Ranma sat back and sighed in frustration. This whole thing was ridiculous. Genma was supposed to be getting a slave in order to secure a business permit for their Dojo, and to allow Ranma access to the more upscale ones. And here was Ranma, saddled with what should have been every teenage boy's dream - only he wasn't anywhere near a pervert. The last few boys his own age Ranma had spent much time talking to would have creamed their pants at doing to a girl what he had just done to the three of them, but Ranma himself was just bloody embarrassed by the whole thing. Before the accident that brought him here, he'd been raised to believe that all people had the same value, and that no one could, or should, own another human. Despite the turns that belief had taken during their six-year stay, it held firm - people should own themselves, and no one should be doing some things to others unless asked. If it had been totally Ranma's choice, he'd have gotten that Ryouga boy at the last market - he'd been like Ranma, a trained fighter, and would probably have liked sparring with Ranma as much as Ranma would have liked sparring with him. They would have been doing together what any other pair of fighters would do, and to hell with the master/slave relationship. But Genma had overruled him, as the kid had a curse that more or less required him to be leashed at all times, lest he get lost, and Ranma's father hadn't wanted that kind of hassle.
And the situation irked him in other ways, too. These girls were all freeborn. They most likely had very good info on how most boys his age would want to use a slavegirl their age - having listened like him to the boys - and some girls, even - in school. As far as he could determine, Kasumi seemed more or less resigned to a fate as a sex-slave, and resented it; Nabiki seemed for some ungodly reason to be getting off on it; and Akane was scared. She'd been so tense Ranma had been forced to distract her with his other hand before unclenching enough to let him perform the required inspection - and for putting that clause in, or at least for not deleting it from the standard contract, Ranma believed their father should be hung, drawn and quartered. If it wasn't for the fact that he could tell they were being watched, he'd have forgone that bit entirely, but no, the two old men had observed closely. Perverts.
So those were his options - a trained housewife, who thought her only use would be in bed; a probable nymphomaniac, who could from the look of things not be totally trusted; and a scared girl with at least some fighting skills and a lot of strength. How the heck was he supposed to choose? The little hentai voice that Ranma never listened to was begging for Nabiki, and she was a perfect opportunity to see what the fuss was about, Ranma had to admit. Rationally, Kasumi was the most useful, having a large traditional skillset. It appeared she had been a slave in all but name for some time already. And Akane was the closest to what he had originally wanted - a fighter, someone to spar with and maybe have as an equal, despite the social convention. But would he be able to break through her fear to get her there? The more he thought, the harder the choice was getting.
Suddenly, Ranma was struck with an idea for a tie breaker. He didn't know if he could stomach using it, though - asking these girls what their plans for the future was, and then taking away their freedom, even if that was only their perception of it, was insidious, and could break any chance of reconciling with the girl he chose. It was the ultimate slap in the face - knowingly stealing their futures.
What to do?
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(Posted Fri, 16 Jul 2004 22:22)
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らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
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