The image of Tendo Soun's late wife, Hiroko, haunted him on a day-to-day basis, in one form or another. Soun preferred to do all he could to keep himself and his three sons from forgetting her. As long as they kept the memory of Tendo Hiroko alive, a part of her continued to live on in the Tendo household. They had each contributed to a small shrine honoring her within a small alcove in the house. Soun made it a point to visit the shrine at least once a day... to spend time with her in spirit, occasionally making sure she was kept up-to-date on all the latest family-related events. Hiroko would not miss a moment of her family's lives, if he could help it. He felt the fatigue resurfacing in his legs from having knelt in front of the shrine for some time, and urged it to leave him be for a while longer. There... were only a few things left to be said. "Ayumi and Ranma had another argument again last night," Soun said, forcing a weary laugh. "I can't say I know what the cause of this argument was, but every time I look at either of them or watch them, I'm very much reminded of you." "Perhaps they would have been more civil toward one another if we hadn't arranged their marriage ahead of time, I don't know. It is becoming readily obvious, however, that they do care what happens to each other." Soun proceeded to drift from further notes on Ranma and Ayumi to Naka and Kasuga, with an offhand remark about Genma's shogi-playing talents. Finally, wiping away the tears that had already found a place to rest upon his cheeks, he let out a sigh and concluded his visit to the shrine by repeating his vow to love her and never forget her. He stood, composing himself. The head of the Tendo household had something of an image to maintain, even though there was no one else present in the house except for Ranma. The cursed girl was waiting for him in the adjoining hallway. "Ranma!" he exclaimed in surprise. "Were you eavesdropping on me?" Ranma lowered her head slightly in embarrassment. "A little," she admitted. "I was doing some housework in the family room and happened to overhear you. I'm sorry." "That's okay. I should have remembered how the sound would carry in an empty house," Soun offered her a smile. With Ranma's father at work and the three Tendo brothers out for the day, she was left to take care of a few of the household chores. She seemed to relax, though there was still a feeling of apprehension present in the way Ranma carried herself. "Ano......" Soun noticed Ranma's hesitation. "Is something the matter, Ranma?" he asked. "Umm... I've been thinking a lot about my Mom lately," she answered, uneasily. "I realized that I don't know very much about her. Dad never even told me what her name was." It was true; the only information about her mother Ranma truly remembered was what her father had consistently told her - that her mother had, unfortunately, passed away. Genma had mentioned now and then that she and her mother were somewhat alike, but Ranma wasn't sure how to take her father's words. "I thought... well, I thought that maybe you could tell me what my mother was like. What her name was. Things like that." They followed the hallway to the family room. "Well... I suppose Saotome-kun wouldn't mind me telling you what I know about your mother," Soun said at last. Ranma smiled. "Thank you, Uncle." She paused. "Oh, um... I'd... uh, rather you didn't tell Dad I'm asking questions about Mom." "Why not?" she wanted to say. She was already sure the man was hiding something from her, although it wouldn't be the first time... "I want to surprise him." Well, that wasn't too far removed from the truth, actually. "Thing is, I don't think Dad wants to talk much about Mom. Whenever I ask him he usually changes the subject." Soun sat at his customary position at the head of the table, adopting a look of thoughtfulness, and Ranma took a seat at the table as well. "Genma always did have difficulty when it comes to answering personal questions... There are times when I suspect dodging the issue is a talent he's perfected." He chuckled for a second over his little joke. Ranma said nothing in response; they both knew Saotome Genma well enough that no description of the man was truly necessary. "Ah. Anyway, about your mother... Her name was Nodoka, as I recall." "Nodoka," Ranma repeated the name to herself, committing the name to memory. <*Nodoka*. So that's my mother's name.> She opened her mouth to ask another question, but Soun continued before the words came. "In response to your next question, I'm afraid I can't say for sure what kind of person Nodoka was." "Why not?" Soun sighed. "Hiroko and I never met Nodoka in person. We could only make guesses based on what she and your father said in their phone calls and letters." "They didn't even invite you to the wedding?" Ranma's eyes widened. Was Mr. Tendo implying that Nodoka, her mother, could be as insensitive as her father? "They did invite us. However, as I'm sure you're aware, your father likes living the life of a wanderer, on the road." Ranma nodded. "When the invitation Genma sent to us arrived in the mail, there was no way we could get there in time for the wedding. Fortunately, your mother and father understood." "Oh." Ranma appeared crestfallen. After a full moment of tense silence, she decided to chance asking one of the most important questions of all. "So...... uh, do you know exactly when my mother... uh, passed away?" Soun thought about it. "I'm not sure. We traded letters regularly until Hiroko passed away. After that, I was too distraught to return to writing. I let the years pass, and the