Had some writer's block on this one… but it lives again. Hopefully future chapters will go smoother.


Chapter 8: Twin-ification

RanmaA found himself on the edge of a step. He let out a shout as he began to fall, having not been prepared for ending up on such unsteady footing. As he fell, he realised he was in the Tendo home. He also realised he was about to fall onto a rather familiar redhead. The redhead let out a yelp, but caught him well enough that they landed in a pile at the base of the stairs, but without any injuries.

"Where did he come from?" a child's voice called out from upstairs as the pair disentangled from one another.

RanmaA looked up, to give a reply. Only to find himself staring up at what looked like himself as a child. He then turned back to the redhead.

"You have a little brother?" he asked, sitting up properly and pointing up at the child.

The local girl Ranma stared back at him, looking rather confused. "I... who are you?"

"You, but from another universe... well, probably you," he said, glancing up at the child again. "One time there were twins, so... but you're the one that's my age."

"You're us?" the kid said, looking down at him.

"Us? How can I be two people?" RanmaA asked.

"You don't have a twin spring curse?" the girl-formed Ranma asked back.

"Uh, no. Just a girl curse," RanmaA replied.

"So the cooties infection was inevitable," the kid muttered.

"Cooties? What... bu-then how old are you two?" the exiled boy asked.

"Well, I'm sixteen. He's six, because he also has a kid curse."

"He's acting like he's six, though?"

"Well, yeah, the twins curse made our brains... squishier to the power of the second curses," the girl explained, while standing up. "So... he acts like when we were a kid. Meanwhile, I'm a girl through and through."

RanmaA was about to reply when Kasumi's face popped in from the front door. "Is everything ok? I heard a—oh my… There's three of you now?"

"I'm just here for a visit," the exiled boy said, lifting up his arm to show the cursed bracelet there. "Uh, if we could get everyone all together, it'd save me explainin' it all a few times."

"Ah, well, father and uncle Genma are out, they were called to help with a ghost issue in Edogawa. Nabiki is visiting her friends as well. Auntie Nodoka is visiting her house to talk with the contractors. So... it's just us and Akane," Kasumi replied.

"Oh..." the exiled boy said with a sigh. "Alright, well... guess that's that."

"I'll go get Akane!" the child Ranma shouted, before running off.

Was he blushing?

Well, the exiled boy figured kids showed their emotions stronger. He decided to focus on taking his shoes off, then heading to the living room. He had his photo album of universes ready when Akane came into the room, following the child-sized half of the local Ranma. The exiled boy gave a brief explanation of what was going on, and what his life was like as the others looked over the photos provided. Wrapping it up, he waited for any questions.

"So, uh... like, the curse doesn't affect your brain?" the girl side of the local Ranma asked.

"Um, well... the hormones are different, so that changes how, uh, emotionally I respond to some stuff a little bit, but... otherwise I'm just me?" he replied.

"And your Akane is fine with you always being a boy in your head?" the local Akane asked.

"Uh... well, there's been a few issues here and there, but... generally, yeah?" he replied.

"Are you always a boy in your head?" the girl formed twin asked, leaning forward. "I'm pretty sure we're not always, when we're back together."

"Yes we are! I'm not girly at all!" the child form countered.

"You are pretty boyish when you're put together, sweetie," Akane said, grabbing the redhead's hand.

"I'll accept mostly boyish, but not 100%," the redhead protested.

The exiled boy blinked. "Sweetie?"

"I thought you said your Akane was fine with you being a boy?" the local Akane asked.

"Uh, well, yeah, but… we've got other issues," RanmaA replied, scratching the back of his neck.

The redhead nodded confidently to herself. "Boys mature slower. I bet he's still half worried about cooties, like the little dork is."

"You and Akane only got together because she took the lead," the child-sized Ranma replied, sticking his tongue out.

The redhead leapt over at him, but the child was already running. The exiled boy had an impression of deja vu, remembering how the other (natural) twins had been.

"Are they always like that?" the exiled boy asked.

"Generally," Kasumi said, reminding everyone that she was there. "When they're split."

The redhead began walking back in, carrying the small boy in one arm and giving him noogies with her other hand. At least until she let out a shout and dropped him, the boy running off, laughing to himself.

"That little goblin! He licked my hand!" she shouted, before chasing after him again. "Now you're in for it!"

