Ranma ½ is the property and invention of Rumiko Takahashi. The following story is not produced for any monetary or personal gain. Its sole purpose is to entertain using the characters and plots developed by Takahashi. ALL rights reserved

Shadows of the Land

Volume II : Family Ties

Chapter 8: The Eve of Tomorrow

The large house was usually empty except for the one lone person who stayed there most of her time. She still did not know why. Maybe it was the irony of the situation or maybe because it was the only thing she had to do. The only thing she was asked to do that she did not hate doing. She sighed. Maybe it was both.

There had been many times when she was asked if she wanted to leave, but something kept drawing her back to the house for some reason. She knew why or rather who was the reason but then it really wasn’t a reason. She sighed again.

Today she was not the only person in the house besides the Lord who she had renamed ‘Pointy’ because of his moustache. Not that she could tell that he had a moustache but from the pictures of him, he usually did. She knew he did not mind she had picked that nickname though.

Today he had visitors. That was not uncommon. He had visitors once or twice a week if he was lucky. No, what was strange was that he was having two visitors at the same time.

The first was the woman who lived not very far away from the farmlands that still remained. She had been a close friend of Pointy while he was still in good health. A strange thing when she thought about it because in those times, the Lords did not usually mix with the commoners as they were liable to call those without lofty mansions. Another strange thing was that Pointy did not live in a mansion. True the house was larger than any commoner’s but only functionally so. No room was repetitive in function. A strange thing at that time. A strange man…

The woman came as a friend and she and Pointy would talk for hours though she tried to stop them from staying too long since it was not that good for his well being.

The other one was different. She lived away from everyone else with her family like a hermit. She was not that much older than she was but she lived up there with her family away from the ‘politics’ as she called it. She wondered what were they doing in there but all she could do was wonder. Pointy had always been called a clever person in the past but the thing that worried her the most was that she knew how clever he could be. What was he up to?

***********

Nodoka Saotome sat humming to herself while the tea cooled. It was quite early in the morning for normal people but she was accustomed to waking up very early in the morning. The strange thing though was that Kasumi was usually in the kitchen before her and Kasumi was supposedly still in her room sleeping. That in itself was a unique thing.

The men were sleeping deeply somewhere in the Dojo. She had not bothered with them. She had known them both for a long time and while they were heavy drinkers, they were also experienced heavy drinkers who could take care of themselves.

No, her real concern lay with the girl upstairs who had taken two extra hours of sleep so far. Something must have happened last night to change Kasumi’s morning patterns so drastically. She was curious and intrigued but Nodoka knew better than to pry at the moment. She would pry later when the winnings would really be worth it. Something had happened. That she knew.

Kasumi did not know what had come over her. Again she looked at the clock at her bedside and against tried to will herself to get up and yet again she failed. She had been daydreaming about that night again and the whats and ifs too.

She had been hungry and Tofu knew the all night restaurant businesses very well since he had on many occasions, night calls. He had ushered her into one of them and immediately a man who had to be the owner noticed them and more importantly her. She frowned at his frightened expression as he froze on the spot. It seemed as if he was expecting his whole business to explode at the moment. Then the man blinked and a very weird expression overcame him. One that both intrigued her and made her walk a little closer to Tofu than before.

They sat at one of the tables close to the door and were discussing something. She could not really remember much of anything they had said since, truth be told, she wasn’t actually thinking about what she was saying, when small firecrackers began going off in the restaurant. Kasumi became a little worried and a bit frightened at the sudden noise. She did not believe she actually grasped Tofu’s hand that hard.

The owner apologized explaining that they were the 1,000^th couple to enter the store and that entitled them to a free dinner. Puzzled and confused, they did not resist as they were moved to another room within the establishment and were surprised to find themselves in a carpeted room with heavy curtains over the walls and doorway. Most of her confusion came from the use of the word ‘couple’. Were Tofu and her a ‘couple’? He was a friend, just a friend. She certainly did not think they could be a ‘couple’ or could they...

She remembered Tofu stating that he could not possibly accept such an offer but the man did not take no for an answer. It would bring his business into disrepute if he did not do such a momentous occasion its fanfare. Tofu eventually gave in to the man’s request.

Kasumi remembered the room well enough. It had at first been brightly lit but when they sat down at the table, the lights slowly dimmed until the room was only softly lit by a glittering chandelier above. They had hardly settled before a woman entered and placed a candle at the centre of the table and some plates. The serving woman had hardly moved from the table before two bowls of Miso soup were placed before them.

They blinked at each other, then embarrassingly, her stomach growled loud enough for Tofu to hear. She was relieved when he only chucked and began to eat. She followed his example.

