Mine eye and heart are at a mortal war
How to divide the conquest of thy sight;
Mine eye my heart thy picture's sight would bar,
My heart mine eye the freedom of that right.
My heart doth plead that thou in him dost lie--
A closet never pierced with crystal eyes--
But the defendant doth that plea deny
And says in him thy fair appearance lies.
To 'cide this title is impaneled
A quest of thoughts, all tenants to the heart,
And by their verdict is determined
The clear eye's moiety and the dear heart's part:
As thus; mine eye's due is thy outward part,
And my heart's right thy inward love of heart.
William Shakespeare
Sonnet XLVI
Thy Inward Love
by Richard Lawson
Comments and Criticism welcome!
sterman@sprynet.com
Part VIII - Decisions
"Bakusai Tenketsu!"
The rock exploded in front of Ryoga, to reveal more rock behind. Ryoga
stopped to wipe his brow; he'd been at this for hours now. He was going
to hit the surface eventually, he knew. He just hoped it was somewhere
that looked familiar.
It didn't help that he had a huge statue strapped to his back. He
leaned back and let it rest on the ground. It was a statue of a big,
silly-looking bear, banging on a big drum. Ryoga had mixed feelings
about the statue. It was a present for Akane. Or maybe it was for
Akari. He didn't know who it was for. He had a lot to work out in his
mind. For now, that statue remained on his back.
He lifted it up again and stepped forward. He focused on the rock in
front of him, looking at the way it was shaped, finding the flows in
the rock that would tell him its breaking point. "Bakusai Tenketsu!"
This time, the exploding rock revealed daylight. Ryoga sighed, then
reached around and turned off the lantern strapped to his backpack. He
widened the opening a little, then stepped out.
He was in the middle of a street. Some people were looking at him
strangely, but he was used to it. He looked around, hoping to find
some place familiar. The restaurant across the street looked familiar,
but it was named "Ukyo's". Obviously not "Ucchan's", which was too
bad. He could usually get a free okonomiyaki or two out of Ukyo.
He sighed again heavily. "Where am I?" he said to the open air. What
was usually best in these situations, he had discovered, was to just
start walking and not actually try to get anywhere. That would
usually get him someplace he knew. As often as not, it was the Tendo
Dojo.
Ryoga wandered down the street, lost in pleasant anticipation of
spending the night with Akane again.
***
"Kasumi, where's the damn shampoo? I can't find any in the bathroom."
Kasumi frowned slightly as she turned to find Nabiki dressed in
nothing but a towel. "Nabiki, there's no reason to use that kind of
language."
Nabiki's scowl deepened. Kasumi was a little amused, inside. Tonight
was Nabiki's prom, and she had been on a rampage all day preparing for
it. Kasumi had already seen her tear into Ranma over some little
thing, and since then, the rest of the family had steered clear.
Kasumi was hoping she'd calm down, as people usually did when talking
to Kasumi. She gave Nabiki a vacant smile, her specialty. No one
could resist it.
Nabiki, though, had been experiencing it the longest. "Don't give me
that stupid look, Kasumi. I know there's more going on in that pretty
little head of yours than you let on. If you'll just tell me where
the da-, uh, where the shampoo is, I'll get out of your room."
Kasumi couldn't help but laugh a little. She should know better than
to try and fool Nabiki; she was as good an observer of human nature as
Kasumi had ever seen. Almost as good as Kasumi herself, although she'd
never let Nabiki know that. "I had to do some shopping today. Akane
said she would put away the groceries, so I imagine she'll bring it up
the next time she comes upstairs."
Nabiki whirled and ran out into the hallway. Kasumi could hear her
shout angrily "Akane!".
Kasumi smiled and went out into the hallway herself. She watched as
Akane and Nabiki growled at each other from the stairs for a minute,
which ended with the shampoo being thrown up the stairs at Nabiki, who
deftly caught it. She twirled, almost losing her towel in the process.
She quickly readjusted it.
"Nabiki, would you like some help with your makeup later?" Kasumi was
the house expert on deftly applying minimal makeup to best highlight
natural beauty.
To her surprise, Nabiki looked almost guilty and shook her head. "Er,
no thanks, Kasumi, Akane will be helping me with that."
Kasumi blinked her eyes. "Oh my." She didn't know what to make of
that. Akane was good at makeup herself - one of the few things she
didn't overdo - but not as good as Kasumi. She wondered what Nabiki
was up to.
