Disclaimer: Everybody knows who created and owns Ranma 1/2. Is another disclaimer really necessary? FOREWARD: This story diverges from the main Ranmaverse timeline just before Nodoka Discovers All (and inexplicably doesn't kill Genma, who really really deserves it). -------------------- Freedom, Horrible Freedom By Jack Staik, Bookkeeper-At-Arms -------------------- A large crowd was converging on the park. This might not be an unusual occurence, except for the make- up of the crowd. Arriving together was the entire Tendo family, father and three daughters,along with their eternal houseguest, Saotome Genma. The youngest daughter carried her pet pig. From another direction, unobserved, came Saotome Nodoka, Genma's wife, from whom he hade been hiding for some time. Neither had yet seen the other. From yet another came the entire Amazom population of Nerima Ward (all three of them). Behind them was Kuonji Ukyo, rival with the Amazons in both business and romance. From the opposite direction, coming seperately, were the Kuno siblings, Tatewaki and Kodachi. All that came this day thought that they expected the worst. They had no idea. * * * * * "Aiya! What Violent Pervert Girl do here?" Akane looked over at Shampoo with undisguised contempt. "Can't you even learn to speak the language? And this is a public park, you bimbo!" Tendo Soun broke into tears. "Ranma's going to marry Akane!" he cried. Akane spun around. "I AM NOT!!" she yelled. "No way am I going to marry that pervert!" "Then why are we all here?" Genma asked rhetorically. "I can think of no reason to invite us all here." "So," Cologne said thoughtfully, "I assume your family received the same invitation that each of us received?" "Well, actually," Kasumi replied "we each got a seperate invitation." "Hmmmm..." Cologne said mysteriously. "Hooray!!" Shampoo cried. "Airen announce marry Shampoo!!" Nabiki shook her head, disbelieving. "Amazing. Her Japanese actually got worse." Shampoo pulled a bonbori from ... somewhere. "Perhaps Mercenary Girl teach Shampoo proper grammar?" Shampoo threatened. Genma raised his hands. "Now, girls," he said, patronizing as humanly possible. "No need for this. We'll just wait for whatever Ranma has to say, then we'll proceed to marry my son and Akane -" "LIKE HELL!!" Akane and Shampoo barked simultaneously. "Besides," Ukyo said from behind them, "how do you know he won't choose me?" Shampoo turned on the chef. "Spatula Girl die first!" "And why should my son be choosing at all?" Genma turnmed. "Nodoka-chan!" he said nervously. "What an amazing coincidence to meet you here of all places!" Nabiki chuckled. "Right, Genma - try pulling a Tofu. Perhaps she'll take pity on the poor lunatic." Nodoka looked at her husband. "Greetings, Genma." she said seriously. "Our son sent me an inivtation, saying that all matters will be resolved. What matters need resolving, husband?" "Heh-heh-heh," Genma laughed nervously. "Indeed," said an arrogant voice. "I had assumed that the foul sorceror Saotome would finally submit before the righteous wrath of - THE BLUE THUNDER!" Lightning flashed, thunder pealed. Nodoka looked at the sky. "How did you do that?" Kuno looked at her. "Do what?" "OHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!!" The demented laughter pealed forth, making everyone in the vicinity nervous. "Obviously Ranma- sama wanted witnesses to our impending nuptuals!" "Nani?!?" Nodoka asked. "Why would you be marrying my son?" Kodachi looked at the katana-wielding woman. "Oh, Ranma- sama's mother! I greet theee, my dear mother-in-law! I am Kodachi Kuno, whom men call the Black Rose, chosen by the kamis at the dawn of time to be the perfect mate to thy son!" "Ugh," Kodachi said, her voice muffled by the giant spatula in her face. "Hah!" Ukyo said. "Why would he marry you, you lunatic? Besides, Genma betrothed him to me!" Nodoka looked sharply at her husband. "Genma, what is she talking about?" "Eeep," Genma said, glancing around as if seeking a bucket of water. "Ranma is honor-bound to marry a Tendo