Kasumi felt that if she didn’t sit soon, she would collapse onto the floor. Her knees and legs were threatening to buckle and the tea tray rattled in her hand. “Hello, you must be our guest. Would you join me in the tea room and we can have some tea. Would your pet panda like some tea too?” Kasumi then led the way to another room, quickly leaving in an attempt to hide her blush from her sisters.
Ranma shrugged and followed. “Yes please, and thank you. Some tea would be nice now. Coming Mr. Panda? But what about your father?”
Kasumi smiled back at Ranma. “I’m sure Daddy will be fine.”
Nabiki thought her sister was as mistaken about Ranma’s gender as she first was. Crossly, she warned her sister, “Ranma’s not a boy, Kasumi. He’s a girl – with a bigger rack then either of us.”
“Ranma is still our guest, and good manners dictate that we provide refreshments. Will you be joining us for tea, Nabiki? What about you, Akane?”
Nabiki scowled and than shook her head. “No thanks. I’ll get Daddy into his futon.”
Akane was split between curiosity in the new girl and finishing her workout. Since Ranma was supposed to also be a martial artist, curiosity won out. “Sure, Kasumi. Tea sounds great.”
Kasumi serenely nodded, or seemed to. Inside, she was worrying about sitting down in the tea room before her nerves got the best of her. Quickly crossing the threshold to the next room, she hurried to set the tea service down. Ranma and Akane filed in behind her and spread themselves about the table.
“Relax, my precious angel. You look ready to keel over.”
Kasumi managed a wan smile for Ranma. “Where did ‘Mr. Panda’ go?” Once everyone was seated, Kasumi began pouring the hot water from the kettle into the teapot to steep the tea leaves.
Ranma helped herself to some cookies as he answered, “I think he went to help get your father into his room. Probably take a bath soon.”
Akane couldn’t contain her curiosity any longer. “You do karate, right?”
“A little,” Ranma remarked.
“Only a little? I thought you were on a training journey for most of your life.”
Ranma smirked at the girl. “Yes and yes.”
Kasumi frowned briefly. “Little sister, don’t hound our guest. Let him enjoy his tea and snack. You can have Ranma demonstrate his martial arts later.”
“Ranma is a girl, Kasumi.”
“Oops, you slipped on that one. We both know I’m really a boy, but no one else knows that yet. Maybe I should show them?”
“Oops! Even like that you’re still a boy to me. We can show my family your curse later. I just want to spend some time with you, now that you are finally here. I know it’s selfish of me,” Kasumi blushed slightly as she began to pour tea into three cups. Only Ranma noticed Kasumi’s blush.
“Ah, yes, Akane. Slip of the tongue. We were expecting you to be a boy.” Kasumi handed out the tea to Ranma and her sister.
Ranma smiled mischievously. “Maybe I am a boy.”
Akane snorted as she poked Ranma in the chest. “If you are than so am I.”
Ranma rolled his eyes before politely addressing Kasumi. “I’m sorry, I did not realize it was a local custom to poke others. I hope you forgive me the rudeness of not trying to touch your nipple.”
Kasumi chuckled. “You’re forgiven, then. But try not to do that again.”
Akane turned red as she pulled her finger back, duly chastised. “Sorry about that. I forgot my place.”
Ranma gave her a warm, friendly smile. “That is okay, no harm was done nor meant.”
Akane smiled back, put at ease by the guest’s politeness and niceness. “You know, it was kind of funny. We were expecting a boy to show up that one of us would have to marry.”
“Oh,” Ranma replied in false ignorance, “Really?”
“Yes. I am just glad you are a girl. I’d hate to have to marry a boy.”
Kasumi’s eyes narrowed. “You weren’t the one chosen to marry Ranma, dear little sister.”
Ranma shot Kasumi a wink. “Who was I suppose to marry?”
“Who would you like to marry?” Kasumi enjoyed playing these kinds of games over the link with Ranma, in the past.
“I suppose whomever made these scrumptious cookies. Would that be you, ma’am?” Ranma directed this last question towards Akane.
Akane shook her head, but Kasumi interrupted her before she could answer. “I made them. I am pleased you like my cookies. I suppose that means I’m your fiancée then?”
“Yes, it looks like it would have to be you. When is the wedding?”
Akane decided to correct Ranma of the seeming misconception. “Um, you’re both girls. You don’t have to get married. Actually, I don’t think that’s allowed.”
Ranma and Kasumi shared a quick look and a smirk, both deciding to have a bit of fun with Akane.
Ranma said as innocently as he could fake, “But you just said you would hate to marry a boy and you were happy that the person you were suppose to marry was a girl. If you can marry a girl, why can’t your older sister?”
“I didn’t mean it that way,” Akane said a little more heatedly then intended.
Kasumi gasped loudly as she brought her palms to her cheeks. “Oh, but what about Daddy? He was so looking forward to one of us marrying Ranma. He would be so disappointed if I didn’t marry Ranma after saying I would.”
Akane’s left eye twitched. “I think Daddy would understand. And don’t you think it’s unfair that he choose who we would marry and waited until the last minute to warn us?”
Kasumi just shook her head sadly at Akane. “No, I don’t. Maybe you have lots of boys at school, but I am much to shy to go out and just meet someone. An arranged marriage takes a lot of stress off. I would of gotten to known my fiancé first before committing.”