next thing I knew, you and your father were here. That was when he told me Nodoka had recently died..." "Recently!?" the young Saotome blurted. "That can't be right! Dad's been telling me she was gone for as long as I remember!" It was Soun's turn to pause. "Why would Genma tell you that, then turn around and tell me something different? I know I've never met her in person, but Nodoka was a friend. I think I deserve to know the truth." Ranma pursed her lips. Genma had told at least *one* of them a lie. She vowed to determine exactly what the lies were... but it wouldn't do to have the old man aware that they knew about the lies. "Uh, maybe Dad knew how you were feeling and didn't want to upset you with the news until we got here." The man's voice betrayed his uncertainty. "I suppose you could be right." That Ranma was willing to accept her father's word - more so since Genma was a practiced liar - struck him as odd. Yet his practiced gaze could see the composed air of determination once again around Ranma. She would discover the truth about her mother one way or another. If only he had more information to give her... He dreaded to think of what Ranma might possibly do to Genma if her father had indeed lied to her. "Huh?" Ranma shot a glance at her watch and exhaled. "I've got to get dinner started." She rose from the table, pausing long enough on her way to the kitchen to thank her 'Uncle' for his help. Overall, her suspicions were again starting to increase. Aside from the discrepancy between what Genma had told her about her mother and what he had told Soun, Ranma wondered how he had learned of Nodoka's passing in the first place. She didn't recall him making any phone calls to any 'relatives...' in fact, he rarely used the phone at all, and they had moved around quite a lot without letting anyone know where they were or where they were going to be. Genma always avoided the issue when it came to her mother. More so than any other. Why? Once in the kitchen, Ranma went straight to the cabinet where the aprons were kept, pulling out the apron that belonged to her and put it on, tying the straps in a hasty knot behind her back. After the time when Ranma had accidentally used the apron that had been Tendo Hiroko's favorite, Kasuga had bought Ranma an apron of her own as soon as he felt up to leaving the house. Kasuga regarded the kitchen as his own refuge, the one place in the house where he could be close to his mother... similar in a sense to the shrine Soun maintained. The kitchen was largely as Hiroko had left it, except for the occasional decorative touch Kasuga added - some changes were unavoidable, such as with the ceramic planter a younger Ayumi had broken. Naka and Ayumi never volunteered to help much with the household chores, though, unlike Ranma. Sure, she'd been roped into helping initially by her father, but since then Ranma insisted on helping out whenever she could. No one knew quite why. Naka assumed she felt guilty about living in their house without contributing anything. Kasuga had immediately asked business-minded Naka why *he* didn't help with any of the chores, and Naka had fallen silent. Today, Kasuga had the day off. It had been Ranma's idea to have Ayumi and Naka take Kasuga with them as they spend the day just having fun. Because, as everyone knew, no one deserved a day off now and then more than Kasuga. Ranma's thoughts drifted to concerns over her small pet pig, P-chan. Usually, when Ranma took care of the kitchen chores, she let P-chan watch her from the countertop nearby. But P-chan had been absent now for a longer period of time than ever before, and Ranma was starting to wonder if she might finally have to face up to the possibility that her P-chan might be gone for good, this time. The thought depressed her somewhat; she had other pets - the goldfish she had won at the neighborhood carnival during the time Ayumi had been trapped as a girl - though the small fish wouldn't be much of a replacement. Her suspicions continued to haunt her the entire while she tended to her cooking. She set the timer on the rice cooker and stepped over to the sink to rinse off her hands. She had made up her mind to make a phone call, and it wouldn't do to get food all over the receiver. Ranma reached over the counter to grab the phone, pausing a moment before dialing the number. "Miki-chan?" she said after waiting for her friend to answer the phone. "...It's me, Ranma. ......Yeah. Uh, you said a while back that your dad works with the police?" Pause. "No, nothing like that. I was just wondering if maybe he could help me find any information on a relative of mine." "Yeah." Another pause. "Saotome Nodoka." Longer pause. "My mother." Destiny's Wish Part Twenty-Seven: It's the Thought That Counts written by Mike Koos ------------------------------ Three weeks later, Genma called Ranma into the dojo. "You've been slacking off on many of your training exercises, Ranma." Genma, who wore a cloth rag tied securely around his head to hide his long-since receded hairline, gave her his most-practiced look of disgust. "It shames me to see how soft you've let yourself become." Ranma scowled. "You don't have a clue, do you? I get along just fine without your stupid exercises. I don't need them. And anyway, if they're so special, why don't YOU use them?" "I do not have the time." "Sure you do!" Naka cracked from the sidelines. "What about all that time you spend lounging all over the place and eating?" This earned him a slight reprimand from his father. "Naka..." warned Soun. Genma glared at Naka peripherally, at the same time making sure