Happi's Redemption
A Ranma One Half Fan Fiction
By Michael A. Ivins
Ranma along with all of his friends, enemies and acquaintances are the property of Takahashi Rumiko. I'm just borrowing them for my own amusement and hopefully that of my readers. Sailor Moon and the Senshi aren't mine either. Please don't sue me.
This story takes place after the end of the manga.
Chapter 19
The End of a Delusion
In the basement of Furinkan High School three people walked through an artificial jungle that had been created for the principal and headmaster of the school. The man had an unhealthy fascination for anything relating to the Hawaiian Islands. In the lead of the group was a young man named Kuno Tatewaki, the son of the principal. Young Kuno was dressed in a kendo uniform.
Following along behind him was a 17 year old young man with black hair in a braided pigtail and a woman with honey blonde hair than hung to her shoulders. The girl looked to be about 19 or 20 years old and was dressed in a pale blue, Chinese style dress.
The area they were walking into was designed to look like a clearing in the jungle with logs positioned around the area to provide areas to sit on. The tops of the logs were carved off to make flat spots like benches.
The young man in the lead had used a key that his father didn't know about to bring two other people to a place of privacy. He was certain that they would not be disturbed here and they would not be interrupted. Because he was paying attention to what was in front of him he didn't see the boy and the girl behind him produce water balloons seemingly out of nowhere and throw them at him.
Kuno was surprised when he felt something hitting his head with a splash. In fact it was two objects that struck and burst open. As the water soaked his hair and dripped down to start soaking into his clothing an odd tingling went through him. Outraged by this, Kuno ignored the tingling. He had to express his rage.
Kuno whirled to face those who followed and pulled out a bokken, demanding, "What manner of cowardly attack is this? You will not catch the mighty Blue Thunder unprepared! I will fight…" Trailing off, the figure in the kendo uniform placed a hand on her throat. Now speaking in a pleasant soprano, the kendo champion demanded, "What happened to my voice?"
Saotome Ranma, a young man about a year younger than Kuno, pointed and suggested, "Look at your chest, Kuno."
The kendoist's eyes narrowed. "This is a trick to get me to lower my guard. Know that your trickery will avail you nothing. I am ready for your attacks."
The pigtailed young man held his hands up and said, "No trick and no attack. You really need to look at your chest."
The kendo champion flicked her eyes down for a moment then quickly brought them back up. Then her eyes went wide and she looked down again to take in the swelling bosom there, nicely filling out the top of the kendo uniform. She had been too preoccupied with her defensive stance to have noticed the sensation of her breasts being squeezed between her upper arms when she had brandished her wooden sword in a two-handed grip. The bokken now clattered to the ground, fallen from nerveless fingers.
Hesitantly, Kuno placed her hands on her breasts and squeezed gently, finding them to be very real and quite sensitive to the touch. Kuno could not deny the testimony of her own senses.
Fearful of what she would find, the new woman reached down and felt at the juncture of her legs through the fabric of her garments. The thing she was hoping to find was missing.
With a wordless scream, the young woman fell to her knees, arms thrust over her head and fists clenched. She then screamed the word, "NO!" After a moment she was enough in control of herself that she shouted, "You have unmanned me! Even worse, you have changed me into a woman."
After a moment her mind tried to move on from that revelation and, as usual, reached the wrong conclusion. Her eyes widened even further before she let out an anguished wail. She managed to choke out "The foul sorcerer Saotome has cast aside the fierce tigress Tendo Akane so that he may turn and enslave me with his foul magic and then plunder my virginal maidenhood!"
Ranma and his companion, Noriko stared at the delusional kendoist in shock and then exchanged a confused look. The young martial artist could only say, "Huh?" Where had the neo-girl gotten that idea from?
The wannabe samurai kept her arms raised and shook her fists as she continued to speak in her overdramatic fashion, "He shall force me and beauteous pigtailed girl to bear an army forth from our loins so he may conquer the world with his dark magics!"
