Ranma Nibunnoichi - Reflections
A. V. Morgan
Part Twenty-Nine: The Worst Case Scenario
Night had crystallized cool and clear over Tokyo and it's surrounding wards. Somewhere in the darkness, a clock struck ten deep resounding bells, signaling the hour most families retired to bed in preparation for another school or work day. Homes throughout Nerima grew still and dark, but one notorious household remained a turbulent whorl of activity. The group assembled at the Tendo Dojo were understandably shocked by the latest twist in the week's ordeal. Initial concern for the cursed teen's well-being had kept most of them from reacting to Cologne's off-hand revelation that Fa Shen had assumed full possession of the male reflection, but hearing the person they all tended to think of as the original Ranma declare that she was the true Ranko started an uproar. As this declaration came in the wake of Soun and Genma's reinstatement of the original engagement, the outburst began quite predictably.
"What kind of non-sense are you blabbering, Boy!?"
"Can it be!? Ranma's stuck with a girl's mind!?" Soun wailed.
"What Airen mean, not real Ranma?"
"I told you I am not Ranma! I'm Ranko!" That in a tired croak.
"Do you hear that, Shampoo!? The one who defeated you truly is a girl! You are free from the Kiss of Marriage! We really can be together! Oh, Shampoo!" Mousse rushed forward and glomped Akane, who pounded him out into the back yard.
"Blind jerk!"
"Ran-chan? Ranko is on a date with Ryouga…"
"Weren't any of you listening!?" Fa Shen shouted. Everyone turned to look at him. He shoved forward next to Ranko and looked down at her, as Mousse dragged himself back inside. With a look, he promised to sort out the mess, since she was too weak to move, let alone argue with the crowd. "I am going to explain this one more time, so listen up!" Fa Shen growled, growing impatient. He proceeded to explain, in detail, what he had figured out and discovered in the dreamscape. He started with the struggle for dominance and continued through the truce Fa Shen and Ranma-chan had established to sort out the mess. He covered all the things they talked about and what they tried to wake up together. Then, he described the encounter with the embodiments of their fears, and how they came back to their starting point and freed the boy from the spring. "The last thing he remembered was being knocked in the spring by a panda wearing his father's gi," he asserted. "We questioned him, and I realized I could remember some things that happened between my death and my first awakening here. I actually remember when Ranma was cursed, and that I tried to… possess him, I guess, but we both got dragged down, like Ranma-chan and I."
"You're saying that when Ranma was cursed he went into a trance like Ranma-chan did tonight?" Nabiki asked pointedly. Fa Shen nodded. "Okay, so, shouldn't Ranma have just drowned right then? Ranma-chan…"
"Ranko."
"…Ranko," Nabiki continued, frowning, "said something about being a mix of both you and Ranma. Until this week, 'Ranko' was Ranma. The one, the only, and no one had a clue about you. How do you explain that?"
"What is the ultimate result of combining male and female?"
"That is obvious, child," Cologne intercepted. "The creation of new life."
"So what would happen, in a living organism, if a man's ki and a woman's ki are combined, and neither one can control the whole? And… what if the man and woman are actually the same person, the same soul?"
Cologne nodded. She had suspected this about Ranma from the beginning, "A new person would be created, a gestalt of the two originals. So, until this evening, Ra… Ranko has actually been both of you. As for why she only presented herself as Ranma, I would think that he was in a stronger position than you during the fusion, so, when both of you were subsumed by Ranko, the character of Ranma's mind caused her to also submerge any trace she inherited of being you."
Fa Shen nodded, "That was what I concluded too."
"And now, because you and Ranma have awakened and reclaimed your ki, the gestalt is broken. If not for the ki invested in the curse, she would have ceased to exist. Because of it, she has become an independent being with the potential to exhibit the full potential of the gestalt without subsuming either of you," Cologne turned back to the cursed girl and shook her head. "If she survives long enough for her ki to fully regenerate, she will be a very powerful woman."
