Thanks to my pre readers: Thomas Scroggs, Jason Liao, Murmur the Fallen, David Johnston, Octavian, EricMcGinnis and Thomas C Kinnen

Thanks to Bert Miller, Caroline Seawright, and Trakal for information on the formal tea ceremony

Special thanks to Richard Lawson for giving this poor writing permission to use a section of his TIL series.

Ranma ½ / Aa! Megami-sama : Kasumi's Wish Chapter Six
Created by Long Ngo
Started November 6, 1998
Finished February 7, 1999
Revised February 14, 1999

      Purson, a fallen angel, once of the order of virtues and thrones, frowned as she sensed another wish being granted. For a moment, she remembered her days as part of the Goddess Relief Office before her face contorted into anger. Though she did not have the power to see into the time-stream as well as the Norns, she would occasionally receive glimpses of the future as well as the past and what she saw did not settle well with her. In the future, Asgard would be receiving, into its ranks, an individual of immense ability that would spoil many of her plans. Scowling, she set about to derail that future as much as possible.

      It had been awhile but now the whitish/golden haired demon, Mara, found herself in front of Purson, another first class unlimited demon, like herself. Although most mortals believe that demons are a group of unorganized monsters that terrorize humans, in reality, there was a chain of command. Through demonic bureaucracy, planning, and luck, Purson had risen through the ranks and was presently her superior. This did not come with a cost. Many demons resented Purson for many reasons. Foremost was the fact that Purson, being a former Angel, had done so well for herself in the land down-under. "What do you want?" Mara asked, her question filled with contempt for the woman in front of her.

      "Now Mara, that isn't a nice way to greet your senior, you know. Anyways, I called you here because I have an assignment for you." Purson replied.

      "I already have an assignment. I'm bringing misery to a mortal by the name of Morsato Keiichi and the three Norns. I don't have time for another project." Mara argued.

      "Not having much luck, are you? Anyways, that assignment is, as of now, suspended. Your new assignment takes top priority and this might be something you'll actually enjoy."

      "Oh?" her interested peaked for a few moments before returning to stare daggers at Purson. "Like I said, I already have a project and do not need another. Anyways you're my superior by only a few souls. So don't push it."

      "At your current rate, a measly Third Class demons could pass you. Like I was saying, that project no longer concerns you. The one that I shall brief you on has the complete support of the Council."

      *Oh Heaven! She has the Council on her side.* Mara thought. "What is my assignment?"

      "It is quite simple. The seduction of one mortal by the name of Ranma Saotome. You do remember how to seduce someone, right?"

      "Yeah, yeah. This will be simple. I'll be back harassing Keiichi in no time. No man can resist me!" Mara stated.

      *My dear Mara, that's what you think,* thought Purson, grinning ear to ear. *Lying is an art. You just have to feed the person enough information to make it believable and also a little fear so that they will not question you.* "Shall we adjourn to your place or mine, to discus the rest of your assignment?" Purson asked.

      "Mine," Mara replied. There was no way she would give Purson any more advantages.

      With a snap of her fingers, a cape appeared on Purson's back. Twirling the cape around her body, she disappeared.

      "Show off," Mara muttered before she too disappeared, only she had no need for special effects or grand exits. *Prepare yourself, Ranma Saotome. Mara is coming to town.*

-----

      Nabiki was inside her room, scheming, but this time, money wasn't her top priority. Instead, she was holding a council of war, consisting of herself and Akane. The enemy was their so-called fiancée, Saotome Ranma. Until proven otherwise, he was guilty of forcing their sister, Kasumi, into an engagement she did not want, all in the name of family honor. That was what Nabiki told Akane although she had her doubts.

      "So what should we do?" Akane asked. "Th…tha…that BOY might be taking advantage of Kasumi right this instant," she accused.

      "Now, Akane, don't worry. Kasumi is downstairs with father and Mister Saotome. Ranma wouldn't dare take advantage of her with two adults around." Nabiki reassured her. *Is he the one that Kasumi was so flustered about? If so, how does she know him?* Nabiki wondered. *If Kasumi had been seeing someone, I should have noticed the signs a lot earlier though in Kasumi's case, she is happy almost all the time.*

      "But, he's a boy. They're all the same." Akane said hotly, thinking of the gang of boys, who try, each morning, to get a date with her by engaging in a useless battle, in hopes of winning.

      Shaking her head, "Not all boys are like that," Nabiki replied. Thinking for a second about who were currently acting as adult supervision. Her father had become very unstable after their mother died and she did not know much about the elder Saotome. "On second thought, why don't you go down and take a peek to see if everything is okay," suggested Nabiki, not knowing Ranma really well either.

