Chapter Text
Genma Saotome walked into the small, obscured shop, wincing at the sound of the bell. Who in this day and age is still using door chimes? He thought once again irritated that everything was somehow conspiring against him.
His plan for retirement which he was working on for more than ten years was in ruin, he didn’t even know if there was any way to salvage it and his search for the answer how to do it turned out to be a frustrating goose chase.
I just wish that Tendo-kun will be able to handle things at the Dojo, he suddenly gets anxious about the thought. When he was leaving with Ranma all these years ago Soun was his best friend and companion. They were like two peas in a pod and when he proposed the idea of joining their two respecting schools he was on board in a heartbeat. Genma still remembered that time, right after they finally freed themselves from their perverted master and were excitedly planning their bright and safe future.
But now Soun was only a shell of his former self, mostly passive and doing everything Genma would suggest, without any real input. He was sad and disappointed at the state his friend ended up in. Mostly because now it felt like he needed to plan everything on his own with Sound being his well off side-kick yesmen. Seriously if Tendo-kun wouldn’t have this Dojo of his I don’t know if I would even bother… this whole engagement thing already started to be more of a hassle than it’s worth it…
Genma looked around the rundown shop and all the junk that was laying on the shelves anywhere, putting on his usual stoic expression. The first time he ended up in a magic shop he really was awestruck by the variety of items there… only to figure out that all of them were just this, pretty but useless junk. But true to the essence of the Anything Goes Martial Arts even that disappointment was turned into success, all because thanks to that Genma was able to figure out the way to discern which items are real and which were useless fakes. Truly Anything Goes was the best school there is.
The Saotome Partiach used his advanced skills of ki manipulation to sense the disturbance in the ki flow around him. Every magic item out there was this unique way of distorting and bending the ki around it and thus proving that it was a real deal.
Genma finally smiled to himself, there was quite a lot of stuff here that in fact was real. He finally hit the jackpot.
He walked towards the counter where the owner was waiting for him. The middle aged man looked at the older man, who from the first glance seemed to be approaching at least ninety. Genma looked him in the eyes, scammer to scammer and when the older man finally smiled at him, the old wanderer finally walked toward him.
This guy knows his craft, he thought feeling genuinely impressed by the owner bearing an overhaul assortment of his shop. He wasn’t afraid though, he was confident in his ability to judge people and right now he could say at the first glance: this man didn’t know any kind of martial or magical arts. It would be easy.
“Hello, dear customer. What brings you to this rundown little magic shop? Can’t say I have many clients coming in lately,” said the owner, sounding strong and lucid contrary to what Genma had hoped for considering his apparent age.
Saotome Patriarch steadied himself and put his best ‘I’m worried and in need of serious help’ face and slump his shoulders so he could sell his act better. Internally he felt really proud of himself and his mastery of the Art of the disguise and scamming he had perfected over the years on the road.
“I’m in search of a way to perish the sorrow that is plaguing my heart,” he started feeling like he wanted to sound a little more dramatic than usual. “My one and only s-... daughter rebels against her parents and in each passing minute she’s closer to tarnishing her family’s honor but we can’t convince her to listen to us. You probably know, good sir, that kids these days don’t listen or respect their elders.”
“Yes, I know exactly what you mean, dear customer,” The older man nodded thoughtfully at Genma’s performance and smiled knowingly at the ‘distressed father’ before him. “But how can I help you with your predicament? I don’t know your daughter, I’m just an owner of the small shop selling magic trinkets…”
“Well, I was hoping…” said Saotome, playing the embarrassed but desperate parent. “Did you have some way to make my foolish child listen to me? I don’t think I can convince her to listen to this old man’s wisdom other than by using a little more… unorthodox method.”
The old man before him smiled even more, to the point that Genma almost winced and blew out his disguise. Suddenly he felt really anxious and uncomfortable.
“I think I may have something you’re looking for. Let me check in on the back.”
Ranma’s walks to school weren't exactly peaceful, not in the slightest. Sure there were times when she arrived at Furinkan High with almost no distractions or detours but they were so few in numbers that she was tempted to just count them as exceptions to the rule and nothing more. But even after so many times she was doing this, she didn’t really know what to think of it this time.
She was walking hand in hand with Ryoga. It wasn’t that strange since it was a necessity for her fiance to not get lost along the way. What was strange however was the fact that Akane and Nabiki ditched them just after leaving the Dojo, telling some cheap excuses like ‘not wanting to deal with the crazies’ or something. That, and the fact that the Lost Boy was walking much closer to her than before. Much closer.
“Ryoga, knock it off, would ya’?” She said to the guy who was almost breathing on her neck. She was already more than slightly irritated because of the lack of sleep caused by her mother suddenly appearing out of the blue. She was really happy that she was finally able to meet her and all but right now, with all these pregnancy hormones, morning sickness and - she was almost certain - some kind of mood swings she felt really overwhelmed with that sudden situation. She didn’t need that suddenly clingy guy invading her personal space too.
