The Great Crossover Crisis Disclaimer: Sigh. The things I do to keep my readers entertained. < >: Thoughts (* *): Computer responses T-Ranma: Ranmatech (Prototype, Tekno) Kojiro: Cat Fist Fury D-Ranma: Dragon Child (Draco) P-Ranma: Fist of the Pikachu (Trainer, Ash) B-Ranma: Fighting Blind (Koga) Ranma: Ranma 1/2 Chapter 10 Kasumi's Day Off "Man! That was a great meal!" Kojiro said as he rubbed his full stomach. He and the other Ranmas exited the restaurant with satisfied smiles on their faces. With the exception of T-Ranma, the others all shared the same trait of the famous Saotome stomach. They had eaten enough to feed an entire division of marines for a week. Fortunately, T-Ranma had an unlimited bank account. "I've got to admit, it's been a long time since we were all been to able to kick back and just relax since this entire trip through dimensions started." Koga commented. "By the way, you were a little distracted tonight, Prototype." Trainer remarked. "Oh, it was nothing. I just received a transmission from the Care- Bots. Apparently, Nabiki went inside the complex." "What? I thought you said that the defensive barrier kept out everyone, but us and Trainer's Pokemon." T-Ranma shrugged as he replied. "I left the barrier down to allow her entry. I kind of figured that Nabiki would try to get inside, considering what I had scanned about her and those other realities in which her personality followed that of this native version." "Oh?" Koga became interested. "Yes, well she's not like the Nabiki Tendo that you described in your world. In fact, she was the cause of many of the native Ranma's problems, particularly Kuno's obsession with the 'pig- tailed girl.' If she hadn't continued to sell photos of Ranma in his girl form to him and actually told him the real truth about the curse, then Ranma wouldn't be having as much trouble as of now. She's quite the mercenary and have been involved in blackmail, extortion, underage pornography, racketeering and several other... questionable activities at her school. However, unlike the Nabiki in Koga's world, she has yet to be shown the error of her ways." "You knew all that about her and you still let her in?" Koga asked. "Yes, well it's not like I didn't have a few... shall we say, strings attached. I had instructed the Care-Bots to let Nabiki sample some of many pleasures of the complex to lower her guard and set a trap. I gave her some bait that I knew that she would not be able to resist. Right at this moment, she's in the Virtual Reality Chamber (VRC) and is being shown the many realities in which I had scanned when we were traveling through the dimensional vortex. In other words, she's getting a very HARD look at herself." "Ooh, nasty!" Kojiro remarked. He remembered seeing a few of those images during their dimension hopping. Those that depicted Nabiki as a money-hungry mercenary had almost always ended up in a bad way. One of the most drastic endings was the scene of Bag Lady Nabiki, eating whatever refuse she could find in a garbage bin. "You're not just showing her to all the bad things that might happen if she doesn't change, are you?" Koga asked. Personally, he didn't have anything against Nabiki, but then again, he only knew of the one from his world. T-Ranma nodded as he understood the hidden message of his counterpart. "I'm also showing her what good may come to her if she does change her ways. She might treat the Ranma of this world better if she realizes that she's better off with having him as a friend, than as someone to use to make some fast money. Come on guys, let's take a tour of Tokyo before heading back." Later on that night... A loud groan of pain was heard from the guestroom as a pigtailed martial artist slid open the door and stood for a moment while shaking his head. "Stupid old man." Ranma mumbled as he left the room where his father lay. Genma had received numerous, and extremely nasty burns from his attempt to break into Prototype's ship. As of now, the slightest move made his entire body throb with pain. His body was wrapped up like a mummy and he was unable to speak at the moment. It was at that moment that Ranma saw a very unfamiliar sight. It was Nabiki without her usual air of superiority and Ice Queen facade. Gone was that usual mercenary gleam in her eyes and what he now saw in her was nervousness, slightly panicked and a bit of embarrassment as well. She was trembling like a leaf and was quite pale as she exited the broom closet in a bath robe. Ranma had never seen her like this before and wondered what had happened to put the cool and always in control middle Tendo daughter in such a state. "Hey Nabiki." "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" Nabiki's sudden panicked scream caught Ranma off guard as he backpedaled away and then stumbled backward, landing hard on his butt. He looked up and saw Nabiki and