Ranma-chan : Jeez, that dirty old man! Why does HE want to know.
(She leaps up to the second floor, forsaking the stairs, and
opens the door to her room. She steps inside and slams the
door shut, and locks it Noticing that sweat had stained her shirt
<God knows she had sweated alot while watching that show!>,
Ranma-chan quickly strips off the garment and absently undoes
her bra. She absently casts about the room for a new shirt and a
new bra, her gaze going from each corner, to Ranma sitting in
a desk gaping at her, to the dressing table...she does a double-take.)
Ranma-chan : What are you doing here, Ranma?! You pervert! (quickly pulls on her shirt.)
Ranma : Ummm...didn't I tell you before that I was going to do my homework in here?
Ranma-chan : Oh....uh...right. I forgot. (she looks sheepish)
Ranma : That's okay. (grins a little) At least I was treated to a show.
Ranma-chan : You pig! Is that all you ever think about?
Ranma : Why don't you ask yourself the same question? After all, you are me, right?
Ranma-chan : Now it's different! I'm a girl and you're a guy!
Ranma : What's the big deal? I've already seen your body THOUSANDS of times, back then.
Remember, how we would enjoy looking at ourselves? Hmm?
Ranma-chan : Pig.
Ranma : Whatever.
(Ranma goes back to scribbling in his notebook, albeit with
much less enthusiasm, if that was possible. Ranma-chan
quickly takes her shirt off, pulls on her bra, and pulls her
shirt back on - all in record time. She looks over at the
hunched form of Ranma at the desk.)
Ranma-chan : Well, I don't know whether I should apologize or whether I should wait for you
to thank me..if you know what I mean.
Ranma : Thank you.
Ranma-chan : Chauvinist pig.
Ranma : (turning around) Table dancer.
Ranma-chan : (sticks her tongue out at him) Macho jerk.
Ranma : (turning back) Whatever you say.
(Ranma-chan rebuttons her shirt front and smooths her hair.
The scribbling of Ranma's pencil on the paper is the only
sound that permeates the room. Ranma-chan starts to pace
about the room, wondering whether she should go to bed
without a bath first. She stops pacing the room and walks
over to Ranma at his desk. She peeks over his shoulder,
letting her pigtail fall in front of his face. Ranma swats at
her pigtail. Ranma-chan looks at the incomprehensible lettering
in his notebook.)
Ranma-chan : Doing your English assignment?
Ranma : Yup. Boring as hell.
(Ranma-chan lets an evil smile creep on her face
and leans closer. Ranma flicks at her pigtail again.
The atmosphere in this room was so...so...sexy.
She felt herself start to think of little `assignments'
that she and Ranma could help each other with.
She allows her face to lightly caress his neck and
Ranma suddenly goes stock still.)
Ranma-chan : (in a seductive whisper) Let me treat you to a real show.
Ranma : Huh? (he looks confused)
Ranma-chan : Oh, it'll pass the time. Get your mind off that boring crap. Be right back!
(she opens the door and runs out of the room. Ranma
is left in utter confusion, at least until Ranma-chan rushes
back in with a bundle of clothes. She locks the door, and the
windows, then shuts the curtains. The only light in the room
is coming from the desk lamp. Ranma chan sets up a screen
and sorts out her hastily grabbed bundle of clothes. Ranma,
curious now, looks on with some interest. Ranma-chan ducks
behind the screen with her clothes and the rustle of cloth on
skin can be heard. Then Ranma-chan waltzes out in a mini-skirt
and a tank-top.)
Ranma-chan : Tadaa! (twirls about) What do you think of it?
Ranma : Uh. (his eyes turn vacant and his mouth slips open)
Ranma-chan : Great, isn't it?
(She bends her knees and arches her back, placing one hand
on her head and the other on her hips. Then she sa-shays behind
the screen and changes clothes again. Ranma seems to snap out of
his reverie and slumps back in his chair, but not for long before Ranma-chan
steps out again.)
Ranma-chan : (wearing tight jean shorts and a loose T-shirt) How 'bout this one?
Ranma : Uh.
Ranma-chan : What's wrong, Ranma? Say something! (she walks over to Ranma and bends
to look at his face. In doing so, her bosom is unwittingly exposed to Ranma.)
Ranma : Your...your....
Ranma-chan : My...my....what? (Ranma points at her chest and Ranma-chan quickly straightens
up with a look of indignation.)
Ranma : Where in the world did you get all these...girls' clothing?
Ranma-chan : From the mall. Wait, you haven't seen anything yet, until you've seen this!
(She dashes behind the screen and changes once again.
Ranma's jaw dropped even more as she came back.)
Ranma-chan : How do you like this swimsuit? (she puts both hands behind her back) See, it
even says `Body Glove' on the front!
Ranma : Is this your swimsuit? I mean, we always used to borrow one from Akane or Nabiki
whenever we went for a swim.
Ranma-chan : Of course it is! Would Akane pick something like this? (she shows off the body-
hugging swimsuit and its open spaces on the sides and on the back.)
Ranma : How come when we went for a swim, back in the good old days, we never had guys
climbing over themselves in order to ask us out? Not that I WANTED the attention,
you understand, I'm only curious.
Ranma-chan : Why ask me?
Ranma : Well...you're a girl, now, and maybe you've had some experience in recognizing if
any guy was secretly watching you....
Ranma-chan : (thinking) Now that I think about it, yeah. There were an awful lot of guys
who kept clustering around the place where we would sit, or suntan.
Ranma : Is that true?!
Ranma-chan : Sure it is! With a bod like this (she twirls around) and a suit like this, how
can any guy not resist looking?
Ranma : (teasing) With a bod and a suit like that, you could catch ANY guy on the beach!
Ranma-chan : Is that so? ANY guy, you say?
(She saunters over to Ranma and stops short of him. She
runs a hand from her butt, along her flanks, up her sides,
circling her breasts, and finally stopping at the zipper. She
slowly pulls the zipper down and allowed her breasts to pop
out of the tight swimsuit. She wasn't wearing a bra, a fact
made very clear to Ranma, who was sitting in a strangely
pleasurable state of shock. She leans close and starts to draw
Ranma's head to hers with his face cupped in her soft and delicate
hands, opening her lips and beginning to kiss him...)
Ranma : No. (Ranma-chan stops short of kissing him and looks at her male half.)
Ranma-chan : What do you mean, `no'?
Ranma : Is this even right? I mean, we're the same person, right? So is it right to kiss...?
Ranma-chan : Just think of it as a form of self-release....okay?
Ranma : But...
Ranma-chan : Shhh. Don't say another word.
(She puts her hands on Ranma's shoulders and pulled the both of them down on the
futon. Ranma feels himself kissing Ranma-chan with passion, yet the passion
is not really born of his lust for Ranma-chan. His kisses, so long held in check,
were not meant for Ranma-chan. He might try to deny it but Ranma-chan was
but a conduit through which his emotions may be channelled through. That
thought was momentarily perished as the curvaceous female beneath him pulled
her swimsuit all the way down to her waist. Her luscious, peach-soft skin
glowed in the light of the lamp on Ranma's desk. Her body rippled with
pleasure, and undulated in a fascinating manner, rubbing her taut breasts on
Ranma's chest. She started to unbuttton Ranma's shirt with one hand, while
the other pulled Ranma closer to her. The lust of the moment almost
overwhelmed Ranma as he unconsciously began to help pull Ranma-chan's
swimsuit further down, but a female face leapt to the forefront of his mind's
eye. She had short hair...was it black?..and her name..it is so hard to remember!
Ranma-chan began exploring the inside of his mouth with her tongue. Oh the
sheer pleasure!! His shirt was already completely unbuttoned and her hands
traced their way on paths of rumpled clothing to his pants. Ranma's hands
continued to slowly pull Ranma-chan's swimsuit further below her hips.
She wriggled in ecstacy and the temperature in the room seemed to suddenly
shoot up. Ranma-chan rolled over and straddled Ranma, her legs spread apart
and she was on her knees. Ranma's legs were stretched out and in between her
legs. Their loins were touching and only a few centimetres of clothing separated
their naked skin. As Ranma-chan flipped her pig-tail back over her shoulder,
put her legs into the air and began to pull the rest of her swimsuit off her tense
and eager body, the face from before appeared again in Ranma's mind. His
feverish brain registered the short haired female's face and he began to surge back
to a recollection. Her name....was....it was....)
Ranma : Akane!!
Ranma-chan : What?! Where?! (She looks about in fear, her swimsuit not quite off yet, and
she doesn't see Akane. She glances about in confusion, then looks to Ranma
for an explanation.)
Ranma : Akane...
(Ranma-chan got off Ranma and knelt a short distance away.
Her eyes shone with the promise of tears. Ranma didn't know
what to say, but Ranma-chan already knew what Ranma had said,
and what he had meant by saying Akane's name.)
Ranma-chan : I'm sorry, Ranma. (She stands up and pulls the swimsuit off her body, leaving
her completely naked. Tossing her swimsuit over her shoulder, she walked
over to the screen and changed into her normal clothes. She gathered up the
bundle and walked back to Ranma, still holding her clothes.)
Ranma : Umm...Ranma..? (Ranma is awkward about using Ranma-chan's real name, with it
being his name as well. He had almost slept with her, for crying out loud!)
Ranma-chan : Better call me `Ranko'.
Ranma : Ranko...I'm..uh...sorry. I cannot go through with it...Ranko. I hope that you
understand.
Ranma-chan : What I understand is that you love Akane. What we were doing wasn't even
love, just fun, you know? I mean, when I said it was a form of `self-release', I
mean a form of masturbation. But that was such a derogatory word that I didn't
want to use it. I mean, we are having fun with ourselves, right? What's wrong
with that?
Ranma : Well..
Ranma-chan : Don't. Just don't. All I wanted to do was to have some fun. Who is left to
love me now, Ranma? Who? You have Akane and despite what the two of you
say, I know you love her and she loves you.
Ranma : Hey...
Ranma-chan : Listen me out! I change my statement from before. Having fun was not all that
I wanted from you. I wanted to feel loved by somebody, no matter how fleeting
or false, even if it would only be having some fun with another. You deny me
even that opportunity!! Again, I ask you the question. Who loves me now?
This is my answer. Nobody. Not a single soul in the world loves me, as a
cherished person. Not even my own Mom loves this...this body! Dad, as you
know, can hardly be counted upon. Ukyo...well, I dunno about her. It comes
down to whether she can love me as a girl, or not. I'm very sure she has asked
herself that many times since she saw the both of us. Shampoo...you remember
what she said back in that ice-cream parlor, and what she was doing with you.
That finally leaves Akane. Do you honestly think Akane can love me? When I'm
stuck in this body?!
Ranma : Ummm.....
Ranma-chan : I...love Akane too. But I cannot love her as a girl. I cannot. I'm all alone
because of this stupid curse. This really, really sucks. Well, goodnight and
good luck with your homework. (her voice cracks) Hope that everything works
out fine with you and Akane.
Ranma : Hey...umm..
Ranma-chan : Shut up!!!!
(She spins on one heel, pigtail flying, and begins to stomp
towards the door. Ranma grabs her shoulder and pulls her
back)
Ranma : You still have friends here....me, Akane, Ukyo, Shampoo, the Tendo family....
Ranma-chan : I still don't know if anybody is my friend! After all, they've done nothing to
indicate otherwise! Ukyo rejected me, Shampoo practically ignored me, Akane
is giving all her attention to you and the Tendo family had simply shrugged
their shoulders and got on with their lives. And you! You were the reason why
I decided to give an on-the-spot fashion show! And you rejected me after you had
used me....!
Ranma : Used you....(Ranma-chan knocks his hand away and starts to leave) Hey, wait!! You
know it wasn't right!
Ranma-chan : It's not right for a guy to kiss a girl?!
Ranma : Guy to kiss a.....what!? I mean, you're not a girl! You're....
Ranma-chan : A guy!? Take a good look at me, lamebrain, does this look like a guy's
body to you?
Ranma : No, but I wasn't talking about your body! You are a guy but your body is not.
Ranma-chan : Who are YOU to talk? You were PAWING all over me! And you were pulling
my swimsuit off while you were at it!! (her voice is rising in volume)
Ranma : Shhhh!! Keep it down!
Ranma-chan : Why should I! I don't care! I'd let the whole world know if I could!
Ranma : If you don't keep it down then Akane, or Mom, would hear! Then we would really
be in the fire. Now, keep it down!
Ranma-chan : (sullenly) I don't understand why you had to stop. Sure, you love Akane and all
that but don't you think I deserve some too?
Ranma : (ignoring her) You see, my point is that if we give in to temptation, and we start to...
you know..umm..KISS...and go further than that....
Ranma-chan : So what? It was fun...and it could have gotten even better but you....
Ranma : That's the point! Well, not really. You see, if you and me....do it....then YOU
give up your right to be called a guy. I mean, you wouldn't want to think of yourself
as a guy anymore if we...you know...
Ranma-chan : But I'm not a guy!
Ranma : Yes you are!! (sighs)
Ranma-chan : How can I be?! Look at me! Take a good, long look at me! Tell me I'm a guy!
Ranma : You musn't give in, you must fight back, Ranma! I know that your body may be going
out of control, but stop trying to help it! Then you would really become `Ranko',
because you were too chicken to fight your desires. And once you truly give up on
keeping your identity as a guy, you would have no family for the rest of your life
because the `Ranko' we know has none - and that may well be you!!
Ranma-chan : WHY YOU....!!
(Ranma-chan's eyes light up with fury. All the pain and grief
she had deep within her because she was cheated out of a mother,
with the added fact that what her male half said was entirely true,
wells up in a volcanic outburst of anger. She rears up and
slaps Ranma across the face, the force of her blow almost
toppling Ranma to his knees. He stands still for a moment, then
he slowly turns back to Ranma-chan. His left cheek has the
outline of Ranma-chan's hand on it. Ranma-chan lowers her
hand to her side.)
Ranma : (painfully) You can hit me again if that makes you feel better.
Ranma-chan : Oh, my God.....! I hurt you...! (eyes wide with genuine shock, hands pressed
to her face, body trembling from adrenaline and fear of retaliation)
Ranma : Don't worry, I've gotten QUITE used to being slapped around. You know, Akane and
all that. (tries to smile but his cheek prevents it)
Ranma-chan : Here, let me see it...(she stands on her toes and gently reaches for Ranma's
cheek.)
Ranma : Oww...
Ranma-chan : Looks bad, but it'll go away by tomorrow. (after a moment's hesitation, she
quickly kisses his cheek, a feather-light brush of her lips. Ranma does not
object.) There, a kiss to make it all better. Okay now?
Ranma : Thanks. I'm gonna finish up my homework now, okay? We'll talk more at a later
time. (he claps a hand on Ranma-chan's shoulder and sits back down to study.)
Ranma-chan : Sorry. I don't know what made me lose control.
Ranma : No, I'M sorry. I said a few things that made you very angry. I deserved that slap.
(Ranma-chan stands silently for a minute that seemed
to drag on for hours, looking at the broad form of
her male half. She thinks to herself that that body
used to be hers, and everything was so much simpler
then. She thinks about what her male half had said
about `fighting her desires' and `standing up to her own
problems' and something about not helping her own
body drag the last remnants of her male personality down
to oblivion. If she was to have a mom, and a chance to
be at peace with herself should she ever return to her normal
sex, then she would have to take her male half's advice. After all,
what guy could live with himself if he, while in a female body,
knowingly and willingly slept with another male?! Never.)
Ranma-chan : If you say so. (feeling awkward) Well, g'night.
Ranma : Yeah, g'night.
(Ranma-chan pads to the door, unlocks it, steps outside
and quickly closes the door. She is still holding her bundle
of clothing. The program had just ended and Akane is
nearly on the top of the stairs when Ranma-chan steps
out into her path. Akane bumps into Ranma-chan and
makes her lose her grip on the bundle of clothing. It spills
out in the hallway in a myriad assortment of feminine clothing.)
Akane : Oh...um..Ranko! Sorry about that, let me help you pick them up.
Ranma-chan : S'okay, Akane.
Akane : No, I insist.
(Akane picks up the closest piece of clothing. It is a mini-skirt.)
Akane : A mini-skirt, Ranko? Quite unusual, don't you think? (grins)
Ranma-chan : Uhh..ummm...
Akane : Don't worry, I'm just teasing you. (laughs lightly)
(Akane picks up another piece of attire. It is the
`Body Glove' swimsuit, turned inside out.)
Akane : (thinking to herself) Hmm? That's strange. Why would Ranma be carrying THIS
around? And why does it feel like it is soaked with sweat? (She looks at the room
where Ranma-chan came out of.) Hey, Ranko. Isn't that Ranma's room that you just
came out of?
Ranma-chan : Uh..yeah. Silly me! (grins sheepishly and puts a hand on her head.)
Akane : What were you doing in there?
Ranma-chan : NOTHING! I mean...nothing. I was just getting my clothes for the wash, that's
all.
Akane : Okay. And one more thing, why is your swimsuit wet when you haven't even used it
yet? (slightly suspicious tone underlying her voice)
Ranma-chan : Oh, um....you know these new-fangled materials. It probably feels wet, but it
isn't. You know, it's just surface texture and all that.
Akane : Okay. Then it's not sweat then.
Ranma-chan : Why in the world would it be sweat, Akane? I wasn't doing any aerobics in that
thing! Or nothin' strenous, or some...stuff...like that!
Akane : (snorts) Like you know a thing about aerobics, Ranko!
(She goes back to picking up clothing. As soon as
Ranma-chan is bending over to pick up a pair of panties,
and she cannot see what Akane is doing, Akane quickly
brings the swimsuit up and sniffs it. It definitely smells
like sweat...and something else too. She couldn't quite
pin that smell down but it made her tingly all over. She
decides not to press the issue. In a moment, the two girls
finish picking up all the dropped clothing and Ranma-chan
thanks Akane. She heads off to Kasumi's room while
Akane stands just outside Ranma's door, wondering whether
or not to go inside to see her fianc‚.
A thousand different scenarios flitted through her mind in a second
and she almost lost her nerve. After all, this would be the perfect
time to try and make up with Ranma for all the times she had hit
him, because all the adults, including Kasumi, were on the porch.
She could use some peace and quiet from the two patriarchs'
repeated, not to mention blatant attempts to `get' Ranma and
her `together'. Besides, she was feeling confident tonight. After all,
she had to know what Ranma thought of her. <Call it going through one
sleepless night too many>, she wryly thought to herself. After a moment's
hesitation, she lifts her hand to knock. Then, steeling herself, she simply
opened the door and stepped inside, taking care to lock the door after her.)
Ranma : A..Akane? What are you doing here? (he's concerned about her presence, especially
after what he and Ranma-chan were doing in here not too long ago.)
Akane : I..just came to see what you were doing, that's all. (That was one of the biggest lies
that she had ever told.)
Ranma : Oh..sure! Go ahead! Look to your heart's content! (That was one of the biggest lies
that he had ever told.)
(Ranma goes back to studying and Akane moves to
stand next to Ranma. Ranma holds himself stock-still,
a fact not lost on Akane, and his writing slows down.)
Akane : I see, English assignment, is it?
Ranma : Yup. Boring as hell. (in spite of his nervousness, his entire being trembles with
pleasure with Akane standing so close to him. The soft light in the room created a far
more romantic atmosphere than one might have thought possible amidst the bare
furnishings and undecorated walls.)
Akane : I know. (her body tingles whenever she finds herself close to Ranma, except when
they are fighting. She thinks, who would have thought that this room would seem
so....inviting and romantic!) So, umm, how far did you get?
Ranma : (sweating furiously) How far did I get with....?
Akane : The homework, stupid.
Ranma : Not very far. I'm stuck on this question here. It says, `What is another word for
`atmosphere'?
Akane : Let's see...let's start with phrases. A phrase like `romantic atmosphere' can also
be said in a different way, like `romantic mood', or `romantic feeling'. So you can
substitute `mood' or `feeling' in place of atmosphere. I think `romantic feeling' sounds
much better than `romantic atmosphere', don't you think?
Ranma : Gee, thanks Akane! (furiously scribbles down the right answer.)
Akane : (thinking to herself) He's such a lunkhead! How thick can he be?! (she keeps silent
for a while, just to kill time, then she tries again.) Funny how...um..nice this room
looks when there's only one light instead of three or four. It seems so...inviting.
Ranma : Inviting? Whaddaya mean by that?
Akane : (taking a deep breath) I mean...it feels so comfortable...and umm...romantic.
(Ranma completely freezes up at the mention of the
word `romantic'. He wonders if Akane had grilled
Ranma-chan about what happened in here....)
(Akane lets slip a grin of triumph. At last! He finally
gets the hint!! Now what?)
(The two don't say a word for a while. Each thinks that
the other knows what the whole thing's about.)
Akane : (whisper) Ranma....
Ranma : Umm..Akane? (he remembers Akane locking the door and he is thankful for that)
Akane : (voice full of anticipation) Yes, Ranma?
Ranma : You saw the other Ranma on the way out right?
Akane : (a little thrown off by that) Y...yeah? She said that she was just picking up her clothes
for the wash.
Ranma : Yup. That's right. How absolutely right.
(The mood fractured, but not broken, Ranma turns
back to furiously scribbling in his notebook. Akane
heaves a small sigh and lies down on Ranma's futon.
She soaks in the warmth of the futon, no doubt it was
Ranma's body heat, and she turns over. She tentatively
sniffs the futon and she is a little surprised to find that
it smelled faintly of sweat. She thinks mischeviously
about all the things that Ranma might have done on the
futon.....)
(Ranma heard Akane heave a small sigh and flop down on
his futon. He sneaks a glance over his shoulder and sees
Akane lying on her back, eyes closed and spread-eagled.
He stares at his fianc‚e, his mouth wide open and heart
beating rapidly at the view that that position provided.
Then he noticed Akane turning over to the person-shaped sweat
spot on the futon, and taking a tiny sniff of the mattress in that
area. His eyes go wide with fear and as Akane begins to open
her eyes, he quickly turns back to his notebook.)
Akane : (noticing Ranma's quick head-turn) Eh, Ranma?
Ranma : What?
Akane : Sneaking a peek, again?
Ranma : What!? At a tom...uh, I mean, at you?! What for?
Akane : WHAT was it that you were going to call me?! Was it `tomboy'?! (she puts in as
much false anger into her voice as possible, which was considerable.)
Ranma : No! Just forget about it!
(Akane silently gets up from the futon, pads over
to Ranma and puts both hands on his shoulders.
Ranma stiffens and fully expects to be dislocated
limb from limb. He braced himself for the pain
but all his preparation was in vain. Instead, Akane
leaned down and rested her chin on his shoulder,
placing her face next to Ranma's. Ranma gulps.)
Ranma : A..Akane? What are you doing?
Akane : (soft voice) What do you think, stupid? (she slides her hands over his shoulders and
lets them rest on his chest. Then, after a moment's hesitation, she nuzzles his right
cheek with her own. When Ranma didn't respond, she started stroking his chest with
her fingers. Ranma turned his head to the right, and looked into Akane's beautiful
face. Their eyes were separated by a handspan and they stared wonderingly into
each other's face, their blood rushing to their temples and their breathing quickening
ever-so-slightly.)
Ranma : Akane...I....
Akane : Shh..Ranma. Just..let me.
(Akane turns Ranma's head towards her with
both her hands. Ranma finally understands that
Akane didn't even suspect a thing about Ranma-chan's
little caper on the futon with him. All that mattered now
was her....lips. He slowly encircled her waist with his
hands and drew her close. Her hands brought his face
closer to hers, in a dream, a half-hazy atmosphere of
warmth and love. In a gesture repeated by every human
couple in love down through the milennia, Akane parted
her lips and tilted her head sideways. Ranma mirrored
her action. Then their lips met, and all was lost in the
kiss. The room, homework, lighting, and even Ranma-chan,
everything faded away to nothingness. There was nothing, but
themselves. There was a joining of spirits, a bonding long in the
coming but fulfilled at last, and the two of them were framed in
the mind's eye of the sleeping world, a scene to be remembered by
the earth itself. The air shall carry their memories on ethereal winds,
so that they might give hope to other couples, and all the firesides in
Tokyo would cry their name everytime a dry log crackled and burned
in the flames. Yet, this moment of real and unreal, possible and impossible,
finally ended - and the world flickered back into existence.)
Ranma : I didn't know you had it in you, Akane.
Akane : Idiot. About time you realized it.
Ranma : And you, too.
Akane : What?
Ranma : About time you finally get around to it. You don't know how many nights I spend,
awake on my futon, thinking about you...
Akane : You too?!
Ranma : YOU TOO?!
Akane : I guess we're both perverts, then? (she laughs)
Ranma : Y-yeah. (he joins in the laughter)
(The barriers between the both of them were broken but
their deeply-grained instincts took over, and reconstructed
the barriers. However the barriers are weaker now, more
easily circumvented, and so it shall remain - until the next
time.)
Ranma : Don't tell your Dad, or anybody. (he remembered the time his father videotaped
him almost kissing Akane.)
Akane : Yeah, you can say that again. (she is thinking about the exact same incident that
Ranma was thinking about.) What about Ranma-chan?
Ranma : Huh? R-Ranma-chan? Why does sh..he have to know?
Akane : Well, if the two of you are the same person...then don't you think she ought to know,
too?
Ranma : But if she knows, then she might not be very happy to find out that she had missed out
on her first kiss with a girl.
Akane : The way you say it, it sounds like you consider Ranma-chan a girl!
Ranma : No kidding? Anyways, I don't think you should tell her. Probably never. You see,
can you kiss another girl even though you know that she is really a guy in a different
body?
Akane : ...............
Ranma : See? Goodnight, Akane. (he turns back to his work)
Akane : (stands silently for a moment, deep in thought) Goodnight, Ranma. Sleep well.
(With that, Akane leaves the room, and she
catches a glimpse of Ranma-chan turning the
corner at the end of the hallway. Akane wonders
if Ranma-chan had been eavesdropping, then she
dismisses the thought from her head. Ranma-chan
is simply not the type to eavesdrop. She yawns and
heads off to her room to get her towel, unconsciously
licking her lips, and reliving the kiss all over again.)
(The bathroom door shuts and Ranma-chan quickly strips
down and begins to fill the tub up with hot water. She pulls
out a stool, sits on it, and prepares herself for the bath with
some cold water. She shivers under the icy assault of the
shower hose, but that is far preferable than to recall the words
the Ranma and Akane exchanged, not to mention the kiss.
Ranma kissed Akane!! And she didn't even get a chance to
show Akane how she felt about her, even though she has a girl's
body. Ranma-chan felt quite sure that her mind had been brought
back from the edge of the proverbial cliff by what Ranma had said.
The slap she gave Ranma seemed to snap her out of the delusion that
she was really a girl. She takes a look at her soft and smooth body,
and at her pert breasts, and between her legs. God, it was HARD to
convince herself that she had once been a guy. Already her body was
given over to her girl-side completely, but her mind has yet to go. The
tub fills with hot water and Ranma-chan turns it off. She stands up and
is about to enter the tub when the sliding behind her opens and Akane
steps in, her body covered by a towel. Ranma-chan yelps and quickly
jumps into the tub.)
Akane : Don't worry about it, Ranma. We're both girls after all!
Ranma-chan : I'm not! (she covers her breasts with one hand while the other goes in between
her legs to cover her crotch.)
Akane : Honestly! Take your hands off yourself, Ranma! It's not like I don't know
how a girl looks like! (in a deliberate motion Akane pulls her towel away and throws
it over her shoulder, standing naked before Ranma-chan's widened eyes.)
Ranma-chan : Akane, put your towel back on!
Akane : Why should I, Ranko? (she gets into the tub with Ranma-chan and sits next to her.
Ranma-chan's eyes bug out but she reluctantly removes her hands from her body.)
Ranma-chan : This feels weird. I mean, I would never have dreamed of sitting next to you in
a bath..
Akane : Don't worry, Ranma. At least, when you're a girl, you don't react as obviously as
a guy does when he's horny.
Ranma-chan : (blushing) H-horny?
Akane : Sure, you know, getting all excited over a member of the opposite sex. Like, you
really want to touch him, or her, and kiss. (she licks her lips, recalling her kiss with
Ranma all over again.)
Ranma-chan : (mood darkening over the mention of the word `kiss'.) Yeah, okay. (she
picks up a bar of soap and begins to scrub herself.)
Akane : Want a hand with washing your back?
Ranma-chan : Sure. Why not. After all, we're both GIRLS, right?!
(Akane does not miss the extra emphasis on the word
`girls'. She begins to fear that Ranma-chan had indeed
eavesdropped on her conversation with Ranma.)
Akane : What's wrong, Ranma? Tell me.
Ranma-chan : (exploding) I'LL TELL YOU WHAT'S WRONG!! YOU..AND..RANMA!!
Akane : Oh, Ranma!
Ranma-chan : (turning accusingly on Akane) So I'm supposed to miss out, is that it?! I'm
Ranma too, you know!! Ranma reminded me of that. I l..love you no less than
Ranma does, Akane! Yet...!
Akane : But..
Ranma-chan : No buts! You can't, you won't kiss me - just because I'm in a girl's body.
Can you understand how much it means to me to be kissed by somebody I
love? Why must you deny me just because I'm Ranma in a girl's body!??
You've cheated me, Akane!! You've..cheated...me.....(her voice trails off.)
(the answer is obvious and the two know it, but
Akane knew that Ranma-chan must let out some
of her anger before she can see the absurdity of
her question.)
Akane : (retorts) Same thing as two boys kissing! (Ranma-chan recoils at the idea, looking as
if she might throw up) But...this is certainly different, I can give you that.
Ranma-chan : (calmed down considerably, too calm) I can see your point, Akane. Good night.
(she has lost all interest in bathing and she gets up to
leave but Akane pulls her back down in the water with
a loud splash)
Ranma-chan : (spluttering) H-Hey!! What are you doing?!
(Akane slips an arm behind Ranma-chan's back and draws
her close. Ranma-chan looks on fearfully, fully expecting to
be torn limb from limb, but Akane places her other arm across
Ranma-chan's lap. Akane looks deep and long at Ranma-chan's
face, seeing, yet not seeing the man she loves deep in the sky blue
eyes. She knows that the Ranma she loves is somewhere in there
but `he' is fading from Ranma-chan - receding into the background
under the tremendous influences of her female body.)
Akane : This is for you, my Ranma. My one, true love.
(With a quick motion, she dips her head in and kisses Ranma-chan on
the lips. Ranma-chan does not respond for a long moment, shocked,
but her shock is gradually replaced by pure joy. She kisses back and
the two enjoy the sensation of the kiss. Akane weeps as she draws in
as much of Ranma as she can, the disappearing personality that is fighting
a losing battle against overwhelming odds. She knows that this might be the
last time such a visible glimpse of the male personality would be revealed to
her. She hadn't the heart, nor the courage, to tell Ranma-chan that she could
never love Ranma-chan - for the simple fact that Ranma-chan was female. This
kiss was for the Ranma inside Ranma-chan, the male Ranma. The two break
their kiss and look into each other's eyes with a certain intensity for a final time.
Then they finish their respective baths and silently leave the bathroom - together.)
Ranma-chan : You have no idea how many nights I've stayed up thinking...
Akane : I do. Somehow, I knew you were going to say that. Good night, Ranma.
Ranma-chan : Good night, Akane. Sleep well.
Akane : I will.
(Ranma-chan walks into her room and she finds Ranma preparing to go
to bed. Ranma looks up at Ranma-chan. Ranma-chan, with no hint of
modesty, strips off her shirt and her bra in front of Ranma. Ranma
simply turns his head and looks away. Ranma-chan says nothing as she
relives the kiss over and over again. She pulls her pair of shorts off and
she dons her PJ's. Ranma summons up enough courage to look at his
female counterpart, now outfitted in light pink PJ's decorated with blue
swirls and stripes.)
Ranma : Ranma. There is something that I've been thinking that I shouldn't share with you,
but now that I have spent some thought on it....I think that it's not right to keep it
a secret from you.
Ranma-chan : Well you don't have to tell me what it was. I did the same thing, too.
Ranma : So I see. Well, how was it?
Ranma-chan : I'd imagine that it was the same as your own.
Ranma : Didn't she...I mean, did she...?
Ranma-chan : No. She seemed to enjoy it as much as I did.
Ranma : Considering how much she says she hates boys it's not so surprising, I guess.
Ranma-chan : You can say that again (she licks her lips). Say, where's Pop?
Ranma : He dropped by to say he was going to an all-night bar with Mr.Tendo and Mom.
Ranma-chan : Did Mom bring her sword along with her?
Ranma : Yup. You know Mom.
Ranma-chan : Imagine how people would react to her!
Ranma : Well, there's school tomorrow and we've gotta hit the sack.
(The two place their futons next to each other, hit the lights
and fall asleep. Their rhythmic snores seem to complement
each other, blending into a mixture of deep snores and
delicate snores - punctuated by a snort now and then. It is
truly the sleep of the contented. Outside a storm begins to
brew in the skies. Dark clouds, darker than the night,
cover the starry skies and gather over the entirety of Nerima
Ward. A distant rumble of thunder growls in the distance
as lightning bolts flash from the heavens and light up the
world for a brief second. Then rain starts to fall, first in
tiny droplets, then a light drizzle, followed by a deluge of
rain hammering on the Tendo residence and stirring up the
carp pond. Kasumi sits and muses over a cup of hot tea as
she waits for the other members of the two families to return
home.)
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=End - Part Three-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Author's note : FINALLY!
You - are - getting - verrryy - sleepy....tell - me - what - you - think - of - this - part........