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 shone 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 were 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 long sleeved blouse, blue jumper, and a matching blue jacket. The new school uniform her mother bought for her.
Although she had tried to think of someway to avoid it, there was no getting around the fact that 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. It was more that Ranma was uncomfortable with appearing as a girl anytime she did not absolutely have to.
Or that is what she would have claimed.
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. Something that not many others had the opportunity to experience or understand.
The insights that were there for her was in that she was beginning to understand a little bit more about girls. Her female classmates trusted Ranma enough to start letting her in on some small secrets now and then, small gossip that seemed to occupy their time. What had really made the difference to her was that she had experienced some of the thrills as well as the fears of being a teenage girl.
Enough so that she would always be kinder, better than most men. Enough so that she would always protect the rights of other women. She was one of the few men who truly understood how women were treated and the feelings of helplessness it engendered.
The advantages came in terms of combat.
In battle, her female form provided two advantages. The first being that her opponents underestimated her and the second being that Ranma could infiltrate places that others could not go. It made it easier to combat those who would try and fight her.
This did not help the fact that Ranma's mother would want to help her be a proper young girl, and that meant lying to Nodoka yet again.
"How do I get into these things?" she said to herself.
It was then that Nodoka came in to check on Ranko.
***
Ukyou sighed.
He lay on his futon, looking at the ceiling, tired and a bit bleary eyed.
Groaning, Ukyou seriously considered staying where he was. In fact, all he wanted to do was lie on 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. Considering Ranko's usual mode of dress, Nodoka decided that her daughter was trying to decide what to wear in order to catch and hold onto her suitor.
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 consistent 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...*
***
Kunou 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 at 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.
Tatewaki 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.
***
*Why can't things ever be easy around here.* Ukyou thought. *What deities are dictating the course of our lives that we cannot even be who we really are?
Ukyou checked himself in the mirror before he left the washroom. Looking back at him was a young man, handsome, serious, and very much in charge of himself. If, as the westerners said, a mirror reflects the soul of a being, then Ukyou was every inch a man.
It did not matter in the least that he was really a woman or that the person looking back at him was becoming a lie in a way.
"Am I really a woman?" he muttered to himself, "When I look at myself, when I dress and act as myself, I do not seem to be very feminine."
Shaking his head, he went into the kitchen to prepare a quick breakfast.
The number of questions that Ukyou had in his head were confusing, and he had to wonder who he really was. A woman who loved a very special, very singular man who radiated goodness and honour? A man who was in love with another man despite the fact that he could become a woman?
He had never asked himself about this even when he had originally decided to be a man, or later when he become a woman once more.
Starting the rice cooker, he turned to prepare some Shiro Miso. As he looked down into the soup, he wondered at what was really happening with him. Somehow, this was bringing more to the surface than he had suspected, and admittedly, more than he wanted to acknowledge.
Absentmindedly, he swirled the soup, not even placing it into the microwave.
It was ten minutes later when he realized that.
***
Akane was smirking at Ranko as they walked to school.
It had been a fun morning, with Ranko coming down the stairs in a sort of daze while her mother had rushed her into the kitchen. She had laughed to herself as Nabiki commented on how beautiful Ranko had looked and had taken some pictures to remember, "The first time Ranko has been herself."
The sudden expression on Ranko's face had been so hilarious that Akane had almost choked on her soup.
It was also very easy to get her out of the house that morning.
"Why are the two of you doing this Akane?", Ranma grumbled as she walked on the ground, not being able to travel on the fence as she usually did, "This is crazy!"
"Look Ranko', Ukyou has a bit of a problem, and this will help both of you."
"Yeah? How's that? You going to let Ukyou marry me?"
Akane, without warning, hit Ranma hard over her head with her school bag shouting, "RANMA NO BAKA!!!"
***
Kasumi came out of the kitchen with two finely lacquered bento boxes in her hand. "Has Ranko left already?" she asked everyone still at the table.
Nodoka looked up at Kasumi and saw the lunch boxes. They were the two that she had helped Ranko to prepare. She sighed to herself. The girl had forgotten the bento and that meant that not only would she not have her own lunch, but that she would miss an opportunity to entice the delightful young man that was here last night.
"She left already, but I will take them to her. I would like to meet her teachers."
The panda, which was sitting out on the porch, started to sweat visibly...
***
Ranma, Akane, and Ukyou arrived as group to the school.
Ukyou had run into them on the way, and had explained what was happening to Ranma. He was surprised when Ranma actually listened to what he had to say. Ukyou had expected her to be angry and screaming at the two of them.
Ranma was actually to stunned to react.
As they got in, Tatewaki stepped into their way.
