Ranma 1/2: New Challenges Transitions Part 3 Parental Responsibility Nodoka glanced over at her husband who was currently a panda and playing shogi with his old friend Soun. She frowned, shook her head, then stepped back into the kitchen to help Kasumi with the evening meal. Lately she had been wondering what to do with her husband. He may have been the cause of her son's condition (she didn't really think of it as a curse) to intermittently became female, but he did raise Ranma to be a man among men. Even if her son's social skills were a tad poor at times. She sighed. And he had been spending more and more time as a panda. She didn't know exactly why, but she suspected he was in some way trying to avoid responsibility. After all, he did hide as the panda when she first showed up. He had been trying to save his hide from the seppuku pledge, not that she would've made him go through with it. Despite the mistakes her husband made, she did still love him. She just wished Genma would open up to her like he did before he left on the training trip with their son. "Auntie Saotome?" Kasumi called. "The stir fry is ready. Are you okay?" Nodoka smiled as she worked on the rice. "Yes dear, just have a lot on my mind." She frowned, struck by a sudden thought. "Kasumi dear, what are your plans for the future?" Kasumi blinked innocently. "I-I don't know," she said, a bit confused. "I never really thought about it." "Isn't there some man you've had your eye on?" she asked. She remembered Nabiki telling her about a Dr. Tofu and wanted to find out what the eldest Tendo daughter thought. Kasumi blushed faintly. "Well, there is one. But it wouldn't be right at this time." "Is he this Dr. Tofu I've heard about?" She got her answer when Kasumi's blush deepened and turned away. "I see. Well, I won't push anything, but you should consider this: Ranma and Akane will be married soon and will take over the dojo. That means you need to find your place in the world and maybe a man to share it with. It was honorable for you to take over the duties of housewife for your mother, but you've done enough." "Aunite Saotome, I," she fumbled a bit for the words. "I am happy doing the cooking and cleaning for the family, but, sometimes I do get... these feelings. Like I want something more, but..." "It's okay dear, I understand." She smiled warmly. "The time will come for you to make a choice. We'll talk more later. Now, let's get dinner served, shall we?" All through dinner, Genma felt his wife studying him. He didn't know what was on her mind or what she was planning, and that scared him. He knew he was failure, if not in her eyes, then in his own. Oh sure, she had accepted Ranma as a man and the threat of seppuku was gone, but he knew he didn't face the problem of the other reason why he left. That was another reason why he couldn't face his wife when she showed up at the Tendo dojo. He finished off his meal, and for once, didn't fight with his son for more. That seemed to be fine with Ranma. He took a moment to study his son and tried to decide if he had done the right thing. At the time, it seemed right, but now he wasn't so sure. If it wasn't for what his own father had told him about his family line, he might've stayed home with his wife and trained Ranma there. He probably woudn't have turned out to be one of the greatest martial artists if Genma had kept him home, but the family might've been happier. Both parents noticed their son and his fiancee had been more quiet and withdrawn than normal. Well, Ranma had been quiet, and that had the effect of keeping Akane quiet since she usually only blew up when Ranma said or did something. Now, she just seemed to be slightly withdrawn ever since the wedding fiasco a few days ago. She also seemed a bit worried about Ranma. Nodoka had already tried to talk to both of them, but they both insisted nothing was wrong. Genma, unsure of how to deal with emotional issues like this, simply kept out of it. He only knew that the two houses had to be joined and Ranma and Akane seemed to be the ones to do it. Of course, his track record for pushing the two to marriage had been less than perfect. The only other thing he knew was the Art. His wife also knew that the two kids needed each other. Even she could see they loved each other, but how long would it take them to admit it? She also knew somehow, that they should get to together. Chalk it up to female intuition, a premonition, or even that half-remembered dream she had one night, but something told her that the two belonged together. She sighed as the family broke up and headed their seperate ways. Genma went back to the game board with Soun and Ranma and Akane promptly disappeared; whether together or not. One way or another, she knew things couldn't last and it was getting close to the time of having a serious discussion with her husband, to get some issues cleared up. As Genma played, he also realized that sooner or later, he'd have to talk to his wife and tell her everything. "Hello, what can I do for you?" the young man with glasses asked the copper-haired woman as she entered the clinic. "Hello, Tofu-sensei," she said. "My name is Saotome Nodoka." Dr. Tofu smiled. "Ah, Ranma's mother. It's a pleasure to meet you. Both he and his fiancee were regular customers of mine before I left." Nodoka pursed her lips and tried to think how to approach this. "Doctor, would you mind if we sat and talked awhile?" Tofu checked his notebook. "Sure, my next appointment isn't for another hour. Have a seat." He gestured to a pair of chairs and poured a couple cups of tea, handing one to Mrs. Saotome. "So, Doctor, I've been told you took care of the Tendos and my family for awhile before you left." "Call me Tofu. And yes, Akane was quite the active girl, always getting into scuffles. Then Ranma showed up and it was him showing up in my office for the injuries." Nodoka frowned. "Was he getting into fights?" Tofu laughed. "Not really. Most injuries were fiancee-based. The rest were caused by fights, but I've known Ranma not to fight unless he has to and only against people who can defend themselves. You should be proud of your son." Nodoka was inwardly relieved. "Thank you, I am quite glad my son turned out well, despite being raised by my husband alone. Now, I must admit I had somewhat of an ulterior motive for visiting you." Tofu raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And what's that?" "There is a woman we both know who has helped the family over the past several years by giving up a life for herself in exchange for service to her family's needs," she explained. "Now it seems like soon there will be an opportunity for her to be free to pursue her own life. I understand she has feelings for a certain young doctor and was wondering how that doctor felt?" She hoped he'd understand, and by his looks, he did. Tofu put down his tea and visibly calmed himself. "Th-this is about Ka-Kasumi, right?" She nodded and he sighed. "This is part of the reason I went away. I-I do care about her very much. We had an understanding. The Tendo's needed her very much, more than I did. She was also a little young. I helped where I could, but I was beginning to lose hope. Then your son and husband arrived." Nodoka sipped her tea. "Ah, the marriage arrangement." Tofu nodded. "It soon became clear Ranma and Akane had feelings for each other, and would eventually be married. At least that's what I hoped. Then Akane could take over the household chores and..." "And Kasumi would be free to pursue a relationship with you," Nodoka finished. "Yes. It was easier for her to hide her feelings, but I had to put on a little bit of an act," he admitted. "Still, it became so bad that I decided to take trip. As the Australians call it, a `walkabout.' I wanted to make sure of what I felt, while at the same time learn as much about healing from others as I could." "So, did you find what you sought?" she asked. The doctor smiled. "I did. I still love Kasumi, but the time is not right." "The time will come soon Tofu-san and all I can say is you will know it when you see it." She stood up. "I must thank you for your time, but there are some more errands I must run. It was a pleasure talking to you." Tofu stood up and walked her to the door. "The pleasure was all mine. You do have a wonderful family, and I can only hope to have a family as good as yours someday." She held his hand, then began to walk away. "I'm sure you will. Sayonara, Tofu-san." The week passed and the weekend came, and Nodoka decided it was time for the talk. Soun was out for another city council meeting, Nabiki was gone checking one of her business ventures, and Kasumi was was taking care of a female friend for the night. Ranma was out with a pair of friends and that left Genma and Akane. She decided that now would be a good time to talk about the person they all had in common: Ranma. She discovered her husband watching TV and grabbed him to go look for Akane. They found her outside and what Nodoka saw, scared and confused her. Ranma was curled up on Akane's lap and Akane was petting his head. Did she also hear... purring? Ranma looked up as soon as his parents saw him and jumped off his fiancee's lap, hissing on all fours. "Wh-what's wrong with our son?" Nodoka gasped as Ranma hissed and swiped at them, backing them up. "Auntie Saotome!" Akane called. "Just back up slowly and he won't hurt you. As for what's wrong with him, you can ask the man next to you." She turned. "Genma? Would you care to explain this?" Genma visibly sweated. "Well, you see No-chan, I..." He swallowed and Akane sighed. "He tried to train him in a technique called the Nekoken," Akane answered. Then she went on to explain the particulars of the training and Ranma's new condition. She also mentioned how he didn't fully read the manuel. Nodoka looked quite surprised and worried. Genma tried to sneak away but... *SHING* (for any who don't know, that's the sound of a rapidly drawn katana). "We are going back inside right now, Anata, and we are going to have a nice long chat." He hung his head. "Yes, dear." She turned to Akane. "Will he be alright?" She gestured to the pacing Ranma. Akane nodded. "He'll come out of it, just leave him to me. It's probably best you leave right now anyway." Nodoka nodded and dragged her husband off, and Genma became convinced his life was over. Oh sure, he thought he did the right thing, but would his wife see that? Once they entered the living room, Nodoka pointed to spot by the table and Genma promptly sat down there. She took a spot opposite him and set the wrapped katana down between them on the table. For several minutes, she just sat and studied him. Finally, she said, "I trust you have a VERY good explanation as to why you felt it neccesary to do that to our son." Genma gulped. "Ah, yes dear, I do. I needed to make Ranma the best martial artist in the world..." "He's afraid of cats, Genma!" she interrupted him. "And he becomes one mentally if that fear builds up too high! What could have possibly been worth doing this to him?" There was silence for a few seconds, then Genma spoke again. When he did, it was quiet. "The Nekoken is a near-invincible form of martial arts. It has to be taught at a young age for it to be effective. Already he has used it to defeat several opponents he wouldn't have been able to otherwise." He sighed. "I did know the risks when I started to train him, but knowing what he could face in the future, I thought the benefits would outweigh any negatives." He looked up at her and felt a little better that she was waiting for him to fully explain. "While on the road, we stopped in and trained at dojo. This wasn't unusual as we trained at every dojo we came across. While the master of the dojo and I watched Ranma fight, he spoke to me. He told that Ranma had great potential and that potential would need to be realized if Ranma were to survive the tribulations he sensed that were ahead for our son. He then asked me if I was willing to do whatever it took to train Ranma to be the best. Naturally, and maybe foolishly, I said yes. Genma looked down and sighed. "He gave us a training manuel and a guidebook. He said that if I had the courage and could face the responsibility, that I should use them. The two objects were the Nekoken manuel and the guidebook to Jusenkyo." "So let me get this straight," she said. "You followed the directions of someone you didn't even know and now our son becomes both a cat and a woman." She shook her head. "What else would he have become if this `old man' had given you more scrolls?" "You don't understand, Nodoka. After the Nekoken training, I went back to the dojo. It wasn't there! I talked to the locals at the nearest village and they said they had never heard of it! I think we were given those manuels for a reason. I think it might have something to do with my family curse." "Our family curse now," she corrected. "I became cursed as well when I married you." He nodded. "I know, and I wish I could've found a way to lift that curse while I was away." He looked down. "I failed you in that." He looked back up and decided to play his final card. "But I believe Ranma might be able to change that. By now you've heard about all the strange things that go on in his life, and all the people he helps. Since Jusenkyo, strange things are happening with greater frequency. I'm no fortune-teller, but I think all these things are happening for a reason. Strength through adversity, or something like that." Nodoka didn't say anything for quite awhile as she slowly digested this information. She sighed. "Genma, what am I going to do with you? I know you did what you thought was right, even if it was a little foolish and misguided. I guess time will tell if you are right, but that doesn't mean I totally forgive you for your actions. She tapped her fingers on her lips and thought for awhile. "You will have to atone for this and I believe I know how. While I have heard of Ranma helping people, rarely have I heard you doing this. So, you will know accompany Ranma whenever he goes off into dangerous situations. You will make sure he comes out of them and the same goes for his fiancee and their friends. You are a martial artist as well, and it is time you rediscovered what that means. No more cowering or hiding like a panda. I accept your body turns into one, but you will act like a man no matter what your body may be. Look at our son; he may turn into a girl, but he is more of a man than you. Do you understand?" Genma looked down, resigned to his fate. "Yes dear. You are right; many of my actions have been dishonorable and it is time I do something to restore my honor." "I'm glad you see that." She stood up. "Now, I am going to bed. You will be welcome to join me when I determine your actions have proven that the man I fell in love with is still in there." She began to walk away. "Oh, and you may want to get Soun to help you in this. I think it would do him good." Then Genma was alone and he sighed. Overall, he thought it hadn't gone too bad. There was still a chance for him to regain the honor he had lost, and the love of his wife, whom he discovered he still loved. And if he could get Soun to once again fight by his side... he asked himself. He walked over to the window, looked up into the starry sky, and chuckled. -------------------------------------------------- Author's notes: I know a lot of people don't like Genma, and even I thought he was quite the insentive jerk. But then I wanted to get deeper into the characters and see what made them tick. To that end, I wanted to better understand Genma, and the way I went in my story hopefully may explain some of his behavior. For instance, he did marry Nodoka and they had a son. That tells me they loved each other some time ago. And why do you think he was afraid of his wife and the seppuku pledge? After all, if he was truly honorless and didn't love her, I don't think he'd care about her opinion, or be afraid of her. I can't explain away everything, and he still has some faults (in the Ranmaverse, who doesn't?), but that just makes him human. He is greedy, but then again, so is Lina Inverse. As far as Genma's family curse goes, that's something that will be explained later.