Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ A Big Help ❯ Trials and Revelations ( Chapter 11 )

A Big Help

A Ranma one half/Sailor Moon crossover fanfic

By Michael A. Ivins

 

Mykon and Jora are my original creations so I request that nobody uses them without permission. The rest of these characters are the property of their creators, publishers, anime production companies, etc. I write this for fun and make no profit off it.

 

Chapter 11

Trials and Revelations

 

Ranma stood in the center of the dojo looking around at the gathered people. Soun Tendo was there with all of his daughters. Genma was there. Also in attendance were Ryoga, Ukyo, Happosai and the Amazons. The Kunos were absent (thank goodness). Those in attendance were either seated on benches against the outside wall or on the floor near the wall.

 

Ranma seemed to look off into space for a moment then nodded. He now spoke, “I want to thank you all for coming. I know that some of you have other things that you would rather be doing, but this will have an effect on all of you.”

 

“Those of you who know me will have noticed that I sometimes mention friends who taught me things. You will have noticed that I sometimes am listening to something no one else can hear.”

 

Genma interrupted, “Is this more of that imaginary friends nonsense, Boy? You are too old to have imaginary friends.”

 

Not bothering to hide the irritation he felt, Ranma answered, “Pop, we can get this done faster if you don't interrupt.”

 

The bald martial artist demanded, “Show some respect to your elders, boy.”

 

“Do you want to find out what's going on?”

 

“Humph! Just get on with it boy.”

 

Ranma frowned. Finally he continued. “The time has come for questions to be answered and secrets revealed. I would like to introduce you to my friends.”

 

Behind Ranma and to both sides there appeared two images that looked like the holograms seen in the Star Wars movies. As they watched those images became solid and were revealed as two human like shapes.

 

One of the shapes was a woman whose shoulder-length brown hair brushed the ceiling. She appeared to be just under 13 feet tall. Her features had a Eurasian cast and her eyes were blue. She was pretty and was dressed in blue jeans and a pale green T-shirt with the name “JORA” in black letters. She was wearing what looked like a pair of comfortable running shoes.

 

The other figure was a very muscular man whose head was slightly bowed because the top of his brown haired head would have broken through the ceiling if he had been standing straight. His eyes were an almost luminous green in color. He also wore blue jeans and running shoes. His T-shirt was black and bore the name “MYKON” in white letters.

 

The two giants bowed respectfully to the assembled people. The man announced, “I am Mykon.” The woman said, “I am Jora” The man continued on in clear, unaccented Japanese. “Greetings to all of you. We are the people who Ranma has been talking to. We are also the people he has mentioned all the time when talking about things that he has been taught. Although you would have been justified in thinking we were imaginary, as you can now see that we are quite real.”

 

“For reasons that we will get into later we have been following Ranma around from the very start of the training trip. The reason nobody ever saw us is because we were invisible the whole time. Only Ranma could see or hear us. During that time we have been acting as friends, counselors, advisors and teachers.”

 

Jora spoke up. “Now that you have been told that, the time has finally come. Ranma can drop the act that he had been maintaining for his father.”

 

Genma had initially been intimidated by the size of the newcomers but now he surged to his feet. “Who and what are you people? What do you mean about an act Ranma has been maintaining for his father?”

 

The giant man seemed to suddenly be in two places at once. The afterimage faded leaving just one now standing right in front of Genma, his nose almost touching the bald martial artist's. The giant said in a voice that seemed to shake the walls, “Saotome Genma if you don't want to be stuck as a panda for the rest of your life with no chance of ever changing back, then SIT DOWN AND SHUT UP!”

 

The giant moved his face away. He pointed a large finger at Genma and said at a lower volume, “Before you think to ask, yes we can do that. We have a great deal of power at our disposal. You should know that we have seen the things you put your poor son through and you haven't given us any reason to like you in the least.”

 

As Mykon moved back to his former position he said over his shoulder, “It might interest you to know that both of us have the power to cure Jusenkyo curses. So if you want to ever have any chance of a cure I would advise you, DON'T PISS ME OFF!”

 

Genma stood for a moment with his mouth gaping open then he sat down with a thump. Maybe it would be a good idea to listen to what the very large man and woman had to say.

 

When he was back in his position behind Ranma the giant man spoke again, “In spite of the fact that it was rudely asked, there is a question the man with the glasses wanted answered. Ranma, do you want to tell him?”

