*NOTE!!!!!!!!
You MUST have read the stories that precede this for it to
make ANY sense. These stories consist of entire 'Brutal Reality'
series on my web page at http://www.emich.edu/public/llb/fanfic.html
If you don't know these stories, then don't bother mailing me that
you think everyone is OOC. Hear that? Good. Otherwise, C&C is
fine.
This fits after Revenge.
Death of a Housewife
by Lara Bartram
Nabiki settled into her chair and promptly began staring off
into space. The whole thing with Kodachi had been very trying, very
traumatic for her. She could barely take comfort in the fact that
Kodachi would no longer be a worry; she could not be happy that
Kodachi was dead.
The many, many months that she had slowly been getting
better... all gone down the drain. If she had felt paranoid and
unsure of herself before, well now she felt that way about everything.
Originally, she had felt very hesitant about Takuma. He was a
baby and she had been 18. Holding him at first had been a scary
experience, but then she had gotten used to him. She had gotten used
to holding him, she had gotten used to feeding him, she had gotten
used to loving him.
Still, there was always that air of forboding around Takuma.
The one that was all danger and pitfalls and tragedy... She never
wanted to see him hurt and couldn't stop worrying about it.
And that cloud had finally become a reality when Kodachi had
escaped and come close to killing Takuma. So now, Nabiki was left
waiting to see what would happen next. Maybe it wouldn't be Takuma
next. It might be her father, or Tate-chan, or Akane... The horrible
possibilities were endless.
She could feel herself sliding, slipping back into the
darkness of depression she had barely pulled herself out of when
Takuma had turned one.
Staring blankly at the wall, Nabiki shifted in the big leather
chair. It had been a gift from Tate-chan when she had graduated from
the university for her to use when she worked. Her gaze turned from
vacant to dark as she remembered the pain and emptiness of the
previous five years.
Pain and emptiness that didn't have to be because there were
people that wanted to help, people that loved and supported her. And
one little boy who counted on her who didn't know anything about what
had happened before. One little boy who always looked at her with
wide, innocent eyes and called her Mommy even when she silently wished
that none of it had ever happened.
"Mommy, can we go to the park?" Takuma asked from behind her.
"No, Takuma-chan. Not today," she answered listlessly, her
voice almost completely devoid of emotion.
"When can we go again?" he asked.
"I don't know, Takuma-chan," she answered.
"Okay."
Nabiki didn't hear Takuma leave, but she hadn't heard come in
in the first place so...
"Mommy?" Takuma was tugging on her arm.
Nabiki looked down at Takuma, noting the stuffed tiger that
never left his grasp now, but didn't say anything.
Takuma didn't say anything himself, only held his arms out to
her, a serious look on his face.
Nabiki leaned down, almost automatically, and embraced her
son. Takuma squeezed her tightly, as tightly as a five year old
could, and kissed her cheek.
Then he was gone, pulling himself out of her arms and leaving
her alone.
***
Nabiki looked down at the pill she was supposed to take for
the day. She stared at it blankly for a bit, then wrinkled her nose
and put it back in the plastic case.
It was just another thing that dragged her down every day,
chaining her to her tired routine, a routine that had her spending far
too much time thinking about things that might have been. That was
it. She wouldn't do that any longer. Her routine would be her own
from now on, and that was that.
***
Kasumi prepared dinner, as usual, with a smile on her face.
She prepared dinner for her father, Akane and Ranma, and herself.
Always, herself, by herself, always alone. She was 25, the year
wasting away incredibly fast, hurtling her toward 26, and she
was alone.
Her 24th birthday had been the traceable beginning of her
decline. It was expected that a a proper Japanese woman should have a
good start on a family by the time she was 24. Even if she wasn't a
mother, she should definitely be married. And if she wasn't
married... well, things didn't look so good. And here she was, 25,
and completely alone.
And here, watching the rest of her family grow up in front of
her, each of them growing into their own lives, their own worlds, and
slowly pushing her out. Soon enough, she would be left adrift in the
world with nothing to call her own. She would never have a chance to
do the things that she had dreamed of when she was little. And that
left her empty and frightened. Over the past year and a half, she had
known her time was running out, but she had been unable to do anything
about it., Kasumi was just too afraid to. She was still afraid.
She was afraid... afraid that she would always be alone. She
was the perfect wife, the perfect homemaker, a woman that any man
would be proud to be married to. But, she didn't want any man. There
was only one man she wanted marry.
And he didn't know she was alive. Yet, how could he know she
was alive when she walked in to his office and barely spoke a word.
She couldn't expect him to guess how she felt; he wasn't a mind
reader. He was a doctor. A handsome and kind doctor... that had more
important things to worry about than a silly girl like her mooning
over him. He probably had all sorts of girls flirting with him.
Girls that were much prettier than she was. A girl couldn't afford to
sit back and wait for the man to come to her these days.
Girl. Hardly a girl. She was practically an old woman, too
old to be desirable. It was all because she was too afraid to
confront her feelings, too scared to act like a woman instead of a
decoration.
And now it was too late. She was too old to get married, too
old to start her own family, too old...
"Kasumi!" Akane's call snapped her out of her pity.
"Yes, Akane?"
"Um, can I have your help... in the bathroom?"
The bathroom? What did Akane need help in the bathroom for?
"I'll be there in a moment, Akane."
Kasumi set the food to simmer and made sure everything was in
order before going to the changing room. Knocking, Kasumi walked in
to the bathroom and froze. "Akane... What..."
"Well, you know how these things happen," Akane said, her
cheeks flushed. "I'm just not sure..." She was holding a small stick
in one hand and some directions in the other.
"Akane! You're not!"
Akane shrugged. "I'm not sure... I suppose I could be."
"Oh, Akane," Kasumi said disappointedly in her sister's
irresponsibility, but really, she was dying inside. She would be the
last to start her own family, and that hurt far more than anything
else.
***
"Daddy, why isn't Mommy here?" Takuma asked, standing in the
kitchen.
"Because... she's got more important things to do tonight.
Work is important too, Kuma-chan." Tatewaki went through the motions
of preparing some food for the two of them.
Nabiki had made it perfectly clear that she wouldn't be eating
with them that night, and Tatewaki suspected that it had nothing to do
with work.
"She doesn't look happy anymore, Daddy. Why isn't she happy?"
"I don't know, Kuma-chan. Maybe she doesn't feel very well."
Tatewaki tried to push all other possibilities out of his mind as he
finished with the soup.
"I hope she feels better soon. I don't like it when she's
sick," Takuma said sadly.
"Neither do I, Kuma-chan."
***
Nabiki slid into bed, feeling tired and rundown. She had
finally escaped her routine, but that only seemed to kill her spirit
further. Nothing she did that she thought might please actually made
her feel any better.
"Nabiki..."
"Leave me alone. I'm tired tonight."
"Damn it, you're tired every night. I want to know what's
going on."
"There's nothing going on. I need to get some sleep." Nabiki
rolled over, turning her back to Tatewaki.
He looked at her for a moment, completely confused by her
behavior over the past few days. He grabbed her arm and rolled her
back over to face him. "Tell me what's going on."
Nabiki's eyes bore into his, her face shocked and a little
angry. "You want to know what's wrong?"
Tatewaki nodded, not backing down at all. That was the secret
he had learned, to never back down from her. "I want to know why you
hide all day and refuse to eat with us. Do you think we're blind? Do
you think we can't see how you avoid us? Takuma may be only five, but
he sees that you're not happy."
"Look, Tatchi," her voice tinged with ice, "why don't you just
mind your own business? I've got everything under control and I don't
want you bothering me about it."
"You think it's that simple? You think I'm just going to stop
caring? Well, you're wrong!"
"Fine. You want to know what I want? You want to know what's
wrong?" Nabiki sat up suddenly, shrugging Tatewaki's hand off.
Showing uncommon aggressiveness, Nabiki was suddenly on top of him,
holding his arms down. "What's wrong? What's wrong is that I'm so
sick of this every damn day. I'm tired of it all. Are you happy?
That's what's wrong!"
Nabiki pushed off him and got out of bed, not giving Tatewaki
another look. She put on a robe with unconscious flourish, then
headed for the door. "Are you happy?" she asked, opening the door,
keeping her back to Tatewaki. "Are you happy? Because that's what's
wrong!"
Then she slammed the door and was gone. Tatewaki put his
hands over his face, then pulled them down slowly, pulling his skin a
little. That had been bad.
Minutes later, he rearranged himself in the bed, alone, and
tried to sleep. He couldn't fathom what was bothering Nabiki, only
knowing that she was very upset... disturbed. That word scared him.
She couldn't be... sick. Tatewaki just would not allow it to be.
A soft knock on the door, Tatewaki knowing immediately who it
was, conveniently distracted him from the very unpleasant thoughts
that were hounding him.
"Come in, Kuma-chan."
Takuma came in the room, looking scared and upset. "I heard
Mommy. She was crying."
Damn. She hadn't seemed like she was in... The mood swings.
And the anger. Withdrawal. Violence. It couldn't be happening
again. Things were supposed to be all better now, there weren't
supposed to be problems like this. This was all over and done with...
"Daddy, what's wrong with Mommy?" Takuma was climbing on the
bed, not waiting for his father's consent. There was something very
wrong with everyone; they were all mad at something, but no one would
tell him what.
"I'm not sure. She just... needs some time to herself right
now. She'll be all better soon."
"Do you promise?" Takuma asked hopefully, cuddling up to
Tatewaki, the tiger trapped against his chest.
Promise. How could he promise something that he barely had a
hold on himself? He put his arms around Takuma, leaned down and
kissed the top of his head. "I promise, Kuma-chan."
The door opened slowly, not disturbing the room's occupants.
She walked silently over to the bed, looking down at the little boy
taking up three quarters of the mattress, the tiger clutched in one
hand.
'He'll protect me. The bad woman won't ever get me again,'
Takuma had told her.
He looked so peaceful, his face unclouded by the trouble and
misery of the waking world. Nabiki pulled the blanket up to cover
him the rest of the way.
Nabiki gently shook Tatewaki, pulling on his arm. It was
enough to get him awake, if not totally conscious. "Come on,
Tate-chan. I have to talk to you about something," Nabiki said
quietly.
Tatewaki looked up at her blearily. "What..."
Nabiki cut off his questions with her fingers over his lips.
She pulled on his arm until he got out of bed and followed her out of
the room.
"What is it?" he whispered once the door had been closed and
they were alone in the hall.
Instead of speaking, Nabiki led him through the house to the
bath, and inside. She went through the changing room, leaving the
lights off, and headed for the steaming bath water.
"Nabiki, what are you..."
Nabiki stopped at edge of the huge sunken tub and turned
around. She undid the sash of her robe and shrugged out of it,
letting it fall to the floor around her feet.
"I don't understand," Tatewaki said confusedly.
"You don't need to," Nabiki said, finally speaking, then
stepped up to him and pulled down his pajama bottoms. Once they were
removed, to which Tatewaki protested none at all, she took his hand
and led him into the waiting water.
Sinking up to her neck and watching Tatewaki do the same, she
lunged at him, kissing him fiercely, her hands exploring him roughly.
Tatewaki resisted for half a moment before he melted amidst
the sensations.
***
"Ranma."
"What is it, Kasumi?" he said, walking into the kitchen.
"Could you help me with the rice?"
Ranma looked strangely at her. 'Rice? Why does she need help
with the rice?' He nodded. "Sure thing."
Kasumi went back to slicing the mushrooms, staring
thoughtfully at her hands as they worked. She opened her mouth as if
to say something, then closed it again. "R... Ranma?"
"Yeah, Kasumi?" he said, getting the rice ready.
"How do you feel about being a fa... father?"
Ranma shrugged. "I don't know. Pretty good, I guess. It is
kinda a surprise, but I know Akane and I can handle it." So that was
Kasumi's real reason for asking him into the kitchen. "I mean, Akane
still has to finish school, but she should be graduated by the time
it's due."
He wanted to show Kasumi he and Akane were being responsible
and had planned things out after the home pregnancy test had turned
out positive. He wanted to be a better father than his own had been,
and that meant starting right from the beginning and figuring out how
things would be. He looked at Kasumi and smiled, trying to reassure
her.
That smile only served to break Kasumi further. He was so
confident, so alive... He looked so happy to be a father. And what
did Kasumi have? Nothing. She had nothing but regrets. She never
should have waited so long. She should never have been so driven to
serve the family.
They had needed her, but they hadn't needed her to babysit
them. It wasn't them who had taken her life away from her; it was
herself. The truly awful thing was that it felt just as bad to admit
that she shouldn't have been so protective as her family as it did to
admit that she had no life.
"Thank you for helping me, Ranma," Kasumi said, though Ranma
didn't hear the happiness he'd expected from her.
"Kasumi, is there somethin' wrong?" he asked, the whole rice
cover forgotten.
"No, Ranma. Everything is just... perfect." Perfect for
everyone else while she was left to rot in her own worthlessness..
"Oh, OK. I'm gonna get ready for class now." He would have
to have a talk with Akane about Kasumi's strange behavior later. It
was not normal, and not good.
"You do that, Ranma," Kasumi said quietly as he left.
***
Tatewaki walked up behind Nabiki and slipped his arms around
her waist. "Good morning," he said amorously. He did not get the
desired reaction.
"Get your hands off me," Nabiki said testily, pushing his
hands away.
Tatewaki released her like she was on fire. The surprise on
his face turned to a calm mask, almost cold. "Excuse me. Takuma will
want breakfast when he wakes up." She wasn't going to do it, wouldn't
bother helping...
Brushing past her, Tatewaki gathered the makings for cold
cereal that Takuma like to have in the morning. He could feel Nabiki
watching him, and he had to wonder just what he should do.
It was in the middle of that silence that Takuma wandered in,
rubbing his eyes and yawning. "Daddy?"
"Come on, Takuma," he said, quickly ushering Takuma out of the
kitchen and to the table. He wanted to get him away from Nabiki as
quickly as possible while she was acting so unpredictably.
"Is Mommy still sick?" he asked as they left the kitchen.
"Yes, Kuma-chan, she is."
Nabiki watched them, frowning slightly. Sick. It wasn't
really inaccurate, she was sick of it all, but she wasn't really sick.
She felt totally fine. Completely, totally, through and through fine.
So why was Tatewaki acting so strangely around her? He practically
ripped Takuma out of her arms like there was something wrong with her.
No matter. She had more important things to worry about than
what Tatewaki was getting paranoid about.
***
"Hello?"
"Hi! It's me!"
"Oh, hello, Akane. What's up?"
"Well, last week, I took an early pregnancy test and..."
"You're pregnant."
"Yes!" Akane squealed with delight. "Isn't it great?" she
asked excitedly.
"Oh yeah, Akane, great." Nabiki obviously was not nearly as
excited as Akane was. "Have you been to the doctor yet?"
"No, but I've scheduled an appointment for next week. That'll
make it official."
