Sunday morning found Akane Tendo once again drudging down the stairs towards the main room of the house. This time though she was experiencing not so much mental exhaustion as the actual physical kind. This was due to her difficulty to get to sleep, mostly caused by thoughts of the trip the next day and a certain redhead refusing to leave her mind. She greeted her older sister, who was busy cleaning up the dining table.

“Good morning, Kasumi. Sorry about sleeping in.”

Kasumi gave a simple smile at the short-haired girl. “It’s okay, Akane. With how tired you looked yesterday, you deserved some extra rest. You did miss breakfast though. Would you like me to prepare anything for you?”

Akane gave a smile back at the person who was for all intents and purposes the matriarch of the household. “Thanks for offering, but I’ll probably just have a quick snack. I’ll be having lunch in Shibuya in a couple of hours anyway. Speaking of which, where’s Ranma?”

“Oh, with everything going on last night, she missed taking a bath then, so she’s doing it now. She should be out shortly.”

“Okay then,” was Akane’s response before the words Kasumi said managed to catch up in her brain. “Wait, ‘she’”?

Kasumi paused for a moment before turning back to her sister with another serene smile. “Well, Ranma did say he was going to be a girl all day for your outing together, so I guess he would be a 'she' then.”

“Oh, I guess that makes sense.” Akane started to ponder that information as she went to the kitchen to find something simple to eat. She momentarily thought about making something herself, but decided with her still half-sleep state and her anxiety about the trip, it might not be a good idea. The way I’m feeling right now, I’ll probably mess up making toast, and I’ve gotten really good at making toast! Well, I mean it usually tastes alright at this point.

Akane quickly directed her thoughts away from her latest attempts to improve her cooking and back towards the trip today, specifically Ranma’s apparent plans for it. Right, he said he would be a girl the whole day for me. I guess it wouldn’t be the first time he pretended to be a girl like this. Akane’s mind wandered to the time Kuno managed to get hold of a magic wishing sword and Ranma went on a 'date' with him in his girl form to try and get the sword so he could cure his curse. Of course, with Kuno involved nothing turned out as planned. Still, she thought about the way that Ranma acted through that whole ordeal. What if his idea of being a girl today is just like what he did back then.

The young martial artist started to develop reservations about the whole thing. Finishing her snack, she went back into the main room where the eldest Tendo girl was finishing cleaning up. “I’m not sure about this Kasumi. I mean, what if he decides being a girl means acting super girly? What if he tries to act like that time he hit his head? I don’t know if I can deal with that again.”

Kasumi gave another calm smile to her sister. “Don’t worry Akane. I talked to Ranma last night and let her know she should just be herself. She’ll still be Ranma, just Ranma as a girl.”

Akane was trying to figure out how such a thing would work when the subject of conversation came bursting into the room. She did a quick once over of the redhead to see if there was anything unusual. As far as she could tell, everything seemed ordinary, well as ordinary as she guessed it could be for a guy that turns into a girl with cold water. He was wearing his usual red Chinese style shirt and black baggy pants, several sizes too big for his current female form. The look on his face was a bit more subdued, but she could still see the carefree cocky attitude underneath, which always got under her skin. Sure, she got annoyed when she couldn’t get something correct, like cooking or swimming, but with Ranma it seemed he believed something horrific would happen if he wasn’t the best at everything.

“Geez tomboy, I thought you’d never get up,” Ranma blurted out, before suddenly turning red and scratching the back of his neck. “Sorry. Um, I mean I was worried you’d miss out on today.”

Akane was prepared with her own retort, but was thrown off by the sudden apology and managed an equal level of redness. He’s trying so hard to be nice. Is he really that worried about me? Okay Tendo, don’t let your anger screw this up. Show him how much this means to you. “Oh don’t worry. I absolutely would not miss out on this day for the world!” the brunette replied while flashing the largest smile she could manage. Too much, idiot! Dial it back!

Ranma stared back for a second before flashing his own smile. “Oh, great to hear. I’ll make sure you’ll have a wonderful time today!” The redhead then looked down and nervously scratched the back of his neck again. “Um, I kinda need to get something done quick first. Is it alright if I meet you at Shibuya?”

Akane tried her best to hide her disappointment at this. The trip over would have been a good chance for them to talk about each other and everything that has happened recently. Still, she promised herself to be nice today and not lose her temper. “That’s fine. I need to take a bath first anyway, so how about I meet you at Shibuya Station at 11:30?”