daughter! End of discussion!" Soun boomed. Akane, Shampoo, Ukyo, and Kodachi turned on Soun. "SHADDAP!!" they yelled simultaneously, the force of their shout knocking him backwards several yards. "Ranma marry Shampoo!" "Ranchan's gonna marry me!" "Ranma-sama is mine!" "You bimbos aren't gonna-" "MOKO TAKIBISHA!" The ki-bolt tore into the ground, scattering the would-be combatants. The various persons assembled turned toward the source of the energy blast. Standing on a tree-limb was a young man wearing Chinese- style clothes. His body was emitting an acitinic blue glow, his eyes blazing. Nodoka looked at the figure. "Ranma?" she whispered, in awe at the power her son obviously wielded. Ranma Saotome stepped off the limb, falling to the ground, as unaffected by the twekle-foot fall as if it was a step on a staircase. "Mother," he said, nodding politely. Stepping to the middle of the mob, he looked around, glancing into each person's eyes. A few of those present saw something new in his eyes, something not entirely clear. "You're probably wondering why I've called you all here today." he said.. "To tell us Whodunnit?" Nabiki said sarcastically. Ranma glared at her, causing Nabiki to gasp and step back. She saw something in his gaze, something that frightened her. Ranma turned away. "For my entire life, I've been a victim of other people's dreams. I never fought back, because I never thought I could. I had no dreams of my own. And as a result, my life has been insane and out of control. Recently, I've been thinking -" "Ha!" Akane barked. Ranma ignored her. "And I've decided to end this. Onwe way or the other, all this nonsense - all this crap - is going to be over." Soun started crying. "At last! Ranma's going to marry Akane!" "MOKO TAKIBISHA!" The ki-bolt hit Tendo Soun in the chest, knocking him back several yards. "NOBODY SPEAK!!" Ranam said, his battle-aura blazing. "BE QUIET OR BE DEAD!!" Akane stepped forward. "Ra-" Ranma turned to her, a ball of energy in his hand, a glare of anger in his eyes. "NOT! A! WORD!" The words caught in her throat. For the first time, Akane was scared of Ranma. The entire crowd was silent. "NOW," Ranma said. "For the first time, I AM GOING TO HAVE MY SAY! I WILL MAKE THE FINAL DECISIONS! AND YOU WILL LISTEN! OR ELSE!!" Nodoka opened her mouth - but the expression of pure rage on his face silenced her. Something had happened to her son. Shampoo almost said something, but Cologne's hand on her shoulder silenced her. Cologne knew the sounds of death well, and she heard death in Ranma's voice. Ranma looked around. "Now, as I was saying, I have decided to end this madness once and for all. I will deal with each problem in order. And the first problem." Ranma turned to his father. "Saotome Genma." "You'll treat me with respect, boy!" he barked. "KACHU TENSHIN AMIGURIKEN!" In less than a second, hundreds of blows rained down on Genma's head. Looking down at the figure that was pounded into the dir,. "I said 'Be silent', Old Man." Ranma said coldly. Genma looked up blearily at his son, paralyzed with fear. Ranma had beat him down casually, and he hadn't been able to defend himself. It sank in that he was alive solely because Ranma had decided not to kill him - and he might change his mind. "When I was five years old, you treacherously tricked me into signing a pact that said that unless you raised me to be a 'man among men', we would both have to commit seppuku. Over the next ten years, you engaged me to huge numbers of girls all over Japan, Korea, China, and Southeast Asia, stealing their dowries and running off." Nodoka gasped in shock, and turned to Genma, who was stumbling to his feet. "Ukyo was one of these girls, and her family was so dishonored that she had to renounce her identity as a girl, and live as a boy for ten years." Nodoka gripped the hilt of her katana. "Now you have a choice." Genma turned, his face lighting up with hope. "I knew you wouldn't fail me, my boy!" Ranma looked straight into Genma's eyes. "Are those engagements valid?" "Huh?" Genma