[FFML] [Fanfic][Ranma]High Flight (Revised heavily, new story basically)

Author's notes at end

Disclaimer: This work was not done for profit but
entertainment. None of these characters belong to me.
I merely took them for a test drive.

High Flight

It was a wonderfully pleasant morning in Nerima. The
early rays of the sun were casting their magic over
the city streets promising a hot day and a warm
evening. People around the city were waking up and
taking it in, thinking all was right with the world.
What could possibly be wrong on a day that was
starting so beautifully?
For some reason the warmth of the sun and the bustle
of the city didn�t work their normal soothing on
Kasumi�s mind. In fact, she was down right troubled
as she sat at a park bench. Just that morning after
seeing Akane, Nabiki and Ranma off to school she had
received a certified letter addressed to her. Since
she was going out to do her morning shopping she
absently bid her father and Mr. Saotome goodbye and
took it along. As she had read the letter, it shook
her to the core and made her question just who and
what she was.
The large manila envelope was from a small law firm
right there in Nerima. Inside were two smaller
envelopes and a piece of paper. The paper had merely
been a notice to her that the law firm had been
contracted to have the rest of the contents delivered
to her after her 21st birthday, which was just a few
days past. Also that if she had any questions she
could contact them. The first envelope was what
startled the young woman. It was addressed to her in
her mother�s handwriting. Inside was a letter.

Dear Kasumi,

I�m sure this must come as something of a shock to
you
getting a letter from me so long after I�m gone. If
I�m right though
you probably wish you could talk to me about now.
Obviously I
can�t know all these years in the past what you are
going through
now, or what kind have woman you�ve become. However
I can guess.
I�m going to share some something with you and give
you some
advice. First, you should have with this letter a
package about a
trust fund I set up for you. Each of you girls have
one. You can�t
access it until after your 21st birthday. In fact I
didn�t want each
of you to know about it until then. So please, keep
this from
both Akane and Nabiki. Knowing that something like
this will be
happening can change a person�s outlook on the
future, and I wanted
each of you to grow up to be your own person.
Now the advice. Be yourself. Take this money and
do something
for YOURSELF. Go to college, start a business, or
move somewhere.
Just make a decision to do what you WANT to do. Your
father,
bless his heart, is a good man, but is probably
overprotective of
you. He probably also has it in his mind that you
are going to be
the perfect Japanese wife. That is fine, if that is
what YOU want.
If it�s not, don�t let him or anyone else shape you
in the image they
choose. Use this money to find out what you want to
do with your
life. Remember, my dear, sweet child, that I will be
proud of you
no matter what you choose.

Your loving mother,
Noriko Tendo

Kasumi had been forced to stop for at this bench when
she had seen who the letter was from. Now she needed
it�s comfort to dry her eyes and let the sniffles
subside, her mind awhirl. Tentatively she had opened
the second envelope that contained the information on
her trust fund. The amount had surprised her. The
agency that had handled the investments had done so
superbly. Though not anywhere near enough to set her
up for life, there was more than enough money to go to
college at Tokyo University and even fund a goodly
amount of graduate work. Is that what she wanted?
She used to think she wanted to be a nurse, but since
Dr. Tofu had left, that seemed like less of an
impetuous.
The idea of what she wanted to do with her life was
what troubled Kasumi. She simply hadn�t thought much
about it. She didn�t think that she wanted to spend
her entire life taking care of her father though.
Besides when Ranma and her sister got married they
would inherit the dojo and Tendo family home. Though
they would never throw her out, she knew she couldn�t
live there forever. So, what did she want to do? She
honestly wasn�t sure. She would have to think on it
for a while. It�s not like it had to be a snap
decision.

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

The next day seemed to be carbon copy of the one that
had gone before weather wise. It was simply too
pleasant for words. Kasumi however was still troubled
as she attempted to make the morning rounds of her
favorite stores. At home though, not a single person
had noticed that anything was amiss, either a
testament to her outer mask, or how little they
noticed her. However, her mind was not on where she
was going, and soon she was in a part of Nerima that
she didn�t often enter. Not that there was anything
wrong or dangerous there, just that there weren�t many
good shops. Besides, all that noise was distracting
her.
Kasumi paused to consider the noise, and looked up to
it�s source. A small airplane was flying nearby.
Bright red and white it flashed across the azure
background. Suddenly it went straight up, rolling
several times while white smoke poured from underneath
it�s belly. At the top of it�s climb it slid backward
and reversed direction, gaining speed in a dive until
it pulled up again and went around the top in a loop.
For her part Kasumi was entranced. What beauty! To
be free to fly like that! What a thrill!
Suddenly Kasumi had a thought. Would she like to
learn to fly? She didn�t know. Is that what she
wanted to do with her life? She didn�t know. Could
she even do it? Again she didn�t know. She did know
one thing though. She was going to find out.

Having stopped to ask for directions, Kasumi easily
found her way to the Nermia Municipal Airport. Though
there were several buildings behind the fence that
went around the airport, there was only one on this
side of the runway with a large �Learn to Fly Here!�
sign on it. Another sign proclaimed it to be �Murdock
Flight Services� in both Kanji and English. It was a
largish, steel covered building painted in a fading
powder blue. A few planes were parked out front near
a gas pump. Kasumi stared at the door marked �OFFICE�
for a few moments before taking a deep breath and
walking in.
The office was a lounge like affair with a couple of
couches, a TV in one corner and a small coffee table
with aviation magazines scattered over it. Large
windows looked out over the runway. Along one wall
was a counter. Behind the counter was a middle aged
man in greasy coveralls and a baseball cap with
fingerprints all over it. He stood up from where he
had been kicked back looking at a computer screen and
smiled at her. �Hello there, ma�am. Name�s Mack.
How can I help you?�
Kasumi smiled back. �Well, I�d like to find out a
little bit about flying.�
The man seemed to pause and look her up and down for
a moment. Then he grinned widely. �You bet. My
regular instructor is up with an advanced student
right now, but I�ve got somebody that can help you.�
Mack took a couple of steps and opened a door at the
end of the counter. Beyond the door Kasumi could just
barely see some sort of shop with at least one large
airplane in it. �Hey, Kevin, could you come here for
a moment?�
There was a muffled reply, and moments later a dark
skinned man wearing a T-shirt and jeans appeared.
�What can I do for you Mack?�
�Kevin, this young lady, uh Miss -?� Mack looked at
Kasumi questioningly.
�Kasumi Tendo,� she replied.
The older man nodded at her and turned back to Kevin.
�Miss Tendo just came in and asked if someone could
tell her about flying. Think you could help her out?�

The younger man looked Kasumi up and down just as
Mack had. He noted the plain dress and small shopping
basket as well as the bright eyes that seemed to have
-something- intriguing behind them. He nodded once.
�Well, ya can�t really TELL anybody about flying. Ya
gotta show �em. If you gotta explain what�s so great
about flying, they�ll never understand.� Kevin though
about it for a moment and then looked over at his
companion. �When�s Shima going to be back with the
Pitts?�
�The Pitts? He�ll probably have it for another hour
or so, but it�s due for an oil change.� The older man
scratched his head for a moment then spoke again.
�How about taking the Decathlon?�
Kevin smiled. �Yeah, that�ll do nicely. Miss Tendo,
why don�t you come with me and we�ll getcha a
headset.� With a gesture he indicated the door he�d
just come out of.
�Certainly, Mr?� She asked hesitantly.
�Koss, Kevin Koss. Just call me Ace, yo.�

