Author's notes: First, my apologies for the long delay to this rather long chapter. Finals took up much of my time these past couple of weeks. Although she was a very minor character in the manga, Nodoka will become a much more important force in this and later chapters. I hope you enjoy my interpretation of her.

(Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½ or any of the characters and stories associated with it.)

The Scorn of Nodoka

The rest of the evening was filled with talk of the opening of the school. While at first, Soun was a bit hesitant to take on new students, especially young ones, the encouragement from his daughters began to win him over.

The next morning, after Nabiki and Akane had gone off to school, Nodoka called a cab to meet her at the hospital in about an hour. She might have taken the cab to the hospital herself, but cash had been a bit tight lately, and it was nice day for the walk. When she had reached Ranma's room, he was sitting up in his bed and reading a manga.

He looked up and put the book down as she walked in, "Hi Mom."

Nodoka smiled as she walked over to the side of the bed and kissed him on the forehead, "Good morning, Ranma. How are you feeling today?"

He placed his hand over the bandage, "It's feeling pretty good, actually. It's not throbbing and I can move it a bit."

"Remember not to overdo it. I just spoke with your doctor and he said that you will need quite a bit of rest. You may be healing very fast, but you can still re-injure yourself."

Ranma sighed, "Aw, Mom. You know me. If I don't stay active, I get all antsy and stuff."

She handed him his clothes and gave a concerned look, "Even so, you need to take it easy until the doctor says otherwise."

He flashed a smile, "Alright, Mom. For you, I'll take it easy for a while."

"Thank you Ranma. I'll be waiting for you outside. When you're done getting dressed, we'll get you checked out and head on home."

Once Ranma was done, they checked him out of the hospital and headed home. When they arrived, Kasumi was waiting at the gate to greet them.

Ranma waved at her, "Hey Kasumi. How ya doing?"

The older Tendo smiled warmly, "I should be asking you that question, Ranma."

He placed his hand behind his head, "I'm doin okay. Doc says I need to take it easy though. No fighting and that sort of thing."

"Would you like to come inside and rest a bit?"

He shook his head, "I've been sitting on my butt for two days, Kasumi. If it's all the same to you, I want to go to the dojo for a while. I need to loosen up."

Nodoka gave him a worried look, "Remember Son. The doctor said to take it easy until you're healed."

He smiled and waved as he turned and headed towards the dojo, "Don't worry, Mom. I'm just going to meditate and stretch, and maybe do a few easy katas."

As the young martial artist took off to the Dojo, Nodoka glanced over to Kasumi, "Has he always been like that?"

Kasumi chuckled as she and the older woman headed inside the home, "From the day Ranma set foot in our home, he's always been very active."

Nodoka grinned, "I wonder where he got that from? It certainly wasn't his father."

Kasumi's eyes went wide as she giggled, "Auntie!"

Nodoka broke into a soft laugh as the two entered the house.

It was a little after noon when Kasumi entered the dojo carrying a covered tray. She found Ranma sitting down near the shrine and meditating. He had taken off his shirt and was wearing a tank top. Smiling to herself, she quietly tip-toed over and sat down a few feet in front of him.

"Well, I'm glad to see he hasn't been doing anything too strenuous. My, he sure looks like he's concentrating. Let's see what this does to his train of thought."

She lifted the cover off of the tray and let the aroma of the delicious foods fill the air. It didn't take long for Ranma to open his eyes, "I smell…Whoa! This looks great! Thanks Kasumi!"

As Ranma dug in, Kasumi chuckled, "You're welcome, Ranma. Your Mom made some of her chocolate chip cookies for you as well."

He paused for a moment and flashed a big smile, "You guys are the greatest!"

As Ranma continued to eat, he noticed that Kasumi was still sitting in front him. He blushed a bit, "Don't worry, when I'm done, I'll take the tray and stuff back in for you."

Kasumi smiled, "That's very kind of you, Ranma. But I'm waiting for you to finish because I need to ask a favor of you."

"He smiled, "Sure! Whatever you need, Kasumi."

When he was done, she gathered the dishes on to the tray, "Ranma, while you were in the hospital, it was decided that father is going to be teaching again."

"Mr. Tendo's going to be teaching? That's great!"

"Yes, we're all very excited about it."

"So what do you want me to do?"

"Father hasn't taught in a long time Ranma. I'd like you to be here and stand by just in case he needs help."