RanmaA blinked, before turning back to the two Tendo girls. "They go back to being one person? Willingly?"

"On occasion," Kasumi replied.

"Usually for fights. Ran doesn't think Ryoga takes her seriously, and she hates it," Akane added. "Or when Ranma-kun is feeling impatient about something, so he wants the better patience that comes with being older."

The exiled boy nodded, wondering about that as Ran came walking past again, holding the boy under the shoulders as far from her as possible. The pair kept walking this time, towards the furo.

"I won't like this any more than you, but if you refuse to behave…" she was saying as she walked past.

"It's also sometimes a punishment for Ranma-chan," Kasumi added.

"Huh," was all RanmaA could manage, as the sound of the bath running met his ears.

He could only imagine what a headache babysitting a younger version of himself was like. He also felt a little guilty for the struggle he must have given Akane during the age mushrooms mess. Even if he was certain that Ryoga had been responsible for 80% of the conflict.

Thinking about his Akane left his eyes drifting to the local Akane. Every Akane was so beautiful. (Or… handsome. He was still accepting that he thought that about some guys, but it was getting hard to ignore after everything. Especially when those boys were Akane.)

"Listen, Saotome, your Akane might be bi, but I'm not, so… I'd prefer you stare elsewhere," Akane said, shaking him from his thoughts.

"S-sorry. I was just kinda spacin' out," the exiled boy muttered. "I didn't mean ta stare."

"Mhm… well, I've got homework," she said, getting up and heading off.

Ranma watched her leave before letting out a sigh. He knew Akane could have a temper, but that felt sharp, even for her.

"She struggles with it," Kasumi said softly.

"Hm?" he replied.

"She deeply loves Ran, and she knows Ran is a part of our Ranma. It's very obvious sometimes, and so she's tried to focus on that around him," Kasumi explained. "But it never ends well."

The pained look on Kasumi's face told him enough. He didn't know what had happened, but he could tell it had hurt everyone involved.

He quietly gathered his photos back up and put the albums in his backpack when the local Ranma returned, both male and a teenager. He also looked like he was squirming in his skin as he sat down.

"I hate when I change back because they've been arguing," he muttered, turning to the exiled boy with a grimace. "Be glad you don't have to get stuck angry at yourself like this."

"That sounds confusing," RanmaA replied.

"Very… you wanna spar? I got stress ta work out an' I'm sure you'd like to stretch some muscles out before everybody else gets home too," the other Ranma offered.

"Yeah. That sounds good."


The local Ranma had ended up more aggressive than the exiled lad had expected. Luckily RanmaA had more experience fighting other versions of himself than his local counterpart (since child RanmaE wasn't able to actually fight Ran, no matter how much he tried) and was able to use that experience against his opponent.

By the time the match was over, the battered and bruised teens had both worked up a sweat and headed in to wash off some sweat. The exiled boy changed forms as he splashed himself with cold water to rinse off soap, and found himself stared at by his local counterpart.

"So, you're really still the same in there?" RanmaE asked.

"Yeah? Just more annoyed 'bout the top shelf of cupboards bein' hard to reach," the redhead replied.

"Huh… it's just weird to see," the other Ranma replied.

The exiled boy shrugged, then changed back when they both soaked in the furo.


The parents and Nabiki were home for dinner, and needed a new wave of explanations about the exiled boy. He showed off the photo albums, and found himself having to display his curse as well, to prove he didn't split. He was waiting for a kettle to change back when he noticed Akane staring at him. He tried to give her a small smile, and she responded by looking away.


A drowsy RanmaA sat down at the breakfast table and took a moment to process what he was seeing. His brain was still running on the day-night pattern of the last world, which told him it was something closer to 4am than 7am. Still, he wasn't one to miss breakfast. He also wasn't one to miss the fact that RanmaE had split into Ran and child mode again.

"Why are ya all… y'know?" he asked, gesturing to both of them with his chopsticks.

"The brat had run off before the first day of school, so I ended up going in girl mode. It's easier to just pretend he and I are siblings instead of explaining everything to everyone," Ran explained.

"And I'm proud of that choice," the small boy added.

Ran shrugged, before giving her 'little brother' a grin. "I don't mind. It gives me more time alone with my girlfriend."

"And me more time with mom," the boy countered, before aggressively biting into his tamagoyaki.

