Chapter 9 - Plans Unveiled
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Akane held her school bag to her chest with both hands as she ran down the street towards the Cat Café. She had hoped to talk to Ranma immediately after school, but then he’d pulled that little stunt and jumped out the classroom window. Then Akane had tried to leave the classroom to catch up, but she was intercepted by her friends Sayuri and Yuka. Both had wanted details of what was going on, especially after what had happened between Ranma and Ukyo. She tried to beg off, but they were insistent.
And so, here she was, more than twenty minutes after Ranma had left school, running around frantically trying to find him. ‘I just know he went to talk to Shampoo,’ she thought worriedly. Visions of him kneeling on the floor in front of Ukyo, a tanto poised to enter his stomach, still danced in her memory. ‘That baka better not do anything stupid.’
Finally reaching the Cat Café, Akane stood against the wall, just outside the opening. Her first instinct was to simply charge in and demand to know what was happening. However, she battled the thought down and decided to play things cautious. She listened intently, hoping that she might garner some clue as to what was happening inside.
The only thing she heard was the incensed quacking of a duck, and the occasional rattling of pans. After a minute or so, her curiosity got the better of her, and she stuck her head inside the building. It only took a moment for her eyes to adjust, but she didn’t see or hear anything out of the ordinary.
‘Hmm,’ she thought, withdrawing her head, ‘he’s not here. Even if he was in the back or upstairs, I’m sure I’d hear him. Maybe he’s already come and gone. Or maybe he found Shampoo somewhere else. Or maybe...’ Her mind was alight with possibilities, none of which she could confirm. Unsure what else to do, Akane decided to head home and wait for Ranma there.
As she walked, her thoughts kept coming back to ex-fiancé. ‘Why did things have to turn out this way?’ she moaned internally. ‘Why couldn’t I just believe him? Why was Ryoga such a jerk? Why did Kasumi have to accept the engagement? What if they really fall in love?’
The last thought spurred Akane on and she found herself picking up her pace. ‘I need to talk to Ranma. I need to apologize. I need to-’ Her thoughts cut off quickly as she realized that she was passing by Dr. Tofu’s clinic. She came to an abrupt halt and stared at the building.
Shame filled her as she remembered the kiss she’d given him. ‘Why did I do that?’ she wondered. ‘I haven’t thought about him like that in a long time. Was I just desperate? I can’t believe I acted so stupid. The only person he wants is...’
A light bulb went off in Akane’s mind as the beginnings of a plan formed in her mind. ‘Dr. Tofu loves Kasumi. Maybe if he found out that Ranma and her are engaged, it’ll be enough to snap him out of his problems. If he can talk to Kasumi and tell her how he feels, then maybe...’ A large smile crossed Akane’s face.
‘Dr. Tofu tells Kasumi how he feels. Kasumi falls in love with him. Ranma won’t have anymore fiancées, but the agreement between our dads will still be in place. In the meantime, I make up with him and then we can get back together. And then everyone will be happy! It’s not perfect, but it might work.’
Akane considered how to tell the doctor about the engagement, but decided it would be too embarrassing to face him right now. She started walking towards the house again, when she got an idea. ‘Nabiki...’
| Nabiki’s mind was in a quandary as she thought about what to do with the information she’d received from Yurina. Not too long after she’d talked to Kasumi, Ranma had arrived home. She’d been upstairs at the time, and when she’d come down, she heard the two talking in the kitchen. Ranma seemed a little angry that Kasumi was up and about, but the eldest Tendo daughter had managed to expertly soothe him. After he’d relented, Ranma had asked what he could do to help her around the house. ‘Ranma’s offering to... help!?’ Nabiki’s mind asked incredulously. She’d thought what he did at breakfast would be a onetime thing, a fluke. Apparently she was wrong. Shortly after, Ranma was outside in the backyard doing some of the chores that Kasumi usually did. ‘Wow!’ Nabiki thought, before her mind drifted back to the events of the day. ‘He |
 |
Deciding to relax for a little while, Nabiki turned on the television and sat on the couch. It wasn’t long until she heard the front door open and Akane announce her presence. Nabiki wouldn’t have given it a second thought, but soon Akane came into the living room and plopped down on the couch next to her.
“Hey Big Sis,” Akane said sweetly.
“What do you want?” Nabiki asked coolly, aware Akane was buttering her up for something. She turned to face her sister and waited expectantly.
“Whatever do you mean?” Akane asked with a scandalous look on her face. “Can’t I just come home and say hello to my own sister?”
Not even bothering to dignify the question with a response, Nabiki just continued to stare into Akane’s eyes. It didn’t take long.
“Oh fine!” Akane grumped. “Yes, I want you to do something for me.”
Fighting a grin, Nabiki responded, “And that is?”
Akane glanced around, obviously trying to make sure that nobody was around.
“Kasumi is in the kitchen, the idiots are playing Shogi, and Ranma...” Nabiki paused dramatically, “is out back doing yard work for Kasumi.” The shock on Akane’s face was akin to what Nabiki had felt earlier, but she didn’t let it show. No sense ruining her well-groomed reputation for being unflappable.
“Well, I was walking past Dr. Tofu’s clinic on the way home,” Akane said, a small blush forming that made Nabiki curious.
‘I thought she was long over him,’ she mused.
“And I was thinking that because of the poor doctor’s problem, he might miss his chance to get together with Kasumi. Then I thought about the engagement, and wondered if the news might be enough to help cure his problem. If so, then he’ll be able to tell Kasumi how he feels.” At this point, Akane was beaming with pleasure.
“Uh huh,” Nabiki replied. “And you want me to do what exactly?” She could already tell what her sister wanted, but was still wondering about the blush.
“Well,” Akane responded hopefully, “I was thinking that maybe you could let him know about it.”
“I see. And why can’t you mention it to him?” When Akane began to sputter out an answer, Nabiki’s curiosity was piqued more than ever.
“Well... um... that is, you’re so good at talking to people. And, I um... I thought maybe you could talk some sense into him.”
“Right,” Nabiki drawled. ‘Just who in the hell does she think she’s kidding? And what’s up with this sudden shyness about Dr. Tofu? Guess there’s only one way to find out.’
“No,” Nabiki said firmly, and turned her face back towards the television.
“W-what?” Akane stammered. “Why not?”
“Because you’re not being entirely honest with me,” Nabiki said, still facing away.
“O-of c-course I am.”
Nabiki waited a few moments before turning to face her sisters. Akane’s face was bright red at this point, which just added more validity to her suspicions. “Oh really,” she said. “Tell me why you don’t want to talk to Dr. Tofu. And don’t give me this crap about how I’d do better at it. I want the truth.”
Akane fidgeted and was looking nearly everywhere else in the room except at her sister. After several moments, she looked at Nabiki and seemed ready to answer, but when she opened her mouth, nothing came out. She tried again with the same results. Finally, she just looked down at the couch.
“Well?” Nabiki asked. Akane merely shook her head.
“I never go into a situation without all the facts,” Nabiki said professionally, attempting to hide the frustration she felt at not finding out what was going on. “Furthermore, you and I both know this isn’t about Dr. Tofu and Kasumi, it’s about you trying to get Ranma back.” She waited for Akane to deny it, but her sister didn’t even lift her head.
“Besides,” the middle Tendo continued, “both Kasumi and Ranma seem to be getting along well. Kasumi seems more alive than I’ve seen her in a long time. I’m not going to try to deprive her of that just so you can take Ranma back after your own screw-up.” Nabiki stood up and looked down at her sister. “If you want Ranma back, you should try to do it fair and square. Don’t resort to tricks like the other girls have or you’re just going to make the situation worse.”
Without another word, Nabiki left her sister and headed up the stairs. As she walked, she considered exactly what she needed to do to find out what was going on with Dr. Tofu.
Akane sat on the couch wondering what to do. ‘Maybe Nabiki is right,’ she thought glumly. ‘But how can I ever hope to win Ranma back from someone like Kasumi fair and square?’
She considered going outside to talk to Ranma, like she’d been meaning to do right after school, but suddenly she felt ashamed for what she’d been planning. ‘Why does this have to be so difficult?’
Not sure what else to do, Akane went up to her room and laid down on her bed. ‘There’s no way that I can talk to Dr. Tofu after what happened. And maybe I shouldn’t even try.’ Closing her eyes, she continued in her efforts to come up with some kind of reasonable plan. However, due to the intense few days she’d had, Akane was soon asleep.
