Chapter 2: The Holdout
"Ye gods!" Sanu muttered to himself. "Just when I think things are getting simpler, it gets worse again. This is like a Doctor Who episode." Sanu looked on as the bailiffs stood between Tanaka (the remaining parent), and an elderly man who was apparently Grandfather Saotome. The old man teetered a bit and relied on the younger man next to him for support. The younger man looked to be close in age to Nodoka and was wearing an immaculate three piece suit. The older man was dressed in fine robes that suited him very well. The Saotome Family Counselor, Attorney Miura was standing behind them.
Tanaka sneered at the old man. "'Nemesis' implies that I have some respect for you, Shigeo Saotome. I have none."
"And yet I am the reason you live your life," Shigeo answered him. "Without me, you have nothing."
"I have nothing because of you, old man! I will not stop until you do too!" Tanaka shouted.
Ranma seemed to be holding his head listening to them. Nodoka stood speechless until her father said: "Speaking of which…" Then he turned to her and grabbed her in a fierce hug. He said: "My daughter! Forgive me! I failed you completely! I had no idea of the burden you wrestled with every day of your life!" Nodoka's eyes went very wide and she seemed to shake. Then she broke down crying in the old man's arms. Tanaka's eyes widened and became confused. Ranma had more of a clue this time around, but his thought processes still couldn't get past the appearance of a man who apparently was his grandfather.
The old man's companion spoke up: "We should leave them alone for a few minutes. They haven't seen each other in over twenty years." Then he looked mischievously at Tanaka and said: "I must thank you for giving Shigeo back his daughter, Hajime. He has had nothing but your hate, and now he has something else."
Tanaka's eyes widened and with a snarl, he dove at the companion or tried to. Ranma effortlessly stopped Tanaka and spun Tanaka around to face him. "You can behave yourself, father-in-law-not, or explain to your daughter why your backside is up by your ears. Your call." Tanaka started to say something defiant until Ranma lifted him up one-handed by the front of his shirt high into the air with no strain at all. Tanaka's eyes widened nicely.
"Now, now, Ranma," the judge scolded. "If you kill him, I'll have to spend all evening filling out paperwork. I did let you pull those two stunts, after all. Show me some pity." Ranma dropped Tanaka disdainfully.
"Besides, his daughter is only eight years old and you really don't want to traumatize your future 'bride-not' like that Ranma," the companion said.
Ranma's eyes went flat as he looked at Tanaka. So did Sanu's. "I'll fill out the paperwork, Ranma," Sanu told him. They both started toward Tanaka.
"Whoa! Wait a minute! I never intended to introduce Aimi to you for several years! I just wanted to mess up your wedding plans now!" Tanaka said backing away from both of them. Suddenly Tanaka found himself hoisted upright into the air by his ankles. He looked down to see Akane Tendo lifting him aloft by his feet.
"You would use your eight-year old daughter like that? Lock her into a loveless marriage? Just for revenge?" she hissed. "She'll never miss you…"
"Stop! Hear me out!" Tanaka called out. "It's a matter of Honor!"
"Those who wish to stand in the way of Love have no Honor I need to abide by," Ranma repeated. "There are things far more important than Honor in this world. That was a lesson I had to learn the hard way."
"You have no idea what Honor is, Tanaka!" Sanu told him.
"Stop!" the old man called out. "Please put him down, Miss Tendo. He indeed has no honor. He married for revenge and had a child for revenge, but his fall from grace is due to me. Indeed, many people have paid for my pride, including my daughter and grandson. It has to stop. It's time for me to pay and I'm ready." Akane released Tanaka and he fell to the floor in front of her. The rest of the Tendos joined her looking at the fallen man. Ranma came over and took Akane's hand. Tanaka scooted back away from them all, bewilderment showing on his face.
"Introductions first," the old man started. "I am Shigeo Saotome, head of the Saotome clan in Hokkaido. This is Hayato Saotome." He indicated his companion. "He is the eldest child of my younger brother."
