Of course, the fact that he had cute girls looking to help in protecting him from traps at the front door did help to get him into that state, but then again, having traps waiting inside the front gate was the really screwed up part. That made it so that he had the kunoichi Kasumi crouching down on the top of the porch so that she could pull off a rope trap. Then there was her sister Ayane, who happened to be using a kunai to set off a gas pellet that had been left next to the front door. And Hitomi was yanking wash bins away from the latches that would have let them fall onto someone's head.
"Is it just me, or does it seem like something's really off here?" he asked, turning to look at Hayate and Ryu... only to see them hefting a sizable log away from a nearby set of ropes.
Blowing out his breath, the pigtailed boy scowled and slumped his shoulders as he tried to take in what was going on. From his viewpoint, this was simply not how this house was supposed to be, and it seemed that something had really influenced a veer to the left. Wracking his brain for some sort of clue as to what that could be, he knew that people around here didn't set up traps inside their own property... unless their name was Kuno. For a moment there, he wondered if Kodachi had somehow gotten her hooks into this place, but then he remembered that she was in that public exhibition sorcery kick.
That still left him wondering who would be sneaking around and leaving these traps, none of which were all that harmful, but would likely not be all that comfortable if he got caught in them.
"Perk up boy," Genma intoned. "We are here, and now you can get your bride."
"Imagine my delight," his son bit out, sarcasm dripping like ice water from his words.
"That's the spirit. Time to go forward and take it like a man."
Although he'd been about to insult his rather self absorbed parent, Ranma's retort was cut off as the front door slid open to let someone outside.
Kasumi Tendo stood there, looking almost totally as he'd remembered her, but it was the slight nature of that difference that made it ever so much more glaring. Her eyes shined with a more active interest in what was going on, and he was pretty sure that her dress was a bit tighter than he recalled. Then again, it wasn't that she couldn't carry such a thing off, though he was a bit shocked to recognize that he could see when certain parts of her perked up at the sight of him.
"Why, hello to you all. I am Kasumi Tendo, and it's nice to see everyone," she murmured, holding out the tray that she was carrying.
Smiling broadly at the house resident, Genma strolled over to the girl in the house dress. "Well, hello to you. I am Genma Saotome, and can I assume that you're one of Soun's daughters?"
"Yes, he is my father, and we've been so anticipating having you come here."
"See, Ranma? They're excited about our visit. And you can have someone like her for your wife."
At the mention of the younger Saotome's name, Kasumi's attention caught, and she stared intently at the named boy, seeming to like what she saw.
Heaving a groan, Ranma rubbed the back of his head and fought to not roll his eyes. "It isn't that I'm all that against coming. I'd just like to know why it has to be like this."
"Is there something wrong?" the eldest Tendo daughter asked.
"Other than the fact that you seem to have an obstacle course going on in the front yard?"
"Sorry about that. My sisters can be a bit... excitable."
The pigtailed boy's gaze went flat as he tried to figure out just which sister she was talking about.
"In the mean time, why don't you all have a refreshment? I'm sure that you'll enjoy it."
"Don't mind if I do," Genma answered, already reaching for a rice ball. "Boy, why don't you try something?"
"I was going to," Ranma muttered, as his reach had been cut off by his father's eagerness to eat.
"Then don't be so slow...."
"You don't have to rush. There is plenty for all. Why don't you all have some?"
"We can?" the kunoichi Kasumi asked.
"Please do."
Ayane eyed the food before taking a cookie and biting into it, blinking in pleasant surprise when she did so. "Hey, this is good."
"Really?" Hitomi asked.
"Hate to admit it, but... yeah, it is."
Picking up a rice ball of her own, the half-German girl took a bite and smiled when she tasted it. At the same time, Ryu and Hayate shrugged at each other before going to get their own snacks, each enjoying the chance to get a bit to eat.
As for Ranma, he grabbed a sweet and popped it into his mouth, savoring both the taste and the fact that there were at least some things that never changed.
"See, boy? You don't have to be so reluctant to act all the time," his father admonished him.
Allowing himself to let out a hard laugh, Ranma waiting just long enough to scoff at his parent before taking another bite. "Like you'd understand what I'm doing."
"You'll find that when you've become as experienced as me, you can be aware of the world so much easier."
"Since when?"
"Don't you see how I know how to handle situations?"
"And what good comes out of your plans?"
"Plenty does, boy. Why, if it hadn't been for me, we wouldn't have been enjoying these treats...." Genma trailed off... and then collapsed as his eyes rolled up back into his head.
Going to crouch next to the fallen Saotome patriarch, Ayane looked him over before going to look up at her Lord. "A knockout potion, most probably."
"It was fast acting too," her sister murmured. "More than likely it was in one of his snacks."
"Oh dear. How would it have gotten into there?" Kasumi Tendo asked, giving a small frown of disapproval.
Ranma and his ninja took a moment to stare at the house resident while:
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(Posted Mon, 27 Jul 2009 03:29)
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