[This scene takes place after the Ranma/Ranko bedroom scene]
Akane was out of her mind with grief. She'd just
killed her oldest sister with one of her newest attempts at
cooking. She looked at the stilled body of what used to be
Kasumi as it lay at her feet. Akane was mired in absolute
misery.
`At least she didn't seem suffer long,' she thought
with a touch of pity. She reached out tentatively, her
hands shaking uncontrollably as she went to touch her
sister's body. Akane frowned as her fingers slid down the
corpse's arm. `Kasumi collapsed and died almost ten minutes
ago,' she thought. `But her body still feels warm. I
thought that-' She suddenly shrieked and jumped back when
Kasumi's body sat up and pressed a dainty hand to its
forehead.
"Owww..." Kasumi groaned, having trouble sitting
upright on the floor. She looked at the trembling form of
her terrified sister in confusion. "Akane, what's wrong?"
" `What's wrong?!' I thought you were dead!" Akane
shouted hysterically. "You ate some of my omelet, *yelled*
at me, then collapsed!"
Kasumi blink-blinked for a second as hazy snippets of
the last fifteen minutes slowly came to her. "Oh, my! I
did yell at you, didn't I?" she asked, thoroughly shocked at
herself.
Akane nodded rapidly. "When you yelled at me, I
thought I'd done something terrible to you. You've never
yelled at me before, so I assumed that... that ... OH
KASUUUUMIIIII!!!" Akane fell to her knees and hugged her
sister tightly. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to almost kill
you! I won't ever try to cook again! I swear!" The
emotional load of the situation became unmanageable as she
buried her head in Kasumi's chest and cried like a lost
soul.
Kasumi patiently sat there and stroked Akane's hair;
willing to give her sister the time she needed to cry
herself back to normal. While Akane blubbered, Kasumi
pondered. `Why did I drop like that?' she mused. `I've
usually had a fairly good constitution when it comes to
eating her cooking.' She looked up to the countertop, the
surface of which was just visible from her current position
on the floor. Straining slightly, Kasumi craned her neck
until she espied the plate that Akane had in-hand earlier.
It still had some of the `food' on it that Kasumi had tasted
before collapsing.
`What did Akane say it was supposed to be?' she
wondered. A lingering flavor of it was still on her tongue.
`Hmmm... Eggs, mushrooms, whole milk, pork, and ...
cheese?' she thought, mulling over what she could discern
from the taste in her mouth. Kasumi started as the
combination of ingredients coalesced in her mind. `That's
right! Akane said that she was trying to cook an omelet!'
She looked critically at the plate again. `It *looks* like
an omelet. Could it be?!'
"MY GOODNESS!" Kasumi shouted involuntarily, realizing
something incredible had just happened. Beyond all human
reasoning, Akane had finally managed to get it right. `I
must have fainted due to shock!' she thought, nodding to
herself in understanding.
Akane's head snapped up from her sister's tear-drenched
cleavage at the shocking noise. "What now?! I didn't do
anything else to you, did I!?" she yelled hysterically.
Kasumi regained her composure and kissed her sister
gently on the forehead. The surprising nature of the
gesture caught Akane off-guard, silencing her yelling, and
her tears. "Shhh, Akane-chan," Kasumi comforted. "You
shouldn't be upset with yourself."
"But I-" Akane protested, but was cut off.
"No!" Kasumi said softly, but firmly. "You didn't do
anything wrong. In fact, you should be proud of yourself.
You got it right," she enthused, running her fingers through
Akane's long hair soothingly.
"Huh?" Akane asked in a tiny voice. She dared not
believe what her oldest sister was telling her. "Kasumi, I
think you're still suffering from the aftereffects of the
food I gave you-"
"Akane, hush!" she admonished lightly, stopping her
sister's rant in mid-build-up. "I'm not suffering from
anything other than total shock." Kasumi grimaced as she
realized what a backhanded-compliment she'd just given her
sister.
Akane's face showed just how confused she was. "I
don't understand, Kasumi. You fainted dead away, but you
sound like you actually *enjoyed* it." She frowned.
"You're just trying to make me feel better, that's it," she
concluded stubbornly.
Kasumi sighed and brought herself to her feet, a task
more burdensome than usual because her sister was still
clinging to her shoulders. Once on her feet, she carefully
walked Akane back to the part of the counter where the bowl
of mixed ingredients sat. Fairly sure that Akane was going
to be okay, she wriggled herself free of her sister's grasp
and faced the wok, which was still warmed and awaiting the
application of ingredients. "Only one way to find out for
sure, Akane-chan," she declared as she poured some of the
ham, milk, mushroom, and egg mixture into the wok.
Akane instantly snapped out of her trance and moved
herself closer to her sister. Kasumi pulled her chan out,
and prepared to move the cooking egg mixture about in the
wok when Akane grabbed her hand.