***
Nodoka was just about to come around the corner when she heard Ranma's name being called out. Suddenly, her heart burst with hope as she ran, looking for her son, the person that she wanted, needed, to see. She was startled to see a tall man, standing in front of Ukyou-kun and looking at Ranko with longing.
As she looked on, it was obvious that Ranko wanted to get into the fight, wanted to pound on the young man that was getting into an attack stance. Nodoka was startled as she realized that Ranko had more than one suitor, and that one of those suitors was not to the girls liking. It was then she heard something that almost caused her a heart attack.
"No one approaches My pig-tailed goddess. I shall vanquish you as I shall vanquish all who choose to go after the fair Ranma-chan. None shall dare to touch her while I, Kunou Tatewaki, The Blue Thunder, exist to defend such fair beauty!"
Ranko/Ranma looked ready to kill.
Akane's face had a look of utter frustration on it.
Ukyou slowly took his main weapon of his back and prepared several spatula. This was a battle he could not lose. As he prepared himself for the upcoming assault, he reflected that the idiot in front of him gave him the opportunity to release his frustrations.
Kunou was in for a fight he would not soon forget.
Ukyou silently pondered why he was suddenly willing to fight Kunou. He had never been very violent, in fact, he had only attacked when someone decided to try and attack Ranma or capture his heart. This time however was different. Not because of Kunou and his boasting, not even because of the challenge, but because he had to prove something to himself. Ukyou needed to prove to himself that he could take care of Ranma no matter what form he...SHE may eventually be stuck in.
Kunou came in suddenly with an overhand blow going from right to left, the end of his bokken having a slightly wavering motion.
Ukyou countered the blow easily, although the force set his hands ringing.
Quickly, he grabbed two of the spatula on his chest and threw them at Kunou's feet. As expected, he leaped into the air and that was when Ukyou hit him in the face with the flat of the blade.
Kunou was slightly stunned and was quickly finished with a speedy hook kick to the side of his face near the ear.
Ukyou looked down at his opponent as Ranma came up next to him. He was exilerated, having enjoyed the exercise and somehow glad that Ran-chan had seen his prowess. He narrowed his eyes a moment in puzzlement over why he should feel that way.
It was that moment that Ukyou, Ranma, and Akane heard a familiar voice, and that voice held a question that filled all three of them with a sudden fear...
"Why did that young man call you Ranma, Ranko?"
GLOSSARY
Ichiban Dashi
Ingredients:
2.5 quarts of cold water
3 inch square kombu
1 cup pre-flaked katsuobushi
optional: Roasted Kombu
How to prepare:
Bring water to a boil in a six quart pot. Drop in Kombu, and bring to a boil. Remove Kombu and set aside for use in Niban Dashi. Stir in Katsuobushi and turn off the heat. Let rest until Katsuobushi rest on the bottom of the pot. Skim off any surface scum. Place some cheesecloth on a bowl and pour soup through it. Reserve Katsuobushi for use in Niban Dashi. The stock last about 8 hours at room temperature or can last for two days in the refrigerator.
Niban Dashi
Ingredients:
Kombu reserved from Ichiban Dashi
Katsuobushi reserved from Ichiban Dashi
5 cups of cold water
1/4 cup pre-flaked katsuobushi
How to prepare:
Combine ingredients reserved from Ichiban Dashi with water. Bring to a boil and add fresh katsuobushi. Reduce heat to low and simmer for five minutes. Skim off any surface scum. Place some cheesecloth on a bowl and pour soup through it. The stock last about 8 hours at room temperature or can last for two days in the refrigerator.
Sumashi
Ingredients:
6 cups Ichiban Dashi
1 1/2 teaspoons of salt
1/2 teaspoon Shoyu
1 teaspoon Sake
1 pinch of msg
Optional: Fresh green onions
How to prepare:
Bring Ichiban Dashi to a simmer on medium heat. Reduce heat to low and stir in salt, shoyu, sake, and msg. Stir until well mixed and remove from heat.
Shiro Miso
6 cups Ichiban Dashi
1 1/2 cups of Shiro Miso (white soybean paste)
1 pinch of msg
2 cakes of cotton tofu finely chopped into small, even cubes
3 green onions, finely chopped
1 ounce of Wakame
How to prepare:
slowly push the miso through a sieve and then bring to a boil in the Ichiban Dashi. Turn down to a simmer and add the MSG. Place the tofu cubes, some green onions, and a bit of the softened Wakame into the bowls and top with the warm soup.
This can all be made ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator to microwave when you want. It last about four to five days before you have to cook more.
QUESTIONS
1) You said that Akane did not find the fact that a _female_ Ranma was to marry one of the Tendo girls. Are you implying that Akane is a lesbian?
