Fan Comic: "Ranma why are you wearing my dress?" Akane asked curiously.
"Gee Akane your the one who decided to wash all my cloth's so Mom made me dress in one of you're outfits." Ranma said with disdain.
Note: Well here is yet another chapter (There will be no one dying in this chapter, or any from here on.)
When It Rains It Pours Chapter 14
Psychiatric Clinic
Ranma sat in a leather chair, her mother to her right and Akane to her left, as she stared at a red-and-black-checkered tile floor. Ranma turned to her mother. "Mom, I don't need counseling…I'm a man, I can handle this on my own," she said in a slightly annoyed tone.
Thunder could be heard in the distance as the sound of water falling on the roof of the building could be reverberated faintly through the ceiling. A small leak in the roof dripped down into a bucket sitting in the middle of the hallway.
"Sweetheart, we've already been through this. Sometimes it's best to get help for your problems. Not everything can be solved with your fist," Nodoka tried to explain to her daughter.
Ranma's shoulders slumped. "I'll be fine, Mom. I didn't try to jump on purpose," she lied, once again feeling depressed about her situation.
Akane closed her eyes briefly, taking a deep breath before replying in a soft voice, "Ranma, that wasn't an accident. Don't try to play it off. You almost took Ryoga off that roof with you! I mean, you fought him tooth and nail…you need help, hon. If not for yourself, please do this for us. I love you, and if you do something stupid you will have hurt me as well as yourself and your mother - not to mention what it would do to everyone else who cares for you." She said the last words in hopes of driving her point home.
"Fine, I'll give it a try…if you'll go with me," Ranma said in a slightly defeated tone.
Akane gave Ranma a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks. You won't regret this. Of course I'll be with you in your sessions if you wish. I love you."
"I love you too, Akane. I'm sorry I hurt you," Ranma said, wincing a little at the bruise on Akane's wrist that she got while Ranma was fighting off both Ryoga and Akane as she tried to end her misery.
After waiting some thirty-five minutes, one of the secretaries called out, "Saotome Ranma? Your therapist will see you now."
Ranma frowned a little as she and Akane stood and followed the secretary through the patient's entrance to go to her appointment.
Once seated in the office, both Ranma and Akane sat on the black leather couch together and waited for the office's other occupant to turn her attention to them.
The therapist looked up from her desk as both girls examined her. She appeared to be a middle-aged Japanese woman, reminding Ranma and Akane of their teacher, Miss Hinako, but with white hair and aqua-colored eyes. "Hello, I am Moiniyuki Sasunaka and I will be your therapist, Ranma-chan."
Ranma met her therapist's eyes briefly. "Alright," she replied without much enthusiasm.
Sasunaka pondered Ranma's mood as she turned her attention to the blue-haired girl. "Excuse me, but who might you be, Miss?"
"I'm her fiancée, Tendo Akane, and she wouldn't come unless I went with her," she said with a concerned expression.
Sasunaka quirked an eyebrow slightly at the girl's reply but nodded all the same. "Very well Akane, that will be fine, at least for the time being," she stated. Grabbing a clipboard with a few documents on it, she then handed it along with a pen to Ranma. "Please fill out the information accordingly, please, and truthfully if I am to be able to help you."
After filling out some of the paperwork with Akane's help, Ranma came to a question that she found sadly funny due to the fact she didn't know how she should answer it.
"Question: In the last two months, have you contemplated suicide? Yes or No?" it read.
"Akane, what do I put here?" Ranma whispered in hopes that Akane would tell her to lie.
Akane frowned at Ranma's question. "Tell the truth, baka," she whispered.
Ranma then answered "Yes." With a grimace, she filled out the rest of the information. Once finished, she went back to the part that asked for her name and sex. Not surprisingly, this question also stumped her.
"Are you okay, Ranma-chan?" Sasunaka asked with a furrow of her brow.
Ranma looked up to Sasunaka, shrugging her shoulders. "Well, I'm sorta having issues with this spot where it wants to know my sex. I'm not sure how to answer that one…even though I'm a girl now, that isn't who I am. I'm really a guy," she stated plainly.
Akane rolled her eyes, and then spoke softly. "Hon…" she started, but froze as she realized just how difficult it would be to answer that question. It may have been a simple one for almost everyone else, but few things were simple when it came to Ranma.
"Alright, let's try this, Ranma. What does it say on your birth certificate? That is, your current birth certificate?" Sasunaka asked with a slight smile.