 

There was a subtle change in his posture as Ranma spoke up. “Father, you almost never let me get any formal education except in situations where we'd get in trouble with local truant officers. In the other places we've been Mykon and Jora have been my teachers. I didn't want you to know how smart I really am so all the time I'm around you I act like an ignorant, arrogant, macho jerk.”

 

He glared at his father for a moment. “I'm a lot smarter than I ever let you see. If I'm anywhere that I sure you can't see or hear me I act more polite, I speak better and generally act like a better approximation of human being.”

 

Ranma turned to the rest of the gathered people. “Now that my friends are allowed to show themselves everyone can say goodbye to Ranma the jerk. A few of you have noticed how differently I behave when my father is around. Now you know why. I should mention that I've been putting on the act for a long time so I've gotten used to acting that way. Please forgive me if I sometimes slip back into that old behavior.”

 

There was stir as the watching people absorbed this. They had noticed and had wondered about Ranma's behavior. They still wondered why Ranma felt that he had to hide his education from his father.

 

Jora looked over the people assembled and said, “We have some official business to conduct at this meeting. However, one important person that we need seems to be late.”

 

As if on cue there was a knock on the door of the dojo and it opened. A tall, strikingly beautiful woman with bronzed tan skin and platinum blonde hair stepped through the door. The gaijin looking woman looked around and pleaded, “Please tell me this the Tendo dojo. I've been to three other dojos already. I didn't know there were so many of them in Nerima.”

 

Smiles appeared on both of the giant's faces. Mykon asked, “Urd, so you finally made it?”

 

The exotic looking woman smiled, “Mykon, Jora, it's you! So I am in the right place.” She rushed forward to glomp the giant man but he beat her to it. He swept her up into an embrace that would have killed a mortal.

 

After a moment or two the woman wheezed out, “Mykon… need… to… breathe…”

 

The big man laughed as he set the goddess on her feet. “It's so good to see you again, you little cutie.”

 

Urd laughed too. “I think you are the only person I know who calls me `little' cutie.”

 

Deliberately misinterpreting her he said, “You mean no one else calls you cute? My dear, the people you know are a bunch of blind fools.”

 

Playfully smacking his arm she said, smiling. “Flatterer. You know what I mean. Only my father calls me little.”

 

The Norn goddess of the past rushed over and glomped Jora. “It's so great to see you again. You guys are so much fun to be around.”

 

Jora returned the hug with less force than her husband had. “It's good to see you too, dear.”

 

Urd let go of Jora and stepped back, looking the giant woman up and down. “You'll be happy to hear that Beldandy has a boyfriend now.”

 

Jora smiled indulgently and said, “That's wonderful! While I would love to chat with you about personal things, we have official business to conduct.”

 

“You know if you would take Father's job offer you wouldn't need me for this sort of thing.”

 

“But then we'd be denied the pleasure of your company. This is an old argument that was settled long ago.”

 

“You can't blame a goddess for trying.”

 

“True. However, since we are the parties to file the complaint it wouldn't be appropriate for either us to officiate, even if we had accepted His offer.”

 

Urd considered that. “I guess you're right.”

 

Urd turned to the assembled people and assumed a more serious demeanor. “I am Urd, goddess level 2, category 1, limited license, goddess of the past. I have been sent as the personal representative of Kami-Sama. We are now convening an official session of the Court of Devine Justice.”

 

“A complaint has been filed with the Court by god/dess Mykon level one, special category probationary license and goddess Jora also level one, special category, probationary license. That complaint has been brought on behalf of the mortal human Saotome Ranma against the mortal human Saotome Genma. The charges to be considered during this trial are child abuse and criminal stupidity.”

 

The two giants looked at each other and mouthed the words “probationary god/goddess?” There was a quick exchange of telepathic communication before they both shrugged.

 

“Before we get to presentation of evidence there are a couple of procedural points that I need to bring up. The charges specified in the original complaint were child abuse, criminal negligence and attempted murder. It is understood that in mortal law stupidity is not classified as a punishable crime. However, in divine law, when a person's stupid acts harm people other than the stupid person, those actions can be classified as a crime. Because of the information supplied in the original complaint, it was felt that stupidity was a more accurate charge than negligence.”

 

“The charge of attempted murder was thrown out. Again, from the specifications on the complaint it was apparent that, while the defendant did place his son into situations of deadly danger, it was done without the deliberate intention to kill the child.”

 

Genma once again surged to his feet. “I never tried to kill my son. I trained him in the Art.”

