Chapter 17 - Ups and Downs
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Akane looked around her, trying to figure out where she was and how she’d gotten there. She was seated in a folding chair that wasn’t particularly comfortable, and wearing a nice spring dress that she’d bought in a subconscious effort to impress Ranma. She found herself surrounded by many other people, none of whom she recognized, who were also seated in chairs and nicely dressed.
As she moved her gaze from the people to their surroundings, Akane found that they were all in some sort of hall. Then she noticed the ribbons and flowers everywhere and realized that she was at a wedding.
Fear suddenly gripped her, and almost against her will, her gaze shifted to the front. There she saw Ranma dressed in a tuxedo. ‘He looks so handsome,’ she thought ruefully. It amazed Akane that she was able to freely admit that to herself now. She only wished she had the opportunity to tell him.
Suddenly the traditional western wedding march began playing, and Akane found herself turning towards the back of the sanctuary along with everyone else. Akane felt her heart stop beating as she saw Kasumi standing there in an unbelievably gorgeous wedding gown. Her hair was up in the back, and she had a translucent veil draped before her face.
The music continued to play and Kasumi, being escorted by her father who was also in a tuxedo, began a slow graceful walk done the aisle. ‘She is stunning,’ Akane thought with a mixture of awe and self-pity. ‘How could I ever possibly hope to compete with her?’
Just as Kasumi walked past the row where Akane was sitting, the youngest Tendo waved her hand in an effort to get her attention. Kasumi, however, had eyes only for Ranma and her gaze never wavered. So Akane just watched helplessly as Kasumi continued past, and when she neared the front, Akane caught a glimpse of Nabiki.
“Is Nabiki crying?” Akane wondered with no small amount of incredulity. She also briefly wondered why she wasn’t seated up front with Nabiki, but judged the question irrelevant for the time-being.
All of a sudden, time skipped forward and Akane found herself, along with all the other guests, seated again. She looked up front and found the minister finishing up a speech about the sanctity of marriage. Her father had already sat down, and was amazingly in control of his tears.
Akane wanted to jump up, to scream, to do something! Unfortunately, she found that she couldn’t move. After another small speech by the minister, he uttered the words that Akane was hoping for.
“Is there anyone here who has cause that these two should not be joined?”
The paralysis that she’d felt miraculously disappeared and Akane jumped out of her seat. “I do!” she shouted. Everyone in the hall turned to look at her, including the bride and groom. Suddenly Akane felt very self-conscious, but she barreled on anyhow.
“Ranma is supposed to marry me!” she said, quieter this time, but still loud enough for all to hear. “He... I mean... I... I love him!”
Snickers from the audience greeted her, causing something to shrivel inside of her. That reaction paled though compared to the look of disdain that she received from Kasumi and Ranma. Akane couldn’t remember ever having seen that particular look on her sister’s face. It made her want to curl up in a corner somewhere and cry.
“I’m sorry Akane,” Kasumi said, managing to not sound sorry in the least. “You had more chances than you should have had to tell Ranma how you felt, and to show him. Because of the way you treated him, you stopped deserving to be with him a long time ago.”
Akane would have pounded anyone else who dared to utter those words to her, but this was Kasumi. If her sister, who she loved and respected, was telling her this, then perhaps it was true. She felt like she was going to cry, but before she had the chance, Kasumi turned to Ranma and nodded. The young man turned to face Akane and spoke.
“Akane,” he said, his voice hard, “you had yer chance. I used ta love you, but I don’t no more. I love Kasumi now.”
The tears finally burst forth from Akane, and time skipped forward again. She was seated once more, and the minister was making his final pronouncement.
“I now declare you husband and wife,” he said gently. “Ranma, you may kiss your bride.”
Ranma face lit up in a goofy grin, and without the slightest hesitation, he and his wife leaned forward and kissed one another.
“NOOOOO!” Akane screamed, before jolting awake in her bed. Her body was covered in sweat to the point where her pajamas and sheets were soaked. She was taking quick, shallow breathes, and her heart was hammering in her chest. She looked around and recognized her own room.
“A... a dream,” she whispered. “Only a dream.” She took several deep breaths in an effort to calm herself.