Ryoga looked at her and smiled mischievously at her displeased expression, clearly having a blast doing it. It was a stark contrast to the ‘stomping on eggshells’ approach he was doing earlier which was good - it only made Ranma feel guilty about the whole thing - but at the same time it made her feel all these unfamiliar emotions she didn’t even know the names of.
She knew and saw Ryoga when he was happy, sad, angry or embarrassed. She knew why he would feel that way and what he would do if he would feel any of these emotions… but she was completely at loss when it comes to this guy. The Lost Boy never was… mischievous or clingy or whatever he was right now. The redhead didn’t know what to do around him at the moment and it made her feel funny.
He was like that ever since that ‘talk’ with her mother the other day and it was infuriating. That must be karma for this disaster with Kuno, it has to be, she lamented thinking back to her talk with the Lost Boy on the roof. She knew that she was a little too much but she didn;t think that there would be any retaliation. I guess I forgot how things were between us before Ryoko… I got careless.
“What do you mean, Ranma? I'm just doing what your mother asks me to do,” he said looking so smug that Ranma really was contemplating punching him in the face so that he could keep his distance. It wasn’t good for her to be this close to Ryoga, especially so close that she could feel his arm brushing against her, making her remember the feeling she got when she leaned against him right after her mom stormed out of the Tendo Household. That warm sensation, the strange but great feeling of being protected by his strong arms and…. she really needed to create some distance between each other. It was this or dying from embarrassment and she really could afford to die right now.
“Doesn’t mean that you need to stick to me like glue or somethin’” she said, sending him an angry stare that she started to use to scare a few male students from school. Unfortunately for some reason it didn’t work which made her a little bit more irritated than before. “What were you even talkin’ about there anyway? I didn’t wanna pry but you two talked for some time back there…”
For the first time since they left the Dojo, Ryoga nearly tripped and went out of character, his whole facade crumbling down instantly for some reason. It all makes Ranma even more curious about their private conversation. It must have shown on her face because her fiance seems to have got a foot in his mouth and decided to admire the fence she walked onto so often in the past.
“Alright then, keep ya secrets…” she said, pouting after a few moments of dead silence, suddenly completely uninterested by the whole thing. She didn’t need to press the issue, sooner or later he would spill something on his own as he always does.
Ryoga was holding Ranma’s hand as they walked. It was so strange to once again walk hand in hand with his high school friend like that… even if the circumstances were so fundamentally different right now. Back then he was just grateful for the help and companionship of the fellow outcast boy who didn’t turn on him like the rest of their class but now it was different. He didn’t know what the cause was, maybe this unexpected moment of closeness when Ranma almost fell into his arms from shock of confrontation with her mother or the look of gratitude in her eyes soon after but it fundamentally changed the way he felt about Ranma.
Right now, for the first time he doesn't even know when he feels needed. He felt this strange need to protect Ranma, to be near her, like it was a place he belonged now. He felt at ease when she was around. And it was good, he felt great about it, much to Ranma irritation which surprisingly for Ryoga looks more cute than intimidating. And he knew that his fiance was trying to be intimidating, he knew the look. She was doing the same pissed off expression Akane would make every time she was bad at Ranma for doing something that would displease her in any way.
I wonder if she knew just how cute and girly she looked, all pouty like that, he thought, trying no to smile too much. Nadoka asked him to not provoke or annoy her too much and it was clear that he knew a more carefree approach- which was an absolute hell to maintain- was doing too much already.
Being pregnant really seems like a nightmare, contrary to all the stuff they say on TV and such, he thought, feeling sorry for his redheaded fiancee. He saw her today stumbling from the bathroom after this whole ‘morning sickness’ thing… he never saw Ranma looking so exhausted…
Ryoga couldn’t help but be anxious about the future. He hoped that he would be able to help Ranma take care of Ryoko and be the h-husband that his family would be proud of. The Lost Boy thought back to the ‘talk’ he had with his future mother-in-law and felt a surge of so many different emotions… he also hoped that he’ll be able to uphold the promise that he gave to Nadoka Saotome. If not he already knew there would be hell to pay.
“Ranma dear, could you go out for a moment, I would like to talk to Ryoga,” said Nadoka Saotome, sitting on the only chair that was available in the redhead’s room. Ryoga was really impressed that somehow she still looked imposing and dignified even sitting on a miniature vanity chair. He shuddered at the prospect of having a one on one talk with that woman.
Ranma looked at her mother with an uncertain expression, “Umm, sure mom, if you really think it’s necessary,” she said with a shrug. Ryoga looked at his fiancee's face still pale from stress while her eyes were feverish. She doesn't want to leave, he thought with a pang of sympathy. I can’t really blame her, she just found out she still has a mother, gets scared that she abandoned her again, reconciles… and now she is asked to leave. Did Ranma think that if she won’t be able to see Nadoka, she could disappear? That’s ridiculous.
