Ranma's and Nodoka's visions of being a lady continued to conflict as time went on. Since both agreed certain things about being a lady the arguments hardly ever loud. In fact, it was the rare individual that could see the cold anger that grew between mother and daughter.
Nodoka's casual scoldings of Ranma's discussions about improving herself became less so as time went on. She would quote some piece of traditional wisdom firmly and decide that was that.
By the time Ranma was thirteen, she knew the traditional wisdoms better than Nodoka and was using them to argue her points, however politely.
This did not improve matters as Ranma had hoped it would. Nodoka merely informed her child that she misunderstood the readings and said no more on the matter.
There were victories on both fronts. Ranma had failed to achieve any skill with her family art, but she was allowed to take Tai Chi Chuan. Nodoka, like her husband, did not really respect the art as a true martial arts school and it had shown a lasting popularity of late among a large number of the population as an exercise form, this included traditional women of Nodoka's age and older.
Ranma had entered a class thinking that she was being tossed a bone, which was essentially the case, but was soon enthusiastic as she was initiated, quietly, into the combat forms of the art. She hid her enthusiasm from her parents, bitter that she couldn't share this discovery with them as a daughter should, for they would be suspicious otherwise.
She quickly advanced in the art, advancing to seventh dan black sash by her sixteenth birthday. Her master, now a peer as she could progress no further under him, suggested a number of other teachers, of Tai Chi, Bau Pa Guan(sp) and Hsing-I, but also respected Ranma's situation and inability to follow up until she was at least eighteen.
The bitter blow that she could advance no further was mollified when she realized what her mother had not. That the scroll she used for paper was in fact a manual of martial arts techniques.
School was a lost cause, unfortunately. She was pulled out of school after middle school, and expected to apply herself to the womanly duties. She felt it likely that she'd have no chance to read anything interesting again until she'd left the house on her eighteenth birthday.
Her salvation came in the form of a tutor her mother had arranged.
Kasumi Tendo.
Calling upon her husband's old friend, Nodoka requested that Kasumi, a paragon of womanliness even beyond Nodoka's strict standards, teach Ranma the duties of a wife.
The Tendos were a godsend, though she told only Kasumi her situation...and that only after Kasumi inquired of her why such an intelligent girl as her was not attending school.
"I am not allowed to go to school," Ranma said simply while they were cooking one day soon after their first introduction, on Akane's first day of high school.
"Oh my," Kasumi gasped. "Why should you not?"
"Because my future is secured," Ranma said. "I have...an arranged marriage. My mother has deemed that all should be required to know is how to take care of my husband."
Most people would think that was curiously outdated thinking to be coming from a young girl, but many would still miss the inflections and wording that indicated that it was not her thinking on the matter.
"Do you wish to go to school?" Kasumi had asked. Ranma blinked.
"Does it matter if I can or not?" Ranma answered. "Until I'm eighteen, I cannot make that choice."
"I think I can arrange something," Kasumi said, smiling.
And so Kasumi began supplying books for Ranma to read right along with her. The first time it was to get books of an interest to Ranma, but after that Ranma would find book names in the bibliography to reference and she could provide the older girl with a more precise list of books she wanted.
She even explained the "arranged" marriage to Kasumi later, though she left out such facts as that she was born a boy.
The other two girls were a great help as well. Nabiki perceived right away that Ranma was given no money and would thus be no good as a target for scams. However, she found Ranma's sharp mind to make for good conversation. Without what Ranma gleaned from speaking to Nabiki, it was unlikely she'd ever have managed to hide her growing martial and mental prowess.
Akane and Ranma occasionally crossed wires. Akane's first impression was that Ranma was being forced to do many things. Of course, when it became apparent that Ranma enjoyed cooking, didn't mind keeping house, very much liked her kimonos and dresses, and it became apparent that she considered Akane to be something of a tomboy, then sparks first flew. The sparks didn't fly far since Ranma was too much of lady to shout or openly insult someone, and Akane refused to hit a "defenseless" person, but they still flew.
Fortunately, this bit of news encouraged Nodoka to believe that Kasumi was indeed succeeding where Nodoka had found herself floundering. A true lady would probably have conflicts with such an...active girl as Akane.
Eventually it became apparent that Ranma's opinion that Akane was something of a tomboy lacked disapproval, and indeed was met with something akin to respect, that the sparks became more or less play. Ranma was a lady, Akane was a tomboy, that was what each wanted, and that was what they were. They had different paths and that was all there was to it.
And Ranma once "accidentally" left behind a copy of the Umisen scroll for Akane. She had "mistaken" it for a towel while she was at home. So the youngest Tendo's training the Art advanced a little further, since the scroll also described many of the basics of the Saotome style of fighting.
Her biggest victory was the pen pal that Kasumi had arranged for her. Another person who was highly intelligent that could discuss with Ranma matters that books in the library did not cover, for Ranma's unorthodox education had taken her far afield that of her peers for the simple fact that she had the intelligence to do much more with less.
Nodoka was merely impressed that Ranma seemed to be coming to her way of thinking, Ranma had made good use of his time speaking to Nabiki here and there, though suspected the middle Tendo would make circles around her if she ever decided to compete. So she had no idea of what Ranma was going to say on the day of her eighteenth birthday.
"I'm leaving the house mother," Ranma said simply, after flawlessly engaging in the tea ceremony with her mother. Nodoka stared at her aghast.
"What?" Nodoka asked.
"I am leaving the house," Ranma repeated. "It is obvious that you are not going to let me live my life so long as I remain. So I am going to leave the house."
"What foolishness are you talking about?" Nodoka demanded. "Do you still forget that you are insured a husband?"
"I am insured a rich husband," Ranma repeated nodding. "Which is something to look forward to, but I have not been insured happiness."
"Happiness is a luxury," Nodoka repeated.
"Neither have I been insured security," Ranma added. "Would you not consider it possible that I could meet the man fated for me, marry him, and then perhaps he would die the next year?"
"Then you would have the money to live upon," Nodoka countered.
"The woman you would have me be would not know how to handle such a large amount of money," Ranma said. "The woman you would have me be would find herself broke and destitute soon after the first liar and thief convinced her of a bad decision."
"And so you would be broke and destitute now?" Nodoka demanded. "You do not have the skills to apply yourself to any occupation."
"That is where you are wrong, mother," Ranma said. "I have kept my studies up. I even passed the high school equivalency tests four years ago. I can do many things that you do not know about."
"You have kept such things from your mother," Nodoka said, surprised.
"Or else my mother would have prevented me from doing such," Ranma said. She sighed and looked out the window. "We differ in opinion on the definition of a lady, mother. Perhaps one day you will see my view point, but for now I'm afraid that I cannot stay."
"And where will you stay?" Nodoka demanded.
"I will leave you the address of where I will be staying," Ranma said. "And if you should lose it, Kasumi is also in possession of the address. I do love you, mother, I just can't agree with you."
"Just leave if you're going to leave!" Nodoka had insisted. "Kasumi must have been encouraging this foolishness in you all this time. Well, we shall see what happens when you come to your senses."
"As you wish mother," Ranma said, she stood up. "I also hope to find my brother eventually, mother. Before my father does anything irreversible to Botan."
"You presume to dishonor your father?" Nodoka said, standing up.
"No, he does that just fine himself," Ranma said. She bowed deeply and respectfully. "I hope to see you next when our minds are more in harmony. Until then, farewell mother."
Nodoka said nothing and merely turned her back as Ranma quietly went to her room and retrieved a small suitcase and then left the house.
She checked the address in her hand.
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(Posted Mon, 10 Jan 2005 18:34)
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