All Ranma characters are property of Rumiko Takahashi, first
published by Shogakugan in Japan and brought over to North ]
America by Viz Communications. And the Kung Fu characters
aren't mine either.
A Different Viewpoint: American Vacation pt 11
Outside the warehouse, Ranma looked around at the group. "So,
what's the plan?"
Akane lightly whapped him in the back of the head. "Weren't you
listening in the car?"
Peter spoke up. "Actually, Kasumi suggested a slight change.
She suggested she transform and lead us in as a cat."
Kwai Chang Caine nodded sagely. "A good plan. I will go in the
rear and... create a... diversion."
Captain Simms opened her mouth to protest, then closed it. "Oh
well, normal tactics don't really apply to this group, do they?" She
finally muttered quietly.
Johnathon laughed grimly. "Not the ones you're likely to find in a
police handbook, I suspect." He shrugged. "Sun Tzu had some
applicable ideas though." He looked over at Caine. "Master Caine,
will you require any help?"
Caine hesitated, then shrugged. "Perhaps. Ranma, would you
care to come along?"
Ranma blinked, then grinned. "Oh yeah. We hit them from
behind, huh? I'm in."
Caine nodded. "Speed and fear will be our allies." He nodded to
the group, then started crossing the street. Ranma followed eagerly,
with a cocky grin plastered on his face.
Akane sighed, and tried not to let her fears get the best of her. "He
had better be alright."
Peter nodded. "They'll be fine. Now it's time to do our part." He
started across the street as well, with Kasumi following just behind.
Johnathon opened his thermos and went over to her. "You'd better
change before we get any closer. If anyone sees you...." Captain
Simms looked wryly at him. "Look who's talking. You'd cause a riot if
anyone spotted you." She nervously checked the street once more
for witnesses. It was still deserted, but that was likely to change.
Kasumi looked concerned at that, but controlled herself. "Go ahead
and pour, Johnathon. I'll lead from now on."
They reached the warehouse and Johnathon poured the water over
her. Seconds later he reached down and picked up Captain Simms'
duster and handed it back to her. Kasumi shook herself to rid her coat
of the excess water and moved up to a wooden door next to a large
garage door. She tapped it and waited.
Peter Caine checked the door carefully. "It's locked." He reached
into his coat and pulled out a pair of metal lock picks. "This will just
take a second." < I hope this is as simple a lock as it looks.> Thirty
seconds later Peter smiled triumphantly and quietly opened the door.
Kasumi slipped in as it opened and Peter held it open just a crack,
looking carefully in before preceding himself.
Johnathon came in next, his ears pivoting right and left cautiously.
He and Peter watched as Kasumi reached the corner ahead and
peeked around, looking both ways. She turned back toward them and
rolled her head back to indicate they should come forward. Akane,
Captain Simms and Skalany came into the hall after them, the latter
two having drawn their guns. Kasumi nodded at them and turned the
corner to the left, heading silently ahead. Johnathon and Peter reached
the corner behind her and waited for her to signal them. As Kasumi
reached the next corner and peered around, Johnathon's ears picked up
and pivoted to the right.
The half cat turned in that direction and listened carefully. After a
moment he waved Akane and the two police women up. Johnathon
raised two fingers, and pointed at the door at the end of that hallway.
Captain Simms nodded and started moving down the hallway, waving
Skalany after her. Akane hesitated and Johnathon nodded to her,
and motioned for her to follow him. She nodded, and at the same time,
Peter waved them forward to follow Kasumi, who had finished
investigating ahead and was waiting for them to catch up. Akane and
Johnathon nodded again and followed Peter, leaving Captain Simms
and Skalany behind to guard their rear.
Even as the two police women reached the door at the end of the
hall, they could hear the sound of two men talking from the other side.
From the sound of it, they were about to reach the door. Captain
Simms got to one side and Skalany positioned herself on the other,
trying her best to blend into the wall and stop her breathing entirely.