He flashed her a smile, "Sure Kasumi. No problem."

She picked up the tray and stood up, "Thank you, Ranma. The new students should be here in a couple of hours."

She paused for a moment before leaving, "I almost forgot, your mother wants to talk with you when you're done with the class. It has to do with her announcement tonight."

After Kasumi left, Ranma stood up and walked over to one side of the dojo. Taking a deep breath, he slowly began a level one kata.

It was two hours later when the first students arrived. Kasumi answered the door and greeted a woman and a pair of young boys. She smiled warmly, "Good afternoon, you must be our new students. My name is Kasumi, please come in."

The woman entered and after removing her shoes, bowed politely, "Thank you for your hospitality. My name is Hiroko Sakamoto. These are my sons, Mikato and Hiroshi."

Kasumi smiled warmly at the youngsters, "Welcome. Your teacher, Sensei Tendo will meet you in a bit, but first I need to speak with your mother."

She smiled at Hiroko, "Today's class will be about 2 hours long and there will be a short break after the first hour if they need it. Sensei will begin on a very easy level for them at first and increase the difficult as the class progress."

Two more women with one child each knocked at the door. Kasumi bowed to her guest, "Excuse me while I get the door. That is probably the other two students."

She answered the door and invited the two women inside, "Good afternoon and welcome to the Tendo School of Anything Goes Martial Arts. My name is Kasumi and this is Hiroko. She also has a pair of children in the class."

The first woman bowed, "My Name is Yumi Tanaka and this is my daughter, Kumiko."

The second woman also bowed, "My name is Hana Fujita and this is my son Tetsuo. I am pleased to meet you."

Kasumi smiled warmly, "I am very pleased to meet you all."

She pointed towards a doorway, "If you will all follow me, we will take the children to meet Sensei Tendo."

At that very moment, Soun Tendo was seated at the dining room feeling a bit nervous. Kasumi had found all of his cigarettes and disposed of them and had locked the liquor cabinet. Taking a deep breath, he sipped the green herbal tea she had prepared for him. As he put it down, Kasumi entered the room followed by the parents and their children.

Kasumi bowed, "Sensei, these are your new students."

Soun stood up and as she introduced each member, he bowed politely. When she was finished he cleared his throat and smiled at the parents, "I am very pleased to meet you today. The class we will be holding will be at the beginner level and will only advance when the students are ready to do so."

Looking at the new students, he continued, "Even though these are beginner classes, I will expect you all to give your best effort to perfect the exercises we work on."

He then looked back towards the adults, "Parents are welcome to stop by and observe their children's progress, although today we will only be gauging what they already know and can do."

Kasumi smiled at the parents, "If you wish to stay here and wait, I will be preparing some tea."

Soun cleared his throat, "Alright then. Students if you will follow me, we will go out to the dojo."

Once they had stepped outside, the children began to whisper among themselves, "Wow they got a pond!"

"I'll bet it has fish in it!"

"Yeah, this place is cool."

"I wonder if they teach older kids. I have a brother in high school."

Once they reached the dojo, Soun stopped and turned. "Alright students, this is the Tendo Dojo. When you come here for the rest of your classes, I want you to come through the garden here to the dojo. I will be waiting for you inside."

When the students nodded he continued, "Alright then, let's get started."

Soun brought them inside and had them stand off to one side. Once he had the students arranged in position, he moved to the front of the class. He was about to speak when he noticed the students were not looking at him, but somewhere behind him.

One of the students whispered, "Whoa…."

When Soun turned around to see what had attracted their attention, he smiled and nodded. Ranma was nearing the end of his kata. In slow and extremely precise movements, he advanced through the positions one step at a time. The muscles on his back and arms rippled under his control as neared the kata's end.

When Ranma was finished, he noticed the students and blushed slightly, "I'm sorry, Mr. Tendo. I forgot you were holding a class today."

Soun waved his hand at Ranma as he turned to the class, "Students, allow me to introduce Ranma Saotome. Heir to the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts and probably the best martial artist I have ever known."

One of the student's eyes got large as he exclaimed, "Hey! I know him! He saved my cousin a few days ago."

"What happened?"

"Some thief tried to rob the store downtown with a gun. He was gonna shoot him and his sister when Ranma knocked his lights out!"

"Wow!"

"Cool!"

Soun smiled for a moment as the children talked. He then walked over to Ranma and placed his hand on the young man's shoulder, "Ranma, how would you like to assist me here?"

Ranma reached behind his head and fiddled with his pigtail, "Uh, sure Mr. Tendo. What can I do for ya?"

About a half hour later Nabiki was looking for Kasumi. As she stepped outside, she noticed her older sister standing outside the dojo with her hands clasped in front of her. When Nabiki walked up to her, she noticed Kasumi seemed to be shaking.

Nabiki placed her arm around Kasumi, "Hey sis. What's wrong?"

The oldest Tendo turned and revealed the heavy stream of tears running down her cheeks as she pointed towards the dojo, "Look at them, sister. Just look at them!"

Nabiki turned to where her sister was pointing and her eyes widened. Although the student's backs were to the girls, they could see though the door of the dojo as their father gave instructions on the movements of the katas. Ranma walked among the students and gently made adjustments to their arms and legs.

"So he actually went through with it. This is a proud day for the family, Kasumi."

She wiped the tears from her eyes and smiled, "It just hit me with so much emotion to see Father teaching again. I just couldn't take my eyes away. I'm sorry, sis. Did you want something?"

"Yes. Auntie wants to talk to us about something that she's going to be doing right after Daddy is finished with class. I'm pretty sure it's that meeting she talked about earlier."

Kasumi turned, "Oh my, I almost forgot. Auntie needs to talk with us right away. We're going to have to prepare for tonight!"

After the class, the family had a quick dinner while Akane, Kasumi and Nabiki prepared for the night's meeting. Ranma and Soun prepared the Dojo as per Nodoka's instructions while she got dressed. When they were finished, Ranma hurried upstairs to clean up and get into the clothes his mother had set out for him. He was almost finished when there was a knock at the door.

Kasumi answered the door and bowed, "Thank you for coming and being on time. Please follow us out to the Dojo."

The three young women followed Kasumi and Akane. Ukyo wore a modest light blue Kimono with small prints of red flowers, and Kodachi word a dark red kimono with small black roses. Shampoo, however, wore a red Chinese dress with a long slit up the side. When they reached the dojo, there was a small square table in the center with several places set around it.

Kasumi pointed to the far side of the table. "You three and Akane are to sit at those places and wait for Mrs. Saotome. I will return with her shortly."

The four girls sat at the table for a few minutes before Kodachi spoke, "Today you simpletons finally get what's coming to you. I will be named the only fiancé and you will all be tossed out like yesterday's garbage."

Ukyo sneered, "In your dreams, rich girl. At least I have an agreement to back up my claims. You only have your drug induced fantasies."

Shampoo pointed a finger, "Husband no want crazy girl. Always make sick with funny powders."

Kodachi was about to respond when Akane whispered, "Hush you guys….I hear someone coming."

Moments later, Ranma entered the dojo wearing an all white yukata. He was followed by Nabiki, Nodoka, and Kasumi. Nabiki wore a light blue kimono with dark blue and pink flowers. Kasumi wore a deep blue kimono with light blue and white flowers. Nodoka, however, wore an all white silk kimono.

Ranma stood a few feet off to the left of Akane. He had a serious look on his face and kept his eyes straight ahead. Nabiki and Kasumi took their places at the ends of the table opposite the four girls. After they had sat down, Nodoka walked over to Ranma and stood in front of him. She then bowed and handed him the family honor sword. After he returned the bow and sat down, she turned and took her place at the table between Nabiki and Kasumi.

Nodoka sat with her hands folded on the table as she looked over the four young women in front of her. Her eyes studied their dress, their posture, and even the way they breathed. When she got to the Amazon, she raised an eyebrow as she took note of the silk dress.

Finally, she unfolded her hands and placed them flat on the table. As she spoke, she looked at each of the fiancés, "My name is Nodoka Saotome, Matriarch head of the Saotome clan, and grandmaster of the Saotome art of the katana."

Ranma's eyes went wide for a moment, "Saotome art of the katana?"

Kodachi raised an eyebrow slightly, "Interesting, perhaps my dear Ranma has an important background after all."

She continued, "I called you four here to discuss the terms of your claims of engagement to my son. The events I have witnessed have forced me to step forward and take charge of this mess before the families' honor is damaged beyond what is salvageable. This is a serious matter and I trust there won't be any outbursts or trouble from any of you, am I correct?"