“Yeah, that’s perfect. I’ll see ya there.” Ranma then turned and finally noticed the other person in the room who was seated at the table sipping tea, seemingly oblivious to the conversation that just occurred. “Oh, hey Kasumi. I’m heading out now. Um, thanks again for your help. I really appreciate it.”

The eldest Tendo girl calmly placed her tea cup on the table and turned towards the redhead with a serene smile. “Oh, think nothing of it Ranma. Now, be sure to have a good time and remember what I told you.”

Ranma gave a quick smile back. “Yeah, don’t worry. I won’t forget. I’ll see ya later Big Si...uh Kasumi.” He gave a quick glance at Akane before heading out. 

Akane could only stare stunned at the older girl for several moments before she was finally able to get the words out. “Did he just call you-”

“Oh my, Akane you better hurry with your bath or you’re going to be late,” Kasumi quickly interrupted, never losing the sweetness in her voice.

The short haired teen let out a sigh knowing she wouldn’t be able to argue with her older sister. Still, as she turned to head for the furo, she had to get one question in. “What did you two talk about last night?”

Kasumi paused for a moment before replying. “That is really something for Ranma to tell you.”

---

While Akane washed up in the furo, Kasumi proceeded to clean up the main room of the house. It was a rather routine chore for her, just as it had been for the past decade. Most that would observe the twenty year old woman at her tasks would assume she performed them without much thought. That, along with her overly serene nature, led many to believe she didn’t put much thought into anything at all and was completely oblivious to the chaos that surrounded her. 

In truth, the mechanical nature of her activities gave her plenty of time to think and meditate on matters, and she was quite aware of the activities in her house. It was just with her pacifist nature, she chose not to get directly involved. She would still offer any love and support she could of course, but she made a point to be as non-confrontational as possible. There were a few cases where she did try to actually meddle, but those never seemed to turn out well, so they were quite rare.

As such, she was a bit surprised the previous evening when Ranma went and asked for her advice directly. Even more shocking was when the girl, yes the girl, ended up coming out to her. Apparently, she was the first person that Ranma has confessed to, and Kasumi was still amazed that the young redhead trusted her so much to divulge something so personal. While continuing her chores, she proceeded to think back on what happened that evening.

---

---

“...Yeah, so that’s kinda how it is. There’s still him of course, but now I can admit there’s also her. Now I’m just trying to figure out who she really is. Who I really am I guess.” Ranma gave a deep breath and looked up into Kasumi’s eyes, her own showing a mixture of hope and fear.

Kasumi was unsure how to respond to such a confession. Of course she was going to be supportive. After all, this was her future brother-in-law. Sister-in-law? She needed time to think how she would reply. Maybe focusing on the original problem would be a good idea.

“So, you want to help Akane and you think she, that is the girl you, might do it better than the boy you can?”

Ranma gave a shy smile at this. “Yeah, that’s kind of the idea. After the wedding, I think she doesn’t wanna deal with the whole engagement thing. I kinda don’t either, to be honest. So I figure if I do something for her as a girl, it’ll take her mind off of things.”

Kasumi pondered this for a bit. It sounded like a reasonable idea, although something about it nagged in the back of her mind. Still, it shouldn’t hurt to try. “That is a very nice thing to do for her, Ranma. In fact I think tomorrow you two should just go out and have a nice day together. Why don’t you go and ask her right now? I’ll make us some tea and we can chat about what to do when she says yes.”

The girl in front of her showed a bit of uncertainty at the idea. “You really think she’ll agree to that?”

Kasumi gave a calm smile back to the redhead. “Why don’t you ask her and find out?”

Ranma closed her eyes and took another deep breath. She then slowly stood up and opened her eyes with a new look of determination. Silently she left the room and proceeded up the stairs.

Kasumi took this time to go into the kitchen and prepare the tea as promised. While she was performing the again routine task, it gave her the chance to go over things in her mind.

Even though this revelation came out of nowhere, it also seemed to be a long time coming with the way Ranma described it. Just how long though? How far back did this go, without even Ranma even realizing it? Back to when his mother first returned and he needed to pretend to be ‘Ranko’ to keep her from finding out about the curse? Back to when Kasumi conveniently forgot to do Ranma’s laundry until all his clothes were in the wash and he would need to borrow something? Back even before that day he first arrived? Could she have done something more if she realized? Would it have even helped?