"But… if that's true… my son is…" Genma was close to tears.
"Trapped in a female body," Fa Shen sighed.
"Saotome-kun? Perhaps if you adopted Fa Shen…" Soun began.
"Akane, do you want to marry a girl trapped in a man's body?" Nabiki cut in loudly. Her face remained distantly curious as everyone else whipped around to stare at her, then Fa Shen. The boy was blushing furiously in shame and anger. Akane, sitting next to him, looked ready to kill her father.
"Ah, Tendo-kun," Genma sweated. "I think it would be more likely that my son would take advantage of this opportunity to get a nanniichaun curse. With the reverse of his old curse, he could actually be locked into male form and all our problems would be solved."
"What about…?" Mousse spoke up.
"If Mousse say one more time Shampoo kill female Ran… Ranko, you I kill!" Shampoo interrupted. She turned to look at Cologne for some kind of help or advice. She knew what Mousse was thinking, and her refusal to fulfill the kiss of death—especially now when Ranko was utterly vulnerable and the reflections safe from the mirror's curse—was damning. There had to be a way to keep Mousse from killing Ranko to trap Shampoo.
"Ranko?" Cologne spoke up. The girl looked at her. Switching into Mandarin, the old woman continued. "What are the tenets of the Kiss of Death?"
Ranko blinked and stared up at the ceiling. In fluent Mandarin she found herself quoting from memory, "The council of elders, in the wake of recognizing that female outsiders could represent a dangerous threat to the Tribe of Heroines, decreed that an aggressive policy was necessary to both strengthen and protect the tribe. For this purpose, the Kiss of Death was made a law. In the event that a woman warrior was defeated in combat by a female outsider, she was required to give her the Kiss of Death. Publicly, this is a promise to hunt the woman down, even to the ends of the Earth, and kill her. However," Ranko added thoughtfully, "the true purpose of the Kiss is three fold. It's first purpose is to establish whether the defeat was a fluke. If the outsider can be quickly defeated and incapacitated, she may be spared at the warrior's discretion and judged by the council of elders. If, however, the woman is truly skilled, the warrior has one year in which to succeed in executing the kiss.
"It is a given that, since the woman did not kill the warrior in the initial combat, it would not be in her nature or code to kill an inferior opponent, thus, the true purpose of the Kiss of Death is to challenge a defeated warrior with a proven adversary against whom she must constantly improve and test her skills. Because the warrior's intent is lethal, the adversary is also driven to improve thus creating a self sustaining, accelerated training regimen. As the adversary is not aware of this, the ordeal is also considered a trial of her integrity. If, at the end of the year, she has demonstrated honor and restraint in defending herself, never responding to the warrior's assaults with crippling or lethal force, the warrior may conclude the Kiss of Death with a Kiss of Sisterhood, and invite the woman into the tribe, thus fulfilling the third purpose of the Kiss of Death.
"Only an adversary proven to be an enemy, or without honor, is to be slain. If she is revealed to be a man in female guise, the option of treating the Kiss as a Kiss of Marriage exists, as that too encompasses certain trials applicable to men," Ranko finished. The effort to recite all of it had exhausted her. In Japanese, she added, "I hope you don't have any other questions for a while. That one wore me out."
"That is fine, Ranko," Cologne smiled. Turning to Mousse, she raised an eyebrow, "Does that answer your question, Mousse?"
"Only an amazon would know all of that!" he protested in disbelief.
"He's not very quick, is he?" Fa Shen asked, scowling.
Cologne looked at Fa Shen and smacked her fist into her palm, "That reminds me. As a reincarnated—or in your case resurrected—amazon warrior, you are granted special permission to use the nyanniichaun to regain your rightful place." In order for the tribe to survive, it had been necessary to forbid any male amazon from using the spring to improve his status. As with any law, however, there was an exception, and fortunately Fa Shen qualified for it.
Fa Shen stared at her, "So, I don't have to stay a man?"
"I'd be a fool to believe you would just because of the law, Fa Shen," Cologne smirked. "In some ways, you are as rebellious as your mother."