Lowering her arms, she turned from her stare at the ceiling to look at the other two people and spoke, her tone full of venom, "Well rejoice foul one, gloat! After all of your many defeats, you have finally bested the Blue Thunder."
In the face of this insanity, the young Saotome managed to say, "What?"
Kuno turned her gaze to him and said "It is obvious that you must have a limit to the number of maidens that you can enthrall. Why else would you have cast off the fierce tigress Tendo Akane and attempt to add me to your harem in her place?"
"If that's what she thinks I'm going to do to her, I don't want to know what plans she had for the pigtailed girl if we ever got together," Ranma thought. "Probably a really sick fantasy. I can see she's still in denial about losing, though."
Noriko sighed before telling the kendo champion, "This was not a battle. We weren't trying to defeat or enslave you."
The young woman kneeling on the floor let out a bitter laugh. "Well could you claim that it was no battle. Neither of you struck a single blow. What a sad fate it is that Kuno Tatewaki, the mighty Blue Thunder of Furinkan, could be brought low so easily."
Now curious, Noriko asked, "I'm not encouraging you to fight, but I'd like to know why you think you can't fight now?"
Kuno got back to her feet then moved to sit on one of the logs. "Surely it is obvious. In this form I am of shorter stature, giving me shorter reach. My strength will be reduced and you are two to my one."
Ranma was exerting a major effort to control his temper. He thought to himself, "I must not hit her or shout at her. In her mind it would just prove that all of the crazy nonsense she's spouting is true. Must stick to the plan."
The neo-girl's expression became defiant. She challenged, "Do what you will to me now, but know this! Someday I will find a way to regain my manhood and on that day I will make you pay for what you have done to me! Mark my words, you will PAY!"
At this pronouncement, Ranma thought, "Noriko was right, you really do need to get over yourself, Kuno. Your girl form may look cute, but the attitude is anything but. Kind of like Akane in that, I guess. It's the personality inside the package that makes the difference. Thank the kami Noriko isn't like that." Out loud he explained in even, controlled tones, "Yes, you will regain your manhood someday. And that day will be tomorrow, maybe even later today."
"Mock me if you will, but…" The kendo champion's rant trailed off. Ranma's words had finally registered. "Wait! What?"
The pigtailed boy had what he hoped was a sympathetic expression on his face. "The effects of the cursed water we splashed you with are not permanent."
"Temporary?" The girl was greatly confused. That didn't fit with any of the scenarios she had imagined her hated foe would enact upon her. "I do not understand. If that is the case then, why did you do this?"
The young Saotome replied, "We needed to get your attention. You have this bad habit of hearing only what you want to hear and then you stop listening, You are so stuck on the idea that I was a foul sorcerer controlling the pigtailed girl with magic that you wouldn't listen to anything else that contradicted that conclusion."
The new girl looked lost. She gestured down at her body and asked, "But how could a transformation such as this be accomplished if not through sorcery?"
"I never said there was no magic involved," Ranma explained. "The thing you have to understand is that I wasn't the person casting the spells. I'm the victim of a magic curse."
"Victim?" the girl in the kendo uniform echoed. Noriko thought that Kuno-chan looked incredibly cute in her confusion.
"Yes, a victim." The pigtailed boy handed a torn open foil packet to Kuno-chan. "This is the source of the magic that caused you to transform."
The auburn haired girl frowned as she examined the packet. "My Mandarin is not as good as I would like." She read, "'Product of the Jusenkyo Products Company. Instant…' I don't recognize this word here. What is this 'Jusenkyo?'"
The young man explained, "That word is 'Nyaniichuan.' In the Bayankala Mountain Range in China, near Mt. Quanjing, there is a valley where 105 springs are or at least were fed from a single source of magic water. There is a curse on all of the springs. If you fall into one of them you 'take the body' of whatever drowned or otherwise died in that spring."