Ranma checked the "Male" box. "Thanks, Doc," she answered, handing the paperwork over to Sasunaka.
Sasunaka read over the paperwork before looking back to Ranma. "So, I read you have contemplated suicide. Do you still feel it is the answer to your problems?" she probed.
Ranma looked to the floor, Akane squeezing her hand for support. "No, I don't believe it's the right choice. I made a foolish and hasty decision that almost killed both my friend and me. I've promised not to do that again," she explained.
"She is serious. Once Ranma makes a promise, she always keeps it," Akane said, earning a nod from Sasunaka.
Later
After the appointment was over, Nodoka and the two girls made their way home.
As Ranma was walking next to Akane, she looked to her right noticing a boy who was leering at her. Cringing somewhat, she stepped sideways and almost knocked Akane down in the process.
Catching herself, Akane then helped to steady Ranma. "Easy there. What's wrong?" she asked.
"T- That boy is staring at me," Ranma said, her voice a tad shaky.
Akane glanced over to where Ranma's gaze was focused, taking note of a boy around sixteen years of age cleaning a sidewalk and not even looking in their direction. "Try to relax, Ranma. I'm sure he's just cleaning the sidewalk; no need to freak out," she encouraged.
All throughout their walk Ranma was skittish, constantly looking everywhere and taking a tight hold of Akane's right arm.
Akane fumed to herself. 'So help me, when I get a hold of one of those monsters, I am going to tear them to pieces!' she thought as she tried to calm her fiancée down.
Nodoka thought silently to herself as she saw an ice cream parlor up ahead. 'Ugh, that's that one parlor I heard about, but then again, it might help in this situation…and I do need to get used to it for Ranma and Akane's sake,' "Alright, girls, let's get some ice cream," she suggested.
As they sat down in one of the booths that had purple fur cushioning, some funky techno music played in the background at just the right level not to deafen them. They took note of a dance floor on one side and a roller rink on the other. The entire place was busy with patrons eating ice cream, dancing, roller skating, making out…or some combination thereof.
Akane took note of the fact that the couples in the parlor were all female, no men. "Um…interesting choice," she said in awe.
Nodoka slightly shrugged. "Sorry, it is the only place I've heard of that has no men allowed," she explained.
Ranma looked at the table, contemplating whether it was real oak or synthetic. She mulled this over while trying to get over her skittishness. "You know, Akane, I don't know what's worse, b- bo…boys or c- ca…cats," she said in a stuttering, shaky tone.
Nodoka contemplated this as she looked to her daughter. "You do know that not all boys are that way, don't you, dear?"
"I dunno, Mother, I can't be sure anymore," Ranma said, her eyes downcast. She noticed a crack in the floor just by the door that led to the back room of the parlor.
Akane kept her opinions to herself, knowing she was already biased when it came to the subject of boys. As far as she was concerned, she only knew that could truly be trusted: Ranma, Ryoga, and now Herb as well, after his help in rescuing Ranma from herself.
After a few minutes, they had placed their orders. Not much later, they each had their ice cream sitting in front of them.
A girl who looked to be about nineteen, with green eyes, and auburn-colored hair approached their table. "Hello, cutie, can I have a dance with you?" she asked Nodoka.
Somewhat shocked by the request, Nodoka looked to the girl and lifted her hand to show off her wedding ring.
"Oh, I am so sorry, I didn't realize," the girl blurted out. She quickly disappeared into the crowd, looking highly embarrassed.
Ranma watching the girl run off. 'Well, that was different…my mom just got hit on by another girl.' "Well, looks like you still have it, Mom," she said with a slight chuckle, allowing that brief encounter to help her mood a bit.
"Heh, I…" Nodoka started, before realizing it wasn't best to be speaking her mind in front of Ranma or anyone else in the parlor.
Akane giggled a little at the priceless look of embarrassment on Nodoka's face. "So, I've never been here before, it's pretty interesting, don't you agree, Ranma?" she prodded the redheaded girl.
"Su…Sure, Akane. It looks interesting, I s'pose," Ranma answered as her jaw dropped from watching two girls who were making out by the counter.
Akane had a somewhat irritated look on her face after realizing what Ranma was watching. "I know the view is interesting, baka, but you're supposed to be looking at me, not them," she said in a slightly jealous tone.
Ranma turned back to Akane. "Sorry, Akane, didn't mean anythin' by it," she said sheepishly.
