Muyami Academy
What if they ALL went to the same school?
Previous chapters at: http://members.xoom.com/bellchan/
Thanks to my prereaders, T.H. Tiger, Bombadil Goh,
Jeffrey Cornish and William Morse. Also thanks to Jed Hagen
and Stardragon for surprise C&C. Several great lines directly
stolen from Jed Hagen's comments. ^_^
DISCLAIMER: Ranma 1/2 characters and stuff, and Inu-
Yasha characters and stuff, not to mention Ursei Yatsura
characters and stuff, copyright 1999 Rumiko Takehashi.
Tenchi Muyou characters and stuff, copyright 1999 Pioneer &
AIC. Mamono Hunter Yohko characters and stuff copyright
1999 AD Vision, NCS, Toho Company, LTD, Mad House, and
I don't know who else. Koko wa Greenwood characters
copyright Yuki Nasu. Mint na Bokura characters copyright
Wataru Yoshizume. Other characters and stuff also copyright
the creators and owners.
Chapter Ten
A Day In The Life
Part B
The rest of the morning passed uneventfully. Ranma slept
through English with Hinako-Sensei, their childlike homeroom
teacher. She dozed during a drunken math session with
Fujisawa-Sensei, then continued to snore as Cologne-Sensei
launched into her class on Chinese Literature. By the time
noon arrived, Ranma was feeling refreshed and ready for
lunch.
"You're going to flunk all of your classes if you make a
habit of that," Chigako stated as they sat down in the cafeteria.
Yohko and Akane sat across from them. Meanwhile, at the far
end of the table, Tenchi was being force-fed food hand-made
by Ryoko and Ayeka. While the two alien girls bickered and
threatened each other, Akane's cousin looked quite ill.
Ranma sympathized with poor Tenchi. Under other
circumstances, she would be eating Akane's cooking right now,
and feeling just as sick.
Ranma glanced back to Chigako and shrugged. "If
demons keep me up every night, and attack helicopters wake
me up every morning, then perhaps I will," she said. "But I
doubt that that will happen."
"You know, Ranma," Chigako added, staring down at the
end of the table. "You should probably make a lunch for
Ukyo-kun."
"Excuse me?"
"Well, he's your fiancee isn't he? You should fix a nice
lunch box for him. There's no better way to show your love,
you know."
"What a great idea, Ranma!" Akane exclaimed. There
was just the hint of laughter in her eyes. "After all, you don't
want people to think you're weird or something, do you?"
Ranma growled something under her breath and went
back to eating. In the background, half-heard conversations
about Tenchi and Yohko and the demon from last night drifted
across the cafeteria.
"Everyone's talking about that demon," Chigako said.
"Have you heard them? Right now, Tenchi, Ryoko, Ayeka and
Yohko have more notoriety at the school than Nuku Nuku! If
you play your cards right, Yohko, who knows where this could
lead? You might wind up world-famous!"
Yohko laughed nervously. "Chigako, that's the last thing
I'd want," she said. "By the way, Akane, what was with Kuno-
kun this morning? All that shouting about having to defeat you
in order to date you...."
A dark look washed over Akane's face. "I'd rather not talk
about it," she said.
"He's some idiot from her old school," Ranma said. "She
used to fight half the male population of Furinkan High every
morning, because of him. What?" she added, as Akane flashed
an angry look at her. "You told me about it when we first met,
remember? Not that I really believed you at the time...."
"Was I so unbelievable then?" Akane asked.
"Well it's not like you believed my story either!" Ranma
shot back.
"What story was that?" Chigako asked.
"Er... um..." Ranma fumbled. "That is... you know, about
Yohko, and the demon. That's all it was."
"Speaking of demons," Yohko said, "Chi, did you get that
picture I asked for?"
"I sure did!" Chigako grinned and laid a photo print on
the table. Although dark and blurry, it clearly showed a group
of students from the big fight last night. In the foreground
stood Yohko in her Devil Hunter outfit, soulsword in hand. In
the background, among the other students, was a boy wearing a
white shirt and tight shorts.
A boy with black hair, tied back in a pigtail.
"There! You see?" Yohko exclaimed. "That's the
boyfriend for me! If I can only find out who he is...."
"This is the best shot I got," Chigako said. "The strange
thing is, he's wearing a school uniform shirt, but those shorts...
don't they look like girl's shorts? In fact, I'm certain you have a
pair like them, Akane."
"I-I do?" Akane squeaked. "Y-you don't say...."
***
"No! No way! Absolutely not!"
Ranma had managed to corner Ukyo in the hallway right
after lunch. It hadn't really been that difficult -- Ukyo was
overjoyed to see her, or at least, until Ranma had popped the
question.
"But why?" Ranma asked. "It makes perfect sense! I'm a
boy...."
"Half the time," Ukyo replied. "The other half, you're
stacked better than I am!"
"And you're a girl...." Ranma continued.
"Nobody knows that," Ukyo countered, "and I'd just as
soon they don't find out."
"And the only reason I'm in the girl's dorm at all is that
boy's dorm was full," Ranma added.
"Not to mention that you're a girl," Ukyo said. "Anyway,
it's hardly my fault."
"And the only reason you're in the boy's dorm is because
of this silly idea you have of rejecting your girl half."
"It's not silly!" Ukyo snapped. "And I'm not half a girl,
Ranchan, I'm a girl all of the time!"
"Then why not act like one? We can exchange rooms.
We can even exchange uniforms...."
"Never!" Ukyo said with a grimace. "You'll never catch
me wearing a tiny skirt like that!"
Ranma glanced down at her short brown skirt. It was
short. Strange that, in only two days, Ranma was almost used
to it. Given a choice, of course, Ranma would wear something
else....
"What's wrong with it?" she asked. "It's what girls wear.
I'm wearing it, and I'm a guy...."