Nodoka stared at the companion. "Hayato? Is that really you?"
"Hello cousin," Hayato grinned at her. "A lot changes in twenty years. You are still beautiful though." The last part caused Nodoka to blush, something Ranma had never seen before.
"As I said," Shigeo continued. "The man on the floor is Hajime Tanaka." Shigeo sighed then. "Twenty-five years ago, he sought the hand of Airi Saotome, my eldest daughter."
"Hajime…yes, that was his name…" Nodoka whispered.
"I forbid the marriage because I disliked him immensely," Shigeo said softly.
Tanaka scrambled off the floor. "THAT'S A LIE, YOU BIGOT!" he shouted as he stood up. "You said it was because I was descended from the Burakumin!"
"No, that was the lie I told you. I should have been forthcoming with you. That was my first sin. What do I care if you are Burakumin? The Saotomes have some Ainu blood. We are of the North. The prejudices of the South are not our concern. No, I forbid the marriage because I thought you were a vain, stupid, and selfish man." The old man's voice hardened. "And you proved me right! You married a woman just because she was a full Burakumin and when your first (and only) born was a girl, you rejoiced! Not because the child is beautiful – and she is. But because she was now your weapon."
Rage filled Tanaka's eyes and he started forward, only to run into Ono's out stretched hand. Tanaka might have as well run into a wall. When he looked in the good doctor's eyes, he saw a warning there – one he felt he could not ignore. Instead he yelled: "What do you know of my family? You didn't even know your own!"
"There is truth in what you say, and maybe that was my second sin – or possibly the first," Shigeo answered. "But I know your wife and child very well. Not a month goes by when I do not visit them. The Saotome clan are your wife's biggest customer to that little shop of hers. We also encourage others to visit her; although, admittedly, that is easy to do as the goods she sells are of the highest quality."
"You created your daughter because of us," Hayato said quietly. "We will not see her abandoned."
Tanaka tried to rush Hayato, but Tofu picked him up one-handed and threw him. Tanaka landed on his rump four meters back. "You're way out of your league," Ranma told him.
"I digress," Shigeo continued. "He is right in that I did not know my own family. My daughter Airi truly loved Tanaka. Rightly, she didn't care if he was Burakumin. But had Tanaka married her, he would have become my heir, and I detested that. So I committed my third sin and had him kidnapped, severely beaten, and abandoned in the backwaters of Thailand."
"You do know I am a judge, right?" Sanu asked. The rest looked horrified at Shigeo.
Shigeo shrugged. "The statute of limitations has expired on the crime. (1) Tanaka never pressed charges, although he should have – I deserved it and still do. I paid for my crime though." He sighed again and said: "When I told Airi that I had driven Tanaka away, she killed herself." Soun caught Nodoka as she collapsed in a fit of weeping. Kasumi scrambled to get her a chair.
Tanaka did not rise from the floor, but began weeping where he was. "You stupid old man," he said under his breath.
"That is when my carefully constructed world began to come apart," Shigeo haltingly continued. "Due to the loss of her sister whom she loved, Nodoka's illness began to manifest itself shortly thereafter. I tried to have my remaining daughter marry well, but her behaviors drove the suitors away. I became angry with her and she ran away to try and make amends – right into Genma Uchida's hands, yet another stupid and petty man. He convinced her that he was of Samurai stock and knew if he took my name, he would become my heir, whether I liked it or not. He would just have to bide his time, so he took her away to Nerima, and away from me. So, began Ranma's entry into this world," Shigeo finished.
Ranma felt sick to his stomach learning his family history – so much lost due to pride. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up in surprise to see Maomolin in his human form there. Ryoga was also back in the room and a young woman was next to Akari who must be Chiyoko. Sanu was about to say something when Ranma stopped him: "This is Mao Molin," he said. "Please leave him and the rest of my foster family stay." Somehow, it helped to have them there – that and Akane's firm grip on his opposite hand. They were family beyond the Saotomes.
