This is a repost, for those people whose mail programs cannot
handle large messages.

     I'd like to thank all the people who have privately emailed me their
requests for part 3 of Nullifier 122 - on and off the FFML.  Thank you
for your support.  Now, on to the show!

Ranma 1/2 = (C) of Shogakukan

"Nullifier 122"
by Webdragon

Part Three : A Balm in Nerima
---------------------------------------   
   
     Morning broke the hold of night on the world, and the first 
heralds of the dawn awaken and sing their birdsong, the melodies
drifting on the morning air.  The sun rose high into the pale blue
Saturday sky, casting its molten rays into the air and warming the day. 
Breakfast had been served in the Tendo household and both families
were about to eat.  Nodoka sat next to Genma on one end of the table,
while Soun sat at the other end.  Nabiki and Kasumi sat together while
Akane sat by herself, leaving a space for Ranma.  Ranma pounded down
the stairs, seated himself next to Akane and he grabbed a pair of
chopsticks. The table is now fully occupied by all seven people. 
Ranma-chan was the only one left out and she stood silently behind
Ranma.
   
     "Here, Ranko!  You can sit next to me", offered Akane as she
indicated a spot between her and Ranma.  Ranma-chan cast a grateful
look at Akane before squeezing in.  Her petite size was to her advantage
now since there wasn't much room at the table to begin with.

     After breakfast, everyone dispersed, to do whatever they would do. 
Akane found Ranma-chan sitting on a rock by the pond, staring into the
waters and watching the carp swim in their environment.  A cool wind
stirred the waters and the floating cherry blossom petals.  Akane moved
to stand next to Ranma-chan, then she nudged her.
   
     "Hey, Ranma," said Akane.

     "What?"  Ranma-chan turned to look up at Akane.

     "Are you alright now?  I mean, last night...."

     Ranma-chan did not reply as she turned away from Akane, now
staring out at the seemingly endless expanse of blue sky, high above
Nerima.  At length, she stood up.

     "I'm okay, now.  I think.  But I don't wanna bring it up, not just
yet," she said in a single breath.  She paused and took in a breath. 
Akane touched Ranma-chan's arm.
     
     "If...you feel you need somebody to talk to, Ranma, there's always
me.  Okay?" Akane smiled as best she could, trying to feel the way she
looked.  Ranma-chan touched the hand on her arm, brushing her fingers
lightly on Akane's.

     "Okay", she replied in a small voice.  Then she smiled uncertainly. 
"I will, Akane."

     Ranma-chan pulled herself quickly away from Akane, the red
already starting to color her face with embarrassment, and Akane did
likewise.  At that moment, Ranma popped out of his window and landed
before the two girls.  He was just tucking his shirt in.

     "Well, I'm off", he said as walked away.

     "Where're you going?" called Akane.  Ranma-chan turned away.

     "Duh, Akane.  Where do I go every Saturday?  To Daisuke's, to
hang out with the guys!  Seeya!"  With that, Ranma turned around and
began to leave but he stopped short - as if he had just realized
something.  Ranma turned around and looked at his female side's glum
face, her dejected posture, and knew the reason why.  He cast a guilty
look at Akane, who raised her eyebrows in a "Why're you looking at
me for?" way.
   
     "Hope you enjoy yourself, Ranma," said Ranma-chan in a semi-
dull voice.  Ranma winced a bit at that.

     "Hey, I can't help it the way things are now...!" pleaded Ranma,
nervously wringing his cap, as if it were a thing alive.  

     Ranma-chan just gestured in the general direction of Daisuke's
house, without looking at Ranma.

     "You go on and have fun.  Don't let me stop you."

     "Hey, you can come along if you want!  I'm not stopping you at
all!" said Ranma in protest.

     "Nitwit.  After what happened yesterday in the classroom?  It'd be
a dream come true for those guys!"      

     "Then why're you so mad?" asked Ranma in confusion.

     "Just go already, Ranma."  Akane grabs Ranma-chan's hand and
leads her away.  Ranma stood there for a moment, silent as anything,
then he turned and left.

     "Well, I'm going to go shopping!" declared Akane brightly.  She
began to walk upstairs to her room, and Ranma-chan followed close
behind.

     "Shopping?" she asked Akane as she ascended the stairs one by
one, following behind the short-haired girl.  She looked as good behind
as from the front, thought Ranma-chan absently...

     "Yeah, you know?  Clothing, perfume, hair conditioner..."  Akane
paused for a second and considered Ranma-chan for a moment. 
"Bras...dresses..."

     "Somehow, I don't like the sound of that," muttered Ranma-chan
under her breath.

     "I heard that.  Anyway, wanna come along?  I might need
someone to carry my stuff."  

     "Why not?  Have nothing else better to do anyways."

     "Good."  Akane opened her room, paused in the entrance for a
second, then she opened the door a little wider and she said to Ranma-
chan, "C....Come in."

     "What?" exclaimed a surprised Ranma-chan, her eyes wide as she
looked from Akane to the door and back again.  

     "Just come in.  I need your help for a bit."

     Ranma-chan peered about in confusion as Akane shut - and locked
- the door behind them.  Then she walked over to the drawer, opened
it and started rifling through its contents.  Ranma-chan sat down on
Akane's floor, cross-legged.

