Chapter 19 - A Rainy Day
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On Monday afternoon, Judge Yoshikuni Kazuma sat down at his bench and regarded both the materials in front of him, and the lawyers for each party. He knew each of them well, since they were both high-profile attorneys in Tokyo. According to the papers in front of him, Akimoto Amon represented the plaintiffs, the Saotome and Tendo families. Kuroda Yui, on the other hand, represented the defendants, the Kuno family.
It was no surprise seeing Mr. Yui representing the Kunos, since they certainly could afford his outrageous fees. Mr. Amon’s involvement, however, was something of an enigma. The judge had heard through a few sources that the lawyer had taken this particular case pro bono. It was rumored that it had been arranged somehow by one of the Tendo daughters, a high-school student no less. There was a young girl seating behind Mr. Amon, the only other person in the court in fact, and the judge thought it might be her.
‘Ah well,’ he thought, ‘none of my business.’ He arranged all of his notes and prepared himself mentally. To his knowledge, this was the first case in the Nerima courts to deal with the rash of young martial artists that made the ward their home, and he was determined that this one was going to go by the book. The judge called the session to order.
“Good morning counselors,” he said. Judge Kazuma received polite greetings in return. He then motioned for Mr. Amon to begin.
“Thank you, your honor,” the lawyer said. “As you are aware from the papers already filed, the heads of the Saotome and Tendo families are requesting a restraining order against one Kodachi Kuno. Their belief is that she represents a danger to members of both households, and they hope such on order will be enough to deter her.”
“What type of danger are we talking about here?” Judge Kazuma asked.
“The danger varies, your honor. I have signed affidavits from both Tatewaki Kuno, Ms. Kuno’s brother, as well as one of their longtime household servants, detailing the particular threats. May I approach?”
Judge Kazuma nodded his approval and the lawyer stepped forward. The man handed the papers to the judge and stepped back. The judge read through them and looked up in confusion.
“I see here reference to what appears to be two Ranma Saotomes. One is a male who Ms. Kuno looks to have an unhealthy obsession with, and the other is a female that she wishes to cause bodily harm to.”
“That is correct, your honor,” Mr. Amon said. The lawyer didn’t bother to explain any further, and the judge decided it really wasn’t important. He knew that some Japanese families have strange customs where the naming of children were concerned.
“It also mentions,” the judge went on, “some kind of video tape that seems to have incensed Ms. Kuno into a greater rage than before.”
“Yes, your honor,” Mr. Anon replied. “I have the tape here, if the court wishes to see it.”
The judge considered it for a moment before nodding. He motioned for his clerk to get the tape and set it up in the VCR that was in the courtroom. After a minute, he found himself watching what appeared to be some sort of challenge. Mr. Amon had asked for the remote so that he could pause the tape and explain things. He paused once the formal challenge portion was complete.
“The young woman with the black hair is Ms. Kuno, and the one with the red is Ms. Saotome.”
“Excuse me,” the judge interrupted with a confused expression. “But was I correct in hearing that the loser was expected to not chase after Mr. Saotome romantically?”
“Yes.”
“Based on the documents I have, it appears that the two Saotome youths are brother and sister. Why in the world would Ms. Saotome be interested in her brother that way?” The judge really hoped the answer wasn’t what he thought it would be.
Mr. Amon let out a sigh. “The Saotomes and Tendos have repeatedly tried to explain the situation to Ms. Kuno, but she refuses to listen to reason. When this challenge was issued, they figured it was the simplest way to get their point across.”
Judge Kazuma thought about it for a moment. ‘From everything that I’ve read in these documents, and what Mr. Amon is saying, it seems like this Kuno girl has serious mental problems. He’s just being very careful about how he’s wording it. Well, we’ll see what Mr. Yui has to say once I give him his chance.’ He told Mr. Amon to continue the tape.
