The early summer morning greeted Kaori like an old friend. Even as the ravages of time seemed to approach like thundering tides, Kaori always found resplendence in the rising sun as it peaked over the eastern horizons.
Rising from her lonely bed, she rubbed her eyes free of the cobwebs of sleep, and reached lazily for the small pill container on her bedside. Tipping a small blue pill into her hand, she slipped it underneath her tongue.
The itchy craving lingered in the back of her mind and she swore to herself—she hated having to quit smoking. Her lungs were always irritated at her for the years of nicotine suddenly being taken away. Wrapping her brown bathrobe that she'd owned for close to twenty years around herself and tying it off, she collected her bath supplies and made her way to the furo to freshen up.
After her morning ablutions were completed, Kaori walked along the path to the gate to the home she had lived in her whole life. Opening it, the smiling and greyed visage of the postman greeted her.
"Good morning!" she greeted with a smile crossing her face. The postman bowed in greeting and handed her the mail. It was very little, but the item that stuck out the most was the postcard. On it, China was printed in English, with the picture of a panda eating bamboo in the cutest way printed on it. A distinct sense of dread settled into her stomach, and she returned to the interior of the house, setting the mail down on the family table. She prepared herself some tea, and sat down at the table.
After setting aside a utility bill and a letter from the Municipal Council informing her of a meeting to be held in the coming days, she finally faced the object of dread.
"Tendou, bringing Ranma from China. -Genma"
It had been over ten years since Kaori had seen Genma Saotome, her best friend and companion through the harsh realities of being trained by the Grandmaster. They had split apart after Genma disappeared with his son to turn him into the best martial artist of all time. And now, he was coming here?
The urge to light a cigarette lingered, and she grumpily cursed herself for her daughters' thoroughness in cleaning the house of every tobacco product. Dr. Tofu's lecture on the responsibilities of the medication she was taking were a laundry list; the good doctor had known of her habitual use of alcohol, and had warned her off that too. These days she mostly drowned herself in black coffee and green tea, as it was all she could have.
Kasumi's flair for the finer elements of cuisine had been a savior, as had Nabiki's keen eye for the best quality coffee this side of Fujisan. At least her therapy and self-realizations had given her the conscious power to go back to training Akane. Speaking of…
Kaori ascended the staircase to where her daughters slept. Walking past Kasumi's and Nabiki's doors, she tapped her knuckles against the last door. After a few moments, a bleary-eyed Akane appeared in the doorway.
"Good morning, dear." Kaori says with a smile, "Take your pill and freshen up. Meet me in the dojo afterwards, okay?"
Akane rubbed her eyes and nodded. "Okay, Mama…" She turned on her heel and went back into her bedroom, closing the door. Kaori returned downstairs to her own bedroom to change into her practice uniform—another byproduct of her old life.
It was a brown gi that she had to admit fit her less and less with each passing week as kilograms seemed to be shed or moved about. Tying it tightly, she stepped back into the family room to hear her eldest daughter hard at work on her craft, as usual. Kaori poked her head through the kitchen curtain.
"Good morning, dear!"
"Good morning, Mother." Kasumi spoke back, greeting her with a bow. "Did you sleep well?"
"As well as you can at my age, my child." Kaori laughed. Her expression darkened. "A little later, we're going to have a family meeting about something. I'll let you know when we're going to do it. I'm going to go practice with Akane; if you need me, come get me, okay?"
"Yes, Mother," Kasumi replied, and Kaori headed towards the Dojo. She passed her middle daughter as she reached the bottom landing.
Kaori said with a hinting smile, "Coffee's percolating for you." She patted her middle child on the shoulder, and proceeded to the Dojo, where Akane was already waiting, performing her kata. Kaori observed critically for a moment, before nodding. "You're improving well, Akane. I only wish I had restarted our training sessions much earlier."
"It's okay, Mama. I know things have been hard for you since…" Akane trailed off, and Kaori nodded stiffly. "But she would have wanted us to be happy, you and I."
The two martial artists spent the better part of a couple hours practicing, the periodic sounds of two women's shouts and fists making contact echoing in the morning air.
…
Genma Saotome was in another one of his sullen moods.
These moods had only become more common in the weeks since they'd left the Joketsuzoku civilization behind in a hurry, with that tribe's finest warrior in hot pursuit to deliver their own version of frontier justice.
Normally, he'd take great pride in Ranma being forced to learn new methods of training–live fire exercises and real danger being some of the best–but other matters had distracted him considerably.
