Not a Clue
By Ozzallos
Part One of Two
It
was a typical day in the suburb of
Well, almost normal.
Admittedly, the giant Stay-Puff Marshmallow Man was a bit of an
anomaly, but Ranma took it in stride. Several strides even. Some would call it
a flat out run. To his credit he had tried to stop the lumbering confection
with a few well placed Moko Takabishas,
only to find out that the high energy interaction between ki
and marshmallow produced a less than desirable effect—molten marshmallow goo. Sadly, it hadn’t been enough to put Mister Stay-Puff
down for the count, but it had been enough to cover all the participants
in today’s Saotome 5k marathon in a scalding white coating of sugary goodness.
Ranma rounded a corner and silently prayed that he would be
able to shake his pursuit. It was a prayer that would fall on deaf ears as fate
had placed Akane Tendo dead center into his escape route. She knew what
was happening. Fiancées. Ranma’s betrothed stood before him and pulled a
mallet out from behind her back like the Samurai of old. But this however was
no ordinary mallet, however. No, Akane had been shopping and managed to pick up
an honest-to-god dwarven war hammer with a +3 to
strike pigtailed fiancées listed at fifty percent discount. She never could
pass up those going out of business sales. Ranma saw the gleam in her eyes and
tried to skid to a halt, but it was too late. She rolled the AC check and swung
for the fences, launching her favorite two-timing pervert on a reverse
trajectory that would send him sailing over the pursuing mob at Mach three and
strait into the belly of Stay-Puff.
The Marshmallow Man didn’t stand a chance. Ranma cut through
him like an armor piercing pig tailed projectile, blowing a perfect hole strait
through the jovial giant’s body. He didn’t remain jovial for long as a mach
three wave of hydrostatic shock rippled through his mass and caused his plump
white body to promptly explode, covering a five mile section of Nerima with
giant globs of marshmallow stickiness. As for Ranma Saotome…?
His day was just getting started.
Ranma stepped through the door of the Tendo dojo
and mentally set his countdown clock. By his estimates, he had about fifteen
minutes before the world came crashing back down upon him and he was determined
to use that time wisely… He was going to get a snack.
“Hello, Ranma-kun.” Kasumi greeted cheerfully from the kitchen,
and the martial artist couldn’t help but to smile.
“Hi Kas-chan! Got anything to snack
on?” He asked and she tilted her head curiously. “I’m kinda
in a hurry.”
Kasumi walked over to a counter and pulled out a few cookies
from the jar and set them on a plate for Ranma. She had no doubts that the martial
artist could easily finish off the entire jar with his version of a snack, but
that just wouldn’t do before lunch. “Here you go, Ranma.” Kasumi watched him
annihilated the snack with an unusual gusto and grew curious. “What’s the
rush?”
Crumbs fell from the martial artists mouth as he swallowed
another cookie, this one practically whole. “Oh, just the usual.”
“Oh my.” Kasumi knew exactly what ‘just the usual’ was and
gracefully stepped back into the kitchen in order to harden it against the
coming apocalypse. She proceeded to lock the cabinets, hide the glass and
secure all sharp utensils. With any luck, her domain within the house would
come through relatively unscathed. Kasumi watched Ranma finish off the last
cookie and considered the events surrounding his arrival. While the chaos that
surrounded the boy was annoying, he was thoughtful and well meaning enough.
Hardly the womanizer that her little sister portrayed him to be, she thought.
And at least he gave her warning when trouble was about to land in his lap.
When he could, that is. Life around the Saotome’s
didn’t exactly follow a predictable pattern.
As if sensing her thoughts, Ranma looked up and smiled. “Don’t
worry, Kas-chan. I’ll be outta
here in another minute or so.” Kasumi nodded and made final preparations. Akane
really didn’t know what she was missing and her attempts to subtly point that
fact out to her sister had fallen on deaf ears.
Ranma stretched a bit in preparation for the next heat of his
marathon when a silent warning blasted through his skull. No! It was too early!
They couldn’t be here alre—
“Shampoo find Airen!” Circulation to
his left arm was immediately cut off as Shampoo’s vice-like grip snaked around
it, locking it and her body in place at his side. Ranma looked down into the
bubbly Purple haired Amazon’s smile and knew there could only be one thing
coming next….
“HOW DARE YOU TOY WITH POOR AKANE’S HEART, RANMA!” Yep, that
was it, Ranma thought as he twisted around to the source of the accusation,
Ryoga Hibiki. The pigtailed martial artist had long ago since realized that
such situations were like tumbling dominos… Once set in motion, they could only
lead to one inescapable conclusion…
“Get off my Ran-chan, you Amazon Hussy!”
Act two, scene one. Enter Ukyo. Even through the growing escalation of
violence, Ranma noticed Nabiki watching the chaos play out from the stairway
and silently wondered if he could get her to lay odds on who would tumble in
next.
“Curse you, Saotome! Haveth thou not
enough women to ensnare with thy wicked magicks!” You
just can’t turn a phrase any better than good ol’
Kuno, he chuckled inwardly. Not that you would want to, but—
“Ranma, you enemy of women!” Blades flashed out of Mousse’s
sleeves as he demanded swift retribution from the TV. Ranma began moving to the
doorway as the reaction of suitors and fiancées approached critical mass, and
like it’s nuclear counterpart would most likely explode violently when it did.
‘Most likely?’ Ranma snorted mentally as he corrected himself. Try 100
certainty. The last thing he needed was yet another hole in the wall or broken
appliance blamed on him. He glanced at Kasumi. Especially when there
were non-combatants in the area.
Kasumi watched from the sidelines, tentatively peeking out the
kitchen and awaiting the finally catalyst that would send the already unstable
mixture of social angst spinning wildly out of control. She had seen these
situations enough to realize that it wasn’t an ‘if’ but’when’.
Then she saw it. The Catalyst. The Harbringer of
Doom. The single trigger that spelled certain doom for the interior of the
house…
Akane Tendo.
The little sister took in the entire situation, Shampoo locked
onto his arm and Ukyo in close proximity therein. The Catalyst armed, stage
two, safeties unlocked. “What the HELL did you think your doing, Ranma?”
“Akane!” Ranma protested and Kasumi simply shook her head in
disappointment. “It’s not what you think!” The eldest sister watched as Ranma
spoke the necessary armament codes and the Catalyst went into stage one
meltdown. Detonation was all but assured.
“Oh, I think it’s exactly what I think!” Akane fumed and
brought a war hammer to bear. “Two-timing pervert!” Somewhere, a digital timer
began cycling down to zero.
“I can’t let let you live, Ranma!”
“I shall smite thee and freeth the
fair Akane Tendo and the vibrant Pigtailed girl!”
“Ranma leave kitchen destroyer, date Shampoo!”
“Ran-chan’s going to be my fiancée,
Amazon slut!”
“I’ll defend you, Shampoo!”
“Prepare to DIE, Saotome!”
Ranma Saotome braced for impact. Some days it just didn’t pay
to get out of bed.
Ranma was decisively engaged as knives, banadannas, a red umbrella, spatula shiruken,
bambori and a dwarven war
hammer whipped around the martial artist as he attempted to lead the battle
outside without much success. Property damage was rapidly climbing when the
unthinkable happened. Three more bandannas cut in and the tactical computer
that took over Ranma’s brain in combat instantly calculated the angle,
direction and velocity, coming to a horrifying conclusion. He abandoned his
herding efforts and rolled out to intercept the blurring clothe shirukens. The martial artist took one out with a clean
deflection by hand. Ranma was out of position to take the second projectile out
with certainty and threw his entire arm out to block it, pain cracking through
its length. But the third…
Kasumi’s eyes widened and she slammed the kitchen door shut
just as the ki-infused bandanna hit, blowing the
structure apart in a hail of fragmented wood. Ranma’s eyes widened. A
non-combatant- Kasumi of all people –had just been hit.
“ENOUGH!” Ranma’s ki-enhansed voice
roared over the fighters and everybody froze. The martial artists who had taken
out a god emerged for the first time since that incident and there was no
disputing the order. Playtime was over. “Everybody who doesn’t live here… GET
OUT.” Shampoo looked like she was going to protest but was cut down in a
withering stare. “Now.”
Ryoga looked horrified for his part in the matter and left
without a grumble. Shampoo was unwillingly escorted out by Mousse and even the Kendoist left without another word. Ukyo followed last.
Akane simply stood rooted in place as Ranma picked through the wreckage that
had once been a living room and stepped through the remains of a shattered
kitchen door. He found Kasumi getting to her feet with a stunned look on her
face, favoring an arm.
“Aw, shit Kasumi, I’m SO sorry!” Ranma stammered as he helped
her gain her balance. “Your arm Okay?”
Despite the carnage that had just been visited upon her, Kasumi
formed a weak smile. “It’s okay, Ranma. Just a bruise.” She saw the uncertainty
in his eyes. “Really Ranma, it’s ok. I think I will go up to room for some
rest, however.” He watched as she stepped over the remains of the door and
padded silently up the stairs. Ranma cursed himself. Damn that wasn’t supposed
to happen.
“It’s all your fau—“
A hard-edged stare cleaved through Akane’s
justification like a hot knife through butter and it stunned her into silence.
“What’s that in your hand again?” Akane’s mouth fell
open, then snapped shut. Her face turned a bright pink because he was right.
