verge of hitting him again.
"Look at them," chuckled Genma, "fighting like an old married couple."
"We are NOT a couple!" The two teens shouted back simultaneously. Then like a matched set, they turned towards each other at the same second with identical twin glares.
Nabiki snorted, nearly choking on her food when she started to laugh and swallow simultaneously. Kasumi patted the middle sister's back, but her worried gaze focused on Akane, lingering on fingers that clenched into a fist.
As if sensing her gaze, Akane glanced at her older sister, and the furious expression shifted. The fire cooled into something softer, protective. The fist unclenched as the younger girl sifted in her seat and stared at her plate.
"I wish you all would drop the fiance thing. You can't force this on anyone and expect it to work -"
"Oh!" Nabiki interrupted before Akane could completely spoil her fun, "I forgot to mention it earlier, but the hot water is out so we'll have to go to the public baths tonight."
The Saotomes groaned. Given their "condition" it was understandable that they would be less than pleased about having to go somewhere with plenty of water was being carelessly flung about much less in a public setting.
"We can go in a few hours," Kasumi offered in sympathy, "after the main crowd has cleared out."
"Good idea," Genma nodded, "until then Ranma let's spar!"
Before the teen could object, the older man flung him out into the yard by his harori.
"My, they are energetic," Kasumi said.
"I'll say," Nabiki seconded.
"Do those morons ever slow down?" Akane asked in exacerbation as the two in the yard charged at each other with feet and fists. She rolled her eyes at their predictability and huffed, "Boys, honestly."
"Such is the life of a true martial artist," Soun declared sagely as he sipped from his tea.
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"You should apologize to Akane!" Genma lectured as Ranma dodged his right hook.
"I don't owe that tomboy anything," the teen announced as he leapt over a sweeping kick. Twisting agilely, the boy spun into a roundhouse kick that sent his father careening into the pond. As a disgruntled panda emerged, Ranma added, "and she's right ya know. If you don't knock it off with forcing this engagement it's never going to work."
And with his father no longer able to reply in any human language, Ranma wandered off.
Sitting on the roof, he stared up at the stars. He felt something like homesick in that moment, missing the countless stars he used to see every night of their travels. The sky seemed so dark and bleak with the city lights drowning out all the natural beauty. He missed being surrounded by the sounds of nature and hated how he fell asleep to the sound of trains and pedestrians instead of the gentle chirp of insects or the rustle of leaves.
Maybe he should apologize to Akane. He hadn't quite been himself since he got here and the whole fiance mess was dumped on his head, and he admittedly had been taking out some of his frustrations on her. He wasn't the boy Akane wanted, that much had been obvious at Dr. Tofu's office, and Akane wasn't the girl the he wanted.
But that didn't mean he had to treat her as he had been, attempting to shove her away at every opportunity, shoving her moments of kindness back in her face. Granted, the bluenette hadn't exactly been showering him with kindness either, but a good foundation had to start somewhere and it might as well start with him.
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Downstairs, Nabiki had taken refuge in Akane's room, stretching out on her younger sibling's bed while Akane finished up her homework.
"So what if he's a guy that changes into a girl?" Nabiki said, "I think it's kind of cool."
Akane's pencil snapped. "Cool?! Oh sure that's easy for you to say, but my life might as well be over if I have to marry a stupid jerk like him. Put yourself in my place will you!? I can't stand the thought of being associated with that pervert! Now I'm engaged to my worst nightmare!"
Outside her door, Ranma paused, his hand a mere hair's breadth away from knocking on her door.
"I mean honestly!" Akane snapped.
He stood there, lost somewhere between shock and hurt at the young woman's declaration. His raised hand lowered slowly to his side, eyes falling to a darker shade of blue. Whatever apology or hope for starting afresh that had been on Ranma's mind disintegrated like a sugar cube in water. Gone was everything but the bitter aftertaste.
Frustration rippled through him, and the urge to move suddenly became unbearable. Leaping over the banister with the intention of bypassing the stairs completely, he nearly toppled over the third tendo girl on her way upstairs.
Brown eyes widened in surprise, gasp escaping from her lips, bucket of water sent flying in the air.
Ranma moved on instinct, grabbing onto her so she would fall onto him and not down the stairs. His face wound up pressed into her neck, smelling the remnants of vanilla and chamomile in her hair. She froze, stiff as a board, too stunned to right herself or move from his hold.
The bucket landed on the floor with a loud clang.