The door opened a second later and the two men walked through it,
still chatting humorously in Chinese. They had submachine guns
cradled lightly in their hands, and both women froze until the men had
gotten just past them.
Captain Simms moved just moments before Skalany, taking one
long step and placing her gun up against the back of one of the men's
necks. "Don't move." She whispered. "Don't even breathe."
Skalany had imitated the Captain and had her gun up against the
other man's back. "You too. Now slowly... put the guns on the floor."
*****************************
Kasumi could see the door to the room where she and the other
girls had been held. Two men sat at a table in the room just outside
that one. She glanced back to Johnathon and Peter Caine, and held
up a paw, telling them to wait. She paused in thought, then motioned
for the two men to come closer. She stopped them a few feet before
the corner by putting her paw up again. Then she crept around the
corner once more. Kasumi slipped into the room and crossed over to
the two men. She quietly slipped past them and meowed loudly. The
two men turned toward her in surprise.
Kasumi acted cute and innocent as they called to her softly.
She watched out of the corner of her eye as Johnathon and Peter
Caine came around the corner behind the two men. Her husband
and the detective spotted them immediately, and together started
sneaking up behind them as Kasumi continued to distract them.
Kasumi rolled over on her back and pawed the air like a kitten
with a ball of yarn.
The guard on the left commented. "Ahh... What a cute little...
ack!" His companion didn't even get to say that much, as he went
unconscious even quicker. Johnathon and Peter grinned at each
other and they both started checking the fallen guard's bodies.
Akane stood over them, keeping her eyes scanning for trouble.
Peter Caine pulled a set of keys out of his man's pocket and
held them up. "OK, got them." He nodded to the door the two men
had obviously been guarding. "Is this the room the girls are in?"
Kasumi nodded, and Peter went to put the key in the lock. He
suddenly paused. "Oh, Johnathon, maybe you should change
back to normal first."
Johnathon Dwire grimaced. "I don't have any hot water with
me. I should have filled up a thermos at Master Caine's place."
Peter looked frustrated. "Ah... why don't you go and make
sure Skalany and the Captain are OK, and tell them we've found
the kidnapped girls. I'll let them out and start taking them outside."
Akane spoke up. "I'll help Peter-san with the prisoners.
You go ahead."
Johnathon nodded and glanced down at Kasumi. "Stay here
and keep your ears peeled for Peter, OK?" Kasumi nodded again,
and Johnathon winked and ran silently off. Rounding a couple
corners he spotted Skalany and Captain Simms putting handcuffs
on the two men they had captured. Just as he reached him,
everyone heard a loud explosion from further inside the warehouse.
Johnathon raised a hand reassuringly. "That was Ranma,
don't worry. I'd recognize that sound anywhere. I presume he and
Master Caine have their diversion under way."
Back at the kidnapped girls room, Peter had opened the
door and flashed his badge. "I'm here to help you. Everyone
follow me quickly, and we'll get you out of here." Kasumi entered
the room between his feet and dodged the many feet of the girls
moving to the door.
Dora spotted the little black cat and her eyes went wide.
"Kasumi, you did it! You saved us!" She got down on her knees
to hug the little cat. "Thank you." She put Kasumi down and
looked worried. "Kasumi, they took Michele with them a few
minutes ago, since she had on your clothing. I tried to stop
them, but they wouldn't listen to me. You've got to save her
too!" Kasumi's eyes went wide, then she got a determined look
on her face and nodded. Dora smiled slightly. "I know you can
do it, Kasumi. I believe in you."
Kasumi almost froze at the words, then went back to what
she was doing, sniffing Marlane's cot to pick up her scent.
< She believes in me? When did I become someone that people
believe in?> Kasumi got Michele's scent and ran to the door.
Peter Caine was herding the girls toward the exit, but Kasumi
ran on ahead, following the scent. She followed the scent as
quickly as she could, only checking it at intersections to save
time.
