The Mystic Hot Spring Resort
Ranma ½ is not mine and belongs to the respective copyright holders. Any feedback is greatly appreciated.
Chapter 2: Bath Time
Ranma was extremely fidgety. She couldn't help thinking that this was all a joke that would wear off soon and that Akane would kill him. But all that the girls were doing right now was relaxing in the water. This was an outdoor bath and there was a rather large wall about forty feet away from where the bath started. The bath's dimensions on the women's side were about 40 by 40. There were large rocks in the middle of the spring so the costumers could relax there.
Ukyou moved toward one of the rocks in the middle and stood up and then leaned back against the rock. Ranma tried to avoid looking at Ukyou and Akane slowly approached her. "Ranma, what's been going on with you lately?" She asked in a genuinely concerned voice.
"Nothin'." Ranma responded while averting her gaze.
"You keep going on and on about being a guy and about this Jusenkyou place and now you're so quiet and can't even look at us." Akane said.
"What did we do to make you so angry, Ranma?" Ukyou asked.
"Please tell us." Kasumi said as she started to sit on one of the rocks near Ukyou.
"Whatever's goin' on around here, I think they're bein' serious. Seems they really have forgotten about the curse. Okay, just look at them normally. Calm down. Don't get too excited. I'm a girl too. I'm a girl too. I'm a girl too." Ranma thought to herself as she turned to look around.
Ranma tried her best to breathe slowly as she slowly looked at Akane. Most of Akane's body was under the water and Ranma had an easier time looking her straight in the face. "I've uumm… just been havin' weird dreams lately." Ranma said cautiously, wondering if anyone would believe her.
"What kind dreams?" Shampoo asked.
"There's this place called Jusenkyou and in it are a ton of little springs. Fall in one and you get cursed to take the form of whatever drowned in that spring long ago." Ranma explained.
"That's pretty strange." Nabiki said.
"Is that why you've been acting weird? You dreamed you could turn into a guy?" Akane asked.
"I was a guy originally… And Shampoo could turn into a cat… And Mousse…" Ranma went on.
"Ranma, that was just a dream. You can relax." Kasumi said.
"It just… it felt so real…" Ranma said.
"Some dreams do. But they're just dreams." Akane said as she stood up to stretch out.
Ranma was getting a real eyeful at this moment. Ranma had seen Akane naked before but right now Akane seemed so uninhibited. Ranma quickly turned and just said "It's just too strange…"
"Ranma, you're just acting weird again." Akane said.
"Do you remember the first time we met?" Ranma asked.
Akane put her left hand on her chin. "Oh that's right. You and your father had just come back from a training exercise in China. You were really nervous then. Like you really never had much contact with people before. Especially other girls. It was so cute how nervous you were when I walked in to take a bath and you were already in there." Akane said. She slowly moved to the rocks with the other girls.
"What about our dads?" Ranma asked.
"Hhmm… I really… Isn't that funny, I can't remember too much right now." Akane answered, giggling a little.
"Shampoo? Do you remember?" Ranma asked.
"Yes. You defeat me, so me follow you to Japan. We friends now." Shampoo said.
"Friends? Just like that?" Ranma asked.
"Something… Uumm… I can't… remember…" Shampoo says, brushing off Ranma's concerns.
"Ukyou?" Ranma asked.
"I just recently moved back into the area. We were friends when we were kids." Ukyou said.
"Hhmm…" Ranma said.
"Don't be such a stick in the mud, Ranma. Join us over here by the rocks." Akane said.
Ranma couldn't say a word. She had managed to turn away from the rocks as all the other girls had slowly gone over to. "I think I'll get out now, if that's alright…" Ranma said.
"Ranma, we're all friends here." Ranma heard Akane say.
"I know." Ranma said without turning her head back. "It was that dream. It was just too real…"
"You really should join us here, Ranma. It just feels like you're trying to get away from us." Akane said.
"Now what?" Ranma thought to herself. "If I don't go over there, the girls will get suspicious but if I do, they'll be mad when this is all over. Well, they're gonna be mad no matter what. But they'll probably be even madder."
"Ranma?" Shampoo called out.
"Coming." Ranma said as she slowly moved over to the rocks. Ranma stared at the girls looking relieved that she was joining and chatting amongst themselves. "The girls really are very beautiful…" Ranma thought to herself as she saw them relaxing naked on the rocks.
As Ranma reached the rocks, she noticed there was an empty space in between Ukyou and Akane. Ranma had never really cared if anyone had seen the girl form naked and was slowly getting more comfortable with the other girls.
"See Ranma, isn't this just so relaxing?" Ukyou asked as she stared at Ranma.
Ranma still felt very shy when turning to face Ukyou. Ranma had always thought of Ukyou as a boy. Just one of the guys. So the very feminine nude that Ranma was staring at was a little unsettling to her. "Yeah…" Ranma said timidly.
"Oh, Ranma always gets nervous in these kinds of situations." Akane said.
Ranma turned to Akane. Staring at her nude form without her wanting to hit Ranma immediately afterwards was a welcome change of pace for the cursed martial artist. Ranma was almost getting ready to say something defensive and insulting and brag about having a better form but decided better of it at the moment. Ranma wanted to know what was going on more than anything else.
"I'm still really nervous right now." Ranma said as she moved away from the girls. Ranma slowly got up out of the hot spring. "You gonna be in here much longer?" Ranma asked.
"Nah, we'll be getting out now." Ukyou said.
Ranma quickly hurried to the changing area to grab on of the resort's complimentary kimono. Ranma searched but couldn't find one.
"Honestly, Ranma, you're hopeless." Akane said as she entered the room. Ranma turned and saw Akane dripping wet, still very naked. The water slowly dripping down her body. The other girls quickly followed. "What's wrong?" Ukyou asked.
"Ranma can't find the complimentary kimonos." Akane answered.
Kasumi disappeared from the room and reappeared wearing one of the blue kimonos. She had five other kimonos for the other girls in her arms. Slowly but surely, the other girls put their kimono on. Ranma was the last one to put on the kimono.
"Ranma, feel good?" Shampoo asked.
"Yeah… It's just that…" Ranma started to trail off as the girls exited the girls bathing area. Ryouga and Mousse were waiting on the other side of the exit. "Hi." Ryouga said upon seeing the girls.
"Ranma, I'm glad to see you again…" Ryouga says as he moves closer to Ranma.
"Ryouga, what are you doin'?" Ranma asked very timidly.
"Ranma, what is with you lately?" Akane asked.
"Huh? What?" Ranma asked.
"Me thought you and Ryouga was couple." Shampoo said.
To Be Continued…
