Ranma ½: Uncertain Terms
By zoupzuop2
A Quickie Fic-y to prove I'm not dead.
"…and that's the story."
Ranma had finished his dark litany of woe. Not that he usually minded, he could tell the story of his curse gagged, hanging upside down, with a knife to his neck, or any other sort of quite common means of extracting information. In fact, he usually had a bit of fun with it, testing himself to see how much he could remember about the situation, sometimes even going down to some of the absurdest of details. But this time it was his audience to his story that made him uneasy, and for a good reason. He squirmed on the small sitting cushion as he reeled in the pain of telling this particular person.
He was talking to his mother.
The all-too-familiar room devoted to any Saotome that happened by the Tendo Dojo seemed to be filled with a strange aura; not one of anger or sadness, specifically, but one telling more of shame and insecurity. It only served as emphasis of the silence that followed Ranma's explanation of what happened to Genma's son/daughter over so many years. Not a word was said, but so many things were floating in the air, questions waiting to be said.
Ranma steeled his nerves, ready for the announcement of seppuku and the end of his life, ready for the cold SHING of steel to exclaim from Nodoka's sheath.
Nodoka sat still for a while, saying nothing, clearly having soaked everything in. They stewed in the silence for a minute or so more.
Finally she spoke.
"…you haven't…"
She stopped, and tried to recollect her nerves. Ranma leaned in a bit further, to acknowledge that he heard her but also requesting she continue.
"…you haven't… KISSED any boys in your girl form, have you?"
Ranma reeled back a bit. He was ready to blurt out "No", he was ready to eek out a "yes", but neither worked. Instead, he focused on a legitimate answer.
"…never on my own free will or accord. I've faked it for stage, with tape, I've BEEN kissed—"
"By a man?"
"Unfortunately. I thrashed him to a pulp the next day for it."
"Oh."
"Anyway, never on my own accord. And, every time I've had to fake it it's been miserable. It's not exactly a habit…"
"What about clothing? Have you crossdressed?"
Oh boy. This one's a biggie.
"Only as a tactic for combat, or as part of an Anything Goes Martial Art. Again, nothing I'd do on my free will. It's all only to throw people off-guard for the Art."
"Oh…" And Nodoka sat silent some more.
Ranma squirmed a bit in his seat once again, like an accused felon awaiting his sentence, if he goes free or faces death. He could only imagine how he let his mother down, even if it wasn't technically his own fault; how he kept her in the dark, how he was now finally receiving judgement… the tension was too strong, even for Ranma.
After another minute, he spoke.
"…are we… gonn'a…"
He never finished the question in words, but the meaning was very clear. It was the question that haunted him ever since he remembered that pact. He sat and waited for his mother to deliver his sentence.
Finally, she once more spoke. She inhaled, held it in for a second, and released… and Ranma's fate was decided.
"…no."
A wash of shock, surprise, relief and joy all flew onto Ranma's face. He couldn't have heard that right. No way on EARTH did he just hear her say that.
"I'm sorry, what?"
Nodoka stood up.
"Your father never set up the exact terms on which a 'man among men' should be defined. For now I've kept to a sort of vague definition of a man, basically a rugged gentleman-type… and I see no way you've slipped from that definition. While this is certainly…" Nodoka sort of cocked her head to the side "different, I understand that it's not been your desire, will or intent to ever be less than a man."
Ranma sighed in relief. "That makes everything easier…"
Nodoka stepped closer and knelt by her son. "And…" she smiled, "I see no evidence that you're anything less than a man amongst men already."
Ranma flushed a bit. "R-really?"
Nodoka smiled calmly. "Really."
"…thank you. It's been the hardest thing to do…"
"And it's paid off. Now, you are released from your vow, having fulfilled it. I just hope you can remain a man among men, even without a contract." Nodoka protruded the contract that Ranma once signed with his 5-year-old hand, unsheathed her sword, and sliced his name and signature off it.
"Although…" Nodoka sighed.
"What?" Ranma wondered.
"…I will miss Ranko." Nodoka laughed a bit, and Ranma was quick to join her.
The burden was finally off. Ranma could live in peace.
"Well, now, if you'll excuse me…" Nodoka got up and headed for the door.
"Ehh, where are you going?"
Nodoka stopped in the doorway, and a small aura shot through her back, causing Ranma to reel back a bit.
"You have fulfilled your end of the contract. Your father, on the other hand…" Nodoka lifted the sword into Ranma's view, "has some explaining to do."
"Ranma, what a relief!"
Akane gleefully sipped her juice as she knelt with Ranma by the porch. It wasn't exactly a celebration, but she felt it necessary to at least congratulate him somehow, so she had gone to the grocery store and bought a few of Ranma's favorite juice bottles. The real celebration would come later.
"Yeah, isn't it? Finally, no worrying about surprise visits, no more freaking out at the sound of unsheathed metal, and no more Pop freakin' out on me!" Ranma laughed victoriously and sipped his juice.
"No more Pop? What do you mean?"
"…nothing. Just look into the yard."
"I don't know what you—"
Akane saw a VERY freaked out Genma Saotome fleeing from a wildly swinging Nodoka, whom never seemed to quite strike her opponent with her katana. She did manage, however, to create a nice Nodoka-with-sword shaped hole in the concrete wall, and trim many of the nearby trees and shrubs.
"HONEY-BEAR! I CAN EXPLAIN!"
"YOU HAVE TEN SECONDS OR I'LL KILL YOU FOR YOU!"
And their pursuit continued across the yard.