 

Urd turned to Genma. “Saotome-San, if you had been properly paying attention, you would have realized that I just got done saying that you didn't deliberately try to kill your son. You did put him in situations of lethal peril but without the intention of ending his life. In charges of murder and attempted murder intentions are of paramount importance. I instruct you to sit down right now. If you don't comply with this instruction a restraining spell will be cast on you. You are also instructed to remain silent until you are called on to speak.”

 

Again addressing the crowd, “These proceedings will be somewhat less formal that usual. Part of the reason for that is that the probationary deities Mykon and Jora were present for all of the events to be presented. Their character and honesty have been certified by Kami-Sama Himself. In addition to that both were monitored as part of their probation. All of the events in question were recorded by the Ygsdrassl computer and can be examined in detail.”

 

The two giants again exchanged a look and some telepathic conversation. Again they shrugged.

 

“Normally a trial of this type would be judged by one of the more senior gods or goddesses. Partly due to the involvement of Mykon and Jora, the Almighty Himself, Kami-Sama, has taken a personal interest in this case. He will be the final judge and is currently watching from Heaven.”

 

“Ranma?” The boy was surprised at having a goddess address him. He turned to look at her. “Yes ma'am?”

 

“Do you agree to let probationary divinities Mykon and Jora act as your advocates during these proceedings?”

 

Ranma could think of many ways to respond to this. Considering the seriousness of the situation, he opted for a simple, “Yes.”

 

Urd continued, “Since, by the laws of your homeland, you are considered a minor, I would normally ask your parents if they agreed to let this court represent your interests. However, we can't do that since your father is the defendant in this case and your mother is not available at the moment. Since you have demonstrated sufficient maturity in many situations, it has been decided that we will ask you if you agree to let this court represent your interests.”

 

Ranma took a moment to think of the words to phrase his answer. “Let Kami-Sama look out for my interests? I would be a fool to refuse that. I say, `Yes'.”

 

“Saotome Genma, you have the right to have an advocate represent you. Do you wish to call someone to act as your advocate? If you don't have anyone to act in that capacity an advocate can be assigned.”

 

The bald martial artist experienced a moment of panic. Was this for real? He didn't know any lawyers and even if he did would they know anything about Divine Law? Did he even believe that this woman was what she said she was? Could Tendo represent him? No. He wasn't a lawyer. Bah! They couldn't prove anything. He decided that he didn't believe it and these people had no authority over him

 

Finally Genma said, “What? Why would I need an advocate? I've done none of the things you seem to be accusing me of.”

 

Urd looked doubtful. Even she had heard the saying, “The man who acts as his own lawyer has a fool for a client.” She shrugged and said, “If that is what you wish.”

 

The goddess turned to the face the rest of the people assembled and in formal tones announced, “The Court of Divine Justice is now in session. For clarity in these proceedings let it be stipulated that when the `Art' is referred to it is intended to mean martial arts in general or specifically the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts as founded by Master Happosai and currently practiced by the Saotome and Tendo families. Mykon, you may begin.”

 

Mykon bowed to the people in the room. “Thanks to the recordings that were made we will be presenting portions of those recordings to demonstrate Saotome Genma's actions that led to the complaint being filed. Some of the images will be disturbing. Some of you may want to turn your eyes away in portions of it.”

 

Mykon paused a moment to let people absorb that. “The instances where the defendant was abusive and stupid were many. To start this off I will present to you the most egregious example, the training in the `cat fist' or Nekoken technique.”

 

Mykon gestured and to one side of him a holographic screen came into being. On that screen there was the image of a paperback book. On the cover was the title, “Ancient and Forbidden Martial Arts Techniques.”

 

The giant man made another gesture and in the air just below the ceiling a glowing sphere came into being. From that a beam of light shined down on Genma. Mykon explained, “Saotome Genma, you are now illuminated by the Light of Truth. While this light shines you have only two choices - either speak the truth or remain silent. Do you recognize the book currently displayed on the screen?”

 

Genma said, “That looks like the book where I found the information on the Nekoken technique.”

 

In the image the book opened to display a page. The word “Nekoken” was at the top of the page. “You people here may read the page, I will summarize. `This is an old technique that is said to turn the subject into an invincible warrior of terrible savagery. To do this you must either dig a pit or find an already available pit and fill it with starving cats. To the subject being trained you tie food (fish products work best.) You then drop the subject into the pit and leave them there until all of the tied-on food is eaten or the subject is dead. If the training is successful the subject will leap out of the pit, acting like a cat. The subject should be no younger than five years old and no older than ten.'”

