Lunch had been a quiet affair, Akane was still smarting from the evening before, Kasumi couldn't look Ranma in the eye, and Kodachi was playing the quiet servant. Meanwhile Nabiki was busy deciding what to do next, she was beyond the realms of her carefully laid plans now, mostly since she had known it would be all but impossible to lay further plans until she knew how everyone reacted. So far everything had gone as good as could really be expected, better actually, since she had thought Ranma would have resisted more then he was. Hmm speaking of Ranma, I'm a little surprised he took me up on the offer to get some relief. While a fair bit of good has resulted from it I think, it could also be a problem if his hormones were what was lowering his resistance. Of course I'm also jealous that he and Kasumi have both gotten some relief, I've been too busy taking care of things...Shaking off the desire to close herself in her room with her toys...or better yet, Ranma...she decided that she couldn't let him off too lightly just yet and picked her plan.
After everyone had finished eating the bunny-girl twisted a bit to address Ranma. “Ranma, wouldn't it be nice if Kasumi could take a break from her chores for once, she works so hard around here all the time...”
Looking startled the pigtailed martial artists replied. “Well, sure! I mean she kinda gets a bad deal with all the work she does around here, but who else is there?”
Kodachi spoke up before Nabiki could answer “Master I would be glad to give Lady Kasumi a break if you would like.”
Surprised that she didn't have to suggest it herself Nabiki nevertheless seconded the idea. “I think that's an excellent idea Ranma, Kasumi could even come out with me and figure out what her magic can do! I want to practice my new abilities myself.” Seeing the incredulous looks on everyones face she added “What?! I want to keep this new body if I can when we are done, and a few moves for self defense would be nice to!” Seeing the incredulous looks turn to understanding she continued. “Anyway, the only other thing Kasumi needed to do today was go get a few supplies and Akane can do that to give her onee-chan a rest right?” Getting a vigorous nod from the younger girl who was always happy to help Kasumi she finished. “There it's settled! Come on Kasumi lets go to the dojo and practice, Ranma you can come and help us, and maybe play with the controller a bit more to.”
A bewildered looking Kasumi finally spoke up“Oh! But I can't ask everyone to do that for me, my chores are mine to take care of!”
Akane surprised everyone by speaking quite firmly to her older sister. “Nonsense onee-chan! You take care of us all the time and you never get any breaks. It's about time you were able to relax a little! Now shoo! We'll take care of the chores.”
Startled by this unexpected source of insistence Kasumi crumbled. “Well...if you insist, it would be nice to do something different for once I guess...” she trailed off as Nabiki grabbed her arm and led her out to the dojo. With Ranma trailing behind them both.
Once Nabiki and Kasumi started working with their new abilities Ranma began looking over the various girls on the phone. He found that Nabiki had gained quite a few more points, and had even worked off a small but significant chunk of her karmatic debt. Kasumi had earned quite a few points as well, and Kodachi had earned a few. Shampoo and Ukyo hadn't really earned any of note and Akane now had a penalty bar. It wasn't nearly the size of Nabiki's, but it appeared to already be earning interest since it was the result of action rather then the point loan Nabiki had used. Deciding it would be interesting to see what sort of Ki attack Nabiki would produce he dumped some of her points into the next level of that ability, causing her the stagger as she felt an inrush of new power.
As the magic finished instilling the knowledge in her Nabiki stopped and held her hand palm up. As a ball of ki energy formed in her hand she couldn't help but smirk at the irony, it was the same golden color Ranma used, representing confidence. Oh, it made sense of course, but it was still humorous.
Ranma just slapped his forehead and groaned. “I should have known, Nabiki has more confidence then even me in some ways...”
Unable to hold onto the energy any longer Nabiki side stepped and launched it out the open door and into the sky. It was far from the size and power Ranma's heavily practiced Moko Takabisha generated these days, but it was nothing to scoff at either. Shuddering a little at the rush of power the bunny-girl admitted “I must admit Ranma, having that kind of power at ones fingertips is a rush, if it wasn't for the sheer amount of effort you've had to give to earn it I'd think I had made a mistake by not practicing martial arts.”