wondered just what had happened to her when she was in that closet. She looked as if she had experienced a heart attack and a stroke simultaneously as she leaned against the wall and started gasping for air while clutching at her chest. She hyperventilated for several minutes before finally calming down enough to notice Ranma on the floor. Then she did something that Ranma would have never thought she would do in a million years. She started apologizing. "Ranma! I'm sorry! I'm really, really sorry! I didn't mean to sell photos of you to Kuno! I didn't mean to charge you all those inflated rates! Please forgive me! I'll cancel out your outstanding debt right away!" She then started dashing away toward the stairs to her own room and slammed the door behind her. Ranma was still on the floor and in a state of confusion when the front door opened and his dimensional selves entered. "Hey Ranma, what are you doing on the floor?" Koga asked. Ranma could only dumbly point up to Nabiki's room and say, "Uh... Nabiki... that is... I...er..." T-Ranma simply smiled. "Well, it seems that Nabiki got the full guest 'treatment' when she went into the complex." The other Ranmas began chuckling as they all shared the private joke. Later... Prototype casually walked up to Nabiki's room and knocked on the door. Akane and Kasumi's sister had not come down to eat with the rest of the family. In fact, she hadn't emerged from her room ever since she had visited the complex and Prototype had decided to check up on her. In his hands, he had a tray of delicious food that was created in his high-tech kitchen. "Nabiki, are you in there?" Prototype said in his most pleasant tone, though he was trying very hard not to chuckle. He had gotten the report from his Care-Bots of Nabiki's reaction after her experience in the Virtual Reality Chamber. The sight of one of her own selves rooting about in garbage would have been disturbing. Another reality of being hunted by the yakuza after double-crossing them certainly would have made her think twice about her racketeering and blackmail practices. Of course, there were those other realities in which she ended up married to Ranma and the VRC had showed everything in finely detailed 3D. The scene of her wedding night would have been a real eye-opener. Nabiki practiced some yoga, but she probably never realized she was THAT flexible. "Nabiki, are you there?" "Go away, Ranma!" "Nope. Wrong Ranma. It's me, Prototype. Kasumi was worried that you missed dinner, so I decided to bring you something to eat. May I come in?" "Hold on a minute!" The technological Ranma's sensitive hearing picked up the sounds of some fast clicking and he had a feeling that he knew what was going on. He then engaged the thermal sensors of his eyes and looked into room, which depicted the heat image of Nabiki hunched over the keyboard of her computer. A few moments later, she had shut down the system and got up to answer the door. As the door opened, Prototype observed that Nabiki had reasserted her usual Ice Queen image as she looked up at him. "Well, hello Prototype. What brings you here?" Nabiki said in her sweetest voice, though she wasn't fooling Prototype by a long shot. "Oh, Kasumi was very worried that you didn't show up for dinner, so I told her that I'd bring you something to eat." T-Ranma held up the tray and gestured to the plate of pork cutlets, rice and vegetables with a cup of green tea. The delectable aroma from the food made her stomach begin to rumble, but Nabiki took a deep breath and shook her head. "Thank you for the offer, but I'm not that hungry and..." "No, no, no." T-Ranma said as mimicked Unit Two's voice, which made Nabiki a bit nervous. The technological martial artist then pushed himself in Nabiki's room and gently nudged her to sit on the edge of her bed, while placing the tray on her lap. "A pretty young lady like you needs to eat. After all, my counterparts and I must show our thanks to your family for allowing us the use of your broom closet during our stay here." Nabiki's heart raced when he referred to her as pretty. No one had ever given her such a compliment. This tall and extremely well- built version of the native Ranma was getting her all flustered with his maturity and seemingly warm nature and charm. She swallowed hard as she watched Tekno casually lean against the wall beside her computer and smiled at her. "Well, aren't you hungry at all? It would be a shame for all that food that I had my Care-Bots prepare for you go to waste." Nabiki shuddered a bit at the mention of those machines, but hunger finally won out as she looked down at the food and decided that there was no reason not to eat it. She then nodded and picked up the chopsticks and began eating the meal at a slightly fast, but controlled pace. After she had calmed down from her experience in the VRC, she had realized