 

On the screen the page turned. Mykon asked, “When did you first read this page from the book?”

 

Genma seemed to be struggling to think of an answer that would be favorable to him. After failing to do so he answered, “I first read that page after Ranma had achieved the Nekoken state.”

 

Mykon nodded. “Again, read along if you wish, I will summarize. `Only an idiot would actually use this technique. There is a very good chance that the subject will die during the training. For the training to succeed the subject must go either partly or totally insane. While the successfully trained warrior is a formidable fighter that will attack anything that he perceives as a threat, he is of limited usefulness. The Nekoken warrior believes himself to be a cat and behaves as such. This means that the warrior can easily be distracted with catnip or a bit of string'.”

 

The giant paused to let the audience absorb this. To most of the listeners, this was nothing new. “We will now view the training itself. At the point where we start the pit has already been dug. The cats are already in the pit and have been without food for three days and pieces of fish sausage have been tied to Ranma's body.”

 

They watched as the small boy was dropped into the pit. A rope was tied around his waist to facilitate pulling him out if the training failed to produce the Nekoken state. Ranma tried to control his fall so he didn't land on top of any of the cats. He made an awkward landing and the boy ended up on his butt. The cats smelled the food and leapt onto the boy. One of the cats misjudged it leap and landed higher than the others, on top of the boy's head.

 

That cat's perch was precarious and, in an effort to pull itself over the top of the boy's head, reached a paw down to his face. The claws of that paw caught and tore into the boy's right eye. Ranma screamed in pain and pitched forward to land on his arms, injuring two of the cats. The motion had dislodged the cat from his head but not before the claws had dug deeper into his eye. He rolled onto his back with his hands over his eyes. When his hand did come away from his face for a moment those watching the event on the holographic screen could see that the boy's right eye was a bloody ruin.

 

Ranma's father shot to his feet and shouted, “That never happened! When I pulled the boy out of the pit there was no such injury on him.”

 

Mykon just pointed to the screen. In the image all watching could see the eye seem to rebuild itself until it looked completely normal. “The reason you didn't see that injury was because Jora healed it as you just saw. If we had not been there this boy would have no right eye now. He'd probably be wearing a patch over the empty socket instead.”

 

The giant man turned and asked, “Ranma, do you remember this?”

 

The boy looked pale. He swallowed before saying, “Since you guys healed it I had almost convinced myself it didn't happen. I do remember it, but I wish I didn't. Do you have to make me relive it like this?”

 

“Would you prefer to leave while we go through this?”

 

The teen martial controlled himself with an effort. His face took on an expression of grim determination. “I can take it. I don't like it, but I can take it.”

 

Mykon resumed. “That was just the first time that Ranma was thrown into that pit. I now want to show you something that happened the third time.”

 

This time when the boy fell into the pit he controlled his fall much better. When he landed he went into a kneeling crouch that presented as little body surface as possible to the cats. His eyes were covered as they had not been that first time. Again one of the cats tried to climb over the others and in so doing claws tore a wound on the child's neck. As people watched on the screen large quantities of blood began to gush from that wound.

 

Mykon explained, “For anyone who is not familiar with human anatomy the point that was injured was the jugular vein. It is the main vein that carries blood from the head back to the heart. There is one on each side of the neck. These veins are fairly close to the surface of the skin. If any of you watch vampire movies that is where the vampire is usually trying to bite.”

 

“If such a wound is suffered by a person who can get immediate medical attention, there is a chance that person could survive. In such conditions as you see in the recording it is almost certain that the victim of the injury would die from the loss of blood. On this one I was the healer. Ranma was able to escape from this only feeling a little woozy over the blood he had lost.”

 

Genma was looking decidedly shell shocked by this revelation. “Ranma would have… died?”

 

“Yes, he would have died. Didn't you wonder where all the blood on his clothing came from? When Urd said that you had placed your son into positions of lethal peril did you think that she was exaggerating?”

 

“Well… yes I did. I mean he lived through all of the training.”

 

Mykon glared at the elder Saotome. “It would seem that you are not a good judge of the safety of martial arts training techniques. We will go into that more after we finish with the Nekoken.”

 

The giant said, “That was the third time Ranma was dropped into the pit. Genma, how many times did you put your son into that pit?”

 

The bald martial artist decided to take the silent option to the Light of Truth and said nothing.

