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The ride to the medical center was silent. Ranma had a few appointments to attend, including his first gynecological exam. When Dr. Tofu explained what that would entail, Ranma had flatly refused to have anything to do with it. Akane had splashed him with some cold water from a bottle she was carrying, and asked him in her sweetest tones to do this for her, if not for his own concerns. Ranma melted and agreed, but only on the condition that the doctor who would be examining his female form was a woman.
He stated with intent for bodily harm that no man would ever see or touch him in those ways. Akane giggled at that and gave her heartfelt agreement, stating that she was angry enough about having to let the doctor examine her fiancee before she had a chance to. This caused Tofu to chuckle and Akane to blush as red as Ranma's hair. She had forgotten that the older man could hear everything she and Ranma were discussing from their seats in the back of the car. Ranma's face had also matched hers, though Ranma was only dimly aware of the sensitivety of the subject matter.
Ranma stared pensively out the window as they drove along the streets that lead from Nerima to the downtown section of Tokyo. Traffic was relatively light, as most people were either still at work or already done their business in town and headed for the saftey of the suburbs. Akane was discreetly studying Ranma's profile, trying to figure out what the sometimes girl was thinking. She suspected it had a great deal to do with the upcoming exams. She knew how private a person Ranma was, and this exam was likely one of his most frequent nightmares. He would be laid bare for someone to study, at his most vulnerable in a form he often hated and didn't understand. The doctor would be probing his most private of places, verifying that Ranma was, despite his frequent protests, all girl while under the curse.
His mind might not change, he might not be a girl in the ways people thought of girls as being, he was totally female, with all the resultant physical reactions, concerns, and potential problems that men didn't need to worry over. It would be the ultimate blow to his male selfimage for there would be no way, after the exam, that he could deny being female, if not exactly a girl, he was no longer just a man. He was somewhere between the two and Ranma's education by his father didn't really allow for what he now was. In his view, you were one or the either, and only being a man mattered. Woman were there to have children and didn't matter beyond that.
She would do her best to ensure that his father's idiocy would no longer endanger the man she loved. She could admit it know, even without the tests proving her theory. She remembered Ranma's words concerning the more emotionally advanced nature of his female form and while she didn't understand the full science behind it, looking back, she could see how Ranma had treated her differently in each of his forms. Like Kasumi had pointed out to her, his male form reacted much like a young boy did to a girl he liked. He didn't know how to react to the feelings, so he acted against the cause.
His female form acted like a girl in the throes of her first crush, alternating between aggressive affection with loud denials of those same affections and awkward shyness. She was extremely jealous regarding Akane's attention, attacking any man, and a number of girls, who showed interest in the young woman. Ranma had been raised in an emotional void, having been denied anything resembling affection or praise. Genma had belittled Ranma throughout his childhood, only the occassional grunt and scant words of 'Good job' or 'About time' to acknowledge his son's mastery of new skills and techniques. He ignored the immense level of dedication and skill in his son as being due solely to his own talents.
Akane had already decided that what ever else happened because of these tests, she would do everything in her power to make sure Ranma was aware of the pride she felt at being his fiancee. Of how glad she was to have had him enter her life. And she would under no circumstance hide her true feelings for him, no matter what his form. Steeling herself against a possible rejection, she reached over and pulled Ranma against her side, holding the startled girl lightly within her arms. She let out a pleased sigh as Ranma's slim, powerful arms wrapped around her waist. She glared into the rearview mirror at Tofu, daring him to say anything. The older man smiled at them as he maneuvered the compact car through the lanes of traffic with a skill of a true artist.
"Everything will be fine, Ranma. I don't know what- if anything- the doctors will find but I want you to know that I will always be here for you. No matter what, I will love you. Because I do love you Ranma. I may not have shown you before, but I want you to know that I don't care what others think. Guy, girl, whatever. It doesn't matter to me. I love you. I know you don't really understand how you feel, but I hope that someday, you'll feel for me what I feel for you. I'm ready to wait until you can Ranma. Until you're truly ready, I'm willing to be whatever you want and need me to be. Friend, Fiancee, wife, sparring partner. I'll always be here for you." She stroked Ranma's hair, enjoying the way Ranma felt in her arms.
Ranma sniffed a little, touched deeply by Akane's words. She had always cared for Akane's opinion of her, though her male side wasn't as clear as her female side. She could feel the way her thoughts and emotions cleared and strengthened during the change and had feared what it had meant. Now, Akane had offered her a chance to prove that it was an outside condition that resulted in his immature behaviour. She felt content to relax in Akane's arms, no longer fearing that Akane would bash her for the contact.
She'd wanted to hold and be held by Akane for a long time, but had feared Akane's rejection too much to risk the attempt. Now, she was free for the first time in her life to allow herself to show what she felt, to try and understand the strange feelings being near Akane produced in her. Both the onslaught of long repressed emotions and the physical desire to hold her fiancee. Whatever else happened in the coming days as a result of these tests, she knew that her relationship with Akane had been improved.
"Akane, wou. . .would you come in with me with the gynecology tests? I'd rather not have to be alone for them." Ranma asked quietly, her head resting gently on Akane's shoulder. The seatbelts Tofu had insisted they wear were the only thing keeping Ranma from being in Akane's lap. Ranma felt safer than she could ever remember feeling.
Akane smiled gently as a small smile spread on her face. "Are you sure you want me there, Ranma? Some of the tests can be a little embarrassing."
Ranma moved slightly away so that she could look into Akane's eyes. "I think I'd feel much better with you there to explain what the doctor's doing in words I'll understand than I would alone with her."
"If you're sure, and if the doctor lets me, I'll stay with you, Ranma." Akane gave her fiancee a hug as best she could with the seatbelts restraining them.
"We're almost there." Tofu said from the front seat, as he pulled ahead of the car beside him, sliding neatly into the space before it.
They drove in silence the remaining few moments, Akane and Ranma parting from the hug, but still holding hands, their faces as red as the street lights.
A few minutes later, they exited the car in a parking garage connected to the hospital and medical complex. Tofu made sure it was locked and they walked over to the elevator for the medical complex. Their first stop was the gynecologist for Ranma's checkup and then the hospital for the blood tests and other testing procedures. Ranma stayed close to Akane, quivering in a mix of fear and embarrassement. Though the boy turned girl often played down his female side, he was a private person and the gynecological exam was a huge invasion of that privacy.
They entered the office finding it empty save for a woman seating behind a counter wearing a medical receptionists uniform. It was similar to the scrubs worn at a hospital, except for the color. Instead of the green or blue one would usually expect at the hospital, it was white set, and included a jacket and cap instead of a mask and hair cover cap. The receptionist looked up and smiled as they walked over.
"Konnichiwa, Tofu-san. It's a pleasure to see you again. How's your mother? I haven't heard from her since her last appointment." The receptionist greeted them.
Tofu smiled. His mother had been coming to see the doctors of this office for as long as he could remember. First Dr. Ike and since his retirement several years ago, Dr. Yasamoto. "She is well, Takeyo-baasan. I spoke to her a few days ago. She is still encouraging me to find a woman and marry. She keeps mentioning that she has had her children and now that they are grown, she's looking forward to spoiling her grandchildren. Is Dr. Yasamoto in? I had made an appointment with her for my young friend here."
Takeyo-san smiled gently at the two young girls. "So this is the first time you see a gynecologist, is it, dearie?"
Ranma gulped and looked up to Akane for guidance. Seeing her fiancee's gentle smile, Ranma turned back to face the old woman. "Hai, obaasan. It's the first time for a lot of things lately."
The old woman cackled. "Well, I won't tell you not to be embarrased, since I still blush when I go to my doctor, but it's a much better system now than when I went for my first time. There have been many improvements in the instruments and methods used for the tests. And you're lucky that Dr. Yasamoto had room on her patient lists for you. She doesn't take too many new clients. There's a waiting list for joining her patient list. She's one of the gentlest and most easygoing doctors I've worked for."
"Have you worked in this office for long, obaasan?" Akane asked, her hand still holding Ranma's. This had caused the older woman to give a slight, nearly unoticeable start. It was obviously not a friendly, or sisterly gesture. The two girls entire posture spoke of a far different relationship.
"Why yes, I have. I've been here for nearly 40 years. I'm going to hate retirement in a few months. I'll probably still wake up in the morning and get ready to come in. I've worked for around 10 different doctors in that time. This is usually a pretty short posting for most doctors. Only Dr. Ike, who had been here for nearly ten years when I was first hired and lasted six more before moving to another clinic, and Dr. Yasamoto who has been here for 6 years now, have stayed longer than 4 years. It doesn't pay as much as private practice, being a government run clinic, but Dr. Yasamoto has told me on many occassions that she'd rather have the security and close access to the hospital than work in a private office or clinic that seems to value making money more than curing patients. You see, this is more than a gynecologists office. Dr. Yasamoto is also a general practitioner like young Tofu-san here."
Tofu chuckled at that. "Most of us are, except for the hospital residents and doctors. They tend to stick to more . . . exciting brands of medicine. Is she with a patient, obaasan? We have a few more appointments for young Ranma here."
"She's just finishing up lunch. There was a bit of exctement this morning. One of her young patients broke a leg and his mother rushed him here. Luckily, we are attached to the hospital and were able to fix the boy up with a cast and some crutches. She had to clean the examnation room and change her uniform. Shouldn't be too much longer." The woman again studied Ranma's slumped form. "It's nice to meet you, young ladies."
