Ranma 1/2 = (C) of Shogakukan

"Nullifier 122"
by Webdragon

Part 4 : Look Before You Leap
---------------------------------------

The morning was crisp and new, after a cleansing storm had scrubbed the
world clean.  Birds chirped joyfully, the sun was shining brightly and the
world seemed at peace.  It was Sunday, as time reckoned, and the temperature
was starting to shoot up.  Not many cars roamed the streets as people took
to their bikes and their feet, to better enjoy the beautiful day ahead of
them.  The overall pace of the day was a slow and relaxing change from the
punishing pace that school and work demanded out of everybody.  As always,
Kasumi and Nodoka were up at the crack of dawn, preparing breakfast.

Ranma-chan sat on the steps of the front porch, lacing her shoes up even as
Ranma and Akane waited for her.  The two girls had their jogging shorts and
T-shirts on, while Ranma had his usual black pants and sleeveless shirt.

"Come on, already!" said Ranma, a little annoyed at how long it took
Ranma-chan to get ready for their morning jog.

"Yeah, yeah.  Coming!" called Ranma-chan, just finishing up her other shoe
with a jerk of her arms.

"Guys, I'm going on ahead.  Catch up with me, huh?" called Akane as she
jogged away.

 "I'm goin' with her!" said Ranma as he turned around and began to jog after
Akane.

"Ranma, wait."

"Now what?" said Ranma, turning around in exasperation.

"I want to talk to you.  You know...about last night," said Ranma-chan
tentatively, half-turning away defensively.

"Umm...I...I don't think right now is a good time.  Can't it wait for
later?" replied Ranma, nervously fidgeting now.

"Well...yeah.  I guess so.  But I just wanted to tell you that I didn't know
what I was doing.  I mean, I knew and I wanted to do it, but I also kinda
knew that I shouldn't have been doing it?  It's kinda hard to explain," said
Ranma-chan, standing near Ranma now with her hands folded.

"That went over my head.  Come on, let's go catch up with Akane.  We'll talk
about it later, okay?"

"Alright.  Let's go."  And with that, both Ranma and Ranma-chan jogged off
after Akane.

Within minutes the trio were reunited and they set a good pace.  Ranma and
Akane were jogging the closest to each other and Ranma-chan was bringing up
the rear.  Occasionally Akane dropped back to talk to Ranma-chan, but
invariably she would increase her pace and rejoin Ranma.  Neither Ranma nor
Akane seemed willing to jog close to Ranma-chan, and whenever Ranma-chan
tried to close the distance they would move away.

 As she jogged behind Akane she remembered their little conversation last
night, in the bath.  And Ranma-chan found herself looking at Akane's figure
with something akin to...jealousy?  No word could describe what she was
feeling at the moment...that near-perverse sensation of envy mixed with just
a little bit of lust.  Yet that latter feeling disappeared almost
immediately when she felt her own breasts bouncing up and down on her chest
as she jogged.  She remembered feeling differently about jogging behind
Akane, who *arguably* a cute and sexy girl...and whatever she was feeling
had no precedent in her experience.

Upon their return all three were soaked with sweat.  Ranma watched the birds
in the trees and in the air, the carp in the pond, and even the puffy clouds
in the blue sky...anything but stare overtly at both Ranma-chan and Akane's
heaving chests, their breasts quite visible under their T-shirt due to their
perspiration.  It was torture, since both girls seemed to like being on
either side of Ranma...almost as if they were fighting over possession of
him, it seemed.  He took his shirt off and began to dry himself off with his
towel.

"Hey, Ranma..." began Ranma-chan as she grabbed his arm, almost impulsively.

"Yeah?" replied Ranma, a little apprehensive.  Lucky for him Akane was
already heading inside to change, and his gaze was fixed on her to make sure
that she didn't turn around and see Ranma-chan clinging to him...

"SUCKER!" yelled Ranma-chan triumphantly as she slipped in front of him,
pulled on his arm and threw him over her shoulder.  Ranma roared in surprise
as his world went upside down and turned black momentarily as he was slammed
on the unforgiving ground.  He shook his head to clear the stars, and he
heard Ranma-chan laughing.

"What the heck was that for?!" yelled Ranma as he bounced to his feet and
rubbed his head.  He glared down at his female counterpart, who had her
hands behind her back and was smiling up at him cutely.
 "You had your guard down, idiot, and I simply took advanta...aaaaaah...!"

Ranma had grabbed her shoulders and heaved her into the pond, where she made
a loud splash as she hit the water and scared the koi.  A few seconds later
she broke the surface of the pond and spat water.

"HEY!  What the heck are you trying to do!?" she yelled as she climbed out
of the pond and assumed a combat stance.

"What do you mean?  I simply took advantage of the situation, *idiot*!" said
Ranma as he assumed his fighting posture.

By now both of them were smiling fiercely, their prelude to a sparring match
now over and all their energies concentrated on the defeat of the other.

Ranma-chan made the first move as she ran forward a bit and leapt high into
the air.  Ranma watched her calmly as she dropped from the sky with a foot
aimed at his head.  At the last moment he twisted out of the way and lashed
out with a roundhouse.  Ranma-chan yelled as she ducked the blow and tried
to kick Ranma's legs out, but he had already somersaulted away and was out
of range.  Both combatants paused for a moment, then they clashed again.

"Saotome...why don't you join in and teach them, like you always did - when
there had been one Ranma?" asked Soun as he sipped at his cup of tea.

<Why?  This way I get to stay in the shade and rest these tired bones a bit.
Besides, being a panda's no fun while fighting in the hot sun - the fur, you
know>, read the sign in the panda's left paw as he munched on a stalk of
bamboo.

 "You mean you don't want to get thrashed by the two of them," replied Soun.

<That too>, read another sign in the panda's right paw.

"You really are shameless, Mr. Saotome," said Nabiki as she flipped the
newspaper open to the business section.  P-chan squealed in agreement.  He
was sitting in Akane's seat, waiting for her.

"Oh...what is Ranko doing?  She shouldn't be fighting in this heat.  It'll
ruin her complexion and she'll get all dirty!" exclaimed Nodoka.  She was
setting the table with Kasumi.  Akane came downstairs at that moment.

"Don't worry, Mrs Saotome!  Ranko does this all the time and nothing bad's
ever happen to her hide...I mean, skin," said Akane as she picked P-chan up
and began to coo to him.

"Still...she shouldn't be fighting this way," replied Nodoka, who was
watching Ranma-chan closely.

Ranma-chan slammed a knee into Ranma's gut, making him grunt with pain, then
she followed up with a punch to his ribs.  Ranma blocked the punch and
twisted her wrist in such a way that he had Ranma-chan bent over towards
him, her hand behind her back with Ranma holding it in a vise grip.

"Give up now?!" cried Ranma in triumph.

"Never!" yelled Ranma-chan back as she flipped forward and locked her legs
around Ranma's neck.  Akane watched in disbelief as Ranma struggled to
dislodge Ranma-chan's legs, while Ranma-chan hung upside down and clung to
one of Ranma's legs with all of her might.  She was obviously trying to
topple Ranma to his knees but Ranma was strong and he was not budging.  Yet.
 Then Ranma reached down and dislodged Ranma-chan's arms.  She yelped in
surprise as Ranma laid on his back and placed a foot under her chin.  Then
he began to push with his foot and Ranma-chan was forced to let go.  She
rolled away and shot to her feet, panting heavily.  Likewise, Ranma got up
and felt his throat gingerly.

"Hey, how about you guys call it a draw and come have some breakfast?"
called Akane from her place at the table.

"Fat chance!" snarled both Ranma and Ranma-chan in synchronization, making
Akane and P-chan shrink back a bit.  Then she composed herself and let a
small smile flit on her face.

"Well then.  I guess you don't want the....shrimp fritters?  The hot,
steaming rice?  Or the sauteed sliced beef, fried to mouth-watering
*perfection*?" said Akane.  She held up each item as she named them.

Ranma and Ranma-chan froze, just for an agonizing moment, then they relaxed.
Akane smiled - food had apparently been the deciding factor.  Not that they
would admit it.

"Okay, we'll call it even...for now," said Ranma as he began to jog to the
dining table,

"I had you beat!  You only wriggled out of it because you cheated!" shot
back Ranma-chan, also jogging beside Ranma.

The two changed clothing, then they settled down to eat breakfast, Ranma
being flanked by both Akane and Ranma-chan - again.  Not that he minded, but
with Ranma-chan's voracious appetite competing against his own, the food
disappeared too quickly for his liking.  After helping Nodoka and Kasumi
clear the table and wash the dishes all four teenagers got together to plan
their day.

 "So, what are we doing today?" asked Ranma-chan.  She was wearing her
`Wet-n-Wild' T-shirt, and a pair of shorts.

"Well...since it's a nice and hot day, why don't we go to the beach?" said
Nabiki.

"Alright!  Wait a minute while I go get my stuff!" cried Ranma as he ran
upstairs.  Akane pulled Ranma-chan aside.

"Hey, Ranko...do you know where Ryoga is?" she asked Ranma-chan.

"Why?" said Ranma-chan, a little annoyed at being delayed.

"Well, if we're going to have fun, why don't we bring Ryoga along too?  He's
my friend even if he isn't yours."

"How'd I know where he is anyhow?  If I can even find him..."

P-chan squealed in protest and waved his trotters furiously at Ranma-chan.

"You have a problem with bringing Ryoga along?" Akane asked, a hint of
growing anger in her voice.

"I didn't say that!"  Ranma-chan glanced quickly at P-chan, who glared back,
"Well...if I *find* him, then I guess it's okay.  If he wants to come."

After a moment's hesitation, P-Chan leapt out of Akane's arms and
began to trot away in the direction of the bathroom.

"Now, don't you go too far again, P-Chan!" called Akane to her `pet pig'.
 P-chan gave a non-committal grunt.

"You know, Ranko...maybe I should get a collar and a leash for him..." said
Akane speculatively.

"QUEEEE-E-E-E?!" squealed P-Chan, whirling around and staring at Akane with
undisguised fear.  Ranma-chan stifled a giggle.

"Or...maybe not.  He's not a dog.  He's a smart one...for a *pig*.
He...just has a bad sense of direction."

"I prefer to call it `adventuring spirit', Ranko.  I guess you're
quite right.  I don't think I could bear to put a collar on him, not after
what Azusa did."

"Yeah.  I'll go get my swimsuit and stuff.  Nabiki, you go save a spot on
the beach for us, okay?"

"Way ahead of you, Ranko," replied Nabiki as she shut the front door on her
way out.

"I'll go help Kasumi for a bit, then I'll join you guys.  Okay?" said Akane
as she walked to the kitchen.

"Alright," replied Ranma-chan as she followed `P-chan' to the bathroom, and
watched him turn back to a human.

"So...how do you think you're gonna stay high and dry for a beach
excursion?" Ranma-chan asked.

"I'll ask Shampoo for a bar of that anti-water soap.  Pass me my towel, will
you?" Ryoga pointed at a yellow towel with black stripes, hanging on a hook
next to his backpack and red umbrella.

 "Why in heck do you have *your* stuff in *our* bathroom?" said Ranma-chan
as she walked over and grabbed the towel.  She tossed it over to Ryoga, who
grabbed it and stood up - out of the bath.  Ranma-chan's eyes widened
noticeably, then a blush of red streaked its way across her cheeks and
throat.  She jerked her head away and slapped herself lightly.  Damnit!
He's a guy!  She shouldn't be staring at him because...

She pulled up short.  Because she was a guy, the same as Ryoga was?  She
looked down on herself - <yep, we're all guys in here>, she thought
sarcastically.  Ranma-chan took a shuddering breath.  It scared her that two
warring feelings were fighting for dominance within her.  Lust and disgust.
She felt lust at the sight of Ryoga - nude at that - but also disgust
because something inside told her that staring at naked guys was not right.
But what was `not right'?  What was going on with her?

"That's because I'm *always* changing back to my normal self, and I figured
I might as well keep my...Ranma?  What's wrong?" said Ryoga as he dried
himself with the towel.