 

The giant nodded. “I see. Let's try this approach. We counted a total of 16 times Ranma was dropped into the pit. Do you deny that?”

 

Genma struggled. His mouth was open as if trying to say something but no words came out. A sort of hiss could be heard as if he was trying to make the “H” sound from the word “Hai.”

 

Mykon took pity on the man by asking, “Was it more than 16 times?”

 

“No! It was not!”

 

The giant frowned. “I had hoped to move this trial along at a reasonable pace. However, if you wish to be difficult I can have the screen display every time you dropped Ranma into the pit and we can count them. Do you wish me to do that?”

 

Defeated, Genma answered, “No, you don't have to do that. I honestly couldn't say because I didn't keep a count.”

 

“When the training technique didn't work after the first few times why did you keep doing it?”

 

Genma stayed silent.

 

Mykon just frowned again then gestured at the screen. In the image Genma was tying fish products to his son who was crying as he begged, “Please daddy, don't make me go in there again.”

 

The adult martial artist demanded, “Be still, boy! Even if the training doesn't work, I can't have you being terrified of cats. It would be a weakness that enemies could exploit. The only way to conquer your fears is to face them. You will go back into that pit and you will face up to your fear of cats. I can't have my son cry like a little girl every time he sees a cat.”

 

The giant again gestured at the screen and a new image came up. A young boy in tattered clothing with many scratches on his body and limbs leapt from the pit and landed on all fours. The light of intelligence was gone from his eyes and a look of animal cunning had replaced it.

 

Mykon explained, “This is the Nekoken. The mind of the subject is so terrorized by the experience of the cats clawing at him to get at the food tied to his body that his mind shuts down and his body is possessed by a cat spirit that takes total control, as you see here.”

 

As the people watched the boy shredded a tree with claws of ki. Mykon commented, “Because the claws are made of ki they can do much more damage than anything made of physical substance.”

 

As the recording advanced they could see the boy go on a kind of a rampage where trees, rocks and other objects were shredded. This ended when the child leaped into the lap of an elderly woman and fell asleep while she was petting him. “The person in the Nekoken state can be broken out of it by a person that the victim trusts. Once the victim wakes up they will be back to normal until the next time.”

 

“If the victim of the Nekoken training has a Jusenkyo curse, there is a faster way to calm them down. A change into or out of the cursed form can return the victim to normal. The exception to that would be someone who was cursed to turn into a cat or tiger.”

 

Mykon let the screen go blank. “The Nekoken training is the most egregious example of child abuse. Indeed I think that more than one of the people here will be thinking that it is more like torture than simple abuse. You wouldn't be far wrong to make such an assessment.”

 

“While this is the worst example, this is by no means the only one. On a total of seven occasions (including the one you just watched) Ranma suffered training injuries that would have been fatal if he hadn't been healed. On an additional five occasions Ranma suffered injuries that would have crippled or otherwise severely impaired him.”

 

There followed a recitation of dates and brief showings of the incidents. By the time it was finished most of the people present were looking at Genma as if he was something disgusting that had crawled up out of the sewer.

 

Mykon continued, “Those are the worst examples of physical abuse. Genma also practiced other forms of abuse in the name of training. Ranma was forced to fight for his food as a form of speed training. If he wasn't fast enough to stop his father from stealing his food, he would go hungry.”

 

“Abuse doesn't have to be physical to hurt. There was also emotional abuse as well and that can sometimes be more devastating than a beating. Genma's teaching methods were only effective on Ranma because of the boy's natural aptitudes and abilities. During training every little fault or defect in his technique was subject to ridicule. If he didn't perform a technique perfectly it was always due to some failing on Ranma's part. If he did do a technique perfectly it was because of Genma's teaching and not due to any talent of Ranma's.”

 

“Ranma was not allowed to make friends because they would be a distraction from the Art. If Ranma started to make a friend Genma would either drag the boy away to some new place or would do something to chase the potential friend away.”

 

“The only times Ranma was allowed to attend school was when Genma couldn't get out of sending him. And even when Ranma did attend school Genma criticized the subjects taught as being unimportant and a distraction from the art. It is a mystery to me how he ever expected the boy to run a dojo without any formal education.”

 

“For Genma it was even worse if Ranma showed any interest in a girl. He would tell Ranma that girls (and by extension all women) were weak, stupid, silly and a distraction from the Art. This was then emphasized by using that to insult Ranma if he did anything Genma felt was wrong. He would say that Ranma was talking like a girl, or acting like one.”

