Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ An American Dragon in Nerima ❯ Chapter the Fourth ( Chapter 4 )

Disclaimer:  Ain't mine, don't own 'em.  Wish I did though.  Flames will be extinguished.

Morning arrived at the Tendo in its usual, insane way.  With Ranma being thrown out the guest bedroom window by his father.  The two began their morning spar, dragging an extremely tired Nabiki out of bed.  "Do they have to do this every morning, Kasumi?  Kasumi?"  Nabiki walked into the kitchen and didn't see her older sister there.  "Dad?  Where's Kasumi?"

Soun was sitting at the dinner table, behind the paper and his toothbrush in his mouth.  "She said she got in late, and was going to sleep in." 

"I'll make breakfast," Akane said.  The families quickly scattered, with Ranma and Nabiki heading to school.  "What did I say?"

For the first time since the death of her mother, Kasumi let herself, or was even able to, relax in bed.  Every morning since the Tendo Matriarch's death, Kasumi was up before dawn, making sure that her sisters had lunch for school, the house was clean, the groceries and construction supplies for Akane purchased and put away.  Add in two more residents, who with the ability to eat like their namesakes, and her life became a bit of a living hell.  No vacations, no days off, no respect, always in the background.  That was the life that Kasumi had right now.

With the sun shining gaily into her room, the surrogate mother finally climbed out of bed and put her robe on before heading downstairs to make a cup of tea.  As she waited for the water to heat up, she thought about her lost opportunities.  Going to college when she graduated from Furinkan, and becoming a nurse, or even a doctor.  When he moved in and opened his practice, she'd developed a crush for Dr. Tofuu.  And even though she put up an oblivious act in front of everyone, Kasumi knew that the good Doctor has a problem whenever she was around.  It wasn't as if he was ever going to learn to control himself.

Pouring the hot water into the mug, and letting the leaves steep, she began thinking about last night and the past few days, when an American entered her life.  He had trusted her with a secret about himself.  No less dangerous than Ranma's secret, but, for fairly obvious reasons, didn't want the whole world to know.  If it was true.  Marx had promised to show her his true form while the teens were at school.  And he was still asleep.  His boots and dress shoes were still in the genkan, so unless he had to go to Yokota for some incident in his birthday suit, he was still probably in bed. 

Her face blushed when she remembered the incident the other day in the furo.  While the rice steamed, Kasumi decided to take a quick, reenergizing bath.  Someone had taken the "occupied" sign down, so thinking that their guest was out of the bath, she entered and prepared for her soak.  What a surprise it was to the two of them when she slid the door open.  And Marx was so kawaii as he stood there, stuttering.  And he was so…Kasumi crushed that thought, even though she felt like she was falling in love with the American.

Watching the koi pond, mug of tea in both hands, she felt a sense of peace she hadn't in a long time.  She acknowledged the new presence when she heard footsteps cross the threshold of her domain.  "Ohayo, Christopher-kun," she said.

Marx yawned.  "Good morning, Kasumi-chan."  He looked at her, the way the sun was shining through the window on her made him want to pull her into a long, passionate hug.  Part of his mind reminded the Lieutenant that he was a tenant, she the landlady, and it would be entirely inappropriate right now.  The other half pulled up memories of morning on a mountain in China, three thousand years ago, and a woman that was much like the young woman in front of him.  "Sleep well?"

Kasumi smiled at him.  Her smile was like a mega 64 ounce cup of espresso-it's wake even the dead.  "I did.  I slept quite well."  What she didn't tell him was that one of her pillows had become so deformed last night, because all she could do was think about him.  "Weren't you going to show me something this morning?"

"I was.  I'd rather do this outside."  He walked out the veranda, dropping his robe on the ground.  Kasumi blushed when he saw him there, naked as a jaybird again, but since Ranma showed up, she should have been used to a lack of modesty.  Marx began concentrating, and his form began to waver, like she was looking at him through water.  His body began to lengthen, his legs thicken, a tail appeared where none had been before.  After a few moments, the dragon that was their tenant finished his transformation by shaking out his leathery, bat-like wings.  Marx sat his haunches, his silvery scales glittering in the sunlight.

Kasumi resisted the urge to run up and grab him like a teddy bear, but just barely.  "Kawaii," she said, as she approached the mythological beast cautiously.  "Can I…" the rest of the statement was left unsaid, because Marx nodded his large broad head.  The eldest Tendo ran her fingers along his scales.  They were warm and smooth to the touch.  She chuckled when she heard a deep, throaty purr coming from Marx as her hands caressed him.  "You like that, Mr. Ryuu?"

"Hai.  It reminds me so much…"

"You needn't go any further, Christopher," Kasumi said as she wrapped her arms around his neck.  It felt sort of odd for her to have her tenant wrap his neck around her back, his warm breath seemed to excite this repressed homemaker, as he breathed in the jasmine of her shampoo. 