"The same happened to me this morning." Tofu stated ironically. He slapped his head as a thought occured to him. "Where are my manners today? Obaasan, I would like you to meet Tendo Akane, and her fiance Saotome Ranma. Akane, Ranma, I'd like you to meet Takyeo Rei."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Takeyo-san." the two parroted each other, giving the old woman a deep bow of respect.
"Enough of that now, dears. Only my doctors call me that. You just keep calling me obaasan, alright? All my patients do. Now," she turned to Tofu with a frown. "You said these girls are engaged to each other?"
Tofu grinned and shook his head. "It's a long story, obaasan. I'll tell you what I know of it while Ranma is examined." That reminded him of something. "Do you think Yasamoto-san will mind if Akane is there with Ranma while she examines him?"
Takeyosan shook her head. "Don't see why she'd mind. So long as Tendosan doesn't get in the way and Saotomesan doesn't mind."
Ranma gave a weak smile. "I'd be much more comfortable with Akane there. I ain't done none of this before and she has. She can explain it to me in words I understand."
"I'm looking forward to hearing that story from you, Tofusan. I know things have changed much in the last fifty odd years, but still, two girls who are engaged is not something I had expected to see."
Tofu smiled again. "Ranma's not exactly a normal girl, obaasan. That's part of why we are here to have him examined. And why we're going to have some X- rays and such done later."
"I'm right here now, Tofu-san." called out a voice from the smal hallway to the right of the counter.
They all turned to watch as a short, dark haired woman came strolling out of a door at the end of the halls. She was wearing a white labcoat, green scrubs and a pair of glasses set in wire frames. Her face was set in a smile and it was easy to tell that it was a natural expression for the woman. Her eyes panned the three quickly, settling briefly on Ranma before her gaze turned to meet Tofu's.
"It's good to see you again, Ono-san. It's been what, 7-8 months? At the last conference held in Hokkaido." the doctor's voice was as young as the rest of her, yet it held a confidence of someone secure in their own position and competance. It set Ranma somewhat at ease with it's lilting tones that matched her gentle movements.
"That's right, Yasamotosan. This is Tendo Akane and her fiance, Saotome Ranma. I told you about him on the phone last night."
"Ah yes, the young man who somehow ended up with a girl's body." she turned to address Ranma. Up close she looked even younger, maybe just a bit older than Kasumi. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Ranma." she held out her hand to the two, who shook it reluctantly. "This is likely going to be very embarrassing for you, but I don't want you to feel scared. Nothing I do will hurt you in any way. I'm simply going to take a quick peek and do some reflex tests. I hear you're a martial artist. I practice a little akido myself, but I'm sure it's nothing compared to what you've learned."
Ranma grinned, glad to be on a subject he had some familiarity with. "Yup. My pop and I've been traveling around Japan and most of Asia for ten years. He's been teaching me to be the best martial artist of my generation." Ranma's grin grew cocky at his words.
Yasamoto Makato raised a thin eyebrow. "I take it from your tone you think you are close to that goal?"
Ranma's grin grew even widder, transforming his normaly kawai girl's face into a stunningly beautiful yong woman's. "I'm the best." he stated simply.
From the way the boy turned girl said the phrase, Makato guessed that he had reason to believe it so strongly. "I take it you've had some success at defending that title then?"
"Oh yeah. I'll tell you about it sometime. Some of the stuff we've seen and done makes this Jhusenkyo crap seem normal." Ranma stated, a bitter tone entering her voice at the mention of the cursed pools.
"Jhusenkyo? That's a Chinese word isn't it? Something about damned pools?"
Ranma snorted and Akane chuckled. "Damned pools? Close enough. Hell, they might as well be. Actually it translates to Cursed Springs, or Pools of Sorrow. It's this valley between some mountain ranges in China. There's about a hundred or so different little pools of water, like at hot springs. If someone or something falls into the pool, they turn into whatever drowned in that pool. If nothing has drowned in a pool, and something falls in, the next person or thing to fall into it will turn into that first thing. It's a training ground. You fight on these bamboo poles sticking out of each pool. Oyaji no bakayaru took me there about a year and a half ago. After falling into a spring himself, the Shaominnichuan*, he threw me into the pool of drowned girl."
"Are they permanent?" she asked, curious. If anyone other than Ono Tofu had told her about this, she would have called them in for psychiatric evaluation. She had known Tofu too long to dismiss this without proof, having seen first hand some of the strange things that happened in his district.
