Disclaimer: These characters are not mine. They belong to the wonderful
Romiko Takahashi and her licensees (Viz Communications in North
America). This work is strictly for the non-profit enjoyment of fans.
No copyright infringement is intended.
Story continuity could be just about anytime after Dr. Tofu vanishes.
Authors Forward: Well, here it is, another quicky one-shot. This came
from yet another session pondering just why Akane sometimes pushes
Ranma away so hard. So, I thought, what if it was Kasumi's fault...
Just Not Proper
First Draft: 1998-11-18
=======================
Ranma stepped quietly up behind Akane, licking his lips in nervousness.
As usual, Akane didn't seem to notice him behind her, so he put a hand
on her shoulder to get her attention. She started a little and turned
to give him a strange, almost wary look. Ranma tried to smile and say
the words he rehearsed over and over again, but the odd look in her
face broke his concentration. With some effort he managed to center
himself and get his mouth working again.
"Hey Akane," he said softly. "I was wondering if you wanted to go to a
movie or something tomorrow?"
Having gotten the words out he watched her carefully for her reaction.
First, a flicker of something ran over Akane's face. Something that
almost looked like longing, but it was quickly replaced by an angry
frown.
"Get your hands off of my you pervert." She yelled as she shoved his
hand from her shoulder. She suddenly held a mallet, which quickly
swung back into strike position.
Ranma just covered his head with his hands, too hurt by her reaction to
try to run away or defend himself. This was the third time in as many
weeks he'd tried to bridge the wall Akane seemed to have put between
them. A wall she didn't seem to want any more than he did. When the
expected malleting didn't happen he looked up to see Akane standing in
front of him, her hands still up in the air, but no mallet in sight.
She was crying. That weird wary expression back on her face, but mixed
now with hurt. Somehow he had hurt her again. Hurt her when he was
trying to make things better, to bring them closer. With a sob Akane
dashed into her room and slammed the door. Ranma shook his head in
confusion, then walked over to the door and gave it a tentative knock.
"Go away Ranma." Akane said from behind the door. "Please?"
Ranma was beginning to get irritated. He had just asked her to a movie!
Why was she reacting like this? "Come on Akane!" He said. "I need to
know what's going on."
"Leave me alone."
"Fine." Ranma's voice came out flat. "I understand now. I will leave
you alone from now on." He turned heavily and started down the hall to
his room, trying to hold back the tears that were forming in his eyes.
He made two steps before Akane's door flew open and she was on him. He
swung up his arm to block the attack, but it never came. Instead Akane
glomped his arm and he was dragged back into her room.
Before he could say a word Akane pushed him down so he was sitting on
her bed. Her expression had changed again, this time to one of wild
fear.
"Ranma!" She gasped. "W-wait here. Please?" The pleading tone of her
voice got through his anger and sadness, leaving confusion in full
control of his feelings.
"What?" was all he managed to get out.
"Please wait here, just for a little while?"
"I..."
"*Please* Ranma?"
Ranma stared at her for a second before he could answer. "Okay Akane,
but you better explain this later."
Akane just nodded and dashed out of the room.
====
Akane made a brief detour into her fathers room before heading down to
the kitchen. She knew Kasumi would be there preparing dinner.
"Onesan." Akane said as she reached the door.
"Yes, Akane... What's wrong?"
Akane fell to her knees in front of her older sister.
"Release me from my promise Onesan. I beg you." Akane cried.
"Promise?"
Akane looked up at Kasumi from her kneeling position. "Don't pretend
you don't know what I'm talking about!" Akane yelled. Then she let her
eyes drop back to Kasumi's slippers. "Release me." she murmured.
Kasumi watched her sister for a long, silent moment. "No Akane." She
finally said. "It's just not proper for you and Ranma to be... intimate
before you're married. And despite what Daddy says you're still too
young to get married."
"Please, Onesan. I-It's so hard holding him at arms length. I-If this
keeps up I'll lose him."
Akane pleaded.
"It's not proper!" Kasumi said firmly.
Akane sobbed. "I wish I was an orphan." Akane whispered. "No family, no
martial arts school, no promises. If I could have nothing but Ranma I'd
be happy."
"Akane! You shouldn't say such things!" Kasumi admonished her.
Akane laughed bitterly. "Why not? Isn't it *proper*? Being proper means
losing Ranma. Your *proper* behavior drove off Dr. Tofu, a man who loved
you so much he couldn't think straight in your presence. Proper behavior
has brought us nothing."
Akane pulled out the tantoo blade she'd gotten from her fathers room
and placed the naked blade along her neck.
"I'll die before I break my oath to you, and I'll die without Ranma."
Akane said in a resigned voice.
Kasumi gasped. "Wait Akane..."
Akane continued as if she hadn't heard. "Tell Ranma I love him. Tell
him to be happy. Tell him I'll wait for him."
Akane closed her eyes and tried to pull the blade across her throat,
but found her hands restrained. She looked up to see Kasumi kneeling in
front of her, both hands holding the blade back.