He then watched in fascination as the actual battle took place. Now, if the judge lived in any other place than Nerima, he would likely have thrown both the tape, and Mr. Amon, out of his courtroom. He would have insisted that they were trying to use some kind of Hollywood stunt movie to sway him. However, the man had actually seen a few fights between some of the various martial artists in the area, and knew them capable of performing incredible feats.
Ms. Kuno, he noted, seemed to use some type of gas during the fight, and he was willing to bet that it wasn’t legal. However, it was unlikely there was any physical evidence to support that, despite the tape, so unless Mr. Amon said something, he wasn’t going to either. ‘But,’ he thought, ‘I’m going to keep that information in the back of my mind when making my decision.’
The fight progressed for a few minutes before Ms. Kuno was defeated, and then the judge saw a younger and older man acknowledge that she had, in fact, been defeated. Then they dragged off the young woman. Once the tape finished, Mr. Amon spoke.
“The two men in that tape were the ones whom I gave you the affidavits for. You will also notice later in their testimony that they stated that Ms. Kuno made verbal threats indicating that she intended to harm the other witnesses to the fight in an effort to prevent Mr. Saotome from finding out the truth.”
“I saw that,” the judge replied. “Very well. Do you have any additional evidence for me to consider?”
“Just the documents in the initial filing that included additional affidavits from the heads of the Saotome and Tendo families, as well as other parties, who all believe that Ms. Kuno is in fact a threat. I can, of course, produce additional witnesses if your honor wishes, but I think the weight of our evidence is sufficient at this time.”
‘It is pretty convincing,’ the judge thought, as Mr. Amon sat himself down. ‘We’ll just have to see how clever Mr. Yui is at deflecting it. He certainly has the talent to do so.’ With that, he motioned to the other lawyer to begin his case.
With a nod, Mr. Yui stood. “Your honor, as you know, I represent the Kuno family. I was not hired by Ms. Kuno herself, but rather her father, the head of the family. Ms. Kuno is still considered a minor, and thus under the authority of her father. As such, I am representing his interests, and those of the Kuno family as a whole. Therefore, at the family’s request, I am not disputing the charges made by Mr. Amon and have been instructed to, in fact, encourage his request.” The lawyer sat back down.
That was about the last thing the judge expected to happen. He looked over at Mr. Amon and noticed that the man didn’t seem surprised in the least. “Did you two work this out ahead of time?” he asked. Both lawyers shook their heads. Judge Kazuma noted that the girl sitting behind Mr. Amon, whom he guessed was Nabiki Tendo, had a rather smug look on her face.
‘She seems to be well aware of what is happening. I’ll have to ask Mr. Amon about her. In the meantime though, I need to make my ruling. The evidence is pretty conclusive, and without it being contested, I really only have one option.’
“Based on what has been presented, I find that I have no choice but to-”
He was cut off as the doors to the courtroom slammed open with a loud crash.
| To say that Kodachi Kuno was angry was a gross understatement. Livid, furious, or outraged might have been closer to the mark. She was currently restrained, that is to say, tied up, in the bedroom of her home. Now, if it had been her darling Ranma who had performed the act, she might have actually enjoyed it. As it turned out though, it was actually her brother, father, and Sasuke who were responsible. Ever since Friday, they had tried to console Kodachi. When that didn’t work, she was warned by her father to stay in the house. She had refused, and tried to escape, but the three men managed to stop her and bind her. They didn’t release her until she had agreed to not run off. She planned to anyhow, of course, but figured that she needed to lull them into a false sense of security first. She had stayed in the house all weekend, and had planned to go to school today. Before school was out though, she had planned to leave early to be there for the court appearance. However, that morning the three men had bound her |
 |
Now, as she laid in bed, Kodachi planned. ‘My traitorous father and brother are both gone and Sasuke will be bringing me my lunch soon. That will be my best time to escape.’ It was highly frustrating to her that, even with her extensive knowledge of tying things up, she couldn’t free herself. Who would have guessed that Sasuke was her equal in that arena?