He continued, "The people who sell those packets collect mud and silt from the bottoms of the pools. That mud is full of the magic from the water. They process the mud and turn it into a powder. When mixed with ordinary water it does the kind of thing that happened to you."
Ranma looked around and said, "I assume the principal would have a bathroom down here somewhere. Could you take me there? I believe you should get a look in the mirror to see what you look like as a girl."
Kuno was reluctant to turn her back on Ranma now. Instead she gave directions and let the boy go ahead of her. While she briefly considered directing Saotome into one of the booby traps, she refrained from doing so. She wanted answers. Shortly they reached a structure that looked like a hut but with two doors bearing the international symbols for men's and women's restrooms. Ranma opened the door of the lady's room and turned on the light before stepping aside to let the girl go in.
Kuno looked in the mirror and studied the image that was reflected there. She found that she was now smaller than she had been as a man, perhaps a full hand span or more shorter. Her bosom was not as large as the pigtailed girl's but bigger than Akane's. Her body was lean in its build but looked fit. Her hair was auburn in color and her face… "I'm beautiful." Her face looked like a combination of her male features and those of her sister Kodachi. Or perhaps she looked more like her mother. It was hard to remember her mother's face.
Ranma chuckled and said, "Beautiful? Yes, you are. Please fill one of the paper cups you see in the dispenser beside the sink with cold water, I'll need to show you something in a little while." He thought, "At least the body and the face are beautiful. It remains to be seen how beautiful the soul inside the body might be."
Once Kuno had filled a cup as requested, and grabbed a handful of paper towels from another disperser mounted on the wall, she gestured for Ranma to precede her. They went back to the clearing and Kuno sat on one of the logs. She set the cup on the flat topped log beside her and then used the paper towels to dry off as much as she could. She was able to blot up some of the wetness from her clothing, but not all of it.
Maybe the shock of her transformation had unfrozen some of Kuno's brain cells. She was thinking more clearly and asked, "You said a person who falls into a spring takes the body of 'whatever' died there not 'whomever.' Does that mean some of the cursed forms are animals?"
"That's right," Ranma agreed approvingly. "In fact most of them are. My father turns into a panda, the Chinese girl with the purple hair from the ramen restaurant turns into a c-c-cat. I also know a guy who turns into a duck and another one who turns into a little black piglet. What you got is a temporary version of the same curse I have."
"You change into a girl? But you are a man now." The auburn haired girl protested.
"Yes, I am, now." The boy explained, "Those with a permanent cursed transformation can temporarily reverse it. Hot water changes the cursed person back to their birth form. Cold water puts you into cursed form. A cursed person magically attracts water so they change back and forth often."
Kuno could feel a chill gripping her spine. She didn't like where this was going but still felt compelled to ask, "What does your cursed form look like?"
"Still in denial," Ranma thought. "You've seen my cursed form before, lots of times. With the knowledge of what just happened to you, I'm going to ask you to think back to something that happened not too long after you and I first met. You handed me a cute dolly because Nabiki told you that was the best way to be sure the pigtailed girl got it. I gave the doll back to you and said, 'If I have my way, you'll never see her again.'"
Kuno-chan nodded. She remembered the situation.
The boy continued, "I walked around a corner and when you followed you found the pigtailed girl. You grabbed her and hugged her. That was when both you and she got splashed by some hot water that Nabiki poured. Do you remember what she said?"
The neo-girl thought back and suddenly recalled the mercenary girl's words. "She said, 'Sorry Ranma, was that too hot'?"
She closed her eyes tightly shut and bowed her head. There had been more words that had followed. Nabiki had told Kuno that the pigtailed girl's body and soul were Ranma's. At the time she had believed that to mean that the boy had enslaved the girl with magic. She didn't think she wanted to hear what came next but couldn't bring herself to tell Ranma to stop.
The boy said, "You didn't let go of your hug but you still found that you were holding me."
"No, you cannot be my love." Kuno obviously didn't want to accept what Ranma was telling her.