Not wanting to be the bearer of bad tidings, Nabiki didn't say
anything about it possibly being a false hope. "Oh, well let me know
what the news is when you find out."
"I will! Bye!"
The phone clicked in Nabiki's ear. That had been rude of
Akane to just hang up like that. She set down the handset of the
phone and returned to her silent brooding. The amount of work on the
desk didn't phase her at all. It had piled up for a week, and it
could pile up for another week.
***
"Daddy, when is Mommy going to be Mommy again?" Takuma asked
as he was being dressed in the morning.
"Soon, Kuma-chan. Real soon, I hope."
"I miss her."
"So do I, Kuma-chan." Tatewaki started to pull the shirt over
Takuma's head, but the boy struggled away from him.
"I can do it myself," Takuma protested, the shirt covering his
face.
Tatewaki chuckled as he watched Takuma struggle to get the
shirt over his head and his arms in the sleeves. "Are you sure you
don't want me to help?"
Takuma whined in anger and frustration. "No! I can do it
myself!"
Tatewaki watched for another minute as Takuma struggled, his
motions getting more violent and frantic. His whining had turned into
small sounds of plaintive desperation.
"That's enough, Takuma-chan," Tatewaki said finally, trying to
get a hold of Takuma.
Takuma was having none of it though, turning violently,
flailing his arms, resisting his father's attempts to help him.
"Takuma, stop it this instant," Tatewaki said, getting down on
one knee and grabbing Takuma. He grabbed the boy in one arm and
pulled the shirt down, revealing Takuma's face, streaked with tears.
That stopped Tatewaki for a moment. He watched more tears
roll down Takuma's face before he made himself move. "Kuma-chan,
don't cry," he said, taking the boy in his arms.
Takuma hiccoughed, gulping down air. "Why doesn't Mommy love
me any more?" he squeaked, his face turning red, his tears threatening
to turn into full-blown sobs.
Stroking the back of Takuma's head, Tatewaki said quietly,
"She still does, Kuma-chan. Really, she does."
Takuma shook his head frantically, denying it, but wanting to
believe it. "No she doesn't. She hates me."
Tatewaki sighed and sat on the floor with his legs crossed.
He pulled Takuma onto his lap and began rocking the boy gently.
"She'll never hate you, Kuma-chan. There are just some things she's
having trouble dealing with."
"She hates me!" Takuma wailed.
"No, she doesn't. Let me tell you a story." That quieted
Takuma immediately, though the tears were still prevalent. "You know
how scared you were when Ko... the bad woman took you?"
Takuma nodded.
"Mommy and I were scared too. We might have been more scared
than you even." Tatewaki brushed some hair out of Takuma's eyes. "I
think Mommy is still scared. She's so scared she's sick."
"Why is she still scared?"
"Because..." Then it occurred to Tatewaki that he didn't know
why. "Because she's afraid that something else bad will happen."
That idea was as good as any. Nabiki had mentioned how worried she
was about Takuma's health before.
"But when's she gonna be better?" Takuma asked, putting his
arms through the sleeves of his shirt.
"I don't know, but we can try to help her. How would you like
that?"
"Yeah," Takuma answered happily.
"Good. Why don't we start tomorrow?" Tatewaki said, setting
Takuma on his feet and patting his back.
***
Kasumi watched Akane and Ranma function happily in their daily
lives. In fact, they were even happier because of the news they were
expecting to hear from the doctor. It made Kasumi feel like dying.
"Father, I've prepared some..." she said, coming out of the
kitchen with a tray full of snacks.
She was abruptly cut off by Soun. "Not now, Kasumi. Can't
you see what a wonderful day this is?" He had just recently been
informed of the pleasing news and was glowing with pride.
He never saw the pained look Kasumi got on her face.
"I'm sorry, Father," she said docilely and returned to the
kitchen with her snacks.
***
Takuma entered the house, giggling wildly. In one hand he had
a fistful of daisies, the other was carefully clutched around a red
rose stem, the flower little more than a bud.
He dashed through the house, homing in on his mother, until he
burst in on her.
Nabiki jerked in her chair and swiveled around to glare at
him. "Takuma, what do you think you're doing, charging in here like
that?"
Takuma wasn't phased. He held out the bouquet of daisies,
smiling.
Nabiki looked at the flowers, stunned. She took them in numb
fingers.
"They're from me." Then he held out the other hand, thrusting
the rose at her. "This is from Daddy."
She took the rosebud and watched Takuma run out of the room.
giggling again.
***
The door opened and Ranma and Akane came in. "We're home,"
Akane announced.
Immediately Soun came out to greet them, tears running down
his face. In his heart, he already knew what the answer was. "It's
true, isn't it? I'm going to be a grandfather again, aren't i?"
The smiles were the only indication he needed. His tears
intensified, followed by soft smiles directed at him.
Kasumi began to cry too, but they weren't tears of joy.
Everyone thought they were tears of joy, but they were tears of
sorrow. Akane was pregnant. The doctor had confirmed what the
pregnancy test had said.
"I have to call Nabiki," Akane said happily, floating on a
cloud.
"Oh, Kasumi, isn't this wonderful," Soun said, tears gushing
down his face.
"Yes, Father. It's very..." But her Father was already
congratulating Ranma and not paying any attention to her.
***
The days passed far too slowly for Kasumi. There was always
news from Akane about what the doctor had said, and this and that
about her pregnancy... Kasumi hated it, and she hated feeling jealous
and resentful of her family. Most of all, Kasumi hated herself for
being too weak to do anything with her life.
She hadn't seen or talked to Nabiki since before Akane's news,
and was simply assaulted each day by the cheeriness that pervaded the
house. Kasumi simply couldn't stand it any longer. She only wished
there was some way for her to leave the house. Maybe that would cure
her of problem and give her the courage to go after what she wanted.
***
"And how are things with you since your last checkup?"
Nabiki shrugged. "Highs and lows," she answered
emotionlessly.
"Ah, well, we'll just make this one quick."
"Mrs. Tendo, I've got some good news for you," the doctor said
as he walked into the room.
Nabiki blinked. "What's that?"
"You're pregnant." The doctor smiled at her, but received
only a blank stare in response.
"What?"
The doctor looked at her a little strangely. "You're
pregnant. I take it this wasn't planned?"
"No, not at all," Nabiki answered slowly. Even though
what the doctor had said came as a surprise, it shouldn't have. 'What
did you think would happen when you stopped taking the pill then
decided to screw Tatewaki's brains out?' that annoying little mental
voice asked.
"Oh. Well..." The doctor had no idea what to say.
Nabiki didn't let him suffer very long. "Thank you for
letting me know. I should be on my way now." Nabiki stood up,
thanking the doctor. She had no time to deal with him when she had
much more important things on her mind.
Much more important, like... There was... Or even the... So
maybe she didn't have more important things to worry about, but she
sure didn't feel like listening to the doctor blather. She didn't
need any of his overly cheerful help. Nabiki didn't need any of his
optimism.
***
Everyone was sitting around the table looking happy. Everyone
except Nabiki and Kasumi. Nabiki looked bored and indifferent.
Kasumi appeared happy, but looking closer, it could be seen that it
was forced.
"Nabiki, maybe we'll be in labor at the same time," Akane said
excitedly while Ranma blushed next to her.
"Oh yeah, that'll be fun beyond my wildest dreams," Nabiki
answered. "I can't wait to be in labor again." One of the small joys
in life unique to women, and she was going to get to do it again.
"Oh, Nabiki, you should be happy," Kasumi offered, trying to
catch on to the happy mood Akane and Ranma were in. "It will be Akane
and Ranma's..." She struggled to get the next words out. "First...
child."
"I know that, Kasumi. I'm not stupid." Nabiki's reply was
automatic and held no real feeling, but it pierced Kasumi's fragile
shell anyway.
"Nabiki! I never said that!" Kasumi said, a look of horror on
her face. It made her feel like it was that day again, back in the
hospital, and Kasumi was wondering what her younger sister had done
this time to finally get hurt so badly.
Like anyone deserved to be hurt that badly, let alone her
sister. And then she had been so rude to Tatewaki, and she had had
unkind thoughts about Takuma, the child that had been innocent of
everything...
No wonder Tofu wanted nothing to do with her. Terror flooded
Kasumi. She was a horrible person. She was so good at appearing to
be the perfect wife and inside, in her heart, she was vindictive and
petty and jealous.
Akane watched tears suddenly well up in Kasumi's eyes.
"Kasumi, what's wrong?" she asked worriedly.
Kasumi shook her head, the tears running down her face. When
Ranma put his hand on her shoulder, she stood up and fled the room.
Everyone watched her go, stunned. Akane was the first to say
anything. "Kasumi?"
"On that pleasant note, I'm leaving," Nabiki said, rising from
the table. "I'm sure I'll be talking to you all again." She waved
briefly then left.
Akane watched her go, surprised over the callous attitude
shown by Nabiki. "I'm going to see what's wrong with Kasumi," she
said suddenly, worried more about the sister she could help.
There was a knock on Kasumi's door which she didn't answer.
How could she let anyone see her crying and being just an awful
person? Akane was so sweet; Kasumi didn't want to poison her further
with her presence. "Go away, Akane. It's better this way."
"Kasumi, just tell me what's wrong. We're all worried about
you." Ranma had told her about Kasumi's strange behavior in the
kitchen that day, and ever since then, they had been watching Kasumi
to see if she was feeling fine.
"Akane, you couldn't possibly understand..."
Fortunately, Akane had been expecting something like this from
Kasumi. Kasumi still treated her like she was the foolish girl she
had been in high school. She wasn't as old as Kasumi, but she had
some own life experience under her belt now, and she would be the one
to help Kasumi this time instead of the other way around.
"Kasumi, you know you can talk to me. There's nothing we
can't solve together," Akane said, trying to get Kasumi to open the
door of her own volition.
"Akane, am I really such a bad person?" Kasumi said quietly.
At first, Akane thought that perhaps she had misheard Kasumi.
Why would Kasumi EVER thing she was a bad person? She was positively
the nicest person Akane knew. "Kasumi, you can't be serious. You are
the kindest, gentlest, warmest person I know, and it has nothing to do
with you being my sister."
There was a moment of silence, then Kasumi opened the door.
Kasumi looked disheveled, her hair a mess, her face streaked with
tears and her clothes rumpled. "You can't mean that, Akane. It's not
true."
That cemented it. Akane's jaw dropped. "Kasumi, it... it is
true. You helped us all so much; you helped keep us a family when
Mother..."
The mention of their mother sent Kasumi into a fresh set of
tears. "No, Akane. Mother wouldn't be proud of me. I've never been
good enough, I've never been what Mother would be proud of."
Akane's mind was in a whirl. This was a side of Kasumi she
had never seen before. The only thing Kasumi had ever appeared to her
as was the surrogate mother: loving, kind, warm, gentle, caring...
Akane just couldn't think of all the appropriate adjectives.
"Akane, there are things about me..." Kasumi shook her head.
She couldn't force all of her painful knowledge on Akane.
"Kasumi, you have to let it out. You have to tell me," Akane
pleaded.
Kasumi shook her head once more. "No, Akane. It's better if
I keep it to myself. You have much more important things to worry
about than me right now." And then Kasumi closed the door, leaving
Akane to wonder.
***
"How was the doctor appointment?"
"The usual."
"That's good." Tatewaki hesitated for a moment. Nabiki's
mood had been up and down, and he couldn't predict how she would
respond. "Takuma and I were going to the park later. Would you like
to come?" It was almost humiliating having to invite her. She should
have known, she should have wanted to come.
Nabiki shrugged. "I suppose."
"I'm sure Takuma will be ecstatic by your answer." Tatewaki
couldn't help but get a little acidic, angered by Nabiki's answer.
Forcing himself to calm down, Tatewaki managed to speak in a mostly
pleasant voice. "We were going to leave at around three."
The neutral look on Nabiki's face changed to look a bit
unhappy. "I don't think I can..."
That was it. "Yes! You can! You will!" Tatewaki yelled, his
eyes burning with anger.
Nabiki took a step back. "You don't tell me..."
"Today," Tatewaki said, pointing his finger at the counter,
"you will do what I say. You owe it to us for acting like a... a... a
complete BITCH!"
Nabiki's hand lashed out immediately and struck Tatewaki
across the cheek.
Tatewaki's head rocked back, then he looked back at her
slowly, his eyes narrowed. "Yes, that's exactly what I mean. Forget
the park, we don't need you there." He glared at her for another
moment, then walked away.
'We don't need you...' The anger that Nabiki had been feeling
suddenly washed away by the stinging words. They didn't need her. It
had been all his fault, and now he was telling her they didn't need
her. Well, maybe they didn't need her. Nabiki could handle that. So
what if they didn't need her. A lot of people didn't need her.
They didn't need her. Nabiki felt all the strength drain
from her body at the realization of the what Tatewaki had said to her.
They didn't need her... but she needed them.
The wind blew gently, rustling the leaves of the trees.
Tatewaki was sitting under one of the trees, watching Takuma play with
a group of other children. At least he had managed to get Takuma's
mind off how bad things had started to go at home.
He took a drink of his water as he watched the children start
a game of tag. At least one of them was having a good time through
all of the trouble.
"Excuse me, can I share this tree with you?"
"Go ahead," he answered not looking at the speaker. The only
thing he was concentrating on was the happiness of Takuma at the
moment, as if he could capture some of it himself.
The person came around and sat next to him, close enough so
that their legs were touching.
Tatewaki looked at his guest in surprise, then seeing who it
was, his gaze turned cold. "I thought you couldn't make it."
"I was wrong," Nabiki answered quietly.
"Oh. I didn't bring anything for you," he said
matter-of-factly.
"I know. I didn't expect you to." She scooted over a little
to sit closer, then drew her knees up and rested her chin on them.
"He looks happy, doesn't he?"
"He is when you're not yelling at him or ignoring him."
Nabiki nodded slightly. Takuma was happy as long as she
wasn't around. "I'm not happy," she said finally.
Tatewaki nodded. "I know. You've made that perfectly clear
many times."
"Not like that," Nabiki replied. "I'm not happy... with
myself." She drew a shuddering breath. "He has every right to hate
me. I've been hating myself for a while."
At that, Tatewaki got a shocked look on his face. "He doesn't
hate you. He doesn't think that you love him any more." He stopped
suddenly and focused on Nabiki. "You don't..."
"Of course I still love him," she answered vehemently. "I
wouldn't ever NOT want to." Nabiki kept watching Takuma, feeling an
iron weight in her chest. "I just don't know what to do. I feel
so... confused; I just want everything to go back to normal."
Tatewaki sighed heavily and leaned over a little, putting his
arm around Nabiki. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"How could I? What was I supposed to say?"
Tatewaki kept quiet to that. He knew how that went. For so
long he hadn't been able to admit to himself that there was anything
wrong, let alone to anyone else. "How are you feeling now?" he asked
finally.
"Afraid..." Nabiki didn't say anything more for a moment.
"Hurt."
"Hurt? How? Why?"