It was a long moment before he moved, and even then, he drew back slowly. She didn't move away, didn't leap out of his grasp-appearing more stunned than anything - but that was something, here and not leaving. Kasumi was right in front of him, so close, her cheeks red, her eyes wide, and all so near his.
He moved, stepping down so now they were at the same level, arms shifting so they rested around her waist instead of her shoulders. What would it be like, he wondered, to close that gap, to kiss her. Her eyes were on him, lost somewhere in that strange quiet between them, not fighting, not running, but not bringing him closer.
Curiosity. That's what it was.
The door to Akane's bedroom snapped open, and Ranma had a split second to disentangle himself from the pretty brunette before the two younger sisters were peering around the corner.
"Everything alright?" Nabiki asked, "we heard a crash." She took in Kasumi's and Ranma's proximity with a raised eyebrow.
"It's nothing," the eldest Tendo reassured, "Ranma surprised me, and I dropped my bucket."
Ever helpful Akane scrambled down the stairs. "Here, let me help you clean it up," she offered, and if she just so happened to put herself between Ranma and Kasumi, then happy accident.
Leaning against the banister, Nabiki took the whole scene in, smirking as though she had seen the whole thing play out from start to finish.
"Well then, should we go to the baths once you finish?"
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"Why are you smiling?" Akane demanded, eyeing Ranma suspiciously as the group trekked to the bath house. "If you're planning something lecherous-"
"Oh put a sock in it," Ranma grumbled smile dropping from his face, "I was just thinking about how this is kinda like when Pops and I used to travel, going to the public bathhouses, sleeping under the stars. I kinda miss it ya know?"
The sharpness of the younger girl's dulled. "We used to go camping when I was younger. We had saved up our allowance and each got a brand new tent, but in the end we all ended up sleeping in the same one. Sometimes we even set up all the tents, but then Nabiki would have forgotten her blanket, I would get scared about monsters, and somehow we'd all end up together."
"It's not like we got much sleep on those trips," Nabiki interjected, "Between Kasumi hogging all the blankets and Akane kicking in her sleep, I never got much shut eye on those trips."
"But we still shared a tent," Kasumi said with a bubble of laughter. "It was our special time that we didn't have to share with anyone else. We could laugh, throw pillows, have tickle fights, and stay up as late as we wanted."
Ranma smiled picturing the three as little girls hovering around a flashlight telling jokes and ghost stories. Knees pressed together in the cramped space. Akane would be gesturing wildly while Nabiki sported her trademark smirk and Kasumi braided her hair. Three peas in a pod.
A train of thought that was rudely interrupted by the splash of cold water.
"Oh sorry dear," the old lady called after accidentally spraying Ranma in the midst of watering her flowers, "these old eyes! I didn't see you there."
"It's fine," Ranma mumbled more annoyed than anything.
"Oh my, what are you going to do when we get to the bathhouse Ranma?" Kasumi asked.
"Yeah," chimed in the middle sister, "It's not unisex."
"There's no way, he's coming to the girl's side!" Akane shouted, scandalized at the very idea.
"Well what should we do?" Nabiki pondered aloud, "It's not like they have a boy cursed as girl side."
"Hmm..." thought Kasumi, "We could stop at Dr. Tofu's-"
"No!" shouted the other two girls simultaneously."
Kasumi and Ranma blinked at them.
"I mean," Akane started, "It's late. He's probably already in bed, and he wouldn't appreciate us barging in right now."
"I suppose..." Kasumi allowed, still quite confused over their strong reaction.
"Yeah," Nabiki added with a nervous jitter, "I'm sure we'll find Ranma some hot water without having to bother Dr. Tofu. Besides, I think there might be a tea shop next to the bathhouse. What do ya say, let's go there now!?"
Without waiting for the other two to respond, the two youngest Tendo's took off at high speed like two mice scurrying away from a hungry cat.
Kasumi and Ranma shared a dumbfounded glance.
"Any idea what that was all about?" the redhead asked. "I thought Akane liked Dr. Tofu?"
Kasumi shrugged looking as lost as her companion. "She does, that's the strange part."
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A/N: Shorter chapter, but better to update then to leave you hanging!
A lot of the material I got for this chapter is from various episodes throughout the series (mostly episode 3) but still based around cannon events from the Ranma universe. We didn't get much Kasumi perspective in this chapter as it focused more on Ranma's reactions, but hey, that what chapter 6 is for. What do you think she was thinking during the stairs incident?