"Nothing.  I'll....I'll meet you outside."

"You're acting weird, you know that?" said Ryoga.  He wrapped the towel
around his trim waist and walked past Ranma-chan to his backpack.  As he
began to duck down in order to open it, Ranma-chan stifled a gulp and she
finally left the bathroom.

Catching her breath outside the bathroom, she ran upstairs to her room and
entered.  Ranma was rummaging through a drawer and he pulled something out
with a cry of triumph.

"Found it!" he crowed, waving that thing in the air.

"Uh...Ranma....?" said Ranma-chan.  She was staring at the thing in Ranma's
hand.
 "All set to go!"

"Err...Ranma?  What's that you're holding?"

"A pair of...OH JEEZ!!" Ranma stared at the swimsuit in his hands - a pair
he had borrowed from Akane three months ago.  He looked at Ranma-chan and
said, "I...forgot.  Oops."

"You know, *you* might look pretty good in that two-piece thong....." said
Ranma-chan teasingly.

"Shut up.  You know I don't have the curse anymore and I don't have to worry
about stuff like that, so there!" said Ranma as he turned back to the drawer
and began to rifle through it again.  He pulled up short as his conscious
mind registered what he had just said.  He turned back to Ranma-chan, who
was quietly looking down at herself.  Ranma hesitantly put a hand on
Ranma-chan's shoulder, and she flinched involuntarily.

"I'm sorry.  I just got carried away, that's all.  I didn't mean to hurt
you," apologized Ranma.  It occurred to him that this was one of the few
times he had apologized up front in his life.  Perhaps it was due to
sympathy, pity, or a combination of the two.  Or...perhaps it was because of
the way Ranma-chan looked.  A little crest-fallen, afraid and uncertain.
Scared of...something.  But what?

He did not get an opportunity to seek an answer to that question, for
Ranma-chan was already rifling through the same drawer.  She came up with a
swimsuit in one hand, and a pair of men's swimming trunks in the other.  She
tossed the latter to Ranma.

"Here's yours.  I've got mine already," she said in a distracted tone.

"Hey..wait a minute...." said Ranma as Ranma-chan pushed past him.
 "Wait for what?  Nobody waits for me.  Like I said, all of you are too
damned anxious to go on with your lives."

"That's not fair!  I just wasn't thinking!" protested Ranma.

"Were you thinking about me this morning?  When we went for the morning jog?
Do you know how many times the two of you ignored me?"

"Two of...oh, you mean me and Akane.  I...."  Ranma trailed off...because he
did not have an answer to Ranma-chan's question.  Not an answer he wanted to
say out loud anyway.

"And about what I was talking about this morning.  Last night, I mean.
Let's talk about it a bit, please?"  It was not a request.

"Uh.  Okay.  You start," said Ranma, leaning on the doorway.

"Remember what I said this morning?  Well...now that I think about it, maybe
I was being...you know...too forward with you.  I knew what I was doing,
that's for sure.  I just...couldn't stop myself."

"Yeah, me too.  I knew what we were doing was not right, but I just couldn't
stop.  I loved every minute of it...and you know something?" said Ranma,
leaning in close, "I'm...I'm worried.  About you, that is.  I mean, what's
with the shopping spree yesterday?  What's with the new, girly clothes?"

"I...I guess I just got caught up in the whole thing, and I guess I got too
good at acting for my own good, huh?" said Ranma-chan, smiling
embarrassedly, not willing to admit that she had actually liked shopping,
not so much for the fact that she had bought feminine clothing but for the
very act itself.  It had been a social outing, a bonding of sorts that had
made Ranma-chan feel like she had *belonged*.  If Ranma ever caught wind of
her thoughts...
 "Acting? You've been acting like a girl?" said Ranma wonderingly.

"In case you didn't notice, I *am* a girl now so that point is kinda moot.
I...I had some fun, anyhow," added Ranma-chan, and immediately regretting
that.

"Since when was acting like a girl fun?  You know how we hated it
before...so what gives now?"

"Nothing.  I...I just found it fun, and I got kinda caught up in it, that's
all.  Nothing to worry about, okay?"  She smiled reassuringly, trying to
convince herself that everything was alright.

"Then what about last night?  Look, I really am worried about you.
You're...just not acting yourself lately," said Ranma.

"Hey, what's with the devil's advocate act, huh?  Are you blaming me for
last night??"

"I didn't say that!  All I said was that I was worried about you because..."

"I have not been acting myself, yeah.  How should I act?  Tell me," said
Ranma-chan, edging up to Ranma and putting her hands on her hips, "I'm
listening."

"Well...for one thing, you shouldn't be standing so close to...to me,"
blurted Ranma, staring down Ranma-chan's shirt.  Ranma-chan blushed and
hopped back a few feet, her hand already moving to adjust her shirt over her
breasts.

"Pervert," she muttered.

"Hey, you're the one who started it!"
 "Started what?  You peeked where you shouldn't be peeking!"

"Oh, like *you're* the prude here!  I seem to remember last night, when
you..."

"Shut up, will you? That's in the past now," said Ranma-chan as she folded
her arms and glared at Ranma somewhat angrily.

"Why should I shut up?  Didn't *you* want to talk about last night?" said
Ranma confidently, sensing that he had the upper hand.

"Yeah, I did, but not about what we were doing.  I wanted to talk about the
reason *why*."

"Well...you said that you were no longer the same person anymore.  And then
I asked you if you still loved Akane, but you left at that point.  What did
all that mean?"

"You see...lately..." Ranma-chan paused, then her hand crept to her pigtail
and began to play with it, "I've been feeling as if I've changed.  Not just
my body, but how I think, act, whatever.  Do you get it?"

"I kinda see the point, yeah."

"Do you?  I mean, right now...when I..." Ranma-chan halted again, and
glanced briefly at Ranma, running her eyes up and down his body.  Ranma did
not miss that look, nor its true meaning.  He blushed and coughed self
consciously.

"Okay, I think I get *that* point.  I just want to know *why*."

"Why?  Well...if you think about it, a guy...instinctively likes how a girl
looks, right?"

 "Well...yeah, I guess."

"Let me put it this way.  Do you...do you think I'm...cute?"  Ranma-chan
turned to face him, folding her hands behind her back and leaning in towards
him.

"What?"  Ranma blinked in stunned amazement.

"I said, do you think I'm cute?  Just a yes or a no will do."

"Umm...well, you...you are cute, I guess," said Ranma defensively, as if he
had admitted something he would have rather kept secret.

"You really think so?" asked Ranma-chan more insistently, walking a little
closer to Ranma now.

"What do YOU think?  Don't tell me that you don't remember lookin' at
yourself in the mirror or nothing when you were in girl form!" said Ranma,
his face as red as a beet.

"Anyhow, GETTING BACK to the subject on hand," said Ranma-chan as she
coughed politely, "I...I like looking at you.  I mean, whenever I look at
you...I feel like wanting to...touch you, I guess.  And be touched by you.
It just excites me, that's all."

"That's all?  You've just said that you're attracted to me, and that's all?"

"Well...not all.  I...I *want* you," blurted Ranma-chan, turning away now,
folding her hands before her, "I know I'm not supposed to be feeling like
this, but I can't help it."

 "Then...then what about Akane?  Don't you...still love her?" said Ranma,
uncomfortable talking about his feelings for Akane even to Ranma-chan.
Ranma-chan paused for a moment, then she nodded slowly.

"I still do.  But...but last night.  I...I had a bath."

"You had a bath?  So what?"

"With Akane."

"With...who??" exclaimed Ranma, "What...I mean, what did you two...uh...do?"

"Now I really know you're being a pervert!  We did nothing except wash one
another's backs, I'll have you know!" cried Ranma-chan hotly.

"No, no, no!  I wasn't thinking of stuff like that, honest!"

"Yeah, right."

"Whatever.  Anyhow, what about you bathing with Akane?"

"I found out bad a liar she really is.  I asked her if she still thought of
me as a guy, and she said yes.  Then...I asked her to kiss me, if she really
thought of me as a guy."

"K-kiss you?  Hey, why'd you call ME a pervert when you're one yourself?"

"I'm not!  I just wanted to see if she could, or not.  I didn't really want
to kiss her, you know!" shot back Ranma-chan.  There was silence for a few
moments.

"Did...did the two of you kiss?" Ranma asked tentatively.

 "No.  She shoved me away right when I was about to do it.  She said
something about how much of a sicko I was, and all that stuff.  You know
Akane."

"It's very interesting and all that, but what you said before doesn't quite
make sense with this.  You're saying that you love Akane but you didn't
really want to kiss her, even though you love her?"

"I still love her, I'll tell you that, but I'm not...like...obligated or
anything like that to kiss her, you know.  I...I still don't really know how
I feel.  Maybe I never will."

Then, before Ranma could say anything, Ranma-chan quickly left the room,
shutting the door behind her.  A minute later Ranma-chan poked her head into
the kitchen, where Akane was helping Kasumi put the dishes away.

"Umm....Akane?" she said.

"Yes?"  Akane was holding a metal frying pan cover.

"We...have to stop by Nekohanten before we go to the beach."

*Crunch*

The frying pan cover had crumpled like paper under Akane's grip.

"What for, RanKO?"  Akane smiled sweetly and put the piece of modern artwork
in the cupboard.

"Jeez, why me?" said Ranma-chan under her breath, then she spoke out loud,
"We have to get something from Shampoo."

"Who are you talking about, RanKO?"

 Akane started to reach for a porcelain plate while still looking at
Ranma-chan, but Kasumi quickly moved the dish rack out of her little
sister's grasping fingers and placed a wet dishcloth in Akane's hands.
Akane seemed not to notice as she wrung the dishcloth tighter, and tighter,
as if she were strangling some imagined enemy.  Kasumi smiled knowingly and
readied another wet dishcloth.

"Y'know...Shampoo.  It's really important."

"Why?  She'd only cause trouble."  Another dishcloth became bone-dry in a
matter of seconds.

"Come on, Akane!  What's wrong with bringing another person along?  Don't
you ever think about her feelings for once?  Don't you think she gets sick
of being alone and working in that restaurant?  I'm sure that ghoul can
handle the store by herself for one day."

Akane looked strangely at Ranma-chan for a moment, then she stepped out the
kitchen, grabbed her bag roughly, and headed out the door.  Kasumi smiled at
the five dishcloths Akane had wrung dry.

"What's with Akane?" asked Ranma as he joined up with Ranma-chan and Ryoga.

"Maybe I said something she couldn't swallow?" replied Ranma-chan, breezing
out the open door.

Ranma looked at Ryoga, who shrugged, then both of them left the Tendo
residence.

 The sun peeked over top of the houses flanking the little path the foursome
walked on, in the direction of Nekohanten.  A slight wind brought the last
vestiges of the cool morning air to swirl down the path, brushing a few
leaves to the side.  Then they reached Nekohanten and Akane turned to face
Ranma-chan.

"We'll wait outside while you go in and ask her, but I'm sure she'll be too
busy to get off work," said Akane, tapping a foot impatiently.

"Too busy...?" said Ranma-chan wonderingly.  Ranma and Ryoga followed the
redhead's gaze to the inside of the restaurant.  There were absolutely no
customers in sight.

"Well?  Go on.  Get inside and *take* whatever you want from her.  I'm sure
she won't mind, since it's *you* doing it, Ranma," said Akane to Ranma-chan.

"Hey!  I'm NOT like that!  What kind of pervert do you think I am?!"
protested Ranma-chan as she started to walk inside.

"I'll go in too..." said Ranma.  <Free ramen,  free ramen, free ramen!!> he
thought gleefully.

At least, until he was jerked backwards by Akane's hand on his pigtail.

"Oh no you don't.  YOU stay right here," growled Akane menacingly, "*What*
were you going to do, Ranma?"

"Uh...nothing...?"

