Chapter 6
Ranma lay on the couch, as the young man from the grocery store carefully put up the various items from the brown paper sacks. She watched carefully as he went through the kitchen, opening the various cabinets and the refrigerator, more out of caution than actual distrust. After several minutes, and much noise from opening and shutting cabinets, the bag boy uttered a small thank-you to Ranma, and left, although not before Ranma pressed some money into the bag boy's hand, with a smile. "You're welcome." Ranma said.
Only a moment after the door shut behind the bag boy, the phone rang. Ranma stretched to pick it up off of the coffee table, hitting the 'on' button, and putting it to her ear. A pleasant voice greeted her, that of her wife. "Hi, Ranma," Akane said. "How are you doing? Not in bed I hope." Light giggling could be heard as she paused for Ranma to speak.
"No, laying on the couch," Ranma replied. "I did go grocery shopping though, and I met, well, saw, Ukyou's fiancée. We're going dress shopping for her wedding later. That is ok with you, right, Akane?"
"Sure, Ranma." Akane said, giggling. "You're going dress shopping? That's... Very feminine of you, dear."
Ranma blushed, and stuttered slightly, "W-well, yeah. Ukyou wanted me to go with her. And, Well, I kind of wanted to too."
"Ranma, I'm just teasing." Akane said. "Well, my lunch break is about over, so I have to go. See you tonight, I love you."
"I love you too, Akane." Ranma said, hanging up the phone and laying back on the couch, eyes fluttering, threatening to close. "Oh, come on, how can I already be tired? This just isn't..." A loud yawn escaped between Ranma's lightly pink tinted lips. "Fair." She lightly fluffed a pillow behind her head, and closed her eyes, drifting off for a brief nap. Her eyes reopened, although it seemed she was in a hospital room, and her belly had grown to easily twice its size. Unknown to her, Ranma was dreaming of the day she'd give birth. Dr. Tofu was sternly telling her that she was doing great, but not to push. Akane was by her side, holding her hand, smiling widely. Ranma assumed the rest of the people who mattered to her were assembled outside, but she had no way of really knowing.
Almost by the sheer force of the dreamt assumption, Akane's smile ceased for a moment, as she spoke. "Ranma, your mom and dad are so proud of you. They told me to tell you, right before they cleared everyone out of the room. You were in the bathroom."
Ranma smiled for a moment, and then felt an intense pain, centered in a spot slightly below her stomach, almost to that delicate junction where her legs met her body. She screamed out in pain as the contraction tore through her muscles, squeezing them fiercely in preparation for the arrival of the twins. Akane just smiled again, that soft reassuring smile, and held on tighter. Dr. Tofu said something about holding it a few more moments; it would be easier that way. Those moments felt like eternity, until the doctor finally smiled and announced that it was time. The doctor positioned himself so that he could properly assist in the birth, as another contraction struck full force.
"Push, Ranma. Hard." Dr. Tofu said.
"I... Can't..." Ranma said, beads of sweat popping out on her forehead from fighting the urge that she was afraid of indulging. The beads only momentarily stayed on Ranma's forehead before Akane wiped them away, and smiled, whispering encouragement.
"Yes you can, Ranma. I believe you can do this." Akane said, clutching Ranma's hand tighter yet.
Ranma smiled faintly, and remembered somewhere deep in her mind, some womanly instinct pressing her on to what to do, not to mention that she felt as if she was about to explode. She bore down, and pushed as hard as she could once, then again, and again, until she heard the sound of a baby's cry. She herself began to cry, and then Akane did.
Ranma's eyes fluttered open slowly, peering up to see her mother standing over her, nudging her awake gently. "Ranma, dear..." Nodoka said.
Groggily, Ranma replied. "Hey, mom," Ranma smiled, then continued, "I had the most interesting dream just now. I was giving birth. Did I leave the door open or something?"
"No, Dear." Nodoka said, "I still have that key you gave me, is it such a bad thing for a mother to visit her pregnant daughter?" Nodoka moved to the couch, gently pushing Ranma's legs aside to sit. A warm smile rested on Nodoka's face the entire time.
"Of course not, Mom." Ranma slowly sat up, brushing loose red hairs from her face. "I'm glad you came over, I was getting a little lonely. Akane called, but..."
"But you miss her dearly, and wish that the world could be such that the two of you were never apart." Nodoka interrupted.
"Yeah," Ranma said, blushing bright crimson. "Something like that, Mom." A deep sigh followed this statement, as Ranma rested back into a laying position. "Want to know what my dream was about, mom?" Ranma said, pausing for only a moment. "It was about when I go into labor. I'm scared, Mom."
"Oh, Ranma," Nodoka moved to comfort her daughter, rising from her seat at Ranma's feet, going to sit on the coffee table, closer to the head of the couch. "I remember when the doctors said I was pregnant with you. It was very stressful, even without your father being... Well, your father." Nodoka chuckled, stroking through the sea of red hair peeking out at her daughter's forehead. "It's natural for you to be scared, childbirth is a very painful ordeal." Nodoka said, "When it's over though, it will seem like nothing. Those beautiful children will stare up at you for the first time, and it will all be worth it."
"What if I can't do it though, Mom," Ranma lamented. "What if I'm not strong enough to do this? What if they're... cursed?"
