Well, here is the begining.  Unfortunately I have to rewrite the rest of 
it since I have trouble making people as conceited as Tatewaki is 
supposed to be.  A defect of mine I admit, but the rest should be in on 
Mondays file.

This is to satisfy everyone that I am still working on it and have not 
forgotten anybody.  Lets see how many people can guess what is happening 
here from what I have written thus far.

Good Luck.  ^_^

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,
Tofu Sensei 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 Six: 

The sky shown blue with a silvery shimmer striking off of the clouds.  If
one could Look down from above, one could believe the Kami had covered the
entire District in small diamonds as the dew drops which lightly coated
every surface gave off a rainbow of colours and precisely sharp points of
light.  The small miracles of life was obvious in every shaft of light
that hit the ground with a delightful warmth. 

Of course, Ranma wasn't concerned with the mornings beauty, much less what
the deities had to offer. 

She sighed wearily as she looked into her small closet.  Hanging inside
was a brand new school uniform her mother bought for her.  There was no
getting around it, Ranma would have to wear it, probably for the next few
days.  She didn't really mind wearing it anymore, after all, she had two
others, the duplicate to the new one currently in her school locker. 

If forced to, Ranma would admit to almost becoming comfortable appearing
as a girl.  Not because she wanted to be a girl, but because it provided
certain insights and advantages.  Insights in that she was beginning to
understand a little bit more about girls, those in her class actually
letting her in on some small secrets now and then.  In battle it provided
two advantages.  The first being that her opponents underestimated her and
the second being that she could infiltrate places that others could not
go. 

That did not help the fact that her mother would want to help her be a
proper young girl, and that meant lying to Nodoka yet again. 

It was then that Nodoka came in to check on Ranko. 

***

Ukyou sighed. 

He lay in his futon, looking at the ceiling, tired and a bit bleary eyed. 
Groaning, Ukyou serious considered staying where he was.  In fact, All he
wanted to do was lie down in his futon and forget about everything that
was happening.  Unfortunately, he couldn't and had spent the night tossing
and turning, small dreams, almost like nightmares running through his
mind.  At times like this, Ukyou's training was the worst thing possible. 
The study of the arts of battle made his mind a very sharp, very advanced
battle computer, running through situations, possibilities and strategies,
even when sleeping. 

It had not been a good night for Ukyou. 

His mind kept replaying everything that happened the night before. 
Placing a hand behind his head, Ukyou concentrated on the one scene that
refused to be left alone, the scene which had caused a thousand different
endings to go through his head over the night - the beautiful young woman
that he saw and his confused feeling about her. 

*This is crazy.  If I marry Ran-chan is this how we will have to live? 
Could we live like that for the rest of our lives?* he wondered as he
pushed aside his quilt, *I want him as my husband, _not_ my wife, so what
are we going to do?*

Stretching a bit, he got up. *If I do end up marrying Ran-chan, I might
have to support us, especially since our families would probably be
visiting a lot during the first few years.* Frowning a little, Ukyou
folded up the quilt and rolled up his futon, placing them against the
wall. *Of course, Ran-chan's father would probably move in with us.  Come
to think of it, that would be pretty bad...*

He sighed again as he went into the washroom.

***

Nodoka shook her head as she looked at Ranko.  The child hadn't looked up
when she came in but spent the time looking in her closet, lost in
thought.  Nodoka wondered how much she was going to have to teach Ranko
about catching and keeping a man. 

She remembered how it was when she was young, how it still was.  If the
young girl in front of her was to catch Ukyou-kun, then Nodoka would have
to teach her all the little tricks, all the things that she would have to
do to catch him.  Ranko was going to have to learn how to be a proper
young lady. 

"Ranko-chan, it's time to get dressed for school,"  Nodoka smiled, "let us
see how pretty we can make you for that gentleman who was here last
night." 

Ranko looked up suddenly, startled more by the fact that someone could get
close to her than by the fact that her mother was there.  The only person
she knew of that could do that on a constant basis was Tofu Sensei.  *Am I
really that bad off?  Or is it because I've gotten used to her presence?*,
she wondered. 

That was when what Nodoka had told her hit. 

*Uh-oh...*

***

Kuno Tatewaki was not in a good mood.

Someone new was after one of the girls that he had declared to be his.  A
girl that he, a Sempai, a descendant of Samurai, and the best of his
generation had every right to.  For someone to flout his authority over
these matters was not to be tolerated. 

Of course, Tatewaki still had not realized it was now the twentieth
century. 

He also had not realized that most women, even in Asia, would not tolerate
his attitude unless they were thought that their only source of self
confidence came from being owned by a man. 

For Tatewaki, he considered himself to be absolute master of everything he
surveyed.  Every person, every being except for the gods had to bend to
his will, his whims and fancies.  Even then, if he considered himself in
the right, The deities had to give way.  He was the best person, one
without peer, one without rival for he was the ultimate of men. 

He was also a conceited pig. 

That morning, Tatewaki had arrived to school earlier than usual,
practising harder, longer, and with greater precision that he ever had
before.  For one to try to take his woman, the girl of great feminine
beauty and charisma, one who was above all others was to court death.  He
was sure that her namesake, the uncouth Saotome had something to do with
this.  The man was a demon who had taken the girls maiden self and now
sent her off to another. 

He had of course bought the pictures that Nabiki had tempted him with the
night before. 

*I shall wait for them both.  I have already sworn that Saotome will
suffer for his enslaving of women, but this new _boy_ will feel the wrath
of the Blue Thunder.  I shall not tolerate any going after the Goddess of
my heart.*

He stood waiting for the students to arrive, wanting nothing more than to
teach a hard physical lesson to the young man who dared approach Saotome
Ranma.