"Nah, well. We ain't found no reliable cure yet, but we aren't stuck in these forms. See, its a water curse. Cold water puts us in our cursed forms and hot water turns you back to your normal form. I'm usually a guy, but part of the curse is that the more you fight it, the more it seems that water seeks you out. I can barely go a day without getting splashed. I've sorta accepted that this is part of me now, because of some of the crap that's happened. So I can go a little longer than most. My dad, well, he turns into a panda, which suits his lazy nature and water leaves him alone. Some of the others though, they can't go more than two or three hours without getting splashed. I know one guy, who can go days without it, because of how much he likes his cursed form. He uses it during fights when he can't win without it."
That sounded like it was something of a regular occurance when the other boy was around Ranma. she thought to herself. "Can you demonstrate this for me?"
Ranma blushed. "If you want. But not here, okay? Just don't ask why. It's embarrassing."
Her eyebrow rose again. "More embarrassing than me examing you? I think between us, Ranma, we can throw embarrassment and formality out the door. If I'm going to continue to be your doctor, at least for this matter, I think we should be honest and open with each other."
Ranma studied the doctor, her face nearly matching the shade of her hair. "Okay, I'll show you, but can I change into one of them gown things? Akane said that for the exam I had to wear one, and it'd be better if I put it on before changing back."
"Why's that?"
Ranma glanced at Tofu before leaning towards the doctor and whispering her answer. " 'Cause I'm wearing panties right now and they ain't exactly made to fit my guy side, if you catch my drift?"
Now it was her turn to blush. She found the image of a young man wearing scanty panties with an expression of pain on his face popping into her mind. She smothered a giggle with a cough and motioned to the back room she had exited. "You can change in there, Ranma. Does the water need to be boiling?"
"Nah, tap's fine. And make sure you have some cold water. We're here to examine my girl side, and I don't think Akane would like it if you were to examine my guy side too closely. She's jealous enough that you're going to be checking me out as a girl, I don't want to end up in the hospital becasue I accidentally flash you." Behind the redhead, the bluehaired girl blushed and elbowed her smaller companion, but she also gave a brief glance of warning to the doctor. "Oh, Akane's gonna' stay with me during the exam. I ain't comfortable with being a girl and having someone poke down there - well let's just say I don't like to think about it. She'll be there to keep me from freaking out."
She grinned. "You think you'll freak out?"
"Don't know. Akane was telling me about some of the tests and I ain't looking forward to having to do this. But she and Kasumi-that's her sister- they think that there's something wrong with my head and they want me to get totally checked as both a guy and girl. Something to do with how I don't get aroused as a guy, but I do as a girl, at least a little."
"So that's why the rush for an appointment? And why Tofu said you'd be in a hurry today?"
"Yeah. I've got to go to the hospital for tests there too. Something called and MRI and a c.c.ccCat scan." Ranma shivered at the word and Akane hugged him.
Something else to ask Tofu about. Why would anyone have so much fear for a word like cat? she thought to herself. "Fine. Let's get this show on the road. There are some gowns hanging on a hook in the exam room. Why don't you get changed? Just open the door when you're ready and Akane and I will join you."
While Ranma went into the room to change, she turned to the other two. "What's this about Ranma not getting aroused?"
Akane blushed and looked down to her shoes. She explained some of what had happened over the last year that had lead her to the conclusion that something was wrong with Ranma. She told of how she had initially fought the engagement, but that she had really been fighting her strange attraction to the girl/boy. She told of how she had gone into the furoba to join Ranma, with the intention of subtly questioning the girl regarding a possible relationship, only to find a rather well formed young man stepping out of her furo. She told of her embarrassment and excitement at her first glimpse of a nude member of the opposite sex.
She mentioned that Ranma was chased after by several girls who were very aggressive in their actions towards him and how, from his own mouth, they had learned that his male body didn't physically react to their various -and numerous- attempts to seduce him. Blushingly, she even told how Ranma had himself told them how foggy his mind was in his male form compared to his female form and how he could feel his female body react to her presence, despite his not understanding what his body was doing.
Yasamoto Makato had never heard a story so unbelievable. Yet despite what she had been taught by many respected doctors and scientists, she could not help but believe the girl. There were too many consistancies it what she was saying. Too few of the laws of nature were broken for her to disbelieve. Someone lying or trying to play a trick on her would have made it either less detailed or more detailed. She could tell that the girl was holding back, and her curiousity was further peeked. If the girl considered what she was telling her to be the believable parts of the story, than what must have happened that they felt she would not believe them?
Just as she opened her mouth to ask a question, the door behind them opened. She shrugged and shook her head, deciding to concentrate on the matters at hand. She accepted the glasses of hot and cold water from Rei and together with Akane, they walked the short hall to the examination room while Tofu settled into a chair and pulled out a paperback from his coat pocket. ***************************************************
*not sure of spelling, but its the pool of drowned panda so there.