"I know you didn't, I just wanted you to not stare too long," Akane said with a chuckle.
Akane took hold of Ranma's chin with her left hand and turned the blue-eyed girl's head to face her.
Nodoka realized what was coming and looked away, trying not to say anything.
Akane leaned forward, giving Ranma a gentle kiss. Ranma didn't respond at first, but slowly started to kiss back fiercely, briefly forgetting everything that troubled her.
After a few minutes the two girls broke the kiss, giving each other a shy, contented smile.
Ranma blushed, realizing she had finally had her first truly romantic kiss ever. 'That was nice…so that was what our wedding day was going to be like,' she thought. She imagined the kiss again, still feeling the soft, tingling sensation on her lips.
Akane smiled as she watched Ranma's features, her eyes closed and her cheeks slightly pink. 'She must have really enjoyed that kiss…just as much as I did,' she thought. She was sure now more than ever that she was making the right choice by sticking with Ranma.
Nodoka started to look back, realizing Ranma and Akane were kissing again. She let out a sigh as she took a bite of her ice cream, noting the love that both girls had for each other. 'Well, I'm glad at least that Ranma has finally found someone who loves her for who she is. And who better than Akane?' she thought before speaking. "Come now, love birds, finish your ice cream before it melts," she chided.
"Yeah, sorry, Mom," both girls said in unison as they broke their kiss and returned to their desserts.
One week later - Judgment
Kuno, along with his sister Kodachi, Ukyo, Mousse, Gosunkugi, Hiroshi, Daisuke, and a handful of others, all found themselves on their knees in shackles and chains as Herb leaned against the wall along with Shampoo, Cologne and another Amazon elder, who were seated on the opposite side of the room.
As they waited for their judge to appear, they heard three sets of footsteps that ominously approached. Ranma, Akane, and Ranma's mother soon stepped into the room, shutting the door behind them.
Nodoka and Akane looked to the group with disgust as they walked over and sat down next to Cologne.
Ranma walked over to Herb and retrieved the keys to the prisoners' chains. She then approached Daisuke and released him. "You can go, Dai. I know you had nothin' to do with this," she said as Daisuke bowed his head to Ranma, thanking the Kami above that she knew he hadn't played a part in her assault.
Ranma next stopped in front of Kodachi. "I realize you had no idea about my attack. And even though you'd gone after my bracelet before, I've decided to let you go," she stated. Ranma then undid Kodachi's chains as well.
Walking over to Hiroshi, she sat down in front of him and examined him closely. "Hiroshi, I just don't understand you. Why?"
Hiroshi, not able to look her in the eye, spoke. "I am sorry. I didn't know they were going to-"
"Rape me? Hiroshi, you slipped a date rape drug into my drink. What the hell did you think they were gonna do?" Ranma said, interrupting him. She turned to Herb, giving him a nod, as she stood up to deal with Kuno.
Herb walked over with a flask, pouring its contents onto Hiroshi. He was instantly transformed into a busty green-haired girl, a look of horror spreading across her face as she realized what had just happened.
Looking to Kuno, Ranma contemplated his insanity. "What do you have to say for yourself, Kuno?" she asked.
Kuno growled. "The wrath of the heavens may be slow, but surely will you be judged, vile sorcerer," he spat, for once not enthralled by the presence of his "Redheaded Goddess."
Ranma looked to Herb, nodding once again. She then moved over to Ukyo.
Herb towered over Kuno, looking down on him with contempt, before pouring the contents of another flask over the deluded kendoist's head, leaving a curvy raven-haired girl who closely resembled Kodachi in the boy's place. Herb then proceeded to use the ladle to lock the newly minted girl's curse, letting out a chuckle. "Lime always wanted a wife. I think you will do, as he likes them crazy."
Kuno snarled at Herb. "I am a man! How can I marry a m…" "He" began. Freezing, she realized her voice was no longer male. Her shock soon gave way to despair as she collapsed in tears.
Ignoring the cries, Ranma sat down in front of Ukyo. She placed a flask on the floor between the two of them as Ukyo looked up into her eyes.
"I'm so sorry, Ranchan. I never knew they were going to do that to you. I am so sorry," Ukyo said sincerely as she began to weep.
Ranma let out a sigh. "You know I always liked you as a sister, and now I just don't know how I should feel about you anymore. I know you didn't have any part in what happened to me…but the fact is you caused me to have to live the rest of my life as a girl. And you were intent on havin' me beaten badly. It's really put you in a whole new light for me," she stated sadly.
