"Ryoga darling! Come quickly, you must see this!" An excited, soft soprano voice called to him, making Ryoga pause in his daily katas. The short redhead standing before him in her usual soft blue dress and apron was beckoning to him, excitement practically radiating off of her as he started to follow her. "Yes my love, what has you so worked up?" He asked her questioningly as he followed her into their large home. She giggled and grabbed his hand, dragging him up the stairs and down a hall, quietly opening a door into a room that was overwhelmingly pink in décor. She pulled him over to a crib on the far wall, pointing at a bundle laying in the middle. "She just said her first words! I can't believe it, our daughter has already said her first words!" Ranma swooned and leaned lovingly into Ryoga's chest, wrapping her arms around his midsection. Ryoga smiled brightly and leaned forward, shaking the bundle gently. "Hey sweetheart, heard you started being more talkative?"
"Hello P-chan!" Came the response from the bundle. Ryoga froze, his eyes wide as Ranma started to giggle. "W-what did she just..?" He stammered after a moment, still looking down at his daughter in shock. "I said, hello P-chan!" Came the bundled voice again. Ranma started to cackle quietly, and Ryoga gasped sharply in pain as Ranma suddenly grew thick, gnarled claws and plunged them tightly into Ryoga's side. He watched in horror as the bundle slowly turned to face him, revealing the horrible visage of their twisted, chimera daughter, a revolting mix of black piglet and human, looking up at him with glowing red eyes and a tiny mouth full of needle-like teeth. "Isn't she beautiful, Ryoga?" Demon Ranma hissed into his ear. "Look at what we've created together…" Ryoga was shaking, his heart racing at a million miles an hour. The monster at the bottom of the crib smiled menacingly at him, gnashing her teeth together. Ryoga suddenly felt faint, and let out a bloodcurdling scream as his daughter suddenly lunged for him, her teeth grazing his throat milliseconds before he blacked out.
"Ryoga!? Ryoga, you're having a nightmare, wake up!" Came another familiar voice, accompanied with a gentle but firm shaking of his shoulder. Ryoga's eyes suddenly flew open and he forced himself to sit up, before a crack and two pained yelps filled his ears. His hand shot up to a sudden throbbing pain on his forehead, and he looked to see Ranma nursing a similar bump and pained expression. He panted heavily as he quickly took in his surroundings. He was in a small room, not nearly as grand as the house in his dreams. He groaned in understanding, finally relaxing slightly as he realized he wasn't going to be killed by a demon baby. He turned to look at Ranma, his anger returning. He blinked as he heard loud crying, looking for the source until his eyes landed on the small bundle still in Ranma's arms. Ranma followed his gaze with a blush and protectively drew the baby closer to her chest. "Ryoga, stop. No fighting in front of Hisako." She warned him, gently rocking the crying girl until she quieted down.
Ryoga couldn't help himself but to watch, his eyes wide. 'H-he's changed… I don't know how, but he has…' Ryoga thought to himself, examining Ranma carefully. She hadn't grown, not an inch, in three years? Well, her hair certainly had. Where she used to have her hair just past her shoulders, it was long and wavy down past her mid back, almost to her (he blushed slightly) very well defined hips. And speaking of her hair… "Your hair is lighter," He observed. And it was. Where her hair had used to be a vibrant crimson in colour, it was now a dark copper blonde. In contrast to her pale, porcelain skin and vibrant sapphire eyes..- 'What am I thinking?!" Ryoga shook his head roughly to shake those thoughts away, looking up at Ranma as she blushed a rather attractive homage to her previous hair colour. "Y-yeah… It's surprising what happens when you take care of your hair…" Ranma smiled oddly as she returned her attention to the baby in her arms. Ryoga followed her gaze, his heart fluttering slightly at the sight. "S-so she's..? He started to say, but Ranma flashed him an annoyed and slightly guilty look.
"No. She's not mine either." She quickly cut him off before he could really cement the wrong idea into his head. He frowned at her words, a flash of confusion and anger in his eyes. "Then, why did you tell me it was mine?" He growled, his hands starting to ball into fists again. She bit her lip, having the decency to look a little shamed. "You… You always used to be distracted easily, and were always surprisingly easy to deceive," She explained apologetically, tightening her hold on Hisako slightly. "You were trying to kill me in the park, and I needed to put you out of commission for Hisako's safety." Ryoga started to snarl, but quickly snapped his attention to the baby and back to Ranma. "You idiot, even I wouldn't ever harm a kid! How dare you even think-!" Ranma shut him up with a deadly, venomously calm glare. "Ryoga, you used your breaking point on me. On us." She beckoned to the bundle in her arms, and Ryoga suddenly felt cold as the weight of her words sunk in his stomach. "I spent an hour picking rock shrapnel out of my face and arms. If there had even been one on Hisako…" Ranma paused as a tear pricked at the corner of her eye, and she took a deep breath.
"If you had harmed her, you would have never woken up again." She eyed him levely, her gaze was more than a threat. It was a promise. Ryoga swallowed a hard knot in his throat, the guilt showing on his face making Ranma relax a little. "If… If she's not ours, then why is she here?" Ryoga asked in confusion. Ranma smiled a little, looking back down at the now happily babbling girl wrapped in her arms. "I'm her godmother, I'm just taking care of her while her mother is out of town." Ranma explained, cooing softly and reaching out a finger to boop Hisako's nose, much to the child's delight. She played with Hisako for a couple of moments before she realized Ryoga hadn't said anything. She looked up at his shocked expression and quirked her brow nervously. "What is it, Ryoga? You've got a weird look on your face." She asked him shyly, suddenly feeling very self conscious. Ryoga blinked then shook his head again. "N-nothing! It's just that, after so long, it's kinda good to see you again, Ranma." Ryoga explained. Ranma flinched slightly, her full lips curling into a soft frown. "Ranko." She spoke softly, and Ryoga tilted his head in confusion. "What?" He asked her.