that deleting the native Ranma's debt to her was totally ludicrous. Ranma was one of her best income generators and those images she had seen of her alternate selves were just that, images. "Thank you." Nabiki said as she swallowed. "Mmmm, this is very good. My compliments to the chef." The food was better than good! It was absolutely perfect with the right amounts of spices and each bite was savored. If T-Ranma hadn't mentioned that the Care-Bots had prepared the meal, she would have thought that Kasumi had cooked it. "Unit Two and Three would be pleased to hear that. And I certainly hope that you enjoyed their services during your visit to the complex." Nabiki stopped eating and was bit uncomfortable as T-Ranma casually ran a hand over the top of her computer's monitor. He then made a casual comment. "Hmmm, nice antique computer you have here." Nabiki had blackmailed the science teachers and computer technicians at school to get a hold of the most sophisticated equipment for her various ventures and he was calling it an antique? T-Ranma then tapped the top of the monitor with his index finger and nonchalantly made another comment. "Then again, I guess just about all the conventional technology on this planet is extremely primitive by my standards and the thousands of alien worlds I've visited. I mean, look at this. The security protocols on this thing is almost nonexistent and makes it easy to access the CPU." (*Compliance.*) In less than a heartbeat, the nanites in T-Ranma's body instantly established total control over Nabiki's computer. Without even switching on computer, the entire system suddenly activated itself as the screen lit up, as Ranma's nanites bypassed the relatively simple security programs and obtained the passwords. Through the contact he had with his hand on the monitor, Prototype easily hacked into the middle Tendo daughter's many files, which contained the precious records of her mercenary work. He noted the files concerning the native Ranma and brought them up. "Well, now. It seems that you had not canceled out Ranma's outstanding debt after all." T-Ranma said as he shook his head and wagged a finger at her. "Tisk, tisk, tisk. And I had thought you had learned a few things when you were in the Virtual Reality Chamber. Oh well, I can rectify that." In an instant, the facts and figures on Ranma's outstanding debts to Nabiki suddenly became blank as they were permanently deleted. "Hey! What are you...." T-Ranma wagged a finger at her and shook his head. "Ah, ah, ah. Take a look at this, Nabiki Tendo. Look familiar?" He then accessed the modem and the monitor suddenly flashed a new set of figures. Nabiki became pale as she recognized those numbers and read the logo on the top of the screen. It was her own bank account numbers and the amount that was stored in that account. He used her own computer and his powers to access the records of the Tokyo Bank! "Now you see it. And now you don't!" T-Ranma said with a sly grin as her entire assets were suddenly reduced to zero. Nabiki was about to have a stroke at the sight of her savings suddenly disappear, when T-Ranma then snapped his fingers. "And now you see it again." When the amount that she had accumulated through her various schemes reappeared, she found her breath and let it out. It was then that T-Ranma decided that the little demonstration had the desired effect and released his hold on Nabiki's computer. The machine then automatically shut itself down. He then walked up to the little mercenary and his expression became serious. "Now then, I do hope you realize what this was all about, Nabiki Tendo. I could do a LOT worse you know. If you were planning on getting back at me for that little VRC incident, then you'd better think again. The same thing goes if you try to profit off my counterparts as well. There was a reason why I secretly let you into the complex and had my Care-Bots show you those images of your dimensional counterparts. You are very intelligent Nabiki, but you really need to realize that your current actions and patterns of behavior have very serious consequences if you continue on this course." Nabiki was still speechless at the casual display of power Prototype had demonstrated. He had her entire financial assets at his mercy and could probably bankrupt her at any time. Prototype continued with his lecture. "I have met hundreds of mercenary types during my journeys across the cosmos and many of them could easily chew you up and spit you out. Fortunately, I myself am quite capable of handling those types. You're dealing with the major leagues now, Nabiki Tendo. I don't mean to be blunt, but frankly, you're nothing but a penny-ante operator to me. Mere chump change. You're trying to compete with caviar when you're nothing but tuna fish. You have a great potential to be a big- wheeler, but you're wasting your talents