Chapter Text
Nagako’s POV
As I opened my eyes, the first thing to register in my mind was the fact that my back felt like shit. My neck felt like it was screwed on wrong, and my lower back was stiff and sore. I laid down for a while while stretching out on my makeshift bed. Hearing a satisfying ‘pop’, I sat up and rubbed my eyes.
‘That’s the last time I sleep on a lawn chair.’
My bonnet had fallen off sometime in the night, but my hair still looked good enough to wear in braids. Taking a few moments to meditate, I finally stand and head towards my room; ready to check on my impromptu house guest. On my way to the room, I picked up the cold medicine I’d promised him yesterday.
Most of the boxes had been unpacked and put to the door after being broken down, so now all I had to do was get some furniture to organize everything I had. Last night after leaving my room, I stayed up for a little while longer unpacking some of my other knick-knacks and random things. I still hadn’t found my lease, but I did find the light and gas bill, so hopefully I’d be able to get the landlord to print another copy for me.
Finally, I reached my door, knocking lightly, I let myself in. Grabbing some vitamins off of the top of the medicine box while on my way to the window.
“Saotome-san, I brought some medicine for you, I’m gonna open the curtain so close your-” I cut myself off as I opened the curtains, the window was already opened and as I turned around I soon discovered that Saotome-san was nowhere to be found. My heart felt like it had skipped a beat, my stance becoming less relaxed and more stiff.
I quickly walked over to the bed, feeling the blankets for any signs of warmth. When I felt only the cold linen, I turned around and began to leave the room. The folded clothing I’d changed him into yesterday sat beside the doorway, his original silks were nowhere to be found.
Stepping into the hallway, I take notice of a notepad I’d passed by before, on it were characters I didn’t remember writing down. Tearing the sheet off of its spine, I found the top sheet of paper lined with only a few parting words, my hand crumpling the paper more and more as I read through it.
‘Thank you for taking care of me, I can get home myself. Good bye.’
-Ranma
As I reread the note, I find myself growing more and more annoyed. The first thing that got me was how horrible Ranma’s handwriting was, every character was crookedly drawn out, dancing around the page in a curved line. The second thing was how little information the note gave me , he could’ve at least told me whether or not he took the Vitamin C tablets I told him about.
Walking back into my room, I dropped heavily onto my bed, balling the paper up. Throwing it across the room, I fumed for a few moments.
“The audacity he has to just; I can’t even bring myself to; how can he just leave without even telling me!?”
I roll myself around dramatically, angrily smoothing down my braids while wondering to myself how he left the apartment without me even hearing him.
After a while, I begin to calm down, sitting up once more, I walk to where the paper rolled to and pick it up, uncrumpling it and reading it one last time.
‘If I really think about it…’ I think to myself, ‘he told me he could leave on his own. He told me he was fine, so why am I acting so surprised that he left?’
I exit the room once again, and place the note back onto the hallway table. I can’t help but worry about my pig-tailed houseguest, he wasn’t just sick he was heavily bruised, my mind flashed back to the colorful sternum that hid underneath his clothing.
For a while I worked in silence, moving the rest of my living room furniture and knick-knacks around. This only serves to distract me for so long and soon my mind wanders back to him.
“I really hope his family makes sure he stays well rested, I can’t imagine what kind of strain walking home would put on his body.” I say out loud, as I finish cleaning up the mess of boxes, tape and packing peanuts left behind from my unpacking.
Putting the trash into a large bag, a sudden thought hits me about Saotome’s oddly silent and sudden departure.
“Did he jump out of the window?!”
Time-Skip
Nagako’s POV
With Taiyaki in my right hand and a map in my next, I made my way down the streets of Nerima in search of a uniform store. Over the past couple of weeks, I was not only able to find my lease, but my leak was fixed, and my furniture was set up. Life was looking pretty good, and now that all of my household chores were done, I was able to focus on school shopping.
Taking a bite out of my Taiyaki, I took a right and ended up back at the canal.
My mind was instantly brought back to Ranma, I wondered if he’d even made it home or if his fever flared up again. To be honest, after a while I had begun to not worry, but once I left my house to find the landlord, I discovered the same night that he had left, it rained. If he passed out as a girl… who knows what someone could do to him whilst unconscious.
A shudder ran down my back and I started to move again. The buildings and houses grew more and more crowded, and soon I was in the shopping district. According to the map, the uniform store would be a few streets down and on my left. After stuffing it into my purse, I began to look around at all the shops I could visit while my uniform was being made.
There was a large market place about two streets over, and the stores that I was passing now were restaurants and home-good stores. I knew where the park was since I’d ended up passing it by on my first day here.
I began to play with the ends of my hair, the braids having come out around two days ago. I could feel the stares boring into my back as the streets became more crowded, but it wasn’t anything new. My outfit for today was a black t-shirt and a yellow corduroy skirt with heavy black boots.
The rains were still sporadic, so I carried my umbrella on my wrist. So far today, it's only rained once but you should never be too careful, especially on the weekends.
I turned left and arrived at the uniform store. The sales lady behind the counter looked up with an obviously fake smile.
“Hello! Welcome to Grandmother’s Needle. I’m sorry to say but we only sell authentic uniforms here. Cosplay and roleplay needs will not be fulfilled by coming here.”
“Actually, I’m here for some altercations with my uniform. It’s too small in the-”
She cut me off before I could finish my sentence, “Do you have proof of your attendance to the school?”
“Yes ma’am, as a matter of fact I do.”
“I’m going to need to see that, and we also have a limit to how short the skirt can be. We don’t go above 3’’ from the thigh and our dresses aren’t meant to accentuate any of your natural...curves.”
I handed her the attendance form for my school. She looks it over and begins to guide me to the fitting room.
“Nao-san will be in to take your measurement soon, please disrobe and wait here.” she smiles at me then leaves the room, shutting the curtain behind her after looking back one more time.
“Well that was...thorough.”
I begin to disrobe and place my clothes to the side. I wrap myself into the robe they’d left and wait for Nao-san. While I waited, I began to list out the groceries I’d need from the market, while my dress was being altered.
After a few moments of this, a young woman with coke bottle glasses walked into the room.
“Good morning ma’am I am Tenshirou Nao and I’ll be taking care of you today.” She bowed deeply and I flusteredly returned the favor.
“If you don’t mind standing, I can start on your measurements so we can get your dress to fit just right!”
“O-Oh of course,” I removed the robe and stood on the pedestal in only my undergarments. She took the measuring tape from around her neck and began to take down my dimensions. Her hands were steady as she moved from my neck, to my bust, then my arms, hips, thighs and calves. Once she finished, she nodded at her clipboard and smiled at me.
“Once it’s completed, the unmodified uniform will be brought into you, and then the seamstress will come to make the necessary changes so that way it will fit you perfectly. For now, it will take around an hour and a half for your actual finished, unmodified dress to be made without actually seeing it on you.”
I nodded my head once she finished her explanation and began to put my clothes back on. She left the room after placing the clipboard onto a hook in the dressing room. Once all of my clothing and my shoes were on, I grabbed my bag and made my way back to the front of the store.
After paying for the dress to be made, I headed out to the market street a couple of blocks away, hoping to finish my grocery shopping before the hour and a half was up.
Walking past some more shops, I made a note of all of the little novelty businesses and tourist filled areas of Nerima. There were actually many foreigners here, most of which were Asian but there were also a few Europeans thrown into the mix as well.
Turning a corner, I began to hear the bustle of food stalls and merchant tents. I was close to the market. Just as a precaution, I grabbed my map out of my purse to make sure I was heading in the right direction, or atleast I tried to.
As I rounded the corner, I crashed into another person. Our belongings were splayed out everywhere and my butt was stinging painfully from my crash-landing. The other person moaned out painfully. I opened my eyes once most of the pain subsided and looked at who I crashed into.
It was a girl, she looked to be around nineteen or twenty with long brown hair tied to the side with a white ribbon. Her mahogany brown eyes opened soon after mine did, and under her breath I heard her whisper out a quiet, ‘Oh my’ .
I spoke first, “ I’m sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was going and now I’ve gone and made you fall too.”
I got up slowly to minimize the pain, and extended my hand out to her once I was able to fully stand. She grabbed on and I slowly hauled her up, her eyes screwed together in pain once she was back on her feet.
She dusted off her skirt and looked down at me, a serene smile displayed onto her face.
“That’s alright, I’m sure I also had some part to play in this. My apologies as well.”
‘Wow, she’s so nice!’
As she begins to pick up her belongings, I scramble to kneel down beside her and help.
“You don’t have to help me, you have your own things to gather up,” she says kindly. Her eyes closed and her lips pulled into a sweet smile, but instead of deterring me from assisting her it only made me want to help her more.
“Its fine!” I exclaim, as I grab a bruised tomato off of the ground, “I didn’t really carry anything of importance with me today, so I’m not as worried about those as I am about your foodstuffs.”
Handing the tomato-- and a random leak that was next to my thigh-- to her, I continue to gather her fallen produce until she’s counted everything she dropped.
“Thank you very much for your help,”she says as she begins to stand.
I was still on the ground gathering my own scattered belongings, but I looked up at her and smiled.
“It was no problem, like I said before you had way more important things in your hands compared to me,” I stood once I’d placed my map back into my purse, “I’m sure if I was in your position I would want someone to help me out the same way I’ve done for you today.”
Her lips stretched into a motherly smile as she grabbed my hands in hers.
“My name is Kasumi Tendo, it’s very nice to meet you…” she trailed off, obviously waiting for me to give my name in return.
“My name is Nagako Anikulapo-Kuti, it very nice to meet you Kasumi-san”
“Well Nagako, I was going to continue my shopping, would you like to join me?” She continued by saying, “ I come here very often and I’ve never once seen your face, are you perhaps new to this marketplace?”
“Actually,” I answered, “I’m new to Nerima in general. I haven’t lived in Japan for a long time, and when I did, I lived within the Meguro Ward.”
“Oh my, I have a couple of friends that live within that ward, I used to go there quite often to visit.”
As we began our conversation, another smile found its way onto my face. I was truly enjoying myself when talking to Kasumi. She was very kind and a great help when it came to finding the perfect groceries.
As the day wore on, I discovered that while we didn’t truly know each other, it felt like we had been best friends for years. We shared many common interests and jumped from topic to topic with vigor.
Kasumi was very passionate about cooking and homemaking, but found that she was ready to pursue her own career, preferably within the medical field. We traded recipes and happily chatted amongst one another as we walked from stall to stall.
I didn’t know what it was about her, but it seemed that every vegetable and fruit she bought was as perfect as could be. Not only that, but by being in her company, I got plenty of discounts on good quality meats and fish
“So,“ Kasumi began, “Did your parents send you out to shop today?”
“Ah, no,” I adjusted the strap of the produce bag I’d carried with me as I struggled to find the right words, “My mother and Father both passed away a few months ago. This is actually my third week here by myself, I’ve been exploring the area and mapping out all of the necessary routes I’ll be taking before I start school.”
“Oh my, I’m so sorry for your loss.”
Our conversation lulled for a while. Both of us walked in contemplative silence, only being broken by Kasumi’s polite responses to the stall owners’ greetings and attempts at small talk. I checked my watch as we reached the end of the market street, I had around thirty minutes left before I would have to begin making my way back to the seamstress’ shop.
“I-” Kasumi began, I looked up at her as she began to speak, “I also lost my mother at a young age, and began to do what you’re doing now. I wouldn’t mind assisting you again if we see each other while we shop. I know I sure would have appreciated the help when I was in your shoes.”
“Thank you Kasumi-san, but I couldn’t, It was very kind of you to offer your assistance this once, but I don’t think I could ever bother you with helping me shop continuously,” My voice shook with emotion as the weight of what she was offering to do hit me full force.
“If any of own little sisters had to do what you’re doing now, I’m sure that I’d want someone to help them out as well, I truly wouldn’t mind assisting you.”
For a while. I was at war with myself. I didn’t want to become dependent on Kasumi, but the help she was offering me was very generous. I felt like a dil-wad rejecting her. Finally, I had my answer.
“If-if you’re okay with it I would love to have your help.”
She clapped her hands together delightedly, another matronly smile graced her features.
“I truly enjoyed today, I haven’t had such a wonderful conversation in a long time, I know you’re probably busy, but would you like to come over for dinner tonight. I sure wouldn’t mind the company, think of it as an official welcome to Nerima.”
Her eyes were alight with excitement, before I knew it, I agreed and was heading back to the seamstress with Kasumi’s address in my hands.
‘She told me to arrive around five-thirty, so that gives me roughly four hours to bring my uniform home and make a small dessert as a thank you for inviting me over.’
With a nod of my head, I quickened my pace and began to plan out what I would bring to her home.
Once I arrived at the seamstress’ shop, it took no time at all for them to fit me into the dress and give me my extra accessories, such as the school cardigan, white knee high socks, and my school shoes as well.
“Thank you so much for your help, I’ll definitely be returning if I need another uniform.”
I bowed deeply, my hair flipping forwards and covering my face. As I rose back up, I gave them a smile and turned to head back home.
Timeskip
Nagako’s POV
I was finally heading to Kasumi’s house. I had a large ceramic dish of apple cobbler in my hands as I made my way down the street.
As soon as I’d made it home, I began to prepare for my impromptu dinner arrangements. Of course I already knew I would be bringing a dessert to her home, as was the custom I grew up with. But unlike all the times before, my mother wasn’t here to take the lead. It was now my turn to take the reigns.
After I completed the preparations, I set the oven to preheat and left to bring my uniform to my room. I was buzzing with excitement as I laid out a nice outfit to see Kasumi in.
I chose a baby blue dress with white and purple flowers embroidered towards the bottom. With this dress, I paired my white ribbon laced sandals and a small over the shoulder purse, which was light brown with a matching embroidery.
After hearing the oven beep twice, I went back into the kitchen and placed the ingredients, which were already in the dish, into the oven.
I set my timer for 45 minutes and headed into the shower.
By the time I was done freshening up, the cobbler was ready to be taken out.
It was golden brown around the edges with no burn marks in sight. The aroma filled my apartment as I made lacerations to check the doneness. The apple filling was hot and cooked all the way through, the crust was also finished. I placed the top onto the dish, and headed into the back of my apartment.
From there, I changed into my outfit and headed out with the dessert.
It turns out Kasumi’s house was maybe three kilometers from my house, a lot closer than what I’d originally thought.
Her street was quite peaceful and the sun was just starting to set. The more I thought about it, the more pleasant a jog on the street began to sound. There wasn’t anyone on the street and the only thing I could hear was the light ‘thunk’ sound of the shishi-odoshi within a random garden.
Finally, I rounded a corner and stepped in front of the Tendo Dojo, or at least a part of it. The house itself was massive and the dojo behind it only served to make me feel more intimidated. The outer wall was quite long and the inside was nothing to sneeze at.
Once I reached the gates, I let myself in and walked in through a small walkway lined with trees. The home was well kept, I could tell. Reaching the door, I knocked thrice and announced my presence.
“Coming!” I heard Kasumi's voice shout.
I stepped backwards and smiled while I waited for the door to open. I was basically buzzing with excitement. I heard Kasumi’s footsteps grow louder and more pronounced as she came towards the door.
As the door slid to the side Kasumi was revealed, she wore a blue dress similar to the one she had on earlier along with an apron. Her hair was still pulled to the side, but the ribbon she wore to keep it that way had changed.
“I’m so glad you could make it Nagako-chan,” she exclaimed excitedly, she motioned for me to come inside, “Your outfit is lovely, dinner will be ready in a few moments.”
“Thank you very much Kasumi-san, I’m grateful for the invitation,” I held out the apple cobbler to her, “ I made this for you and your family as thanks for letting me join you.”
She took the pot and smiled as I slipped off my shoes.
“You didn’t have to do that, though I must admit it smells delightful.”
“Thank you very much,” I say as I follow Kasumi into the dining room.
The hallway she leads me through has opened doors leading out into the massive grounds of her family’s dojo. A rather large koi pond drawing my attention to the landscaping of the garden and the entrance to the dojo.
“Your home is so lovely Kasumi-san; the lands are perfect for a garden.”
