All the characters depicted in this story are from Ranma 1/2, who was created
by Rumiko Takahashi. This story is something that came straight from my own
mind, so anyone wants to get all huffy and try to sue me for any infringement,
chill; it was a strange coincidence that just happened (besides, any attempts
of gaining monetary compensation via suing will be met with a furious
scribbling of IOUs). Enjoy.
Prologue
Morning came once again to Nerima. Kasumi Tendo, who was usually up at
this time and preparing to make breakfast for her family and the Saotomes
living under their roof, was just beginning to stir out of her bed, groaning
softly. For some reason, waves of nausea rippled through her with a vengeance
for the last two days. Today was no different as she had to fight down the
bile rising from her stomach before she managed to slide out of bed. She
stood
on bare feet, the hem of a V-neck lavander nightgown reaching down just past
her knees. Suddenly, her knees started to buckle. Kasumi barely caught
herself upon the nearest wall, and leaned against it for a few minutes.
Slowly, she pushed off the wall and stood straight, if not shakily, due to the
fact that she felt drained so early.
'I guess I'll see Doctor Tofu later on today. I could be coming down
with
a cold, or influenza,' Kasumi thought. 'Perhaps it's-'
Her thoughts were cut short by a new wave of nausea, this one prompting
her to reach the bathroom as quickly as possible.
* * *
"Doctor Tofu?"
Several frantic sounds were made behind the office door a few seconds
after she spoke his name: several metal items clanging to the floor, an
elderly-sounding man crying out something that sounded like, "Why did you have
to come today, Kas-" before the voice turned into a full outcry of pain, and a
lot of shuffling about among others before Tofu said through the door,
"K-K-Kasumi....I wasn't...expecting you...to show up..." His nervous laugh
penetrated through the door, along with a few strained groans underlined with
choice curse words.
Kasumi blushed a little after making out a couple of the words, then
returned to the task at hand. "I think I may be coming down with something
serious. Could you examine me when you're finished?"
From behind the office door, Tofu paused in his excitement.
"Something's...wrong? With Kasumi?" he said to himself aloud. The thoughts
that ran through his head instantly sobered him up. Then he looked down on
the
table before and blinked at an elderly man bented at many an angle that looked
especially painful. "Mr. Yoshimura! you're nearly 90! You really shouldn't be
trying to live out your younger days now!"
If Mr. Yoshimura could have facefaulted then, he would have.
* * *
Somehow, Dr. Tofu managed to keep himself under control for the duration
of Kasumi's visit, even after she took off her blouse and brassiere for the
examination (though he was hastily repeating a mantra "Kasumi could be ill"
under his breath). Once the examination was over (and Kasumi redressed, much
to his relief and chagrin in equal parts), he carefully labeled and stored
away
the samples he obtained. Then he tried to escort her out of his office
without
going all to pieces everytime he looked at her soft, warm smile.
"So tell me, Tofu-sensei, what is wrong with me?"
He bounced a little on the balls of his feet before he pushed his glasses
up the bridge of his nose. "Oh, so far, nothing really life-threatening. As
you said earlier, perhaps you attracted a flu or something of the like. But I
won't know exactly what kind of disease it is until after I run some tests."
"Oh, that's good. When will I get the results?"
"As soon as possible, Kasumi, perhaps by tomorrow afternoon."
"Oh good. Then I shall be expecting your call." She smiled at Tofu.
His legs started to turned into rubber and threatened to go on strike on
the spot. Instead, he managed to scrape up what will he had left. "Go
home."
He smiled back rather nervously again., this time a darkness passed over his
features very briefly as she walked away from the clinic.
* * *
The next day, the Tendo residence was almost completely deserted, save
for
a busy Kasumi. Genma and Soun had taken off for a training trip two days ago
and wouldn't be back for another three days. Ryouga had disappeared again
last
night; he won't be back for a couple of weeks with his sense of direction.
Akane and Ranma were suppose to be heading over to Ucchan's after school
today.