on trivial pursuits and making life for Ranma harder than it needs to be." "Hey! Now what gives you the right to invade in my business? YOU'RE the GUEST here!" Nabiki snapped. "If you are seeking for a legal action, I'll have you know that I am very proficient with over three hundred different forms of judicial practices and legal processes. And as I recall, you're the one who entered my complex without my permission." Nabiki blinked. Okay, so this wasn't going to be as easy as shaking Ranma down for some spare change. Prototype nodded at her silence and continued. "Now, as I suspect, you have blocked out the images that my Care-Bots had shown to you. You probably thought that it was all some kind of illusion. Well, let me tell you, those images were REAL. I had recorded those alternate realities during our long trip through dimensions and those outcomes are extremely likely in this reality. Now I didn't have them show those pictures to you as a way of torturing you, but rather as an object lesson. And you must admit, the realities in which you were actually nice to Ranma all turned out quite well, didn't they? Especially in those timelines in which you married him." Nabiki's cheeks reddened at the memory of her 'wedding night.' "I thought so." T-Ranma said with a grin. "Now whether or not you take my advice is up to you of course, but it would be such a shame that you end up the same way as all those other Nabiki Tendos that chose the wrong path. Unlike some people, you CAN be taught. Enjoy your meal." With those words, Prototype patted her on the shoulder and left the room, leaving Nabiki alone with her thoughts. As he was about to reenter the complex to join the rest of his dimensional selves, he paused to see Kasumi working hard to clean up the dinner dishes and prepare to take care of the evening chores. He frowned as he saw neither Akane, Genma or Soun lift a finger to help her. As for the native Ranma, he couldn't help as he was currently unconscious after making yet another rude remark to Akane and getting pounded by that mallet of hers. He sighed and shook his head. From what he and the other Ranmas had observed so far, the native version of themselves was prone to sticking his foot in his mouth. Probably due to the poor upbringing by Genma. He also let his guard down too easily and seemed to ALLOW Akane to strike him. T-Ranma knew that his other selves would never have let Akane get away with that and probably would have made her eat that mallet. Though Ranma shouldn't be calling her names, that didn't justify striking him with enough force to kill a normal person. T-Ranma sighed again as he realized that trying to get Ranma to improve was going to be an uphill battle. Ranma was so influenced by Genma's teachings that it might as well be a lost cause. However, he and the others were still going to try. As for what could be done to lessen the burdens being placed on Kasumi, T-Ranma had idea about that. After scanning this reality about Kasumi and asking his counterparts about the ones in their own dimensions, Prototype had a good impression about her. The most favorable description of Kasumi came from Koga and the native Kasumi seemed to match that description. T-Ranma had also observed how hard-working she was and decided that such devotion to her duties should be rewarded. With that in mind, he entered the broom closet and called for one of the Care-Bots to give it new instructions. The next morning... Kasumi awoke early to begin the morning chores as always, when she found something metallic standing beside her bed. "Oh my!" She gasped as she saw Care-Bot Unit 7 looking back at her. "Care-Bot Unit 7 is online. Good morning Kasumi Tendo. Please do not be alarmed. I am one of the Care-Bots that serve the one you know as Prototype. He had instructed me to assist you in the daily household chores as payment to your family for allowing us to reside here. My master had observed that you work very hard to maintain the order of this house and had decided that you should be rewarded for your selflessness." "Oh, that's very nice of him, but I must get started with..." "No need, no need." Unit Seven intoned as he gestured to the door. "I have already scrubbed and polished the floors. Garbage cycle has been completed and all refuse has been disposed of. If you wish, you may partake of the bubble bath I have drawn up for you, then I shall later have the bathroom cleaned. I must now go to prepare breakfast for the family as my sensors indicate that the rest of the Tendo household is waking up. " "Oh no! That's my responsibility." Kasumi said, not wanting to feel spoiled, and yet the thought of actually having someone to help her with the chores was like a gift from heaven. "No, no, no. My master had instructed me to ease your burdens and I shall. Please enjoy your leisure time. Care-Bot Unit 7 is