Sailor Moon Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Mahou Sensei Negima! Fan Fiction ❯ In the Shadow of the Moon ❯ Chapter 3 To Organize Chaos version 2 ( Chapter 3 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Disclaimer - I do not own the rights to Ranma 1/2, Sailor Moon, or Ruroni Kenshin. This story is produced without intention for profit and solely for entertainment
Chapter 3v2 - To Organize Chaos
Kasumi checks time on the kitchen clock. "I invited Auntie Nodoka for lunch. She should be arriving soon."

Happosai cringes slightly at hearing this. "Ah Himura-sama I believe I will go check on things at the school."

Noriko arches an eyebrow at happosai, "While I appreciate your concern for the children, why the rush?, and don't call me sama anything Happi."

"Well, Nodoka and I are not really on good terms." Happosai replies with a weak chuckle.

"Most young women do not take it well being introduced to a gentleman by having him raid their underwear." Noriko smirks at his discomfort. "Its alright Happi, go ahead I will handle things here."

Kasumi watches as Happosai dashes from the room and takes to the rooftops. "Noriko-sensei, How do you put up with his antics."

Noriko calmly takes a sip of the tea Kasumi had poured for her. "Unlike many Kasumi-chan, I have taken the time to understand him.

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Saotome Nodoka finds herself walking through the front gate of the Tendo compound and knocking on the front door. She is greeted by Kasumi with a warm smile and ushered into the common room where she freezes mid-stride.

"Konitiwa Nodoka-chan. It has been far too long and we have much to discuss." Noriko says with a smile, while pointing to the side of the table opposite of her. Nodoka sits down and looks at several sealed file folders on the table.

Nodoka asks hesitantly. "Obaa-sama may I ask what brings you here?"

"As of this moment, I am here to arrange for the management of this property. As well as take custody of the daughters of my deceased ward and student, while their father is undergoing a psychological evaluation." Noriko looks at the other woman and her voice takes a sterner tone. "I find it less than pleasing that you child left the daughters of your best friend to fend for themselves after her death. Very little observation was needed for me to discover that these girls were left to manage the household without assistance."

"My apologies Obaa-sama" Nodoka replies quietly, without looking up from the table.

"The folder to your right contains the facts of your son's existence over the last ten years and some months before that farce of a wedding." Noriko continues in a frigid tone. "I wish for you to read it before we speak further."

Nodoka opens the folder and removes the thick stack of papers. As she reads through them her hands begin to shake and her eyes begin to tear. Halfway through the stack she looks at the other woman with an expression of abject terror.

"Yes No-chan this is what that man considers to be appropriate methods of training for your child." Noriko gives a sardonic grin. "I personally do not wish to know what he considers a 'man among men'."

Nodoka returns to reading the rest of the papers, unsuccessful at hiding her tears that begin to fall. Finishing the stack, she resorts to hiding her face in her hands and sobbing uncontrollably.

Giving the other woman a few minutes to recover herself, Noriko calmly continues. "There are no words of comfort I can offer you child. We must simply deal with what is now in the past. The second file I fear is filled with the records of Genma's actions since before he met you and what went on during his 'training' of your son."

Nodoka opens the thick file folder to find it organized by year for the last twenty five years. Nodoka goes through the years with mounting rage, and gasps in shock when she comes to the file for 1983. Noriko shakes her head sadly and waves her hand for the other woman to continue reading.

Nodoka continues reading until she gets to the file for the year she met Genma, 1986. Nodoka looks pleadingly across the table. Noriko can only sigh. "No child, everything there is true. Genma abandoned his first wife after spending all of her inheritance. If he did this before or after finding out she was barren is the only unknown."

Nodoka makes haste reading through the rest of the documents. Snarling and ripping apart several pages in the process. "I demand that you let me kill that inhuman piece of filth Obaa-san." She finishes through clenched teeth.
"No you will not, justice will not be satisfied by that. Regardless of what bushido claims." Noriko replies calmly. "I have already seen to upholding our family's honor by defeating him in a fair and verified challenge. We will reclaim what he took from our family, and leave him at the mercy of the courts for his crimes."

Noriko continues with a level gaze into Nodoka's eyes. "What you need to do Nodoka, is to see to the care and emotional health of your son who has been made to live through this."

"I have made arrangements for family stewards to see to the care of this place." Noriko continues more warmly than before. "As I see it the first thing we need to do is remove the children from the chaos that runs through this ward. I would ask for you and Kasumi-chan to pack what things are needed for comfort. A car will arrive soon to take the two of you to collect the others from the high school, and proceed to travel to my home." Handing a Nodoka a legal document and a family seal, "Here is your opportunity to separate yourself from that man honorably."

"Hai Obaa-sama" Nodoka quietly signs and seals the document.

