That One Episode

by Hermione Blackwood

You know the one. Ranma hits her head, thinks she's a girl, etc etc. In this version, she loses her memory and has to discover who she was and who she wants to become. It would have played out very differently if she had woken up as a guy, don't you think?

That ONE episode... you know the one. THAT one. Here's an idea I had on the subject, but instead of becoming a stereotype like in everyone's favorite filler episode, this version is straight up amnesia from falling in the pond.

As this is a filler anime episode, let's go by anime rules with a twist and place this sometime between the end of the show and end of the manga. So, all of the main players have been introduced, the school knows about Ranma's curse, but Nodoka doesn't. Let's say this is earlier on in their series of pre-reveal encounters.

This is more just for the fun of it. It was a dream I had back in early 2020, fleshed out up to a point, and I haven't really touched it since. So, nearly four years after initially writing it, here's the first chunk formatted into a more digestible chapter form. Initially I was thinking of writing the whole dang thing out in one post, start to finish, but as the years went by without working on it, I decided to just post what I had ready. Maybe getting it out there and seeing reviews will get those creative juices flowing again.

Anyway, enjoy my take on that one episode!

..

A scream and a splash. That's how the morning started for the Tendo family. Just another average day, really, but this time it didn't exactly play out like normal.

The whole family had been woken up at the break of dawn by the sounds of wooden poles clacking together as Ranma and his father trained on the roof.

It became a sort of alarm clock for the whole family.

The poles had been abandoned and the spar broke into a full-out brawl full of the usual taunting. By that time, Akane had already been threatening her father with a breakfast she insisted on making, with a bright delusional smile upon her face.

"C'mon Daddy, I made it just for you!" she chirped, completely unaware of the fact she was about to kill her own father with her... creation.

Soun Tendo knew what to expect. He cringed in disgust at the sight of... whatever it was and asked what it could possibly be.

"It's an omolette, of course!" Akane replied, both Tendos completely ignoring the loud scuffle going on behind them.

That is, until Genma had suddenly jumped into the room, using Akane's back as a light springboard to propel himself further ahead of his chasing son.

Akane managed to stablize herself just in time to have her head slammed straight into her toxic dish, getting egg, fish, tartar sauce, motor oil, and hair gel topped with ketchup all over her face and in her hair.

"Sorry 'Kane," Ranma quietly said as he lept away from her head to continue his chase.

Akane pulled herself out of the horrid mess with an eye twitching and her blood boiling.

Meanwhile, outside, Ranma had finally cornered his father by the koi pond and managed to trick him with one of the Saotome School Secret Techniques: Hunger of the Fierce Wolf. This rare and dreaded technique consisted of Ranma pointing at a spot on the ground near his father and yelling, "Look, Pops! A 100-yen coin!". When his father glanced away, he was quickly tripped up by a leg sweep and plopped right into the water for the Tendo family's first splash of the morning.

"I can't believe you fell for that again, Pops!" Ranma gloated to the panda in the water. "You'd think after all this time, you woulda learn-"

"RAAAANMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" a loud scream cut him off as a short-haired uncute tomboy made of pure rage chucked her skillet as hard as she could at the back of Ranma's skull, knocking him into the water where it hit once again on one of the large boulders that circled the small pond.

"Oooh, THAT had to hurt..." read a sign held by the panda.

Where it came from, no one will ever know.

"That jerk! He deserved it!" Akane fumed. She then turned and began stalking off back towards the house. "Now I won't have time to eat before school because of that jerk!"

She couldn't exactly go to school with pickled beats, somehow-still-frozen pizza rolls, and raw shrimp in her hair, now could she?

Kasumi watched her little sister stomp off to the stairwell with a combination of concern for Ranma and disappointment in Akane's method of revenge written all over her face. As she lost sight of her sister, her gaze turned to the pond where Ranma was floating face-down in the water while her panda father poked her in the back with a stick and failed to elicit a response.

"Oh dear," was all Kasumi could say as she rushed out to help.

..

I awoke with a start. For some reason, I felt a sense of fear and I felt like I couldn't breath, so I immediately sat up and took a deep gasping breath, but the fast motion caused an intense pain to shoot through the back of my head. Instinctively, I reached back to rub the sore spot and found quite a large bump... and something brushing the back of my neck. I winced at the touch of the bump and slowly moved my hand down to feel the strange sensation that was around my neck to find... a braid? Huh. My hair was in a braid. How strange.

"Ranma, are you alright?" a voice called next to me.

"Ranma?" I repeated as I turned from my fascination at my braided hair to face the stranger. It was a tall girl sitting on the floor next to where I'd been laying. She had a look of worry on her face and judging by her tone and the bump, I can only assume I was in an accident of some sort and she's the one who nursed me back to health.

"Thank you for taking care of me," I said, tilting my head in a slight bow and trying to ignore the rush of pain that such a simple movement caused. "What was it you called me?" I asked.

It was about then that I noticed my voice was naturally a little high. It felt familiar, yet at the same time, a little weird. I couldn't put my finger on why.

"Ranma. That's your name," the girl explained. I nodded slowly, just now realizing I'd forgotten it. How could I forget my own name? She must know me, but for the life of me, I can't place her.

"Ah, right, sorry," I said, trying to hide my embarrassment of forgetting my own name. I also had to fight down the shame over my next question. "Um... What's yours?"

It felt so awkward to ask that when she clearly knew who I was, but I had to ask.

She looked at me with a puzzled expression for a moment before giving me a gentle smile and answering, "Kasumi Tendo. Do you remember anything? Do you know where you are?"

Her questions had me worry. For the life of me, I had no idea where I was or why I was here. I looked around the room to see that it was a traditional Japanese room of about ten or so tatami. Kasumi was sitting on a small pillow and I had been sitting up on a futon, covered in a light blanket.

I looked down at myself and noticed the clothing I was wearing: a red Chinese-style silk shirt and black pants that both looked way too large for me. They were soaking wet and clinging to my body and I couldn't help but notice that I had a fairly decent sized chest. With the clinging cold fabric, I could see I was poking out a bit too.

"I don't... remember anything..." I mumbled without taking my eyes off my body. "I'm a girl?" I mused aloud. "How could I forget I'm a girl?" That certainly explained the braid. Why else would I have long hair tied in a braid? First my name and now my own sex! What else could I possibly have forgotten?!

"Oh my," Kasumi said. "Maybe you should stay home today and re-" she began, but she was cut off by the door suddenly sliding open with a loud clack.

In the doorway stood a short-haired girl in a blue dress that hung over a white long-sleeve blouse, and boy was she pissed.

"Hurry UP Ranma, or we're gonna be late for school!" the girl seethed through clenched teeth.

Seeing her barely contained rage sent a shiver down my spine.

"Akane, Ranma here is having trouble remembering some things. I'd rather have her go to see Doctor Tofu or stay home today," Kasumi said in my defense. For some reason, it felt kind of nice to have someone sticking up for me, but I had no idea why. Maybe I was just grateful for her help.

The girl named Akane glared daggers at me for a brief moment before saying, "he's lying." She didn't say it loud, but it sounded very firm nonetheless.

'He'? I wondered. I tilted my head and raised a brow in confusion, looking to Kasumi for an answer, but she wasn't looking at me. Instead, she was glaring at what had to be her sister. She was much too young for Akane to be her daughter so that had to be it.

"Akane, please. Ranma's injured," she protested.

"We have a TEST today!" Akane replied. "Ranma can't miss it or he'll get detention!"

There it was again! Was this girl blind? The tight damp clothing didn't exactly leave much to the imagination. I couldn't hold back anymore.

"Why do you keep talking about me like I'm a boy or something?" I could feel myself involuntarily scowl. I wasn't exactly angry, more just curious. "Are you blind or somethin'? Do I look like a boy to you?"

The girl's eyes went wide with surprise at my questions but she didn't answer me. Instead, she looked over at her sister with worry written all over her face.

"Like I said Akane, SHE is having trouble remembering things after SHE fell into the koi pond earlier," Kasumi said with a scowl of her own, putting emphasis on the femenine pronouns as she referred to me. "I have some things to do this morning so if you could, at least take HER to Tofu's clinic on your way to school, ok?"

Akane blinked and looked back at me for a moment, then back to her sister, and nodded. She still seemed angry but she clearly didn't want to fight with her sister when she was being so stern. I got the feeling that Kasumi could control a monster with nothing but a glare.

"I'll... I'll wait for you downstairs then..." Akane sheepishly said to me without making eye contact. Quickly, she closed the sliding door and I could hear her stomping away down a stairwell. She must have still been a bit mad. What could I have done to tick her off so much?

"Thanks Tendo-san, but I think I'll be fine. My head just hurts. Maybe going to school will jog my memory," I offered. It wasn't a lie, I felt fine aside from the splitting headache, but even that was starting to fade.

Kasumi put a hand to her mouth in shock. "Ranma! There's no need for the formalities, you can just call me Kasumi! You've lived here with our family for over a year now."

"I have?" I asked. For some reason, that blew me away. I had this gut feeling like I didn't live... anywhere. Like I didn't actually have a place to call home. I couldn't exactly explain this feeling to Kasumi so I just nodded in agreement. "Alright then, Kasumi. Was that your sister just now? Why's she so mad at me?"

"Yes, that's Akane, the youngest. The middle sister is Nabiki, but she's already left for school. Akane's probably just still mad at you for this morning," she explained, but it left me with another question.

"What did I do?" I could feel my heart sink. Whatever it was, it must have been bad to get that look of pure hatred.

"Oh, just the usual. This time, you knocked her face-first into Father's breakfast that she worked so hard on," Kasumi said with an innocent smile, as if this were completely normal.

I slouched and fought that sinking pit in my stomach. The guilt hit me like a brick.

"Why would I...? No wonder she hates me," I mumbled nearly under my breath.

"Well Ranma, if you're going to attend, I want you to get looked at first. You should get ready for school just in case though, and you'll have plenty of time to apologize to Akane on the way to the clinic," Kasumi said. "And if the Doctor says you need to rest, you come right home immediately! Do I make myself clear?"

There it was again, that stern motherly glare.

All I could do was gulp and nod.

Something told me to never get on this girl's bad side.

Kasumi stood up first and helped me to my feet. My head span for a moment and I nearly lost my balance in the dizziness, but Kasumi caught me and helped me straighten up.

