Ranma arrived home an hour earlier than usual. She gave Kasumi the news as well as the form from the school before quietly setting down her bag and going to the dojo to meditate.

Her head was down, looking at her feet as she opened the door.

"Haaah!" Ranma looked up surprised to see her father training. She watched quietly as she saw Genma Saotome, 46 years young, leap up kick three times in the air, alternating feet until he landed on the other side of the dojo, slightly unsteady, but he recovered. He let out a low, quiet laugh to himself.

"Heh heh... still got it. Hell, even better than when I was a young man, heh he-oof!" Genma massaged his lower back with his right hand, "Damn desk job's ruining my back... Or maybe I'm just getting old..."

Ranma let out a small chuckle at her father's antics, "Not bad, Pops."

Genma turned in surprise and glared at Ranma, "Ranma! What're you doing—" he paused as he noted Ranma's expression shift from amusement to worry, "I mean... you're home early, boy."

Ranma stiffened up, her lips pursed. "Yeah... I messed up. Got a week's suspension for punching a guy's lights out."

Genma shook his head. His face grew stern and he began to bellow out something before he stopped himself. "Well..." Genma said, in a soft, grave, "I trust he had it coming. I assume you'll use the time wisely. You're not a kid anymore."

Ranma was slightly surprised, realizing she was relaxing tensed up fists. She made it a point to bow to her father. "Yeah, Pops. I came ta meditate like Master Guo taught me..." she waited and, after not seeing Genma frown at that, "Then probably practice a bit more from the Aikido 'n' Judo playbooks. I probably went a bit too Krav Maga on the assh—jerk."

Genma sighed. Ranma tried to read her father's face. She expected anger or at least some kind of castigation. Instead, her father nodded and said, "Good. I'll take my leave to not disturb you, son."

Ranma stood until Genma left. She walked over and closed the door. She felt the stings of 'boy' and 'son' and, while those words cut deeply, she was confused by her father's demeanor. She recalled the thrashing, the yelling. She expected him to call her 'weak' or 'sloppy' or maybe even spar with her to 'toughen the boy up'.

After a moment of contemplation, Ranma shook her head wildly. Forget the old man, she thought I gotta focus. She sat down in seiza and began to concentrate.


夢ばかりじゃない少女

YumeBakari Jya Nai Shoujo 〜 Not Just a Dream Girl

Chapter 7

Renewed Vow, Revitalized Spirit


A few hours after Ranma began training in the dojo, the door slid open. The chilly autumn air was more refreshing than unwelcome as Ranma stopped her modified form and looked up to see Akane, Daisuke, Sayuri, and Hiroshi enter.

Ranma grimaced as she saw her friends gathered there. Daisuke gave her a short nod. Sayuri looked sad. Hiroshi was frowning, but overall he seemed confused. Akane was the hardest for Ranma to gauge. She seemed mad.

Ranma hung her head. "I'm sorry," she said. The feelings she had felt earlier at school and with her father came bubbling back from where she was able to tamp them down and she found herself tearing up. "I'm sorry Hiro, Dai. I put ya in a bad position... How-"

"He's not dead or anything. He stopped bleeding before they took him to the nurse's office." Hiroshi said.

Daisuke added, "The rumor is that his dad wanted to press charges, but the Principal was able to talk ;em out of it."

Hiroshi said, "I mean, you were just defending yourself."

Ranma shook her head. "I lost control, Hiro. I know better than that." She turned to Akane and bowed deeply. "I'm sorry Akane. I fucked up. I'm sorry if I messed things up for the Kenpo club."

Ranma stood up and saw Akane, frowning, her face red from either the cold or being upset. Ranma balled her fists..

"Why?" Akane finally asked. "What happened to you to react like that?"

Ranma looked around, first to Daisuke then around the room. She felt her eyes shimmer on the brink of crying again. "I... I was lost in thought... I panicked. It..." she shrugged, "I was mulling over that fight with Herb and I felt someone try to touch me and I panicked."

Akane replied, "... I'm sorry, I didn't realize losing that fight affected you so much. We'll have another shot at it, right?" she raised a fist and smiled at Ranma. "I believe in you."

Ranma's face grew hot, "Well I mean... yeah. We'll take care of Herb n' Xiadou but I... there's some—"

"Akane!" Kasumi's voice carried throughout the courtyard. "Can you come and help me with something one moment?"

Akane turned and opened the door of the dojo and called out towards the house, "I'll be there in a sec, sis!". She said, "I'll be back soon," and then left.

Ranma slumped to the ground as Akane left. "I'm sorry Dai. I know you said I gotta be open 'n' honest to everyone, but I... I can't tell Akane yet..."

