AUTHOR NOTES
Hi there! Posting the second part of Chapter 10, Two Mules. As you can expect, here their relationship gets deeper, and some interesting things happen.
I hope you enjoy it.
Kind regards.
Four days after the records store trip…
Akane was bored to death, seated on her desk chair, looking through her window at the excellent day outside. A day without a trace of clouds. She was there, having nothing to do, thinking about the person that, according to her, should take her out of her boredom.
"That baka should be asking me to go out and take a walk, instead of staying here doing nothing!" protested to herself the Tendo girl. "I have a fiancée and we barely do nothing together."
Then she got up from her chair, decided to talk to her fiancée and ask him to take her out. She didn't have experience from previous relationships, but she knew that at least, them being engaged, should be doing things together, at least taking a walk during a sunny day.
The first chords of Gentou Kikai were playing through the speakers. It was the fifth song in the album Puppet Show, by Plastic Tree. Since Ranma listened this song for the first time three days ago when he bought the CD and played it in Ryoga's home, he felt melancholic and a bit sad. And in one of its verses, it seemed like the singer was talking about him.
Why do I never understand you?
Why will you never laugh in front of me?
Why do I never understand you?
Why is it that you never laugh in front of me?
Why is it that I can never express myself with you?
This reminded him so strongly his relationship with Akane. He didn't understand her, and she didn't understand him neither. He couldn't relax and couldn't be himself with her. Maybe because of those similarities, this was his favourite song in the album.
Suddenly someone knocked at the door of his room, which made Ranma to turn down the volume on the player.
"Come in!" he said out loud.
The door opened and Akane entered the room, closing the door behind her. She took a look at Ranma and what he was doing. The pigtailed boy was seating on the floor, the portable CD and tape player Kasumi lent him was beside him, and several tapes and a couple CDs were on the floor next to the player.
"What are you listening?" she asked.
"Rock music. You wouldn't like it." Answered the pigtailed boy.
"Try me. I may surprise you." She said smiling.
"Oook. The band is called Plastic Tree." Ranma said, and turned up the volume on the player, not too loud, but enough to be enjoyed by any rock lover, which was the volume he usually listened to this music.
It was the beginning of the song Nukegara. A soft and melodious voice was singing over nice chords of an acoustic guitar. This was actually good, thought Akane.
"I like it. It sounds beautiful. See, I surprised you." She said with a satisfied smile.
"Ok, but wait a little. Keep listening." Said Ranma with a mischievous smile.
After a minute, the song suddenly changed to a heavier sound. Electric guitars entered and the percussion rhythm was louder and stronger. Even the singer raised his voice to match the new tone of the music. The first word that came to Akane's mind after this change was 'noisy'. She had listened before rock music, and despite her efforts to like it, especially because she knew it was a genre Ranma liked, she always ended up tired quickly. This time she thought for a moment she found a band she could like, but that thought died quickly the moment the music became heavier. Ranma saw her disgust face, and sighed. 'I knew it.' He thought.
Ranma paused the music, and looked at Akane. "I knew you wouldn't like it."
"Yes, I don't like it. It's too noisy and aggressive. I'll never understand why you like this 'music'." She said, applying a tone of disdain to the word 'music'.
"So you'll never understand? You need a thousand times more talent to do this music than the sappy music you usually listen! So of course you'll never understand why this is so good and yours is crap!" yelled Ranma angry. They did it again, ending up arguing. But she started, Ranma thought. She scorned his musical taste. Other day would be his taste in movies. He was sick of her being so overbearing. And she dared to call him arrogant?
"What are you calling crap?! You don't need talent to make noise and scream like a madman! At least with my music you don't end up deaf!" she screamed as angry as Ranma was.
"Oh, no, not deaf. With your music what you end up is idiotic! If you find this music so horrible, you know what you have to do!" he screamed back. Things were getting out of hand.
"Of course! I'm out of here! Moron, stupid, immature, baka, baka, baka, bakaaaaaa!" she yelled almost hurting her vocal cords, and she left the room fuming and slamming the door.
"Ok, uncute macho tomboy! You'll never appreciate real music! You'll never be cute with that attitude!" Ranma screamed to the door. A moment later he heard another door slamming.
The same, over and over. He tries to be kind, and she repays him with insults. But he had to admit that other times it was him who started, joking about something he shouldn't, or making a disrespectful comment. It was an endless cycle. Why were they engaged? Yeah, because their parents arranged it, without asking them. When has a forced relationship ever worked? How much more of this bullshit could he take? He didn't know, but with each new fight he felt further away from Akane.
Two weeks later. Mid-February …
The two martial artists had been planning a training trip to the outskirts of Tokyo for almost a week. It had been Ranma's idea, asking Ryoga to help him master the technique that allowed him to control the direction of the Shishi Hokodan. Besides, the pigtailed boy had in mind to give Ryoga his 18th birthday's present, and the trip seemed like the perfect scenario to do it. He had bought the Walkman and tapes from UL-SAYS and that British band Ryoga loved, Iron Maiden, and hid them well inside his backpack. Besides he hid a couple of tapes from his collection so the Lost Boy would have enough music to enjoy his present during the full trip. He had to borrow the money to buy it from Nabiki, which would cost him a couple of photo sessions, but he didn't mind. The face of Ryoga when he gave him the present would be worth it.
The day was cloudy, menacing with rain, which made Ryoga have in his hand his umbrella in every moment. They had to take a couple of trains to get to Hinode, a town in Nishitama District right in the outskirts of Tokyo, surrounded by forests and mountainous terrain. They hoped to find a good spot to camp and stay for two days, where they could train without being disturbed or without disturbing anyone who could live close.
Since they got off the train, they had been walking for an hour, being now deep in the forest. The two boys agreed that they were far away enough from the closest houses in Hinode, and started to look a good place to camp. They left the Tendo Dojo really early, and it was now 10 a.m., so they still had enough time to set up the camp and do some training before launch. When they found a good spot, each boy set up his tent and left their backpacks inside it. Then they searched for a place to train, some clearing in the forest where they could move unhindered. Ryoga had the precaution of taking with him his umbrella, because the clouds looked darker each passing moment. 10 minutes later they found a clearing big enough for them.
"This seems like a good spot. I don't think we bother anybody here. I just hope it doesn't rain. That would ruin our training." Said Ranma looking around.
"Yeah. I'll keep my umbrella close just in case. The place looks good. It's close to the camp and big enough to do some damage." Replied smiling Ryoga, who grabbed a rock the size of a tennis ball and pulverized it with his hand.
"Show off…" said Ranma smirking to his friend, and Ryoga stuck his tongue out to him. "Ok, let's start big guy. You first." Said the pigtailed martial artist staring at Ryoga, who stared back and nodded.
"We'll start with one blast. Once you manage to dominate one, we can try with two." Explained the Lost Boy. Ranma nodded, paying close attention to what Ryoga was about to do.
The bandana boy extended his arms, and then joined his hands. He now needed to think about something depressing. Some time ago, he always thought about Akane rejecting him. That made him miserable and fuelled the Shishi Hokodan fiercely. But now, he didn't have those feelings for Akane anymore. Maybe Akari. No, he knew that her rejecting him would not depress him. He needed something else.