After all the food had been eaten she gazed at the spread and wondered how the two of them could have eaten so much. She sighed attracting Tofu’s attention. He was watching her and for some reason she was feeling very self-conscious. When he chuckled she wanted to check and see if she had anything on her face. She couldn’t though, that would not be right, but Tofu simply eased out of his seat and helped her out of hers. She had been so caught up with the idea that something was on her face and how she could remove it without him seeing that she accidentally stubbed her toe on one of the table legs.

She tried to regain her balance but she did not have to as strong hands steadied her. She had never thought that his hands were strong before but around her, they felt strong…strong and comforting. She did not realize he was asking if she was okay. She was…well at that moment she wasn’t. She didn’t want those arms to leave, but when she did nod, they did leave and she regretted the impossibility of the situation. She should not be thinking things like that about Tofu. He was just a friend, just a friend.

They exited the restaurant and walked silently back to the Dojo although she might have acted improperly the way she was walking so close to him. She had never liked walking out so late at night and she felt safer when he was closer.

When they reached the front of the house, she thought that the time had passed much too quickly. He stood there waiting to see her in when by impulse if nothing else, she leaned forward to kiss him on the cheek. She had been a bit off balance and she guessed he thought she stumbled on something. That was the only reason she could think of as to why he leaned forward slightly to hold her. Her kiss had been a bit off though. She had missed her target completely and almost ended up kissing him on the lips. Thankfully she got his chin...or was it?

She had hurriedly stepped inside and thanked him, fearing that she would further embarrass herself in front of him. She had almost kissed him on the lips! She ran her fingers over her lips. Would it have been that bad? She had never been kissed before. Never had the chance to have a boyfriend when she was younger. Would it have been that bad?

She stared at the time on the clock again. She should get up. Why should she get up? She couldn’t think exactly of a reason. Auntie was downstairs taking care of breakfast and Nabiki certainly did not need her at the moment. Actually she did not know where Nabiki was. It seemed that after the past year, Nabiki had frequently spent the night out by friends when Akane or Ranma was missing and appeared back at the house when they came back. That was rather peculiar but then again her sister always had strange ways of enjoying herself. Kasumi’s eyes searched the room but this time they came across something that gave her a reason to get up. The book was still on her dressing table, hidden under one of those magazines that she wanted to read in case she needed to plan a wedding when Ranma and Akane came back. She had totally forgotten to give the book to Tofu. Oh my, that would not do. Auntie had asked her to give it to him and she had forgotten. It had nothing to do with the fact that she would have to go by the clinic and see him to return the book. Auntie had asked her.

She had a brisk shower and dressed quickly and for some reason she stared at the ponytail she had automatically pulled her hair into. Should she? Or should she not? And, why was there this fluttering feeling in her stomach? After a moment of indecision, she let her hair fall and brushed it. Oh my, even in her regular clothes he hair did look a lot better than it did before. She turned her head quickly allowing her hair to have a life of its own for a short fleeting moment. She smiled as she saw the effect. Her dressing table had the remnants of what Auntie had left the day before. Gingerly, she took the mixture in her hand and applied a little to her face. A touch of lipstick and she was finished. She stared at some of the other implements auntie had left. She was only going to give him back the book and he was only a friend right? Then why was she going to all this trouble to look more beautiful? It was probably because she liked it she supposed. She liked looking beautiful. Yes that was it, nothing to do with Tofu staring at her the other night. Nothing to do with seeing that smile on his face again. Not the usual goofy grin but than smile. A friendly smile. He was just a friend after all, a close friend. That was all it was. She wished her stomach would settle. Maybe she needed breakfast.

Kasumi descended the stairs and greeted her father when she saw him.

"Morning daughter," he greeted, the night of drinking still evident on his face. She frowned. He had not noticed. Maybe she wasn’t as beautiful as she thought. It was kind of Tofu to compliment her the other night even though she now guessed he had only said it because it was the proper thing to do. She didn’t think he knew what he had implied when they were discussing the leading actress of the movie. He had noted as an aside that she looked a lot better than the leading actress. She had blushed furiously but thankfully the light had been dim enough for him not to notice. The woman had been picture perfect but he had just stated that she was even more beautiful. Maybe he had only been complimenting her.

Kasumi spied Auntie replacing the phone receiver.

"Kasumi, I was just going to look for you. It seems Mina-chan has invited me over for dinner to about the old days. Your father will be accompanying me and so will Genma. Mina wanted to know if you would like to come but I didn’t think you’d like sitting around some old reminiscing fogies."