A loud cheer of joy from upstairs interrupted those thoughts and she smiled at the noise. Good, it sounds like everything is turning out well. Perhaps I should just leave things to Ranma again. Kasumi then turned to greet the grinning redhead that came bounding in. “I take it she agreed?” A rapid nod was what she got for a response. “Good. Go ahead and sit down at the table. I’ll have our tea ready shortly.”

Kasumi watched amused as the girl practically skipped out, then turned back to finish her preparations. Yes, Ranma looks to have everything well in hand. Now I don’t have to risk messing things up, like I did before. Still, it might be time to finally make amends.

A few minutes later, the brown haired girl arrived in the main room with a tray of tea and snacks. She set the tray down on the dining table and took a seat opposite of the young martial artist. She poured cups for the both of them and then closed her eyes and took a calming sip, composing herself and preparing for what she wanted to say.

Ranma took a sip from her own cup and then quickly partook in the generous offering of snacks that were provided. She was about to make a comment when Kasumi opened her eyes and spoke first.

“Ranma, I don’t know if this is the correct time, but I would like to apologize for any misgivings or any actions of mine that may have caused you grief.”

The redhead across from her looked down with embarrassment before coming up with a response. “Um, if this is about what you said at dinner, don’t worry. It’s not like you could’ve known.”

The Tendo girl let out a sigh. “That’s kind of the point though. When you were talking about those thoughts you had on the roof, I realized you didn’t believe you could talk to anyone about them before today. I should have let you know I’m here to listen about anything that might be bothering you. Instead, I stayed back like always and just hoped everything would work out. That way, I wouldn’t risk messing things up again.”

Ranma let out a small laugh. “Mess up? When could you even mess something up?”

Kasumi paused at this. Yes, I suppose it’s time. Ranma went and bared her soul to me. I should be able to return the favor . “It was with Akane.”

At this, the redhead's smile dropped. “What about Akane?”

Kasumi let out a deep breath to prepare herself. “Do you remember when you first got here, how Akane was growing her hair out?”

“Oh, yeah. I’ve seen her with short hair for so long I kind of forget about it sometimes.” Ranma looked away for a moment, as if recalling something specific.

“Well, she actually had shorter hair for quite a long time when she was younger. I think she was quite proud of it too.”

“So what happened?”

“When I was in middle school, rumors started to spread around about girls with short hair. How they were too tomboyish to get a boyfriend. Or how they were too...that way…to want a boyfriend. Oh, it was all meaningless gossip sure, but I was just a teenage girl concerned about her youngest sister. I thought maybe if she grew her hair out a bit, it would make her more feminine and she wouldn’t have to worry about being alienated like that.”

Ranma brought a hand up to her pigtail and was lost in thought for a moment. Focusing back on Kasumi, she asked, “what did you do?”

Kasumi took another sip of her tea. “Oh, I simply told her that if she kept being a tomboy, then no one would like her anymore.” She let out a soft smile at Ranma’s widening eyes. “Yes, I know. Like I said, I was a silly teenager who thought she was doing the best for her little sister. I was so proud of myself and it seemed so simple. Issues at school causing her to have problems with boys? Well, a potential fiancé just happened to arrive who could turn into a girl. Yes, even with her anger issues, I thought I was doing everything to put her on the 'right path'.”

Ranma looked on with curiosity and asked, “so, what changed then?”

The young woman stared into her now empty tea cup. “It was when Akane got her hair cut.” She glanced up to see the now nervous look on Ranma’s face. “I was quite shocked at first and concerned as well. All that hard work she put in was gone in what I assume must have been a spontaneous decision. But then I noticed a change in her. She seemed happier, lighter, as if that extra hair was just weighing her down. I realized that instead of helping her, I may have actually hurt her instead. And I never wish to hurt my family.”

Kasumi paused a moment to refill her cup before continuing. “So, I made a decision then. To simply step back and not try to interfere anymore. Once again, I was so certain that was the right thing to do.”

She let that last statement hang in the air as she sipped her tea, uncertain of what else to say. Then, the person across from her decided to speak up.

“Hey, Kasumi? Um, if you weren’t trying to do that thing for Akane, would you have picked yourself for my fiancée?”

Kasumi quietly took a sip of her tea to hide her surprise at this sudden question as well as to give her time to seriously contemplate the thing she hadn’t really thought about since that first day. How did she feel about Ranma Saotome? After everything that has happened, what was her relationship with the martial artist? She looked over and found a pair of blue eyes staring back with curiosity and worry. The blue eyes of a young girl that needed something. Needed a connection. As she looked back, she had her answer. An answer she honestly knew for so long, but never bothered telling.

The eldest Tendo girl set her cup down and gave another gentle smile. “I’m sorry, Ranma, but I still wouldn’t have volunteered to be your fiancée. To be perfectly honest, you are just too young for me.”

The worry in the redhead’s eyes was now replaced by confusion. “That’s it? Nothing else? Just cause I’m younger?”

Kasumi looked back with a completely serious face. “Of course. Younger people are just so...young.”

She was able to hold the expression for several seconds before breaking down into giggles and then light laughter. Ranma watched on with shock before finally joining in.

Good, I was able to make her smile again. Maybe I haven’t messed things up after all. I am curious though…

After the laughter died down, Kasumi went and asked, “so, Ranma. If you were actually given the choice back then, would you have picked me?”

Ranma paused and closed her eyes in contemplation for a moment before answering back. “I’m not sure. I mean, I just got here and didn’t know you at all. I guess knowing what I know now, I’d say no. Nothing wrong with you, though. You’re a really nice person, but I can’t see you as a fiancée. Maybe it's cause you’re older than me. I guess I see you as something else, but I’m not entirely sure what.

Kasumi smiled at that. She knew exactly what the girl meant and it was well past time for her to finally play that part. Perhaps a little teasing was in order first. “Well, it is too bad you’re not a little bit older. Not to mention a bit taller.”

Ranma was confused again. “Taller?”

Kasumi proceeded to look away with a wistful expression on her face. “Yes, it would have been rather fun to have a fiancée I could share clothes with.” She then turned back with a smile before starting another round of laughter for the two.

Ranma let out a sigh as the laughter died down. “Yeah, don’t know how well that woulda worked. I was really against wearing anything girly back then. At least until that whole laundry incident and I ended up...having to…” The pigtailed martial artist paused as a sudden realization occurred to her. “Did...did you do that on purpose?”

Kasumi went and took a nice slow sip of her tea before responding. “Now Ranma. I have been doing laundry for this household for more than a decade. Do you really think I would accidentally leave someone with nothing to wear, especially when they have so few outfits in the first place?”

The redhead proceeded to look back in wonder at the young woman across from her. “So, you wanted me to try that clothes sharing thing with Akane?”

“Yes, I thought it might work as a bonding moment between you two. I also hoped it would help you get over some of the anxieties you had about your girl form.”

Ranma leaned back in contemplation for a bit while staring up at the ceiling. “Well, I guess it did make it easier to wear that leotard for that match with Kodachi. And then that outfit for the ice skating thing. And then all those disguises I would wear.” She looked back with a big smile on her face. “Yeah, it did really help out. Thanks Kasumi.”

Kasumi for her part was starting to feel a bit overwhelmed, although she made sure not to show it too much. So I didn’t screw up after all. I actually helped her out.

The redhead then continued her thoughts. “Too bad the outfit itself didn’t work out though.”

Now it was Kasumi’s turn to be confused. “What do you mean? I thought it looked very nice on you.”

Ranma started to scratch the base of her pigtail with an embarrassed look on her face. “Yeah, I guess it was kinda nice, but it didn’t fit though. The chest was too tight.”

Kasumi stared for a moment before taking another sip of her tea. “Ranma, you are aware that overalls tend to be adjustable, correct?”

“Oh. Oh right.” Ranma managed to somehow turn an even deeper shade of red.

Kasumi smiled back before finishing her tea and setting the cup down. “Well, speaking of outfits, we should figure out what to do for tomorrow. It’s going to be a big day and I want to make sure my little sister looks nice.”

Ranma let out a small laugh. “Don’t think we need to worry there. Akane’s pretty good at picking out her own stuff.”

Kasumi responded with a smile that wasn’t quite as serene. “Oh, I wasn’t talking about Akane, Little Sister.”

