unspokensilence.net

By: Ufomanne

Email: Rahwin@ and add the domain listed above.

In the kitchen, Ranma's graceful dance suddenly came to a stop as he snatched the last of the dried plates from the air and deposited it in the right cupboard, and then put the towel he used to dry the dishes at the side of the kitchen counter to dry. Cooking food the usual way was nice, as he did when he was helping Kasumi in the kitchen, but still, his own kind of kitchen martial arts was very enjoyable too. He guessed that it was always a nice thing to be able to shine with your skill, to be able to know for yourself that you were really good at what you were doing, and take real joy in just doing what you were best at.

'Maybe that's what has been missing' Ranma mused as he stood in the kitchen, feeling the aura of calm and stillness around him.

He shrugged and resolved to think about it sometime later, it didn't feel important to him at the moment. For now the kitchen had been returned to its pristine nature again, just as it usually was after Kasumi had been in there. It was nice to be able to be in the traces of her aura, that kind of small, almost undistinguishable feeling from a place that was an important part of a person's life. It was almost nonexistent, but still you could feel it in your bones, the warm, safe, almost holy feeling of a soul's sanctuary.

Almost tiptoeing out of the kitchen Ranma looked towards the dinner table, and found Kasumi sitting there with a small, sad smile on her lips, looking out into the sunlit garden. Gently approaching her, he noticed that she seemed to have finished her meal, he bent down to take the cups and plates from the table, elegantly starting to build a little tower in his left hand. Kasumi noticed him and looked a little surprised, but then smiled a grateful smile at him.

"Do you want some tea?" Ranma asked, while a bit nervously answering her smile in kind. Kasumi slowly nodded.

"Yes, I would like that a lot, do you want any help?" She said with her calm and beautiful voice, which made Ranma's smile grow more genuine as he shook his head

"Nah, it'll just take a few sec" Then he quickly disappeared into the kitchen once again, carefully making the blend of tea he knew Kasumi liked best. After the few minutes it took to prepare it all he brought the tea can and two cups out to the table, he noticed that Kasumi had moved to sit on the patio facing the pond, and walked over to her, setting the cups down and pouring some of the tea in each, and then silently handing one to Kasumi, taking the other for himself, and finally sitting down beside her. Kasumi nodded her thanks for the tea, and took a sip, her smile broadening a little at tasting her favourite tea with just the right touch.

They sat there for a while, watching in silent tranquillity as the sun slowly climbed the horizon and warmed them, and how the wind gently caressed the garden, and softly shooed the small white clouds across the sky. It was a touching sight, the kind of beauty that is so achingly beautiful because you're not a part of it, even if you longed to be. The teacups were silently filled once more, and set aside when empty once again.

The sun was warm and soothing, the wind relaxing and soft. They both sat in silence and contemplated how badly their ugly hearts were suited to live in the kind of world they saw, with a feeling of numbness and detachedness surrounding them. After a good while, Kasumi scooted a little closer to Ranma.

"You... didn't go to school." Said Kasumi, with a subdued tone that made it clear that she wasn't really asking.

"Mm, no real point to it, and it hurts just to think about it." Ranma muttered back, still staring up in the sky, momentarily clenching his fists in his lap, and then relaxing. He looked down to his lap with a surprised look on his face as Kasumi gently took his hand in her own smaller hand. He stared at their hands as they settled themselves between the two of them, and then looked up at Kasumi.

"Your hand is soft" He whispered, smiling faintly, Kasumi smiled back.

"And yours is strong." She replied softly, caressing his hand with her thumb, going back to watching the sky as she did so. Ranma didn't really didn't have a good answer, being busy feeling her soft caress on his hand, and thus kept quiet. It was strange how such a small amount of contact could feel so good, if it had been anyone else he'd been too afraid to notice, but with Kasumi it was ok. He trusted her, and it won over the almost animalistic reaction of panic that all sorts of close contact usually triggered in him. The abuse that usually followed any such situation had changed his reaction from nervousness due to unfamiliarity, and exacerbated it to a creeping fear boarding on paranoia. But Kasumi, he knew her, and knew that she wouldn't try to hurt him deliberately, and thus he could allow himself to relax, firmly refusing to let the question about what would happen if anyone else saw them like this arise in his mind.