to keep Ranma within the range of his senses. "Come out here, boy, and I'll show you how lazy a martial artist I am." "Don't you mean *panda*?" Ranma sneered. Her father turned back to face her. Unseen by anyone, a sinister expression briefly crossed Naka's face. Oh, the old man would pay for that one... Genma was aware he couldn't turn this particular insult back on Ranma; there weren't really any great variations in Ranma's fighting between her true form and her cursed form. As a boy Ranma lost a bit of speed, not to mention freedom of movement, but she also gained size, distance, and a little more power to put into her straightforward attacks. She'd learned since being cursed how to adapt to either form when fighting, so she wouldn't be disadvantaged in most circumstances. So, Genma chose the only option left to him. "You dare show such disrespect to a superior fighter and your sensei?" "Just shut up and attack me already, will you? Listening to you talk is boring," Ranma returned, largely unimpressed. Ayumi stared at Ranma. The tomboy seemed more irritated than usual in fighting her father. She *did* have a tendency to fight with her anger rather than her mind at times... did that mean she was destined to lose this fight? The two fighters sprang into the air, trading a series of punches and kicks as they passed each other in midair. Genma chose to emphasize strength over speed - not giving Ranma a chance to add the incredible speed of the Kachuu Tenshin Amaguriken to her attacks, since he had no adequate counter for such moves. She didn't need to dedicate the speed solely to her attacks, as he soon discovered. Ranma dropped to the ground, crouched there for an instant, and disappeared from Genma's line of sight. By the time he landed, extending his senses outward to detect her before she could get too close, she had positioned herself immediately behind him. Only when Genma realized she was there did she release a flurry of punches into the man's midsection. Genma blocked as best he could, though he was steadily being driven backward. He caught sight of an anger of an intensity never seen before burning in Ranma's eyes. All of it clearly directed at him. thought Ayumi. It was unusual for the tomboy to show this much concentration alongside this much anger. Her mallet hadn't come into play, either. No, Ranma's anger was clearly lending power to her punches, as it were. Something she had learned from watching Ryomi? Though, Ryomi also wasn't all that skilled with controlling her temper. In no time Ranma had backed her father into the closest dojo wall. She aimed a punch at his jaw... And stopped short a fraction of an inch from her intended target. Genma flinched. He hadn't expected Ranma to pull any punches... nor had he expected her to turn and walk away. He found his voice. "Where do you think you're going, *girl*? Are you admitting you're incapable of fighting me? You're more of a weakling than I thought. Oh, how you shame our family name..." She glanced over her shoulder at him, that same anger still present in her eyes. "This fight is over," Ranma stated evenly, "unless you want me to beat the crap out of you for all the lies you've been giving me." Genma puffed himself up to full height. "I have *never* lied to you." She strode back to him. "Oh, really? Okay, then, *why* have you been telling me for as long as I can remember that my Mom was dead when I know for a fact she's *still alive*!?" Ranma had the pleasure of seeing her father's face turn pale. The Tendo family was likewise surprised. Soun stood. "Is this true, Saotome-kun?" he asked, disapprovingly. "Y-yes. It... is true," Genma's voice went silent. "But... how did you...?" He was surprised. He had known that one day, Ranma would unavoidably learn the truth about her mother - yet he hadn't expected the girl to be this calm. "Find out?" Ranma finished her father's question. "I've got a friend whose father's with the police. A few checks, and guess what we found?" she put the question to him, purposely leaving out the fact that Mr. Tendo had provided the start they'd needed by giving Ranma her mother's name. She went on. "I've been talking to her on the phone for the last couple of weeks, Dad. You know, filling her in on everything that's happened over the past fifteen years, things like that." Genma's face turned ashen. "You didn't tell her about your curse, did you?" "Of course I did. What, you think I would *lie* to her or something?" The elder Saotome collapsed to his knees. "Ranma, before we left home to train, I made a pact with your mother. Both of us, you and I, signed the agreement. I would train you, and if, when we eventually came to the end of our journey, you were not thoroughly a girl inside and out... you and I would take our own lives in ritual seppuku." "Seppuku!?" came the cry of disbelief from all four members of the Tendo family at once. "Yes." It was here that Genma's words seemed to acquire a stage-like quality. "And because Ranma is cursed to physically transform into a boy, she is not thoroughly a girl inside and out, as the pact stipulates." His eyes darted around the room; apparently, he was searching for a path or plan of escape. "Ranma, you have just sealed our fate." Ranma, however, remained unconcerned. She snorted. "It's what you are *inside* that counts, right, Dad? Don't worry. Mom told me all about your little pact, and she's not holding me to it. She said I was way too young at the time to make such a decision." Too young, indeed. Less than two years old and her father was using her handprints on legal documents? If he'd taken out any