"Are you sure you're alright, Ranma-chan?" she asked in a motherly tone.

That tone itself made me feel better. It felt really nice to be cared for; to have someone worry for my well-being. I wondered if that's normal or not. I nodded.

"Yeah, I'll be fine."

Carefully, she let me go and left for the door.

"You go ahead and change. You don't want to be going out in those wet clothes or you'll catch a cold," she said. "I'll be waiting right outside if you need me, ok?"

Clearly she was still worried.

I nodded again and nearly asked her what I thought was the obvious question: why did she leave the room so I could change? We're both girls, so what's it matter? Maybe she just gives everyone that bit of privacy.

Her sister said we were supposed to be heading to school, right? So I should have a uniform like hers around here somewhere.

I went to the nearby closet assuming it had to be mine and started sifting through the clothing only to find a few filthy training gi, some of which were ridiculously larger than me, large enough to fit a bear! In the drawer below, I found more clothing like what I had on. Red and orange shirts, all in a Chinese fashion, and lots of black and blue slacks. There were even two messy piles of white tank-tops and mens boxer shorts.

And they were all way too big for me.

I had to be in the wrong room.

I went back to the door and opened it to find Kasumi standing there humming a little tune as she stared off into space.

"Um, Kasumi?" I called, snapping her out of her imagination and making her turn around to face me. "The only clothes I found in there were way too big for me, and clearly for guys. I know you said I've lived here for a while, so why don't I have any clothes for me? I couldn't even find a school uniform."

Something wasn't adding up and I was pretty sure Kasumi knew thanks to that look of deep thought she had on her face, but I don't think she wanted to tell me. Maybe she thought telling me would upset me somehow? I couldn't even remember two hours ago, let alone whatever this was about.

"Oh, dear..." Carefully, she took my hand. "Your clothes are... all in the wash right now! So let's go find something more suited for you."

She guided me gently down the hallway and stopped in front of a door with a little wooden plaque shaped like a duck and the name 'Akane' written on it. She reached for the knob with her free hand before stopping herself and pulling it back.

"She's closest to your size, but on second thought, she might get even more angry if you suddenly showed up wearing her clothes again," she said, seemingly more to herself than me.

'Again'? Did I regularly steal Akane's clothes, too? That just made me feel worse. What kind of horrible guest was I to these people to go around stealing clothes and slamming people into food? And why was Kasumi being so nice to me while knowing all of that? Was it just because I was injured?

"Here, maybe we can find something old of mine that will fit you," she said, bringing me a few more doors down to what had to be her own room.

Kasumi sat me down on her high western-style bed and began digging through her closet until she found a dusty box. "Oh, good! I was worried I may have thrown these out or given them to the girls!" she cried, bringing the dusty box up to me and setting it on the bed.

She opened it to reveal a small pile of clothing neatly folded and put away into the box. As she began removing the items and holding each piece up to me, I could see her face light up with a grin.

"While I may be tall now, believe it or not, when I was in junior high, I was about your size!" she said, making me realize just how short I was compared to her. She stood a solid eight or more inches taller than me. How tall was I, anyway? I'd have to remember to ask the doctor.

She handed me a few articles, which included a single pair of underwear, and went to the door again. "Here, go ahead and put these all on. Don't worry about the panties, they're actually new. You can have them."

I didn't know what to say, so I just nodded and she left.

For some reason, in the pit of my stomach, this felt wrong somehow, but I chalked it up to my guilt over being such a horrible houseguest and still getting such hospitality from Kasumi. I'd have to be sure to thank her somehow when I got my memory back. Did I even have any money? Maybe I could make her dinner. Despite my memory loss, I could remember several recipes. I had to make my keep here by making dinner for the family or something. Was I a live-in housemaid, perhaps?

I put the thought out of my head as I peeled off the wet clothing to find that underneath, I was wearing a white tank and pair of boxers myself that hung low on my hips. Why was I wearing this stuff? I can understand my clothes being in the wash, but to go as far as boys' underwear? This had to be a prank or something. Maybe it was Akane's revenge for this morning.

I sighed and quickly pulled on the fresh undies. They were a little loose on me, but the elastic was strong enough that I simply pulled them up high and hoped for the best. It's only for a little while until my laundry's done, right? I can manage. While there wasn't a bra, I was glad to see the sweater. I put on the long-sleeve white button-up top and threw on the yellow sweater vest over it. It wasn't a bra, but it'd cover me up at least.

That thought drew me back to the fact that I had no underwear of my own in 'my' room. Boys got off on seeing girls go braless, right? Even if I were a guy, I can't really see the appeal. It's just flesh, right? Regardless, just thinking about guys looking at me like that made me shiver involuntarily. Was I regularly ogled or something? Or maybe... worse? Seeing how much I was poking through the damp, cold silk top I'd been wearing, I could only imagine how bad it must be...

Before I could let my mind wander into that dark direction, I shook the thoughts out of my head and reaffirmed how grateful I was that the light sweater would hide my assets well enough. It wouldn't hide the curves or the size, which I noted seemed kind of big on my small frame, but it would protect me if I got cold around a bunch of guys at the school. That much, I knew.

Next up was the black and gray gingham skirt that went almost all the way down to my knees. It was pleated with an asymetrical layer on the front giving it an angular look that I thought was kind of neat. Something you don't see every day, so it had a unique charm. I pulled it up and over the tails of the blouse and found a little zipper on the side to hold it in place. It still felt a little loose but at the bottom of the box was a thin black belt that I quickly looped through.

Finally, there were black socks that went up to my calves which I noticed were fairly toned. I must run a lot or something. I looked myself over best I could and there wasn't an ounce of flab on me! I was really athletic for being so petite. Did I do gymnastics or something like that? I definitely got a workout somehow.

At last, I took the dark brown leather loafers out of the box and tried them on. They felt about a half-size too big. Not the best, but I could certainly have done worse. I could walk in these, at least. After trying them on, I took them off to be courteous to Kasumi and went to the door to announce the deed was done.

She looked me over and a bright smile came over her face. "Oooooh, Ranma, you look just like I did when I was younger! My old uniform suits you so well! You look so cute!"

Somehow I got the feeling that she's wanted to dress me up before but never got the chance.

I blushed and rubbed the back of my head. For some reason, getting compliments like that was really embarrassing for me.

"Th-thanks, Kasumi. They're just a little big on me, but it's only for today so I'll manage."

"Only today, right..." Kasumi sheepishly said, looking away from me. I got that feeling she was hiding something again. "How about we go shopping for you after school? I can get you some essentials and maybe an outfit or two."

I was taken aback by the offer. For everything I've heard about myself so far, I really didn't deserve her hospitality as it was, but now she was offering to take me shopping? I had to say no. I already felt guilty enough taking advantage of her like this.

"I'm sorry, but I can't impose on you like that. You've already done so much for me already and I barely know you. I don't even know if I have any money to buy my own clothes, let alone thank you for these," I said with a small apologetic bow.

"Nonsense, Ranma-chan! To be honest with you, I've always wanted to go clothes shopping with you. I can picture you looking gorgeous in SO many outfits!" she went on, her eyes glossing over as her imagination took hold again. Turns out my guess was true, she had always wanted to dress me up like a doll. Just who am I to this girl? Friends would have gone shopping before, and if I really were a housemaid, why would she offer to buy me stuff like this? I had to ask. I needed to figure this out.

"Um... then why haven't we? It's hard to believe I've lived with you for over a year and we've never gone once," I asked. Was she lying to me? Did I only get here recently? Or do we not get along normally? Is she seeing my amnesia as a chance to start fresh or something? This whole situation was getting me more and more confused. I had so many questions.

Just as Kasumi began awkwardly stuttering an answer, a loud voice whined its way up the stairs.

"Raaanmaaa~, come on! We HAVE to go if you want to see Doctor Tofu on the way!" Akane's voice cried, drawing the attention of both of us on the landing.

"You should go, Ranma. Remember, if the Doctor tells you to rest, you come right back home and rest! Understand?" Kasumi repeated in her motherly tone.

I faced her one last time and gave a proper low bow with my hands holding the shoes in front of me. "Of course, thank you again, Kasumi-san. I appreciate you taking care of me like this."

She just smiled and told me not to worry too much. I gave her a grateful smile of my own and turned to head down the stairs, meeting Akane at the genkan by the door where she was tapping her foot impatiently as she waited.

The second she saw me, she froze and I could swear I heard her jaw pop as it fell wide open.

"What the HELL are you wearing?!" she cried.

I flinched at the reaction. "I think it's Kasumi's old uniform from junior high," I simply said, setting the shoes down to step into them.

"I can see that," Akane deadpanned. "But why are YOU wearing it?"

I quirked a brow. Was this girl for real? "Because we couldn't find my uniform."

Akane scoffed at me and crossed her arms. "You don't have one! You've never worn one!"

"Really?" I asked in surprise. I didn't even own one? I guess I must be a delinquent at school too, not following the rules or anything. Do I just make everyone around me mad or what? At least Kasumi seemed to like me well enough. "...Regardless, she said my clothes were all in the wash, so she lent me hers. Can we go so I can see this Doctor guy already? Aren't you in a hurry?"

She was really trying my patience, and apparently I was trying hers as well, though I didn't know why. She acted like she wanted to say something in return but simply said, "fine," and headed out the door.

I followed and together we walked in silence several blocks to a small clinic.

Inside we found a completely empty waiting room, so Akane let herself into a door in the corner and called, "Doctor Tofu! Are you in?"

A moment later, a tall older man came out and greeted us. He had thin glasses on and wore what looked like a dark grey martial arts gi crossed with medical scrubs. He couldn't have been that much older than us, but it was clear he knew his stuff from the way he carried himself. His name was even on the plaque outside.

"Oh, Akane! To what do I owe the pleasure this morning?" he asked. He seemed like a nice enough guy.

"Well, there's a bit of a problem," Akane began, seemingly unsure of how to say it.

"Oh? Is something wrong?" the man asked.

Akane simply backed away and pointed right at me.

When the man's gaze fell on me, his expression changed instantly to one of contemplation and he began adjusting his glasses as if trying to see me better. I felt so put on the spot at being examined like that, I couldn't look him in the eye. I could feel my cheeks burning as I turned away to look at something else. Anything else.