His son, currently soaked and several centimeters shorter than usual, was walking beside him in the rainy streets of Tokyo. The affliction the two shared was an unfortunate one, that had mended some of the damaged threads of their father-son relationship. Those threads had been endangered the previous night by Genma revealing the truth behind their journey to Tokyo.
The Tendo-Saotome agreement, made over a night of liquor binge following the death of The Master, had been an unwelcome revelation for Ranma. They had a long and often violent argument about the expectations of the agreement the previous night, and the hostility lingered between them as they trudged down the waterlogged streets.
Genma, filled with frustration at having lost control of nearly everything, batted away loose strands of the long black hair that were blocking his vision.
As bad as his current curse was, at least it was a far sight better than the first one he'd gotten.
Shannannīchuan, or The Spring of Drowned Pious Man. One of the many curses that had a worse effect than just physical—it had altered Genma's mind.
He shuddered at the thoughts he'd briefly entertained in his cursed form, abandoning his art and very reason for existence in favor of an ascetic life as a monk. He was not a warmongering man, but he did not see the point in renunciation of violence in a world where violence reigned.
In an hour of desperation, in a time of urgency, he had chosen the lesser of all evils, and wondered if it wasn't the Kami punishing him for some transgressions in his younger years. At that same end, he had to make peace with his son, for the sake of keeping things together.
"Ranma." Genma said quietly, stopping underneath a small awning. The red-haired martial artist glanced back at his father questioningly, and Genma sighed.
"I know that the idea of an arranged marriage is unwelcome news for you, but I want you to understand that there is more to this arrangement than just a pre-destined wife. This is to unify two branches of our Art that have been in disunion since before you were born. Nearly twenty years we've waited for this day. Besides, I'm sure you'll like the Tendōs."
"Have you ever met any of 'em other than your friend?" Ranma asked, crossing his arms.
"Well, I haven't had much contact with them since we left for China, but I expect things haven't changed a whole awful lot since…"
…
Kaori nervously smoothed her kimono out as best as she could, avoiding the cold glares from her three children.
"You made an agreement to marry one of us off to a boy we don't even know!?" Nabiki exclaimed, and Kaori nodded.
"It was… not best idea, but at the time, your mother and I felt it… was a very good way to reunite the Art in a manner that satisfied both of our egos. I'm not asking you to adhere to the concept and elope right away with the boy—I'm asking you at the minimum give him a chance. He's Genma's son, so he's bound to have enough skeletons rattling in his closet to let a therapist retire to a tropical island."
Kaori bit her lip in frustration and said, "He's also not aware… of how things have changed."
"What do you mean, Ma?" Nabiki asked, her eyes narrowing.
"Well, Genma and I haven't spoken in about 12-13 years."
Realization dawned on Nabiki, and she let out a weak "oh".
"The last time we exchanged letters was when your mother was initially diagnosed, but… he isn't aware of anything that's come afterwards. Particularly the changes I and Akane have undergone."
"Well, if he has a problem with that, he can go fuck himself." Akane said, and Kaori fixed her with a glare.
"Language, young lady. I agree with your sentiments, but you're still a child and I expect you to keep a proper tongue around me."
"Yes, Mama," Akane said as she blushed and bowed her head.
Kaori opened her mouth to say something when the sound of a bell chime rang out across the home. Kaori rose to her feet and looked at Kasumi.
"Do I look okay?"
Kasumi gave her a smile and a nod of approval, and Kaori moved for the door. Opening the door, her words died on her lips. A woman who was clearly Genma Saotome's twin stood in the doorway, next to another woman—a girl, who had to be about the same age as Akane or Nabiki.
The older woman of the two blinked and said, "…Soūn? Is that you?"
Kaori's eyes widened.
"Genma?!"
"Perhaps we should talk about the situation we're facing? Do you mind if we come in?"
"Of course, old friend. Come on, right this way."
Genma and Ranma stepped into the doorway of the Tendō family home, and deposited their shoes in the genkan. As the two newcomers followed the woman who was once Soun Tendo into the family room, Genma's friend clapped her hands together and said, "Uh, girls. This is my friend Genma Saotome, and his son, Ranma Saotome."
"Uh, hate to be the one to point out the obvious," Nabiki said, "but I'm pretty sure both of them have bigger breasts than we do."
"Yes, there are some things that we need to figure out, so let's sit, share some tea and talk." Kaori nodded to the table, with Ranma and Genma sitting down.
"Okay," Kaori said with a deep breath. "Before I go into an explanation of our situation, why don't the two of you explain… your present state?"
