Chapter 63: What Even Is Normal?
A soft whine escaped Tsubame as her sisters and Ranma stared at her. Hibari had just finished her first period. The redheads had won the bet. She'd lost. And that meant... that meant...
"I've got the powder ready," Hibari said, waving the little sachet labelled in Chinese.
Not that Tsubame needed to know another language to know what 男 meant. It was the same kanji in her native tongue, so the package might as well have been written in plain Japanese. Man.
"I've got the water," Suzume said, a gremlin-y smile across her face as she lifted up a glass of water.
"W-why are you so in on this?" Tsubame asked. She was ready to accept Hibari and Ranma being against her, but Suzume?
"It might help you understand Hibari better," Tsugumi offered softly.
Tsubame turned to her eldest sister with a look of pained betrayal. She saw disappointment in Tsugumi's eyes, and her fighting spirit dissolved. She was alone. The last one with any sense.
"Fine," Tsubame muttered, closing her eyes. "Just get it over with."
Hibari took a moment to mix the powder into the water, making sure all the granules had fully dissolved. She then leaned over, pouring a little bit on the brunette's head. It took half the glass before Tsubame felt a shiver down her spine. She sprouted up a four or five centimetres, her sweatshirt and sweatpants feeling too short now. She tried not to think about her undergarments. About the disturbing lack of sensation on her chest. Or the weird new sensation... lower down.
"Ew," she said, her ears revealing her voice had also dropped to an uncomfortably masculine pitch.
"Considering how little you change, Hibari, I half expected not to see any differences with her either," Ranma said.
"Honestly, with slightly bigger clothes, she could still totally pass. The pageboy haircut she's got really helps soften her face," Hibari said.
"Really?" Tsubame asked, suddenly feeling significantly less horrified to be transformed.
Not not horrified. But, less horrified.
Hopeful, she got to her feet and hurried off to the nearest washroom. She ignored the others following her, and instead turned her attention to the mirror. The face staring back at her, was... not quite her. It wasn't a total stranger, but was definitely a little squarer and longer than her normal face. Not feeling overly attached to that reflection and able to ignore that it was her, she did feel that, with a more masculine haircut, the face would look decent, for a guy.
She had no interest in ever being read as a handsome guy, but it was a bit of a confidence boost about her own attractiveness as a girl.
"Definitely not for me, but if any of my friends saw this... they'd be disappointed I don't have a brother," Tsubame said, turning her face to get other angles of the reflection.
"What was that?" Hibari asked, leaning into the mirror reflection.
"What? They're a little boy-crazy. At least most of them," Tsubame said.
Hibari's smile spread from ear to ear.
"... that expression is never a good one to see on your face," Tsubame said.
Hibari bounded over and pulled her transformed sister into a tight hug. While it shot Tsubame through with a reminder of how wrong her current body felt, it was also, simply, confusing.
"Why are you hugging me?" she asked.
"Because you said you don't have a brother," Hibari said.
Oh. Right. She'd forgotten again...
"I... th-that was a-I was saying for as far as they know!" Tsubame blurted, trying to wiggle out of her sister's hug. "Obviously!"
Hibari let go just as the squirming Tsubame got into an unstable position, letting the transformed girl fall on her rear in an undignified manner. The redhead turned with a harumph and marched off.
Tsubame made a face at her retreating form, before standing up to walk towards the furo.
"Where do you think you're goin'?" Ranma asked, blocking her off.
"I got transformed. I felt how awkward it was. Now I'm changing back," she replied.
The pigtailed boy shook his head. "Nuh-uh. The deal was that ya stay that way for a whole afternoon."
Tsubame opened her mouth to argue, but then remembered Ranma was right. Ranma was also much stronger than her, and probably had no reason to act 'gentlemanly' while she was in this form. So she was left making a sneer of disgust before turning and marching off to the living room. She hoped tv could distract her from how wrong her body felt right now. As well as the way Ranma and Suzume were sitting down across the chabudai table, watching her.
It did not work.
"Are ya startin' ta understand Hibari?" Ranma asked, as Tsubame fidgetted, trying in vain to get comfortable.
"No. I'm a girl. I'm supposed to not like this. He's a boy. You and him are both weirdos for liking being in the wrong bodies," she muttered.
"Imagine you were born like that, though," Ranma said.
"Then I'd be a boy," Tsubame countered.
"Alright. Think about Pantyhose. He got cursed within minutes a' bein' born. Imagine that happened to a girl, dunked in the boy spring. Then imagine she got locked somehow. Can ya think about what that'd be like?" Ranma asked.
Tsubame shifted again, trying to wiggle off her currently too broad and angular shoulders.
"It'd be Hell," she half whispered.
"So, what's it really matter if a girl got cursed right after birth or just got born wrong?" Ranma asked, leaning in.
"It... it matters, ok? It... it's got to matter, doesn't it?" Tsubame asked, her currently masculine voice cracking awkwardly. "I... I just wanted to help Hibari. It's not healthy to live in a fantasy land. It will all come crashing down eventually!"