The hammer disappeared quickly behind her back as she desperately tried to
avoid eye contact. Ranma cared for Akane. Deeply. But he wouldn’t accept any
excuses when it came in to direct conflict with his honor, and if he had to
accept Kasumi’s injury as a direct result of his lifestyle, then Akane had damn
well better for participating in the chaos herself.
Ranma turned away from her and guilt overcame him. He had to
check on her. The pigtailed boy took to the stairs and encounter Nabiki, who
had observed the entire incident. She subtly blocked his path. “Smooth,
Saotome. Why didn’t you do that before?”
Nabiki didn’t concern him at the moment. “Because a
non-combatant never got hurt, let alone Kasumi. She never done anything to
anybody.” He moved to step around her and she blocked his path obviously this
time.
“She’s tougher than she looks.”
He studied her intently now. Nabiki was up to something, He
knew it. “Look, she came damn close to taking Ryoga’s bandanna and I’m gonna check on her. It’s my responsibility.” Ranma thought
he was going to have to force his way by the sister for a moment until she
simply shrugged and stepped aside.
Something like a faint smile crossed her lips and it caused
Ranma to pause. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
He looked at her one last time and stepped up to Kasumi’s door,
twisting the handle. Normally her privacy would have been of primary importance,
but his honor demanded not only a complete apology, but the insurance that she
was in fact, ok. The door clicked open and he found Kasumi sitting upright on
her bed. He paled in shock.
She was missing an arm.
Kasumi’s head snapped up from the missing stump and locked onto
Ranma.
“Oh my…”
Ranma Saotome staggered at the sight. Kasumi was
not actually missing an arm. After all, it was lying on the bed right next to
her. His mind rapidly began to shut down as his eyes snapped from the arm to
her stump and back. Several possibilities rippled through the limited bandwidth
his brain was now operating on, amputation being the first. But there was no
blood and she didn’t appear to be in any pain. He focused in on the stump and
Kasumi simply watched patiently. A small mass of parts seemed to hang from the
opening and Ranma took a tentative step forward to get a closer look.
“Um, Kas-chan…? Your arm…”
Kasumi favored him with a gentle smile. “The incident knocked
it out of alignment, unfortunately.” Ranma twitched. “It requires a simple
adjustment.”
Mental bandwidth started to open back up as he recognized
Kasumi’s trademark serenity. It helped stabilize him… Somewhat. She was still
missing an arm. That was sitting on the bed. She picked the offending arm up
and began to make adjustments to it with a small tool. “Prosthetics?” Ranma
voiced his next theory.
The eldest Tendo maintained her smile and shook her head. “No,
not prosthetics.” Ranma was thoroughly confused and his mental process began to
shut down once again. If it wasn’t a prosthetic arm then what on earth… Seeing
the complete confusion in his eyes, Kasumi let him off the hook. In a manner of
speaking. “All of me is like this, Ranma-kun.” His jaw dropped and she
reconnected the arm, locking it in place with a click.
“Ah… Ah… All of you?”
Kasumi’s smile brightened. “Maybe you had better explain it
sister.” She was talking past him and Ranma turned to find Nabiki in the hall
behind him.
Nabiki nodded. Bluntness just wasn’t a normal aspect of
Kasumi’s personality. The middle Tendo didn’t have any such hang-ups however.
“Kasumi’s a machine, Ranma.”
His conscious thought wavered. “Impossible.”
“She can take off the other arm if you don’t believe me.”
Nabiki commented and she was rewarded with a horrified look.
“Nonononono!” Ranma held up his hands
in protest. “But how..? Hell, when for that matter!”
Kasumi stood up and walked over to the pair. Ranma simply
stared. “I’ve always been like this, Ranma-kun.” He looked at Nabiki for a
translation.
A pained look crossed Nabiki’s face. “The really Kasumi died
with Mom in the crash. As she was… dying… A large corporation approached us and
made us an offer.”
“An offer.” Ranma intoned, his voice clearly set in disbelief.
“We were offered a substantial amount of money to field test
their new artificial person.” Ranma stared at Nabiki in silence; still debating
whether this was some complex scheme to make money off of him. “Kasumi was in a
coma. It was only a matter of time and daddy couldn’t let go.”
“So…”
“So the corporation took a sample of her DNA and combined it
into their unit’s programming.” Nabiki continued. “After that, it was easy to
model her to look exactly like the real Kasumi.” She turned to her older
‘sister’. “Why don’t you give Saotome here a quick run-down of your specs.”
Kasumi nodded. “I am a Type Three Mobile Autonomous Artificial
Life Form. My central processor consists of high bandwidth crystalline
monofilament core capable of learning and processing at fifty billion
instructions per second. My functions are sustained by a biomass reactor with a
functional life of three hundred and fifty years under normal usage. I was
originally designated unit prototype 001, serial number 804115,” Then she
favored Ranma with a twinkle in her eye.
“…But you can call me Kasumi.”
Ranma was speechless as she served dinner, but
then, who was the recipient of a gender changing curse to doubt such an
outlandish explanation? He could dismiss Nabiki. Hell, Nabiki being an android
would have been more believable than sweet, innocent Kasumi. But then it did go
a long way towards explaining how she readily accepted the unbelievable chaos
that surrounded his life. Phoenix birds. Dragons. Gods. Stay-Puff Marshmallow
men. He had always assumed that Kasumi lived in her own little reality and
dismissed the happenings with an ‘ignorance is bliss’ attitude. Even her ki had always felt a bit off… Maybe because it wasn’t ki at all? Now that kasumi was
revealed to be… artificial… It kinda made sense.
Kasumi watched Ranma and hid her trepidation. The secret that
they had kept for the past two years was out and she sincerely hoped that it
wouldn’t break the family apart. Scenarios ran through her crystalline brain
and like so many other incidents involving the young Saotome, a clear-cut
outcome didn’t present itself. There was one factor that could be counted on in
every single one of those scenarios and that was Ranma’s honor. It was a sticky
thing, she realized long ago and Kasumi did so love the mental challenge his
multiple engagements provided her. There were so many variables to consider and
she thoroughly enjoyed processing through them all. Combined with the inherent
chaos in his life, it made for a challenging and highly unpredictable dynamic.
She had one of the most advanced chipsets ever designed for a brain and
secretly rejoiced with every new element that imbedded itself into Ranma’s
life. Calculating their cause and effects was several magnitudes more enjoyable
than simply cooking for the family.
Still, the one thing that remained constant through it all was Saotome’s honor, which created its own whirlwind of chaos.
It placed his actions in direct contrast with those of his father and the
numerous engagements he was unwitting place into. How many was still unknown,
but Kasumi was certain they would keep her happily generating scenarios for
some time to come. Now it was supremely ironic that she was forced to consider
a new element in those very scenarios, one she had never even considered
before.
Herself.
And she was worried. Ranma was such a nice boy. Sure the chaos
in his life created a certain amount of property destruction that could be
bothersome to contend with, but it he made her life so much more
interesting. Now that he knew The Secret, there was no telling how he would
react or where his honor would take him. Especially with her sisters for
keeping such a secret. The possible scenarios were positively titillating, yet
frightening.
“What’s wrong with you tonight, Boy?” Genma Saotome was worried
himself. The boy in question was successfully defending his plate against his
Meal-Fu technique, but wasn’t bothering to try and take any back.
Ranma took a quick glance at Kasumi. “Nothin’
Pops. Just got stuff on my mind.”
Genma peered at him once more and nudged Soun, who smiled. The
schools were going to be joined, of course. Ranma finished the last morsel off
his plate and considered his next words very carefully.
“That was a very good meal, Kas-chan.”
Kasumi smiled with a combination of pleasure and relief. It was
obvious that he still had a lot on his mind, but those words went a long way to
assuring her that she was still accepted by the young martial artist. Still, it
would probably be best to have a talk with him later on.
His passive table manners weren’t lost on Akane either. “Yeah,
what’s wrong with you now?” Her tone was dripping with sarcasm, still smarting
from the earlier lunchtime redress.
“He knows.” Nabiki mentioned simply, but the effect on
Akane was profound. Kasumi simply sat and ate for her part.
“Oh.”
Ranma noticed no discernable reaction from Soun as he lifted
himself from the table. He decided this was going to take at least a few hours
of katas to work out, and made his way to the dojo.
“Is it so bad Ranma?”
He froze in mid-strike and found Kasumi standing in the doorway
of the practice hall. Kasumi the robot girl. Ranma fell out of his kata stance and studied the eldest Tendo carefully. A few
hours ago he wouldn’t even had suspected that there was no blood flowing
through her veins. Heck, he could still barely accept the fact himself. Of
course, it was hard to dispute the re-attachment of an arm he witnessed first
hand.
“Nah, I guess not.” Ranma answered, and Kasumi took the reply
as an invitation to enter the hall. “Just a surprise, that’s all.”
“You’re taking it quite well.” She observed as he wiped the
sweat from his brow, evidence of how hard he had pushed though his practice.
“Heh,” Ranma chuckled. “Remember who
you’re talkin’ to? I just got done being chased by a
giant marshmallow earlier today.
Kasumi giggled, and sat down next to him. “A very good point. I
guess I should give you a bit more credit.”
