Here is Chapter Five.  Hopefully it won't need much more revision.  If it 
doesn't then I will be posting this tommorow.

Hitomi

Ichinohei Hitomi
Hitomi_Ichinohei@MBnet.mb.ca

***

A Son's Duty.

A fan fiction based on Takahashi Rumiko's ongoing Manga series, Ranma 1/2

Saotome Ranma, Saotome Genma, Saotome Nodoka, Tendo Akane, Tendo Soun,
Tendo Kasumi, Tendo Nabiki, Tendo Ranko, Kuonji Ukyou, Hibiki Ryouga,
P-chan, Shampoo, Mousse, Kunou Tatewaki, Kunou Kodachi, Kurenai Tsubasa,
and Hinako Sensei are copyright 1987, 1995 by Takahashi Rumiko. 

Publishing rights:

Japan:              Shogakukan Inc. Tokyo
Hong Kong:          Jademan (Holdings) Ltd.
North America:      Viz Inc.

Chapter Five:

*How could a day that started off so good end up being so bad!* the young
man kneeling at the table thought to himself.  *Even if this works, what
am I going to do afterwards?  Pretend to be Ran-chan's boyfriend every
time Saotome-san comes over?  Fake a life?* He shook his head, trying to
clear what had happened a few minutes ago from his mind. 

It was because of what happened that Ukyou was feeling guilty and worried
at the same time. 

*I had to listen to her,* he thought to himself, *I had to try things her
way.  There had to be a better to solution to my problems than this!*
Grumbling slightly, he turned towards Akane who had just come back in the
room carrying a tray with cups, a pot of hot water, a whisk, tea, and the
cakes he had brought.  "Just what do you suggest now?  You realize that
Ranma fainted?  I've never seen him faint before!" 

Akane sighed, "Ukyou...It's her, not him, and it's Ranko, not Ranma. 
Please keep that in mind." 

Although the statement was meant to be helpful, it did not make him feel
better.  As it was, Ukyou's mood had been steadily getting worse,
especially considering the various circumstances that had brought him
there that night.  His fathers letter, Ranma's mother, and Akane's plan. 
Despite the calm Akane displayed, nothing seemed to be going right. 

"Great!  Now what do we do about school?  If this is to work, Ranko will
have to act like a young lady all the time.  You do realize she'll never
be able to pull it off."  Ukyou said as he prepared himself some tea. 
"How do you expect her to put up with what we usually have to go through? 
She has no experience and no training in how to be a girl." 

"Oh, come on Ukyou, she'll do fine once we explain it to her." Akane told
her friend.  "All you have to do is keep it up and continue to be romantic
and kind to her." 

She looked at the young man in front of her, trying to decide on
something, "Ukyou...You do have a suit don't you?" 

Ukyou choked slightly on the tea, "Of course I do.  Who do you think I
am?" 

Akane smirked slightly, "Well, I thought you might have gotten rid of all
of them..." 

Ukyou just looked at Akane for a moment, and then started his _long_
reply. 

"Now see here Akane-chan..." 

***

"There!  That's much better.  See how nice you look Ranko?" Nodoka said as
she turned her daughter to the mirror. 

Ranko was surprised at what she saw staring back at her.  The girl in the
mirror had her hair brought up in light curls and held in place with a
comb.  Her kimono and obi, which she usually only wore to festivals,
seemed nicer that usual, somehow, more formal yet full of fun.  It was the
face, however, that caught Ranko's attention.  Her mother had applied only
a bit of clear mascara, blush and lipstick, but the effect was wonderful. 
She knew from past experience that she could become a very cute young
woman if she had to, but this...she was beautiful. 

*I wonder if mom could teach me how to do this...WHAT AM I THINKING!!!*
Ranko shuddered slightly as she wondered what was going on with her mind. 
Why did she want her mother to teach her how to use make-up? *Calm
down...You're not going crazy...It's nothing to be alarmed about...*

Nodoka looked at Ranko and was pleased at the expression on her face.  If
she could teach the girl how to dress as a young woman, then perhaps she
would start acting like one.  From how Ranko reacted, she was pleasantly
surprised, and that made Nodoka very happy.  As she looked at Ranko, she
came to the decision to stay for a while.  Ranko would need some help to
catch the young man upstairs.  Despite the fact that he liked her, if the
child acted like she usually did, Ukyou-kun would not have much to do with
her.  Besides, nothing was really happening at home and perhaps, if she
stayed, Ranma and Genma would return. 

