Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Rage ❯ Decisions ( Chapter 2 )

Rage Part Two

 

Both the Tendo and the Soatome bloodlines were old Samurai families. This went a long ways in explaining some of the quirks that marked both families, their preoccupation with the martial arts and honor, their obsession with upholding antiquated traditions, and a willingness to embrace Seppuku as something other than suicide.

 

While the ways of Bushido were no longer practiced on the field of battle, the way of the warrior was still alive in many families. The Soatome Matriarch was a firm believer in Bushido. In some ways she was as crazy as Kuno.

 

Soun was sitting with an ice pack on his head. His headache was compounded, brought on by Akane and agitated by Nodoka, who was upset at Akane. He was in no shape to deal with the implications of what Nodoka was suggesting.

 

“Please calm down, I'm sure that we can talk things over.”

 

Nodoka was sitting across from Soun and Genma. Both Kasumi and Nabiki were off to the side while Tofu was still up with Ranma. Nodoka was looking over a paper that Nabiki had printed out for her, it detailed the list of fiancés and suitors for both Ranma and Akane and the circumstances of each to the best of Nabiki's knowledge.

 

“I have dissolved the engagement between Akane and Ranma.” Nodoka said with authority.

 

“I forbid it! The Tendo and Soatome lines must be joined! It's a matter of family honor!” Genma shouted. He was brought short by the flash of steel as the family sword was brought up.

 

“Genma, I hold the family blade, not you. I have final say over the honor of our family, and by this list I hold in my hand, you have cheapened the family honor to the price of a bowl of rice.”

 

Genma was suddenly in the yard in panda form playing with an old tire.

 

“The Engagement is off.”

 

“But what about the Tendo family honor? What of the shame?” Tendo was working on some real waterworks.

 

“I have not broken the promise between our families, merely the engagement between your youngest and my only. I have found your youngest daughters actions this night to be dishonorable and shameful to the name of Tendo.

 

This proclamation brought everybody up short; it even stopped the infamous Soun crying and made the panda drop its tire.

 

Soun was getting that sinking feeling at the bottom of his stomach, with that announcement Nodoka had sealed somebody's fate.

 

The Tendo family was a strong, proud family. Soun was a pillar of the community, though many in the community agreed that he was far better when his wife was still alive. They were well liked, and respected in the neighborhood. The daughters all had friends in the community and school. After having been forced to move into the Tendo home, Nodoka had made the same friends and was respected as well.

 

What she was saying was that Soun Tendo had a few options open to him regarding his wayward child and his family's honor.

 

One of the big tenets of Bushido was `death before dishonor'. Akane would have to commit seppuku to atone for the dishonor and clean the Tendo family name. Soun could cast Akane out of the family, declare her Ronin, it would effectively kill her, Tendo Akane would be no more. Soun could also take her dishonor as his own and take her place with the knife.

 

None of the options were pretty, but then again, he should have seen something like this coming. Looking back on the time since Ranma's arrival and before, Soun could clearly see the downward spiral of Akane's behavior. Fights at school every morning with the boys, her willingness to take her aggressions out on Ranma at the slightest provocation, and her habit of doing so physically.

 

Soun had to admit that recently Akane had been more irrational than before, but it did not excuse her actions nor the consequences of them. If what Nodoka said was true, then Akane had struck Dr. Tofu, an even larger pillar of the community than he was, such an action would have dire consequences. Now the only question was should the entire family suffer for the crimes of one?

 

Tofu was deep in thought while he watched over the unconscious form of Ranma. After making sure that the boy, girl at the moment, was going to be okay, Tofu had went ahead to check on his own wounds. The task of checking himself for damage brought dark thoughts to the Doctor. He had been the Tendo Family Doctor for over fifteen years, practicing in Nerima for over twenty, and this was the first time that he had been attacked by one of his patients in anger.

 

There would be no hiding the fact of what happened here tonight. Too many people had seen him come to the Tendo house, and Akane had yelled so loud that he doubted there was anybody in a blocks radius that didn't have a general idea of what was going on. Tofu leaving the Tendo house limping and bruised would make pariahs of the Tendo's. Tofu was going to have to make a hard decision, something that he hated doing, but it couldn't be avoided.

 

Tofu looked down at his slumbering charge and had to fear for the cursed boy. Before Akane had interrupted and assaulted boy Tofu and Ranma, Ranma had been telling Tofu of several horrible things that he had never suspected about the Tendo family. They mainly had to do with Akane's treatment of him, especially recently, but they also covered the actions, or rather inactions, of the other family members. Turning a blind eye to Akane's mistreatment of Ranma and in some cases, exploiting the boy for profits.

 

Tofu was confident that would stop now, so he wasn't going to bother with it. Tofu knew the cursed boy had a forgiving nature and wouldn't hold it against Nabiki for very long. And it wasn't his place to say anything about it.

 

Tofu knew that Ranma wasn't blameless in this situation, but it was hardly his fault as Akane was so fond of shouting.

 

Tofu sought to meditate and center himself before making his final decision regarding the events of this day. Something felt wrong, but it was far too late to put them right.

 

Meanwhile downstairs, the situation had not improved, the temperature was noticeably cooler than elsewhere as Nodoka calmly sat staring at the broken man Soun had become.

 

Nabiki was speechless, her mouth gaping like a fish while she tried desperately to find the words to fight what was happening, some argument that would change Mrs. Soatome's mind, some blackmail she could bring to bear to make the woman back down.

 

The argument that honor had no place in today's society died before they were in her throat, killed by the conviction in the elder woman's stance and eyes. She would not listen to modern thoughts on honor from a girl half her age, to even bring that up would only invite more pain.

 

After having witnessed the way that Akane had batted aside Tofu to get to Ranma, Nabiki wasn't sure if she was comfortable with the thought of defending Akane.

 

“Kasumi, would you go and bring my son and Dr. Tofu down here for me, please?” Nodoka's tone was cool and dangerous, but polite.

 

“Yes, Auntie.”

 

Happosai had done many things in his lifetime but one of the worst things he had done was to train both Soun and Genma. While the training itself was not dangerous, the old master's methods had an adverse effect on both Soun's and Genma's sense of Honor. Skewing it until they could only see the parts that were beneficial to them and being able to glaze over the parts that were less than desirable.

 

While Genma had been more susceptible to it than Soun had been, the effect was still there. In Soun's defense, it only applied to his personal honor, rather than his family's while Genma was corrupted to the point of not caring about his family honor unless it benefited him. (A.N. For evidence of this, read the story in the manga where Nodoka finds out about the curse.)

 

Tofu joined them with a bleary, teary eyed, and wobbly Ranma supported on his arm, a limp evident in both of them. Nodoka spared a glance at her child and grimaced at the decidedly female way her manly son was acting right now, but she could excuse it for the moment.

 

“I wanted my son and Dr. Tofu here to witness my decision. I have dissolved the engagement between Akane and Ranma, Akane has acted with dishonor this night, striking a respected doctor, a guest, her father, and her fiancé as well as making accusations against my son that are not true. Her actions are not befitting the house of Tendo and shame all who claim that name. What say you, Tendo Soun? Do you accept what you must do to retain your family honor or will both our houses be shamed tonight? I do not with to break the promise to join our houses but I cannot abide this dishonor.”

 

“What may I do retain my family's honor?” Soun was speared, there was no where to run, no where to hide, the light at the end of the tunnel was an oncoming train. The only way to go was forward.

 

“Death before dishonor, Soun. It is a shame I have to spell it out for you. I will only do it once. Akane regains her honor the only way she can, Seppuku, as befitting her Samurai lineage. You cast her out, remove her from your clan and never speak of her again. Or you take her place with the blade, your honor for hers.

 

Elsewhere:

 

“Shampoo! How are things progressing with the Tendo girl?”

 

“Aiyah! Shampoo do as elder say and put liquid in violent girl's shampoo. She more violent than ever now. What we do now?”

 

“Now we wait. Soon she will become so violent that she will drive Son in law away from her and into your open and caring arms. Then we can go back home with your husband in his rightful place.”

 

 

 

(A.N. What will it be folks, you decide!

I know that there is a lot of OOC stuff going on, but hey, I'm not Rumiko Takahashi. I do my best with her characters but its my story.