Akane felt her stomach tighten and braced herself for another wave of vomiting. Weak, and down on her knees, she propped herself up against the toilet. This intense nausea had been going on for a solid twenty minutes since she had drunk the mixture for instant Nannīchuan. It had only been one glass of water, but this was going to be the seventh or eighth wave of water that she puked up in response. It shouldn't be possible.
"Urrrk," she gurgled.
This time, though, it was not water that came out. Instead, she had emptied herself of all her stomach acids – and it had burned with a vengeance on its way out. Finally, though, Akane felt a sense of relief wash over her, and she laid down on her back on the floor. Just in case it wasn't truly over, she decided that she might stay staring at the bathroom ceiling for another ten minutes or so.
"I don't understand," she said to herself.
Could it be that she had gotten a malfunctioning packet? Or could she be immune to the curse due to some supernatural nonsense? Neither of those events seemed likely. But she knew that she had followed the instructions exactly – she had turned the glass of water into a mini-spring of the Drowned Man.
"Wait," she murmured. "Could it be that I turned my stomach into a Spring of Drowned Man?"
It would certainly explain all the water she puked up, though it was an impossible thesis for her to test. Perhaps the curse had given up once it realized that it wasn't going to be able to take a proper hold of her insides? And what on earth would have happened to her if she had swallowed a fly during that short period of unusual sickness?
Sighing, she decided to take it from the top. When Ranma and Mr. Saotome got cursed, they had been fighting like idiots at Jusenkyo, and knocked each other into a spring. She wasn't sure if she had been privy to the "why" of Shampoo's curse, but she had thought it was a punishment. And Mousse had just walked into one due to his poor eyesight. In each instance, though, they touched the cursed water.
Thinking of Shampoo, another memory bubbled to the service. When she had first demonstrated the Instant Curse Packets, she had cruelly dunked the animals into a tub. It had shocked Akane just how callous Amazon warrior was in this regard – why abuse a poor innocent animal like that? Even now, she felt her pulse raising, and the heat of anger enveloping her body. Why would Shampoo do that?
Unless –
"Uh-oh," Akane mumbled.
Unless Shampoo had dunked the helpless animals because you had to be submerged for the curse to work. The springs were, after all, titled the "Spring of Drowned" whatever. Perhaps it truly only worked when a person submerged themselves in the water? She had assumed that the others had been idiots, but this time, perhaps it was her that was stupid.
"Stupid," she said.
It was unusual to apply that label to herself, and she found she didn't like it.
Of course, she hadn't thought of that. Willingly put her head under water? It wasn't like she was afraid of water. She was keenly aware of her inability to swim, or float, or traverse water at all. Even now, the thought filled her with some revulsion, but her mind grasped onto this idea with a firm hold. Which meant she could either convert the furo into a temporary spring, or the koi pond. Her first instinct was to choose the pond, but that little body of water attracted people as if it were magnetically charged.
So, she ran the water, mixed in her second packet of Nannīchuan, and slowly peeled her clothes off. She sat down on her knees in the furo and took a deep breath. It will only be a second, she told herself. Bending in half, she submerged herself under the water completely – but only for a moment. When she popped back up, she gasped for air and greedily filled her lungs back up. Once rationality returned to her and she was convinced she had enough oxygen, she leaned back into the furo with a sigh.
Opening her eyes, she looked down, and once more she held her breath. It had worked – her body had changed! Looking down, her chest had returned to its washboard status she remembered from middle school, and all the curves on her body had been sanded off into a rectangular form. While she wouldn't use the word "hairy" to describe this new body, there was certainly more hair than before. And there, between her legs – manhood.
Her chest swelled with pride at the sight. In her lifetime, she hadn't seen many naked men, and those that she had seen she hadn't studied. So, she didn't have much of a frame of reference for the body part she was now studying. But it seemed to be suitably capable. And it was hers. Her cheeks blushed as she realized that she now had the power to procreate in an entirely different way than before. She could sire children.
Now a little dizzy, she stepped out of the furo and stood at her full height – which turned out to be just a little bit more than before the transformation. Either she had really lost the genetic lottery when it came to height, or she still had some more growing to do. Boys were supposed to mature more slowly than girls, right? Maybe that was it. She rushed to the mirror to see her face and was pleased with the face that looked back at her with astonishment.
"I'm a pretty boy," she whispered.
The word "Bishonen" jumped into her head. The young man in her reflection was clearly male, but gosh, was he pretty. And Akane loved it. Somehow, it made perfect sense – she was a tomboy as a girl, and she was feminine as a guy. It hadn't even been a week since she had discovered that she was a lesbian, but the femininity in the face appealed to her. Her hair had gone from a dark blue to a bright aqua blue. It might not have been her first choice, but she could live with that.
"Uh-oh," she said.
There was the obvious beginnings of a mustache. Thinking of her dad, she shuddered at the thought of a bushy growth of hair adorning her upper lip. She fancied a clean-shaven face, if only to avoid the resemblance to her father. Except the knowledge of how to shave escaped her, and all the slice of life manga she'd read with guys growing up showed disastrous results of first experiments with razors. She'd rather have – well, whatever this was – than a bunch of cuts over her face.
She grabbed her training gi and threw it on. Luckily, it still fit, even if it perhaps it no longer flattered her. A part of her couldn't believe it – she was about to go out into the world, and people weren't going to see Akane Tendo, the un-cute tomboy. No – they were going to see something else. It was a little bit scary, but it also thrilled Akane. All she had to do was sneak out of the Tendo dojo without running into anyone else…
….Which she was unable to do. She bumped into Kasumi almost immediately after leaving the furo. Unperturbed, Kasumi studied the young boy before greeting him.
"Hello," she said, with a warm smile. "I don't believe I've met you before. Are you a friend of Ranma, perhaps?"
"You could say that," Akane said.
Having spoken with her male voice for the first time, she was intrigued. It was maybe higher than she expected, but it was still comfortably within the range of the male vocal range. There was smoothness to it, too, that she liked.
"Oh? Well, Ranma stepped out for a bit. I'm not sure when he'd return," Kasumi said, thoughtfully. "But if you'd like, I could make you something to eat while you wait."
"No, that's fine," Akane said.
She started to walk away, before stopping, and turning to face her sister.
"Actually, there is a way you might be able to help me," she said.
"Oh, of course. What is it?"
"It's embarrassing, but I've only got this Gi. Do you have any clothes that could fit me?"
Tilting her head, Kasumi studied the young man in front of her. She took a step behind the stranger and fussed with his collar, trying to see if there would be a tag, or something suggesting the measurements of the gi. Her eyes narrowed – it looked like the collar had been damaged and then sewn back together with a subtle hand. She recognized the hand, as this was her own work. This was Akane's favorite training gi.
Frowning, she stepped in front of the newcomer and stared down at him sternly.
"Why are you wearing my sister's training gi?" She asked.
"Uh," Akane said, her mind reeling. "There's a very good reason for it."
"I'd hope so."
"Would you maybe ignore that question for me, if I were to explain later?" Akane tried, as she offered a pleading smile.
"I'm sorry, but I must be certain there is no foul play before I help you."
"Ughh," Akane sighed.
"At least tell me how you know Ranma. Are you a friend, or a rival?"
Akane couldn't help it and laughed. "I'm his fiancé."
Her older sister's eyes bulged. "Oh, my."
"Kasumi, it's me. Akane."
This statement flew over Kasumi's head at first and it took a moment to process it. She bent over a little bit to get a better look at the boy's face, and studied him. The young man's facial structure did look similar enough to the Tendos that he could be some sort of a long lost cousin, even if no one in the family ever had such bright aqua blue hair. But just as the elder sister was about to dismiss this as a prank, the boy's face softened, and a look of uncertainty crossed his face. She'd recognize this look anywhere – this was Akane, when she was struggling to hold in her feelings.
"Oh, Akane," Kasumi said, as she wrapped the boy into a warm embrace. "Are you alright?"
"Sure! I'm fine, sis!"
"But – you're cursed! What happened to you?"
"Oh, It's not permanent," Akane laughed. "It's temporary. I used this special powder – "
"You did this? On purpose?"
Kasumi's face spoke volumes of confusion.
"Why would you ever do something like that on purpose?"
"For Ranma," Akane replied with a smile.
Her older sister thought about the reply for some time before replying.
"Why?"
"Well, I know Ranma is curious about guys, and I can help him with that. I asked him on a date, and its sort of a special surprise."
Kasumi's brow furrowed.
"But – if you're going on a date with Ranma, wouldn't it be better to just be yourself"
"Yeah, but I wanted to give him a gift, too. By letting him explore that side of himself."
Kasumi sighed. "Sometimes, Akane, I feel like there's a whole generation between us, and not just a few years."
"It makes sense," Akane said, defensively. "It's a really solid plan."
"Then it doesn't matter if I understand it or not. Follow me."
Wordlessly, the older sister walked to the room with the washer and dryer and pointed the aqua-haired boy toward a closet in the back.
"Awhile back, father tried to do some cleaning on his own, and shrunk a load of clothes. You might be able to piece an outfit out of that," she said.
Akane poked through the pile of clothes and managed to find a few pairs of slacks that looked like they'd fit. When it came to tops, though, the garments available were a lot less promising. Her father usually only wore a gi around the house, and frankly, it was probably more stylish than any of his casual clothes. She picked up a black T-shirt that had the local radio station's logo on it and studied It dubiously.
She spun around on her heels to thank her sister, but to her surprise, her sibling stared back at her with a sober expression.
"Tell me, Akane," she said, slowly. "Are you really doing this for Ranma?"
"Of course. Who else would I be doing it for?"
Memories of her youngest sister flashed before her eyes. From the earliest days – even when their mother was still around – the little Akane would tug uncomfortably at any dresses they put her in. And how she got so excited when another boy would agree to spar with her in the dojo, or when she was training with her father. Kasumi had thought that to help guide her little sister into adulthood, she had to gently push her away from masculinity and tomboyhood. But what if she'd been wrong all of this time? What if she had been pushing her little sister away from her true destiny?
"Just be careful, okay, Akane?" Kasumi asked softly.
"Of course!" The young man before her chirped in response.
And for the first time, Akane walked out into the world as a guy. As she walked down to a nearby mall, she drank in the experience. The other men in the city seemed to mostly ignore her, only acknowledging her when they had to avoid a collision in a crowded area. Usually, she could feel the eyes of guys stabbing into her. Some of them liked the sight of a young girl, and others held more lecherous desires in their hearts. And well, to be fair, Akane knew that some were probably just looking in the same direction she was walking.
She was surprised, though, that the girls and women treated her so differently. Girls her age and other women would often smile at her as she made her way through the city. But now, in her present form, most women avoided eye contact with her, and gave her a bit wider of a berth. They see me as a potential threat, she realized. It hurt a little – she was no more a threat to anyone than she had been the day before, but she understood. A fundamental mistrust of men was just a safety precaution in this violent world.
There were, however, a few women that smiled at her – but it was a very different smile altogether. Some other teenagers, her age would lock eyes, and then the girl would smile, blush, and look away. With a mix of pride and excitement, she realized that these girls found her boy form attractive. One woman openly leered at her, but she was a drunk middle aged businesswoman on the bus, and that was about as uncomfortable as it was when the genders were reversed.
Akane had never lacked confidence, but she stood taller, and straighter as she walked. Free from the eye of predators, she was able to simply enjoy a nice stroll through the district of Nerima. Yes, she thought to herself, she could get used to something like that. But just as her confidence and courage seemed to be reaching a new zenith, her face paled and her stomach dropped.
There, in front of the mall, was a teenage girl wearing a black Victorian gown, complete with a veil and a black umbrella. The girl lifted her head to the side, with one hand on her forehead, her eyes closed, but pained. Her mascara was running, as were the tears flowing from her eyes. Normally, Akane would approach this strange person and her empathy would compel her to see if she could help the grieving woman. But Akane quashed this instinct – this was Kodachi Kuno.
"Alas, It was the purest of loves, and now it is gone," she announced in a theatrical wail.
She was standing in the entrance to the mall and there was a halo of open space as people awkwardly made their way around her. Kodachi seemed oblivious to the world around her, so Akane figured if she just casually followed the crowd, she'd blend in. As she thought about it, she realized that Kodachi wouldn't recognize her as Akane in this masculine form, so there wasn't anything to worry about.
In retrospect, she should have known better. This was a Kuno, after all. Kodachi had started wailing and walking quickly in a direction, bumping into Akane.
"Excuse me," Akane stuttered, trying not to make eye contact.
"Ah, fair stranger, won't you listen to my tale of woe?" Kodachi pleaded.
She gripped Akane by the shoulder and for the first time since leaving the house, Akane felt unsafe.
"I really got to go," Akane said quietly.
"I once fell in love with the most beautiful and handsome man the spirits above had ever created," she explained, launching into a monologue. "His name, as decreed by the heavens, was Ranma Saotome. And from the moment our eyes met, the fates wrote out an unbreakable destiny where the two of us would be wed. Or I had thought."
Now Kodachi had Akane's attention.
"So something happened to your love for Ra – for this guy?" She asked.
"Indeed," Kodachi said, her eyes drooping to her shoes. "My Ranma had many rivals for his affection. Some of them even thought they were engaged to him. None of them ever posed a serious threat to me, of course. How could they compare to Kodachi, the Black Rose? But then I found out something so terrible, I was forced to abandon my love entirely."
Akane wrinkled her nose. This was dangerous, talking to her like this. But she had to know the answer now.
"What happened?"
"One of the girls courting him, who seemed to know his life story like a book, let slip that Ranma had never mentioned my name to her."
Akane blinked, and leaned in, expecting more. "And?"
"Not once, fair stranger! Don't you know what that means? I realize the boy had ignored my advances, but I had thought him being coy, or perhaps bashful in his affections. But in that moment, I saw that none of my amorous advances and displays of love even made a dent on his mind. I had no foothold on his mind, no purchase on his soul. Ranma had never loved me. And thus, the love is dead, and I set about mourning it."
"I'm sorry," Akane said, instinctively.
It was, after all, what one said to someone whose heart had been broken. The over-dramatic teenager in front of her wiped her tears, and then made eye contact with Akane for the first time during the entire encounter. Kodachi's eyes dilated, and her breath caught in her throat.
"By the Kamis above," she whispered. "You are the most beautiful boy who has ever walked the earth."
Akane lifted her hands in the air and backed away slowly. "No, oh no. Don't – "
"I see now," Kodachi said softly, but with resolution. "My love for Ranma had never been meant to be. Or at least, not how I had anticipated. My love for Ranma was always destined to lead me to heartbreak, so that I might stand in this exact public square, and so that I might meet you, my love."
"No!" Akane said, louder. "Kodachi, Stop – "
Suddenly, Akane regretted every decision she had made today. She should have just decided to wear the training gi in her guy form to her date tomorrow, and she should have just stayed in bed, tucked tightly beneath the sheets. But no, she'd had her own lofty ideas, and as a result, the eye of Kodachi had fallen onto her. A terrifying smile spread across Kodachi's face as she reached into her gown and pulled out a single black rose.
"Such a beautiful boy deserves an item of equal beauty," she said, her voice dripping with a subtle menace. "Please, accept this flower as a token of my love."
She pulled out a black rose from somewhere in her gown, and held it out to Akane.
"Back off, Kodachi!" A stern voice called.
Akane found herself shoved aside by a taller figure.
"Takara?" Akane whispered
The taller girl heard Akane's surprised murmur and turned to look at her.
"Do I know you?"
"If it isn't the Swordstress of the Shooting Star," Kodachi growled. "Well, I'll have you know this boy here and I are destined lovers at the start of a brand new romance."
"Impossible," Takara said.
Kodachi's eyes narrowed. "You doubt our love?"
"I do," Takara said. "For you see, this young stallion's heart has already been claimed. By me."
Akane's eyes bulged and Kodachi lifted a hand to her lisps to suppress a gasp.
"Are you saying this angelic vision of beauty is – yours?"
"That's right," Takara said.
Without warning, Takara pulled the aqua-blue haired boy into her arms and gave him the most passionate kiss she could muster.
"Curr!" Kodachi said! "You shall die for you insolence!"
Takara broke off from the kiss. She'd needed it to look real, to throw off her opponent, but she hadn't expected to enjoy it quite as much as she had. Judging by the shade of red that had enveloped the boy's face, it must have been good for him as well. Takara turned and put a hand on the hilt of her blade.
"I have my sword today, Kodachi. Do you really want to test me?" She asked.
"Tch. You think I'm defenseless? I don't even bathe without a weapon!"
"Try me," Takara said.
For a moment, it looked as if Kodachi would take the bait for a fight. But then her body wilted, and she sighed.
"Fine. Run along with your wingless angel. It's not him that my heart desires, anyway," she said.
Takara straightened up and exchanged a look with the boy she just saved. Despite everything, both felt pity for the deranged girl as she slinked away in tears. Once she was safely out of sight, Takara turned her attention to the young man by her side. Kodachi had chosen her adjectives well – "angelic" and "beautiful" were indeed words that described the man standing in front of her.
"Sorry about that," Takara said. "But Kodach is the obsessive sort, and if you didn't stop that train of thought right that instant, she was going to chase you to the ends of the earth."
"I know," Akane said. "That was – ah – an unusual solution. Thank you."
"You're very welcome," Takara said, momentarily finding herself flustered.
The teenage boy before her looked up at her, and she dedicated a streak of irritation in the lad. What had she done to annoy the blue-haired beau? She still didn't get guys, other than Ranma – and well, Ranma might be a special exception to that case, anyway. Then, she remembered the concept of the male ego. This young man might already be insecure in his masculinity, with how pretty he was, but being saved by a girl might have been a sucker punch to his pride.
"Perhaps I was out of line," Takara said, quickly and apologetically. "I'm sure you could have handled yourself just fine without me. It's just sort of my nature to rush in and help someone, if I think I'm able."
The young man sighed, and whatever irritation he was holding onto seemed to subside.
"I get it. I'm the same way. It's the martial artist's code to help those in need," he said.
Turning her attention to Takara, she noticed a certain kind of smile plastered across the tall girl's face. She'd seen this before when they made out in the changing stall at the lingerie store. It seemed that Takara found her male body just as attractive as her female form. For Akane's part, Takara was still as attractive as she'd, ever been. She could see that Takara is trying to think of something to say, and meanwhile, Akane was trying not to let her body get too heated. She was in love with Ranma, and she wanted to be exclusive to Ranma, she reminded herself.
A small girl appeared by Takara's side, breaking the moment of tension. Her clothing was plain, and her bowl haircut was unimpressive, but she stuck out in the crowd with the red bandana that covered her eyes. Akane bristled a bit at Kei's presence. She seemed nice enough, but Akane was still a bit mad at her for insinuating that her gender was male. That was, of course, a ridiculous notion with no grounding in reality.
"Sorry, I was a few steps behind you. It's hard to navigate a crowd when blindfolded," Kei said. "Were you able to save that young man?"
Takara gently turned Kei to face the teenage boy she'd saved.
"I was just in time," Takara said proudly. "Say, would you like to come with us? I'm transferring to Furinkan High, and need to find a uniform, but – "
"We're not doing that again."
"Come again?" Takara asked.
"Listen, Takara, there's no point trying to deceive you. I'm Akane Tendo."
Kei brightened up at this. "Oh! So, you've started your transition. Your voice is already –
"No," Akane said, her irritation rising again. "Nothing like that."
Takara coughed. "You've got a guy's body, Akane. How'd that happen?"
"Well it's not like one of those transgender things or whatever," Akane said defensively. "I got some packets of Instant- Nannīchuan from Shampoo's grandmother, and used it turn into a guy."
She smiled at them.
"Okay," Takara said. "But, let's pretend that Kei here isn't seeing the point."
"I'm not," Kei said.
"Right! So explain to Kei what you're trying to accomplish here."
"I asked Ranma on a date. But I thought that as an added gift, I'd let him explore his interest in guys."
"By turning into a guy yourself," Takara said.
"He likes it when you do it," Akane huffed.
Takara scratched the back of her head. "Yeah, that maybe wasn't my best decision. Sometimes my hormones get the best of me. I feel bad about that, especially now that I know how cool you are."
Akane shrugged. "Whatever. That's in the past. And here in the present, I'm going to get some nice clothes that fit for my date with Ranma."
Takara's face was completely neutral as she thought it over.
"I know you already said that we're not going to do that again, but hear me out here," Takara said. "But what if we did that shopping thing again?"
"Without the making out part?"
"I suppose we can see where it goes – "
"Without the making out part."
"Of course."
As the two walked into the shopping mall, Kei followed behind.
"I don't think I'll be much help picking stuff out," she said. "Even with my eyes open."
As Akane approached the dojo, she realized that she couldn't just walk into the Tendo household in her current form. This was going to take a little bit more effort and thought from her. Instead of going in the front door, she snuck around into the courtyard. With a combination of tree climbing and jumping, she was able to get to her window on the second floor and let herself into the room.
After placing her newly purchased clothing on the bed, she tip-toed over to the door. She placed her ear on the door, trying to hear if anyone else was in the hallway. It didn't sound as if anyone was there. Centering herself, she focused on her breathing. She creaked the door open and peaked out – the hallway was empty. Then, she ran with all her speed to the second-floor bathroom and shut and locked the door.
Before she changed back, though, she decided to drink in one last image of her body. She took off clothes and admired the view. Still smiling, she looked into the mirror, and shared that satisfaction with her reflection. But she knew she had to change back before she got caught and had to explain herself. So she sighed, and turned on the faucet for hot water, and splashed herself in the face.
Within a blink of an eye, she had changed back, and she found herself staring at her reflection – but it was no longer smiling. It was the same face and the same body that she had been born with and grown up with. And that was fine. She liked how she looked. Or at least, she usually did. Somehow, everything about her body looked different. Looking down, the first thing she saw was her breasts, and the sight inspired a wave of panic in her. Daring to let her eyes gaze down further, she could see that her hips were once again pronounced and wide. And when she looked between her legs –
She fell to the bathroom floor, crying. Something was wrong – her whole body felt wrong. As far as she could tell, it was the same as it had been before, and yet it was completely different. There must have been something wrong with that packet of Nannīchuan, she thought to herself. She wondered if she had still managed to bungle the instructions after all, or if maybe this was a psychological side effect that nobody had mentioned to her. Or, maybe it was a rare side effect that most people didn't experience?
Desperate for something, she hopped into the shower. Everyone preferred using the furo for a good soak, but once in a while a quick shower was an efficient way to get cleansed. As the water cascaded onto her body, she hoped that the wrongness would wash right off and swirl down the drain, leaving her feeling normal again. But the wrongness did not wash off. The way her body glistened in the water, it was almost as though her body became even more wrong – or perhaps it just highlighted the wrongness. She gave a frustrated shout as she turned the water off and hopped out to dry herself.
Akane threw a bathrobe on and curled up on the cold tiles of the bathroom floor. She proceeded to cry until she ran out of tears and her breathing slowed. Still, the question remained – what was wrong with her?