"Ranma, dear." Nodoka said, sternly. "You are stronger than any man, or woman, that I have ever known. There is nothing that I believe you can't accomplish. As for if your children inherit your... Affliction... We'll deal with that when it comes up, won't we?"
"Yeah, I suppose, Mom." Ranma said, nervously fiddling with a button on her clothing. "I'm still worried about it. I think I'm going to be doing a lot of worrying in my life from now on."
"I imagine you will, Ranma. Mothers worry about their children." Nodoka said.
Ranma sighed, looking over her very female, very pregnant form, one thought echoing through her mind. 'I'm a mother... A woman...' She spoke up, a hint of sadness in her voice. "Mom, I'm scared about something else too." Ranma said.
Nodoka blinked rapidly, a few times, an inquisitive expression coming over her face as she asked, "What is it, dear?"
"Mom, I'm afraid I'm losing who I am." Ranma said, rubbing her hands over her swollen stomach. "I'm afraid that once I have the kids, that Ranma Saotome, *male* martial artist, will simply vanish. I know that's probably a little selfish, but I feel like I'm losing myself."
Ranma. This name had always meant a son, to Nodoka, and now she was being confronted again that this name was meaning, increasingly, a shy, vulnerable, sometimes scared, daughter. Beside her lack of experience with her son, Nodoka had even less experience with her daughter. "Ranma, Dear. I... don't know what to tell you. You'll always be the same person, whether you're never male another day in your life. Your children will have a lovely mother, two of them to be precise, and a loving and wonderful father. Don't worry about it, things will work out, my daughter." Nodoka said, slipping beside the son who had become her daughter, stroking comfortingly through her hair.
"Mom..." Ranma blubbered, in between the rushes of tears flowing down her face. "Mom... T-thanks for coming over... I'm glad you still had that key." A soft, undeniably feminine, though still completely Ranma smile broke out on the crying daughter's face as she stared up at her mother.
"I have to make up for your father's foolishness sometime, don't I?" Nodoka said, laughing gently.
"That must have been hard for you... being away from your child for so long." Ranma said, sniffling.
"It was, Ranma. But I have you now. That's all that matters." Nodoka said, wrapping her arms around Ranma's neck, hugging her gently. "I may not know all that much about parenting... But I will always be here for you."
Ranma sniffled again, tears threatening to burst forth as she spoke. "I love you, mom. I can't even begin to thank you for being my mom. Putting up with nine months of this," Ranma rubbed her stomach, before continuing, "For me."
Nodoka chuckled slightly, kissing her daughter's forehead. "Ranma, I love you as well. Pregnancy and childbirth are simply normal parts of a woman's life. However, I had no way of knowing that it was going to be you, so I can't take any credit for that." Nodoka said, grinning.
"Oh, Mom..." Ranma laughed halfheartedly, "You knew what I meant."
"Of course, dear." Nodoka said, as the phone rang. She picked it up and put it to her ear, speaking softly. "Saotome Residence, may I ask who's calling?"
Ukyou's voice answered back, "Mrs. Saotome? It's Ranma's friend, Ukyou, is Ranma there? May I talk to him, err, her, please?"
"Of course you may." Nodoka said, handing the phone to Ranma. "It's your friend Ukyou, Dear." Nodoka mentioned, holding a hand over the mouthpiece.
Ranma took the phone, and placed it to her ear, speaking up, still sniffling slightly. "Hey, Ukyou." Ranma said, "What's up?"
"Oh, not much." Ukyou replied, "Just wondering if you were feeling up to going out dress shopping with me in a few minutes. I could come pick you up."
"Mom?" Ranma asked, looking up to Nodoka. "Would you mind if I went dress shopping with Ukyou? She's looking for things for her wedding."
Nodoka smiled, and brushed slowly through Ranma's bangs again. "Sure, dear. Go on ahead."
"All right, Ukyou, can you come pick me up in maybe fifteen minutes? Yeah, Thanks, I'll see you then." Ranma said, hanging up the phone at the end of their conversation.
"I suppose I'll be going then, Ranma." Nodoka said, kissing her daughter on the forehead, before rising from the table and heading for the door. "Have fun shopping."
Ranma smiled, looking to her mother. She wiped her eyes, and said, "Mom Thanks for coming over. Our door's open anytime."
Nodoka smiled back, opening the door. "I'll be sure to drop by more often, Ranma. You can count on that." With that, Nodoka shut the door behind her.
Ranma hopped up, as much as a 4-month pregnant woman can, and moved into her bedroom to get ready for her impending outing. She stopped in front of the small vanity mirror that her and Akane had been using on those rare occasions when they had to put on makeup. Ranma started to idly dab some pink, powdered makeup on her cheeks, then, realizing what she was doing without even thinking it, Ranma stared into the mirror deeply and sighed, starting to talk to the reflection. "I guess Akane was right, huh. You're a girl. Not like you can help it or anything, you couldn't change back if you wanted to..." The emphasis of the conversation shifted in Ranma's mind, as she turned away. "I'm not sure if I do want to though. That's the scary part. Have I ever let myself be a girl like this for any period of time before? And even then, wasn't I always fighting to get changed back?" Turning back to the mirror again, she laughed slightly, saying to the reflection, "Even if you don't like it, Ranma, It doesn't matter. You're stuck with it now, for a while more at least. Ukyou's going to be here in a little, you need to get ready." She picked up a tube of frosted pink lipstick, and ran it over her lips casually, coating them with the very girlie tint. "Oh, very adorable, Ranma." She said to herself in the mirror, smiling her best girlie smile. "Oh brother." She finished, turning around to leave the room. She got to the living room, and a familiar face greeted her from the couch.
