"Gahhh!" Akane groaned in frustration.
She wanted to rip the misshapen blob in her hand in two. Or throw it in a blender. Sewing was a nightmare. Kasumi had always told her it was peaceful, so she tried to stay calm. Yet knowing that it was supposed to be calming just made her more frustrated.
It was just like cooking.
Flopping onto her bed, Akane stared at the ceiling. She was terrible at everything Kasumi excelled at. And Kasumi excelled at every skill Akane was supposed to need should she and Ranma ever manage to get married. She was going to be a wife. It was the wife's job to do these things.
Even if Ranma was better at them.
Another injustice in the world. How some boy had mastered the skills she struggled with for so long just wasn't fair. He seemed to enjoy it all too. Not just those skills, but the shopping too. And the dresses.
Probably because it was just a game to him. For Akane it was serious. It was all she had, so she was going to master it. No matter how much she might want to complain.
Akane was walking home from school when it happened. The day was sunny, only a few clouds out to the north. The temperature was just a little too warm to call perfect, but far from the unpleasant humid heat the coming months would bring. Akane's mind was on her homework for the night. There was a math test coming up she wanted to study for.
Then Ryoga came charging down the street with a barrel in his arms. Ranma (who'd skipped out on their afternoon classes) and Mousse were chasing after him. Mousse lobbed a volley of chains to grab Ryoga and succeeding in ensnaring the fanged boy's legs. As Ryoga tumbled forward the barrel flew out of his arms and shattered on the road at Akane's feet.
"Akane!" Ranma cried out. She could see pain on his face as he realised he was too far to do anything.
The contents drenched her as they burst free. The sensation was surreal to say the least. It was cold. A cold that chilled to her bones. The moisture seemed to follow the cold. She felt soaked to her core more thoroughly than she'd ever felt before. Deeper than she'd thought possible. Then her whole body seemed to grow numb. The ground grew more distant. Her clothes shifted and seemed to shrink (of course she'd always gone for baggy so they still fit well enough).
She was still partially in shock as the three boys approached her with concern on their faces. (When did Mousse become her height?)
"Akane... are you alright?" Ranma asked. He was looking up at her, but that wasn't that odd, it was how things were half the time.
Ryoga grabbed Mousse by the collar and forced him forward. "APOLOGISE to her!"
"Sorry Akane," the long haired boy replied. He was staring at the ground, apparently afraid to make eye contact with her. "I should have been more thoughtful... that water was very expensive."
Ryoga smacked him on the back of his head.
"I... I mean, also sorry for the curse," he amended. Before muttering in Mandarin: «I thought that went without saying.»
"It'll be okay Akane," Ranma tried to assure her.
It was at that point she finally admitted what had happened. That had been nannichuan water. There was only one response. Deck the three of them. Apparently Mousse hadn't been expecting that and was knocked off his feet. She did worry a little she might have broken his glasses (though knowing Mousse he probably had spares). Ryoga seemed to just accept it (this was worse than a haircut and he'd accepted a thrashing that time). Honestly she thought she might have hurt her hand more than his face. Ranma, of course, took the blow like he always did.
"You're all reckless idiots," she grumbled.
Her voice didn't come out as deeply as she had expected. To be honest it was quite a pleasant voice. Smooth and warm. She supposed it was nice to have some sort of silver lining.
Turning with a huff, she stormed off towards home. She ignored odd looks from passersby on the street. She would be home soon, she would take a bath, and then she would find some way to avoid cold water ever again. It was simple.
"Akane, slow down," Ranma called out.
She ignored him. Maybe he hadn't spilled the water or tripped Ryoga... but he was still part of the mess.
"You should really talk about this... we'll find you a cure, don't worry... but it will take a little while. Akane... are you listening?"
"Graaahh," Akane shouted as she punched into the lot wall around her home. Her fist dug in a little deeper than usual, though it was nothing compared to Ryoga. "Can you please give me a moment alone, Ranma? Maybe I'll be open to talking once I'm myself again... but right now I just want to strangle you."
"Heh, see, you're still the same ol' Akane. No curse will change that temper," Ranma replied with false laughter. "But yeah, go get a bath if you think it will help."
"Thank you for your permission," she seethed.