After another hour or so, Sasuke finally entered the room with her food. He set it on the nightstand next to the bed and proceeded to setup a rope pulley on her right arm. This would allow him to free it from the bed so that she could feed herself, but maintain control over it as well. If she made any sudden moves, all he had to do was pull back with all his weight. Even with her considerable strength, Kodachi wouldn’t be able to pull free from that weight and the leverage the man would possess.
Knowing this, the young woman just sat and ate quietly. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Sasuke gradually relaxing. ‘He has enough extra length of rope though,’ she thought morosely. When she finished, she calmly turned towards him.
“Sasuke,” she said with a calm expression, “I need to go to the bathroom.”
The ninja paled at the statement. It was obvious to Kodachi that her tormentors hadn’t considered this. ‘They’re nothing but a bunch of fools.’
“Umm,” Sasuke said. “Can’t you hold it mistress?”
“No,” Kodachi replied coldly, “I cannot. Unless you want me to lay here in a pool of my own urine, I expect you to assist me.”
“But Mistress,” the ninja said nervously. “I have strict orders from your father to not release you until after he gets home.”
“And I am telling you that if you do not allow me to go to the bathroom, that when I am free, I will exact a revenge upon you the likes of which you have never seen.”
If possible, the man paled even farther. She could tell that he was thinking quickly, and by the look on his face, none of the options that came to mind were particularly pleasant. Finally, he spoke.
“Mistress, the best I can do is to get a pan of some sort and place it under you. I apologize, but the instructions from your father were quite specific.”
Kodachi glared at him before finally nodding. He sighed with visible relief as he pulled the rope in his hand to bring her arm closer to the bed post where he would tie it back up. She could tell that he was still flustered, and that was exactly what she was hoping for. Once her arm was pulled all the way back, he moved forward. In one hand he continued to hold the rope that was fastened to her arm, and with the other he began to reach forward to secure that same arm to the bed once again.
As soon as he touched the rope, she yanked her arm away as fast as possible. In his distracted state, he hesitated briefly. That was all she needed. In one fluid motion, the same hand that she pulled free lashed out and delivered a devastating blow to the back of Sasuke’s neck. The man instantly slumped to the ground. Without wasting any time, lest he wake up again before she could release herself, Kodachi proceeded to use her now free hand to untie the rest of her. She quickly jumped off the bed, grabbed the ninja, and dumped him on the bed where she proceeded to tie him up.
Just as she finished the last knot, the small man came to. His eyes widened in surprise at his current predicament. “Please mistress,” he pleaded. “Don’t do this. You are only going to make things worse.”
The young woman merely ignored him as she looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair was in bad shape, and the school uniform that she had donned before being tied up was rumpled. She considered changing and straightening herself up, but one look at the clock negated those thoughts.
‘It is almost time for the hearing. I must leave at once.’
Thus, she bounded out of the room and the mansion, leaving the pleading of her servant far behind. She leapt from building to building, until she finally made it to the one she wanted. Once inside, Kodachi was forced to stop and ask which room the hearing was in, and did her best to ignore the looks that people were giving her.
When she had the information she needed, she ran to the room and threw the doors open.
Nabiki Tendo, who had left school early to attend the hearing, sat in the courtroom listening as Mr. Amon worked his magic. ‘I’m sure glad I was able to help his daughter out those times. That made securing his help all the easier.’ In addition to the few favors that Nabiki had done for Sakuya Amon, she had also gotten the dirt on a boy at school that had been stalking the poor girl. The school hadn’t been willing to help, but Nabiki was able to get the boy off Sakuya’s back quite easily. Because of these things, and the fact that he now had a chance to stick it to the Kunos, the patriarch of that family being one of those who had refused to help his daughter, made securing Mr. Amon’s assistance quite simple.
‘I wonder if I should go into the field of law,’ Nabiki thought once again, as she listened to her lawyer and the judge. She was well aware of how wealthy Mr. Amon was, as well as the influence the man possessed. Both of these appealed to her quite a bit.
When it came time for Mr. Yui, the Kuno family lawyer, to speak, Nabiki couldn’t help but smirk. She already knew what he was going to say from the talks she’d had with Tatewaki, so nothing came as a surprise. She listened as the judge was prepared to make his ruling, when the door burst open.