“Look, I don’t know how to say this…” He avoided eye contact,
staring at the ground. “I, uh, don’t care whatcha
are… I’m sorry about this afternoon…”
Kasumi blinked. “Oh…”
Ranma’s head snapped up suddenly. “Not that I mean that you’re
not a girl or nothin’!” he stammered, regardless of
the fact that she technically wasn’t. “I mean, um… It’s just that I’m
sorry and you… Uh… Aw crap.” He watched Kasumi simply stare at him and he fell
into a slump. “Me an my big mouth.” Needless to say, he was surprised when a
hand fell gently on his shoulder.
“Why are you sorry, Ranma-kun? That was the nicest thing
anybody has ever said to me.” Ranma cocked his head in surprise. “I can’t think
of a higher compliment to paid than the one you just gave me.”
“I, uh…” Sometimes there were advantages to being clueless and
this time Ranma decided that his total inability to see Kasumi as a machine was
one of them. “Come on, what about Akane and Nabiki? How about Mister Tendo?”
A slight frown crossed Kasumi’s face now. “Akane and Nabiki…
It’s a complex relationship. Suffice to say that there is a line to exactly how
much of a sister they consider me. As for Mister Tendo…” Kasumi’s frown
deepened and Ranma was beginning to be sorry he even brought the matter up in
the first place. “He is still in denial. A rather unhealthy denial.”
They sat in silence for a moment and Ranma decided a tactical
change in subject was in order. “You’re not like any computer I’ve ever met…er, used… Whatever.”
Kasumi giggled again and his cheeks flushed. “And why do you
say that?”
“Well, if I hadn’t seen the arm, I wouldn’t have had a clue.” Ramna explained. “It’s kinda confusing…
Is that really you, or were you just made all nice?”
“I suspect that if you complimented Akane half as much as
you’re complimenting me, you’d be married by now.” She replied with a
mischievous grin and Ranma’s blush deepened. “But to answer your question, I am
really me. Of course, I had some basic programming added, but I am fully aware
of myself and can make my own decisions and have emotions.”
“Wow.”
“Frankly, I’m happy you’re talking it so well.” She added and
the question lit up his eyes. “After all, I’d hate for one of my principle
sources of enjoyment not to like me.”
Ranma was thoroughly confused. “I’m a source of… Enjoyment for
you?” That’s when he realized he should probably stop asking questions as they
were only leading to increasingly bizarre answers.
“The excitement you bring to the household is quite enjoyable,”
Kasumi admitted. “With you around, I never know what is going to happen next.
Simply trying to calculate all the permutations and outcomes brightens my day
considerably.” Ok, NOW she was starting to sound like a computer, Ranma noted
silently as she continued. “Without you and your father, life would be much
duller.”
Ranma was struck by a rare moment of insight and sympathized
with her aloud. “Wow… As smart as you have ta be stuck
cooking and cleaning house…” He could only imagine the mind numbing boredom.
Like he would be if he were forced to forgo martial arts in favor of those
activities. The very thought sent shivers down his spine.
Now it was Kasumi’s turn to be surprised. He understood. He truly
understood. It wasn’t a torturous existence by any means. She loved to cook,
after all. The act of creating something that gave others pleasure pleased her
to no end, but for it to be the end all, be all of her existence… The eldest Tendo
watched as a smile began to creep across Saotome’s
face.
“What?”
“Oh nothing…” Ranma replied, though it was plainly obvious it
was something. “Say, what you doing tomorrow?”
“Same thing I do every day, Ranma-kun.” She admitted with the
tiniest bit of remorse in her voice. Ranma appeared to pay it no heed.
“Can you get up about, say, an hour or so earlier?” He asked
and her curiosity grew exponentially.
“Yes?”
“Good! I gotta go get some homework
done. See yas tomorrow morning!” And with that, Ranma
bounced out of the dojo, leaving a perplexed Kasumi Tendo in his wake.
Ranma was up to something. It didn’t take a brain
the size of Kasumi’s to realize, especially after he asked her to go change
into something more ‘rugged’. She made her way down the stairs for the second
time this morning and while Ranma wasn’t completely satisfied, he nodded his
approval at her jeans and loose fitting sky blue top before leading her out to…
The dojo?
“Ranma… What do you have in mind?” She could guess easily
enough. Dojo. Rugged clothing. Ranma Saotome.
“We’re gonna make your life more
exciting!” Ranma smiled and took to the mat.
“But I already know martial arts.”
This gave Ranma some pause. “You do?”
Kasumi nodded. “One of the pieces of software I was pre-loaded
with was a basic self defense course.”
“Which style?” He asked curiously.
“Tae Kwon Do, brown belt.”
“Feh.” Ranma sniffed with an amused
expression and rolled his eyes. “I said we’re going to make your life interesting.
Now watch.” Ranma stood for a moment with indecision. She already had some
basic knowledge, though by her reactions to yesterday’s events, no practical
application. Now all he had to do was select a demonstration kata. Ranma nodded to himself and picked a mid range form
that would emphasis both ground and aerial technique. It wasn’t anything a
beginner to Anything Goes would be able to accomplish on their first day, but
would display the dynamics that could be employed. The martial artists then
began a five minute exhibition that burned through multiple techniques across a
wide spectrum of the Anything Goes school while Kasumi watched him intently,
studying every movement. The kata finally ground to a
halt and she noticed he hadn’t even worked up a sweat.
“But I’m not sure I want to—“ He smiled at her, cutting off her
protest.
“What’s your hobby again?”
“Calculating the variables and permutations in your life?
Mapping the different outcomes and branches each new element impacts.”
“You’re gonna so love this.”
Ranma stated smugly and set up for the next kata.
Kasumi watched once more as he began to roll through the same movements. What
was he trying to—Her eyes widened as Ranma suddenly diverged from the basic kata and leapt into a whole new series of movements that
blended in and out of the original with smooth, flawless precision. Just when
Kasumi thought she could identify a pattern, the twisting martial artist
diverged from the norm once more. Calculating his movements was proving to be
quite a challenge, as there seemed to be no predictable set of variables to—
“Oh my…”
Ranma spun through the last of his kata
with a grin, knowing the point had been driven home. He slowed and stopped,
enjoying the look of surprise on Kasumi’s face as she stood at the edge of the
mat.
“Lots of them variables to predict, huh?” Ranma commented
cheerfully, to which Kasumi could only nod dumbly. “More than a couple
outcomes?” Another surprised, dumb nod. “What you just saw is the bedrock of
The Anything Goes School of Martial Arts—dynamic, unpredictable combat using a
wide range of styles and techniques woven together to form a supremely
adaptable style.”
Kasumi was in shock. The depth of his hobby was a revelation in
and of itself because it was exactly as he described it; An art filled with a
massive number of permutations, variables and outcomes that could be chosen or
dismissed on the fly. Tae Kwon Do didn’t hold a candle to it. While that was
impressive enough, two other concepts occupied the bulk of her high bandwidth
monofilament crystalline brain. First, how eerily similar their hobbies
actually were, even if the subject matter was entirely different. Second, the
fact that Ranma was actually going out of his way to make her life interesting
based on her wants and desires. That was something that hadn’t occurred
for a very long time.
“Now you may have some training, but it’s obvious you don’t
have practical experience.” Ranma outlined his observations aloud. “Why don’t
you show me what you’ve got so I can get a feel for your skills.”
Kasumi nodded and the two traded spaces. She took up a stance
at the center of the mat and Ranma’s smile faltered slightly. She was starting
out in a standard Anything Goes combat stance? I thought she said she only
knew—Ranma’s thoughts were instantly obliterated as Kasumi launched into a kata that was decidedly not Tae Kwon Do based and at
a skill level obscenely higher than any brown belt could have produced. In
fact, it was the exact same kata he had just
finished running through for her. Now it was Ranma’s turn to stare in
shock as he watched what amounted to a mirror image of himself dance across the
dojo mat. That shock deepened considerably as she began to modify her style,
actively incorporating elements of Tae Kwon Do into her technique. By itself,
it wasn’t that spectacular until one considered that she was making it up on
the fly and using a style she had seen only twice before… Let’s just say Ranma
Saotome was damn impressed, and that alone was no small feat when it came to
martial arts.
Kasumi’s kata wound down and her face
affected her trademark serenity. “Was that what acceptable?”
“Uh, Kas-chan…?” Ranma shook himself
out his mental stupor. “How’d ya do that?”
“Do what?”
“You copied my kata almost exactly,”
Ranma explained. “…and mixed some Tae Kwon Do in there to boot. I thought you
said you were only a brown belt?”
She stood confused for a moment, then realized his dilemma with
absolute clarity. “I committed your kata to memory as
you performed it. After that, it was a simple matter to recall and duplicate
it.” Kasumi explained and Ranma nodded dumbly. “From there, I simply added my
knowledge of Tae Kwon Do in.”
“So you mimicked my style after only seeing it twice from
memory and developed your own practice kata on the
fly.” It didn’t sound like a question, but it was.
Kasumi simply nodded once more as if it were nothing. “Did I do
something wrong? I was pretty sure those were the primary tenants of your
school.”
Ranma remained silent and studied the woman in front of him. It
kinda made sense given what she actually was.
Probably has a photographic memory, he reasoned silently. Like me when it comes
to martial arts. Still, even I couldn’t go from zero to a limited mastery in
the span of ten minutes. I’m good, but not that good, Ranma admitted to
himself. How best to train her then…? Ah, that might work… Especially with a
memory like hers.