Ukyo stifled a laugh. "Ranchan," she said, "you've got the
most stunning figure of any guy I've ever known. It looks good
on you! But it's not my style. Anyway," she added, "I'm
registered as a guy, and you're registered as a girl, so the whole
thing is out of the question."
"All of that will be fixed," Ranma said with certainty.
"Come on, Uchan. Please? I'm begging you! I really don't
want to attend school as a girl!"
"Too late," Ukyo said, but then she paused and sucked in
her breath.
The truth was, she would like nothing better than to move
out of the boy's dorm, abandon her lifelong disguise, and act
and be treated as a normal girl again. Aside from wearing that
silly skirt, she'd be happy to trade places with Ranma. And she
didn't want Ranma to leave school just because he couldn't find
a room in the boy's dormitory -- she wanted him here, where
she was.
But before she could embrace her femininity again, she
needed something from Ranma. A promise....
"Ranchan," she said, "if I do this for you...."
"Yes?" Ranma asked, her voice filled with hope.
"Will you swear to me," Ukyo said, "that you will honor
our engagement, and abandon your engagement to Akane
Tendo? Will you promise to marry me, and only me?"
Ranma faltered, then looked away. She was silent for a
very long time.
"Ranchan?" Ukyo asked.
"Uchan," Ranma said, her voice dry. "You know I can't
do that. Family honor...."
"This is about my honor too," Ukyo replied hotly. "Until
you can satisfy my honor, Ranchan, you can't expect me to
abandon my own vows to myself. I can't become a girl again,
unless it's as your one and only fiancee...."
Ranma nodded. "I... I understand," she said.
"And?"
"I can't make that promise, Uchan." She glanced back at
the okonomiyaki chef. "I just can't! You have to
understand...."
Ukyo sighed. "Sure, Ranchan," she said. "I understand.
If you really like being a girl...."
"No!"
"Ranchan, it's almost time for P.E., and naturally I have to
go to my dorm room to change, so... if you'll excuse me...."
Ranma watched her go, her mind in a whirl. There was no
way she could ignore the engagement arranged by her parents,
even if it was clear that Akane wasn't in favor of it. She
thought she'd had the perfect solution to her problems with
being stuck at school as a girl, but if she couldn't force Ukyo to
change her mind....
She sighed. There was still the cure that Belldandy had
promised. She'd take it, even if it meant leaving school. Her
mother would be upset, but surely she'd understand, once she
explained it all. To really be rid of the curse would be worth
any problems that might arise afterwards.
So engrossed in her thoughts was Ranma that for a
moment Akane's words didn't even register. She turned,
suddenly realizing that her "other" finacee was standing nearby
and holding something out to her.
"Come again?" she asked.
"I said," Akane repeated, "that I already picked up your
uniform for P.E. class. Here." She handed the small stack of
clothing to Ranma.
Ranma stared at the girl's top and shorts. "P.E.?" she
repeated.
"Of course," Akane said. "It's right after lunch. Come on,
we're going to be late."
"But I don't..." Ranma began. Akane rolled her eyes.
"Geez, Ranma, you didn't really think you could avoid it,
did you?"
"Well, no," Ranma said. "But geez, you'd think martial
arts and kendo would be enough exercise that I don't gotta do
soccer or baseball or whatever too...."
"Those are club activities," Akane said. "You know that.
Anyway, it will more likely be volleyball or softball, you
know...."
Ranma sighed, and followed Akane across the campus.
But as they entered the gymnasium and headed for the girl's
locker room, Ranma hesitated.
Akane grabbed her hand and pulled her forward. "Come
on, you big baby! You're a girl, aren't you? It's nothing you
haven't seen before, right?"
Ranma frowned, then followed Akane into the locker
room. Akane seemed determined to treat Ranma as a girl in all
circumstances. But Ranma was still determined to take
Belldandy's cure. How would Akane react to that?
For that matter, how would Yohko react, when she
discovered that her best friend and her dream boyfriend were
one and the same?
***
As Ukyo left her room, she ran into Dorm President
Mitsuru Ikeda.
"Mitsuru-Sempai!" she exclaimed.
"Good afternoon," the senior returned. He eyed her loose
boy's P.E. clothing and raised an eyebrow. "Changing for P.E.
in your room, Ukyo-kun?"
"Naturally," Ukyo said defensively. "You know the
reasons why, Sempai. And as a matter of fact, I'm a bit late...."
Mitsuru moved to block her path. "But won't the other
boys think it a little strange?" he prodded.
Ukyo scowled at her senior. "What if they do? Who
cares what they think?"
Mitsuru had the hint of a smile on his lips. Ukyo had been
told that Shinobu Tezuka was the one who liked to tease and
play jokes upon others, but clearly some of that had rubbed off
on his roommate.
"They don't call you names, or try to bully you?" Mitsuru
asked.
"Some try," Ukyo said, "but only once." She grinned
wickedly, and Mitsuru laughed.
"Ah. And where do you shower afterwards?"
"Why would you want to know?"
"Not with the other boys, I hope?"
"I can go without, if necessary," Ukyo sniffed. "I take my
showers late at night, or early in the morning, so that I'm not
disturbed."
"I see," Mitsuru said. "You know, of course, that my
room has a private shower? One of the perks of his being
Dorm President, you see."
"How very convenient," Ukyo said sourly. "Now really,
Sempai, I'm in a hurry, so if you don't mind...." She shouldered
past him and headed for the stairs.
"I only mention it," Mitsuru said, "because it might be
handy for you. You're welcome to use it, when needed."
Ukyo paused then glanced back over her shoulder.
"Really?" she asked. Mitsuru nodded. "It wouldn't be a
bother to you?"
"Not at all," he said with a warm smile.
Ukyo grinned back at him. "Thanks, Mitsuru, that's very
kind of you."
"Think nothing of it," Mitsuru said. "It's the least we can
do, under the circumstances.
"But you'd better hurry along. The Coach does not
appreciate those who are tardy, you know. The least you can
expect is a handful of laps around the field and if you aren't
careful, you might get pressed into taking one of his
mountaineering trips. Some students never return from
those..."