Fa Shen suddenly looked stricken. "Mother! Oh, Cologne! What happened to my mother? I know she must be dead by now, but…"
"I am sad to say I know very little about her after your death. What I do know is that your brother was the first to be cursed in your image. Ergot was always troubled by his attraction to Lo Shen. Apparently he sacrificed you so that he could resolve that problem, but the boy could not forgive him for turning him into a woman and locking his curse." Cologne noticed the fierce grin on Fa Shen's face at learning the fate of her nemesis. "Lo Shen escaped from the Musk, but was raped before seeking sanctuary from his mother. The council forbid her from bringing him into the tribe, so she took him and left before the baby was born. There are a few sparse reports of their activities, but after a few years the tribe lost track of her. We do not know what became of her after her last conflict with the Musk."
"So. At least he was punished for betraying me," Fa Shen sighed.
"Speaking of mothers…" Ranko panted, marshalling her strength and forcing her body to sit upright, with a scream of agonizing effort. She paused for several long breaths, the center of everyone's attention. Balancing herself, cross-legged, she pulled her trembling hands into her lap and completed her thought, "Mom is gonna be here tonight. I can hardly move, so it'd be a good idea for me to get out of here right away." She spoke with determination and relief. She would take "hardly move" over "cannot move" any day.
"Actually, 'Ranko', since you are NOT Ranma, she isn't your mother, and you've got no reason to hide, now do you?" Genma snarled. He received a number of ugly stares, but the simple fact was, the way this whole situation was playing out was leaving a very nasty taste in his mouth. His conscience had been eating away at him for two days now, on account of letting his fear and desires tempt him to begin the process of undermining the manhood of the child he still thought of as his son. He was having a hard time assimilating the notion that Fa Shen proposed. To him, it was as if his son had rejected both his family and his manhood, and Genma himself had pushed "her" to it.
Ranko read that in his face and growled back, "Closest thing I have to a mother. If you think it's a hot idea to have her face TWO Rankos…" She shrugged and sighed, "My curse is locked. Might even be possible to convince Mom that I've got a twin who's pretending to be me to steal Ryouga away from me while I am 'sick' or something. 'S just… I am Ranko an' I am never gonna pretend to be anyone else ever again."
"Why do you insist on this?" Genma pleaded, backing down a bit.
Ranko shook her head, "I didn't expect you to understand. Fa Shen absorbed the part of me that could BE Ranma. 'S gone and I don't know how to get it back."
"If that's true, you shouldn't be able to be Ranko either!"
"You don't get it. I didn't find the part of me that was Ranko until after the last visit to the mirror. The only way she could be Ranko was if she tapped into Copy-chan, the female side of me."
"But that's Ranko!" Genma was feeling a bit lost.
"No. The female side of me came from Fa Shen," Ranko sighed.
"Now I am confused," Akane blurted, frowning.
"Don't you remember who was the first to remember Fa Shen?"
"Uh…"
"That is a good point, child," Cologne observed, thoughtfully.
"But," Nabiki interrupted, "If you gave up your male and female sides like that, what does that make you?"
"Both," Ranko winced. "Just the way I started."
"But you're telling us you're a girl!" Genma shouted.
"I don't remember saying what I was," Ranko frowned. "I just said I was Ranko. Why is it no one pays any attention to what I actually say? Why do you always jump to conclusions and think I said something I didn't"
There was a round of silence as the girl frowned.
"How can you be both?" Kasumi asked in curiosity.
"I dunno. I guess it's like being ambidextrous," Ranko shrugged.
"You're ambisexual?" Nabiki laughed.
"Sure. Why not?" Ranko smirked.
"That mean, still can be Shampoo Airen?" The purple haired girl looked from between Ranko and Cologne in confusion. Cologne had all but declared the girl was an amazon warrior. By default she was supposed to be a girl. It made her immune to the Kiss of Death, but if she was also male, the Kiss of Marriage might still apply.