"Auntie you are not old!" exclaimed Kasumi.

"Thank you dear," replied Nodoka, "but I am not as young as I used to be either."

They moved to the kitchen and Nodoka noticed the book in her hand.

"Kasumi is that Dr. Tofu’s book"

"Oh my, yes, I forgot to give him it the last time I saw him." Nodoka did not press knowing fully well what was going on. The smirk on her face was almost permanently pasted.

***********

Jham and Ukyou found themselves on a train headed westwards to the Wasari Shrine. With Nabiki’s help, it had not been hard to find where the shrine was though the cost of the information was not as cheap as Ukyou had first imagined. The shrine was not exactly large or well known –not that that could ever stop Nabiki- but a train ride and a little hike would take them there easily within two days.

Ukyou raised her eyebrow angrily. The boy was asleep again. That didn’t irritate her much, but his snoring could wake the dead at times. A spatula to the head ended the irritation, at least for a while.

**********

A shadow sneaked up to the tent that was partially hidden in the bushes. The figure was not extremely large but it had a weapon in its hands. It wasn’t a particularly deadly weapon but all things could be considered weapons and one was always ready for battle. The shadow opened the tent flap and heaved the weapon inside. The scream inside could be heard for miles.

**********

Kasumi hummed while she was walking to the clinic, not that that was unusual, but Kasumi with her hair down and…It was all too much for some of the people who knew her. That and Irazou had been telling everyone that she and the good doctor had been on a date in his restaurant. That had caused much speculation since everyone in the area knew what happened if Kasumi and he were allowed to be in the same room. Unknown to her, several of the people she knew in Nerima were trailing her at a safe distance, all curious to see if the rumours were true.

Kasumi was oblivious to her following entourage and when she entered the clinic, people could be seen peeking through every nook and cranny. They were also trying to hide while peeking, which was really a humourous scene. They were clambering over one another trying to peek into the windows while trying to remain quiet. Not as easy a thing as it sounds, especially since all of them wanted a view of what could hopefully be a bit of kissing. That was why there was a range of cameras hanging from the roof and resting on the windowsill hoping for that all-important image.

"Oh Tofu, auntie asked me to return one of your books."

"Ka…ka..kasumiiii, hi fancy meeting you here. Betty-chan, have you met Kasumi as yet?"

There was a combined sigh of disappointment from the people surrounding the clinic and they began to leave. That was the combined reaction that could be heard. The other was a small sound of a girl’s heart breaking. She struggled to keep control and placed the book on the table, watching despondently as the good doctor continued his antics. Her eyes began to water. She muttered her goodbyes and shuffled hurriedly out of the clinic back to the Dojo. She wanted to be home. She wanted to be doing something, anything but near him at the moment.

Tofu Ono sat in his favourite chair and sighed once again as he had for the last hour. He had had two patients but they had thankfully remained quiet when they sensed his mood. Nothing truly was wrong with them that he could not fix with a little probing here and a little ointment there but he was not getting into his work as he was used to.

He was depressed. Last night had been…wonderful. He had never had such a glorious night out in all his days yet today when he saw her again he lost it again. It was infuriating but he could not do anything about it.

When his father had died, he had to find the bread for the family and he did. It was strange how people took to him in the restaurants and allowed him to support his family. After jumping from job to job attracted by the higher pay, he finally settled as a secretary to an old doctor. The pay wasn’t that good, but he absolutely loved the job. The doctor would also let him read the books and assist patients as long as they gave their permission. When he sat the university exams, he was surprised when he was awarded a scholarship and as surprised as well when one of the doctors friends who worked in the area had given him a job just by knowing who he had worked for.

His whole life had centred at that time towards becoming a doctor and helping to support his family. He hardly had personal time then and what personal time he did have, he dedicated towards his martial arts. Then he met Kasumi and....

His whole training trip to the mainland had to be to find the cure, he had even gone to the most respected of all the teachers in the northern mountains. He hoped at least that teacher would have given him the cure for his malady but like many wise men, the answer was cryptic: a mixture of truth and teaching combined into one.

"The cure is as complex as the symptoms and is more powerful. It can also be very dangerous when used in the wrong way. Take heart young man, the gods have heart and reason. Your cure will come to you in time and perhaps it may be already in your grasp. Just be patient."

After that the man went back into meditation.

He wanted the cure now. There were so many things he could do properly if he knew the cure but that was as much a secret as the cure to Ranma’s curse. Oh, there was a cure to that also, but the teacher would not give any other clues.

He was so preoccupied thinking that he did not notice someone entering the clinic.