Smiling, Nodoka said, "Come on dear, let's go and talk to that pleasant
young man of yours.", and started to lead Ranko upstairs. 

***

"Hello everyone, I'm home!" Nabiki's voice called out from the doorway. 
"Anything come for me in the mail?" 

Kasumi looked out from the kitchen, "No, not today Nabiki." 

"Thanks elder sister.  I'll be upstairs for a while." 

"Ok, supper will be a little late by the way." 

Nabiki walked up the stairs wondering what she could do to make a little
extra money this week... 

***

The door to the living area opened, and Ranko walked in followed by
Nodoka. 

Ukyou's jaw fell open as he looked at the beautiful young woman in front
of him.  She wore a lovely multi-hued kimono with an offset pattern which
wound perfectly around her small frame.  The obi, in a lovely contrasting
series of colours, somehow accentuated her natural beauty.  And her
face... 

Her face, which had always been cute, was no longer that of a young girl,
but a mature woman!  Her eyes, literally seemed more defined, sharper, yet
wide and full of wonder.  The small bit of lipstick made her lips seem
fuller, more inviting.  To him, she seemed to glow from within. 

For this to be his childhood friend, his fiancee was impossible... 

Ranko glanced quickly at Ukyou, and then back down.  She was slightly
embarrassed about appearing in front of her friends like this, but she had
to go through with it with her mother here.  Then again, something was
going on that no one was telling her about. 

*Why are they doing this?* she wondered to herself, *Why..."  She briefly
looked back up and blushed as she noticed Ukyou's expression. *No...It
can't be...She likes the fact that I look like this?*

Nodoka smiled to herself and turned to the table, allowing the two young
people to stare at one another.  As she prepared herself some tea, she
took note of their reactions.  From the look on his face, Ukyou-kun was
quite taken with Ranko's new look.  As for Ranko, she looked up every so
often and blushed when she noticed his gaze.  Now, if she could get the
child to go out on a date with this young man... 

All three of them failed to notice Akane's facial expression.  It was a
combination of jealousy, envy, and some slight anger.  The jealousy was
natural.  Anytime someone looked the wrong way at her fiancee, she felt
the need to do something to prevent it from going any further.  This time
however, it was more. 

*She's beautiful...Extremely beautiful.  How could she look that good!*
She looked at Ukyou as she sipped her tea, *He likes how she looks?  He
actually finds her attractive!  What did I do?*

Akane fumed, but kept her temper in check.  *This is for Ukyou's sake.  I
have to remember that.* This was her idea, not Ukyou's, so whatever
happened would be her fault.  She knew that Ukyou was attracted to men,
and that Ranko was attracted to women, so their reactions were probably
not what one would think from the surface behaviour. 

Still, looking at the two of them, it would be easy to assume that...Akane
suddenly smiled at the picture that appeared in her head; That of Ukyou as
a strong samurai and Ranko as a delicate lady.  The next few days might
turn out to be fun after all, if things didn't go _too_ far that is. 

Ukyou shook himself out of his momentary stupor and reached for the dish
of cakes.  For some strange reason, he was now extremely agitated, unsure
what to do or how to react.  Here was Ranko, a beautiful woman, and he had
to force himself to respond to her like that. 

It was not that he wasn't attracted to her.  He had always been attracted
to Ranma, but now...How could he be attracted to a woman?  His hands were
shaking slightly, and as he stood up, Ukyou hurriedly put the plate back
down.  He had forgotten his manners as Ranko had to sit before he
presented the cakes. 

Ukyou realized that he was acting a bit silly, but it would take a while
for him to come to terms with this. 

"Uh...Ranko...Uh...I...Did you like the flowers?", he got out, his voice
breaking slightly. 

Ranko felt her face flush as she sat down, not really sure what to say or
do.  Looking down a bit, she responded, "Yes Ukyou-kun.  I do like them. 
They are lovely." 

Ukyou picked up the plate of cakes and then presented them to her, "I...I
got these for you Ranko.  I hope you like them." 

*Well, more than two can play this game,* Ranko thought to herself, *I
don't know how they expect me to react, but I can use my imagination...*

"They are my favourite Ukyou-kun," she replied taking one, "I am glad that
you came over tonight." 

Akane started to laugh silently as this went on for the next little while. 

***

Nabiki was not having much luck finding a way to make money.  Oh, there
was always selling pictures of her sister and Ranma to Kuno, but that got
boring after a while.  While it did provide an income, was hardly a
challenge.  She needed something more, something that would provide
several opportunities if she was to hone her negotiating skills. 

Sighing, she headed downstairs.  Perhaps a small snack would enable her to
come up with a challenge.  On second thought, if dinner was going to be
late, she figured that a large snack was in order, especially if Kasumi
was going to let Akane cook again.  She shuddered slightly at the thought
and seriously considered eating out. 

As she passed by the open door, Nabiki glanced into the living room and
stood still with disbelief.  It was no surprise that Ranma was a girl at
the moment with her mother here, but what was going on was unbelievable! 
It looked as though Ukyou was romancing Ranma! 

*No way...*, she thought, *Ukyou isn't like that.  If anything, she is
always trying to show Ranma how good a wife she would make.  Why would
_Ukyou_ be acting like a young man...More than that, why is little sister
acting like if that is normal...*

She examined the scene in front of her and saw a possibility.  If she
could get to her camera and catch this on film... 

***

"Ukyou-kun," Ranko started, "Is everything all right?  You do not seem to
be yourself tonight." 

Ukyou was flustered.  Ranko had not only been perfectly feminine, but was
outdoing what most young women would do.  She was perfect!  Twinges of
jealousy and pride warred with each other in his head.  How could someone
who had no training act more feminine that most girls? 

He, of course, did not realize that his own looks and actions projected
the perfect illusion of a young Japanese gentleman. 

"I'm ok Ranko-chan, but I am caught by your beauty.  I only wish that I
had more time to bask in your glory, but I must soon leave for my job. 
Would you do me the kindness of allowing me to escort you to a nice
foreign restaurant, perhaps a French one, this Saturday night?" 

Ranko blushed fiercely.  This was totally unexpected.  She glanced quickly
at Akane, afraid to answer, not knowing how to answer given her past
reactions.  Akane only shrugged, not giving her any idea of how she should
answer.  She lowered her head, *Great!  The last thing I want is to end up
in a war between these two.  Why can't things ever be easy?*

Nodoka looked at Ranko, who had not answered.  This was a good opportunity
to get the child out of the house for a while.  At least, she would make a
new friend if nothing else.  If anything was going to happen however, it
seemed as though she would have to step in. 

"I'm sure that Ranko-chan would be glad to accept.  You will have to
pardon her, she is just extremely shy around men." 

Akane nearly choked on her tea as a sudden burst of laughter threatened. 

***

Later that evening, after Nodoka took Akane and Ranko shopping for some
clothes and a new school uniform, Nabiki headed to the shopping district. 
She had stayed in the shadows as Ranma agreed to go on a date with Ukyou. 
Such wonderful luck was not to be ignored. 

"Ah...What an excellent day!" Nabiki thought as she left the film at the 1
hour photo shop.  She chuckled to herself as she thought of what had
happened.  If this continued, Nabiki would not have a problem with getting
a lot of spending money for the next couple of months, and if she arranged
it right, orders for the pictures would be coming from at least four
sources. 

Going to a nearby chocolate shop, she decided to treat herself to some ice
cream.  "Now, if I talk to Kuno first..." 

GLOSSARY

TEA

For the Japanese, tea is as important and rice and breathing.  It
signifies life, and it signifies a time of reflection and calm.  For one
to ignore tea is for one to ignore oneself. 

This is truly observed in the Tea Ceremony, of which there are several
different schools. 

The various implements used are as follows:

 1)  Shikiita         A protective tile upon which the brazier stands
 2)  Furo             The brazier which heats the Okama
 3)  Okama            The tea kettle
 4)  Mizusashi        The cold water jar
 5)  Kensui           The bowl for waste water
 6)  Futaoki          The bamboo rest for the Okama lid or for the Hishaku
 7)  Hishaku          The water dipper
 8)  Chawan           The tea bowl
 9)  Chakin           The tea cloth, usually made out of linen
10)  Chasen           The bamboo whisk
11)  Natsume          The tea caddy
12)  Chashaku         The bamboo teaspoon
13)  Fukusa Bassami   A small handbag made of silk, which holds the 
                      Kobukusa and Fukusa
14)  Kobukusa         A small silk napkin
15)  Fukusa           A silk napkin
16)  Sensu            A fan

Each of the implements has their own special purpose, their own
significance to the enjoyment of tea.  All are important and should be
used with economy and grace.  A ceremony is more than a simple social
gathering, it is an appreciation of all things in the universe. 

