This series WILL go shounen-ai in the future, but this
portion is rated G.

Please enjoy!

Raye

=====
raye_j@yahoo.com
http://members.tripod.com/raye__1/

"I... am a... LIBRARIAN!"
     - Evelyn, "The Mummy"

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-- Attached file included as plaintext by Listar --
-- File: APRON.TXT
-- Desc: APRON.TXT

The Apron
by Raye Johnsen
raye_j@yahoo.com

********************
	Ranma 1/2 is copyright Takahashi Rumiko, Shogakukan,
Kitty Films and Viz Communications. 
	'The Apron' is based on 'Do You Want Tea With That?'
by Kirarose, which can be found at The Church of Ryouga and
Ranko or at the RRyaoi Archive at 
http://www.blooddance.com/rryaoi/ 
	While Kirarose did give permission for this fic to 
be published, nobody else did.  But suing me would be very 
unwise, as I have absolutely no money whatsoever. 
********************
----------------------------
Prologue: For Want of a Nail
----------------------------

     "Happi bursdai toe yuu, happi bursdai toe yuu, happi
bursdai deero Kasumi, happi bursdai toe yuu!" everyone sang
in very badly pronounced English.  Even Ryouga, who could 
speak English intelligibly (or at least could ask directions
in the language) went along with the horrible 
mispronuciations, even as he wondered *why* everyone always
sang this song in English.  Oh well; 'ometedou tanjoubi' 
just wasn't the same.

     "Thank you, everyone!" the birthday girl said brightly.
"Thank you for coming to share my party with me!"

     Everyone said something along the lines of "You're 
welcome, Kasumi," but the sheer number of people meant that
it came out as something akin to a louder swell of crowd 
noise.  That didn't matter to Kasumi.  She knew what 
everyone had meant.

     She took the opportunity of the cutting of the cake 
(ordered from a bakery; Nabiki had kept Akane out of the 
kitchen by putting her in charge of the decorations, and 
Mousse had 'insisted' on making the rest of the party food
as *his* present) to look over the gathering.

     Kasumi was the one person in Nerima whom everybody was
at peace with.  Everybody liked her and nobody wanted to 
disappoint her.  So everybody was there.

     Mousse was chatting quietly with Ukyou, Ryouga and 
Ranma in the corner.  That was not surprising; those four
were the closest of all the groups of friends in the entire
group.  Shampoo was discussing  herbs and their various 
unorthodox uses with Kodachi.  They were both behaving 
themselves because Kasumi had mentioned how, as the future
Master of the Doujou, Ranma would occasionally host
gatherings and his wife would have to be a good hostess. 
Each was anxious to prove that she was the more preferable
in company.  Kasumi sometimes felt a little ashamed of 
herself for manipulating them with their ambitions, but she
really didn't want a chaotic mess for a party.

     Kunou Tatewaki had trapped Nabiki and Akane and was 
forcing them to listen to his poetry.  It wasn't *that* bad,
but neither Nabiki nor Akane appreciated iambic pentameter 
and how Tatewaki was ingeniously making use of its 
limitations.  Kasumi sighed.  *She* liked poetry; if he had
recited it to *her*, *she* would have probably had an 
enjoyable half-hour discussing feet and rhyming structure
with him, and they would have gone on for an hour after that
having a friendly argument on the merits of haiku over 
sonnets.  While Akane and Nabiki, grounded personalities to 
the core, were on the verge of breaking out in hives at the
mention of the subject, and thus would probably never be 
able to gently persuade Tatewaki away from his tendency to
use cliched imagery and classic lines.  A shame; if he ever
moved past that tendency, Kunou Tatewaki might well become 
one of the better Japanese poets of the early 21st 
Century....

     Grandfather Happousai and Cologne were sitting at the
table, eating and arguing.  Kasumi had taken the precaution
of secreting a poster of a young woman, wearing a few wisps
of almost nothing (and that extremely suggestively) among 
the streamers and buntings on the wall, so that the clearest
view was from the table.  That had the effect of gluing the 
old man to his seat all night.  She had then approached 
Cologne when the Amazons had arrived and asked her to 
please, as a favour to her, keep an eye on the old Master 
and keep him from disrupting the party.  That kept Cologne
out of trouble herself, and she spent the night being waited
on by Konatsu ("At last, a Japanese boy who knows how to 
treat women properly," she had said, patting Konatsu on the
head, and if Ukyou had not dragged her gender-confused 
waitperson back into the kitchen before he blurted out his
usual "But I'm a girl!" response to that statement, Kasumi
didn't know *what* would have happened), bewailing how 
children never respected their elders any more, and arguing
with Happousai about events that nobody else had been alive
to remember.  They were both having a very good time.