      Getting up, "If he even touches Kasumi, I'll bash him!" Akane growled, before leaving the room and closing the door behind her.

      *Akane has to learn to control that temper of hers when it come to dealing with boys,* Nabiki thought. Turning her thoughts over to their new house guests. First there was Saotome Genma. In the brief time that she had met Ranma's father, she had a bad feeling about the man. How could he separate Ranma from his mother at the age of 6 and then for 10 straight years lead him all over Japan, without even a visit home. Taking Ranma to a mysterious training ground in China without even knowing how to read the warnings was just irresponsible. What kind of person was Ranma, with that kind of influence? A huge crashing sound downstairs brought Nabiki back from her musing. Getting up, she went to see what the commotion was all about.

-----

      "This is the life, Tendo!" Genma exclaimed. At first he had feared that maybe none of the girls would want Ranma but soon crushed that thought. Ranma took after himself when he was young. Yes, a real lady's man.

      "Yes, Saotome! Soon our two schools will be united." Soun cheered, wiping away a few tears from his eyes. Today was such an important day for Kasumi that he did not want to break down crying as he had done since his wife died.

      "I hear you, my friend. At long last, our dreams will soon become a reality." Genma roared, finishing another bottle of sake.

      Looking over at his father and Mister Tendou partying outside, near the entrance to the dinning room, Ranma had to shake his head in disgust. He was currently inside the Tendou's Training Hall. Deciding it was a better idea to get a feel of the place than look at the two grown ups drink themselves into oblivion, Ranma started to examine the dojo. *How can two people who value martial arts so much treat their body that way?* Ranma thought. *Marriage. I can't believe Oyaji would do this to me. I'm not ready for marriage yet.* he thought darkly. *There is no way I'm marrying Akane. I don't know why she was mad at me. It was all Oyaji's fault. Tendou Nabiki. She is really nice looking but something about her just gives me the creeps.* When the short haired girl had offered to be his fiancée as well, there was something in her eyes, something a little predatorial. "Kasumi," Ranma whispered, a smile on his face. *She's beautiful and the first person to treat me nicely in a long time,* he thought, *She is older than me. I wonder if she'll expect to be in charge all of the time if I picked her?*

       A knock at the entrance of the training hall startled Ranma. Turning around, Ranma just stared at the girl in front of him.

      Smiling, "Ranma-kun, what seems to be the matter?" Kasumi asked.

      All his mind could focus on was the gorgeous girl in front of him, wearing a very lovely kimono. Ranma totally missed the format tea set Kasumi was carrying.

      "Huh?" was the most intelligent answer his brain could come up at the moment.

      Kasumi couldn't hold back from laughing at the scene in front of her. Placing the tea set down carefully, she spun around, giving Ranma a chance to see every inch of her. "Do you like it?" she asked, having a bit of innocent fun. That was the second time she had laugh in awhile and both times, Ranma was the cause.

      Trying not to stare to much, Ranma nodded, trying hard not to embarrass himself anymore than he already had.

      Smiling, Kasumi entered the training hall and sat down in the center, placing the tea set in front of her. Looking up at the young man who had changed her life, she gestured for him to sit facing her, knowing that he did not have much experience in this area.

      Slowly walking to the spot that Kasumi had indicated, Ranma stared at Kasumi with an expression between wonder and confusion. *Why did Kasumi get all dressed up for?* he asked himself. *Do I have to dress up to drink tea? Oyaji never told me anything about this.*

      Getting ready to start, Kasumi looked up and discovered a very confused Ranma, still standing. *How could I have forgotten,* she thought. "Ranma, please sit down." Kasumi gently instructed Ranma. "The tea ceremony is a very ancient Japanese tradition, Ranma. It dated back sometime around the Momoyama period. About the mid-sixteen century. Relax and enjoy, Ranma. Think of this as a kind of meditation technique." Kasumi explained all the while preparing to start the ceremony. "The main purpose of the tea ceremony was to help a person relax and invite them to take in their surroundings," she began.

       Seeing everything set and Ranma a bit nervous but more relaxed now than when she had entered the training hall, Kasumi closed her eyes for a moment and then started. She took the tea scoop from the top of the tea bowl and wiped it with the cloth as well, following a very specific pattern. She put the tea scoop back by the bowl, then placed the silk cloth to the left of the bowl. Kasumi removed the whisk from the tea bowl and set it on its end. She took the small wiping cloth out of the tea bowl. She then picked up the kettle, holding the cloth over the lid and pouring the hot water into the tea bowl.

      She picked up the whisk and symbolically cleaned it and the tea bowl. She whisked the water, picked up the bowl with her left hand, transferred it to her right hand, and emptied the water into a water bowl. She replaced the tea bowl with her right hand.