"No! Not yet. You've got to wait a little longer
before pushing the edges in and flipping it. It'll be
undercooked, otherwise," Akane advised, almost as if it had
been by rote.
Kasumi cocked an eyebrow at her sister's advice. "Why,
you're right Akane! I almost folded it too soon," she
admitted, acquiescing to her younger sister's sudden wisdom.
She waited another ten seconds, then pushed the edges in,
cooking the remaining bits of egg that had pooled in the
center of the omelet and gone untouched by the heat of the
wok. Cheese in hand, Akane waited until the right moment,
then dropped some on top of the it.
Kasumi folded half of the omelet on top of itself,
pressing lightly on the top with the back-edge of the chan.
Less than half-a-minute later, she hefted the finished
product out of the wok and onto a plate.
"Done," the oldest Tendo daughter declared. "Now for
the moment of truth." Reaching for a set of clean
chopsticks, Kasumi picked up the plate and held it close to
her face. An enticing aroma wafted from the steaming plate,
calling to her to eat. She gingerly dug the two sticks into
the egg/dairy/pork combination and came away with a fair-
sized chunk. `Oh well, here goes everything,' she thought
to herself as the whole thing passed her lips.
Her eyes bulged as her mouth was assailed anew by the
wonderfully rich taste of the omelet. Spices and herbs that
had gone unnoticed before filled her senses, adding volume
to the flavor of the dish. Kasumi felt herself starting to
teeter in shock once more, and forced herself to become
stable, lest Akane panic again.
"It's wonderful!" Kasumi avowed after swallowing it.
Akane's eyes shimmered gloriously in the bright
lighting of the kitchen. "Do you mean it, Sis?" she asked
in hushed tones.
Kasumi nodded, her cheeks bulging slightly, yet cutely,
with another mouthful of the omelet.
Akane cried again, although this time it was with tears
of joy. "Ohh, Kasumi! You don't know how much it means for
me to hear you say that." She clasped her hands together in
front of her face, her joy boundless.
"It'f quide goot, Agane," Kasumi acclaimed as she
chewed.
Akane quit crying when she realized that her sister was
still cramming pieces of the omelet into her mouth. Joy
became surprise; she'd never seen Kasumi so ravenous
before. "You must've been hungry, Sis," Akane said with a
grin.
Kasumi blushed, and quickly swallowed the remainder of
the omelet. She placed the empty plate on the countertop,
and patted her belly. "I apologize, Akane. I don't know
what came over me, just then. I don't normally eat that
much, but ... I just couldn't resist. I guess it's the
shock of the moment," she finished with a shrug.
Akane's giggles grew more and more boisterous, until
she had to prop herself up against the countertop. "I can't
believe it!" she declared between short gasps. "I actually
cooked something that someone in my family ate without
complaint! This is too much!"
Kasumi smiled lovingly at her younger sister. "You
have a lot to be proud of, Akane. You've finally conquered
your cooking problems." She winked conspiratorially. "Care
to share your secret, little sister?"
Akane was the one to blush this time. "There's no
secret to it, Kasumi," she hedged, avoiding her sister's
suddenly critical gaze.
"Now Akane, I know it's been months since you last
tried to cook for us, but even *I* have a hard time
believing that you became a master chef on your own in such
a *short* period of time," Kasumi said critically. "Now
fess up!"
Akane blew her breath out loudly. "Okay, okay." She
reached her hands back and vaulted up, plopping her behind
on the countertop. "You remember how Kuno-ch ... Kuno had
me over to his house on the weekends?" Kasumi nodded.
"Well," Akane continued, "it happened early in our
relationship. After trying to cook a meal for him one day,
and failing miserably, he ordered me to attend cooking
lessons at the Kuno mansion."
"Akane!" Kasumi said in a shocked voice.
"Yes. I was forced to learn how to cook under his own
personal chef." She paused, killing any tears before they
could surface. Akane looked into Kasumi's eyes, which
seemed a bit sad to her, and continued her story before she
succumbed to her sister's dolor. "I've actually known how
to cook for about three months; I've just never felt like
doing it after I learned how. Well, in reality, I didn't
cook afterwards because I didn't want that jerk, Kuno, to
have the satisfaction of knowing that I'd benefited because
of him." Akane flushed with embarrassment. "Also, I wasn't
sure that I could cook well unless I had a chef hovering
over me."
Akane pointed to the bowl of omelet mix. "Thierry, the
Kuno family chef, taught me how to cook European meals
because he was French. But I also managed to learn a few
traditional Japanese dishes along the way." Akane smiled to
her sister. "I didn't push him too hard to teach me those,
though, since I didn't want to learn them from him."
She hopped off of the counter and slipped her arm
around Kasumi's waist. "That's because I wanted to learn
all of that from you. That is, if you'd teach them to me,
Kasumi."