She stormed into her home without so much as a 'hello' and marched straight for the ofuro. Reaching the changing area she stripped and became aware of why she'd gotten so many odd looks. The Furinkan girl's uniform wasn't the most manly of outfits.
She went to enter the bathing area when the corner of her eye caught her reflection. 'He' was handsome. It probably shouldn't have surprised her. Ranma was about as attractive in either form and everyone had always told her she was pretty. Kuno had somehow thought she was equal to Ranma's girl form even! Yet she'd never seen it. She'd never liked her face. She didn't know why, but it was just always a little wrong... this one though...
Nah. It was just that she hadn't connected the face to herself yet so her brain still thought it was seeing some handsome boy. Once she fully realised it was herself the face would stop appealing.
She hurried over to the shower and doused herself with warm water. Her body shrank back down to what she was used to. It had been nice to be that tall... but obviously the rest of the situation was messed up.
Ranma was waiting with Kasumi and Nabiki in the family room. From their looks when Akane entered the room both clearly knew something was up but weren't sure what. Ranma must have felt it was Akane's place to say. That was exceptionally perceptive by his standards. Feeling comforted, Akane sat down beside her fiancé.
"So, little sister, what's up?" Nabiki asked. "Ranma-kun here isn't talking."
"I... there was a little accident," Akane admitted, blushing more than she expected.
"Are you hurt?" Kasumi asked.
"Nnno... no. A little rattled, but I'm not injured. I am-well, I'm cursed now."
"What did you do!?" Nabiki hissed at Ranma.
"I didn-it was..."
"It was Mousse. For some reason Ryoga had a container of Nannichuan... I don't know why he would... but Mousse tripped him. Ranma was there, but he was too far behind to change anything. Trust me, I want to find a way to blame him too."
"Nann-oh my," Kasumi gasped.
"Daddy's going to blow a fuse for sure. How are you handling it, Akane?"
"I suppose it wasn't as unsettling as I expected... which might just make it more unsettling."
"Ya handled it better than I did with mine... 'course you've seen curses every day for the last year and ya knew it was reversible. So makes sense."
There was a slight pause during which Kasumi came around the table to hug Akane.
"I suppose I should wear fewer skirts until we fix this," Akane laughed. (Finally an excuse to stop.)
"We'll buy you a new uniform tomorrow," Nabiki replied. "Until then... I'll call Kuonji up. She might have a spare you can borrow. I'm guessing you'd be most comfortable borrowing from another girl?"
"Yes. Thank you."
"Waahhhhh! My little girl! Saotome, this is horrible!"
Akane had expected waterworks, but this was ridiculous. Soun was crying so much she worried he might start setting off curses if they got too close.
"I can manage daddy... Ranma has promised to help too."
"Oh, my poor brave Akane! Wahh!"
Ranma was helping Kasumi finish the dishes when a knocking at the door caught his attention. Normally Akane helped with the dishes (to do something useful in the kitchen) but today she'd felt like breaking things too much to trust herself around fragile plates. Drying his hands off Ranma hurried over to answer the door. Ukyo stood there with concern on her face (and a garment bag over her shoulder).
"Hey Ranchan, how is she?"
"Ucchan! It's good to see you. Akane is in the dojo. She decided she wanted to 'try out' her new reach an' strength. Honestly... I think she's doin' better than I'd expected. 'Course she's a decent actress... might just be hidin' it."
Ukyo nodded and followed Ranma to the dojo. When they arrived she couldn't help blush slightly at the sight of a lithe and handsome martial artist running through katas in what looked to be Akane's usual gi pants (judging by how short they were) and one of Ranma's undershirts. Ukyo could only guess the usual gi top hadn't fit right. The undershirt certainly showed off Akane's toned form better, which Ukyo found herself surprisingly happy with. (Needed a better haircut though...)
Ukyo noted with interest what might be a blush on Ranma's cheeks too.
Both Ranma and Ukyo noticed Akane actually seemed to be moving better in this form. She wasn't over extending her moves nearly as much as usual. Ranma at that point realised Akane had always been striving to match her father's reach. Fighting with Kuno probably hadn't helped that internalised decision to overreach.
It was a couple minutes before Akane realised she was being watched.
