Disclaimer: Don't own Ranma ½ or Sailor Moon.
-Chapter
Two-
-Soothing-
Weary eyes drifted open as pain filtered in to the red-head's thinking system. Where was she?
"Uhhhn…" She moaned deliriously, consciousness slowly fading in.
"Thank god…" Came a hoarse whisper. "Thank god…"
"What… What happened?" Ranma moaned, her eyesight fading in slowly, to settle on the image of a blonde haired girl with twin ponytails, longer than any Ranma had seen.
"Y-you're! Ack—!" Ranma screamed as she tried to get up and pain jolted through her body. Pain and weakness.
"Don't get up! You're still weak… I'd never seen someone drained so far before! Most people just fall unconscious, and after that the youma leave them alone! Baka! Why didn't you just leave him to me! I know you knew I was there when I sliced its arm off!" The irate blonde screamed, words ringing in Ranma's pained ears.
Ranma sighed weakly and fell back, her head resting in the blonde's lap. "My fight! And… People… they were still 'round… had ta be sure…"
Ranma felt her consciousness slipping once again. God she was tired. Maybe… maybe it'd be okay to fall asleep here… this lap was comfortable…
The blonde girl just gave a sad smile, staring down at the fallen martial artist, an impressed look on her face that Ranma didn't get to see. "Baka… you really are as good as you told me…"
Ranma's half-delirious eyes had closed again by now but she murmured. "Only… Tomboy calls me… baka…" The last word so quiet Sailor Moon could barely hear it.
She panicked. "No! No you need to stay awake! I think…! C'mon Ranma! D-don't die… I couldn't take it if…" She grew angry at her pitiful state. "You won't die."
The disguise pen came to her from its personal keep spot and she held it aloft. "Moon Power Disguise: Turn me into a doctor!" She screamed.
Putting more magic behind the pen than ever before, the information from the silver millennium blasted through her mind as she took on the form of a surgical medic from twenty thousand years ago.
"You won't die."
She turned towards Ranma and examined the girl with the newfound knowledge brought to her by the pen and was relieved to find that the girl was only resting.
She chuckled a bit to herself. "All worried over her just being tired. Shoulda' known the Ginsuishou would heal her… baka bunny." She knocked herself on the head making a stupid face and then looked back down to the girl whose head still lay in her lap. Red Chinese shirt caressed her small form, fitting her perfectly along with a pair of long blue pants, tight looking on the girl, holding to her skin. Around her neck lay a locket of pure gold.
"You sure are pretty, Ranma-chan." She murmured. "Make's it real hard to believe you were a boy…"
On impulse, she reached for the small string tying the short girl's hair and undid it, letting her long hair fall down to caress the soft floor of her forest home.
As she lifted the comatose girl, she didn't notice that the redhead was stirring.
That she was dreaming.
Golden light permeated the entire world making it twinkle below her as if it were a miniature sun. A city so enormous that it made the mountains in the distance look like ant hills loomed still farther below herself within her tall spire.
She felt herself staring out the windows of golden tint, looking over her vast city. Her father's city, but it would be hers one day. Then she could change it.
Then she could do it right.
A paralyzing sound of metallic churning echoed behind her. "No! Please N—!" Then the voice was silenced.
She turned around directing a glare at her father, a bored expression on his face and a pair of legs, the upper body missing, lying at his feet. At his own glare, anticipating hers, she relented shyly and turned back to the windows.
"You're a bad man, papa…" Whispered the tiny voice of the young girl, no older than eight. "And someday… I'm going to kill you."
Ranma's eyes opened instantly. She'd been dreaming. That she knew. But it was gone. Her dreams were never remembered upon waking.
Curiously, she felt better than she could ever remember. She sat up groggily, yet contently and found herself lying in a bed. Her own bed at the Saotome Manor.
"H-how'd I get home?" She asked herself, then answered. "Sailor Moon."
"Ranma! Breakfast going to be ready in about fifteen minutes! Hurry up or you're going to be late, dear!" Came a honey sweet voice from below, along with a scent of steamed rice and miso.
While her nose followed the scent of the rice, her mind focused solely on the previous day. Her eyes trailed down to her palm and found resting there a scar, fully healed over, but prominent enough to prove yesterday's events had actually happened.
She felt refreshed and lighter then she ever had. Sweeping up out of her bed she saw that her clothes were still the same shredded scraps from yesterday. Thank god for that.
She took them off quickly, not wanting to miss breakfast. Grabbing a pair of the same, though a cleaner version, she leapt into the hallway and into the bathroom.
She sighed in relief at finding the room empty of all occupants, mainly her father, as he and her mother were the only other ones who lived in this enormous house.
Throwing off the remaining clothes that adorned her, that being underwear, she began to bathe herself as normal.
"That fight yesterday… that technique… If I could figure that out I bet I could beat the old ghoul no problem!" She thought to herself.
As she lay in the furoh a thousand thoughts crossed her mind. What she wanted out of life had not changed with her gender like so much else had. She still wanted to be the best at martial arts ever and she was proud to say she'd still never been truly defeated. Not when it counted.
But yesterday was too close.
Another twenty minutes soaking left her feeling a bit dizzy, as was commonnow. To her eternal chagrin she pulled herself out of the furoh and dried herself unconsciously, her mind completely on the events of the day before.
Sailor Moon. She remembered talking to her. Remembered her blonde-haired form hovering over her, laying her head in the girl's lap. A sweet scent of mint cakes came to mind thinking about the girl along with the memory of that astounding power.
"She was so… strong…!" Ranma murmured to herself, as she threw her clothes on, hair half dried. She knew that she herself exuded a rather magnificent aura, when she wished… but Sailor Moon's was on an entirely different level.
Level? Hell, an entirely different plane. As if she wasn't even human. It made her shiver a bit, just like Saffron had, but, in a throw down, she knew she would probably still win anyways. She was Ranmaafter all.
Besides, she doubted she would end up fighting Sailor Moon.
The pillow the girl's lap had made for her came vaguely to mind and she blushed. "God, I hope not."
She left the room and quickly hopped down the stairs, deep in thought over what she should DO? Find a way to thank Sailor Moon? She did owe her a debt. But… how?
"B-boy!" Came her father's stutter. Wait…? Stutter? He sounded utterly shocked.
"Pops?" She asked, almost concerned.
"Y-your hair!" The man exclaimed.
Ranma, being narcissistic but in the most masculine way possible, did not contain a mirror in her room, and did not care to look at the one in the bathroom, so therefore had not noticed the fact that her hair was spilling down her shoulders, completely unpinned and forgotten whilst she thought about Sailor Moon, the kitchen's smells distracting her even further.
She gulped for a moment and unconsciously reached back to touch it. "Uh… s-so!?" She asked. "I… do you have string?" She asked sheepishly.
Genma Saotome had been… adjusting, possibly as much as Ranma had been to this new girl in his son's shoes.
…
Just his shoes. She'd changed her other clothes to fit her female form.
He was not a bad man, as many considered him to be, nor even a very bad father. He'd thought he had been doing the best thing for his boy, keeping him and Akane engaged. The obvious signs of attraction Ranma and Akane had displayed even from when they first met, had been so blatant that he couldn't possibly have ended the engagement. Honestly, if there had truly been nothing there, he would have ended it.
And there had been something. There had been. Genma had never felt happier than he had that day when his son-turned-daughter walked in the door to the Tendo home holding the Tendo martial artist's hand.
Two short months was all that fire and love had taken to melt away. All thanks to Ranma's condition. He knew when a woman wanted a man. And despite his seeming gender confusion when referring to his son, he knew that Ranma was… changing.
Andhere was the evidence.
By god, was it evidence!
He was not a man prone to gaping, even at an excruciatingly beautiful woman, his wife included.
But… his daughter now defined beauty. Personified it even. Even in her normal casual Chinese shirt and pants, now form fitted for her feminine persona, he had never seen the boy with his hair down. Not once.
Until now…
God, how could he possibly think of his boy as a boy after seeing… this!?
Thus the illiterate response after several awkward moments of staring. "Uhh… I… think there's… uhm… wh-what did you ask again? Ran… ma…?"
Ranma's eye twitched as she stared at her now gaping father, his eyes scanning her in surprise. Not disappointment, to her annoyingly subconscious delight. But still surprise. "Baka, Oyaji." She muttered and then continued towards the kitchen and the aromas that were fanatically attacking her sense of smell.
"Okaa-san!" She moaned in glee as she entered the kitchen, and the attacking aromas blasted her with a blitzkrieg.
"Ohayo, Ranma! I made… oh my…" The woman uttered as she dropped the knife she'd been holding.
