The two women entered the Saotome home and sat down. “Alright, now what’s this about you being married to Genma?”
“Tissue is Amazon, come from warrior tribe in middle of China. Tribal law say that when Amazon defeated by outsider of opposite gender, Amazon and outsider are married. Genma defeat Tissue.”
“And this rule applies even when the outsider is already married?”
“No, married outsider can choose not to marry into Amazon tribe. Amazons not have problem with more than one wife, though.”
Nodoka started glowering at Tissue—mostly because her husband was not in the room. “And he chose to marry you in addition to me?”
“Tissue guess so. He never actually say he already married—and Ranma not know what happen to mother.”
Nodoka decided to ignore the more troublesome implications of that statement and latch on to the hopeful ones. “You know my son?”
Tissue nodded. “He with father. They in village to try to help Ranma.”
“What? What do you mean?”
“Well… first, Nodoka need to know about Jusenkyo.” Tissue briefly explained the nature of the Springs of Sorrow to her hostess, who looked very doubtful about the claims of water-activated shapeshifting curses.
“You’ll have to pardon my skepticism, but I find that a little hard to believe—and I live in Nerima.”
Tissue nodded—if she hadn’t grown up near Jusenkyo, she probably wouldn’t believe such a story either—not without proof, anyway. That was part of the reason she’d brought so much cursewater with her—to provide that proof when an actual Jusenkyo victim wasn’t convenient. Fortunately, she had a plan. She’d simply curse herself temporarily, and then when Nodoka was satisfied of the reality of the curses, she’d cure herself. This wouldn’t be hard at all: a female could be cured of any cold-water curse with the simple application of Nyannichuan water—because that was also a cold-water curse. The effect was basically the same as cursing one’s cursed form to become one’s normal form when splashed with cold water. (Problems only arose when a cold-water curse was combined with a hot-water curse, and Nannichuan was the only known hot spring to be cursed in this manner.)
She asked Nodoka for several cups for her demonstration, and her hostess obliged. Tissue, meanwhile, carefully removed two casks from her pack—which wasn’t easy, since she’d had to use a variation on the Hidden Weapons technique to get everything in there. After making sure that the casks contained the correct liquids, she opened one of them and cautiously poured some of the water into one of the glasses, explaining, “Spring of Drowned Dog.” She did the same for a second glass. “Spring of Drowned Girl… save this for last.” Tissue then told Nodoka to fill some of the remaining glasses with hot and cold water. That done, she announced her intentions. “Tissue get dog curse; Nodoka use hot and cold water until believe Tissue. Then—this important part—use girl water on Tissue’s dog form—not girl form.”
“Will something bad happen if I do that?”
“Yes, you waste Nyannichuan water—Tissue have limited supply, and it quite a hike back to Bayankala mountains. Other than that, no, nothing bad.”
“I suppose I understand… I suggest we get this out of the way, then.” Nodoka didn’t really think anything would happen; maybe some sort of illusion, but there was no way this could possibly be real… could it?
Five minutes later, Tissue was back to normal, and Nodoka was convinced—though she was still in a state of mild shock, and not just from the proof of the curses’ existence; the first time the Amazon had changed back into her human form, she was nude (“What you expect? Clothes fall of when change to dog-form.”), and her obvious lack of embarrassment had only caused Nodoka to become more flustered. Still, things were a bit better now that the young woman had her clothes back on.
“Alright, I believe your story about the curses, but what does this have to do with my husband?”
“Tissue getting there, but need tell you about Ranma first.”
Nodoka suddenly “Did something happen to my baby?”
“Um… yes. For long time Jusenkyo was training ground so…”
“My baby was training and fell into a pool and became cursed? Oh no!”
“Uh, actually, he come out of training just fine, but then he notice that he lose something, and he uh, see it at bottom of Nyannichuan…”
“The drowned girl spring?”
“Yes… and since no one at guide’s hut to tell him about curse, he jump in to get.”
Nodoka looked pale—her son, who was to be a man amongst men, cursed to become a woman? But that would mean she’d have to… “You were cured of that dog curse rather easily… is there a spring where a man drowned?”
“There is Spring of Drowned Male—Ranma jump in that one as soon as it pointed out to him—uh, her.”
Nodoka sighed. “So he isn’t cursed.”
“No he still cursed. Nannichuan is hot spring, so not change girl curse.”
“Isn’t there any way to cure it?”
“There would be if not jump in Nannichuan. Ranma have hot-water and cold-water curse. Healers say that mean he stuck with both forms for rest of life—”
“But I don’t want my son to die!” shouted Nodoka before breaking into sobs.
“What?! Why do that?”
“Because with that curse, he’ll never be a man amongst men!”
And that’s supposed to be a bad thing? “Tissue think Nodoka need to explain.”
So Nodoka tearfully explained the basics of the seppuku contract she’d had her husband sign at the beginning of Ranma’s trip, which stipulated that if he didn’t raise him to be a “man amongst men” they’d both commit ritual suicide. By the end, Nodoka could barely speak through her sobbing. Tissue gave the older woman some time to calm down, and then proceeded to say something that Nodoka never expected to hear.
“Tissue not understand—why Nodoka want son to be ‘manly’ in first place?”
“Because that’s what men are supposed to be.”
“You want Ranma to be lazy, self-serving jerk who treat woman like sex object?”
“No—I said I want him to be manly.”
“But that what ‘manly’ mean!”
“What?”
“‘Manly’ mean to be like man, yes?”
“Of course.”
“Well, for Amazon, that what men are.”
“Even the men in your tribe?”
“Amazons have no men in tribe.”
“Well, then what about the men you marry?”
Tissue almost responded by saying that Amazon women usually married other Amazon women, but she caught herself—after all, most outsiders didn’t have any concept of a male woman to begin with. “You no understand—all Amazon adults women, whether they male or female.”
“Huh?”
Tissue briefly explained how young Amazons males made the journey from boyhood to womanhood
“I… see… but that doesn’t change the fact that my Ranma won’t be able to fulfill his part of the contract…” Nodoka said sadly.
Tissue thought about this for a few seconds before asking, “What Nodoka mean by ‘man amongst men’?”
“Well, a man amongst men would rise above his peers, eschewing the traits that average men so often succumb to in favor of those that show the nobility of his soul.”
“Like…”
“Honor, kindness, respect for those above him, patience with those beneath him, and being willing and able to love a woman—in every sense.”
Tissue broke into a smile. “You just describe ideal Amazon male woman—and they still considered men by ignorant outsider politicians.”
Nodoka looked confused. “What do you mean?”
“Amazon males always considered male, even during month as girl. Amazons think of Ranma as male too—that mean outsiders see him as man.”
“So what you’re saying is…”
“…just because Ranma turn into girl, he still man—well, not Amazon meaning of ‘man.’ That just plain insulting.”
“So he still has a chance to fulfill the contract?”
“Who say he no already do that? He honorable, kind, respectful to those who deserve respect—and he love his wife.”
“My little boy is married?”
“That what Shampoo say. She my niece, become good friends with Ranma.”
“My little boy got married… and he didn’t bother to tell me…”
“Well, Shampoo say he not know what happen to you. Might think you is lost, or dead. Said father not answer questions, and he get in trouble when ask too much about mother.”
The mention of this possibility had Nodoka seeing red. “He wouldn’t tell his son that his mother was even alive?! How could he do such a thing?! When I get my hands on him…”
“Tissue may have better idea.”
“What?”
“When Genma defeat and marry Tissue, he become Amazon—but very bad for outsider male to stay man once enter tribe.”
“Are you saying you want to curse him for a month so he can become a ‘male woman’?”
“That reason Tissue here… well, that and Ranma. He all ready to go through with process when Genma hightail it out of village and take Ranma with him. That really get Tissue’s goat—process much more complicated for combined curse; no can lock. Very difficult when not have resources of tribe.”
“Why did my son want to go through with that?!”
“Well, several reasons, but main ones he give are growing accustomed to female form, since he probably have it for rest of life, and learning Amazon martial arts—men not allowed to learn most of them. Also, as woman, he have right to petition Council of Elders, or become Elder himself, but that long way off…”
Nodoka paused. She supposed she could see why Ranma would agree—if Genma hadn’t told his son about her, then Ranma likely didn’t know about the contract, either. And it would serve Genma right to be put through this, if only so he could get some sense of empathy for how women feel—but still, there were other problems. “If I agreed to let you do this, would that mean I’d be condoning your marriage to my husband?”
“Not really matter, Amazon law say Tissue already married to Genma—you not going to change that.”
“But Japanese law—”
“Yes, Tissue know outsiders not approve of pol–, pol–…”
“Polygamy?”
“Right. Amazons not care about outsider opinions. As long as Tissue Genma’s wife in tribe, not mind being mistress in Japan.”
Nodoka sighed. “So, what are my options?”
“Two choices. One, you become Amazon, and we equal in tribe as sister-wives—in theory, anyway. Tissue probably have higher status in minds of Amazons; Grandmother is Matriarch. Two, you not become Amazon. That mean Amazon law consider you concubine.”
“That’s it?”
“Either that, or you defeat Tissue in formal challenge.”
Somehow, Nodoka doubted she would be able to do that—and being this young woman’s equal (or near-equal) in her tribe was certainly better than having her status relegated to that of concubine. Besides, as far as the rest of the world was concerned, she would still be the only legitimate wife of Genma Saotome, and it wasn’t as though a mistress was much of a scandal as long as one didn’t raise a big fuss. “What would I have to do to become an Amazon?”
“In your case? Tissue just have to give Nodoka Kiss of Marriage.”
To say that Nodoka was shocked by this bit of information would be a gross understatement. “What? Wait a minute, are you saying the two of us would be married?”
“How else you expect tribe to see outsider as equal?”
“But would that mean we’d have to—”
“Make love? Not if you no want to. Personally, Tissue not really mind, but no going to push either way.”
Nodoka nodded silently and started thinking about what she would do—but it really wasn’t that hard. Considering her priorities in life, she really only had one option:
Are you kidding? Nokoda had to accept—she’d been in the closet herself for years, and now she had a semi-legitimate way to “come out” without making a huge fuss.
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(Posted Mon, 20 Mar 2006 18:55)
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