     "Akane...what's this all about?" 

     "Ah hah!  Here they are!  Well, Ranma?  What do you think?"

     Akane was holding out a white T-shirt and a pair of dark green
shorts.  Ranma-chan blinked.  Akane smiled.

     "Well?" prodded Akane.

     "Well what?"  Ranma-chan had her arms folded across her chest,
her head bent quizzically at Akane.

     "Are they alright on me?" said Akane as she modeled in them.

     "Why're you asking me for?"

     "I need a second opinion, that's all."

     "Uhh...they look fine on you.  I guess."

     "Good."  Akane turned around and stuffed them back into her
drawer.

     "Hey!  Didn't I just say they looked fine on you?" protested
Ranma-chan, who had just a hint of annoyance on her face.

     "That's why I put them back.  Everybody knows a *guy's* opinion
about a girl's clothes means squat!" said Akane as she began to search
her drawer again, but she was shaking with the effort to contain her
laughter.

     "Oh...I...but...." stammered Ranma-chan, who was very confused
now.  What was Akane up to?

     "Come on.  It was just a joke, Ranma.  Jeez, what Sayuri said was
true, then.  Guys are just *so* dense!"

     "Oh...yeaaah?" said Ranma-chan, rising up from Akane's bed with
pillow in her hands, a smile beginning to creep on her face as she
realized that Akane was only playing with her.

     Akane stuck her tongue out at Ranma-chan and a pillow fight
ensued.  Ranma-chan whacked Akane with the pillow, and Akane
retaliated with a nearby pillow.  The two girls screamed with laughter
as they traded swipes and smacks.  Ranma-chan pinned Akane to the
floor and began to whack her mercilessly with her pillow in her right
hand.  Akane had already lost her weapon and was just trying to pull the
Ranma-chan's weapon away from her...until she tugged wrong and
pulled Ranma-chan down on her, so that their faces weren't more than
an inch apart.

     Ranma-chan noted that Akane's breasts weren't *quite* as small
as she had thought them to be, nor was Akane quite as flat-chested as
she had made her out to be.  In the place of a growing realization,
Ranma-chan felt something which she had never before felt - a little
tingle of something, like an electric current, down below...which served
to create heat from between her legs...and not only that, she felt some
...stimulation from the tips of her breasts...her nipples, she realized,
from contact with Akane.

     Akane felt Ranma-chan's body on top of hers, the red-head's
breasts touching her own.  Her breath came more quickly now as she
looked into Ranma-chan's face, at her delicate features and less
pronounced profiles.  So much unlike a man's, too much to be mistaken
for the male Ranma.  Too stunned to do anything more than lie beneath
Ranma-chan - whose legs were entangled in Akane's - Akane did
nothing, said nothing.

     The two lay there for a moment or two, staring into each other's
eyes, before Ranma-chan bounced up and flipped away from Akane,
whereupon she landed and put a hand on her chest, to still her pounding
heart.  Oh boy, was she gonna get it this time!  She prepared for the
inevitable mallet...but it never came.  Akane was just sitting there, a
hand on her chest as well, and looking at Ranma-chan.

     "S...sorry, Akane.  I...I should have been more alert.  I mean, I
shouldn't have lost balance like that, and..." began Ranma-chan
uncertainly but Akane just waved her off.

     "No big deal.  Forget about it."  She paused for as second. 
"So...what do you think I should wear, then?"  

     "Why ask me?  You'd only say that my opinion stinks," said
Ranma-chan with mock sullenness.  Akane managed to look hurt without
really meaning it.

     "Oh, come on.  I was just joking.  I know, you pick!"  She got up,
went behind Ranma-chan and pushed her over to the drawer.  Ranma-
chan dipped her hand hesitantly into Akane's drawer and looked through
the clothing.  

     At length, she selected a pair of jean shorts and a striped T-shirt
with the words "Solo Mon" on the top and the picture of a surfer at the
crest of a big wave.  Akane ushered Ranma-chan out into the hallway,
then she changed.  She and Ranma-chan left the house five minutes
later, and they rounded a corner on their way to the mall just down the
street.  There were many other shoppers heading to and from the mall,
an indication of its popularity.  The sides of the streets were packed with 
parked cars; the noise from the vehicles and crowd were almost
deafening.  Akane and Ranma-chan pushed their way through the crowd 
and ran into the mall.  

     "Hey, Akane!  Over here!" came a call by the fountain inside the
mall.  It was Sayuri and Anemi.
  
     "Hey, you guys!" replied Akane, waving at her two friends making
their way towards her and Ranma-chan.  Ranma-chan turned to Akane
in astonishment.

     "Your friends are here, too!?" she asked.
  
     "What?  Something wrong?" replied Akane.
  
     "Akane!  You've brought Ranko-chan!" exclaimed Sayuri in
excitement.

     "Ni...nice to meet you, Sayuri," greeted Ranma-chan.  

     "When did you transfer here, Ranko?" Anemi asked.

     Ranma-chan hesitated for a second, glancing at Akane as she did.

     "About a week ago...I guess," she replied after a while.  Akane
and Sayuri were chatting it up, leaving Anemi to converse with Ranma-
chan.

     "Do you like it here, Ranko?"

     "Yeah.  I mean, I've visited Nerima...once in a while and I've
come to like this place."