Ukyo sniffled some as she struggled to keep her eyes focused despite the tears she couldn't wipe away due to the chains that bound her wrists to the floor.
Ranma opened the flask, tapping its side as she sighed once more. "You know, I fought so hard for three long years to get some Spring of Drowned Man water to cure my curse until I found out it wasn't a cure after all…and, well, now I finally have some. So, I've decided to welcome you to my world. You always said you were the pretty fiancée, right? Well, let's see you get a man now," Ranma said as she dumped the flask's contents over Ukyo's head, turning her into a blonde boy who was quite muscular. Once finished, she grabbed the ladle and pail and locked Ukyo's curse. "You can go free now, Ucchan, but know this: I want nothing to do with you ever again. If you come near me, it'll be my fist you talk to," she said with a venomous tone.
Ranma decided to wait to release Ukyo once everything was over. Looking at the rest of the crowd, she turned to Herb. "Go ahead and deal with them; I'm sure your people will be quite pleased," she said flatly.
"What about me, S- Saotome? Please let me go. I had nothing to do with this whole ordeal whatsoever!" Gosunkugi exclaimed, his voice trembling with fear.
About to leave, Ranma turned slightly to Gosunkugi. Crouching before him, she thought back on his many attacks over the years. Looking over to her fiancée, Ranma asked, "What do you say, Akane?"
Akane shrugged, looking to Shampoo. "What about you, Shampoo?"
Shampoo looked to the weak-looking boy before turning to Cologne. "He no very strong…what you think, Great-grandmother?"
Cologne pondered for a moment, and then looked to Herb. "…Any thoughts, Prince?"
Recalling all he'd been told about this particular boy, Herb simply turned to Ranma. "You will have to decide this yourself, Ranma."
"Well, that accomplished a lot," Ranma deadpanned. She regarded Gosunkugi's fearful expression with care before speaking. "You know, I punished Hiroshi with a curse like mine, and he never planned on me bein' assaulted like that. Therefore, if I don't curse you it'll be unfair to him. So, I believe I'll grant you the same curse as him, but it's up to Herb whether he takes you back to China or not," she finally declared.
Once she spoke her piece, Herb administered Gosunkugi's punishment. With a splash, there was suddenly one less male and one more female in the room. "Do you wish him locked, Ranma?" the Musk prince asked.
The redhead pondered this. "No, don't bother. He can live the same sort of hell as I did for the past three years," she decided. Gosunkugi's fate now settled, Ranma started to leave when Ukyo called out in his new masculine voice, "You said you would let me go."
Ranma looked back to the now (and forever) male Ukyo. "Yeah, Ucchan, it almost slipped my mind. Do the honors for me, won't you, Akane?" she requested, tossing the keys to Akane and finally leaving the room.
Akane approached Ukyo and removed his shackles. "Go ahead and unchain that sniveling girl too while you are at it. My men have no use for such a frail and weak wife," Herb told Akane with a chuckle as he watched the female Gosunkugi sob on the floor.
Akane then walked over to Gosunkugi, releasing her. Before the frantic girl could even react, Akane had grabbed her by the throat, making sure they were looking straight into each others eyes. "I want you to keep your mouth shut about Ranma, understand? If not, you'll be hearing from me," she threatened as she dropped Gosunkugi to the floor in a heap.
Outside the room
Ranma leaned up against the wall, her eyes downcast, knowing the fate to which she damned her tormentors. 'Bastards, it's their fault for making me have to do this…why did Ucchan have to do this to me, why?' she screamed the last over and over in her head, already missing the childhood friend she known before the incident. She started to cry as she fell to her knees. Her head bowed, Ranma let out a short, mournful scream.
Stepping outside, Nodoka bent down to comfort her child. "Come on, dear, let's get you home."
Ranma slowly stood up sniffling, tears still falling as she walked home with her mother from the Cat Café. Akane followed close behind them, her face set in a blank, expressionless mask after the awful scene in which she'd just had a hand.
Back in the room
Cologne contemplated the final task at hand. "Now then, what do we do with you, Mousse? Your actions almost caused a war between our people and the Musk. Do you have anything to say for yourself?"
Mousse let out a sigh. "I only wanted Shampoo to love me. Saotome was always in the way! You and the stupid tribe's foolish laws kept us apart," he said angrily, spitting on the floor at Cologne's feet.