No, I had not meant to imply that at all. Remember, Akane is a martial artist, born to a martial artist. Her family would want that line of martial arts to continue. Ranma was said to be a young man, and a martial artist trained by another martial artist whom Soun knew to be as good as himself. The amount of skill was what mattered to her at that point instead of what sex Ranma was.
2) Why are you referring to Ukyou as he? Isn't Ukyou a girl?
Yes, Ukyou is a girl, but I am referring to her as he because this story is taken from a different point of view. Basically, I am examining the reasons behind Ukyou's acceptance of a new sex. She is the most flexible of all the young people in the Ranma series and some people that I talked to really did not understand her background.
There is also the fact that they really do not understand some of the things that go on with her in the series. All I am trying to do is to show how such a decision can affect a person later in their life.
3) You mention a coming of age ceremony. What is that?
The coming of age ceremony is just that. A ceremony that is held to show that the young people are now ready to take their place as responsible adults in Japanese society. It is a day of celebration as you share it with your friends who are also going through the ceremony.
4) In the letter, you mention Ukyou having to go to see Temple Priests. Why is that?
Fromthe Manga, Ukyou, as do most people in Japan, practices the Shinto religion. Old family lines tend to have ceremonies that are tied into certain inheritances. These are not money, properties, or other ordinary objects, but something that must be passed on in safe keeping through the family line. From what I have seen in the Manga, as well as certain other things that happened, I am assuming that her family is one of those old lines. There are other reasons, but I do not plan to elaborate on them in this fiction.
5) Why do you have Nodoka thinking about Ranko as her daughter?
Before recent events, Nodoka, consciously or unconsciously thought about her in that manner. Taking her to buy clothing, being there for her to talk to, and trying to make her feel better. There are several things that Nodoka has done that only a mother, or a very close older female relative, and daughter do.
6) You seem to know a lot about Martial Arts. What do you study, and where can I go to learn.
I do not know very much about Martial Arts. As a matter of fact, there is more that I do not know than I know. Of course, I read, study, and practice a lot, as does anyone else who is serious about the arts.
As for what I study, the art is known as Bujutsu. It is a study of all the martial arts in terms of use in a real battle instead of a sport. The sport form of this art is known as Budo. As to where you can learn, the best thing is to check with the certified sports federation in your city.
They can provide information on places that do teach the arts and teach them correctly. Since the growth of the arts in the movie business, there have been several places that have opened up which advertise things that they do not provide or actually teach things properly. I myself have seen ads for things such as a Ninja School.
Be cautious about what you do and always trust information received form many sources. Do not be influenced by fancy television ads, or flyers that show things being done. Get the facts of the schools in your area and interview the teacher. If you know someone who does have martial arts experience, take them with you.
Above all, understand that martial arts, the true arts, require dedication. For instance, I practice at least two to four hours a day just to stay in shape. It is not an art to be taken lightly.
7) Aren't kimonos worn at festivals only? It is an old mode of dress.
It may be an old mode of dress, but what does that have to do with it? Kimonos can be worn at any time. While you do not see it much today, there are many people who prefer it. I myself waver between a kimono and obi or work clothes. I find wearing a kimono much more comfortable than some of the modern clothes.
8) Why would Ukyou react the way she did when Akane said she thought that Ukyou got rid of her suits?
This is because Japan has few natural resources. Everything that can be recycled, is recycled. We learned this lesson a long time ago.
9) Is a panda really an exotic pet?
Yes. They are an endangered species.
10) According to the fifth chapter, Ukyou and Ranma seem to be able to act as the opposite sex. Why do you write as though that is normal?
According to an old maxim, "Only a male can be the perfect female; only a female can be the perfect male." This is because they must depend totally on learned actions, not on natural actions. At least this is what is thought in the theatre.
Authors Note:
A lot of people liked the question and answer section and sent me a set of questions. I will continue to answer them and appreciate being asked. The only thing is that I feel I am undeserving of any compliments. Having the work posted for people to read is already a big ego boast.
As for some of the recipes, I had nothing else to really put in the glossary this time as pertains to the story. Any ways, I will explain bento and provide a few recipes for it in the next chapter installment. I hope people enjoy them.
Oh, and one more thing. I would prefer that for the best fan fictions of the year, you vote for the good writers, such as Twister and his Twisted-Path series, or Bert Van Vliet and his Bubblegum Zone series. There are a lot of good writers out there, I just wish I was as good as them.
For my own choices, the best stories are:
Twisted-Path Three and Twisted-Path Four
Bubblegum Zone one and Bubblegum Zone Seven
Akane
and
Nightshadow
Those are my choices.
As always, I want to thank my pre-readers as well as all the people on the Fan Fiction Mailing List.
Especialy one very special person.
Until next chapter. ^_^
Ichinohei Hitomi
Hitomi@terminal.autobahn.mb.ca