     "You're living with Akane, right?  Or are you living with your
parents?" 

     Ranma-chan was at a loss for words.  She *was* living with her
parents.  Heck, she was living with herself!  But how could she tell
Anemi that?  

     "Let's go, you guys!  First stop, lingerie!" called Akane as she
followed Sayuri to a nearby store.
  
     "L..lingerie!?"  Ranma-chan felt her cheeks turning red at the
thought.

     Before they could enter the store a group of boys bumped into the
girls.  It was Hiroshi and two guys whom Ranma-chan did not recognize
- they were probably Hiroshi's other friends, thought Ranma-chan.  But
where was Ranma?  She looked around but she couldn't see him. 
Maybe he was only hanging out with Daisuke.  Akane and Sayuri
exchanged pleasantries with the guys while Ranma-chan watched on (she
noted that Sayuri said very little to Hiroshi, but she looked as if she
wanted to)...until one of Hiroshi's buddies noticed her.  He whispered
to his friends surreptiously - Ranma-chan pretended not to notice - and
then he hesitantly made his way over to her.  He faltered a bit, but he
seemed to draw upon some reserve of courage and he forged on until he
was standing three feet away from her.

     "Hi...uh....you must be the new student...that Hiroshi was telling
me about.  I'm Kyusaku.  Wh-what's your name?" he asked without
looking into Ranma-chan's face.  He had short hair and his appearance
was pleasing, if not handsome.  Ranma-chan shook her head.  Why
should she care if he was good looking or not?  She mentally slapped
herself and took a deep breath before looking up at the guy.

     "Ranko Tendo.  Say, are you Hiroshi's friend?" she asked, careful
not to look into his eyes.  Her left hand crept up and began smoothing
out her hair and playing with the tip of her pigtail.  She was aware that
her heart was beating faster for some reason unknown to her, and she
made an effort to calm herself.  Still, a bit of red - so slight as to be
almost pink - colored her cheeks.

     "Yep.  We're just out walking around, hanging out, having
fun...you know, the whole bit."  He paused and Ranma-chan did not
pick the thread of conversation up.

     There was silence for a few moments as boy and girl studied each
other while trying to seem as if they weren't.  Ranma-chan's eyes
travelled from Kyusaku's feet, to his waist - she noted that it was quite
trim - up to his chest...and she hesitated for a moment before she
glanced up into his eyes.  He too was looking at her and he blushed
when he noticed Ranma-chan watching him.  In the background, Ranma-
chan was aware of the three girls and two guys watching her and
Kyusaku, and she reddened.  She should just get this over with. 
<Think of something, anything...>, she thought desperately.  

     "Did you...see a guy with a pigtail - just like mine...", Ranma-
chan turned to show Kyusaku her pigtail, "but he has black hair and he's
wearing Chinese clothes?"

     "Nope.  The only one I have seen wearing Chinese clothes
today...is you."  Kyusaku coughed and he seemed to lose his initial front
of confidence, "You know...uh...you look great in Chinese clothes."

     A groan came from the Hiroshi and his friend, who were both
watching the exchange between Kyusaku and Ranma-chan.  The girls
made no outward comment.  Ranma-chan felt something like revulsion
..and pride, perverse no doubt, at Kyusaku's compliment.  She didn't
know whether to feel insulted or not, and that fuelled the next twenty
seconds or so of an indecisive wrangling of her pigtail.  Finally, Ranma-
chan flicked her pigtail behind her back.

     "T...thanks," she replied at last.  She smoothed out a few wrinkles
on her shirt front - getting gape-mouthed stares from the guys - then she
raised her eyes until they met Kyusaku's own for a moment. 
"Well...I..uh...gotta go now.  Seeya."  With that, she went around
Kyusaku, but she miscalculated and she accidently bumped into his side
- with her chest.  Her breasts rubbed against him - she noted that his
body seemed trim enough - then they dislodged from their `obstacle' and
Ranma-chan whirled around, an unnamed fear settling in her stomach.

     "Uh...sorry `bout that.  Wasn't looking where I was going,"
apologized Ranma-chan without looking up at Kyusaku.  Her face was
flushed crimson with shame as she met up with the girls.

     Sayuri bid goodbye to Hiroshi - him alone - and the female troupe
proceeded uninterrupted to the lingerie store.  Akane dropped back a
ways and walked beside Ranma-chan, who was trying her best to look
unconcerned and unaffected by what had just happened.

     "Really, Ranma.  You knew he was trying to hit on you, and I was
half-expecting you to clock him one on the face," she whispered.

     "Yeah, but Hiroshi was watching.  Otherwise, I woulda whacked
him."  She didn't sound very convincing and Akane picked up on that.

     "Somehow, I don't think you would have."

     "Yeah?  Just tr..try me."  Ranma-chan held up a clenched fist. 
Akane snorted.

     "Whatever.  In any case, don't let it affect you.  I mean, they only
see a girl...and they don't know that you're a guy underneath all that
and..." Akane trailed off when she saw Ranma-chan feeling the spot
where her chest had touched Kyusaku's body.  "Uh...Ranma.  What are
you doing?"

