Chapter 9: Nodoka Saotome A Mother's Love Nodoka smiled as she looked at the pig sty that was Nabiki's room. There were photographs everywhere. A variety of business journals littered the desk. Clothes were strewn about the ground. That was strange. Why would Akane's and Kasumi's clothes be in Nabiki's room? All in all, a mess that was worthy enough for her to clean. Gods only knew how much they owed her friend's family for their stay at the Tendo household. Nodoka went about picking up the clothes first and put them all into the laundry basket that she carried with her. The books were next as she placed them all neatly on the bookshelf beside the desk. When she got to the photographs, she stopped. Oh, my! Most of the pictures were of her son in varying degrees of nudity. In female form. She wondered if her friend knew of her daughter's preference. She was pleased that her son had attracted the interest of a female, but she was not happy that that interest was directed to Ranma's girl form. Maybe she would talk her son into straightening Nabiki out. Moving along, Nodoka couldn't help but notice a shiny locket twinkling at her. Which was weird in itself as there was no sunlight in the room at the moment. She absently picked it up and tried to find a place to put it. She glanced about the room and noticed it was still pretty dirty. What was wrong with her? Her skill in cleaning rivaled that of Kasumi's. She should have been done by now. Nodoka sighed. In her heart she knew what the problem was. Glancing down at her hand, she noticed she had again unconsciously drawn the sword. She cursed it. She hated it with a vengeance. She knew that if she were to catch Ranma in a less than manly act, she would have to use it on him. She should never have made Ranma promise her that when he was a child. Every day she lived in fear of the katana and what it meant. She tried putting it away for good at times, but then she would see something unmanly in her son and she would pull it out again. "I wish that Ranma was manly enough that I would never have to pull this blade out!" Nodoka breathed deeply. That felt much better. Sometimes it was good to let everything out. * * * * * Nabiki blinked. Damn. She should have put that locket away the first chance she got when Ukyo had given it back to her. Oh, well. That wish Auntie Saotome made wasn't all that bad. It was then she remembered Aunties 'traditional' ideas of manliness. She felt the intricate workings of the wish take effect. She found that by concentrating, she could make out parts of what the wish's effect would be. Her jaw dropped. Oh, boy. * * * * * Nodoka looked up from her chores at the sound of the door slamming shut. She watched as Akane stomped upstairs. Ranma followed a little farther behind. His expression was also dark. She decided to find out what was the matter. "Ranma, wait a moment. What has gotten you and Akane so riled up?" "It's Shampoo. She and her great-grandmother are back," Ranma growled out. Nodoka couldn't believe the venom she heard in her son's voice. "How? I thought they promised never to return. And isn't Shampoo supposed to be a cat?" "Cologne couldn't go back to Joketsuzoku, so they decided to come back to Japan under different names. Cologne and Shampoo. Cologne claims that Shampoo turned back into a human just today and guess what? Shampoo's pregnant," Ranma related to his mother. "Weren't those their names already?" Nodoka was growing more puzzled by the minute. "And you say Shampoo's pregnant?" "No, legally their names are Ke Lun and Shan Pu. Yeah, that's what she says at least. It's a bunch of bull if you ask me." "Well, have they tried anything dreadful on you already? They've made you accept responsibility, right?" At this, Ranma faltered. "Well no, but I know they will. They always do." Nodoka nodded in agreement. * * * * * Nodoka looked up from her stitching and motioned for her son to stop pacing. It wasn't manly to be such a worry wart. "It's been two weeks already. What have they got planned? I know they're going to do something." Ranma was growing irritated at Cologne and Shampoo for ignoring him. "Ranma, have you considered that they might not want anything to do with you anymore? They're banished from the village and thus no longer have to follow its laws anymore. I don't imagine that they would want another incident like the last one to happen again." Ranma waved that opinion off. "No, I don't believe it. Not after what Shampoo did to me." "Shampoo? What did she do? She hasn't tried to talk with you since she left. It was you that went to the grand reopening of the Nekohanten." "No, no. It was before that. It was during those five days of hell they called a marriage. She cast a spell over me." "Oh? Perhaps I can help then. That nice friend of yours gave us a book to cure any such spells Shampoo might use against you." Ranma brightened at this. "Why didn't you tell me this before? Quick, I need the cure." "Okay wait a moment, let me the ingredients for divining what spell exactly was cast on you." * * * * * "What do you mean there's no spell on me?" Ranma grabbed the book off the table and searched through it once again. Nodoka shook her head at the futility of Ranma's actions. Wiping her eyelids down again with the olive leaves she gazed at Ranma's aura. Other than the warring forces of yin and yang, there was nothing else contained in his aura that would suggest a spell was upon him. "Ranma, perhaps you had better tell me what happened between you and Shampoo." Ranma nodded warily. His strength flowed out of him in defeat. "She must have cast a spell on me. Why else would I feel sorry for her? There I said it. I feel