Shaking off the distraction Ranma's fiddling had caused the mastermind pushed on with her plan “Ranma, can you please switch me to my maid costume? I should get some practice fighting in it to and I'm sure Kasumi won't take things the wrong way...” Ranma, remembering the costume and what had happened this morning as well, blushed but agreed.
Once Nabiki's costume finished changing she resumed practice, quite intentionally giving Ranma a hypnotizing show he couldn't take his eyes off of.
Seeing this display Kasumi, who had remained quiet thus far, spoke up a bit timidly. “Oh my, that looks quite comfortable, but is it really proper to work out in?”
Raising an eyebrow as Kasumi took the bait Nabiki asked. “Ranma has seen me in much less sis, what do you think set him off so early this morning?” getting a blush from Kasumi she started her attack “So Ranma did you enjoy your alone time in the bath earlier? Kasumi seemed to enjoy whatever you did if the screams and moans coming from her room were any indication.” seeing Ranma and Kasumi both stare in horror at what she had said she chided them. “Really, it's not as if you have anything to be ashamed of, after last night you both needed some relief.” crossing her arms and pouting she stated “In fact I'm jealous, I've been so busy taking care of everything I haven't gotten any relief myself, I've been dripping wet since I stripped for Ranma earlier.” Perking up she added mischievously “His hands did feel wonderful though sis! Even if I was mostly just guiding them myself, those strong callused fingers felt so much different, and better, then what I get playing with myself!” doing everything she could to suppress her laughter at the mixed looks on their faces she only just managed to keep it down to a mischievous smirk.
Both Ranma and Kasumi had been rendered momentarily speechless. It was Kasumi that managed to get her voice working first. In a strangled and throughly scandalized tone Kasumi got out “Nabiki! How could you...” before again running out of words.
Stepping in to fill the space after her sisters words the mastermind said. “How could I what? Tell Ranma you got so hot and bothered by what you knew he was doing that you retreated to your room to have some of the best orgasms of your life? Seems to me it's only fair that he know what you did since you know what he did. Besides, your way too shy sis, it's not like he's going to condemn you since him getting his rocks off was what triggered you in the first place. Heck he might have even been thinking of you naked” this got a deep blush from both Kasumi AND Ranma.
It was only a moment later when Kasumi's blush turned into a stare as the guilt flooding into Ranma at Naibiki's statement registered, but that meant... sounding startled Kasumi asked “Ranma-kun, were you thinking of me?”
Ranma went bright red in response and muttered just loudly enough to be heard “Well, not JUST you...”
Feeling guilt crash into him like a wave Kasumi found herself rushing over and hugging Ranma. She felt compelled to tell the suddenly frozen martial artist the truth to ease his suffering. “It's all right Ranma, I'm more flattered then anything else, the others are all more beautiful then me so it's a really big complement that I was in your fantasy with them at all.” hesitating only a moment before her bond with him demand more she admitted. “Besides, I was thinking of you when I was...playingwithmyself” letting the last out in a rapid near whisper she turned scarlet.
Surprise was starting to overwhelm receding guilt in Ranma's feelings as he looked at Kasumi. “You were thinking of me?!” he squeaked. His brain catching up with everything else she had said he added “More beautiful then you? With the others? Kasumi you and Nabiki were the only ones I thought of, and in that outfit or ...er... naked...you don't surrender anything to the other girls at all!” realizing what he had just said he turned even redder then Kasumi.
An embarrassed Kasumi responded “It's nice of you to say that Ranma but I know it's not true...” sighing a bit wistfully she added “I know I'm the plain girl of the family, more a housewife then anything really.”
