Ranma Saotome: Trangender Warrior

Chapter 2


Dawn broke on an autumn morning in Nerima. Kasumi started breakfast, Akane went for a jog, and Ranma faced off against her father in a sparring match. "You're getting slow old man!" she taunted in-between jabs.

"Quick enough to knock you out last night," Genma replied and pivoted for a roundhouse kick.

Ranma backflipped to dodge. "You hit me with a stop sign when my back was turned!"

"A true martial artist never lets down his guard. -Ow!" He winced from the punch Ranma had landed on his solar plexus.

Ranma laughed and pressed the attack. She complained about her father's dirty tricks all the time, but she had to admit it kept their matches interesting. Beneath the petty rivalry, she appreciated her father passing on everything he knew. She suddenly wondered if that might be part of the reason he wanted her to get married; what other incentive would she have to stick around once Pop ran out of things to teach her? Well the old man didn't have to worry about that; she'd be happy to kick his ass any day... if he still was okay with her once she finished transitioning.

"Breakfast is ready!" called Kasumi.

Genma beat Ranma to the table and used the lead to start shoving food in his mouth as fast as he could. Ranma quickly made up for lost time, as the Tendos watched in amazement.

"Very ladylike table manners you've got there, Ranma," Nabiki said as she poured herself some coffee.

Ranma froze for a second, but then retorted, "I'd have starved long ago if I didn't eat fast enough to keep up with this old man. I need the food to grow on, but everything he eats goes to his big gut."

"We both have a man's appetite for the man's work of martial arts," said Genma as he finished the last remaining morsel. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

"I don't wanna have a big argument again," said Ranma as she got up and started heading upstairs. "We had enough of that last night."

"Where do you think you're going?" asked Genma. "Today's your first day of school."

"Fine. I'm glad to have a chance to get out of the house for a while."

Akane grabbed her bag and said, "I'm ready to leave now. Let's go together, Nabiki."

"I don't think so sis. Ranma is your fiancé, so you make sure she... I mean make sure HE gets to Furinkan."

"And remember that he's going to be going there as a boy," added Genma. "Have you got that Ranma?"

"Yes, Pop."

"Say it like a man!"

Ranma dropped her voice a few octaves and bellowed, "Yes sir!" like an army cadet.

Soon she was on her way to school, and Akane asked, "How'd you do that with your voice?"

Ranma grinned and shifted her voice from male to female in a single sentence. "I used to sound more like this, but I practiced to bring the pitch and resonance up to sound like this."

"When did you find time to do it if you were training with your father all the time?"

"Well, I mostly practiced while I was alone doing my katas. I said each move I did it, and I worked to get my speech to flow just as naturally as my form. It was actually kinda cool; I felt like a wuxia hero calling out everything I was doing. A lot of the words were Chinese that I didn't understand, but each one seemed to fit its kata perfectly."

Ranma was lost in thought, and Akane watched her silently until they reached Furinkan. As they passed through the gates she assumed a battle stance to prepare for the onslaught she knew would come.

"Hey what's going on?" asked Ranma, as she saw a horde of male students dressed in a wide assortment of sporting gear charge towards Akane.

"This happens every morning," muttered Akane, and she dove into the fray.

Ranma hopped up onto the wall at the school's entrance to watch the melee. Akane moved with much more confidence and grace than Ranma had seen in the dojo last night; it was a wild street brawl against impossible odds, so she forgot about all the rules she'd been taught and just followed her instincts. Her moves might not be pretty, but they sure got the job done.

Just as the last unfortunate student hit the ground, a tall young man wearing kendo robes stepped into view. From the way he moved, Ranma expected him to be in a different class than the chumps Akane had already beaten; but she stopped respecting the guy as soon as he opened his mouth.

"Weak suitors beaten. Warrior maiden's triumph. But true love approaches."

"Huh?" said Akane.

"Haiku," replied Kuno.

"You have six syllables in the last bit," said Ranma.

"Nitpicking critic! Those who challenge the poetry of Tatewaki Kuno would do well to compose their own epitaph! I am Blue Thunder! Furikan Kendo Champion! Seventeen years old!"

"Too long in the middle this time," said Ranma as she counted on her fingers.

Akane started circling Kuno. "I can handle him myself, Ranma. Don't get in the way."

"Yes, who are you to interfere in our affairs?"

"Glad to tell you." Ranma hopped down and gave Kuno a confident grin. "My name's Ranma Saotome, and I'm staying at Akane's place."

"Jackal!" Kuno surged forward with a quick upward slash that caught Ranma off guard. She jumped up and over Kuno's head in time to have save her belly, but she wasn't fast enough to save her shirt. It sailed off her and landed on Kuno's head as he gaped at her.