"Dr. Tofu Ono?" she called.

"Hm…Ah Mrs. Ikoyu. What can I do for you?"

"Well Doctor, for the last couple of days I’ve been having this pain in my arm you see and I wanted to know if you could do something about it. I did not want to worry No-chan. She tends to get a bit protective of her friends."

"Ah, yes, I see much like Ranma with his friends."

"Really?"

"Yes, I can definitely see some of auntie in him."

She sat on the examining table and he prodded some points on her body with his fingers. Then he gave her a little jar of cream.

"Well there’s nothing serious, only some bad circulation. I suggest you get out more often. Probably some more shopping or walking in the parks."

Thank you doctor, now, do you know any waterfalls?" she asked.

"Oh yes I…"

His eyes lost their glint and became dull.

"Who reminds you of those waterfalls?"

"…"

"Kasumi reminds you of waterfalls."

"Kasumi reminds me of waterfalls," he replied.

"So should I be back next week doctor," she spoke cheerily breaking him out of the trance.

"Sure Mrs. Ikoyu, anytime."

Mina left the establishment with a smile on her face. She had inherited certain techniques from her father but they were far from perfect and they wore off after a while. That Kasumi girl had better fetch that man quickly. She could not continue that forever otherwise it might become detrimental to his mental health. Of course there were other ways of curing him –one had a vast knowledge of these things when one’s grandfather had been an assistant to a Shinto priest- but all the cures centred on the girl in question.

************

The two teens scrambled off the train.

"Hey I did not mean anything when I said you had a strange way of dressing."

"Yes you did, I heard you mutter that I acted like a boy," answered a pissed Ukyou.

"Well you do!" affirmed Jham.

"No I don’t!" she retorted

"Hey you’re the one who said she acted like a boy for ten years. I mean ten years!" he quoted from her previous account.

"So! I act like a girl now."

"Definitely not! Normal girls are not violent!" He knew many girls and this was the first one that had ever beaned him for absolutely no reason.

"I am not violent!" she defended.

"You’ve got to be kidding me. Do you think hitting people with oversized cooking utensils is normal?"

"Well no, but that’s because I’m a martial artist."

"So all martial artists are violent," he concluded.

"Yes…No! Stop trying to trick me!"

Jham smirked. "I’d like to continue this little tirade but I have better things to do. Now where is the temple."

"Nabiki says to keep walking NNW for ten miles and you should find it."

"Okay thanks. I’ll be seeing you then."

He waved goodbye as he walked into the distance and she waved back at him. She turned to head back to the station when she blinked. He had not told her about her Ran-chan yet.

"Why that no good…"

A girl with something large on her back could be seen sprinting off in the direction of a certain boy with heavy dust trail following her. Just how she could run that fast with that thing strapped to her back, nobody knew.

*************

Kasumi rose from her seat to make herself something to eat. The Saotomes and father had left some time ago, Mrs. Saotome having decided to make a day of the trip.

She entered the kitchen and opened the shelves where she kept her stocks of food. She briefly checked the contents and realized that she had not stocked up for a while. With Ranma and Akane gone, there were two less mouths to feed and Ryouga had not passed by in quite a while so she had grown accustomed to not buying extra provisions. However, if she knew Ranma and Akane, they could be back any moment after their playful bickering got out of hand once again or after they had had too much fun and needed a rest. Her bets were on the latter. She grabbed her purse intent on doing some shopping. It would not do for them to come home and have none of their favourites to eat.

She hummed again as she walked down the paved avenues more from habit than anything else. She certainly was not feeling as happy as she had this morning and any that had seen her that morning or any other morning would have noticed it easily. Nokoda certainly had but she did not day anything. Unlike the normal Kasumi, this one was wearing a slight frown on her face.

She idly noted that this was the same route Tofu and her took the other night. She wondered why that would make a difference to her now. She was so lost in her thoughts that she failed to notice the cavity in the pavement in front of her. Inevitably, she stepped into the cavity without correcting for the drop in height. The results were not what she expected. When she placed her foot in it, she faltered slightly from the imbalance but unfortunately, she placed all her weight on that one ankle. The said ankle was not prepared for such a bad shift in positioning and soon gave out. The result was that Kasumi had to stretch out her hand to prevent herself from falling. When she tried to right herself, her ankle told her in distinct terms that it could not hold her weight by the flash of pain when she tried to stand. Someone walking by had seen the whole thing.

"Kasumi-san are you okay?"

"Oh hello Roshi-san, I believe I’ve twisted my ankle."

"Can you walk?"

Kasumi tried but ended up holding onto the post again.