loans in her name... She stopped for a breath. "Though she IS rather ticked off at you, of course. And I don't blame her." "Ranma, I--" Genma knew he had lost what little control he had over the argument. His daughter cut him off. "You *lied* to me, Dad! All these years of wondering what my Mom was like! I could've just ASKED her, but *no*, you had to make me think she was dead!" Not to mention everyone else, she added in her thoughts, glancing at Soun and the three brothers seated near him. "It was the only way, Ranma. I had to make sure you concentrated only on the fight." Another snort. "Yeah, and look how I've turned out as a result? Thank you so very much, Dad! I'm never gonna speak to you again." That said, she stormed out of the room, ignoring Genma's attempts to call her back. He turned to look at the Tendos for help, but they averted their gazes. Naka was at a loss for words. What Genma had done to Ranma was inexcusable, yet at the same time, Ranma's response to the old man was worse than any vengeful scheme he might have invented. The old man no doubt deserved it. Their mother's passing had hit Naka, Kasuga and Ayumi hard. Only Genma and Ranma knew how Ranma had taken never knowing her mother. Plus, Mr. Saotome was frightened about being reunited with his wife. This was shaping up to be the reunion of the decade... ** ** ** Saotome Nodoka walked cautiously through the front gates of the Tendo residence, hesitating long enough to take in the innocent beauty of the yard - which, for the time being, was undisturbed. She was reminded of her own property, very much like this one, lonely as her home might be. Of what use was maintaining a beautiful home if there was no one whom she could share that beauty with? Nodoka ran a hand through her graying curls of hair before pressing on and sighed. She had known she would one day be reunited with her only daughter, Ranma - she simply hadn't expected the reunion to occur now, not in another few years. That Genma had maintained a story about her passing away to keep Ranma from searching for her came as no real surprise. Thank goodness Ranma was around to keep an eye on her father. For now, Genma would have to contend with the indomitable businessperson she had become in his absence, not the indecisive woman he had chosen to remove from their daughter's life. She did happen to look the part now, dressed in a warmly-colored business ensemble as it were. And, if that failed, there was the item she carried with her in an unassuming, thin leather-bound case. She hoped it wouldn't come to that. Ranma deserved not to have to watch her parents argue. Nodoka raised her voice at the front door to announce her presence. "Gomen kudasa--i!!" She caught the sound of someone sprinting through the hallway until he or she reached the foyer, then, the footsteps died away, meaning that the person had switched to walking. Either that, or they had made an extraordinarily long jump. Could it be Ranma? Only Ranma would be as eager to meet her. During their phone conversations Ranma had made it clear that she was essentially the only girl in a house that otherwise consisted of three boys and two men. Therefore, if it was a girl who answered the door... It was Ranma who greeted her. "Mom!" Ranma exclaimed brightly, and the two hugged. Soun waited along with his three sons at the entrance to the foyer. "After all these years, it's good to finally be able to speak with you face-to-face, Ranma-chan." Nodoka held Ranma at arm's length and studied her. "You've grown into a beautiful young woman." Ranma had inherited her mother's gentle features, plus Nodoka's brown eyes and blue-black hair - though it was the influence of her father that kept the hair straight, not curled. Except... Ranma kept her long hair swept back into a braided pigtail. Combined with the girl's innocent features, it tended to make Ranma appear younger than she truly was. Something she had picked up from her travels, her father's training, or both? Genma had mentioned in passing once that a fighter was - in his not-so-humble opinion - far better off without long hair to get in the way of fighting. Momentarily caught up in the excitement over her mother's arrival, Ranma forgot her modesty. "Thank you," she blushed. Nodoka knew she couldn't fault her daughter's lapse in modesty; this was the first real chance they had had to relate in nearly sixteen years. She had missed not being a part of Ranma's development from a child into a young woman. "I'll bet everyone is quite envious when it comes to you and your cute iinazuke, right, Ayumi-kun?" she smiled, using the opportunity to single Ayumi out ahead of time. Both Ayumi and Ranma's faces reddened. "Mom!" exclaimed Ranma, sounding dismayed. Not five minutes into their reunion and Mom was already pairing them off as a cute couple. Nodoka ruffled her daughter's hair. "So tell me, Ranma - would that no-good father of yours happen to be here?" There was no trace of disgust to her voice, but more of a wry tone in its place. Ranma frowned. She thought about snorting, then changed her mind. "He took off on a training trip right after he found out you knew we were here and wanted to visit." "He hasn't changed," sighed Nodoka. "I, on the other hand, would like to apologize for not keeping in touch with you all these years," Soun spoke up. "If I had, I might have seen that Genma wasn't telling us the truth about you." "Don't worry about it," Nodoka offered him a slow nod. Soun had stopped writing to her on occasion shortly after his wife's passing; he had had a lot of emotional strain to work through. "We