"Do you still... want to go?" Kasumi's voice wavered a little, on the verge of breaking, but managing to carry out to the end. Somehow she seemed to shrink a bit into herself, as if fearing the answer, and suddenly the sun didn't feel so bright to Ranma any more.

How do you answer such a question?

Time slowly crept forward as Ranma remained silent, not really sure what he wanted to answer, not sure what could convey his emotions. He felt how Kasumi's grip upon his hand firmed, and he gave a slow sigh.

"I, don't know..." Ranma's whisper died out, and he first gazed at the pond, then turning his eyes to the sky, pointedly avoiding looking at Kasumi altogether. When he finally spoke again it was in a subdued tone, almost a whisper.

"There's not really any point in staying, I... There's still things left worth staying for, but there are more things that make me want to leave. I think, it feels like I've never really fit into this world, maybe better to just leave altogether, and be rid of it all. I'm not sure though... I made a promise after all, and I don't want to hurt anyone..." Ranma fell silent, seemingly searching for what he wanted to say, Kasumi continued to caress his hand with her thumb and looked at him sideways with a sad smile, but not saying anything. After a minute of silence Ranma drew a deep breath and continued.

"I just can't live the life I have been living up until now, I tried, I really tried... But now I'm empty, I don't have any more of myself to give. I know I'm to blame too; no one is innocent, except maybe you Kasumi. But I've been trying for so long to please everyone, to try to make it work without hurting anyone. But all I end up is hurting everyone anyway, and now it's nothing of me left." Ranma looked down, studying his feet with an expression devoid of emotion, not really focusing on anything. "There's no shield left, and next barb will just... kill me." Ranma closed his eyes, that throbbing lump in his throat that never developed into tears, but still refused to go away, made it impossible to say anything more. Kasumi didn't answer, her lips trembling slightly as she kept her own tears in check. Finally Kasumi whispered, with a slightly unsteady voice.

"Like, like you just stand still, and you just watch everyone else move, and all you can do is wait for the end." The silence hung heavily in the air, until the breeze hastened its pace and rustled their clothes and hair, somehow making them relax a little bit. It was a beautiful morning after all.

After sitting there in silence for a long time, just gazing and not really thinking as the sun slowly crept toward the apex of its travel over the sky. Ranma raised his unengaged hand and covered a big yawn, as the early morning started to make him feel his fatigue. Kasumi watched him yawn, and the lost smile returned once again, even if it was small.

"Tired?" She asked, he shrugged in response and yawned once more. Kasumi scooted back a little, let go of Ranma's hand, and turned towards him and patted her lap softly. Ranma looked at her and raised one of his eyebrows in question. In answer, Kasumi's smile grew wider, and she reached forward with her hands and gently grabbed Ranma at his shoulders, pushing him down to rest his head in her lap, she brushed his bangs out of his eyes, and met his gaze as he looked up at her.

"Then rest for a little bit, if you want to." She told him in a soft voice. Ranma looked ready to go into panic mode, as the position that they were in was almost too intimate, but he slowly relaxed, his trust winning over his usual reactions. He didn't say anything, just smiled back a little at Kasumi and arranged his legs to be comfortable and slowly closed his eyes. He didn't protest any when Kasumi turned his head a little, and started to undo his pigtail, running through his soft black hair with gentle movements, she tilted his head back when finished, and spread his silky hair over her lap, not stopping her hands careful caress. Ranma let out a small sigh, letting his breath run from him as he finally relaxed totally, soothed by Kasumi's gentle ministrations. He reflected on how good this felt, warmed by the sun, and being close to her, protected.

Kasumi watched as Ranma slowly slipped into sleep, his facial features loosing its small signs of strain and sadness and smoothing out as sleep embraced him. Touching his hair felt good, being close to him felt good, her only real friend. She understood his pain, and it clawed inside of her, his pain, but she couldn't be without him. To loose him now would be too much, she didn't have anything else to hang onto, so she would do all she could to keep him alive, even if she felt so helpless, so useless, she had to try.