Shigeo continued: "Eventually, word of Genma's trip reached us. I tried to have him intercepted and steal my grandson back, but Genma was always one step ahead of us. Tanaka learned of Genma's dealings and decided to get his revenge on me by forcing Ranma to marry a Burakumin so that she would be part of the Saotome family and her children would be my heirs. Tanaka still believed my lies you see. He married a pretty Burakumin woman and had a daughter, although he doesn't see them that much. He then made a deal with Genma over some loaves of bread and sat back to bide his time. Now he's here to spring the trap and spread yet more unhappiness."
"So, here we are. I destroyed Tanaka, Airi, and Nodoka. Tanaka in turn is destroying his wife and daughter. He is also trying to destroy Ranma in the hopes of destroying me. But I cannot allow this anymore. Airi is beyond me and I can never repair that sin. The rest of you are salvageable. I am not." He then turned to Judge Sanu: "On behalf of the Saotome families, I formally request the return of the Honor blade Nokoda Saotome stole in her madness."
The judge answered: "Mr. Saotome, I cannot allow you to kill yourself."
"You misunderstand, Judge," Shigeo answered. "I need to surrender the blade to the new head of the family. I am to be punished for my crimes and relegated to outcast status."
"WHAT!" Tanaka shouted.
"You win," Shigeo told him. "I am disgraced."
"No! You don't get off that easy! You're mine!" Tanaka shouted. Then he got up. "You are all mine!" he yelled.
Shigeo turned to the judge again. "Judge Sanu, can the legally insane enter into any type of binding contract?" he asked.
"The insane?" Judge Sanu repeated. Then his eyes widened. "No," he answered firmly. "They cannot."
"Then Nodoka could not marry Genma, and Genma Uchida never became Genma Saotome. I have documentation showing that Nodoka has been ill since her early teens, even if she was undiagnosed at the time. All contracts made by Genma Saotome are invalid since he never legally existed," Shigeo concluded.
"It's not quite that simple. Having an anxiety disorder doesn't qualify you as legally insane, even if it manifests as OCD," Sanu disagreed. "But Doctor Ono's statement that the disorder also manifested as symptoms of schizophrenia does indicate that there may be legal implications that I need to consider. Especially since Genma was found to be sterile and not Ranma's sire. If he wasn't Ranma's sire, and he's not Ranma's step-parent, legally and *morally* he could not make any agreements on Ranma's behalf. Tanaka's agreement with Genma would be invalid in any sphere."
"But he is Genma's son!" Tanaka shouted."It is just his curse that's messing with the test. I demand you re-test his male form. I claim knowledge of a genetic abnormality that must be ruled out."
"You're not in a position to demand a re-test," Sanu told him. "We have enough evidence not to need a re-test."
Tanaka seemed at a loss for words, then rallied: "Fine. If Genma Uchida is not his father, then someone else can claim him, so I do. I demand a re-test to prove he is my son. Genma used my seed to impregnate Nodoka."
"How dare you!" Nodoka shouted.
"Prove me wrong," he challenged. "But I want his male form tested – not the female form. Once he is in CODIS again, then a match to his true father will show up."
"You're wasting the Court's time with this nonsense," Sanu stated.
"I claim Ranma is my son, and should be released to me," Tanaka stated firmly.
"If he's not" Sanu said. "Its sixty days for wasting the Courts time with false reports. Do you want to spend sixty days in jail?"
"I'll do whatever it takes to destroy Shigeo," Tanaka said.
"Obsess much?" Ranma asked.
Soun climbed the ladder to the roof looking for Ranma. He saw him on the far side, lying down with his head in Akane's lap, both of them watching the sunset. Ryoga and Akari were sitting next to them holding hands while Maomolin stood in his human form behind them with his arms about Chiyoko, holding his girlfriend rock steady as she leaned back into him. Maomolin turned his head and looked at Soun. The Bakeneko smiled in acknowledgement, and then he gently shook his head. Soun accepted the gesture and nodded, backing quietly down the ladder. The father decided he'd have a chat with Ranma and Akane later.
