The usual disclaimer: Ranma ½ is a trademark of Rumiko Takahashi and VIZ Communications, and its characters have been borrowed without permission. This story was written for non-commercial purposes only.

While this is story is part of the Bindings ("Kasumi's Fate") continuum, it's not necessary to have read any of the previous stories. You only need to know a few things:

1) Ranma and Akane are happily dating now.

2) Kasumi and Tofu are engaged.

3) Ranma has made a conscious decision to keep his shape-shifting abilities/curse.

4) Tofu is teaching Ranma, Akane, and Kasumi Martial Arts and more Arcane Arts as well.

5) Nodoka has sought Tofu's help (with the Tendos' support) for dealing with a mental illness that was manifesting in OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder) and acute paranoia/feelings of oppression. In this story, she has already made significant progress. I wasn't planning to discuss her recovery other than to say it was well along, but feedback from reviewers has caused me to reconsider this. The story "One Stitch at a Time" will discuss this later. For this story, just know that her mind is a much happier place. This bullet is only relevant to those following the Bindings continuum.

6) Shizuka Jouda is Kasumi's Tai Chi instructor. She's a tough and implacable warrior who loves children, especially the children of her deceased rival and best friend, Kimiko Tendo (even if the "children" are getting up there in years). She's been involved in Kasumi's life off-stage for nearly a decade now. She has also been working Ranma on how to teach others.

7) Hideo Jouda is Shizuka's husband. He runs a florist shop in the same building as her dojo. He's a tall, good natured man, with endless patience – especially for his stubborn wife. He's also a very talented mage as well and has been working on Ranma's teaching style.

Anything else isn't important to enjoy the story (although, please feel free to read the other stories).

Onwards…

Genma's Job

Chapter 1 of 3: The Challenge

Nodoka woke up and noticed her husband was missing from his futon. "Well, this should be interesting…" she thought. "Let's go see if he actually caught up to Ranma before my son has left to go jogging with Akane." She was normally up at this time anyway. Ever since the weather had warmed up, Nodoka made a point of getting up and having a cup of tea on the back porch. She would have loved to prepare breakfast for the combined families, but Kasumi was always up before her, no matter how hard Nodoka tried. "The advantages of youth," Nodoka thought ruefully. Still it allowed Nodoka to engage in one of her favorite pastimes – watching her son spar.

These days, the early morning sparring was usually with Akane. Nodoka enjoyed watching the two teenagers duel. Normally, she would have scolded her son for fighting women, but Nodoka knew there was something special about Akane. Ever since Ranma had agreed to train her, Akane had become more alive. Every move the young woman made seem to be magic, even when she was just going about her day. The girl seemed to be full of such energy that she was a force of Nature, not a mere mortal. Truly, she was a fit companion for her son.

Once upon a time, Nodoka had wished that her daughter-in-law-to-be was a bit more domesticated, but some things couldn't (and shouldn't) be tamed. Besides, it was rumored that her mother, Kimiko, had been an absolute disaster as a homemaker, but the woman had eventually learned. After all, the mother of three had taught Kasumi, and some of Kasumi's best dishes the young woman attributed to her mother (to which Soun agreed). And Akane was the spitting image of her mother in all ways – Nodoka had only met Kimiko twice, but Kimiko had left such an impression on her, that she never forgot the meetings.

However, since Akane was Ranma's sparring partner these days, that meant Genma was idle, something Nodoka disapproved of. Admittedly, Ranma had eclipsed Genma's abilities, enough so that Ranma probably wouldn't get anything out of pummeling his father (well, except for revenge that is). While Akane was not up to Ranma's skill level either, she was progressing quickly and her enthusiasm and energy made a big difference. Since Genma was no longer any use to Ranma sparring, that meant he should be of use elsewhere – like setting a good example and getting a job. After all, Kasumi had insisted Soun get a job and he now had two jobs (the Public Works Department and as a Town Councilor). It was time Genma did the same and stop lounging around the house.