As Kasumi worked on her dinner preparations, she couldn’t help but wonder what was happening with Ranma. After what had happened that morning, she’d expected that he wouldn’t be happy that she was up and about. She was correct, but she’d been able to handle him.
When he’d asked what he could do to help out, Kasumi couldn’t help but smile. ‘He really was serious about helping,’ she remembered fondly.
However, throughout their entire conversation, she’d noticed that he was acting somewhat reserved. ‘It was like he was hiding something. But what could it possibly be?’ She had to admit that she didn’t have a clue. ‘That’s not like him at all. I guess I’ll have to have a talk with him after dinner.’
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Ranma changed back into his male form before making his way down to dinner. He’d been male while doing the yard work for Kasumi, but afterwards he’d changed into his female form and made his way to the dojo. He’d spent the rest of the afternoon performing an intense workout, one that he planned to repeat again after dinner. Rather than sitting down at the table, Ranma made his way into the kitchen to help Kasumi carry the food. She favored him with another one of those smiles that he’d come to find so disarming. Once everything was set, everyone sat down and began to eat. The whole household seemed rather subdued. Ranma saw that Kasumi was watching him curiously, but not saying much. Akane seemed lost in thought, while Nabiki kept staring at her. The two fathers seemed to sense the mood and |
‘Uh oh,’ he thought, seeing a mischievous grin develop on her face.
“So Ranma,” she said casually. “How did things go with Shampoo today?” Everyone stopped eating and turned to face him.
“Um, well...” Ranma began, not quite sure how to word things so they didn’t sound as bad as they really were. Before he had the chance to come up with something though, he was caught off guard.
“What are you doing hanging around that Chinese floozy, boy?!” his father demanded. Ranma tried to respond, but was cut off.
“Are you cheating on my daughter?!” Soun yelled angrily.
“No!” Ranma shouted back. “It’s nothin' like that!” He noticed that Kasumi was watching him closely, the curious expression on her face turning more into confusion. Again, he tried to come up with something to say, but was once again denied that chance.
“So was it like what you did with Ukyo today?” Nabiki asked innocently. Ranma felt like reaching across the table and throttling her.
‘Dammit, she’s doin’ this on purpose,’ he thought crossly.
“You’re cheating on my daughter with two girls?!” Soun was getting absolutely furious by this point.
“I said it ain’t like that!” Ranma said, getting angry now that nobody was listening. Both Soun and Genma looked ready to take Ranma outside and beat him to death, when Kasumi interjected.
“Father,” she said softly, causing the tension in the room to immediately dissipate. “Mr. Saotome. I trust Ranma completely, so I would appreciate it if you would hear him out.”
Both men looked at Kasumi, and then one another. They nodded, and then sat down, though both still looked angry. Ranma gave his fiancée a grateful smile.
“Thanks Kasumi,” he said. Once everyone appeared settled, Ranma continued. “Well, first of all, I got Ukyo to let me outta the engagement.”
“Well done boy!” Genma shouted, his anger replaced by a look of pure joy.
“Indeed son,” Soun said, managing not to cry at the news. “I’m sorry I doubted you.”
Ranma waved it off. “No problem. Anyway, then I talked to Shampoo-”
“Wait,” Nabiki cut in. Everyone turned to face her. “Aren’t you going to tell them how you convinced Ukyo?”
“That ain’t really important,” Ranma said, glaring at the middle Tendo daughter.
“Oh, but I disagree,” Nabiki said. Before she had a chance to go on, Kasumi spoke up.
“Ranma,” she said quietly. “I would like to know what happened. Will you please tell us?”
Looking into those beautiful brown eyes, Ranma knew he couldn’t resist. ‘Dammit,’ he thought. Finally, he let out a sigh.
“Well,” he began. “I told her that even though she’s my best friend, that I can’t marry her 'cause I don’t love her. Then I said that 'cause the Gambling King owned the yattai, that the engagement wasn’t legitimate. She still wouldn’t listen though. Since I didn’t have any other choice, I told her I’d,” he took a deep breath before letting the rest come out all at once, “commitseppukuifshedidn’tletmeout.”
Neither Akane or Nabiki, who had been there during the incident, responded at all. However, as the words finally filtered through the others minds, the reactions were quite mixed. Kasumi’s hand shot up to her mouth and she looked as shocked as Ranma could ever remember seeing her.
Soun finally let the tears fall as he cried, “He was willing to die for my baby girl!”