"Remember to close your mouth as you chew, dear," Nodoka said.


The exiled boy had found himself helping Kasumi and Nodoka with chores for most of the day. He'd learned how busy Kasumi was when alone and how much she appreciated the help in past worlds. With Nodoka around, the three of them made short work of the chores of the day. It had also seen him turn into his cursed form, since he still felt more comfortable doing 'domestic' things that way around, even if he was understanding it was nonsense at this point.

The young RanmaE spent much of the day working on colouring books, watching tv, and generally enjoying a typical childhood day off. RanmaA had to admit he envied the kid a little. Especially when Nodoka defended him from Genma insisting the boy needed to train.

Nodoka ended up doting on the young boy quite a bit, making lunch based on his preferences and offering him snacks throughout the day. With the level she was spoiling him, RanmaA almost felt like she seemed more like a grandmother than a mother.

Towards the later afternoon, Nodoka invited the exiled teen along with her and the young boy to go for a walk. With nothing better to do, the redhead agreed and followed them off towards a park. Once they arrived, the small boy ran off to the playground while Nodoka sat down to watch. She patted the spot next to her, so RanmaA sat down as well.

"You think I'm too soft on him, don't you?" she asked.

He raised an eyebrow. "Why d'ya think that?"

"Genma said so when he was little the first time, and he says it twice as much now. Ran complains too, sometimes. She says I'm spoiling him rotten," Nodoka replied.

"I mean, I get why. Plus, him not goin' ta school at all makes it seem more like it... Why ain't he in classes?" the exiled boy asked.

"Well, he has all of the memories of being sixteen, and whenever he and Ran are back together he gets all the knowledge she learns at school, so… it feels a bit silly to send him to school," Nodoka replied.

RanmaA nodded. "Guess that's fair."

He watched quietly as a few other kids around his younger counterpart's age showed up. They seemed like friends of his from how quickly the four of them started chatting and playing together. RanmaA wished he'd had that. His only friend at that age had been Ukyo, and that had ended so quickly and poorly.

"Is Ucchan around?" he asked.

"Uc—oh yes, Kuonji. Yes, she's around. She'd realised Ran and Akane are together and seems to have decided that she can woo both girls as her route to marrying into the Saotome family," Nodoka said, her eyebrows scrunching together in a look of obvious disapproval. "She has better odds with Akane than that Kuno boy, but I still doubt it will work out."


Shampoo showed up at the Tendo home around lunch the next day. She'd come with chocolate and a toy for young RanmaE. The boy seemed quite thrilled with the gifts when RanmaA made the mistake of stepping into the room, and getting a confused stare from Shampoo.

"Who—how?" she said.

"Oh, that's another me. He's from another world," the young boy replied.

The exiled boy gave a weak smile. "H-hi."

"Another…" Shampoo muttered, giving him a once over.

"I'm just here fer a couple a' weeks," he said, before she got any ideas.

"No curse?" she asked.

"Just a girl curse."

"Because the cooties 'pparently always find me," the young Ranma said, gobbling down the last of the chocolate.

Shampoo nodded.

"They don't always. That one world the local m—us had a red panda curse," RanmaA protested.

"Oh, that sounds adorable," Shampoo said, her eyes sparkling.

The exiled boy glanced down at his young counterpart, playing with the toy robot Shampoo had brought, and decided to clear his throat.

"Can we talk, Shampoo? In private?" he asked.

"S-sure?" she said, following him towards the back of the home.

Once they'd rounded a corner to the small space between the home and the outer wall at that side of the lot her turned back to her.

"What are you doing with him?" he whispered sharply.

"Trying to win over my future husband?" Shampoo said, keeping her own voice quiet.

"He's a kid… that's… that's wrong," he replied.

Shampoo made a face of disgust. "Not trying to marry child. Shampoo brings gifts to both parts of airen. But lesbians both ignore child, only focus on Ran, so Shampoo can get in his good books without competition. Then, when together as proper husband, he likes Shampoo more."

The exiled boy opened his mouth to protest, but wasn't sure what to say. If Shampoo only wanted a united RanmaE, it wasn't that bad.


The local boy was very proud of the toy Shampoo had brought him when he met up with his friends that afternoon. The exiled Ranma sat quietly watching them play, Nodoka had to go get groceries with Kasumi and so had left him to watch his young counterpart.

