Chapter 37: Romance on the Shores

The rush of the audience cheering and the bright stage lights made Ranma's heart race. While she wasn't centre stage, Hibari and the lead guitarist were sharing that theoretically (in reality, Hibari was hard at work stealing the show), Ranma still felt nervous about her own playing. Like every eye was on her. Plus the bass guitar was just so much bigger in girl mode, it was a strange shift. Ranma would have been doubting the choice to play as a girl, but the outfit was just so much more fun than the boy mode option had been.

As their song wrapped up, Hibari rushed over to Ranma's side and kissed the shorter redhead on the cheek. Needless to say, the crowd went wild as Ranma blushed furiously.

With that, their time on stage was finished. Ranma hurried over to help roll the drum off the stage while the school chairman Akashi strolled onto stage, clapping away.

"Now that the musical number is finished, there's just one announcement left for the main stage: the winner of the Mister and Miss Wakaba competition!"

With a dramatic flourish, the short man held out his hand and a nervous member of the student council hurried out and handed him a plain white envelope.

"The winner of Miss Wakaba is… first year Oozora Hibari!"

Ranma let out a breath she'd not realised she'd been holding while Hibari blinked in surprise.

"Me? Really?" Hibari asked as she stepped forward.

The pigtailed teen behind her struggle with an odd mix of being proud of her and yet also envious.

"And, for Mister Wakaba... it's another first year! What a surprise!"

Ranma took in another deep breath. Maybe this would be the win. It was, logically, the more likely option.

"Liu Shui!"

A surprised 'aiyah' erupted from the audience before the handsome cursed teen wiggled up to the stage. As Shui smiled and waved at the crowd from beside Hibari, Ranma was suffering a confidence crisis just off stage. Staring aimlessly into space, she nearly missed the next part.

"Now, before we crown the winners, we've got a special third category this year. With the highest number of total votes, and providing a clean sweep to the First Years: Saotome Ranma!"

"Wait? Really?" Ranma asked, running out onto the stage, beaming away.

Members of the student council came out to crown and give each a royal cape while the gathered audience cheered.

"Normally I'd say: what a lovely couple they'd make, but I suppose 'trio' is the going term this year," the chairman said, laughing at his own 'wit'.

As they walked off from school, Ukyo couldn't help pouting. The other three were still wearing the plastic crowns they'd been given. Shui's having won the Mr. Wakaba portion was what really riled Ukyo up. Apart from looks in cursed form... Shampoo was the least masculine person Ukyo knew.

"Are you guys going to wear those all day?" the chef snapped, mainly glaring at Shui.

The other three nooded, smiling away.

"This school is so messed up, Shampoo winning 'Mr Wakaba'... It's just wrong," Ukyo grumbled.

"I heard you weren't far behind you know," Hibari replied.

Ukyo blushed, "Wait, really? I… well, I guess some of the girls have taste."

Beaming away, Ukyo waved goodbye before heading off to work.

Once the chef was gone, Shui turned to Hibari with a puzzled look.

"How did you find that out?"

"I didn't. Just wanted to get her to stop complaining," Hibari replied with a shrug.

Ranma was left silently wondering about Ukyo's priorities. The chef seemed to be getting more and more upset with Shampoo's lack of masculinity. Why was she the target? Shouldn't Ukyo be butting heads with Hibari instead?

"Class, I have some excellent news! Next Wednesday we'll be having a field trip to Kamakura," Iwasaki-sensei announced. "The morning will be spent visiting assorted historic shrines and temples. The afternoon will be a free time at the beach, though there will be guided acti-"

The rest of her explanation was lost below the sounds of cheering as students grew excited about the trip. In the chaos, Hibari noticed a concerned look on Ukyo's face, and decided she'd make a little peace offering. After a few minutes of chaos the students calmed down a bit and Iwasaki-sensei's voice could be heard again, having apparently been explaining things the whole time.

"-a couple chaperones are needed. If there's any volunteers, please let me know for tomorrow."

Tsugumi sat in the yard, quietly reading through a book on 17th century French artistic movements, enjoying the sun. With her sisters coming home any minute, she knew this relaxing afternoon was coming to an end.

"Sis!" Hibari's voice called out.