After finding a spare headset and a place for Kasumi
to put her shopping basket, Ace led her out of the
building and over to a blue and white airplane. �This
is an American Champion Super Decathlon. It�s a
monoplane high-wing tail dragger. That means it�s got
one wing, dat wing is on top, and it has a tail wheel
instead of a nose wheel.� Now that she had heard it
explained, Kasumi could see at a glance what he meant.
�It�s aerobatic capable, quick responding and
overall a nice ride.�
Ace reached inside and grabbed a sheaf of plastic
covered papers. He explained to Kasumi that it was
the checklist and that before any flight you had to
make sure the aircraft was in good order. �Remember,
EVERYTHING that happens with a plane in da air or on
da ground is the pilot�s responsibility.� Slowly they
walked around the plane with Ace explaining what each
part was and how to make sure what they saw was
correct according to the checklist. Finally he
pronounced the plane ready to go.
Opening the side door and gesturing her to get in he
said �This plane is a two-seat tandem. That means that
it fits two folks and one sits in front of the other.
You get to sit in front.�
Kasumi was startled. �Aren�t you flying the plane?
Shouldn�t you be sitting in front?� Surely he didn�t
intend for HER to fly this plane? This was going to
be her first time IN a plane!
Ace grinned at her. �It�s got dual controls. I�ll
fly it from the back seat so you can see everything on
the instrument panel in front of you and get a good
look at what is going on around us. It will give ya a
better feel for flying as well.�
Ace carefully helped Kasumi strap in and pointed out
what the various gauges were for. He also commented
that if she decided to take lessons that she should
wear something besides a long dress. Finally he
plugged her headset in and got in behind her.
Running down through the checklist verbally, Ace got
ready to start the plane, some of which Kasumi had to
help with from the front seat. Finally he cracked the
side window and hollered �Prop Clear� and hit told
Kasumi to hit the starter. The prop turned less than
half a revolution before the engine caught with a
roar. The plane shook for a moment before smoothing
out and Kasumi felt a tingling sense of anticipation.

Unbeknownst to either of them, someone was watching
them from another cockpit. �Interesting,� they
thought as they taxied past.
Carefully Ace throttled the engine up to check it�s
performance, then called the tower and taxied toward
the runway, keeping Kasumi appraised of what he was
doing and why. Just before they got to the runway
proper he asked Kasumi a question.
�Kasumi, are you thinking about getting a job as a
pilot, or do you want ta know what it is ta FLY?�
Kasumi thought about it for a moment. �I�m not sure
if I want to get a job as a pilot. I guess I really
want to find out about flying.�
�Okay, then hang on.� Ace didn�t bother to slow down
as he made the last turn onto the runway and pushed
the throttle to the stop. Almost instantly the tail
wheel was off the ground. Ace held the mains on the
runway for a few moments longer, then pulled back
quickly on the stick. Suddenly with a stomach
dropping leap they were fifty feet off the ground and
climbing like a homesick angel.
�Okay, I want you to grab the stick in front of you
and put your feet on the pedals. For right now I just
want you to follow me on the controls.� Ace waited
until he could feel the slight pressure on the stick
and rudder pedals that told him she was doing as he
asked. Taking his hand off the stick but letting it
hover gently around it he spoke into his boom mic
again. �Now I want you to gently ease back a little
on the stick. Can you feel us start to climb a bit?�
Hearing her acknowledge him he gave he more
instructions, not letting her know she was actually
flying the plane. Soon they had climbed to several
thousand feet and had orbited the whole of Nerima
several times.
�Alright, now I want you to take your hands and feet
off the controls and check to make sure your harness
is tight.� Carefully Ace took control of the aircraft
back while his passenger took the last bit of slack
out of her safety belts. �Enjoying your flight so
far?�
Kasumi glanced out the window again. It was so
wonderful seeing the world from this angle! Perhaps
this was similar to why Ranma and the others seemed to
relish jumping from rooftop to rooftop. �Yes I am
Ace. This is a lot of fun!�
�Well, it�s about ta get a lot mo� fun. So far we�ve
been flying. Now we are going to FLY!� With that he
throttled the engine back up and pointed the nose
towards the ground. Picking up speed to the point he
judged as right he pulled back on the stick forcing
the nose of the airplane up. The plane zoomed easily
over the top and they were inverted for a moment,
looking down at the world through the clear Plexiglas
at the top of the canopy. Then an rush down the
backside of the loop and they were flying straight and
level again. �Did you like that?�
Kasumi was so overwhelmed she forgot to speak and
merely nodded in response. That was fine as Ace saw
the nod and took it to mean he could continue. Again
he put the plane first into a shallow dive to pick up
a bit of speed, then climbed hard, reveling in the
small G-forces. He let the aircraft bleed speed off
this time and suddenly they were nearly weightless.
Then he kicked the left rudder hard and the Decathlon
obeyed and the plane fell off to the left in a classic
wing over.
Again Ace asked if Kasumi was okay to continue.
Again he got a nod. He figured they had done far more
than what was normal for an orientation flight, but
wanted to do one more thing. One last time he climbed
until the aircraft stalled, letting it fall off onto
onside but this time putting the aircraft into a spin.
He whooped with joy and carefully watched what he
could of his passenger�s body to ensure she wasn�t
getting ready to lose it. In fact, he let the spin
continue to three full revolutions rather than the
single one he had planned. Finally he halted the
plane�s rotation and headed back towards the airport.
�Well Kasumi, what do ya think of FLYING?� There was
a long pause and Ace began to wonder if he had
overplayed his hand. Maybe had guessed wrong about
this young woman.
Finally Kasumi turned in her seat to look directly at
him. �Wow!� she exclaimed. Then she asked �can we do
it again?�

An hour and a half after Ace and the young woman had
taken off, Mack was starting to get worried. In fact
he had just started reaching for the phone to call Air
Traffic Control when he heard the Decathlon taxi up
and shut down. Mack looked at his watch and grimaced.
Orientation flights were supposed to only last a half
an hour. Especially since he gave them away free to
help promote his business. Here Ace had gone an hour
over the normal time! Still he couldn�t blame the
younger man. He wasn�t one of the regular staff, here
helping out only until he had his own plane back in
working order. Besides, this time only cost him fuel
since he wasn�t actually paying Ace. When he saw the
wayward pilot and his passenger he glowered a bit for
a moment. Then just shrugged his shoulders and went
back to his inventory review.
Ace for his part escorted a glassy eyed Kasumi over
to one of the couches. He smiled at her look. She
was obviously totally infatuated with flight. That
was fine, he was too. Getting them each a cup of tea
he quietly explained what it would take for her to get
her pilot�s license and how much it would probably
cost. He also explained a few of the laws governing
the legal operation of aircraft. Carefully he didn�t
mention some of his own illegal flights, since those
were usually in underdeveloped parts of the world, and
tended to be more of the raider or rescue variety
anyway.
�How long will it take for me to be able to do the
fun stuff we did today?� Interrupted Kasumi.
Ace blinked. He didn�t figure her for the type to
interrupt you when you were talking. �That depends on
how hard ya work at it. It also depends on how fast
ya pick things up. To just get your pilots license
would take about two months at minimum, and that is
providing you can fly at least one hour a day five
days a week. You would also need to take ground
school as well to get ready for your written test. If
ya can fly more it will be faster, if you fly less it
will take longer.�
�I�ll make the time.�
Ace grinned at the fierceness in her voice. �Well
then, da best thing for you to do is come back
tomorrow morning and sit down with Mack and Shima ta
hammer out a flight schedule that will suit ya. That
will also give you a good night�s sleep to think it
over.�
Kasumi thought about it for a moment, then stood.
Uncharacteristically she offered Ace her hand. �Thank
you Mr. Koss, Ace, for taking me FLYING today.� She
smiled at him, picked up her basket and walked out the
door.
Watching his new student walk out the door, Mack
sauntered over to Ace. �Well, what do you think?�
Ace scratched his head for a moment considering.
�She�s got it bad. After I did a loop, a wing over
and a 3 turn spin, she made me do them all again.�
Mack looked at him startled. Nobody did aerobatics
with someone their first time in an airplane! Then he
reminded himself just WHO this young pilot was. �I
had her follow me through on the controls the second
time, and the third time she did it herself with my
instructions. I don�t know if she�s really a natural
pilot or not, but she sure is enthused!�
Mack just shook his head. That was high praise from
this pilot. Well, he�d learn more about the young
lady the next day when she came to set up a schedule.
For now there was other business to attend to. �Okay,
by the way, you got a fax while you were flying.
Please tell Penny to put a warning on stuff like that.
Before I figured out it was for you, I thought I was
going to have to go take a cold shower. What exactly
is a maneuver 236?�

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

That afternoon at home Soun Tendo noticed that his
eldest daughter had a spring in her step. It seemed
odd but pleasant. On the other hand she had been gone
an awfully long time doing her shopping today. He
wondered what might have happened.
In the weeks to come he noticed that Kasumi seemed
more cheerful if that was possible. She stayed out
longer shopping, leaving as soon after finishing her
morning chores as she could. Even Genma noticed and
commented that maybe Kasumi had a boyfriend. It made
him wonder a little at what was going on. However, it
didn�t bother either of them enough to distract them
from their main hobby of trying to get Akane to marry
Ranma.
Kasumi herself heard the speculation and tried to
keep too much of her elation from showing. It was
hard to go back to her perfect housewife facade after
experiencing such freedom though. After Nabiki nearly
caught her reading a �Flight Training� magazine she
took the step of taking covers off of cooking
magazines and putting them over her aviation ones.
Her course books for her ground school were carefully
hidden in her room where even Nabiki refused to snoop.
Truth be known hiding her training from her family
was even easier than she thought it would be. They
simply did not pay much attention to her really. The
thought bothered her obscurely.