Ukyo groaned and hurried down the stairs.
***
The local library wasn't much to speak of, but Chief of
Police Daisuke Ido felt he had to start somewhere. And the
important thing about an investigation wasn't where you
started, but where you ended up. Therefore, early in the
morning, just after the library doors had opened, Chief Ido had
showed up and asked to see everything that they had on devils
and demons.
There was, surprisingly enough, quite a lot. But after
several hours of reading, he was no closer to understanding
what he'd seen the night before.
Chief Ido shuffled through the books in front of him.
Most were historical works that detailed legends and old
beliefs. These were written by people who knew that real
demons didn't exist. There were also some books written by
people who did believe in demons, but these invariably
involved new-age mumbo jumbo. What he really needed was a
book written by someone who'd actually met demons first-
hand, but those people apparently didn't write about their
encounters. Perhaps because they didn't normally survive those
encounters, a part of his mind suggested.
He picked up yet another book and flipped through it. It
was called The Universe of the Four Gods, and as far as he
could tell was some sort of old Chinese fantasy. He set the
book aside and frowned.
"Finding what you're looking for?" someone asked. Chief
Ido looked up into the kindly face of the head librarian, an old
man named Mr. Maeno.
"Not really," the Chief said.
"You're looking for a demon, are you?" the librarian
asked. Daisuke's eyebrows shot up.
"How did you know that?" he asked.
The librarian smiled and sat down, then pointed to the
stack of books labeled "demonology".
"The sign says, 'keep quiet', but the people who come here
talk anyway," he said. "I've heard the stories of what happened
at Mr. Jihara's restaurant. Terrible thing to happen, Mr. Jihara
was a really nice man. Always returned his books on time, Mr.
Jihara did. Anyway... where was I? Oh yes. I've heard people
talk. This morning, it's been all about a second demon attack,
right on the campus of Muyami Academy last night. It's all
that the students are talking about, you know. So when you
came in here... well, it wasn't hard to put two and two
together."
Chief Ido smiled. "The problem," he said, "is that none of
these books were written by anyone who's actually seen a
demon...." He ran a hand through his short blond hair. "I
guess I'm just wasting my time coming here...."
"I've lived in this area a long time," the librarian said.
"Long enough to remember when you arrived as a hot-shot
officer, straight out of the academy. I know a lot of the history
and legend of this area."
"I suppose you must," the Chief said.
"Tell me, Chief Ido, have you ever heard the legend of the
demon on the hill?"
***
Maria Minamino stared at her brother and ground her
teeth together. Only a few minutes ago, a new student had
been introduced to her class -- Noel Minamino. Only he was
sporting long hair and a girl's school uniform, and had been
introduced as her twin sister. She'd immediately drug him out
of the classroom and onto the lawn to find out what was going
on.
"So?" she demanded. "Explain!"
"What's to explain?" Noel shot back. "You selfishly
transferred without me, so I followed you."
"As a girl? My little sister? You're my little brother,
Noel!"
"Keep it down!" Noel exclaimed. He placed his hand
over Maria's mouth and looked about. "Someone might hear
you! Do you want to get me in trouble?"
"And take off that stupid wig!" Maria growled, yanking
on his hair.
"Ow! Ow, stop that! It's not a wig! It's real!"
"How can that be? You can't have grown that in only two
months!"
"I took a hair growth tonic," Noel said. "Something like
that, at least. It worked really well -- really well!"
Maria frowned and crossed her arms. "How disgusting.
You look like a pervert in those clothes!"
"I look just like you!" Noel snapped, then flopped down in
the grass. "Anyway, I'm doing this for you, Maria." He stared
off into the distance, and for a moment both were quiet.
"When father and I went off to Hawaii," he finally said, "I was
really sad that you didn't come with us. It wasn't half as much
fun without you there, but I understood that you had to support
your team in the basketball tournament. But to come back and
find out that you'd enrolled in a boarding school without me...
Maria, how could you?"
"Because I'm in love," Maria replied. "Didn't I say so in
my letter?"
"But we've been together since we've been born! You've
always been my other half! We were always close... how could
you be so selfish?"
"Selfish?" Maria countered. "Who's being selfish here?"
She frowned, looking him over again, and placed her hands on
her hips. "Anyway, Noel, that still doesn't explain the stupid
clothes. Why are you dressed as a girl?"
"Because," Noel said, "when father called registration,
they said the only room left was in the girl's dorm. They said I
couldn't attend here unless I could pass as a girl. But, Maria,
you know that since we were kids, people often thought I was
your sister! So I knew I could do it." He stood up and lifted
the skirt of his uniform. "See? I have biker shorts under the
skirt, in case anyone looks under it. Belldandy-Sempai helped
me with my hair, so I don't have to wear a wig, and her sister
also gave me some pills and soft drinks that... well, I really
need to show you that part, it's a little hard to believe. I'm even
wearing a bra -- because it wouldn't look right if I didn't have
small breasts, at least."
"You bought girl's underwear?"
"Of course not," Noel replied. "I got it from your
room...."
Maria's fist crashed down on her brother's head. "Pervert!
You fool! I can't believe you!" Noel rubbed his head, and his
sister added, "How could you do all this? It's insane!"
"Don't you see, Maria? I had to come here! I have to
break you and your boyfriend up, so that you'll come back with
me!"
"Baka! That's just stupid!" Maria said. She crossed her
arms and glared at her brother. "Why would you go to all this
trouble just to interfere with me? I don't believe you! Stop
being an idiot and go back home."
"No way!" Noel exclaimed. "I'm not going back without
you, Maria. You're precious to me!"
That caught Maria short, and she turned away, her heart
confused. Of course her little brother loved her -- she knew
that. But Noel wanted things to stay the same, to never change,
and that just wasn't the way the world worked.
