Never Forever
-------------

by Florencio B. de la Merced, Jr. (fmerced@pworld.net.ph)

A Fanfic inspired by the anime Ranma 1/2 created and copyrighted by Rumiko
Takahashi
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-----------------
| Ten Years Ago |
-----------------

-----------------
| Kasumi's room |
-----------------

Kasumi was finishing up wrapping a small present. She had earlier written on
a small card but had intentionally placed it underneath the gift-wrapping
she used on the present. She turned and flipped the gift around and
inspected her work, and was satisfied. "I hope he likes this."

She cleaned her bed of the remaining cut up gift-wrap, translucent tape, and
red ribbons. Kasumi again looked at her small gift and she happily smiled.
She turned to her closet and pulled out a pink and white outfit and changed
into them just before leaving.

-----------------
| Nabiki's room |
-----------------

Nabiki was writing profusely on her desk. She hadn't noticed how many items
she had already listed on the paper she had been writing on the past hour.
Finally her pen stopped moving, and Nabiki leaned back while re-reading her
list. She smiled as her head was filled with dreamy thoughts. She stood up
and pocketed the list before leaving the room and going downstairs.

-----------------
| Training hall |
-----------------

"Please reconsider." Soun Tendo was about to convene the next training class
when the news reached him. "Your son is really doing well in my kempo
class."

"Soun, I've already had this conversation with your wife. It's not really
your fault that I'm taking my son to another school."

Soun was relieved, for a moment the news of one of his pupils pulling out
would send the wrong signals to the rest of his students. "So, It's not that
my martial arts teaching is the problem." The woman only nodded while
letting out a bit of laughter. Soun only bowed his head in embarrassment.

"Oh, by the way. How is she? Your wife, I mean." Soun's eyes were visibly
holding back.

"She's going to be all right." Soun smiled even though he was hurting inside
knowing how ill his wife had been the past few months. Even the family
outing to the carnival only brought temporary happiness.

"I'm sorry to have not finished the training, sensei." Misaki bowed in
courtesy for his teacher. Soun extended a hand and whisked through the young
lad's brown hair.

"I'll sure miss you. And so will the rest of my students." Soun would also
miss the commission he would have received taking in a student to teach his
Anything Goes martial arts. The young boy just nodded in affirmation.

"Come now, Misaki." The boy followed her mother obediently and was almost at
the gate of the dojo when someone tapped his shoulder. "Nabiki." Misaki
asked his mother for a minute for him to stay behind and wasn't
disappointed.

Nabiki dragged Misaki towards the base of the stairs before giving him the
piece of paper she worked on all morning. "Here it is." Misaki
half-heartedly accepted the list and quickly browsed through it.

"You want all of these?"

Nabiki was only happy to nod back in reply.

"Ok. I'll see what I can do." Misaki stood there for a moment more before he
leaned forward and kissed Nabiki on the cheek. He then hurried off to catch
up with his mother.

Nabiki followed Misaki only to wave goodbye.

-----------------
| Up the stairs |
-----------------

Kasumi stood in perfect awe. She hardly breathe for a minute or so as the
scene that greeted her when she was about to go down the stairs took her by
surprise. She clasped her hands, almost crushing the gift she was holding in
her hand. "Mother." Kasumi ran back upstairs towards her parent's bedroom.

-----------
| Present |
-----------

--------------
| Tendo dojo |
--------------

Ranma sat out on the porch, and he was thinking. Akane was sitting next to
him and was leaning against him.

"Geez, we only go out on a date and your sister suddenly has a husband."
Ranma sighed at first, but soon his mood changed, and he later let out a
chuckle in some sort of amusement.

"What's so funny? How would you feel if you're suddenly engaged to a total
stranger?" Akane frowned a bit after realizing something. "Don't answer
that." Ranma only grinned back at her.

"I wonder who the guy is?"

"His name is Misaki." Kasumi was with them but she continued to display
serenity while kneeling down and looking out towards the garden.

Akane tugged on Ranma's shirt. "Um, Kasumi. Aren't you going to cook dinner,
yet?"

"Oh, my!" Kasumi stood up. "I almost forgot." She left in a hurry towards
the kitchen. Ranma and Akane were still clueless about Kasumi's recent
behavior.

"Misaki?" Ranma grimaced a bit as if recalling an unpleasant memory. "Naah,
can't be."

-----------------
| Training Hall |
-----------------

"Nothing much had changed here." Misaki broke the silence that clouted the
air between him and Genma Saotome. Genma, though, continued to ignore Misaki
and was still trying to remember where he had heard of the young lad that is
claiming to be Nabiki's husband.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did you say something?" Misaki was able to hide his
disappointment but he halted the conversation by swinging his head. Instead
he refocused his attention to memories coming back into view as he continued
to inspect every nook and cranny of the room he once trained in.

Misaki looked at the gate of the hall and he briefly recalled the numerous
children like him crowding this hall during the morning weekends. They were
dozens of young boys like him, whose identities he can’t recall.

"Have you been in China recently?" It was Genma's turn to break the ice.

"Why, yes, a few years ago. Why do you ask?" Misaki was again returned with
silence, as Genma was lost again in his thoughts.

Just then the door split open and two figures appeared, their outline
highlighted by the sunlight coming from outside. "Yo, Pop." Ranma stepped
inside first and squinted a bit to get himself used to the dimness of the
training hall.

Misaki casually looked up and vaguely recognized the young man walking up to
them. "Ranma?" He thought for a moment as visions again filled his memory.
He stood up and stared further at the familiar face he seems to recall.

"Yes, Ranma. What is it?" Genma momentarily stared at the two as they
approached him.

"I heard Nabiki has a brand new husband." Ranma joking answered his father,
which caught the ire of his fiancée immediately.

"Don't be rude."

"Oww! It was a joke, ok." Ranma rubbed off the pain he was feeling at his
ribs, which caught the grunt of Akane's elbow a moment ago.

"Why, that is true." Genma turned his head towards Misaki. "Misaki, I'd like
you to meet..." Genma blinked as they was nobody there where a few moments
ago stood Misaki. "What? Where did he go?"

"Who?"

"Misaki, Nabiki's husband."

"I don't see no one." Ranma looked around the room but was only further
convinced that only the three of them where present.

"What are you doing here alone, Mr. Saotome?"

-----------------
| Ten Years Ago |
-----------------

"Come in, Kasumi." Kasumi hesitantly entered her mother's bedroom, afraid
that her mother would get worried over her crying. "Is there something that
you need, Kasumi?"

Kasumi only ran up to her mother who was lying weakly on the bed. She hugged
her and cried. Her mother hugged her back and comforted her and tried to
make Kasumi stop crying. "Oh, mother."

"Kasumi please don't cry. You've got to be strong. We've talked about this
before." Kasumi raised up her head but even the loving smile her mother
greeted her wasn't able to wash away the sadness she was feeling.

"Don't leave us, mother. Please." Kasumi buried her face within the embrace.
"I don't think I can..."

"Kasumi. Your father will need you. Your sisters will need you after I'm
gone. You're strong and I know you won't let me down. You are mommy's
dearest. That's why your father and I decided to tell you."

Kasumi head rose again and her mother helped her wipe the tears off her
face. "I understand. I'll do what you ask of me, mother. I'll take good care
of father, Akane and..." Her mother only blinked at Kasumi's hesitation.
"Nabiki."

"That's my girl. I know it will be hard, but I know you love them as much as
I do. More than anything, right?" Kasumi only nodded in reply. In Kasumi's
heart and mind she echoed `more than anything' and everything changed for
her that day, forever.


-----
Note:

C & C greatly appreciated
SPAM reroute to the SPAM ML
Tybalt is back? Where?

Thanks to...

David Johnston
David Tatum
Soren Smith
Philip Masters - See you next month
James Palmer - Superhentai seeing YELLOW ^_^
Scott Jamison - SKJAM
Metthyew@aol.com
Ronny Hedin
Emily Siazon
Robert Morrison
the lovely and wonderful people of the FFML
and
Rumiko Takahashi