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

It was a wonderfully pleasant morning in Nerima. The
early rays of the sun were casting their magic over
the city streets promising a hot day and a warm
evening. People around the city were waking up and
taking it in, thinking all was right with the world.
What could possibly be wrong on a day that was
starting so beautifully?
Of course it was never a good idea to ask that
question when Ranma Saotome was around. Things simply
went wrong around him, like a law of nature or
something. Today was more of the normal insanity of
his life, but a little further afield than usual.
Both Shampoo and Mousse had been particularly hard to
loose, and the look that Akane gave him when he tried
to avoid the amazons spoke of at least a severe
dressing down later. Maybe he would try to talk to
her in the center of the yard where she couldn�t pick
up anything heavy to hit him with.
He was fairly sure he�d lost his pursuers, but
decided to lay low for a few minutes just in case.
Spying a large blue building, he decided that would be
a good place to hide. It looked like some kind of big
warehouse, and hopefully there wouldn�t be anyone
inside. Vaulting the fence he ran in to the building,
quietly shutting the door behind him. With a sigh of
relief, relaxed. Just then a voice behind him made
him jump.
�Hi, name�s Mack. Can I help you?� Ranma looked at
the source of the voice, a middle aged man behind a
counter. His greasy hat said �Golf Ball Liberation
Army�. He smiled a bit oddly at Ranma. �Or would you
rather cling to my ceiling today?�
Ranma smiled sheepishly and dropped back to the
ground. While he was trying to come up with something
to tell this man, he recognized a voice coming down
the nearby hallway. He glanced over to see a tallish
young woman in some sort of blue one-piece coverall.
�Kasumi?� He asked startled.
Kasumi looked stunned and pained at the same time.
�Oh, my!�

Half an hour after their chance meeting at the
airport, Ranma and Kasumi (back in her house dress)
were quietly sipping tea at a nearby cafe. Kasumi had
taken great pains to explain to Ranma what she was
doing.
�Do you see Ranma?� She asked almost desperately.
�I�m trying to take my mother�s advice and do
something for myself. I don�t know if it�s what I
want for my whole life, but it�s something nobody else
has ever even mentioned to me. It�s quite liberating
to just act myself, rather than try to fit the mold
everybody expects me to.� She paused to sip her tea
before continuing. �I didn�t want anyone to know what
I was doing until I was done. Mother didn�t want me
to let Nabiki or Akane know about the trust funds
since it would influence they way they grow up. I was
afraid it might influence you with Akane as well.�
Ranma looked up at that. �Naw, don�t worry about
that Kasumi. I made up my mind on Akane long ago.
After the wedding attempt we took some time to sort
things out. Now we are just trying to stall our
parents until WE are ready to get married.� He
grinned slightly. �I�ll keep your secret if you keep
mine from Pops and Mr. Tendo. Oh, and please don�t
tell Akane I told you. She�d kill me.�
Kasumi smiled in relief. �Certainly Ranma. We�ll
consider that a deal.�
�Do you mind if I ask you a couple of questions
though?�
�Certainly Ranma, what would you like to know.�
Ranma scratched the back of his head and decided to
ask right out. �Well, I was wondering how good are
you?�
Kasumi giggled. It wasn�t her normal polite little
laugh, but an honest to goodness giggle. �Well, the
instructor says I�m doing well. In fact, I soloed
last week.�
�What�s that?�
�I flew an airplane for the first time by myself,
nobody else was in the plane to help.� Kasumi
considered for a moment, trying to phrase it so Ranma
would understand. �Think of it as getting the first
belt in a martial art. I know something of what I�m
doing, but mainly it opens up the way for more
advanced training.�
That made sense to Ranma. �That�s cool! Okay, now
what is with that blue coverall thing you were
wearing? Not that there was anything wrong with it,
but, uh, Wow, um, I guess...well, you looked good in
it!�
Kasumi actually blushed, and diverted her eyes for a
moment. Granted she felt, with some guilt, the
flight suit did show off her figure nicely, but that
Ranma would be the first to comment on it to her!
�It�s called a flight suit Ranma. I don�t have to
wear it, but it is much more comfortable in the
airplane than a dress. Any other questions?�
�Just one. When do you plan on telling everybody?�
Kasumi thought hard for a moment. �Well, when I�m
done with training. Maybe later. I�m not sure just
yet. Remember, you promised not to tell.�
�Don�t worry Kasumi. Your secret is safe with me.�

***********

Elsewhere at another airport, a girl with dark shades
spoke quietly to a woman with a dark expression.
�Seriously Miss Wantanabe, I saw Ace take a gal up in
a plane over at Murdock�s in Nermia. He hung out
there for several weeks when he was working on his
Osprey. He took her up a few more times, but so did
Katsuzo Shima.�
The woman got a strange glint in her eye. �Are you
telling me that Murdock and Shima got themselves a
prot�g�? Somebody they thought so much of that they
are having Kevin �Ace� Koss help train?�
�I don�t know if I would say THAT Miss Wantanabe.
But it does seem he stops by occasionally to check up
on her.�
�Hmmm....Perhaps that thrashing we gave their last
�special� student didn�t teach them a good enough
lesson Kyoko. Keep an eye on them and let me know if
this girl shows any talent.�

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

Kasumi�s instructor Katsuzo Shima looked agitated
when she got back from changing into her flight suit.
He kept looking out the windows at the sky above the
runway and playing with a handheld radio. Normally he
was a very self composed man, even when she did
something foolish in the plane. �What is wrong
Katsuzo?�
�Mack, the idiot, just took his new plane up for a
test flight!�
�The funny looking one he built himself? What�s
wrong with that?� Kasumi asked innocently.
�Nothing!� Snarled Katsuzo. �Except I�m NOT flying
until after he is back on the ground. And before you
ask NO you can�t go up solo while he�s flying either!�
Kasumi was slightly taken back at this. �I thought
you said Mack was a good pilot?�
�Mack IS a good pilot. The problem is if he is doing
anything other than a meat and potatoes flight in a
mundane aircraft, he does crazy things. Heck,
sometimes even then! That�s why we keep him out of
the Pitts and any other high performance aircraft.�
Just then a small airplane flashed passed the hangar
with scant feet to spare. �See!�
Kasumi walked to the window and carefully watched as
Mack proceeded to bend or break most of the airport
regulations she was familiar with. She quit counting
at twenty seven violations. Finally, the plane
cruised down the taxi way, bare feet off the ground in
an impossibly nose high attitude. It seemed to be
moving just above a walking pace, engine howling
defiance at the force of gravity. Then, with a
sputtering, the engine quit and the plane collapsed to
the ground right in front of the hangar.
Like a shot Katsuzo was outside, Kasumi coming up
fast behind him. He jerked the canopy off the small
plane and wrenched Mack from inside of it. Quickly
checking to make sure his employer wasn�t hurt,
Katsuzo started doing something else Kasumi hadn�t
seen him do in their nearly two months of flying
together. He started to scream at Mack. �You flaming
idiot! What the hades do you think you were doing!
What were you thinking! You could have gotten hurt!
You crashed the plane we�ve spent the last year
designing!�
Mack, normal baseball cap replaced with a military
style flight helmet and dark shades for the flight,
only looked a little out of sorts. He calmly peeled
Katsuzo�s hands off his shoulders and brushed himself
off. Finally his friend wound down and quit shouting.
�As crashes go, this one was nothing. Wait to the
next one, that�ll be a crash.� With that he turned
and walked over to open the hangar door.
Katsuzo turned purple for a moment then calmed.
Without taking his eyes off the inside of the hangar
where Mack was trying to start the forklift, he
casually started speaking to his student. �He was in
a mental hospital once, did he ever tell you? He was
released years ago. The first time he did something
like this I said that I thought he wasn�t crazy
anymore. He looked me right in the eye and said �only
on paper�. Since then I don�t fly if he looks like
he�s going to do something nuts again.�
Kasumi just shook her head and thanked whatever
deities that might be listening that Mack hadn�t
decided to teach her to fly himself.