"I release you from your promise." Kasumi said. "Now give me the
tantoo."
====
Kasumi felt the knife slip from Akane's fingers and put it as far back
on the cupboard as she could reach from her kneeling position. Then
gave her sister a hug. Finally she held her at arms length to get a
look at her face. She was pale, and had a blank look like she hadn't
quite figured out that she was still alive.
"Well?" Kasumi said, trying to keep the worry out of her voice. "What
are you waiting for?"
Akane's face slowly lit up with a joyful smile. She hopped to her feet
and headed out of the kitchen at high speed. Kasumi followed at a
somewhat slower pace, but made it to the top of the stairs quickly
enough to see Akane's door closing.
She could just make out Ranma's voice. "Akane? Wha... Hmmpff."
Ignoring the half-prepared dinner waiting for her in the kitchen,
Kasumi sat at the top of the stairs with her palms supporting her chin.
It was time for some serious thinking.
====
Nabiki sighed when someone knocked on her door. "Come it." She called
out without looking up from her studying.
The door opened and closed.
"What is it?" she asked, still not looking up.
A thousand-yen note slide onto her desk. She looked up to see Kasumi
dressed in slacks and a sweater, standing with her hands on her hips.
"Kasumi?" She asked. It had been years since she'd seen Kasumi in
anything but a dress or kimono.
"Where's Doctor Tofu?" Kasumi asked.
"Umm..."
"Isn't a thousand yen enough?"
Nabiki figuratively shook herself. Something weird was going on, but
this was a business situation, she couldn't afford to be toung-tied.
"No, the money's fine."
She pulled open he desk drawer and rifled through some business cards.
Finding the one she wanted she pulled it out and handed it to her
sister.
"Here's his new business card. He's working at a hospital on the far
north side of Tokyo. I don't have his home address, but I think his
mother lives up their somewhere."
"This is fine." Kasumi said. She hefted a small backpack and headed for
the door.
"Onechan, what's going on?" Nabiki asked.
Kasumi turned and gave her a smile. I'll probably be back in a few
days. Daddy and Mr. Saotome are out tonight, probably drunk as sailors
by now. Ranma and Akane are... busy. Oh, and I ruined dinner, so you'll
have to go out tonight."
"Umm... thanks, but that isn't really what I meant." Nabiki said dryly.
Kasumi smiled at her again, only this time there was a hint of mischief
that Nabiki hadn't seen in her sister in a very long time.
"Why don't you ask Tatewaki or that friend of Ranma's out tonight.?"
"Friend of Ranma's?" Nabiki asked.
"You know - the one that's always making eyes at you."
"Oh, Daisuke."
"Yes, that's the one. See you in a few days." Kasumi turned and headed
out the door, leaving a wide-eyed and blinking Nabiki behind.
she thought. Nabiki shrugged and headed
for the phone.
====
Epilogue: A Month Later
"How much?"
Nabiki double checked the book before answering.
"One cup." she replied before continuing to stir the contents of the
pot. She was somewhat dubious about this whole thing, but...
"Hey, Daisuke. Is this supposed to be boiling?"
Daisuke walked over with a bowl of diced carrots and looked in the pot.
"I think so, at least until all the ingredients are in, then it's just
supposed to simmer."
Nabiki sighed. This cooking stuff was harder than she thought. "Thanks
for helping Daisuke, I don't think I could manage without you."
"No prob. I've been helping my older sister cook since I was little.
Mom works, so we had to learn the basics pretty young."
"I'm beginning to wish Kasumi had let me help."
"You'll pick it up in no time Nabiki-chan."
"Hey! None of that. What did I tell you?"
"But Nabiki-chan, we *are* in private."
Nabiki glanced at the kitchen door. "Well, all right... Daisuke-chan,
just keep your voice down."
He squeezed her hand before turning back to the cutting board.
"Hey," he said over his shoulder. "You were going to tell me why Ranma
and Akane haven't been around the last few days."
"It's a secret." Nabiki warned.
"You know I'm trustworthy."
"I guess you are at that." Nabiki said with a grin. "Okay here it is:
they double eloped with Kasumi and Dr. Tofu."
Daisuke dropped the knife, narrowly missing his foot.
Nabiki giggled for a second before she managed to stifle it. "Thought
that would surprise you, it even surprised me."
"Wow." Daisuke breathed.
"Yeah." Nabiki agreed.
They continued working together in a comfortable silence which Daisuke
finally broke.
"You want to help me with my homework after dinner?" he asked.
"Sure, but let's do it down here. Wouldn't be right to have a boy in my
room all evening, would it?"
Daisuke slid his arms around her from behind. "You sure?" he whispered
in her ear.
"We'll see." She whispered back.
==== END ====
C&C *very* welcome, flames ignored. Please send comments to
twrensch@geocities.com. My completed stories and relatively complete
drafts are posted at http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Dojo/5201/.
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geocities.com/tokyo/dojo) (
geocities.com/tokyo)