Turning to follow the voice, Tsugumi spotted Hibari and Ranma walking along the external lot wall. Ranma's arrival had lead to Hibari's arrival home becoming rather less predictable.

"We're having a field trip next Wednesday, and they need chaperones. Would you be able to help out?"

"Wednesday? Hm... I think I'm free. Where are you going?" Tsugumi asked, putting a bookmark in place before standing up.

"Down to Kamakura. We're seeing temples an' the beach," a currently male Ranma replied happily. "I'll get to show off my sweet swimsuit bod."

"Ooh, the beach. That does sound nice," Tsugumi replied. "I'll be happy to help out."

The one downside to the field trip was that the students had to gather an hour earlier than usual. As they stood around waiting for their shuttle bus, Ranma was getting some stares for her current appearance. Being female didn't surprise anyone that much anymore, but the purple eyeliner, red skirt with white floral pattern, and baggy white button-up shirt combined to such a thoroughly feminine look that few of the two classes on the trip knew how to respond to. Shiina was having an especially hard time with it.

"He's just gone full girl," the boxer muttered to himself. "I... how can I be the rival to a girl?"

His nervous muttering was just loud enough for Hibari and Ranma to overhear and giggle over, while Rie tried her best not to join in too much. The two redheads knew this would be fun. Tsugumi, from her vantage point conversing with Iwasaki-sensei and the other teacher present, could tell the two were up to something, but she'd planned to keep an eye on them anyway.

"Ohoh, Shui told me the teacher was young, but you seem barely out of school yourself," Cologne announced as she bounded up to the other adults.

Iwasaki-sensei blushed at the comment. "You flatter me too much, Cologne-san. And you were too kind, closing your restaurant for the day to chaperone."

"Wednesdays are usually rather quiet anyway, and I'm always happy to get in a trip to the beach," Cologne replied happily.

Across the waiting area, Ranma couldn't help raising an eyebrow at Cologne's presence. In her experience, the ancient woman always had an angle.

"Huh, I wonder what the bus across the parking lot is for?" Rie asked, half to herself.

"Volleyball team is having practice somewhere," Kaori rudely declared as she walked past. "Anyone not part Oozora and Saotome's bubble would know that."

"Oh. I've never been good at keeping up with school news anyway," Rie mumbled, feeling self conscious.

"Bleh, who cares? You've got a life, unlike some people," Hibari replied, before glaring at Kaori.

The temples had been interesting to Ranma for the first hour or so, but she'd grown rather bored by the end of it. The way Hibari had remained focused had surprised her. Ranma had spent enough time in musty old temples and dojos as a kid that there wasn't any thrill left in it for her, but she supposed Hibari's more normal life had left them being still fresh to the other girl.

Now though, they were free. Reaching the beach, Ranma took in a deep breath to enjoy the ocean air. After the moment just enjoying the scent, she began to unbutton her shirt. She couldn't help smiling at the way most of the boys on the trip were staring, no doubt expecting Ranma's traditional lack of feminine modesty. They were clearly more than a little disappointed to discover Ranma had been wearing her swimsuit underneath her clothing, though the faux-two piece was still revealing enough to make more than a few blush.

When they noticed Hibari appear beside her fiancée in a matching swimsuit there were more than a couple of nosebleeds.

"You two seem to have many admirers," Shui said while walking up to the two of them.

"Certainly makes a girl feel good," Ranma replied with a large grin.

"How much would you boys pay to see us kiss?" Hibari shouted towards the crowd.

A wave of boys approached waving bills as they moved forward

"Gah! What're ya doin'?" Ranma protested, grabbing her fiancée's upper arm to help get into closer whispering range.

"Well, I'd kiss you for free, but if we can get a bit of cash out of it then why not?" Hibari whispered back, while grabbing any cash in range.

"I... er, it just..." Ranma stammered. Turning a profit on this somehow felt wrong, yet... it wasn't like the money was going towards making Ranma do anything she didn't want to. And Hibari was raking in quite a lot of dough.

"Ooh, 9 735 yen. Pretty good," Hibari said, stuffing the cash into her bag. "Let me consult with my dear partner on just what that buys you all."

The taller redhead turned and leaned to whisper into Ranma's ear. "How do you feel about frenching?"