Genma nodded, and pushed his ill-sized glasses up his petite nose. "It all started during our travels to China. We searched far and wide for new techniques to expand our understanding of martial arts. It was during this that I discovered rumor of an ancient training ground embedded in myth and history–known as Jusenkyō.
"The Training Ground of Cursed Springs," Kaori finished, bringing her fingers to massage the bridge of her nose.
"You're aware of it?" Genma asked, surprised.
Kaori fixed Genma with a look. "Yes, Genma. You do remember that I've got a Master's Degree in History, right? I did a lot of focus work on East Asian mythology. Jusenkyō isn't exactly unknown to those who study the more bizarre and insane parts of mythological legend."
"Yes, well," Genma said with a nod. "We arrived there, and began to train on these bamboo poles. While we trained, I made an unfortunate calculation in my defenses, and the boy here got a good hit in on me, and I went plunging into a nearby spring. The first curse I received was… not one I really wish to discuss."
Ranma snorted. "He turned into a pious man. Renounced violence and all that jazz. I ended up gettin' off the bamboo pole and the Guide helped me fish this dope out of the water. He of course was freaking out as soon as he got hot water dumped all over him."
"Indeed. I asked the Guide if there was a way to replace my curse, or to cure it. Apparently there does exist a spring, Nannichuan, that is meant to give out a male curse, but the spring has apparently gone extinct… He left me but one option."
"I see," Kaori said, sipping her tea. "What then?"
"Well, the old man decided that since he had to skirt the uncanny valley, so should I. Threw me into Nyannichuan to make sure it was the right spring."
Kaori glared at her friend, who had the good graces to look embarrassed. "It was a mistake, one of many I've made," Genma said.
"Throwing your son into a magical cursed spring is a very serious error, Genma," Kaori admonished him before shaking her head in disgust. "Anyway, what happened after that?" she asked, and Ranma picked up the story.
"After we left tha' Guide and Jusenkyo behind, we headed to this village in the steppe, ran by these Chinese Amazons. Well, the old man was kinda pissy, and even though I kept tellin' him to stop, he ended up stealin' some food that was meant for a local champion. In order to fulfill honor and some such nonsense, I had to duel the girl. I won, obviously, but I got a Kiss of Death placed on me–now she's gotta hunt me down."
Ranma glanced at Genma and said, "Oh, and… the old woman who ran the tribe, she put some kinda curse on Pops for, and I quote, bein' dishonorable. So now he can't change back."
Tea was ejected all over the table as Kaori did her best impression of a fountain.
"What?" she asked in shock, and Genma nodded.
"I seem to be incapable of contact with hot water. Lukewarm water, cold water, all fine–just not hot. And unfortunately, hot water is what triggers the curse to release."
Silence settled over the group for a brief moment before Kaori spoke. "Now I suppose it's my turn to explain to you how things have changed here. Well, quite a long story in itself. I had been struggling with feelings of… my therapist would say dysphoria since I was in my teens. Masako was an anchor that kept me from going crazy with these feelings, but after she passed away, I descended into binge drinking and smoking to compensate for the loss of companionship."
Kaori folded her arms and kept a passive expression on her face. "I've been seeing a therapist since Kasumi and Nabiki practically forced me to. The therapist and I soon realized that the root of my problems came from my childhood, and my dysphoria. I'm a transwoman, Genma. My name is Kaori."
Genma didn't say anything at first before slapping his hand on the table. "You're my best friend… uh, Kaori. I'll stand by you no matter what."
Kaori smiled and nodded. Genma seemed confused by something. "But you said in the last letters we exchanged that you had a son? Hikaru, I think that was his name?"
Akane cleared her throat, and Kaori nodded in her direction. Genma turned to look at the blue-haired youngest Tendou daughter. Genma bowed his head.
"I apologize, um…?"
"Akane," She said quietly, and Genma gave a nod in acknowledgement.
"Akane, it is a pleasure to meet you."
Kaori nodded. "And these two young ladies are Kasumi and Nabiki, my eldest and middle daughter. Now, we have a eight hundred kilogram elephant in the room in the form of the agreement we made as kids, Genma, and I feel–"
"I'd like to put the agreement into suspension, or at least, rewrite it," Genma said in a clipped voice, and Kaori looked surprised, before nodding.
"At this time," Kaori began, "I feel that instead of forcing them together, we let them decide."
"Agreed." Genma nodded.
The two Tendou daughters who would've been in contention for the hand of a sex-changeling young man breathed a long sigh of relief. Akane, deciding that there was nothing more relevant to her, rose to her feet and placed a hand on Ranma's shoulder.
