Author's Notes: Thank you to everyone for their lovely feedback and interest in seeing this story continue. Hopefully, as I keep going, I will be able to live up to your expectations.
Content Warning: There are a few moments of mild dysphoria that occur in this chapter.
A Mother's Secret
By JaquiK
Chapter 2: Worry
Deep in the Qunghai Province of China, cool, morning mists started to give way to the approach of the rising sun, revealing a small campsite in a forest clearing. Inside one of the sleeping bags, a person lay motionless, presumably still dead to the world and completely unaware of the shadow slowly approaching. The shadowy figure slowly crept up, careful not to make a sound, holding a stick-like object in its hand. Quick as a lightning strike, the object was brought down towards the sleeping person's head, only to find nothing but a pillow. A single moment later, the figure found a flat hand extended out, the nail of the middle finger mere millimeters away from its throat.
The sun finally managed to make its way above the horizon, the light revealing the shadowy figure as a tall, broad-chested man in his late thirties. Next to him, hand still extended out, was a fourteen year old boy.
"Very well done, Son. You didn't try to catch the bokken this time."
The boy retracted his hand and did a small bow. "Thank you, sir."
"Now, can you tell why that would have been a mistake?"
"Yes, sir. Catching it would have been showing off and wasting energy, and it would have still been painful even if I didn't miss."
"Exactly. If I wanted flashy showmanship and fancy moves, I would be raising an acrobat instead of a martial artist. Now, go get cleaned up. I'll have breakfast ready when you get back."
"Yes, sir!" The boy then rushed down to the nearby river. He paused at the edge, running his fingers through his hair, noting the length. It had been about 3 months since his last crew cut and it was growing out quite a bit. He knew that another haircut would be due, once they got back to civilization. Privately, he hoped that would still be some time away.
He bent down to start washing, but took a moment to stare into the water. Even with the slow movement of the current, he was able to make out the reflection of his face. He took note of the continued changes. Still a boy, but starting to more and more resemble a man. He was also able to see a few more hairs on his chin. For some reason, a feeling of dread penetrated his guts for just a moment.
As long as he could remember, he had a continued sense of unease. That unease only seemed to deepen as he got older and his training got more intense. He chalked it up to nervousness and anticipation as he came closer and closer to achieving his goal. After all, what else could it possibly be? He truly hoped that once he finally achieved his status as martial arts master, this feeling of unease would finally go away.
He quickly finished washing up, agitating the waters so it would no longer show his reflection. By the time he got back, his father had already finished his own meal, leaving a full rice bowl on a nearby rock. He sat down and started to eat.
His father, seemingly bored, collected a handful of pebbles and started to lightly flick them in his son's direction. It was absurdly trivial to dodge the flying projectiles and the boy became just as bored with this. Eventually, he decided to relieve the boredom by catching one of the stones with his chopsticks. He looked over to his father with a big grin, and was answered by a much faster pebble connecting directly with his forehead, causing him to let out a small yelp. The boy grumbled a bit in annoyance, until he noticed the slight chuckle from his father. He joined in, until the chuckling turned into full blown laughter by the two of them.
Calming down, the father spoke up again. "I have a surprise for you today, ██████."
"What is it, father?" Whenever he was addressed by name, that meant something good was about to happen.
"Your training has come along very well, and I feel you are finally ready for a new challenge."
"Really, father?"
"Yes, there is a very special and secret training ground nearby that has rumors of being somewhat dangerous, but I feel you are now ready to handle it. Now, let's hurry and get going, Son. We'll want to get there before the end of the day."
"Yes, sir! May I ask what this special place is?"
"Of course, Son. It is known as Jusenkyo."
X
Nodoka was trying her best to remain calm. This was for her daughter's sake after all. She needed to know that it didn't have to just be a curse. That she would be accepted. That at least one parent would still love her. Nodoka just needed to focus on that and not on the fact that she probably should have loosened her kimono a bit before pulling this little stunt.
She kept her eyes tightly closed and tried not to think about how her body had shifted and gotten larger. She avoided wrapping her arms around herself as that would only point out just how complete the change was. She made sure not to focus on her hands, the larger hands that were clenched into tight fists and pressing down hard on her thighs.
"Mom? Mom!"
Eyes snapping open, Nodoka quickly grabbed for the other kettle left on the table, popped open the lid, and dumped its entire contents over her head, not caring about the cold water spilling all around the floor. Feeling the shift back into her true self, she let out a gasp and leaned forward, palms pressed down on the hardwood floor, breathing deeply.