He was surprised when Ran and Akane strolled up, both in their Furinkan uniforms.

"Hello, Saotome," Akane said.

"Hey other other me," Ran added with a grin.

"Hi," he replied.

"Stuck on babysitting duty?" Ran asked. When he nodded she let out a laugh. "Yeah, usually I get stuck with it. Sometimes I just drag him to the nearest hot water source because I don't want to have to keep an eye on him."

"Only when I'm busy," Akane said, leaning against the shorter girl.

Ran blushed. "Well, obviously…. have fun watching the kids, Ranma."

"I'll try," he replied as the two girls walked off, giggling to each other.


The third day was a Saturday. Genma insisted RanmaE stay together for the full afternoon and go through a round of intensive training. He pulled the exiled boy into the training routine, probably realising that both Ranmas had eclipsed his skill level some time ago.

Well, in all things other than insults. Genma did an amazing job of riling them both up into going all in with their fight. At least until a stray kick destroyed one of the beams of the dojo and the pair realised they needed to dial it back.


Sunday had been much the same as Saturday afternoon, Genma giving lectures about the importance of manhood while RanmaE seemed as isolated in this Tendo home as his exiled counterpart. Nodoka offered him some smiles and words of encouragement, but it was still far more distant than she was with his younger half. Or, Ran. They hadn't interacted much during the past couple of days, but Ran had ended up talking about a fashion magazine with Nodoka at one point, a bit of mother-daughter bonding that it seemed was stronger than any mother-son bonding RanmaE's united form managed.

It was also less awkward than some of the exiled boy's bonding with his own mother, even as he realised some of the things he did with her probably still looked more like mother-daughter activities than anything to outsiders.

At some point, when the exiled boy wasn't looking, RanmaE split in two again. Which was followed by the younger half of him asking Nabiki what certain things he now remembered Akane saying meant. Things that made RanmaA blush thanks to his own (limited) exposure to such conversation topics via Hiroshi and Daisuke.

Slipping away to avoid further embarrassment, he found Ran up in the spare bedroom, playing about with some of her 'little brother' 's toys. She jumped when she noticed him, trying to hide the toys behind her.

She seemed to realise that wasn't working, but, also, neither of them had any idea what to say for a moment, and simply stared at each other.

"So… you're a tomboy?" he asked.

Ran blushed. "Uh… maybe. Sometimes—can you close the door?"

He stepped in and made sure it was shut before sitting down beside her.

"Sometimes I worry I'm lying. That I'm not really a girl. I'm just sort of… a bit feminine? But still a boy?" she whispered. "And that I'm hurting Akane. Taking advantage of her."

He nodded, taking a moment to find his thoughts. "Yeah… I'm probably the last person to ask 'bout gender stuff. I ain't sure what I am lately, so how could I know what you are?"

"That's fair," she said, with a sigh.

"I think, though, that what you wanna be is what you are? So, if ya know what ya want then ya know what ya are?" he offered, before slumping further towards the floor. "Startin' to not know what I want these days…"

"I think that makes sense. Unless there's a specific reason you want to be it. Like the little goblin wanting to be a girl specifically ta get attention from Akane," Ran said.

"Makes sense," the exiled boy replied. "Wait. How do you know he wants that?"

"Every time we merge all our memories combine too. When we separate we've still got everythin' from both of us," Ran explained.

"Huh," the exiled boy said, not really sure what else to say. What could he say?

"It gets confusin' sometimes. One time I almost tried to play with some of his friends, forgetting they were his friends… or, maybe my friends but not when I'm like this? It gives me a headache, trying to figure out if we're the same person split in two or two people who are sometimes someone else, or… whatever," she muttered, flopping back onto the floor. "Cologne got all philosophical 'bout it one time and gave me a headache. But I'm stuck thinkin' about it too much."

The pair stayed quiet for a bit, both staring at the ceiling.

"Akane won't do anything more than kiss me, 'cause of it," Ran said, breaking the silence.

He turned to look at her, confused on multiple fronts.

"She wants to. But she says she can't because he'd remember it and he's a kid and shouldn't know that sort of stuff yet," she muttered.

"That's… awkward," he replied.