"Oh, mom, not you too…" Ranma sighed. "Get me some string and it's goin' right back up!"
Nodoka's eyes suddenly firmed. "No! Gods, why have I been allowing you to keep that tied up!?" She asked, more to herself then anyone else.
Ranma's eyes widened. "Eheh… Cuz' I'm a guy?"
Nodoka's eyes seemed to almost drop at this. "Oh… right…"
Ranma sniffed deciding that now would be an incredibly good time to change the subject. "What'cha makin'? It smells great!" She exclaimed giddily, and was happy to receive the desired effect.
Nodoka brightened at her son's compliment. Not proper etiquette, but a man couldn't expect to have a woman's voice could he? Truthfully, Nodoka had been at a loss as to what she wanted from her son. It was now likely that he would never return to his rightful gender but he was still her son.
And she wanted to see him happy more than anything. She knew that. Those few months of joy she'd seen on her daughter's face, when she and Akane had finally gotten over their stubbornness, had been… magnificent.
But now, Ranma was simply there. No fiancée's to tie her down any more. Nothing for her to look forward to. Nothing for Nodoka to plan for her or attempt to help her with.
She wasn't a woman, and Nodoka refused to make her act as one. Ranma was her son and if he wished to remain that way then he would do so! And if he slowly became feminine… well… that was his choice too.
But for now…
"Nothing spectacular, child. I'm surprised you are awake so early, considering how late I heard you come in your window last night. What were you up to anyways?" She asked, only curious. She trusted her son. He was honorable.
"I… well… nothin' much. Got in a fight yesterday with one of those weird youma…" Ranma saved quickly. The first thing she'd thought of was therapy. But it wouldn't do for her parents to know she was seeing a shrink.
Genma had some… warped… views on psychiatrists and psychologists. Ranma had no clue what Nodoka's views on them were but she did know that her mother tended to agree with Genma in many things that she didn't think the woman actually believed.
Fortunately the fight had been the first thing out of her mouth.
Nodoka only 'hnn'ed as a response. Ranma getting in a fight was like the sun rising in the east. There would never been an end to battle for her manly son!
Even as the warped thoughts fluttered through the elder woman's head, she fished through the drawers and found a string, knowing if she didn't give it to Ranma that the girl would just waste time looking for it until she found it.
"Here you go, Ranma. But… truly… your hair does look… amazing dear." She said almost breathlessly, upon turning towards her daughter again.
Nodoka knew beauty when she saw it, and Ranma had it in spades that her own form even at her daughters age, had not come near.
Ranma merely winced. "Uhm… th-thanks, mom."
Nodoka sighed, in confusion. Did she want a daughter or a son?
At a loss, she went back to her cooking, handing Ranma a plate of the delicious food.
It has been thought by some that Nodoka Saotome and Kasumi Tendo were on an almost equal level in their cooking abilities and the skill required to make a meal 'fit for a king.'
This was a common misconception. The truth was that Kasumi's cooking stood nowhere in sight of Nodoka Saotome's. Having lived a solitary life for the past decade or so, she had busied herself with preparing for when her boys would finally return home to her. For grandchildren and becoming the greatest grandmother to have ever existed, not in small part due to her regret for failing her son so miserably by letting him leave her.
So it was that Ranma inhaled the food, without even a father to attack it, at a faster pace than the girl had ever done at the Tendo's and was asking for seconds… nigh on seconds later.
Nodoka merely sighed with a pained grin. "Child… you will be the death of this old woman."
Ranma grinned back. "Oh, come on mom. You ain't old… now pops on the other hand…" Ranma said, motioning to the man entering the kitchen with a newspaper plastered in front of his face.
Nodoka had to suppress a giggle.
Man or woman, her child was an enigma. It took much to put a sophisticated woman like herself into the shoes of a giggling girl but her child did it masterfully.
"I s-suppose you have a point dear." She said, still fighting down the urge to laugh. "Here. This is your last one, and you'd best be going. School will begin soon. And you know your father…" She murmured, finally returning to her stoic matriarch-esque manner.
Ranma nodded and took the plate, grinning at the significantly larger portion, this time actually bothering to take it into the dining room and eat it, if not at a different pace.
Genma himself took a plate, nonchalantly kissing his wife as he made his way to the dining room as well, ready for his daily routine of attacking his daugh…
…
"She's my boy dammit!" Thought the quazi-panda-brained man.
The day went as usual and not so long after taking his plate, a thoroughly bruised and beaten old man in a white gi lay in the backyard watching the not-so-thoroughly bruised but not altogether perfectly healthy form of his daughter gliding down the street towards Furinkan.
"Dear… perhaps you are getting a bit old. She defeated you even faster then yesterday."
A sign appeared in the balding man's hand reading. "I am NOT!"
Nodoka giggled to herself for the second time that morning. While her son had mastered it, there was a reason she loved Genma Saotome. "You're not in your Panda form, dear. Senility rears its ugly head…"
Genma had the decency to growl.
Ranma, cheerful ever since breakfast, had been happily carefree as she sparred with her father that morning. Forgetting the loss of Akane as a lover and fiancée… forgetting Sailor Moon… forgetting her almost-loss the day before. Now everything was coming back as she made her way towards the bane of her existence.
The voice which spoke to her upon her arrival needed no introduction but the owner of said voice tended to make one anyway. "Ah, fairest tree-borne kettle girl. That you wouldst appear before me this day… twas fate that you and I should meet at the dawn of the second full moon since thine brother has past."
"Hi, sempai…" She sighed. "Thanks for reminding me. I really appreciate it. Glad to see you could make it to school too!" She snapped sarcastically.
Kuno blinked. "Something ails you, my dearest?"
Ranma threw Kuno a half lidded stare. "Doesn't it always?" She asked.
Kuno nodded. "Verily. For thine comfort I suggest thy planteth thy fist into its rightful place at my lips so that thy mood might be lifted. T'would such an action help, my goddess?"
Ranma sighed again. "Yeah… yeah, it always does. Thanks Kuno."
"Nay. Tis' I who should thank you."
With that, Ranma's fist slammed into Kuno's face, sending him rocketing backward into the wall, and through it, causing Ranma to blink. "Oops… put a bit much in that one. Oh well…"
She entered the school, her head bowed so as to avoid attention, which was ludicrous considering the event which had just occurred outside the school. Fortunately she did not see either of the two whom she was trying to avoid so she decided perhaps her meager attempt at hiding had paid off.
Of course it didn't help knowing that both of said people she was trying to avoid were in her class and sat right next to her.
She sighed as she entered her homeroom and sat down, Hiroshi on her left, Akane on her right.
"Hi, Ranma!" Hiroshi exclaimed.
"Morning, cutie!" Akane said with a sign, pulling her eye lid down and sticking out her tongue.
"Ha ha, very funny, unfeminine gorilla." Ranma replied, abysmally. Ranma's current relationship with Akane was a strange one.
"Least I wear girl's clothes." Came her replying sign with the flip. "No room to talk about feminism anymore Ranma."
Ranma growled.
A very strange one.
They didn't hate each other, yet they probably called each other more names now than ever before.
Akane gave a grin and turned her eyes to the front as the teacher walked in, thus beginning yet another boring class day. She could get by like this. She told herself she could. She knewshe could. As long as Ranma was there… she could get over her.
She just needed time.
"So, how's it going Doctor Tofu?" Aiko Mizuruna asked delightedly as her favorite… or perhaps second favorite client entered the room.
He gave his customary beam and said, "Quite well indeed! I'm not completely over it yet but… well… I'm getting close. I can see her without blowing up but… well…"
Aiko grinned. "One bit of skin and control goes out the window, eh?"
Tofu blanched. "H-how did you know?"
Aiko's grin widened. "I'm a doctor. It's my job to know these things. Honestly, I can't really offer you much more than I've given you already, though. Keep at it, remember to breath, don't, and I repeat don't, freeze up, and you should get over it the more you and she date."
Ono acted as if he had something to say but in the end he just smiled. "Miss Mizuruna, you don't have any idea how much you've done for me." He said kindly.
"Don't mention it! Honestly, this session was more of a courtesy session then anything, and I'm not going to charge you for it. I'd done all I can for you Doctor. Just follow what I've told you and you should be able to keep your condition under control.
Tofu grinned. "Well that's a pleasant surprise. I'm curious, where did you go to school, Miss Mizuruna?" The eccentric doctor asked politely.
Aiko wiped her forehead as the telltale feeling of a sweat gland leaking appeared there.
"Overseas. I doubt you'd know it." She thought up quickly.