"Oh! Ukyo. I... hello?" Akane said awkwardly.
Ukyo smiled dumbly for a moment. That was a nice voice. "I, uh, brought you a gakuran. Didn't realise it would be quite so short on you in curse form though. You've got to be almost as tall as Mousse."
"Yeah... hopefully I can avoid getting splashed until I've got my own uniform. Don't want to stretch out yours. Thank you though."
Akane was in bed. The pillow was soft. The mattress just the right level of firmness. All was quiet. It was the perfect condition for sleep.
Except of course the slight issue that Akane's mind was racing at near relativistic speeds. It wasn't going anywhere though. Just spinning in circles, a mess of half formed ideas. Occasionally a couple of idea nuclei would smash together and shatter into a million new and strange ideas.
Having one's mind doing a respectable impression of a particle accelerator was not conducive to a good night's sleep.
A gentle knock on her window distracted the freshly cursed girl for a moment. Turning she found Ranma dangling out her window. Akane sat up and slid the window open. Her fiancé slid in gracefully and sat himself beside her.
He had rehearsed what he planned to say in his head for half an hour already... but seeing Akane's face he had to do an emergency run through in his head if he was going to avoid sticking his foot in his mouth.
"I-er, Akane," he at last began. "What I mean to say is, uh, we'll work through this. I lo...li...care about ya Akane. Whatever happens this curse ain't gonna change anythin'. And not just because it'd be real hippocratic of me."
"Hypocritical Ranma... Hippocratic is something else," Akane corrected. She did find herself giggling a bit though and half wondered if he'd made the mistake on purpose.
"Right. Yeah. That one."
There was a moment of awkward silence while Ranma tried to figure out what else he could say. Coming up short the pigtailed boy went for one option he could handle and hugged Akane. She certainly enjoyed the feeling of being wrapped in his arms and let herself melt a bit in the warmth.
"Sorry 'bout this Akane... sorry about all of the mess I've brought into your life."
"You're worth it though," Akane mumbled into his chest. Blushing a bit her instinctive defenses flared up and she gave a qualifier. "At least sometimes."
"It just had to rain," Akane grumbled as she walked into class.
"At least it meant ya didn't have ta deal with Kuno's hug," a tiny Ranma grumbled. The small redhead then looked up and gave a cutesy face to Akane. "'Course I appreciate ya punchin' him on my behalf. Such a gentleman."
"Gah! Don't do that Ranma," Akane grumbled. (Why did being called a gentleman feel so strangely pleasant?)
"Oh, hello. Are you a friend of Ranma's?" Sayuri asked.
Her and Yuka had both appeared from seemingly nowhere and were looking up at Akane with... interesting expressions. Mostly curiosity. There was a bit more there though... Akane wasn't sure how she felt about that.
"It's me, Sayuri," Akane replied flatly. When her friend just looked confused, she sighed. "Akane. I'm Akane."
Sayuri's eyes grew comically. "Ooohhhh... Was this Ranma's idea?"
"Why would it be my idea!?"
"Well, you were just flirting with her," Yuka said. "Wanted to be a girl with a boy for a change?"
"I suppose it's sort of sweet. He could have had any boy he wanted, but chose to stay loyal to Akane," Sayuri pointed out.
A flustered Ranma was struggling to defend himself. This was why he prefered fists to words. Fists were easier to dodge.
"It was an accident. And really, it was Mousse's fault," Akane said. "Ukyo should be here with a kettle soon, though."
"Did Ukyo get splashed too?" Yuka asked.
"Could anyone even tell if that happened?"
"Sayuri, that's not very nice."
"It was meant as a compliment. Kuonji's too handsome, it's not fair... now Akane too?"
Akane still half wanted to strangle Ranma for telling her not to hide her curse at school. The boys had all tried to invite her over to their changeroom. When she finally made it to the correct one someone had 'tripped' and splashed her with a water bottle. And then she'd heard from Nabiki there was a strong demand for photos. The general consensus (again according to Nabiki) was she had a sort of soft 'boy-band' handsome thing going on. If she'd train shirtless in male form, pictures would sell very well. (Topless in female form would of course sell even better of course, but Nabiki had offered that to Akane and been shot down months ago.)
