In reply to some comments about my use of Lawra's story as starting plot, whether or not I'm copying aspects of it or not, I do not claim to be original in this regard - nor do I really care - I'm just enjoying writing my own variation on the ideas presented there. This is a site dedicated to repurposing pre-existing material after all. So all in all:
"Good artists copy; Great artists steal." - Steve Jobs
Trying to work on pacing. I realise the prologue may have been subpar in that aspect, but now that the main premise is completed I'm going to concentrate on the feel of progression more carefully. Have also merged the first chapter into the prologue with a small added bridge between, after realising that it was probably unnecessary to split those two up.
Waking up again for what was to be the fourth time in 48 hours, Ranma found himself lying in a soft bed, in what appeared to be a hotel room. Getting up, finding himself in his female body, he wandered to the window, opening the curtains. He gazed upon the Nerima skyline, yawning with his arms stretched above his head. It suddenly struck him, remembering what had happened to him last time he was awake. Panic-stricken, he checked under his... robes to find no sign of injury, just smooth untouched skin. Someone had given him a change of clothes while he was unconscious, which might have mattered if he had any modicum of a womanly attitude towards his body. Stumbling into the en suite bathroom to find a large mirror, Ranma found himself to look normal, other than the white bathrobes and pale skin. He still had bright azure blue eyes, and crimson pigtailed hair, but it seemed he may have grown a couple of inches..? Slipping off the robe and checking out his female form's body in the mirror he could noticeably see that he had become somehow more muscular, with corded forearms, and rock solid legs, but the curved figure of his previous state was more or less preserved. Moving closer to the mirror, he incidentally let his mouth slip open only to notice two white, sharp points poking out from under his lip. Pushing his upper lip away from his teeth with his index finger to get a closer look, he inarguably observed a pair of fearsome fangs where his regular canines used to be. Holy shit. Last night was not a dream.
Pacing the hotel room restlessly for a couple of minutes, Ranma took some time to process what was happening. He had felt his grip on life slip away after being impaled by the vampire he chased after, then what happened? Alucard. Grabbing onto a fragmented memory of the towering vampire coming to his side as he was dying, he put two and two together. He had become undead. Deciding to take a bath to let some stress wash away and to return to his original body, he re-entered the lavish bathroom and put on some running hot water. Seeing that it was steaming sufficiently to act as a catalyst for him to change form, he grabbed a glass from the side counter next to the sink. Filling the glass all the way to the top, he emptied it over his head, feeling the hot water cover his skin. Opening his eyes and looking towards the mirror he saw... the same red haired girl as before. Assuming it wasn't enough water, he filled the glass again, throwing it over himself. Then another, and then another. It wasn't working. Sighing in resignation, he realised that his new vampiric state probably had something to do with this. Having died and been made undead in a female body, the Jusenkyo curse likely no longer applied to him. That was just great. The amount of misfortune he'd had ever since he arrived in Nerima couldn't hold a candle to this. Would he ever be able to see his family again? Surely, now that the vampire insurgent was taken care of, he could at least do that, right? He didn't look too out of the ordinary other than being female and slightly taller, so he figured it wasn't a far stretch of the imagination. The rationality of that idea was slightly squashed by the feeling of thirst that suddenly came upon him. That was an ostentatious sign that he'd changed into something dark, something that craved the blood of humans.
Seeing that the bath was nearly filled, he got in, pulling his knees up to his chest. It felt amazing - actually, it felt a lot better than any bath he'd had when he was human. Closing his eyes and focusing on the swaying of the water, he could feel every lap and wave of the water against his skin with extreme detail, not to mention the sound. He could even pick up the water flowing through the pipes in the wall as if they were right next to his ear. Widening the scope of his auditory scanning he zoned in on a particular sound below him, finding that he was overhearing the arguing of a couple in their room two floors down. He even heard the heartbeat of the woman increase as she grew angry, and the pacing of the man, who was breathing slightly harder, but wasn't as stressed, meaning he was likely overweight. Wow. His hearing was shockingly good now. Using that hearing to its fullest capability, he locked onto the sound of footsteps that was heading directly towards the door to the hotel room he was in. One set of footsteps was slow and deliberate, as if they were choosing to make sound purely for the purpose of alerting him - that had to be Alucard, since there was no heartbeat accompanying the steps. The other two were faster, and light - he wasn't quite sure who they could be, but one of them gave off an aura of restrained prowess. Getting out of the bath and drying off, he put on the robes and perched on the end of the bed.
