Heart of the Family
By Richard Lawson
sterman@sprynet.com
The soft light of dawn warmed Kasumi’s cheek. She opened her eyes and
gazed through the window at the lightening sky. It promised to be a beautiful
day.
Kasumi reached over and shut off the alarm clock before it could ring; no need to
wake anyone else just yet. She slid out of bed and shook her hair out slightly.
She dressed, tied her hair and pulled it over her shoulder. Kasumi allowed
herself a second to admire her hair; it was her best feature, she thought, and she
worked hard to maintain it. Akane had gone through a phase where she had tried
to outgrow Kasumi’s hair. Ryoga and Ranma had put an end to that, and it was
just as well. She really did look better with shorter hair, and it was certainly the
style Akane was most comfortable with.
Kasumi shook herself out of her reverie; too much work to be done, as always.
She slid open the door and walked softly down the hallway. Everyone was still
sleeping, although that would change soon.
She stepped into the kitchen and took one of her aprons off the hook. Putting it
on gave her a sense of control, of mastery over her environment.
***
Kasumi leaned across the opening into the kitchen, not wanting to desecrate
Okaasan’s domain. She could see Okaasan’s back, with the apron tied in a
pretty, neat bow. Chopping sounds could be heard from beyond her. Kasumi
wanted to know what Okaasan was doing. She wanted to *be* with Okaasan,
but the kitchen was sacred, not a place where she or her sisters were allowed.
The sounds of chopping stopped. Okaasan turned toward Kasumi. Kasumi
knew an instant of fear - Okaasan was about to chastise her for spying, and
send her away. But the warm, loving look that always seemed to find its way to
Okaasan’s face calmed Kasumi’s fears as quickly as they had formed. "Kasumi,
do you want to help?"
Joy filled Kasumi. Okaasan was going to let her enter! She was going to be
allowed to do grown-up things! "Eh!" She ran over to Okaasan and stood in
front of her, quivering with excitement.
Okaasan laughed softly. She placed her hand on Kasumi’s shoulder and guided
her back over by the door. Hanging on a hook next to the door were several
aprons. "They’re a little big for you, Kasumi," Okaasan said as she sifted through
the aprons. "Let’s try this one." She lifted a frilly apron off the hook and held
it in front of Kasumi.
Kasumi’s eyes widened. To be allowed into the kitchen was a wonderful
adventure. To put on grown-up clothes - with permission! - was enough to take
her breath away.
Eagerly Kasumi took the apron from Okaasan and thrust it over her head. The
apron *was* a little big, and it hung over her gracelessly. She picked up the
strings of the apron and held them in front of her, unsure what to do next.
Smiling, Okaasan knelt, took the strings and reached around behind Kasumi.
"Your apron is the face you wear in the kitchen. It keeps your clothes from
getting dirty, and it’s a good place to wipe your hands during cooking. Of course,
you should always wash your hands before you cook!" Okaasan finished tying
Kasumi’s apron and leaned back on her heels, her eyes level with Kasumi’s.
Okaasan smiled widely. "Most of all, it defines you. It tells the kitchen," and her
voice took on a playfully peremptory tone, " ‘Pay attention! Kasumi-sama is here
to cook! You will do my bidding and help me make a delicious meal’ "
Kasumi giggled. Okaasan stood up, placed her hand behind Kasumi’s head and
gently guided her towards the sink. "Your apron is also an expression of love.
You love your family so much, you’re willing to put on this apron to prepare a
meal for them." Okaasan ran the water in the sink and gave Kasumi a bar of
soap. "Later, we’ll alter this apron so that it will fit you. Then we’ll start making
you a new apron, and put some love into it so that Otoosan and your sisters
know how much they mean to you."
Rubbing her hands with the soap, Kasumi fairly beamed. Sewing, too! Okaasan
was going to let her *be* a grown-up. That thought was as frightening as it was
exciting, but knowing that Okaasan would always be there to help took away
some of the worry.
Kasumi looked up at her mother and gave her a smile of pure love and
adoration.
***
Kasumi dried her hands with a towel and stood for a few seconds facing the wall.
The ritual of putting on her apron and washing her hands always had echoes of
Okaasan in it. Less and less, though, it had brought back this memory. That
saddened Kasumi.
The kitchen was not a place for sadness, though. Okaasan had taught her that.
She went over to the cupboard and pulled out two kettles. She filled them with
water and set them to boiling. She went about preparing breakfast. When the
kettles started whistling, she turned down the temperature on one and kept it just
below boiling. The other she turned off completely and let it cool.
She could hear the sound of feet pounding down the stairs. Ranma and
Saotome-ojisan going for their morning workout. Since it was a pleasant
morning, they held it outside, and the sounds of fighting soon filled the yard.
This was usually enough to wake up the rest of the household. Kasumi poured
the not-quite-boiling water into a teapot, put some tea in it and put it on a tray
with some cups. She took it out to the dining table and set it in the center.
As she did so, her father came in. "Good morning, Kasumi" he said as he
poured himself a cup. He turned to watch the fighting in the yard.