Ranma observed Ryoga and found weird that it was taking so much time to cast the blast. Should he ask him if everything was ok?
Ryoga kept trying to find a depressing feeling. It was easier before, before him and Ranma got closer… Getting lost! Yes! Getting lost was depressing, and being alone undermined his mood. Not being able to be with him… His depressive ki started to flow, concentrating on his palms, and a ball of energy started to form. Ok, he got it.
Ranma was relieved when he saw the Blast forming in Ryoga's palms. Why did it take so long?
"Ranma! Now try to see the flow of ki between my body, the blast and where is going to impact. Do you see the path?" asked Ryoga while concentrating more ki in his palms.
Ranma obliged and focused. He could already feel the ki without effort, but to be able to see the path, it required an extra step. After a couple of seconds, he saw it. An uninterrupted flow of pink energy starting in Ryoga's body and ending in a tree about 40 metres away from them. That was where Ryoga was aiming his blast, and where it should impact.
"I see it! But here is where I can't go further. When I do it myself, I don't know how to modify the flow." Ranma said.
"That's because you need to use your hands and your mind in perfect synchrony to redirect the path. Look." Said Ryoga, who then released the blast, which went directly towards the tree at a huge speed, but a second before the impact, Ryoga moved his hands to the left and the blast dodged the tree, making a close turn and returning to Ryoga, who then raised his hands and the ball of energy went up in the sky, until the Lost Boy lowered his hands again and finally made the blast to collide against the ground close to the tree that originally was going to impact, causing a huge explosion that lifted dirt and dust around it. After a moment, Ryoga looked at Ranma satisfied. "Now's your turn. You have to synchronize your mind with your hands. Concentrate on the path and think about changing it, moving your hands at the same time, imitating your thoughts. Your mind and your body must be one."
"Ok, I think I get it." Said Ranma. His face turned serious, focusing his thoughts on concentrating his ki. He extended his arms and joined his hands. Opposite to the Shishi Hokodan, for the Moko Takabisha, Ranma needed cheerful thoughts to form the blast. He remembered the fun he had training with Ryoga, the last funny movie they saw, the good time he had with him the day they went to the Lost Boy's home to listen music. It was easier for him to find cheerful thoughts. Then the energy ball formed in his hands.
"Perfect, now focus on the ki's path." Ryoga said to him with his arms crossed under his chest.
Ranma tried to see the energy flow, which he did with little effort. He saw the ki's path from the blast to its objective. He aimed at a tree 30 metres away from him, seeing how the path moved together with his aiming. But once he released the blast, he would have no control anymore over the flow of energy. He needed to release the blast and change the path, with his mind and hands.
"Can you see it?" asked Ryoga.
"Yeah!" replied Ranma, focusing on the ki's path to the tree.
"Then cast it and try to change its direction on the fly." ordered the Lost Boy.
Ranma released the blast, which went flying towards its target at great speed, and a second before it could impact the tree, he quickly moved his hands to his left in order to change its trajectory… and achieved nothing. The blast kept its direction, impacting and tearing the tree apart with a big explosion. "Fuck! Fuck!" yelled the pigtailed boy in frustration.
"Hahaha, did you really believed you could do it in your first try?" mocked him Ryoga. "You're really good Ranma, but you're not that good. I had to try and fail hundreds of times before I grasped how to do it."
"Do you want to bet that I dominate this technique with less than 50 tries?" Ranma said a bit upset.
"Ok, how much?" Ryoga asked the pigtailed boy.
"500¥." Replied with confidence Ranma.
"Fine, I'll pay you 500¥ if you can at least alter its trajectory more than once in less than 50 tries. Now let's see how you fare with your second one…"
Ranma nodded and adopted the right pose to shoot the Moko Takabisha. Again he concentrated ki on his palms and a ball of yellow energy formed. Now the hard part. He aimed to another tree next to the one he just destroyed a moment ago. He could see the ki path, clearly. 'This time is going to work. It has to work!'
And he failed again, being the forests two trees short now. "Damn it!" exclaimed Ranma.
Two hours and 46 tries later, the pigtailed boy had not managed to master the technique. He asked Ryoga to show him again, and the bandana boy gladly did it. Rama was extremely focused in the things Royga was doing physically, how his flow connected with his palms, how the ki path went from Ryoga to the ground far ahead, where he was aiming.
"Try to aim always at the ground. You already ruined 5 trees. This is a natural zone. We should cause as little damage as possible." asked Ryoga, disliking to destroy anything more than the necessary for their training.
Then Ryoga released the pink blast, and just like before, he moved his hands along with his arms, redirecting the energy ball like he would do with a puppet. He had total control over that blast of energy. Ranma then opened his eyes wide, realizing something he didn't see before, and taking mental note of it.
A moment later, Ryoga made the blast to impact the ground 40 metres away from them, again causing a considerable explosion and a crater, and lifting a lot of dust. The Lost Boy then turned his eyes to his friend, who was smiling, staring at the new crater.
"Did you see what were you missing?" asked Ryoga.
"I think I do, my friend. I'm going to give it another try." Answered Ranma not losing the smile.
"Be my guest then." Said Ryoga, taking a few steps back from the pigtailed martial artist.
Once more, Ranma changed the pose, extended his arms forward and joined his hands. In no time the Moko Takabisha appeared on his palms, very brightly. Ryoga could see his path of ki, ending on the ground 50 metres away from them. Ranma seemed very confident. Maybe he could make it this time.
The pigtailed boy then casted the blast, focusing only in its ki path and its destination. When it was about to collide with the ground, Ranma raised his arms in an instant, visualizing mentally the movement, and the energy ball did the same. Then he made it go towards them, changing again the direction a couple of seconds before it could impact against the two boys. He tried to change its direction once more, but this time he couldn't. He moved his arms again, concentrating in where he wanted the blast to go, but he could not focus enough. He started to feel tired and a little dizzy. Finally, the blast impacted a tree and the explosion made it fall with great rumble. Ranma groaned in disappointment for losing control in the end.
"Damn it Ranma, it took me at least 200 tries and a few days to manage to do what you just did in two hours." Said Ryoga astonished.
"But I failed in the end. I couldn't maintain my concentration and started to feel dizzy." Replied the pigtailed boy.
"That's normal. To control the blasts, it requires a considerable mental effort. You'll get used to it and the dizziness will disappear eventually. It seems that I owe you 500¥." Said the Lost Boy smiling.
"Yes, you do, pal. Buy me a parfait next time we go to an ice cream shop and consider your debt paid, ok?" replied Ranma smiling back and winking at him.
"Ok, deal." Ryoga answered while chuckling.
"Great! Now I'll try the Double Moko Takabisha." Said cheerfully the pigtailed boy.
"No, Ranma. First master controlling one blast, and then you can try with two. You need to condition your mind progressively. Otherwise it could be dangerous." Reprimanded the Lost Boy to Ranma, thinking that again the pigtailed boy's impulsiveness was going to put him into trouble.
"C'mon Ryoga, I know that, but I want to try and see how I would fare with two blasts right now. Just one time, ok?" Ranma tried to convince his friend.
Ryoga sighed and reach a hand to his forehead. "Ok, do what you want." He finally said.
Ranma nodded, took a deep breath, and extended his arms, this time without joining his hands. He focused and two balls of yellow energy formed, one on each hand. Then Ranma concentrated on seeing the twin paths of ki that came out from his palms and ended on the ground 40 metres away from him. "Ok, let's see if I can pull this off!" The pigtailed boy yelled, and casted the blasts that followed the ki's paths at high speed. When they were at half distance, Ranma quickly raised his arms to try to change the direction of the path and the blasts, and amazingly, they did, moving towards the sky both blasts. Ranma smiled proud, and then he lowered his arms and moved them to the right, mirroring the blasts his movements. Suddenly, he started to feel tired and dizzy again, but much more intensely this time, and without being his intention, he moved his arms in a way that made the twin blasts head towards him. When he noticed that, he moved his arms again trying to change the trajectory, but he couldn't focus anymore, feeling too tired and seeing everything spinning around him, and he realized he was going to receive the full impact of his attack. He closed his eyes, awaiting the inevitable, but one second before the blasts reached him, he felt two arms embracing him and a body pushing him violently away from the blasts, making him to avoid them. He then felt the impact of him and Ryoga hitting the ground, him landing with his back towards the ground and his friend on top of him with his arms wrapped around him. The blasts, luckily, exploded 20 metres away from them.
Ranma felt stunned, both from the effort of trying such a demanding technique and colliding against the ground. He opened his eyes, and when his vision stabilized, he could see that Ryoga was on top of him, with his head resting on his shoulder. They both were breathing heavily, and they could feel each other's heart beating like a runaway horse. The Lost Boy could smell the scent of Ranma's hair, which reminded him of honey, guessing the Lost Boy it was one of the ingredients of the shampoo his friend must have used when he bathed this morning. It was nice, a comforting scent, he thought. Then Ryoga realized that they were embracing each other, with his head on the pigtailed boy's shoulder. He raised his upper body, supporting his weight with his hands on the ground, and both boys stared at each other for a few seconds. Ranma got lost in the almond colour expressive eyes of his friend, seeing his worriedness, and Ryoga felt the warmness and gratefulness coming from the deep blue eyes of the pigtailed boy. When they realized what they were doing, they blushed intensely and Ryoga moved to get off Ranma's chest and sat on the ground beside him. Ranma sat up, but didn't dare to look at his friend, feeling embarrassed. What exactly had happened? One moment he was about to be kicked by his own technique and the next Ryoga was on top of him and they froze staring at each other. But if Ryoga hadn't pushed him, he could have been pretty much crushed.
"Are you ok?" asked him the Lost Boy.
"Yeah. Just a little dizzy. Thanks for pushing me out of the way. I had no time to protect myself." Ranma replied.
"I told you it could be dangerous. Why do you always have to be so reckless?" Ryoga scolded his friend.
"I know. I'm sorry." Said the pigtailed boy, lowering his gaze ashamed.
"Don't worry. Luckily no one got hurt. I think we can call off this training session." Said the Lost Boy.
"Yeah. I've had enough…" started the pigtailed boy, but stopped when he felt a water drop on his head. "Oh, crap. It's raining."
"Shit! I need my umbrella!" yelled the Lost Boy, getting up immediately and running to where he left it.
In a matter of seconds, a heavy rain fell over the forest and soaked the two boys. Ryoga could not get his umbrella in time and he got transformed in a little black pig. Ranma, now a redheaded girl, walk to her friend, where the small animal was sitting beside his umbrella while sighing loudly.
"Why does it have to rain like this?". Asked Ranma to her furry friend, realizing he couldn't answer, so the question ended up being a rhetoric one. "C'mon Ryo. I'll heat some water so you can change. Let's go to the camp." She said, picking the little black pig and accommodating him on her chest, to Ryoga's discomfort and embarrassment, who felt the warmth coming from Ranma's breasts and their softness, which nearly gave him a nosebleed. She held his little friend with one arm on her chest while grabbing Ryoga's umbrella with her free hand and opening it, picking up Ryoga's clothes as well. Then she run in the direction of the camp, trying to get there as soon as possible so as not to get any more soaked.
In about 5 minutes, Ranma was entering Ryoga's tent, leaving the little pig on the ground sheet. She then disappeared from the tent and reappeared again a minute later with her backpack. She tucked it inside and then went into the tent, zipped up the entrance and turned on the portable lantern that hung from a hook at the top of the tent.
"Ok big guy," said the pigtailed girl with sarcasm. "first I'm going to change to dry clothes, and then I'll heat the water." The piglet made a "weeee" sound and nodded.
Ranma then picked a towel and set it aside. After that she started to unbutton her Chinese shirt and took it off quickly, tossing it to one side of the tent, doing the same with her tank top, leaving her with her big and beautifully shaped breasts exposed. This was too much to poor Ryoga who's eyes went wide and had an instant nosebleed, laying on the ground sheet unconscious.
When Ranma saw him she giggled. 'Ryoga, how many times have you seen my breasts? And you always have the same reaction. Well, maybe I should have a little more of feminine modesty after all. I'll take advantage that he's unconscious and change my pants and boxers. If he sees me totally naked, he could fall into a coma.' She thought jokingly.
Ryoga recovered consciousness a while later. He was human again and realized he was nude with dry clothes on top of him covering his shame. Ranma was next to him, sitting, with dry clothes too, and even her hair was more or less dry, gathered in her typical pigtail. "What happened?" he asked, and then he remembered seeing Ranma topless, along with seeing blood on the ground sheet, there could be only one explanation. "Oh, not again…"
"Yeah, you were defeated by a pair of tits." She said, and then she laughed.
"I don't think it's funny." He said pouting while sitting up, being really careful to keep covering his groin with his dry clothes.
"Well, it all depends on who suffers the embarrassing situation." She replied with a smile. "C'mon, get dressed already."
Ryoga didn't answered, and he was looking down with his cheeks red. Ranma looked at him puzzled.
"What are you waiting for, Ryo?" the redheaded girl asked.
"I'm waiting for you to turn around." He replied blushing.
"Are you serious? I have seen you naked dozens of times, and you have seen me naked the same number of times."
"But you are a girl now." He replied. Why did he feel embarrassed if Ranma in girl form saw him nude? Why the way he saw Ranma was changing so much and so quickly?
"Oh, c'mon… That didn't matter to you in the past. And I'm a guy, by the way" she retorted.
"Yeah, I know, but… right now you're a girl. I'm seeing a girl's body, a girl's face, hearing a girl's voice and it's embarrassing to me. Can you turn around so I can get dressed once and for all?!" he said rising his voice, hoping to finally convince the stubborn girl in front of him.
"Ok, geez. You're acting so weird lately…" Ranma said frowning, and then turned around.
'Finally', Ryoga thought, and then put his clothes on quickly. Once done, he tapped her shoulder softly to indicate her he had finished.
