Chapter 4 I Hate Boys!
Ranma woke up the next morning very disoriented. Shaking the cobwebs from her mind, she finally remembered that she was back at the Tendo home and today was her first day of school. She glanced at the clock and swore mildly. "Damn, it's early," she said, "I bet Kasumi's the only one awake. Well, I'm not gonna get back ta sleep, so I might as well get up and face the day." She crawled out of the futon, and folded up the blanket and the futon neatly and placed them in the corner. 'There, the least I can do for Kasumi is pick up after myself this time around. I can't believe how long I took what she did for granted. I'm not gonna be as big a burden on her this time around,' she thought with a great deal of satisfaction.
On top of her dresser she saw a stack of clothing that hadn't been there when she went to sleep. Walking over to the dresser, she saw that someone, probably Kasumi, had left her a set of the Furinkan girl's gym clothing, a sports bra and a pair of panties. Along side the stack was a lacy, black bra that was much too frilly for her tastes. After looking at the gym shorts, she realized that she couldn't wear her boxers to school. They just wouldn't fit under the gym shorts.
She pulled a pair of shorts on over her boxers, and gathered up a change of clothing. Reluctantly she also took the panties and the two bras with her as she headed downstairs. As she walked by the kitchen, she heard the sound of Kasumi moving around, beginning her morning ritual of getting the household ready for the coming day. Ranma stuck her head in the door, and said, cheerfully, "Good morning, Kasumi. Do ya need a hand?"
Kasumi smiled pleasantly and replied, "Good morning to you, Ranma. I don't need any help, but I wouldn't mind some company while I work on breakfast."
"Okay, I'm gonna go get cleaned up and change. Then I'll come back and we can talk while ya cook," Ranma answered, "Are we the only ones up?"
"Yes, it's still a little early for anyone else. Akane will be up soon so she can do her morning jog, but Nabiki and Daddy won't be awake for another hour," Kasumi responded, "I'm actually a little surprised to see you up this early."
Ranma smiled and said, "So am I, Kasumi. I don't normally get up this early, though, so don't get used ta it. I guess because I went ta sleep so early last night I just couldn't stay asleep any longer. See ya in a little bit."
"Akane likes to soak in the furo when she comes back from jogging. I haven't had a chance to turn it on yet. Would you mind doing that while you're in there?" Kasumi asked.
"Sure, no problem, Kasumi," Ranma said as she turned to leave.
"Did you find the clothing I left you?" Kasumi asked.
Ranma answered, "Yes, I did, Kasumi, thanks. Though I'm not sure about this bra. I don't think that it's really me." She held up the offending garment.
Kasumi giggled, and said, "No, I can't see you wearing that. Nabiki must have left that one. I asked her to let you borrow one of hers. It probably isn't the best choice for you, is it?"
Ranma smirked and said, "Not really. It's definitely a bit too girly for me. I'm just glad that it wasn't ya, Kasumi. I was afraid that ya might have picked it out."
"No, I would have been more sensitive to your tastes," Kasumi replied. 'After all, you're really a boy. I can't imagine what it's like for him,' she thought.
"That's a relief," Ranma said with a quick grin, "I was worried about our shopping for clothing this afternoon if ya thought this was something I would wear." Kasumi returned the smile; glad to see that Ranma had a sense of humor about the situation he/she was in.
Ranma headed off to the furoba and opened the door to the changing room. She made sure that she hung the occupied sign on the door, and then closed it behind her. She placed her clean clothing on one of the shelves and then went into the bathing chamber to light the heater for the furo. She went back into the changing room and took her clothing off, placing them in the hamper for Kasumi to wash later. After getting a towel off the shelf, she re-entered the bathing chamber and shut the door behind her.
Ranma rinsed her self off with some warm water, triggering the transformation back to his male form. After washing his body and rinsing off with more warm water, he reluctantly filled a bucket with cold water. Hesitating, he thought, 'Am I sure I want to do this? I can still back out.' Finally, he sighed to himself as he thought, 'I can't do that to Akane. I promised her that I would do this and I don't wanna go back on my word.' He squared his shoulders and poured the cold water over his head, causing him to change back. After drying herself off, Ranma went back into the changing room and started getting dressed. After staring at the two bras for several minutes, she decided to wear the sports bra as the lesser of two evils. After putting another one of her red Chinese shirts on, she pulled her pair of black trousers on over the panties. She opened the door and returned the occupied sign to its usual resting place and then headed back to the kitchen.
When she got to the kitchen, Kasumi was finishing up the bentos for their lunches at school, and was putting the final touches on the meal she was preparing for breakfast. "Good, you're done. Akane should be back home soon; I heard her leave shortly after you headed for the furoba. Everyone else is still asleep."
Ranma asked, "Are ya sure I can't help?"
"Thanks, Ranma, but I'm nearly done. You can set the table in a little bit, but I wanted to talk to you. How are you handling all of this?" Kasumi asked.
Ranma hesitated and then parried, "What do ya mean, Kasumi?"
"The curse, us, the whole situation you're in. That's what I was asking about," Kasumi said softly.
"There's not much I can do about changing forms, Kasumi. I'll have ta learn ta live with it unless I find a cure. And from what I've been told, there ain't one. I'm the same person, though, no matter what I look like, I know that much," Ranma replied, "I'm still the same boy. Listen, Akane needs ta hear this too. Can we wait until we go shopping ta talk? It is gonna just be the three of us, right?"
"I suppose you're right. Yes, Nabiki won't be coming. I was planning to meet the two of you after school, and then we would go to the mall. One last thing, if you need someone to talk to about all of this, please let me help, okay?" Kasumi said.
"Sure, Kasumi. Isn't that what big sisters are for?" Ranma said with a smile.
Kasumi teared up, asking, "You think of me as a sister?"
"If that's okay with ya, I'd like ta. I never had a family growing up, and I could sure use a sister right now," Ranma whispered softly. 'Yes, Kasumi, I've thought of you as my sister for longer than you know,' she thought.
Kasumi smiled angelically, and said, "I'd like that, Ranma."
They heard the front door close and then the sound of footsteps, running through the house. "That must be Akane," Kasumi said.
Akane walked into the kitchen, still in her jogging outfit, with a towel draped around her neck, and said, "I'm back. Good morning, you two."
"Morning, Akane," Ranma said, "Did ya have a good run this morning?"
"Yes, I managed a kilometer longer today," she replied.
Kasumi said, "That's nice, Akane. You better hurry or you won't have time to soak in the furo. Breakfast is nearly ready."
"Okay, I'll hurry," Akane said cheerfully, as she ran out of the kitchen.
Kasumi took out a cup, and put some instant coffee crystals in it, as well as two heaping teaspoons of sugar. Then she poured hot water in the cup and stirred it. She had just finished making the cup, when Nabiki staggered in; half awake, wearing a bathrobe thrown casually over her pajamas. Her hair was a tousled mess. Kasumi pressed the cup into Nabiki's outstretched hand. Nabiki promptly drank half of the cup, with her eyes still mostly closed. "Gaa," she said.
Ranma giggled and said, "Not a morning person is she?"
Nabiki finally opened her eyes, staring blearily around the kitchen until she focused on Ranma. After taking another sip of her coffee, she said, "Not really, Ranma. I need my caffeine in the morning." She finished that cup and began to fix another. By the time she finished drinking that one, she was wide-awake. "Good morning, you two. Gaa, it's getting late, I'd better get ready," she said, as she looked at the clock. She made a dash for the furoba.
Ranma and Kasumi looked at each other and smiled. They began setting the table with the dishes that they would need to have for the breakfast that Kasumi had prepared. Ranma took the teapot into the family room, and set it on the table, saying "Good morning," to Mr. Tendo who had appeared there, reading his paper.
"Good morning, Ranma," Tendo replied.
Ranma handed him a cup of tea, as Akane made her way from upstairs, carrying her book bag and dressed in her school uniform. "Ranma, are you ready for school?" Akane asked. Ranma yelped in dismay, and ran upstairs. She came back down shortly, carrying her book bag as well.
"I got too busy talking ta Kasumi, I forgot ta put my gym clothes in the bag. Thanks, Akane, for reminding me," Ranma said. Kasumi brought the breakfast in as Nabiki slid into her spot at the table, now dressed in her school uniform.
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Nabiki finished her breakfast and drained the dregs from her third cup of coffee. She then stood up, saying, "I'm off to school. See you guys later!" as she grabbed her briefcase.
Akane said, "Wait for me, sis, and I'll go with you!" as she began to stand up.
"Sorry, I can't wait. I need to get Ranma registered, remember, and you'll need to show her the way to school, anyway," Nabiki replied.
Ranma said, softly, "Nabiki, thanks for your help in getting me into school. I really appreciate it. I'll owe ya one." Nabiki looked a little startled, and then nodded her head and left.
Akane sat back down and said, "Sorry, Ranma. I forgot you didn't know the way to Furinkan."
"No problem," Ranma said as she finished her breakfast, "I'm done now, anyway. As soon as I take my dishes into the kitchen, I'll be ready ta go. Kasumi, that was another excellent meal." Ranma stood up, picked up her dishes as well as Nabiki's and headed into the kitchen. Akane scrambled to her feet, and got her dishes and followed Ranma into the kitchen. The two of them came back, Ranma carrying two bentos and Akane carrying one. After putting the bentos into their respective book bags, the two of them left.
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As they walked to school, Ranma said, "Akane, Kasumi found out about me." At Akane's look of dismay, Ranma hurriedly added, "Don't worry. She's on our side. We had a long talk last night while we were doing the dishes and she won't tell anybody."
"How'd she find out?" Akane asked.
"She got curious when she unpacked my bags and saw nothing but boy's clothing. I could have explained that away, but then when ya came and got the water, she decided ta follow ya ta the dojo. She saw and heard everything after that," Ranma replied.
Akane looked worried and asked, "Did she tell you why she'll keep it a secret?"
Ranma responded, "She said she wanted ta talk ta us before she did anything rash. Then she added that she hoped that you'd learn ta trust me. I think there's more ta it than that, though."
"That sounds like her. She tends to not interfere in things unless she has to," Akane replied.
They walked on in silence for a few minutes more. Then Akane asked, "Ranma, I need you to promise to stay out of my fight, okay?"
Ranma hesitated. "I'm not sure I can, Akane. You're my friend. If I see that you're getting hurt, I'm gonna have ta jump in and help. No one hurts my friends!" Ranma declared fiercely. Then she added a bit quieter, "I'll try not ta, though. I know it's your fight."
Akane sighed as she said, "I guess that'll have to do, Ranma. I can take care of myself during this fight. So far, no one has ever laid a hand on me."
"I need ta start training ya then so ya can continue ta say that," Ranma said with a lazy smile.
Akane's face brightened as she recognized the man walking toward them. They stopped and Akane said, "Ranma, this is Doctor Tofu Ono. He's been our doctor for as a long as I can remember. Dr. Tofu, this is Ranma Saotome. She's staying with us."
'Well, this is a bit different,' Ranma thought. "Nice meeting ya, Doctor Tofu," Ranma said.
"Nice meeting you, too, Ranma," Tofu replied. "Akane, you haven't been by lately. No new injuries?" he asked.
Akane blushed and replied, "No sir. I mean…I haven't been doing anything that would…" She halted, still blushing.
Ranma felt an unreasonable rush of hatred and jealousy. She just as suddenly felt ashamed, knowing that the crush that Akane had on the doctor wasn't returned. "Akane, we'd better get going. We don't wanna be late for school," she said. Akane looked at her watch and nodded.
They started running toward the school, when Ranma asked, "He's a martial arts master, isn't he?"
"Huh? How could you tell?" Akane asked, perplexed.
Ranma smiled and replied, "I just could."
"True, he's very good. But he doesn't look like he'd be, does he? Ever since I was little, he's taken care of my injuries," she replied.
"So, isn't he a man?" Ranma asked.
"Yes, so?" Akane asked.
"I thought ya said ya hated men," Ranma replied.
Akane stopped. After a few seconds of silence, she looked thoughtful and then said, "Well, I'm not sure that was ever really true." She started running, saying, "I hate boys though!" as she finally exploded through the gates of the school and began plowing through the crowd of boys waiting for her. Ranma looked out across the schoolyard. As far as she could tell, most of the boys were some kind of athlete, from a sumo wrestler, to baseball players, to a couple dressed in kendo outfits.
As Ranma jumped up on the wall surrounding the school, she heard Nabiki call from a second floor window, "Oh, Ranma! Ranma! Get in the school, now!"
Ranma sputtered, "But, But…"
Nabiki called, "Don't worry about Akane!"
Akane's battle aura flared almost incandescent, as she pin-balled from boy to boy, leaving someone lying on the ground severely bruised and battered in her wake. Soon all Ranma could see was male bodies scattered everywhere with Akane standing in the center of the melee. While she was breathing hard, otherwise she looked fine. She exclaimed, "For Kami's sake! Every morning. What a drag!"
Ranma jumped to the ground and walked over to her. Ranma asked, "Man, you're popular, aren't ya? Is this what ya told me about yesterday?"
"Yes. It's not over yet, though. Kuno hasn't shown up. Please stay out of the way. You'll get hurt," Akane said.
"What's going on?" the pigtailed girl asked, thinking, 'Yeah, right. Like I haven't seen this before!'
A voice said, "Truly a boorish lot!" A figure stepped out from behind a tree, dressed in a samurai robe, carrying a bokken in his right hand and holding a red rose to his nose with his left hand.
Ranma smiled pleasantly, "The only boor I see is ya. It's very rude ta interrupt a private conversation. Come on, Akane, I don't wanna be late my first day."
"Ranma, I can handle him," Akane said, getting slightly angry.
Ranma smirked and replied, "Who said anything about handling him? Why would I even wanna touch him? His rudeness might rub off, or something. We're gonna ignore him as the fool he really is!" Akane grinned in appreciation of the insult. Ranma took Akane by the hand and began pulling her toward the school building.
The bokken came slashing toward Ranma as the boy said, "You there! Hold! You're being extremely familiar with Akane!"
Ranma looked down her nose at the boy and said, "Of course I am, baka. She's my student. Who are you? Oh, wait. It was rude of me to ask without telling who I am. I am Ranma Saotome, of the school of Anything Goes Martial Arts, and Akane Tendo's sensei. Who are you and what business do ya have with my student?"
"My name is upperclassman Tatewaki Kuno, captain of the Kendo club, undefeated new star of the high school fencing world, but my peers call me the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High!" As he finished the statement, the sound of thunder and the sight of lightning filled the air.
Ranma heard one of the girls around Nabiki say, "Blue Thunder?"
Another asked, "Have you heard that?"
Nabiki replied, "News to me."
Kuno continued, "I challenged Akane Tendo to a fight. If I win, she'll date with me!"
"Nonsense!" Ranma snapped, "As her sensei, I forbid it. Dating ya would detract from her training. It would make her soft. Come, Akane, let's leave this buffoon." Ranma began heading toward the school, pulling Akane along. Kuno stood there in shock, his mouth agape, allowing them to escape.
As they entered the school, Akane pulled her hand free from Ranma's grasp, and angrily said, "How could you? That was my fight! And where do you get off forbidding me to date?"
Ranma rubbed the back of her neck nervously and replied, "You're right. I shouldn't have interfered, but the jerk made me angry. And you're right about the dating thing. I had no business saying that. The thing is I just didn't like his attitude. Hurry up, we don't have time for this, ya can yell at me later." Akane looked at her watch, and grabbed Ranma's hand and pulled her along to the third floor.
They entered the classroom shortly before the last bell rang. Akane headed for her seat, still not exactly sure what had happened and still angry that Ranma had interfered in her fight. Ranma went over to the teacher, and told him who she was. The teacher announced, "Class, we have a new student. Her name is Ranma Saotome. Ranma, please tell us a little bit about yourself."
"Er, I'm Ranma Saotome. I'm a martial artist and I recently came here from a training trip to China. I'm currently staying with the Tendo family," Ranma said.
"Since you know Miss Tendo, why don't you sit next to her," the teacher ordered. Ranma walked over to the empty desk and sat down. The teacher began his lecture. Since Ranma had already been through this class, and she actually wasn't sleepy, she was able to understand what he was saying, though she kept stealing the occasional look at Akane to see if she had started cooling down.
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In another classroom, Kuno approached Nabiki Tendo and asked, "What can you tell me of this Ranma Saotome, who claims to be a sensei?"
Nabiki hesitated and said, "Five thousand yen, first."
Kuno grumbled and then handed Nabiki some cash. Nabiki said, "Ranma came to our house yesterday. My father was a student with Genma Saotome, Ranma' father. Each of them developed a branch of the school of Anything Goes Martial Arts, and then made a pact that one day the two schools would be joined. We thought Ranma was coming to pick one of us to be a fiancée."
"Fiancée! Ranma Saotome! Engaged to Akane Tendo," Kuno said, standing.
His teacher ordered, "Kuno, stand in the hall."
Kuno ran out of the room, saying, "I forbid it!"
Nabiki started laughing, and said, "Wait, Ranma's a, oh never mind, it's too late now."
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Suddenly the door to Ranma's classroom burst open and Kuno stalked into the room. He said, angrily, "I forbid it. I will not allow you to be engaged to the fair Akane Tendo, Ranma Saotome!" He swung his bokken around angrily, barely missing some of the nearer students.
Ranma stood up, and began unbuttoning her blouse, showing a lot of cleavage. She walked up to him, swaying her hips a little. She grabbed his bokken and said, "Do I look like some girl's fiancé to you? Maybe someone's fiancée. Not only are ya a fool, you're blind as well! Just can't see past the clothing somebody's wearing. Gee, I guess it's true, the clothes do make the man."
"You're a girl!" Kuno sputtered.
"This ain't no boy's body I got here, baka," Ranma said, with an evil grin, as she buttoned her shirt. "Now this ain't the time or the place for you to be waving your stick around. Especially since ya don't seem ta know what ta do with it anyway," she continued.
Kuno snapped, "Fine. At lunch, you and I will fight. And if you beat me, I'll allow you to date me. And if I win, I'll date you."
Ranma made a face, and replied, "That's not much of an incentive ta come. I've barely met ya, and already I despise ya on so many levels ya can't imagine. Now get out of here so the teacher can continue his lesson. Some of us come ta school ta do more than strut around looking like an idiot."
The teacher ordered, "Kuno, if you don't leave now, I'll have no choice but to suspend you from school." Kuno walked out stunned.
Ranma turned to the teacher and said, "I'm sorry for the interruption, teacher." She walked over to her desk and sat down. Then she said, "Don't believe anything that moron said. He's just a pervert, anyway. Obviously Akane and I aren't engaged. Like I told him before, I'm her martial arts instructor."
The buzz of conversation stopped and the teacher regained control of his classroom and continued his lesson.
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Ranma tried to catch up to Akane as she headed out the door for lunch, but she made it outside before Ranma could join her. Ranma could tell she was still furious with her. 'I gotta talk ta her, before that moron shows up,' she thought. Then she saw Akane talking angrily to Nabiki near one of the trees in the schoolyard. Ranma ran over to join them, carrying the two bentos from her bag.
"Nabiki, there ya are! Ya ran off so quickly this morning that ya forgot your lunch," Ranma said as she handed Nabiki her bento. Ranma carefully avoided the angry look that Akane sent her way.
"Ranma, you jerk!" Akane hissed, "How could you?"
Ranma sighed as she said, "Akane, I know you're mad at me. I'm pretty sure I know why, but can ya tell me what I did? I can't fix what I did wrong if I don't know for sure."
"You interfered in my fight with Kuno. I can take that idiot. He's the one that told the boys at the beginning of the school year that if they wish to date me, they must defeat me. He would permit no other terms," Akane said angrily, "But I've beaten them all, including him, until today. It's my fight, not yours."
Ranma sighed again in relief this time, and replied, "I hoped it was that. Listen, Akane. I'm sorry I butted in, but he really annoyed me. I shouldn't have let him get ta me like he did. I was wrong."
Akane answered, a little mollified by the apology, "Yes, you were. I thought we had covered that on the way to school."
Ranma said, "I admit, I didn't think; as usual, I just reacted. So you've fought with him every morning?"
Akane replied, calming down a little more, "Yes, and for some reason I always win!"
Ranma rubbed the back of her neck nervously and replied, "Well, some guys, when they fight a girl, well, they hold back. I think he lets up a lot."
"Don't underestimate me," Akane said, coolly.
"I don't, you're good, but he's better. I'm sure he'll come at me soon. Watch him, and see what ya think," Ranma replied calmly.
Ranma finished her lunch, as Kuno stalked up to her. "There you are, I finally found where you were cowering in fear," Kuno stated.
Ranma sneered, "I was talking ta my friends, something I'm sure ya don't get ta do, since a moron and a fool like ya can't possibly have any. I'm not gonna fight ya with the stakes ya proposed though. I wouldn't go out with ya if ya were the last man on earth! Instead, if I beat ya, you'll stop chasing Akane, ya won't even talk ta her unless she gives ya permission. Or are ya afraid ta face me?"
Kuno stared angrily at the pig-tailed girl, and said, "No one can defeat me!"
"So what do you call what I've done to you every morning?" Akane said angrily.
"A setback," Kuno said, "I accept your challenge!"
Ranma turned to Akane, winking at her and asked, flatly, "Do ya want him crippled, or dead?"
Akane asked, shocked, "What do you mean, dead?"
"I trained with some Amazon warrior women for a while, remember. One of them had an interesting idea. She always said that obstacles were for killing, and this fool is an obstacle to your happiness," Ranma replied, with a feral grin.
"You take me lightly at your peril, Saotome!" Kuno stated angrily.
Ranma moved away from the girls and stood waiting for Kuno to attack, near the outer wall of the schoolyard.
Kuno swung his bokken and slashed at Ranma and missed, driving his bokken deep into the wall. Kuno looked around, and found Ranma standing on the trunk of a nearby tree. Kuno thought, 'This girl is a good as Akane Tendo! No, better skilled, I need to turn it up a notch, or she'll beat me!' Kuno swung his bokken again, and Ranma again was out of the way, as the blade sliced through the tree. The trunk landed near the two girls, causing Akane and Nabiki to jump back, startled.
Akane thought to herself, 'He's used his bokken to cut through stone and that tree. How can he do that? Ranma's right, he has been holding back. The nerve of that jerk!' Her battle aura began to flare again as she started getting angry with Kuno.
Before Kuno could swing again, Ranma was inside his guard and said, "What kind of martial artist are ya, endangering people like that! Akane and Nabiki could've been hurt!" Ranma yelled, "Kachû Tenshin Amaguriken!" Suddenly, her fists blurred and Kuno finally staggered backwards, bruised and battered, but still unbowed.
Kuno swung his bokken again, papers flying out of his robe. Ranma jumped back, catching one of the papers and recognizing it as a photo of Akane. "Hey," Ranma said, looking around at the other papers and seeing that they were all pictures of Akane.
Kuno yelled, "You look elsewhere in the middle of a battle! You do not take me seriously!" as he swung his bokken again, causing Ranma to bend under the blade. Akane gasped, thinking that Ranma had been hit.
Ranma landed on her hands and then bounded away, landing back upright a few feet from Kuno. Kuno charged in, yelling, "Strike! Strike! Strike!" swinging his bokken every time. Ranma leapt out of the way, into the air and came down, landing on Kuno's head, driving him to the ground.
Ranma leapt back, as Kuno stood shakily up. Charging in again, yelling "Kachû Tenshin Amaguriken!" with a flurry of blows. This time when she was done hitting Kuno, the boy fell to the ground and didn't get up. Ranma walked over, and kicked the bokken out of Kuno's hand and then rolled the battered boy over. "Do ya yield, or do I have ta put ya in the hospital?" Ranma asked the groaning Kuno.
Kuno said shakily, "I yield, Saotome. The fair Akane Tendo will no longer need fear my attentions. I shall forsake my love for her. The challenge was made and fairly won." Then he collapsed back to the ground, unconscious.
Akane came up and asked, "Didn't he hit you once?"
Ranma smirked and said, "Oh that?"
"Yeah, that! Is it really all right?" Akane said as she touched the wound. Ranma bent over from the pain. Akane asked, "Say, what distracted you in the middle of the fight?"
Ranma showed her the photographs she had grabbed from the air.
"What?" Akane said, angrily, "Why do you have photographs of me?"
Ranma said simply, in disgust, "Not me, they're Kuno's."
Akane glared at Nabiki, who backed up saying, "Just making a little money on the side, Akane. No harm done, right?"
"My own sister," Akane said in disgust. She continued glaring at Nabiki, and then said, "You and I need to have a talk later about this!" Then she said, "Let's take you to Doctor Tofu. He needs to take a look at that cut."
Ranma nodded weakly and allowed Akane to help her walk to the clinic. Nabiki stared thoughtfully at Kuno and then dragged him to the nurse's office in the school.
Akane sighed and said, "I owe you an apology, Ranma. You were right, Kuno was holding back on me, a lot. I'm nowhere near good enough to beat him." She began getting angry again, just thinking about how Kuno patronizing her like that made her feel.
"Akane, don't you get tired of being angry all the time?" Ranma asked.
"That's my business!" she exclaimed.
Ranma shook her head sadly, and replied, "That's a real shame. I wasn't kidding when I said ya were cute when ya smiled. I'd like ta see a lot more of that."
Akane blushed and then asked, "What am I going to do about Kuno? Now that I know how good he is, he's got me worried."
"Don't worry, Akane. We'll fix that. Tell me, how much do ya train during the day?" Ranma asked.
"Well I jog every morning, and then usually work out for a couple of hours in the dojo, sometimes doing katas and sometimes breaking concrete blocks," Akane replied.
Ranma sighed, and said, "Akane, that's not enough if ya want ta get as good as me. When I was traveling with Pop, we trained at least ten hours of every day."
"Ten hours! I can't put in that much time, not and go to school, and everything," Akane said sadly.
"Probably not. On the other hand, while Pop didn't have many good ideas, he always taught that anything could be used for training. On the way ta and from school, we can practice on your balance, by running on the fence. Today was the first day in a long time that I didn't do any balance training like that. We can do other things like that, and then, if I can get your father's permission, we can go on some long weekends and really get some lessons in. I may not be able ta get ya as good as me; I don't know if ya have the ability, nor do I know if I can teach good enough. What I promise is that I will teach ya ta be the best that I can," Ranma said.
Akane helped Ranma into the clinic, where Tofu helped her get Ranma up onto one of the examination tables. "I'm surprised, Akane. Normally, it's you that I'm having to treat." Akane blushed, as she helped Ranma take her shirt off.
Tofu examined the wound in Ranma's side, just above her waist. "What caused this, Ranma?" Tofu asked, "It almost looks like a sword blade did this."
Ranma said, "In a sense it was. I was fighting Tatewaki Kuno, and one of the swings of his bokken created enough air pressure that it cut me."
Soon, Doctor Tofu had her all patched up. Ranma put her shirt back on and began buttoning it.
"Thanks Doctor Tofu, I appreciate this," Ranma said. Ranma and Akane left to head on home.
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Kasumi walked out of the Tendo home and saw Ranma sitting pensively on one of the rocks surrounding the koi pond, watching the fish swim lazily by. She changed course and joined her, asking, "Ranma, what are you and Akane doing at home so early in the afternoon?"
Ranma hesitated and then replied, "Ya know that Kuno kid who's been giving Akane such a hard time? Well, he and I had a bit of a fight at lunch. He attacked me and I defended myself. Unfortunately, before I could knock him out, he snuck a blow in and I got cut. We stopped at the clinic ta let the Doc take a look at it, and then came here."
"Oh my, you need to be more careful. Do you know why Akane was so upset?" Kasumi asked, "She ran off upstairs so quickly."
Ranma rubbed the back of her neck, not sure what to say.
"I was worried about Ranma. He took a nasty blow in a fight that really was mine. Everything finally hit me that he could have been seriously hurt and it would have been my fault," Akane said softly from behind them, "Are you two ready to go shopping? I understand we need to get Ranma a new wardrobe."
Ranma turned and looked at Akane. Akane had changed out of her school uniform and was wearing an attractive yellow dress. Ranma smiled at her and said, "That's a nice look for ya, Akane. Kasumi, I need ta get something, and then I'll be ready. How 'bout ya?"
"I'm ready," Kasumi replied.
Ranma shook her head, and replied as she left, "Not until ya take off that apron."
Kasumi looked at what she was wearing and blushed prettily. She then told Akane, "You need to be more careful with your pronouns when talking about Ranma, sis. You never know who might be listening. I'll go take this thing off, and tell Daddy we're going out." She walked into the kitchen and hung up her apron. Then she went into the family room and told her father, "Akane, Ranma and I are going shopping for clothes. Ranma needs a few things. We probably will be out late, so you and Nabiki may want to order out. We'll stop somewhere and get something to eat while we're out."
She walked out of the family room and joined Ranma and Akane. The three of them walked out of the yard and headed toward the nearest mall.
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Ranma, Akane and Kasumi were sitting in the food court of the mall. The seat next to Ranma was filled with sacks from several different stores. Kasumi giggled, saying, "I still can't believe that you talked me into that dress, Ranma."
Ranma looked amused and replied, good-naturedly, "Hey, I told ya the only way you'd get me in a skirt was if ya let me pick one out for ya, Kasumi. Besides, you're a good-looking girl; ya ought ta dress the part occasionally."
"She's right, Kasumi. You're only three years older than me, after all. I want to thank you for what you got me as well, Ranma. This is a really pretty bracelet," Akane said, as she gazed at the item on her wrist.
"I'm glad ya like it. Maybe it'll make up for some of the chaos I'm bringing into your life," Ranma said, bashfully.
Kasumi hesitated and then asked, "Ranma, how are you holding up? This whole situation has got to be rough for you. I started to ask you this morning, but you wanted Akane in on the talk as well."
Ranma replied, "I won't kid ya. This is real hard on me. I'm still a guy on the inside, at least mostly. When I'm like this, it's easier for me ta show my emotions, than when I'm a guy."
Akane's eyes narrowed and she asked, a little heated, "Does that mean you think girls are more emotional than guys?"
"If I was saying that, you may have proved my point, Akane. No, I was talking about Pop's training. He taught me that boys don't cry or show emotions. I learned that lesson too well, I'm afraid, so I can only cry easily when I'm a girl," Ranma said, "Other than that, as far as I can tell, I'm the same person in either form."
"How are you handling the physical aspects of being a girl, Ranma?" Kasumi asked, "I'm sure there are a lot of things that you have questions about."
"Are ya asking how complete a girl I am, Kasumi? If ya are, then the answer is this body is completely female. I haven't stayed this way long enough yet, but eventually, I'll have my first period. I'll need a lot of help ta keep from freaking out then, I'm sure," Ranma said shyly. 'After all, I did before,' she thought.
Akane eyes grew wide, as she gasped, "You weren't kidding me in the dojo when you were said you were just as vulnerable as I was, were you?"
"No, I wasn't. I can get pregnant, just like any other girl. Ya can't imagine how much that terrifies me," Ranma said even softer, with a quiet dignity.
They sat there in silence for several minutes, while the other two girls tried to digest what Ranma had said.
"Kasumi, the main thing that I need is some time when I can change back ta being a guy. I can't be a girl all the time, it'd drive me crazy. We'll need your help in letting me get those chances. Sometimes I can go somewhere after school, but I was thinking that Akane and I could eventually take the occasional training trip up in the mountains, as well. There's things that I need ta teach Akane that really need a lot more space than we can find here," Ranma said, "That's if you're wanting ta do that, Akane, and we can get your father ta agree."
Kasumi looked troubled, and said, "The after school times shouldn't be too hard; you can just ride the train somewhere and then catch a movie or eat out or something. For that matter, you could just find a safe place to change, and then you could wander around Nerima. After all, no one would recognize you. I'm not sure about the training trips, though. I'm not sure it's proper."
Ranma sighed and said, "I guess it all boils down ta whether ya want ta trust me or not, Kasumi. I know ya trust your sister. That's not something we gotta decide immediately anyway. Akane won't be ready for some time for the things I wanna teach her, anyway."
Akane bristled and said, hotly, "Are you saying I'm not good enough for you to teach?"
"Calm down, Akane. All I meant was that there are things we need ta work on first that are more important. I've only had the one sparring session with ya, and then watched ya fight the hentai horde, so I don't know what ya can and can't do. I know one thing is the balance training that I mentioned this afternoon. Remember ta wear some shorts under your dress in the morning," Ranma replied. 'There I go again, sticking my foot in my mouth,' Ranma thought with a mental sigh.
"Why do I need to wear some shorts?" Akane asked, a lot calmer.
Ranma smirked, and replied, "Because you'll be running on some fences, and I doubt ya want ta show the world the color of your panties."
Akane's face went bright red as she blushed.
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Author's Notes: Again thanks for all of the reviews. All of them are appreciated.: