Chapter Three
Tearful Good-bye?
Kasumi smiled at the shopkeeper as she bid him good-bye. She could always count on Takahashi-san for a much-appreciated discount. It was such a great help to Nabiki when Kasumi could pick up groceries at reduced rates. Kasumi was passing a particularly dark alley when she heard what she thought to be crying. She thought of walking by but she couldn’t leave the poor soul. As she entered the alley she held the groceries tighter to her body, doing her best to locate the sobbing figure. Her gaze fell to the end of the alley. “Was that red hair she saw?” Kasumi wondered. She came closer. The crying was growing more distinct, the voice becoming more familiar. She looked to the clothes, the familiar red and black ensemble that Ranma had been wearing when he left for school. It was clear who was crying. “Ranma?” Kasumi called. Ranma looked up, eyes locking with Kasumi’s; eyes that were so full of pain and terror. “Kasumi, stay back, don’t come near me.” Ranma warned. She was a monster, what assurances did she have that she wouldn’t kill again, wouldn’t kill Kasumi for that matter. “Ranma, what’s wrong. What happened?” Kasumi asked with concern, her bag of groceries spilling from her arms. She stepped closer to the huddled figure of Ranma. Ranma didn’t move away, couldn’t move away. Kasumi was blocking her only means for escape. “I told you to stay back, don’t come any nearer.” “I can’t do that Ranma.” She stopped in front of Ranma and knelt before the distraught girl. She put her hands on Ranma’s shoulders. “You need help. Please, just talk to me, I promise to listen.” “I’m a murderer!” Ranma exclaimed, her voice thick with despair. She threw herself against Kasumi breaking down completely. She was still speaking but her words were lost in incoherence to her sobs. Kasumi could only hold the small girl as sobs wracked her frame. As she had done the night before she held Ranma as she rocked back and forth, using the same reassuring words. They stayed that way for the better part of an hour. It was Ranma who finally breeched the silence. “Kasumi, I wanna go home.” Kasumi stood with Ranma in her arms, pulling her to her feet. “All right, Ranma, we can go home.” Kasumi kept an arm around Ranma as they walked side by side. Her other hand found Ranma’s left which she then gave a gentle squeeze. She led the small girl home, her bag of groceries forgotten. Ranma began to shake as they neared the Tendou home, her father would be there, she couldn’t let him see her like this. As the house came into sight Ranma stopped completely. Kasumi had noticed the girl’s apprehension but said nothing until Ranma came to a stop. “Ranma? What’s wrong?” “I can’t go in there, my father, he…” Ranma looked to her feet, unable to continue. “Don’t you worry about a thing, Ranma. I’ll take care of your father. You just relax.” Kasumi reassured the small girl. Genma would have nothing to say about any of this, lest he face Kasumi’s wrath. Kasumi led Ranma into the house and helped to remove her shoes before removing her own. “Follow me to my room.” She instructed before directing her towards the stairs. It was less Ranma following Kasumi and more Kasumi pushing Ranma along. Finally they were in Kasumi’s room. Kasumi led Ranma to her bed before drawing back the covers. She had Ranma sit upon her bed before stripping Ranma of her shirt and pants, leaving the girl in her undershirt and boxers. She helped Ranma bring her legs up onto the bed before she tucked her in. “I want you to go to sleep Ranma, you’ve had a very trying day. I’ll be back before dinner.” Kasumi kissed Ranma on the forehead, having no idea why she did. She drew closed the heavy curtains in front of her windows, shutting out the majority of the light. Then she left, with one last fleeting glance at the distraught girl who had already dropped into a light slumber. Tendou Soun looked up as his eldest daughter entered the room. “I thought I heard you talking to Ranma, is everything all right?” “Is Ranma’s father here?” “No, he went out earlier, said he wanted to reacquaint himself with the district. Why do you ask?” Soun inquired. “It seems that Ranma has a much darker past than she would have us believe. I don’t know the full story, only that Ranma thinks of himself as a murderer. I don’t think Ranma is a martial artist, father. I think she is a warrior, someone who’ll kill to protect what she believes in. Her past haunts her, father. I think, for the time being, that Genma should find another place to live. Ranma will need all the comfort she can get to survive this; she won’t get that if Genma is near.” “I’m sure it isn’t as bad as that, Kasumi. I…” “No father, it is that bad. She is afraid of him, her own father. She didn’t want to come here, didn’t want to see him. Either he finds a new place to live or Ranma, my sisters, and I will.” “He is my friend Kasumi, I can’t just…” “Fine, I see you’ve made your decision. You have chosen your friend over your family. If we mean so little to you, we’d best be leaving. I’ll see if I can find someone who’ll put the four of us up for the night. After dinner father, we’re gone.” Soun could not find the words to respond to his eldest daughter. Instead, he hung his head in shame. He did not have the heart to throw his friend out without warning and that had cost him greatly. He had lost his wife, now he was on the verge of losing the rest of his family. Was friendship worth all this pain? Soun Tendou had the answer, but what could he do? Kasumi had her mind set on leaving. One moment of weakness had done him in. He had to have strength. “Kasumi, no, I forbid you to leave. I will send Genma away.” “No, father, let your friend stay. I gave you your options, you chose. It is too late for second thoughts. Enjoy tonight’s dinner, father. It will be that last you taste of my cooking for quite some time.” She walked away, leaving her father without a second glance. He hadn’t been there for them since mother died; they could continue to live without him. It wasn’t until the class after lunch that Nabiki had gotten word of what happened. She caught up with her in the hall. “Akane!” Nabiki yelled at her sister, “What the hell were you thinking!” “What are you talking about Nabiki?” Akane was truly perplexed, had she done something wrong. “With Ranma, why did you to that to her?” Apparently Nabiki had gotten word that Ranma was attending school as a female. “She’s not like us Nabiki. She’s a murder, a monster. I couldn’t…” The sound of Nabiki’s slap resounded through the schoolyard, cutting her off. “You didn’t stick around long enough to see the anguish you put her in. She felt guilty enough without you running away from her like she had the plague. I only hope I can find her before she does something stupid, like you did. I’m going to try and find her, God help you if she tries to kill herself before I find her.” Nabiki left Akane to her own guilt and shame. She had to find Ranma. “Where would Ranma be? Where would he have gone?” She wondered aloud. “The only place he knows is… home. I hope he went there. If not I can at least tell Kasumi what happened. She might have some insight.” She ran all the way home, uncaring of the spectacle she was making of herself. Nabiki did not run, nor did she care for anyone’s well being, at least, that is what people thought. Lucky for her home wasn’t too far away. She was rushing through the door before she knew it. She stopped to remove her shoes and that is when she saw them. Ranma’s shoes were there, right next to Kasumi’s. She called out to her sister. “Kasumi?” “Nabiki? What are you doing home?” Kasumi asked as she entered the room. “I was worried about Ranma, where is she?” Nabiki’s voice was thick with concern. “She’s fine. She’s upstairs, sleeping in my room.” “Thanks. I’ll check and see how she’s doing.” Nabiki started toward the stairs, only to be stopped by her elder sister. “Nabiki wait. I want to know what happened.” “I wasn’t there but I heard about it. It started this morning with Kunou. Apparently he took an interest in female Ranma; who’ll be attending school by the way. Ranma backhanded him and entered the school. “It wasn’t until lunch that he caught up with them. My associates tell me that Kunou professed his love for Ranma who was none too enthused. She lifted him by his neck before telling him that she had “dispensed death on a field of blood.” She said she didn’t want Kunou to meet the same fate, as she didn’t want his death weighing upon her soul as well. “Her words cut through the fog in Kunou’s mind, he said he’d leave her be. He hoped only that the gods show their favor or something similar. When Ranma turned to Akane, Akane just flipped out telling Ranma to get the hell away from her. Her words cut Ranma deeply. Ranma ran from the school after that, she was crying. I’m glad she came here.” “Ranma didn’t come here when she left the school Nabiki.” “What? I thought you said she was here.” “She is Nabiki. I found her by the markets. She was crying in an alley not far from Takahashi-san’s. It took me awhile to settle her down and bring her home. I had to help her with her shoes and clothes before I put her to bed. You’re right; Akane’s words hurt her greatly. It may take some time to bring Ranma out of her shell.” “Is that all?” “Concerning Ranma, yes.” It was clear from the sound of Kasumi’s voice that there was more. “What is that supposed to mean?” “I told father that Genma would have to leave while we helped Ranma through this. I told him it was him… or us. Father chose him. I’ve found a place for us to stay tonight; we’ll be leaving after dinner.” Kasumi practically growled when talking about Genma and her father. “You and Ranma are leaving?” “Yes, we are, and you and Akane as well. We are no longer going to support father or this home. Maybe someday it will be restored to us.” This was a Kasumi that Nabiki hadn’t seen in a long time. This was a Kasumi that was decisive, a Kasumi that wasn’t going to be holding herself back any longer. This was the Kasumi that had been missing since the death of their mother.” “We’re free.” Nabiki whispered in amazement. Kasumi overheard. “Yes Nabiki, we’re free. Go check on Ranma. I’ll call the school and have then send Akane home. We’ll eat early.” “Good. I don’t want to spend much longer here. I’ve been a slave to this house for too long.” Ranma was awake when Nabiki entered the room. She lay there, eyes open, staring off into space. “How are you feeling, better?” Nabiki asked, drawing Ranma’s attention. “I don’t know. Should I be?” Ranma returned sadly. “I guess that all depends on if you want to move past this. Or do you enjoy wallowing in self pity?” “How can I move past this? I saw how everyone looked at me. They think I’m a monster, and…” “And you believe them? That’s stupid. So you’ve had to kill before, did you take any joy from it? No. You told Kunou that you regretted them all. You did what you had to do. It was the only way you’d get Kunou to leave you alone. He’s been obsessing over Akane for the better part of a year, nothing she has done has made him stop, or say he’d stop. What you did made him see reason. Others may think you a monster, but who cares? They say the same about me. Do you think I’m a monster?” Nabiki was doing her best to make Ranma see reason. “No. You’re not a monster. You’ve never killed