"Tell her what? What are ya keepin' from us?" Hiroshi asked. "C'mon, I defended ya against Coach. Is it about the dreams? You said we were dragged into that mess. We got a right to know!"

Ranma shook her head, "Hiro, it ain't like that. Not exactly..." She wiped her face and stood up. "Yeah, you're right. Just... don't say anything to Akane yet. I'll figure out some way of tellin' her, but I ain't ready yet, She's already had a lot of crap on her plate..."

"You're not hurt or dying, or anything of the sort, right? Did Herb do anything to your soul or life force when he hit you?" Sayuri asked.

Ranma blinked, "Huh? I don't think so?" She patted herself down, worried for a moment before shaking her head, "No, that's not, what I'm sayin' is that—," Ranma stopped and took another breath. Rip the bandaid off, already you dumb jerk. "Okay, when Herb splashed me with the water that stopped my curse from working, it really hurt. You know how much I like being in that cursed form in the dream?"

Sayuri and Hiroshi nodded.

"Well, that's 'cause, I don't think it's supposed to be a curse... At least, not for me. Maybe the Ranma that was supposed to exist before Xiadou blew up China was just a guy cursed with a girl form, but for me, the real Ranma Saotome, she's that girl." Ranma let out a breath of frustration, "I mean, me, I'm a girl. Like on the inside." Ranma pointed at her heart.

Hiroshi's jaw dropped. "Uhhhh... but wait, you have a... you know." He gestured pantsward, "How do you know you're a girl?"

Daisuke buried his face in his hands. "Really, dude?"

Hiroshi looked flustered as he snapped back to Daisuke, "C'mon! I just! I mean..." He stopped flailing around and looked at Ranma, "I... actually, now that I think about it..." He nodded to her, like he agreed to go get a beef bowl after class. "The dream stuff that's happened and like how Ranma is... I guess it makes sense."

Ranma replied, growing a bit upset, "Huh? Whaddaya mean 'how I am'?"

"I mean, like, you're this jock who could kick anyone's ass, but you don't act like some kind of macho blowhard like Kuno. You're pretty, uh I dunno, gentle? I guess? Not that dudes can't be gentle or whatever, but like it's different. Hell, speaking of Kuno, you don't get annoyed anymore when he calls you 'miss' or 'young lady'."

Ranma looked a bit embarrassed, "Well... Kuno is too stupid to understand the difference between the dream world and reality. And he's just jerkin' my chain, but it was actually kind of nice to hear him call me 'miss'."

"And, like, you're not against girly stuff, at least if the outfits I've seen you wear in the dream is anything to go by." Hiroshi added, "...Wait, does that mean you have a closet of that stuff here, too?"

"Hiroshi!" Sayuri hissed.

Ranma shook her head, "Nah... I ain't got nothing like that really. I, uh, had this ugly dress when I was 14 in China, but Pops ripped it up and kicked my ass for havin' it."

The room grew a bit quiet at that.

"Sorry." Ranma said to fill the void. "I didn't mean ta bring the room down. Just tryin' ta lay it out on the table and—oof!" Ranma let out a puff of air as she was getting crushed by a hug from Sayuri. "Wha?"

"That's what it was! When we talked over the summer and you told me you felt all wrong and you were afraid of what you were feeling. That's what you meant! I'm sorry. You've been struggling with this for that long and... I told you you need to tell us this kind of stuff!" She took a step back and placed a hand on Ranma' shoulder. "I'm happy you said something rather than leave us hanging forever. But you should tell Akane, too."

Ranma replied, "Yeah... I know I need ta tell her. I'm just... I'm scared of what might happen. She's been in a bad place lately, but if I don't say somethin' and she finds out somewhere else... I'll tell her. Soon, okay?"

Sayuri nods, "I'll hold you to that. Then we can have some fun!"

Ranma blinked, "Fun?"

"Yeah, I'm sure you want at least a few new outfits? I've been looking for an excuse to have a girls' day out."

Ranma shuffled uncomfortably, though the smile was easy to see on her face. "Wai-wait! I'm not ready to tell the whole world yet... But I'd like that someday soon."

Daisuke asked, "Well is there anything we can do at the moment to help you be comfortable with yourself? How can you feel like yourself if you can't have your curse?"

Ranma sat with that a bit, literally as she fell back onto the tatami floor, hand on her chin. "...ya got me there... Lemme think about it some more." She looked up, "Hey, lemme show you what I wanted you guys to work on since I won't be a club for the week. I was thinking of getting some more jumping kicks into your forms. Might come in handy if we have to fight that real tall bastard along with Herb."

"More jumps?" Hiroshi sighed, "my legs are still sore from last week."

"I'm tellin' ya. The best way ta loosen up yer limbs is ta keep doin' it!" Ranma exclaimed with a sudden jump from her cross-legged sitting position, jumping above Hiroshi's own head before coming down and standing.

