Chapter 65: Gekijirou's Secret
The Oozoras, Ranma, and Genma sat around the Oozora breakfast table, everyone staring at Ibari.
"A guy is gonna be moving in?" the Oozora girls asked.
"Other than me?" a petite redhead added on.
"Mhm, mhm," Ibari replied, nodding to himself. "He's the son of an old friend of mine. One of the two sworn brothers I had."
"Sworn brothers?" Suzume asked.
"The deepest bond a man can have," Genma said, nodding to himself as well, continuing his efforts to be in Ibari's good books (thus allowing him to get out of the sort of work common Oozora thugs had to do).
"Mhm. You all know your principal, Akashi-kun. He was part of the trio. Taiga Yasujirou was the third member of the group. Ahhh, the adventures we had. Leading other enforcers of the Oozora gang into battle. The bond that comes from being roommates in a cramped apartment," Ibari said, eyes growing distant as he lost himself in memories. He had to shake his head to regain focus, but the large smile remained on his face. "We swore an oath we'd look after each other whatever happened. And, well, Taiga-kun has fallen ill."
"So he'll be coming to stay with us?" Tsugumi asked.
"No, no. He needs to stay in the mountains for the fresh air. His son, Gekijirou, will be coming to stay with us. He's Hibari and Ranma's age. It's just been the two of them for a few years, and Yasujirou thinks his boy is a bit too young to live on his own yet," Ibari explained.
"A boy our age, huh?" Ranma said, the small redhead growing lost in thought herself. Not very deep though, generally repeating the general idea of: 'am I happy with this news or worried about it… I think—hmmm' to herself.
"Is he cute?" Hibari asked, shaking her fiancée from her thoughts.
"Hibari!" Ranma shouted.
"What? I can enjoy a little eye candy while staying loyal to you and Shui," Hibari replied.
"You'd better not be planning to drag another guy into your perverted world, Hibari," Tsubame said, crossing her arms with a huff.
Hibari turned to her sister with a grin, ready to give a sharp reply, when their father started laughing. It was a strained laugh, the curly haired man's expression a mixture of joy and… discomfort?
"Taiga assures me his son will never fall for that girly nonsense," Ibari replied, still wearing that strange expression.
Hibari checked her watch as she and a now male Ranma stood on the sidewalk near Ōizumi-gakuen Station. They'd been roped into waiting for Taiga's son to show up, but had an extra half hour or so to kill before the train was due. So, Hibari dragged Ranma off to the manga store nearby, hunting for some new reading material. Ranma felt a little nervous, following her into the shoujo section while in boy mode, but hoped it just made him seem like a patient boyfriend.
"Hey, nice. They're playing the Psychedelic Furs," Hibari said as she browsed, pointing up at the speaker.
Ranma paused his vague browsing of titles to listen. The singer had a voice that felt an odd mixture of rough and soft. He still wasn't the best at following lyrics in English songs, though. All he could follow was the phrase 'President Gas'. He decided to go back to reading titles, rather than strain his English skills.
"Oooh. They have They Were Eleven, and the sequel," Hibari said, pulling a few volumes off the shelf. "Dad threw my old copies out."
"Oh? Looks spacy," he said, not sure what else to make of the cover with a bunch of characters in spacesuits.
"It's a fun story. They're on a space station, and they're supposed to have ten crew members, but there's an eleventh on there. So they're left trying to work out who the imposter is while there's sabotage going on and such," Hibari explained. "Also, there's gender."
"There's 'gender'?" Ranma asked.
"Mhm. Frol. And the one other one, um… darn, it's been a while since I read it. I forget the other character's name. They're less major than Frol, but still good," Hibari explained. "We should grab these for sure."
Ranma nodded, curious and trusting Hibari's recommendation. She began hunting along with determination, while Ranma checked a few random books with spines that caught his eyes. He wasn't feeling overly in touch with his feminine side today, and was beginning to debate sliding over to the shonen section, when he noticed a manga called Boku no Shotaiken with a blonde girl on the cover who's hairstyle seemed like a more 70s version of Hibari's. Curious, he picked it up to look at it more.
"Oh. Yeah. No. That manga seemed interesting but, no. It's, uh… it's got Hitler in it," Hibari replied.
"Whaddya mea—" Ranma began, until his casual flipping landed on a page with a toothbrush moustached man in a pair of pyjamas Ranma would normally say were decorated with monji, but, well, not in this case. "…why would they—?"
"I don't know, and I don't want to know," Hibari replied as Ranma slid the book back on the shelf.
Ranma decided to move a shelf over, just to get away from that. He did see a few volumes of Tokimei Tonight that felt a much safer bet. He'd liked what he'd seen of that series on TV.
