This story takes place around the end of Volume 36, so Nodoka is 
aware of her son's situation and lives at the Tendou Dojo...

			DEEP REFLECTIONS
			by Scott K. Jamison
(Note:  Ranma 1/2 and the associated characters created by Rumiko 
Takahashi, no infringement intended.)

			Prologue:  Nodoka

	An inarticulate scream of rage ripped through the air, and Nodoka 
dropped a stitch.  Ranma was fighting again.  She idly wondered who it 
was as she took out the thread and began again.  He had so many enemies 
and rivals, and four fiancees.  Not that it wasn't good for a man to be 
active and attractive to women, but the situation had gotten a bit 
ridiculously out of proportion.
	The combatants leapt into view, and the other one proved to be 
Happosai.  Nodoka frowned.  In a way, she blamed the perverted master's 
warped priorities for heightening her husband's character flaws, which 
had in turn led to many of Ranma's problems.  It was a miracle the boy 
had turned out as well as he had.
	Today's quarrel appeared to be about something called a "Nanban 
Mirror."  It was a shiny object they were snatching back and forth like 
children with a ball.  From the disjointed comments she was able to hear, 
Nodoka gathered that this was something the old scoundrel had stolen in 
the past, and Ranma wanted it to right some wrong.
	The fracas continued for several minutes, at the end of which the 
mirror slipped between their fingers and shattered on the ground.  The 
two men were about to continue their fight, but Nodoka had had enough.  
She put down her sewing and stood up.
	"Stop. fighting. now." she commanded.  They stopped.
	"But Mom, he--"
	"Mrs. Saotome, this brat--"
	"Enough!  You've already destroyed what you were fighting over.  
There's no point in continuing.  Ranma, surely you have homework to do?"
	"But--"
	"No buts, young man.  As for you, Mis-ter Happosai, isn't there 
anything...respectable...you should be doing right now?"
	"Respectable?  I'm an old man!  I should get respect just for 
breathing!"  
	"Very well.  Practice breathing.  Quietly."  She fixed him with a 
cold stare until Happosai backed out of sight.  Nodoka was one of the few 
women he wouldn't cross if he could help it.
	Ranma's mother picked up an empty box.  She should take care of 
that broken glass before someone got cut.
	Apparently the mirror had been broken before, since several of 
the pieces were held toghether by transparent tape.  Nodoka looked at 
herself in one of the fragments.  There was a curiously deep feeling to 
the reflection, perhaps due to some unique property of the glass.
	Nodoka found the effect pleasing.  There were a number of 
reasonably large pieces left, and the mirror's trim was attractive and 
largely intact.  She decided not to waste this opportunity.  Now where 
was that "how-to" book?

			to be continued

SKJAM!
Sailor-Zine #2 out soon!  Honest!