Marx closed his eyes and enjoyed the sensations he was getting.  They were the best of the dragon's original memories and his own memories.  "Kasumi…I know we've only a few days, but…"

"I know…" She was interrupted by the ground shaking, and a fireball appearing in the sky over Furinkan High.  Sirens began to wail in the background as the emergency services began responding to the high school.  "You better change back.  Akane, Nabiki and Ranma will be home soon.  And Akane'll probably overreact to you being in this form."

"I want to exercise my normal form.  I get antsy if I'm cooped up to long in my public form."

"I understand.  Just be careful and don't cause any Ghidra warnings."

Marx smiled toothily at Kasumi.  For some reason, she didn't feel scared when he did it.  "I'll try not to," he said with a throaty chuckle.  With a flutter, he stretched his wings and launched himself into the air with a powerful thrust of his haunches.

Kasumi watched him lift off and fly out of sight to the west, wondering what it'd be like to ride him bareback…and blushing at the ecchi double meaning of her thoughts.  And was greeted by the sight of a red and black blur landing in the koi pond.

"Kawaiikune tomboy.  Always hitting me with that damn mallet," the redheaded martial artist muttered as she climbed out of the pond.  "Hiya Kasumi.  You got any hot water ready?"

Kasumi nodded, and composed herself.  "Of course, Ranma-kun," she said, walking back into the house.  She returned a few moments later, with the still warm kettle of water, and poured it on the aquatransexual.  "What happened at school today?"

The now-male pigtailed martial artist rolled his eyes at the eldest Tendo.  "Akane…that's what happened."

"Oh?"

"She can add chemistry to what she can't do.  We were supposed to make dinitrotoluene, but she kept it on the burner too long, and it synthesized into TNT, before it exploded.  Took out the science labs…and with the gas still on, the whole science wing of the school."

"I'm sure it wasn't her fault, Ranma.  You know she tries so hard at everything."

Ranma shook his head.  "No…it was her fault this time.  I was her lab partner.  Heck, I even told her that it was on the burner too long.  But she didn't want to listen to me.

"Of course, the school's closed until the school board can stage a Martial Arts Construction match."  Ranma started laughing.  "It was a funny sight to see Principal Kuno running around, with that little palm tree on his head burning." Ranma, even though he's not the brightest bulb in the box, noticed that Kasumi was still in her robe.  "Um, Kasumi, how come you're not dressed yet?"

"Oh.  I woke up only a little while ago.  I wanted to sleep in this morning."

"I was wondering why you didn't make breakfast.  Akane almost did, but we convinced her otherwise."  Kasumi smiled at her sister's fiancée.  "Where's Marx-san?"

"He should be back in a few moments."  And true enough to her words; there was a leathery whisper in the background.  Marx settled on to his haunches in the yard and looked around.

"Um…sorry about this," the dragon said when he saw Ranma sitting there.  He quickly returned to his "normal" form, and grabbed his robe.

"Can I assume you were at Jusenkyo," Ranma asked.

Marx nodded.  "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to take a bath and get dressed before everyone else shows up."

-------

Over the coming few months, a few changes were taking place at the Tendo Dojo.  So that he would be able to access his files from the server on base, Marx had a broadband connection brought into the house, much to Nabiki's pleasure.  She had been taking a web design class at Furinkan, and was able have her site published, before she graduated.  Marx also took the time to tutor Ranma.  With his degree in History, and Certification as a Secondary School history teacher, Marx tried to make that subject fun for him, relating specific battles, particularly of Japan's feudal era.  For his physics classes, he brought him down to Yokota several times to talk to the pilots, particularly the Huey pilots.  Also throw in the fact that Marx is a native English speaker, he was also able to help both Ranma and Akane with that language, much to the ire of Hinako-sensei.

During that time, Kasumi and Marx were growing closer.  The two of them went out on several occasions to dinner, the movies, or just do the tourist thing downtown.  This frustrated Tigar's search for the Dai Ryuujin no Nishi.  Because she would pick up the scent, and have it disappear into the subway system, at a bus stop, or the train station, the Amazon tracker would return to the Nekohanten frustrated and upset.

It was a dark and stormy afternoon, one day towards the beginning of the new school year.  The families had, at Kasumi's urging gone out to dinner and a movie.  And because of the weather, the wind howling, and the rain lashing against the roof tiles, the trains were running slower than usual.  So it was a soggy and bedraggled Marx that entered the house, thanking the Kami that his curse was a permanent curse, but also cursing a certain LTC Cordano for causing…an incident on the flightline.  "Taidama," he called, as he unzipped his boots and slipped them off. Not receiving an answer, suspiciously Marx made his way through the corridor from the entry hall.

The dining room was lit only by candles, with a note on the table, asking him to get cleaned up and ready for dinner.  The note also said that his shaving kit and clean clothes were in the furo, waiting for him.  Noticing that it was written in Kasumi's elegant script and there were enticing aromas assaulting his nose from the kitchen, the draconic lieutenant smiled, and quickly headed for the furo, making sure the "Occupied" sign was up on the door.