With that, she hopped to her feet, storming off herself. She tried to ignore the feelings bubbling in her gut until she made it to her bedroom. Slamming the door shut, she threw herself onto her bed. Curling into a ball, she tried to cry. She hated all of this. Not just being transformed right now, but everything that had been happening since Ranma had arrived.
It pulled at memories she'd had. Things she'd dismissed from middle school. Watching Ranma in female form with Hibari, or Shampoo with either of them… it pulled at her gut, confusing her emotions. She refused to give into the sort of perversions that that trio were planning, though. No matter how much she found her eyes drifting to other girls again lately.
Ranma and Hibari sat quietly not far from the bathroom as Tsubame showered before bed.
"I thought she might clue in," Hibari muttered, sitting in the hallway and leaning against Ranma.
The black haired boy held her and offered a soft smile. "She ain't clued in after fifteen years livin' with you. One afternoon probably wasn't ever gonna be enough."
"I guess not," Hibari muttered.
Ranma leaned over, kissing her on the forehead. "I'm sure she'll smarten up eventually."
Hibari knocked on the heavy metal door of the magic shop in Yokohama's Chinatown. It took a few moments for the door to open, the familiar form of the shop owner appearing with the opening door.
"Ah, Shampoo and her betrotheds," he said, his Japanese seeming a bit better now.
"Hello," Shampoo said. "We have come for the goods."
"Ah, yes... I have saved some," the shop owner said, leading the trio in.
"You've 'saved some'?" Hibari asked, looking around. The store seemed rather lower on stock than usual.
"This one has had many new customers lately," the man replied. "Lots of women after nyannichuan powder. A few men after nannichuan too. A few bought some other powders and things too. Apparently this humble shop is the talk of Shinjuku's Ni-chome? When this one figured out what was happening, I saved a few packets for our best customer."
"Thank you," Hibari replied. "I wonder why so many new customers are showing up now, though."
"Fumiko's friends, maybe?" Ranma offered.
"Oooh. That would be good for them," Hibari replied.
"What did you save?" Shampoo asked.
"A half dozen packets of nyannichuan powder. This one hopes it will be enough until the next shipment. I have ordered much more for the next round."
"Any waterproof soap?" Hibari asked.
"Oh, no. That sold very fast," the shopkeeper replied.
"Oh..." Ranma said, his shoulders deflating.
"When will the next shipment be here?" Shampoo asked.
"Two, maybe three weeks?" the man replied.
Hibari turned to Ranma with a soft smile. "Maybe we'll think of something else for you to see your mom?"
Ranma nodded. "I've waited, what... twelve years without seein' her. I can wait a couple a' more weeks."
Hibari and Shampoo both stepped closer to him, hugging his arms.
"It'll work out," Hibari said, before turning to the shopkeeper. "We can order a bit in advance, right?"
"Oh, um, yes? This one did not realise you all would want any. Very sorry." the man replied.
Hibari bought her Nyannichuan powder, while Ranma thought things over. His mother seemed to like 'Ran'. She'd offered to be a mother figure for his girl side...
She had that sword though. She'd seemed pretty serious about his father's awful pledge.
Maybe it was cowardly, but his father had always taught him to play it safe when he could. Especially when one's life was on the line. That was a lesson that was hard to forget.
Hibari had run out of waterproof soap the day after the trip to Yokohama, but hadn't really thought much of it. She had more instant packets. So she went to school, just packing a packet as her precaution for the day. She focused on her lessons. She ate lunch with her girlfriends (as Ranma was a girl today) and other friends. They chatted about various little things. Mousse and Rie had seen a cute movie together. Ukyo talked about the new recipe they were working on.
She went off to the change room for gym class after lunch, chatting with some of the other girls. Everyone was going well.
Then, as she was walking past the showers, there was a yelp. A girl, Nozomi, had slipped. She tried to grab a handhold of anything and grabbed the shower faucet, which she cranked to the hottest setting. As well as the maximum setting. The hot water blasted across the shower room, hitting Hibari and two other girls. The three of them yelped, suddenly drenched.
It took Hibari a moment to wonder why she suddenly felt so wrong. It had been weeks since she'd felt this.
"Her hair changed," a girl said.
"Her arms," another muttered.
Hibari glanced at them. They were... right. Hot water. Without waterproof soap. She'd been working out so much more now, with Ranma, and Shampoo, and Akane. Just letting herself gain bulk. She'd spent too long changed by Jusenkyo, and forgotten that she'd always concentrated on the specific muscles she had for the sake of passing.
"I knew it!" Hanazono shouted. "It was that Chinese magic stuff!"
Hibari felt her head spinning. This wasn't happening...
"Oozora's been a boy this whole time!" the tall girl declared.
Hibari felt her breath speeding up. This was... it was her worst nightmare. She'd gotten sloppy, after a month of safety.