“Thank you Nagako-chan, our mother used to have a garden a few years back, but sadly neither I nor my father had time to keep up with it after she passed.”
“I’m sorry to hear that, my mother and father also used to keep a garden though I’m quite sure that what they planted and what your mother planted were completely different.”
Both of us laugh a bit at my small talk, quickly lapsing into silence once we reach the dining/living room combination.
The first people I noticed upon entering the room were two older men playing shogi in the outside hallway. On one end sat an older man with long black hair and a mustache, wearing a brown shirt and pants set. The other man had on glasses and a bandanna along with a white Karate outfit. Both looked up from the game momentarily once they noticed Kasumi had entered, however they quickly went back to playing when the bald man switched a piece on the board.
The next two people I noticed were the two girls sitting at the dinner table. They looked to be around my age. From what I could tell, the oldest had a page-boy haircut and wore a red and white striped t-shirt with high-waisted light wash jeans. The youngest had her hair in a short bob and wore a pink button down shirt with a light blue coverall dress.
“Nagoko-chan, I’d like to introduce you to my family,” Kasumi motioned to each person she mentioned as she introduced them, “This is my father Soun Tendo, my uncle Genma, my younger sister Nabiki, and my youngest sister Akane.”
The two girls looked up from the T.V and gave me a quick greeting which I hurriedly returned. I bowed embarrassed at the number of people present and quickly introduced myself to them.
“He-Hello my name is Nagako Anikulapo-Kuti thank you for having me!”
Nabiki was the first to respond, “Pleasure’s our’s, if Kasumi has taken a liking to you I guess you can’t be all bad.”
Her dry tone left me confused for a bit as I tried to figure out the meaning behind her words, soon enough though, I dropped it.
“Same here,” said Akane, “It’s been ages since Kasumi had a friend over, please come sit!”
Accepting her invitation, I took a seat noticing that Kasumi was nowhere in sight.
“So,” began Nabiki, ”how do you get your skin so tan, I’ve tried to but mine never come out so even.”
“Oh, um- my skin color is all natural, I actually burn very easily though so I’m not the best person to help you with the tanning thing.”
“Oh! I thought you just had a gyaru tan, so you’re a hāfu?”
I shifted uncomfortably and answered her question, “I-I guess so, my mother was Japanese but my father was African so…” I trailed off as I heard the door open, a familiar voice floating into the dining room as angry footsteps approached.
“Akane you un-cute tomboy! I told you I wasn’t flirting with Shampoo, she was the one that came onto me!”
My breath caught in my throat, my attention was focused solely on the doorway. The footsteps grew louder and I found myself growing nervous.
‘I know that voice, I’m sure of it but... it can’t be him’
All of a sudden Ranma’s words came back to me, and I quickly became aware of my surroundings.
‘Well, I live in a dojo, but my pop doesn’t own it, he just practices the art. We live with his friend and his daughters in their home.’
The moment he entered the room, I felt myself freeze, the irrational fear I felt causing me to bow my head and curl into myself.
‘Once he recognizes me he’ll probably think I’m some creepy stalker or a serial killer who’s tracking him down or...worse.’
Akane’s fury filled voice cut through my anxious thoughts. The person in front of me was nothing like the nice girl I’d been introduced to earlier.
“As if I’d listen to a perverted jerk like you!” She stood angrily, slamming her hands onto the table and moving to stand in front of Ranma. Her finger was placed in his face as she continued to yell at him.
“If you’re so in love with that hussy that you can’t even wait until I’m out of the room to flirt with her then maybe we shouldn’t be engaged!”
Her voice was loud and grew shrill the longer she screamed. Ranma seemed to be ready to yell back at her but Kasumi’s father and uncle beat him to the punch.
“Boy, you apologize to your fiance this instant, I didn’t raise you to disrespect the hearts of young women with your foolish and lustful pursuits !”
The man introduced to me as Genma (Kasumi’s uncle and who I assume to be Ranma’s father) began to yell and shake Ranma by the collar while Kasumi’s father cried off to the side, angrily shaking his head while his friend scolded Ranma. However, he soon took Ranma from his friend’s hands and with a look of concentration, his head...changed.
In the place of his normal head, a demon head with a forked tongue and blue fire surrounding it appeared.
Nabiki chuckled somewhere off to the side of me, the flip of a magazine accompanying the sound, but I...I was not as unaffected.
I was petrified, my eyes unable to leave the terrifying scene before me.
Soun began to speak, his voice loud and unpleasant.
“Ranma!! How dare you disrespect my baby girl’s honor in such a way, this should teach you to mess with her heart!”
His face became larger and more grotesque while his voice echoed around the room, my heart hammered harder and soon I began to hyperventilate.
It felt like a crushing presence was encircling me, squeezing me and making it hard to breathe. I clutched at my chest and bent over, I was being strangled by the invisible force, the edges of my vision grew spotty and dark.
Distantly, I realized the yelling and screaming had stopped, replaced instead by a single voice firmly giving orders. Hands touched my shoulders gently as I began to calm down; the presence had disappeared a while ago yet the effects caused by it were slow to leave.
A few more minutes passed while I attempted to calm down, the static in my ears had alleviated as I finally came back to my senses.
“-ear me -agako?”
“Nag-o -can you -ear m-?”
“Nagako, please I need you to respond, can you hear me?”
Kasumi’s concerned voice was the first thing I heard when my hearing finally came back to me. I slowly looked up at her, taking my hands off of my ears and sitting up once more.
“I-,” my voice cracked painfully, a coughing fit racking my lungs.
“Let me get you some water Nagako-chan, we can talk some more once your throat is better.”
Kasumi stood, and soon was gone from the unfamiliar room.
I looked around after she left, taking in the appearance of what I assumed to be Kasumi’s bedroom. It was small and decorated with plenty of knickknacks and photographs of both family and those I assumed to be friends. I stood on shaking legs and began to take a few steps towards her desk where a bulk of the photos were displayed.
As I made my way over, I paused once I heard a heavy tapping sound. I looked around, hoping to locate the source and the tapping began again. The sound seemed to be coming from around her window.
Hesitantly, I took a step towards it and listened out again. The sound began again, growing louder as I walked closer to the source.
I looked at the window a while longer when all of a sudden a face appeared in the glass. I jumped, biting back a shriek, and let out a sigh once I realized who the face belonged to.
“Ranma, it's you.”
I reached out to open the window as Ranma placed himself on the ledge instead of hanging upside down on the roof. Pushing it up, I watched as Ranma let himself inside quickly and quietly.
He looked up at me guiltily a semi-bashful look appearing on his face.
“You’re the girl that helped me the other week right, when I passed out in the alleyway?”
“I, uh yeah, I am.”
“I just wanted to say thanks for all that, and sorry I skipped out on you so quick before.”
“No, it’s fine I would have done the same thing, “ I cleared my throat a bit, "I was a stranger who you didn’t know, you had every right to leave. I was worried though.”
Ranma looked at me and I felt the need to continue.
“It’s just… you disappeared out of nowhere and it rains a lot here too, I was scared you’d have another flare up while you were a girl and… yeah”
For a little while we were in friendly silence, but soon a question popped into my head.
“If you don’t mind, I was wondering if you could answer a question for me.”
Ranma looked up from staring at the floor, he nodded and I continued, “ I just wanted to know how did you get out of my apartment, both of the doors were locked and I know you didn’t use the key so how did you leave?”
“Oh, um, I just went out the window, it was the quickest and quietest way since you were in the living room.”
I stared at him for a bit before giggling, “That seems obvious now,” motioning towards the window he’d just entered through.
He soon joined me in laughter and for a little while everything was peaceful. I opened my mouth to ask another question but was soon interrupted by loud footsteps coming from the hallway.
A knock sounded at the door as it slowly opened, the clattering of plates and cups against a tray filled our ears and soon both mine and Ranma’s attention shifted towards the source of the sound.
The door opened wider as someone stepped into the room. At first, I had assumed it was Kasumi but instead of the older woman entering the room, Akane walked towards us with a look of concentration focused solely on the tray in her hands.
“Nagako, are you feeling better? Kasumi told me to bring you some tea …” Akane’s voice trailed off as she glanced up towards Ranma and I, a look of disbelief quickly flitted over her face, but was almost instantly replaced by anger.
