Ranma and Ranko, a ranma fanfic

This isn't precisely a story, but more of a collection of snippets, that I began writing more than a year ago. It deals with something seldomly explored through fanfiction: what if Ranma's curse included a separate personality?

I didn't really abandon this idea, but after writing this far I decided I didn't really want to work it as is, but more with a Ranma that has already adapted to the second personality. I'm posting it because I just know it has potential so, if anyone wishes to continue it, just tell me and give me some credit.

About the reworked story, the prologue is ready and the first chapter only needs to have a few scenes better connected. I still haven't been able to decide a title, though. Perhaps using something like "Ranma and Ranko, more than two halves", but with fewer words. Perhaps using something like "Ranma and Ranko, cohabitants" without the sexual implication. Perhaps using something like "Ranma and Ranko, bodymates" while using an actual word. Perhaps asking Pilgrim if I could use the tile of his story "Two for the Price of One". I'm open to suggestions and wouldn't mind giving credit.

On with whatever I have to show here, anyway. I'm copying this note on the bottom, too.

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"What do you mean 'engagement'? You had told me so far that we were going to meet Mom, but now you tell me she's actually in Okinawa, and before heading there we need to make a 'stop-over' at my godfather's house, so I can get married!"

…

"What do you mean with 'That are the manly ways'? I bet is just a new scheme of yours that will get me waist-deep in trouble!"

…

"So I have been engaged longer than I have been alive? So at least it isn't new. Either way, if you so much want a wedding between my godfather's family and ours, why don't YOU marry HIM! That way you could leave both me and those innocent girls alone!" - And somehow, the girl managed to trip the panda, slip out of its grasp before it touched the ground, and further sink its head on the pavement by landing right on it. - "If you look for me, I'll be in Okinawa, trying to find both Mother and myself."

After that, the girl leapt away from the panda and began walking away. The panda shock his head; wrote something on a wooden sign he had appeared from nowhere, and shot the sign as a javelin at the retreating girl's head. Then he picked up the now unconscious girl, his and her backpacks, and kept on walking.

A passer-by that had witnessed the entire thing looked at the sign, read that the panda had written "Constant Vigilance!" on it, and shook his head, thinking about forsaking his name and quitting his family's tradition as Drink-Game Martial Artists.

"Daughters of mine, this is a very happy day for all of us! Today, one of you will become engaged!"

"But Daddy, how can you force us into marrying some jerk we don't even know!"

"And how is he, his he handsome or rich?"

"How old is he? Younger boys are so…boring."

"Well, I actually do not know. I have never seen him since he was around age two, and soon after that his father took him into a twelve year training journey, which they have just finished in China."

"So great deal, he has travelled; as if there were no wimps in China!"

Akane stood up abruptly from the table and left the dinning room. After a little while, once loud noises could be heard from the dojo, Nabiki began speaking again.

"And when are they arriving, anyway?"

"They should arrive any moment now. My friend Genma Saotome called from the airport a while ago, and said that he and Ranma are on their way; therefore, they should already be on the district unless they get lost in the subway.

And so the story goes…

Ranma and Akane stood in front of each other for a second, and after bowing to each other they both fell into ready stances.

Akane jumped forward…

"Oh Ranma, I'm just so glad that you're a girl. I would have really hated losing in front of a boy."

Ranma's smile distorted into a nervous expression, and finally settled into a sad smile.

"Akane, I need to talk to you about that. I don't want you to take back your offer for friendship, and I think I could really use a friend."

"But why would I take it back? You seem like an awfully nice girl, and a very good martial artist on top!"

"Well, give me a bit to think how to answer on that."

Confused, Akane shrugged.

"Alright, I'm in no rush. Now just let's go get a bath before heading for dinner." She turned around, heading for the door.

Ranma's eyes bulged at the thought. Regaining control, she caught up with Akane.

"Well, that would exactly be the problem. I guess having hot water would make easier my explanation, though."

And she made no more comments, as she followed a perplexed Akane to the house, and to the bathroom; however, she panicked when she noticed Akane begin to undress.

"No, please!" She said, as she pulled Akane's gi closed again. Akane was even more confused.

"But what…?" She began.

"No, please; let me explain!" Ranma said, jumping a step away. Looking around, she took a wooden bucket.

"I guess this way will be easier. Please don't panic." She said, as she dunked the bucket inside the furo. Then she poured it on her head, and the body of an athletic, buxom redheaded girl became the body of an athletic black-haired boy, very similar to the girl, and with her exact same sad eyes.

Akane was paralyzed with befuddlement.

"This is how I really am. Cold water transforms me into a girl, and hot water transforms me into a man again." He zoned out for a moment. "Ranko wants to talk to you."

He paused to seat on the border of the furo. With the bucket still on his hand, he opened the furo's tap and began filling it with cold water. Without looking at Akane, he spoke. "Please don't think I wouldn't mind a friend."

He closed the tap, and dunked the half-full bucket of water on his head, now her. She shook her head a moment, and timidly looked up at Akane.

"And so that's it with the curse… And so I guess that's it with everything!" She broke into sobs, with she immediately tried to muffle.

Akane's first impulse was to sit by the sobbing girl and hug her against her chest; even before she had really come out of her own stupor. The girl stiffened there for a moment, but then she returned Akane's hug while muttering her gratitude.

"Thanks so much, Akane… Thanks so much…"

An alarm went off in Akane's brain.

What the hell I'm I doing comforting this freak! She's really a boy! A pervert!

She was still too confused to have a violent reaction, so she just froze up. The girl in her arms felt this and looked up at her unfocussed eyes. She then tried to slip out of Akane's arms, which made Akane react.

Wait! If 'she' was a pervert, shouldn't she be trying to take advantage? Should 'he' have let you get naked in front of him!

The girl was nearly out of her arms before she reacted, and hugged her fiercely to her shoulder.

"Sorry, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to reject you! I was just…"

"Scared? Freaked?" The girl supplied.

"Yes, I was freaked… No, not that way!" She added, as she felt the girl stiffen again in her arms. "Well, tell me what's up, then." She began, pushing the girl to her side, with a friendly arm on her shoulders. The girl looked up to her eyes still full of gratitude, but now mingled with discomfort. She sighed.

"Where to begin?"

Akane thought about it for a second.

"Well, is your name Ranko? Ranma called you that a while ago…"

'Ranko' seemed to relax. She slid down the side of the furo and looked at the ceiling.

"For now it is, I guess. Made sense to me when 'Ranma' had the idea: is essentially 'Ranma', but female." She shook her head. "Make no mistake: we are still one and the same in here," She patted her chest… "And we also see what the other sees, feel what the other feels, and share the same memories; however, up here," she pointed at her head… "We are two different souls.

"I guess I better tell you how 'Ranma' became 'us'. About a month ago, Genma and I were hiking around in central China…"

…And Genma fell into a pool.

As Ranma saw him fall, he felt disappointed with his father's resilience. Normally the old fart would take more to make fall, especially with all the air combat training they both did day in and day out.

Jumping about the poles surrounding the pool his father had fallen into, Ranma was beginning to worry. Pops wouldn't normally keep his breath for too long, and even if so, the pool seemed to have gone boiling moments after his father fell into it.

"That's most unfortunate, young Mr. Customer. Your father just fell to the spring of the Drowned Panda. There a giant panda drowned twelve hundred years ago."

Ranma listened but kept his ground. He didn't see the connection between an ancient decease and the current event. Besides, it wouldn't do for him if his father suddenly jumped out of the pool.

It eventually happened, as a large form suddenly jumped from the pool onto the nearest pole. Ranma instinctively fell into a ready stance, but let his guard drop as he saw in front of him a fully-grown giant panda, wearing his dad's apparel, and on a fighting stance. He was too surprised by this to react when the panda shot at him and landed him on a nearby pool.

He shot from the bottom of the pool, but went for the edge instead of the pole. There he felt dizzy, and came down to his knees.

"That was too bad, young Mr. Costumer. That was the spring of Drowned Girl. There a girl drowned fifteen hundred years ago, and you are now cursed!"

Ranma looked up at the guide in disbelief, and saw a strand of red hair fall on his viewing range. He pulled at it, and got to see his hands: they seemed smaller, and delicate.

Frozen with dread, he turned at the strange pressure on his chest area, and saw that 'his' chest had grown an incredible amount of cleavage. 'His' gi top seemed ready to explode!

Terrified, 'he' ripped open the top, and stared at 'his' now swaying breasts.

"Excuse me, younger Costumer, but…" The guide said to him, on a dubious voice.

Ranma looked up at the guide, and interrupted him with a blood-curling shriek, just as 'he' covered 'his' chest again and turned away from the guide.

That man was looking at my breasts and I was showing them!

Then 'he' paled.

Where did those words come from!

'He' further paled, and lost consciousness.

"And then I woke up again in the guide's hut. Genma and him were discussing."

"And what was that scream anyway! My son is a man among men, not a sissy little girl from a crackpot female warrior clan!"

The guide seemed bored.

"I already told you: the well not to have only gave him the body of the girl, but it also gave him the basic knowledge that the girl had developed into instincts during her life. He didn't receive her brain, though, so he doesn't have a girl inside. And remember that I already showed you, when I offered you a bamboo shots and you ate them with gusto: will you tell me that they didn't taste good when your mouth was the one of a panda?"

Genma looked away from the guide, grumbling.

"The curse makes you fit for survival, either as a panda or as a human."

Ranma hadn't been noticed to be awake yet, so he… she began exploring her new body.

She moved her hands on her chest, and indeed felt those soft mounds there.

She moved her hands around her waist, and felt the strange curvature there.

Her hands explored each other, and felt considerably thinner and softer, even if they hardly seemed weaker than usual. The same did the forearms, when the hands explored them.

And after gulping, her hands came to lie on her groin, where plenty of bulk was missing.

