Ranma and his Mother [Trans] This is a translation of the 5 episodes of Ranma 1/2 manga, first serialized in Shonen Sunday 1992, weeks 21-26, later collected in tankobon #22, Chapters 2-6. The corresponding anime episode were Nettouhen 142-143. Unlike normal "balloon" translations, however, it is written in what is more or less FanFict format so that those people who do not own the manga can follow the story, although it is still heavily dialogue oriented. Certain lines have been modified from the original meaning for fluency.. I appreciate any comments (no flames) on this posting, this style of translation, etc. My address is whuang@cco.caltech.edu. Feel free to upload this to any appropriate FTP site, etc., as long as proper attribution is given. <<<<>>>> Ranma Meet Mother (or, Genma's Mysterious Secret) "Akane! "Akane? "Akane, why are you all huddled up out here outside the house?" "Sniff...I...I...bought canation for Mommy, but, but, ....WAAAAH!" "Oh, did the stem break? Let Mommy see... "That's all right, we'll just put it in this tall vase, and the carnation will stand up by itself. Thank you, Akane!" "You're...you're not angry?" "Of course not, Akane. Mommy is very happy, because Akane bought Mommy a present. Mommy loves Akane...." "Akane...Akane..." "Time to get up, Akane! Remember what day is today?" "Hunh...uh...oh, Kasumi! I had this dream about..." ******************************************************************* "...Mother? We're all healthy and living well." Akane set down the bouquet of carnations she had carefully placed in front of the Tendo family plot as her father knelt down in silence, tears flowing from his closed eyes. Kasumi poured the traditional water over the grave as Ranma and his father, still in panda form, looked over the scene. Ranma started to ask, "So today is your mother's...?" "Yes, she died when I was still little," Akane said, "But I still remember her caresses as if it was yesterday..." She looked off into the horizon. "Oh. I see." Nabiki intervened. "How about your mother, Ranma?" "Well,..." Ranma began fanning himself with his hat uneasily. Akane looked back. "She's still alive, right?" Ranma leered at his father. "Well?" Genma lifted up a sign that said, LET ME FILL YOU IN ON A LITTLE SECRET. He then turned over the sign. YOU WERE BORNE BY ME ALONE. "Sure. Right." Ranma gave Genma a small kick in the face. "I think you're trying to avoid something." "He always ducks the issue," Nabiki whispered to her sisters. "That's for sure," Kasumi agreed. **************************************************************** "Hmmm....," Ranma thought. "I guess I never gave much thought to the fact that I must have had a mother." He continued walking down the fence, precariously balanced on the chain-link fence that separated the street from the sewers. "I guess ever since I could remember, I was training at many different places with my father. Hmph! Anyone who marry an ugly guy like him would probably not be too...what the?" He felt the fence move under his legs. He made a rapid leap to the next section of fence, just in time to see a sign on the first section splash into the open-sky sewer: LOOSE FENCE SECTION. DO NOT STEP. "Whew. That was clo..." SPLASH! Apparently, he had missed the sign that said, THIS SECTION TOO. "Damn," Ranma said. And now she was a girl, too. She stood up. "Are you okay, little miss?" a voice called from above. "Oh?" Ranma looked up. A figure, apparently female, contrasted with the bright sunlight. "Hold on to this." The figure lowered down what appeared to be a stick enveloped in cloth. Yes, the figure was definitely female. "Ah, uh, thank you," Ranma said as she held on to the object. She began to climb up the side of the sewer. "Oh!" the two said, almost in unison, as Ranma dragged the lady down into the sewer. SPLASH! "AA! Sorry, sorry, sorry!" Ranma said emphatically, waving her arms and creating quite a commotion. She could see the lady clearly now; an attractive woman, in her 40s maybe, dressed in a kimono (which was of course sopping wet by now). "My, how tomboyish you are!" the lady said. Despite her wet hair, she was still smiling as if the incident was easily forgiven. She put a hand on Ranma's head. "Girls should act like girls," she said with a tender smile. Ranma's heart skipped a beat. The lady stood up. "Well, I'll be going now. Good luck!" And she walked, sloshing through the water, into the bright sunlight, as if it were placed there by the warmth of her personality. Ranma watched. "What a nice lady..." she thought. ************************************************ Still wet and female, Ranma returned to the dojo. "I'm hoooome..." Suddenly, Genma, in human form, grabbed Ranma and ran out, with backpack. "Ranma! We're leaving