Nabiki interrupted her “Bullshit sis!” Kasumi looked at her, startled to here the curse come from her sister. Nabiki didn't even pause as she vehemently continued “between your beauty and personality half the guys in Nermia, even the ones with girlfriends, would fall all over themselves trying to get a date with you! When they realized you have a sharp mind in the package too, the other half would charge into the scuffle to! As for being a housewife, that's a load of crap, your wasted being stuck here taking care of us, and I've been hoping that you'd realize it and start college or something ever since Akane finally entered high school! You've been a saint to take care of us for so long, but sooner or later you need to start a life of your own. Heck I even roped you into the game in the first place to broaden your horizons a bit and get you out of the rut your stuck in!” running out of steam, Nabiki just looked defiantly at the two other occupants of the dojo, both now clinging to each other with looks of shock on their faces. Even Kasumi couldn't really remember the last time Nabiki had gone off on a tirade like that, if she ever had.
This time it was Ranma who managed to get his voice working first, with a heavy degree of sarcasm that sounded almost wrong from him he said “Gee, why don't you tell us how you really feel Nabs?”
A bit startled by the sarcasm it took a moment for Nabiki to process what she'd just been called, when she did she all but whispered “Nabs?” in bemused shock. Her whisper was lost however, as Kasumi, having gotten the raw verbal emotion from her sister AND the responding absolute agreement screaming through her bond with Ranma, seemed to spasm. She grabbed hold of Ranma and started crying into his shoulder, making noises that neither he nor Nabiki could decipher.
Shocked at the apparent collapse of one of the strongest people they knew both Nabiki and Ranma took a moment to respond. Ranma, panicking more then a little, tentatively put his arms around Kasumi and hugged her in what he hopped was a reassuring manner. Nabiki moved so fast a cross the dojo that Ranma wondered where she had learned to teleport. Showing one of her oh-so-rare moments of deep care for her sisters she dropped down to her knees leaned in and wrapped her arms around the older girl. Not sure what to say she found herself murmuring that everything was fine and other such nonsense phrases to her sobbing sibling. In that moment she thought So much for THAT plan, this was most definitely not where I thought this was going to go.
It was a good ten minutes before Kasumi started to get control of her sobbing, and another five before she was up to talking. It was with a barely under control voice that she told them how she'd give up on being anything but what she was years ago, how for years every time she thought of doing something different she was dragged back in, never by force, but because she cared for her family. She told them how she had all but stopped dreaming before Ranma arrived, how she'd hoped even then that maybe his arrival would be an out for her. How she'd been a little scared of the curse and off put by his apparent immaturity. She told how the constant chaos and the damage his presence caused had at first made her despair. As she felt Ranma tense she managed to look him in the eye and say that it was only at first, that after everything had settled a little she grew to appreciate all the chaos because it meant there was always something new and interesting going on. Sure it might not be happening to her, but at least she had a ring side seat. But through it all she never let herself start dreaming again. It was Nabiki's plan, and her confession the night before of the reasons she was doing it all, that had made her open her eyes a little, then the raw emotion from them both, the absolute certainty they had about her had hit her like the emotional equivalent of a sledgehammer.
After she had finished Nabiki was the first to speak. “So what now sis?”
In response Kasumi looked her straight in the eye and said. “In the long run? I don't know, I'm even more lost then you have been. In the short run though, you've already given me what I need, something I can't thank you enough for sis. I'm going to use this game you've orchestrated to do something different...to BE something different. Who knows, maybe I'll find myself along the way, and even if I don't at least I'm not just doing the same tired old thing day in and day out. Now, if you'll excuse me for a bit I should clean myself up, who knows what little sister would do if she thought Ranma made me cry” with a weak smile Kasumi disentangled herself and left the dojo.
Watching her go Nabiki and Ranma were silent for a few moments. Nabiki finally broke the silence by dryly stating “That was unexpected.”
Ranma was quick to retort “No kidding...now what?”
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(Posted Mon, 02 Mar 2009 22:57)
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