Fiancé, Ranma could not believe his ears heard things right and he had better hearing than most. Looking at the expression on his father’s face Ranma understood why Genma insisted on pay his good friend a visit. His father had wanted to get him hooked up with one of the daughters of his good friend so he could more than likely ask if they could stay with them. It was a typical Genma Saotome move, get on the good side of the host and then ask for something that benefits him directly.
Soun’s three daughters had equally similar expressions on their faces. While their father had told them they to expect and old friend of his and his family to visit that day, he had not mentioned the arrangement the fathers had made. Just like Ranma they were in the dark about the fact that one of them was about to become engaged to the young man standing in the yard. Unlike Ranma though, the Tendo sisters had no problems voicing their opinion about the whole arranged marriage revelation.
“Daddy you can’t be serious. We just met the guy and you want us to marry him,” Nabiki remarked none too happy with the news.
“The least you could have done was tell us about it before they showed up dad. I’m not sure about this whole magical world and curse stuff. It’s all too weird right now,” Akane echoed.
Surprisingly Kasumi was taking the news of the marriage pact the best of the three daughters, “Father, isn’t it usually the oldest children who carry out something like this? I don’t think I’m ready for marriage yet. Plus, you know there’s a chance that someone else might be close to asking me out.”
Soun blinked several times and stared dumbfounded at his daughters. Surely one of them wanted to step up to the plate and be Ranma’s fiancé. As it stood, no one wanted to fulfill the pact. Soun’s bottom lip began to quiver as he started to cry over the realization that the families might not be united and no one would inherit the dojo and all that went with it. The Tendo dojo was a vital part of the neighborhood.
“But…but…but the families. The pact. The dojo. What will happen to it all now,” Soun stammered out through his tears.
At the same time Ranma was about to clobber his father over the head because of his possibly drunken pact to marry him off to a girl he didn’t even know, “Great going pop. Did ya ever think I might not want to be married like this?”
Realizing a meltdown was about to take place at the Tendo home Nodoka spoke up in hopes of diffusing the situation before it could take place, “Soun, how can Ranma choose someone to marry if he doesn’t even know the girls? I know you and my husband are intent on joining the houses and the schools through marriage but that can’t be something forced. Let Ranma get to know your girls for the next year and pick the one he naturally falls for. If that doesn’t happen then I’m certain we can work up some kind of business agreement to join the schools and run the dojo through a partnership.”
Soun and Genma looked at each other and then to Nodoka before looking at Ranma and the girls. They could tell Ranma would get along with the girls, there would be no doubt of that, but they were not certain if it would go beyond a simple friendship. They were going to have to make certain over the next year Ranma had plenty of alone time with each of the girls if they wanted a marriage to come out of this.
“I can live with that agreement Nodoka if the three of you will be guests in my home during that time,” Soun replied as he calmed down from his crying.
Genma let out a small chuckle and added his own response to his wife’s suggestion, “You have to hand it to her; always the one to find a diplomatic solution to any potential problem that arises. Always on the dragon time clock that one.”
The Saotomes accepted the offer made by Soun to stay with his family for the year. Nodoka commented at dinner that night setting down roots in Nerima would benefit Ranma greatly as it would not only give him a protectorate but also a chance at finding an animal guardian. It was something the family lacked and something his father did not want around on their long training trip. They were too chatty, smelled strange, and required a portion of their funds be spent on animal feed and trips to the veterinarian Genma had complained. His thinking came after meeting his in-law’s magical guardians Alfie, a Welsh duck who never quite trusted Genma, and Yukie, a tanuki with a nervous condition that had her speaking a mile a minute.
“Ranma whether you want to believe it or not this is a good thing for us,” Nodoka told her son before bed that night, “Your father’s somewhat bull headed decisions in life can turn out for the better if you let them. You need friends. You need to start actually doing the work of a dragon. You need a magical guardian. And, you need a proper education. You start school with Soun’s younger daughters in the morning.”
The moment his mother mentioned school Ranma reacted the only way he could to the news, “Aw man!”
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(Posted Sun, 12 Jun 2011 10:45)
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