There's an open floor as the chorus soars,
And a pretty girl's hand beside yours.
Who knows what you'll find,
But the threshold shines,
Can you leap from the ledge and bridge the two halves of the world?
Hold her hand.
- Prom Night by The Midnight
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Ranko descends the stairs and Ryouga has to remember to actually breathe before he passes out. She's taking the steps one at a time, unsurely, small steps so as not to show so much leg. He swallows.
Though her feet are not clad in shoes – those are hanging from her left hand, her right trailing the banister – she's wearing long, sheer stockings that end mid-thigh. He can tell it's mid-thigh because the slit on the left side where her leg peeks out goes just a little higher than the socks.
The dress is a long, jade green cheongsam, not that that's a surprise. Even now she's taken by Chinese silk clothing and he's found her recently wearing more feminine versions of her old blouses and some outfits Shampoo had obviously given her before. It's decorated with purple orchids and is so sheer it hugs her figure.
Ryouga's eyes trail up as she steps down, hand on the banister. Her hair is unbound, cascading about her in the usual curls, only styled so it falls perfectly around her and across her, leaving her with a fringe. On the hand on the banister he sees green nail varnish but her arms are bare save for a shrug trailing across her shoulders.
The collar of the cheongsam is at her neck, but while there isn't anything showing up top, the way the cheongsam clings to her shows Ranko's bust off in ways that he'd normally be nosebleeding at. His eyes travel up to her face. The unsure smile is there, but she's wearing exquisitely applied makeup – a hint of green eyeshadow, faint eyeliner and a little blush on her cheeks, but it all accentuates her sparkling blue eyes. Jade green earrings dangle from her ears.
Looking at her hair, he can see it's not entirely down – there's a long, green ribbon tied into a bow keeping some of the curls out of her face, letting them cascade down her back instead. On one shoulder is a small handbag in matching jade green to her dress.
His heart just about detonates in his chest when she smiles at him, her eyes lighting up as she looks him over. She finally hits the bottom step and her own heart beats faster as she looks Ryouga over.
He's wearing smart black trousers that are clearly fitted to him. On top he's wearing a smart white shirt, crisply ironed and perfectly sized for him. At some points when he moves his arms it almost looks painted onto his arms and shows off his muscles in ways that make heat come to her face. Over the shirt is a waistcoat in a deep forest green and somehow he even has a pocket watch. He's wearing a green tie to match her dress, perfectly done in a Windsor knot, and this too has a faint pattern of orchids on it.
Nearby is a jacket for the suit, though she's captivated by what's been done to his hair. Gone is the messy fringe, instead his hair is still fluffy, still a little longer than short but shorter than long, but his bandana is gone from it and it's been combed back, though not slicked. He looks… Well, he looks like a man, and not a boy.
He looks at her and his mind shatters into itty bitty pieces. She looks at him and hers does the same. They stay like this, lost in each other for a fair few minutes.
Around the family room, Nodoka, Ukyou, Nabiki and Akane look at each other, then the couple, then each other and all of them grin. Success!
"R-Ranko." Ryouga finally manages to say after taking some minutes to scoop up the pieces of his brain just scattered around and put them into something resembling working order.
"Ryouga." Ranko says, maddeningly calmly. She plays with her fingers. "You look amazing."
He goes more red. "Th-thanks. You look…" He trails off, drinking in the sight of her. "You look…" He pauses, trying to find the words. "Incredible."
She blushes brightly, but her eyes sparkle as she looks at him with a happy smile.
"Awww." Akane says, her heart melting. Nabiki nods her head and picks her camera up as the two jump and remember there are other people in the room. Nodoka's smile is so bright and wide it's almost blinding.
"Alright lovebirds, I need you against the wall over there." Nabiki commands, holding her camera, a high-end model. The two stand awkwardly next to each other and Nabiki takes one photograph and tuts. "Come on you guys, dead fish have more chemistry in photos. Ranko, link arms with him and both of you smile like you mean it."
Ranko timidly takes Ryouga's arm, and finds the smile coming to her face automatically. Ryouga smiles warmly too, and Nabiki snaps a photo. She makes them take a couple more poses before she's satisfied.
Nodoka looks to the two of them and her hands go to her cheeks as she beams, envisioning bouncing grandchildren on her lap with bright red hair and little fangs and a sunny disposition. "Oh, you two make such a lovely couple!" She exclaims and Akane takes Nodoka's arm.
"Auntie, you're getting excited." She scolds and Nodoka calms down a moment, but still beams. "Well, you two, best be off!" She shoos them to the genkan, where Ryouga dons a pair of smart, black shoes and Ranko puts on the green heels. She wobbles a moment, then her natural grace kicks in and she stands more firmly. One of her legs peeks out through the slit in the cheongsam and with the heels Ryouga can't help but admire it a moment before looking away nervously.
Ranko notices and blushes but as they walk down the street, she takes his hand and smiles up at him. "I don't mind." She says quietly.
"Wh-what?"
"You looking." Ranko smiles, "At me, I mean." Her face goes more red. "B-because it's n-nice to kn-know you l-like looking. A-and I like l-looking at you, t-too."
Ryouga goes red, too. "O-oh. I l-like that t-too."
She squeezes his hand, but the rest of the journey is silent as they walk along. Ranko sighs happily as they board a train and make a quick hop to the shopping district where the restaurants are. This part was Ryouga's choice, hers is later on and she hopes he'll like it. He'd had to let her know where to go because of his direction curse, but she's kept hers a surprise.
They almost pass by the restaurant, secluded and out of the way as it is. As they enter, the maitre d' bows and they're escorted to a booth that's already set up for them with candles and a single rose in a glass. As they sit down, Ranko looks about. She's still a little flushed – the stares on the train as they sat together, both from men watching her with Ryouga and women watching Ryouga with her, had been somewhat envious and part of her enjoys the attention, even if she's embarrassed by it.
Ryouga's choice of restaurant is perfect for two people who are both fairly shy. It's out of the way, it's tastefully decorated, and every booth is situated so there's a minimum of interaction between anyone sitting at different booths.
They make their orders of food and talk of small things, inconsequential things. The big things are always said through little things, and they've already said so many big things that the small things are a blessing in and of themselves.
She smiles at him. He smiles at her.
Their hands touch across the table, caress, hold. His large thumb strokes the back of her hand absently.
Small, shy, chaste kisses are made across the table which is large enough to seat the huge amount of food they have both ordered and yet small enough that leaning across to kiss is not uncomfortable.
They talk of simple times – of fights that Ryouga had with Ranma. Of Ryouga's travels, of the Path that Ranko is learning from her mother. Ryouga wonders about his own mother and Ranko smiles at him. She tells him they should go and see her, and Shirokuro too.
She wants his mother's approval, she realises, she wants to see him happy with his family too, as she is with her own.
The staff of the restaurant watch the shy couple, taking those tentative first steps of reaching out to one another while they eat.
And how those two can eat. The staff are frankly boggled that the lovely, petite young lady somehow puts more food away than the tall young man. And even then, that they don't see her eating with anything other than polite speed and mannerisms. The boy's a little rougher, but even so…
They finish their meal and simply sit there a while, looking into one another's eyes, trying to see to the other person's heart. It's not difficult, neither of them is used to hiding from the other, not as they are now.
Ranko smiles at Ryouga as the wait staff clear their plates from dessert away. "Thank you, Ryouga." She says happily. "That was lovely. How did you find this place?"
He smiles embarrassedly. "I cheated." He replies, blushing.
"You cheated?"
"I asked Nabiki-san."
Ranko giggles. "Well, I'd hardly call going to the cleverest person we know for advice cheating. It's just good sense." She reaches over the table and takes both his hands in hers.
"Thank you again, though. Even if she told you of it, you knew I'd like it." She leans over and gives him a short kiss, then stands. "And it's my turn now."
"Where are we going?" He asks as he stands and she links her arm with his.
"It's a secret." She says, "But it's not far."
They emerge from the restaurant and blink as it's starting to head towards sunset, but it's still bright after the low lighting of the restaurant. They look at each other, laugh and then start walking.
"Excuse me young miss, young man, I don't suppose you could tell me if this is Nerima?" A voice calls and the two turn to see a woman with long black fluffy hair tied back in a bandana, and fangs as she smiles softly at the two. "…Ryouga?"
"M-mum?" Ryouga looks at her and she smiles, grabbing him in a hug, sniffling.
"My baby boy! It's been so long!"
Ranko steps back a moment, smoothing down her cheongsam and checking her hair, then her makeup surreptitiously with a compact in her handbag. She watches the two and smiles.
Ryouga's mother's wearing similar travelling gear to her son, though more feminine. She too gives off that same aura of stability and immovability, and she even has his fangs. She's tall, very tall, taller even than Ryouga. She too has a pack on her back and an umbrella that gives off an aura of weight, and she also has the grace any martial artist gives off.
"M-mum." Ryouga says, tears in his eyes. "I missed you." Ranko's heart softens as she sees the genuine joy in his eyes. Joy that up til this point today had been entirely directed at her. She doesn't mind though; this is as joyous for her to watch as it is for him to feel.
His mother beams, sniffling. "I missed you too. Are we in Tokyo, then?"
"We are!"
"You're not lost yourself, are you?" She asks, worriedly. "I know you were chasing that friend of yours. Did you catch him?"
Ryouga laughs softly as his mother steps back and puts her hands on his shoulder. "I uh… guess you could say that."
His mother smiles at him and then looks him up and down. "Ryouga, did you lose your pack? Where are you staying? And why are you dressed so… smartly…?" Her glance casts over to the redhead standing nearby, a shy smile on her face. The dress she's wearing is enough to indicate the two of them are headed somewhere formal.
The girl is standing shyly, but she can see that the redhead is definitely a martial artist of some sort. Her training's definitely not complete but she's standing like the wind itself wouldn't touch her. Poise and grace, and she nods approvingly, turning back to her son.
"I'm staying with a friend. And ah… I'm on a date." Ryouga rubs the back of his head.
"I… can see that." His mother says, looking Ranko over, who squirms. Ryouga takes her hand and squeezes, bringing her closer to the two of them.
"This is Ranko, Mom. Saotome Ranko." He introduces her and she bows nervously.
His mother blinks. "Saotome… This is your friend? But I thought he was a boy?"
Ryouga laughs. "It's… a long story, Mum. This is his sister, kind of." His gaze flicks to Ranko.
His mother can see the love in those eyes, and the same from the girl's. She smiles warmly at the girl. "I see puberty hit you like a truck, young lady, especially in that dress." Ranko blushes bright red. "I'm Hibiki Emiko. Thank you for taking care of my son." She bows and Ranko's blush grows more pronounced.
"I-it's nothing, Hibiki-san." Ranko bows as well. "I'm v-very pleased to s-see you a-again."
"I didn't know we met…" Emiko says, a thoughtful expression on her face. "I'd certainly remember your hair if nothing else."
Ranko looks down. "It's a long story, Hibiki-san." She says softly. "A very long story, and I haven't the time right now to tell it. We're on a date and limited on time to get to our next destination."
"Call me Auntie, dear. At least for now, though something tells me you'll be calling me 'Mum' some time soon." Emiko giggles. Ranko looks at her and blushes. Ryouga looks sad.
"Ah… Mum!" Ryouga whines, but he's smiling at her. His face falls. "I really want to see you at home." He says sadly. "We never see each other, and I love staying with Auntie… But you're my Mum."
Emiko nods. "It's a shame. I could wait here for you, but you know our family and directions. I could go to the bathroom and I'd be gone…"
"Y-yeah." Ryouga says.
Ranko clears her throat. "Excuse me a moment." She says sweetly, stepping back. She looks over near a building. "Akane, I know you're there!" She calls. Ryouga looks sharply at her, and then in shock as Akane and Ukyou emerge from a café nearby.
"Jeez, imouto-chan, how do you always know?" Ukyou grumbles.
"The breeze told me." Ranko shrugs. "Anyway, Akane, you know the way back to Ryouga's house, right?"
Akane nods, smiling. "I think we can leave you be now we know he's a gentleman." She says, hugging Ranko and then turning to Emiko. "I'm Tendou Akane and this is Saotome Ukyou, Ranko's sister."
"Hey."
"We'll get you home, Hibiki-san." Akane continues.
Emiko smiles at the two of them, tears standing out in her eyes. "Oh, thank you. Give me a moment."
She walks to Ryouga and hugs him, whispering in his ear. "She seems lovely, dear. I'm so happy for you."
"M-me too, Mum." Ryouga says, hugging her back. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"Bring Ranko-chan with you." She instructs and he nods. Emiko then takes a surprised Ranko in a hug. "Oh, you're so petite and cute I just want to take you home!" She exclaims. Ranko's blush grows more pronounced. "Good luck tonight, Ranko-chan. I hope you have a lovely night!"
She stands back and smiles at Ranko, winking. "And if he gives you any trouble, kick him for me."
"R-ryouga's a gentleman, Auntie." Ranko says, blushing. "He'd never hurt me on purpose."
Emiko smiles. "Good."
Akane, Ukyou and Emiko wander off together, Ranko and Ryouga watching with amusement as Emiko almost immediately nearly gets lost until Akane and Ukyou take a hand each.
"So that's what that looks like from the outside." Ryouga mumbles. Ranko takes his arm again and starts leading him away.
"I like your Mom." She says, giggling. "She's nice."
"Yeah, Mum's… Always been like that. Bubbly." Ryouga smiles. Ranko boops his nose with her free hand.
"Not like you, mister grumpyguts. We used to worry so much about you, you know."
Ryouga purses his lips. The pronoun weirdness when Ranko talks about her old self still makes him a bit uncomfortable, but it's his own discomfort more than anything. Still, he appreciates the thought. "I'm a lot better now. I'm not even sure I can pull off Shi Shi Hokoudan anymore unless I force it."
"No doing that. I don't want you poisoning yourself with depression chi." Ranko warns, a sharpness in her tone, a steel he knows is always there under the surface. It only comes out when she's truly worried, though. He smiles at her and leans down to kiss her cheek.
"I won't." He promises. "Unless I have to, and even then… I'll think twice."
Ranko smiles at him and his knees weaken a moment before he manages to not stumble.
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They make it with plenty of time to spare, even with their slow going punctuated by the occasional kiss. Ranko doesn't want the walk to end, even though the date still has many hours left, hours to while away in company she loves.
Finally, they stand in front of the hall and Ryouga looks at it. "Dancing?" He asks, suspiciously. Ranko nods, a smile on her face. "B-but I can't d-d-dance!"
Ranko's smile widens. She feels suddenly bold. This was the right decision, she just has to sell it to him properly. "Neither can I." She admits softly. She interlaces her fingers with his, takes his other hand and stands in front of him, standing close so they're touching, hands between each other. "I thought… We fought all the time. We know each other so well. Our strengths." She kisses one hand. "Our weaknesses." She kisses the other.
Ryouga blushes again. But he squeezes her hands back gently. "I guess." He says. He's still not sure.
Ranko's smile stays on her face, warm and inviting. "We don't fight anymore, Ryouga. Haven't you noticed? And yet, I still want to do things with you like that. Not sparring, but moving. Around you, with you. And I don't mean… All that." She goes red, but soldiers on, "I mean… something we can do together that lets us move together, lets us anticipate each other. Dancing can be that – we're both graceful, and I know there's one thing that you have over any other dance partner I could choose."
Ryouga looks into those deep blue pools and can't help but smile at the enthusiasm there. "What's that?"
"You know me. You know how I move, how I will always move. And I know you, I know the same. Dancing, sparring, anything like that – it doesn't matter. Rhythm Gymnastics, remember that? By the time we finished practicing we were able to anticipate. So, why not try it?"
She beams. "And it's not just… waltzing. I signed us up for a mixed class of all kinds of styles. And the great thing about this?" She lets his hands go, looking up and standing on her toes to kiss him. "We can keep coming back and learning more." She giggles. "It's like the 'Anything Goes' of dancing, though it isn't a martial art. That I know of."
Ryouga's smile stays warm but it settles into quiet confidence. "Alright." He says. This sort of thing he can do.
They go in, and at first, as with many things between them, it's awkward. Holding Ranko by the hand, by the arm, the rare times they've sat together or when he had to hold her away from her father – those certainly are times he's held her, but this is holding her in a completely different way.
At first, he treats her like glass, not wanting to hold her or move quickly lest he hurt her, and it spoils a few different dances for them. Throughout, she grumbles at him. Loudly, and angrily.
Finally, exasperated, she takes his hands during a lull. She puts one on her hip, and he can feel the line of something under the cheongsam, going red. She pushes his hand down on it and glares. "Hold me." She commands. "Ryouga, I am not made of glass, a lady though I might be. As Mother is fond of saying, a lady is silk hiding steel, and I have steel in me. I know." Her glare softens as she puts one hand on his own hip, making him jump, her free hand taking his. "I know you'll never hurt me." She leans forward and pecks his lips. "Never. So hold me!"
Ryouga swallows. He wants to treat her like a delicate flower, a glass sculpture. Over the past month or so he's built an image that she's like that. But he knows, and he's always known, she's still got that core of steel inside her. His hand grips her hip with more force, and she smiles warmly at him, her annoyance forgotten. She wonders how she's being assertive here and realises that the two of them are so shy, someone must take charge. Might as well be the lady if the gentleman isn't doing so!
The two of them circle, slow dancing until it's time to change styles. Ryouga finds himself getting into the groove as they're shown a tango, and he and Ranko grow more confident together in moving.
