<Section 2 of Episode 4: "The Ballroom Blitz?! Akane's Prom Night
Challenge!>
<As Per usual, C&C is promoted... especially since I need to finisht this
dang thing!>

	"GERONIMOOOOO!" Hiroshi yelled, jumping hard against the end of
the diving board and plunging into the air.... twirling gracefully in an
intricate pattern before straightening as he dove into the Pool behind
his house.
	"Really Hi, you don't have to be so graphic, not that you can
hear me underwater," Daisuke casually sipped his warm tea, dressed in
warmer gear due to the coming cold.  Daisuke didn't know WHY Hiroshi swam
at this time of year.  It was so close to winter the water must have been
freezing.
	"Yeah, Uncle 'Roshi.... you should be more quiet, too," Kaehmi
hugged Jessabelle, her stuffed cabbit, closely against her.  She resumed
humming the soft lullaby song in an effort to put her cabbit to 'Sleep'.
	"Actually, verbal resonation is what I was meaning, Kaehmi,"
Daisuke muttered, setting his tea down and picking up a book titled, "The
Principles of Technological Revolution in the Late 90's,". He casually
adjusted his glasses.
	Kaehmi giggled at Daisuke's words.  "Uncle Dai say's funny
words... doesn't he, Jessebelle?" She whispered to the stuffed animal. 
Daisuke grinned and winked at Kaehmi.
	"Indubitably."
	Hiroshi surfaced, shaking his head to get rid of the water. 
"Brrrr.... it's a little chilled, but not bad for this time of year.  I
can't believe you two don't want to come in, it's not THAT cold....,"
Hiroshi muttered, splashing some water at Kaehmi, who began emitting
shrill shrieks and backing away from the pool.
	Memeko walked up to the pool, looking at Kaehmi, then at Hiroshi.
 "Hiro-kun....  you know I told you not to try and get her wet," Memeko
gave Hiroshi a stern glare, which promptly caused his mischievious grin
to waver, then wither completely.
	Daisuke turned a page.  "Hey Hiroshi..... isn't the Prom this
weekend?" Daisuke muttered half heartedly, not even sparing a glance up
from his book.
	Hiroshi ceased his splashing and resumed his glum countenance. 
"Yeah, Dai... it is...." He murmured in a dejected tone.
	Memeko scooped Kaehmi up into her lap and took a seat.  "Is
something wrong Hiro-kun?" Memeko was worried for her brother, ever since
discovering the identity of his secret girl, she had been waiting for him
to make some sort of decision.
	"Nah.... just that I'm probably not going to go, that's all. 
Besides, it's just another dance.  Nothin' special," Hiroshi tried to
resume his previous glee, but could not.... so he floated slowly in the
water, a sad look on his face.
	Daisuke looked up from his book.  "Whyever not, Hi?  Gimme a
break... there's several girls that I'm sure would jump at the chance
with going with you," Dai set his book down, and stood up, taking his
glasses off and putting them in his shirt pocket.
	"Yeah.... but there's only one girl that wouldn't, and that's the
one that breaks my heart...." Hiroshi sighed deeply, almost on the verge
of a sob.
	"Why doesn't Uncle 'Roshi go with Auntie?" Kaehmi asked, which
caused Memeko to jump in surprise and Hiroshi to turn a little pale. 
Memeko hurriedly tried to hush Kaehmi, who had an utterly confused look
on her innocent little face.
	"Auntie???" Daisuke asked, looking back at Hiroshi.  "You've got
ANOTHER
Sister???" From what Daisuke could remember, Memeko was Hiroshi's only
sister.
	"It... She.... She's someone that Kaehmi knows, she just calls
her Auntie... that's all.  She's quite taken with her....," Hiroshi
mumbled out slowly.
	Daisuke raised an eyebrow at Hiroshi's reaction, shaking his
head.  "Whatever.  Sounds like Kaehmi thinks she's the top of the world,"
Daisuke sighed, sitting back down in his seat and rubbing his eyes.
	"Yeah, Auntie is the Greatest!!! She tells me stories, and plays
with me when Uncle 'Roshi and Mama are too busy....," Kaehmi said
hurriedly.