"Noel," she said, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about the
transfer. You're my precious little brother, and I'll always love
you. I really want to have you near to me, but... we can't exist
in our own world, just the two of us, forever. I need my
independence, and you'll need yours soon too. When you find
a girl that you love, maybe you can understand... until then, try
to understand how I feel. Please?"
She glanced up at her brother, who was staring off into the
distance, eyes unfocused, as if he weren't even listening. She
felt the irritation rising again.
"Look, Noel, you're my brother and I feel sorry for you, so
I'm not going to give away your secret. Anyway, I doubt you
can keep this up for very long, having to hide your true self
every hour of the day. Someone's going to find out, or else
you're going to get sick of it and head back home.
"Anyway, I still have class, so... I'll talk to you later."
As she walked off, Maria was almost certain she could
hear her brother muttering to himself, "Never! I'll never give
you up! I'll never let you go!" She sighed. Her poor, stupid
brother. When he got an idea in his head, it was almost
impossible to dislodge it....
***
Ranma sat on the bed in her room and looked down at the
pill in her hand.
If Belldandy and Urd were to be believed, this pill had the
power to cure curses. It was exactly what she and her father
had spent months searching all over China for. A cure, at long
last. To never transform into a girl again....
Ranma glanced up. Gathered around her were Urd,
Belldandy, and Akane, all waiting for her to swallow it. A
teakettle was beginning to stir on a nearby hotplate. Ranma's
inner voice was screaming at her, telling her that the
transformation itself was not the curse, but instead the lack of
control over that transformation. However, Ranma's inner
voice spoke a foreign tongue that she'd never bothered to study.
She swallowed the pill greedily, washing it down with a
glass of water.
It was done. She was afraid to believe it just yet, but she
was apparently cured.
She wanted some hot water, now.
"Ranma!" Akane said, "what about...."
"School?" Ranma said. "Akane, I hate to say it, but this is
more important that school. If I can be cured of my curse...."
"Well," Urd said, "it's not a permanent cure, mind you.
But it should last a full year."
Belldandy clapped her hands together. "That's wonderful,
Urd! That will solve all of Ranma's problems!"
The kettle began to whistle. Akane stood and poured hot
water into a large cup.
Urd flashed a victory sign. "Am I a genius, or what?"
She exclaimed. "All I did was create a variant off of a standard
lycanthropy fix." When she saw some of the others blinking in
confusion, she added, "Lycanthropy -- you know --
werewolves and such, people who are cursed to transform
whenever the moon is full. So, if you had a werewolf curse,
but you didn't like turning into a nasty old wolf, you'd just take
one of these pills, and just like that," she snapped her fingers,
"you'd be locked into your current form for a full year."
"Current form?" Ranma repeated.
Urd nodded.
Ranma glanced down at herself.
"What if you're in your cursed form when you take the
pill?" she asked.
Urd looked thoughtful. "I've heard of people doing that,"
she said. "People that like being wolves." She shrugged. "It
works either way," she said. "Whatever form you're in when
you take the pill... that's what you're stuck with for the next
year."
Ranma's eyes grew wide. She looked at Akane, whose
eyes were also very wide.
Slowly, Akane reached out and upended her cup of
steaming water over Ranma's head. The liquid matted Ranma's
hair, ran down her face, and soaked the top of her blouse.
Nothing more happened.
"Oh, Ranma, how wonderful for you!" Belldandy
exclaimed. "Now you'll remain a girl no matter what
happens!"
***
In the fading light of evening, framed against the fiery
orange Western sky, a dark shadow moved along the rooftop of
the girl's dorm. It was small and lithe, with long hair that
swung about as the figure danced and twirled. The shadow
held a long pole in each hand and at the end of these poles were
large round balls. Those familiar with Chinese fighting styles
might have recognized the weapons as bonburi, and the
movements as those of a Joketzu Amazon warrior.
Two more shadows, much shorter and more squat,
appeared. One of them balanced easily and even "walked"
around on the end of a long staff.
Shampoo completed her kata, sighed, and set the bonburi
down. She turned to face her great-grandmother, and the
strange man who was with her. Shampoo recognized him as
the janitor of the building.
"What do you think so far, child?" Cologne asked.
"We've been here two days already."
"Great-grandmother is right," the purple-haired girl
replied. "Is many good opponent at this school. Devil Hunter
girl and red pigtailed girl make good opponent for fighting.
Shampoo think fighting with wooden sword is stupid, but
teacher and grandson very good sword fighter, also one or two
other in class. Shampoo also meet cyborg cat girl, alien
princess, and girl that alien princess call dried up mummy, and
all very strong, too strong for Shampoo. Also girl that say is
normal, but is strong as cyborg girl."
Cologne nodded her head. "I'm very glad we came,
Shampoo," she said. "You may never get to train against
people like this again."
"Shampoo want rematch with pig-tailed girl," Shampoo
said. "Shampoo caught off guard. Not lose second time."
"Perhaps," her great-grandmother replied. "Now, child,
come over here. I have someone I want you to meet."
Shampoo obediently stepped forward, then frowned at the
shrunken old man in coveralls. "Is janitor of girl dorm, yes?
Shampoo already meet."
"Indeed, he is that," Cologne said, "but he is also more.
Shampoo, I'd like you to meet Happosai -- your great-
grandfather."
"My my, ain't she a beauty?" the old man said with a leer.
He rushed forward, throwing his arms wide. "Here, Shampoo,
give your ol' great-granddaddy a big hug...."
*BAFF!*
"Whaaaaaaaaaaa..." Happosai called out as his body sailed
off into the distance. Shampoo glanced down at her fist and
then back out across the campus.
"Kiya!" she exclaimed. "Shampoo not know why she hit
great-grandfather! Shampoo sorry!"
"Don't be," Cologne said with a smirk. "It's a perfectly
natural reaction. Why, I did the same when I first met him, and
if I know that old fool at all, it won't be the last time you send
him flying."
