Notes

Amazing thanks are owed to my beta reader, Angela Jewell who puts up with me taking YEARS between chapter updates for her to go over. Don't worry, this story is complete and it'll be updated weekly. This is Chapter 1 of 7.


"Oh! My son is looking so manly and handsome. Don't you agree, Akane-chan?"

My cheeks blushed hotly, and I felt trapped, caught in the sweet, motherly face of one Nodoka Saotome. Out of the mouth of any other proud mother, it would just be a casual boasting statement, right? No such luck for me and Ranma. Honestly, I love my auntie, quite dearly, but that woman has serious mental health issues! As in, she once believed that if she ever found her son anything less than a "man among men", then she was honor bound to assist and insist he commit ritual suicide. She doesn't hold those views as tightly as she once did...but sometimes I worry.

So, this charmingly phrased, potentially sepukku-inciting, request to confirm her son's attractive manliness was hanging over my head. This isn't something I can automatically deny, the way I would defensively if said by our matchmaking dads. I can't even politely avoid answering or give a wishy-washy response, like I would with my school friends. This could be a life-or-death question for Ranma!

My eyes drifted to Ranma's face, which lost color for a split second, his normally confident ego draining away as he awaited my response.

I partially covered my mouth with my wrist, in a vain attempt to conceal my embarrassment. My long yukata sleeve elegantly shielded my increasingly warm face. I tried my best to respond confidently to Auntie, all while praying that this wouldn't incite another wedding attempt by my father. A firm, but quiet "Yes," came out.

Could any more blood rush to my face? It felt like my ears and cheeks could roast chestnuts. And to top it all off...it's not actually a lie. Not even an exaggeration.

Ranma, who was already at a handsome height, grew a bit more this summer to even surpass my dad. But instead of getting gangly or temporarily awkward like most adolescents in a growth spurt, it only seemed to help his broad shoulders expand and musculature develop. I guess it's only natural that now, at age 18, he's lost any look of a boy and truly looks like a man.

So on this muggy summer day, the dark navy and white striped yukata fit Ranma's strapping frame in a perfect image of male vitality. The v-shaped dip where fabric met flesh teased at the perfectly toned pecs underneath.

Ranma's embarrassed, yet smirking, expression seemed to see right through me.

Not surprisingly, his ego bounced back into the atmosphere. "So, even you think I'm manly and handsome, huh?"

My elbow met his side and he lost his breath.

"Jerk," I muttered, but I was already over most of my annoyance, my tone half exasperated, half amused.

He rubbed his newly bruised side, and quipped "Tomboy", but his tone was similar to my own. Not long ago I would have taken the remark at face value. Our insults now...well, they were almost terms of endearment.

Nodoka turned her attention back to her son. "Don't you think Akane looks lovely?" she stared sweetly at Ranma, but also with pointed anticipation of a sincere response.

Ha! I nearly crowed aloud. Turnabout was fair play!

"I said, don't you think Akane looks lovely, Ranma?" Ma repeated herself, looking at me with a bright smile and intense expectations.

My earlier victory felt like lead in my gut. Akane's mouth twitched into a playful smirk as she awaited my response. Now I was the one under pressure. It's so hard to know what to say around my mother. What's the manly response?

And dammit, now I can't help but stare at Akane and take in how beautiful she is.

The cerulean blue of her kimono is the ideal backdrop to her creamy complexion, with the orange koi print highlighting the gold flecks in her amber brown eyes.

Her blue-black raven hair is partly pulled back with a flower hair clip, but when she turns her head a few wayward locks caress her cheek just above her pointed chin, framing the soft contours of her face. My eyes roam over her delicate nose and continue to linger at her full lips. They are healthy and pink, like rose petals at peak blossom, and I can't help but wonder what they would feel like under my own.

Memory assaults me, and I recall the sight of Akane in a similar blue kimono. Back then she was possessed by a cursed doll spirit, half undressed, silk layers slipping past her creamy shoulders...ack! Now I'm being a pervert. Just great.

I forcibly tear my gaze away and look at the ceiling, concentrating on the thin cracks in the paint and the uneven plastering job of multiple DIY repairs.

My ma is waiting intently for an answer. With Pop I could make some flippant remark, with the gang from school I could try to deny it, or dismiss Akane's obvious attributes...but all attempts to deny her beauty are refusing to make their way past my lips today. In private, I have managed to tell Akane she's cute or beautiful, but I've never admitted it to an audience. Yet after Akane supported my manliness to my mom, I can't bring myself to be a dishonest asshole in return.

So I clear my throat in an attempt to sound nonchalant. "Yeah...she looks good." Damnit, I can feel my cheeks burning, betraying the forced casualness of my voice.

My Pop hopped up, ready to celebrate. "Did you hear that, Tendo? We'll have the schools united before nightfall. You call the priest and -"

Akane is giving Pop a glare that could freeze lava, and amazingly, Uncle Tendo isn't looking too happy, either. Unlike my freeloading Pop, Soun is still paying out of pocket costs for everything the insurance didn't cover for the dojo repairs. The bombing damage from the last wedding attempt makes a tsunami seem tame.

Soun gave a heavy sigh. "You know I will heartily make the arrangements...the moment they finally put their affairs in order. We both know they aren't there yet."

Pop deflated like a burst balloon.

I knew it would only be a momentary reprieve, (for a lazy panda, the man can be annoyingly persistent), so I quickly grabbed Akane's hand and pulled her to her feet. "Hey, uh, we gotta go or we'll miss our train. Bye!"

We were hauling ass out the front gate, when my ma - (how did she move so fast? Damn, I guess I get my amazing skills from both sides of the family tree) - managed to grab both our elbows firmly. "I need a few words with Akane-chan first, son. I won't keep you long!"

Akane shared an equally puzzled and resigned look, and gave the tiniest shrug of her shoulders. I stepped a few paces out to give them privacy. I don't know what sort of girl-talk was going on, but since Akane doesn't have a mother, and my ma is making up for lost time without having a kid to raise, I knew to let 'em be. Most times it gave me a weird, funny, warm feeling in the gut to see them talking to each other that way. Not jealousy, like in the early days when my ma didn't know me from my cursed disguise. More a sense of wholeness. Here was my long lost mother and my … my … well, it was Akane . Fiancee isn't enough of the right word.

I couldn't make out what they were saying, exactly, but I couldn't help peeking over. My ma had thrust a small bundle into Akane's drawstring purse, and Akane's face was a brilliant shade of red I usually enjoyed causing.

With that, my ma waved us off.

"What was that about?" I asked Akane, whose blush had tampered down a bit but flared to life soon as I asked.

"Nothing to worry about! Just some, uh, girl stuff."

"Ohhh." I said thoughtfully, remembering the times I've been stuck in my cursed female body for a very extended amount of time. "That time of the month?"

Akane looked like she wanted to hit me for so casually mentioning her private business aloud. Which was pretty ironic given how Akane had calmly helped me out years ago when I was panicking in my cursed body over it. She thankfully decided to not inflict violence upon me, and found her voice. Her face was prettily flustered. "You! Ugh. Nevermind. Let's not miss the train."


Original Publication Date: Friday, Sept 22, 2023.