[June 24, 2016: Want to win a $50 Amazon gift card code? I am running a contest to receive criticism of my writing. The contest will end when I post chapter 47. That chapter will be released 1 to 2 weeks from now. See the end of chapter one for contest details, or my profile.]

Nabiki woke slowly to low voices whispering in the room. Someone was whispering to someone on the other side of the room. She had been having a terrible dream about Ranma being ripped away from her, so she wasn't too upset about being woken u—
"—one for now, think it's ove—"
"—ow's your da—"
That's Ranma's voice. She thought as her mind rose back up to awareness. But, who's he talking to?
"Fine —e's fine..."
"—ou okay?"
Akane. That's Akane. She thought coldly. She knew it wasn't reasonable, but it made her angry that Akane was whispering to Ranma in the dark. My Ranma.
"—'m fine... jus' tired ya kno—"
If Akane said anything to that, she couldn't hear it. She got ready to say something so Ranma would know she was awake, but paused when Akane spoke again.
"—ou coming to bed soon?"
"Nah. —'re sleepin' in shifts. The 'Doc 'n me are on watch right now. —ou're Dad is up next. I'm standin' in for my —seless Pop." He added with a note of disgust in his voice.
She couldn't hear anything Akane said in response to that. Her imagination was running wild. All she could picture was Akane kissing him greedily to reward him for his sacrifice for her family. In her mind she saw Akane reaching for him tenderly, and leading him away to somewhere private where Akane could show him the feelings that her younger sister had such a hard time saying.
She had to see what they were doing. She knew the rising tide of panic clawing its way up her throat was mostly her imagination, but she couldn't help it. She couldn't control how she felt.
Slowly, very slowly, she shifted in her warm bed to turn her head enough so she could see past Kasumi's arm. Kasumi, surprisingly, was still holding on to her tightly, the same as she had been doing when they had drifted off to sleep together. She realized from her feeling of her own arms, that she had shifted in the other direction and had her arms outstretched towards nothing. She was reaching to the same side of the bed that Ranma had been on relative to her, before he had been taken away from her.
When she finally had her head turned enough, she cracked one eye open in the direction she had heard the voices from. Ranma was standing inside the room looking out towards the courtyard. He had his right arm braced up against one of the sliding doors, like he was tired and needed to lean on something. Akane was standing next to him and still whispering to him in a very quiet voice. Ranma was mostly nodding. As she watched, Akane raised her left hand up and set it gently on his right shoulder, and squeezed softly.
Ranma raised his own left hand up across his body and put his hand over Akane's. It was a gesture of support, and acceptance of support. But it still enraged the dragon inside her.
Ranma is MINE! She growled to herself. She prepared herself to make a loud noise to announce her wakefulness. But before she could, Ranma turned and looked directly at Akane and leaned in close to her sister's ear.
Her heart froze, as did the rest of her body.
If he kisses her ... I ... 
She didn't have a good way to end that thought. She didn't know what she would do. As she watched him through the crack in her eyelid, she clenched her entire body in fear as he leaned in.
Instead of kissing Akane, he put his lips up next to Akane's ear and whispered something to her younger sister. Akane nodded softly. She saw Akane's arms twitch like she wanted to move them, probably to hug him. But Akane seemed to stop herself, the same as her timid sister always did.
She unclenched when Ranma pulled his head back from Akane. She was just about to release her held breath and announce herself, when Ranma swept his gaze over to where she was. His eyes lingered on her for several seconds. In his eyes she saw love, determination, passion, duty ... and understanding. She knew he knew she was awake, and watching him. She didn't know if he resented her essentially spying on him, or if he was trying to let her know, without tipping Akane off, that he knew she was awake and he wanted to reassure her.
A moment later he turned his attention back towards Akane, and whispered something else to her sister, then he slipped out the door and was gone. She waited a handful of seconds, then went through an exaggerated motion of yawning and stretching. She turned her head fully towards Akane but found her little sister staring out the door after Ranma, instead of looking towards herself.
She gently pulled Kasumi's arms off herself and rose to her knees on the bed. The cold of the very early morning air hit her immediately, and she shivered. Akane looked back at her then and locked eyes with her for a moment before her younger sister turned back to staring out the door. She hadn't been able to read Akane's eyes. The general feeling she was getting from Akane was mostly sadness and other jumbled emotions that she was sure were all swirling around her younger sister's suddenly detached relationship with Ranma.
She stood up from the bed, and walked over to where Akane was standing looking out of the space between the sliding doors. She saw Doctor Tofu carrying an unconscious Amazon she didn't recognize across the grounds, and towards the front gates. Ranma was walking beside him and speaking quietly to the Doctor. She noticed that Ranma was constantly moving his head and looking for threats though. He was probably guarding Doctor Tofu while they gathered up defeated Amazons.
"They've been fighting them off all night." Akane whispered to her without looking over at her.
She took a moment to process that as she watched Ranma's back retreat out of view as he escorted Doctor Tofu towards the front of the house. Once Ranma slipped from her view, she responded. "How many?" She asked.
"I don't know. They woke me up a few hours ago when one of their fights got pretty close to us. I got up so I'd be ready to protect Kasumi and ... if they got in here." Akane said quietly.
It had not escaped her notice that there had been a pause where Akane would logically have mentioned herself. Akane probably didn't know if she would be offended or not at the suggestion that her younger sister would protect her. She smiled softly at Akane as she put her hand on her sister's shoulder, similar to what Akane had done with Ranma.
"Thank you." She said simply.
Akane obviously got the message and patted her hand to acknowledge the gesture. "I'm worried about them." Akane said after a moment's pause as both of them exchanged looks that shared a great deal about what they were feeling, while also leaving a large amount left unsaid.
"I am too." She replied as she turned to look out into the courtyard. She could tell by the color of the sky that the dawn would break soon. She wasn't going to try to go back to sleep. "Have any of them gotten any sleep?" She asked.
Akane shrugged. "I don't know. You know how he is, he could be bleeding to death with a cut the size of a watermelon slice, and he'd swear it was just a scratch." Akane said in a frustrated voice that was also tinged with a note of admiration.
"Yeah ... I know." She said as she reached her arm out and pulled Akane close to herself in a side hug. Akane flinched at the contact then immediately softened and sank into the hug almost eagerly. Her little sister was probably starved for human contact, not to mention reassurance.
Not that I have much to give her. She thought bitterly. She still didn't know which way Ranma was leaning concerning choosing between the two of them, and she had no answers for Akane about how the situation with the Amazons was going to play out. It must be incredibly frustrating for her to be sitting on the sidelines of this. She thought about her little sister as she hugged Akane tightly and waited for the dawn with her.

***

When the sun broke over the tops of the houses she let go of Akane, and they parted ways silently. Both of them wanted more or less the same thing, and both of them knew that in order for one of them to get what they wanted, the other would have to be forever shut out from getting it. There just ... wasn't much anyone could say about a situation like that.
Akane headed out of the room as she turned around to face Kasumi. She heard her older sister shifting in the bed. Kasumi had an incredible internal clock, and usually woke with the dawn to help ready the household for a new day. She felt a surge of love for Kasumi and went to go stand over her.
She smiled down gently at Kasumi as her elder sister opened her eyes. Her keen eyes caught the small detail that Kasumi flexed her hands momentarily, like she was reaching for something ... or someone.
"Is Doctor Tofu all right?" Was the very first thing Kasumi said. She could tell that Kasumi was trying to sound nonchalant, but that the concern was real.
She smiled at Kasumi. "He's fine. He and Ranma are standing watch right now while Daddy sleeps. They're clearing away the Amazons they knocked out last night." She said as she reached a hand down to help her sister up.
Kasumi reached up to her hesitantly and took her hand. Kasumi's hand was warm. She flexed her arm and pulled and managed to help Kasumi to her feet ... more or less. Her older sister was a bit taller and heavier than her.
And I am not exactly a pillar of strength. She thought derisively. 
"Is Ranma all right?" Kasumi asked. She shrugged in reply. She honestly didn't know if he'd been hurt last night, or if he was just tired. She hadn't gotten a very good look at him before he had left.
"Well, let's go see then." Kasumi said with a gentle smile. She opened her mouth to argue with Kasumi, then closed it. She actually couldn't think of a good reason to refuse to go. It felt like she was intruding, but she did want to see how he was doing, up close.
She nodded and allowed Kasumi to pull her towards the sliding doors. Her older sister gently slid each door open about a quarter meter, then stepped softly on to the deck and looked around.
She looked around too, and smiled. It was another beautiful day. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and there wasn't any sign of the fighting that had been happening over the night.
Daddy was slumped up against the wall of the house to the left under a light blanket, and snoring softly. He had dark circles under his eyes. Ranma's dad was up against the opposite wall, also snoring. Genma didn't have any dark circles under his eyes though. He did have a bandage on his arm, and another on his ankle though.
I guess he really did get hurt. She thought grudgingly. She would easily have been willing to assume a conspiracy to take Ranma away from her last night. However, the spots of blood that had seeped through the bandage on his arm seemed to bear witness to the authenticity of the claim of injury.
Kasumi was staring at Daddy with worry on her face. Her older sister hadn't spared more than a glance for Ranma's dad. It was the unspoken consensus among all of the Tendo girls, that Genma was only endured because of Ranma. If it had only been Genma staying with them, because he was Daddy's friend, she knew that all of them would have eventually put their collective feet down in protest. The man had few, if any, redeeming qualities.
At least he is fighting though. She thought with grudging respect. She was sure he was doing it because it was the bare minimum he could get away with doing, and continue to stay with them.
She turned her attention back to Kasumi and smiled as she tugged on her older sister's hand. "They were heading to the front gates." She said.
Kasumi nodded and fell into step with her. They walked for a few moments in silence. Both of them were shivering a bit in the early morning cold. Both of them also froze in place when they heard Ranma shout.
"—NOTHER ON—!"
They looked at each other in sudden fear. Was that—
"—ERE TO—!" 
That had been Doctor Tofu's voice. The sounds of fighting came from two different locations around the corner they had been approaching, near the front of the house.
She and Kasumi both came to the same conclusion at the same time. The Amazons weren't done attacking!
She looked at Kasumi with panic in her eyes and tilted her head urgently towards the house and the doors they had exited. It wasn't safe for them to be outside.
Kasumi nodded, and they both turned around and walked quickly back towards the house. They weren't fast enough.
An Amazon she didn't recognize jumped down from the roof to block their path. She swore darkly under her breath as she pulled Kasumi behind herself and brought her hands up into a fighting stance.
The Amazon smiled eagerly, almost greedily at her and started to advance slowly towards them.
I hope the same trick I used on Kodachi will work again. She thought as she tried to tap into her Ki as Ranma had shown her how to do. She couldn't do it though, she was too scared.
Another soft thumping sound sounded behind them. Kasumi squeaked in surprise. She whipped her head backwards for a split second, and caught sight of yet another Amazon she didn't recognize approaching them from behind.
"Father!" Kasumi yelled in fright.
That's actually a good idea, why didn't I think of that? She chastised herself. She saw out of the corner of her eye that Daddy was indeed rousing, but he wasn't going to get on his feet in time to stop the attack. The Amazon in front of them smiled lazily and spun some sort of a knife or something similar in her hand as the Amazon changed her approach from a slow walk to a sprint.
Kasumi screamed.
She braced herself and focused on the Amazon's hand that had the weapon in it. She heard something heavy approaching them from another direction, but she couldn't spare the time to look at it.
The Amazon reached striking distance with her, and her instincts took over. She side stepped to the right as she swept her left hand out to block while she pivoted her hips and raised her right hand up into a closed fist to swing it in and strike the Amazon's exposed forearm. She hit hard enough that she was able to stun the Amazon's grip on the weapon enough that it dropped from the Amazon's hand. She had been lucky that the Amazon had chosen the most direct path with the weapon to stab at her lazily, almost like a punch, as that was the only kind of hand strike she knew how to defend against. If the Amazon had gotten tricky with the blade, she'd probably be dead.
She brought her hands back up to protect her face. Well, she tried to anyway. She realized as she was trying to bring them back, that the Amazon had been toying with her as a fist smashed into her jaw and sent her stumbling backwards. She grunted in surprise and pain and stumbled backwards away from her attacker as she saw stars.
She spared a glance towards Kasumi to see if her older sister was all right. Daddy was on his feet now, and he was heading towards Kasumi, but he wouldn't get there in time. The Amazon charging Kasumi had a wicked smile on her face as she brought a spear into striking position.
She sucked her breath in to scream. Before she could though, a streak of blurred motion flashed across her vision. A heartbeat later the blur solidified into Doctor Tofu as he jumped in front of Kasumi silently but with merciless eyes as he shielded her sister.
He snapped the spear into three pieces with quick motions of his hands, as he used his body to push Kasumi out of the path of danger. She couldn't see a battle aura on him, but she felt a strong feeling of an angry and icy control from him.
As she struggled to clear the stars from her sight, Daddy reached Kasumi and pulled her older sister into his arms as he leaped clear of the fight.
At the same time, she felt strong, female arms wrap themselves around her neck from the side, and start to squeeze. Her vision started to dim.
She tried to remember what she was supposed to do when someone put her in a headlock from the side, but her mind was blank. She was too scared.
Ran ... ma... she thought as her vision darkened. She wanted to call for him, but she couldn't. But, surely Ranma was coming for her. He would never allow her to be hurt. But ... he doesn't know I'm in trouble, does he? And it sounded like he was in a fight earlier...oh no. She thought.
She started to feel her limbs becoming non-responsive as her vision darkened even further. The Amazon who was choking her leaned over to stare in her face and smirk as the grip around her neck tightened. She could smell the faint aroma of Chinese incense on the Amazon. For some reason her mind focused on that detail as her vision grew dim.
Then two things happened at the same time. The Amazon's head snapped backwards and the pressure around her neck suddenly went away. She found herself sitting down quickly on the ground as her legs gave out.
He came for me, Ranma saved m— she thought as she looked up ... and found Akane standing over the Amazon with a blazing red inferno of a battle aura radiating like fire around her.
Akane's eyes didn't look right, and her younger sister wasn't looking at her. Akane was in full combat mode. As she watched, the Amazon Akane had pulled off her tried to get back up, and Akane's foot lashed out from a low pivot stance, and cracked the Chinese Warrior in the face. The Amazon went sprawling, and didn't get back up.
Akane reached a hand down for her, still without looking at her. She grasped Akane's hand, and was yanked unceremoniously to her feet by Akane's strong arm. Akane pulled her behind herself, and started backing towards the doors with her using swift strides that kept her younger sister in a fighting stance with every step.
They didn't get very far. Two more Amazons dropped down to block their path to the doors, while another two plopped down on the opposite side of them. They were surrounded. Akane growled low and dangerously.
The Amazons didn't waste any time putting on a show for their new attack, all four of them ran towards them at the same time. She opened her eyes wide in fear. How is Akane going to take on fou—
She didn't get a chance to finish the thought as a bright red blur streaked down from the roof and landed right on top of the two Amazons approaching from the side blocking the door with the crashing sound of bodies impacting the ground. The shockwave from his landing was strong enough that she felt it in her teeth.
"BEHIND ME!" He yelled to Akane, who nodded and herded her behind Ranma, so she was sandwiched between the two of them while Ranma stayed facing the other two Amazons who had paused their charge. The expressions on the remaining two Amazon's faces showed that they knew that their odds of winning had been dramatically reduced.
Akane kept one arm firmly around her waist as her younger sister faced the other direction, and moved in sync with Ranma back towards the doors to the house.
It was over a few seconds after that. The two Amazons made half-hearted sweeps towards them, and Ranma swatted them away. Moments later, as if someone had blown a time-out whistle, all of the Amazons she could see jumped clear of their walls at the same time, and were gone.
Akane finished pulling her back into the house and immediately let go of her. She sank to the floor on shaking legs as Akane headed away from her. Ranma took up a soldier's stance in front of her, facing away from her. She was crying, and she couldn't stop. That was terrifying! She thought as she gulped air into her lungs shakily.
A moment later as she forced herself to calm down, she looked up to find Akane. She wanted to thank her sister for saving her. But Akane was moving quickly towards the Amazon who had been choking her.
Ranma figured it out before she did, and called for her to stop. "Akane, no, wait!" Ranma yelled in an alarmed tone as he sprinted after Akane.
She sucked an alarmed breath in past her clenched teeth as she realized that Akane was going back to finish off the Amazon who had attacked her. At least, it seemed like that was what Akane was doing.
Akane reached the Amazon and stood there motionless for a moment as Ranma ran over to her, calling for her to stop. Akane didn't look back, but did hesitate as she raised her hand up to strike.
"Akane! Akane, no!" Ranma yelled as he reached her little sister. He didn't grab Akane, he stepped around her and blocked her path to the Amazon.
Akane didn't answer him, but she also didn't move to strike either.
"Akane...Akane, come back ... Akane! Come back, Akane! Don't do it!" Ranma yelled sternly.
Akane finally moved. Her little sister stepped to the side and tried to go around Ranma. Her eyes still seemed ... wrong. Ranma was forced to move with her, and put his hands out wide to block Akane's path. Akane pressed into him, and tried to push past him. Ranma dug his heels in and used his greater strength against her little sister. He was able to stop Akane, but she could see the muscles in his body straining. He was stronger than her little sister, but the difference in their strength wasn't non-trivial, it seemed.
Akane wasn't fighting him, but her little sister did continue to try to push past him, to get to the Amazon laying unconscious on the ground.
"Step back, son. I'll handle this." Daddy called out as he jumped down from the roof with Kasumi still in his arms. He handed Kasumi over to Doctor Tofu as he stepped forward quickly and pulled Ranma back from Akane.
Ranma obeyed Daddy, and released his hold on Akane. Her little sister surged forward rapidly and raised her hand to strike as Daddy stepped in and caught her strongly, but softly.
Nabiki gasped as competing emotions of familial love and appreciation for what both Akane and Daddy were going through hit her hard as the tears started up again and her body shook from emotion. Ranma stood to the side of the conflict and locked eyes with her for a moment.
She could tell that he was anguished that she had been hurt, and also that he was freaked out that Akane was so far gone that he couldn't reach her. It struck her then how bad it would be if Ranma ever lost control like Akane was now. She shook her head clear of such thoughts though, it wasn't the time for them.
She darted her eyes over to Doctor Tofu as Daddy took up Ranma's struggle to keep Akane from crossing the line. Doctor Tofu had his eyes fixed on Kasumi's eyes as he held her older sister in a hug position up off the ground. As she watched, Doctor Tofu slowly let Kasumi slide to the ground softly, gently, and tenderly. It was very out of place in contrast to the struggle going on with Akane. It also showed where Doctor Tofu put his priorities.
It was quite obvious that he valued Kasumi over all of them, and when push came to shove, he would choose Kasumi. She wasn't mad that Doctor Tofu had saved Kasumi instead of herself. She would have done the same thing in reverse if both Ranma and Doctor Tofu had been in trouble and she had to pick one.
As soon as Kasumi's feet touched the ground, her older sister reached her arms up and draped them around Doctor Tofu's neck and leaned into him while closing her eyes. She could see Kasumi's lips moving, but obviously couldn't hear what was said.
It became apparent a moment later though, as they both let go of each other and Kasumi pushed him forward with a light hand at the small of his back and a concerned look towards Akane. Doctor Tofu nodded and walked forward towards where Akane was still trying to get to the Amazon. His glasses were shining, but he seemed to be in control.
"Akane, this is your father! Listen to me! It's over. Stop! The Anything Goes School of Martial Arts DOES NOT injure defeated opponents! Listen to me! Akane ... Akane!" Daddy said as he continued to try to reach Akane.
As she watched, her younger sister slowly lowered her hands and looked up at Daddy for a moment. Confusion was showing on Akane's face now. After another moment Akane nodded and slumped against Daddy as whatever had control of her finally let go. She could see her sister's body start to shudder as Akane came back to herself and cried.
Daddy pulled Akane into his arms and picked her up off the ground so he was cradling her across both his arms like her younger sister was a little girl. Doctor Tofu reached them and quickly leaned in and looked into Akane's eyes, then whispered something to Daddy as he put his hand on his shoulder and steered him into the house. They took Akane into the house, and didn't look back.
She looked over at Ranma as tears slipped down her cheeks, and opened her mouth to call for him, but no sound would come out. She didn't know how to process what had just happened. Her life had been in danger, again. And this time Ranma hadn't prevented them from hurting her. She knew that wasn't fair to him, but she was still shaken.
Ranma nodded urgently to her, but held up a finger for her to wait as he jogged over to where Doctor Tofu had set Kasumi down. He quickly ushered Kasumi across the courtyard back towards the house.
As Ranma passed his father who was, somehow, still sleeping, he reached out a hand and smacked the back of his father's head, hard.
"Wake up old man!" Ranma growled as he passed quickly with Kasumi. Genma pitched forward from the force of Ranma's smack and ended up face-down on the ground. Genma then slowly started to get to his feet as he rubbed the back of his head and scowled as he cursed at Ranma crossly.
Kasumi quickly put a hand up over her mouth to cover an amused smile. She also found herself smiling as she continued to cry while Ranma made his way over to her and let go of Kasumi.
As soon as Ranma stepped back into the house, she surged powerfully to her feet and threw herself into his arms with all of her strength. She didn't care how it looked, she needed him right now.
Ranma seemed to understand. He held her gently and whispered nonsense into her ear until she calmed down. She had her face buried into his neck and stayed that way until her breathing calmed down.
When she felt more like herself again, she placed her hands on his chest and pushed herself away from him a little bit, so she could look into his eyes while he held her in his warm arms. He smiled at her as she did so.
"You OK?" He asked softly, timidly.
She nodded, then shook her head as tears threatened to break free again. It took her a moment to fight them back before she could answer. "I guess I'm all right. I mean, I got punched in the face, and choked, but nothing too bad, I guess." She finished lamely. She was already feeling better in his arms. It occurred to her that he might not have been willing to hold and comfort her if she had succeeded in getting him to be physical with her last night, and then was feeling guilty or regretting it now. All kinds of things could have gone wrong or gotten complicated by that.
What if I had scared him away? What would I do? She asked herself with no answers. It was far more important to her at the moment that she had the emotional connection with him, over sharing a deeply intimately physical one. I want both, but if I have to choose...
"I'm ... sorry..." Ranma whispered to her.
She looked up into his eyes in confusion. It took her a moment to realize that he was referring to her being hurt. She smiled shakily at him. "You aren't responsible for me, Ranma. Kasumi and I should have known better than to do that. It was our fault." She said bravely.
He shook his head. "We're supposed to be watchin' the house. I shouldn't have gone with the Doc to the front of the house. I was bein' stupid." He said with determination.
She sighed. "Let's just agree that decisions were made that weren't the best that could have been made, and leave it at that, all right?" She asked him.
He stared at her with anguish in his eyes. "Are ya ... are ya mad at me?" He asked her.
She shook her head firmly. "No, if anything I'm mad at myself. I'm supposed to be smart." She said with exasperation in her voice and a small smile on her lips. It was amazing how much better she felt now, than she had just a moment ago.
If I could find a way to bottle and sell the way he makes me feel, I would be the richest person on Earth! She thought idly as she wiggled in his arms in a silent signal for him to let her down.
He slowly relaxed his grip on her so she slid down him ... just like Doctor Tofu had done with Kasumi.
Probably a guy thing. She thought to herself with amusement. She knew damn well he was probably enjoying the feeling of the front of her rubbing down the front of him. She didn't begrudge him the small pleasure though, after all, she had been the one to throw herself into his arms.
They held each other's arms gently once her feet were back on the floor. She looked into his eyes happily for a few more moments, then she moved first and stepped back from him.
"I'm ... gonna go see how Kasumi is doing." She said awkwardly.
He nodded. "I'm gonna go help Pop watch the house." He said.
"Walk Akane and I to school in a little bit?" She asked. She didn't think it would be right to leave Akane behind after her little sister had saved her life earlier.
He nodded and smiled. "Yeah, I'll be ready ta go when you are." He said as he waved and stepped out the door.
She waved back and then headed towards the kitchen where she could already hear Kasumi working on preparing breakfast.
She entered the kitchen slowly and carefully. She knew that Kasumi knew a lot more about what was going on than anyone was talking about. She was both ashamed of her behavior, and very defensive of it ... even proud of it. Despite everything else going on, she was quite pleased with herself for not only being able to attract Ranma's attention, but being able to hold it too. She hoped Kasumi wouldn't press her too hard about it, she didn't want to fight.
Kasumi looked up from the assembly of items being sorted through on the kitchen island-counter to prepare breakfast with, and smiled at her.
"How are you doing?" Kasumi asked her softly.
She smiled at Kasumi. "That was what I came to ask you. That was scary outside." She replied as she walked over to stand opposite Kasumi and began to help with the food preparation without being asked.
Kasumi smiled at her. "I wasn't asking about outside. I'm sure we both feel about the same about that. Of course I didn't get hit, you did. You should let me look at it later. But ... anyway, I was asking ... about everything else." Kasumi said quietly.
She locked eyes with her older sister for a moment, and tried to express without words how she was feeling. She was in love with Ranma. She had admitted that to herself. She hadn't told him that for real, but she had tried to show it to him physically.
And that ... probably ... wasn't the wisest decision I've ever made. She thought halfheartedly. A part of her still really wanted to be physical with Ranma. Luckily, Kasumi had pulled him away before anything too serious had happened. That meant she hadn't gotten what she wanted, but it also meant that she hadn't scared him away either. She didn't know if it had been Kasumi's idea to pull Ranma away from her last night, or someone else's. Hell, if she hadn't seen the bloodied bandage on Genma with her own eyes, she would have suspected that Kasumi had pulled him away simply to keep her from going too far, too fast with Ranma.
She trusted Ranma, and she loved him, but she was kind of stuck at the moment. It was all too difficult to put into words. It was probably similar to how Kasumi felt about Doctor Tofu, actually.
Kasumi smiled at her and set down the food being prepared, and reached across the counter-top to hold her hand lightly for a moment.
Her older sister squeezed her hand gently and sent her own silent message to her using only her eyes as well.
She could tell that Kasumi understood. She smiled back and nodded hesitantly. It was weird for her having a real, personal, connection with Kasumi on a human level. Kasumi had always been the female authority figure of the household, standing in for ... Mom. She idly wondered if she would have been able to have a moment like she was having now with Kasumi, with Mom, if Mom was here.
She looked down at the food she was preparing, suddenly flustered. She was in uncharted territory. She didn't know what she was doing with Ranma, or Kasumi, or Daddy, or even Akane. She had no answers. She had no plan. She was making it up as she went along. She worked in silence across from Kasumi for a while, not sure what to say. She wanted to talk to her older sister, but didn't know how to start. Kasumi seemed to be content to wait her out until she was ready. She sighed and opened her mouth to say something, anything—
Doctor Tofu bustled into the kitchen then and headed straight for the freezer mumbling about ice for Akane. Both of them looked up at him. Kasumi looked at him with friendly warmth. She looked at him with relief that she had been saved from her awkward attempts to talk to Kasumi.
Doctor Tofu wasn't looking at either of them. It was probably his way of controlling his goofy act around Kasumi. She had very little patience for his act at the moment. She waved to him and spoke up. "Doctor Tofu, how's Akane?" She asked as he turned from the freezer with one of the ice bags Kasumi always kept prepared for just such purposes.
He paused and looked up at her and smiled softly. "She's going to be fine. She's resting now. I'll have her up on her feet in just a little bit longer. I just want her nerves to settle a bit first." He said kindly, all without looking at Kasumi. Kasumi continued to smile at him, but she could see her older sister's posture wilt just a little bit at his lack of a response to her presence.
The doctor smiled and took a step to leave the room, but she held a hand up to stop him. "Was it ... what we talked about the other day?" She asked.
"Yes." He said softly.
"Will she—"
"I can tell you about it later, but I really should get this ice to her." He interrupted her as he stepped towards the door again.
Kasumi stepped forward and held her hand out. "I can take it to her." Her older sister said firmly.
Doctor Tofu looked over at Kasumi, and she could see his glasses shimmer as he fought back his normal goofy act and nodded as he handed the bag of ice over.
Kasumi smiled and hurried out of the room. She noticed that Kasumi ran her hand up his arm as she left the room. She also didn't miss him follow her older sister with his eyes, until Kasumi was gone.
She smirked inwardly. My ass he isn't interested in her. She thought to herself. For some reason, she felt a small seed of irritation take root in her chest at the same time.
She leaned back against the counter and looked at him with appraising eyes. He looked back at her with eyes that had a depth to them that she couldn't fathom. For some reason she felt uneasy in his presence at the moment. She ignored it though. She wanted to ask him some questions.
"You sure Akane will be all right?" She asked mostly just to get him talking.
"Yes, she'll be all right. She lost herself a bit there for a moment, but I have seen far worse cases than that. She wasn't so far gone that she couldn't be reached." He said kindly as he took a half-step towards the doorway.
"What about Kasumi?" She called out to him, pausing his exit.
"What about her?" He asked softly without turning back to look at her.
"Will ... will Kasumi be all right?" She asked lamely.
He turned back and looked at her then with a quizzical expression on his face.
"What do you mean? Nobody touched her." He said softly.
"I ... I didn't mean the fight, I meant with ... you." She said just as softly.
He didn't say anything to that. He just stared at her. She finally couldn't bear the silence any more and tried again. "You know, I have a feeling if you asked Kasumi out, she would say yes. As a matter of fact, I would bet money she would say yes." She prodded him.
He looked away from her then and stared at the window over the sink. She was about to give up and just leave when he finally spoke. "Suspecting something, and knowing that thing to be a fact, are two very different things..." He said in a low, rigid tone. All of the warmth had left his voice.
She smiled at him as she tried to hide her irritation. She said nothing as she waited for him to say what he wanted to say. When it became clear a few moments later that he wasn't going to say more without being prompted, she tried again.
"All right, fine, I know she would say yes." She said in a slightly annoyed tone. "You know that, don't you?" She asked him almost as an accusation.
He sighed. "I am the wisest man alive, for I know that I know nothing." He said resolutely. She was sure he was quoting something, but the source escaped her at the moment.
"Well, I know that Kasumi would say yes. What have you got to lose?" She asked him with frustration creeping into her voice.
He dragged his eyes off the window and regarded her for a few silent moments before he spoke again. "Nothing ... I have nothing to lose." He said quietly, even sadly. "The Buddha said that holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else ... no matter what, you also will be burned by doing so." He added after another moment. It seemed like he was talking to himself.
She sighed and gave up on that topic for now, and tried a safer topic as he turned to leave again. "How much longer do you think you and Daddy can keep watching the house? How long can you all keep going?" She asked softly.
He turned back and smiled at her reassuringly.
"I can't speak for your father, or the Saotomes. However, I know what I am capable of. Don't worry about it. Even if it just comes down to me, this household will not fall while I am alive. If I have to, I can do it alone." Doctor Tofu said in a weirdly detached way.
"But, Doctor—" She tried to protest.
"Understand this, Nabiki. I will die before anyone harms you or your sisters. I will do what must be done." His eyes were hard.
"But ... aren't you a pacifist?" She asked carefully.
He smiled at her softly. "I ... would prefer not to take a life, yes." He said simply.
"Then ... how—"
"Some things..." he interrupted her again, "... some things are more important than anything else... even beliefs, even promises, even oaths sworn in careful seriousness. Sometimes, in life, we are given a second chance ... to try to help right the wrongs from the past. Believe me when I tell you that you and your sisters are that important to me. If anyone is in this house who intends to harm this family, then I am either dead, or right behind them." He said strongly as his eyes got darker. It was like he was slipping into a different person right before her as he talked about breaking oaths for her and her sisters.
"O-okay, Doctor. I-I...believe you. T-thank you." She stammered out weakly. He was scaring her.
He responded instantly to the fear in her voice. His eyes cleared, and his soft demeanor returned. "Like I said, don't worry about it. Trust in me, and your Dad, and Ranma. Do what you need to do. Keep going, and don't worry. I will keep you and your sisters safe. And Ranma will keep you safe too, I have no doubt of that." He said kindly.
She smiled warmly. "I don't doubt it, either." She said softly as he smiled at her a final time, then slipped out of the kitchen.
She stood in the silent kitchen for a few moments after that and did her best to get her emotions under control. Eventually she slipped out of the kitchen and went through her normal morning routine as she tried to ignore that her little sister was laying down somewhere recovering from the fight, and Ranma was outside standing guard over her family, and Doctor Tofu was slowly getting ... worrisome.
She got dressed, ate breakfast and headed for the door almost in a daze. When she walked into the front entryway, she found Akane already there slipping on her shoes. She smiled at her little sister.
"How are you feeling?" She asked Akane.
Akane turned and smiled back at her. "I'm fine." Akane said softly, then looked away from her. She could tell that Akane was not feeling all that fine, but there wasn't anything she could do about that.
She hurried to put her own shoes on, and then put her hand on Akane's shoulder gently. Akane turned back and looked at her with searching eyes.
"Would you like to walk to school with Ranma and me?" She asked sincerely.
Akane smiled at her but surprised her by shaking her head. "No, it's all right, he's your fiancé."
She shook her head determinedly and tightened her grip on Akane's shoulder. "That doesn't matter right now. I want you to be safe."
Akane smiled at her and patted her hand. "Don't worry, Doctor Tofu said he'd walk me to school while Dad and Mister Saotome watch Kasumi." Akane said in a brave voice.
"But, Akane—"
"It's fine, Nabiki ... really." Akane said softly as her younger sister reached up gently and pried her hand off.
She didn't have much more to say to that so she just smiled shakily at Akane as her younger sister smiled back just as shakily, and walked out the front door.
Doctor Tofu was out there waiting with Ranma. Both of the guys looked up as the door opened. Ranma smiled nervously at her and Akane. Doctor Tofu just looked at them with gentle, but firm eyes. Both of the guys were standing in combat stances, although she could tell they were trying to pretend that they were just standing that way by coincidence.
Akane walked straight towards the front gate after staring at Ranma for a moment and exchanging a look with him. The expression on Akane's face was a mixture of sadness, and other emotions she couldn't quite distinguish. She could tell that Akane was fighting back tears though. Doctor Tofu followed Akane closely, keeping his soldier's body language evident in every aspect of his motions.
She knew that Doctor Tofu could hide his martial prowess. The fact that he was openly advertising it now could mean a lot of things. The most obvious meaning was that he was trying to warn attackers away.
Ranma smiled at her and reached out a hand for her, and all thoughts about everything else fled her mind. She walked forward eagerly and laced her fingers into his, and let him pull her close.
It doesn't matter what's happening, as long as he's willing to hold me. She thought with determination. She looked up to stare into his eyes happily, but found him looking across the street as he twisted his body a bit to cover more of her body with his own.
She followed his gaze and gasped quietly. Shampoo was standing on a rooftop across the street and looking at Ranma sadly. As she watched, Shampoo reached her own hand out towards him in a pitiful expression of longing. Ranma just stared at the Amazon. She strongly suspected that the attack on herself and Kasumi had soured Ranma on the Amazons considerably.
A moment later Shampoo looked over her shoulder at something unseen and unheard, and then looked back at Ranma with anguish in her eyes as she let her hand drop to her side. The young Chinese girl held her gaze on him for another few moments, then slipped back into the shadows of the rooftop, and was gone.
Ranma stared at where Shampoo had been standing for a while after that before he finally looked back down at her and smiled nervously as he tugged her in the direction of the front gate and they started walking to school.
Well that ... wasn't a good sign. She thought nervously.