"Really shows the depressin' state a' shonen manga today, that guys are looking fer readin' material in the shoujo section," a guy said, a fist clenched in front of him as tears of blood ran down his face.
Ranma blinked at his look, dressed in a gakura, with sleeves rolled up and the jacket undone despite the December cold (well, Tokyo December cold, but it was chilly by the standards of most of Japan). His hair, meanwhile, was a wild dark mullet, hair looking utterly untamed. Mutton chops sat on either side of his face, an impressive amount of facial hair for someone who looked about their age.
"Hey, wait, I—"
"This decade's shonen's just too filled wit' perverts," the boy continued, an aura of manly rage spreading around him. "Urusei Yatsura. Plawres Sanshiro. Magic Kaito. Kotaro Makaritoru… all starring perverts."
"I think it's still too early ta tell if the guy in Magic Kaito is really a pervert or not," Ranma protested.
Hibari, meanwhile, shivered. "Don't remind me of that Kotaro manga. I made a mistake, reading as much of that as I did."
The boy pulled several old and beaten looking manga volumes from his backpack, fiery determination in his eyes. "I can show you some a' the classics, though. To bring ya back to the joy of proper shonen. Help pull ya away from that 'romcom' energy ya got."
"Uh, that's ok," Ranma said, backing up a step.
"Um, yeah. We have somewhere to be, actually," Hibari added.
The boy's determination and aura faltered, a panicked look flashing in his eyes. "Oh. Uh… ok. Um, could ya help me with somethin' first, though?"
Hibari blinked. With the nervous look on his face now, she had to admit he was actually pretty gorgeous (even with the muttonchop sideburns). Her love of cute boys with long hair got the better of her judgment and she nodded. "Depending on what it is."
"I just need directions. My old man said there'd be somebody comin' ta meet me at the train station to help me out, but there wasn't nobody there… I'm lookin' for directions to an Oozora family's place?" the lad said.
"You're—" Hibari began, before glancing at the clock on the store wall. "Your train wasn't due for another… wait. Is that clock slow?"
The clerk, over at the cash register looked up and gave a nod. "Oh, yeah. It's, like, fifteen minutes slow. We keep trying to fix it, but it slides back every time."
Hibari gave a yelp, before turning to the other boy and giving a quick bow. "Sorry! We were supposed to meet you!"
"Oh, uh, yeah. Sorry," Ranma added.
"You two are… yer with the Oozora family? A cute girl and a guy with romcom vibes?" Taiga asked, looking rather disappointed.
"Hey! You were wanting to talk ta me earlier!" Ranma countered. "And what do ya mean 'romcom vibes'?"
"I can tell just by lookin' at ya that ya'd be a romcom leadin' guy if ya were a manga character," Taiga replied, crossing his arms.
"Please. If my life were a manga it would be a martial arts adventure," Ranma said, crossing his own arms to try to stare down the (slightly taller) boy.
"Ehh… I think he's got you pegged, Ranma. Do I need to remind you how many girls want to marry you?" Hibari asked, wrapping an arm around Ranma's.
The pigtailed boy blushed, turning to stare at the ceiling. "So there'd be romantic subplots. That doesn't change nothin'."
"You're cute when you're flustered," Hibari said, before turning to the new boy and smiling at him. Sure, she had two partners right now, but that didn't mean she couldn't enjoy the view and let him know it. "Oozora Hibari, at your service. And this is Saotome Ranma, my fiancé(e)."
"H'llo," Ranma muttered.
"Taiga Gekijirou," the boy said, before giving a stiff bow. "I thank you for letting me stay at your family home!"
"Hey, no worries. We've got a gigantic place," Hibari replied. "Plus, it's my dad's idea anyway. Just let me buy these books and we'll show you the way."
"Thank you!" Gekijirou shouted again, seemingly deciding volume showed sincerity in his thanks.
The Oozoras and Saotomes were gathered in the living room as Gekijirou sat in a nervous seiza position, blushing at the attention. Especially from so many girls.
"Really expected a Yakuza base ta be a den a manliness and all that. This place seems homey and feminine," the boy muttered, staring at his thumbs as he talked.
"I wanted to give my girls a good upbringing," Ibari replied, wearing a smile.
"Mhm," Gekijirou replied, glancing over at the three Oozora sisters who were staring at him with soft blushes on their cheeks.
(Hibari had enjoyed the view enough on her way over, and was now reassuring Ranma about where her loyalties lay by lounging on his lap.)
"I'm so very glad to have a proper handsome guy around," Tsubame said with a smile, while Ibari's eye twitched. "None of Ranma's weirdness."
"Weird—ness?" Gekijirou asked, eyes drifting over to the pigtailed lad. His eyes then glanced down at his own chest, though fast enough Hibari was fairly certain she was the only one to notice.