The ride to the medical center was silent. Ranma had a few appointments to attend, including his first gynecological exam. When Dr. Tofu explained what that would entail, Ranma had flatly refused to have anything to do with it. Akane had splashed him with some cold water from a bottle she was carrying, and asked him in her sweetest tones to do this for her, if not for his own concerns. Ranma melted and agreed, but only on the condition that the doctor who would be examining his female form was a woman.
He stated with intent for bodily harm that no man would ever see or touch him in those ways. Akane giggled at that and gave her heartfelt agreement, stating that she was angry enough about having to let the doctor examine her fiancee before she had a chance to. This caused Tofu to chuckle and Akane to blush as red as Ranma's hair. She had forgotten that the older man could hear everything she and Ranma were discussing from their seats in the back of the car. Ranma's face had also matched hers, though Ranma was only dimly aware of the sensitivety of the subject matter.
Ranma stared pensively out the window as they drove along the streets that lead from Nerima to the downtown section of Tokyo. Traffic was relatively light, as most people were either still at work or already done their business in town and headed for the saftey of the suburbs. Akane was discreetly studying Ranma's profile, trying to figure out what the sometimes girl was thinking. She suspected it had a great deal to do with the upcoming exams. She knew how private a person Ranma was, and this exam was likely one of his most frequent nightmares. He would be laid bare for someone to study, at his most vulnerable in a form he often hated and didn't understand. The doctor would be probing his most private of places, verifying that Ranma was, despite his frequent protests, all girl while under the curse.
His mind might not change, he might not be a girl in the ways people thought of girls as being, he was totally female, with all the resultant physical reactions, concerns, and potential problems that men didn't need to worry over. It would be the ultimate blow to his male selfimage for there would be no way, after the exam, that he could deny being female, if not exactly a girl, he was no longer just a man. He was somewhere between the two and Ranma's education by his father didn't really allow for what he now was. In his view, you were one or the either, and only being a man mattered. Woman were there to have children and didn't matter beyond that.
She would do her best to ensure that his father's idiocy would no longer endanger the man she loved. She could admit it know, even without the tests proving her theory. She remembered Ranma's words concerning the more emotionally advanced nature of his female form and while she didn't understand the full science behind it, looking back, she could see how Ranma had treated her differently in each of his forms. Like Kasumi had pointed out to her, his male form reacted much like a young boy did to a girl he liked. He didn't know how to react to the feelings, so he acted against the cause.
His female form acted like a girl in the throes of her first crush, alternating between aggressive affection with loud denials of those same affections and awkward shyness. She was extremely jealous regarding Akane's attention, attacking any man, and a number of girls, who showed interest in the young woman. Ranma had been raised in an emotional void, having been denied anything resembling affection or praise. Genma had belittled Ranma throughout his childhood, only the occassional grunt and scant words of 'Good job' or 'About time' to acknowledge his son's mastery of new skills and techniques. He ignored the immense level of dedication and skill in his son as being due solely to his own talents.
Akane had already decided that what ever else happened because of these tests, she would do everything in her power to make sure Ranma was aware of the pride she felt at being his fiancee. Of how glad she was to have had him enter her life. And she would under no circumstance hide her true feelings for him, no matter what his form. Steeling herself against a possible rejection, she reached over and pulled Ranma against her side, holding the startled girl lightly within her arms. She let out a pleased sigh as Ranma's slim, powerful arms wrapped around her waist. She glared into the rearview mirror at Tofu, daring him to say anything. The older man smiled at them as he maneuvered the compact car through the lanes of traffic with a skill of a true artist.
"Everything will be fine, Ranma. I don't know what- if anything- the doctors will find but I want you to know that I will always be here for you. No matter what, I will love you. Because I do love you Ranma. I may not have shown you before, but I want you to know that I don't care what others think. Guy, girl, whatever. It doesn't matter to me. I love you. I know you don't really understand how you feel, but I hope that someday, you'll feel for me what I feel for you. I'm ready to wait until you can Ranma. Until you're truly ready, I'm willing to be whatever you want and need me to be. Friend, Fiancee, wife, sparring partner. I'll always be here for you." She stroked Ranma's hair, enjoying the way Ranma felt in her arms.
Ranma sniffed a little, touched deeply by Akane's words. She had always cared for Akane's opinion of her, though her male side wasn't as clear as her female side. She could feel the way her thoughts and emotions cleared and strengthened during the change and had feared what it had meant. Now, Akane had offered her a chance to prove that it was an outside condition that resulted in his immature behaviour. She felt content to relax in Akane's arms, no longer fearing that Akane would bash her for the contact.