Nabiki had decided to tag along with the two, in case a money-making
opportunity should appear before her. "Wherever Ranma goes, there's always
the
chance that something extraordinary with happen, or Akane will wallop Ranma
back to the house when he plants his foot in his mouth. Either way, it won't
be a boring trip."
Kasumi had started sweeping once again as she broke out if the short
reverie. Just once, she would like to have a day go by without Akane sending
Ramna into low orbit or whapping him over the head with a mallet or table.
Just once, a day to go off without her arguing with Ranma about something or
another. Just once, for her to admit that she-Kasumi cut herself off then.
There were some things she could not bring herself to talk about, not even
with
herself.
The phone rang then, and she went to answer it. "Yes? Oh, Tofu-sensei!
I take it you have the results of the test.... Is something wrong?" Kasumi
listened to Tofu on the other end for five minutes. The smile she had earlier
had drained away along with the color from her face. Her mouth fell open, her
eyes widened, and her legs folded under her as she slumped to the floor, her
upper half as rigid as a corpse, which she was beginning to resemble. At the
end of the conversation, Kasumi could only say, "Oh my....I'm pregnant...?"
End Prologue
Chapter 1
RANMA NO BAKA!!
"RANMA NO BAKA!!"
Predictably, Ranma Saotome had managed to infuriate his iinazuke Akane
when he compared Ukyou's cooking to hers (his exact words were, "This is
really great, Ucchan; too bad, Akane can't even boil water without
demolishing half the kitchen"). Upon hearing that, Akane promptly whacked
him out of Ucchan's, swinging her mallet as if she is a professional golfer
and Ranma, the golf ball.
He plummet from the sky, index and pinky fingers extended from his hands
and his heels touching as he spiraled down into a very familiar yard with an
even more familiar koi pond.
'Kuso...' he managed to think, seconds before splashing face down into
the water, sending up a cold geyser that soaked everything in the immediate
vincity.
A few moments later, the now redhead Ranma-chan broke from the water's
surface and dragged herself out, her Chinese styled clothes soaking wet.
"Kawaiikune Tomboy," she muttered under her breath. She retrieved her black
shoes, which were now too big for her feet, then headed to the kitchen.
* * *
Ranma-chan sloshed more water onto the kitchen, when she noticed
something was wrong. Dinner wasn't cooking. Not even a pot of water was
boiling. This disturbed her. Kasumi would always have something cooking at
this time. Life with the Saotomes usually brought unexpected visitors to the
Tendo residence, and she was much too nice a hostess to let visitors starve,
even if they were out to kill (or marry) Ranma.
"Kasumi?"
No answer.
She advanced to where Kasumi's room is located and knocked on the door.
"Kasumi, are you in there?"
Still no answer.
Ranma-chan started to leave when the room door opened. "Please, come
in, Ranma." Kasumi said softly.
She glanced at the open door, a question in her eyes, but she shrugged
it it off for the time being. She then stepped into her room. Kasumi, who
was behind the door, closed it after Ranma-chan was inside. "Ranma, I need
to talk to you."
"About what, Kasumi?" The redhead turned around, and caught a glimpse
of Kasumi. She was wearing a cyan gown with modest ruffles. However, her
eyes were puffy and red, and her cheeks held streaky stains.
She said nothing, instead crossing over to the bedroom window. She
peeled the curtains back, then looked out into the grow night sky.
Ranma-chan still stood where she was, the silence deafening. After a long
minute of silence, Kasumi spoke. "I haven't been feeling well lately, so I
went to see Tofu-Sensei."
"Oh?" Ranma-chan finally moved from her position and stood next to
Kasumi. "What did he tell you you?"
"Well, at first, I assumed it was influenza or something similar, but
after a few tests, he ruled that out." She swallowed. "He took some
samples, and ran tests on them. This afternoon, he called me with the
results." She stood there in silence for a minute longer.