     "Hmmm.....oh!  I...I was just trying to get the feeling off.  I..I
can still feel my...you know...", she indicated her breasts, "...and, like
I said, I can still feel it touching him."  There was another reason, but
she took care not to tell Akane.  When she had brushed against Kyusaku
like that, she had felt a tingle of pleasure that seemed to be a part of
her, yet not, at the same time.  And she had determined that the source
of her pleasure had been her nipples.  Even now, they were starting to
harden and stand out, so Ranma-chan loosened her shirt a little to allow
some slack for the changes in her body.
     
     "Sure.  Don't do it in public...girls don't do stuff like that...I
mean...you're a girl now, and you don't want people looking funny at
you, do you?"  With that, Akane moved further up until she was on par
with Anemi.  Sayuri dropped back a bit, to talk with Ranma-chan.

     "So...Ranko...how do you like the guys around here?" she asked. 
Ranma-chan thought she could detect another motive for Sayuri's
question totally unrelated to that of idle chit-chat, but she couldn't
decipher it.

     "They're...uh...good looking, yeah.  Good looking.  Especially
that Ranma, but he wasn't here.  Too bad," she said, feeling some pride
when Sayuri nodded in agreement.

     "What did you think of that Kyusaku guy?" she asked Ranma-chan,
who was starting to get into the mood of things now.  If there was one
thing she knew how to do well, that was how to act like a girl - and she
had plenty of experience doing so.

     "He's...cute.....but I think Hiroshi, the guy with the light brown
hair in our class, is better looking, by far," said Ranma-chan, watching
Sayuri's reaction carefully.  She was not disappointed.  Sayuri seemed
to be thinking and she said nothing to Ranma-chan for a while.  A
sneaking suspicion entered her head and she considered it for a moment. 
Could it be that Sayuri liked Hiroshi?  The way she looked at him, but
never seemed to talk with him...how was it she never noticed it before
the Nullifier change?

     "Then you like Hiroshi, right Ranko?" asked Sayuri in a carefully
neutral tone.

     "I never said that.  I just think he's...uh...cuter, that's all." 
Ranma-chan gritted her teeth at her words mainly because she had never
spoken like that before.  <This is just to keep up appearances>, she
told herself deep down, <Whatever I say will mean nothing when I get
a hold of a cure!>

     "I see.  So you're saying you'd rather go out with Kyusaku than
Hiroshi?"

     "I never said that either.  I mean...I don't really know who I'd
rather go out with....but Ranma takes the cake anytime.  Too bad Akane
watches him like a hawk."

     "Yeah, that she does," replied Sayuri, seeming mollified now.

     The four girls went into the first feminine clothing store they saw. 
Akane strolled about the aisles for quite a while, and she looked at
various negligee, lingerie and anything that sounded French.  She
stopped to examine a particularly frilly-looking bra when there was a
little commotion in the change booth and Sayuri popped out of the
change room, and waved to Akane and Anemi.

     "Oh, Akane!  Anemi!  Come look!" she called while trying to pull
someone out of the change room.

     "No!  Don't look!" came Ranma-chan's voice from inside.  Sayuri
tugged harder but Ranma-chan resisted.
  
     "Where, where?!" cried Anemi.   
   
     Ranma-chan was finally pushed out of the dressing room by Sayuri
and Akane's jaw dropped open.  Ranma-chan was topless except for a
frilly bra that barely covered her bosom.  She tried desperately to get
back in the dressing room but Sayuri blocked the way.  Anemi and
Akane felt twinges of jealousy looking at Ranma-chan's generously
endowed attributes, but they pushed those feelings away.

     "Why didn't you have a bra underneath, Ranko?" asked Sayuri
from behind Ranma-chan.
  
     "I...uh...must have forgot mine at home.  Oops."  Ranma-chan
blushed and crossed her hands over her chest.
  
     "That looks good on you, you know?" commented Akane, who
received a sharp glare from Ranma-chan in reply.

     "No, really, Ranko!  It does...uh..suit you.  The style, I mean. 
Now, the size is another matter...." added Sayuri.

     Ranma-chan shrank back into the change room, and she looked at
herself in the mirror.  Then she slowly removed her hands from her
chest, sliding them down her smooth stomach until they lay by her sides. 
Sayuri was right.  The bra was about a size too small and she could
practically see her breasts but for the nipples.  

     "Ha..hand me the next size up, willya?" called Ranma-chan from
the change room.  Sayuri handed her the correct size and Ranma-chan
shut the curtain on the three girls without.

     She fumbled a bit with the strap on her back, then the bra just
popped off and she was left completely topless.  She took a moment to
admire her body in the mirror, noting with wonder how well-formed her
breasts were, how smooth yet firm her skin was - before she took the
larger size bra and placed each cup over her breasts.

     They felt restrictive at first, but she could see the benefits almost
immediately.  For one, her nipples wouldn't be visible under her shirt. 
And they would keep her breasts from bouncing about too much when
she walked or ran.  And, because they were padded, they made her
seem bigger than she really was.  Not that it really mattered to her of
course, she decided quickly, she certainly wasn't out to get any guys! 
But she couldn't suppress an almost-perverse thought, one that
whispered to her that she could get any guy she wanted even without
looking bigger than she was....

     "Ranko!  Are you nearly finished in there?"

     "Y..yeah!  Coming!" she called as she quickly unhooked the bra,
pulled her shirt on and left the change room.

