Ranma's eyes flicker open and she sighs softly, sitting up. Her side aches and so does her wrist. Stretching, she feels funny a moment and looks down at the cute pyjamas that her mother had purchased for her yesterday. She runs her hands down them; they've got cute flowers all down the sides in repeating patterns. They're not her usual tank top, but she's had quite enough of wearing those… those…
She goes bright red and shakes her head, then looks again at the pyjamas. The sleeves are a little too long and she keeps her hands inside them, snug and comfy.
They're the first thing she's had from her mother that she can remember, and she utterly loves them.
Though the first nightie her mother had provided was so risqué she'd not been able to stop blushing for hours. Nodoka had simply smiled and hung it up in her wardrobe commenting that she might eventually want to wear it for someone.
Her stomach grumbles and she prods it before heading down the stairs in the unfamiliar house. She tries to keep her steps light but somehow her mother just knows she's there as she walks into the kitchen.
"Good morning, dear. Did you sleep well?"
Ranma covers her mouth as she yawns and messes with her hair, still unbraided. It's a little unruly at the moment as Kasumi had been promising to cut it neat again before… everything happened. When she looks at Nodoka, she can't help but feel that minute hitch of fear, but she controls it. Mother wouldn't hurt her. She's already promised, and a lady like Nodoka keeps her promises.
"Good morning, Mother." Ranma says politely, sitting at the table. Nodoka bustles over, bringing over her breakfast. "It was fine; I was very tired."
"I suspected so when you fell asleep on me again." Nodoka smiles warmly at her daughter. "We must get you some clothing today, dear." She says, "And possibly enrol you in a new school, since Fuurinkan High is quite far away and no place for a decent lady like yourself from what you have told me."
"…Mother?" Ranma asks. Nodoka pats her arm.
"Don't worry, dear, I have an idea of where you can learn to be a proper lady, amongst other proper ladies. You might even make some friends."
Ranma smiles and digs into her food.
Nodoka is distracted by a knock at the door and heads to the genkan while Ranma eats her breakfast. Once she's done, the redheaded girl walks to the sink and starts washing up, putting the pots to dry. Quiet voices sound from the Genkan, but she can't hear them clearly. It must be a friend of her mother's.
Instead of investigating, Ranma heads up the stairs to her room and looks for some string. She smiles when she finds string, tape and paper and promptly sets to work making guidelines for Ryouga so he doesn't get lost.
When she returns to the kitchen, tying the last of the line into an arrow and leaving a piece of paper that says 'Kitchen this way' taped to it, she nods to herself.
"Oh, is that for Ryouga-kun?" Nodoka asks from behind her, and Ranma nods.
"Yes, Mother, he has a terrible sense of direction and can even get lost inside a house."
"That's very kind of you, Ranma dear." Her mother says, and Ranma turns around with a smile, before dropping her bundle of string, paper, pen and tape. The ball of ice at her heart echoes painfully inside of her, creeping tendrils of cold through her being.
Kasumi is sat at the table with a cup of tea, a few bags next to her, and her mother is sat nearby, watching closely.
"Kasumi-nee-sama?" Ranma asks faintly. The ice ball tightens its grip on her insides.
"Good morning, Ranma-chan." Kasumi says with a smile. "I'm glad to see you look well. I was worried after Ryouga-kun called."
"Come and join us, dear." Nodoka says to her, a smile on her face. "We were discussing going out today."
Ranma picks up her supplies from where they'd fallen, cold in her chest as she sits down and looks at the table. Nodoka sighs, but Kasumi seems as bright as always. A bag lands on the table in front of her.
"Here, Ranma-chan, I brought some of your clothes. There's your favourite Chinese silks, and I took the liberty of purchasing some plain girls' underwear for you as well, as Nabiki had your 'three sizes'. I also brought one or two of your dresses since you have been favouring those." Her voice is as pleasant as always but Ranma doesn't respond. The ice in her heart clenches again and she screws her eyes shut. "Ranma-chan?"