The day slowly continued its course, the sun going it predestined path toward whatever destination it was headed for, Kasumi sat there, slowly caressing her only friends face and hair, watching him sleep peacefully for once, far away from the horrors of his world and mind when awake.

Kasumi still sat and slowly caressed Ranma's relaxed face, an almost wistful smile on her lips, when Nabiki came home from school. Not being greeted back as usual when she announced her arrival at the door Nabiki went into the living room looking around, when she turned her head and saw Kasumi and Ranma she somehow just stopped and stood and watched in surprise. Kasumi looked up at her sister, smiling a somewhat sad smile, and nodded in greeting.

"Hello Nabiki, how was school today?" She said with a quieter-than-normal tone, as if to not awaken the boy sleeping in her lap. Seemingly unconsciously Kasumi kept her hands in motion as if she hadn't left Ranma with her eyes. Nabiki seemed nonplussed for a few seconds, a rare thing for her.

"Um, it was ok Kasumi, just as usual, except Ranma wasn't at school. What are you doi... I mean, what is Ranma doing there?" Nabiki said, her usual nonchalant tone marred by a small hint of bafflement. Kasumi looked down at Ranma, and then up at Nabiki again, still caressing Ranmas hair, and now with a more honest smile.

"He was tired, and fell asleep" She said with a tone that explained that it was the most natural thing in the world. Nabiki quickly recovered from her surprise and managed to give one of her lopsided smiles.

"Well, you're lucky Akane went to a friend of hers after school or she might have gotten something wrong, I'll be at my room until dinner." At Kasumi's nod Nabiki walked from the room and could be heard climbing the stairs seconds thereafter.

Kasumi looked down at Ranma again, and contemplated what Nabiki had said. She was right, she realised, Akane would have misunderstood the situation in a rather spectacular fashion if she had found Ranma lying in Kasumi's lap like this. Kasumi looked at Ranma's peaceful face with an almost imperceptible frown, she was not sure if Akane would have been overreacting again, or if this was improper behaviour for two friends.

'Does it really matter what anyone else thinks anymore?' She thought, absently twirling some of Ranma's black and soft hair between her fingers. Did it matter? Her only friend was dying inside, or was already dead, and he was perhaps the only thing that mattered anymore, did it matter if Akane misinterpreted something, or if there was not anything to misunderstand? She thought back to when she found him in the dojo, and later when she woke up from her nightmare, tears started welling up and dimmed her vision when she saw it all in her mind again, but the tears did not spill over. If anything, those moments had been improper, but she felt no regret, just pain and a burning... She was not sure, it felt warm, a blazing heat that warmed her from inside when she thought about it. Maybe it was devotion...

'Does it really matter?' She questioned Ranma's sleeping form in her mind, and she came up with a clear answer.

'No, it does not matter, nothing else does.' There was both pain and relief in that thought, a kind of hopelessness that left her weak, but also with a kind of purpose.

Kasumi slowly drew a slow breath, unconsciously drawing in as much of Ranma's scent as possible, and then called out to him softly, saying his name until he slowly awakened. Ranma slowly opened his eyes, and found himself looking up into Kasumi's smiling face, which was very close to his own face, unconsciously he smiled faintly at the sight, his still not fully awake mind caught up to him after a few seconds, and his smile changed into a frightened look and he quickly sat upright, Kasumi quickly raising her face to not get her nose bruised. Ranma quickly jumped up into standing position and looked around, when not finding any violence coming his way he looked down at Kasumi, who looked at him with raised eyebrows, a faint smile on her lips.

"Slept well?" She asked, with a somewhat amused tone, as Ranma started looking very embarrassed at his startled reaction, he opened his mouth, seemingly to start one of his excuse routines and automatically put his hand behind his head in his usual gesture, but upon noticing that his pigtail was absent he lost his trail.

