Subject: [fanfic][Ranma]Kasumi's Little Secret Pts 5-6

From: "A.J. Woo" <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 11 Nov 1997 02:56:22 -0800

I'm reposting part 5 because I did a _major_ revison of the last scene.

Enjoy.

AJ

Kasumi's Little Secret
Part 5:  Visits and Revelations I
A Ranma 1/2 FanFiction
Version 4.0

Insert standard fic disclaimer here

<...> thoughts

	"You're gonna have t' do better'n that Oyaji!" Ranma laughed, deftly
dodging his father's flying side kick.  Genma landed and immediately
snapped out a spinning foot sweep.  Ranma just smirked as he hopped over
the attack and launched a flying snap kick.  Genma leaned back to avoid
his son's foot but moved forward in time to catch Ranma's other foot in
the face.  Stumbling back Genmma tripped and landed in the Tendos' koi
pond.
	Kasumi smiled as she watched her student and his father spar in the
yard.  Though she watched the two of them spar almost every day, she
never tired of seeing their displays of speed and grace.  Of course
there were times that she wanted to go out there and teach them a thing
or two--like right now.  Genma had leapt from the pond and attacked
Ranma with a low thrust kick.  Kasumi winced as Ranma scrambled to dodge
and counter attack.
	"Ranma no baka," Kasumi muttered, rolling her eyes, "I thought I taught
you better than that.  You _should_ have used a Brush Knee to block that
kick and followed it with a modified O Soto Gari."  Kasumi's
exasperation lasted only a moment before she realized what she was
doing.  Glancing around to make sure no one saw her, Kasumi smoothed her
features and turned to put breakfast on the table.
	Coming down the stairs, Nabiki blinked as she watched the brief play of
emotions flash across her sisters face.  Anyone else would have missed
them, but Nabiki was a trained observer--and she knew her sister.  <At
least I thought I did,> she muttered mentally.  Nabiki had seen that
combination of annoyance and exasperation on Ranma, Akane, and just
about every other martial artist she'd seen whenever someone screwed up
a technique.  <But Kasumi gave up martial arts years ago,> Nabiki
thought, <didn't she?>  Unbidden, the image of a karate-gi on the
changing room floor rose in her mind.

***

	"Breakfast was delicious, as always, Kasumi-chan," Soun smiled. 
	"Yes Kasumi," Genma agreed, pushing his chair back from the table, "it
was very good."
	"Domo arigato Otousan, Saotome-san," Kasumi nodded, smiling.  She stood
to collect the dishes from the table when the telephone rang in the
other room.  "Ill get it Otousan," Kasumi said as Soun began to stand
up.  As the others relaxed and picked at the remains of breakfast, they
heard Kasumi's voice float in from the other room.  
	"Moshi moshi?" she said, a pause, "this is she oh, Kaneda-kun!" Kasumi
cried, "genki desu ka?"
	"Kaneda?" Akane asked, glancing at Nabiki.  Her sister just shrugged,
as if to say:  "why are you asking me?"
	"Honto?" Kasumi gasped, "sugoi!"  Ranma winced in sympathy when he
heard several snaps and pops as Akane and Nabiki jerked their heads
towards the other room.  Grimacing, Nabiki reached behind her neck to
massage her aching muscles but her attention never left the other room. 
"Hai!" they heard Kasumi cry, "ja ne!"  A moment later Kasumi stepped
back into the family room and began collecting the dishes to take them
back to the kitchen.
	"Oneechan," Akane asked, helping to gather the dishes, "who's Kaneda?"
	"He's just an old friend," Kasumi smiled without pausing in her task. 
Nabiki, who had decided to help clear the table as well, stopped and
looked at her older sister.  Kasumi simply looked back, a vacuous smile
on her face.
	"Did you want something Nabiki-chan?" she asked sweetly, her face the
picture of innocence.
	"Yes," Nabiki said, returning to the task of collecting dishes, "but it
can wait until later."  <when I know what's really going on behind that
empty headed facade,> she thought.