Soun walked into the kitchen. Nabiki sat having a cup of tea with Hayato and Shigeo while Kasumi took out plates for dinner. Hayato had ordered take out for everyone and it was due in about thirty minutes. Kasumi turned to look at Soun and said: "Please tell me you didn't bother Ranma and Akane right now."
"Maomolin was standing guard over them," he said. "I'll talk to them later."
Shigeo looked distressed. "You are not going to forbid their marriage because of me?" he pleaded.
Soun snorted. "I've been trying to get Ranma to join the family for the past two years. I'd told Sanu I'd take him regardless of his heritage. Nothing has changed. But I still want to talk to them about the future, and the discussion needs to happen."
"Father – you promised…" Kasumi warned him.
"I'll keep my word, Kasumi. They will marry if they want to, when they want to," he answered. Then his voice firmed up, "But your mother's legacy must be preserved." Nabiki's eyes hardened at that, but Kasumi threw her a glance and she let the matter drop.
Tofu entered the room then. "I've given Nodoka a mild sedative. She talked to me for quite a bit and I think she'll be all right, but she's exhausted right now." He glanced at Shigeo. "I did take the precaution of removing anything sharp from the room though," he said with a raised eyebrow. Then he threw a look at Nabiki and said: "And I found all manner of interesting things in your room when I was clearing it out, young lady. We need to talk later."
Nabiki waved her hand dismissingly "Most of those things don't work anymore, Tofu, and I haven't used them in ages anyway," she said.
"I wasn't talking about the spy cameras," he said sharply.
"Ah" she said in sudden understanding. "Well, that's another discussion all together."
Tofu then turned to Soun. "And before you talk to Akane and Ranma, talk to this guy first," he said while pointing at Shigeo. "He can tell you what not to do with your daughters – don't repeat his mistakes!"
Soun flushed and Shigeo dropped his head in shame. "I deserve that," Shigeo said. "Maybe we should talk, Mr. Tendo." Soun didn't say or do anything other than nod. Tofu let the matter drop.
Up on the roof, the three couples quietly watched the sunset. Ranma stored up the peace and quiet. When the last vestiges of the sun vanished, leaving the afterglow in the sky, Ranma looked up at Akane who had been stroking his hair and asked: "When we get married, how do you feel about adoption?"
She smiled at him. "What?" she half-teased "You want to adopt an 8-year old little Burakumin girl from Hokkaido?"
"Something like that," Ranma admitted. "Her father is as bad as Genma."
"Idiot. From what Hayato said, her dad has had little interaction with her, and her mother is a good woman," Akane told him. "She doesn't need us. Just declare an Honor Debt between the two of you and be done with it." Then she laughed, "Although I must admit that adoption would be the easiest way I've ever dealt with another fiancée rival."
"You've got no competition, lady," Ranma said reaching up to stroke her cheek. "Besides, I think Hayato is biased."
"Amazing. You noticed that did you?" she said archly.
"Just a bit – his description earlier of the mother was a little too glowing," Ranma said.
"You'd be all right with a Burakumin in the family?" Ryoga asked curiously.
"Wouldn't you?" Ranma shot back. "Besides, Burakumin is a matter of family name and residence association these days. Most people don't even pay attention to what type of work someone does – not that the job should make a difference either. Physically, you cannot tell them from 'us'. It's just a stupid prejudice. They are Japanese; there's no real difference."
"Actually, I would argue with that," Ryoga said. The rest of them looked at him. "When I was lost, I often found that the Burakumin were more willing to help me, especially in a small village environment. They knew what it was like to be an outsider, so they were more forgiving of my bumbling."
"Thank the gods," Maomolin said. "I'm glad I don't have to break either one of you of that idiocy." He helped Chiyoko sit down on the roof and then took his own seat.