"I...! uhm... yeah." He muttered this as he felt through his hair, looking down at Kasumi with a rueful grin. Then he stretched his body, reaching for the sky with his hands and making himself as tall as possible, after standing on his toes for a few seconds he almost lost his balance, and he relaxed his body again, rolling his shoulders a little. Kasumi watched from her seated position, smiling a little and enjoying the unconscious show. When feeling that his body was fully online again, if still just a bit slow from sleep, he looked down at Kasumi with his eyebrows raised in question.

"Soo, now what?" he queried, looking around himself, and then continued without waiting for an answer.

"Akane and Nabiki home from school yet? Oh right, Soun said he was going to be away on some errand of his, he'll be back to dinner." He continued, he looked up at the sun, trying to divine a more exact time than the general hour of the day from its position in the sky.

"Akane seems to have plans to stay at a friend, I'm not sure if she's sleeping over, sometimes she sleeps over when she's upset at... hmm, something. Nabiki just came home, so I thought I better start on some of the things I have to do before dinner, which was why I woke you up, sorry." Kasumi wisely, albeit a bit clumsily, avoided possibly mentioning Akane's only real source of her usual tantrums; Ranma. Ranma made a sour face at first, without a doubt seeing through Kasumi's try at a save, but then shook his head and smiled a little when she excused herself.

"No problem, I'll train a little at the dojo, if you don't need any help?" Ranma asked, and received a shake of the head from Kasumi.

"Hmm, tell me before you start on dinner then, I wanna go wash off before I help you with it, so I don't warp the food with my odour." Ranma smiled as Kasumi giggled a little at his joke, and then went outside and jumped over the house to the dojo, entering the training hall, and started on an exercise. Kasumi herself stood up, stretching her legs a little after having been sitting still for several hours, and then proceeded into the house to do the current chores.

Some time later, as Ranma was going through one of his harder katas Kasumi carefully opened the door to the dojo, so that she made no sound, and entered quietly. Standing beside the door she watched him intently as he went through the graceful dance he called his art. Ranma noticed her as soon as she opened the door, and was grateful that she let him continue with his kata as far as he needed, a courtesy few other, if anyone at all, had ever showed him. He let the awareness of Kasumi slip from his mind as the kata demanded all his attention to keep it together.

Kasumi didn't see Ranma glance her way or any other sign of him noticing her presence in the hall, but she knew that he had noticed her entrance, and she sat down beside the door, folding her legs beneath her, and her hands in her lap as she watched his amazing dance. Kasumi was not trained in the more advanced forms of the art, but she did have some small knowledge, and she practised regularly to keep herself fit, even if no one noticed as she used to do it after she woke up and before starting breakfast. As she was not familiar with the more sophisticated nuances of the anything goes she could not really classify which katas of the master level was hard and which was easy (even if all of them could be considered very hard in some notion), but this seemed to be one of the harder ones. Ranma's form shifted relentlessly over the floor, and frequently in the air with high jumps and bounds of the walls and roof, all the while lashing out with fists and feet in strikes and kicks that was nothing more than blurs, also, she could see the perspiration on Ranma's exposed skin fling off in small droplets in all directions, a testament to the massive exertion required of the exercise.

Kasumi had made a habit of occasionally watching Ranma train in the dojo when they had started to know each other a bit better, often enough one of Ranma's enemies or "friends" joined (and of course interrupted) him as he started on his training, often making it very dangerous to be in the vicinity, but sometimes Ranma was left alone in the dojo, and then Kasumi often sneaked in and sat at the side and watched for a while.

Ranma was always rather pleasant to look at (if not extremely pissed, which made him more scary, even if handsomely scary), and any exercise made his physical prowess, and attractiveness, more than clear. But such obvious reasons aside, Kasumi had a special reason to have her little habit.

Ranma was called many things, and maybe it was true that Ranma was no genius in most things, even if Kasumi knew that Ranma could be considered very intelligent. His lack of social and communicational skills often managed to land him the status of a stupid and insensitive jock, but still, most of the detrimental things said about his person were not true. However, even if he truthfully could not be called a talented person when it came to such things as math or physics, there was one thing that made Ranma more special than most mortals on this earth.