	"Shhhhh, Kaehmi.  Uncle Dai doesn't want to hear about Auntie,
he's talking to Hiroshi right now," Memeko whispered softly to her child,
which emitted a smile from Kaehmi.
	"Hi..... you only get ONE Prom..... you've gotta go!!! I mean,
even I'm going. 
Granted, without a date, but I'm still going.  This is a once a time
deal," Daisuke chuckled softly a moment, putting his glasses back on his
face.
	Memeko smirked for a moment, and Hiroshi sighed, dragging himself
out of the water with a shiver.
	Kaehmi jumped down and rushed up to her Uncle Hiroshi, a pleading
look on her young face.  "Please Uncle 'Roshi!!! I know Auntie would love
to go with you... she's always saying how nice you are to her, and I bet
if you just asked her...." Kaehmi trailed off from the sad look on her
Uncle's face.
	"I'm sorry, Uncle 'Roshi.... I said something bad, didn't I?  I'm
sorry....," Kaehmi looked abashed at Hiroshi, whom had a defeated look on
his face.
	"That's okay, Kaehmi-chan.... it's not your fault.  Uncle 'Roshi
just doesn't feel very good," Hiroshi snatched his towel up and began
trudging to the house.  Kaehmi followed him, trying to cheer him up by
taking his hand and offering him Jessebelle... but he shook his head
silently.
	Daisuke stared after his friend, a slightly worried demeanor
creeping into his usual jovial mood.  "Oh gods, he's got it bad.....
never seen him look so depressed about a girl before," Daisuke looked
over at Memeko, who was staring after her brother as well. 
	"Whenever Kaehmi kept mentioning Auntie, Hiroshi looked more and
more depressed.... why would that be, Memeko-chan?" Daisuke had never
heard much about an adopted Aunt...
	Memeko looked at him with a slightly surprised look.  She had to
think quickly...  which was what she did best.  In a moment she had
thought up a reason.  "Because Hiroshi couldn't bear to ask anyone else
but his Lady Love to the Prom...."
	"Oh... so that's it.  Geeze, and I thought Kaehmi had hit on
something..... only to find out that mentioning other girls makes it
worse.  Glad I found out this way, instead of me trying to hitch him with
one of the girls at school like I was going to," Daisuke shook his head.
	"Daisuke! I am ashamed you would do such a thing..... Hiroshi has
told you, he can't handle other girls until he gets through figuring what
he is going to do about this one.... and believe me, he has a lot of
thinking to do," Memeko worried for her brother.... she hoped he would
make a choice.  She hoped it would be the right choice..... if any choice
with Ranma can be said to be right.
	"Okay, Memeko-chan! I told you I wasn't going to... it was only a
fleeting thought," Dai looked at Where Hiroshi and Kaehmi had gone inside
and sighed.  The more he watched Hiroshi suffer, the more he felt that
things just seemed to be getting worse.  *Things are never easy, are they
Hiroshi.  Heh.... All's fair in love and war.... should be more like
Everything hurts in the War of Love.*

*		*		*		*		*

	Ranma stirred softly on his futon, tossing and turning as fitful
dreams disturbed his sleep.... the sounding siren of his alarm clock
snapped him out of his restless slumber and into the waking world.
	He shuddered a long moment, shaking his head wearily.  *Not
again.....* He took a deep breath and let it out.  Slipping slowly out of
his futon he stood and walked to the closet quietly.  The large panda on
the other futon did not stir, but a silent buzz emitted from it's snoring
form.
	Ranma slid the door open, and looked at both sides of the closet.
 On one side was a small collection of female clothes, some he had bought
for disguises earlier in his stay with the Tendo's.... others had been
bought by his Mother, so that he could be trained in the arts of
womanhood.
	Ranma sighed, and shrugged, taking out his most neutral gender
outfit, his red chinese vest and black slacks.  He shuddered again for a
moment, then opened another drawer, taking out a new bra.  *Geeze, I hate
wearing this..... I wouldn't if it didn't feel worse without it....*
	He also took from the same drawer a small black box.  He looked
once more at his father, the sleeping beast on the futon, then padded
softly out of the room.