The cold in her heart is almost overwhelming, a hollow ball of grief and guilt and she holds herself to stop it from shattering inside of her. She jumps as a hand lands on her shoulder, and her eyes open to see a blurry Kasumi standing in front of her, sad eyes searching her face.
"Little sister." Kasumi says, leaning forwards and kissing her forehead. "I am sorry for not noticing your pain." She holds Ranma's shoulders and Ranma just stares at her. "Even if other members of my family may disagree, I know you are who you are, and I support you, no matter whoever you are or become. You are family, and family treats other family right."
Ranma looks down, the ball of ice in her chest clenching again. "'Kay.." She mumbles. Kasumi sighs.
"I don't hate you, Ranma-chan. You are my sister and I accept you. Do you understand?"
Ranma shakes her head. "…But I killed him." She insists. Nodoka frowns. This keeps coming up.
Kasumi shakes her head. "No one has killed anyone, and you are not responsible. If there is anyone responsible for any 'killing' then it is Akane." She squeezes Ranma's shoulders. "You simply changed. It happened very quickly, but you are still you. You're just a different you."
The ice clenches again.
Murderer.
Ranma tries to show she understands. But Kasumi can say it all that she wants until her face is blue, but Ranma will not believe it. Can't believe it. Kasumi smiles at her anyway and kisses her forehead again.
"I'm glad. I wanted to apologise to you for not being a better voice. From now on, I'll make sure to always ask you how you feel. OK?" Ranma nods at Kasumi and the eldest Tendou daughter steps back. Nodoka nods approvingly. "Do you mind if I join you for shopping, Auntie? I would much rather be out of the house today."
"Well, Ranma dear?" Nodoka asks, looking over at Ranma, who blinks from her trying to stop that ice in her chest.
"Oh… um… I suppose." She says. "Apologise, Kasumi-nee-sama, I'm still under the weather…"
Kasumi titters and sits back down next to Nodoka. "It's quite alright." She says and Ranma looks between the two ladylike women. She picks up the bag and walks upstairs to bathe and get dressed.
She spends a few minutes in front of the furo before disregarding it and settling for a cold shower. Any moment spent as a boy causes a pain so deep that she can't name it. A wrongness that cleared up when she had awoken as herself.
Bodysnatcher.
She shakes her head, hand on her chest to contain the ice that's still there, still clenching.
Changeling.
She dresses in a light green dress with short sleeves and a pleated skirt. She puts on a pair of her Chinese slippers as beyond the small heels her white dress is paired with, she has no other shoes. She eyes herself critically in the mirror before brushing her hair and tying it into a pigtail.
When she returns downstairs, she finds Ryouga eating breakfast as well, apparently having followed her directions. She gives him a watery smile and he nods before continuing to eat politely. Nodoka and Kasumi are having an animated discussion, having known each other for some time. Ranma waits for them to finish, standing awkwardly.
"That looks very nice on you, Ranma dear." Nodoka says approvingly. Kasumi claps.
"You look so lovely, Ranma-chan." The eldest Tendou sister beams.
Ranma twirls, the ice retreated in the face of the shopping. Ryouga sits nearby, watching but not speaking. He looks a little tired from being dragged around but Ranma is quickly finding out why her mother and Kasumi insisted on him coming along. A boy can carry, and for someone as strong as Ryouga the bags are hardly an inconvenience. Even the huge amount that were currently arrayed about him.
Ranma, Nodoka and Kasumi had dragged him from shop to shop while it felt like Nodoka went on an absolute spending spree on her daughter. He'd have said she was mad if not for the joy that was on her face.
Maybe she'd always wanted a daughter?
Clothes, socks, underwear (kami, he'd almost had a heart attack when Nodoka had asked him to see how Ranma looked in one outfit. He'd plugged his nose and firmly turned his back to an amused giggle from Kasumi and an outraged yell from Ranma.), 'feminine products' – he'd gone beet red at the term, though Ranma had just looked confused and inspected the basket curiously, not understanding anything other than the cosmetics or conditioner.
He looks over at Ranma's outfit as she twirls.
She's wearing a lovely robin's-egg-blue sundress with a scallop-hem and a cardigan over it. She looks at herself in the mirror. "Hmm…" She says. "I don't know, Mother, I think it needs a hat and some tights."
"We have those already, dear."
"And ballet flat shoes or sandals."
"Those too, Ranma-chan." Kasumi says, an edge of wry amusement in her voice. Ranma smiles at her. He's glad she seems to have made peace with Kasumi, but he catches a flicker in her eye, and her hand clutches at her chest a moment when she thinks Kasumi isn't looking.
Ranma returns to the changing room to try another outfit on. Ryouga watches her go and shakes his head. That edginess about her keeps coming back at strange moments, but then is drowned out by her being happy to be with her mother. He's not sure what to think, but it's something that needs watching.
As someone who has a lot of depression chi, he can tell when someone is building up an excess.
Ranma emerges in an outfit that causes him to look askance at her and wonder how much of the old Ranma is there still. The short dungaree dress is very familiar, though this one's in blue rather than brown. The blouse is a red one but not one of her Chinese silks. Thigh-high black stockings and red mary-jane shoes complete the look, and she smiles at him, eyes twinkling as she twirls.
Now he knows she's messing with him. He starts to get angry but the happy smile on her face and the merry twinkling in her eyes makes him reconsider it. She was probably playing with him, and that… feels alright in his book. Certainly, it meant she wasn't entirely a dainty flower, and there was still something there of her older self. Ranma, when you got past the insults and the macho posturing always liked to play with people.
"Oh my, Ranma dear, that's a great look!" Nodoka enthuses. Kasumi claps again and Ranma beams.
"I remember trying something like this on before." She says happily. She looks over at Ryouga and he rolls his eyes at her, but gives a thumb up before he notices her walking over and holding a hand out for one of his bandannas.
He obliges, pulling one off his wrist and passing it over. She beams and then unties her pigtail, quickly and efficiently tying it into twin braids, then putting the bandanna on over her hair and sitting next to Ryouga. "Now we match!" She says with a smile for her mother.
Nodoka at that moment has wedding bells sounding in her head looking at the two teenagers, while Kasumi giggles, but Ranma's soon bundled back into the dressing room to change into her own clothes and pay.
Ryouga silently thanks the kami that the next destination is a place where they can sit down and eat. He doesn't eat much sweet food, but he's absolutely astounded watching Ranma eat daintily.
She still eats four sundaes. Nodoka seems quite amused by this fact, even though the entire time she was eating as politely as Kasumi and Nodoka had been.
Where does it all go? He wonders, not for the first time. Nodoka and Kasumi catch him staring and he blushes, but they seem more amused than anything as they both stare at the four empty glasses and the happily smiling redhead.
"Ranma dear, you've ice cream on your nose." Nodoka says and passes the girl a handkerchief. She blushes and wipes it away, then looks satisfied. "Where on earth does all of that food go, Ranma dear? You're so tiny." Her mother wonders aloud.
Ranma blushes again. "I like ice cream, Mother." She says carefully. Kasumi nods.
"Oh my, yes, Ranma-chan is a big fan of parfaits, ice cream, anything sweet." The eldest Tendou daughter says. Ranma nods enthusiastically. "It has been nice cooking for someone who enjoys the food I make so very much."
Ranma deflates slightly, though it doesn't look like Kasumi or Nodoka catch it. Ryouga, having spent the whole day Ranma-watching, does catch it. And it makes him want to tell her to speak with her mother about the bridge again.
All day he's been watching her. All day he's noticed more and more that she has something deeply wrong inside her. She doesn't seem to want to talk about it, and after yesterday he's trying to let her have a day without someone bugging her for her secrets. But he is worried.
The flashes of mischief and smiles she sends his way are a balm to some of his worries. She's still holding on. As long as she holds on until she's ready to talk to someone, he'll keep watching.