Kasumi's cheeks reddened considerably, and there was
suddenly moisture shimmering in her eyes. "Oh, my baby
sister! I'd *love* to," she declared in a tear-choked
voice. Try as she might, she couldn't withhold the
upwelling of emotion kindled by Akane's story and her
plaintive request. "I love you, Akane-chan, and I'm very,
*very* proud of you."
Akane didn't resist as she felt herself be pulled into
a hug by her oldest sister. The two sisters held onto each
other gently. "Thanks, Kasumi. I promise to work hard!"
Akane vowed.
Kasumi withdrew from the hug and caressed Akane's tear-
streaked face. "I know you will, little sister." She
sniffled, and regained her composure. Cinching her apron
strings tight, Kasumi cracked her knuckles. "First thing's
first; let's get breakfast cooked for everyone. If *I*
could enjoy your omelets so much, I'm sure that Daddy and
Nabiki will just love them."
Akane beamed as she followed Kasumi's lead and started
portioning out more ingredients to mix together in the bowl.
She bent to her task obediently, careful not to slip up as
she followed her mental cookbook closely. She couldn't wait
to see the looks on her father's and Nabiki's faces when
they had a sample of her work.
****
Genma brought his massive hand up to his brow, and
mopped off the sweat that had already formed there. `Damn!
Not ten minutes out of the bath, and I'm already sweating as
if I'd been in the training hall for hours.' He looked over
to his son, who was eerily quiet. That wasn't what had
Genma frowning, though. Ranma was carrying his sister on
his back, and he hadn't even broken a sweat yet.
"How long have we got until we get there, slave?" Ranko
asked her brother amidst a giggle.
Ranma snorted at his sister's playful banter. He was
about to respond with something equally witty when his
father spoke.
"I can't believe how hot it already is! It's nowhere
near summer, but I'm still frying like squid on a hibachi."
Genma groaned and moved his house-building cargo from one
shoulder to another. "I also thought it was damned
convenient that Nodoka had something to take care of *right*
as we left. It wouldn't have hurt her to carry some of this
stuff, instead of forcing me to lug it around in this heat."
Ranma shook his head while his father continued to
drone on about the unfairness of life. Meanwhile, he
carried the soft, yet weighty burden of his sister on his
back without complaint.
Ranko seemed to be thinking along the same lines her
brother was, but she didn't keep her mouth shut. "Pop,
wouldja quit whining? The walk isn't that long. Besides,
we're going to get messy anyway by doin' all that work on
Mr. Tendo's dojo, right?"
"Don't *you* talk to *me* like that, young lady!" Genma
began, but recoiled as Ranko employed her lung power.
"Don't treat me like a whiny little girl! Why, if my
ankle wasn't messed up, I'd kick your lard ass from here to
Hong Kong!" She tensed her thighs in anger, unknowingly
squeezing Ranma in the ribs and causing him to lose his
wind. Ranko felt him start to slow down, and immediately
loosened her grip when she realized what she was doing to
him.
"Oops! Sorry, Ranma!" she apologized.
"That's my girl!" Genma said loudly. "A true man among
women if I ever saw one!"
Ranma fought hard to keep from stumbling, or otherwise
succumbing to a severe bout of laughing. Ranko, meanwhile,
had to put her arms around his neck to keep from falling
off. "Watch what you call me, old fart! Just because I can
whip someone's ass doesn't mean that I'm not feminine!" She
flexed her arms slightly, but caught herself before she
choked Ranma into unconsciousness.
Once Ranma had resumed normal breathing, he craned his
neck up to look at his sister. "You know, you're becoming
too dangerous to carry around! Just how much do you enjoy
choking the life out of me?"
Ranko blushed and shrugged her shoulders. "I said I
was sorry."
Before he could respond, his father chimed in. "Stop
complaining, boy! You're acting like a whining old lady.
That's not the path..."
"...of a true martial artist," Ranma completed in a
perfect deadpan. "Yadda yadda yadda. Spare me the spiel,
pop. It ain't nothin' I haven't heard before."
"Hey, Pop," Ranko countered, "what do you call what you
were just doing then... old lady?" She and Ranma both
laughed at that, which sent the two of them stumbling about.
Genma snorted indignantly. "I was only pointing out
the weather conditions for the day," he harrumphed.
Ranma looked up to his sister's flushed face, and
winked conspiratorially. "Yeah, right," he whispered to
her.
Ranko giggled lightly, then flashed to panic. "Ranma,
look out for that..." It was too late, however, as he
walked, sister-first, into a telephone pole with a metallic-
and-bone sounding *CLANG*. He wound up flat on his butt
with his sister clinging tightly to his upright back.
"Geez, why dont'cha watch where you're going?" she snapped
irritably.
Ranma flushed at that. "Quit being a shoulder-back
driver, Ranko!"