Since Katsuzo and Mack were going to be busy getting
the remains of Mack�s plane into the hangar, Kasumi
was told to go up by herself and practice for her
upcoming check ride. She breezed through the
checklist and soon was happily piloting the Decathlon
a few miles away from the airport in her practice
area--which in a small fit of rebellion just happened
to be centered over her house. It pleased her some
that Mr. Saotome complained nearly every day about the
noise of planes flying over the house in the mornings.

Since Katsuzo was safely on the ground and out of
sight, she decided to practice the maneuvers that Ace
had shown her on her first flight. Katsuzo was a
great instructor, but wouldn�t let her practice
anything that wasn�t going to be on the test she had
coming up for her license. That, she felt, was a
major drag. The basic stuff wasn�t nearly as much
fun. Shortly she was dancing through the air.
After her second loop, Kasumi noticed another plane,
a Cessna Aerobat mirroring her maneuvers a mile or so
away. She smiled and decided to try something she had
read about in one of the magazines she took great care
to hide from her family. The Cuban Eight was a
classic maneuver and was supposed to be fun and look
good too. As she went through the memorized
procedure, she kept one eye on the other plane to see
what it was doing. Almost immediately she spotted a
few minor things that the other plane was doing that
she wasn�t. So she tried again and it went much
better, smoother. It felt so good, so free, she
decided one more wouldn�t hurt. Just as she was
leveling out a voice came over her headset.

�Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;

Sun ward I�ve climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun split clouds -- and done a hundred things

You have not dreamed of -- wheeled and soared and
swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hovering there,

I�ve chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air.

Up, up the long delirious, burning blue
I�ve topped the windswept heights with easy grace

Where never lark or even eagle flew.
And While with silent, lifting mind I�ve trod

The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand and touched the face of God.�

�See you on the ground.�
Kasumi watched as the Cessna turned away and flew
towards the airport. Perplexed she looked over at the
time and decided she needed to be getting back
herself.

It wasn�t surprising to Kasumi to see the Cessna
pulled up near Mack�s hangar, though she was surprised
to see Ace getting out of it. She shutdown her own
plane and hurried through the the final checklist. By
the time she was done, Ace was already tying her wings
down for her.
�Yo, Kasumi. That was some nice flying up there.
Katsuzo know ya do aerobatics when he�s not with ya?�
He asked grinning.
Kasumi had the good grace to look slightly abashed.
�No, every time I mention them he gets a little upset
and says something about you being a bad influence.�
Ace laughed aloud at that. �What was the poem you
recited over the air?�
�That was �High Flight�. It was written by John
Gillespie Magee Jr. in 1941. He was nineteen at the
time. He mailed it home then was killed in combat.
It�s probably the most famous flying poem of all time.
Sorta says it all doesn�t it?�
�Yes,� replied Kasumi. �Yes , it does. What are you
doing here, and why are you flying that little Cessna
that is here for repairs?�
�Well, my herky-bird,� Ace pointed down the runway to
a large transport aircraft. �is being unloaded. I
saw you takeoff, so I thought I�d go watch. Mack said
he finished the Aerobat up yesterday and it needed a
good wringing out. Naturally I figured we could help
each other out that way.�
�He didn�t let you into the hangar did he?� Kasumi
asked with a smirk.
Ace got a dark look on his face. �Now that you
mention it no, he didn�t. Why?�
�Let�s go have a look.� Kasumi escorted her friend
and occasional instructor over to the hangar. He
glanced at her quizzically before opening the door.
The sight of Mack�s home built plane laying in a wreck
on the hangar floor seemed to nonplus him for a
moment. Then he turned to the two men standing over
the wreckage like deer caught in a spotlight.
�Crashed the plane didn�t he?� He asked nobody in
particular.
�No, no, no,� answered Mack. �I simply relocated the
aircraft with extreme prejudice because of a total
loss of the thrust and lift functions.�
Ace simply shook his head and turned to Katsuzo.
�So, Shima, when are you going to let Kasumi take the
ride?�
Katsuzo considered it for a moment. �I was planning
on sunday morning. Why?�
�Cause I wanted to be here for the celebration! I�ll
bring Penny too.�
The instructor considered this for a moment. �You
shouldn�t say things that might jinx it up! Still,
Tanaka�s not going to to know what hit him when he
checks her out!� For her part Kasumi blushed at the
unintended double meaning. She decided it would be
best to go change and head home.
Ace watched her leave and turned to the others.
�There was another plane besides mine up there. Was
shadowing Kasumi way high, basically in the sun from
her perspective. Said �Watanabe Flight School�. Mean
anything to either of you.
The change on the other men�s faces was immediate.
Both looked very angry. �Yes,� said Mack. �It does.
She tried to buy me out a few years ago, and I
wouldn�t sell. Now she does use every bit of dirt she
can.�
�Hmmm....that plane was sure taking an interest in
either Kasumi or her plane. Won�t tell you your
business, but I�d keep a close eye on your aircraft,
maybe keep them in the hangar at night.�
�Don�t worry we will. I just hope they don�t try to
run off our students again. Especially Kasumi. She�s
sweet.� Katsuzo brightened a bit. �You better get
out of here before somebody decides to steal your
Herc. And remember, Kasumi is going to want to see
you after her checkride.�
�Okay, then I�ll see you all sunday!�

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

Saturday evening was a quiet time at the Tendo dojo.
It was summer break, and Nabiki was going to be gone
for the rest of the week looking at several colleges
around the country. Mr. Saotome was sleeping off a
Ranma induced slumber, so it was a small gathering
around the dinner table. Kasumi waited until everyone
was nearly finished before making her play. This was
going to take skill to make it sound casual.
�Ranma, do you think you would be able to go with me
tomorrow when I go shopping? I would like to go to
some stores outside of Nerima and I simply don�t feel
safe going alone.� Actually Kasumi felt safe
everywhere she went, but it was the best excuse she
could think of.
Ranma looked over at Akane who shrugged at him. �You
should go with her Ranma. I�m spending the day with
some friends at the mall anyways. You�ll just be in
my way if you come along. Besides, mall security
wasn�t too happy with you after that last little
altercation you had with Mousse there.�
Ranma winced slightly at the reminder of the property
damage he and Mousse had caused. �Okay Kasumi. Not a
problem.�
Soun just beamed. This was one of the most civil
conversations at the dinner table in some time! Not
only were Akane and Ranma speaking civilly, Ranma had
virtually asked Akane if he could go. That and Kasumi
was asking a favor of her brother-to-be. Maybe when
Genma came to they could start planning another
wedding.

Later Kasumi managed to get Ranma alone while her
father watched TV and Akane took a bath. �Ranma I
don�t really need your protection tomorrow. I�m
taking my check ride for my pilot�s license, and I�d
like you to be there. I�d like to share this moment
with someone in the family, but you�re the only who
knows about this. Well, that and you�ve done so good
at helping me keep this from everyone.�
Ranma was impressed and elated. He already thought
of Kasumi as the big sister he never had, and here she
was calling him family! �I�d be honored Kasumi.�

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

Ranma watched carefully as Kasumi landed. He�d spent
the time of Kasumi�s verbal test and check ride
chatting amicably with Ace and his girlfriend Penny.
It seemed that they had had a few adventures of their
own. Now though, the storytelling had stopped as
Kasumi taxied up and shut the plane down.
After what seemed like ages, both Kasumi and her
check pilot, Jinrai Tanaka got out of the plane.
Politely they shook hands and Jinrai headed directly
for his automobile while Kasumi headed toward her
friends. She looked a bit dazed. By the time she
got to them they were about to burst with questions.
Ranma broke first. �Well?�
Kasumi looked at him a bit lost for a moment, then
broke out in a smile that seemed to light up the open
hangar. �I passed!� Immediately everyone was
congratulating her and patting her on the back. She
accepted it as demurely as she could but left that
goofy grin on her face.