By the time Akane returned, She saw her four friends practicing a strange, dynamic kata, Ranma leading them with a big grin on her face. Akane looked in awe. She couldn't recall the last time she had seen Ranma smile like that outside of the dream.


Ranma had spent the first few days of her suspension in a sort of routine. She spent the morning helping Kasumi with chores. She swept and mopped up the dojo, raked leaves in the garden and pond, and helped hang the laundry and take in when it dried. She was glad Akane had talked her into buying a hoodie, even though she wasn't particularly excited by the heather grey color and bland blue logo. It was warm enough for outdoor work, however. After lunch, she would begin training.

One late afternoon, a few days into her suspnsion, Ranma was meditating in the dojo. She could feel the mixed emotions of shame, anger, guilt, and disgust with herself vying to distract her from trying to focus. She had been mulling over Daisuke's question from before: What do you need to be comfortable with yourself? How can you feel like a girl, even if you don't have your curse?

She heard gentle footsteps enter the dojo.

"Ranma..." It was Kasumi. "A phone call. From China."

Ranma opened her eyes and quickly turned. "Oh! Thank you, Kasumi!" She bolted back to the house.

She almost tripped over herself as she eagerly grabbed the phone. "Shīfù!"

"Ah, my young apprentice. I got your training journal yesterday and—"

"Wait! Something's happened and—Oh, I'm sorry, Shīfù. You did?"

Master Guo gave a chuckle through the slightly crackling line. "Keeping busy, child? I'm glad. I call because I felt letters would not do. I thought you needed a kind ear to listen."

Ranma paused, her excitement ebbing as she nodded. "Thank you shīfù, you're too kind."

"Nonsense. I'm not as kind as I should be to one of my apprentices." His tone changed and asked more seriously, "How is your father?"

"Pops? He's... okay I think? He doesn't really talk to me much these days. Leaves me to train on my own and he also works as a security guard at night so... I guess that's better than him finding out what I wrote or that I'm even keeping a dia- I mean a training journal."

"I see... What is troubling you then?"

"There's been some... strangeness."

"With Qinghai? More of the Nujiezu past?"

"...yes. How did you know?"

"There have been some odd tremors recently, Ranma. Near the low lying areas of the monastery. The government brought in seismologists, but they say Phoenix mountain is inactive. They say tectonic plate friction is the cause, but... I sense something more... there is... not sure how to say.. 'Kōngqì zhòng yǒu yīdìng de huǒhuā'

"Like a certain something in the air?" Ranma did her best to translate it aloud.

"Yes. The old abbot, Master Pao, used to say, 'It is as if the Dragon King's Daughter is crying out to be heard."

"What!?"

"Funny expression, yes? He said it was something the villagers used to say in his youth. He said it was when it felt like the air, the qi of a place was swelling. Like before a thunderstorm, but instead of feeling it on your skin, you feel it deeper still. He said he only truly felt that feeling a handful of times. That it had quieted since becoming an old man. There is something like that feeling I am sensing here..."

Ranma blinked. Unsure what else to say, she asked, "But I thought the Dragon King had a son?"

Master Guo gave an audible "Interesting thing to ask. Is that so, Ranma? Is the Dragon King's child what has been causing this new trouble?"

Ranma frowned, "I.. I guess. I mean, you saw everything I wrote about in the journal. You don't think I'm crazy, do you?"

"I have been doing my own study and meditation. I recall finding a book that told of women like you having something of a gift with communicating with the heavens and seeing the spirits of the past and future... This is provenance, yes?"

"Women like..."

"Yes. I understand well from your words and your actions."

"And you're not upset? Disappointed? Like Pops was?"

"I made a great mistake when you were in Qinghai. I will not forget that lesson. I want to heal that hurt. As for your father... I would seek to understand him, if nothing else."

Ranma frowned on her end of the line. "Yes Shīfù."

"Also... How about this? I have another gift for you, as a reward for your diligent training and your notes to me. If I learn anything more that could be of use to you about the Musk or your other teacher, I will let you know again."

" Thank you, Shīfù. Wǒ..." Ranma paused. "wǒ fēicháng gǎnxiè nín de zhǐdǎo."

Master Guo in a loud puff, replied. "Bié nàme zhèngshì! Why so formal, Ranma!? Enough of this 'shīfù' business!"

"Ah, I'm sorry... Uncle then."

The voice on the other end let out a light, happy chuckle, "You're a good child. I would have liked to have a daughter like you. Kind and gentle, but also strong willed. Only heaven knows why these things happen as they do... You're becoming a fine young woman."

Ranma looked to see if Kasumi or Soun were within hearing distance. Seeing an empty hall, she spoke in a small voice, "But I mean, I still look the same. I don't know what to do. I can't just go around explaining to everyone, right? How will people see me? How do I know for sure?"

"Well... what did you do with that ribbon I sent you?"

"I uh... I've been usin' it as a bookmark?"

There was an audible sigh, "You silly girl, I bought that for you for your hair. You didn't cut it, did you? I bet you're still using that bit of string Lǐ Huī saved from a used sack of rice, aren't you?"

"Um... well maybe?" Ranma let out a nervous laugh as she grabbed her hair and looked at the dingy, more grey than white string, "But won't people notice if I'm wearing a ribbon? What if people see me and think..." Ranma stopped talking, "Oh... oh..." Ranma grew silent.

"This, like anything, takes doing and practice. You think I know how to be a monk of this temple my first day? You must practice being yourself, like you would practice new forms or new fighting styles."

"Yes Shīfù—I mean, 'Uncle'," Ranma corrected.

"Good. I want you to promise me something.

"What is it?"

"Whatever it is you are about to face, I want you to do it with your head raised and with humility in your heart."

"I will do my best."

"I look forward to your next journal, wǒ de zhínǚ."

Ranma hung up the phone and slowly walked back to the dojo. She took two steps and stopped.

Did Master Guo call me "niece"? she thought.

Ranma raced upstairs to her room and found the box where she had hid her journal. She opened the book and retrieved the red ribbon. She undid the white string she had been using as a hair tie and, without much thought or art, folded the ribbon in hand and tied her hair with it, having enough left over to make a small bow.

She went back to the dojo and began stretching before going into a form that consisted of mostly capoeira forms she had practiced over the summer and moves she saw in a gymnastics program on TV the week before. The meant she was alternating between handstand jumps and twirls leading into landing into splits, which she then lifted herself with her hands to twirl her legs in a full circle sweep before jumping off her hands and, with a backflip, landing and delivering a series of rounded half-moon kicks with her legs. She finished up the form with a set of quick hand strikes, keeping her hands mostly flat, and striking at an imagined target in oblique chops before finishing with two straight punches at chest height accompanied by a loud kiai.

She held the final pose for a moment to catch her breath. She felt her brow and the crown of her head drip with sweat.

There was the sound of sft clapping and Ranma was startled as she stood straight suddenly and turned to see Akane standing there. Her school bag was on the floor next to her.

"Oh, uh.. What time is it?"

"It's 5:30. I just got back from club practice. Looks like you've been busy."

Ranma nodded and looked sheepish as she brushed off the sweat from her face. "Yeah, well... I got some time to kill. But I've been helpin' Kasumi, too."

"You're doing great, as always. We're missing you at Kempo, but you have two more days of suspension left so not much longer until..." Akane leaned her body to one side as she looked at Ranma.

Ranma turned her head to look behind her," Huh?"

Akane shook her head. "No it's just... What's that on your hair?"

Ranma's face grew red, "Um! Nothing! I uh I lost my usual hair tie and uh..."

"It's not bad," Akane replied with a smile. "It suits you. You always liked red."

Ranma nodded, "Uh, thanks. May-maybe I should go wash up for dinner," Ranma walked past Akane and out of the dojo, half-covering her face as she went to take a bath.

"Wait!" Akane said, grabbing Ranma's shoulder. Ranma froze like she had been turned to stone. Akane said, "It's a little uneven." She grabbed the bow that Ranma had tied and adjusted it. "There. It looks better now."

Ranma looked back at Akane, her eyes hazy." T-Thanks. I- You sure it ain't weird?"

Akane blinked, "Oh, cause of your Dad? Don't worry. You don't have to be some macho he-man if you don't want to be. You're a more sensitive guy than that."

Ranma gulped as her senses came back to her. "Uh... uh yeah. Sure," she replied before walking out of the dojo.

Akane looked at Ranma leaving. Did I say something wrong? she thought.


"See?" Sayuri said as Ranma told her about what happened in the Dojo the other day. She was painting Ranma's nails with clear polish. "This is why you need to tell her. It's only going to get more awkward."

Currently, they were seated in her bedroom, around a small table in the middle of the room in front of Sayuri's twin bed. The door was open at her mother's insistence. Despite that inconvenience, Ranma marveled at the girl's room. The walls were painted a neutral off white as was the table they sat at and the desk Sayuri had her books and notes on. However, Ranma was keenly aware of the pink and lavender sheets, pillowcases, and bedspread as well as the similarly patterned rug that they were sitting at. She also noticed a shelf above the bed, filled to the brim with stuffed animals. Ranma felt a bit distracted looking at the room with a mixture of awe and a twinge of envy.