"Hmm…we have to get you to a doctor. Come now, let me help you."

With one hand around his shoulders Kasumi gingerly walked or was rather shepherded by the man across the street towards…

"Are we going to the clinic?" she asked.

"Yes, Dr. Tofu is the closest and I believe he is your family’s physician."

Kasumi nodded though she was a bit uncertain if she wanted to see Tofu. The way he acted when she was around… She did not know if he would be in the right frame of mind to treat her. Plus after this morning, she did not feel with coping with the same disappointent when he started acting all silly again. Why couldn’t it just be like last night?

Tofu was surprised to say the least when he saw Kasumi hobbling into the clinic being supported by one of the local vendors. He was also surprised that he had not turned into a blabbering mess as yet. Taking advantage of his current clear-headedness, he rushed over to assist his patient.

He briskly walked over and took her hand. The vendor released her but when she almost stumbled again, Tofu caught her.

"Kasumi-san, I’m sure you’re in good hands and if you don’t mind, I have a business to attend to."

Kasumi nodded and neither Kasumi or Tofu noticed the smile on the vendor’s face or the little chuckle as he reflected upon his pun. They were too caught up. Tofu’s mind had gone into its doctor/patient mode while Kasumi was furiously chiding herself for blushing at the mere touch of his hand on her arm. She could not believe how warm his hand felt against her skin. She was not given that much time to contemplate the subject since she suddenly found herself being whisked off the ground to the examination table.

"Can’t have you walking on your legs can I?" apologised Tofu.

If Kasumi could have spoken she would have said it was quite all right by her. Strong. She knew he was strong but he had so easily…and his arms around her. Oh dear, she knew she was blushing furiously like some schoolgirl. She could not let him see her like that!

Fortunately for her, he did not look into her face when he set her down in a seated position on the table. He immediately stooped down to have a look at her injured foot. The shoes and socks came off and Kasumi almost gasped in delight when he caressed her foot. She had well…ahh he was screwing up her thoughts. That was until the slight shock of pain made her cry out.

"Yes…I see. Kasumi, how did you injure your ankle?"

"I...I..it was quite silly really. I…I stumbled into a hole in the pavement," she stuttered. That was silly way to injure yourself. He would probably laugh at her and think she was clumsy or something.

"Yes, I’ve been wondering why they haven’t fixed that yet. Do you know that yesterday someone almost fractured her hand by hitting it on her cupboards when she was turning around."

He didn’t laugh! He hadn’t laughed.

Tofu went to his medicine cabinet and brought back a little jar. He opened it and Kasumi gasped a little when she felt the hot-cold sensation of the liquid as it was rubbed into her skin.

"There. Now Kasumi do not walk on that foot for the next day or so and it will be fine. If it pains a bit you can rub some of this on your foot. Now let me call and see if anyone’s home to walk you back."

"Tofu," she interrupted, "Father and the Saotomes are out for the evening and Nabiki…" She did not have to finish the sentence, everyone knew Nabiki.

"Hmm…" Tofu rubbed his chin for a second and then started closing up the clinic.

"Tofu what are you doing?" she asked meekly.

"I’ll walk you home."

"You really don’t have to. I can call a taxi."

"Nonsense," he replied. "Plus you still have to walk into the house and you are not supposed to do any walking on that foot."

"Hai," she relented.

After placing the ‘closed’ sign on the door he left it slightly ajar and walked over to Kasumi. He placed the sock and shoe back on her foot and helped her off the table. He placed an arm around her and gently guided her out the door. Her arm snaked around his back and soon they were into the streets.

Kasumi did not know how long they had been walking for but each moment felt like a year. She could feel his breathing and his strong arms around her. She could feel his taught back muscles as she clung to him. She could feel…no she should not feel like that. After all he was a friend and was probably going out with someone else. Nabiki had said that he was interested sometime ago but Kasumi had grown to doubt that. He was probably just being friendly as he always was.

They were in the alley that was not very far from the house when she misjudged her step and stumbled. Before she could right herself though, she was floating in the air with strong hands underneath her.

"I think I will carry you the rest of the way," announced Tofu much to the disdain and excitement of Kasumi. The disdain was about the excitement. Her right hand had to go around his neck in order to balance her position in his arms. Why did he have to carry her?

She couldn’t tell him no, after all, he was the doctor, but the feelings she felt when he touched her made her uncomfortable and excited at the same time. He was a family friend for goodness sake, yet she couldn’t help but snuggle closer into his embrace. That felt so nice so…umm. She liked that. She didn’t want to admit it, but she liked Tofu carrying her. It was so comfortable being there in his arms. Unfortunately though, the ride ended almost as soon as it began as Tofu set her down to open the door. He then helped her inside and sat her down on the settee.

