She felt her heart beating out of control, and sweat rolling down her forehead. Her throat was dry. This was the worst case scenario of all possible ones that could had happened. She was alone, her family exposed to her new relationship with Ryoga without a proper explanation, and now, feeling in her bones the anger, the distrust and the disappointment coming from them.
"How could you… How could you Ranma… How could you do this to me!?" Akane screamed.
"We… we were not seeking to fall in love… It just happened." Ranma said not raising her voice.
"So you love him." Tears were forming in the corner of Akane's eyes, rolling down her cheeks.
"Yes… yes, I love him." Was the answer Ranma gave her, her heart gripped by an invisible hand.
Genma stepped forward to face his child. "You're in love with another man!? Have you lost your mind son!? Look at you! Did you dress like that… for him!?" Genma was yelling, finding hard to believe what his offspring was telling them.
She nodded. "Yeah, I did it."
"But why!? You are a man! This is not how I raised you!"
"I'm a woman right now, if you didn't notice! It was thanks to you by the way! And you raised me to be a rogue, a freeloader! The only good thing you taught me was martial arts!"
"But you were meant to join the two schools Ranma! You were going to marry my daughter! Inherit the dojo!" Soun intervened, tears in his eyes.
"Those were your plans, Mr. Tendo, yours and my parent's. You never considered what I thought about them, if Akane and I agreed to them. You never cared for our opinion." Replied Ranma, frustration in her voice. This was the moment to get it all out, to let them know how she felt.
Kasumi was bearing witness of all with great distress. She wanted to say to them to calm down, and discuss everything like civilized people, but things were getting worse by the moment. It pained her what Ranma did to her sister, but she wanted to know his reasons, and this way the only thing they were accomplishing was getting more and more angry and frustrated. Suddenly she heard the doorbell ringing. Who could it be at this hour? She thought. The oldest Tendo sister went downstairs to open the door, while the doorbell kept ringing.
Nabiki saw her sister getting out of the room not noticing the doorbell, and guessed she had had enough of all this. Deep down, the mercenary girl could understand why Ranma and Ryoga would fall in love. One only had to watch them together in the last few months, and see how close they got. But she wished that Ranma at least had told her sister about it.
Several minutes earlier…
Ryoga had turned on the portable lantern hanging from the tent's rook. He took his futon from his backpack and started to extend it on the floor when he heard some screaming coming from somewhere not far. He got out of the tent and listened carefully. More screaming, a feminine voice was clearly distinguishable. He felt a sting in his heart, because he knew what that meant. Without hesitation, he run as fast as he could to the Tendo dojo forgetting his belongings. He didn't need directions; he could run directly to the source of the screaming. In no time he was jumping the exterior wall of the residence, and went to the front door. The screaming continued. It seemed to come from the second floor. He rang the doorbell insistently, feeling a great anxiety. She was facing her family, alone. This is what he wanted to avoid at all costs. Impatiently, he insisted on ringing the doorbell, until the door opened.
Back to the present…
"When did you had in mind my welfare or my opinion about my future!? Never!" Ranma screamed to her father.
"It was for our family's honour!" Genma continued his rant. "You are bound to it as my heir. I prepared you all your life for this, and you throw it away for what? To be with another man!? You're not a man, you're not even a martial artist. You're just an effeminate sissy boy!"
He suddenly fell silent, aware of what he just said, regretting it instantly, but he already said it.
All the room fell silent as well. Ranma fixed her eyes at her father, tears falling from them. That did hurt. Coming from him it did hurt. How one person who claimed to be her father could say such a thing to his child. Anger started to grow inside her. Her expression changed from showing sorrow to rage. Suddenly, she jumped the couple of meters that separated her from her father, and punched him in his face with lightning speed, throwing him away a few meters, making him collide with a wall. Then Ranma collapsed to her knees, and cried. She cried loudly and heartbrokenly.
Nodoka was witnessing the scene with horror. She couldn't hold her pain seeing her child suffering like that, and wanted to go by her side and console her, but Genma, who had risen from the floor, stopped her grabbing her arm, and gesturing her a 'no' with his head.
In that moment, Ryoga appeared at the door, followed by Kasumi. He contemplated the scene speechless. In than moment, Ranma saw him, feeling some relief.
"Ryoga… I'm sorry…" was all she could say to him, her eyes red from crying, but it was enough.
He run to her side and kneeled, embracing her in a tight hug, trying to comfort her, while the rest stared at them silent.
"I'm here my love. Easy, easy, I'm here with you." He said to her in a quiet tone, rubbing her back with one hand, her head resting on his shoulder and her tears wetting his yellow tunic. After a while, she felt calmer, and her sobs decreased.
"They… they already knew." She said between sobs. "Someone ga… gave them some photographs of us… kissing."
"Don't worry. We'll take care of that later. You just try to calm yourself. We're together now." He said tenderly, and then kissed her forehead.
"You… you have a lot to answer for." Genma said eventually, in an aggressive tone, referring to Ryoga.
Ryoga looked at him and nodded. "Yes, I have. I'm as responsible as her for what happened between us, so don't attack her anymore. You already have done enough."
Akane took a few steps forward to the couple kneeled on the floor. "Ryoga… why? How?" she asked him. She needed to know.
"I'm sorry Akane. We spent so much time together that we… connected. It just happened. I… I love her… I love him." Then Ryoga lowered his gaze to the floor, averting Akane's gaze. "We were going to tell you everything in the morning." He turned his eyes to Ranma, lifting carefully her chin to make her stare at him as well. "Ranma, let's go. You had enough of this. We'll talk with them another time."
Ranma pondered for a few seconds what her boyfriend had told her, but negated with her head. "No Ryoga. We'll settle this tonight. There's no point in postponing it. I'm better now that you're here. Don't worry for me." She said, resting a hand on his chest.
"Ok, as you wish. We'll do it together." He said to his love, a timid smile on his mouth. Then he raised his voice to speak to the rest of people there. "Now, can we talk about this peacefully?"
Nodoka stepped forward and talked. "Yes Ryoga, we'll talk peacefully, like it should have been from the beginning" she said, looking to her husband severely. "Kasumi, can you please prepare some tea? Let's move to the washitsu. We'll be more comfortable there." Everyone agreed.
Several minutes later, they were all sitting in the main room of the house. Ranma and Ryoga sat to one side of the table, and Ranma's parents and the Tendo family sat in front of them. A kettle with tea and several filled cups rested on the centre of the table.