sorry for her. I'm not in the least bit angry with her." Ranma felt as if an anchor that had been tied to his soul had lifted as he finally admitted his feelings. "Every night of our marriage, Shampoo came to me as a wife. I never responded to any of her overtures. But my body betrayed me and she used that fact to ravish it. And at the end of each night, she begged me, pleaded with me to respond to her, but I wouldn't. So, she would cry. She would cry until the sun came up. She would then go to work and come back again the next night. This went on for four days. On the fifth day, she only cuddled up to my body and did nothing more. Even in her sleep she cried." Nodoka turned her back on her son. If she didn't see the tears, she wouldn't see the proof against her son's manliness. "I... see. Ranma, she did not cast a spell on you. What you are feeling is natural. You told me of the two destinies Desaix had said you would have. He said you would have eventually grown to love Shampoo had you stayed on that path. Did he tell you how long it would take or what the first seed of that love would be? No, I thought not." Nodoka sighed as she thought of all the implications of starting on the path to one destiny and switching over to the other one at mid point. "I don't think the other destiny he predicted for you is exactly correct because of the length of time you spent on the path in which you were meant for Shampoo. You have Ukyo as a friend still, yet you are on the path to be wed to Akane. The two paths could very well have joined together, or maybe a new destiny was forged." Ranma sighed. It was just not his day. "Umm... Ranma, did you remember to control your thoughts?" The mindlink! Ranma groaned. Definitely not his day. * * * * * Ukyo's face was expressionless as she watched the Tendo and Saotome family sit down at one of the tables. What could she have been thinking when she agreed to let Ranma and Shampoo talk it out using her restaurant as neutral ground? She cursed herself for her moment of weakness. She had thought she could finally accept Akane and Ranma as a couple, but the moment she saw him her knees buckled. He had only to ask her and she had been willing to grant even such a favor as this. She had been surprised to find that her friendship remained even with Ranma apparently no longer available to her. She began to wonder about the true meaning of the wish she had made. She had wished for a friend as nice as Ranma. Who else but Ranma could fit that description? So, she had basically wasted her wish. She sighed when she came to that conclusion. Shampoo's face was a marble mask. Ranma shivered as he remembered that was the exact look Shampoo had given him during the reversal jewel incident. "Look. Just come out and say it. Do you want me to marry you? I won't, you know. I'm with Akane and that's that. I will take responsibility for the child, but nothing else." "Ranma drag Shampoo out of store to say this? Shampoo no want Ranma help. Shampoo take care of child. Ranma no need for concern." Shampoo hoped that she could hold out just a little longer. Seeing him again threatened to bring her to tears. Oh, her ancestors forgive her, she still wanted him. Akane just sat there stunned. The emotions she felt from Ranma in the past couple of weeks shocked her beyond belief. Her heart pounded with a dull aching pain as she could feel Ranma's eyes gaze at either Shampoo or Ukyo. She felt guilty at all the times she forced Ranma to spar with her. Ranma absolutely hated hurting a girl under any circumstance. How was Ranma able to hide all of this from her with their mindlink in place? Akane could only think of one answer. He held all of the pain within himself to protect her from the brunt of it. These past days were so hectic, he must have lost some of that control. For the first time, Akane began to see the real Ranma and finally understood all that he had given up for her happiness. Through Ranma's random memories, Akane also felt for the first time true sympathy for Shampoo. She was no longer angry at Shampoo for having sex with Ranma. She had 'overheard' everything during Ranma's talk with his mother. Shampoo had always cried in pain during and after the act. Physical pain during and mental anguish after. It seemed that even now, both parties suffered from that anguish. That was a situation that Akane was going to rectify. Nodoka watched along with the rest of the people as Akane got up and walked towards Shampoo. She held her breath as she waited for what Akane was about to do. Shampoo gasped as Akane's arms came around her. Not to throttle her, but to... hug her. All of a sudden the tears came. She grabbed Akane and hugged her back fervently. Ukyo sighed. What the hell. You only lived once. Ranma stared at the scene before him. Akane was crying, but she was happy? Finally, the girls' crying subsided. Ranma struggled to listen in on the conversation. A few moments later the talking stopped. He strangely felt like a mouse being eyed by three hungry cats as the three girls turned and looked at him. Akane's thoughts had decidedly turned naughty. * * * * * "Auntie Saotome, there's something I want to ask you." "What is it, Nabiki?" "Would you consider a baby to be ultimate proof of a man's maleness?" "Of course." "Three wives wouldn't hurt in defining a man as a man, right?" "If anything, I proves even greater manliness. Why are you asking me this, Nabiki?" "No reason." "Oh, wait a moment, Nabiki. There is something I feel I must speak to you about. Your obsession with my son's cursed form has got to stop. Don't you think his male form is much more pleasing to the eye?" Nabiki bolted out the door. * * * * *