"Ataru Moroboshi?!" Ranma gapes at the two priests.
Sakura and Cherry exchange a knowing look. "Granted, we do understand your surprise, but believe me, he can help you," the former politely covers her mouth. "If you think your life's adventure is unique, Saotome-san, wait until you hear this..."
She then explains. Ranma remains in place, his eyes widening every once in a while as the Shinto shrine maiden makes a specific point. Staring at the young traveller from Nerima, Cherry slowly nods. Ever since he first met Ataru Moroboshi the day before the First Tag Race began, the aged monk had dedicated himself into helping the poor lad try to better himself despite the bad luck that had plagued him right from the day he was born. It didn't offend Cherry in any way that the Nendo-kata had, in effect, come along and "stolen the show," so to speak, by helping Ataru become one of them. These days, despite the awful emotional rift his Crossing Over had produced between Ataru and Lum, the lad had truly come to be at peace with himself and his surroundings. And now, here is Ranma Saotome, a lad who seemed to be afflicted with even WORSE luck than anything Ataru had ever experienced. Could Ranma find his own peace in the same way Ataru did?
"So Ataru merged together with this Nendo-kata and became one person," Ranma laces his fingers together to visually signify what happened to Ataru in Nikko. "Doesn't that mean he died in the end, Sakura-san?"
"If you wish to take a pessimistic viewpoint on the Crossing Over, then yes, Ataru did die," Sakura slowly nods. "Thus, we could look on the entity born from the merger of Ataru's spirit with that of that particular Nendo-kata Wanderer and think of him as Ataru's 'son.' However, I should note that the Great School always tries to keep an optimistic viewpoint on things. In that case -- as Ataru sees himself now -- neither his Terran half or his Nendo-kata half actually 'died' when the Crossing Over happened. They merged into one entity, thus both continue as one singular entity." Seeing the confusion on the martial artist's face, Sakura sighs. "In a more practical sense of the term, Ataru is still the same boy born of Kinshou and Muchi Moroboshi seventeen years ago. His base personality is still the same as what was before the Crossing Over. All his Nendo-kata side did was force the morals and teachings of the Great School onto him, make those teachings form a cornerstone from which he could turn his life around and make it much better. That, in effect, is what happened in Nikko."
"And everyone accepts him as Ataru, right?" Ranma asks.
Sakura breathes out. "It's hard to answer that, unfortunately. Almost right from the start, Lum sadly took the more pessimistic viewpoint when it came to what happened to Ataru. That is what's driving her now to return back to her homeworld. Ataru did try to show that he did want to develop something with her, but it didn't work out in the end. Ataru is also now estranged from his parents; he lives in his own apartment near Tomobiki High School. Ataru HAS, I should note, reconciled with his former girlfriend, Shinobu Miyaki. Where that might go is hard to predict," she shrugs. "As for those who tended to view Ataru as nothing more than an annoyance or an obstacle to vying favours or cultivating a relationship with Lum, nothing's really changed. Except that they're not allowed to get away with bullying him anymore."
"Sounds like some of the nuts I left behind in Nerima," Ranma smirks. "So what can Ataru do to help me?"
"Well..."
(Posted Wed, 12 Mar 2003 08:01)
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