"I know, I know... I just... I don't feel right yet." She began to move her hands together to twiddle her thumbs, but Sayuri yelled out, "Hey! You gotta let them dry first."

'Oh, Sorry... bad habit." She started twiddling her toes instead.

"I swear, you're just as bad as Akane," Ranma looked confused. "Oh, she puts herself together well enough these days. But, did she ever tell you she played Romeo in Romeo and Juliet in 6th grade?

"Oh... who's Romeo?" Ranma asked, prompting Sayuri to almost drop the brush she was using to paint her own nails.

"I'm not going to dignify that with a response... Let's say Akane was even more boyish than you as a kid and it was only through my diligence, and maybe a little bit of encouragement from her older sisters, she has blossomed into a 'soft butch tomboy with some fashion sense'. That seems a comfortable spot for her. You however..." She put away the polish and waved her hands, with their fresh coat of pink nail polish, to dry them off a bit.

"What do you think?" She pointed to Ranma's hands. "They should be dry enough. Try lightly touching the ring finger or pinky."

Ranma did as instructed. She could feel a smoothness rather than a liquid or tacky feeling. She also noticed that, while they had no color, in the right angle of the light, there was a light sheen. She moved her hand side to side to see the reflection more.

"That's good. You have a nice smile," Sayuri commented.

Ranma looked up, dumbfounded, "Wha?"

"I'm glad you like it. If you want, we could do a whole makeover. I think you'd have lots of fun with it."

Ranma shook her head reluctantly, "Um... not yet. I-I ain't ready to take that step. Sorry." Ranma looked down.

"Take your time Besides, you need to come out to Akane first anyway before we can have real fun."

"I'm gettin' to it. I'll know when I'm ready..."

Sayuri nodded. There was then a knock on the door.

Sayuri's mom yelled from the stairs, "Sayuri! Your boyfriend is here!"

Sayuri scrunched her face a bit. "I wish she wouldn't do that," she groused, though Ranma could see the blush on her face.

"One sec. Feel free to read some of the magazines. I noticed you were staring at them earlier." Sayuri stood and walked out of her room downstairs.

Ranma gave a glance at the covers. Different names: JJ, ViVi, Fruits. On the cover of each were young women, about her age or older in different types of outfits. One looked like she was going to college classes in a peach sweater, cream colored jeans, and a large tote purse., the other was wearing a backless dress and posing coquettishly, another was more candid, in the front of some street in Harajuku wearing a large t-shirt and black jacket over either a very short skirt or shorts, fishnet stockings, crew socks with the tops pushed down to the ankles, and sneakers.

Ranma started to imagine herself in each of those looks. She was at equal parts intrigued, unsure, and a bit disgusted with herself. She looked down at herself. Objectively there wasn't anything wrong, but she felt embarrassed. In the middle of those thoughts she was interrupted by someone gently rustling her hair. Ranma snapped up a hand, more startled than angry. She looked and saw Hiroshi jump back. Ranma pulled back her hand

"Ack! Sorry Ranma."

"Shit, I didn't hit ya did I?" Ranma saw Hiroshi shake his head and she felt relieved.

"Hiro! Don't be mean to her."

"I wasn't! I was just messing around."

"Horseplay with Daisuke, not Ranma. She's my guest, too. You wouldn't do that to me or Akane would you?" Ranma blushed a little at hearing that particular suffix used on her.

Hiroshi opened his mouth to say something but nodded. "Well... maybe Akane, but yeah, I get it. Sorry bud."

Ranma felt guilty. "It's okay. I mean, I mess around too, sometimes. I just got distracted with something 's all.'' She looked at Sayuri. I want to ask Sayuri if she thinks I'd look good in that dress, she thought to herself.

"Anyway, uh," Ranma spoke up again. "Let's get to do some studyin'. Last thing I need to do is have to take make-up classes while dealin' with...'' she gave a weak wave with her hands, "everything."

The three sat together filling out workbooks and going over chapters they were sure would be on the exams. Ranma sat close to Sayuri as she helped her with the more complicated trigonometry they covered in math class. Sayuri's explanations of concepts like trigonometric identities were broken down and Ranma felt a strong similarity to how she taught Sayuri and the others martial arts.

"Thanks. You made it easy to get." Ranma said after finishing a problem on her own.

Meanwhile, Hiroshi was powering through English, visibly annoyed with all of the irregular verb conjugations.

After an hour Hiroshi set down his pencil and fell over to one side of the floor.

"Ugh, I need a break... Why is English so stupid!?"

"Cause a bunch of stupid people got good at boats and guns, I guess?" Ranma said, looking over at Hiroshi.

"Okay, let's take a break." Sayuri moved over and sat next to Hiroshi, lightly patting on her lap. Hiroshi took it as a cue and shifted a bit to rest his head on her lap.

"Ahhh. This is more soothing than any bed."'

"Idiot," Syauri replied. She looked up and saw Ranma suddenly look away, her face reddened.

"Oh, I'm sorry Ranma, I didn;'t mean to make you a third wheel."

Ranma, still looking away, shook her head. "Nono. I just... I was just thinking that you two are lucky, 's all."

Hiroshi, still lying down, opened his eyes and said, "Hey, Ranma. Can I ask a question?"

"Yeah, go for it."

Hiroshi seemed to pause, "I dunno, I guess since you told us about being... you. I feel weird. Or like... I dunno how to act. Like I know it's you, martial artist and you eat basically anything and you're pretty reserved n' stuff, but like, I wanna get to know you better. Like I wanna know about my friends. Am I makin' any sense here?"

Ranma exhaled suddenly, letting go of tension she hadn't even realized she was holding onto. "Yeah, I get it. What's up?"

"Well... what's so different about guys n' girls? How do you know you're a girl?"

"I dunno what the real difference is yet. Master Guo told me it'd take some practice... I just know I am a girl, you know? Like you know you're a guy."

"...fair. Anything change like your favorite color or food or music or something?"

Ranma tapped her chin, "I dunno. I always liked red..." She looked down at the magazines that were placed to the side in favor of school books. "I'd like to try out some clothes that're pink or peach, but nah, I like red 'n' gold. I like Chinese clothes and fashion in general. I think... I'm kinda tryin' to let myself notice cute stuff, but it's kinda hard to really do anythin' about it."

"Yeah that makes sense... Another dumb question," Hiroshi followed up. "If you're a girl, do you like guys?"

Ranma blinked, "Huh? I mean... I guess I never thought about it?"

Sayuri sighed, "You don't have to. Trust me, some days, it's more trouble than it's worth," she pointedly poked Hiroshi on the head.

Hiroshi rubbed his head. "Ow, hey! I'm just saying. Like, I know Akane isn't into guys, but I mean Ranma's never really talked about who she likes."

Ranma waved her hands in front of her. "It's okay! I just hadn't really thought about it! I've been kinda livin' in my head for a while... I hadn't really thought of things like that"

"Well just sayin'... maybe it'll help make it easier," Hiroshi said quietly, "it's cool if ya like both," Hiroshi added, "I understand."

Ranma blinked. "Huh?"

Hiroshi hesitated a second, then with feigned nonchalance continued, "Just putting it out there so you ain't spinnin' your wheels feelin' like you gotta fit in somewhere. Like, I'm with Sayu, and I really love her, but I've had crushes on guys too... so, uh, don't let it be weird if you like both, okay?"

Ranma nodded, "I'll keep it in mind, but..." she sighed.

Sayuri patted Hiroshi on the shoulder and he sat up, stretching his arms. "Don't worry, whatever happens, we're your friends."

"Even if a friend just wants to be just friends? I won't ruin anything?" Ranma asked.

Hiroshi shook his head and smiled. "I mean Daisuke n' I are still bros. Daisuke's into older women, so he's waiting till college to really date anyone. So don't be too disappointed."

Ranma blinked a few times while tugging at her hair. "Uh... wait," her eyes bugged out, "I don't like Daisuke!" She exclaimed, "I like Ak-" Ranma clasped her hand over her mouth.

"Oh! Oh yeah, that makes sense." Hiroshi said, rubbing the back of his head. "Just you n' Dai had a bit of chemistry."

Ranma calmed down a bit, but shook her head. "I mean, he's a nice guy... but, the reason I told him about me first was cause I felt so bad he got hurt by Xiadou... I don't want that happenin' to either of you. You guys are my friends and I swore ta protect you and help ya defend yourselves if I can't be there ta help."

"You've done a lot, already. Besides, it's been fun, even if we're being targeted by some kin of dream monster thing," Sayuri said. "We believe in you."

Ranma nodded. She began twirling her hair with a stray hand. "And anyway... I mean I just want Akane ta be happy, even if it means I have to stay back..."

Hiroshi and Sayuri looked at each other. "Wait..." Hiroshi began, "Have you been pining over Akane this whole time? And she doesn't even know you're a girl? That's rough, buddy."

Ranma let out a sigh, her shoulders slumped.

"Jeez Hiroshi, some things can be left unsaid, you know..." Sayuri said, "But see? This is what I'm talking about. You can't keep everything you're feeling from her. It's unfair to Akane and to you."


Ranma felt something brush against her face. Her eyes still closed, she scrunched her face and wiggled her nose before she let out a sneeze large enough to jolt her up. As her eyes fluttered open, she saw a yellow butterfly flitter away. Her hands felt warm earth and soft green grass. Near her feet, were small patches of purple rhododendrons that dotted the downward slope of the hill she had been resting on. Further down she could see the tree line with scrubby spruces.