"...I see."

That was all he said before he ushered us into his examination room.

What did he see? What could he possibly tell just by looking at me? Was he confused why I was wearing a junior high uniform? I'm fairly small, so for all I know, maybe I am in junior high!

"Ranma, why don't you take a seat on the examination table and I'll take a look at you," he asked of me, and I nodded and complied. To call me by name without introductions, we must already know each other somehow. I took comfort in that little deduction of mine, but I couldn't help but feel that the reason a doctor might know me on a first-name basis would be because I was always getting hurt... or hurting others. I sighed as the word 'delinquent' came back to my mind.

Speaking of names, just what was my family name anyway? I just couldn't place it.

I took a seat on the padded table, making sure to smooth out my skirt before I sat down. I didn't want to get a crease in Kasumi's clothes, even if she never wore them anymore. They weren't mine to mess up.

For some reason, Doctor Tofu frowned at me for doing this. He had been watching me while Akane explained all she knew in a quiet voice. When she finished, he finally came up to me and started looking me over.

"So from what Akane here tells me, you hit your head in the koi pond this morning, and now you can't remember anything?" he asked. I nodded in confirmation. "I see. Can you tell me what you do remember? About yourself? Let's start with something simple..." he stopped to share a knowing look with Akane. "Are you a boy or a girl?"

Him too? Was everyone around here blind or what?!

"Uh... seriously? Aren't you supposed to be a Doctor?" I questioned, quirking a brow.

His tone turned serious and he crossed his arms.

"Humor me."

His expression showed no sign of humor whatsoever.

"Ooookaaaaay..." I slowly said, taken aback by his suddenly stern attitude. He was actually serious. This was probably just to make sure my head's on straight, I figured. Still, I couldn't hide my irritation when I curtly replied, "Well as anyone with eyes can see, I'm obviously a girl."

Again, he shared a look with Akane, but when he turned back to me, his expression softened. What was that all about?

"Thank you for being patient with me," he said, letting out a little laugh. Akane and I both stared. "Patient? Get it? Because you're my pati-, y'know what, nevermind, let's just get back on topic," he gave up, rubbing the back of his head in awkard embarrassment as his joke fell flat.

What a way to lighten the mood.

"So Ranma, what do you know about yourself?" he asked again.

I thought hard on it for a moment, but I drew a complete blank. "Only what people have told me. Apparently, my name is Ranma and I've been living with the Tendo family for a while, and that I'm usually kind of..." I paused, meeting Akane's judging eyes and opting to lean in and whisper the last part to the Doctor. "I think I'm kind of a bitch to people."

The Doctor pulled back and let out a hearty laugh at my comment, which made me feel even more guilty about it. I couldn't help but look down at my folded hands in shame while he seemingly mocked me for admitting to what I can't even remember.

"Don't worry too much about that, Ranma. I think you're just a normal, healthy kid, but maybe you do go over the line at times."

Confirmation. The pit in my stomach only sank further. The worst part is not being able to remember why everyone thinks I'm awful to begin with, so how could I start to make up for it? I don't even know what to apologize for and that hurt even more. I felt like I was about to cry from the overwhelming guilt and shame.

Maybe losing my memory was a divine punishment for being a bad person. Not a chance to start over, but a punishment to suffer for the rest of my days.

Or maybe I'm just being a little dramatic.

Apparently I was shaking because the Doctor put his hand on my shoulder and I froze. I snapped my head up to look at him, trying hard not to let loose a tear from my watery eyes. If I cried, that would mean defeat. At least, that's what immediately popped into my head. Where did that idea come from?

"There there, Ranma. It's nothing to worry about for now. Here, let me examine your head... oh yeah, that's a nasty bump you have there," he said, tilting my head forward and sideways to look it over. Finally, he let go and gave me a smile. "Well, you seem perfectly fine to me! Just be careful and if you feel tired, please take a rest. Your memory should come back to you in time. Until then, just take it easy."

"See? Told ya she's faking," Akane snorted out, for some reason emphasizing the pronoun.

"Now Akane, that's not fair. It seems to me that Ranma really is suffering some form of amnesia," the Doctor said before I could chime in with a retort. "And from what you told me, this is partially your fault, so try to be nicer to her until her memory returns, alright? We don't want to strain her with any undue stress or it could cause more harm than good. It might even make her repress her memory further. This is a form of brain damage we're dealing with so we have to tread carefully if we don't want her memory loss to be permanent, understand?"

Again it seemed like they were talking about something I had no clue about. Like they were talking about me, but about something they didn't want me to know. Like I wasn't even there. I saw Akane shrink in guilt and realized that he said it was partially her fault.

"How? How is this partially your fault?" I asked, addressing Akane. I may have said it more demanding than I intended to, but I had to know.

She awkwardly shuffled around avoiding eye contact with me and mumbled out, "I, well, I was the one who knocked you into the koi pond..."

"You what?!" I cried in shock. "Why would you do something so dangerous?!" She could have killed me for all we know!

"You totally deserved it!" Akane fired back, turning those angry eyes back on me.

I didn't let her stare me down this time. I held that glare.

"I really don't think causing brain damage is just revenge for having your face slammed into your food! What if I never get my memory back, huh?!"

"Then the whole world might be better off!"

I involuntarily winced at that.

"Girls, PLEASE!" Tofu cried, shutting us both down and turning our attention on him. "She doesn't remember doing that to you, Akane. Try to get along, at least until Ranma's memory returns, alright?"

Akane nodded and hung her head in shame. I got the impression that she was embarrassed to show her violent and angry side to this guy. She must respect him a lot.

I felt guilty too and instinctively rubbed the back of my head. "He's right, Tendo-san. I really don't remember what I did. I know that doesn't make it ok, but I'm sorry I hurt you."

She snapped up and looked at me like I'd just grown a second head or sprouted wings or something.

"Did you just... apologize for something?!" she asked.

I quirked a brow. "Uh, yeah? Even if I can't remember it, I clearly did something wrong to you, and I'm sorry for it. If I hadn't have hurt you, you wouldn't have hurt me, right?" They were both looking at me with shock. Was it really that surprising? Seemed logical to me. "What's with the shock? I apologized, you don't have to make a big deal about it."

Akane turned agape to the Doctor and quietly said, "She's not faking it."

The Doctor agreed with a surprised nod.

What is going on with these two? Was it that strange to have me apologize for something I did? Am I really THAT much of a bitch to everyone?!

Just then, the Doctor's gaze floated beyond me. I turned to see he was looking at a clock hanging on the wall. "You two should really get going if you don't want to be late."

Akane glanced at the clock and threw a hand over her mouth in surprise. "Oh no! We have to hurry, come on!" she cried, pulling me by the wrist off the exam table and towards the door.

"Remember to take it easy alright?" The Doctor called. "Oh, and one last thing!"

Akane finally let go of me as we stopped and looked back at him.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"Ranma, would you like some hot water before you go to school?"

"Huh?" I tilted my head. What an odd thing to ask. "We're going to be late for school, we don't have time for tea!" I answered. He's the one who reminded us we were going to be late, and now he's offering me tea? Was his head on straight?!

The Doctor rubbed his chin in thought for a moment and then simply waved us off. "Well, take care then! Don't get into any fights, alright?"

"...K," was all I could say as Akane and I rushed out the door and began running down the street.

"What a strange guy," I commented as we ran. "Why would he offer tea when he knows we're almost late?"

Akane nearly stumbled but caught herself and kept on running. "You'll find out later, I guess."

Something fishy was definitely going on. There was something that all three of them weren't telling me and I still didn't have a clue what it was. I had to put it out of my mind though as the tall clockface of the high school came into view.

And not a moment too soon! Running in these shoes ain't easy.

Looking up at the school and realizing it's a high school, I put two and two together. I guess I'm a high schooler afterall. I must be a late bloomer or something, to be so short. Would it be too awkward to ask Akane how old I am? She already thinks I might be faking this and she's still mad at me for this morning, so maybe I shouldn't ask. It might just set her off again.

I was starting to think that maybe she had anger management issues or something.

We made our way straight through the school's gates and were about to enter the main doorway when a voice called out to us.

"Oh, beautious Akane Tendo! And my firey pig-tailed goddess!" it boomed.

We stopped walking and Akane simply rolled her eyes with a groan.

I looked around the yard to find lots of eyes on me. Students milling about had stopped to stare and many were even gossiping amongst themselves while pointing at me. I felt so put on the spot. Was there something on my face? Were they mocking my oversized junior high uniform? Or were they surprised that a 'delinquent' like me would even bother with a uniform at all? I really got the feeling that everyone hated me for some reason. Did I really have no friends?

Well, as it turns out, ONE person liked me.

But perhaps a little too much.

"Pig-tailed giiiiirl~!" the booming voice cried once more and I suddenly found myself wrapped in lightly muscular arms and lifted off the ground in a massive sneak bear hug, making me drop my school bag in a panic.

I struggled and squirmed best I could, crying, "let go of me, you creep!" but he kept babbling his nonsense about 'goddesses' until Akane lunged from nowhere and drove her elbow deep into the man's skull.

Finally freed from his terrifying grip, I ran to hide behind my erstwhile savior. It was a good thing she was taller than me! Akane spared me a pitiful look before returning to face her victim.

"Akane Tendo, my sweet delicate flower," the tall boy spewed. "Why wouldst thou harm me so? If you wish to date with me, you need only say so."

I couldn't tell whether or not he intended that to rhyme, but his cadence seemed to suggest it. Rhyming 'so' and 'so' wasn't exactly creative though.

"Date? Ha!" Akane spat. "When will you get it through your thick skull Kuno? I am NOT and never WILL be interested in the likes of YOU!"

"Hmm, tis only a matter of time before that vile wretch Saotome frees you from his spell and when he does, you will come running to me with open arms!" the boy shouted to the heavens with a wide delusional smile.

'Saotome'? That word sounded familiar. Wasn't that some famous samurai or something? ...No, that couldn't be it. Was it a famous thief from some comic or anime? It definitely rang a bell, but I just couldn't seem to place it.

As I was lost in thought trying to recall how I knew that name, I didn't even notice that the lunatic called Kuno had made his way back to me and had taken my hand in his.

Once I noticed, I flinched and tried to jerk my hand away but I couldn't free myself from his grip. He was touching me! I could feel my cheeks burn but didn't know if it was shock from being held or anger from... being held.