***

	Nabiki lounged on the floor watching TV, waiting for some friends to
arrive.  They had planned to visit the new ice cream place that had
opened a few days ago.  <But,> Nabiki thought, glancing at her watch,
<they seem to be twenty minutes behind schedule.>  Soun and Genma were
out on the porch playing Shogi.  <And plotting another scheme to get
Ranma and Akane married, no doubt,> Nabiki thought, irritatedly, <why
can't the old fools just leave well enough alone.>  Akane was out with
her friends today.  <probably eating at that new ice cream place,>
Nabiki thought with a mental snarl.  Ranma was out in the yard
practicing some obscure martial arts technique.  <I wonder if I'm the
only person in Nerima who _doesn't_ practice martial arts,> Nabiki
thought with some amusement, <no, there's always Kasumi.  Speaking of
Kasumi, where is she?>  Nabiki's older sister had finished the dishes
some time ago, and Nabiki was fairly sure that today wasn't laundry day.
	<Speak of the devil> Nabiki smirked to herself, as Kasumi stepped on to
the porch.
	"Otousan," Kasumi said, "I'm going to visit the market, would you like
anything?"
	"No thank you Kasumi-chan," Soun replied, his attention focused on the
board before him.
	"Saotome-san?"
	"That's all right Kasumi," Genma said.
	"Ranma-kun," Kasumi called sweetly.
	"Yeah Kasumi?" the young martial artist said, jumping onto the porch. 
For a moment Nabiki frowned, Ranma _never_ let _anyone_ interrupt his
martial arts training.
	"Have you finished your homework for the weekend Ranma-kun?" Kasumi
asked.
	"Yeah," Ranma shrugged.  Nabiki blinked.  <Ranma,> she thought, <doing
his homework before the last minute?>
	"I was wondering if you wanted to go to the market with me?"
	"Sure Kasumi," Ranma said, "just let me get changed out of my gi."  Was
it her imagination or did she detect a note of eagerness in his voice. 
<Nah,> Nabiki thought, <not Ranma come to think of it, Ranma _has_ been
acting different around Kasumi lately could they Ranma and Kasumi is
that why they've been acting so weird lately?  That still doesn't
explain the gi or this Kaneda person.>  Caught up in her thoughts Nabiki
almost missed the sound of the front door closing signaling the exit of
her sister and their house guest.  Acting on the spur of the moment
Nabiki hopped off the couch and slipped out the door in pursuit.

***

	"So, Kasumi," Ranma said as they strolled down the street, "where're we
goin'?"
	"You remember the phone call I received just after breakfast?"
	"Yeah," Ranma shrugged, "some guy named Kaneda called, ne?"
	"Correct Ranma-kun," Kasumi smiled, "he's planning to teach martial
arts classes here in Nerima and he's having a small get together to
celebrate."
	"Ah," Ranma said, poorly disguised suspicion in his voice, "and who
exactly is this Kaneda guy anyway?"
	"He's a friend from a while back," Kasumi said, "the two of us trained
together years ago."
	"So was he one of your father's students?"  Ranma asked.
	"Oops," Kasumi said, walking towards a small apartment complex, "we're
here." 

***

Nabiki trailed a couple of blocks behind her sister and their house
guest, cursing Ranma's ability to sense people following him too
closely.  She watched the two of them talking animatedly as they walked
toward their unknown destination.  Once again Nabiki cursed the fact
that she couldn't get close enough to hear them.  Suddenly Nabiki
stopped.  <Where the hell did they go?> she thought frantically, finally
she spotted them entering a slightly run down apartment complex. 
<Chikusho,> she swore, <I can't follow them, there's too much of a
chance that I'll be seen.>  After a moment's thought, Nabiki brightened,
<I've got a name and a residence,> she thought, grinning like a shark,
<how hard could it be to find out all there is to know about this Kaneda
person?>

***

	"So Kasumi," Ranma said, as the two of them wandered the halls of the
small apartment building, "you never did answer my question, did this
Kaneda guy train under your father?"
	"Ranma-kun," Kasumi said, spying the apartment number Kaneda had given
her over the phone, "have you figured out my riddle yet?"
	"Um," Ranma said, distracted from his question, "you're trying to train
me to be able to balance while I'm asleep?"
	"No, Ranma-kun," Kasumi laughed, knocking on the door.
	"Hello, may I help you?"  Standing in the doorway was a sour faced
young man.  He stood about a head taller than Ranma, and seemed to be
built along the lines of a toothpick.  
	"Yes," Kasumi said, still smiling, "we'd like to enter and speak to
Kino Kaneda please."
	"I'm sorry," the young man sneered, "but this is a private party.  Only
those who have been invited may enter."
	"Why you..." Ranma began, clenching his fists.
	"Calm down Ranma-kun," Kasumi admonished, placing a hand on his arm. 
At her touch Ranma unclenched his fists, but continued to glare at the
young man.  "Would you please tell Kino Kaneda that Tendo Kasumi is here
to see him?"
	"I'll do nothing of the sort," the young man snorted, "Sifu is far too
busy to deal with people like you."
	"People like what Masao-kun?" rumbled a voice to the young man's left. 
At that an older man who seemed more like a mountain of muscle, stepped
into the doorway.  Upon seeing Ranma and Kasumi, his eyes lit up.  "Is
that you Little Storm Cloud?" he asked.
	"'Little Storm Cloud'?" Ranma said, incredulously.
	"Of course it's me Pooh-bear," Kasumi snorted, "I see you've gone blind
as well as fat."
	"'Pooh-bear'?" Masao said, as shocked as Ranma.
	"It's the dress," 'Pooh-bear' said dryly, stepping around Masao, "I'm
not used to seeing you in one."
	"I'm in disguise," Kasumi deadpanned.
"Ah Kami," the older man cried, wrapping his arms around Kasumi and
picking her up in a massive hug, "I've missed you Kasumi-chan."
	"And I, you Kaneda-kun," Kasumi said, returning the embrace, "but I
would very much like to end the day without broken ribs."
	"I haven't broken any of your ribs yet Little Storm Cloud," he said,
setting her back down.
	"And I'd like to keep it that way," she smiled, "Kaneda-kun, I'd like
to introduce you to Saotome Ranma."
	"Isn't he a little young for you Kasumi-chan?" Kaneda said, eyeing
Ranma up and down.
	"He's not mine Kaneda," Kasumi smiled, walking into the apartment,
"besides, weren't you the one eyeing Tofu's sister?"

Glossary:

O Soto Gari:  Major Inner Hook Sweep; a judo/jujitsu throw also found in
aikido, aikijutsu, and hapkido.
Domo arigato:  thank you very much
Otousan:  father
Moshi moshi:  hello; used to speak to someone on the telephone
genki desu ka:  how are you?
Honto:  really?
Sugoi:  outstanding, terrific, great, wonderful
Hai:  yes
Ja ne:  see ya
Oneechan:  older sister; familiar
Chikusho:  damn it

Kasumi's Little Secret 
Part 6:  Visits and Revelations II
A Ranma 1/2 FanFiction
Version 1.0

Insert standard fic disclaimer here

<...> thoughts

Takes place a couple of days after part 5

	Nabiki hated waiting.  She hated waiting with a passion. 
Paradoxically, next to making money, waiting was what she was best at. 
After all, one had to be patient to get the maximum profit out of a long
term investment.  But that didn't mean she had to like it.  This time
Nabiki was waiting across the street of a marginally busy cafe.  From
her hiding place on the roof of a small bookstore she watched her
quarry, a young woman, 19 years of age, well liked and admired in the
community, and a resident of a local martial arts dojo.  
	Nabiki raised her binoculars and watched Tendo Kasumi raise her cup to
her lips take a small sip of her jasmine tea.  Kasumi had told her
family that she was going out shopping that morning at breakfast. 
Normally, Nabiki wouldn't have thought anything of it, but serendipity
had intervened in the form of Saotome Ranma.  It was an innocent enough
comment.  
	"Have fun, Kasumi," he had said.  Once again Nabiki had been prepared
to shrug it off as nothing major, but something in her brain had
twitched.  
	<Ranma,> she had thought, <being polite...saying "have fun"?  How much
fun could you have grocery shopping?>  When she had tried to pry answers
out of Ranma, he had been...uncommunicative.

<Flashback...

	"What did you mean by that little comment Ranma," Nabiki asked.
	"What're you talkin' 'bout, Nabiki?" he asked.
	"When you told Kasumi to 'have fun,'" she said, "what did you mean by
that?"
	"Nothin' in particular," he shrugged, "jus' bein' nice."
	"You," Nabiki said, "are not normally that nice.  What I want to know
is why."
	"What can I say," he said, "can you imagine anyone _not_ being nice to
Kasumi?"
	"Well, no..." she said.
	"There ya go," he smiled, a smile that looked suspiciously familiar,
"look Nabiki, I've got class an' you've got class.  I'd rather not be
late so, ja ne."  With that he had run the rest of the way to the
school.

End Flashback...>

	At lunch Nabiki decided to go find Kasumi, half expecting her to be at
home.  But she wasn't.  A couple of phone calls later Nabiki had
discovered Kasumi's location at a small cafe.  And she was waiting for
someone.
	Nabiki shook herself out of her memories when she realized that someone
had sat down opposite her sister.  <Ah, Kaneda-kun,> Nabiki thought,
<finally we meet.>  He was a big man for a Japanese--actually he was big
for anyone.  The man exceeded six feet of height by at least six inches
and he was built like Mount Fuji.  He sort of reminded Nabiki of the
dojo destroyer Akane and Ranma had fought earlier that year.  
	His full name was Kino Kaneda.  He taught Tai-chi in the park almost
everyday.  He lived alone in a small apartment complex a few blocks away
from the Tendo Dojo.  He was one of the last students of Master Martial
Artist Chen Huang and was expected to be the heir to Master Huang's
school of Martial Arts.  It never happened.  Someone else had become
Master Huang's heir, but Nabiki could not find out who.  It wasn't
important though, she had found out about Kaneda.  Now if only she could
figure out what his relationship to her sister was.  Perhaps Kasumi
wanted to learn martial arts, after all he was a prominent martial arts
instructor.
	Somehow that just didn't seem quite right...

***

	"Konnichi-wa Pooh-bear," Kasumi smiled as her friend arrived.
	"Konnichi-wa Little Storm Cloud," Kaneda smiled back.
	"Not so little anymore," Kasumi sighed.
	"Not so stormy either," Kaneda observed, "I remember when Sifu first
called you that..."
	"Those were good times," Kasumi smiled.
	"Speaking of good times," Kaneda grinned, "you never did fully explain
your relationship with that Ranma character."
	"I told you before," Kasumi sighed with mock exasperation, "he's too
young for me.  Besides, he's taken."
	"Taken?"
	"My youngest sister, Akane," Kasumi smirked.
	"The one who 'hates boys,'" Kaneda said, "my that is a surprise."
	"She fell harder for him than you did for Tofu's sister."
	"How is Tofu, by the way?"
	"As far as I can tell, fine," Kasumi sighed.
	"I take it he still goes crazy when he sees you," Kaneda smirked.
	"He dances in the streets with his model skeleton in a tutu," she
deadpanned.  Kaneda laughed.  "I just cannot understand that man,"
Kasumi continued, "this insanity of his is sweet, but being married to
him would be horrible."
	"Huh?" Kaneda said, "what's the problem?  You know he's absolutely
devoted to you.  He'll never be unfaithful..."
	"Kaneda-kun," she said, "he loses focus at the mere mention of my name,
the sight of me sends him into insanity.  Do you see a problem?"
	"Oh..." Kaneda said, blushing, "that would be bad."
	"You understand," Kasumi said, shuddering, "the thought of the
honeymoon gives me nightmares."
	"So, um, what about..."
	"Akiko," Kasumi smiled.
	"H-hai," Kaneda blushed.
	"Oh, she's doing well," Kasumi said, masking her smile by taking a sip
from her teacup, "she's been the recipient of no less than five marriage
proposals in the last year."
	"Oh," Kaneda said, crestfallen.
	"She's also rejected every single one."
	"Honto?" he gasped.
	"Hai," Kasumi smiled.
	"Do you have her number?" he asked, almost desperately.  Wordlessly she
handed him a small scrap of paper.  "Domo arigato Kasumi-chan," he
smiled.  The two of them spent a few moments sipping their tea.  Kaneda
was the first to break the silence.
	"Just out of curiosity," he said, "if Ranma's your sister's boyfriend,
what was he doing with you at the party?"
	"He's my student," she shrugged.
	"You're teaching," Kaneda said, his eyes alight, "then..."
	"No, Kaneda," she sighed, "my family problems are still there."
	"Then why..."
	"Ranma's our house guest so he's in a position to receive instruction
regularly, without raising suspicion."
	"But why teach him at all?  Isn't that too much of a risk?"
	"He wanted to learn," Kasumi shrugged, "he caught me training one
afternoon and asked for instruction.  I couldn't very well say no, could
I?"
	"I guess not..."
	"Besides," Kasumi said, "he's very good."
	"Good enough to be your heir?"
	"Yes," Kasumi said, "but it won't happen."
	"Why not?"
	"He's the heir to his family's school of martial arts..." Kasumi began.
	"That never stopped you..." 
	"And he's an only child," Kasumi continued as if she hadn't been
interrupted, "besides I've got years before I need to choose an heir. 
Look at Sifu.  He was well past a hundred when he chose his."
	"True," Kaneda agreed, "and you have to admit that he knew what he was
doing."
	"I don't know about that," Kasumi said, "I still say you would've been
a better choice."
	"I don't think so," Kaneda said, "there's no way Sifu would have _ever_
chosen me as his heir."
	"You were heir-apparent for more than two decades!" Kasumi protested.
	Kaneda shook his head.  "Both me and Sifu knew that I was just holding
the position until someone better came along.  There was no doubt in my
mind who his heir would be, and I don't think anyone else had any
illusions about it either."

***

	Nabiki tore her eyes away from the scene at the cafe and glanced at her
watch.  <Oops,> she thought, <lunch time is almost over.  Time to get
back.>  With one last look at her sister Nabiki made her way back to
school.  <I wish I had had time to bug the cafe,> she thought, <then
maybe I'd have some idea of what's going on.>

Glossary:

ja ne:  see ya
Konnichi-wa:  good morning (used from 10:00-17:00)
hai:  yes
honto:  really?
Domo arigato:  thank you very much
Sifu:  Master (Chinese) (equivalent of a martial arts Sensei in Japan)