"Even worse is that he's the same age every time we split again. His friends are startin' to notice he isn't growing," she said, before pressing her hands against her forehead and letting out a groan. "It's. A. Mess."

"Sounds it," he replied.

There was another pause as Ran sat back up, rolling her shoulders. There was a pleading look in her eyes that he didn't quite follow. Unless…

"You know the fix, but ya want to run it by me, don't ya?" he asked.

"It doesn't seem healthy," she half whispered. "And we're afraid how anyone else'd respond if we asked 'em what they thought. 'Cause, I'd live my life, and the little dweeb'd live his, but… there'd be no body living our life. Is that, like… original us, or… original me, dying?"

He blinked. "How is that dying? If ya didn't split, and it was just the girl curse affectin' your head as well as your body, and your Akane was a lesbian… would it be the original you dyin' if you stayed a girl that way?"

"W—well, I guess not… but… I'm used to thinking of myself as a different person from both the Ranmas I can remember being," she said quietly. "I feel like I'm someone else, and I remember both of them feeling like I'm someone else."

The exiled boy gave a shrug. "I dunno what ta say. It's makin' my head hurt, but… are they ok with the idea? The both of them?"

"Yes," she replied quietly.

"Then I don't see any issues," he said. "Other than pops, I guess."

The redhead paled. "I… I didn't even think about how he'd react. I was so lost in my own head an' worries…"

"Well, if ya need help beatin' him up, I'd be happy ta give ya a hand. I've kinda been itchin' ta really lay inta him after seein' how he's messed up our lives in different worlds," RanmaA replied with a grin.

Ran gave a quick nod. "Thanks… I should… I should tell Akane first, though."


The exiled boy was doing katas in the dojo that evening when there was a knock at the door. He turned to see Akane, and gave her a wave. He wasn't surprised when she asked to talk, but was surprised when she sat down, leaning against a pillar and hugged herself.

"It's my fault, isn't it?" she asked quietly.

"What?" was all he could manage as he sat down across from her.

"It all seemed so simple. I'm a lesbian. She's a girl. He's a boy. I can only like the one… but now you're here, and… when you're in your cursed form there's times I definitely can't deny you're a girl," Akane said, taking a moment to let out a long sigh. "Which is also meaning I can see how you're kind of a girl like this too… and so that means he's kind of a girl. And… and… should I give him more of a chance before they all do—do what they're talking about?"

RanmaA blinked, taking a moment to process all that. "I, uh, the kid side would still be an issue, though… right?"

Akane's eyes fell. "I… maybe? But, if I can love him—that is, if he's enough of a girl, then they could get a cure, and then get a normal girl curse like you? And then he doesn't have to… have to stop being a thing."

"Then Ran'd stop bein' a thing instead?" he replied, confused.

"But she's part of him, isn't she? Sometimes you've been just like her. So she'd still be in there… but if they stay split, they're two parts never being whole again," Akane said, drifting down to a whisper at the end. "That's… that's worse, isn't it?"

"Two happy halves seem better than one depressed whole?" he offered with a shrug.

The exiled boy had no idea how to respond to these new grand philosophical questions everyone here had been debating for months. He wondered why everyone seemed convinced he'd have all the answers.

"Would you… would you do it yourself?" Akane asked.

"As far as I can put it together, your Ranma had the same life as me up ta gettin' cursed, so… what they're offerin' to do is what I'd do," he offered.

Based on how her eyes lit up, that seemed to cause Akane to realise… something. Hopefully how in over his head he was.

"Two happy halves," she said, nodding to herself. "Thank you."

"No problem?" he replied, watching as she stood up.

She leaned down and hugged him, before heading off.

He was left a blushing mess by that, since she was still Akane.


The next morning before school wasn't enough time to make the big announcement. So the local teens left as if things were normal. The exiled boy remained awkward the whole day, trying not to spill the secret he knew.

As lunch rolled around, the currently redheaded RanmaA pulled his youthful equivalent out to the yard, near the dojo.

"I just want to check, she told you what the plan is, right?" he asked.

The boy nodded. "Yeah, yeah. We're stayin' split. I know."

"What," came a feminine voice from behind RanmaA.

Turning, he saw Shampoo, standing on the perimeter wall, and he felt his stomach drop. Was she about to intervene? He didn't even think she might do something reckless.

He slipped into a position to defend his child counterpart, not sure what Shampoo would do.