now!" "What? Why are we suddenly leaving without any reason?" "No time to explain! We have to...OOF!" Tendo Soun had stepped on Genma's shoe, sending Genma to the ground, right on top of Ranma. "Saotome Genma, you're not leaving until you give me an explanation about this!" A postcard fell from Genma's pack and landed in front of Ranma's eyes. It was addressed to Saotome Genma, with the message, "I'll go over there right now! Nodoka." ********************************************** "So he suddenly changed expression when he got this postcard?" Ranma asked as she poured hot water on himself. Kasumi inspected the fallen postcard. "Um. Could you please explain, Uncle Genma?" "LET...ME...GO!!" Genma screamed, trying to struggle out of the many coils of rope that bound his hands behind his back. Akane took the postcard from Kasumi. "'Nodoka,'" Nabiki read over Akane's shoulder, "isn't that a female name?" "Who is this 'Nodoka,' Uncle?" Kasumi asked. Genma, still struggling, managed to say, "A...person...whose arrival troubles ne deeply." That was obvious. Ranma grabbed his father up by the collar. "Hey," he said, "so what did you do this time? Eat food that didn't belong to you? Steal something?" "What? Me?" "Of course I'm talking about you! Why else would you run away if you hadn't did something wrong?" "You actually accuse me, your own father, as being..." Nabiki cut in. "I know! Probably a debt collector!" Akane said, "Maybe some restruant owner he got free food off of?" Kasumi proposed, "No, probably someone who lost an item to him." "NO! She's not any of those! She's Ranma's..." Genma stopped. "My what?" Ranma said. Silence. "Well? My what?" Ranma stared at Genma intently, at the many little beads of sweat dropping off Genma's cheeks. A voice came from the front door. "Is anyone home?" "YIKES!! SHE'S HERE!!" Genma scrambled across the room, grabbed a cushion (the closest object at hand) and dropped to the floor, holding the cushion over his head. "Forgive me, darling! Please, spare my life!" Ranma lifted the ineffective cushion, revealing Genma's head. "What did you just say?" "Um..." "I think I heard him say 'Darling,'" Nabiki said. "Ranma's mother?" said Kasumi. "Your wife?" said Soun. They raced to the door. A stout lady stood there. "I'm from the sushi carry-out place. I'm here to pick up the leftover plates." Soun raised a hand in greeting. "So *you're* Saotome Genma's..." "NO SHE ISN'T!" Ranma hit Genma on the head. "Nevertheless, the person who sent this card..." Kasumi continued, "...and said she would be coming..." And Nabiki, "...is Ranma's mother!" "Mother?" Ranma thought. "I..." This was news he didn't really know what to do about. What was he supposed to do? "Congratulations," Akane told Ranma, "you must be really happy..." "It's just too sudden," Ranma said, "I certainly don't remember her at all." Another voice came from the door. "Is anyone home?" All four members of the Soun family rose to their feet. "Let's see what sort of person she is!" Nabiki exclaimed as they ran down the hall. "How interesting," Kasumi added. "Ranma, aren't you coming?" Akane asked the still dazed Ranma. Genma laid a hand on Ranma's shoulder. "Forgive me for what I am about to do, son, but you can NEVER meet your mother as you are!" And with that, he grabbed Ranma about the neck and launched both people into the pool. "Hey..." SPLASH! "What did you do that for, old fart?" Ranma gathered her fingers into a fist and gave the panda a whap on the head. IT'LL ONLY CREATE PROBLEMS IF YOU TRY TO MEET HER, the sign he held said. Ranma got up and walked towards the front door, where Tendo Soun was telling a kimono-clad lady, "Welcome." "I hear that Genma Saotome and his son live here?" the lady said. So this is Ranma's mother, Akane thought. Ranma peered around the corner. She thought, "Oh? It's that lady from the sewers..." *********************************************************************8 <<<<>>>> A Man's Promise (or, Seppuku Swear) "Please," Nodoka started, "can you tell me where Saotome Genma and Ranma are?" Soun and his three daughters sat around the living room table with Nodoka, patiently waiting for a response. He remembered what Genma had told him earlier: "Please, please tell her we're not here...it's a matter of life and death!" He took a deep breath. "Unfortunately," he started, "you just missed them. They went on another training journey..." ********************************************************************* Meanwhile, Ranma-chan and the panda were hiding outside. "What did you mean, 'a matter of life and death'? What's going on? Who is that lady? IN TRUTH, the sign Genma held up said, SHE IS YOUR MOTHER! "Whap!" Ranma punched Genma's forehead. "Liar! How would such a pretty woman be willing to marry a monster like you!" But she detected that Genma was probably serious this time. "Is she really my mother?" she said. Genma nodded. "Well then," Ranma said as she poured hot water on his head, "I refuse to hide from her!" He stood up. ******************************************************************* "Auntie," Kasumi asked, "have you been all alone all this time while Uncle Genma trained Ranma?" "Yes," Nodoka said, "I've been keeping house by myself all these years. When Genma took Ranma away many years ago, I was filled with grief... "'Please don't take away Ranma, Genma!' I cried as my husband, with backpack, tried to walk out the door with my baby. 