Hey, everyone.

It's about time I repost this, as I plan on releasing the rest of it
over the next couple of weeks, likely a chapter a week.  It's all
written; I just need to tidy some things up here and there.  Barring
something unforeseen, Clothes 10 should go out on the 9th, Clothes 11 on
the 16th, and Clothes 12 on the 23rd.

Anyway, here are the earlier chapters and side stories.

-- Nick

-- Attached file included as plaintext by Listar --
-- File: clothes1.txt


Clothes Make The... 

Chapter One: 

A fan fiction based on Takahashi Rumiko's Manga series, Ranma 1/2

Saotome Ranma, Saotome Genma, Saotome Nodoka, Tendo Akane, Tendo Soun,
Tendo Kasumi, Tendo Nabiki, Kuonji Ukyou, Hibiki Ryouga, P-chan, Shampoo,
Mousse, Kunou Tatewaki, Kunou Kodachi, Tofu Ono Sensei, and Hinako
Ninomiya Sensei are copyright 1987, 1997 by Takahashi Rumiko.

Publishing rights:

Japan:              Shogakukan Inc. Tokyo
Hong Kong:          Jademan (Holdings) Ltd.
North America:      Viz Inc.

By Nicholas Leifker and Ichinohei Hitomi

	Ranma was lying down on his futon fuming to himself. 
	Not that this was all that unusual given the number of fiancees,
vendetta's threats, and other situations that he usually found himself
buried in, but lying quietly was not something he did all that well.  If
anything, Ranma was actually very anxious, anticipating having the house
virtually to himself.  It would be a dream come true in a way. 
	He was closing his eyes, ready to give up when a shout broke
through his reverie.
	"See ya later!"  Akane's cry echoed through the house, causing
Ranma's ears to perk up.
	"Take care, you two.  And have a nice time!"  Kasumi wished her
sisters good- bye, and returned to the house...all under the watchful eye
of one very nervous young man.
	Ranma had been waiting for this night for weeks.  The other men of
the household had already left, gone out for a long night of drinking (and
panty-thieving).  His mother was gone for a couple of days, taking care of
some very special family business in another part of Tokyo.  Of the girls,
Akane and Nabiki had just gone to stay the night with friends, and
Kasumi...well, Kasumi usually just went to her room at night, read a book,
and turned in early.  Licking his lips in anticipation and nervousness, he
waited...Ranma could afford to be patient, and in this case had to be.  He
looked outside to the hallway, where Kasumi made her rounds.
	"Hello, Ranma-kun.  What are you going to do tonight?"  Her cheery
smile beamed to the young martial artist.  He shrugged, in an attempt to
look casual. 
	"Oh...I'm kinda tired, so I figured I'd turn in.  And you?" 
	She held up a book in her hand.  "Tofu-Sensei let me borrow this
book, so I'll be busy tonight.  Goodnight, Ranma-kun." 
	"Goodnight, Kasumi."  He watched as she opened the door to her
room, and slipped inside. 
	Now...now he was free. 
	Ranma first stripped off his clothes quickly, as though the
garments were burning his skin.  Next...the glass of cold water, the
instrument of his change, came pouring over his head, causing her to come
alive.  She ripped open a wall panel, and pulled out the stash that was
inside.  If they knew about this... 
	The clothes Ranma pulled out were like nothing she had worn
before...at least, not 100% willingly.  Her blue eyes dazzled as she
beheld the forbidden objects, fear and desire nearly overwhelming her.
	The panties came on first, black lace and silk that felt so cool
against her hot skin.  Next...the matching bra, a beautiful object that
felt a little tight around her chest...but would have to do.  She put on
the garther belt, then indulged herself in the feel of the light fabric,
taking time to put on the black stockings.  Ranma untied her pigtail, and
let the scarlet locks flow about her.  She took a look in the mirror, a
strange mix of emotions rising in her at the sight.
	The creature on the other side was by no means the man Ranma had
been born, nor the martial artist she was raised to be.  If Ranma were
still a man at the moment...she would have taken his breath away.  The
lingerie hugged her curves tightly, leaving just enough to the imagination
- but not much more.  The hair that flowed to her shoulders framed her
face just so, leaving her looking seductive...dangerous...sexy.  If
Happousai could see her now...she continued posing in front of the mirror,
allowing herself to forget the guilt and fear...and be mesmerized in
herself. 
	"Ranma-kun, I thought you-" 
	The door to her room slid open, something that Ranma had not
expected and planned on.  She turned to the door just in time to see
Kasumi standing there, mouth agape, her face a strange mix of
surprise...and slight disappointment.  Ranma's face turned several shades
of crimson.  Strangely, she felt no shame...only guilt.  Kasumi relaxed
her shoulders, and smiled gently.
	"Ranma-chan, I'll be back in a moment."  Ranma sat down on the
futon and pulled her dark-stockinged legs to her chest, waiting for the
judgment from this kind soul.  She had feared this was going to
happen...but there was no fighting it now.  Ranma just hoped this wouldn't
cause too much friction within the family. 
	A couple of minutes later, the door slid open again, and Kasumi's
footsteps come towards her.  She kept her eyes closed, waiting for the
inevitable.  Instead, Kasumi laid a small bundle of clothing on the floor,
and walked back to the door.  "Ranma-chan, if you want to talk, I'll be in
my room."  She slid the door closed once more. 
	Stunned, Ranma picked up the bundle, eyes wide in curiosity. 
Kasumi had brought in a beautiful black silk-and-lace blouse of Akane's,
as well as a checkered skirt.  Unsure of what to do, she held the garments
in her hand, weighing them as though wearing them would be a
point-of-no-return.
	After a couple minutes of this, her features hardened, into a
near-masculine parody of her former self.  Ranma picked herself up and
determinedly put the clothes on, tired of hiding this side of herself for
so long.  She took a last look in the mirror to check her features, and
went to Kasumi's room.
	The eldest daughter of the Tendo clan sat patiently on her bed.
Though her expression seemed as neutral as ever, there was a touch of
strain in her features.  She looked at Ranma carefully, noting the beauty
of this former man.
	"Would you care to sit down, Ranma-chan?"  Kasumi offered her hand
over to an empty chair.  Ranma knew better than to argue...a suggestion
like that held the force of command.  She sat down and crossed her legs
demurely, as she saw women do plenty of times.  The new woman sighed,
trying to come up with words to explain her actions.
	"Kasumi..." 
	"Yes, Ranma-chan?"  Kasumi spoke innocently, though making sure
the child heard the feminine suffix.
	"Kasumi...I know this looks pretty bad...but please let me
explain."
	The woman's smile broadened.  "Oh, there's no need for you to
explain, Ranma-chan.  I understand."
	The redhead's eyebrows shot up, incredulous.  "Do you?" 
	Kasumi's face fell.  "Truth to tell...no.  I don't think I ever
could...then again, I can't change like you can."
	Ranma took a deep breath, letting the bra cut deeper into her
chest. "I...When I first found myself...changed, it was the most
frightening day of my life...up until a few months ago.  Up until that
point, my life, my future, everything seemed so clear to me.  I would grow
up, become a martial arts teacher, marry some girl, and raise a family."
	"All of that disappeared the moment I hit the water.  When...when
my body became an uncertain thing, so did all of that.  I was angry at Pop
for taking that future away from me, but I was also afraid...afraid that I
would like being a girl."
	"Do you?" 
	Ranma looked confused for a moment.  "I...I'll get back to that.
During the first month of my curse, there was no problems.  I was running
far too much to worry about it, and I didn't have time to think about
being a girl or a guy or anything like that.  A crazy Amazon chasing after
you will do that to you."
	She sighed.  "All of this changed the moment I came here.  I
wasn't running anymore; I had a home.  I could relax, and actually feel
what it was like to be a human being, rather than a migratory animal,
always on the run." 
	"Despite this new freedom, I still was bound and determined not to
act like a girl, that I would never wear a dress or anything like that.
Unfortunately, fate...fate wanted me this way, I guess."
	Ranma's eyes turned slightly accusatory.  "Less than two weeks
after I arrived, someone decided that, since all of my clothes were in the
wash, that I had to wear girls' clothes for the time being.  I...I put on
the cute little shirt and overalls...and felt guilty for it.  But, I just
had to do it, 'cause someone said I was eating them out of house and
home." Her anger relaxed.  "I never quite forgave Nabiki for that."
	"Well, after that, I drew another line into the sand.  I vowed
that I would never wear women's underwear, no matter what.  That one I
actually kept for awhile...after all, people rarely see what kind of
underwear you have on, right?"
	"That lasted until Happousai made me...weak.  All of a sudden, I
was helpless, as frail as a...as a girl.  That humiliation...knowing a
small child could beat the stuffing out of me...in a way, it steeled me
for what was to come.  I had been taught the 'Hiryuu Shouten Ha', but
couldn't lure Happousai into attacking me to perform it.  I tried almost
everything...and nothing had worked."
	"That night, I crept into Nabiki's room, and talked with her. 
Even now I can taste the bile in my throat from what I was saying.  I
asked her - ASKED HER - to take pictures of me wearing lingerie.  I still
remember the feelings I had as I put that first nighty on...fear,
mainly...revulsion...but something else, too.  There was a tiny amount of
pleasure...of anticipation...to finally become something other than what I
was.  I didn't realize what it was at the time...but it was there.  I
quickly went through the photo shoot and got the pictures, and went into
the fight with the old leach." 
	The redhead shrugged.  "It probably would have ended there...if it
weren't for all the other things to come.  Picolet was probably the bit
that pushed me over the edge.  I was locked, quite literally, as a girl,
due to that damn corset they made me wear.  To top it off, I had to act
ladylike for all the guests of the house.  I...I really started to slip,
then.  I was losing it.  Then came other things...Pantsuto
Taro...Mom...Herb..."
	"About a week or two after the Herb incident, Hinako-sensei came
into town, and I was willing to do about anything to foil her technique. 
I..." Tears started to roll down the redhead's cheeks.  "I put on the
girls' gym shorts and top...and looked in the mirror.  I...I looked
beautiful.  I felt good, I looked good...it took me a minute to realize
what I was thinking.  When I did...it took an hour to keep from shaking."
	The blue eyes raised to meet Kasumi's brown ones.  "That was the
worst day of my life.  In that moment, I realized that all my struggles,
all my fighting...wasn't working.  A good portion of who I was died that
day."
	Ranma straightened back up, and fixed the placement of her skirt. 
"The descent was a slow one from there...but it was a painful one.  First
came the occasional offers to Nabiki for photo shoots.  I only did it when
I needed the money...but I didn't only do it for the money.  I...I think
she suspects, but she isn't sure.  Then the occasional 'shopping trips' to
buy this swimsuit or that lingerie set....all done at places Akane doesn't
normally shop, so that she wouldn't know.  One time Kunou spotted me, but
he doesn't count.  Tonight...tonight was the first night I tried it on my
own."
	"Really?"  Kasumi seemed surprised at this news. 
	Ranma nodded her head.  "Really." 
	"And how did you feel?" 
	Ranma stood up, and started sobbing into Kasumi's chest.  "IT...IT
FELT WONDERFUL!  I LOOKED SO BEAUTIFUL...AND...AND FEMININE...AND...."
	"And it hurt, because you knew how disappointed your family would
be," Kasumi said, without smiling.
	"Uh-huh..."  Ranma continued sobbing.  Kasumi brought her chin up,
and tried to dry her eyes.  She moved Ranma's head around, a glint forming
in her brown eyes.
	"Tell you what, Ranma-chan...let's do something about that face of
yours.  You've never learned how to do makeup, right?" 
	The look on Ranma's face was of sheer disbelief.  "Are...are you
sure?  I mean...what if..."
	"The men won't be home for hours, and Akane and Nabiki won't be
home until dawn.  It'll be just us girls until then, okay?"
	Ranma stiffened at the feminine classification, then smiled. 
"Okay."  She sat down in the chair, anxiously waiting for Kasumi to begin.
The elder girl brought out her makeup kit, and started applying base to
Ranma's face.
	"Ranma-chan...I hope you don't mind if I ask a few
questions...First of all, how do you feel about Akane?"
	The redhead winced as if struck.  "Akane?  I...I love her.  I wish
I knew what to do...I like girls, and always will, but...but I also want
to be one sometimes.  I know it sounds crazy, but..."
	"Not necessarily.  Who you are and who you love don't necessarily
match, you know."  She finished the base, applied a hint of blush to the
cheeks, and started on the lips.
	"Ranma...I have to know this.  Are you a girl or a guy?" 
	Ranma waited for Kasumi to finish with the lip liner, then spoke,
her lips pouty from the makeup.  "Honestly...I wish I knew..  I don't
exactly look like a guy anymore, do I?  But...still...I've never really
lived as a girl.  I wish I knew what it was like...Right now I'm a guy in
a dress, I guess."
	"Ranma-chan, put your eyes like...this."  Kasumi exposed as much
of her eyelids as possible, to demonstrate for Ranma to do the same.  The
girl complied, allowing Kasumi to put shadow on them.
	"Ranma...I've been thinking.  Right now you have these ideas about
what it would be like to be treated as a girl, but don't know what it's
really like, right?"  She carefully brushed Ranma's eyelids.
	"Yeah...Are you saying you know a way that I could?  This had
better not be a permanent thing..."
	The housewoman went to her jewelry box and picked out a pair of
gold clip-on earrings.  "No, it's not permanent, not unless you want it to
be.  However, you will have to act the part at all times while it's going
on." She put the earrings on the girl, and turned her to face the mirror. 
"Not bad, huh?"
	The teenager's eyes sparkled.  "Thanks, Kasumi...I...I look...I
look stunning."  She turned back to her friend, gave her a big hug, and
looked her in the eye.  "I really appreciate this.  Not just the clothing
and the make-up, but also for giving me a chance to talk about my
feelings. I...I don't really get much of a chance to do so, and it feels
as though a huge weight has been lifted."  Ranma smiled a bit, "Now...what
do I need to do?"
	A sly, mischievous grin crept up on Kasumi's face.  "Well..." 

***

	Morning. 
	It was an unusually quiet one in the Tendo house as Genma had been
too tired and hung over to want to spar with Ranma.  The drinking
expedition had turned into a 'get rid of Happousai any way we can' night,
and the two aging martial artist had managed to ship the old hentai off to
another part of the country.  Luckily for them, the Master had been too
drunk to notice what they were doing to him.
	This allowed Ranma to get up later than usual, fortunate as the
previous night had not been what he'd expected; he still wasn't used to
letting his true emotions show.  The breakfast call from Kasumi echoed in
his ears, calling him from his slumber, as well as bringing the plan
Kasumi and he had come up with to mind. With a strange anticipation, he
dressed in his usual Chinese outfit, and headed down to the table.
	As expected, the family was there, all...looking at...the dinner
table.  Breakfast was there...but the consistency and look of it suggested
that the morning's chef was not Kasumi.  All of them, especially Akane,
waited expectantly for him, as fiance, to take the first bite.  He sat
down, forced the sludge into his mouth...and winced involuntarily. 
	"Ugh!  What'd you do this time, Akane?  Rob a toxic waste dump?" 
	The tomboy's eyes showed hurt - but only for a moment.  Red anger
flared as Akane brought out a frying pan.  "I...worked for an hour on that
breakfast, Ranma...and all you can do is insult it?  Die, you idiot!"  She
started swinging for her fiance with all the fury she could muster.
	Ranma dodged the first couple of blows, purposefully leading her
out into the backyard...and the fish pond.  He waited until he was in just
the right position...then let her hit him, sending him flying into the
pond.
	Now all she had to do was wait...and act. 

***

	Akane fumed to herself.  She knew she wasn't the best at cooking,
but she did think that Ranma could be a little more considerate.  After
all, she had tried her best.  Unfortunately, her best was only a little
better than eating live scorpions.  Of course, you had a better chance of
survival if you ate the scorpions. 
	Kasumi looked out into the yard.  Everything was going as planned
and she would be able to let Ranma be him...herself for a while.  It would
give the child a chance to really come to terms with herself, and who she
actually wanted to be.  "Akane, I think you better get Ranma.  She hasn't
come out of the pond as of yet."
	The youngest Tendo turned to the water.  Realizing that Ranma
hadn't come up sprouting her usual cold-water comments, she ran to the
pond to investigate.  Looking down, Akane noticed that her fiance seemed
to be out cold, and that she would need some rescuing. As she grabbed her
arm and pulled the redhead out, Akane couldn't help saying, "He knocks
himself out and then expects me to rescue him. Typical."
	It took all of Ranma's willpower not to react to that statement. 

***

	It was ten minutes later and Ranma slowly 'awoke' from her
enforced slumber by her angered fiancee.  Sitting up and holding her head
slightly, she said, "Why'd you do that?  Just because you can't cook as
well as I can wasn't any reason to hit me that hard.  If you'd practice
cooking as much as you do the Art, you'd be competent, you know!"
	Akane just sat down, a little stunned.  That was not the reaction
she had been expecting out of Ranma.  There was nothing in the words
themselves, or the angry way she said it that was out of place, but Akane
couldn't help feeling that something was out of place.  Still, as long as
Ranma was feeling better, it was time to let him know who was in the
right.  "Well, what do you expect for insulting me like that!"
	Ranma only reply was a 'Humph' as she went upstairs to change her
clothes.  As planned, she waited a few minutes before calling downstairs,
"Uh Kasumi?  Do you happen to know where some clean clothes are?"
	Kasumi had been waiting for this and went upstairs, "Oh dear.  I'm
sure I cleaned at least a couple of suits for you.  Here, let me check." 
	Genma looked at Soun as they both started to consider ways to try
and get their children together.  This latest cooking episode was going to
be hard to get over, especially since Ranma was quite correct about the
taste of the food.  If anything, toxic waste would seem to be more edible
than the concoction that sat before the family.
	How they were ever going to get the two recalcitrant teenagers to
admit their love for each other, much less marry, was going to be a huge
effort in and of itself.
	Nabiki only looked on with amusement as her younger sister fumed
over another culinary disaster.  If her little sister hadn't learned by
now that she should stay out of the kitchen, then probably nothing would
teach her.  Nabiki sighed and shook her head.  Ranma was her future
brother-in-law, and she shouldn't really be laughing about this.  In fact,
the young man should be commended for even attempting to try it to appease
Akane.  Heavens knew how Ranma stayed out of a hospital ward.
	As for Akane, the aforementioned cook, she was sitting and waiting
for Ranma so that they could head to school together.  Although she always
said that she hated the 'hentai', the truth was that she loved him, even
with the curse.  It was pride that was keeping them apart;  the curse and
all of its possible consequences she could live with.  Hearing a sound,
Akane turned and looked for her 'idiot fiancee', and then gasped at what
she saw.
	The sound caused everyone else to turn to the hallway where they
noticed that Ranma and Kasumi had come back out.
	Ranma was wearing a Furinkan high school uniform, the same one she
had worn on other occasions, and had applied a little bit of make-up to
her face.  Her hair, which had always been put up in a pig-tail, even
after the fact that it no longer needed to be bound by the dragon hair,
was in a neat, prim, and pretty hairstyle.  It was somewhat unnerving to
the family.
	Akane's reaction was predictable.  "What do you think you're
doing?"
	Ranma frowned, a little bit pouty, "I though it was time I had a
new hairstyle.  This is a lot better than the pig-tail I was wearing."
	There it was, that statement combined with what Ranma was doing
rang alarm bells inside Akane's head.  Something was definitely wrong. 
"No, I mean why are you wearing a dress?  You're a boy!" 
	At that Ranma looked at her fiancee as though she had no idea what
the black haired girl was talking about.  "Akane, you know as well as I do
that my boy form is a curse.  I'm just lucky that it's only activated by
hot water." 
	Except for Kasumi, who had obviously helped Ranma, the rest of the
family stared at her in shock.

***


-- Attached file included as plaintext by Listar --
-- File: clothes2.txt


Clothes Make The... 

Chapter Two: 

A fan fiction based on Takahashi Rumiko's Manga series, Ranma 1/2

Saotome Ranma, Saotome Genma, Saotome Nodoka, Tendo Akane, Tendo Soun,
Tendo Kasumi, Tendo Nabiki, Kuonji Ukyou, Hibiki Ryouga, P-chan, Shampoo,
Mousse, Kunou Tatewaki, Kunou Kodachi, Tofu OnoSensei, and Hinako Ninomiya
Sensei are copyright 1987, 1997 by Takahashi Rumiko. 

Publishing rights: 

Japan:              Shogakukan Inc. Tokyo
Hong Kong:          Jademan (Holdings) Ltd.
North America:      Viz Inc.

By Nicholas Leifker and Ichinohei Hitomi

	Before Akane could react, Kasumi said, "Ranma-chan, why don't you
go on ahead to school today.  I'll give Akane your bento to take with her,
especially since she and I still have to clean up from breakfast." 
	The red head looked up at Kasumi, her eyes bright.  "OK,
Oneechan.  I'll help with supper tonight if that's all right?" 
	Kasumi smiled serenely, "That would be fine Ranma-chan.  Now get
going, you don't want to be late for school do you?" 
	Ranma shook her head as she walk towards the door. "Uh-huh.  Not
today.  Anyway, I still have to get past Kunou without knocking him out. 
See you later everyone!" 
	Nabiki was watching this with some awe and some trepidation.  The
awe came from seeing how Kasumi, her unassuming older sister, had handled
a situation that could have had grave consequences, especially if either
father or Akane had reacted in their usual
'hit-first-and-ask-questions-a-lot-later' mode.  It always surprised her
whenever Kasumi did that, especially since it was so unexpected.  The
trepidation came from realizing that Akane was not going to take this well
at all, and that Ranma's other fiancees, namely Ukyou and Shampoo would
also act in a manner similar to her little sister. 
	Before anyone had a chance to say anything however, Kasumi held up
a hand. 
	"Please listen," she began, those two words having more of an
effect on the people gathered in this room than the words of the Emperor
himself.  "Ranma has suffered a little bit of a head trauma, and the worst
thing to do would be to forcibly make her remember things differently." 
	Akane broke in, "How about I just hit him on the head?" 
	Kasumi frowned a little, and that was more than enough to make
Akane quiet down.  "I'm afraid that it isn't that simple.  You see, the
number of head injuries that Ranma has sustained over the past few months
make doing such a thing very risky.  Right now, she has a slight
personality dislocation, one that is enhanced because of the Jusenkyo
curse that she is under.  To try to hit her on the head would probably
give her amnesia." 
	Nabiki frowned.  "So she can't remember a few things for a while. 
That's not so dangerous." 
	The eldest of the Tendo girls shook her head in the negative. 
"I'm not talking about what is commonly called 'temporary amnesia',
Nabiki.  I'm talking about the actual condition.  If that happens, the
person we know as Ranma would disappear entirely, and the shell that is
left will not recognize us from minute to minute.  She wouldn't even
remember if she ate, slept, or what year it is.  The real point is the
fact is that amnesia is permanent, non-recoverable brain damage.  What's
happened right now is recoverable, but only given time and effort at being
kind." 
	She then looked at Akane.  "I want you to protect her as much as
possible, keep her from getting hit on the head or in fights, and do not
act surprised at some of the things she does.  I want you to make sure
that she isn't acting too overly feminine either, but just as any other
girl.  Can you do that for me?" 
	Akane wanted to do something else at the moment, but kept those
thoughts to herself.  "Of course, Oneechan.  I'll do my best." 
	Kasumi turned to the fathers next.  "I want the two of you to stop
trying to push Ranma and Akane together for a while.  If you do so, we
risk losing the Ranma we know completely as it is possible two entirely
different ideas will be too much for her to take.  We don't know how
female she is now, so discretion is better on the subject of the
engagement." 
	Genma and Soun looked at one another, but couldn't really say a
word against it.  Kasumi was the closet thing that they had to a medic in
the house, and she did read a lot of Tofu-Sensei's books, papers, and
documents.  If she said it was dangerous, then it probably was.  Soun
glumly answered for the two of them.  "Agreed." 
	She then turned to her sister Nabiki.  "I want you to keep an eye
on her, and try to deflect her other fiancees for a while.  If necessary,
explain things to them in a way that they will understand.  Be careful
with Shampoo though, her Japanese isn't the best, and have Mousse or
Cologne translate for you if necessary." 
	Nabiki nodded, realizing how serious this was if Kasumi was acting
this way.  "I'll do my best, Oneechan." 