She'd wanted to hold and be held by Akane for a long time, but had feared Akane's rejection too much to risk the attempt. Now, she was free for the first time in her life to allow herself to show what she felt, to try and understand the strange feelings being near Akane produced in her. Both the onslaught of long repressed emotions and the physical desire to hold her fiancee. Whatever else happened in the coming days as a result of these tests, she knew that her relationship with Akane had been improved.
"Akane, wou. . .would you come in with me with the gynecology tests? I'd rather not have to be alone for them." Ranma asked quietly, her head resting gently on Akane's shoulder. The seatbelts Tofu had insisted they wear were the only thing keeping Ranma from being in Akane's lap. Ranma felt safer than she could ever remember feeling.
Akane smiled gently as a small smile spread on her face. "Are you sure you want me there, Ranma? Some of the tests can be a little embarrassing."
Ranma moved slightly away so that she could look into Akane's eyes. "I think I'd feel much better with you there to explain what the doctor's doing in words I'll understand than I would alone with her."
"If you're sure, and if the doctor lets me, I'll stay with you, Ranma." Akane gave her fiancee a hug as best she could with the seatbelts restraining them.
"We're almost there." Tofu said from the front seat, as he pulled ahead of the car beside him, sliding neatly into the space before it.
They drove in silence the remaining few moments, Akane and Ranma parting from the hug, but still holding hands, their faces as red as the street lights.
A few minutes later, they exited the car in a parking garage connected to the hospital and medical complex. Tofu made sure it was locked and they walked over to the elevator for the medical complex. Their first stop was the gynecologist for Ranma's checkup and then the hospital for the blood tests and other testing procedures. Ranma stayed close to Akane, quivering in a mix of fear and embarrassement. Though the boy turned girl often played down his female side, he was a private person and the gynecological exam was a huge invasion of that privacy.
They entered the office finding it empty save for a woman seating behind a counter wearing a medical receptionists uniform. It was similar to the scrubs worn at a hospital, except for the color. Instead of the green or blue one would usually expect at the hospital, it was white set, and included a jacket and cap instead of a mask and hair cover cap. The receptionist looked up and smiled as they walked over.
"Konnichiwa, Tofu-san. It's a pleasure to see you again. How's your mother? I haven't heard from her since her last appointment." The receptionist greeted them.
Tofu smiled. His mother had been coming to see the doctors of this office for as long as he could remember. First Dr. Ike and since his retirement several years ago, Dr. Yasamoto. "She is well, Takeyo-baasan. I spoke to her a few days ago. She is still encouraging me to find a woman and marry. She keeps mentioning that she has had her children and now that they are grown, she's looking forward to spoiling her grandchildren. Is Dr. Yasamoto in? I had made an appointment with her for my young friend here."
Takeyo-san smiled gently at the two young girls. "So this is the first time you see a gynecologist, is it, dearie?"
Ranma gulped and looked up to Akane for guidance. Seeing her fiancee's gentle smile, Ranma turned back to face the old woman. "Hai, obaasan. It's the first time for a lot of things lately."
The old woman cackled. "Well, I won't tell you not to be embarrased, since I still blush when I go to my doctor, but it's a much better system now than when I went for my first time. There have been many improvements in the instruments and methods used for the tests. And you're lucky that Dr. Yasamoto had room on her patient lists for you. She doesn't take too many new clients. There's a waiting list for joining her patient list. She's one of the gentlest and most easygoing doctors I've worked for."
"Have you worked in this office for long, obaasan?" Akane asked, her hand still holding Ranma's. This had caused the older woman to give a slight, nearly unoticeable start. It was obviously not a friendly, or sisterly gesture. The two girls entire posture spoke of a far different relationship.
"Why yes, I have. I've been here for nearly 40 years. I'm going to hate retirement in a few months. I'll probably still wake up in the morning and get ready to come in. I've worked for around 10 different doctors in that time. This is usually a pretty short posting for most doctors. Only Dr. Ike, who had been here for nearly ten years when I was first hired and lasted six more before moving to another clinic, and Dr. Yasamoto who has been here for 6 years now, have stayed longer than 4 years. It doesn't pay as much as private practice, being a government run clinic, but Dr. Yasamoto has told me on many occassions that she'd rather have the security and close access to the hospital than work in a private office or clinic that seems to value making money more than curing patients. You see, this is more than a gynecologists office. Dr. Yasamoto is also a general practitioner like young Tofu-san here."
Tofu chuckled at that. "Most of us are, except for the hospital residents and doctors. They tend to stick to more . . . exciting brands of medicine. Is she with a patient, obaasan? We have a few more appointments for young Ranma here."
"She's just finishing up lunch. There was a bit of exctement this morning. One of her young patients broke a leg and his mother rushed him here. Luckily, we are attached to the hospital and were able to fix the boy up with a cast and some crutches. She had to clean the examnation room and change her uniform. Shouldn't be too much longer." The woman again studied Ranma's slumped form. "It's nice to meet you, young ladies."
"The same happened to me this morning." Tofu stated ironically. He slapped his head as a thought occured to him. "Where are my manners today? Obaasan, I would like you to meet Tendo Akane, and her fiance Saotome Ranma. Akane, Ranma, I'd like you to meet Takyeo Rei."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Takeyo-san." the two parroted each other, giving the old woman a deep bow of respect.
"Enough of that now, dears. Only my doctors call me that. You just keep calling me obaasan, alright? All my patients do. Now," she turned to Tofu with a frown. "You said these girls are engaged to each other?"
Tofu grinned and shook his head. "It's a long story, obaasan. I'll tell you what I know of it while Ranma is examined." That reminded him of something. "Do you think Yasamoto-san will mind if Akane is there with Ranma while she examines him?"
Takeyosan shook her head. "Don't see why she'd mind. So long as Tendosan doesn't get in the way and Saotomesan doesn't mind."
Ranma gave a weak smile. "I'd be much more comfortable with Akane there. I ain't done none of this before and she has. She can explain it to me in words I understand."
"I'm looking forward to hearing that story from you, Tofusan. I know things have changed much in the last fifty odd years, but still, two girls who are engaged is not something I had expected to see."
Tofu smiled again. "Ranma's not exactly a normal girl, obaasan. That's part of why we are here to have him examined. And why we're going to have some X- rays and such done later."
"I'm right here now, Tofu-san." called out a voice from the smal hallway to the right of the counter.
They all turned to watch as a short, dark haired woman came strolling out of a door at the end of the halls. She was wearing a white labcoat, green scrubs and a pair of glasses set in wire frames. Her face was set in a smile and it was easy to tell that it was a natural expression for the woman. Her eyes panned the three quickly, settling briefly on Ranma before her gaze turned to meet Tofu's.
"It's good to see you again, Ono-san. It's been what, 7-8 months? At the last conference held in Hokkaido." the doctor's voice was as young as the rest of her, yet it held a confidence of someone secure in their own position and competance. It set Ranma somewhat at ease with it's lilting tones that matched her gentle movements.
"That's right, Yasamotosan. This is Tendo Akane and her fiance, Saotome Ranma. I told you about him on the phone last night."
"Ah yes, the young man who somehow ended up with a girl's body." she turned to address Ranma. Up close she looked even younger, maybe just a bit older than Kasumi. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Ranma." she held out her hand to the two, who shook it reluctantly. "This is likely going to be very embarrassing for you, but I don't want you to feel scared. Nothing I do will hurt you in any way. I'm simply going to take a quick peek and do some reflex tests. I hear you're a martial artist. I practice a little akido myself, but I'm sure it's nothing compared to what you've learned."
Ranma grinned, glad to be on a subject he had some familiarity with. "Yup. My pop and I've been traveling around Japan and most of Asia for ten years. He's been teaching me to be the best martial artist of my generation." Ranma's grin grew cocky at his words.
Yasamoto Makato raised a thin eyebrow. "I take it from your tone you think you are close to that goal?"
Ranma's grin grew even widder, transforming his normaly kawai girl's face into a stunningly beautiful yong woman's. "I'm the best." he stated simply.
From the way the boy turned girl said the phrase, Makato guessed that he had reason to believe it so strongly. "I take it you've had some success at defending that title then?"
"Oh yeah. I'll tell you about it sometime. Some of the stuff we've seen and done makes this Jhusenkyo crap seem normal." Ranma stated, a bitter tone entering her voice at the mention of the cursed pools.
"Jhusenkyo? That's a Chinese word isn't it? Something about damned pools?"
Ranma snorted and Akane chuckled. "Damned pools? Close enough. Hell, they might as well be. Actually it translates to Cursed Springs, or Pools of Sorrow. It's this valley between some mountain ranges in China. There's about a hundred or so different little pools of water, like at hot springs. If someone or something falls into the pool, they turn into whatever drowned in that pool. If nothing has drowned in a pool, and something falls in, the next person or thing to fall into it will turn into that first thing. It's a training ground. You fight on these bamboo poles sticking out of each pool. Oyaji no bakayaru took me there about a year and a half ago. After falling into a spring himself, the Shaominnichuan*, he threw me into the pool of drowned girl."
"Are they permanent?" she asked, curious. If anyone other than Ono Tofu had told her about this, she would have called them in for psychiatric evaluation. She had known Tofu too long to dismiss this without proof, having seen first hand some of the strange things that happened in his district.