"This is the truth?" Shampoo asked, not moving from her perch.

"Everyone's noticin' I'm not gettin' any bigger," the boy said. "Plus, Akane an' Ucchan feel funny about me rememberin' anythin' they do with big sis Ran."

"Wait, what do you mean 'an' Ucchan'?" the exiled boy asked.

"Things aren't 'official' with her yet, but we've… er, well, Ran an' her've kissed," the child replied.

RanmaA blinked. "Oh… girl's efficient."

"This is certain?" Shampoo asked, returning his attention up to her.

The 'chibi-Ranma' nodded. "Yes."

Shampoo raised a hand to her chin in thought, before turning and bounding off. The exiled boy wasn't sure what to make of that, but knew he wasn't about to let his guard down.

He decided to lead the boy back inside, and keep an eye on him until school ended. Hopefully, if Shampoo tried anything against Ran she could defend herself (especially with Ukyo and Akane there to help).


Thankfully, Ran and Akane returned from school uninjured. Ukyo was with them, which raised an eyebrow from the exiled boy. It seemed she was closer to success at winning over both girls than Nodoka had thought.

Akane asked Kasumi to call a family meeting, which proved easy enough. Genma and Soun were on the engawa, playing shogi. Nodoka had been reading in the living room. Then Nabiki had been grabbing an afternoon snack from the kitchen. Everyone was basically already assembled as RanmaA made his child counterpart turn off the tv.

Ran looked small and nervous as she sat between Ukyo and Akane, all eyes on her after she cleared her throat. She glanced at the other redhead, and he gave her a smile and a nod.

"I—after a lot of thought, we, that is me and little brother and the unified us, we've all decided that we, well, we don't want to reunite. Little brother and I will both just live our lives as ourselves."

"Mmhmm!" the young boy added with a grin. "No more cooties for me."

Kasumi and Nabiki both nodded, not looking overly surprised. The parents, however, blinked in shock.

"But what about the marriage to poor Akane?" Soun asked.

"We'll get married as soon as the law lets us," Ran replied.

"I'd be down to do a ceremony earlier, though," Akane added.

"B-but… with a girl?" Soun mumbled.

"Daddy… have you not realised I'm a lesbian?" Akane asked. "I—I didn't even try to hide it? I've kissed Ran in front of you?"

"W-well, yes, but I thought that was because she was part of your future husband," Soun replied, looking to the other adults for help.

Genma seemed lost in his own thoughts, while Nodoka stared at Soun like he'd turned green.

"Tendo-san, I mean no disrespect, but… how?" Nodoka asked.

"Uh…" Soun muttered, before his eyes fell. "I'll just be quiet now, I guess…"

"I won't, though," Genma said, glaring at Ran. "Don't you have any self respect as my son?"

"Uh, no," Ran replied. "I'm a girl. The guide explained that pretty thoroughly."

Genma smacked the table, leaning in. "You know what I mean. I raised you to be a man! How do you think your mother is taking this? And, encouraging Tendo's girl to wander down the path of her youthful fantasies!"

Ran narrowed her eyes back at him. "You wanna go, old man? I'd be happy to smack ya about a bit as a reminder I can fight plenty as a girl."

"I'd be happy to beat some sense and masculinity back into you," Genma replied, standing up.

"Then let's go, old man," Ran said, getting to her feet as well.

"Wait!" her younger half shouted.

"Ah, I see one of you has sense," Genma said with a smirk.

"Huh? I just was gonna say that I wanna merge one more time. A last time," the kid said. "So I can remember having beaten you up here."

"Ranma. That's not appropriate for a child to say to his father," Nodoka said.

"But mooom. He stole gettin' ta be a kid from me the first time. And gettin' to be around you. He deserves it!" the young boy said.

"I… well, yes, but you could be more polite about it," Nodoka replied.

Ran, for her part, marched over and grabbed her younger half's hand, while the exiled Ranma poured a thermos on both of them. He'd expected the kid to want to join in, and so had the hot water ready.

The household then followed the two Saotomes out into the yard. Genma and RanmaE bowed to one another.

And then the pigtailed boy proceeded to wipe the floor with his father.

Even the exiled Ranma felt a bit bad for the bruised and battered man who, by the end, was turned into a panda with the local Ranma split again and the child half jumping on the panda's gut.