***
"Ohmygod," Ranma said. "Ohmygod. Mom's gonna kill
me!"
Akane was philosophical. "Well," she said, "you wanted
to stay in school, even if it meant being a girl. Certainly you
couldn't have expected to hide your curse forever, so... I don't
see what the big deal is."
The two of them sat alone in Ranma's room, Urd and
Belldandy having already left. Ranma lay on her bed listlessly,
staring up at the underside of the bunk above her. Akane sat on
one of the desk chairs, watching Ranma carefully.
"Are you kidding?" Ranma said. "How can I go home as
a girl? Mom and Pop are gonna kill me!"
Akane rolled her eyes. "Ranma, you didn't really think
you could attend school as a girl and your parents would never
find out?"
But one look into Ranma's eyes told Akane that yes, she
really had thought she could pull it off. Akane sighed.
"Ranma, you are such a dope sometimes."
"You don't understand, Akane," Ranma said. "If I can't
turn back into a guy, I'll, I'll...."
"You brought this upon yourself, you know," Akane said.
Honestly, she couldn't for the life of her figure her supposed
fiancee out. Did Ranma want to be a girl? By her actions it
certainly seemed so, but she continually protested otherwise.
But if Ranma didn't want to be a girl, then why was she
attending school as a girl? Why did she only bring girl's
clothing? Why had she agreed to Devil Hunter training,
knowing that Devil Hunters were always female? Why was
she willing to let the entire school think that she was engaged
to a boy?
And now she really was a girl, 100% of the time, at least
for the next 365 days. It seemed to Akane that all of Ranma's
problems were solved, except for the part where she explained
it all to her parents. Of course, it meant that Ranma couldn't
officially be engaged to Akane -- explaining that to her own
father wouldn't be fun -- but overall Akane was relieved. And
it also meant that Ranma couldn't really be engaged to Ukyo,
either. For some reason, that made Akane happy too, although
she wasn't sure why.
Now if only the baka would realize how many problems
this solved, everyone could be happy. Well, except for her
father, and Mr. and Mrs. Saotome, and Ukyo, of course.
"What am I going to do?" Ranma moaned. "I can't stay
stuck as a girl! I can't."
"Why not?" Akane asked. "It works for half the human
population, you know."
"But I'm not a girl!" Ranma said vehemently.
Akane sighed heavily, then stood up. "I could certainly
argue the point," she said, "but if you really feel that way, then
perhaps you should start by telling Belldandy the truth."
"You mean... tell her that I'm really a guy?"
"Well of course, stupid. If you want to be a guy again,"
Akane said, "at least, within the next year, then you need to tell
her."
***
"Bwahahahahahahaha!"
Belldandy looked at Ranma with concern, while Urd
rolled on the floor, laughing uncontrollably.
"Oh, dear," Belldandy said. "You really should have said
something earlier, Ranma."
Urd pounded the floor, tears streaming down her face.
"You mean you're really a boy? And you let me fix you in
your cursed form... oh, that's too rich!"
"But you can change it back, can't you?" Akane asked.
She really wasn't sure why she was the one doing the asking,
but Ranma was just standing there, staring at the floor,
blushing furiously. "I mean -- change her back to the way she
was?"
"Her?" Urd asked. "Don't you mean him?" She sat up
and tried to look Ranma in the eye, but the serious look on her
face crumbled into a goofy grin. She burst out laughing and
fell back onto the floor. "Bwahahahahaha! Oh, Kamisama, it's
too funny! She's a boy, hahaha! Just look at her!"
"But, Ranma," Belldandy said, "if you're really a boy then
why are you attending school as a girl?"
"'S a long story," Ranma mumbled.
Belldandy placed her hand on Ranma's shoulder and
smiled brightly. "Well, don't worry, Ranma," she said,
"Oneechan is very talented with pills and potions. I'm sure
she'll find a way to reverse the effects of the pill."
Ranma nodded solemnly. "How long will that take?" she
asked.
"Well," Urd said, sitting up again and wiping the tears
from her eyes. "Not too long, I think. I'll need to experiment --
I've never tried reversing a spell like this before -- but I figure
just a few..." she paused, looked at Ranma, and again burst into
uncontrollable laughter.
"Why don't you check back in a day or two," Belldandy
said pleasantly. "You can wait that long, I assume?"
***
Ryoko floated across the darkening campus, aimlessly
looking for something to do. She desperately wanted to drop in
on Tenchi, but as angry as he was right now, it was better to
leave him alone for a while. In any case, that prissy bitch
princess had her two guardians watching his room, ready to
call her at a moment's notice. Drawing the heir to the Juraian
throne into another knock-down, drag-out battle might be
personally satisfying, but it would only make Tenchi even
angrier with her. Best to lay low for a few days, she reasoned.
However, staying in her room with Ifurita, who had all the
emotions and conversational abilities of a carrot, just wasn't
cutting it. Ryoko was bored, bored, bored. She considered
finding Princess Lum and badgering her into a short battle, but
that just wasn't half as much fun as provoking Ayeka. In any
case the Oni Princess was probably in Tenchi-sama's room,
hanging all over that disgusting roommate of his. Ryoko made
a face. At least Ayeka had good taste in men.
Down below, coming out of one of the buildings that was
neither dormitory, school office, study hall or gymnasium,
were the android girl Nuku Nuku and her "Papa-san", Professor
Kyuusaku Natsume. Ryoko knew little about the strange man
in the lab coat, other than he was still young, smoked a lot, and
that his long bangs perpetually hid his eyes, but she already had
a healthy respect for his genius. This whole planet was
technologically primitive, but Nuku Nuku was an exceptionally
well built android, with surprising strength and power, not to
mention incredibly cute. She and Ryoko had been on the same
volleyball team this afternoon during P.E. (Ryoko had decided
that attending class was less boring than hanging around school
doing nothing), and despite competition from the likes of
Ayeka, Ranma, and that very powerful girl Aiko, their team
had won easily. Ryoko snickered. She'd felt a little sorry for
the normal girls -- even Ranma and Shampoo were so much
more athletic and graceful it wasn't even funny, and the coach
had started drooling when he talked of fielding an inter-league
team with the likes of Ranma, Shampoo, Aiko, Ryoko and
Nuku Nuku on it.