The explosion startled the girls, but Peter just shook his
head. "Don't worry everyone, everything is going according to
plan." < What did pop do, set off a bomb?> Akane just grinned
and winked at him knowingly.
Peter noticed Kasumi running away from the group of girls
as he started leading them down the final corridor to the outside.
"Kasumi, what are you...?" She was gone, and he sighed.
"Probably gone to find Johnathon." He turned back to the
kidnapped girls. "Alright, just out these doors and we're home
free." < I just hope backup gets here soon.>
Akane hesitated, then went back to escorting the women.
< Be careful, Sis.>
Inside, Kasumi ran up to Johnathon and the two police
women, noting the two men they had handcuffed. She meowed
at Johnathon to get his attention, then walked past him to the
door at the end of the hall. She sniffed it to make sure that
Michele had indeed gone through it, then pawed at it with her
claws.
Johnathon blinked. "Open the door?" He did so and was
only slightly surprised when Kasumi hurried down the revealed
corridor. He started after her without bothering to ask why.
Captain Simms shrugged, turning to Skalany. "Take care
of these two. I'll go after them." She put action to words, jogging
after the cat and half-cat.
Skalany frowned and waved her gun at the two black clad
goons. "OK you two, march. She gestured to the hall in the
direction of the garage. "And don't make a sound unless I tell
you to. I'm awfully nervous, and I tend to shoot things when I'm
nervous."
Kasumi paused at a doorway halfway down the hall and
sniffed it. Satisfied, she tapped it with her paw. Johnathon
nodded and was about to pull it open when the door at the far
end of the hall opened up suddenly, and Ranma ran in, followed
closely by Kwai Chang Caine.
Ranma grinned. "Hey, great! How many did you guys get?"
Johnathon winced and put his finger to his lips. "Shh!"
He whispered just loud enough for everyone to hear. "We took
out four all together. Kasumi wants us to go in this room for
some reason."
Ranma nodded, lowering his voice. "We took care of eight
of em. Did you guys get Lon Phat? Master Caine says he
wasn't with our bunch."
Johnathon shook his head. "No. We found the girls.
Peter should have them out by now. Lon Phat may be in here."
Suiting action to words, the half-cat opened the door. Kasumi
rushed inside, and Johnathon followed. "Empty. Kasumi, are you
sure about this?"
Kasumi meowed and nodded firmly, then began sniffing the
floor, moving toward the back wall of the room, which had a desk
and several chairs, as well as several file cabinets. Everyone else
came into the room and looked around.
Captain Simms nodded. "I'd bet those files have a few things
in them Lon Phat won't care to have see the light of day."
Kasumi reached the back wall behind the desk and sniffed it.
She meowed loudly and scratched at the wall. Caine came up
behind her and started feeling the wall carefully.
Ranma blinked. "Oh, I get it, a secret passage!"
Kasumi jumped up and tapped a wall section with one paw,
and Caine nodded. "Ah, yes, that is it." He pushed the section
and a six by six foot section of wall slid aside, revealing a passage.
Kasumi slipped through at a dead run, and Caine, Ranma, and
Johnathon followed after quickly.
Captain Simms hesitated, then ran after them as well.
"Following an intelligent cat into a secret passage. This is
going to be one strange story." She rolled her eyes as she ran.
< On second thought, I think I'll keep this one to myself.>
Ahead, Kasumi reached another door and was pawing at it
again. Kwai Chang opened it at once, and Kasumi hurried
down the stairs that were revealed there, everyone else
following close behind.
Kasumi took them down the stairs and into another
hallway, this one quite long, and very dimly lit. The little cat
didn't hesitate, but took one quick sniff, and ran down it as fast
as she could go. At the end of the hall, two men were hustling
a young woman in Kasumi's dress through a door. Kasumi ran
toward them, trying to come up with some way to help Michele.