Nabiki looked at her, then reached over and took Kasumi's hand. "If you
really want to help me, keep Daddy off me when I leave. He'll just
want to hug me and slobber all over me and it'll ruin everything." She
looked at Kasumi, imploring her. "Please, older sister? You're ever
so good at managing Father."
As it happened, Kasumi had already planned some diversionary tactics;
she remembered her prom all too well. "Of course, Nabiki. Don't worry
about Father."
Nabiki smiled brightly. "Thanks, Kasumi!" She turned and ran down the
hallway into the bathroom.
Kasumi smiled and descended the stairs. Nabiki was trying so hard.
Kasumi hoped she remembered to have a good time.
She stepped into the kitchen and was surprised to find Auntie Saotome
already there, preparing tea. "Oh, no, you musn't do that, Auntie!
Please, let me."
Auntie smiled at her. "Nonsense. I'm perfectly comfortable serving
tea to my husband and your father, and you've plenty of other things to
do."
"Yes, Auntie." Kausmi began her apron ritual. This time, it brought
back strong memories of her mother, probably helped by Auntie's presence
in the kitchen. Auntie was really becoming more and more like a mother
to the Tendo house. She helped out so much, Kasumi wondered if she
shouldn't go to the Saotome home and help maintain it. She had
mentioned it once, but Auntie had laughingly refused.
"There is so little to do there, Kasumi," Auntie had replied. "It has
been so long since I've had to keep house for a family, I'd forgotten
how pleasant it was. I am greatly indebted to you for allowing me to
remember what it is like to be a mother again." And she had bowed to
a blushing Kasumi.
Kasumi was quite protective of her family, but had admitted to herself
that Auntie could do just as good a job running the Tendo home as Kasumi
could. For some reason, that relieved her tremendously. She thought
she would be jealous; instead, it lessened her burden somehow.
Nabiki was going to college. She had the money she needed, she had
already started making some contacts with businesses who might want to
hire her after college, and she had found a good place to live. All in
all, Nabiki was doing a wonderful job of establishing an independent
life for herself.
Akane and Ranma's relationship was proceeding by leaps and bounds.
Akane now wore an engagement ring, and she blushed furiously anytime
someone mentioned it. She had already endured a few weeks worth of
good-natured teasing by her classmates.
Ranma himself seemed embarrassed by the whole thing as well. Kasumi
knew, though, that this was a good thing for him. He had done a good
job of hiding his feelings of affection for Akane; the ring was a
constant reminder to him and the rest of the world that those feelings
weren't so hidden anymore. Ranma himself had changed in the past few
weeks. He seemed more considerate, less rushed, and almost respectful.
Very much like a young man.
Kasumi would have preferred that they not get married so young, but
her father, Uncle Saotome and especially Auntie Saotome were very
eager to have the wedding as soon as possible. Kasumi couldn't disagree
with them publicly, but privately she'd have liked to seen Akane
graduate first. Being a wife and a high school student would be very
tough. At least Kasumi and Auntie Saotome would be there to help.
Nabiki in college. Akane getting married. Auntie helping take care
of Father. These thoughts kept running around in Kasumi's head.
"Kasumi?"
Kasumi looked over at Auntie. "Eh?"
"You've been drying your hands for five minutes now. Is there something
on your mind?"
Kasumi looked down at her hands, realized that she had been very lost
in thought for a long time. "Oh my!" She took her hands and patted
them on her apron absently. She didn't know what to say.
Auntie smiled, and poured two cups from the tea she had prepared. "The
men can wait. Let's drink some tea and talk, eh, Kasumi?"
"Okay." She walked over, took a cup, and sipped it eagerly. Its warmth
ran down her throat and soothed her. "This is very good, Auntie."
"Please call me Nodoka." She looked amused over the cup she was
bringing to her lips. "Who is it that has you lost so much in dreams?"
Kasumi blushed a little. "Oh, I was thinking of how wonderful it was
that Nabiki was graduating, and Akane was getting married, and -"
"Now, Kasumi, I remember when I was your age; it was not thoughts like
those that had me staring dreamily at nothing." Nodoka's eyes twinkled.
"Who is he?"
Kasumi's blush deepened; she brought the tea cup to her lips and put
her face over it, trying to gain time to think. It didn't help; she
lowered the cup and looked at Nodoka, who was smiling sympathetically
at her.
Kasumi ran her finger around the lip of the tea cup. "Well, there's
this sensei who runs a clinic not to far away from here - "
"What is his name?"
"Tofu. Ono Tofu." Just saying his name sent tingles up her spine.