He quickly lathered and rinsed off the day's accumulated sweat and grime, and took a quick soak in the furo, luxuriating in the hot, almost too hot, water.  He didn't want to leave the tub, but the way that those aromas were causing his mouth to drool, reminded him that someone was preparing a special dinner.  As he stood at the sink shaving, he noticed a formal dark blue kimono-almost as dark blue as his dress pants-with a lightning bolt and cloud design worked into it with silver threat, in the mirror.  For Kasumi to have had it done, must have cost her a significant amount of money.  Rinsing his face one last time, he pulled a clean pair of boxers on, and reached for the kimono...

-------

A westerner, quite possibly the first in China at the time of Emperor Zhou Xuan Wang, paced the apartments awarded him by the Emperor.  Not only did his height make him eminently recognizable in the capital of Leyi, but his silvery hair did as well.  Not gray, but like the silver thread used by the Empress's dressmakers.  Only the Emperor and his Prime Minister knew the reality of the gaijin in the court-a silver dragon as old as time itself, if being only a thousand could be called "being as old as time itself".  Calling himself only "Yin Zi", he acted as a low level functionary to the court.  But in their discussions, they referred to him as the Great Western Dragon.

He was pacing, because he was to meet the Emperor's eldest daughter for the first time.  They had seen each other in passing in the Imperial Palace, and he had become captivated by her.  She exuded this air of calm, and felt no desire to marry any of the suitors that found their way to her.  For that, she let her youngest sister handle the suitors…

There was a knock at the door, pulling Yin Zi from his reverie about her.  "Yes," he called.

"Her Highness will see you," a maid probably no older than 12 or 13 called.

Yin Zi slid the door open, and walked out into the corridor.  "You may take me to your mistress."  The young maid nodded, and led the silvery-haired functionary to a secluded garden.  Soldiers of the Imperial Guard patrolled discretely in the halls bordering the open area.  Several maids and the Princess's governess stood or sat as chaperones.  The dragon in human guise bowed deeply at the waist.  "Your Highness," he said, "I thank you for this opportunity."

The Princess rose from her chair, and took his hand.  "No, Master Yin.  I thank you for requesting this opportunity.  Let us speak plainly, as my father's subjects do."  Her governess made a noise, which sounded like the start of a rebuke, but was cut off when the Princess looked at her sharply.  "Master Yin, you may call me Peng.  And please, rise, and look at me."  There was amusement in her voice, and a smile on her face as the Westerner did as he was bade.

Yin Zi took in the sight before him.  Peng's long chestnut hair hung in a loose ponytail pulled over her shoulder.  It was as he had seen of her from afar.  "Mistress, your beauty and demeanor have captured me in a way women from my homeland have not.  And I thank you for this opportunity again."

"As has this air of mystery surrounding you, Master Yin, captivated me; intrigued me.  You are a low level flunky in my father's court, yet there have been times where you, my father, and the Prime Minister have been in closed conference.

"Your name is another example.  'Yinzi', silver, is obviously some reference to your hair and eye color.  Which I assume is natural to your people?"

The dragon chuckled.  "No, Mistress, I am unique among people."  In more ways than one, he thought.  "I adopted that name when I came east from my homeland, after traveling many months.  Given my hair color, it seemed appropriate…"

-------

Marx shook his head, clearing out his thoughts.  It was a memory from the dragon crossing over…he slipped on the kimono and secured the obi, before leaving the furo and slipping back down to the dining room and knelt at the table. 

Kasumi noticed he'd entered from kitchen and began bringing in the dinner.  "Is everything Christopher-kun?"  She asked, as she served dinner.

"H-hai," Marx said, still off-kilter from the memory unlocking.  "Just some things that had worked themselves loose."    Taking the formal ivory chopsticks in hand, he tasted the first course.  "Excellent, as always, Kasumi."

"Thank you, Christopher-kun," she said with a slight blush on her face.

Conversation through the meal was light, and always complimentary.  Marx explained what the delay was on base.  It had been a wing down day, which meant everybody but Security Forces were off.  The squadron commander for the 459th decided he wanted to take a look at his birds.  And that annoyed the cops, particularly since he forgot his identification badge.  He was tackled, handcuffed, searched-none to gently-and finally identified.  And when he was released, laced into the cops for doing their job.  At this point, Marx got involved, and laced into the Colonel, for berating the flight for doing its job.  A bit of the dragon crept out, and the Lieutenant Colonel's demeanor changed rapidly.

Kasumi smiled at appropriate points in the tale.  She cleaned the table, after motioning Marx to remain there.  She returned with the formal tea service, and began the preparations there at the table.  A glimmer of a memory of a similar ceremony in Leyi came to the forefront of the Lieutenant's mind.  Marx followed the ceremony as he was shown by Kasumi.  "Christopher-kun," she said, as they finished the ceremony, "these past few months have been wonderful."

Marx reached across the table and took her hand.  "I know.  I've enjoyed our time together too."

"Christopher-kun, I just wanted to say that…"

There was a crash and in a dulcet mezzo-soprano was Ranma shouting at her father.  "Get offa me, Oyaji!  Baka Panda!"