Lon Phat heard the group coming up behind him and
glanced back. "Hold it!" He shouted, yanking the young
woman around in front of himself. Seeing the large group, he
put his gun to Michele's head. "Stop where you are, or I kill
this girl!" The goon with him faced the group, pointing his
gun at them with a grin. Lon Phat nodded to his man.
"Keep them all covered until I call you. I'll get the car ready."
He glared in Captain Simms' direction. "Drop your gun, and
kick it over here, or the girl gets a new ventilation system for
her head."
Karen Simms kept her gun trained on him. "If you kill her,
there's nothing to stop us from getting you."
The goon's eyes suddenly widened, as he finally noticed
the half-cat's monstrous form in the hallways poor light. "What
in the hell is that thing?"
Lon Phat shook his head. "Just some freak in a costume.
Don't worry about it."
Johnathon growled low in his throat, the sound was eerily
inhuman. Both Lon Phat and his goon pointed their guns at him
as he crouched as if too pounce, and everyone else moved at
once. Kasumi leapt at Lon Phat's gun hand, clawing it and biting
in with her teeth. Kwai Chang Caine and Ranma both fired off
Chi blasts a second later. Ranma's clipped Lon Phat in the head,
knocking him into the doorjamb and causing him to release
Michele, and Kwai Chang Caine waved his hand at the goon,
causing his gun to heat up unbearably. The man dropped his
weapon with a curse, not quite able to draw a bead on the half-cat,
who had hit the floor the second the guns had come around in his
direction, and was just now rolling back to his feet.
Captain Simms came forward, holding her gun steady.
"Now you hold it, unless you happen to be feeling really stupid
today." The goon gulped and raised his hands slowly over his
head. Lon Phat stayed on the floor, nicely unconscious.
Michele blinked in astonishment and slowly stepped away
from her former captor.
The girl in Kasumi's clothes looked in amazement and
some fear at the rescue party. "Are... are you the good guys?"
Kasumi meowed loudly to get her attention and nodded when
Michele glanced down at her. "Kasumi?" The stunned girl
blinked. "That is you, isn't it?" Kasumi nodded, and Michele
sighed in relief. She glanced at Johnathon and gulped. "I
guess he's with you, huh?"
Everyone grinned, except the goon, and Captain Simms
smiled at her. "We're here to rescue you. Let's get you out
of here."
Several minutes later, everyone was outside. Backup
had arrived, and a dozen officers were gathering up Lon Phat's
gang. As most of them were unconscious, it wasn't proving
difficult. The rescued women had borrowed a few police jackets
and Captain Simms' abandoned duster, and were talking to a
couple officers taking statements. Johnathon had changed back
to his normal human form inside the warehouse, although
Kasumi had remained as a cat, since her clothing was currently
in use.
Johnathon held Kasumi in his arms, and was talking quietly
to Dora and Michele. "Kasumi and I would really appreciate it if
you kept our transformations to yourself."
Dora nodded. "No problem. No one would believe us
anyway, and I would never betray someone who saved us like
that." She smiled down at Kasumi. "So this is your husband?"
Kasumi nodded proudly, then fondly rubbed her head up
against Johnathon's stomach. Dora grinned wider. "So you
two have a few things in common, huh? He seems like a
nice guy though."
Michele nodded as well, reaching out to pet Kasumi.
"May I?" Kasumi nodded and Michele stroked her head gently.
"I won't tell. Your husband can be pretty scary at first sight,
Kasumi. But he does seem like a nice guy."
Johnathon coughed. "Thanks, I think. I was glad to help
out. Kasumi seemed pretty worried about you."
Michele shrugged. "I was pretty worried about me too."
She gave Kasumi a final pat and smiled at her warmly.
"Thanks for bringing the cavalry. You were just in time."
Over to one side, Ranma was talking to Kwai Chang.
"Master Caine, about technique with gun...." Akane smiled
tolerantly at her fianc�e's enthusiasm. When Caine started
to give a short explanation of the technique, however, she
listened every bit as intently as he did.
Captain Simms approached Johnathon Dwire. "Well,
Johnathon, Lon Phat will be going to jail for the rest of his
life with everything we have against him now. So will most
of his gang. Your secret will be safe, as we agreed. We
don't need your testimony with all of the other evidence and
witnesses we have, and I understand why you don't wish
your curses to come to the public's attention." She smiled.
"Thank Ranma and Akane for me. I've got to go deal with
the press, and you probably should get out of here before
they arrive." She nodded to Kasumi, who was still nestled
in her husband's arms. "Take care of your family, Kasumi.
I think you'll do a good job of that."
Kasumi meowed shyly and nodded.
Johnathon smiled gratefully at Karen Simms. "Thank
you, Captain. I really don't know how to express my gratitude.
I'm glad everything turned out so well." He shrugged. "I had
better collect Ranma and Akane. They look like they might not
want to leave until Master Caine finishes explaining everything
he knows." Karen Simms laughed softly and Johnathon turned
to go.
Captain Simms spoke up as he started to walk off.
"Peter will drive you back to your car. Good luck."
Johnathon looked back. "Thanks. Take care, Captain."
Going over to Ranma and Akane, he nodded to Kwai Chang
Caine. "We have to get out of here, Master Caine. Thank
you for all your help."
Caine nodded with a small smile. "It was a pleasure to be
of assistance. Much good was accomplished today. This would
not have occurred without all of you."
Ranma shrugged nonchalantly. "It not a problem. Nothing
we not handle every week."
Akane grimaced. "I'd rather cut our adventures down to
once a month or so. Too much of this stuff really interferes with
school."
Peter Caine walked up. "Alright, lets go. I've get you back
to your car so you can go home." He grinned at Kasumi.
"Hey, you were great in there. Ever consider a job in law
enforcement? Kasumi's eyes went wide and she shook her head.
Peter gave her a serious look. "Well, if you ever do, and you
need a partner, look me up." He grinned to show he was joking.
He nodded at his car. "You guys go ahead and get in. I'll be
there in just a minute."
The Nerimites started toward his car, and Peter Caine
turned to his father. "So, pop. Why are you willing to teach
Ranma chi techniques, when I have to learn almost everything
on my own?"
Caine shrugged. "You are not yet ready...."
Peter raised an eyebrow. "And?"
Caine tried to look mysterious, and for once, failed to pull
it off. "Actually, we traded techniques. Ranma had a nice
variation on the Shi Hi Hokhodan...." He trailed off, shrugging
again.
Peter rolled his eyes. "Whatever. You can tell me all
about it some time. See you later, pop."
Caine swatted his son lightly. "Don't call me pop."
*************************
The trip back to the Dwire's house was uneventful. Kasumi
had remained a cat for the trip, as Michele was still wearing her
clothing, and with all the police around, there had been no real
way to get it back. She was relived, actually, that she was able
to postpone her explanation for awhile.
Kasumi sighed as Johnathon pulled his borrowed car to a
stop in front of his parents house. < I suppose its time for me to
tell Johnathon about what happened... with his brother.>
As they went up to the front door Johnathon set Kasumi down
next to him so he could open the door. "Kasumi, why don't you go
to our window. I'll let you in that way so we don't have to try
sneaking you past my folks again." Kasumi nodded and went to
wait below the guest bedroom's window as her family entered
through the front.. She waited in the bushes for a couple minutes
before the window was opened from the inside. Kasumi hopped
through the window and was greeted by her husband, who had a
glass of water waiting for her.
Johnathon splashed her, and Kasumi started going through
her luggage for a change of clothing. "Johnathon, I have something
to tell you." He sat down on the bed and waited for her to speak
with a calm and sympathetic look on his face. Kasumi swallowed
nervously and went back to dressing, trying not to blush in shame
at what she had to tell her husband. "Johnathon... I... I'm afraid I...."