Ranma turned around again to face Ryoga, who was already dressed with his signature black pants and yellow tunic.
"Ranma, why did you only change me?" asked Ryoga quizzically.
"What do you mean?" she replied distracted, picking up her backpack and looking for some food she could eat inside the tent. Meanwhile, the rain was still coming down heavily, and the two friends could hear a constant noise of water crashing against the outer tent.
"I mean why you didn't change to male." Said Ryoga staring at the redhead in front of him.
"Oh, that? Nothing special. I didn't want to get wet again. Maybe I'll change later." She said as if trying to avoid the question. Ryoga didn't want to push her any further, so he didn't insist.
Since they could not go out and make a campfire, and they didn't want to cook in a small place like the tent's interior, the two martial artists opted for canned food they could eat without the need of heating it.
Half an hour later, the two friends finished eating and, after cleaning up the leftover food, decided to take a nap, hoping that it would finally stop raining in the meantime. If the rain didn't stop, it would ruin their afternoon training. Luckily for them, Ryoga's tent had four-person capacity, so they had more than enough space to store their backpacks, Royga's umbrella and two sleeping bags unfolded. So both Ryoga and Ranma entered their sleeping bags and tried to sleep in spite of the downpour of water outside.
The forest was silent, maybe too silent. Rows of tall trees surrounded him, and covered him with their shadow from the unyielding sun. Luckily, he wasn't alone. She was with him. Her red hair shined like a bright flame every time a sun ray touched her. Her blue eyes reminded him of a clear ocean and her face had an unreal beauty. But something inside himself was telling him that it was wrong to think about her like that... Nonsense! He thought. How could not have these feeling towards her? Beside her amazing beauty, she was funny, brave and strongest than most men he knew. He felt powerless in her presence, and had the irresistible desire to kiss her.
"Why are you staring at me like that? Come to me, Ryoga." She said in the sweetest voice he has ever heard, reaching a hand to him asking the boy to get closer to her.
She was wearing her usual Chinese shirt, and it was the only garment she had on her. Ryoga approached the beautiful girl, and when he was just a step away from her, she reached her hand to his cheek and caressed it with such tenderness he thought he was being touched by an angel. He grabbed her hand and kissed it, then looking once again at her beautiful face.
"Ranma…" he whispered.
The redheaded girl smiled when she heard her name, and started to unbutton her shirt. After a few seconds she opened the shirt revealing her nice breasts, and Ryoga's eyes widened at such a sight.
"Ryoga, touch them. I know you want to." She said with desire in her voice.
"Yes, I want to." Ryoga replied, and reached his hands to her bosom, and caressed each breast with his hands. They felt soft and wonderful in his hands, and the girl started to moan under his touch.
"That feels so nice my love. Your touch is wonderful. Don't stop please." She pleaded to him, making him blush so intensely that his face was redder than her hair.
She kept moaning under Ryoga's caressing, and after a moment, she closed the distance between their lips and kissed him passionately, using her tongue to claim his. She then moved her hand to his groin and touched his manhood. She moved her hand along his length, rubbing her fingers against his member. Then she grabbed his hand make him touch her sex, rubbing her folds and making her groan loudly. She let go of his hand, which kept giving caresses to her folds, and she slid her hand inside his pants, taking his shaft between her fingers and jerking it off, giving him such a pleasure so intense that he was about to…
Ryoga opened his eyes widely. He was feeling the voluptuousness of his orgasm, and moaned intensely. Disoriented, turned his head to one side and saw the inner tent. Then turned his head to the opposite side and saw Ranma sleeping in her sleeping bag. She was facing him. He cursed and buried himself in the sleeping bag, covering his mouth with his hand. He had to wait until that feeling that in other circumstances would be wonderful, stopped because right now was putting him in a very embarrassing situation. Finally, the sensation stopped. When he was calmed, he risked sticking his head out and looked at Ranma. She was still sleeping, thankfully. He feared he could have awakened her with his moans. He stared at her. With her peaceful expression, and her eyes closed, Ryoga couldn't avert his gaze from her. She was so beautiful. It had been a dream then, but what a dream. It looked so real and so amazing, the most incredible dream he had ever had, in fact, that he regretted having woken up. Then he noticed that he still had an erection, feeling his pants wet. Reached his hand down there and when he touched his groin over the pants... 'Shit, shit!' he thought. 'I need to change this pants, but I can't wake up Ranma. If she finds out, she'll call me a pervert for the rest of my life!'. Then he realized what that dream implied. He liked Ranma, and he felt attracted to her female side. He wasn't going to be able to see her girl form the same way ever again after that dream. In fact, he was thinking about Ranma right now referring to her as female. He cursed himself again. Why did he always end up having feelings for people who would never reciprocate?
Ryoga opened the zipper of his sleeping bag as slowly as possible. When it was open enough so he could get out of it, he moved carefully making the least noise possible. When he exited completely the sleeping bag, he could saw that he still had a 'tent' in his pants. How much longer was it gonna last? He tried to ignore it. If he could pick up a change of clothes from his backpack without waking up Ranma, he would change inside his sleeping bag and she wouldn't notice anything. Ryoga opened the top lid of his backpack, and searched for a couple of clean boxers and pants. When he finally found them, he took them out of the backpack, and returned to his sleeping bag. He was about to enter when Ranma emitted a soft groan.
"Mmm. Ryo, is it still raining?" she asked without opening her eyes, more asleep than awake.
The Lost Boy froze in terror, but quickly regained his senses, and answered her in a soft voice.
"Yeah, it still rains." He replied, sweating profusely.
"Then keep sleeping and stop making noise, you baka." She said, then turning around to face the opposite side.
Ryoga gulped. "Yeah, ok." He replied. And quickly entered his sleeping bag. Knowing it wouldn't be unusual for him to make noise now, he took advantage of the situation and quickly changed into new boxers and pants, leaving the stained ones inside the sleeping bag, hoping to sneak them into his backpack when Ranma came out of the tent later.
Well, crisis solved, he thought. Ryoga closed his eyes, and tried to sleep, but images of the dream kept repeating inside his head. He sighed, because he knew he wasn't going to be able to sleep again.
An hour passed, and finally the rain stopped, and soon the sun began to shine in the sky through a diminishing amount of clouds. Ryoga could hear his friend making wake up noises. Ranma yawned, and roused herself.
"Ryo, are you awake?" asked the pretty redhead.
"Yeah, a few minutes before you." He lied. He had not slept a wink since the incident with his pants.
"Ok. Then let's get up. The sun's out, so I think we're going to be able to train this afternoon after all." She said sitting up on her sleeping bag.
"Yep. Let's get out of here. I'll make some tea before we train." He replied.
"Wait Ryoga." She stopped him as soon as he stepped out of the sleeping bag, which made him stare at her puzzled. "I… I wanted to give you something." She said timidly.
"You want to give me something?" repeated Ryoga astonished. This was totally unexpected. Was she going to make fun of him, or was she serious? Ryoga feared what she could give him. Knowing her it would be a stuffed piggy.
