Training, home schooling and female modesty were the daily basis for Ryoga and the girls everyday. After the events in the Hibiki Manor, the fanged boy sneaked out of the place in company of his little cousin Akira. They almost reached the main gate when another impatient redhead jumped from the roof in front of the pair.
"Hey . . . .Ryoga . . . .honey, why are you sneaking out of the house.?" The boy skipped and looked at the girl, trying to come up with a good enough lie. "Ranko . . .you see, there are some things my sister and I need to work on our own . . .but don't worry, the next trip I promise to take you with us." The nervous chuckle from the boy clearly made Ranko doubt that explanation and she walked as close to the boy as she could. Her hands rubbed the boy's arms and when one arm crossed the other in front of the girl, a noticeable cleavage made Ryoga even more nervous.
The boy stuttered even more and tried to look away from the sensual girl and she just stopped doing that and grabbed him by his nose. "Ryoga . . .where are you going . . . ." She hugged the boy, squeezing her chest to a point where the boy would have squirted blood all over the place. Good thing she stopped that from happening. " . . . . . . .Now, and no lies . . . ."
(with the sound of a tight closed nose cavities) "Ranko-chan . . .we are going to get you a present . . . .just a present that's all . . ." The girl let go of the boy and looked curious at his idea. After a moment she smiled and jumped like a little girl, which made a bouncing effect on other parts of her body.
Ryoga bobbed his head and stopped, ashamed at what he was looking at. "Now now, don't ruin the surprise. I promise it will be amazing." Akira shook her head at the scene. "Wow. . .I can't believe I'm turning my manly cousin into a wimp." The boy bonked her on the head annoyed at her antics. "I swear Ranko acts more as a girl everyday . . .is cute, but what can you do when those deep blue eyes stare back at you."
Suddenly the boy realized he said it out loud and forgot Ranko was still with them. The girl threw at him her signature devilish smile and jumped pecking him on the cheek. "Thanks Ryo, this is for the journey. . ." then she left walking into the house with a feminine swaying he caught the moment the girl turned away.
Her mom smiled at the display. If this had happened before she knew Ranko was her son, she wouldn't have believed it. She tried to teach the girl modesty from the first time she met her at the Tendous. Her blunt and tomboyish attitude reminded her of another redheaded girl she grew to identify . . . .herself. "No one ever wonders how can a regular housewife "wanders" the land, waiting for her husband and son ."
With a wave of her hand, she called the girl's attention. "Ranko dear, classes start in five minutes. . .common!" The girl looked to her side and bowed at her mom's intentions. "Coming mom . . ." The girl skipped on the way up.
On the way out of the city, Ryoga talked to the girl about more details for their mission. "Aki-chan . . .how am I going to learn about teleportation?" The girl didn't want to touch that point yet, she thought the boy wasn't ready for it. "Ryo, remember the sword I worked so hard on getting? . .well that is the key for your training. Your ancestor Ryota Hibiki taught me the secret of the blade. It is meant to work with the blood of the family and the effects on the two gems fused in the hilt."
The girl kept serious for a minute trying to make sure Ryoga could understand the next step clearly. "Then, the sword is activated. . . .in the first step the red gem will glow and stay on until the process of the second effect comes into play, and than the green gem will lit, finishing the course."
The boy made sure he understood every step and kept questioning the different steps. "So, I get how the sword works and what was the reason to obtain it, but how do I activate it.?" The girl hit him on his arm. "That's where everything starts, you see is like this . . . . . ."
When done with the explanation, a confused Hibiki evaluated his options. What he needed to do was beyond any request he was asked to do before. The boy regarded the girl a close friend and family, but to go that far he never thought possible. "Fine . . .I understand what I need to do, but . . . .do I need to tell Ranko and her mom about this." The girl considered that and she had to argue. "Ryoga-kun. Would you want to see the one you love worried to death all the time before you start the process?" The boy got that and nodded in agreement. "Ok, but she is going to kill me when she finds out." The pair kept quiet and walked the rest to the way closing to a countryside onsen (hot springs).
On the way back Ryoga focused on the land and stood several times on different places while staring at the horizon. "What do you see Ryo . .?" The boy extended an open hand and tracked his surroundings. At some old ruins the fanged boy pointed at an old broken chimney. "This is the place, I can feel it . . .This place was closed since the seventies when a gold fever made Hokkaido the striving city of gold miners in the 40's I believe. Of course this place was caved in and dried from the metal, but they missed something . . . .I can feel it deep, several miles deep."
The girl knew where this was going. Without warning or a Bakusai Tenketsu! The boy began to hit the ground opening a freshly hole each time. Every hole formed the new cave angling downwards into the earth. As usual the pair got into their strength, endurance and resistance training by avoiding rocks and heavy dirt and selecting the small amounts of precious metals and gems thrown by the human badger.
Endurance became the strong point on the training this time. The hole began to go deeper by the second, the air became stale and thin. Ryoga had a knack for finding packets of air along the way, allowing him to breathe during the excavation. . . .Akira gaped at the training, but when your immortal, lack of air means just the sensation of asphyxiation, but nothing else.
Several miles in the crust of the planet, the darkness died by the shining stone incrusted near an opening of an underground cave. In the cave a small river of magma traveled from side to side. On the other side of the lava stream a beautiful clear rock popped bathing the cave with sparkling red and yellow colors. "What is that.?" The boy rested from the exercise and leaned on the side of the cave.
The boy began with a smug face. "Sis . . Did you know that diamonds are selected not only by color, cuts and carats, but by their small imperfections and cracks barely visible. . .they are called "inclusions" and "blemishes". The ones that can't be seen under 10x magnifications are described as "flawless" and are the most expensive natural diamonds in the world."
The girl marveled at the size of the clear stone hanging from the cave. "So those are flawless diamonds?" Ryoga smiled and nodded at the girl. "Sis . . .Ranma is my inspiration, you could think of her as my flawless diamond and I'm going to get her that in the most beautiful "rings" you've ever laid your eyes on." The girl looked at the boy impressed by such loyalty. "But there is a stream of hot, burning magma directly under the rock . . .how are you going to get it . . .?"
Ryoga pondered the way but every time he tried to get near the precious giant gem, the heat became unbearable. Akira sighed at the boy and grabbed him by the shirt. "I swear, after this you owe me big time!" The girl undressed all the way to her undergarments and jumped into the cave. The fanged boy saw how his sister climbed through the mass of rocks and the sudden heat caught the girl on fire. Crackling of burning flesh and flames from her underwear made the boy cry for the girl.
"Stupid . . .what do you think your doing . . .stop, please . .comeback. .!" The girl ignored him and kept moving until she reached the rock. With a few punches around the base of the giant crystal, she managed to get the whole thing. By the time she went back with her brother, a charred, bald and scorched girl delivered the goods.
"Relax. . . .this hurts like hell, but it looks worse than it feels." The girl collapsed on the boy's arms, unconscious from the pain. "Damn it Aki-chan. . .damn you . . ." Tears fell from the boy while he bagged the crystal and carried his sister to safety.
An hour later brother and sister arrived to the opening of the newly formed cave, and to their amazement the rain caught the now turned piglet and the burned girl for surprise. Ryoga felt guilty for the way Akira was, but the girl stood up, took the bag with her brother's clothes and the gems in it and set the piglet inside her wet shirt. "OK. . . ."these" are mine but I trust you so just ride with me and don't complaint." Ryoga hadn't felt the squishy sensation of a girl's chest since Akane and his little pig's nose exploded from within the shirt. "Oh, c'mon Ryo. . .I'm not even a real girl. . .what a wimp you are. . ."
Back at the Manor Ranko kept transforming between her male and female side. Every time she did that her mother would guide her about the way to walk and move on the different genders. "Good daughter, a bit more of practice and you'll be able to act as feminine in your girl form as any other female and retain your manly self apart when you're male." Ranma desired to keep Ryoga as more than just her future fiancée and since she was a he, she understood the reasoning behind the training.
"Mom . . .thanks for helping me with this stuff. I'm sure Ryoga will appreciate me the way he looks at my two forms." Nodoka kept thinking about that and even though she agreed with her daughter, questions raised by the second. "Ranko, what if . . . . ." The girl caught the concern on her mother's voice.
"What if he "falls" for my male side.? . . Well, I ain't one for complains. I want him to see me as how I am. . .a human being, and you know what, he does. . .he sees me as his partner, but he loves me so much that he is willing to separate me from my male side. .not for "his" convenience, but for my self respect as a man, and that I respect and care even more."
Nodoka had to agree with the girl. Ryoga meant every time how much he cared for the male just as much as for his female form, and in the end don't we all share different treats? She certainly loved her husband, but sometimes he was so thickheaded that staying away was the better solution. "To love and despise that man is our way of love . . .funny to think on him as two Genmas . . .funny indeed."
Mr. Tao arrived at the Dojo where mother and daughter/son trained. The man left several boxes by the entrance and the girls asked them about. "Hi Mr. Tao, what's that . . ." Asked the confused redhead. "Mistress, these are special clothes Master Ryoga sent me to get for you." The girl jumped at the news and ran at the heap of boxes.
Some where female dresses in long chest and skirt cuts, and others were male attire made with fine silk, and in the last set of boxes the girl found different designs made in unisex fashion. The last batch could be used by either form. The girl gazed at the servant curious. "Say Mr. Tao, why don' you freak out when you know me as a boy and a girl.?" The old man smiled at the transgender girl and bowed at her. "Mistress, I should be "appalled" if it wasn't because a few months back I chased a small black piglet all over the house with a knife and a giant cooking fork in hand. When I saw the master transform and giving me evil looks, I realized to never judge anything considered "strange" in this house.
Ranma face faulted at poor Ryoga and her fault for cursing him and when her mother frowned at the servant's story, she asked her for help to get the clothes upstairs while explaining the anecdote. After the laughing girls set the garments on the redhead's room, they walked back to the Dojo, but they met Mrs. Tao in a very heavy get-up waiting at the hall near the main entrance.
"Mrs. Tao, is everything all right?" The old woman bowed at the girl and a heavy duty mop and bucket popped on her hands. "Everything is fine Mistress. Ryoga announced us he is on his way back from "work" and he usually comes with half the dirt in Hokkaido on him and the mistress." Ranko shook her head at the report and promptly went up to her room and came back with a towel tied to her head and regular clothes, a mop and a bucket of her own in hand. Mother arrived in the same fashion and Mrs. Tao blushed at the women.
"Mistress, you don't have to do this. . ." The redhead stopped her there. "Don' gimme that, and don' call me mistress. . .to you and Mr. Tao I'm Ranko or Ranma, got it? . . .and if "my" husband is coming dirty, is up to "me" to take care of "him". . . ." Nodoka gaped at the seriousness of her daughter's choice of words. "Well I guess they becoming more accustomed than before."
Half an hour later a muddy pair of blobs walked into the main hall. The screams of the Hibiki boy startled the residents of the house. "Mrs. Tao . .do not come and clean . . I will take care of this mess myself . .I promise. ." When the boy guided his sister through the mess left behind, a fuming redhead tapped the floor behind the pair. "What in the hell are you doin' to my floor!" The boy knew the voice and turned immediately. Ranko was on her knees scrubbing the dirt away, and Ryoga blushed at her work. "Ranko-chan wait please, I'll clean I swear."
The girl stood up and walked at the boy. "Ryoga-kun, you are my husband and I'm your wife, but if you dirty my floors like this again I swear I'm beating you to a pulp you hear me!" The boy nodded on command and flushed, he bowed and kissed his wife on the cheek. Ranko made the cutest muddy face she managed and pushed the boy and the girl to the washroom. "Go wash, supper will be ready soon."
Too late the boy realized how the girl called him. "Husband . . .it has a ring to it . . .I can't believe this works. . .my most annoying enemy, well my only enemy has turned into the one I'd give my life in a heartbeat, and happy to do so."
After they washed the boy and a burned and bald girl entered the dinning room. Nodoka almost fainted when she saw the small redhead. "Aki-chan what happened to you . . .?" The girl just slumped in a chair and waited for the food. "Oh nothing Mom, just some training gone out of hand."
Ranko looked concerned as well and went near the girl. "Aki you OK. . .you look like hell, and your hair. . . .you have none." Akira giggled at the way the redhead put it and she scuffed in an uncaring manner. "Don't sweat it Ranma, by tomorrow I'll be all fixed up. The good thing of being immortal is that my image never changes and reverts to its real form."
Night began to fall in the happy family. Ranma learned to accept her fate not as a humble wife, but as a real woman in charge of her life and thanks to her fiancée she could keep her male identity present at the same time. Nodoka helped in the kitchen while Mr. and Mrs. Tao sat on the table discussing and laughing about the incidents Ryoga had around while in piglet form. Everything was in place, that is until a knock made the Saotome matriarch answer the door.
On the other side, long faces made their appearance. "Genma dear, Akane? . . . .everyone is here, please come in . . . ." The Tendous, Ranma's father and Ukyo entered the house. Kasumi ran to the kitchen and acquainted herself with fine crafted cooking supplies and utensils. Nabiki jumped to the portraits and expensive paintings while grabbing a calculator from no one knows where. Akane just kept looking at the scene.
Ranko dressed in an unisex red and black attire sited at the table with an old couple and Ryoga on the opposite side. Nodoka went back to the kitchen. "Please everyone make yourselves at home. Dinner is being served now." Mrs. Tao tried to stand and help the matriarch, but Ryoga stopped her and signaled her to stay in place. He stood and help the girls sit at the table, he even went for Kasumi and brought her from the kitchen.
"Kasumi-san, here you are my guest. You don't cook and you don't serve . . .I do. . ." Ranko stood as well and the Hibiki boy smiled at the welcoming help. "An' so do I . . ." Said the girl helping with the dishes. Nodoka sat at the table and began to pass the different dishes around, serving Mr. Tendou and his daughters. "Husband . . .I love surprises you know that, but to what do I owe this honor.?"
"No-chan . . .we need to talk about this nonsense." Looking at the Chef he continued. "It has come to my attention the strange notion that my "son" was engaged in a blood contract with another boy. You know that breaches the Seppuku pledge you and I made a long time ago don't you.?"
Nodoka cleared her throat and even though talking was of bad manners, this had to be discussed. "Husband. There was an incident before I went to Nerima this last time. At that occasion I still did not know Ranma and Ranko were the same person and I must say . . .you knew that and omitted it when we met that time."
"Well, before I knew that my Ranma promised me I could be like a mother for Ranko and thinking for her well being "I" signed a blood pledge of marriage with Ryoga's grandmother. The contract is legit and breach of the pact is paid by Seppuku. Not of the girl, but her parents, which would be either you or me."
In that moment Genma chocked at the information and his face flushed from the implications. "So you mean to tell me my son was "forced" to live as a woman, married to another man or we would suffer death. Isn't that right.?" The girl and mother looked at each other and their sight turned to the table. "Not entirely husband. . .you see . . ." Ranko stopped her and she raised from the table.
"No Pops, is not only that. . .I want to know my curse, in fact I don' think it as my curse but as part of "me" and I intend to learn from it." Genma stood from the table as well, fury clearly shown on his face. "NO! . .this will not do. . .you are my son and I made you. . .I will not let my manly son destroy a pledge I did for his legacy to this world. . . ." The old man bared his teeth and raised his fists ready to assault the girl. Ranko frowned seriously at him and did something no one knew what it meant, no one but him.
The girl raised one hand, open palm and facing back. Ryoga stood by her side and grabbed her opened hand. Genma exploded at the scene. A boy and a girl holding hands in front of him. "Boy, let go of my son or you'll regret it . . ." The rest of the family froze in that moment and Ukyo, who was hidden from the conversation realized how much the couple really cared for each other, and she felt nervous at her exploits.
"Pops . . .I . . .love him, an' there's nothing' you can do to break that. . ." The patriarch dropped the chair aside ready to lunge at the fanged boy when another girl stood with tears in her eyes. "You love him? . . . .Ranma Saotome "loves" him. . . .?" Akane walked around the table and neared the couple. "Ranma we went through everything. We endured dangers and I almost died several times and you could never admit you loved me, well except that time at Jusendo, and here you say you love Ryoga. . . .how?"
Ranko tried to explain. She tried to tell her about the feelings and the open heart the boy showed her that made her warm up to him. "Akane. . .even though we have been on endless adventures together we tried to relate as much as we could. We fought, we argue, but in the end we understood each other or so I thought, but at the wedding I felt "caged" to you."
"Can you remember what you told me before the wedding? . . .you said, you "assumed" I told you I love you. . .well If you assumed that, where was the "I love you too". Why did you forced me into it by saying. "if you cancel it now, you'll regret it".? . . . .You see in the end your pride confused me as much as my own pride did ."
"Ryoga is different. ." The girl looked at the boy and then at her mother. "He came to my Mom and asked her for advice. He told her he has feelings for me, but he "doesn't" want to betray my manliness with his feelings. He asked her if it was ok for him to care for my male and love my female side, but knowing I'm one and the same." The girl giggled for a moment and scrubbed a tear away.
"He even protected me from my own mom when my double jumped on his lap and kissed him while wearing a very sexy negligée. Akane. . .every time you see me acting on my girl side you hit me, call me pervert and accuse me of things that are beyond my reach. . .tell me how can I tell you I love you when you're not even sure yourself.?"
The girl looked down ashamed and sat back at the table, she remained quiet the rest of the night. Genma didn't care for the touchy feeling stuff and began to walk at his son. Ryoga stood in front of the girl, but Ranko hugged him from the back in a tenderly way. "No Ryo. . .this is my fight. . .please, let Ranko and Ranma deal with him."
The boy nodded at the girl. "Ranko I love you and I trust your judgment." He moved out of the way. Daughter and father looked at each other. The flames of hatred surrounded the old man. The Tendous didn't know what to do so they just stood still. . .maybe they wouldn't fight if there were innocents about.
Genma raised his closed fist ready for the punishing punch, there was the effect of a giant Genma looking over a smaller redheaded girl, and everything seemed lost for Ranko. Until the girl pulled a green bottle on each hand. Genma read the description on the bottles. Kame no O, Dai Gingo. Genma stopped in his tracks and saliva hanged from his mouth. "Boy . . .you have any idea what you got there. . . .?"
"I'm a girl now Pops. . .and yes, I know what I'm holdin'. These are two of the three hundred bottles of premium sake Ryoga has in "our" basement. Each bottle costs around six hundred American dollars, and since "my" fiancée don' care about alcohol and neither do I . . .all these are going to the trash in the morning. . . ."
Genma bared his teeth in fury and took the bottles away from the girl. "Are you insane? . . .these need to be enjoyed by those who know its quality." When the Saotome patriarch turned back to his seat, Ryoga pulled a big marble table with black opals on one side and white pearly stones on the other. The table reflected the image of a very expensive Shogi game table. Both parents looked at the bottles and the table with desire and talked to each other.
"Well Tendou-kun I believe we can take our dinner after I beat you on a friendly game." The Tendou father laughed at the remark and talked back at his friend. "In your dreams Saotome-kun, this is a challenge!" from the other spectators a big face palm was heard and Ranko added. "Don' worry Pops, we'll set the food besides the Shogi table, you two have fun."
The Saotome matriarch could not believe how easy her husband was swindled from a serious situation. In the kitchen, Ryoga began to clear the dishes when Ranko joined him. "Thanks Ryoga . . .I always know I have your back." The boy smiled and went back to business, focusing on something else. Ranko noticed the indifference. "Is something' that matter.?"
Ryoga looked at her again, this time blushing from his feelings. "Ranko. You told your father you love me. . .you even protected me from Akane . . . .why?" The girl tilted her head in doubt, but he was right. He grew to love her and he showed it every time, but what made "her" care for the boy in the first place. Specially when she had a male self.
The rest of the night went uneventful. Ryoga showed the different rooms for the Tendous, he took his "father-in-law" to the bedroom where Nodoka was, and lastly he took Ukyo back to her room. On the way back, the Chef grabbed him and asked him for what happened tonight. "Ryoga. Why my Ranma. . .he is all I've been fighting for my whole life. . .why would you take him from me."
The boy looked down, sad at her situation. "Ukyo. . .I never did that. I promised him I would take care of both sides of his self. . . .I told her that I forgave and understood his pain and the chaos in his life . . . .I told him that he is my friend and someone I can rely all my life with. And I'm still proving it. Tell me, what have you done to gain h"his" friendship.?"