'Let GO!' he said. "I hit him on the head with a shoe. 'Don't leave,' I shouted. But he didn't respond. "I hit him on the head with a bucket. 'Don't leave,' I shouted. But he didn't respond. "I hit him on the head with a coffee table. 'Don't leave,' I shouted. He collapsed. [Translator's Note: If you have the manga, check out Ranma's expression during the flashback. Kawaii desu yo.] "As I took Ranma, crying, into my arms, Genma (bleeding and bruised) told me: "'Nodoka. Ranma must become my successor in the Saotome Uncontested Martial Arts.' "'Yes, but...,' I tried to say. "'But in order to train him correctly,...you must sacrifice maternal love! If you really care for Ranma's future, you must be patient!' And he kowtowed to me. And I thought that, perhaps for Ranma's sake..." "I see," Soun said. "So this is why you let go of your own son." "Pretty daring choice, if you ask me," Nabiki commented. Nodoka wiped a tear with her handkerchief. "Well, I trusted Genma... "And besides, before he left, he made a promise." "A promise?" Kasumi asked. Soun began, "So what..." A commotion came from outside. "Let go of me, you old jerk!" Nodoka started. It was a young man's voice! She ran outside. "Maybe Ranma's come back..." But not quite. All she saw was a panda, pouring a pail of water onto a wet, stunned, girl..."Oh? Aren't you that girl from the sewers?" The panda held up a sign. It said: HELLO, LADY WHOM I'VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE. The girl woke up. "Hey, you old fart," she said as she punched the panda, "that was too much!" Nodoka rested a hand on her shoulder. "Girls shouldn't use such language." "I'm a..." the girl started. The panda tried to run away, showing a sign that said OH NOOOO.... "Auntie," Akane interrupted, "you were going to tell us about the promise?" "Oh, yes," Nodoka recalled, "That's right." "Hm?" Ranma said. "My husband then held up Ranma and said, 'I vow to train Ranma into a man among men. And I don't succeed, we will commit seppuku!' [Translator's note: Seppuku may be better known to American readers as "hara-kiri." It is the act of suicide by cutting one's guts open.] "And since he made such a strong promise, I had faith in him." "Se..." Akane uttered. "Seppuku?!" Soun finished. Ranma froze. ******************************************************************** "My husband would send me a letter every chance he got," Nodoka related, "but..." The entire group was now enjoying tea in the living room as Nodoka continued her story. The panda was acting very nervous in a corner of the room. "...the last letter was right before they went to Jusenkyo in China." "Hmmm," the others thought, "'...a man among men...': There's no way Ranma could be considered _that_ after he fell into the pool. That's why he can't reveal himself..." "Right?" Ranma pinched the panda's cheek. "But, auntie," Akane ventured, "You're not serious about the seppuku, are you?" Nodoka reached for the long parcel she brought with her. She opened it and took out a long, sheathed,... "A katana?" everyone gasped. [Translator's note: "Nihontoo" is the original text, or "Nihon katana" -- a Japanese blade.] Holding the sheathe in her left hand, she gripped the handle strongly with her right hand, and with one deft motion, unsheathed the sword, which promptly slipped out of her hand, flew up into the air, and landed straight into the ground where Ranma's, well, um, thing would have been had she been male. "Oops." Nodoka pulled the sword out from the ground in front of a stunned Ranma. "Sorry, I'm not that good with swords..." Nodoka reminisced again. "Then, Genma wrote down on a piece of paper his vow of seppuku as I watched. He signed it with his thumbprint, and then we painted Ranma's hand with ink and let him sign it. My, little Ranma was strong-willed; he put his handprint in the paper so many times. And, as a wife of a martial artist, I believed in them, and I'm prepared, if Ranma does not become 'a man among men,' to take on the role of _kaishaku_." [Cultural note: The _kaishaku_, or "mediator of wrongs," is the person responsible for cutting off the heads of those who have committed seppuku.] Nodoka reached into her clothes and took out an old worn piece of paper. "I've carried the contract with me all this time, trying to find them all this time..." SHE *IS* SERIOUS, the panda signed. ********************************************************************* "Well, I'm probably worried over nothing," Nodoka said. "Of course," Soun replied. "But," Nodoka said sadly, "I've missed them again...I haven't seen my son for such a long time...I wish to see Ranma so badly..." Mother..., Ranma thought. She started to say something. "Um...I..." "Yes?" Nodoka said? "I...um..." "Dear me, I don't even know what your name is, young miss. What is it?" Ranma gulped. "My name...is...Ran..." Oh no, Akane thought, are you really going to risk seppuku, Ranma? "My name is Ranko! I'm Akane's cousin!" I'M HER PET PANDA, Genma signed. "Ranko, eh?" Nodoka said, smiling. Nabiki whispered to Akane, "Pretty shameless, don't you think?" ****************************************************************** Later that day, Nodoka made a request. "Sorry to ask you this, but even though Genma and Ranma aren't here, would I be able to stay here a few days?" "No problem at all," Kasumi said. "Make youself at home," Soun replied. Meanwhile, Nabiki was talking to Akane on the stairwell. "How long do you think they can keep up the lie like that?" "I'm not sure," Akane said, "I feel sorry for her...I sure wish I could tell her that Ranma was right in front of her." ************************************************************* "What kind of a stupid promise was that?" Ranma demanded of his father in the bath. "Just remember that your mother is the strict, no-nonsense type, Ranma. If she ever finds out that Ranko is Ranma, we'll be dead for sure. Might as well enjoy being a panda and a girl for a while, eh? Hahaha..." "Why you..." Nodoka's voice came from outside. "Are you in there, Ranko?" "Let Auntie Nodoka scrub your back for you!" she said as she slid the door open... ******************************************************************** <<<<>>>> Brushes with Death Ranma and Genma acted fast. A quick exit from the hot pool as Ranma jerked off the cold water faucet clear from the wall. Broken pieces of cement and plaster were everywhere, jettisoned by the high volume of cold water spraying into the room. "Sorry, Auntie!" Ranma said, still holding the faucet in her hand. "The water's a bit...uh...cold..." THAT WAS CLOSE, the panda signed. UH-OH... "My eyes must be deceiving me," Nodoka said, now quite wet from the water. "For a split second there, I thought I saw a boy with a ponytail and a strange old man...nahh, couldn't be." HOW DARE YOU CALL YOUR...Ranma whacked the panda on the head, hiding the sign. "Uh...yes, yes, your eyes were deceiving you." **************************************************************** THAT WAS CLOSE, the panda signed. Ranma (still female) and the panda were sitting in the dojo. Ruminating about the events of the past hour, Ranma sulked, an annoyed expression on her face. HM? The panda noticed Ranma's agitation. HEY, IF YOU'VE GOT SOMETHING TO SAY, SAY IT! Ranma whipped out a loudspeaker. "THEN TAKE BACK THAT STUPID PROMISE!" she yelled into the panda's ear. "Just because you said 'I'll turn Ranma into a real man among men,' I have to suffer all this..." NO, the panda signed. A MAN'S WORD IS IRREVOCABLE. "Hmph. I thought you might say that..." Ranma handed the panda something. It was a seppuku katana. Ranma stood up, behind the sitting Genma. "I've got mother's sword right here. I'll be your kaishaku right now. Now, disembowel yourself! Now!" The panda jerked up. He faced off with Ranma as she approached slowly, still brandishing the sword... ********************************************************************* "GET BACK HERE!" Akane looked up as she set the portable burner on the dinner table, as did Soun and Nabiki. They slid open the dining room door to reveal a very angry Ranma chasing the panda with Nodoka's katana. They bounded from the rock garden outside into the hallway. Meanwhile, Nodoka and Kasumi were walking out of the kitchen. "Aunt Nodoka, you really didn't have to help me in the kitchen," Kasumi was saying. "No problem at all," Nodoka replied. "It's been a while since I made hot tofu soup....oh!" she exclaimed as 400 pounds of panda slammed into her, sending the soup flying straight at..."RANKO, careful!" Oh no, not the hot soup, Soun thought. "Amazing, Ranko! You're just so agile!" Nodoka said. Ranma had managed to catch the bowl on the tip of the blade and was keeping it spinning so as not to let it drop. She managed a weak laugh. Soun and Genma wiped their sweat. Everyone started clapping. ******************************************************************** "Auntie Nodoka, I'm so sorry I took out your sword to play with," Ranma apologized over dinner. "You're so tomboyish, Ranko; what shall I ever do with you? Oh, Akane?" "Yes, Aunt Nodoka?" "You're Ranma's fiancee, right?" Akane shot a quick glance at Ranma. "Uh...yes..." "In your eyes...is Ranma a 'real man'?" Akane paused, chopsticks at her mouth. She swallowed her mouthful of food, and slowly lowered her chopsticks. Ranma was staring intently at her. "Yes," she finally said. "Is he attractive?" Akane gulped. "Very," she said. Nodoka was getting excited. "So he's very handsome?" Ranma whispered to Akane, "Can't you get her to change the subject?" "In fact, Ranma looks a lot like Aunt Nodoka," Kasumi interjected. "Oh?" Nabiki said. She looked at the side of the table where Ranma and Nodoka were eating. "WOW! Sitting together, they look *COMPLETELY* identical!!" Everyone flinched. "Oh?" Nodoka said. "Let's change the subject," Soun ventured. Nodoka turned to Akane again. "What does Ranma do in his free time?" Ranma's heart accelerated. The panda was sweating profusely. "Persistent woman, isn't she?" Soun commented to Genma. "His free time?" Nabiki stared into space. "Fist-fighting!" Akane said. "Don't you mean cross-dressing?" Nabiki said. "Cross-dressing?" Nodoka gripped her sword and started to get up. "This doesn't sound like what a typical boy would do..." SHE SAID "GRASS CUTTING," MRS. SAOTOME, the panda hastily signed. YOU MISHEARD. "Oh. That's all right then. For a moment I thought that..." Me too, Ranma thought. ******************************************************************** After dinner, Akane and Ranma were in Nabiki's room. Nabiki was sitting at her desk, her back turned towards the desk so she could face Ranma. "Nabiki, you..." Ranma spluttered. She was quite angry. "What? Did I say something wrong?" Nabiki asked innocently. She looked up at Ranma, who was towering over her on tiptoe. Ranma's legs were shaking with fear, or anger, or perhaps both. From the bed, Akane started to speak. "Um...Ranma? Are you ever going to face Aunt Nodoka as yourself?" "Not if I have to disembowel myself! I'd rather give her up to you guys than do that!" "Give her up?" Nabiki said. "Yeah. You want to make something of it?" Ranma said. "Hmph." Nabiki turned her chair around. "You should watch what you say, Ranma." She brought her hand up to her chin. "Huh?" Ranma said. Nabiki's voice seemed a bit more stilted. "Akane and I...even if we did want to meet our mother...we wouldn't be able to..." "Oh, Nabiki...," Akane muttered under her breath. Ranma was speechless. She misses her as much as I do, Akane thought sadly. Nabiki stared down at her desk, at nothing in particular. "Ranma?" she said. "Yes?" "Just this once, I'm not going to try to get any money out of this." Silence. *************************************************************************** Damn, Ranma thought as she shuffled down the hallway towards hers and Genma's room. Why did it all have to get so serious...? She slid the door open. "Hello, Ranko." Nodoka was sitting on Ranma's futon. The panda was cowering in the corner. Oh dear, oh dear, Genma seemed to be thinking. "Apparently we'll be sharing the futon for the night, Ranko. Is that alright?" "Uh..." Ranma uttered. Suddenly Soun appeared behind Ranma. "There's no problem. Right, Ranko?" Ranma was startled by the appearance. She turned around. "But..." Soun whispered to Ranma, "Even though you can't appear to her as you are, you're still family. You have to at least be with her for one night." Kasumi walked up. "Ranko?" "Yes, Kasumi?" "Mrs. Saotome's going home tomorrow morning." "Oh." ************************************************************************** Ranma stared at the ceiling from the futon. Nodoka was sleeping soundly to her left; the panda in the futon to her right was nervously trying to do the same. Well, it's only for a night, Ranma thought. She leaving tommorow morning? Suddenly I feel so melancholy... "Ranma," Nodoka said. Ranma jumped out of the bed and perched on the panda. Uh oh. Has she found out? Nodoka turned her head to the other side. "Ranma," she said. Her eyes were closed. Is she talking in her sleep? Ranma thought. "Ranma," Nodoka said again. Ranma came down from the panda and looked closer at Nodoka. Tears were welling in her eyes. One drop slwly crawled down her right cheek. She's still searching for me in her dreams, Ranma thought. Alright, I have to do it. She leaned over Nodoka, and started to say, "Mother..." Suddenly Nodoka reached behind her and grabbed the katana. She unsheathed it; and, in one sharp move, flung tbe sword up into the air. "Ranma! Why aren't you acting like a man?" she said. Ranma screamed and leaped away, knocking the panda