Ranma blushed furiously, turning with mouth open in shock. Hibari however read the expression a little differently and dove into it.

"Oh no, three boys have fainted, and we need a lot of tissues for all these bloody noses," Ranma heard Tsugumi say as she herself struggled with the shock of what happened. "I hope this won't happen too many times today."

"Ah, it's just a bit of fun si-Oooh, sis! Nice swimsuit!" Hibari said, her sound of surprise causing Ranma regain some composure and turn towards the eldest Oozora.

Tsugumi looked nothing short of stunning. With her long midnight green hair and slightly pear body shape she would turn a few heads in almost anything, but a tiger stripe bandeau bikini turned her into a complete attention magnet.

"Y-you don't think it's too much, do you? I kind of bought it on a whim, but now I'm not so sure," Tsugumi replied.

"It will certainly make chaperoning easy, since almost all the boys will be following you around," Shui said, laughing a bit.

Ranma nodded, a bit speechless to see the regularly maternal Tsugumi in something that bold. These emotions were further confused when she took in the sight of Shui in very tight and short burgundy swim trunks. While Ranma wasn't going to say that Shui was the most attractive male form she'd ever seen (she insisted that title belonged to herself), the pigtailed teen had to admit that either of Shampoo's forms left her a little flustered.

Deciding to sneak away from the boys suddenly crowding around Tsugumi, the three went to find a free spot on the beech. After they set up a parasol and some towels, Shui was called away by Cologne, who wanted help with something.

"I gotta feel bad fer Ucchan," Ranma said. "Havin' ta miss out on swimmin' like this."

"Who said I was missing out on anything?"

Ranma spun around to see Ukyo walking over... and looking distinctly male in a pair of casual yellow swim trunks and nothing else. As Ranma stared in confusion at Ukyo's currently masculine chest Hibari couldn't help laughing.

"It's just a bit of Jusenkyo powder, Ranma," Hibari said.

"Oh! Right. Yeah, that makes sense," Ranma replied, trying and failing in an effort not to stare at Ukyo's chest. "So, uh... ya seem comfortable without a shirt?"

"To be honest, this is pretty nice. Wrapping isn't fun," Ukyo replied. "Been enjoying easier breathing all day."

"Wait, ya've been in guy form all day? Ya change less than Hibari," Ranma said, taking in the chef's face now.

"Hibari and I discussed it. To help cover up the slight increase in my height, I came to school in male form from the start today," Ukyo replied.

"Yeah, we kind of have to give each other space," Hibari added, sliding over to stand beside Ukyo. "See, I'm shorter when we're both using Jusenkyo. Not by much, but I think people might notice the height switch."

"Dang, we're a confusin' group, ain't we?" Ranma said, laughing a bit. "Speakin' of, shouldn't Shui be back by now?"

"You're right," Hibari replied as the trio turned to look for her.

What they found was Shui about 10m away, surrounded by girls asking for tanning lotion application. The cursed girl was smiling away, while complimenting various girls on their swimsuits. It was a mutually beneficial relationship. The girls saw a hot 'guy' who was 'clearly' gay and ready to give them non-threatening attention. Shui got to be surrounded by cute girls.

"She's going to be a while, isn't she?" Ukyo asked.

"Definitely," Hibari replied. "Well, I'm going to rent a surfboard, wanna join me?"

"That could be fun. Whaddya think, Ucchan?"

"Sure, worth trying. Training by the sea I always thought it looked like fun," Ukyo said.

The trio set off towards the the surfboard rental shack, chatting a bit about school and coming up assignments. Ukyo drifted back a bit, enjoying the view of Ranma from behind. The conversation came to a very awkward halt however as they rounded the corner of the rental shack and saw the attendant, dressed in a cute frilly one piece..

"Tsubasa!?" the trio yelped.

"Yea-You two? And U-Ukyo?" Tsubasa blurted. "Perverts! Get away from her!"

With the shout, Tsubasa lunged over the counter, between Ranma and Hibari, to tackle Ukyo. "I'll protect you from those weir-we-w-what!?"

Tsubasa leapt back, staring down in horror at Ukyo's currently male form. After a moment more of incomprensible stuttering, he promptly fainted standing up.

