A son was borne by one Nodoka Saotome, werecheetah, to one Genma Saotome, human and martial artist. It was a happy event for the loving couple, for Nodoka had been convinced for the longest time that she was barren and thus the last of her kind. However, much to Nodoka's disappointment, Ranma, as the boy was soon named, was fated to be an only child despite vigourous attempts by her to bear another.
Because of this, Nodoka doted on her son. She watched him bounce back from ordinary childhood accidents with an ordinary mother's concern. But the more she watched him recover from falling off a roof, tumbling down the stairs, or dropping out of trees, the more concerned she grew. For although Ranma recovered with the resiliance of a child, it was the ordinary kind of resiliance that all human children shared.
His childhood scraped and burns healed with dreadful slowness to Nodoka's way of thinking. Although the regenerative trait did not fully kick in until a werechild's first transformation, she expected her son to heal somewhat faster than normal. The clincher was when he reached the age when he should have shown signs of shapechanging without the slightest indication.
Finally, Nodoka steeled herself and purchased a silver tea spoon. Tested against her own skin, the spoon burned at a touch. Tested against her son's skin, the spoon proved to be just another cold metal, dashing her hopes.
Thus faced with the certainty that her son was only human, Nodoka doted on him more so than ever before. He was still her son, and she loved him dearly, but she freted over him as though he were a sickly child; for she knew that the slightest accident could break his neck, permanantly.
Finally, Genma had enough of her mollycolding, for it was getting in the way of serious training. Nodoka reluctantly agreed to allow Genma to take her son away on a training voyage, but not without first extracting the promise that he would be raised as a manly man.
For even if Ranma was only human, Nodoka maintained the hope that her lycanthropy would skip unto the next generation.
Genma Soatome was unaware of his wife's legacy. She preferred it that way. She had fled halfway across the world from the masacare of the last of her kindred. Without the comfort of numbers, in a world superstisciously afraid of the supernatural and herself afraid of hunters, Nodoka hid her nature from even the strong, manly man she took as her husband. Beleiving her son to be only human, she forsaw no need to break her cover.
So, over the course of time, Genma was completely unsurprised by his son's aptitude for the Art, for Ranma had inherited such from himself. Ranma learned exceptionally fast and well, but showed no sign of heritage from his mother's side. Her assessment had been essentially correct. Ranma was born a deficient lunar aura. This aura was what made lycanthropes vulnerable to the soul-burn of silver, but which also powered their supernatural abilities.
Ranma was, however, not entirely human but a lycanthrope of sorts. His deficient aura made him a late developer as a shapeshifter. However, he was fated never to obtain the secondary abilities associated with lycanthropy. His aura would always be insufficient for him to develop the ability to recover from damage at supernatural rates, nor would he gain supernatural strength and enhanced senses in alternate form; not even the supernatural speed of a werecheetah.
His heritage would not be discovered for many years. Only in the fullness of time would he discover his mother's legacy when...
(Posted Tue, 17 Jun 2003 12:54)
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らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
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