Shampoo shook her head slowly. "Oh, foolish Mousse, you knew that this crime calls for execution. Why risk it? You cannot love me from the grave," she said in a quiet tone as she barely held back her tears. Only one escaped, running down her cheek.
Cologne thought further as she looked to Janila, the other elder present. "What do you think about this?"
"Take him back to China, and then have him banished from the tribe. No need to waste the Goddess's time with the likes of him," Janila stated with a nod of her head.
"So be it. Well, get Mister Ucchan out of here, along with Miss Frail and Ranma's former "friend," this green-haired one," Herb stated coldly, glancing at Hiroshi. "I have to get the rest of these ladies ready for a trip back to China."
Three weeks later - St. Sebastian High School
Ranma and Akane made their way along the sidewalk on a bright morning. Wearing matching uniforms, they were headed to the new school in which they'd enrolled to finish out their senior year. As they were about to enter the front gate, Ranma found herself pressed back against the wall by Kodachi.
"I've finally found you! Tell me, hussy! Where is Ranma-sama?" Kodachi demanded with a snarl.
Akane sighed with disgust. "Let my fiancée go, please," she said in a slightly irritated tone.
Ranma looked the Black Rose in the eye. "I am 'Ranma-sama,' Kodachi. You're chasing a ghost, can't you see? Let it die...please."
Kodachi looked closely into Ranma's eyes, seeing the tears that threatened to fall. She soon released her, letting out a small gasp as she finally comprehended all the similar features the redhead shared with her Ranma-sama. "Oh my word, I thought the whole curse bit was just an attempt to throw off my affections for you…but you weren't ever lying, were you? You, you are Ranma-kun…I am so very sorry," Kodachi said, finishing in barely a whisper. She started to cry, running away from both Ranma and Akane as she tried to deal with the realization that she had been attacking the very girl that was her supposed fiancé for almost three years now.
Ranma's gaze followed Kodachi's fleeing form. She truly felt bad for the girl even while she was trying to keep herself from crying.
"You okay, Ranma?" Akane asked, concerned.
Ranma nodded, sniffling some. "Yeah…sorry, Akane, it just hurts when I hear someone refer to my old self."
Soon after
Once seated in their classroom, Ranma was made to get up by Akane.
"Smooth out your skirt, Ranma," she whispered.
Ranma sat back down, smoothing out her skirt properly. "There, ya happy?"
Akane nodded as she reminded herself that Ranma was still a boy in her mind. "I love you, hon."
"I love you too, Akane," Ranma returned as they both earned curious looks from the other girls and boys in the room.
Akane and Ranma both blushed from the realization that they had an audience as they were about to kiss. They quickly decided against it.
"Whaddaya lookin' at?" Ranma asked hotly, trying to keep her embarrassment down.
All the students, including the teacher, looked away at those words.
"Alright, class, I would like you to turn your history books to page four hundred and three…" the teacher said, starting her lecture on world history.
As time progressed, Akane looked over at Ranma, who was actually working on the assignment. 'Wow, I've never seen her so serious in class before.'
Ranma thought for a moment, jotting down her answer carefully, before briefly looking over to Akane. The redhead gave her fiancée a smile and then got back to work, every so often stealing a glance at the clock as she waited for it to signal the next class.
Lunch hour in Ishikari Sub prefecture
Ryoga walked the streets of what he believe to be Yokohama as he wandered past a school he stopped by a red haired school girl who was eating her lunch. "Excuse me, miss, but this wouldn't be Yokohama, would it?"
Ranma looked to the boy who had just spoken to her, only briefly going rigid as she realized she knew him. "No Ryoga, this is Ishikari. You're on Hokkaido."
Upon hearing his name, Ryoga looked carefully at the girl.
Looking up to Ryoga, Ranma gave him a warm smile. "So…travelin', huh?"
"Ranma! How are you doing?" Ryoga asked with a slight laugh.
Ranma shrugged her shoulders. "I'm doin' so-so, still seein' a shrink."
"So this is where your parents, Akane, and you moved?" Ryoga asked curiously.
Ranma gave Ryoga a small nod. "Uh huh. Sorry, we were gonna tell you the address, but you went to see Akari the day we moved."
Ryoga took his pack off his shoulders and set it on the ground as he sat down with his longtime friend and rival.
Akane walked up to the two of them and sat down next to Ranma, handing the girl a soda can. "Here you go, love. Hi there, Ryoga! How have you been?" she asked in a warm voice.
