Author's notes:

Well, summer classes started today. That said, I do plan on continuing this story and releasing a new chapter each week.

Thank you to everyone who wrote a review! Your encouragement and feedback is much appreciated.

I'm having a lot of fun writing. It makes me so happy that people have actually taken the time to read my scribbles.

Okay... here goes chapter two!

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Nodoka sat in a big, leather armchair in the Tendo living room, katana resting in her lap. Her countenance was stern and reproachful. The rest of the family sat on the cloth couches across from her. Nabiki inspected her nails, indifferent as usual. Kasumi smiled pleasantly. Akane wore a hopeful expression. Ranma held her head between her knees. Soun prespirated like a marathon runner.

After the reveal of Ranko's true identity, Soun had suggested a family gathering to help ease the tension. From his perspective, Nodoka Saotome was indeed a fierce and formidable woman. He had two options: Resort to the crouching tiger technique, or let Ranma explain the situation. The latter seemed preferable.

"Do you want to be a girl, Ranko?" Nodoka asked calmly.

"Nonono..." Ranma's head shot up. "I told ya already… It was a training accident! I didn't ask for any of this! I'd change back right now if Herb hadn'ta locked my curse!"

"Right... The Musk Princess..."

"Prince! He has the same curse that I do."

"I see." Nodoka replied. "So you don't necessarily *want* to be a girl… But magic has made you one anyways."

"Yes! Thank you!" Ranma leaned back in relief, letting out a weary sigh. "That's exactly what I'm sayin'."

Nodoka shut her hazel eyes for a moment. When she opened them, they were shaded with sadness. Her hopes for a strong and masculine son had been crushed. She wasn't quite sure how to respond. She could either mourn her son or acknowledge that he had become the petite, ginger girl sitting in front of her. I always did want a daughter. She thought.

"Tell me then…" Nodoka spoke in a compassionate tone, "Before you were cursed… Did you do your best to uphold your end of the contract? That is… Were you manly?"

Ranma nodded. "All I did was train, honest! Never had a girly thought ever. Pop's taught me that girls are weak and dumb."

"Hey!" Akane shouted.

Ranma flinched, expecting a mallet. "What? I never said he was right!"

Akane groaned. "It's true, Saotome-san," she acquiesced, "Ranma's been macho ever since I met her... Him!" She corrected quickly, remembering that pronouns might be a matter of life and death. "I-I mean him."

"Very well." Nodoka said faintly. "I've heard enough to make a decision." The room fell silent, thick with the anticipation of her ruling. "I will *not* release Ranma from the seppuku pledge."

Ranma gulped. Her face took on a sickly, green hue. She moved to the edge of the couch, preparing to flee.

"Let me finish!" Nodoka pleaded. "Please don't run from me, Ranko."

Ranma froze, torn between survival instincts and respect for her mother.

"I said that I do not release Ranma." Nodoka continued, "However… Ranma is no longer with us..." The redhead's blue eyes grew huge as she guessed the implication of Nodoka's words. "The contract does not pertain to you, Ranko."

"Wait a sec…" Ranma mustered, "Does that mean ya ain't gonna kill me?"

Nodoka's eyes softened. "Of course not, dear!" Sighs of relief made their way around the room. "I could never hurt my only daughter."

"Thank Kami!" Ranma exhaled. Soun's jaw fell to the floor. Nabiki stifled a laugh. It wasn't like Ranma to ignore such a blow to her masculinity. A rosey blush showed on her cheeks as Nodoka's words registered. "D-did you just call me… D-daughter?"

Nodoka nodded encouragingly. "If you can promise me that you will be true to the young woman you have become… Then the seppuku contract no longer applies to you."

"B-but… But… I'm not…" Ranma stuttered. "I'm still a guy! I just change into a girl with cold water! Please… You gotta believe me!"

"Can you change back?"

Ranma blinked, she could feel dizziness creeping into her head. Black dots danced around the edges of her vision. "N-no." She admitted woozily.

"Then I'm not going to make you act like a…" Nodoka cut herself short as she noticed that Ranma seemed off-balance. "Ranko?" She asked worriedly. All of the sudden, Ranma fell face first into the living-room carpet.

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Ranma woke up with a start, sitting up in bed and throwing off the comforter. She looked down to see that she was wearing a set of fleece pajamas. They were Akane's. She could tell by the way that the sleeves drooped past her wrists. Kasumi knelt beside her, applying an icepack to her forehead. Nodoka stood patiently in the doorway.

"W-where am I?" Ranma muttered, searching the teal-green walls for an answer.

"You're next door to Akane's room." Kasumi replied placidly, "your mother insisted that we move you out of the dojo."

"I'll be in the extra room down the hall." Nodoka spoke. "Soun agreed that it's best if I stay here until you've adjusted."

Ranma studied her lap, nervously pinching the sheets. Although her mother had renounced the seppuku pact, she was still wary. A lifetime on the road had taught her not to trust anyone. She opened her mouth and hesitated, searching for the right words.

"Mom… I'm a guy." She said hoarsely. "I've been a guy for my whole life. I can't just stop being a guy… Not even if I'm stuck in this body… Not even if my life depends on it."

Nodoka nodded once. "I know, sweetheart." There was a quiver in her voice. "Perhaps I was a little overbearing earlier. You don't have to promise me anything. I know that this is going to take time. I meant what I said about the seppuku contract… I'm not going to hurt you." Ranma looked up and smiled weakly.

"I'll let you rest." Nodoka said as she turned to leave.

"Mom?" Ranma called out.

"Yes, Ranko?" Nodoka came back to the door, placing a hand lightly on the frame.

"It was n-nice to finally meet you." The redhead glanced away, embarrassed.

Nodoka's face was hard to read. Her gaze seemed distant, and her smile was somehow melancholy. A bitter-sweet riddle of an expression. "Ranko-chan, meeting you was worth every year that I waited."

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Akane sat in bed in the darkness of her room, staring at the wall in silent contemplation. For a moment, she swore that she heard voices coming from downstairs. She cupped a hand over her ear, straining to make out what they were saying. They stopped suddenly. I must have imagined it. She thought, laying back down.

Her mind began to play over the events of the evening. She had never seen Ranma feint before, except for the time that he hit his head on the koi-pond rock and woke up convinced that he was really a girl. Back then, the pigtailed martial-artist had channeled her own stereotype of femininity, passing out over a small cut on her finger. But this time was different. Ranma was still masculine. She must have really been frightened by Nodoka's proposition.

Each day that Ranma spent as a girl chipped away at her sanity. Seeing how Nodoka expected her to embrace it, things were only going to get worse. Akane knew that it was partly her fault for blowing Ranma's cover. She felt terrible. But how could I have known that Nodoka would react that way? That she would call Ranma 'daughter'?

She supposed that Nodoka's behavior wasn't entirely out-of-the ordinary. Ranma was currently trapped in a female body. Everyone was referring to her with feminine pronouns automatically. It was hard not to see Ranma as a girl even when her personality hadn't changed a bit. And therein lay the true problem: Ranma's curse.

Ki Lun believed that there was no cure, but Akane knew that Ranma would never give up looking for one. To top it all off, Akane didn't think she was attracted to Ranma's girl form at all. She shut her eyes and imagined the black-haired boy. He was tall enough that she had to stand on her toes to kiss him. She felt safe and warm in his strong arms. Although he often hid behind insults and name-calling, she knew that deep down he really did care for her. Next, she pictured herself with the redhead. But there was no romance between them, no chemistry. They were just two close friends who bickered a lot.

Akane rolled over on her side and tucked her knees into her chest. Her nose pinched a little as tears began to form in her eyes. She willed them back. A tiny, stubborn part of her still believed that a cure existed. Even if the odds of finding it were one in a billion, there was still a chance that Ranma might become a man again. And the romantic tension would pick up right where it left off. She took refuge in that hope.

Ranma, I'm not ready to lose you.

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The lamp in Soun's study cast deep shadows along the opposite wall. Nabiki closed the door as quietly as possible before tiptoeing to the spinning chair and taking a seat. She placed her feet up on the desk, crossed her arms, and arched an eyebrow at her co-conspirators who sat in the reading chairs across from her. Kasumi set down her needlework and Nodoka cleared her throat.

"Alright, ladies," Nodoka began quietly, "We have a few problems to solve. First and foremost, we have to help Ranko to become more comfortable in her skin… "

"What do you have in mind, Saotome-san?" Kasumi inquired.

"Well, to begin with," Nodoka replied, "I'd like everyone to refer to her as 'Ranko' instead of 'Ranma.'"

Nabiki snorted. "I'm sorry… You want *us* to call her Ranko?"

"Why not? It's the name that she chose for herself." Nodoka argued.

"Ever heard of improvisation?" Nabiki asked sardonically.

Nodoka ignored the question. "Next is the issue of her wardrobe. I've never seen her wear anything but the silk shirt and pants. She is going to need to borrow some clothes. Nabiki, you are the closest to her size… Do you have anything you are willing to part with?"

Nabiki smirked ever-so-slightly. "That depends on what *you're* willing to part with."

"How does five-thousand Yen sound?

"I might have a few outfits…"

"Great!" Nodoka chirped enthusiastically. "We'll go shopping as soon as possible, but in the meantime I'll see that she dresses appropriately. Next is the matter of Akane..." She lingered, realizing that this might be a sensitive topic.

"What about Akane?" Nabiki asked cooly, ready to defend her kid sister.

"Ranko and Akane's engagement was arranged by Genma, was it not?"

Nabiki nodded in agreement.

"It was Father's idea too." Kasumi chimed in.

"I don't condone arranged marriages." Nodoka stated frustratedly. "Had I known, I never would have agreed to it." She met kasumi's eyes. "Tell me, do they love each other?"

"Akane loves him." Kasumi replied thoughtfully. "That much I know for sure. But Ranma's curse is locked now… And that changes things."

"It does." Nodoka confirmed. "I might be a traditional woman... But I do believe in love. If Ranko and Akane truly love each other, I won't stand in their way. However, we can't allow Genma and Soun to force them into a commitment that they will regret. "

The gears began to turn in Nabiki's head. She had dealt with matters of love on several occasions in the past. It happened to be one of her most lucrative side ventures at Furinkan High. Nabiki wondered briefly how much money she could make off of Nodoka, but she pushed that thought aside. This is Akane's future we're talking about.

She slid her feet off the desktop, leaning forward on her elbows and resting her chin atop her hands. "Well, you've come to the right person." she said, raising both eyebrows in a matter-of-fact manner.

"What's your fee?" Nodoka leveled.

"No charge." Nabiki stated bluntly. Nodoka quirked a brow. "What? I happen to care about my sister!"

Nodoka hadn't known Nabiki for long, but she was familiar with the girl's reputation. She hoped there weren't any strings attached to this favor. "Alright then, how do you plan to determine Ranko's feelings?"

Nabiki grinned slyly. "Isn't it obvious?"

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Ranma woke from her sleep to the sound of gentle tapping.

"Good morning, Ranko-chan!" Nodoka sung from the other side of the door.

Ranma rolled over and struggled to sit up. Soft light flooded into the room from the window by her bed. She peeked at the clock on her dresser. 6:30 AM. Woah. She thought. I might actually get to school on time!

For as long as she could remember, her father had woken her up with a violent sparring match. She had never experienced waking to a knock at the door. She had definitely never had anyone sing to her. Is this what it's like havin' a mom? She wondered. A strange and pleasant feeling bubbled up inside of her. She couldn't help but smile as happy tears began to well up in her eyes.

Ranma quickly swung her feet out of bed and sprung into a Kata, letting her oversized pajamas flap about. She couldn't allow her feelings get the better of her. Feelings were for girls. She was a man.

She flowed through her lifelong dance, each movement becoming more graceful than the last. Slowly and steadily, her emotions receded until she felt nothing at all. She was ready to start the day.

She walked briskly to the door. Opening it, she popped her head into the hall. "Um… Hey!" She yelled. "Does anyone know where my clothes are?"

"Try your closet, dear!" Nodoka's voice came from a few doors down.

"Oh…" Ranma muttered. "Okay, thanks!" She shouted in response.

She tread lightly in the direction of the closet. Reaching it, she grasped the handles of the folding doors. She paused a moment before flinging them open.

Inside hung a girl's school uniform along with a few sundresses and flowery tops. Beneath them was a narrow dresser with a glossy-white coat of paint. Okay… Okay… Don't panic… She told herself. My clothes havta be in the dresser. She quickly pulled open the top drawer. It was empty. She tried the others. All empty.

Okay panic.

Half of Nerima awoke to the sound of a high-pitched scream.

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And cut!

The songs that inspired this chapter are:

Our Hell - Emily Haines and the Soft Skeleton