A rather ragged looking Kodachi stormed into the courtroom. ‘I guess Sasuke couldn’t keep her tied down,’ Nabiki thought with a grimace. Observing the murderous glare on the insane gymnast’s face, Nabiki couldn’t help but shrink back. ‘Kuno baby was right, she’s completely lost it.’
“How dare you try to keep my Ranma darling away from me!?” Kodachi screeched, as she made her way down the aisle. Her attention seemed to be focused on the judge, which was just fine with Nabiki.
Mr. Yui was up out of his seat in a flash and trying to restrain Kodachi. “Ms. Kuno,” he said in a frantic voice, “I have been instructed by your father to deal with this. You should not be here.”
Kodachi didn’t even bother responding to the man, instead shoving him out of the way. He landed with a crash among the seats that were behind the table where he had been sitting. She kept moving forward towards the judge.
“I’m warning you! You will NOT keep me from Ranma, or you will pay dearly!”
Nabiki watched in fascination. ‘That psycho is actually threatening a judge. Maybe it’s a good thing she got loose.’ The middle Tendo daughter watched as the judge waved his hands and two uniformed officers appeared to contain Kodachi. The girl struggled, but without her weapons, she was no match for the two men. Once she was restrained, the judge spoke.
“Ms. Kuno,” he said calmly, more so than Nabiki felt she could have managed under the circumstances, “I was about to give my ruling when you entered. Since you’re here now, and you’re little interruption has ceased, I will continue. It is my ruling that you are not allowed within twenty-five meters of any member of the Tendo or Saotome households.”
“NO!!!” Kodachi yelled, as she resumed her struggle with the officers. Once the men had her subdued again, the judge continued.
“I had intended to leave it at that. However, then you chose to come in here and not only assault your lawyer, but threaten me as well. Based on your actions, and what I have read in the filings, I am also forced to rule that you are to be placed under immediate psychiatric care at the Toshima Tokyo Metropolitan Hospital. You will stay there until such time as the doctors can prove to this court that you are no longer a danger to yourself and others.”
Once again, Kodachi began struggling, even going so far as to snarl and growl at the men holding her. Mr. Yui had long since gotten up from where she had thrown him, and stood listening as the judge gave the sentence. He finally snapped out of the trance he seemed to be in.
“Your honor,” he stammered. “Toshima Tokyo Metropolitan Hospital is for only the most serious cases. Would it not be more appropriate for someone of her station to go to the psychiatric ward of Yowa Hospital instead?”
“As impressed as I am with the innovations in psychiatric care that Yowa Hospital has made, it is considered to be, at best, a minimal security facility. My belief is that Ms. Kuno represents a serious threat to those around her and I will not allow her that leniency, regardless of her station. That is my ruling, and this hearing is adjourned.”
‘Somehow I doubt that’s the end of it,’ Nabiki couldn’t help thinking. As the officers began taking Kodachi away, the young woman finally looked at Nabiki. The level of hate and madness in that expression, as well as the promise of nasty things to come, was truly terrible.
‘Nope, not the end at all.’
 |
On Wednesday, Akane sat eating lunch outside of Furinkan High School. She was idly listening to the chatter of her friends, but wasn’t really paying attention to them. Her mind was ablaze with two dominant thoughts, the first of which centered on Kodachi. ‘I can’t believe that she finally got committed. Thank the kami for that. Although I think Nabiki is right. We should really make sure we’re ready if and when she escapes. It’s quite possible that she’ll come after Kasumi and Ranma.’ That, of course, drew her into the second thought that had been constantly invading her mind recently. ‘What in the world is happening between them? Has he fallen in love with her? Has she fallen in love with him? Even if they don’t fall in love, will Ranma want me back? Dammit! Isn’t there anything I can do?’ “A yen for your thoughts,” Yuka said, as she waved her hand in front of Akane’s face. |
Sayuri rolled her eyes. “If you’re going to sit there and mope, at least tell us what’s wrong so we can cheer you up.”
Akane nearly blurted out what was bothering her but then paused. It was hard enough admitting her feeling for Ranma to herself, much less anyone else. If Nabiki hadn’t managed to cajole the information out of her, it’s likely that she wouldn’t have admitted it to anyone. ‘Though I did admit it to Dr. Tofu, and to father. But at least I can avoid the subject with those two if I want. It’s not likely I’ll be able to do the same with Sayuri and Yuka.’
“N-Nothing is bothering me,” Akane stuttered. Even as it came out, she knew it sounded incredibly weak.
“You do understand that you’re not fooling anyone,” Yuka said with an exasperated sigh. “We both know that you’re thinking about Ranma and your sister being all alone.”
“They’re not alone!” Akane growled. “They have Mousse with them and...” The knowing smirks on her friend’s faces told her that she had played right into their hands. “Fine. I was thinking about them. There, are you happy now?”
“No,” Sayuri said quietly. “We know you’re hurting and we’re worried about you. We both want to help you if we can.”
“I know you do,” Akane said, her expression softening. “Unfortunately, there’s nothing that anyone can do. I just have to wait until they’re both back to find out what’s going on.” She stood and brushed herself off. “Anyhow, I’m going to rest my head on my desk before class starts. I’ll see you later.”
With that, the youngest Tendo daughter walked away from her saddened friends.
Nabiki watched as Akane walked away from her companions. She had been trying repeatedly to cheer up her sister; just as she figured Sayuri and Yuka had been doing. By the looks of things though, the two girls appeared to be having the same troubles that she did. The problem was, Akane just didn’t want to be cheered up.
‘However,’ Nabiki thought with a grin, ‘I might have just the solution.’ She finished up her lunch and began walking towards the two girls. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Ukyo.
‘I wonder if I should include her in my plans to cheer Akane up. It might not be a good idea, since it’s just one more thing to remind her of Ranma. I’ll have to give that some thought. She was willing to help out with Kodachi after all. I just hope the hospital manages to keep her locked away. If not, I’ll still need to call that favor in from Ukyo.’
As she approached Sayuri and Yuka, Nabiki noticed that they were eyeing her warily. She fought hard to suppress a sigh. ‘I know people think of me as the Ice Queen, but can’t people at least pretend to look happy when I’m around?’ She didn’t bother answering the rhetorical question and soon reached the Akane’s friends.
“Ladies,” she said smoothly.
“Nabiki,” they both replied simultaneously, each with a neutral expression.
“I take it you guys haven’t had any better luck cheering up Akane than I have,” Nabiki said as she sat down with the girls. Both of them looked surprised by this, and their expressions became more relaxed.
“We haven’t had much luck at all,” Sayuri said.
“None,” Yuka agreed. “No matter how hard we try, nothing seems to get through.”
“I know what you mean,” Nabiki said. “Kasumi asked me to look after her while she’s gone, but I’ve run into the same problem as you have.” She shook her head. “Regardless, I think I have an idea for something that might cheer her up. Are you guys interested in helping out?”
The two friends looked at one another and shrugged. “Sure,” Yuka said.
“Great. Now, here’s what I was thinking...”
Later that week, Ranma, in female form, sat in her tent listening to the sound of the rain as it beat against the tent. It had been raining all morning, and there were no signs of it slowing down. Since training with a duck and a pig were kind of pointless, Ranma had decided to forego the normal regime for the day. She had considered still running outside, but Kasumi had overruled that idea by pointing out that Ranma might catch a cold. That would have an even worse impact on training.
Therefore, Ranma sat there working on muscle strengthening exercises that didn’t require much movement. She also let her mind cover all of the training that they had been doing. ‘It’s been almost two weeks now, and my strength and endurance are twice what they were before. Plus, my new Chestnut Kick move is comin' along great. It reminds me of the Chun-Li chick in that one game.’ The thought caused Ranma to let out a small chuckle.
‘Also, my overall speed is through the roof. I think developing one or two more techniques, and keepin' up what I’ve been doin' should be enough. Maybe I should I work on what Kasumi suggested yesterday.’
While continuing her muscle strengthening exercises, Ranma began to use her chi in an effort to expand her awareness of what was around her. With their chi abilities being so high, it was very easy to pick up the presence of Mousse and Ryoga in the latter’s tent. By focusing even harder, Ranma was able to get a rough glimpse of their auras, even though she couldn’t physically see them. ‘Well, by the way their auras are moving, I’d say those two are playing cards again.’
Shifting her attention, Ranma was also able to detect the presence of Kasumi. It was harder than picking up Mousse and Ryoga, but that was only because her fiancée didn’t have the vast chi reserves that those two had. Ranma wasn’t able to see the shape of her aura, but the redhead’s mind filled in the blanks for her.
‘I still can’t believe how comfortable I am with her,’ Ranma thought. ‘It’s nothin' like dealing with the other girls. She’s so gentle, and caring, and she listens ta what I have ta say. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that she’s incredibly beautiful and a great kisser.’
This last idea made Ranma’s cheeks turn red, though not as much as they would have been in the past. While the two hadn’t had a repeat performance of the mind-blowing kiss Kasumi had given Ranma on the way to town, they still parted ways each evening with a peck on the lips. The only exception had been the previous night, where the two had shared slightly more than a simple goodnight kiss.
‘Last night wasn’t like it was the other day, but still...’ Ranma tried to think of how to describe it. The only word that came to mind was, ‘Wow!’
Ranma shook her head to clear her thoughts. Too often lately, when she wasn’t engaged in serious training with her sparring partners, her mind tended to wander towards Kasumi. While it was certainly pleasant thinking about her fiancée, it was also distracting her from her training.
‘If I’m ever gonna have a future with her, I gotta win this stupid fight. Now focus, dammit.’
Having thus mentally commanded herself, Ranma continued her exercises.
| Mousse sat in Ryoga’s tent with the directionally-challeneged youth, looking intently at his cards. In his many travels, Ryoga had learned quite a few different card games, like the one they were playing now. It was some variation of a game called Bezique that Ryoga had learned while visiting a small town in England. “I win again,” Mousse said triumphantly, as he took yet another trick. “Huh?” Ryoga asked, looking up from his cards. “Oh. Okay.” “What’s your problem Ryoga?” Mousse asked. “That’s five games I’ve won in a row. You seem to be quite distracted.” Rather than get defensive like Mousse expected him to, Ryoga merely shrugged. “I’ve got a lot on my mind at the moment,” he said. |
 |
“Well... I...” Ryoga paused momentarily before speaking again. “It’s about Ranma and Kasumi.”
“What about them?”
“It’s just... I always told Ranma he wasn’t good enough for Akane. If that’s true, then why am I having such a hard time believing the same thing about him and Kasumi?”
Mousse looked at the Ryoga in astonishment. ‘That talk Kasumi had with him last week has him shook up. I know he’s been moody ever since, but this is the first time he’s let it out.’ He braced himself before speaking.
“Well, I have some ideas about it. But, I’ll only share them if you promise not to get angry and actually listen to what I have to say.”
Ryoga seemed to consider it for a moment, and then nodded. “I’ll try. This is really bothering me and I need to find an answer.”
“Okay,” Mousse said, gathering his thoughts. “I guess the first way to open this is with a question. Do you love Kasumi?”
“What?!” Ryoga yelled as he jumped up and nearly knocked the tent over. “What kind of stupid question is that?!”
“I thought you said you weren’t going to get angry,” Mousse said calmly, not bothering to take a defensive stance at all.
After fuming at him for a minute, Ryoga finally sat down in huff. “Fine. The answer is no. I don’t love Kasumi.”
“But you love Akane, right?” He waited for the hesitant nod. “Well, have you ever stopped to consider that maybe it wasn’t so much that Ranma wasn’t good enough for Akane, but rather that she would be better off with you?”
He watched as Ryoga processed that idea. The eventual scowl on Ryoga’s face indicated that he clearly didn’t agree with Mousse’s assessment of the situation. When it didn’t look like Ryoga was going to respond, Mousse decided to move on.
“Also, consider the fact that even with the engagement looming over them, Ranma and Kasumi have a way out. The relationship that the two are developing is now of their own making. It has almost nothing to do with their fathers anymore.”
The scowl on Ryoga’s face gradually diminished, and the lost boy nodded his head. “I suppose that’s more likely.”
‘Uh huh,’ Mousse thought, fighting a grin. ‘We both know that it’s really the first reason, but at least this gives you something else to focus on at the moment while your brain catches up to that fact.’
“It still doesn’t make me any less sick when I catch those two kissing or getting all touchy-feely,” Ryoga said.
Mousse laughed heartily, though inside he felt a small measure of hurt. ‘I wish Shampoo would act that way with me. Ah well, maybe once Saotome has defeated her, things will be different.’ He fervently hoped and prayed that would be the case.
“You and me both,” he said, responding to Ryoga’s comment. “Now, are you finally ready to get your butt kicked again in this game?”
Ryoga snorted. “Bring it on, duck boy!”
As Kasumi made her way towards Ranma’s tent, with her umbrella protecting her from the rain, she heard the sound of Mousse’s laughter coming from Ryoga’s tent. ‘They seem to be getting along well,’ she thought with a smile. ‘I’m just glad they’re here to help Ranma.’
Stopping in front of her fiancé’s tent, she spoke. “Ranma. It’s time for your lessons. Are you decent?” She grinned as she heard the redhead chuckle from inside.
“Yeah Kasumi,” Ranma said, “I’m decent. Come on in.”
Unzipping the tent opening, Kasumi ducked inside and closed it behind her. She set down her umbrella in the corner and turned to regard Ranma. The redhead was sitting in a lotus position and appeared to be meditating.
“Did you bring some hot water for me?” Ranma asked without opening her eyes.
“Of course.”
“Thanks,” Ranma said, finally opening her eyes. “I appreciate it.”
The dazzling smile that Kasumi received once again reminded her why so many girls went gaga over Ranma. ‘It’s so sad that he can’t be like that all the time.’ Breaking off that line of thinking, Kasumi reached into the bag she had brought with her and pulled out a thermos.
“Here you go,” she said cheerfully, handing it over to Ranma.
“Thanks again.” Ranma took the thermos and moved to the same corner of the tent where Kasumi had set her umbrella. The redhead turned away and took off her shirt. Without turning around, she held her shirt behind her. “Can you hold this for me? I don’t wanna get it wet.”
“Sure,” Kasumi said. As she took it, she couldn’t help but smile. ‘Ranma has actually been forming some feminine modesty.’ She watched as her fiancé opened the thermos and dumped the contents over herself.
With his back still towards her, the now male Ranma wiped his hands through his hair to wring out the extra water. When he turned around, Kasumi couldn’t help but stare at his well-muscled chest as the water worked its way down. ‘Oh my. He is so handsome.’
“Uh, Kasumi,” Ranma said nervously.
Kasumi shook her head and looked up towards Ranma’s face, which was beet red. “Yes Ranma?” she asked innocently.
“Can I... uh, can I have my shirt back?”
“Now Ranma,” she chastised. “When did you become so modest?” Kasumi saw that he didn’t seem to have an answer, and was struggling to find something to say. She decided to go easy on him and finally began giggling. Ranma grinned slightly, and then finally began chuckling as well. The two shared a good laugh before Kasumi handed him his shirt back.
Once Ranma put the shirt back on, the two sat down, away from the wet portion of the tent, and began his lessons.
After nearly two hours of studying, Ranma was ready to call it quits. Fortunately for him, Kasumi let out quite a yawn, which made him laugh.
“Ain’t I the one who should be doin' that?” he asked.