***

	Ranma in the meantime was enjoying herself, finally able to let
this side of her have free reign.  It was surprising, but she also
realized how lucky it had been for her that Kasumi was the one who had
caught her exploring her feelings.  If it had been her father, or anyone
else for that matter, there would have been things thrown around. 
Probably herself after being called a hentai by Akane. 
	Ranma was just about to leap up onto the fence to walk to school
when she realized that she wouldn't be able to do that.  Giggling to
herself, Ranma then realized that Shampoo would miss her usual 'target'
since she would be looking for a boy or girl with a pig-tail walking on a
fence to knock down instead of a rather cute looking girl in a school
uniform walking down the street.  *Goddess above, I didn't realize how
much of an advantage that this could be.  Too bad it won't last too long,
I best enjoy this while I can.*
	She smiled happily to herself, glad that at least one person in
her family was able to accept her for who she was, and who she might be. 
That was the only way for her to understand what Kasumi had said the night
before about this not being permanent unless she wanted it too be. 
Shaking her head, Ranma decided that she'd worry about it later,
especially since she was still so excited at actually being able to look
pretty. 
	That was when she heard a familiar sound, of a bicycle being
ridden at almost inhuman speeds with an uncanny amount of skill.  Ranma
looked up to see Shampoo riding fast, looking out in front of her as she
tried to spot her 'Airen', not even noticing her as she zipped past.  The
new hairdo that Kasumi had suggested last night and had spent sometime
going over was certainly a bit of a success.  It was hard to believe that
such a simple change could make people overlook who she was.  Ranma
shouldn't have been so surprised however, as she had made a similar
mistake when Akane's hair had been cut so long ago. 
	That was when she spotted the schools gates and started to walk
quickly towards them.  While Ranma was used to running the last little bit
to school, especially since she usually had to take care of one Kunou or
another, this time she wanted to savour the experience.  Besides, from
what she saw in school, most girls didn't go barging around and through
everything in their way, depending more on brains to take care of
situations.  The exceptions to this were the girls she knew, or who wanted
to know her. 
	Ukyou, Shampoo, Akane, and Kodachi weren't the most normal of
girls, especially in Japanese society. 
	As Ranma walked into the gate, Tatewaki failed to notice her.  In
fact, it seemed that no-one looked at her, which was a disappointment to
the teenage girl.  From what everyone had told her, she expected at least
the other girls in school to notice who she was, especially since Ranma
was the only red headed female in the school.  It would have been nice to
make a few friends who weren't romantic interests, extortionists, or
enemies. 
	Shrugging her shoulders, she continued on into the school and to
her classroom. 

***

	Ukyou smiled as she entered the school building.  So far, her
morning had gone fairly well, with no major problems and Shampoo being
angry and not having run into Ranma.  She was surprised to note that Kunou
was still standing, something that wouldn't have happened if Akane or
Ranma had arrived.  It was amazing that he hadn't missed more classes than
he did, given the almost constant damage Kuno suffered in his pursuit of
'the pig-tailed girl' and Akane. 
	Chuckling to herself, she went into her assigned room, noting that
most of the others in class had already arrived as well.  As Ukyou put her
briefcase on her desk, she noticed the new girl standing near the window. 
She couldn't see her face, but that red hair was almost the same colour as
Ranma's when he was splashed with water.  Not that he would ever stay that
way longer than absolutely necessary.  She did seem cute however, and she
didn't seem to know anyone there.  Probably a new student to the school.
	Grinning, Ukyou went over to the girl, knowing that she would
probably be taken for a very handsome young man.  She had that effect on a
lot of girls, and some boys, and they had a good reason for thinking that
at times.  Given that she usually dressed in a boys school uniform, and
was very adept at passing herself off as a young man, even to the point of
using slight body movements unconsciously, most girls did attempt to make
themselves noticeable to her at least once.  Even after her secret was
revealed, some of the girls still did it, hoping to get a slight ego
boost. 
	Appraising the girl quickly, she went up to her and said, "So, are
you new to the area as well as the school?" 
	The red head turned around and smiled, causing Ukyou to stop
breathing.  "No, silly!  Anyways how do you like the new hairdo?  I asked
Kasumi to style it this way this morning.  Isn't it nice?" 
	The okonomiyaki chef sputtered, desperately trying to come to
terms with this shock.  "R..Ranchan?  What the...why....how did...." 
	Ranma frowned, and put a hand to her scarlet locks.  "What...you
don't like it?"  she pouted. 
	Used to the 'kawaii' act from some girls, Ukyou raised her hands
in denial.  "No...it isn't that...it's just...it's so feminine....so
unlike you...." 
	The new woman raised an eyebrow.  "Sorry if I want to look like a
girl, unlike _some_ people I could name..." She giggled slightly, to let
her know she wasn't completely serious.  "Sorry, Ucchan.  It's just I was
so proud of this look, and to have you insult it..." 
	Ukyou smiled nervously.  At least that part of her Ranchan hadn't
changed - even if it appeared everything else had.  "Sorry about that. 
So...why did you get-" 
	"Hello, everyone!"  The cheery, childlike voice of Ninomiya Hinako
pierced through the classroom, bringing the students to attention. Akane
ran in a split second later, narrowly avoiding another tardy mark - and
another session with the water buckets.  The child-woman walked to her
desk, and swiftly went through the roll. 
	"Saotome?" 
	"Here!" Ranma said cheerily, raising her hand. 
	Whispers spread around the room, the surprise unmistakable in the
faces of the students.  Hinako-sensei raised her hand for silence, and
eyed the redhead critically.  "Saotome-kun?" 
	"Yes?" 
	"Is there any reason for your profound change in attire?  I am
well aware of your curse, but this is a remarkable change from your usual
uniform." 
	"Yes, I know."  Ranma looked ashamed for a moment.  "I'm sorry for
the clothes I wore when I was first here." 
	"Uh...Hinako-sensei?"  Akane raised her hand timidly for attention
before Hinako-sensei could comment. 
	"Yes, Tendo-kun?" 
	Akane stammered, unsure of how to describe the morning's events. 
"Ranma...I...There is an explanation for Ranma's change.  If you like, may
I give it to you in private after class?" 
	The dark-haired child pondered the offer for a moment, then
nodded.  "That will be acceptable."  She then turned back to the roll. 
	Morning class was a strange one for Ukyou Kuonji.  She found
Hinako's English lessons to pale in interest to the "new student" who sat
two desks down.  Ukyou stared at the young woman joyfully writing away,
trying to find some hint of *him*, of the man she had fallen in love with,
her heart failing her at the lack of success.  Dark thoughts, speculations
flew through her mind unbidden, fears from her worst nightmares coming to
haunt her waking moments.  Why...why was her Ranchan, the strong man she
had come to know and love, eschewing all of that, all he was...to live as
a girl? 
	Akane.  She had to know; the two lived together in the same house,
and, from what she had told Hinako-sensei, had some sort of explanation
why.  Mind racing, she brought out a piece of paper and began to write. 

Akane -
	What happened?  Why is Ranchan acting like a girl? 
				Ukyou. 

	She purposefully folded the paper, wrote Akane's name on the note,
and sent it down to her.  Ukyou desperately tried to attune her mind to
Hinako's lesson;  unfortunately, life was intruding.  A moment later, a
piece of paper landed on her desk.  Anxious for some news, she unfolded
the note, and spread it flat across her desk. 
	What Ukyou saw was enough to make her ill.  The note wasn't from
Akane...but from Ranma.  Cute little hearts and "suki" kanji dotted the
paper, and the neat handwriting looked far more careful than her fiancee's
messy scrawl.  The message itself was almost enough to drive her to tears. 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Ucchan -
	HI!  Just to let you know, I'm not angry about the hair comment.
Considering I've never really had it styled before, it probably caught you
off-guard.  So...do you like it?  Kasumi did a wonderful job on it this
morning, and helped me with my makeup and everything!  Sorry if I got
tired of looking like a tomboy, but I felt that a change was necessary.
Besides, look at the attention it's getting me.  The others can't keep
their eyes off of me!  Anyway, can't wait until we can talk at lunch. See
ya there! ^_^
				Ranchan

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

	Ukyou put her face in her hands, not wanting the others to see the
tears threatening.  Ranchan, HER Ranchan, was gone...disappeared behind
this woman's face.  She hadn't felt this dark, this hopeless...since a
six-year-old boy walked out of her life.  The boy next to her had to nudge
her to get her to accept the next note. 
	This one was the one she had been wanting, the one explaining this
madness.  Akane's handwriting was a lot messier than usual, almost
rendering the characters unreadable.  It was clear she was under some
stress in writing it, as there were a number of eraser marks on the sheet,
and most of the sentences were clipped and short. 

Ukyou -
	I'm sorry.  Deity, it's all my fault.  I wish it wasn't but it is.
If I could take it all back I would.  All we can do now is wait and hope. 
	This morning, Ranma insulted my cooking.  I hit him into the pond.
When she got out, she started acting like a girl.  Kasumi looked at her,
and figured out.  I hit her too much.  The last one jarred her brain.  She
has "personality dislocation" brought on by repeated head blows.  Her
Jusenkyo curse did the rest.  Kasumi said that he may come back in time,
but that's all we can do, save make sure she doesn't get hit again.  For
now, Kasumi wants me to watch over her and make sure she doesn't act too
feminine. 
	I'm sorry.  I'm so sorry... 
				Akane. 
     
	Ukyou turned to look over at her short-haired rival.  Akane just
stared back at her, her face a mask of dark, swirling emotions.  The brown
eyes held the look of one shell-shocked, a blank stare that told of some
recent tragedy.  All she did upon looking at Ukyou's questioning gaze was
nod. 
	The note Akane had written, along with the hopelessness in her
eyes, drove any anger from Ukyou's mind.  There was no question about it:
Akane was suffering greatly from this.  She had inflicted a terrible blow
on one she loved, perhaps killing...no, worse than killing him.  The body
was alive and functioning quite well, but the mind inside...the soul...was
twisted, changed at her hands into a form that both Akane and Ranchan
would have abhorred.  In that sense, it would have been better if Ranma
had been killed by Akane's blow, rather than live like this. 
	The chef turned back to the two notes, and looked morosely at
them.  So different...so opposite.  One held joy, happiness at life and
the world in general.  The other spoke of death, of a darkness
unbreachable.  In her mind, there was no contest which one had to be
answered first. 

Akane -
	Right now I should be furious at you.  Unfortunately, I can't be.
You are sorry for what you did, and there was no way you could have known
what would happen.  I will abide by Kasumi's wisdom, and will help you in
taking care of Ranchan.  Sorry, sugar, but in this case I insist. 
	For now, I propose a truce.  Nobody goes after Ranchan in any way,
shape, or form.  Moreover, if Shampoo or Kodachi come calling (and they
will), we defend her from their advances and/or attacks.  This also
applies to any guys who may come calling, as "she" may do something that
"he" may regret later.  Deal? 
				Ukyou. 

	She sent off the note, then turned to see Akane's response to it.
The tomboy opened it without smiling, read the note...then nodded back. 
	Ukyou smiled.  One crisis was taken care of; Akane would have help
enough to get through this.  She only hoped there'd be help for
her...Ukyou turned her eyes to the second note, and debated how to answer
it.  Ranchan would be expecting some sort of answer from her...but the
note was filled with so much fluff.  What could she answer from it? 
Determined to write something, she bit her lip, straining her brain for
the response. 

Ranchan -
	Yes, I do like your new hairstyle.  It is most certainly a change
for you, and it was one that I wasn't expecting.  I imagine you have a lot
to talk about at lunch, and I look forward to what you have to say. 
				Ucchan

	As she watched the young girl read the note, Ukyou swore she saw a
private, secretive smile cross her features, an instant before it
broadened to a full, cute-girl grin.  She had a feeling that lunch was
going to be quite interesting... 




-- Attached file included as plaintext by Listar --
-- File: clothes3.txt


Clothes Make The... 

Chapter Three: 

A fan fiction based on Takahashi Rumiko's Manga series, Ranma 1/2

Saotome Ranma, Saotome Genma, Saotome Nodoka, Tendo Akane, Tendo Soun,
Tendo Kasumi, Tendo Nabiki, Kuonji Ukyou, Hibiki Ryouga, P-chan, Shampoo,
Mousse, Kunou Tatewaki, Kunou Kodachi, Tofu Ono Sensei, and Hinako
Ninomiya Sensei are copyright 1987, 1997 by Takahashi Rumiko.

Publishing rights:

Japan:		Shogakukan Inc. Tokyo
Hong Kong:	Jademan (Holdings) Ltd.
North America:	Viz Inc.

By Nicholas Leifker and Ichinohei Hitomi

	Ranma smiled broadly as the class broke up for lunch, little bits
and pieces of "her" life flying through the young woman's mind.  She had
no regrets about her new existence so far; truth to tell, Ranma found some
of the attention she was getting...the lustful stares of the men, a few
envious looks from the women... thrilling.  It was as though the dress had
changed her into a new person - which, in a sense, it did.  She could go
places and do things forbidden to him, and relish in the sights and
textures offered her there.  Yes, it did have its disadvantages, such as
possible friction with Mom and different viewpoints from Ryouga and
Shampoo...but right now she didn't care.  Right now she was enjoying
herself too much.  On top of that, Akane and Ukyou, the two closest
friends she had, were taking it well for the most part. It took a bit of
time for her childhood friend to adjust (the look on her face as she read
the note was horrifying), but the strong, supportive friend quickly
exerted herself.  Akane was still blaming herself for what happened, and
was compensating for her guilt by watching over her like a little sister. 
Ranma liked that...she'd always wanted to be close to Akane, rather than
the fighting enemies they seemed to be all too often. 
	She rose from her desk slowly, pausing at the feel of soft fabrics
caressing her legs as she stood.  Ranma walked slowly over to her friends,
and sat down next to them.
	"Uh...Akane?"  The voice she used now was just how Kasumi had
taught her the night before: soft, unassuming, with just the slightest
lilt to it.
	The tomboy turned from her thoughts and stared at her changed
fiancee.  "Yes, Ranma?" 
	"Do you have my lunch?  Kasumi said you'd bring it."  She smiled,
the coup-de- grace on the act.
	Akane blinked, still not used to her fiancee's mannerisms.
"Uh...sure.  Here."  She handed her fiance the bento box.  Ukyou came
forward from her seat, and sat down beside them.
	"So...Ranma.  Why the new look?"  Ukyou stared at her with a mild
degree of skepticism.
	Ranma shrugged.  "Well...I got tired of being a tomboy."  She
looked down at her feet, humbly ashamed.  "I wanted people to notice
me..." 
	Akane coughed.  "Ranma?  I know you've probably told us your life
story plenty of times, but please...for us, could you tell us once more?" 
	The new woman perked up.  She'd been expecting this..."Well, I was
born in Tokyo, the only daughter of Genma and Nodoka Saotome.  When I was
five, Pop, who wanted me to carry on Anything-Goes School of Martial Arts,
took me from my home to train.  Mom made him promise to not raise me to be
a tomboy, to make sure I learned how to act like a girl when I wasn't in
the middle of training or exercises.  After Jusenkyo, we nearly got killed
because of that."
	"When did you first meet me?" Ukyou piped, hoping that the
memories could bring her out of it.
	"Well...we were both six.  Pop had me steal from your father's
okonomiyaki cart everyday.  We became friends, and sparred together.  Of
course, the funny thing was, you thought I was a guy, and I thought you
were!  Our parents, thinking the same thing, engaged us to each other,
causing that whole mess with the yatai."  She reached a hand over to
Ukyou's.  "I am sorry about that." 
	Ukyou cried bittersweet tears, and tried to smile.  "It's okay,
Ranchan. It's okay..."
	Ranma looked sad at her friend's tears, then continued, her voice
softer than before.  "Anyway, most of the rest you know...the
cat-fist...Jusenkyo..."
	"Tell us about Jusenkyo," Akane interjected. 
	The girl's face darkened.  "I...Pop always wanted a boy and he
made no effort to conceal his desires.  One day, we went to this 'training
ground'.  Some training ground.  Pop found the spring he wanted, then
shoved me in." Tears formed in her blue eyes, the traumatic 'memory'
within her changed in her mind's eye.  "I felt...I felt myself
grow...warp...I rose from the water, and found..." 
	"It's okay, Ranma."  Akane reached across the table, and gave
Ranma a comforting hug.  "I'm sorry I brought it up.  It's just
that...this change is so sudden."
	"Yeah.  It took me awhile for me to even be able to wear a dress
without wincing.  I'll never be able to get over some things, though." 
	"Some things?"  The pair looked at her curiously. 
	Ranma turned beet red from mock embarrassment.  "Didn't you know?
I...I like girls." 
	The two facefaulted.  The broad smile on Ranma's face was genuine,
such was her humor.
	"Don't worry, though.  I understand you two aren't interested in
me, so it's no big deal." 
	Akane and Ukyou looked at each other with a look of absolute
incredulity.  After a moment of trying to hold in their hilarity, the two
started giggling.  Ranma looked at them, blue eyes full of innocence. 
	"Uh...am I missing something?" 
	"Oh, nothing..."  The two smiled at each other secretively.  Ranma
looked wide- eyed at the pair.
	"What...you two DO like girls?  It would explain your clothing,
Ucchan..."
	"Er...we're undecided yet," Akane said diplomatically.  She
coughed once, and figured the truth was best, albeit in a skewed way.
"We...like both...sorta." 
	"Ah," Ranma whispered, desperately wishing she had a tape
recorder...or a Nabiki.  The group then turned their attention back to the
meal.
	Suddenly Ranma sat up, startled.  Her ears twitched slightly, and
she looked to the much-maligned outside wall.
	"Down!"  She ducked behind one of the desks, just before the wall
in question blew to pieces. 
	"NIHAO!"  Shampoo burst (literally) into the room, ramen in hand.
She looked around the room for her airen, initially finding no success.
"Airen?  Where airen?"  She gestured violently to the pair of fiancees at
a table.  "You.  Spatula Girl and Not- nice Girl.  Where Ranma?" 
	"I'm right here, Shampoo." 
	The entire room looked to the flaming redhead standing next to the
girls.  Ranma stood there in her school outfit, her eyes cold from anger,
slender fists clenched.  Her soft soprano dripped with fury. "Shampoo.  I
am sick and tired of your constant efforts to kill everyone around me.  I
am well aware of your feelings toward me, but you will never harm them
again.  Got that?" 
	Shampoo blinked.  Her airen...in girl form...in a
dress...willingly?  In her mind, there was only one explanation.  She put
the ramen down, and readied herself for combat. 
	"What pervert girls do to Ranma?  Why he girl?" 
	The growl from Ranma's throat sent her bristling with fear.  "I
am, and have always been, a girl.  While I am ashamed of my past efforts
to deceive you, I have told you the truth on a number of occasions.  Now
leave, before I get _really_ angry."
	Shampoo nodded sadly.  "I see.  Pervert girls use shampoo, make
you forget you boy, want girl for girl things.  No worry, Ranma.  Make
better, once kill them and use 119."  She leapt for the girls with the
savagery of a mountain cat.
	"NOOO!"  The howl of rage was like one they hadn't ever seen from
Ranma.  She leapt in front of Shampoo, and deflected her attack with ease. 
A moment later, the Amazon found herself at the receiving end of a
viciously fast Amaguriken, not quite as powerful but far more difficult to
block.  She flew back to the near wall, unconscious.  Ranma approached her
still form, and carried her to the table.  She then looked to her friends,
concern etched on her features.
	"Uh...Akane?  Could you take care of Shampoo?"  The girl looked
rather sheepish. 
	"Take care?" 
	Ranma pantomimed pouring water over her head.  "Cold water. 
Sorry, but her cursed form scares the heck out of me." 
	Akane smiled and went to get some water, while Ranma went to
examine the now-demolished wall.  Ukyou approached her friend carefully. 
	"Ranma?  Are you okay?"  She noticed the tears falling down her
face, smudging her makeup.
	"She can't keep on doing that," she muttered.  "She just can't. 
I'm afraid, Ucchan...afraid of what I might do to her.  I know about her
Amazon honor and all, but it's going to get her killed."
	Ukyou looked with worry at her friend.  The Ranma she remembered
would have hesitated to confront Shampoo directly, and would have pulled
his punches.  This girl did neither, and would probably have killed if the
battle continued.  True, she still held concern over a vanquished foe,
just like her Ranchan...but with her and Shampoo, it seemed the stakes
were higher...dangerously higher.  This was something that bore closer
scrutiny, before something happened they all would regret. 

***

	Ranma walked out in the open air, reveling in the feel of the wind
against her bare legs.  The plan was working almost too well: Her family
was hooked thanks to Kasumi, and Ukyou was hooked thanks to Akane.  She'd
have to do a bit more convincing job with Shampoo; however, chances are
one visit and one application of Formula 119 would convince them.  Also,
the fight between them was classic: by speeding up the Amaguriken, the
punches were softer than maximum, but faster overall, giving the
appearance of going all-out.  That - hitting a girl without holding back -
was something Ranma would never have done...before now.  She giggled
slightly at the ingenuity of the deception, then smiled at the sound.
	There once was a time that such a giggle would have her worried,
back when she actually cared about being 100% guy.  Now, though...she was
having too much fun.  This girl stuff - dressing up and looking pretty,
smiling and laughing all the time - it was almost like a costume party to
her.  Ranma could be someone else, live out a different person's life, all
without the recriminations of being branded a pervert.  She wondered how
long it would last before she went back...a week?  A month? 
	Forever? 
	The old guards around her mind chose that moment to fight, to urge
her to give up this charade and be a man again.  Memories flooded her, of
each fight she'd had to keep what was left of him, to not give in to what
she was now doing.  It took a moment (and a pleasant look downward) to
come back to herself, and continue on her way.  Ranma skipped away
lightly, reveling in the freedom, until she arrived at her destination -
and stopped.
	The room in front of her was forbidden ground, a place no man had
gone before - at least, not without an animal form or a horde of angry
women chasing after.  She steeled herself for the sights to come, and
purposefully opened the door.
	Her eyes widened - but only for a moment.  Dozens of women sat on
benches in various levels of undress, each of them stopped what they were
doing - and turned to her, staring at the newcomer.  After a second's
hesitation, she walked over to a private corner of the locker room, unable
to shake off the feel of twenty eyes boring down on her.  Ranma nervously
undressed, as though still in her guy-form, and put on the tight-fitting
gym outfit.
	"Hey, Ranchan."  Ukyou, another semi-outcast in the locker room,
sat down to join her friend.  "What's up?" 
	Ranma looked at the chef, and frowned.  "Why are all these girls
staring at me?  It's like they think I'm a boy or something."
	"Er...well..." Ukyou tried to come up with something to say. "It's
because of your curse.  It kinda freaks them out, you know?" 
	Ranma nodded, knowing the feelings all too well.  "Yeah, I
know...still, I am a girl, or at least I wanna be.  I never asked to be a
boy, you know." 
	"I know..." Ukyou stopped her preparations for a moment, and
thought about Ranma's words.  Something about them seemed odd to her, even
for this "new" Ranma.  It was almost as if...no.  Her Ranchan would never
do that...She had to know.
	"Ranma," Ukyou said, turning towards the shorter girl and grabbing
her by both arms so that she couldn't escape, "What did you mean by what
you just said?"
	Ranma, in the meantime, had looked up at Ukyou with some
anticipation, expecting the question to come.  That anticipation turned to
a somewhat muted disappointment, a schooled response to the situation. 
"What do you mean Ucchan?"
	Ukyou couldn't help but notice the quick changes in expression, a
sudden doubt running through her mind at what just happened.  Still, it
didn't hurt to find out, "You just said that you want to be a girl and
that you didn't ask to be a boy."
	Ranma turned her head down for a second, and then mumbled in a
barely audible voice.  "You know how my dad raised me, and how much he
wanted a boy.  For a time, I actually forgot that I was a girl, until
puberty that is.  By then dad had me dying my hair and bandaging my chest,
even enrolling me in an all boys school."
	She shrugged out of Ukyou's loosened grasp and turned away,
clutching her arms.  "Do you know what it's like to think that you're a
boy for a while?  To act and be one to everybody around you and never be
yourself?  I was caught up in my dad's lie for so long.  Too damn long." 
	She suddenly hit the locker in front of her, causing all the other
girls who had gone back to what they were doing to pause.  Everyone
strained their ears to the words that the redhead was saying, each word
causing them to reconsider their original thoughts about her.  "Dad really
wanted a boy, and by pushing me into that hot water spring, he got one. 
I've had to pretend that I was a boy for so long, I've actually forgotten
what it was like to be me.  To be a girl.  I finally had it this morning,
and decided my mom was right.  I am a girl, I am fairly pretty, and that I
should stop being such a tomboy."
	Ranma turned back to the taller girl, tears in her eyes, and
suddenly grabbed hold of her sobbing, "I didn't like pretending, and I
still don't.  I never wanted this damn curse, and I never wanted the
complications that go with it."
	Ukyou stood there in shock for a moment, and then put her arms
around her sobbing friend, stroking her head.  She _had_ forgotten what it
was like to be considered a boy, and the strain that it had put on her. 
Since coming to Furinkan, the problem was alleviated somewhat, but she was
used to the stares and whispers that surrounded her, surrounded all of
them really.  For the girl in front of her, who wanted to be "herself"
again, it was probably a lot worse.  *I'm sorry, Ranchan.  I forgot how
much pain living that sort of life could cause.*
	The other girls looked away, somewhat ashamed of themselves for
the thoughts that they had been thinking about Ranma.  It was obvious that
she was not the boy she used to be and thus not a hentai, a male trying to
use a curse to get a look at them.  She was now just a girl who seemed to
have been forced towards becoming something that she didn't want to be. 
Most of the women made a silent promise to themselves to treat Ranma as a
girl from now on. 