	At about the same time, Kasumi's door opened up, and she stepped
out with a smile, closing the door behind her.  She turned and started as
Ranma looked at her.  "Oh, Ranma-kun.... you're up a little earlier than
usual." She cast a worried eye over Ranma's somewhat tired shape.  "Oh
my, you didn't sleep well last night, did you Ranma-kun?"
	Ranma sighed, shaking his head.  "Nah..... nightmares about some
masked freak, Jusenkyou, and a vast darkness that only one person knows
about....," He sighs, shaking his head.  *Where do these dreams about
Hiroshi keep coming from??? Maybe they mean something.....* Ranma smiled
a bit in humor as he remembered the nightmarish thoughts that had
wandered through the void-like dream.
	Kasumi seemed to look at the air for a moment, and touch a hand
to her chest.  "Ranma-kun, you don't usually get up this late.... but
recently, you and I have been waking up about the same time.  It's only
every other day, though, do you know why?" Kasumi, to her honor, was very
perceptive when she wished to be.  
	Her family probably didn't know that she cried herself to sleep
sometimes from all the things that had happened to them.... she cried
herself to sleep while praying for them to be well.  
	Recently she had begun to add Ranma to her prayers, for it was
only a few weeks past that she had seen Ranma crying..... and decided
that perhaps Ranma needed a bit more care and understanding than any of
them were giving him.
	Ranma sighed, and shrugged slightly at Kasumi's Question.  "Sure,
I know why.  The night's I'm not a girl I get nightmares.... funny, huh?"
Ranma turned, leaving a pale looking Kasumi as he went into the bathroom.
	He slowly closed the door behind him, thinking to himself. 
*Really odd..... every other night for the past ten days.... nah, maybe
it's somethin' else.  Can't be just cause I'm a guy when I fall to
sleep.....* Ranma prayed it wasn't.  He didn't know why, but that thought
made him uncomfortable.
	Ranma pulled off his shirt and boxers, laying them in the dirty
clothes bin, and opened the bath door, walking slowly in.  He leaned over
the bath, turning on the hot water and letting it fill the tub as he went
to retrieve a towel.
	He returned to the tub and slid the towel on the rack, he stepped
towards the bath....  then hesitated a moment.
	He stared at the warm water, an uncomfortable feeling of
apprehension and unsurety creeping into his mind.... then he shook his
head and slowly stepped into the water.
	His mind wandered to the dreams he had been having, an odd man in
a mask whispering to him lowly, he was dressed in a blue and white
ballgown and was female at the time.
	Then there was him, as a guy, in a fighting stance..... facing
the masked man who was laughing maniacally, then a sense of dread fell
over him in that section of the dream... then it changed slowly.
	A wedding scene, sometimes with Akane, sometimes with him
alone.... seemingly waiting for someone.  Whenever Akane was involved,
there were things being destroyed by his Mother and Father, and Nabiki
had a mask of ice on her face.
	Or, on other occassions, he would be whisked into the sky and
towards the setting sun, away from Akane by someone he trusted.... it was
odd.
	Usually after that, it would fade into scenes of two children,
whom he thought resembled himself and Hiroshi.  He found that the oddest
himself.  On occasion there was an odd dream of surrealism to replace the
child scene....
	A vast darkness, and he is a girl... talking to someone who makes
her feel less alone....
	Ranma blinked after a moment, looking at the steaming water. 
*Akane......* His entire life for the past six months had focused around
her, and only recently had he been able to tell her his feelings.
	He wished so much that he could reestablish their engagement, but
there was so much about himself he didn't know, and so many answers he
needed.  Was there a cure for Jusenkyou was one of them, but oddly it had
begun to get further and further from his mind, despite the dreams of
Jusenkyou.
	He dwelt on the past four weeks, and how many things had changed
so suddenly.  Since the cooking challenge the week before, Ukyou never
mentioned their engagement.... nor did it seem the thought ever crossed
her mind.  She was always there with a helpful hand.
	It was as if they were friends again, and nothing more.  That
made Ranma feel happy, for some reason.  He loved Ukyou, his Ucchan, but
like a Sister..... when she had confessed her love for him, he had
suddenly become slightly uncomfortable with discussing things with her.