"Wh-what are you doing?" I stuttered, trying to control my surprise.

"And what of you, my firey pigtailed goddess? Will you bless me with a date this afternoon after class?" he asked. His eyes seemed to shimmer as he stared deep into my soul.

I involuntarily shuttered.

"D-date? Why would I go on a d-date with you?" I asked. I couldn't believe this was happening! I didn't even know this guy and he's already on one knee and holding my hand like he's about to propose! My heart was racing fast and I instinctively placed my free hand over it as if to slow its rapid pace.

"Because, my crimson rose, I love you," he said, and kissed the back of my hand held in his.

He sounded like he meant it!

My heart skipped a beat and I drew a blank. My mind seemed to check out at the declaration of love and I didn't know what to do. I felt frozen in place, and yet my face felt on fire. I was unable to think or move or even breathe.

Suddenly, my hand was freed by the boy's sudden flight into the clear skies above. The sudden movement snapped me back to reality and I saw Akane slowly bringing her leg down from what had to be an incredibly powerful kick to launch someone like that.

"I said, leave her ALONE!" Akane yelled.

Did she actually stick up for me? I thought she hated me!

"I, um.. Th-thank you, Tendo-san. You didn't have to help me." My heart was still beating wildly but at least my face was starting to cool down.

Akane turned to face me with a frown and rolled her eyes. "Just call me Akane. The formality coming from you is really creeping me out."

I flinched again. I upset her just from being polite! How in the world did that happen?!

"S-sorry," I stammered out, rubbing the back of my neck.

"Come on, we don't want to be late again," was all she said.

I gave her a nod and let her lead me into the school. We made it to the shoe lockers and Akane changed hers and pointed mine out to me, and when I opened it, I was surprised to find that there were two pairs inside! One was far too big for me but the other fit perfectly, so I changed and followed Akane down the hall.

"I can't believe that guy! Every freaking morning..." Akane muttered to herself under her breath, but I couldn't help but hear.

"That happens every day? Really?" I asked.

Akane gave me another strange look but then nodded. "Yeah. Every day I need to kick his ass so he'll leave me alone."

"Does... he do that to me, too?" I couldn't help but wonder. "It really surprised me when he confessed to me like that. In front of the whole school, too! Talk about embarrassing," I finished with a light chuckle.

And here I thought everyone hated me.

Akane was quick to reply with an incredulous scoff, saying, "he does that every time he sees you like that at least."

"Like what?" Did I really look strange today or something?

"When you show up as a girl," Akane quickly answered.

Was she being serious right now? Maybe she didn't think her answer through...

"Uh... as if I had a choice...?" I replied.

Akane stopped again and stared at me. Her eyes bore into mine as if she were searching for something that she just couldn't find. I could tell it was frustrating her. Still, being constantly examined like this made me feel so, so... would objectified be the right word? It certainly made me feel small, at least.

Finally, after an awkward moment of silence, Akane quietly asked, "You're really not faking this, are you?"

"What, the memory loss?" I asked. "Ten-, er, Akane, I know you don't exactly like me, but please believe me when I say I can't remember anything from before this morning. I..." should I say it? Man this is embarrassing to admit... "I don't even know how old I am. I wasn't even sure I was a high schooler until we got here," I said, pulling at my borrowed sweater for emphasis.

Akane's eyes seemed to widen as she absorbed this information. She was finally starting to get it.

"I'm sorry to be such a burden on you, but please Akane, at least for today, can you help me get through this? I thought coming to school instead of staying home would help jog my memory somehow and I'm relying on your help. I can't do this alone. I don't even know what room I'm in. Please, Akane," I begged with a proper bow.

I felt like I was pouring my heart out to this girl from the way she was looking at me. I felt so ashamed to admit that I knew so little and even more ashamed to put my burden on her when I've supposedly already caused her so much grief, but I didn't have anyone else I could rely on. She was my lifeline.

I waited as the gears turned in Akane's mind. Slowly something clicked into place and she simply nodded and turned away to continue down the hall.

"C'mon, 'firey goddess', we're seriously pushing it right now."

I had to jog a little to catch up and match her quick pace.

"What does that even mean?!" I asked. When Akane didn't reply after a moment, I quietly said, "Thank you, Akane."

At last, we made it to a doorway on the second floor of the school and entered to take two seats in the back half of the room.

The second we stepped in, the din of the chattering teens immediately fell into a deathly silence as every eye found itself locked onto me.

I met several of them with worry. I must have done something horrible to these people. Or maybe 'delinquent Ranma' never showed up for class? I already knew I never came to school in uniform, but that surprise wouldn't be enough to garner this many curious and inquisitive stares. Most of them didn't seem vicious or angry, but some of the girls were glaring at me. Some of the boys were clearly checking me out.

It was bad all around.

It was all I could do to stare at the tiled floor as I followed Akane to the two empty seats.

Akane unceremoniously plopped down in hers while silently pointing me to the empty seat next to her. I took that she meant it was mine, and sat down. I held my hands together in my lap, crossed my ankles underneath, and shrunk into my seat, begging everyone to stop looking at me. The nerves were killing me! I could even feel the heat returning to my cheeks. All I could do was stare at the wooden desktop in front of me and hope against hope that class would start soon.

Luckily for me, I didn't have to wait long as it turns out, we made it to our seats mere moments before the bell rang.

What in reality couldn't have been more than thirty seconds felt like two hours to me before those blessed bells drew everyone's attention away from me and to their own seats. Even as the teacher walked in, I could feel those eyes watching me and hear the quiet whispers that had to be about me.

Maybe Kasumi was right. I should have just stayed home today.

"Rise. Bow." the teacher commanded as if on auto-pilot, and we all complied and retook our seats.

"Higurashi?"

"Here."

"Kirigaya?"

"Here."

"Kuonji?"

"I'm here."

"Mizuno?"

"Present."

"Saotome?"

Nobody answered. I looked around the room, wondering who it was. It was the same name that Kuno guy said this morning! I guess Saotome-san was in our class, too. There didn't seem to be any empty desks, though.

"Saotome?" the teacher asked again, this time looking up from his clipboard and his eyes immediately locked onto me. "Why didn't you answer, Saotome?"

"Psst!" Akane quietly hissed at me. "He means you, dummy!"

I'm Saotome?!

I shot up out of my seat and gave an apologetic bow. "S-sorry, sir! I had a bit of an accident this morning and I, well... I'm having trouble recalling some things right now. Sorry about this!"

As I held the bow and felt my cheeks burning from the embarrassment, I could hear some quiet mutterings from the students around me.

"What's with the getup?"

"How could that narcissist forget his own name?"

"I guess Ranma finally declared his womanhood, eh? Think she'll go out with me?"

Again with the wrong pronoun. What the hell was going on?!

I wanted to die of embarrassment in that moment. Just suddenly drop dead and free myself from this social torment.

Akane must have felt a little sympathy for my situation because she stood up to defend me once again.

"It's true, Sensei. Ranma hit hi-, her head really bad this morning and couldn't remember who she was." Again, the emphasis on the pronouns. Why was she talking like that? "Doctor Tofu says she has acute amnesia and we don't know how long it will be until her memory returns. Please, have someone call the clinic to hear the full story."

She sat back down.

"Is this true, Saotome?" he asked, addressing me again.

I straightened up and nodded. "Yes, sir. You can confirm it with the Doctor."

"...Well that certainly explains the clothes and the attitude," he said with an incredulous huff. "Take your seat, Saotome. I'll let the faculty know."

"Thank you, sir," I quickly said with another bow.

He then turned back to his clipboard and continued the roll call, and I fell down into my seat and immediately buried my face into my arms on the desk.

Do not cry! Whatever you do, Ranma Saotome, do not let them see you cry!

I just might have if I'd seen the sympathetic look Akane was giving me.

The murmurs immediately started up again and my ears felt like they were on fire. I didn't lift my face out of my arms until the homeroom teacher had left. I could hear some muffled voices in the hallway and watched as a new teacher entered. This time it was a woman on the younger side, probably somewhere in her mid to late twenties. She had long milk chocolate hair and her tight outfit hugged her supermodel-like frame.

A lot of the boys had finally taken their attention off me and given it to this objectively sexy woman who just walked into the room. Even I felt intimidated by her physique. From what I could tell, I was small for high schooler, sure, but I had decent curves and was honestly a bit too busty for someone who clearly exercised as much as I had to. I suppose I just haven't hit my growth spurt yet, but clearly some parts of me started early. Would I end up looking like this teacher when I grew up? She's definitely a bombshell and any girl would probably be stoked to have a body like that, but I don't know if I could handle the kind of attention such a physique would draw.

I wonder if that's why that guy was so fascinated with me in front of the school. Was it my body?

When the teacher entered the room, she gave me a very curious look as she made her way to the desk to set down her bag. Never once did she take her eyes off me.

"I can't believe it, it's true," she said, seemingly more to herself than any of us. "I never thought I'd see the day."

She finally broke her gaze and went to pull a book out of her bag, and then proceeded to the podium in the center of the room.

After clearing her throat, she addressed the class. "Good morning, everyone. If you could pull out your books and turn to page..." she trailed off, getting us started. As she gave her directions, her eyes wandered over all the students in the classroom, but occasionally they'd make their way back to me and stay for a moment longer than I thought they should.

I really need to ask Akane why everyone's staring at me like this. Something here was NOT normal and I had the strong suspicion that it was me.

A few hours had passed and the lunch bell rang to the cheerful groans of half the students. The teacher took her leave, saying she had some business to take care of, and left only her bowl of beta fish quietly swimming away, occasionally bumping into the small pane of glass that seperated them with bonks of their heads.

Those fish had made a nice little distraction during the class. I had a hard time focusing on all of the work in front of me as it all seemed to be going over my head, and we moved on so fast I never had a moment to figure out what I was stuck on. It's like I'd never studied it before in my life! Surely I had to have retained something from school.

Regardless, I was struggling with this and could seriously use some help.

I turned to Akane who had pulled a small lunchbox from her bag and asked what had been on my mind.

"Say, Akane? How are my grades usually?"

She let out a mirthless chuckle and said, "abysmal," without pausing from her task of unwrapping her lunch. "You should eat too, y'know. It's lunch time. Kasumi usually packs a bento into our bags before school."