 Ranma-chan ignored Ranma and Akane's little exchange as she pushed aside
the billowing drapes and stepped into the restaurant.  The delicious aroma
of cooking ramen and steaming pork buns wafted from the kitchen and into
Ranma-chan's nostrils, making her salivate.  It was as it was seen from the
outside - there were no customers at this time of the day and the only
person who seemed to be in the restaurant was Shampoo, who was
half-heartedly wiping a table.  She turned around at the sound of
Ranma-chan's footsteps.

"Girl-type Ranma," said Shampoo.  She sighed as she plopped herself into a
nearby chair and indicated Ranma-chan take a seat as well.

"So...what's up?" said Ranma-chan.

"Shampoo SO-O bored."  She rested her arm on the table and put her chin on
her palm.

"Why's that?"

"Shampoo have to work in here, but is no customers.  Shampoo have nothing to
do."  Shampoo absent-mindedly twirled a bowl by the rim on the tip of her
index finger of her other hand as she spoke.

"Look, if I get your great-great grandmother to let you off work for the
day, will you do me a favor?"  Ranma-chan sensed an opening.

"Is true?  Girl-type Ranma can get Shampoo off work?"

"Trust me!  I'm sure she'll agree!  That withered old mummy ought to know
better than to...."

Ranma-chan suddenly threw her hand up - just in time to catch a well-aimed
chopstick that had just shot out of the kitchen.

"And WHO were you calling a withered old mummy?!"

Cologne came hopping out of the kitchen on her stick with a takeout bag of
hot dumplings in one hand.

"Great-great grandmother, can Shampoo go out?" asked Shampoo as she flounced
up and over to Cologne.
 "I don't see why not.  A day like this is for youngsters to enjoy...and
besides there's not much business on a Sunday.  I can
handle it...you go on ahead and have some fun."

"Is true, great-great grandmother?" said Shampoo excitedly.

"Yes, child.  And take these dumplings with you."  She tossed a bag to
Shampoo, "I have a feeling that you might be going to the beach."

"Beach, girl-type Ranma?  Who go beach with you?" asked Shampoo.

"A bunch of people.  Come on, it'll be fun!"

"Shampoo go get swimsuit and no-water soap. Wait here, girl-type Ranma!"

Shampoo seemed to have lost all vestiges of her earlier mood, and she was
half-way up the stairs before Ranma-chan remembered.

"Hey...bring two bars of that soap!" she called.

"Okay.  Is no problem," replied Shampoo as she disappeared from view.

Ranma-chan heard a splash of water and the furious quacking of a duck,
followed by what sounded like a minor struggle between the duck and Shampoo,
who kept scolding the duck to `hold still so Shampoo can tie stupid duck
up'.  After the minor altercation, Shampoo returned with her swimsuit and
two bars of soap.  She tossed one to Ranma-chan and the two headed outside
the restaurant.  As Shampoo exits the restaurant, she and Akane met eye to
eye in a searing confrontation that scorched the humid atmosphere with its
sheer intensity.

 "Aiyaa...we is going to beach?  Is good, so Shampoo can help beached whale
get back into water!"  Shampoo smirked as Akane's face went red with
embarrassment and anger.

"Who are you calling a beached whale, you little....!?" cried Akane.

"Look who is calling who `little', Akane!  From what Shampoo see, you is
*little*!" said Shampoo as she glanced at Akane's breasts without a hint of
shame, "On other hand...Shampoo *quite* big..."

"The only thing big here is your mouth and your ego, you tramp!  You think
*you're* the only one who is `big'!" snarled Akane back, pointing a finger
at Shampoo.

"Oh?  So Akane think she big?  Okay...Akane sure have *big* waist and *big*
tummy!  Must be too-too delicious food Kasumi cook!"

"RRRRGH!"

"Um, you guys?  Let's go before Nabiki loses her spot on the beach!" said
Ranma in an attempt to defuse the situation.

"Okay, ai ren!  We go!" cried Shampoo as she tossed Akane a sneer and clung
onto Ranma's arm.

"Let's go already!" yelled Ranma-chan as she grabbed Akane and Ryoga by the
hand and pulled them after a retreating Ranma/Shampoo `couple'.  She
surreptitously slipped Ryoga the anti-water soap as she placed her hand in
Ryoga's.

Minutes later they reached the beach.  The girls headed off to their
changing section and the guys went to theirs.

 "Wow, so this is what the inside of a women's changeroom looks like..."
said Ranma-chan in wonder, "And why does everything smell like perfume, or
something?"

"And you're not already familiar with it....?" teased Akane.

"That was only because I wanted to find that Nannichuan under that girls'
locker room!" said Ranma-chan back in a whisper.

"Oh, well.  I suppose you can't change in the men's section.  You are
welcome to do so, if you want to..."

"And have everyone drooling over me?!  No, thanks but I'd rather have a
shower with water, not saliva."

"I'm just kidding!  Can't you take a joke?"  Akane picked her towel up and
began to walk to the shower area, followed by both Shampoo and Ranma-chan.

Shampoo stripped naked in front of Akane and Ranma-chan, showing off her
tremendously well-proportioned curves with a knowing sneer on her face
directed at Akane, before she started to wash herself under the shower hose
with the anti-water soap.  Akane glowered at Ranma-chan, who recoiled at the
amount of venom in that gaze, so unlike Akane.

"Wasn't it a such a good idea to bring her along, Ranma," said Akane.

"Aw, Akane.  Give me and her a break, willya?"  Ranma-chan began to strip
her clothes off.  Akane looked surprised at the lack of concern on
Ranma-chan's part - as if undressing in front of her, and other girls, was
an everyday occurance.

 Ranma-chan pulled her shirt up and off her shoulders, tossing her head a
bit to move her bangs out of her eyes.  She grabbed the sides of her shorts
and pushed it down her legs, bending over in the process and stepping out of
them. With a curse she reached back and adjusted her panties - they had been
pulled down just a bit - and with yet another curse she slapped herself
mentally.  She was going to have to take it all off anyhow, so why did she
bother?

She expertly undid her bra and she let it fall to the floor, to rest beside
her shorts.  Then, with a quick glance at Akane - who was in the process of
taking her shirt off - Ranma-chan quickly slid her panties off and she
stepped up to the shower.

Akane stole quick glances at both Ranma-chan and Shampoo, comparing their
figures with hers, their breast sizes with her own.  She undid her bra and
took her panties off, then she stepped up beside Ranma-chan at the showers
and she turned the water on.

Ranma-chan didn't seem to notice as she tilted her face upwards in the
stream of cool water, letting the cleansing liquid flow down her face, over
her breasts and down her body; little rivulets of pure water running over
her backside and between her legs, to snake their way down her shapely
calves and onto the ceramic floor.  Her perfect skin glowed with a healthy
sheen and she let out a small sigh of pleasure.   Akane finally turned back
to showering herself.

Ranma-chan, sensing that Akane was finally not paying any attention to her,
opened her eyes and looked around the shower area.  The sight of naked
females all around didn't even elicit a twinge of pleasure in her body.  She
remembered the time when she, Mr. Tendo and her dad went off to search for
the Happodaikirin scroll, and she had been forced to infiltrate a girls-only
hot spring in order to lay hands on the scroll.  How she had been
intimidated, yet sexually excited by the sight of nude female bathers even
though she had been in girl-form at that time!  She turned the shower hose
off and she went off to get changed into her swimsuit.

 Outside the men's changeroom, Ranma and Ryoga waited impatiently for the
three female members of their troupe to emerge from the women's room.

"What's keeping them so long?" complained Ryoga, annoyed at having to wait.

"Don't ask me, I'm not a girl.  Well, not a girl anymore, that
is!" replied Ranma, whacking his chest in pride.

A slight breeze stirred the air and brought the smell of hotdogs, charred
squid-on-a-stick and steamed pork buns wafting over, making Ranma's mouth
water.  He glanced anxiously over at the women's section - still no sign of
the girls.

"So, how's it like not being cursed anymore...?"

"What was that, Ryoga?" replied Ranma, distracted a bit by the growling in
his stomach.

"I said...how's it like without a curse?  I mean, I've kinda forgotten how
it feels to be uncursed."

"Feels just great!!  Now I can take all the cold showers I want without
having to dunk myself in hot water to change back into a guy!  Now I don't
have Kuno running after me, except to challenge me.  Hey,
it's PA-RA-DISE for me, man!"

"You don't know what you're lucky to have until you lose it, eh?  Do you
think it'd be a good idea to use that Nullifier...on me?" said Ryoga
hopefully.

"It depends on whether you can stand being a pig for the rest of your life."
 "Huh?"  Ryoga looked shocked.

"Still don't get it?  See, the Nullifier cancels out the curse but it leaves
the two forms split apart - with the same personality."  Ranma used hand
gestures to emphasize his point.

"Same personality?  But the girl Ranma is acting a little funny, if you ask
me."

"What?  You noticed it too?"  Ranma glanced over at Ryoga.

"Well, she's not acting like you.  I can't pinpoint it, but I just know
she's not the same."

"Whatever.  Anyhow, turning into a pig must suck and being a full-time pig
must REALLY suck.  Don't use the Nullifier if you don't want to stay a pig
the rest of your life.  One of you, anyhow."

"Oh, here they come.  Took them long enough," said Ryoga as he swiped a hand
through his hair.

Ranma-chan hopped out of the changeroom and landed on the ground, relishing
the feeling of hot sand beneath her soles and between her toes.  She glanced
up at Ranma and Ryoga, and she smiled while putting her hands behind her
back and tilting her head to one side.

"So, how do you guys like my new swimsuit?" she asked.

"It's...kind of revealing.  I mean, look at the sides...they've been cut out
too big..and the zipper looks like it's going to burst at the seams," said
Ranma, hand on chin and staring at the item in question.  The zipper, which
ran from the top of Ranma-chan's bust to her navel, *did* seem a little
tight.

 "It's...it's..." said Ryoga, hand on chin as well.

"Quite sexy lookin' huh?  I think so too," said Ranma with a smile.

"Really?  Oh well.  I guess that's the point of swimsuits.  Nothing I can do
about it, huh?" said Ranma-chan, turning away to stare at the sky, lost in
her thoughts.

"Hey, what did I say?  What's wrong?  I was just kidding, you know."

"Oh...nothing.  You just...you know...made me...*think*," replied
Ranma-chan, forcing a smile for Ranma's benefit.

Then Shampoo walked out of the changeroom in her daring two-piece thong.  It
was as skimpy as could possibly be; mere bits and pieces of material held
together by thin strings in criss-cross fashion covering essential feminine
anatomy, and heads were starting to turn - all of them male.

And as if that weren't enough, Shampoo herself was stunning to say the
least.  Long, lush, lavender hair bounced lightly on her smooth back as
Shampoo hopped and skipped over to Ranma.

"Ai ren like Shampoo's swimsuit?" she asked as she grabbed a hold of Ranma's
arm and pressed herself *close* to him.  If looks of jealousy and envy could
kill, Ranma would have been disintegrated
many times over since many, many guys were looking over in his direction.
Not to mention...one certain female with short, black hair and a temper like
a Cape Buffalo.

"Err...arrrgh!" was Ranma's succint reply.  Akane had grabbed a hold of his
other arm and she was pulling him in Nabiki's direction.  Then, a la
tug-of-war, the two girls began to pull.
 "Come on, Ranma!  Nabiki can't wait forever!" cried Akane, half dragging
him with her.

"Tom boy girl, what you doing!?" cried Shampoo, half dragging Ranma with her
in the opposite direction.

"Uh..guys?  I think my arms are getting longer by the second....!" protested
the item of dispute.

"I'm taking him away from the likes of you!  I mean, look - at - you!  You
might as well take the whole thing off and run around naked!  Not that it
would make any difference...especially on somebody like you!" snarled Akane.

"You just jealous because you no have figure to show off!  Shampoo wonder
why you no have two-piece swimsuit!  Built like brick, legs too thick!"

"Hey!  That's MY saying!" cried Ranma.  Then he made his mind up and pulled
both arms in, hoping to free them.  Unfortunately he brought both girls with
him and all three collided with a dull *smack*.