Ukyou stood, and smiled, putting her hand out. "So, you got the groceries bought and put away, that's good. Everyone needs to eat. Say, did I hear you talking to yourself?" Ukyou said.
Blushing, Ranma nodded, moving to the couch, sitting, motioning for Ukyou to sit, which she did. "Yeah, I was... I was talking about... being a girl. I think I sort of like it, Ukyou. I mean, I've been this way every day for four months now, so I've completely gotten over disliking it so much." Ranma said, sighing before continuing, "I think I'm actually starting to like it. The whole thing... wearing nice clothes, wearing perfume and makeup... The nice things people do, like holding doors open..."
Not too utterly shocked, but rather surprised, Ukyou took Ranma's hand and squeezed it gently. "Hey... It's ok. I mean... Wow, Ranma. You actually like this? What does Akane think? You aren't going to act like this after the pregnancy is over, are you? You actually have makeup on... Ranma, what're you doing?" Ukyou said.
"I haven't told Akane yet... and yeah... I like it, quite a bit... Maybe it's just from denying myself the reality that I actually changed into a girl." Ranma said. Of all the people that she could possibly tell, she thought that maybe, just maybe, Ukyou would understand, being that she spent so much time acting like a guy. "Surely you started to like being a guy after a while, Ukyou... Even though you knew you were really a girl, I mean, how could you deny it? You knew you were a girl. But you had to like acting like a guy at least some, or you wouldn't have kept doing it. It's even worse for me, I can't just tear off the disguise when I want to be a guy again." Ranma sighed, and said.
Ukyou thought about this for several moments, and unknown to her, a soft pink blush was creeping over her face, and her stare was dropping gradually. She let Ranma's hand drop, and muttered, "I'm sorry. You're right... any time I started feeling too much like I wanted to stop being a guy, I could. You can't stop being cursed, or stop being pregnant. It's just a huge change for me, Ranma. You were supposed to be my best friend, my *male* best friend. Then I turn around, and you're married to Akane, turn around again and you're pregnant. It's a lot to take in, then you tell me you're enjoying being a girl, when a year ago, you shuddered at the thought of cold water."
'A lot can change in a year.' Ranma thought, before putting those thoughts to words. "Things can change a lot in a year... A lot of things can change a lot in a year. I never thought I'd be doing this." She smiled brightly, and then rose from the couch, speaking up again. "Forget about the past, though. We're thinking about the future. Have to go get those dresses picked out, huh?"
Ukyou stood from where she was sitting, and smiled. "We could talk about this more later, I suppose. And I do have to make the decision for the bridesmaid dresses so I can get on to other stuff. Let's go, I can show you my wedding gown too, I have a fitting today, you don't mind spending a little time in a bridal shop, do you?"
"Naah, of course not. It's not a thing you usually do with your *male* friends though, is it?" Ranma said, grinning.
Ukyou just grinned back, seeing through what Ranma was trying to do, and saying, "You want to bring your boyfriend or something, Ranma? Because he'd be the only male there." Ukyou and Ranma both giggled, and headed out the door, getting in Ukyou's car to drive to the bridal shop.
"So, Ukyou, what're you thinking about for bridesmaid dresses? The ones at my wedding were really nice. Not to mention Akane's gown, it was absolutely gorgeous... Not that it didn't help it a lot that Akane's so pretty." Ranma said, catching herself rambling, and feeling a warm blush spread over her face.
Giggling, Ukyou spoke up. "Well, we're planning on having a light pink and a really light green for the colors, so the dresses should be one of those colors for sure." In Ukyou's mind, she pictured the perfect wedding, a glorious church decorated in hundreds of soft pink roses and white ribbons with just a hint of mint green along the edges. It was going to be perfect. Absolutely perfect.
"Well, I like green, Ukyou." Ranma said, grinning. "Not a big fan of pink, really. Too girlie for me, even, well, how I am."
Ukyou stifled another laugh, and her face curled into a wide smile. Ranma did make a passable woman, at least. She didn't seem too much like a man just acting like a woman. If Ukyou hadn't known Ranma beforehand, there would have been virtually no way to tell. Then she went and got pregnant, that solidified it. Ukyou turned the car into the parking lot of the bridal store, and stopped in a space, turning off the car before going around and opening Ranma's door. "Need any help?" Ukyou asked.
"I think I can manage it." Ranma said, slowly pulling herself out of the car, shutting the door behind her. She stared up at the small building with all the fancy formal wear in the window, and a smile went over her face. This *was not* the type of place you took just any of your friends, not for this purpose. Ranma felt a deep sense of friendship and love between herself and Ukyou as the realization sunk in that Ukyou could have chosen any number of other people, any number of other female friends, but she chose Ranma. The smile on Ranma's face only broadened as she reached out and took Ukyou's hand, for support, and headed into the store.
The middle-aged dress seamstress smiled a courteous, bright, inviting smile, as she greeted Ukyou. "Ah, right on time as usual, you do have a fitting today. You're always prompt, Miss Ukyou."
