Subject: [FFML] [Fanfic][Ranma] A War Fought in Silence 1B
From: PhilMasters@webtv.net (Phillip Masters)
Date: 3/9/1999, 6:00 PM
To: ffml@fanfic.com

Darkish fic ahead.
PM Productions Presents
A Phillip Masters Fanfic
A War Fought in Silence
Chapter One (B)

     Kasumi made her way to the kitchen.  Dinner had to be prepared, and
as usual it would not do so by itself.  Stepping across the threshold
into her world, she switched to autopilot and started the ardorous task
of planning the next day's breakfast while her hands efficiently brought
together all the ingedients necessary to nourish a household of loved
ones.  She had, of course, finished all the grocery shopping the
previous Sunday, and everything she needed was at her ready disposal.        
     Needless to say, Kasumi prided herself on her awe inspiring
organizational skills.  Even Nabiki, who had to deal with mathematical
figures, growth and interest, reds and parenthesis... was at a loss when
it came to where she had tossed her last clean pair of socks the
previous night.  Kasumi knew, at all times, where everything was.  Her
house was a well oiled machine, and must remain so if it was to survive
in the world of today.  A place filled with those who would destroy such
a sanctity.         Placing a final garnish on the platter, Kasumi
readied herself for another meal in the Tendou home.  It was rougher
than most, granted... however, it was home, her home, and she would have
it no other way.  Her neck was being benevolent at the moment, for which
she was grateful.  Hefting the tray, she once more threw herself into
the fray.        
     Dinner was surprisingly uneventful.  With Akane absent, Ranma only
sulked and picked at his food.  Genma took this opportunity and removed
a rather large portion of his son's food from its final resting place.
Kasumi was ready for this trickery, and had a few extra servings to fill
in the gaps as best as possible.  Her warrior had to stay strong after
all.        
     Soun and Nabiki were quiet, both seemingly lost in their own
thoughts.  Overall, it was an uncharacteristically common mealtime
scene.  Kasumi couldn't help but smile at the normality of it all.
     Once Ranma had apparently ingested enough to keep his motor running
for the evening he stood up and announced, "I'm going out."  With that,
he was gone, and no one but her had seemed to notice.  
     She wondered at that for a moment.  Nerima... nay, perhaps most of
the Eastern world seemed to revolve around Ranma.  However, there was
times when he was just a lonely boy, by himself and uncared for.  How
could someone so chased and sought after be so absolutely alone?  
     Perhaps she knew the answer to that herself better than anyone
could pretend to.  What was her life after all, but a lone battle for
order and tranquility?  A little peace and quiet in her rather all to
suddenly chaotic universe.  Only when her family was gone did the sense
of calm return, but it was brief... always too brief.  They would come
back, and hell would break loose anew.  Was there any way to end it all?
Something that could be said, or a sacrifice that could be made?  
     Kasumi doubted it, her existance was as it was, and nothing could
be done to stop it.  She would simply play the matron, feeding those who
needed fed, clean that which became dirty, and fix the wounded that came
to her with both strong and pleading eyes.
     Once everyone had finished, Soun and Genma went off to hone their
strategy skills.  Nabiki headed toward her room, no doubt to scheme up a
new way to make use of the faltering Japanese economy.  Kasumi herself
simply stood up and began the perpetually mundane task of cleaning the
table.  
     About halfway through she stopped, jolting herself out of her
almost zen-like trance state.  Something bothered her in the air...
though she couldn't put her finger on it.  She walked to the back
doorway and stared out into the yard.  A cool breeze was blowing through
her freshly re-cleaned laundry, tossing it about casually.  It caused
small ripples to traverse the koi pond, and what loose hairs had escaped
her ribbon.  She wiped them from her face as she tried to figure out
what was getting under her skin.  
     The answer made itself apparent, as Happosai shot over the wall
across the yard.  A yell followed him, "Get back here you old fart!"
     As crude the statement was, it was obvious who had launched it.
Ranma came vaulting after the old man, in girl form.  Soon after, Akane
followed... then Ryouga... then Shampoo... then Ukyou... then Mousse...
then Kunou... and finally Kodachi.  
     Kasumi's eyes widened slightly as she found herself in the path of
an entire stampede of crazed martial artists.  Happosai bounced past
her, taking the time to only ogle her in part.  She quickly moved
herself from the doorway, and gasped as she felt Ranma's aura as he shot
in through the space she had recently occupied.
     Before she could blink once more, the dining room had erupted into
a battlefield.  It wasn't often the war fully found its way into her
walls, but when it did it promised much cleaning and repair work.  
     She flattened herself against the wall as Shampoo and Ukyou rolled
their way to the corner of the room next to her.  They stood up and
leapt back into the central conflict... which had already done a good
job of removing the dining table.  Nabiki wasn't going to be happy, as
the real hardwood styles weren't at all cheap.  As it was, she had no
idea how Ryouga's head had survived breaking it in half like that.  
     Something out of the corner of her eye suddenly caught her
attention.  Mousse, as usual, had managed to make his way out of the
battle proper, thinking a nearby wall ornament was an attacker.
Unfortunately, the particular ornament he chose was a family heirloom,
left to the three Tendou daughters by their mother.  
     Kasumi almost instinctually moved to stop Mousse before permanent
damage could be done.  Her arm reached out to stop him, and she suddenly