"I believe this situation is without precedent," Cologne announced after a moment's thought. "I believe this will have to come before the council for resolution. However, with the curse locked the point is moot, and since it will take a visit to the Musk to undo, it would not be too difficult to return home for that purpose." Ranko and Shampoo both sighed, if for entirely different reasons. Ukyo, who had been lost in her own thoughts for the most part, burst to her feet and stomped outside.
A moment later, Akane stood and wandered after her. "Ukyo?"
Ukyo whipped around to stare at her. "What do you want!?"
Akane flinched. She struggled to mute her temper and collect her thoughts. "It hurts, doesn't it?" she finally whispered.
Ukyo's eyes narrowed, then her mask came down, "I suppose you would understand. A little. I don't know what to do, what to think. I'm engaged to Ranma. I have been for years. I love him," she groaned. "If all of this is true, though, the person I fell in love with isn't Ranma! Ranma has been out of the picture this whole year! I always thought Shampoo had the weakest claim, since she came into the picture this summer. Suddenly," she snapped her fingers for emphasis, "she's the only one with a legitimate claim to the person we all have been fighting over!"
"I thought it might be something like that," Akane frowned.
"Our engagements are with Genma's son. They can't be applied to Ranko. Dammit, Akane, I couldn't even think of shifting my interest to the male copy! You had that forced on you, but I was staying true to my heart. The same thing will keep me from pursuing the 'real' Ranma now!" Ukyo sobbed, tears finally beginning to come out.
Akane looked down. She could not help but remember the end of her date. The kiss. Nor could she forget that the boy who had kissed her was gone forever. One look from Fa Shen had told her that. In a sense, that had been a relief, because it ended the conflict created in that moment with her feelings for… Ranko. It was almost hilarious. She had fallen into the same trap as her rivals. She had fallen in love with someone who had not even known who she was. It had not been until that person began to come out of her shell that Akane had even dared to face her feelings. It had eased her mind to learn that the boy she had kissed, was just a projection of Ranko. The part of her that had tried to be Ranma. It made her feel like her heart had not strayed dangerously. She had not betrayed her heart.
"You want to give up the engagement. You want to keep fighting Shampoo for him. It doesn't even matter that he's as much a 'her' as a 'him'," Akane commented, putting the feelings they both had into words.
"That's exactly it!" Ukyo cried. "And it proves what a hypocrite I am! All this time using honor to claim him, but the minute 'honor' conflicts with what I want, I'm ready to throw it out the window to keep chasing Ranko!"
Akane smiled a tiny smile. "It kind of changes things, though, doesn't it? I mean, it's hypocritical to shrug off the engagements, but using them to manipulate Ranm- Ranko wasn't any better, was it?"
Ukyo found herself taking a careful look at Akane. She looked tiny. Standing in demure shame, hands clasped in front of her as she stared at her feet. The okonomiyaki chef stiffened and glared. "You're not just guessing how I feel. You're telling me you feel the same way. I thought you hated your engagement. I thought you hated 'Ranma'!"
"I do hate the engagement. I hate the power it has over me. I hate the power it could give him over me," Akane admitted. She took a deep breath and looked up. "I also hate seeing it hanging over him. I hate the idea of being forced to be with someone, of ending up in a loveless marriage. I never hated Ranma. I hated the fact that 'Ranma' got in the way of him being who she really is."
Ukyo gaped at her. "What are you going to do?"
"I have no idea, Ukyo. No idea at all."
While Ukyo and Akane wandered outside, debates and arguments continued to rage around Ranko. It was unbelievable how weak she was, she reflected, as she focused on sitting upright. In between outbursts, she quietly begged for something to eat and drink from Kasumi. The eldest Tendo daughter eagerly went to fetch something from the kitchen, grateful to be able to do something besides listen to the chaos. After heating some leftovers, she set a small place at the table and helped the trembling girl over to her seat. Seeing Ranko barely able to hold her chopsticks, Kasumi proceeded to handle feeding her as well, focusing intently on the task of helping her get her strength back up. Ranko gave her a grateful smile and quietly suggested Kasumi remind Fa Shen he needed to be gone before Nodoka arrived. Without leaving her place beside Ranko, Kasumi waved the neo-boy over and delivered the message. Somewhere in the confusion, Dr. Tofu had quietly excused himself, and made his way to the door. Fa Shen rushed out after him. Unnoticed to everyone else, Mousse slipped away after them.