Kasumi returned to the kitchen. Breakfast was almost ready; almost on cue, the
fighting in the yard intensified. It ended, as it almost always did, with a splash.
Kasumi smiled, and brought out the breakfast dishes.
Akane and Nabiki had joined their father in watching the courtyard antics. Nabiki
looked terribly disinterested in the proceedings, while Akane looked disgusted
and muttered something under her breath. Panda-ojisan entered and sat down
at the table. Kasumi poured him a cup of tea, Ojisan being unable to accomplish
that feat at present. He growled his thanks and brought the cup to his lips,
rumbling with contentment.
Ranma stood in the doorway, trying to wring out her clothes while still wearing
them. Kasumi went back into the kitchen, took the second kettle, and brought it
out to Ranma. Ranma smiled her thanks, and dumped it over her head.
"Ranma, when are you going to learn that fighting in the yard is not a good
idea?" Akane sounded exasperated, as she often did when talking to Ranma.
"You always end up wet and dirty. I wouldn’t mind except we have to sit in the
same classroom all day."
Ranma looked indignant. "Hmph. As I recall, when we fought in the dojo
yesterday, you told us to take it outside."
Akane leaped to her feet. "That’s because you tore a hole in the roof again!"
She was sounding angry now, another common emotion. "Do you think we have
an army of elves around that fix the things you break!!"
"Hey, it was my Otoosan who broke the roof!" Ranma responding in kind.
"It was you who sent him through it!"
"He was asking for it! We don’t go easy on each other when we’re in training!"
"Then could you take it easy on the house?! The rest of us have to live in it too!"
"Including your stupid elves?!?"
Things were quickly getting out of hand. Kasumi decided to step in. "Oh my! Do
you suppose the elves would like some breakfast?"
It had the desired affect. Ranma and Akane seemed to deflate a little when they
turned to look at her. Nabiki rolled her eyes. Otoosan seemed surprised. Ojisan
produced a sign that had a giant question mark on it.
It was Ranma who answered. "Uh, I don’t think so, Kasumi." He stepped to the
table and sat down. "Looks good, though."
Akane joined him. "Yeah, real good. Thanks, Kasumi."
Kasumi attended to her own breakfast, glowing in her success. Presentation
was an important aspect of any meal; no one would eat a delicious meal that
looked like slop. She realized that their compliments were halfway meant to
placate her, as they might placate a young child. That was okay with Kasumi, as
long as it kept them from fighting again.
She was back in the kitchen cleaning up when Nabiki, dressed for school, came
in. She waited while Kasumi finished wiping the counters. Kasumi placed the
towel on top of the basket of laundry she was planning on washing today. Nabiki
looked down at the towel with disdain. Kasumi shrugged mentally; it was
Nabiki’s loss that she would never know the satisfaction of manual labor.
"Do we have the money for the roof repair, Nabiki-oneechan?"
Nabiki glanced up Kasumi then down into the pocket of her frock. She brought
out a large stack of bills that she began counting off. "How much do you need?"
Kasumi tipped her head and considered the many previous visits of the
contractors. "I would guess 50,000 yen."
Nabiki rifled the money quickly, stopping to check some figures in her notebook.
She took a pencil out of her pocket and tapped the eraser on her lips.
***
Kasumi sifted through the loosely scattered papers on the dining table. There
was so much to sort through, and the pressure to get something done was
growing daily.
Kasumi glanced at her watch and grimaced. If she didn’t start dinner now, it
would have to be ramen again - as it had been since the funeral. But the papers
in front of her needed attending to, and Otoosan was in no condition to help.
She took another look at the bank account. There had been a healthy balance
there, but the medical bills had taken a large chunk of that. As had the funeral.
Not to mention that Otoosan had not been teaching during the crisis, and thus
not collecting any fees.
Kasumi was as close to total despair as she had ever been. Okaasan - it hurt
too much to think of her right now. Otoosan was devastated; when he wasn’t
crying, he was staring at the walls and not speaking. Akane would still ask when
Okaasan was coming home.
And there were the bills. The dojo, thankfully, was paid for, but taxes were due
on it, as were the normal utilities. The car was in good shape, thankfully, but it
still needed the insurance paid. There was still food to be bought, if she could
ever get around to cooking it.
Kasumi sighed and bowed her head over the table, letting more of her despair
show than she meant. She couldn’t let the children see her like this. She
needed to be strong, for them. But she wasn’t sure she could do it for very much
longer.
She looked up, and blinked. Nabiki was sitting across from her. Kasumi hadn’t
even heard her come in. As much as Kasumi was worried for Otoosan, she was
worried for Nabiki. Only a year and a half older than Akane, Nabiki hadn’t shown
much emotion; she had just watched everyone and everything around her with a
slightly interested but otherwise blank look. Tears had streamed from her eyes
at the funeral, but otherwise, Nabiki had shown no other reaction.
Now, as usual, she was just watching. Kasumi tried to smile, but it felt weak on
her lips. "Oneechan?" She had meant to say more, but the words died on her lips.
Nabiki rose, came around the table, knelt next to Kasumi, and picked up a bill.
"What is this?"