‘But was it only a dream?’ she wondered. She said a silent prayer, begging that it wasn’t some sort of awful premonition. She thought back on the words that both Kasumi and Ranma had spoken to her, and the disdain they exhibited.
‘H-Have I truly lost the right to be with him? Is it really too late?’ Akane said another prayer, begging the kami that it wasn’t so. As she finished her prayer, the tears began to flow down her cheeks in droves.
| “NOOOOO!” Nabiki bolted upright in bed as the scream penetrated her sleep. She heard the last of it dying out as she came fully awake, and easily recognized it’s source. ‘Should I go check on her?’ Nabiki wondered, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. ‘Well, I did promise Kasumi that I would look after her. And I really do want all the juicy details of her trip when she gets back. So I guess I better.’ With that, she got out of bed, put on a robe, and stepped into the hall. As she reached Akane’s door, she could hear the sobs coming from the other end. She was debating whether or not to knock, or simply walk in, when her father stepped out into the hall. He saw her standing there and looked at her in surprise. |
 |
Soun looked at her for a few moments, and Nabiki expected him to burst into tears or something. Instead, his expression turned thoughtful and he nodded.
“Well,” he said quietly, “if you need anything, you know where to find me.” With that, he stepped back into his room.
Nabiki felt her jaw drop. ‘Okay, that was too weird. Who was that, and what did he do with my father?’ She shook her head to clear her thoughts. ‘Wow, he’s actually starting to act like an adult. Maybe this whole situation was finally enough to bring him back to reality. This will bear watching.’
Turning her thoughts away from him, Nabiki looked back at Akane’s door. She decided to simply walk in, thereby not giving Akane the chance to tell her to leave before she could see her. She quietly opened the door, stepped through, and let it softly click shut behind her.
Akane was sitting up on her bed with her face buried in her hands. Her sobs had apparently drowned out the noise of Nabiki’s entry, because she didn’t even acknowledge the middle Tendo daughter’s presence. Nabiki padded her way across the floor and sat on the bed.
The motion was enough to finally alert Akane to her presence. She looked up at Nabiki, with her red, puffy eyes, and just stared. ‘She’s probably deciding whether or not she wants to just toss me out,’ Nabiki thought. The two looked at one another for over a minute, and then Akane did something that neither expected. She threw her arms around Nabiki, buried her face in her sister’s chest, and began crying even louder.
Nabiki sat there stunned, not sure what to do. She simply wasn’t used to giving or receiving comfort from others. She thought about what Kasumi, or possibly her mother, would have done. Tentatively, she wrapped her arms around Akane and held her. Soon, she was even slowly rocking her younger sister as she remembered her mother doing for her on more than one occasion.
Neither could have said how long they sat there like that, but eventually Akane’s sobs subsided and she pulled away from Nabiki.
“Th-Thanks sis,” she said with a small quiver. “I guess... I needed that.”
“No charge,” Nabiki said seriously, with just a hint of amusement. Both looked at each other, and each let out a small chuckle.
“I appreciate that,” Akane said, wiping the remainder of the tears out of her eyes.
“May I assume that you had a bad dream?” Nabiki asked.
“Nightmare is more like it.”
“Care to talk about it?”
Akane shook her head. “No, I really don’t”
Nabiki regarded her for a moment, then merely shrugged. “I won’t press you,” Nabiki said. “But can I assume that it had something to do with Ranma and Kasumi?”
The widening of Akane’s eyes was all the answer that Nabiki needed. “How... how did you know?” Akane asked.
“Because it’s the most pressing thing on your mind right now. My guess is that you’re worried that the two of them might stay together once they get back. Sound about right?”
A nod was Akane’s only response. ‘I’d really like to tell her that everything will be alright,’ Nabiki thought sadly. ‘But the truth is, it probably won’t turn out alright for her in the end. She’s done too much to damage her relationship with Ranma, while Kasumi seems to be doing everything right.’
An expectant look was plastered all over Akane’s face, as if she were waiting for Nabiki to encourage her. The middle Tendo daughter tried her best to come up with something on the spot, but her lack of practice at this type of thing was immediately apparent.
“I’m sure that you’ll find someone else, Akane,” she said. The moment the words came out, she felt like smacking herself in the forehead. It didn’t take long for her to see the effects of her words.
“Gee, thanks a lot!” she yelled angrily, before standing. She gave Nabiki an angry glare and then left the room.
‘Real smooth genius,’ Nabiki told herself. ‘She’s not going to listen to anything I have to say now. Of course, that assumes that I could actually come up with something to cheer her up.’ Nabiki looked at the clock on Akane’s nightstand and saw that it was close to her normal wakeup time.
She stood and headed back to her own room. ‘Well, I told Kasumi I would do my best. So I’ll have to think of something.’ Her considerable intellect worked on the problem as she went through her clothes, picking her outfit for the day.
 |
Tatewaki Kuno was worried. He stood on the school grounds, waiting for his fierce tigress, one Akane Tendo, to appear, but he had other things on his mind. The most immediate was that none of the Hentai Horde were gathering. He’d stopped one of the boys who was almost always involved and asked him why he wasn’t participating. At first, the boy had been reluctant to answer, but a threatening gesture from his mighty bokken had changed that. The boy revealed that Nabiki had threatened to disclose some rather personal information about him if he didn’t leave Akane alone. Apparently the information was serious enough to keep him from participating in the mornings activities. |
Attempting to clear those thoughts, Kuno focused on the second thing that was worrying him. Sasuke would be stopping by the school during lunchtime with a certified bank check containing the money he’d promised Nabiki. He wasn’t worried about the loss of the money, but was more concerned about whether or not the tape would truly stop his sister.
This brought his thoughts around to the thing that was worrying him the most. The night before, his sister had come storming into the house late, yelling and smashing anything that got in her path. Kuno had wisely stayed clear of her until he was sure that she’d calmed down. Then he’d approached her to find out what was wrong.
‘If she were to be believed,’ Kuno thought again, and finding no reason why she would lie, ‘then the foul sorcerer Saotome now has the demure Kasumi Tendo in his thrall.’ That, in and of itself, was bad enough news. ‘To think he has enslaved yet another woman.’ However, to him, what his sister might do was even more cause for concern.
‘I have always known that my fierce tigress, as well as the pig-tailed goddess, could easily defeat my sister. Even that foreign girl, and the cook who dresses as a man, would be able to defend themselves. But the gentle Kasumi Tendo would be no match for my sister. And with my sister as wroth as she was last night...’ Kuno shivered at the thought.
‘I... I must do something,’ he thought with more bravery than he realized he could muster. It had been hard enough to tell his sister that he wouldn’t lie for her. But to actively put himself between her and someone who was her target, that was something else entirely. ‘Perhaps... perhaps I can speak to Nabiki Tendo about it.’
Even thought the thought of relying on Nabiki made him sick, it was much more palatable then having something happen to Kasumi. He knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that his house would never survive the dishonor. So, while he waited for Akane to appear, he considered what he would do next.
Ukyo looked across the field where all the students were eating lunch, and spotted the target of her search. She found Nabiki Tendo currently speaking with Kuno, whose head was wrapped in bandages.
‘He must’ve really pissed off Akane this morning,’ she thought with a snicker. Of course, thinking of Akane made her think of Ranma, which brought her back to why she was here. She took long, purposeful strides towards the two upperclassmen. Just before she reached them, Kuno executed a small bow and walked away.
‘That was weird,’ she thought, before noticing the grim expression on Nabiki’s face. ‘Uh oh, this might not be the best time.’ However, she decided that she needed answers, and she wanted them now.
“Nabiki,” she said, coming up in front of the other girl.
“Ukyo,” Nabiki responded, her eyes focusing on the chef.
“I’m looking for some information.”
“This isn’t really the best time,” Nabiki said. Looking into her eyes, Ukyo could tell that something was really bothering her.
“I can see that,” she said, thinking fast. “I’ll tell you what, I can see that something is wrong. So what if I agree to try to help with your problem, assuming it’s within reason, in exchange for what I want to know?”
Nabiki regarded her with a very calculating look, and then nodded. “Tell me what you want to know, and then we’ll talk.”