responded wittily. "What is a man?" Ranma asked, apparently changing the subject. Genma looked confused. "I figured you couldn't answer." Ranma said smugly. "So I will define what constitutes a man. By my definition, a man controls his own destiny. As some gaijin poet said, 'I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul'." "Robert Louis Stevenson," Kuno commented, "The poem 'Invictus'." Ranma nodded. "My Literature teacher read it in class a few days ago." "What does this have to do with anything?" Genma asked, confusion on his face. "Simple." Ranma stated calmly. "You have planned out my entire life - marry, inherit the dojo, and so forth. If the engagements you arranged are valid, then I have no control over my destiny, and thus I'm not a man, and we both commit seppuku. If I - and I alone - decide who I marry and what I do with my life, then I'm a man - and the engagements you arranged are all invalid." Genma sputtered. "That's nonsense! You can't just -" Ranma allowed his battle-aura to flare briefly, making Genma pale and stiop talking. "If you refuse my definition, then you'll be saying I'm too weak to control my own life - and thus not a man." Genma was getting both nervous and angry. "What do you think-" A hand landed on Genma's shoulder. "Genma," Nodoka said, steel in her voice, "he is right." "But-but-but-" "Genma!" Nodoka barked, the katana sliding partly out of it's sheath. The old man slumped. He mumbled something. "What was that?" Ranma aske. "The engagements are invalid," Genma said. "Wait a second!" Ukyo yelled. "What about ME?" Ranma looked at her. "You're my friend, Ukyo. But only my friend. If you ever try to be anything else, you'll be saying that our friendship is over." Ukyo choked. "Well?" Ukyo paled. she thought. She loved him. But she didn't want to lose him. "We're - friends." she said. He smiled. "I'm glad." Nabiki looked at Ranma with new respect. "NO!!" Soun roared, his demon-head flaring. "OUR TWO SCHOOLS MUST BE JOINED!! OUR HONOR-" Once again Ranma's battle aura flared. "Feel like taking me on, Tendo?" The demon-head died down. Despite his protestations, despite his temper, he knew that Ranma could take him easily. "RANMA!" Akane yelled. "How dare you threaten my father?!" The Mallet Of Doom was raised high - - To vanish in a blue flash. Akane looked at the charred handle, shocked. "Wait your turn." Ranma said. "Aiya! Now Ranma marry Shampoo!!" Shampoo jumped forward, glomp armed and ready - only to run into Ranma's fist. (Note that technically he didn't hit her, he just put his fist up and she ran into it.) "I said, 'wait your turn,'" he repeated. Ranma walked up to P-Chan. He stared intently at the piglet. "Ryoga," he said, "for years you blamed me for everything that went wrong in your life. I am not responsible. You are the one responsible. YOU were late for the duel. YOU followed me to Jusenkyo. YOU decided not to tell Akane of your curse. You made choices, not me. If I had never met you, you would have found someone else to blame your problems on. I'm accepting responsibility for my choices. Do you have the honor, the courage to do the same?" Akane stared at her pet. "Ryoga? Jusenkyo? Curse?" Kuno looked at her. "Of course. Didn't you know?" Akane turned to Kuno. "YOU KNEW??" Kuno looked at her blankly. "Doesn't everybody?" Everybody but Akane and Kuno facefaulted. Ranma looked at Kuno blankly. "I change while you're holding me, and you don't get it. You barely know Ryoga, and you knew of his curse?" Kuno looked at Ranma. "I am not a complete idiot, Saotome." (Several people almost strangled choking back replies.) Kuno continued. "I have allowed you to think I was ignorant of your curse, to make you underestimate me, making you easier to defeat." "But all the hentai groping - the date attempts -" Kuno smirked. "Your female form is quite lovely, Saotome." Ranma's eyes bugged out, and he was suddenly several feet away. "Uhh - never mind." Ranma said, desperate to change the subject. "Now, Shampoo -" "NOW Ranma marry Shampoo!!" she