She and Kasumi are about to leave the room to begin packing when Noriko addresses them both. "For the time being please refer to me only as Noriko in front of the others to reduce confusion. We can explain everything to them after we see them safely settled in away from here. I must take care of some issues here first, but I will join you this evening."

At this point Noriko's cell phone beeps with a message from Happosai. "Nabiki is leaving the school and heading in the direction of the dojo. Her body language is showing definite signs of distress."

Noriko smiles at this, and informs the other women before they leave the room. "It seems that Nabiki-chan is on her way here. I will handle her personally." They nod and proceed to the rooms on the second floor.

------

Nabiki left the school making as much haste as she could. Normally she would not skip class this close to the end of term, but she learned from her contacts at lunch that the compound was seemingly invaded shortly after they left for school. The fathers had been taken away in ambulances, Genma's had been under police guard.

Upon arriving at the dojo, she is greeted by a dark suited guard at the front door. "You have been expected Tendo-san. Please go inside." Nabiki is now seriously concerned that their home had been taken over by Yakuza as she heads towards the common room.

Nabiki gapes in shock as she is greeted by the female Ranma from yesterday morning, complete with school uniform. "Before we begin I want you to retrieve for me all of the negatives and photos you have of Ranma in either form."

Nabiki gasps out, "Who are you?"

The girl smiles in response. "No questions Nabiki-chan. You have three minutes to bring them to me or I will see how quickly I can distribute these." Indicating the pictures of Nabiki fanned out in her hand from the furo camera.

"Your eighteen now so it would not be a case of child pornography, unlike your stash." The pigtailed girl now gives a mockingly innocent smile, while pointing and a stack of signed affidavits. "Or if you prefer I can provide these to the police. I fear you will find the prosecution of racketeering really will not give much lenience for you having been a minor during the commission of these crimes."

Nabiki turns quickly to run from the room and up the stairs to her bedroom. Opening a trap door in the floor of her closet, Nabiki retrieves a large file organizer. Nabiki calmly returns to the common room and empties the contents of the organizer on the table.

The young woman casually examines the pile of photos and negatives. "I will take it on faith that any digital files have been or will be deleted." Tossing the documents and her set of pictures on the pile she tells Nabiki, "Burn all of this in the fire pit outside. When there is only ashes left, we can have a more congenial conversation."

Nabiki grabs a lighter from the kitchen and moves quickly outside with the pile to comply. When finished and certain nothing can be retrieved Nabiki turns back to the common room as she tries to dust ashes from her uniform skirt.

At the table she finds a different girl sitting in the same spot calmly drinking tea. "Now that we have reached an understanding Nabiki-chan, allow me to introduce myself. I am Himura Noriko, clan head of Nodoka and Ranma's family."

"I thought Genma was the head of the Saotome clan." Nabiki states hesitantly.

"Nodoka is no longer part of that clan and Ranma has never legally been a member." Noriko replies without changing expression. "The documentation to properly correct that error will be filed before the end of the day."

"May I ask why you are here today Himura-san?" Nabiki quietly requests.

With a first gentle smile Noriko answers. "I am here personally to collect and take guardianship of the daughters of my former student and ward, Tendo Takara, while their father undergoes a psychological evaluation."

With a visibly calmer face and voice, Nabiki asks, "Since I have not reached legal majority yet, that would include me. Since you say you were my mother's guardian I can only assume you are older than you appear."

"Takara was like a daughter to me." Noriko states sadly. "I wish I had been here when she died, and could have been there for you girls. Ill fortune instead found me having to track down the shiftless husband of my granddaughter, who had left for parts unknown with her son."

"You mean Ranma and...." Nabiki says jumping on the line of thought.
Noriko places a finger over Nabiki's mouth and says, "I have heard that name quite enough. I would be grateful never to hear it mentioned again."

"So will we be staying here with you then." Nabiki asks, deciding to change the topic.

Noriko shakes her head. "We will be leaving soon, you might wish to go upstairs and assist your sister and Nodoka with packing. A caretaker for this place will arrive with the car that will take, the three of you now, to collect the others from the school. We can talk more about your mother later. I do wish to make clear to you, that as my ward, no more of your activities will be tolerated."

Nabiki nods and leaves the room to head upstairs. Noriko sobs and sinks her head into her hands, lamenting how hard she had to play this first meeting.

notes:
sama - honorific for someone of authority or an influential social status

sensei - honorific usually reserved for a highly educated person. most notably a teacher or doctor

Obaa - grandmother

Since I have never found a first name for Mrs. Tendo I simply picked Takara as it means treasure

After reviewing My Ranma 1/2 collection the series takes place around 1994, for those who might have noticed SMS messaging and cell phones were not prevalent until the late 90's so for ease lets just say I am moving the time frame for all of the stories to earlier in this decade, i.e. 2004