Johnathon's face betrayed his growing concern. "Kasumi...
are... are you alright? You've been quiet for awhile." His eyes
softened and he moved behind Kasumi to hug her gently from behind.
Kasumi froze, still in the middle of pulling her blouse over her head.
She felt him freeze as well and start to draw away at her
tenseness, and Kasumi forced herself to relax and sink back into
her husband's arms. Johnathon sighed over her shoulder. "I'm sorry,
Kasumi-chan. Today must have been horrible for you. You don't
have to tell me if it's too painful." He squeezed her around the waist
lightly. "I'll be here for you anytime, if you want to talk about it
though."
Kasumi tried not to stiffen up again as guilt started to
overcome her. "Johnathon...." She went limp instead in his
arms, letting him hold her up. "Its not that. I'm OK.... These
kidnappers were much better behaved then the last ones.
Because of my curse, I wasn't really too worried about myself.
The one thing my curse has proved useful in is making it easy
for me to escape this sort of thing. But... there was...
something else... today." Kasumi went silent as Johnathon
waited patiently for her to continue. She was conscious
suddenly of her half naked state and her back pressed up
against her husband's shirt.
Johnathon brushed Kasumi's hair with one hand while
keeping her close to his chest with his other arm. "What
happened?" When Kasumi didn't speak up he nodded,
pressing his chin lightly against the back of her head. "Please
don't be so sad. I love you, Kasumi. You don't have to tell me."
Kasumi closed her eyes and relaxed completely, half
hoping Johnathon would decide to take advantage of their
situation, and give her another reason to put off telling him.
< Oh Johnathon... you're waiting for some signal from me,
aren't you? You never would take advantage of the situation,
unless you were sure I wanted you too.> She sighed silently
and wondered if she would prefer him to be a little bit more
forceful in their relationship. < All I have to do is make one
sign and he'll take over, but.. I've got to tell him, now, before
anything else happens.>
Kasumi debated whether she should finish getting
dressed before telling Johnathon. < If I take my blouse back
off, Johnathon will probably feel betrayed when I tell him, but
if I finish putting it on while he's holding me, it's like I'm
refusing him.> Kasumi settled for not moving at all as she
spoke. "I love you too, Johnathon. This morning, I had an
accident in the kitchen, the dogs were jumping all around.
I suppose I should have know someone was home, since
they were inside and out of their cages...."
Johnathon paused. "Did someone see you transform?"
He sighed, and stroked her hair. "That's OK, Kasumi. It was
bound to happen sooner or later. If it hadn't been you, it would
have been me or Ranma."
Kasumi shook her head. "No... no one saw me transform...
exactly. I splashed myself with a bottled water from the table,
and the dogs started chasing me around. I ended up running into
the bathroom, it was open a crack you see, and then I got chased
into the tub...." Kasumi tried not to stiffen up. "Michael was in the
bath... I... I didn't mean to run in on him, but...."
Johnathon blinked, then patted her head. "So you saw him
in the tub? Forget it, it was just an accident. Hey, it's not like
there's anything new there. We are twins after all." He chuckled.
"I guess Ranma isn't the only one who can get into trouble in the
bathroom...."
Kasumi shook her head. "No... I fell into the tub. He had
his eyes shut, covered by a washcloth, so he didn't see me
change... I landed on his chest and slid into the water before he
got a look at me. I changed, of course... right on top of Michael."
She lowered her head in shame and closed her eyes tighter.
"Oh Johnathon... I'm so sorry." Now it was his turn to freeze.
Johnathon Tendo sat paralyzed until the silence became
deafening. "Oh." He finally seemed to come out of it, and
Kasumi remained silent, waiting to hear his judgment.