have a chance now to catch up on everything." Soun appeared to relax somewhat. Nodoka had gathered from her husband's remarks and the letters and calls from the Tendos that Soun tended to be a very emotional person, and Nodoka had to admit to herself that she wasn't sure how she should tread in this instance. "I have to admit that I still don't understand why Genma found it necessary to tell Ranma you had passed away," he maintained. "I've always believed he felt that I would have an adverse effect on Ranma's training," Nodoka said, noticing Ranma's expression darkening as a result. "I should have realized he might do something like this, especially after his complaints over having had a daughter." Ranma reacted as though she had been struck. Her gaze lowered to the ground. "So I was right. He didn't want me. He wanted a son." Her mother blanched, and rushed to place an arm around her. "He does care about you, Ranma. But you know how preoccupied he can get with things like pride, honor, the family name and the martial arts. A son might have ensured his legacies lived on in the Saotome name for another generation. Personally, I think parts of that legacy are better off being forgotten." "I still haven't determined which he cares about the most - his family, or his pursuit of the martial arts." She supposed she shouldn't have been surprised by the overwhelming amount of sarcasm in Ranma's follow-up remark. "Tell me about it." "I'm sure Uncle Saotome meant well," Kasuga said, hoping to defuse Ranma's infamous temper before it could flare out of control. Ranma's anger toward her father was no secret in this household. But Ranma would have none of it. "You haven't lived with him as long as I have, Kasuga. I--" "Ranma," Nodoka's reprimand was quiet yet firm. "I know you resent some of the things he has caused to happen to you throughout your life, but he is still your father. He deserves your respect." *Some* of the things? She blinked. Ah, arguing with her mother was the *last* thing in the world she wanted to have result from this meeting. "Yes, Mother." "Hey, at least your Dad didn't train you in the Nekoken, right?" Ayumi asked her, sensing an opening. Soun moved quickly to change the subject and led Nodoka out of the foyer toward the family room. "Yes, well... we should continue this discussion in the family room. It isn't right to force our guest to stand. Mrs. Saotome, would you like to come in and have a seat?" She wasn't sure what had led to Soun's change in behavior. He did have a point, though. "I would. Thank you." Nodoka, seated at the family room table beside Ranma, accepted the cup of hot tea Kasuga offered her. "Thank you, Kasuga." So, Kasuga had taken over the role of housekeeper in his mother's absence... more recently, with Ranma providing some welcome help. Ranma had started by apologizing to her mother for not having anything special prepared to eat or drink; Nodoka had chosen to visit with very little advance warning, hoping she could catch Genma before the man fled. Nodoka was proud. What she had seen so far of Ranma indicated that the young woman was far more than the indifferent fighter she had hoped Ranma would not become. Unlike her father... No one should have to accept Saotome Genma as his or her only role model. "After Genma left with Ranma," she began her tale, "I decided to take charge of my life, finances... everything." She rested the thin leather case she had brought with her upon the aged wooden table, carefully opening the case to reveal a katana, sheathed and nestled within the velvet-like molding. The sword had seen some use, but was well-cared for... its polished blade by itself was evidence of that. "This katana has been in my family for several generations. One day, I will pass it down to you, Ranma." The image of Ranma wielding both her mallet *and* a katana at once brought a nervous lump to Ayumi's throat. Ranma didn't need the mallet, really - she used it primarily to drive her points home, and on rare occasions to supplement her fighting. "I have always had an interest in antiques, such as this sword, so I took a job in the industry. Eventually, I decided to open my own business, which has done moderately well." Especially without Genma around to influence her to make poor business decisions... Something about the words 'business' and 'doing moderately well' intrigued Naka. He leaned forward. "How well?" Ranma shot him a warning glance. "Give it a rest, Naka. It's not like she brought the finance books with her or anything! You can ask her about buying stock later." "...What are you two talking about?" inquired Nodoka. "Well..." Ayumi's intervention saved Ranma the trouble of having to explain. "Let's just say that Naka's the 'junior businessman' of the family," he said, hoping to leave it at that. He didn't feel like rattling off a list of the type of 'business deals,' shady or not, he knew Naka to have a hand in. Ranma smirked faintly... coincidentally mirroring Naka's own smirk. "Oh. I see," Nodoka said, when in actuality she had not. "I'm just surprised, that's all," Naka reclined back on his hands. "I guess I'm too used to seeing Mr. Saotome scrounge money and food from everyone. Ranma, at least, knows how to save her money." Nodoka thought about saying something in response, but chose to wait. "I learned to do *that* a long time ago," indicated Ranma. Again, the distaste in Ranma's voice was unmistakable. What kind of life, exactly, Nodoka wondered, had Ranma been forced to live on the road with her father? "Did you have much money to spend on yourself while you were growing up? I assume