online." With these words, the machine shrunk down to its more compact shape and zipped out of the room. A few moments later. Kasumi emerged from her room and saw that the floors were swept clean and polished. She then looked into the bathroom and saw that an enticing bath was indeed waiting for her. The sight of just relaxing in the tub and soaking in those bubbles was so enticing that she almost began disrobing. However, she shook her head and went downstairs to the kitchen. However, to her surprise, the Care-Bot was already hard at work and a delicious smell of miso soup and tea filled the air. The machine was using its various built-in devices to mix the proper ingredients in their correct amounts and maintain the right cooking temperatures. "Care-Bot Unit 7 is online. Breakfast is nearly completed. Will begin morning clean up and other preparations shortly." Its head turned around to see Kasumi. "Mistress Kasumi! I had thought that you were enjoying your bath. Please do not concern yourself about breakfast today. I have nearly completed cooking it." "Oh no, I can't allow you to..." "Now, now, now. Please allow me to fulfill my programming. By the way, how does this taste?" The Care-Bot dipped a spoon into the stewing soup and then extended the utensil toward Kasumi. Not wanting to be rude, the eldest Tendo daughter sampled the soup and to her surprise, found it to be surprisingly good, especially when it had been prepared by a machine. "Oh my! It's... perfect!" "Thank you. I believe that I can allow it to simmer for a few minutes. Now, then... off to the bath with you. Care-Bot Unit 7 is online." Kasumi could nothing but allow herself to be gently nudged back toward the bathroom. After breakfast... "Ah, another wonderful breakfast, Kasumi." Soun remarked after he and the rest of his family had finished eating. Ranma was also eating with them but Genma was not present as his current condition left him unable to move from the guestroom. Ranma had decided to forego his daily sparring match as his father was in no shape to fight. He had thought to try and get a quick match with his counterparts, but they had left early for school. "Thank you, Father, but I cannot take the credit for breakfast today." Kasumi was feeling a bit guilty after she had spent an enjoyable soak in a bubble bath. The Care-Bot wouldn't take no for an answer. "Prototype's Care-Bot cooked breakfast today." "Care-Bot?" Nabiki said with a bit of nervousness. It was then that the robot jetted into the room and began to clear the empty dishes with unbelievable speed and efficiency. "Care-Bot Unit 7 is online. Dishwashing cycle beginning." In less than a heartbeat, the dishes were carried out to the kitchen sink and the robot began scrubbing away. Using the advanced detergents and devices that were stored in its housing, Unit Seven had all the dishes washed, rinsed, dried and neatly put away in less than ten seconds! "Dishwashing cycle completed. Care-Bot Unit 7 is online." It then shrunk down and jetted away to do another chore. "What was that?" Akane exclaimed in shock. Kasumi smiled sweetly as she replied. "Prototype had..." "Greetings." The Care-Bot came up to the table. "I am Care-Bot Unit 7 and I had been instructed by Master Prototype to aid Kasumi in all the daily household chores during his stay here." "Well now, wasn't that nice of him." Soun remarked. Nabiki was still looking at the machine nervously as Akane looked at it with distaste. Akane had enjoyed the breakfast and she had assumed that Kasumi had cooked it. To find out that the breakfast had been made by a machine that could cook better than she could was mortifying. It was bad enough to know that Ranma as a girl was a better cook than she was, but to have a machine built by one of the dimensional Ranmas a better cook than she, was insulting. More insult was added to injury as the Care-Bot cheerfully laid three bentos on the table and indicated to each one. "Lunches have been prepared for Ranma, Akane and Nabiki. Have a nice day. Care-Bot Unit 7 is online." Nabiki hesitantly took her bento and quietly left. Ranma smiled as he picked up his bento. "All right! This is so cool!" Akane was not impressed as she blatantly ignored the bento and left in a huff. "Hey Akane! Don't forget your lunch!" Ranma called as he picked up her lunch and went after her. A few minutes after Ranma and Akane had left for school... "Thank you Care-Bot, but I must start the laundry and..." "Laundry cycle has already been completed." The robot lead Kasumi outside to the backyard where she saw the formally dirty clothes already washed, and hanging on the line. The eldest daughter could only gasp in amazement at the efficiency of her new helper. "Oh my." A few minutes after that... "What are you doing, Mistress Kasumi?" The Care-Bot asked as it pointed to the broom in Kasumi's hands. "Well, I thought