"I'm doing okay. I was on my way to Yokohama, and apparently I got lost here in Ishikari," Ryoga said nervously, reaching up to scratch the back of his neck in an action reminiscent of Ranma herself.
Ranma chuckled as she opened her soda to take a drink. "You want some, Ryoga?"
"No thanks, Ranma. I only drink water and sometimes coffee these days," Ryoga replied. "So, Ranma, is your mother still letting you practice the Art?"
Ranma gave a nod. "Yeah, she realized if I'm gonna keep myself goin' she had to let me stay with the Art. The only concession I had to make was that I wear this uniform and dress more appropriately when it comes to my street clothes."
"You mean you actually dress like a normal girl now?" Ryoga asked, somewhat shocked.
Akane chuckled. "Don't act so surprised, Ryoga. Ranma has always wanted to please her mom, and the two just came to an agreement that more or less satisfied both of them," she explained.
"Yeah, I do, Ryoga, though I don't wear makeup or anything. Ya know I never needed much help in tha looks department," Ranma said with a smirk as she used her chopsticks to grab a morsel of food from her lunch.
"Yeah, I have to admit that's true," Ryoga said with a slight chuckle as he reached into his traveling pack and pulled out a breakfast bar to eat.
Akane examined Ryoga's appearance. "So, where are you headed?"
"Just some place I found on a map; thought I would check it out. It says it there's an artifact that can cure my curse," Ryoga said, taking a bite of his snack.
Ranma gave Ryoga a sad look. "Ryoga, there is no cure for these curses. Well, at least mine, anyways. Even time travel's ruled out since Pops accidentally destroyed that mirror."
"Yeah, I realize that is a possibility, Ranma, but I have to try. I know it might be worthless to you, but for me it is worth the risk. The worst that can happen is I find out that it's phony."
Akane let out a sigh as she took a bite of her food, chewed, and swallowed. "I'm not so sure you should go looking for this item. I'm getting bad vibes just thinking about it," she said, not looking directly at Ryoga.
"You should listen to her, Ryoga. I'm gettin' 'em too," Ranma said in a worried tone. Taking a breath, she elaborated further. "Ryoga, I searched high and low for possible cures, with your help on some of them, and every time I was met with failure, some monster trying to kill me, or just more random crap happenin' that made my life terribly chaotic. I think you really should let it go."
Ryoga shrugged his shoulders. Shaking his head, he looked Ranma in the eye. "I have to do this. I feel my curse in some ways is worse than yours. You never stop being a human. I just…have to try."
Reading her friend's eyes, Ranma nodded her head. "So, I guess I can't talk you outta this. Well, can you wait 'til a week from now? Akane and I are off school next week, and Herb is s'pposed to be visitin' then. We could all go together so if somethin' happens, you won't be alone," she said, tilting her head.
"You sure your mom would let you leave on a journey after what all you've been through?" Ryoga asked.
Ranma gave her friend a grimace. "Ryoga, I'll be with you, Herb, and Akane, not to mention the fact I could beat all three of ya put together…probably. So please stay with us for a week, and then we'll go find this artifact. Okay?"
"Alright, Ranma, you win. When do you get out of school?" Ryoga asked.
"We get out in about five hours, Ryoga. It's not too hot right now. If you like, I can get you something to drink and we'll meet you right here once school lets out," Akane said with a smile.
Ryoga chuckled. "Don't worry about me, Akane. I've got plenty to drink. Sure, I'll wait here."
Four girls who leaned against the wall of the school watched the two girls and boy sitting across from them.
Girl One spat. "Man, why did the red-haired girl have to be taken…"
Girl Two cooed. "Look at that boy, he is so built!"
"You think every boy is built," Girl Three replied.
Girl Four laughed and then said curiously, "I wonder if those two girls would want a threesome with me?"
"I think you would have to talk to that boy as well for a foursome, 'cause I think they are together," Girl One replied. "But last I checked, you didn't like boys."
Ranma, Ryoga, and Akane all sneezed at the same time.
"Gah, I think someone is talking about us again," Ranma said, sneezing once more.
Akane let out two sneezes, then a third. "Well, I wish they would knock it off, cause I'm trying to eat. Achoo!"
Ryoga sighed, contemplating. 'Who could be thinking of a guy like me?' he wondered as he let out another sneeze.