Kasumi believed that few others really realised what this thing was, they did not see it even if it was right in front of their eyes almost every day. Maybe they did not realise it themselves, but still their subconscious realised to some extent, making it a part of what made Ranma such a central point of so many lives.

When Ranma did the usual things people do, eating, sleeping, going to school and such things, Ranma was mostly a boy like anyone else, he had a special charm and a way of carrying himself that made people notice him, and a personality that made the people that noticed him mostly either love him or hate him, but so far he was just like most people. It was when he started to use what most commonly is called martial arts that he started to differ from other people. Knowing it or not, Ranma somehow managed to make even the crudest and simplest of movements graceful when he fought, it was as he stepped outside the universe when moving, as his fluid movements was something that was too beautiful to belong to this world. This was just when he was casually fighting off someone he didn't consider a real challenge, when he performed more out of ingrained reflexes than actual attention.

It was when he really fought it showed the most, when he poured his heart and soul into every movement, when he was fighting against impossible odds, or when he was alone and battling with himself to move further than ever before. When he fought like that, as he did when she now watched, then something truly amazing seemed to happen. It was as if somehow he started to shine with life, a haze of glittering energy swirling about him, making him shine bright as the sun to the inner eye. It was as if when he danced his beautiful dance the world somehow, the universe itself, danced with him, moved with him. The universe moved and embraced him, and it laughed in joy as it did it, and it made everyone else in the world, how much more supreme in difference to Ranma's skill they might be, appear as insignificant.

And as Ranma danced his dance with the world, the energies that caressed him then somehow remained, even if they were insignificant in comparison to when he fought. This residual energy was what made Ranma the kind of person that could touch a life but once, and change it totally by just that little touch. It made people love him and hate him all the more, and not seldom both at the same time. It was what made him what he was, and it was both a blessing and a curse, depending on how you looked at it.

Kasumi had not noticed this until just after she started to watch him regularly, but she was amazed at how it fell into place when she realised it, everyone knew that Ranma was someone special, but it seemed that few actually could comprehend the true reason. Even if her discovery was merely metaphorical, it still came close to a basic truth, as close as she could explain it.

And so it was, that it was the real reason she continued to watch his training sessions, because they were more than just training sessions. That, and that it was pleasant to watch Ranma move and sweat too, she was not more than a human after all.

As Ranma, after a grandiose ending sequence of his kata, came to a stop Kasumi clapped her hands for a little bit, smiling at him as he turned to her and made a mock bow. He started doing some small exercises to let his body cool down the right way, after a short while in silence he turned to Kasumi.

"So, you starting dinner now I guess? I'll be just a few minutes." Ranma said as he started stretching at the same time, now looking at her upside down. Kasumi nodded to him in answer, smiling as he made a face in his somewhat humorous position.

"Yes well, I think it might be more appropriate to say that we are starting dinner soon, as you do as much as I do, and you can take as much time as you want, we don't need to start yet for half an hour or so, Daddy just came home, and I think he's just finished with the bath." She said, as she remained seated, not really in a hurry anywhere.

"Yeah well, I would say that you're the person of us that's irreplaceable when making food, I'm not, so it's still you who makes the food, even if I give help on a corner." He said as he changed position, grimacing a little as a muscle complained.

"I think you don't let yourself take enough credit for the food we make, it wouldn't be the same at all without you, and much worse I can promise that." Kasumi retained her amused expression, but her tone became a little more serious, showing her honesty. Ranma shrugged and rolled his eyes.

"yeah, whatever." He rose up, and started toward the door, opting to finish the stretching when he washed up. Kasumi raised an eyebrow from where she sat as he reached for the handle.

"Are you not going to help me up?" She asked, with a playfully accusative tone. Ranma looked at her a little surprised, and then a little embarrassed.

"Ah, well, I though about it, but I was thinking that you might not want to come too close to me at the moment." Lifting his sweat soaked shirt in the front with two fingers to indicate what he meant. Kasumi looked at the shirt that was clinging to his skin.