Genma merely sat there, nodding his head, mumbling words like “honorable” under his breath.
After a few moments, Ranma decided to get the rest over with. “Anyway, then I had to deal with Shampoo. Because of their stupid laws, the only thing I could think ta do was challenge her. I finally got her ta agree, and we have a fight in one month. If I win, she’ll stop chasin’ me and leave both our families alone.”
Kasumi still looked in shock, and didn’t really respond to the news. Both fathers were merely carrying on as they had been, while Akane was just looking at him curiously. Nabiki, however, was giving him an appraising look that left Ranma feeling uncomfortable. He was about to ask her what her problem was when she spoke.
“So, what happens if you lose the challenge?” she asked pointedly.
“Well,” Ranma sighed. He’d hoped this wouldn’t come up. Again, he was trying to think of a way to sugarcoat it, but looking at everyone around the table, he decided it was be best to get it over with now. “If I lose, I promised that I’d marry Shampoo and go back to China with her.”
The response was both instantaneous and diverse. The fathers both started trying to berate Ranma again. Nabiki just sat there with a smirk on her face. Akane was gaping at him. When he managed the courage to look into Kasumi’s eyes, he saw hurt there. That bothered him most of all. He wanted to say something, anything, to reassure her. However, he first had to deal with the two idiots screaming at him.
“Listen here you jerks!” Ranma shouted them down. “What in the hell did you want me ta do? Did you want me to let Shampoo find out that I was engaged to Kasumi and just wait until she found a chance to remove the ‘obstacle’ in her path? She pretty much threatened ta kill anyone who got in her way when I issued the challenge. Is that what you guys want!?”
Neither man responded, and both still looked really unhappy. Ranma shook his head and then spoke more calmly. “Look, this ain’t exactly what I wanted. At least this way Kasumi will be protected. If I lose, yeah I’ll basically be Shampoo’s slave, but I’d rather have that happen than see Kasumi get hurt. But if I win, then Shampoo will stop huntin’ me and Kasumi will be safe.”
Ranma looked over at his fiancée again as she processed everything he’d said. When she returned the gaze, he saw that much of the hurt seemed to have dissipated, which made him happy. He also saw something else there that he couldn’t quite identify, though he thought it might be anger. ‘Why would she be angry?’ he wondered.
After a few moments, it looked like the fathers were going to start in on him again. Ranma cut them off before they had the chance. “Look, it’s already a done deal. The challenge has been issued and accepted. In a month, I fight Shampoo in my girl form. There ain’t nothin’ anyone can do about it, so just let it go.”
With that, Ranma stood up from the table with his glass of water, which he then splashed himself with. “I’m not gonna argue about it no more. I need to focus on training, so don’t come bugging me,” she said to the two fathers. With an apologetic look towards Kasumi, Ranma left for the dojo.
| Kasumi sat at the table, staring at the spot where Ranma had last been standing. She was vaguely aware that her father and Mr. Saotome were having a heated discussion about something, though her mind was in too much turmoil to register what was being said. ‘H-he was willing to... d-die... for me,’ she thought, a chill running up her spine. The only person close to her that had ever died was her mother, and the grieving wasn’t something she was anxious to repeat. ‘Would he really have done it?’ “Nabiki,” she said, turning towards her sister. “Was... was Ranma really serious about d-d-dying?” |
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“T-Thanks,” Kasumi stuttered, before looking down at the table. ‘I can’t believe he was willing to do that. And when he’d talked about having to marry Shampoo...’ She remembered how hurt she felt at the prospect, even if such thoughts were a long way off for her and Ranma. ‘And when he’d explained why he did it...’
The swirl of emotions kept rising and falling within her like a tide. First, anger would come to the fore as she thought about how he’d endangered himself, and that he was willing to take his own life. Then the sorrow came as she thought about how she’d feel if he had died, or if he was forced to marry someone he didn’t love in an effort to save her. Finally, almost against her will, a sense of peace and joy came swelling up at the prospect that he was willing to do these things for her.
Up until now, she’d felt contented that he was willing to sacrifice his home, and his happiness, rather than force her into something he thought she didn’t want. ‘But he’s willing to die, or marry someone he doesn’t love, just because he cares about me.’ It was so nice, after so long, to have someone that truly cared about her to the extent that Ranma did. ‘I’m sure my family does too, I just never seem to see it.’
