Freedom
By Metaverse
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters nor am I making
any money from this. Please do not sue me.
Nabiki looked up from her magazine as the front door slammed closed. Her eyes drifted to her younger sister, Akane, who was currently talking to Auntie Nodoka about Ranma's recent behavior. For a month now, ever since their junior year in high school had begun, Ranma had become more and more withdrawn and contemplative. At first everyone had just assumed it was a phase, but about a week back things had changed.
'Speak of the Devil' she thought, as Ranma entered the room. The young man stood at the entryway, arms crossed over his chest, eye's glaring about, disgust written plainly on his face.
Ever since that day when the parents had tried again to marry him and Akane, Ranma had been in a foul mood. One that, instead of improving, had rapidly gotten worse. Now as she looked at him, she could see that whatever was eating at him was about to culminate in the next few moments.
Soun cleared his throat. "Son, would you care to explain, why you left Akane to walk home alone?"
Ranma 's eyes locked onto the Patriarch of the Tendo family. "I had 'business' to discuss with Ukyo and Shampoo."
"What KIND of business." Nabiki glanced over to Akane who was slowly rising to her feet. It was obvious she'd come to a conclusion on what had been discussed and obviously didn't like it.
"I made it clear that I'd not marry them as things stood."
Genma's face broke out into a broad smile. "Well done boy!"
Soun nodded his assent. "Yes, it's about time you started showing some initiative in your engagement to Akane."
Nabiki's eyes moved between the father's and Ranma and knew their joy would be short lived.
Ranma shook his head. "You don't get it. I'm ending all my engagements. From here on out, I choose my own course in life."
Silence
"Ranma!" That was from a horrified Nodoka. Nabiki snorted internally, 'God forbid her son turn his back on honor.' Nabiki thought.
"Saotome what is the meaning of this!"
"Boy what nonsense are you spouting!"
"Ra..R..Ranma?" Confusion and hurt marred Akane's features.
Ranma was unmoved by any of it. "In the last month I came to realize that I was being a coward like so many of you had said. I let myself be bullied into a role you all proscribed. Well, I refuse to be a coward any longer. So I'm taking charge of my life."
"Ranma, this is very unmanly!"
Ranma's eyes swung to Nodoka, the contempt there silenced any further protest from her. "I also realized" he began while looking at her. "That my biological mother only seems to love me when I fit her view of Manhood."
Nodoka reacted as if slapped.
"Ranma," Akane gasped "That's you Mother!"
Ranma snorted "Some mother. I'm left to rot with Genma for ten years, then she enters my life and expects me to do whatever she says?" His glare pinned her in place. "I put so much of myself on the line to earn her love. Why should I have to do that, she abandon me Akane. Then demands I become unhappy in the name of honor?" He shook his head. "I went without a mom for 10 years of my life and I can continue on that way."
Nodoka was now nearly in tears as Akane tried to comfort her.
"Boy I don't know what's gotten into you but you will apologize to her this instant!"
"Make me." He snarled
Genma obliged.
The portly practionar of anything goes, feinted a high right, only to drop and sweep low. Ranma leapt up and snapped a leg out, catching him in the temple and flinging his body into Soun, who was just rising to his feet to aid his friends. Both crashed to the floor unconscious.
As Ranma landed from his attack, he gazed meaningfully around the room "Anybody else?"
Seeing that nobody else wished to try their luck, he made his way up the stairs and to his room.
********
Nabiki stared at Ranma's door for a moment, the choked sobs of a still crying Nodoka drifting up from the family room. The fathers had decided to give Ranma some space, assured that he'd come around after he had some time to cool off. Akane had been all for storming up to his room and dragging an apology out of him, but Nabiki had managed to convince her that it wouldn't be a good idea.
Still, it'd seemed wise for a third party to check up on him and since Kasumi was otherwise indisposed, she'd been volunteered. So here she was, standing outside his door, listening to the soft snuffling sounds of someone trying to stop the tears, and trying to decide how best to approach this.
Shrugging her shoulders and tossing caution to the wind, she opened his door and entered.
Ranma turned at the sound of his door being closed and Nabiki blinked in surprise at seeing the obvious tracks of tears along Ranma's face.
"Wha..?"
Ranma wiped his eyes and smiled at her sadly. "What I did and said downstairs was not easy me Nabiki, but it had to be done." He sniffled a bit. "What I said was the truth, the painful truth of the situation I found myself in. It was a no win scenario, I chose one girl and the others suffer and I suffer because I made such a choice under pressure. I'd never know if I honestly loved them, or did it for honor and that would eat at me and them for the rest of our lives."