She glanced back at the building that the professor and
android girl had just left. What was that building used for,
anyway? Perhaps the professor had his laboratories in there,
she thought. Considering what he'd created in Nuku-Nuku, his
lab was probably an interesting place indeed.
On a whim, Ryoko pivoted in the air and dove gracefully
through the roof of the building.
The ground floor consisted of several primitive
laboratories and operating theaters, and a very large conference
room. One room in particular caught her eye, as it was built
for complete surveillance of the school campus. It was the
only room that was occupied, so Ryoko did no more than poke
her head in and take in the rows of video screens, blinking
lights and LED's, and the four black-clad security types who
were monitoring everything. Then she quickly sunk through
the floor.
The first sub-level was a lot more interesting. Professor
Natsume, or whoever was at work here, was far more than a
school professor, and was being funded by someone with an
awful lot of cash to throw about. Huge machines, menacing
cyborgs, exotic vehicles, and weapons of destruction were
everywhere, although many were in a half-finished state.
Many rooms were the size of small warehouses and one led to
another until Ryoko realized that the complex extended
beneath the entire campus.
And there was a second sub-level, and a third. Ryoko
blinked. Where had all of this come from?
She eventually found herself in a long, thin room lit by an
eerie green glow. A path led through the center of the room,
while on each side, lined up along the walls, were large round
containers, like giant upright aqua-lungs or tubular coffins of
stainless steel, with glass windows in front. She walked among
them, noting the many wires and tubes connected to each one.
They were like the cryogenic sleep chambers that you found in
ancient space ships, except for the ice and frost.
Curious, she levitated up and peered into the glass
window on one. Inside, floating in a murky gelatinous green
liquid, was a young girl with blue hair.
Ryoko frowned. Were these incubation tubes, then?
Sensory-deprivation units? Artificial wombs? What was going
on here?
She floated to the next one, and then the next. There were
well over a dozen of them, all told. In each one was a young
blue-haired girl exactly like the first.
Clones? They must be, Ryoko thought.
Did these people know that clone technology was
regulated on a galactic scale? Likely not, Ryoko reasoned; this
planet was far too backwards for that.
But, informed or not, someone was clearly engaged in a
massive project to clone multiple copies one specific young
girl.
***
There was a knock at the door, which was open, and then
Ukyo stepped into Ranma and Noel's dorm room. She looked
about. Ranma was flopped onto the lower bunk bed, aimlessly
staring at a text book without actually reading it, while her new
roommate was finishing moving in.
"Nice room," Ukyo said. "This is your roommate,
Ranma?"
Ranma, who'd only met her roommate an hour ago
herself, nodded her head. "Noel, this is my friend Ukyo."
"Your friend?" Ukyo said. "I'm your fiancee, you know!"
The slender girl with the long black hair faced Ukyo and
bowed. "Noel Minamino," she said. "Pleased to meet you!"
Noel headed for the door. Ranma sat up and put the book
aside. "Going somewhere?" she asked.
"I have to meet my sister, down at the gym," Noel called
out over her shoulder, and was gone.
Ukyo sat in one of the desk chairs and crossed her arms.
"So?" she said. "What did you want to talk about, Ranma?"
Ranma glanced away. "I was just kind of hoping you'd
change your mind," she said. "About switching dorm rooms, I
mean."
Ukyo frowned. "Is that all? Ranma, I already told you: If
you promise to uphold our engagement and ours alone, then
fine. Otherwise, no thanks."
Ranma sighed. "I figured you'd say that," she said.
"Anyway, it hardly matters at the moment. Belldandy's sister
offered me a cure, but it didn't work quite right, so... for the
moment, I'm stuck as a girl."
Ukyo sat up. "You're what?" From somewhere she
produced a kettle of hot water and poured it over Ranma's
head, then poked the girl's chest experimentally.
"You're still a girl!" she exclaimed. "You don't change
into a guy!"
"Didn't I just say that?" Ranma exclaimed irritably.
"But... but Ranma, is this... is this permanent?"
"Gods, I hope not!" Ranma said. "It's supposed to last a
year, but Urd said she could probably reverse it in a few days."
Ukyo sighed and sat back, obviously relieved. Ranma
couldn't help but notice that her supposed friend and fiancee
seemed a little more concerned about being engaged to a girl
than about Ranma herself. She frowned.
"Hey, Ranma!" a girl called out. Yohko bounced into the
room, then came to an abrupt halt. "Ukyo-sama! I didn't know
you were here!" She glanced from Ukyo to Ranma, and said,
"If this is a bad time...."
"Don't worry," Ranma said. "We weren't discussing
anything important."
"Are you sure? I mean, Ukyo is your fiancee. If you two
want to be alone, I'd certainly understand...."
"No!" both said a little too quickly. Ukyo laughed
nervously and added, "It's not like that, we were just... talking.
Like Ranma said. About nothing. Really."
"Oh?" Yohko flopped down in the other desk chair and
said, "Ranma, guess what? Your new roommate is my
roommate's twin sister. I bet we could talk them into
switching, so that you and I can room together. Whatcha
think?"
Ranma's eyes grew wide. "Oh... ah... is that what you
want to do?"
"Well of course! We're friends, right? Why wouldn't we
want to room together?"
"I... ah... can't think of a reason... I guess...."
Ranma stared at the floor, beads of sweat forming on her
forehead. Ukyo rolled her eyes expressively, but said nothing.
She glanced over at a large box on Noel's desk, then got up to
inspect it. "What's this?" she asked. "Oh! Some kind of
drink?"