While Tofu checked to see if Nabiki had returned, Kasumi gingerly walked into the kitchen to bring Tofu some tea and biscuits. She made it to the kitchen by holding onto various items along the way. In the kitchen She put the kettle on to boil and she retrieved some cookies from the jar in which she kept them. She half-walked, half-groped into the living room when Tofu spied her and immediately took the tray from her, set it on the table and picked her off the ground placing her back on the settee.

"Kasumi, didn’t I tell you to stay off those feet?" he scolded.

"I’m sorry Tofu, I just thought you would like some cookies."

He smiled. She was always the perfect host when he visited.

"Well today you have to stay off your feet. Doctor’s orders."

"Hai," she replied meekly.

He wandered over to the television and turned it on and hearing the whistle of the kettle wandered off into the kitchen. After a few minutes, he returned bringing two cups of tea. He lay them down on the table next to Kasumi and then he walked back over to where her feet lay and removed her socks, allowing the air to hit the injured foot. That would do her good. Sometimes when small breezes tickled the soft spot by the arch it helped to relieve the dull pain from the sprain.

Idly he lifted her feet off the settee and sat down placing her feet on his lap. He did not know why but he had a sudden impulse to act protective all of a sudden. He rubbed his hands together and began his magic.

Kasumi for the light of her could not understand why Dr. Tofu had placed her feet on his lap then she felt his hands on her legs. Then, she was in total heaven. Her mother used to massage her feet after school sports when she was younger but after her death no one had ever volunteered the service. It felt so good to have someone massaging her legs again. She could almost feel the kinks being worked out while his hands passed over her legs. She did not know how long his hands roamed over her legs and more than once she had hoped he would move higher to her thighs and then…but after what had seemed an eternity, the hands rested on her feet and stopped moving.

"Thank you T..Tofu," muttered Kasumi.

"My pleasure Kasumi. My mother always used to say that a good massage always took the edge from the pain at times."

Kasumi smiled at him then her attention focused back to the television. They watched a subtitled American movie on the television until the phone rang. Kasumi reacted instantly until Tofu held her back. One look was all that was needed before she was back on the settee.

<Tofu-san is that you?>

<No, I don’t know where she is.>

Tofu thought for a second.

Tofu chuckled.

When he put down the phone and walked back into the living room Kasumi couldn’t wait to ask who had been on the phone. Before she could even ask, he answered the question for her.

"That was auntie ordering me to take care of you until Nabiki gets back."

"I really don’t need any help Tofu. I can manage on my own."

"Let me be the judge of that," he replied, and sat on one of the chairs to the side, taking his tea with him.

Kasumi watched him sit down disappointed that he had not returned to where he had sat previously then turned her attention back to the television. For some strange reason her eyes kept wandering back to where he sat sipping his cup of tea. He was really handsome. She knew that, strong and knowledgeable too. So handsome. She sighed. He could never be remotely interested in her. She sighed again and turned back to the television.

Tofu stared at the television. Staring would be the most accurate term since he was not actually watching the program currently being shown. He had been lost in his thoughts since he had sat down. He was in Kasumi’s house and although that was not a strange thing in itself, him being alone with her was. He did not understand why he was not acting silly around her at the moment. This morning, he had not been able to control himself. Now, he had been able to administer treatment and talk to her without going cuckoo. Why was that possible?

What also intrigued him was the excitement that he felt anytime her body pressed against his. Every time she touched him, he felt that his body temperature had gone up a few degrees and he burned with an uncontrollable desire to take her in his hands and hold her and kiss her. Even now, he wanted to hold her in his hands as he had the night before in the cinema. He actually had to restrain himself from walking over to her and....

His gaze fell upon her once again for the umpteenth time that night. He watched the contours of her face and of her body as her chest rose and fell with each breath, then he came to the inevitable conclusion. She was asleep.

He stared at her again for awhile knowing that this would probably be the only time in his life he ever would be able to, then he walked quietly over to the settee and picked her up in his arms after switching off the television. He crept up the stairs to her room. He had treated Akane so many times when she was younger that he practically knew the layout of the second floor of the house.

He used his back to push open the sliding door and slowly entered her bedroom. He had never been in her bedroom before. He did not stop to look however. He lay her down on the bed and tried to unwrap her hands from around his waist when suddenly they moved to wrap themselves around his neck. He turned towards her....

She was awake, awake and staring at him.