"Humor me if you would? I think I might want to go there myself someday!" Tofu used a wide smile with his words but even Moon could recognize a subtle probe for information.
"Sorry, Doctor Tofu… that's… confidential." She said, coming up with something quite off the top of her head.
The man's smile faltered and he put up his hands. "Oh I'm sorry! I didn't mean to intrude on your privacy or anything… I just wanted to know…"
Aiko turned to face her desk. Her day had been going so well. She'd liked this poor doctor so much but… well… he was cured of his problem. It was time to let bygones be bygones. Especially now that he was prying.
"I think it's best if you leave Doctor. I'll be happy to see you again if any more problems arise, but as of yesterday you were cleared from my patients list. It's been a pleasure." Her change of tone from her normal friendly voice to the formal indifferent was not lost on Doctor Tofu. She'd done this once or twice before and it always… made him wary.
It was that exact attitude that had made him so curious about his unusual doctor in the first place. However, that was all irrelevant. He recognized a dismissal when he heard one.
"Yes. Yes it has been. Thank you very much, my dear. I must ask before I leave… did Ranma ever come to see you?"
Aiko smiled. Her favorite client after only two sessions had been recommended to come to her by Doctor Tofu. The wild persona who was Ranma had often become a topic of great interest and intrigue between her and her fellow doctor's sessions. The doctor's stories, not to mention most of his meetings with the girl of his dreams, Tendo Kasumi, tended to include the no-longer-gender-construed individual on more than one occasion.
She was glad she'd finally gotten to meet the girl. Even more happy to get to help her with her problems, strange as they were even in comparison to Doctor Tofu's own unusual case.
"Oh yes, yes he did. I sent you the bill for her sessions. She's had two already. You did say you would be paying for her first three, correct?" She asked, and then continued on ignoring the answer he might have put forth. "She is a very troubled individual… I feel… sorry for Ranma, but pity never helped anyone."
"Too true." The chiropractor replied. "Well, I would ask that you inform me of his… well… of Ranma's progress. I've always tried to help her. Him."
Aiko beamed. "Of course, I will! Nothing confidential of course, you understand all that… Well… best be off. I have a busy day ahead!"
Doctor Tofu nodded.
They said a few more rounds of goodbyes until the middle aged doctor finally left. She waited for a few minutes, packing her purse, coat, and several other items she felt she might need and walked into the long hallway.
"I've no more patients today, so I'll be leaving now Ascheri!" She exclaimed giddily to her boss-slash-co-worker.
The woman behind the counter gave a smile and nod but then turned back to her work without a word.
Aiko left the building and in fifteen minutes or so she was at home, inside her tent, and out of the aged body of Aiko Mizuruna, dressed in the attire of the legendary Sailor Moon.
"Ah… good to be back…" She sighed to herself, knowing that she could only keep her normal form for so long. It was only an hour or so till noon. She had a whole day left with little to do, but she did have something in mind.
But there was some time until she could go through with her plans. It seemed forever she lay on that futon caressed by the plastic floor of her tent beneath it.
"Rei… God I miss you Rei. I was never bored with you around…" She whispered to herself.
She rolled to her side, looking out the zipped flap of her tent staring at nothing. Her gaze fell downward towards the floor where the Mercury Computer lay at her eye level, on and blipping, forever scanning the city for disturbance.
"Ami… shy Ami…" She moaned.
In an effort to block out the memories, hide the pain that came to her whenever in solitude, often of late, she buried herself under her three protective blankets and wept. For friends lost. For loves lost. For family lost.
It took hours for her to recover but she did, as she always did. She wasn't Usagi anymore. She may still cry… but she had to be stronger.
Firming herself, readying herself to be of use once more, she lifted the disguise pen for what felt like the millionth time. "Moon Power Disguise! Turn me into a teacher!"
The transformation swept over her as it always did, barely even affecting her. She didn't really even notice the transformation any longer. Just a small buzz, and there she was. Whatever she wanted to be.
'Ranma. Let's figure out how you tick.' She thought to herself.
For the first time in quite possibly her entire life, Ranma was dreading lunch. And that was unusual. Surreal. Impossible even. Some would go far enough to say it was a sign alluding to the end of days, but still, it was the truth.
Of course, no matter how much death her eyes sent flying towards the clock, and even at the threat of being blown to smithereens, time did not stop and therefore the bells tolled the coming of Lunch. The end of boredom. The beginning of fluttery stomachs and difficult decisions.
"Hey, Ranma!" Gasanda exclaimed rushing from her desk to Ranma's as the redhead sluggishly picked up her books and made to exit the room. "I heard that Hiroshi asked—!"
"Don't wanna talk about it!" Ranma interrupted harshly. Far more harshly than she intended as the girl flinched back. Ranma winced too and apologized with her eyes.
Ranma had known news of Hiroshi's proposal had leaked out to the public the day before but she didn't expect Gasanda to know! She was the least gossip oriented of her friends. And if she knew then…
They fell in step alongside each other and left the room "Er… I'm sorry. But I'm really not wanting to talk about—!"
"Hey Ranma! I heard about you and—!"
"I DON'T wanna talk about it!" She shouted to the speedily approaching form of Miyataki, another friend she'd made since being locked.
Unlike Gasanda, Miyataki would have none of Ranma's denial. "Oh come on! Stop whining and tell me what's going on! Come on Ranma! He's your best friend! You can't just turn him do—!"
"I REALLY DON'T want to talk about it!" She seethed. "And who said I turned him down!?"
Miyataki grinned. "Oh yeah, he's all heartbroken about it. Said you turned him down and everything. So you should tell us what this is all about!" She exclaimed giddily.
"What!?"The redhead screamed.
Then, with newly found intelligence which had been strangely lacking when she had been cursed to become both male and female, Ranma's eyes narrowed as she recognized the sarcasm in her friend's voice.
"He never said any of that, did he?" She asked heatedly.
Miyataki just beamed, shaking her head in the negative. "Nope! But you still have to talk!"
"Miya…ta—" Ranma trailed off, staring over Miya's shoulder.
"Hey Ranma… can I talk to you alone a sec?" Hiroshi asked, shocking Miyataki, to Ranma's immense inward delight, even though she was to tight-lipped to say it.
Her face flushed. "Uh… yeasure." She said, so fast the words seemed slurred. She stepped past Miyataki and Gasanda, face burning, and walked away from them to a more private corner of the hallway as the girls behind her began whispering together and several other girl's joined them, Akane included.
'Akane…' Ranma thought. Her eyes lingered on the girl as she glanced back for a longing moment but she was quickly returned to the present.
"Ranma…" Hiroshi said straightly.
"Yeah?" She asked, facing away from both him and the whispering girls, finding a certain wall tile particularly interesting.
"So… did you think about it?" He asked.
Ranma nodded, still staring away from him.
"Aand…?" he drawled.
Ranma turned to him and beamed. "I need more time!"
Hiroshi face faulted, and then glared up at his martial arts obsessed friend. "Jeez…! Ranma if this is just some game to you then forget it!" He exclaimed. "I'm your friend… It's not like I'm trying to take advantage of you or something… Here you go, joking around…"
He stood and began to walk off mumbling to himself, unaware that Ranma could hear the words. "Shoulda' never even tried… makin' myself look like an idi—"
"Hiroshi…" Ranma murmured.
He stopped and turned, to find Ranma staring at him with her creepily wide eyes. "Look… It's not a joke. I just… it's… weird, okay? This was really fast… really fast. Me and Akane were just… well… we… Er… I…" She stuttered, trying to come up with something to say.
"What are you tryin' to say, Ranma?" He asked. He knew his friend, and he definitely knew when Ranma was attempting, and failing miserably, to beat around the bush. Now was a perfect example.
Ranma sighed. With one final glance at Akane, who was busy whispering and glancing at her and Hiroshi periodically, she thought. 'Do or die, right? I've been so lonely ever since…'
Her eyes clenched tight. "I'm saying yes! Friday. Six. Don't be late!" She said sharply, and then dashed away towards the cafeteria leaving a dumbfounded best friend.
And then a madly grinning best friend, desperately trying to keep his hormones down.
Despite public opinion, he really was simply trying to help Ranma. Granted, she was beautiful beyond the figure of any other girl he'd ever seen, but he truly wanted to help his best friend. She was in a tangle. She obviously was interested in girls, but ever since Akane and she had split off a week or so ago the girl had seemed desperately lonely, so much that he worried about her.
She'd been so damn lonely, that he had no choice but to try to find some way to cheer his once male friend up. In the end, he completely blind-sided the redhead.
His intentions were, believe it or not, unromantic.
At least, that's what he tried to tell himself.
He'd been trying to avoid noticing the… looks… Ranma would give boys randomly. It was mostly Ryoga she gave them to end but he had found himself on the receiving end of one once or twice during the past two months since her return.
They were confused looks. Strained and incomprehensible looks, for Ranma anyway. For any other girl they would be damn close to appraisals. He knew he'd seen her give Akane those looks back when he was a boy. And even more upon returning. But this was Ranma. Couldn't be…
Despite his musings, Hiroshi couldn't ignore that those looks had heavily increased since Ranma and Akane's break up. Not to mention that she'd now said… YES…
The gaggling girls following the redhead entertained him as he watched them follow the afterimage of his best friend and… well… he wasn't really sure.
"Jeez…" He thought. "What a weird day…"
They never noticed the unusual teacher hanging out in the hallway a few doors down.
'Good job Ranma!' Moon thought. 'Hiroshi's pretty cute! So that's what you were so anxious about. Guess you had no choice. Heh…'
Even as she smiled, happy for her patient, a tear slid down her cheek. 'Mamo-chan… Mamo-chan…"
"I still can't believe it." Naru exclaimed heatedly.
"Is it so hard to think that Usagi is Sailor Moon, Naru? I mean come on! You've been saved by her what, four times now? And Usagi had never seen her? Don't you think that's a bit… strange?" Umino asked, clearly getting sick of this conversation.
"But it's just so hard to believe. All that time, while she was failing classes. It's not any wonder she was so terrible at it. Makes me wonder how that Mizuno girl was still able to do so well in school… hmm…" Naru pondered.
"More importantly, where do you think we should search today?" Umino asked, curiously. He was all out of ideas himself, so he hoped she had come up with something.
"I was thinking that she might have gone into the woods outside town. You know, out beyond the park? We know she's shown up twice almost as soon as the two youma showed up. That one yesterday was all over the papers and the one a week or three ago was pretty close by there too. That means she can't have gone too far." Naru recited sagely.
"N-Naru. No offence but I would swear you said those exact same words yesterday…"
"So what! It still holds true!" Naru exclaimed.
"And the day before that. And the day before that. And the…"
"Oh shut up, Umino." She hmphed, shuffling past her short, yet steadily maturing boyfriend.
Umino sighed. He'd screwed up again. He knew that much. Oh well. He'd find a way to make it up to her. He skipped a step or two to catch up with the girl he loved. "Hey, Naru… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you mad."
"Great job." She replied sarcastically.
"Oh come on, Naru. I didn't mean… Hey… what's that marking on your fore—"
"Meow…" came a small sound from behind them.
They both turned and there on the ground was Usagi's cat. "Luna…" Naru exclaimed, and knelt down next to the cat.
"Meow… meow…" The cat mewled.
Naru smiled. She embraced the little black cat as it ran into her arms. "Oh… poor Luna… I guess Usagi didn't take you with her did she?"
The cat… seemed to gulp as if it were afraid. "Meow…"
Naru sweat-dropped. She'd always been partially superstitious, not to mention the fact that Usagi's cat had always scared her. It always seemed… just a bit too smart.
"Hey Naru… there's something on your forehead…" Umino insisted.
"Hmm?" She asked, turning her attention back to the thick glasses covering the eyes of her boyfriend. "What is it?" She asked mutely.
Luna shivered but decided then and there that she only had one course of action. She would never be able to find Usagi on her own. And the Senshi of Silence was here. It had been little Naru all along.
'Why now?' thought her astute feline mind. Either way, it was irrelevant. Now was the time. She had an ally again. An ally strong enough to destroy a planet, true, but an ally. And she could help find Usagi.
"Hello, Naru. Umino." She said.
Their eyes snapped towards her, shocked. Umino's jaw hung open.
"L-Luna?" Naru asked worriedly. Then she shook her head. "Umino… did you just hear…?" She turned her eyes away from the cat in her lap up to her boyfriend who was just staring at the cat, jaw still gaping.
"That's my name. " Luna said, causing both of them to back up, and Luna to fly off Naru's comforting lap.
"D-demon! It's a little youma or something possessing Usagi's cat!" Naru screamed.
Luna was shuffled laboriously on the ground. Severely annoyed, she got up and licked herself off, shaking of the dust collected from her short fly, and then turned her eyes to the shivering Naru and Umino, backed against a tree.
Shealmost burst out laughing.
"Jeez! I'm a cat! Who do you think made Usagi Sailor Moon in the first place, hmm?" She asked in that oh-so-smart tone Luna often used.
Umino and Naru, holding each other in fear, split apart as they blinked at the cat. "So you're… not a youma…?" Naru asked.
"Of course not! Sheesh, If I were a Youma how in the world would Usagi have survived sleeping with me in her room every night?" She asked.
They blinked again.
"She has a point." Naru said.
The cat strode up to them. "As you know, Usagi is gone. She saw fit to leave me behind. It's my job to advice her… but… if I can't find her then… Well… I need help. And to think, all along my help was waiting right in front of me." She said with a smile.
"Huh?" Naru asked, trying to understand.
Luna stared straight at the symbol that looked like a malformed English h flaring deeply on Naru's forehead.
"Naru! It's that thing on your forehead!" Umino exclaimed.
"My…" Naru toned. She reached up to stroke her brow and found nothing out of the ordinary.
Luna jumped, flipping over backwards she produced a small pen.
"You are the Sailor Senshi of Saturn. All along, you could have been helping us… they might not have even had to fight if I'd known… Here. Take this and say 'Saturn Power Make-up!' You will understand then. Umino. Feel privileged that I trust you, otherwise I would never have come to her with you around."
Umino gulped and nodded as Naru took the pen.
The words echoed across the road they stood on and Naru found herself wrapped in a swirl of dazzling lights and color… and then… no… color.
'I…' She tried to say, but no words came forth. Trees were dulled to a black and white in her eyes. The ground was numb. The sun held only white. The road only gray. Color had left her eyes…
"What's going on!" She exclaimed. Then she turned to Luna. "Is this! Is this normal?"
Luna cocked her head and nodded.
"You are the Senshi of Silence. Sailor Saturn. Sound can touch you but you are void. I think that's right at least. My memories are a little fuzzy. Don't worry about talking, you lose the ability in this form." Luna said as if reciting words from an encyclopedia.
"I… I…"
"Naru-chan?"
"How do I change back!?" Naru exclaimed, emitting no sound. Only moving lips.
Luna told her, anticipating what she was asking and Naru followed instantly.
Umino stared in awe at his girlfriend, dressed in the daring purple and white uniform of the Senshi, as he watched it disappear and return to normal.
Naru simply stared at the pen in awe. And partial fear. "It… It made me color blind!"
Luna sighed as she prepared for the induction of the newest… and only current Senshi.
"Come, you two. I'll introduce you to Artemis!" She exclaimed. "Come on!"
Akane stared at her ex-fiancé, stoic anger seething throughout her expression. Curiously, the girl opposite her held a resigned and rueful demeanor.
"Ranma." She her sign read, testily trying to keep her face civil.
"Akane." Ranma replied. She had no problems keeping calm. She'd found cool anger worked much better then open anger.
"I… I can't believe you're doing this!" She indented the words into the concrete pavement in anger.
"What the hell do you expect me to do, Akane?" The redhead replied bitterly.
Akane retracted as if hit. "I… I expected… I don't know! It's just that…" The sign trailed off, unfinished.
Ranma sighed. "Just what, tomboy?" The anger laced within Ranma's resigned tone made the pet name seem as if it had been run through the dirt. It had been.
Akane glared. If Ranma was going to be angry then she would too! "I thought you'd be a little bit more faithful you stupid jerk!" She wrote.
"Faithful to what Akane? We're over. You said that. Wrote that." Ranma corrected, calmly yet still bitterly angry.
Akane stopped at that, staring into her once-love's eyes at a loss for what to say.
Ranma met her ex-fiancée's eyes. "Akane… I love you. I don't think I'll ever be able to stop, now that we admitted it. If you even gave me a hint that it could still work I'd…" The girl trailed off…
"I know…" Akane mouthed. "But…"
Silence reigned for a time. Both looking away from each other.
It was Akane who spoke first trying to break the silence. God, she'd almost transform right there and begin a serenade if it would work but… It was her that no longer loved the redhead. It wasn't Ranma's fault. But what could she do? Her sign made it's way to Ranma's view slowly, her eyes questioning. "What happened Ranma? We were doing so good those first few weeks… But then… everything just fell apart."
"You wanted a man. I can't measure up to that anymore. That's all there is." Ranma said as she stared at the early sunset.
"But why…? Why are you… so soon?" She asked. "And with a boy!I…"
The red-head hesitated. There lay the rub. Hiroshi was a boy. That honestly didn't matter to her. Even if Hiroshi had been a girl. It wouldn't actually goanywhere regardless of Hiroshi's gender… Not this fast. That was impossible… not when she still hurt so much looking at... but…
"I'm… lonely, Akane. I was used to having people after me all the time! Now there's… now there's no one, and I…"
"Ranma…?" Her sign read ruefully.
"I'm sorry, Akane."
Again it was silent. And Akane's new-found power could do nothing to change it as Ranma slowly walked away, tears rolling down both their cheeks.
"…. I love you… Baka…"
And she turned and walked the other way.
Moon stared down from the rooftop at the couple. The girl before her patient was obviously Akane, and their conversation, Akane's part of it at least, was more than legible enough to be seen from her vantage point atop the schools lowermost roof. The girl had good calligraphy.
"Poor Ranma-chan… I hope I can help you…" She murmured to herself, watching the girl walk away slowly, leaving the blue haired girl standing their, hair waving in the wind.
"I hope I can help you…"
She felt consciousness returning to her along with comfort and serenity to rival the queen's own. Warmth covered her and the heavy blanket on her bare shoulders only added to her immense comfort.
The boy she lay in the arms of, her human pillow, did not complain; he only held her closer.
She never wanted to leave.
Never.
"Setsuna…" The word faded into her mind but she made as if to shut it out. She nuzzled her face into the shoulder, cuddling it childishly.
"Setsuna… you need to get up…" The voice above her said gently.
"Don't wanna…" She moaned. "Comfy…"
The voice gently prodded her for a while more. At least, it did until it was silenced by a swift punch in the gut.
"I'm sleepy…" Setsuna said defiantly, staring up into the eyes of her breathless lover, wide awake, directly opposing her words.
Lio gave a wry grin mixed with the pain of having the wind knocked out of him. "Your Queen's in danger."
Setsuna's eyes practically popped out of their sockets. The Queen! In danger? She dashed out of the bed like a mad woman. "Why didn't you say—!"
The man was laughing.
Laughing his damnably cute ass off.
"What's so funny!?" She asked indignantly. Then she thought about it a moment. "What Queen!? What is going on? You never answered anything last night! You just seduced me!"
"Oh really!?" He asked, now eyeballing her naked form appreciatively.
She blushed instantly and snatched the blanket, revealing him, covering herself. He held no such nervousness or reservations; just a smirk. "I'm quite certain it was you who said, 'Never let me go.' Correct?"
She flushed even redder, then pouted. "You still took advantage of me and didn't tell me anything! Like who you are and why the heck I wasn't… scared…"
He quirked his head, puzzled. "Scared? I know I looked decently frightening when I was playing that joke on you but I'm not all that terrifying." He said nonplussed.
She began twiddling her fingers… "Well… uhm… you see… For the past, uhm… long time… I've been… uhm… scared of… well…"
He quirked an eye brow. "Cockroach." He said pointing.
"EEEEEK!" She screamed, jumping up and running around in fright. "Where!? Get'it'off'me!"
Thus would have begun another round or relentless laughter had the girl not completely forgotten her state of dress in light of her fright and let the blanket fall to the floor, causing herself to be exposed to Lio's appraising eye once more.
Setsuna, still rampantly staring at the floor, covered in dark mists and almost endless darkness save for small enclosed area they both resided in, frantically searching for the insectiscious bane of human existence.
Then she saw him staring at her. It clicked.
Her hand blasted across the boy's smug face striking him near off the bed. "You… you… you… Dirty little…!"
But the boy only smirked. In an instant he disappeared and Setsuna felt herself held once more in hands warmer than any blanket that had ever caressed her.
"As if I would allow cockroaches near the Gates of Rebirth… You would never allow that, Soul of My Heart." He whispered lovingly into her ear, the title taking her breath away all over again.
She gasped, and had to fight down an effort to simply turn and begin kissing him again, as they had done for time uncountable until she fell asleep the previous day. Well… that and other things. Many other things that her mother would most likely kill her for. But fight she did, this time.
Strange as that was considering the all-bearing fear that had always enveloped her when a member of the opposite sex even came nearher. It seemed completelyabsent with this man.
Maybe that was why it had been so easy for him to seduce her? The nagging desire she felt when looking at him coupled with the fact that sheknew him but didn't know how, along with the final icing on the cake being that she wasn't scaredof his touch were driving her insane.
"Please… tell me what is happening?" She exhaled breathily, her heart racing her mind in a duel, the prize resulting in her actions. Her mind was winning. Barely.
He inhaled deeply taking in the scent of her ruffled hair as if it were a deep spring day. With that he twisted her in his arms, taking care to touch her wherever he could draw the strongest stimulations from as much as possible as he turned her to face him, and met her eyes.
Her eyes, pleading for answers and her body wanting for more of his touch she stared at him.
And he smiled.
"It's so rare, that it is I to show you who you are. So many times have you found me… shown me who I am. Is it so wrong for me to revel in keeping you in the dark, just this once?" His grin widened if that was possible, and she let out a moan as his fingers trailed up her rear end and down her chest simultaneously.
Her eyes held his firmly if strained, though no less confused, still pleading for the answers she sought.
'God… it feels so… good!' Her mind whimpered as his hands trailed across her body. It was inhuman. Definitely inhuman. Fingertips touching shoulders did not evoke sexual stimulation! It was utterly impossible! Yet his did.
And considering where his hands were now, she felt utter bliss as she desperately fought down her base wants.
"Please…" She begged, not quite certain which it was she was begging for anymore. The words or the touch.
His left hand ran to the small of her back, his right darting to the back of her head, and he hugged her fiercely to himself, ending his manipulations, yet beginning all new ones as he began to tug on her heartstrings.
"I've waited so long to see you… I hardly knew what to do. S-so… I just did it your way." He chuckled and parted from her to look down into her eyes again. "Scare the shit outta you!"
Finally free of the unbelievably good sensations for a moment, Setsuna was allowed those few seconds to regain her breath, not to mention her thinking. Unfortunately, said thinking was still even more marred by the weeping joy she could feel in his voice warming her heart to him still more. "I… I don't understand. I have a past life…? I… What is wrong? I'm sorry… I…"
He placed his hands on her shoulders, pulling himself apart from her to stare down into her eyes once more, and smiled.
"Let me show you, Time. Let me show you."
For a mere moment she stared, captivated by his eyes. Then her vision was enveloped in light.
"Hey Doc." Ranma exclaimed as she entered her shrink's office once more, the following day.
Aiko's eyes widened as Ranma opened her door fifteen minutes before she was supposed to be here. A first for the girl, even thought this was only her third visit. The other two times she had been late.
"You're quite early! Did that crush you have on me bring you back?" She asked in her upbeat tone.
A pang of… suspicion leapt up within Ranma as she entered the room. The doctor's voice was cheerful. Her face cheerful. Even her body language was cheerful as she usually was. But just as she was opening the door… she'd thought she'd seen a frown of sadness to rival her own face when she was alone.
She disregarded it for the moment but logged it away for safekeeping. Perhaps her enthusiastic doctor had a little more to her then met the eye.
Then the doctor's words registered. "Well I… uh…"
"Oh I'm just kidding! Well. I've got nothing better to do. Would you like to start now? Hey… aren't one of the secretaries supposed to call out your name when it's appointment time?" Aiko asked, confidently.
"Well… yeah… but they know me and said you didn't have anyone in so I could go in early if I wanted to say hi before we start… and stuff..." Ranma supplied.
Aiko blinked. Then shrugged. "Okay. Whatever. So… where were we when you left off?" She asked kindly.
Ranma sighed. "Alright, let's see… school. Yeah. That's where we were. My first day back…"
Ranma took a moment to collect her thoughts as she plopped down on the cushioned patient seat and Aiko took her own chair nearby.
"Well… the school… they had mixed opinions about me. At first I wanted to go and act like nothing had changed. Sorta. I still used the guys room and…"
It took some time for Akane to stop bashing Ranma over the head with the large sign reading "That's not what you said last night!" but eventually she did stop, Ranma appearing none the worse for wear.
The school became visible in the distance as they walked and they became equally nervous.
"Uhm… are you sure you wanna do this, Akane? I mean… well… it'll start so many rumors and—"
Akane nodded matter-of-factly. "I definitely do. I love you, Ranma. And as long as I know that…(flip) I should be able to handle this."
Akane forcibly pushed down the seeds of doubt welling within her gut. All the time she and Ranma had spent saying they couldn't care less about one another, and suddenly Ranma's permanently cursed, and now they were actually taking the fiancée thing seriously.
If there was anything that would start rumors it was that.
Ugh… what would people think?
…
It shouldn't have mattered at all to her. But it did.
She grabbed her fiancée's hand and strode forward. "We'll do this together, Ranma. I told all my friends the story so they'll be behind you at least. And you can surely count on Hiroshi and Daisuke, right?"
She ended the sign staring at Ranma with a questioning look.
"Well… yeah…" Ranma stammered. She twitched and reached for the annoying fabric surrounding her breasts beneath her shirt. She hated bras. Truly and deeply.
Faking confidence she didn't' feel, Akane nodded with a wide grin that stated with her tone alone 'We'll be fine!'
It lifted Ranma's spirits though.
"Mmhmm." She nodded in an uncannily shy manner.
It was with some bit of awe that Akane saw a portion of the small, embarrassed red-headed girl she had first met in the arms of a panda emerge that moment. Ranma was afraid. It was a rare occurrence. Avery rare occurrence. But it did happen.
Akane strode forward into view of the gates, hand in hand with her fiancé, and instantly whispers began.
Well… not so much whispers.
"Everyone! Ranma's back!" Was the first shout that greeted them and instantly that shout was capitalized by loud murmuring and a roar of conversation and stares and grins.
It dropped Ranma's resolve back down instantly.
Akane was nigh on shocked to find Ranma partially hiding behind her. She raised an eyebrow at the oddity. It… what? It didn't make her angry but…
Fortunately, or unfortunately depending upon the interpretation, her mental examination of her own emotions was cut short but a rather loud outcry.
"Ranma! Ranma buddy! You're back!" Daisuke exclaimed as he came barreling down out of the front entrance Hiroshi in tow.
Ranma smiled. She did have friends. A few.
"Yeah." She said, mutely. She nodded and looked over at Akane. The blue haired girl looked back and gave a grin, clutching the red-head's hand tighter.
Daisuke raised an eyebrow, but disregarded his notice for something more important. "Ranma… so… did you do it?"
Ranma's smiled faded. "Yeah… This is me, Dai. It's permanent, now."
Daisuke winced. He knew how much Ranma hated his girl form. And now there his friend was, stuck in it for the rest of his life… her life.
"Damn… I'm sorry, buddy." He exhaled as his shoulders sagged.
He knew when Ranma left that there was little to no chance of him ever seeing the boy male again. Ranma had told him of the dire situation he'd been left in before he went to China two weeks ago for a way to permanently lock his curse.
He and Hiroshi had always teased Ranma about his girl form. Stupid jokes, like making catcalls whenever the martial artist was splashed randomly while they were around or calling her 'the girl of their dreams' as utter jests, that they usually ended up paying for with mild bodily harm… stupid things.
But to see him locked forever, the alternative being death? That was too much. Daisuke felt extreme guilt for the jokes he'd played on Ranma back then. Even so, he couldn't keep the pervert in him from screaming in joy. Ranma was a girl! Permanently! Men of the world, rejoice!
He chuckled inwardly as he held Ranma's eyes for a moment.
Then she let loose a grin. "Don't worry about it. I'll get over it. Not like I'm gonna just give up and die! Sides… Something good came outta' all this." She said, as she suggestively turned her gaze to Akane, who had the decency to blush in an instant.
Daisuke's eyes widened. "You… and her… and…"
Akane firmed the grip on Ranma's hand even more and shook her head in the affirmative vigorously, giving a wide smirk.
Ranma nodded yes as well, shyly. Quite strange to Hiroshi and Daisuke as the idea of Ranma doing anything shyly was, they hardly noticed in light of how incredibly unbelievable it was that Ranma and Akane were actually a couple!
Heads would roll at this. Oh heads would roll at this.
With that, the bell rang causing everyone to realize that they were indeed late. Due to the numerous amount of late persons who had stayed out of class to say hello to Ranma as she finally returned home, no one received bucket duty. Ranma was quite grateful.
"Saotome-san… welcome back. I trust your visit to China was enjoyable? Obviously, you didn't have much success on curing your curse." Mr. Tsuveno, Furinkan's Mathematics professor said upon seeing the redheaded girl sitting near the back of class.
"No… not really…" She said dimly. Akane was not present in this class with her, having advanced on to higher mathematics courses than intro to trigonometry, nor would she be until her next class.
The teacher tilted his head, questioningly, but found no want to exuberate her story upon his student's face.
He gave a shrug. And began class as normal, after sending the late Kedama Airo into the hall for bucket duty. That fat girl was always late… every single day without fail! Why did she even come? Phaw.
Ranma sat in the class and found herself uncannily wakeful. Paying attention she found that, while not half so clear as glass, the material the teacher was covering was… understandable. Perhaps it was just an easy day…
Her notebook remained blank. Notes were unnecessary to a martial artist! She'd maintained that philosophy since she'd first begun attending school again and it had yet to fail her!
So class passed without incident.
The bell rang, surprising Ranma. She'd actually been… she'd never admit it to anyone of course but she'd actually been enjoying class. A little.
She stood, watching as the class filtered out, aimlessly following behind them, till she was accosted by still more fellow classmates.
Shugi, Tetsuyo, and Akane's friend Sayuri all met her at the doorway, having waited while the rest of the class filtered out.
"Hi Ranma! I'm… glad to see you home!" The girl intoned and the two boys, one of which was her boyfriend but Ranma could not recall which one, nodded their agreement.
Ranma grinned. "Thanks Sayuri. I didn't even know you cared!"
The girl beamed. "Of course I do! You are my best friend's fiancé right?"
The question… struck Ranma. For a short moment she stood in nigh on shock. And then, she beamed. "Yep! I am. I actually am."
Of course, that had not at all been the reaction the brown-haired girl expected. Not in the least. Her jaw dropped as did those of the two static boys behind her in as close to pure shock as was mentally possible.
Ranma left the room and the presence of the three with a pleasant laugh and a very uplifted lilt in her step. She was Akane's fiancé. Truly now.
And here she'd been moping around all morning.
Her upbeat tone didn't last too long though. She arrived at the gymnasium without having met Akane, annoyance having crept up her shoulders as she realized a dilemma.
"Screw it." She thought to herself.
She entered the boys locker room, heedless of how things used to be. She was a guy. Everyone knew it. The only problem that would be caused by just using the guy's locker room would be directly related to her. Therefore there would be no malletings, thrown flower pots, or beatings of her cranium involved.
'Thank god for stalls.' She thought, as she realized that was where she would be changing from now on, and showers would have to wait till after school. That was alright though. Only another hour until school ended anyways.
Few eyes raised at her entry, save for the many 'welcome homes' she received. She nodded them off with a thank you or a pat on the back as she'd always done. Strange just how many people there were welcoming her. She hadn't known she was all that popular. It was common enough for Ranma to come into the boy's locker room as a girl.
A few did rise, however, at the notice that she did not immediately go to the sink for warm water.
It was with a dismal sigh that she grabbed for the girl's gym uniform stuffed in her locker for those 'just in case' times. Now it appeared that would be her only outfit.
With that, nigh on every eye had raised. 'Ranma was grabbing the girl's uniform?,' 'YES!,' 'Why?,' 'Was it some scam?,' and 'What was he trying to pull?' were the thoughts running through the minds of the boys.
Ranma ignored them but she felt their eyes. 'Why are they staring at me? Don't they know all about it already? I'd figure Akane would have told the story of why or at least Hiro and Dia woulda' told the whole school now… I thought Nabiki would have sold it weeks ago!"
Just her luck. No one knew she was permanently a girl. And those normally expected to tell everything had not done so.
Great.
She just loved being on the receiving end of fully widened eyes. She entered one of the stalls, but she heard no scuffling of clothing on the outside. No one was leaving.
Really great.
She sighed and still felt the eye of every boy in the room at the time staring at the door waiting for her to exit.
"I guess no one knows yet… do you?" She asked.
"Yo, what's everyone staring at?" Came the voice of Hiroshi from what sounded like the entrance.
"Ranma… She… well…" Someone answered. Ranma didn't know who.
"Hiroshi… how come no one knows? I thought the story would be all over the school. If not by Akane then at least Nabiki or you and Dai."
Hiroshi hesitated a moment. "Well… we… Nabiki came and talked to us. She asked if we knew. We told her what we did and she knocked off about five thousand yen just for that. She asked us not to tell. Said Akane asked her. We… we thought that you wouldn't want everyone to know…"
Ranma didn't know whether to be happy or sad… "Akane did that?" She asked.
"Yeah." Hiroshi nodded. "On the chance that everything worked out she didn't want anyone to know…"
The other boys in the room were murmuring in confused questioning voices.
"Hey, what's going on?" One said, loudly above the rest.
Ranma began shucking her clothes and changing allowing silence to collect in the room once again.
"Ranma—"
"I'm a girl. Permanently." She said. "I went to China to lock myself."
For a few moments more silence permeated the walls of the room.
"WHAT!!?"
And with that the room became a torrent pure and utter clamor. Some felt sorry for their friend. Some had the audacity to laugh like no tomorrow. But the majority were grinning like madmen.
A locker room away, Akane suddenly heard a huge shout from the other side of the wall. She shook her head in exasperation. She didn't know what was going on over there but whatever it was, she doubted she wanted to know. 'Perverts…'
'I wonder what Ranma's doing right now.' She thought as she changed.
…
Her eyes widened.
"You used the guy's restroom?" Aiko asked curiously. "Just like that? I mean… didn't anyone care?"
Ranma thought for a contemplative moment. Then responded, "Yeah… Akane was the worst about it. She didn't want me going into the bathroom with all those perverted boys! After a bit, I started to understand what she meant."
Aiko chuckled. "I think I would like this, Akane, if I met her… she reminds me of someone I… used to know."
Ranma grinned completely missing her doctor's forlorn expression. "Yeah… you probably would."
Aiko shook herself out of her trip down memory lane quickly. It did not do to dwell on memories and the past. After a moment of silence she turned once more to her notepad and patient. "Go on." She murmured.
"Heh… well… there's a kinda funny story about how the girls accepted meas a girl. Well… it all started…"
"See? It's easy. All you do is hit this switch to turn it on." The boy before her said, pressing the switch to allow a red light to blip to life on the tiny piece of equipment the boy had named an Xcon 317K mega VHR.
"… What…? " Ranma asked wryly. "You… can't be serious."
"Come on man! I've seen you go in there lots of times over the past week!" Aiga Nakamuya exclaimed, and several of the surrounding boys gave nods of agreement.
"And all of them hate it when I go in there! But I have to, to avoid getting stared at by jerks like you!" She shouted.
"You wound me, man! Haven't we been friends for a while? Come on! I know you still like girls! What's the problem!?" He said as he handed the girl the almost microscopic video camera. "All you gotta do is set it up so that it sits at the back of the room and—!"
It was true. Ranma still did like girls. Girl to be more precise. One girl. Her girlfriend and fiancée, Akane Tendo. And that was the only one. Had this occurred before she and Akane had finally gotten together, she admitted that she might have felt some small ounce of want to do this. Not because she cared about watching the girl's change; no, it would have been to spite Akane for some fight or another that they had had.
They had an extremely small amount of fights these days.
The girl's aura bursting into a red fury surrounding her had the definite effect of shutting the idiot up.
"You honestly think.." she began, "That I'm gonna set up a camera so you can watch girl's change? You… HENTAI!!"
"He-hey Ranma.. come on…! Just a joke!" Aiga said, backing up with a sweat drop trailing down his forehead.
Ranma growled. "Its pervert's like you that made me have to start using their restroom in the first place!" She screamed, advancing on the boy's step by step, her hair flinging about wildly in the midst of her booming aura.
"Okay! I'm sorry! I didn't mean—!"
"DIE!"
And with that the boy exploded out of one of the many glass windows surrounding Furinkan high school and slammed down onto the pavement below, his Xcon 317K mega VHR sailing behind him, to impact into his back and bounce off a few paces.
Right to the feet of Yuka.
Ranma sighed abysmally as she left the room, the other boys clear back against the walls away from her.
'Only at Furinkan…' She thought.
"Uh… hey… is anyone in there?" Ranma asked in the shy voice that had been becoming more and more common lately.
Susuyu Agumitsu, a junior one year below Ranma, looked at her with wide eyes. "Uh… yes… but it's okay. No one mind's you in there anymore Saotome-san!" The girl said with a wide grin.
Ranma blinked. "Huh?"
The girl just smiled. "Oh you'll see! Let's just say you made yourself trustworthy!"
Ranma blinked again as the girl walked away. "That was strange…" She was used to glares upon asking if anyone was in there. Not from that girl in particular but she'd never met her before. On a general level the girls knew who she was.
But it didn't matter either way. She wasn't particularly fond of the whistles she got using the boys room. Well she didn't trust the random word of some junior girl so she'd still wait. She had another five or ten minutes left.
The next girl to walk out was Ukyo. "Ranchan!" She shouted joyously. "C'mon!"
And before she could blink, Ranma was dragged into the girl's restroom.
Ukyo was never one to dwell on the past too much. She'd been forced to do so for ten years and she'd paid severely for her years of malice. Now that she had no chance with Ranma, she didn't want to waste the friendship she had made. There weren't many friends for her on the road, but through and through, Ranma had been there for her. So, instead of moping about how her fiancé would never be able to marry her, she decided to be as friendly and happy-go-lucky as possible.
Ranma had cheered her up during her worst times. Now it was her turn. This whole situation was, after all, a lot worse for Ranma then it was for her.
"Oh! Hi Ranma!" Said another girl that Ranma knew in the 'saw you around somewhere' sort of way.
She looked around and saw girl's changing or looking at her in various states of undress. Curiously, there wasn't a single glare. Regardless of that, her eyes snapped shut. "Uh… I'm… sorry! Hehe, I'll just be on m—"
"Ranma-san… we saw the video clip of what you did to Aiga." Said a girl that Ranma couldn't see.
"Oh… heh! So that's what all this is about!" Ranma exclaimed, her eyes still shut.
There were a few scuffles as the girls finished dressing, and some of them approached Ranma in a semi circle. "Ranma… we wanted to apologize. We didn't know what was going on over there and—"
"Don't worry about it! Nothin' Ranma Saotome couldn't handle!" The redhead interrupted.
"A-Are you… sure? I mean… we were pretty mean to you, and you didn't deserve it. I know Akane said it was okay an' all but none of us really thought…" The same girl responded.
"No, seriously! It's okay. But… if you don't mind me in here… I've been wondering... Uhm… can I open my eyes?" She asked daintily.
Giggles filtered across the room as that same girl responded again. "Uhm… yes. Just… don't do anything stupid! Okay?"
Ranma nodded and opened her eyes, making a over-accentuated effort to avoid looking at anyone for fear of a swift change of opinion. "That thing." She asked pointing to the strange machine, while staring at the ceiling. "What is it?"
The entire room face-faulted, leaving the scantily clad girls in extremely compromising looking situations as several of them had fallen atop each other.
"Uhm… what… what'd I say…?" She asked, still pointing at the tampon dispenser.
"Sh-she's never…?" The girl who'd been speaking asked looking to Ukyo.
Ukyo shook her head in the negative. Then gave a feral grin. "You'll find out soon enough Ran-chan!"
"Oh… uhm… okay…" Ranma replied.
Aiko nigh on burst into tears at Ranma's indescribably cute blush.
"You…! You really didn't…! Ahaha!" The doctor laughed uproariously.
"Hey! I'm a guy! I was raised on the road! Not like pops ever told me anything!" The redhead exclaimed.
The doctor just kept laughing.
'The nerve!' Ranma thought bitterly.
Slowly the young doctor came to her senses and brought the laughter down to a few chuckles, wiping away the tears that had been wrought by Ranma's innocence in all things feminine.
"I sorta thought you doc's were supposed to keep straight faces!" Ranma said, feeling betrayed.
Aiko leaned back on her chair for a moment and put a finger to her chin, thinking speculatively.
"I'm the doctor. My rules. If something's funny, I'm gonna laugh at it. Sides', like you said, you couldn't help it. So you shouldn't be ashamed of it." The doctor said. Her red face and the glistening bit of mirth still visible in her eyes didn't do much but the speech worked for Ranma.
The redhead huffed, but accepted it. "Alright… I guess."
The raven haired doctor nodded. "Well. That's enough with the easy stuff. I think I've gotten to know you pretty well Ranma. So… do you feel comfortable telling me what it was that lead you and Akane to your break up? Not to mention your reason for why you are here?"
Ranma hesitated a moment. She'd divulged private things and personal things, and things everyone knew about herself to this doctor. Despite her… strange attitude, much of what she said made sense. And… Ranma liked her.