someone.” “Big deal! You killed in battle, it was you or them! You have nothing to be ashamed of. You have friends here. If you need us Kasumi and I are here for you. Akane will come around eventually. She’s just scared; she’s never had to deal with something like this. She wasn’t old enough to understand what was going on when mom died, never had to really come to terms with it. And we’ve spoiled her because of that. We’ve protected her from the harsh reality of death. We were wrong to do so, today made that obvious. Now, how do you feel?” Ranma thought about it, biting her lip in concentration. She turned to look Nabiki in the eyes. “I’m feeling much better, thank you. Maybe I’m not such a bad person.” Nabiki sat next to Ranma on the bed and took one of her hands, giving it a gentle squeeze she began, “You aren’t Ranma, you’re a good person. You hold remorse for the lives you’ve taken. A bad person wouldn’t do that. Now, I don’t want to hear you berating yourself over this.” “I’ll just keep it to myself then.” Ranma said with a smile. “You think that’s funny?” Nabiki pulled Ranma’s pillow out from beneath her head before buffeting her with it. Nabiki removed the pillow from Ranma’s head to see her smiling in glee. Nabiki’s eyes widened, Kasumi’s other pillow was in Ranma’s hand. Ranma swung the pillow, hitting Nabiki in the head and sending her off the edge of the bed. Ranma peeked over the edge to see if Nabiki was okay. The pillow that hit her in the face told her all she needed to know. Nabiki and Ranma were laughing and giggling for all they were worth. For the first time in a long time, they were having fun; even after Kasumi interrupted. “You girls settle down in here. If you wish to continue wrecking my room then you’ll find yourselves in separate corners.” Two pillows hit her in response. Kasumi took one in each hand. “You’re both in for it now. I’ve got your pillows.” Ranma and Nabiki “eeped” in response. Nabiki jumped into the bed with Ranma, throwing the covers over both of them. She looked at Ranma. “Think we’ll be safe in here?” The pillows rained down before Ranma could respond. They stopped not long after. Ranma peeked her head out to see Kasumi smiling at her. “Are we done?” “Yes, but you’ll both be helping me with dinner.” Kasumi stated. A muttered, “shoot” from beneath the blankets was the only verbal response she received. They were halfway through with their work when Akane entered. She stared in shock at the three giggling girls. Nabiki broke the silence. “Good evening, Akane. Would you like to help us with dinner?” For once in her life Akane declined the offer to help. “Not tonight, looks like you three have it covered. I’d like to know why Kasumi wanted me to come home so early.” Kasumi had to think about how she’d answer her baby sister. This was going to be hard for Akane to hear. “Father thinks that his friend Genma is more important than us. I told him that either Genma would leave this house or we would. He chose Ranma’s father. After an early dinner we’ll be leaving. I have a friend that will put us up for the night, longer if we need it.” “But why? Why do we have to leave?” Tears were forming in Akane’s eyes. This was the first that Ranma had heard of this. “What about me?” Kasumi chose to answer the easier question first. “You’re coming with us. You still have things you have to deal with; you can’t do that with your father around.” Then she turned to Akane. “I know this is going to be hard on you, Akane. But we need to move on. Father is here, but how long has it been since he’s acted like it? I hate to say this, but when mom died, so did his love for us. We’re just a constant reminder of what he’s lost; he’s better off without us.” Akane was crying now. “I don’t want…” She had to go. Kasumi was right; daddy was there, but never for them. “Can I at least say good-bye?” “We’ll say our good-byes after dinner. Go upstairs and pack enough clothes for a week, we’ll get the rest later.” Dinner was a quiet affair. No one cared to speak. The only sound that could be heard was their chopsticks against their plates. Soun could only sit and stair at his plate, he wasn’t at all hungry. He had no need for food at a time like this. Ranma and the girls finished at roughly the same time. None seemed ready to break the silence. Finally, Kasumi spoke. “We’ll be leaving as soon as we’re packed. Father, we’ll see you after we find a place to stay, when we come for the rest of our things. Live the life we stole from you.” Kasumi’s words were full of bitterness. Akane went up to her father, crying again. She hugged him. “I’m sorry daddy, but you abandoned us. I guess we’re just returning the favor.” She let him go and fled to her room. Kasumi followed after her, doing her best to comfort the girl along the way. Nabiki spoke up next. “I’m finally free. I hope one day you see the pain you put us through. Until then, well, I’ve got nothing to say to you. Bye.” Nabiki went to her room, it was time to leave, and she hadn’t yet packed. Ranma bowed low before she spoke. “I’m sorry for the unrest I’ve caused in your family. Frankly, my father wasn’t worth all this. You’re bound to see what he truly is. Without me here, there is no one to keep him in check. Thank you for your hospitality.” Ranma bowed again before she too went to get her things. Lucky for her she kept everything in her pack. She’d help the others pack after collecting her belongings. Soun sat there, alone. He kept his head lowered as tears of remorse fell from his eyes. He had given up his daughters. The only constant in his life was gone, replaced by an old friend. Was it worth it? His heart told him no, and his mind was in agreement.

