Subject: A Window To The Past Chapter 2
From: "Odie3100" <odie3100@bridge.net>
Date: 10/28/1996, 12:13 PM
To:


 -----------------------------------------------------------------
 Ranma 1/2 and all Characters contained
 herein are property of Rumiko Takahashi......
 so don't try any funny stuff, got it?
  ----------------------------------------------------------------
 
 
 
 
 
 
  (From Chapter 1....)


"Hey sis, are you in here? Can I come in?"

	Akane really didn't want to deal with anyone at the moment, but she knew
they would not stop bothering her until she had given them an explanation
or an excuse, especially Nabiki. Her older sister was relentless, and had a
knack of knowing if you were lying or not. 

<Might as well.......>

"Hello? Akane? Are you alright?"


	Drawing in a sharp breath, she responded.

"Ok, come in Nabiki....."

	Akane watched as the doorknob turned.






                               ***************************
  		        A Window To the Past
  		       ***************************	
  		        
  
  	                       By: Andres Odella
  
  
  
  --------------
  Chapter 2: Next Things First.....
  --------------


"... and to top it off, I add a pinch of cinammon." Kasumi looked up and
found the three men staring at her with a quizical look on their faces.

"I'm sorry, did any of you happen to miss part of what I said? I'd be more
than happy to-"

	The three men all spoke at once.

"N-no no!! I heard-"

"Nah, I got it all-"

"No, dear. You've been most-"

	The three all stopped at once, and looked at each other. Who was going the
one to speak first?

<I think I'll just go back to eating...> thought Genma, and he did.

<I think I'll let Ranma deal with this,> and Soun picked up his newspaper
to read.

	Ranma swallowed hard. <Traitors....>

"Uh......" He was at a lost for words, which was almost unheard of for him.
As he searched for what to say, Kasumi spoke.

"Ranma, did you miss something? Why don't you help me clear the dishes and
I'll tell explain it to you all over again." 

	What was he supposed to do? Should he blow her off and walk off? He
couldn't reach a decision, walking that thin line between brutal honesty
and telling a little white lie for someone else's sake. Kasumi continued to
look at him, and he felt increasingly uncomfortable. Making up his mind
without thinking, he picked up several rice bowls in his large hands.

"I'd really like that, Kasumi." <WHAT??? No, that's not what I was supposed
to say!>

	She absolutely glowed at him, wearing a huge smile. Not much caught her
off guard, but this almost suprised her.

"Oh, that's good, Ranma. Follow me, then." Kasumi grabbed some of the empty
plates and cups and walked off towards the kitchen. Ranma, resigning
himself to the fact he was going to have to go through with it, lest he
hurt Kasumi's feelings, trailed behind her.

"So where was I? Oh, yes, I was just expaining how I mix all the........"

	
	
	Nabiki stood at the base of Akane's bed, giving Akane that famous
inquiring look of hers when she had her brain woking in overdrive. She
moved over to the empty seat by the desk and sat down. Akane was lying on
her back on her bed, eyes staring off into space. She made no motion to
greet her sister, and Nabiki frowned.

	For all the anger and bad temper that Akane had, she was always courteous
to others. The simple fact that she failed to say 'good morning' or 'hello'
or even 'hi' was a tip-off that something was troubling her.

<Now what do I do? This is supposed to be Kasumi's job.> But Kasumi wasn't
here, and Akane needed help NOW. Nabiki knew she wasn't a person that had a
lot of time or patience to listen to other people's problems, but this was
her sister. Profits could wait until later.

"Hey sis, what are you doing? You just about missed breakfast. C'mon, Ranma
and the-"

<Uh-oh, wrong name.> 

	She peered intently as Akane's eyes watered at the mention of that name.
Rather than let Nabiki see her cry, she rolled over on her side, away from
Nabiki. 

<Oh great, _now_ what do I do?>

	Nabiki rolled the chair over to the side of the bed. She cautiously
extended her arm and placed her hand on Akane's shoulder, giving her a
little shake.

"Hey."

	Akane turned her head slightly and looked at Nabiki with  moistened eyes. 

"What's wrong, little sis? You don't look so hot." <Well, that wasn't so
hard.> "C'mon, you can tell me."

"W-why are you doing this?"

"Huh? Doing what?" She knew exactly what Akane was getting at, but didn't
want to admit it.

"This. Why are you so concerned with how I feel?"

	Nabiki was hurt by that comment. Surely she wasn't so cold that she failed
to notice when others were in pain. Wanting to lash out at her sister, she
instead played her hand with the usual coolness.

"You're my sister, right? I always care how you or Kasumi or Daddy feel."
That last sentence had been the most difficult to say out loud, but it was
true. Nabiki was simply used to another way of showing her concern, which
was to take care of the family's financial troubles (and there were quite a
lot of those).

"I just don't say it in so many words." Nabiki felt a tear wanting to
escape her eye, but held that in check.

	Akane gave her older sister a loving smile and lunged forward to hug her.
Nabiki was a little stunned at first, but then returned the hug. The
feelings of mutual love permeated the air, and for a few brief moments, all
was right with the world.

	Akane moved her head near Nabiki's ear and whispered.

"I love you, oneechan." 


	The kitchen was a place Ranma usually did not venture into
unless he wanted a snack, or unless Akane was cooking (in which case, he
usually made a quick exit courtesy of a swift punch or kick.) He looked
around, seeing things he never bothered to notice. Various implements of
cooking were hanging from racks, some of them dripping wet. Kasumi stood
behind the wooden counter, happily chatting away. Ranma's mind barely
registered her words, the minimum to keep track of the one-sided
conversation in the unlikely case she happened to ask him a question. His
mind was too busy thinking of other things  to listen closely.

	Kasumi, for her part, knew Ranma wasn't enthralled to have to
listen to her go on about the intricacies of making tempura, but was
pleased to see that he was still listening. 

<He's changed..... I can't put my finger on it yet, but he's changed......
Somehow, more.... mature?> Kasumi smiled to herself, pausing on that
thought. That was certainly welcome news, if it was true. She finished her
lecture on cooking, and turned to inspect him. Ranma was standing there
impassively, his eyes giving away the fact that he was thinking of things
other than cooking. He noticed her vision fixate on him, and he snapped to
attention.

"K-Kasumi? Um, I......." <What do I say?> 

"Gomen. Kasumi.... I wasn't really listening......" <No, not the truth!!!
Bah, this conscience thing is getting to be a real pain....>

	Her hand swept out and found his, giving it a warm squeeze. She
gave him her best innocent smile.

"Oh, never mind that. It was very kind of you to listen to me anyways. We
don't often get a chance to talk, do we?" She squeezed his hand a little
tighter.

	Ranma blushed deeply, but did not remove his hand. "Gomen,
Kasumi, but I... I never.....you know.....talk to anyone.....It's not that
I don't......l-like all of you, but....." He found an interesting strand of
a spider web in a corner to focus on.

<How sweet....he's so naive and innocent sometimes.....> She led him by the
hand over to two stools by the counter.He meekly followed, his shoulders
slumping down noticably, not protesting her movement.

	Kasumi sat, all the time studying his face and body movements. Letting go
of her hand, Ranma stood at her side, doing his best to look uninterested.

"Ranma, why don't you have a seat?" Her hand patted the stool she pulled
out for him, reapplying her killer smile with full force. <I may not be as
proficient
a martial artist as you Ranma, but I have my own special techniques,> she
thought, and grinned to herself.

"A-Arigato Kasumi....." Nervous energy wracked his body as he sat down.
Wringing his hands hard enough to crush stones, his eyes averted meeting
hers.

"Ranma, is something troubling you? You look nervous." <Nervous? He looks
like he's going out of his mind.....>

"Nani? Heheh...nah, I'm fine." Giving a small laugh that failed to convince
her, she continued to smile, and his facade crumbled. <Ranma, you are putty
in my hands.>

"Oh, alright then. I'll be on my way then." She stood. "I have many duties
to atte-"

	Ranma jumped up almost instantly. <Check and mate,> thought Kasumi.

"N-no!! Don't go!.....I mean....." His eyes fell to his shoes.

"Oh my, is there something wrong?" <I hope he doesn't clam up now....>

	Ranma felt like running away. <Me and my big mouth.... Still, it couldn't
hurt....> He looked at her face, and saw the concern in her eyes. Hot blood
rushed into his cheeks as he blushed once again. <She _really_ cares....for
me...> Right then and there his heart silently cried out, wanting to be
freed from its heavy, unspoken burden. Too proud to cry, he instead
extended a slightly shakey hand and took Kasumi's is his.

"C-can I talk to you about something?" 


	Finally let go of each other, the two sisters sat next to each other on
the bed. Akane leaned her head on Nabiki's shoulder, and let out a small
sigh.

"Thanks."

"Huh? Thanks for what?"

	Akane looked up and kissed her sister on the cheek. 