"I… well… okay. Akane… The reason we ended and all that. Well… Doc, you gotta understand. I love the girl. Still do… always will but she just gets so jealous! She's sweet and carin' and k-kawaii… but... Not to mention how much she likes being a guy! I… I told her yesterday that if there was any hint that she still wanted to… to be with me, that I'd take her back! But… That was a lie too. She's… She's like… Aw what do I know? I hate this touchy-feely crap!"
Ranma sighed. Three and a half weeks. She was barely even used to it. Her body felt foreign to her. Her mind was playing tricks on her. Her damn nipples got pointy when it got cold!
There were several things that had changed for the better but they were entirely defeated by the fact that she was a girl.
Sure, at first sex practically every night with the girl of her dreams seemed like a good thing! But… things were getting… weird.
She sighed as she trudged to her next class. "This sucks…" For some strange reason she'd been… excessively angry or annoyed at the most stupid of things lately. Akane had done nothing… too out of the ordinary. But for some reason the red-head couldn't fathom, she'd flipped out on the silent Tendo, going off into a tirade of anger and malcontent.
True the other girl had slapped her butt. But why did it make her so angry? Looking back, she knew that the Tendo had done it before…
Suddenly her stomach lurched and rocked her to her left, and she flowed with it, slamming into one of the lockers clutching her stomach. "Gaah!" She yelped, shocked.
It went away quickly but still left the stinging impression that something was wrong with her.
"Damn… what's going on with me lately?" She murmured to herself.
"Heya Ranma!" Came the excited voice of a good friend, Ranma had made. "How do I look!?" The girl asked in an upbeat fashion.
Ranma grinned at her friend, her first real female friend who hadn't been a fiancée, or homicidal maniac out for her blood. She looked over the girls outfit and found nothing out of the ordinary with it.
"It looks great, Miya." She said, nonchalantly. "I still don't get why you even ask me. You know I don't have any idea."
The girl grinned. "That's what I like about you! No matter what I wear you still say it looks great!'
Ranma blanched. "Th-thanks! I really appreciate it!"
That came out a bit more harsh then Ranma intended. A LOT more harsh then Ranma intended. Noticing the girl flinching back in almost visible fear Ranma hastily dropped her aura, noting it's wild and charismatic fluctuations. "I… I'm sorry Miya. I… I'm just so angry lately. I don't know what's going on…"
"Are you oka—!" The girl halted mid-word. "OH! So that's what's going on!" The then gave Ranma a sly grin. "You're PMSing!"
"I AM NOT!" Ranma shouted angrily. Then, not so angrily. "What's that?"
The girl burst into laughter and began dragging Ranma to class. "Come on. I help you out after class. I'd say you should go to Akane, what with being her fiancée and all, but somehow I don't think she'd be as much help as you'd like."
…
"What are you talking about?" Ranma asked sanguinely.
The girl gave another sly grin. "Why you're blossoming femininity, of course!"
Ranma just sighed, as she rubbed her still mildly aching stomach. It was going to be a long day.
"Akane…" Ranma said shamefully.
Akane gave a grunt and turned the other direction, a sign popping out from behind her shoulder. "I've got nothing to hear from you. Jerk."
Ranma entire face contorted in rage, more so than she even used to be accustomed to at one of Akane's insults but she quelled it furiously. That never worked before and it wouldn't work now. "I… I know… I just wanted to say, I'm sorry." She got out, using every ounce of her effort not to put a bite in those words.
"You should've just told me if you didn't like it!" Came the next sign. "Baka!"
Ranma bit her lip holding in the pure anger and bringing it down to a mere twitch. "I… I do, Akane! It's just… I didn't last night and…"
Akane turned and glared at the red-head, but signed nothing. Angrily, when Ranma too said nothing, sitting down at the table, she took a drink.
Ranma sighed and found her anger suddenly draining away. 'What the hell is happening to me!? Hormones, hormones, yadda, yadda but they can't possibly account for this!'
Ranma gave Akane a straight look. Beating around the bush never worked with her anyway. "Akane… what's a period?"
Akane promptly expelled the contents of her mouth, and choked on the contents of her throat.
"A-Akane!?"
Ranma proceeded to pound heartily on the choking girl's back until she recovered, drink going down the wrong tube, coughing a fit.
When the girl finally returned her eyes to Ranma, recovered now, she stared at the redhead. And began to chuckle, soundlessly. Her hand covered her mouth and she closed her eyes in pure mirth.
"Uhm… what's so funny? Why do people keep laughing at me so lately?" Ranma asked, piteously. She was surprised beyond reason to find actual tears leaking from her eyes!
…
'God Dammit!' She screamed inwardly.
And Akane embraced her in a hug, warm and comforting.
Various people surrounding them gave stupid little 'aww how cutes' at their hug, but Ranma didn't care. "I'm sorry, tomboy…"
But Akane did. The situation panged at her. It all but screamed 'wrong'to her steadily changing feelings. 'Ranma… I love you but… why does this feel so… bad? I shouldn't be helping my boyfriend with his first period… that's not how I wanted things to go…! I…'
Sometime later, she absently fingered the locket in her pocket. 'Do I really want this…?' She thought.
"So she started feeling like something was wrong? It's only natural I suppose…" Aiko said. "She's a girl. You can't blame her for wanting a boyfriend. Or not wanting a girlfriend."
"I know! I of all people can't do that but… I started to feel it after that day. She started giving me these… ugly looks. Like she was disgusted with me, when she was the one who kept using the stupid locket! I… I'm not entirely blameless either…"
"Ranma… Before we start digging too deep we should probably end today's session. It's getting a bit late. Your appointment time ended twenty minutes ago too."
Ranma blinked. "It did? Wow.. I'm sorry, Aiko… I mean… Miss Mizuruna."
The girl smiled. "We're getting a bit intense and I thought it best that we continue for the next session. How's tomorrow at six sound?" Aiko asked, with a smirk.
"Uhm… I… I can't then. I'm… I'm sorry. I have—!"
"Plans. Yeah. Well, when is good for you?" She asked happily.
Ranma thought for a moment and then responded. "Monday. At four?"
Aiko nodded and Ranma rose.
"Alright Ranma. I'll see you then, okay?" She asked.
Ranma hesitated. "Aiko… I… I didn't get to what I wanted to ask you about… and it… it has to do with tomorrow."
"Ask away. I'm all ears." The pseudo black-haired girl replied.
"Well… I… A guy asked me out. He was my best friend before… well you know… So I know I can trust 'im. And I… like him… I think…" She finished so quietly Aiko could barely hear the girl. "Dammit! Three months ago I'd'a been contemplating seppuku over sayin' somethin' like that! I don't know why but… after my first… uhm… well… after that, I started looking… and he…"
Aiko paused for a moment in thought, transferring Ranma skewered and nervous-borne words into comprehensible meaning. Reviewing the information from her pen, and countermanding it with her own life experiences she formulated her answer. Curiously, she ended up paraphrasing the same words she'd used not minutes before.
"No one can be blamed for wanting someone. No girl can be blamed for liking the opposite gender. It's a natural thing. Ranma… Your hormones influence who you're attracted to. I don't think I can help you with that. It's your choice. But think about this: Does it feel right? Think about later, after a few dates or so, and picture yourself. Does the image suit you or do you find it… well… disgusting? Just… keep thinking about it. That's all I can really say."
Aiko finished her monologue leaving a heavily mind strained Ranma.
Ranma sighed. It didn't help much. But she tried it, and found that shewas partially disgusted at the idea of being with Hiroshi. Known Girlfriend and Boyfriend. But… not so much.
'I'm going insane.' She thought, as she nodded to Aiko and made for the door. 'I think I'm going insane.'
"Have a safe night, Ranma-chan!" Aiko shouted. "Sleep on it! Answers'll come to you!"
'I hope so…' the redhead thought. 'I really do.'
Tai looked out through the axphonze windows of the ship to stare down at the rocky and dark area of space known as Pluto and grinned.
"Mai, my dear… We've arrived." He said darkly.
Mai grinned. "So soon too. Auric Technology advanced so much over the past twenty thousand years… but they're still nothing more than barbaric cretins. This whole ship stolen right under the Sampirial's noses!"
"Indeed, Mai. Indeed."
End Chapter
Author's Notes:
So not nearly as fast as the first chapter took but I'd still say pretty damn quick compared to Mark. It's slowly coming off hold as I rewire my thinking. I hope you enjoyed this. Not much plot development so much as laying out the grounds. Please review, and tell me what you think. I promise the spaghetti western writing style will be ending. Next chapter or the one after that will be the last of the Ranma/Aiko sessions.
I'd love to read a review or seventy! Well! I'll end as always!
Till Next!
MB