I'd been carrying a leather bookbag around since we'd left the house but aside from a pencil in the front flap, I hadn't had to check the whole thing yet. I pulled it to my lap and sure enough, there was a nice little blue bento box wrapped in a green cloth.

I couldn't help but smile thinking of that girl's bottomless pit of kindness.

"Remind me later to do something nice for your sister. She's been so kind to me today and now I find she's made me lunch too! I really don't deserve her hospitality."

Akane scoffed again. "You can say that again. Why'd you ask about your grades though?"

"Ah, right." I turned my attention away from opening my lunch and back to her. "Well it's just that I'm really struggling to grasp what we were going over. If my grades are bad, that's proof that I haven't been studying."

Akane's eyes went wide at my deduction and nodded for me to continue.

"So I was wondering, since we live in the same house and all, would you mind helping me study?"

I really didn't think it was an odd request. If we're in the same grade and the same class, why wouldn't we study together? It made sense to me that we should always study together. Why haven't we? Did we really hate each other that much that we wouldn't even face a common foe together?

Akane looked at me like I was speaking another language and quietly answered, "Uh... sure, I guess."

I gave her a grateful smile and thanked her, and turned back to my food. It was quite adorably packed, with little sausages cut to look like octopi and the rice trimmed with nori to make it look like a panda's face. It was almost too cute to kill, but alas, my stomach had already sentenced the adorable creation to its doom. I don't think I ate breakfast at all.

As soon as I began to tuck in, someone else had plopped down backwards in the empty seat in front of me and rested their arms on the backrest of the chair.

"So what's the real story, Ran-chan?" they asked me. "Do you really have amnesia?"

I wasn't sure until she spoke but the person in front of me was definitely a girl. The odd thing was, she was wearing the boys' school uniform, but her long ponytail and soft facial features had me unsure. The fact that she called me 'Ran-chan' meant I had at least one other person in this school who liked me. Maybe I actually did have a real friend here afterall.

"Um... hi. Yes, it's true," I started, and though part of me knew I shouldn't ask because it was none of my business, I still blurted out, "Um... why are you wearing the boys' uniform?"

The crossdressing girl was taken aback by my question and she looked to Akane who just gave her an indifferent shrug.

"Wow, it IS true then. I'm so sorry, Ran-chan."

"Oh, it's alright. I'm sure it'll come back to me eventually," I said, hoping to ease her worries about me. "I couldn't even remember my own surname there when the teacher called on me! Man that was embarrassing," I finished with a light laugh.

The girl smiled at me and held out her hand.

"Yeah, I bet! I'm Ukyo, Ukyo Kuonji, and I'm your oldest friend. We've been friends since we were six! Nice ta meet'chya again," she said.

My eyes went wide and I couldn't help the bright smile that bloomed across my face. I took her hand and gave her a hearty shake.

"Really? I actually have a friend here? The way everyone was staring at me, I thought they all hated me!"

"Heh, I'm sure some do, but I think they're more just curious," she said with a chuckle of her own. "We're just not used to seeing you so..." she stopped to share a strange look with Akane before looking back at me and concluding with, "...polite."

I could feel my glee at finding a friend deflate back into depression as the smile fell from my face. "I guess I really am a delinquent, huh?"

Ukyo paused to think about that for a moment before saying, "Well, I guess you could say that, but it's not so bad. You usually have a good excuse."

"Still, it explains why everyone hates me. Even Akane here was livid when I met her this morning, but apparently it was totally justified because I did something horrible to her. I'm not a bully, am I?"

Ukyo was taken aback by my question. "OH, no! Far from it! You're a martial artist, and like you're always saying, it's a martial artist's duty to protect the weak. You're the one who FIGHTS bullies around here!"

I was astonished!

"What, really? I can fight?" For some reason it felt really odd picturing myself as a martial artist. That wasn't something girls usually did, was it? Something in the back of my mind said that girls were weak and didn't fight, but that clearly wasn't true. Akane dropped that Kuno guy in a matter of minutes this morning and said she does it every day. That was anything BUT weak!

"Yup!" Ukyo nodded with a smile. "We met ten years ago while you were on a training journey with your father."

Ten years ago? She said she'd known me since I was six, so I finally got my answer to a question too embarrassing to ask aloud: I'm sixteen years old. I don't know why that made me feel so relieved, knowing how old I was, but it did.

"Is that so? I'm definitely in shape but I can't recall..." I paused as a flash of something went through my mind's eye. It was only for a moment, but I saw an old woman, an apron covering a cute chinese outfit I was wearing while holding some trays of food, and a small fire set up in the Tendo's yard.

"Wait, no, I remember now. I was waitressing for some Chinese restaurant to learn... something about fire? What's fire gotta do with martial arts and waitressing?"

I just couldn't make the connection at all. It just seemed so random.

"That was your kachuu tenshin amaguriken training a while back," Akane answered, finally joining our conversation. "Elder Cologne of the Amazons was teaching you a speed technique that involved pulling chestnuts from a fire without getting burnt yourself."

That was so far-fetched a concept I just had to laugh.

"Really?" I said when I calmed down. "What a strange way to learn martial arts, and even stranger to pay for a lesson by waitressing. You gotta be pulling my leg with that!"

Akane cracked a smile at my laughter but shook her head.

"Crazy thing is, it's true. The waitressing, the fires- all of it. It's all true," she said. "The person teaching you owned the place, so it's not that out there."

"So you're telling me some old lady who owns a restaurant is teaching me martial arts in exchange for waiting tables? Like that's just a normal thing that happens?" It just sounded way too odd to be true.

"Well, you don't anymore, that was a long time ago," Akane added, putting her empty lunchbox away.

"That must have been before I moved here, 'cause I don't remember hearin' about that," Ukyo said, looking towards Akane.

Akane looked to Ukyo and opened her mouth to answer when the bell rang to cut her off, drawing everyone's attention.

Ukyo took this as her cue to get up from her borrowed seat and stretch for a moment. "Well, I'd better get back to my seat. Don't worry, Ran-chan, I'll help you recover your memories. If there's anything I can do, just ask."

"Yeah," I replied with a smile. "Thanks, Kuonji-san. Talking with you really made me feel better."

I was surprised when Ukyo held up her hand to me and shook her head. "Please, call me Ucchan. It's what you've been calling me for as long as I can remember, and it kinda hurts to hear my formal name with your voice."

"Ah, sorry," I said with a start. I guess we really were close friends, having cute nicknames for each other like this. "Thank you, Ucchan."

She nodded with a smile. "Now that's more like it. I'll see you two after school, ok? Mind if I come home with you, Akane?"

She must have been really worried about me to want to come home with us. I turned to Akane who seemed to understand that Ukyo was concerned too, and she just asked, "are you sure? What about the restaurant?"

Restaurant? Does she work at the Chinese restaurant too?

"As long as I'm home for the dinner rush, it'll be ok," Ukyo answered. "Ran-chan's health takes priority."

I was really touched by that. She'd forego work just to make sure I was alright. "You're a good friend, Ucchan." I could feel my eyes watering but I still couldn't let myself cry, even if they were tears of happiness.

"I'm your best friend, Ran-chan! And don't you forget it~!" she cooed with a playful wink.

I let out a small laugh and the second bell rang.

"Alright, see you guys later!" Ukyo called, running back to the front of the class where her seat was and sitting down just as the teacher strode back into the classroom.

Aside from the occasional odd look, particularly from Miss Hinako, class resumed as normally as I could imagine it would. We were assigned a simple test based on the chapter we had just worked through and when we were done, it was nearly time for the next period.

"Alright everyone, pencils down," she said, rising from her desk before walking down the aisles of desks one by one, collecting papers along the way.

I wasn't feeling too confident about my work and I must have been visibly nervous because she paused after collecting my paper and gave me another curious look. Was I really that bad of a student? Did I get every question wrong or something?

As my worry and building guilt at discovering how awful a person I must have been was swirling down my gut into a nice little depression, Miss Hinako set my paper back down in front of me on the desk and leaned forward to speak quietly.

"Mist... er, Miss Saotome, I've never seen you sign your name so... carefully before," she said, snapping me out of my depression.

"Huh?" I blurted in surprise.

That's what she paused over? My name?

"Um... isn't that usually how I write it?" I asked, thoroughly confused. Granted, it took me a moment to decide how to even spell my name, but I figured it must be the femenine version of the name, like the flower. The other way just seemed way too abrasive to me. My name's not even usual for a girl, but I wouldn't think my parents were that cruel, to give their daughter such a masculine name.

"Well, usually you spell it the other way, like 'wild horse'," Miss Hinako said, making my heart sink. "And I've never seen your handwriting look so clean before."

That's it. I'm a girl who's mean to the people she lives with, steals from Akane's closet, gets in fights, and seems to be hated by half the class; I never show up in uniform, I'm terrible with my schoolwork, and I intentionally write my name wrong on my schoolwork without a care in the world.

I really am a delinquent.

"I... I see," I quietly murmured, unable to look her in the eye.

She paused a moment before straightening up and then said, "I'd like to see you after class, if I could."

"Eh?" I snapped to attention. "Am I in trouble or something?"

"No no," she said, waving her hand and smiling for the first time all day. "I'd just like to talk with you, that's all."

"O-ok," I swallowed, nodding.

She nodded in return and went back to her collecting duties, finishing right before the bell rang and she left, with all of the students getting up as well.

It was only 2pm though, and we'd already had lunch, so what could be going on? I looked over to Akane who gave me a nervous expression and immediately darted her eyes away from me.

"What is it? What'd I do now?" I asked. I've just been sitting her next to her for hours on end. What could I possibly have done to irritate her now?

"Nothing, it's just that... gym is next, and..." she trailed off.

"Ok, so? We should get going before the next bell." I kind of needed her to show me where it was, afterall.

Right when that second bell rang, I found out what was biting Akane.

For some reason, she didn't want me changing in the locker room with her.

"Well why the hell not, Akane?!" I yelled. She was really starting to get on my nerves with this 'boy' crap. "I'm a girl too and I gotta change for gym just like everyone else! Don't we do this every day? What's the big deal?!"

"WE do," she countered, stepping up to get in my face. "But not YOU! You change with the guys!" she spat.

I could feel my eye twitch in frustration.

"WHAT?! Are you freakin' blind or what?!" I motioned to my body and my outfit as if she hadn't noticed. "Do I LOOK like a guy to you?! What kinda pervert do you take me for?!"

"The BIGGEST, for your information!"

I had such a strong urge to smack that horrible look off her face. I may not remember anything from before this morning, but to say I regularly change with the guys is just too far.

"This isn't funny! Stop screwing with me Tendo before you really piss me off!" I yelled.

Before Akane could reply, or I could take a swing, whichever came first- Ukyo came out of the locker room door we were arguing next to and put herself between us.

"Woah, woah, calm down people," she said while looking at Akane. "C'mon Akane, you know Ranma clearly can't remember any of this and she's a girl right now, so stop acting like a jackass and just calm down for a second!"

Akane just tried her best to look over the taller girl's shoulder to glare at me.

"Well I don't want HER seeing me naked!"

"Like there's anything to look at, TOMBOY!"

That one seem to sting because she was taken aback a moment. She collected herself quickly though and shoved Ukyo aside, never breaking eye contact with me, and once again she tried to get up in my face.

"Look who's talking, you crossdressing PERVERT!"

"What's THAT supposed to mean, huh?!" I retorted.

"Sug'..." I heard Ukyo whimper, clearly a bit hurt by Akane's indirect insult towards her.

"Ladies, LADIES! Break it up!" a loud voice called from down the hall, catching the attention of the three of us.

The gym teacher who I assumed was running our class stomped up to us, clearly upset.

"The whole damn school can hear you two bickering! Knock it off!" she commanded, causing both of us to bow our heads in shame.

"Sorry, Miss," we both said in unison.

The gym teacher huffed and crossed her arms in satisfaction, but she still didn't look too happy.

"Saotome, the school contacted your doctor and he recommended you avoid physical stress due to your fresh injury. You'll be sitting this one out."

Really? I guess that made sense. I so wanted to tell Akane 'looks like you got your way afterall, princess!' but I didn't want to restart that fight in front of the teacher.

And the more I thought about it, the more I really didn't want to. The fight was over and a snarky little comment like that is exactly the kind of thing a 'delinquent bitch' like the 'wild horse' would do.

The more I learned about myself, the more I grew to hate myself.

"So what should I do for this hour?" I asked in a sullen tone.

"Follow me to the gym, you'll be studying on the bleachers until the school gets the ok to have you participate again."

Well, at least it was something productive, and it seemed like something I really needed to do, even if it WAS really boring.

And it waaaas boring! I sat there, straddling a bleacher, hunched over in my book of complete nonsense, while everyone was having fun playing basketball. I glanced over occasionally and noticed that Ukyo was actually wearing the girls' uniform for gym, and honestly, she looked really cute in it. Maybe it was because I wasn't used to seeing her dress like a girl, that it made so much more of an impact on me. Regardless, she was rocking it and it looked like she was having a blast. I just wished I could have been playing with her.

As I was watching, I saw Akane dribble up and push Ukyo hard with her shoulder wearing a nasty scowl on her face, causing Ukyo to stumble a bit. She didn't fall, but that was clearly a foul and the gym teacher didn't seem to care.

It's probably because that violent tomboy is always fighting around here. And I'M the pervert delinquent bitch? Please. What has she got against me, anyway?

My mind went back to my earlier musings at trying to figure my life out, and suddenly something clicked. If I'm such a bad person, maybe I did something horrible to her in the past to make her not want to change with me? ...Did I beat her up or something? What did I do?

Then another thought popped in my head.

"Maybe she's just jealous of my figure," I quietly smirked to myself. I may not have looked in a mirror at all, but even in these slightly baggy clothes, I definitely had a body worth showing off. Better than hers, at least. "That's gotta be it."

"Ha! Wouldn't be surprised!" someone said, catching my attention.

Surrounding me were five other girls, all sweaty and breathing heavy as they sat down to rest near me.

"Er... did I say that out loud?" I asked, feeling the embarrassment rise to my cheeks.

"Yeah, but don't sweat it," the girl with short hair said. "It would explain why she's always getting mad at you over little things."

Huh.

So this happened a lot, and it wasn't usually instigated by me. At least that's one less thing to feel guilty about.

The short-haired girl took my silence as reason to ask, "So, you really can't remember anything from before this morning?"

It's good to know some people weren't out to get me, and genuinely just wanted to chat.

I shook my head and sighed.

"No, not a thing. The first thing I remember is waking up soaking wet in baggy silk pajamas or something. Tendo's sister said I fell in the koi pond and hit my head. I've got the bump to prove it," I said with a light chuckle, rubbing my sore head for emphasis.

That got some light giggles from some of the girls and one even repeated 'silk pajamas' and started outright laughing.

The laughter was pretty infectious and pretty soon, we were all giggling about it.

"Yeah, I kid you not!"

"Were they red and black?" one girl asked with a knowing smirk, to which I nodded. That caused another burst of laughter from the group.

"I take it you know them, then," I ventured.

"Who doesn't?" another girl answered. "You wear them practically all the time. It's your signature look!"

And there was the light shame again.

I rubbed the back of my head and asked, "so I guess it's true then. I never wear the uniform, do I?"

"Nope."

"Nu uh."

"Neither one!"

"Well, there was that one time..." the short haired girl said, thinking to herself.

"Oh, so I DO own one! I wonder what happened to it," I said.

"Well, it was only that one time for a scam, so who knows where it could be now. I don't even know how you got it!" a girl with a long brown ponytail answered.

A scam? Jeez...

"Am... can you guys tell me, honeslty... am I a bad person?" I asked, trying to keep my voice from hitching in my throat. "From all I've heard about me, it really seems like... like I'm a real delinquent. Only Ukyo seems to think I'm alright."

The girls saw me look all sullen and felt a pang of sympathy for poor pathetic ol' me. Pity is not something I like, but it's good to know they at least understand where I'm coming from.

"You're... not a bad person at all, Ranma," ponytail said.

"You actually stand up to bullies like Kuno and the principle!" crop-top pointed out.

"...even if you sometimes get carried away with it," the third said, the one with the wavy bob.

"Oh and don't forget about that panty thief! She's saved us from him a few times, remember?" the fourth pointed out, this girl having long dyed blonde hair.

"'Ranma Saotome with righteous feminine fury!' That's a day I won't soon forget," the fifth said with a laugh, getting a nice chuckle out of the rest of them. The only notable thing about her hair was the stark contrast between her jet-black hair and the white headband holding it back.

"So... I'm not a delinquent? Even though I seem to get in fights a lot and I'm a bad student who doesn't follow the rules or even wear the uniform?"

My eyes met theirs all in turn as they nodded and smiled. I felt such a huge weight lift off my chest that I couldn't help but clutch my fist to it and smile myself.

"Thank you, I really needed to hear that," I said with a bright genuine smile of relief upon my face. "I've been beating myself up all morning after hearing what horrible things I do normally. Well, did normally. If I've learned anything today, it's that I need to be a better person."

"Well, don't beat yourself up too badly. You've got Akane to help you, there," crop-top said, getting a hearty laugh from everyone, including myself. "This might be a good time to start fresh. You clearly don't approve of how you used to be, and since you can't remember being that way, why not be who you want to be?"

"Who I.. want to be? Who do I want to be?" I asked, confused. I understood the concept, but... could I really use this opportunity to turn my life around, when I don't even know what I'm turning around from?

"Absolutely!" wavy-hair chimed in. "You can start all over again! Not many people get a second chance like this, so you should embrace it and just be yourself! And stop giving in to how your dad wants you to be!"

"My... dad? Oh right, I have a dad," I realized, a bit too casually for some of the faces I got. "Haven't met him yet. Is he really pushy or something?"

Wavy and ponytail nodded sternly.

"I... see. Ignore my dad then, got it," I said with a grin, getting a couple of giggles out of the group. "Where should I begin though?"

"Why don't we start with this," ponytail said, holding out a hand for me to shake. "I'm Sayuri. Nice to meet you."

I looked at her hand a moment before realizing I really didn't know the names of any of these girls I was talking to. I took it and shook. "Ranma Saotome, pleased to meet you."

Each of the girls then introduced themselves in turn. Wavy was Yuka, crop-top was Keiko, blondie was Haruka, and headband was Mizuki.

"Well, it's nice to meet all of you," I said with a mock bow. "As you know, my name's Ranma, and..." I trailed off, remembering what Miss Hinako had said, "is that a weird name for a girl or what? Isn't that usually a guy's name?"

All the girls shared glances with each other as if they knew something I didn't, until Mizuki decided to be the one to break the awkward tension.

"Well, I suppose, even if you can write it flowery, so to speak... does it bother you or something?"

"I'm... not really sure, I guess. I don't exactly hate my name, I just find it weird for a girl, is all. Even Miss Hinako thought it was weird writing it like 'orchid'. It's just all so confusing."

They glanced at each other again and Yuka chimed in with an idea.

"How about we give you a nickname or something, would that help?"

"I guess, but what would fly for writing on school work?"

"Hmm, that's a good point," she said, rubbing her chin in thought. "How about just shortening it to 'Ran'? It's not exactly a different name, but it's definitely more normal for a girl."

"Wait, Yuka, didn't Akane say that she went by 'Ranko' sometimes?" Sayuri asked, addressing the shorter girl.

"Oh yeah, that's right!" she replied, slamming her fist into her palm. Then she turned to me and said, "You've already got a girly name, it's Ranko! I can't believe I forgot!"

"Really? Then why do I go by Ranma?" I asked. This was just getting more and more confusing. Two names? What's next, two bodies?

"If I remember right, it had something to do with your mother," Sayuri explained. "She calls you Ranko, but everyone else calls you Ranma."

"...let me guess, because of my dad?" I asked.

"Probably," Yuka responded, getting nods of agreement from the others.

"Well, I guess if my parents call me both, then either one's ok," I said. This whole thing wasn't making much sense. It was getting more and more confusing as it went on!

"Well, what would you like to go by?" Haruka asked, who'd been somewhat quiet up until now.

"What do I want?" Where to begin? Everyone had called me Ranma up until now, and I seemed to be the only one who found it odd until the teacher said something about it. My mother calls me Ranko though, huh? I... kinda like the way that sounds. I bet it's nice to hear her say Ranko when everyone else calls me that aggressive 'wild horse'. "I think... I think I'd rather go by Ranko, if it were up to me."