"So what are you planning to do?"
"What else, leave. I ended the engagements, I made it clear I wasn't marrying any of them, so now I am free to go."
She folded her arms under her chest "Right and you think they'll just let you go?"
"No," he admits "But I've done all I can, so my responsibility is at an end." He grabs his pack.
She stared at him trying to gauge his state of mind. "All I have to do is go downstairs and tell them what your doing and you'll never make it out of Nerima."
His now emotionless face regards her own. "Yes you could."
They stare at one another. Seemingly engaged in a game of wills. Neither side wanting to give up knowing the cost. For Nabiki, she knows that to lose this, will mean the young man she'd grown used to thinking of as a brother-in-law will disappear from her life, possibly forever. For Ranma he knows he will lose his last chance at freedom.
A knock sounds at the door. "Is everything all right in there?" Kasumi ask.
On reflex Nabiki turns and answers "We're fine sis." And turns back to find herself the only occupant of the room, an open window marking Ranma's escape.
Emitting a silent curse she races to the window and looks out to find a moonlit evening and no sign of Ranma. She curses again, before turning around and racing for the door. But as her hand grabs the door knob she stops. The question that'd been running in her mind to this point was how could she find him and bring him back. Now, after recognizing his determination to leave, she asked herself if she should bring him back.
Slowly, she opened the door and made her way downstairs.
"Well, daughter." Soun began "How is he?"
"Angry but he's calming down, daddy. Just give him some time and he'll be fine." Which was true, just not in the way he or anyone else here would interpret it.
"Dinner will be ready in half-an-hour." Kasumi wiped her hands on her apron as she made the announcement.
"Thank you Kasumi dear."
"The boy'll be fine by dinner time Tendo," Genma added sagely "Just you wait."
"Hmph, after what he said to his own mother he can rot up there for all I care." Akane glowered in the direction of Ranma's room.
Nodoka was still to shaken to comment.
Nabiki took it all in and considered what dire consequences her and Ranma's actions were going to have. Quietly, she excused herself to her room, to plan for the carnage that was likely to come in just a little under thirty minutes.
- end
Author Notes: And I'll stop here. This feels like it would make a great beginning to any number of possibilities but as I did this to get over a case of writers block on my other stories it's unlikely I'll do anything with it. If someone else wishes to take a swing at it, just e-mail me to let me know.
By Metaverse
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters nor am I making
any money from this. Please do not sue me.
Nabiki looked up from her magazine as the front door slammed closed. Her eyes drifted to her younger sister, Akane, who was currently talking to Auntie Nodoka about Ranma's recent behavior. For a month now, ever since their junior year in high school had begun, Ranma had become more and more withdrawn and contemplative. At first everyone had just assumed it was a phase, but about a week back things had changed.
'Speak of the Devil' she thought, as Ranma entered the room. The young man stood at the entryway, arms crossed over his chest, eye's glaring about, disgust written plainly on his face.
Ever since that day when the parents had tried again to marry him and Akane, Ranma had been in a foul mood. One that, instead of improving, had rapidly gotten worse. Now as she looked at him, she could see that whatever was eating at him was about to culminate in the next few moments.
Soun cleared his throat. "Son, would you care to explain, why you left Akane to walk home alone?"
Ranma 's eyes locked onto the Patriarch of the Tendo family. "I had 'business' to discuss with Ukyo and Shampoo."
"What KIND of business." Nabiki glanced over to Akane who was slowly rising to her feet. It was obvious she'd come to a conclusion on what had been discussed and obviously didn't like it.
"I made it clear that I'd not marry them as things stood."
Genma's face broke out into a broad smile. "Well done boy!"
Soun nodded his assent. "Yes, it's about time you started showing some initiative in your engagement to Akane."
Nabiki's eyes moved between the father's and Ranma and knew their joy would be short lived.
Ranma shook his head. "You don't get it. I'm ending all my engagements. From here on out, I choose my own course in life."
Silence
"Ranma!" That was from a horrified Nodoka. Nabiki snorted internally, 'God forbid her son turn his back on honor.' Nabiki thought.
"Saotome what is the meaning of this!"
"Boy what nonsense are you spouting!"
"Ra..R..Ranma?" Confusion and hurt marred Akane's features.
Ranma was unmoved by any of it. "In the last month I came to realize that I was being a coward like so many of you had said. I let myself be bullied into a role you all proscribed. Well, I refuse to be a coward any longer. So I'm taking charge of my life."
"Ranma, this is very unmanly!"
Ranma's eyes swung to Nodoka, the contempt there silenced any further protest from her. "I also realized" he began while looking at her. "That my biological mother only seems to love me when I fit her view of Manhood."
Nodoka reacted as if slapped.
"Ranma," Akane gasped "That's you Mother!"
Ranma snorted "Some mother. I'm left to rot with Genma for ten years, then she enters my life and expects me to do whatever she says?" His glare pinned her in place. "I put so much of myself on the line to earn her love. Why should I have to do that, she abandon me Akane. Then demands I become unhappy in the name of honor?" He shook his head. "I went without a mom for 10 years of my life and I can continue on that way."
Nodoka was now nearly in tears as Akane tried to comfort her.
"Boy I don't know what's gotten into you but you will apologize to her this instant!"
"Make me." He snarled
Genma obliged.
The portly practionar of anything goes, feinted a high right, only to drop and sweep low. Ranma leapt up and snapped a leg out, catching him in the temple and flinging his body into Soun, who was just rising to his feet to aid his friends. Both crashed to the floor unconscious.
As Ranma landed from his attack, he gazed meaningfully around the room "Anybody else?"
Seeing that nobody else wished to try their luck, he made his way up the stairs and to his room.
********
Nabiki stared at Ranma's door for a moment, the choked sobs of a still crying Nodoka drifting up from the family room. The fathers had decided to give Ranma some space, assured that he'd come around after he had some time to cool off. Akane had been all for storming up to his room and dragging an apology out of him, but Nabiki had managed to convince her that it wouldn't be a good idea.
Still, it'd seemed wise for a third party to check up on him and since Kasumi was otherwise indisposed, she'd been volunteered. So here she was, standing outside his door, listening to the soft snuffling sounds of someone trying to stop the tears, and trying to decide how best to approach this.
Shrugging her shoulders and tossing caution to the wind, she opened his door and entered.
Ranma turned at the sound of his door being closed and Nabiki blinked in surprise at seeing the obvious tracks of tears along Ranma's face.
"Wha..?"
Ranma wiped his eyes and smiled at her sadly. "What I did and said downstairs was not easy me Nabiki, but it had to be done." He sniffled a bit. "What I said was the truth, the painful truth of the situation I found myself in. It was a no win scenario, I chose one girl and the others suffer and I suffer because I made such a choice under pressure. I'd never know if I honestly loved them, or did it for honor and that would eat at me and them for the rest of our lives."
"So what are you planning to do?"
"What else, leave. I ended the engagements, I made it clear I wasn't marrying any of them, so now I am free to go."
She folded her arms under her chest "Right and you think they'll just let you go?"
"No," he admits "But I've done all I can, so my responsibility is at an end." He grabs his pack.
She stared at him trying to gauge his state of mind. "All I have to do is go downstairs and tell them what your doing and you'll never make it out of Nerima."
His now emotionless face regards her own. "Yes you could."
They stare at one another. Seemingly engaged in a game of wills. Neither side wanting to give up knowing the cost. For Nabiki, she knows that to lose this, will mean the young man she'd grown used to thinking of as a brother-in-law will disappear from her life, possibly forever. For Ranma he knows he will lose his last chance at freedom.
A knock sounds at the door. "Is everything all right in there?" Kasumi ask.
On reflex Nabiki turns and answers "We're fine sis." And turns back to find herself the only occupant of the room, an open window marking Ranma's escape.
Emitting a silent curse she races to the window and looks out to find a moonlit evening and no sign of Ranma. She curses again, before turning around and racing for the door. But as her hand grabs the door knob she stops. The question that'd been running in her mind to this point was how could she find him and bring him back. Now, after recognizing his determination to leave, she asked herself if she should bring him back.
Slowly, she opened the door and made her way downstairs.
"Well, daughter." Soun began "How is he?"
"Angry but he's calming down, daddy. Just give him some time and he'll be fine." Which was true, just not in the way he or anyone else here would interpret it.
"Dinner will be ready in half-an-hour." Kasumi wiped her hands on her apron as she made the announcement.
"Thank you Kasumi dear."
"The boy'll be fine by dinner time Tendo," Genma added sagely "Just you wait."
"Hmph, after what he said to his own mother he can rot up there for all I care." Akane glowered in the direction of Ranma's room.
Nodoka was still to shaken to comment.
Nabiki took it all in and considered what dire consequences her and Ranma's actions were going to have. Quietly, she excused herself to her room, to plan for the carnage that was likely to come in just a little under thirty minutes.
- end
Author Notes: And I'll stop here. This feels like it would make a great beginning to any number of possibilities but as I did this to get over a case of writers block on my other stories it's unlikely I'll do anything with it. If someone else wishes to take a swing at it, just e-mail me to let me know.