awake. Nodoka fell back into bed. Kasumi, Nabiki, and Akane were at the door, peering in, in their pajamas. "Looks like a nightmare," Kasumi commented. "Poor Aunt Nodoka," Nabiki observed. Ranma, still stunned, was shivering on top of the panda. Akane made a decision. "For Ranma and Aunt Nodoka's sake, I can't just let this end here..." *********************************************************************** <<<<>>>> Just One Glance... (or, Sunday in the Park with Ranma) "Whew! Glad that's over with!" Genma said to Ranma in the bathroom. Ranma was thinking about earlier that morning. "Thank you for everything," Nodoka had said. "Too bad I couldn't see Genma and Ranma..." "Please come again," Kasumi had said as they all waved goodbye. "I will," Nodoka had said. Ranma and the panda had waved to her as she walked into the distance... "Hey, Ranma, why the glum face? Cheer up!" Genma said to Ranma. "Mom...must be very lonely right now...," Ranma said, staring into the hot bath they were in. He turned around and punched Genma in the forehead. "And you're acting as if you just avoided a brush with Typhoid Mary!" "Well," Genma said as they dryed themselved and got dressed, "we promised that if I couldn't train you into a real man among men, we would commit seppuku, right?" "What do you mean, 'we'?" They left the bathroom. "So, in that sense, isn't it better without having her around?" "It's all your fault, though; why should I..." Nodoka was marching down the hallway in the other direction. "Sorry! I left something here...oh!" "Ah, Auntie Nodoka!" "Why, Ranko! Are you playing with your panda in the pool?" ************************************************************************ "Please come again," Kasumi said as they all waved goodbye. "I will," Nodoka said. Ranma and the panda waved at her as she walked into the distance...almost a repeat of this morning, except that Ranma and the panda were sopping wet. Oh, Aunt Nodoka, Akane thought. *********************************************************************** "Aunt Nodoka! Wait!" Nodoka, walking past the sewers, heard a voice behind her. "Akane?" Akane caught up to her, and started talking. "I can see Ranma?" Nodoka asked. Akane nodded. *********************************************************************** "I can meet my mother?" Ranma said. Apparently this was why Akane told him to meet him under the big tree in the schoolyard. Akane nodded. "Really?" "Yep," Akane said, "I've already arranged for Aunt Nodoka to be in the park on Sunday. Honestly, you wish to meet her as you really are, right?" "Um," Ranma started imagining... "Mother! In your eyes, what kind of a man am I?" "Oh, Ranma, you are a towering and respectable man! You are so handsome and stunning and truly a real man among men..." "Yep!" Ranma said as he knocked a fist into his palm. "As long as I don't tell her about the curse, it'll be all right." Akane looked cynically at Ranma's thought balloon. "Isn't that overdoing it a bit? Anyway, just make sure Uncle Genma doesn't find out about this." "Yes," Ranma agreed. It's a bit late for that, the panda noted from behind the tree. ************************************************************************** Come Sunday, Ranma put on his best set of clothes and walked out the door. "Well, might as well..." "Ranma, wait," Akane called out from behind him. "I know it's not Mother's Day, but...for her..." She handed Ranma a carnation. "Akane...," Ranma stammered as he accepted the carnation, "thanks..." "Well, bye then," Ranma waved to Akane. Akane waved back. Ranma waved some more. Akane waved back. Ranma waved some more. "Why aren't you GOING?!" Akane said in exasperation. "Well, um, I'm just, well, she hasn't seen me before. Will she recognize me as her son?" "Of course she will," Akane said, "I told her yesterday..." "I can meet Ranma?" "Yes, he looks like..." "No, no, don't tell me! Even though we haven't seen each other for a very long time, he's still my son. I can recognize him anywhere. I'm sure of it!" "...so, Ranma, you don't have a thing to worry about!" Akane finished. "Now go! Don't keep her waiting." Ranma rushed off. *************************************************************************** Two blocks later, a figure stood in Ranma's way. "Dad?" Genma was visibly fuming. "Don't even think about moving another step, son," he threatened, "if you want to see your mother, you have to get by me..." Ranma jumped up and kicked Genma in the face, and continued walking. "Hey, wait!" Genma said with a bruised cheek. "I'm doing this for your sake..." "Shut up." Ranma said. "Look, even if you intend to meet your mother as a male, accidents *do* happen...some old lady could be watering the street and spill water on you..." "Impossible!" Ranma said, as he walked by an old lady watering the street, who spilled water on her. As she poured hot water on himself, Genma continued, "...and even if you could avoid that, a water main might break near you..." "Impossible!" Ranma said, as he walked by a construction worker who accidentally hit a water main with a pickaxe, dousing her. As she poured more hot water on himself, Genma said, "...and even if you could elude that, a roving goldfish salesman might trip on a rock near you and send his merchadise flying onto you..." "Impossible!" Ranma said, as he walked by a roving goldfish salesman who was about to trip on a rock. Genma knocked Ranma down next to the goldfish bowls that had just emtied their contents on her. "Don't you UNDERSTAND? I love you too much to see you die!" he said as he tied the now-unconscious Ranma up and threw him into the open-air sewer. "Forgive me, son," Genma said as he ran off. "STUPID OLD MAN!!" Ranma shouted, still struggling in the water. ************************************************************************* Nodoka looked at the clock in the park. "Ranma's late," she said to herself. Still she waited patiently in the park. The panda was busily making a sign the bushes. RANMA'S NOT COMING, MRS. SAOTOME, the panda wrote. Okay, this is it..., the panda thought. Suddenly, someone one stepped on the sign. It was Akane. "UN-- CLE GEN--MA!!!" she intoned in deep anger. UH-OH, the panda signed. Akane grabbed Genma up by the scruff of his neck. "I knew you'd be trying something like this," Akane said. HELP, the panda signed. "Ranma!" Nodoka leapt up from the park bench. Akane and the panda stopped. "Ranma!" Nodoka started running. "Yes!" Akane said. NO!, Genma signed. "You look just like your father!" Nodoka exclaimed to a pock-faced, glasses-wearing student, who went "Huh?" Akane and Genma keeled over. "Um, Aunt Nodoka?" Akane said. "That's not Ranma." "Akane?" "Ranma doesn't look a bit like his father..." "No, no, don't tell me! Even though we haven't seen each other for a very long time, he's still my son. I can recognize him this time. I'm sure of it!" Akane felt a bit more skeptical. Suddenly, the sound of rapid footsteps appeared. "I'm coming, mother!" Ranma said to himself. "Oh! Ranma!" Akane exclaimed. OH! RANMA! the panda signed in front of Nodoka, then pointed in the other direction. "Where? Where?" Nodoka said. "Ranma, over here!" Akane waved and screamed. "Akane!" Ranma said, coming closer. "Aunt Nodoka, he's here..." Akane turned around... All there were were some panda footprints. Ranma caught up. "He took her away," Akane said. Ranma lowered his hat. "Mother,..." he said as he looked around, "just wait; I'll find you..." Akane tugged on Ranma's back. "He's over there!" she pointed. The panda was leading Nodoka out of the park. HE'S OVER THERE, the panda signed leading her away from Ranma. "Where?" Ranma said. "Where?" Nodoka said. ************************************************************************** <<<<>>>> Mother and Son (or, Dreams Deferred) "Stupid Dad," Ranma muttered as he skipped over the rooptops, carnation still in hand, "where the hell has he hid mom?" *********************************************************************** Meanwhile, the panda and Nodoka were eating in a restruant. "Ranma's not coming?" Nodoka asked? She was sitting with her back towards the door. "Why is that, Mr. Panda?" NO REASON, the panda signed. Here they are, Ranma and Akane thought as they entered the store. Genma noted Ranma and help up a sign to him. IF SHE FINDS OUT THE TRUTH, WE'RE DEAD. Perhaps, Ranma thought, but I've got to take the chance. Mom, I'll let you see me soon. He walked up behind Nodoka and put a hand on her shoulder. "Hm?" Nodoka uttered. She slowly brought her hand up to her shoulder. "Is this...a boy's hand? Could it be?" "Moth..." Ranma started. Nodoka stood up and turned around. "Ran...Ranma!" she cried as she hugged Ranma's waist. "Oops, sorry!" a waitress said as she tripped, sending iced tea onto Ranma's head. Nodoka looked up at Ranma, shaking, with a glass on her head. "Ranko?" she said. "Is something wrong, Auntie?" Ranma giggled. "Sorry, I mistook you for someone else," Nodoka said, somewhat embarrassed. "Ha ha ha..." Whew, the panda thought. He then held up another sign. MRS. SAOTOME. DO YOU REALLY WANT TO SEE RANMA THAT BADLY? "Huh?" Ranma said. "Yes! How I wish I could see him here right now!" Nodoka exclaimed. WELL THEN, HEE HEE, the panda signed, holding up a hot teapot in the other hand... Ranma jumped as the panda tried to pour water on her. "What are you trying to do, panda?" she said. LEAVE OR DIE! the panda signed. Ranma kicked the pot towards the panda, spilling it. The panda avoided the projectile. "Alright! If I'm going down, you're going down with me!" she said as she held up two more pots. The panda did likewise. Akane pulled Nodoka's hand. "Auntie, can I see you outside for a minute?" She started to pull Nodoka out of the restruant. "Is something wrong?" Nodoka said as the commotion spread to the rest of the restruant. *********************************************************************** "Akane," Nodoka said as another teapot rolled past them into the street, "does Ranma not want to see me?" "No such thing," Akane protested. "But," Nodoka said, "no matter how long I wait, I always seem to just miss him..." "Well, he wants to see you, but..." ************************************************************************ Inside the restruant, the other patrons were staring at a young boy and an old man at each other's necks. "Coward!" Ranma said. "Hmph," Genma replied, "Look who's talking...aren't you afraid of seppuku?" "No!" Ranma retorted. "Okay! That means that you can..." Ranma dumped a pail of water on Genma's head. "Anyway," Ranma said as he picked up the carnation, "I just want to let mother see me!" He started walking out the door. "So shut up!" ************************************************************************* Nodoka was pensive. "There must be a reason for not seeing me..." she said as she slowly took the covering off the sword. "Could it be that Ranma..." she continued as she unsheathed the sword, "...isn't like a man?" She thrust the sword right in front of the doorway as Ranma stopped short, severing the carnation on the sword as Akane watched. Suddenly he turned back and poured water on herself, managing a small chuckle. Nodoka was chuckling too as she sheathed the sword, oblivious to the goings-on. Akane walked into the restruant. "What's going on, 'Ranko'?" she asked. "Well, she'll find out the truth sooner or later. Might as well stop her from worrying." "You mean you're afraid of suicide," Akane sighed. ATTA-BOY, the panda signed. Nodoka came in the store. "Akane? I'm leaving." "Oh?" "Ranma's a real man. I believe in him." Silence. "Well, goodbye to all of you then," Nodoka said as she walked off. The three walked out in silence. "Ranma?" Akane said. "Yeah?" "Sorry for intruding on your family affairs...it's just that she really missed you...and I couldn't bear seeing her sad...I suppose fear of death is typical though...so I guess I can't really blame you..." "What do you think you're doing now? Praising me?" ************************************************************************ Nodoka walked slowly by a construction site. "Oh, Ranma," she lamented as she wandered past a sign saying RADIUM SPRING CONSTRUCTION. "How I miss you!" she cried as she put her sleeve to her eyes. She then sat down next to a sign that said HOT SPRING WATER MAIN -- DO NOT SIT. *********************************************************************** WHOOSH!! "What?" Akane said. The trio turned around. "A water eruption!" a random bystander noted. Sure indeed, a giant plume of water gushed into the air, with a body inside it. "MOM?!" Ranma exclaimed. She started running. Nodoka started regaining consciousness as she started to fall. Ranma rushed forward, almost flying over the streets. "Mom! Mom!" Ranma? Nodoka thought as someone jumped into the hot water surrounding her and grabbed her hand. "Mother..." Ranma said as he held his mother in his arms. "Mother... Mother..." he said again. "Ranma?" Nodoka stared at his deep eyes in recognition. "RANMA!!" she cried out, as she hugged him deeply and fainted away... ********************************************************************** The sky darkening, Ranma set Nodoka down on the grass. "If she ever discovers the truth, she'll be greatly disappointed." "I don't think so," Akane said, "you *were* manly, even if only for a moment there." "Mm...Ranma..." Nodoka tried to say as she started to wake up. "Oh, moth..." *RUMBLE* Then the rain broke. ********************************************************************** Nodoka woke up. "Ran...Ranko? Did you save me?" "Um...er..." "It must have been a dream..." "A dream?" Ranma and Akane said. "I dreamt Ranma came and saved me...he looked so brave and strong..." "Aunt Nodoka?" Akane interrupted. "Actually..." Ranma stopped her. "But..." Akane protested. "Just let her think that was a dream," Ranma said. "At least until I can get rid of this curse..." "Well, see you again," Nodoka said as she walked off. Please remember your "dream" that happened today, mother..., Ranma thought as she watched her walk off. ********************************************************************** And so as not to let his mother down, Ranma hides from his mother.... "Hello! I'm here to visit again!" *SPLASH* "Hello, Auntie Nodoka!" ...well, the real reason is fear of suicide.