"It is up to you!" Sayuri practically cheered. "This is your fresh start, right? Your new lease on life to be who you want to be, not who others think you should be, right?"

"Yeah..." I stood up. "Yeah, you're right!"

"You don't have to be some macho jock 'delinquent' if you don't want to be!" Yuka chimed in, standing to join me.

"Yeah!" I cheered, pumping my fist in the air.

"Only you have the power to shape your destiny!" Haruka added, also rising to join me along with the other girls. I briefly wondered if her dyed hair was a sign of her embracing her own destiny. Maybe I should dye mine too.

"Now, who are you going to be?" Keiko asked.

"I'm... I'm gonna be me!" I nearly shouted.

"And who ARE you?!" Sayuri cheered.

"I'm... I'm Ran...ko Saotome!" I got the courage to say aloud.

"I can't hear you!" Mizuki called.

"I'M RANKO SAOTOME!" I cried, ringing out throughout the gym to the light applause and cheers of my personal pep squad.

I was pumped! I was ready to face the world, a whole new me!... and everyone was staring at me.

The silence that filled the gym was as thick as the heat rushed to my cheeks.

Akane facepalmed and Ukyo let out a light chuckle at the scene when the gym teacher yelled, "sit down and shut it, or you'll get detention!"

To which I quickly sat down prim and proper on the bench with my hands in my lap and my burning face melting down at the bench below me.

After gym but before heading home for the day, I met up with Akane and Ukyou to return to the classroom to see what Miss Hinako wanted to talk with me about. As we walked in, we could see Hinako-sensei flipping through some papers trying to finish something. It was probably our tests from earlier.

Once again, my heart sank with the realization that my grade was probably horrible. If I'm going to have a new start and be better than the person I was before I lost my memory, I'm really going to need to buckle down with my school work. It's embarrassing how little I could follow in class.

"Just a moment, almost done. Take a seat girls," she instructed without taking her eyes off her work. We could only watch the two beta fish flexing at each other while we waited.

"Alright, sorry for the wait," she said, closing her folder and putting it in her desk. "Thanks for coming by, Ranma. I guess this concerns all three of you, in a way," she added, looking to the others with me. I guess she knew us personally, and not just as students.

"So tell me Ranma, do you know who I am?" she asked, but I didn't know what she was getting at.

"Um... our teacher?" I answered, wondering what she could have meant.

"Aside from that, do you remember who I am in regards to Anything Goes Martial Arts?"

I drew a blank. I'd never even heard of that before, but the name DID ring a bell. Like I should know it. Reluctantly, I shook my head.

"...Afraid not, ma'am."

"Well, I'm Hinako. The grand master of your martial arts school taught me a technique when I was a child that saved my life. We fought about that technique when I first came to teach here. You really don't remember that?" she stared, looking in my eyes for any sign of recognition.

"What, really? What kind of technique?" I asked, intrigued. Something about learning some special skill got me excited for some reason. I knew I had to be a martial artist from what everyone's told me, and that flash of a memory I had, so I guess there's some parts of the old me still alive in there.

...and I have a grand master? Wonder what they're like.

Miss Hinako reached into her purse and pulled out a simple five-yet coin, which caused Akane and Ukyou to flinch. What, did she throw it at them before or something? What could a little coin do? The teacher looked and me and then down to her beta fish with a contemplative look on her face before finally turning back to me a few moments later, clearly having made some decision on something.

"I'm going to try it on you, but I'll be gentle. I'd normally use the fish here, but I want to see if the familiar feeling might jog your memory a bit," she explained.

I was a bit worried about having a martial arts technique tried on me, but I shared a nervous glance with Akane and what she said calmed me down a bit.

"It's worth a shot, Ranma."

I nodded and turned back to the teacher. "A-alright, go for it," I braced, taking a deep breath.

My nerves shattered in an instant when she told me to get mad at her.

"Huh? Why?"

"My technique feeds on antagonistic energy. I need you to get mad at me so I can demonstrate it."

My mind went blank. How could I get mad at her? I don't even know her! Aside from looking at me in distrusting ways, she hasn't done anything to warrant being angry about.

"Umm.. I don't know if I can, really..."

"Just do it. Um... your hair looks stupid and you're too short to be a high schooler!"

I felt my brow twitch as I scowled.

"Hey, that's uncalled for! A teacher shouldn't be insulting her students!" I nearly shouted.

"Happo five-yen satsu!" Hinako actually shouted.

Instantly I felt my pent-up ire fade away, as if it was being drawn into the hole of the coin like a cyclone. Hinako quickly pulled the coin away, stopping the effect on me. I couldn't help but place my hand over my rapidly beating heart.

"W-what the hell was that?! Did you just drain my life force or something?!"

Hinako thought for a moment before answering, "in a way, yes. It drains battle auras or your fighting spirit, hence the beta fish. They constantly flex in front of each other and I feed off their battle aura to maintain my health."

I couldn't help but look down at the fish again and see how they kept flexing their fins and butting their heads against the separation glass. They clearly wanted to fight, but couldn't reach each other.

"Sorry for insulting you, I just needed to get your fighting spirit worked up for the technique to work," she continued. "Did you feel anything familiar, though? Is anything coming back to you?"

I thought about it for a moment, and I saw the hole of the coin flash in my mind, followed by a basketball hoop, and once again my eyes drifted down to the fish... and the perfectly round opening on the bowl.

"...Round things. That feeling makes me instinctively want to avoid round things around you. How in the world could I have muscle memory associated like that?"

Miss Hinako sighed.

"Ranma, I know we're not usually on good terms, but as your teacher and an honorary member of your school of martial arts, it's my job to look out for you. How are you feeling? Are you really ok with being at school as a-" she paused, seeming to think over her words, before finishing, "as an amnesiac? Would you rather be home? It's perfectly fine if you do."

I appreciate her reaching out to me like this. Given the history she mentioned, we may not have seen eye to eye on some things, but at least she seemed to care. It felt nice having another person who cared for my well-being.

I just smiled and waved her off.

"My headache's gone down a bit, and the spot's still sore, but I'll be fine. I'm just more confused than anything, but I'm sure it'll all come to me in time. I made some new friends today and I have an old one here to help me through this," I said, smiling at Ukyou who returned it with her own. "Thank you for looking out for me," I finished with a slight bow.

That seemed to satisfy her because Hinako-sensei finally smiled once more and said, "well, you'd better head on home and I'll see you tomorrow. And remember, if you ever feel the need to talk, I'll be here."

The three of us stood and grabbed our bags, and I bowed once again.

"Thank you, Miss Hinako."

"So after talking with those girls in gym, I've decided, I'm going to strive to be better than the person I was before. The more I hear about myself, the less I like, and this is a good opportunity to start fresh and fix that," I declared as we walked home from school. We'd been talking a little about the school day, and finally, my outburst in the gym had been brought up.

"So that's why ya wanna go by 'Ranko' now, sug'?" Ukyou asked. It didn't come off as condescending, but I couldn't help the nagging feeling that it was a little meant to be. Like she didn't believe me, or like I might change my mind later or something.

"Sort of, yeah," I replied. "I don't want to be know as the aggressive delinquent 'wild horse' around here anymore. I don't want people to hate me, and I don't want to be lagging so far behind in school that it's practically a joke. Besides, from what those girls were telling me in gym, my mother is the only person to call me Ranko, so she must feel that 'Ranma' is too aggressive too! Unless Ranko is actually my real name and everyone only calls me Ranma because of my dad or something. I've been told he's not the best parent in the world."

That caused Ukyou to burst out laugh and even Akane dropped her sour expression to join in.

"Now THAT'S and understatement, Sug'!" Ukyou cried between tears. She was practically rolling on the ground in hysterics.

"Guess you have a point there, Ranko," Akane chimed in, finally having somewhat friendly conversation with me. "Your dad's kind of a piece of crap, so if it pisses him off, I'm all for it."

I couldn't help but smile at her. For some reason, her approval felt incredibly important to me.

"Thanks, Akane. Guess we'll just have to tell everyone, I'd like to go by Ranko from now on. Even if my memory does come back, I want to be better than the person I was before, and the new name's a great way to emphasize that mission. I'm a different 'Ranma', with a different life! ...but I'm still me, I suppose."

I couldn't tell if I was annoying them with how overly dramatic I felt like I was being over this. It's just with everything I'd heard about myself, and with how that rough and tumble boy's name was associated with all of that bad behavior, it left that name with a bad taste in my mouth. If the girls at school were right and I could really have a fresh start and correct those mistakes of my past, I'm going to use the name my mother does. It only seems right.

"I bet my mom would be glad to hear it, though. I didn't see anyone at the house this morning besides Kasumi. Do you think she'll be home when we get there? Or my dad?" I asked Akane. Surely she'd know.

I'd gathered over the past few hours that I was living with my father at her family's dojo, which made sense if I was really some martial artist or something, but was my mother there too? She had to be around since the girls at school knew about her. Maybe she just works a lot and is never home.

"Oh I'm sure your dad's probably sitting on the porch playing shogi with my dad right this moment," Akane answered with a bit of disapproving mirth in her voice. "I can't really predict when your mom comes around, though."

"So, she doesn't live at the dojo with us? Are they divorced? Did my dad run out on her and take me with him?"

That left me with so many questions.

"They're not divorced, yet, but if she had any sense she WOULD leave that sorry sack," Ukyou answered, finally recovered from her laughing fit. "And yeah, he DID run off with you. He's deathly afraid of her and hides when she comes to see you."

"Oh. Awesome. I can't wait to meet him."

Now I'm seeing how I could grow up to be such a crappy person. It was probably how he raised me.

"As much as I'd love to talk shit about that jackass all day, I don't want to get you any more upset than you need to be," Ukyou said, clearing her throat. "So, I think we need a change of subject. Where'd you get the cute outfit, Ran-chan? With how loose it is, you're really rockin' that 'cute little sister' look."

I couldn't help but blush at being called cute. I suppose I probably did look like I was wearing my older sister's clothes. In a way, I guess I was.

"Ah, Kasumi said that all my stuff was in the wash and I needed to wear something respectable to school, so she dug this out of her closet. It was her old middle school uniform."