     With some money lent by Sayuri, Ranma-chan bought that bra and
then the four of them headed from store to store.  Purchases mounted,
as if some demon had gotten on all of the girls' backs, exhorting them
to buy, buy and buy, and soon Ranma-chan was carrying an armload of
Akane's stuff.  Even she wasn't exempt from the influence of the
shopping bug - as a two bags of clothing attested to in her left hand,
containing her bra, three pairs of panties, a pair of shorts and - of all
things - a mini-skirt.  The last item had been bought under pressure
from the other girls, no doubt to see how well she looked in that mini-
skirt before the other girls would consider buying the same thing.

     Tired from an hour of shopping, not to mention hungry, the girls
head to the food court and set their purchases down by a table.  Sayuri
and Anemi head off to buy their food.

     "Akane, I'm gonna go and order something to eat now, okay?"
said Ranma-chan to Akane.
  
     "Sure, Ranko."   
  
     "Be right back!"     
   
     Ranma-chan wandered from store to store, looking for a special  
food item that would catch her fancy.  Her stomach growled angrily at
her, berating her for taking so long to decide what to eat.  Surprised at
this, Ranma-chan stopped for a second.  She had been starting to feel
more and more hungry the last two nights, as if her body had been
burning the calories like crazy every time she went to sleep.  And she
felt a little bit more changed each morning she woke to.  <Strange, I've
never eaten this much, even when I had been a girl half the time>, she
thought.  Her stomach snarled and she clenched her stomach muscles
tightly, to stop the sound.  

     She felt a tap on her shoulder and she turned around.  Ukyo stood
there, dressed in a miniskirt, white sweater and tights , with a little
white ribbon in her long, brown hair.  She looked stunningly cute, an
improvement over her usual appearance in her normal attire. 
Ranma-chan felt a twinge of....jealousy?  Impossible!  Why would she
feel jealous of Ucchan?  She tried to dismiss it as a figment of her
imagination, but it wouldn't go away no matter how much she tried. 
She found herself looking at Ukyo's  breasts and comparing them with
her own.  Unconsciously, she also started checking her figure against
Ukyo's.
   
     "Ranma, what are you looking at?" asked Ukyo quizzically.   
  
     "Huh?  Oh!  Nothing!  Nothing!"  She forced her eyes upwards.
  
     "O-okay.  What are you doing here anyway?"   
  
     "I'm here with Akane, 'cuz she wanted me to carry some stuff for
her while she shopped.  And now I'm looking for something good to
eat."  As if to make the point, her stomach growled.   
  
     "To....eat?  Hey, why not drop over my restaurant at noon?  I'll 
treat you to a free okonomiyaki or two, to make up for the one you
missed last night."  Ukyo looked hopeful.   
  
     "Well...," began Ranma-chan but she trailed off when she
remembered how much yen she had - just enough to buy that tank-top
Sayuri was talking about.  "I don't want to sound rude, but you sure you
can manage to prepare my okonomiyaki?  I mean, Saturday is such a
busy day for you."
  
     "Sure I can.  You just watch, Ranchan."  Ukyo smiled.
  
     "Well...alright.  So what brings you here?"  Ranma-chan began
walking with Ukyo out of the food court.   
  
     "Well, it's like half past eleven right now and I open shop at noon. 
I'm just here to...I guess, shop...and have fun.  My work schedule's so
busy that I try to relax whenever I can, you know."
  
     "Yeah, I understand."   

     The two friends did not say anything more until they stood at the
entrance to the food court.  

     "Well, I'll be seeing you later then, Ranchan!"  With that, Ukyo
smiled and waved goodbye to Ranma-chan, who waved back.  Then she
headed back to the table.  Akane looked up from tapping the table
impatiently with her fingers.  Sayuri and Anemi were still out ordering
their food.
   
     "What took you so long, Ranma?  And where's your food?" she
asked with some annoyance.   
  
     "I was talking to Ukyo, Akane, and she offered to give me some
free food later on.  If I dropped by her restaurant."   
  
     "Ukyo?  What did you and her talk about?"  Akane leaned forward
in interest.
  
     "Like I said, she wanted me to drop by and have some food on
her.  I said yes.  Besides, I don't have alot of money left from what you
and Sayuri lent me."  She did not disclose to Akane exactly what she
was saving the money for.
  
     "Okay.  If you say so.  I'm gonna go and get some food, so you 
stay and watch the shopping bags, alright?"   
  
     "Okay."

     Within minutes, after Akane had wandered off in search of food,
Sayuri and Anemi return to the table with their trays of food.  Sayuri
had a plate of fried rice and Anemi had two hamburgers and some
fries.    

     "Ranko!  Finished already?" exclaimed Anemi in surprise.

     "I'm gonna go to a restaurant later on," replied Ranma-chan.
  
     "Which one?"
  
     "Ucchan's Okonomiyaki."
  
     "You're going to Ukyo's restaurant?  She can cook, that's for  
sure."   
     
     Ranma-chan's stomach growled a bit at that and she looked up with
an embarrassed smile at the two girls.
  
     "I'm getting hungry just thinking about it..." she offered by way
of an explanation.

     "If you're hungry, just take a fry or two," offered Anemi.  Ranma-
chan smiled gratefully and took Anemi up on her offer.
  
     "Hey, you guys!  You don't mind if I bring a friend to sit with  
us, do you?"  It was Akane, from behind Ranma-chan.
  
     "Who?" asked Sayuri, peering behind Ranma-chan.
  
     "It's that Ryoga guy," whispered Anemi back.
  
     "Ryoga?!"  Ranma-chan whipped her head about, to see Ryoga
being lead to the table by Akane.

     "Ranm...I mean, Ranko!?" blurted Ryoga in surprise.  Akane sat
Ryoga down and began to talk to him in a friendly manner, drawing his
attention back to Akane.

     "Oooh, they *do* know each other!" whispered Sayuri to Anemi
in obvious delight.
  
     "Wonder how far they have gone?" whispered Anemi back.
  
     "Not very far at all," said Ranma-chan.

     "How do you know?"  That was Sayuri.

     "Well, have you ever seen Ryoga and Akane out on a date
before?"

     "We weren't talking about him and Akane, Ranko.  We were
talking about you."

     "What?!"  Ranma-chan flushed scarlet, the waves of red quickly
expanding from her cheeks to include nearly her entire face and her
neck.

     "So, how far have *you* gone?" said Sayuri slyly as she poked
Ranma-chan's arm with a finger.

     "N-Not far!!  Cut it out, you guys!" protested Ranma-chan,
embarrassed as anything.

     "Then you'll just have to try harder, Ranko," advised Sayuri, "You
see, some guys are just naturally harder to get through to...and..." 
  
     "Stop!  Time out!  It's not like that at all!" cried Ranma-chan,
getting strange looks from diners in their immediate vicinity.  Her chest
heaving a bit from her embarrassment, she settled back in her seat
again.
 
     "Then why is he blushing like that?  For that matter, why are
*you* blushing?" prodded Sayuri.
   
     "I am?" Ranma-chan felt her face.

     "Yeah.  Anyways, why don't you go over and sit next to him? 
Real close, okay?"  Sayuri smiled mischeviously, which set Anemi to
giggling and embarrassed Ranma-chan even further.
    
     "It's obvious that he likes you....so you have the advantage.  We 
girls always do."

     Ranma-chan glanced over at Ryoga, who seemed to be on the
verge of saying something profound to Akane.  She made that
assumption because Ryoga's face was red, he wasn't even looking at
Akane, and his hands fiddling with each other.  Or perhaps it was
intuition that told her that Ryoga was about to tell Akane how he really
felt about her.  In any case, even though it wouldn't *directly* affect
her if Ryoga declared his love for Akane, Ranma-chan still felt an
obligation to disrupt any of Ryoga's attempts - for the male Ranma, if
not for herself.

     Making sure that Ryoga was looking skyward, unnoticing of
anybody or anything but the ceiling and his thoughts, Ranma-chan
silently relocated until she was sitting right next to him.  She glanced at
Akane, whose pupils were starting to dilate into dangerously small dots
and eyebrows beginning to `v' up, and she looked over at Sayuri and
Anemi - both of whom were watching intently - before she made her
mind up and laid a hand on Ryoga's.

     "Oh....*Ryoga*....." cooed Ranma-chan in a voice that resembled
Akane's, but with as much sexiness and promise she could project into
it.  The idea was to get Ryoga to do something stupid, then reveal
herself to Ryoga and get him all angry.  Then he would lose sight of his
goal of declaring his love for Akane as he would be fighting with
Ranma-chan...

     Akane began to stand up but Sayuri and Anemi pulled her down,
and whispered to her.  Then the unexpected happened.  Ryoga's arm
came down on her shoulders and pulled her close to him.  She
practically collided into him face first with a whump that took some of
her breath away and left both her hands pressed up against his body.  At
first, at the unfamiliar contact, Ranma-chan tried to pull away but her
efforts were weak and uncertain.  She had begun to ask herself the
question of whether she really wanted to pull away from Ryoga, because
she was feeling things she had never felt before.

     And this time it was not just sexual excitement, like the previous
contact with Akane or Kyusaku...she too felt comforted, protected by
her `embrace' with Ryoga.  His arm felt like a ton of bricks but while
it was heavy, it was also warm and practically covered much of her
upper back.  And, his smell was nice too - she didn't know how to
describe it.  It was just...good.  He smelt good.  His shirt, which was
right up to her nose, had that same smell to it that made her feel
relaxed, and good at the same time.  And his body...her hand, hidden
from view by her body, slid off his hand and touched the hard muscle
of his leg, and experimentally made its way up his side, touching his abs
briefly, and....she jerked it back with a muttered curse.  WHAT THE
HELL WAS SHE DOING!?!?

     "Ran..ko.  What are you doing?" asked Akane, one eyebrow
twitching dangerously, her eyes closed as if to keep her gorgon-like gaze
from turning Ranma-chan to stone with the anger she felt boiling within
herself.  Why couldn't she leave poor Ryoga alone?! 

     "R...Ranko?" murmured Ryoga, coming out of his delirious daze
now.

     "Yoo hoo....!" cooed Ranma-chan.

     "Yoo...hoo?"  Ryoga looked down at Ranma-chan - the female
form cuddled right next to him and smiling cutely, "YOU!!  Why I
ought to....oof!"    

     Ranma-chan removed her elbow from Ryoga's midsection and said,
"You ought to what?"     