"Does he love you, Kasumi?"
Kasumi swallowed and nodded. "He's - when I'm around him he acts so...
irrationally." She smiled at some of the memories. "Akane tells me
that his patients flee when they hear that I'm coming over, for fear
of what Tofu will do to them when he is in such a frame of mind."
Nodoka nodded. "That sounds like love to me. But why have I not met
this man?"
Kasumi looked down. "I told him, my family needed me too much. They
depended on me for so much; I couldn't leave them. He understood."
Nodoka smiled. "A noble sacrifice you made. And now, as you say,
Nabiki is going to college, and Akane is getting married, and I am here
to help with the house. Does it seem like you are not as needed here
as you used to be?"
Kasumi frowned. "That sounds selfish of me, doesn't it?"
Nodoka laughed. "Not at all. You have done so much to keep the spirits
of your family thriving happily. There does come a point, Kasumi, where
you must attend to your own spirit, or it withers. Your family will
always welcome your help, but they will be much happier knowing that
you have found peace and love for yourself."
Kasumi considered the words for a long time. Slowly, she felt the
weight of a lifetime of resonsibilty being lifted from her. Too long
had the needs of her family come before her personal needs. She had
been a good daughter, and had performed the duties her mother had asked
her to assume when she had fallen deathly ill. Now, it was nearly time
for her to let her family go its own way. She had her own household
to establish.
She smiled, a good, wide smile that was not calculated to cheer anyone
up, or to deflect their anger, or to comfort them during their troubles.
Rather, it was a smile that reflected how happy she was. "Thank you,
Nodoka. I think I am going to prepare the dojo for a tea ceremony
tonight. May I ask you to make dinner? Oh, and please come get me when
Tatewaki arrives; I'll need to be there."
"Of couse, Kasumi." Nodoka went over and gave her a hug. "I hope he
knows how lucky he is. I know how lucky my son has been to have you
be there for him when I couldn't be." Nodoka stepped back, her eyes
glistening.
Kasumi found herself close to tears as well. Smiling, she turned and
went outside to begin the preparations.
***
Ranma sat glumly on the roof. He'd been hoping to spend some time with
Akane today. However, Akane and Nabiki had been spending the day
getting ready for the prom. They had both been quite irritable, and
when they weren't snapping at everyone around them, they were yelling
at each other. Ranma had tasted their anger and found it not to his
liking. Best to stay here and out of trouble.
He looked to see Kasumi cleaning the courtyard. This surprised him;
this was something Uncle Tendo usually did. Ranma leaped down to the
ground and ran up to Kasumi, who seemed intent on removing every loose
twig in the yard. "Hey, let me help."
Kasumi looked up. She had her hair tied up in a loose bun. She was
grimy, dirty, and sweating. She was also wearing a big, silly smile.
The whole affect was unsettling; he had never seen Kasumi this way
before and didn't know what to make of it.
"Thank you, Ranma-kun, but I must do this by myself." She reached into
her pocket and pulled out a small scroll. "However, it would be very
helpful if you could deliver this to Tofu-sensei for me."
Ranma took the scroll and looked at it curiously. "What is it?"
"Now, Ranma, it's not polite to ask such questions." She bent back down
to the grass, humming softly to herself.
Ranma stared at her a moment. What was she up to? He shrugged;
delivering the scroll would at least get him out of the house where
everyone was behaving so irrationally.
He leaped over the wall and ran to Tofu-sensei's clinic. Maybe he'd
find some answers there.
He burst through the door of the clinic, almost running into a guy
who was leaving. There were three patients sitting in the waiting
area, while Tofu-sensei was making some notes on a clipboard he was
holding.
Tofu-sensei looked up. "Hello, Ranma! What brings you here? Is
Akane okay?"
"She's fine, sensei." Akane's limp was gone and all her bandages
removed. Her scar was everything Tofu-sensei had promsied: nearly
invisible, unless you got close and knew where to look.
Ranma held out the scroll he was carrying. "Kasumi sent me over here
to give you this."
There was a scraping of chairs. Ranma looked to see the patients
bumping into one another in their haste to leave the clinic.
Tofu-sensei didn't notice; instead, his eyes lost focus and his face
grew a big silly smile. Very similar, Ranma was startled to notice, to
the smile Kasumi had been wearing on her face. Tofu-sensei took the
scroll from Ranma, broke the seal, and opened it.
He seemed to be having difficulty reading it. When he finished, he
turned towards the skeleton hanging on the wall. "Look, Betty-chan!
Kasumi has invited me over for tea tonight, isn't that nice?" He
dropped the scroll, picked up the skeleton, and began dancing with it.
Ranma looked on in bewilderment. He was also slightly disgusted with
himself; had he really expected to find rationality here? He shrugged
his shoulders, turned, and left the clinic.
***
Ryoga struggled around the corner. He was finally beginning to wear
out. Carrying the heavy statue, tunnelling, and then wandering for
hours were taking huge tolls from his tremendous reserves of stamina.
He was no closer to finding Akane or Akari, and no closer to deciding
what to do with the gift.
He looked ahead of himself and blinked. There was a guy walking on
the fence some distance ahead. Only one person that could be. Ryoga
shifted the weight on his shoulders and moved quickly after Ranma.
Fortunately, Ranma didn't seem to be in a hurry, so Ryoga was able to
keep him in sight. Finally, Ranma hopped down, walked half a block
down the street, and entered a building.
Ryoga moved forward to confirm that it was the Tendo Dojo. He relaxed;
one major goal accomplished. Now he needed to make some decisions.
He moved around the house to the back alley. He set the statue there
and sat down opposite it, trying to think. He had to get this right.
Akane. Akari. The statue.
And Ranma, too.
***
Kuno Tatewaki watched as the driver pulled back on the reigns. The
horses clattered to a halt. The driver jumped down, opened up the
carriage door, and put a step next to the door. Tatewaki stood slowly
up, gathered the crosage from where it rested on the seat beside him,
stepped carefully from the carriage, and approached the Tendo home.
He stopped to check his outfit. He had his finest samurai garb on.
His shirt was in the style of kendo-gi, white with three-quarter length
sleeves, although it was made of silk instead of the usual cotton. His
hakama, which resembled a pleated, divided skirt, was dark blue and
almost glistened in the dark. He had his katana thrust through his
belt; he didn't intend on drawing it tonight, but it felt right. After
his mother's death, he stopped wearing his short tanto blade.
Satisfied, he knocked on the door. It wasn't long before a woman
opened the door. He blinked; he didn't know who she was. She had wide,
friendly eyes, a beautiful smile, and reddish-black hair. She looked
vaguely familiar, and with a start he realized she reminded him of the
pig-tailed girl.
That was Ranma, he had to remind himself. When he had first met Ranma
as a woman, he had become so obsessed with her, that he had ignored
the obvious signs that the pig-tailed girl and Ranma were one in the
same. It became harder and harder to ignore the signs, to feign
unconsciousness whenever he and Ranma fell into some water (which
happened a surprising number of times). His obsessions were capable
of warping everything he saw, and threatend to become full-blown
madness.
Then Nabiki had begun spending lunch with him, sharing good food, quiet
conversation and pleasant company. She soothed the raging fires which
sometimes threatened to claim him. She also had a keen eye for human
nature, and would see things in him and other people that he thought
well-hidden. Her influence had begun eating away at the barriers he
had erected within himself, until he finally could acknowledge who
the pig-tailed girl really was.
The woman in front of him now, he realized, had to be Ranma's mother.
Nabiki had told him how she had been spending so much time with the
family recently. He bowed to her. "Saotome Nodoka-sama, it is good
to make your acquaintance. Perchance, it Tendo Nabiki-san available
to accompany me this evening?"
She smiled and held the door open for him. "Come in, Tatewaki-san.
She will be down in a minute. Please wait here and I will go fetch
her." She waited until he came inside, the quickly climbed the stairs.
Tatewaki stood, slightly impatient, but not allowing it to show. He
gazed at the top of the stairs, waiting for Nabiki.
"Hey, Kuno-sempai, way cool clothes. Waiting for an invaison fleet
to appear so's you can hack 'em to bits?"
Tatewaki glanced over at Ranma, who was leaning against the wall,
appraising him. It would be so pleasant to draw his katana and have
at Ranma. Tatewaki knew, thought, that two things would happen: he'd
ruin the good mood he was in right now, and Ranma would likely throw
him against the wall, ruining his outfit. Fortunately, he knew how
to get under Ranma's skin; something he had learned from Nabiki.
"Ah, Ranma-san. 'Tis good to see you. I understand you professed your
love to Akane. How good that you can so easily display your emotions
for the whole world to see, and comment on. It has been much the topic
of discussion in our class, I know. I salute you on your forthright
behavior."
As had hoped, Ranma started turning red, both from anger and
embarrassment. Ranma clenched his teeth, but Tatewaki had carefully
phrased his words so that Ranma could find no insult in them. Ranma
glared at Tatewaki, but couldn't find anything to say back. Tatewaki
adopted a superior, amused expression guaranteed to further drive
Ranma crazy. Mentally, he thanked Nabiki for her observations. There
were more ways to got to Ranma than by futile physical attacks.
"Tatewaki-kun, are you here to take my baby away! Let me look at you!"
Tatewaki barely had time to brace himself before Nabiki's father had
grabbed his shoulders and given him a good shake. "Oh, you're so
handsome, my Nabiki is lucky to have you!" He looked on the verge of
tears.
Tatewaki looked around, hoping for a rescue. All he saw was Ranma
smirking at him; no help there.
Fortunately, rescue was not long in coming. Kasumi practically threw
herself down the stairs. She was wearing a bathrobe and slippers, and
her hair was loose and flying around. Tatewaki wondered what she was
up to. She was also carrying a camera.
"Father!" She ran up to him, almost shoving herself in front of
Tatewaki. "Here's the camera, you want to take some pictures don't
you?"
He looked a little confused. "Er, I suppose I do." He looked down at
the camera. "Does it have film?"
"I don't know, let's check." Kasumi turned the camera around in her
hands, and soon she and her father were engrossed in its details.
Tatewaki was thankful; his shoulders hurt. He rotated his arms in
their sockets, looked up at the top of the stairs, and froze.
Nabiki stood there, her face carefully neutral. She had a pink and
white dress on, the skirts long and flowing, with subtle sparkles
interlaced throughout. The dress had no shoulders, and revealed a
great deal of her bosom. All of the flesh that was showing had been
treated, somehow, to give her skin a creamy white, almost translucent
look.
She descended the staircase as the rest of the family stared,
flabbergasted. Even Kasumi appeared stunned. Nabiki was wearing shoes
with medium-height heels; they gave her movements a graceful look.
She stopped before Tatewaki, gave him a western-style curtsey, and
smiled at him.
Tatewaki just stared at her. She was beautiful. He had been attracted
to her for her intelligence and her forthright nature. But he had
never suspected that such a stunning creature remained hidden behind
the school uniform. She had found a way to emphasive every attractive
feature, from her fine face to her small waist to her beautiful breasts.
Tatewaki blushed at the direction his thoughts were going; they seemed
unworthy of a true samurai. Hastily he offered her the corsage.
"This orchid cannot possibly hope to match your beauty, Tendo
Nabiki-san, but I hope that it can highlight that beauty and offer
a reminder of how far us mortals have to go to match perfection such
as yours." He bowed deely.
"N-Nabiki you l-look so..." Nabiki's father trailed off. "So grown
up!" He looked to be near tears again; he started moving towards
her. "Oh, if only your mother -"
"Father," Kasumi smoothly interrupted, once again thrusting herself
between him and the target of his exuberances, "let's take some pictures
now."
He seemed to realize that he was carrying the camera. He stepped back
as Nabiki turned so that she and Tatewaki were standing next to each
other. Her father shouted out instructions to position them, then took
two pictures. He frowned as the camera beeped at him.
"Look, Father," Kasumi pointed at an indicator on the camera. "It's
out of film. Let's see, how do we rewind it?" As her father looked
down at the camera, Kasumi shot a glance at Nabiki.
Nabiki grabbed Tatewaki's arm. "Let's go." She pulled him to the
doorway. "Bye everyone, don't wait up."
"Bye Nabiki," Akane shouted from the top of the stairs, an
affectionate smile on her face. "Have fun!"
Tatewaki struggled to clear his mind as they went outside, but it was
full of the vision of Nabiki. He couldn't take his eyes off her. She
noticed, and smiled wryly. "C'mon, Kuno-baby, wipe that drool off your
face and let's get where we're going." She looked at the horse-drawn
carriage. "Tatewaki-kun, how many times do I have to remind you of
what century we're living in?" Nevertheless, she looked impressed.
Tatewaki stepped into the carriage and helped pull her into it. As
they sat down and the carriage got underway, she grasped his hand and
their fingers intertwined. Kuno, staring at their hands, decided
that no matter what happened to him later in life, nothing would match
the pure magic of this moment.
He looked into Nabiki's eyes, and thanked fate for putting her in his
life.
***
Tofu approached the door to the Tendo residence, his heart racing. It
had been so long since he had since he had been invited here, he had
begun to doubt that we would ever be welcome. The formal invitation,
written by Kasumi in her graceful style, had started his blood racing.
He had stumbled around in a daze for hours, before realizing that he
needed to get dressed or he would be late.
He stood in front of the door, scared witless. He remembered seeing
Kasumi for the first time. She had been 15. Her mother had died
recently, and she had taken on the burden of running the household. At
first, he had admired her courage and tenacity. He had watched her
bring her sisters in, the love she shared with them. He had watched
as she left the awkwardness of adolesence behind her and became a
beautiful young woman. And suddenly, he couldn't stop watching her.
Her image filled his mind all hours of the day. The ironic thing was,
when she actually appeared, the sight of her was too painful to bear.
He'd actually had to gaze beyond her, lose his focus, so that her
beauty wouldn't blind him. At least, that was how he saw it.
He had been astounded to slowly discover that she liked him too. But
the food she kept sending him, her continuous visits to borrow books
and other things, the way she smiled at him, left him with no other
conclusion to draw. Then had come the day, during a visit from his
mother, that Kasumi had set some limits: as long as she was needed
by her family, she could not be with him. That had hurt, a lot, but
she had softened the blow with the words: "Someday. I promise."
He wondered if the day had come.
Before he could knock, the door was flung open. Akane stood there,
staring at him in surprise. "Sensei!" She beamed at him. "Kasumi
is waiting for you in the dojo."
He looked behind her. It looked as if most of the family was behind
her, getting ready to leave. "Aren't you coming to the tea ceremony?"
Akane's grin widened. "No, sensei, it's just you and Kasumi. We're all
going to a movie." She walked out the door, closely followed by Ranma,
who clasped his arm in passing. Genma and Nodoka stood on either side
of Soun, who looked as if he wanted to talk with Tofu but couldn't
break away.
Akane turned back to him. "Go ahead inside. We won't be back for a
couple of hours." She smiled, turned, grabbed Ranma's offered hand,
and together with their parents, they walked off down the road.
Tofu entered the house. He wasn't too familiar with the layout, but
easily found the door to the back courtyard. Opening it, he looked
around. The courtyard looked immaculate. It was as if each blade of
glass had been straightened. There was no debris, and the rocks looked
as if they had been scrubbed clean. The surface of the pond was smooth
and tranquil. He stood and admired the beauty of the scene. It was
quite peaceful.
He approached the dojo door. He took out his fan and kneeled. He put
the fan in front of him and opened the sliding door. Putting his hands
on the tatami mat inside, he looked around.
Kasumi was sitting in the center of the room, the implements of the
tea ceremony in front of her. She was wearing a kimono, and she had
her hair tied up on her head. She gazed at the far wall, not
acknowledging him for the moment, her expression neutral. He couldn't
help but gasp; she was more beautiful than he had ever seen her before.
As she heard his gasp, he saw her smile briefly.
Gulping, he put his fan in front of him in the room, then pulled
himself, still on his knees, into the room. He picked up his fan with
his right hand, stood from his right foot, and walked over to the small
display on one side of the room. He put his fan down again, bowed, and
examined the display. A scroll was attached to the wall, displaying
the symbols for harmony, respect, purity, and tranquility. There was
a very pretty arrangement of flowers was set on a table in front of
the banner, and he admired them for a while.
He bowed again, rose from his left foot, crossed the mats in a specific
manner to seat himself in front of the tea kettle.
Kasumi finally acknowledged him with a bow. She scooped powdered tea
from a container into an ornate tea bowl full of hot water. She
whisked the tea, then turned the tea bowl twice, clockwise, until its
front face Tofu. Tofu bowed to Kasumi, said "Thank you for the tea."
He took the tea bowl with his right hand, put it in his left palm, and
steadied it with his right hand. Nodding his head to Kasumi, he turned
the tea bowl twice so that its front was facing away from him. He drank
all of the tea in the bowl, wiped the place where his lips had touched
the bowl with his thumb and index finger, then turned the bowl so that
its front faced him again. He went through the ritual of admiring the
bowl, then returned it to Kasumi.
Kasumi bowed to him, then smiled. "It is good to see you, Tofu-san."
Tofu found his head remarkably clear. The tea ceremony had both
focused his mind and relaxed him, as Kasumi had no doubt intended. He
smiled back at Kasumi. "I am, as always, overjoyed to see you, Kasumi.
You have produced a beautiful ceremony."
Kasumi bowed her head. "I am not worthy, but I thank you."
Tofu raised his eyebrows. "Don't ever say that, Kasumi. You are worthy
of...of..." he faltered, unsure how to finish. "...of everything."
He finished lamely.
Kasumi raised one of her eyebrows. "Am I worthy of you, Tofu-san?"
Tofu rocked back on his heels. "You...worthy of me? Kasumi!" He
trembled slightly. "Quite the opposite. It is my humblest hope to be
worthy of you someday." He bowed to her.
He heard a quick rustle of cloth. Straightening, he found Kasumi had
risen and was coming around the table. She knelt in front of him,
a very serious look on her face.
"Let us not speak of worthiness again, Tofu-san." She took his hand.
"Tofu, my family no longer holds me here. I am free to choose other
opportunities."
Tofu looked at her. She stared back at him, her face calm,
her eyes searching his. He looked down at her hand, clutching his.
He remembered all the good things he had seen her do, remembered how
warm he felt inside whenever he saw her.
And she liked him. That was the most incredible thing of all.
He took her hand with his other hand. "Kasumi, I think I can offer
you something. I just...you really would...accept an offer from me?"
Kasumi smiled warmly at him. She took her free hand and touched his
cheek. "Oh, Tofu..."
They looked at each other for a while longer. Tofu wasn't sure if he
started leaning towards her before she started leaning towards him.
Perhaps they moved together. No matter. They kissed for a long time.
Tofu felt the daze descending on him again, but he didn't care, as
long as it went on for the rest of his life.
***
Ryoga suddenly realized it was dark. He looked up from the statue,
still undecided. He heard voices coming from the Tendo home. Quite
clearly, he heard Akane call, "Good night, Auntie!".
Akane. Getting ready to go to bed.
Ryoga struggled with himself. What about Akari? Could he really go
to bed with Akane and stay faithful to Akari? Could he continue to
date Akari and stay faithful to Akane? It was all so confusing.
In such instances, he usually just gave up thinking and went with his
instincts. He jumped up, found a conveniently large puddle, and
splashed himself liberally.
***
Ranma walked into his room with his father. Tonight had been a good
night for the Tendo family. Nabiki was evidently having the time of
her life. Kasumi had greeted them at the door, a very big silly smile
on her face. She had announced that she was now engaged to Tofu-sensei,
who had gone home to call his mother.
Ranma smiled, thinking of how Uncle Tendo had carried on and on.
Kasumi had tried to control him, but her efforts were marred by her
own tears. Fortunately, Mother had been there to help calm everyone.
There was so much that was changing in the Tendo household, it sent
Ranma's head spinning. Real life was catching up to the family. It
was quite frightening, in a way. Part of him wanted things to stay
the same forever.
He heard a squeal from the hallway. He heard Akane open her door and
cry out in delight, "P-chan!"
Ranma clenched his jaw. Then again, there were some things he needed
to change. Ryoga had been gone for a long time; Ranma had hoped that,
with Akari becoming his girlfriend, Ryoga was above these silly games
now. Obviously not.
He stalked out of the room and to Akane's door. She was closing it;
he put his hand on the door and forced it back open. She turned to
him in surprise, Ryoga clutched to her breast. "Ranma, what are you
doing?" There was anger in her voice.
Ranma didn't care. He glared at Ryoga, who glared back at him. Ryoga
was shamelessly taking advantage of Ranma's promise not to tell Akane
about his curse. Ranma decided that it had gone on too long.
He opened his mouth and froze. He couldn't do it, couldn't break his
word. Akane was looking at him, anger replaced by curiousity over
his strange behavior.
Ranma smiled wickedly. There was more than one way to deal with Ryoga.
He stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. "Akane, isn't
it great about Kasumi? Getting engaged and all, I mean."
Akane blinked at him. "Yes it is great. We've already talked about
that."
Ranma took Akane's hand, holding her engagement ring in front of Ryoga.
"She's engaged; we're engaged. So many Tendo daughters getting
married." Ryoga's eyes got very wide as he stared at the ring.
Akane's puzzlement increased. "Ranma, what's your point?"
Ranma was well on his way to proving his point, even if Akane didn't
realize it. He stepped closer to her putting his hands on her face.
"The point is, I love you, Akane." He looked at her, willing her to
say the words.
She didn't disappoint him. "I love you too, Ranma." She reached up
with her free hand and brought him down for a kiss, Ryoga between them.
They kissed for a while, but Ranma wasn't really into it. He was
waiting for Ryoga to do something. For some reason, the pig was
keeping absolutely still.
Ranma eventually broke off the kiss. Akane was smiling tenderly at
him, and Ranma would have drunk in the sight of her, but instead he
glanced down at Ryoga. Ryoga eyes were very, very wide. Tears seemed
to be coming from his eyes. He looked back and forth between Ranma
and Akane.
Suddenly, with a convulsive movement, Ryoga squirmed out of Akane's arm
and fell to the floor. He scrambled for a while, then jumped out
the window.
Akane looked after him with alarm. "What's the matter with P-chan?"
Ranma went to the window and looked outside. He didn't see Ryoga.
Sorry, buddy, he thought to himself. I hated to do that to you. But
I can't let you do that to Akane any more.
He turned back to Akane and, for the first time, realized how cute she
looked in her nightgown. He smiled, and decided that he wanted to go
back to the kissing. Akane cooperated willingly.
***
Ryoga ran through the streets blindly. He didn't know where he was and
didn't care. Akane...and Ranma. Akane loved Ranma. She had said it.
Akane was engaged, wore an engagement ring. Akane loved Ranma.
She didn't love Ryoga.
Stop this, the rational part of his mind told him. You knew she didn't
love you. You've got Akari, after all. Akari loves you. Stop this.
Ryoga had experience ignoring the rational side of his mind. He just
kept running.
***
Akane was wakened by the sound of horses pulling up to the front door.
She looked blearily at her clock: almost five in the morning. She
waited until she heard the horses pull away, then opened her door.
Nabiki was walking down the hallway, humming slightly to herself. It
was difficult to tell in the darkness, but she looked slightly
disheveled.
Akane called out to her softly. "Nabiki, how was the prom?"
Nabiki answered dreamily. "A little disappointing. I understand it
gets better, though."
Akane gaped at her. "What?"
Nabiki started. "Uh, it was fine, the prom was fine."
Akane came up to Nabiki, bringing her hands to her mouth. "You
didn't!"
Nabiki affected a look of innocence. "What are you talking about,
Akane?"
Akane stared at her, scandalized. Then she began to giggle. "Do you
have any tips I could use with Ranma?"
Nabiki gasped. Giggling with Akane, she pushed her into the bedroom.
She kept the lights off. Nabiki turned her back to Akane. "Help me
get this off."
Akane began undoing the clasps. She noticed that some of them had been
clasped incorrectly.
"You'd better not tell Kasumi," Akane whispered. "She'll want you to
get married tomorrow."
Nabiki stepped out of the dress as it fell around her feet. "Tatewaki
would have gone along with it. You should have seen him, after. He
carried on about how we would get married right away." She giggled
again. "You should have heard some of the poetry he spouted."
It was easy to imagine. Akane started laughing, and Nabiki shushed
her, trying to control her own laughter.
"What did you tell him, Nabiki?"
Nabiki tossed her head. "I told him I'm not getting married. Ever."
Akane drew a sharp breath. "Do you mean that?"
Nabiki smiled. "No, not really. It's going to be fun fighting him off
for a while. After I graduate from college and have a good job, I'll
let him wear me down."
Akane looked at her curiously. "Why wait so long?"
Nabiki raised her chin. "I'm going to make a name for myself. Me.
Tendo Nabiki. Not Kuno Tatewaki's wife. After I've established
myself, he can be known as my husband."
Akane tilted her head. "Will he still want to...you know...do it if
he thinks you won't ever get married?"
Nabiki stretched languoroursly. "I think I can find ways to...persuade
him."
Akane began giggling again, and Nabiki soon joined her. The covered
their mouths, trying not to wake anyone up. Nabiki ended up laughing
into a pillow, tears streaming from her eyes.
Eventually they settled down, Nabiki putting the pillow back on the
bed. They sat on the bed together, leaning into each other, their
foreheads touching.
There was a silence as they looked at each other. They both felt the
weight of the knowledge that moments like these were coming to an end.
Events were going to force them farther apart, no matter how much they
desired to stay together. They would see each other once in a while,
and they would always love each other, but they would never be this
close again.
Finally, Nabiki pushed Akane off her. "Go away, I'm tired beyond
belief." She flopped into her bed. "Tell everyone that if anyone
tries to wake me before noon, I will double the interest rates on
their loans."
Akane rose went to the door, stopped. "What if Kasumi tries to wake
you?"
Nabiki sounded half-asleep already. "Tell her I'll take a photo of
me in my prom dress, put her name on it, and publish it on the
Internet."
Akane giggled, and closed the door. She went back to bed, and wondered
what it would be like to have Ranma join her there.
She smiled; she had a feeling she'd be finding out soon enough.
END PART 8 (more to come)