***

	Gymnastics had turned out to be a very pleasant surprise,
especially since after her slight 'emotional breakdown' in the locker
room, all the girls treated her as though she had always been a girl.  For
the first time in a long time, Ranma actually felt like she belonged.  She
was starting to make real friends in school without all of the usual
worries that making friends would cause.  They were actually talking _to_
her rather than about her.  A big improvement, in the redhead's opinion. 
	The locker room was also a big improvement as well. 
	When she had changed with the other boys in the school, Ranma
always had to be cautious, especially when taking a shower after class. 
There had been numerous attempts to splash her with cold water on many
occasions, sometimes succeeding.  There were a lot of males who thought
that her having a female form would be great.  At least from their point
of view.  Ranma had never really liked change rooms because of that.
	Everything was definitely looking up in a lot of unexpected little
ways as well.  The men were actually treating her with a respect that they
hadn't while she was a boy.  Instead of the silly and embarrassing
questions and assumptions about her sex life, they actually asked
questions about what she was like, and what she liked.  Before this change
the conversations Ranma had involved what sort of ability he had to get
girls to like him, or when his next fight would be.
	To be treated as someone normal was a pleasant change for the
former boy.
	As she left school with Akane, Ranma smiled at her friend.  It was
necessary to convince her that the blow to the head was the cause of her
change, but there had to be some way to get Akane out of the funk that she
was feeling because of it.  "Say Akane...Why don't we go shopping tonight
with Ucchan?  Mom should be back home by now, and you know how she likes
to take us to the malls.  Besides, with Konatsu- chan there, her
restaurant should do OK." 
	Akane turned and smiled a little.  While she was sorry about what
she had done to her fiancee, to the man she loved, she was also somewhat
glad to see the red head having so much fun.  In all the time Akane had
known Ranma, the redhead had always been serious, fun not really being
part of the equation.  "OK.  Let's wait for her and then go home together. 
Besides, there's a sale on, and we could pick up a couple of new blouses." 
	Unfortunately for the two of them, Kunou was standing at the gate,
looking for his two favourite people in the school.  He didn't know why,
but he had somehow missed both of them when they came into the school this
morning, his usual challenge going unmatched.  It was a change in his
routine that he did not like very much, and he was wondering what was
going on.  When he saw Akane standing in front of the door, he also saw
his 'pig-tailed girl' wearing a school uniform and sporting a new hair-do. 
*Oh, my lovely pig-tailed vision.  Although you have changed those
glorious scarlet locks, I know you did it for me.*
	He ran towards them, shouting, "Akane!  Pig-tailed girl!  I resign
myself to your loveliness, and I will date you!"
	Ranma spun, actually surprised for once.  She hadn't expected to
see Kunou for a while, and that he recognized her now was not good. 
Letting her anger show, Ranma was about to go after him and knock him out
when she noticed that Akane had reacted first.
	Remembering her promise to Kasumi, Akane had reacted instantly to
Kunou's attempt to get near them.  She darted forward, grabbed one of the
kendo practitioners' outstretched arms, and tossed him to the ground where
she proceeded to hit him in saveral vital areas.  Finally finished, and
sure that he would be down long enough not to do anything, she ran her
hands through her hair.  "Leave us alone Kunou.  Ranma and I want nothing
to do with you."
	Kunou started to get back up, "I know that you would marry that
excuse for a man, but I will not allow it.  Where is that cur Saotome?" 
	Ranma had walked up by this time, "I'm here Kunou-sempai, and I'll
tell you myself.  I, Ranma Saotome, do hereby declare that I am not, and
have never been, interested in you.  I am a lesbian you idiot, and if you
haven't figured it out by now, you never will!"
	Kunou's mind shut down for a moment, trying to understand what was
being said.  He knew that the girl before him, his scarlet haired beauty,
shared the same name as his hated enemy, but for her to declare that she
did not like him, but those of the same sex as her?  Ridiculous!  "Oh my
beauty, what horrors has that immoral, dishonourable Saotome done to you
that you would spur me and all men?  I will avenge myself against him for
you!"
	Ranma looked at the idiot before her, incredulous.  No matter what
had happened, no matter how many times he observed or saw, he never got
it.  It was useful at times, but it was time to put this at an end,
"Kunou, you idiot!  I am the male Ranma Saotome as well!  It's my cursed
form!  I LIKE GIRLS AND I AM SICK AND TIRED OF YOUR IDIOCY!"
	She then punted him into the sky... 

***

	Shampoo watched this from her perch on a tree just outside the
school.  She still couldn't believe that her airen was acting like a girl. 
Despite what had happened in the classroom, she was convinced that Ranma's
brain had been affected by a shampoo or a spice of some type.  Seeing the
violent girl and the spatula-wielding one acting so friendly was also
annoying.  Perhaps her great grandmother could help.  *Don't worry, Ranma. 
I will find a way to rescue you from these two violent girls who _think_
that they have a claim on you.  I will change you back to the man you
were!*

***


-- Attached file included as plaintext by Listar --
-- File: clothes4.txt


Clothes Make The... 

Chapter Four: 

A fan fiction based on Takahashi Rumiko's Manga series, Ranma 1/2

Saotome Ranma, Saotome Genma, Saotome Nodoka, Tendo Akane, Tendo Soun,
Tendo Kasumi, Tendo Nabiki, Kuonji Ukyou, Hibiki Ryouga, P-chan, Shampoo,
Mousse, Kunou Tatewaki, Kunou Kodachi, Tofu Ono Sensei, and Hinako
Ninomiya Sensei are copyright 1987, 1997 by Takahashi Rumiko. 

Publishing rights:

Japan:		Sogakukan Inc. Tokyo
Hong Kong:	Jademan (Holdings) Ltd.
North America:	Viz Inc.

By Nicholas Leifker and Ichinohei Hitomi

	Ukyou came out of the school, looking at the fuming Ranma and the
frustrated Akane.  Something was obviously wrong... Ranma seemed to be
sulking, her arms crossed in front of her.  "What happened?  Why are you
two in a bad mood?" 
	Akane answered as Ranma continued to mumble to herself.  "That
idiot Kunou came on to us again, and he also said he couldn't believe
Ranma when she told him she was a lesbian.  She told him straight out that
both of her forms were her, and then punted him away.  I should have been
faster." 
	Ranma had finally finished cursing under her breath and calmed
herself down.  "It's OK now.  Although he is crazy.  I do happen to have a
question about what he said however." 
	Akane looked at her, "What's bothering you about that?  He was
just spouting off his usual nonsense." 
	The redhead turned to look at Akane, a curious and interested look
on her face.  "He said that you wanted to marry me.  Is that true Akane? 
Do you really like me that much?" 
	Ukyou's eyebrows shot up. *Oh great!  We forgot about Kunou and
his big mouth, not that it could really be kept a secret from her for
long.  Masaka!  How are we going to get out of this one?*
	Akane looked distinctly uncomfortable as she answered, "Well, it
started back when your father told mine that a boy was coming here to get
engaged to either Nabiki, Kasumi, or me.  The family sort of agreed we'd
be engaged since I already told everyone that I didn't like boys." 
	Ranma shook her head, "I remember that Akane.  You were angry when
you found out about my male form.  We only became friends after I managed
to explain everything to you.  Tell me what he's talking about now,
however." 
	Ukyou came to Akane's rescue, although not in the way the short
black haired girl would have expected.  "Well, remember how we told you in
class we were undecided?" 
	Ranma looked over at Ukyou.  "Yeah?" 
	Ukyou continued, "Well, the reason we're undecided is that we both
like you sort of, but we're unsure about your feelings.  After all, none
of us have ever dated one another, and you do happen to have a male form." 
She laughed nervously, "Perhaps Akane and I should ask you to go on dates
with the two of us on alternating nights or weekends, just to see how it
is." 
	Ranma's eyes opened wide, excitement clearly showing on her face,
"You mean it?  The two of you will take me out on dates?" 
	To the absolute horror of the two girls, Ranma shouted "Yatta!"
and proceeded to give each of them a quick, exultant kiss.  The freed girl
ran down the street, giggling with delight. 

***

	Kunou was sitting in a tree, not too far away from the school. 
While Ranma's kick had lacked none of it's usual force, she had not been
paying attention to where she had been aiming.  His brain, already
overloading from information, was shorting out as he observed his scarlet
haired beauty, as she kissed both Akane and the boy Ukyou happily.  He
started to mutter, "Her name is Ranma Saotome...She doesn't like
boys...She loves Akane..." 
	Since his mind couldn't accept there being anyone else in the
center of his two loves universe, he came to the obvious conclusion. 
Well, obvious for him really.  "Saotome, you sorcerer!  What have you done
to so corrupt these youthful beauties into believing these lies about
themselves and me, the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High School.  I shall
avenge myself and them and force you to remove your foul spell!" 
	Unnoticed by him was a small white cat with a purple mane and
wearing hair elastics.  Shampoo had heard what Ranma had shouted.  She
also observed the kisses and the manner in which Ranma had conducted
herself afterwards, except she had reached a different conclusion from the
kendoist.  *So, violent tomboy and spatula girl have enchanted Ranma in
some manner so that he only thinks of them have they?  I will find out
what spell they used, and then I shall rescue my airen.  There is no way I
am going to let those two twist Ranma so that he doesn't love me!" 
	As Kunou raved, the cat leapt down from the tree and went home to
find some hot water and another suit of clothes. 

***

	When Ranma arrived home, she was greeted with enthusiasm by her
mother.  "Welcome home, dear.  Why don't you go get washed up and then
we'll make supper?" 
	Ranma smiled as her mother fussed over her.  She hadn't admitted
it to herself then, but she really enjoyed how mom had made a big deal out
of things when she had been 'Ranko.' To be able to spend time with her
mother as herself (and enjoy it) was so much better than worrying about
ending up committing seppuku.  "Mom?  I was wondering if we could go
shopping after supper with Akane and Ucchan.  Would that be OK?" 
	Nodoka smiled, glad to see her child was happy even if she had
lost the memory of who she had been.  Her son was still there, somewhere
within this young girl, but there was also someone there that she had
missed spending time with.  Whenever she had visited the Tendo household,
she had always felt close to Ranko, the somewhat uncontrollable tomboy who
was always so happy to see her.  Always wondering where Ranma was, Ranko
had come to seem like her own daughter, especially after she started to
think of both of them together in her mind.  Little did she know at the
time that the red-headed girl was her own child. 
	To have her daughter back again was something she had hoped and
wished for, but could not say out loud, not wanting to cause trouble for
her child.  "That would be lovely, Ranma-chan.  But go take your bath now,
and I'll lay out some clothes for you to wear." 
	Ranma rushed up and hugged her mother, very happy with how things
were going, and then went off for her bath. 
	Akane looked up at her aunt, afraid of what she might see or hear
in the older woman's voice for what she had done to her son.  Of all of
them, Nodoka had the most to lose since she hadn't seen her child in so
long.  There were still uncomfortable silences between mother and sont at
times, as they still had trouble getting a handle on their rather unique
relationship.  Despite how much she wanted to do so, there was no sense in
putting it off, however..."Are...are you all right, Auntie Saotome?"
	Nodoka smiled at the two of them.  "Yes Akane-chan.  What happened
this morning was karma, and not really anyone's fault."  Her smile
widened.  "You know, in a way I'm glad it happened.  It gives me some time
to spend with my daughter, and possibly a way to recover the closeness of
the relationship we lost when I discovered the truth." 
	She gestured at the table, "So how did things go at school today? 
Did my daughter meet any handsome young men?" 
	At that, Ukyou and Akane started to giggle, and then broke out
laughing as they started to explain everything that happened and what
Ranma said about who she liked. 

***

	Ranma smiled as she walked through the spacious mall, her heart
singing at the possibilities to come. Things had gone very well after her
bath, and her mother had shown her several makeup tricks to make herself
look better.  Her comments about Ranma finally becoming a young lady made
the redhead's heart leap for joy.  If there was one person that she wanted
help and approval from, especially with this 'forbidden' side of her
being, it was her mother. 
	She thought back to what was going on, and took a quick glance at
Akane and Ukyou, who were still staring at her in amazement. 
	After their baths, Akane had chosen a rather nice brown skirt and
white blouse combination while Ukyou had put back on her school uniform. 
It was Ranma's outfit that was the surprising part to them.  It also made
them a little sick at how sugary sweet it was. 
	Ranma and her mother, after some discussion, had brought out one
of her more feminine, wide-skirted dresses, a deep maroon outfit trimmed
in lace.  It was one of the nicer ones in Ranma's limited collection, but
extremely cute as well.  Her mother had helped in that image by giving her
some white stockings to wear with it, as well as a pair of black patent
flats.  The makeup they had applied had completed the transformation,
granting the young woman astounding beauty. 
	Ranma had eye shadow, blush, lipstick, and mascara on, and her
mother had also applied eyeliner and lip liner as well.  It was an amazing
effect, highlighting areas in such a way it made her school makeup pale in
comparison.  To say that she was now extremely feminine would be quite an
understatement. 
	The group strolled into one of the clothing stores, though all
eyes turned to the 'new woman' in the group.  Ranma looked around at the
store, her eyes glazed over as though she viewed heaven.  She took a deep
breath, allowing herself to calm down...but only a bit.  This had been
what she wanted, to live and be treated as a woman, and the representation
of things womanly was now spread out before her like a banquet.
	And, like anyone hungry, she went into the feast. 
	The two teenagers watching over the girl rolled their eyes, not
believing the spectacle before them.  Ranma bounced from rack to rack,
eyes dazzling at the sheer beauty of the garments before them.  She looked
at the collection of dresses, blouses, and other garments, eagerly picking
up several of them to see how they'd look on her, and trying on a few for
fit and look.  She was in heaven; for perhaps the first time in her life,
Ranma actually _felt_ like a woman, rather than a man or some person or
being in- between.  At that moment, she didn't give a damn about who she
was before, only who she was at the moment, and who she could be.  In a
strange way, it was terrifying, but exhilarating; she was losing himself,
but she didn't care.
	True to form, it couldn't last. 
   	Shampoo had managed to catch sight of them as they had boarded the bus
for the mall, becoming more concerned when Ranma's mother, who she knew
would hold him to the agreement of killing himself, was willingly going
along with how Ranma was acting.  For the matriarch of the Saotome family
to react in such a way told her that the two girls who were her
competition for Ranma, had gotten to the older woman as well.  The Amazon
waited until Ranma went back into one of the changing rooms, slipped in,
and attacked.
	Quickly shampooing Ranma's hair with Formula 119 and restyling
Ranma's pig-tail, she expected a rush of gratitude from her airen, as well
as disgust at what Ranma was wearing.  Much to the Amazon's surprise,
Ranma turned back to her, fire clear as sight in her eyes.
	Ranma had actually noticed Shampoo trailing along behind them
sometime earlier, and was expecting the attack.  Indeed, she had arranged
herself at this place for just such a purpose.  "Shampoo, can't you take a
hint?  I told you I don't like what you're doing, and I don't care if you
think I'm a man.  I am a woman, and despite liking other women I'm not
going to marry you!  Don't you dare try to brainwash me again!" 
	Turning to the full-length mirror, she put her hand to her hair.
The growl in her voice broadcast her frustrations, and let the warrior
know her offense.  "Do you know how long it took me to style my hair?  And
you ruined it in a few seconds with that shampoo of yours." 
	Turning back angrily, she said in a low, menacing voice that
brooked no contradictions, "If you ever try that again, it won't be me who
gets killed over your village honour...but you." 
	She then held Shampoo's chin and kissed her on the cheek. 
	Shampoo's eyes widened as she looked into the angry face and
recognized that kiss.  The same kiss that she had given Ranma so long ago
in her village.  The Kiss of Death.
	Shampoo sputtered, trying to come to grips with this new problem.
Whatever those two had done, they had made Ranma hate her so much...that
she was willing to kill.  This was clearly a problem she couldn't handle
alone.  The young Amazon needed the wisdom of other, wiser souls...She
cracked her knuckles, ready for the battle to come.  There was only one
way to handle this.
	"As wish, Ranma."  She readied herself in a fighting stance,
praying her bluff would work.  "If death you wish, death you get." 
	Much to Shampoo's surprise, Ranma charged in screaming, her
lightning-fast fists ready to deal damage.  She readied herself for the
block...
	Strong arms pinned her hands back, immobilizing her and keeping
her from defending herself.  At the same time, Akane rushed in, tackling
Ranma before anything else could happen.  Shampoo struggled against her
bonds, desperate to flay all of them alive, when a harsh, quiet whisper
echoed in her ears. 
	"Listen to me, Shampoo.  Ranma had a head injury this morning.  As
a result, he thinks he's a girl right now.  I dunno why, but he thinks
you're a mortal enemy, probably because of how outsider women are treated
by your tribe.  I know it hurts to see him this way...it hurts me too. 
But, right now, we don't have a choice.  Understand?"
	Trembling like a caged cat, her burning eyes locked on the prone
form of her airen, Shampoo nodded.
	"Now, I am going to release you.  Do you promise not to cause any
trouble?"
	Shampoo forced a smile.  She couldn't win here; not like this.
She'd be back, though..."Shampoo promise.  Shampoo leave for now." 
	The Amazon looked back to Ukyou, her captor.  "Spatula Girl...I
wonder.  If Shampoo be gentle-nice to girl-Ranma, can Shampoo visit?" 
	Ukyou's dark eyes burned her reply into her.  "That's up to Ranma.
Right now, she views you as an enemy; such an impression won't be easy to
overcome." 
	She nodded sadly, in an effort to make her own act convincing.  A
tear formed in her eyes.  "Understand.  Bie Liao, Spatula Girl."  Shampoo,
picked up her shampoo bottle, and walked to the exit.  Hibachan had to
hear of this...this was worse than bad.

***

	That night, the matriarch in question fumed over the day's events.
If what she'd heard was true (and she had no reason to doubt her
great-granddaughter), the quest to marry Ranma had taken a frightening -
and dangerous - turn.  Worse, if the stories of head trauma were to be
believed, Ranma was in far greater danger than any of them realized.  The
possibility of never recovering from it - that Ranma would forever think
of himself in that manner - was uncomfortably high.  She NEEDED to help
her son-in-law: the Amazon wisdom was far superior to the local medicine
in this respect, and she may be his only chance.  Unfortunately, her past
manipulations had not made her a welcome figure in the Tendo home.
	A knock at the door snapped her from her meditations.  A cloaked
figure strolled through the restaurant's entrance.  The dark eyes that
stared out from the cloak were soft, without malice...but searched the
surroundings instinctively, like a hunter.  With a gentle motion, the
figure reached a hand to the clasp, and let the garment fall to the floor.
	Cologne smiled.  An intellect almost worth dealing with...almost. 
She offered a hand in greeting.  "Hello, Tendo Nabiki.  What brings you to
our fine establishment?"
	The businesswoman locked eyes with her.  "I've come to ask you -
nicely - to stay away from Ranma, and to tell Shampoo to stop forcing
herself on her." 
	The crone decided to feign ignorance.  "And why should I do that?" 
	The tone of Nabiki's voice was flat, subdued.  "Because it might
get your precious Shampoo killed.  Ranma...isn't right in the head right
now.  He sustained a head injury this morning, and now thinks he's a girl. 
Also...he's tried to kill Shampoo, and probably will if they meet again." 
An eyebrow arched on the teenager's head.  "I believe she told you of
receiving the Kiss of Death?"
	Cologne nodded evenly.  "Yes, I am well aware of the events that
transpired earlier this evening.  Also, thanks to your testimony, I now
know what happened to cause Ranma's...change of heart.  However, I have no
intention of staying away from Ranma, if for no other reason than to
chastise him for the 'Kiss of Death' he gave my great-granddaughter." She
glared at the young woman, expecting the youngster's bluff to fail.
	To the young woman's credit, she smiled.  "I was afraid you'd say
that.  Therefore, you leave me no choice.  Your family is not to attempt
any harm to the Saotomes, the Tendos, the Kuonjis, or any other Japanese
citizen, under any circumstances."
	The old woman looked positively amused.  "And what do you plan to
do to stop me...or for that matter, leave this restaurant unharmed?" 
	Nabiki showed no fear from the threat; far from it.  "Really.  Do
you think I wouldn't have taken any precautions in this matter?"  She held
up a small radio.  "Right now I have a half-dozen people listening in on
this conversation.  If you do so much as touch me, or violate my order,
you learn, much to your horror, how your own laws taste."
	Cologne growled.  "Stop speaking nonsense, girl.  I am in charge
of Amazon law, and will always see to its swift enforcement.  There's no
way you could turn Amazon law against me."
	Nabiki grinned evilly.  "True...you are in charge of Amazon law.
But, what I am about to tell you is anything but nonsense.  You have tried
to impose your laws in a society and country to which they do not apply.
So...I decided to apply your laws to this place.  By those laws, _you_ and
Shampoo are the outsiders, not only to Nerima, which is in a way our
village, but to Japan.  Shall we see how those laws would apply in this
situation?"
	Cologne smiled in false confidence.  "How can the application of
our laws, which should have precedence in any matter, put us in the
wrong?"
	Nabiki continued to smile.  "To quote from your own book of laws,
'A woman of the village shall place a kiss of death upon one who threatens
death to those of the village.  A woman shall also consider any outsider
who attempts to take a husband from one of the village someone to be dealt
with by death if necessary.  For an outsider to use magical means to
change or influence a decision, or to threaten a person to decide
differently, is to be dealt with by death.  If these conditions persist,
despite persuasion to the contrary, then the village will declare war on
the offending person or group.'"
	"Since you are an outsider to this entire country, I have already
contacted certain people.  If any harm comes to anyone here, by your hand
or any of your village, then a state of war will be declared.  The Chinese
government will not defend you and will help as well, as the Ambassador
from China is not willing to go to war with Japan, and by extension the
United States, over you and your village."  Nabiki spoke with a chilling
calm, watching what little blood that remained in Cologne's face drain
away.  "By applying your laws, which is what you have always wanted, you
now stand on the brink of war in which the government of your own country
will help us with."
	Cologne looked at Nabiki, quite stunned at what this frail girl
had managed to do.  "If we do anything more against Ranma or any Japanese,
then the village will be scattered to the four winds."
	Nabiki growled, "Exactly.  You and your great-granddaughter have
caused enough trouble here.  If you cannot take a hint, then you invite
war.  Just think of what modern weapons will do to the village you worked
so hard to maintain.  Even martial arts cannot help against so many bombs,
bullets, and other weapons of destruction."  The woman showed a
conciliatory smile for the crone.  "Sorry to bother you at such a late
hour...but the situation required the urgency.  Good night, 'Matriarch'." 
	With that note, Nabiki turned and left the Nekohanten, leaving a
suddenly tired and frightened old woman behind.