Chiyoko chimed in. "My grandfather was very biased against the Burakumin and the Ainu. Mama always told him he was a fool. Her point was that their yen was just as good as any other and he should mind his own bloody business as far as what family name stayed with us – you couldn't tell them apart from anyone else."
"My mother was prejudice I think," Akari said. "She used to look down her nose at the butcher. Dad told me she was being silly. Someone had to clean and prepare the pigs and the butcher was an expert at the clean kill. 'Did I want the pigs to suffer?' he once asked me. He made a point of telling me he often shared a drink with the man when he went into town. Our butcher doesn't have a Burakumin name – his shop is not a hereditary business. He saw a need and filled it. The farm couldn't have livestock without him."
"Daddy never mentioned anything one way or another about the Burakumin or the Ainu," Akane said. "When something came up on the news about one of their political parties, he never reacted. Occasionally, there would be a piece about discrimination in the news and Daddy would mutter about fools and turn it off."
"I think that's the way most people in Tokyo react," Maomolin said. "They themselves don't see an issue with the Burakumin and they are often surprised that anyone bothers to react to them one way or another. 'See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil' and there will be no any evil. And they often feel that the Ainu are an issue in Hokkaido only – it's an issue for the North, not the East. But there are sections of Tokyo that have a 'hidden' Burakumin designation. Many foreigners live there these days. Japanese nationals either shun these areas, or don't admit they live there. Politicians work on burying the designation. Many areas have been ploughed under and changed to industrial areas. I'm not sure that's the best approach, but I am an outsider myself."
He continued: "It is in Western Japan that the Burakumin often have the toughest time, probably because there are so many of them there. Discrimination is a visible problem in Osaka, Kyoto, Hyogo, and Hiroshima – the Kansai region in general. It happens elsewhere, but it is much more subtle, and if discovered, can shame the offender. Fortunately, the younger generations tend to have less tolerance for discrimination against the Burakumin, and things are improving as the older generations die out. Again, maybe not the best approach, but sometimes you get what you get."
Maomolin went silent after that. None of them spoke for a little while until the shape-changed cat asked: "Ranma? How do you feel about what happened in the courtroom today?"
Ranma sighed: "I'm not sure how I feel other than extremely stressed out. Honestly, I'm getting a little tired of all this nonsense. I thought I was getting rid of the baggage Genma dumped on me, and now I'm finding out Mom's side has its own baggage. I'm at the point where I just want to be me, whether it be male or female, human or animal, or soul or spirit. I've had enough. I just want to go forward, and not have to check in the rear view mirror constantly." He took Akane's hand and squeezed it. "I think part of the problem is I haven't taken charge of my life. I've been deferring to my parents a bit too much."
"That's sort of natural to do," Chiyoko pointed out.
"Yes, it is for a child, but I'm going to be twenty in a year from January. And it's not like you become an adult at the turning of a calendar page. I need to decide for myself about Honor and decide what obligations I'll accept," Ranma stated.
"I think we call that 'taking responsibility for yourself'," Akane smirked while tapping his nose with her free hand.
"Oh dear," Akari laughed. "Our little Ranma is growing up…"
"About time," Ryoga grinned.
"Feh. Fat lot of help you twits are," Ranma grumbled, but they could all hear the amusement in his compliant and he joined them in laughter.
A few blocks away from the dojo, at a deserted clinic, a shadow detached itself from the darkness and crept up to the building. A slim shape disabled the window alarm and followed a sixth sense around the wards a local sorcerer had setup. The shape climbed into the building and silently slid down the hall to the local records room. Once there, the shadow found the file for Ranma Saotome, opened the file, and snapped a photograph of the CODIS form inside. Then the shadow replaced the folder and left the way it came, taking time to re-enable the alarm.
Half-an-hour later, three more shadows detached themselves from the darkness and crept toward the quiet clinic…
A/N: Footnotes:
(1) This story is set in 2002. In 2010, Japan abolished the statute of limitations for many capital offenses.
A/N: Next - Modifications