Chapter Three

Tearful Good-bye?

Kasumi smiled at the shopkeeper as she bid him good-bye. She could always count on Takahashi-san for a much-appreciated discount. It was such a great help to Nabiki when Kasumi could pick up groceries at reduced rates.

Kasumi was passing a particularly dark alley when she heard what she thought to be crying. She thought of walking by but she couldn’t leave the poor soul. As she entered the alley she held the groceries tighter to her body, doing her best to locate the sobbing figure.

Her gaze fell to the end of the alley. “Was that red hair she saw?” Kasumi wondered. She came closer. The crying was growing more distinct, the voice becoming more familiar. She looked to the clothes, the familiar red and black ensemble that Ranma had been wearing when he left for school. It was clear who was crying.

“Ranma?” Kasumi called.

Ranma looked up, eyes locking with Kasumi’s; eyes that were so full of pain and terror. “Kasumi, stay back, don’t come near me.” Ranma warned. She was a monster, what assurances did she have that she wouldn’t kill again, wouldn’t kill Kasumi for that matter.

“Ranma, what’s wrong. What happened?” Kasumi asked with concern, her bag of groceries spilling from her arms. She stepped closer to the huddled figure of Ranma.

Ranma didn’t move away, couldn’t move away. Kasumi was blocking her only means for escape. “I told you to stay back, don’t come any nearer.”

“I can’t do that Ranma.” She stopped in front of Ranma and knelt before the distraught girl. She put her hands on Ranma’s shoulders. “You need help. Please, just talk to me, I promise to listen.”

“I’m a murderer!” Ranma exclaimed, her voice thick with despair. She threw herself against Kasumi breaking down completely. She was still speaking but her words were lost in incoherence to her sobs.

Kasumi could only hold the small girl as sobs wracked her frame. As she had done the night before she held Ranma as she rocked back and forth, using the same reassuring words. They stayed that way for the better part of an hour.

It was Ranma who finally breeched the silence. “Kasumi, I wanna go home.”

Kasumi stood with Ranma in her arms, pulling her to her feet. “All right, Ranma, we can go home.” Kasumi kept an arm around Ranma as they walked side by side. Her other hand found Ranma’s left which she then gave a gentle squeeze. She led the small girl home, her bag of groceries forgotten.