"I don't mind, that much anyway." She told him, and made a gesture with her hand to make him come to her and help her. He let go of the door and walked over to her, gave her a hand and lifted her up as she took it. She reached out to touch his new pigtail as he turned around again, he glanced back at her light touch, and then continued to the door, Kasumi following close behind. Ranma headed for the bath, while Kasumi entered the kitchen and started the preliminary preparations for making dinner.

After quickly but thoroughly washing himself from the sweat that he had accumulated Ranma came into the kitchen, clad only in his now clean pants, rubbing a towel to his hair to make it as dry as possible. He put the shirt he brought on the table nearby, and continued to dry his hair as he turned to Kasumi, who was standing at the sink.

"So, what'cha planning on making today Kasumi? You said something about some fish yesterday, but I don't remember what." Ranma said, as he rubbed on, his eyesight hindered by the towel. After a little while of silence, when Kasumi's breath was the only thing that told him that she hadn't just vanished, he moved the towel back and uncovered his eyes, and looked at her standing there, staring at him.

"Um, Kasumi?" He asked, unsure if something was wrong. Kasumi herself suddenly jerked her head toward the sink again, somehow blushing furiously.

"Ah, nothing, I mean... Fish, yes it's fried fish and rice and..." Kasumi managed to mutter incoherently, her mind swirling with thoughts about why she was acting so strange, why she felt her heartbeat speed up whenever she saw him like that, and the slightly tingling feeling that spread itself through her body, her mind crept toward the obvious answer, but her mind refused to recognize the possibility.

Being occupied by her thoughts she didn't think of where she put her hand when she reached out to steady her somewhat shaky legs, and shrieked when she felt an intense burning pain in her right hand. The ambulatory reflex nerves did their work and Kasumi violently jerked her hand away from the hot stove, almost falling on her backside before Ranma steadied her with an arm. She brought up the hand and started blowing on it, muttering a quiet curse, and then whimpering at the pain that beamed from her fingers and hand up her arm.

Ranma wasted no time on words and took her hand with the hand he had free, despite her weak protests, and studied for a second, noticing that the fingers and a little bit of the palm was burned. Then he gently guided her to the sink, turning on the cold water and putting her hand under the stream. Kasumi sucked in air between her teeth at the cold waters touch, both soothing and painful, and then letting out a heavy sigh, leaning back on Ranma in the process.

"That's going to leave blisters, I think." Ranma mumbled, still holding her with one arm, and holding her hand under the water with the other.

"I'm such a clumsy girl sometimes..." Kasumi said in a soft tone, slowly, reluctantly leaning forward until she stood fully on her own again. Ranma let go of her, and took a step backwards.

"You just stay still a little, I'll get the first aid box." He said, and started rummaging in the cupboard where she usually stored the bandages and similar equipment frequently used in the house. As he took it out Soun came into the room and looked around.

"Everything all right? I thought I heard you scream Kasumi." Soun looked around suspiciously, seemingly teetering on the edge of either starting to bawl or attack someone, but restraining himself none the less. As he looked around he quickly noticed Ranma crouching in front of a cupboard, looking up at Soun with some apprehension, Soun relaxed visibly at the sight of Ranma, but his face still showed his worry as he looked at his daughter once again.

"I just forgot myself and burned my hand father, I'm sorry." Kasumi said, a little embarrassed. Soun raised an eyebrow, apparently surprised at such an accident, which had not happened for many years.

"Hmm, ok, will you be all right dear? Should I do something?" He asked, glancing at her hand that she held under the water. Kasumi shook her head, giving a somewhat strained smile.

"No father, I'll be ok, Ranma will help me take care of the burn, so you don't have to worry." She said, Soun nodded slowly at this, and started to turn around.

"Hmm, ok, I'll be in my room if you need help with anything, be careful." And then he was gone. Ranma sat still for another second, impressed at Soun's uncharacteristic display of restraint once again, and then brought his small burden to the sink. Setting the box down, he brought out some gauze and a small bottle of salve. He then grabbed a clean towel, and turned to Kasumi.