“Oh my,” Kasumi said, looking chagrined. “I’m sorry Ranma. I’ve always found the sound of rain to be soothing. It’s just making me a little sleepy.”
“That’s okay. I just finished my last worksheet.”
“Good job,” Kasumi said. “Let me see.”
He handed it over and sat quietly as Kasumi scrutinized the paper. After a minute, she let loose one of those dazzling smiles that were quickly becoming one of the most important things in Ranma’s life.
“Excellent Ranma, you only got one wrong.” She showed Ranma his mistake and explained the correct answer to him. Once she was satisfied that he understood it, she put all of the papers into her bag. He then watched as she stifled a yawn with her hand.
‘I’d like ta spend some time with her,’ Ranma thought, ‘but she looks real tired.’
“Kasumi,” he said unselfishly, “you look tired. Why don’t you go take a nap?”
“Trying to get rid of me Ranma?” she asked with a wink.
“N-No, of c-course not.” He then registered the fact that she had winked, and noticed her trying to hold in a laugh. “Ha, ha,” he said with a smile.
“I’m just teasing you silly. But you’re right, I think a nap is in order.”
Ranma moved back to allow her room to get up and get her stuff together. However, when she merely scooted back, he looked puzzled. Then she laid down on her side, right on his sleeping mat, and he started getting nervous. When she patted next to her on the mat and smiled at him, he started panicking.
“Why don’t you join me Ranma?” she asked.
“B-But, t-that would m-mean...”
“I assure you that my intentions are completely honorable,” Kasumi said with a giggle, “and that your chastity is safe with me.” Then she became a little more serious. “I just want to lay next to you Ranma. Is that okay? I wasn’t planning on going any farther than that.”
“Well,” Ranma said with a gulp, “I, uh... I guess s-so.” He slowly made his way to the mat. ‘I can’t believe I’m doing this. I can’t believe she asked me ta do this. Isn’t this wrong? Isn’t this perverted? But if Kasumi wants to do it, how can it be?’
“If you would prefer that I go Ranma,” Kasumi said quietly, “that’s okay. Just say the word.”
“No!” Ranma said, more forcefully than he intended. “I mean, it’s okay.”
Laying flat on his back next to her, Ranma had to take several deep breaths to calm himself. Placing both of his hands on his chest, Ranma waited to see what would happen next.
While Ranma laid there and tried to relax, Kasumi, who was still laying on her side facing him, watched him. ‘It was really nice the way he said 'no'. At least there was no hesitation there.’ Once she thought he was calm enough, she spoke.
“Ranma, I’d like you to lay on your side facing away from me.”
“Okay,” Ranma said. He looked confused at the request, but complied easily enough.
‘He probably thinks of it as a safe activity. Well, I guess we’ll just have to see how he reacts to this.’ Kasumi moved closer to him, until her breasts began pressing into his back. She felt him stiffen up in surprise, but she didn’t stop until their bodies were flush together. Then she proceeded to drape her arm over him and lay it across his chest.
“K-Kas-Kasumi,” Ranma stuttered quietly.
“Shh,” she replied softly. “Just relax.”
After several minutes melted away, Kasumi felt Ranma’s nervousness bleed off. “Now,” she said in that same soft tone, “this isn’t so horrible is it?”
To her surprise, Ranma actually let out a small chuckle. “N-Nah,” he said, sounding a little sleepy. “Actually, it’s... uh, it’s q-quite n-nice. Y-You just keep sh-shocking me, is all.”
Kasumi let out a small sigh. “Ranma, just because I’m quiet and spend most of my time at home, that doesn’t define who I am. I have my own hopes, my own dreams, and my own desires. I’m not the person that everyone seems to think I am. Besides, I really am interested in trying to make our relationship work. As a woman, and not one of the young girls who chases you, I tend to act differently then what you’re used to.”
“I kinda noticed,” Ranma said with amusement.
“Good,” Kasumi said, tightening her grip on her fiancé. “Now, go to sleep.”
As the rain pelted against the tent, the two gradually both dozed off.
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.
