Solitude Interrupted
Solitude Interrupted
A Ranma 1/2 fanfiction by June "KaraOhki" Geraci
May 20, 2001
Ranma 1/2 is the property of Rumiko Takahashi. I'm borrowing her characters. This story is intended for entertainment purposes only, and may not be used commercially
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She finished eating her dinner, and out of habit brushed the crumbs off the table into the palm of her hand. A sudden impulse sent her outside to the point, where she tossed them into the water. The koi rose to the surface and the crumbs vanished.
The young woman stood there for a little while, listening to the wind in the trees and watching as the stars began to make their appearance in the darkening sky. The sound was a lonely one, and it accentuated her solitude. She shook herself out of her reverie and went inside to do the dishes.
There was nothing worth watching on television but she left it on anyway. Anything was better than sitting alone in a too-quiet house. She missed the first soft knock because the couple on the screen was arguing loudly, but the second knock was a bit louder and that caused her to pick up the remote and switch the set off.
There had been a time when she would simply have opened the door, unworried about who was on the other side. After all, she lived in a house full of people, most of whom were more than capable of dealing with unwelcome guests. However, living alone had caused her to become somewhat cautious, and she stopped a step or two away from the door.
"Who's there?"
"It's me!"
Impossible. That could not possibly have been his voice. Still, she had to open the door and find out for sure. It was he. He stood there, looking just the same as the day he had said goodbye. Then a second glance showed that he was indeed a little older, just as she was. She stood there, unable to speak.
"May I come in, please?"
"Of course. I'm sorry!" She held the door open a little wider, and he entered, looking at her with some concern.
"Are you all right?"
"I'm fine! Are you hungry?"
"I'm fine."
She found herself unable to decide if she wanted to hug him or hit him. She had to get away long enough to clear her head. Perhaps the kitchen? "Would you like some tea?" His nod was enough to send her flying out of the room.
The few minutes in the kitchen waiting for the water to boil gave her an opportunity to scold herself back to her senses.
They drank the tea in silence, each waiting for the other to speak. She finally put her cup down and sat with her hands clenched together in her lap, hidden by the table. "I didn't think you would ever come back."
He looked genuinely shocked. "But I promised you that I would come back when the time was right. Didn't you believe me?"
"I did for a long time. Then I stopped believing."
"Why?"
"I don't know. Maybe it was because of the way everyone acted."
His eyebrows rose. "Tell me what happened."
She shrugged. "No one expected you to leave. I couldn't tell them I knew why, because that would have made it worse." She hung her head, and he was unable to see her face, hidden by her hair. "Some people laughed at me, you know. Not to my face, but I could hear the whispers. That hurt, but what hurt more was the pity from my sisters. The worst was Daddy. He would say terrible things about you, and I had to bite my tongue. If I defended you, I knew he wouldn't believe me, so I kept quiet, and I waited." She paused, and wiped her eyes. "And waited, and waited! Until I had to force myself not to think about you, and not to hope, because it hurt less that way."
"It's been this way all along? Ever since I left?"
"No. After a while the talk stopped, at least most of it did. Now and then I'd hear a whisper behind my back - 'poor girl, she'll never get married!' It made me think of Ukyo, and understand what she went through. That hurt a lot, but it hurt more when my sisters got married."
"Where are they?"
"Away. They travel a lot, especially since our father�" the young woman trailed off and bit her lip. "He was sick for a long time. Now he doesn't hurt anymore."
She had no idea how, but suddenly he wasn't on his side of the table, and she was in his arms, his warmth surrounding her and filling her senses.
"I'm sorry! I should have come back sooner! I�m sorry!" His words were emphasized by his lips on her forehead, on her cheek, on her lips. Then he pulled away.
"I'm too late, aren't I?"
Kasumi smiled through her tears, and threw herself back into Tofu's arms.
"I've never stopped loving you."