"It's my roommate's," Ranma said. "I've got no idea what
it is. Calpis? Pocari Sweat?"
"No, something different," Ukyo said. She pulled out a
can and studied it critically. "No label. How odd. Well, she's
got a whole case of the stuff so she must like it. I wonder if it's
any good? I could sell it at my restaurant." She glanced up
and her face broke into a grin. "Did I tell you that?
Registration said I could open a restaurant in the corner of the
cafeteria! They're going to set up a little food court there.
Cologne and Shampoo will have a ramen shop, and Nanami
Jinnai is going to have a booth too!"
"That's nice," Ranma said noncommittally.
"So should I move in with you, or do you want to move in
with me?" Yohko asked.
"What?" Ranma said. "Oh... um, Yohko, maybe we
should, you know, think about this a bit first. I mean,
sometimes people who are really good friends start to hate each
other when they live together, right?"
Yohko blinked, then frowned. "Well, I suppose that's
true. Is there something you want to say, Ranma? Some
reason you don't think we'd be good roommates?"
"No, no! I just think... we should be cautious, you know?"
"Well," Yohko said, "I just assumed that Noel and Maria
would like rooming together, since they're twins... and that you
and I would make great roommates, since we're both into
martial arts and since you'll be training to be a Devil Hunter
too...."
Yohko popped up. "I'll tell you what, Ranma. I'll talk to
Noel and Maria and see what they think. If they want to room
together, then we'll do it. And I promise I'll be a good
roommate! Really, you've got nothing to worry about!"
Ranma watched as her friend bounced out of the room,
not quite sure how to respond. Room with Yohko? She knew
that was a bad idea, but how could she stop her friend without
hurting her feelings?
Ukyo popped open the can in her hand and took a drink.
Ranma looked at her, and she shrugged. "I was thirsty," she
said. She took another long sip, then paused. She seemed to
tremble for a moment, then she stared at the can in amazement.
"What is this stuff?" she asked. "Wow! It packs quite a
wallop! Are you certain this stuff is just soda?"
"I told you," Ranma said, "I don't know what it is. I really
doubt it's alcoholic, though."
"I kinda like it," Ukyo said. "Kind of a sweet, fruity
flavor, but not syrupy. Think it'll be okay if I borrow another
can or two? I mean there is an awful lot of it here, and I'll pay
Noel back of course."
Ranma shrugged. "Help yourself."
As the door closed behind Ukyo, Ranma frowned. Was it
just her, or had Ukyo's voice sounded remarkably deep all of a
sudden?
She shrugged it off, then rolled out of bed. She'd just
remembered something else that she'd wanted to accomplish
today, and considering how badly her expected cure had failed
-- why had she thought it would do otherwise? -- it was doubly
important that she speak to Nabiki as soon as possible.
***
"A boy's uniform?"
Ranma nodded her head vigorously. "I know how
expensive a uniform is," she said. "Well, I don't know exactly,
only that it is expensive. Travelling with my pop all these
years, I've never had much money, so there's no way I could
afford it, and I can't go to Mom of course, that would involve
too much explanation, but you always seem to have money,
so...."
"So you thought I could lend you the money you needed,"
Nabiki finished.
"Yeah. And while we're at it, I could use a couple of
Chinese outfits, for training and such."
"Sorry, but no," Nabiki replied.
Ranma stared at her a moment in confusion. "What do
you mean, no? Nabiki, you're my only hope! And we're
practically related...."
Nabiki looked Ranma up and down and raised an
eyebrow. "Forgive me, Ranma-chan," she said, "but at the
moment you hardly look like my future brother-in-law."
Ranma glanced down at the uniform she was still wearing.
"That's just it!" she exclaimed. "I feel like an idiot in this
getup!"
"Ranma-chan," Nabiki said, "I think we've been over this
already. You're registered as a girl and assigned to the girls'
dorm... you can't attend school as a boy. In fact, at the moment
you couldn't become a boy if you wanted to." Nabiki paused a
moment to openly smirk -- she'd laughed nearly as hard as Urd
when she'd heard the news from Akane. "So anyway, what
could you possibly want with a boy's uniform?"
Ranma's face flushed red, and she glanced away.
"I just want something that's not so overtly feminine," she
said. "I hate this skirt!"
"Ranma," Nabiki said, "every girl wears that skirt. We've
all got the same uniform."
"Not Utena Tenjou."
Nabiki smirked. "Well," she said, "if you want to look
like Utena...."
"Yes," Ranma said, spinning about. "That's exactly what I
want."
Nabiki leaned back in her chair and sighed.
"It's not that easy, Ranma," she said. "I'm just a poor high
school student too you know."
"But you've always got money!"
Nabiki nodded. "That's right. I've always got just
enough," she said, "but never more than that. I don't have tons
of extra cash just laying around." She paused, and tapped her
face with her pen in thought. "Perhaps..." she said, then
paused.
"Yes?"
"Well," Nabiki said, "even if I had the money to lend you,
I have no idea how you'd ever pay me back. You don't have a
job yet, do you?"
"Ah, c'mon, Nabiki. You know I'm training morning and
night! And if I'm not training, then I'd better be studying...."
"Exactly," Nabiki said. "And you're going to pay me
back? I think not."
"Nabiki..." Ranma began.
"Now, now," Nabiki said, holding up her hands. "There is
a way, perhaps, that could work. If you agree to help me raise
the money...."
"Anything!" Ranma exclaimed. "You name it, and I'll do
it for you!"
Nabiki grinned like a lawyer at a support group for
wealthy victims. "Anything?" she repeated. "I'm so very glad
to hear you say that, Ranma-chan...."
***
Ranma sank slowly into the water, letting the heat soak
into her limbs. It had been another one of those days. Not that
she'd fought with a demon today, mind you, but all her dreams
for escaping her curse and escaping life as a schoolgirl had
unraveled and backfired on her. In some ways, she'd rather
have faced a demon, instead of dealing with the mess that was
her life.
