Anything Goes Laundry Service [Ranma 1/2]
- Thread starter Balthanon
- Start date
Chapter 5, Part 2
- Location
- United States
Shuddering, Ranma turned back to Kasumi with a worried expression as Happosai continued cackling and giggling to himself in his bedroom. Putting a finger up to his lips, he and the mistress of the Tendo household moved quietly down the hall and into the living room. Once they got there, Kasumi stayed quiet, sinking onto a pillow gracefully. Her hands, however, told a different story, as they twisted the small bundle of clothing that she had just ironed fretfully.
"You doing okay, Kasumi?" Ranma settled down on the other side of the living room table, leaning forward intently. Though if Akane walked in after that scene at the canal yesterday she was likely to brain him. Followed up by Ukyou, Shampoo, and Kodachi.
Nodding, the brunette said, "I am. It is a little sudden. I mean, it has only been a week or two since you found out about... you know." She glanced around the open space, apparently a bit more wary of being overheard after finding out Happosai knew.
Ranma just nodded and watched Kasumi as she talked. He thought the little batch of dresses in her hands were probably going to need some attention again after she was done. Every once in awhile though, her movements would still and she pulled out a box from under the clothing.
She had been carrying that ever since the fight yesterday. He didn't think he had seen her without it even once and he suddenly thought he recognized it, though he had never seen it.
Interupting her, Ranma nodded towards the object and said, "Is that it?" He paused and clarified. "The one you were missing I mean."
Smiling shyly, Kasumi pulled out the box and displayed it to him. "Yes, isn't it wonderful?" She hugged it to her chest and Ranma had to fight to keep a grin off his face. She looked like a kid in a candy store-- right after their parents purchased it. "Would you like to see it?"
"I kinda doubt I'll appreciate it as much as you do, but sure."
Placing it eagerly on the table between the two of them, Kasumi leaned over the box. Sliding the top this way and that, she finally grinned up at him with an expression that he suspected she hadn't used much since she was a little girl. When she lifted the lid of the box though, the expression turned into a thoughtful frown because the rest of the box came along with it.
Ranma tried not to laugh, but her expression was priceless. "I'm guessing you haven't actually opened it since you got it back from Happosai? I'm kind of surprised."
"I couldn't quite bring myself to open it." Giving a small moue of annoyance, she said, "Hold on a moment, I must have..." Her voice trailed off as she returned to the puzzle, but her next two tries also failed and she finally gave up.
Looking like a kicked puppy, she said, "I don't remember how to open it."
"You'll get it eventually, Kasumi." Ranma shrugged. He really was surprised that she had waited this long given how she had talked about it when he first walked in on her. "You managed to do it when you were 4. I kinda doubt it's going to take you all that long."
"But I had clues then, Grandfather's help."
Ranma reached over and grabbed the box, picking it up and examining it himself. It didn't look like nothing special really or at least he didn't quite see the appeal. "Well, yeah, but it aint's like you can't ask him again if you need to."
He eyed the container again. The box was well built, but as he hefted it a couple times he didn't think the wood could be that strong. A good quick blow and it should pop open-- or pop apart maybe. Somehow he didn't think Kasumi would go for that solution though.
She perked up at his last statement though. "That's true. Perhaps I'll go do that now." She was up so quickly that Ranma only barely got a chance to stop her, holding up a hand and causing her to slow and look back at him quizically.
"Maybe after the competition?" Ranma suggested. He had kind of been looking for a chance to bring something up after she had told him what happened after he ran-- after he used the Saotome secret technique yesterday and now was as good a time as any. "Not a big deal, but we don't exactly know what's involved. No point giving up anything you don't need ta, even information."
"But...?" Kasumi looked at the puzzle box regretfully, then back towards Happosai's room. He suspected that she might also want to talk with a kindred spirit now that her secret was out with him. He needed to head that off at the pass for the moment though.
"You should probably keep trying for a bit on your own anyway, don't ya, think? Don't want Happosai to think you weren't willing to give it your all, do you?" Ranma's lips twitched into a self satisfied smirk for a moment. That one had been kind of sneaky.
Kasumi appeared to give this some careful thought, then nodded and placed the box back into the pile of dresses she had been carrying around. "That is a good point."
Ranma paused and tried to decide whether to broach his question now, then decided it would never really be a good time. He might as well do it now. "So, I do kind of have to ask something though."
"Yes?" Kasumi appeared ready to tell another story, but this wasn't that kind of question.
"Do you actually want to do this?" Ranma thought it was a good question. He couldn't really imagine throwing a challenge, not a real one anyway. Real being somewhat arbitrarily defined, of course. However, Kasumi wasn't a martial artist, he thought she might--
"Of course!" Kasumi appeared almost hurt that he had questioned her convictions.
--have no doubts at all apparently. He might have called that wounded pride on anyone other than the eldest Tendo sister, but with Kasumi it was more like disappointment in him and questioning herself. It made him feel like a heel, though... it was entirely possible they weren't on the same page in this conversation.
"Not the box, I mean this competition Happosai bribed you into accepting," Ranma clarified.
"Oh." Kasumi dithered for a moment, appearing a bit torn on how to answer the question. After a moment though, she sank back down to the table and set down her bundle before placing her hands into her lap. Her eyes seemed locked upon her clasped fingers and she didn't meet Ranma's eyes.
"I... it's not about want, really," Kasumi said after a minute. Her voice was actually surprisingly steady given the nervousness he had seen up to this point and it had that strange conviction that he had come to associate with her over the last week or two. "I won't lie and say that it wouldn't please me if my sisters and father knew at least.
"I very much dislike having to... to keep secrets from them." Ranma thought that might have started out as lying, but he knew by now that Kasumi didn't like to think of herself as lying. The girl was looking straight at him now, though her hands were still firmly folded in her lap. "Perhaps you think it's silly, but I need to do everything in my power to keep my promise to Mother. If I lose, it won't be the end of the world, but I need to be able to face her and tell her that I tried."
Ranma smiled slightly. "I told ya I must have lost my Mom real young, since I don't remember her at all. That don't mean I think it's silly to respect her memory though.
"No. All I was really trying to see was if you really thought this was something you could win and if so, but it sounds like you want to do this thing.
"So let's talk tactics."
"You doing okay, Kasumi?" Ranma settled down on the other side of the living room table, leaning forward intently. Though if Akane walked in after that scene at the canal yesterday she was likely to brain him. Followed up by Ukyou, Shampoo, and Kodachi.
Nodding, the brunette said, "I am. It is a little sudden. I mean, it has only been a week or two since you found out about... you know." She glanced around the open space, apparently a bit more wary of being overheard after finding out Happosai knew.
Ranma just nodded and watched Kasumi as she talked. He thought the little batch of dresses in her hands were probably going to need some attention again after she was done. Every once in awhile though, her movements would still and she pulled out a box from under the clothing.
She had been carrying that ever since the fight yesterday. He didn't think he had seen her without it even once and he suddenly thought he recognized it, though he had never seen it.
Interupting her, Ranma nodded towards the object and said, "Is that it?" He paused and clarified. "The one you were missing I mean."
Smiling shyly, Kasumi pulled out the box and displayed it to him. "Yes, isn't it wonderful?" She hugged it to her chest and Ranma had to fight to keep a grin off his face. She looked like a kid in a candy store-- right after their parents purchased it. "Would you like to see it?"
"I kinda doubt I'll appreciate it as much as you do, but sure."
Placing it eagerly on the table between the two of them, Kasumi leaned over the box. Sliding the top this way and that, she finally grinned up at him with an expression that he suspected she hadn't used much since she was a little girl. When she lifted the lid of the box though, the expression turned into a thoughtful frown because the rest of the box came along with it.
Ranma tried not to laugh, but her expression was priceless. "I'm guessing you haven't actually opened it since you got it back from Happosai? I'm kind of surprised."
"I couldn't quite bring myself to open it." Giving a small moue of annoyance, she said, "Hold on a moment, I must have..." Her voice trailed off as she returned to the puzzle, but her next two tries also failed and she finally gave up.
Looking like a kicked puppy, she said, "I don't remember how to open it."
"You'll get it eventually, Kasumi." Ranma shrugged. He really was surprised that she had waited this long given how she had talked about it when he first walked in on her. "You managed to do it when you were 4. I kinda doubt it's going to take you all that long."
"But I had clues then, Grandfather's help."
Ranma reached over and grabbed the box, picking it up and examining it himself. It didn't look like nothing special really or at least he didn't quite see the appeal. "Well, yeah, but it aint's like you can't ask him again if you need to."
He eyed the container again. The box was well built, but as he hefted it a couple times he didn't think the wood could be that strong. A good quick blow and it should pop open-- or pop apart maybe. Somehow he didn't think Kasumi would go for that solution though.
She perked up at his last statement though. "That's true. Perhaps I'll go do that now." She was up so quickly that Ranma only barely got a chance to stop her, holding up a hand and causing her to slow and look back at him quizically.
"Maybe after the competition?" Ranma suggested. He had kind of been looking for a chance to bring something up after she had told him what happened after he ran-- after he used the Saotome secret technique yesterday and now was as good a time as any. "Not a big deal, but we don't exactly know what's involved. No point giving up anything you don't need ta, even information."
"But...?" Kasumi looked at the puzzle box regretfully, then back towards Happosai's room. He suspected that she might also want to talk with a kindred spirit now that her secret was out with him. He needed to head that off at the pass for the moment though.
"You should probably keep trying for a bit on your own anyway, don't ya, think? Don't want Happosai to think you weren't willing to give it your all, do you?" Ranma's lips twitched into a self satisfied smirk for a moment. That one had been kind of sneaky.
Kasumi appeared to give this some careful thought, then nodded and placed the box back into the pile of dresses she had been carrying around. "That is a good point."
Ranma paused and tried to decide whether to broach his question now, then decided it would never really be a good time. He might as well do it now. "So, I do kind of have to ask something though."
"Yes?" Kasumi appeared ready to tell another story, but this wasn't that kind of question.
"Do you actually want to do this?" Ranma thought it was a good question. He couldn't really imagine throwing a challenge, not a real one anyway. Real being somewhat arbitrarily defined, of course. However, Kasumi wasn't a martial artist, he thought she might--
"Of course!" Kasumi appeared almost hurt that he had questioned her convictions.
--have no doubts at all apparently. He might have called that wounded pride on anyone other than the eldest Tendo sister, but with Kasumi it was more like disappointment in him and questioning herself. It made him feel like a heel, though... it was entirely possible they weren't on the same page in this conversation.
"Not the box, I mean this competition Happosai bribed you into accepting," Ranma clarified.
"Oh." Kasumi dithered for a moment, appearing a bit torn on how to answer the question. After a moment though, she sank back down to the table and set down her bundle before placing her hands into her lap. Her eyes seemed locked upon her clasped fingers and she didn't meet Ranma's eyes.
"I... it's not about want, really," Kasumi said after a minute. Her voice was actually surprisingly steady given the nervousness he had seen up to this point and it had that strange conviction that he had come to associate with her over the last week or two. "I won't lie and say that it wouldn't please me if my sisters and father knew at least.
"I very much dislike having to... to keep secrets from them." Ranma thought that might have started out as lying, but he knew by now that Kasumi didn't like to think of herself as lying. The girl was looking straight at him now, though her hands were still firmly folded in her lap. "Perhaps you think it's silly, but I need to do everything in my power to keep my promise to Mother. If I lose, it won't be the end of the world, but I need to be able to face her and tell her that I tried."
Ranma smiled slightly. "I told ya I must have lost my Mom real young, since I don't remember her at all. That don't mean I think it's silly to respect her memory though.
"No. All I was really trying to see was if you really thought this was something you could win and if so, but it sounds like you want to do this thing.
"So let's talk tactics."
Theunderbolt
"Prepare for trouble..."
- Location
- USoA
- Location
- United States
I assume it has something to do with this being Ranma and the fact that one of his go to plans prior to battle is dressing up as a girl and giving Ryoga a nosebleed.
To be fair, so is Happosai, so you're not alone.
Thanks. Thanks a lot. Now I have a disturbing mental image of Happosai hiding in the rafters while Ranma and Kasumi do housework. Just... staring.To be fair, so is Happosai, so you're not alone.
"Now... kisssssss...."
Also: Holy shit! Ranma fanfic! It has been many a year since I've seen new, enjoyable Ranmafic! Hurrah!
Theunderbolt
"Prepare for trouble..."
- Location
- USoA
Heck I could see that as Ranma's plan B when teaming up with Kasumi. Things are going south Ranma flashes Kasumi wearing one of her silky darlings and *bam* Kasumi goes all Akuma on their opponents from the power boost.
- Location
- United States
I could see that-- maybe not on Happosai admittedly. I am almost certain that would backfire if tried on him, because you know he's got a higher power multiplier from seeing something like that.
On the next challenge they face together? That could definitely work.
On the next challenge they face together? That could definitely work.
Chapter 5, Part 3
- Location
- United States
It's been awhile, but I should finally be getting back to writing. Between shopping around for a house, an excess of work, and a vacation, I haven't had a lot of time over the past month. Here is the next section of Anything Goes Laundry Service to start.
=======================
"Hey, Nabiki!" Ranma increased his speed a little to catch up to the girl heading back upstairs, her arms laden with snacks and juice. He grabbed those from her and gave her a suave smile. "Let me help you with those."
His actions got him a raised eyebrow that spoke volumes. He wasn't sure what it actually said, but he was sure it was meant to imply any number of things.
"So you've forgiven me, Ranma?" Nabiki's voice had a light playful tone that said she knew exactly what he intended, but she always sounded like that so he ignored it. He had kind of forgotten he had been giving her the silent treatment after the mess with his father the other day.
He shrugged and said, "Uh, yeah, I guess so." She simply nodded and started walking again, slipping into her bedroom and pointing to the table next to her bed as she twirled around and dropped onto her mattress. He dutifully deposited her snacks on the stand.
Leaning back, Nabiki rested on her palms and crossed her legs, then said, "So what's up? Looking to add the third Tendo sister to your harem?" She gave him a considering look, then shook her head with a sad, regretful sigh he was really hoping was fake. "I'm afraid you're wasting your time. Ask Kasumi, but I never really shared my toys when I was a kid and I'm not about to start with boys now."
Ranma choked, staring at Nabiki with wide eyes before finally getting control of himself and yelling, "No! Why-- I mean--- What would even--" His response ended in a sputtering spate of words even he didn't recognize, his thoughts dissolving into a tangled mess, and he only got a hold of himself as Nabiki started laughing at him.
"You are so easy, Ranma." She grinned, not unlike a ca-- a certain type of creepy small animal and he scowled at her. "So what do you really want?"
Putting his aggravation aside, he tried to remember why he had voluntarily initiated contact with Nabiki in the first place. Ahh, right. "I wanted to know if you had a printer."
"Just a printer?"
"Ahh, maybe the computer too... and well, I wanted to know if you could make something like this look real." He thrust out the sheet of paper he had been keeping in his pocket, slightly wrinkled and folded up into fourths. Nabiki took the small square and unfolded it to reveal his not exactly stunning artwork and writing skills.
"ROSE KRIS firesale... going out of business... all lingerie, women's clothes, and swimsuits must go," she read out loud, her eyes cutting up to Ranma as she finished. She gave him a thoughtful look and said, "I assume this is for Hap--" The thoughtful look turned into a glare as he covered the distance between the two in a second and clapped his hand over the middle Tendo sister's mouth.
"Shh..." He glanced around and sighed in relief when the little pervert didn't show up, then yelped as sharp teeth bit into his fingers. He snatched his hand away, shaking it and hissing, "Look, I just didn't want him showing up. Just don't say his name while he's in the house. He's got a sixth sense for that kind of thing.
"Anyway, it's important. I need to get rid of him for a little while." This didn't lessen the glower that Nabiki was turning his way and he flailed for something to say that would convince her. "I'm sorry, I shouldn'ta jumped on you like that."
He paused, suddenly aware of how that sounded and glanced fearfully towards Akane's room. When there was no sound of slamming doors or yells of outrage, he turned back. When he glanced at her again, Nabiki's death gaze had softened due to the amused smirk she was wearing. He took it as a positive and continued. "So can ya do it? It's not just for me."
Leaning down, Nabiki picked up the fake flier again, clicking her tongue as she looked it over. "I suppose I could. First though, no way is anyone going to believe that ROSE KRIS is going out of business, let alone that they would advertise with something this tacky."
"But Kasu-- I mean, I heard that was the best shop in the area." Ranma was a little frustrated, that had been Kasumi's first choice when he asked her about it. He needed to distract Happosai and they had discussed that, but he wanted her reaction to be authentic, so he had told her he would handle the details. His questions had been a little oblique he supposed, but he thought he had gotten what he needed.
"Exactly," Nabiki said, as if that explained everything. When he gave her a blank look, she sighed as if he was being particularly dense. "It's the most popular store in Nerima for women's clothes. It's chic, sophisticated and in absolutely no danger of going out of business."
He supposed that made sense. "So I should use a different one?"
She nodded. "Either that or a slight change to the advertisement. I suppose it's supposed to get him out of the house?" He nodded in an echo of her own gesture from a moment ago. She continued, "Well, what might work better for him is..." She tapped her lips in thought, then grabbed a pen from her desk and flipped the paper over, scribbling over it for a minute or so before handing it back.
He looked over the revised advertisement and his mouth opened slightly. This was really good. Rather than the mall flier that he had put together, Nabiki had created something that looked like an oversized formal invitation. It invited her and Kasumi to attend a tailored fitting session with other "highly valued customers" in order to clear out the store's autumn lineup in preparation for winter.
"Wow, this is amazing."
His comment got a pleased smile from Nabiki and she leaned down, flicking on the computer sitting under her desk. Pulling the dust cover off of the small monitor that was off to one side, she then spun in her seat to face him as nonsense words scrolled past on the glass. "Thank you. Now... what will you give me to use it? Paper and ink aren't free you know. To say nothing of my own time."
This gave Ranma pause and he said, "Uhh..." Digging in his pockets, he came up with 742 yen and he displayed this to Nabiki. "Is this enough to cover it?"
She considered that for a moment, then said, "I guess, but only if I get to go in with you."
"What?" He tried a confused expression and then sighed in defeat when Nabiki simply smiled at him. "How did you know we were going in his room?" When Nabiki's eyebrow rose, he realized he had said 'we' and confirmed that they were raiding Happosai's room and he cursed to himself.
"It wasn't that hard," she said after a moment though, apparently not questioning it. "I really wouldn't mind a chance to get back a few pairs of underwear that have gone missing though. That will make up the short fall."
Ranma hoped that those items hadn't found their way permanently into Kasumi's collection rather than Happosai's, but finally sighed. "All right. You can come, but only if what happens in there stays completely quiet. No one finds out."
"How mysterious..." Nabiki's smirk was back and he narrowed his eyes at her.
"I mean it, if you don't promise, I'll find another way."
"Fine, fine." Holding out her hand under the still extended money in his own, Nabiki gave him an imperious look that made him roll his eyes before dumping the coins into her palm. She slipped those into her pockets and he watched her turn to the keyboard and mouse.
Step one was almost done. He was convinced he had heard Happosai writing in his room, if they could find that or some other weakness to exploit, this battle would nearly be won.
=======================
"Hey, Nabiki!" Ranma increased his speed a little to catch up to the girl heading back upstairs, her arms laden with snacks and juice. He grabbed those from her and gave her a suave smile. "Let me help you with those."
His actions got him a raised eyebrow that spoke volumes. He wasn't sure what it actually said, but he was sure it was meant to imply any number of things.
"So you've forgiven me, Ranma?" Nabiki's voice had a light playful tone that said she knew exactly what he intended, but she always sounded like that so he ignored it. He had kind of forgotten he had been giving her the silent treatment after the mess with his father the other day.
He shrugged and said, "Uh, yeah, I guess so." She simply nodded and started walking again, slipping into her bedroom and pointing to the table next to her bed as she twirled around and dropped onto her mattress. He dutifully deposited her snacks on the stand.
Leaning back, Nabiki rested on her palms and crossed her legs, then said, "So what's up? Looking to add the third Tendo sister to your harem?" She gave him a considering look, then shook her head with a sad, regretful sigh he was really hoping was fake. "I'm afraid you're wasting your time. Ask Kasumi, but I never really shared my toys when I was a kid and I'm not about to start with boys now."
Ranma choked, staring at Nabiki with wide eyes before finally getting control of himself and yelling, "No! Why-- I mean--- What would even--" His response ended in a sputtering spate of words even he didn't recognize, his thoughts dissolving into a tangled mess, and he only got a hold of himself as Nabiki started laughing at him.
"You are so easy, Ranma." She grinned, not unlike a ca-- a certain type of creepy small animal and he scowled at her. "So what do you really want?"
Putting his aggravation aside, he tried to remember why he had voluntarily initiated contact with Nabiki in the first place. Ahh, right. "I wanted to know if you had a printer."
"Just a printer?"
"Ahh, maybe the computer too... and well, I wanted to know if you could make something like this look real." He thrust out the sheet of paper he had been keeping in his pocket, slightly wrinkled and folded up into fourths. Nabiki took the small square and unfolded it to reveal his not exactly stunning artwork and writing skills.
"ROSE KRIS firesale... going out of business... all lingerie, women's clothes, and swimsuits must go," she read out loud, her eyes cutting up to Ranma as she finished. She gave him a thoughtful look and said, "I assume this is for Hap--" The thoughtful look turned into a glare as he covered the distance between the two in a second and clapped his hand over the middle Tendo sister's mouth.
"Shh..." He glanced around and sighed in relief when the little pervert didn't show up, then yelped as sharp teeth bit into his fingers. He snatched his hand away, shaking it and hissing, "Look, I just didn't want him showing up. Just don't say his name while he's in the house. He's got a sixth sense for that kind of thing.
"Anyway, it's important. I need to get rid of him for a little while." This didn't lessen the glower that Nabiki was turning his way and he flailed for something to say that would convince her. "I'm sorry, I shouldn'ta jumped on you like that."
He paused, suddenly aware of how that sounded and glanced fearfully towards Akane's room. When there was no sound of slamming doors or yells of outrage, he turned back. When he glanced at her again, Nabiki's death gaze had softened due to the amused smirk she was wearing. He took it as a positive and continued. "So can ya do it? It's not just for me."
Leaning down, Nabiki picked up the fake flier again, clicking her tongue as she looked it over. "I suppose I could. First though, no way is anyone going to believe that ROSE KRIS is going out of business, let alone that they would advertise with something this tacky."
"But Kasu-- I mean, I heard that was the best shop in the area." Ranma was a little frustrated, that had been Kasumi's first choice when he asked her about it. He needed to distract Happosai and they had discussed that, but he wanted her reaction to be authentic, so he had told her he would handle the details. His questions had been a little oblique he supposed, but he thought he had gotten what he needed.
"Exactly," Nabiki said, as if that explained everything. When he gave her a blank look, she sighed as if he was being particularly dense. "It's the most popular store in Nerima for women's clothes. It's chic, sophisticated and in absolutely no danger of going out of business."
He supposed that made sense. "So I should use a different one?"
She nodded. "Either that or a slight change to the advertisement. I suppose it's supposed to get him out of the house?" He nodded in an echo of her own gesture from a moment ago. She continued, "Well, what might work better for him is..." She tapped her lips in thought, then grabbed a pen from her desk and flipped the paper over, scribbling over it for a minute or so before handing it back.
He looked over the revised advertisement and his mouth opened slightly. This was really good. Rather than the mall flier that he had put together, Nabiki had created something that looked like an oversized formal invitation. It invited her and Kasumi to attend a tailored fitting session with other "highly valued customers" in order to clear out the store's autumn lineup in preparation for winter.
"Wow, this is amazing."
His comment got a pleased smile from Nabiki and she leaned down, flicking on the computer sitting under her desk. Pulling the dust cover off of the small monitor that was off to one side, she then spun in her seat to face him as nonsense words scrolled past on the glass. "Thank you. Now... what will you give me to use it? Paper and ink aren't free you know. To say nothing of my own time."
This gave Ranma pause and he said, "Uhh..." Digging in his pockets, he came up with 742 yen and he displayed this to Nabiki. "Is this enough to cover it?"
She considered that for a moment, then said, "I guess, but only if I get to go in with you."
"What?" He tried a confused expression and then sighed in defeat when Nabiki simply smiled at him. "How did you know we were going in his room?" When Nabiki's eyebrow rose, he realized he had said 'we' and confirmed that they were raiding Happosai's room and he cursed to himself.
"It wasn't that hard," she said after a moment though, apparently not questioning it. "I really wouldn't mind a chance to get back a few pairs of underwear that have gone missing though. That will make up the short fall."
Ranma hoped that those items hadn't found their way permanently into Kasumi's collection rather than Happosai's, but finally sighed. "All right. You can come, but only if what happens in there stays completely quiet. No one finds out."
"How mysterious..." Nabiki's smirk was back and he narrowed his eyes at her.
"I mean it, if you don't promise, I'll find another way."
"Fine, fine." Holding out her hand under the still extended money in his own, Nabiki gave him an imperious look that made him roll his eyes before dumping the coins into her palm. She slipped those into her pockets and he watched her turn to the keyboard and mouse.
Step one was almost done. He was convinced he had heard Happosai writing in his room, if they could find that or some other weakness to exploit, this battle would nearly be won.
- Location
- United States
That is going to be quite a bit more temptation than she's used to, though they have done this once before technically. One of the early episodes had them breaking into Happosai's room and having Genma sit on him while the kids all went through his collection. That was months ago though-- he's had a chance to fetch some of the good stuff from his collection now.
One of the early episodes had them breaking into Happosai's room and having Genma sit on him while the kids all went through his collection. That was months ago though-- he's had a chance to fetch some of the good stuff from his collection now.
@Balthanon, the last 3 parts aren't indexed.
- Location
- United States
Thanks, that's fixed now.
Chapter 5, Part 4
- Location
- United States
Next section of the story.
-----------------------------------------------
Walking into the living room, Nabiki found Kasumi, Happosai, and Ranma himself were lounging around watching an episode of something he hadn't really been paying attention to and called out, "Mail for you, Kasumi!"
The Tendo housemaker turned on the couch to look at her sister curiously. "Mail? For me?"
Nabiki gave her a small smile and fanned out the envelopes in her hand. "Well, you and me, we both got some." She plucked out one envelope and handed it to Kasumi, who took it hesitantly and tilted her head to examine it before neatly opening it with one nail.
Her gasp of delight was all that Ranma might have hoped and he made sure to keep his face turned away from Happosai. He and Nabiki had gone over the plan in her room for at least an hour as she put on the touches she had said were necessary. When they had gone over their reactions, his brilliant acting had so stunned her that she had said he shouldn't expose Happosai to it lest he distract him from the mail.
Keeping an eye on the wrinkled, old Master out of the corner of his eye though, he saw him perk up at Kasumi's reaction and a few seconds later, he had Nabiki's envelope pulled out of the stack still in her hands.
"Hey, old man! Give that back!" Ranma personally thought that Nabiki's outrage could have used a bit of extra emotion, maybe some hand gestures, but Happosai just ducked out of the way of her attempts at grabbing the mail back.
Tearing it open, he said, "Hotcha! ROSE KRIS? I knew you had good taste, my girl!" He then slapped Nabiki on the butt and Ranma didn't think the gasp of outrage that time was feigned. He just hoped she still had the underwear she was wearing-- there was a 50/50 chance that they were missing now.
Kasumi in the meantime, had gotten to the end of the letter and she looked up in alarm that she was visibly attempting to keep subdued. "Nabiki, this event ends today."
The more mercenary of the two sister's gave Happosai one last glare, then bent down and picked up the discarded envelope that Happosai had left behind. "Oh my, you're right, Kasumi. We only have a few hours and it's all the way on the other side of town."
Kasumi stood abruptly, for her anyway, and said, "Shall we leave now?"
Nabiki in turn eyed the modest, worn dress that Kasumi had been cleaning in and said, "I think perhaps you should change at least. This is ROSE KRIS after all, sale or no. There are going to be dozens of women there judging by the invitation. You wouldn't want to give a bad impression, would you?
"Even if we won't be in our clothes for long."
Happosai's eyes visibly widened at the first comment and at the second, he literally vanished into thin air. Ranma wasn't even able to track the movement he was gone so quickly.
Kasumi wasn't looking much better and she said hurriedly, "Oh, yes. Of course, I'll go do that and be back in a minute." Attempting to run from the room, she gave Ranma a betrayed look as he grabbed her arm and prevented her from leaving. Giving it another minute to be sure the Grand Master of Anything Goes was well and gone, Ranma said, "Don't worry about it, Kasumi. You can't go to that ROSE KRIS thing."
If anything, this caused the look of betrayal to increase in intensity and he hastened to add, "You can't go because it isn't happening."
At her look of confusion, Nabiki gave her a brief grin and said, "Ranma came to me for a little help with his project."
"Project?"
"Project Throw Panties Far Far Away Without Actually Having Panties." Nabiki gave Ranma an amused smirk and he gave her a sour look in return. "His name, not mine. Now shall we go before the little pervert comes back? He owes me another pair of panties on top of the ones I was planning to take back today." This came with her own grimace and Ranma fought hard not to smirk himself at the tables turning.
Kasumi turned a questioning gaze on Ranma and he nodded to her and then Happosai's room before he got up to follow Nabiki. As he passed her, he leaned in close and whispered, "Phase one complete. Nabiki doesn't know the details."
Kasumi trailed along behind them as they left the room and Ranma couldn't help but laugh at the mixed expression on her face. Crushing disappointment at the deception on top of pleasure that they were starting on the plans they had come up with-- it ended up leaving her looking very confused.
The visit to Happosai's room was almost anticlimactic after that. Ranma had to discretely hold Kasumi back when she saw the enormous pile of underwear. Bras, panties, and more racy negligee were heaped on the floor in one corner and there were shelves and dressers that had neatly folded stacks that were more uniformly one or the other elsewhere.
Some that were clearly matching sets were actually kept on the walls like artwork and Nabiki rushed up to one of those and immediately pulled it down. The glare she turned on Ranma afterwards was almost savage and he wondered exactly what use she had for underwear like that. He could almost feel Kasumi's hunger behind him and he said, "Right, so I want to look for martial arts scrolls. You two can get your, uh, unmentionables, back."
Walking up to one of the book cases that was not filled with ladies undergarments, Ranma happened to glance down at the desk and almost stared as he saw the sheet of paper labeled "Fair Contest" and "Kasumi". The writing was just barely legible enough for him to read and he hastily pulled a random scroll off the shelf next to the desk and spread it out, pretending to scan it while he looked over the paper.
While it took him nearly five minutes, he was able to commit the details of the contest, such as they were, to memory and then turned to the rest of the paper. And at that, he ran into a wall. He could make out a word here and there, particularly at the top of the page near the contest rules, but the hand writing just got progressively worse as it went.
Scowling, he rolled up the scroll with a snap and slammed it back into the book case.
"Problems, Ranma, baby?" The sardonic voice caught him by surprise, as he had almost forgotten about Nabiki's presence.
Turning, he took a deep breath to calm down and get over his frustration. "I just can't read the stupid things. Happosai's hand writing is as bad on all of these as it was on his stupid Happosai Fire Blast." Glancing up at a clock, he added. "We should be going, no idea how long the old letch is going to be distracted. You two have everything you need?"
He tried to be surreptious as he looked over at Kasumi. Her typical pleasant smile was perhaps a bit more satisfied and pleased than usual, but otherwise she looked to have gotten control of herself. Time to get out before that changed.
Nabiki had acted with her usual decisiveness at his earlier comment though and stood, looking around for evidence of their presence. He hadn't spotted anything in particular himself, other than the panties that would be missing, which he was almost certain Happosai would notice, but you never knew. Maybe they'd get off scot free.
-----------------------------------------------
Walking into the living room, Nabiki found Kasumi, Happosai, and Ranma himself were lounging around watching an episode of something he hadn't really been paying attention to and called out, "Mail for you, Kasumi!"
The Tendo housemaker turned on the couch to look at her sister curiously. "Mail? For me?"
Nabiki gave her a small smile and fanned out the envelopes in her hand. "Well, you and me, we both got some." She plucked out one envelope and handed it to Kasumi, who took it hesitantly and tilted her head to examine it before neatly opening it with one nail.
Her gasp of delight was all that Ranma might have hoped and he made sure to keep his face turned away from Happosai. He and Nabiki had gone over the plan in her room for at least an hour as she put on the touches she had said were necessary. When they had gone over their reactions, his brilliant acting had so stunned her that she had said he shouldn't expose Happosai to it lest he distract him from the mail.
Keeping an eye on the wrinkled, old Master out of the corner of his eye though, he saw him perk up at Kasumi's reaction and a few seconds later, he had Nabiki's envelope pulled out of the stack still in her hands.
"Hey, old man! Give that back!" Ranma personally thought that Nabiki's outrage could have used a bit of extra emotion, maybe some hand gestures, but Happosai just ducked out of the way of her attempts at grabbing the mail back.
Tearing it open, he said, "Hotcha! ROSE KRIS? I knew you had good taste, my girl!" He then slapped Nabiki on the butt and Ranma didn't think the gasp of outrage that time was feigned. He just hoped she still had the underwear she was wearing-- there was a 50/50 chance that they were missing now.
Kasumi in the meantime, had gotten to the end of the letter and she looked up in alarm that she was visibly attempting to keep subdued. "Nabiki, this event ends today."
The more mercenary of the two sister's gave Happosai one last glare, then bent down and picked up the discarded envelope that Happosai had left behind. "Oh my, you're right, Kasumi. We only have a few hours and it's all the way on the other side of town."
Kasumi stood abruptly, for her anyway, and said, "Shall we leave now?"
Nabiki in turn eyed the modest, worn dress that Kasumi had been cleaning in and said, "I think perhaps you should change at least. This is ROSE KRIS after all, sale or no. There are going to be dozens of women there judging by the invitation. You wouldn't want to give a bad impression, would you?
"Even if we won't be in our clothes for long."
Happosai's eyes visibly widened at the first comment and at the second, he literally vanished into thin air. Ranma wasn't even able to track the movement he was gone so quickly.
Kasumi wasn't looking much better and she said hurriedly, "Oh, yes. Of course, I'll go do that and be back in a minute." Attempting to run from the room, she gave Ranma a betrayed look as he grabbed her arm and prevented her from leaving. Giving it another minute to be sure the Grand Master of Anything Goes was well and gone, Ranma said, "Don't worry about it, Kasumi. You can't go to that ROSE KRIS thing."
If anything, this caused the look of betrayal to increase in intensity and he hastened to add, "You can't go because it isn't happening."
At her look of confusion, Nabiki gave her a brief grin and said, "Ranma came to me for a little help with his project."
"Project?"
"Project Throw Panties Far Far Away Without Actually Having Panties." Nabiki gave Ranma an amused smirk and he gave her a sour look in return. "His name, not mine. Now shall we go before the little pervert comes back? He owes me another pair of panties on top of the ones I was planning to take back today." This came with her own grimace and Ranma fought hard not to smirk himself at the tables turning.
Kasumi turned a questioning gaze on Ranma and he nodded to her and then Happosai's room before he got up to follow Nabiki. As he passed her, he leaned in close and whispered, "Phase one complete. Nabiki doesn't know the details."
Kasumi trailed along behind them as they left the room and Ranma couldn't help but laugh at the mixed expression on her face. Crushing disappointment at the deception on top of pleasure that they were starting on the plans they had come up with-- it ended up leaving her looking very confused.
The visit to Happosai's room was almost anticlimactic after that. Ranma had to discretely hold Kasumi back when she saw the enormous pile of underwear. Bras, panties, and more racy negligee were heaped on the floor in one corner and there were shelves and dressers that had neatly folded stacks that were more uniformly one or the other elsewhere.
Some that were clearly matching sets were actually kept on the walls like artwork and Nabiki rushed up to one of those and immediately pulled it down. The glare she turned on Ranma afterwards was almost savage and he wondered exactly what use she had for underwear like that. He could almost feel Kasumi's hunger behind him and he said, "Right, so I want to look for martial arts scrolls. You two can get your, uh, unmentionables, back."
Walking up to one of the book cases that was not filled with ladies undergarments, Ranma happened to glance down at the desk and almost stared as he saw the sheet of paper labeled "Fair Contest" and "Kasumi". The writing was just barely legible enough for him to read and he hastily pulled a random scroll off the shelf next to the desk and spread it out, pretending to scan it while he looked over the paper.
While it took him nearly five minutes, he was able to commit the details of the contest, such as they were, to memory and then turned to the rest of the paper. And at that, he ran into a wall. He could make out a word here and there, particularly at the top of the page near the contest rules, but the hand writing just got progressively worse as it went.
Scowling, he rolled up the scroll with a snap and slammed it back into the book case.
"Problems, Ranma, baby?" The sardonic voice caught him by surprise, as he had almost forgotten about Nabiki's presence.
Turning, he took a deep breath to calm down and get over his frustration. "I just can't read the stupid things. Happosai's hand writing is as bad on all of these as it was on his stupid Happosai Fire Blast." Glancing up at a clock, he added. "We should be going, no idea how long the old letch is going to be distracted. You two have everything you need?"
He tried to be surreptious as he looked over at Kasumi. Her typical pleasant smile was perhaps a bit more satisfied and pleased than usual, but otherwise she looked to have gotten control of herself. Time to get out before that changed.
Nabiki had acted with her usual decisiveness at his earlier comment though and stood, looking around for evidence of their presence. He hadn't spotted anything in particular himself, other than the panties that would be missing, which he was almost certain Happosai would notice, but you never knew. Maybe they'd get off scot free.
- Location
- United States
Thanks. Late nineties Ranma fanfic was where I broke my teeth on writing as a hobby and was introduced to the concept of fanfiction, so I probably have a few influences from that time period.
It was actually reading reviews on the FFML by people like Gary Kleppe that put a better polish on my writing, particularly the grammar. I sometimes think it had more impact than the actual English classes I took during middle school and high school, though I'm sure I wouldn't have gotten as much out of it without that base. I always found that slightly amusing, but it was a legitimately good substitute for the English classes I tested out of in college.
It was actually reading reviews on the FFML by people like Gary Kleppe that put a better polish on my writing, particularly the grammar. I sometimes think it had more impact than the actual English classes I took during middle school and high school, though I'm sure I wouldn't have gotten as much out of it without that base. I always found that slightly amusing, but it was a legitimately good substitute for the English classes I tested out of in college.
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Chapter 5, part 5
- Location
- United States
Back from the grave (or perhaps only a coma?), we have more of Anything Goes Laundry Service.
I would really like to finish this before a full year has passed since I posted the original, so that is likely going to be one of my goals over the next couple weeks. I have until 1/16 if I want to make my arbitrary deadline, so here's the first installment before the new year to start myself off on a good foot. Not too much here, but I'm going to keep plugging away at it.
=========================================
"Give 'em back, give 'em back, give 'em back!" Ranma groaned, taking another half hearted swipe at Happosai as each repetition of the words was punctuated by a smack to his head with the repulsive little gnome's pipe. He would swear the midget was 3 sometimes, instead of 300.
How Happosai had identified him as an intruder without fingering Kasumi and Nabiki was beyond him, but the results were only slightly less unpleasant than he had been expecting. His head ached abominably and he was so tired from his initial attempts to avoid or finish the fight that Happosai barely had to move to avoid his swipes.
He had not been in a particularly good mood upon returning from the other side of Nerima and had known in about three seconds that some of his "silky darlings" were missing. The attack that had followed had pushed Ranma to his limits and then moved beyond them rapidly.
It had then degenerated into this.
"Give 'em back, give 'em back, give 'em back!" Ranma just slumped this time and gave Kasumi a pleading look, which made her nod to him pleasantly, then turn back to Happosai.
"Grandfather, I think Ranma is done playing with you. Perhaps you would like some dinner?"
The steady rhythm broke off with the pipe resting against Ranma's head and he sighed in relief--briefly because moments later the heat registered along with a distinct odor of burning hair.
"Ahhh!" Jumping up, Ranma slapped at the top of his head and only succeeded in burning his hands as well. Panicking, he went with the first instinct he had for water after all this time and jumped out of the room and into the fish pond. As the burning subsided, she burst out of the water with the standard changes, glowering at the little troll as he spun the pipe once and then made it disappear.
Nabiki simply watched the events with an upraised eyebrow.
"Perhaps you're right, my dear," Happosai said, his eyes crinkling as he beamed at Kasumi and completely ignored Ranma's muttering. "I'll go get cleaned up."
Turning around, the little old man spun around and bounded out of the room leaving Ranma, Kasumi, and Nabiki. Stepping out of the pond, the now red-haired girl scowled at her nominal master as he bounded out of the room and started the familiar process of wringing out her clothes and hair.
Stalking inside, she accepted a towel from Kasumi with a muttered thanks and sat down at the table again, rubbing at her hair vigorously with the rough towel. Feeling at the crown of her head gingerly with one hand, she glanced over at Nabiki and said, "I don't suppose you..."
Nabiki leaned down and rummaged in her purse for a minute, then came out with a compact that she flipped open and displayed to Ranma. The martial artist in turn peered into it, then waved her thanks at the middle Tendo sister.
"Not too bad, can't really make out the damage if you're not looking for it."
This caused Nabiki to burst into a peal of laughter. "You're such a girl, Saotome."
Kasumi tsked in response to this and said, "That wasn't very nice Nabiki."
"Me? I wasn't the one who dumped hot coals on Ranma's head," Nabiki protested, her laughter cutting off.
The elder Tendo sister nodded thoughtfully. "That is true, Grandfather Happosai did go a bit far this time."
A bit? Ranma mouthed the words and exchanged glances with Nabiki, shaking his head. "Why do you even call him Grandfather, Kasumi?" he asked a moment later instead of voicing the disbelief. "I mean Nabiki and Akane sure don't."
Nabiki gave him a look he couldn't quite interpret, then said dryly, "Do you think the pervert is grandfatherly? I always just figured Kasumi was more polite than I am and had way more self-control."
"Well, yes," Kasumi agreed placidly, causing Nabiki to shoot her a hard look. Ranma suspected she had been fishing for a compliment instead of confirmation. "But there is a reason as well.
"When I was very young, shortly after Nabiki was born..."
I would really like to finish this before a full year has passed since I posted the original, so that is likely going to be one of my goals over the next couple weeks. I have until 1/16 if I want to make my arbitrary deadline, so here's the first installment before the new year to start myself off on a good foot. Not too much here, but I'm going to keep plugging away at it.
=========================================
"Give 'em back, give 'em back, give 'em back!" Ranma groaned, taking another half hearted swipe at Happosai as each repetition of the words was punctuated by a smack to his head with the repulsive little gnome's pipe. He would swear the midget was 3 sometimes, instead of 300.
How Happosai had identified him as an intruder without fingering Kasumi and Nabiki was beyond him, but the results were only slightly less unpleasant than he had been expecting. His head ached abominably and he was so tired from his initial attempts to avoid or finish the fight that Happosai barely had to move to avoid his swipes.
He had not been in a particularly good mood upon returning from the other side of Nerima and had known in about three seconds that some of his "silky darlings" were missing. The attack that had followed had pushed Ranma to his limits and then moved beyond them rapidly.
It had then degenerated into this.
"Give 'em back, give 'em back, give 'em back!" Ranma just slumped this time and gave Kasumi a pleading look, which made her nod to him pleasantly, then turn back to Happosai.
"Grandfather, I think Ranma is done playing with you. Perhaps you would like some dinner?"
The steady rhythm broke off with the pipe resting against Ranma's head and he sighed in relief--briefly because moments later the heat registered along with a distinct odor of burning hair.
"Ahhh!" Jumping up, Ranma slapped at the top of his head and only succeeded in burning his hands as well. Panicking, he went with the first instinct he had for water after all this time and jumped out of the room and into the fish pond. As the burning subsided, she burst out of the water with the standard changes, glowering at the little troll as he spun the pipe once and then made it disappear.
Nabiki simply watched the events with an upraised eyebrow.
"Perhaps you're right, my dear," Happosai said, his eyes crinkling as he beamed at Kasumi and completely ignored Ranma's muttering. "I'll go get cleaned up."
Turning around, the little old man spun around and bounded out of the room leaving Ranma, Kasumi, and Nabiki. Stepping out of the pond, the now red-haired girl scowled at her nominal master as he bounded out of the room and started the familiar process of wringing out her clothes and hair.
Stalking inside, she accepted a towel from Kasumi with a muttered thanks and sat down at the table again, rubbing at her hair vigorously with the rough towel. Feeling at the crown of her head gingerly with one hand, she glanced over at Nabiki and said, "I don't suppose you..."
Nabiki leaned down and rummaged in her purse for a minute, then came out with a compact that she flipped open and displayed to Ranma. The martial artist in turn peered into it, then waved her thanks at the middle Tendo sister.
"Not too bad, can't really make out the damage if you're not looking for it."
This caused Nabiki to burst into a peal of laughter. "You're such a girl, Saotome."
Kasumi tsked in response to this and said, "That wasn't very nice Nabiki."
"Me? I wasn't the one who dumped hot coals on Ranma's head," Nabiki protested, her laughter cutting off.
The elder Tendo sister nodded thoughtfully. "That is true, Grandfather Happosai did go a bit far this time."
A bit? Ranma mouthed the words and exchanged glances with Nabiki, shaking his head. "Why do you even call him Grandfather, Kasumi?" he asked a moment later instead of voicing the disbelief. "I mean Nabiki and Akane sure don't."
Nabiki gave him a look he couldn't quite interpret, then said dryly, "Do you think the pervert is grandfatherly? I always just figured Kasumi was more polite than I am and had way more self-control."
"Well, yes," Kasumi agreed placidly, causing Nabiki to shoot her a hard look. Ranma suspected she had been fishing for a compliment instead of confirmation. "But there is a reason as well.
"When I was very young, shortly after Nabiki was born..."
Chapter 5, part 6
- Location
- United States
Thanks, glad you're enjoying it. Here's the next bit here as well-- not quite through what I was planning before I was going to post, but I'm interested in seeing the reactions of readers before the reactions of the characters.
----------------------------------
A bit? Ranma mouthed the words and exchanged glances with Nabiki, shaking his head. "Why do you even call him Grandfather, Kasumi?" he asked a moment later instead of voicing the disbelief. "I mean Nabiki and Akane sure don't. Well, not in the same tone at the very least."
Nabiki gave him a look he couldn't quite interpret, then said dryly, "Do you think the pervert is grandfatherly? I always just figured Kasumi was more polite than I am and had way more self-control."
"Well, yes," Kasumi agreed placidly, causing Nabiki to shoot her a hard look. Ranma suspected she had been fishing for a denial instead of confirmation. "But I think there was a reason as well..."
Putting a finger to her lips, Kasumi's eyes unfocused and she said, "I think it was when I was very young, shortly after Nabiki was born..."
___===--- ( \/ ) ---===___
"Are you done, Kasumi?" Daddy's voice was barely interested, his attention on the little baby her mother was holding like it had been since she came home a whole month ago.
Sadly, Kasumi put one last stuffed animal into the little backpack she had gotten for her birthday. She had Rose and Sakura and Kuma and her blanket and two whole packs of cookies left on the counter and her sippy cup filled with juice.
"Yes, Daddy." Kasumi looked up and saw her father just shoo her away, towards the back gate of the Tendo property. Struggling to get her backpack on, she trudged towards the gate with heavy footsteps that crunched super loudly on the gravel. Periodically, she looked over her shoulder, but her parents were still absorbed with baby Nabiki and she headed through the already opened portal to the outside world with a heavy heart.
Daddy and Mommy had been clear that she was supposed to leave now that they had a new baby, so she would have to go to someone else who wanted her. This was where she would find them she guessed. Maybe she would need to wander the world like Daddy.
Turning after she had squeezed out of the gate almost getting her new backpack caught, Kasumi caught sight of someone down the street who was almost her size and decided that must be who she was supposed to meet.
Plodding down the street, she thought it was awfully good that her and Mommy went for walks so often. It must have been to prepare her for all the wandering and stuff, just like Daddy had been preparing her to fight the bad guys when he was home. As she approached the little man she had spotted, that thought made her pause for a moment. What if this was a bad man, too?
She thought she was too close now to go the other way, so she decided she should check. "Are you a bad guy?"
This caused the person to spin and she saw that he had wrinkles and white hair, just like her grandma, so he was probably an old person. Though she had never met one that was as small as her. Her question apparently amused him and he tucked something into a large bag he was sorting through before saying, "Not at all. I am a martial arts master. A guardian of the innocent and pure things of this world, regardless of the people who want to abandon them to the elements or leave them trapped and lonely."
Kasumi blinked at this, trying to understand the answer, then asked, "So you're a good guy?"
"I am." He nodded solemnly. He stroked one little mustache, then looked around a bit and asked, "Where is your Mommy?"
Sighing forlornly, the little girl said, "Mommy doesn't want me."
Frowning, the man rubbed his chin and said, "That seems hard to believe for such a cute kid. How about your Daddy? Is he around?"
She shook her head and said, "Daddy sent me away. I was bad."
"Doesn't sound like the best home environment." This was kind of muttered under his breath, but she still heard it, even if she didn't quite understand what it meant. "How about you stick around with me for awhile?"
Kasumi considered this for a moment. She wasn't supposed to go anywhere with strangers, but Daddy had sent her here. She put her hands through the straps on her backpack and rocked on her heels while thinking through the problem, then abruptly said, "My name is Kasumi."
The non-sequitor didn't seem to phase the little old man and he said, "And my name is Happosai."
___===--- ( \/ ) ---===___
"Hold on a minute," Nabiki interupted. "You're trying to tell me that Mom and Dad kicked you out of the house at the tender age of two and a half years old and gave you to Happosai to raise?"
Kasumi paused and said, "Now that you mention it, that does seem out of character." She tapped her lips briefly in thought and said, "Perhaps my memory of that time is a bit sketchy. It does put routing that gang of bandits and the attack by a yeti later on into doubt as well."
"You think?"
Ranma suspected the sarcasm on those two words was probably heavy enough to register even to Kasumi.
"I know you have an insanely good memory, Kasumi. I'm continuously surprised by it. But I'm thinking this didn't happen at all," Nabiki said. Ranma thought she actually looked a little smug about this and he wondered how many times the middle sister had been caught out by her older sister over something she thought better forgotten.
"Ahh, but she did disappear around that time." Ranma and Nabiki both spun at the sound of Genma's voice, though Kasumi only smiled and moved a magazine off of one of the pillows so that the elder Saotome could take a seat.
"I remember it well," Genma continued after having moved in to take his place at the table. "I received a call from Tendo at approximately 2:30 in the afternoon. He was in a panic, seemed he had misplaced his youngest daughter somehow. 'She's not in her room, not in the dojo... I can't find her anywhere!' he exclaimed." Ranma suspected that Soun might find the high falsetto that Genma used to emulate his friend's voice a bit offensive.
"It was clear the man was in desperate straights, particularly with the Master due back from China, ready to tear us from our families yet again and prevent him from searching.
"I spoke with him for only a few minutes by phone and assured him I would be over as soon as humanly possible to assist him with the search..."
___===--- ( \/ ) ---===___
The sun beat down overhead, the air a clear, cloudless blue that left waves of heat shimmering in the air over the steaming asphalt. The sidewalks beside the high walls of the Tendo dojo were marginally cooler than the black surfaces over which the occassional car passed, but the heat that radiated from them through the thin soles of Kasumi's shoes was still punishing.
Indeed, the little girl frequently rocked back and forth between one foot and the other. Periodically, she glanced over at Happosai and favored him with a brave smile and the little man eventually pulled out a bottle of something that smelled sour and potent, taking a swig before offering it to the little girl.
___===--- ( \/ ) ---===___
Genma's head slammed into the table and bounced off, leaving his eyes spinning and unfocused as he crashed backwards and sprawled over the stone steps. Ranma wasn't too upset, his pops had spent nearly three minutes just describing how hot that day had been.
"If you're gonna tell a story, tell it right!" Happosai yelled, growling at his student. He crossed his arms over his chest and said indignantly, "I would never offer a child sake. I won't stand for my honor to be besmirched like that."
Genma groaned and Ranma decided to add, "Just get on with what actually happened. We don't need all the details, just the important ones."
His father sat up moments later with a slightly sheepish expression on his face and said, "Ahh, technically I don't really know the details. Your mother dragged me off to see her parents before I could go help Tendo with the search. Thought it was another excuse to avoid it.
"Soun didn't speak to me for nearly a month when we resumed our training trip, so I never found out what happened beyond a curt, 'Kasumi's safe'."
Ranma nearly groaned. He should have known. His Pop was a blowhard, but it was always at its worse when he was trying to cover up a lack of knowledge. He should have realized he didn't know anything after the second minute of variations on 'harsh yellow sun' and 'day to make a camel desperate for a drink'.
Happosai settled down and said, "well, if this idiot doesn't know the true story, I might as well tell it myself.
"As I recall, little Kasumi here was being chased by some ne'er-do-well or other. Might have been Nazi's come to think of it since the person was in a uniform of some kind. I, of course, jumped to the conclusion that she had been kidnapped and rescued the poor girl from a fate worse than death or a dearth of panties."
___===--- ( \/ ) ---===___
"Well, we're safe now," Happosai said, grinning at Kasumi and appearing well satisfied.
"Do it again, Granpa!" yelled Kasumi, laughing and jumping around herself between the trees in the park they had stopped at. Her earlier concerns about the old man had dissipated after he had carried her bouncing between buildings while they ran from the bad men. That was even more fun than when she played airplane with Daddy.
The old man laughed, a cackling happy sound that made her grin at him, even though he waved off her request and said, "Maybe later, Kasumi dear."
"Pwease?" Kasumi tried a small pout and was rewarded with another grin, but her upraised arms were ignored.
"Tell you what, why don't I teach you how to do it yourself instead?" Happosai looked around and gestured for Kasumi to follow him as they wended their way out of the deeper woods where his tent was set up and pointed to the path they had encountered.
The next couple hours were spent running about the park, playing on jungle gyms, and more, all while jumping as long and high as she could from anything and everything. Any time Kasumi got tired, her new granpa would come over and pat her on the back and she would be ready to go again.
It was the most fun she had had in months, but eventually it started getting dark and Granpa Happosai said it was time for bed. When they got back to camp, she pulled her blanket from her backpack and immediately crawled into the tent and fell asleep.
...
"All I gotta do is jump on 'em and hug them?" Kasumi asked, her eyes doubtful. Granpa Happosai hadn't told her a lie yet, but she was pretty sure Daddy had said you had to punch or kick the bad guys to make them go away. She was sure her new clothes would be perfect for that too.
Happosai nodded solemnly. "These poor women have merely been led astray into a life of villainy. A warm embrace from an adorable child such as yourself will help them to see the error of their ways.
"Can you do it, Kasumi?"
Kasumi jumped up and nodded enthusiastically. "I can!"
"Good girl, let's go!"
Following Happosai, she and he stopped when they were near the bushes and Happosai pointed out the first of the bandits. Dressed just as he had said, in a tank top, head band, shorts, and sneakers, the woman was running through the park chasing a man dressed similarly. Turning, she asked, "Is the boy a bad guy too?"
"Uhh... no, no, I'm afraid she's... no doubt captured him and he's trying to escape right now. Probably stole one of their uniforms to sneak out."
Kasumi gasped. "That's 'orrible!"
Happosai nodded solemnly. "That's right. Better hurry. Remember what I said to say. It will remind these women of their maternal instincts to more quickly cure them of their evil ways."
Nodding back as seriously as she could, Kasumi burst out of the bushes and jumped as the woman was passing, wrapping her arms around the woman's chest and yelling, "Got you, Mommy!"
Drawing to a halt as the little girl started sliding down, the woman quickly caught Kasumi and pulled her up asking, "And who are you, honey? Because I'm pretty certain I would know if a little girl as cute as you were my daughter."
"I'm Kasumi!"
Looking around, apparently looking for an adult or perhaps responding to Happosai attaching himself to her back and prompting giggles from Kasumi, the woman said, "And where's your Mommy?"
"Umm..." Kasumi tried to remember her line for this, but it wouldn't come to her so instead she said, "She's with Biki." Mommy had always told her the truth was best, so that would work.
"Should we take you to her?" Another brief frown crossed the woman's face and she looked behind herself, but she quickly turned back to the little girl in her arms.
"No need, no need." Happosai stepped out of the bushes, smiling genially. "I'm watching her at the moment."
The woman smiled and said, "How cute, you have matching clothes."
Kasumi grinned, looking down at the little crimson jumpsuit that Happosai had let her use and leaned in to whisper to the woman, "I'm a ninja."
"Oh, I see." The woman smiled again and set Kasumi down and she ran over to Happosai. "I guess that's why you're ambushing your Mom when she gets here, huh? Good luck then."
Waving, she took off jogging again as Kasumi and Happosai retreated to the bushes again.
"Is she fixed now?"
When Kasumi asked if they had cured her, Happosai simply pointed to where the woman had stopped perhaps a hundred feet down the path and had turned around searching her surroundings, her cheeks red and her arms crossed over her chest.
"That's a perfect sign that she's on her way to being cured, Kasumi dear!"
...
"Stay back now, Kasumi!"
Kasumi gasped as the big, hairy man attacked Happosai again, this time with a bomb that blew up into a white cloud before he threw several spatulas into it. She cheered as her new grandpa jumped out none the worse for the wear though.
Thoughtfully taking a bite of the okonomiyaki that the old man had provided to her, Kasumi chewed carefully. This was even better than Mommy's cooking. She didn't even mind the vegetables on it and she usually hated those.
The big man had been knocked back into the building that Happosai had come out of with the big stack of okonomiyaki again and he appeared to be growling like a bear. Swiping at the little man with the big spatula again, he seemed to be having little luck hitting his elusive target even as it finished off its own okonomiyaki.
"I got a say, these are pretty good." Happosai licked his fingers a few times and looked about for some more. While he was distracted, the big man suddenly threw out a weird looking rope which wrapped around him several times.
Swinging his opponent up into the air, he roared, "Then pay for it, you thief!"
Happosai landed painfully on his head and the bearded man he was fighting roared in triumph, turning to wave his big spatula at a frail looking woman on the sidelines who had been cheering him on. When her eyes widened in surprise though, he spun just in time to see the little man splurp up the last of the super tough rope, let out a belch, and then pull out a positively massive looking firework to throw at him.
Responding in time, he brought his spatula back up and almost gently caught the bomb and spun it around to lob right back at Happosai. The old man nodded appreciatively, then vanished, appeared next to Kasumi and picked her up and started bounding back through the streets.
As she shouted, "Whee!" another shout echoed out from behind them.
"No! I haven't paid the insurance yet this month!"
She couldn't see the building or man anymore, but the fireworks that were visible over the nearest building were awfully pretty.
----------------------------------
A bit? Ranma mouthed the words and exchanged glances with Nabiki, shaking his head. "Why do you even call him Grandfather, Kasumi?" he asked a moment later instead of voicing the disbelief. "I mean Nabiki and Akane sure don't. Well, not in the same tone at the very least."
Nabiki gave him a look he couldn't quite interpret, then said dryly, "Do you think the pervert is grandfatherly? I always just figured Kasumi was more polite than I am and had way more self-control."
"Well, yes," Kasumi agreed placidly, causing Nabiki to shoot her a hard look. Ranma suspected she had been fishing for a denial instead of confirmation. "But I think there was a reason as well..."
Putting a finger to her lips, Kasumi's eyes unfocused and she said, "I think it was when I was very young, shortly after Nabiki was born..."
___===--- ( \/ ) ---===___
"Are you done, Kasumi?" Daddy's voice was barely interested, his attention on the little baby her mother was holding like it had been since she came home a whole month ago.
Sadly, Kasumi put one last stuffed animal into the little backpack she had gotten for her birthday. She had Rose and Sakura and Kuma and her blanket and two whole packs of cookies left on the counter and her sippy cup filled with juice.
"Yes, Daddy." Kasumi looked up and saw her father just shoo her away, towards the back gate of the Tendo property. Struggling to get her backpack on, she trudged towards the gate with heavy footsteps that crunched super loudly on the gravel. Periodically, she looked over her shoulder, but her parents were still absorbed with baby Nabiki and she headed through the already opened portal to the outside world with a heavy heart.
Daddy and Mommy had been clear that she was supposed to leave now that they had a new baby, so she would have to go to someone else who wanted her. This was where she would find them she guessed. Maybe she would need to wander the world like Daddy.
Turning after she had squeezed out of the gate almost getting her new backpack caught, Kasumi caught sight of someone down the street who was almost her size and decided that must be who she was supposed to meet.
Plodding down the street, she thought it was awfully good that her and Mommy went for walks so often. It must have been to prepare her for all the wandering and stuff, just like Daddy had been preparing her to fight the bad guys when he was home. As she approached the little man she had spotted, that thought made her pause for a moment. What if this was a bad man, too?
She thought she was too close now to go the other way, so she decided she should check. "Are you a bad guy?"
This caused the person to spin and she saw that he had wrinkles and white hair, just like her grandma, so he was probably an old person. Though she had never met one that was as small as her. Her question apparently amused him and he tucked something into a large bag he was sorting through before saying, "Not at all. I am a martial arts master. A guardian of the innocent and pure things of this world, regardless of the people who want to abandon them to the elements or leave them trapped and lonely."
Kasumi blinked at this, trying to understand the answer, then asked, "So you're a good guy?"
"I am." He nodded solemnly. He stroked one little mustache, then looked around a bit and asked, "Where is your Mommy?"
Sighing forlornly, the little girl said, "Mommy doesn't want me."
Frowning, the man rubbed his chin and said, "That seems hard to believe for such a cute kid. How about your Daddy? Is he around?"
She shook her head and said, "Daddy sent me away. I was bad."
"Doesn't sound like the best home environment." This was kind of muttered under his breath, but she still heard it, even if she didn't quite understand what it meant. "How about you stick around with me for awhile?"
Kasumi considered this for a moment. She wasn't supposed to go anywhere with strangers, but Daddy had sent her here. She put her hands through the straps on her backpack and rocked on her heels while thinking through the problem, then abruptly said, "My name is Kasumi."
The non-sequitor didn't seem to phase the little old man and he said, "And my name is Happosai."
___===--- ( \/ ) ---===___
"Hold on a minute," Nabiki interupted. "You're trying to tell me that Mom and Dad kicked you out of the house at the tender age of two and a half years old and gave you to Happosai to raise?"
Kasumi paused and said, "Now that you mention it, that does seem out of character." She tapped her lips briefly in thought and said, "Perhaps my memory of that time is a bit sketchy. It does put routing that gang of bandits and the attack by a yeti later on into doubt as well."
"You think?"
Ranma suspected the sarcasm on those two words was probably heavy enough to register even to Kasumi.
"I know you have an insanely good memory, Kasumi. I'm continuously surprised by it. But I'm thinking this didn't happen at all," Nabiki said. Ranma thought she actually looked a little smug about this and he wondered how many times the middle sister had been caught out by her older sister over something she thought better forgotten.
"Ahh, but she did disappear around that time." Ranma and Nabiki both spun at the sound of Genma's voice, though Kasumi only smiled and moved a magazine off of one of the pillows so that the elder Saotome could take a seat.
"I remember it well," Genma continued after having moved in to take his place at the table. "I received a call from Tendo at approximately 2:30 in the afternoon. He was in a panic, seemed he had misplaced his youngest daughter somehow. 'She's not in her room, not in the dojo... I can't find her anywhere!' he exclaimed." Ranma suspected that Soun might find the high falsetto that Genma used to emulate his friend's voice a bit offensive.
"It was clear the man was in desperate straights, particularly with the Master due back from China, ready to tear us from our families yet again and prevent him from searching.
"I spoke with him for only a few minutes by phone and assured him I would be over as soon as humanly possible to assist him with the search..."
___===--- ( \/ ) ---===___
The sun beat down overhead, the air a clear, cloudless blue that left waves of heat shimmering in the air over the steaming asphalt. The sidewalks beside the high walls of the Tendo dojo were marginally cooler than the black surfaces over which the occassional car passed, but the heat that radiated from them through the thin soles of Kasumi's shoes was still punishing.
Indeed, the little girl frequently rocked back and forth between one foot and the other. Periodically, she glanced over at Happosai and favored him with a brave smile and the little man eventually pulled out a bottle of something that smelled sour and potent, taking a swig before offering it to the little girl.
___===--- ( \/ ) ---===___
Genma's head slammed into the table and bounced off, leaving his eyes spinning and unfocused as he crashed backwards and sprawled over the stone steps. Ranma wasn't too upset, his pops had spent nearly three minutes just describing how hot that day had been.
"If you're gonna tell a story, tell it right!" Happosai yelled, growling at his student. He crossed his arms over his chest and said indignantly, "I would never offer a child sake. I won't stand for my honor to be besmirched like that."
Genma groaned and Ranma decided to add, "Just get on with what actually happened. We don't need all the details, just the important ones."
His father sat up moments later with a slightly sheepish expression on his face and said, "Ahh, technically I don't really know the details. Your mother dragged me off to see her parents before I could go help Tendo with the search. Thought it was another excuse to avoid it.
"Soun didn't speak to me for nearly a month when we resumed our training trip, so I never found out what happened beyond a curt, 'Kasumi's safe'."
Ranma nearly groaned. He should have known. His Pop was a blowhard, but it was always at its worse when he was trying to cover up a lack of knowledge. He should have realized he didn't know anything after the second minute of variations on 'harsh yellow sun' and 'day to make a camel desperate for a drink'.
Happosai settled down and said, "well, if this idiot doesn't know the true story, I might as well tell it myself.
"As I recall, little Kasumi here was being chased by some ne'er-do-well or other. Might have been Nazi's come to think of it since the person was in a uniform of some kind. I, of course, jumped to the conclusion that she had been kidnapped and rescued the poor girl from a fate worse than death or a dearth of panties."
___===--- ( \/ ) ---===___
"Well, we're safe now," Happosai said, grinning at Kasumi and appearing well satisfied.
"Do it again, Granpa!" yelled Kasumi, laughing and jumping around herself between the trees in the park they had stopped at. Her earlier concerns about the old man had dissipated after he had carried her bouncing between buildings while they ran from the bad men. That was even more fun than when she played airplane with Daddy.
The old man laughed, a cackling happy sound that made her grin at him, even though he waved off her request and said, "Maybe later, Kasumi dear."
"Pwease?" Kasumi tried a small pout and was rewarded with another grin, but her upraised arms were ignored.
"Tell you what, why don't I teach you how to do it yourself instead?" Happosai looked around and gestured for Kasumi to follow him as they wended their way out of the deeper woods where his tent was set up and pointed to the path they had encountered.
The next couple hours were spent running about the park, playing on jungle gyms, and more, all while jumping as long and high as she could from anything and everything. Any time Kasumi got tired, her new granpa would come over and pat her on the back and she would be ready to go again.
It was the most fun she had had in months, but eventually it started getting dark and Granpa Happosai said it was time for bed. When they got back to camp, she pulled her blanket from her backpack and immediately crawled into the tent and fell asleep.
...
"All I gotta do is jump on 'em and hug them?" Kasumi asked, her eyes doubtful. Granpa Happosai hadn't told her a lie yet, but she was pretty sure Daddy had said you had to punch or kick the bad guys to make them go away. She was sure her new clothes would be perfect for that too.
Happosai nodded solemnly. "These poor women have merely been led astray into a life of villainy. A warm embrace from an adorable child such as yourself will help them to see the error of their ways.
"Can you do it, Kasumi?"
Kasumi jumped up and nodded enthusiastically. "I can!"
"Good girl, let's go!"
Following Happosai, she and he stopped when they were near the bushes and Happosai pointed out the first of the bandits. Dressed just as he had said, in a tank top, head band, shorts, and sneakers, the woman was running through the park chasing a man dressed similarly. Turning, she asked, "Is the boy a bad guy too?"
"Uhh... no, no, I'm afraid she's... no doubt captured him and he's trying to escape right now. Probably stole one of their uniforms to sneak out."
Kasumi gasped. "That's 'orrible!"
Happosai nodded solemnly. "That's right. Better hurry. Remember what I said to say. It will remind these women of their maternal instincts to more quickly cure them of their evil ways."
Nodding back as seriously as she could, Kasumi burst out of the bushes and jumped as the woman was passing, wrapping her arms around the woman's chest and yelling, "Got you, Mommy!"
Drawing to a halt as the little girl started sliding down, the woman quickly caught Kasumi and pulled her up asking, "And who are you, honey? Because I'm pretty certain I would know if a little girl as cute as you were my daughter."
"I'm Kasumi!"
Looking around, apparently looking for an adult or perhaps responding to Happosai attaching himself to her back and prompting giggles from Kasumi, the woman said, "And where's your Mommy?"
"Umm..." Kasumi tried to remember her line for this, but it wouldn't come to her so instead she said, "She's with Biki." Mommy had always told her the truth was best, so that would work.
"Should we take you to her?" Another brief frown crossed the woman's face and she looked behind herself, but she quickly turned back to the little girl in her arms.
"No need, no need." Happosai stepped out of the bushes, smiling genially. "I'm watching her at the moment."
The woman smiled and said, "How cute, you have matching clothes."
Kasumi grinned, looking down at the little crimson jumpsuit that Happosai had let her use and leaned in to whisper to the woman, "I'm a ninja."
"Oh, I see." The woman smiled again and set Kasumi down and she ran over to Happosai. "I guess that's why you're ambushing your Mom when she gets here, huh? Good luck then."
Waving, she took off jogging again as Kasumi and Happosai retreated to the bushes again.
"Is she fixed now?"
When Kasumi asked if they had cured her, Happosai simply pointed to where the woman had stopped perhaps a hundred feet down the path and had turned around searching her surroundings, her cheeks red and her arms crossed over her chest.
"That's a perfect sign that she's on her way to being cured, Kasumi dear!"
...
"Stay back now, Kasumi!"
Kasumi gasped as the big, hairy man attacked Happosai again, this time with a bomb that blew up into a white cloud before he threw several spatulas into it. She cheered as her new grandpa jumped out none the worse for the wear though.
Thoughtfully taking a bite of the okonomiyaki that the old man had provided to her, Kasumi chewed carefully. This was even better than Mommy's cooking. She didn't even mind the vegetables on it and she usually hated those.
The big man had been knocked back into the building that Happosai had come out of with the big stack of okonomiyaki again and he appeared to be growling like a bear. Swiping at the little man with the big spatula again, he seemed to be having little luck hitting his elusive target even as it finished off its own okonomiyaki.
"I got a say, these are pretty good." Happosai licked his fingers a few times and looked about for some more. While he was distracted, the big man suddenly threw out a weird looking rope which wrapped around him several times.
Swinging his opponent up into the air, he roared, "Then pay for it, you thief!"
Happosai landed painfully on his head and the bearded man he was fighting roared in triumph, turning to wave his big spatula at a frail looking woman on the sidelines who had been cheering him on. When her eyes widened in surprise though, he spun just in time to see the little man splurp up the last of the super tough rope, let out a belch, and then pull out a positively massive looking firework to throw at him.
Responding in time, he brought his spatula back up and almost gently caught the bomb and spun it around to lob right back at Happosai. The old man nodded appreciatively, then vanished, appeared next to Kasumi and picked her up and started bounding back through the streets.
As she shouted, "Whee!" another shout echoed out from behind them.
"No! I haven't paid the insurance yet this month!"
She couldn't see the building or man anymore, but the fireworks that were visible over the nearest building were awfully pretty.
Oh man that is Happosai to a tee
This fic consistently nails the characterization for all the Ranma characters and I love it!
Chapter 5, part 7
- Location
- United States
___===--- ( \/ ) ---===___
Ranma blinked, listening to the story and glanced over at first Kasumi, who was nodding as if this was jogging memories for her and then Nabiki.
Nabiki met his gaze for a moment, then turned to Happosai, walking through the story and ticking points off on her fingers as she went. "So, in other words, you were being chased by the police in all liklihood, snatched up Kasumi and in fact kidnapped her yourself, used her to mug innocent joggers in the park, and then presumably stole dinner and blew up some poor schmuck's okonomiyaki restaurant when he came after you for...."
Nabiki paused and exchanged looks with Ranma. He frowned. Those attacks had sounded awfully familiar. Actually, for that matter, so did the description of the guy fighting. Big, bearded, cooks okinomiyaki and uses ingredients as weapons...
"Uhh... that restaraunt, it didn't happen to say Kuonji on the sign, did it?"
Happosai frowned for a minute, then shrugged. "No idea. Though..." He nodded slightly and said, "Might have been. I think the name did start with a 'K'. How'd you know that? Have I told this one before?"
"Not that I recall," Nabiki said, eyeing him speculatively then looking off into the distance.
Ranma could almost see the yen signs spinning in her eyes and he poked her to get her attention. Leaning forward he whispered urgently, "Ukyo can never know. Never! Kasumi is going to get pulled into this somehow. She was there, you know it's going to happen."
Scowling, she appeared to resist the conclusion for a moment, then reluctantly nodded to him. Apparently discarding her earlier thoughts, she stood and said, "Ok. Since we have yet to find a reliable witness, we apparently need to go talk to Daddy about this."
"About what?"
Jumping, Nabiki scowled and said, "Why does everyone in this house move around like a mouse today!" Spinning, she pointed at Soun and asked bluntly, "What happened the first time Kasumi met Happosai?"
"The first time? When she ran away you mean?" Kasumi blushed at this and Soun stroked his mustache for a moment before replying further. "As I recall, she was a bit jealous of your arrival. It boiled over that day and she pinched you when you started crying, which had us sending her to her room. She then scared us half to death by vanishing, though we didn't realize it until later that day when we were supposed to pick her up from the pre-school next door. Kimiko thought I had dropped her off and I thought she had.
"We ran about the house looking for her hiding spot for awhile before one of us noticed the back gate had been left ajar. That expanded our search radius, but we didn't end up finding her until the following day. We eventually tracked her down with the assistance of the police to a park where she had been sighted. Much farther than we thought it possible for her to go, but it turned out she was with the Master.
"I think it was the only time I was ever grateful for him being around." Nabiki winced at this and stepped to the side, revealing Happosai behind her.
After Soun had recovered from the blow to the back of his head and groveled a bit, he continued with a cough. "As I was saying, the eternal gratitude I have for the Master has never been stronger than that moment. I've heard a few variations on what happened during the day or two that Kasumi was missing, but ultimately the Master prevented her from coming to harm.
"That is what really matters."
Nabiki frowned, then nodded reluctantly and Kasumi beamed at Happosai, eliciting smiles all around from everyone but Ranma. He instead frowned and protested, "We've been talking about this for like half an hour or more and I still don't know why Kasumi actually calls Happosai Grandfather though!"
The aforementioned Grand Master of the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts cackled. "Easy enough-- I told her to call me that. Have you ever heard a two year old try to pronounce 'Sensei'? Granpa's much easier."
"And the running away with Kasumi when she was a block from the dojo?" Ranma asked dryly.
Happosai waved it away. "The boys never really talked about their home life while I was around till then. Didn't even know his kids' names."
Ranma sighed in defeat and said, "Fine, whatever. I admit you have a few redeeming qualities."
"Hotcha! I knew you'd come around, my boy. Let's celebrate with a nice hug!"
============================
"Alright, let's get things started!" Ranma woke with a start at the cackling voice and immediately found himself swinging slightly. Looking around, he realized that he was in the dojo and apparently dangling upside down from the ceiling wrapped in rope.
He struggled for a moment, which did nothing more than set him spinning, and then he saw Kasumi kneeling with a small lap desk in front of her and a woman in a business suit beside her. At Happosai's comment, she looked up and sighed in exasperation.
"Master Happosai, is the rope really necessary?"
"Yeah, what's the deal!" Ranma yelled, or tried anyway. It came out more like, "Yfhh, hffs shh ehhl" and at a considerably lower volume than he was attempting because he was apparently gagged as well as tied up. It had been nearly a week since they had broken into the old pervert's room, but he hadn't really been expecting the announcement of the contest to be done in quite this manner. The old geezer must still be pissed about the underwear Nabiki took back.
Happosai nodded seriously. "The boy's tricky, Michi, my girl. I'm sure Kasumi here has already told him about our little deal, since they're thick as thieves anymore, so he'll need to be in on it. Either that or I keep him out of the way for awhile."
Kasumi blushed at the implication she hadn't and nodded, which prompted the old man to walk over and pat her on the back. "No worries, dear. I never said you needed to keep it quiet. Would be kind of defeating the point in fact. The more the merrier!
"Though, that said, I've decided this is going to be on the up and up. And since Ranma here was trained by Genma, I assume he'll cheat like the dickens on your behalf." Ranma could not, in fact argue with this assessment, though he liked to think of it more as... strategic maneuvering.
"That's where Michi here comes in." Happosai grinned at the woman who looked to be perhaps ten years older than Kasumi, with pure black hair that appeared to have blonde roots for some reason. Possibly hair dye then? Ranma had never really run across someone who died their hair black. While pretty, she wasn't stunning like Shampoo or as vivacious as Akane. It was kind of understated, a little bit like Kasumi now that he thought about it.
"Yasuda Michi," the woman said as she bowed slightly from her position next to Kasumi, her smile measured and with something in it that reminded him of Nabiki. "I work as legal counsel for the Dai Ichi Kangyo Group."
Kasumi raised her hand to her mouth as it opened in surprise and she said, "Oh my. I've heard of them. Whatever are you doing here?"
Michi smiled at Kasumi and said, "I owe Master Happosai a favor and he has called it in to judge this little competition of yours. He helped me out of a... precarious position that I had gotten myself into when I was younger and couldn't quite see the way out of."
At the concern showing on Kasumi's face, the older woman reached over and placed a hand over her own. "I assure you, my discretion is completely assured. In addition to owing Happosai more than I could ever repay, he has also paid me a nominal sum to ensure I am representing him legally. I couldn't disclose the secrets in this room without being disbarred." Ranma grinned slightly around the gag-- he suspected that the expression the home maker had been showing was for the lawyer, not the possibility of her secret being leaked.
"Thank you." Kasumi nodded graciously. "I trust Grandfather and I am sure you will be a fair judge, though if truth be told, I am not sure what the contest will consist of just yet." Which was true, Ranma thought. They had assumptions, the scribbled notes Happosai had made on his rules, and an iron clad guarantee that whatever it was would involve under garments. This was Happosai after all.
Nodding slightly in response to that, Michi stood and said, "Well, why don't I let Happosai explain that and I can answer any questions on the contract that come out of it."
Contract? Ranma didn't like the sound of that and as he looked at the inch thick pile of paper sitting in front of Kasumi he could almost hear ominous music playing in the background. The last time he had seen a legal document even a tenth of that size was when debt collectors had caught up with his father threatening to take his house. Which was just dumb, since he and Genma were obviously itinerant martial artists and pretty much by definition didn't own their own house.
He shook his head to throw off the memory and paid closer attention to what was going on-- Happosai was going through the rules still. He'd need to check with Kasumi to see what he had missed, but he was currently talking through the fact that they couldn't use their existing collections in the contest. Ranma wasn't sure whether that was a good thing or not-- he was pretty sure Happosai was probably underestimating Kasumi since she didn't keep most of her collection in the house, per se, but they were also talking about Happosai. If he had enough money to hire an actual lawyer for this, he might well have warehouses of lingerie sitting around.
Though if they could pretend that Kasumi only had what was in the house, they were almost sure to wi--
"I don't know if I can show my collection off right now. It is rather late for a stroll around the neighborhood I think," Kasumi interjected into the discussion. "Perhaps tomorrow morning?"
--or they could just give that up. He was pretty sure that he had told Kasumi they should not, in fact, let Happosai know effectively she had built up her collection. Then again, it was a direct question. He hadn't really expected her to hold out against that.
The next bit talked through was not being allowed to add to their collections until their part of the contest started, which seemed odd. Maybe that had something to do with the part he had missed. Related to the time handicap that Happosai had mentioned in his notes perhaps?
He noticed that as they went through each "rule", Ms. Yasuda was having Kasumi and Happosai both initial and periodically sign in weird locations through the document. She seemed to be flipping back and forth so quickly he would have thought it was some odd speed training for martial arts lawyers.
Increasing his struggles in an attempt to get Kasumi's attention, he sighed as the only thing that happened was the lawyer looking up and nodding towards him genially. "Yes, this next part may involve you as well I believe."
Happosai grinned evilly at Ranma. "It's almost entirely aimed at you, my boy. With Genma's training, I assume you're going to try and cheat one way or another. Don't worry though, I don't want to end up winning by default, so I've left this rule pretty lenient. The only thing you can't do for her is liberate the panties yourself." Ranma blinked. That was it? He made an interogative sound, raising one eyebrow (lowering? He was upside down. He didn't suppose it really mattered though.)
At the confirmation by Happosai and Ms. Yasuda, he nodded slowly to himself. He wasn't really expecting that. He hadn't quite been able to make out this rule when they ransacked the old pervert's room, but it might mean that their plans for this contest changed. Plan A was still off the table, but their backup might not be needed with some modification. Plan B was less risky, but just having him take Kasumi to grab the panties and bras himself might actually be quicker. She definitely didn't have the skills to go on her own, but if he could openly help her out...
"Are you willing to sign then, Mr. Saotome?" He eyed the lawyer, but as he might have expected her expression didn't really tell him anything. Her voice still had that droning sense of inevitability it had while she was directing Kasumi to 'sign here' or 'initial there'. "You will also be agreeing to the general terms and conditions of the wager.
"That will include not interfering with the results or otherwise attempting to invalidate them other than the assistance that you extend to Miss Tendo."
Tossing his head, he glared at Happosai pointedly and Ms. Yasuda looked towards the old man and said, "Perhaps we could remove that gag at least?"
[[possibly extend this, but this isn't a terrible break point]]
...
By the time Ranma and Kasumi had escorted the lawyer to the gate, he wasn't sure if either of them knew exactly what they had signed. He was pretty sure he understood the contest though and it seemed simple enough. And it had either been sign or leave Kasumi in the lurch if he couldn't escape in time.
It boiled down to Kasumi and Happosai both collecting as many panties and bras as they could. Kasumi had a week and Happosai a night and it could only take place in Nerima. He was allowed to help the eldest Tendo daughter in almost any way, so long as he didn't actually touch the undergarments himself.
During the contest, Happosai had promised not to "rescue" his pretties. In fact, he had actively been refraining from collecting in Nerima for over a week now so that the area was primed for their contest. By which Ranma assumed he meant that all his previous victims would have replaced the lingerie he stole from them.
Looking back towards the house after the car that Ms. Yasuda had drove away in was out of sight, Ranma thought he saw Nabiki's curtains twitch and he wondered if he'd be getting another blackmail request soon. Their original deal still stood though, so hopefully not.
Happosai was gone by the time they made it back to the dojo, so he and Kasumi had it to themselves. Sitting across from each other, Ranma waited for Kasumi to take the lead. This was her decision, so she would choose how they approached the contest. They had identified enough from their earlier fact finding expedition that he thought they had discussed most of it.
Kasumi took a deep breath and let it out, her body stilling before she spoke. "Would you teach me to..." She trailed off as Ranma waved a brief acknowledgement.
"Not a problem, Kasumi." Looking around the dojo, he leaned forwards conspiratorily. "Look. We can't start till tomorrow night, but no reason we can't go practice now. Your Dad's asleep, right?"
"Father?" She looked thoughtful, then nodded. "Yes, he and Akane usually go to sleep fairly early. Nabiki stays up later I believe." Standing, she smoothed her skirts calmly, but her eyes twinkled and her lips twitched at the corners, betraying her excitement. "I'll be right back! I just need to get ready!"
Rushing out of the dojo, Ranma wondered what she was getting, but he didn't have to wait too long. No more than five minutes later, Kasumi re-entered the dojo and he had to stop himself from snickering and ruining her moment.
Kasumi was dressed head to toe in what had to be custom made clothing. Her usual dress had been replaced with baggy pants and an over-shirt that were wrapped tight around the ankles and wrists with cloth or at least looked that way. Both had a certain body to the material and cut that gave them a feminine appearance, though the tight turtleneck that she was wearing beneath the shirt probably did more to indicate her gender. That and the fact that the entire outfit was in shades of lilac and pink. The bows scattered across the outfit, including one at her back, didn't hurt either.
Ranma coughed politely to get a hold of himself and said, "Ahh, very nice, Kasumi."
Beaming, she twirled and said, "I've been working on it while you were at school. I didn't think I would have it done in time." Pulling a scarf out of the bag she had brought with her, she wrapped it around her neck loosely once or twice, then pulled her pony tail out of the loop of fabric.
"Ok, all set!"
Lips still twitching, Ranma said, "Alright. Just a minute and we'll get going." Eyeing the not precisely subtle outfit, Ranma thought they probably were not going to be able to walk the streets without grabbing a fair amount of unnecessary attention-- he slid the door open and the house and street outside seemed quiet though.
As he stepped out into the yard, Kasumi followed and he decided that if they were going to make it in anything approaching stealth or speed, they were going to have to go via the roofs. Pointing to the roof, he got the older girl's attention and asked, "You okay with going that way?"
"Umm... I suppose," she said, then started to say, "How do I--" before he scooped her up and then took a leap that had her sucking in a startled breath and her arms snaked around his neck in an almost painfully tight grip. As he ran easily across the roof of the building next door though, she quickly grew used to it though and her arms rested more comfortably.
Within a few minutes, he had landed on the rooftop he was aiming for and then dropped into the backyard soundlessly. Hopefully this would turn out better than the times he had tried to break into Akane's room.
As he set Kasumi down, she placed a hand on his shoulder to steady herself then took a step away, peering around curiously. "Mrs. Yamaguchi's house?" she asked, her head tilting slightly to the side as she looked towards what he assumed was the bedroom.
"Yeah, she's one of your customer's right?" She nodded in response and he said, "So I assume her, uh, panties and stuff count as part of your collection. If we take them, it isn't breaking the rules."
"How clever!" Kasumi clapped lightly and Ranma placed a hand behind his head, scratching lightly in embarassment before he turned to the back door of the house. Testing it briefly, he found it was unlocked and he shook his head slightly. This would probably be a good lesson for these people, it was almost like doing a good deed. He would have gotten in regardless, but you didn't leave your doors unlocked at night. That was just dangerous.
Indicating that they should be quiet, Ranma snuck into the house and tried to guide his erstwhile apprentice in as well. Ready to grab her and run if she made too much noise, he was surprised at how quiet she was. Maybe this wouldn't be too bad after all.
Following the direction Kasumi had accidentally indicated from outside, they quickly found the bedroom. Ranma placed a finger to his lips to indicate the need for complete quiet and gestured Kasumi inside after cracking the door. As he had expected, the woman they were burglaring was sleeping in the bed, so he stayed out and kept an eye on her through the door to minimize the noise inside the bedroom.
While it took longer than he expected, Kasumi eventually came out of the room and they made their way out of the house none the wiser. Demonstrating her haul by opening the bag, she asked, "Should we go to Ms. Tanageuchi's house next?"
Nodding, Ranma quickly picked up Kasumi and they repeated the process, then did so once more. Mr. and Mrs. Tanaka were out entirely apparently, so Ranma just came into the bedroom with Kasumi, not really concerned about being seen.
Watching Kasumi, he saw her keep the same stealthy pace that they had been using through the houses as she crept up on the dresser. He was a little confused when she began pulling the underwear out of the drawer one at a time though and particularly confused when she placed it on the ground rather than in her bag. He didn't want to interupt in the house, since there was still a kid somewhere around his age sleeping in the room next door.
When Kasumi had finished completely sorting the underwear, she finally placed it into the bag one at a time and he breathed a sigh of relief. When she then pulled out a pad of paper and started writing a note though, he couldn't help himself. "Kasumi!" he hissed.
"Yes?" She turned, a little flustered by the sudden sound apparently based on her widened eyes.
He lowered his voice further and stepped closer. "What are you doing?" He glanced down at the paper and almost groaned as he saw Kasumi's elegant caligraphy writing out a thank you note for letting them 'borrow' the undergarments and apologizing for intruding. Complete with a promise to return the stolen garments the next time they picked up a batch of their laundry.
"Writing a--" He held up a hand and just shook his head.
"Never mind, let's get going."
She frowned slightly, a look of concern more than displeasure, and said, "But I haven't finished--"
"I know, I know. Don't worry, I'll finish up." He cast around for an excuse and said, "Ahh, you need your sleep to be ready for tomorrow, right? Don't worry, I'll finish this up."
Bustling her out of the room as quietly as he could, he quickly rushed her back to the Tendo dojo. Dropping her off inside, he smiled, grabbed the bag she was holding and quickly pushed her back in. "I'll take care of this, you get some sleep," he said, a strained smile on his face.
Facing back out into the night after the door was closed, he slumped slightly and pulled the letter he had palmed out of the satchel Kasumi had been using. This was going to be a long night. He couldn't leave those letters in place though and he probably needed to put back the underwear too. He would need to explain to Kasumi tomorrow, but it was quite apparent she was not cut out for a life of larceny.
He had wondered about that story with Mrs. Yamaguchi and it had inspired his first choice for the house. Knowing Kasumi, she had probably had tea with the woman as she was taking them though and somehow convinced her that she was just stopping over to correct how she hung the laundry or something
Ranma blinked, listening to the story and glanced over at first Kasumi, who was nodding as if this was jogging memories for her and then Nabiki.
Nabiki met his gaze for a moment, then turned to Happosai, walking through the story and ticking points off on her fingers as she went. "So, in other words, you were being chased by the police in all liklihood, snatched up Kasumi and in fact kidnapped her yourself, used her to mug innocent joggers in the park, and then presumably stole dinner and blew up some poor schmuck's okonomiyaki restaurant when he came after you for...."
Nabiki paused and exchanged looks with Ranma. He frowned. Those attacks had sounded awfully familiar. Actually, for that matter, so did the description of the guy fighting. Big, bearded, cooks okinomiyaki and uses ingredients as weapons...
"Uhh... that restaraunt, it didn't happen to say Kuonji on the sign, did it?"
Happosai frowned for a minute, then shrugged. "No idea. Though..." He nodded slightly and said, "Might have been. I think the name did start with a 'K'. How'd you know that? Have I told this one before?"
"Not that I recall," Nabiki said, eyeing him speculatively then looking off into the distance.
Ranma could almost see the yen signs spinning in her eyes and he poked her to get her attention. Leaning forward he whispered urgently, "Ukyo can never know. Never! Kasumi is going to get pulled into this somehow. She was there, you know it's going to happen."
Scowling, she appeared to resist the conclusion for a moment, then reluctantly nodded to him. Apparently discarding her earlier thoughts, she stood and said, "Ok. Since we have yet to find a reliable witness, we apparently need to go talk to Daddy about this."
"About what?"
Jumping, Nabiki scowled and said, "Why does everyone in this house move around like a mouse today!" Spinning, she pointed at Soun and asked bluntly, "What happened the first time Kasumi met Happosai?"
"The first time? When she ran away you mean?" Kasumi blushed at this and Soun stroked his mustache for a moment before replying further. "As I recall, she was a bit jealous of your arrival. It boiled over that day and she pinched you when you started crying, which had us sending her to her room. She then scared us half to death by vanishing, though we didn't realize it until later that day when we were supposed to pick her up from the pre-school next door. Kimiko thought I had dropped her off and I thought she had.
"We ran about the house looking for her hiding spot for awhile before one of us noticed the back gate had been left ajar. That expanded our search radius, but we didn't end up finding her until the following day. We eventually tracked her down with the assistance of the police to a park where she had been sighted. Much farther than we thought it possible for her to go, but it turned out she was with the Master.
"I think it was the only time I was ever grateful for him being around." Nabiki winced at this and stepped to the side, revealing Happosai behind her.
After Soun had recovered from the blow to the back of his head and groveled a bit, he continued with a cough. "As I was saying, the eternal gratitude I have for the Master has never been stronger than that moment. I've heard a few variations on what happened during the day or two that Kasumi was missing, but ultimately the Master prevented her from coming to harm.
"That is what really matters."
Nabiki frowned, then nodded reluctantly and Kasumi beamed at Happosai, eliciting smiles all around from everyone but Ranma. He instead frowned and protested, "We've been talking about this for like half an hour or more and I still don't know why Kasumi actually calls Happosai Grandfather though!"
The aforementioned Grand Master of the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts cackled. "Easy enough-- I told her to call me that. Have you ever heard a two year old try to pronounce 'Sensei'? Granpa's much easier."
"And the running away with Kasumi when she was a block from the dojo?" Ranma asked dryly.
Happosai waved it away. "The boys never really talked about their home life while I was around till then. Didn't even know his kids' names."
Ranma sighed in defeat and said, "Fine, whatever. I admit you have a few redeeming qualities."
"Hotcha! I knew you'd come around, my boy. Let's celebrate with a nice hug!"
============================
"Alright, let's get things started!" Ranma woke with a start at the cackling voice and immediately found himself swinging slightly. Looking around, he realized that he was in the dojo and apparently dangling upside down from the ceiling wrapped in rope.
He struggled for a moment, which did nothing more than set him spinning, and then he saw Kasumi kneeling with a small lap desk in front of her and a woman in a business suit beside her. At Happosai's comment, she looked up and sighed in exasperation.
"Master Happosai, is the rope really necessary?"
"Yeah, what's the deal!" Ranma yelled, or tried anyway. It came out more like, "Yfhh, hffs shh ehhl" and at a considerably lower volume than he was attempting because he was apparently gagged as well as tied up. It had been nearly a week since they had broken into the old pervert's room, but he hadn't really been expecting the announcement of the contest to be done in quite this manner. The old geezer must still be pissed about the underwear Nabiki took back.
Happosai nodded seriously. "The boy's tricky, Michi, my girl. I'm sure Kasumi here has already told him about our little deal, since they're thick as thieves anymore, so he'll need to be in on it. Either that or I keep him out of the way for awhile."
Kasumi blushed at the implication she hadn't and nodded, which prompted the old man to walk over and pat her on the back. "No worries, dear. I never said you needed to keep it quiet. Would be kind of defeating the point in fact. The more the merrier!
"Though, that said, I've decided this is going to be on the up and up. And since Ranma here was trained by Genma, I assume he'll cheat like the dickens on your behalf." Ranma could not, in fact argue with this assessment, though he liked to think of it more as... strategic maneuvering.
"That's where Michi here comes in." Happosai grinned at the woman who looked to be perhaps ten years older than Kasumi, with pure black hair that appeared to have blonde roots for some reason. Possibly hair dye then? Ranma had never really run across someone who died their hair black. While pretty, she wasn't stunning like Shampoo or as vivacious as Akane. It was kind of understated, a little bit like Kasumi now that he thought about it.
"Yasuda Michi," the woman said as she bowed slightly from her position next to Kasumi, her smile measured and with something in it that reminded him of Nabiki. "I work as legal counsel for the Dai Ichi Kangyo Group."
Kasumi raised her hand to her mouth as it opened in surprise and she said, "Oh my. I've heard of them. Whatever are you doing here?"
Michi smiled at Kasumi and said, "I owe Master Happosai a favor and he has called it in to judge this little competition of yours. He helped me out of a... precarious position that I had gotten myself into when I was younger and couldn't quite see the way out of."
At the concern showing on Kasumi's face, the older woman reached over and placed a hand over her own. "I assure you, my discretion is completely assured. In addition to owing Happosai more than I could ever repay, he has also paid me a nominal sum to ensure I am representing him legally. I couldn't disclose the secrets in this room without being disbarred." Ranma grinned slightly around the gag-- he suspected that the expression the home maker had been showing was for the lawyer, not the possibility of her secret being leaked.
"Thank you." Kasumi nodded graciously. "I trust Grandfather and I am sure you will be a fair judge, though if truth be told, I am not sure what the contest will consist of just yet." Which was true, Ranma thought. They had assumptions, the scribbled notes Happosai had made on his rules, and an iron clad guarantee that whatever it was would involve under garments. This was Happosai after all.
Nodding slightly in response to that, Michi stood and said, "Well, why don't I let Happosai explain that and I can answer any questions on the contract that come out of it."
Contract? Ranma didn't like the sound of that and as he looked at the inch thick pile of paper sitting in front of Kasumi he could almost hear ominous music playing in the background. The last time he had seen a legal document even a tenth of that size was when debt collectors had caught up with his father threatening to take his house. Which was just dumb, since he and Genma were obviously itinerant martial artists and pretty much by definition didn't own their own house.
He shook his head to throw off the memory and paid closer attention to what was going on-- Happosai was going through the rules still. He'd need to check with Kasumi to see what he had missed, but he was currently talking through the fact that they couldn't use their existing collections in the contest. Ranma wasn't sure whether that was a good thing or not-- he was pretty sure Happosai was probably underestimating Kasumi since she didn't keep most of her collection in the house, per se, but they were also talking about Happosai. If he had enough money to hire an actual lawyer for this, he might well have warehouses of lingerie sitting around.
Though if they could pretend that Kasumi only had what was in the house, they were almost sure to wi--
"I don't know if I can show my collection off right now. It is rather late for a stroll around the neighborhood I think," Kasumi interjected into the discussion. "Perhaps tomorrow morning?"
--or they could just give that up. He was pretty sure that he had told Kasumi they should not, in fact, let Happosai know effectively she had built up her collection. Then again, it was a direct question. He hadn't really expected her to hold out against that.
The next bit talked through was not being allowed to add to their collections until their part of the contest started, which seemed odd. Maybe that had something to do with the part he had missed. Related to the time handicap that Happosai had mentioned in his notes perhaps?
He noticed that as they went through each "rule", Ms. Yasuda was having Kasumi and Happosai both initial and periodically sign in weird locations through the document. She seemed to be flipping back and forth so quickly he would have thought it was some odd speed training for martial arts lawyers.
Increasing his struggles in an attempt to get Kasumi's attention, he sighed as the only thing that happened was the lawyer looking up and nodding towards him genially. "Yes, this next part may involve you as well I believe."
Happosai grinned evilly at Ranma. "It's almost entirely aimed at you, my boy. With Genma's training, I assume you're going to try and cheat one way or another. Don't worry though, I don't want to end up winning by default, so I've left this rule pretty lenient. The only thing you can't do for her is liberate the panties yourself." Ranma blinked. That was it? He made an interogative sound, raising one eyebrow (lowering? He was upside down. He didn't suppose it really mattered though.)
At the confirmation by Happosai and Ms. Yasuda, he nodded slowly to himself. He wasn't really expecting that. He hadn't quite been able to make out this rule when they ransacked the old pervert's room, but it might mean that their plans for this contest changed. Plan A was still off the table, but their backup might not be needed with some modification. Plan B was less risky, but just having him take Kasumi to grab the panties and bras himself might actually be quicker. She definitely didn't have the skills to go on her own, but if he could openly help her out...
"Are you willing to sign then, Mr. Saotome?" He eyed the lawyer, but as he might have expected her expression didn't really tell him anything. Her voice still had that droning sense of inevitability it had while she was directing Kasumi to 'sign here' or 'initial there'. "You will also be agreeing to the general terms and conditions of the wager.
"That will include not interfering with the results or otherwise attempting to invalidate them other than the assistance that you extend to Miss Tendo."
Tossing his head, he glared at Happosai pointedly and Ms. Yasuda looked towards the old man and said, "Perhaps we could remove that gag at least?"
[[possibly extend this, but this isn't a terrible break point]]
...
By the time Ranma and Kasumi had escorted the lawyer to the gate, he wasn't sure if either of them knew exactly what they had signed. He was pretty sure he understood the contest though and it seemed simple enough. And it had either been sign or leave Kasumi in the lurch if he couldn't escape in time.
It boiled down to Kasumi and Happosai both collecting as many panties and bras as they could. Kasumi had a week and Happosai a night and it could only take place in Nerima. He was allowed to help the eldest Tendo daughter in almost any way, so long as he didn't actually touch the undergarments himself.
During the contest, Happosai had promised not to "rescue" his pretties. In fact, he had actively been refraining from collecting in Nerima for over a week now so that the area was primed for their contest. By which Ranma assumed he meant that all his previous victims would have replaced the lingerie he stole from them.
Looking back towards the house after the car that Ms. Yasuda had drove away in was out of sight, Ranma thought he saw Nabiki's curtains twitch and he wondered if he'd be getting another blackmail request soon. Their original deal still stood though, so hopefully not.
Happosai was gone by the time they made it back to the dojo, so he and Kasumi had it to themselves. Sitting across from each other, Ranma waited for Kasumi to take the lead. This was her decision, so she would choose how they approached the contest. They had identified enough from their earlier fact finding expedition that he thought they had discussed most of it.
Kasumi took a deep breath and let it out, her body stilling before she spoke. "Would you teach me to..." She trailed off as Ranma waved a brief acknowledgement.
"Not a problem, Kasumi." Looking around the dojo, he leaned forwards conspiratorily. "Look. We can't start till tomorrow night, but no reason we can't go practice now. Your Dad's asleep, right?"
"Father?" She looked thoughtful, then nodded. "Yes, he and Akane usually go to sleep fairly early. Nabiki stays up later I believe." Standing, she smoothed her skirts calmly, but her eyes twinkled and her lips twitched at the corners, betraying her excitement. "I'll be right back! I just need to get ready!"
Rushing out of the dojo, Ranma wondered what she was getting, but he didn't have to wait too long. No more than five minutes later, Kasumi re-entered the dojo and he had to stop himself from snickering and ruining her moment.
Kasumi was dressed head to toe in what had to be custom made clothing. Her usual dress had been replaced with baggy pants and an over-shirt that were wrapped tight around the ankles and wrists with cloth or at least looked that way. Both had a certain body to the material and cut that gave them a feminine appearance, though the tight turtleneck that she was wearing beneath the shirt probably did more to indicate her gender. That and the fact that the entire outfit was in shades of lilac and pink. The bows scattered across the outfit, including one at her back, didn't hurt either.
Ranma coughed politely to get a hold of himself and said, "Ahh, very nice, Kasumi."
Beaming, she twirled and said, "I've been working on it while you were at school. I didn't think I would have it done in time." Pulling a scarf out of the bag she had brought with her, she wrapped it around her neck loosely once or twice, then pulled her pony tail out of the loop of fabric.
"Ok, all set!"
Lips still twitching, Ranma said, "Alright. Just a minute and we'll get going." Eyeing the not precisely subtle outfit, Ranma thought they probably were not going to be able to walk the streets without grabbing a fair amount of unnecessary attention-- he slid the door open and the house and street outside seemed quiet though.
As he stepped out into the yard, Kasumi followed and he decided that if they were going to make it in anything approaching stealth or speed, they were going to have to go via the roofs. Pointing to the roof, he got the older girl's attention and asked, "You okay with going that way?"
"Umm... I suppose," she said, then started to say, "How do I--" before he scooped her up and then took a leap that had her sucking in a startled breath and her arms snaked around his neck in an almost painfully tight grip. As he ran easily across the roof of the building next door though, she quickly grew used to it though and her arms rested more comfortably.
Within a few minutes, he had landed on the rooftop he was aiming for and then dropped into the backyard soundlessly. Hopefully this would turn out better than the times he had tried to break into Akane's room.
As he set Kasumi down, she placed a hand on his shoulder to steady herself then took a step away, peering around curiously. "Mrs. Yamaguchi's house?" she asked, her head tilting slightly to the side as she looked towards what he assumed was the bedroom.
"Yeah, she's one of your customer's right?" She nodded in response and he said, "So I assume her, uh, panties and stuff count as part of your collection. If we take them, it isn't breaking the rules."
"How clever!" Kasumi clapped lightly and Ranma placed a hand behind his head, scratching lightly in embarassment before he turned to the back door of the house. Testing it briefly, he found it was unlocked and he shook his head slightly. This would probably be a good lesson for these people, it was almost like doing a good deed. He would have gotten in regardless, but you didn't leave your doors unlocked at night. That was just dangerous.
Indicating that they should be quiet, Ranma snuck into the house and tried to guide his erstwhile apprentice in as well. Ready to grab her and run if she made too much noise, he was surprised at how quiet she was. Maybe this wouldn't be too bad after all.
Following the direction Kasumi had accidentally indicated from outside, they quickly found the bedroom. Ranma placed a finger to his lips to indicate the need for complete quiet and gestured Kasumi inside after cracking the door. As he had expected, the woman they were burglaring was sleeping in the bed, so he stayed out and kept an eye on her through the door to minimize the noise inside the bedroom.
While it took longer than he expected, Kasumi eventually came out of the room and they made their way out of the house none the wiser. Demonstrating her haul by opening the bag, she asked, "Should we go to Ms. Tanageuchi's house next?"
Nodding, Ranma quickly picked up Kasumi and they repeated the process, then did so once more. Mr. and Mrs. Tanaka were out entirely apparently, so Ranma just came into the bedroom with Kasumi, not really concerned about being seen.
Watching Kasumi, he saw her keep the same stealthy pace that they had been using through the houses as she crept up on the dresser. He was a little confused when she began pulling the underwear out of the drawer one at a time though and particularly confused when she placed it on the ground rather than in her bag. He didn't want to interupt in the house, since there was still a kid somewhere around his age sleeping in the room next door.
When Kasumi had finished completely sorting the underwear, she finally placed it into the bag one at a time and he breathed a sigh of relief. When she then pulled out a pad of paper and started writing a note though, he couldn't help himself. "Kasumi!" he hissed.
"Yes?" She turned, a little flustered by the sudden sound apparently based on her widened eyes.
He lowered his voice further and stepped closer. "What are you doing?" He glanced down at the paper and almost groaned as he saw Kasumi's elegant caligraphy writing out a thank you note for letting them 'borrow' the undergarments and apologizing for intruding. Complete with a promise to return the stolen garments the next time they picked up a batch of their laundry.
"Writing a--" He held up a hand and just shook his head.
"Never mind, let's get going."
She frowned slightly, a look of concern more than displeasure, and said, "But I haven't finished--"
"I know, I know. Don't worry, I'll finish up." He cast around for an excuse and said, "Ahh, you need your sleep to be ready for tomorrow, right? Don't worry, I'll finish this up."
Bustling her out of the room as quietly as he could, he quickly rushed her back to the Tendo dojo. Dropping her off inside, he smiled, grabbed the bag she was holding and quickly pushed her back in. "I'll take care of this, you get some sleep," he said, a strained smile on his face.
Facing back out into the night after the door was closed, he slumped slightly and pulled the letter he had palmed out of the satchel Kasumi had been using. This was going to be a long night. He couldn't leave those letters in place though and he probably needed to put back the underwear too. He would need to explain to Kasumi tomorrow, but it was quite apparent she was not cut out for a life of larceny.
He had wondered about that story with Mrs. Yamaguchi and it had inspired his first choice for the house. Knowing Kasumi, she had probably had tea with the woman as she was taking them though and somehow convinced her that she was just stopping over to correct how she hung the laundry or something