Ok, after spending two hours after work sifting my way through the
incredible pile of responses to the first part, here's the next.

As always, all rights to Ranma 1/2 belong to Rumiko Takahashi and
Shougakukan

Genma's Daughter
Part 2

Original concept and sketch by Steve Pardue
Story by Deborah Goldsmith and Steve Pardue

Steve Pardue <spardue@zebra.net>
Deborah Goldsmith <dgoldsmith@mac.com>

http://www.zebra.net/~spardue/anime

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Akane watched Ranko as they walked with her mother to the Tendou
Dojo. Ranko was looking around, her eyes wide, taking in
everything. She almost looked like a child, seeing the world for
the very first time. In a way, she is, thought Akane.

As they walked along the large shopping street near the
Nekohanten, many young men passed them, each taking time to give
the two pretty girls the once over, especially Ranko. This was
not the first time Ranko had experienced this, but it was
happening much more often than it ever had before. She guessed it
must be because she now looked much more the part. It... it
didn't bother her as much as it had when it was a direct affront
to her manhood. Still, the pleasure of knowing she was pretty
enough to be worth looking at was offset by the thought of what
was going through the minds of the young men who looked at her.

Ranko worried about running into some of her schoolmates, but so
far they seemed not to have. "Akane, Mom, I... I think that I
wanna... want to spend less time here in the usual places during
break. I... I'm not ready to meet people from school yet." Akane
nodded. "Sure, Ranko. I know lots of places we can go, other
places right here in Nerima, or even downtown. Have you been
downtown very often? To Shinjuku or Shibuya or Harajuku?"

Ranko shook her head. "No, not really... where's Harajuku?"

Akane's eyes widened, and she offered a lopsided grin. "You and I
are going on a mission, girlfriend." Ranko nodded uncertainly.

Yuka and Sayuri were just finishing lunch in a little cafe on the
main shopping street near Furinkan High. Yuka was drinking her
coffee while Sayuri was indulging in a little French pastry. Yuka
was just taking a sip when she heard Sayuri's fork clatter to the
plate. She looked up, to find Sayuri's eyes bulging as she looked
past Yuka. Turning around, Yuka just barely caught a glimpse of a
red-haired girl and two other women passing out of view beyond
the plate-glass window. Nothing remarkable. She turned back to
Sayuri, and found her mouth hanging wide open. "What... what is
it, Sayuri-chan?"

"Ran... Ran..." Sayuri trailed off.

Yuka started to look concerned. "Sayuri-chan, what's wrong? I
just saw a redhead and her friends, is all." She stopped. "A
redhead?" she repeated to herself.

Sayuri nodded. "Yuka-chan, how many Japanese girls do you know
who have red hair?"

Yuka shook her head. "It couldn't be. She was wearing a dress,
and her hair was styled. Maybe... maybe she was an American?"

Sayuri shook her head. "She was Japanese. I got a better look
than you did, Yuka-chan. One of the girls with her was Akane.
And... and the girl was about Ranma's height when he's female. A
little shorter than Akane. And she looked like Ranma's female
form. They were with an older woman who also had reddish hair."
She sighed. "It was him... her... all right. There's no doubt in
my mind."

Yuka was mystified. "But why is he walking around as a girl?
And... and he was acting so strangely at school this week."

Sayuri shook her head slowly. "I don't know. But we're going to
find out. Something very strange is going on here."

*****

Kasumi regarded the cup of tea in her hands. "Move out?..." she
asked again.

Akane flushed. "It... it's just for the summer break, Oneechan.
I... I don't want to leave here for good, yet. I'd like to be
near Ranko during this time, to help support her." She and Ranko
smiled.

"And... what about after summer break? Will you be staying with
your mother, Ranko-chan?"

Ranko's head drooped. "I... I don't know. I want to be near Mom
again, to get to know her better, but... but I know I would miss
all of you." Her eyes misted over. "I don't know what to do..."

Kasumi thought a moment. She knew it was important to have Ranko
near her mother again, for the two to reestablish the ties
between them. Besides... she thought Father might be bringing
Uncle Saotome home soon. It would be much better if neither Ranko
nor Akane were around when he arrived. Having them not too far
away, but not in the same house, might make it easier to
reconcile the family.

Kasumi was undoubtedly the only person in the room who thought
this was even remotely possible.

She smiled. "Why don't we worry about that later, Ranko-chan? You
have so much on your mind right now. Go live with your mother for
a few weeks, get to know her again. And I think Akane will enjoy
staying with you. It will help her start getting ready for when
she goes off to college."

Nabiki lifted her eyes briefly from her business magazine to look
at Kasumi. She shook her head. Oneechan was always surprising
her. She went back to reading.

"Do please come back and visit us, though, OK?" Akane and Ranko
both nodded and smiled.

Akane looked nervous. "Well, Oneechan, I... I guess we had better
get packed."

Nodoka said, "Akane-chan, why don't Kasumi-chan and I help you
get packed?" Nabiki smiled as she read; there weren't too many
people who called Kasumi "Kasumi-chan". "Most of Ranko's things
are over at my place already, since we bought so much today."
Kasumi smiled. "I'd love to see what you bought some time,
Ranko-chan."

Nodoka's face brightened. "Why don't I have you girls over to
dinner some evening? I'm sure you could use a break from cooking,
couldn't you, Kasumi-chan?"

Kasumi smiled. "I would love to come over and see your home,
Auntie." Everyone glanced at Nabiki. "Fine by me," she said, not
lifting her eyes.

Kasumi went to fetch some suitcases from storage while Nodoka,
Akane, and Ranko headed up the stairs. Ranko paused at the door
to her room. "I'll see you in a bit, OK? It won't take me long to
collect things." She went inside.

The room was dark, so she went to open the curtains, and took a
look around. She went through the closet and the drawers looking
for things. She had precious little she needed to take with her:
her other dress, her one bathing suit, the school clothes. Ranma
had had very few possessions, and all the clothes were male
clothes. He had not had the luxury of collecting trinkets during
the long hard years spent with his father.

Ranko had an eerie feeling as she went through the room, as if
she were rifling the belongings of a dead man. She shivered. As
she was pulling out one of her own drawers in the old dresser, it
caught on her father's, spilling its contents on the floor.

She sighed as she started picking up her father's items and
replacing them. A spare pair of glasses, some of his clothes,
and... the Jusenkyou brochure. Ranko smiled. If Pop... Father
hadn't taken her... him there, she never would have had the
opportunity to try being herself again, as she was now. It was a
good thing the brochure had been in Chinese, which her father
couldn't read, or she never would have gotten the chance; crazed
as he was about training grounds, even Father would have given
Jusenkyou a wide berth. She moved to put it back in the drawer,
then stopped.

This brochure was in Japanese.

She flipped through it. It was all there: about the pools, about
the curses, some history, even a map of the pools, with...
with...

With the Nyannichuan and Shonmaoniichuan circled in pencil.

She was stunned. Father had had a Japanese brochure? He *knew*
about the springs? About the springs of drowned girl and drowned
panda in particular? Had he planned to go there? Why? Or was this
something he had picked up after their visit?

Ranko shook her head. It seemed her father had lied to her about
a lot of things. It would have to wait until she confronted him.
She placed the brochure in her purse, and continued picking up.

She came to a photograph. It showed a younger Genma, with a maybe
8 year old Ranma. It looked like it had been taken on the road
somewhere. Genma was seated, and Ranma was standing next to him.
Genma was smiling proudly and had his hand laid on Ranma's
shoulder...

Akane, Nodoka, and Kasumi were knee-deep in packing. Akane had
sorted out her summer clothes, since she would be back before the
weather changed. Still, she had several suitcases full of
clothing and belongings, and it would take all three of them to
carry it back. She hoped Ranko didn't have too much; if there
were much more they would need to call a taxi.

Nodoka lifted her head, as if she had heard something. Akane and
Kasumi stopped, and strained their ears. There was quiet crying
coming from the room next door. The three women looked at each
other, and Nodoka stood to go check.

She found Ranko kneeling on the floor, the contents of a spilled
drawer around her, crying over a photograph. She gently took the
photograph from her daughter's hands and embraced her. How
wonderful it was to be a mother again, to be able to comfort her
child.

"What is it, dear? What's wrong?"

"It's... it's Pop. I mean, Father. How... how could he have lied
to me about so much? I... I thought he loved me! How could he
have done this to me if he loved me? I miss him so much..." She
continued sobbing into Nodoka's embrace. The thought of how
unmanly it was to cry this way flitted briefly across her
consciousness, then was dismissed. She didn't have to worry about
that for now, and... and she didn't really care. It felt so good
to deal with her emotions as they came, rather than bottle them
up as her father had taught her to. To hell with being manly.

Nodoka didn't know what to do about this issue. She had guessed
that Ranko would not be able to stand cutting off all contact her
father. She had no idea how it would be possible to reconcile
Ranko's need for Genma with everyone's anger at the atrocity he
had committed, her own and Ranko's most of all. She sighed.

*****

Yuka fidgeted. They could be shopping, or going to the movies, or
any one of a number of fun things. But no, they had to play
Holmes and Watson.

"Sayuri-chan," she said, with more than a little whine in her
voice, "this is incredibly dull. How long are we going to stand
here? Let's go do something else!"

Sayuri peeked around the corner at the entrance to the Tendou
Dojo again, then pulled her head back. "They have to come out
some time or other."

"Assuming it really was Akane you saw."

"I'm sure of it. It was definitely Akane, and they were headed in
this direction."

"Sayuri-chan, someone walking down that street could be going
practically anywhere in Tokyo."

"Yuka-chan, please, just a little longer. Don't you want to find
out what's going on?"

Yuka cocked her head and thought. "I... I guess so. Ranma's life
is so weird, though, it'll probably turn out to be just another
one of those crazy things he does." She sighed.

Suddenly they heard a gate creak. They both peeked an eye around
the corner. Out of the gate, loaded with suitcases, came Akane,
the middle-aged woman, and... and...

There was no doubt. It was Ranma. He... she was in female form.
Her hair had been styled, she was wearing a green sundress and
sandals, and she looked as if she might be wearing lipstick. She
was beautiful. Yuka sighed. Why did a boy have to be the
prettiest girl at Furinkan?

Voices came. "I don't know dear, this is a lot of luggage.
Shouldn't we call a taxi?"

Ranma giggled (?!). "Don't worry, Mom. Akane and me'll handle it
OK."

The woman scolded, "Ranko, your language."

"I'm sorry, Mother. Akane and I will be able to handle the
luggage. We're both pretty strong."

Sayuri and Yuka looked at each other. "Mother?" Ranma was going
around as a girl with Akane and his *mother*? Who was teaching
him to talk like a girl, and was calling him "Ranko"? Yuka
whispered to Sayuri, "Gomen, Sayuri-chan. No movie could top
this." Sayuri nodded in satisfaction.

Akane, Ranma, and her mother set off, and Sayuri and Yuka trailed
them at a discreet distance.

After about 20 minutes of walking (during which time their
quarries were stopped twice by men offering assistance, politely
declined), the three turned into a residential street. Sayuri and
Yuka followed, and turned a corner just in time to see them
disappear into a house. They walked up to the gate, and looked at
the name plate. "Saotome".

Yuka turned to Sayuri. "I guess this is Ranma's family home. I
didn't even know his family lived in Nerima." She paused. "So
what do we do now? I hope you're not going to suggest we wait
here until they come out again. It'll be dinner time soon."

Sayuri had been thinking the whole time, but didn't have an
answer. "Ummm... let me think..." She was still thinking five
minutes later, Yuka tapping her feet impatiently, when the front
door to the Saotome home opened again; she and Yuka quickly hid
behind a pillar. All three women (well, two and a half, thought
Yuka) came out again.

Ranma's mother turned to the others. "I know it's been a long
day, girls, but I just need a few things for dinner. If you help
me out a little, dinner will be ready sooner." Akane and Ranma
chorused "Hai!" They turned to head for the shopping street when
one of the neighbors came out of her house and walked over to
them.

"Saotome-san! How nice to see you again. And with two lovely
young ladies! Won't you introduce them to me?"

Nodoka bowed slightly. "Matsui-san, this is my daughter Ranko,
and her childhood friend, Tendou Akane." Each girl bowed in turn,
and greeted the neighbor.

Matsui-san seemed agitated. "Your daughter? You've finally found
her again after all these years? Didn't she disappear with your
husband when she was four?"

Nodoka nodded and smiled. "Yes, but recently we were reunited."

Matsui-san was fussing over Ranko. "How wonderful! She's such a
beauty! The image of you when we first met. You must be so happy
to have your daughter back."

"You are too kind, Matsui-san. Yes, it is a great joy to me."

The pleasantries continued in this vein for a few moments more,
not that it mattered; Yuka and Sayuri were too far gone in shock
to hear anything else. When they became aware of their
surroundings again, Ranma's mother and her two charges were gone.

"Sayuri-chan, could... could this be Ranma's twin sister?
Maybe... maybe it's not Ranma..."

"Yuka-chan, this girl looks exactly like Ranma's female form.
Exactly. Even if Ranma had a twin sister, she couldn't be an
identical twin. And... Akane has been acting protective of Ranma
all week. And you heard them in the locker room! Ranma said it
was the first time the boys had looked at *her* body. And she
said she didn't want to turn back into a boy."

She swallowed. "It... it sounds like... Ranma... Ranko... is a
girl. And she just found out about it."

They sat there for a several more minutes, lost in thought, until
mother, daughter, and friend returned. They were talking. "Akane,
what's so great about Harajuku?"

"Well, it's just fun to visit. They have all sorts of little
shops with all sorts of cute things, and it's fun to watch the
people. Mind you, one visit goes a long way, but you have to see
it once. Besides, I thought you wanted to get out and around a
bit."

"I... I guess so. Tomorrow morning?"

"Sure. Let's leave after the rush hour, OK? I don't want to have
to stand on the train."

"OK."

Sayuri and Yuka looked at each other. "Tomorrow morning, Watson.
The game is afoot." They giggled.

*****

Ranko wondered at the sea of humanity she was floating on. Every
teenager in Tokyo was out of school, and it seemed like they were
all right here in Harajuku. She hardly ever went downtown, and
the sheer numbers of people in Tokyo amazed her, just like any
visitor from the countryside. At the moment, she and Akane were
working their way out of the Harajuku station of the Yamanote
line, which had been built to resemble a train station in the
English countryside, of all things.

They finally escaped through the exit gates, and stood on a
sidewalk with the train tracks on one side and a huge street on
the other. Hordes of people walked every which way. There were
sidewalk vendors hawking all sorts of items. Behind them, on the
other side of the train tracks, was the Meiji Shrine, an oasis of
green in the middle of the urban chaos.

Ranko swept her gaze over the entire scene. "What... what do you
think we should do first, Akane?"

"Why don't we start with a little chat... 'Ranko-chan'." Akane
and Ranko froze, then turned slowly around.

Ranko and Akane smiled nervously. "O-ohayou, Sayuri-chan,
Yuka-chan..."

A half hour later four girls were sitting quietly on a bench on
the grounds of the Meiji Shrine. The mood was very subdued.

Yuka seemed close to tears. "I... I can't believe your father did
that to you, Ranko-chan." There was a chorus of agreement.

Sayuri thought back over the six months she had known Ranma.
Always obnoxious, macho, overbearing, and dismissive of women.
And yet... there had been the rare occasions when Ranma had shown
some of his inner self, tantalizing glimpses of sensitivity and
vulnerability. It was amazing what he... she had been hiding
inside. She looked over at the redhead who was looking off into
the woods, her face pensive and her lips pursed. You really can't
judge a book by its cover, can you, she thought.

"So, Ranko-chan," she said, "you're going to try this out over
summer break? You're not sure you want to be a girl again?"

Ranko's head sank to her chest, and her voice dropped to a near
whisper. "I... I think I do want to be a girl again. But... but
I've been a boy for so long... I don't know if I can... and...
what will everyone think of me?" She shut her eyes tightly, and
tears appeared at the sides.

Yuka took one of Ranko's hands. "Ranko-chan, I don't know what
'everyone' will think, but I don't think that there is anything
wrong with you being a girl again. I... I think you're just a
girl who's had some horrible things done to her." Yuka smiled.
"I... I'd be happy to help and support you. Even if you decide
you want to stay a boy."

Ranko's face lit up. "Really, Yuka-chan? You... you really don't
think I'm some kind of... of pervert?"

Akane and Sayuri looked at each other. What had they been doing
to Ranko all this time by calling her names? Calling her a
pervert without understanding what she was going through inside?
Akane suddenly put her hand over her eyes and bowed her head.
Sayuri didn't feel too good herself.

Yuka scowled. "Of course not, Ranko-chan! You didn't ask for any
of this to happen to you."

Sayuri spoke up. "I feel the same way, Ranko-chan. I'd like to
help. You... you deserve it." Ranko was positively beaming, and
Akane managed a smile.

She sure seems like a real girl to me, thought Sayuri. Ranko
seemed to be acting an awful lot like a normal girl, considering
she had been practicing for less than a week. Then again, maybe
she didn't need to practice... Her behavior seemed natural,
unforced. Ranma's manhood had always seemed a little exaggerated;
he had always leapt to defend it. Sayuri had never seen Ranma as
relaxed as Ranko seemed now, even though she had been upset
recently. I... I guess "Ranma" was the role that needed practice,
she thought.

She stood up. "Ranko-chan, Akane-chan, I seem to remember that
you were coming to have some fun in Harajuku." She smiled
mischievously. "Would you care to make it a foursome?" All four
girls started giggling.

*****

"What did you call it?"

"PU-RI-KU-RA -- that's an abbreviation of the English for 'Print
Club'. You get your picture taken and it makes stickers with the
photo on it."

Ranko looked at the line of teenage girls in front of them,
patiently waiting to use the machine. She found it hard to
believe it was worth waiting this long for stickers with pictures
on them.

Akane noted the skeptical look. "You do it with your friends.
That way, you have stickers with your picture taken together, and
you can stick it in your books and things, so you have your
friend's pictures around all day at school." The line moved
forward, while Ranko thought about what it would be like to have
friends -- more than just one -- whom she cared about that much.

Yuka reached the front of the line, and turned around. "Hey
guys... want to see if we can get four of us in here at once?"
She grinned.

The girls behind them in line rolled their eyes as all four of
them crowded into the booth. It was a very tight fit.

*flash*

"Sayuri-chan, your hand was in front of Akane-chan's face." "It's
still in front of my face!"

*flash*

"Ranko-chan, you had your eyes closed."

*flash*

"Please don't print that one of me. Please." There was giggling.

>From outside the curtain came a voice. "Are you planning to take
all day in there?"

*flash*

"Perfect!"