"You know, Ranma," Yohko said, "We've been friends for
a while now, but I think this is the first time we've actually
been in a bath together."
"Yeah," Ranma said. "Imagine that." Her voice was
tinged with a barely perceptible hint of melancholy, and she he
sunk lower into the water, glad that the steam and the dim
lighting helped obscure things around her. The shapes of the
other girls were indistinct at best.
Still, Ranma thought, it wasn't the presence of naked girls
that made her uncomfortable. She'd long ago grown used to
her own female body, and from there it was not a great leap to
being comfortable around other girls.
No, what made her uncomfortable was the fact that she
was soaking up to her neck in steaming hot water, and was still
a girl. She wasn't turning into a guy. That fact sat in her
stomach like a bad meal made by Akane. And, at the same
time, she was couldn't shake the terror that she might
transform, at any moment, and be a naked boy in a bath full of
naked girls.
It didn't even occur to her that this was the fantasy of a
good portion of the school's male population. Perhaps, once
upon a time, Ranma had entertained fantasies of being among
naked girls, but she now knew from experience not only what it
was like to be one of those naked girls, but also what happened
when you were a boy among a bunch of naked girls. It mostly
involved screams and a lot of pummeling with bathroom
appliances.
She glanced down at her body -- what she could see of it
through the steam and gloom and dark water. It was strange
how natural it felt. The social aspects she would never get
used to, but physically, being a girl was not really a curse, any
more than being a boy was. The curse was simply the
transformation process, and her lack of control over it.
Well, she had control over it now, she thought bitterly.
Not quite in the way she'd wanted, of course.
"I was really mad at you, last night," Yohko said. "To
find someone as amazingly beautiful as Ukyo-sama, and then
to find out that he's engaged to you... well, I'm still pretty
jealous."
"I'm... I'm sorry, Yohko," Ranma said. "I didn't know.
Ukyo says we were engaged when we were little, but I don't
really remember it."
"That's okay," Yohko said. "You already explained it. I
should have suspected it, really; these things always seem to
happen to me. And I'm really excited for you. To have a
dreamy fiancee like that... his arms about you, his lips on
yours...."
Ranma's stomach turned, as she was reminded what parts
of being a girl were not easy to deal with. Only the knowledge
that Ukyo was really a girl kept her from being very sick. The
prospect of being stuck as a girl for a full year fairly terrified
her.
"I just hope I can find my mystery prince," Yohko said
with a sigh.
"Mystery prince?"
"You know -- the boy with the pigtail, the one in the
picture from last night?"
Ranma gulped and sank further into the water. "Oh," she
said. "Him. I wouldn't get your hopes up too much, Yohko;
you might never see him again."
The gloom in Ranma's voice was almost palpable. Yohko
raised an eyebrow. "Why? Do you know something I don't?"
Ranma gulped again. "What? Me? No!" she said. "I
mean -- I've never met him."
"Nobody said that you had," Yohko replied, suspiciously.
"No, wait, don't tell me: you're engaged to him, too?"
"Of course not!" Ranma snapped. In the far corner,
Akane stifled a laugh. "Look, Yohko, if I could tell you who
he was then I would. You know that. But I can't, because I've
never met him."
Yohko sighed. "Yes, I know," she said. "We are friends,
after all...." Her voice trailed off, and then she added, "but it
does seem strange. Chigako's gone through all the registered
students, and nobody seems to know who he is."
"Maybe he's not a student here," Akane said.
"Maybe," Yohko agreed with a sigh. "Maybe you're right,
Ranma. Maybe I'll never see him again."
Ranma relaxed, glad that the sweat running down her
forehead was only to be expected while soaking in the furo.
"Speaking of which... I wonder where Ryoyo's
disappeared to. I really am worried about him."
"I told ya, you don't gotta worry about him," Ranma said.
"He's a pretty tough guy. He'll turn up eventually."
***
Somewhere on the island of Hokkaido, a running boy
came to a halt. He had black pants and a buff top, with a
stripped bandana holding back a thick mane of black hair.
He glanced about, noting the sloping, grass-covered
hillside. Sea birds flew overhead, and the sea sparkled in the
distance. It was evening, with the sun sinking in... well,
whatever direction it was that suns typically sunk in. The boy
had absolutely no idea where he was.
"This is absolutely hopeless!" the boy screamed out loud, and
his voice sounded like a hundred voices all speaking in unison.
"How can any mortal have such a phenomenally bad sense of
direction?"
The boy laughed humorlessly, then shrugged. "Oh well,"
he muttered. "Back to the drawing board... again."
And then, the boy's shadow seemed to expand, to swell
up... and part of it broke away.
Ryoga blinked. He looked about, completely confused as
to where he was. Being lost was nothing new, but he usually
remembered how he'd got there.
From the corner of his eye, he saw a shadow moving
swiftly across the grass. He watched as it moved down the hill,
and then stared into the sky, vainly looking for the object that
surely was casting the shadow.
The skies, save for a few small birds and some clouds on
the distant horizon, were empty.
***
Chief of Police Daisuke Ido stood with his hands in his
pockets and stared out into the night. The wind whipped his
trenchcoat about, and threatened to rip the hat from his head,
but Ido didn't move a muscle. He gazed into the blackness
with a strange intensity, as if, by sheer willpower alone, he
could look into all the nooks and crannies of the night and
know every evil thing that the darkness hid.
Somewhere, up on the hill above the town, a demon
lurked. This much, Ido knew. And he was bound and
determined to flush it out and end its reign of terror once and
for all.
*to be continued*
The following brilliant lines blatantly stolen from Jed Hagen's
private C&C of my story:
"Neither, Ma'am," Akane supplied helpfully. "She's just
stupid."
Urd smirked impishly. "Isn't it, though?"
"If you aren't careful, you might get pressed into taking one of
his mountaineering trips. Some students never return from
those..."
He pointed to the stack of books labeled "demonology".