Ranma of St. Bacchus, Chapter 40

By Chaos Orchid

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"Keep your special techniques special! Do not use them without cause."

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(she), (her), etc. are to indicate that while Ranma physically feels she is in a female body, psychologically (she) doesn't feel convinced she is female. Unparenthesized, it means her gender dysphoria has slipped down on her list of current concerns.

'She', 'her' means Ran's more accepting about being a girl.

She, her means she has fully embraced being a girl.

He(?), his(?), him(?) means he is mostly comfortable in the male body, but is uncertain about gender identity

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Tendō Nabiki, "He is strange. He's wearing a girl's yukata, not a boy's."

Tendō Kasumi, "I think it is quaint that that the kimono is tucked up like a saotome from old movies and documentaries."

Akane, "But he's not a rice paddy girl – He's a Boy!" She got up, hitting her palms on the table and leaned forward, narrowing her eyes. "I think he's wearing makeup."

Tendō-sama, "Now, Daughter-dear, perhaps he is an actor on break. – Part of a modern presentation of kabuki(?) You know, without the resplendent makeups and costumes."

Kasumi, "You maybe right, Father! Strictly Japanese theater always has males play female roles."

Nabiki, "I heard from my tour Hebereke has a theater. Ironically, it's named after Kunō Santa."

Akane was still not mollified, "He's a crossdresser with a harem."

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'Ran' did not know how, but he(?) was feeling disturbing vibes coming from a group several meters away sitting on chairs around a table with a tablecloth and snacks out under sakura trees. And it wasn't a park table. "They're strange.

"Huh(?) Is that that Nabiki?!" He(?) turned away, self-conscious of what he(?) was wearing, on his(?) male body and his(?) male face!

Mao, "Nabiki?" She hadn't even known there was a Nabiki.

"It is her," Yuna confirmed.

Junko, "Akane must be the younger girl with her."

Nao, "Ran introduce before match?" That was martial arts etiquette, wasn't it?

"No!" 'Ran' declared, hurrying away. He(?) couldn't let the blackmailer know (the girl) she knew became this boy!

The others followed.

Noa thought she understood, "Find cold water first(!)"

Yuna did understand, "Not when Ran is dressed like this!"

Team coach Junko, "Nabiki seems smart enough to be able to put two and two together."

Yuna, "Especially since she already knows we were with the red-haired Ran."

Mao, "Scavenger hunt!"

'Ran', "I'm goin' to the park gym."

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Nabiki did recognize three of the girls with the boy who stood out like a sore thumb. But it was Sunday and visitor time at St. Hebereke. Maybe he was a relative of Yamada Ran. There was a family resemblance. She could see why the redhead's dormmates would be interested in him. Even she found herself interested in the cute if odd boy with the athletic bod. She looked forward to getting a closer look at him.

Akane, though, wasn't, she thought with a quirked smile.

And thinking of boys her little sister wouldn't be interested in…

"Here they are, Master Kunō," the returning ninja servant said.

"Akane, my vivacious Goddess of the Hunt!"

She was still on her feet and was ready to fight him again!

Kasumi's gentle tug on her dōgi was enough to direct her back onto her chair. All while she said, "Kunō-sama, I'm relieved you are recovered from Akane's treatment of you."

Lord Kunō magnanimously waved the concern expressed aside, "I have received worse stalemates from the unrivaled champion of the fairer gender."

" "Unrivaled"(?)" Nabiki was still looking at Akane, still smirking, "So far."

Tendō-sama nodded, "To test one's weaknesses as well as strengths, a martial artist requires rivals."

Kasumi, "Yes. I was told that is the reason Nabiki has arranged this martial arts match."

Akane, "It's not a shōbu! It's a majime-shōbu: A battle of true intent!"

Nabiki, "With the loser losing Kunō."

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To get to the gym faster, 'Ran' leaped

–His(?) legs were hit by can of beer! It changed his(?) trajectory but what brought him(?) down was his(?) legs being wrapped in a sheet! Out of the corner of his(?) eyes, he(?) saw that Yuna had used a cherry tree branch as a catapult and Junko wielded the picnic sheet like a wide gymnastics rhythm. Beer, sheet: Hanami staples. Sakura filled the air now.

But 'Ran' was determined not to lose his(?) dignity: His(?) legs were hobbled, but he(?) landed on his(?) feet and remained standing!

For a moment – Mao tackled him(?)! Down he(?) went.

Noa, "Mao not use tools!" The kohai was shouldering a golf bag of – unused – tools.

Mao giggled, "I'm the first to touch the Boy!" Hugging to his(?) back, grasping his deltoids, she rubbed her cheek against his(?)! Again she reminded 'Ran' of a cat(!)

She fell flat onto her ass when he(?) thrust him(?)self back onto his(?) feet. He(?) quickly unwrapped his(?) legs!

Junko, "Ran, you're getting enough attention without adding your remarkable leaps!"

Yuna, "We have been lucky so far that your secret has remained inside the school." She looked over at where the Nabiki party was.

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Akane, "That one girl couldn't wait! They were going to, to do it in a public park!"

Nabiki was amused by Little Sis's reaction; why not increase it(?) "St. Hebereke is nicknamed St. Bacchus and Bacchus was the wine god of orgies." One last boost, "And he did favor wild women. His maenads were the wildest."

"A wine god, you say?" said Tendō-sama, contemplating his glass of grape juice.

Kunō misunderstood and raised his glass to the older man. "The miscreants of myth and legend are exemplars of what to avoid in one's mortal life. Salut." *Clink*

Kasumi, "That is a way to excuse them." She was barely smiling…barely holding in the anger.

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'Ran' didn't leap, but jogged. The dormmates had to jog fast to catch up. Junko, "You were also going to reveal your special technique to your opponent, the Akane Tendō."

Yuna, "Not to mention Nabiki." She had seen enough of her to not trust her.

Mao didn't know her, only caring that, "Ran's boy butt is handsome!"

Noa fell behind, upset about having to lug around tools that might be needed for the battle. And more upset that they might not be used…or needed.

After a minute, 'Ran' reached the park's gym. Inside, he(?) went for the sign that pointed towards the women's lockers.

Noa was pleased when Yuna retrieved her bow and shot an arrow straight at the saotome-boy's back.

At the last moment, 'Ran' spun –and caught the arrow! He(?) only realized what he(?) had done when he(?) looked at what he(?) held!

'Ran', "Why'd you do that!?"

Junko was relieved…and frowning, "You took a chance there, Yuna(!)"

"Absolutely Stupid!" Upset with herself, Yuna took out an arrow with a ball head. "That is what happens when the tools are not organized properly."

Junko, "Ran, you can't go in the women's lockers like that."

Mao, "You're only dressed as a girl."

'Ran' looked down at his(?) flat, curveless body. Except for the constricted bulge overflowing the C-string wire. "How could I forget(?)!"

Junko, "Because you know you are a girl. The curse you gave yourself doesn't change that."

Noa was the only one self-conscious enough to see the others in the hallway. "This not good place for talk."

Yuna, "Noa is right." And she pushed her ahead of her, already organizing the things in the bag. "We will go into the women's locker room."

"Try not to bring any more attention to yourself," Junko told her, pulling Mao away from the boy.

'Ran' found an alcove and waited. And thought.

How much of a girl did he(?) believe he(?) was? 'Her' dormmates thought 'she' had cursed herself with the Dragon Whisker soup because (she) wanted to be male. That would explain why he(?) felt more comfortable in this body. It could also be the effect of the male hormones and whatever.

But the curse had become a curse. Meant to be a girl, the Samson hair went out of control, threatening to take away the power (she) had craved when 'he' became bald.

Only now… (He(?) flexed the muscles under the kimono while feeling those outside of the flowery red yukata.) …Now he wouldn't be going bald! He could enjoy being male!

…Until cold water hit him. Then the curse….

Then the curse would give (her) what Junko and the others said was a "reverse curse", a "blessing" to be the girl she was meant to be. Emphasizing it: The yin opposite of the yang Samson. Every time (she) resisted being a girl, the more feminine (she) had become. It made (her) more curvier against 'her' clothes. That was what (she) most noticed. But…as soon as (she) began getting a feel for 'him', the more (she) also began having a feel for 'her'. 'Her'self?

What if the more male he became, the more female she would become!?

He would fight to stay male as long as he could!

But would she fight to stay female equally as hard? She had the advantage: It was easier for cold water to get to him than it was for hot water to find him.

His(?) internal conflict was interrupted by her(?) dormmates. He(?) did not like what he(?) saw: Mao was waving around gym bloomers(!)

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'"I wanted a uniform(!)" he(?) hissed in a loud whisper. "A baseball uniform; a sakkā uniform; a basketball uniform. – A sweatsuit!"

Yuna, "This is a Sunday and games are being played."

"Don't argue about it here," Junko said, reminding him(?) people were passing them. For now.

Mao, "We were lucky to find your size!"

Nao, "We stole them for you."

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Noa was 2 cm/1" taller than the boy Ran. Gratefully, shorter were Yuna cm/", Junko 4 cm/3", Mao 5 cm/4". None were as wide as he(?) was. Still, they provided a decent screen around him(?) and the drinking fountain. Splash.

Then Noa was 8 cm/6", Yuna 6 cm/5", Junko 5 cm/4", Mao 4 cm/3". To go from tall to short in an instant did something to a male pride (she) hadn't even really known (she) had until then.

Unpinning the back middle of the yukata from the obi, 'Ran' stopped being a saotome and could slip the bloomers up (her) legs and– She cursed! The Boy's junk had bent the C-string out of shape as the wire dug into him. The harm the underwear had done to (his) sex still remained on (hers). 'She' took down the bloomers, tossed the 'torture device' (2 points!), and slipped the gym shorts back up 'her' calves, thighs and into place around 'her' hips and ass.

It was simpler to slip on the t-shirt. Of course, 'she' didn't have a bra on, only nipple shields.

Yuna collected her floral, red yukata and slipped it over her fashionable, green jumper with the loose legs. The styles did not go well. And the hem was pinned up short.

Mao, "Now you look like a girl." She sounded disappointed.

"The kind of Japanese girl in anime," Noa the American said. Of course, she hadn't seen many.

Junko, "These will be better to fight in than a sports uniform."

"Yeah. Sure," 'Ran' said, running her(?) fingers under the elastic of the leg openings. (She) wasn't convinced these be better than football/soccer or basketball shorts. Those were would be looser.

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"What time is it?" Nabiki asked. For some reason she looked at her wrist as if she had a watch.

Tendō-sama, "Judging by the shadows, I would say it is it is a quarter to four."

Kunō, "I respectfully say your sundial sense is fast, Senpai. Mine says it is 3:41."

Akane, "I don't care! I'm leaving for the kendō club now!"

But Nabiki got up before her. And headed in the wrong direction. "I thought you would be here by now!" she called out. "I gave you a map, Katai!"

A girl in a St. Hebereke uniform was leading a small platoon of girls competing for who was the most fashionably dressed. "The Bacchus horde that attacked Kunō put the guards on high alert."

Nabiki, "So those girls aren't here?"

"The best of us are here!" bragged a tall girl in a loose blouse and pants of sakura pink and red-brown. "And we demand a rematch!" she said, pointing her shinai at Kunō; her other hand had a bokutō bokken. The girl in a green cheongsam was the first of the others to agree.

Nabiki, "This should be interesting. Shall we meet the boys from Fūrinkan told to wait by the kendō dōjō(?)"

Akane, "The boys from…. –You didn't!?(!)"

Nabiki's grin told her she had.

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NOTES:

Kodachi's toxin has Ranma's psyche reaching for an identity. His true one keeps evading him, so he turns to the female one 'her' dormmates and St. Hebereke are unintentionally providing for 'her'. Like an actress he has been taking on a role. Unlike them, he doesn't know he's acting

But 'she' is also getting prompts from the neural ruts that remain in the original young, red-haired girl's brain. Ranma has the power to not follow along in them if given a good enough motivation