Whispers: Penpals [Episode 153146]

by Mouse

Kasumi considered her options; in this case, her first thought was, perhaps, her best chance to make something good come of this.

Unlike her sisters, Kasumi had dropped out of school at the end of her Junior High years, having persuaded herself that it was the only way to keep her family together and happy. Instead, that had proven to merely give her father still more opportunities to fall into despairing sloth, and shortly after Nabiki started high school the following year he had ceased teaching his last classes, declaring that seven students, of mixed abilities and enthusiasm, was insufficient to make it worth his while. Being home had led to her doing still more of the housework, as she had expected, but she hadn’t expected that both her father and her sisters would cease all attempts to assist her. Now, she suspected that should both her sisters leave home (and she wasn’t sure Akane ever would), her father wouldn’t be able to muster the energy to look after himself, which would leave her trapped.

However, unlike her sisters, she had hung on to a few things she had gained from her Junior High years, and one of those was the pen pal the school had organised as part of their English classes. Akane’s pen pal had stopped writing back as soon as the course was over, and Nabiki had lost interest in the other girl after it became clear she had no interests beyond fashion, art and boys, which had taken all of three letters, so she had stopped writing and only kept her address out of habit. However, in her usual way, Kasumi had found common ground with her distant friend and they continued sending letters back and forth.

By fortunate coincidence, her friend seemed to have as interesting a life as Ranma and his circle, and might well be able to offer Ranma and Akane a safe haven for a little while.

Besides, it was the perfect excuse for her to finally make the long trip to see:

• Brittany Stryp-Diggers, once a student at Oakwood High School in Atlanta, Georgia, and now settling in as a wife and mother. It was especially good that her mother was a master martial artist; at the very least, Ranma and Akane could have somewhere to practice, and there’s no need for the fathers to know that ‘The Armsmaster of Jade’ is a woman.
  No need to tell Ranma until they’re on their way, either.
• Bill Weasley, once a student of a most charming-sounding private school in the wilds of Scotland, and now just returned to a desk job in London after some time investigating tombs in Egypt. Perhaps he might be able to get Ranma and Akane some tutoring, to get them back on course with their education – between kidnappings, crises, and Principal Kuno even Akane’s academic performance was disappointing.
• Asrial of Salusia, an exchange student schooling in Quagmire. Of course, she’s never actually said where she’s a transfer from, but at least several of her friends spoke fluent Japanese.
• A recent graduate (or older current student) of the Xavier School for Gifted Children – or whatever it’s calling itself recently.
• Someone else entirely.

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(Posted Sun, 25 Jun 2006 20:22)

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