For now she was trying to work on her homework. Something was bugging her, though... everyone agreed that her hair didn't suit the new form. She wanted to ignore it, but for some reason it dug at her. Maybe she just wanted to compete with Ranma? If he could be the most gorgeous girl at Furinkan, did she want to compete on some level by winning the prize of most handsome boy?
Heading down stairs it didn't take long to find her big sister. The older girl was in the kitchen going over a meal schedule for the next week.
"Kasumi? I'm sorry to bother you," Akane said nervously, "but... could you maybe give me a new haircut?"
"A haircut? But your hair is already so short..."
"It doesn't really look right with the curse though. I don't want weird looks every time it rains..."
"Oh my. Give me a moment, I will see if any of my magazines have unisex enough styles."
"Way ahead of you big sis," Nabiki announced as she appeared at the door. Her hand held an open magazine turned to a male J-pop star whose hair wasn't too different from a pixie cut.
"What do you think?" Kasumi asked nervously. She wasn't sure a girl should have such short hair. It might have been even shorter than that Shikako girl's.
Akane had no clue as to her big sister's apprehension. She was just left smiling at her reflection. She'd finally gotten hair as short as she'd wanted when she was little. Back before she'd decided to try to copy Kasumi to win over Dr. Tofu.
Just a little splash of water and it'd be perfect.
Akane froze. What had that been? Was the curse whispering to her?
She had to go find Ranma.
Which luckily proved very easy as the pigtailed boy in question strolled into the kitchen. Seeing Akane's new hairstyle he froze and blushed.
"What's so important ya wanted ta chat on the roof?"
"It's about the curse... and it's awkward. I don't want to risk Kasumi overhearing and worrying. Or Nabiki overhearing and selling the information off."
"Well, ask away. I still ain't an expert on the magic side, but I know enough ta help."
Akane was quiet for a short while as she tried to figure out what she was trying to ask and how to put it into words. She shivered slightly from an evening breeze.
"Does it... does it make you want to change?"
"Huh..." Ranma replied mysteriously.
Akane watched nervously as he looked off towards the faint light still hanging where the sun had set a few minutes earlier. His eyes gave away that he was deep in thought and Akane found herself holding her breath in worry. Had she said something wrong? Would Ranma reject her? See her as some sort of weirdo?
"It...uh, doesn't really," Ranma mumbled.
Akane's heart sank. What was wrong with her then? And why did she voice the issue?
"Unless it's givin' ya somethin' ya want," Ranma added, his voice sounding quite distant.
"S-something I want?"
"Sure. Like, pops always wants outta responsibility, so he goes cursed form. Everyone knows pandas are lazy."
Akane nodded. What was it that she was being tempted with?
"It can be more complicated though. Like, I always end up disguisin' in girl mode cause it makes me think it's a different face so I'm bein' sneakier... but I also end up in it a lot 'cause there's things I just don't feel comfortable doin' as a guy..."
He turned back to Akane with a guilty look in his eyes. "An'... maybe sometimes I kinda just like it. Bein' all cute an' stuff... Only sometimes though!"
This time it was Akane who broke eye contact first, though both of them ended up staring nervously at the tiles they were sitting on. Ranma could barely believe he'd just openly admitted his darkest secret. He was convinced he'd just scared her off. Akane was lost thinking about her own issues and would realise for some time just how much Ranma had just opened up.
As such they both were distracting themselves with the mismatched tiles of the Tendos' roof. Various impromptu repair sessions had left it a tad disorganised. Roofing details could only keep the minds of teenagers busy for so long, though.
"I... I might actually have liked it," Akane mumbled. "Even though it's been awkward every time... there's just something about it that I like."
Their eyes met again and Ranma's looked very welcoming and open suddenly. "Well, if you're gonna be spendin' time in boy mode you'll need new clothes. Even with your tomboy tastes ya don't quite got proper clothes. How about Sunday we go on a bit of a shoppin' trip?"
"Sure," Akane replied with a slight grimace. (Great... shopping...)
"Ranma, that's 5 shirts and 3 pairs of pants. I think I'm good," a currently male Akane mumbled in that wonderful voice.