***

	Ranma looked out at the stars of night, a strange sort of
melancholy entering her heart.  The day had been like a dream to her, a
nightmare turned good, with night's fears proven unfounded.  Now...it was
time for her to rest, to gather her strength for the coming day.
	"Ready to go to sleep, Ranma-chan?"  Kasumi looked quizzically at
her temporary roommate.  True to form, Ranma nodded eagerly. 
	The young housekeeper went over to her closet.  "Ranma-chan...I
have a small surprise for you."  She looked through the clothes,
eventually stopping at a long sheer nightgown of lace and silk.  She
pulled it out, and handed it to the young redhead.
	Ranma turned over the fabric in her hands, a strange mix of awe
and curiosity entering her features.  "Kasumi...I never quite pictured you
to have a nightgown like this..."
	For some reason, Kasumi's voice seemed to drop slightly, as though
the woman felt the time gone by.  "You can have it if you like.  I wore
stuff like this...in my younger days."  As if to punctuate her point, she
brought out her own conservative gown, and began to undress.
	The smile vanished from Ranma's face as she realized the
implications of Kasumi's statement.  "Younger days?  Kasumi, how old are
you?"
	"Twenty, you know that."  Kasumi grabbed her gown, and put it on. 
	Somehow, seeing this attractive, talented woman debase herself
like this flared... something within Ranma.  She grabbed the woman by the
shoulders, and looked her in the eye.
	"Kasumi, listen to me.  You are not old; you are a kind, noble,
intelligent, sweet soul, who's only just left her teenage years.  You've
got your whole life left in front of you."  The girl stammered, trying to
find the right words to say.  "Kasumi...last night you did something for
me that I can never repay...but I can try.  You have to learn to live for
yourself, not just for all of us.  It is time you started exploring a life
beyond these walls."
	Kasumi smiled, though with far less of the gentleness of before.
"Ranma- chan...I know you mean well...but no.  Besides, who'd want me?
Everyone sees Kasumi, the dependable housemaiden of the Tendo Dojo, not a
woman with wants and needs."
	A scarlet eyebrow arched on the young woman's face.  She put her
hands on her hips.  "Until last night, 'everyone' saw only a loudmouthed,
masculine martial artist named Ranma.  Last night...you taught me to live,
to explore who I am."  She stepped out of her dress, in order to punctuate
the change in her.  "Kasumi...Kasumi- oneechan...it is time you did the
same."
	The smile acquired a touch of humor.  "Oneechan, eh?  Well...you
are like a little sister...or brother...to me.  I wish I could, really I
do...but where would I start?"
	Ranma took off the rest of her clothes, and slipped into the sheer
gown.  "Fortunately, I do know the answer to that one.  You get in your
best dress, grab that hunk-of-a-doctor at the clinic, and take him out to
dinner.  Don't worry about supper tomorrow night; I'll cook, and try to
teach Akane while I'm at it."
	Kasumi looked at the woman in front of her, a strange mix of awe
and surprise on her features.  Here they needed to make no pretenses of
'personality dislocation' or other nonsense; this was probably the purest
essence of Ranma available.  The man/woman who had found her way to the
Dojo knew quite well what it was like to hide parts of herself, and the
resulting pain it could cause.  Now...she was using the wisdom that pain
had given her, to show her her own pain and how to fix it.  Unsure of what
else to do, Kasumi grabbed Ranma in a fierce hug.
	"O-okay.  I will, though I want you to help me choose the outfit,
alright?" 
	"Deal!"  The girl released the embrace, the smile broad on her
features.  "Now come on.  We both need our beauty sleep."  The two girls
turned off the lights and went to their respective beds, though the energy
still lingered in the air, keeping the ladies from slumber.
	"Ranma-chan?"  Kasumi stared at the ceiling, long-dead thoughts
swimming around in her head. 
	"Yes, Kasumi-oneechan?" 
	"I was wondering...how long do you plan to stay like this?" 
	The young lady sighed quietly.  "I dunno...I'd like to go at least
a month...for certain reasons." 
	"Certain reasons?" 
	"Do you remember the Phoenix pill mess, when I was stuck as a
girl?  How long was I stuck?" 
	Kasumi pondered this quietly.  "About a month and a...you mean..." 
	Ranma nodded.  "Yep.  Happened when I was stuck by the Chisuiton,
too."
	"Oh my..." Kasumi was dumbstruck.  For all of the time Ranma was a
boy, she never imagined her having a period...until now.  "Who did you
talk to?"
	Ranma shrugged.  "Who could I talk to?  I bought a pair of small
guy's briefs, looked on the box at the directions..."
	"That must have been frightening to go through all alone.  Mother
was already gone when I had my first, but I was at least expecting it."
	"That's an understatement.  I...it just cut my change in deeper.
Guys just don't have periods, you know?" 
	Kasumi bit her lip.  Something about those words..."Ranma-chan,
are you a boy or a girl?"
	The soft voice that responded was dulled by weariness.  "I'm not
100% man anymore...and it's been a long time since I was.  You can take
that statement any way you want."  She turned over on her futon.  "Good
night, Kasumi-oneechan."
	"Good night, Ranma...imooto." 
	Ranma started at this last statement.  Imooto...younger sister. 
Somehow, it felt...right, proper to her.  She closed her eyes and went to
sleep, her dreams quite different from what they had been.

***


-- Attached file included as plaintext by Listar --
-- File: clothes5.txt


Clothes Make The...

Chapter Five:

A fan fiction based on Takahashi Rumiko's Manga series, Ranma 1/2

Saotome Ranma, Saotome Genma, Saotome Nodoka, Tendo Akane, Tendo Soun,
Tendo Kasumi, Tendo Nabiki, Kuonji Ukyou, Hibiki Ryouga, P-chan, Shampoo,
Mousse, Kunou Tatewaki, Kunou Kodachi, Tofu Ono Sensei, and Hinako
Ninomiya Sensei are copyright 1987, 1997 by Takahashi Rumiko. 

Publishing rights:

Japan:		Sogakukan Inc. Tokyo
Hong Kong:	Jademan (Holdings) Ltd.
North America:	Viz Inc.

By Nicholas Leifker and Ichinohei Hitomi

	It was over.  It was all over. 
	Ranma knelt proudly in the courtyard, white robe of honour about
his strong, muscular frame.  His father was right beside him, eyes welling
with tears at their dark fate.  The Tendos gathered around them, sad yet
strangely silent, as though frozen in time.  He looked up at the sun, then
down at the gleaming blade in his hands. 
	The time had come for them to die. 
	Nodoka spoke behind them, her voice dark with anger.  "Are you two
ready to restore your family's honour?" 
	"Hai."  Ranma spoke emotionlessly; even the slightest allowance
for such things would produce a truly unmasculine scene.  He picked up the
tanto, and held it to his stomach.  Genma, beyond words, did the same. 
	"I declare that we, the members of the clan Saotome, have not
followed through on our desired promise, that I be raised to be a 'man
among men'.  As such, there is only one recourse left to us.  May our
blood wash away the crimes we have committed."  With that, he plunged the
blade into his stomach. 
	The pain he felt as he worked the blade around, assuring the
damage far beyond the repair of science, was strangely less than he
expected.  It felt...cool, almost comforting in a way, as the cuts went
deeper into his flesh and into his soul.  He closed his eyes as the gentle
swish of the katana was heard, then involuntarily winced as the sound came
again, closer this time... 
	Ranma opened her eyes. 
	Her mother stood there, slowly wiping away the blood from her
katana.  The Tendos still seemed statues to her, but this time they looked
happy, joyous.  Nearby, a panda was contentedly playing away with a spare
tire. 
	Nodoka walked over and grabbed Ranma's hand, to help the young
woman to her feet.  Ranma stood, then noticed her clothes had changed,
into a black silk blouse and checkered skirt. 
	"I...I'm alive..." She experimentally felt her stomach, the place
she had so maligned earlier.  It felt like there was something missing...
but she couldn't quite place what.  For some reason, things felt
more...wholesome, more alive to her.  She looked over at her mother, a
quizzical expression on her face. 
	Nodoka smiled, and hugged her child close.  "You are not a 'man
among men', Ranma, nor will you ever be, now.  Come.  It is time to make
you a 'woman among women'." 
	Ranma danced into the house behind her mother, a strange feeling
of happiness filling her.  For the first time in her life, she was a
goddess, a woman of divine beauty capable of stunning the most jaded of
beings.  Her thoughts drifted to the joys to come, lessons of cooking, of
domestic work and flower arranging, of fashion and clothes shopping... 
	The morning light hit Ranma's face, arousing her from her slumber. 
She woke up slowly, not really wanting to leave behind the dream she had
the night before, a dream where she was given the life she wanted to know
so badly.  It was so unfair!  Her dreams were the only place where she
could truly be herself, and actually know what it was like to be a woman,
rather than some sex-changing hentai. It would be nice if she was able to
go to school as a girl, and to be one around her mother without seeing her
expression of distaste.  Ranma started to turn over onto her back when she
noticed her current gender...and her clothing. 
	Hoping beyond reason that her dreams were true, she opened her
eyes slowly, and noticed that she was in Kasumi's room, right where she
went to sleep the night before. The sheer nightgown Kasumi had lent her
was still on her body, and showed her figure off quite well.  Even though
her elder sister had said the gown was hers to keep, Ranma didn't feel
right about that, and was DEFINITELY going to help her get her man.
Giggling a bit at the strange turn her thoughts had been taking of late,
Ranma sighed happily, got up, and went to the toiletry in order to wash
up.  Akane was there when she arrived, also busy washing. 
	"Ohayo, Akane-chan!"  Ranma said cheerily, "How are you this
morning?" 
	For a moment, Akane turned, slightly angry that Ranma would walk
in on her like this.  She then saw what the red-headed girl was wearing
and calmed down, remembering the day before and what Ranma now remembered
about her life.  "Ohayo, Ranma.  I'm doing pretty good so far.  How about
you?" 
	Ranma grabbed her toothbrush.  "Fairly well.  I was able to sleep
quietly for the first time in a long time."  She giggled, "I think I'd
better hurry, though, since I overslept a bit.  Father will want to
practice, and I don't think I should disappoint him." 
	Akane smiled at that.  Despite the change in attitude that Ranma
had displayed, one thing certainly seemed constant, and that was the fact
that she enjoyed the martial arts.  "Well, I don't think it will hurt you
to miss one day of practice." 
	Ranma's eyes opened wide, "Are you serious, Akane?  Of course it
will hurt!" 
	Akane looked over at Ranma for a second as she was about to start
brushing.  "What do you mean?" 
	Ranma turned and looked at Akane like it was the most obvious
thing in the world.  Seeing that the dark-haired girl didn't know what she
was talking about, she rolled her eyes and said, "If I don't get in the
exercise, do you know how fat I'll get?  I've got to watch my weight if
I'm going to keep being the school's cheer leader, not to mention that I
still want to look good in the leotard.  The rematch with St.  Hebrereke's
is coming up in a couple of weeks, and I am NOT going to look like a blimp
with that...Kodachi there." 
	To say Akane was a little bit flabbergasted at those words would
have been something of an understatement.  However, having gotten somewhat
used to the surprising things that Ranma had been saying lately, she
didn't facefault, but closed her eyes.  It took very little imagination to
see a huge sweatdrop slowly dropping down the back of her head... 

***

	Ranma rushed downstairs soon afterwards, wearing one of the
Chinese martial arts outfits that she usually wore.  There was a slight
difference in how she wore it today, however.   For once, the young woman
wore it with the blouse tucked in, and it was also obvious from how 
tightly it was pulled that she was wearing a bra.  Going out to the back
yard, she started to warm up a bit, slowing down her kata just enough so
that she was doing it with a smoother line and grace.  Her face, which was
usually so serious when practicing any form of the arts, was showing a
bright and cheery smile as she went through each of the steps. 
	Soon, Genma appeared and went through his morning warm up,
observing as he did the new grace that had gone into his son's form. 
While not as powerfully done as his son's usual form, there was an
undeniable power to the movements.  There was more, however, to the way it
was performed, and it gave Genma pause to consider what was happening,
and if it was actually good for his child. 
	When he had been bringing up Ranma, he had concentrated on making
him as masculine as possible and removing every possible female influence
from his life.  His first move had been to remove him from his mother's
influence, and then to make sure that there was little, if any, contact
with any females if at all possible.  This had been one of the reasons
that he had made sure that Ukyou remained behind.  Taking a little girl
along on a trip like he had planned, especially one who would make sure
that his son was pampered in the extreme, would not be a good idea. 
	While Genma did enjoy food, and the girl was an excellent cook, if
Ranma had grown used to having a large amount of food all the time, his
body would burn energy very inefficiently.  The best martial artists
needed very little to eat because their bodies were always burning
whatever was taken in at a ratio of two to one instead of twelve to one. 
Furthermore, the food energy in rice, which was mostly sugar, was extremely
high for a person who could metabolize it right, and the only way to do
that was on a near starvation diet, something he himself did not have the
advantage of early enough in life. 
	But was it really the right decision in the long run? 
	His son had gained in knowledge of the martial arts, and was
extremely macho and manly, but there were a lot of things that he could
have done better, things that Nodoka would have developed better had she
been there. One of the things that Genma was unable to do was give the boy
proper emotional and social support, his own experience being stunted due
to the amount of time he had spent with his own master, Happousai.  If
Ranma had learned a few social graces, and had also learned that women
were more than the extreme stereotypes that were in books and texts, then
perhaps the engagement and planned marriage between Akane and Ranma could
have gone a lot better. 
	But now, the possibility loomed over him that he had lost the son
that he had worked so hard to create, the son that he had put so much of
his hopes, efforts, and dreams into.  The young woman who was practicing
an intricate kata of the Musabetsu Kakutou Ryu was happy, something that 
his son ceased to be a long time ago.  As his daughter, Ranma was now 
more content, more in harmony with her environment, and simply radiated 
happiness and peace.  His son, on the other hand, had had such feelings 
burned from him long ago, all in the name of martial arts.  He doubted 
that there had ever been this feeling in his child since before training 
him in the Cat Fist technique. 
	Sighing, Genma stood upright, "Are you ready, Ranma-chan?" 
	Giggling slightly as she went over to the opposite side of the
pond, Ranma shouted, "Ready whenever you are father.  I plan on putting
you into the pond again." 
	Genma grinned.  "You can try, little one, but I don't plan on being
a panda for breakfast." 
	Laughing a bit, Ranma began the attack. 

***

	Nodoka smiled gently as she watched her daughter having fun.  It
was a far cry from the serious, dour, and confused boy that she had come
to know in the past two months.  Seeing how much her child was enjoying
herself, she couldn't help but wonder if it would be wiser to just let her
remain as she was.  Ranma's happiness was foremost in her mind, and she
didn't want to see that happiness disappear with a return to her old self. 
Ranma carried around so much confusion and frustration in his life before
the accident, especially concerning the mess surrounding his fiancees. 
	Ranma loved Akane, that was well known, but he didn't like to hurt
anyone's feelings, which is partially what led to the wedding fiasco.  If
her child was happier as a young woman, then so be it.  According to what
both of her child's legitimate fiancees had told her, Ranma had decided
that she was a lesbian.  This being the case, no ties of honour were
broken between people, and both children still loved and supported Ranma. 
	Frowning, Nodoka thought about everything that had been attempted
to prove how manly Ranma was.  While it was true that Ranma had exhibited
an uncommonly huge amount of masculine pride, what had impressed her about
Ranma was the amount of honour the child had.  He was kind, compassionate,
willing to be hurt physically and emotionally before others would be, and 
always placed others' happiness before his own.  In truth, it was these 
qualities that made a person a good citizen and a member of the community 
that were of more importance to her than any 'masculine' facade put on 
for the benefit of others. 
	Nodoka came to a decision that was silent, and yet profound.  Her
child, her daughter, would be as happy as she could possibly make her, and
she would also give Ranma some of the childhood that she had missed in the
travels with her father.  *I am going to have to do a lot for Ranma.  The
poor dear didn't realize that she was acting like a seventeen year old and
a twelve year old at the same time.  While I find it nice that she wants
such feminine fashions, it is also time that she learn to be a young woman,
and that means I have to do some shopping today.*
	Nodoka smiled once more as she observed Ranma flip over and dunk
her husband into the fish pond. 

***

	Ranma was ready for anything as she and Akane headed for school. 
Breakfast had gone very well, and her mother was more than willing to help
her dress for school and do her make-up.  It was surprising the amount of
information her mother had imparted to her in less than a half hour,
including some hints at appropriate responses to men asking her out.  *I
guess Mom is really happy, and I'm glad about that, but I wonder what it
means now.  Is she willing to accept me as a woman?  Kasumi asked me if I
was a girl or a boy last night.  I feel like a woman; at least, I think I
feel like one.  But how can I be sure?*
	She looked over to Akane, who had been walking beside her, a
little lost in thought.  The look on her face told her that she was still
hurting, still in shock over 'losing' her fiancee in this manner.  In a
way, Ranma wished she could tell Akane, or at least try to explain the
reasons, but she couldn't do that.  Everyone save Kasumi and Ucchan had
wanted her to deny and suppress this side of her at first, once they found
out about the curse.  Moreover, the one who had urged her to suppress it
more than anyone else was the one woman she loved: Akane. 
	*Akane, I'm sorry I'm doing this to you, but I have to.  I really
need to know who I am, and then if anyone can really accept me. 
Especially you.* The red head's thoughts drifted along as they walked down
the street.  *If you can't accept me for who I might really be, then who
will?*
	"Akane?  What's wrong, you've been pretty quiet today." 
	Akane looked up at Ranma and realized that she had been very
quiet, something that was unusual for her.  "I'm worried about school
today, Ranma. You might have told Kunou the fact that you don't like him,
and that you're a lesbian, but I don't think that will stop him." 
	Ranma frowned.  "Why not?  It's about time he figured it out." 
	Akane rolled her eyes.  It was as if Ranma had forgotten a lot
about how people reacted, although it was more likely that her brain had
rewritten what it knew to a more acceptable form.  "Kunou happens to be
the densest, most unimaginative, most foolish person in our school. 
You've changed in his arms, you've told him that you don't like him, and
you've shown him physically, and he still hasn't got it yet.  Do you
really think that what you said is all that it will take?" 
	Ranma nodded thoughtfully.  "No.  I imagine he'll still be pining
away for me while at the same time cursing 'that cur Saotome'.  Don't
worry, Akane.  Mom showed me something this morning that might help.  Just
let me do all the talking, okay?"  She giggled once, and started to jog
down the street.  "Race you to the school!" 
	Akane sighed, and started to catch up to her changed fiancee.  She
had a feeling today was going to be very interesting... 

***

	Nabiki was worried. 
	It was unusual for her to worry this much about anything, but in
this case she had good reason to be. 
	Ranma, who had suffered a blow to the head, now considered herself
a woman.  A woman who had no qualms about violence against women, which
made sense since she considered herself a woman.  But the actions Ranma
was taking was disturbing, not only because she was now willing to kill,
as evidenced by the kiss she gave Shampoo, but also because she might have
blown a money-making enterprise that Nabiki had going for just over a year
now. 
	To Nabiki, money equaled survival, and to have a potential source
of income possibly cut off was tantamount to betrayal.  She had to check
with Kunou to see if this income source had dried up, and if it hadn't to
see how she could maximize profits before it did.  That was when Nabiki
remembered another problem.  Namely Kodachi. 
	While Kodachi was as crazy, if not crazier, than her brother
Tatewaki, she had a clearer, more brilliant mind.  She had obsessions,
such as playing with poison, rhythmic gymnastics, and a few other things,
but Kodachi was also the person who was most likely to accept Ranma's
changing form once she was told about it.  The reason it had not been
important before is that the young woman would probably have tried
something more than manipulation, kidnapping, and simple paralysis.
	If she realized that Ranma and Ranma-chan were one and the same
person... 
	"By the Seven Deities!"  Nabiki muttered, stunned at the thoughts
of violence that could result, "Ranma's never been fond of Kodachi, but in
her current state of mind, she'll murder the girl!" 
	She rushed towards the school, very anxious to find out what Kunou
had informed his sister. 

***

	Kunou Tatewaki waited outside the school grounds much as he always
did, though he seemed a little more...nervous now.  The pigtailed one, the
slave to Saotome's clutches, had been warped, twisted into a mere parody
of womanhood.  He had used her mind like a plaything, and shifted the
objects of her affection to those other fair members of her own sex,
rather than the noble men who graced the halls of Furinkan. 
	Thus, as a noble samurai, honor bound to defend Nihon from such
sorcerous ways, it was his job to undo the foul magic he had wrought. 
	His patience was soon rewarded by the sounds of gentle laughter.
Akane and the pigtailed goddess casually talked on their way to school,
their minds on the studies to be done that day.  The conversation seemed
so pure, so innocent...the pigtailed one was going shopping that night,
apparently to purchase new wares to further beautify her frame...all to
appease him. 
	He stepped out of the shadows, and presented himself. 
	"Pigtailed Girl."  The words were said evenly, without anger or
malice, though his heart burned with both hatred and love.  "Tell me where
Saotome lies."  He expected insane cries from the two, as they usually
wailed when the sorcerer's name was mentioned. 
	Akane opened her mouth to speak, but the pigtailed one put a hand
on her shoulder, silencing her protests with a touch.  She smiled, then
turned back to him. 
	"Kunou-sempai, could we go somewhere alone to talk?"  She looked
up at him, and batted her eyes. 
	The nobleman could barely speak.  The pigtailed girl...wished to
speak to him...alone?  Could this mean the spell that knave held over her
was finally broken?  She led him to a storage shed, where she invited him
to sit down.  He did so, then watched in fascination as she sat down
demurely, brushing her skirt lightly to put it in place.  She grabbed his
hand, and looked deep into his eyes. 
	"Kunou-sempai....I know you hold a great love for me, one that
knows no bounds.  But...I am forever cursed.  I'm sorry...but I cannot
love you, no matter how hard I try." 
	Kunou's eyes flared with rage.  To see this flower of womanhood
withering on the vine like this was too much for his gentle heart to bear.
"Please, Pigtailed Girl...let me help.  I can rid you of this demon." 
	The redhead only shook her head sadly.  "No, Kunou-sempai.  I...a
long time ago, I traveled to a faraway land, where I was horribly cursed.
When I am splashed with hot water...I change into a man, both in body and
in thought.  This man...you know of as Ranma Saotome.  It is my name, and
it is one I am proud of, but when I am so changed I act so differently.
Even now it holds my mind at bay, forbidding me to love another man." 
	Kunou stood there, sputtering.  His pigtailed love... forced to
change into a man?  The thought was too incredible for his mind to absorb.
"No, pigtailed one!  You are the very flower of womanhood, one whose mind
has been enslaved!  He is the one who forces you to say these lies!
Please, Pigtai-" 
	Ranma placed a gentle finger to his lips.  "But...even if I cannot
love you, I am willing to be friends.  Can't we just be friends,
Kunou-sempai?" 
	This last statement caused him to pause.  His love could not love
him back...but she was willing to share his friendship.  Such a strange
paradox, as love so often blooms from the innocence of friendship... 
	"I...I would like that, Pigtailed Girl." 
	The pigtailed one moved her hand downward, and smoothed out her
skirt.  "Please, Kunou-sempai.  Call me Ranma.  It is my name, after all."
She stood up, and began to leave the storage shed.  "Come on, Kunou. We'll
be late for class if we don't hurry." 
	He looked up.  She truly was a beauty...it would take time to grow
accustomed to her friendship.  Still, he could be patient now. She was his
now, an ally in the wars of life.  "As you wish...Ranma." 

***

	A trio of women sat down in a secluded corner of the locker room,
grateful for the freedom that came with physical education.  They looked
to each other, and gave a smile of friendship, of belonging to each other.
The newest member of the group closed her eyes, anticipating the question
to come. 
	"Ranma, what did you do to Kunou this morning?  He's been acting
stranger than usual today.  Apparently he's been running around muttering
words about 'friendship' and how he has an 'ally' in 'the goddess Ranma'."
Akane slipped out of her dress, and hung it up on the hangar. 
	Ukyou smiled, and took off her jacket.  "What...you didn't punt
him into the stratosphere today?" 
	Ranma just sat there for a moment.  She had a better view of
locker rooms thanks to her "change", and she liked the ability to relax in
there.  "Well, Mom gave me a bit of advice on how to deal with guys who
ask me out.  I decided to give it a try." 
	The two women looked at her skeptically.  Words between men and
women were a delicate affair, and not one to be taken lightly.  Plus, if
the feminine Ranma was as clueless about relationships as the masculine
one, this could lead to some serious trouble. 
	"Ranma, what did you tell him this morning?" 
	She stood up, and took off her skirt.  "Well...I told him about my
curse and how it works, then asked him if we could be friends." 
	Ukyou started hitting her head against the locker.  Akane just put
her face in her hands.  She took the redhead aside and spoke slowly, not
wishing to let her exasperation show. 
	"Ranma...that line will usually work for most guys.  Kunou is the
exception.  He will think that you really do care for him, that you're
willing to be closer to him.  In other words, things have probably gotten
much, much worse." 
	Ranma merely smiled, and started to take off her blouse.  "Akane,
trust me on this one, okay? If he considers me a friend, then that means
there are certain things he can't do, not without offending 'a friend'.
Not only that, but I can let him know that in no uncertain terms.  In
other words, if he tries what you say...rejection will feel worse than a
punch into the stratosphere for him."  She arched an eyebrow, and put her
school suit on the hangar. "Ne, Akane?"
	Akane sighed.  Nothing could be done about it now..."I guess.  I
just hope you're right on this one." 
	Ranma winked at her.  "Trust me, Akane.  Trust me." 