 

“If he wasn't accusing Ranma of acting like a girl he would accuse him of being weak. Sometimes he would call him a weak girl.”

 

“On top of that Genma never gave his son `the talk' about men and women. He never let Ranma learn the `facts of life.' That was strange enough but then there were the engagements. Genma promised his son for marriage to no less than 52 girls not counting the marriage agreed to between the Saotome and Tendo families before Ranma was born. Most of those engagements were agreed to for a meal. It mystifies me how he expected his son to perform his `husbandly duties' when he finally did get married.”

 

“On sixty occasions Genma sold his son as a laborer for the price of a meal. One of them was for some rice, a fish and two pickles. On fifteen other occasions he sold his son to childless couples for them to adopt as their own. After he had pocketed the money he would then sneak back and steal his son. Often the money obtained would be used to pay for sake. That's when he didn't simply run out on his bar tab.”

 

There followed a few scenes that demonstrated these acts. “Due to the nature of these recordings there can be no dispute that accused did do the things that he is charged with.”

 

“The only defense Genma ever made for how he treated Ranma was that it was for the sake of the Art. He claimed it was to make his son a better and stronger martial artist. Some might argue that this in itself is a sufficiently noble goal to justify at least some of the suffering that was inflicted on Ranma.”

 

“If that was the only motive then there might have been some slight justification. However, even there Genma's motives were not as pure as he would like others to believe.”

 

There followed a scene where Genma was in a bar. He bragged about how great a martial artist his son was and how, when he was older, the boy would marry the daughter of his old training partner. The boy would then take over the dojo and his efforts would then support Genma for the rest of his life in a comfortable retirement.

 

Mykon said, “As you just heard, what Genma did to Ranma was done for purely selfish motives. He may say he is doing it for the sake of the Art but the truth is revealed. He doesn't care about his son as anything other than a future meal ticket. Or at least if he does harbor any love for his child he has hidden it very well.”

 

Mykon then bowed to the watching observers and to the goddess. “With that I rest my case.”

 

Urd now spoke up, “Does anyone else have evidence to present against the defendant?” There was no answer.

 

“Does anyone wish speak for the defendant?” Again there was silence. Even Tendo Soun was looking stunned at the depths his friend would go to in the name of training. Some of the things Saotome had done to his son were worse then what the Master had done to Genma and Soun.

 

Urd looked up toward the ceiling and seemed to listen. She nodded.

 

“Kami-Sama has reached a decision in this case. Before I announce the verdict there is one additional person we need to hear from.”

 

Suddenly there seemed to just wink into a being another person. This was a beautiful auburn haired woman of fairly short stature. She appeared to be middle aged. In face and figure she bore a strong resemblance to Ranma's girl form although not quite as athletic in her build. She was dressed in a pale blue kimono with floral designs on it. In one hand she held a long, narrow, silk-wrapped bundle.

 

Genma leaned back in shock at the woman's appearance. Urd spoke up, “This woman has been here for the entire length of the trial. She has been concealed with a glamour spell so that her presence wouldn't alarm Genma or Ranma.”

 

Ranma looked at the woman and suddenly recognized her. “Mom?” he whispered.

 

Urd asked, “Saotome Nodoka have you heard all of the testimony given during the course of these proceedings?”

 

In a voice that was a little lower pitched than Ranma's girl form's but still very similar, the woman said, “I have.”

 

“Have you seen all that has been displayed on the screen?”

 

“I have.”

 

“What is your reaction to what you have seen and heard?”

 

Nodoka closed her eyes and controlled herself with a visible effort. Finally she spoke, “I was appalled. I never wanted Genma to take my son on that awful training trip. He promised that he would take care of Ranma and bring him back to me as a `man among men.' I now see that if it weren't for these two large people he wouldn't have brought my son back at all.”

 

It became apparent that the woman was struggling with a great deal of emotion and was maintaining her composure with great effort. “I suppose that if Ranma had died Genma would never have returned at all and I would never have known my son's fate. I… I can never forgive him for that.”

 

Again there was a pause. “Urd-Sama had been thoughtful enough to tell me exactly what kind of person my son is. It would appear that my husband has succeeded in his task, more by accident than by design. My son likely owes more of his good character to the teachings of Mykon and Jora than to anything Genma taught him. I'm grateful that he had friends like them to help him.”

 

The woman unwrapped the silk around her bundle and revealed the sheathed katana, which was the Saotome family honor blade. In that same bundle was a tightly rolled up piece of paper.