"It helps to be prompt, doesn't it?" Ukyou said. The dressmaker nodded, then looked to Ranma. Ranma blushed at the brief stare, feeling a bout of shyness go over her. "Oh, Ranma, Don't be shy, it's not like I'm going to force you into one..." Ukyou said, before catching the dressmaker's attention, and motioning to Ranma. "This is my friend Ranma, she's going to be helping me pick out the bridesmaid dresses. We've got it narrowed down to light green, or pink. Not too many choices left, huh?"
"No, there aren't, really, Let me show you this green dress I have, very plain, nice and long, perfect for a bridesmaid." The dressmaker said, disappearing into the back, coming out a few minutes later with a very plain, yet elegant, short sleeved, mint green, formal dress. "What about this one?" She said.
Ranma and Ukyou both nodded, after looking over the dress for a few moments. Ranma spoke up, finally. "Hey, it won't really matter what the bridesmaid dresses look like, huh? They're very pretty, but you have to know that every eye in the place is going to be on you." The bright pink tone flooded over Ukyou's face this time, and the dressmaker led the three of them into the back room, where the changing clothes and fittings were held. Ukyou stepped up on the pedestal, as she was told, then Ranma joined her for a brief second, whispering into her ear lightly, "Ukyou... If you want me to go on while you change... I will."
Ukyou leaned a little closer and smiled, whispering, "Stay if you want, Ranma. It's not like I'm getting naked or anything." A soft giggle slipped out, as Ukyou realized that Ranma would have no way of knowing what went on at a dress fitting, seeing as she certainly wouldn't have been at any of Akane's.
Nervously looking down, Ranma stepped down, heading over to a cushioned chair. She sat down slowly, sighing, as Ukyou removed her shirt, then her skirt, leaving her only in her very conveniently colored white underclothes. Ukyou glanced over to Ranma, who was flushed completely red by this time. The dressmaker brought in the gorgeous gown on a mannequin and showed it again to Ukyou, who just smiled. Ranma looked over the dress, and started to get an image again of Akane, when she was coming down the aisle. The dress Akane had worn was absolutely brilliant. The dress Ukyou was to wear was long and flowing, the purest white that Ranma had ever seen. The front of the dress was decorated intricately with lace and beadwork, and the front appeared to dip just a little, not even close enough to be indecent, just enough to show a hint of the skin between the neck and the chest. The sleeves of the dress were lacy, mostly transparent, and long enough to stop just above elbow length. There was a lace choker hanging on the neck of the dress form, and short satiny gloves hanging in a plastic bag around the neck as well. Ranma's eyes were bright and sparkling, and she finally commented, "Wow, Ukyou... That's so beautiful. That gown is going to look amazing on you." Ranma giggled, and started again, "It looks amazing off of you, it'll look unbelievable *on* you."
"We're going to fit you this time with the underskirts as well, Ukyou. They'll just make the skirt of your dress puff out a little. Remember that you'll need some nice heels to go with this, and some white pantyhose, a lot of women go with something sparkly, I don't know, maybe for a bit more glamour." The dressmaker said, to which Ukyou nodded, standing there still, although she was smiling at Ranma for the comments about how pretty the dress was, and indirectly, how pretty Ukyou herself was. The dressmaker brought over the large, puffy skirt, and handed it to Ukyou, watching her put it on. Ranma smiled her approval, also watching, before Ukyou turned to the mirror, smiling her own approval. The dressmaker carefully unzipped the dress off of the form, calling in an assistant to take the dress over to the platform, one carrying the dress, and one carrying the large train. As they reached the platform, Ukyou's eyes filled slowly with tears, as she again was hit with the realization that she would be getting married in this dress, to the man of her dreams. Wiping off her tears and giggling, saying her apologies for being so emotional, she stepped into the dress carefully, sticking her arms in the sleeves. The assistant zipped up the back, and the dressmaker looked around, seeing that she'd only have to alter it in some minor ways, but overall, it fit against Ukyou's body perfectly.
Ukyou slipped on the final touches, the lace choker with the trailing white ribbons and the wrist-length satin gloves, before looking again in the mirrors around her. "It's as gorgeous as the day I first saw it. Isn't it just absolutely amazing, Ranma?"
Ranma smiled, and spoke up, having a minor relapse of arrogance that would soon come back to haunt her. "It's great, you look like an angel, Ukyou. I'm afraid you don't look quite as gorgeous as I did, though."
Blinking and giggling, Ukyou asked, "Hmm? As you did when, Ranma?"
Ranma blushed and mumbled, "W-when... I put on... Akane's wedding gown."
Ukyou burst into fits of laughter before asking, "When did this happen, hmm? On the honeymoon? Afterwards? You've been a delicate little girlie for longer than I thought, Ranma."
Ranma responded, stuttering. "I-it was some time in there, y-yeah. Akane k-kept bugging me about trying it on 'just once', so I did... I looked pretty good, at least Akane said. I thought I... W-well, I thought I looked great too."
Ukyou giggled and said, "I'm sure you did, Ranma. I'm sure you did."
Ranma started to giggle as well, but then felt a very curious sensation on her stomach, a quick pressing from the inside of her stomach, in the lower area. "Oh, my. I think the twins just kicked." She said, getting wonder-filled stares from each of the other three women in the room.
