Genma's Daughter

By ClassicalGal

Original concept and parts of chapter 1 by Nesin Evets

Chapter 11: Turning Points

"Sis? Can I come in?"

After a short pause, a listless voice floated out from inside. "Sure…"

Akane entered, then slid the door shut behind her. Ranko was sitting on her bed, morose, with her doll Kasumi clutched in her lap. Akane followed Ranko's gaze over to the desk, where her violin sat. Uh oh…

She went over to sit next to her sister. "What's wrong, Sis? You disappeared up here as soon as you came home."

Ranko bit her lip. "I can't do it."

Akane was confused. "Can't do what?"

Ranko sighed. "That Bach piece. There's no way I'll be ready in time." She bowed her head. "Sensei said maybe… maybe it's time to give up on it for the recital."

Akane put a hand on Ranko's arm. "Sis, you can do it. I've seen you do things I wouldn't have believed possible if I hadn't seen them myself."

Ranko didn't look up. "I told you, that was Saotome Ranma, not Saotome Ranko."

Akane found herself getting angry. "Why does that matter? What does that have to do with it?"

Ranko looked up, her eyes wet and her voice thick, and Akane's anger evaporated instantly. "I don't know if I have it in me now, Sis. I just don't know."

Akane felt her heart ache. She was sure Ranko could do this and far more—but her sister seemed to be her own biggest obstacle at the moment.

Ranko fussed with Kasumi. "Maybe… maybe I should just be happy being a mother when I get married." A small smile lit her face briefly. "I think I'm going to like that…"

A chill ran up Akane's spine. "Sis, that… that's something I'm also looking forward to, but… but you don't have to give up your other dreams, too!" She was worried; she had never seen her sister with such a defeatist attitude.

Ranko bit her lip. "But… I'm a girl now… and…"

Akane was shocked; she had thought this issue was long since dealt with. She tried to find her voice. "You… you think that because you're a girl, you can't do what you want?"

Ranko looked Akane in the eye, and Akane flinched; she saw despair in Ranko's gaze. "Isn't it going to be a problem? Isn't it true?"

Akane wanted to brush aside her sister's objections, but couldn't. Ranko was right: being a woman was an additional obstacle to any kind of achievement, especially so in Japan. She tried to find something to say. "It… it's a problem, yes, but not a reason to give up! You can overcome it!"

Ranko lowered her head again. "Maybe…"

Akane sighed in frustration. She turned her gaze away, and one of the martial arts posters caught her eye. Bruce Lee; he'd always been one of Ranma's favorites. She looked at the next poster, then the next, and was suddenly thunderstruck.

Guys. They're all guys. Ranko lives in this room every day, and her examples of success are all guys.

Akane had been surprised at how quickly Ranko had stopped making demeaning remarks about women and their place in the world after she became a girl again, which is why her words came as such a shock. As she observed her morose sister, though, she was convinced that the misogynistic poison Ranko had listened to for twelve years was still at work—but on the inside, not the outside. Instead of telling Akane that she was a weak, stupid girl, she was telling herself that she was a weak, stupid girl. Maybe not in so many words, but…

I… I have to find a way for her to see that she can still do whatever she wants, even though she's a girl now. I have to find some role models for her. Akane bit her lip as she realized that that was a tall order in Japan. Let's see… Kasumi is a homemaker. Her mother is a homemaker. I'm still figuring out what I want to do with my life. Who do we know who is ambitious, driven, an achiever…

Of course.

Nabiki's eyebrows shot up. "You want me to be a role model for her?"

She regarded her little sister, who had asked to speak with her in private after dinner, with no little incredulity. Nabiki was sitting at her desk while Akane sat on her big sister's bed.

Akane's eyes pleaded. "Please, Oneechan. She needs someone to show her that a girl can do whatever she wants. Right now, all that sexist stuff Uncle told her is making her feel she can't do anything. I'm sure that's what's holding her back! I don't know if she's even aware of it at a conscious level, but whenever I tell her she's done so many amazing things, that she can do anything she wants, she says 'that was Saotome Ranma, not Saotome Ranko.' It makes me want to strangle her!"

Nabiki ventured a wry smile. "Well, I think I can be more helpful than that, at least." Akane blushed in embarrassment.

Nabiki's smile faded. "I think you might be right, Akane. I have a hunch there's something more here, too. She's still recovering from what happened to her and she still has… problems. Kami-sama, who wouldn't after what happened to her? Let me think…" Akane watched her sister anxiously as she pondered the situation for a few minutes.

Finally, Nabiki spoke. "I'm not so sure if I can be a role model for her, but I do have an idea…"

The next morning, after sparring with her father, Ranko wandered into the kitchen. Kasumi was busy getting breakfast ready.

Ranko looked around. "Hi, Oneechan. Where are Akane and Nabiki-neechan?"

Kasumi turned around and smiled. "They said they had an errand to run downtown this morning. They ate breakfast early and left." She eyed Ranko. "Would you like to help me?"

Ranko smiled, and nodded. She enjoyed helping her mother, and helping Kasumi was just as much fun. She put on an apron and followed Kasumi's direction.

She was pleased at the compliments she got from Uncle Tendou and her father for her part of breakfast. Maybe being a housewife wouldn't be such a bad thing…

As lunchtime came and went, and the afternoon dragged on, she was just starting to wonder what Akane and Nabiki could possibly be up to when Kasumi called her name.

"Ranko-chan, I have to do the shopping for dinner. Would you like to come help me?"

"Sure, Oneechan! Just let me get my purse." Ranko scurried up the stairs.

While she was waiting, Kasumi glanced at her watch and bit her lip. Ranko came back down, and they left. Ranko wondered why Kasumi seemed to be in such a hurry to get out of the house.

