He tried to fake a polite and interested smile while secretly considering his variations of the Saotome secret technique of strategic relocation.
"Well, we were planing to hold it as soon as possible." Nodoka said.
Ranma blanched. It was worse than he had feared. He had to make a stand or he would be married before he knew it.
"But the girls will need time to prepare and some of the fianceés will need a while to travel here. What about girls from out of the country? I am sure that Pops engaged me to some chicks abroad during our travels we have to give them a chance too," he objected.
"Well I guess we could a wait a few weeks." Nodoka relented.
"But that would be in the middle of the winter. It would mean that we can't hold an outdoor event. Nabiki will be crushed by the cost of renting a place that will most likely get trashed," Ranma pressed his advantage. "And the girls would look so much better in skimpy warm weather outfits. Besides I always wanted a spri... summer... I mean fall wedding. Wouldn't that be much more romantic?"
"I don't know," his mother seemed to consider the argument. "I think we could hold it on your next birthday that should everyone enough time to prepare and the weather should have cleared up by then too."
"My next birthday? But that is less than twelve month away. Should we wait a bit longer?" Ranma tried to weasel out some more time. "We could wait until I am 18 or..."
"Enough!" Nodoka's voice cut his rambling of like cold steel. "We will hold the tournament on your next birthday and that is final. Is that clear?"
Ranma gulped and replied "Yes, Mother."
He had time until his birthday. That was not much, but he would have to use the time as best as he could.
Later that day Nodoka announced her plan to the girls in question.
"So Shampoo beat up all other girls and get husband?" the Chinese Amazon summarized what had just been explained to the assembled finaceé brigade in the Tendou Dojo.
"Surely, you mean that the Black Rose will triumph over her adversaries and to win the hand of Ranma," Kodachi corrected her with a triumphant cackle.
While the two girls descended into a heated private debate about who was more likely win the tournament and who was called Shirley others where less enthusiastic.
"Why should I enter at all? Unlike those two I already am engaged to Ranma for real. I would have nothing to win by participating," Ukyou pointed out.
"On the contrary my dear, you have everything to gain by participating. The tournament is not just held to determine who will become Ranma's official fianceé but who will actually become his wife. The ceremony will be held immediately after the tournament," Nodoka revealed.
The girls fell silent as they all realized the true stakes of the competition.
"That is good," Shampoo finally claimed without sounding too sure of herself. "Shampoo will claim husband once and for all with no more fighting."
"Yes, this silly courtship will finally be over for good once I have one," Kodachi agreed sounding a bit shaken herself.
"But what about my engagement?" Ukyou wanted to know. "Genma stole my Yattai. Ranma promised...."
"I am sorry dear, but with the many conflicting claims it is just not possible for Ranma to honor all of them. Since Ranma has been unable to choose fro himself the tournament is best solution for this mess," Nodoka told her.
In the background a man crying over Ranma's duty to unite the schools could be heard, but everyone ignored him.
"Then I guess I will have to enter too and show everyone some Kuonji style fighting. I can't let my Ranma-honey be forced to marry on of these hussies by default after all." Ukyou announced slapping a spatula in her hand to show her determination.
"Hah! Who cares about who will have to marry that pervert anyway. I am just glad that the chaos will be over soon," Akane said not fooling anyone.
"If Akane no want Ranma she no enter tournament. Pervert-girl has no chance of winning anyway," Shampoo baited.
"Hey, I am a martial artist too. I will enter this tournament just to show you that I am better fighter than the rest of you," Akane declared.
Later as the girls filled out of the dojo Ranma cautiously approached Akane.
"So I guess Mom told you about her crazy plan," He began.
"Yes," Akane answered slowly not looking at him or knowing what to say.
"And?" Ranma countered just as monosyllabic.
"I am going to enter," Akane told finally finding a way to express herself in the familiar and less awkward emotion of anger. "But don't believe that this has anything to do with you. I am just going to show everyone that I am a martial-artist too, and to demonstrated the superiority of the Anything-Goes-School, and because of family honor, and because dad would make me participate anyway, but it has nothing to do with you. I will just kick your girlfriends' asses to make clear that you don't mess with Akane Tendou."
Rather than exploring what really motivated Akane and what she planned to do in case she actually won, Ranma decided to go with a topic that he was more sure of.
"You a martial-artist?" He laughed. "You don't really have a chance of winning this the others will kick your ass. Don't kid yourself."
"Ranma!" Akane called warningly sensing an immediate outlet for her frustrations with an improvised game of bash the pervert.
Sensing that this discussion was not going where he wanted it to go Ranma decided to interrupt her.
"Look, Akane," he told her earnestly. "This is important. Mom is really serious this time and she actually wants me to get married to whoever wins this stupid game of hers. And right now that simply would not be you."
Akane sobered up.
"Ranma?" she asked quietly, unsure of what he was trying to say.
"I got her to delay the tournament for a bit and that should give us some time. You will have to pack your things so that we can move out first thing in the morning before any of the loonies show up and stop us," Ranma told her.
"You want me to come with you?" Akane wondered to shocked to even get angry over his making plans for both of them.
Before Ranma could clarify what he meant Akane's Sister came out of the house from where she must have been listening in on them.
"Uh-uh, bad Ranma," she said shaking her finger at them. "Everyone signed contracts already. There will be no eloping at this point. And no giving an unfair advantage to any fianceé by giving her private training lessons. No training trips for the two of you!"
"Nabiki!" Akane yelled outraged that her own sister would stab her in the back like this.
"You signed the contract, Akane. You promised in writing on your honor as a martial-artist not to do anything to sabotage or prevent the tournament. And there was also a clause saying that none of you could receive private training by Ranma," Nabiki informed her. "I am just trying to prevent you from making a mistake."
That said she turned around and left the couple alone.
"It is true I did sign the contract when Nodoka gave it to us earlier. I did not really pay to much attention to what it said." Akane admitted dejectedly.
"Couldn't you have waited a few hours before signing our engagement away," Ranma grumbled.
He was mostly angry at himself for prompting Nodoka and Nabiki to include the part about no training with Ranma. He had just wanted to be left alone by the other girls until the tournament.
Akane was getting angry too. "How should I have known not to sign? You never even said anything. This Is your fault you know. Now I am honor-bound to stay behind."
Ranma considered this for a moment. Being raised by Genma had given him an unique understanding of just how binding contracts could be and how elastic honor was when push came to shove.
"I know what to do. You just get your stuff ready for some traveling and let me take care of the rest," Ranma told her.
"But what about my honor?" Akane was not satisfied.
"I know just what to do." Ranma assured her.
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(Posted Thu, 01 Dec 2005 20:37)
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