"Ranma, wo ai ni!"  Shampoo had taken advantage of the situation by throwing
herself in a too-too passionate hug with the hapless Ranma.

"Ranma, what are you doing??" cried Akane, slapping him with a free hand.

"Come ON, you guys!  People are *watching*!"

Ranma-chan had intervened and grabbed both Akane and Shampoo's hands, then
she pulled them with her over to Nabiki.  Just to avoid further disputes,
Ranma and Ryoga followed close behind - even though they had wanted to get
some food first.
 The fivesome FINALLY plopped down on the beach towels that Nabiki got off
someone, and they begin to enjoy the warming rays of the sun while listening
to nearby CD players, belonging to other people, positioned strategically
around their beach spot.  When Ranma commented about  how lucky they were to
be so close to other peoples' CD players, saving them from the trouble of
bringing their own, Nabiki only smiled and sipped at her iced tea, implying
that luck had nothing to do with it.  The day passed slowly, much to their
relief and delight, and the activity on the beach increased as the sun moved
closer and closer to its zenith in the near-cloudless sky.

The heat was sweltering and females all around began to undo the back of
their tops in order to fully tan their bodies.  A solitary yacht rode the
waves five hundred metres out to sea - it had eight or nine people on it and
they were having the time of their lives, judging by the amount of singing,
yelling, whooping and laughter coming out from sea.

Ranma opened his eyes and surveyed the beach.  A group of people walked by
with icecream cones in their hands.  They seemed to be enjoying the treats
immensely...which stirred a desire for icecream inside him.

"I'm goin' for an ice cream.  Coming, anybody?" he remarked, half-expecting
a reply from Ranma-chan.  When nobody answered he glanced at where
Ranma-chan last was.  It was empty, a girl-shaped depression in the towel to
mark her leaving.  Ranma shrugged his shoulders and got to his feet.  Then
he made his way over to the nearest icecream store, his hands already
fishing for money.  How he wished icecream were free!

"Wow!  You sure can finish a banana split quickly, y'know that?"
"That's amazing!  Want another one?  I'll pay!"

 <There go some guys trying to pick up a girl> he thought absently as he
ducked under the low canvas awning and walked up to the counter in front of
him.

"Sure, guys!  Another one!"

<What the...?> Ranma looked up in surprise and he saw Ranma-chan sitting at
a table, her legs folded cutely beneath her seat, guzzling icecream to her
heart's content.  She was surrounded by admiring boys, amongst them his
friends, including Hiroshi and Daisuke.  Suddenly all thoughts of an
icecream cone flew out of his mind as he silently ghosted closer to the
table.

"Thanks, boys....how much was that again?" said Ranma-chan as she grinned
gleefully.

"780 yen!  But for you, it's free!" said one guy enthusiastically, already
digging into his wallet for more money to blow.

"Let me buy you another one when you finish that one, okay?" cried another
guy.

"No, let me!" yelled another guy.

"Whoa, *slow* down, guys!!"  Ranma-chan devoured a banana split with obvious
gusto.

"Ranko?"  It was Hiroshi and Ranma-chan turned to regard him.

"Hmm?" she said with a spoon in her mouth.

"Do you want to..."  Hiroshi trailed off, unable to complete his sentence.

 "Are you doing anything later tonight, 'Roshi?  If you are, tell me...I
know I'll be bored as hell when I get back."

There was a moment of silence as everybody digested what Ranma-chan has just
said.  An opening!!

"WanttogoouttotheMOVIEStonightI'llpay,ofcourse!
ThenlateronwecantryoutthatnewrestaurantyouknowhavesomeFOODandstuff."
Hiroshi wiped his brow free of sweat.

"Did you say movies?  And did I hear food?  Sure!  Well...alright.  Say,
what happened to going to fast food joints?  Oh, I don't care.  You just pay
my way and I'll tag along!  Seven sound fine?" cried Ranma-chan happily, too
caught up with the prospect of free food and movie tickets to worry about
anything else.

Hiroshi raised his arms up and silently mumbled his thanks to the powers
that be - just as all the guys mobbed him.   Ranma made his way over to
Ranma-chan's side.  The clink of spoons on glass bowls stopped - at least
from the table to his left.  It was filled with girls, all of them in
swimsuits.  All of them were quite cute.  Whispers began, followed by
giggles.  Ranma slid up next to Ranma-chan at the counter seat.

"Hey, Ranko..." he began.  Immediately he heard female groans of
disappointment, then more whispers...followed by excited chatter.

"Ranma!  Have a seat!" said Ranma-chan enthusiastically.  Her mouth was
flecked with bits of banana and icecream, and she wiped it off
self-consciously.

"Don't you think you're overdoing it, Ranko?" he said quietly, filling his
voice with concern.

 "Hey, how can I pass up free treats, free food and free movie tickets?
These guys must really want to get on my good side!  I was never this
popular before!"

"That's because you're encouraging them.  Look, if you don't encourage them,
they will eventually give up on you and you'll have less trouble to deal
with."

"Trouble?  Where?  All I see is icecream, icecream and more
icecream...followed by food and entertainment!  All free, of course...and I
might as well enjoy it while it lasts."  Ranma-chan began to dig into her
icecream again.

"You didn't see ME doing this sort of stuff when we were one person..."
complained Ranma.

"Why?  Jealous already?  Why don't you go sit with those girls to your left?
I'm sure they'll just LOVE to shower you with attention...hey, you might
even get a free treat or two out of it, if you know what I mean," said
Ranma-chan, ending off with a sly wink.

"Cut it out!  I'm not like that!" said Ranma hotly.

"You don't like girls then?" came Ranma-chan's innocent reply.

"Of course I like girls...!" Ranma whispered fiercely into Ranma-chan's ear.

"Then it's gonna be heaven on earth for you, because two of those girls are
coming up to the counter," whispered Ranma-chan.  Sure enough, two pretty
teenage girls - one with a ponytail and the other with shoulder-length
hair - got up from the table and walked up to the counter, next to Ranma.
Ranma-chan stifled a giggle as Ranma's face turned red.

 He could practically feel the two girls scrutinizing him, their gazes
running up his well-defined arms, soft sighs seeming to punctuate every few
inches of his arms, then to his chest and up to his face.  And there they
lingered the longest.

"Miss?  Your icecream is ready..." said the cashier, a woman in her
twenties.

The girls apologized then they took their icecream back to their tables, and
the chatter started again.  Ranma began to breathe easy, then he turned back
to Ranma-chan.

"Look, don't change the sub....Ranko?"

Ranma whirled around to look.  He scanned and found Ranma-chan at their
site, poking Akane on the nose with one finger to wake her up.  Then she
pointed towards the water and said something, even as Akane sat up and
rubbed her eyes.  Ranma let out a sigh and left to join them in swimming.

Finally, the temperature began to drop and people started to pack their
beach things up in preparation of leaving.  Ranma, Ranma-chan, Akane and
Nabiki were heading back to the Tendo Dojo - Shampoo had gone off on her own
and Ryoga - who had been bringing up the vanguard of the troupe - had gotten
himself lost, as usual.

Akane opened the door and called, "We're home!"

"Akane, how was your day at the beach?" Kasumi asked.

"It was great, Kasumi!  Except for one, little thing...." Akane trailed off
and glared at Ranma-chan out of the corner of her eye.

"Are you still hung up over that?  I mean, come on!  At least the two of you
didn't beat each other up into pulp!"

 "Who are you talking about, Ranma?  Who was going to beat Akane up?" Kasumi
asked, just as sweetly as before.

"Shampoo!  She and Akane were fighting all the way to the beach, and then
some!"

"Oh, that's terrible.  I hope Shampoo and Akane will become friends soon.
Now, how about some supper for all of you?" said Kasumi as she began to walk
to the kitchen.

The three looked at each other, then they shrugged their shoulders and
dropped the subject.  Ranma homed in on some food, Nabiki began to count the
money she had made at the beach, Akane headed upstairs to put her clothes
away and Ranma-chan was left milling around uncertainly.  She glanced at the
clock.  It was six o'clock...and her stomach was growling.  She weighed the
pros and cons of eating before going out, but when she considered the fact
that Hiroshi was going to pay for food, and at a good restaurant yet....

Minutes later she was in the shower and enjoying every minute of it.  Hot
water ran in streams down her smooth skin, taking with it all her worries
and concerns.  On an impulse she reached behind and brought her pigtail over
her shoulder, then she quickly undid it.  Her wet hair slowly untwirled into
silky strands and with a toss of her head she put her hair behind her.
After a few minutes spent shampooing and rinsing, she pulled the shower
curtain back and stepped out onto the cool bathroom tiles, her bare feet
making slapping sounds as she made her way over to the mirror.  She brushed
the wet and dripping hair from her face and she let all of it hang over her
left shoulder, where it brushed her breast slightly.

 How much different she looked without her trademark pigtail.  So much more
like...a girl.  She turned from the mirror abruptly, trying not to get into
self inspection but it was already too late.  Through the haze of mist she
could also make out her figure - and there was nothing masculine about it at
all.  She cupped her hands on her breasts and jiggled them slightly - they
bounced a bit, and felt rather firm.  Smiling shyly to see how beautiful it
made her look, she twisted slightly to one side and raised her right thigh
slightly, her right foot supporting her leg on her toes, while crossing her
arms over her breasts.

Then she dropped her come-hither pose and ran her hands down her sides,
noting the curvature of her body with new fascination.  Were her hips too
big?  She patted them, and she felt immense satisfaction for they felt quite
firm...and their curvature - which she had mistaken for fat - was only
natural.  Brushing hair back from her face and putting a stray lock or two
over her shoulder, she quickly dried herself off.

"Oh great, I forgot to bring a change of clothes!" she said out loud,
looking around to see if there was anything clean to wear but she found
nothing...except her own towel.

She wrapped herself in the towel as best as she could, for it barely covered
half her breasts and it extended a little less than halfway down her thighs.
Peeking out the bathroom door first to make sure the coast was clear, she
rushed from the bathroom up the stairs and into her room, quickly shutting
the door behind her.

With a quick glance to make sure nobody was around, she gratefully dropped
her towel and found a panty and a bra sitting in her drawer.  She quickly
pulled them on.  Then she checked in the closet for some clothes.

She found none.  No clothes were waiting on their hangers, nor were there
any in the drawers.  Perplexed, she rummaged around her bedding, and even
Ranma's futon but she turned up nothing at all.

 The first hints of fear gripped her heart as she realized that other than
the smelly clothes she had just put into the clothes hamper in the bathroom
she had nothing to wear.  Frantic despair took over now and she found
herself checking under the two futons, and even under the work desk by
getting down on her fours and searching....all of which being done while
dressed in a pair of skimpy panties and an equally revealing bra.

Finally she decided upon a course of action.  She stood up and tossed the
towel near her bath things.  Then, poking her head out of her door to make
sure nobody was in the hallway, she jumped out of her room and padded
quickly over to Akane's room.  She knocked on the door.

"Yes?  Who is it?" came Akane's voice from inside, sending a jolt of relief
into Ranma-chan.

"It's me!  I've....got to ask you a favor."

Ranma-chan could hear a drawer being opened, then a zipper being unzipped.
It took Akane a long five seconds to formulate a reply.

"What kind of favor?" came the answer at last.

Ranma-chan could hear some rustling of clothing, louder this time, from
inside the room.

"I don't wanna talk about it in the hallway.  Could I come inside, please?"

"Ranma, I'm changing right now and I really don't think..." came Akane's
voice again, this time with a hint of exasperation - as if Ranma-chan hadn't
taken the hint to go away.

"Akane....I'm down to my underwear in the hallway and if somebody should
come up and see me like this I'll simply *die*!!  Akane, please let me in!"
pleaded Ranma-chan.  Already she could hear some voices from the foot of the
stairs.  They sounded like they were going to come up.
 The door cracked open a bit and Akane peered out...then without a second
thought she reached out and pulled Ranma-chan into her room, shutting the
door behind her and locking it.  Ranma-chan, a little nervous and
understandably *exposed*, made her way over to Akane's window and made sure
that the curtains were drawn tight.  Then she turned to regard her saviour.

