Tarre stood across from her new family and sat there nervously, her head bowed, as the quiet stretched out. She didn't glance up, she didn't need to.
The one she had been told was her new father was still crying loudly as the oldest of the girls, Kasumi, tried to comfort him, her face calm, though she glanced occasionally at Tarre.
The brown-haired girl, Nabiki, didn't have any particular expression on her face, she had seemed happy until she learned the news that Tarre had brought, then her face had frozen, and mostly stayed frozen.
The youngest, Akane, who had dark blue hair just like her Mother, was outright glaring at Tarre. It brought somewhat happy memories of the time just after she had been rescued by Silk.
In fact all the girls reminded her of silk. Their smell, their behaviors in different ways, and their looks. She just hoped they would take her in.
"I will honor my wife's final wishes," Soun said finally to the obvious disgust of Akane. It was hard to tell what Nabiki and Kasumi thought of the matter. "Welcome home, daughter."
"Thank you, Father," Tarre said relieved and bowing. "I...I shall try to earn my keep."
"Do you need help, oneesama?" Tarre asked from the doorway of the kitchen.
Kasumi glanced back and considered the offer for a moment, on the one hand it would mean giving up more of "her" domain to this new "sister." On the other hand it would make things a lot easier to have someone one hand with better reach than hair.
"Why do you call me 'oneesama?'" Kasumi asked, putting off her decision.
"You were here first, oneesama," Tarre said simply. Kasumi didn't argue the point.
"Do you know how to cook?" Kasumi asked.
"Hai," Tarre said with a soft and sad voice. "A little, Mother taught me."
Mother taught this girl to cook? Kasumi sounded surprised. "Okay..." Kasumi thought for a moment. "Can you cut those vegatables for me?"
"Hai, oneesama," Tarre said cheerfully and proceeded to get to work on her assigned task. After a moment Kasumi interrupted her.
"Wait, wait," Kasumi said, moving to stand by the larger girl.
"Did I do something wrong, Oneesama?" Tarre asked.
"I thought you said Mother taught you to cook," she said.
"I watched her prepare the food," Tarre said. "And...when she couldn't...I..." Kasumi sighed and felt herself starting to slip. She needed to stay strong, for her sisters, for her father, and in the face of this outsider.
"I see," Kasumi said sadly. She was about to send the girl away, but Tarre turned around of her own accord and started to leave.
"I'll see to the laundry," she said and she sounded so disappointed that Kasumi changed her mind.
"Wait," Kasumi said wearily. "Let's see what we have to work with." It was something her mother had told her when she was first learning to cook.
"You mean," Tarre asked hesitantly. "You'll teach me?"
"I guess so," Kasumi said.
"Tarre," Nabiki said, coming upon the dark-skinned girl outside doing the laundry. "Is my yellow dress done yet?" Three years, and the girl still looked the same, aside from the housedresses she had taken to wearing, or the long pony tail her hair was in.
"Almost, Oneesan," Tarre called back.
"Well, I need it for tonight," Nabiki said simply. "I'm going to a birthday party."
"Hai, Oneesan," Tarre said. "How was school today?" Though Nabiki had already turned around.
"She's not a servant, Nabiki," Kasumi lectured from where she lay on her stomach watching TV and doing her homework.
Nabiki shrugged, not saying anything about her opinions of the girl. Apparent or otherwise.
"Hey, did you see Akane's sister at the market?" a boy in her class was asking. Akane froze as she listened further.
"You mean the grey girl?" another boy asked. "What about her?"
"You should have seen it, man," the first said. "There was this car accident, nobody was hurt bad, but this one guy's car was flipped over before he climbed out. And they were waiting for the police or somebody to come clear it, and Akane's sister just sets down her groceries walks over and flips it around rightside up!!"
"Wow!" the second boy said. "She's stronger than Akane!"
Akane winced and clinched her teeth as she walked past the two suddenly silent boys.
"Tarre!" Akane shouted when she got home. Kasumi and Nabiki wouldn't be home yet, the high school got out later than the middle school Akane was going to now. Her father was usually on his afternoon walk about this time, there was nobody but Tarre to see what she knew was essentially a temper tantrum.
"Hai, oneechan," Tarre asked, pausing in doing whatever housework she was engaged in. "Do you need something?"
"Let's spar!" Akane shouted.
Tarre paused for a moment, looking a little worried. Wondering what she had done to upset Akane this time. Still, she had allowed the girl to "spar" with her quite often, and nothing bad had happened yet. Though it had been more than a year since she had last stood there in her vain attempts to put up some sort of challenge for Akane.
"H...hai, Oneechan," Tarre said.
Kasumi arrived home ahead of Nabiki, who was meeting some friends at school before heading to a baseball game. She came home to the unusual sight of Akane looking downright sheepish and worried, and hanging around the phone as if deciding whether or not to make a call.
"Is something wrong?" Kasumi asked, she noticed the beginning of a bruise on Akane's face. "Have you been fighting?"
"Just sparring," Akane said.
"But the only one home for you to spar with is..." Kasumi had a sudden sickening thought, and rushed to the dojo. As she had thought, Tarre was lying unconscious on the dojo floor, and she looked like a mess. "Oh my."
"I could never hurt her before!" Akane protested as Kasumi checked her pulse and started to pick her up.
This was moderately unfamiliar territory for her, Tarre knew more about first aid and caring for someone than Kasumi felt she ever would. The older girl shuddered as she considered how the girl had gained that knowledge.
"You couldn't break ten bricks bare-handed before," Kasumi yelled. "I'm going to Tofu's clinic, Akane. You come with me, we need to talk!" Kasumi was out of the house the next moment.