"Maybe for day to day and whatnot, but you'll need some formal wear. Oh, probably a sweater too. At least one pair a' shorts. A raincoat would probably be good too. Maybe-" the pigtail boy was rambling. (He enjoyed clothes shopping entirely too much in Akane's opinion.)
"A raincoat? Why would I need that if I'm already in cursed form?"
"Do ya want ta get pneumonia or somethin'? There's a big gap between enough water ta activate the curse and soaked to the bone."
"You never bother with one," Akane pointed out.
"Well yeah... Pops would probably yell at me that worryin' about that stuff is girly... Sometimes I gotta act a bit dumb to make him happy."
Akane's mind suddenly flashed with the adorable picture of a tiny redhead in a cute frog rain jacket.
"Here's a deal, Ranma. You get yourself a proper raincoat for your cursed mode and I'll put myself through more shopping. I don't want you to get sick because of uncle Genma's nonsense. Or auntie Nodoka... as much as I like her she's almost as bad as he is at times."
"Sounds like a deal. If I blame you then pops can't yell at me as much."
Akane and Ranma were walking home from a rather annoying day of school. Ms. Hinako had either been suffering from a sugar rush or stolen the energy from an entire class of five year olds and had run Ranma a bit ragged. Then the principal had acted up, deciding to flood the hallways to encourage a more Polynesian experience.
"I should start training ya," the small redhead mumbled, half to himself.
Akane stopped in shock. "You're... you're going to train me?"
"Ya. I kinda lost my main excuse... even if I still don't like the idea of hittin' ya... I also think I've figured out how ta train somebody different from how Pops does. Or Cologne for that matter. You definitely look built for speed."
"I was rather surprised by that to be honest. You always said I was 'built like a brick' and here I am, clearly thinner than you."
"I was kinda teasin'. For a girl you're muscular, but that's 'cause most girls get nervous about properly buildin' up. You should remember though, ya can barely swing Ryoga's umbrella two handed. I can manage it with one hand even when I'm like this," the redhead replied, indicating his current form. He then gave a confident flex of his right arm. "Now that, that's muscle."
Summer vacation had finally started. That meant Ranma and Akane were doing a lot more training, as well as a fair amount of simply hanging out. Today was more the latter. Akane had saved up enough money to buy a walkman, so the pair were on a train headed to Akihabara.
"I hope there's a good sale," Akane mumbled. "I'd like to get a couple tapes too if I can."
"That's the real reason you brought me ain't it? You know I can hunt for a deal nearly as good as Nabiki," Ranma said.
He was leaning in very close. For a couple out together it wasn't unusual, but they had one little complication...
"Ranma, you shouldn't lean in like that when we're both male," Akane told him quietly, blushing a bit as other passengers started to whisper.
"What do I care?" Ranma asked, suddenly grabbing hold of Akane's hand. "I love ya, and if anyone's got a problem with that I'll knock their socks off."
Akane turned as red as the madder dye that his name referred to.
"Ranma!" Akane blurted before switching to a whisper. "Why are you suddenly being so public?"
"Because... the whole time I've known ya I could tell you were uncomfortable and upset with something. I'd always worried it was me. Now though... I can finally see ya properly happy and I know it wasn't me."
"Pardon?"
Ranma turned Akane's face to look at him and leaned in very close. "At this point you're not getting used to that form. You're living in it. When was the last time you changed without it bein' a response to your father crying? I can see in your eyes you're you now."
Akane became so flustered he almost missed Ranma's lips landing on his. The shock of how scandalously rebellious they were acting shot through Akane's very being. And... Akane kind of liked it.
Akane was putting the finishing touches on his summer break homework in the family room. Nabiki sat nearby flipping through a magazine. Neither had much energy in the late August heat.
"Hey, Akane."
Akane turned towards his sister, not sure what to expect. "Yes Nabiki?"
"Should I start calling you little brother?"
Akane's mind managed to freeze up despite the heat. "I... uh... Don't joke about that kind of thing!"
"I'm serious."
The tall teen stared down at his homework. He didn't know how to respond.
At least until he realised the whole page he'd been using «Boku» rather than «Watashi». When did he switch over?
"I guess so," Akane admitted.
"Alright," Nabiki mumbled and flipped another page in her magazine.