Swinging open, Walter and the woman from the Hellsing admin tent filed into the room, followed by a grinning Alucard. The woman, looking on with judging eyes, smoked a cigar casually as Alucard approached.
"Have you accustomed yourself to being a draculina, girl?"
Running his tongue along his spiked teeth, he reminded himself once again that he was no longer human. "Doesn't feel too bad, but I'm really dead, huh?"
The smoking woman stepped forwards, "You're coming with us, girl. From this point forwards you will be working for The Royal Order of Religious Knights, also known as the Hellsing Organisation. You will aid us as a weapon against monsters." Walter stepped alongside the woman, presenting a folded tan-yellow uniform to him, with a red crest on the left breast and arm that read 'HELLSING', underneath which read 'We ARE ON A MISSION FROM GOD' in English text.
Accepting the uniform from Walter and placing it on his lap, he questioned, "Wait just a second, who exactly are you? And where are you gonna take me?"
Taking a drag on her cigar, the woman concisely answered, "I am Sir Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing, leader of the Hellsing Organisation. This is Walter, my butler, and that is Alucard, the formerly sole vampire serving Hellsing. You are to board a plane to England, this evening, after which you will be stationed at Hellsing Headquarters." With that, Ranma realised that after this flight he might never see his family again - and he didn't really have a choice.
"Any chance I could visit my family one last time?" He beseeched.
"You may. However, you are not to tell your family any details of our operations. You may impart to them that you are going away to work for a top secret organisation, but may expand no further, including any details concerning your new physical state. Understood?"
"Loud and clear." He let out a resigned sigh. "One more question, I can't really speak English as well as you guys can speak Japanese. Is that gonna be a problem?"
"I'm sure we can find a solution to that soon. For now, time is marching on, I believe you should get moving. Alucard. Accompany the girl to her family."
"Yes, Master Integra. At what time am I to bring her back?"
"It's currently 1700 hours, so you have 1 hour in total to return to the hotel. That is all."
After changing into the new uniform in the bathroom, finding it to fit near-perfectly, down to every curve and width, Ranma stepped out, ready to leave.
"Follow me, tomboy." Alucard commanded.
"Yes, ma- master." Ranma stuttered, saying it before he could stop himself. Reflecting on his new relationship with Alucard he realised it was only natural that he was a servant, having been made by him. It weirded him out, but somewhere in his head it felt right. It felt like he was linked, or bound to the Nosferatu by something greater. Strolling out of the room, the redhead obediently shadowed him into the corridors.
Still facing forwards, Alucard lectured him, "It's better that you cut ties to your mortal life sooner rather than later, girl. You have moved beyond such things now. In time, your old family will wither away while you remain the same for all eternity."
As he walked, dolefully hanging his head low, Ranma pondered the idea of watching his father, then Akane, Ryoga, and all his friends grow old and die. That would simply be too much. Even if he stayed, would he be the same person by that time? Would they even want him to stay with them? It would be better if he just tied loose ends here and now, without even accounting for the fact he might even start to view them as food if his new nature took hold. Right now he still felt human in many ways, other than the heightened senses, he was still the same person inside, but he wasn't naïve enough to believe that would last forever. For now, he just wanted to let them know he was going to be alright. That would be better than letting them believe he'd disappeared or died. Well technically he had died - but he was still alive in a sense.
After a trip on the elevator, they arrived at the hotel entrance, outside which was a car waiting to transport them already. The driver, standing by the car, opened the door for the both of them, allowing them to file into the expansive back section. Ranma nearly went to tell the driver where to go, but it was evident that he had been told ahead of time where to drop off the pair when he simply began to drive as soon as the doors were closed. It turned out the hotel was actually quite close to the Tendo residence, the drive taking only 10 minutes in light traffic. Now apprehensively approaching the front door, the draculina tried to visually absorb the intricacies of the dojo, walls and house, committing it to memory. After a moment of deliberation, he knocked on the door, immediately hearing Genma rush to answer it. Upon his father's arrival, he was embraced in a tight hug. "I was so worried about you son. They wouldn't tell me anything about what happened to you - is everything alright now?"
"I'm fine pops. It's gonna be okay." Ranma assured him with a forced smile, trying to shake off the fact his first thought was how his dad smelled mouth-wateringly delicious.
"Come in! Come in! The girls were so worried about you, they'll want to see that you're well. And oh, who's this fellow?"
The fellow in question ducked on his way through the doorway, to greet Genma with a bold smile. "My name is Alucard. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"You must be with the organisation that took care of my son. Please, do come inside for some tea."
"I would be glad to oblige."
Making their way into the living room, Ranma was greeted by the three girls, all calling out his name as he entered. Akane whisked over to hug him, "I was so worried about you! After hearing what your dad said, I thought you might never come back..." She began to sob slightly into his shoulder. This was going to be really difficult. He'd already been able to smell the hot blood through his father's skin as they embraced, but now Akane's too.
"Since when d'ya get so worked up about what trouble an idiot like me gets into?" He joked, earning a light punch in the arm.
"Shut up..." Akane, pulling away, wiped her tears with a weak smile on her face. Now that she had put some distance between them, he could relax for a second. They really had an aroma like the best gourmet dish he'd ever laid his eyes on.
Standing up to take his turn hugging Ranma, Soun came over. "My daughter's fiancée is safe, you did well to come back, my boy. That said - Kasumi! Boil an extra kettle for our guest and Ranma, will you?" After struggling again in Soun's embrace, the dreaded time finally came for him to break the news.
"Uhhh, Uncle Soun, that won't be necessary, but thank you." He hesitantly declined.
"Whatever for, boy? You'll be wanting to turn back into a boy won't you?" Soun challenged him, paired with a puzzled expression.
"I have some explaining to do... Look. The curse on me was broken - over the last day something happened to me, and now I'm stuck like this." He rubbed the back of his head, figuring out how to word the next thing he had to tell them. "I... I also can't stay here. I've gotten myself twisted up with some crazy secret stuff, and because of what I know now, I need to go work for them or I'll put you guys in danger."
"Well that's okay, isn't it? You'd just stay with them for now, and you'll be able to visit here the rest of the time, right?"
Soun didn't seem to be getting the message. He'd have to double down or they'd get disappointed later down the line either way. "Listen. The organisation I'm going to be working for is based in England. I won't be able to see you guys much if at all. What I'm tryna say is... I can't stay engaged to Akane. It's just not gonna work."
"This is ridiculous! Surely there's another way this can be worked out?" Soun countered indignantly.
Genma's expression changed quickly from one of shock to tearful sadness, having an inkling as to why his son had to leave after catching a short flash of his teeth. Kasumi finally came through with the tea, "Do you really have to leave, Ranma..? You arrived so recently too! To leave now would just be-" Akane interrupted, grabbing Ranma by the collar, "You think you can come here and get engaged to me, then just disappear?! You've got to be kidding me!"
This was all getting to be far too much. Giving her a saddened look, Ranma looked over to Alucard, who was sitting carelessly sipping the tea. "Please. Can you do what we discussed earlier, Master." Just as Akane was about to berate Ranma about calling the strange man he arrived with 'Master', Alucard spoke in a resounding voice, "All of you. Look into my eyes." Like clockwork, everyone in the room locked onto his enchanting glare, their faces suddenly becoming blank and emotionless. He spoke again, "Everything is going to be fine." They all repeated it, like a religious chant. After about ten seconds of being mesmerized, they all seemed to snap back into the room, but now they all looked cheerful. Unfortunately it was all a farce, but at least they'd be happy.