"If you're a martial artist… then, do you wanna go spar?"
Ranma's sour expression shattered into a mischievous grin. A new sparring partner? "Hell yeah."
Ranma followed Akane into the Dojo, and the two squared off. The short redhead and taller blue-haired girl bowed in formal recognition of each other as competitors, and then to the small shrine made out to Akane's late mother. Facing each other, the two walked in circles, sizing each other up.
Akane launched first volley, charging to close the distance between the two. Ranma blocked a flurry of punches before returning a flurry of his own. An impasse at first, the two separated and began to circle each other again.
Ranma critically eyed her defenses, before going on the offensive and executing a takedown. In a matter of moments, Akane's feet were taken from her, and she plummeted to the floor with a WACK.
Staring up at the ceiling, Akane briefly saw stars before her senses returned. Ranma's face loomed over her and he said, "You're pretty good, Akane."
"Heh. You hit hard, Ranma," she said, rubbing the sore muscles that Ranma had taken out, with a hint of frustration.
"I'm sorry, I'm used ta fightin' my old man all the time," Ranma admitted, shrugging his shoulders. "You're still pretty good, but you've got some tells that are easily exploited. I can help ya with that."
Akane nodded with a smile. "I'd like that."
They proceeded into the family room and spied Kaori and Genma sitting in front of a shōgi table, both with genuinely happy smiles on their face. Ranma had to admit, he'd never seen his father with that expression before. Akane pushed into the kitchen, and reached into the fridge, tossing Ranma a bottle of water.
Ranma yanked it from the sky and took a drink of it. Kasumi was out of the room for the moment, and the two were alone. Ranma cautiously observed Akane. From first glance, she seemed androgynous. Not a masculine 16 year old martial artist or a delicate 16 year old girl, but something that occupied a space between all things.
His curiosity nibbled at him and he spoke. "Can I ask you about… um…"
"About what I am?" Akane asked, amused. "I guess so, you're more polite about it than most of the dopes at Furinkan High School are. What do you wanna know?"
"So you're… what was it called again?"
"I'm a transgender girl, Ranma. I was born with the body of a boy, but with the mind of a girl," Akane said, shrugging her shoulders. "I didn't choose to be a guy at birth, but I knew from a young age I wasn't quite the boy everyone said I was. I guess for most people, I pass well enough but, I dunno." She seemed hesitant and melancholy thinking about it.
"I think you pass quite well. I didn't know you were… um, born a guy until my old man mentioned it."
Akane laughed and scratched her neck nervously. "Well, it'll all be laid bare to you soon. I have to wear the boys' uniform still at Furinkan. That gakuran looks awful on me. But I get my victories." She showed Ranma her nails, which were painted pink, white and sky blue.
"These colours are on the flag that represent transpeople. I wear this and a bra to school and nobody can really fight me on it. I also change in the nurse's office, but beyond that… well, it's complicated." Her face reddened briefly, before she took a deep breath.
"Now, Saotome. I wanna ask you something." She set her water on the counter and lifted herself up to sit on it. "What's it like to have a woman's body? Like, boobs and stuff."
Ranma blinked in surprise and suddenly became keenly aware of his biological womanhood that had been gained with minimal effort compared to Akane's more than likely tough journey to get where she was now. Ranma looked away from Akane and said, "I dunno, doesn't feel too much different than bein' a guy."
"What are periods like?"
"I dunno, I haven't had one." Ranma shrugged lamely, and Akane pouted.
"Dang, I wanted to hear the insight on being a girl from someone who literally turned into a biological female. Is there a way to get more of the spring that cursed you and your Dad?"
"I mean, probably?" Ranma said, thinking about it. "But I don't know how to get it–I'm not exactly on speaking terms with the Amazons as it is."
"Shit," Akane said, frustration being clear on her face. It lasted very briefly before it was replaced with a soft smile. "Oh well. Um, so, Mama and I talked about it, and are you okay with bunking with me?"
"With you? Sure, I ain't got any problems with it. I was, uh, wondering where we were gonna sleep. I was thinkin' the Dojo."
"Oh, no!" Akane said, laughing some. "No, you don't have to sleep out there where there's no heating or cooling or anything. Mama insisted we find a way to accommodate you two, even with the guest room being out of commission. Your father's going to share a room with her, and you with I."
Ranma was unsure how that arrangement would work, but he figured he'd at the very least be polite about it. A blur of activity later, he found himself standing in the outer furo.