Ranma-chan tensed up with the quietude of the room. She wasn't very
good with talking things out, as she was much more comfortable with settling
all problems with her fists. But this was Kasumi, and there were some
problems that not even he could simply lay out with one punch. So she waited.
A few more minutes elapsed. The redhead fumed some more, an alien
feeling of helplessness hanging over him. She couldn't take any more.
"Kasumi, just tell me what's wrong with you. Are you dying or something?"
She stood silent for another moment. Slowly she turned around to face
her, her hands folded in front ofer, a tear running down her cheek. The
redhead's nimble fingers deftly wiped it away, but Kasumi took hold of her
hand and held it to her cheek before it could retreat. Her stony green eyes
stared into the ocean of Ranma-chan's deep blue eyes. A small smile broke
across Kasumi's face, then.
"Ramna, I'm pregnant."
Ranma-chan's eyes widened. Her jaw started to fall.
Kasumi nodded in confirmation t the unspoken question. "Yes, pregnant."
She tossed her pigtail back and forth, trying to put her now rampant
thoughts into a coherent sentence. "Um, Kasumi...why are you telling me
this? Surely Akane or Nabiki would-"
Her eyes grew sadder, knowing that the news was already proving to be
too much for Ranma-chan to accept. She took hold of the slender hands and,
with a gentle tug, she shifted the guy-turned-girl's back to her bed in
preperation. "Neither Akane nor Nabiki is the father of my child."
It took half a minute for the implication of Kasumi's words to register
within Ranma-chan's head. Once they did, her knees started to lock up, her
body stiffening as if with rigormortis. The urge to become like Soun and
pass out was great indeed.
"I'm the..." she swallowed hard. "...father...?" The last word came
out two octaves higher than normal.
Kasumi being pregnant was one thing, though it was incredibly hard to
believe; finding out that she is the father is quite another thing indeed.
She found the strength to speak again, though her words fell heavily from her
mouth. "...Please, tell me...you're...joking....."
Kasumi smiled that sad smile. "I wish I were, Ranma, but you are the
only one I've ever slept with."
The entire room was slowly darkening and beginning to spin around
Ranma-chan. How could he explain this one? How could he stand before any of
the Tendo family, especially Akane (who would then become enraged and behead
him-twice!-then kill him), and explain? How would he be able to deal with
his remaining iinazukes after they find out? Friend or no friend, Ukyou
would be furious; Shampoo, more so, and there was no telling what the Amazon
may do; and Kodachi was more than obsessive-compulsive, having made many
attempts to paralyze or gas his other iinazukes so she could be alone with
her "Ranma-sama" (she shuddered at trying to imagine what Kodachi could very
well do to Kasumi). What about Ryouga and Kuno? Mousse would almost be
certain to get mixed up in this as well. More importantly, what about the
unborn child? What would Kasumi do? What would he do? What would they do?
'Kuso... Why, Kami-sama, why....?'
"Ranma?"
The redhead realized that she was still standing and conscious. She
blinked away the blank expression on her face, then looked at Kasumi
carefully. More tears welled up and threatened to break from the young,
soon-to-be-mother's eyes, the worry and dread in her face obvious.
Kasumi was preparing herself for whatever hurtful, accusatory words she
may throw in her direction. After all, she was too shocked beyond words when
a troubled Dr. Tofu called her earlier that afternoon and told her about her
pregnancy. She was already six weeks along, he said, his voice taking on the
tone of that of a cadavar. She asked his if he was sure, if there wasn't a
mistake made, but vigorously he reassured her that he ran tests on the
samples at least thirty times himself to make sure he wasn't seeing things
himself. When she regained her wits, Kasumi even went so far as to rush out
and purchase five different home pregnancy tests and conducted them all.
They all proved positive, even as she pitched them into the closest trash
container. For the first time since her mother died, she had screamed out in
frustration, anger, and fear. She wanted to say they were lying, that they
were all defective, but deep down inside, she knew they were all right. She
broke down in the bathroom and spent half an hour crying....
