Watermelon Girl

by Chaos Orchid ← Ron Dow75

14.1 Fight to Fight!

A summer's dawn and Akane was still wearing Ranma's pajama top, but was now in his cinched, Chinese pants. "Breakfast!" Akane announced. The redhead in the long, white – and wrinkled – dress immediately sat up on her mattress!

Her heart shrank back in horror when s/he saw that she was carrying it on a tray! "Uh, I can't eat. I can't have a full stomach when I spar with pop! You know, like we do every mornin'. heh, heh(?)"

"Kasumi told him to leave you alone until Sakura gives you her approval."

"WHAT?" S/he was now on her feet, ready to fight. "Why!?(!) No, don't tell me – It's 'cuz I'm preggers, ain't it?! I don't care what the magic miko with the knock-up potion says!"

Seeing her approach her, Akane was quick to tell her – painfully admitting her failure as a marital artist – "I didn't make this! Kasumi did…." Ranma ignored her, leaving the guestroom.

Ukyō rose off her own futon, "Ranchan! I'll make you breakfast!" Ignored, too, she hurried after the redhead. "Ranma!"

Left behind, Akane stood there. She was tempted to smash the breakfast! Her effort at reforming had become another defeat for her…

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Ranma ran into the common room, crying, "I'm gonna make you fight me, Old Man!"

The panda held up plastic-covered, seat cushions that were strapped to its paws. Mr. Tendō was standing not too near it, his hands in standard martial arts focus mitts, "Be reasonable, Son! It is always wise to first have a medical consultation."

"Not for Anything-Goes!" And s/he launched herself at the beast who had cursed his* life! But the redhead in the long, white sundress did strike the makeshift focus mitt, "Tenshin Amaguriken!" In seconds the claws on the other side had punctured and shredded the cushions!

Then s/he stopped, demanding it, "Now, spar me for real!"

"Have mercy, Ranma!" Tendō pleaded, nearly weeping. "Kasumi threatens to go on strike!"

"Hey! I can cover for her!" Ukyō grinned. "I can do whatever she does!"

"Scab labor," Nabiki said. "Spoken like a small business owner without employees." Unnoticed before, the tired-looking girl in baggy pajamas was standing behind her, leaning against the linen closet door next to the kitchen door. "Not that I have anything against scabs."

Out of the kitchen came Kasumi, "Ukyō-san, will you finish making breakfast for me?" The fiancée was glad to prove her marital skills.

This left Kasumi free to enter the common room. She was in time to see the pigtailed girl hit the panda out into the yard with one blow! "Ranma!" she commanded.

Ranma's leap was halted in mid-air and s/he dropped onto the veranda. From her boobs to her knees, s/he didn't land gently. The kami in Kasumi's pendant had linked to the version of itself that adhered to the mother-to-be and had gained control again.

"Let me fight!" Ranma demanded, hitting the floor. S/he rolled around and glared at Eldest Daughter, "I'll explode again! I have to fight! Fightin' is what I do!"

Kasumi heard footfalls stumbling down the hall. She moved aside for Akane to run into the common room.

Or, rather, be pulled. Her kami on her heart-side and was forcing her other side to follow! She was stopped beside Ranma. "What's going on!?"

Nabiki told her, "You're about be caught in one of Ranma's blasts again."

"What!?" her anger was back, her vow to make peace with her so-called fiance forgotten!

"Aw, man! No fair!" Ranma cried, feeling both frustrated and guilty.

The panda approached her. Its sign read, [We'll spar when you're no longer a girl]

Ranma leaped to her feet. But Akane pushed her aside, "Maybe Ranma can't spar with you, but this girl can! Spar with me –For real!" And she launched her own attack! She forced the panda away from the house.

Punch after kick followed! Everytime it held up a sign, she smashed it to pieces, unread and unreadable

Ukyō reported to Kasumi, "Breakfast's finished!" And she held up the teakettle, "And so's the hot water!"

"I think you should use it on Panda-san."

"What?" Then she noticed the battle outside. "I should turn that jackass into a human?"

"Just so Akane can have the satisfaction of being a martial artist and sending Uncle Saotome into the pond. Ranma has been about the only one to do it."

"And what about me?! I'd like to kick the jackass around!"

"Why haven't you? As I remember, you've only fought uncle once. And won, right?"

"You don't have to invite me twice." And she transferred the kettle to other hand and she reached for her battle spatula.

Only she wasn't wearing it. A missed opportunity. For now.

"Spar with uncle without your tool," Kasumi suggested.

Ukyō frowned, "I don't got the training. Without it, my reflexes would be trying to use my spatula skills."

"There's nobody we know who is better at training than Ranma."

"Yeah, but….

"Yeah! Ranma!" And Ukyō rushed to her. "Ranma, train me!"

Seeing the steaming kettle in her hand, the redhead retreated out into the yard! She wasn't ready to let even her friend know her secret yet! Not allowed to defend herself, it was already making her feel like a weak girl! It would have to lower Ucchan's opinion of her! Just like it lowered her own opinion of herself.

Akane kicked the panda at her! The pigtailed girl leaped! Ukyō's startled stumble back stopped only when her feet had dug a divot in the grass as she stopped suddenly! She dropped the kettle. It's hot water landed on the panda. Now Genma Saotome.

The first words were Akane's, "Don't you dare train her without training me! You've had months to–But haven't!"

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Kasumi was just finishing her first aid treatment of Uncle Saotome when the three came back into the common room. It wasn't unusual to see Ukyō in her boys school uniform, though it was Sunday. Or to see Ranma in her tang outfit. But it was unusual to see her little sister in another kung fu outfit. Her silk shirt, though, was white, not red.

14.2 Eating for Two

Akane was still arguing with Ranma about it, "...Ukyō said we're doing reverse role-playing and that's just what I'm doing! I can play a guy just as well as she can! I am an actress!"

It was Ukyō who answered, "I'm only looking like a guy now because a bet!"

Nabiki was still in her pajamas. "Ranma's a mommy and waifu; are you going to let Akane be the better daddy and hazubando?" She smirked.

Ranma had enough, "I don't want to be none of those things!"

Akane told her, "You don't have a choice!" And she placed her hand over the omamori charm stuck to the skin over her heart, "Just like I don't! Maybe."

Again, Ukyō misunderstood. To her the gesture was for pledging a vow. And she made it her own, "I accept the challenge, too! I'll be the dad and hubby I know Ranma can learn to be!"

Akane's growl remained in her throat. Until she acted; she claimed the smaller girl's right elbow and said, "Sit down and eat! You're pregnant and eating for two, now!"

Ukyō claimed her other elbow, "Pregnant women were some of my best costumers when I was a street vendor, Ranchan! I know all the strange things they like on okonomiyaki!"

"I don't have to be knocked up to want to eat." But Ranma didn't resist being escorted to the table, "But I'll take it! Give me thirds, Kasumi! And I hope there's fourths!"

"Oh, my!"

"Hey! Save some for me and the others!" her pop finally spoke up.

Ranma got a grim grin, "You're not allowed to fight me, huh? And now you can't steal my food! Bein' preggers does have an upside!"

"I'm almost positive he can," Nabiki said, claiming her meal while she still had the chance. "An embryo, which for your information is what you have now, requires only a minimum of extra nutrition."

"See, Boy!" And Genma immediately grabbed the food closest to her. Only a dislocated shoulder slowed him down. Ranma was able to save most of that food for herself. S/he kept her eye on him while others talked and ate.

Ukyō was confused, "Ranma has an embryo?"

Nabiki said, "He's not showing, is he?"

"Yes, of course! Ranchan would have to wear an empathy belly to look like he has a baby bump."

"He can be showing empathy. I won't," Nabiki said. "It goes against my reputation."

" "Empathy belly"?" Akane asked.

"I've seen a few customers wearing them in public. I asked and they told me," Ukyō told her. "One of the reasons is for the father to understand how his wife feels preggs."

"That's a wonderful idea!" Kasumi smiled. "Since you two are taking the role of "father" perhaps you should wear empathy bellies."

Nabiki rolled her eyes, "We have two girls pretending to be guys who are now supposed to be also pretending to be girls, only expecting."

Mr. Tendō spoke up, "Are not things tangled enough we need make the situation even more snarled?"

Kasumi nodded, "Yes, Father. It is not that time to think of that. This is only the first trimester."

Akane the Pervert Punisher said, "Ranma should wear one now. He needs to empathize with girls!"

"I ain't gonna be a girl no more than I'm bein' made to!"

The "Oh, my" that followed sent a shiver down her back. Ever since her phone call to that witchy priestess, Sakura, Kasumi hadn't been acting like the gentle big sister s/he knew and could let her guard down around. And she was on her way here to mess with her life again! What to do, what to do? "Dr. Tōfū! That's right! He's a real doctor! And he's been away, studying about ancient Chinese medicine! He may have even picked up more about Jūsenkyo curses!"

Ranma used her Tenshin Amaguriken to get everything within reach that wasn't claimed by anybody else – her Old Man excepted. Others who didn't know would have thought her mouth and throat also had superspeed. "Tabemono o arigatō!" s/he said before leaping onto her feet.

S/he had almost made it to the common room door, when Kasumi said, "Ranma, please let Akane accompany you. She has a right to know the Doctor's medical opinion."

"Hey! What about me?!" Ukyō spoke up. "I've got a right to act like a dad, too!"

"More so, I would say," Nabiki smirked. "But this is about a medical condition that they share. It is not pretend."

"A, uh, medical condition…they…share?" Ukyō was about to go into shock over her interpretation. "They, they, they have already…." The thought threatened to be too traumatizing for her to finish. While a street vendor, she had overheard of all sorts of sordid matters. Her only confusion, though, was which one of them first got the STD. And from who?

"It is I who enter, Kunō Tatewaki!" a voiced announced from the open front door.

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Ranma and Akane hurried out the open garden door and were on their way to the clinic without ever having to see Kunō. Or hear Ukyō.

Only after turning to go down the hill, did Akane say, "This is Sunday! Can't you give Dr. Tōfū a day off?"

"This is an emergency! That priestess who stuck us with these stupid 'mamori is comin'! She already has Kasumi on her side; we need somebody on our side!"

"I don't know. Kasumi thinks Dr. Tōfū is silly, because that's the way he acts around her."

"He won't be silly if he can show I'm not knocked up! We only got Sakura's word I am! And maybe if I am, I don't hafta stay that way if I don't wanna be!"

"Ranma! You're, you're not thinking of having an, an…."

"I'm a guy! Havin' a baby don't happen to guys! It's too weird! And it's weird for a girl to get the guy knocked up!"

"Ranma!" Akane warned, looking around to see if anybody had overheard them.

With her looking away, Ranma did get a clue, "Aw, man!" S/he was determined to keep her handicap a secret as long as s/he could. And why let anybody know when s/he could be back to being simply cursed soon!(?)

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NOTES to Section 14.2:

After not appearing for a long time (perhaps, having left town, according to fanon), Dr. Tōfū returned in anime, S06E07, "The Tendō Family Goes to the Amusement Park". A reminder, this story follows S06E14. He was also in S06E19, "Akane Goes to the Hospital".