"Mom, are you okay?" Ranma moved over and tentatively placed a hand on her mother's shoulder.
"Y...yes Ranma dear, I will be alright in a few moments. It's just...I just need to recover a bit. I…"
"No, it's fine. I totally understand, believe me I do. I've had that happen to me before."
Nodoka looked over to her child with a chill and a slight fear in her eyes. "You...you have?" she asked, hoping she was able to keep the dread out of her voice.
"Oh yeah. With this kind of curse, ya learn real quick that tight clothes and hot water don't mix well at all."
"Oh. Oh right, of course."
"Yeah, but I think the worst had to have been that stupid iron corset."
"The what?"
"It was a whole thing with an annoying French guy who was also really gross and...um, nevermind. It's not a big deal. So, uh, Mom…"
Yes, I know, sweetie," Nodoka said, sitting back up and readjusting her kimono. She took a deep, calming breath and focused, shifting her aura back to where it was previously. "I'm sure you have many things you wish to ask me."
"Well...um...you see…"
Nodoka reached over and gently held on to her child's hands. "It's alright, Ranma dear. You can go ahead and ask."
"Yeah, it's just...well...is Pops really my father?"
"W...what?"
"Well, I kinda don't listen that much in school, but I do know that you're s'posed to get like half of you from your mom and half from your dad, and I don't know what I got from Pops. I mean, I never thought I looked that much like him, but you're just like an older version of my girl form. And when you transformed there, it was like, well...here, I can actually show you." Ranma then reached over to the half-full hot water kettle.
"NO!"
The younger Saotome's hand jerked back as if it was burned by the sudden outburst from the older woman. "Mom? I...I'm sorry. I didn't...I mean I...I don't…"
Nodoka quickly moved to envelop her child once again in a strong embrace. "It's okay, Ranma. I did not mean to yell at you." She then pulled Ranma back and held her at arm's length. "I want you to know that you don't have to force yourself to change. No matter what your father might say, I will accept you for who you are, my daughter."
"Oh. Well...you see, Mom...I'm kinda a...what I mean is-"
"Is everything alright down here? I heard-Oh my! What happened, Mrs. Saotome?"
Nodoka and Ranma both turned to see Kasumi rush into the room, followed closely by the two other Tendo sisters. The elder Saotome then looked down at her currently drenched self and the water pooling on the floor.
"Geez, Ranma, couldn't you have been a little more careful when showing the curse? Sorry, Mrs. Saotome. Water seems to have a mind of its own around him."
The use of pronoun helped Nodoka to avoid giving a smirk at that comment as she looked back up. "Oh no, Akane. I'm afraid this was my fault. I probably should have been better prepared. Experiencing the curse in action was a bit overwhelming for me."
"Ah, so that's what that shout was for. Seeing his normal face must have really been shocking, huh?"
"Pardon?"
"Eh, Nabiki's just teasin me. Ain't no big deal." Ranma looked casual and dismissive, but Nodoka could see the underlying anxiety in her child's face.
"Right. So I should go and clean up this little mess I made," Nodoka said as she started to get up.
"Oh no. You are a guest in this house. We'll take care of it. Now, go ahead and get cleaned up," Kasumi stated in her regular serene manner as she directed Nodoka to the furo. "I'll go get something for you to wear. I think one of my dresses should fit you well enough. Akane, would you be so kind as to get some towels please?"
"Yes, sure."
Ranma still sat in the same position just watching as his mother and Akane headed towards the bathroom while Kasumi went upstairs to find an outfit.
"Well, looks like crisis averted, huh," Nabiki said as she eyed the spot Nodoka vacated, particularly the empty kettle that was still on its side with the lid off. "As much as I'd love to stick around and help, like Akane said, I have some homework I need to take care of. See ya!"
Ranma didn't acknowledge Nabiki leaving. He was far too busy trying to process everything that happened. Before the start of the day, he didn't even know if his mother was alive or not. Now, not only was she alive, not only was she here, not only was she happy to be with him, but it turned out she also had a Jusenkyo curse. Not just any curse either. The exact same one he had. The Nyannichuan. The curse that turns someone into a girl.