***

	Lunchtime couldn't come too soon for Nabiki.  She had watched with
professional interest as Kunou ran into class just in time, then muttered
words such as "friendship" and "Ranma" in the same sentence, something she
had thought impossible.  What had Ranma done to him, to make him act worse
than he usually did?  Also, there was the threat of a Kodachi
confrontation to deal with, one that needed to be taken care of as soon as
possible. She approached his desk, where the nobleman munched away on his
bento. 
	"Hey, Kunou-chan.  I was wondering..." 
	The look the kendoist gave her could melt through steel.  "Tendo
Nabiki.  Tell me everything you know of the pigtailed goddess who goes by
the name of Ranma."  He pulled out a roll of yen, and sat it on his desk.
"I will pay whatever fee you ask." 
	Nabiki blinked.  Kunou was normally desperate for news of his
'pigtailed goddess'.  Now, though...his interest was going beyond even her
expectations.  She picked up the money and weighed it in her hand, slowly,
carefully.  The money in her hand could have paid for a roll of film's
worth of lingerie shots of... 
	"Nabiki?  Do we have a deal?" 
	Kunou's voice snapped her from her thoughts.  She pulled out 5
thousand-yen bills, then handed the roll back to him.  "Kunou, I'll charge
only 5000 yen, if you agree to tell me everything Kodachi knows of
yesterday's events." 
	Kunou looked at her quizzically.  "Why do you wish to know such
information?" 
	Nabiki looked him squarely in the eye.  What was needed in this
case was a delicate blend of truth and falsehood.  "If your sister were to
find out what Ranma said yesterday, she may seek her revenge.  Ranma has
been particularly angry at other women of late who sought to take
advantage of her masculine form, and would probably show no mercy to her
if they fought." 
	Kunou nodded sadly, understanding.  "So...she is cursed to become
that demon Saotome.  Tell me, Nabiki...tell me of her life." 
	The young woman looked deep in thought for a moment, as she
struggled to remember what her sister had told her.  "Ranma was the only
child of a great martial-arts family, and, as such, was the only heir. Her
father, however, wanted a son, and raised her as though she was a boy.
Eventually, he discovered a way to change her into a man for real, rather
than just disguising her as one.  He took her there...and she found
herself...changed."  She sniffed for a moment, telling the 'very tragic'
story with well-acted emotion.  "Now...hot water will unleash the man you
hate, while cold water will restore the woman you love." 
	"So...if I splash the sorcerer with cold water, he will change
into the pigtailed girl, and when splashed with hot water, the demon will
return."  The words were said as a statement, not a question. 
	Nabiki simply nodded.  Kunou looked up at her with sad eyes, as
the tears threatened to come. "The pigtail...Ranma told me she could not
love me, that the demon had enslaved her heart to women.  She was willing,
though...to be my friend.  She...Nabiki, is there any way to undo the
curse?" 
	Nabiki shook her head.  "A number of cures had been tried, all
without success."  She looked back at the yen in her hands.  "Now, Kunou.
What does Kodachi know?" 
	For once, Kunou looked genuinely frightened by something.  "I
think...I fear...she watched the events of the previous day.  She was up
giggling all night, and ranting about how she was going to 'free' her
Ranma-sama, now that the...now that the girl had admitted her preference
for other women.  However, do not worry, fair Nabiki.  No harm will come
to the goddess, not while I live.  I have sworn to her friendship, and I
will defend that friendship to the death, if need be." 
	Nabiki merely locked eyes with the kendoist, the ferocity of her
gaze broadcasting her desperation.  "Kunou-chan, if I'm right, it isn't
Ranma you're going to have to worry about...but your sister." 

***

	Akane was worried.  For once, she had a right to be. 
	Ranma walked a few steps ahead of Ukyou and her, her attention
apparently more on her surroundings than her friends.  Her steps were
smaller, at a slightly faster pace than usual, with her hips moving just
enough to get a man's attention without being obvious about it.  It was a
far cry from the long, powerful strides she had used before the accident,
or the kawaii flitter she had used the previous day.  It was the walk of
an ordinary, average teenaged girl...and it frightened her. 
	The scary part about it was how much of this she had wanted and
wished for for so long.  The woman in front of her rarely insulted her;
indeed, the only times she had ever said a cross word to her was
immediately after the accident and during the last Shampoo fight.  She
could actually talk to Ranma now, and tell her what she felt and dreamed
while at the same time listen to Ranma's hopes and dreams.  Most
importantly, this Ranma treated her as an equal while still having
feelings for her.  This Ranma wouldn't pull her punches in training, or
treat her like a prize to be fought over. 
	About the only things missing were his strong arms to hold her
close, and a muscular chest on which to rest her head. 
	That was what frightened her.  Truth to tell, she had come to love
Ranma. But...could she _love_ this Ranma, a woman in every sense of the
term but hot water?  She'd had to put up with the rumours for so long when
the horde of men were vying for her affection, slanderous whispers that
her preferences didn't run to the masculine persuasion.  They had stung
then, and hurt her to the core.  Could she live with that...for the rest
of her life? 
	Ranma seemed to sense the eyes on her.  She spun around to face
the pair.  "What are you two doing?" 
	Ukyou held up her hands defensively.  Apparently, she had been
thinking along the same lines.  "Oh, nothing.  Isn't that right, Akane?"
She gave her a gentle nudge. 
	Akane sighed.  They couldn't get around it anymore.  "Well...not
quite.  Ranma, we decided.  How about if I take you out on a date this
Friday, and Ucchan take you out this Saturday?  Does that sound good?" 
	The effect on the young woman was simply poetic.  Ranma's blue
eyes sparkled in the afternoon sun, the glow in them reflecting her heart.
Strangely enough, she didn't smile, choosing instead to stare back at them
with anticipation.  "Do...do you mean it, Akane?  You really want to go
out with me this Friday?" 
	Akane smiled, to mask her fear within.  "We'll go Dutch.  Is that
okay?" 
	"Sounds good to me!"  The changed woman grabbed Akane's hand, a
madwoman's grin on her face.  "Come on, you two.  We've got some work to
do." 

***


-- Attached file included as plaintext by Listar --
-- File: clothes6.txt


Hitomi: If you're within the sound of my electronic voice, tell a certain
writer what he can do with himself and come back.  We need good people
like you.  

Clothes Make The...

Chapter Six:

A fan fiction based on Takahashi Rumiko's Manga series, Ranma 1/2

Saotome Ranma, Saotome Genma, Saotome Nodoka, Tendo Akane, Tendo Soun,
Tendo Kasumi, Tendo Nabiki, Kuonji Ukyou, Hibiki Ryouga, P-chan, Shampoo,
Mousse, Kunou Tatewaki, Kunou Kodachi, Tofu Ono Sensei, and Hinako
Ninomiya Sensei are copyright 1987, 1997 by Takahashi Rumiko. 

Publishing rights:

Japan:		Sogakukan Inc. Tokyo
Hong Kong:	Jademan (Holdings) Ltd.
North America:	Viz Inc.

By Nicholas Leifker

Brief summary of what's gone before: Ranma, after discussing his feelings
with Kasumi, faked a head injury and now has everyone thinking that she
thinks she's a girl.  The others around her, notably Akane, Nodoka, and
Ukyou, are trying to adjust.  Shampoo and Cologne have been scared away be
Nabiki, to keep Ranma (who now apparently has no presumptions about
hitting girls) from killing Shampoo.  

The show must go on...

*********************************************************************

        "Oh no..."
        Kasumi frowned into the mirror, her critical eye finding little to
be proud of.  She so wanted to look good for tonight; unfortunately, it 
seemed (to her own eyes, anyway) that such a task was a hopeless one.  The
first dress she tried on, a red mini from her high-school days, looked
almost childish on her, and showed off too much of her leg in a way she
didn't want.  The next one was of a flattering, though modest cut... but
the forest green color was so wrong on her.  This most recent one, a nice
pink outfit, just made her recoil in horror.  The calf-length dress,
adorned with frills at the edges, made her look so much like the homemaker
she had become that she just buried her face in her hands.  "Maybe I
should just give up.  There's no way Tofu-sensei will be attracted to me."  
        The comment only generated fits of giggles from her sisters, both
those in blood and in spirit.  She turned around, and glared at the trio.
        "I'm serious here!  What am I going to do?"
        "No offense, Kasumi-oneechan, but you could go to Tofu-sensei in a
clown suit and still turn him on!" Ranma managed through her laughter.
Kasumi only gestured to the outfit she wore.
        "What... do you mean like this one?"
        Ranma coughed, trying to contain herself.  As a boy, she'd felt so
insecure about her manhood, to the point that she decided to give up on it
for awhile.  Now, though... she was learning, through her "experiment",
that women felt much the same way about their beauty.  For many women out
there (including the ones she currenly called sisters), a woman's
appearance was an outward expression of who she was inside, just as a
man's demeanor was an expression of who he was inside.  She walked over to
Kasumi, and put a hand on her shoulder.  "Kasumi, I know right now you're
panicked about what you're going to wear, but don't worry.  No matter what
outfit you choose, you'll do fine."  She looked Kasumi up and down, a
mischievous glint in her eye.  "In fact... I think I may now the perfect
outfit for you."   
        Kasumi raised an eyebrow.  "Oh, really?  And what outfit is that?"
        "Oh... a nice, conservative outfit that would be just perfect on
you!  Nabiki, may I have permission to raid your closet?"  
        The businesswoman nodded, though a trace of worry entered her
voice.  "Of course.  What outfit were you thinking of?"
        "Remember that evening gown you wore when you went to meet
Kinnosuke?"
        Nabiki's eyes glistened.  "Oh, yeah... that'd be perfect for her!"
        A few moments later, Kasumi just stood there, mouth agape at the
sight in the mirror.  The beaded golden-yellow dress reached down below
her knees, but hugged her curves closely.  With the open, scooped back,
the sparkling sequins, and the over-the-top feather boa that was worn
along with it, the outfit screamed of opulence.  She turned back to her
sisters, her look a mixture of amazement and excitement.  
        "Are you sure I should wear something like this?  I don't want to
go too far..."
        "Yes, you do.  You just don't know it yet."  Nabiki smirked, and
handed her some makeup to put on.  "Trust me.  When the good doctor takes
a look at you, he's going to go out of his mind."  
        The other girls looked strangely nervous.  Akane looked the eldest
Tendo over carefully, then smiled.  "Kasumi, Tofu-sensei will go out of
his mind when he sees you, but only because he cares for you.  Remember:
you need to be firm with him, and make sure he doesn't do anything silly."  
        Kasumi went over the instructions in her head.  "No silliness
allowed.  Got it."
        "Well... some silliness is allowed.  Just make sure it's the kind
you enjoy."  
        "Nabiki!  Shame on you!"  Kasumi gaped at her sister in mock
indignation.  
        "Hey, with an outfit like that..."
        *KNOCK, KNOCK*
        "Girls?  Is it okay for me to come in?"  Nodoka's gentle voice
called from behind the door.
        "Yes, Auntie Saotome."  Kasumi looked at herself more closely in
the mirror, and began to apply her makeup.  
        The matriarch of the Saotome clan gasped as she saw Kasumi.  She
walked over to the young woman, her eyes sparkling in amazement.  
"Kasumi-chan, you look stunning!  So... you finally decided to go after
that doctor."  She gave Kasumi a parental kiss on the cheek.  "Your mother
would be proud.  It's about time you decided to live your own life."  
        The comments only seemed to make her more nervous.  "Auntie...
are you sure I'm doing the right thing?"
        "Yes, I'm sure.  You've given up more than anyone could ever ask
for to keep this family going.  You need to get out and start a family of
your own."  She gave the young homemaker a playful wink.  "Besides, I 
think your father wants a grandchild soon."  
        While a red-faced Kasumi tried to bring a response to come, the
other girls just roared in laughter.  

***

        Ukyou was strangely silent as she worked the dinner rush, as her
mind was on other things.  She had wanted to help Ranma and Akane on their
quest to help Kasumi nab Tofu; unfortunately, work called, and she needed
to be there until things quieted down.  Also, the work acted as a mantra
to her, and she had a lot to think about.  For once, she was genuinely
afraid, not only for her now-bishojo fiancee, but for herself as well.  
        It wasn't just the fact that Ranma changed that bothered her.  It
was what she had changed into.  Ranma was, for all intents and purposes,
her mirror, a reflection of what she had become, and what she could be.
Ranma's warped memories brought back better-forgotten memories, details of
the disguise she wore.  Besides that, it offered her a possible next step
to take, a path that could cause her to abandon her masculine guise and
become who she had been born to be.
        She unwittingly looked over to her employee and friend, and
frowned.  Konatsu was in an even more unusual position than she had been;
his twisted mother and sisters had warped his mind, so much so that his 
female kunoichi disguise had become his identity.  It had been an effort
to disguise herself as a boy; to him, a girl's beauty was as natural as
breathing.  What was it like for him... to find out his life was a lie?
She walked over to him, and discretely grabbed him by the arm.  
        "Ukyou-sama?  Is something wrong?"
        Ukyou couldn't help but smile.  Konatsu was so protective of her;
she only hoped she could return the favor one day.  "Konatsu... what would
you do if someone forced you to live as a boy?"
        Konatsu gulped.  He looked down at his kimono.  "Are you asking me
to..."
        She giggled.  "No, Konatsu.  I'm just wondering."  
        The beautiful boy shrugged.  "I wouldn't know how to live.  I am a
woman, at least I am in my mind.  I know deep down I have a man's body.
However, I have lived a woman's life, and I cannot abandon that."  
        Ukyou nodded.  "I know.  Konatsu, how would you feel if I started
to dress up as a woman more often?"
        "Do you want to?"
        Ukyou blinked at the question.  It was so simple... yet spoke
volumes.  She had been approaching this moment over the past year, as she
tried to woo a certain pigtailed man's affections.  Now, though... it was
time for her to finish it.  Strangely enough, she felt she couldn't
abandon her masculine guise entirely.  She had lived that life for too
long, just as Konatsu had lived his life for too long.  But, she could try
to dress as a girl more often.  It wouldn't hurt to find out what it was
like...
        "Konatsu, could you run the store later tonight?  I have some
errands to run."  
        The kunoichi smiled.  "As you wish, Ukyou-sama.  And... enjoy your
shopping trip."
        Ukyou blinked at Konatsu, slightly startled, then smiled.
"Thanks."

***

        Nodoka Saotome wiped off the dinner table with a wet cloth,
humming a soft tune to herself.  For her, housework was a way to escape,
to get her mind off of the things that troubled her.  She'd spent the last
two hours cleaning the house to perfection, not because of any particular
difficulty in it, but because she wanted to get away from what had
happened.
        If the truth be known, she missed her son.  It wasn't that she
didn't enjoy the times with her daughter; the moments she'd spent with
Ranma since her personality shift were among the most enjoyable she'd had
in ages.  For the first time, she experienced the joys of having a real
daughter, one who had a girl's dreams and hopes, dreams she, as her
mother, was allowed to share.  But... the simple fact of the matter was,
her son's absence left a void within her, one she wasn't sure how to deal
with.
        She looked up at a small noise, and frowned.  Akane was walking
slowly out of the kitchen.  Tears ran down her face, though the young 
woman didn't seem to care.  Nodoka rose from her position, dropped the
cloth, and grabbed Akane by the shoulders.
        "Akane?  Are you okay?"  
        Akane only shook her head.  She bit her lip, desperately holding
back the flood of tears.  Nodoka sighed, and led her outside.  She had
been that age herself once, and knew the crystal heart shielded behind her
pride.
        "It's Ranma, isn't it."  It wasn't stated as a question.
        Akane nodded.  "He... she... we were cooking... and she was going
on... and she seemed so happy...and content..."
        "And it hurts you, because you miss him."
        "I... if I hadn't hit him... all my fault..." 
        "There, there, Akane.  It'll be okay..."  Nodoka hugged the child
close to her, gently stroking her hair and whispering soothing words of
comfort.  She waited for Akane's tears to subside, then broke off the
embrace.    
        "Akane... what do you think of my daughter?"
        "Huh?"  Akane wiped the remainder of tears from her eyes.
        Nodoka sighed.  It wasn't going to be easy to talk to her like
this... but, for both their sakes, it had to be done.  "Akane... whether
you realize it or not, Ranma needs you now more than ever.  She's almost
like a newborn, sometimes... scared and lonely and frightened at this new
world she's entering... and she needs someone she cares for to be with
her."
        "But... what about you... or Kasumi..."
        Nodoka smiled, though her throat hurt from the tears.  "Akane,
Ranma - this Ranma - loves you.  Love is one of the most powerful forces
you can ever encounter.  It can topple empires, end wars... and help a
little girl grow up.  That's why Ranma needs your help, Akane - she loves
you like nobody else, and looks to you for guidance before going to me or
to Kasumi."  
        "A-Are you sure?"  Akane looked up to her, unsure of Nodoka's
words.  Nodoka stroked her head, and gave her a more friendly hug - one
given to equals.
        "Of course I'm sure, Akane-chan.  Now go back inside.  We don't
want to worry her..."  She let go of Akane, and watched as she walked back
inside, wondering if she'd done the right thing...

***

        "Good night."
        Ono Tofu-sensei waved goodbye to the elderly patient and looked
out at the setting sun, a soft smile painted on his face.  It was times
like this that he loved his job; it gave him a chance to interact with the
community and help them with their problems, both physical and personal.  
        He only wished someone could help him with his problems...
        There was no secret in the neighborhood as to where his heart lay.  
He adored Kasumi, and yearned for her with every fiber of his being.  
Whenever she came to visit him, he rejoiced in the warmth of her smile,
basked in the unparalleled, almost divine beauty, and dreamed of children
not yet born.  If he did not love her so much...
        If he did not love her so much, he would know how to act around
her.  He tried to relax around her, to show her what kind of person he
really was.  Unfortunately, it would always backfire on him.  He would,
for nervousness' sake, make some small error, a tongue-tied word here or
there, and things would go downhill from there.  Efforts to cover up his
incompetence would only result in more incompetence, until all that was
left was to play the fool.  
        The doctor let out a small, resigned sigh.  Perhaps this was his
curse, to be tantalizingly close to the woman he loved, yet infinitely
far.  Fate, it seemed, wanted him to grow old and die alone in a crowd, a
pillar of the community, but never a human being within it.  
        "Tofu-sensei..."
        He gulped.  Kasumi - KASUMI - stood a few yards away, a goddess
draped in gold.  Her evening gown glittered in the sunset, the pinpricks
dotting the silhouette of her form.  Tofu leaned against the railing;
right now, he needed all the support he could get.  The railing itself
started to splinter from his grip.   
        "Ka-Kasumi-san!  What brings... you... here?"
        The woman of his dreams chuckled softly.  Was she mocking him?
Even now, he could feel his heart begin to shatter... She approached, and
gave him a warm smile.  
        "Sensei, I was wondering if we could spend tonight together,
starting with supper."   
        He stopped.  Kasumi... wanted to have supper... with him.  He
slapped himself, to make sure he wasn't dreaming.  Unfortunately, he
slapped himself a bit too hard, nearly flooring himself in the process.
        "Tofu-sensei."  Kasumi approached the doctor, and straightened him
up.  "Calm down.  There's no reason to get excited.  Just take my hand,
and everything will be all right."  
        Tofu looked at the offered hand as though it were his salvation,
and reached a shaking hand up to grab it.  Kasumi solidified her grip,
and led him away from the office.  
        "Now, Tofu-sensei, follow me.  I know this great restaurant on the
other side of Nerima.  It's a bit of a commute, but it shouldn't take us
too long to get there."  Tofu, too absorbed in his own dreams, simply
nodded.   
        "Uh... Kasumi-san?"
        "Yes, Tofu-sensei?"  She looked at him expectantly.  
        "Er... why did you invite me out to dinner?"  There.  He'd said
it.  If she really liked him...
        Kasumi giggled softly.  "Why, Tofu-sensei, when was the last time
you were on a date?"  
        A... date?  They were on a date?  That could only mean one thing
in Tofu-sensei's eyes.  She liked him, he liked her, they liked each 
other.  This was... this was...
        This was too much for the poor doctor.  Tofu fainted dead away,
much to the surprise of his date.

***

        "Ranma-chan?  Are you okay?"
        Nodoka looked over at her daughter as they stepped off the bus,
and frowned at the worry on the child's features.  Normally Ranma liked
shopping... why was she so apprehensive tonight?
        The redhead looked back at her mother, a comforting smile on her
face.  "Sorry, Mom.  I was just wondering why you wanted me to wear 
these."  She gestured down to her black high-heeled shoes.  
        Nodoka smiled gently.  "That's a surprise, Ranma.  You'll see when
we get inside."  
        She looked up, and started in pleasant surprise.  Ukyou, Ranma's
other fiancee and close friend, waited at the door for them.  The girl
wasn't wearing one of her usual outfits; rather, she wore a simple pink
t-shirt and jeans.  She frowned, though, at the nervousness in the cook's
eyes, a similar one to what Ranma had before.  
        "Ucchan!"  Ranma instantly brightened in her friend's presence.
She ran up to the chef, and sweeped her up in an exuberant hug.  "What
are you doing here?"
        Ukyou gave her friend a knowing look, a glance that spoke of
mischief and hope.  She walked over to Nodoka, and bowed before the
matriarch.  "Mrs. Saotome... I was wondering if the two of you could help
me pick out some clothes.  It's been so long since I had to wear a dress
that I wouldn't know how to pick one out."
        Ranma looked at the chef curiously.  "Does this mean..."
        "Yep."  She gripped the redhead's hand, holding it tightly. 
"Ranma... thanks.  I would never have had the strength to do this if it
weren't for you."  
        Nodoka smiled.  It was nice to see her daughter with friends; she 
seemed so... alive when it happened, as though she had two lives to live
under her skin.  "Of course we'd love to help.  Come along."  
        The three women strode into the shop with an unusual confidence. 
Ukyou gestured over to a more casual section of the store.  
        "Ranma, I'll be over here, okay?"  She pecked Ranma on the cheek
playfully, and bounced over to the racks.  Stunned beyond words, Ranma
just stared at her friend.  She never imagined this effect from her
friend...
        "Ranma-chan."  Her mother's voice called her back to the present.  
"Come along.  Ukyou will be with us shortly."  Nodoka led her to a more
formal section of the store, and started looking through the suits there.
Ranma just looked on in surprise.
        "Uh... Mom, are you looking for what I think you're looking for?"  
The question was asked with equal parts hope and fear.  
        The mother smiled.  Ranma was still a little nervous about her 
womanhood; not surprising, given her 'memories'.  "Of course, dear."  
After a minute or two of searching, she selected a suit, and a blouse
to match.  "Here.  Try this on, Ranma."  Ranma grabbed the clothes,
and went into the dressing room.  
        When she was finally dressed in the suit, Ranma couldn't help but 
stiffen.  There was an unfamiliar woman in the mirror, one who literally
exuded confidence with her presence.  The black suit she wore didn't hide
her femininity, like too many suits she'd seen; rather, it accentuated her
form, showing off her curves nicely without being inappropriate.  She
started imagining a life beyond Nerima, meeting with people on the outside
on *her* terms, much as Nabiki did...
        She took a step back and turned from the mirror, contemplating
what she had just seen.  Did she want to go that far?  The woman in the 
mirror had a feminine power, a type of confidence she'd rarely seen 
outside of Nabiki, let alone produced herself.  However, accepting it
would mean going deeper into her new identity.  Had she gone too far
to go back?  Did she even want to go back?  
        A rational, feminine voice within her head began to silence her 
fears, and guided her eyes back to the mirror.  The woman was still there,
staring back with fading apprehension.  She straightened up, and fixed the
placement of her skirt.  Her old self be damned; this was *her* suit, one
she would wear for the honor of her family.  She walked out of the booth
with an aristocratic air, and presented herself before her mother.   
        "Ranma-chan..."  Nodoka's eyes began to water, both with joy and
with sadness.  The suit was appropriate, as one of her children was gone,
possibly never to return.  But, at the same time, the daughter before
her heralded an addition to the family, to replace the one lost. 
"Ranma-chan, you look just beautiful."  
        The redhead blushed.  At least now she had confirmation: in this 
form, with these clothes, she had an undeniable power her masculine form
lacked.  She contemplated telling her mother the truth, to let her know,
but thought better of it.  Best to let her enjoy the moment, rather than
spoil it with words.  
        "Hey, you two.  What do you think?"
        The mother and daughter turned their heads.  Ukyou stood before
them, all traces of her lie removed.  The white silk blouse and black 
mini-skirt were daring, almost flaunting in the face of her former guise.
That, along with the various accessories, left a picture-perfect outfit
capable of driving the men wild.   Ranma just stared for a moment,
masculine drives and feminine sensibilities in agreement for once.  
        "Ukyou... my goodness.  You look stunning."
        The chef walked over and pecked Ranma on the cheek, sending
electricity down her spine.  "Thanks, Ranchan.  I'll be sure to wear
it on our date this Saturday."  
        Ranma just continued to stare, her mouth agape.  She managed a
small nod, then slowly walked back to the dressing room.