"What blessing is this? Something within me hardens. I must know this girl."

Ranma took advantage of Kuno's bewilderment to grab her shirt and inspect the damage. "What's the big idea, you idiot?"

"Oh vision of loveliness, I beg your forgiveness. I mistook you for a boy who rivaled me for Akane's affections." Kuno bowed low, but he couldn't tear his eyes from Ranma's chest.

"Well yeah, I'm a girl, and I don't care who knows..." Ranma looked back at the school and saw nearly the entire student body at the windows jostling for a better view. "I hope Pop doesn't hear about this."

"The whole world's going to know about this, Ranma!" shouted Akane. "What were you doing out there? You don't know Kuno. You don't know this school. So when I tell you I've got things under control why don't you listen to me?"

"Uh..." Ranma backed away as she put her shirt back on and held it closed. "I was just trying to help."

"Well, I didn't ask for your help, and I don't want it! Go get a shirt from the gym, and I'll see you in class." Akane stormed off.

"Maiden departing..." began Kuno.

"Oh skip it!" yelled Ranma, and she ran off. Some first day this was turning out to be.

She eventually found the gym, asked the teacher for a shirt, and went to the bathroom to put it on. It looked okay, and certainly showed her figure better than the baggy Chinese shirt, but was it good enough to pass as a girl? Kuno had thought she was a boy when he first saw her, so what if someone else guessed that she used to be a guy after getting a close look at her? She wished she could be wearing a dress like the other girls, and some makeup would probably help too...

She took a deep breath and assumed the neutral stance. She had to go back or everyone would think she was a coward. No way that was going to happen if her name was Ranma Saotome. She was feeling so pumped up and ready for battle that she was almost happy when she turned a corner and ran into Kuno.

"Blue Thunder returns. Prepare thyself Saotome. Time for a duel!"

"You were too short on the last part this time Kuno."

"I say it 'du-el', two syllabels," replied Kuno as he lunged forward with a flurry of thrusts. This time, he didn't sound annoyed at all, and he smiled as he continued his attack.

Ranma dodged without too much trouble and studied Kuno's technique. It was very formal and traditional; all his moves had been around for at least a hundred years. Still, there was a reason those old moves were still around, and Kuno executed them flawlessly. The thing she couldn't figure out was why Kuno made such conservative attacks. Even if he connected, he'd give her a bruise at best. Then it finally dawned on Ranma: Kuno was going easy on her.

"What are you holding back for?"

"I fight with all the strength in my soul."

"No you aren't!"

"I swear I..." Ranma let one of Kuno's weak thrusts hit her left arm so she could dart in and deliver a knockout punch her right.

Ranma shook her head. "What an idiot." Then she noticed that she'd drawn a crowd again by fighting her way through the halls of Furikan high.

She could hear people mumbling that she was "that babe who flashed her boobs," and spotted Akane in the crowd looking even more furious than before. She was already carrying a bucket as punishment for being late, and Ranma was given one of her own.

The stood quietly for a few minutes till Ranma broke the silence. "So why does Kuno keep bugging you?"

"He got it into his head that if he beats me in combat I have to date him, and then he got every stupid boy in every stupid club in this school to believe the same thing; that's why they all attack me every morning."

"Just to date you? All the girls in this school must be dogs to make those guys so desperate. -Yow!" Akane had swung her bucket and clobbered Ranma in the head. "What did you do that for? You're such a violent tomboy!"

"Tomboy? I don't have to take that from a perverted boy who pretends to be a girl!"

Ranma reeled back more than she had when Akane hit her. Then she turned around, folded her arms, and said, "Don't talk to me," in a cold voice. It took all of her training not to move, not to think, and especially not to feel anything as she stood there. Eventually the class ended, and they got through the rest of the day without speaking to each other.

Ranma tried meditating when she got back, but she just couldn't empty her mind. Instead, she grabbed some chips and zoned out watching TV. Just before dinner, Nabiki came home and handed Ranma a letter written in calligraphy.

"It comes from Kuno," she explained.

Ranma opened it, and it simply said: "Ranma Saotome, I bid thee to meet me at sunset in the place we first met. -Tatewaki Kuno."

"Looks like a challenge," said Ranma. She knew how to deal with that -unlike most of the other problems in her life. She ran back to school after dinner.

The last rays of light were disappearing under the horizon when Kuno walked into view.

"The sun is setting. A maiden awaits her fate. Blue Thunder draws near."

"Where's your bokken, Kuno?"

"I have no need for it tonight."

"That's pretty arrogant considering you lost this morning."

"Our battle only confirmed you are as fierce as you are beautiful, and that makes you as rare and glorious a flower of maidenhood as Akane." He threw something at Ranma, and she reflexively caught it. "Accept these roses, Ranma Saotome. I love you." He gave a smile and walked away without saying another word.