"Well it definitely suits ya Ran-chan," Ukyou said with a smile, but I could see Akane rolling her eyes at the conversation.

"From what the others have told me, I don't have a uniform and usually wear this super baggy oversized Chinese outfit of boys' clothes, is that true?"

"HA! Yup, that's your style alright. Nobody seems to care though, that's what ya always wear. If anything, it's jarring to see you dressed so darn girly."

"I knew it. I guess I am a bit of a tomboy, then," I commented, more to myself than Ukyou. "But then again, why would I have bothered with a cute braid if I was such a tomboy?" I said, reaching back to feel it again. Come to think of it, I haven't looked in a mirror at all today. What do I even look like? Was my face covered in scars and tattoos like the thug people see me as?

Neither of us seemed to notice that Akane tripped and stumbled a moment ago, until she came jogging back to us.

"You ok, Akane?" I asked.

"Yeah, just... something distracted me is all," she answered, looking away in shame for some reason while Ukyou just stifled a laugh.

"What? What's so funny?" I asked her, but just as she was about to tell me, we rounded a corner and I saw someone down the street that instantly sparked my memory.

And a horrible shock of pain through my head.

My knees buckled and I collapsed on the ground, clutching my throbbing skull, while I could vaguely tell that Ukyou and Akane were asking me what was wrong.

The pain began to subside a bit and I shakily tried to stand with Ukyou's help, but my eyes never left that boy wandering down the street ahead of us.

"I- I know him. I know him from somewhere but- Gahh!" I yelled as another bolt of lightning shot through me. My head felt like it was going to explode. After a moment, it passed, and I was able to fully stand on my own again. "Man that hurt..."

"You alright, Sug'? What was that all about?" Ukyou asked after helping me up, while Akane looked ahead to see who I'd been talking about.

"It's that boy down there, I know him from somewhere," I said, pointing to him.

Ukyou turned to look and she saw that Akane had jogged ahead to greet the boy and they were slowly walking back towards them.

"Oh hey, it's Ryoga. You definitely know him, alright. Did you remember anything?"

"Nothing specific, just that... I know him really well. Like... like we're close or something. Are we, um... y'know..." I trailed off, unable to finish the thought as he drew closer and the idea caused my cheeks to burn.

By now, Akane had returned with the boy just in time to answer in a serious and deadpan tone, "No. Absolutely not. You are friends and rivals, nothing more. Nothing. More."

It was hard to tell if she was telling me, or telling me.

I sighed in relief. "Oh good, with all the stress from the memory loss, the last thing I need to worry about is a boyfriend," I laughed.

"R-Ranma? Is that you?" the boy nervously asked, clearly looking me up and down. He was probably just as surprised as everyone else that I'd dressed like a normal person for once. "W-What were you s-saying about a b-boyfriend?!"

I gave him a nervous laugh of my own to hide my embarrassment. He clearly wasn't too keen on the idea, so if he wasn't my boyfriend, that could only mean...

"I'm Sorry, Ryoga-kun," I said with a slight bow, hoping to let him off easy. "I'm not really interested in dating anyone right now. It seems like I'm suffering from amnesia so now's not a great time for me to get involved with someone."

What I thought was a gentle way of letting him down only seemed to make him more upset. He broke eye contact and his fists started shaking as his face turned red, and finally, he glared at me and yelled, "WHAT ARE YOU IMPLYING, SAOTOME?! I'm NOT interested in dating some cross-dressing perverted enemy of women like you!"

That surprised me. I get that I normally wear the oversized boys' clothes, so I can understand the cross-dressing pervert bit, but...

"Enemy of women?" I asked, hoping to get some clarification.

"RANMA SAOTOME, PREPARE TO DIE!" he screamed and pulled his arm back to aim a fist right at my face.

My instincts took over and my body seemed to move on its own. My arms were brought up to block my face as I dashed a few feet backwards to stand defensively to absorb the blow, but the blow never came. I chanced a glance up from the safety of my arms to find that Akane and Ukyou were holding him back while yelling at him to stop.

"Knock it off, ya jackass! She can't be fightin' people right now!"

"Doctor Tofu said she needs to take it easy! One wrong blow to the head could make the brain damage permanent!"

He stayed in his pose for a few moments, examing me one more time, before finally dropping his arms.

Akane, relieved to see his anger was gone, began to explain.

"Ranma's injured! He-, she took a hit to the head this morning and now she can't remember anything. She didn't even remember her own name, so I doubt she could defend herself in a fight."

Ryoga mechanically looked back to me and I couldn't help the involuntary flinch that went through my system when he locked his eyes with mine. It felt like eternity as he studied me, from my head to my shoes and back, before he finally looked away and sighed.

I was finally able to let out the breath I didn't realize I was holding.

"Um... sorry, I guess," he apologized, bringing a hand up to rub the back of his head. "I thought maybe you were pulling another one of your scams."

"Scams?" I said as I dropped my guard and walked back to the group. "What scams?"

"You're always pulling something on Ryoga whenever he's around," Akane replied honestly. "He's your favorite target for teasing."

Woah, hold up. I constantly teased him?! Then that means... the one with the crush had to be me!

I felt my cheeks burn as the realization hit me. THAT'S why I felt we were close. THAT'S why he hates me. I must have always antagonized him to get him to notice me like some damn child! I felt more ashamed than ever at my previous life.

"I'm sorry, Ryoga. I don't remember teasing you before, but if it's bad enough to try and hit me, it must have been awful. I'm really sorry," I said with another full bow. I feel like I've been doing a lot of apologizing today. "It may not seem like much, but I am aware of how I've been acting, even if I don't remember it, and I've decided to better myself. You don't have to forgive me, but please know that I'm trying to be better."

All it took to stop being the world's shittiest person was to forget I ever was. Now I'm just the world's most ashamed person.

"Alright, just stop- lift your head up, Saotome. You're being pitiful," he scowled at me.

I snapped up with a glare. "I'm trying to apologize to you, jerk!"

"Now now, everyone chill out," Ukyou placated, moving between us. "I'm followin' them home today to keep an eye on her and make sure she doesn't get in any trouble. If you promise to play nice, why don'tchya tag along?"

Ryoga seemed to debate this offer for a few minutes, his eyes darting between the three of us, before he conceded.

"Yeah, guess I will. I came back to Nerima to fight you Ranma, but if you're not up for it, guess I can wait until you're ready."

"Ranko," I corrected.

"Huh?"

"Ranko! I don't want to be associated with that bitch Ranma anymore! I've decided to use the name my mother gave me, to emphasize my commitment to change. So please, call me Ranko."

I glared sternly at him, unblinking, until he understood.

I could have sworn I head Akane mutter 'more like you gave her' under her breath, but I tried my best to ignore her. That couldn't have been what she said.

After a moment, Ryoga nodded towards me.

"A-alright, sure."

With that out of the way, our little group finally continued our trek back to the Tendo Dojo, where we were greeted by Kasumi. She was already dressed and ready to go out shopping with me, but was surprised to find more people to join us.

"Oh my, Ukyou! Ryoga! How nice it is to see you again!" she said, offering a plate of cookies off the kitchen counter to the guests. "Ranma and I had plans to go shopping this afternoon. You're welcome to come along if you'd like."

Even though she wasn't directly addressed, Akane took that invitation to include her too, and they all agreed to come along.

After that was decided, Kasumi addressed me personally.

"So how was school today? Did the Doctor have anything important to say? I assume he gave you the all clear since you didn't come right home."

"Oh, yeah, he said it was a form of brain damage and if I get into a fight it could become permanent, so he said to take it easy and avoid anything that might make it worse," I answered with a smile, taking a cookie for myself. Were these home made? They're delicious! "As for school itself, it was a bit... sad, to be honest. I learned a lot about myself that I don't like. A lot that I need to correct."

I didn't expect Kasumi to draw me into a big hug after I said that.

"Oh Ranma, I was afraid of that. You don't even remember being that way, so you have nothing to apoligize for," she said, holding me in her arms.

"Still though, after talking with some girls at school, I decided to better myself. I'm not going to behave a certain way just because my dad or anyone else expects me to, I'm going to do what I think is right, and be better towards people."

"Oh I'm so proud of you, it seems losing your memory has really helped you mature," she commented as she pulled away, but it just made me feel more ashamed.

People don't just mature overnight, right? I had to have known better before but made the conscious decision to be an ass for some reason. Was it ego? Pride? To be the way my dad wanted me to be? I guess it doesn't really matter anymore since I've vowed to be myself and be better from here on out.

"As part of that, I've decided to move away from that aggressive, abrasive name that everyone but my mom uses. People tell me she calls me Ranko and I behave better around her, so that's what I'd rather go by. 'Ranko', as a personal goal and reminder to myself that I can always be better. Be someone that my mother can be proud of."

I could feel my eyes watering just seeing Kasumi's eyes water up at my declaration of betterment.

"If only she could hear you say that, she'd be so proud," Kasumi cried, coming in for another hug. "Did you remember her? Is that what brought this up?"

"No, unfortunately. But you really think so? What about my dad? I hear he's kind of a jerk."

Kasumi released me again and nodded, but her expression seemed to falter.

"He can be, and he probably won't like this at all, so it's best we avoid him for as long as we can."

"Is he really that bad?" He couldn't be, could he?"

The four others all nodded in agreement.

"He really is, Ranko."

"He's great with martial arts but a horrible parent, that's for sure."

"He's the worst jackass of all, Sug'."

Huh. I guess I really should do my best to avoid him.

As we all made ready to leave, we walked from the kitchen to the genkan and I noticed a very strange sight: way over on the porch, sitting at the shogi table next to a tall man with a moustache, was a panda bear. An honest to goodness, real life panda bear.

Just sitting there playing shogi and occasionally sipping from a mug I could only assume was full of beer.

I must have been staring dumfounded at what must have been normal for everyone around me because while I was muttering about there being a panda in the house, Akane just pulled me by the arm to the front door.

"Ignore him. You don't want to deal with him right now, trust me."

"B-but, there's a PANDA in your HOUSE!"

"Yes and I don't want him to see you dressed like that, so come on," she said, dragging me along.

How could they all be so cavalier about this?! Sure it seemed like I should know that panda, but how could they all ignore that there's a PANDA in the HOUSE?!

How could I forget THAT?!