Ranma lay on the couch, as the young man from the grocery store carefully put up the various items from the brown paper sacks. She watched carefully as he went through the kitchen, opening the various cabinets and the refrigerator, more out of caution than actual distrust. After several minutes, and much noise from opening and shutting cabinets, the bag boy uttered a small thank-you to Ranma, and left, although not before Ranma pressed some money into the bag boy's hand, with a smile. "You're welcome." Ranma said.
Only a moment after the door shut behind the bag boy, the phone rang. Ranma stretched to pick it up off of the coffee table, hitting the 'on' button, and putting it to her ear. A pleasant voice greeted her, that of her wife. "Hi, Ranma," Akane said. "How are you doing? Not in bed I hope." Light giggling could be heard as she paused for Ranma to speak.
"No, laying on the couch," Ranma replied. "I did go grocery shopping though, and I met, well, saw, Ukyou's fiancée. We're going dress shopping for her wedding later. That is ok with you, right, Akane?"
"Sure, Ranma." Akane said, giggling. "You're going dress shopping? That's... Very feminine of you, dear."
Ranma blushed, and stuttered slightly, "W-well, yeah. Ukyou wanted me to go with her. And, Well, I kind of wanted to too."
"Ranma, I'm just teasing." Akane said. "Well, my lunch break is about over, so I have to go. See you tonight, I love you."
"I love you too, Akane." Ranma said, hanging up the phone and laying back on the couch, eyes fluttering, threatening to close. "Oh, come on, how can I already be tired? This just isn't..." A loud yawn escaped between Ranma's lightly pink tinted lips. "Fair." She lightly fluffed a pillow behind her head, and closed her eyes, drifting off for a brief nap. Her eyes reopened, although it seemed she was in a hospital room, and her belly had grown to easily twice its size. Unknown to her, Ranma was dreaming of the day she'd give birth. Dr. Tofu was sternly telling her that she was doing great, but not to push. Akane was by her side, holding her hand, smiling widely. Ranma assumed the rest of the people who mattered to her were assembled outside, but she had no way of really knowing.
Almost by the sheer force of the dreamt assumption, Akane's smile ceased for a moment, as she spoke. "Ranma, your mom and dad are so proud of you. They told me to tell you, right before they cleared everyone out of the room. You were in the bathroom."
Ranma smiled for a moment, and then felt an intense pain, centered in a spot slightly below her stomach, almost to that delicate junction where her legs met her body. She screamed out in pain as the contraction tore through her muscles, squeezing them fiercely in preparation for the arrival of the twins. Akane just smiled again, that soft reassuring smile, and held on tighter. Dr. Tofu said something about holding it a few more moments; it would be easier that way. Those moments felt like eternity, until the doctor finally smiled and announced that it was time. The doctor positioned himself so that he could properly assist in the birth, as another contraction struck full force.
"Push, Ranma. Hard." Dr. Tofu said.
"I... Can't..." Ranma said, beads of sweat popping out on her forehead from fighting the urge that she was afraid of indulging. The beads only momentarily stayed on Ranma's forehead before Akane wiped them away, and smiled, whispering encouragement.
"Yes you can, Ranma. I believe you can do this." Akane said, clutching Ranma's hand tighter yet.
Ranma smiled faintly, and remembered somewhere deep in her mind, some womanly instinct pressing her on to what to do, not to mention that she felt as if she was about to explode. She bore down, and pushed as hard as she could once, then again, and again, until she heard the sound of a baby's cry. She herself began to cry, and then Akane did.
Ranma's eyes fluttered open slowly, peering up to see her mother standing over her, nudging her awake gently. "Ranma, dear..." Nodoka said.
Groggily, Ranma replied. "Hey, mom," Ranma smiled, then continued, "I had the most interesting dream just now. I was giving birth. Did I leave the door open or something?"
"No, Dear." Nodoka said, "I still have that key you gave me, is it such a bad thing for a mother to visit her pregnant daughter?" Nodoka moved to the couch, gently pushing Ranma's legs aside to sit. A warm smile rested on Nodoka's face the entire time.
"Of course not, Mom." Ranma slowly sat up, brushing loose red hairs from her face. "I'm glad you came over, I was getting a little lonely. Akane called, but..."
"But you miss her dearly, and wish that the world could be such that the two of you were never apart." Nodoka interrupted.
"Yeah," Ranma said, blushing bright crimson. "Something like that, Mom." A deep sigh followed this statement, as Ranma rested back into a laying position. "Want to know what my dream was about, mom?" Ranma said, pausing for only a moment. "It was about when I go into labor. I'm scared, Mom."
"Oh, Ranma," Nodoka moved to comfort her daughter, rising from her seat at Ranma's feet, going to sit on the coffee table, closer to the head of the couch. "I remember when the doctors said I was pregnant with you. It was very stressful, even without your father being... Well, your father." Nodoka chuckled, stroking through the sea of red hair peeking out at her daughter's forehead. "It's natural for you to be scared, childbirth is a very painful ordeal." Nodoka said, "When it's over though, it will seem like nothing. Those beautiful children will stare up at you for the first time, and it will all be worth it."
"What if I can't do it though, Mom," Ranma lamented. "What if I'm not strong enough to do this? What if they're... cursed?"