It didn't make sense though. It was his mother. She was a girl. A real girl. A real woman. There was no doubting that. But, he saw what happened. He saw the hot water being poured over her head. He saw the change. He saw the hair shifting from dark red to pure black. He saw the face, the face that looked so much like his normal...like his birth form. He saw the pain and discomfort on that face, far too much for an extra tight kimono to cause. He saw the relief as the cold water was dumped and the change happened again. It was quite clear. They may have both fell in the same spring, but to his mother it wasn't a curse. No, his mother was able to make that form her real form. Her true form.
How?
Ranma looked down at the empty kettle still lying on the floor, and then over to the half-full one still on the table. He reached out, hesitated for a moment, and then grabbed it. Pouring a small amount into his palm, he noted the heat, still enough to cause a change if he used the rest of it. As he was preparing to do just that, he paused and looked at his hand again. He saw just how small it was. The thinness and length of the fingers. The delicateness. At the same time, he noticed the callouses, the marks of a lifetime training in the art. He squeezed the hand into a fist and felt the fingernails lightly press into the palm. He stretched the hand out and felt the sinews within. It was a girl's hand. It was his hand.
Any further observation was interrupted by an object flying into his face. "Hey, if you're going to change back, could you at least make sure not to cause more of a mess?"
Ranma pulled the towel down from his eyes and looked up to Akane, then back down to the kettle. After a few moments, he placed the kettle back onto the table.
"Cooled down too much, huh?"
Ranma didn't answer back.
Akane let out a small huff through her nostrils. "Whatever. Let's just get this done."
The two proceeded to mop up the water, neither saying a word. Finally, Ranma broke the silence. "Hey, Akane?"
"What is it?" Akane asked, not bothering to look up.
"What do you think of my cur...of my girl form?"
"Ranma, if you're trying to do some sort of bragging thing, I swear…"
"I'm serious. Just tell me what you really think of her."
Akane froze for a moment, then leaned back into a sitting position. "Well, I guess I'm grateful for you challenging Mariko like that."
"Hey! I told you that was for the honor of the school and-"
"Not for me. Yeah, I know. Still, there was no way you could have fought her in a martial arts cheerleading match if you didn't have your girl form."
"I...right. I guess that's true." Ranma looked down at his hands again.
"Yeah. And...um...well...about what you said to me during the match."
"What? No no no, that was just strategy. Besides, I didn't even know it was you under the kendo mask when I said it!"
"Oh. So if you did know it was me, you wouldn't have said it then?"
Once again, Ranma didn't give an answer.
"Fine, whatever!" Akane got up in a huff, threw her wet towel into Ranma's face, and stormed out of the room, nearly bowling over Kasumi who was coming through the doorway.
"Oh my. Is everything okay Akane?"
"Just fine! I'm going to take a bath before dinner," Akane called out behind her.
"Alright then. Oh, Ranma. I was able to find an outfit for your mother when she is done with her bath. I do hope it will fit her well enough. I need to get started on dinner though. If you'll excuse me." Kasumi then headed off towards the kitchen.
"Hey, Kasumi?"
"Yes Ranma?"
"What do you think of my girl form?"
Kasumi paused in thought for a moment before flashing a simple smile. "I'm sorry, Ranma. I'm afraid you're still a little too young for me." Kasumi then left the room before Ranma was able to react.
What was that about? And why's Akane so upset? I already explained it didn't mean anything. Maybe Mom can figure it out. I'll ask her when she gets out of the bath.
Wait...bath…
"Oh no! Akane, wait!"
Ranma sprinted over to the bathroom and saw Akane just opening the door. "Akane, stop!" he called out as he tackled her, covering her eyes from behind. Just as he predicted, his mother was just stepping out of the warm furo water.
And she was still female.
"Huh?" Ranma let go of Akane and stared at his mother in confusion. "Mom? Why are-" He didn't get to finish as a fist came down on the back of his head, slamming his face into the bathroom tiles.
"What the heck are you doing?!"
"Oh, Ranma dear! Is something the matter?"
"Srry. Fls alrm," came the whimper from the ground.
Ranma was able to recover just in time for dinner. He sat next to his mother at the table and tried not to notice the chill coming from the direction of Akane, who was doing a very good job of ignoring him entirely. Ranma was at least grateful he could enjoy his meal tonight without having to battle with his father over it.
Nodoka spoke up, breaking the somewhat awkward silence. "So, where exactly is that husband of mine? Shouldn't he have been back by now?" She glanced down at her katana, laying by her side.