The four nodded and she continued, "Alright then. We will begin with Akane Tendo. You, Miss Tendo, had the strongest claim on my son. The agreement between your father and my husband, although made without my approval, is legitimate and binding with no possibility of error."

Ukyo gasped, "Huh?

Shampoo interrupted, "Kitchen destroyer no want hus-."

Nodoka slammed the palm of her hand on the table, "Silence!"

The Amazon jumped back as Nodoka glared, "I will not tolerate any more of your insubordination! Be quiet, or leave through those doors, never to return."

As Shampoo stared wide-eyed, the older woman glared at the other girls, "That goes for the rest of you as well. Am I understood?"

The four nodded and she returned her attention to Akane, "As I was about to say…you, Miss Tendo had the most legitimate case for your engagement to my son. Up until recently, I have chosen to ignore the constant beatings you have seen fit to inflict on him. You have repeatedly chosen to tell the world how much you hate him, yet you are jealous of every woman who comes near him. You never listen to the problems he seems to attract, but instead jump to conclusions and punish him with brute force. All of this I might have ignored simply because of your age and because my son is no angel and probably deserves to be set straight now and then. That all changed in the hospital when you stormed out while the doctor attempted to explain what happened to your fiancé. Your actions that day were a stain on your family's honor as well as mine. As of now, I have dissolved the engagement between you and Ranma.

Akane gasped, "Nooo…."

The three other girls smiled in unison, "Yesss!"

The matriarch's eyes softened, "You may still court his affections, Akane. But unless he asks you to marry him, the arranged engagement you had with him is now over."

Akane was almost in shock, "She can't do that, can she? Oh my god, she's going to give him away to one of these hussies! What can I do? Oh Ranma, what have I done?"

Ranma looked sadly at his now former fiancé, "Akane…."

As Akane began to realize what she brought on herself, Nodoka turned her attention to the Kuno daughter, "Kodachi Kuno. In contrast to Akane, you don't have any real claim on Ranma at all. There was never an arranged marriage, and my son has not asked you to marry him. I do not mind a young woman chasing after my son; it's actually a compliment to his manliness. Yet, you do not behave honorably, Miss Kuno. You were party to the destruction of my family home, you use dishonorable poisons to fight people, and after I told you all to wear proper clothing, you chose to wear a leotard under your kimono."

The girl's eyes got wide as Nodoka continued in an icy voice, "Yes, that's right. Do you actually think that I wouldn't notice? Your family claims to have Samurai roots, and yet I have seen nothing to justify these claims. From your dishonorable tricks to win challenges, your brothers demeaning attitude of women, and your father's lunacy as a school principal; your family has proven unfit for an engagement with my son."

The young Kuno girl found it hard to look at icy glare she was receiving. Nodoka leaned forward a bit, "There was no engagement to begin with you, Miss Kuno. However, should my son pursue a relationship with you, I will allow it.

Ranma raised an eyebrow ever so slightly, "Yeah, fat chance of that, Mom."

Nodoka turned her gaze to the okenomyaki chef. After a few moments of an icy glare, her face softened slightly and she placed both of her hands together.

Her voice was soft as she spoke, "Miss Ukyo Kuonji. Of the three other girls, only you had a true challenge to the Tendo-Saotome agreement. My husband's dishonorable action of accepting your dowry is a binding contract."

The other three girls gasped and even Nabiki raised her eyebrows in surprise. Ukyo's feelings of elation were short lived, though, as Nodoka's voice hardened, "Yet you threw it away, Miss Kuonji. You participated in the destruction of my home and in the process made the Saotome family homeless. We are living here on the generosity of the Tendo family. Were it not for them, we would now be out on the street. Do you know how much it is going to cost to repair our home? The costs are very high, young lady, well over one hundred times the value of your little cart."

She let the words set in for a bit, "Can you pay for your share of the damage, Miss Kuonji?"

She shook her head slightly as she gazed down at the table, "No…I-I don't have that kind of money, Mrs. Saotome."

Nodoka's gaze was piercing as she folded her hands once again on the table, "I thought not, young lady. With your inability to pay for the damages to my home, you have forfeited your claim to my son. Ukyo Kuonji, as of this moment, your engagement to my son has been dissolved."

Ukyo covered her mouth with her hands as tears began running down her cheeks, "Nooooo! This can't be happening! Dear god…what have I done?"