 

At the sight of the katana Genma tried to get up from his place but was unable to. Urd told him, “Saotome Genma, a restraining spell has been cast on you. You will not be allowed to leave until the matter at hand has been resolved. Be assured that no harm will be allowed to befall you at the hands of this woman.”

 

Nodoka held the rolled up paper in her hand and stepped toward Ranma. “This is the contract that has been the cause of so much trouble. The seppuku pledge was Genma's idea, not mine. I only agreed to it because I thought it would keep him in line, prevent him from doing something stupid. As this trial demonstrated, I was wrong in my thoughts. A piece of paper is no substitute for my son.”

 

She held the contract out to Ranma. “If a goddess tells me that you are truly a brave, kind, thoughtful and honorable man, then I feel that I must believe it. Even if, through Genma's foolish actions, you are now cursed to spend half of your life as a woman, I still account the terms of this contract fulfilled. You are no longer bound by this contract and may do whatever you wish with it. I suggest burning it.”

 

After Ranma took the contract from his mother, she turned back to face the audience. “There are more issues here than just the fulfillment of the contract. Promises were made that were not kept. Debts were incurred that Genma attempted to charge to the family. I have had to face debt collectors who came looking for him. He also incurred debts in Ranma's name. I got letters from Genma only for the first three years of the training trip, then they stopped. The only clue I had that my son was still alive was the creditors who continued to come looking for him. Even then it could have been Genma using the name of my dead son.”

 

Nodoka directed a glare at Genma. “After seeing Genma again after so long, after hearing about what he has done, I cannot remain married to him. Urd-sama was kind enough to have divorce papers drawn up. While I was still hidden I signed those papers. When the divorce papers are registered with the appropriate government offices it will be official. He will no longer be my husband.”

 

“There is something else as well. During his long absence Genma was not fulfilling his duties as clan leader for the Saotome family. For the last five years I have held that title along with all of the rights, powers and authority that go with it. From this trial and from police, debt collectors and others I have heard what kind of man my former husband has become. He is a liar and a thief and a man devoid of honor. He is a disgrace to the family.”

 

She continued. “While I was hidden I have signed papers that will formally have Genma removed from the rolls of the Saotome family. He is now a stranger to me and will have no say in any family matters including how Ranma is raised. Genma who was once a Saotome is now a ronin, a man without a family or clan.”

 

In his place Genma was white as a sheet. What had just been announced was almost worse than being forced to commit seppuku. At least he would have been able to retain some honor after committing seppuku. What would he do, where would he go, how would he live?

 

Urd had seemed to be carrying on a silent conversation with the ceiling. Now she turned her attention back to the crowd. “Kami-sama wanted the business with Saotome Nodoka to be resolved before the verdict was announced. Now that this issue has been settled I can announce that Genma - formerly of the Saotome family - has been found guilty of the offenses he has been charged with.”

 

“It is now time to pronounce sentence. In order to make the punishment fit to the individual being punished, it is first decreed that the convicted will have his curse locked. He will be changed into a panda and will remain that way for no less than one year and no longer than up to Genma's death.

 

“Further, Genma will be `donated' to one of those organizations trying to repopulate the endangered species of the panda. The people in this room will not be notified which such program he has been sent to. This is to cut down on the chance that someone, through a sense of mistaken loyalty, will try to track Genma down and attempt to `rescue' him. Since there are not that many such organizations it is still possible to find Genma but you would have to work for it. To anyone who might still feel inclined to do that I would remind you of the facts revealed in this trial and ask you if he is really worth it?”

 

“A suggestion was made that Genma might actually enjoy being a male panda in such a panda breeding program. Therefore it if further specified that Genma will be made a female panda”

 

“While that part of the punishment is fitted to the person convicted of the crime of stupidity, it doesn't specifically fit the punishment to the crime of abuse. Therefore at least once every night with the exception of Sunday Genma will experience a nightmare. This dream will be formed of Ranma's memories. Through this medium Genma will experience all of the pain that he put his son through.”

 

“Genma's case will be reviewed in one year. If at that time he sincerely repents of his actions and resolves be a better person then his curse may be unlocked and the dreams stopped. In that situation his case would be reviewed in one more year. If at that time he remained repentant for what he did to Ranma and has acted as a better person then the issue to be resolved would be whether or not to cure the curse completely.”