"Nah, well. We ain't found no reliable cure yet, but we aren't stuck in these forms. See, its a water curse. Cold water puts us in our cursed forms and hot water turns you back to your normal form. I'm usually a guy, but part of the curse is that the more you fight it, the more it seems that water seeks you out. I can barely go a day without getting splashed. I've sorta accepted that this is part of me now, because of some of the crap that's happened. So I can go a little longer than most. My dad, well, he turns into a panda, which suits his lazy nature and water leaves him alone. Some of the others though, they can't go more than two or three hours without getting splashed. I know one guy, who can go days without it, because of how much he likes his cursed form. He uses it during fights when he can't win without it."
That sounded like it was something of a regular occurance when the other boy was around Ranma. she thought to herself. "Can you demonstrate this for me?"
Ranma blushed. "If you want. But not here, okay? Just don't ask why. It's embarrassing."
Her eyebrow rose again. "More embarrassing than me examing you? I think between us, Ranma, we can throw embarrassment and formality out the door. If I'm going to continue to be your doctor, at least for this matter, I think we should be honest and open with each other."
Ranma studied the doctor, her face nearly matching the shade of her hair. "Okay, I'll show you, but can I change into one of them gown things? Akane said that for the exam I had to wear one, and it'd be better if I put it on before changing back."
"Why's that?"
Ranma glanced at Tofu before leaning towards the doctor and whispering her answer. " 'Cause I'm wearing panties right now and they ain't exactly made to fit my guy side, if you catch my drift?"
Now it was her turn to blush. She found the image of a young man wearing scanty panties with an expression of pain on his face popping into her mind. She smothered a giggle with a cough and motioned to the back room she had exited. "You can change in there, Ranma. Does the water need to be boiling?"
"Nah, tap's fine. And make sure you have some cold water. We're here to examine my girl side, and I don't think Akane would like it if you were to examine my guy side too closely. She's jealous enough that you're going to be checking me out as a girl, I don't want to end up in the hospital becasue I accidentally flash you." Behind the redhead, the bluehaired girl blushed and elbowed her smaller companion, but she also gave a brief glance of warning to the doctor. "Oh, Akane's gonna' stay with me during the exam. I ain't comfortable with being a girl and having someone poke down there - well let's just say I don't like to think about it. She'll be there to keep me from freaking out."
She grinned. "You think you'll freak out?"
"Don't know. Akane was telling me about some of the tests and I ain't looking forward to having to do this. But she and Kasumi-that's her sister- they think that there's something wrong with my head and they want me to get totally checked as both a guy and girl. Something to do with how I don't get aroused as a guy, but I do as a girl, at least a little."
"So that's why the rush for an appointment? And why Tofu said you'd be in a hurry today?"
"Yeah. I've got to go to the hospital for tests there too. Something called and MRI and a c.c.ccCat scan." Ranma shivered at the word and Akane hugged him.
Something else to ask Tofu about. Why would anyone have so much fear for a word like cat? she thought to herself. "Fine. Let's get this show on the road. There are some gowns hanging on a hook in the exam room. Why don't you get changed? Just open the door when you're ready and Akane and I will join you."
While Ranma went into the room to change, she turned to the other two. "What's this about Ranma not getting aroused?"
Akane blushed and looked down to her shoes. She explained some of what had happened over the last year that had lead her to the conclusion that something was wrong with Ranma. She told of how she had initially fought the engagement, but that she had really been fighting her strange attraction to the girl/boy. She told of how she had gone into the furoba to join Ranma, with the intention of subtly questioning the girl regarding a possible relationship, only to find a rather well formed young man stepping out of her furo. She told of her embarrassment and excitement at her first glimpse of a nude member of the opposite sex.
She mentioned that Ranma was chased after by several girls who were very aggressive in their actions towards him and how, from his own mouth, they had learned that his male body didn't physically react to their various -and numerous- attempts to seduce him. Blushingly, she even told how Ranma had himself told them how foggy his mind was in his male form compared to his female form and how he could feel his female body react to her presence, despite his not understanding what his body was doing.
Yasamoto Makato had never heard a story so unbelievable. Yet despite what she had been taught by many respected doctors and scientists, she could not help but believe the girl. There were too many consistancies it what she was saying. Too few of the laws of nature were broken for her to disbelieve. Someone lying or trying to play a trick on her would have made it either less detailed or more detailed. She could tell that the girl was holding back, and her curiousity was further peeked. If the girl considered what she was telling her to be the believable parts of the story, than what must have happened that they felt she would not believe them?
Just as she opened her mouth to ask a question, the door behind them opened. She shrugged and shook her head, deciding to concentrate on the matters at hand. She accepted the glasses of hot and cold water from Rei and together with Akane, they walked the short hall to the examination room while Tofu settled into a chair and pulled out a paperback from his coat pocket. ***************************************************
*not sure of spelling, but its the pool of drowned panda so there.