	*I had thought when she returned that I could confide in her with
all the things I had kept secret.... then she was a girl, and in love
with me, and that hope was gone.....* Ranma shook his head, then realized
something.
	Hiroshi.  He had confided more in Hiroshi than he had with anyone
else he knew.... Hiroshi was always willing to listen, and give sage
advise when it was needed.  Ranma thought highly of Hiroshi since they
had become so close, in fact, Ranma thought that Hiroshi was the one he
respected most.
	Ranma finished rinsing himself off, and slowly rose from the
water.  *Another day as a woman, Ranma.....* He muttered to himself, half
bored with the entire concept.
	At least his Mother had held her word.  At least she had let up
on her strict schedule and harsh rules.  She let him wear other clothes,
not so utterly feminine, so long as they were not terribly masculine.
	Nodoka was still teaching him the rules of proper speech, and she
still required him to wear some modest make-up, but at least she was not
pushing him to do everything as a woman would.
	He filled the bucket slowly with cold water, and clenched his
teeth.  "Here goes...." He dumped the water slowly over his head, feeling
his body shudder and reshape as the cold feeling ran down his body....
	He shrank, his shoulders narrowing, his face becoming more
delicately formed, his hair changing hue and color..... his chest
expanding into breasts, his waist growing smaller just as much as his
hips grew wider, and his legs reshaped to match a more curvaceous frame.
	Ranma, now a girl, shivered a moment.  *That was wholely
unpleasant....* Ranma noted, just as he had a thousand times before.  She
left the washroom, slowly taking the towel and wiping it over her soaked
body, drying herself of her bath.
	She slipped quickly into her bra, vest, and slacks, and lifted
the black box, carrying it carefully to the sink.
	Ranma opened it, and took a deep breath as she always did. 
*Let's get it right this time.....* She began to apply the makeup, very
slowly.... with a hand that was much more practiced with martial arts.
	Yet, still, she seemed to have had great stress in practise, for
Ranma seemed to apply just the right amount of everything this time.  The
result was a face that seemed slightly more beautiful than before, but
not so outrageous as to cry harlot.  A modest application.
	Ranma sighed.  *Finally.... at least Mom didn't have to help me
this time.....
hmmm....* Ranma felt.... adventurous for some reason, and reached a hand
back to softly touch her pig-tail, now more of a pony-tail since it was
down to the tips of her shoulder blades.
	Ranma grinned for a moment, giving herself a mischievious look in
the mirror.  She pulled softly on the dragons-whisker, and her hair
tumbled forth in a cascade around her shoulders.  *Not so bad, now that I
think about it.  Maybe it does look good down as a girl.....*
	Ranma jumped as she felt eyes on her, and she turned to look at a
dazed Kasumi.  "Er...." Ranma noted intelligently.  "K.....Kasumi.  How
long have you been standing there?"
	"For about five minutes, Ranma..... why did you let your hair
down?" Kasumi asked, her worried tone even greater than before.  What was
Ranma doing?? Kasumi shuddered to think what her imagination was telling
her.
	Ranma shrugged.  "Dunno.  I felt kinda bored, so I decided on
somethin' different.  Everyone's got a right to choose how they wear
their hair, isn't that right?" Ranma asked brightly.
	Kasumi frowned, furrowing her brow in concern.  "Yes, Ranma.... I
guess I'm a little shocked.  You don't usually prefer your hair down. 
That's all I was saying.....," Kasumi
sighed, and stepped back.  "I'll leave now...."
	"Wait! Kasumi!" Ranma asked, taking several steps towards the
door.
	"Yes, R...Ranma-kun?" Kasumi asked.  For a moment she had been
about to call him Ranma-chan.  His appearance, she thought, was startling
to her.  Rarely had she been more shocked.
	"Do you need some help with cooking?" Ranma asked, stuffing the
Dragon's Whisker into her pocket.
	Kasumi smiled for a long moment, just looking at Ranma.  It
disturbed her that Ranma was acting so strangely that day, but she knew
when Ranma's sincerety was shown.  *Ranma can be such a sweet boy at
times....* Kasumi thought to herself.  "Yes, Ranma, that would be
wonderful.  It would be very kind to give your Mother a day off," Kasumi
bustled downstairs, Ranma on her heels.

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