your father didn't spend much on things like clothes for you." Ranma nodded absently. "No, not much. Not until we came here. Most of the clothes I've had were second-hand or worse, whatever Dad could get. The only new clothes I usually ever got were my school uniforms." She paused for a breath. "I mean, this is the first time I've ever really had an allowance." Nodoka felt a touch of sympathy for her daughter. "Well, I want you to know that now, I'm here for you as well," she reassured Ranma. "Since you and Ayumi-kun are engaged, you deserve the best life possible." The pair simply stared at her, incredulous. Naka let his gaze land on everyone else before drifting out into the garden. Kasuga and Mrs. Saotome were innocents; Mrs. Saotome wasn't aware how much Ayumi and Ranma despised being engaged to be married without their say-so, even though they couldn't admit they had developed feelings for one another. Ah, well, there was still plenty of time. Not to mention the possibility of coercion or trickery as a last resort. Soun, like Genma, was no innocent. He firmly believed Ranma and Ayumi would fall madly in love, fulfilling his plans to ensure that *his* legacies lived on. What was so blasted special about either of their family names that a marriage had to be forced to keep it alive? Couldn't Dad also see that forcing the two to be close drove wedges between them? Naka hated to believe that Ranma had developed feelings for Ayumi or Ayumi for her only because they were stuck with each other. He dared not say it aloud, but Ayumi and Ranma deserved better than to be forced into a relationship. On the other hand, a girl who wasn't afraid to pound Ayumi when he acted like an idiot - which he did quite often, at that - was probably just what insensitive Ayumi needed. "Mom, don't you think we're still too young to even think about getting married?" Ranma's protest brought him back. After all that had happened, her mother continued to support the engagement? Nodoka met Ranma's gaze. "Perhaps. However, we did make this promise shortly after the two of you were born, and I continue to believe it is a good idea, especially since you still have a lot of your father's influence in you." Ranma hesitated, saying nothing. "And you, young man," Nodoka turned to Ayumi, "could use a bit of a lesson in humility, from what I have seen and been told." Ayumi thought sourly. The tomboy was going to pay for that one. "I've been telling him that for years," smirked Naka. An opportunity like this was difficult to let pass... "The same goes for you, Naka." ...Even if it meant risking his own neck in the process. Naka was silently grateful that Ranma apparently hadn't told her mother much about him... had she? He smiled tightly to himself. Ranma wasn't *that* shrewd. A deliveryman announced his presence at the front door seven minutes later; the take-out dinner Kasuga had ordered over the phone had finally arrived. Kasuga and Ranma excused themselves to prepare the take-out for the family and their guest. Ranma had been dead-set against ordering anything from the Nekohanten. Shampoo or her great-great grandmother - or *both*! - would use a delivery as an excuse to come to the house to fawn over Ayumi. Why not? They had done it several times before... the Nekohanten *was* Kasuga's first choice for ordering take-out, oddly enough. But this time, Ranma didn't want anything to spoil the evening. Particularly an unrestrained... *person* like Shampoo. After a while everyone filtered off to take care of other things, leaving Soun and Nodoka to fill each other in on events of the past fifteen years. Ranma couldn't help but wonder how much of that conversation was about her. With an effort she forced her thoughts back to the extra-credit algebra work on her desk. Her grades, in her opinion, needed the boost. Ayumi figured she was out of her mind for wanting to do more homework when she didn't need to. "Your grades are worse than mine, and you're telling *me* how to do my schoolwork?" she'd said at the time, reproachfully. Typical of the baka. Okay... so maybe Yuka and Sayuri hadn't wanted to do the extra-credit work, either. Their grades were well enough off; if they wanted to forego the extra work, that was their choice. She had no idea what kind of grades Daisuke and Hiroshi made. Something like Ayumi's grades, no doubt. There was a window directly across from her seat at the desk through which she could look out across the neighboring yards, the sparsely-traveled roads or the mountains in the far distance. She hadn't used it as a distraction tonight, though. The first sign she had that she'd lost track of time was when she heard the knock at her door. "Come in," she spoke up, casting a quick glance out the window. Nighttime, already? Nodoka peered around the edge of the door and saw that Ranma was seated at her desk. "Doing your homework?" "Extra-credit work for algebra," Ranma sighed, setting her pencil down in the middle of her open book. "I thought you were downstairs talking with Mr. Tendo." "Well... unfortunately, it's getting late. I have a handful of errands to run tomorrow morning, so I suppose I had better be going soon." Nodoka paused. "I wanted to come up to see you and your room before I left." Ranma's ridiculous grin returned to her face as her mother entered and began to make mental notes about everything she could see. "I'm afraid there's not much to see. I'm still working on getting a few more pieces of furniture in here, if I ever get enough money set aside for it." Not that she intended to con Nodoka out of any money... "Oh, we can probably do