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Act II ~ Nodoka's Wish

"Ranma, my son," his mother said with a warm smile as he reached her under the porch facing the street. "I feel like taking a walk. Would you accompany me for a moment?"

Of course, young Saotome accepted immediately. He wouldn't have been able to refuse her. The time when he hid from his mother, fearing the "manliness" contract would be fulfilled with a blade at his neck, was long gone. It wouldn't be manly of him to hide now, even if every fiber of his being told him that whatever lay at the end of this walk wouldn't be pleasant. He had to be brave, and more importantly, manly.

Trying to maintain his composure, he let out a small cough to clear his nerves. His mother walked a few steps ahead of him, moving with surprising grace and lightness despite the traditional kimono she wore. Ranma, as usual, followed his own path, balancing on the metal railing that separated the path from the stream.

She really does move like a martial artist's wife, he thought with a hint of pride. Even if it's just my old man's.

Kind, gentle, beautiful, and distinguished—Nodoka was the mother any man would want, and she was his. It was one of the few things he could truly be proud of when it came to his family. Maybe the only good thing his father had ever done: convincing her to marry him. However, his relationship with her had never been normal, also thanks to his old man. If it had, maybe he wouldn't have felt that awkward emptiness in his stomach or the anxiety creeping over him as he walked behind her. Because he was certain of one thing—this walk had a purpose.

Maybe I'm overthinking things, he told himself, realizing how unaccustomed he was to spending time alone with her. What could she possibly say that's so terrible?

But just as he finished that thought, Kasumi's face reappeared in his mind: tense expression, forced smile, eyes bright with emotion. Ranma wasn't exactly the most perceptive or intuitive person when it came to reading others—no point in pretending otherwise—but Kasumi had been terrible at hiding her own emotions. The knot in his stomach tightened when a wave of unease crashed over him, nearly making him lose balance on the fence. Worse yet, just as he managed to steady himself, a new shiver ran down his spine. He buried his hands deeper into his pants pockets, cursing once again that he hadn't changed out of his sleeveless shirt. It was freezing! If it weren't for that loudmouthed idiot Akane, he could have grabbed something warmer.

If I catch a cold, it'll be her fault, he decided with a resigned sigh. This really isn't my day.

"Look," his mother suddenly said, snapping him out of his thoughts. "What a beautiful park."

Ranma turned his eyes toward where she was looking. It was a small playground that the district had recently installed along the path leading to the high school. Its main attraction was a slide shaped like some kind of creature Ranma didn't even dare to identify. There were also two worn-out swings that seemed to threaten the safety of any child who dared use them. He'd heard at school that some mothers were already petitioning to have the playground shut down and returned to the empty lot it had always been. Yet, for some reason, his own mother seemed to find the place delightful.

"Would you like to spend some time here with me?" she asked suddenly, flashing him an irresistible smile.

Ranma glanced around, checking that no one was watching.

"You do realize I'm an adult now, right?" he replied nervously, imagining how ridiculous it would look for a martial artist like him to be hanging around a kids' park. But Nodoka ignored him and walked in, giggling.

Is she really a martial artist's wife? he found himself wondering, utterly baffled by this unexpected behavior. Seeing no other choice, he climbed down from the fence, tense and embarrassed (his earlier anxiety completely forgotten), and, still keeping an eye out to make sure no one saw him, followed after his mother.

"Ranma, come on!" she called, and with horror, he saw her standing at the very top of the slide, waving at him.

"You want me to go down the slide?!" he yelped, completely mortified. "Mom, that's for kids!"

His mother, however, paid no attention, laughing like a little girl as she ran around the playground, enjoying the equipment as if she were one of the children herself. Feeling obliged by honor, Ranma reluctantly joined her—first up the slide, then around the swings, then back to the slide, and, Oh great!, into the sand trap that someone had installed at some point. Oh no!, he thought in horror as he hid his face in his hand, a mother of triplets walking by with her entourage, all of them staring (and giggling) at the sight of him. But Nodoka didn't seem to mind. She continued darting around like a carefree child, having the time of her life.

"I knew something bad was going to happen!" Ranma finally burst out, resting a hand against the monstrous slide as he tried to catch his breath after what felt like years of punishment (though it had barely been five minutes). Red with embarrassment and sweaty from tension, he groaned, "But I never imagined it would be the worst humiliation of my life!"

What is going on here? he thought, utterly incredulous, his earlier pride teetering dangerously. What kind of spell is making Mom act like this?

But after a while, Nodoka finally let herself collapse onto one of the swings, breathless and laughing.

"I haven't done anything like this in years," she admitted between chuckles. Then she looked at her son, who stared back at her, fearing she might suddenly leap off the swing to do something else crazy. "I'm sorry, Ranma," she said, and as if reading his mind, she added, "I know my behavior was unexpected. I apologize for that."

"D-Don't worry…" Ranma stammered, his voice cracking.

I have so much to learn about my mother! he exclaimed internally, still stunned and with his heart racing.

"The truth is, I just wanted to make up for lost time with my son," she continued, her breathing slowly calming. "I always dreamed of coming to a place like this with you." She smiled openly as she said this, looking at him warmly. Ranma felt his heart skip a beat. "You were very manly to look after your mother during her antics, my son."

His mother's smile left him speechless. He could only nod, embarrassed by his earlier hesitation, by the fear he had felt at the thought of spending time alone with her. Even he had to admit she was right—he was practically an adult, but this was the first time they had ever shared something like this. And yet, as much as he regretted it, the whole situation still felt too strange and unfamiliar to him.

"Son, come here for a moment," Nodoka gestured for him to sit on the swing beside her.

Ranma cleared his throat, pushed aside his thoughts, and walked over. When he finally sat down, he didn't know what to do or say, and the silence that formed between them felt awkward, especially after everything that had just happened. But Nodoka still hadn't lost her smile. Sitting on that children's swing, she had effortlessly regained her dignified, traditional elegance. Anyone who saw her now would never have believed she had just been running around a playground like a child.

"You must be wondering," she finally spoke after a moment, "why I asked you to accompany me today, aren't you?"

Ranma swallowed hard, feeling his nerves return all at once, and nodded again. Nodoka smiled at him.

"You see, Ranma," she continued in a calm tone, "I've been thinking about it a lot, and I believe it's time for me to intervene in your path to adulthood."

"Huh?" Ranma didn't quite understand what she meant, but as usual, he had a bad feeling about it.

For a moment, Nodoka allowed the smile on her face to lose some of its warmth, her expression growing slightly more serious. Slowly and silently, she stood up, positioning herself in front of her son. Since Ranma was still sitting on the swing, his mother now towered over him by almost a full head.

"Your father took you away from me when you were just a baby so he could train you in the Saotome style without any distractions," she continued. "He promised me that when I saw you again, you would be a man among men." The smile gradually returned to her face. "And I can gladly say he has fulfilled that promise."

"Heh, heh, yeah…" Ranma chuckled awkwardly, scratching the back of his head and looking away, remembering all the times he had hidden from her as Ranko.

But then, a gesture from his mother caught him completely off guard, and once again, he felt his heart skip a beat. She reached out and gently toyed with a strand of his bangs, looking at him with eyes that even Ranma could interpret as full of deep pride. For a moment, he was sure he had blushed.

"You have met and exceeded all my expectations," Nodoka told him, and her smile was more radiant than the golden light of the setting sun. "You are a powerful and handsome young man, brimming with strength and courage. I am proud to be your mother!"

Ranma felt dizzy, his heart pounding in his throat. He was sure he had dreamed of hearing his mother say something like that, but to actually live long enough to hear those words come from her lips… Never, not once, had a woman made him feel this way…

"But I still cannot consider you a man among men."

…And with that last sentence, everything he was feeling came crashing down like a plane with no pilot.

"Huh?" was all he managed to say, his fingers digging into the back of his head in shock.

Huh? was all he could think. His mind had suddenly gone as blank and light as a helium balloon.

Then, as if she could once again read the storm of emotions in her son's head, Nodoka reached into the sleeve of her kimono and fumbled for something. After a moment, she pulled out a small, dark gray box, barely bigger than a walnut, and held it out to him with all the love only a proud mother could express. And Ranma took it with the same reluctance only a man shaken by disappointment could show.

He examined it for a moment, feeling that same hollow sensation in his stomach return. He quickly noticed that there was a small indentation in the center of the box. Pressing on it slightly, he found that it opened without much resistance, revealing inside—like a clamshell—a metallic, shiny object, half-covered by a soft red velvet lining.

"What is this?" he asked, looking at his mother with curiosity. "Medicine again?" He recalled the time Akane had received a similar gift from her, only for it to turn out to be an elaborate case for storing various medicines and tranquilizers.

However, when he pulled on the metallic object, expecting to find a hidden compartment inside, he suddenly found himself holding an engagement ring between his fingers. He barely managed to suppress a yelp.

"Not this time," his mother replied with another gentle smile. "That is the engagement ring your father gave me when he proposed."

"But, but…" At that moment, Ranma realized all his fears had been justified—he really didn't like where this conversation was going.

"How long have you been engaged to Akane, my son?" Nodoka suddenly asked.