"You probably know more about this than I do, but I think I can handle this small thing" he said with a little smile, which was answered in kind by Kasumi, and then he gently took her hand out of the water, and dried it with the towel as carefully as he could. Kasumi winced now and then when he moved the already stiffening fingers, but she was still somewhat numb from the cold water, so the pain was muted. When Ranma decided it was dry enough he removed the towel and started to apply the salve, Kasumi could feel him gently spread it over the burns, a pleasant chilling sensation followed, that robbed the burn from some of its sting. When the salve was fully applied, Kasumi gave a relieved sigh, letting go of some of the tension in her body. Ranma covered the hand softly with gauze, so the salve would stay in place and no dirt come into the damaged tissue, but lightly enough so that the skin would be able to breathe without problem.

"There, I hope that'll help. I guess I'll be the one that makes most of the food anyway." Said Ranma as he fastened a small clip at the end of the gauze to keep it in place. Kasumi nodded slowly in answer, albeit reluctantly.

"But it's only one hand, I could still do a lot..." She started to protest, even if her own voice didn't sound very convinced. Ranma shook his head and started to gather the medical supplies into the little box again.

"Better just rest, you can apply spices if you want, but otherwise it's better if you just take it carefully with it, it'll heal faster that way." Ranma told her as he put the lid on the box again, and then handed her a pill, and then plucked a glass from a cupboard and filled it with water.

"Here, a painkiller, you might not feel it as bad right now when the burn still is fresh, but it'll hurt like hell in just a little bit." Kasumi pouted a little at Ranma's admonishing tone, but still gratefully took the glass of water and the little white pill.

"You know, I have read a lot more than you on the topic of burns, I'm sure I have, so you don't have to try and tell me how it's done" She said, but without any real complaint in her tone. Ranma shrugged and looked at her, and finally gave her a lopsided grin.

"Maybe so, But I got tons more of experience, first hand experience. All those kiblasts and bombs and god knows what doesn't feel like being caressed with feathers you know. An' they leave pretty nasty burns too if you're unlucky." Ranma said jokingly, even if the humorous tone sounded somewhat hollow. Kasumi nodded sombrely, a bit of sadness creeping into her face at the unintentional reminder of the current situation.

Somehow it sometimes seemed so easy to forget about it all when she was alone with Ranma.

"Anyway! We better start on the food already!" Ranma smiled and looked around in the kitchen appraisingly, and then moved to the small table, showing with a slightly exaggerated bow to one of the seats.

"Mah lady, a seat for the wounded beauty, let the men handle the heavy labour:" He said, with a rather ridiculous tone and dialect that Kasumi couldn't help but to smile at. She walked up to where Ranma was standing, mock-curtsied and sat down carefully arranging her dress. Ranma nodded vigorously, cupping his hands together and holding them under his chin, looking down at Kasumi.

"Yes yes, very good! Now, can I bring you anything my lady, so that thou might not perish at this table? Some tea perhaps?" He asked in an overeager fashion, making Kasumi smile even more. She nodded daintily.

"Yes please." She said, and Ranma nodded and quickly made some tea, and when Kasumi had gotten her tea he started on the dinner, trying to make it as enjoyable for Kasumi as possible utilising all his skill in his own little martial arts contest. Kasumi sat there sipping her tea, only using her unwounded hand, giving Ranma pointers where she thought it was needed.

For just a short moment, everything seemed normal. As if their unwillingness to think about what pained them somehow worked, for a little while. But the peace never lasts, does it?

end of chapter.

Firstly, I didn't have any spellchecker for this chapter, so I'm sorry for my spelling.

Not much to say about this chapter, except that I say again that this story will definitley be finished, how long it will take is another matter... But anyway. I'm not sure if it was acceptable, I'm not really happy with it, but I'm satisfied with the fluff, however misplaced it now is... I suspect that the pace will pick up in the next chapter, whenever I will be left alone long enough to write it.