Fa Shen caught up to the doctor at the corner. "Dr. Tofu?"
"Yes, Ra… excuse me, Fa Shen. What may I do to help you?"
"I remember the last year as Ranma," he began, nervously, falling into step and urging Tofu to keep walking. "It's some side effect of how I woke up. I seem to remember you offering Ranma-chan, er, Ranko, some help with, ah, gender issues."
Tofu glanced sideways and nodded. "I did indeed. If you were wondering if I might be able to help you, I assure you I am more than willing to offer some counseling."
"Do you think, ah, you have some time tonight?"
"I think, considering your situation, that would be very wise," he smiled. Seeing that there was some other thought on the boy's mind he asked, "Is there perhaps something else you were wondering about?"
"I don't want to impose, but… for all I know about the people around here, I don't actually know anyone. From what I do know, I am not sure who I can trust even for something as simple as providing a place to sleep tonight. As a healer…"
"I trade on being trustworthy," Tofu finished. He laughed gently. "I can't say I have much to offer. An exam table of the floor in my room, neither of which are terribly comfortable, but if that is satisfactory, I have no problems putting you up for the night."
"Thank you, doctor," Fa Shen sighed.
"No trouble at all. Now, when you are ready, just come to the clinic and we can sit down and talk before I go to bed." Seeing the boy about to ask the obvious question, Tofu pointed behind them, "It seems there is someone who wishes to speak with you. Take your time."
Fa Shen stopped and looked around behind them. A moment later, Mousse emerged from the shadows and approached. Tofu bowed to him and exchanged good nights before continuing on his way. Fa Shen stared at the amazon boy as he approached.
"That doctor has extraordinary perception," Mousse commented in his native tongue, coming to a stop before Fa Shen.
"What do you want?" Fa Shen replied in mandarin, well aware of the treacherous aspects of Mousse's nature, courtesy of his inherited memories.
"I wish to speak to you as a man of the amazon tribe."
"You will not get any assistance from me in your plot to win that girl through Ranko's death."
"That is no longer even a possibility, and we both know it."
"So. What is there for us to discuss, as 'men'?"
Mousse straightened and met Fa Shen's eye. "It is customary among men, when one perceives an opportunity in matters concerning the other man's family, to make his intentions known, to seek blessings and solicit aid in pursuing his objective. Even though you are a woman at heart, you are the closest thing Ranko has to a brother. Her only 'relative' who is also recognized as an amazon."
Fa Shen was stunned speechless. After a moment, he picked up his jaw and shouted, "You intend to challenge Ranko!? After plotting to kill her!?"
"Yes. Obviously, though the circumstances have changed, what I proposed remains an obstacle I cannot overcome without your assistance," Mousse crossed his arms. Unlike the passion blinded fool of Ranma's memory, Mousse proceeded with cold calculation. "I was not able to act against her, and being ignorant of certain things I was not entirely out of line in considering such a course of action. Besides, attempting to kill someone is not an unforgivable insult. How that plan would have affected my intended, Shampoo, was. With all prospects of love shattered, I can only restore my honor through traditional means. That being, to wed an amazon of high stature. Apart from Shampoo, and yourself should you regain your womanhood, there is no greater 'prize' than Ranko."
Fa Shen scowled, "You know damn well you may not issue a challenge to a warrior who has been injured or incapacitated by prior circumstances. She must be of sound body and mind!"
"I can wait until she is ready. I can actually use the time to train in preparation," Mousse shrugged.
"There has to be more to this. Something you're not saying, and you can be sure I will do all I can to hinder you if you are not completely honest and up front with me. So, what is this really all about?"
"Simple. Shampoo's Airen is now an amazon woman. I am legitimately able to 'court' her in battle. If I defeat her I will have an equal claim to Shampoo's Airen. Thus, I will have established myself as Shampoo's peer, and be considered worthy to challenge her again. It is essential that I do this before the council has a chance to rule on Shampoo's marriage, and Ranko's official status. Her 'dual' gender has to be ratified by the council for Shampoo's marriage to be considered legitimate and binding."
Fa Shen pondered for a moment. "So, you're not seriously after Ranko. You want to use Ranko to maneuver Shampoo into marriage with you?" It was an outrageous plan, but if it worked, it could actually free Ranko from Shampoo entirely. He knew damn well that Ranko did not want to be married to her. Would she be willing to risk marriage to Mousse in the hope that he would succeed in capturing Shampoo? She had taken as great a chance to protect the Tendo sisters from marriage to Picolet Chardin.
"That is my plan. Will you help me?"
Fa Shen scratched the back of his head. "I'll think about it."
Ranma had taken her time sorting things out in the ladies room. A tampon dispenser mounted on the wall had provided a solution to the bleeding caused by her recent indulgence. The time spent in the privacy of a stall cleaning herself up and inserting it gave her a chance to reflect on what she had done. The memories she had awakened to put everything that was happening into a perspective, but as the flush of pleasure wore off, there remained a jarring sense of dislocation. She could not shake the sensation of having been thrust into a situation she never anticipated and which she had been utterly incapable of averting. More than once she had to shake herself out of a near catatonic state. There was no denying what had happened, and no point in allowing it to destroy her. She was a young man subjected to every aspect of womanhood short of childbirth, and even that could still confront her. Apart from what seemed a willful descent into femininity, the memories she had gained made it clear that only extenuating circumstances had compelled her to abandon her manhood. As she exited the stall and proceeded to wash her face, she concluded that even embracing her womanhood had not negated or diminished her self image. She smirked into the mirror. Sex was better than ice cream, and from her memories the promise of ice cream had made her eager to exploit her female form.
With a final check, to make sure she had eradicated any traces of her deflowering, she proceeded outside to confront the remaining problem. Ryouga. He was standing outside the door to the men's room. As she looked at him, she considered her feelings. For her, masculinity and femininity had largely been considered a state of mind. The feelings she had for him put her in a state of mind that made her a woman. Plain and simple. It did not seem to change who she was, but it made her inescapably aware of what she was. It was not in her personality to be ultra feminine, but, there was no question she could be female to the core, and without doubt interested in being a very sexy female. She feared that damned her in the eyes of Nodoka, should she ever discover this side of her son.
"Ryouga, did you get cleaned up?" she asked.
"Yes. Thankfully there's just the one door. I did just what you suggested, and stopped as soon as I stepped back out," he blushed faintly. He had pissed off a number of guys by refusing to budge an inch, forcing them to squeeze past him to go in or out of the restroom.
"Okay," she leaned close to him and sniffed carefully. Smelling only soap, she smiled. "Good, so, when we go back to my Mom, we just say that you got lost and it took me a while to find you and bring you back to the club. Got it?"
"No problem, Rank- Ranma," he was still disturbed by the fact that she had reverted to her original name, though she pointed out it was only necessary in private, since she had to keep up the act for Nodoka. Ranma ignored his slip this time and led him outside and down the street towards the club where they had abandoned Nodoka. Before entering, she turned to him.
"Ryouga," she started, staring into his eyes. She bit her lip. She damned her feelings, the confusion they caused. "I really enjoyed what we did. I can barely believe we did it, and it definitely blew my mind. It seems like too much has happened too fast, and I feel like I can't let go of being a guy. The whole year suddenly seems like a dream, but it's a nice dream. Really chaotic, and totally unreal, but fun too. I don't know if this was love or lust, 'cuz I've never really felt either before. I can never forget what we've said and done together tonight, but I honestly don't know how I'll feel tomorrow. I don't know if bein' able to be a guy again will change me. I know that bein' Ranma again could." She cut herself off, before she said something that could not be taken back. Ryouga was already looking terrible from what she said. Taking a deep breath, "All I am tryin' to say is, I can't control what happens tomorrow. I don't want to hurt you. I don't want you to be hurt. Do you understand what I am getting' at?"
Ryouga thought for a moment before nodding. "I am almost not surprised that this could end as suddenly as it began. I never expected what happened tonight to happen. I guess it is kind of like a dream. For a little while there, you were a different person, but she seems to thrive when there is no hope of you being a man." He sighed heavily, feeling his heart continue to break. It had been inevitable from the moment she got off the phone. "If you can find it in you not to hate me for who you were tonight, I promise not to hate you for who you are tomorrow."
Ranma felt a gnawing ache. "Ryouga, I don't think I could ever explain this to Mom, but… because of you, because of tonight, I will never be afraid of losing myself to my female side again. I want to tell you I love you, and promise that I will love you, because I can remember realizing how much I love you tonight. I don't understand what happened. What we did. It feels like something snapped in my mind, and suddenly it's like I wasn't even awake this past year. It's scary, especially with that weird dream I had.
"I should love you, and it scares me that I don't feel anything but confusion," she pulled herself close, allowing the fear she had been feeling to show in her face and voice. "If nothing else messes with my head too much, I think I'll be able to sort it out, start feeling things again. I'd do what we just did again in a heart beat, because I am not afraid at all. I just want a little time for the numbness to wear off."
"Alright, Ranma," Ryouga smiled. "Alright, I won't let it tear me apart and fall into a pit of despair. If this is what it's going to be like for a while, it's still a lot more than I ever dreamed of. It sounds like you're okay now with being a girl, but you… It would hurt you to give up being a guy. If you need to be both, well, I'd rather join you than force you to pick just one."
"Thanks, Ryouga. You don't know how much that means to me."
Deciding that was the best she could do for damage control, she led him inside and approached the table where Nodoka waited in carefully constrained agitation. Moving with exaggerated exhaustion, she smiled and greeted her mother, dragging Ryouga in her wake. Ryouga had little trouble looking distantly embarrassed as Ranma proceeded to tell their cover story. Over the course of several minutes of animated conversation, the suspicion that haunted the woman's eyes gradually subsided. She dropped a couple pointed questions, but Ranma fielded them surprisingly well. Ryouga smirked. If the idiot would ever consider applying her acting ability and soul of ice technique to card games she would be unbeatable. Since there was no hand of cards involved, her deception was an astonishing success.
Because Nabiki had emphasized the need to keep Nodoka away until late, Ranma recalled, fighting the dissociation of her memories to keep the present in perspective, she threw herself into dancing with Ryouga. Ironically, the sudden emotional distance only helped to assuage Nodoka's suspicions as she observed the pair. Ryouga seemed a bit calmer, but every bit as love sick as before, while Ranko, as she continued to identify the girl, seemed to have snapped out of her amorous state.
"It looks like my advice did some good after all," she murmured to herself, watching them dance in the crowd. "She seems to be less sure of her feelings. Less demonstrative. Mmmm… as irreverent and energetic as ever."
Deciding that it would take much more than one night on the town to polish the incorrigible tomboy, she sat back and plotted out what to do over the next few weekends to correct the inadequacies of her upbringing. That kept her mind busy through the remainder of the evening and the train ride home. As Nodoka had planned, the two were too exhausted by the time they got back to the dojo to contemplate any kind of mischief. It was a wonder they were still awake as they stumbled to the front door. In spite of their lassitude, the greeting that met them at the door shook Ranma and Ryouga into full alertness.
"Oh, good! You're all home," Kasumi chirped, smiling over an obvious look of tired concern. "Ranneko, your sister arrived. Why didn't you tell us Ranko was sick? Does Ryouga know you filled in for her on her date?"