- - - 10 Minutes Earlier - - -
The car taking off into the city, Ranma started to try to come up with ways to break the news to his family without hurting them too much, struggling to find an answer that worked well. Seeming to know exactly what he was thinking, Alucard spoke up, "If you find yourself unable to consort with your family peacefully, there is another way I could help you to deal with them. A merciful way to ease their pain."
"I... I don't want to have to do that to them, if I can help it. You can make them forget or somethin', Master?"
"I can alleviate their confusion, make them believe an alternate truth that keeps them satisfied. I suppose I understand if you'd rather preserve your relationship with them, but I wouldn't recommend it."
Ranma stared out of the window for a minute, weighing up the options. "I think I'll see how it goes. Please, let me try to reason with them, and then if it goes awry, just let them forget about me."
"If it means I can aid you in your path away from mortality, I will make it so."
- - - 10 Minutes Later - - -
"They'll remain like that for a few minutes, then they'll return to normal. I suggest we leave now lest they see us and become confused." Alucard declared, bearing towards the front door.
"Master, wait a second. There's someone else I need you to do that to." Ranma entreated. Using his enhanced hearing, he detected a certain small hog hiding around the corner in the corridor. Dashing, with inhuman speed, he grabbed the hog by its bandana, and brought it over to pour some of the boiling tea water on it. An undressed, wide-eyed Ryoga then appeared. Quickly grabbing the naked boy by the wrist, he brought him over to Alucard. Finding his captor's grip to be inordinately strong as he tried to break free, he became anxious. "What the heck is going on Ranma? What did you do to them?"
"I simply made them forget, to smooth things over." Alucard, taking off his glasses again, stated, "Now, look into my eyes, boy." Instantly enthralled by his glowing, crimson eyes, Ryoga's memories of his relationship with Ranma faded away. To finalise the clean-up process, the redhead filled a glass with cold water from the tap and poured it over a blank-faced Ryoga, returning him to his porcine form. Although this didn't completely tie all loose ends, like everyone at school who could still remember him, and his mother, who was still out there somewhere, he felt this was the best he could do in the time he had left.
"Now that that's taken care of, let's leave, tomboy."
"Yes, Master." The draculina obediently complied, taking the first of many steps towards abandoning her mortality, and beginning a new life in undeath.
Outside, the Hellsing vehicle was still waiting for the pair to return. Alucard signalled the driver, who promptly emerged to open the door for them, then once they had both got seated, he began to drive back to the hotel. It was certainly somewhat traumatising what he'd just had to go through, but Ranma felt a strange sense of relief. Perhaps his new vampiric nature was making this all easier for him to brush off. His family were going to be okay without him, and he wasn't quite a corpse yet, despite having died. Although 'he' was actually going to be a permanent 'she' now, considering the lack of gender-flipping curse. Was that actually true..? He remembered something Alucard had said - something along the lines of sex being immaterial to a vampire. Thinking about it, that would mean asking if he could shapeshift for the purpose of expressing his desired sex actually held no meaning anymore. Was he really a 'he'? Or was 'she' just holding onto her human identity? Digging deep inside herself, she actually reached a surprising conclusion she didn't expect. This was her body now. This was the body she had died in. Trying to go against that was just denying the fact she was now a draculina. She might be a tomboy, but, being a 'she' was the only way that felt right to call herself now, not to mention the confusion it would assuage. Being a girl didn't change anything about the core of who she was inside, it was just the way things were. After all, one of the greatest tenets of 'Anything Goes Martial Arts' was adaptability. Having arranged the scattered pieces of her new identity, Ranma emerged from the car at the hotel, ready to commence her time as a weapon of Hellsing.