Kasumi looked at the paper. "Electricity bill. We owe for the lights and the TV
and the other electrical things we use."
Nabiki cocked her head to the side. "4780 yen. I can pay that. I have that many
yen."
Kasumi blinked again; she had no idea how Nabiki had come across so much
money. "Thank you for offering, Nabiki-oneechan, but it is just the smallest bill
among all the others we have. Even if we pay it, next month they’ll send us
another bill for the electricity we use this month."
"Oh." Nabiki picked up the insurance bill and read through it. "This is for the
car? I don’t have that much money." She looked at Kasumi. "Do you?"
Kasumi sighed gently. "No, Oneechan, you have more money than I do." She
picked up the bank account book. "However, the family has this much money
available to it."
Nabiki put down the bills she was holding and took the bank book from Kasumi.
She flipped through the pages until she found the current balance. "That’s a lot
of money," she said, her face and tone still expressionless.
Kasumi felt the grimace coming again, and stilled it before it reached her face.
She must be strong. "It may seem that way, but all that money must pay all of
these bills." She swept her hand over the pile of papers. "When we pay them,
next month another set of bills will come. Oh, and we have to use what’s left to
buy food for us to eat."
The mention of food made Kasumi look at her watch again. "Oh my, I have to
get dinner started." Kasumi looked at the bills again and felt her heart sink
again; too much to do, and Okaasan was gone.
Out of the corner of her eye, Kasumi could see Nabiki watching her, bank book
still held open in her hand. Nabiki reached her other hand over and tugged on
Kasumi’s sleeve. "Kasumi-oneechan, let me help."
Kasumi turned her head towards Nabiki, and saw more animation in her face
than she had seen in a long time. There was an earnestness there that spoke of
true desire. Nabiki glanced down at the bank book, over to the bills, and back up
to Kasumi, silently imploring.
Was this what Okaasan saw in Kasumi at the kitchen door? The memory came
to Kasumi, and buoyed her.
Kasumi smiled, this time genuinely. Nabiki was certainly good with numbers,
and if she could try to make all of these figures balance, it would certainly help.
At the very least, it would keep Nabiki occupied, and allow Kasumi the time she
needed to make dinner. "Certainly, Nabiki-oneechan. See if you can figure out
how we can pay these bills, and buy food. See if you can figure out a plan for
next month, too." She put a pencil and pad of paper in front of Nabiki. "I’ll be in
the kitchen if you need me."
Kasumi reached over and picked up the notebook that she would need in the
kitchen. She stood up and walked to the doorway. Looking back, she could see
Nabiki pick up the pencil, glance at the bank book, and write a figure on the pad.
Still smiling, Kasumi turned back towards the kitchen.
When dinner was just about ready, she returned to set the table. She stopped in
the doorway. The bills had been arranged into neat piles, with torn off bits of
paper labeling each pile. Figures cover the notepad, and several other pieces of
paper in front of Nabiki. Nabiki herself was staring at another piece of paper in
her hand, tapping her pencil’s eraser on her lips.
"Oh my." At this, Nabiki raised her head. Kasumi walked over to the table and
set the dishes down on it. "How are you doing, oneechan?"
"I think we’ll be okay." Nabiki showed her the crude, handwritten spreadsheet
that was in her hand. "I think we’ll have to sell the car. We don’t need it - the
store is within walking distance, and we don’t need to go to the hospital any
more." Nabiki paused a moment, then plunged on. "If we can conserve on the
electricity and water, be careful of what we buy to eat and use our leftovers
efficiently, we should be able to get by on the bank account for six months."
Nabiki screwed her face up thoughtfully. "If Otoosan hasn’t begun teaching
again by then, I’ll have to see about developing other ways of getting money."
Kasumi slowly knelt next to Nabiki, studying the spreadsheet. Getting rid of the
car would certainly free up a lot of money. Nabiki had deduced from the entries
in the bank book how much money they spent a month on food and had reduced
the amount appropriately. Nabiki had estimated what the car was worth - a
figure that seemed fair to Kasumi - and predicted that it would take two months
to sell. She had also figured in some modest school and clothing costs, and had
put a little aside each month for "unexpected expenses".
If these figures were accurate - and she had no reason to doubt Nabiki’s math -
they would be able to survive for half a year. Kasumi had been worried about
surviving until next month.
Kasumi looked at Nabiki, a startled expression on her face. "Oneechan!". She
couldn’t think of what else to say. Nabiki looked slightly startled at her sister’s
reaction. Kasumi reached over and hugged Nabiki tightly. "You don’t know what
this means to our family."
Nabiki actually giggled. "It was fun really." She squirmed out of Kasumi’s grasp
and started piling the papers on top of each other. "Let me get Akane and we’ll
set the table."
Kasumi sat back and stared at her sister. She was smiling as she gathered up
the papers, stealing glances back at Kasumi and smiling more broadly.
Gathering herself up, Kasumi practically danced back to the door. A weight had
been lifted off her shoulders.
As she looked out into the courtyard, her happiness vanished. Otoosan was
sitting in front of the pond, staring into its murky depths. Kasumi stopped for a
moment. Determined not to lose the momentum she had gained, she walked
over and stopped a couple of feet behind him.