When Nodoka had informed Genma of her decision, he had hit the roof – right up until she pulled out the sword and asked her husband if he was abdicating on his responsibilities. Nodoka had no delusions regarding the outcome of a duel between herself and Genma, but he had to sleep sometime. That put sweat on Genma's brow and forced a more civil conversation immediately. However, Genma had insisted that he could beat Ranma anytime, anyplace and the boy still had too far to go. He still needed Genma's teaching and watching over him. That was Genma's real job, and he had no time for anything else.

Nodoka countered that Genma hadn't won a sparring session against Ranma since she had arrived on the scene, and Ranma hadn't learned anything new from Genma in that length of time either. It was time to admit that Ranma had learned what he could from Genma, and that her son's other teachers (Tofu, Shizuka, Hideo, and even Happosai) should take it from here. If Genma had anything left to teach Ranma, why wasn't he doing it? Besides, Ranma was at school most days and he had a job at Tofu's clinic. She insisted instead that given how things were currently working, Genma could still get a job and teach Ranma before and after Genma's new job.

Genma had then waxed eloquently how he and Soun had beaten Happosai to become Masters. Until Ranma actually did that in an open challenge against Gemna, he was still Genma's student. Trying to play to Nodoka's ego, he noted that Ranma was an exceptional student, and of course, Genma had to keep in tip-top shape to stay ahead of Ranma. That was also part of the job and required a lot a work.

Nodoka had noted in turn that Soun and Genma had beaten Happosai by stuffing their Master in a barrel and sealing him away for ten years. Did Genma really plan on spending the next ten years in a barrel? Also, Genma's daily work out seemed to consist of sitting in front of the TV all day. Ranma was already wise to the Cradle from Hell and wasn't likely to fall for any further dumb tricks. If Genma's job was really to prepare for his coming battle with Ranma, Genma needed a coach. Maybe Nodoka should supervise Genma's training? She was certain that she could come up with a rigorous set of routines and jobs to help Genma out. Genma seemed to be putting out even more sweat at Nodoka's suggestion. Finally, Nodoka had stated Genma had to put up or shut up: teach Ranma something new or defeat him in an Anything Goes sparring session. Failure to do one or the other within a few days meant that Ranma had outgrown Genma, and it was time for a new job.

Nodoka got up and opened the end table drawer, removing the prescription Doctor Tofu had given her. She dutifully took two pills and swallowed them, then put the bottle back. She had lied to her husband about the medication, telling him it was to relieve the joint pain that had resulted when she had accidently smashed her wrist (she never told him she had accidently slashed her wrist snapping a tanto blade (1) ). The foolish man had just bragged that martial artists never needed such medicines and never bothered checking up on the drug to see what it really was. As Doctor Tofu promised, the drug didn't change who she was, just lessened the OCD and the constant feelings of oppression. She had actually been able to destroy all the copies of the Seppuku contract that she had stashed around the house (it had caused her pain and anxiety, but she was able to do it). Now, there was only the original document at the lawyer's office. She hoped by Ranma's 20th birthday, she would be strong enough to destroy the document in front of him – the fall back plan was to have Ranma burn it himself, but she really wanted to do it. She also didn't feel it necessary to carry the sword around with her constantly anymore (although she still had to know where it was). Once, when Ranma asked about the sword, she simply told him that it really wasn't any of his concern until it was his turn to safeguard the blade. The slight smile on his face showed that he understood.

Nodoka went downstairs and walked into the kitchen to see that Kasumi had already boiled the kettle and had the makings for tea all set out. "Good morning, Auntie," the young woman said brightly. Nodoka smiled outwardly and nodded, but the inward smile was again rueful. Kasumi also moved as if she was magical, and Nodoka was a little jealous. Kasumi was only going to be twenty-two in October, but Nodoka never knew a woman so completely together. At least Akane had her insecurities (making her easy to relate to), but Kasumi had none.

"Good morning, Kasumi," Nodoka replied while moving to the counter and putting the tea together. She also prepared a separate cup using tea bags – Nodoka wanted to see where Genma was.

Kasumi noted the separate cup. "I would have made the tea, but I wasn't sure when you would be up. Personally, I love fresh tea," Kasumi told her.

"You love everything, child," Nodoka thought with an inward grin. The jealousy had evaporated – it was hard to hang onto any negative emotion around Kasumi. Out loud, Nodoka said: "That's all right Kasumi, Thank you for setting out the tea, and I'll have a proper cup in a bit, but I wanted to see where Genma got to, and I need a cup of tea to get going."

"Oh, I believe he's outside," Kasumi answered. "He said something about running 'that lazy son of his through his paces.'" Nodoka swore she saw a malicious gleam in the young woman's eyes. Maybe Kasumi didn't love everyone after all.

"Oh. Well in that case, please excuse me," Nodoka said with the same gleam in her eyes. She wasn't exactly head-over-heels in love with Genma either. As she left the kitchen quickly, she would swear that she heard Kasumi chuckle.

As she entered the back porch, she found Soun sitting quietly watching the scene in the backyard. He acknowledged her entry and then held a finger to his lips. Then he pointed out into the yard….

Genma was annoyed as he stood before Ranma and Akane trying to get their attention. Ever since the trip to China, he had been feeling more and more pushed to the side. His son no longer worried about trying to impress him. Instead, the boy was concentrating on impressing this slip of a girl. Nodoka worried primarily about her son, not her husband more than superficially. Genma no longer had a voice in the household as Kasumi's became the only voice that mattered. Once, he had been the dominant voice in the partnership with Soun, but what little influence he had over Soun had evaporated completely – now Soun viewed him as a Shogi partner, not a business partner. Genma was no longer even the dominant teacher in at the dojo. Everyone was looking to Ranma (surprisingly enough) for their cues on who taught who and when, and Ranma was consulting with everyone (Akane most of all) but Genma. What's more, it was actually working: Kasumi had started a Tai Chi class and Ranma intended to start teaching as soon as he was done with High School with Soun's blessing. The boy was planning on attending college (of all the idiotic things!), but wanted Akane to be half-way through before he started (and what was up with that?).

Genma no longer had his plots to sustain him either. Nabiki had finally out-maneuvered him and the Tendo property was beyond his reach. Without the money from the sale of the dojo, he couldn't complete some of the other plots he had running and had to stop them before they blew up in his face. He had been counting on constant movement to keep himself ahead of the game since none of his cons had been deep or thorough enough to remain undiscovered forever. His plans had always relied on leaving Nerima within the year, but now he had no money to move on. He had been forced to run around like crazy over the last month shutting down the scams. Things like that second mortgage application on the Cat Café could have landed him in hot water quickly.

Genma had toyed with the idea of finishing the scams and taking Ranma on an extended training trip for a few years, but Ranma was out of control and growing more so. Genma had tried to raise the boy to be a carbon-copy of Genma – concerned with only himself and treating other people as beneath him. It was easy to manipulate someone like that. But, something had gone terribly wrong. It had looked like Genma was succeeding right up until Ranma met Akane, then it all gradually went out the window. His idiot son had actually fallen in love! When Genma had announced to Ranma that it was time for a real training trip, Ranma had said "No" and tossed him in the pond without breaking stride. Of course, Genma was still smarting from what Akane did to him once she found out about the announcement (it was fortunate that Nodoka had no interest in the physical side of their relationship).

Now it seemed that the only thing Genma could look forward to was living as an extended family member to his son's household. But, Nodoka was not happy with that. His crazy wife wanted Genma to earn his keep. When Genma had tried to put his foot down, things had degraded quickly. If he hurt Nodoka, Ranma would hurt Genma and throw him out of the dojo (not that Genma was really interested in hurting Nodoka – she was his wife after all and did take care of him). He couldn't ignore her or she would decide that he was abdicating on that damn contract, and Genma liked sleeping.

So, Genma had only one real option in front of him. He needed to re-establish control of Ranma and show the boy that Genma was still the Master. The Father had not taught the Son everything the Father knew – Genma was smarter than that. You always held something back for just such an occasion. Once he was back in charge of Ranma, he could get Nodoka to back off. Then maybe he could talk Ranma into hitting the road again. Genma was souring on Nerima. There was nothing here for him anymore, but he wasn't leaving without his servant. Once it was just him and Ranma again, he could live off of his son once more.

Genma had tried to put his plan into motion that very morning, but Ranma's wasn't paying any real attention. Genma had walked outside in his gi wearing a stern expression, but other than politely saying "Good Morning", the two teenagers ignored him. This surprised Genma. "What are they doing?" he thought. Ranma seemed to be walking Akane through a kata. As he watched, he recognized it as one of the more advanced Anything Goes maneuvers. Ranma was taking Akane through the motions by calling out the movements one-by-one as he did the kata with her.

"Why, that's not how you teach a kata, boy!" Genma yelled at Ranma. "You do the kata yourself and the student has to watch. Then you have them repeat it."

"Akane, doesn't learn that way, Pops," Ranma told him. "She picks things up much faster if you walk through it with her. Apparently, that works well with a lot of people."

"And who told you that nonsense, boy?" Genma demanded.

"Shizuka. And it's not nonsense, Pops," Ranma answered distractedly still concentrating on working with Akane.

"Utter bull," Genma pronounced. "Besides, Akane is not ready for that kata. She could never handle any of the Sky katas."

Akane's eyes flashed at that. Genma actually felt a moment of doubt (and the memory of pain) before locking his gaze with Ranma. Ranma held Genma's gaze with an amused expression. Suddenly, the pig-tailed youth yelled "Scorpio!" and Akane immediately ran through the kata perfectly.

"Aries!" Ranma yelled. Again, Akane did the appropriate kata correctly.

"Gemini!" Ranma yelled joining Akane in the kata. Gemini required a partner. Both of them flew through the kata at high speed, never missing a move.

"Aquarius!" Ranma called out, separating from Akane. This was a harder kata, but the girl made a very decent run through it.

"Capricornus!" shouted Ranma. Genma eyebrows shot up. He hated that one. It took forever to get right and Happosai had made his life hell over it. Genma clenched his teeth as Akane performed the kata with a smoothness Genma never could.

"GO AKANE!" Nodoka yelled from the porch. Soun clapped his hands.

Ranma looked at Genma smugly. "Face it, Pops. You said she couldn't do one and she did five. She stumbled a little on Aquarius, but she nailed Capricornus. And she did it without any verbal help from me. Granted, she's gifted…"

Ranma turned to a very proud Akane; "You never heard me say that!" he barked. Akane made an appropriate (or rather inappropriate) salute before he turned back to his father and continued; "But maybe I know what I doing," Ranma finished.

"Early mornings are for practices, not for lessons," Genma told him. "You've obviously forgotten what I've told you. You're slipping, boy. We need to get you back to the basics. Come over here and let's go over your stance." Genma needed to goad Ranma into a fight. Up on the porch, Soun looked at Genma like he had lost his mind – telling the lad Genma wanted to review his stance was tantamount to calling Ranma a beginner.

But Ranma only looked amused; he knew his father. "Look Pops, Akane and I have a Saturday school class this morning and I want to go over Sagittarius with her before we go. She seems to be strongest with the Fire Katas in the Zodiac Series and it seems to be carrying over to the Sky Series, so we can probably run through it at least once before we go. Could you satisfy your ego somewhere else?" the pup told him.

"HOW DARE YOU! I AM YOUR FATHER!" Genma roared in a Chi-enhanced voice.

"Unfortunately," Ranma told him. "However, I can beat the snot out of you this afternoon once I get home from school."

School? Ranma cared about school? Since when? "She's made you weak, boy!" Genma blustered pointing at Akane.

Akane's eyes blazed as she drew herself up, but not as hot as Ranma's. Ranma spoke first, the quiet words shocking everyone and robbing Akane of speech: "Actually, she has made me strong, Pops. Stronger than you can ever imagine."

Genma's brain went into shock at those words, but he shook himself out of it. "Was that a challenge, boy? Do you think you can actually beat me in an Anything Goes fight?" Genma demanded.

Footnotes:

(1) Happened at the end of "Shape-Shifters".

Updated 12/10/13: My thanks to KaraOhki for taking the time to provide C&C!