An hour and a half later, they were back with a huge bundle of groceries. Ranko was a bit surprised; Kasumi had said they were just going for the dinner shopping, but it seemed that at every store they had visited, she had seen one thing or another that she had forgotten about but absolutely had to get. The trip had dragged on forever…

She spied Nabiki's and Akane's coats as she hung up her own; at least they were back. She helped Kasumi unload and put away the groceries, then excused herself. "I want to see what Akane and Nabiki-neechan were up to today. I'll come back later and help with dinner, OK?" Kasumi smiled and nodded.

After a quick tour of the house, Ranko was mystified. Where could they be? She headed up to her room to put her purse away. She slid open the door…

Akane and Nabiki were in her room, Nabiki at the desk and Akane on the bed. They were both eyeing her, their arms folded.

Ranko was perplexed. "What's going on? Were you waiting for me?" Something caught her eye, and she gasped. Her posters! All her martial arts posters were gone! Instead, the room was full of posters of women, women she didn't even recognize.

"What… what did you do? Why did you replace all my posters?"

Nabiki swiveled the chair around to face her. "Akane tells me that you have some doubts about what you can do now that you're a girl." She leaned forward. "I have a little problem with that point of view."

Suddenly Ranko felt nervous. "Re-really?"

Nabiki nodded. "Really. I happen to believe that a woman can do whatever she sets her mind to. I know I plan to do what I want. I know Akane will, too." Her gaze intensified. "I think you could, too—if you would try."

Ranko lowered her head. "I'm… I'm sorry, Oneechan. I guess… I guess I'm a disappointment to you."

Nabiki leaned back in her chair. "That's not important. What's important is, are you a disappointment to yourself?"

Ranko stared at Nabiki for a moment, then squeezed her eyes shut; tears appeared at the corners. She nodded. "Yes…"

Akane moved to get off the bed and go to Ranko, but Nabiki shook her head and motioned for her to stay put. "Why is that?"

Ranko opened her eyes; they were wet. "I… I just find it hard to believe I can really succeed. I'm a woman. A Japanese woman." She swallowed. "I mean, most really successful people are guys, especially in Japan. Why should I be any different? I should just… face facts." Her lips were a thin line.

Having her suspicions confirmed didn't make Akane feel one bit better. She would have pounded Ranma for saying things like this about her, but Ranko was turning this on herself. She wanted to cry, but couldn't let herself.

Nabiki also had a hard time maintaining her neutral expression in the face of the pain she saw in her little sister's face, but she had to. "Are you sure? Maybe we should take a look at some of the women who are decorating your wall now."

Ranko looked over the posters on her wall. Athletes, astronauts, world leaders, martial artists. She found one she recognized, and smiled: Michelle Yueh, the martial arts film star. She came to a young woman playing a violin, and read the name: "Anne-Sophie Mutter?"

Nabiki nodded. "A violinist." She smiled, for the first time. "She's not Japanese, but she's the only female violinist I could… get a poster of." Akane giggled, and Nabiki chuckled herself.

Her expression grew serious again. "She plays all over the world, Ranko. She has dozens of recordings."

Ranko thought. "But she's a Westerner. Women are more respected there."

Nabiki nodded. "A little more, yes. How about the woman next to her?"

Ranko moved to the next poster. A Japanese woman in her late fifties, but with a youthful air, looked back at her, a cheerful expression on her face. She looked entirely ordinary, like a neighbor you would meet at the market. Ranko read the legend. "Tabei Junko?" She screwed up her face. "I don't think I've ever heard of her… At least she's Japanese. What did she do?"

Nabiki smiled. "She was the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest, Ranko. A Japanese woman."

Ranko's jaw fell open. This ordinary-looking Japanese woman… had climbed Mount Everest? Had been the first woman to do so?

"And she looks like she's just a housewife…" she whispered. Akane rolled her eyes, but said nothing.

Nabiki's smile widened. "Speaking of which, she's married and had two kids. That didn't stop her. She's climbed mountains all over the world, on every continent."

Ranko, slightly shocked, wandered over to sit on the bed, lost in thought. She looked up, and her eyes started to wander over the posters on her walls.

Nabiki motioned to Akane with her eyes, and they both got up, Akane moving to the door. Nabiki walked over to the bed and held something out to Ranko.

Ranko looked at what Nabiki was holding. "CDs?" She took them and looked at the labels. "Uchida Mitsuko? Nishizaki Takako?" She blinked. "Midori? Just 'Midori'?"

Nabiki nodded. "All female. All Japanese. All classical musicians. A pianist and two violinists. Why don't you try listening to them—and see if you think their being girls means they're not good enough?"

Ranko flinched as if she had been slapped. In essence, that had been what she was saying, hadn't it? "But… Oneechan…" she looked around the room at the posters, at the CDs in her hand. "These are all really exceptional women." She lowered her gaze.

Nabiki knelt, took Ranko by the shoulders, and looked her straight in the eye. "You could be too, Ranko, no matter what you do with your life—if you would only let yourself do it. You were exceptional when you were Ranma. Why should you be any different now?"

"But… but that's just it! That was when I was Ranma." Her voice grew heavy. "I… I don't want to be Ranma any more." Her eyes brimmed with tears. "I can't be Ranma any more!"

Nabiki's eyebrows shot up. So, there had been another issue lurking behind all this.

Akane just looked confused. "Why would you have to be Ranma again? I don't understand."

Ranko's eyes lost focus, and she spoke softly. "I was so arrogant, so cocky… so incredibly egotistical. I had to enter and win every single contest, no matter how stupid it was, no matter whether it… it hurt the people I cared about. I dressed up in a bunny suit so I could beat Tsubasa selling okonomiyaki, because I just had to win." She shuddered. "You were right about me, Sis. I was a jerk. I can't be Ranma any more. It makes me feel ill just to think about it."

Akane tried to hold back her own tears. Why did I have to call her so many names?