But Ranma never really was a very logical person and now she’s a pregnant woman so… maybe this really is what she was thinking? Ryoga shook his head and squeezed his fiance's hand. “I’ll be fine, Ranma. Maybe go hit a furo or something?”
Ranma looked at him with her ‘I know what you’re doing’ look thankfully but didn’t argue about it. “If you say so. I guess I’ll go help Kasumi with dinner. I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me later.”
“Thank you, Ranma. I will, don’t you worry,” said Nadoka with a strange smile. It looked like she wanted it to be proud but something bothered her so much that it turned out kind of crooked, awkward. Ryoga wasn’t sure what to think about it.
They both observe the redhead’s leaving the room, until the door doesn't slide with a quiet click. At least normally it was quiet but for the Lost Boy it sounded like a loud announcement of his own execution. He swallowed heavily, suddenly feeling an immense amount of pressure. He was alone with a woman who will be his mother-in-law.
It should be a moment when I’m at my beast right? Shit, I couldn’t even change my clothes or anything and I’m sure I look miserable after all day at school… Why would she even want to talk to me anyway? Shouldn’t she want to spend all the time there is with Ranma?
“Ryoga-kun,” Nadoka addressed him formally, which made him flinch slightly at the sudden call from the older woman. He slowly turns to the side to see her looking at him with a neutral expression, studying his every move. “I’m sorry to take your time but I wanted to talk with you about some things and having my… daughter here would be difficult for all of us.” She started talking looking at Ryoga who tried very hard to look like he was paying attention and nodded for her to continue. He started to sweat a little bit, trying to figure out what could be so important to take him to the side to talk about. This… situation is frankly a mess and I’m still trying to wrap my head around it. I'm very grateful that I was finally able to find Ranma, even if my child is not what I hoped she would be after all these years....” She trailed off but her eyes once again regained focus when they looked at the Lost Boy. “Let me be frank, Ryoga. What do you think about my daughter?”
Ryoga stood there, frozen by the sudden question. Shouldn’t that be something you ask when proposing an engagement? Why ask about it now that we’re already engaged? Did Ranma forget to mention that part to her mother? And why is this making me all sweaty and shivery? What should I say to that one!?
“Umm… what do you mean, Miss Saotome?” He mustered, trying hard not to stutter.
Nadoka looked at him for a few more seconds before she sighed and stood up, making Ryoga flinch once again. She wasn’t really taller than him or anything but something about the way she carried herself made him feel small and flustered. He was really glad that she didn’t have her katana on her, that would be even more intimidating.
“Ranma told me the gist of the situation,” she told him with a sad smile, which took him completely off guard. He didn’t even know what he was expecting right now, but for sure he doesn’t expect to see her looking at him with this… apologetic look on her face. “I know that it wasn’t your fault, neither was it Ranma’s fault. But there you are, expecting a child when you’re not even finished with your schooling. Until now you didn’t even have any help from your parents, me included. I can’t even imagine how hard it must have been for both of you.”
Nadoka moved closer and put her hand on Ryoga’s arm and looked him in the eyes. Normally something like that would make him really. The only people that were able to touch him without making him uncomfortable lately were Akane and Ranma but for some reason he didn’t dislike this woman’s touch that much. The way she was talking to him was making him want to open up to her somehow. This and the fact that she was looking like a split image of Ranma, only a little bit older.
”Ryoga, I am really glad that you value your and Ranma's honor and decided to take responsibility for her and your daughter, it makes me feel at peace knowing that my daughter has found such an honorable and wonderful man like you” she continued, while looking at him intently. “But as I said before, this was not your intention, someone could say you were taken advantage of… you’re also very young and marriage is a lifelong decision which shouldn’t be taken lightly. That’s why I’m asking you, what are you thinking about Ranma? I don’t want you to end up in a loveless marriage, like I did. If you don’t really like Ranma or have any doubts tell me, we’ll find a way to make it work somehow. I don’t yet know how exactly but I’m sure there is a way out of this for you. If you don’t want to of course.”
Ryoga was stunned. He was looking at the Saotome Matriarch but was just too confused to say something. With a little bit of shame he realized a fact about his situation that he somehow missed in all of this. No one even asked him about what he was feeling in regard to this whole marriage. Sure, Ranma was looking at him with a mix of guilt and apprehension from time to time, for sure feeling responsible for what happened… but she also didn’t ask him about this. Do I even want to get married? To Ranma? He pondered a little embarrassed that he was thinking about it seriously for the first time.
Ranma he knew was a narcissistic, stupid, macho boy who was always first to make Ryoga’s life miserable. He never really thought about how he was feeling and was actually first in line to stand between him and the happiness he so desperately sought. He was his most hated enemy and the most powerful rival. His nemesis.
But that was in the past, and the Lost Boy realized that somehow in this really short time he lost the ability to think about Ranma that way. The redhead he now knew was this little shy but feisty girl that - even if not as often as he would like - she was listening to him and was really taking his feelings into consideration now. It was more than anyone really did to him, not counting his family. She was the complete opposite of the ‘man among men’ he knew… and he was sure that she really cared about him… Somehow.
Even Akane didn’t really think about me like that, he thought with a sad realization. She never really thought about me the same as I thought about her… and now with this whole situation between me and Ranma she is even more distant to us than ever before… I guess it’s a burned bridge right now… right?
There was still that thing with Ryoko. He knew that Ranma wanted him to be in her life but what she would do if he decided to just not go with the marriage. He considered the possibility of her lashing out at him about that but as soon as that thought crossed his mind he knew that it wasn’t true. Just like his perception of her, Ranma's perception of him shifted as well and that was clear even to him. Ever since that moment in the Dojo when Ryoga felt their daughter ki, something changed. They were now connected and even if at first he was angry… furious at Ranma for this strange, embarrassing and confusing night a few weeks ago he couldn’t muster the strength to be angry at her now. Not after seeing her face when she would pat her belly from time to time, or today when she emerged from the bathroom after throwing up for half an hour.
It wasn't a matter of honor, not anymore. That could be the case at the beginning but Ryoga knew that wasn’t the case anymore. He knew that from that moment in the Dojo he really started carrying. Not only for their daughter but for Ranma too.
He shook his head slightly to go back to the present. “I… ”, he started weakly and cleared his throat. “You don’t need to worry about me, Miss Saotome. I want to do this… I want to be there for Ryoko… and for Ranma.”
There, he said it. It felt different when he told it out loud than only in his head. More tangible, real. But it also was an obligation, something he just promised to do and he knew that he'd keep his promise. Ryoga Hibiki always keeps his promises.
Nadoka smiled at him once again. It wasn’t this apologetic, pity smile from earlier. It was filled with relief and joy, something he didn’t see often, especially directed at him.
“I’m so glad Ryoga-kun, you have no idea. I would have for Ranma to deal with all of this without your support… but about that,” she trailed off looking a little worried at him. “Ranma said that this whole situation is really recent but… did you think about your future from now on? Where will you live, how will you support each other? Now that I’m here I’ll help you as much as you can but you need to start thinking about things like that from now on, since your family will depend on you.”
Ryoga froze again for a moment realizing that his feelings for her aside he really do need to think about that. Ranma, no matter how feminine and shy she was now, was still fiercely independent from time to time but she won’t be able to do anything once Ryogo is born. It will be his responsibility to take care of them, just as Nadoka said.
The Lost Boy took a long breath, relaxing. He even managed to put a slight smile on his face. It was fortunate that he already made that call earlier.
“Don’t worry, Miss Saotome,” he said, finally feeling a little less stressed out, more in control. “I already called my mom about this. She said that we can move to my house whenever we want… but she also wants to meet Ranma when she gets back home in a few days… actually I think I should tell this to Ranma… oh man, she’ll get mad at me for not telling her earlier.”
His future mother-in-law smiled with amusement, looking just like Ranma, which made him even more nervous. Ryoga was sure that if his fiancee was here she would be just as amused as her mother. I wonder if this kind of thing is genetic with Saotome women, he thought briefly, wondering if Ryoko would also find his struggles entertaining in the future.
“Don’t worry, I’m sure she won’t be that mad,” she said, trying to calm him down. It didn’t really help, since he knew Ranma a little better than that.
“Well, I’m not sure about that, Miss Saotome,” he said, scratching the back of his head, finally feeling comfortable enough to not have his hands pressed to his sides all the time. “She can be pretty mad at me from time to time… especially when I’m surprising her with stuff.”
“Again, don’t worry about it,” she repeated, patting his shoulder gently a few times. “From what I could gather, my daughter really cares about you, and won’t be too hard on you… she needs and wants you near her no matter what she says.”
“... really?” Ryoga asked flatly, not really knowing what to do with this sudden confirmation. He was sure that was only his wishful thinking, but was it actually true?
“Call it, mothers intuition,” she said with a nod. “And please, call me Nadoka, dear. After all, I'll be your mother-in-law pretty soon.”
Nadoka’s face fell a little bit a moment later, for a second Ryoga was sure that he saw the Saotome Matriarch looking anxious and lost. It was only a moment's thought and after he blinked there was not a trace of the previous emotions visible on her once more confident, relaxed face. “Now, could you go and fetch Ranma-chan for me, please? I need to get my… daughter the same ‘talk’ I have with you.”
Ranma will have a talk like that? Oh, I would really like to see that, he thought amused by the thought of his fiance stuttering and panicking when talking about her responsibilities as his wife. Sucks to be you, but I won’t be the only one that goes through that, Ranma…
“Oh, and also…” Ryoga was about to leave, but stopped in his tracks at the sound of Nadoka’s voice. “Could you ask you for one more thing, Ryoga-kun?”
The Lost Boy turns around to face her once more. “What is it, Mi-... N-Nadoka-san?”
“I would like you to keep Ranma distracted, Ryoga-kun” she said, confusing him a little. “She’s a pregnant teenager, you wouldn’t know that since you’re young but we tend to be much more emotional when that happens. I’m sure my child didn’t tell me everything but from what she told me I can tell that she has much on her plate and is blaming herself for a lot of things. It’s not good for her or her baby. In fact you saw how she reacted when I ask her to just leave the room? It's only temporary but you know her much better than I do so I would like you to keep her distracted… at least until her mood swings calms down.”
Keep her distracted… how?
He didn’t really know why he would do this. Yes, Ranma sometimes acted strangely to him, but she was now a woman and pregnant too! It was a given that he as a boy wouldn’t understand why she was doing certain things, he already came to terms with it.
But Nadoka was her mother and a fellow woman, so maybe she was onto something. His mother always said that only a woman could really understand another woman so she was probably right. But even if that was true he still would need to figure out the way to this and he wasn’t really sure what could really do the trick.
Then the image of them talking on the roof of Furinkan High appeared before his eyes. They were arguing pretty hard, it was the first time in a long while when Ryoga told her what he was thinking and what he was feeling… he remembered just how sheepish and awkward she was acting the moment he started talking to her. He smiled a little bit remembering this overconfident, flirtatious and kind of manipulative girl suddenly crumbling before his eyes. Maybe that was the answer?
I don’t know if it works but it would be really interesting. But if it really will work… kami-sama it would be so funny…
“Alright… I’ll do it.” He said with a big smile.
Nadoka smiled back at him. “I’m glad to hear it. Thank you, Ryoga kun.”
Ryoga nodded and once again turned around to face the door. Now he only needed to go to find Ranma. He really hoped that he would find her quickly, it would be really embarrassing to get lost on the stairs when his future mother-in-law would be watching.
Ranma really wished that they could just rooftopping to school, it would be so much faster than this. But of course mom forbids it, saying that would be bad for Ryoko. She grumbled in her head, a little upset that she couldn’t really counter that argument. How is that possible? We know each other for not even one full day… how did she know just how to get me to do what she wants? Not even pops was able to do that!
Even so, she complied and because of that she was forced to this painfully slow walk hand in hand with Ryoga. It wouldn’t even be that bad if he started to respect her personal space like he used to in the past. His breathing on her neck was really getting ridiculous.
“Alright, that’s enough,” she said, feeling fed up with her fiance's presence. “Stop being clingy like that, Ryoga. I mean it, it’s starting to pissing me off.”
Ryoga looked down at her with an innocent expression and shrugged at her.
“Hey, it was your idea to not leave your side, Ranma” he reiterated, playing offended and moved even closer to the redhead. “I’m just doing what you ask for, right?”
Too close!
“Hold your horses, Romeo!” she yelled at him and tried to push him away but quickly realized that she couldn’t move the larger boy even an inch, which made her even more frustrated.
Ryoga blinked at her and smiled slightly at her looking really amused while putting his other hand on her shoulder. “Sure thing, Ran-ma”
Ranma blinked too, her mind working really hard to process what just happened. A few seconds later she looked down onto the sidewalk, trying to hide the fact that her face suddenly started to look similar to her hair color. How couldn’t she see that coming!
Her hands clenched her jaw, when she remembered what she vowed to do if something like that would ever happen, but somehow she couldn’t bring herself to do it.
“I hate you,” she muttered under her breath, feeling humiliated beyond belief.
I would need to apologize for that to him later… she thought almost immediately after saying that, suddenly feeling really deflated altogether. She knew just how easy it was to really hurt Ryoga’s feelings and self esteem; the truth was that she didn't really mean it, but he really was an exceptional jerk today.
Wait… why should she apologize? It was all Ryogas fault, not mine…
But he already is under this pressure… I don’t want him to be depressed too…
Fuck, all of this hormones making me all weak and sappy, there no way that me talkin’....
Shit, what to do…
Her reaction must have finally done something, because Ryoga’s hand immediately disappeared from her shoulder and she could see him moving away slightly. She looked up at him, thinking of a way to get back at the jerk but when she finally looked at him the redhead saw his face full of awkwardness and guilt. That took her back a little bit, she was sure that he would just tease her even more but it doesn’t seem to be the case any more, with him looking so remorseful like that.
Ryoga looked at her, visibly flustered. “You’re right, that was a little bit too much.” He began anxiously scratching his face, “And… ahh, doesn’t matter. It was all a stupid idea so… sorry, Ranma. I was an idiot.”
The redhead folds her arms across her chest, looking at her fiance. At least he looks like he’s sorry… well, if he is then what can I do to get the most of it… She started to ponder but quickly stopped, suddenly feeling dirty for even thinking about it. Sure, making fun of Ryoga was always fun, but that was before there was something more between them. Now it felt strange and wrong, even if just a second ago she really wanted to pummel him into the ground for that ridiculous joke of his.
“A little bit” doesn’t cut it, Ryoga.” She said, deciding to just get down with it. She was already feeling kind of tired after that damn morning sickness and she really didn’t want to drag this issue any further than it needed to go. “Really can you knock it off, please? Just… be like you were before. It’s much better than this… this thing you are doing. It’s creepy.”
She pouted and looked at him with the best ‘I will murder you in your sleep if you annoy me once more’ stare before she opened her mouth once more.
“And for the record… I’m not yours. Are we clear?”
Ryoga looked at her for a second before clearing his throat. She was almost sure that she saw a trail of sweat going down his neck at that moment.
“Crystal…”
The redhead was still looking at him with her arm crossed on her chest, trying to guess if he really meant what he said. She wasn’t stupid, she knew she wasn’t emotionally stable at the moment and she refused to be around Ryoga who would just get advantage of that in that kind of way.
Ryoga seems to see that as a sign that she was still angry with him - which was true - and started hastily waving his hands like she’s about to hit him or something.
“Hey I didn’t do it because I wanted to!” He said with a hint of panic. “You mom wanted me to distract you… she’s worried about you for some reason…”
Ranma’s resolve faltered at that moment. Of course, it couldn’t be his idea, normally he would just shout and attack me. He’s not the guy who’s into doing this kind of stupid shit… especially when I’m like this…
But still, what was her mom thinking? She knew that Nadoka was worried about her but what made Ryoga annoyed like that? What would that even do? Distract her from what?
There was also that very real possibility that Ryoga just misunderstood what her mother asked him to do, but she didn’t have enough energy or desire to think about it now. She was already spent right now, and there was still school to worry about.
Let’s just roll with it and get going, she decided and sigh feeling really tired all of the sudden.
“Of course she did,” the redhead said, looking at her fiance with exasperation. “Ryoga just… don’t do that. I promise that I’m fine now, ok?”
She relaxed after he firmly nodded. Ranma walked up to him and grabbed his hand again, pulling him along a moment later. They were already losing time and she really wanted to be in class before most of their classmates arrived. The fewer people who stare at them going to their seats, the better.
Walking towards Furinkan High, she couldn’t help herself and glanced at the Lost Boy who was matching her pace perfectly and asked.
“Is this really what my mom asked you to do? Cause if yes then it was really dumb, you should know better than this.”
Ryoga’s face turned a little red for a second before he shook his head and collected himself and chuckled.
“Yeah, that was actually pretty dumb…” He admits meekly. “What can I say? Your mom is really persuasive”
Ranma grimaces at that statement, remembering her own ‘talk’ with her mother… ‘persuasive’ did not do her justice..
“You’re right about that…”
“Mom, you shouldn’t ask Ryoga to fetch me. I would be better if you just called me. It would be much faster," the redhead said while sliding the door behind her. She wondered why their talk was taking so long… Ryoga just wandered around the house for half an hour before finding her in the kitchen.
“I’m sorry Ranma, but I really thought that you exaggerated a little bit,” her mother said, looking like she was pondering something. “But how did Ryoga plan to get a hold on his life when he can’t even walk in a straight line for too long? It's a little concerning”
“Yeah, It’s a bummer.” Ranma agreed. “We’ll need to figure out something to deal with that eventually.”
She knew it before but only now it hit her that it actually was a real problem for the future. Well, it’s fine for now, but what will happen when I’ll need to stay home when Ryoko will be b-born? We can’t really hope that Ryoga will be able to walk to school by himself, don’t even mention work when we finally graduate… Well, it’s kind of good for me, I could use this as an excuse to not end up as some freaking stay-at-home housewife. Not like I was planning to end up like this anyway. But it still doesn't resolve Ryoga’s problem with directions…
Ranma stopped her musing when she heard her mother clearing her throat to get her daughter’s attention.
“Well, I’m sure we can think of some solution for that later” she said, straightening her back and looking seriously in the younger girl’s direction. “But now we need to focus on something different, Ranma. We need to talk about your future.”
The redhead looked anxiously at the Saotome Matriarch. After seeing Ryoga wishing her luck with THAT face before she really dreaded this conversation. She was really glad to have her mother back but she really would like to have a breather. There were just too many things happening to her seemingly at once these days.
“Umm… what do you mean, mom?” She asked, trying to look like she really wanted to know all the while resisting the urge to glance at the door behind her.
“I talked to Ryoga-kun about your situation,” Nadoka started, looking really pleased when she did so. “I’m really glad that he’s such a great man, very manly and honorable. Even after I offered to not hold him to his promise he didn’t shy away from anything. He said he wants to be with you and your daughter.”
Ranma was confused. Sure she was already used to her pops to talk or promise something important in her name without her knowledge, but her mother too? Not to mention that Ryoga said… wait, what did mom just say?
“W-wait, he did?” I thought that he just stays because of the martial artist honor. Did he… did he really want to stay… Stay with me? And why the hell does this make me feel this strange all of a sudden? It’s not like I really like him or anything. I don't, right?
The redhead felt flustered and embarrassed, realizing that she didn’t exactly know what to do with this whole mix of other emotions she was experiencing at the moment. She just stared at her mother who clearly didn’t realize her daughter's inner turmoil and was still talking.
“Yes, he was clearly adamant about it.” Nadoka nodded happily, looking really pleased about the whole thing. “He even contacted his family to get permission for you two to move out to their house after you two will get married to each other.” She stood up from her chair and walked to the younger girl, wrapping her into a warm, him hug. “Really dear, It’s good that your future husband is serious about taking care of his family. You should do the same for him.”
Ranma didn’t react to the hug. She didn’t react to anything that her mother said after that either. The redhead just stayed there, with her eyes wide like deer in the headlights not able to proceed with the information she was given.
“W-what, moving out?” She stuttered after a few moments of being crushed into the surprisingly strong arms of her mother. “When did he even… What do you mean I should do the same for him? You don’t know this mom, but I’m broke, I can’t give him anything right now…”
Then something else clicked in her mind and she stared at her mother, feeling like all the colors were just washing away from her face.
“Wait… who do you say he contacted, again?”
Nadoka looked at her daughter's panicked expression and let her go, giving her some space to breathe. “His mother.” She said, keeping her distance from Ranma, for what she was actually glad. Even if it didn’t really make her feel calmer at all. “It’s actually very proper dear, you two are teenagers so in order to get married you need to have permission from parents of both parties. Ryoga-kun said that she should be back home in a week or so and she’s dying to meet you.”
Ranma felt like her legs turned into jello for a second before she steadied herself once again.
“She WHAT?” The redhead yelled, feeling that she was about to start panicking for real. Why didn’t I think about this?! It’s obvious that I would need to deal with Ryoga’s parents but uhhhh… it totally slipped my mind to deal with that… Alright, don’t panic, you’re Ranma Saotome and you’re not afraid of nothing. You can do this, when you meet her you just need to somehow look good and confident while being a sappy, emotional mess of a pregnant teenager…
Nadoka nodded once again, but after seeing her daughter's anxious expression, started to observe her more closely. Apparently the redhead didn’t do a good job staying or even trying to look calm at all.
“Please, understand that she wants to meet her future daughter-in-law, Ranma.” She said, trying to reason with the younger girl. “That’s why you need to be on your best behavior then, act like a proper lady.” Her eyes lost focus for a second before she once again looked at Ranma. “That reminds me, sweetie since it wasn’t long since you decided to stay a girl. I assume you didn’t start your bridal training, am I correct?”
“B-bridal training?” The redhead asked, cocking her head just slightly to the side, taken by surprise by suddenly changing the subject. Even if she would really prefer to - even just for a minute - just stop talking altogether.
“Yes dear, bridal training.” Nadoka said, suddenly the air of confidence Ranma could sense around her was gone. She was looking a little bit lost and unsure of what she wanted to say, but quickly recovered. If Ranma wasn’t a trained martial artist she would probably have thought that what she was seeing was just a coincidence, but she knew what she saw. “I never thought that I would need to have this talk with you Ranma, but looking at your expression I can assume that you didn’t think about it either. Did you learn anything about housework, Ranma-chan?”
It wasn’t the conversation she was really comfortable with, never in her life she would have thought that anyone would be interested in her home making skills. What was more shocking was the fact that suddenly she felt really self conscious about it, practically sweating at the thought that someone - or even worse, her mom - would judge her and her still mediocre skills. Ranma started twiddling her hands trying not to look at her mother’s eyes, fearing what she would find in them if she glanced in them at that moment.
“Umm…” She started and immediately wanted to facepalm herself for such an opener. “Well, I’m helping Kasumi-neechan around the house and in the kitchen… I also have Home Ec. classes at school… I-I guess I’m kinda good at cooking…”
Nadoka smiled at her with relief.
“That’s great, Ranma. It means that we don’t need to start from square one.” She pondered for a moment before continuing. “But still, as I said earlier I think you and Ryoga should be married as soon as possible and this leaves little room for proper bridal training… we’ll need to speed it up so that you could at least adequately train with the housework before your wedding ceremony.”
The redhead grimace looking at her mother like she just decided to just send her for a training trip to China and back all over again but safer. Even so, Ranma didn’t like this idea one bit. The same with the sudden information of meeting Ryoga’s mother or - maybe the most of it all - she didn’t like the idea of the sudden wedding in the middle of the school year.
She could feel like she was becoming more and more pissed off by the minute.“Wait, you want me to learn how to be a damn housewife in a few months?”
“Actually in a few weeks, dear.” Her mother said, dropping a bombshell on Ranma’s head. “The longer we wait the more you’ll be showing and I don’t think you want to one day look at your wedding pictures with a prominent belly in every shot.”
Ranma didn’t care. She was too angry and terrified of this sudden revelation to care.
“What are you talkin’ about?! What pictures?!”
Nadoka frowned at the suddenly agitated redhead and raised her hands in an attempt to calm her daughter who clearly was in the middle of having a fit.
“There will be only a few and only when you’ll exchange your vows, don’t worry. We’ll make your wedding a proper wedding at a later date, this one will only be a formal one, so that your honor will stay intact.”
Ranma’s whole body started to shake violently, trying not to go off at her mother who clearly didn’t see that her daughter had enough. They were just reunited, it hasn’t even been twelve hours but she was already planning her future and it didn’t even look like the redhead had any choice in the matter. It actually WAS like her training trip with pops all over again even though her opinion didn’t really matter. She was so angry she felt like crying.
“Mom… but… but I… it’s just too much!” She tried to say something but couldn’t really muster any coherent response.
Her mother looked at her with great concern on her face and after a moment of hesitation, she once again embraced the younger redhead in a hug. At first Ranma wanted to yell at her to let go, that she wasn’t really better than her father and she didn’t really care about what she wanted or what she was feeling, but she didn’t say anything. She got lost in Nadoka’s hug, which this time wasn’t this strong overbearing and suffocating but gentle, warm and really calming. It actually felt really nice and safe to be hugged like this.
“It’s ok, Ranma-chan, there there.” Her mother was whispering some soothing words to her ears, while she was still trembling slightly under her touch. “I’m sorry to overwhelm you with this but trust me that’s the best way to do this. I won’t pressure you harder than necessary, especially since you’re with a child. I know how it’s like I was a mess too when I was with you.
Ranma didn’t know how long they were staying like this but the more they did the calmer her breathing became. After some time, she actually started to lean on her mother’s shoulder, feeling much better than before.
“Y-you were?” She muttered when she finally calmed down a bit.
Nadoka sighs and smiles sadly at the younger girl in front of her.
“Yeah, I think I was even a little more of a mess than you are now.” She said with a chuckle, and looked deeply into her daughter’s eyes. “I didn’t expect that to happen - with you becoming a woman and all - but I won’t complain about it. You are my very precious girl and I won’t let you down again. I promise. I will help you get through this. Now and after that too. I won’t let you disappear from me again.”
Two redheads were looking at each other for a few more seconds before Ranma finally broke the silence.
“I… thanks mom. It means a lot…”
The redhead didn’t know what to say to that. Her head was a mess and she knew that she was still angry. She was pissed off at her mother for this all decision making without thinking about her opinion, but her previous angry fit exhausted her to the point that there was not much anger left in her.
Besides it was true, she was also grateful for her mother's help. She was putting on a good face but with each passing day she started to realize something. Even the thought of attempting to be a mother without any real help was terrifying and she was really glad that her mother agreed to help her.
Saotome Matriarch smiled happily at her. Probably relieved that she wasn’t shaking or yelling anymore. “Don’t mention it, dear. I would need to come anyway. You don’t think that you would be able to complete your bridal training in just a few weeks, do you?”
Surprisingly, Ranma felt like giggling at that. Of course, it couldn't be that simple. She smiled back at her mother and shook her head.
“Now you’re just messin’ with me mom.”
Her mother's smile grew a little bit while she took a few steps back, letting Ranma have her personal space just for herself again.
“Maybe. Can’t blame a mom for wanting to catch up for the lost time with her child, do you? Even more so, since she will need to hand her over to a man very soon.”
The redhead stopped holding back, and giggled when she imagined what this would look like if they would really try to ‘hand her over’. It would have been a sight to behold…
“Don’t worry, mom. You don’t hand me over to anyone, mom.” She said after she stopped laughing. “I will beat up Ryoga if he ever tries to imply that he now owns me or anythin’. You’ll see.”
Her mom shook her head at that.
“Alright, if you say so.”
They were standing like that for a minute or so. Ranma didn’t really know what to do, since she didn’t want to be rude or disrespectful to her mother but she also felt really tired after all this emotional rollercoaster. The only thing on her mind right now was a quick nap or a short dip into the furo before dinner.
She was wondering how to bring up the fact that she wanted to leave when Nadoka finally spoke up again.
“I’m really sorry for dumping it all on you, Ranma.” She started, once again surprising the younger redhead who wanted nothing more than to forget that this talk ever happened. “I guess that I don’t control myself as well as I thought I could. First I found out that you are finally back, then you turn out to not only be expecting a child but also are in a relationship… I got a little too excited and crossed a line.”
Ranma was really astonished by the fact that her mother really was taking her time and energy to apologize to her so many times. After a moment of comparing she didn’t know what came over her to think that Nadoka was even remotely similar to Genma. Her pops would just try to beat her up if she threw a tantrum like that, there would be no calming words or apologising. Something like that was for women or weak men which she wasn’t supposed to be.
She knew which one she preferred.
But really, is that how it feels to be formally engaged to someone as a girl? I thought that since I knew beforehand it would be different now that I ain’t a guy but no, this shit still fucking sucks…