"It's just a concussion, I think," Doctor Tofu said. "And maybe some bruised ribs. It's hard to tell."
"Thank you, Doctor," Kasumi said.
For a moment it seemed that she had sent him giddy with that small bit of gratitude, but surely she was imagining it. She was much too young for him, certainly.
"It's no problem, Kasumi," Dr. Tofu said happily.
Kasumi was almost perfect. If she had been any more perfect Dr. Tofu would have had trouble maintaining any level of competence around her. As it was he was trying to avoid pounding himself into the ground for being a pervert and lusting for an eighteen year old girl.
"I need to talk to Akane now," Kasumi said, wearily. She stood up and wearily strode into the waiting room. Akane looked up at her nervously.
"Is she going to be..."
"She's going to be fine," Kasumi interrupted. "We need to talk about this temper of yours, Akane." Akane winced.
"Well, Akane," Nabiki said in a low voice after Soun had gotten through with lecturing at her. "I know Kasumi's the better cook, but that's a rather extreme way to get her to do dinner tonight, isn't it?"
Akane flushed red and looked down at her lap.
"Oneechan!" Tarre shouted, waving over the heads of the other students. Akane looked back and wondered what her sister was doing away from the house.
Akane paused at the entrance to the school and waited for the girl, she was finally starting to look as if she were a year older. It had only taken about nine years or so. Tarre reached Akane quickly and presented her with a bento.
"You forgot your lunch, Oneechan," Tarre said.
"Oh, uh," Akane said, she was still no longer certain how to treat the girl. There was a lingering distrust of her, but the scare that Akane had caused last year had pretty much destroyed that. Not even Akane was that stubborn. "Thanks Tarre."
"What beauty is this that is before me?" a voice demanded loudly. Akane turned to see Tatewaki Kuno standing in the school entrance.
"It's me, Kuno-Sempai," Akane said.
"Nay, think not that I would not recognize the true beauty of Akane Tendo," Kuno said. "I was referring to the exotic creature that stands with you, bearing your noon repast."
"Excuse me, I am Tarre Tendo," Tarre said, bowing formally with a confused expression. "I'm her adoptive sister."
"Ahhh," Kuno said. "To think that the same blood line that produced the famed Ice Queen should also produce two such beauties."
"I'm adopted," Tarre repeated, blushing as much as she could. Kuno didn't seem to hear.
"Certainly you have come because your sister has told you of the great Tatewaki Kuno," Kuno continued. "Oh, I weep to think that because of me two such gentle souls should be pitted against each other! Fear not, fair Tendos! For I..." Akane's fist to his face cut him off.
"The 'gentle soul' gets left out of this Kuno," Akane said to the unconscious swordsman. "Umm, you better get home before he comes to, Tarre."
"Ohh, uhh...hai," Tarre said, heading back for the gate and then her home.
Akane watched Tarre leave and sighed. Tarre was physically much stronger than Akane, she was probably harder to hurt, but Akane had learned that she was certainly not as capable of protecting herself. Muggers and stray animals sure, but not someTHING like Kuno.
Unless she got behind him with a lamp post, Akane corrected, remembering the giant boar that had reached the edge of town one day when she was still too young to effectively fight much.
"Tadaima," Kasumi called out, stretching as she slipped her shoes and satchel off in the entrance.
"Okaeri Nasai, Oneesama," a young voice called out. Kasumi rounded a corner towards the bulk of the building and saw her adoptive sister working on the laundry.
"Hey, Tarre," Kasumi called out cheerily. "Am I too late for breakfast?"
"Iie, Oneesama," Tarre said, finishing hanging up the basket before her. "I was just about to start, unless you would like to." She sounded hopeful.
"Maybe I'd like to see how you've improved," Kasumi said. Tarre blinked and then nodded, looking embarrassed, she was probably blushing too, though Kasumi couldn't tell.
"Hai, Oneesama," Tarre said, bowing lightly.
"Don't be worried," Kasumi said. "I'm sure it will be fine, I just feel a little too tired to make something today. So, do you know what this news that Father is talking about it?"
"Iie," Tarre said. "He received a post card in the mail yesterday and called this meeting."
"All of us then?" Kasumi asked. At least it was
Sunday and she had no classes, culinary or college.
"Hai, Oneesama," Tarre said, then she paused. "Oh wait, I am afraid I shall have to miss it. I need to get some supplies for the larder."
"He's not including you in this?" Kasumi asked.
"Iie," Tarre said.
It wasn't all that surprising. Her father provided everything he was supppsed to for Tarre and made sure that she was taken care of, but when it came to family business. In those cases he almost acted like she didn't exist.
"I need to be going, Oneesama," Tarre said.
"Be careful," Kasumi said. "I heard that that Kuno boy is bothering you now, too."
"I run faster than he does, Oneesama," Tarre said.
"FIANCE!!!!!!"
"Father!!" Kasumi gasped. "I HAVE a boyfriend already! Tofu-kun and I are very close! And what if he's too young for me?"
"Why isn't Tarre here?" Nabiki asked.
"Well, she isn't a Tendo by blood," Soun explained.
Tarre had watched horrified as a strange redhead fought off this giant panda, only to have the panda wake up and knock her unconscious when her back was turned.
The local people were hardly surprised when Tarre walked over to pull a lamp post out of the ground. In fact a lot of them started making a great deal of noise to make it easier for her to sneak up behind him.
"Tadaima!" Tarre's voice called out.
"What are you doing home?" Soun asked, seeming confused. "You have to do the shopping."
"Sumimasen, Father," Tarre said coming into view carrying a small, unconscious redheaded girl. "But Tofu-san is still out of town until tomorrow and I needed to bring her somewhere!" She set the girl down on the floor and went to get the first-aid supplies.