As the vortex continued in her mind, Kasumi decided that she needed to go speak to Ranma. She folded the napkin that was in her lap and placed it on the table. Then she stood up.
“Please excuse me,” she said, and made her way out towards the dojo. As she approached, she could hear Ranma yelling out from time to time while practicing. She made her way to the door, slid it open, stepped inside, and closed it behind her.
Ranma was immediately aware of her presence, and stopped what she was doing. Kasumi watched as the red-haired girl regarded her with a cautious expression that was mixed with just a tinge of fear.
“K-Kasumi,” Ranma began. “I’m s-sorry that I-”
She stopped as Kasumi moved forward to stand in front of her. Kasumi stood there for a moment, looking down at her fiancé, while her emotions still battled inside her. Ranma was fidgeting, apparently waiting for Kasumi to speak. Finally, Kasumi did something that neither expected.
She slapped Ranma across the face.
‘Oh my!’ Kasumi thought, not believing what she’d just done. She looked down at the hand that had left the red mark on Ranma cheek, as if it were some alien object. Then she looked up at Ranma, who looked as stunned as she felt. It appeared that she was trying to say something, but the words wouldn’t come out. After taking another few moments to settle down, Kasumi spoke.
“I’m sorry Ranma,” she said quietly. “I didn’t mean for that to happen, but I was... angry. I just can’t believe you would do something so foolish as to threaten to commit Seppuku. Or that you’re willing to throw away your freedom. Do you understand what I mean?”
Ranma nodded, and Kasumi saw something akin to shame appear on her face. She felt sorry for her fiancé, Ranma had done it for her after all. Then the tidal wave of peace and joy crashed over her. Before she had a chance to think about it, she stepped even closer to Ranma, took the girl’s face into both hands, and did something even more unexpected.
She kissed Ranma on the lips.
It wasn’t an intense or passionate kiss, and it didn’t last more than a few moments. However, when Kasumi pulled away, both her and Ranma were completely crimson from head to toe. They stared at one another for several minutes, neither sure what to say. Finally, Kasumi broke the silence.
“I didn’t mean for that to happen either,” she said softly. “Do you know why I did that?” Ranma shook her head. “I did it for the same reasons that I slapped you.” The complete bafflement on Ranma’s face made Kasumi giggle.
“I’m sorry,” she said, trying to keep her laughter under control. “You just look so cute like that.” Ranma turned an even deeper shade of red, and Kasumi slapped her hand over her mouth when she realized what she’d said. Both of them started chuckling then, and it wasn’t long before they had returned to normal.
“Ranma,” Kasumi said kindly. “Even though I didn’t mean to kiss you, it came out for the same reasons the slap did. Yes I was angry that you did those things, but the fact that you did them all in an effort to save me just made me feel so... so… wonderful. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
“I... think so,” Ranma replied cautiously. “You know that if I coulda found another way to deal with Ukyo and Shampoo that I woulda done it, don’t ya?”
“I know,” Kasumi said. “But you were still willing to do this for me, and I really appreciate it. But if you ever pull something like this again, I can’t promise that this won’t happen again.” She indicated the hand that had slapped Ranma.
“I understand,” Ranma said seriously.
“Well,” Kasumi said. “I’ll let you get back to training. And in the future, please talk to me about stuff like this. Don’t hide it from me. Okay?”
Ranma nodded his agreement. Kasumi stepped forward again and kissed her on the forehead. “I think I’m going to go clean up and go to bed. I’m still not feeling one-hundred percent.” With that, she turned around left the dojo.
Ranma moved her hand up to her mouth as she watched Kasumi leave. ‘S-She kissed me,’ was all she could think. ‘I can’t believe she did that.’ Thoughts of the slap were long gone, and only the kiss was in the forefront of Ranma’s mind.
‘It wasn’t anything like I’ve seen on TV or nothin’, but wow!’
She was preparing to train again, even though she knew it was going to be significantly harder to concentrate, when she heard a low growl. Ranma turned just in time to see the small shape of a little black pig jump out of the shadows, trying to attack her.
Thank you for taking the time to read Aijou & Aitou. I hope you have enjoyed yourself. I would love to hear all feedback, positive or negative (as long as it’s constructive). Please take the time to leave a review on fanfiction.net or send me an email letting me know your opinion. Thanks.