Nabiki nodded slightly in understanding. She moved her hands off Ranko's shoulders and took her hands. "That's true. You can't be that way any more." Akane looked shocked by Nabiki's statement.

Ranko nodded sadly. "So, you see… I… I just can't…"

"Ranko, do I seem cocky, or arrogant, or egostistical to you? Does Akane?"

Ranko considered that, for longer than Nabiki was happy with. "Well… not really, no…"

Not really? "Do you think we have confidence in our own abilities? Are we sure of ourselves?"

Ranko looked confused. "Of… of course…"

Nabiki nodded. "Ranko, you can't be Ranma any more, it's true. But you still have all the same talents, all the same good qualities. In fact, you have more: it wasn't Ranma who learned to play the violin, it was you. You don't have to be Ranma to be exceptional. You just have to believe you can do it. You weren't successful when you were Ranma because of your arrogance and ego—look at Kunou!—but because you have great talent, and you believed in that talent and in yourself. That's self-confidence, not arrogance."

Her voice softened. "There's nothing wrong with a girl having self-confidence. In fact, it's even more important for us than for boys, because everyone is always telling us we can't do things, and… and sometimes we start to believe that ourselves…" She trailed off, lost in thought for a moment.

She shook her head and looked around the room. "Do you think all these women got where they did by worrying about whether they were good enough because they were girls? They had to believe in themselves. You have to, too. You just have to find a new way to do it, as Ranko, not the way Ranma did."

Ranko gulped and nodded, then looked down.

Nabiki stood and went to join Akane at the door, then turned back. The gasoline had been poured; time to toss the match. "By the way, I had to have most of these posters made up special at a custom print shop today."

Ranko looked up, shock on her face. "Wh-what?"

Nabiki looked around. "All of these women accomplished something really special, but you couldn't find a poster of them anywhere in Tokyo to save your life, with a few exceptions. I stayed up late last night using my computer to lay out posters using photos I found on the web, then had them printed out today." She sighed. "I guess some people don't think women are worth commemorating with a poster."

She slid the door closed behind Akane and herself, smiling in satisfaction as she noted Ranko's face contort in anger. We have ignition…

Akane swallowed. "Oneechan, weren't you a little… hard on her in places?"

Nabiki's raised an eyebrow. "This from the woman whose favorite method of getting her point across was the nearest piece of furniture—or a mallet?"

Akane had the good grace to blush.

Nabiki sighed and put her hand over her eyes. "This touchy-feely stuff is hard for me… I'm going to go take a little nap." She moved to go to her room.

"Oneechan?"

"Mmm?" Nabiki turned back.

Akane smiled broadly. "Thank you. I knew you could help."

Nabiki smiled back. "Anytime, kiddo."

Meanwhile, Ranko was furious. All these women had accomplished things she only dreamed of, and no one thought they were worth putting on a poster? She hung her head in shame as she realized that she herself didn't know who most of these women were.

The CDs in her hand caught her attention. She read aloud: "Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto; Six Chinese Violin Pieces… Nishizaki Takako, violin." A smile flitted across her face for a moment. "Chinese?" She was starting to appreciate Oneechan's subtle sense of humor.

She got up and went over to the CD player on her desk, and put the CD in. As it played, she looked over the posters on her walls a little, but mostly she just sat and listened intently, her brow furrowed.

An hour later, when the CD was over, she got up and went over to look in her mirror. She regarded the redhead looking back at her with a somber expression, studying her carefully. Once, her gaze shifted briefly to the poster of Tabei Junko, then back to her own reflection.

After a couple of minutes, a single word passed her lips, spoken sharply as if in judgment: "Baka." She shook her head, then turned towards her desk, and gazed at her violin. Slowly, her face relaxed into a smile.

That night, as the evening drew on, Akane wondered where Ranko was. She had seemed more cheerful at dinner, so Akane had been surprised when she had disappeared again as soon as it was over. She hoped that Ranko wasn't moping in her room again, and went to go check.

She knocked on the door. "Sis?" There was no answer.

She cautiously slid the door open, then turned the light on. Ranko wasn't here… Where on Earth could she be?

She was about to close the door when she suddenly had the impression that something about the room was different, had changed from the way it had been just a few hours ago. She wasn't quite sure just what it was. She mentally catalogued everything: the furniture, the bed, the dolls and stuffed animals, Ranko's makeup and jewelry boxes, Ranko's violin… that was it: Ranko's violin was missing. And so were her music stand and music books.

Akane frowned. Ranko had gone off somewhere, taking her violin with her. Where could she have gone?

She headed downstairs, back towards the living room. As she passed the door which led towards the Dojo, she happened to glance out the window, and noticed there was a light on in the other building. She paused, then walked over to the door and opened it, shivering in the face of the frigid breeze that bullied its way in. With the door open, she could now hear the sounds of Ranko's violin emanating from the Dojo.

She slammed the door shut, and went to get her coat and scarf, then went back and slipped out. She walked down the connecting walkway to the Dojo, and as she walked up to the door, she heard the strains of the Bach partita for solo violin drifting out, ending suddenly in a missed note. There was a short pause, then Ranko's voice: "Mouuu!"

Akane took advantage of the break and knocked. "Sis? It's me."

Akane heard footsteps; then the door slid open, and she couldn't help laughing. Ranko stood there, once again bundled up with nothing showing but her blue eyes between her scarf and hat, her violin and bow in her hand. Her hands, bare out of necessity, looked white from the cold.

"Hey!" she protested, her eyes smiling. "Can I help it if this place isn't heated?"

Akane entered the Dojo, sliding the door shut behind her. "Why are you practicing out here?"

Ranko turned and walked back to her music stand. "I wanted to practice, a lot. I didn't want to bother everyone. And I wanted to be able to make lots of mistakes without having everyone hear them." She looked around. "Besides, I'm used to training in a place like this." She giggled.