Both quit their bickering session in mid-stride as
Genma's howling laughter caught their attention. "Martial
artists ... colliding with a ... telephone pole in b...
broad daylight! HAHAHAHAHA!!" The siblings of pain seethed
in silence as their father doubled over in laughter. The
scene carried on, unchallenged, for a few minutes until he'd
run out of breath.
"Ohh, I needed that," a calmed Genma declared as he
picked up his dropped burden of construction tools and parts
and walked to his felled children.
"Ranma, could you put me down now?" Ranko suggested.
"I think we'll do better if you'll let me walk by myself,
okay?" She underscored her intent by loosening the grip she
had around his neck.
Knowing that she would hit the ground hard if she let
go first, Ranma unhooked his arms from around Ranko's legs,
and forced himself up to a standing position. Something in
his back disagreed with him, however, as he stood up.
Stifling a groan of pain, he managed to keep it from
showing. `Damn! Hurt my back. Hope it doesn't interfere
with the work on the Dojo,' he hoped urgently.
Ranko hauled herself to her feet, and gingerly tested
her sore ankle. She winced slightly at the pain, but
acknowledged that it was nowhere near as bad as it had been
the day before. Emboldened by her fast healing, she put all
of her weight down on it, and whimpered in pain.
"Ranko, you'd better climb back on," Ranma stated
flatly. "You're still not up to walking on your own."
She stared at him defiantly and crossed her arms in
front of her chest. "No!" she shouted, shaking her head.
"I'll walk on my own, thank you very much."
Ranma groaned in frustration, and advanced toward her.
Ranko hobbled away from him as he approached. "Stop it!
I'll damn well go on my own, and you'll like it!" she
declared.
"You stubborn tomboy! I..." Ranma yelled angrily, then
shouted in surprise as he ducked a flying kick aimed at his
head. "What'd ya do that for?!" he exclaimed.
Pivoting on her good foot, Ranko moderated her
breathing, and somehow managed to keep her balance. "Watch
your mouth, big brother. I don't like being called that!
I'm *not* a guy!"
Ranma rolled his eyes and shook his head, dismissing it
before the argument grew. "Whatever... You still can't
walk on that foot!" he shot back, pointing at her bandaged
ankle.
"Fine!" she said hotly. "Then you can hand me that old
broom over there." She pointed to something nestled between
a group of garbage cans. Ranma reluctantly agreed and
pulled the item from the garbage and went back to her.
Taking it in hand, Ranko tossed it in the air, then
jumped up with her good foot. With a loud shout, she
chopped the end off of the broom with her hand, and took
hold of the modified stick. She used it to stabilize
herself as she landed. Without even looking behind her, she
knew that the rest of the broom had landed in one of the
nearby trash cans. "Perfect! Nothing but can!" she
gloated, bowing.
Ranma and Genma both kept their expressions neutral as
they watched her land. They were impressed by what she'd
just done, but that was tempered somewhat by her caustic
attitude. Ranko scowled at the lack of adulation from her
audience and walked between them. "Jealous?" she chided,
mocking both of them with her tone.
"Showoff," Ranma said, not-unkindly.
Ranko stuck her tongue out at him playfully, and
avoided his half-hearted swipe.
"Come on, you two. Let's get back on the road before
we're late," Genma urged. Ranma nodded and followed his
father's lead towards the Tendo Dojo once more, his eyes
glued protectively to Ranko as they walked side-by-side.
****
Nodoka smiled to herself as she placed one last item in
a basket sitting on the counter. `There!' she thought with
satisfaction after looking upon the large selection of food
that she'd prepared and placed within the basket. `That
should do it. Now if only I could keep Ranma and Genma away
from it once I get there, then Soun and his children should
be able to enjoy it.'
She laughed at the notion of herself having to defend
the basket from her husband and son. `I'd probably have to
use my sword to ward them off.' She shook her head
dismissively, and checked over the basket's contents again.
`Got to make sure...'
A knock at the door interrupted her inventory of the
basket. Folding the tops of the cloth liner over the
contents, Nodoka left the basket in the kitchen and walked
to the front door.
"Just a minute, please," she said as she approached.
Sliding the door open, she smiled as she saw Sato and Hikaru
standing at the doorway.
"Sato! Hikaru! Good morning!" she said, greeting them
warmly.
"Good morning Mrs. Saotome," Hikaru replied in an Eddie
Haskellish tone. "Sato and I were here to see Ranma."
"I'm sorry, boys. You just missed him. He and his
father have gone to a ... friend's place on the other side
of Nerima."
Hikaru Gosunkugi barely hid a look of frustration. But
before he could ask where Ranma had gone, Sato spoke up.
"Mrs. Saotome, is Ranko at home?"