The other girls stared at her. A few mouths hung open. They were all staring at her. At her body. The body she'd grown lax about, and worked out in ways she'd avoided before.
"Huh. I never would have guessed," a girl said, her tone soft and indiscernible.
"And her hair didn't change until after Saotome got here," another said.
They were going to turn against her, weren't they...
"Good work, Oozora. That's seriously impressive!"
Hibari blinked.
"What," Kaori asked flatly.
"What?" Hibari added.
"You... we accepted Ranma?" the girl replied.
"That they did," Ranma said, walking over and putting a hand on Hibari's arm (she had been having a girl day, after all).
"Th-that... I... but Oozora was in here before any sort of magic?" Kaori protested.
"So?" a girl asked.
"What do you mean 'so'?" Kaori shouted.
"Oozora, I do want to check, you're totally a girl, right?" a girl asked, ignoring Kaori. "Since Ranma is only sort of one?"
"Y-yes? I mean, yes," Hibari said, still more than a little in shock right now. "Completely a girl. My way, but yes."
"Sounds simple then," the girl said, turning to Kaori.
"Do you need cold water to change back?" another girl asked. "You do look a little uncomfortable about this."
"I, well, I don't have a curse like Ranma," Hibari explained. "I've been using one time magic powder and being careful with it."
"Right, I should probably run an' get ya some, shouldn't I?" Ranma offered.
"But... but Oozora's clearly making moves on girls!" Kaori protested, outraged that everyone was ignoring her and accepting Hibari so simply.
"Wait, are you saying you don't like lesbians?" Kaori's short haired friend asked.
"W-what? I... uh," Kaori muttered, glancing between her two friends, the short haired one with her arm around the longer haired one's shoulder. "I-n-no. I have an issue with boys pretending to be girls so they can leer in the change room."
"Has Oozora ever leered at you?" a girl asked.
"Nope."
"Never."
"She stared at my chest one time," Nozomi offered, "but that was the same look of envy a lot of the rest of you give."
"You can stop bragging about your chest, you know," someone grumbled.
"Besides, Saotome's are bigger than yours."
"They are not. She's just petite in every other way, so hers look bigger," Nozomi protested.
"I DON'T UNDERSTAND ANY OF YOU!" Kaori bellowed, before charging out of the changeroom.
Hibari was left smiling as the other girls largely moved on to other conversation topics. A couple of girls did come over to ask her some biology questions, but they were generally in the same vain that Shampoo had been asked when her curse had been revealed. The girls were more interested in a second opinion on matters such as what peeing standing up was like or whether the ability to differentiate colours was really different between the sexes.
None of them questioned her womanhood.
It had been nearly a week, and Akane had attended her classes in a track suit each day. Kuno Tatewaki was more than a little confused. As such, he decided to turn to Tendo Nabiki.
Nabiki demanded he take her out for yakisoba. He watched, unimpressed, as she wolfed down the noodles.
"So, what's the question, Kuno-chan?"
"Your sister."
"Kasumi?" Nabiki asked, an obnoxious grin spreading across her face as she held a hand out.
Tatewaki snarled and dropped a small wad of bills in her hand. "Akane. Obviously. Why doth she dress in such an unfeminine way of late?"
"Ah. That."
"Yes. That, to word it in casual modern phrasing."
Nabiki held her hand out again.
"You wish for more of mine money, mercenary?"
"This is premium info, Kuno-chan. Akane only just told me about it, and would probably be ticked to find out I've told you. So I need to be able to buy her a gift to beg for her forgiveness," Nabiki replied.
Tatewaki's eyes went wide. The mercenary across from him never seemed to care about her sister's feelings. The explanation must have been truly precious. He emptied the rest of his wallet into Nabiki's hand.
Nabiki smiled. "Well, you see, Akane only started trying to act like a girl just before middle school. She's having second thoughts about the whole thing, though."
"Pardon? What art thou implying in regards to mine beloved tigress?"
Nabiki pulled her book bag up from the ground and produced three photographs. Tatewaki looked down at them, and saw a short haired youth in masculine clothing. But, something about the young boy seemed... familiar.
"... Akane?" Tatewaki asked, staring at the photos.
"Yep," Nabiki replied. "That's from before my dear baby sibling decided to try to live like a girl. Inspired by Kasumi's perfect womanhood."
Tatewaki nodded. "And... now?"
"Like I said, second thoughts. She's not sure if she actually dislikes being a girl, or just dislikes all the misogyny you see day to day living as a girl in Japan. Either way, she's dialing things back to see how it feels."
He nodded again. "I... I must meditate on this."
With that, he stood up and began a slow walk home.
Nabiki watched him leave, slurping up the last of her glass of coke. Hopefully Akane and Hibari wouldn't be too upset with what she just did, but it was for Akane's sake. Being as old fashioned as Kuno was, Nabiki was pretty sure the best shot to get him to leave Akane alone was implying she'd started life as a boy.