Ranma began to shake as they neared the Tendou home, her father would be there, she couldn’t let him see her like this. As the house came into sight Ranma stopped completely.

Kasumi had noticed the girl’s apprehension but said nothing until Ranma came to a stop. “Ranma? What’s wrong?”

“I can’t go in there, my father, he…” Ranma looked to her feet, unable to continue.

“Don’t you worry about a thing, Ranma. I’ll take care of your father. You just relax.” Kasumi reassured the small girl. Genma would have nothing to say about any of this, lest he face Kasumi’s wrath.

Kasumi led Ranma into the house and helped to remove her shoes before removing her own. “Follow me to my room.” She instructed before directing her towards the stairs. It was less Ranma following Kasumi and more Kasumi pushing Ranma along.

Finally they were in Kasumi’s room. Kasumi led Ranma to her bed before drawing back the covers. She had Ranma sit upon her bed before stripping Ranma of her shirt and pants, leaving the girl in her undershirt and boxers. She helped Ranma bring her legs up onto the bed before she tucked her in. “I want you to go to sleep Ranma, you’ve had a very trying day. I’ll be back before dinner.” Kasumi kissed Ranma on the forehead, having no idea why she did. She drew closed the heavy curtains in front of her windows, shutting out the majority of the light. Then she left, with one last fleeting glance at the distraught girl who had already dropped into a light slumber.

Tendou Soun looked up as his eldest daughter entered the room. “I thought I heard you talking to Ranma, is everything all right?”

“Is Ranma’s father here?”

“No, he went out earlier, said he wanted to reacquaint himself with the district. Why do you ask?” Soun inquired.

“It seems that Ranma has a much darker past than she would have us believe. I don’t know the full story, only that Ranma thinks of himself as a murderer. I don’t think Ranma is a martial artist, father. I think she is a warrior, someone who’ll kill to protect what she believes in. Her past haunts her, father. I think, for the time being, that Genma should find another place to live. Ranma will need all the comfort she can get to survive this; she won’t get that if Genma is near.”

“I’m sure it isn’t as bad as that, Kasumi. I…”

“No father, it is that bad. She is afraid of him, her own father. She didn’t want to come here, didn’t want to see him. Either he finds a new place to live or Ranma, my sisters, and I will.”

“He is my friend Kasumi, I can’t just…”

“Fine, I see you’ve made your decision. You have chosen your friend over your family. If we mean so little to you, we’d best be leaving. I’ll see if I can find someone who’ll put the four of us up for the night. After dinner father, we’re gone.”

Soun could not find the words to respond to his eldest daughter. Instead, he hung his head in shame. He did not have the heart to throw his friend out without warning and that had cost him greatly. He had lost his wife, now he was on the verge of losing the rest of his family. Was friendship worth all this pain? Soun Tendou had the answer, but what could he do? Kasumi had her mind set on leaving. One moment of weakness had done him in. He had to have strength.

“Kasumi, no, I forbid you to leave. I will send Genma away.”

“No, father, let your friend stay. I gave you your options, you chose. It is too late for second thoughts. Enjoy tonight’s dinner, father. It will be that last you taste of my cooking for quite some time.” She walked away, leaving her father without a second glance. He hadn’t been there for them since mother died; they could continue to live without him.

It wasn’t until the class after lunch that Nabiki had gotten word of what happened. She caught up with her in the hall. “Akane!” Nabiki yelled at her sister, “What the hell were you thinking!”

“What are you talking about Nabiki?” Akane was truly perplexed, had she done something wrong.

“With Ranma, why did you to that to her?” Apparently Nabiki had gotten word that Ranma was attending school as a female.

“She’s not like us Nabiki. She’s a murder, a monster. I couldn’t…”

The sound of Nabiki’s slap resounded through the schoolyard, cutting her off. “You didn’t stick around long enough to see the anguish you put her in. She felt guilty enough without you running away from her like she had the plague. I only hope I can find her before she does something stupid, like you did. I’m going to try and find her, God help you if she tries to kill herself before I find her.” Nabiki left Akane to her own guilt and shame. She had to find Ranma.

“Where would Ranma be? Where would he have gone?” She wondered aloud. “The only place he knows is… home. I hope he went there. If not I can at least tell Kasumi what happened. She might have some insight.” She ran all the way home, uncaring of the spectacle she was making of herself. Nabiki did not run, nor did she care for anyone’s well being, at least, that is what people thought.