"I think we broke him," Ukyo said, poking Tsubasa in the shoulder. "Wish I could've done this years ago."

"This is too good of an opportunity," Hibari added, pulling a water bottle out from her bag. "It's for your own good, Kurenai."

Before the other two could wonder what she was up to, she uncapped it and poured a bit onto Tsubasa. The brunette shifted, growing slightly shorter, hair shifting to a dark near black colour, and surprisingly generous curves appearing.

"Bwah! What just... why do I-are those boobs? How did I get those?" Tsubasa yelped, the shock of shifting reviving him a little.

"Dang, you've got good genes. I'm envious," Hibari replied, leaning forward a bit to get a look. "Not quite as big as Ranma's, but still pretty good."

"Not quite? I'm way better built," Ranma snapped defensively. A quick glare from Hibari made her sweat a little. "N-not that there's anythin' wrong with a smaller chest. Honestly, that's real cute in its own way..."

"I could definitely mess with some guys with-wait a minute! You're trying to distract me from what you did to the beautiful Ukyo!" Tsubasa shouted, grabbing Hibari by the shoulders. "I'm not about to forgive you!"

"I agreed to it, you dork," Ukyo said. "I attend school as a guy. I couldn't come to this field trip in a bikini, could I?"

"I, well... no... but..." Tsubasa stammered, letting go of a mildly annoyed Hibari.

"See, there's nothing perverted about it, you dolt," Ukyo replied calmly, flicking Tsubasa on the side of the head.

"I guess... but I'm going to stay with you all day to make sure they don't do anything improper!" Tsubasa declared, bounding over to Ukyo's side. "They're guys afterall, and can't be trusted around a precious angel like you."

"Er, physically I'm the only guy in this group right now," Ukyo replied a bit nervously.

"T-that doesn't matter!" Tsubasa snapped back, latching onto Ukyo's arm.

As Ukyo's soul seemed to be escaping, Tsubasa began to grin from ear to ear.

"So, are we still goin' surfing, or not?" Ranma asked, just accepting that they wouldn't escape Tsubasa any time soon.

"Oh! You guys wanted to surf? Yeah! Let's go! I can give you tutorials. I had to get trained to run this booth afterall," Tsubasa replied happily.

Shui had at last finished the quite enjoyable task of lotioning up at least half the girls on the field trip, and was now left looking for the others. A few moments of searching later, the cursed girl spotted them out on the water surfing. Shui hurried off to get a board to join them, only to find the rental shack closed.

Annoyed, Shui decided to head back to the towels the others had set up, decided to work on her tan (having a male cursed form certainly made topless sunbathing easier to get away with in this country). It looked like Ukyo had found a different girl to flirt with, so Shui didn't have to worry about protecting Ranma and Hibari from the Kyotoite's meddling.

"Shui? That's you right?" a voice called out.

Turning, she saw it was Rie asking. What was odd was that the girl was perhaps 2m away, yet seemed quite unsure.

"Yes, is me?"

"Oh good," Rie replied, sliding over and sitting down beside Shui. She shifted to a quieter tone after sitting. "Since we're swimming today, I had to take my contacts out. So... I can't see well."

"You very mature about it. Unlike someone I know," Shui replied.

"Shampoo! I came to help you out!" Mousse's voice suddenly declared. Before Shui could respond, he'd crossed the space from where he'd been standing and grabbed Rie by the hand. "I didn't have anything to do with the restaurant being closed for the day, so I decided to come and help you in case those two tried anything. I'm so glad to see you didn't go-hmphrph!"

Shui moved quickly to block Mousse's mouth. "That was not Shampoo. Put on glasses. Shampoo did not come on trip."

Mousse's eyes filled with terror for a moment, due to Shui's ice cold tone. Well, that and the way Shui was pressed against Mousse's back, which made obvious certain aspects of her cursed form's anatomy. Mousse gave a nervous nod and Shui removed her hand.

"S-sorry. I had thought she'd come with Cologne. I... I wonder where she's gone," Mousse stammered.

Any further chastising by Shui was cut off by the sound of a girl screeching. "Gah! There's a body out there!"

Floating. Thirst. Hot, but cold.

That was everything right now.

Then there was a slap on his cheek and Kousaku opened his eyes. Above him he saw two people. Both had red hair. Slowly the shapes coalesced into Ran and Hibari... and they were wearing matching swimsuits that left little to the imagination.

"Cool. I made it to heaven," Kousaku muttered, before fainting.

Hibari was applying a wet towel to Kousaku's deeply sunburnt head, while Tsugumi and Cologne discussed whether or not the boy needed medical attention. Tsugumi said he looked like he'd been out in the sun for hours at least, maybe even a day. He also wasn't dressed for the water at all, wearing clothing more appropriate for hiking than anything else. Most of the regular cast of teens were gathered about as well, curious about why an acquaintance had washed up on the shore.

"Hey, what's he holdin'," Ranma asked as she realised the boy was grasping something against his chest.

Hibari, being closest to him, gently lifted Kousaku's arm, revealing a golden bracelet with three pearls (or similar gems) that ranged from near white to a dark blue.

"That... that's the Ài wán shǒuliàn. The Love Pill Bracelet," Cologne gasped, before hopping down to Kousaku's side. The ancient woman placed a gentle hand on the sunburnt boy's shoulder (Ranma swore she sensed a movement of chi), waking him so she could ask a question. "Young boy, where did you find this bracelet?"

"Huh? I... the old creep," Kousaku mumbled, clearly still exhausted and half awake at best. "He wuz goin' through his backpack. Tried rememberin' what it was, got distracted... tripped on a rock. Dropped it of a cliff an inta the water... threw me in after ta get it."

No more information was coming as Kousaku fell back asleep.

"Old creep? Do any of you know who that could be? It's quite unusual for a treasure of my people to be in Japan," Cologne asked, turning primarily to Ranma and Hibari.

"Prob'ly pops' old master. He's a creep, an' ancient. Been draggin' Kousaku off on trainin' exercises, since he thinks martial arts ain't fer girls... an' he ain't sure what I count as," Ranma explained.

"Am curious," Shui asked while crouched down beside Kousaku. "What is special about bracelet? Is magic? Or just nice name?"

"It's magical, my child. The one pill will make a person fall in love with a member of the opposite sex for a moment. A second makes them fall in love for a day. The third makes them fall in love for life," Cologne explained. "I forget which is which though."

Shui looked down at the bracelet and swallowed. Love for life. With that... either Ranma or Hibari would be hers. But only one or the other. Both wasn't an option. And both was the only outcome Shui wanted.

Others in the crowd however had far more singular goals, as suddenly Ukyo, Tsubasa, and Mousse rushed forward to each grab a pill.

"Ranchan! It's for your own good!"

"No! Ukyo! Take this instead!"

"Shampoo! Anyone but those two perverts is better!"

Ranma's efforts to dodge Ukyo were thankfully made easier by Ukyo's own need to dodge Tsubasa, though she did end up tripping over Rie (who, for her part, was confused why Mousse kept insisting Shampoo was around). Shui meanwhile went for the simple option of hitting Mousse with an uppercut.

"Stupid Mousse!" Shui shouted, while the pill in Mousse's hand went flying into the air.

Several sets of eyes followed the pill as it flew, wondering where it would land. As she realised it was headed her way, Tsugumi let out a brief 'oh' as she tried to move to catch it in her hand. Unfortunately, instead she caught it in her slightly ajar mouth, and, in surprise, swallowed.

"Aiyah!" Shui yelped, leaping to tackle the eldest Oozora. "Be careful! Do not look at any men!"

"Sure I... did I ever tell you how handsome you are?" Tsugumi asked, a pink blush rising up on her cheeks.

Everyone froze, wondering which pill that had been. Ukyo saw no point in using anything but the lifetime pill on Ranma. Tsubasa similarly hoped that would be the pill he held to give to Ukyo.

"Oh. I had been curious about if Jusenkyo counted," Cologne whispered to herself, before bounding over to a confused Shui and infatuated Tsugumi. Placing her hand on Oozora girl's forehead, Cologne took a moment to read her chi before smiling. "Good news everyone, this was only the day pill."

Hearing that one of the two weaker pills had been removed from the mix caused Tsubasa and Ukyo to both smile and restarted their confused chase, Ukyo after Ranma and Tsubasa after Ukyo. Mousse and Hibari both charged after them, Hibari hoping to protect Ranma, while Mousse hoped to grab a pill to try again with Shui.

"Ucchan! This ain't the way ta go about things!" Ranma yelped as the chef tried to tackle her.

"It isn't ideal, but I love you and I'm not going to lose you!" Ukyo shouted back.

"No! Love me instead!" Tsubasa shouted, lunging for a tackle on the chef.

Ukyo was able to dodge Tsubasa, if only barely. Doing an awkward pirouette to regain forward momentum, the chef was soon chasing after Ranma with barely a moment lost. Tsubasa meanwhile was left picking himself up off the sand.

"Ow, my chest hurts. Why would belly flopping on sand... oh right," Tsubasa mumbled as he stood up. "Who'd of thought boobs had a drawback."

"It's mine!" Mousse shouted, tackling the still distracted Tsubasa. "I need that pill to free Shampoo!"

"No you don't! This is mine to win Ukyo!" Tsubasa hissed, kicking the taller boy in the head as he tried to scramble out of the grapple.

Unfortunately that failed to dislodge Mousse, who was used to significant abuse, and the awkward grapple continued. As limbs flew, and Tsubasa's disdain for men flared up, eventually the inevitable bit of bad luck occured. The pill Tsubasa had been holding slipped into Mousse's mouth as they argued.

Tsubasa froze in terror as Mousse's mind was rapidly rewritten by magic. The Chinese lad blinked a few times before slipping on his glasses and smiling like an idiot.

"So beautiful! Oh, how was I blinded by one as tainted as Shampoo and I overlooked a beauty like you!" Mousse declared, sliding in and attempting to kiss Tsubasa.

"I'm a guy you creep! And I only like girls! Get off of me!" the disguise loving teen shouted, filling with an outrage that empowered him to clock Mousse in the cheek hard enough to send him flying. "Gotta hide! Gotta hide!"

"Come back to me! I'll respect you in a way these Japanese men don't!"

Tsubasa, running as fast as he could manage with his legs a bit shorter than usual, let out a primal screech while trying to make to the safety of water. He'd hid a shark disguise in there, not too far away, and with the scuba gear included he'd surely escape this crazed Mousse. Sifting through the water, he was distracted by the surprising sound of a distressed cat. Turning around, Tsubasa was deeply confused by the fact there was now a black cat tangled up in what looked like Mousse's robes.

"Where did you come from little fellow?" Tsubasa asked, picking up the slightly wet cat and holding it against himself. "You're a cute little thing though. Oh, and very friendly, purring away."

Tsubasa decided to carry the cat away from the water a bit and go see if he could find an owner when suddenly it began to hiss and scratched at him until it escaped his grip. Landing a metre or so away neko-Mousse turned, gave a strange growl, before scurrying off with his tail low and body language defensive. He was severely embarrassed by the effects of the love pill, and more than a little frightened by the way a crush seemed to be lingering on him.

Captain Jun glanced around the beach a bit distracted from her game. The 1st years on their field trip were supposed to be at this same beach, but she still hadn't caught a glimpse of either Hibari or Ranma. Was it too much to ask for a chance to see them in swimsuits? Sighing, she halfheartedly spiked the volleyball into the ground on the other side of the court, causing an explosion of sand.

"This was a waste," Jun muttered.

"Ucchan, stop and think about what yer doin'!"

Jun turned, and was delighted to see the angelic sight of both the girls she'd fallen for running her way. Sure, that Kuonji boy was involved, but she could ignore that and focus on the cute redheads in matching swimwear.

"Come on Ranchan, it'll just take a second!"

"She already said no!" Hibari shouted from a couple metres behind.

Jun didn't know what Kuonji was doing, but if it involved harassing the two beauties then Jun was going to put a stop to it. And maybe throw in a little flare that would make her mother proud. Charging over, she managed to interject herself between Ranma and Ukyo, and took a pose befitting of an otokoyaku actress on stage.

"Now stop right there you-" Jun began, only to be plowed into by chef who didn't have enough stopping space on the loose sand.

As the pair collided and tumbled, the pill in Ukyo's hand flew into the air, only to fall into Jun's mouth as she yelped from the impact. Ukyo, sprawled above the volleyball captain, stared down in worry. Jun, for her part, stuck her tongue out briefly, unhappy with the taste in her mouth. After gagging briefly, she locked eyes with Ukyo.

"I... I'm sorry. I didn't-" Ukyo began to stutter, only to be cut off by a rather angry Jun.

"Get off me, you pervert! Chasing girls around! Tackling me and lying on top of me! You weirdo!" Jun shouted, kneeing Ukyo in the groin to get herself free.

Ranma and Hibari walked over, both as confused as Ukyo had been (pain had currently taken over Ukyo's emotions).

"I... but shouldn't the pill have made her fall in love?" Ranma asked, turning to Hibari.

The taller redhead thought it over a moment, while watching Jun get to her feet and try to brush of some sand.

With a grin, Hibari gave a snap of her fingers and turned to Ranma. "Of course! She's 100% lesbian. That's gotta be it. The pill has to work by amplifying existing attraction, I'll bet."

"Huh, but Ucchan's... y'know," Ranma replied in a whisper.

"Can't change that Jun sees a boy," Hibari whispered back, before turning to address Jun. "What are you guys doing here anyway? I thought you were training, not having a day off?"

"This is training," captain Jun replied confidently. "I felt that changing things up and playing beach volleyball would be a good way to test the team's adaptability."

"Wasn't she muttering about how much she wanted to see Saotome and Oozora in bathing suits the whole bus ride?" a team member commented to another.

"I was not!" Jun shouted, turning to her team. "This was about practice! Seeing them looking cute is just a side benefit! The goal is to recruit them to the team!"

"Uh, well, I have to go help my sister with something," Hibari replied, grabbing Ranma by the hand. "Maybe another time."

As the two redheads waved and ran off Jun felt her eye twitching. All this effort and she only got to see them for about 30 seconds.

Finally arriving back at the Oozora home, Shui was feeling quite tired. Tsugumi had been clingy the whole trip back, and had been getting a lot of stares due to her having only put on a loose button up blouse that she had not buttoned in the slightest, keeping her swimsuit very visible. (Ranma had clearly found the whole situation rather amusing, however Hibari remained quite concerned about her eldest sister.)

"What's going on here?" Ibari asked as the three teens had tried to sneak upstairs with Tsugumi in the hopes to avoid the Oozora patriarch.

"I've fallen in love daddy and I'm going to ma-mrphf" Tsugumi began, before her mouth was covered by Hibari.

"There was slight incident with magic. Don't worry though, is temporary," Shui replied with a reassuring smile.

"One day, and then she'll be back to normal," Ranma added, also giving an innocent grin.

"Magical... fine. If it lasts any longer though, there will be trouble," Ibari replied. What vengeance he could get, he had no idea. Shampoo and her great grandmother honestly scared him. And attempts to deal with Hibari or Ranma always ended in failure. Deflated, he decided to go find Genma and vent about the mess his life had become. (The elder Saotome had become a remarkably good friend these past few months.)

The three teens decided to head towards the kitchen instead, realising that dinner was going to have to be prepared, and with Tsugumi's head in the clouds it would take the three of them a while. Tsugumi, for her part, was happy to go wherever Shui lead.

"Wait! Pill makes one fall in love with opposite sex. Let's get hot water!" Shui said happily, hurrying over to the sink.

Once the water had heated, Shui splashed herself and returned to birth form. Walking back to Tsugumi, she and the other two waited nervously for Tsugumi's response.

"Aww... you went back to girl mode," Tsugumi muttered. "I prefer handsome, but I'll work with cute for your sake, dear."

As Tsugumi grabbed her into another tight hug Shampoo the younger girl pushed her away. "No. You are not airen, and you will not care tomorrow. Please stop."

"But why can't I be an airen?" Tsugumi asked. "Oh, it's such a cute word too!"

A deflated Shampoo let Tsugumi pull her into a hug, while mumbling about how she liked the word airen.

Tsubasa closed the door to his bedroom and took a moment to stare at his reflection. The effect of that Chinese magic certainly had a cute end result. It would save so much time on his morning preparations... but no, wasn't the point of dressing cute every day to hone his disguise skills?

Well, maybe he could just see how long this form would stay.