"Hmm. It appears that he and Father must have decided to extend their celebration. A mother reuniting with her child is a glorious occasion after all."
"If I was to wager, I'd say that your hubby is just scared of facing you. He and Daddy will probably try to slink back in late tonight."
"Well he certainly has a lot he needs to answer for. I do have some things I want to clear up with him though. Maybe you can help me."
"Help with what, Mom?"
"For starters, your father sometimes would mention a pact he made with Soun about the Schools of Anything Goes. Do you know what this is about?"
Silence permeated the room once again, before Ranma finally decided to answer. "Well, you see...Pops and Mr. Tendo, they made a vow to unite their schools through marriage. So now me and Akane are kinda, sorta, engaged."
"Oh, I see. I'm sorry that I wasn't there to attend your Omiai, dear. How did it go?"
"It didn't."
"What was that, Akane?"
"What she means, Mom, is...well, there wasn't an Omiai. The whole engagement thing kinda just got decided for us."
-SNAP-
Everyone turned to Nodoka, who was looking down at her clenched fist and the broken chopsticks held within. "Oh dear. Could I please get another pair?"
"Yes, of course. I'll get that for you," Kasumi said as she stood up.
"Thank you Kasumi. So Ranma dear, you mean to say your father never gave you a choice on this matter?"
"Not really. Plus he and Mr. Tendo keep trying to push us on the whole thing."
Akane gave a little snort. "Whatever. It's not like I'm actually going to marry the perverted jerk anyway."
"Well that's fine cause there's no way I'd want to marry an uncute tomboy like you!"
"Ranma! You shouldn't be rude like that. And Akane, what happened in the bathroom was just a misunderstanding. Now apologize, you two.
"Sorry, Mom."
"Sorry, Mrs. Saotome."
"To each other, please."
"Oh. Um, yeah...sorry Akane.
"I'm sorry too, Ranma."
"That's better. See, Ranma, isn't it nicer when you two get along like that?"
"Yeah, I guess."
"Exactly. Oh, thank you Kasumi." Nodoka accepted the new set of chopsticks.
"You're very welcome."
Nabiki then chose this time to speak up again. "You know, Mrs. Saotome, if your husband manages to catch those two being any nicer to each other, you'll be a mother-in-law before the end of the day," she casually noted.
"Oh, it really could not be that bad. Is it?"
"Trust me, you haven't seen how often we've heard the planning and about how 'The schools shall now be joined!'. Kasumi's had to turn away at least a dozen priests since Ranma came here."
"Oh dear. I really need to have a talk with that man then. Don't worry, Ranma sweetie. I'll do what I can to take this marriage pressure off of you. And then perhaps you, Akane, and myself can have a private meeting to go over what to do for your engagement in the long term."
"That is a very nice thing for you to do for your child," Kasumi said, smiling serenely. "I do hope this will help, although I'm not so sure what we can do for Ranma's other engagements."
-SNAP-
"Oh my, do you need another pair, Mrs. Saotome?"
"Yes, thank you Kasumi. Now, what was that about other engagements? What exactly has my husband been up to beyond the bits I have been able to gather while looking for Ranma?"
"Well, not all of it is Pop's fault. You heard about what happened at the Amazon village, right?"
"Joketsuzoku? Yes, the guide was quite detailed about it. And I wouldn't say your father was entirely blameless on that one."
"Wait, the Jusenkyo guide?" Nabiki asked.
"Oh yes. I have the phone number to the guide's hut. Family secret. Ah, thank you again Kasumi. Now, please continue, Dear."
"Right. Well, the girl, Shampoo, or I guess Shan Pu is how you say it in Chinese, she kinda followed me to Japan, and...I sorta...accidentally defeated her while I was a guy."
"I see. So now this Shan Pu girl thinks that you are her...well, husband. How do you feel about that?"
"It's annoying. All the stupid potions and pressure points and manipulation."
"Oh please!" Akane scoffed. "I don't see you complaining during the times she's hanging off of you."
"Hey! It's not like I want her to do that stuff!"
"Oh, really?"
"Now, now you two," Nodoka interceded. "I'm sure it's not Ranma's fault. Amazon women can be quite forward when trying to achieve their goals and they can be very stubborn, especially concerning their laws."
"You seem to be very knowledgeable about the Amazons and their laws," Nabiki brought up.