Ranma came to a decision and produced a lopsided grin.
“Alright, Kas-chan… Let’s see just how much you can
soak up in the remaining half an hour we got before Pops wakes up…”
The good cheer was getting on Akane’s
nerves. And so was the smile. Why Ranma was so happy this morning was beyond
her at the moment, but she knew from experience that it was a foreboding
portent. Not that she was necessarily adverse to the concept of her fiancée
being happy, just that liberal amounts of chaos usually followed in the form of
women, glomping and other two-timing perverted
shenanigans; Normally in that order. Neither was this lost on Nabiki Tendo, who
picked up on a fact that her sister missed—The double helpings on Ranma’s
plate.
Apparently Kasumi was feeling generous.
Not exactly the reaction I was expecting after Ranma found her
missing a limb, she thought and continued to study their interaction. No hard
feelings, extra helpings and all smiles. She imagined that was supposed to be a
good thing, but she knew… Knew that with Ranma Saotome, good things led to
unpleasant surprises and chaos. Nabiki couldn’t have known it, but she and
Kasumi were more alike than she realized as the middle sister ran down the
probability and outcomes tree like it was second nature. The only difference
between the two was that one did it for fun, the other risk assessment and
profit. The other was also determined to find out exactly what was up.
They finished up and Kasumi took the dishes away. Nabiki
pounced as Ranma began to climb the stairs. “What are you up to, Saotome?”
Ranma paused in ascent. “Up to?”
“Cut with the ‘innocent martial arts jock’ act.” She pressed.
“You know what Kasumi is and you’re acting like she’s just another everyday
person.”
“Why wouldn’t I?” Ranma shrugged. “If she’s everything you told
me, there’s no reason not to. Seems nice enough to me.”
“She’s not Kasumi, Ranma.” Nabiki stated with a hint of
hostility. “My sister died years ago.”
An uneasy feeling began to creep through Ranma. This wasn’t a
conversation he really wanted to be having because even he could recognize the
angst roiling just below the surface. “Look, I got no say in that. All I know
is the person I met two years ago is the pretty much the same one that I saw
last night.”
Nabiki studied the martial artist intently now. “How can you
just accept her?” Of course she had, but it had taken years to do it. Even
then, there was always a line that Nabiki never allowed herself to cross.
Kasumi was closer to a nanny or maid than anything else. And she knew Akane
felt the same way. Daddy, on the other hand…
Ranma forced a smile before turned back for the stairs. “Trust
me when I say my entire life has been one huge crash course in acceptance.”
A fist blew by Ranma’s head at high speed, and her
narrowly dodged the attack. Damn she was fast, he noted for perhaps the
hundredth time in two weeks. The happy homemaker super computer android named
Kasumi continued to impress the young martial artist to no end as he progressed
through her early morning training. A kick snapped up and Ranma was forced to
block it, reverse and disengage. Strong too. He normally had a rule against
hitting girls, but pretty soon he wouldn’t have a choice in the matter if he
was going to continue training her. Besides, at the rate she was progressing,
she would be able to take a hit, unlike a certain tomboy he knew.
Simply put, she was just getting too good.
Kasumi was soaking up his technique like a high-density martial
arts sponge, and the most difficult part of it all turned out not in the
learning, but the actual application and weaving of technique into one cohesive
form. She could copy anything he showed her after seeing it only once, though
improvisation remained a challenge. An aerial roundhouse kick flew overhead and
Ranma snorted mentally. Improvisation or lack thereof, she was still better
than ninety percent of the world martial artists out there. In two weeks no
less.
Ranma disengaged once more, this time holding up hand. Kasumi
knew the sign and dropped out of her stance. Enough sparring for the session.
“You’re gettin’ better, Kas-chan!” Ranma grinned. It was the truth too. Prior to
her morning practices, she had never had a reason to feel out her body’s limits
and her reaction times and strength had been steadily increasing each morning.
Sure, she knew the specs hardwired in her BIOS, but it was like cooking in a
way. She was still getting a feel for it and engineers always built in room for
tolerances anyway. “You just gotta polish those
transitions up a bit though.”
Kasumi smiled politely at the praise, then frowned slightly.
“Hmmm… There are so many variables and branches to choose from. It’s difficult
to the form the proper response from all the available options.”
Ranma rolled her words around in his head and a small
realization suddenly snapped into place. “What do you mean all the
available options?”
“Depending on the circumstances, I’ve observed that there can
be up to several thousand techniques and counter techniques to be employed
within a finite space—“ Kasumi watched Ranma’s eyes roll back, an indication that
she had since learned meant too much information. It was only became an issue
when she was talking about her hobby, so she summarized for him instead. “I
mean there is too much to decide on at once, especially if I want to plan
further into the fight.”
“Well there’s your problem.”
“Problem, Sensei?” She smiled cutely and Ranma couldn’t help
but to smile back.
“Sure. You’re thinking too much.” Kasumi simply blinked
and he continued. “You think I run through every conceivable move available
before I do it? Heck no. I suspect I’m better at improvising than you, but
sill, you simply don’t need ta plan it all out in
advance.”
“Then what do you suggest?” She asked. “I can’t just start with
random—“
“Nonono…”Ranma cut her off gently,
but with authority. “Here… Maybe do it this way; Think about what you know
about me and my style.” Kasumi nodded. “Now pick stuff you know would be good
against me-“ He held up the finger once more. “-NOT all of it. Just some.”
Kasumi nodded once more and Ranma stepped into a defensive stance. “If the
stuff you chose don’t work, you can always grab more until it does, Got it?
Begin!”
It took less than thirsty seconds of sparring to realize that
he had created a monster. Ranma flipped left and began to throw guards up left
and right as Kasumi’s responses and transition time improved exponentially
beyond what they had been a mere five minutes ago. After five more minutes of
defensive observations, Ranma called the practice to a halt once more.
Kasumi noticed the light frown on his face. “Did I do something
wrong?”
Ranma simply shook his head. “Nah… but just warning ya…”
“Looks like tomorrow I got to start hittin’
back.”
“Whatever you’re doing to her, stop it.” Those
words stopped Ranma dead in his tracks. He swivled
around to face Nabiki and saw she was wearing her game face. In other words,
all business. She obviously knew something was up so there was no point in even
denying it. That didn’t mean he couldn’t make her work for it.
“Why should I?”
Her game face flickered and for a moment saw another- The face
of nobility expressing her annoyance to a peasant. Ranma hated nobility. That
look more than anything else decided the outcome of the conversation before it
even began. “Because Saotome, she’s becoming unpredictable.”
“And?”
Nabkik cast a sharp stare into the martial artist.
“She’s a machine Ranma. Machines are supposed to be predictable. Whatever
you’re doing is making her do… Stuff.”
Now Ranma was curious. “What sort of… ‘Stuff’?”
“Stuff like Aerobics, Saotome.” She spat back at him. “Robots
don’t do aerobics.” They do if they’re looking to explore their
limits, Ranma surmised but held his silence. “She’s been skipping making
our meals. She’s painting of all things. And that’s just the tip of iceburg.”
Painting?
The look Nabiki received was one of absolute boredom. “You do
realize how stupid that sounds…?”
Nabiki snapped at his impudence, snarling back, “Of course it
does, but that’s not the point! The point is she’s becoming less and less
predictable since you started you started to interact with her. Appliances
should be predictable and you’re not helping.”
Appliance? Ranma’s gaze narrowed sharply on the sister. Nabiki
had finally hit The Wall, a part of Ranma that would seek no compromise
concerning his friends and love ones. The middle Tendo was asking him to
abandon somebody who had done nothing but treat him- perhaps the only person
–with absolute respect. If there was one thing the girl in front of him should
have known by now, it was that Ranma Saotome never abandoned the people he
considered his friends.
“And if I don’t?”
Nabiki paused for a split second as his tone took on a
dangerous edge, but the moment quickly passed. This was Saotome and the initial
blustering protest was to be expected. All she need do is apply subtle pressure
and he’ll fold like a piece of paper. “Then I’ll just to make your life hell.”
She shivered as the temperature dropped around her suddenly. It
wasn’t an emotional reaction… The temperature was actually dropping
around her future brother in-law. “More than you already are? Just remember one
thing, Nabs,” He leaned in and she took a step back. His facial expression was
a mask of ice. “Even my patience has a limit.” Ranma let the threat hang
in the air before simply walking away and out the door.
Few have would suspect that little within the house walls
escaped Kasumi’s notice and her augmented hearing easily picked up the
conversation between Ranma and Nabiki. The middle sister’s thoughts were to be
expected. They stung, but were expected. Ranma’s however made her glow. A wide
smile crossed her face.
She would have to think of a positively unpredictable reward
for her unlikely champion.
End Part One.
Author’s Notes:
Was going to originally make this one big story, but I have the
attention span of a fly so I divided it up into two parts so I can move onto
other projects, then come back to this one later. I know, it’s cruel to leave
you hanging, but I have an overactive imagination and too many projects on my
plate :p
Part 2: Kasumi does something unpredictable. The sisters
find their family stability threatened. Pressure on Ranma mounts from all
sides. Can you love an android? Can they love back? Is Old Man Winters really
the person haunting Scooby and the Gang? Part 2 holds all the answers to these
and other burning questions.