“Let me get this straight,” said Ranma, scratching his head. “Ya want me to become the father of your son, who'll grow up to be some kinda superhero?”
“Oui.” Peorth nodded her head.
“And it has to be me specifically, 'coz I'm a good fighter and a decent guy?” Ranma asked.
Peorth nodded again.
Ranma shrugged. “At least you're honest about it.”
When the pigtailed man remained silent after his last remark and seemed to be deep in thought, Peorth grew anxious. After several minutes, she couldn't stand the silence anymore and simply had to ask, “So, will you do it?”
“Huh?” Ranma blinked. “Sorry, did ya say somethin'?”
Peorth refrained herself from an angry outburst. It was perfectly reasonable that Ranma had to think about her offer. After all, she was asking him to spend the rest of his life with a Goddess, even though he didn't know about that part yet, and to be the father of the future protector of Earth. That was a big responsibility and not something easily accepted. It would be detrimental to her plans if she started screaming at him for ignoring her, a Goddess First-class.
The Goddess took a deep breath to calm down her temper, and as she realised what she had asked him, her embarrassment returned. “Uh, err, yes,” she stammered, “I asked if you'd be willing to do it.”
Ranma was reluctant. “Uh, I don't know. That's a pretty big thing you're askin' me, y'know?” Fearing an angry outburst, or worse – tears, he hastily added, “It's not that I don't like you or nothing', you're certainly one of the nicest women I've known and you're really cute, beautiful even...” Peorth blushed slightly at the compliment, which Ranma naturally missed as he was desperately looking for the right words to explain his reluctance. “... but I don't think I'd be able to, err, y'know, just like this.”
Peorth calmed herself as it became obvious that she'd have to convince her chosen that this was something that could be made to work out. “Chéri, I'm not asking you to outright jump into bed with me. Though that would certainly have made things easier,” she added under her breath, “I just want you to consider it and give it an honest try.”
“Whew,” Ranma sighed in relief. “And here I thought you were just like my old fiancées.”
Peorth narrowed her eyes, she had read Ranma's file and knew who he was talking about. Needless to say, she was not happy about being compared to the pigtailed man's old suitors. “Whatever gave you that idea, chéri?” She asked in a deceptively sweet tone.
Ranma still wasn't paying much attention to Peorth, and therefore missed all the signs of mounting female wrath. “Y'know, how ya just popped in here and told me ya wanted me to be the father of your child. That was something Shampoo or Ukyo would have done, actually have done, on several occasions,” he muttered with no small amount of bitterness in his voice. “They just fixated on me as their future husband and father of their children without getting to know me and seeing if we'd actually be happy together,” Ranma ranted forcefully. “I want my children to be happy as they grow up. I don't want to realise after a few years that I'd rather not spend any more time with my wife, which will prompt me to take our son and leave on a ten year long training trip, taking him away from his mother.”
“I ... see,” Peorth said. She couldn't think of a more coherent response at the moment, too overwhelmed by Ranma's frustrated speech.
“Uh, sorry about ranting like that,” Ranma apologised after realising that he had just ranted angrily at a Goddess, one hand scratching his pigtail.
“That's quite all right, chéri,” Peorth replied, smiling at Ranma reassuringly. “I didn't know you were thinking like that, but I understand it.”
This certainly put a wrench in her plans, but it couldn't be helped. She wouldn't force Ranma into anything. If he didn't want to take on this responsibility, she would just have to accept it, and try the next candidate on her list.
“So, uhm,” Ranma ventured after several moments of silence, “I'd still be willing to give it a try, if we take it slowly. Y'know, go on a few dates an' stuff. That is, if you still want to.”
Peorth refrained from pumping her fist in the air, and settled for smiling even wider at the sheepish young man instead. “I'd be honored to go out with you, chéri.”
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(Posted Fri, 28 Dec 2007 15:20)
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