Nabiki blinked several times, holding the tears at bay.
"Because... you said you..." She moved her head so her forehead was
resting on her knees. "You didn't need me," she finished quietly.
Tatewaki pursed his lips. One little thing, said in anger,
had done a lot of damage. He would try not to allow himself to do it
ever again. "I was wrong. You know Takuma needs you." He leaned
down and put his mouth next to her ear. "And I need you."
Nabiki didn't raise her head, but it seemed that a tide of
tension came from her, leaving her relaxed, but drained. "I'm so
sorry," she said, and lifted her head to look at Tatewaki.
"I know. But we don't have to worry about that now." He
hugged her close and returned his attention to Takuma.
"I didn't tell you everything about the doctor's visit..."
This was it. Tatewaki closed his eyes. There was something
wrong. Just when everything had been put right again, there was this
now...
"I'm pregnant."
Well. That hadn't been what he was expecting to hear at all.
Tatewaki reacted like it, sitting still, his eyes shut tightly.
Pregnant. That meant she was going to have another baby. Another
baby. He opened his eyes and looked at Nabiki. "Pregnant?"
She nodded.
"Whoa." And that was about the best thing he could come up
with at the moment.
Right about that time, Takuma came running over and bowled
into them, sending all three of them into a heap on the ground.
Takuma was giggling incessantly until he realized who he was piled on
top of. Quickly, he tried to remove himself, not wanting to get
yelled at again. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it," Takuma said, getting
worried because he couldn't pull himself up.
"Oh, Takuma-chan, what are you so worried about?" Nabiki
asked, holding on to Takuma's clothes, preventing him from escaping.
She sat up, pulling Takuma onto her lap. Moving Takuma's messy hair
from his forehead, Nabiki smiled at him and asked, "Are you ready to
go home now?"
Takuma nodded, surprised by the sudden shift in his mother's
mood. Slowly, the shock changed to a smile and he hugged her. She
wasn't sick anymore. "Mommy," he said quietly.
"We've got some good news, Takuma-chan," Nabiki said, hugging
him back, the happy tears welling up. "We'll tell you when we get
back."
***
Kasumi answered the phone, feeling almost normal again.
Akane's and Ranma's bubbling had finally died down, and they were now
waiting with muted anticipation for the moment to arrive. Kasumi
thanked whoever was listening because she thought she might go insane
if she had to listen to them for another seven and a half months.
"Kasumi, we have a mission to accomplish," Nabiki said on the
other end of the phone.
"Nabiki, what are you..."
"No questions. Get ready because I'm going to be over there
to pick you up in 15 minutes."
"But I can't..."
"Sure you can. Just tell Ranma to make lunch and get yourself
ready. Got it? Good. Be there in a bit."
The phone clicked in Kasumi's ear and she was left standing in
the hall, staring at the phone. She replaced the handset slowly,
wondering what exactly Nabiki was up to. She had sounded so happy and
lively. No doubt it was because of the baby, and still she had
nothing...
Damn her for making her go through this. The entire family
just had to keep dredging up the fact that she didn't have the joy of
children, pregnancy, or the knowledge that she would have them in the
near future.
"Yo, Kasumi. What's for lunch?" Ranma asked, coming down the
stairs.
"N... nothing. Ranma, could you... could you make lunch
today?" she asked timidly. She wasn't sure if she wanted him to
accept or decline.
Ranma blinked. "Uh, sure, Kasumi. There somethin' wrong?"
"No. Nabiki is coming to pick me up today."
Ranma looked at Kasumi, noting the almost vacant look in her
eyes. "No problem. Have a good time," he said brightly, hoping to
improve Kasumi's mood.
Kasumi nodded, almost as if she hadn't heard a word he had
said. She had things to worry about, things to do... But for the
life of her, she couldn't remember what. The on thing that kept
running through her mind was how happy everyone was and how she would
never be that happy. "Thank you, Ranma," she said and walked slowly
past him to her room.
That was very strange, especially for Kasumi, who was always
the cheerful upbeat girl. No, scratch that. Akane would have crushed
him for calling Kasumi a girl. 'She's a woman, the same way I am,' he
could hear Akane lecturing him.
Ranma grinned guiltily. He couldn't say about Kasumi, but he
could definitely vouch for Akane's womanhood. Feeling the heat in his
cheeks, Ranma went to see what Soun wanted for lunch.
Kasumi was just getting her hair fixed in the proper way when
there was a knock at the door. That would be Nabiki, all happy, and
Kasumi would be just another lump... If someone else didn't bring
Kasumi down, she was just as capable of doing it to herself.
"I'll get it," she called, and hurried to the door. Getting
out might have actually been a good thing because she could hear the
others talking, laughing, having a good time without her... She
really needed to get out of the house.
Opening the door and expecting Nabiki's smiling face, she was
greeted by a look of extreme seriousness and determination on her
sister's face. "Nabiki, wha..."
"No time for talk, Kasumi. We have to be moving as quickly as
possible."
Kasumi looked out the door past Nabiki and could see a taxi
waiting. "Oh my, a taxi? Why..."
"Kasumi, shoes." Nabiki checked her watch. "We've only got a
few hours. Any longer and it will be too late."
Unnerved by Nabiki's serious attitude, Kasumi put her shoes on
quickly and called out, "I'm going. I'll be back..."
Nabiki pulled her sister out the door before she could finish
her sentence. "Kasumi, they know you'll be back. We have to go!"
Kasumi shut the door and followed Nabiki down the walk, almost
unable to keep up with her. "Nabiki, where are we going?"
"Well, seeing how this is Akane's first, and the whole wedding
thing, I figured she deserved something a little more special this
time. If we start getting things together now, everything will go
perfectly," Nabiki said in her business tone.
Kasumi still wasn't following the line of logic. "Nabiki,"
she said, as the two got into the cab, "what are we preparing for?"
"Downtown Tokyo, and don't spare the KPHs," Nabiki said to the
driver.
The tires came close to squealing as the taxi took off.
"I don't understand what this is all about, Nabiki."
Nabiki turned in the seat to look at Kasumi. "You remember
the wedding, right?"
Kasumi nodded. All those unpleasant people showing up and
nearly ruining things... It had been a dark day in the Tendo family
history indeed.
"Well, we're going to do this whole baby thing right. A to Z,
we're doing it. Clothes, supplies, if you can think of it, we're
doing it." Nabiki sat back a little. "It's never too early to be
prepared, and I think Akane deserves a break after her wedding was
nearly trashed."
Kasumi nodded again, agreeing with that, but she couldn't help
but wonder when she was going to get the break. When was it going to
be her time to have her wedding nearly destroyed and have her sisters
help her with her pregnancy?
"I don't think we should do this though," she suddenly said,
doubting... everything.
"Kasumi, you know we have to do this. I don't doubt that
Akane and Ranma will make... interesting parents, perfectly capable in
their own right, but the two couldn't plan their way out of a paper
bag," Nabiki said.
"But Ranma sounded so sure of himself."
"Sure. Ranma would sound sure of himself if he was attempting
brain surgery. That doesn't mean he actually knows what he's doing."
Nabiki looked out the window and caught sight of their destination.
"Right there, driver!"
"Yes, ma'am," he said, changing lanes and cruising through the
green light.
It was then that it felt like the car was struck by a wrecking
ball, the right side suddenly caving in around Kasumi, and the whole
vehicle was blasted across the intersection.
"Don't try to move. Just relax; you'll be fine."
Nabiki opened her eyes slowly and wondered why these men were
screaming at her. As her vision cleared and the fog lifted, she could
see the ring of men around her, one holding a small light that he kept
flashing in her eyes.
"She's awake. Pupil response is good. Looks to be a
concussion, but don't take any chances until we run more tests," he
said to the other men. He appeared to be a doctor of some sort.
So what the hell did she need with a doctor? She had been to
one only a couple weeks ago. Nabiki tried to sit up, but the men
gently pushed her back down.
"Don't try to move. Relax, but try not to fall asleep.
You've got a concussion," the doctor-type said to her. "Can you tell
us your name?"
Nabiki meant to snap at him for asking such a stupid question,
but when she tried to answer, her voice was all slurred. "Of course I
can," she said slowly. "Nabiki Tendo."
"Good. Can you tell us who your fellow passenger in the car
was?"
What? Did they think she was stupid or something? "My
sister, Kasumi."
Again with the annoying little light in her eyes. "Do you
mind telling me what happened?" she finally asked, tired of the
moronic questions.
"An accident, Ms. Tendo. A rather severe one. I don't want
to scare you at this point, but I would wager that you and your sister
are fortunate to be alive right now."
A car accident? Of course. The taxi, and the intersection.
Whatever had felt like a building smashing into them, and then...
Lucky to be alive? Her hand shot out suddenly and grabbed the
paramedic's coat. As long as it wasn't that... Anything but that.
"What about the baby?"
"What baby, Ms. Tendo?" the paramedic asked, noting the
claw-like grip she had on his coat.
"MY baby, that's what baby, you idiot."
The paramedic looked at one of the other men, who shrugged.
"Ah, we didn't find any baby in the vehicle, Ms. Tendo," the paramedic
answered apologetically.
"Not in the car, moron."
The paramedic looked confused for a moment before realization
dawned on him. "Oh! We'll get you to the hospital right away. We'll
notify your family en route."
Nabiki never saw Kasumi. Even when the stretcher she was on
was unloaded from the ambulance and she was wheeled into the hospital,
there was no sign of Kasumi.
Thankfully, after she had been given more tests than an
overfiend has tentacles, they deposited her in a room and allowed
Tatewaki and Takuma to see her. She had a hard time figuring out
which one was the little boy.
Each of them wanted to crawl into the hospital bed with her
and shower her with attention. Fighting them off (and only allowing
Takuma to lay next to her), Nabiki just had to ask. "Where's everyone
else?"
Immediately Tatewaki answered, "With Kasumi."
Nabiki nodded, yawning. The pain killers for her headache
were making her drowsy. "And how is Kasumi?"
Tatewaki wasn't so quick to answer this time. He shook his
head slowly, and Nabiki imagined the worse. "Not good," Tatewaki
said, dispelling her fears slightly.
Still, not good meant Kasumi was probably... bad. "And how
bad is that?"
"They haven't determined how badly yet. It's her back
though... She was still unconscious when I saw her."
"Is Aunt Kasumi gonna be OK?" Takuma asked, looking up at his
mother.
"I don't know, Takuma-chan. I really hope so." Nabiki gave
him an affectionate squeeze.
"How about you? How do you feel?" Tatewaki asked.
"I feel fine. My head hurt earlier, but they gave me some
pills and now I'm fine." There was a small knot on the side of her
head where she had hit it on the interior of the car, but that wasn't
anything to be worried about.
"Did the baby hit its head too?" Takuma asked.
Nabiki squeezed Takuma a little more and kissed his forehead.
"No, the baby is fine. If I had been hurt worse, it could have been
bad, but I wasn't."
The three sat in silence for a bit, not knowing what to say.
Even Takuma was unusually calm. Nabiki yawned again and took a drink
of water. "Why don't you two go check on Kasumi. I'm pretty tired
here," she said after the uncomfortable silence finally got to her.
"I think we should..." Tatewaki started to say.
Nabiki shook her head. "No, you should go check on Kasumi
while you're not ordered by the doctor to wait on me hand and foot for
a week." She smiled, looking worn down.
"Maybe you're right," Tatewaki said, smiling back. "Come on,
Kuma-chan. Let's see how Kasumi is."
"But I wanna stay here with Mommy," he protested.
"Go on. I need to take a nap anyway, and no guests are
allowed when someone's sleeping."
Takuma pouted for a moment before getting off the bed and
taking Tatewaki's hand.
"We'll be back to visit later," Tatewaki said, then left the
room with Takuma in tow.
The waiting area was not a pleasant place to be. With Soun's
tears, and Ranma and Akane unable to avoid to stress-induced
arguments, Beirut would have been slightly nicer. A nurse graciously
came in every so often to update Kasumi's condition, but so far,
nothing had changed.
"Any news?" Tatewaki asked, coming in and taking a seat. He
lifted Takuma and placed him in his lap.
"Nothing," Ranma said, frowning, his eyes intense and
piercing.
The group dominated the waiting area until it got dark
outside. Ranma and Akane had settled down finally and looked tired
and haggard. Soun was curled up in one of the chairs, crying in his
sleep. Takuma was still in Tatewaki's lap, sleeping too, making
little whining noises periodically.
Rising slowly, making sure not to disturb Takuma, Tatewaki
went to Nabiki's room. The nurses gratefully ignored his presence
even though it was after visiting hours.
It was dark in the room and he could hear the soft sounds of
her breathing, slow and rhythmic. He went to her bedside where he
leaned down and kissed her. "We'll be back tomorrow," he whispered.
***
"This is bad. Look here," the doctor said, pointing to
several spots on the X-ray. "Cracked vertabrae, bruised... She's
lucky there's no spinal cord damage." The others around him nodded.
"All right, let's get to work on this right away."
"Good work. Now the only thing we can do is wait," The doctor
said, leaving the operating room. "It's going to be all in the
rehabilitation now. God help them."
***
"Excuse me, sir?" The nurse shook Ranma's shoulder gently.
"Sir?"
Ranma opened his eyes slowly. Waking up was something he
didn't like to do. Waking up in a hospital after sleeping in a chair
was something he liked to do a whole lot less. "Huh?"
"Sir, the doctor will want to talk to you in a little while
about the condition of Miss Tendo," the nurse said quietly.
"Huh? Oh!" Ranma said, suddenly coming wide awake. "How's
Kasumi?" he asked.
"I don't know, sir. You'll have to speak to the doctor about
that."
Ranma nodded. "Right. Thanks." He turned to Akane, who was
trying to catch some sleep in a chair, and shook her. "Akane, wake
up."
Akane woke up immediately, barely able to sleep with the worry
and uncomfortable conditions. "What time is it?" she asked.
"Morning. The doctor wants ta talk to us in a bit." He stood
up and stretched, working the kinks out of his back and neck. "I'm
going to get some water. You want anything?"
Akane licked her lips, noting how dry they were, and her she
had a bad case of cotton mouth. "Yeah, some water sounds good."
Ranma left and came back a few minutes later with two cups of
water. He drank his down as he handed the other to Akane. "Jeez, I
hope Kasumi's OK," he said, crumpling the paper cup up. He didn't
know what else to say, and that felt so inadequate with how badly she
had been injured.
Ranma plopped down in the chair he had slept in, dark circles
under his eyes, and exhaled deeply. He stifled a yawn and watched
Akane sip her water. "When it rains, it pours," he said quietly.
Akane nodded, knowing exactly what he meant. Interesting
times didn't even come close to describing the things she and Ranma,
and the rest of the family, had gone through. Akane was just happy
her father was still asleep, his tears had finally dried up in the
night.
"Should we wake up Father?" Ranma asked, looking at Soun.
Akane shook her head. "Let him sleep. We can tell him when
we find out. It'll be easier on the doctor."
Ranma nodded, watching Akane. "Akane," he said suddenly,
which caused her to look at him. "I love you."
Akane smiled in the way that always melted his heart. "I love
you too, Ranma."
That was his one comfort over the past day. When things had
gotten bad, when no one could tell them Kasumi's condition, he had
leaned on Akane, relied on her, and she had done the same to him. To
him... for him.
That was something that made him happy to know he would be a
father. Ranma liked to know that Akane relied on him for something.
He liked the fact that she needed him, that she loved him. If he ever
needed an ego boost, just hearing Akane tell him that she loved him
was the best ego, emotional, spiritual boost he could ever ask for.
"Everything will be fine, Akane," he found himself saying.
Akane wiped her eyes before speaking. "I know, Ranma. Kasumi
will be fine."
"Excuse me, are you the Tendo family?" a non-descript man in
glasses asked. He was wearing a white coat and holding a clipboard.
"We are," Akane answered. "Are you the doctor?"
"I am. I can give you some more details on your sister's
condition now. Just follow me."
Akane and Ranma stood and followed the doctor to a small
office. He turned on the light of the X-ray viewers so he could
detail Kasumi's injuries.
Ranma and Akane listened to the doctor, feeling numb. More
than once the doctor mentioned how Kasumi was lucky to be alive when
tears rolled down Akane's face. He didn't want them to get too
depressed about the severe nature of the injuries when it was nearly a
miracle the young woman was alive at all.
"But, we've got her out of surgery now, and she's resting. I
have to be honest and say that it won't be easy for her, or you, but
she will survive. Depending on her rehabilitation, she should return
to 85% mobility and functioning.
"Of course, we can never be totally sure of these type of
injuries because they are completely unique from one individual to the
next, but we are very hopeful for Kasumi."
"Hopeful. What does that mean for Kasumi?" Akane asked.
"Well, it means we're going to do everything we can to help
her. Granted, we can only do so much and Kasumi is going to have to
want to get better if this is going to do her any good..."
Akane couldn't stand to listen any longer. She buried her
face in Ranma's chest and began to cry.
"Come on, Akane. Kasumi's going to be fine. She's just going
to need some help gettin' herself back in shape. Right, Doc?" Ranma
said, rubbing Akane's back.
"That's right. Kasumi is going to need all your help and
support. She'll have an easier time being strong if the other people
around her are strong too." It was the best speech the doctor could
have given out of the blue.
"See? We've gotta help Kasumi. And as long as we help
Kasumi, she's gonna be fine," he said quietly, soothing Akane.
The doctor nodded. "That's right. For now, I suggest you two
go home and clean yourselves up because she's not going to be awake
for a while," the doctor offered.
"When do you think it would be OK to come back?" Ranma asked,
knowing Akane would want to be there when Kasumi awoke.
"If you're worried about being here when she wakes up, after
the surgery, and everything else, you've got a good five hours." He
didn't think it was necessary to add that she'd already been awake,
but was drugged too heavily to show any recognition.
"Thanks. We'll be back later," Ranma said, supporting Akane.
***
"What about Kasumi? I don't think you should be traveling
any more than necessary right now," Tatewaki said. "I'm pretty sure
the doctor would agree."
"I know, but..." Nabiki wanted to make sure Kasumi was going
to be fine, but she didn't want to spend the night at the hospital
again, especially when she didn't think she needed it.
"It's your choice," Tatewaki said. "If you want to go, we can
leave now."
Nabiki looked undecided for a moment, then nodded her head.
"Yeah, I want to go home. I'll just have to rely on everyone else for
information."
"OK, let me go check you out while you get your things
around."
"Right." Nabiki swung her legs out of the bed and stood up
slowly, her hand resting on the bed.
"Are you sure you're OK?" Tatewaki asked.
"Yeah. Still a little woozy is all," Nabiki answered and
favored him with a small smile.
"Just don't go running around the room or anything. Take it
slow."
"Yes, doctor," she answered him.
"Just don't make me charge you the doctor's fee," Tatewaki
said with his hand on the door.
"Oh, don't worry about it. My husband will pay all the
bills."
Tatewaki gave her a little raspberry before leaving the room.
***
Kasumi had the most profound sense of peace. The sun was
shining and their were birds twittering in the trees. She was dressed
in a pretty flower print dress and had a big sunhat on her head.
"Kasumi..."
Kasumi looked around the pleasant meadow she was in, but there
was no one there. "Mother?" she said.
"Kasumi..."
It was her, but Kasumi couldn't see her. "Mother!"
"Kasumi. Kasumi..." The voice was fading slowly.
"Mother! Don't leave me!" But it was inevitable and Kasumi
knew it.
"It's time, Kasumi. Take care of yourself..."
"Mother!"
"Should I give her another dose?"
"No, that'd be dangerous. As long as she remains fairly
still, let her ride it out. If she starts getting violent, or starts
moving too much, alert me." He looked at the young woman sleeping
fitfully in the bed. It was ugly, and there was no doubt she was in
pain, but it was the only way.
"If she wakes up and she's lucid, alert me."
"Yes, doctor."
***
Tatewaki was driving, glancing at Nabiki every so often. "Are
you sure you're OK?" he asked as they cruised slowly through the
narrow streets of Nerima.
Nabiki had her hand over her forehead. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just
a little headache is all."
Tatewaki kept looking at her worriedly as they pulled up to
the gate. "You're sure? You don't look good at all."
"Well thanks," she answered with as much humor as she could
manage. Still, her head was throbbing rather uncomfortably. "I think
I need to go lay down."
"Right away." The gate opened as Tatewaki touched the button
on his small remote, and he drove through. "Do you need some aspirin
or something?"
"No, I just feel like laying down." Nabiki was just glad the
seats were soft, or the ride home would have been a complete
nightmare.
"Do you want..."
"Tate-chan, I just want to lay down right now. You're being
TOO helpful."
"Oh, sorry." Tatewaki parked the car and got out quickly
enough to prevent Nabiki from opening the door herself. "Allow me,"
Tatewaki said as he opened the door wide.
Nabiki got out of the car slowly, grimacing as she stood up.
As rotten as she felt, she knew it was nothing compared to what Kasumi
was going through.
***
Kasumi woke up and immediately noticed the amount of pain she
was in. That was a fairly unusual thing for her, to be in so much
pain. Normally, when she woke up, she felt physically well. She
didn't always feel mentally fit, but she overcame that with her ritual
of housework.
Yet she wasn't at home. She couldn't just go and prepare
breakfast to make the pain go away. In fact, she couldn't move, and
that was quite distressing. Within a few moments of waking up, a
young man appeared in her peripheral vision. "I'm sorry to trouble
you," she said, or at least tried to, but her voice didn't want to
fully cooperate.
Apparently, he had heard her anyway because he turned around
and smiled at her. "Finally awake? The doctor will be glad to hear
that. I'll go get him and he'll be able to answer your questions."
Before Kasumi could try to protest (why was her mind working so
slowly?), the man was gone.
Helpless tears spilled down Kasumi's cheeks. Why couldn't she
move? And what did she need a doctor for? And most importantly,
where was her family? Kasumi wanted to adjust the way she
was laying when the pain that seemed to crawl up and down her back
intensified. Even worse was the what felt like someone sticking a
sword into her hip.
Giving in finally, Kasumi tried to relax and just let the
pain be. She would take her cue from the Zen Buddhists and try
and make the pain her friend, not an enemy. That seemed to help a
little as the pain was reduced to just barely tolerable.
A myriad of awful thoughts suddenly imposed themselves on her.
She was paralyzed. That was why she couldn't move. She'd never walk
again and end up being a burden on the rest of her family, relying on
charity...
If she was paralyzed, she wouldn't be able to move her
extremities. She would force her extremities to move because she
would not allow herself to be a burden. She tried. She tried really
hard, but she couldn't make herself move.
She inhaled deeply, an action that sent fresh tears of pain
down her face, and tried again. Using all of her willpower, more than
all of it, she forced her toe, her little toe, to twitch slightly. As
small as the motion was, it was an extreme relief to her. Now all she
could do was wait.
That stupid car. Nabiki just had to take her to Tokyo, didn't
she? If it wasn't for that... No, what if Nabiki was... All Kasumi
had was herself, but Nabiki had so many more that relied on her. That
line of thinking was enough to make her head start hurting, and all
Kasumi wanted to do was to fall asleep until she was better.
The door opened revealing several people. Kasumi recognized
the first man, as it was the one that had been in there earlier. The
second man she didn't, but he was wearing a white coat, and she
assumed it was the doctor. The last two brought a smile to her face.
"How're ya doin', Kasumi?" Ranma asked, walking slowly up to
the bed. He had a tentative smile, while Akane was crying.
Kasumi wanted to answer them, tell them she was fine and that
they shouldn't worry themselves over her, but the simple attempt at
speaking was almost too much for her. "Fine," she managed to say.
The doctor came to her rescue. "I'm afraid, for the next two
to three weeks, she's going to be in a lot of pain, and she's still
under heavy medication. She won't be up to talking a whole lot at the
moment." He looked at Ranma and Akane. "You can have a seat while I
explain things."
The two nodded solemnly and sat in the two chairs on the other
side of the room. It was an effort for Ranma not to stare at the
tubes that were in Kasumi's abdomen and concentrate on her face.
"The news is good and bad," the doctor began. "the injury,
while severe, is not nearly as bad as it could have been. The
rehabilitation process is going to be long and quite painful, I hate
to say."
"Dad, you can't go! You know the doctor told you not to come
back until you could control yourself!" Akane said, stopping her
father at the door.
"But I have to see my little girl!"
"Dad! You can't go in there and cry! It doesn't help Kasumi
at all!"
Soun sniffled a bit. He so desperately wanted to see Kasumi
and make sure she was all right, but they told him he was too disruptive
in the hospital. Didn't they know this was his daughter? The nerve
of them to forbid him from seeing his daughter when she needed the
love and support of her father.
"Akane, I am going to the hospital," Soun said with sudden
seriousness. "They can't stop me from seeing her." Tears or not,
though he would attempt to hold them back, he would see Kasumi.
***
"You don't need to hold my hand."
"But your head..."
"My head is fine. There's nothing wrong with me."
Tatewaki released Nabiki's hand and watched her walk to the
car. "I don't think you should drive. You could still be..."
"I told you, I'm fine. Now I'm going to the hospital and you
can either come with me, or stay here." She looked cross for a
moment, then opened the car door and got in. "Coming?" she asked one
more time.
Tatewaki sighed. "Let me get my jacket," he said and headed
back inside the house for a minute. If he didn't and something
happened, he'd never forgive himself. Too many things had happened
before before of his inaction. He would not let things go wrong again
if he could help it.
***
"Kasumi, you look so strong. It will be no time before you're
back home." Soun smiled as best he could at his daughter. He knew it
was weak, but the fact that he had managed not to cry was quite a
feat in and of itself. He had to take things one step at a time.
Kasumi felt like simply nodding, but her condition was just
too painful. "Yes, Father. I'm sure I will." And even speaking that
short phrase was not fun. How could she go back home and be the
proper housewife when she was always in pain?
Then it occurred to her. The proper housewife... You had to
be a wife to be a housewife. Without her wifely abilities, that was
it. Her chances of ever getting a husband, ANY husband, went totally
down the drain.
Tofu naturally wouldn't want her. He was so busy with his
practice that he couldn't afford to babysit a crippled girl. Her
thoughts kept returning to the notion that she would never be able to
perform the duties that made her a good housewife. That she would
never have a husband. That she would end up alone while everyone else
moved on with their lives.
Kasumi just wanted her father to leave then. She didn't want
anymore of her family's concern, their pity. She knew that if they
just left her alone, things would go much smoother because she
wouldn't be reminded of how healthy they were and how she was a broken
shell without a future.
"Physically, she's doing better. Things are looking very
good. It's mentally that I'm concerned about her."
"Mentally? What do you mean?" Akane asked, sitting next to
her father in the office.
"Well, she's not holding up to the stress of rehabilitation or
the trauma of the accident very well. I think she hides it very well
around you, but it's easy to tell when it's just me or the nurse," the
doctor said.
Akane looked horrified and Soun just looked incredibly
worried.
"Look, let me be straight with you because you're the people
she's going to have the most contact with outside of the hospital.
When I say you have to be strong for her, that's true. But you might
also have to be... tough with her."
"But I couldn't..." Soun started to say.
"No, let me finish. She's putting on her best face when
you're around, but this is hurting her. It can't NOT hurt her. So
when she says she's fine, she's lying. She's in pain, and she will be
for a while. It will get less with time, as the injury heals, but it
will most likely never go away completely."
Soun swallowed and nodded.
"So, you have to be strong, but you also have to break her of
this habit of saying everything is fine when it's not. That won't
help her, it won't help you and it doesn't help us. If she needs
help, she needs to ask for it. It's not a sign of weakness."
The doctor sat back in his chair some and exhaled through his
nose. "The same goes for you. Don't keep it all bottled up around
her. If you're worried, say so. If you miss her, say it. Anything
at all, keep that flow of information going, even if it's only what
happened at school, or what you watched on TV. She needs you now."
There was one more thing, delicate, but it could very well be
at the root of Kasumi's emotional problems. It was just the challenge
of asking the family about it... "One more thing."
"Yes, doctor? What is it?" Soun said. Strangely enough, he
didn't feel like crying at all, he didn't need to hold anything back.
He just felt like helping Kasumi in her time of need.
"Kasumi... she did the domestic work around the house?"
Soun nodded. He couldn't imagine what that had to do with
anything. They could get along adequately without Kasumi, even if she
never was able to... A grain of doubt wormed its way into Soun's
thoughts.
"She's not married?" the doctor asked.
Soun shook his head absentmindedly. His thoughts were
meandering toward the same place the doctor was heading.
"I thought as much. I think I know what part of the problem
is, maybe even a large part of the problem. It seems Kasumi is
feeling... inadequate." It was sad really, but something people still
seemed to cling to.
"Inadequate? What does that have to do with Kasumi taking
care of the house and not being married?" Akane asked.
"How old is your sister?" the doctor asked Akane, looking at
her seriously.
"She's... 25." Akane still looked confused.
"And you're married?"
Akane nodded, not following the purpose of the questions.
"And your sister is married?"
"Nabiki is. What..."
"Do you have a child?"
Akane shook her head, blushing slightly. "Not yet, but I'm
expecting."
"And your sister has a child, and is expecting a second?" He
had seen the reports of all people involved in the accident.
Akane nodded.
"Mrs. Saotome, do you like your life the way it is?"
"Of course!"
"Do you think her sister likes her life?"
"I... I suppose..."
"That's great. Now how do you suppose Kasumi felt about her
life before the accident?" This was a little... risky. He wasn't a
mental health professional, but the circumstances weren't that
uncommon either.
Akane looked baffled. "I don't know... Fine, I guess."
"Do you really think that? Do you really think someone as
dedicated as she was to the... wifely duties was happy being 25 and no
husband or children of her own? Do you think she was happy watching
everyone else around her grow up and start their own families while
she was stuck being a... a nursemaid?"
"Now wait a minute! Kasumi is my sis..." Akane said angrily.
"I know she's your sister," the doctor said regretfully. "And
don't you think your sister has wanted to get married and start a
family of her own? You should know what some of the older people say
about women who reach the age of 24..."
Akane had heard that before. The public baths especially, the
women gossiping, talking about relatives and friends' relatives, how
this girl would be 24 and not married, meaning she was doomed to be an
old maid... A woman was either married and raising a healthy family
by the age of 24 or she could just run off and join a convent. And
Kasumi was 25.
"But she never..."
"Do you think she would disrupt the happiness of the rest of
you? Mr. Tendo," the doctor said suddenly, turning to the head of the
family, "have you ever considered an... arranged marriage for Kasumi?"
Both Soun and Akane stared at the doctor with disbelief.
"N... never," Soun sputtered. "The first one was bad enough," he
mumbled.
That brought a sharp elbow from Akane.
"Well, she won't really talk to us about her personal life,
but do you know of anyone who she might like? Anyone who likes her?
Secret admirer, anything at all?" This was not really his job,
counseling, but it was hard to not try and help.
Akane shook her head slowly. Kasumi had never given an notion
of liking any men. She always complained in that uniquely Kasumi way
that they were all so young and immature.
"I know someone," Nabiki said from behind them in the doorway.
Akane and Soun both turned at the sound of her voice. "You
do? Who?" Akane asked, surprised.
Nabiki walked slowly to a chair and sat down. "Our own Dr.
Tofu."
Akane was boggled by the concept and Soun had resumed his firm
and worried look. Dr. Tofu... That might be handy having him in the
family.
"Yep. Been that way for years."
"Doctor... Tofu?" the doctor asked, trying to place the name.
"Our local neck snapper. Always helped us out with other
minor stuff too. He's got a good office running..." This
conversation was setting Nabiki right at ease, getting her into
the swing of things.
"Dr. Tofu? Why didn't Kasumi ever say anything?" Akane asked
her older sister.
"Beats me. You know he's crazy about her too, but..." Nabiki
answered. Had everyone else been blind or something? It was so
obvious, all of it. They were all awaiting the rest of her answer,
looking at her curiously. "A little too crazy. Have you ever seen
him dancing around with that skeleton of his?"
Soun and Akane nodded. Many times they had caught him
prancing around his office, his skeleton in his arms, babbling
'Betty-chan' over and over. It had been slightly frightening to say
the least.
"Well, you can thank Kasumi for that. He completely loses it
when she's around. Haven't you ever noticed that? Akane, I saw Ranma
with his head practically on backwards when you came back from Dr.
Tofu's office. Did you think he was trying to kill Ranma?"
"No... I just..."
"That's OK. I suppose we were all a little shortsighted about
it." The words 'taking things for granted' would have been the next
ones out of her mouth if she had thought of it, but she never thought
of things like that.
Silence reigned for a few moments before the shock died down
and the doctor resumed his counseling. "That's good. If Kasumi knew
that he felt the same way about her, I'm sure that would lift her
spirits immeasurably. All you have to do is... bring... him..." The
doctor looked at Nabiki's shaking head. "Why not?"
"Doctor, he loses control of himself. He'd be just as likely
to hurt her as hug her. It seems the only time he can function around
her is in a professional capacity, and barely that. That's the main
reason I never tried to help, because the good doctor seems too, I
hate to say it, hopeless."
This would prove more difficult than the doctor had first
thought. But if he could only... Hold it. He wasn't a counselor or
matchmaker or anything of the sort. This wasn't his problem, wasn't
his field... No, the health of his patients was his field. That was
the most important thing. "Professional capacity you say?"
"Come on, Kasumi. It's your big day. You get to sit up," the
doctor said cheerily.
Kasumi looked at him as if he had some dirt on his white
jacket.
"Come on. I know you don't want to, but you've got to. It's
the first step to recovery. Just work with us here." The doctor's
smile was a bit strained. This would be very stressful for doctor and
patient, as the pain would be excruciating.
The doctor and attendant rolled Kasumi to her side slowly,
with her whimpering in pain. The attendant bent Kasumi's legs very
much against her will so they were sticking out over the side of the
bed, then the two helped Kasumi to get into a sitting position on the
edge of the bed.
She wasn't happy.
"Isn't this... different?" the doctor asked, Kasumi looking
more like a trapped rabbit than anything. "Anyway, here comes your
next task. Walking. Won't that be fun?" Of course, the doctor knew
it wouldn't be. It would be painful and miserable, but it was
necessary. "Just hold on to us and we'll get you mobile again." He
took hold of Kasumi's hadn and tried to coax her to stand.
Kasumi was having none of it. She absolutely could not stand.
She could not, would not, her body refused to, her brain wouldn't let
her. "No," she said quietly.
"Kasumi, you have to. You have to start somewhere. This is
it. It seems hard, but once you get started, it'll be just like you
never got hurt." Other than the fact that it would hurt a whole lot.
"I can't," she said, her face carefully controlled not to show
her displeasure.
"We're going to stand you up. Don't necessarily try to make
yourself do it. Just let it happen." The doctor nodded to the
attendant who held her hand and supported her by her arm.
Simultaneously, they pulled Kasumi forward on the bed, sliding her
until she couldn't sit on it any longer.
"You can either stand, or you can fall on the floor. We can't
support you." Surprisingly, Kasumi seemed to respond best to the
tough love brand of therapy. It was strange that someone so demure
would need the kind of motivation that normally produced hard feelings
and resentment.
Kasumi's legs unwillingly unfolded beneath her and her feet
touched the floor, her weight settling uncomfortably. More than
uncomfortable, it was downright painful.
"To the chair, Kasumi," the doctor said quietly. "Hold on,
we're here."
Walk. How simple that prospect had been less than a week ago.
Now it was a something that seemed impossible. The anger she had
never acknowledged, never wanted to acknowledge, slowly began to rise
within her. It had been jealousy and bitterness before, but this was
different; this was anger and hatred.
Why? Why her? Why hadn't it been someone else's mother who
died? It should've been! It should have been someone else's family
tortured with that hardship. All the Tendo family had ever wanted was
peace and their place in the world, and what had that simple wish
gotten them?
Kasumi shuffled one foot forward slowly, her eyes narrowed and
she stared hatefully at the chair.
The chair, just like the one her father had sat in when he
waited in the hospital. Just like the one she had waited in with him
while her mother died. Her mother died and no one had been able to do
anything.
Her other foot shuffled forward. She didn't see the looks the
people assisting her were giving her.
That chair. That chair was her goal. That chair, where
everything had collapsed around her when she had been young. And she
would never be young again. She would never have back all the things
she had lost when her world had ended in that chair. And now... Her
world had been destroyed, but her dreams had been intact. No longer.
The chair was within reach now. Kasumi managed to sit in the
chair and released a breath, a sigh of relief and anguish. She hadn't
been aware of the tears she was shedding the entire time she was
walking.
"That was great Kasumi. I knew you'd make a great recovery
and this is an excellent indicator. How are you feeling?" the doctor
asked, smiling at her.
"Fine," she answered, though she was most assuredly not.
"How does your back feel?"
Hmm. How did it feel? Thinking about it seemed to raise its
ire and cause it to redouble its messages of extreme pain to her
brain.
"It hurts."
The doctor looked critically at Kasumi. The tears had stopped
and her voice was strangely emotionless. "We'll have you sit there
for a few minutes, then you can walk back to the bed."
Kasumi's mouth slowly turned down into an anguished frown.
"It's not fair," she said quietly.
The doctor nodded sympathetically. "It never is, Kasumi. The
driver of the car that hit you..."
"No. Not that. My mother. It's not fair that she had to
die. If she hadn't died, then none of this would have happened. Why
did it have to happen to us?" The tears started up again, but this
time, the doctor wasn't sure it was from the physical pain of her
back.
Unable to say anything that would be meaningful, the doctor
kept quiet. His pity level was carefully turned down to not appear
condescending at such a delicate time, but he couldn't help but soften
his eyes.
"I want to go back to bed," Kasumi continued in that same
tone, devoid of emotion.
"Sure, Kasumi. Same process, but in reverse." He took her
arm, the attendant following his lead, and they guided her back to
bed.
***
"Now you have to be careful. She won't be able to hug you or
anything because of her back, so don't get too rambunctious," Nabiki
warned Takuma as she parked the car. "And no yelling or running.
This is a hospital, not a playground."
Takuma nodded, looking up at her seriously. "I won't."
"Good. I'm sure she'll be happy to see you."
"I'll be glad to see her," Takuma said from the back seat where
he was buckled in.
"Kasumi? Kasumi, are you awake?" Nabiki said quietly, looking
at her sister in the bed.
Kasumi nodded and opened her eyes. She wasn't happy, but
there was something about the way Nabiki was looking at her worriedly
that chipped away at the bitter feelings. "Come in, Nabiki-chan," she
said in her old, pleasant and happy voice.
"I hope you don't mind that we stopped by without any notice,"
Nabiki said, not yet entering the room.
"I don't mind. We? Did you bring Tatewaki again?"
"No." Nabiki came into the room, Takuma in tow, holding her
hand.
"Takuma-chan. It's nice to see you." This was an
unexpected, and pleasant, surprise.
"Hi," he said timidly, holding his ever-present tiger.
"Don't be afraid. Come closer so I can say hello," Kasumi
said, smiling. She loved it when Takuma would visit, especially when
Nabiki used to let her take care of him, letting him take the place of
a child of her own for a little while.
Takuma walked up to Kasumi's bed, looking a little scared.
Kasumi forced her arm to move, ignoring the pain, and touched
Takuma's cheek. "Thank you for visiting me, Takuma-chan."
"Are you OK, Aunt Kasumi?" he asked. He didn't to be the one
who hurt her in the hospital. Mommy would be so mad if he did.
"I'm getting better, Takuma-chan. You showing up has helped a
lot." Kasumi meant it. It was strange that the fear and worry the
two were showing made Kasumi feel better. Maybe it had been the pity
Akane and Ranma had showed her from the beginning that had bothered
her and made their visits regretful.
"Why don't you show her what you got her, Takuma-chan?" Nabiki
said to him.
Almost reluctantly, Takuma pulled out a small bean bag tiger,
very similar to the one he was holding. He held it out to Kasumi and
said, "This is for you."
"Why don't you set it up here so I can see it, Takuma-chan?"
Kasumi said. "My arm is getting a little tired." And her back was
starting to act up again.
Takuma set the tiger on Kasumi's stomach so it was looking at
her. "He'll take care of you."
Kasumi clenched her smile a little, trying to prevent herself
from crying. It didn't work though, and tears ran down her face.
"Thank you, Takuma-chan. I'm sure he will."
"You like him?"
"Very much." She wasn't sure if the tears were for Takuma's
gesture, or if it was the fact that the small tiger was the only one
who WOULD take care of her.
Nabiki looked carefully at Kasumi, then suddenly knelt down to
talk to Takuma. "Would you like a soda?"
"Yeah!"
She handed some money to Takuma. "Go get yourself something,
then come right back here. You remember the nurse we talked to?"
Takuma nodded, taking the money and clutching it tightly in
his hand.
"When you're done, you ask her if she'll bring you back here.
OK?"
He nodded again
"You remember how to get to the vending machines?"
"Yeah. On the first floor, through the swishy doors and next
to the big round desk."
"Good. Go on." Nabiki gave the boy a slight swat as he left
and returned her attention to Kasumi. "So tell me, how are you doing.
Kasumi?"
Kasumi's eyes had been soft, almost dreamy as she had watched
Takuma and hardened at Nabiki's question. "I'm perfectly..."
"Does your back feel perfectly fine?" Nabiki interrupted.
Kasumi's mouth straightened and her lips thinned. She
wouldn't legitimize that question by answering it.
"Fine, Kasumi. We just want to help and you're shutting us
all out. If you don't us to help you, just say the word and I'll
leave this instant." Nabiki waited for Kasumi to say something. After
Kasumi stayed quiet, Nabiki nodded. "I asked you a simple question.
If it hurts, say so. All I care about is how you feel, and when
you're in pain, so am I."
"Just leave," Kasumi said quietly. "I don't want your pity.
I just want to go home. Why don't you just take Takuma and leave."
She closed her eyes again turned her head away from her sister.
"If that's how you feel... I suppose I'll be going.
Takuma-chan will be disappointed, but he'll understand that you don't
want to see him again." Nabiki started to leave the room when Takuma
returned. "It's time to go, Takuma-chan. We have to leave."
"But I didn't..."
"Let's go." Nabiki ushered Takuma away from Kasumi's room and
out of the hospital.
"When can I go home?"
The doctor looked at Kasumi. This was... not good. Her mood
had drastically changed and he had no idea why. "It'll be at least
two weeks. Once you're home, you'll be undergoing physical therapy
for a year."
Kasumi just kind of... stared. "A year?"
"At least."
A year. An entire year.
"Sounds like a long time, doesn't it?"
Kasumi nodded absently.
"It'll seem a lot longer while you're going through it, but
without it, you wouldn't be able to move any more than a wooden
plank. But, you'll be able to do it at home, and that'll be a
comfort, won't it?"
Probably not with her family there pitying her and doting over
a new baby that she wouldn't even be able to hold because she'd be too
crippled. "Will I have to come back here?"
"To the hospital? Not really. Every two months, you'll have
to go see a specialist, and after about a year, they'll be yearly
visits. Once you're out of here, you won't have to come back."
That was a minor relief. Kasumi had grown very tired of
hospitals and doctors and everything. Yet, she had to admit she was
also a little tired of her family. It seemed they held her on a
pedestal, higher than anyone other than her mother. Every day her
pedestal seemed to get a bit higher, closer to achieving the height of
her mother's, and that was a sword through Kasumi's heart.
"Kasumi, what's wrong?"
Kasumi started to say that everything was as fine as it always
was, but something snapped this time. "My family..."
"Oh, I don't think you should worry about them. I'm sure
they're fine, and the financial concerns are..."
"No! They don't understand... They don't care... I don't
want to go back."
"Stop it. Stop torturing yourself like that. If they didn't
care, why would they come to visit you? Maybe they don't understand,
but did you ever try to explain? And if you don't go back to your
home..." The doctor paused for a moment, then continued quietly,
"Where will you go?"
Kasumi's silence said everything that needed to be.
***
"What about the medical bills? Will... will we be able to
cover them?" Akane asked.
Nabiki rubbed her forehead for a moment before looking at some
of the paperwork in front of her. "Don't worry about them, Akane.
That won't be a problem."
"And what about the other driver?" Ranma asked.
"Che. That overpriced bag of garbage is cooperating quite
nicely considering how much trouble he's in legally. That little cut
on his forehead and the bruised ribs won't feel like anything when he
sees how much smaller his bank account is. Not that he'll really
notice as he tries to glue and staple his life back together."
That was a small comfort to know that the driver of the
Mercedes Benz, gold in color, would be getting the punishment he truly
deserved. Personal, legal, financial... Nabiki had cursed a blue
mile when she had learned what had happened in that accident,
prompting a pair of hands over Takuma's ears.
And that was what had gotten them where they were. Not that
anyone really minded that Nabiki was so single-minded, but that wasn't
necessarily a good thing either. But it was a healing thing.
"Grandpa, were you scared when Mommy was in the accident?"
Takuma asked as they were sitting around the table. Takuma had a
coloring book, while Takashi was looking through the paper.
He carefully folded the paper and set it down before answering
Takuma. "Was I scared? Of course I was."
Takuma seemed to consider the answer for a moment, then
nodded. "So was I." He put back the orange crayon he had been using
and got out the forest green crayon. "I don't like it when Mommy
doesn't feel well." He frowned down at the page and began to
carefully trace the inside of a line.
"Takuma-chan, what's wrong?" Takashi asked.
Takuma shrugged a little and continued coloring.
"Are you still upset about the accident?"
"A little," Takuma said, shrugging again.
"Are you sick? Do you have a headache?" asked Takashi,
knowing he didn't know a thing about children.
Takuma shook his head and began coloring with a vengeance,
going outside the lines he had carefully prepared.
Takashi watched him for a bit, seeing how much force the child
was applying on the crayon, and grabbed Takuma's hand. "Would you
rather talk to your parents about it?"
Takuma didn't look at his grandfather, but shook his head.
Then nodded his head, and shook his head again. That was when the
single tear ran down Takuma's cheek.
Takashi stared. If Takuma started crying, he had no idea what
to do. Controlling the worry and not allowing it to blossom into
panic, he spoke gently to Takuma. "Why don't we go watch some TV?"
That and ice cream were the only things he knew that would improve the
boy's mood.
Takuma looked at the picture he had ruined by berserking with
his crayon on it, and slowly nodded his head.
When Nabiki and Tatewaki returned later, they found Takashi on
the couch, the TV on the news channel, and Takuma curled up next to
him, sleeping. Takuma did not stir with the noise of their return.
"I don't know why, but it was..." It was similar to the
things he had seen his own son do the years before... "I think you
might want to take him to see a doctor," he said seriously.
"What are you talking about?" Nabiki asked, a look of ever
deepening anger on her face.
"I think he might be... disturbed."
"How can a five year old boy be disturbed?" Nabiki asked, the
volume of her voice rising.
Tatewaki kept quiet and sat down, not believing what he was
hearing.
"He's only five! He can't be!" Nabiki had the sudden urge to
hit something, deny what was being implied about Takuma...
"He can be," Tatewaki said quietly.
"Don't cry. It won't help. There was nothing you could have
done to make things different." Tatewaki tried to comfort Nabiki, but
it was hard because he knew the type of things she was thinking.
"He's young. With help, he'll be fine."
"I want to believe that. But how? How do you help out a
little boy?" Nabiki wouldn't let them put him in any sort of
hospital, not after the things she had heard from Tatewaki.
"I don't know. I don't know what it is; no one ever told me.
I guess maybe some medication and counseling..." And very close
supervision of it all, preferably by himself, even though he knew it
wasn't possible. Tatewaki didn't think he'd ever trust any stranger
enough to have himself be prone and unable to defend himself in their
presence. That went triple for his son.
"I hope so. I just want... I just want things to go back to
normal, damn it! Just like the time before, and the time before
that..."
"So do I. And eventually, things will be. Eventually, we'll
get everything straightened out."
***
"Hi, Kasumi! How has everything been?"
"Yo, Kasumi. I hope the food isn't too terrible," Ranma said
brightly.
Kasumi gave Ranma a wan smile. "It's fine. Everything's
fine."
Akane looked at Kasumi when she said that. She never really
noticed before, but Kasumi DID always say things were fine. And
Kasumi sure didn't look fine. She had dark circles under her eyes and
she looked very tired. "Are you sure, Kasumi?"
Ranma looked surprisedly at Akane for a moment, then back at
Kasumi, who wasn't saying anything. In truth, Kasumi wasn't looking
too fine. "Does it hurt a lot?" he asked. It couldn't not hurt a
lot, but there was something unreal about things if he didn't
experience them for himself.
Kasumi's finger twitched on the button that would summon the
nurse. Akane and Ranma hadn't seen her do it.
"Kasumi, would you please talk to us?" Akane almost begged.
Kasumi turned her head slightly so she wasn't looking at her
two visitors.
"What's happened to you, Kasumi?" Ranma asked. There was
something sad and at the same time cruel in his voice.
"Ranma!"
"Look at me," Kasumi answered him quietly, ignoring Akane.
"This is what happened to me. I can't move. It's nothing but pain.
How do you think I feel? Everyone's fine except for me. I'll never
be better; I'll never be anything, I'll never do anything with my
life."
"But Kasumi..."
Ranma shook his head and put his hand on Akane's arm. "Akane,
if she doesn't want us here, it's her choice. Maybe we should just
respect her wishes and go." He stood and took Akane's arm gently.
"We can't help someone that doesn't want to be helped."
Akane looked up at him, then back at Kasumi. It just couldn't
be true that Kasumi was abandoning her, but it looked to be true.
"I'm sorry, Kasumi. I love you," Akane whispered before she left the
room with Ranma.
Once outside, she began to cry, holding nothing back. Her
sister, the one that had been the one she consistently turned to, had
just turned her away. That wasn't supposed to happen, Kasumi wasn't
supposed to reject her. Kasumi was always supposed to be there no
matter what happened.
"Aw man," Ranma said quietly, not sure what to do. Maybe
talking to Mr. Tendo was in order. And he still couldn't come up with
something appropriate to call him. "Let's go home."
"How was your visit? It seemed a bit short today," Soun said
as Ranma sat down at the shogi board.
"It was short," he answered, looking at the board.
"Really? Why was that?"
Ranma shrugged. "Kasumi... She didn't say as much, but I got
the feeling she didn't want us back."
Soun looked at Ranma, one eyebrow raised. "Didn't want you
back? What gave you that idea?"
Ranma squirmed a little and shrugged. "Just some of the
things she said. Ya know, she wasn't..."
"She wasn't what, Ranma?"
"She wasn't very nice. I... I could barely believe it was
her."
Soun frowned for a moment. "Ranma, did Akane tell you what
the doctor said the last time we went?"
"Yeah, she mentioned it, about Kasumi feelin' like an old maid
and stuff."
Nodding sagely, Soun said, "Yes, and I don't know what else to
do. I... I admit it was a mistake to engage you and Akane the way we
did, and..." So many awful memories were associated with the time
that Genma had arrived with Ranma. Soun affected a slightly pained
look. "We were lucky things worked out with you two. I wouldn't want
to do anything like that to Kasumi."
Ranma nodded. He hadn't been very happy with the arrangement
either, but things had ended up for the better. He could see why one
arranged marriage in a family was enough.
"I don't want to force her, but she... she..." Soun shrugged
helplessly.
"I hear ya."
***
"If you want to stay, you can. I understand if you have any
hesitations."
Tatewaki looked at Takuma and couldn't decide if he wanted to
stay or if he could wait. Takuma looked a little restless and
nervous, but other than that, there was no evidence of whatever had
been wrong only two days ago.
"I'll wait," he said hesitantly.
"You can have a seat in the waiting room then, Mr. Kuno.
It'll be about an hour."
"I know," Tatewaki said, then spoke to Takuma. "Now you
answer the doctor and tell him everything he wants to know. OK?"
"I will," Takuma answered.
"Good. We'll go get ice cream after." He ran his hand
through Takuma's hair before leaving the office to the doctor and
Takuma.
Sitting down in a large chair, Tatewaki picked up a magazine
and began to read. A little. After a few minutes, he noticed he
wasn't really reading, but just flipping through the pages, staring at
them. He dropped the magazine back on the table and stared at the
walls.
He didn't know if there was really anything wrong, but the
doctor would be able to tell him. And it was so much better to find
out now than... later. Later when it was almost too late, or when it
WAS too late. That didn't stop Tatewaki from tapping his feet
nervously and standing up to pace the room every few minutes.
The receptionist looked up at him, giving him a mildly annoyed
stare every so often. Tatewaki ignored her, looking at his watch
every five minutes or so, wondering why time was going so slowly.
After an incredibly nerve-wracking 50 minutes, the door to the
doctor's office opened and Takuma came running out. Hugging Takuma
briefly, Tatewaki looked at the doctor.
"If I could speak with alone for a moment?" the doctor said,
his voice revealing very little of what he was thinking.
"Takuma, wait here while I talk to the doctor."
"OK. Do I still get ice cream?" he asked excitedly.
"Sure you do." Takuma didn't seem bothered in the least by
whatever the doctor had asked him so Tatewaki could only hope it was
good news that he was about to hear. He went back into the office
with the doctor and prepared himself for the worse.
Closing the door behind them, the doctor looked evenly at
Tatewaki. "He's very bright, and energetic."
That almost made Tatewaki wince if that was the best thing the
doctor could say to him.
"At one point, he talked about a bad woman."
"Oh no."
The doctor looked up at him strangely for a moment. "Is that
a concern?"
"He seemed fine. He never cried about it, never had
nightmares, it was never a problem..."
"And the bad woman is?"
"She was my sister. She... she was killed during the
incident." Tatewaki didn't know if he could talk about what had
happened rationally.
"You don't have to say any more, Mr. Kuno. I got a pretty
good picture of what happened from Takuma. From the things he told me
and from some of his answers, he's..."
"Is he disturbed?" Tatewaki blurted out.
The doctor chuckled at the question. "No, he's not disturbed.
He's simply a little boy under a lot of stress."
"Stress?"
"Yes. There was the incident with your sister, the car
accident... Were you having marital problems?"
Tatewaki grimaced. "Before the accident we were."
The doctor nodded. "There's that and a new baby as well."
Nodding, Tatewaki knew how stressed out it all made him.
"Your son is just as affected by these things as you are.
Possibly moreso because he doesn't have any experience to deal with
the type of feelings all this pressure is producing.
"I think he might be a bit scared to talk to anyone because
they're all so involved in things. Including you. There's nothing
wrong with him, he just needs to work these things out, and it seems
like he WANTS an impartial third party to listen to him."
Tatewaki grinned wryly. "I suppose that means we'll be
returning."
The doctor nodded, hearing the grim humor that Tatewaki spoke
with. "I do think it would be best. Do you want to take a chance
otherwise?"
Tatewaki sighed and shook his head.
"Stress."
"Stress? That's it?"
"Stress. That's it."
"So, what happens now?" Nabiki asked. "How could he be under
so much stress?"
"He's not, really. The doctor said he just doesn't know how
to deal with it at his age. He also recommended that Kuma-chan come
back to try and relieve some of the pressure."
"So he's not..."
Tatewaki shook his head.
Nabiki hugged him and sighed with relief. "Finally some good
news."
"Yeah, we've got so much good news going around, I feel like
I'm going to throw up."
Nabiki grinned. "Give it a few months, then that'll be my
job."
"Ugh, I wasn't serious about that," he answered.
"I was."
***
"Soft chairs, soft bed, and lots of walking if she can manage.
You'll have to help her walk, and she won't be up and around all the
time. Have you considered a physical therapist yet?"
"No," Ranma said, sitting between Akane and Soun. They stayed
silent.
"Would you mind if I recommended someone?"
"Please, doctor," Soun said, nodding.
The doctor smiled. "Let me give you his number..."
***
The phone rang and one Tofu Ono answered it. "Hello?"
"Good to hear you again Ono. How's your clinic going?"
"And what brings this unexpected call, Hiramoto? Back trouble
again?"
There was pleasant laughter from the both of them, but then
Hiramoto's voice grew serious. "Ono, I've got a problem and I want to
refer it to you."
"Really? You know I don't really..."
"If you refuse this one, I'm going to force it on you. You
can't say no."
"If it's that important, I'll do it, but I..."
"Ono, do you know a girl by the name of Kasumi Tendo?"
The mere mention of Kasumi's name sent Tofu into fits of
girlish giggling. "Why, maybe I do," he said coyly.
"Good, because there's been an accident."
That snapped Tofu from his spell immediately. "Accident? Is
she..."
"Hurt pretty badly, Ono. Broken vertabrae."
Tofu closed his eyes and gave a silent prayer.
"She's stabilized, but she's not out of the woods, as you
should know. We're sending her home pretty soon and she's going to
need the usual therapy."
Tofu still didn't say anything, hardly able to believe
something awful could have happened to Kasumi.
"When her family mentioned you, I thought this would be the
perfect chance. You can give her the in-home therapy, she knows you,
you know her, it's an ideal situation."
Tofu shook his head a little. "I can't, Hiramoto. I just...
can't. It wouldn't be good."
"Are you turning down a patient? Are you turning away a girl
who needs your help? Ono, saying no is not an option. You will do it
because you're the closest one, and I think any more complications and
she's not going to make it."
"What? What do you mean not going to make it?"
"She's despondent and hostile towards her family. She's got a
deeper problem than just her back, and she needs a familiar, friendly
face to help her. You're that face."
Why did it have to be this? Why couldn't it have been just a
little bump on the head or a sprained knee? "You know I want to. I'd
love to, but I can't. I can't..."
"You will. No refusals, Ono. They will call you and you will
tell them that you would be happy to help and you will be over the
next day to start. You will act in your most professional manner, and
you will help Miss Tendo. Do you understand?"
Shaking his head, eyes closed tightly behind his glasses, Tofu
said, "I... I understand."
***
"Why that sneaky bastard..." Nabiki said, smiling wryly.
"Nabiki, please," her father said, acting scandalized.
Nabiki rolled her eyes. "Please. How would you describe
him then?"
"Well..."
Nabiki waved her hand at her father. "He's still sneaky. I
don't know if any of us would have thought of that."
Soun almost started crying then. "She'll be so happy to find
out who will be her therapist."
Arching an eyebrow, Nabiki shook her head a little. "I don't
know about that," she said quietly. Recovering, she wasn't about to
be the one to break the news to Kasumi or try and get her to walk.
"Dad, I've got to go now. Call me and keep me updated." She hugged
him gently.
"I will." Her smiled at her as she waved and left the house.
She didn't look good. That thought made Tofu giddy. Kasumi
ALWAYS looked good. There was no way he could ever think she wasn't
beautiful. Yet, she definitely looked drained somehow.
It was as if... her spirit was drained. Yes, that was it.
Her spirit was flagging. She didn't smile at all, she wasn't
pleasant... She was in pain. She needed his help, his professional
help.
If it was the last thing on Earth he did, he would give her
his full, professional help and make her better.
"Kasumi, it's time to begin your therapy." Soun made his
voice as firm as he could, refusing to let anything break his resolve.
Kasumi needed the therapy; it was the only way she would get better.
It almost didn't work when Kasumi scowled at him. She
actually scowled. "I don't want to," she said bleakly.
"But look who's here to help," Soun said with a bit less
enthusiasm. He held his arm out and waved Kasumi's therapist in.
Kasumi looked with disinterest at the doorway. Therapy was
about the last thing she wanted because her back still hurt like hell,
and the only thing a therapist was going to make her do was walk
around and make her back hurt more.
"Thank you, Mr. Tendo. It's my pleasure to help you out."
Kasumi's eyes widened as Dr. Tofu walked in and began talking
to her father. This was a nightmare! He knew! She didn't have a
chance with him before, and after he saw her condition, she couldn't
even dream that he'd be interested in her. "Father, what have you
done?" she asked quietly, maybe even a little threateningly.
"Why, Kasumi, I thought you'd..." Soun began.
He was quickly cut off by Tofu. "Kasumi, you need to be more
relaxed. All this stress won't help your back," he said smoothly and
professionally.
Kasumi suddenly felt like dying inside. He was talking to her
like another patient, not even bothering to be friendly. She refused
to show any sign of her emotional weakness though, preferring to stay
quiet.
Tofu walked over to her and stood, imperiously in Kasumi's
opinion, before her. "Kasumi, it's time to get started. You need to
start walking again."
The cold, professional tone he used with her made her sick to
her stomach. Didn't he even care that she was hurt? Couldn't he
treat her with any sort of compassion? She didn't want to give away
her hurt at his attitude so she masked it with indifference, and
turned away from him.
"Kasumi, that type of attitude won't accomplish anything. If
you don't make the attempt to walk, you will never get better."
She watched out of the corner of her eye as her father slinked
out of the room, and she was very glad because she wanted to yell at
him, ask him why he had heaped this humiliation upon her. "I'll never
get better," she mumbled, feeling very... dirty.
"Now, Kasumi, I think I have to discuss some things with you
that will help both of this in this process. First, your attitude.
If you don't want to get better, you most definitely will not. I
suggest you improve yours so we don't waste our time. Second, about
your father. He only wants to see you get better. Treating him like
this is very hurtful. The same with Ranma and Akane. They only do
things because they love you."
Kasumi was looking away from Tofu sourly. Love was the last
thing she wanted to be hearing from his mouth. It was quite plain to
see that he wouldn never... no one would ever love her the way Akane
and Ranma loved each other. It made her eyes well up with tears as
she went on one very rocky emotional ride in front of Tofu.
"Kasumi, you have to cooperate. That's it right there, plain
and simple. Without cooperation, I might as well leave because
nothing will get accomplished." Tofu was still talking, trying to
reach her. He wasn't any counselor, but it was important to him that
the Tendo family was well taken cared of, and part of that burden fell
to him.
Maybe that was his problem. The burden of taking care of the
entire neighborhood seemed to fall on him so he had no time for
himself. No free time to just... relax. He wasn't a real medical
doctor, but people came to him with all their little aches and pains,
children with colds and a host of other ailments. But he just
couldn't turn them away.
The neighborhood was his home and he felt a duty to take care
of it. He felt the need to... He suddenly noticed he was staring at
Kasumi and his vision got a little blurry.
Recovering quickly, he clapped his hands. "Now, Kasumi, let's
get you up and walking."
The tears were rolling down Kasumi's face. "I can't. I don't
want to. It hurts too much," she said, breathing heavily as Tofu held
her arm in case she needed his support.
"You have to, Kasumi. It's all part of the process. Two more
times and then you can relax, have something to drink..." Tofu was
trying to soothing, but it was hard. If he let Kasumi stop when she
wanted, it wouldn't help her. But he didn't want to seem like some
overbearing monster either.
Instead of resisting more like he thought she might, Kasumi
started walking slowly, making sounds of discomfort as she moved.
Tofu quickly hid his smile of pride. It seemed that Kasumi
was finally understanding, accepting what it would take to heal.
***
"I'm going to head to bed. I'm beat."
"You know, people would wonder which one of us was the
pregnant one if they heard the way you sounded every day," Nabiki said
from the couch.
Tatewaki shrugged and grinned tiredly. "What can I say...
sympathy pains."
Nabiki made a sarcastic sound. "Yeah, sure. I'll be up
later."
Tatewaki walked over and leaned over the back of the couch to
kiss her cheek.
Nabiki slipped her arm around the back of his head to pull him
down more and kissed him passionately. Then she released his head and
shoved him away a bit. "Good night," she said and turned her
attention back to the TV.
Tatewaki stood up and shook his head, smiling darkly.
"Tease."
"Keep that up and it'll be true. Then won't you be sorry?"
Tatewaki put one leg over the couch, then the other and
dropped to his knees next to Nabiki. He put his arms on either side
of her and pressed his chest to hers. "Sorry? You think I'll be
sorry? I think the only one that will be sorry..." He rubbed his
nose against hers. "Is you. And don't even deny it, little Miss I
Know Everything."
"Well, at least you got the name right," Nabiki answered,
non-plussed by the encounter.
Tatewaki pushed away from the couch and stood back up. "Don't
stay up too late. I don't want to wake up next to a grouch."
"Yes, Mother."
Taking his hint, Tatewaki left to go up to bed, leaving Nabiki
on the couch to watch TV.
It was the usual nighttime fare, fairly bland, bouts of
insipid comedy followed by overblown drama... No wonder Tatewaki had
always watched so many samurai dramas; they couldn't be any worse than
what she was watching.
And actually... She turned the volume down on the TV and
listened to the house. Silence. She got up from the couch and went
to the cabinet that housed their assortment of videotapes. Opening
it, she browsed the tapes until one caught her eye.
She pulled it out, slipped off the case then popped it in the
VCR. Resuming her spot on the couch, she pushed play on the remote
and watched as the movie began.
She chuckled quietly at the fact that she was even watching
it; the idea that she enjoyed it was one that would probably send
people into fits of laughter.
It was about a half an hour into the movie when Takuma entered
the room, dressed in his pajamas and looking very sleepy. "Mommy," he
said tiredly.
Heart nearly jumping out of her chest, Nabiki got herself
under enough control before answering. "What are you still doing up,
Takuma-chan? Aren't you supposed to be in bed?"
Takuma nodded and walked over to the couch. He crawled up on
it and sat next to Nabiki. "I'm not feeling so good."
"Again? I think you're allergic to that bed," she said
playfully. Not getting a smile from him, she got a little more
serious. "What's not feeling good, Takuma-chan?" She put her arm
around him and hugged him to her.
He shrugged. "I just don't feel good." He sounded rather
hesitant to answer, and Nabiki thought she had a pretty good idea what
the problem is.
"Well, why don't you stay down here and watch this movie with
me?" Nabiki offered. She moved so she was laying down more, and
pulled Takuma up in front of her. He accepted the change without
comment and settled down to watch the movie.
Nabiki put one arm over him protectively. Stress. She needed
to eliminate it in him, and this had oftentimes worked with her when
she hadn't felt good. "Feeling better, Takuma-chan?"
He nodded sleepily. "Yeah... You know this is Daddy's
favorite?"
"It's mine too, but don't tell him that. It'll be our
secret," she whispered and hugged Takuma again. She heard him sigh,
with contentment she hoped, and then they both started watching the
movie in silence.
Several times during the movie, she ran her fingers through
his hair, continuously smoothing it. Takuma was running dangerously
low on innocence, a very hard thing to replace. Nabiki figured it was
about time to make sure he kept what he had left.
Sighing softly, new purpose in mind, Nabiki settled her arm
over her child, whispered, "I love you," and drifted off to sleep.
Sometime in the middle of the night, Tatewaki came downstairs
in his pajamas. He found the two asleep on the couch and smiled at
them. Carefully, he lifted them both, and carried them upstairs.
Back in the room, he set them down gently on the bed, Nabiki
stirring gently, but not awakening. Covering them, he slipped into
the bed and fell asleep himself.
Tatewaki woke up the next morning, barely on the edge of the
bed. The rest of the bed was currently occupied by a boy, more
commonly recognized as his son, and a woman, which appeared to be his
wife.
He stretched slightly and slipped out of bed, doing his best
not to disturb Nabiki or Takuma. It was hard to see how late either
of them would sleep, but he sure didn't want to face either of their
wraths.
It looked to be a busy morning for him; maybe he could get his
father involved in some of the investments. Carefully scrutinizing
the numbers each week was a bit tedious in his opinion, but he
wouldn't leave it all to Nabiki to do.
Looking back at the two sleeping peacefully in his bed, he
sighed. The urge to join them and get just those extra few minutes of
sleep was very tempting, but Tatewaki somehow managed to resist
succumbing to it.
Nabiki rolled over, casting off the blanket, an almost pained
look on her face, she mumbled, "Tate-chan." She groaned slightly, the
shirt she had been wearing riding up in the most pleasing way.
As if by instinct, Takuma rolled back over to be closer to
her. He managed to work his way from beneath the covers and snuggled
up to Nabiki.
Tatewaki could see where the pajamas had gotten twisted on his
son, and went to try and help him. Leaning down, he started to pull
the black and white spotted '101 Dalmations' pajamas back into place.
He had carefully arranged the faces of the two dogs, Pongo and
Perdita, to face forward without disturbing Takuma in the least. His
was such an underappreciated job.
Nabiki's arm went over Takuma, but again she said,
"Tate-chan."
Sitting on the edge of the bed next to her, Tatewaki put his
hand on her shoulder. "I'm here," he answered her quietly.
Nabiki didn't answer, but she immediately settled and her
breathing became slow and regular again.
Leaning down, he kissed her cheek, then stood and left the
room. He could handle the work by himself today. The peaceful looks
on Nabiki's and Takuma's faces were all that he needed.
***
"Good morning, Kasumi! How is your back feeling?" Tofu asked
happily. Almost too happily, but he wasn't quite that bad.
Kasumi didn't smile, but she didn't scowl either. At least he
was being friendly that morning. There were many times he came in
and went straight to the business of helping her with her back. That
was when it was worst, when she felt like he barely recognized her as
a person.
"The sooner we begin, the sooner your back will heal, right?"
he asked. He took one of her hands in his and put his other hand very
lightly on her shoulder. "Now if you'll just sit up..."
Feeling just a little bit better about the day, Kasumi slowly
managed to get in an upright position, Tofu applying gentle pressure
the entire time. It was the first time she noticed that she really
had made an improvement.
Before, she wouldn't have been able to sit up if anyone had
been giving her resistance. Today, however, she actually managed to
sit up the entire way. Immediately, her mood brightened. There was
still pain, and she didn't like that at all, but with the progress,
she knew she could endure it.
It had been far worse after the accident, to the point she
hadn't even been sure if she was alive or dead, but she had survived
that. And she would definitely survive this, whether Tofu... whether
he cared for her or not.
"Good. Up and out of bed not," Tofu continued, even more
enthusiastic than before. "Your progress is excellent, Kasumi. I can
see we'll have you back to normal in no time."
That brought Kasumi's mood crashing down around her. Back to
normal was exactly what she didn't want. She didn't want to be stuck
at home with no life, no future, no nothing. She... she loved her
family, but she didn't want to live for them. She needed to live for
herself.
Unconsciously, she tightened up, and that brought all the pain
back. The smallest bend or twist seemed to send fiery bolts of agony
through her back, and now Tofu's hand was an annoyance. His very
presence was an annoyance. "I can't do this now," she said darkly.
"Sure you can, Kasumi. Just give it..."
"What is so difficult for you to understand? I can't!"
"Now, Kasumi," Tofu said, his voice becoming stern, "I've told
you about this attitude."
Kasumi bit back the reply she wanted to let loose in his face.
It was so easy to talk when they didn't have to deal with it. They
didn't have to try and sleep on her back, didn't have to struggle to
get up every morning, weren't a burden on anyone like she was...
As much as she disliked being the focus of her family, she
really hated being a burden. She would never admit it, but she never
wanted to be like her mother, never wanted drain the family,
spiritually and emotionally, like that.
Kasumi just wanted her own life. Was it so much to ask for?
"Kasumi, cooperate. That's doctor's orders," Tofu said
seriously.
Kasumi, frowning, looked past Tofu at her dresser. She
couldn't see her reflection in the mirror very well, and she was glad
for that. And looking at her, sitting next to the vase of fresh
flowers, was the little tiger Takuma had given her. The tears
returned, and she knew she was in much worse shape than she had want
to considered.
Somehow, Kasumi had managed to drive away her family. She
hadn't liked their pity and crying, but she hated their distance even
more. She never saw Takuma, she barely saw Akane as she was getting
farther along, she often heard Nabiki's voice downstairs, but never
saw her either.
It was horrible. She couldn't abandon her family, but she
needed to pull away from them. With her back in such horrible shape,
she couldn't do either in a way that satisfied her, or them.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, feeling the tears spill down her
face.
Tofu was kneeling in front of her immediately, and that made
her feel even worse. She wished he was kneeling, proposing to her,
not coddling her. "Kasumi," he said softly.
"They all hate me. My family hates me. And I deserve it. I
deserve it because I never... I never..."
Tofu was immediately next to her with his arm around her.
"Kasumi, you mustn't think that. You have to realize the only person
that hates you, is... you," he said soothingly. "Why don't you tell
me what the real problem is? It would make you feel better. I can
guarantee it."
Kasumi subtlely leaned against him, still crying. It was
almost like a dream, him holding her in her moment of need, speaking
softly to her with words of love and encouragement. She started to
speak, haltingly and quietly, "Tofu, I... I don't..."
The phone rang, crushing the mood, startling them both.
"I'll get that!" Ranma yelled throughout the house.
Tofu hugged Kasumi's shoulders for a moment. "You don't
worry, Kasumi. Everything will be just fine. Now I think we should
continue with your therapy."
And just like that, a little ring of the phone, and Kasumi's
chance was gone...
*** [8 months after the accident] ***
"Stop it. I'm too far along; we can't do this."
"Why not? It won't hurt them. They'll just know how much we
love each other."
Nabiki looked at Tatewaki. "Yeah, right. And right in front
of Takuma-chan..."
Sighing, Tatewaki shrugged. "You can't blame me for trying.
Besides, you're so cute with that big..."
"DON'T even say it. Or I will hurt you. Any mention of the
size of any part of me right now will mean extreme pain in your
sensitive areas." She had a sort of semi-crazed glare she was
directing at him.
Backing up, with his hands in front of him, Tatewaki shook his
head. "I won't say it. I won't say it. Even if you do have big
round belly that's fun to rub." He smirked and sprinted away.
"Cheater! Come back here so I can hurt you!" Nabiki yelled,
knowing she couldn't keep up with him.
Hmphing, Nabiki vowed to get him later and returned to reading
her book. The nice weather was enough to mute her annoyance anyway.
With the sun out and the birds chirping happily, it just wasn't worth
it. She looked over the top of her sunglasses at Takuma, who was
enthusiastically playing with the little orange and white striped
kitten they had gotten him.