that I'd sweep out the front porch and..." "No need. Porch has already been swept out. Care-Bot Unit 7 is online." "Oh really? Well, then I guess I should call the repairman to fix the hole in the dojo's roof and..." "Damage to roof has already been repaired. Care-Bot Unit 7 is online." "You fixed it?" "Affirmative. Now beginning window washing cycle." Without another word, the robot then jetted one side of the Tendo home and then extended its body to reach Nabiki's bedroom window. A squeegee appendage and a nozzle appeared out of its head as it started to wash the glass. Kasumi could only smile as she watched the little machine work. The rain gutters had been cleaned out. The gas water heater that had been acting up lately had been corrected. The household dusting had been done in mere seconds. The bathroom was cleaner than she ever remembered. All the walls that had withstood the daily attacks on Ranma and Akane's temper tantrums had been neatly repaired and reinforced. Burnt-out light bulbs and old fuses were quickly replaced. Leaky faucets and pipes stopped dripping once Care-Bot got to them. Unit Seven's maintenance programs had saved the Tendo family the time and money of hiring plumbers, electricians and building repairmen. Still a little bit later... "Vacuuming cycle completed. Care-Bot Unit 7 is online." "Oh please let me do something, Care-Bot." Kasumi gently pleaded as she suddenly found herself with a generous amount of leisure time; more free time than she had ever had since her mother had passed away. The Care-Bot was truly a marvel but now, Kasumi was feeling somewhat superfluous. Her life as the main caretaker of her family wasn't easy, but it did give her a sense of purpose and she always took pride in the fact that she was living up to her mother's standards as a proper Japanese housewife. One by one, the cheerful little Care-Bot was taking away her duties. "What would you like to do, Mistress?" The caretaker robot said as the suctioning device retracted back into its housing. "Well, I do need to go shopping for groceries and supplies." "No need to spend any money. Care-Bot Unit 7 is online. No offense intended, but I am well aware of your father's lack of a regular source of income and how you must budget every yen. You may enter the complex and have your pick of whatever is in the storage units. If you do not see what you want, I am authorized to have the food synthesizers supply you with anything you require. I can also provide you with all the household items that you wish to obtain. No charge of course. There is more than enough and I am very certain that my master would not mind. He did state that I am to attend to all of your needs. It is both my duty and pleasure to aid you." "Really?" "Yes. And you are more than welcome to make use of the recreational facilities as well. My master and his dimensional counterparts all agree that you most certainly deserve to have some fun." Fun. Now that was a term that was rarely associated with the dutiful and hard-working Tendo daughter. Kasumi found herself at a loss for words as the little automaton gently took her hand and led her into the broom closet. Twenty minutes later... Kasumi couldn't believe her good fortune as she emerged from the closet, closely followed by Unit Seven. It was pushing a large anti- gravity cart that was laden with enough food to feed the Tendo family for a good month, even with two houseguests with bottomless stomachs. Kasumi had not spent long hours walking around the streets of Tokyo, looking for the lowest prices and highest discounts. She had gotten it all for free and you couldn't beat that! The groceries had been obtained without leaving the home and she had still had all the money she had saved up to purchase said items. All she had to do was give Unit Seven the shopping list and the robot gladly went to get the items. In less than five minutes, it returned with all the things on the paper and a LOT more. The fruits and vegetables were fresh and clean; as if they had been harvested from a farm. The meats were freshly cut and ready to be used. There were packages of ramen, bottles of soy sauce, flour, yeast, bread, fish, eggs, and many other things, including supplies like towels, toilet paper, soap, shampoo, laundry detergent, a new wok, and so on. Though Kasumi tried to gently turn down all the extra foodstuffs and things, (despite the fact that her family sorely needed them), the Care-Bot still wouldn't take no for answer and insisted that she accept them. However, when Kasumi had come across the kitchen of the complex, she had thought she had stepped into a paradise. The kitchen was immaculately clean with not a single spot of grease, dust or any other signs of untidiness. The room was equipped with the most advanced food preparation devices she had ever seen. It made her kitchen seem like the inside of a log cabin. However, despite its high-tech appearance, it still radiated a sense of warmth and friendliness as the Care-Bot demonstrated the many technological wonders and invited Kasumi to cook the evening meal she had planned for that night. As of now, the entire meal for six people was in a small, compressible, stasis field container and would remain fresh and hot indefinitely, until it was ready to be consumed. All Kasumi had to do was press a button and the food would be released and neatly set on the table in an instant. Though she marveled at the speed and efficiency of the cooking devices, she realized that was she left with even more free time. She began to feel guilty. With the little Care-Bot doing most of the work, she had more than a day left with all the chores being completed before 10:00 am! She then looked toward her own kitchen and sighed as she saw the Care-Bot neatly stock away the groceries and supplies in their proper places, and then zip back with the empty cart into the closet. It then returned and extended itself so that its photoreceptors met with Kasumi's gaze. "Care-Bot Unit 7 is online. Groceries and supplies have been stored away. What are your orders now, Mistress Kasumi?" "I... don't know. All the chores have been done, and my father and Mr. Saotome had gone out for the day. Nabiki, Ranma and Akane won't be home from school for several hours and... oh dear! I have so much extra time." "Care-Bot is pleased that Mistress Kasumi is now free to enjoy the rest of the day. May I suggest that you make use of the recreational facilities in the complex." "Oh no! I couldn't do that." 'Why not? There are no more chores to be done, is there?" "No, but I couldn't just go in and use the other Ranmas' things and..." "Do not concern yourself with that detail. My master Prototype was correct in saying that you have a kind heart, and if any member of this household deserves to have access to the complex besides the native Ranma, it would be you." "Really? He said that?" Kasumi felt a warmth inside of her. No man had ever said that about her and she was unused to such compliments. "My master did not lie. Now please, follow me." An hour later... Kasumi was feeling absolutely spoiled after receiving an expert pedicure, manicure, back and foot massage and took another hot soak, this time in the bathing area of the complex. Unit Seven had called in the other Care-Bots to assist it, which they did cheerfully. Her hair was cleaned with a special shampoo that revitalized the fibers, making them more luxuriant and shiny. She felt the tension gently ease away as Unit 4 massaged her scalp. She almost fell asleep in the warm waters as soft gentle music played from hidden speakers. The melody was actually one of the songs that B-Ranma played on his flute. Another few hours later... The eldest Tendo daughter applauded after she was treated to an impromptu fashion show in the Virtual Reality Chamber. She had also been treated to a wonderful show of images of different worlds and sights that exploded with vibrant colors and patterns. She was in awe as images of various gowns and dresses were paraded in front of her with Care-Bot Unit 7 being the announcer. "And here we have a stunning evening gown from the Centuran planet of Galactic Sector Delta Q." An image of a green-skinned, humanoid woman walked past Kasumi, showing off the amber gown that had a daringly plunging neckline and accentuated the shoulders. The gown draped down toward the ankles, but had a slit up the side to show off a shapely leg. The dress was eye-catching enough to turn the heads of any full-blooded male. Kasumi had an image of herself in such a dress and blushed. She quickly pushed that image away. "You would look lovely in such a dress, Mistress Kasumi." "Oh no! I couldn't! Besides, it's just an image and..." Before she could say anything more, Kasumi was bathed in a white light as Unit Seven activated its molecular rearrangement projector at the simple house dress she was wearing. In an instant, she found herself clothed in that same evening gown, with her hair done up in a beautiful braid tied with a white ribbon. Her feet were wearing crystal, low heeled pumps and bejeweled, gold bracelet hung from her right wrist. A mirror appeared before her and Kasumi gasped at how... beautiful she looked. The dress had been altered to match her figure and it did quite a job of making her seem like a fairytale princess. Holy Cinderella! Kasumi couldn't believe the image of herself being reflected. The Care-Bot nodded. "You see, Mistress? You look ravishing." Kasumi couldn't help but agree. Yet, a new feeling came over her. She felt as if a huge burden that had been pressed against her for years was no longer there. She was free... to be Kasumi. She was a soul that had been redeemed. For today, the world no longer depended on her to be there. She felt more animated than she had ever been. She felt like nothing could hold her back as she gave the gown a twirl. She was more free than she ever experienced after taking her mother's place as the caretaker of the Tendo family. For one glorious day, Kasumi could be... normal. However, the moment passed as she realized that it was all an illusion and would end. Though Care-Bot 7 had released her from her duties and obligations for one wonderful day, she knew that it was only temporary. When T-Ranma and the others left, things would go back to what they were. She let off a long sigh and gave the Care-Bot a sad smile. "Unit Seven... today has been wonderful and I thank you, the other Car-Bots and your master. It had been a marvelous... holiday." "Holiday? I do not understand Mistress Kasumi. My fellow units and I will still be here to aid you tomorrow and the days after that." "It is not that I do not appreciate all that you and the other Units have done for me and my family, but I'm afraid that... it is all a dream. When you and the others leave, then... things will go back the way they were. Not that I'm complaining but..." Kasumi gave another long sigh as she her dreams of having a normal life without having to tend to all if her family's needs faded away. "It's all just a wonderful dream." "And what's wrong that dream?" Both Kasumi and Care-Bot Unit 7 turned suddenly at the sound of T-Ranma's voice and saw him casually leaning against the doorway to the VRC. The nanotech warrior smiled as he saw Kasumi dressed in the gown and nodded to Unit Seven. "Well, now Unit 7. It seems that the quiet little caterpillar has broken out of her cocoon. I see before me a very pretty butterfly." Kasumi blushed horribly as she realized that she was still in that very revealing evening gown. T-Ranma chuckled a bit as the girl tried cover herself with her arms, and gave her a reassuring smile. "Master Ranma. You have returned early." Care-Bot Unit 7 exclaimed. T-Ranma nodded as he walked up to the flustered Kasumi. "Yes, well my afternoon classes had to be canceled when Kuno went and attacked me again. I'm afraid that I went a little overboard with... disciplining him." He then turned and addressed the eldest Tendo daughter. "Don't be so shy, Miss Tendo. A pretty girl such as yourself should be seen and not hide behind an apron. Relax. This is your day off." T-Ranma said as he snapped his fingers and said, "Computer, I believe that a different setting would be more appropriate for Kasumi's newest addition to her wardrobe." The VRC computer acknowledged the subtle command and the setting was switched from its current appearance to that of a grand ballroom, complete with an orchestra. T-Ranma then engaged the cyberweave body suit he was wearing and was instantly clothed in a fancy tuxedo and gave Kasumi a bow as a soft waltz began to play. "Fair lady, may I have this dance?" "Oh no! I couldn't... oh!" T-Ranma gently took her hand and began leading her in time with the music. Later on... Kasumi emerged from the broom closet feeling refreshed (no, you hentais! Not because of that!), and turned to face both Unit 7 and T-Ranma as they exited. She was dressed in her normal clothes and the gown was neatly folded in her arms. "I would like to thank you both for a wonderful time and it was a day that I'll never forget." "It will be just as enjoyable tomorrow, Mistress Kasumi. I will see you in the morning." Unit Seven stated as he gave her and T-Ranma a bow before going back into the closet. "He's quite a Care-Bot." T-Ranma remarked. "Unit Seven happens to be the most proficient and I knew that it would be perfect for you." "And I thank you for the loan of it, but I'm afraid that I must return it to you. Today was wonderful, but I must return to my duties tomorrow and..." "What do you mean? Unit Seven will be will be helping you again tomorrow and so on." "Unit Seven is wonderful, but I..." Kasumi began but T-Ranma cut her off by gently. "The Care-Bot is my way of thanking your family for letting my counterparts and me stay here while my ship is repairing itself. And I know about your dream of having a normal life." He winked at her after patting her hand and turned back to the closet. "Hold onto your dreams. The future is built on them. Oh, and by the way, the gown and everything else that Care-Bot Unit Seven had given you today is yours to keep." Kasumi could only gaze at the technological and very mature version of the native Ranma entered the complex. She then looked down at the gown in her hands as he departed, his last words still echoing in her ears. To be continued... Author's notes Why did I write this chapter? I LIKE Kasumi and I figured that she deserved to be pampered while the five Ranmas were visiting. As for a potential romance between T-Ranma and Kasumi, it is a possibility. More GCC coming up later.