After some waiting, it soon turned 6pm, time for them to leave for the flight to England. Another car turned up outside the hotel, this one a proper stretch limousine. It seemed like Hellsing was extremely well funded, able to produce luxurious transport even in Japan. Boarding the limo, Ranma found Integra waiting for her and Alucard inside, with Walter taking the driver's seat. "Did you manage to finalise things with your family, tomboy?" Integra asked stiffly.
"Yes sir. I'm ready." The fledgling vampire replied resolutely.
"Good. Walter, Let's move."
"Of course, Sir Integra." He started the ignition, and drove off towards the airfield where the private jet was waiting.
While they were driving, Alucard and Integra began to discuss some details of the operation in English, which Ranma could only barely understand. It seemed like something was going on all over the world. A new type of vampire was emerging, but they had yet to pinpoint from where or why. Spotting the redhead trying to understand what was being said, Alucard spoke up to offer a solution. "You haven't fed yet have you, draculina? In that, may you find a solution to the oncoming language barrier."
Not understanding how the two were related, she queried, "I haven't, no Master. But how the heck would that help me to learn English..?"
"While the source of your strength may be blood, blood is also the currency of the soul. If you were to drink blood from an Englishman, you'd no doubt come to understand what that truly means." Alucard beamed, not at all trying to hide his amusement.
"But... wouldn't that mean, I'd have to kill someone..? Just to learn English?" Ranma hesitantly responded.
"While a true vampire would have no reticence towards feeding, you still have a long way to go. For now, blood bags will suffice." He gestured towards the embedded cooler between the leather seats of the limousine. Sliding over towards it, she pressed the button on top and the lid mechanism smoothly slid backwards to reveal a few transfusion bags, full of blood, resting on a bed of ice. Slowly reaching out towards the closest bag, she deliberated what she was about to do. She had smelled the heavenly flavour of blood in the air back at the Tendo house, and here it was, right in front of her - and she didn't have to hurt anyone to get it. She finally gave in, after a pressure built inside her from staring at it. Her eyes tinged red as she carefully removed the cap, quivering breaths further giving away her arousal. The tube touched her lips and she began to press the thick, scarlet liquid into her mouth. Immediately she was overcome by a great satisfaction, the taste of the blood reminding her of a well-seasoned steak from when she was human. It wasn't quite the kind of euphoric burst of bliss the smell of her family insinuated, however. It was certifiably enjoyable, but it felt like something she couldn't quite put her finger on was not quite there. "The taste of cold blood will never approach the impeccability of a taste straight from the source, girl." Alucard chimed in, noticing the subtle appearance of vexation on the draculina's face as her eyes faded back to their usual azure hue. Could she bear drink directly from a human at this point? Probably not, Alucard was right. It was only natural to a vampire, but her remaining humanity simply wouldn't let her do something like that, no matter how much she was trying to accept what she had become.
Despite the conundrum, she actually felt incredibly good now. Her thirst was like a lingering itch, although slight, it was beginning to grate on her. All that was left now was a type of serenity she hadn't known was possible, a stillness to her that was entirely inhuman, like she had nothing more to want in the world. It was almost scary how peaceful she was, since as a human it felt like restlessness and boredom were absolute to the condition of living. She wondered if it was only due to her never having experienced anything like it before, perhaps a vampire like Alucard could become jaded to it. That only begged the question, how old was Alucard? He held the countenance of someone who had seen anything and everything before, so she guessed he was at least 100 years old. Deciding not to ask, Ranma noticed something bubbling on the surface of her mind. As the blood was incorporating into her vitality, flashes of memories, although fragmented and incomplete, fired through her mind at what felt like lightspeed. As a hunch, she decided to experiment, listening in carefully to the conversation Integra was making over the limousine's phone. Even though it was in English, she could now pick up some more words that before! It had worked... sort of. Her acquisition of English was incomplete, but a few more meals would change that in no time.