***

        Ranma walked slowly among the streetlamps, lost in the mists of
her own thoughts - which was precisely where she wanted to be.  Only
forty-eight hours ago, a young man took his first steps into discovering
the other side of himself, and found far more waiting there than he ever
expected.  To the woman who remembered, it seemed ages ago, a life slowly
ebbing away from her... and perhaps for the best.  The man had problems he
couldn't deal with, and didn't know how to - until *she* came along.  
        She stopped for a moment to take off her shoes.  Heels could be
*so* uncomfortable at times... unfortunately, she'd forgotten to change
when she arrived home, as she wanted to get out.  She continued her
walk in stocking feet, letting the feel of concrete cool the ache in
her toes.
        Who was she?  What was she?  That was what the experiment was for,
to show her if she really was a man or a woman (or perhaps both!), and
how to live with the results.  The deeper she dived into the other
side, the more she found herself fearing the answer, and anticipating
it at the same time.  
        If it was just her, alone, without anyone else to deal with, she
had a feeling as to which she'd choose.  She'd gained a new appreciation
for her womanhood over the past two days, and giving that up entirely
would be a difficult thing.  To her, the girl's body just seemed more
_useful_ than her natural form, and better-looking too.  She'd been
able to deal with others in a way he hadn't, and found the power she
now wielded tempting.  Also, for once she wasn't struggling with a
faltering manhood, allowing a wounded part of her psyche to rest.
        Unfortunately, the peace came at a price, one not lost on the
young lady.  She saw a bit of Akane's reaction when 'she' had first
arrived, and that feeling of loss hadn't gone away, she knew.  She'd
been forced to make an enemy out of a friend, and Shampoo would no
doubt be back with some plan or another to threaten what she'd
gained.  Soun hadn't been seen much today; he seemed to ignore Ranma
totally, preferring his fantasies over the reality in front of him. 
She didn't even want to think about what would happen to Ryouga when
he found out, or how she would react in his presence.  The others he
could live with, but Akane... her heart *hurt* at the thought of
disappointing her.  
        She stopped, her battle senses on alert.  There was a threat
nearby, she could feel it.  She dropped her shoes, and readied herself in
a fighting stance.  
        "Who's there?"
        A chuckle came from the darkness, a soft, madness-tainted laugh
that sent chills down Ranma's spine.  She turned to the right, then leapt 
quickly out of the way, to avoid a spray of hot water.  She landed catlike
out of harm's way, ready for anything - and everything.  Her eyes narrowed
to slits as her adversary stepped into the light.
        "Hello... Ranma," Kodachi hissed.  

*********************************************************************

Hello.

I'm ready to write Clothes again.  

God help me.

Perhaps no work I've ever written has had more off-keyboard problems
than this one.  The problems were mine in the beginning, Hitomi's later
on... and mine in the end.  I owe a lot of people thanks, and apologies to
some people for my actions.  

Also, I'd like to welcome Katrina Lee Halbred to the group, who will be
co-authoring this work beginning with part 7.

Nicholas Leifker
nwl9354@unix.tamu.edu
http://people.tamu.edu:8000/~nwl9354
November 29, 1997




-- Attached file included as plaintext by Listar --
-- File: clothes7.txt


Clothes Make The...

Chapter Seven:

A fan fiction based on Takahashi Rumiko's Manga series, Ranma 1/2

Saotome Ranma, Saotome Genma, Saotome Nodoka, Tendo Akane, Tendo Soun,
Tendo Kasumi, Tendo Nabiki, Kuonji Ukyou, Hibiki Ryouga, P-chan, Shampoo,
Mousse, Cologne, Kunou Tatewaki, Kunou Kodachi, Tofu Ono Sensei, and Hinako
Ninomiya Sensei are copyright 1987, 1998 by Takahashi Rumiko.

Publishing rights:

Japan:          Sogakukan Inc. Tokyo
Hong Kong:      Jademan (Holdings) Ltd.
North America:  Viz Inc.

By Nicholas Leifker, Katrina Halbred, and Ichinohei Hitomi

       The chirp of the crickets was the first thing Ono Tofu heard as he
woke up, a gentle, insistent call at the edge of nothingness.  Next came
the gentle sounds of industry, the sounds cars and trains making their way
through the city.  His senses fully awakened, he chanced opening his eyes.
       He was home, in the clinic where he spent his days.  The white
plaster of the examination room loomed prominently over him, and a bright,
obnoxious blue-white fluorescence assaulted his eyes.  Having confirmed his
surroundings, Tofu closed them again.  He didn't feel like facing anything
at the moment, not after...
       "Oh... you're awake."
       He shut his eyes more forcefully, in an effort to bring his emotions
to rein.  "He... hello, Kasumi."
       He felt a hand grasp his, its slim, elegant softness in severe
contrast to his own.  "I'm sorry, Tofu-Sensei.  I... this was foolish of
me.  I'm sorry."
       A small part of his insides steeled at the words.  She... was
apologising to him... for his mistake?  "No, Kasumi.  The fault... was all
mine."
       He felt the hand let go, and opened his eyes in response.  Kasumi
stood away from him, her eyes closed, her head bowed.  The gold lame made
her appear more the goddess; the frustration in her bearing made her appear
far less.  The best combination of both, he decided.
       "I... I never should have tried this.  Everything about this - the
surprise, the restaurant - was all wrong."  She tugged at her dress in
frustration.  "Even this outfit is wrong!  It's not me, not really.  I look
like a clown in it."
       "No... No you don't, Kasumi."  For the first time, Kasumi was
letting her inner self, her humanity that was hidden beneath the layers,
show through; it was only fair that he do the same.  "You look beautiful -
especially in that outfit.  A... a million sunsets couldn't compare to your
beauty right now."  He raised himself up and began to approach her, his
mind fighting off the rising panic.
       Kasumi turned to face him, causing him to pause in mid-stride. 
Tears threatened in the woman's eyes, and her mouth quivered in nervousness
and fear - the same fear that left him a babbling wreck every time. 
"Really, Tofu-Sensei?"
       He could feel the words on his tongue, along with a million others
ready to bring his one shot at his dreams crashing down.  With a supreme
force of will, he found his mouth moving the way he wanted it to, and
saying the words he really felt.  "Yes... I do, Kasumi.  I... I..."
       He felt soft fingers touching his lips, silencing any words to come.
"Shhh, Tofu-Sensei.  No words for now.  Just stay with me."
       For the second time that night, he found himself guided by her hand. 
She led him back to the bed he'd just left, and laid him down carefully. 
He didn't complain when she slid herself under his head, and gently brushed
his hair with her fingers.
       For the first time, he found himself saying what he wanted - without
uttering a word.

***

       Ranma grit her teeth as she eyed her adversary.  Kodachi's eyes
revealed her total instability; it seemed that the recent revelations
concerning Ranma's existence shattered any sanity remaining.  Ironically,
the leotard-clad teenager held a thermos of water toward her, and carried
several more along her waist.
       "You seem surprised that I would call you by your given name.  I
merely listened to my brother's ranting to discover the truth.  Don't
worry, Ranma; your masculine self will be here for me soon enough."  Using
the last words as impetus, Kodachi launched the thermos at Ranma.
       Fortunately, Ranma was prepared.  She leapt above the gymnast to the
roof, to get some breathing room.  She needed time to think about this one,
how to handle her...
       "You think to try to get away?  Foolish girl.  Here, let my water
give you some wisdom."  Kodachi followed Ranma up to the roof, and uncapped
another thermos.  "Come on... why do you struggle so?"
       "Because neither of us have ever loved you, that's why!"  Ranma
deftly avoided the next volley of water and leapt to the next building, her
eyes warily awaiting another attack.  She had considered going for
Kodachi's belt; however, past experience, as well as Kodachi's penchant for
traps, made her wary of any such moves.  "Ever wondered why my guy-side
always runs away from you?  Ever wondered why we both agreed to fight you
in the gymnastics tournament?"
       "Lies!  All lies!"  Kodachi uncorked another thermos; only one
remained on her belt.  "He... he saved me when I fell from the roof, and
waited patiently for me to kiss him!  He came to me when I offered him my
love!  Would someone who didn't love me do these things?"
       Ranma grimaced.  "I would, if I was under the influence of blackmail
or a paralysis drug!"  She kicked the thermos out of Kodachi's hand.  A
touch of water soaked her leg; however, it wasn't enough to trigger the
change.
       "Minor technicalities, nothing more!  I know my Ranma-sama will love
me... once I free him from you, that is!"  She reached for the last thermos
and began to uncork it when she felt an iron grip on her hand.
       "Do you know what it's like to change, Kodachi?"
       "What?"  The question caught the gymnast totally off-guard.
       "You know... change."  Kodachi's eyes widened as she stared into
Ranma's. The intensity of the stare was enough to cower her... but her legs
were too weak to run.  "You see, it hits the chest first, causing these
breasts we're so proud of to vanish.  The next thing you notice is the
hands - you'd be surprised how much they change from a Jusenkyo curse. 
Then comes more personal areas, areas you never want a man to violate...
except _you_ are the man now, and that very fact feels like a violation."
       Ranma was almost growling now, the seething frustration of a year's
worth of impotent refusals hard in her mind.  "Then... only then, after
everything's changed, do you notice the fuzz in your mind.  All of a
sudden, you're seeing the world with different eyes, acting with a
different body, and thinking with a different mind.  You notice things...
feel things... emotions and thoughts that make you want to throw up once
you change back to a girl.  Now, Kodachi...do you really want to put me
through that?"
       Ranma let go of Kodachi's hand, allowing the last thermos to fall to
the ground, then realised that her own hands were shaking.  "The next time
you ever want to try something like this again, remember what I said...and
that there's a lot of Nannichuan water out there.  You want to play with
water? Then so will I."  She leapt from the roof, leaving the madwoman
stunned by her words.  The new woman ran as though the hounds of hell were
after her, not stopping until she was safely in the confines of her home.

***

       Cologne, respected elder and warrior, matriarch, and one of the
leaders of her people, sat in meditation.
       For centuries her people had been a shining light, keeping alive the
dictates of the warrior empress who had once co-ruled the Chin dynasty. 
That woman, who had been an example to other women, had shown others that
true ability to rule did not rely on a being's sex.  It relied upon the
inner strength of the person who was competent.  Normal laws and rules,
created to bring about stability to the region, were enhanced by this
example.  These new rules and laws had been the beginning of The Silent
Dynasty.
       A part of the rules that they had emplaced were meant to further
their heritage, and prevent the sicknesses that had occurred in other
villages.  Although they had not known it by that name, intermixing new
genetics, new 'blood' into their lines kept them strong when others fell. 
It was that strength, the influx of new genetic material, that had
encouraged their survival when Confucianism and the pacification of women
became a standard across the rest of China.
       The laws that they embraced went on to ensure that.
       That is, until the coming of the modern age, and the arrival of the
Chinese militia known as the People's Army.  When they had arrived, the
nation of women warriors who had become known as the Amazons to the outside
world because of supposed similarities to ancient Greek legends, learned
that their ancient wisdom failed in the face of modern weaponry.  They had
faced a choice; surrender and join, or die facing overwhelming odds.  Among
the elders were those who wished to fight to the death, keeping their
honour above all.  Among the younger generation, there were those who
wished to use the Communists' own ways against them.  In the end came a
unique decision.
       The people outside of the province were trying to unite China and
eliminate many of the excesses of the previous rulers, or what they saw as
excesses.  True, many of the noble families had fallen into barbarous ways,
but that was to be expected.  It had been more than three centuries since a
cleaning wave had washed over the land.  However, the people that had
replaced the nobles were unsuited and unfit to command, much less rule.
       They had come to power by pure force of arms, and a strange new
system that did not make sense.  The idea they brought of sharing was
sensible, but to eliminate knowledge except to those who were deemed worthy
of it?  That would not work, and would ensure that China suffered. 
Knowledge, knowledge that would be needed, would be lost, much as it almost
was when the Followers of Christ had tried to eliminate their ways several
hundred years before.
       Their salvation had been in a new application of ancient ways.
       What they did was find those of the people in the province who
wished to keep their knowledge and work with them to ensure that this would
not get back to the leaders of this revolution.  Finding ways into the
various structures and strongholds used by this army, they used techniques
lost to the outside world to rewrite the minds of those who were there,
making them believe that they had put down any resistance, and that the
province was under their control.  The uniforms of the revolution were
spread, as was their book of ideals.  The clothing was worn, but the book
ignored.
       The various ancient kingdoms, under the leadership of the younger
members of the Amazon tribe, had ensured their survival in an increasingly
honourless and hostile world.
       But at what price?
       The confidence that they had defeated those who were attempting to
destroy their way of life gave way to over-confidence.  Those tribes and
kingdoms that had been spared became increasingly separate as the
generations continued, destroying the harmony that kept them out of sight
of Beijing.  In recent years, the youngest generation started to make
themselves known, and this would not be good.  They had taken the time in
the decades since the revolution to place some of their own people within
the power structure, and to move the PRC to ignore them, but the modern
world was again defeating their cunning.
       They needed new blood for the next generation.  Fighters, people who
could think, and those who defied adversity.
       The boy, Ranma, displayed all three.
       Even if the boy had turned out to be a girl in truth, the Elder
would have offered a place within the tribe to her, and hope to entice her
back to become a permanent part of the village.
       Now, her defeat by one who was not a warrior, and was a hindrance in
so many ways had stopped her efforts to insure the continuation of her
people and their way of life.  She now knew why the young people in the
area feared Tendo Nabiki, and feared her power.  Cologne now knew that the
person she should have been watching, the true ruler of this area of Japan,
was a person who fought, not with hands, but with speech.  There was
little, if anything, she could do to change what had happened as a result
of this mistake.
       She held the only way to cure Ranma, whom she considered to be her
heir, and she could not do so because of her past actions.
       Cologne had defeated herself, and in doing so had destroyed any
chance of happiness for her grand-daughter.  Her pursuit of Ranma in the
manner she had, with special spices, magical jewels, and pressure points,
had ensured a distrust that would last long beyond the time she would live. 
It was something that she could have lived with providing Ranma had
remained male in mind, and had been taken for the tribe.  Her own life was
willingly forfeit for the survival of her people.
       But her defeat had other implications as well.
       Tendo Nabiki had revealed their existence, revealed what was going
on in a region of China which had been long overlooked, and had revealed
the ways in which their people did things.  The People's Republic of China
was not stupid, and they were going to be looking for options to add power
for themselves, and a region with ancient knowledge that could be used
against the outside world in some way made them likely targets of the
slightest excuse.  The few words of Tendo Nabiki would take years, if not
decades, to reverse.
       If they only had some way around the limitations placed on them,
they could help Ranma.  They could help one who was worthy of eventual
leadership of the tribe and knowledge of their arts.  They...she would be
able to help a child that she had truly grown to love.
       For the first time in years, Cologne wept.

***

       Akane lay in bed, worried, and wondering about herself.  In all the
time she had been engaged, all the adventures, mysteries, and magic that
had occurred, there had been one constant.  One thing that kept her going
and made sure she didn't give up.  Ranma loved her.  It hadn't mattered how
many times they fought one another, the number of time she hit him, or the
number of times she pushed him away.  Ranma loved her and would never try
to harm her physically or emotionally.
       But this had harmed her, and in a way she had never known possible.
       The pain that she felt was both emotional and physical; emotional
because of the feelings of guilt and physical because she had lost her best
friend.  Her heart was breaking because she had effectively lost her
fiancee, the man she loved, and was having to build her life once more.  A
life that had a girl instead of a man in it.
       That was the core of her pain.
       To this point, it had almost been a dream.  The initial pain and
hurt dissolving into the madness of life and the numbing sensation of loss. 
Everything had not really hit until that afternoon when she saw how happy
Ranma now was.  Seeing the girl who enjoyed doing even the simplest female
functions of cooking where she had always protested before brought home the
fact that the boy she knew was gone.  Dead forever.  This new girl was
reality, and the Ranma who had existed before was the dream.
       Could she ever really get used to that?
       In a way, this accident allowed her another chance, a way to start
over without the awkwardness that had entered into their relationship early
on.  This version of Ranma respected her, helped her in a kind, polite
manner.  She was an equal, not someone to be looked down upon because of
what they were born.  The chance to correct her original actions was
something she had wished for.
       But she never wanted it at this price.
       While Auntie Saotome had adjusted well to having a daughter instead
of a son, Akane had yet to even try.  She still held on to hope that the
Ranma she knew, the one who insulted her, still existed.  How could she
enjoy seeing the person she loved disappear?  The person she now knew she
needed in her heart.  How could she accept this girl in place of the man
she loved?
       Except this person was also Ranma.
       Not the Ranma she knew, but the Ranma she had always wished for.  A
friend to listen to and share dreams and hopes with.  Someone whose
interests matched her own, and was not limited by societies' dictates.  The
person who would treat her as human.
       Now it was her own prejudices that were getting in the way.
       She loved Ranma, even this version of Ranma, but was unable to deal
with having another woman as a lover.  It shouldn't have mattered to her,
especially since she had almost a year to get used to the idea that her
fiancee could change sexes, but Akane realised that it did.  Ranma was now
a woman, and even though she loved her, Akane was afraid of what the
physical act would mean.
       Turning onto her side, Akane looked towards her desk and to the
picture that was there.  It was one in taken in happier times with the male
Ranma.  Except, was it really taken in happier times?  She got up from bed,
unable to sleep, and took the picture.  *What's wrong with me?  I don't
hate you Ranma, so why can't I feel good about being close to you?*
       She sat down in her chair, and stared at the picture, no answers
coming readily to mind.

***

       "Aw, come on... why do *I* have to do this?"
       "Tendo Nabiki, you have avoided this for too long.  It is time you
learned to do this for yourself."
       Nabiki glared at the middle-aged woman across from her, and scowled. 
Truth to tell, she wasn't afraid of hard work; the financial network she
had created to help her family stay afloat, along with her impressive
scores in school, showed her to be a hardworking, enterprising young woman. 
She knew how to work hard to get what she wanted.
       Unfortunately, learning to cook was not something she wanted.
       Still, she knew there was no way to win; she would have to do this
even if there was no need for her to.  She frowned at the vegetables in
front of her, as though the plant life would go and walk off on its own,
and raised her knife.
       "Hold on, Nabiki."  She found Nodoka's hands over her own, showing
her how to cut the carrots in a proper manner.  "Make sure you cut them
evenly.  You don't want to rush cutting, like you sister does; just take
your time, watch what you're doing, and everything will be fine."
       Nabiki growled, and slowly cut the vegetables in front of her.  "Why
do I even need to learn how to cook, Auntie?  It's not like I'm going to be
the typical housewife..."
       She felt Nodoka's warm hands leave her own.  "Nabiki, I know you are
not like your other sisters.  You want to go out into the world and make a
life for yourself, rather than a love for yourself.  But remember,
Nabiki-chan... love can strike when you least expect it.  Shouldn't you at
least know the basics of how to cook?  After all, how else are you going to
provide for your husband?"
       Nabiki smiled, put down her knife, and grabbed Nodoka by the
shoulders.  "Auntie... have you ever heard of 'takeout'?"
       Nodoka only returned the smile.  "Isn't that what that Shampoo girl
does for a living?"
       If there was one thing Nabiki hated, it was losing an argument.  She
hung her head, letting out a long, drawn-out sigh as she did so.  "Point
taken, Auntie... point taken."
       Fortunately, there was one thing that Nabiki relished doing: taking
advantage of momentary happenings.  She heard the front entrance slide
open, and ran out to greet the visitor.
       "Taidama."  Ranma closed the door behind her, giving Nabiki a moment
to examine the redhead.  The first thing that Nabiki noticed was the state
of her clothing: the girl's shoes were gone, and her stockings were ripped
and ran in places.  Nabiki winced at the bleeding that came from Ranma's
feet; apparently the girl had stubbed her toe on the way home.  The last
thing that Nabiki noticed let her know the most, though.
       Ranma was visibly shaking.  This wasn't the furious shaking that
comes with a hard, angry battle, but a terror-filled tremor that indicated
that Ranma had seen or experienced something she didn't want to.  Nabiki
stammered, her mouth dry.
       "What happened, Ranma?" Nodoka spoke, entering behind Nabiki.
       The young woman shrugged, in a failed attempt to appear calm. 
"Oh... the psycho attacked me tonight."
     "Ranma, are you okay?"  Nodoka pushed past and tried to hug her
daughter, but was stopped short.
       "I'm fine, Mom."  Ranma gently waved her mother away, and staggered
out to the living room.
       "But what about your -"
       "I said I'm fine, Mom!" Ranma growled.  For a moment, mother and
daughter stared at each other.  It was, Nabiki thought, like watching
sparks fly from her younger sister's cooking.  The friction was broken a
moment later, with a sharp turn from the younger Saotome.
       "I'm going to take a bath."
       "Wait!  Ranma!" Nodoka yelled, but was stopped short.  Nabiki
grabbed a handful of kimono, stopping Nodoka from following.
       "Give her a few minutes, Auntie.  Ranma, no matter which Ranma you
refer to, has always been difficult when dealing with emotions.  She just
needs a little time to herself."
       "I know."  The pain on Nodoka's face was clear, as the
normally-smiling face was turned to a thin, tense frown.  "I just hate
seeing her like that.  This is what mothers are for - to comfort their
children at times like this.  And Ranma..."
       "Ranma loves you, don't forget that.  She just has difficulty
showing it.  After all, she loves Akane too, and look what's happened with
that."  Nabiki smiled, trying to make the mother feel more comfortable.
       To Nabiki's relief, Nodoka managed a private smile.  "I know,
Nabiki.  I know."  She looked back to Nabiki, and to the apron the teenager
wore.  "And don't you have vegetables waiting?  I want to see a stir-fry in
front of me by the time the night is out, you know..."

***

       Nodoka gently moved away from Nabiki's cooking work, and walked over
to the bath area's door.  She paused for a moment at the sound of running
water, and frowned.  She still wasn't sure if she should do this; after
all, in some ways she was still a stranger to her child, and it had been
rare times that she had had to comfort anyone.
       She slid the outer door open with a silence practised in three years
of child-raising.  The roar of running water increased in her ears, as one
more barrier between her and her child was passed.  She frowned at the cool
of the tile beneath her feet, and walked up to the second door, steeling
herself for what she might see inside.
       She opened the door.  Ranma sat in the furo, her back to the door. 
Nodoka frowned at the sight (after all, Ranma tended to be a different
person in hot water), then felt the lukewarm droplets from the running
bath.  Again, she hesitated; Ranma, for all her gregariousness, was a
private person, and showed her heart to very few, and at rare times.
       Nodoka could barely hear the sounds of Ranma's sobbing over the
water.  She could see the child trembling, trying to hold the grief
in...but it was just too much for her.  She saw Ranma splash water on her
face, then keep her face buried in her hands.
       Nodoka looked at her own hands for a moment.  This was what the Kami
had given them to her for - to comfort those around her, especially her
daughter.  She leaned down onto the wet surface, and put her arms around
Ranma.
       She felt Ranma shrink from the touch, but only for an instant.  In a
second, Nodoka's child leaned into her mother's chest, free to let out a
lifetime's worth of anguish.  Nodoka ran her fingers through her daughter's
hair, occasionally kissing her on the forehead, whispering words of peace
and encouragement...
       The frown on Nodoka's face changed to a sad smile.  She had what she
wished for, a decade's worth of loneliness erased as though it had never
been.  She let her own tears mix with Ranma's in the bathtub, and let Ranma
cry until the child fell asleep from her exertions.

***

 Nicholas Leifker 
 Ichinohei Hitomi
 Katrina Lee Halbred 
 March 7, 1998


-- Attached file included as plaintext by Listar --
-- File: clothes8.txt


Clothes Make The...

Chapter Seven:

A fan fiction based on Takahashi Rumiko's Manga series, Ranma 1/2

Saotome Ranma, Saotome Genma, Saotome Nodoka, Tendo Akane, Tendo Soun,
Tendo Kasumi, Tendo Nabiki, Kuonji Ukyou, Hibiki Ryouga, P-chan, Shampoo,
Mousse, Cologne, Kunou Tatewaki, Kunou Kodachi, Tofu Ono Sensei, and Hinako
Ninomiya Sensei are copyright 1987, 1998 by Takahashi Rumiko.

Publishing rights:

Japan:          Sogakukan Inc. Tokyo
Hong Kong:      Jademan (Holdings) Ltd.
North America:  Viz Inc.

By Nicholas Leifker, Katrina Halbred, and Ichinohei Hitomi

     Ranma opened her eyes slowly, the light from the morning sun
shining right in her face.  She could hear the caws of birds outside,
their desperate mating calls searching for companionship.  Warmth
surrounded her, a primal comfort she'd missed for ages without
realizing it.
     The young woman looked downward for a moment to get a glimpse of
her surroundings.  She was in her own room, a place she shared for
the moment with her mother.  Warm turquoise silk swam about her, a
beautiful feeling to wake up to... if she had been in a mood to enjoy
it.  She didn't feel like getting up; this place was safe, but the
rest of the world waited to strip her bare.
     Closing her eyes, she thought back to the fight three nights
previous.  While she had certainly prevailed against Kodachi, it came
at a terrible price.  She had said some horrible things, and made
threats she'd never even considered before then.  She'd gone from
fighting a controllable enemy to one totally out of her hands -
herself.
     Her own words, accusations to the self, had forced her to
confront who she was, and what she was becoming.  She found that she
didn't like herself much; she'd become no better than her old man.
She lied, stole, cheated, blackmailed, and downright threatened to
get what she wanted... like father, like daughter.  
     Just who was she inside, anyway?
     Unconsciously snuggling inside the arms that held her close,
Ranma began to ponder the situation, and comparing her past and
present self to come to some understanding.  If she was to go forward
with her life, she had to know where she was, and what she was coming
from.
     Her old self, not surprisingly, was not cast in a good light. 
He had had few friends, too many enemies to count, and a score of
seemingly unsolvable problems.  Even his 'friends' merely wanted
something from him, then would turn their back on him at the first
sign of trouble.  Everything was his fault; he was in the wrong
because he happened to live.  However, that man knew what it was to
keep on fighting...until the day when he couldn't fight himself any
longer.
     She, on the other hand, was almost a polar opposite.  She had
friends now, and few true enemies.  Her parents finally cared about
her for who she was, rather than for some pawn to be married off or a
paragon of masculinity.  The fiancee problem had been put on hold,
allowing her some room to think.  She also lied, cheated, deceived,
hit other girls...she'd become her own father, even while trying to
become as unlike him as possible.
     Sighing, Ranma looked up to the person who held her.  Nodoka
looked so peaceful in her sleep; in her dreams, it seemed, she could
live the life she'd always wanted.  Ranma reached a hand up to touch
her cheek, a tear forming in her eye.
     "Mom, what am I going to do?" she whispered.  I don't want to
lie...but I can't tell anyone the truth.  I'd lose everything I care
for...including you, Mom.  You...I could see it that night we went
shopping; you *need* a daughter, just as I need a mother right now.
I...mom..."
     The sleeping confession done, Ranma sighed.  She knew it
couldn't go on much longer; sooner or later, something would have to
give, causing those she loved to be hurt once more.  On that day, she
would cease to be Ranma Saotome... she would become worse than
nothing, some freak half-woman who'd betrayed everything she was. She
had to find a way to soften the blow, though, before more damage was
done.  
     Ranma closed her eyes and tried to go to sleep, tears spilling
down her pillow at her future fate.  

***

     Kasumi woke in her own room, a gentle smile adorning her face.
     Finally, after waiting like she'd always thought a girl should,
she had decided to take the initiative with a man.  As expected,
things did not go as she had planned, but the end result had been
worth every moment.  By just sitting there in his clinic, the two of
them had breached barriers that had kept them apart for too long. She
didn't understand why he had fainted, and had feared that she had
frightened him too much.  After all, a proper Japanese woman did not
pursue, but enticed others to pursue.  
     In the end, breaking with tradition had paid off far more than
she'd ever expected.
     In the past, Tofu had been so aloof, so unreachable.  All of the
books she borrowed, the cookies and snacks she made for him, all the
small favours she did around his clinic...nothing seemed to work.  He
would either act ridiculously or simply stand there with no outward
show of emotions.  As a result, she had begun to fear that Tofu would
never see her as anything more than a friend.
     Ranma, bless her heart, had changed that idea very quickly.  She
was the one who had been insistent that Tofu was the man for her. She
had warned her of the silliness that was likely to occur, and that
she had to keep the good doctor in line, but his fainting was  almost
too much for her.
     She vowed that she would do better today.
     Before she left him that night, Kasumi had told him that she'd
be back.  After all, Ranma needed to see a physician for her
'injury', and fast.  Ranma wasn't the only one who needed
consultation, though.  *She* needed to talk to him, to seek his
advice, to know his wisdom in dealing with Ranma's problem...and to
know his soul when they were together.
     Because, if either one wasn't handled properly, her own future
scarcely bore thinking about.

***

     Tofu Ono awoke to the sounds of the city, and yawned in sheer
contentment.  For the first time, he was able to view his love as a
human being, a woman with charming faults and downright stunning
frailties.  For too long he'd seen her as a goddess, a woman for whom
he'd risk everything for, but would never have a chance at
approaching.  
     Now that the first obstacle had been overcome, he could see the
others on the horizon.  First of all, he was much older that Kasumi -
nearly a full decade older.  While this was no concern to himself
personally, it would be a concern to the protective Soun, perhaps
leading to a confrontation between the two.  Another problem was
handed by the wild-card of the family: Ranma.  Kasumi had told him of
her problems, and knew that Ranma's act would have an adverse effect
on the family.  If he told of his love for Kasumi too soon, he could
face the opposite problem: Soun could push the relationship too fast,
resulting in problems similar to Ranma and Akane's over the past
year.  
     Fortunately, there was no more room to waffle anymore.  He was a
doctor; he had an obligation to his patients, including Ranma.  He
was also a man, with a love for a woman who shared that love, and he
would not let that promise down.  With their visit today, Tofu Ono
would have to face the problems as both doctor and man - and hope his
dreams come true as a result.  

***

     Ranma sat in the waiting room of Tofu's clinic, pretending to
concentrate on some hopelessly out-of-date magazine.  She was
starting to feel nervous about the idea; while she knew that the
doctor's help would eventually be necessary, she still wanted to drag
as few people into her deception as possible.  Asking a trained,
trusted professional to lie was not what she had originally planned.
     Beyond that, there were other things scheduled for this trip,
examinations that, while she had gone through them before, still
didn't feel comfortable.  The pelvic exams had been necessary ever
since she was cursed, and she herself cursed them every time she had
them.  
     A shadow fell across the page, and she looked up.  
     "Ranma?  It's time."  Tofu stood waiting for her, Kasumi by his
side.  She nodded, then followed them back into the examination room. 
     "So....which part do you want first?  The physical exam, or the
psychological one?"
     Ranma grimaced.  "The physical.  Let's get that over with as
soon as possible."
     She slipped off her clothes, wrapped the gown around herself,
then gritted her teeth as she felt the cool steel and warm hands
probe her body, checking for any abnormalities or problems.  She
*hated* the curse at times like this, as it made her...*feel*
things...which she still found uncomfortable.  Fortunately, the exam
usually didn't take very long; the good doctor rushed through the
physical, and kept her distracted with casual talk.
     "So...Kasumi tells me you've been having some problems of late."
     Ranma nodded, trying to ignore the feel of steel against
her...she still didn't want to know.  "That's...*oh!* one way of
putting it, Doc.  I...need some time away from my old self."  
     "Well, I can understand that," Tofu sighed, probing a sensitive
area, "after all, you have been cursed to become a girl.  It's only
natural that you might want to explore it."
     Ranma clenched her teeth, as the explorations continued.  "Well,
I...I wish it felt natural to me.  I...I find myself *wanting* to do
this...and yet there's a part of me that's still fighting it."
     Tofu grimaced for a moment.  "That's your male side talking,
Ranma.  You're half-girl; you need to go and see what it's like
sometimes.  Problem is, you've always been too macho to deal with
it."
     "Gee, thanks, Doc," Ranma replied sarcastically.
     Tofu finished his probing, and pulled down Ranma's hospital
gown.  "I'm serious, Ranma.  You spent all this time physically as a
woman, but you never allowed yourself to admit it.  And what was
ALWAYS your response to anyone's questioning of your gender?"
     Ranma smiled sheepishly.  "'I'm a guy, dammit.'  Now, though..."
     "Now you're not sure what you are."
     "Yeah."  She sat up, and crossed her legs.  "I don't know who I
am, Doc.  Part of me wants to stay this way forever, to never go back
to the old me.  But..." Ranma folded her arms across her chest, a
slightly sad expression coming to her face.
     "But what?"
     "I guess what I'm trying to say is that I wish I could live as
both.  I wish I could just wake up in the morning and decide, 'Okay,
I think I'll be a girl today,' and act just as any other girl would. 
Unfortunately..."
     "Unfortunately, the rest of the family, as well as other people,
don't see it that way," Tofu noted sadly.  
     Ranma nodded.  "I've got a father who's trained me to be a
top-notch martial artist since I could walk.  I've got a mother who'd
make me commit seppuku if I was anything less than a 'man among men'
I've got Akane, who's always calling me a pervert and would *really*
think I was one if I tried anything like that.  Then there's Mr.
Tendo, Nabiki, the guys at school..."
     "Have you tried talking to Akane?"  Tofu's gaze pierced into
Ranma, making her feel unusually small.
     "Talking to her about what?"
     Tofu sat down on the bed next to Ranma.  "Talk to her about how
she feels.  Ask her if she'd consider a relationship with you as you
are now.  Most importantly, be willing to listen.  She probably
doesn't know the answers herself, but she may be able to find
them...if you're there.  Finally, if it looks like she'd be
receptive, tell her.  She's your fiancee; she deserves to know."
     "Okay, Doc.  I...have a date with her tonight, so hopefully
we'll be able to talk then."
     Ranma jumped when she felt an arm on her shoulder.  "Ranma...I'm
not going to lie to you here.  It sounds like you have gender
dysphoria."
     She blinked.  "Gender dys-what?"
     "In other words, you have the desire to live, either partially
or fully, as a member of the opposite sex."
     Ranma nodded.  "I could have told you that.  In fact, I think I
did."
     Tofu's voice turned strangely quiet.  "It also means that you
will be facing probably the greatest spiritual test of your life.  To
put it bluntly, Ranma, you have to find out who you really are, and
where you want to fit into the world." 
     He pulled Ranma to her feet, and walked her over to a mirror.
"Ranma, tell me what you see."
     She shrugged.  "I see...me."  Almost instinctively, she started
to make her reflection more presentable.
     "And are you a man or a woman?"
     Ranma finished her preening.  "Well...at the moment, I'm a
woman."
     Tofu whirled her around, his eyes intense.  "Are you sure?  I
could get some hot water and change that reflection in a heartbeat."
     Ranma nodded.  "That's my problem, isn't it?  I don't know who I
am."
     "And that is what you have to find out."  Tofu sighed, and
walked over to his desk.  "The diagnosis that I'll give to them is
that you have some personality problems caused by repeated blows to
the head.  The problems should fade in time if allowed to heal, or
will merge with your old personality to become a part of a new
personality.  As for the real problem...I'm going to give Kasumi some
books for you to read.  Some of them will be directly tied to the
problem...others will be to help you do some soul-searching.  Okay?"
     Ranma smiled weakly.  "O...okay, Doc.  Thanks."
     Tofu bowed to his patient.  "You're welcome."  He looked over at
Ranma's clothes, currently sitting in an orderly pile.  "Now get
dressed.  Kasumi and Mr. Tendo will be waiting."

***

     The walk back to the dojo was certainly a quiet one - almost a
funeral, Ranma thought.  Soun was silent; he had taken Tofu's
diagnosis with little enthusiasm.  Occasionally he would steal
desperate glances Ranma's way, but other than that remained in his
own world.  Kasumi, as always, walked right beside her father, a
duffel bag of books carried away from Soun's gaze.
     Ranma, of course, was enjoying the day.  There was just
something about the feel of wind along her legs that sent chills down
her spine, and she longed to drink in as much of the feeling as
possible.  She lightly skipped down the path, giving an occasional
twirl just to feel the dress flow around her.  It was a remarkably
beautiful day, and she had vowed to enjoy each such day as much as
she could.  Besides, she had a date to prepare for...and a new life
to forge.
     Upon entering the house, Ranma stepped out of her shoes, and ran
up the stairs to her room.  She walked inside, threw open the closet
excitedly...then turned back around.
     Someone had done some serious redecorating to the room.  The
futons were moved out, replaced by a soft Western-style bed, complete
with flower-pattern comforter and soft, plushy animals near the
pillows.  The other furniture in the room - a wooden dresser, a desk,
and a full-length mirror - all were decorated with a woman in mind,
though could be converted to a more unisex style at a moment's
notice.  A case for her cosmetics sat on top of the desk, as well as
a small jewellery box for those few items she'd managed to acquire.
     For a moment, she wondered if Azusa had moved in.
     "So...do you like it?"
     Ranma's eyes moved around the room in wonder, eventually coming
to focus at the door - and her mother.  "Um...yeah. 
It's...beautiful."  She walked over to the bed, and picked up a teddy
bear.  "Just one thing, Mom:  How old do you think I am, anyway?"
     Nodoka grimaced for a moment.  "Well, I...when you were younger,
I always wanted you to have a pleasant childhood.  I always regretted
sending you off with your father, and I guess I tried to make up for
it."
     Ranma gave her mother the best reassurance she could: a gentle
kiss on the cheek.  "Thanks, Mom.  When did you arrange all this,
anyway?"
     Nodoka smiled at the kiss.  "A couple of days ago.  I saw you
were down after that Kodachi girl attacked, so I thought I'd try to
cheer you up."
     "Well, it worked," Ranma whispered, a wry grin painted on her
face.  "This is... This is going to take some getting used to."  She
experimentally felt the soft mattress, then lay down on it.  "This is
definitely going to take some getting used to.  How do people sleep
on something this soft, anyway?"
     "Ask the girls.  They're the ones who helped me on this."  She
sat down on the bed, and picked up one of the animals.  "And as for
these...blame Kasumi.  She thought you could use the company since
you're used to sleeping with your father."
     Ranma looked down at the teddy bear in her hands.  Truth to
tell, it was rather cute, with soft, brown fur, loose filler inside,
and a slightly morose expression.  "Uh...Mom?"
     "Yes, dear?"
     "There's one animal missing from the collection."
     Nodoka arched an eyebrow.  "Really?  And what's that?"
     "Well, I *am* used to sleeping with a panda bear..."
     Nodoka reached across the animals to grab one of the pillows,
then swung it at her daughter.  In seconds the two were engaged in a
full-blown pillow fight, like ten-year-olds at a slumber party.  

***

     Ranma slammed the book closed with a groan of frustration, and
looked at the pile remaining for her to peruse.  Tofu-Sensei had
given her a book on 'her condition' to read, only to find it knew
absolutely nothing about her condition.  The doctors would talk of
psychology and endocrinology, when the answer was far more complex.  
     This was why the other books were there, Ranma guessed.  Medical
knowledge was one thing; the soul another.  Science usually scoffed
at the idea of the inner spirit, and ignored the most obvious details 
and symptoms as a result.  Tofu had given her other books, tomes of
spiritual guidance that would be invaluable help in discovering the
soul, the essence of Ranma Saotome.  Ranma closed her eyes and
assumed a prayer position, letting her memories and feelings guide
her home.
     Her journey was short-lived, however, as a knock from the door
brought her from her reverie.  She placed the book on top of her
desk, and turned to the door.
     "Ranma, are you okay in there?  I thought I heard a scream."
     Ranma winced.  "Yeah, Akane, I'm okay.  Come on in."
     The moment Akane walked in, Ranma could tell that something was
bothering her.  Her hands were clasped together in front of her
dress, and her eyes met the floor almost as often as they met
Ranma's.
     "What are you doing, Ranma?"
     Ranma tapped the book lightly, making sure its title was
obscured.  "Oh...doing a little reading that Tofu-Sensei recommended. 
He apparently thinks I have some sort of problem from the knock you
gave me earlier, and was hoping this would fix it."
     Akane looked hopeful for a moment.  "Will it?"
     Ranma shook her head.  "Not likely.  It...if it was given to me
by anyone but Tofu-Sensei, I'd wonder what it had to do with me."
     "Oh."  Akane continued to stare at her feet.
     "What's wrong, Akane?"
     Akane wrung her hands together.  "I...it's nothing, Ranma."
     Ranma simply looked at her, then moved over to the bed.  Her
hand gestured for Akane to join her.  "Talk to me, Akane."
     Akane sat down, and began to make artful markings with her feet.
"Ranma...do you remember when you first came here?  When all the guys
were trying to beat me up?"  Ranma nodded.
     "Well, having to fight Kunou and everyone every day was bad, but
it wasn't the worst part of it.  The worst part was going to the
locker room every day...and hearing the whispers."  
     "Whispers?"
     Akane grimaced.  "You know what the other girls are like
sometimes, how gossipy they can be...Anyway, back then, they thought
that, just because I was fighting all these guys every day, that I
was..."
     "It's okay, Akane."  Ranma put her hand over Akane's, to help
soothe her nerves.  "I'm here."
     The comfort was all Akane needed to continue.  "They thought I
was a lesbian.  They shunned me from all regular activities - except
when they wanted to win some sports event, of course - and just made
my life a living hell until you came along."
     "You mean until my male form came along."  Akane nodded in
reply.  Ranma edged closer to her, and put her arm around Akane's
waist.  
     "Akane, did I ever tell you about the day when I found out about
my desires?"  On seeing Akane's negative, Ranma continued.
     "I was in the locker room at the time.  I...I hadn't really had
a relationship since Ryouga, not because of any problems...but just
because something inside of me didn't want to.  I think...that
something inside of me was trying to protect me."
     Akane blinked.  "You had a relationship with Ryouga?
     Ranma rolled her eyes, "Of course I did.  How do you think I
discovered I don't like boys, at least not in that way?  Anyway, I
was in there getting ready to fight Hinako-Sensei.  I *had* to beat
her, so I ran in in my normal body with a girls' gym outfit to put
on.  There were a couple of other girls in there at the time,
skipping class and just gossiping.  I got a good look at one...and
she got a good look at me."
     Ranma sighed, playing the 'memory' well.  "In that moment, I was
glad that I had changed back to a girl.  If I was a guy, my desires
would have shown too well.  She had the most beautiful body, Akane,
so much so that it was impossible to ignore what I was feeling.  Her
brown eyes seemed to capture me, holding me there while I took in the
rest of her form.  I...I found myself lusting after, wishing I could
share in those perfect breasts, feel those legs that seemed to go on
forever..."  Ranma stopped for a moment as tears threatened.  "It
took me an hour to stop crying."
     Akane nodded.  She'd been there.  "I cried everyday after school
until you came along."
     The arm around Akane's waist squeezed for a moment, giving her a
reassuring hug.  "Akane, I can't decide your life for you.  If you
want to back out of this, go ahead.  It's not easy living as a
lesbian.  At first I blamed the curse, then Pop's upbringing.
Eventually, I learned how useless blame was.  Akane, I...I am me, for
better or worse."  She turned to touch Akane on the cheek.  "I just
hope you learn who you are - even if it is without me."  
     Akane fought her own tears, and forced a simple smile.  "I'd
better get ready for our date."
     Ranma nodded, smiling.  "So should I.  See you in an hour,
Akane."
     "Okay," Akane cracked.  Ranma could see the tension in Akane's
bearing, as well as the nervousness in her own.  She wasn't sure, but
she swore there was something mutual between them, a powerful
friendship that, one day, she hoped she could call love.  
     What she didn't know was who exactly Akane loved - the man who
had appeared one day in her bathroom, or the woman that man had
become.  
     Sighing, Ranma moved back to the desk.  There was another book
that Kasumi had bought for her, one she desperately wanted to use.
She brought the black hardcover out of its wrappings, and flipped
through the pages.
     Blank - like her current self.
     She picked up a pen from a nearby drawer, and held it over the
virgin paper.  There was so much that she wanted to write.  She could
feel the doubts and dreams aching at her mind, urging to be put into
corporeal words.  After a full half-hour of searching, though, she
could only find a few scant words to write:
     *My name is Ranma Saotome.  I am a...I don't know what I am.*
     She stared at the words for a long time - perhaps too long. 
That was the crux of her dilemma, the whole source of the problem.
She was no man.  He was no woman.  He was supposed to be one or the
other.  Somehow, in her case, the coin flip of gender had landed on
its edge, leaving her with a precarious balancing act.  
     A glance at the clock shook her from the diary.  She didn't have
much time; her date with Akane was supposed to start in thirty
minutes, and she still had a lot to do.  Pushing her questions to the
back of her mind, she stripped off her clothes and began her
preparations.  
     She started her outfit as she had started her adventures a week
previous - with a racy snow-white lingerie set.  After all, if what
she wore outside of her body flattered her figure, then she'd feel a
lot sexier on the inside.  After donning the bra and panties, she
walked over to the mirror, the model's poses coming once she caught a
glimpse of herself.
     She had to admit that she liked what she saw.  Her body was
something special, and she couldn't help but admire the forces that
had come together to shape her.  Artful curves and a healthy build
were hers thanks to Jusenkyo, while years of exercise left her with
lean, powerful muscle tone.  The two combined made for a body to take
anyone's breath away, man or woman.  
     She walked over to the closet, and opened the doors wide.  Her
Chinese outfits were still there, taking up a good half of the used
closet space.  Along with them, though, were outfits she was starting
to find more appealing... and more natural to her.  She took out a
skirt and blouse, and laid them on the bed.  She was actually
thankful she didn't have a full wardrobe collection; if she did, then
choosing an outfit would have been more difficult.  As an
afterthought, she brought out some black hose, and walked back to her
bed.  
     She stopped for a moment after putting the hose on, as old
questions came back to her.  This time, though, the questions were
different in focus.  It was no longer about what she wanted.  She had
a good idea as to what she really desired, though there were still
some doubts there.
     It was about what Akane wanted.
     Could Akane love someone who was, at most, half a man?  Could
Akane love someone who wasn't a man, and would never be again?  Her
mind went back to the doubts that plagued her after the Herb
incident.  Losing her manhood hadn't really frightened her, at least
not as much as she thought it would have.  Losing Akane,
though...that scared her enough to keep going. She shook her head to
dispel her fears, and moved to put on her skirt.  It came on with a
quick slide and zip, as though the movements were perfectly natural. 
She moved over to the desk, and began to apply her makeup.  
     It took her longer than she'd have hoped.  She wasn't as adept
at it as she would have liked, unfortunately; years of girlhood had
been compressed into days for her.  Base and lipstick were easy;
eyeliner wasn't.  She ended up redecorating her eyes twice due to
errors, a trial that nearly had her fuming.  Still, after some
persistence, she got her makeup on right, and moved to finish
dressing.  
     After putting on the blouse and looking in the mirror, she
frowned.  Something was missing... she just wasn't sure what.  She
tried putting on a short jacket to compliment the skirt, but that
didn't go over well.  Finally it dawned on her: Jewellery.  She put
on a thin gold necklace and earrings, to show off the curves of her
neck and face.  Once completed, she looked at her reflection in the
mirror.
     Perfect.  Absolutely perfect.  The black skirt and hose shrouded
her legs while showing off their shape at the same time, the blouse
hid her figure enough for modesty while accentuating her pure
femininity, and the makeup and body did the rest.  Smiling, she
picked up her shoes.  It was time to get a second opinion.  
     Fortunately, the second opinion concurred.  All eyes turned on
her the moment she walked down to the first floor.  Soun's jaw rested
on the floor, while her father just stood there, his eyes wide.  The
women in the room glowed with excitement; she'd obviously done well.
     "Ranma, you look absolutely beautiful!"  Her mother eyed her
carefully, making sure every button and accessory was in place. 
"It's nice to see you looking less like a tomboy."
     "Thanks, Mom."  Ranma felt a lump in her throat.  'Tomboy' was a
very good description of her...until now, that is.  "I couldn't have
done it without you."  The two shared a hug, holding onto each other
as though time were about to slip by.
     Time did slip by - in the form of a tuxedo-clad beauty.
     Akane chose that moment to walk downstairs.  Her outfit was a
clear variation on the old tuxedo, with a black short jacket with
tails, slacks, and a rose on her lapel.  Her gender, though, was
never in any doubt; her curves were just too much for a mere article
of clothing to hide.  Besides, the hose and heels were a
much-appreciated touch, giving an incongruous elegance to the
traditionally-masculine outfit.  She moved around to Ranma's field of
vision, and smiled.
     "Ranma, you look...amazing."
     Vocal skills took a few minutes for Ranma to recover.  "Thanks.
Akane...that outfit...it suits you well.  It...shows just how much
woman you are, when you're unmistakeable even in an outfit like
that."
     Akane clearly weighed the comment in her mind, then smiled.
"Thanks, Ranma."  She offered a hand to her more
traditionally-attired date.  "Care to accompany me?"
     Ranma looked at the hand, then smiled.  "Why, of course, I
would, kind sir!  Just lead the way."  The two left the house amid
smiles and tears, and watched as the sun began to lazily set on the
horizon.  

***

Sorry, the tux just called to me.

Katrina Lee Halbred
Hitomi Ichinohei
Nicholas Leifker
June 22, 1998



-- Attached file included as plaintext by Listar --
-- File: clothes9.txt


Why yes, Hell has frozen over.  Why do you ask?

Clothes Make The...

Chapter Nine:

A fan fiction based on Takahashi Rumiko's Manga series, Ranma 1/2

Saotome Ranma, Saotome Genma, Saotome Nodoka, Tendo Akane, Tendo Soun,
Tendo Kasumi, Tendo Nabiki, Kuonji Ukyou, Hibiki Ryouga, P-chan, 
Shampoo, Mousse, Cologne, Kunou Tatewaki, Kunou Kodachi, Tofu Ono 
Sensei, and Hinako Ninomiya Sensei are copyright 1987, 1998 by 
Takahashi Rumiko.

