[Episode 185921] [Episode 185921]Lessons, like them or not Ranma and Toph had plenty of lessons to take. For Ranma those lessons included math, history, writing, Earthbending, and hand to hand fighting. Toph, on the other hand, received private sessions with Master Yu, training in how to do things on her own with the house nurse, and tactile learning with a private and well-paid teacher. Ranma was taught the ways of the world with history and things found in ledgers and scrolls. Toph was taught the difference between feeling a bed cover and the bed itself. She was taught the difference between feeling soft grass and feeling the hard rocky wall around the Bei Fong estate. Ranma could read and write while Toph was not even read to by her own mother. Because of her blindness Toph’s parents and tutors treated her as though she was an ignorant and obedient little child who needed to be coddled every step of the way. Toph hated it and Ranma hated seeing her treated that way.
On several occasions, Ranma attempted to protest the way their parents treated Toph but either Lao gave his son a huge lecture about Toph being unable to do things for herself or Toph asked him not to intervene. Ranma knew one day soon that Toph and their parents would come to odds with each other and the situation between them would boil over. There were two possible outcomes, Lao could change things for the better, or he could lock Toph in her room under an armed guard treating her like a prisoner. Ranma hoped and prayed for the first outcome hoping his mother and father saw the amazing person Toph had become. Ranma treated his sister better than his own parents and even helped her with her Earthbending when Master Yu was not around the estate.
“Ranma something’s bugging you,” the older Bei Fong hated it when his sister announced his mood changes unexpectedly.
“Nothing’s bothering me Toph,” it was no use though, because Toph could tell when her brother was lying about a sudden change in mood.
“Oh yeah right and your faint sigh and change in breathing patterns mean everything’s hunky dory with you,” Toph loved to tease her brother and took every chance she could to get in a quick jab at him.
Ranma, admitting defeat, sighed a bit louder and looked downward a bit. Something was indeed bothering him. It was five years since the only real friend that Ranma had left Gaoling. Her father, having remarried, wanted to return to his large estate back in Omashu. Ranma was close to Akane and started to develop a crush on her. However, he was unaware that his father and Akane’s father had arranged for the two to be married the year they both turned eighteen. The only thing Ranma had to remind him of Akane was a note from her that she had written before leaving Gaoling.
“Ranma, I’m sorry I have to write you like this, but father says we’re to leave first thing come daybreak. He’s put mother behind moving on with his life having married a woman who is only twenty-six. Father is fourteen years older than her, and while I should be happy that he’s happy, I’m not because his new wife gets all his attention. She believes the best thing for father is to move the family back to Omashu so father can spend his time and money doing business with the Fire Nation and all of King Bumi’s business interests. For her it’s money first and family second. When I’m old enough Ranma I’m going to come and see you again because you’re the most important person to me. You treat that sister of yours well because you’re the best thing for her. I’ll miss you always. Your best friend, Akane.”
“If you really want to know, I miss Akane squirt,” It was hard for Ranma to admit his feelings to people but around Toph, he found it very easy to confide his deepest secrets to her.
Toph squeezed her brother’s hand signaling something was troubling her, “Ranma, what’s it like to have a friend?”
In all her life, Toph was never allowed to have friends. Because her parents kept her a secret from the world, Toph grew up only knowing the companionship provided by her brother. Ranma played with her, took her to the rumbles, practiced Earthbending with her, read her stories, and arranged for her to have music to hear. Ranma was her protector, her friend, and more of a parent to her than her own mother and father had been. If it came down to it, the Bei Fong siblings would give up their lives for each other.
“Well squirt, friends do a lot of the things you and I do together. They spend time with each other and they’re there for one another if they should get into any trouble. Someday kid, you’ll have real friends of your own,” Ranma while trying to make Toph feel better did not know that the friends he spoke of were in that very village.
“Ranma, I don’t want to go to my lessons today.”
“Then we don’t have to if we don’t want to.”
(Posted Tue, 20 Mar 2007 07:19)
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らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
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