Making a turn down a strange winding road, signposted 'Private Airfield', they reached the airstrip. The gates outside the strip had a security officer stationed, who stopped the limo to check the identification of the passengers. After winding down the window, Walter quickly flashed a sort of card, which Ranma imagined said something along the lines of, 'Hellsing has permission to do whatever the hell it wants' on it, since after barely taking a single glance the officer snapped to attention, saluting, and let them pass with no further questions. The drive came to an end when Walter brought the vehicle to a stop next to what was presumably the private jet, she hadn't ever seen anything like it before in her life. Awestruck, she gawked at it unreservedly as the four of them walked over to board, garnering a chuckle from even Walter.
"Oh, do compose yourself tomboy, this is only the beginning." Integra reprimanded, with hints of amusement blinking in and out of existence on her face. After making it up the steep, fold-out stairs onto the jet, they were all greeted by a skeleton staff of the pilots, and a couple of flight attendants, all of which wore the Hellsing custom uniform, different to Ranma's but sharing the same Hellsing crest on the breast and upper arm. For a second while they were being greeted it seemed like Alucard had noticed something off, but he quickly changed expressions from that of hyperfocus to amused.
They were all subsequently shepherded into luxurious seats, and asked to buckle in for takeoff. This was going to be Ranma's first flight ever, in truth. She'd travelled extensively in the past with her father, but even when they made their way to China they did it on foot and swimming, despite how insane that was in retrospect. His father always did have a hands on approach to things, avoiding unnecessary tools where possible. Alucard finally sat down, after taking off his hat and coat, opposite her. The only thing was, he was giving her the strangest look. It was an expectant stare, which then came paired with a message that he seemed to transmit into her head without even speaking - telepathy?
He communicated, 'Have you noticed nothing suspicious, girl? Think of this as a test.' Effortlessly, she replied, not realising she was even doing it at first, she thought to herself, 'I - I'm not sure. Is there someone unexpected here..?' He replied in kind, alerting her to her corresponding telepathic ability, 'You catch on quickly enough. However, you should have already sensed them, if only you had tapped into your vampiric senses.' She paused, closing her eyes to focus on the information her supernaturally amplified senses were giving her. She began to count the sounds emanating from everyone present on the jet. Almost instantly she locked onto a solitary peculiarity. There was a fifth 'member of staff' they had yet to see, and they had no heartbeat - much like her and Alucard - but that was not supposed to be possible. This could only mean one thing, there was a vampiric intruder. Ranma shot up from her seat, eyes dyed a luminous red, but that was a bad move. Her bloodlust was plainly broadcast for any vampire to pick up on - Alucard must have supressed it to avoid detection.
The vampire in hiding came flying directly at her from the cabin, and they were fast, but this time was going to be different from her last time. She was on a level playing field this time. Even if her opponent was quick, she was faster, she was able to instantaneously, almost instinctually, see exactly where her opponent would attack. Sliding gracefully out of the path of the enemy's strike, she turned and applied her martial arts training to its fullest, combined with her new vampiric strength. With their back turned, having overextended, she took full advantage by landing a devastating blow the back of their knee joint. With an unpleasant snapping sound, the vampire fell to one knee, partially incapacitated. She wasn't going to underestimate them however, they were still dangerous, even on one knee. Alucard merely watched on, entertained, not having moved an inch from his seat. The crippled vampire swept their working leg at breakneck speed, pivoting on the broken knee, but Ranma had foreseen that move a mile ahead. Already flipping overhead, Ranma thrust her heel into the remaining leg's joint, mid sweep, getting her a well earned cry of pain. Landing on the lap now fully immobile enemy, she used her remaining momentum to quickly grab both wrists and pin them to the floor. Turning to Alucard, she received a nod of amused approval. Then turning to Integra, who was slightly shaken by the sudden battle, she inquired, "What should I do with this rat, Sir Integra?"