Taking a deep breath, Ukyo asked, “First, can you tell me what’s going on with Ran-chan? Why... why did he break the e-engagement with me the way he did? And second, can you tell me... that is... well, I’m wondering where he’s been the past few days.”
“Hmm,” Nabiki said, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. “Alright. I’ll tell you what I need help with, and then you tell me if you’ll do it. If so, I’ll tell you what you want to know. Deal?” When Ukyo nodded, Nabiki continued.
“I have just been made aware of a possible threat against Kasumi. It’s quite possible that Kodachi will try to hurt her, or possibly much worse. I need help in preventing that.”
“What?! That’s... that’s crazy! Insane!”
“Remember, this is Kodachi we’re talking about,” Nabiki reminded her.
“True,” Ukyo allowed. “But why? It doesn’t make sense.”
“Well, it all ties in with the questions you want answered. I’ll answer them now if you agree to help me protect Kasumi.”
Ukyo considered it. ‘I don’t like the sound of that. But whatever Kasumi has to do with Ranma and the questions I have, it’s still Kasumi. I am a martial artist after all, and like Ranma is always saying, we should protect those who need our help. Besides, out of all the Tendo’s, or anyone else for that matter, she’s been one of the kindest people I’ve met.’
Having made up her mind, Ukyo nodded. “I agree.”
And so, she listened as Nabiki explained how Kasumi had assumed the engagement. She was horrified to learn that Ranma thought that she might actually hurt Kasumi if she found out.
“Ranma indicated to me that he never believed that you would do anything directly to Kasumi,” Nabiki said. “However, he did have a point about you allowing yourself to become entangled in other peoples schemes. But if you weren’t engaged to him, there wouldn’t be any need for you to get involved.”
“But, but...” Ukyo stuttered, then stopped. She let out a sigh, and took an honest look at herself. “I... guess you’re right.”
Nabiki nodded and continued, describing the challenges that Ranma had issued to Kodachi and Shampoo. Ukyo was shocked, to say the least, but knowing Ranma as well as she did, the surprise wasn’t as great as it could have been. Nabiki then went on to tell about the fight with Kodachi, her own plan to use the tape, and how Ranma had gone on the training trip with Kasumi, Mousse, and Ryoga.
The okonomiyaki chef felt her heart seize up at the thought of Ranma and Kasumi camping alone for a whole month. She wanted to be angry with both of them, but she couldn’t muster any resentment for Kasumi, and Ranma had repeatedly told her that he had only wanted to be friends. ‘It was my own fault for not listening.’
“Anyhow, from what Kuno just told me, Kodachi has found out about the engagement. She also knows that Kasumi is on a trip, but apparently hasn’t figured out that she and Ranma are together. This gives us some time to figure out what needs to be done, but not as much as I would like. I already have some things in motion, but I don’t know if they’ll be enough. What I want to know is this... when the time comes, will you be willing to help me stop her? Even after what you’ve heard?”
“I... yes,” Ukyo said, then added with more conviction, “Yes, I will.”
| Ranma finished the set up exercises meant to cool her down. It had been a good training day, and she found that she was improving faster than even she would have thought possible. She watched as Kasumi went through the same motions, though the purpose for her was to stretch her muscles. Ranma was finding it increasingly difficult to not admire Kasumi when she was working out, or at any other time for that matter. ‘I can’t believe I didn’t notice it before,’ she thought. Now that Kasumi was her fiancée, and not simply just the caretaker of the home she lived in, it was amazing to her how her perceptions had changed. When she looked at the older girl now, she wasn’t just seeing the kind, gentle person that the whole Tendo home relied on. Rather, she was a beautiful, interesting, and talented girl who was interested in exploring a relationship with her. The whole concept simply blew Ranma away. ‘And what the hell was I thinkin’ last night? Askin’ her ta watch the stars like that.’ Ranma wasn’t so surprised that he’d asked, but rather how he’d asked. ‘'Course, it’s not like I was thinkin’ of it like a date or nothin’.’ |
 |
Kasumi looked at her face and let out a small, musical laugh. It was a sound that Ranma had come to enjoy and appreciate. One that wasn’t filled with derision or mocking like Akane’s usually was when she laughed at him. Rather, it was as if the two shared their own private joke. She knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Kasumi wasn’t laughing at her, she was laughing with her.
“Sorry,” Ranma murmured with a sheepish grin, one that caused Kasumi to laugh even more. Ranma couldn’t contain herself and found herself laughing as well. Then both heard a pair of disgusted snorts, and turned to see Mousse leading Ryoga away. They looked at one another, shrugged, and continued with the lesson.
“Okay Kasumi,” Ranma said. “I want you ta go through the two katas that I taught ya. Do the offensive one first, and then the other. Do ‘em both at ‘bout half-speed. Got it?”
The older girl nodded, and proceeded to go through each of them. Ranma found herself admiring Kasumi again, but this time for how quickly her fiancée seemed to be learning what she was teaching. She was sure it wasn’t her teaching skills that were the cause. ‘It’s either gotta be the training her father gave her when she was young. Or else, she’s just a natural. Either way, it’s still pretty impressive.’
“Awesome job Kasumi,” she said once the other girl finished.
“Thank you Ranma,” she replied. “I practiced them a lot today.”
“I can tell,” the redhead replied, and meant it. “Well, let’s work on some variations then.”
With that, the two worked for another hour. Ranma taught Kasumi many different themes on the two katas, including different ways to interweave the two. She also showed her a third one, and gave the older girl numerous things to work on the next day.
Kasumi was just beginning to dish out dinner when Ranma returned from his bath. He sat next to her and ate at a decidedly slower pace than he did at home. ‘I think that little talk I had with him helped,’ she thought with a chuckle. Then she amended, ‘And he doesn’t have his father to worry about.’ She ate her own food as she listened to Ranma discuss his training regime with Mousse and Ryoga.
“Things are goin’ good,” he said. “But I think we got lots more ta do before I’m ready.” Kasumi resisted the urge to correct his speech, deciding it would be best to wait until their lessons.
“True,” Mousse agreed. “Knowing Cologne, she’s going to be teaching Shampoo some new special techniques. You are going to need some of your own to counteract them.”
“That’s what I was thinkin’ too,” Ranma said. “One thing I wanna work on is ta see if I can speed up my kicks to the level of the Chestnuts technique. If I could deliver the same number of kicks as I can punches, I could end things pretty fast.”
“What about the special techniques that Mousse and Ryoga use?” Kasumi asked, watching as they all turned towards her.
“What do you mean?” Mousse asked before the other two could speak.
“Well, I was wondering if you two could teach Ranma the special techniques that you use. I’m sure they would be helpful.”
The three looked at each other before Ranma responded. “I... hadn’t thought about that. Hmm.” He frowned in concentration in such a way that Kasumi had to hide a smile at the expression.
“Well,” he said after several moments. “I don’t think that Mousse’s techniques would do me much good. I’m not a weapons user, and even if I wanted ta be, which I don’t, I don’t think I’d be able to learn enough of what I’d need to know by the time of the fight. And I can’t think of any other way to use the technique that would help my style. Can you Mousse?”
It impressed Kasumi that Ranma actually asked Mousse his opinion. When it came to his martial arts, Ranma was master of his domain. To humble himself in that way, to actually ask a onetime adversary for his advice, was a shift in Ranma that she hadn’t expected. ‘I think it just shows how seriously he is taking this fight.’
“Not really,” Mousse said after contemplating the question. “We’ll keep it in reserve in case we can think of a use for it, but at the moment nothing comes to mind. I think in addition to being a training partner, and my knowledge of Shampoo’s style, that what I know of possible Amazon techniques that Cologne could teach might be the most useful. That will allow me to help Ranma prepare for whatever he might encounter.”
“That’s kinda what I figured too,” Ranma said, nodding to Mousse. “As far as Ryoga goes, I won’t even attempt the Shi Shi Hokodan. I don’t think there’s no way I’ll be able ta work up the depression levels it needs. Now, his Breaking Point technique on the other hand...”
“Not gonna happen,” Ryoga replied in a matter of fact voice. When everyone turned to look at him, he waved his arms defensively. “It’s not like I don’t wanna, it’s just that I don’t know the exact method of teaching it. Even if I did, we don’t have the supplies we’d need.”
“How hard can it be?” Ranma asked, sounding a little put off.
“Now Ranma,” Kasumi interrupted, before glancing at the lost boy. “I’m sure that if Ryoga knew how to teach it, he would.” She gave Ryoga a rather meaningful glance.
“I would try,” he said sincerely. “But the truth is, there was a lot more than Cologne crushing me with giant boulders.”
“He’s right,” Mousse interjected. “I don’t know its secret either, but I do know it’s not as simple as it seems.”
Ranma sighed dejectedly. “Well, it was a good thought Kasumi,” he said, favoring her with a small smile.
“Well, I just want to help in anyway I can,” she replied.
“Actually, it got me thinking of other techniques that Cologne might use, ones I might not have thought of before,” Mousse said. “So, in a way, it did help.”
Kasumi smiled lightly at Mousse, and Ranma smiled again at Kasumi. She stifled a giggle as Mousse and Ryoga rolled their eyes at Ranma’s reaction, then sat back and listened as the three discussed how Ranma might increase the speeds of his kicks.
Ranma finished his dinner and watched as the two other guys headed to Mousse’s tent to play cards, something they had started doing on the trip to pass the time. ‘‘Course,’ he thought with a chuckle, ‘those two are as competitive at it as they are at everythin’ else.’
He gathered up the dishes as Kasumi stood and went to her tent. By the time he had them all stacked and ready to carry to the river to wash, Kasumi came out of her tent with her bathing supplies. She smiled at Ranma and then started heading towards the barrel. After only about five steps, she stopped and turned around.
“Ranma,” she said softly, “why don’t you leave those for now. I can take care of them later.”
“But... my promise. I said I’d-”
“I know,” she interrupted. “And I do appreciate it. But right now, I’d just rather spend some time with you.”
‘Spend... time... now?’ Ranma’s brain reasoned. He looked into her hands and saw again what she was holding, and his jaw went a little slack.
“I couldn’t,” he said quickly. “I mean... yer... that is...” his brain refused to allow the thought to complete.
Kasumi laughed that sweet, musical laugh. “You’re so silly,” she said. “Of course you can.”
“But... I mean... wouldn’t that be... ya know?”
“Perverted?” Kasumi supplied for him, to which he merely nodded. “First, I’m inviting you, you’re not peeping. So it’s not perverted. Second, I just want to spend time talking since we get so little of it. I’ll be in the barrel, so it’s not like you’ll be able to see anything. So it’s no big deal, right?”
“Well, I don’t know...” Ranma said aloud, while inside the only thing he could think was that it was a major deal.
“Oh, come on,” Kasumi said. She stepped forward, tucked her supplies under one arm, and used her free hand to grab Ranma’s. She pulled him forward, and he numbly moved with her.
“Okay, wait here,” she said, leaving Ranma standing on the other side of the barrier. The young man stood there, facing the camp and refusing to turn around. He was trying his absolute hardest to not think of what was going on back there. ‘Mustn’t think dirty thoughts! Mustn’t think dirty thoughts! Mustn’t think dirty thoughts!’
Unfortunately, the more he repeated the mantra, the more that every tiny noise he heard fueled his imagination. He imagined each sound being an article of clothing coming off. Of course, with all of the noises around the camp, she should’ve quickly run out of clothing. But even with as comfortable as he was becoming with Kasumi, he couldn’t bring himself to picture her naked. So, just before it was about to happen in his imagination, another piece of clothing would miraculously appear for her to remove. It reached the point where he felt he was finally going to faint, when he heard the soft splash of Kasumi entering the barrel.
“Okay, Ranma,” she called.
“A-Are ya s-sure?” he asked nervously.
“Positive,” Kasumi replied.
Ranma swallowed and came around the barrier. He kept his eyes on the ground and quickly sought out a rock that he knew was there. He sat down against it and kept his eyes fixed on the bottom of the barrel.
“Look at me,” Kasumi said gently.
As if against his will, Ranma found his eyes moving up the barrel. Finally, his eyes were gazing into Kasumi’s. He realized that the only thing that he could see was her head.
“Now, that’s not so bad is it?” she asked.
“N-No,” Ranma said, feeling a little better.
“Good,” Kasumi said with a smile.
“So what did ya wanna chat about?”
“Well, there were a few things, but one in particular. I wanted to talk about Ukyo.”
Ranma felt his heart seize up as what he had done to her at school came crashing back into his memory. “Oh no,” he said.
He saw Kasumi nod. “That’s right. I think we both forgot that you were going to try to talk to her before we left.”
“Dang it,” Ranma said. “What should I do?”
“Well, I was thinking that you should write her a letter. Then when you and I go to town on Saturday for supplies, you can mail it from there.”
“Well... I guess I can do that.”
“I know it’s not perfect Ranma, but unless you want to wait until we get back, it’s probably the best you can do for now.”
“Yer right Kasumi,” he said, somewhat depressed. He wasn’t unhappy with Kasumi, rather his own forgetfulness. Then he smiled at Kasumi to reassure her. “But thanks for the idea.”
“I already told you that I’d help you talk to her. So if you want me to help when you write the letter, just let me know.”
“Th-Thanks,” Ranma said softly. The two continued chatting about other things while Kasumi finished bathing.
Kasumi stepped out of her tent after she’d finished drying off and changing clothes. She saw Ranma working on his homework by the fire, and made her way towards him. She passed Mousse on the way as he made his way to the barrel for his own evening bath.
Sitting down in front of Ranma, she watched as he concentrated on the math problems on the page in front of him. She waited for him to finish, and then leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek.
To her surprise, Ranma didn’t blush quite as much as he normally did. ‘Maybe he’s finally starting to be less shy,’ she hoped.
“What was that for?” he asked.
“That,” she said, giving him a small wink, “was for being the perfect gentleman that I knew you to be.”
Ranma gave her a small smile in return, but appeared at a loss for anything to say. To save him from the embarrassment that she knew he was probably feeling, she picked up the paper he had just worked on. She went through it and found that he only got five of the forty problems wrong.
“Very good Ranma,” she said. “Now, let’s take a look at the ones that you got wrong...”
The two studied for about an hour and a half when Kasumi finally called a halt. “You’re doing really well Ranma,” she said with genuine praise.
“Thanks,” he responded, with more pride than embarrassment.
“Wait here,” she instructed. She gathered up the papers and took them to her tent. When she returned, she found Ranma sitting in a lotus position with his back to the rock where the two watched stars two nights before. She moved to sit next to him, when an idea struck her.
Moving in front of him, Kasumi sat down right in front of Ranma and pressed her back against his chest. Before he had a chance to argue, she covered the both of them with the blanket.
“Is this alright?” she asked.
“Uh...” Ranma replied as articulately as he was able.
“I just think this is really comfortable. Do you mind?”
“N-No,” Ranma stuttered. “I g-guess n-not.”
Kasumi was glad that she wasn’t facing him, for she was afraid that she would laugh at whatever expression he happened to be wearing. She pulled her knees up to her chest, and leaned all of her weight against him. It took several minutes, but she finally felt Ranma’s breathing return to normal.
“Feel better now?” she teased.
“Yeah,” Ranma replied, and he actually did sound better. “It’s just that... well... you surprised me.”
“I know,” Kasumi said, stifling a giggle. “But honestly Ranma, this really isn’t a big deal. This is nothing compared to what most dating couples do. And you and I are engaged after all.”
“I g-guess so,” Ranma allowed.
“If you really don’t want to do this, then just say so. I won’t mind.”
“It ain’t that Kasumi,” he said with a sigh. “It’s just... well, it’s all so different for me. Ya know?”
“I do understand. And I certainly don’t want to rush into anything. I just want to spend time with you, and get to know you. Part of us being engaged is going to be contact like this. So, let’s just take things slow. Okay?”
“Okay Kasumi,” Ranma agreed, and she felt him relax even more.
Feeling a little more daring, she reached behind her and brought both his arms around so that they were wrapped around her legs, which were still against her chest. She felt him tighten up again, but it went away much quicker this time.
Letting out a sigh of contentment at what she perceived as a small victory against Ranma’s shyness, Kasumi shifted a little and snuggled her back into Ranma. The two stayed that way, chatting and gazing at the stars, long into the night.
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.
