"Can I say something, Ranma-san?" Akane said.
"What is it, Akane-san?" Ranma asked.
"You got seriously screwed here. You and the Mistress both!"
Ranma nodded. "Thank you for telling me that, Akane-san."
Relaxing around the table in the sitting room of the Tendou home, the marchioness of the Dual Empires and her small group of servants (save for Kasumi and Mai, who were still standing on the porch chatting with each other as they took turns petting Kagutsuchi's beak) stared at the rolled-out contract lying before them. The contract was, as originally typed out, a standard five-year contract between an indentured mamluk-yoojimbou (Ranma) and his prospective first owner (Marie).
As to what was written in very small print in the space between the final paragraph and the signature blocks with their hanko stamps:
In addition to the above-stated clauses of the Contract, the two Parties will also:
(1) Openly acknowledge that the Guardian is considered a "full use" slave under the laws of the Dual Empires of Japan and Korea.
(2) Acknowledge that, with the freedom granted to the Guardian and the Owner in clause (1), the two Parties will produce a free-born male offspring at the soonest opportunity. Female offspring are acceptable, but one male offspring must be born of the Guardian and the Owner.
(3) Acknowledge that all offspring born of the Guardian and the Owner must be considered free-born under the applicable laws of the Dual Empires of Japan and Korea. In addition, all offspring born of the Guardian and the Owner will be, at the time of the registry of their birth, considered full free-born members of the Saotome Clan, free loyal subjects of His Majesty the Emperor of Japan, residing (at the time of this contract's composition and acceptance) in the Ward of Nerima, a section of the Imperial Metropolis of Tokyo, a part of His Majesty's Realm of Japan.
(4) Agree that all offspring born of the Guardian and the Owner, in acknowledgement of clause (3), will also acknowledge the person of Saotome Genma, birth-father of the Guardian, as the offspring's grandfather.
(5) Agree that all offspring born of the Guardian and the Owner, in acknowledgement of clause (4), will also acknowledge the person of Saotome Nodoka, adopted birth-mother of the Guardian, as the offspring's grandmother and the legal head of the Saotome Clan.
(6) Finally acknowledge that, at the time of the end of the Guardian's service with the Owner, the Guardian will then enter another period of indentured service, not to last more than five years, with Tendou Souun, free loyal subject of His Majesty the Emperor of Japan, residing (at the time of this contract's composition and acceptance) in the Ward of Nerima, a section of the Imperial Metropolis of Tokyo, a part of His Majesty's Realm of Japan. All clauses pertaining to the contract with the Owner will apply to the future Owner or parties the future Owner might designate.
"There's one thing I'd like to say," Nabiki then spoke up.
"What's that, Onee-chan?" Akane asked.
"This is Da-...!" Here, Nabiki stopped herself as she allowed a certain part of her mental conditioning to take over. She then bowed apologetically to Marie. "I humbly beg your pardon, my Mistress. This handwriting is Tendou-san's. I recognize it."
Marie's eyebrow arched. "I see. Thank you for telling me that, Nabiki-chan."
"My Mistress?"
The marchioness tensed on hearing the cold formality in Ranma's words as she watched him give her a formal kneeling bow. Being a mamluk trained as well as he had been over the last decade, Susumu Marie could easily guess that Ranma had been schooled to behave according to levels of protocol only used in the presence of His Majesty within the walls of the Imperial Palaces in Tokyo or Kyoto, not to mention His Majesty the Emperor of Korea within the walls of Kyoungbok-gung or the other Imperial Palaces in Seoul or P'young'yang. Realizing also that he had more than enough right to question everything about this contract with her, she then straightened herself. "Yes, my servant?"
Ranma remained where he was, head to the floor. "Was my Mistress aware of these additional clauses placed in the contract between us?"
Marie closed her eyes. "No, my servant, I was not." A pause. "Please rise, Ranma-kun, and look at me. I don't like speaking to a person's back, especially when said person has been entrusted with guaranteeing my personal safety as you have."
Ranma straightened himself, and then he inwardly winced on seeing the flash of anger and shame in his mistress' eyes. Damn it! He should have realized Marie was just as mad about this whole sordid affair as he was now. Given the way she had shouted Genma down when the question of his "use" status came up, not to mention the coldness she demonstrated when she ordered Mai to summon Kagutsuchi to frighten his father into running for the hills, he certainly had no right to take his anger out on her of all people. "I'm sorry about that, Marie-sama."
"You have no need to apologize to me for your anger at this despicable act of your father's and his friend, Ranma-kun. And I told you before, you may address me more informally when we're not in the presence of anyone beyond my sisters, their servants or my brother."
Ranma winced, and then he bowed his head. "I'm sorry. It's a little hard to get used to being that informal with someone..."
"Who's your mistress now?" Marie cut him off with a raised eyebrow, and then she giggled. "Ranma, I'm your age, for heaven's sake. Yes, I'm a marchioness and a member of the House of Peers and the House of Worthies. But beyond that -- and in many ways, in spite of that! -- I'm a seventeen year old girl with my own dreams and desires." She then held up her hand. "But first of all: Ami?"
Ami tensed. "Hai, Marie-chan?"
"Did you look over these extra clauses in the agreement between Ranma-kun and myself before I was asked to sign and stamp it?"
"Hai, Marie-chan, I did. But I assumed also that you were aware of those additional clauses via your telephone conversations with Tendou-dono." Seeing an icy look cross her mistress' face, Ami then bowed her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Marie-chan..."
"It's alright, Ami-chan. We're both at fault here," Marie assured her. "But from now on, we both read over future contracts of any nature before we put my signature or hanko stamp on it. Understood?"
"Hai, Marie-chan, I understand." A polite cough. "If I can be allowed to make an additional comment on this..."
"Certainly."
"This contract is now in clear violation of several clauses of the Slave Codes of the Dual Empires."
Everyone perked. "What does that mean, Ami-chan?" Ranma asked.
"Quite simple, Ranma-kun." Ami then pointed to the specific clauses written in on the contract. "This first clause stating that you're to be a full-use slave to Marie-chan. If you were to be a full-use slave, you must undergo a vasectomy. Female full-use slaves such as myself, Mai-chan, Nabiki-chan and Kasumi-chan, get tubal ligations. That is the law and there are no exceptions allowed to that end."
"Why is that, Ami-san?" Akane asked. "I'm not really clear about all the clauses in the Slave Codes."
Ami smirked. "That's understandable, Akane-chan. The Slave Code in written format is a rather thick book. It spans over a thousand pages in standard type as I recall." A pause. "As to why full-use slaves must be rendered sterile, it's this: all children born of slaves are legally considered slaves unless they're emancipated by their parent's master."
She stared at Ranma. "In other words, Ranma-kun, your father and Yumi-chan's mother have no right to say that any children born between you and Marie-chan are automatically free-born. Only Marie-chan has the right to say that. In her absence, Sakuya-sama, as Marie-chan's elder sister, can speak on her behalf. Or Marie-chan's mother and step-father. But the decision ultimately lies with Marie-chan.
"Further, neither your father nor Yumi-chan's mother can say anything about any children born from you and Marie-chan being made part of the Saotome Clan even if they're declared free-born. If they're declared free-born by Marie-chan, they automatically will become part of the Susumu Clan, not the Saotome Clan. That is also enshrined in the Slave Codes.
"And finally, in the original part of your contract with Marie-chan, it is clearly stated that once your contract with Marie-chan is finished, you are to be emancipated and declared a legal adult. Once that happens, your father -- to say anything of Yumi-chan's mother or Tendou-dono -- has no power over you from that point on. Therefore the whole idea of you coming to serve Tendou Souun..."
"Is completely bogus," Yumi finished.
"Exactly."
"So can this be changed around back to the way it should have been?" Ranma asked.
"Easily enough, I believe," Ami replied. "If it becomes necessary, Ranma-kun, Marie-chan could charge your father and Tendou-san with criminal fraud. When she went to Tendou-san to arrange to take over the planned contract you would have had with Kasumi-chan, Nabiki-chan or Akane-chan (until they were forced to become slaves themselves), Marie-chan did ask that you'd serve her under full-use clauses. And Tendou-san, acting as your father's go-between with Marie-chan, did promise that you would be a full-use slave in this regard. Yet it's clearly obvious that you were never told about being a full-use slave for Marie-chan, to mention anything of being properly prepared to be a full-use slave."
"And I'm very tempted to do just that," Marie then spoke up. "Everyone, we'll wait here until the movers come to have Kasumi-chan's, Nabiki-chan's, Akane-chan's and Yumi-chan's things moved to Hana-jou, and then we'll take our leave." She then gazed apologetically at Ranma. "Once we're home, Ranma-kun, after you take time to acquaint yourself with the defences of the castle, we'll talk. Okay?"
Ranma blinked, and then he nodded. "Hai, Marie-chan."
With that done...
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(Posted Sun, 27 Mar 2005 06:59)
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