Steeling herself, Integra commented, "Just hold it there. I can't believe we've had a security breach, this is ludicrous." She lit a cigar, then padded over to the struggling vampiric intruder, only to put out the cigar straightaway in one of his eyes, making him gurgle in agony. "Who put you up to this? Was it the same people experimenting with vampires in Japan?" She interrogated, clipping the cigar and lighting it again.
"I won't tell you anything. Eat shit, you English bitch." They spat angrily, in reply.
"Well, it appears you don't value your eyes very much." Integra flippantly retorted, moving to burn his other eye. "We can do this all day if you like, you vampires do heal up quickly."
"This one won't." The vampire grinned, giving Ranma a strange suspicion something bad was about to happen. Her premonition was immediately vindicated when she caught a small, blue flame erupting from the intruder's neck, to which she reacted by shouting, "Move!", after which she swiftly blocked the path between Integra and the quickly engorging cerulean flash fire. The flames licked at her back and calves, making her squeak through clenched teeth as they burned away the uniform, and then the top layer of her bare flesh. Thankfully the blaze died away nearly as rapidly as it came into being, leaving behind a pile of ash and charred patch of flooring. They definitely weren't going to come back from that. Breathing heavily, Ranma backed up from the scene to sit on the floor, groaning as the gnarly burns on her back sharply stung.
Integra, after picking up something from the pile of ashy remains, went to check on the wounded draculina. "You did well to take down that interloper, Ranma. Are you hurt?"
"I'll be alright, Sir Integra. These burns don't seem to be healing all that quick, though."
"Walter! Take a look at the girl's wounds." Integra ordered. Walter briskly made his way over with a small briefcase, taking a knee at Ranma's exposed back.
"There's no reason why these wounds shouldn't be healing already, from my experience with vampires." Walter observed, "There was likely some component of silver in the flames that killed the intruding vampire, that would explain why the burns are persisting." Opening the briefcase, Walter searched around for a moment, before extracting a bottle of some clear liquid. "Some concentrated nitric acid should do the trick. I must warn you Miss Saotome, this may be quite painful." Using a pair of tweezers and a ball of cotton, he absorbed some of the acid and began to dab it into the depths of the burns, making Ranma cry out, the pain becoming excruciatingly severe. After a couple seconds however, every spot that Walter dabbed with the acid seemed to become numb, then quickly heal away the burns from both the acid and the fire as the silver was dissolved. After enduring around 5 minutes of hell, all the burns had finally healed up, only leaving the remaining residue of acid on her back, which Walter promptly wiped away.
"Remind me to stay a bit further away from the spooky blue fire next time, will you Walter?" Ranma joked, trying to recover her mood.
"You are truly resilient indeed, Miss Saotome. I'm sure you will serve Sir Integra respectably." The butler courteously commented, "Allow me to fetch you a change of clothes." He returned with a set of the female flight attendants' uniforms, which slightly irked Ranma, not being used to wearing anything like a skirt at all. It would have to do for now.
She was just about to start changing out in the corridor before she was halted by Integra, who chastised her, "You're not to change in a place like this. I understand you aren't accustomed to being a woman, but please have some propriety. You are headed to England after all, you'd better start acting like an English woman." Blushing at the sudden criticism, she jogged over to the bathroom to change. After awkwardly trying to button up the overcoat around her bust for a few minutes, she finally managed to get the damn thing to fit properly. The skirt, while short enough to give some mobility, was still restrictive by Ranma's experience, and not to mention how she looked. If it weren't her she might have said she looked good, but wearing it herself, she just felt - ridiculous. Uncomfortably she shuffled out of the toilet, and sat back down in her seat, only to find that sitting had entirely ruined the comfortable fit she had struggle to shift into. She was really missing that uniform now.
About 20 minutes later, following a series of calls by Integra regarding the incident that had just taken place on the jet, it was finally time for the flight to commence. With that rollercoaster of events over, it was ultimately the moment Ranma would leave Japan for England. Internally saying her goodbyes to her homeland, she watched on as the island drifted further and further away, cars and buildings becoming insignificant specks.