Akane smiled and walked over to join her. "You've decided to practice more?"

Ranko nodded. "Yes. I… I don't want to quit. Not now. I want to play this piece at the recital." She looked off into a corner of the Dojo, and seemed to have something more on her mind. Akane waited patiently.

Ranko sighed. "I'm still really just starting out. When I was Ranma, when I lived for martial arts, I was one of the best. I… after Nabiki-neechan's, ummm, lecture" she smiled, "I can say that now, without feeling like a braggart. I was really, really good, and… and I could be again—if I wanted to. Even though I'm a weak, stupid, silly girl now." Her eyes laughed, and Akane laughed with her.

She paused for a moment. "I don't know if I'll ever be as good with the violin as I was with martial arts. But I want to find out. If I can be even half as good a violinist as I was a martial artist, I'll be happy, because the violin makes me happy in a way that martial arts can't. Because… because when I play the violin… I use my heart." Akane nodded in understanding.

She looked down. "If I give up now, if I just make it a 'hobby', I'll never know what I could have done with it." She looked up at Akane. "Do you know what the idea of giving up made me think of?" Akane shook her head. "It made me think of Miki."

"Miki? Who is Miki?"

"A baby I met on the way home yesterday. She's just starting out. No one knows what she's going to be like, what she can do, what her potential is." Ranko's eyes grew serious. "My talent for violin reminds me of her. I… I want to help it grow up, to see just what it can be, just as if it were my baby. In a way, my martial arts skill was Father's baby, but my violin is mine."

She paused for a while, lost in thought. "And… I feel like I owe it to Miki to try my best to succeed as a girl, so that when she's trying to find her own talent, she… she doesn't have to fight herself quite as hard as I have." Her eyes crinkled, and Akane could almost see the grin behind the scarf. "Maybe I can be a poster on her wall."

Her gaze turned serious. "Thanks, Sis. You and Nabiki-neechan helped me straighten out my head, just a little." She laughed. "It still needs work, though." She and Akane just looked at each other for a few moments, communicating without words.

Akane was smiling broadly, and had tears in her eyes. "You're welcome." She thought a moment. "I think I'd like to meet this Miki."

Ranko nodded. "I did promise her a visit."

Akane smiled, and turned to leave, then stopped and turned back. "Do you mind if I watch you practice?" Ranko shook her head, and Akane went over to sit against the wall.

She turned back to Ranko as she sat down. She shivered; the mats on the floor could get awfully cold. "So, how is the Bach piece coming?"

Ranko giggled. "It's awful."

Akane was confused. "And you're happy about that?"

Ranko lifted her violin to her scarf, and raised her bow. "Yes. Because it's not as awful as it was right after dinner."

Kobayakawa-sensei smiled and called out goodbyes as the students filed out of her classroom. She started to pack her things into her briefcase; she was finished at Shakuji High School for the day. She sighed; she was tired of teaching at two different high schools every week, but there just weren't enough high school students interested in music as an elective to justify a full-time teacher at either Shakuji or Fuurinkan. If she wanted to go back to teaching elementary school kids, that was a different story, but she liked working with older teens.

Tomorrow was Tuesday, a Fuurinkan day. That thought made her think of her favorite pupil, and she shook her head. She wondered what shape the Bach piece would be in when Ranko came for her lesson on Friday.

As she was packing, a movement in the corner of her eye caught her attention, and she turned to the door.

"Ranko-chan!" she gasped. "What are you doing here?" She noted the serious expression on the girl's face, and the violin case in her hand. Oh, Kami-sama, please tell me she's not here to give it back…

Ranko walked into the classroom. "I'm sorry to bother you, Sensei. I… I didn't want to wait until you were at Fuurinkan tomorrow to talk to you. The office told me that you taught here on Mondays."

Sensei nodded uncertainly. "What… what did you want to talk about that couldn't wait until tomorrow?"

Ranko bit her lip. "I… I practiced some more this weekend, and I wanted to… to see if you thought I would be ready to play the Bach piece."

Sensei sagged in relief, and a smile came to her face. "Of course, Ranko-chan! Why don't I sit down, and you can play it for me." She sat at one of the desks.

Ranko got out her violin and sheet music, placing the latter on one of the music stands that dotted the room. She spent a minute tuning, then lifted the violin to her chin. She closed her eyes and tried to calm her nerves.

After a few moments, she was at peace, and she launched into the Gavotte en Rondeau. Sensei listened intently as she made her way through it. Her gaze never wavered in the three minutes or so that Ranko took to finish.

Ranko sighed, and lowered her violin. She was still making mistakes, still tripping over the challenging parts. She knew it was better, but it was nowhere near ready for a public performance. She looked up at Sensei…

Who was staring at her, eyes wide. "How much did you practice this weekend?" she whispered.

"About… about three hours on Saturday, and three and a half on Sunday." She sagged a little. "I wish it were better. I worked really hard, but it's hard to tell."

Sensei smiled, and felt tears coming. Three hours a day? "Ranko-chan, you don't understand. When you played this on Friday, it was a set of disconnected passages. When you played it just now, it was the Gavotte en Rondeau of the Bach Partita for solo violin in E major. There were still lots of mistakes and rough parts, true, but you've made tremendous progress."

Hope lit Ranko's eyes. "Is… is there enough time? Before the recital?"

Sensei nodded, tears in her eyes.

Ranko smiled. "I… I want to do this. I want to play this piece at the recital." Suddenly, Sensei saw something in Ranko's eyes she had never seen before: fire. "And I don't want it to just be 'OK'. I want to play it perfectly. I want to nail it. I'll practice however long it takes. And…" she trailed off. "Sensei? Why are you crying?"

Kobayakawa-sensei surprised Ranko by rushing over to hug her. Ranko held her bow and violin out to either side, not having a hand free to hug her sensei back. Sensei pulled away, her hands on Ranko's shoulders.

"Sensei, what's wrong?"

Sensei shook her head. "Nothing is wrong, Ranko-chan, nothing at all. I'm happy. I'm so happy for you." She wiped her eyes.

Ranko nodded uncertainly.

Sensei smiled. "If you become a mother, or if you ever become a teacher, you'll understand."

Ranko thought of Miki, and smiled timidly. "I… I think I might know what you mean."

Sensei nodded. "I'm at Fuurinkan on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Can you meet me after school all three days?"

Ranko grinned. "I sure can."

Sensei grinned, too.

Ranko and Akane looked over the faded white concrete apartment building. Each floor had rows of evenly spaced balconies, each with a sliding glass door; most of them had laundry hung out to dry or futons being aired. In between the balconies were tiny windows, many with air conditioners in them. The place was indistinguishable from its concrete brethren which carpeted all of Tokyo.

Ranko pulled out the name card once more and looked at it, then back at the building. "I think this is the place."

"The stairs must be on the other side."

Ranko nodded, and the two of them circled around the building. Sure enough, there was a flight of stairs, and they climbed to the third floor, which matched the address on the card. After wandering past several of the gray metal doors, Ranko stopped. "Here it is. Kobuchizawa." She reached out and rang the doorbell.

"Hai!" rang out from inside, and a few moments later, the door opened. Akane looked over the attractive young woman who had answered: she looked more than a little frazzled. Hanging in a baby carrier on her chest was a baby of five or six months, who had to be Miki. Akane smiled; she is awfully cute…

Noriko's eyes lit up. "Ranko-chan! How nice of you to come visit! And you brought a friend!"

Meanwhile, Miki's eyes rapidly scanned the two girls in front of her, a wary expression on her face all the while. The eyes stopped suddenly on Ranko's red hair, widened, then lit up to match her mother's. She squealed in delight. "Gaaaaaaahhh!"

Ranko laughed. "I guess she remembers me."

Noriko smiled. "That red hair is hard to forget, Ranko-chan." She turned to Akane. "I'm sorry, I don't believe we've met."

Akane bowed. "I'm Tendou Akane, Ma'am."

"Oh, of course, Ranko-chan lives with your family, after all. I'm Kobuchizawa Noriko, Akane-chan. And this is Miki."

"Aaaaaaaa…" said Miki, by way of self-introduction.

Akane smiled. She was starting to see why Miki had made such an impression on Ranko.

"Why don't you come in, girls?" They stepped inside, and changed into slippers before following Noriko into the interior of the apartment. It was cramped as such apartments usually were, and baby paraphernalia were everywhere. "You can leave your school things next to the bookcase."

Noriko's eyes darted here and there, ending with a sheepish look to go with her sigh of resignation. "I'm sorry about the mess. This little lady keeps me hopping." She shrugged her shoulders. "I was trying to clean up the kitchen, but she is just giving me no rest today. I was going to take her out to the park, it being such a nice day for December, but I have so many chores piled up…"

Ranko thought for a moment. "Is there anything we can do?" Akane nodded.

Miki's mother smiled. "How nice of you! Thank you so much!"

Ranko, to her delight, was assigned the duty of keeping Miki entertained while Akane helped Noriko clean up her kitchen. While she was a kitchen menace when cooking, cleaning was something she could do just fine. She certainly had enough practice cleaning up after her own disasters…

As they worked, they both smiled at the baby talk and the squeals of joy drifting in from the living room.

Two people without a baby to distract them made short work of the kitchen, and they went back into the living room to watch Ranko play with Miki for a while. Noriko smiled; the two seemed to have a natural rapport. Ranko seemed to be very patient, too, dealing with Miki's occasional protestations calmly. Finally, Miki seemed to get upset about something, and Ranko picked her up and tried to comfort her, holding her with her head over her shoulder. The baby seemed to calm down a little, but was still obviously upset.

Ranko turned to the baby's mother, worried. "Am I doing something wrong?"

Noriko took the baby, who if anything seemed upset at leaving Ranko, but calmed down a little for her mother. Ranko stared as Noriko lifted the baby up and sniffed her. "Oho, I know what your problem is, Missy! We'll take care of you in a moment."

She looked back to the redhead. Normally, she would want to get to know a babysitter a little better before doing this, but she thought herself a good judge of people, and Ranko was clearly a responsible, level-headed girl. And Miki was crazy about her. "You know, I have a little bit more cleaning I could do. How would you girls like to take Miki to the park on your own? I'll get her ready for you, and you can just bring her back in a half hour or so, or earlier if she gets upset."

Akane and Ranko looked at each other, and grinned as they thought the same thought. "We'd love to!"

Noriko smiled broadly. "This is just what I needed: two more potential babysitters." She winked, and the girls laughed.

Ranko looked on with interest as Noriko shuttled to and fro, assembling a stroller, clothes, toys, and so on. "There, I think that's everything." Miki whimpered. "Oh, yes, that's right. I'd better change you before you go, young lady."

Akane nodded, and turned to say something to Ranko, but stopped short. Ranko was as white as a sheet, and was staring at Miki with very wide eyes. Miki matched her, stare for stare. "Gaaaaahhh?"

"Ch-change her?" Ranko swallowed. "Oh… oh, you poor thing… and you're… you're just a baby!" She looked up at Noriko, who had no idea what the girl was going on about. "How did it happen? What… what does she change into?"

Akane rolled her eyes. "Her diaper, Sis! Change her diaper!"

Ranko looked blankly at Akane, then back to Miki. "Oh…" She sagged visibly in relief, letting out a sigh in the process. Almost immediately, her face turned bright red, and she studied the floor intently, deeply embarrassed.

Noriko shook her head. "My, you really haven't been around babies at all, have you?" Ranko shook her head, her eyes still on the floor. Noriko smiled. "Well, we'll have to rectify that, won't we?" Ranko finally looked up and smiled sheepishly.

The young woman seemed struck by a thought. "Are you girls sisters? Akane-chan, you called her 'Sis'."

Ranko and Akane looked at each other. Akane said, "It's a little complicated, Ma'am. We're not really blood relatives, but we do feel almost like we are. Ranko and I were raised together from the time we were born, though we were separated for many years, too."

Ranko nodded. "I'm an only child, but Akane is my twin sister." She giggled.

Noriko smiled. "I think I understand." She looked down at Miki, who had been following the entire conversation intently. "I think it's time to get you ready for your outing, young lady."

She proceeded to lay the little girl down on a blanket, and Ranko and Akane looked on as Miki was given a clean diaper and "suited up" for her sojourn outside. Ranko turned a little pasty as she saw for the first time what was involved in changing a baby's diaper.

In due course, Miki was ensconced in her stroller, gleefully banging both arms up and down on the retainer bar, over and over. Her mother laughed. "She knows what this routine means. I think this is just what we both needed! Maybe the place will be a little less of a trash heap when you get back." She bowed to the girls. "Thank you."

Akane and Ranko bowed back, and were soon on their way, leaving their school things to pick up after bringing Miki home. After carrying the stroller down three flights of stairs, they set off for the park. Akane insisted that Ranko push the stroller, knowing she would enjoy it. Every few steps, Ranko would turn to Akane, a blush and a goofy grin on her face, then turn her eyes forward again. Akane was enjoying watching Ranko as much as she was enjoying Miki.

They reached the park right away, since Miki's family lived right next to it. Miki watched, rapt, as her stroller rolled along the path; she was eagerly taking in all the people who were enjoying the weather, which was relatively warm for December.

They found a bench that was facing the playground. Miki seemed particularly keen on watching the younger children at play there, so Ranko and Akane parked themselves on the bench and turned the stroller to face the show. Miki leaned forward, intent, and Ranko and Akane couldn't help laughing.

They sat for a long time, enjoying the scenery. Akane finally turned to Ranko. "How is your Bach piece coming along, Sis?"

Ranko smiled. "I've been working on it pretty hard for ten days now. Sensei says she thinks it'll be ready in time. I really want it to be perfect, exactly right. I can't stand the idea of playing something in front of all those people unless it's flawless." She blushed slightly.

Akane smiled warmly; it was a joy to see this flame rekindled in her sister. "I haven't heard it for a few days. I think I'll come keep you company in the Dojo again tonight." Ranko nodded and smiled.

Akane looked idly about. "This is probably the last day I'll get to just laze around for a while. The drama club is starting rehearsals for our talent show production."

"What are you doing?"

"We're going to try Romeo and Juliet. Again." She sighed. "This time we're just going to do the scene where they meet, because it has a lot of characters." She brightened. "At least I get another chance to be Juliet!"

Ranko's eyebrows went up. "Isn't that kind of… dangerous? Is there a kiss in that scene?"

Akane nodded and smiled.

"But… aren't you just going to have the same kind of mess you did last time? With guys crashing to try to get a chance to kiss you?"

Akane grinned. "You mean like you?" Ranko blushed crimson and looked down. Akane laughed, and put a hand on her shoulder. "I know you weren't doing it to try to kiss me." Ranko nodded, still blushing.

Akane leaned back against the bench and smiled. "Besides, we have a solution to that problem this time."

Ranko looked up, her face still tinged pink. "What?"

A wicked grin split Akane's face. "Only girls were allowed to try out for Romeo this time. That nipped that problem in the bud." Ranko boggled. "Hey, if I had to play Romeo so many times, let someone else have a turn!" She started to laugh, and Ranko joined her.

They were interrupted by an irritated cry from Miki. Ranko turned the stroller around to face the bench. The little girl was in tears. Ranko and Akane looked at each other. "What's wrong, honey?" asked Ranko. Miki looked up at her with big eyes and continued to whimper.

"Maybe you should pick her up, Sis?"

Ranko nodded, and disentangled Miki from the stroller, putting the baby over her shoulder. Her crying grew louder. "That doesn't seem to be what she wants," said Ranko nervously.

She brought Miki back around to her front, and cradled her in her arms, holding her close. The little girl looked up into Ranko's face, and her cry faded back to a whimper. Suddenly, she opened her mouth in an enormous yawn.

"Ah ha!" said Akane. "She's tired."

Ranko smiled, and cuddled the baby closer. She stopped whimpering, she sighed, and her eyelids started to flutter, then close. She turned her head towards Ranko, and nestled her face into Ranko's chest. Her mouth made some halfhearted sucking motions, and then she was asleep.

Ranko turned to Akane, confused. "Do you know what that was that she did with her mouth just now?"

"I didn't see, Sis. What did she do?"

"She made some motions with her mouth, as she was falling asleep. Like this." Ranko demonstrated.

Akane burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?"

Akane tried to control herself. "You know how when you first arrived at our home, you bragged that you have a better figure than I do?"

Ranko blushed. "I remember. I'm sorry about that."

Akane shook her head. "It's OK." She leaned forward in a conspiratorial way, still grinning. "In fact, Miki was just agreeing with you. She was trying to nurse."

Ranko frowned. "Nurse?" Suddenly, her eyes got very wide, and she turned beet red, as Akane burst into laughter again. Ranko didn't know a lot about babies, but she and her father had traveled through many rural areas, and she knew about this from firsthand observation. She stared at the ground, trying desperately to fight down her blush.

Suddenly, they both became aware that someone was standing nearby, and looked up.

Ryouga looked from Ranko to Akane, then back again. "Let me guess. I'm not on Okinawa, am I?"

Both girls shook their heads.

Miki had stirred and whimpered when they tried to put her back in the stroller, so Ranko continued to cuddle her as they took her home. Akane pushed the empty stroller.