Ranma looked over to the crowd of students who were staring at them. "Ryoga, wanna give them something to gawk at?" she said mischievously.
Ryoga considered it as he observed the crowed. 'Do I fight her? She's a girl now. Come on, man, give Ranma the fight she craves. It'll be good for you and her.' Nodding, he agreed with the voice in his head. "Alright, Ranma, let's do this. But don't yell at me if you rip your uniform."
Ranma laughed as she stood up with Ryoga to spar.
Akane started to laugh as she watched the two go at it with nearly full force, using everything they had from umbrellas to ki blasts, gaining wide-eyed stares from the other students of the school. Even some teachers took note from their classroom windows. "Ranma looks so alive right now," the youngest Tendo girl said to herself as she let a warm smile cross her lips.
Ranma moved to drop kick Ryoga, but he countered by grabbing hold of her collar. As he started to hurl her to the ground, he used his other arm to stop Ranma's fall and eased her down gently.
Ryoga let out a chuckle as Ranma got up, brushing herself off. They immediately resumed their impromptu match, throwing a flurry of punches and kicks at one another.
Ranma chuckled to herself as she fought. 'I woulda rather he slammed me to the ground, but I guess I can let him be a little chivalrous for once.' "Mökö Takabisha!" she called out, throwing a powerful ball of ki at Ryoga. Its strength caught him off guard, knocking him into a tree.
Akane smiled wider at that, realizing that Ranma was gaining finally gaining back some of her confidence. 'I am so proud of her,' she thought happily as she watched her fiancée fight on.
Rising to his feet again, Ryoga laughed. "That's no fair, Ranma. You know your mother will kill me if I destroy your uniform!"
"Hey, she doesn't have to know. Go all out, I don't care. I got ten more uniforms! If this one gets a little ragged, I'll just replace it. So give me all you have, got it? Or you gonna lose to a girl?" Ranma said in a half-serious tone just to rile him up.
Ryoga's eyes flared red for a moment. Then with a snarl he shouted, trying to keep angry, "Alright, Ranma! Here it comes!"
After twenty-five minutes, both martial artists were on the ground wheezing as they each attempted to pull the other into a submission hold.
"Give up, Ranma. Girls can't get out of this hold!" Ryoga said, trying to force Ranma to submit by applying pressure to her neck.
Ranma gasped for air before chuckling lightly. "Sorry to disappoint you, Ryoga, but this girl can!" she shouted as she powered her way out of the hold and quickly turned the tables by capturing Ryoga in a choke hold. "You give up, Ryoga! I got this!"
They wrestled back and forth for a few minutes longer before finally rolling away from each other, both panting heavily.
"I suppose that's a draw," Akane said with a laugh as she helped her fiancée up.
Once Ranma was standing, she gave Ryoga a smile. "Thank you for the spar."
"My pleasure, thank you as well," Ryoga said as he eased himself back against his pack for a nap.
Akane took Ranma's hand. "Come on, hon. We've got ten minutes to get you showered, changed, and ready for the next class," she encouraged. Akane frowned as she took in the state of Ranma's uniform. 'Kami-sama, her mom will flip if she sees that.'
As they made their way to the gym, they stopped by Ranma's locker to get her extra uniform.
"Ranma, even as much fun as that was to watch, please don't make it a habit. These uniforms are expensive, and your mom will blow a gasket if you keep destroying them," Akane said in a half-scolding tone.
Ranma chuckled at that. "Not to worry, I can buy another to replace this one with the money I've been savin' ever since I was reunited with Mom as Ranko. I'll just have to fight after school from now on. It's just that Ryoga is my best match in a spar, besides yourself - and I might add you're doin' a lot better lately. I also wanna say that I'm proud of how you're carryin' your temper these days. It's a big improvement."
Akane beamed at the rare praise Ranma had just given her. "Thank you for the compliment."
"Ah, it's nothin', Tomboy, just the truth," Ranma said with a bit of a giggle, earning herself a playful hit for the "tomboy" remark.
Notes: Well this chapter went well I believe with speacial help from my beta reader, punishment has been dealt, Ranma is slowing coming to terms, she has no clue about what happened in Nekoden mode, and her relationship with Akane is getting stronger, and now we have a quest to find an artifact for Ryoga.
With any luck this story should flow smoothly into a new set of twists which we will dabble on in chapter:15 such as Ranma, Akane, and Herbs relationship.
Well Good bye for now, and always feel free to leave a review. ~Zeltronica~