Ranma searched through her backpack for a few seconds, and finally he pulled out a box in gift wrapping paper. She handed it to him, who took it speechless. She giggled at his loss of words. "C'mon, open it." She asked him.
The Lost Boy unwrapped the gift with care and when he saw what it was, he stared at his friend with teary eyes. It was a Walkman, brand new.
"Ranma… I… Why… You didn't have to do this." The Lost boy mumbled.
Ranma was delighted with her friend's reaction. It was exactly like she imagined. "Happy birthday P-Chan." She said blushing intensely with a shy smile.
"Thank you… Ranma" he said, trying to contain his tears. Other than his parents, no one ever gave him a gift for his birthday. Nobody aside from his parents ever had remembered his birthday. He approached the redheaded girl who was smiling timidly at him, and he wanted to kiss her, but he couldn't do that. It would ruin the moment and she would pound him. He gave her a warm hug instead. She wasn't expecting it, but after a couple of seconds, she hugged him back, feeling the warmth of her friend's body, which made her feel a little weird, because now she was a girl and she was hugging a boy, but at the same time she felt comforted and happy.
When they separated, Ranma searched again in her backpack, and pulled out a few tapes and gave them to Ryoga. The even more surprised Lost Boy took a look at the tapes. Albums from UL-SAYS, Iron Maiden, F-Blood and Plastic Tree. Ryoga stared at the redhead without knowing what to say.
"The tapes from UL-SAYS and Iron Maiden are yours. They're part of your present. The other two I'm lending them to you. That way you have enough variety for at least a week, so you can enjoy your birthday present." She explained to him.
"Thank you Ranma. I'll never forget this. This must have cost you a lot of money." Ryoga said to her.
"Oh, don't worry about it. I have it covered." She said trying to avoid the topic.
"Ranma… please tell me you didn't ask the money to Nabiki." Said the Lost Boy with some worriedness.
"I already told you. Don't worry about it. It's nothing I haven't done already." She replied averting her gaze from him.
Ryoga knew what that meant. She would have to pose for Nabiki in skimpy clothing for a photo session, or several.
Ranma took a look at him, and saw him pensive, knowing too well what he was thinking. "Don't think about it Ryoga. Take it for what it is, my present for your birthday. Otherwise, you'll make me regret giving it to you." She said to him.
"I'm sorry. It wasn't my intention. It's just that you didn't have to go to so much trouble to give me a present. But… I'm really grateful to you. I never expected this from anyone. It…It's great to have a friend like you." He explained smiling and flushing.
"That's better." She replied smiling. "Besides, it's my first birthday present to you, so I wanted to give you something really special, and since you told me you didn't have a Walkman, the choice was easy…" She paused for a moment. "Why don't you try it? It includes batteries."
Ryoga nodded, and took off the box's transparent wrapping, opening it. The Walkman was about 12 cm long, 10 cm wide, and 5 cm depth. The design was nice. Really stylish. The exterior came in silver colour, and the lid had a triangle like frame with transparent plastic to let you see the tape inside, with the word SONY in capital letters printed on it. The device included headphones too, in full black, with a long cable. The Lost Boy unwrapped the batteries, and inserted them in the Walkman. Then connected the headphones and picked Iron Maiden's tape. The album was Fear of the Dark. To Ryoga, he would have liked any album from the British band, but Fear of the Dark was one of their best ones. Ranma had done her research about the band, or she got lucky picking the album. In any case, it was one of his favourites.
Ryoga inserted the tape in the Walkman, put on the headphones and pushed the play button. After a few seconds, the first notes of Be Quick or Be Dead began to play, with solid bass and the guitars playing a riff so awesome that made him wonder how it would be played in a guitar. In no time Ryoga was head-banging, and Ranma smiled satisfied. It had been worth borrowing the money from Nabiki just to see her friend's happy face.
"It sounds amazing. Ranma, you have to try it too. Come on." Said Ryoga, offering to the pigtailed girl the headphones.
Ranma took them and put them on. She listened carefully to the song, and it was clearly a metal band. Faster than rock, with heavier guitars, and great and strong vocals. The headphones sounded much better than she anticipated. This brand was clearly committed to quality. She spent a few minutes listening, and she finally removed the headphones and gave then back to Ryoga.
"Yeah, it sounds great. I'm glad that you like it." She said with a warm, content smile. Then she added. "Hey, since it stopped raining, why don't we keep training a little before the sun sets? I want to master the control of one blast, and I think I'm nearly there. You can enjoy your present after dinner if you want."
"Sounds good, yeah. Let's train a little more before it gets dark." Replied Ryoga.
The Lost Boy picked up and stowed the Walkman and tapes in his backpack, while Ranma got up and unzipped the tent's entrance, getting outside. The sun was still shinning high enough for them to have at least a couple of hours of daylight. A moment later, Ryoga joined the redheaded girl and the pair walked to the clearing where they had been training this morning. After 10 minutes, they found the place, and prepared themselves for the task ahead.
"No crazy stuff this time, ok Ranma? Just limit yourself to one blast." Warned Ryoga to the pigtailed martial artist.
"I know, I know. I learned my lesson this morning." She replied. Then she extended her arms and joined her hands. A second later a bright yellow energy ball formed on her palms. "Ok, there we go!" she exclaimed, casting the blast against a tree far away from them. When the blast was getting close, Ranma moved her arms and the blast obeyed her will changing direction and turning to the right. Then the redhead moved the blast up into the sky, and moved it down when she was about to lose sight of it.
"Ranma, remember: the more time you keep controlling the blast, the more tired you'll feel, and the more stress you'll put on your mind, don't overdo it."
"Ok daddy." She replied jokingly, but taking seriously Ryoga's advice. She made the blast come to them, and when it was about 20 metres from them, she changed again the trajectory and made it crash against the ground, disappearing with a bang."
Ryoga approached the girl. "How do you feel?"
"I'm fine. I could have been playing with the blast a little longer, but unlike what you may think, I took your advice and didn't overdo it." She said smiling.
"Great. I'm glad that you listen to me for a change." Ryoga said chuckling.
"Hey, I always listen to you. A different thing is that I take your word for it." The redheaded girl told him sticking out her tongue at him.
"Ok, since you are feeling so cocky, get ready to spar. Let's see if you can use what you have learned in combat." Ryoga said to her defiantly.
"Oh, now we're on the same page." She said adopting a fighting stance.
"Ryoga, stop apologizing please. It was an accident. Besides, we were sparring. Things like this happen." The redheaded girl said trying to sooth her friend's guilt.
"I know, but I didn't realize that you were too close to those damned rocks. I should have been more careful and more aware of our surroundings." The Lost Boy scolded himself.
During their sparring session, after an initial exchange of punches and kicks, at a certain moment, Ryoga casted a single Sishi Hokodan against Ranma, who responded equally with her Moko Takabisha. Then the two martial artists engaged in a battle of physical endurance and mental strength, controlling their ki attacks and trying to knock out the other opponent while dodging their blasts. When Ranma jumped and landed close to a rock formation, Ryoga took the opportunity to make his blast strike the pigtailed girl. It hit her, indeed, but launched the girl towards the rocks and she impacted against them head first. As a remainder, the redheaded girl received a small bump on her forehead.
"If this proves something, is that I still have to learn to master this control technique. Otherwise you wouldn't have caught me like that."
"Yeah, probably. You were too focused in moving your blast against me and didn't see mine coming at you. Let me see that bump." Said Ryoga, grabbing Ranma's chin softly and taking a look to her injury, approaching his face to Ranma's maybe a little too close to the girl's comfort.
"I already told you, it's nothing." Retorted the redhead, blushing by the sudden touch of her friend.
The Lost Boy observed the injury. A small bump with a reddish tone between the hairline and her left eyebrow, with a cut on top which was bleeding a little. "You have a light cut and some inflammation around it. Nothing serious, but I'll have to clean it and sterilize it. We don't want it to get infected. Let's go to the camp. I have a first aid kit in my backpack." He said while getting up, waiting for the redheaded girl to do the same.
"O-ok. But you worry too much." She insisted.
"Are we not friends? Why wouldn't I worry about you?" Replied Ryoga with determination. Ranma's injury was his fault, and it was his duty to treat properly her wound.
Ten minutes later they were back at the camp, and Ranma was seated on a big stump Ryoga fetched for her, while he brought his first aid kit from his backpack. He took another look at the wound, seeing that there was some dirt around the cut and inside it, so he took a bottle of water he brought along with the first aid kit and dipped a clean gauze pad in it.
"Don't move. I'll clean the wound first." Asked Ryoga, and Ranma nodded with her cheeks lit like fire, flattered by the care Ryoga was giving her, holding softly her chin so she wouldn't move her head. Nobody had ever cared about her getting injured like Ryoga was doing right now, and after the initial shock, she felt flattered.
Ryoga rubbed softly the wet gauze against the cut and its surroundings, removing the small particles of dirt that had remained adhered. Then he used another clean gauze with a disinfectant to sterilize the cut. When the disinfectant touched the wound, Ranma gave a little wince of pain. Ryoga turned his eyes to hers.
"Sorry." He apologized a little worried.
"I'm ok. Go on." She replied, staring back at him, trying to sooth his concern.
Ryoga nodded and continued sterilizing the wound. In no time he finished, and started to look in the first aid kit box for a couple of suture stitches. The cut was not deep, so suture stitches would do just fine. After applying them, the Lost Boy looked at the treated wound with satisfaction.
"Okay, it's all fixed. It won't even leave a scar." Ryoga said smiling, staring at her deep blue eyes.
"Thanks Ryo. You're a good nurse." She said chuckling.
Ryoga laughed at her comment. "Well, it's the least I can do since it was my fault."
"You're so thick headed. I already told you. It wasn't your fault. It could had happened to you too." Retorted the redheaded girl.
"Ok, ok. I won't say anything more about it." He replied in a conciliatory tone.
Ranma smiled to him. "Good. Now let's prepare dinner. I'm really hungry."
After dinner, the two martial artists had cleaned up, and then sat together on the big stump Ryoga had fetched to have Ranma seated while treating her head wound, with a campfire in front of them to warm them and give them light, since it was already dark. Luckily they found enough dry branches, and a few almost dry ones that they finished drying by applying ki to them. The stump was large enough so the two friends could comfortably seat down on it. Ranma couldn't avoid being amazed at the brute strength her friend possessed. She was strong, especially in her male form, but compared to Ryoga, the guy looked like a superhero. She wondered how he got such power, because she didn't remember him being so strong in Junior High.
Ryoga was using his birthday present, listening to a tape from F-BLOOD. It sounded so good, that he couldn't believe it was a tape what was playing. That, the sheer usefulness of the device, and the sacrifice Ranma made to be able to buy the Walkman, especially the latter, made it the best gift he had ever received. Despite being enjoying his present, there was one thing he couldn't get out of his head; his dream about Ranma was still fresh in his mind, and seeing his friend still in his girl form, was making it worse. Of course, he couldn't talk about the dream with Ranma. If he told her, she would pound him, would consider him a pervert for the rest of his life, and possibly even stop being his friend, something that horrified him. So he was doomed to keep it a secret for the rest of his life. The best he could do is forget about it, and pray he would not have more dreams like that one.
Ryoga took off the headphones and stopped the Walkman. Then looked to his friend, who was playing with a branch stirring the coals.
"Ranma, I was wondering, you haven't changed to male in all day. Is… is there something wrong? The Lost Boy asked her a little unsure of how she would react to his question.
"Do you consider wrong me being a girl, Ryoga?" she asked without anger in her voice, contrary to what the Lost Boy was expecting.
"N-No, of course not. Nothing wrong with you remaining a girl. It's just that in normal circumstances you would have already changed, and… and this is not the first day I observed that."
"No, I didn't mean remaining a girl. I said 'being' a girl… Ryoga, can I confess you something? Only to you. You can't tell anyone. Promise me."
"I… I swear on my honour as a martial artist I won't tell anyone." Said Ryoga raising his right hand with his palm open, an oath gesture.
Ranma nodded satisfied. "Recently, I… I started to feel… weird when I'm a girl."
"Weird? What do you mean?" he asked, starting to feel some concern.
"La…lately I feel comfortable being a girl. I… I feel like a girl. I feel feminine… when in girl form. Please don't think I've gone crazy." She said with her sapphire eyes lit by the fire in a pleading expression that moved the Lost Boy's heart.
"Ranma, I would never think that of you." What she told him made sense to him. When he was a pig, sometimes he had feelings or thoughts more proper from an animal than from a human, like enjoying being treated like a pet by Akane. He remembered Genma eating bamboo canes, and thought that it must be something that happens to everyone with a Jusenkyo curse. It was natural that sometimes Ranma's female brain took control. "That's why you didn't change today? You feel comfortable being a girl right now?"
"Yeah. It's a weird feeling, but somehow it feels so right. The weirdest thing is that I feel ok too when I'm a boy, so I'm not turning into a full girl, I guess. Do you think it's because of the curse?"
"Maybe, yeah. It could be. So sometimes you feel like a girl." Ranma nodded sheepishly. "And… in those moments, do you… do you like boys?" he asked trembling.
Ranma flushed fiercely at the question. She couldn't be honest. What would he think about her? That she was a pervert, for sure. Besides, she wasn't sure about those feelings anyway. She wasn't sure about what she felt for him.
"O-Of course… not." She said with difficulty.
'Ranma, you're a bad liar.' Ryoga thought, keeping his hopes high. But he understood that it had to be hard to admit it, so he didn't press. "Ranma, you shouldn't worry so much about it. There's nothing wrong with you feeling sometimes like a girl. Not to me at least. I would never think any less of you because of that." said Ryoga, trying to encourage his friend.
Ranma smiled and felt better at Ryoga's words. It was nice to have someone who wouldn't judge her for feeling this way. "Thanks Ryo. You're the best friend I could ask." She said blushing, making the Lost Boy to blush as well.
"Um, no problem… Th-that's what friends are for." He said timidly.
"I fear that my parents will not be as understanding like you." She said, lowering her gaze. "And with the seppuku contract…"
"No, Ranma! That contract is bullshit! You can't seriously honour such a crazy thing. Besides, when you signed it, you were just a little kid. You had no means to know what you were signing!" protested Ryoga, resting his hands on Ranma's shoulders.
"I… I know, but, honour is everything to a martial artist. I'm scared Ryoga. If my mother would learn about these feelings I have when I'm a girl, she would enforce the contract for sure, and Pop and I would have to…" she couldn't finish, and Royga didn't want to hear it.
"Then don't tell her, ever. But if she finds out, please, promise me you won't honour the contract. Promise me that you won't kill yourself over some stupid piece of paper." Ryoga said, visibly moved, taking Ranma's hands in his.
Ranma stared at Ryoga's eyes, and saw his concern and suffering for her sake. He was right. Why she had to die because something decided by her parents when she was too young to even remember it?
"I promise, Ryoga. I promise I won't honour the contract." She finally said without averting her gaze from him. Ryoga sighed, relieved.
"Thank you. And if the day comes when you have to face your family because of this, you'll have me by your side." He said, not letting go her hands.
Ranma smiled warmly. Then she tilted her head to look at Ryoga's hands holding hers, and blushed. She removed her hands from Ryoga's grasp, making the boy to realized what he was doing, and he blushed as well. "It's getting late. We should go to bed. Tomorrow morning, we have another sparring session and we should rest." The redheaded girl said.
"You're right. It's time to rest… G-Good night, Ranma." He said, smiling to the redhead, and then walking to his tent.
"Good night, Ryoga." She said, heading to her tent as well, but stopping for a moment and looking at him one last time before entering inside.
A month later. Mid-March…
The two boys exited the Toshimaen Cinema building with a broad smile and a satisfied expression, walking into an open street that was already illuminated by streetlights as the sun was disappearing on the horizon. They had watched the American action movie Blade, and they loved it. In fact, they didn't expect it to be so good. It had been Ryoga's idea, who saw a poster of the movie in a bus stop a few days ago, after being lost for nearly for a week. Both friends were commenting their impressions about the movie while walking back home.
"Really Ryo, when you told me we were going to watch a movie about vampires and martial arts, I thought we were going to see a turd. But it was awesome!" said Ranma remembering some of the best scenes.
"Yeah. The part of the Blood Bath in the party was one of the most amazing scenes I've seen in a movie, with the techno music increasing the beat and the tension, and then puff! The sprinklers start expelling blood!" explained Ryoga with an astonished expression.
"And then Blade appears for the first time, and starts to kick ass to those filthy vampires. That scene is great. Totally, man. And how about when Blade grabs that vampire with a beard and long hair, holds his head as the subway arrives and tears half his face off?!" Ranma replies explaining too.
"Sick. There's a lot of great scenes. And the FX are really good, specially how the vampires disintegrate after being killed." Said Ryoga.
"I was thinking the same. I love how the bad guys turn into burnt skeletons when they are killed." Replied Ranma. "I want to watch the movie again. We should come back the next week."
"Ok. That would be cool. I want to watch it again too." Said the Lost Boy to his friend.
The two martial artists kept discussing the movie while heading to the Tendo Dojo, and in 15 minutes, they arrived at the main gate. A usual debate then started between both of them.
"Are you going to stay in the Dojo this time Ryo? I don't have school tomorrow. We can spar in the morning and then eat some parfaits somewhere." Said smiling the pigtailed boy.
"The sparring and the parfaits sound great, but about the latter, we're not going to go to where that fucking pervert works. In fact, we're not going to go to any place where you have hit on the waiter to get free food. You know I hate to see you doing that, and I can't stand those creeps." The Lost Boy said indignantly, because he knew that Ranma always ate ice cream as a girl, and more times than he liked, he (she in that moment) performed her 'act' with the waiter to get them their ice cream for free.
"C'mon Ryoga, you don't have to be jealous of those guys. As I said once, it's all an act." Argued the pigtailed boy.
"I'm not jealous!" Of course he was jealous, but he would never admit that to Ranma. "I respect you, and you should respect yourself too. Every time you flirt with those idiots, you degrade yourself. I'd like you to stop doing that, please?"
"Ok, ok. We won't go to any of those places. I promise. In any case, I'm not going to go to that moron's shop ever again. That creep is disgusting and I hate how he stares at me." Conceded Ranma.
"Fine. Glad that you finally realized. And, how about the other thing I asked you? That you stop doing that hitting on guys thing? Please Ranma." asked Ryoga, pleading with his eyes.
Ranma stared at Ryoga undecided. He knew his friend was right. Hitting on a waiter to get free food was degrading and shaming, but he was doing it for so long that it was hard for him to let it go entirely. Then remembered how Ryoga suffered each time he did it, and felt bad, really bad. His friend was saying him that because he cared for him, and he should at least consider his pleading.
"Ok, I promise I won't do it anymore." He finally told him.
"For real?" Ryoga asked incredulous, but Ranma nodded reassuring him. "Thank you Ranma! It's a good decision. I'm so proud of you." Ryoga said with an ample smile.
"Yeah, yeah. I can't believe the things I do for you…" Ranma said timidly smiling.
Ryoga blushed at that, feeling so grateful to his friend. This was something he will forever remember. "Then, tomorrow, early in the morning we spar after breakfast, and then we enjoy some parfaits. My treat this time." Ryoga said satisfied.
"Great." Replied the pigtailed boy smiling happily.
"But I'm afraid I'm not going to spend the night in the Tendo's, Ranma. I don't want to accidentally turn into a pig with Akane grabbing me and locking me up in her room, like the last time. It's really hard to escape from her. And the last thing I want to do is sleep in the same bed as her. She always beat me up while dreaming." Explained the Lost Boy.
"I know, but maybe this time you don't get changed. Why do we always have to discuss the same thing? What happens if you get lost? Who knows when I will see you again?"
"I won't get lost."
"Yeah, sure man."
"I won't get lost, Ranma, because I'll wait for you in my tent." Said Ryoga quietly.
"Oh, I didn't think about that." Ranma sighed. "Ok, as you wish." He said reluctantly, resigned to the stubbornness of his friend. "But my offer of sleeping in the dojo still stands."
"And I thank you, but I prefer to stay in my tent."
"Ok man. Where are you going to camp then?" Ranma asked looking around.
"I think there's an empty lot close to the Dojo. Come with me and help me to find it. That way you will know where to look for me tomorrow." Replied the Lost Boy smiling.
"Of course, pal. Let's go." Ranma said, patting his friend's back.
After finding the empty lot Ryoga was talking about, which indeed was close to the Tendo's, a mere 5 minutes' walk, Ranma left there his friend and returned to the Tendo Dojo. He had no watch, but he guessed it had to be past 8 p.m. A bit late for dinner, so maybe his family had dinner already.
"Tadaima!" he said when he opened the door, but strangely, nobody answered. "Kasumi! Akane!" he called, receiving silence for an answer.
"How weird." He said to himself. Ranma entered the kitchen, and found a note on the counter. He picked it up and read it.
'Hi Ranma. Akane and Nabiki are going to spend the night at their friend's home, and your parents, dad and me are going to have dinner in a restaurant your mother wanted to know. We won't come back too late. I left something for dinner in the fridge.
Kasumi.'
Great. He was going to be alone for a few hours.
Ranma walked to the fridge, opening it to see what Kasumi had left for him. He took a quick look, and saw there was a pair of chicken sandwiches on a dish. He picked them, and walked to the washitsu. He left the dish with the sandwiches on the table, and sat down. Then turned on the TV, and started to eat. In reality, he wasn't paying attention to the TV, and was eating the sandwiches mechanically, with his mind somewhere else. He was alone, which meant nobody would bother him for at least a few hours. And the old creep had disappeared months ago, visiting an old friend he had said when he left, and he hadn't showed up so far. He could do what he wanted without fearing get caught. Since a couple of weeks, he had felt a need that was proving harder and harder to ignore, a feminine need. Something he had since he started to feel like a girl in his female form. Would he dare to do it now, that there wasn't anyone to see him or judge him? No, he was a man, and men didn't do this things, or had this desires. Yet he had them, and couldn't ignore them. Ranma turned his eyes to the kitchen. It would be so easy. He just needed a glass of cold water.
Ranma turned off the TV, took the last bite at his sandwich, and got up, walking to the kitchen with the empty dish, which he left in the sink. He looked at the faucet, undecided.
"Fuck it." he finally said to himself.
The pigtailed boy took a glass and filled it with cold water, and then poured it on his head, triggering his cursed and turning himself into his girl form. She couldn't believe she was going to do it, but she had made up her mind. She went to the bathroom and dried her hair with a towel, leaving it loose. Then walked to her room and looked at her futon. This could be a good place. Here she would be comfortable. Then she took off her Chinese shirt, pants and tank top, leaving only her boxers.
She sat on the futon, not having a clear idea about how to start. The redheaded girl laid on her back adjusting the pillow to her head, and she guessed she should begin rubbing, so she reached her hand to her groin and started to rub her sex. She gasped at her touch with her clit. Yes, that felt good. She moved her hand a little faster against her womanhood, exciting her sensible button, letting out small moans. She had just started and it already felt better than doing it with her male body. She then slid her hand below her boxers to touch directly her clit, which seemed the best point to excite, while fondling one of her breasts. She kept the back and forth movement of her hand increasing the pleasure, and took her nipple with two fingers and pinched it softly. Oh Kami, it felt so good. In her excitement, she inserted accidentally the tip of a finger inside her vagina, feeling a new kind of pleasure, which startled her, and she stopped. This was going too far. She shouldn't be doing this. I wasn't manly, and if she would get caught… But it felt so good, and she knew that her family wouldn't get back in at least a couple hours. She would try a little more, this time inserting two fingers inside her, thrusting them to the bottom, rubbing the walls of her womanhood, feeling a wetness there that made easier her task. The redheaded girl kept thrusting, her hand wetter and wetter and letting out soft groans, and tried to think about something erotic, something sexual with someone. But who should she choose? The logical choice was Akane, of course, so she tried. She imagined Akane, naked, kissing with her in male form in Akane's room. Then she… he caressed her breasts while keeping the kissing. Akane started to lick his neck and moving down to her… his chest, sucking his nipples, fondling with her hands his pecs. Ranma then inserted a third finger in her vagina, and kept thrusting, moaning loudly, moaning like a woman at the pleasure she was feeling. But something wasn't right. This was feeling good, but her orgasm wasn't getting closer at all. And it wasn't because how she was using her fingers. She tried to focus on Akane. Her.. his fiancée was kissing her.. his pecs, touching his abs. Then she moved down again to her... his mem…
Then Ranma stopped again. She couldn't think about sex with her male form while masturbating in her female body. It just wasn't working. But what could she do? Did she have to…? No. That was too much. Would she dare to… to imagine herself in her female form having sex with a guy? Could she dare to…? What if she liked it…? If she was going to do this, she had to get to the end. She started again, inserting three fingers inside her entrance, while rubbing and caressing her clit with her other hand. She groaned loudly. It felt really good. Then imagined herself in female form. She was in the furo, totally naked, and a man was there with her. She tried to not picture his face. It would be someone random. The man approached her and embraced her while kissing her neck. Yes, that was good. It felt so nice. Then the man moved down his lips to her breasts, sucking her nipples. Oh, Kami, that was incredible. She stroked his hair while he kept giving her pleasure. She moved her fingers through his black hair, his raven hair, and touched his bandana. Then the man straightened up to look at her eyes. His almond like eyes were beautiful, and his stare was full of desire.
"Ryoga…" she gasped.
Then the black haired boy closed the distance between their lips and kissed her intensely, tasting her like nobody had done ever before. Oh yes! She was feeling her orgasm coming closer. Ryoga broke the kiss, and made her to turn around, giving her back to him. He reached his hands from behind to her breasts and fondled them with skill and passion, all while kissing her neck with care and rubbing his erected member against her butt. This was getting her so aroused, feeling his… thing touching her. She was liking this… Ranma never imagined she could feel so much pleasure. So close… so close to cum, she didn't want to stop. "Ryoga, do it, fuck me. Please." she whispered between gasps. Ryoga made her kneel, and she then placed her hands on the floor as support. The Lost Boy then positioned his member at her opening, and without warning, he thrusted inside her making the girl letting out a long moan. "Yes! I'm so close! Fuck me, please!" She yelled, while moving back and forth her fingers inside her sex, touching her soft and wet walls, with her other hand rubbing her clit fast. Just a little more, while her lover thrusted inside her like possessed by a lustful demon, making the girl scream in pleasure. He grabbed her hips, thrusting back and forth his member into her, making Ranma crazy. And finally…
"Oooooh, Kamiii!" She cried out while cumming, which was followed by several moans, her body tense with the pleasure that invaded her at once. This was like ten orgasms at the same time in her male body. Nothing she had ever felt could compare to this. Finally, after several seconds, the overwhelming pleasure gave way to a pleasant feeling of relaxation, and she collapsed onto her futon, panting noisily.
She did it. She surrendered to her female desires, and she did it while imagining having sex with a man, with Ryoga. Why Ryoga? He was her closest friend, so the real question was, why not Ryoga? She liked him, more than she was willing to admit. She trusted him, enough to tell him things she wouldn't dare to tell anybody else. He was handsome, and really attractive. Kami, did she thought that? How was she gonna be able to act normally with him tomorrow, after what she did, thinking about him? Would she be able to see him the same after this?
He couldn't know her feelings, or it would ruin their friendship. She had to bury this deep down inside her. Act like this never happened. She would never give way to her female instincts again. But, could she really forget what she just did, what she felt, and what the person she had in her mind did to her? She could clearly remember his lips kissing her, his hands touching her, him making love to her. Did she really want to forget her feelings towards him?
"Ryoga… I…"
END OF CHAPTER NOTES
Notice that each of them, after having sexual fantasies about the other, they're afraid to tell him about their feelings, thinking it might destroy their friendship because the other one didn't feel the same, when in fact they actually felt the same for each other. Poor souls ;b