"Ranma, dear." Nodoka said, sternly. "You are stronger than any man, or woman, that I have ever known. There is nothing that I believe you can't accomplish. As for if your children inherit your... Affliction... We'll deal with that when it comes up, won't we?"
"Yeah, I suppose, Mom." Ranma said, nervously fiddling with a button on her clothing. "I'm still worried about it. I think I'm going to be doing a lot of worrying in my life from now on."
"I imagine you will, Ranma. Mothers worry about their children." Nodoka said.
Ranma sighed, looking over her very female, very pregnant form, one thought echoing through her mind. 'I'm a mother... A woman...' She spoke up, a hint of sadness in her voice. "Mom, I'm scared about something else too." Ranma said.
Nodoka blinked rapidly, a few times, an inquisitive expression coming over her face as she asked, "What is it, dear?"
"Mom, I'm afraid I'm losing who I am." Ranma said, rubbing her hands over her swollen stomach. "I'm afraid that once I have the kids, that Ranma Saotome, *male* martial artist, will simply vanish. I know that's probably a little selfish, but I feel like I'm losing myself."
Ranma. This name had always meant a son, to Nodoka, and now she was being confronted again that this name was meaning, increasingly, a shy, vulnerable, sometimes scared, daughter. Beside her lack of experience with her son, Nodoka had even less experience with her daughter. "Ranma, Dear. I... don't know what to tell you. You'll always be the same person, whether you're never male another day in your life. Your children will have a lovely mother, two of them to be precise, and a loving and wonderful father. Don't worry about it, things will work out, my daughter." Nodoka said, slipping beside the son who had become her daughter, stroking comfortingly through her hair.
"Mom..." Ranma blubbered, in between the rushes of tears flowing down her face. "Mom... T-thanks for coming over... I'm glad you still had that key." A soft, undeniably feminine, though still completely Ranma smile broke out on the crying daughter's face as she stared up at her mother.
"I have to make up for your father's foolishness sometime, don't I?" Nodoka said, laughing gently.
"That must have been hard for you... being away from your child for so long." Ranma said, sniffling.
"It was, Ranma. But I have you now. That's all that matters." Nodoka said, wrapping her arms around Ranma's neck, hugging her gently. "I may not know all that much about parenting... But I will always be here for you."
Ranma sniffled again, tears threatening to burst forth as she spoke. "I love you, mom. I can't even begin to thank you for being my mom. Putting up with nine months of this," Ranma rubbed her stomach, before continuing, "For me."
Nodoka chuckled slightly, kissing her daughter's forehead. "Ranma, I love you as well. Pregnancy and childbirth are simply normal parts of a woman's life. However, I had no way of knowing that it was going to be you, so I can't take any credit for that." Nodoka said, grinning.
"Oh, Mom..." Ranma laughed halfheartedly, "You knew what I meant."
"Of course, dear." Nodoka said, as the phone rang. She picked it up and put it to her ear, speaking softly. "Saotome Residence, may I ask who's calling?"
Ukyou's voice answered back, "Mrs. Saotome? It's Ranma's friend, Ukyou, is Ranma there? May I talk to him, err, her, please?"
"Of course you may." Nodoka said, handing the phone to Ranma. "It's your friend Ukyou, Dear." Nodoka mentioned, holding a hand over the mouthpiece.
Ranma took the phone, and placed it to her ear, speaking up, still sniffling slightly. "Hey, Ukyou." Ranma said, "What's up?"
"Oh, not much." Ukyou replied, "Just wondering if you were feeling up to going out dress shopping with me in a few minutes. I could come pick you up."
"Mom?" Ranma asked, looking up to Nodoka. "Would you mind if I went dress shopping with Ukyou? She's looking for things for her wedding."
Nodoka smiled, and brushed slowly through Ranma's bangs again. "Sure, dear. Go on ahead."
"All right, Ukyou, can you come pick me up in maybe fifteen minutes? Yeah, Thanks, I'll see you then." Ranma said, hanging up the phone at the end of their conversation.
"I suppose I'll be going then, Ranma." Nodoka said, kissing her daughter on the forehead, before rising from the table and heading for the door. "Have fun shopping."
Ranma smiled, looking to her mother. She wiped her eyes, and said, "Mom Thanks for coming over. Our door's open anytime."
Nodoka smiled back, opening the door. "I'll be sure to drop by more often, Ranma. You can count on that." With that, Nodoka shut the door behind her.
Ranma hopped up, as much as a 4-month pregnant woman can, and moved into her bedroom to get ready for her impending outing. She stopped in front of the small vanity mirror that her and Akane had been using on those rare occasions when they had to put on makeup. Ranma started to idly dab some pink, powdered makeup on her cheeks, then, realizing what she was doing without even thinking it, Ranma stared into the mirror deeply and sighed, starting to talk to the reflection. "I guess Akane was right, huh. You're a girl. Not like you can help it or anything, you couldn't change back if you wanted to..." The emphasis of the conversation shifted in Ranma's mind, as she turned away. "I'm not sure if I do want to though. That's the scary part. Have I ever let myself be a girl like this for any period of time before? And even then, wasn't I always fighting to get changed back?" Turning back to the mirror again, she laughed slightly, saying to the reflection, "Even if you don't like it, Ranma, It doesn't matter. You're stuck with it now, for a while more at least. Ukyou's going to be here in a little, you need to get ready." She picked up a tube of frosted pink lipstick, and ran it over her lips casually, coating them with the very girlie tint. "Oh, very adorable, Ranma." She said to herself in the mirror, smiling her best girlie smile. "Oh brother." She finished, turning around to leave the room. She got to the living room, and a familiar face greeted her from the couch.