cried. Ranma looked at her like she was an idiot. "You want me to commit seppuku?" "That word again! What seppuku?" she asked. Cologne said a few sentences in a Chinese dialect. Shampoo's eyes got huge. "But why -" "The same reason." Ranma stated. "If you decide my fate is to be your husband, than I have no manhood, and honor would compel me to die by my own hand." "No!" she yelled. "Shampoo MAKE you marry her!" "You mean," he said, "defeat me? What will the Amazon nation say about a woman who married a man she defeated?" Shampoo stammered. "But-but-" Ranma turned to Mousse. "She's all yours, pal. Good luck." Mousse looked blankly, then began laughing. He only laughed a moment before Shampoo's fist knocked him to the ground. Cologne looked at Ranma . "Ranma," she said. "I regret that you won't join us of your own will. Along with your strength and skill, you evidentally have a devious mind as well. All the more devious for having hid it so well." Ranma smiled. "From you, Old Ghoul, I'll consider that a compliment." "Hey!" Nabiki cried. "Just where did this come from? All the time I've known you, you haven't had the brains to blow your nose!" "Well," he answered, "I saw a talk show." "Huh?" "Someone on the talk show mentioned 'emotional violence'. I started thinking - if emotions could commit violence, is there a Martial Arts form for relationships? I started thinking of my problems in terms of martial arts." Nabiki smiled. "Martial Arts Interpersonal Relationships?" He smiled back. Then he turned to Akane. "Akane, you're free." "But-" Ranma raised his hand. "Don't worry - I know you hate me. I've known for a while. I think it's sad, because I really do care for you." Akane looked up at him, speechless. "I don't hate you." "You're a very poor liar, Akane. You've called me 'pervert' too many times, malleted me for no reason too often." He looked sad. "Of course, the clincher was when you would cry out 'Date one of those other girls - see if I care'. Making it obvious you didn't. If you had chased away the others even once ..." He sighed. "For what it's worth, I am sorry." As he turned away, Akane willed herself not to cry. "All the others are gone! I WIN!" Kodachi leapt at Ranma. "Oh my love! Together at last - UGH!" As Kodachi flew back from the blow, Ranma called out "KACHU TENSHIN AMIGURIKEN!" his hands flashed, tossing away clubs, ribbons, flowers, batons, and assorted other weapons. In the fraction of a second before she hit the ground, Kodachi was completely unarmed. "Kodachi," Ranma said, looking at her in pity. "You are imagining things. There is no relationship!" "NO! You love me! I know it!!" she cried, tears beginning to flow. Ranma sighed. "If you love me, then go to a psychiatrist." "I AM NOT CRAZY!!" she yelled. He gazed into her eyes. "Are you saying you don't love me?" Kodachi stopped. "Nani?" "If you loved me, you'd go to a psychiatrist. Since you won't, then you don't love me." Ranma sighed deeply. Kodachi looked blankly. Nabiki looked on in awe. "Martial Arts Interpersonal Relationships," she said in wonder. Kodachi looked up, her face a mask of calm. "A-as you wish, Ranma-sama," she said, her voice husky with emotion. "I'll prove myself to you. I'll go to a psychiatrist. I'll prove myself sane, and I'll claim your love." She bounded away. Ranma let his breath out. "Whew! I was worried about that one." Kuno looked at his sister's receeding form. "She'll get help?" he asked. "I hope so." Ranma said quietly. "Then I owe you a debt of honor," Kuno replied. "I will no longer consider you an enemy." "Thanks." Ranma then walked over to Nodoka. "Mother," he said, addressing her. "One last detail remains." Genma's eyes grew wild. "ARE YOU MAD' BOY!?? FOR THE BUDDHA'S SAKE-" "Special Attack: Water Pistol!" Ranma cried, pulling out a water pistol and squirting Genma - triggering the curse of Jusenkyo. Nodoka stared in amazement at the all-too-familiar panda. "Nani?" she gasped. "Ranma, what does this mean?" He turned the water pistol on himself. With a pulse of water, Nodoka