Still absently stroking her molested bosom, Ranma entered the house and the family room where the whole Tendou household usually took their meals. Nabiki was hunched over her ledger, filling out figures and abbreviations that Ranma-chan couldn't make heads nor tails of, and probably wouldnt've cared about anyway.
Still, Ranma thought she'd better ask the now-shorter girl what she was up to. Usually, when Nabiki was figuring out something this involved, it usually involved her. "Whatcha doin', Nabiki?" she asked.
Nabiki's words came out as unintelligible mumbles. It kind of reminded Ranma-chan of those weird trumpet like sounds that adults make on those Peanuts specials.
Ranma blinked. "Sorry. What was that?"
Kasumi smiles as she sets the serving plate on the table. "You would be easier to understand if you remove the toothbrush, Nabiki-chan," she pointed out cheerfully. Indeed, the toothbrush that Nabiki was brushing her teeth with this morning was still lodged in her cheek.
Nabiki ignored her advice totally, working figures in her ledger. Instead, she said the unintelligible answer again.
Kasumi sighed, thought never losing her smile. "'I'm redoing all the financial figures,' she says," Kasumi translated.
"Oh, why?" Ranma asked.
Nabiki mumbled again. Kasumi echoed, "'I had to redo my financial plans when you came back declaring you were going to be cured.'" Another mumble. "'Now that it seems your curse is not only staying, but has changed into a more attractive form, I must redo my ledger all over again.'"
"Oh, sorry," Ranma-chan chuckled, embarrassed at putting one of her hosts through such an inconvenience. (After all, the living arrangement under the Tendous beat the heck out of rent.) "Well, I'm gonna get this condition reversed soon, so you should save yer figuring 'till later. Then I'll be back to my old girl-self." Ranma blinked at her own words. When did she regard her girl-self as hers?
Mumble, mumble. "'And if you don't?'"
Ranma grinned. "Everyone'll get used to it. Then it'll just be me plus a head," she laughed it off.
Mumble, mumble. "'You think it's that simple, huh?' Nabiki, watch your language, please." Mumble, mumble. "It's all right. 'Akane doesn't recognize you. She thinks you're your own fiancée.'" Mumble, mumble. "'You look different and you sound different now.'"
Ranma-chan's eyes widened. Nabiki was right: Akane hadn't recognized her. Come to think of it, her voice did seem different. Softer, almost alluring. She was sure she'd make some people chase her if they heard it. "But you recognized me as soon as I spoke!"
Mumble, mumble. "'It wasn't your voice, actually. It was that peppy cheerfulness you have first thing in the morning.'" Mumble, mumble. "'That's what I recognized. That, and your pigtail.'"
"Oh," murmured Ranma. Things were silent for a while, as Ranma-chan stared down at Nabiki. "Hey, Kasumi-san," she asked cautiously at last.
"Yes, Ranma-kun?" asked Kasumi.
"Why doesn't..." Ranma trailed off, realizing something. "Hey, wait! You know who I am!"
Mumble, mumble. "'It's a Kasumi-thing,' she says."
"Okayyy..." Ranma murmured. She moved on to the question she had been about to ask. "Kasumi-san, why doesn't Nabiki take the toothbrush out of her cheek?"
Kasumi shrugged. "Attention divided amongst too many tasks, perhaps?"
"Okay, okay," Ranma said to her stomach. "Let's start breakfast, Kasumi."
The smile of the eldest Tendou sister wasn't her usual friendly smile of sheer angelic goodness that she usually wore. Rather, it was a somewhat smokey one, as if someone had taken a dab of devilishness and added it to the usual mix.
She silently served the food. One serving was put before Nabiki, still pouring over her ledger. One serving was put before Akane's usual place. One serving was for herself, one for Genma (ready for Ranma to plunder now that he wasn't here), and two servings were for Ranma. Ranma blinked at the proportion.
Kasumi scooted around, leaning up behind Ranma, and pressed against the redhead's back, her own respectable breasts flattening against Ranma's shoulder blades. "I made an extra-large portion for you, Ranma-kun..." she purred in her ear.
Oh, here comes that sinking feeling! thought Ranma. Now Kasumi's actin' weird! "Er... thanks for the extra portion, Kasumi-san! I really appreciate it!" she squeaked in a tight voice.
"You're very welcome, Ranma-chan," came Kasumi's saucy reply, as she accidentally (?) dragged her breasts along Ranma's back as she moved away, making Ranma jump at the sensation. Ranma felt hot.
Swallowing, Ranma set herself to the task of eating. Her plan was to find that magic peddler and force some sort of cure out of him. Except that her meal had inexplicably vanished. Ranma looked around, only to find a pair of chopsticks with a morsel of food on them in front of her, being held by Akane who was kneeling beside Ranma. "I'll feed you, Iinazuke-san. Aan shite! AAAAANNNN!" She held out the morsel for Ranma to take.
Ranma let herself be fed by her now-fawning fiancée. The tall, voluptuous young woman chewed a bit of fish thoughtfully before noticing the absence of a rather taller Tendou patriarch. "Hey, Kasumi. You know where your father is?" she asked.
Kasumi giggled, remembering the antics last night. "It was quite a celebration the two had last night, chanting that Ranma-kun and Akane-chan would be married soon." Ranma visibly shuddered. Kasumi continued, "However, come morning, Father was quite hung over, so I think it best he just sleep it off."
Kasumi hid a small, suspicious-looking wooden mallet behind her back.
Ranma-chan accepted the explanation at face value. What followed was a calm eating of the morning meal. Ranma had several helpings of the repast, with Kasumi insisting on serving her. Ranma got annoyed (and somewhat worried) as the eldest Tendou daughter occasionally spilled cold water on her front and apologetically mopped it up. With lots and lots of patting and rubbing.
Nabiki paid no attention to the antics and absently plucked each morsel of food from her dish and pushed them into her distorted mouth. She managed to not make too much of a mess.
The panda that was Ranma's father only interrupted once. It seemed that the cheap-shot to his preciouses allowed the last night's drinking to catch up with him, and made no attempt to have breakfast, only wobbling towards the guest room with a green tinge to his fur.
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(Posted Wed, 20 Oct 2004 04:40)
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