In short order, they were walking away from the booth with a set
of printed stickers, which they divided evenly among themselves.
Ranko looked at the photo. Akane, Yuka, Sayuri, and... herself.
Four... four teenage girls, all giggling like mad and having a
great time. I'm... I'm wearing a dress, and shopping, and
giggling... and... and I thought I'd hate it but I'm having the
time of my life, thought Ranko. It's not at all what I thought it
would be like. I'm... I'm happy...

Akane noticed the huge smile on Ranko's face, and smiled herself.

They wandered up Takeshita street, a narrow alley with all sorts
of specialty shops. It seemed as if they were awash in a sea of
teenagers; making progress was like swimming. Ranko goggled at
seeing people other than Chinese Amazons with purple hair. Groups
of girls like themselves were all over, browsing through the
shops. Clothes, old records and CDs, jewelry, even a shop devoted
to used blue jeans from America. Sayuri called out, "Ranko-chan!
Have a look at these earrings! They're perfect for you!"

Ranko looked at the earrings. They were made of beautiful green
jade, the perfect shade for her red hair... and were made for
pierced ears. She sighed. "I... I really like them, but I... I'm
not ready to pierce my ears yet."

"Oh..." said Sayuri. She saw how Ranko's face had fallen as she
looked wistfully at the earrings. "Well, over there are some
great scarves! You guys go ahead, I'll be right there. There's
something I want to look at." As the others moved off, she took
the earrings she had pointed out to Ranko and took them to the
register...

Sayuri caught up with them as they were looking at the store that
specialized in Totoro merchandise. The other girls tried to get
Ranko to buy some Totoro pajamas, but she wasn't sure she was
ready for that yet, either.

Eventually, they stumbled out the other end of Takeshita street.

"Hey, Ranko," said Akane, "I know just the thing. There's an ice
cream place just a few meters down this street."

"Ice cream?" Ranko's face lit up. They started walking. After a
while, Akane called out, "Here it is!"

Ranko looked around. She didn't see any ice cream place. "Where
is it, Akane?"

"It's right in front of you."

Ranko looked up. All she saw was an old bus up on the sidewalk,
in front of one of the trendy stores that lined the street. Its
sign said "destination: home town". On the windshield was painted
the legend "Ice Cream, Sherbet". People were lined up to go
inside. "It's in the *bus*??"

Akane grinned.

*****

Several hours later, the four were headed back to Nerima on the
train, after squirming their way through the crowd in Harajuku
station once more. None of them had really bought very much, but
they had tried on or looked at a staggering amount of
merchandise, talking the whole time. Ranko had heard from Sayuri
about her piano lessons, from Yuka about her interest in Western
poetry, from Akane about her interest in drama. They talked about
the other girls at school and what they were like, the social
groups that had formed, the school clubs and activities, the boy
that Yuka was interested in. Yuka tried to pump Ranko for "inside
information" on him, but all Ranko knew was that he seemed nice
enough.

Ranko had talked a little about her martial arts. The others
listened with genuine interest, and Akane told a story or two
about Ranko's adventures, but afterwards Ranko fell silent, for
she found she had nothing else in particular to make conversation
about. She... she didn't have any other interests. Had martial
arts taken up so much time as to exclude everything else, or...
had she used it to take up all her time so as to exclude
everything else?

Akane interrupted her thoughts. "So, Ranko, what did you think of
Harajuku?"

Ranko crossed her eyes. "It was almost too much. I don't think
I've seen that much cute stuff in one place in my entire life.
It's the cute center of the universe." They all giggled.

Akane nodded. "I told you one visit went a long way." They
laughed again.

After changing trains once, they disembarked at the Nerima
station near Nodoka's house. Ranko and Akane faced Sayuri and
Yuka.

Ranko spoke. "Yuka-chan, Sayuri-chan... I... I was worried when I
found out you had followed us, but... I had a great time today.
Being with all of you was so much fun. Thank you."

Yuka and Sayuri smiled broad smiles. "We had fun, too,
Ranko-chan," said Sayuri. "I... we didn't know what to expect
when we followed you after spotting you yesterday, and when we
found out about you, we... we wanted to talk. I'm really glad we
got a chance to meet and talk with you."

Yuka piped up. "Let's... let's get together again soon, OK?"
Everyone agreed. Ranko turned to Akane. "We should probably be
going, Akane. Mother is probably working on dinner already."

A chorus of "ja ne!", and Ranko and Akane headed home. Sayuri and
Yuka turned towards their own homes, walking together.

"Want to give odds on her coming back to school as a boy?"

"No way."

*****

Over the next few days, Akane took Ranko all over Tokyo. Since
Ranko had spent so much of her life on the road, she hadn't seen
very much of it despite having been born there. In line with Dr.
Tofu's suggestion to not hang around their usual spots, Akane
thought it was a perfect opportunity for Ranko to see more of her
birthplace.

They traveled all over, visiting the sights that every Tokyoite
was bored stiff with by the age of 12, but which Ranko had never
seen. They did the tourist thing at the Tokyo Tower. They went to
Shibuya and the other shopping areas and window-shopped. One day,
Shampoo dropped by, saying it was her day off, and they went to
Tokyo Disneyland together. However, after the previous 12 years
of her life, Ranko found the rides rather tame. While Akane,
Shampoo, and the other passengers had been screaming on Space
Mountain, Ranko just watched the scenery go by, with an
occasional yawn. After the Neko-ken training, it took more than
this to frighten her. Now, if there had been a cat-themed ride...

One afternoon, they were sitting in the living room watching TV
when Nodoka came out of the kitchen and stood over them.

"Ranko, dear, did you ever learn to cook when you were on the
road with your father?"

Ranko looked a little confused. "Well, he... I learned a little.
You know, camping-style food." She made a face. "We had a lot of
meals which were just rice. I sure know how to make that!"

Her mother smiled. "Would you like me to teach you how to cook?"

Ranko started to object that guys don't cook, but stopped. She
wasn't a guy; at least, not for the summer, and maybe... "I... I
don't know. Is this something I should learn?"

Her mother nodded. "I think it's something everyone should learn,
though the men seem to want to leave it all to us." She made a
face herself. "If you ever get married, your husband will
probably expect you to do it."

Ranko's eyes started to glaze over. The idea of being someone's
wife... of cooking for them... of being a moth... being a moth...
she couldn't imagine it; she was still getting used to the idea
of being a girl. She blocked those thoughts out. But a tiny part
of her felt strangely excited.

Akane piped up. "I'd love to help Ranko learn to cook!" Ranko
snapped instantly out of her mental dithering, her adrenaline
surging. Daydreams had to wait; this was an emergency.

Nodoka smiled. "That's very kind of you, Akane-chan, but my
kitchen is rather small, and I think there won't be much room in
there if I am trying to help Ranko. Besides, I'd like to teach
her the way my mother taught me." Ranko awaited Akane's answer,
holding her breath.

Akane's face fell, then she smiled. "I... I guess so, Auntie..."

Ranko sagged in relief, her heart still pounding. That had been
close...

Nodoka said gently, "Don't worry, Akane-chan, once I get Ranko
started, we can all three work in the kitchen!" Akane nodded, and
smiled. Ranko turned pale.

Nodoka turned to her daughter. "Well, Ranko?"

The tiny, excited part of Ranko's mind prodded her. "Sure... I
mean, yes, Mother, I'd like that." She got up and followed her
mother into the kitchen.

That evening at dinner, Nodoka was beaming, and Akane was
impressed; Ranko seemed to have a talent for cooking. She blushed
as her mother complimented her on how well she had done for a
beginner. Nodoka turned to Akane and said "I think we'll be ready
for you to join us soon, Akane-chan!" Ranko's blush faded
quickly. She wasn't looking forward to that.

*****

A few days later, while they were eating lunch, Nodoka suddenly
looked distracted, then clapped a hand to her mouth.

"What is it, Mother?" asked Ranko, concerned.

Her mother shook her head. "Nothing that bad. I've been having so
much fun having you two here that I completely forgot a date I
had. I'm supposed to go to Hakone tomorrow for a couple of days
to meet a classmate of mine at one of the hot springs. We get
together there every summer."

Ranko looked perplexed. "Hot springs? In August?"

Akane chimed in. "Oh, they're up the side of the mountain, Ranko.
It's quite cool there at night, even during the worst of summer.
We went a lot when I was younger, but it's been quite a while for
me."

Ranko nodded thoughtfully. "Well, I don't see why you shouldn't
go, Mother. I think Akane and I can take care of ourselves for a
couple of days."

Akane beamed. "That's right! I can help with the cooking!"

Ranko thought frantically to come up with an escape; her mother
saved her. "Well, I'm sure you two would be fine, but would you
like to come with me? I would love to show you off to my
classmate; she hasn't seen you since you were a little girl. Have
you ever been to a hot spring, Ranko?" She was surprised when her
daughter's face fell.

"Yes," she said sadly, "but hot springs and Jusenkyou curses
don't really mix well." Nodoka frowned. She hadn't thought of
that.

Akane reminded her, "But Ranko, your curse is locked right now.
You wouldn't have any problem at all."

Ranko looked up in surprise. "You're... you're right." To
actually enjoy a hot spring, and not have to worry about her
curse?... And, she would be saved from Akane's cooking! She
started to smile, and turned to her mother "Yes, Mother, I'd love
to come!"

Nodoka smiled. "You're invited too, of course, Akane-chan." Akane
nodded enthusiastically. "After lunch, I will call the inn where
we have reservations; I should be able to get a room for you two
to share."

The next day, after an hour's train ride from Tokyo, they found
themselves in Hakone station, where they transferred to the cog
railway that made its way up the side of the mountain. After
about twenty minutes of breathtaking views, they got off in a
small town, which consisted almost entirely of hot springs and
inns. A short walk brought them to the place they would stay. As
they walked in the front door with their bags, a middle-aged
woman got up and rushed over.

"Nodoka-chan! It's so good to see you again!"

Nodoka beamed. "Reiko-chan! You look wonderful!"

Her friend noticed the two girls and smiled. "And who are these
two young ladies?" Before Nodoka could answer, she took a closer
look at Ranko. "Nodoka-chan... could this possibly be..." She
seemed very excited.

Nodoka nodded happily. "Yes, this is Ranko, my daughter. Ranko,
this is Tanaka Reiko. We went to high school together."

Ranko thought that her mother's friend was going to fly apart at
the seams, she was so excited. "Ranko-chan, I can't believe it's
you! Oh, let me look at you!" She took Ranko by the shoulders and
turned her from side to side, as Ranko blushed. "My goodness, I
haven't seen you since you were a little girl! Not since your
father ran off with you..."

Nodoka said, "We were reunited a couple of weeks ago, quite by
accident."

Tanaka-san turned to Akane. "Oh, and I'll bet you must be
Akane-chan! I remember you, too; you two always did everything
together!" She was still bubbling. "I'm so glad to see that you
turned out so nicely, Ranko-chan! Who knows what your father
might have done to you?" She noticed as the other three's smiles
became a little strained, and dropped her voice. "Did... did
something happen to you?"

Twenty minutes later, they were sitting in Nodoka's room, the
luggage pushed off to one side. Tanaka-san was much more subdued.
"He... he raised you as a *boy*?!"

Ranko nodded. "Yes, Ma'am. He... he took me on a martial arts
training trip, all over Japan and China, and tried to teach me to
be a boy." She omitted the magic and curses; she wasn't ready to
share that with everyone, and wasn't sure she ever would be. A
part of her wanted to forget it herself.

"How... how awful! How could he do something like that to his own
daughter?" You don't know the half of it, thought Akane.

Tanaka-san seemed to revive a little. "Please call me Auntie,
Ranko-chan. I remember you very well from when you were little.
You too, Akane-chan." She sighed. "Poor Nodoka-chan, I didn't
think she would ever recover from losing you. I'm so glad to see
you back, safe and sound." She chuckled. "Don't worry, I'm sure
your mother will be able to help you overcome the way you were
raised." Akane was struck by how hopeful Ranko looked at that.

Auntie Tanaka stood up. "Well, why don't we go have dinner as
soon as you are all settled? Then we can all go soak for a
while!" Ranko and Akane nodded and smiled; a nice hot bath would
be just the thing.

After dinner, they changed into their robes, and headed for the
baths. As she stepped inside and headed towards the entrance,
Ranko was startled by Akane's hissing behind her. "Ranko! Not
*that* way." She looked up; she had been about to go in the men's
side.

At that point, realization hit her, the realization that she
should have had when her mother first said the words "hot
spring". She was a girl now, all the time. She was going to go in
the *women's side*. She was going to sit in a hot spring full of
women who were... n-not wearing any clothes.

She had been on the women's side before, of course, but only as
part of the usual chaos that surrounded her curse, and then only
for a short time. It had always been terribly embarrassing when
it had happened. Now... now she was going to be on the women's
side from start to finish. And possibly for the rest of her life.

Akane reached over and tugged her sleeve, seeming to read her
thoughts. "It's OK... don't worry."

Auntie Tanaka turned to Nodoka. "My goodness, your husband really
confused her, didn't he?" Nodoka could do nothing but nod in
agreement.

Ranko cautiously entered the women's side. Within moments, she
was turning bright red as Akane, her mother, and Auntie Tanaka
all proceeded to take their robes and slippers off, and put them
in cubbyholes provided for that purpose. Akane turned and found
Ranko staring at her and trembling.

Akane sighed. How was Ranko going to be able to be a girl if
something like this terrified her? She had to help her get used
to it, somehow. And there was only one way to do that... She went
over and took Ranko's hand. "It's OK, really. See? I don't mind."
She grinned. "I'm not going to pound you for looking at me."
Ranko smiled a tiny smile. "I'm a girl, and you're a girl. It's
OK, right?" Akane cocked her head.

Ranko slowly nodded, and took off her robe and slippers. Auntie
Tanaka was about to comment on her beautiful figure, but
something told her it would be wiser to keep quiet just now.

They headed inside, and Ranko found herself in a room full of
women, washing themselves in preparation for entering the
springs. And none of them were wearing a stitch of clothing.
Akane noticed as Ranko's hands flew up to cover her eyes, and she
was trembling again.

Akane walked around to face Ranko, and gently took her hands,
uncovering her eyes. Ranko looked back at her fearfully. Akane
looked around, and then led Ranko by the hand over to a
full-length mirror on one side of the room. She put her hands on
Ranko's shoulders and turned her to face the mirror. Ranko calmed
down a little.

"Ranko, what do you see? In the mirror?"

Ranko was confused. "I... I see me..."

"Look closely. Is that really you in the mirror, or someone
else?"

Ranko did as she was told. She examined the petite, pretty,
redheaded Japanese girl looking back at her, and a wave of
comfortable familiarity washed over her at the sight; she felt a
little better. "Yes... Yes, that's me."

"Is that a boy or a girl?"

Ranko looked again. "It's... I... I'm a girl."

Akane smiled. "Do *we* girls go to the men's side?"

Ranko felt more relaxed. "No. *We* don't." She started to smile
herself. "Th-thanks, Akane." They turned and went to wash off.
Ranko was still nervous, but not terrified. Akane led her by the
hand again as they went outside to where the springs were. The
pools had a nice view from the side of the mountain, and as
promised, the air was quite crisp; Ranko shivered a bit. She
heard the men on the other side of the wall that divided the two
sections. I... I may never be on that side again, she thought in
wonder. Not that I necessarily want to be... she thought back to
the locker room incident, and shuddered.

Her mother and Auntie Tanaka had picked out a pool, and Akane and
she followed, and climbed in. For a second, as she got in, she
felt an icy chill of terror run up her spine, but nothing
happened; she sighed, and got all the way in.

The hot water soothed her muscles and relaxed her, and she sagged
comfortably against the side of the pool, as her tension left her
completely. She looked up; the stars were faintly visible. The
view from the pool was wonderful. There was a faint scent of
sulfur due to the volcanic origin of the springs, but nothing so
strong as to be objectionable.

She looked at her companions, and they also showed every sign of
being much more relaxed. She noticed there were several other
women in their pool, including a couple of girls the same age as
she and Akane.

Her mother and Auntie Tanaka were catching up on each other's
news since their last meeting, so Ranko turned to Akane.
"Akane... Thank you. This can be... a little overwhelming
sometimes." She looked around and dropped her voice so only Akane
could hear her. "I... I keep expecting everyone will be able to
tell I'm... I'm not a real girl."

Akane looked Ranko straight in the eye, and whispered her reply
forcefully. "Saotome Ranko, I don't know what makes you think you
are not a real girl. You are just as real a girl as I am! Stop
running yourself down!"

Akane saw the hope in Ranko's eyes. "Do... do you really mean
that?"

Akane rolled her eyes. "Of course I do, silly! If you weren't a
real girl, would I be sitting here naked in a hot spring with
you?"

Ranko gave a mischievous smile. "If our fathers had anything to
say about it, you would."

Akane made a show of mock anger. "Oh, you!" They both started
giggling.

"What's so funny, girls?" Auntie Tanaka and Nodoka were looking
over.

"Oh, nothing," said Akane. "Ranko is a little nervous about being
here since she was raised as a boy, and we're just joking about
it to put her at ease." The two older women nodded and went back
to their chat.

Akane turned back to Ranko. "Ranko, I've been meaning to ask you.
How... how do you like being a gir... I mean living as a girl
again, so far? Is... is it what you expected?"

Ranko looked thoughtful. "I... no, it's not really what I
expected." Akane gave her a questioning look, and Ranko smiled.
"Actually, it's much better. I thought... I thought all the 'girl
stuff' would bother me, but... but it doesn't, not really.
Sometimes I enjoy it." She looked up at the stars. "And... and I
don't feel all tense and unhappy, like I did when I was... living
as a boy." They both glanced over at Auntie Tanaka.

"Does... does that mean you're going to... keep living as a
girl?"

Ranko felt a familiar wave of fear wash over her. "I... I don't
know. Right now everything is fine, but... but I still don't know
what it would be like to go to school this way. To spend the rest
of my life this way. I'm still thinking about it..." Akane
nodded, lost in thought.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she and Ranko noticed the two
girls their own age making their way over to their side of the
pool. Ranko slid down into the water a little bit more.

The two girls came up, and they both looked nervous. "Ex-excuse
me, Miss, but... but I was wondering... if... if I might ask
you..." She seemed flustered.

Her friend interrupted. "My friend here is nosy, and wants to
know where you got your hair colored that shade of red." She
grinned. "I think she'd like to try it herself." Her friend
blushed.

Ranko relaxed a little, but still felt wary. "I... it's not
colored. Th-this is just the color it is."

The tongue-tied girl seemed surprised. "It's natural?! Really? I
don't think I've ever seen a Japanese girl with red hair before."

Ranko nodded in her mother's direction. "That's my mother over
there. See for yourself."

The two girls turned, and sure enough, there was a middle-aged
woman who had reddish hair herself. She interrupted her
conversation to call over, "Akane-chan, Ranko, did you make some
friends?" She and Auntie Tanaka were smiling at them.

The two girls looked embarrassed. "I... I'm sorry for the
intrusion." They turned to go.

Something made Ranko speak out. "No... No, that's OK. Do... do
you want to sit here for a while?"

The girls looked at each other and smiled. "Sure!" They made
there way back, and sat down.

The one who had stuttered to begin with spoke. "I'm Yamaguchi
Shiho, and this is my friend Morisawa Yuuko. And you must be
Ranko and Akane?" She smiled.

Akane and Ranko smiled back. "I'm Saotome Ranko, and this is my
friend Tendou Akane. Did you come from Tokyo, Shiho-san?"

Shiho cocked her head. "Well, Yokohama. Does that count?" They
all laughed.

The four of them started chatting, and time passed quickly. Ranko
found herself enjoying the talk; she didn't feel quite so much
like an intruder, someone who didn't belong. Until the two girls
from Yokohama started comparing notes on their boyfriends.

"Say, Ranko-san, Akane-san," said Yuuko, "do you have any boys
you're dating right now?" Akane and Ranko both turned red. Akane
spoke first. "Um, I... I did have a boyfriend, but... but the...
relationship ended recently..." She looked sad.

Shiho and Yuuko were all concern. "Oh, Akane-san, I'm so sorry.
That must be hard."

Akane managed a smile. "Don't worry. He and I are... very good
friends. It's OK." She and Ranko smiled at each other.

The two other girls nodded. "And you, Ranko-san?"

Ranko once again experienced that deer-caught-in-headlights
feeling. "M-Me? D-Date?" She didn't want to think about that at
all. "I... I don't think I'm quite ready for that yet."

Shiho and Yuuko giggled. "You must be the shy type! Don't worry,
you'll know you're ready when the time comes." They nodded
sagely, and burst into giggles again.

Ranko nodded. "I... I guess."

There was a call from the other side of the pool. "Shiho-chan,
Yuuko-chan! We're going!"

The two girls excused themselves. "Well, the call of the
parents," said Shiho. "I hope we get a chance to meet you again."

Akane said, "We'll be here until the day after tomorrow." She
smiled. "I'd love to get together again, too." Ranko nodded in
agreement, and the other girls moved off.

Ranko sat back and sighed. "It... it wasn't so bad, was it?"

Akane knew what she meant. "Remember what I told you. You're a
girl, and people see you that way. They can tell better than you
can."

Ranko nodded. The bath was so relaxing, it was hard to get
nervous about anything. She looked up at the stars, and noticed
there seemed to be more of them than before. And they were
getting fuzzy...

The next thing she knew, she was lying on a towel in the wash
area, with a bath attendant applying a cold washcloth to her
forehead. Her mother, Auntie Tanaka, and Akane stood nearby,
looking worried. "What... what happened?" asked Ranko. She still
felt woozy.

The attendant smiled. "Nothing to worry about, Ranko-chan. You're
such a small, light girl, the hot water got to you; your body
temperature went up and you fainted. But you're fine now." She
stood up. "Try not to spend so much time in the water in one
sitting, OK? I think drinking some water and going to bed now
would be a good idea." She smiled again, and left, and Ranko got
shakily to her feet. She... she had never had this problem
before. Then again, she had never soaked in a hot spring as a
girl before, and her boy form was a lot bigger. She noticed her
new friends standing over in a corner; they came over.

"I'm glad you're OK, Ranko-san. Yuuko and I were worried for a
while."

Ranko smiled. "I... I'm fine, thanks. I bounce back pretty
quickly."

Shiho giggled. "I'm glad. You were almost as red as that hair of
yours!" She shook her head. "I can't believe it's really natural,
but there's sure no doubt about it." Ranko wondered why Shiho was
so sure now when earlier she had thought it was dyed.

"Anyway," added Yuuko, "See you tomorrow!" They turned and left.

Nodoka said, "We should go too, dear. You should rest."

Ranko nodded, and happened to catch her reflection in the mirror
again. Once more, she thought in wonder, I'm... I'm really a
girl. She shook her head; she could still scarcely believe it.
She smiled at the red hair which had so impressed the two other
girls. Suddenly, as she looked at herself, she realized how Shiho
had known she was a natural redhead, and her knees started to
give way.

Akane was there to support her. "You're going to bed, young
lady."

Ranko smiled weakly. "No... no argument."

*****

The next day, Ranko, Akane, and their two new friends explored
the Hakone area. They took the cog railway and visited the
open-air art museum, then took the cable car up over the volcanic
crater, which constantly vented copious quantities of sulfurous
fumes. Everyone agreed that it was far too smelly a place to
linger for long.

Ranko found that, as with Yuka and Sayuri, she was having fun
with friends in a way she never had as a guy. For her, the way
they interacted, and did things together, was so much more fun.
I... I guess I really am a girl, she thought. This just seems so
much more relaxed to me...

After a day of roaming around they were all looking forward to a
nice long soak, and after dinner they were once more in the hot
springs. The bath attendant had thoughtfully given Ranko a basket
of cold, wet washcloths, so that she could last a little longer.
Ranko felt the cold cloth on her head, and thought, I look like
Father this way. I... I wonder where he is and what he's doing...

Shiho noticed Ranko's sad expression. "Ranko-san, what is it?"

Ranko's eyes were downcast. "It's... it's my father. He... he
often wears a washcloth like this on his head, and it reminded me
of him..." A tear slid down her cheek.

The other girls looked at each other in concern. Akane took
Ranko's hand, and explained. "Ranko and her father... have had
problems in their relationship. He... uh... wanted a son, and
he... that got in the way of him really accepting her as a
daughter. He... he left recently, without saying where he was
going or when he would be back, and she hasn't seen him in a
couple of weeks." Whew. That had been a difficult editing job.

Yuuko nodded thoughtfully. "I... I understand, I think. I... I've
been having problems with my father, too. He... he seems to want
me to be someone else, the ideal daughter he envisioned." She
sighed. "But I still love him... he's still my father."

Ranko nodded silently, more tears streaming down her cheeks.
Akane moved over, and put her arms around Ranko, who accepted
them gratefully, not even noticing that neither of them were
wearing any clothes. After a while, she felt better. I... I don't
know if I can take all these emotions, she thought. It feels
better than holding it all inside, but they can be so
overwhelming sometimes. I... I never used to cry all the time
like this... She sniffled a bit. Then again, I never used to
laugh all the time, either...

After that, the conversation turned to cheerier things, like the
schools they went to, and what interests they had, and where they
lived. As usual, they were spellbound by some of Ranko's (heavily
edited) stories about her martial arts adventures, and Ranko too
found each girl to have an interesting set of experiences and
interests. As Ranko's time limit in the bath drew near, they
exchanged a promise to visit if she and Akane were ever in
Yokohama, or if Yuuko and Shiho were in Nerima.

The next morning, the four of them stood in the lobby of the inn,
and were frantically scribbling addresses and phone numbers on
inn stationery. Akane and Ranko waved goodbye as the other two
girls went off to rejoin their families, then went to join Nodoka
and Auntie Tanaka, who were saying their farewells.

"Nodoka-chan, you simply must bring them again next year. Perhaps
I can talk my son into coming; he thought it would be as dull as
drying paint, but he might change his mind if he knew there were
two girls his own age here. Especially two girls as pretty as
you!" She winked at Ranko and Akane, and Ranko blushed deeply.

A short while later they were riding the cog railway back down
the mountain, where they boarded different trains: Nodoka and her
two charges one for Shinjuku, and Auntie Tanaka one for Tokyo
station; there she would transfer for Chiba Prefecture, where she
lived. Her train left a little later, and so she waved at them
from the platform as they pulled out. Ranko waved back,
enthusiastically.

As she settled back in her seat for the short ride back to Tokyo,
she reflected on the past two days. She had gone out in public as
a girl, had met strangers and made friends, and... and no one had
had the slightest inkling she had spent 12 years of her life as a
boy, physically and mentally, if not emotionally. It had been
just perfect, except for fainting in the bath. She shook her head
and smiled; she had thought she was used to this body after six
months, but obviously it still had surprises for her. Well,
hopefully that's the last big one, she thought as she looked out
the window at the scenery.

Akane saw the calm smile on Ranko's face, and smiled herself. It
was obvious Ranko had had a wonderful time, and her fears about
living as a girl had diminished a lot. She seemed more and more
comfortable with it, and Akane had to admit that had she not
known about Ranko, she wouldn't have had a clue about her past.
She seemed pretty much like a normal girl, if a little shy.

Nodoka smiled at the two of them. She had been about to ask how
they liked their two days at the hot springs, but the expressions
on their faces made that unnecessary.

As their train pulled into Shinjuku, Ranko said, "You know,
Mother, I... I think I *would* like to go again next year. That
was fun..." Nodoka smiled, and they set off to change to their
next train.

*****

The next few days were quiet, and they mostly stayed close to
home. Nodoka once more pulled Ranko into the kitchen with her,
apologizing to Akane that her turn would come soon. One night,
Nodoka had a couple of friends over for Mah Jongg, and Ranko
helped her prepare dinner for the occasion. The friends fussed
over her, and Ranko had a suspicion that her mother was having a
grand time showing her daughter off to all of her acquaintances.
She couldn't really blame her mother; she had missed out on a lot
of mother-daughter time, and her daughter might not last beyond
the summer...

After dinner, while the older women were playing their game,
Akane approached Ranko. "Ranko, when was the last time you
practiced your martial arts?"

Ranko thought for a while. "I... I don't remember," she admitted.
"I've been so preoccupied the last couple of weeks..."

Akane shook her head. "Ranko, if you want to keep up your skills,
you know you need to practice every day. You do want to keep up
your skills, don't you?" Akane waited for an answer. And
waited...

"Ranko?..."

Ranko looked pensive. "I... I don't know, Akane. So much of my
life has been nothing but martial arts. Father drilled it into
me, and it was like there was no time left over for anything
else. Last week, when we were talking with Yuka and Sayuri about
our interests, I realized that I didn't really have any others.
I... don't like that." Her face grew glum. "And it's a reminder
of Father, and what he did to me... But..."

Akane nodded. "I see what you mean. Well, still, shouldn't you
maintain your skills, even if you don't practice for hours every
day? You've invested so much in them, it seems to me that it
would be better to keep up for now, until you decide one way or
the other on martial arts."

Ranko looked sheepish. "You're right, Akane. Would... would you
please spar with me in the mornings, before breakfast?"

Akane smiled. "I'd love to."

The next morning, they both got up a little earlier, put on their
gis, and went out into the back of the house to practice. It
wasn't a dojo, but it was the best they could do at the Saotome
home.

After some warm-ups and a bow to each other, they began.

Akane watched Ranko's form as they sparred. She was worried.
Ranko was off, rusty after weeks of no practice. She was still
far better than Akane, or most of the other martial artists they
knew. But...

They sparred for several minutes. Suddenly, instinctively, she
made a leg sweep, and knocked Ranko off her feet. When Akane
realized what she had done, she gasped, and both hands went to
her mouth. Ranko still sat on the grass, plainly shocked by what
had happened.

"Ranko... I... I never managed to touch you before..."

Ranko sat up, looking upset. "I didn't know I'd gotten that
sloppy... I... I guess I need to practice a lot more if I want to
stay at the same level." Her face clouded. "I don't know what to
do, Akane. I still enjoy it, but..." tears started to gather in
her eyes. "I... I don't think I want my whole life to revolve
around martial arts any more. I'm sick of having to respond to
challenges and fight people constantly. I never really wanted to,
but Father said it was important. What should I do?" She started
crying, and Akane kneeled to embrace her.

After a few minutes, Ranko calmed down. Akane looked serious.
"Ranko, if... if that's the way you feel, then you need to put as
much time as you are willing to give into your martial arts, and
then accept the level that leaves you at." She pursed her lips.
"That may not be anywhere near where you were before, but you
shouldn't force yourself to do it if you don't want to."

Ranko sniffled. "I... I guess that makes sense. Maybe... maybe 45
minutes a day... or an hour..." she trailed off. "I'm all right
now. Let's finish our session."

They resumed, and Akane was overjoyed to see that Ranko took her
seriously as an opponent, testing her defenses, but holding back
to avoid overwhelming her. Finally, she was being treated
seriously by Ranko! She had wanted this badly, ever since their
first session together.

Akane managed to get one more hit in during the rest of the
session, though never another leg sweep. Ranko improved visibly
over the course of their sparring; clearly she had needed the
practice. As it drew closer to breakfast time, they called it
quits.

After they bowed again, Akane smiled and said, "Ranko, I noticed
that you were taking me seriously today. You weren't holding
back, except to keep yourself to my level. I... I've been wanting
this since I met you. Thanks."

Ranko grinned sheepishly. "I guess now that I'm a girl, I... I
can 't really think that way any more. That was another thing
that Pop... Father pounded into me." She paused. "Akane, thanks
for thinking of this. I'm glad I didn't let myself go completely.
Come on, let's go wash up for breakfast." Akane nodded and they
headed inside.

She was worried. Ranko, if even I can get through your defenses
once in a while, what is going to happen when you fight one of
your tougher opponents? Maybe Ranko would continue to get better
with practice. She hoped so; she knew that many of Ranko's
enemies fought first and asked questions later.

Over breakfast that morning, Nodoka had some news. "Girls, I have
a cousin who has a beachfront cottage in Ibaraki. They will not
be using it this weekend, and my cousin wondered if I would like
to take advantage of it for a few days. I mentioned you two and
they said you could come, too." She smiled apologetically. "I
don't really mean to be dragging you all over Kantou this summer,
but you did say you wanted to stay away from Nerima. Are you
interested?"

Both girls were excited. "A few days at the beach, away from
here! That's perfect, Mother!" Ranko thought for a moment about
the wonderful time she had had at Hakone. "Would... would it
maybe be possible to invite a few more friends?" Ranko looked
hopeful.

Nodoka thought. "I'd better call my cousin and ask her. I don't
even remember how many it sleeps. Excuse me just a moment." She
went off to use the telephone.

Akane turned to Ranko. "Who are you thinking of, Ranko?"

"I... I don't know. Sayuri and Yuka, maybe. I don't know if
Ucchan will be able to get away for that long..." She had a
faraway look in her eyes. "I... I really had a good time in
Harajuku. I liked spending time with Yuka and Sayuri. And I liked
the girls we met at Hakone" She smiled. "Having friends is so
nice..." Akane smiled, too.

Nodoka returned. "I spoke with my cousin. I think this is getting
a little larger than she had in mind, but the cottage sleeps
five, six with a little crowding. My cousin said as long as you
were all well behaved, it wouldn't be a problem." Nodoka smiled.
"I take it all of your friends are girls?"

Ranko opened her mouth to answer, but nothing came out. She...
she hadn't thought about it until now, but... all of her friends
-- the ones she truly cared about -- *were* girls. She wouldn't
dream of inviting Hiroshi and Daisuke to something like this.
Ryouga was sort of a friend, but Ranko couldn't say they were
close; after all, he was usually trying to kill him... her. She
had never had this kind of close relationship with other boys
when she was a boy. She wondered if that was normal for boys, or
was just her. Was... was this part of what being a girl was
about? Her mother seemed to expect that her friends were all
girls. She finally answered, "Yes, Mother, all of them."

Akane stood up. "Let's try calling Sayuri and Yuka, to see if
they can come. We could call Ukyou, too."

Ranko thought for a moment. "I think we'd better go see her. She
hasn't seen me since just before I... started being Ranko." Akane
nodded. Since Sayuri and Yuka were close friends of Akane, she
knew their phone numbers by heart. It was still early on a
Sunday, and Ranko dialed the phone.

She waited as the phone rang. "Hello, Kobayashi residence."

"He-Hello. This is Saotome Ranko. I'm a... friend of Sayuri-chan.
May I speak with her?"

"Certainly, Ranko-chan, just a moment." Faintly through the
receiver she heard "Sayuri! Telephone! A friend named Saotome
Ranko..."

Shortly, Sayuri picked up. "Hello, Ranko-chan? What is it?"

Ranko felt butterflies in her stomach. "Sa-Sayuri-chan, I...
would you... umm..." she couldn't collect herself.

Giggles came from the other end. "Slow down, Ranko-chan."

Ranko relaxed a little. "Ummm, Akane and me... uh, I... we're
going with my mother to a beachside cottage in Ibaraki, on
Thursday. We'll be coming back Tuesday. The... the cottage has
some extra space... and Mother said I could... could invite some
friends." She swallowed nervously; what if Sayuri turned her
down? "I... I was wondering if you would like to come, too? I...
I'm going to invite Yuka-chan too, of course." She added hastily.

Mercifully, Sayuri's answer came quickly. "Of course I'd love to
come, Ranko-chan! That sounds wonderful! Let me check with my
mother, though, OK? Could you hang on just a bit?"

After a minute or so of silence, Sayuri came back on the line.
"Mother says OK! This is so neat! I'm really excited. Are you
inviting anyone else?"

"Ummm, Yuka-chan, of course, and... maybe Kuonji Ukyou, if she
can get away from her restaurant. You know her, right?"

Sayuri considered. Akane and Ukyou were about the only friends of
Ranko she considered relatively sane. Ukyou did attend school in
boy's clothing, but everyone knew the reason for that. "Sure,
Ranko-chan, I like her! Why don't you tell Yuka-chan I'm already
coming when you call her? Her mother is a little more protective,
and it will reassure her."

After arranging to meet at the Saotome home Thursday morning,
they said their goodbyes. Ranko called Yuka's house, and it did
indeed require a little more negotiation with Yuka's mother.
Ranko had to put her own mother on the line for a couple of
minutes before Yuka's mother was reassured.

When they were done, Ranko turned to Akane with a huge smile on
her face. Akane could barely keep from laughing; Ranko was so
excited she seemed ready to start jumping up and down. "This is
great, Akane! This will be so much fun!" She was beaming.

Akane's smile was almost as wide. She had never seen Ranko this
happy, seen her smile so much, in the whole time since she had
arrived at the Dojo so many months ago. She had been so serious,
so dour; the difference was amazing. Ranko, if this is just the
beginning for you... Akane prayed that Ranko's happiness would
continue and grow. Kami-sama knew she deserved it, after all that
had been done to her.

*****

Ukyou leaned on the counter, and sighed. Monday morning was
always a little slow, but the lunch crowd would be coming soon.
Running her own business was an enormous burden, especially since
she was still in high school. Like most small businesses in
Japan, she could hardly ever afford to close. She treasured the
breaks when they came. She rested her head on her arms...

She jerked awake when the door chime announced a customer. She
was glad she had put that in; it gave her an opportunity to wake
up from her quick catnaps. She smiled, and opened her mouth to
welcome the customers. Her mouth was left hanging open.

After a moment, she found her voice. "Ran... Ranchan?" The pretty
redhead who had come in with Akane nodded and blushed slightly.
Ukyou looked her over again. "You... you look great!"

Ranko blushed again. "Th-thanks, Ucchan."

Ukyou was still a bit overwhelmed. "When... when did you decide
to...?"

Ranko's face darkened. "That evening. Right after... after..."
she didn't want to say any more.

Ukyou nodded in understanding. "So, how do you like it so far?"

Ranko's face was like the sun coming up. "It... I... I've enjoyed
it," she finally said.

Ukyou was heartened by the happiness she saw in Ranko's face.
Maybe she would be all right, when this was all over. She sure
hoped so.

"Have a seat, guys! Would you like anything?" Ranko nodded
eagerly, and Akane smiled and nodded too. "The usual? OK."

Ukyou set to work at the grill. She loved cooking for her
friends. "So what brings you here? I'm sorry I didn't come over.
I tried over at Akane's house yesterday, but they told me you had
left to move in with Ranko's mom, and I didn't have time to go
over there. I'm so busy!"

Ranko looked disappointed at that last. "U-Ucchan, I... Akane, my
mother, and I are going to be spending a few days at a cottage on
the beach in Ibaraki. Yuka and Sayuri are coming, too. I... I was
kind of hoping you could come, too. But... but I don't want to
mess up your business."

The okonomiyaki were ready, and Ukyou thought over Ranko's words
as she brought them to the table. "I don't know, Ranchan. I
usually don't close, but... it's been a few years since I took
any time off. It sounds like fun..." she trailed off.

Ranko looked more hopeful. She was about to dig into her
okonomiyaki, but seemed to remember something. She reached into
her purse, pulled out her wallet, and put some money on the
table.

Ukyou was surprised. "Ranchan... what... why?"

Ranko's face grew serious. "Ucchan, I... I don't want to be like
my father any more. I don't want to be a freeloader any more."

Ukyou's eyes widened a little. Ranchan is changing so much... She
smiled, and pushed the money back. "Sugar, you're like family to
me. Both of you. I don't charge family." She put her hand on
Ranko's. "But... thanks." Ranko smiled a huge smile again, and
nodded.

Suddenly Ukyou made her mind up. Akane had been helping out
Ranchan, and... she wanted to help too, more than she had. She
still had to run her business first -- it paid all her bills --
but... she *was* due for a vacation...

"When did you say you were going to Ibaraki?"

*****

Nodoka sighed as she looked over her charges sitting in the
surrounding seats, as their train clattered through Ibaraki
Prefecture towards the beach. This trip had gotten a little out
of hand compared to what she had planned, but Ranko had been so
happy... Still, five teenage girls was a handful, especially
since one of them was still figuring out how to be a girl. She
had barely managed all the train transfers needed to get here.
Thank goodness they were all well behaved -- and that there were
no boys along. She didn't think she could handle that.

Yuka and Sayuri had never traveled out of Tokyo before, so their
faces were glued to the windows, watching the rice paddies and
other farms go by. Ranko, Akane, and Ukyou were chatting quietly.
Nodoka would have liked to nap, but she had promised to watch
over them, and so she stayed alert.

After staring out the window for a short while, Ranko turned to
Ukyou and asked, "Ucchan... do... do you have any interests,
besides okonomiyaki and martial arts?"

Ukyou found herself caught by surprise. "I... I don't really have
the time, Ranchan. Between my business and my martial arts
practice, I'm so busy..." she trailed off with a wistful note in
her voice. "Still," she continued, "I... there are things I'd
like to do... if I had the time."

Akane was intrigued. "Like what, Ukyou?"

Ukyou looked embarrassed. "Well, I... I like to sing."

Ranko and Akane were surprised. "Really, Ucchan?"

Ukyou nodded. "I... ever since the whole engagement incident
happened with Ranchan when we were young, my father has pushed me
to focus on martial arts and okonomiyaki. I... I was supposed to
be ready to take my revenge on the Saotomes." She and Ranko both
blushed. "I guess I've been doing martial arts so long, I've
really come to like it, so I don't mind at all, but... it doesn't
leave much time for singing or anything else." She seemed glum,
then brightened. "But I'm happy. Maybe some day, I'll get to
spend more time on my other interests." Ukyou thought for a
moment. "Ranchan, why do you ask? Is it something you think
about?"

Ranko related the conversation on the train home from Harajuku,
and her thoughts about her own life. "So I don't know, Ucchan. I
do like martial arts, but... but I really want to do other
things, too." Her face fell slightly. "I... I don't even have
other interests that I don't have time for; martial arts has been
my life, thanks to my father."

Akane and Ukyou each had a steely glint in their eyes, but said
nothing.

Akane spoke up. "Ranko, don't worry. You're just starting to
reexamine your life. Give it time, and I'm sure you'll understand
yourself better." She took Ranko's hand and held it, and the
redhead smiled.

The PA system on the train blared to life. "Kashimahama.
Kashimahama is next," and suddenly all the girls were scrambling
to look out the window. Nodoka smiled as they excitedly commented
on the small town where her cousin's cottage was located. She
cleared her throat. "Girls, we need to collect our luggage so we
can get off." They nodded and set about collecting everything.

In short order they stood on the platform with their luggage
about them, as their train receded into the distance. It was a
small station, and didn't even have gates; they simply walked
through to the street on the other side. Nodoka looked around.
"I've been here once before, many years ago... the beach and the
cottage are within walking distance, about ten minutes. Does
everyone feel up to it?" There was a chorus of "Hai!", and they
all set off.

It was a very small town, mostly there due to the farms in the
surrounding countryside. It was one of the last places with a
beach on the Ibaraki coast that had not been totally overrun by
resorts for the hordes from Tokyo; there were just a few cottages
and inns that had sprung up over the last decade. The town was a
strange mix of farm supply stores and a few trendy boutiques.
Nodoka noted that several of these stores looked like they sold a
different mix of products in the off season. It was a bizarre mix
of the dilapidated and the chic. Newer inns were under
construction, and Nodoka was sure that in just a few years the
place would be totally overrun, like the rest of Ibaraki's
beaches.

As they walked down the main street towards the beach, more than
one young man's attention was riveted by the sight of five pretty
girls from Tokyo following their chaperone, not unlike ducklings
behind their mother. Local boys who were jaded by the beach
decided that maybe this weekend would be a good time to go
swimming again. Or at least visit the beach...

In due time, they arrived at the cottage. It was seconds from the
waters of the Pacific; all that lay between it and them was a few
dozen meters of sandy beach, on which well-behaved waves crashed
periodically. The place had a magnificent view. Nodoka was
speaking as she fumbled in her purse for the keys. "I don't
really remember it very well; it's been so long since I was here.
My cousin took me here when I was still trying to recover from
losing Ranko and my husband." She found the keys and opened the
door, and they went inside.

The cottage looked unusually modern and luxurious, but then
Nodoka's cousin's family was very well off. As she looked through
the cottage, she suddenly remembered: the cottage had traded
privacy for luxury; it only had one bedroom. Her cousin and her
husband slept in there, and the children rolled out futons in the
large living space. She turned to the five teenagers, who were
goggling over the appointments of what they had thought would be
a modest shack.

"Girls, I'm afraid there is only one bedroom here; I wish I had
remembered earlier. There is one bed. Everyone else will have to
sleep on futons out here."

Yuka looked around. "I don't care, Saotome-san. It'll be like a
big pajama party!" Nodoka suddenly felt nervous.

"Ranko, dear, you can sleep with me in the bedroom, if you like."

Ranko looked around at her friends, and she smiled. "No thank
you, Mother. I... I invited my friends so I could be with them,
and... and I want to sleep out here with them." Akane, Ukyou,
Yuka, and Sayuri all smiled. Nodoka did, too; she was overjoyed
to see that her daughter had so many close friends already.
"Whatever you wish, dear."

Ukyou piped up. "Let's go for a swim!" There was a chorus of
approval. Nodoka nodded, and headed into the bedroom to unpack.
Ranko suddenly found herself surrounded by four teenage girls
peeling off their clothing.

Akane looked up for a moment, and found Ranko standing there with
her hands over her eyes. She suppressed the urge to laugh;
apprently, some habits really do die hard. She went over and took
Ranko's hands gently, removing them from her face.

"Ranko, remember Hakone? You're a girl, too. There's no need to
close your eyes."

Ranko looked around at the other three girls, and they all
nodded. She smiled. "I... Thanks, guys." She opened her bag and
looked through her selection of swimsuits. Let's see... Mother
said I should wear a one piece suit for swimming... She nervously
set about undressing.

As Yuka was putting on her suit, she looked over and found Ranko
struggling to get into hers, and repressed a giggle. Eventually,
all five were ready, and Nodoka came out, still clothed; she
didn't feel like a swim just now. They filed out the front door
and looked out over the Pacific.

Suddenly, by unspoken agreement, they went charging down the
beach, screeching and giggling the whole way. They dashed into
the water and were buffeted by the waves, shrieking with
laughter. Nodoka smiled.

Peeking out of the nearby foliage, one boy turned to another.
"Hiro, this is gonna be a *grand* weekend." The other boy nodded
enthusiastically.

Ranko was laughing like mad as she dove into the water, which no
longer held any fear for her. Doing things with friends was so
much more fun! And she didn't have to worry about running into
anyone she knew. How could anyone find her way out here in
Ibaraki?

Hibiki Ryouga suddenly sneezed, and narrowly averted falling into
a rice paddy. That was too close, he thought. He looked around.

"Where am I now?" he asked plaintively.

*****

Ranko strolled along the beach. She had decided to take a walk by
herself, to get a little quiet time. Not that she minded her
friends; she couldn't remember the last time she had been so
happy. It's like a dream, she thought. I hope I don't wake up...

She and her friends had been sunbathing, and she had felt
restless after lying around for so long; she wanted to get up and
walk a little. The rest had waved lazily as she wandered off. She
was wearing the teal bikini she had picked out for sunbathing. It
had taken her more than a little courage to put it on earlier;
she had never felt more exposed in her life. The swimsuit left
little to the imagination; it was like walking around in her
underwear, and she had only just gotten used to wearing that!
Only the encouragement and praise of her friends had persuaded
her to venture outside in it. If she had known she was the cause
of at least one nosebleed casualty among the locals, she probably
would have run back inside and refused to come out.

She came across a piece of driftwood. Fascinated, she squatted
down, and lost herself in examining it. The water had carved the
wood into an intricate and beautiful pattern.

She was so absorbed in it that her danger sense almost didn't
warn her in time. She tried to leap away, but her squatting
position and lack of practice hampered her. She stumbled out of
the way as she heard the cry, "Ranma! Prepare to die!"

She regained her balance and turned around to find Ryouga facing
her, fury on his face. As she looked at his face and saw the
anger and aggression there, the first thought to cross her mind
was, "Is that what I look like when I fight?"

Ryouga laughed. "You're disgusting, Ranma. You make a big deal
about what a man you are, but look at you! Wearing a bikini, with
your hair down! This is a new low, even for you."

Ranko shook her head. "No... Ryouga... please, you don't
understand... I'm not..."

Ryouga interrupted her. "Not a man, that's for sure." He snarled.
"You're even talking like a girl! Well, enough talk! I'm going to
save Akane from you once and for all! You pervert!" Ranko cringed
at the epithet, and Ryouga leapt.

She dodged, but barely. She flipped out of the way, and found
herself landing hard, jarring sensitive parts of her body. I'm...
I'm too out of shape, she thought. Ryouga attacked again. Ranko
saw an opportunity, and landed a kick. She felt the thud of her
foot connecting and saw Ryouga grimace, heard him grunt. Her eyes
widened. She had never noticed so directly before the pain she
was inflicting as she fought. As Ranma, she had been too focused
on the fight, like a machine. But now, she was no longer
suppressing certain parts of her own self, and those parts
cringed every time she struck a blow. She had always been
sensitive inside, and now that was front and center. She had been
hurt too much to easily hurt others.

Her introspection cost her as Ryouga landed a blow in her side.
She rolled away, clutching her side in agony. Why... why did it
hurt so much? But she knew: her conditioning was nowhere near
what it had been. Her father's voice echoed in her head: "If you
want to be the best, you must focus on the Art to the exclusion
of all else." She had felt compelled to turn her back on that
philosophy, and she was paying the price now.

She staggered to her feet, and barely managed to avoid another
leap by Ryouga. He rolled to his feet, and laughed. "You're in
pretty bad shape, Ranma. This'll be a piece of cake." He grinned
a nasty grin.

Ranko shouted "Ryouga, please listen to me! This is senseless! I
don't want to fight you!"

Ryouga opened his eyes wide in mock surprise. "You don't? Too
bad. I want to fight you!" and with that he leapt again.

Ranko managed to dodge, but knew she couldn't keep it up for
long. Ryouga, as usual, was in top condition, and she was... not.

In the bushes, the two boys who had been ogling Ranko in her
bikini watched in fear. "Hey... shouldn't we go help, Hiro?" The
other shook his head. "I... I'd like to, but man, lookit that guy
fight. He'd cream us in no time. Hell, the girl could easily lick
both of us put together. There ain't nothin' we can do."

Ryouga was enraged. "Fight me, Ranma! You coward! How can you
call yourself a man?"

Well, it *would* be difficult, thought Ranko, but she knew Ryouga
was not going to listen to her. He leapt again, feet flying, and
Ranko dodged once more...

... And tripped over the piece of driftwood she had been admiring
earlier. She landed flat on her face, and had the wind knocked
out of her. She managed to turn over, only to see Ryouga
descending towards her, fingers extended for a blow. He had a
huge smile on his face.

Ranko closed her eyes and waited. Suddenly, she heard a *thwack*,
and a voice. Akane's voice.

"Ryouga! How dare you pick on Ranko! You leave her alone! And I
thought you were a gentleman!" Ukyou's voice added, "You have no
right to beat up on Ranchan!"

Ranko opened her eyes, and saw Ryouga sitting a couple of meters
away, nursing his jaw, Akane and Ukyou both standing over him
with their hands on their hips. Sayuri and Yuka were coming over
to help her, looking deeply worried. "Oh, Ranko-chan, are you
OK?"

Hiro turned to his friend. "Remind me not to try any moves on
any'a those girls." The other boy nodded vigorously.

Ryouga stood up, and started to protest. "But Akane-san,
Ukyou-san... this is between me and..." he trailed off.

"Did... did you say 'Ranko'"?

*****

Ryouga sat on the sand facing five teenage girls, four of whom
were glaring at him and one of whom looked very nervous. He
didn't know what was going on, but he was sure Ranma was up to
something. He could tell by the way the other girls were all
protectively clustered around her; clearly she had trapped all of
them in her web of deceit.

"All right, Ranma," he said. "Let's hear what you have to say."
Not that I'll believe a word of it.

Ranko nodded, but her throat was dry. Somehow, telling this to
Ryouga was much harder than anyone she had told it to before.
Maybe it was because Ryouga was a guy... Dr. Tofu was a guy, too,
but she had known he would be sympathetic. She began, "Ryouga,
I... I... I'm... that is, I'm not... I mean..." She trailed off,
and her head drooped. This was so hard, no matter how many times
she did it.

Akane reached out and took Ranko's hand, and she smiled a tiny
smile of gratitude. Ryouga fumed; he hated the way that Ranma
took advantage of Akane, and all his other fiancees. He was
nothing but a womanizer, playing on their emotions. He waited.

Ranko spoke again. "Ryouga, I... I... I'm a girl."

Ryouga waited impatiently for the rest of it. "Of course you're a
girl! Do you think I'm blind?" He rolled his eyes.

"No... I didn't mean it that way..."

Yuka reached over and patted Ranko gently on the shoulder. "Start
at the beginning, silly."

Ranko nodded, and gathered her wits again. "Ryouga, a few weeks
ago, I met my mother again for the first time since I was four
years old. She... she told me something about myself that I
didn't know, something really important..."

"You were dropped on your head as a baby?"

If looks could be translated into reality, Ryouga would have been
a smoldering pile of black ashes. He swallowed at the glare of
four angry girls, the look that said "Not even remotely funny,
Mister". "Ryouga," said Ukyou in an unfriendly tone, "listen to
the rest of what she has to say -- politely. Am I making myself
clear?" Akane added a menacing nod and flexed her mallet hand.

Ryouga nodded nervously. "Uh... OK..." He tried a sheepish grin,
but no one was impressed.

Ranko tried again. "Ryouga, she told me what I told you before.
I'm... I'm a girl."

Ryouga was getting irritated. "I know you're a girl, Ranma! What
are you getting at?"

Ranko shook her head. "No, you don't understand! I don't mean I'm
a girl *right now*. I mean, I'm a *girl*."

Ryouga started to feel a chill, despite the sun. It... it must be
the sea breeze... "What?"

Akane broke in impatiently. "Let me try, OK? Ryouga, what she is
saying is that she is not a boy who turns into a girl with cold
water. She is a girl who turns into a boy with hot water. What
her mother told her was that she was born a girl. Her name is
Ranko, not Ranma."

Ryouga was having trouble getting his mind around this. This must
be some plot of Ranma's to keep him away from Akane. This was
just another outlandish lie, and Ranma had taken in Akane with
it. He ignored the nagging voice in his mind which asked him why
Akane would want to be engaged to Ranma if she was convinced he
was a girl.

"But... but you're engaged to each other! How can you be engaged
if Ranma's a girl?" Ha! Let him wriggle out of that!

Ranko's face fell, and Ukyou put a hand on her shoulder. "Ryouga,
I... I'm not engaged to Akane any more. Or Ukyou. Or anyone.
When... when my mom found out about it, she ended all the
engagements."

Ha! There it was! Ranma's evil plot to... "Wh-what?"

"I said, I'm not engaged to anyone. Mother won't let me marry
another woman, and to be perfectly honest I... I'm not sure I
want to. Akane and Ukyou and I, we're friends. Good friends." She
smiled. "I... I think I like it better that way." Akane and Ukyou
smiled too.

Ryouga was seriously confused. Apparently, Ranma's latest
nefarious scheme to keep him away from Akane involved leaving her
available to be someone else's girlfriend. Like his. Two
different parts of his brain were at war: the part that didn't
trust Ranma, and the part that wanted desperately for this to be
true so that Akane could be his.

"Why... why should I believe this? You've lied to me more times
than I can count!"

"Young man," came another voice, "you had better have a good
reason before you accuse my daughter of being a liar." Ryouga
looked up to see that a middle-aged woman, who looked very much
like Ranma's female form, had walked up to the gathering. "Ranko,
dear, who is this young man? Is he bothering you?" The woman
glared at Ryouga, then turned to the girls. "I came to find you
girls when I didn't see you on the beach. I promised Yuka-chan's
mother that I would watch you carefully."

Ranko stood up. "Mother, this is Hibiki Ryouga. Ryouga, this is
my mother, Saotome Nodoka."

Ryouga stood up and bowed. He looked the woman over. She looked
too much like Ranma to be anyone but his mother. Either Ranma had
brainwashed his own mother, or... or... No! This couldn't be
true! Ranma was a guy! How could he possibly have been born a
girl? The sardonic part of his mind asked, You turn into a pig
and you can ask a question like that? He didn't want to believe
it. There had to be another explanation! What, asked the same
part of his mind, the Trilateral Commission? Maybe Area 51 was
involved, too. That's it! The real Ranma had been abducted by
aliens. Right.

He was shaken out of his mental short-circuiting by a question.
"Where do you know my daughter from, Ryouga-kun?"

Hibiki Ryouga had been raised to be polite to his elders. "I... I
met her in Junior High, Ma'am. At an all-boys school." Sayuri
looked startled, then shrugged.

"And what happened here? Why are you all sitting around like
this? Why are you here, Ryouga-kun?"

Ryouga turned a pasty color. "Um, well, Ma'am, I... I ummm, kind
of attacked her. I... I usually attack her when I see her." He
winced. Maybe he could have put that better. All the girls were
glaring at him again.

Nodoka looked at him for a long time. "I will assume this was
because you thought she was a boy and you hold some kind of
grudge against her. I will overlook this behavior, given the past
confusion about Ranko's identity, but I want you to behave
properly towards her in the future. I can tell you are a
well-brought-up young man, and I expect you to behave
accordingly. Just because I let my daughter practice martial arts
does not mean I allow her to participate in brawls. *Especially*
with boys." Her tone turned to liquid nitrogen. "Am I understood,
young man?"

Ryouga gulped, and nodded. "Y-yes, Ma'am."

Ranko stared at her mother in awe. Maybe... maybe there were
advantages to being a girl in a fight...

Nodoka smiled. "Very well. You are welcome to join us for dinner,
Ryouga-kun. I'm afraid I can't offer you a place to stay; I can't
very well have you sleeping in a room with five girls!" Ryouga's
eyes widened; they were all sleeping in the same room? "Come
along when you're done talking." Nodoka turned and headed back
towards the cottage. Ranko and Ryouga sat back down.

Ryouga sat in stunned silence for several moments. He finally
lifted his head, and found Ranma looking back at him sadly. The
full meaning of what he had just heard finally started to seep
into his consciousness. Ranma... Ranko... was a *girl*? His
sometime rival, sometime friend, the person he had fought
viciously innumerable times, but whom he had sometimes helped,
the person he had tried to... kill on occasion, was a *girl*? A
real, live, honest-to-goodness, sugar and spice and everything
nice *girl*?

"H-how?" he croaked. "You... you were a boy all the time before
Jusenkyou."

She looked ready to cry. "Father wanted a son. He... he took me
away from Mother when I was four, and Happosai used magic to make
me a boy. The Nyannichuan let me become a girl again." She
swallowed; her throat hurt. "My female form looks just like my
baby pictures, Ryouga, red hair and all. *This* is my true form,"
she said, pointing at herself.

Her eyes unfocused; they were seeing something that only she
could see. "If it hadn't been for Father and Happosai... this is
the only form I ever would have had. I... I'd have been just a
normal, ordinary girl... not... not... a freak..." At that, Ranko
started to sob, and Ukyou moved to hold her, gently. She looked
up at the other girls, tears in her own eyes. She... she knew
exactly how Ranchan felt...

Ryouga didn't know how to react. How do you react when you find
out the sky is orange? That things fall up? That ice is hot?
Ranma being a girl and crying seemed like a violation of some
natural law. But... this was too elaborate to be one of Ranma's
deceptions. He had never carried off anything on this scale
before, and his... her mother would certainly know her own
child's sex. Something caught his curiosity. "Ranma... Ranko...
are you going to be a girl from now on? Just because you were one
when you were born?"

She looked up, her eyes red. "N-no. That's not the reason." She
took a deep breath. "I... I never liked being a boy, Ryouga, not
really. Dr. Tofu says it's because of who I was... am. I... I'm
trying out being a girl over summer break, to see if I like it
better. I might stay this way, but I might go back to being a
guy, too." Sayuri and Yuka looked at each other and rolled their
eyes, but said nothing. Akane was smiling a very Kasumi-like
smile.

Ryouga felt the stirrings of an utterly alien emotion: compassion
for Ranma. This was certainly a day of surprises. He supposed
that he would turn into a flying pig next. "You... you mean you
felt bad about being a guy the whole time?"

She nodded, her lips pursed. "Ryouga, are you glad you're a guy?"

Ryouga was startled by the non sequitur. "What? Of... of course.
Why wouldn't I be?"

Ranko nodded. "Of course..." She seemed amused at a private joke.

Ryouga continued looking at the redhead wearing a teal bikini who
was sitting on the sand in front of him. This... this girl wasn't
a disguise, the cursed form that Ranma took. This girl was a...
well, a girl. He had always thought Ranma was beautiful, but the
knowledge that she was really a boy made it seem an affront.
Suddenly, he was very aware of the fact that Ranma... Ranko...
was a beautiful girl, and not a boy pretending to be one. He
tried to push that out of his mind; he didn't want to deal with
it right now. He wasn't entirely successful.

Ryouga knew he would never again tell this girl how she had made
his life hell. His life wasn't even in the same league as hers.
Suddenly, his implacable resentment of Ranma for snatching the
bread at lunch in junior high seemed very petty. As he continued
to stare at her, she blushed and dropped her gaze. He looked away
in embarrassment himself. What do you say to a girl whom you've
been beating up for the last four years, even if she's as good a
martial artist as you? To the girl you went to an all-boys school
with? Who... you... (gulp) changed in the locker room with?
Ryouga knew his relationship with this girl could never be the
same again. He had thought he knew who Ranma was, but it seems he
didn't know this girl at all. Could she really still be Ranma?

There was something he *did* have to say, though. "Ranko...
Ranko-san, I'm... I'm sorry."

She looked up in surprise. "What? Why?"

"For... for attacking you. For all the times I attacked you."

She shook her head. "Don't be silly, Ryouga. You didn't know I
was a girl. *I* didn't know I was a girl. And even if I had
known, just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I can't take care of
myself. I am a martial artist, after all." Akane had an eerie
feeling of deja vu. "I... I mean I did get tired of it happening
constantly, but I didn't really mind fighting with you. You were
a good opponent; you kept me in shape. It... It's OK, really.
Don't worry about it." She made a face. "Besides, Mother won't
let you fight me any more, except to practice." She laughed.

Ryouga laughed too.

*****

They all sat around the dinner table. He almost hadn't made it
here. The combined efforts of five girls to lead him back to
their cottage -- in a straight line along the beach -- almost
hadn't been enough to combat his unerring ability to get lost,
but in the end, they had arrived. He was glad; Ranko's mother
seemed to be an excellent cook.

Ryouga wondered at what he saw. Ranko was wearing a sundress,
jewelry, and lipstick, and was chatting with her friends in a
very animated way. Ryouga couldn't quite believe this happy,
vivacious girl was the same person he'd known as Ranma. When not
bragging or defending his manhood, Ranma had never had a lot to
say. He shook his head.

Even stranger was his rivalry with Ranma for Akane. It was gone,
like a soap bubble. Akane was unattached, his to try to woo
without worrying about the engagement, or even competition (Kunou
didn't count). It was such an unexpected situation, he didn't
know what to think. He gathered from what he had heard that Akane
and Ranko had been very close since early childhood, like twin
sisters. Realization dawned in Ryouga, that that put Ranko in a
new role: Akane's sister, someone who would be looking out for
her; someone he, Ryouga, should try to make a good impression
with. Ryouga thought about all the efforts that Ranma had made to
disrupt his pursuit of Akane; he knew that Ranma had not approved
of him. Maybe... maybe it wasn't a new role after all. He
wondered how he could overcome the hostility there had been
between them and make her see him more favorably. Deep-sixing
P-chan was probably a given if he was going to do that.

He turned his attention back to the dinner conversation. Ranko's
face seemed transformed to him as she chatted with the others. He
had seen Ranma in female form countless times, but she had had
the same expressions and lack of emotion as her male form. Now,
she was happy, open, cheerful, excited... and vulnerable. Ryouga
had seen just how vulnerable a couple of times that day. He hoped
that wasn't permanent. The alien emotion of compassion for her
surfaced again.

Nodoka spoke up. "You haven't said much yet, Ryouga-kun. Are you
willing to discuss the reasons why you had a feud with my
daughter?"

Ukyou gave him a look of feigned innocence, fluttering her
eyelids. Ryouga suddenly started to sweat. "Ummm... I guess so...
well... uh... we... we used to fight over bread in the cafeteria
in Junior High..."

Nodoka tilted her head. "That hardly seems like reason enough to
attack someone constantly the way you mentioned. Are you sure
there isn't anything else?"

Ryouga sweated profusely; of course, Nodoka was right. But he
couldn't talk about Jusenkyou here, in front of Akane. Or Akane's
friends. Not if he wanted to live.

Ranko piped up. "Oh, I used to like to tease him. I bounced off
his head sometimes to grab the bread that was being thrown to
us."

"Ranko! Dear, that wasn't very nice."

She answered Nodoka, but she was looking at Ryouga. "I... I never
meant any harm. It was just a game to me. I... I'm sorry. I
thought of Ryouga as a friend." Ryouga's eyes spoke his gratitude
to Ranko for the diversion. Her words were making him feel
ashamed for some reason.

He reached carelessly for his tea, and managed to knock it over,
spilling it in Ranko's lap. He winced, expecting the change.
Nothing happened.

Ranko thought Ryouga's eyes were going to pop out of his head.
"Ranko-san... What... Why?..."

"I... Cologne locked my curse temporarily for me. I was getting
splashed with hot water just as I had been with cold, and... and
I didn't want to deal with that on top of everything else. It
will wear off in another week or so, according to what she said.
I... I'll decide then whether to go back to school as Ranko or
not."

She rose. "Excuse me; I'd better go clean up my dress." With
that, she headed for the kitchen.

Ryouga stared at her until she was out of sight. He turned to
Ranko's mother. "You're an excellent cook, Ma'am. Dinner is
delicious."

Nodoka blushed. "Thank you. You should thank Ranko too, when she
returns; she did a lot of the work. She has been helping me cook
at home."

Ryouga gaped. "Re-really?" He was amazed. What was next, her
having a boyfriend? That thought made his head buzz.

He spoke again. "I... I think I'd like some fresh air. Would you
mind if I stepped out for a moment?"

"Not at all, Ryouga-kun."

Ukyou leaned over to Akane and said sotto voce, "Well, that's the
last we'll see of him for a few weeks." Akane nodded.

Ryouga sat on the beach and watched the waves crashing against
the sand. The tide seemed to be coming in, and the water was
lapping up the beach. He supposed he should move back a bit, but
he loved the ocean.

He was ashamed to admit it, but his life had revolved completely
around getting revenge on Ranma and winning Akane. Now that that
axis had shifted, and his little personal morality play of Good
versus Evil had collapsed, he was forced to examine what he had
done with his life the last few years. He didn't like what he
found. Four years spent trying to find Ranma, trying to kill
Ranma, fighting Ranma for bread, or for Akane. Why? Ranko had
said she considered him a friend. He felt ashamed.

He couldn't understand why he had been so angry at Ranma. He had
resented him... her... deeply. Why had he cared so much, enough
to follow him to China, where he had been cursed? Over some
bread? Something about Ranma had just made him angry, and... and
he didn't feel that way any more. It was simply gone, like the
morning mist. He couldn't understand that, either. Maybe... maybe
he viewed her in a different way now. The aspects of her behavior
that had so incensed him didn't seem so wrong any more. He shook
his head; he simply didn't understand.

Once again he looked up to enjoy the beautiful sight of the ocean
waves crashing. They were quite large now, especially the one
that was about to...

"Bweeeee...."

*****

Ranko had not expected to see Ryouga again after hearing that he
had stepped outside, but a few hours later, after everyone had
bathed and gotten ready for bed, they heard a tapping at the
front door. Nodoka went to open it, and was startled to find a
small black piglet standing on the step, looking up at her.

"What is it, Auntie?" asked Akane.

Nodoka looked back down at the piglet, who was looking up at her
expectantly. "For some reason, there is a small black piglet on
our doorstep, and he appears to want to come in." She looked more
closely. "He's soaking wet, too."

Akane came rushing up. "P-chan! What are you doing out here in
Ibaraki?" She scooped him up. "Oh sweetie, you're all wet!
Auntie, this is my pet pig, P-chan."

Nodoka looked at the pig. "Are you sure, Akane-chan? There are a
lot of farms around here."

Akane beamed. "Of course! See, he recognizes me, and he always
has this bandanna around his neck." She held P-chan up for Nodoka
to see. Ranko and Ukyou came up behind Akane, looked at each
other, and rolled their eyes.

Nodoka stared for a moment. Something about that bandanna seemed
familiar. Oh well... "Akane-chan, I'm not sure my cousin would
appreciate hearing that a pig stayed in her living room."

Akane looked worried. "Auntie, he sleeps with me at home. He's
very, very clean..." she looked at Nodoka hopefully.

Nodoka considered. "Well, I know my cousin has a dog, whom they
bring with them to this cottage. I... I guess it would be all
right." She looked sternly at Akane. "But Akane-chan, you must
make sure he doesn't cause any damage or other problems. I would
hate to have to explain things to my cousin. And if he leaves any
odors their dog will notice and be upset."

Akane nodded. "Of course, Auntie. He's never caused a lick of
trouble at home." Ranko sighed. Akane went off to find a towel
for P-chan.

They laid out the futons and got ready for bed, with P-chan
watching the proceedings from the side of the room. He noted that
Ranko wore pajamas like the other girls. She really *is* a girl,
he thought. He shook his head and sighed. As the girls got into
their futons, he trotted over to Akane's. As she scooped him up,
he chanced to look Ranko in the eye, and flinched. She was giving
him a cold glare, letting him know exactly what she thought of
this habit of his. She "hmphed", and rolled over on her side,
looking away from him.

Funny, he thought. That look hurt more than anything she ever did
to me before. He sighed inwardly. What a stupid situation. How am
I ever going to get out of it?

*****

In the morning, P-chan was waiting patiently for Akane to finish
brushing her teeth, when he heard Ranko's voice. "P-chan." He
looked up; she was holding a steaming kettle. She motioned
outside with her eyes. He nodded meekly and followed.

Once they were outside, she asked, "Where are your clothes?" He
squealed and turned as if to go somewhere, then stopped. He
looked around in confusion.

Ranko rolled her eyes. "Never mind. Let's just look around." She
casually scooped him up; Ryouga cringed, but Ranko was holding
him gently. They circled around the cottage, and behind it were
Ryouga's pack and clothing.

Without further adieu, Ranko poured the hot water on P-chan and
watched him transform back into Ryouga. When she realized she was
staring at him with his clothes off, she suddenly turned away,
her cheeks bright crimson. I... I guess things are different now,
she thought. She waited while he dressed.

She turned to face him, a stern look in her eye. "Ryouga, Mother
says I mustn't fight you, so I'll have to use words instead. I'll
be frank. I don't like what you are doing with Akane as P-chan.
It's not right, and you know it. I... I know you're in love with
her, and to be honest that makes it even worse. How do you think
she will react if she ever finds out?" Ranko knew that Akane
would marry eventually, but even so, contemplating that was still
upsetting. She hoped that she and Akane would remain close no
matter who... A-Akane married. Letting go of the engagement was
still hard, but she had no right to tie Akane up or choose her
boyfriends for her, and... and she didn't really need to, not any
more; their relationship was now something different. Still, the
idea of Ryouga as Akane's boyfriend upset her. If Ryouga was
going to even try, she was going to make damn sure he cleaned up
his act and was worthy of Akane.

Ryouga lowered his eyes and blushed. Ranko seemed to be learning
from her mother. "You're right, Ranko-san. I... I know it's
wrong. She just loves P-chan so much, I don't want to hurt
her..." He noted Ranko's skeptical look. "Honest! I... I do enjoy
being held by her, but... but if that were all, I could walk away
from it." He sighed in exasperation, and put his hand over his
eyes. "Honestly, this is such a mess, and I don't know how to get
out of it. I should tell her, but if I do she'll hate me, and...
and..." he trailed off.

She cocked her head and looked at him. "Ryouga, Akane is going to
marry a man, not a pig. If you want a chance at being that man"
she faltered slightly, "you have to start showing her less pig
and more man. Do you understand? You are not stupid, and I'm sure
you can figure out a way out of this." She put a little edge in
her voice. "If you are motivated."

He gulped, and nodded. "O-OK."

She winked at him. "Good. Why don't we go back and have some
breakfast?" She turned around and walked back towards the front
of the cottage. Ryouga watched her retreating form the whole way.

"How did she do that?" he wondered aloud. He picked up his pack
and followed her.

Twenty minutes later, Ranko sighed. I guess he's not coming for
breakfast after all, she thought. I really should have led him
back. Well, he'd turn up again... eventually.

*****

The next day -- their last at the beach -- the girls were out
sunning themselves again, Ranko once more wearing her teal
bikini. She rolled over on her back and looked up at the sky, and
sighed contentedly. This vacation had been wonderful, even with
Ryouga's unplanned visit. She had never felt so relaxed, so far
away from the craziness that was usually her life.

She turned over on her stomach again, and lost track of time for
a while, before she became aware of a young man standing a short
distance away, staring at the ground. She sat up, and the other
girls did too.

Akane spoke first. "Can we help you?" She sounded a little
irritated.

The boy flinched. "Uhhh, uhhh, I... I was wondering if I could
speak to the young lady with the red hair." He turned bright red
himself.

Nodoka looked up sharply from where she was sitting and reading
her book. She had known this was going to come sooner rather than
later, and was worried. Ranko had not had the benefit of years of
preparation which other girls had. She watched closely.

The girls looked at each other, then all turned to look at Ranko,
who was gazing uncertainly at the boy. "What... Why do you want
to talk to me?"

The boy stammered on. "Well, Miss, my name is Izaki Hiro, and...
and..." he seemed to gather his courage, "I... I couldn't help
noticin' that you were about the prettiest girl we've ever seen
out here. I... I was wonderin' if... if you would like me ta show
you around the town?"

Ranko was about to pound him for making a proposition like that
to another boy, when she realized that she wasn't a boy, and he
had every right to try. She started to grow pale when she
realized that... that she really *was* going to have to figure
out how she f-felt about... about... she couldn't even complete
the thought. It had been easier when the subject had come up as
an abstract point of discussion, but with a boy standing in front
of her... She swallowed. If... if Mother won't let me marry
another girl, and... and I don't even think I want to, does that
mean...? She shook her head. She *knew* she wasn't ready to think
about this now, and she didn't intend to. She took a broom to
these thoughts, chased them back into her mental cellar, and
locked the door. But she knew she couldn't keep them locked up
much longer.

She looked up to see Akane, Ukyou, Sayuri, and Yuka awaiting her
reply; they looked more anxious than the boy did, if that was
possible. She turned to answer, then realized she didn't have the
faintest idea of what to say. She racked her brains for all the
old movies she had ever seen.

"That... that's very sweet of you, Hiro-kun. B-but I... I came
here to be with my friends, and... and..." she thought furiously,
"I already have a boyfriend back in Tokyo!" She heard rather than
saw the impacts as several bodies in the vicinity fell over.

The boy looked disappointed, but seemed to relax as well. He
smiled, and she found herself smiling back. "I'm sorry to hear
that, Miss...?"

"Saotome... Saotome Ranko."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Ranko-san. Your boyfriend is a lucky
man." He winked, turned, and walked away. He... he knew it was a
white lie, she thought. How did he know?

She blushed furiously when her friends grinned at her and burst
into applause.

That night, they all sat around a campfire on the beach, toasting
marshmallows. None of them had ever done it before, but they'd
watched enough American movies, and after a few misadventures,
they had gotten the hang of it. Fortunately, the grocery store in
town had had marshmallows. Apparently they were not the only
Japanese who watched American movies.

Ranko was staring into the flames, watching them flicker. She was
entranced. She thought back over the last few days, and the
feeling of living in a dream persisted. It was as if they had
been whisked off to some enchanted world. Ranko simply could not
remember another time in her life where she had enjoyed herself
so much, where she had been so happy. She sighed contentedly.

Ukyou sat with her chin propped up on one hand, watching Ranko.
She was so changed from the Ranma she and the others had known,
and in such a short period of time. Even back when she and
Ranchan had first met... That little boy had certainly had a
cheerful disposition, but lurking behind it had always been a
melancholy she couldn't identify. Now, she wasn't sure she could
identify the person she as looking at. This girl... she was so
like Ranma in so many ways, and yet so different. She and Akane
were close friends; gone were the insults and bickering. She was
relaxed and happy, words that had been hard to apply to Ranma.
She had been transformed, and not just physically. Yuka
interrupted her reverie.

"Ranko-chan, I... this whole trip has been wonderful. I've really
enjoyed it. I hope you have too."

Ranko looked up. "I've really had a wonderful time, too. And I've
loved having you guys here. All of you. It's been..." words
failed her, but her happy smile spoke volumes.

Sayuri spoke up. "Ranko-chan, I know you are worried about people
thinking you aren't a real girl, but I don't think you should be
worried. You're so different from before. You... you really act
like a perfectly normal girl. Well, one who doesn't quite know
all the things she should." They all laughed. "Really, if... if
you decide to come back to school as Ranko, I don't think you
have anything to worry about."

Akane seemed to think of something. "Ranko, you... before, you
told me you were afraid of changing, of becoming another person.
The idea of changing so much scared you." She paused. "And you've
changed a lot; Sayuri-chan is right. Yet you don't seem
frightened about it. Does changing into another person not
frighten you any more?" She looked at Ranko.

Ranko looked deep in thought. For a minute, she looked into the
fire as the others waited. Finally, she spoke. "I... it hasn't
been like I expected. I... I haven't had the feeling that I've
been changing into another person." She paused a moment, then
continued with wonder and realization in her voice. "I... I feel
like I *was* another person, and... and I'm becoming *me*. Like I
was a puzzle put together the wrong way, and now I'm slowly being
put together the right way." She stared at the flames,
mesmerized.

There was a long silence as everyone considered the meaning of
Ranko's words, Ranko herself most of all.

*****

Ranko looked out the window as the train she was on wound its way
through the familiar environs of Nerima Ward. They had been
travelling for several hours, and were almost home, after many
transfers.

She had thought at the campfire last night that the time she had
spent at the beach with her friends had been like a visit to
another world, and she wasn't sure she wanted to come home. She
knew that all the problems in her life -- her father, her fellow
students, her enemies, and most of all, her dilemma -- were
waiting for her here. How easy it would be to run away, to go
somewhere else where no one had ever heard of Saotome Ranma. To
run away from her old self and her troubles.

Just like her father would. She sighed.

The PA announced "Furinkan-cho, Furinkan-cho is next," and the
train started across the bridge she and Akane had sat under. She
looked down, but couldn't quite make out the place where they had
been. How long ago had that been, when this had all been set in
motion? She had only been a girl for two and a half weeks, but
already it seemed like a lifetime. And the summer break was just
more than half over. She still had a week or so to think about
it, though the lock on her curse would expire any day now. Had it
really been nearly three weeks, already?

The train pulled into the station, and she and her friends
gathered up their luggage. A short while later, they were
standing outside the station gates, luggage around them.

They all looked at each other. Sayuri spoke, "Ranko-chan, thank
you for inviting me. I... I had a lovely time. The beach was
nice... and the friends were wonderful." She looked Ranko in the
eye with warmth, conveying her thanks and her affection in a way
words couldn't.

Yuka chimed in, "I... me too, Ranko-chan. I... I'm glad you're my
friend." Ranko smiled happily, and discovered her eyes were quite
moist.

"I'm glad both of you are my friends, too," she replied simply.

Yuka looked at Sayuri, and turned back to Ranko. "We'll call you,
OK?"

"I'd like that," said Ranko, whose was sniffling a bit.

Sayuri and Yuka waved, said "bai bai!", and started walking home.

Ranko waved too, and called "bai bai!" Akane and Ukyou looked at
her and smiled.

"Ranchan, I had a great time. Thanks." Ukyou smiled. "I guess I'd
better get back and see if the restaurant is still there." She
made a face, and Ranko laughed.

"Ja ne," she called, and walked away.

"Ja ne!" Ranko and Akane called back. They turned and started
walking towards Nodoka's home. Ranko looked at the hand she had
waved with, bemused. Did I really just say "bai bai", she
wondered. Saotome Ranma would never have said "bai bai". It
wasn't manly. She giggled.

"What is it, Ranko?" asked Akane.

"Oh, nothing," she replied. "Just a funny thought."

Akane nodded. "Would you like to do something tomorrow?"

Ranko shook her head. "No, the vacation was nice, but... but I
think I want to stay home tomorrow, not run off somewhere else.
Maybe the next day."

Nodoka thought a moment. "You know, we promised Kasumi and Nabiki
a dinner invitation. Would you like to do that tomorrow?"

Ranko's face lit up. "Mother, that would be just perfect!" She
would love to see her... older sisters again.

Nodoka had a sly look in her eye. "Would you like to make
dinner?"

Ranko was a little shocked. "M-me? By myself?" She thought. "I...
I don't think I'm ready to do that yet, Mother."

Nodoka smiled. "If you feel that way, then of course I'll help,
dear."

Akane piped up. "I'd love to help too, Ranko! We can all do it
together!"

Nodoka nodded. "You've been very patient, Akane-chan, and I'd
love to have you help."

Oh great, thought Ranko. I was looking forward to a nice quiet
day tomorrow, and what do I get? Armageddon.

*****

Nodoka was sleeping the sleep of exhaustion that night, when a
quiet knock came on her door and woke her. She sighed, and
propped herself up. "Yes?..."

The door slid open, and Ranko was there. "What is it,
sweetheart?"

Ranko closed the door, walked over to the bed, and sat down.
"Mother, we... we have a serious problem."

Nodoka sat up more fully, alert. "We do? What is it, dear?"

Ranko looked up as she thought about how best to say this.
"Mother, you know how Akane offered to help cook dinner tomorrow
night?"

Nodoka nodded. They had called the Tendou sisters on the phone,
and they had graciously accepted the invitation. Well, at least
Kasumi had been gracious. "Yes, dear, she seemed very
enthusiastic. Won't it be fun!"

Ranko blanched. Fun wasn't the word. "Mother, Akane, she... her
cooking... it's... it's..." she cast about for words, and gave
up; words were inadequate. "really bad."

Nodoka frowned. "That's an unkind thing to say about your dearest
friend, Ranko. Besides, it's just a family dinner. It doesn't
have to be four-star cuisine. It's more important that everyone
have a good time."

Ranko shook her head. "No, Mother, you don't understand. I would
like nothing better than for Akane to enjoy herself in the
kitchen. But her cooking... it's *really* *bad*. As in, not
edible. Literally." She paused, lost in memories. "In fact,
sometimes, it's downright toxic. I... I had to go to the
emergency room several times."

Nodoka could see Ranko was serious. "That bad?" Her daughter
nodded vigorously. She leaned back against her pillow.

Ranko continued. "The worst part is, she loves to cook. She wants
so badly to prepare a good meal, and every time, she produces a
disaster, her feelings get hurt, and my stomach gets hurt worse.
I... I don't know what to do." She sighed, and fell backwards
onto the bed, her arms folded. She regarded the ceiling.

Nodoka pondered the situation. "How could her cooking be that
bad?" she wondered. "Her mother was gone, but still, Kasumi
should have..."

Ranko put her hands behind her head and continued looking at the
ceiling. "Kasumi's tried. Akane... seems to be immune to
instruction in cooking."

Nodoka considered that. "Well dear, all I can say is, I'll try my
best. Maybe I will succeed where others have failed." Ranko
fervently hoped so. "But dear?"

Ranko turned over on her side to face her mother and propped up
her head with one hand as she lay on the bed. "Yes, Mother?"

"You must remember that no matter how bad it is, you musn't
deride it. I'm sure she is well aware of the reputation her
cooking has. She already feels bad, and we don't need to make her
feel worse. Be as positive as you can be. She will get the
message anyway, but her feelings will be spared somewhat."

Ranko wrinkled her nose. "Even if it's toxic pig swill?"

Nodoka nodded. "Even if it's toxic pig swill."

*****

Ranko sat dejectedly in the living room of the Saotome home,
Nabiki her only companion. Both her mother and Kasumi were in the
kitchen with Akane, as a desperate attempt at damage control.
Given the small size of Japanese kitchens, there was simply no
room for Ranko to be in the kitchen as well.

And so Ranko and Nabiki were waiting for the dinner preparations
to be complete, with all the enthusiasm of a condemned man on
death row. The atmosphere of doom in the living room was
palpable. Occasionally, they would exchange morose glances.
Neither was a great conversationalist to begin with.

Finally, Ranko attempted to break the ice, if only to distract
them from the impending meal. "So, Oneechan, how... how have you
been? How has life been at the Dojo with just you and
Kasumi-neechan?"

Their heads both swung around towards the kitchen at the sound of
raised voices. They couldn't quite make out what was being said,
but it didn't sound pleasant. They turned back to their
conversation, looking nervous. This hadn't been the first time by
far.

Nabiki was clearly distracted by the goings-on in the kitchen.
"Uh, well... fine... I... I guess." She found herself
uncharacteristically at a loss for words. "It... It's been
quiet."

Ranko nodded slowly, not sure what to say next. Nabiki continued,
"Akane told us, on the phone... uh, you know, when she called to
invite us to dinner, she told us about your trip to Ibaraki, and
the rest of your summer. It... It sounds like it was a lot of
fun." She managed a small smile.

Ranko nodded. "Yes, I had a wonderful time! Having Akane and
Ucchan and Sayuri and Yuka along really made it..."

There was a shout of "Akane-chan, no!" from the kitchen, followed
by a short silence. Then the heated voices returned. Nabiki and
Ranko's attention was once again riveted on the kitchen door.

When things in the kitchen had quieted down, they turned once
more towards each other. Ranko swallowed nervously, and
continued. "Uh, having them there made it really fun. And Ryouga
showed up!" She giggled. "I thought his brain was going to catch
fire when he found out about me!"

Nabiki snorted. "Just wait until you try to explain it to Kunou."
The both laughed.

The door to the kitchen opened, and the laughter died instantly.
Kasumi emerged, and her smile seemed a little forced. "Dinner
is... ready, everyone."

Ranko and Nabiki exchanged one last glance of despair, then
headed for the table. Kasumi went back into the kitchen, and then
reemerged carrying a dish, followed closely by Nodoka and Akane,
both carrying dishes and both looking somewhat grim. They
returned for another trip to bring the rest out.

Finally, they were all seated, and the meal began. Ranko examined
the dishes; they looked moderately normal, though with Akane that
did not imply safety. She and the others served themselves, and
she lifted her chopsticks to her mouth, took a deep breath, and
ate. Akane watched everyone intently, desperate hope written on
her face.

Ranko stopped short. This... this was something new and wonderful
in Akane's cooking: it was bad. *Just* bad. The kind of food
you'd find in a hospital or a bad restaurant, not the kind of
food you'd find at a toxic waste site. For Akane's food to be
merely bad was an amazing accomplishment. Apparently, having two
experienced cooks watching her every move had prevented the most
dangerous mistakes.

Ranko could actually eat this; she'd had worse on the road with
her father (well, maybe not...). She could see that Kasumi and
Nabiki were similarly amazed. Nabiki seemed to relax suddenly and
slump into her seat. A stay of execution. Everyone resumed
eating, gratefully.

Ranko spoke up. "Akane... this is... this is... edible!" Nodoka
frowned. She had told Ranko last night to be positive. Still,
maybe that remark qualified, considering the food...

Akane was confused. She wasn't quite sure whether this was an
insult or a compliment. She noticed that everyone was eating, if
not exactly with gusto. Since they were usually rolling around on
the floor in excruciating pain by now, she decided to take it as
a compliment. "Th-Thank you, Ranko. I'm glad you like it!"

Let's not get carried away, hon. "Umm, you're welcome."

Later that night, as Ranko was in her pajamas and getting ready
for bed, and enjoying the fact that she had actually eaten a meal
made by Akane without violent aftereffects, there was a knock on
her door. She opened it to find her mother.

"Ranko, dear, I would be very grateful if you could massage my
shoulders a bit. I... I seem to be a bit tense tonight."

Ranko's eyes widened. "I'll bet."

*****

A few days later, Ranko and Akane finished their morning workout,
and Ranko decided to soak a little bit rather than just wash off.
She had been wary when entering the bath the last day or so, and
this morning was no exception. She knew the lock on her curse
would wear off any day now.

She slipped into the water, and waited a moment. Nothing
happened, and she sighed and sat down, enjoying the warmth of the
water. She and Akane had had quite a workout that morning, and
her muscles were sore. She was pleased; she knew she would never
be as good as she had been when it was her whole life, but it
seemed that with a little bit of time every day, she could still
be pretty good, able to hold her own against all but the most
formidable opponents. Not that she wanted to fight anyone these
days, but sometimes she didn't have a choice, as Ryouga had
shown.

She was enjoying the water when she felt a strange twinge in her
body. She sat bolt upright. She looked at herself, and saw she
was changing, but in the most peculiar way. It was happening in
slow motion, tentatively, almost as if the curse wasn't quite
sure what to do to her. It didn't hurt in the least, but it was
most definitely not the normal way her curse operated. As she...
he got closer to his male form, the transformation sped up, and
the last little bit was quite rapid.

Ranko got out of the bath, and shook his head. That had been
awfully strange; he'd never changed like that before. He looked
in the mirror, and saw a black-haired boy looking back at him. He
was disoriented; his reflection looked so... so wrong. A thought
flickered through his mind: that isn't me...

He shook his head again. He... he had really gotten used to being
Ranko. Being in his boy form was making him really, really
uncomfortable, far beyond what he had felt before. He sighed, and
put on a robe; he might as well go out and tell Mother and Akane.

Akane had already finished breakfast and was sitting in the
living room, while Nodoka worked in the kitchen cleaning up.
Ranko's breakfast still sat on the dining table. Akane looked up,
and dropped the book she was reading; she felt like she had seen
a ghost coming down the stairs. A black-haired ghost. Somehow,
she had never expected to see him again.

Ranko reached the bottom of the stairs, and looked sheepishly at
Akane. "Well, I... I guess it wore off." Nodoka heard the male
voice and came hurrying out. "Oh, dear."

Akane couldn't shake the strange feeling that there was something
wrong with the boy in front of her; he looked... wrong, somehow.
When Ranko walked over to the breakfast table, Akane understood:
Ranko was still walking and acting like a girl; his body language
was feminine. The boy she saw was not Ranma; he was... a cursed
girl.

Ranko began to eat his breakfast, neatly and politely. His mother
joined him at the table, and Akane came over as well. "Dear, what
are you going to do now?"

Ranko stopped eating to speak. "Well, I... I don't know. I think
I might try spending the day this way and... and see how I feel."
He paused; already, he felt... uncomfortable. He shrugged; he
really ought to try being a boy again, just to... to help him
sort out how he felt about being a girl. He spoke again. "I... I
think it will help me make up my mind." Akane shook her head
slightly; Ranko was sending out feminine vibes that anyone would
be able to pick up. If they ran into any of the people they knew
from Furinkan, it would be far worse than if Ranko were still
female.

Ranko took a few more bites, then cleared his throat. "Ummm, when
I changed back, it... it was a little strange. I... I changed
really slowly, not at all the way it normally works. I guess it
must have been the lock on the curse fading out."

Akane thought. "Maybe you're right, Ranko. But maybe we should go
and speak to Cologne later, or tomorrow." Ranko nodded in
agreement.

After breakfast, he headed upstairs to dress. He had one of his
old Chinese outfits with him, as he had foreseen something like
this might happen. He had just put it on when there was a knock
on his door. "Come in," he said, and Akane entered. She ran her
eyes over Ranko as he checked himself out in the mirror,
adjusting the silk shirt and pants. "It's not very flattering, is
it?" he asked. Akane's eyes widened, but she made a noncommittal
reply. Doesn't he realize he's still acting like Ranko?...

He did. Ranko sat down on the bed and sighed. "I'm not him, am I?
Wearing Ranma's clothes and being male doesn't make me Ranma."
Akane shook her head, sadly. Ranko's head drooped. "I'm
uncomfortable being a boy, and I... I hate the way I look, but
I'm still so scared about being a girl for the rest of my life."
He looked up at Akane, tears in his eyes. "I've been thinking
about how I would marry and have a family if I were a girl... or
rather, I've been trying *not* to think about it. I... it's so
alien. When I was a boy, I understood my life, I knew how it was
going to go. Now, everything is up in the air, and there are so
many unknowns. I... I've really enjoyed being a girl this summer,
but... but can I be that way for the rest of my life?"

Akane went over and sat next to Ranko on the bed; she took one of
his hands. "Ranko, none of us really know how our life is going
to go. We may think we do, but life has a way of being full of
surprises. I... I know the idea of... of having a relationship
with a man scares you. Do... do you want to have a relationship
with a woman, instead? There's nothing wrong with that, though I
don't know how Auntie would feel."

Ranko shook his head. "I... that's always made me uncomfortable,
too. Maybe I won't be with anyone..." he trailed off, miserable.

Akane took his shoulders and shook him gently; it felt so odd
doing that to his massive male frame, rather than her slight
female body. "It's still early, Ranko. Don't rush yourself. Who
you are attracted to doesn't have to follow from who you are. You
have to be who you are comfortable being, and let your other
feelings sort out over time. Don't try to rush things."

Ranko nodded and smiled, tears still in his eyes. "You're right,
Akane. I... I've been pushing myself too hard. If... if I'm not
comfortable with myself, how can I have a relationship with
anyone?" Akane nodded.

"So, what are you going to do now, about the curse?"

Ranko thought. "I... I think I would still like to be this way
today... just to make sure..." Akane took his hand again. "I'll
be right here with you." Ranko smiled.

*****

Nodoka sat in the living room, trying to read her book and
failing. Her daughter had wanted to go out in her male form, and
Akane had gone with her. Nodoka knew that Ranko was not used to
being a boy, and she also knew that people tolerated masculine
girls much more than they tolerated feminine boys. She was
worried about her daughter.

She had managed to read half a page, when the door opened
suddenly. She looked at her watch; it was not even lunchtime yet.
Akane had her arm around Ranko and was leading him in. Nodoka
gasped; Ranko's eyes were red from crying. Akane looked grim.

She led him over to the sofa and sat him down, putting an arm
around him. Nodoka struggled to find her voice. "What... what
happened?"

Akane spoke. "We... we were out on our way to visit Cologne at
the Nekohanten, when the worst possible thing happened. We ran
into some boys from Furinkan... some of the boys who played the
rotten trick on Ranko in the locker room. They've never liked
Ranma, and they could tell immediately that he was acting
differently." She paused and took a breath. "They started calling
him all sorts of horrible names, and Ranko, she... he started to
cry, just a little. That only encouraged them, and they said
some... some really awful things. Thank heavens I was there." Her
expression turned steely. "I took care of them."

Ranko had his head in his hands, and was staring at the floor.
"I... I can't go back, can I?" Akane felt like crying herself.
She had had a hunch this was going to happen. No, more than a
hunch. And not just her; she, Ukyou, Yuka, and Sayuri had all
expressed the same feelings to each other. Ranko, however, was
just coming to terms with it.

Nodoka asked, "What do you mean, dear?"

Ranko sat up. "I... I thought I could try being a girl for a
while, and then go back to being a boy. I thought I could switch
back and forth." His voice dropped to a hoarse whisper. "But I
can't. I've changed too much, and... and I can't change back.
Now... now that I've been a girl for a while, I... I just can't
stand being a boy. I don't know why, but... but I just can't."
Tears started to gather in his eyes again. "Even though I can
still change physically, I... I really don't have a choice any
more. I have to be a girl."

Akane hugged him. "None of us do, Ranko, not really. We never get
to choose whether we are a boy or a girl. And being able to
change physically, like you, doesn't change who you are inside.
You... you were always a girl, inside, and once that girl escaped
into the real world, she... she couldn't go back to being locked
up." Akane smiled. "She knows what it's like to live, now. How
can she settle for what she had before?" Ranko nodded, deep in
thought.

Suddenly, he got up. "I... I'm going to the bath. To... to
change." He swallowed. "For good." He seemed close to tears
again, and Akane rose as well. "Ranko, would... would you like me
to come with you?" He nodded, grateful.

Once they were upstairs in the bath, Ranko proceeded to strip off
his male clothing. Akane would normally have pounded any boy who
disrobed in front of her, but... this wasn't a boy, despite
appearances. She kept her eyes above the waist for her own
comfort. It was funny, for so long she had thought of Ranma's
female form as a disguise for his true male self. Now, as she
looked at that male body, it looked... wrong, hiding the form of
her friend, her sister. She shuddered.

Ranko walked over the the mirror, Akane's eyes following him. He
looked at the boy he saw there, and saw the girl inside looking
out from his eyes. Akane came up behind him, and for a few
moments, they both looked at the black-haired boy in the mirror.
Ranko turned, walked over, and unceremoniously dumped a wash
basin of cold water over his head. Instantly, he felt the
tingling, and in the blink of an eye she was her female self
again. Unexpectedly, relief washed over her, and she sagged
against the wall. She hadn't realized how hard being male again
would be. Already, she felt better.

Curiously, Akane found she had tears in her eyes; something about
what had just happened seemed... profound in a way. She wiped her
tears away. "Your... your curse seemed to be normal to me. I
guess it was a one time thing." Ranko nodded. "I... I guess so."
Akane thought for a moment. "Maybe... maybe we should make sure.
Do you think you could stand to do it one more time?" Ranko
nodded, "I just spent the morning that way. I guess I can stand
it for five minutes."

Akane went over, and filled another basin with hot water from the
tub. She walked over to Ranko and handed it to her, and Ranko
dumped it over her head.

Nothing happened.

They stared at each other. Ranko whispered, "I... I don't
understand. Am I locked permanently now?" She had decided to stay
a girl, but... this was unsettling.

Akane was about to reply when she noticed Ranko slowly starting
to change. She gradually grew taller, and the shape of her body
changed ever so slowly. Her hair changed slowly from red to
black. Several times, the transformation paused and seemed to
waver or reverse, then resume. Finally, after a minute or two, it
sped up, and rapidly finished.

They looked at each other in shock. "That... that's what happened
this morning," whispered Ranko, his eyes wide. "What's wrong with
me?"

Akane picked up the discarded male clothes on the floor. "Ranko,
if you can stand it, I think 'Ranma' has to put in one more
appearance -- at the Nekohanten."

*****

Cologne looked up from the counter as the door signal rang, and
her eyes widened. Making their way through the late lunch crowd
were Akane and... Ranma. Not Ranko, Ranma. She looked over at
Shampoo, who was frozen and staring at the pair as they walked
through the crowd. Cologne looked back, and her eyes narrowed as
she watched the way he walked, the way he held himself. No...
this wasn't Ranma, after all. But why was Ranko coming in male
form, in her old clothes?

They walked up to the counter, and Cologne could see fear in
their eyes. Ranko looked jittery, and he whispered, "Cologne...
my curse... it... it's acting strange." He swallowed. "I'm
scared." Cologne, in her mind's eye, could now easily see through
the surface appearance to the frightened girl below. "Come with
me," she said. She turned to Mousse; "Mousse, take over. Ran...
Ranma needs my help."

Akane and Ranko followed Cologne as she hopped into the back.
Shampoo followed and closed the door behind her. She was still
staring at the male Ranko.

Akane looked at the closed door. "Is Mousse going to be OK
running the whole place by himself?" she wondered aloud. Cologne
turned to order Shampoo back out, but stopped, when she saw the
pleading in the girl's eyes. Clearly, she wanted to see what was
happening. Cologne sighed. "He will manage for a few minutes.
Then Shampoo will have to go back out and help." The girl in
question nodded.

Cologne turned to Ranko. "What is the problem, child?"

Ranko thought. "I'd... I'd better demonstrate. I... I need hot
and cold water." Akane walked over to a sink, and brought the
requested items back. She handed the cold water to Ranko, who
dumped it over his head. Instantly, as always, she assumed her
female form.

Cologne peered at her. "What's the problem, then? That looked
normal to me. The Chisuiton water has merely worn off, is all."

Ranko shook her head. "Watch." She poured the hot water over her
head. Nothing happened.

Cologne stared in shock. She had never, ever seen this kind of
thing before. If the Chisuiton had locked Ranko, she wouldn't
have walked in as a boy; she shouldn't be able to change back at
all. Her eyes widened further as she saw Ranko slowly, slowly
start to change. Shampoo gasped and clapped her hands over her
mouth. Cologne watched in morbid fascination as the change
progressed, hesitated, reversed, then progressed again, finally
accelerating until it was complete, and Ranko was male again. She
swallowed, and found her voice. "Did... did that hurt, child?"

Ranko shook his head. "No, not at all. But the tingling I usually
feel feels... I don't know, different. Weaker, like it's fading."
He turned to Akane. "Could... could you get me some more cold
water?" Akane nodded, and moments later Ranko was a girl again.
She looked at Cologne, questioning. "Do... do you know what's
wrong?"

Cologne hopped down off her stick and sat. "Let me think for a
few moments. I've never seen this before. I've never seen a
normal Jusenkyou curse act this way, even with the Chisuiton
involved." She thought furiously. "I wonder... maybe that's
it..." She hopped over to the shelves where she kept her books,
selected one, and started browsing through it. The three teenage
girls watched her, wondering what she could possibly have thought
of.

Cologne nodded, and closed the book. She hopped back over to
where the others were standing. "Let's go sit in the office. This
may take a while."

A minute or two later, they were seated in the restaurant office,
crowded around a small table. Cologne winced as she heard the
sound of crockery breaking out in the restaurant, but she
couldn't leave Shampoo hanging. She had better make this fast
before Mousse got into more trouble.

"Ranko, I think the key is what I said earlier. A normal
Jusenkyou curse doesn't act like this. But your curse isn't
normal."

Everyone looked confused. "What great-grandmother mean?" asked
Shampoo.

"Think, children. What happens when a normal girl falls in the
Nyannichuan?"

Akane spoke first. "Nothing, right? That curse can't affect
someone who's already a girl."

Cologne nodded. "That's right. The curse needs a difference of
some kind to latch onto, a distinction from the cursed form. It's
like paint on a non-stick finish: it can't stick, and flakes off.
If a girl falls in the Nyannichuan, the curse can't 'stick'. All
the curses behave in the same way." She turned to Ranko. "You're
a normal girl, Ranko. You only have a boy form because of the
spell Happosai cast on you. Normally, the Nyannichuan wouldn't
affect you, but it was able to act on you due to your previous
enchantment. However, I believe from my reference books that that
is a less stable situation than a normal curse. The Jusenkyou
curse acted on the spell, which in turn acted on you. The
Jusenkyou curse effectively neutralized Happosai's spell when you
were in your female form. When you used hot water, Happosai's
spell could take effect again."

Ranko nodded. "So *I* was never really cursed directly; the curse
was on Happosai's spell."

Cologne smiled. "Very good, child! Yes, exactly." She thought for
a moment. "When I used the Chisuiton water on you, I introduced
yet another kind of magic. I can't be sure, but based on my
observation of your abnormal change just now, I believe that
locking you in female form altered the relationship between the
Jusenkyou curse and Happosai's spell. Shampoo, fetch the spell
jewel, please." Shampoo nodded and left, returning moments later
with a small jewel. It was glowing brightly. She handed it to
Cologne, and it promptly went out.

Cologne held the jewel up. "This jewel glows in the presence of
magic. If a person is cursed or enchanted, it will glow when held
against them." She held it close to Shampoo, and it glowed
brightly again. Ranko and Akane nodded.

Cologne moved her hand and held the jewel against Ranko. It
glowed much more dimly, and flickered occasionally.

Cologne had expected this, but it still shook her. She had never
seen anyone before who was affected by three different, mutually
conflicting shape-shifting spells; this was uncharted territory.
She looked up at Ranko. "As I suspected. The Jusenkyou curse and
the Chisuiton water acted together to destabilize Happosai's
spell. It's slowly decaying. As it does, the Jusenkyou curse is
losing its hold on you too, because it has nothing to act on."
Cologne took a deep breath; she was responsible for this, by
using the Chisuiton water. "Ranko, child, how do you feel about
being a girl?"

Ranko and Akane looked at each other. Ranko said, "I... I've
decided to stay this way." She cast her eyes down. "I really
don't have a choice. I... I just can't stand being a boy any
more." Shampoo nodded, sadly.

Cologne blew her breath out in relief. "I'm very glad to hear
that, my dear. Because I believe within the week, you won't be
able to become a boy any more. Happosai's spell is falling apart,
and once it does, your Jusenkyou curse will dissolve. You will be
a girl for the rest of your life, unless you return to Jusenkyou
and jump in the Nannichuan."

Ranko picked up the jewel again, from where it lay on the table.
It flickered dimly. From that day, Ranko would always remember
the shock and surprise she experienced when feelings of elation
and relief washed over her.

*****

Nodoka once again sat and worried at her living room window. She
was happy, for her daughter had decided to stay a girl, but now
her curse was acting up. What if she turned into a boy, and
couldn't change back? She hoped the Amazon matriarch knew what
was going on.

She nearly did a double take when she saw her daughter and Akane
walking up the street, holding hands and swinging them back and
forth, and laughing much like they had that day many weeks ago.
Ranko looked ridiculous in the overly-large boy's clothes, but
there was no mistaking the happy smile on her face. She waited
anxiously as they came in the front door.

"Tadaima!" they both called out cheerily.

"O-kaeri, dear. What happened?"

Ranko smiled, and reached into her pocket. She held out a jewel,
which Nodoka noticed was flickering in an intermittent way. Her
curiosity was piqued. "What is that, dear?"

Akane spoke up. "It's a special jewel which Cologne loaned to us.
It glows brightly in the presence of magic."

Nodoka was confused. "It's not glowing very brightly now. Is that
related to what's happening to you?"

Ranko nodded. "Cologne says that locking my curse three weeks ago
caused Happosai's original spell to become unstable. It's fading,
and the Jusenkyou curse is fading with it." She smiled a shaky
smile. "It's a good thing I decided to stay a girl permanently,
because Cologne says within a week I won't have a choice."

Nodoka's heart leapt. "You mean... you won't be cursed at all?
You'll be just a normal girl again?" Ranko and Akane nodded. "Oh,
how wonderful, sweetheart! I'm so happy for you!" She embraced
her daughter and held her tightly. "Oh, my poor baby, thank
goodness this nightmare is almost over for you." She finally
released Ranko, and stepped back.

Ranko was beaming, but then she sobered. "I just hope Cologne is
right..."

A few days later, Cologne looked up from the counter at the
Nekohanten. Once again, Ranko and Akane had walked in the door;
this time, Ranko was in a jean skirt and sleeveless top, rather
than the boy's clothes she had worn last time. The two girls
walked up to the counter where Cologne stood.

Ranko spoke. "Cologne, I came to return something." She reached
into her purse, and drew out the spell jewel, holding it out in
her hand. It was dark. Cologne nodded, and took it from Ranko's
hand. "I see. When was the last time you changed, child?"

"Last night, in the bath. It took ten minutes, and a couple of
times I went almost all the way back to being a girl before I
started changing again. I could only see the glow of the jewel if
I turned the lights out in my room. This morning, when I took a
bath after our workout, nothing happened, and the jewel was dark.
She giggled. "I even shut myself in the closet to make sure it
wasn't glowing."

Cologne smiled. "I take it you're happy about this?"

Ranko nodded. "I... I wasn't sure until recently, but yes, I'm
happy." She looked nervous. "I... I still don't know what the
rest of my life is going to be like as a girl, but... but I know
that's what I need to be. I need to be me." Akane smiled and gave
her a quick hug, and Ranko smiled back.

Cologne nodded. "Very well, child. I must inform you that you are
free from both the Kiss of Marriage and the Kiss of Death from
Shampoo."

Ranko was shocked. "Re-really? I don't understand... why?"

Cologne shook her head. "That is due to our laws, which apply
differently to someone with your history. It is not something we
prefer to discuss with outsiders." She smiled. "I hope we can
count you as friends of our tribe, Saotome Ranko, Tendou Akane."

Ranko smiled and bowed formally. "It is an honor to be a friend
of your tribe, Cologne of Joketsuzoku." Akane bowed as well.

Ranko seemed struck by a thought. "Does this mean you are
returning to China?" Ranko surprised herself; now that they were
no longer pursuing her, she would... miss the three Amazons, if
they left.

"Eventually, but I am in no hurry. I think it might be wise to
stay here in Japan, so that Shampoo may better her education. I
am thinking of sending her to high school, and from there on to
college. She will be better able to serve our village as a leader
that way. The 21st century is upon us, the world is shrinking,
and we will no longer be able to hide from the outside. We must
embrace it instead."

Ranko beamed. "I... I'm glad to hear that." She smiled
sheepishly. "I have to admit I would miss all of you." Akane was
startled, but had to agree. With the tension and rivalry gone,
she could... appreciate them, somewhat. They were good people to
have on your side.

She turned to Ranko and tugged at her sleeve. "We should be
going, Ranko. We need to get you ready for school." Cologne
noticed that Ranko took on a paler color at that. She waved her
hand at them. "Well, off you go, then. I'm sure we'll see you
again." Ranko nodded, and they moved to the door, where Ranko
stopped. "Goodbye... Great-Grandmother." She smiled timorously,
and they left.

Cologne smiled after them. She had longed to hear those words,
though admittedly under different circumstances. Fate moves in
mysterious ways. She shook her head.

*****

Nodoka held up her daughter's school uniform, and sighed. "Ranko,
dear, I have to be honest. This looks like you've been dragged
through the mud in it. Several times." She shook her head.

Ranko and Akane sat on Ranko's bed, watching as Ranko's mother
sorted through her school things. "Actually, Mother... ummm,
that's probably happened, once or twice." She winced.

Nodoka raised an eyebrow, then shrugged. "In any case, dear, you
need a new uniform. There is no way I am letting my daughter go
to school in this old rag."

Ranko nodded. "Y-yes, Mother."

"You'll need a winter uniform, too; you only had the summer one.
And I want you to take proper care of your new uniforms. No
fighting in it, try to keep it as clean as possible, and take it
off and hang it up neatly after school. All right, dear?"

Ranko nodded. "I... I hope I don't have to fight in it."

Nodoka sighed, and turned her attention to the other things.
"Well, your gym clothes appear to be in decent shape." She looked
at the gym shoes. "Ranko, these are boy's shoes, aren't they?"

Ranko squirmed a bit. "Well, at the time... I didn't want to wear
any more girl's clothes than I had to... I got a small-sized pair
of boy's shoes, second hand."

"You'll need to get some girl's shoes for gym. These won't fit
your feet properly. Now that I think of it, you don't have proper
shoes to wear with your uniform. We'll have to get some of those,
too."

Twenty minutes later, Nodoka had finished her shopping list,
which she looked over one more time. "All right, I think I have
everything you need. We can go shopping for this over the
weekend; we have something more important to do today."

Ranko and Akane looked inquisitive. "What's that, Auntie?"

"We need to re-register Ranko. She needs to be registered in her
proper name and gender. I suspect working with the office is
going to take some time; we should head over there right after
lunch."

Ranko swallowed nervously. This was the first step in revealing
herself at school. No matter how much happier she was now that
she was a girl again, she dreaded having to explain all this to
her schoolmates, and deal with their reactions. She thought about
Hirota and his friends, and shuddered. They'd have a field day.

A few hours later, Akane, Ranko, and her mother were walking
through the gates of Furinkan High School. Ranko looked around;
the place was deserted, except for the athletic fields. There,
some of the male students were engaging in a soccer game.
Fortunately, they were too far away to spot Ranko and her
companions.

They walked through the empty halls, and reached the office.
There was a sense of order about the place that telegraphed
clearly that Principal Kunou was still absent. If he had been
there, chaos would have been the theme, possibly accompanied by
coconuts. The Vice Principal was a sensible man, and it was a
wonder the Principal had not driven him into madness as well.

They looked around. The staff were busy, getting ready for the
next term. Files were strewn everywhere, and the two desktop
computers were in constant use. They walked around a filing
cabinet and over to the secretary's desk.

Nodoka spoke. "Excuse me, young lady. I would like to correct
some problems with my daughter's registration here. Have we come
to the right place?"

The secretary was new this term. She looked at the three of them
and smiled. "Of course. Kimura-sensei is our registrar. She will
take care of it." She motioned in the direction of another woman,
whose desk was piled high with papers. "What is your daughter's
name?"

"Saotome Ranko."

Suddenly, there was complete and utter silence in the office. The
clacking of the keys on the computers, the whirring of the copy
machines, the rustle of papers, all ceased instantly. Ten pairs
of eyes were looking at the trio standing by the secretary.

Kimura-sensei got up and walked over to them. She looked at the
petite redhead who was accompanying Akane and an older woman. The
girl was wearing a white knee-length skirt and a floral t-shirt.
She had neatly styled hair, and was wearing clip-on earrings and
a hint of lipstick. "Ran... Ranma??" she whispered.

Ranko turned bright red and looked at the floor.
"Kimura-sensei... ummm, my name... isn't Ranma. It's Ranko..."

Kimura-sensei rolled her eyes heavenward. The term hadn't even
started yet, the students weren't even back, Principal Kunou
wasn't even here, and the lunacy was starting again. Why hadn't
she taken that transfer when she had had the chance?

"Saotome-kun, I don't know if this is your curse or something
else, but you can't just decide to register at school as a girl."

Nodoka drew herself up. "Sensei, I am Ranko's mother. I can
assure you that she is a girl; she is my only child, after all.
She only registered here as a boy due to the poor judgment of my
husband." She glared. "I am here to correct the situation. My
daughter is *not* going to attend school registered as a boy. She
needs to attend the proper gym class, among other things." Akane
and Ranko watched the opening salvos nervously.

Kimura-sensei's eyes darted back and forth between Ranko and her
mother. "I... I don't understand how this is possible.
Registrations are supposed to be cross-checked with birth
records. If he... she was female, there should have been no way
to miss it." She frowned. "Come with me."

They followed Kimura-sensei into a back office, with all eyes
following them. Inside, there were even more filing cabinets. She
opened a drawer, and leafed through the hanging folders there.
"Here it is." She took it over to a table and spread it out; it
was Ranma's folder. She flipped through the documents inside,
then did a double take. "Where are the birth records? They're
missing!" She looked through the folder some more. "We make an
unofficial copy of the birth records when a student registers; I
can't find them anywhere." She paused, perplexed, then held up
some hairs. "What are these doing in here?"

Ranko took a closer look, and sighed. "Panda fur." She knew it
well enough; it got into everything. Why couldn't her father stay
human when it was shedding season?

"It would appear that my husband has tampered with your files,
Kimura-sensei."

Kimura-sensei was perplexed. She couldn't believe that a fact of
this magnitude had been concealed in the records. "Saotome-san,
do you have any documentary evidence that... Ranko is a girl?"
She looked at the girl in question.

Nodoka withdrew some papers from a folder she was carrying, and
handed them to Kimura-sensei, who looked them over. "Birth
certificate, childhood innoculations... they all say female," she
said in wonder. She looked up. "Saotome-san, I'd like to check
the central Education Ministry records, using our computer. Would
you come this way?"

Once again there was a procession back into the outer office.
Kimura-sensei went over to the computers. Everyone was still
staring at Ranko, and the man using one of the computers
wordlessly got up to let Kimura-sensei sit down. She logged into
the Education Ministry database, and searched for Saotome Ranma.

There were records, but only information on the schools he had
attended, the grades he had gotten. There was a note in the file
that the birth records could not be found.

She searched again, this time for Saotome Ranko. The screen came
up with the birth records, innoculations, and a registration.
Saotome Ranko had been registered for preschool... but had
disappeared partway through her first year. There was a note:
"Child reported missing, possibly parental abduction."

Kimura-sensei sat back in her chair. There it all was, in black
and white. She turned back and looked at Ranko, who was blushing
furiously from all the attention, and fidgeting. "My goodness.
You really are... a girl."

Ranko nodded. "Hai, Sensei."

"How long were you a boy, Saotome-kun?"

"Twelve years, Sensei."

She shook her head. "And you're becoming a girl again? Just like
that?"

Ranko swallowed, and shook her head. "No, Sensei. I... I didn't
like being a boy, not ever. I only did it because my father
taught me to, and it was all I knew. And... I only had a boy's
body. Now, I *want* to be a girl again." She continued to fidget
nervously. "Besides, I don't really have a choice any more."

Kimura-sensei raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"The magic that was used to turn me into a boy, and my Jusenkyou
curse, are both gone. I'm just an ordinary, uncursed girl again.
I *can't* turn into a boy any more, even if I wanted to. And I
don't want to." She pursed her lips primly.

Akane looked around the room; a couple of the female teachers
were crying silently. Kimura-sensei felt overwhelmed and near
tears herself. This girl had obviously been horribly abused by
her own father. No wonder his... her behavior had always been a
little odd. She tried to gather her wits.

"Very well, Saotome-kun. I will correct all your records. You are
aware that being registered as a girl means that you must wear a
girl's uniform, and take the curriculum for girls?"

Ranko nodded, and Nodoka spoke. "Of course, Sensei. That is why
we are here."

Kimura-sensei nodded. "The teaching staff will be informed; half
of them are here in this room right now, anyway. There is still
the matter of informing your classmates. I think it would be best
if you did so yourself. I will arrange for you to speak to your
homeroom class before the day's instruction starts on Monday. I
will be present, and your mother may be present if you wish." She
softened her businesslike tone. "Ranko-chan, I know this will be
hard on you. We'll try to help."

Ranko responded quickly. "I'd like my mother to be there. Thank
you, Sensei." She smiled timidly.

Kimura-sensei smiled back, then looked serious. "One more thing,
Saotome-kun. I see from your preschool records that your mother's
home does not lie in our district. If you move back in with her,
you can't attend Furinkan." She sighed. "I will see if I can find
a way around this, but I can't promise anything; the Ministry is
extremely strict about this kind of thing. While I am researching
this, you should continue to live at the Tendou home, as you've
been doing."

Nodoka's heart skipped a beat. She had been hoping Ranko would
stay with her, but it was more important that she not switch
schools in the middle of her junior year. She would have to move
back in with the Tendous.

Ranko's eyes shimmered, but she nodded. "All... all right,
Kimura-sensei." Akane looked back and forth between mother and
daughter, and sighed sadly.

Nodoka shook herself out of her disappointment. "Kimura-sensei,
thank you so much for your kind help. I am grateful." She bowed,
and Kimura-sensei bowed back.

"Come along, girls. We still have some shopping to do." The two
girls bowed to the teachers, then followed Nodoka out.

The teachers in the office turned their attention back to their
work; there was still a lot to do to prepare for Monday. Several
shook their heads. Ranma had always been a source of chaos and
unpredictability at Furinkan, second only to the Principal
himself. His life had seemed to be one weird episode after
another. There was no doubt that this topped them all: Ranma had
turned himself into another person.

*****

Ranko presented herself for her mother's inspection. Akane looked
on, wearing her own uniform. They both had their briefcases ready
for school. Nodoka looked her daughter up and down, checked her
hair, uniform, and shoes, and nodded. "Very good, dear. You look
nice. Are you ready?"

"No," replied Ranko miserably.

Nodoka smiled. "Akane and I will be there, sweetheart. Everyone
has been very nice to you so far. Don't expect the worst."

Ranko sighed. "You don't know some of the students at Furinkan."
Akane nodded.

Nodoka shook her head. "Have faith in yourself, darling." She
gave Ranko a hug, which was gratefully accepted. "Come along now,
they said to be early."

They set off from Nodoka's house; the weekend had been too busy
for them to move back to the Tendous. Between Ranko's new
wardrobe, and Akane's luggage, there was simply too much to
carry. A delivery van was coming by today to pick up their
possessions, which were packed up and ready to be taken to the
Tendous. They would proceed directly there from school.

Akane had been sad; she had greatly enjoyed her time with Auntie,
which had helped her to develop her own sense of independence.
She felt a bit more like an adult after this summer. She was
pleased with what she had done to the Saotome's spare room: it
was now warm and inviting, and she regretted having to leave it.
Well, she would be back to visit frequently, she was sure. And in
a way, it was her room now, too, as much as the one back home.

Ranko's eyes darted nervously to and fro as they walked, but the
early hour insured that they didn't run into any other Furinkan
students. They walked through the gate, and Kunou wasn't there
yet. That, at least, was a relief.

Kimura-sensei met them, as promised. "Good morning, Saotome-kun.
My, you look nice today! Are you all ready for school?"

Ranko smiled nervously. "I... I sure hope so, Sensei..."

Kimura-sensei smiled. "You always seem to manage to persevere,
Saotome-kun. I'm sure you'll be fine." She turned, and they
followed her up to Ranko's home room, where Hinako-sensei was
waiting.

"Oh golly, don't you look pretty, Ranko-chan! I really like your
hair! Do you like my hair? I just changed the way I style it. Do
you like my dress? I like yours! Do you have any gumballs? I
would really really really love a gumball right now, do you have
one? How about you Saotome-san? Akane-chan? Kimura-sensei? How
about some licorice?"

Kimura-sensei cleared her throat. "Hinako-sensei, we're here to
prepare to re-introduce Saotome-kun to her classmates. Perhaps we
could save the pleasantries for another time?" She must have been
drunk. That was it. That's why she had turned down that transfer.
Drunk, or stupid. Definitely stupid.

Hinako-sensei's chin quivered. "If... if you say so..."

Ranko, her mother, and Kimura-sensei stood at the front of the
classroom, and Akane went to her desk. A few minutes later,
students started filing in. Ukyou, Sayuri, and Yuka all knew what
was happening, but the rest had no idea. Sayuri had some kind of
bulky package with her, but Ranko wasn't paying attention.

As the students filed in, they looked at the red-headed girl
standing at the front of the classroom, with one of the more
senior teachers and a middle-aged woman. Was... was that *Ranma*?
Was he trying to pass himself off as a girl again? What was going
on? A hubbub arose as the students talked among themselves. Ranko
looked around the classroom, and felt a hard, cold lump of fear
in the pit of her stomach. Everyone was staring at her. Some
looked surprised, some looked confused, and some... She winced.
Hirota and his pals were snickering amongst themselves. Her
friends looked back at her with sympathy and affection, and her
faltering spirits were bolstered a bit. Sayuri and Yuka were at
the back of the room, for some reason, rather than at their
desks. She endured this for a few minutes more, mentally
rehearsing the words she had worked on so hard with Dr. Tofu this
weekend, until Hinako-sensei signaled the beginning of class.

Kimura-sensei addressed the students. "Good morning, students."
They responded politely, "Good morning, Sensei." She nodded.

"I am here this morning with one of our students and her mother,
in order to inform you of some important news. This student has
been attending school under another name due to circumstances in
her personal life which have not been under her control. This
situation has been corrected.

"I will hold the rest of my remarks until after she speaks, but I
want to emphasize that the school has verified the basic
information through her records. I will discuss this in more
detail later." She turned to Ranko. "Saotome-kun?" There were
gasps from some of the students; they had been unable to believe
this girl was Ranma, despite knowing about his curse.

Ranko faced her class, and blanched. She felt as if thirty pairs
of eyeballs were searing her, probing every inch of her body and
her soul. Had she known about the crowd in the hallway, drawn
here through the grapevine, she probably would have fainted. She
swallowed, and tried to speak, but nothing came out. She started
trembling, and looked down. Her mother came over, and put her
hands on Ranko's shoulders. She whispered, "Don't worry,
sweetheart. I'm right here." 

Sayuri turned to Yuka, and whispered "Let's do it now. She needs
it."

Ranko looked up, and tried to find her voice, when she saw a
motion at the back of the classroom. Yuka and Sayuri stood on two
chairs, and unfurled a homemade banner, which said "Ranko-chan,
ganbatte kudasai!" They looked back at her with affection, and
she felt her spirits lift. A smile came to her face.

Hinako-sensei moved to discipline the two for being out of their
seats, but Kimura-sensei held her arm, and shook her head.

"E-everyone... I... this is really hard for me, so please be
patient if it takes me a while.

"Before the summer break, I was a member of this class. I was
attending under the name Saotome Ranma, and I was attending as a
boy." She looked around the class, and flinched; some of the
students already were looking at her in a contemptuous way. Her
eyes sought out Akane's, as they had planned, and she saw
encouragement and affection there.

"I was attending as a boy because I thought I was a boy. I
thought I was a boy who had recently been cursed to turn into a
girl when splashed with cold water. But I met my mother again
recently, for the first time since I was little. It was just
before summer break, and I found out something from her: I... I'm
not a boy. When I was born, I was a girl. My name is not Saotome
Ranma, it's Saotome Ranko. My mother showed me my baby pictures,
my birth records, even some home video. When I was a small child,
I was a girl, Tendou Akane's closest friend. The girl you see
now." She chanced a look at her classmates; the contempt had
faded to skepticism, and she had everyone's undivided attention.
She turned her gaze back to Akane, who was nodding and smiling.

She took a deep breath. "My father wanted a son. When I was four
and a half, he abducted me." There were gasps from several of the
students. "He took me to his master, Happosai, who used a magic
spell to turn me into a boy. He took me on the road with him, on
a martial arts training trip that lasted twelve years. I was so
young, I soon forgot I was a girl up here" -- she pointed at her
head -- "but I never forgot in here." She put her hands over her
heart.

Ranko's throat was starting to hurt, and tears were starting to
fall from her eyes. "By the time I was cursed at Jusenkyou, I had
been brought up as a boy, and I tried hard to follow my
upbringing. I fought my own feelings in order to do what I
thought was right, to follow my sense of honor. I didn't know
that the red-haired girl I turned into with cold water was the
real me." She was crying freely now as she spoke. "Even... even
when I met my mother and learned the truth, I was too afraid of
it to become a girl again. I tried to fight the truth, because I
was afraid. When I thought I was a boy, I could fight my
feelings, though I was very unhappy. But once I learned I was
really a girl, I couldn't fight them any more. Even so, I was
terribly frightened of becoming a girl again.

"My family doctor suggested I spend the summer as a girl, to see
how I felt about it, and I did. A... friend used some magic to
help lock my curse temporarily, and... and I had the most
wonderful four weeks I can remember in my entire life." She let
her gaze wander from Akane again, and she saw that several of the
girls in the class were crying, too.

"When the summer was over, I thought I would try being a boy
again, to see how that felt, so I could decide what to do. But
two things happened. The magic that had been used to lock my
curse had a side effect: it caused the original spell which
turned me into a boy to dissolve, and the Jusenkyou curse with
it. I'm now just a normal, uncursed girl again, like I was as a
child. I cannot turn into a boy any more, and... and I don't want
to. Because the other thing that happened was that I learned that
even if I could turn into a boy again, my heart would not let me.
I can't be a boy any more, physically or mentally. I will be
Saotome Ranko, a girl, for the rest of my life, though I'm still
not sure what that means. I... I hope all of you can accept me
for who I really am." She swallowed. "That's... that's all I have
to say."

Ranko was shocked when one of the girls stood and started to clap
her hands. Other girls quickly joined in, and soon almost all of
the girls in the class were standing and applauding. Many of the
boys joined in as well, and Ranko's head was spinning as most of
her classmates stood and applauded her. She had been expecting
any reaction but this. She sagged in relief. Some of the students
looked confused, and some looked upset, but most seemed
supportive. Her eyes found Hiroshi and Daisuke, and they both
looked to be in shock. She winced; she would have to talk to them
personally later, and it wasn't going to be easy.

Akane looked around the classroom with tears in her eyes, as she
applauded with the others. Maybe... maybe Ranko would get the
treatment she deserved, rather than what she had received as
Ranma. She locked eyes with Ukyou, who was similarly teary,
smiling and crying at the same time.

Yuka and Sayuri, who were still holding up the banner, looked at
each other, and with their free hands, each flashed a peace sign
to Ranko, who giggled in spite of herself.

When the applause started to die down, Kimura-sensei stepped
forward. "Thank you, Saotome-kun, you did very well. I just want
to reiterate to all of you that the school has verified the
particulars surrounding Saotome-kun's birth. Her school records
now reflect her status and name properly, and she will be
attending as a girl, and following the girl's curriculum. That
includes using the girl's restroom and the girl's locker room."
Several boys groaned in disappointment, which earned glares from
the girls. "The school fully supports Saotome-kun, and I expect
each of you to do so as well. Is that understood?" The class
chorused "Hai!" respectfully.

Kimura-sensei nodded. "Now, if the cheering section would sit
down, perhaps class could proceed." She smiled, and Sayuri and
Yuka turned red. The students all craned their necks around to
look behind them; they hadn't been aware of the two standing in
the back with their banner. Sayuri and Yuka stepped off the
chairs and rolled up the banner, then sat down. Kimura-sensei
turned to leave.

Nodoka hugged Ranko again and whispered in her ear, "You made me
so proud of you, darling. That was very brave. I'll see you
tonight at the Tendou's, after school." She let go, and followed
Kimura-sensei out the door.

Ranko went to sit, and felt nervous as the eyes of her classmates
followed her. She sat next to Akane, as she always did. One of
the girls leaned over and whispered "That was so brave,
Ranko-chan! Way to go!" Ranko blushed and smiled.

Hinako-sensei began calling the roll, and soon reached her name.
"Saotome Ranko?"

Her hand shot up. "Here!" she called, and beamed.

*****

End Part 2

So, here's the next part for you enjoyment. Please let us know what you
think of it!

Coming tomorrow: Part 3!

Deborah has asked me to let everyone know that Part 4 may take a few
months.

Later,
Steve
=-=-=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
spardue@telocity.com
(spardue@zebra.net for not much longer)
http://www.zebra.net/~spardue/anime


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