watched as her son shrank, as his chest expanded, as his hair changed color - in a very familiar way. "RANKO?" "No. Ranma. It's always been Ranma." "H-how?" "The Curse of Jusenkyo. A curse for which there was adequate warning - unless an idiot father ignored the warnings, cursing both himself and his son." Nodoka's eyes widened in understanding - then narrowed in rage. "GENMA!!" Panda-san was doing a pretty good clip out of the park. Nodoka chased after him, katana held high. "HOW DARE YOU HURT MY SON?!? SIT STILL AND DIE LIKE A MAN, YOU PANDA!!" Ranma walked over to a large tree, and took his backpack out from behind it. Pulling out a thermos and a towel, he changed back to male and dried himself. Then he picked up his backpack. "It's all taken care of, then." he commented to no one in particular. "Wait!" Akane cried. "Where are you going?" "I've got nothing keeping me here. I'll go somewhere else, start over-" "NO!" Ranma turned. "Huh?" "Please - stay." Ranma stared at her. "Why?" "I - I love you." He stared silently. "Then ... why? All the pain, all the crying myself to sleep - why" By now, Akane was crying. "I don't know. I cried, too. I just - I'm sorry." Ranma smiled. "I have to find my own place. I'll finish out the school year. After that, no promises." "Perhaps -" Akane said, hopefully. "Perhaps." Ranma said, smiling. As he walked away, an aura of green-blue fire blazed around him. He paused, a confused look on his face. The various bystanders looked on as the aura seperated from Ranma and collpased, shaping itself into ... a girl. A short girl with firey red hair, a cute face, an impressive chest. She turned to Ranma. "A funny thing about curses," she said, without preamble. "They require victims. And a man who commands his own fate can't be a victim, can he?" Ranma smiled. "Guess not." Ranko smiled back. "It's been fun, stud. Have a good life." She walked away, fading into nothingness. "WAIT A SECOND!!" Mousse cried. "That's IT?? All those attempted cures, all the magic, and all it takes is to -" "All it takes-" Cologne interrupted him, "-is to take complete control of your own soul, to truly be in control of your own destiny. Few people can say that - and you're not one of them." Cologne looked somewhat guiltily at Shampoo. "Nor are you, Great-ganddaughter." Then she looked down at the ground. "Nor am I, for that matter." "Shampoo confused." Cologne smiled indulgently. "I'll explain as we pack to go home, dear." As the Amazons left, Kuno looked at the Tendos. "This has been an ... unusual experience." Kasumi smiled. "Even by our standards." As he walked away, Ranma contemplated what he had just done. He exercised his free will, he severed the ties of his life. Now he was free. No fetters, no obligations save the ones he placed on himself. No security. No one to say where any limits were. No one besides him. A terrible freedom. * * * * * At Furinkan High School, two days later, Ranma walked up to the front gates. A mob of boys was lying around in various states of unconsciousness. At the door, Tendo Akane and Kuno Tatewaki stood expectantly. "This is new." he said. "Not pummeling him yet, Akane?" Akane shook her head. "No. He's promised to lay off the romancing." Ranma looked at Kuno in surprise. "Did the moon turn blue or something?" Kuno shook his head. "No, I just realized that the true reason I couldn't win her heart was that It wasn't mine to win. Again, I thank you." "I still ain't done anything." "My sister is receiving the help she needs - her new medications have helped enormously. And you have shown me that perhaps I can be somewhat - harsh in my judgments." "Whatever. Just don't run around screaming 'DIE, SAOTOME!', alright?" Kuno laughed. "As you wish - 'foul sorceror'." Then he sighed. "Although I will miss my pig-tailed goddess." Akane held up a hand. "Let's not go there." "By the way," Ranma asked. "How's Ryoga?" Akane chuckled. "His casts come off in eight weeks." Ranma chuckled with her. "Say - care to have lunch with me?" She smiled. "I'd like that." ~FIN~