     The Saotomes, Father, and Miss Hinako were chatting
away in another corner.

     And she... she was alone.

     It was her twenty-first birthday, and everyone here
were her sisters' friends.

     Akane and Ranma were graduating from high school this 
year.  They weren't going to get married, and the only 
people who didn't know it were their parents.  They were,
however, very good friends, and old enough to run the doujou
on their own.

     Nabiki was going to university and had long since moved
out.

     Father had Miss Hinako, who was a very nice woman and
sweet.  Nothing like Mother, of course, but Father had been
a different person when Mother had been alive, with fire and
energy.  He had needed a shelter then.  Now Miss Hinako was
the firey, energetic one, and Father was *her* shelter and 
respite from herself.  It was poetic and quite sweet, 
really.  But still, a little sad, too.

     Kasumi smiled as she passed out the cake, and then took
hers out to the porch overlooking the pond.

     She wasn't *un*happy.  There was a lot of joy in 
watching her bright, rambunctious family grow, and she
gloried in the love they felt for her.  Kasumi had been a
little startled when she realized that, when they had 
brought their friends home to meet her, that they had liked
and cared for her too.  It didn't take long to realize why.  

     None of the people in the room behind her had mothers.
And Kasumi had become the quintessential Mother.  She even 
thought of the children as her children.

     /But they have grown up. And so must I./ 
Kasumi realized.

     It was time to go.  Whether to a career, to a family 
(Kasumi felt a warm surge at that - a family, a baby, of 
*her* own) or just to manage a boarding house somewhere, it
was time for Tendou Kasumi to take off The Apron.

----------------------------------------------
Chapter One:	... And That Someone Is *Me*?!
----------------------------------------------

     Saotome Ranma staggered into the kitchen.  Her thoughts
were unprintable.

     His father had woken him at dawn (as usual) and made
him spar until he dunked him (as usual) and Akane had 
screamed at them for waking her up (as usual) and then Pop
had splashed him from behind, rendering him a her (as usual)
and then the Old Pervert had tried to grope her (as usual) 
and now, when she was really looking forward to a nice 
breakfast, they sent her into the kitchen.  To cook *their*
breakfasts.  Which was rapidly *becoming* usual.

     Ranma didn't blame Kasumi for her escape.  Considering
the housework (it wouldn't *kill* Pop to pick up his dirty 
underwear after he took it off, after all) and the cooking 
(the alternative was letting Akane into the kitchen, and 
Ranma was rather fond of living, thank you) and the chaos
(which he, or perhaps more accurately since he was almost
always a she while doing it, *she* had to clean up after) it
was a miracle she had stuck with it as long as she had.

      But that didn't change the fact that Kasumi had moved
out and the fathers weren't doing their share.  Or a gnat's
share.  And Akane, while she *did* try and was helpful in 
such areas as the laundry and the vacuum cleaner (which 
Ranma had never really gotten along with), wasn't Kasumi.

     Sitting down as she waited for the water to boil and 
start the whole process of turning rice, tealeaves, soybean
paste and fish fillets into breakfast, Ranma sighed and 
slipped into what was rapidly becoming her favourite 
daydream.

     <He walked into the kitchen, to see Ryouga standing
there, with his sleeves girded up, holding a long white 
radish in one hand and a paring knife in the other.  Seeming
not to notice him, he efficiently peeled the radish and 
pared it, slipping the vegetable into the pickling pot.  The
pot already had other vegetables in it.  He could smell rice
and egg cooking.  Ryouga, still without noticing Ranma, 
pulled the skillet holding the eggs off the stove.  He 
transferred them to a plate and slid them into the oven,
following through by carrying the skillet over to the sink
and washing it.  He set it in the drying rack beside the 
sink, turned around, and spotted Ranma.

     <"Oh, Ranma! How was your class?" Ryouga smiled at him.
"Dinner will be ready in a few minutes....">

     "WHEN IS BREAKFAST GOING TO BE READY, BOY?!" her father
bellowed from the main room.

     "WHEN IT'S COOKED, POP!" Ranma bellowed back, and 
sighed.  He'd have to tell them soon.

      /'Hey Pop? I know you want me to marry Akane, but me'n
her have talked it over, an' me'n her have decided that we'd
kill each other if we did.  So we're not gonna.  Sorry.'  
Oh, that'll go down *real* well./  She grimaced.  /At least
*Akane* has made up her mind which one she wants.  I can't 
even decide if I like boys or girls better!/

      "Do you need any help, Ranma?" Akane asked, poking her
head in the door.