something about that. Would you mind if I took a look at your wardrobe?" The grin wilted somewhat. A little over half of her wardrobe still consisted of the odds and ends Genma had allowed her to buy while they traveled, the least of which included a few Chinese outfits pieced together in the vain hope that she wouldn't have had to change clothes if she got wet while trudging from one martial-arts challenge to the next. Nodoka examined selections from Ranma's wardrobe at random. Ranma had subconsciously arranged her closet so that her old clothing remained apart from the newer clothes she'd bought after taking up residence here. On several of those old clothes, the girl had sewn holes or tears together with white thread that stood out against the darker colors - Genma had been too cheap even to allow her to buy more than the one color of thread to match her clothes - as best she could. "You weren't kidding when you were talking about your wardrobe," Nodoka set the clothes carefully back in their place and closed the closet door. Oh, the difficult times Ranma must have had to endure... "Ranma? What would you say if I took you shopping tomorrow afternoon for some clothes or other things?" In other words, an excuse for her to spend time with her long-lost daughter. That was what really mattered. Ranma considered it. "Okay," she smiled. ** ** ** The one factor Ranma hadn't thought to take into account was whether or not her mother would bring along a katana, case and all. Ranma had been understandably uneasy about the possibility of both of them getting into deep trouble for carrying around a bladed weapon in public, but Nodoka insisted that she didn't trust leaving the heirloom anywhere except with her. That did little to reassure Ranma. She shifted the few bags she was carrying to her other hand. What worried her more than the katana was the full set of dress clothes Nodoka had selected for her. Ranma figured that with her mediocre luck, she would probably have to wear the ridiculous outfit every time her mother came to visit. It just wasn't her. What was she going to do, pretend to be someone else whenever her mother showed up? She smirked. The whole thing sounded like an insane plan her father might have invented, in a sense. "Ranma, wait." Huh? Oh, right. She had been too busy being lost in thought to watch where they were going. Her mother had come to a halt before the glass window of another clothing shop. Ranma noticed that all of the mannequins were wearing boy's clothing. "Mom, this is a guy's clothing shop," she said with a bit of restraint. What were they doing here? Buying presents for Ayumi? Nodoka seemed hesitant to broach the issue. "I'll admit I don't know your size as a boy, but we really should get you a few items of boys' clothing so that you stand a chance of not looking too much out of place when you're a boy. You shouldn't have to be embarrassed by your curse if you can avoid it." She hadn't seen anything in Ranma's wardrobe that would look like it belonged to a girl trapped in a boy's body thanks to some obscure curse. Come to think of it, until this point she had never believed in curses... until Ranma proved beyond a doubt that curses did exist. "But I *want* to be embarrassed." Ranma's voice was still subdued. "What?" Nodoka started in surprise. "Why in the world would you *want* to be embarrassed?" "So I won't forget how much I hate this curse and how much I want to get rid of it." After a second or two, the corners of Nodoka's lips turned upward in a slight smile. "I see you've inherited the legendary Saotome stubbornness, I suppose. But what you're implying is that you would risk tremendous embarrassment that would possibly affect you for the remainder of your life just because you're too stubborn to accept the fact that you're cursed?" Ranma didn't have an answer for that question. "Hiding your curse to keep from being embarrassed doesn't mean you're going to stop looking for a way to reverse your condition." Nodoka did have a point. "...Well...," was all that Ranma could offer in response. The expression on Nodoka's face softened. "I'll tell you what - if you promise to stop being so critical about your curse, the next time I have to take a trip to China on business, you can come along. We'll find that Jhusenkyou place and see if there's a cure for you yet." "Do you mean it?" Hope abruptly rose in Ranma's features. Nodoka smiled again. "Of course I do, dear." She caught Ranma's sudden cringe as someone spoke up nearby. "Ah, but what is this vision of the heavens I see before my eyes?" The voice was at once haughty as well as boastful, belonging to a young man, and from Ranma's reaction, someone she wasn't at all thrilled to see. Or hear, for that matter. The boy was roughly a year or two older than Ranma, dressed in samurai's robes, a wooden sword secured to his belt. He stepped forward to clasp the nonplussed girl's hands within his own. "How fortunate I am that you are willing to go to the trouble of learning my daily schedule, so that you can join me and ask for the privilege of going on a date with me." Ranma looked up at him in disdain. She was long since used to this behavior from Kunou Tatewaki... presently, she usually kicked the Kendo swordsman out of her way rather than waste time trying to explain to the guy why she wasn't in love with him - particularly since he wouldn't listen to her anyway. It had once bothered Ranma that Kunou thought her marriage to him was irreversibly destined to take place; now, like the majority of the Fuurinkan High student body, she shrugged it off as Kunou's usual delusional