"Oh yes. Particularly the ones about how their women handle combat with outsiders. 'If a woman defeats you, kill her. If a man defeats you, marry him.' Seems all a bit absurd to me really."
"And how exactly do you know so much about this? Another family secret?"
"Nabiki! You shouldn't be rude like that to our guest."
"It's alright, Akane. Now, I've mentioned being from a martial arts family. Well, my family always had a special interest in special or exotic locations pertaining to the art. So Jusenkyo and the people surrounding it are well known to us. Although, come to think of it, I'm not aware of any of my ancestors actually receiving a Jusenkyo curse. Anyway, are there any other engagements I should be aware of, Ranma?"
"Well, if you don't count the Kunos who just chase after me, there is one other actual engagement. On the road, I met Ukyo who was the kid of a traveling Okonomiyaki salesman. Me and Ucchan got along really well. I guess that's why our dads decided to set up an engagement. Ucchan's dad even offered his food cart as a dowry. I didn't know about it back then though. Heck, at the time I thought Ucchan was a boy."
"Oh really?"
"Mom! We were both six at the time! I didn't find out that Ukyo was a girl or about the engagement until she tracked me down a few months ago."
"Tracked you down? Did something happen?"
"Oh, nothing too serious," Nabiki interjected. "Just that your husband back then ran away with the food cart and Ranma, leaving little Ukyo behind."
-SNAP-
"Oh, Mrs. Saotome. Would you-"
"YES! Yes, Kasumi, I would like another pair. Thank you." Nodoka then picked up the sheathed katana by her side and looked at it. "Yes, I will need to have a very important talk with my husband when he gets back."
"Wait, Mom! It's not that bad. Yeah, Pops would sometimes cheat or steal for food, but we were out on the road and hungry."
Nodoka set her sword down and turned to look her child directly in the eyes. "Ranma, sweetie, I know you still love your father despite all that he has done. Believe me, I get it. But I also grew up on the road, and my...your grandfather never once set up an engagement and then ran off with the dowry so that I could eat."
"Well, yeah," Nabiki said. "The dowry is provided by the family of the bride, so that never would have worked for you anyway."
"Yes. I suppose it wouldn't."
"Why don't we try changing the subject. We're starting to run low on utensils," Kasumi said, walking back in with another pair of chopsticks.
"That would probably be for the best. Thank you again, Kasumi. So, Ranma sweetie, what are your hobbies?"
"Oh. Well, I really like martial arts."
"That's wonderful, honey!"
Nabiki decided to speak up once again. "Don't forget about the crossdressing."
Everyone turned to Nodoka, expecting another loud snap. Instead, she calmly took another bite of her rice. "Crossdressing, you say."
"Mom, it's not like that at all!"
"Oh, I don't know, Saotome. I thought you looked good in those cheerleader outfits."
"Nabiki!"
"Oh, so you're on the cheerleading team at school, Ranma? That's great! I'm so proud of you!"
"Um, no Mom. It was only a one time thing and it was for a challenge."
"A Challenge?"
"Yeah. It was for a Martial Arts Cheerleading match."
"Martial Arts…?"
"Oh it's real simple," Nabiki interjected once again. "It's just like a regular sports competition, except the cheerleaders fight the other cheerleaders, as well as the other team. Oh, and they also make sure to give their love and support towards their own team. Especially love, right Saotome?"
Ranma's face turned red as he suddenly found the rice bowl in his hands quite fascinating.
"Oh," Nodoka said, "that does sound really...interesting."
"It was a heck of a kendo match, believe me. I can get a tape of it for you if you want."
"TAPE?!" both Ranma and Akane exclaimed at the same time.
"Oh absolutely. I'd be a bit of a fool if I didn't have Saotome's big matches videotaped. They're big sellers after all. Especially the ones where he dresses up."
"Dresses up?" Nodoka asked.
"Yep. Besides the cheerleader match there's the Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics match. Oh, and don't forget the okonomiyaki sales match he had with Tsubasa. I'll even give you a nice family discount for them. 5% off."
"Well, I suppose-"
"Thanks for the meal Kasumi," Ranma said, placing his bowl down on the table and getting up. "I'm gonna go and get a bath in before bed."
"That's a good idea, Saotome. Your dad's probably going to be really drunk when he gets in and I don't need to have him see you as a redhead and then hear him complaining about his 'weak and girly son' the whole night."
-SNAP-