Johnathon sighed and cleared his throat softly. "It... was...
an accident. There is no reason for you to apologize." His
voice was slightly strained and Kasumi winced, but remained
silent. Johnathon closed his own eyes. < If it had been anyone
but Kasumi, I might have cause to worry, but Kasumi would
never do anything like that on purpose.> "Kasumi, I trust you."
His voice strengthened. "It WAS an accident. That's all." He
hesitated, then shrugged. "I trust you."
Kasumi sagged into his arms in relief. "Oh Johnathon...."
She turned around suddenly, looking into his eyes from inches
away. "Nothing happened. Michael was a gentleman. He got
out immediately, and even covered for me when your parents
came home unexpectedly. He had to climb out that tiny window
and come in the front door. He even found my clothes in the
kitchen and kept your mother from discovering them...." She
blushed red. "I can't imagine what he must think of me."
Johnathon closed his eyes and shook his head. "Oh brother.
What a mess. He probably thinks you were trying to seduce him
or something...." His eyes widened. "What in the heck can we tell
him? Michael probably thinks...." He swallowed and shook his
head. "And I thought Ranma got into trouble. This is ridiculous."
Kasumi was blushing even deeper shades of red. "Oh my.
I've been thinking about this all day, and I haven't had any ideas on
what to do. Even if we told him about my curse, he might still think
I was...."
Johnathon nodded. "Pulling a Shampoo? Yeah... I know you
wouldn't, but Michael just met you. What a first impression to
make...." He hugged Kasumi to him. "It'll be OK. No matter what
Michael thinks, he won't do anything to hurt your reputation. He's
not like that. I'll have to have a talk with him though, I don't want
him thinking anything bad about you." Johnathon pushed Kasumi
back gently. "Go ahead and finish getting dressed. My dad is
almost finished with dinner." He grimaced wryly. "Michael is
supposed to be coming here for dinner too. This may be a bit
uncomfortable." At Kasumi's horrified look he stroked her hair
and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "We'll get through this,
love. I'll explain things to him. He's really a very reasonable guy."
Kasumi shook her head. "No, it's not that... well it is that,
but I forgot! I promised your parents I would cook dinner tonight!"
Johnathon blinked, then started to chuckle softly. His chuckles
grew slightly as Kasumi blinked incredulously at him. As his
laughter grew Kasumi looked slightly annoyed. "Johnathon... it's
not funny! What must they think...?" Johnathon simply laughed
harder and Kasumi beat on his chest feebly, her efforts hampered
by the fact that her blouse was still half on, draped over her arms.
Johnathon caught her arms and gently restrained her, still
laughing slightly. Kasumi couldn't keep a straight face anymore,
and started to giggle uncontrollably herself.
When they finally stopped laughing, Johnathon started
helping Kasumi put her blouse on. "After everything else today,
forgetting dinner really seems pretty small. I'm sure they won't
mind. They're pretty reasonable people too you know. They did
raise me and Michael."
Kasumi nodded, buttoning herself up. "I'm not complaining
about the job they did." She smiled shyly. "Although I have to
wonder about where you got your sense of humor."
Johnathon smiled, and tousled her hair. "Well, my mom
always had the weirdest sense of humor, and dad always laughs
at his own jokes... so I'd have to say both." He stood and offered
Kasumi a hand off the floor. "Come on. Lets go eat. We can
deal with our problems better on a full stomach."
Kasumi nodded, smiling, and let him draw her to her feet.
"That's usually best."
*****************************
In his car, Michael Dwire was trying to pay attention to the
road. < Oh my god. My oh my oh my.> He was driving mostly
on automatic pilot, the way from his apartment to his parent's
house being routine for him. "What am I going to do?" He groaned
out loud. "What can I tell John?" Images of his brother beating
the hell out of him ran amok in his head. "Agrrgh."
I hope you liked it! C&C is always welcome.
You can find the rest of this work at:
http://geocities.com/Tokyo/Dojo/1449