Lucky for her home wasn’t too far away. She was rushing through the door before she knew it. She stopped to remove her shoes and that is when she saw them. Ranma’s shoes were there, right next to Kasumi’s. She called out to her sister. “Kasumi?”

“Nabiki? What are you doing home?” Kasumi asked as she entered the room.

“I was worried about Ranma, where is she?” Nabiki’s voice was thick with concern.

“She’s fine. She’s upstairs, sleeping in my room.”

“Thanks. I’ll check and see how she’s doing.” Nabiki started toward the stairs, only to be stopped by her elder sister.

“Nabiki wait. I want to know what happened.”

“I wasn’t there but I heard about it. It started this morning with Kunou. Apparently he took an interest in female Ranma; who’ll be attending school by the way. Ranma backhanded him and entered the school.

“It wasn’t until lunch that he caught up with them. My associates tell me that Kunou professed his love for Ranma who was none too enthused. She lifted him by his neck before telling him that she had “dispensed death on a field of blood.” She said she didn’t want Kunou to meet the same fate, as she didn’t want his death weighing upon her soul as well.

“Her words cut through the fog in Kunou’s mind, he said he’d leave her be. He hoped only that the gods show their favor or something similar. When Ranma turned to Akane, Akane just flipped out telling Ranma to get the hell away from her. Her words cut Ranma deeply. Ranma ran from the school after that, she was crying. I’m glad she came here.”

“Ranma didn’t come here when she left the school Nabiki.”

“What? I thought you said she was here.”

“She is Nabiki. I found her by the markets. She was crying in an alley not far from Takahashi-san’s. It took me awhile to settle her down and bring her home. I had to help her with her shoes and clothes before I put her to bed. You’re right; Akane’s words hurt her greatly. It may take some time to bring Ranma out of her shell.”

“Is that all?”

“Concerning Ranma, yes.” It was clear from the sound of Kasumi’s voice that there was more.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“I told father that Genma would have to leave while we helped Ranma through this. I told him it was him… or us. Father chose him. I’ve found a place for us to stay tonight; we’ll be leaving after dinner.” Kasumi practically growled when talking about Genma and her father.

“You and Ranma are leaving?”

“Yes, we are, and you and Akane as well. We are no longer going to support father or this home. Maybe someday it will be restored to us.” This was a Kasumi that Nabiki hadn’t seen in a long time. This was a Kasumi that was decisive, a Kasumi that wasn’t going to be holding herself back any longer. This was the Kasumi that had been missing since the death of their mother.”

“We’re free.” Nabiki whispered in amazement.

Kasumi overheard. “Yes Nabiki, we’re free. Go check on Ranma. I’ll call the school and have then send Akane home. We’ll eat early.”

“Good. I don’t want to spend much longer here. I’ve been a slave to this house for too long.”

Ranma was awake when Nabiki entered the room. She lay there, eyes open, staring off into space.

“How are you feeling, better?” Nabiki asked, drawing Ranma’s attention.

“I don’t know. Should I be?” Ranma returned sadly.

“I guess that all depends on if you want to move past this. Or do you enjoy wallowing in self pity?”

“How can I move past this? I saw how everyone looked at me. They think I’m a monster, and…”

“And you believe them? That’s stupid. So you’ve had to kill before, did you take any joy from it? No. You told Kunou that you regretted them all. You did what you had to do. It was the only way you’d get Kunou to leave you alone. He’s been obsessing over Akane for the better part of a year, nothing she has done has made him stop, or say he’d stop. What you did made him see reason. Others may think you a monster, but who cares? They say the same about me. Do you think I’m a monster?” Nabiki was doing her best to make Ranma see reason.

“No. You’re not a monster. You’ve never killed someone.”

“Big deal! You killed in battle, it was you or them! You have nothing to be ashamed of. You have friends here. If you need us Kasumi and I are here for you. Akane will come around eventually. She’s just scared; she’s never had to deal with something like this. She wasn’t old enough to understand what was going on when mom died, never had to really come to terms with it. And we’ve spoiled her because of that. We’ve protected her from the harsh reality of death. We were wrong to do so, today made that obvious. Now, how do you feel?”

Ranma thought about it, biting her lip in concentration. She turned to look Nabiki in the eyes. “I’m feeling much better, thank you. Maybe I’m not such a bad person.”