"Tsubame's just old fashioned," Ranma replied.
Genma cleared his throat. "I would quite appreciate you spending some time with Ranma. The boy has gotten too soft."
"I think Hibari could use a manly influence more," Ibari countered.
"Ugh… daaad," Hibari groaned. "Just drop it already."
Gekijirou, for his part, sneered at his thoughts of what Ibari meant. "I have no interest in mushy romance stuff with a girl, sir."
"Mushy… I meant to man him up!" Ibari bellowed. "I have to believe there's still some hope for Hibari. I figure, if anyone can help my son, it'd be someone who radiates su—"
"Son?" Gekijirou asked, as Hibari hopped to her feet.
"Ugh! Give it up, dad!" she shouted, before storming off.
"I'm not giving up!" Ibari roared, hurrying down the hall after her.
The others let out sighs or shook their heads, muttering about it never ending.
"Daddy can't understand that Hibari's a girl, just because she was born a boy," Suzume explained.
"He's. A. Boy," Tsubame countered. "Boys are boys. Girls are girls. You can't change that!"
"You probably had a fairly long train ride down," Tsugumi said, her smile rather strained as she ignored her sister. "I can show you to the furo, so you can soak and relax, if you'd like?"
"Uhh, yeah. That sounds good," Gekijirou replied, eyes darting towards Tsubame for a bit.
Tsugumi got up and led him off. Ranma grumbled about him seeming like a stick in the mud before hopping to his own feet. The pigtailed boy started to head towards the stairs when his danger sense went off. Spinning, he barely avoided a punch from his father.
"You've gotten soft, boy! I could see the disappointment in that Taiga lad's eyes when he looked at you. Even other boys your age can tell you've fallen from the path of manhood," Genma shouted, punctuating each sentence with further strikes.
Ranma blocked and dodged, taking a moment to roll his eyes at his father's lecture. "Drop it pops. I'm a better fighter now than I ever was. That's from Cologne's trainin' too. Fightin' skill don't got nothin' ta do with gender."
Genma launched another assault, pushing Ranma out into the courtyard. "There's more to being a warrior than simple skill when sparring. Women are soft and distracted by needless compassion. Men must stay strong and in control at all times. Ready to make the hard decisions!"
"Tryin' ta be a man was the easy decision, though, ya dumb panda! Admitted I liked bein' girly sometimes was the hard one!" Ranma replied, charging in with a punch to Genma's gut that sent his father tumbling back into the koi pond.
When the man emerged a panda, Ranma gave a smirk. "Cooled off any?"
The panda replied by throwing a splash of frigid pond water at Ranma, soaking him, and leaving the redhead sputtering.
"Pfft. Yeah, that really matches yer point about me bein' supposed ta be a guy, don't it?" Ranma said, laughing.
#Fine! Be a Girl!# Genma's sign announced, before he spun it to reveal #Be Hibari's wife. Get pregnant and pop out some kids then!#
Ranma blinked and blushed, the words used feeling… both wrong and right at the same time? It must have been that it was such a 'guy' feeling day today, that Ranma wasn't thrilled with those ideas, yet, in a different part of the redhead's brain, there was a joy at the idea that sometimes those words could fit. That Ranma might be allowed to use them at some point.
"Sounds good to me," Ranma declared, swallowing the confusion for the moment. "I'll be Shui's wife and have more kids!"
Genma's eye twitched as his panda mouth hung open in horror. Feeling smug in victory, Ranma marched off towards the bath, ready to change back. It was only upon arriving in the changeroom that the pigtailed teen remembered Gekijirou was in there right now, his clothing tucked away in a corner of the changing area.
"Well, I guess mister stick-up-his-butt-manly-man is gonna get a rude awakenin' today, 'cause it's too cold fer wet clothes," Ranma muttered, before stripping.
The redhead then stepped over and opened the door, only to be greeted with an unexpected sight. Gekijirou had a foot up on the edge of the tub, bent over to check the water temperature, and… and his naked form was… well not what Ranma expected. His chest was… and…
"Waaah!?" Ranma shouted, gesturing at the other teen in confusion.
"Gaaah!?" came Gekijirou's informative reply as he gestured back angrily.
Neither found their words before the sound of half the householding charging over carried down the hallway outside. Ranma let out a small yelp, ducking into the ofuro area and slamming the door shut.
"Are you ok?" Seiji's voice called out.
"Did someone die? That sounded like a murder scream," Suzume added.
Ranma opened the door a crack, ignoring the feeling of Gekijirou staring daggers.
"We're both alright. There's nothing to worry about," Ranma said, through the small crack in the door.
"Are you bathing in girl mode with a strange boy?" Tsugumi gasped.
"Without me?" Hibari added, Ranma unable to tell if she was teasing or actually upset.
"I was just going to get some hot water as soon as I stepped in. Blame pops for splashin' me. Now, please, can you give us guys some privacy?" Ranma replied, voice growing louder with panic.
Sabu, Seiji, and Tsugumi gave reluctant nods, heading off. Ibari scratched his chin in thought, but said nothing before leaving after the others.
"So, no murder?" Suzume asked, as she, Hibari, and Tsubame stayed.
"No murder. At least not yet," Ranma said, glancing over at Gekijirou.
The other lad was nearly fully submerged, the angry glare of his eyes just above the water feeling downright crocodile like.
"You'd better not try to seduce him or something," Tsubame said, her cheeks crimson.
"I'm not plannin' nothin' like that. Now, go," Ranma said, waving a hand to shoo the others off.
The three girls left a moment later, allowing Ranma to close the door again.
"I shoulda locked it if I knew weird gals'd come in here tryin' ta flirt with me," Gekijirou muttered, having barely lifted his mouth out of the water.
"Did I not just say I ain't plannin' ta seduce ya?" Ranma replied, stepping over to the showerhead. "I was just plannin' ta freak ya out a little with this."
Ranma turned the hot water on, the spray restoring his height, black hair, and masculinity.
"WHAT THE F—" Gekijirou began to shout, jumping to his feet with a splash as the door burst open.
"It's the best thing ever, isn't it!?" Hibari said, standing in the doorway, a grin on her face.
"Hibari!?" Ranma shouted.
"What?" she asked, face completely innocent.
"Can't I get any privacy!?" Gekijirou roared.
"Oooh, you're hairy. Does that mean the sideburns are real?" Hibari asked, ignoring his protests.
"I—yes!?" Gekijirou replied, looking more confused than outraged at this point.
"Nice! That's got to be, what, the trans guy equivalent of getting gynecomastia? Lucky," she said.
"Getting… no? It's from taking testosterone? But, can we address that he just switched sexes in, like, 0.5 seconds, somehow?" Gekijirou replied.
"Oh, yeah. It's Jusenkyo magic," Hibari said, before Ranma could get a reply in. "It's amazing. Trust me. I'm using it right now… wait, but how did you get testosterone? I was searching for years to find a doctor to give me estrogen."
"Wait, you want—so you are transgender too?" Gekijirou asked.
"Mhm! That's why dad wanted me to spend more time with you to 'man up'. I guess your dad didn't tell him about yo—"
"WAIT!" Ranma shouted, causing the other two to look at him.
"Hm?" Hibari said.
"Can we: a) slow down, and b) get some pants on? Like, I'm pretty fine with bein' nude most days, but this feels like a conversation that deserves the seriousness a' being clothed?" Ranma said.
"Oh… yeah. Yeah. I'll give you boys a little privacy, then let's meet up in Ranma's room," Hibari said.
Gekijirou nodded along at the recap Hibari and Ranma gave about Jusenkyo magic, obviously a little disturbed by the idea of animal curses. Very fascinated by the more gender-y options, however. As expected.
Hibari was, likewise, fascinated in the story of how Gekijirou's father had had a doctor who owed him a favour, and had been talked into supplying him testosterone. Ranma was mostly just fascinated to learn about the medical side of things in general, having just picked up from Hibari and Fumiko that it was still mildly illegal in Japan.
"So your dad supports you?" Hibari asked.
Gekijirou nodded. "Yeah? He pointed out I'd have to be twice as manly as' any other guy ta get accepted, but I said I could handle it. So he gave me his blessin' ands been teachin' me everythin' I need ta know."
"Lucky," Hibari replied.
"Real lucky," Ranma added.
"My old man's a good guy," Gekijirou said, crossing his arms and giving a confident nod. He paused his nodding, though, to turn to Hibari. "But, ya said there was a guy powder too?"
"Mhm. There's a bit of a shortage in town, as a friend out ours leaked the existence of Jusenkyo magic to the Tokyo queer community, but we do have a friend who might let you try a bit," Hibari replied.
Gekijirou scratched his chin in thought, before touching at his sideburns. "Uh… w-wait. Is there any chance it might mess up the impacts a' my hormones when I turn back at the end?"
Hibari and Ranma both blinked, before glancing at each other, then turning back to Gekijirou.
"No idea," they said in unison.
He paled at the news. "I…uh… I might want ta wait until I know fer sure before I try it, then. Took me nearly a year ta grow these boys in. I don't wanna risk 'em… along with the rest a' the changes."
"Fair," Hibari replied. "Very fair. It's a bit of a nasty hangover to be going without sometimes now."