"I figure you'd like a hot bath after… everything." Akane explained, and Ranma nodded. A hot bath sounded really nice right now. He started taking his clothes off and paused when he noticed Akane had not left, and was disrobing herself.
"Uh, Akane? Why're you taking your clothes off?"
"Because we're bathing together, dummy."
"But-"
She sighed and rolled her eyes. "We don't have enough hot water to do separate baths for all of us, okay? Just, play along for a bit?"
Ranma nodded and finished disrobing, catching Akane periodically glancing at his bare chest. Eventually, annoyed at her sneaking looks, asked, "Do you have a question, Akane?"
Akane looked surprised at being caught for looking and said, "Are they heavy?"
"Yeah, a bit. If I run around a lot my back starts to hurt a bit, but it usually subsides when I switch back to bein' a guy," Ranma said, shrugging.
"I'm sorry if my questions are invasive," Akane said, bowing her head. "I hate it when people ask me all these questions, I should know better."
"It's fine, Akane," Ranma laughed. "I'm not offended or anythin'. Now come on, let's get this awkwardness over with."
…
The quiet stillness of the night had creeped and planted its roots in everything. Ranma stared quietly at the ceiling, uncertainty nibbling at his head. To his immediate right, the slumbering girl Akane was lightly snoring, curled up into herself. He wasn't sure what to do with himself now. Forming earthly bonds had never been much of an option before.
Insomnia gripping him tightly, Ranma silently rose from the bed he was sharing with Akane, and padded downstairs. He was surprised to see the form of his father's friend, sitting quietly on the edge of the building staring at the moon-lit koi pond. The woman turned to face him and a brief smile illuminated her face.
"Can't sleep either, Ranma?" she offered, and he nodded. She patted the space next to him and he joined her.
"I can't blame you," she said softly, "A lot has changed in just one day. Culture shock, enough sexual and gender identity questions to disorient and confuse pretty much anybody." she laughed and said, "I can't sleep much either."
"It's just how much my life has changed in such short notice, I mean– just a couple days ago the old man and I were roughin' it, ignorin' our curses like they weren't nothin'–but then we're here and now suddenly domesticity's rearin' its ugly head."
Kaori sat back and thought quietly about his words and said, "Perhaps you're right, Ranma. But I'm sure you can see the benefits of enjoying a life with a support network?"
"Sure, I guess. I s'pose this is just the first time I've been able to sit and think and not hafta worry about cops or animals findin' our camp and causin' trouble. It's… eerie."
Kaori nodded, and Ranma observed the woman quietly. "I wish I could give you and Akane the curse I've got. I don't want it."
Kaori laughed and said, "Well, I appreciate your kindness, Ranma. If you ever find a way to import Nyannichuan, let us know and we'll gladly pay the fees necessary, but until then–I am content to be who I am. But I told your father this, and I'll tell it to you. Don't consider this affliction to be a curse. You have a unique chance to gain new perspectives on things. Consider it a challenge."
"A challenge?"
"Switching between the sexes will challenge your patience, your maturity and even sometimes your rationality, more than likely. Learn to balance yourself in such a manner where you can stay yourself and experiment as you please."
"But I'm a guy," Ranma protested, and Kaori placed a hand on his shoulder.
"I get that, I'm not saying you've gotta declare your womanhood and renounce masculinity, but at the very least try to find your most comfortable expression of self. Your father has some very strange notions on what it means to be a man, and your mother?" She seemed uneasy.
"You knew my mother?"
"Yes, I did." Kaori said hesitantly. "I really shouldn't tell you these things. Your father should. Your mother and I didn't get along very well because we held some different views on things. I protested very deeply some of the things your parents did, but by the time it mattered, I had a family of my own to worry about."
Ranma looked at the woman uncertainly, before she smiled, and a sleeve of cookies appeared from the inside of her dressing gown's sleeves.
"Cookie?"
"Thanks." Ranma said, accepting a couple of the treats from the woman.
"Ranma, if you ever need to talk about something, you may come to me. If I cannot help you, I have plenty of people I know through my own experiences who have an abundance of time and patience to listen to you. Knowing my friend, you probably have much to deal with in your head that you should seek a professional to help combat. You'd be surprised what they can do for you."
Ranma nodded and said, "Thanks, um… I'm not sure what to call you. Miss Tendou? Auntie?"
"Kaori is fine, Ranma." She said, a smile crossing her lips. "But Mother would be better." she thought to herself.
"Kaori, then. Thank you."
The young man returned upstairs, and Kaori smiled to herself. Things were getting off to a great start.
…