found herself staring at the point of a dagger's blade.  When she
managed to unfocus from the end and looked into the eyes of Mousse
himself, she noticed a fear in his magnified blue orbs.  He moved the
dagger and bowed multiple times while sputtering as many different ways
to applogize as he could drudge up... even a few in Mandarin.  
     Then, a bottle flew in from nowhere to crash against his skull.  He
rubbed the sore spot and he and Kasumi both looked over to see Akane
fuming.  "Watch were you point those weapons, Mousse!  Or you'll be
digging them out of your own worthless carcass!"  She seemed prepared to
elaborate, however Shampoo shoving a bonbori into her face caused her
train of thought to switch tracks.  
     Mousse bowed a few more times, then jumped to Shampoo's 'defense'.
Kasumi was left standing alone against the wall again, though this time
breathing hard and what felt like Mousse's dagger embedding itself at
the base of her neck.  Her eyes casually moved over to check on the
heirloom, just in time to see the small china teapot fall to the floor.  
     Even with a room full of fighters trying to take one another's
blood, Kasumi could hear the shattering porcelain as though it were a
thousand windows too close to an explosion.  The sound penetrated her,
slicing particularly harshly though her sensitive neck.  Her knees gave
out, and she sank to the floor.  Her eyes burned, and she was certain
tears would begin to flow from them.  A tentative hand reached out and
touched the broken remnants of the past, now forever destroyed.  
     Around her, the fight raged on.  No one had noticed the pot fall,
or Kasumi thereafter.  They were too engrosed in keeping themselves
conscious and unhurt.  
     Af few moments later, Kasumi stood up again and brushed off her
skirt.  She glared at the melee coldly.  Ryouga was the first person
unfortunate enough to get within range of her grasp.  She lashed out and
grabbed his shirt collar.  At first he began to use a breaking move,
however, he froze as he found himself looking into the eyes of an
opponent he would have never dreamed of facing.  
     Kasumi seemed to tower over him, her face a mask of rage.  She was
almost unrecognizable, and to Ryouga it caused a fear to well up in his
very soul.  He began to think he would die, and there was nothing he
could do to stop it.  
     "Get out," Kasumi whispered to him, with an icy tone that even she
herself couldn't hear herself using.  
     Ryouga stumbled backward out of her suddenly loose hold.  His eyes
remained locked on her own, as if he was scared to pull away for fear
that she would change her mind and end his life on the spot.  This
proved to be his downfall as Ranma brought a roundhouse to bear on his
skull.  The lost boy flew out the door to land in the pond, where an
unconscious P-chan floated to the surface.  
     "Stop it, all of you!" Kasumi screamed at the top of her lungs.  It
hurt her throat, as it was not at all accustomed to having any force put
upon it.  
     The battle came to an instananeous halt.  Kunou's stick was inches
from Ranma's head, while Ranma's foot was centimeters from Kunou's gut.
Shampoo was ready to lay Mousse low, and Akane had her hands around
Ukyou's arm, fully prepared to launch the chef across the room.  Kodachi
was unconscious, as she was usually the first everyone concentrated on,
in order to remove the craziest factor from the fight.  Happosai was
nowhere to be found, as his years of experience had long ago taught him
when to fight and when to run.  
     Kasumi found herself being focused on by five pairs of shocked
eyes.  She met them with a steadfast disapproval that could be felt in
each one of their hearts.  "Look what you are doing to my house!"  She
pointed down to the pot.  "Akane...." she let herself trail off, as no
more need have been said.
     Her younger sister looked to where she was pointing, and gasped.  A
hand went to her mouth, and Kasumi could already see the tears beginning
to form in her eyes.  
     "It's just an old pot." Ranma commented, with his usual tact and
flair.
     Kasumi briefly wondered how the boy could be such an accomplished
martial artist with his foot grafted to his tongue.  She saved the poor
child from death by yelling, "Ranma, go to your room!"  
     Akane's fist froze two millimeters from Ranma's head, and she
grumpily rubbed the hand after pulling it back.  Ranma sulkingly made
his way to the hallways, heading for the stairs. 
     "K... Kasumi... I'm...." Akane tripped over her appology, knowing
full well words could not cure what ill had been done.
     "Akane." Kasumi cut in, causing the girl to jump, "Go to your
room."
     After her younger sister had exited the room, she turned her still
ice cold gaze to those who were left.  "All of you... you should be
ashamed of yourselves.  I never want to see you in this household
again!"  She pointed a finger to the door, a finger that demanded
silence on the part of those who it commanded.  
     When all were gone, and the room was empty once more, Kasumi fell
backward against the wall and slid to the floor.  She took hold of her
legs and rested her face against her knees, gritting her teeth against
the agony her neck would not allow her to escape.  Tears flowed freely
from her eyes, and she sobbed well past sundown.  
END Chapter One
Okay, one down... please send comments, can't help but be curious as to
what people think of it so far.  Something rather big will happen in
chapter two, that will be the ultimate setup for the story (yup... I
actually know where I'm going with this!).  
Thanks for reading,
PMasters (3-9-99)                

"I'm only holding back the rain.  So many raindrops, so many pains.  I
want to find my train someday.  As seasons go past the station." - Tokyo
Babylon OVA 1
/ E-mail: PhilMasters@webtv.net /
"...has anyone ever used something alive for a coat of arms?" - The
Sailor Who Fell From Grace With The Sea (Mishima Yukio, 1965) / 
"You see, what you call a cat, we use as armor." - Rune (El-Hazard,
1994)