Ranma nodded with a frown. He took the cup from the log next to Kuno-chan and moved to where there was a good light shining on him. He judged the distance and then directed, "Keep your eyes on me. Don't just look at my face, but try to take in the shape of my body as it shows through my clothes. The transformation is fast but not instant. If you watch with your full attention you should be able to see most of the changes as they happen."
The auburn haired girl reluctantly sat up on the log and fixed her gaze on the pigtailed boy. She signaled Ranma to proceed when she felt she was ready. She had the sinking feeling that she wasn't going to like what the boy was going to show her.
Saotome threw the contents of the cup into his face. Even though he didn't need the water to transform anymore, he felt a little bit of theatrics were called for to get the message across. He willed the transformation.
Kuno watched intently and in the brief period of time could see Ranma's body shrink, shoulders and waist became narrower as hips became wider at the same time. Handsome, masculine features became more delicate, almost elfin and decidedly feminine in appearance. Hair that was black seemed to turn red a few strands at a time but so fast that it seemed almost instant. From what had been a flat muscular male chest, two generously sized female breasts grew.
Doing a fairly good imitation of a fish, the auburn haired girl's mouth opened and closed. It didn't help her mood when Ranma, in a well remembered soprano voice, proclaimed, "Saotome Ranma hasn't enslaved your 'pigtailed goddess,' he is the pigtailed girl and has been all along."
For once the kendo champion couldn't take refuge in her delusions. Her full attention was focused on Saotome and she had taken in every visible detail of the transformation. Looking decidedly ill, Kuno hesitantly asked, "I have been in love… with a man?"
Ranma shook her head sadly. "I tried to tell you, lots of times. I even showed you, but you refused to believe it. If it makes you feel any better there are guys who know I change sexes and they still ask me for dates."
The kendo champion shook her head, her attitude and expression eloquent of misery. "No, that does not make me feel better." All Ranma's pronouncement did was to confirm that some men were indeed perverts.
The auburn haired girl rested her forehead on her palms for a moment. The news she had been given were a severe blow to her psyche. After a few minutes like that she raised her head and looked around, her gaze stopping on the blonde haired girl. Still afraid of the answer she might be given, Kuno-chan asked. "Pray tell me, oh blonde valkyrie, do you also bear a curse such as Saotome?"
Noriko frowned as she considered the question. "That's an interesting question. I used to be a man myself, but my transformation into a female is permanent. I'm never going to change back into a man with any application of water, either hot or cold. I've tried to make a clean break from the man I was. I've even changed my name. As I told you, I now go by the name Tendo Noriko. I'm not directly related to Tendo Akane and for anyone who asks, I will claim to be a distant cousin from a branch of the family the local Tendos had forgotten about."
The auburn haired girl looked down at the floor for a moment. "Does Tendo Akane have a curse?"
Ranma's eyebrows went up. "No, she doesn't have a curse. Why did you ask?"
The neo-girl breathed a sigh of relief. "I was beginning to worry there was something wrong with me. I thought perhaps I might only feel attracted to women who could change into men or who had been men in the past."
The blonde gave Kuno a searching look. "Well, I suppose I should feel flattered that you found me attractive." She did not add that she truly felt anything but flattered. In this situation, it didn't hurt to be gracious.
Ranma put in, "Now that my engagement to Akane is over, I hope you weren't planning to start that 'you must defeat her to date her' challenge again."
Surprised, Kuno-chan asked, "Why not?"
The redhead rolled her eyes. "Because it was stupid and she hated it! It's mostly because of your treatment of her and the daily fights that Akane doesn't feel like she can trust any man her own age. I don't know if she's there yet, but Akane could become a lesbian because of it. She openly says that she hates boys. I have a pretty strong idea that she was attracted more to my girl side than to my guy side."
The kendo champion looked even more depressed. She said, "Maybe there is no one out there for me. Perhaps I am destined to be alone."
Trying to cheer her up, Ranma told her, "One of your greatest problems is that you focus on just one or two things and ignore everything else. Maybe you should look around. You might find there are some nice girls who like you and have been trying to get your attention."
"I suppose anything is possible," Kuno said in a musing tone. She looked down at herself and the changes wrought by the magic water. She sighed and declared, "I cannot go home like this. Neither my twisted sister nor Sasuke will recognize me. They would either attack me or at least refuse me admission to the mansion."
Somewhat diffidently, Ranma said, "Actually, I was wondering if I could ask a favor of you."
The kendo champion frowned. In truth, for the trouble she had caused this person, it could be possible that she did owe Ranma a favor. She asked, "What sort of favor did you have in mind?"
"When I said the temporary curse would wear off in a day, that was the extreme limit," Ranma explained. "You could change back sooner if you get splashed with hot water. You could even change back before we leave this room. The favor is, would you consider waiting a while before you change back?"
"Why would you ask this?" The auburn haired girl wanted to know.
Ranma sighed deeply. She said, "Your sister is a problem for me. She wants to kill my girl side and date or even marry my boy side. If you could tell her what happened to you today and change in front of her, it might help me."
"I… I could try," Kuno didn't sound at all certain.
The redhead nodded. "Thank you. The only other thing we could think to try would be a variation on the trick we did to you. By splashing Kodachi with a different water we could temporarily turn her into a man."
Frowning, Kuno mused, "Considering what a trauma it was to have my own gender transmogrified, I would spare my sister such a shock if possible. I will talk to her before I change back. I can make no promises as to how effective that will be."
"I only ask that you try," Ranma replied. "The whole thing with her started when she misunderstood an act of kindness. She was falling from the roof of the Tendo home and I caught her before she could hit the ground. I would have done the same for anyone. I wasn't declaring my love for her or looking for romance."
Noriko put in, "Ah, that's Ranma for you. Always the hero." She threw her arms around the redhead to deliver a hug.
The red haired girl gave the blonde a glare as if to say, "You're not helping."
The kendo champion considered Ranma's words. After a moment she said, "It is true that my sister has received little kind treatment from anyone outside our family and little enough within the family. I could easily understand how she might mistake an act of moral responsibility for a romantic gesture."
She paused before continuing. "Kodachi can be as stubborn as I am when she has chosen something to obsess about. There is the chance that words might not sway her from the course she has charted to your heart. You should stand ready to use your magic water in the event that my words fail to reach her."
Ranma looked at her watch. "Very well, I will keep that as a backup plan. But right now I'm afraid I'm going to have to leave. I have a train to catch. I have an appointment to meet with a sorceress in Juuban."
At Kuno's questioning look Ranma amplified, "I've been told that this sorceress has the power to alter the trigger of my curse from water to will power." By phrasing it that way Ranma avoided telling any outright lies. What she had said implied she hadn't had the change done yet, but didn't actually say so.
The auburn haired girl mulled that over for a moment. "Would that not be the same thing as a cure?" she asked with a frown.
The pigtailed girl shook her head in negation. "No, it doesn't work that way. Even though the curse isn't a living thing, sometimes it acts like it is. If the curse feels too much time has passed since I was in girl form it attracts water. If the trigger is will power the curse would just wait until my mind wandered and change me. To keep that from happening, I will just have to pick out times that I will be a girl by choice. Part of it would be to always sleep in girl form."
The auburn haired girl frowned. "Your life is… complicated."
Ranma laughed at that. "You have no idea. Now that you're not trying to date me, would you object to getting together to talk as friends sometime? I could tell you how really complicated my life is. It's kind of a long story."
As they moved toward the door, Kuno adjusted her clothing. "I don't doubt that. With magic curses and the like in your life, I suppose my own life will sound somewhat mundane. I'm guessing it would be as 'messed up' as yours, but until today I never experienced real magic, well aside from the wishing sword, that is."
After they exited the door of the office they waited for Kuno, who turned off all the lights before joining them and locking the door. She explained, "It is best to lock this place up. I would prefer if the principal doesn't find out that I have been sneaking into this room during his absences." She didn't add that she wanted to keep the rest to the student body out of the area as well.
Before Kuno could leave, Ranma suggested, "Maybe we could spar. I could stand to improve my weapons skills and you could probably stand to learn some unarmed tactics in case you should ever have to fight without your blade."
The auburn haired girl looked troubled and said, "I will need to think on that. I may need time to recover from this blow to my world view."
The school grounds were mostly deserted by now. The only students remaining in the area were members of the sports teams at practice and a few clubs holding meetings inside the school building. Of those still there, none noticed the trio of girls who exited the main building.
Ranma bounded away over the rooftops to the train station. Noriko headed back to the apartment, while Kuno walked along and considered her situation. As is always the case when one dreads an upcoming confrontation, it seemed all too soon that she reached the Kuno Mansion. She had no trouble negotiating the traps that studded the property. It wasn't until she got inside the door that she was challenged in the entrance hall.
Kodachi stood brandishing two of her spiked gymnastics clubs. She was dressed in one of her leotards in pale green with a rose pattern embroidered on it in black. The slight sheen of sweat on her face suggested that she had been working out before she came to the entrance hall in response to an alarm.
The gymnast's demeanor was grim. "I do not know who you are or how you got past our traps and security, girl, but you will go no further."
In a weary tone the auburn haired girl declared, "I am not an intruder. I have come to talk to you, 'Dachi-Chan."
Taken aback by the use of the pet name, the black haired girl relaxed her stance a bit. The look of grim determination was replaced by puzzlement. "Who are you that you address me in so familiar a manner? Though your face does bear a slight resemblance to others in my family, I do not recognize you. What is your name, girl?"
Drawing herself up to her full height (which was less than it had been) the kendo champion proclaimed, "I am the rising star of the high school fencing world. My opponents cower at the mention of my name. The heavens tremble at the sound of my voice. I am called the Blue Thunder of Furinkan high school. I am Kuno Tatewaki, age 18." There was a rumble of thunder outside.
Kodachi's response was not what Kuno had hoped. The gymnast erupted into laughter. For a change, it was not her usual insane cackle, but the sound of genuine amusement. After a moment to get her breath back, Kodachi said, "To hear those words coming from the mouth of one such as yourself is hilarious. I did not think my brother possessed a sense of humor adequate to pull off such a jest. Is he waiting outside?"
Kuno sighed and said, "No, I am alone. Do you recall how Saotome Ranma has always claimed that he changes into the pigtailed girl through magic?"
The gymnast frowned. "What has that preposterous story have to do with you giving out my brother's introduction speech?"
The auburn haired girl sighed again. "I have this day discovered that the story is not so preposterous as I had once believed. Your brother has been subjected to a magic which is similar to that which afflicts Saotome. The result is the girl whom you now see standing before you."
"What?" The black haired girl was openly skeptical. "You are telling me that my brother has been transformed into a girl. Further, you are claiming that you are the girl he was transformed into? Do you take me for a fool? Surely you must realize just how ridiculous that sounds? My brother must have taught you his greeting so you could say it so convincingly. I never did understand how he got the thunder to sound when he spoke it. I confess that you do bear some resemblance to him but my brother is a man, not a girl."
The kendo champion was keeping her cool, although she was starting to feel very annoyed. She was not used to having her word doubted like this. "It would be easy enough to prove what I say. Have Sasuke fetch some hot water that I may transform back to my male self. The water need not be boiling; bath water temperature would be sufficient."
Kodachi frowned. "I enjoy a good joke as much anyone, but this is becoming tedious. Still, I suppose I can humor you that far, girl." She turned her head and called out, "Sasuke! Bring your worthless self before me." She didn't question how the intruder knew the name of the family's ninja manservant. Obviously, if her brother had coached the girl in her impersonation, that information would have been included.
When the diminutive ninja presented himself, the mistress of the house ordered him to fetch water of the specified temperature.