 

“The convicted is only given that one chance. If he repents and gets his curse unlocked but backslides into his old behaviors and attitudes, he will again be locked as a female panda and stay that way for the rest of her life.”

 

“At the end of the year if Genma is not repentant or if his repentance is not sincere then he will stay a female panda in the panda breeding program. She will continue to experience the dreams and her case will be reviewed again in one more year. This process will continue either every year either until we get sincere repentance (we can tell when she's sincere) or until she dies of old age.”

 

“One other possible outcome has been recognized. Genma may repent of his actions but decide that he wants to remain as a female panda. If that does happen then the dreams will be stopped. Genma will be blessed with perfect health for the remainder of her life and she will be left alone from that time forward. Those of you who might still retain any interest in the panda by that time will be notified of her decision.”

 

“Does anyone have anything they would like to say before sentence is carried out?”

 

Genma asked, “Is there no possibility for appeal?”

 

Urd shook her head. “There can be no taking this case to a `higher court' to appeal. The highest court there is has decided. If you could present some compelling evidence that might alter Kami-sama's decision then maybe, otherwise no.”

 

“Tendo Soun, it is believed you might be the only person interested in doing something along this line. If you can gather evidence that refutes or at least mitigates somewhat what has been presented at this trial then Genma's case may be brought up for early review. I warn you that it would have to be pretty compelling evidence to change the decision of this court.”

 

Ranma spoke up. “I hate the way he treated me but he is my only father. I can't argue that he did everything that he is accused of. Still, I do feel kind of bad about what will be done to him. Is there any way I could plead in favor of a more lenient sentence?”

 

Urd gave a gentle smile to boy. “That is a nice gesture and one that I would have expected from a man of honor such as you. Indeed you are a person who would hold to an honorable agreement even if it hurts you personally to do so.”

 

“I regret that I must tell you that this is the lenient sentence. Any other would be far worse. Indeed, for putting you in situations that required semi-divine intervention to prevent your death, you ex-father could have been cast into the deepest pits of hell to suffer pain and torment for the remainder of eternity. There are those in Heaven who will argue that Genma is getting off far too lightly. Kami-sama's decision stands.”

 

With a sad expression on his face Ranma turned to Genma. “I'm sorry Pop, I tried.”

 

Tendo Soun stood up. “Never fear old friend, I will find that evidence and get you back.”

 

“Thank you Tendo. You are a true friend.”

 

Urd interjected at that point. “It is good that you two retain your friendship at this point even after all the things Genma's done. This is no kind of official ruling but advice from a goddess. The evidence you are looking for may not exist. It might be best if you set yourself a time limit. If, in the time you set yourself, you are unable to gather any evidence to mitigate the charges that were brought against Genma, then give up. If you do gather evidence and it is not sufficient to get the review committee to change the punishment then give it up at that point and get back to your life.”

 

The platinum blonde goddess heaved a sigh. “It is a testament to your late wife's character that you still grieve for her after more than 10 years. You however, have carried your grieving to an extreme where you have withdrawn from the responsibilities that you should have assumed. You should once again start being a proper parent to your daughters and you should start teaching again so you can bring in some income to support your family. Making your eldest daughter take the place of her mother was bad enough, but letting your middle daughter take on the responsibility of making the money to keep a roof over your heads was the act of a weak man. Children that young shouldn't be burdened with that kind of responsibility, not when they still have a surviving parent.”

 

Stunned, Soun sat back down.

 

Urd asked, “Does anyone else have something they wish to say?”

 

Happosai stood up. It was hard to tell because of his short stature so he also waved his hand for attention. When Urd acknowledged him, the little man stepped forward. “I can't say anything to get the sentence reduced. Anything I could say about Genma would likely make his sentence worse. I just wanted him to go off to his sentence with the message that the school of Anything Goes is in good hands.”

 

He paused a moment. “As both you and Soun know, I have awarded the title and signed the teaching certificate for Ranma to hold the title of Master in both schools of Anything Goes. I expect that in another year or two he will improve his skills to a point where I can give him the title of Grand Master in the Founding School and retire.”

 

The tiny man went back to his seat. Both Soun and Genma looked shocked.

 

Urd looked over the assembled people and waited. When no one else spoke she said, “Since no one else has anything more they wish to say at this point, sentence will be carried out.”

 

Seemingly from nowhere water splashed on Genma, changing his form. Then he (she) just vanished.

 

Author's Note: Yes, I know the idea of locking Genma as a female panda in a breeding program isn't original. I thought the nightmares were a nice touch, though.