"Wait a minute," he interrupted, raising a hand before the conversation completely spiraled out of his control. "You're not seriously thinking I should give this to that girl, are you?"

Nodoka nodded multiple times in response.

"Don't you think this is a bit much?" he objected. "I mean, yeah, I'm engaged and all, but it wasn't something we decided ourselves. It was just something Pop and Mr. Tendo came up with without asking us, so…"

"I already know that, Ranma," his mother interrupted, her voice carrying a certain weight as she effortlessly regained control of the conversation. "Genma and Mr. Tendo arranged your engagement without consulting me either, but as the wife of a martial artist, I accepted it immediately, as it was my duty." She paused briefly. "Do you understand what I'm telling you?"

And Ranma did. Strangely enough, he understood it perfectly: he, too, was a martial artist, an only son, and heir to a martial arts family whose honor required sacrifices beyond personal preference. But…

"But she's such an unfeminine girl, Mom!" was the only weak defense he could come up with.

"My dear son…" Nodoka sighed, almost resigned.

Once again, something sank in Ranma's stomach, making him wonder if he was acting unmanly in front of his mother. He didn't want her to regret the kind words she had spoken earlier. But the soft laughter that escaped Nodoka's lips before she spoke again managed to put him at ease, though it also left him with an odd feeling he couldn't quite explain.

"The truth is…" she said, lowering her gaze to meet her son's eyes with a gentle and tender expression. "You're very much like me when I was your age."

"Huh?" Once again, Ranma was surprised.

"Your father proposed to me many times, but I always found some excuse to reject him. Even when he finally got that ring, I told him, 'But it's so ugly!' And that was after Genma had put so much effort into getting it…"

Ranma glanced at the ring in his hand and seriously doubted that story. Judging by its condition, he suspected his father had just found it lying around somewhere and taken advantage of the situation.

"I only accepted his proposal when I realized that I was the one making a mistake."

"A mistake worse than marrying my old man?" Ranma interjected instinctively. Though, to be honest, he had always wondered how someone as refined as his mother had ever agreed to marry someone like his father.

"Much worse," Nodoka admitted, and Ranma raised both eyebrows in surprise. "I, too, come from a family with a warrior's tradition, and my parents raised me to uphold the honor of our name. But when the time came for me to honor them and continue their legacy by marrying a member of a renowned martial arts family like the Saotomes, I couldn't help but hesitate."

Ranma listened attentively. He couldn't recall another time when his mother had spoken about her past, and hearing her now completely captivated his interest.

"I was ashamed," she continued, bringing a hand to her mouth as she let out a soft chuckle. "But… well, you know your father. Do you really think he met my expectations when I first saw him?"

Ranma couldn't help but smirk. For the first time in his life, he felt like he was in on a joke with his mother, a feeling that was unexpectedly pleasant.

"Of course not."

"Of course not," Nodoka repeated with a chuckle. "But I eventually understood that the path of the warrior takes many forms, and the only thing preventing me from seeing them was my own immaturity. I was just a girl then, and every girl dreams of finding a real man to share her life with."

And every boy dreams of the ideal woman to be by his side, a voice suddenly echoed in his mind. It took him a moment to realize he was talking to himself. Am I still…?

And again, as if she could read his thoughts like an open book, Nodoka added:

"I was just a girl, but when I accepted your father's proposal—despite his personality—I felt like I had truly become a woman." She looked at her son with pride. "To me, you are already a man, Ranma, but there is still one step left for you to leave childhood behind and become a man among men."

And Ranma fell silent.

If anyone else had called him a child, like his mother just had, he would have taken offense to his masculinity and done whatever it took to prove just how much of a man he was. But in that moment, everything felt different. He realized that, in a single afternoon, his mother had given him a lesson far greater than anything his father or anyone else had managed to teach him in years of training. It was one of the strangest feelings he had ever experienced.

Nodoka, seemingly understanding that her message had sunk in exactly as she intended, let a final smile grace her lips. She tucked her hands into the sleeves of her kimono, shielding them from the evening's growing chill, and concluded:

"I know you will make me proud, Ranma."

And without saying anything more or waiting for a response, as if knowing that what her son needed most at that moment was a moment alone with his thoughts, she gently stroked his face before giving him a small bow in farewell.

As his mother walked away from the playground, leaving him sitting on a children's swing with the engagement ring in one hand and the small box in the other, Ranma made no move to follow her.

He felt strange—somewhere between light and contemplative—but more than anything, he felt grateful for having had that conversation with his mother, and for the space she had given him to process his thoughts.

He had a lot to think about.


Ranma 1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi