Trapped in an Untenable Position
"You will marry my daughter, and that's final!" Tendo shouted his repetitive monologue. Normally Ranma tuned out this, but today was a bad day. The worst since he arrived in Nerima. He fought off all his potential fiancee's would-be suitors, Master Happosai, Hinako-sensei and Kuno-kouchou simultaneously, and then doe to misunderstandings caused by Kodachi, received poundings from both Akane and Shampoo.
"I have had enough. I'm going to bed. Tomorrow at 10:00 in the morning, I'm going to hold a meeting in the dojo. I'm going to settle the matter once and for all. I'm going to invite everyone so no one can dispute it." Ranma's look of exhaustion and fury actually got through to Soun, and Ranma made it to his room
* * *
Soun relayed this information to Genma. After a brief moment of wistful thinking, they decided that Ranma intended to propose to Akane tomorrow. A drunken celebration ensued, uninterrupted by Kasumi's calls to invite people at Ranma's request to Ranma's announcement.
* * *
The next morning finds the Tendo dojo filled with an explosive combination of martial artists, in the process of exploding. Soun and Cologne were busy glaring. Shampoo was dividing her time between clobbering Mousse and fighting Akane, Ukyou, and Kodachi. Ryouga was fuming in a corner, and Tsubasa was busy sneaking inside in another disguise each time Ukyou threw him out. Gosunkugi was waiting with camera in hand, while Kuno was spouting bad poetry and litanies of vengeance without an audience. Kasumi and Nabiki were quietly siting, and watching the spectacle.
Ranma enters, and manages to distract everyone by shouting "QUIET!" things calm down a bit. "Today we are going to settle the matter regarding my future marriage. Is there anyone here that likes the way things stand now?" Ranma had achieved what everyone would have thought impossible, he found one thing everyone in the room agreed on. "Before I begin, I want to thank all of you I'd invited to attend. Ryouga, Kuno, Mousse, Tsubasa, and Gosunkugi, I didn't invite any of you, and if you don't leave I refuse to continue this."
As expected, the five mentioned took immediate offense, and decided to attack. However everyone else agreed, and soon the five were thrown out, and offered brutal reprisal from their loved ones if they returned.
"Thank you for clearing the room. Now at Nabiki's request to protect the dojo from damage, I hereby swear on my honor that if anyone here attacks, or tries to provoke an attack before I've left, I will never marry that person, nor anyone they want me to marry. Thank you for suggesting that one, Nabiki." This caused alot of grumbling, and dirty looks at Nabiki and other fiancees, but things soon quieted down.
"The question that has tied us in a knot, centers around Family honor. My father has engaged me to one of the Tendo sisters and to Ukyou, and a few others which we've successfully annulled. We've reduced my engagement to the Tendo sisters to just Akane. Kasumi was invited to attend this because she has acted as a surrogate family member since I arrived; I couldn't resist her request to attend. I owe Nabiki too much money to refuse her, besides I want this event reported, and all our classmates go to her for this kind of information anyway."
"Shampoo and Cologne want our Family honor to be ignored or Circumvented, and for me to accept Shampoo and return to China. Mr. Tendo wants my relationship with Ukyou annulled, Shampoo ignored, and for me to honor my relationship with Akane. My father wants family honor upheld regardless of what it means. Kodachi wants me to ditch all of these entanglements and declare undying love for her. Does anyone think my description of their wishes is inaccurate?" Quiet muttering breaks out, but no one disagrees.
"After today, if any of you attack another girl because she is interested in me, you can forget about me. I want nothing to do with someone like that. The same goes for anyone trying to influence me with blackmail, drugs, or other coercion. Shampoo, I hold you responsible for Cologne's actions from now on. Kodachi, I don't hold you responsible for Kuno, because he is uncontrollable, But any sparring between you and anyone here, and we will never marry. Mr. Tendo, if you want me to stop living here, I'll leave, but if you agree to this, I'll hold you to it."
"So far, I've been unwilling to break our families honor. There are only 2 possible routes I could honestly consider. The first is to wait until all of the other requirements on me disappear. I've been living like this as long as I could. I've put up with the endless fights because I couldn't face the alternative. Last night, I realized that this was cowardess on my part, and that I had to confront it. Does everyone follow this so far?
Everyone looks confused. Cologne, Shampoo, and Kodachi seem to think things are going their way. Everyone else seems lost, except Nabiki, who looks horrified and shocked.
"Father, in order to preserve our family honor, and your promises to others to marry me, I reluctantly agree to be your second. Here is the Tendo's tanto; I swear to uphold our family name."