Ranma's first impulse was to throw the bouquet away and shout something at Kuno as he left, but she just couldn't bring herself to do it. She walked back to the Tendo household, got a vase for the roses, and went to bed.

Sleep didn't come easily, and even in dreams Ranma couldn't escape from Kuno. She ran through an endless maze of halls in Furikan High School, and he was around every corner offering roses and saying, "I love you." She jumped out a window and fell through an endless void swirling with rose petals. The fall ended in the Tendo's koi pond, but it was impossibly deep, and she couldn't swim back the surface. Her clothes had disappeared, and a naked quartet of Kunos swirled around her saying, "I love you." She was curled in a ball to protect herself, but she knew as they came closer and closer she'd uncurl and Kuno would see... everything. She awoke in a cold sweat and panting for breath.

Just as she was calming down, she noticed that part of her body wasn't calm at all. It hadn't happened since she got on hormones a year ago, and it meant her testosterone was reasserting itself. On the way to the bathroom, she told herself over and over that it used to happen after all sorts of weird dreams that had nothing to do with men proclaiming their love to her. She undressed, poured cold water over herself, and shivered as she dried off and put her clothes back on.

It was still at least an hour before dawn, so she went down to the dojo to practice on her own. She let her mind pick a kata that felt right, one that could let her express what she was feeling, and she flew into one of the fastest and most aggressive she knew. It was Muay Thai style: all quick strikes with hands, shins, elbows, and knees. She whirled through the kata shouting out each move as she went. This was a dance that would take her through a crowd of opponents, but her technique was much more deadly than Akane had been yesterday. After going through the kata twice, she moved to the acrobatic Wu-Shu and finished with an elegant Tai Chi Chuan. Once she was done, she had an answer that she didn't even know she was looking for. Ranma knew she needed to ask for help.

"That was nice," Akane said simply. For all Ranma knew, she could have been watching the whole time.

"Thanks, I've got something I need to ask you. I need to get hormones, estrogen and stuff, so I can keep on transitioning. That way I'll be a girl and our parents will give up on trying to marry us. You know any doctors around here that could help?"

"Well... the only one I know is Dr. Tofu Ono. He mostly does massage, acupuncture, and stuff with herbs."

"That's okay, he doesn't need to be a specialist. I just someone to write a prescription. Let's go."

"Right now? Before breakfast?"

"Yeah, I don't wanna make us late for school again."

"All right, sorry for yesterday by the way. I didn't mean what I said."

"Its okay, I didn't either."

They quickly changed into school clothes and left for Dr. Tofu's Clinic. The silence felt awkward, so Akane asked Ranma, "When do you like to use those moves you were doing back there in a real match?" and that was enough to keep Ranma chatting about the pros and cons of each style till they arrived.

They were the first customers of the day, and after Akane made the introductions, Ranma said, "I'm going from being a boy to being a girl. Up until a week ago, I was taking 200 milligrams of spironolactone and 6 milligrams of estradiol each day. Could you write me a prescription for some more?"

Dr. Tofu didn't bat an eye. "I haven't treated any transgender patients before, but I do see many elderly women who use those drugs." Ranma talked about the tests she'd gotten when she began, and they discussed symptoms of possible side effects for a few minutes. Then Dr. Tofu wrote out a prescription for a 3 month supply, gave directions to the nearest pharmacies, and held up his skeleton "Betty" to make it wave goodbye as they left.

"I can't believe how easy that was," said Akane.

"Yeah, but now comes the tough part." They swung by a pharmacy and found it would cost 9000 yen for a one month prescription. Ranma had less that 500.

"Nabiki probably has that much or could figure out a way to get it," offered Akane. "She's handled the family finances since she was nine."

"Will she help if she knows what it's for?"

"She'd better. I'm still mad at her for pushing me into getting engaged with you. -Oh I, uh..."

"Its okay, I get it," said Ranma with a smile.

They'd spent so little time at Dr. Tofu's that they got to school before the morning gauntlet had even begun to form. "Wow, this sure is different," said Ranma as she hopped up on a tree.

Akane nodded. "We need to figure out how to get Kuno off our backs."

"Well I could fight him this morning..."

"That wouldn't solve anything," Akane snapped. "Remember that this is OUR problem, and I'm not just here for you to rescue." She took a deep breath and began again. "He likes it when we fight him because it shows we're spirited or whatever."

"Yeah, and he holds back against us -or at least he did against me."

Akane nodded. "It's because we're girls. He doesn't respect us. He's just a stupid pig who thinks women are prizes for men to win. As long as we're single he'll treat us as fair game."

"So you mean we have to get... not-single with someone?"

Akane giggled. "That's what he has to think. I've got an idea."

Some time later, the daily mob gathered as usual and sat around chatting about their chances today. Kuno arrived last and stayed apart from the rest practicing his forms. A few minutes before the final bell rang, Akane and a mysterious figure called out to the crowd from the school's roof.

"Hello, Kuno! I'm sorry to tell you that this amazing martial artist has captured my heart. Ranma loves him too, so you'll have to go through this guy before you can get to us. Sorry!"

"What man dares stand between Kuno and his love?"

"I do! I am Master Happosai!" said Ranma in her boy-voice. She got the name from someone Pop mumbled about in his sleep a while back, and there was no way Kuno would have ever heard of him. "I am such a man among men that I deserve to have both girls all for myself. Ha! Ha! Ha!" The fake mustache on her lip itched, and the red felt curtain she'd draped around herself was really awkward. She hoped she could get this over quickly and return this stuff to the theatre department's closet.

"You rogue! Prepare to meet thy death!" Kuno looked like he was ready to try charging up the building.

"I will meet any challenger on this field once your school has dismissed! The losers of this manly battle will forfeit the right to compete for me and... they won't be able to compete WITH me for Ranma and Akane," she finished hurriedly. The pair fled back into the school, hid the costume, and got to class just before final bell.

At lunch that day, Ranma bought enough to fill her up for the coming battle with the last of her money. Akane found Nabiki and let her in on the plan.

"Everyone's talking about the fight this afternoon and placing bets, but none of them realize he'll be fighting someone he just lost against yesterday. Put some money on Ranma, and give us half of what you make."

"I already knew that 'Happosai' was Ranma," countered Nabiki with a smile. "I've already heard her boy voice, and that ridiculous disguise couldn't fool anyone but Kuno and the dumb jocks who follow him. I'm also not convinced betting on Ranma is a sure thing."

"I won't lose," insisted Ranma. "I really need 9,000 yen for hormones. Just give me that much if I win, and I'll cover your losses if I lose."

"Done," said Nabiki and shook Ranma's hand. She started working the room for bets, and soon had a crowd of students around her waving money and arguing over odds.

Akane shook her head. "Do you realize how much money is going to be riding on this match? You'll owe at least 100,000 if you lose! Nabiki just effectively took about 1 to 10 odds on Kuno."

"All that matters is everything will be okay after I win," said Ranma. "Kuno doesn't have a one in a million shot of beating me."

Once school finally ended, Ranma put her disguise back on and leapt into the circle of students gathered outside. Kuno was pacing furiously, but stopped and raised his bokken to acknowledge Ranma's enterence. "Challenger arrives. Battle for the Maiden's heart. True love prevails."

"Short on the last part again," said Ranma, and Kuno gave her an odd look. "For I have heard Akane Tendo speak of your poetry, and it always stinks. Let's fight!"

Kuno charged and the battle was on. He fought like an entirely different man from yesterday; each powerful swing and thrust would kill if it struck true. Ranma could still dodge him though, and she danced around looking for an opening. Then she tripped on the curtain she wore and Kuno siezed the advantage with a downward slice. She rolled out of the way just in time, but the force of the swing opened a shallow gash in her side and shredded the curtain.

Ranma scrambled to her feat and heard Akane shout: "Your moustache!" Ranma felt her lip and confirmed it had come off. She whirled to just barely dodge another thrust from Kuno, as she held one arm to hide her face and the other to hide the telltale bumps on her chest. This was not going well.

Ranma backpedaled to buy some time. She had to beat Kuno without using her arms or by striking while he couldn't see her. Neither option sounded easy to pull off. Kuno charged again, and Ranma realized she'd backed up to the circle of students and needed to get out of there before a bystander got hurt. She surprised Kuno by running towards him, rolling under his swing, and using momentum to summersault past him to the center of the ring. She was a bit bruised up from the rocky earth but otherwise okay.

Acrobatics had to be the key to winning here. Kuno's traditional style only anticipated opponents who fought with both feet on the ground. She let Kuno come at her again, backflipped to a handstand, and then threw herself back at him feet first to deliver a storm of kicks. Kuno collapsed and the fight was over.

Later that day after Ranma had enjoyed a bath and taken her hormones, she sat down to dinner with the Tendos. She focused on eating as quickly and as politely as possible by keeping her chopsticks a constant blur of motion. That earned a smile from Nabiki, and while she ate Kasumi commented on the roses that had shown up last night. "Those came from a guy at school who likes Akane. I beat him up," explained Ranma.

"Well done, my boy!" said Genma in-between mouthfuls. "You're becoming more of a man every day."

Suddenly, Ranma had lost her appetite.


Thanks again to my beta reader SoulCry.