"Bayan Har?" She mumbled in a low voice.

Ranma took stock of the landscape. This was where she had fought Daisuke when he had been possessed by XIadou, but unlike the wet, dark, cold lifeless landscape back then, there was a warmth she hadn't felt since the beginning of autumn. The sky, while not fully clear, was blue and bright in a way she knew it had not been before.

She stood and stretched. She felt her body, slower, lankier than what she'd like, but familiarity had taught her how to adapt to the disconnect as she tried out a few simple Tai Qi Quan forms.

"Ranma!" A voice called out. She couldn't quite place who was calling out to her until she felt a sudden hug at her back, cushioned by a noticeably large chest which pressed against her."

"Ack! Sayuri!" Ranma jumped in shock and fell over. Ranma sat up and saw her friend, Sayuri, in her guise as the purple haired Chinese warrior that had been Cologne's great-granddaughter. "How does Shampoo not fall over with boobs like that?"

"You tell me. You seem to get around just fine with an even bigger chest here, usually."

Ranma undid the hair tie and rebraided her hair as she considered. "Fair enough," she replied. "Glad I ain't the only one around, but is it just us?"

As soon as she asked that aloud, a long grappling hook, shaped like a hawk's talon, flew between Ranma and Sayuri and hooked onto a small outcropping above them. With a shout, the rope went taut and a figure flew up into the air. Ranma immediately picked out the long white robes and flowing longblack hair or Hiroshi's dream avatar as he arced over the two of them, lost control as the rope twisted with the sleeve of his robe, and landed flat on his face in an open mound of dirt.

"Hiro!" Sayuri ran over to tend to the fallen. Ranma shook her head as she facepalmed as he slowly sat up.

"I, uh, I got excited and missed," Hiroshi explained as he fixed his hair.

"That's what you told me the other night," Sayuri quipped. Ranma and Hiroshi looked at her. "Well Daisuke and Akane aren't here and I'm not letting that joke just slip by."

Ranma fell back in laughter, feeling the grass cushion her as she grasped her stomach while she let out a loud guffaw of laughter, only cute short as she felt self-conscious about the relative deepness of her voice. She sat up to see a small figure loom near them.

"Oh! Granny!" Ranma waved hello to the figure who hopped along on her cane to the trio.

"I see we've had time to enjoy some... juvenile antics." She glanced at Hiroshi's direction and chuckled. "Still, I'm glad you're here."

"Is it time to face Herb? I tried training Hiro and Sayuri as much as I could, but there wasn't a lot of time and—."

Cologne shook her head, "Not quite yet. As you can see, we are in China, or at least my memories of China from life. This would be a good way to see what you all have learned and how best to face The Dragon Prince and his retainers."

Ranma nodded. "Actually. Maybe you could clear somethin' up for me, Master Cologne," she asked and waited for the elder to turn to her before adding, "I spoke to Master Guo on the phone and he mentioned the 'Dragon King's Daughter.', like it was a sayin' or something. Did the Dragon King have other kids 'sides Herb?"

Cologne hopped to a nearby outcropping and, seemingly from thin air, pulled out a pipe. She took a few drags as she considered. "Interesting... I was not completely privy to those affairs and, to be frank, I never formally met The Dragon King, only saw him once in the Village at a distance. From all I had heard, it was a son, though the son himself was never presented to us in person. How strange though, the Nujiezu would have welcomed a princess with open arms unless..."

Cologne eyed Ranma again and let out a snort. "Unless of course someone was willing to sow discord by encouraging Herb's father to mold her into a son. Now, after our corporeal forms have been razed from the Earth, she would have only needed a drop of honeyed words to push the spirit of a Dragon's daughter denied her life to 'seek a cure' for her cursed state..."

Tapping out the spent ashes, she let out a long breath. "Enough prattle. I believe it is time for some training."

Ranma jumped up and kicked her feet around to warm up. Cologne bopped her with her staff, "Not you. Your friends."

Ranma turned back and saw Hiroshi and Sayuri look a bit taken aback.

Sayuri, clad in Shampoo's form and figure, was garbed in her usual qipao and pants, was jumping from outcrop to outcrop, balancing what at first glanced looked chui, but with the hefty end of the mace-like weapons ballooned from the usual size of grapefruit to something closer to a basketball.

Hiroshi meanwhile seemed to be swimming in the long white robes of his guise as Mousse, tugging at his sleeves and the collar of the robes and pulling out chains with knives affixed to the ends, grappling hooks, several short swords, three pairs of roller skates,an early 80s Sony Walkman, and a can of Tab soda, among a sea of other combat and non-combat-related detritus.

"How the hell does this guy fit so many training potties in the breast pocket!?" Hiroshi yelled. He scratched his head and pulled out a series of multicolored kerchiefs tied together from his long black hair.

Ranma laughed. "I have no idea. But think fast!"

Hiroshi looked up in time to see Cologne charge at him. He dove to one side and tossed a lacrosse stick to block the old crone, to no avail as she blew it into splinters with a simple touch of her finger.

"Aah! Don't hurt me. I'm too young to die!" He tripped over his robe and spun quickly along the grass, spraying mahjong tiles everywhere.

"Come on! It's just trainin'!" Ranma yelled as she ran to follow alongside Hiroshi. "She ain't gonna hurt ya... too bad." She let out a giggle which didn't do much to brighten Hiroshi's mood as he screeched and juked left, then right, to avoid several cane strikes.

Ranma rolled her eyes, "Come on, just do some of that dumb arcade stuff or something!"

"I ain't you! I'm no Ryu or Ken... At best I'm a Dan Hibiki!"

No. You're Mousse. What's the story with that guy anyway?" Ranma asked as she looked back to see her throw several dagger Hiroshi's way. "If ya ain't too busy, that is."

"Oh, he was just an overeager Nujiezu male and a would-be suitor to Shampoo and rival to you. In the original timeline, he was competent at work in the restaurant, but not much else. Still, it amuses me to see him here. Your friend is acquitting himself well in that form."

"Wait, really?" Hiroshi looked back only to be smacked in the forehead with the blunt end of the staff. He fell over and somersaulted down a less steep grade of hill, leaving behind a trail of marbles, sticks of chewing gum, and loose rice grains. As he finally came to a stop, lying on his back, Hiroshi rubbed his forehead and said, "This isn't fair, you old crone! Why're you only picking on me? There's a girlfriend of mine you can pick on too, you know!"

"Oh, I couldn't do that to my 'great grand-daughter'," Cologne said, punctuating it with a cackle, "Well perhaps I should, but even better, I'll let my pupil do it. Maybe teach her the Chestnut fist for starters?"

Ranma gave a salute, "Sure thing. granny." She turned to Sayuri who had been sunning herself as she lay against an outcrop, but was now agape as she scrambled to stand and defend herself from the almost imperceptible flurry of punches and arm strikes in front of her.

Cologne looked on as Ranma and Sayuri began to move around the natural environment, "She's acquitting herself well, too. I'm glad to be able to see some version of my future..." she noticed a low moan of pain echo from below her.

Cologne yelled down at Hiroshi, "Get up you lazy bones! I'm not finished with you just yet."

"...is there anyway you could be finished with me?" Hiroshi asked, already knowing the answer before Cologne dived down to attack, her staff pointed at his midsection.

After what felt like hours, The three of them sat together on a soft patch of grass near the crest of the hillside they were on looking at Cologne who was perched atop a large rock.

"The time grows near, children. There is a good chance you may have only yourselves to rely on for this fight. I do not know what sort of trickery Xiadou has weaved on those whose time was cut short." Cologne pointed to Ranma, "I think your earthly teacher's insight may prove key to breaking Xiadou's hold. Trying to beat the Dragon King's child with pure might is likely beyond you, Ranma. But if you can peer into the child's heart and keep your head high, you may be able to defeat Xiadou and the despair she aims to engender in the world."

She then pointed to Hiroshi and Sayuri, who were seated more closely to one another.

"You will need to help her get through to Herb. The Dragon King's child has strong retainers and your efforts are no less important to the fate of the world."

"Even me?" Hiroshi asked.

"Especially you." Cologne gave the boy a wink, "I won't forgive you if you let my great granddaughter get hurt."

Ranma rolled her eyes, "Don't put that on Hiroshi. He's already stressed out by mid-term exams." she sat up and asked, in a quieter tone, "Granny, what about..." she pointed to her currently flat chest.

The elder took a drag from her long pipe. "From what I know of the world that should have been, it resolved itself in the fight between you and Herb. Perhaps you may find something akin to a Kaisuifuu in your fight. Remember that the dream world is not quite the real one. If Xiadou had her way there would be no dream world. Our goal is to keep this land intertwined with your own world and your souls. Things will reveal themselves to all sooner or later if we're successful."

Ranma's skin grew cold at that idea. She felt a lump in her throat as she looked at Sayuri and Hiroshi.

"Next time we see each other here, it's do or die, huh?" Ranma asked. She did not stay asleep long enough to get an answer from any of them.


Thanks to Unsurpassed Travesty for a brief pre-read. Chapter 8 is about 80% done. We're getting there everyone 3

~裏がある