So beautiful. So beautiful. The way her hair cascaded around her shoulders. The small glitter in her eyes from the moonlight invading the room through her window. The smile that rested on her face. So beautiful. He didn’t even know what had happened. One minute he was staring into her eyes, the next his eyes were closed and he could feel his lips against hers. He could feel her, smell her, taste her. So beautiful. Slowly he pulled away from her and opened his eyes. Her eyes were closed too. He tried to control himself. He had to go, to leave. He did not have her father’s permission. This was not proper. He could not do that to her.

He turned to move away but two hands snaked around him and he was forced once again to stare into that angelic face.

"Stay with me please?" she asked. "Just stay. I don’t want to be alone."

He wanted to leave. He really wanted too, but how could he say no to her of all people. His moment of indecision was cut short as she kissed him on the cheek. The pleading in her eyes destroying his resolve. He put his hands around her and lay back as she lay her head on his chest. They stayed like that for awhile. No talking no moving. Just listening to the others hearts until finally Tofu heard the soft even breathing that told him Kasumi had fallen asleep again.

He tried to move her hands that were around him but they refused to budge as they clung tenaciously to his shoulders. He wasn’t going anywhere without waking her up. He sighed then looked down on her and kissed her on the crown of her head.

"My beautiful Kasumi-chan," he whispered. Then he fell silent and ran his hand across her back until he too fell asleep.

**********

Earlier that day…

The person who was sleeping inside the tent dashed outside and attacked her aggressor. That other person was quite skilled at defending and the attacker was sent flying into the river.

A soaking Akane with only a shirt clinging to her ah…rather curvaceous body indignantly sputtered as she surfaced.

"Ranma no Baka! What did you do that for?" she shouted.

"Time to start training again. I’ve taken it easy on you so far. Now comes the real training." Ranma gulped. Did Akane have to walk so…so enticingly as she exited the river? Maybe this hadn’t been a good idea? No. No he had to go through with it. She had to learn control and there was one sure way he knew that she would be able to control her anger. She could not fight her best when she was angry. She got sloppy and left too many openings. The problems were that she got angry quickly and very often: two things that complicated teaching her the martial arts.

He settled into his normal stance and she followed his example. Goodness she looked so desirable with the rivulets of water running down the side of her face down to her cleavage down to…

He shook the picture from his head as she attacked and he blocked with ease. She kept attacking and he kept blocking her for a good while until he shouted ‘stop’.

"Akane you will never Shampoo or Ukyou if you can’t stay calm during a fight. You tense up too much and make too many mistakes. From now on, you must try to keep a calm mind when we spar."

"Hai sensei."

Akane knew what was going on. She hadn’t expected martial arts training to begin for a little while since they had only began their marital arts training a couple of days ago. Ranma was the best martial artist she knew and he was technically her sensei too. She wouldn’t have minded staying in the tent for another day with the kettle nearby and her husband wrapped around her. She had found sleeping on his bare chest much to her liking.

Again she attacked and again he dodged. She gritted her teeth. She knew he was better than she in either form and could beat her with his hands tied behind his back. Her open palm strike met with air but she felt a hand caress what was one of her most sensitive spots. She gasped.

"Calm Acchan, you need to keep calm."

Akane whirled around and attempted to grab him but he easily evaded her.

"I’ll make a deal with you Acchan. If I have to use that technique too many times today you will sleep by yourself tonight."

"Are you sure you don’t want to go into the tent right now?" she asked him in her most sensuous and sultry voice.

Ranma gulped. He had to keep his cool. He had to concentrate on the task at hand. That was a hard job considering that he was dealing with the most beautiful and nude body he had even laid eyes on in front of him.

"No. The deal…"

Akane frowned. She was very exited at the moment but if that voice didn’t have Ranma running to her she did not know what would.

"Okay. But if you don’t, then tonight you will be my slave."

"Okay," replied Ranma, trying not to sound eager. He had not known how ‘creative’ his wife was until their wedding night and he was in full anticipation of what she would have him do as her slave. First though, she would have to last the training and with that thought, he attacked.

************

Jham once again woke up with a nasty bruise on his head.

"You didn’t have to hit me that hard you know."

"Well I wouldn’t have if you hadn’t tried to trick me."

"Hey I was only waving I never told you not to come."

"You were still trying to trick me!" she responded indignantly.

"Yeah whatever," he replied as he waved her off. "Now which direction to the Shrine again?"

"She pointed him in the direction."

He then stopped and looked at her. She stared back at him, intent on winning the battle. After five minutes, her patience ran thin.

"What are you waiting for?" she practically screamed at him.

"For you to start running again. The last time I was nearly half-dead by the time we stopped running. At least this time I want to be prepared."

"What!" she replied incredulously.

"Oh? Does that mean we’re not running? Well in that case…"

Jham brought his palms together form a triangle with his thumbs and index fingers. He concentrated for a second then smiled at Ukyou.

"Okay I’m ready to start walking if you are."

Ukyou growled and grabbed his hand almost dragging him along as she started at a fast pace.

They walked and walked and walked and…well you get the idea…until finally Ukyou’s stomach growled and she stopped to cook. Jham decided that this was the best time for him to eat as well. They both made their food and ate quickly and were soon on their way again. As night approached, they saw a dim light emanating from beyond the hill in front of them. Ukyou excited ran to the top while Jham shook his head in admonishment and continued his leisurely pace. In less than a minute he was by her side. She frowned at his lack of energy and he did not bother commenting. Finally he had reached the place.

She frowned more openly as he continued his leisurely pace down to the shrine and was perplexed when he suddenly stopped and sat in a lotus position.

"Why did you stop?" she asked while peering down at him.

"We are about to be greeted," he replied offhandedly.

"Hello? How are you?" asked a person right behind Ukyou.

Instinctively, Ukyou jumped and swung with her spatula.

No one was there. She turned back to Jham who was not alone this time. A man in an orange robe sat next to him in the same lotus position. Jham took something out of his pockets and gave it to the man. He looked at it for a second. Then, he reached behind his back and pulled out something small that he handed Jham in his palm. Ukyou tried to see what it was, but it was small and the light was fading. Jham pocketed the item then rose.

"Are you going to stand there all night or are you ready to go?" he asked.

"You’re finished already!" she exclaimed.

"Yeah," he replied nonchalantly.

He turned to leave then heard felt a tremour as something heavy fell to the floor. He wondered why she did that?

***********

Ranma and Akane were in bed and that was about it. Akane had somehow managed to hold her temper for most of the day. Ranma only had to use the technique twenty five times as opposed to the fifty he had initially foretold. Or maybe he was lying about the initial number… with newlyweds, who knows? Anyway, according to the deal, Ranma had been Akane’s slave for the night. The only problem was that neither of them could find the energy to get up. Akane could only stare into Ranma’s face as they lay on top of each other.

"Remind me not to do that on a school night," she told him.

He muttered his assent and tried to get up to start training. His already tired muscles still sore from their overnight training refused to move and thus he stood still. He then applied the Saotome School of Anything Goes special morning-energy-conservation technique: go back to sleep.

***********

Dawn with her rosy fingers caused many a person the next morning to awake and had no effect on others. Two early risers were immediately awakened when they felt the extra warmth against their cheeks. One tried to arise, but strong arms kept her at bay. She turned around only to find a wagging finger.

"Stay off those feet," he reminded.

She sighed and settled back under the covers.

He slowly exited the bed and the room being very quiet and very cautious. He was not supposed to be there in her room. Not without a formal invitation to woo her. Idly his thoughts reverted to that kiss they had shared. How could he have let that happen? He really did not know what had happened at all. One minute he was staring at her, the next he was in lip-lock. He didn’t even know what had possessed him.

He was a martial artist as well as a doctor and after passing a few rooms he noted the absence of auras in the house. After a few seconds of silent meditation, he realised that Kasumi and he were the only two people in the house that morning. He was sure that auntie would have returned that morning.

Thanking his blessings that morning, he hurried to the kitchen and in a few minutes he was able to whip up a small breakfast for himself and Kasumi. He found a tray stashed in a convenient place and placing the food on it, made his way to Kasumi’s room.

He had left the door open so he could come back quickly if needed. He was going enter the room when he realised that Kasumi was in front of her dresser and she was changing! Tofu heart stopped for a minute. She had on all her underwear, but seeing her soft delicate skin like that. He was accustomed to seeing patients naked if need be so she should not affect him like that but the mere sight of her…He waited a couple of minutes before calling to make sure she heard he was entering. When she replied, he entered carrying the tray, trying to keep a face that would not betray what he had just seen.

Kasumi sat up in bed and he placed the tray in front of her. He knew he could have given her a pair of crutches so she could move about freely without him but to leave her there all alone by herself… plus it felt good to baby her like that. He watched her eat until she beckoned him to eat with her. Breakfast was finished quickly and he helped her down the stairs. He let her down gently on the settee, then he felt her soft kiss against his cheek. He did not know what else to do so he smiled. The smile helped to contribute to the already permanent blush on her face.

At that moment the door opened and someone entered…