And having done the examination unnerved Ranma, not so much for his findings, but because he… she hadn't felt anything to be strange, even if her consciousness was screaming that there was so much added or lacking.

She closed her eyes and tried to calm down. Genma was again raving like a lunatic, and the guide seemed to be letting him cool down on his own. She tried to meditate on what the guide had told Genma earlier.

So the spring gave me a girl's body, and just enough of a girl's mind not to make myself into a completely coarse tomboy…

Darn! Where did that thought come from!

I have to admit it was right, though.

"Eventually I made myself noticed. Genma immediately poured hot water on me, and Ranma and me switched places."

Ranma gasped.

"What the hell are you doing, old man! You nearly cooked me!"

But then 'she' actually assimilated the sound of 'her' voice. It had begun high pitched, but in an instant it turned low, Manly.

Looking down, saw that she… he no longer had boobs. His hands where bigger! His waist was straighter! His groin was bulkier!

"I'm not a girl!" he bellowed in joy, as he jumped from bed and still emitting wisps of vapor, went to dance in the drizzle outside…

About two minutes later, a redhead wadded back into the hut, shaking her head in disappointment. She shook the muck from her feet, and went to sit down at the table where the guide and Genma were.

"Excuse me, sir." She started on a most polite manner, and Genma choked. "Could you please give me any relevant information on why did I turn into a girl in the rain, and turned into a boy after being nearly cooked?" She sat there looking most calm and well bred, while Genma glared daggers at her.

"The guide was most helpful with us. He explained all that he could, and told us that there is no cure but some mystical artifacts that haven't been seen for more than a thousand years."

She sighed at that point.

"Among the things the guide told us, I remember specially the idea of the purpose of the springs. Besides those cursed willingly, the springs seem to purposefully draw people into them, sometimes as punishment, and sometimes for healing.

"At that moment I thought it was punishment for our stupidity and would have been all in for a cure, but at now I wouldn't really know. I the few weeks since Ranko came to be, my outlook in life has changed so much: before, I could only think about being the best martial artist in the world, and now I think of that and it seems such a foolish and empty objective in life. And what about having a place to call home? Or having friends to share your grieves and successes? Or having enough education to be a worthy warrior, instead of just a common brawler? Or what about…?"

Ranko trailed off with a sigh.

"So, you think your curse is actually a blessing?"

"This form is a curse, as its magic is out of my control and came to me unwillingly; however, it might have been the best thing to happen to me.

"I guess I'm talking like I deserved a curse…"

Ranko looked very uncomfortable. Akane tried to change the subject.

"Did you know about this engagement, anyway? Me and my sisters found out about an hour ago."

Ranko winced.

"Me too. Stupid Pops told me we were coming to meet my mother, but about an hour ago he told me that she lives in Okinawa and that we had to make this 'stopover' before meeting her."

"A stopover?" Akane seemed really unimpressed. "Remind me to go backwards when he tells me to go forward. I could…"

She was cut off by a knock on the bathrooms door.

"Hurry up, girls!" Came Kasumi's voice. "You have been in there for nearly twenty minutes. Dinner is getting cold."

"Eh…" Came up Akane, startled. "Alright sis, we'll be there!" She waited until paces where being heard leading away from the door and turned back to Ranko. "But now, what will we do about our bath?"

Ranko zoned out for a moment, before looking up again.

"I guess, too." She took the floating bucket from the furo, fillet it up, and tipped it on her head, now his. "I'll just go downstairs like this and show them: nothing will be gained if we don't get things straight. You just hurry up with your bath, and I'll take mine later." Then he turned somewhat sheepish. "And sorry for taking you to unload my woes. I have only discussed them with Ranko, but…" He stammered to a stop.

"Don't worry about it!" Akane said confidingly. "That's what friends are for!"

"Err… thanks." He said uncomfortably, and left.

Akane hoped to at least get a quick bath, so she undressed and showered quickly, and sat into the furo. There she allowed herself to relax and think for a minute.

Thinking back, listening to Ranma and Ranko speak had been among the weirdest experiences of her life, other than watching Ranma change. Hadn't 'Ranko' spoken about her self both in first and third person? Hadn't she spoken about Ranma also alternating first and third person? Hadn't Ranma done some of the above too? Hadn't Ranma and Ranko communicated with the other by making the other zone out? Hadn't Ranko spoken to her, and then Ranma spoken to her as if he had been Ranko speaking? And hadn't it been, in the end, Ranma speaking all along?

Akane shock her head from so much confusion. Headaches weren't uncommon for her, but that didn't mean that she enjoyed them. Upperclassman Kuno being a prime example of such…

She steeped out of the water, and quickly dried and dressed. She still had to go downstairs to eat and get to know how were things going.

When Akane opened the door to the dinning room, she found a suspicious scene: her father and a fat fellow (who she supposed was the former panda) were crying of joy and getting drunk, Ranma was Ranko again and was looking glum in 'his' spot at the table, and her sisters were smiling at her a little too much.

"Come here, Akane!" Her father toasted at her. "Our day of happiness is now complete! Please come and sit down with your husband!"

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