Oh My: Rejection (DARK) [Episode 153244]

by The Master Chief

"No," Kasumi told her with an icy tone.  "You've done more than enough already, thank you."

Akane's heart sank at her sister's words, and she could feel the tremors shaking as she broke into uncontrollable sobs.  "Please!" Akane begged, her hands reaching for one of Kasumi's holding it tightly in her own.  "Kasumi, I know you're mad at me, but I can change!  Don't turn your back on me, Kasumi, I want to help..."

Kasumi sighed softly as she listened to her sister pleading.  It hurt so much to reject Akane like this, but she knew what she had to do.  "I don't hate you," Kasumi contested softly.  "But I'm afraid of you.  I'm afraid that you'll blow up one day when I need changing, or when I want to go outside and you don't feel like leaving.  I'm afraid that you won't be able to hold your temper and you'll hurt me even more."  Kasumi bit back a sob as she tried to continue.  "And then there's Ranma... He's so angry right now... He's so full of regret.  If you try to come into our lives too much, he won't be able to keep from thinking about what he percieves as a failure on his part."

"Kasumi...!" Akane pleaded helplessly, her tears falling from her eyes onto Kasumi's hand.

"Please understand, Akane..." Kasumi paused for a moment, her lips pursed together as if looking for the right words to say.  "It would be best for everyone if you would just leave Ranma and I alone.  Forever."

Akane simply gazed at her elder sister, letting go of the woman's hand slowly before wiping the tears from her own eyes.  The finality of Kasumi's words had hit her fully, twisting her stomach into knots and drying her mouth, the words repeating themselves over and over in her head.

"It would be best for everyone if you would just leave Ranma and I alone.  Forever."

Nodding softly, Akane slowly rose from her seat and let out a sigh.  "I understand," Akane managed through a scratchy, dry throat.  "Good bye."

With that, Akane slowly turned away and headed for the door, her head and shoulders sunken in defeat.

---

Ranma and his father were in the hospital lobby with Soun, the three of them looking much more sober than they should about the topic they were talking about.

"I see..." Soun nodded and gazed at Ranma, the kettle-damp boy looking back at him.  "I can't believe Kasumi never said anything before.  However, if these are her true feelings," Soun held up Kasumi's black book as if to clarify what he was talking about, "and if you truely feel how you say you will, I will give you my blessing to marry her."

Ranma nodded slightly, only a tiny hint of a smile appearing on his face.  There would be time to celebrate the union between him and Kasumi, but this was not it.  "Thank you, Mr. Tendo," the boy said, bowing his head in gratitude.

"There is another matter, though," Genma said, his voice soft and unsure.  "There probably isn't a good time to say this, so I may as well say it now.  Kasumi may not be able to bear children."

Ranma glared at his father, rage burning in his eyes.  "How could you even think about that now!?  She's got bigger problems than that!"

The glares of both Kasumi's father and her fiancee both weighed heavily on Genma, who shrinked back from the intensity of their eyes.  "It's just that, without an heir, who will continue the dojo?" he stammered.

That Ranma didn't slaughter his father right then and there for his pettiness was proof that he never would.  Instead, Ranma just glared at him and growled "Can't you think of anything other than your selfish idea of honor?  It's not like you ever honored your word before."  Feeling like rubbing it in, Ranma added, "Hell, you engaged me to half the fucking world anyway, so don't lecture me on what has to be done."

Those remarks shut Genma up immediately, the old Saotome patriarch reduced to a sniveling fool in his seat underneath the gaze of his enraged son.

Soun, however, looked at Ranma softly.  "I'm not going to force you to produce an heir," he told Ranma in a gentle voice.  "If your marriage to Kasumi produces nothing more than a happy life for her, than it would be so much more than enough for me.  However, I would like for you to talk to Kasumi about it.  She should have a say in any decision that is made in that regard."

Ranma nodded softly as he rose to his feet.  "I think it's visiting time again, so I may as well talk about it with her now," he said.  "I'll give pops credit for one thing, there likely isn't a good time for it, so I may as well ask her now.  You wanna come with me, guys?"

"I'll talk to her later," Soun responded.  "You should speak to her about this alone.  It is a decision for the two of you to make, and I don't want her to feel pressured."

Ranma smiled again and turned toward the elevator, only for his smile to vanish as he came face to face with Akane.  The two stared into eachother's eyes for a moment, Ranma's gaze hardened with anger, Akane's wilting under the weight of her sorrow and guilt.  The girl turned away and ran out of the hospital, leaving a trail of tears behind her.

The two older men sighed as Soun rose from his seat.  "I have to talk to my daughter, Saotome," he told his old friend.  "She needs to learn from this, not sink into a depression that will make her worse."  The two nodded to one another, and Soun ran off in search of his youngest daughter.

In the midst of all this sorrow, pride and admiration for his friend swelled up in Genma's heart.  After all this, he doesn't hate Akane? Genma mused.  He is a better man than I... And a better father.

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(Posted Tue, 29 Nov 2005 00:53)

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