�Well, well, well. Isn�t this a maarvelous
celebration?� Asked the dark haired woman who strutted
into the hangar with a tallish girl in dark
sunglasses. The room was hung with banners saying
�Congratulations Kasumi!�, and everyone was eating
cake and ice cream. She glanced around the gathering,
taking note of the people in attendance. Besides Ace,
Mack and Katsuzo she saw a well muscled young man and
a tallish girl in a flight suit. She homed in on the
last.
�I understand you�re Mack�s new prot�g�?�
Mack stepped between the two women. �Back off
Michiko. Or should I say Miss Wantanabe? What do you
want.�
Michiko Wantanabe looked mildly annoyed that Mack had
stepped between them, then brightened falsely. �I was
just here to ask the young lady a question.�
�What can I do for you?� Asked Kasumi politely.
�I only ask your name,� replied the older woman.
�Kasumi Tendo.�
�Well Kasumi Tendo, I Michiko Wantanabe hereby
challenge you as the Murdock flight school�s champion
to an aerobatic fly off next saturday!� She smiled
nastily at Mack who couldn�t believe what he had just
heard.
�Wait a minute!� He exclaimed.
�What�s the matter MR. Murdock? Afraid your little
sakura blossom can�t take MY champion?� She watched
as blood vessels started standing out in Mack�s
temple. Maybe she could get him to keel over with an
cardiac arrest and get rid of him and his competing
company.
Before Mack or Katsuzo could protest that Kasumi had
just gotten her license minutes before, Kasumi herself
spoke up. �I accept.� Everyone, except for Michiko
and her companion felt their jaws drop. She couldn�t
be serious could she?
Michiko laughed, a full, throaty laugh. �Perfect!
And when Kyoko beats you, everyone will know that
Murdock and Shima are washed up too!�
Ranma, had been trying to figure out some way to help
Kasumi, but there wasn�t a physical threat here that
he could simply beat up. Challenges though, he had a
fair amount of experience with. �Humph, doesn�t seem
like much of a challenge to me!�
Michiko stopped her maniacal laughter. �What do you
mean by that?� She asked in her most menacing voice.
Of course compared to some of the foes Ranma had faced
that wasn�t menacing at all. This lady had no idea
who she was dealing with.
�Just that there�s nothing at stake, really. If you
win, you smear Kasumi, Mack and Katsuzo�s reputation.�
That seemed like this lady�s mission in life. He
wondered if she was related to Ryouga. �If Kasumi
wins, what does she get?� He turned to the Tendo
girl. �You don�t have to accept this challenge
Kasumi. Since this lady is already second string to
Mack, she ain�t putting any honor on the line. If
you�re the only one with a stake in it, it ain�t a
fair challenge.� Unseen by Michiko he winked at
Kasumi who decided to play along despite his totally
nonsensical assertion. He was betting that this
newcomer didn�t know enough about how their families
viewed �honor� and �face� to see the line he was
walking.
�You�re right Ranma. I�m sorry Miss Wannabe, but I
must decline.� Mack looked like he was about to
choke.
�What!� Screamed Michiko. �I WILL have my revenge!
And it�s Wantanabe!�
Ranma looked at her for a moment before replying.
�Well, if you are set on this challenge, then how
about upping the odds on your end a little?�
�Like what?� Asked Michiko suspiciously.
�Well, how about WHEN Kasumi kicks your champion�s
shiny little backside all over the sky, you have to
PUBLICALLY acknowledge that she, Mack and Katsuzo are
your superiors. Of course,� he added, twisting the
knife a little, �if you�re chicken?�
�It�s a deal!� She snarled. �Kyoko here has the
details of the challenge.� With that she stormed out
of the hangar, slamming the door as hard as it would
on the way out.
�Ace, Katsuzo could you please get the information
from Kyoko?� Asked Mack in a carefully controlled
voice. �I�d like to talk to Kasumi and Ranma for a
moment.�

�Okay Ranma, just what were you thinking!� Demanded
Mack once the two of them and Kasumi were in the
office. Kasumi put a restraining hand on Mack�s arm.
He cooled down slightly.
�Easy man. This lady was going to press this
challenge no matter what, right?� Ranma asked
reasonably.
�Well, yeah,� admitted Mack.
�And since Kasumi accepted it,� Ranma shot a dark
look at Kasumi. Who didn�t look the least bit sorry.
�We were kinda boxed in. It was the only thing I
could think of that might let Kasumi win more than
just keeping your reps intact. This way, when Kasumi
wins, the other lady trashes herself. I was hoping
the stakes would get her to retract the challenge
though.� He looked pained for a moment. �Believe me,
I know about battles of pride and what they can cost.�
Mack took a moment to digest this. �Okay, I guess
you�re right. Kasumi, are you sure about this? It�s
going to mean a lot of practice in the next week.�
Kasumi simply smiled. �Yes, I�m sure. Besides,� she
looked over at Ranma with brotherly fondness and
smirked. �Kasumi Tendo never loses!�
Ranma just groaned.

A few minutes later Ace and Katsuzo joined them in
the office. �Well, it actually looks like Michiko put
this together on the level,� announced Mack. He�d
known the rival flight school owner for some time, and
didn�t believe she was capable of doing things
aboveboard. Dirty and sneaky were her usual traits.
Why the JAA hadn�t shut her down yet he didn�t know.
�How so?�
�Well, it�s going to be three separate events using
Unlimited Aerobatic Rules.� Ace looked at the paper
he had in his hand. �First there will be a compulsory
set of aerobatics,� he handed a sheet to Mack. �That
you can practice this week. Then friday night the
International Aerobatics Confederation will be faxing
both Kyoko and us the unknown program. That means you
won�t be able to practice the routine ahead of time,
Kasumi.� He watched Kasumi nod. �Then finally there
will be a freestyle event. That could be really fun.�
�Unlimited rules?� Asked Mack. �That means that we
are going to need to use the Pitts.� Kasumi liked
that thought. She�d been fascinated with the little
biplane since the first day she had come to the
hangar, despite Katsuzo�s steadfast refusal to let her
fly it. �Geez, a week to get you familiar with a new
plane and all the maneuvers! Okay. You are going to
need to be here first thing in the morning, and we are
going to have to work all day, everyday to get ready.
Understand?�
Kasumi just nodded.
�Okay. Go home and get a good night�s sleep. We�ll
see you tomorrow.�

Kasumi was quiet as she and Ranma walked home. She
was lost in thought. Had she done the right thing?
She had just gotten her license that very day! Could
she learn enough in a single week to put up a
respectable show against the star pupil of another
school? What had possessed her to agree to the
challenge so quickly? She was finally shaken out of
her reverie by Ranma.
�We�re going to have to tell you�re family
something,� he moaned.
Kasumi considered that for a moment. �We�ll tell
them the truth.�
Ranma looked at her with wide eyes. �But I thought
you didn�t want them to know yet.�
�Well, I�ll just tell them that I have accepted a
challenge,� smiled Kasumi impishly. �We just won�t
tell them what kind of challenge!�
�You�re father will go ballistic on me if he thinks I
let you get backed into a challenge.� Ranma thought
for a moment before continuing miserably. �Especially
since that is exactly what I did.�
�Ranma,� responded Kasumi with velvet wrapped steel
in her voice �I was going to accept that challenge
from that arrogant woman regardless of what anyone
else wanted. I don�t know what set me off like that,
but I�m going to run with it. Maybe that�s me, maybe
it�s not, but I�m going to find out. My family
practices Anything Goes just like you, and you know we
don�t refuse challenges.� Kasumi softened slightly,
�besides, you were a big help with that. You and I
can just tell father that it isn�t a martial arts
challenge and he doesn�t have to worry about me
getting hurt.�
�They are gonna to wanna watch.�
Kasumi grinned a grin that unnerved Ranma. �I think
I�ll let them!�

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

As was her usual tactic Kasumi waited until after
dinner to broach the subject of her upcoming
challenge. She felt everyone was more receptive to
potentially bad news on a full stomach. �Everyone I
have an announcement to make.� Instantly everyone�s
eyes were riveted on her. She was grateful nobody
looked at Ranma, so they couldn�t tell he knew what
was coming. �Today while Ranma and I were out, I
was challenged. I will be meeting the challenger next
Saturday. I would like you all to watch.� Soun,
Genma and Akane looked at her with their jaws in their
laps. Ranma braced for the explosion.
�RAAANNNNNMMMMAAAAA!!!!!! How could you let my
sister be challenged! She�ll get hurt!�
�Boy, you were supposed to watch out for her, not get
her into trouble!�
�My baby is going to be killed!�--long
pause--�Ranma!�
Ranma looked at the three angry people advancing on
him and closed his eyes. He figured this would
probably hurt a bit.
�That�s enough!� Kasumi barely raised her voice, but
the assembled family members still fell silent and
looked at her. �Please, sit down everyone.� Though
in Kasumi�s normal level tone, everyone knew that
polite request was a command and collapsed bonelessly
to the floor. �You are all wrong that my getting
challenged was Ranma�s fault.� Not surprisingly
everybody, even Ranma, looked a bit sheepish. �I
accepted this challenge of my own freewill. Though is
it not the policy of the Tendo Dojo to accept any
challenge father?� Her father winced but nodded.
�Besides it�s not a martial arts challenge. There�s
no chance of me getting hurt.� Her speech concluded
she waited to see if anyone had anything to say.
�Now, I�m going to be spending the rest of this week
doing some special training. I�m sorry, but you will
have to either eat out or cook for yourselves this
week.� Ranma winced at the thought of Akane trying to
cook for them this week while the fathers paled.
Kasumi decided that maybe should could help some other
things along as well. �Ranma could you help Akane
with meals if you decide to stay home to eat?� Both
nodded back at her. �Thank you.�
Akane was actually pleased with that idea. Things
had been better between her and Ranma for a while now.
Since Kasumi had asked him to help, nobody was going
to tease him about �woman�s work�. Along with her
father and Mr. Saotome�s fear of her in a kitchen it
would be quiet time alone!
Kasumi gathered up a armful of dishes and walked
towards the kitchen. She paused just as she got to
the door and looked over her shoulder. �Oh, and don�t
bother trying to follow me to my practice. Ranma will
make sure you don�t.� Everyone looked at Ranma who
just grinned and cracked his knuckles.

*********

For everyone but Kasumi the week passed slowly.
Several times Ranma had to keep either his father or
Mr. Tendo from trying to follow Kasumi. Surprisingly
Akane didn�t try to follow her sister, instead staying
home and fretting. Ace, Mack and Katsuzo were working
hard on both Kasumi and the plane. One person wasn�t
worried about Kasumi�s safety though. They were
worried about something they felt she hadn�t
considered adequately.
Kasumi was walking out of the hangar late Friday
afternoon when Penny stopped her. �Kasumi, we need to
talk.� Kasumi smiled and assented, leading Penny to
the same cafe she and Ranma had stopped for tea. She
wondered what the slightly older girl wanted.
�It�s great that you are so calm about all this
Kasumi, but you�re working so hard on the flying part
that I�m afraid you�ve overlooked another part of the
challenge.� Penny sipped on her tea for a moment
before continuing. �You see this as a challenge of
flying skills, right?�
�Well, yes,� admitted Kasumi. If there was something
else in the challenge, she had completely missed it.
Suddenly she was fearful that she had overlooked
something. �What did I forget?�
Penny chuckled. �I don�t think you forgot, I think
you just didn�t think of it.� Penny paused to sip her
tea again, mostly for the effect. �Style.�
�Pardon me?� Asked Kasumi confused.
�Style. A challenge like this just isn�t about bare
bones skill, it�s about doing it with style. You got
to have panache, you got to look and play the part as
well as be able to fly.�
Kasumi merely looked at her, wondering if this was
going someplace, and fearing that it would go
someplace she wasn�t comfortable in. She was right.
�Okay, let�s try it another way. What image do you
want to project?�
Now Kasumi was really bad off. What image DID she
want to project to other people. She knew that she
had always been most comfortable being �correct�, but
was that her? This question seemed as big as the one
her mother had thrust upon her in the letter. �I�m
not sure what image for myself. For tomorrow though,
what do you think?�
Penny grinned hugely. �Well now, to play the
successful aerobatic pilot, people expect a little
flamboyance. Big smiles, waves, flamboyant talk and
looks. We�re gonna have to get rid of that whole
housewife walk you do too, and the way you blush
whenever anyone praises you. For starters.�
�For....starters?� Kasumi was horrified at the
thought of starting something new on top of what she
already had on her plate.
�Yep,� Penny thought hard for a moment. �It�s too
bad Brit�s not here, she loves to shop.�
�Shop?�
�Makeup, hairdresser, accessories that sort of thing.
New flight suit too, to match the plane--they�re
repainting it tonight you know.�
Kasumi stopped to take all of this in. Her friends
were going through a lot of work to make the plane
look good for tomorrow's competition. Shouldn�t she
look good to match? Act to match? Shouldn�t she at
least make the effort to look like a competitor? Was
there any reason she shouldn�t try?
�Can you help me?�
�Not only can I, but I insist!� Penny slurped down
the rest of her tea and stood. �Let�s get going. We
got a lot of work and planning to do tonight!�

************
The morning dawned clear and calm. A perfect day for
flying. Each of the days main participants left early
for the airport. Ranma waited until a mere hour
before the appointed time to show his father and the
Tendos to the airport. Nabiki, who had just gotten
home and heard the story the previous night was full
of questions that Ranma refused to answer. Even the
threat of raising the interest on his debt didn�t
shake loose any information. Finally they arrived at
the airport to find the place plugged with hundreds of
spectators.
Ranma walked over to Penny where she stood near the
hangar, his family in tow. �Hey Penny, what�s up with
all these people?�
Penny turned and gave him an irritated look. �That
witch put an ad in the paper and invited everyone to
come see her �glorious victory�. If you look over by
the fence you can see a couple of television crews
setting up.� Ranma looked and saw that there was
indeed a pair of news vans setting up. One of them
was local, the other one the Global News Network with
a satellite uplink. �They tell me they will be
broadcasting this live! Michiko must have pulled in
some serious markers for this.�
Before she could fume some more Nabiki broke into the
conversation. �Okay Saotome, it�s time for some
answers. What are we doing at this airport and just
what sort of challenge is Kasumi into?� Behind her
the assembled Tendos strained to hear what Ranma�s
answer was.
He sighed. He wished Kasumi had done this part
herself. �Well, Kasumi has been learning to fly over
the last few months. Last week her flight school was
challenged by a rival school to a flyin� competition.
She�s this schools only student, so she�s their
champion. Think of it like a couple of rival dojos.
We�re here to watch and lend our moral support.�
Everyone stared at Ranma like he had grown another
head. Finally Nabiki put a few things together. �So
she really hasn�t been taking longer to shop because
she was going further away for better items.� Ranma
shook his head with a grin. �And she doesn�t have a
secret boyfriend like daddy thought?� Again, Ranma
shook his head grinning. �Instead she fooled all of
us except you for the last several months?� That part
REALLY seemed to grate on Nabiki, so Ranma changed his
grin into a smirk. �AARRRGGGHHHH!!!! How could she
do that!�
Ranma only had moments to feel victorious before
Penny grabbed him and pointed out some chairs to the
side of the hangar. �Okay Ranma, why don�t you and
the others go sit down over there. Things are going
to start cracking in a few minutes and those are the
best seats in the house!�

�Attention everyone! Welcome to the First Nerima
Unlimited Aerobatics Challenge Match!� Blared the
airport�s overpowered public address system.
�Today�s contestants will be Kyoko �I am a mirror�
Nakajima from Wantanabe Flight School flying the black
Edge 540!� The crowd shouted approval as Kyoko waved
from near her plane in front of the crowd. Dressed in
a jet black flight suit with a military style helmet
dangling from her hands she seemed comfortable with
the crowd�s attention. It was obvious she was well
known and well liked. Beside her Michiko was soaking
up the applause as though it was meant for her.
�Our other contestant is Kasumi �The Misty way to
Heaven� Tendo from Murdock Flying Services flying a
Pitts Special S-2C!� The crowd applauded again, but
fell silent as they didn�t see Kasumi or her plane.
Then music began to play softly over the PA
(instrumental anthem from Top Gun) and a small biplane
emerged from the hangar being pushed by Mack, Katsuzo
and Ace. It was a brilliant shining white and hot
pink with a rising sun on the top wing. Polished to a
near mirror sheen, it seemed to glow in the morning
sun.
Stopping the plane a few feet from the front of the
crowd, Ace and Katsuzo walked away from it leaving
Mack alone. Everyone followed his gaze as a lone
figure walked out of the darkness of the hangar.
There was a gasp as they saw Kasumi. Matching her
plane, she wore a hot pink flight suit, with a stripe
of white down one side. Her hair was pulled back in
her normal loose ponytail, but streaming down her back
instead of over her shoulder. In her gloved hands
dangled her headset, and she seemed to be looking at
the world in a calm, detached manner through her
mirrored aviator�s sunglasses. She didn�t just walk
though, she sauntered, careful to match the pace and
hip swing that Penny had so laboriously taught her the
previous night. When she got to her plane she shook
hands with Mack, turned to smile brightly at the crowd
and waved. The crowd broke out in thunderous applause
as Michiko scowled.

Finally both pilots mounted their airplanes. Kasumi
had won the coin toss and elected to let Kyoko fly the
compulsory maneuvers first. The announcer explained
the rules to the crowd as Kasumi watched Kyoko take
off to begin her routine. �I would like to take a
moment to introduce you to today�s judges. First is
Jinrai Tanaka of the Japanese Aeronautical
Administration!� There was a pause for the polite
clapping from this announcement. �Second is Al
Yackey of the Flat Rock Air Attack Training Base!�
The pause was a bit longer as there was more
enthusiastic applause as a few people recognized his
name. The portly gentleman stood and waved before
sitting back down. �And last, but certainly not
least, Wayne Handley!� The applause was even louder
this time and a few people ran over to get the former
aerobatic champion�s autograph.
The announcer let it go for a few minutes then noted
that it was time for Kyoko to begin her routine. The
crowd hushed as they watched the small, black plane go
through the maneuvers. Starting with a simple loop,
it progressed to a hammerhead stall, then to several
rolls and competition turns. In all it was a short
ten minute program ending with a 3 turn spin. The
whole thing was done well, very well and crisp. The
crowd loved it and enthusiastically showed it.
As soon as Kyoko landed she taxied over to a fuel
truck and watched Kasumi takeoff. Each of them would
have to fuel up between each of the events. When she
had finished she taxied over in front of the crowd
again and watched Kasumi go through her first set of
maneuvers. The crowd �ohh�d� and �ahh�d� as each part
of the routine was done easily and with an amazing
amount of grace. When the crowd applauded loudly
Kyoko watched Michiko scowl.
Ranma looked over at Ace. �What do ya think?�
Ace thought for a moment. �I�m going to bet on
Kasumi. Kyoko�s flight was technical but cold.
Kasumi�s was warmer and more graceful.�
It took a few minutes for the judges to make their
decision. They seemed to agree with Ace. �Attention
please!� Called the announcer. �The winner of the
first round of this challenge is Kasumi Tendo!�
Kasumi smiled broadly and waved at the crowd from
where she stood next to her airplane.
Michiko scowled menacingly ushered Kyoko into her
plane. It seemed that all of the practice that Kasumi
had done the previous week had really paid off in the
first round. She must have flown the same set of
moves time and time again. However, since neither of
the pilots had had a chance to practice the unknown
routine, it would go to the person with the most
experience.
Kasumi started a bit as Ranma, Akane and Ace walked
over to her. She had been busy watching Kyoko
takeoff. �Do I look that good in the air?� �You
looked even better Kasumi! That�s was beautiful!�
Exclaimed Akane.
�Sure was!� Seconded Ranma. �Looks fun too!�
�We just wanted to wish you good luck again,� said
Ace. Kasumi merely smiled and looked skyward again.
Even if the other plane and pilot were her competitor,
she still loved to watch planes dancing in the sky.

�What do ya think this time, Ace?� Asked Ranma as
they walked back to their seats.
�Well Ranma, Kasumi is good, but she�s still new at
this. She might loose this round since she�s not as
familiar with the moves overall. I�d hate to bet
though. I think Kyoko is still a bit overconfident
and overconfidence makes you sloppy.� Ranma and Akane
both nodded at that.
After both Kyoko and Kasumi had finished their
unknown routines, the judges settled down to decide
the winner. Both contestants watched from beside
their planes, a few feet apart out on the tarmac.
�Okay everyone,� crackled the PA system. �The winner
for the second round, by a narrow margin is Kyoko
Nakajima!� The crowd applauded. Kyoko soaked up the
applause this time, as if it was her just due. Beside
her Michiko beamed mightily and threw a sneer in
Mack�s general direction. �This means that the final
event, the freestyle program will decide the outcome
of the event! First up, Kyoko!�

Instead of watching from the stands this time, Ranma,
Akane and Ace watched with Kasumi near her plane.
Kasumi was downcast from her loss in the second round.
She was worried that she couldn�t do this, that she
would humiliate Mack and Katsuzo with her pathetic
skills. �Kevin, I mean Ace, I�m not sure I�m going to
be able to win.�
Her three companions looked at her critically and
then shared a look. Ranma was the first to speak.
�Well, you�re sure not gonna win talkin� like that!�
Akane scowled at the way he was talking to her sister.
�Ya gotta go into it like you want to win, not that
you�re afraid ta loose! Remember what Mack said the
other day: �When the going gets tough, the tough get
aeronautical!� Just do your very best, and you don�t
have to answer to anybody else.�
�I see what you�re saying Ranma, but what about you?
I�ve never seen you do your very best in a fight.
Every time I think you�ve topped out, you do something
more.� Kasumi appreciated the advice, but it seemed
too much like �do as I say, not as I do�.
Ranma surprised her by grinning. �We�re in different
situations Kasumi. I�m at the top of my Art. I have
to tone things down to keep my sparring partners
interested. If I defeat them before they can get a
blow in, they stay away and then I don�t get any
training and slide. You and I both know you are just
starting out in this stuff. You do your best and
we�re here for ya. Anybody wants to talk about your
honor or abilities after that can take it up with me!�
Kasumi blushed at the praise and the advice, as well
as how foolish she was acting. �Thanks Ranma.� She
looked over to see Kyoko landing from her freestyle
routine and realized they had been talking long enough
to miss it. �I better be going though.�
Kasumi started to get into the Pitts, then turned her
head back to look at her family and friends as they
walked away. Win or lose they were all here, pulling
for her. They really did care about her. Somehow
that thought made her more determined than ever to
win.
Akane was still looking in awe at Ranma as they sat
back down. �Ranma, I�m impressed. I didn�t know you
could cheer someone up like that.�
Ranma looked uncomfortable for a moment. �Well, I
had to do something. This is the first thing Kasumi
has ever done with any flash. I don�t want to see her
quit because of this.�
Akane softened as she looked at him. �Sometimes you
do actually manage to say the right thing.� Quietly
she put her hand in his.

Kasumi paid no attention to Kyoko and Michiko as she
taxied the plane past. Ranma was right. She just had
to do her best and everything would work out. She was
sure of it. Carefully she took off and got to the
altitude she had selected to start her performance. A
quick call to the ground and Penny pushed a button on
the CD player hooked into the PA system. The same
music began to play over her headset and she lost her
self in it�s rhythm and the rhythm of the airplane.
On the ground the loudspeakers began to shake the
airport with one of Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov�s most
famous works: Flight of the Bumblebee. Kasumi�s pink
and white plane stood out against the startling azure
sky. It seemed to dance as it she transitioned from
one move to the next, white smoke trailing behind.
Cuban Eights, inside loops, outside loops, hammerhead
stalls, eight point hesitation rolls, vertical snap
rolls, knife edge passes and avalanches all flowed
smoothly one to the other. There was no wasted energy
from the plane or the pilot. The crowd watched,
struck dumb by the beautiful sight. It was one of the
finest aerial ballet any had seen, even those jaded
by many competitive events. Finally as the music
built to a crescendo, the plane snapped into the
ultimate move of the routine. The plane snapped into
a dangerous maneuver that made it appear to be
virtually out of control. The PA system blared
�TSUNAMI!� and the crowd roared wildly.
Kasumi came out of her trance as the music faded away
in her headset. As planned she was directly over the
runway in front of the crowd. It seemed that
everything had gone as perfectly as she could have
hoped. Before she could even line up to land, Mack�s
voice came over the headset. �Good job Kasumi! Oh,
the judges have already made their decision.�
Kasumi�s heart seemed to drop to the pit of her
stomach in a way that all the G-forces she had just
endured couldn�t do. She listened with all her being
to the voice from the ground. �You won!�

Michiko too had heard the judges decision. She
couldn�t believe it! How could some half-trained
pilot beat her star pupil! She was supposed to
humiliate this girl and Mack too! Now she had been
the one humiliated, and on Global Television no less!
She looked over at Kyoko who simply nodded, knowing
she had been out flown. Somehow that seemed to enrage
her anymore. Finally she calmed down. She knew the
value of honor and had to go and make the
announcement. �This isn�t the end Kyoko. Mack
Murdock better look out, we will be back. And maybe
we can settle up with Miss Tendo as well.�

Kasumi was nearly in shock about the decision. She�d
won! She had won a challenge match in something she
was doing for just herself! She thought back and
tried to measure it against something she knew, but
couldn�t. Outside of her new friends and mentors she
was the only one she knew who did this. She only had
to measure herself against herself! By that meter
stick she was a success! She COULD find her own way
in the world! Just then her engine sputtered and quit.
Suddenly she also realized the old joke about the
propeller just being a fan to cool the pilot was true.
She started sweating.

The crowd gasped as Kasumi�s engine quit. Soun
started crying and Nabiki and Akane glanced fearfully
at each other. Ranma looked over at Ace, Mack and
Katsuzo. They felt his gaze and Katsuzo answered the
unspoken question. �It�s not a problem. She just
overestimated her fuel supply. She�s got plenty of
altitude to bring it in for a nice, safe landing.�
Hearing this Soun stopped wailing about his baby
dying, and the remaining Tendo sisters let out breaths
they didn�t know they were holding.
They watched as Kasumi pushed the plane over into a
steep dive. That brought a gasp from her mentors this
time. That didn�t look like a landing profile!
Seemingly only feet off the ground she pulled up and
looped the small biplane. She then coasted downwind
doing an eight point hesitation roll and then turned
180 degrees as she reached the end of the runway. She
let the plane settle slowly, touching first one wheel
then the other before letting momentum take her right
to her parking place in front of the crowd.
As Ranma, the Tendos, Ace, Penny and seemingly half
the crowd rushed out to Kasumi�s plane Katsuzo looked
over at Mack. �THAT is why I didn�t want her watching
those Bob Hoover videos!� Mack didn�t even look
sheepish, but grinned like a maniac.

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

Kasumi stood near the koi pond in the backyard
looking up at the stars. They were so beautiful
tonight, she felt she could reach out and touch them.
Behind her in the house her friends and family were
celebrating her victory. She was a little tired of
it, especially after her interview with the GNN
reporter who seemed that she wanted to make Kasumi out
to be some kind of demigoddess or something. Worse
still was listening to Michiko fulfilling her end of
the challenge. Kasumi felt a little bad about the
woman�s embarrassment since it was at her hands.
Still, due to the thrill of victory she was relaxed
and content.
Ace and Penny had already expressed their
congratulations. Penny had a few suggestions about
the phone numbers several men had handed Kasumi on the
way out of the airport. She also asked Kasumi to be a
bride�s maid when she finally talked Ace into walking
her down the aisle. Ace just blushed while trying to
wave it off. Mack and Katsuzo had praised her flying
skill, and their skill as instructors, to the high
heavens. Her father and Nabiki were still puzzled why
she decided to learn to fly, but were happy that she
enjoyed it. Her father however had given her a stern
dressing down about not telling him what was going on,
as well as a large hug and long speech about how proud
he was of her. These warm feelings from her closest
friends and family kept company with the
embarrassment, yet addicting rush of power she had
felt from playing up the crowd�s adulation earlier in
the day.
Lost in her own world she didn�t hear Ranma and Akane
come up behind her until the last minute. She turned
to see something rare. They were holding hands. The
smiled in unison and looked up at the stars as well.
�They sure are pretty tonight, aren�t they Kasumi?�
Asked Akane.
�Yes,� she replied. �Yes they are.�
�Whatcha gonna do now?� Asked Ranma
�I�m not sure. I want to keep flying though.�
�Well you certainly reached out and grabbed something
none of the rest of us would have thought of!�
Enthused Akane. That apparently off-the-cuff comment
caused several unrelated concepts to meet in the
center of Kasumi�s brain. Reach out and touch the
stars. Reach out and grab something nobody else
thought of. Be your own person. Stars sure are
pretty tonight. A vague notion of what the future
might hold began to form in her mind. She barely
heard Ranma and Akane take their leave and go back in
the house.
This new thought kept rolling over in the back of her
mind. Higher, further and faster. Mack had shown her
the movie �The Right Stuff� one day when it was too
windy to fly. Maybe there was something other than
stunt flying or flying passengers on the Osaka to
Tokyo run. She�d have to think on it a bit.
Then the depressingly familiar sound of water being
spilled followed by Ranma�s female voice raised in
anger at Mr. Saotome brought Kasumi back to earth.
She turned to look at the assembled gathering. Both
Ranma and his father were in their cursed forms and
doing battle in the living room. Ace and Penny seemed
nonplussed while Mack and Katsuzo were both staring
with their jaws open.
Mack got his mouth working before anybody else.
�Okay, who put the stop payment on my reality check?�
With a laugh Kasumi headed back into the house.
After all, Mack, Ace and Katsuzo had so graciously
introduced her to the world of flight, the least she
could do is introduce them to her own world.
Thoughts of the future could wait for another night.

**********

Non-Ranma Characters borrowed from other places:
Kevin �Ace� Koss--Gold Digger
Penny Pinscher--Gold Digger
H.M. �Mack� Murdock, aka �Howlin� Mad
Murdock�--A-Team
Katsuzo Shima--First test pilot of the Mitsubishi
Zero fighter of WWII
Al Yackey--John Goodman�s character from the movie
�Always�
Wayne Handley--Famous retired Aerobatic Pilot
Bob Hoover--Aviation Legend

Author's Notes:
Well after recieving some good C&C and chatting with
an author I hugely respect, I decide on a major
re-write of my original 8 part storyline. This is
actually the second stage of the re-write, the first
having Darkbird from Gold Digger as the villian. It
was more of a crossover fic rather than a Ranma fic
with cameos. I was told that version changed Kasumi
too much too fast and didn't bring her out enough in
later parts. Too bad though, I had some good lines in
there! If anyone would like to read it, I'd be happy
to email it to you privately.

If you are curious about what Kasumi or her plane look
like in this fic, I've got a few images on my site.
Go to the fanfiction page and have a look. If you'd
like to do a picture up of Kasumi in a hotpink flight
suit I'd love to see it and post it on my page!

This is close to the final form of this story, but all
C&C is greatly appreciated. You can respond to me
privately or to the list, either one. I hope to post
this on my site and submit it to the RAAC fairly soon.

Thanks for reading!

=====
Papa 51 Productions
Creator of Anime Music Videos and Anime Fanfics
http://www.angelfire.com/anime5/papa51/

The average pilot, despite the sometimes swaggering exterior, is very much capable of such feelings as love, affection, intimacy and caring. These feelings just don't involve anyone else.

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