"Ranma....why're you not wearing any clothes?" said Akane as she began to
strap a bra on.

"Well...you see...I....I had a shower and I thought I had clean and
good-smelling clothes upstairs I could wear since the clothes we took to the
beach now smell....and I need some clothes right away, Akane, and it's
important," said Ranma-chan in one breath.  She exhaled at the end of her
sentence and looked at Akane guiltily.

"You can borrow that coverall and that pink shirt...you know, the one that
says `China' on it in English letters?  That ought to still fit you,
shouldn't it?  Especially around the hips and chest."  Akane managed to bite
back a snide remark about *that* particular garment.

"But...." began Ranma-chan uncertainly.

"But what?  You're not planning on going somewhere today, are you?"

"Actually...I am.  I'm going out with someone."  Ranma-chan immediately
regretted saying that.  Now Akane was going to demand an explanation!

"Oh.  Well, I guess I could lend you a pair of shorts and a T-shirt..." said
Akane as she finished pulling her shirt on and she turned to her drawer.

 "But...but we're going to this new restaurant.  I'll stand out in casual
clothing.  Don't you have anything...more..I dunno...formal?  For girls?"

"Hey, wait a minute.  Who exactly are you going out with anyhow?  Who is
he...or she?" said Akane, turning back to Ranma-chan with interest in her
eyes now.

"It sure ain't Ukyo," said Ranma-chan, dodging around the question.

"Now who's the one being the pervert?  Tell me, Ranma...!"  Akane deftly
tackled Ranma-chan again verbally.

"I...don't see why it should be any of your business, Akane."

Akane stood up and grabbed Ranma-chan's arms from behind.  Then she began to
shove the slightly smaller red-haired girl towards the door.

"Hey, what are you doing?  Let me go!" cried Ranma-chan, squirming
anxiously.

"Since it's none of my business, you don't have a reason to be here and I'm
sure you'd much rather be out in the hallways *half-naked* than be in here
picking out your stuff for your *big date*."  The raven-haired girl opened
her door and began to shove Ranma-chan out into the hallway.  Ranma-chan
squealed in terror and threw herself on Akane, holding tightly to the other
girl with one hand, the other hand self-consciously pulling her panties
up...for they had accidently slipped.

"Akane, don't be so mean!  I'm practically naked, you know!!" cried
Ranma-chan.  Akane pried herself off Ranma-chan and began to turn her
around, to push her out of her room.

"So what?  You've run around with less before and because you won't tell me
who you're going out with..."
 "Okay, okay!  I'll tell you already!  Just let me back in and close the
door, okay?  Please?" whined Ranma-chan, her arms on either side of the door
jamb and her head turned to regard Akane plaintively.  Akane seemed to
consider for a moment, then she released pressure on Ranma-chan and let her
fall back inside.  The door shut a moment later and a slim hand snaked out
to turn the latch and lock it.

"Now then.  Who is it?" said Akane as she picked up a comb and began to do
her hair while sitting on her bed.  Ranma-chan squirmed nervously beside
her, her legs crossed under her.

"Hiroshi," blurted Ranma-chan finally.  She felt that her face was as red as
her hair.

"So then, what's the big deal?  He's your friend after all, right?"

"Yeah, but he's gonna pay for everything!  I mean, since when has he done
that for me?  Or for anyone?  We're seeing a movie, then we're going to that
restaurant...it's called `Kobayashi Gardens' or something like that..."

"KOBAYASHI GARDENS!?  Do you *know* how expensive that place is??" Akane
exclaimed in surprise.

"Umm....no?" said Ranma-chan, sweating a bit now.  Kobayashi Gardens?
Expensive?  Something was seriously wrong here.

"Five out of five stars for service, atmosphere and food!  That place is
also packed every night....and the *two* of you are going to eat there?"

"Umm...yeah, I guess so," grumbled Ranma-chan, trying to salvage her pride
now by feigning indifference.  So what if Hiroshi wanted to spend money on
good food?  It was not HER money.

 "Well....seems like he got you hook, line and sinker."

"What do you mean?"  Ranma-chan looked at Akane quizzically.

"Did he offer to pay for everything?"

"Yes."

"Was he talking pretty fast and acting quite nervous?"

"Yes."

"Then that settles it!  You....are going to have a date with Hiroshi!
Congratulations!" said Akane.  She giggled at the stunned look on
Ranma-chan's face.

"A date?!  I...I mean....how?"

"Fast-talk sure does wonders for a guy, you know?  Anyhow, let's get
something on you."  Akane pulled a long sweater on - it reached down to her
knees and it had a design of a clock on it - then she opened her closet and
began to poke around inside.

"What a change of heart you've had, Akane.  One minute you're ready to toss
me out on my butt, the next you're helping me out.  I'll never figure you
out, you know?" complained Ranma-chan as she walked up beside Akane, her
thoughts still swirling from Akane's revelation.  A date?!  With Hiroshi?!

"I wasn't really going to throw you out...it was a joke.  Sort of.  Here,
try this one on."  Akane produced a pale blue dress with a low-cut bust and
handed it to Ranma-chan.

 "What's this?" asked Ranma-chan, pointing a finger at the dress,
momentarily forgetting her troubles.

"A dress."

"I KNOW it's a dress, but why're you giving it to me?  Don't you have
something like a pair of pants and a nice looking dress shirt?"

"You said you wanted formal wear, Ranma."

"Yeah, I did, but not THIS formal!"  Ranma-chan shook her head.  "A dress.
Is that all you've got?"

"I've got more dresses, if you want.  In nine different colors, and six
different styles."

"No, no, no!  That's not what I meant.  Look, don't you have stuff like what
Nabiki wears?"

"If you want to wear Nabiki's clothes, then go ask her yourself."

"And get charged an arm and a leg?  Uh-uh," said Ranma-chan.  She sighed in
exasperation, looked around helplessly for a full minute, then she nodded
curtly.  "I guess I'm stuck with the dress.  Help me on with it, will ya?"

"Oh, no.  Not just THIS dress.  Try other dresses too!" said Akane
gleefully.

Over the course of the next half hour Akane played `dress-up' with
Ranma-chan, until a veritable pile of discarded clothing - dresses amongst
others - lay on the bed.  Inwardly Ranma-chan wondered where in heck Akane
managed to get her vast array of clothing from, considering that her
allowance was a pittance at best.

 Eventually both girls settled on a dark blue dress - not too revealing but
not too prudish.  Akane added the final touch as she zipped up the back of
Ranma-chan's dress.  She stood back and dusted her hands off.

"There!" she said, "I hope it fits you okay!"

Ranma-chan felt the unfamiliar sensation of wearing something that chafed a
bit at her skin and made her feel like something on display, but she could
not deny that she did look her best.  The bust covered a fair amount of her
chest, there were no sleeves and there was a slight slit up the sides to
expose a teasing bit of leg.  She posed here and there in front of Akane's
mirror, the other girl peering over her shoulder to see if there was
anything she had missed.  Ranma-chan tossed her hair over her shoulder onto
her back and began to play with it, arranging strands here and there.

"By the way, why'd you undo your pigtail?" asked Akane.

"Just felt like it.  That's all," said Ranma-chan, on the defensive again.
Akane nodded then she walked over to another drawer and pulled it open.

"And now...for the jewelry!" she said happily.

"OH NO!  No jewelry for me, Akane!" said Ranma-chan adamantly.

"But you have to!  It's just....part of the dress!  Here...try this necklace
and this bracelet!  It simply wouldn't be without you without the jewelry,
trust me!"  Akane's eyes were flushed with excitement and she was smiling -
no, grinning.  Apparently she did enjoy tinkering with various combinations
of clothing and accessories...and Ranma-chan was her guinea pig, so to
speak; to squeak in protest everytime Akane replaced the current bracelet
with another one, and to cringe in horror as Akane tried out different
necklaces.  They felt more like collars than items of jewelry.
 Finally, after a bit of wrangling on Akane's part, Ranma-chan agreed to
wear the bracelet but not the necklace.  The bracelet was a gold-colored
band, twisted in an intricate pattern to span three inches from the
beginning of Ranma-chan's wrist up her forearm.  Tentatively Ranma-chan
opened Akane's door and walked out, feeling just a tad foolish in her loaned
dress...right until Ranma ascended the stairway and stopped dead in his
tracks.  He cleared his throat.

"Well?" said Ranma-chan, her face already reddening.

"......" said Ranma, a hand on his chin and his eyes roaming up and down
Ranma-chan and her dress.

"Aren't you going to say anything??"

"Hey, I'm not one for dresses, okay?  I'm a guy!" said Ranma defensively,
but the look in his eyes betrayed his words.  He DID like the dress...and
the way it fit on Ranma-chan.

"And what about me?  Aren't I a guy too?" asked Ranma-chan softly.

"Not lookin' like that, you don't.  H-hey.  Wh...what did you do to your
hair?  Where's the pigtail?" said Ranma, desperate to change the subject.

"I...decided not to wear it.  It's kinda different but..."

"You...you just don't look right without it.  Here....use this hairtie,"
said Ranma as he reached into his pocket and produced the item in question,
which Ranma-chan took.

 "You know, I just kinda felt like letting my hair down for a bit.  That's
all," said Ranma-chan, snapping her hair tie into its final loop, completing
her pigtail, "So...what're your thoughts on...my...I mean, on the d-dress?"

"Umm...say, why're you wearing a bracelet?"

Ranma-chan sighed and threw her arms in the air.

"Akane forced it on me.  I had to take it....or else.  You know.  Standard
Operating Procedure number one.  Do as Akane says or else."

"Yeah.  Too bad I'm not one for Standard Operating Procedures, huh?"

"Hah, that's for sure.  I was just about to quote Standard Operating
Procedure number two.  Ignore everything above," said Ranma-chan with a sly
grin.

"Yeah, then how come you're wearing a dress and a bracelet?  Isn't it just a
friendly outing?"

"Umm....I don't know."  Suddenly, Ranma-chan's face was serious.  "Say...do
you think I'm...I'm..."

"So, Ranma.  How do you like my dress?"

Ranma looked away from Ranma-chan, to see Akane standing there watching both
of them.  Akane was wearing her long sweater, not her dress, and he was
about to say so when Akane held a hand up.

"Sorry, should have said *my* dress on *her*.  She's wearing it because she
has this big date tonight and she had absolutely nothing to wear!"  She
grinned conspiratorially at Ranma, "Well, what do you think of it?"

"Ummm.....well, I like it!" said Ranma helplessly.
 "You do?" said Ranma-chan half-wonderingly, with just a touch of worry,
"Tell me the truth.  I...I look good in this dress?  How come?"

"Uh...because it looks good on you, that's all!  You look perfect for it, I
guess."

"Oh, so my dress looks good only on her, is that it?" said Akane dangerously
as she eyed Ranma.  Ranma felt himself on the horns of a dilemma, a
lose-lose situation.

"Akane, NOTHING looks good on you!" said Ranma, and he was immediately
clubbed over the railing with a well-placed swipe from Akane's mallet.
Ranma-chan could have sworn he had a resigned look on his face just before
the mallet struck...but, perhaps it was only her imagination.

"Well now.  Why don't you run along for your big date?" said Akane as she
peeked over the railing to see where Ranma was.  Ranma, as quick as always,
was nowhere to be seen.

"What is it with you, Akane?  It's not REALLY a date.  I think," said
Ranma-chan as she began to walk down the stairs.  Akane followed close
behind.

"Yeah, sure.  That's what YOU think, Ranma."

"Akane, don't rub it in.  I don't know what's gotten into me...but now I'm
thinking that I shouldn't have agreed to...to go out with Hiroshi."

"What's happening?  The Great Ranma Saotome getting cold feet all of a
sudden?" teased Akane.

 "Akane, I'm serious!  I have a kinda bad feeling about this...this
date-thingamajig.  It just...scares me, I guess.  I mean, it scares the hell
out of me to find out that I'm here, wearing a dress, a bracelet and I'm
about to go on a date with a guy who is just a friend!  I don't know, Akane.
Is what I'm doing right?  Is it just me or am I turning into someone else
whom I don't even know the first thing about?"  Ranma-chan sighed and sat
down on one of the stairs.

Akane considered Ranma-chan's words.  This was a side of Ranma she had never
seen before, and it frightened her to see the usually confident Ranma-chan
looking so scared and confused - even if she didn't quite understand what
Ranma-chan was saying.  She sat next to Ranma-chan and put a hand on her
shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Ranma.  I shouldn't have forced you to wear that dress and
bracelet.  I guess I was just trying to see if you'd look good in them,
that's all.  Girls do that, you know."  Akane paused, then she stood up,
"Come back upstairs.  I think I do have a pair of pants or something that
doesn't look like a dress or a skirt.  Why don't you try them on?"

"Akane...you've only just finished telling me that all you had in formal
wear were dresses...in six different colours and nine different styles,"
mumbled Ranma-chan.

"That's nine different colours, six different styles," said Akane, looking
uncomfortable now.  What had seemed to be a white lie was turning out to be
much more.  Honestly, she just wanted to see how Ranma-chan would look in
those dresses, that's all...she hadn't meant anything bad by that, had she?

"Whatever."  Ranma-chan sighed and waved a hand in the air dismissively,
"Forget it.  I'll stick with this outfit.  Took me long enough to get into
it, it'll probably take me longer to get out of it and into new duds."
Ranma-chan stood up and began to walk down the stairs, but Akane caught her
by the hand.

 "Look, if you don't want to go out with Hiroshi, then don't.  Just stay in,
and tell him that you got sick.  I'll vouch for you, and I'll get Ranma to
vouch for you too!" she said in earnest.

Ranma-chan shook her head.

"No, Akane.  I can't do that.  He's already waiting for me...and if I don't
show up, his feelings will be hurt.  I mean, not that I like him like *that*
or anything, but how would you feel if somebody you really liked promised to
show up but never did?  And any number of excuses just won't cut it.  It
would still be a rejection, and that's what he's going to remember after all
is said and done.  Short of a terminal disease or something drastic, I don't
think I can back out of this one."

"Okay.  I-if you think you can pull it off, Ranma," said Akane, letting
Ranma-chan go.

"Yeah, wish me luck.  Hope I don't screw everything up."  Ranma-chan paused
by the shoe rack, "I'm kinda remembering what I did earlier today.  Agreeing
to go out with Hiroshi, that is.  If I hadn't been only thinking of free
food and things like that, I...I might have seen that he was asking me out
on a date.  But I don't know what I might have said to him even if I had
known it was a request for a date.  Might hurt his feelings, you know?"

"Why're you so concerned about hurting his feelings?  If I had been in your
place, *I* would have said no."  Akane put her hands on her hips.

"Yeah, but you're not me.  He's not your friend, Akane."  She sighed
despairingly, "Why is it that my friends are starting to seem like they're
not the same anymore?"

"Because of you, Ranma.  You're the new girl in school.  At least, that's
what they think."
 "I know.  I wasn't asking for an answer, you know."  Ranma-chan selected a
pair of dress slippers and put them on, then she opened the door.

"They call that `rhetoric'," said Akane in an attempt to keep the
conversation afloat.

"I know that, Akane," said Ranma-chan as she walked out the door.

"Well...good luck, I guess."  Akane folded her arms behind her back.

"Yeah.  See you later."

The door shut behind Ranma-chan.  Akane heard the tap-tap of slippers as the
other girl walked down the stone path leading to the gate; she heard the
creak of the wooden gates, and then...silence.

"What the heck was she doing in that get-up anyhow?"

Akane yelped in fright and whirled around, to see Ranma standing right
behind her.

"D-don't do that, you idiot!" she complained as she took a playful swipe at
Ranma with a fist.

"Do what?"  Ranma dodged the strike with ease.

"Don't scare me like that!"

"So?  So what if I had scared you?" said Ranma with feigned innocence in his
voice.  His eyes betrayed his amusement, twinkling as they were.

 "Hmph.  Idiot."  Akane turned to look out the window. "I hope she'll be
alright," she said after a while.

"Don't worry, she'll be fine.  Hiroshi's a nice guy.  He won't try anything
stupid," said Ranma reassuringly.

"I hope not."

Another pause.  The seconds seemed to crawl by.

"Hey, that program's on again," said Ranma, glancing at the clock and
walking away.

"What program?" said Akane as she turned to follow Ranma, her interest
suddenly piqued.

"You don't know?  Come on, let's watch it.  Could be fun."

"Okay.  Lead away," said Akane as she followed Ranma, Ranma-chan already
forgotten.

* * *

In a few minutes, after leaping over a few buildings to save time,
Ranma-chan arrived at the spot.  Edging around the corner of a building, she
spied Hiroshi waiting outside the theatre, pacing around nervously.
Deciding not to keep the poor guy waiting too long she rounded the corner
and strolled as casually as she could to Hiroshi.

Hiroshi's jaw just *dropped* as he stared at the stunningly beautiful
red-head who was to be his date.  He quickly glanced down at his new dress
shirt, his brand new pants (just ironed) and his dress shoes - he still felt
rather dull and drab compared to Ranko and a thought insinuated itself into
his mind; would she be pleased with his appearance?  Would she??

 Ranma-chan saw the beginnings of panic on Hiroshi's face as he looked at
himself, then at her, and back again.  Moving quickly she waved to him as
she walked.

"Hiroshi-i!" she called.  She reached his side in a matter of moments and
she put her hands together behind her back.

"R-Ranko," he stammered back.

"I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long.  Did you get the tickets?"

"Y-yeah.  I have them both in my pocket, right here!" he said, patting the
breast pocket of his shirt, and drawing Ranma-chan's attention to it.

"Is that a new shirt?" she asked, bending forward slightly to look at it
closely, "It looks really good on you, you know?"

"Thanks, Ranko.  Yeah, I got it over at the men's clothier in the mall,"
said Hiroshi, resisting the urge to tell her how much he had spent on it.
One thing a girl didn't like was to have her date talk about how much he had
spent on this-and-that and so forth - he knew *that* much about dating, at
least.

"Well, shall we wait in line, then?" said Ranma-chan, relieved that the ice
had been broken as quickly as it had been.

After the two had found their place in line, she turned around to survey the
place.  It looked like a good area, free of trash and full of neon lights
flashing.  As an indication of its popularity, people thronged the streets.
Couples out dating, families out for a night on the town, lone men and women
out for a walk downtown, teenagers marauding here and there in groups - if
anything could be said about Nerimean night life, tonight was a prime
example of it.

Her nose pricked up at the scent of...cologne.  She turned around and
sniffed the air.  It seemed to be coming from Hiroshi, and it smelt quite
pleasant - if a bit on the sharp and fresh side.  She blinked in surprise.
Hiroshi...wearing cologne?  To her knowledge Hiroshi had never worn cologne,
therefore the cologne he was wearing was either borrowed from Daisuke (who
used cologne) or, more likely, Hiroshi had bought a bottle for himself.  But
Hiroshi didn't know the first thing about buying cologne...

"Say, Hiroshi...what kind of cologne are you using?" she asked, quickly
adding, "It smells nice."

 "Oh...er...it's CK something.  I forgot the exact number or whatever, but I
have a bottle at home."

<Why'd he BUY the cologne when he could have just borrowed
Daisuke's bottle?> thought Ranma-chan in momentary concern, but then the
line began to move and it banished her thoughts away.  Soon Ranma-chan and
Hiroshi had found a spot in the theatre for themselves, somewhere off to the
left.  The lights dimmed...then the show began.

It took the better part of an hour before Ranma-chan began to yawn in
boredom.  <God, this show's boring!> she thought to herself as she folded
her arms across her ample chest and scouted the theatre and its occupants.
Without much effort she could count at least nine or ten couples making out;
apparently they had realized that kissing and petting were infinitely more
interesting than any movie in existence.

She craned her head to look behind her...and she immediately saw that
Hiroshi had somehow moved his left arm so that it rested behind her, mere
inches from her shoulders.  <How the....?> thought Ranma-chan as she quickly
returned her attention to the screen.  It seemed that *someone* had the very
same ideas as those around the two of them!

At least, that was how it looked on the surface.

She quickly began to consider her options, and she found them very slim
indeed.  Ranma-chan could almost feel Hiroshi's arm inching towards her,
ready to creep onto her shoulders....<Stop it.  It's not a date, remember?>
she told herself, <He wouldn't do that.  Hiroshi won't do it.>  But there
still lingered a sense of foreboding, of something about to happen in the
next few minutes that would decide the outcome of her night.

She couldn't stand it any longer and she got up.  Hiroshi froze in position
and looked guiltily at her.

 "Wha...what's wrong, Ranko?" stammered Hiroshi, acutely aware of where his
arm was.

"I'm going to the washroom.  Be back in a sec," lied Ranma-chan.  She
quickly left her aisle and walked away to the washroom as quickly as she
could, feeling Hiroshi's eyes track her every step of the way.  Squinting a
bit at the bright lights outside she pushed the washroom door open and
stepped inside.

She stared at herself in the mirror and rubbed her face with one hand.
Whatever had possessed her to dress in this getup anyhow?  It was just an
outing with a friend, for crying out loud!

At least, that was what she would like to believe.

Ranma-chan sighed, regretting everything.  She felt worn, tired and
confused.  Ranma-chan leaned against a nearby wall and folded her arms.  She
knew everything that she felt to be wrong in her life went further back than
this so-called date with Hiroshi.  She didn't know, or remember, when it had
started but she knew that she had recently been trying to adapt herself to
her new body.

<Yes, that's it> mused Ranma-chan, staring up at the ceiling. The female
clothing, the serious and half-serious passes at Ranma, her growing
association with Akane.  But in the end, did it all work?  She remembered,
earlier today, when Ryoga got out of the bath...and she had felt a twinge of
pleasure run through her.  Erotic pleasure.  Perhaps it did work.

But what had it cost her?  What price feminine habits and desires to match
her female body?  Had she been trying to adjust to her body because she had
wanted to...or had it been because she had no choice?  Had she even been
thinking about her future at all?  <Maybe it's all of the above...>, she
mused.  When life presented one with a lemon, one made lemonade...or so the
saying went.  But what the saying left out was the *size* of the lemon
presented!  And lemonade was still bitter unless sugar was added in correct
proportion.
 She also realized that just as she had begun adapting to her new body,
people had begun adapting to her.  Even Kasumi, arguably the most
level-headed of everyone, had begun referring to her as a `she'.  She had
overheard it when Kasumi had been talking to Nabiki.  Yet, most of all, both
Ranma and Akane were looking at her differently.  They had both begun to
accept her for the way she was, not the way she had been.  Was that a good
thing?

It had been reassuring in a way, since there had been nobody to pity or
alienate her.  There also hadn't been anybody to sympathize with her, nobody
whom she could find a common ground with and that had probably been one of
the reasons why she had been struggling so desperately to adapt.

For the first time in her life, through her actions, she had felt that she
was finally finding a place for herself in the social fabric of Nerima.
<Nobody had been friends with me for very long...not since I kept getting
uprooted by Pop and dragged along on training trips.  Come to think of it, I
never had a friend or a group of peers back then...> she thought to herself,
feeling the years and memories rush in to fill the empty space in her
thoughts.

<And I haven't even been thinking about finding a damned cure for the
Nullifier!> thought Ranma-chan in shock, her eyes widening to mirror her
emotions.  Was she really intending to stay a *girl* for the rest of her
life?  What about Akane?

A sudden thought struck her as she thought about Akane.  <Come to think of
it, why was Akane so eager to dress me up and send me on this date?
And...following on that, why's she acting like...like I've always been a
girl, and always will be?>

The answer was obvious and it forced its way into Ranma-chan's mind
brutally, rubbing her face into harsh reality as it were.  The mere thought
of it was too much to bear, and Ranma-chan shook her head to clear her
thoughts of it.  <No.  No way.>
 Ranma-chan left the washroom and made her way back to her seat, noting that
Hiroshi's arm was no longer where it had been, and she plopped down to a few
tense minutes of silence where neither boy nor girl looked at one another.

"Did I miss anything of the movie?" asked Ranma-chan in a small voice at
last, breaking the ice.

"Not much, really," said Hiroshi, a note of relief evident in his voice.
Then he proceeded to elaborate on what Ranma-chan had missed, his hands
moving animatedly.  Ranma-chan, understanding that this was necessary to
soothe Hiroshi's feelings, nodded assent all the way.

And as she did so she began to think about her date with Hiroshi.  She
didn't love him, that was for sure, but she liked him as a friend.  Only
that and nothing more.  But what did Hiroshi think of *her*?  She wondered
if he thought that she loved him just because she was out on a date with him
and nobody else.  And it was obvious that he had put a lot of painstaking
detail into the preparation of the date, right down to the just-ironed
pants, new shoes, dress shirt and cologne.

And all that detail in the date was going to go to waste by the end of this
night.  There would be a big chunk taken out of Hiroshi's wallet, courtesy
of the date and upcoming restaurant bill, and Hiroshi would have nothing to
show for it but a bittersweet memory of his first, failed date.  Knowing
Hiroshi's sense of emotional insecurity as well as she did, she knew...just
*knew* that he was going to be devastated when he came around the next time
to ask her out on a date...and received a `no' for an answer.

She mentally smacked herself.  She was thinking far, far too ahead in the
future.  It was probably better to stay focused on the present for the time
being, and let the future unfold as it may.

 The movie ended a few minutes later and the two of them left the theatre,
going with the flow of the crowd.  Ranma-chan stretched her arms, enjoying
the sensation.

"Tired?" asked Hiroshi somewhat timidly.

"No, just a little cramped by the seat, that's all," replied Ranma-chan as
she dropped her arms.  "Are you tired?" she asked in turn.

"Me?  No.  Still going, and going, and going..." said Hiroshi, imitating the
Energizer bunny.  Ranma-chan chuckled.  They stood at the edge of the
pavement, waiting for the mass of people and cars to clear before they
crossed the street.

"So...did you like the movie?" asked Hiroshi, who seemed to be studying an
interesting neon sign just to his right.

"It was...o-kay, I guess," replied Ranma-chan cautiously.  She *knew* that
he didn't like the movie.  It was from the way he was acting, coupled with
her knowledge of his habits and quirks.

"You thought so?  Oh.  Yeah, it was...okay," replied Hiroshi just as
cautiously.

"That movie sucked!"

Both Ranma-chan and Hiroshi turned around to look at the speaker, surprised.
But it had only been someone's date, expressing out loud her feelings about
the film to her boyfriend.  Hiroshi turned red from embarrassment.

"Those shoes look good on you, you know?" offered Ranma-chan, glancing at
him briefly.  The traffic jam was beginning to clear up and soon it would be
time to move.

"T-thanks," said Hiroshi, glancing at her then turning his attention back to
the street.  Neither said anything for a while.

 "That movie sucked, huh?" said Ranma-chan, frowning thoughtfully.

"Yeah.  Big time."  Hiroshi began to smile too.  Then, as if drawing from a
reserve of courage within him, he held his arm out invitingly.

Hesitating for just a second, Ranma-chan slowly curled both hands in the
crook of his arm and held on.  She could almost see the sigh of relief
issuing from Hiroshi.  Then they crossed the street together and began to
walk with the flow of the crowd.

They passed stores festooned with neon signs, open tables filled with
various merchandise available for sale, under the glow of the numerous
street lamps which lit the way.  A tour bus was parked by the side of the
street and a number of tourists were being shown the sights and sounds of
downtown Nerima by a tour guide.  Rounding a corner and dodging a bicyclist,
the two of them crossed a street and walked a little ways.

"There it is," said Hiroshi as he stopped and pointed.  Ranma-chan looked
up.

The beautifully wrought iron and brass sign in front of them read `Kobayashi
Gardens'.  There was a little path made of stones, flanked on either side by
an extremely well-kept lawn and intermittently-placed lanterns fashioned
from decorated rice paper and hanging from poles set in the earth with a
small circular border of carefully raked white pebbles around each lantern
pole.  A kidney shaped area of pebbles sat off to the left of the little
path, the pebbles being concentrically-raked around a moss covered boulder
in the middle...bringing Zen into the garden in a masterful manner.

The path ended at a fair-sized waiting area, which was filled with people
standing or sitting by the reception desk by the entrance.

 "Isn't it going to be a long wait, Hiroshi?" asked Ranma-chan, looking
around her surroundings with a sense of wonder.

"No, no!  I've had seats reserved for the two of us!"

"R-really?"

"Yes, really!  It shouldn't be a problem to get in...not after I've paid
that reservation fee," replied Hiroshi, who too was admiring the restaurant.

"Oh...you shouldn't have!" said Ranma-chan, "I don't mind waiting to get in,
you know."

"But...uh..." said Hiroshi, at a loss of what to say in reply.

"Thanks for reserving anyway, Hiroshi.  I appreciate it," added Ranma-chan,
unwilling to voice out loud her concerns.

"Uh...no problem."

<Problem!!  Hiroshi's always broke...so where in heck did he get so much
money to blow?> thought Ranma-chan.  She walked past a beautiful pond with
crystal clear water and numerous dancing koi in it, complete with a
miniature waterfall.  <He's living by himself, he's got no job and his
parents send him just enough money to get by...>

A sense of dread struck her and she suddenly felt guilty about taking
advantage of Hiroshi like this.  She decided to find out if Hiroshi had the
money for an expensive-looking restaurant such as this one.

"Hey, Hiroshi...do you..." began Ranma-chan, but she stopped short.

"Yes, Ranko?" said Hiroshi, already opening his wallet to fish out a
reservation card.
 "Never mind," said Ranma-chan.  If she had asked him if he had the money to
spend, and knowing Hiroshi, he would only spend all the more to prove to her
that he DID have the money.  She sighed in exasperation.

"Please remove your shoes," said the hostess, "And follow me."

Ranma-chan removed her shoes and placed them carefully in the scented pine
shoe-holder, then she stepped onto the lush, red carpet spreading out before
her.

"Wow, this carpet really feels great!" she exclaimed in amazement, rubbing
her toes into it and savoring the sensation.

If the exterior of the restaurant had been any indicator of how
well-decorated the inside was, it had been quite an understatement.
Rice-paper lanterns hung from the wood ceiling in strategic spots, lighting
the travel paths.  Expensive-looking engravings and paintings graced were
scattered tastefully here and there.  The subtle hint of fried salmon steak
in pepper oil mingled with the aroma of sizzling steak topped with chopped
garlic and the tantalizing smell of tempura in soy sauce.

A well stocked bar was set in right angles to a corner, staffed by a female
bartender.  The overall atmosphere was mellow, and smooth and Ranma-chan
felt as if she could relax and let all her troubles vanish.  The hostess
opened a sliding door to a booth and both Ranma-chan and Hiroshi entered.
After leaving two menus, the hostess encouraged them to look through and
select what they wanted, then she slid the door shut and quietly slipped
away.

 The booth was no less impressive than the rest of the restaurant.  A wood
table, with a space  hollowed out in the floor beneath it, was set in the
middle and two comfortable-looking cushions awaited them on either side of
the table.  A water-colour painting of a lush forest and a mist-enshrouded
mountain range hung directly on the wall directly opposite the sliding door.

"Well, what do you think of this place so far?" asked Hiroshi.

"It's...it's almost like a palace, or something, you know?" exclaimed
Ranma-chan in wonder.

"It is pretty well laid out, and everything is of the highest quality.  I
heard that it's owned by some rich businessman living here in Tokyo."

"No kiddin'," she said before she picked up her menu and opened it with a
flip.

It didn't take her very long to realize that prices started high - she
caught herself looking for traces of snow - and went on to exorbitant.

<No wonder the owner's rich> thought Ranma-chan as she scanned through the
menu, <You gotta pay a ransom just to have one of the dinner specials in
here!>

She flipped back to the first page of the menu again.  <He would make Nabiki
proud> she thought sardonically.  She glanced up and watched in morbid
fascination as Hiroshi started from the top of the menu and read downwards,
his expression going from hopeful to wide-eyed shock.  He glanced up at
Ranma-chan, who quickly hid her face  behind the menu.

<So much for asking him if he had enough money> thought Ranma-chan.

"Hmm...th-this `Jumbo Shrimp' platter looks quite good," blurted Hiroshi.

<And *only* 1700 yen> thought Ranma-chan sarcastically.  She sighed and
stared sightlessly at the menu.

 This was definitely ruining Hiroshi.  There was no doubt about it.  And she
was a part of it, enjoying things at his expense.  Worse yet, she had to
admit to herself that she didn't really like him *that* way enough to even
be here with him, on the date.  <I'm being a mooch, that's what, an anchor
around the neck and he doesn't even know it.>  She shifted uncomfortably in
her seat and lowered the menu a bit.  Hiroshi was still `perusing' the menu
in that agitated way of his, looking somewhat comical.  She would have
laughed but she knew better.

By now, she was getting the feeling that this restaurant was frequented by
older people with *much* more money to spend.  Hiroshi was simply out of his
league, far from the haven of cheap fast food and Kraft Dinners.  She
reached a decision.  It was a quick, and efficient method of saving their
bacon in the face of such overwhelming prices.  She had to do it *right
now*, before the hostess came back, before Hiroshi dug himself a deeper
hole.

She dropped her menu and groaned terribly.

"Ranko?  What's wrong?" asked Hiroshi, half-getting up in fright.

"I...I think my headaches and tummy aches just got worse," supplied
Ranma-chan in her best imitation of what was known as a `deathly-ill
whisper'.  She gritted her teeth and held a hand to her head.

"You had a headache and a stomach ache but you didn't tell me??"

"They weren't bad at all when...when the date started but they must have
gotten worse....I don't know why, but they *hurt* now!"

"Is anything the matter?" came the hostess' voice.

"I'm...I'm afraid we have to leave as my girlfriend isn't feeling so well,"
said Hiroshi in a surprisingly calm voice.

 <Girlfriend, he says> thought Ranma-chan darkly, a little annoyed that he
was taking advantage of the situation, then she remembered that she had
forgotten to moan.  She did so.  Convincingly.

"That is no problem, sir.  If you will excuse me I will usher in the next in
line."

"Wait a minute.  Since we didn't order anything, is the reservation fee
refundable?" pleaded Hiroshi.

<Should have asked for the reservation fee back instead of asking if it was
refundable...!  Didn't Nabiki ever teach you that?>  Ranma-chan was tempted
to voice her thoughts out loud but she already knew that her joke was going
to be lost on him.  Hiroshi didn't know Nabiki as he wasn't a part of the
merry troupe in the Tendo Household.  He didn't belong.

"I'm sorry, sir, but it's not refundable in the event that a guest cancels
his or her reservation," rattled off the hostess predictably, "But if you
wish we can issue you a receipt for company purposes."

"No, that's okay.  She isn't feeling too well and I've got to get her back
home as soon as possible," said Hiroshi, an arm around Ranma-chan's
shoulders.

The way he said `she' seemed to imply that she was already his girlfriend.
That and the urgency of his `obligation' to get her home as quickly as
possible.  He was magnifying threat here, expanding it beyond a migraine and
a case of indigestion.  Ranma-chan didn't like that but under the scrutiny
of the hostess and the many guests milling around outside the restaurant,
she had to keep the act up, even leaning into Hiroshi once in a while.

The minutes seemed like hours as she kept the act up, groaning and rubbing
her head once in a while, until they reached the Tendo Dojo.  She leaned
against the gatepost and looked at him with an expression of gratitude.
 "Thanks for walking me home, Hiroshi.  I'm...I'm feeling a little bit
better now but I think I ought to go lie down."

"Are you sure you're alright?" said Hiroshi, a note of concern in his voice.

"Positive."  Ranma-chan smiled, "Thanks."

"Umm...sure.  Anytime.  I'll...I'll probably see you tomorrow?  If you're
feeling better by then?"

"Yeah, I guess.  Well...good night, Hiroshi.  Take care," said Ranma-chan as
she opened the gates and stepped inside.

"Goodnight Ranko," said Hiroshi, flashing her a smile, "Hope you get
better."

She smiled at him and shut the gates.  She took a few steps forward and
stopped; she heaved a huge sigh of relief.  Shaking her head to clear it she
walked into the house and took her shoes off.

"Oh, Ranko.  Home already?" asked Kasumi as she walked by with a bundle of
laundry under one arm.

"Yeah.  The date kinda got cut short.  Is there anything to eat?"

"Yes.  I've saved some food for you.  Oh, here's some clean laundry of
yours," said Kasumi as she handed Ranma-chan some clothing, "It just came
out of the dryer."

"Thanks Kasumi," beamed Ranma-chan, practically itching to get out of the
dress.

 She padded upstairs and walked into Akane's room.  Slipping out of her
dress and laying it on Akane's bed, she put on a pair of boxers and a
sleeveless shirt.  Then she went downstairs.  After grabbing a big bowl and
filling it with fried rice, she padded over to the living room and plopped
down on the couch beside Ranma.  He had been watching TV by himself but
now...he was watching Ranma-chan devour her food.

"Hungry already?  And people say *I* have a bottomless pit for a stomach,"
said Ranma.

"You do.  And you're watching it in action," mumbled Ranma-chan, her mouth
flecked with rice specks and bits of chopped up beef, "Man, I'm starving!"

"But...you've just ate at that Kobayashi Gardens restaurant, didn't you?"

"Mmmm."

"Did you or didn't you?"

"Mmmm...well...mmmff...." stalled Ranma-chan as she stuffed more rice into
her mouth.

"Okay.  We'll get to that later.  How did the date go?"

"Why the...mmf...HECK are you being so nosy for?!" said Ranma-chan angrily
between mouthfuls.

"Because it's my business to know.  You're me, or have you forgotten that?"
By now Ranma had sensed something wrong and he was looking at his female
counterpart, the TV forgotten.

"Sure....I'm *you* alright.  It's just that I was on a date with a
guy...which is something that *we* wouldn't normally do unless it was to get
something I needed out of him!"

 "Wha...?  D-don't tell me that...that you...you and him..." stammered
Ranma, who got a quick smack upside the head - courtesy of Ranma-chan.

"Get your mind outta the gutter, you!" cried Ranma-chan hotly as she
withdrew her hand, "I did no such thing!"

"But..."

"We went to the movies, then to that restaurant, then he walked me home.
Period.  End of date."  Ranma-chan emphasized that with a curt chopping
motion of her spoon.

"And talking about restaurants, didn't you eat anything at all on the date?"

"No, I didn't eat anything at all on the date," mimicked Ranma-chan, waving
her spoon in little circles in the air while rolling her eyes, "That's why
I'm grabbing something to eat right now, thank you very much."  She slapped
the empty bowl on the coffee table and sprawled out on the couch, a hand
supporting her chin as she stared at the TV.

Ranma reddened and looked away.  The way Ranma-chan was positioned one could
look right down her shirt *and* right up her boxers at the same time.  Then
he remembered what he was about to ask her.

"You didn't eat anything?  Why?"

"Because the place was too expensive.  It was on a scale that even Nabiki
would have to stand up and applaud at."

Ranma grimaced.  "That bad, huh?"

"So...I just faked that I was sick and Hiroshi took me home.  I might not
show up at school tomorrow.  If Hiroshi asks about me, tell him that I'm
still sick.  If he hints at you about pulling a few strings and getting him
set up with me on another date, just stall or take off."

 "Sounds like you don't want to have to date *him* again," Ranma said
half-jokingly, "So who's next?  Daisuke?"

She glared at him.  "Shut up," she gritted through clenched teeth, "You
don't even know what you're talking about."

"Hey, calm down, willya?  I mean, what the heck did Hiroshi do to make you
so mad?"

"I'm not angry at him, if that's what you think."  Ranma-chan lapsed into
silence and drew into herself defensively.  "I shouldn't have even gone on
the date.  Maybe Akane was right.  I shoulda stood him up."

"Woah, woah, woah.  This is HIROSHI we're talking about here," said Ranma,
"The guy with the heart of glass?"

"Only when it comes to women."

"Yeah, true, but you're a girl...at least, you look like one, I guess..."

"I don't `look' like one.  I *am* a girl."  Ranma-chan sighed.  "Look, I'll
tell you up front.  The reason why I don't want to see or...or `date'
Hiroshi again is because I *am* a girl."

"Say again?" said Ranma, cocking his head quizzically.  Ranma-chan heaved a
sigh of exasperation.

"Why don't I tell you tomorrow morning, huh?  Right now I'm kinda sick and
tired of the whole thing."  She got up to leave but was restrained by
Ranma's hand on her arm.

 "You're not going anywhere until you tell me about the date, and explain to
me why you're so angry about *something* which I, being the thick-headed
idiot I am, cannot comprehend.  Also, tell me why you don't wanna see
Hiroshi *ever* again.  What did he do to you?!"  Ranma's face was flushed.
His fingers dug in deep into Ranma-chan's arm, leaving white circles where
the tips of his fingers touched her soft skin.

"Oww!  Not so hard!" cried Ranma-chan, jerking her arm away from Ranma and
rubbing the bruised spots, "What're you trying to do?  Kill me?"

"Don't you change the subject," said Ranma as he got up from the couch and
stood before her, blocking off her path of retreat.  Ranma-chan stared
helplessly at Ranma, then she shrugged her shoulders, curled up on the
couch, and looked away from him.

"The date with Hiroshi was just...just like a confirmation of everything
I've been so afraid of," said Ranma-chan quietly as she twirled the tip of
her pigtail with a finger, "And the funny thing is I knew the risks and
still jumped into it anyhow."

"You've lost me again.  How does..."

"Hear me out!" snapped Ranma-chan, "Do you want to hear this or not?"

"Sorry.  Go on."

Ranma-chan glared at him for a moment longer, then she dropped her gaze and
heaved another sigh.

"I...I just kinda realized that I can never be `just friends' with Hiroshi.
Or Daisuke.  Or the rest of the guys.  I mean, I knew it before all this
happened, but it only sunk in after this date with Hiroshi," said Ranma-chan
in a small voice.

"Oh, I see."

 "No, you don't.  Do you know what it's like to have a friend treat you like
you're someone else?  I mean, I KNEW what he was gonna do and how he was
gonna act and everything.  At least, I knew what he WOULD HAVE done if I
wasn't...a girl."  Ranma-chan folded her arms.  "He was the same, but he
tried to act different.  He tried to be someone else...just for me, and now
that's driving me nuts."

"You mean, because you're a girl...he tried to act differently?"

"Isn't that what I've just said?  Yes.  The friends I know are not my
friends anymore...and the thing is, I'm still THEIR friend even if they
don't realize it, even if they stare at my ass or my breasts and wonder how
good in bed I would be!"  Ranma-chan slapped a hand on her face and slowly
moved it down with fingers extended, as if pulling a mask off her face.  She
sighed and leaned back, looking up at Ranma.

"What if I just...you know...talked to them?  Not go on dates or stuff like
that, or act cute for free treats.  Talk to them like a friend.  Will they
see me as just a friend?" she asked in a soft voice, "Tell me the truth.
What do you think?"

Ranma's expression was grim.

"Yeah, I was kinda expecting that," said Ranma-chan in a tired voice, "I
shouldn't have gone out on a date with him."

"He would have curled up someplace and died if you hadn't showed up."  Ranma
sat down on the edge of the couch and laid a comforting hand on Ranma-chan's
shoulder.

"Hell, *I* feel like curling up somewhere and dying!  I mean, he was acting
so different...and dressed so different..."

"Come on, stop it already.  Don't kid yourself that you can still remain
`just friends' with the guys.  I mean, you know that all the guys talk about
are girls...you know, how cute they are and all that."
 "I know."  Ranma-chan's voice sounded testy, as if on the edge.

"They see you as a girl and..."

"Ranma, I *know*.  Stop rubbing it in, willya?  It was a blast when there
was free food and treats, but after all that's done..." she trailed off
meaningfully.  Almost absently she began to trace a circle on Ranma's thigh
with her index finger.  "What am I going to do?"

"Don't go on dates anymore."  Ranma slowly slid his hand down her arm.
"Don't encourage them."

"Yeah.  Besides, Sayuri's got the hots for Hiroshi."  Ranma-chan played with
her pigtail, twirling it over and over in her fingers.  "Who am I to butt
into a budding romance?"

"How do you know that?  Hiroshi always thought that..."

"No, it's not her.  It's Sayuri, trust me."  Ranma-chan put a hand on
Ranma's arm and pulled herself up to a sitting position.  "I'm going to bed.
Catch you later."

"Yeah."  There was almost a note of regret in Ranma's voice, but perhaps she
imagined it.  Ranma-chan smiled at him, held his gaze for as long as she
could, then she walked away.  She went up the stairs and into her room.

Shutting the door behind her, she let out a sigh and threw herself onto her
futon.  She lay there with her arms out before her, her arms off to the
side, and she savoured the coolness and softness of the fabric against her
body.  It welcomed her, soothed her, and embraced her in its comfort.

It was some time later when she woke up, not knowing why she did.  She
glanced over at the futon beside her - it was empty, an indication that
Ranma had probably fallen asleep in the living room.
 <That idiot>, thought Ranma-chan as she sat up and rubbed her eyes.  She
glanced out the windows.

It was dark outside, much darker than when she had come home after the date.
And it was quiet too - except for the ticking of a grandfather clock
somewhere in the house.  It beat out a steady, but creepy rhythm, a stark
contrast to the night's silence.  She jumped.  Was that an owl's hoot she
had heard?  The darkness seemed to move with a life of its own.

She never had any difficulty falling asleep before, but with the absence of
anybody in the room it was increasingly difficult to go back to sleep.  She
tried, of course, but without the feeling of anybody *with* her...combined
with the half-remembered childhood fear of the dark she had inadvertently
awakened...

At last, she couldn't stand it any longer and she snatched up her pillow.
Leaving her room, she quickly made her way over to Akane's.  She pushed the
door open and relief flooded her when she saw Akane's sleeping form in her
bed.  Stifling a yawn she padded over to the bed and plumped her pillow
beside the other girl's.  She lay down slowly, so as not to awaken Akane,
and she drew in the comforter around herself as well.  Akane mumbled
something and tossed, but otherwise did nothing.  Now, with a presence
beside her in lieu of Ranma, her fears were allayed.

On impulse she turned over to face Akane.  Through the moonlight she could
just make out the other girl's features, calm in gentle sleep.

"Akane...what should I *do*?" she whispered, reaching out with a hand to
touch Akane's face, "This is all so weird to me, and sometimes it's quite
painful, but I have no choice.  I can't be anybody else but a female Ranma."

She sighed and withdrew her hand.  Akane shifted and moved, but did not
awaken.
 "What should I do?" she whispered softly to herself.

She found herself nodding off, and she did nothing to resist it.  Sleep
stole over her like the cool night wind blowing the curtains aside.  The
wind ruffled the mobile hanging from Akane's ceiling, rustling some papers
on her desk and playing a strange but wonderful melody on the wind chime.  A
million, million stars dotted the velvet sky of the night, pinpoints of
light against the darkened heavens.  The crescent moon cast its soft
radiance down upon the sleeping world, keeping watch until the dawn of a new
day.



	-WD
VISIT THE LAIR AT:
========================================

members.tripod.com/~WebDragon/index.html

========================================
WORK IN PROGRESS : Nullifier 122, Part 6