He had heard what she said, but it didn't quite click with him. "My name. It's Ranko now." She spoke up a little louder with another light blush. Ryoga once more blinked owlishly at her, before his brow dipped into his familiar growl. "Oh, right. You're dead." He snapped at her, ignoring the way her shoulders had started to shake nervously. "R-Ryoga! You seriously still want to kill me, after all this time?!" Ranko looked down at Hisako nervously. If Ryoga lost his cool now, she had to make sure Hisako stayed safe. "I left Nerima! I gave you and Akane the space you needed, she's yours now! I-I have a life, here, I'm finally happy, I… I…" Ranko gulped as Ryoga slowly stood up, anger flaring in his eyes. "P-please, I don't want to die..!" Ranko whimpered, fresh tears pouring down her cheeks as she once again curled around Hisako protectively. Ryoga flinched as if he had been shot, staring down in shock and horror at the redhead shivering and whimpering at his feet. Three years ago, hell even a year ago, he would relish in the moment, watching his rival beg for his life on his hands and knees. Now, staring at this woman in front of him, using her very body to shield her godchild from harm, Ryoga felt… Dirty. Like a thug, a bully. He closed his eyes and took a calming breath, counting to one hundred before he opened his eyes; Calmer than he had been, but only just. "No Ranma, you're dead. I mean, not really apparently, but, we all thought you were." Ryoga grumbled, falling back to sit on the floor again. Ranko looked up, her watery sapphire eyes searching Ryoga's dark brown orbs for deception.
"What do you mean, everyone thinks I'm dead..?" She spoke quietly, her voice cracked and shaky. Ryoga searched her own eyes as well for deception, then sighed heavily. "Well, about four months ago, some Chinese police or something came to the Tendo Dojo with the news that you had died. They found your traveling pack and clothes all torn up and bloody in the middle of nowhere," Ryoga explained as gently as he could. He may be an idiot, but hearing the news of your own death was something to be broken into easily. Ranko paled, and her hand shot to her stomach. "F-four months ago..?" She asked in a hoarse whisper. Ryoga nodded in confusion. "Ranma, what happened that day? You remember right?" Ryoga pressed her when he noticed her reaction. She shook her head violently, her eyes shut tight and lip quivering. "N-no, I don't remember… Not what happened anyway," She shuddered as she felt the long scar on her belly starting to burn slightly. "I was found by Mika-chan and Haru-chan, in the woods. They thought that I- No, I was dead when they found me." Ranko shuddered and nuzzled closer to Hisako for comfort, who had started to whimper when she noticed her godmother was in pain. Ryoga looked slightly green as he imagined what kind of monster could take down Ranma. "They called the police and the paramedics, but they told them there was nothing they could do,"
Ranko continued to explain once she had gotten her breath back, with a worried nod from Ryoga. "They announced me DOA when they got there, and airlifted me to the hospital so they could ID me and put me in the morgue." Ranko paused again and sniffled, gratefully accepting the bandana Ryoga offered her as she blew her nose, eliciting a slightly amused smile from Ryoga. "Thank you. Well, halfway there, I guess I started showing some signs of life, because there was a huge concern to get me to the hospital as fast as possible. I think they almost crashed into the hospital trying to get me there." Ranko let out a shaky giggle and hiccuped as she dabbed at her eyes. Ryoga smiled slightly and nodded as Ranko cleared her throat. "Well, I was in a coma while they tried to fix me and keep me alive. I d-died, six more times during surgery, but eventually they stabilized me. And two months ago, I woke up. J-just in time too, I almost missed Mika-chan giving birth to this little miracle." Ranma laughed airily, reaching down to tickle Hisako while she squealed and babbled at her. Ryoga was nearly reeling. Ranma was acting like, like… A girl! "Mika-chan had been friends with Haru-chan since they were kids, but they both felt that I was more deserving to be Hisako's godmother. They decided it when I was in the hospital." Ranko grew misty eyed again, smiling fondly as she remembered. "I remember waking up a couple times, and apparently they had barely left my side the entire time. They even helped me pay off anything my insurance didn't pay for."
She felt her heart flutter as she was reminded of the love of her bestest friends. "Is that why you're not a boy right now? Because you tricked two people into feeling pity for you and you can't back out of it now?" Ryoga huffed with crossed arms. Ranko glared at him, the faintest glimmer of a snarl curling her lips. "H-how dare you! I already told you, I have a life here, and I'm happy! What does being a boy or girl have to do with it?!" She hissed at him, trying to keep Hisako distracted with her tickling. "Because you're acting like a damned woman Ranma!" He spit back at her, standing up once more to look down on her in disgust. Ranma wasn't to be intimidated this time though, and slowly stood herself to face him. He had grown a few more inches in the last few years, so the top of her head barely came up to his shoulders, but she gave him a glare that made him shuffle nervously. "My name is Ranko. And I am a woman." She spoke clearly, definitively, and proudly.