Long moments passed, no one speaking or doing anything. Kasumi was
becoming aggitated with the silence. If Ranma hated her for ruining his
life, she'd rather him say so now. Not know how he was taking the news, nor
knowing how he felt, it was almost unbearable. She couldn't even bring
herself to look him directly in his cursed form's face.
Just when she thought that maybe Ranma had already stole away without
her knowledge, she felt something warm press against her lips. She blinked
in surprise and saw Ranma-chan's face receding from hers. She smiled at the
now-confused Kasumi.
Absently, her hand lifted to her lips, which were tingling from the
gentle kiss. "R-R-Ranma...?" Her hand reluctantly moved to her side.
'Why doesn't he hate me? I've just ruined his life even more...' She
was surprised that she had thought of the question, but in a way, it would be
a logical one. Not very many guys Ranma's age would have taken such news as
he apparently was taking it, especially none with four fiancees, one being
her youngest sibling Akane.
A slim finger pressed against her lips. "Quiet Kasumi," she said in her
softest voice. She made her damp, cold body move to her, arms slowly
encircling the nightgown clad woman.
Kasumi's eyes widened at this action. Usually she was the one who
comforted others troubled by a problem; now she was the one needing comfort.
An old memory that was thought to have been buried in another lifetime
rapidly tore to the surface of her consciousness, reminding her. A great
floodgate of tears were on the verge of flowing down her face. "R-ranma...."
She hugged her to her still-damp feminine form. "I'm
here...Kasumi-chan..."
The tears burst from their dams, flowing fast and freely down her cheeks
as she sobbed uncomtrollably, burying her face into her Ranma-chan's
shoulder, blubbering incoherently. She clutched tightly to the redhead, her
sobs and hacking coughs wracking her body to the point her legs gave way
beneath her and she became dead weight in her arms. Ranma-chan held her up
gently, but firmly, a few tears silently sliding from one corner of her own
eyes.
'When was the last time she cried like this?' she thought, rubbing
Kasumi's back. 'When was the last time she cried at all?' Ramna-chan had
seen Kasumi calm down others many times, so she did what she remembered, and
hoped to Kami it worked.
Slowly but surely, Kasumi began to calm down, the tears slowing their
race down her cheeks, her sobs and hiccups quieting down. Soon, the room was
quiet, save for an occasional sniffle and a softly spoken "gomen nasai."
Ranma-chan tilted Kasumi's head back, absently wiping away a few tears.
"Let's get you cleaned up, all right?"
She nodded mutely and, though she had no strength left to walk,
Ranma-chan proved to be more than strong enough to carry her to the bath,
cradling her into his arms as if she were a newborn. She wanted to say
something about the newest reminder, but she was too exhausted to even try
then. Instead, she tried to rest her head against his chest, to let her
tired mind rest for a second. Belatedly, she realized that Ranma was in his
cursed form and thus lost several centimeters in height and gained several in
bust. She tried picturing herself a grown woman being carried by a little
girl, and it made her smile. The redhead saw her smile and returned it, not
know why or what she was smiling for to begin with, so long as Kasumi wasn't
falling apart the way she had earlier.
Their eyes met. A swirling sea of blues locked with the pinkish tint of
storm worn green eyes. Those two pairs of eyes always held promises of peace
and calm and love before, but now, there was a shadow behind them, a
transgression commited on a very personal level. The eyes being the window
to the soul, no one should be surprised when they find one of the panes dakly
stained.
They broke eye contact. Ranma-chan painstakingly let Kasumi's feet
touch the floor, though the oldest Tendo leaned upon her like a cane. She
was still too drained to be doing anything on her own...
A thought came to their minds at the same time. She looked to
Ranma-chan; she looked to Kasumi.
"What are we going to do now?" they said in unison.
End Chapter 1
My prereader, I haven't heard from him in a while (said he was having trouble
with his account), so I'm turning it over to the list. These are the first
two parts of the story for reviewing of the story so far.