Ryouga smiled warmly as he watched Ranko with the baby. "So who is this?"

Ranko looked up and smiled. "Kobuchizawa Miki. She's a new friend of mine. I met her a week or so ago when I ran into her. Literally." She looked sheepish. Miki whimpered again, and Ranko turned her attention back to the baby, rocking her gently and murmuring softly.

Ryouga found himself drifting off into fantasy…

"Congratulations, Hibiki-san! It's a girl!"

Ryouga looked at his daughter, his heart in his throat. She had red hair, just like her mother, and little fangs, just like her father. The obstetrician placed the baby in Ranko's arms, and she cradled their daughter tenderly, then looked up at her husband with glistening eyes. "Oh Ryouga… she's so beautiful." She looked down at their daughter again, her face glowing with a mother's love, then back up at him. "Oh, Ryouga… Ryouga… Ryouga! Earth to Ryouga!"

Ryouga snapped out of his daydream, and looked around. Akane and Ranko were standing at a flight of stairs about ten paces back, staring at him. He grinned sheepishly. "Sorry."

Akane started to bump the stroller up the stairs, when Ryouga said "Allow me." He picked it up with one hand, and they proceeded to the third floor. Akane rang the doorbell.

"Hai!" echoed from inside, and moments later Miki's mother opened the door. She took a look at Miki in Ranko's arms, then smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry, I forgot to tell you: she hates falling asleep in the stroller for some reason. I see you figured it out." Ranko nodded and smiled. Noriko reached out, and Ranko hesitated a moment, then wistfully handed Miki over. The baby sighed and nestled against her mother.

Noriko had noticed Ranko's reluctance. "You know, if you come babysit for me, you'll reach the point where you'll be a little more eager to get rid of her." She winked, and the two girls laughed. "Come on in."

When they reached the living room, Miki's mother said "Wait a moment while I put her down," and continued down the hallway. Ranko and Akane looked around; the apartment was far neater than it had been when they left. They looked at each other and smiled.

Noriko returned a minute later, smiling. "I see you brought another friend." She bowed slightly. "I'm Kobuchizawa Noriko." She looked expectantly at Ryouga.

Ryouga bowed. "Hibiki Ryouga, Ma'am." He straightened up, and put an arm around Ranko. "I'm Ranko's boyfriend."

Ranko smiled uncertainly. Boyfriend? I thought we were just dating…

Akane knew exactly what the look on Ranko's face meant, but said nothing.

Miki's mother insisted on serving them some tea, "to warm you up," but a half hour later they were finally on their way home to the Tendou Dojo. Ryouga and Ranko were holding hands, a practical necessity to keep him on course.

After a short walk, they turned in the gate, and from there through the front door. "Tadaima!"

Kasumi hurried down the hall. "O-kaeri… Oh, Ryouga-kun! You've come for a visit. How nice!"

Ryouga smiled and nodded. Kasumi made every visit to the Tendou home a pleasure.

They walked back down the hall together, and greeted the family where they sat in the living room. Nabiki rose from the chair where she had been reading. "About time you showed up again. Come on, we have some business to attend to." And with that, she grabbed Ryouga and dragged him off.

Akane turned to Ranko, perplexed. "What was that all about?" Ranko shook her head, equally confused.

Ryouga and Nabiki returned an hour later, just in time for dinner. Everyone settled in around the dinner table; Ranko sat between Akane and Ryouga. She was nervous, for she was starting to get the feeling that her relationship with Ryouga was going farther and faster than she wanted. Weren't they just supposed to try dating, to see if they liked it? Why was Ryouga now saying he was her boyfriend?

She relaxed as dinner began, and everyone started to chat about what had happened that day. Nabiki and Kasumi grinned as Ranko and Akane talked about their experience babysitting Miki. Ryouga smiled as he heard about the parts he hadn't seen himself, and about how Ranko had met Miki for the first time. Ranko was silently grateful to Akane for not bringing up Miki's attempt to nurse.

They were almost done with dinner when it happened. Souun had gone into the kitchen for a glass of water. As he came back to the table, he tripped, and the water glass went flying. Straight at Ryouga.

Time seemed to slow down, and Ranko felt her heart pounding in slow motion. She surged up and over, reaching out, but her speed was not what it had been. Her hand was only in time to touch the edge of the glass, which set it spinning, spewing water everywhere. Ranko fell forward onto the table, closed her eyes, and waited for doomsday.

There was an agonizingly long pause.

She heard Akane's voice. "R-Ryouga? You… you have a Jusenkyou curse?" Ranko cringed. "Why didn't you tell me? And… and Ranko… you were trying to stop the water! You must have known about it! You were hiding it from me, too!"

Ranko started to cry. "I'm sorry, Sis. I'm so sorry. I… I couldn't tell you. I promised him not to tell, on my honor! I'm so sorry about the whole thing! Please forgive me!" She was sobbing.

Ranko heard nothing, and imagined a mallet was on its way to mete out divine punishment. She started when she felt Akane's hand on her back, rubbing it gently.

"Sis, it's OK. Please don't cry. Really, I understand. If you promised, you had to honor that promise." Ranko couldn't believe that Akane could be so forgiving about this. "But what I don't understand is… Ryouga, why did you make her promise not to tell?"

Ranko heard a strangely familiar soprano voice. "Well, I was just too embarrassed about it. You know how we guys are about our manhood."

Ranko sat up with a start, opening her eyes. She turned her head to the side, and found herself face to face with a pretty, black-haired girl wearing a yellow and black bandanna. Her jaw dropped open.

The girl grinned a fang-toothed grin, which made her look quite cute, actually. "Hi."

Half an hour and a kettle of hot water later, Ranko and Ryouga were sitting on the roof.

"Why Nyanniichuan?"