Ranma picked one of the cups and took a long sip of tea. Then laid down the cup on the table and prepared herself to speak. She sighed.
"After the failed wedding attempt, I grew more and more uncomfortable about this wedding business. I loved Akane, and I still love her, but the more you pushed us to be together, the more distance was between us. Our constant fights are proof of that." Ranma started, trying to get to the origin of this situation.
"Then, you still love me? But you love Ryoga too? I don't get it. How can you love both of us?" Akane asked conflicted at what Ranma just said.
"Akane, I still love you, and I'll always love you, but as a friend, even as a sister. We've been through a lot, and that link, those shared experiences, won't ever be destroyed. But I can't see a way for us to be romantically involved. Every time I say something that affects you, or even a simple joke, you take it the wrong way, and when you try to speak with me about our feelings I get defensive, avoiding the conversation, because I don't know what to tell you. And those are just two examples." Ranma tried to answer her as honestly as she could.
Akane tilted her head to look to the floor. Deep down she saw some true in Ranma's words. He was right. She couldn't stand Ranma's jokes or many comments about her because she thought he didn't respect her, and her jealousy had made her loose her temper in many occasions. And he always avoided to talk about his feelings towards her, feeling rather uncomfortable. Was she so blind? She did not saw the signs. But why Ryoga? They were getting along lately, yes, but some months ago they were rivals, constantly fighting each other.
"And there was the question of the seppuku contract." Ranma continued, looking at her parents. "It was another way to manipulate me, to make me behave as you expected of me, instead of respecting the way I was. And you forced me into that when I was only a kid, with no way to know what I was signing."
Nodoka lowered her gaze, ashamed. Ranma was right. The seppuku contract was a mistake. She never liked it, but she was a traditional woman, and her honour bounded her to it. It was a trick Genma, stupid as always, used to convince her to take her child away from her for ten years.
"But it was necessary to make a true man among men out of you. A true martial artist must be manly." Genma defended himself.
"What about Shampoo? She is a great martial artist, and one of the strongest I know. Is she manly enough for you? Do you realize how stupid all this macho crap sounds?" Ranma retaliated. "You brainwashed me for ten years and then you threw me to a cursed pond that turned me into a woman. Do you have any idea of how that affected me? How conflicted I was trying to reconcile what you put in my brain and the fact that I am a woman half the time? Of course you don't."
"But, but I…" Was all Genma could reply. Ranma sighed. Asking her father to understand that was like asking a monkey to sing.
"Ranma, how you and Ryoga fell in love?" Nabiki asked, preferring to keep as much as they could Genma from speaking. She, among Ranma's family, was the one who better understood what was happening, especially with what Ranma was telling them.
"Ryoga can tell his side of the story, but mine is that since we became friends, I have felt closer and closer to him. We discovered that we had a lot in common, and each time I was with him, I was happier. But I didn't realize that I loved him until after watching that movie yesterday, when we were going back home. He… he kissed me and… then I knew it." Ranma's cheeks turned an intense pink, and she averted her gaze from anyone. Then she looked at the Lost Boy at her side and smiled to him. Ryoga blushed and smiled back to her.
Genma was starting to turn blue after hearing Ranma's tale. On the other hand, a tear escaped from Kasumi's eye, getting a little emotional.
"I guess I… I was the first one to notice that I was starting to like her. As Ranma told, as we got closer, my… affection to her grew, and yesterday, after we finished watching the movie, I… I already knew that I loved her." Said Ryoga with an intense flush.
The Saotome patriarch was going to explode if he didn't say something. All his hard work during ten years training and 'educating' his son to inherit the Anything Goes school of martial arts was ruined by this foolish boy who couldn't tell right from left. He had defiled his child, and buried the chance of uniting the Saotome and the Tendo schools.
"You stained my boy, Hibiki. We trusted you, we opened our house to you, and this is how you repay us? You turned my son into a… a…" Genma started a new rant, but couldn't finish, because Ranma was giving him a murderous look.
"Genma, please shut up!" Nodoka ordered, leaving him with a shocked look on his face. "You're not making this any easier with your bawling." She then looked to her son. "Ranma, I'm sorry we put so much responsibility on your shoulders without considering your opinion about it, but you have to understand how important is honour to our family. We agreed to Soun Tendo to join our schools marrying you with one of his daughters, and is a promise we are bound to. And as much as it pains me, I cannot approve your relationship with this boy. It's not traditional, and it would bring shame to our name."
Ranma felt sadness for her mother's words. She knew that she would have a hard time accepting her love for Ryoga. Her mother was a traditional Japanese woman, and this was something that challenged all she was taught. But she had some hope, because she could feel some conflict inside Nodoka, and maybe, with time, she could understand.
"I'm sorry to hear that mother, but I won't leave Ryoga. I love him, and nothing will change that. You should have a conversation about honour with Pops though, and ask him where was his honour when he sold me for some rice while I was a little kid, or when he stole the okonomiyaki cart from Uchan's father after engaging me to her." Ranma answered, pointing to her father.
Nodoka stared at her husband inquisitive, and Genma smiled stupidly while sweating profusely.
"Don't look at me like that Nodoka. I did it for survival. We were on the road and with no food. I did it in the best interest of our son. Besides, it didn't happen exactly like he's telling you." He tried to excuse himself. Then looked at Ranma. "And you." He said pointing a finger to her. "I heard enough. You have disgraced our family's name. If you insist in staying with this man, I have no other option than disown you. You can't stay here anymore, right Tendo?" And looked at his old friend for support.
Soun hesitated to talk. He knew his honour demanded to cast out the pigtailed girl in front of him, but during the last year and a half he had grown fond of her. After a moment thinking about it, honour won over his feelings. "Yes, Saotome. I'm afraid, Ranma, that as long as you're not willing to honour our agreement and marry Akane, I cannot let you stay here. I'm deeply sorry." He said, bowing, tears in his eyes.
"Father please! You can't throw Ranma to the streets!" said Akane, trying to reason with her father. As much as she was angry with Ranma, she still loved him, and didn't want him to suffer.
"He asked for it Akane." Said Genma without an ounce of compassion. His wounded pride was denying his feelings for his son.
"I'm sorry daughter. There's no other way." Soun answered with his eyes staring down, not being able to look at his child.
"It's ok Akane. I knew the consequences and I accept them. I… I just hope you can forgive me some day." Ranma said to Akane, trying to comfort her. Her ex-fiancée could barely hold her tears. Nodoka was crying as well, still conflicted between her honour and traditional values and her love for her child. She lost him for ten years, and she was going to lose him again.
"Ranma, I think it's time for us to go. We're done here." Said Ryoga, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.
"Yeah, we should go." Ranma answered resigned. There was nothing more to say.
"But where are you going to stay?" asked Nodoka with a worried expression.
"Don't worry Mrs. Saotome. We'll stay at my parent's home. It's not too far from here. We'll be fine." Answered the Lost Boy. Then he got up, and Ranma with him.
"I'll pack my stuff and we're good to go. C'mon Ryoga." She said, and went upstairs to her old room accompanied by her boyfriend.
Ranma didn't have too many possessions beyond her clothes, her backpack and some posters. She grabbed the backpack, and with Ryoga's help, started to pick up her clothes from the closet.
"I never imagined you had so many girl clothes and underwear. Are you taking everything?" Ryoga asked.
"Yeah. Part of them I used as disguises. Mother purchased the rest for me when she believed I was Ranko. You know many of those disguises." She said with a sad smile.
"Yep, pretty well." answered the Lost Boy. "Hey, you even have lingerie." He said with a shocked face.
"I used it to beat Happosai when the old goat switched my moxibustion point. The girly photos of me, remember?"
"Yes, I remember." He said while packing them too. The backpack was almost full, so the rest was packed in Ryoga's. They took the posters from the walls and folded them. Then they stored them too. "Ok, let's go."
A moment later, they were in the washitsu again. Everyone was there in silence, staring the young couple. Akane was sobbing, tears in her eyes, the only one not looking at them.
"Goodbye mother, goodbye Akane." Ranma could not hold a few tears, unable to withhold her emotions. Her mother was looking at her barely containing her own tears. A new path was opening before the martial artist, and for that she had to left behind part of her old life.
The couple walked to the front door, and Kasumi accompanied them. When they were about to leave, the couple stopped to say goodbye to Kasumi, but instead, she hugged the redheaded girl. "Good luck, Ranma. Give them time. They'll come to accept it. Especially my sister. She still cares for you." She said, tears rolling down her cheeks.
"I know." Ranma answered hugging her back. "Thank you Kasumi. You've been the best sister I've ever had. I hope we see each other again soon."
"I hope that too Ranma." Said Kasumi smiling, and the couple left the Tendo residence, maybe forever.
The two martial artists walked to the empty lot where Ryoga's belongings were to pick them up. They were holding hands, looking at the ground, lost in thought. Then Ryoga talked.
"How are you feeling?"
"I'm sad, and really tired." Ranma answered. "I feared this would happen, but I had some hope at least some of them would understand. I think that except my father, they will end up accepting it."
"Yeah, Kasumi and Nabiki reacted much better than I expected. Even your mother seemed like trying to cope with the new situation, in her own way. And Akane… though she's hurt, like Kasumi said, she still cares about you. She'll come around. You'll see." Ryoga said, a timid smile of hope on his face.
They arrived at the tent's place, and between the two of them, they had everything packed in Ryoga's huge backpack in a few minutes. Then they set out on the way to Ryoga's house, a walk to the place Ranma will have to call home from now on.
Half an hour later, at the Hibiki residence, Ryoga left his backpack in his room, and made his way to his parent's room, where Ranma was unpacking some of her clothes. He stopped by the door frame, and leaned against it, just watching his beautiful girlfriend, who looked very tired. She sat on the large double bed, and sighed.
"I'm dead tired." She said yawning.
"Yeah, me too. Who do you think took those pictures of us?" inquired Ryoga.
"Maybe Kodachi, or Gosukugi. They both lack any empathy, and they both hate me." Ranma answered while rubbing her chin.
"I thought Kodachi was in love with you."
"Yeah, but with my male half. She hates my female half, and doesn't know they're both me. She is Kuno's sister indeed." Ranma said chuckling.
"I see. Do you want to do something about them? We'll need to know first who did it." Ryoga didn't mind getting some payback on the scumbag who did something so dirty.
"Of course, but we'll wait for now. I have the feeling that I'll find out who did it when I'm at school." She suddenly stopped, and her face turned to serious concern.
"Ranma, what's the matter?"
"I have to go to school in the morning." She laid down on the bed face up, covering her face with her hands, and uttered a long groan.
Ryoga guessed what was troubling her. She'll have to face her classmates, and many of them won't be kind to her when they hear about their relationship.
"I'll go with you to school. I told you, you won't go through this alone." He said with determination.
"You're a sunshine." Ranma said, uncovering her face and smiling to him. "But this time I'll have to do it alone. They won't let you in the school."
"And who's gonna stop me?"
"Ryoga, you can't be with me the whole school day like a bodyguard. That'll just make things worse. Please, trust me." She said, sitting up on the bed and taking Ryoga's hand in hers.
Ryoga sighed. "Ok, but I don't like it. You'll have to face them alone."
"Don't worry, I'll pound anyone who says something ugly about me." She said smiling. "Now, let's get some sleep. I can barely maintain my eyes open."
"Ok, you're right. We need to get some rest." He replied, giving her a tender kiss and caressing her cheek.
They started to undress to get into bed. Ranma was still wearing the light green underwear, and she decided to sleep with it except the bra, which would be uncomfortable. She wasn't going to change to her male form, so she didn't mind. Besides, she knew that Ryoga would like it, and wanted to see his reaction. So, when he was in his tank top and boxers, she undid the hook of her bra and slid it through her slender arms, throwing it to one side and looking sheepishly at him. When the Lost Boy saw her in that semi-nude state, only a panty covering her and breasts naked, all while she was innocently staring at him, he had a nosebleed. Ranma couldn't help but laugh out loud, watching poor Ryoga picking up a tissue to contain the blood loss. After a moment, he started laughing too, keeping the tissue covering his nostrils.
After Ryoga controlled his 'flood', walked to the light switch and turned it off. The room was barely lit by the street lights, which glare entered through the window. Ranma was already on the bed, partially covered by the blankets, and was holding them waiting for his boyfriend to come to her side. After he jumped to the bed and crawled to her, she slid the blankets over them, covering their bodies from the chilly night. They cuddle up to each other and closed their eyes. Fatigue soon overcame them and they fell asleep, aware of the new obstacles that awaited them in the morning.
Ryoga opened his eyes slowly, noticing that the first morning light was entering the room. He looked at the digital clock on the nightstand of his side. It said 7:15 p.m. He had had a rough night, waking up several times, and finding difficult to fall asleep again. He feared the days to come for Ranma at the school. He trusted her to handle the worst of her classmates, but was afraid that the rest would marginalize her when they find out that the great Ranma Saotome is dating another man. This was Japan after all, a very traditional society, where people like them were overlooked with distrust and prejudices. He still remembered what her father said to her just a few seconds after Kasumi opened the front door of the house for him. Those words still resonated inside his head.
"Mmmmm", he heard the redheaded girl groan by his side. "Ryoga, you awake?" she asked drowsy.
"Yes, just a bit before you" he answered. "Good morning beauty."
"Good morning handsome." She replied smiling, opening her eyes and finding his caring brown eyes staring at her intense blue sapphires. She gave him a quick kiss, but it wasn't enough for him, and kissed her back a longer one, making her utter a satisfied moan.
"I'll go downstairs and prepare some breakfast. Scrambled eggs with bacon?" he suggested.
"That sounds delicious." She answered smirking. "I'll go to the bathroom and wash a little. I need to get ready for school."
"Ok." He kissed her one more time and got up from the bed. He quickly dressed with his usual attire and went downstairs. He opened the back door and greeted Shirokuro, which barked happily when she saw him.
"It seems that you're not going to be alone anymore girl, at least for a while." He said petting her, and got back inside, letting her get inside with him.
Ryoga started to get the utensils needed to prepare the breakfast. He opened the fridge, and then realized that there were no eggs, and it hit him. His parents never bought short lived food because the house was empty for long periods of time. Luckily there was some packaged bacon. He picked it up and took a look at the expiration date. It was three days away from expiration. He made a mental note to go and purchase fresh supplies later.
The Lost Boy placed the bacon on the counter and looked for something to replace the eggs. In one of the cupboards there were several rice packages. That will do, he thought.
15 minutes later, after boiling and cooking the rice, he was finishing frying the bacon in a pan. On the counter there were two dishes with the rice already served.
In that moment, Ranma appeared at the kitchen door, wearing his usual Chinese red shirt and black trousers, and in male form.
"It smells good. What happened to the eggs?" the pigtailed young man asked.
"I didn't remember that my parents don't usually left any perishable food in the fridge, due to the house being empty most of the time. We need to go and get some supplies this afternoon."
"No problem. We can train a little after school and then go fetch those supplies to the nearest grocery store. I brought all the money I had. It's not much, but it will help." Ranma said while leaning to one of the walls.
"Don't worry about that. My parents leave me enough money to get by every time they come back home. We have enough to be ok for a couple of months. Anyways, I'll look for some work tomorrow." Ryoga said, putting the fried bacon in each dish, and taking them to the dining table.
"Yeah, me too. I'll look for something I can do in the afternoons. That way I won't have any problem with the school. I can work as a waitress in some restaurant. I bet I can get good tips." Ranma said chuckling.
"No way." Ryoga replied dryly.
"What?" Asked Ranma incredulous.
"You won't work yet." Replied Ryoga.
"You want me to sit my butt here doing nothing? I'm not a freeloader! Or maybe you want me to be your perfect housewife!" said the pigtailed martial artist, raising his voice visibly angry.
"Ranma, calm down." Ryoga asked him. "I know you're not a freeloader, and I would never ask of you to be a housewife, never. The reason I said no, is because you need to focus in your studies. You need to complete your education, and you won't be able if you spend half the day in school and the other half working. Once you finish school, you can look any work you like, and with your education finished, you can aspire to better jobs." He said, closing the distance between them, and putting his hand on his boyfriend's shoulder.
Ranma relaxed, and tilted his head down to look at the floor. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you. It's just that I'm afraid of what lies ahead of us, and I want to help as much as you do. I don't want to be like my father. But you're right, I need to focus on finishing my education."
Ryoga raised the young man's chin with his hand, making Ranma to look at him. "You're nothing like your father. Don't worry. I already told you, we'll get through this, as long as we are together." Said to him almost whispering, and then brought his lips to Ranma's, and locked them in a tender kiss. This was the first kiss they had with Ranma in male form. It was different. Not bad at all, just different. But Ranma liked more the feeling in his female form.
After a few seconds, they parted their lips, and Ranma hugged Ryoga tightly, to which the Lost Boy responded in the same manner.
"What I would do without you?" Said Ranma, holding his boyfriend in his arms.
Ryoga smiled, and tightened a little his embrace on the pigtailed boy. "You silly. C'mon, the breakfast is getting cold. And you're going to be late."
45 minutes later, Ranma was at the main gate of Furinkan High, reluctant to walk past it. He knew he had to go through this, but he was afraid to do it, to face again Akane, Ukyo, his friends, and his classmates. It's funny, he had defeated powerful enemies during the last year and a half, and now he couldn't face a bunch of students and ex-fiancées. 'C'mon Ranma, you can do this!' he said to himself. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes, then exhaled and opened them again, starting to move.
When he was inside of the main building, on his way to his classroom, he could see hanging from the walls dozens of copies of the same photos Akane had showed him the last night. He swallowed a big lump in his throat, and started to sweat. He expected something like this, but not to this scale. Everywhere he looked at, more photos where stuck to the walls. There must be hundreds of them in the whole school.
Tens of students were moving to their classroom while chatting among them, but they stood still when they saw Ranma, staring at him and going silent. He tilted his head down and kept walking, ignoring the stares, until he got to his classroom, but stopped at the door. He could hear a big murmur coming from inside. His classmates where already there. He entered, and as soon as the students saw him, just like at the entrance, everyone got silent and their gazes were fixed on him. Akane was already there too, but she wasn't looking at him. She had her eyes fixed to her desk. Hiroshi and Daisuke were there too, looking at him as well. He couldn't see Ukyo though. When he passed by his friends, Ranma greeted them.
"Hey dudes, what's up."
"Hey Ranma. What's up man?" Said Hiroshi, a timid smile on his face.
"What's up Ranma." said Daisuke, more serious.
He kept walking, until he sat down at his desk, next to Akane. Ranma looked at her to say hello, but she didn't return him the stare.
He decided to give her time. With resignation, he took out his books, notepad and a pencil, ready for the class, and waited for the teacher.
Suddenly, Ranma felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Hey Saotome, your boyfriend is pretty handsome. Now that you like men, does that mean that we can date your female half?" said Jiro Hasegawa, one of the few classmates that avoided Ranma and always seemed to have a grudge against him.
Ranma looked at Jiro and slapped his hand away from him. "Piss off Jiro. I'm not in the mood."
"Hey, I'm not looking for a fight. It's just that we're not used to have a faggot in our classroom. Hahaha." He laughed, and some students laughed with him.
The pigtailed martial artist's eyes went wide, one vein on his temple was clearly visible and near to explode. Suddenly, in a split second, Ranma grabbed Jiro by his collar and punched him in the face, sending him away until he crashed against another desk. All the classroom went silent again. One moment later professor Iwamoto, math teacher, entered the class.
"What's all the fuss?" Mr. Hasegawa, what happened? Why are you on the floor?" inquired the professor.
Ranma was staring at Jiro, his eyes yearning for blood. Jiro trembled, and with certain problems stood up. "It was nothing professor Iwamoto. I… I just stumbled."
"Ok, everyone sit down and be quiet. We're going to go to roll call." And in that moment Ukyo entered the classroom, in her usual boy uniform attire and her giant spatula.
"Sorry for being late, professor Iwamoto." She said making a bow.
"Ok, Ms. Kuonji. Go to your desk." Replied Iwamoto.
While she went to her desk, she passed by Ranma, stopped a moment and whispered to him. "What's with all those photos of you kissing Ryoga? Is it another of your schemes?"
"I had nothing to do with the photos. Regarding Ryoga, I'll explain you later, when we are not in class, ok?" Replied Ranma whispering too.
"Ok, because I need an explanation." She said to him. Then continued to her desk.
After the roll call, the class started, and Ranma tried to pay attention to professor Iwamoto as a way to not think about the situation he had to endure now. 'This is going to be a long day.' He thought.
After what Ranma did to Jiro, no one dared to tease him anymore for the rest of the day, but most of his classmates didn't talk to him either. When it was time for the break for launch, Ukyo grabbed Ranma by the arm and dragged him to a quiet place in the school yard, away from the rest of the students. When they were at a safe distance, she stopped and interrogated her friend.
"Ok Ranchan, out with it. Why were you kissing Ryoga? Please tell me it was to fool him and get something from him." Ukyo asked, a worried expression on her face.
"It wasn't a scheme Ucchan. I have… fallen in love with Ryoga." He answered to her friend and now ex-fiancée.
Ukyo started to laugh out loud, with Ranma staring at the ground.
"Wait, you're serious?" she said when calmed down.
"Yes Ucchan, I'm sorry." He said, averting her gaze.
"No, it can't be. How can you love him? You're straight, I thought you were straight. You are, right?"
"Yeah, I thought so, until I fell in love with him. I still like women, but…I… I like him too" he said, struggling to find a way to explain it to her.
"How did it happen? He used a love potion, or a spell? But I don't understand. You were rivals. Like cats and dogs. I know that your relationship improved a little lately, but up to this?" Ukyo was having a hard time believing that Ranma Saotome, her Ranchan, could fell in love with another man by his own will, and with Ryoga on top of that.
He twitched a little when he heard cats. "Ucchan, he didn't used none of that. And our relationship improved a lot during the last months. We got very close. So close, that we ended up… you know, loving each other. And I really love him. More than anyone I have ever loved."
There it goes. Any chance Ukyo had to steal Ranma from Akane was gone. Because he even didn't love Akane, not romantically at least. She was beaten, by another man. And Ryoga, to add more salt to the wound. It was unreal.
Ukyo sat on the ground. She started to feel dizzy. She closed her eyes and held her head with one of her hands. "I don't feel very well."
Ranma sat down by her, holding her by her shoulders. "Ucchan, are you ok? C'mon, I need you. I need my childhood friend. Except Ryoga, I have no one. My father disowned me, Mr. Tendo cast me out from the dojo, and Akane don't want to talk to me."
"What? Your father disowned you? And they cast you out?" She couldn't believe it. "I can understand that they would be pissed, but to throw you to the streets and leave you with nothing? Where are you staying? You know that you can stay at my home." She offered him, concern in her voice.
"Thanks Ucchan, I knew I could count on you, but there's no need. I'm staying in Ryoga's parents home." Ranma told her.
"Ok… So, you sleep with him… in the same bed?" she asked.
"Y… yes."
"And you… did… you had… you did it?" she said, incapable of speaking the words.
Ranma blushed furiously, his face as red as his signature Chinese shirt. He gazed down, again not able of looking at her.
"I don't believe it! You did it! You had sex with him!" she said astonished, raising too much her voice to Ranma's taste.
"Ssshhhh. Keep it down Ucchan. The rest of the school don't need to know." He said almost whispering.
Ukyo was trying to assume the new reality. It was still hard to believe, but if it was Ranma's decision, she had to respect it. Ranma and Ryoga… wow. Now she was curious.
"In male or female form?" she asked him.
"What?" asked Ranma, not understanding.
"Did you do it in male or female form?" Ukyo clarified.
"Fe.. female." He said, blushing again.
"I knew it!" She said smiling. "Damn it, Ryoga. I didn't expect you had it in you. I guess this ends all the engagements."
"Of course. No more fiancées chasing me. I never was comfortable with that."
"Ok. I hoped to be in Ryoga's position one day, but that boat already shipped. Are you happy with him?" she asked directly.
"Yeah… yes, I'm happy. He completes me, and I complete him. I think we were meant to be together, and you can see the irony in that, considering how bad we started." He said chuckling.
"Yes, I get you. Of all the possible candidates to be with you, the last one I could imagine who would win was Ryoga. If fact, he wasn't even a candidate." She said scratching her chin. "I'm happy for you Ranchan. Honest." And she hugged him tightly. She knew Ranma since they were kids, he was her closest friend. And because she loved him, above all, she wanted him to be happy. Sadly, that happiness wasn't going to be with her in his heart, but after the hard life he had to endure so many years with his father, anything that would give him that deserved happiness would be fine for her.
"Thank you Ucchan. You're a true friend." He hugged her back. It was a relief to at least have a friend he could rely on. "Listen Ucchan, I wanted to speak with Hiroshi and Daisuke. I owe them an explanation too. I'll see you in class later, ok?"
"Ok Ranchan. I hope they can understand. I'll see you later." She said, and stood up to get back to the classroom.
Ranma walked with haste, looking for his two friends in the school yard. He knew he had little time, because classes would resume soon. He finally found them under the shadow of a tree. When he was close to them, they immediately stood up.
"Hi guys." Ranma said to them.
"Ranma! We've been looking for you man." Said Daisuke.
"Yeah, we wanted to talk with you. When we saw the photos, we thought it was another of your schemes, though you might have overstepped this time. Everybody went to ask Akane about it, and she confirmed that it was for real." Hiroshi explained.
"And, what do you think?" asked Ranma sheepishly.
"Well, it shocked us, I won't deny it. We could never imagine that you would end up dating another guy, with all that speech you always were saying about been manly and stuff." Said Hiroshi.
"Yeah, I was stupid. It was all that macho crap my father filled my brain with. I was wrong. I mean, I feel like a man, but I have been more and more comfortable with my female form. I had to accept the fact that I'm a woman half the time, because I was going crazy trying to reconcile that with all the misogynistic nonsense my father taught me. And anyways, I really didn't seek to fall in love with Ryoga. We got so close that… it just happened. I… never thought about boys in that way before." Ranma said, blushing a little.
"We're your friends Ranma, and… if you're happy with that guy, who are we to judge you? Don't worry about all the idiots that look you down. We're here with you man." Said Daisuke to encourage him.
"Yeah, you can count on us pal. We don't care who you date, as long as you're happy with it. Besides, soon the term will end, and we'll be out of this nutjob school for good. You just hold a little more." Hiroshi added.
Ranma couldn't help to shed some tears. "Thank you pals. It means a lot to me."
"Besides, now we can try and date Akane." Said Daisuke joking, hitting Ranma softly with his elbow.
The three friends laugh out loud at the joke, releasing some tension from the classes before.
"Ranma Saotome! I've been looking for you, foul sorcerer!" someone called from behind the pigtailed martial artist.
'No, not this one, not now.' Ranma thought, and turned to face Kuno.
"I will not allow my pigtailed goddess to be defiled by some peasant against her will." Kuno said with his customary pomp. "You know this Hibiki insolent, Saotome. You must tell me where he dwells, so I can avenge my beautiful flower's honour."
"Against her will? Avenge her honour? Kuno, didn't occur to you that maybe she really likes this guy?" replied Ranma, trying not to lose patience.
"Impossible! Such a delicate creature of exquisite taste would never lay eyes on such an impudent scoundrel. He must have used some spell on her." Said Kuno, closing his eyes with crocodile tears flowing from them.
The three friends sighed deeply at such display of stupidity.
"Sorry Kuno, but we must return to class, and I don't have time for your fantasies. So bye." Replied Ranma.
"Wait!" exclaimed the Blue Thunder of Furinkan extending his arm holding his bokken to block Ranma's path. "You're going to tell me where this Hibiki is hiding. Everyone is telling me that you know him, and certainly I have seen you a few times together."
"I don't know where he is! Try to put that in that thick skull of yours Kuno! And your 'pigtailed goddess' can date whoever she wants!" Said Ranma, tired of dealing with the deluded swordsman.
"I won't allow such insolence!" and Kuno thrusted his bokken at lightning speed directly to Ranma, who barely dodged the wooden sword stepping quickly to one side.
"Guys, get back to class. I'll deal with this idiot and I'll see you there." Ranma said to his friends, who nodded and took their leave, knowing too well how fights between Ranma and Kuno used to end.
Ranma wanted to end this fight quickly, so he could return to class before the teacher could get him grounded. He decided to left an opening for his opponent to launch a high thrust, leaving his body exposed. Kuno was in a ready pose, waiting for him.
The pigtailed martial artist run directly to his opponent, recklessly, hoping for Kuno to take the bait.
"Have you lost your mind Saotome?" yelled Kuno, while thrusting again, directly to Ranma's face. When Kuno was certain of hitting his opponent, the pigtailed martial artist ducked a fraction of second before being impacted in his face, grabbed Kuno's bokken, moving it away from the swordsman, which was knocked out with a well-placed roundhouse kick to his face.
Ranma observed Kuno hit the ground, unconscious. He threw his bokken, which he still had in his hand, to his side. "Goodbye Kuno. I can't wait for the day you can finally see the light." Then he run to his classroom, aware that he could still make it in time.
The remaining classes were uneventful. Many of Ranma's classmates still didn't talk to him, limiting themselves to stare at him from time to time and murmuring among them. Akane glanced at him sometimes, but still avoided to talk to him, which saddened the pigtailed young man, but it was understandable. Only Ukyo, Hiroshi and Daisuke treated him like they always did.
The last class of the day was PE, Ranma's favourite, and the problems began soon. When he was in the locker room changing to his gym clothes, most of his male classmates there were looking at him with distrust, and didn't change until he left the room. During the class, they played a soccer match, and some of the students didn't want to be in the same team as Ranma. The teacher, professor Murayama, aware of the situation, forced them to play in their assigned team, under the threat of receiving a bad grade. They reluctantly accepted, and finally they were able to play. Ranma could feel their disdain to him any time they looked at him. He couldn't understand why it was such a terrible crime to love another man to some of his classmates, going as far as not wanting to play in the same team as him.
Later, when the class ended, they had to go back to the locker room to shower, and some of the students were giving him a hard time.
"We're not going to take a shower naked with you here, Saotome, so get outside and wait for us to finish." Said Kenzo Sazama, one of the students who didn't want to team up with him during the soccer match. A few other students supported Sazama.
"C'mon Kenzo, what you're saying is nonsense." Hiroshi tried to reason with him. "Ranma has always showered with us. He's a man, for Kami's sake!"
"That makes it even worse! We didn't know he liked boys. Who knows what went through his mind while we were showering all this time? Why don't you change into a girl and go to shower in the girl's locker room? Said Kenzo, unwilling to give in.
Ranma, losing his patience, walked a few steps towards Kenzo and grabbed him by the collar of his uniform. "Look, I'm tired of your bullshit already. I don't have any interest in any of you, so you can rest assured, ok? I'm going to shower right now. You can do the same, or wait until I finish." Ranma said, his face very close to Kenzo's.
"W…We'll wait." Finally replied Kenzo, swallowing a big lump in his throat.
"Good for you." Said Ranma, already walking to the showers with his clothes, not looking at him. Daisuke and Hiroshi did the same, and some other students as well, while those who sided with Kenzo waited in the lockers zone.
15 minutes later, Ranma was exiting the locker room, and after saying goodbye to Hiroshi and Daisuke, he took his way to return home, his new home, where Ryoga was waiting for him. A safe place, with the man he loved, he thought.
When he was getting close, and old lady who was cleaning the entrance of her house soaked Ranma when throwing some water to the sidewalk, leaving the martial artist a head shorter, bustier and definitely female. She sighed, and under the astonished face of the old lady, she resumed walking.
Several minutes later, she finally arrived home. She rang the doorbell, and after a few seconds, Ryoga opened the door with Shirokuro at his side. He could see the tiredness in his girlfriend eyes, and after she entered and the door was closed, he gave her a tender kiss and hugged her, a comforting and warm hug. He didn't even ask why she was wet and female. He knew how the curse worked too well. She thanked the hug. After the day she had, she needed it.
Ranma went upstairs to change her wet clothes to dry ones, and when she returned, she was wearing the same jeans she wore the day before and a nice blue t-shirt, that was clearly fitted for women. Ryoga was waiting sitting on the couch, and when he saw her, blushed a little. She looked so good in woman clothes, he thought. Ranma sat beside him, and cuddled to him so she could lay her head on his shoulder, while he wrapped his arms around her.
"Mmmmm, I'd like to be like this the whole day." She said, her eyes closed and a relaxed expression on her face.
"Yeah, me too, but only if you cuddle to me like that." said Ryoga, caressing her back.
"Ok, deal." She confirmed to him.
"How did it go?" he said more serious.
"Bad, as I expected. Many classmates don't want to talk to me anymore. Not even team up with me in a damn soccer match. Didn't want me to shower in the locker room when they were there neither." She answered.
"Bastards. I wish I had been there." He replied with anger.
"You would have changed nothing. And if you had pounded every one of them that looked me bad, many more would dislike me. No, don't worry. I can handle it." She replied, hoping to ease Ryoga's frustration.
"Did anybody say something ugly to you?" he asked, fearing the answer.
"Yeah, just one. I hit him in the face, and after that, no other said anything to me. Oh, and Kuno approached me demanding I told him where you were 'hiding', to 'avenge her pigtailed goddess honour.'" She said, trying to do an impression of Kuno, lowering the pitch of her voice. "I think you are now on his black list." She added jokingly.
"Great, I'm thrilled. I guess he thinks I cast a spell on you or something like that." Ryoga sighed deeply. He had now a new enemy, and a very stupid one.
"That's exactly what he said. Forget him. You know how he is. Though I have a plan to take him out of his delusions that maybe could work. I'll tell you about it later. Anyway, how was your morning?" she asked, hoping to forget her school day, and talk of something else.
"Well, the house could use some clean-up, so that's what I did. Then I took Shirokuro for a walk. She needed to stretch her legs." Explained the Lost boy casually.
"Hold a sec sir. You're telling me you left the house? And didn't get lost? But how?" his girlfriend asked incredulous. How could be possible?
"Haha, it's no big deal. Shirokuro knows how to get back home, so she led me back here."
Yes, it made so much sense, Ranma thought, and it was so simple. "It's what I usually do when I'm home and I need to buy some supplies, I always take Shirokuro with me." Ryoga continued.
"I never thought of that." said the redheaded beauty thoughtfully. "So you took a walk and got back here with no problem."
"In fact I did something more than that. I went looking for work, and I found one." He said, a big smile on his face.
"You're kidding me. That's great!" she complimented him. "And where are you going to work?"
"In a carpentry in Sakaecho, near Ekoda Station. They needed people and when I saw the sign outside looking for workers, I didn't hesitate, and asked them to hire me. I'm good working the wood. During my travels I had to work to pay for staying in inns and farms, fixing roofs, furniture, whatever they needed. I even helped you fix the damage some of our fights did in the Tendo dojo, do you remember?" he explained, a bit of pride in his voice.
"Yeah, I do. So thanks to Shirokuro, you can get back home. But, how are you going to find the carpentry when you start working?" She inquired.
"I thought about that too. And I found a solution so obvious that I had never considered. I'll just call a taxi cab to take me there, and after work, to bring me here, since I can't take Shirokuro to work."
It was a simple but effective solution, so simple that even didn't never occur to her. Ranma was realizing the fact that Ryoga was much more capable of what she traditionally gave him credit. In the past, when they were enemies, she thought of him as someone too innocent and easy to trick, thanks to all the times she fooled him with her disguises. But one thing was to be naïve, and Ryoga was, and a very different one was to be stupid, which he wasn't. The more she knew him, the more she realized how full of surprises he was.
"You're incredible at adapting to any situation. You know that right? That's why you're so good at martial arts." She said with admiration, remembering every time she bested him, he came back with a new technique that again balanced their skills.
Ryoga draw a big smile at her compliment. It meant a lot coming from her. He felt an irresistible desire to kiss her, to taste her lips. She read his intention in his eyes, closed the distance between their lips, and touched his with hers, igniting their passion. Ranma slid her tongue inside Ryoga's mouth, looking for his, yearning for it to touch it, to taste it. She found it, and interlocked in a sensual dance of fiery sensations. They felt the heat in their bodies to rise, more and more the longer they kissed. Then Ranma stopped for a moment, looking at Ryoga directly in the eyes.
"I missed you so much Ryoga." She whispered to him, so much love in her voice that warmed the Lost Boy's heart.
"I missed you too. I longed for the moment to see you again, to have you in my arms." He whispered back. Then, he brought his lips to hers again, and resumed their passionate kissing, stoking the fire that burned within them. When they parted their lips again to take a breath, she wanted more, much more. This wasn't enough, and a need grew inside her. She wanted to try something new, to taste him in a more intimate way.
Ranma moved her hand to his groin, and found that he was already hard as a rock. She smiled. 'Good boy', she thought. She didn't need too much to make him ready, so sensitive as he was. She rubbed her hand expertly along his member, getting constant moans from her handsome boyfriend, who was enjoying every touch she gave him. Seeing that he was ready, she unbuttoned his pants and slid her hand inside them to get his manhood. She grabbed it and started to move her hand up and down along his length, up and down, one time after another, increasing the speed.
"Oh Kami Sama… Ranma... This is so good." He could say between his groans. What Ranma was doing was making him crazy, unable to think clearly anymore. All he could think about at that moment was Ranma's hands touching him, stroking his manhood and the pleasure she was giving him.
The redheaded beauty decided that that was enough warm-up, and wanted to increase the play, but for a moment hesitated. 'Am I really going to do this?' she asked herself. She was going to do something she would have never dared to another man. If her old self would have known about this, he would have gone nuts, and would have pounded the young man next to her to a pulp. 'That old self doesn't exist anymore.' She told herself. 'That old self was your father's creation, and all your father told you about what a man should be was bullshit. You're still a man, but because of the curse, you're a woman too, with her desires, her hopes, her thoughts. Stop repressing yourself, and do what your body yearns. There's nobody here to judge you, just the man who loves you, and who you love so much. Be yourself, and forget the person your parents expected you to be."
"Ranma, is everything ok?" Said her boyfriend with concern, noticing she had stopped and was lost in thought. "We don't have to do this if you're not sure."
"No… I'm ok. Just an old voice from the old me, but I can't hear him anymore. Don't worry. I want to do this." She said with a timid smile. Ryoga nodded, and relaxed.
With all doubts cleared, she resumed her task. She moved so she could have within reach of her mouth his boyfriend's member, and started to lick its head, trying to satiate her need. She wrapped her tongue around that head and rubbed it along its surface, lubricating it. The Lost Boy felt like an electric current radiated from his groin, moving through his full body, and uttered a long moan, tilting his head back, facing the ceiling and closing his eyes. The feeling was incredible.
Satisfied with her boyfriend's reaction, she decided to step-up, and caressed his member's head with her lips, very carefully, stimulating the sensitive organ. She then inserted more of his length inside her mouth, bobbing her head back and forth, using her tongue to reduce the friction. Ryoga put his hand on her head, tenderly, but holding it firmly, feeling how the pleasure was incrementing each time Ranma moved her mouth along his member.
Ranma had her eyes closed, keeping her head moving up and down, back and forth, slowly increasing the speed, approaching the young man's orgasm. His organ slid without any resistance inside her mouth thanks to the lubrication, and while savouring his taste, Ranma moved her free hand to her groin, and started to rub her womanhood, wanting to feel what Ryoga was feeling. She unbuttoned her jeans, and slid her hand under the panty, looking for her treasure. She easily found it, and fondled her sex, caressing it continuously and expertly. She had practice. She had experimented several times, curious about what she could feel in her female body. With each rub, her climax grew closer, feeling a greater pleasure each time se thrusted her hand under her panty.
"Ranma, I'm so close…" the Lost Boy said, panting and moaning, not letting go of Ranma's head under his hand. The pleasure was barely bearable. Ranma was increasing her rhythm, both with her head and with her hand, making the sought moment closer and closer.
She was almost there. She could feel it, like an uncontainable flood throughout her body. A few moments later she came, and all her body twitched and tensed at the overwhelming pleasure, moaning despite the fact that she had her mouth full. Nevertheless, she kept pleasuring her boyfriend, helping him to arrive where she was already, keeping the bobbing of her head to get him closer to his climax. Finally, Ryoga couldn't hold it anymore and orgasmed, releasing his seed inside Ranma's mouth, uttering a long and cathartic moan, holding her girlfriend's head against his groin. A few seconds later, the feeling decreased, and he released his hold on her.
Ranma raised her head and upper body to look at her boyfriend, who had the most satisfied expression she had ever seen. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, and got closer to kiss Ryoga, who gladly obliged. When they separated, they fixed their gazes to each other, panting and gasping for air. After a few moments, they buttoned their pants again, and Ryoga talked.
"Wow... I… I didn't think you were willing to do something like this… But you hesitated for a moment. What happened?" he said, wanting her to share her thoughts.
"It was my old self trying to tell me that this was wrong, that a man shouldn't do this. But that old Ranma does not exist anymore. He was the Ranma my father brainwashed, and I'm not him, I don't want to be him. Besides, I'm a woman right now, and there are things that I want to try as such. And this one I was curious to try it with you." She said, sheepishly smiling.
Ryoga smiled back to her, and gave her another kiss, caressing her cheek with his hand.
"We still have time to spar before we go to the grocery store." He said when they parted lips. "We should wash up a little though."
"Yeah, good idea." She answered.
"You go to the bathroom upstairs. You'll have more room there. I'll go to the one down here." He said, and after a few seconds, they stood up and started to move.
Ranma went upstairs, and after picking her usual clothes for training, she went to the bathroom, and started to wash herself, brushing her teeth after that. When she was ready, took a good look of herself in the mirror before leaving. She saw a young woman looking back at her, dressed with woman jeans and t-shirt. Yes, she didn't feel like her old self anymore. Looking herself in the mirror, with those girl clothes, she felt comfortable with herself, she felt feminine and she felt confident. Couldn't see in her reflection any trace of the old Ranma, who would have despised to have feelings of feminity. The old Ranma, who would have been so uncomfortable at the idea of kissing another man. The old Ranma, who would have been horrified at any consideration of having sex with another man. She could not feel him anymore, and she was relieved. "Let the past die…" she said to her reflection.
After the sparring session, the two martial artists took a shower to get rid of the sweat from their training, and changed their clothes for something more adequate to go shopping. Ryoga was ready in no time, sporting blue jeans, grey sneakers and white t-shirt with a Godzilla image on the front. Ranma opted for another jeans, white this time, and for the top, she changed the t-shirt for an orange embroidered sweatshirt. Then they went downstairs, and Ryoga looked for Shirokuro's leash, because he wanted to take her with them. When he finally found it, he attached it to the happy dog.
"We're ready." He said, holding Shirokuro, which was eager to get out.
"Let's go then." Replied Ranma, who walked then to the door and opened it to Ryoga so he could walk through with his dog. When the three of them were outside, she closed the door.
"Which grocery store do you want to go? Asked the redheaded beauty. "I don't know this zone as much as you do."
"There's one I use to go, but as you could imagine, I don't know how to get there." He said, shrugging. "But don't worry, we have someone who does." He added smiling.
Ranma saw that he was looking at Shirokuro.
"You're telling me that she can take us there? What a smart dog." She said smiling while petting her.
"Look. Shirokuro! Grocery! Go girl!" ordered Ryoga to Shirokuro.
The dog barked and immediately started to walk in one specific direction, pulling from the leash. The couple started to walk in the same direction as Shirokuro, letting her lead them.
There were enough light hours to enjoy a nice afternoon walk, and they intended to do just that. Not a single cloud could be seen in the sky, and the temperature was really nice. Ranma was wrapping her arms around one of Ryoga's, while the Lost Boy held the leash attached to Shirokuro with his free hand. The dog was walking happily in front of them, leading the way while wagging her tail and sniffing the ground.
"How is your new life, now that it is destroyed, Ranma Saotome?" a familiar voice called her from behind.
The two martial artists froze when they recognized that voice. They turned slowly to face him.
"You! What are you doing here?" asked him Ryoga.
"I'm just enjoying the fruits of my labour, Charlotte." The young man answered mockingly, enraging the Lost boy.
"You took those photographs of us. It was you who gave them to my family and put them everywhere in the school." Ranma accused him, barely containing her anger. "But why? Why doing this, Mikado?
Mikado Sanzenin smiled. "Oh, you don't know why? Don't worry, I'll tell you…