Ukyou stood, and smiled, putting her hand out. "So, you got the groceries bought and put away, that's good. Everyone needs to eat. Say, did I hear you talking to yourself?" Ukyou said.
Blushing, Ranma nodded, moving to the couch, sitting, motioning for Ukyou to sit, which she did. "Yeah, I was... I was talking about... being a girl. I think I sort of like it, Ukyou. I mean, I've been this way every day for four months now, so I've completely gotten over disliking it so much." Ranma said, sighing before continuing, "I think I'm actually starting to like it. The whole thing... wearing nice clothes, wearing perfume and makeup... The nice things people do, like holding doors open..."
Not too utterly shocked, but rather surprised, Ukyou took Ranma's hand and squeezed it gently. "Hey... It's ok. I mean... Wow, Ranma. You actually like this? What does Akane think? You aren't going to act like this after the pregnancy is over, are you? You actually have makeup on... Ranma, what're you doing?" Ukyou said.
"I haven't told Akane yet... and yeah... I like it, quite a bit... Maybe it's just from denying myself the reality that I actually changed into a girl." Ranma said. Of all the people that she could possibly tell, she thought that maybe, just maybe, Ukyou would understand, being that she spent so much time acting like a guy. "Surely you started to like being a guy after a while, Ukyou... Even though you knew you were really a girl, I mean, how could you deny it? You knew you were a girl. But you had to like acting like a guy at least some, or you wouldn't have kept doing it. It's even worse for me, I can't just tear off the disguise when I want to be a guy again." Ranma sighed, and said.
Ukyou thought about this for several moments, and unknown to her, a soft pink blush was creeping over her face, and her stare was dropping gradually. She let Ranma's hand drop, and muttered, "I'm sorry. You're right... any time I started feeling too much like I wanted to stop being a guy, I could. You can't stop being cursed, or stop being pregnant. It's just a huge change for me, Ranma. You were supposed to be my best friend, my *male* best friend. Then I turn around, and you're married to Akane, turn around again and you're pregnant. It's a lot to take in, then you tell me you're enjoying being a girl, when a year ago, you shuddered at the thought of cold water."
'A lot can change in a year.' Ranma thought, before putting those thoughts to words. "Things can change a lot in a year... A lot of things can change a lot in a year. I never thought I'd be doing this." She smiled brightly, and then rose from the couch, speaking up again. "Forget about the past, though. We're thinking about the future. Have to go get those dresses picked out, huh?"
Ukyou stood from where she was sitting, and smiled. "We could talk about this more later, I suppose. And I do have to make the decision for the bridesmaid dresses so I can get on to other stuff. Let's go, I can show you my wedding gown too, I have a fitting today, you don't mind spending a little time in a bridal shop, do you?"
"Naah, of course not. It's not a thing you usually do with your *male* friends though, is it?" Ranma said, grinning.
Ukyou just grinned back, seeing through what Ranma was trying to do, and saying, "You want to bring your boyfriend or something, Ranma? Because he'd be the only male there." Ukyou and Ranma both giggled, and headed out the door, getting in Ukyou's car to drive to the bridal shop.
"So, Ukyou, what're you thinking about for bridesmaid dresses? The ones at my wedding were really nice. Not to mention Akane's gown, it was absolutely gorgeous... Not that it didn't help it a lot that Akane's so pretty." Ranma said, catching herself rambling, and feeling a warm blush spread over her face.
Giggling, Ukyou spoke up. "Well, we're planning on having a light pink and a really light green for the colors, so the dresses should be one of those colors for sure." In Ukyou's mind, she pictured the perfect wedding, a glorious church decorated in hundreds of soft pink roses and white ribbons with just a hint of mint green along the edges. It was going to be perfect. Absolutely perfect.
"Well, I like green, Ukyou." Ranma said, grinning. "Not a big fan of pink, really. Too girlie for me, even, well, how I am."
Ukyou stifled another laugh, and her face curled into a wide smile. Ranma did make a passable woman, at least. She didn't seem too much like a man just acting like a woman. If Ukyou hadn't known Ranma beforehand, there would have been virtually no way to tell. Then she went and got pregnant, that solidified it. Ukyou turned the car into the parking lot of the bridal store, and stopped in a space, turning off the car before going around and opening Ranma's door. "Need any help?" Ukyou asked.
"I think I can manage it." Ranma said, slowly pulling herself out of the car, shutting the door behind her. She stared up at the small building with all the fancy formal wear in the window, and a smile went over her face. This *was not* the type of place you took just any of your friends, not for this purpose. Ranma felt a deep sense of friendship and love between herself and Ukyou as the realization sunk in that Ukyou could have chosen any number of other people, any number of other female friends, but she chose Ranma. The smile on Ranma's face only broadened as she reached out and took Ukyou's hand, for support, and headed into the store.
The middle-aged dress seamstress smiled a courteous, bright, inviting smile, as she greeted Ukyou. "Ah, right on time as usual, you do have a fitting today. You're always prompt, Miss Ukyou."
"It helps to be prompt, doesn't it?" Ukyou said. The dressmaker nodded, then looked to Ranma. Ranma blushed at the brief stare, feeling a bout of shyness go over her. "Oh, Ranma, Don't be shy, it's not like I'm going to force you into one..." Ukyou said, before catching the dressmaker's attention, and motioning to Ranma. "This is my friend Ranma, she's going to be helping me pick out the bridesmaid dresses. We've got it narrowed down to light green, or pink. Not too many choices left, huh?"
"No, there aren't, really, Let me show you this green dress I have, very plain, nice and long, perfect for a bridesmaid." The dressmaker said, disappearing into the back, coming out a few minutes later with a very plain, yet elegant, short sleeved, mint green, formal dress. "What about this one?" She said.
Ranma and Ukyou both nodded, after looking over the dress for a few moments. Ranma spoke up, finally. "Hey, it won't really matter what the bridesmaid dresses look like, huh? They're very pretty, but you have to know that every eye in the place is going to be on you." The bright pink tone flooded over Ukyou's face this time, and the dressmaker led the three of them into the back room, where the changing clothes and fittings were held. Ukyou stepped up on the pedestal, as she was told, then Ranma joined her for a brief second, whispering into her ear lightly, "Ukyou... If you want me to go on while you change... I will."
Ukyou leaned a little closer and smiled, whispering, "Stay if you want, Ranma. It's not like I'm getting naked or anything." A soft giggle slipped out, as Ukyou realized that Ranma would have no way of knowing what went on at a dress fitting, seeing as she certainly wouldn't have been at any of Akane's.
Nervously looking down, Ranma stepped down, heading over to a cushioned chair. She sat down slowly, sighing, as Ukyou removed her shirt, then her skirt, leaving her only in her very conveniently colored white underclothes. Ukyou glanced over to Ranma, who was flushed completely red by this time. The dressmaker brought in the gorgeous gown on a mannequin and showed it again to Ukyou, who just smiled. Ranma looked over the dress, and started to get an image again of Akane, when she was coming down the aisle. The dress Akane had worn was absolutely brilliant. The dress Ukyou was to wear was long and flowing, the purest white that Ranma had ever seen. The front of the dress was decorated intricately with lace and beadwork, and the front appeared to dip just a little, not even close enough to be indecent, just enough to show a hint of the skin between the neck and the chest. The sleeves of the dress were lacy, mostly transparent, and long enough to stop just above elbow length. There was a lace choker hanging on the neck of the dress form, and short satiny gloves hanging in a plastic bag around the neck as well. Ranma's eyes were bright and sparkling, and she finally commented, "Wow, Ukyou... That's so beautiful. That gown is going to look amazing on you." Ranma giggled, and started again, "It looks amazing off of you, it'll look unbelievable *on* you."
"We're going to fit you this time with the underskirts as well, Ukyou. They'll just make the skirt of your dress puff out a little. Remember that you'll need some nice heels to go with this, and some white pantyhose, a lot of women go with something sparkly, I don't know, maybe for a bit more glamour." The dressmaker said, to which Ukyou nodded, standing there still, although she was smiling at Ranma for the comments about how pretty the dress was, and indirectly, how pretty Ukyou herself was. The dressmaker brought over the large, puffy skirt, and handed it to Ukyou, watching her put it on. Ranma smiled her approval, also watching, before Ukyou turned to the mirror, smiling her own approval. The dressmaker carefully unzipped the dress off of the form, calling in an assistant to take the dress over to the platform, one carrying the dress, and one carrying the large train. As they reached the platform, Ukyou's eyes filled slowly with tears, as she again was hit with the realization that she would be getting married in this dress, to the man of her dreams. Wiping off her tears and giggling, saying her apologies for being so emotional, she stepped into the dress carefully, sticking her arms in the sleeves. The assistant zipped up the back, and the dressmaker looked around, seeing that she'd only have to alter it in some minor ways, but overall, it fit against Ukyou's body perfectly.
Ukyou slipped on the final touches, the lace choker with the trailing white ribbons and the wrist-length satin gloves, before looking again in the mirrors around her. "It's as gorgeous as the day I first saw it. Isn't it just absolutely amazing, Ranma?"
Ranma smiled, and spoke up, having a minor relapse of arrogance that would soon come back to haunt her. "It's great, you look like an angel, Ukyou. I'm afraid you don't look quite as gorgeous as I did, though."
Blinking and giggling, Ukyou asked, "Hmm? As you did when, Ranma?"
Ranma blushed and mumbled, "W-when... I put on... Akane's wedding gown."
Ukyou burst into fits of laughter before asking, "When did this happen, hmm? On the honeymoon? Afterwards? You've been a delicate little girlie for longer than I thought, Ranma."
Ranma responded, stuttering. "I-it was some time in there, y-yeah. Akane k-kept bugging me about trying it on 'just once', so I did... I looked pretty good, at least Akane said. I thought I... W-well, I thought I looked great too."
Ukyou giggled and said, "I'm sure you did, Ranma. I'm sure you did."
Ranma started to giggle as well, but then felt a very curious sensation on her stomach, a quick pressing from the inside of her stomach, in the lower area. "Oh, my. I think the twins just kicked." She said, getting wonder-filled stares from each of the other three women in the room.