"Thanks for coming in and checking on me. I really-"

	A new plan raced through Nabiki's neural fibers, boucing to and fro, until
it had managed a semblance of order. If Nabiki could have given an evil
grin at that moment, she would have. <I'm too good at this, I swear....>
She spoke and put her devious idea in motion.

"It wasn't my idea to come calling on you."

"-appreciate thi-.....Nani???" If jaws could be unhinged, hers would have
needed a
screwdriver to reattach it.

<They say a picture is worth a thousand words,> thought Nabiki as she saw
the expression on Akane's face, <but Kuno would think this one's worth at
least two.>

"It was Ranma's idea, little sis. He seemed a bit too nervous to come on up
here himself, so he _sent_ me. For free, even." <Better not tell her he
paid me...she might not like that...>

"Hey sis, are you there?" A faraway look drifted into her eyes, as if
reliving a dream.

<Ranma.....why.......do you really......>

<This could get old real quick. I better do something.> Nabiki snapped her
fingers and yelled.

"HEY!!!! WAKE UP!!!" The faraway look left Akane's face, replaced by one of
confusion. Nabiki moved over to the seat and spun it a few times, giving
Akane a few more seconds to think certain things over. She caught the
spinning chair and brought it to a halt. <Time to act.>

"Did something happen between you two? You both are acting even weirder
than usual, which is almost _impossible_." 

"Nabiki, I can't tell you."

"Nani? Why not? I _swear_ I won't tell anyone....." <Hopefully......>

	Shakiing her head slightly, she answered. 

"No, it's not that. It's just, well....."

"Well what? What is it? Come-"

	Akane's anger flared, and Nabiki visibly flinched. "I TOLD YOU ALREADY,
I'M NOT GOING TO-" She caught herself before she exploded. Her was her
sister, wanting to help her, and all she could do was yell at her.
       
	She ran over to a sitting Nabiki and threw her arms around her. "Oh,
Nabiki, I'm so sorry... I didn't mean to yell at you like that." She hugged
her tightly, hoping to find redemption in her elder's arms.

	This was more emotion than Nabiki usually experienced in a month, and it
was crammed into a space of mere minutes. Feeling her sister searching for
forgivness in her touch, she squeezed her tightly.

"Eh, don't worry about it, baby. If you don't want to tell me now," she
spoke wagging a mischivous finger at Akane, "I'll find out soon enough."
Akane laughed, relieved she was forgiven. 

"Ok, I'll tell you, but not just yet. There's somene I have to talk to
first."

"Ranma? I take it this has to do with him, then," giving her an inquiring
look.

	A slight nod of the head confirmed her suspictions.

"I have to talk to him first. It's just that we......we....."

"Yah, yah. You two don't like each other and-"

"Oneechan!! I didn't say that!!" <UH-OH....>

"Oh, so now you're saying you _do_ like  him, right?" <Like taking candy
from a baby....>

	Akane squirmed around, and answered.

"I....I don't know......we never...talk about things like that." <This is
weird. Usually Kasumi is the one I tell these things to.>

"Somehow, I'm not suprised." Akane raised an eyebrow at that. "All you two
do is bicker and-" Akane cut her off.

"That isn't true! I mean, this last year, things have been different......
I don't know what it is <what a lie...of course _I_ know what it is....>
but something about him has changed. He's......"

<Ah, so she's noticed as well......good to see she's not a total
tomboy....>

	Nabiki leaned into her face, almost brushing her nose with hers.
"Yeeeesss? Go on....." The pressure finally got to Akane.

"Nothing.....never mind.....forget I even mentioned it." Her heart ached at
not being able to release its painful cargo. Nabiki let out an air of
disappointment. She had almost pierced her younger sister's tough outer
shell. <Don't give up,> she admonished herself. <We're almost
there.....even though I already know, I just need to hear _you_ say it.>

"Ooooookay, if that's how you feel. But you had better talk to Ranma soon.
That kawaii boy isn't likely to wait for you forever." The corners of her
thin lips curled into a small snarl. <That last one was _all_ me.......>

	Akane jumped up as if the fear of God had been put in her soul. Visibly
shaken, her eyes exuded an agitated look as Nabiki looked at  them.

"What are you talking about? He's leaving? He never told me anything about
THIS!!!" Red waves of chi rippled over her body, bathing her in a kind of
unholy light. This had to be seen to be believed. <Whoops, maybe I mad a
boo-boo...>

"Whoa, sis, I'm just funning ya. He's not going anywhere. Nah, that kawaii
boy is too scared of you to go anywhere for too long. I doubt he even goes
to the bathroom without looking to see where you are first."

	At the mention of 'bathroom' suddenly remembered the morning's event. She
still, after a long while of lying in bed and debating herself, had not
decided if she should feel guilty or not. Undeniably, Ranma was probably
thinking about the same thing.

"Anyways, why don't you come down to breakfast? I doubt that the furball
and Ranma left you anything to eat, but you might ask Kasumi to make you
something."

"Thanks, Nabiki. I'll be down in a few minutes." That last statement was
intended to cue Nabiki to leave, and she understood the unsaid meaning. She
stood from the chair and headed for the door. 

	Walking out the open door, she turned and faced Akane for one moment, not
saying anything. Giving her a sneaky smile, she closed the door behind her,
leaving Akane to her thoughts.


"So you see, right, how this could all be a mistake, right?" Ranma hoped
she believed him.

	Kasumi was impressed by her future brother in law. Ranma had easily
spilled his thoughts when pressed a little by her, like a ripe lemon being
lightly squeezed. All the events came tumbling out of his mouth in a
jumble, without any recognizable organiztion. However, after living with
Ranma with several years, Kasumi had learned to discern the general gist of
whatever convoluted story came out of his mouth. 

	As she understood it, he had just finished practice when he smelled
himself and found the odor offensive. That in itself was strange to her;
Ranma was never a person with much ettique. at any rate, instead of heading
straight for breakfast as he usually did, he went to take a bath.
Unfortunantly, Akane was also taking a bath, and Ranma failed to notice her
there. She had opened the sliding door, and they had seen each other's
naked body. Under any other conditions, Kasumi might privately giggle about
a situation like that, but this involved Ranma and Akane, and as such
required a delicate hand to intervene.

"Well, Ranma, it seems to me that this is just a simple misunderstanding. 
I'm sure if you two just calmly disc-"

"No, no!! What, are you crazy? If I even go near that tom-" Ranma caught
himself just in the nick of time. 

"If I go anywhere near her, I know she's just gonna hammer me, I know it."
As he said those words a look of desperation overtook him. He bowed his
head slightly, embarassed at admitting his fear of Akane's considerable
wrath.

<Oh dear, this could be more serious than I thought.....>

"Ranma, I have to ask you an important question. Please try to answer it
honestly, okay?" She gave him a disarming smile as she spoke. He twisted
slightly in his stool, but eventually nodded.

"Ranma, are you scared of Akane?"

"WHAT??? NO WAY!!! I'M NOT SCARED-" He lowered his tone, realizing who he
was talking to.

"Kasumi, I ain't scared of Akane, and I don't really mind the stompings
that much <'cause they don't happen as often...>, it's just....it's
just...." Kasumi gave him a reassuring pat on the hands, encouraging him to
continue.

"It's just I wish....you know......we could....ah.....um, we could......."

<I knew it.....he likes her, after all.......>	Kasumi shushed him, and he
fell silient.

"I am not the one you need to be telling this to. There is a young girl
upstairs who is probably having these same thoughts and wondering about the
same-"

"Really? You think she's thinking about me?" Ranma's face immediately
turned red, and he cursed himself for looking so pathetic. Kasumi's usual
smile broadened almost to her ears. <My, my, eager, aren't we?>

"I would think after what occured between you two, she couldn't be thinking
of anything else." <Well, a little exaggeration never hurt anyone....>

"But how do I, you know, talk to her? What if she wants to kill me?"

"Ranma, I can only say that you have to find your own way of talking to
her. Just be yourself, and I'm sure everything will be fine." At that exact
moment Nabiki came literally bouncing into the room, radiating happiness.

"Hi Kasumi, hi Ranma. What're you two doing in here?" She walked over to
the refridgerator, rummaging through it for something to drink. Kasumi
answered.

"Oh, nothing. I was just telling Ranma-" His eyes went wide.

"-how I prepared breakfast this morning." She gave him a secret wink, and
he relaxed, winking back.

<Now why don't I believe them? Oh well.....>

"So where have you been, Nabiki? Did Akane get lost somewhere?" Nabiki
nearly spilt the milk she was pouring herself.

"Ah, no, I just had to go to check on my ledgers. I remembered someone who
missed a payment yesterday, and I had to write it down." <I hope you buy
that....>

<Humph, likely story.....>

"Oh, that's nice. Would you like some more breakfast? I think Father and
Mr. Saotome left some food." Nabiki drank her milk in one, long sip.

"No thanks, I gotta run. It's Sunday, and I got clients to meet <and debts
to collect.> Hey Ranma baby, you want to tag along? I could use the extra
muscle to 'encourage' prompt payments. I'd make it worth your while." She
gave him a sexy look, batting her eyelashes. Kasumi frowned, not liking her
obvious flirting gestures. Ranma, of course, had no idea what Nabiki was
doing, and looked at her obliviously. 

"Nah, not today, Nabiki. I got some things to do myself. Maybe another
day." Kasumi was a little glad Ranma knew so little of women; he would have
been angry with Nabiki had he known all the little passes she made at him,
even if they were in jest. Nabiki looked a little disappointed. She would
have to go and hire another bully for more money than she would have liked
to.

"Alright, suit yourself. Well, I'm outta here. See you all later." She blew
kisses to them both and left.

"Now what? Should I go and see what she's up to?" Kasumi nodded, but gave
him a reminder.

"Yes, but remember, be gentle. She's probably under a lot of stress right
now, so watch your smart mouth, you." She gave him a playful tap on the
head, and Ranma laughed. He looked at her with big eyes, and gave her a
quick peck on the cheek.
She was a little shocked at his bold action, but liked it.

"Arigato, Kasumi.You don't know how much I appreciate this." He got on his
feet and turned away, lest he blush again. Kasumi stood up and walked
behind him.

"You're right, I don't. So show Akane how much you do."

"H-hai." Without looking back, he left the kitchen, and headed for Akane's
room.



	The old woman was in the street, as usual, throwing water in the path.
Today was her favorite day, mostly because there were no students running
like crazy to get to Furinkan High on time. Especially that Tendo Akane and
Saotome Ranma. When they ran to avoid being late, they knocked over anyone
and anything in their path.What was most unusual about them was once in a
while when she accidentally splashed the young boy, his hair seemed to
change colors....most unusual......

<Ah, kids today...what will they think of next?>

	A shadow cast across the hard pavement, darkening the area around the
elder. She looked up to see who it belonged to. Her tired and rheumy eyes
identified an older gentleman, wrapped in a dark cloak from head to knee.
He had obviously been in a fight recently, as his cloak bore more rips, and
blood trickled from various wounds. His face was sun-worn and haggard, a
short, scraggly beard dangling from his chin. His own eyes begat a look of
terror, as if he had seen the devil himself.

"Excuse, but are you alright? You look like you were attacked by some
ruffians. You want me to call for help?"

	His head swiveled behind him, as if looking for someone or something that
was following him. Out from under his cloak came a  sword of some strange
black metal. <It's near, I can almost smell it....> 

	 She could not immediately identify the weapon's composition. It wasn't a
katana, for sure. In all her years she had never seen anything like it. It
bore no shine, no glint: it was totally dull. The older man turned and
looked at her, his eyes pleading.

"Do you know where Saotome Ranma resides? This is a matter of great
urgency."

<How funny, I was just thinking of him.> "Yes, I do. Just go down the end
of the street, make a right, and walk straight until you see the sign that
says 'School Of Anything Goes Martial Arts.' He lives there. Listen sir,
are you sure you don't need any help? It'n no troub-"

	He blocked out everything else the old woman said. <Anything Goes Martials
Arts? I should have known he would be on the path......> He allowed himself
to briefly smile and then returned to his serious gaze.

"Arigato, mama-san. Sayonara....." Running as fast as his aching legs would
take him, he tore off in the direction indicated by the old woman.

"What a strange man....he fits in perfectly with the rest of them." She
grinned and returned to cleaning the street in front of her home.


	Nabiki was turning onto another street when a man in a cloak sped by her,
carrying a strange looking sword in his hand, almost knocking her over. She
watched as he disappeared into the distance, headed in the direction of her
home. She had a disturbing thought, but shook it off. <Nah, that's too
weird, even for our family.....> She continued walking.


	The man came to a screeching halt, and read the sign in front of him. This
was the place. <I found you....after all this searching....I've finally
found you.> Allowing himself a small feeling of triumph, he bent over in
exhaustion for a minute, and quickly straightened up again. He wasn't home
free just yet. He had yet to meet with the one they called Saotome. He
sheathed his sword and reached out to knock on the front gate.

<Saotome Ranma, I'm coming......are you ready?>



*********************************

To be continued In Part 3.....

*********************************


C&C, ideas, comments, matchbooks from various bars for my collection,
Bingo cards, whatever.... are appreciated. Flames will be read, edited for 
content, and replayed on the WB Network, where it will fit in nicely with
all
those other lame shows......  


 Thanks,
  
 Andres Odella
  
 odie3100@bridge.net