Ranma looked up at his childhood friend. It was only his oath to his mother earlier that kept him in his seat, or the hurt in his friend's eyes might have driven him to do otherwise. He could only look at her pain, "Damn it Ukyo…I told you to be careful around my mom. I'm…I'm sorry, my friend."

As Ukyo began to sob, Nodoka turned her gaze on the Amazon. For the better part of a minute, she looked harshly into the Chinese girl's eyes. When she spoke, her voice was like ice, "Shampoo. Of all the girls here, it is you that I am the most displeased with."

The Amazon didn't even flinch at the accusation, but instead stood her ground proudly.

Nodoka missed none of this as she smirked, "A warrior to the end."

She suddenly threw out her hand and pointed at Shampoo, "It's a pity you know nothing of a warrior's honor! Your whole tribal law is based on trickery and lies! When my son first came to your village, you challenged him to a fight. Did you tell him that you would kill him if he won as a girl? No you did not!"

Shampoo reeled back as if slapped, her eyes wide as Nodoka continued, "According to you, Amazon law says that if he were to beat you as a male in a challenge, you automatically become his wife. Very interesting Shampoo. Tell me, when did you challenge Ranma to a fight of marriage?"

As shampoo shook her head, Nodoka slammed both hands on the table, "You didn't, did you? You used dishonor to deceive my son into thinking you had become his wife. You use your so-called all mighty Amazon law and claim your three thousand years of traditions have to be honored by everyone, and yet, you don't have the decency to dress properly."

Shampoo looked at her Chinese dress as Nodoka continued, "I asked you to dress properly and that means to honor my Japanese traditions. Instead, you come to this meeting dressed like a common whore, unfitting of the engagement, much less the marriage you claim over my son."

The Amazon girl held her head up proudly, "Shampoo no care what Ranma mother think. Shampoo only care that Ranma married to Shampoo."

Nodoka raised an eyebrow "Of course you don't care. That's the problem with you, Shampoo. You just don't care. Not about Ranma's feelings, and certainly not my own. I imagine you don't even care about taking part in the destruction of my home. If you think that I'm going to just bow down to your Amazon laws, you're sadly mistaken. Shampoo, your engagement to Ranma has been dissolved. Consider your marriage annulled."

Shampoo jumped to her feet and pointed at Nodoka, "You no have right! Ranma Shampoo's husband. I kill for husband!"

Nodoka yelled, "Ranma!"

There was a blur of motion as Ranma suddenly moved with speed almost too fast to see. In less than an instant he was behind the Amazon, holding both her wrists firmly behind her with his good hand. He whispered dangerously into her ear with a coldness that chilled her to the bone, "Don't ever threaten my mother again, Shampoo. Now sit down!"

Shampoo's legs began to shake and she wisely sat back down. As Ranma walked to his seat there was a soft click as Nodoka locked the katana back in its sheath.

Akane's eyes widened, "How did she get that? Ranma had it with him."

Nabiki shook her head slightly, "That was a bad move, Shampoo. Auntie had that katana out as soon as Ranma tossed it to her and you didn't even see it. Even with his injury, Ranma would have killed you before he let you harm his mother."

Nodoka continued as she placed the Katana on the floor next to her, "My son still considers you a friend, Shampoo. For that, and that alone, should he wish to court your affections, I will consider it."

Ukyo bowed her head slightly, "Mrs. Saotome?"

"Yes Miss Ukyo. What is it?"

Ukyo swallowed, "Uh…What of the Tendo agreement. As I understand it now, you've ended the engagement between Akane and Ranma?"

Nodoka raised an eyebrow, "Yes…"

"What I mean is, does the end of the engagement also mean the end of the agreement?"

A smile formed on Nodoka's lips, "No, Miss Ukyo. The Tendo Saotome agreement is still binding. It now falls on these two girls to fill that promise."

Kasumi had been quiet all this time but turned and questioned, "Auntie?"

Nodoka smiled at the eldest Tendo, "Do not worry, my dear. I will not allow the agreement to come in the way of the one you care for. That would not be honorable."

Akane's eyes went wide as realization dawned on her, "That means….that means…."

A cackle rose from the doorway as a figure appeared, "What it means Miss Tendo, is your sister Nabiki is now Ranma's fiancé."

Nodoka picked up her katana and placed her other hand firmly on the hilt, "Good evening, Elder Cologne. I have been expecting you."