That wasn't entirely true though. He had skillfully, using a
combination of whining, crying, begging, pleading, pouting, and
looking pathetic, managed to convince them that he really needed the
kitten or he would just die.
And so Takuma had a kitten that he named... Chibineko.
Nothing Nabiki had said had convinced him that he could think of a
much better name than that, and so the kitten was named.
Shaking her head, she returned to reading her book, soaking up
as much tranquility as she could for her next trip to visit her
family. She knew she'd need it.
"Oof! Do you know how much you weigh?"
"Yes, I know exactly how much I weigh, unfortunately. Don't
ever bring it up. And I don't weigh THAT much! Grow up!" Nabiki
delivered a vicious elbow to Tatewaki, who grunted in pain. "Much
better," she said, smiling. "Now you have a reason to be in pain."
"Yes, I'm sorry. Forgive me. You are as light as a feather
in the wind. Your elbow placed gently into my stomach was like a
pillow. You are as delicate as fine crystal."
"Excellent. I feel much better now. And you're so sincere.
I like that in a man." Nabiki turned and smiled sweetly at Tatewaki.
"Mommy, Takuma said, entering the room, "will you get small
again after the baby's born?"
Tatewaki barely controlled his snicker at the question, extra
incentive given by the sudden scowl on Nabiki's face.
"Yes, Takuma-chan. I WILL lose this weight when the baby's
born." Her scowl turned into a smile when she looked at him. "I did
it once, I can do it again," she said under her breath.
"Good. It's hard to hug you when you're so big."
Tatewaki couldn't contain his laughter any longer. It
wouldn't have been so funny if it hadn't been so completely innocent.
And the look on Nabiki's face... She was still smiling from what he
could see, but she looked like she was about to start screaming. He
thought it would be a good idea to remedy the situation. "Kuma-chan,
isn't it getting time for bed? Why don't you take Chibineko upstairs
and get ready?"
Takuma nodded and left the room, calling out, "Chibineko!"
"He is lucky he's only five and he's my son, or I would have
done something drastic," Nabiki said, sounding more than a little...
annoyed and amused.
"He's right, you know? You are a little hard to hug like
this. But I'll give it a try anyway." Tatewaki squeezed her gently
and heard her sigh.
"Here, turn your legs." Tatewaki turned Nabiki's body, and
she lifted her legs to put them over the arm of the chair. "That's
not so bad now," he said, his right hand on her back, the other in her
lap.
"I think I'll have the baby right here," she answered, smiling
at him.
"Umm... You're kidding, right?"
Nabiki giggled. "Tate-chan, we really need to get you caught
up on the whole birth process." Because he hadn't been there the
first time. No one had.
Suddenly removing her legs and sliding out of his lap, Nabiki
gave him a wane smile, then walked quickly from the room. That had
been too close for comfort. She had been about five seconds from
crying like a pathetic little girl. Well, she wasn't about to let
that happen. No way.
Besides, that had been a long time ago, over five years, and
was nothing to get upset about. Done and past. Not a worry, no
problems. She didn't even realize how quickly she was walking through
the house, not even knowing where she was heading.
***
"Good, good, Kasumi. How much pain is there?" Tofu asked.
Kasumi was walking, albeit still slowly, around the room,
feeling the condition of her back. "Some soreness around my ribs. I
feel a bit stiff, but other than some small sharp pains down by my
hip..."
Tofu smiled knowingly. "Excellent. Your progress is even
better than we could have hoped. I'm glad to see that medication took
the edge off. Of course, no stretching or pressure, including
jumping, jogging, bicycling, or anything of the sort, until we're sure
your back is up to the strain." He marked some things down on the
chart to record her progress.
Kasumi's smiled dimmed somewhat when she saw him begin
scribbling on the chart. It was still just a doctor and his patient,
and when she had really begun to think it could be more. The way he
always smiled at her, and put his hand on her shoulder, it had seemed
that maybe... But there was no maybe. She was just his patient, a
project for him to complete. And when she no longer needed him...
Damn, this wasn't any way for her to live. Always pining
after a handsome doctor who only saw her as some sickly patient. In
fact, she was probably ruining any chance he had at finding someone
for himself. Now she really was a homewrecker!
The sudden depression coming off Kasumi was almost tangible to
Tofu. He still couldn't fathom why she would get so depressed at
times. It couldn't be her back, because she was recovering just
fabulously. And whenever he tried to talk to her, she would simply
deny anything being wrong.
That one time, the one time she had started to open up, the
phone had rang, causing Kasumi to close up again. Frankly, he didn't
know what to do to make her open up again. He just wasn't very good
with women.
"Kasumi... Don't."
Shaking her head, Kasumi turned away, wiping her eyes.
Instead of speaking, she began to walk slowly around the room again,
trying to drown the feelings of inadequacy with her therapy.
***
"Hello, Nabiki."
"Hi, Kasumi." The sad smile Kasumi was giving her did not
well. In fact, it made her feel a little guilty. "Um, how are things
here?"
"Just fine, Nabiki. I'm glad you came over."
"You are?" This was totally unexpected. In a quick attempt
to cover up her surprise, Nabiki asked, "So, how's your therapy
going?"
"Very well." The two looked at each other for a bit.
"Nabiki, can I talk to you for a bit?"
"Um, sure, Kasumi. What's up?"
"Not here. Privately."
Kasumi waited for Nabiki's nod before she went upstairs to her
room. Once they were inside, she closed the door, but decided not to
latch it. She sat carefully in the chair and watched Nabiki sit on
the bad, looking somewhat uncomfortable.
"So, what's the deal?" Nabiki asked.
"Tell me about the first time, in the hospital, Tatewaki
proposed to you."
Nabiki stared at Kasumi. She hadn't been expecting this. And
she had never talked about, described what had happened in the
hospital. Sure, she had told her family that he had proposed, but...
never in detail.
It looked like it was maybe time to... own up to what had
really happened then. It sure hadn't been as simple as just him
proposing. It had gone all the way back to the time before in the
hospital, when she had been a hair's breadth from asking him to kill
himself.
Exhaling heavily, Nabiki tried to think of a way to start.
"Why did you say no?" Kasumi asked, not even giving her a
chance.
"Because it was his fault," Nabiki answered immediately.
Looking down at her hands, she continued more softly. "It was his
fault and... I... I had gone for nine months listening to what
everyone was saying. I felt like there was something wrong with me,
and I couldn't... I didn't understand why anyone would want me."
It was strange. She thought that she'd cry or get all
emotional, but no. She just felt... detached from the experience.
Maybe it had been her way of dealing with it, to just look at it like
it wasn't her. Nabiki shrugged then, not sure just how or why things
had worked out the way they had, or why her feelings had been so...
vulnerable.
"And it was his fault. Even if he was drugged, it was still
him, and when... when he hugged me, I thought I was going to throw up
because I felt so disgusted that he was touching me like that."
Sighing heavily, Nabiki suddenly felt those years of detachment
catching up with her.
"But I needed him. I did because he knew how awful it had
been, and I knew that he had been punished for it. He had gotten
better and I hadn't. No one else had changed, but he had. None of
you wanted to see me as any different, changed, but I was. And he
knew it."
Kasumi was biting her lip, looking at her sister with
sympathetic eyes. If only she had known, if any of them had known.
"I know you only did it to try and make me feel better, that I
was still the same person, but it didn't work. It hurt worse than
anything. I needed a friend who understood and knew that I was still
hurting. Kasumi, I didn't have any friends. Anyone, even the person
who... who... Well, I was grateful even for his attention. And when
I felt lower than low and filthy and had those nightmares, even though
sometimes seeing his face made me sick to my stomach, I needed him to
be my friend." Nabiki felt one tear threaten to fall. "Him, anyone.
And I had Takuma, his son, and he was... he was so eager to take care
of him..."
The tear that had threatened to fall before was suddenly gone,
leaving Nabiki with only clear and perfect insight into just how
rotten things had been all those years ago. "And he was so desperate,
just as desperate as I was, I think. He was desperate to make it up
to me, to take care of me, but I wouldn't let him."
Those trips that Kasumi had known Nabiki had lied about... No
wonder.
"I knew I couldn't rely on his help because I hadn't gotten it
from anyone else, and I had to do it by myself. I just had to. I had
to know I could survive." Nabiki shook her head and looked at the
floor. "But I couldn't. I couldn't even do that. I needed him
because he made it all so much easier. He didn't care when I got mad
at him, didn't care at all about what had happened... He just wanted
to make me happy."
Looking back up at Kasumi, there was an uncommon fire in
Nabiki's gaze. "And I couldn't deny him Takuma. I was so... unhappy
and confused, and I wanted so much to just forget everything. Kasumi,
why did it all have to happen to me? Why wasn't it someone else?"
Kasumi rose slowly from her chair and moved to sit on the bed
next to Nabiki. Putting an arm around her sister, Kasumi hugged her.
"That's the way things happen sometimes, Nabiki. I think you've done
fine after a very difficult beginning. The help was all for the best,
don't you think?"
Nabiki was taking deep breaths in an effort to maintain her
control. She nodded, but didn't speak.
"I... I don't mean to pry, but how... when did he ask you?
When did you say yes?" Kasumi asked.
Nabiki laughed a little. "He didn't. It was a standing
offer, and one day, on the way to school, I said I would. I don't
know why. I guess I needed... No, I wanted him as more than my
friend finally. You know that we had already tried to..."
Kasumi nodded her head. "I saw you two in bed that morning.
I remember. It's not something you forget that easily." Kasumi
smiled faintly at the distant memory.
"It was still... scary, but when we finally, you know, I felt
better than I had in a long time. That was really when I knew, when I
was sure. He was so sweet, and... and..." Nabiki blushed slightly
and looked down at her hands. "What had happened before didn't
matter. After all that time, I felt like a whole person again."
"You're very lucky, Nabiki," Kasumi said quietly.
"Yeah, I am. Sort of. I didn't feel that way for... for a
long time. I don't think I ever told the whole story to Tate-chan.
You're the only one that knows."
"Thank you, Nabiki. I'm very happy you told me this."
"Yeah, well, maybe it was time that I told someone about it."
Nabiki shrugged and gave Kasumi an abbreviated hug. "I just wish I
didn't have things that I haven't told anyone..."
Before Kasumi could ask what she meant, Nabiki was up and
leaving the room.
***
"Doctor... Tofu..."
"Yes, Kasumi?"
"There's something urgent I need to talk to you about."
"Really? What's the problem? Is it your back?"
"No, Tofu. It's... it's..." She wanted to be a whole person
again, didn't she? "It's about you, actually."
Tofu looked surprise, his pen and clipboard forgotten. "Me?
What..."
"Tofu, I think I..." Kasumi blurted out quickly, but couldn't
finish her sentence.
"Yes, Kasumi?" He was looking at her curiously, his head
tilted slightly to the side. "What is it?"
"Tofu, I..." Kasumi's jaw worked a few times without any
sound coming out. "IloveyouTofu." Turning her head quickly, Kasumi
looked at the other side of the room. How childish and stupid. If
she hadn't blurted it out, she would still...
"You do?"
Kasumi, feeling like she had a full-body blush now, turned her
head slightly to look at Tofu from the corner of her eye. She gave a
small nod. "I do," she said quietly.
This was it. This was where he would start babbling and
dancing around, just so she would know there was no hope for the two
of them. But... she had to try. Her conversation with Nabiki had
shown her that.
"Kasumi, I never knew."
Waiting for something else to be said, some other indication
of what Tofu was doing, Kasumi sat silently and waited. She couldn't
believe how embarrassed she was, how... humiliated she felt. She
was just waiting for him to...
"I feel the same way about you."
Huh? Kasumi turned her head quickly and stared at Tofu.
"Kasumi, I've been in love with your for six years."
"You... you have?"
Tofu nodded. "I just couldn't tell you. And I know it
wouldn't have been right, not with the shape your family was in. But
now, do you think it would be all right?"
This strangely confident Tofu was... exciting, and more than a
little stunning. Kasumi nodded as she said, "Yes, it would be."
"Hearing you say that has made me very happy." He set down
his pen and clipboard very deliberately on the end table, then removed
his glasses and tucked them into his pocket. He extended his arm to
Kasumi and smiled tentatively when she took hold of it.
... ... ...
Kasumi came down the stairs slowly with Tofu holding her arm.
Kasumi was smiling softly, while Tofu looked almost severely serious.
"Akane, Ranma, Father..."
***
"She is?" Nabiki nodded knowingly. "Well it's about damn
time. Right, we'll be over in a little bit." Hanging up the phone,
Nabiki headed outside.
"Hey you two," she called out, "we have to go visit Kasumi.
She's got some big news."
Tatewaki looked up from where he was holding Takuma by one leg
upside down. "Big news? What is it?"
"Looks like they finally got around to it, and Tofu popped the
question."
"Really? That's great!" Tatewaki said, setting Takuma down,
upright.
"What question?" he asked, a bit dizzy from the blood rushing
away from his head.
Tatewaki lifted the boy in his arms as Nabiki approached. "It
looks like Tofu's going to be your new uncle," she said, ruffling his
hair. "They're going to make the formal announcement, so we should
get over there."
Tofu looked at Kasumi, then back at the others. He felt...
pleasant. Just a feeling of rightness welled up within him and he
hoped Kasumi was feeling the same way. At least she was smiling, the
tears seemed to have stopped, hopefully for good.
Soun was still shaking his hand, the tears a respectful
trickle, while Akane was hugging Kasumi. It seemed that the damage
had finally been repaired, and the family was slowly recovering.
The whole room seemed to freeze when the door opened and
Nabiki came in. But there was no silence, none of the distance that
had seemed to fester all the time that Kasumi had been out of the
hospital.
Nabiki didn't waste a moment, walking right over to Kasumi and
giving her a hug. "It's about time," she said quietly, smiling at her
older sister. Leaning forward to whisper, Nabiki said with a grin,
"Watch your back on the honeymoon."
Kasumi blushed and pushed Nabiki away a little. She couldn't
exactly chastise her sister, but... "Where's Takuma-chan?" she said,
trying to cover her embarrassment.
Nabiki stepped back so Kasumi could see Takuma pull away from
Tatewaki's hand and run to give her a hug.
"I missed you, Takuma-chan," she said, hugging him.
"I missed you too, Aunt Kasumi."
"And on that note," Ranma said, coming into the room, "I think
it's time to celebrate!"
Akane leaned over to her sisters and said, "He means eat."
"The food's ready!" Ranma proclaimed, making the trio of women
giggle.
"You should have mentioned this. We could have stopped and
brought something," Tatewaki said, following Ranma into the kitchen.
Nabiki shook her head as the group began moving toward the
kitchen, with no regard as to how they would all fit in it. "Yeah,
like we need the men and three bottles of plum wine," she said,
smiling wryly.
"Mommy, I want some plum wine!"
"Takuma-chan," Akane said, looking down at him, "do you even
know what plum wine is?"
"No!" he answered happily. "Can I have some?"
The END