Ryouga snorted. "Cologne didn't exactly have a big selection. She said, 'Where do you think you are, Sonny? Curses'R'Us?' She had some Nyanniichuan for when Shampoo's punishment was over, and she had some Yaazuniichuan, left over from when Mousse threatened to use it on Akane. That was it." He sighed. "A duck didn't seem like a big improvement over a pig. I wanted to move up the food chain." He laughed. "Besides, think about how lost I would get if I could fly."

She chuckled, then stopped. "There was some left for Shampoo, wasn't there?"

He nodded. "Plenty."

"So that's it? P-chan is gone?"

"Yup. Nabiki was thinking about buying a piglet, putting one of my bandannas on it, and… and staging a traffic accident or something…" He gulped. "We decided neither of us had the heart to go through with that." He paused a moment, a little pale, then grinned. "You know, underneath your big sister's diamond-hard corporate raider exterior lurks the heart of a softy."

She smiled. "I know." She paused a moment. "So P-chan just never shows up again?"

He nodded. "I think it'll be easier on Akane that way. She can hope that he's just found a new home somewhere." He sighed. "She'll still be pretty sad, though."

Ranko nodded thoughtfully. "You know, I think… I think I'm actually going to miss him, too. You were kind of cute that way." She giggled. Ryouga just rolled his eyes.

She thought a while, then sighed and looked at her feet. "I hope you know what you're getting yourself into. When you're the opposite sex, people expect you to act accordingly. They get flustered or even angry if you don't. It's… hard."

He shook his head. "Anything has to be better than being a pig."

She looked up. "Are you sure? Doesn't being a girl bother you? Having… the wrong body parts? People expecting you to be feminine when you're really a man?"

He nodded. "Of course it bothers me. But being a small animal is even worse. You have no hands, you have no voice, you're helpless… and people keep trying to eat you." He shivered. "I'll take being the wrong sex any day."

She stared at him, then nodded. "I… I guess you're right. I guess I had it easy…" She blushed and looked down. She hugged herself and started to shiver; it was getting quite cold.

Ryouga reached an arm around her and drew her in, and she sighed and lay her head on his shoulder. She shivered once more as she started to warm up.

He shook his head. "No, you didn't have it easy. I was never a pig for more than a few days. You were a boy for twelve years. And I never actually tried to be a pig. I never thought I was a pig." He shook his head. "You didn't have it easy at all."

She nodded, and suddenly tears were running down her face. He squeezed her a little harder.

"I'm sorry, hon. It still hurts to think about it, doesn't it?" She nodded again, grateful that he was holding her, even as her head spun a little from being called "hon." He's… he's going so fast… Still, she leaned into him a little more, even as she worried. It was so overwhelming, to have someone care about you that much, to worry over your every tear, your every sigh… to want to protect you… I… I don't want to hurt him… But I'm just getting in deeper all the time…

They sat there for a long time. Ranko finally sat up. "Ryouga, I need to go practice."

He smiled and stood up. "Can I listen?"

She smiled back. "Of course, silly."

A short while later Ranko stood in the Tendou living room, her music stand and violin ready. She had been planning to practice in the Dojo again, but it seemed like half the family had wanted to listen tonight, and it seemed unkind to drag everyone out there to freeze.

It had been many days since anyone had heard Ranko play the piece she was working on, and everyone was electrified by the progress she had made. The fathers' shogi game ground to a halt, and everyone else stopped what they were doing to listen. She still stumbled in places, but she had mastered others, and in those passages the full beauty of the Bach composition came to the fore. The music was vibrant and alive as Ranko poured her skill and heart into it.

Nabiki closed her eyes and smiled with pleasure; Kasumi and Akane looked on with pride. Genma and Souun watched intently, as if Ranko were sparring and they were evaluating her.

Ryouga noted new emotions which had joined the others on Ranko's face: self-assurance and satisfaction. He drifted off into fantasy again…

"And now, for her New York debut, the talented young Japanese violinist Ranko Hibiki will play the Bach partita for solo violin in E major…"

Shio screwed up her face as she watched the TV. "What are they saying, Daddy? I don't understand the words." She brightened. "I heard Mommy's name, but they got it backwards! I thought the people on TV were smarter than that."

Ryouga laughed. "It's English, sweetheart, they do names backwards from us. Mommy is in America, in New York. We couldn't go along this time, so we're going to watch her on TV. Look, there she is!"

"Mommy!" shrieked Shio, as her mother walked onto the TV screen from the wings. She was carrying her violin and bow, and dressed in an elegant gown; the audience applauded enthusiastically. She bowed deeply, Japanese-style, then lifted her violin to her chin, and began to play. Her bow flew crisply back and forth; her body moved in counterpoint. Her fiery red tresses swayed in time with the music. The audience was spellbound, captivated by the beauty of the young Japanese woman and the even greater beauty of her music. Shio and her father watched with pride…

Until Ranko missed a note and exclaimed "Mouuu!", jerking Ryouga back to reality. He shook his head, disoriented.

"I can't believe I messed that up! I've played it a hundred times. Oh well." She grinned sheepishly, and started in again.

Since she was working on the same three minutes of music over and over again, everyone began to drift back to their prior pursuits, letting the music become a pleasant background. Everyone was quiet and spoke in hushed tones to avoid distracting her.

And Ryouga watched in wonder, awed by just how much of his heart Ranko was occupying.

End Chapter 11

Monday, September 11, 2000

Copyright Notice

The characters and stories of Ranma ½ are Copyright © Rumiko Takahashi, and are used here without permission or license.

No claims to the above copyright are made by the author of this work.

This work is for non-commercial use ONLY, and is produced for the enjoyment of fans only.

This work is the expression of the author and the depiction of the Ranma ½ characters herein are in no way represented to be a part of Ranma ½ as depicted by the original author and copyright holder(s).