It is our way of revering all life. 

Before starting, the tea room is cleaned carefully.  A single fresh flower
is carefully arranged under a scroll to bring attention to the ideal that
is there.  In a small self contained burner, a delicate incense is lit,
and the room is opened so that nature can be observed. 

The Shikitta is then set carefully in a part of the room and the Furo is
placed carefully on top of it.  Taking some charcoal dust in the left
hand, the Furo is carefully lined and then coal bricks set on top.  The
practitioner then wipes their hands carefully on a small cloth (I forgot
to mention this in the above, mainly because this is done before the
guests arrive.) A fire is lit and the Okama is placed carefully on top the
Furo.  The person then leaves the room to clean their hands carefully. 

When the guest arrive, they are led to the tea room.  The hostess then
brings in all of the remaining utensils.  They are carefully arranged
around the Furo in an artistic and harmonious pattern. 

The Fukusa is taken in the right hand and takes the tea caddy in the left
hand.  Using economic and precise movements, the outside of the caddy in
cleaned in four precise turns.  The caddy is carefully placed in front and
to the right of the practitioner and the teaspoon is taken in the left
hand.  It is also cleaned with the Fukusa in three precise strokes.  The
teaspoon is then carefully placed on top of the caddy. 

The lid of the Okama is taken and places carefully and gracefully, yet
with deliberate care, on the Futaoki. 

She now takes the Hishaku, open side down and using a graceful, continuous
motion, rotates the dipper as she takes a small bit of water, avoiding a
gurgling sound.  She then places this in the Chawan.  The bowl is then
gently swirled, and the water poured into the Kensui. 

She then places the bowl down, and taking her right hand, takes a corner
of the Chakin and folds it carefully in three folds.  She then gently
wipes the bowl inside to outside as she turns it around in slow,
deliberate motions.  This clears the mind and concentrates the person on
the importance of cleanliness.  Cleanliness is an important part of
etiquette towards the guest to the tea room. 

The Chakin is placed carefully on the rim of the Futaoki. 

The bowl is carefully set directly in front of her, not too distant, not
too close, but an exact distance in order to provide harmony to all who
observe.  With the right hand the Natsume with the Chashaku on top of it
is lifted with the right hand and placed in the palm of the left hand. 
The caddy is then carefully and gently opened as to not disturb the
rounded mound of the tea.  The tea should be a brilliant emerald green
within the golden setting. 

The lid is placed down to the right of the bowl, and the Chashaku is
lifted in a slow careful manner.  She then measures two small scoops of
tea into a small mound in the bowl in imitation of the mound in the tea
caddy.  The Chashaku is then lightly tapped against the side of the bowl
to shake of any small specks that may be left on it.  The sound of the
Chashaku against the Chawan should be neither sharp nor muffled, but focus
attention of the hostess and the guests on the delicacy of the tea, the
care of the implements, and the peace of the surroundings. 

Again, the Hishaku is slowly and carefully lifted and again, lowered open
side down into the Okama.  The water must be tinkling at a proper pace by
this time.  If it is excessively rolling and surging, the Hishaku is used
to take some water from the Mizusashi to calm the edge of the water and
return it's youth.  The Hishaku is rotated as it fills to avoid gurgling
which would be disconcerting to the peace of mind that has been achieved
by this time.  One third to one half of the water in the Hishaku is poured
into the exact centre of the bowl.  The Hishaku then pours the rest of the
water into the Kensui and placed on top of the Okama, open side up. 

The Chasen is then taken and the movements with it must be delicate and
precise as it changes the surface into a fine jade froth.  The whisk is
then tapped lightly and placed aside.  The Chawan is then turned slowly
and placed on the Kobukusa in front of the guest.  The guest picks up both
the Kobukusa and the Chawan and turn it to a suitable spot in which to sip
slowly.  The Chawan is then silently raised in thanks and then sipped. 
Time is taken by the guest to observe the froth, the colour, the taste and
the aroma. 

Of the implements, the Hishaku, Chakin, and Chasen are used only once. 

The best Chasen in the world come from a place near Kyoto called
Chasenmura. 

Of the tea, each leave is individually dried and chosen for it's colour
and richness.  The leave must never be bruised, and the stem is removed
after drying.  The leaf is carefully crushed into the finest powder
possible. 

The above is the most informal ceremony that last about forty minutes.  A
truly formal ceremony with Kaiseki can last for more than four hours.