Nabiki sat next to Ranma on the bed and took one of her hands, giving it a gentle squeeze she began, “You aren’t Ranma, you’re a good person. You hold remorse for the lives you’ve taken. A bad person wouldn’t do that. Now, I don’t want to hear you berating yourself over this.”

“I’ll just keep it to myself then.” Ranma said with a smile.

“You think that’s funny?” Nabiki pulled Ranma’s pillow out from beneath her head before buffeting her with it. Nabiki removed the pillow from Ranma’s head to see her smiling in glee. Nabiki’s eyes widened, Kasumi’s other pillow was in Ranma’s hand.

Ranma swung the pillow, hitting Nabiki in the head and sending her off the edge of the bed. Ranma peeked over the edge to see if Nabiki was okay. The pillow that hit her in the face told her all she needed to know.

Nabiki and Ranma were laughing and giggling for all they were worth. For the first time in a long time, they were having fun; even after Kasumi interrupted.

“You girls settle down in here. If you wish to continue wrecking my room then you’ll find yourselves in separate corners.” Two pillows hit her in response. Kasumi took one in each hand. “You’re both in for it now. I’ve got your pillows.”

Ranma and Nabiki “eeped” in response. Nabiki jumped into the bed with Ranma, throwing the covers over both of them. She looked at Ranma. “Think we’ll be safe in here?” The pillows rained down before Ranma could respond.

They stopped not long after. Ranma peeked her head out to see Kasumi smiling at her. “Are we done?”

“Yes, but you’ll both be helping me with dinner.” Kasumi stated.

A muttered, “shoot” from beneath the blankets was the only verbal response she received.

They were halfway through with their work when Akane entered. She stared in shock at the three giggling girls.

Nabiki broke the silence. “Good evening, Akane. Would you like to help us with dinner?”

For once in her life Akane declined the offer to help. “Not tonight, looks like you three have it covered. I’d like to know why Kasumi wanted me to come home so early.”

Kasumi had to think about how she’d answer her baby sister. This was going to be hard for Akane to hear. “Father thinks that his friend Genma is more important than us. I told him that either Genma would leave this house or we would. He chose Ranma’s father. After an early dinner we’ll be leaving. I have a friend that will put us up for the night, longer if we need it.”

“But why? Why do we have to leave?” Tears were forming in Akane’s eyes.

This was the first that Ranma had heard of this. “What about me?”

Kasumi chose to answer the easier question first. “You’re coming with us. You still have things you have to deal with; you can’t do that with your father around.” Then she turned to Akane. “I know this is going to be hard on you, Akane. But we need to move on. Father is here, but how long has it been since he’s acted like it? I hate to say this, but when mom died, so did his love for us. We’re just a constant reminder of what he’s lost; he’s better off without us.”

Akane was crying now. “I don’t want…” She had to go. Kasumi was right; daddy was there, but never for them. “Can I at least say good-bye?”

“We’ll say our good-byes after dinner. Go upstairs and pack enough clothes for a week, we’ll get the rest later.”

Dinner was a quiet affair. No one cared to speak. The only sound that could be heard was their chopsticks against their plates. Soun could only sit and stair at his plate, he wasn’t at all hungry. He had no need for food at a time like this.

Ranma and the girls finished at roughly the same time. None seemed ready to break the silence.

Finally, Kasumi spoke. “We’ll be leaving as soon as we’re packed. Father, we’ll see you after we find a place to stay, when we come for the rest of our things. Live the life we stole from you.” Kasumi’s words were full of bitterness.

Akane went up to her father, crying again. She hugged him. “I’m sorry daddy, but you abandoned us. I guess we’re just returning the favor.” She let him go and fled to her room. Kasumi followed after her, doing her best to comfort the girl along the way.

Nabiki spoke up next. “I’m finally free. I hope one day you see the pain you put us through. Until then, well, I’ve got nothing to say to you. Bye.” Nabiki went to her room, it was time to leave, and she hadn’t yet packed.

Ranma bowed low before she spoke. “I’m sorry for the unrest I’ve caused in your family. Frankly, my father wasn’t worth all this. You’re bound to see what he truly is. Without me here, there is no one to keep him in check. Thank you for your hospitality.” Ranma bowed again before she too went to get her things. Lucky for her she kept everything in her pack. She’d help the others pack after collecting her belongings.

Soun sat there, alone. He kept his head lowered as tears of remorse fell from his eyes. He had given up his daughters. The only constant in his life was gone, replaced by an old friend. Was it worth it? His heart told him no, and his mind was in agreement.