"Otoosan?" No answer. Kasumi spoke a little more forcefully, trying to use the
tone Okaasan had used. "Dinner’s ready." Still no reaction.
Kasumi took another step towards him, reaching out to not-quite touch her
father’s shoulder. "I made one of Okaasan’s recipes."
At that, Otoosan stirred. Slowly, he stood up and turned to face Kasumi. "Ah,
so? That would be good," he said in a complete monotone. "I’ll be right in."
"Thank you, Otoosan." Kasumi turned and ran back to the kitchen. She needed
to get there before anything burned. She was not running away from Otoosan.
That’s what she kept telling herself, anyway.
Eventually they were all seated around the table. Kasumi sat across from
Otoosan and looked at him, slightly fearful of his reaction. Her own self-
confidence wavered for a second. How dare she make one of Okaasan’s
recipes and serve it at the table? She could never be the cook Okaasan was.
Otoosan took a bowl of rice with one hand and a pair of chopsticks with the
other. He reached with his chopsticks and grabbed some of the food on his
plate. Kasumi wasn’t sure if he even knew what he had between his chopsticks.
He put it into his mouth, bit into it, and chewed for a moment. He stopped, and
for a second all of Kasumi’s fears rushed to claim her; *now* was the time that
Otoosan was going to be angry at her for trying to take Okaasan’s place.
"It’s delicious!" In his excitement, Otoosan broke the chopsticks in half. "It’s just
like Okaasan used to make, Kasumi!" He started to cry.
For once, though, the crying brought happiness. A previously unknown tension
vanished from the air. Akane and Nabiki looked at Otoosan, evidently taken
aback by his sudden exuberance.
Kasumi smiled, then turned towards Nabiki. "I had help when I most needed it,
Otoosan."
Nabiki turned, startled. Pleased comprehension came over her face. They sat
there and smiled at each other. The last of Kasumi’s despair evaporated. They
would make it. The had lost Okaasan, but they had each other, and that was
enough.
***
"With what I got off Kuno yesterday, we should be able to cover this expense
and a couple of others. Ranma’s just lucky that he makes more money for us
than he costs us, or he and his freeloading father would be out on their butts."
Kasumi decided to ignore Nabiki’s slightly crude language to focus on another
issue. "You sold more pictures to Tatewaki-kun?"
Nabiki looked pleased with herself. "Yup. I had a whole roll and he bought them
lock, stock, and barrel."
Kasumi pressed her point. "Oh my, and he has so many pictures already."
Nabiki shrugged. "He’s obsessed, what can I say?"
Nabiki didn't understand. Kasumi tried another tack. "It’s amazing, isn’t it, that he
spends so much money for them?"
"He’s rich, what else? He - "
"And he always seems to be willing to buy so many of them when we need the
money the most."
Nabiki froze, her mouth still open, her eyes wide.
Kasumi stooped down and picked up the laundry basket. "Oh well, it’s as you
say, he must be obsessed."
She walked past Nabiki as animation slowly returned to her. Nabiki looked very
puzzled as Kasumi turned the corner out of the kitchen. Good. Hopefully
Kasumi had planted some seeds there that would take root. Tatewaki and
Nabiki would be good for each other, if they could just see beyond their narrow
perceptions of each other.
Some time later, after the wash had finished drying on the line, Kasumi went out
to take it inside. Panda-ojisan and Otoosan were playing go on the porch.
There were no classes scheduled until the evening, when the few students they
had would gather in the dojo. The contractors were working on it now, failing to
react at all to the sight of a panda playing go. They had been here many times
before.
"Hah! Got you now, Saotome-kun" Otoosan said as he moved a piece. Kasumi
looked over at him and smiled affectionately. He had, over time, recovered
something of his cheerful nature. He was still extremely fragile emotionally, and
anything that even remotely threatened his family was enough to cause him to
cry and carry on. His daughters understood for the most part, although Nabiki
and Akane would occasionally become exasperated.
Kasumi had just taken the last of the laundry off the line when a missile came
hurtling out of the sky. Of course, it landed in the pool, sending water spraying
everywhere. The contractors on the roof failed to react to this as well. Kasumi
wondered what was left to surprise them. Maybe the only thing left was a bolt
from heaven.
Nabiki had once posted odds on who would show up in the pool. Ranma got you
even money; Genma-ojisan was 3-2. Ranma and Genma-ojisan together were
3-1. Ryoga had odds of 5-1, and Mousse and Shampoo were longshots at 20-1.
Shampoo in the bathtub, however, was only 3-1.
To Kasumi’s surprise, it was Tatewaki who staggered out of the pool and shook
himself off. After checking to see that the laundry had escaped the water, she
walked over to him and bowed slightly.
"Hello, Tatewaki-kun. May I get you some tea?"
Her unassuming greeting brought Tatewaki back to himself. "It is always a
pleasure to see you, Kasumi-san. Your offer is most gracious, and I would gladly
accept, but I must be off to teach a - certain someone - a lesson in manners."
Kasumi smiled sweetly. Not again. "Ranma-kun did this to you?"
"He is the cause of it, to be sure, and it is to he that I must administer my stern
lecture. But, as for the...argument...that sent me to your lovely abode, it was
none other than my sweet Akane-san who delivered it."
"Oh my!" Kasumi blinked, and inside she withered slightly. "Why would she do
that?"
"It was that cursed Saotome’s fault, have no fear, Kasumi-san. For some
unknown reason he took exception to the pictures of my beloved osage-no-onna
that I had..." Tatewaki glanced up at the workers on the roof, "...recently
acquired. In our ensuing...discussion, I found myself lying on the ground next to
my other beloved, your dear sister Akane-san. I rose and expressed my undying
love for her, but the pictures that the fiend Saotome had tried to wrest from me
spilled out upon the ground between us, and my beloved Akane-san was much
wroth at my seeming indiscretion. She let me know her displeasure, as is her
right. And yet, it is Saotome Ranma who knows the blame of it, and it is he who
will pay."
Tatewaki-kun, Kasumi thought to herself. You must get over these infatuations.
"Won’t you just stay and rest a while? It would be pleasant to have some
company."
She saw the refusal die on his lips as he looked behind her. Turning, Kasumi
say Nabiki walk out onto the porch. "Kasumi-oneechan! Ranma and Akane will
be a little late; it seems they’re having a fight with...." Nabiki trailed off as she
saw Tatewaki step around Kasumi.
"Perhaps, Kasumi-san, I would stay and share a cup of tea with you." Tatewaki
bowed, but his eyes didn’t leave Nabiki’s.
"Excellent. I’ll go get the tea. Nabiki-chan, keep our guest company until I
return."
Nabiki flushed ever so slightly, then quickly recovered her composure. "C’mon,
Kuno-baby. Maybe you can help me with my English lessons. ‘How are you
today, my favorite pigeon?’ "
As Kasumi left, she could see Tatewaki struggling to respond. " ‘I am
good...well. I am well, Ms. Nabiki.’ What is a ‘pigeon’ "?
Kasumi put a pot on to boil, stopped to consider what would happen when
Ranma and Akane got home, and put on a second pot. She was just poring the
water into the teapot when shouting ensued. Kasumi put the teapot and some
cups on a tray and paused at the door to the dining room, judging for the right
time to enter. Soon Tatewaki came flying through the door to reacquaint himself
with the pond. Shortly thereafter, following a cry of "Ranma no baka!!", another
person continued his/her long familiarity with the depths of the pond.
Kasumi entered, smiling brightly. "Tea’s ready!"
Akane and Nabiki only stared at her, slightly incredulous. Still, she saw them
draw strength from her apparent unflappability. Having a reputation for being
oblivious had its advantages.
Ranma dragged an unconscious Tatewaki into the hallway. She continued on
down to the kitchen, where Kasumi could hear the second kettle being put to
good use.
Kasumi went out to get the first aid kit. She returned and knelt next to Tatewaki,
and struggled to sit him up. Tatewaki struggled to sit up, and Kasumi examined
his face. A couple of bruises and a bump on the head; she had certainly seen
him with worse. Ranma staggered back in, and she looked over at him. Despite
remaining conscious, Ranma had a few bruises himself.
Nabiki, with a great show of exasperation, came over and knelt by Tatewaki.
"Here, let me." She took the bandages from Kasumi and began to tend to
Tatewaki.
The seeds *have* taken root, Kasumi thought, and turned over to Ranma. He
instinctively sat still and allowed her to examine him; they had been over this
many times before. As she reached for the first aid kit, she felt a hand grasp her
wrist.
"I’ll do it!" Akane looked fierce and determined. Ranma saw, and looked up into
Kasumi’s eyes, silently begging her.
Kasumi did a quick weighing on her scales, then stepped back. "All right, Akane-
oneechan."
Ranma slumped over, beaten. Akane grabbed some bandages, grabbed Ranma’s
chin, and shook his head a little. "Now stay still! This may hurt a little."
Ranma looked up at Kasumi in misery. Kasumi smiled reassuringly at him. If he
only knew what was in store for him.
***
Kasumi stood in the kitchen, making dinner. She was still getting used to
preparing food for six people. She had the rice boiling, and the vegetables were
frying. It would be a simple dinner, tonight; she and Nabiki were still working on
stretching the budget for six people. Nabiki had had initial success with selling
pictures of Ranma - what kind of pictures and to whom they were being sold
Kasumi preferred not to think about - but for now, simple food in vast quantities
seemed to be best.
She was tossing the vegetables in the pan when she heard Akane enter.
"Kasumi-oneechan?"
"Hello, oneechan. How was your day?" Still holding the pan, Kasumi turned
around.
Kasumi gave a small shriek. She flung the pan in the air and raised her hands
above her head. Ranma, who evidently had been lurking in the hallway, darted
in and grabbed the pan in mid-air. Remarkably, she also managed to catch the
vegetables.
Kasumi barely noticed. Part of her was panicking over Akane’s appearance. The
other part was chastising her on her dramatics.
Akane evidently agreed with the latter. "You don’t have to make such a big deal
out of it, Kasumi."
Kasumi lowered her arms. "What happened to your hair, Akane-oneechan?"
Ranma looked up from where she was kneeling with the pan. "Actually, it was - "
Akane interrupted. "Well, I thought I’d give myself a little haircut. But I guess I
messed it up a bit, though." She held out a pair of scissors. "I was wondering,
could you even it up for me, Oneechan?"
Kasumi blinked, flabbergasted. She looked down at Ranma, who looked
uncharacteristically worried and concerned. Two things were obvious: this
wasn’t a voluntary haircut, and Ranma was somehow involved. If Akane didn’t
feel like telling her, though, Kasumi didn’t want to press her. There were
certainly more important issues involved.
"Of course, Onee-chan." She turned to the stove and lowered the heat on the
burner. "Could you watch this for me, Ranma? Make sure the vegetables don’t
burn and the rice doesn’t boil over." Kasumi looked down at Ranma’s shirt,
which was badly torn in front. "There’s a kettle of hot water by the sink, and one
of your shirts is drying outside."
Taking the scissors, Kasumi followed Akane upstairs. She noticed that Akane
was limping, further evidence that something unusual had happened. They went
into Kasumi’s room, which had the best mirror. Kasumi took the sheet off her
bed and had Akane lift the chair while Kasumi spread the sheet underneath.
Akane sat down, and Kasumi surveyed the damage and began cutting.
All the while, her brain was working furiously. This was a very delicate time for
Akane. It wasn’t that being Ranma’s fiancee was so bad - everyone knew that if
she protested strongly enough, she wouldn’t be held to it.
Akane, being the youngest, always felt that she needed to outperform her
sisters. Kasumi had already assumed the duties of running the house, and
Nabiki, for the most part, controlled the finances. Akane had decided that the
only position left was inheritor of the dojo.
She had pestered Otoosan mercilessly. He had been reluctant - he held the
sexist view that only men could run a dojo - but he didn’t have the will to resist
Akane for long. He began training her in the school of Anything Goes Martial
Arts. Akane had taken the training very seriously, working out with weights and
challenging anyone who came along to a match. Otoosan had kept at it, and
had begrudgingly accorded her martial arts skills some respect.
Then Ranma had come along. Ranma had been trained since birth in the same
school. He had been taught that all other things were secondary to the Art, and
every major portion of his life was guided by "Lessons" of the school. Add to that
his remarkable strength and speed, and he was a veritable force of nature in the
dojo. Akane had been beaten easily, very easily, in her first match with Ranma.
That, Kasumi knew, accounted for much of the hostility Akane felt towards
Ranma.
Stripped of her martial arts superiority at home, Akane had immediately fallen
back on her hair. After the incident with Dr. Tofu a few years ago, Akane had
experimented with different hair styles. After settling on one, she had
concentrated on letting it grow. She had felt Akane’s eyes measuring Kasumi’s
hair and comparing it to her own. Then had come the day, a couple of months
back, where Akane had decided that she had the longer hair. A quiet relief came
over her then. After losing to Ranma, Akane had leaned on her longer hair like a
crutch. Kasumi, although very proud of her hair, didn’t begrudge her sister’s
greater length. Akane needed to feel that she was the best in the family at
something, and Kasumi didn’t mind that at all.
Then Akane had walked in, her hair chopped off, acting like she hadn’t a care in
the world. While Kasumi trimmed Akane’s hair, her mind raced. Akane had to
be given something new to focus on, and quickly. Akane was in a state of shock,
and Kasumi knew a reckoning was coming, and it would be fearful, if it couldn’t
be partially offset by something.
"So what do you think of Ranma?" Kasumi blurted out.
"Huh?" Akane looked confused.
That was much too abrupt. Kasumi calmed herself and started over. "Are you
getting to know your fiancee better?"
That caused a frown to briefly flit across Akane’s face. "He’s not my fiancee."
Kasumi continued as if she didn’t hear. "Otoosan is very glad that you’re
engaged. He thinks very highly of the Saotome’s."
Akane clenched her teeth, then forced herself to be still. Another advantage to
an apparently oblivious nature, Kasumi had discovered, is that people couldn’t
stay mad at you. "What about what I think?"
That’s a good point, Kasumi thought, and if I didn’t think you liked Ranma, I’d
have Otoosan call off the engagement. But I think you know better. "It’s nice
that you’re the first one of us to get engaged."
Akane opened her mouth quickly, then left it open before closing it slowly.
Got you, Kasumi thought. "You’ll be the first one of us to get married. That will
make Otoosan very happy."
Akane looked thoughtful.
Beaming, Kasumi continued. "And you’ll be the first to give Otoosan a
grandchild. Imagine his face."
Kasumi saw a small smile appear on Akane’s face. It remained there as Kasumi
finished up.
"There you go, Akane-oneechan. It’s a little more even now."
Akane shook herself out of her reverie, looked at herself in the mirror, and
gasped. "Oneechan! It’s beautiful."
Kasumi brushed the hair off of Akane’s uniform, pleased. "I’m glad you like it.
How is your ankle?"
Akane stood up and winced. "I think I better go see Dr. Tofu."
The name sent a small tingle along Kasumi’s spine, but she didn’t dare react.
Akane was still going to have an outburst of some sort, and Dr. Tofu was just the
man to handle it. "All right. Don’t be long; I’ll hold dinner."
Kasumi entered the kitchen and didn’t see Ranma. The kettle was empty,
however, so she assumed he was changing his clothes. She went over to the
stove and was pleased to notice that the vegetables hadn’t been allowed to burn.
She looked out the window; Ranma had donned his orange shirt and was
throwing one of his red ones in the trash. He saw her back in the kitchen, and
jumped up onto the roof.
Not for long, though. Shortly thereafter, he appeared in the door behind her.
"Kasumi-chan, where’s Akane?"
Still stirring the vegetables, Kasumi answered him. "She hurt her ankle this
afternoon, so naturally she went to go see Dr. Tofu." She paused; if Akane didn’t
want to tell her what had happened, perhaps Ranma would. "Did something
happen at school today?"
She didn’t get an answer. She turned around, but Ranma was gone.
"Oh my." She turned back to the stove, the implications staggering her. Ranma
*cared* for Akane. Although she hadn’t been fooled by Akane’s protestations of
complete indifference, Kasumi had thought that Ranma cared nothing for
anything besides martial arts. That was how he had been raised, after all. Now,
though, it was obvious that Ranma was truly concerned about Akane. He had
gone to be with her during her trouble. That spoke volumes about how he felt
towards his fiancee.
Kasumi smiled and began to sing a little ode to the vegetables she was cooking.
Once Akane had recovered, she would begin taking the engagement seriously.
And Ranma, for all his protestations, would eventually give in, because he
wanted to.
There was a lot for them to work out, but they would be getting married. Of this,
Kasumi was certain.
***
As Kasumi watched Akane wrap Ranma’s head, she reflected that she had
severely underestimated the problems those two would have to overcome.
Fiancees for Ranma had popped out of the woodwork, and Akane had faced her
share of suitors. Yet, through it all, Kasumi’s certainty hadn’t wavered. They
had managed to remain together. They’d very nearly gotten married, too, just
last month. Those plans had been put off until things could be settled between
Ranma, Akane, and their various suitors. Kasumi was certain, too, that nothing
could happen until Ranma had his curse lifted. But all that didn’t diminish the
inevitability of their marriage.
Finally Akane leaned back, pleased. "There! All better, right, Ranma?"
Ranma was having difficulty answering, since most of his head was swathed in
bandages.
Kasumi stepped in. "Wonderful job, oneechan! Let me adjust the bandages just
a little."
Ranma eyes glowed with gratitude as Kasumi stripped off most of the bandages.
Akane, meanwhile, was looking over at Tatewaki and Nabiki. "How are you two
doing?"
"*I* am doing fine," Nabiki answered. "Kuno-baby is going to be aching for a
week." She finished her ministrations, leaned back and eyed him critically. "Not
bad. You’ll receive my bill shortly."
"Of that, I have no doubt, Tendo Nabiki-san." Tatewaki rose to his feet and
bowed deeply to the center of the room. "I thank you all for your unsurpassed
hospitality." Glancing at Ranma out of the side of his eyes, he corrected himself.
"Almost all of you."
Tatewaki turned towards Akane, and appeared to be on the verge of spouting
some of his infamous poetry. However, he seemed to feel the weight of Nabiki’s
stare, and, glancing quickly at her, instead left the room.
Kasumi finished with Ranma. He looked much better. Akane stuck her face in
front of Ranma’s and eyed him worriedly. "Do you think he needs to see Dr.
Tofu?"
***
"Whatcha do that for?!?" Ranma glared at Saotome-ojisan.
Ojisan lowered the kettle. "You can stop now. The Okaasan knows everything,
Ranma, my boy."
"What?" Embarrassed (and why wouldn’t he be, wearing that pink dress?),
Ranma turned and faced Dr. Tofu’s Okaasan.
Remarkably, she ignored the background antics and turned to Kasumi. "You
must be Kasumi, right? Would you walk with me to the train station?"
A bolt ran through Kasumi. Tofu-okaasan approved! "Of course."
"You go on ahead with her, musuko." Tofu-okaasan tried not to look sly and, for
the most part, succeeded.
Dr. Tofu turned in the general direction of Kasumi. "Sorry to be so much trouble
to you."
Kasumi felt her legs go a little weak, but she had long practice in appearing
unaffected by the things around her. "Oh no, it’s no trouble at all, Dr. Tofu."
Without another word, he took off down the street, his Otoosan’s shrine on his
back.
"Doctor!" Akane had behaved remarkably well during the whole ordeal, and
Kasumi was grateful for her help. Akane pointed down the street. "The station’s
that way."
"Oh!" He looked around and started laughing. "You’re right!" He turned and
started running the other way.
Kasumi couldn’t help laughing also. He slowed to a walk as she joined him.
Tofu-okaasan remained behind, talking to Akane.
Dr. Tofu was still laughing. "Okaasan, when did you get so tall?"
Kasumi giggled. "It’s me, Doctor. It’s Kasumi."