"You will marry my daughter, and that's final!" Tendo shouted his repetitive monologue. Normally Ranma tuned out this, but today was a bad day. The worst since he arrived in Nerima. He fought off all his potential fiancee's would-be suitors, Master Happosai, Hinako-sensei and Kuno-kouchou simultaneously, and then doe to misunderstandings caused by Kodachi, received poundings from both Akane and Shampoo.
"I have had enough. I'm going to bed. Tomorrow at 10:00 in the morning, I'm going to hold a meeting in the dojo. I'm going to settle the matter once and for all. I'm going to invite everyone so no one can dispute it." Ranma's look of exhaustion and fury actually got through to Soun, and Ranma made it to his room
* * *
Soun relayed this information to Genma. After a brief moment of wistful thinking, they decided that Ranma intended to propose to Akane tomorrow. A drunken celebration ensued, uninterrupted by Kasumi's calls to invite people at Ranma's request to Ranma's announcement.
* * *
The next morning finds the Tendo dojo filled with an explosive combination of martial artists, in the process of exploding. Soun and Cologne were busy glaring. Shampoo was dividing her time between clobbering Mousse and fighting Akane, Ukyou, and Kodachi. Ryouga was fuming in a corner, and Tsubasa was busy sneaking inside in another disguise each time Ukyou threw him out. Gosunkugi was waiting with camera in hand, while Kuno was spouting bad poetry and litanies of vengeance without an audience. Kasumi and Nabiki were quietly siting, and watching the spectacle.
Ranma enters, and manages to distract everyone by shouting "QUIET!" things calm down a bit. "Today we are going to settle the matter regarding my future marriage. Is there anyone here that likes the way things stand now?" Ranma had achieved what everyone would have thought impossible, he found one thing everyone in the room agreed on. "Before I begin, I want to thank all of you I'd invited to attend. Ryouga, Kuno, Mousse, Tsubasa, and Gosunkugi, I didn't invite any of you, and if you don't leave I refuse to continue this."
As expected, the five mentioned took immediate offense, and decided to attack. However everyone else agreed, and soon the five were thrown out, and offered brutal reprisal from their loved ones if they returned.
"Thank you for clearing the room. Now at Nabiki's request to protect the dojo from damage, I hereby swear on my honor that if anyone here attacks, or tries to provoke an attack before I've left, I will never marry that person, nor anyone they want me to marry. Thank you for suggesting that one, Nabiki." This caused alot of grumbling, and dirty looks at Nabiki and other fiancees, but things soon quieted down.
"The question that has tied us in a knot, centers around Family honor. My father has engaged me to one of the Tendo sisters and to Ukyou, and a few others which we've successfully annulled. We've reduced my engagement to the Tendo sisters to just Akane. Kasumi was invited to attend this because she has acted as a surrogate family member since I arrived; I couldn't resist her request to attend. I owe Nabiki too much money to refuse her, besides I want this event reported, and all our classmates go to her for this kind of information anyway."
"Shampoo and Cologne want our Family honor to be ignored or Circumvented, and for me to accept Shampoo and return to China. Mr. Tendo wants my relationship with Ukyou annulled, Shampoo ignored, and for me to honor my relationship with Akane. My father wants family honor upheld regardless of what it means. Kodachi wants me to ditch all of these entanglements and declare undying love for her. Does anyone think my description of their wishes is inaccurate?" Quiet muttering breaks out, but no one disagrees.
"After today, if any of you attack another girl because she is interested in me, you can forget about me. I want nothing to do with someone like that. The same goes for anyone trying to influence me with blackmail, drugs, or other coercion. Shampoo, I hold you responsible for Cologne's actions from now on. Kodachi, I don't hold you responsible for Kuno, because he is uncontrollable, But any sparring between you and anyone here, and we will never marry. Mr. Tendo, if you want me to stop living here, I'll leave, but if you agree to this, I'll hold you to it."
"So far, I've been unwilling to break our families honor. There are only 2 possible routes I could honestly consider. The first is to wait until all of the other requirements on me disappear. I've been living like this as long as I could. I've put up with the endless fights because I couldn't face the alternative. Last night, I realized that this was cowardess on my part, and that I had to confront it. Does everyone follow this so far?
Everyone looks confused. Cologne, Shampoo, and Kodachi seem to think things are going their way. Everyone else seems lost, except Nabiki, who looks horrified and shocked.
"Father, in order to preserve our family honor, and your promises to others to marry me, I reluctantly agree to be your second. Here is the Tendo's tanto; I swear to uphold our family name."