"There is one thing that I think needs clearing up," Nodoka said, no compassion for her husband apparent in her voice. "Ranma, dear… would you prefer to go to school with children your age, or to try to skip a few grades?"

The boy stopped hopping on his father to shoot his mother a look of pure betrayal. "Why do I have to go to school!?"

"What you remember from Ran will get rusty in a few years, and it isn't very legal for a boy of your age not to attend some sort of schooling," Nodoka replied firmly, despite the puppy eyes the small Ranma was giving her right now.

Ran, for her part, burst into laughter, prompting her 'little brother' to hop down from the panda and smack her wrist.

"This is serious! Ma's makin' me choose between more years a' school or being a dweebish little nerd who's skipped a bunch a' school!"

"I know. It's hilarious, and what you deserve for how annoying you are," Ran replied, grinning from ear to ear.

The panda let out a grawrf, which got a kick from both of the 'twins'.

"It's not enough ta make me change my mind," the small boy grumbled.


Nodoka agreed to let young RanmaE think over his options for a few days. Genma tried various plots to reunite the two twins, which prompted Ran to head off to stay at Ucchan's until he stopped. Between that and the exiled boy running him through the ringer with sparring every day, the panda eventually gave in.

Which meant things were peaceful for the last few days. RanmaA spent some time studying, and generally hanging out with both his local counterparts. Ran encouraged him to lean into girliness a few times, which generally left him feeling guilty later. He also managed to hunt for a winter coat and a sleeping bag at a second hand store, a gift from the local Akane for helping her girlfriend sort things out.

He kept his pack with him at all times as his stay started to near its end. It was a lot to carry to the park with Nodoka while taking the younger Ranma to play with his friends, but the exiled boy wasn't about to risk showing up in the middle of nowhere with nothing but the clothes on his back.

Nodoka's sad eyes were distracting him for the moment, though.

"Ain't ya happy to have him bein' little now?" RanmaA asked as they sat on a bench near the playground.

"Oh, I am, I am. I just… I realised that it means grandkids will be a long way off, with Ran being together with Akane and him so young. I'll be quite old and grey by the time he's having any kids," she said, shaking her head a little. "Silly, I know."

"Mhm, 'specially with Ucchan involved. Ain't sure 'bout Akane, but Ucchan'll definitely be down ta use Jusenkyo ta 'father' some kids. She mentioned as much when I asked her how she was still plannin' ta have a baseball team's worth a' rugrats earlier," RanmaA replied.

Nodoka blinked, before blushing. "Oh my… a courageous girl."

"Who is courageous?"

RanmaA and Nodoka turned to see Shampoo perched in the tree behind him.

"I thought ya'd run off for good," RanmaA said, having not seen her since before Ran and her little brother made their announcement.

"Shampoo was making arrangements to keep marriage on the table," the Chinese girl replied, hopping down and strolling around the bench.

"If you behave yourself, I'm sure Akane and Ucchan wouldn't mind ya joinin' 'em, I guess?" the exiled boy said.

Shampoo blinked. "Already told extra boy, Shampoo is not a lesbian. No, Shampoo will marry male side."

Nodoka raised an eyebrow. "I will have to ask you to explain, young lady."

"With this!" Shampoo said, holding out a small, lightly singed, mushroom.

"So that's where you were," RanmaA said.

"You know of them?" Shampoo asked, while the local Ranma seemed to finally notice she was here.

"Oh! Shampoo! Shampoo! Did you bring me a present?" he asked, running over.

"I present myself," Shampoo replied, before popping the mushroom in her mouth.

RanmaE and Nodoka were both confused by that. Then they were even more confused by the way Shampoo grabbed at her torso, making a pained face, before there was a burst of steam. When the steam dissipated, a six year old Shampoo stood before them, in clothing that was much too big for her.

"Now we be childhood sweethearts," Shampoo said, before tackling the young Ranma with a hug.

"Gah! Cooties!" he yelped as he fell over in her embrace.

"Oh gosh… they're adorable together!" Nodoka said, bringing her hands to her cheeks.

RanmaA let out a laugh, before his bracelet flashed green. That drew attention to him, as he was forced to make his goodbyes quickly. He was annoyed Ran wasn't around, but Nodoka promised to say his goodbye for him.

Before he was ready, he was leaving again.