Ranma froze as realization set in. “What...what do you…”

Kasumi took a deep breath before continuing. “Ranma, I want you to understand. When you first arrived here, I considered you as just a guest and somewhat connected to my sister. But as time went on, I started to see you as so much more. You truly became family to me. I saw you as my little brother. Although now I guess it would be my little sister instead.”

“Also, not instead,” the Saotome girl automatically corrected before getting embarrassed again. “Um, I mean, he’s still there. Just cause I don’t hate her anymore doesn’t mean I want to get rid of him or anything. I just, I just don’t want to deal with him for a bit. I mean, I should at least figure out what she’s like, right? Who’s she supposed to be, right? He’s supposed to be a Man Among Men, so is she supposed to be a Woman Among Women? One of those Yamato Nadeshiko’s?” 

Fear, panic, and tears started to appear in the girl’s eyes. “I don’t think, I don’t think I want that. I want to be a girl, but not, not that kind of girl. Not like that. But what would I be then? And what kind of guy would I be? I don’t know if I want to, if I want to be the same guy I was before. I don’t want the Woman Among Women thing, so should I even want the Man Among Men thing? But, but, but I have to right? I have to be that right? If I don’t then Pops is going to. And Mom. Mom would. Mom would. Mom would..."

Kasumi went to the other side of the table and embraced the shaking redhead. No more words needed to be spoken as a lifetime of pride and frustration was put aside and Ranma Saotome allowed herself to cry.

 

 

Kasumi silently held the smaller girl in her arms, lightly stroking her hair as a new promise was made. No more worries. No more regrets. No more staying back. She needs my help. Akane too. And I swear, help is what they will receive.

After several minutes the shaking finally stopped, but Kasumi continued her hold, soothing the other girl. Finally, she spoke up. “Ranma, I want you to always remember that whoever you are, whoever you decide to be, it will always be up to you. Not your mother. Not your father. Not my father. Not Akane. Not even me. That choice will always be yours and yours alone. Just remember that whatever you end up being, boy, girl, both, neither, that you never forget that you are Ranma Saotome. And no one can change that."

Kasumi released the hug and Ranma looked up, the remnants of tears and a smile on her face. “Thanks a lot. I really appreciate it...Big Sister.”

The older girl smiled back. “Oh, think nothing of it, Little Sister. So, what would you like to do now?”

“Well, I believe someone mentioned an outfit for tomorrow. Um, I might need some help with that.”

“Oh, well of course. I think I might be able to offer some assistance there,” Kasumi responded as she stood up. “Let me clear up the table, and then I can show you some old things I never handed down to my other sisters.”

Ranma had a look of apprehension as she also got up off the floor. “Uh, no offense Kasumi, but it’s not just going to be a bunch of dresses, is it? I'm not sure if I'm quite ready to go quite that far for real yet.”

Kasumi made a point of not looking back as she cleared the dishes from the table. “Oh, you’ll just have to find out.” As she took the dishes to the kitchen, she glanced over with a big grin on her face. “And while we do that, maybe we can talk about what kind of girl my little sister really is.”

---

---

“Kasumi, I’m heading out now!” Akane’s voice called out.

Kasumi snapped out of her reminiscing to see her sister heading out into the hallway towards the front door. She quickly got up to follow and caught Akane as she was putting her shoes on. “Okay Akane, I hope you have a wonderful time today. And do please remember that whatever Ranma might do today, she is doing it for you.”

Akane paused for a moment before turning back with a smile that Kasumi could tell was just a little too big. “Yeah, of course Big Sis. I’m sure today’s going to turn out great!” With that, Akane turned and left.

Kasumi just stood looking at the front door of the house for several seconds before taking a deep breath and going back to her chores for the day. Okay, you did what you could for now. It’s up to them to deal with each other and figure things out together. And no matter what happens, no matter what the fallout is, you’ll be there afterwards. It’s too bad Ranma decided to change over there. It would have been nice to see Akane’s face when she first sees what we put together. Oh well. I guess I should start thinking about what we are going to do about Father and Nabiki when they hear the news. Hmmm...maybe…

Once again, Kasumi Tendo set off to perform the tasks that were required around the house, just as she had done over the past decade. And just like always, she spent that time in deep thought. Except, for the first time in over a year, she now also took that time to not just think, but plan. To once again figure out a way to help her sister. Only now, she made sure to put in twice as much thought as before. After all, this time it wasn’t just one youngest sister she was helping.

It was two.