"Wha- Huh?" Ranma gaped.
"RanNEKO?" Ryouga turned to stare at Ranma in disbelief.
"Excuse me? Did you say sister… Ranko is… I don't understand," Nodoka was staring at the girl Kasumi had just called Ranneko. Was it possible…?
"Oh, Mrs. Saotome! You didn't know Ranko has a twin sister? It's sort of funny, actually, since she's come over her occasionally, pretending to be Ranko," Kasumi quickly filled in. "They managed to keep it a complete secret for months. Quite a practical joke, if," she leveled a chiding look at Ranma, "somewhat improper."
"You are not Ranko?" Nodoka stared at Ranma, who swallowed nervously. "Ryouga? Did you know about this?"
Ranma's eyes rolled wildly as she tried to figure out what was up. She thought back to the call and guessed that it had been deemed to dangerous to move Ranma-chan. Licking her lips, she thought fast and allowed all her confusion and alarm, as well as some genuine embarrassment to taint her features. "I guess you've caught me. It's just a harmless joke! I mean, we're practically the same person, so, ah… it's really easy to fool people!"
Ryouga considered this, and decided to answer honestly, "Actually, I found out recently about them being twins. You don't want to know what kind of confusion they caused."
Nodoka considered his reply, but it seemed honest. With a hint of suspicion, she studied 'Ranneko' and thought about some of their private conversations. "So, you thought you were on a date with Ranko?" she asked Ryouga. He nodded. Nodoka grabbed the girl and dragged her outside for a few words. "Ranneko… stop shuddering, I'm not mad at you, just confused!"
"Sorry, Auntie," Ranma was cursing inside over the name she had suddenly been stuck with.
"Tell me straight, were you being honest about your feelings tonight? Do you love Ryouga?"
Ranma frowned. "I believed it when I said it. I've been thinking it over trying to decide if… well… I've stumbled on some doubts."
"But you knew he had feelings for Ranko?" A nod. "And you decided to take advantage of her illness to see if you could get some where with him?" A more hesitant nod. She shook her head.
"I wanted to figure my feelings about a lot of things out."
"Why have you concealed your identity from me all this time?"
"I am sorry, it wasn't intentional. I'm just used to pretending to be Ranko. I mean no disrespect."
"I have never understood what possessed twins to play such games. You are asking for a lot of trouble, especially if you start swapping boyfriends this way!" Nodoka was not amused. She dragged the girl back inside, and made her apologize to Ryouga.
Ranma bowed her head. It was funny that the circumstances had left her able to make almost entirely honest answers, so it made taking this sudden lecture a lot less upsetting. It was a good plan, considering she had not been informed in the slightest what was going on. In a low voice, she asked, "Would it be alright if I went in and checked on Ranko real quickly? I'll come back and talk about this if you want."
"I have only one more question. Is she the 'sick friend' Ranma was supposed to be taking care of tonight?"
Ranma did not know how to answer. The truthful answer was of course yes. If she said that, however, Nodoka would want to know where he was and why he had abandoned the girl. She glanced at Kasumi, who nodded almost imperceptibly. Ranma nodded at last, and sighed, "She is."
Nodoka sighed. "Go check on your sister, but hurry. I have some more questions to ask you." She shooed Ranma back inside. Turning back to Kasumi, she asked, predictably, "Is my son still taking care of her?"
Kasumi smiled sadly, "No. He left her here for us to look after while he ran an errand. She needs something to help her get back her strength."
"I see. Is he expected back soon?"
"Well, apparently what Ranko needs is, um, rather difficult to acquire."
"So he could be gone for days, then?"
"I am sorry, Auntie."
"I will say this for my son, Kasumi, he does manage to keep rather busy. From some of the stories I've heard, he can't sit still for a moment without some challenge or emergency or the demands of his Art dropping on top of him. I've never heard of someone forced to deal with so many demands on his attention," Nodoka wandered into the Tea Room shaking her head in bafflement.