      Kasumi picked up the tea scoop with her left hand and the tea caddy in her right. She opened the tea caddy, placing the lid next to the tea bowl.

      She scooped some tea out of the caddy and into the tea bowl. She tapped the scoop once, lightly, on the side of the bowl. She then put the lid back on the tea caddy and replaced it, along with the tea scoop.

      Kasumi repeated the ritual of filling the tea bowl with hot water. Holding the side of the bowl with her left hand, she took the whisk and whisked the tea, quickly but gently. When it was frothy, she made one last circular motion with the whisk, then moved her left hand away as she replaced the whisk with her right.

      Kasumi picked up the bowl and turned it twice, clockwise, until its front faced Ranma. She then placed the bowl on her right near him.

      Ranma blinked. Was he suppose to do something now? Throughout the presentation so far, Ranma was entranced by Kasumi's graceful movements and by Kasumi herself that any instructions she might have given him was lost. Not wanting to disappoint her, Ranma copied the exact movements that Kasumi preformed right before handing him the cup.

      Ranma took the tea bowl with his right hand and placed it in his left palm. He steadied it with his right hand. He then turned the tea bowl twice so that its front was facing away from him. Looking up at Kasumi, Ranma was relieved when he saw her smile and nod in his direction. Smiling himself at getting it right, he carefully drank all of the tea in the bowl. When Ranma was done, Ranma noticed that Kasumi was waiting for something. Taking a guess, he turned the bowl so that its front faced him again.

      Ranma then placed the bowl on the exact spot that Kasumi had offered it to him the first time. Seeing that the smile on Kasumi's face grew slightly, Ranma wanted to jump up and down shouting out a cry of victory but restrained himself.

      At first Kasumi did not know if Ranma could perform his role. Kasumi knew that Ranma had never seen a formal ceremony before and was about to give Ranma a hint when he surprised her and proceeded to turn the cup away from him. Watching him, Kasumi smiled in a way of encouragement. *If nothing else, Ranma is very adaptable.* Kasumi thought. Seeing him place his empty bowl down, she smiled a bit more. Returning her attention back to her part, Kasumi continued.

      She went through another long process of ritually cleaning the implements of the tea ceremony. Ranma was again entranced by the person in front of him. Her face was serious and serene. Her eyes were focused on what she was doing, never glancing his way. It was all so peaceful. Ranma realized he could spend hours just watching her and never be bored.

      Finally, she reached the part of the ceremony where she was to begin taking the implements out of the room. Once again, in a slight violation of the ceremony, Kasumi put her hands on her thighs and looked over at Ranma. "How did you like it, Ranma-kun?" she asked.

      Smiling, "That was great, Kasumi. You were great." Ranma exclaimed, getting up and walking over to her side. "Let me help you up," Ranma offered.

      "Thank you, Ranma-kun." Kasumi asked. *How many formalities have I broken in the last two days since you have arrived, Ranma? I've lost count and that is the way you are. That is who you are. You are everything exciting in life. I'm glad you enjoyed the tea ceremony.* Kasumi mused.

-----

      Storming down the stairs, Akane looked around for Ranma when she decided to look in the training hall. Martial artist and training hall kind of go together, Akane discerned. As she made her way to the entrance, with dark thoughts as to what Ranma was doing with her beloved sister, she saw Ranma holding Kasumi's hand with a smile on his face. Akane never noticed that Kasumi was wearing a kimono or the formal tea set. What her mind told her was that, Ranma was trying to take advantage of Kasumi inside the training hall where no one could see his dastardly deeds. Picking up a large rock by the koi pond, Akane aimed and threw it at Ranma.

      The rock having been aimed properly, impacted the young martial artist. Taking to the air, Ranma traveled the length of the training hall before crashing into the wall.

      "Oh my!" Kasumi exclaimed, a bit startled at this turn of events.

      Running up to Kasumi, "Are you all right, Kasumi? That boy didn't hurt you or anything did he?" Akane asked.

      "Akane, how could you? You ruined everything I set up." Kasumi accused, her voiced filled with anger for a moment before calming down.

      For the first time since coming down the stairs, Akane noticed the formal tea set and Kasumi wearing a kimono. "I'm so sorry, Kasumi." Akane apologized, "I didn't know."

      "That's all right. Next time, please think before you act and you should apologize to Ranma after he wakes up."

      Nodding her head, ashamed of herself, Akane waited while Kasumi cleaned up and for Ranma to wake up, hands behind her back and head bowed.

      Hearing the loud sound, Nabiki followed Akane's reasoning and headed into the training hall to see Ranma embedded into the wall by a huge rock, Akane looking a bit sad and Kasumi in a kimono and carrying the formal tea set. "Did I miss anything?" she asked.

To be continued: