Goodbye

I’m getting a little sick of the freezing Toronto weather. Whoever is sending it to us, please stop. I look really bad in hats, the Russian-style earflap type makes me look like a mentally challenged kid and my toque, a streety little kid according to my friends; either way, I look like a little kid. Go figure.

I still can’t update on weekends, sorry.

I now have my chapter writing groove, on so this story shall be improving. Yes aff Scorpianac, I am stealing your Dr. Tofu and Mom talk idea. I’d already planned on something like this, but like the direct confrontation idea the best. I swear I should send you all my story ideas from now on, to see how they should be written. Not the yaoi ones mind you, you don’t seem to care for those :)

Trivia: Where did this expression come from? I worship his divine shadow

Btw, sorry the AN are so long today, I always feel chatty on Fridays. Oh yeah Kasumi’s going to be very OOC in this chapter.

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Kasumi

“Kasumi you can’t leave!!!” sobbed her father Soun Tendo. “Who is this masher who steals my little girl to America? What sort of lothario is he?” he whined.

Kasumi for once, uncharitably thought that her father was a drama queen “his name is Sean Ross and he’s neither a masher nor a lothario. We’ve been dating for six months now are in love. The reason for the hasty engagement is that his great-grandfather is dying and Sean wants to get married right away so that he can be there. His great-grandfather means the world to him. That’s also the reason why we’re leaving so soon” she explained.

“Six months, why didn’t you tell me that you were dating someone? If he was a proper gentleman, he should’ve met me and asked my permission to date you” protested Soun.

Kasumi kept her anger in check “that’s not how things are done in America, where he’s from. I didn’t tell you about him because you would have meddled and interfered until he ran away because you don’t want me to date anyone. You want me here acting as your surrogate wife” she said.

Soun looked at her “Kasumi that’s not true” he protested.

“Father, when mother died you were a wreck, so I quit school to look after you. Now I’m nineteen with no job skills or education to recommend me and literally wear my mother’s shoes. What sort of future shall I have if I don’t marry? I don’t want to become a burden upon those who inherit the dojo...... and me along with it because I have no where else to go” she said.

Ranma turned to the Kasumi, feeling like he was meeting her for the first time “you would never be a burden on us” he declared.

Kasumi flashed him a grateful look, and then turned back to her father “father you should remarry or reopen the dojo. Miss Hinako would have you and she’s gorgeous, if a little insane but harmless. If you started teaching again, you would have more money to fix this place up and it would give you something to do. It isn’t healthy how you sit around with Mr. Saotome and drink all day long, mother wouldn’t have liked it” she said softly.

“So you really want to go?” Soun asked.

“Yes, I feel its time. I’ve wanted to leave for a while” she admitted.

Soun looked at her sharply “but why?” he cried.

Kasumi looked at her shocked siblings; and Ranma and said “father you have nothing to do but try and force two sixteen year olds into marriage, who are in no way ready for it. You send all the time you have, when you should be providing for your family, trying to come up with schemes to get them married. You even have encouraged them to have premarital sex; Akane’s your own daughter. You should be discouraging her from that sort of behaviour, not handing her to Ranma on a plate! What sort of a father are you!” she shouted, everything that she had been holding back came rushing out at once. She was happy that she Soun had the sense to look embarrassed.

“I’ve never thought about it that way” Soun said in a mystified tone of voice. “I guess that I have failed both you and Akane?” he said looking sad.

Kasumi hugged him “you’re been a great and wonderful father, but you have to move on.” she said.

Soun nodded “I will reopen the dojo, I can teach Ranma to run it and he can help with classes. I do miss teaching” he declared. “Do I at least get to meet your future husband?” he asked.

Kasumi smiled “of course father” she said.

Dr. Tofu

Dr. Tofu had closed his clinic for the day in order to take his mother, Kin Tofu out to dinner. He smiled when he saw the diminutive, yet feisty woman come into the restaurant with his father’s shrine strapped onto her back. After a bit of confusion on the part of the waiters, the shrine was relocated to the corner of the restaurant and a couple phonebooks supplied for Kin. He kissed his mother hello and braced himself for what was always her first question.

“Have you asked me here to tell me that you’re getting married?” she demanded. “I would start to call you an old maid if that applied to a man” she said in an exasperated tone of voice.

Ono groaned inwardly “No, I need to ask you about father’s....condition’ he said. “I want to know how you cured it” he said.

Kin turned her shrewd eyes on her son “ah, you mean your father’s love lunacy that you unfortunately inherited? This is about Kasumi” she declared. She took a sip of her tea, and then said “It’s simple, I seduced him”

Ono own tea went down the wrong way and his face burned “y-you seduced him” he stammered.

Kin looked at him “yes, I got sick of his shenanigans, so I waited until my parents were out of town and invited him to tea, and then I jumped his bones. He sang silly songs throughout, but it cured him and we became engaged that day. It’s caused by the fear that your loved one will reject you, some people get really quiet when in the presence of the one they love, while others babble on a mile a minute. The males in our family tend towards the latter, only an extreme version of this. Once you know for certain that your heart’s desire wants you too, then it goes away. It doesn’t have to be an extreme display like mine, just a simple declaration of love is usually enough to end it” she explained.

“So I have to get her to say that she loves me?” Dr. Tofu said, fearful of the idea and wondering what he would sing at her.

“In a nutshell, yes and you better do it soon; I want grandchildren” Kin declared.

Ryoga

Ryoga listened to the conversation that the Tendo’s were having with dawning horror. ‘Kasumi’s getting married and not to Doctor Tofu?’ thought the little black pig. He’d came into the Tendo house in pig form to get to sleep with Akane, thirsting for the affection she dispensed to him so freely in this form. Ryoga wasn’t prone to meddling, but he liked Dr. Tofu and felt that he owed him for the ‘incident’ His piggy brain went into overdrive as he thought of a ways to help him. He trotted into the kitchen dragging his clothes behind him; he knew it was Ranma’s turn to do the dishes.

Ranma scowled at the pig “hello p-chan have you come to sleep with my fiancée?” he said coldly, disapproving of the other martial artist’s sneaky tactics in the pursuit of love. P-chan just did his cute little squeal and then indicated his clothes. “Oh you want some hot water, hold on” Ranma said cluing into what he wanted.

The now human Ryoga walked with determination to the nearest payphone and called up the following people: Shampoo, Kodachi, Ukyou and Akane. “Meet me that this payphone, at this intersection” he demanded with authority in his voice and waited for them. Curious, they all showed up and reconvened to Ukyou’s restaurant. The four female martial artists stared in confusion while Ryoga paced the floor nervously. He was no good at public speaking and even worse at talking to women. Finally he forced himself to stop and faced them. With a blushing, but determined face he said “ladies, I need your help. A mutual friend of ours needs help in learning how to talk to a woman, so I need you to go on dates with him for practice” he said in a rush.

The girls looked at each other, even more suspicious until Ukyou leaned forward and asked “which guy?”

“Dr. Tofu” Ryoga explained.

“Isn’t he kind of old?” Shampoo asked.

“No you wouldn’t actually be dating him; you would go out dressed as Kasumi for authenticity sake. He would be blindfolded and would just talk to you like you were Kasumi. You would communicate with yes and no answers by tapping his palm, once for yes and twice for no” he said, then he explained about what had happened and how short a time period they had to change Kasumi’s mind.

“I’m in, Dr. Tofu’s too nice a guy to lose his girl this way” Ukyou stated.

“Shampoo agree, he gave me job when new to Japan, even when could barely speak language. Shampoo much better now” the Amazon girl declared.

“I will always assist in l’affaire d’amour” Kodachi said.

“Glad you all agree, Akane can I count on you to help with retrieving clothes and personal items?” Ryoga asked.

“Yes, you can” she declared. “I won’t be going on any of the dates?” she asked.

“No you’re too distinctive to go on the dates” Ryoga pointed out.

“What dates?” Ranma asked entering the restaurant, followed by Mousse and Kuno, both of whom were glaring at Ryoga along with Ranma. “See? I told you that this was the logical place to look after I overheard his phone conversation” Ranma said.

“No one dates Shampoo but me!” Mousse cried, earning him a cuff on his head from his ladylove.

“Nor does anyone date my sister without my permission” Kuno said taking a glance at his sister.

“Relax brother dear, they’re just fake dates to help Dr. Tofu” Kodachi simpered.

Kuno the height of his poetry said “huh?”

“It’s like this...” Ryoga explained it to them.

“So it’s just to teach him how to speak normally to Kasumi?” Ranma said. “Pretty good plan. Here I thought you were trying to date the girls” he explained.

“All four of them at once?” Ryoga asked dubiously.

“I guess I just wasn’t thinking” Ranma replied with a blush.

“Yes I can approve of fake dates, somehow my sister dating a man twice her age sounded a little off” Kuno said.

“You know that Kasumi’s only three years older then Kodachi right?” Ukyou pointed out.

“Yes but three years closer to twenty sounds better to me” Kuno explained.

“So why are you helping Ryoga?” Ranma asked.

“Dr. Tofu did a favour for me and I kind of owe him one” Ryoga explained with his cheeks flaming.

“What sort of favour?” Ranma asked.

“Never you mind” Ryoga said hotly.

“I want to help to” Ranma said.

“How? By being one of the girls?” Ryoga asked.

“No I could shadow them to make sure that they get into danger. A blindfolded guy walking alone with a pretty girl is just asking for trouble” Ranma pointed out.

“You know that we’re all martial artist too!” Ukyou cried indignantly.

“I would feel safer if you allowed us to watch over you” Kuno said to Kodachi.

The girls all shrugged as if saying “fine with me”

“Good, then we’re all working together as a team until this is resolved. Agreed?” Ryoga said to them all.