Son Turned Daughter, Chapter 41
An unusual disclaimer: Ranma1/2 is the trademark of Rumiko Takahashi and VIZ Communications, and its characters have been borrowed without permission. And Son Turned Daughter was originally written back in 2002 by fanfiction author Tangent, and his characters Megumi, Yasushi, and Ayane have, likewise, been borrowed without permission. Please see the first two chapters of this series under his pen name. This series has been written for noncommercial use only.
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This story is not about sex but gender. It is set in a late 1980's that mixes with, from the perspective of our universe, the early 1990's: a time when binary gender identity was the expected norm. Ranma dys-ease with having a female brain-body is a reflection of those born with the brain-body of a gender other than the one their chemistry says they actually are.
Note: In an effort to show the problem Ranma is having with gender identity, the different pronouns ('her', 'she', 'he', 'him', 'his') are used to indicate which is the more relevant at the time. 'S/he' indicates the increased ambiguity or conflict.
All but one of the ideas in here are, as far as I know, original with me. Credit any who may have had them before in the Reviews.
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Chapter 41
"But I'm a guy–No: A MAN!" Ranma slammed her fist down on the table harder than s/he thought s/he would. It threatened to break it! If it had been done with martial arts intent, it would have.
"Ranma!?" Akane cried out in surprise at the vehemence.
"That's the Ranchan I expected!" a pleased Ukyo smiled.
"Grandmother want Airen man!" Shampoo told him.
"She said I hafta be a woman!" Ranma told her back, pointing at the wrinkled ghoul on her staff. "She did something to me to make me STAY one!"
"Grandmother, tell airen Ranma wrong," Shampoo pleaded.
"Ranma wants to be a man? I will give future son-in-law the chance to win the cure for the Cat's Tongue."
"I'll win it now!" the redhead declared, going from her chair to attacking.
Cologne hopped away, just out of her reach. Again, she hopped, again, elusive to the mad hen that was Ranma. Again and again.
But Ranma knew age was making the elderly woman careless as she was allowing the martial arts student stay on her outside, cutting her off from retreat. {'That's it!'} Ranma thought. {'Stay on the inside of my contracting circle. HA! She's within my reach'}"–Now!"
The dìèr leader of the Women Heroes merely lifted a finger.
The small girl was immediately hurled off the ground, caught in a mighty updraft
–that slammed the unprepared opponent against ceiling and joist!
On her way down, the hurting fighter saw that Akane and Ukyo, along with restaurant chairs, tables and everything loose had been blown away from the eye of the wind blast towards the walls. While Shampoo, foreseeing what was happening, had ridden the squall and was holding herself against the ceiling and joists, ninja-style.
Falling, Ranma's last second, mid-air maneuvering for a safe landing was ruined by simple hand gestures from the Elder that broke up the weakening wind currents.
The pain on hitting the floor was made all the more humiliating by the squashed softness of her cursed body, especially the two great, beany masses over her chest as s/he came down directly on them! Bruised! The thin skin of girls marred too easily. Being black-and-blue over her full-length would mark her as defeated.
–But Ranma Saotome is never defeated! S/he leapt to her feet. "Alright, Ghoul, bring it on! I'm ready for you this time!"
"As soon as you pay up on your wager." A wrinkle of a smile was added to the old woman's face.
"What wager?! I didn't make any wager!"
"You Challenged me. Surely you know any Challenge among True Martial Artists carries a Wager."
"We know the wager FIRST!"
"Then know the Wager I'll see that you honor: You will remain a girl until you become an Honorary Woman Hero."
"And when I win, I won't be!"
"Agreed! And this is how you win." And she pulled out a locket from underneath her green robe. She opened it to reveal, "The Phoenix Pill will cure you of the Cat's Tongue shiatsu treatment."
"Gimme it!" Ranma cried, making a grab for it.
But, "Kachū Tenshin Amaguriken, Heavenly Fire Chestnut Fist." The hand with the pill was a blur, too fast to be even touched!
The redhead fell again on her bruised boobs when s/he shifted tactics and tried to grab the smaller, older body–that suddenly wasn't there! It had seemed to disappear for a second.
Time for a new tactic! The lowered fighter glared up the tormentor who had not once left her place on her staff. "How do I know that pill will cure me of bein' a girl!?" s/he demanded.
"Ranma no dishonor Great-grandmother!" Shampoo said, landing between the two. "Word of Women Heroes always word of honor!"
"Sure: The same kind of 'honor' as being bad sports who don't honor a loss?" Ukyo snarked. She was still on her feet. She had, barely, used her giant spatula as a sailor would a sail to tack against the storm. Even so, her back was nearly against a wall. "You put a Kiss of Death on whoever outsider beats your sorry butts!"
Having finally blown her long hair from off her face, Akane yelled, "Don't trust them, Ranma!" Her tumbling had her against a corner, butt up, knees down. Her polka dot panties were in view. It was her back side that was bruised, but she only winced and whimpered some in pain when she moved, toppling over. "They're outsiders to us!"
"Shampoo."
"Grandmother?" she turned to look at her.
To the heir's and everybody else's shock, Cologne came off her staff and touched the tip to her great-granddaughter's chest. Those that could sense ki energy heard a jolt of lightning shoot through the target's body!
As Shampoo and everybody else was recovering, Cologne scurried over to the raising Akane and tapped her chest! Again, energy was blocked from flowing properly through her body's meridians.
Ukyo was ready when her turn came. She was almost, but not entirely certain the arcanely forged steel of her spatula and spatulas would, magnet like, repel the battle aura attack. Her giant spatula was poised to go from defense to offense!