He realises she was right. They do know each other. How they're moving at the moment, it's instinctive. When she makes a movement, he moves with her right at the same time. When he moves, she follows. And it's not just then, they each know how the other will move, unspoken as they decide the moves they take in from the instruction.
His smile grows and grows, and he watches as that same nameless joy he's feeling builds in her own eyes. Kami, he'd missed this sort of thing. It isn't martial arts; it isn't combat and yet it's just as thrilling to him. The girl in his arms, the challenge of learning new steps, the heat of her body against his when she performs a layover movement – he'd be surprised, but he's seen it coming five moves ago and simply moves with it, stealing a kiss. Her own smile brightens as they separate.
During a break, the two of them move off the floor to some applause, both red-faced and sweating. They collapse onto a loveseat on the side of the room, Ranko leaning her head onto his shoulder as he slumps. Up to this point, neither had taken breaks even when there were no others on the floor and no style being shown off. It's not as exhausting as one of their longer running battles, so they had energy to spare.
Sitting on the seat, both of them red-faced and panting, Ryouga feels that wonderful ache of a workout. Who would have known that dancing could induce that great burn?
He wants to carry on, to keep this girl in his arms forever, spinning and twirling and moving and just holding one another. Like the two prodigies at martial arts they both were, they take in the styles as they're shown, they adapt and then add them to their own repertoire. They've not been perfect, and they've both stumbled more than a few times, but it's the least embarrassing thing in the world, wrapped in their own little world as they are.
Ranko leans her head from his and looks up at him. He looks down at her. Her makeup has run a little from the sweat, lines across her forehead where it's rubbed away. Breathing hard, still, flushed.
She's never been more beautiful to him than in that moment, and the look in her eyes shows a reciprocation of those feelings. Her hands grip his collar and pull his head down to her level, smiling into his eyes and daring him to take advantage of the moment. He grins back, fangs showing, and then leans forwards to take her lips. Her tongue touches his lips, and he parts them to let it past, feeling as if fireworks are running in the back of his head.
He doesn't want the moment to end, doesn't want it to finish, and yet it must. They separate, though her arms around his torso don't move as she puts her head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat and taking in the scent of the clothing, of the earth, of the pine, of the cologne he had on, all mingling into the scent she knows so well of Ryouga, that mix of earth and home.
He wraps his own arms around her, leaning his head and kissing her hair, taking in the jasmine and orchid perfume she's wearing, and underneath it the lotus-blossom smell she always seems to have. The cherry scent of the conditioner he occasionally borrows when his own is out.
They stay that way while they rest, drawing comfort and heat from one another. Dance styles and offers come and go and eventually Ranko raises her head and smiles at him. He smiles back, kisses her once and they disengage.
Quick as a flash, she's mopped her forehead of sweat, handed him a handkerchief and touched her makeup back up. He looks in awe as she suddenly seems refreshed. He mops the sweat from his own brow and tucks the handkerchief away to wash and return.
Standing, he offers her his arm. "Fair lady." He intones in a mockery of Kunou Tatewaki. "It would pleaseth me most if thou wouldst join me for more dances, lest your card be filled afore I receive the glory of thy presence on the floor."
Ranko giggles and slaps his hand. "Stop that." She laughs, "I don't want to think of that idiot here, I only want to think of you!"
Ryouga grins. "Alright. More dances? I think they said this was a waltz."
Ranko takes the hand, and he leads her back onto the floor to dance the night away.
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"So where to now?" Ryouga asks her as they emerge, tired and elated and bubbling and wonderful from the dance hall. Ranko smiles at him, leans up to kiss his lips quickly and takes his arm.
She knows exactly where to take him.
They take the train, but instead of getting off at their home station, Ranko keeps them on the train until they reach the outskirts of Nerima.
She leads him along a road, a familiar road she'd blurred down before. Now she and Ryouga simply walk, the click of her heels and the soft thud of his shoes the only sound at this time of night aside from the city's night sounds.
As they come in sight of the bridge, Ryouga's face changes. Shock, and a strange nostalgia fill him as they move up the slope of it, and then at the top, Ranko stops leading him and hops onto the railing, holding on as he does the same.
"In a way," She says to him, looking at the water below. "I died here." Her voice is soft, sad.
Ryouga looks to her. "I saw you. You looked like everything had ended – that white dress of yours stained, your bearing was like… I'd never seen you miserable like that before."
"And then I fell."
"And then you fell, yeah. And I just… I had to catch you."
Her small hand intertwines with his. She scoots closer to him and rests her head on his arm, being a little too short for his shoulder.
"In a way, my life ended at this place, at that time. Perhaps even more than on the rocks of the koi pond." Ranko murmurs, still looking at the water a moment, before she raises her head to look at Ryouga's wonderful chocolate brown eyes. Her free hand reaches up and runs down his face, the pads of her thumbs press against his fangs and he kisses her hand absently as she rests it on his cheek. "In a way… My life started here, too."
Ryouga smiles at her, love in his expression – a dopey, goofy smile on his face, a grin of nothing but happiness so far removed from the boy who could conjure perfect Shi Shi Hokoudan that she remembers despairing for him ever not being depressed and sullen.
That boy seems gone; as gone as Ranma is, which is to say, somewhere deep inside the memory of that boy still lives, still makes smart-alec comments, still whispers occasionally even though he's gone.
But in his place is the boy refined – the sweet side, the caring side. The kind side, the kindness she remembers being the one core thing she too inherited from her former self, along with love. So much love for her friends and family.
Love that nearly broke her with weeks of being ignored, of being treated like a corpse that forgot to die.
But love is love, and love means different things to different people, in regard to different people. Ranma's love for Akane was a burning, shining bonfire of emotions he couldn't have hoped to hide, as was the short-haired girl's own love the twin of that raging inferno.
Ranko's love for Akane is no less potent, but is more a stormy breeze, potent and refreshing, but not that same intensity.
Her love for Ryouga isn't even that – she feels as intensely as Ranma did, but her own spirit, her own chi is always more muted, more controlled than Ranma's ever was. Ranko keeps herself tightly veiled, and not just because she's learning the Path of the Silken Breeze. For her control is victory, and she'll never, ever let her fears control her like Ranma's did.
Ryouga's love for Akane had been bumbling, probably false and definitely not reciprocated. His love for Ranko matches her own. It's no less intense than the bonfire between Ranma and Akane, but it's more controlled, more muted and all the more genuine from him for it.
He looks at Ranko's sparkling blue eyes and sees the depths of that love; so much more like a placid lake than what he'd probably have seen from Ranma. He knows that he can take a dip in those waters and never emerge squealing.
"I guess," He says, "In a way my life started here, too. I saw you fall, and I had to catch you." He smiles awkwardly. "At the time I couldn't let my chief rival die." His voice turns wistful. "And then, in the family room when you woke; I met you for the first time. And you were so broken and hurt, and I… I just watched. And then, even after that, even terrified, without even thinking about it, you comforted your mother. And I think… that's when I fell in love."
Ranko blushes. She looks at him, then the water, then the sky and then back to him. "I love you, Hibiki Ryouga." She says, seriously, calmly and entirely truthfully.
He smiles at her, bashfulness gone, simple knowledge of the fact washing over him. "And I love you, Saotome Ranko."
Ranko circles her arms about his neck, reaching up and kissing him passionately, pressing herself against him and letting every barrier down. She has no fear she'll fall from the bridge railing. Her own reflexes are too good, and even if she does…
He'll catch her.
And at that moment, Saotome Ranko finally realises one thing:
She's glad to be alive. She's glad she's here, right here, right now, kissing the boy she loves. She's glad she has a home to go to and people who love her. She's glad her older self gave her their body to use.
At this moment.
In this place.
She feels fine. She finally knows that she's not a corpse that forgot to die, that she's not a jibakurei hanging around where it died.
She's not a changeling left in place of the child that was wanted; she's still the child that was wanted and she never was a changeling. Never was left by the fae, never was taken. She just changed herself, and that's fine. Everyone changes. Everyone is different people all through their lives. Most people just take the scenic route between people while she took the express.
Ranko lets the final parts of her worries about having been Ranma before go, dissolving on the wind like he had into light in her dream. And he'll still be there, and she'll still relapse sometimes, she knows this; the damage she took to her mental health will never really fully recover. But that's fine, too. She has family to help, she has Ryouga. She has friends. And even with all that possibility for bad things to happen swirling about her she knows one thing.
As long as she has her family and friends.
As long as love surrounds her.
As long as she loves as much as those around her love, and as long as she stays kind.
She's going to be fine.
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A/N: ...And that's the final chapter, folks. A short epilogue will follow but this is the last proper chapter of Changeling.
I can't believe it. I've not finished a fanfic in years. And here I am, with something finished. I'm going to... go and cry to myself for a bit now.
I hope you all enjoyed reading this fic as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Thank you for sticking with me to the end here.