"Oh! Kasumi." The silly smile that always seemed to cover his face grew wider.
Kasumi could remember when he first opened his practice. He had behaved
more or less normally. As she had grown older, the silly smile had appeared and
had grown wider with the passing of time. Now that they had the approval of his
Okaasan, it was the widest she had ever seen it.
She turned her head to consider him. His eyes had that glazed, unfocussed look
they always had around her. His tall, strong body didn’t seem to be straining
under the burden of the shrine. She felt her breath quicken just a little. She
fought to control it, and found that she wasn’t particularly inclined to control her
reactions to him.
But there were other considerations. She reached out and put her hand on his
arm, stopping him. They stood and faced each other.
"Dr. Tofu." The words were very hard to say. She clasped her hands in front of
her. His eyes slowly started to focus on her eyes.
"Tofu-chan." That sounded better on her lips. "You know how much my family
means to me?"
He blinked a couple of times. "Of course I do. You have wonderful sisters, and
that Ranma fellow is...."
"They need me. Ranma and Akane need to get married. Nabiki needs to finish
high school and find a good college. Otoosan...Otoosan isn’t quite ready to be
on his own."
Dr. Tofu was silent for a moment, his face sober for a change. In the distance,
his Okaasan could be heard yelling "Hey! Musuko! Are you trying to leave me
behind!"
He and Kasumi continued to stare into each other’s eyes. Spurred on by the
sound of his Okaasan’s footsteps, he nodded. "I understand."
Kasumi wanted to touch his face, to put the smile back on it. Instead, she
whispered softly, "Someday. I promise."
The silly smile returned in full force, and Kasumi’s spirit rose with it.
Tofu-okaasan joined them. "Let’s get going, you two, I don’t want to miss my
train."
"Of course, Ranma, let’s go!" He started to walk back towards the Tendo home.
Tofu-okaasan sighed, but looked affectionately after him. "He really likes you,
my dear."
Kasumi’s eyes shone brightly. "I know."
Tofu-okaasan regarded her for a moment, the yelled down the street. "Come
back here, musuko! It’s the other way!"
***
"Whaddya mean? I’m fine." Ranma shooed Akane away.
Akane glared at him. "I’m only worried about you, you dolt."
Kasumi sighed. Even after all this time, Akane often couldn’t express her
feelings of affection without adding some hostility. Not that Ranma was helping.
If they were going to be able to settle the differences between them and their
suitors, they would need to learn to not fight with each other so often.
Kasumi went into the kitchen and came out with the cookies she had prepared.
In her absence, Ranma and Akane had risen to their feet, yelling into each
other’s faces. The rest of the family was watching with varying degrees of
interest. Nabiki, looking faintly bored, looked up at Kasumi. Her eyes gleamed a
little at the sight of the bundle of cookies; she knew who they were for.
"Akane-oneechan? Ranma-kun?" They stopped and turned to look at her, the
anger draining from their faces. "Would you take this over to Dr. Tofu?"
Both of their faces brightened. They liked Dr. Tofu, and they knew what he
meant to her. Akane took the bundle from Kasumi. "Sure, oneechan! He’ll be
glad to get them."
Kasumi’s spirit did a quick rise and fall. "I know." She walked past them, out
onto the porch, looking at the pond. The sun was at just the right angle to cause
the pond to sparkle brightly. In her mind, the sparkles formed the face of Tofu-
chan.
Please be patient, beloved, she thought to herself. I’m making progress here.
Soon Akane and Ranma will be ready to take my place here. They’ll take care of
Otoosan. Nabiki will go to college and make for herself a place in this world that
will be the pride of the family. Then there will be time for you and me.
She turned around and started. "Oh my!" The whole family was watching her.
Ojisan, returned to human form, a slight smile plying his face. Otoosan, his lips
trembling, tears threatening to stream down his face. Nabiki, the glint in her
eyes brighter, her smile full of affection. Akane, hugging the bundle, smiling
broadly. Ranma, standing just over Akane’s shoulder, his grin just as broad.
"Oh my" she said again, softly, tremulously. "You two had better get going; I’ll
have dinner ready when you get back."
"You always do," Ranma said, with affection she had never heard from him
before. Lightly, he put his hand on Akane’s shoulder. "Let’s go, Akane-chan."
Akane’s eyes glistened. "Okay." She leaned back into Ranma. Only for a
moment; then she moved away, he let his hand fall, and together they walked for
the door.
As Kasumi entered the kitchen and began the ritual of the apron, she reflected
on her life. Bad things had happened, to her and her family. Sacrifices had had
to be made by everyone. Their lives were in constant turmoil. Yet, she felt she
had done good. Underneath the turmoil, the fighting, the struggle to survive from
one month to the next, they loved each other. The knew when they needed
each other the most, and were there to provide support. Kasumi was proud of
her family.
Okaasan was proud of the family, too.
Kasumi paused while drying her hands. Where had that thought come from?
She looked around the kitchen, as if she expected to find Okaasan there.
Perhaps, Kasumi thought, staring at the empty kitchen, she *is* here.
Smiling, she started to make dinner for her family.