prosaic ramblings. She made an effort to restrain her temper. "Are you through yet, Kunou-sempai?" Before her arrival at Fuurinkan High, Kunou had imposed his leadership over most of the students, declaring that no boy could ask any of the girls out on a date until he had found the girl of his dreams - Naka, thankfully, had talked Kunou out of declaring all existing relationships among the students as void for the duration to keep everyone from forming a lynch mob even more. Kunou had a major problem with understanding when he was taking matters too far. Now that Kunou had set his sights on Ranma, a girl who not only wanted nothing to do with him but could also easily defeat him in a fight, sword and all, most people ignored him. "Leave her alone," Nodoka said coldly. Kunou was more concerned with Ranma than paying attention to whoever it was disputing his ability to express his love for the fair goddess, Saotome Ranma. He readied his bokutou. "Who dares to tell me to stay away from the girl who desires me as much as I do her?" Ranma rolled her eyes in disgust. Unimpressed, Nodoka began opening the latches on the case that held her katana. "I'm her mother." While Kunou attempted to let this new information sink in, Nodoka glanced at Ranma, knowing better than to drop her guard around anyone with a drawn sword. "Ranma, who is this boy?" "He's--" "I am Kunou Tatewaki, age seventeen, the 'Blue Thunder' of Fuurinkan High School." Ranma let herself fall silent; Kunou had never been one to allow anyone else to make his introductions for him. "...Captain of the Fuurinkan Kendo Team, currently undefeated." His standard introduction, though slightly subdued, as if he thought it would help. Certainly, keeping his sword drawn wasn't. "My daughter obviously wants nothing to do with you. Furthermore, she is engaged to Tendo Ayumi. She is already spoken for." Ranma steeled herself in preparation for the outburst she knew would follow. Kunou made the mistake of instinctively bringing his sword back into view, as though he were to threaten someone. "I do not recognize that agreement!" he snarled. To which Nodoka calmly drew out her katana and proceeded to dice Kunou's wooden sword into several smaller pieces. "Not only will you recognize the agreement, you will stay away from Ranma. I never want to see you anywhere near my daughter, or hear of you harassing her again. Is that understood?" Nodoka demanded. "But..." Kunou said, staring in dumbfounded shock at the fragments of his sword laying in a neat pile at his feet. Nodoka set her katana back in its case. Resting a hand on Ranma's shoulder, she urged her daughter forward, away from the scene. "Come, Ranma." ** ** ** "And then what did he do?" Naka inquired. It was late evening now. Ayumi and Naka had returned from the movies a little over ten minutes ago and joined Ranma in the family room, listening to her tell the story of her latest encounter with Kunou. Ranma took her attention away from the television long enough to take a sip from her soda. "Well, Mom dragged me out of there really fast, but I saw him just standing there with a really stupid look on his face, like he was trying to figure out what to do or whatever." Ayumi laughed. "I would've loved to see that." "Yeah," added Naka, affecting the best approximation of Kunou's voice he could manage. "The great Kunou Tatewaki, age seventeen, 'Blue Thunder' of Fuurinkan High School, shot down by Ranma's mother." "You're making it sound like Kunou was hitting on Mrs. Saotome." "Oh. Well, frankly, it wouldn't surprise me if he did," Naka's eyebrows raised at the thought. Ranma made a face. "Thanks a *lot*, Naka. Now I'm gonna be stuck seeing that image all night." She got a modest shrug from Naka in response. "Whatever I can do to help." "It's too bad Mrs. Saotome couldn't stay around longer," Ayumi said after a soft snort. "You know it's gonna take much more than that to get Kunou to stop going after you." Ranma sighed. "Yeah..." And if she did somehow manage it, Kunou would likely start up that 'no dating' thing again. She quickly regained her composure. "But now I can talk to Mom whenever I want, and she can come visit anytime..." For a brief moment it seemed as though Ranma would cut the discussion short there in favor of imagining what changes her mother's presence brought to her life, then she brought her head up. "You know what?" she asked. "Forget Kunou. I'm wondering what'll happen when Mom finally gets hold of Dad." "You think she's really *that* ticked off at him?" "We'll find out sooner or later." Naka agreed. "Yeah. Mr. Saotome's incapable of living on his own, anyway, without someone to do all his work for him. He'll come back after a while." he thought about adding, but didn't, for Ranma's sake. Ranma let the statement slide. Yes, Genma would be back, eventually. Either of his own free will, or by Ranma dragging him back herself. The old man needed to own up to what he had done in the past, not run from it. And who better to bring that about than his daughter? (end) -------- CREDITS: Written by: Mike Koos Pre-readers: Richard Beaubien, Tom Williams, David Wills Special thanks to: Louis-Philippe Giroux With apologies to Takahashi Rumiko... All parts of this series are available at the RAAC archives at ftp://ftp.cs.ubc.ca/pub/archive/anime-fan-works or from my WWW pages at http://www.fanfic.net/~makoto/ Comments and questions welcome. * Mike ('Kino Makoto') Koos: makoto@cal.net * http://www.fanfic.net/~makoto * * "I can do nothing to stop you. Your background music is too strong * for me." - Sam Johnson, Whose Line is it Anyway?