“Good thing I already got to know you, committing is easy.”
“I would love to marry you too.”
Akane was busy thinking when she noticed her father walking by the tea room door with a strange man.
“Well, shall we go see our fathers?” Ranma asked Kasumi. Kasumi nodded as she began to pick up the empty cups and used napkins. “Here, let me give you a hand,” Ranma stated as she lifted the kettle and carried it.
“Almost cool enough to use without worrying it’ll burn.”
Kasumi and Ranma left the tea room with Akane trailing behind. They could see the fathers holding a serious discussion at the table, while sharing sake. Kasumi went into the kitchen to refresh the plate of sweets with more cookies and grab clean cups. Ranma sat at the table with the fathers, curious at what they were talking about.
“Be out in a minute, love.”
“Take your time. Pops is explaining the curse to your dad.”
“Daddy will be happy to learn you’re a boy and not a girl. Then we can begin courting in earnest.”
Ranma couldn’t help the bad joke that sprang to mind. “Why are we leaving for Earnest to court? Can’t we do it here in Nerima?”
He heard Kasumi groan over the link.
Kasumi had managed to rope Nabiki into helping her serve the guests as Akane had wandered off to break more blocks. The elder sisters were just walking into the dining room where the fathers were, as Akane was passing through on her way to take a bath, when Soun happily cried, “So the houses can be joined after all!”
Ranma upended the kettle of not-too-hot water over his head to emphasize that last point. Akane and Nabiki stopped to stare at him in surprise. Kasumi was expecting the change, but she stopped walking for a different reason. Seeing Ranma as a boy, smiling at her with stars in his eyes, made her knees go weak a second time.
Soon, all three sisters were seated by the table. Soun was very excited and addressed his three girls with enthusiasm. “This is my good friend, Genma Saotome and his son, Ranma.”
The two indicated guests bowed to the girls in greeting.
Akane didn’t waste time with manners or niceties; she went straight to the question burning in her mind. “Are you really her, the same girl?”
Nabiki simply decided to check again like she did earlier, and pawed Ranma’s chest. “They’re gone! Knockers bigger than mine and their gone! If I hadn’t seen you change with my own eyes, I’d never believe you two were the same person.”
Ranma groaned and rolled his eyes.
Kasumi frowned at her sister’s antics. “Nabiki, that’s no way to treat a guest. My apologies, Saotome-san.”
“It’s a trick, isn’t it? That other girl is hiding somewhere. I didn’t even know we had a trapdoor in the floorboards.” Nabiki either didn’t hear her older sister or was ignoring Kasumi.
“I really am sorry about my sisters. They do not seem to be taking your curse as well as I had hoped.”
“No apologies necessary,” Ranma bowed to Kasumi again. “I imagine I’ll have to get used to this, it’ll probably become a common reaction to the curse.”
“But how did this happen?” Akane was curious, and as long as she didn’t have to marry the strange boy-girl then it didn’t bother her too much.
Soun sobbed, “The mysteries of the horrors of Jusenkyo are finally revealed. What sacrifices the two of you made in the name of the art.”
“Sacrifices?” The two youngest echoed their father, one in confusion and the other in shock.
“What kind of sacrifice are we talking about here?” Nabiki had images of the two escaping the cook pot of some strange Chinese tribe and a local medicine man cursing them running through her head.
Soun carried on as if he never heard his daughter. “But your problem isn’t so bad. Kasumi here is nineteen, Nabiki is seventeen, and Akane is sixteen. Choose the one you want.”
Suddenly, the images in Nabiki’s head of being cooked alive morphed to her being the main entree in a cannibal's buffet. A moment later, she remembered her father was offering a bride and not a snack. Akane recoiled in horror of the thought of being engaged to a boy. Kasumi frowned, cutely, as she glared at her father.
“Daddy,” Kasumi’s said with a level of coldness unheard of from her mouth, “I already agreed to marry Ranma.”
Ranma nodded along happily. “Yeah, that one, Kasumi,” he exclaimed as he pointed towards Kasumi.
Akane wilted in relief. “Well, now that is settled, I have a bath to take.” And without any more thought or concern for the guests, Akane left to wash off.
Nabiki was happy to not be given as a sacrifice for the arts. Not being engaged to a girl that turns boy was also a definite plus.
“Join me in the kitchen, Ranma?” Kasumi smiled, happy that her claim was not being contested.
Ranma smiled in return. He was looking forward to spending time with Kasumi. “Sure, lets go.”
Nabiki stood in the doorway to the kitchen watching with interest their house guest cooking alongside her sister. It was like a dance, almost, the way the two moved without talking and without getting in each other's way. How each seemed to know what the other was doing and what the other needed. And since Nabiki was sure Ranma never set foot in her family kitchen before, it was also thoroughly puzzling. 'They look like they have been doing this for years, they are so well synchronized. Even if Ranma was a knowledgeable enough cook to know what Kasumi needed at any time, shouldn't they be bumping into each other, how does he know where everything is, and why haven't they said anything to each other? Are they shy?' Nabiki was sure of one thing, she would be keeping an eye on this Ranma. She also didn't like how Kasumi was just marrying the first guy to come along. 'Maybe, if I can get Kasumi to go out more, she might meet someone she likes better.'
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See other episodes by Errol Peregrinus
(Posted Sat, 20 Sep 2008 18:52)
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