Shortly the little man returned bearing a teacup that was full of steaming water. He handed it to the auburn haired girl
Kuno looked at her sister and decided to repeat the demonstration that Ranma had performed for her. She instructed, "Look at me closely. The transformation is fast but takes enough time that you can see the changes as they occur." She then threw the water in her face.
Kodachi and Sasuke both watched as the person before them grew taller, breasts receded, shoulders grew wider, hips narrower. Hair went from auburn to brown and facial features became more angular.
"Tate-Chan?" Kodachi's eyes looked ready to pop from their sockets, her gymnastics clubs clattered to the floor. "It's true? Magic really works? Then the red haired hussy is really…"
Kuno finished for his sister, "She is really your 'beloved Ranma-Sama.'"
The gymnast shook her head, horror mirrored in her eyes. "All those times I attacked her. If I had succeeded in hurting her…"
"Then you would have been hurting the man you profess to love." Her brother completed again.
"I'm going to my room. I need to take some time alone to think on this," Kodachi announced as she turned and started to walk away. Her gait was unsteady. Before she was out the door she commanded, "Sasuke, return to your duties."
The little ninja paused and asked, "Will you be needing me for anything, Master Kuno?"
He was about to dismiss the little man but changed his mind. "Do you have anything prepared for supper?"
"Yes, Master Kuno," the ninja replied. "Miss Kodachi ate earlier and I put your portion in the refrigerator. I can make something fresh if you don't mind waiting. If you are very hungry, I could re-heat your plate from earlier."
In a distracted tone the kendo champion said, "At the moment I really do not care. Re-heat the plate from before. Like my sister, I have much to think about. Many things that I believed, turn out to be different than I thought. Please bring the food to me in my chambers." He walked toward his room but paused at the doorway.
The young man turned and looked at his servant. "Tell me this Sasuske, did you know of Saotome's sex changing."
The ninja seemed to study the floor for a moment. Finally he decided that his employer didn't appear to be in a vengeful mood. He answered, "Yes, young master, I knew. During the times I've conducted surveillance on Ranma, I've witnessed the transformation many times. I tried to tell you of it, but you refused to listen. The mistress was similarly unwilling to hear those portions of my reports."
Kuno shook his head. "It is said that ignorance is bliss. Now that my eyes have been opened to this truth, I can truly say that I am not a happy man. At least happy or unhappy, I am a man once again. Go and fetch me that food." He went through the door of the entrance hall and headed toward his room.
As he walked toward the kitchen, Sasuke thought about the situation. It was good that the Master and Mistress were now aware of the truth. It was a shame that they had to suffer such unhappiness because of it, but he could understand. The gender changing curse was pretty hard to believe. Given their history, it was not difficult to grasp how it had required such a personal demonstration to make them believe.
As he got to the kitchen and took the covered plate out of the refrigerator, Sasuke thought further. He had to admit that he rather liked the young Saotome. The boy/girl was a nice person and had always been pleasant to Sasuke on the few occasions they had interacted. Well, at least when he had not been caught spying.
The ninja manservant could only hope that having been relieved of their delusions in this one matter, possibly the young master and mistress would come to re-examine some of their other delusions. Perhaps a shock of this sort was what they needed to push them both toward sanity. He certainly hoped so.
Author's Note: The Kuno's know about the curse now and, more importantly, they believe in it. Will this evolve into an actual friendship between the parties involved? Possibly, but there is still the Kuno's belief in their high social station. At least this should end the rivalry.
My thanks to UNSpacy000 for beta reading this chapter.
One of the reasons I stopped posting new chapters of this story on Media Miner was due to a bad case of writer's block. Since I started posting on FF I have gained the services of UNSpacy000. He actually volunteered to be a beta reader for me, I didn't need to recruit him. With his help and some suggestions, my creative juices have started to flow once more and I have the story nearly completed. This chapter you have just finished reading has never been posted anywhere before, not even on my blog. I hope nobody minds if the final chapters are sort of WAFFy.