The teacups and plates, which upon further inspection were filled with cookies and other small pastries, clattered to the ground loudly as Akane’s face became covered in shadows.
A quick flash of red appeared around her and almost faster than I could blink she was across the room. She raised the wooden tray threateningly behind her head and soon it was connecting to Ranma’s temple, sending his body flying violently through the closed window.
I stood, shellshocked, as his body disappeared and flew out of the second story window; a distant splash registering in my mind. My body moved on autopilot as I frantically made my way towards the large hole in the wall.
“Oh my God, Ranma!!” I exclaimed as I looked down in the Tendo’s yard, Ranma’s body was floating unconscious in the koi pond, his red hair visible from where I stood.
I quickly turned around, running past Akane and into the hallway. My stockings slid on the hardwood floor as I tried to reach the stairwell, but the only thing on my mind was reaching the pond before it was too late. I went down the stairs two at a time, almost falling again before reaching the main floor.
My mind was in a frenzy as I passed the main entryway, forsaking my shoes and leaping straight onto the ground, making a mad-dash towards the koi pond where Ranma’s body was still located.
I waded in, semi-kneeling next to his body and dragging him out onto the grass.
“Ranma, Ranma wake up come on honey please open your eyes!” I slapped his cheek repeatedly and he started to show signs of waking. His eyes scrunched together before blinking open.
“I-” he began hacking and I quickly helped him turn over before he began to throw up. Thankfully he was floating on his back and not his stomach, so not much water had come up. Rubbing his back I gave a hollow chuckle, devoid of all humor.
“You sure know how to make an impression don’t you Saotome-san.”
“Oh my, Nagako what are you doing out here!”
Kasumi rushed out of the house and before I knew it she was knelt beside me on the ground while I rubbed Ranma’s back.
“I- your sister came in to bring the tea and sweets, I’m sorry but we didn’t get to enjoy them; they’re all on your floor upstairs.”
“Nagako, can you tell me what happened?”
“Ranma came in the room to check on me and we were talking and then Akane came in with the sweets and th- the tea and-” I cut myself off as I sniffled, my throat was stuffing up making it harder to speak but I carried on with the retelling of events prior, “- and when she saw Ranma she just hit him out the window!”
By this point Ranma had stopped his hacking and was just breathing heavily.
“He landed in the koi pond and I came outside to drag him out but… Kasumi-san I’m so sorry; he never would have been hit out the window if I hadn’t come tonight. Akane never would have hit him if he wasn’t in there with me.”
“Oh Nagako-chan, this isn’t your fault! Akane is… she’s sweet but sometimes she can be a violent maniac that’s just how she always is.”
My mind was racing a mile a minute as Kasumi’s rambling turned to static, I focused on Ranma and his breathing once more. I stopped rubbing his back and moved my hands upwards placing them on the side of his head and turning him towards me. Weaving my fingers through his hair, I poked and prodded at his scalp feeling for any major lacerations or knots.While I checked over Ranma’s head and neck another voice joined Kasumi’s.
“You hit the pond head first from a second story window,” my voice was quiet, but all conversation ceased once I spoke, “You should be suffering from some kind of major damage, at the very least disorientation at most… death.”
“Nagako-chan, maybe we should get you and Ranma-chan inside you’re both soaked through.”
Kasumi placed her hand on my shoulder and slid it down to my waist before helping me to my feet. Ranma stood by himself on shaking legs, more so from the cold than from his crash landing in the pond.
We all walked back into the house slowly but surely. I looked around and found the voice Kasumi was speaking with was Nabiki who looked annoyed but not overly concerned. The reactions of the sisters and Ranma himself were worrying. Questions swirled in my mind as we stepped back into the house.
“Nagako, I’m going to get you a towel to dry yourself off. We can talk more about this when I come back okay?”
I nodded my head slowly while I shifted foot to foot in the genkan, the dampness of my stocking and dress finally registering now that Ranma wasn’t at risk of drowning. Looking to the side I took in Ranma’s appearance, his eyes were downcast and his shoulders were drawn up tight.
Anyone with common sense could see that something was going on here, and as soon as we were settled I intended to get to the bottom of things.