     Ranma glanced around her, seeing how she had begun the
preparations for breakfast even while completely distracted.
/That's bad./  "Uh, no, Akane," she replied.  "I have it all
under control. Thanks for asking, though."

     Akane didn't leave, though. "We're going to have to
talk to our fathers soon," she said worriedly, stepping into
the kitchen properly. "They're absolutely convinced the way
you and I have made peace with each other recently means 
we're in love."

     "You *are* in love.  Just not with me."

     She grinned and shook her head.  "You!"  Her face
became serious.  "Told him yet?"

     "Told who what?"

     "Ryouga, about our non-engagement.  He's your best
friend."

     "I will, as soon as he turns up again."  Ranma put the
final touches on the rice.  "There!  Breakfast's done."

     "Ranma?"

     "Yes, Akane?"

     "Turn back into a guy again before you go out there,
will you?"

      "Oh.  Yeah."

     Akane watched the now-male Ranma as he ran the food out
of the kitchen.  /Oh, Ranma,/ she thought seriously, /it 
hurt so much to let you go.  Brother, when *are* you going
to wake up?/

*********

     It wasn't as clean as when she had been there last.

     But then, wasn't that why she was here?  Kasumi 
shrugged and let herself into the Tendou home.  "Hello!" she
announced.

     "Kasumi! How are you, my daughter?" her father greeted
her.  Mr. Saotome growfed at her from behind a bamboo frond.

     "I am fine, Father.  How are Akane and Ranma?" Kasumi
enquired courteously. 

     "We have high hopes that the lines will soon be 
joined," Tendou Soun replied soberly.

     Kasumi did not shake her head at her father's wilful 
blindness, instead contenting herself with, "I meant, how 
are they coping with the home in my absence?"

     "It is so saddening!  Kasumi, you must take Akane in
hand!" Soun declared.  "Ranma is performing most of the
household chores, and *all* of the cooking!  In fact, I 
believe he is preparing lunch right now!"

     "I see.  I must go to assist him, then."

***************

     She found Ranma chopping vegetables, his voice 
murmuring softly to someone.  Kasumi poked her head under 
the awning to see Ranma slicing radish into paper-thin 
strips and muttering imprecations.

     "'Not *manly*' he says, like I can really wave *my* 
hand and conjure lunch up out of nowhere...."

     "Ranma, may I speak with you for a moment?"

     Ranma nearly sliced his finger off.  Hissing with 
shock, he quickly rubbed the digit to ensure he had missed 
it, and then turned to the now-apologetic Kasumi.

     "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to shock you," Kasumi
apologised.

     Ranma nodded, accepting the apology.  "It's all right. 
Please sit down, Kasumi, I'm making oden."

     She glanced at the radish.  "I don't think those slices
are thick enough for oden, Ranma."

     Ranma glanced down. His eyes bulged as he saw the
radish, each piece sliced so thin it was translucent.
"Um... then I'll fry them!" he announced, heading over for
the  cupboard and the frypan.

     "Ranma."  Kasumi's voice stopped him mid-stride. He
looked over at her and stopped, taking a seat in front of
her.

     "Ranma, Akane isn't really helping, is she."

     Ranma glanced down. "She tries," he said defensively. 
"She just isn't very good yet."

     "Ranma."

     "I'm sure she'll improve."

     Kasumi shook her head.  "Ranma, Akane will never 
improve.  Not because she doesn't have the capability but
because she doesn't want to."

     He stared at her.  "Kasumi!  You're wrong!  You're - 
you've got to be wrong!"  He stood and went over to the 
stove.  "I can't cope with this!  I can't keep doing most to
all of the housework and my schoolwork and training and 
everything!  Kasumi, she's got to improve - I'll go crazy if
I have to keep doing it all...."

     "I know, Ranma," Kasumi said sadly.  "Why do you think
I was known for being 'The Perfect Housewife'?  Most women 
end up letting at least one of those things slide to cope 
with all the rest."  She sighed.  "I'd hoped... I knew I'd
find this situation but I hoped... well, I have decided to
let you share my secret."

     Ranma shook his head.  "A secret?  Kasumi, you were so
good because you had a lot of patience and practice."