She smiled knowingly at Sato, and didn't miss the angry
glare that Hikaru shot his companion. Nodoka shook her head
slowly. "No, Sato. She went with Ranma and her father. In
fact, you both caught me just as I was getting ready to head
there myself."
Hikaru's eyes brightened, and he immediately jumped
upon the opportunity. "Is it alright if we go with you,
Mrs. Saotome?"
Nodoka frowned inwardly. Things were tenuous enough
between her husband and Soun. Bringing uninvited guests
might make things more complicated. `On the other hand,
extra workers might be appreciated...' she considered, as a
plan took form in her mind. "Do you two strapping young men
know how to handle construction tools?" she asked in a very
pleasant voice.
Both boys were jarred slightly by her question. "Umm..
Uh, yeah" Hikaru stammered, while Sato merely nodded.
"Good," she concluded, smirking to herself. "You both
can join me, then. Wait here while I get my things, and
then we'll be off."
They nodded to her, and remained at the doorway while
she disappeared into the kitchen. Once she was out of
earshot, Hikaru elbowed Sato hard in the ribs.
"Oww, shit! What'd you do that for?" Sato hissed,
rubbing his violated midsection.
"What's the big idea about asking for Ranko, huh? I
already told you that she's mine!" Hikaru whispered back
angrily.
Sato, who stood slightly taller than his friend, rose
to his full height of five feet, ten inches in the doorway
and looked down at his aggressor. "I wasn't going to ask
her out, jerkweed!" he whispered with equal venom. "I
figured that since Ranma was gone, we might be able to get
the answers we needed from his sister."
"Oh." Hikaru calmed down considerably at that point,
and apologized. "Sorry for hitting you like that, Sato. I
just get really paranoid when someone else talks about my
Ranko-chan. She's started to show some interest in me,
and..." He broke off his whispered conversation with his
companion as Nodoka reappeared, carrying a rather large
basket in one arm, and a long, wrapped bundle in the other.
"You two ready to go?" she asked cheerfully once she
stood before them.
"Yes ma'am," they chorused as they stepped back from
the door, giving her room to exit.
Ever the gentleman, Sato tapped Nodoka on the arm.
"Would you like me to carry that for you, Mrs. Saotome?"
"Why, yes! Thank you, Sato-kun. That would be very
nice," she said as she unlimbered the basket and one-handed
it to him.
Sato smiled as he took hold of the handle. The smile
turned to immense strain, however, when Nodoka pulled her
hand away and the full weight of its contents came to bear.
Teetering on the edge of collapse, Sato strained to right
himself and keep hold of the extremely heavy basket.
`Geez!' he thought in anguish. `What's she got in here? A
car?' Sweat beads formed on his head as he hefted the
object up to elbow-level and cradled it to his chest.
"Ready when you are, Mrs. Saotome," he grunted.
Through a supreme effort of will, she managed to
contain her laughter. With only a casual smile gracing her
face, she nodded her approval and stepped ahead of Sato.
"Let's be on our way, then, boys," she urged, as she began
walking.
Hikaru shot Sato a sour look and trotted up beside
Nodoka. "Mrs. Saotome, I can carry the other package for
you, if you wish," he offered brightly. He held his hands
out to her, anticipating that she'd say yes.
She reflexively pulled the item to her chest, and away
from his reaching hands. "I'm afraid not, Hikaru. This is
an heirloom that I hold very dear. I really don't ever let
anyone else touch it."
"Oh, okay, Mrs. Saotome." Crestfallen, Hikaru fell
back in behind her and walked beside his struggling friend.
The intent behind the gesture was not lost on Nodoka,
though. `Nice try, son,' she thought to herself wryly.
`Trying to curry favor with me to get to my daughter is one
of the oldest tricks in the book.' A gleam appeared in her
eyes. `But, I'd rather not let you date her,' she told
herself. `You're nothing but trouble for my daughter,
Hikaru Gosunkugi.'
She clenched the bundle tightly once more as her mind
shifted gears. Nodoka found herself wondering what had
prompted her to bring it along. `Maybe I'm just being
paranoid,' she told herself. `But I can't help but think
that there's going to be some sort of trouble at the Tendo
Dojo today. I can *feel* it. I just hope that I don't have
to use this,' she prayed, her fingers sliding up and down
the wrapped length of her ancient sword. Her pace
quickened as a sudden sense of urgency spurred her to walk
faster. `Oh dear! I just realized that Genma and Soun will
be meeting without me there! I just hope that everything
begins on a good note!'
****
A bleary-eyed Nabiki shambled into the dining area.
Her father was already seated at the table with paper in
hand, and a steaming mug of tea at his side. "Good morning,
daddy," Nabiki yawned, unable to conceal her lethargy. Her
morning bath had served not only to clean herself off, but
wound up making her drowsy as well.
"Ahh, good morning, Nabiki! I'm glad to see that
you're finally downstairs," he said from behind his paper.
She sniffed, and caught the aroma of something
delicious wafting from the kitchen. "Mmmm. Smells good.
What's Kasumi cooking for breakfast?"
Soun shrugged his paper. "I have no idea. I vaguely
remember smelling something like it before, but it escapes
me for the moment. Regardless of what it is, it *seems*
delicious." He peeked his head around from the paper and
scanned the table. "Where's Akane? I thought she might've
come down with you."
Nabiki shook her head tiredly. "I don't think she's up
yet."
Soun nodded and returned to his reading. Less than two
minutes later, a vibrant Kasumi walked out of the kitchen
bearing the fruits of her morning labor. "Breakfast is
ready," she announced as she laid various items down on the
table.
Nabiki drew her face close to her plate, which had a
folded yellow thing on it. She sniffed at it tentatively,
and heard her stomach growl its approval. "Kasumi, what is
this?" she asked in her uniquely droll, yet inquisitive
voice, stabbing a finger at the dish.
"Oh, it's an omelet," she replied brightly. Completing
the table settings, Kasumi stood up and clasped her hands in
front of her. "W... I decided to try a western recipe for
breakfast this morning."
Soun immediately folded his paper, and looked at his
plate with longing. "Oh, Kasumi! You're such a dear! I
haven't had an omelet in *years.*" He rubbed his hands
together, relishing his upcoming feast. "It smells
fantastic!"
Latent worry crossed Nabiki's face. Akane wasn't at
the table, and Kasumi was suddenly getting inventive with
the meals. "Sis, where's Akane?" she asked sweetly, which
was in contrast with the sharp, inquisitive look on her
face.
Kasumi blinked innocently and walked towards the
kitchen. "I'll go get her in a minute, Nabiki. Why don't
you start eating without her?" she suggested as she
disappeared from view.
As if on cue, Akane bounded into the room with a smile
on her face. "Good morning, Daddy. Nabiki." she enthused
as she took her place at the table. "Mmmm. Smells
wonderful!" she said as she took her chopsticks in hand.
Satisfied that she wasn't about to get Ptomaine
poisoning, Nabiki began eating. "Not bad for western food,"
she admitted grudgingly as she wolfed down progressively
larger pieces.
"Good morning, Akane. I trust you slept well?" Soun
replied.
Akane tried to come up with a quick evasion when Kasumi
re-entered the room. "Ahh, good! Everyone's here!" her
older sister announced.
Soun took that as a sign to begin eating. With fast
movements, he sectioned off a bit of the steaming omelet and
popped it in his mouth. "Oh, Kasumi! It's wonderful!" he
said earnestly before he started shoveling the remaining
pieces into his mouth.
"Really?!" Kasumi and Akane chorused. Coincidentally,
a loud thunderclap from the approaching storm sounded just
outside the house.
Soun and Nabiki stopped in mid-chew as a spine-numbing
chill worked its way from their stomachs and crawled up
their backs. Placing her chopsticks down, Nabiki turned to
her younger sister and stared her right in the eye. "Akane,
why should *you* be so interested in how this meal turned
out?"
"Oh, that's because she cooked breakfast this morning!"
Kasumi piped up before Akane could answer.
Panic-stricken, Nabiki looked like she was about to
bolt from the room. Soun, meanwhile, had gone stiff as a
statue, and snapped his chopsticks between his fingers.
Neither spoke.
"There! You see Akane? I told you they'd love it!"
Kasumi said positively as she walked back into the kitchen.
****
"Ahh, there it is!" Ranma exclaimed excitedly as the
gates of the Tendo property wall loomed before them. He
quickened his pace to a trot, his earlier nervousness
replaced by a welcome enthusiasm.
"So it is, son," Genma shouted to Ranma's departing
form.
`Waitaminute!' Ranko thought in sudden alarm. `I
recognize this place! This is where Ranma got his ass
stomped almost three weeks ago.' Her eyes glanced across
the far reaching wall bordering the one visible side of the
Tendo's place, looking for hidden dangers among the tall
trees growing within the bounds of the Tendo complex.
Growling at herself, Ranko forced herself to calm down.
`Ranma should be okay. After all, this is the place where
he's been living for awhile. Well, close enough' Still,
she quickened her pace to catch up with him.
She hobbled next to her brother just as he began
pushing against the tall wooden gates marking the entrance
to the Tendo gardens and house. Ranko placed her hand
against his arm, stopping him momentarily. "Hey, Ranma.
You'll be okay, honest! I'm gonna be at your side whenever
you need me, understand?" she whispered.
Seeing his father fast approaching their position, he
refrained from hugging her, and merely covered her hand with
his while mouthing `thanks' and winking.
"Well, they're probably waiting on us, Son," Genma
said, a smile plastered on his face. His false humor was
easy to see through for the two young Saotomes, however.
They were all too aware of their father's anxiousness, and
the very good reasons for it. They were reasons that had
the two alert, but not nervous.
Steadying his hand, Genma reached out and pushed
against the unlocked gate.
****
A much chastened Nabiki and Soun looked up sheepishly
at Akane from their seats at the table as she stood over
them, smirking victoriously.
"Sis..."
"Akane..."
The two nervous eaters looked at each other, then fell
silent for a moment. Soun spoke again before Nabiki could
get the nerve to do so. "Akane, please accept your father's
humblest apologies. I was reacting out of habit." He took
her hand gingerly in his. "I truly enjoyed it. In fact,"
he looked down hungrily to his empty plate, "I'd like
another one."
"Me too!" Nabiki piped up quickly, holding her empty
plate up over her head.
With the beginnings of grateful tears forming in her
eyes, Akane smiled proudly. "Thanks. I'd be glad to cook
another one for each of you!" She enthusiastically took the
plates from both of them and walked back to the kitchen.
Some clattering of utensils soon followed. "Now where did I
put the bleach?" she was heard to ask in the distance.
Soun and Nabiki paled slightly, and made a move to
stand from the table when Akane poked her head back into the
room. "Gotcha!" she said brightly, pulling her head back
into the kitchen just in time to avoid getting smacked by a
small pillow that had just been used to comfort Nabiki's
shapely posterior.
"Suckers!" Akane added from around the safety of the
kitchen wall.
"Well, at least she's in a good mood, today," Nabiki
quipped as she stole her sister's pillow, to replace the one
she'd launched at Akane, and tucked it under her behind.
"Yes," her father agreed. "Akane seems to be a bit
happier than I've seen her in quite awhile." He smiled to
himself. `Perhaps this day's going to go better than I
expected,' Soun thought light-heartedly.
It wasn't long before the smell of freshly cooking
omelets filled the room again, entrancing both occupants of
the table. "I can hardly believe it," Nabiki admitted. "My
youngest sister can actually cook. Hmmmph! I wonder what
could top news like *that* today?"
Soun was about to respond to that question when Kasumi
walked in. "Father, the outer gate is opening. Our guests
have arrived," she announced quickly and quietly. Then she
placed two steaming plates of omelets on the table, along
with another tray of them and some extra plates and
chopsticks.
"Akane felt that we should cook the remaining omelets
instead of letting them go to waste," Kasumi said,
indicating the extras sitting on a larger plate. "I also
brought out two extra plates in case our guests might want
some of them." She smiled to them sweetly. "Now eat up
before they get cold," she cautioned lightly as she
disappeared into the kitchen.
Nabiki's curiosity had hit a peak at the mention of the
mystery guests, and she was up on her feet. But before she
could sprint from the room and out of the house, her father
seized her hand. "Nabiki, don't be rude. You and I have
omelets to finish." He looked her in the eye. "Remember?"
Sulking slightly, Nabiki sank back down on the cushion
and draped her arms across her chest. "Whatever, daddy."
She picked up her chopsticks, but didn't have the heart to
touch the omelet. She just wasn't hungry anymore.
Soun, however, dug into his furiously, finishing the
large egg morsel in record time. Then he stood up and
walked to the doorway separating them from the outside. He
watched intently through slats in the door as the wall gate
swung open, his face unreadable.
****
Genma was the first one into the gate. Standing inside
it, he brought his head around in a slow sweep, and was
taken aback by the sight of the grounds in Spring-time.
"Why, it's just as I remember it," he said softly, his
glasses growing a little misty.
Ranko was not far behind her father as he cleared the
gate and began walking down the path leading towards the
house. "Whoa!" she whispered in awe, taking in the sights.
"This is a *nice* place." Ranko was mindful of her steps as
she walked on the uneven surface, inching her way closer to
the house.
Genma kept a slow, steady pace forward so he could
absorb as much of the tranquil grounds as possible. He was
only halfway to the house when an angered shout stopped him
dead in his tracks.
"What kind of man do you think you are?!" a deep voice
bellowed from inside.
Genma grinned to himself nastily, and threw his burden
of supplies down on the ground at his side. "The kind of
man who knows how to fight!" he yelled back with equal
fervor, adopting a fighting stance.
The door to the house slid open, revealing a red-faced
Soun. He glared at Genma for a second from the porch in
silence, his arms crossed against his chest. He didn't stay
there for long, however, as he leapt into the air, charging
right at Genma. "And how will you fight?" he challenged as
he drew closer.
The current sensei of the Saotome School of Anything
Goes flexed his arms brutishly. "I'll fight-," he shouted
at the top of his lungs. Following Soun's airborne track,
Genma jumped up to meet him.
"Pop!" Ranko shrieked in alarm as she watched a battle
between two old friends boil up in front of her.
****
"You don't have to clean all of this by yourself, Sis,"
Kasumi admonished as she re-entered the kitchen. "After all
the work you did to cook breakfast for us, you could at
least let me help."
Akane, humming happily to herself, made a small step to
the right to make space for her sister at the sink. "Be my
guest, Kasumi-chan," she replied sweetly. "I don't mind
cleaning up, though. One of the other things chef Thierry
taught me was that I had to be responsible for the messes I
made in the kitchen. He told me that `Cooking should be
pursued with abandon if it is to be done properly. But a
good cook shouldn't abandon the kitchen in the aftermath.'"
She laughed at that. "Thierry always did have a way of
making me understand."
Kasumi smiled to herself. Her sister had changed more
than she'd thought. "Well, he's right about not abandoning
the kitchen after cooking. I'd debate the first part of
that statement, though," she said as she picked up a plate
and began to wash.
"Akane, did daddy tell you about what we're doing in
the dojo today?"
She grew slightly nervous at her sister's mention of
the dojo. "Umm, no Kasumi. What's up?" she asked as
innocuously as possible. `I hope this isn't about the
door,' she added to herself.
"Well, daddy told us last night that he was having some
friends over this morning to help with fixing up the Dojo,"
Kasumi said quickly.
Akane breathed a sigh of relief. "Ahh, that's good.
It looks like a bomb had gone off in there," she said
offhandedly, then something else Kasumi mentioned caught up
with her. "Waitaminute! Did you say that they were coming
here *today?*"
Kasumi nodded, as she energized her cleaning. "Yes.
In fact, they're here now."
"NOW?" Akane asked incredulously
"Yes," Kasumi replied placidly.
"WHO?"
They're good friends of." Kasumi's voice trailed off
at the sound of her father yelling.
"Oh no! Was that a battlecry?" Akane asked
incredulously as she dropped her dishwashing burden back in
the sink.
Kasumi's stomach sank as she heard more yelling.
Whatever it was had her father absolutely *furious.* He
hadn't sounded that angry since that day of that ugly phone
call. "No." she cried, although it almost came out as a
whimper. She and Akane tore from the kitchen at full speed
and dashed into the dining room.
Scrambling across the room, they got there just in time
to see their father leaping off of the porch and head
towards some bigger man dressed in an off-white gi. The two
men snarled at each other as they charged. Kasumi chanced a
glance at where she last saw Nabiki, and couldn't find her
anywhere. More commotion from outside forced her to ignore
the question of her sister's whereabouts and turn back to
the fight.
"Kasumi, what's going on?!" Akane shrieked helplessly
from her sister's side as she watched her father and a
stranger battle in front of her ancestral home.
****
"What the hell?!" Ranma shouted at the top of his lungs
as he blasted through the open gates and raced into the
compound, almost plowing over a motionless Ranko in the
process. His guts turned ice cold as he watched his father
and Soun speeding towards each other, a murderous look on
both of their faces.
He caught a slight glimpse of Akane and Kasumi standing
on the porch on the other side of the brawl. Then Nabiki
joined the two, camera in hand. All of girls appeared
horrified, which was a painful thing for Ranma to see,
especially on Akane's face. Despite the twinges of pain
rushing through his back, he prepared himself to intervene
in the fight, no matter the cost.
Soun and Genma met in the air, their arms closing
tightly around each other in a death embrace. "We fight
with the honor of a true martial artist!" they chorused as
they landed on their feet, face-to-face on the walkway.
Stunned, Ranma checked his attempt to leap at them, and
awaited their next move.
The two grown men broke out into body-shaking laughter,
and hugged each other again, warmly this time.
"Soun, you old rascal!" Genma declared, standing away
from Soun and clapping him on the back. "I'd almost
forgotten that old training mantra!"
Wiping tears of laughter from his eyes, Soun returned
the pounding. "Ahh, Genma my friend! I couldn't resist.
So how have you been?" Soun asked as they disengaged and
walked towards the house, their conversation lowering in
volume and becoming ebullient and friendly.
Ranma, along with everyone else, facefaulted.
Recovering quickly, he didn't attempt to hide his anger.
"You could've warned us that you were going to do that, old
man!"
"Yeah!" Ranko added hotly.
Genma glanced back over his shoulder and laughed at his
irritated children. "Quit complaining, you two. Now come
on inside. We have a lot of work to do!" With that he
disappeared inside, walking right past a stunned trio of
young ladies.
"Damn! Could've given me a heart attack!" Ranma swore
under his breath.
"No shit," Ranko chimed in as she hobbled over next to
him. "Who would've thought that they'd play around with our
minds like that?" she demanded sourly. They stewed together
in silence for a minute or two as they allowed their hearts
to calm down.
"Well, let's go inside, Ranko," Ranma said as he guided
her towards the house and the Tendo sisters.
[to be continued...]