But the old lady just stood there, out of the weapon's reach. "You do not wish to be among Ranma's other fiancees?"
"Fiancees…?" Ukyo almost took her eyes off of the immediate threat to the others.
("Fiancees!?" the others exclaimed, but were ignored.)
"Nothing unites better than sharing a common problem. What do you say, Young Woman?"
'Young woman'. Again this elder expressed with the honorific that she expected her, as a businesswoman(?), to have more of a sense of practicality.
{'Or more easily suckered by a show of respect.'} "Do you swear you are giving me and Akane the same problem Ranchan has?"
"And my great-granddaughter as well. You three are my proof the Phoenix Pills will cure the over-sensitivity to warm water."
"I…we will be doing it for Ranma?" {'Suckered.'} And the once childhood friend lowered her weapon. And she, too, was tapped and zapped. (All while Ranma continued to grind her teeth in frustration and guilt.)
"Alright, you got us!" Akane was now right behind their special technique attacker. "Now give us the pills!"
"Loud Girl right, Grandmother," Shampoo less vehemently said. "Show airen Elder of Womans Hero say truth."
Ukyo held up her spatula like a Stop sign, its flat side facing them. "That's going to have to wait; am I right, Cologne?" Again she brought the Elder down to their own level by only using her name.
"I see you do understand, Ukyo. Your cures will be that much more meaningful if you have to live with the condition for a while. It raises the stakes. And it will motivate you to train for the Tests you all must take to become Honorary Women Heroes."
"That was my understanding, alright," Ukyo frowned. "We must do it as a group. One for all, all for one."
"We, we're supposed to help each other!? We're not rivals!?" Akane asked.
"Not exactly. You shall be ranked in the order you win your Phoenix Pill, " Cologne said. "Of course, Ranma, though First in Rank, shall be last."
"So you say! I'll get the pill before 'em all!" Ranma vowed. "I'll get all of them for them!"
"Ranma!" Akane spoke up. "Let us have some wins, too!"
" 'Honorary Women Heroes'," Ukyo tipped her head towards Cologne. She didn't know yet how the puzzle pieces fit together, but she did think they was the reason this leader of a warrior tribe wasn't acting in bad faith like Shampoo seemed more than capable of being. "One thing, Cologne. Why is Ranma so important?"
"Why future-son-in-law is the Cuīhuàjì."
"I don't speak or read Chinese." And neither did Ranma or Akane.
"Good. The Cuīhuàjì must not have pre-conceived ideas, but respond spontaneously, from the Dào. One with the Dào can be more powerful than even the gods."
"So you say, Ghoul." It was only because she said it that Ranma had to disagree. S/he could defeat a god? Of course s/he could. Maybe. …With enough training?
"Ranma could challenge the kami?" Akane wanted to be impressed.
"Believing something and it actually being true are two different things." Ukyo didn't want to be impressed. She favored the down-to-earth type.
Both of the Japanese fiancees looked at the Chinese one. "Shampoo no tell. Is worse punishments than Jusenkyo curse and curse of slave-husband."
"Like the Three-year Smile," Cologne smiled at her. To which Shampoo visibly shuddered.
It made Ukyo feel just how absolutely vital the Elder believed Ranchan was. She was even seriously willing to threaten her own great-granddaughter.
"Now, off with you, Soon-to-be-adults. Get to know each other better. I will tell you that I have redirected the energy lost to your temperature regulation to that of your circadian. You will need less sleep for a while."
{'For a while, huh(?)'} Ukyo thought.
"Shampoo stay with great grandmother, help clean mess," she said nervously. She apparently thought if she stayed around the others too long, they could trick her into blabbing the Secret of the Cuīhuàjì. She had to keep her guard up.
"No, Shampoo," Cologne told her. "Having an airen here on the Outside means you are technically no longer a Woman Hero and must earn the right to be called an Honorary Member. Your place is now among the Candidates." And she jumped close enough to swat the girl's butt with her staff, sending her towards the door.
And she, then, threatened to do the same with each and everybody else who hadn't thought to move.
Ranma was the last to leave. But only because Akane and Ukyo teamed up to pull the smaller girl out.
Waiting outside the door in the night was another little, old lady: Pearl-san. She didn't speak to them, but entered with her bamboo pail and ladle and said to the restaurant's new proprietor, "I came to offer my services in your remodeling."
Just before the door was closed, the Candidates heard Cologne say, "I am calling in a favor a real goddess owes me." Only, perhaps, Shampoo could understand what that meant. And she was too spooked to risk even giving a hint.
"Well, I wanted a sleep-over and it looks like it's going to be an all-night slumber party if we're not going to be able to get to sleep after being zapped. So let's go back to my new place," Ukyo said to the rest. "*Sigh* You, too, Shampoo. I guess."
"Don't feel bad, Ranma," Akane said. She hesitated, but did take her hand in hers. "Even without the Cat's Tongue, you still have a month and a half more of your vow to remain a girl."
Ranma tried to pull her hand away, but found s/he couldn't without using a pressure-point technique on her friend. "But that was my choice! The adjustment was on my terms! I always had the out of bein' able to be me again!" (The longer her hand was being held, the more s/he felt the urge to moan under the assault of humid, silky smoothness.
(As did Akane.)
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Of course it was Cologne's use of a mild version of the Hiryū Shōten Ha, the Heaven Blast of the Dragon, that trashed the now former Bathhouse Cafe.
I will say that Cologne's Inspired Plan was inspired by another fan fiction. I will reveal which at the appropriate time. In that story, though, it was the much shrewder Shampoo that came up with it. My version goes beyond that one.