     He stared as Kasumi suddenly started to laugh.  It was 
not a happy laugh, it was a 'God-I'm-tired-and-if-you-knew-
what-I-know...' type laugh, and it put Ranma's hair on end.
"No, Ranma, I had help.  The Tendou Family's secret, passed 
on from mother to daughter - but you have to be the right 
sort of person to use it.  I knew Nabiki would never inherit
it but I'd hoped Akane might, with all her attempts to cook.
But cooking is the smallest part of it and Akane never has 
looked after any other part of the house."

     Ranma looked bewildered.  "I don't understand, Kasumi.
What are you saying?"

     "It's this, Ranma."  And with that, Kasumi held out a
folded bundle of cloth.  "An apron?"

     "Not just any apron, Ranma. When someone puts on this
apron, it immediately enhances all their housewifery skills.
Cooking is simple.  Cleaning is a breeze.  Sweeping, washing
- all of it becomes the simplest, easiest thing in the 
world.  As well, when you put it on, it takes away any
distaste you had for that sort of thing.  You enjoy doing
the work.  It gives serenity and patience to those who wear
it, and it's so much easier to see the bright side of
anything when you have that core of peace inside you."

     Ranma looked at the apron, making no move to touch it.
"That sounds weird, Kasumi."

     Kasumi shrugged.  "I daresay it does.  But this is what 
allowed me to look after you all for so long.  Now that you 
are the one who looks after everyone, it's your right to 
claim The Apron."

     He looked at her.  "But you're looking after that 
boarding house at that school.  Don't you need the apron?"

     Kasumi shook her head. "No.  Once you put on The Apron,
it's always a part of you, even if you never touch it again
and another person uses it instead.  The skills and serenity
it gives you never go away."

     Ranma took the apron gingerly.  "I'm gonna go put this
away," he told Kasumi.  "But I'm not going to put it on."

     Kasumi shrugged.  "It doesn't *change* you, Ranma. 
That's what I meant when I said that you have to be the
right sort of person for it to work.  You have to care about
the house and about the people in it for it to help you 
care.  It won't take anything away from you - it only gives
you the skills and strength to do the job."

     He shook his head.  "I'd still like to do without it," 
he said slowly.  "Besides, what if Akane wants it? It's the 
*Tendou* family treasure."

     "If Akane wants it, then take it off and give it to 
her," Kasumi said calmly.  "It is mine and I am giving it to
you, Ranma."

     "If you say so," Ranma said dubiously, eyeing The 
Apron.  "Will you look after lunch while I put it away?"

     "Of course, Ranma."

*******************

     In the fortnight following Kasumi's visit, Ranma 
watched the situation in the house.

     Reluctantly, he had to concede Kasumi was right.  Akane
*didn't* care about the chores she did and she didn't 
improve at all.  Stains remained on the clothes she washed,
and dust gathered on the floors she said she swept.

     Ranma was at his wits' end.  Training before school,
school, training after school, homework, and now all the 
housework.... he felt like screaming!  Kasumi's words, [it
gives serenity and patience to those who wear it], kept 
echoing in his mind as he got closer and closer to his 
breaking point.

     Finally, two weeks to the day after Kasumi's visit, he
just couldn't take any more.

     She (for she had been hit with some cold water a few
hours before and had not had any opportunity to change back
since) fled upstairs to Kasumi's old room.  Brushing her 
hands down her shirt, she reverentially lifted The Apron out
of the drawer.  Unwrapping the tissue paper, her hands shook
slightly as she held it up.

     It looked like any other pinafore-style apron. Soft 
creamy-white cotton strapped over the shoulders, with a wide
bib across the chest that covered the wearer to the waist, 
where the skirt of The Apron was lightly gathered.  A small 
ruffle ran over the shoulders of the apron and around the 
bottom of the skirt.  It had huge, deep pockets, and small 
patches where she could tell it had been badly stained and
very carefully cleaned.

     She remembered Kasumi's warning, [once you put on The 
Apron, it's always a part of you], but then she thought, /I
can't take this any more,/ and slipped it on.

     Ranma sat back on the bed and waited for the change to
rip through her and disrupt her universe again. Finally she
lay back on the pillows, waiting, until she realized that it
wasn't coming.

     She shook her head. How silly! She rolled her shoulders
and stretched. Lying down like this had been so *restful*. 
She felt like she could face the world again, and the 
washing that still awaited.

     It was funny, she reflected as she tripped down the 
stairs, she'd never seen before that if she scrubbed the 
clothes in a circular motion, rather than her usual up-and-
down motion, it was exactly like one of her blocking katas.

     Humming softly, she stepped into the laundry, for the 
first time ever looking forward to doing the washing.

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