     "I see.  This isn't their first time fighting," commented Sayuri to
Anemi.
  
     "And they made such a beautiful couple together, too," said Anemi
back to Sayuri.

     "But why did Ryoga get angry?"
  
     "No idea."

     Both girls watched Akane and Ryoga glare at Ranma-chan, who
managed to ignore both of them while stealing a fry or two from
Akane's tray.  At length, Akane sighed and turned to Ryoga.

     "Thanks for stopping a moment, Ryoga.  Lucky I managed to get
a hold of you, otherwise you'd have walked right by me," said Akane
with a smile.

     "Y-yeah.  I thought this place looked familiar, but then again I
have seen many places like this one.  If I had know earlier, I would
have stopped by to...to visit you."

     <Liar>, thought Ranma-chan, remembering that she had only
been holding P-chan yesterday.  Akane and Ryoga exchange some more
goodbyes, and good wishes, then Ryoga shoulders his pack - rising
powerfully to his feet even with his heavy umbrella and laden backpack
- and he began to wander off in the general direction of the mall's exit.
  
     "Seeya, Ryoga!" called Ranma-chan after him.  Ryoga didn't even
look back.
  
     "Ranko?  Come with me here a sec, okay?" Akane got up and
started to move off.
  
     "Where to, Akane?"
  
     "Just come with me."
  
     "O-okay," said Ranma-chan while scratching her head, perplexed.
   
     The two girls head to the washroom.  Akane looked about inside 
the washroom and made sure that they were alone.  Then, after  
Ranma-chan had entered the washroom, Akane locked the door, rushed
Ranma-chan and slammed her against the wall, pinning her by the shirt. 
   
     "WHAT were you doing to poor Ryoga?!?" snarled Akane.
  
     "Hey, hey!  Take it easy, Akane!!" cried Ranma-chan, holding her
hands up in defense.
  
     "Take it easy?!  You torment my friend ceaselessly and you tell me
to take it easy??!  I've had it up to here," Akane puts a hand above her
head, "with your vendetta against Ryoga!  Why can't you just make up
to him?"  
 
     "Make up to him?  But..."
  
     "No more excuses, RanKO!!" The extra emphasis on the `ko' made
Ranma-chan flinch a bit, "I bet you enjoyed staying so close to him,
eh?"

     She knows!

     "I couldn't help it, Akane!  Really, I couldn't!" protested Ranma-
chan.
  
     "Couldn't help what?!"
  
     "I couldn't pull away from him!  He...."
  
     "Oh, sure.  And next you're going to tell me that you actually did
like him hugging you!"  Akane's voice was full of sarcasm.
  
     "Yes."   

     A few seconds crept by in silence. 
 
     "Come again?" asked Akane.
  
     "I said yes.  I didn't feel sick or anything, if that's what you're
gonna ask..."
   
     Akane dropped Ranma-chan, who slumped against the wall but
kept looking at Akane, who didn't look at Ranma-chan at all.  There
was a tentative rap-rap on the door right at that moment, and Akane   
opened it up.  Two girls, the same age as Akane, stood there.
   
     "Are you two finished yet?" asked the one with the long hair.  Her
companion had a hat on.
  
     "Eeeep.  How long were...were you two out here?" said Akane in
a small voice.
  
     "Ever since we heard a loud thump against the wall," said the one
with the hat.
  
     "Yeah, sounded like somebody hitting the wall, or something. 
You know, you should take her advice and go make up to your
boyfriend.  But...why were you mad because she," the girl pointed at
Ranma-chan, "hugged your friend?  I thought he was her boyfriend...?"
  
     "None of your business.  Come on, Ranko.  Let's go back to the
others before we attract more attention."  Akane leads Ranma-chan back
to the table.  Akane finished her food in big helpings, punctuated by a
glance at Ranma-chan now and then, who was carefully examining her
hands.  Ranma-chan shrank under Akane's scrutiny and she fidgeted,
always doing something, anything, to avoid looking at Akane. 
Gradually, the tension eased between the two as Akane gets caught up
in chatting with her friends.  Finally their food was finished and the four
girls headed off for more shopping.  

     Ranma-chan selected two pairs of jean shorts and a T-shirt, with
the words "Wet 'n Wild" printed on its front.  Sayuri and Anemi headed
off to a different section of the store, while Akane pulled Ranma-chan
into the swimsuit section.  Ranma-chan looked over the swimsuit
section's selections, and picked out a one piece swimsuit colored a dark
blue with the words "Body Glove" emblazoned on the bust.  It was cut
so that the entire back was exposed except for a tiny strip of material
running from one side of her breast, around her back, and to the other
breast.  It had a zipper running from the navel to the middle of the bust. 
Ranma-chan went into the dressing room and comes out in a little while,
wearing the swimsuit.  She struck a pose, both hands with fingers
entwining above her head, bending backwards slightly and tilting her
head.  She peeked over at Akane.

     "H..how's it look, Akane?" she asked in a small, uncertain voice. 
  
     "Well....", said Akane as she circled Ranma-chan once, noting the
amount of skin exposed with a critical eye, "don't you think it's a little
too *open*?"

     "I've worn less to the beach before, Akane.  I just wanted to know
if it's....you know, good looking."

     "Why?  Planning on catching some guys with it?" asked Akane
teasingly.
     
     "NO!  It's just that if I have to, you know, wear a swimsuit, I
might as well look good wearing it, you know?  It's kinda hard to
explain."  Ranma-chan dropped her pose and walked back into the
change room.  She drew the curtain shut and turned the light on inside. 
"Are you gonna try something on, Akane?" she asked as she stripped.

     "No, I already have eight swimsuits at home."  

     With a gentle tug the swimsuit came off her bust and she rolled it
down her body, bending over in the process and feeling the unfamiliar,
but strangely pleasurable sensation of her breasts hanging down and
swaying slightly with her efforts.  It came off and she straightened up. 
She reached for her boxers but she hesitated a bit.  Now would be a
good time to try on those panties for real...so Ranma-chan walked up to
the curtain and pulled it back just enough so that only her face was
visible.

     "Hey, Akane..." she called to Akane, who had wandered off a
little ways with both their bags.  Akane turned around.

     "Yes?"

     "Can you...er...hand me a pair of....you...you know."

     "Know what?"

     "P...panties", whispered Ranma-chan loud enough for Akane to
hear, but not for anybody else.

     "What was that, Ranma?  Say again?" said Akane, cocking a ear
towards Ranma-chan, who blushed as red as the curtain that covered her
naked body from view.


     "C-can you pass me my bag of s-stuff, Akane?" she asked in as
steady a voice as she could manage.

     "Sure, but pass me the swimsuit or the saleslady might think that
you're stealing it, or something."

     Ranma-chan nodded, picked up the swimsuit and handed it out to
Akane.  Unfortunately, she was leaning too hard on the curtain and
three of the supporting rings holding the curtain up on the metal rod
broke.  Ranma-chan stumbled forward and managed to catch herself by
grabbing onto the curtain and hanging on for dear life.

     "Ra..Ranko!  Get back in there!!" cried a horrified Akane as she
jumped in front of Ranma-chan and any other shoppers that might be
about, for Ranma-chan was half out of the changeroom - totally naked.

     "S...sorry!  The curtain broke, and..."

     "Will you get back behind the curtain already?!  What if someone
came along right at this moment?!"

     "Right, right."  Ranma-chan ducked behind the curtain again and
quickly put on a pair of panties, and her new bra.  Then she pulled her
shirt and pants back on, put on her shoes and stuffed her boxers into her
shopping bag.  Then she tapped Akane on the shoulder and both girls
went off to the cashier's, to pay for Ranma-chan's purchase.

     Smiling to herself in satisfaction, Ranma-chan placed her new
swimsuit alongside her mini-skirt (now why did she even buy that mini-
skirt in the first place?) and all four girls left the store.  Now that they
had exhausted their supply of cash, they merely wandered from store to
store, window shopping.  Anemi plastered herself against the glass of a
women's store, her eyes fixed on a white and sky-blue cheongsam in the
store display, until Sayuri peeled her off and tugged her along their trek
around the mall.

     Finally their enthusiasm ran out and their tired legs told them that
it was time to go home, to mull over the day's purchases, to contemplate
the meaning of spent money.  Sayuri and Anemi promised to call Akane
and have a "three-phone" conversation, with Sayuri's new telephone
service that her dad - a businessman - had gotten, which allowed
threeway conversations, simultaneously.

     Ranma-chan and Akane stepped out of the mall, and they
immediately wilted under the sweltering heat and smell of burning car
oil, and smoke.  They had no idea that it was so hot outside the mall! 
Of course, the mall was air-conditioned and they had spent the better
part of four hours inside of it.  The sun still rode high in the sky and a
giant, digital clock above a bank told the two of them that it was only
two p.m.
   
     "Akane, if you want to you can go on home.  I'm going to
Ucchan's for some food," said Ranma-chan as she wiped her forehead
with her hand.  <Man, it's hot!>
  
     "I'm coming along too."
  
     "You're still hungry?  I thought you had eaten enough to last you
a week back in the food court," joked Ranma-chan.

     "I'm not a pig like you, Ranma.  But her okonomiyaki *are*
delicious, I'll admit that."
  
     "And what won't you admit?  That you don't like Ukyo?" asked
Ranma-chan defensively.  Akane had no right to attack Ukyo like
that...! 
 
     Akane cast Ranma-chan a slightly hurt look.  "It's *Shampoo* I 
don't like...Ukyo is a much nicer person than that bimbo." 
 
     "Oh.  So you like Ukyo, then?"   
 
     "I didn't say that." 
 
     "But you implied it." 
 
     "I still didn't say that I liked Ukyo.  After all, she's always acting 
like she owns you, and she doesn't seem to realize that I...I 
mean...forget it."  Akane shut her mouth, hoping Ranma-chan hadn't 
caught too much.  What made her slip up and tell Ranma-chan things 
she would not even *dare* mention to Ranma!? 
 
     "As long as you and Ucchan get along fine, I'll be happy..." said 
Ranma-chan, trailing off a little bit at the end of her sentence. 
 
     "Oh, of course!  We get along just fine, me and Ukyo...it's just 
that when she tries to get Ra...I mean...never mind."  There she went 
again!  Talking to Ranma-chan as if she were not Ranma, but Ranko!  
She really must watch herself there. 
 
     "Okay."  Ranma-chan smiled at Akane, happy that she had