How she managed to remain so casual after throwing Akane's sense of self on its head confused the youngest Tendo sibling. His elbows firmly on the table, he felt himself massaging his temples and trying to think despite the heat. It wasn't easy.
"You might want to think about a new name. 'Akane' is pretty feminine. Up to you, though," Nabiki mumbled as she turned another page.
"At least gym class didn't give any real homework over the break," Ranma said.
"A bit more sex-ed homework might be fun though," Hiroshi jabbed in.
"I can't stand that class," the pigtailed boy said as he pushed open the door to the changeroom. "They make me do the homework assignments for both sexes. They really should just have everyone learn everythin'... then I wouldn't be singled out for extra homework."
"I should probably go back and do some of the boy's assignments," Akane mumbled.
Everyone in the room froze and stared at him. Yes, Akane was in male form. Yes, at least half of them had tried to talk him into joining them when he first got the curse. Yes, Daisuke and Hiroshi had been hanging out with him and Ranma plenty during the break and not seen him in girl mode for well over a month. But still...
Akane took a moment to realise why everyone was staring at him.
"Oh, right. I forgot," he muttered.
"Well, as long as these idiots keep hot water away from you it should be fine," Ranma replied. "If anyone does splash you... it'll hurt for them."
"Thanks Ranma, but I'm the one who will make them pay," Akane stated, a slightly frightening grin on his face. "And if anyone splashes you I'm happy to help beat him to his senses. I will not stand for perverts."
The rest of the guys in the room mumbled apprehensively and gave the pair a lot of space. Having what were technically the two cutest 'girls' in the school in the changeroom with them was a strange sensation. That those two were currently male just made it more confusing.
Nodoka sipped her tea quietly while she sat at a small table in the dojo. Ranma and Akane were both sitting nervously across from her. They were fidgeting and clearly fearing the silence she placed them in.
Akane had surprisingly responded to Nodoka's summons in female form. A surprising move as Nodoka had barely seen that face for six months now. Also a move that Nodoka found slightly disappointing.
She'd tried to comfort the youngest Tendo child at first. Then had seen as Akane spent more and more time in cursed form. Nodoka had told herself it was youthful rebellion. Many young girls found Japanese society restrictive so it made sense Akane would try to work around it. She also told herself it was tied to Akane finally receiving training from Ranma, training which had been tied to having a male form.
Those excuses held up for the first month. She managed to still cling to their tattered remains when the summer vacation had ended. Then she heard second hand how Akane had begun to use the male facilities at school. Had noticed as Nabiki referred to the youngest Tendo as 'little brother' more and more. Nodoka had surrendered when she at last heard Kasumi follow suit. That had led Nodoka to begin a different approach.
"Akane."
The teen in female form before her jumped slightly at finally being addressed.
"I have been watching you these past few months. Noting how you've explored this new identity you're building with my son's help. I have also seen how the relationship between you two has grown."
Both teens turned red enough to stop traffic.
"I feel there is one important question that you two must confront at this stage though," Nodoka began. She left a pause just long enough to watch Ranma and Akane's eyes grow with fright. "Simply put... when you marry which one of you plans to take the other's name?"
Nodoka could scarcely stifle a giggle as the youths went through several stages of shock in short order.
"I... pardon aunt-err, auntie Nodoka?" Akane asked. The effort to keep in a feminine tone was clearly a struggle for him.
"Well, it is traditional for the wife to take the husband's last name. However in your case... I am not familiar with any clear tradition for when there are two husbands."
Ranma continued to stare at a middle space on the floor while Akane attempted to stammer a reply. The pigtailed boy was obviously lost in thought.
"Akane, I am not blind. You've clearly begun to live your life as a young man. I may not understand your decision, but I can see that under Ranma's guidance and your own pre-existing moral code you are a model gentleman. That Ranma has been able to help you with this unusual period of transition certainly reflects well on him too. I am proud of both of you. A bit confused by what has happened, but still immensely proud."
"Tendo," Ranma said suddenly. His eyes lifted up to meet his mother's. "It's the Tendo Dojo. Already got the sign out front. No reason to change that."
Nodoka smiled warmly at her child. "As good a reason as any. Seems the most appropriate option as well considering that you'll be the one wearing the shiromuku."
"Wha!?" Ranma gasped.
Akane gave a similarly shocked expression, though lacked the outburst Ranma had made.
"You are my only child, Ranma. Tendo has two daughters, at least one of whom is likely to marry in the near future. Despite current appearances I suspect Akane has no wish to fill the role of bride, so it is only logical you will follow tradition and wear my family's shiromuku."
"I certainly would prefer a groom's hakama," Akane replied. "But I don't want to see Ranma forced to wear anything he wouldn't want to."
"Heh, it ain't the idea of wearin'-wearing one that surprised me. It was mum suggesting it. We both know I'd look adorable in girl mode all dolled up for a Shinto wedding."
Akane nodded. Just picturing the sight turned his cheeks a bit rosy.
"I am... as always a bit unsure how I feel about your openness to these things, Ranma... but in this case I approve," Nodoka said. "There is one thing I remain curious in regards to. Akane-kun, you may be keeping your family name, but what of your personal name?"
"Oh... I'm still trying to figure that out. Finding a new name is hard... and my current one is something to remember my mother by. I know it doesn't quite fit the new me though."
Tendo Akira smiled as Ranma wrestled about with their daughters in the Tendo home's family room. Ranma was feigning defeat as the little raven haired seven year old and redheaded five year old were tackling him. At times Akira envied how close Ranma seemed to be with the pair and wondered if it was an innate bond of motherhood. At times he almost wanted to give it a shot, but the idea of effectively spending another year of his life female was unnerving.
He also definitely didn't envy all the hours of labour Ranma had gone through.
"Alright now, girls, release your poor mother. He's got a complicated dinner planned tonight, you know," Akira told them with a slight chuckle.
The dark haired Ranko release her attempt at a sleeper hold reluctantly. "Can I help, mom?"
"You can help at the end, Ko-chan, but the start is complicated. It's part of why auntie Kasumi is coming over so early," Ranma replied. He then looked down to the adorable redhead clasped to his shin, her eyes alight with a 'to the death' intensity she unleashed on almost everything. "Akane-chan, if you really must attack someone, your father is looking pretty defenseless right now."
"Hey, wait a minute," Akira protested while the wild eyes of his youngest locked on him.
Thankfully a knock at the front door distracted her and she bounded off in a streak of red. The rest of the family hurried after and barely caught her before she could open the door on her own. She was still a bit young to be handling greetings. Scooping her up in his arm Akira then slid the door open with his free arm.
"Hello little brother," the smiling form of a visibly pregnant Kasumi greeted him. "Happy tenth."
"Mhm, happy ten year mark Akira," Ryoga chimed in.
"Happy ten!" the twins chimed in from between Kasumi and Ryoga.
The two identical six year old boys were always perfect sparring for Akira's daughters, so he was thrilled to have someone else to unleash little Akane's energy on. He didn't have to feel guilty either, they were Hibikis so they could handle it.
The extended Tendo family was gathered around the table chatting merrily. Nabiki of course had received questions about when she'd finally marry and brushed it off. Ranma, Kasumi, and Nodoka were busy serving the food. The children were busy discussing the newest fads from their respective schoolyards. Genma and Soun had grown impatient and already started the saké.
That of course meant that Soun was now sitting with his hand on Akira's left shoulder and tears streaming down his face.
"Akira. I just want to say that these past ten years you have truly proven yourself to be the best son I could ever ask for," the at last grey haired man was saying. Then, as happened every 'curse-aversary' celebration (as Ranma called them), Soun's tears cranked up to eleven. "If only your mother had gotten a chance to see you like this... She would have been so proud."
Akira managed a slightly off kilter smile. His father had brought it up every year and yet every year it caught him in the heart. At least now he no longer felt the guilt that had eaten him for years from having given up the name his mother had given him. He smiled at his daughter. Akane suited her and her red hair better anyway.
He felt an arm wrap around his own right arm. Turning he saw his husband and the mother of his children (a combination of titles that always led to amusing faces from strangers). Ranma gave his arm a reassuring squeeze.
"I know I'm proud of you... but can we eat? I'm starvin'."
"Rrrannma!" Akira grumbled, but could help laughing.
No matter how much his life had changed some things were constants.