Publishing rights:

Japan:          Sogakukan Inc. Tokyo
Hong Kong:      Jademan (Holdings) Ltd.
North America:  Viz Inc.

By Nicholas Leifker, Katrina Halbred, and Ichinohei Hitomi

***

        Ryouga's life was looking about like it always did.
        Adrift.
        This time, though, he was *really* lost.  It had been weeks
since he'd seen a familiar place - or, for that matter, a familiar
face.  He'd seen too many miles lately, too many unfriendly roads and
rainstorms, and the emptiness left him tired.  He wanted home, whether
it be the peace of Akari's farm or the comfort of Akane's dojo.  Heck,
by this point he'd even welcome Ranma's ugly mug.  
        "Ranma..."  The growl was almost instinctive by now.  Blaming it
on Ranma just felt good; in a way, it felt natural.  In some strange
way, everything came back to him, and he wasn't always able to answer. 
Besides, who knew what Ranma was doing to Akane by this time?
        He nodded his head, steeling his resolve.  He had to get to the
dojo - immediately.  
        "Could you please tell me how to get to Tokyo?"
        The scrawny gentleman he asked merely blinked.  "Um... you're IN
Tokyo, young man."
        Ryouga blinked.  This wasn't Hokkaido?  Even better!  "Can you
tell me how to get to the Tendo Dojo?"
        The man blanched at the words.  "What do you want to go there
for?  They're crazy, they are!"
        Ryouga fought down more choice words.  Defending Akane's honor
was one thing; defending Akane another.  "Please, sir... just tell me
the way."
        The man shrugged.  "Just go down to the end of that street, then
make a right.  You can't miss it."
        Ryouga positively glowed with joy.  She was in sight!  "Thank
you, kind sir!  Thank you!"  The end of the street.  That's all he
needed to get to.  The end of the street...

***

        "Close your eyes, Ranma.  I want this to be a surprise."
        "OK, Akane."  Silencing the questions inside of her, Ranma
closed her eyes and held out her hand.  This was a part of her new
identity; just a week previous, such obedience or trust would never have
crossed her mind.  Now, though, it felt natural.  She still didn't know
how to feel about it; as she was finding out, every curse had a
blessing, and every blessing a curse.  The taxi ride here was such a
blessing; she had enjoyed the feel of Akane's shoulder as they rode
through the city, and the conversation that flowed like wine between
them.  It had been remarkably comfortable, with no fights or insults
occurring, and for the first time she was actually getting to know her
fiancee without the barriers normally set between them.
        Akane giggled, a noise Ranma heard all too rarely.  "Don't
worry, Ranma.  It's... just a little place Nabiki recommended.  I think
you'll like it."
        Ranma stopped.  "Nabiki recommended it?  How much did you have
to pay her?"
        "Whatever it was, don't you think it was worth it?" Akane said,
a grin to her voice.  "Don't tell me the confident martial artist is
worried over a few yen."
        Ranma sighed softly.  This was one of the curses of her new
life: being treated as though she shouldn't think about things.  All her
life, she'd been forced to be self-reliant, as it was the only way to
survive on the road with her father.  At the moment, though, she had
ceded the masculine role - and the power that went with it - to Akane,
and that meant losing touch with some of the things that affected them. 
Her opinion didn't matter, not unless she was displeased by something. 
Ranma stopped; all of a sudden, she clued in to why Akane had been so
angry all of the time.
        "Ranma?"  She felt Akane's hot breath against her ear.  "Are you
all right?"
        Ranma shook slightly, to clear her thoughts.  "Sorry, Akane. 
I'll tell you later."
        "Okay."  Ranma felt Akane pull on her hand, leading her along
through perilous high-heeled steps
        "You can open your eyes now, love."
        Ranma's eyes were assaulted with the glow of golden light.  To
her left, a large, brightly lit dining room expanded out from them; to
her right, a bar that looked far more classy than the dives she'd
dragged her father out of.  The place had a welcoming atmosphere; brass
rails shone with polish, and fine hardwoods composed the majority of the
furnishings.  She noted absently a hallway behind her, with several
other rooms branching out from there.
        "Where are we, Akane?"
        Her date smiled, and shrugged toward the bar.  "It's a private
club.  Once Nabiki told me about it, I felt it would be the best place
for us to spend the evening.  Here, we don't have to be concerned what
everyone else thinks."  Ranma's eyes darted around the room; women were
the sole occupants, though a few were dressed similarly to Akane.  "They
already know about your curse; they know all about us."
        Akane's words slowed down toward the end, enough of a clue for
Ranma to guess what was next.  The quick kiss that came was different; it 
felt strange to have Akane's arms around her waist, rather than the other 
way around, though she quickly got used to it.  It was a small taste of 
things to come; she buzzed with the ache for more.
        "That was... nice, Akane."  She caught her breath, forcing down
more potent emotions.  "Can we do that again?
        Akane arched an eyebrow; Ranma blinked at the mischief and desire
in her eyes.  "Um... perhaps later - when we wouldn't make a scene."  Her
date turned to the bar.  "Um... ma'am?"
        The bartender walked over to them.  Ranma frowned at the eyes;
they smiled freely, but with a slow pace that talked of things past. 
"May I help you?"
        Akane smiled, another expression Ranma enjoyed watching.  "Could
we have some sake while we wait for our table?"
        "Of course."  The bartender reached under the bar, producing two
warm bottles, and winked at Ranma.  "Are you two new here?  I'm sure I
would have noticed you or your lovely companion before."
        Ranma blushed.  Akane laughed lightly, with a slightly nervous
flutter.  "Yes, it's our first time here.  My name is Tendo Akane and
this is Saotome Ranma."
        The bartender blinked for a moment as she eyed Ranma carefully,
then smiled.  "My name's Kaori.  The dinner table will be ready in a
little while, but we do happen to have a table reserved for you here as
well."  She placed the bottles on a tray.  "If you would care to follow
me?"  Kaori led them to a small table by the window, and offered their
seats to them.  She gave an enigmatic smile to Akane as she whispered,
"I hope you enjoy yourselves."
        All Ranma could do was stare at the romantic table setting. 
White and pink flowers surrounded the table from ledges above, giving
off a delicate perfume; in the centre of the table was a glass water
bowl with heart-shaped candles floating inside. The window offered an
excellent view of the city outside, with the moon and a small number of
stars visible.
        Akane helped her into one of the plush velvet seats;
instinctively, she smoothed out her skirt before sitting.  Her date then
sat opposite of her, her smile quieting.
        "Do you like it?"
        Ranma's gape melted into a broad smile.  "It's lovely!  It's
like a dream come true."
        There was almost a sadness to Akane's gaze.  "Good.  I... had
hoped that you would like it."  Akane reached an arm out to touch
Ranma's; the grasp sent goosebumps down her spine.  "You mean a lot to
me, and this was meant to show you how much.  I know it's not much, and
I doubt that we can go out like this very often, but I hope that we can
at least have tonight."
        Ranma's heart filled with a sort of warmth it had never known
before.  So many times, she'd gotten close to this; each time, something
held her back, some part of her sheltered away from everyone, even
herself.  Now, though, there was nothing being held back.  For the first
time that she could remember, Ranma just felt the love of the person
sitting across from her.  It was something she couldn't describe,
something that affected her in ways undreamed.
        She explored Akane's grip on her hand, letting her fingers feel
the creases in Akane's palm.  "Akane, everything is perfect.  I'm here
with you."  The two of them didn't say a word for awhile after that,
drinking in the comfort of each other's company.

***

        He'd lost her.
        Again.
        Ryouga sat down on the curb, venting his sorrows into a map of
Canada.  He'd gotten close, so close... there was no telling where he
was, now.  All he knew was that he was here, and his friends were
elsewhere, out of his life.
        "Close your eyes, Ranma.  I want this to be a surprise."
        His ears perked up.  Akane!  That had to be her voice!  He
jumped up, ready to tear the neighborhood apart.
        "Okay, Akane," the response came, allowing him to find the
source.  Akane was there, dressed smartly in a tuxedo.  But... the
person next to her couldn't be Ranma.  No woman that beautiful could be
his rival.  Moreover, Ranma would never talk or act or dress or BE so...
so... feminine.  He held a nose as he got a good look at her: shapely
legs, firm body, healthy (ahem) endowments... beautiful, perfectly-made
face... face...
        Ranma?
        He blinked, just to make sure.  That... that woman.... was
Ranma.  It was too close to Ranma to be anyone else.  He strained his
neck as they entered the building; perhaps if he got closer, he could
find out just *what* Ranma was up to.
        A peek into the club itself provided more answers than he
wanted.  Ranma was definitely up to something - her mouth was engaged in
a brief duel with Akane's, a touch reserved for the intimate.  After the
kiss came the looks - that moment in between dream and real life, when
the person is wondering just what happened.  In this case, Ranma wasn't
alone in such musings; Ryouga quite simply couldn't believe his eyes. 
He looked around; all he could see were women.  Some shapely, some
tough, some cute, some just ordinary... but all had a look in their
eyes.  A look he'd seen all too often - the look of the hungry.
        An image of female Ranma and Akane together crossed his mind;
darkness took him shortly thereafter.

***

        Tendo Nabiki was a patient woman.  It was a learned trait; all
too often in her rebellious youth, she had lost out on opportunities
because of her haste.  Loss had tempered her, as it does any soul; she
learned from her mistakes, and went on.  Whatever she desired would come
eventually, if she knew to wait for the opportunity.
        Sighing, she looked up from her studies, and glanced at the
clock.  Eight o'clock; Akane and Ranma had been gone at least an hour,
her father and Mr. Saotome were likely to be drunk, and Kasumi was in
her room, reading and closing the day.
        It was time, she knew, to strike.  
        She put the book down; the downward open-faced turn of the book
would suggest to visitors that she wouldn't be gone long, thus
encouraging them to wait.  She opened the door and padded out of her
room, careful to avoid prying eyes.  She knew which spots on the floor
to avoid; like any older house, it had its weak points, and she didn't
want a loud creak to announce her prowlings.  A long moment later, she
slid the door to Ranma's room open, and looked around.  
        Something was wrong with Ranma.  She didn't know what the girl
was playing at; all she knew was that what everyone was saying didn't
add up.  All else aside, people just didn't have their pasts rewritten
like that.  Not even Shampoo's little shampoo could achieve what
happened to Ranma; nothing could.  That meant that Ranma was up to
something.  
        Her eyes narrowed when she saw the books; Ranma had never been
the scholarly type.  In fact, she'd almost never seen a book in Ranma's
room, not unless she was trying to learn some new martial arts
technique.  There was the possibility that they were from Nodoka;
somehow, though, she doubted that.
        She picked up the first book; she remembered the title from
Kaori's library.  That in itself raised her suspicions; Kaori's library
was eccentric, to say the least.  The following titles were equally
eccentric; gender studies and medical journals were mixed with Buddhist
writings and inspirational works.  
        The last work, though, was the kicker.  She knew a journal when
she saw one; journals were good if someone didn't want to keep secrets. 
All it would take is one turn of the page, and all of Ranma's secrets
would be laid bare.  
        She opened the book.  
        She read the words on the first page, then closed the book.  She
didn't need to read any more.  
        Nabiki steadied herself against the bedpost, in an effort to
take in the surprise.  Her instincts had suggested Ranma was up to some
sort of scam; what she didn't know until then was that the scam had
ended with Ranma's change, rather than begun.  Part of her wanted to
laugh; part of her wanted to cry for her little sister - both her little
sisters.  She barely had the presence of mind to put the books in order 
before leaving the room.

***

        "What do you dream of, Ranma?"
        Ranma blinked.  After the fairly light conversation so far, she
hadn't expected something so powerful.  "Excuse me?"
        "Sorry."  Akane looked away, and took a sip of water.  "It's
just... I've come to realise a lot tonight - a lot that I don't know." 
She reached across, and traced Ranma's chin with her fingers.  "There's
so much inside of you that nobody knows, so much that you keep hidden...
I just wanted to know what's inside of you.  What you want.  What you
desire the most."  She smiled.  "What you dream of."
        Ranma swallowed.  Such a simple question, it was; so simple, in
fact, that it hit with the force of a sledgehammer.  There was so much
that she wanted, so many little frustrations with her life.  She wanted
to live as she desired, she wanted someone likely Akane to spend it
with, she wanted an end to the endless duels... The word came to her
like a thunderbolt, out of her mouth as she thought it.
        "Peace."
        Akane blinked.  Her fingers drummed against her knee.  "Peace?"
        Ranma rested her head in her hands, contemplating in a
not-quite-seductive pose.  "I'm tired, Akane, a lot more than I let on. 
Until I came to the dojo, I never had a home; ever since I arrived, I've
been too busy to enjoy it.  I can't relax; I have too many enemies to
relax.  On top of that, I don't even know who I am anymore sometimes,
thanks to this stupid curse.  Do you know what it's like to doubt who
you are like that?"  Her blue eyes flashed with frustration.  "I want
enough room to live as I am, without lies."  She reached across the
table, and pushed Akane's bangs from her eyes.  "And... I want room to
love as I am, without lies."
        Ranma bit her lip; she wanted to tell her so badly, let her know
who she was, why she was... "Akane?"
        "Yes?"  Akane was blushing; no doubt, she was expecting
something different.
        "There's so much about me that I'm ashamed of.  For so long I...
denied who I was, not even capable of admitting how I felt inside. 
Then, when I finally did, I felt just as guilty, because someone
somewhere down the line told me it was wrong."
        "Then let go, Ranma.  Let it go."
        "Huh?"  Ranma blinked; this wasn't something she'd ever
imagined.
        "Ranma, do you know how much courage it took to arrange to come
here, once Nabiki told me about it?"  She rubbed her fingernails along
the table.  "Ranma, you're ashamed of how you feel.  I... I'm frightened
by it.  I shouldn't be feeling this, I shouldn't be wanting this.  And
yet... I try.  Because, if I give this up, without ever exploring how I
feel... I may lose out on something good."
        The words were on Ranma's tongue; one sentence, and their
relationship would take a new dimension.
        "Akane, I..."  She couldn't say it.  No matter how much she
wanted to, she couldn't say it.  "Akane, I... have to go to the
bathroom."
        Akane nearly facefaulted into her soup.  "Okay, Ranma.  Just
don't take too long."
        "I won't."  Ranma smiled her best smile, and headed to the
bathroom.  She had a decision to make, and that place seemed the best
location.

***

        Tendo Soun normally considered himself a patient man.  It was a
necessary part of the craziness his life had absorbed, a quality in
existence ever since his wife departed.  Raising three girls by himself
was no easy task, especially considering the well of emotions they
bottled inside.  When Ranma arrived, that insanity increased tenfold;
the boy, while both sincere and talented in the Art, seemed to attract
trouble with a penchant only observed from the Master.
        That patience, though, was waning.
        There was only one goal left in the shambles his life had
become: ensure that his family and, by extension, his Art, would
continue.  Ranma's arrival had seemed to handle that; even if he didn't
wish to admit it, the boy did hold feelings for his baby, and Akane
seemed to give them back.  All it would require was a little
encouragement and they would be a couple locked in each other's love. 
They would marry, have a child, and unite the schools into one,
all-powerful Art.
        What he didn't expect was for his plan to backfire.
        When he had learned the truth of Ranma's nature, he had not
considered it a problem.  After all, the boy thought of himself as a
man, and considered his curse to be an abomination to be rid of as soon
as possible.  As a man, Ranma had all of the desires and urges that
young men normally have, and those would ultimately lead to
grandchildren.
        But, as a woman, that picture changed dramatically.  He had
always known that Akane's temper would lead to their downfall; he was
more right than he wanted to be, as it had been her blow that had caused
Ranma's... shift in perception.  Ranma now thought of herself as
one-hundred-percent female, with body to match.  Tofu had said that the
old Ranma would likely come back in time; unfortunately, the time frame
was likely years - too long to risk.
        Ranma was a lesbian now - and quickly dragging his baby girl
down with her.  They were acting with a comfort uncomfortable to him. 
He hadn't thought much concerning Akane's exhortations concerning her
dislike of men; now, though, every frustration-tinged cry was coming
back to him, mocking him, showing him the truth he'd fought to hide.
        Akane loved Ranma - just not the Ranma he wanted her to love.
        There was only one way out of this travesty.  He had been
hesitant to use it before; to do so would stretch the dojo's resources
to the limit.  He would likely have to start some new classes to make up
for the lost capital.  Genma, of course, would have to help; it wasn't
like he was doing much anyway.
        His smile like a Cheshire cat, Soun began to plan.  With luck,
the dojo would gain some positive press by the time Ranma and Akane were
ready to take it over.  And, once that occurred, he would make sure that
the two of them were ready to create the next generation of martial
artists.

***

        Kaori came by the table, "So, want to talk about it?"
        Akane looked up, startled at being asked such a question.  "What
do you mean?"
        The bartender shook her head slowly.  "You're nervous.  I don't
think your date's noticed, she has her head in the clouds and stars in
her eyes, but the way you're pushing yourself to make this 'a perfect
night' tells me one of four things.  First, that you pissed her off in
some way and now you're trying to apologise, second, you trying to
seduce and then dump her, third, you're planning on asking her to become
your wife, or fourth, you're still unsure of yourself.  From what
Na-chan told me, I doubt it's the first three."
        Akane looked down at the table and gulped a bit.  "Is it that
obvious?"
        Kaori shrugged lightly and sat down, looking towards the
washroom where Ranma had gone a little while ago.  "Yeah.  Look, I kinda
understand your situation.  Hell, half of Tokyo must know who Ranma is,
and he...she's been the talk of the whole homosexual community for
almost a year now.  Do you know how many trans are trying to find a way
to have whatever that water was that 'cursed' her transported here? 
Although we know about it, the Chinese government won't acknowledge the
existence of magic.  I know Na-chan has tried getting it a few times,
just for the profit, but it would take a hell of a smuggling operation. 
Getting back on topic though, she's still the same person inside, no
matter what she looks like on the outside."
        Akane looked up and blinked.  "Do you know how differently she's
acting?  It's like the person I fell in love with died, and by my
hands.  I couldn't even...I wasn't...She was attacked and I wasn't there
to defend or help her.  Do you know how much that hurts?"
        Kaori sighed.  Despite everything that Akane had gone through,
she was still just a teenager, with the same insecurities that all
teenagers had, only made worse by an accident and the situation
surrounding her.  "Akane-chan.  You loved her before this, and it's
obvious you still love her.  Damned if she isn't in love with you the
way she looks at you.  The question is, do you love her enough to be
with her, no matter the cost?  That's what loves about, taking the bad
with the good, surviving, and overcoming small problems."
        Akane's guilty expression became somewhat annoyed.  "You think
that having the man you love become a woman is a small problem? 
It's...It's a nightmare!  She's the same, but different, and it's not
something that's temporary.  In a less than a week, she's become a
complete woman, a brand new person, so how the hell am I supposed to
adjust to that?"
        The bartender shrugged, "The same way I did when the man I loved
became the woman I love."
        For a few seconds, the eyes of the young woman in the tuxedo
goggled.  "What?  You mean you have a boyfriend who went to Jusenkyo
too?"
        Kaori grinned.  "Nope.  Happened the old fashioned way.  Tell ya
what, come by tomorrow and I'll tell you about it.  Now get that look
off your face and treat your date to the time of her life, because she's
coming back now.  I'll get a couple of sake for you on the house and
pretend you ordered another round."
        Akane nodded lightly and composed herself before Ranma came back
to the table.  That's when something that Kaori said broke into her
mind.  *Na-chan?!?  How well does she know my sister?!*

***

        Ranma stared at her reflection in the toilet's waters, wondering
where it had all gone wrong.  It all seemed so innocent, then; it was
just a little experiment to see what kind of person she was.  She
thought she could back out at any time; she thought she could go back
without any regrets.
        That was before tonight.  What happened tonight was special; she
and Akane were living what they should have had a long time ago. 
Without her masculinity in the way, they were able to express how they
felt to each other.
        Her old gender was an impediment, now.  How could she go back on
such a beautiful lie?
        A knock echoed on the door to her stall.  "Ano... are you all
right in there?"  She noted the voice: it was undeniably feminine, but a
little... off.
        Ranma shook herself together.  Appearances were important for a
woman, after all.  "Yes, I am.  Do you need to use the toilet?"
        "No.  I just thought... you seemed so distraught when you
entered, that I thought you might need someone to talk to."  Again, that
voice raised warning bells.
        Ranma opened the stall door.  The woman waiting on the other end
was remarkably beautiful; for a moment, Ranma wondered her secret. 
Long, dark, wavy hair cascaded down her shoulders; unusual green eyes
stared at her, staring *through* her.  She wore a waitress outfit, a
striking blue skirt-and-blouse combination modest enough for taste, but
alluring enough to get attention from the guests.  "Well... I don't
know.  I don't really want to trouble you..."  Another lie; Ranma just
didn't want to trouble herself.
        The woman smiled; for a moment, Ranma was reminded of Kasumi. 
"Oh, it's no trouble.  My partner and I are quite good with people's
problems."  She knelt against the counter top, and offered a place next
to her.
        Ranma looked at the place for a moment.  Perhaps the truth
really could set her free.  She leaned next to her, and stared at her
shoes for a moment.
        "Did you ever love someone - really love someone?"
        The mystery woman nodded.  "Love is something we rarely
understand.  I never knew what it was until I found it tested."
        Ranma nodded.  That was *definitely* something she understood. 
"I... I love Akane.  I would die for her.  That's why this hurts so
much."
        The woman nodded without speaking.  Ranma took the cue.  "I...
I've been lying to her.  If she knew my secret... she'd think I was some
sort of pervert."
        "Is it a lie?  Truly?"
        Ranma started at the question.  "It's... less than it was when I
started, but yes."  She shuffled her shoes along the tile floor.  "And
if she ever found out, that would end it."
        The woman smiled faintly.  "Are you sure?"
        Ranma closed her eyes.  "Absolutely sure."  Her mind forced her
to remember other moments, times (like now) when Akane was more
understanding.  "Well... pretty sure.  At any rate, she's not going to
be happy when she hears about it."
        The woman looked up at the lights, a strange chuckle stuck in
her throat.  "Saotome Ranma, I know you have some serious problems, ones
you may feel that you can't tell right now."  She turned to Ranma, and
flashed a smile once more.  "But love means having faith in your
partner.  Your love is stronger than you think, after all."  She rose
from her leaning position, and headed for the door.  "If you need any
special help, ask Kaori for me.  Until then... good luck."  She left the
ladies' room, leaving Ranma alone with her thoughts.

***

        The glare of the chandelier shone in Ranma's eyes as she walked
out to her table.  The talk did make her feel better, enough to go on;
after all, she wasn't likely to have another night like this.  Precious
hours waited until dawn, and she wanted to make the most of them.
        She almost felt like crying when her eyes met Akane's; it was
like staring in the face of God.  Akane was so forward with her
feelings, so expressive; Ranma truly didn't deserve a woman like her. 
She could see a wealth of emotion in her dark eyes: fear, relief,
happiness, hope, worry... the whirlwind of the soul in love.  At the
same time, she felt that every emotion, every sin she was disguising,
was within the plain sight of those eyes.
        She faltered for a moment; any words she could say would pale in
comparison to her.  "Um... did you wait long?"
        Akane's gaze turned away; she changed from deity to blushing
bride.  "No."  She looked at their plates - not quite empty, but close
enough.  "I hope you don't consider this too forward, but are you
finished?"
        Ranma nodded.  She'd eaten enough tonight; what she needed was a
different sort of nourishment.
        Akane smiled.  "Good.  I... there's something I'd like for us to
share before we go back."  She licked her lips seductively. 
"Something... intimate."
        Ranma's eyes widened.  Akane being seductive... the mind boggled
at the possibility.  "Uh... okay."
        "Are you two done?"
        Both of them turned at the sound; for a moment, all they'd heard
was each other.  Ranma blinked; Kaori stood a quiet distance away.  Even
more surprising, the waitress she'd talked to stood next to her, a
slender arm wrapped around the bartender.  "Yes, we are."  She bit her
lip.  "Um... are you two..."
        The waitress twisted her slender neck, and latched herself onto
Kaori's lips.  "Yes, we are," she whispered breathlessly.  Ranma noticed
Akane's face; for once, her expression was unreadable.  "Did you enjoy
your time here?"
        "Yes."  Ranma blinked at Akane; their voices had been
synchronous.  "Um... pardon me, but I don't even know your name."
        The waitress looked almost amused for a moment.  "Newcomers call
me Madame Blue; it helps with the mystique around here.  You two,
however, can call me Aoi."
        Ranma blinked.  "Aoi.  Nice name."  She started; Akane drew her
into a grasp not unlike Aoi's.  "Um... how much do we owe you?"
        Kaori shook her head, a smile plastered on her face.  "One of
Na-chan's favours.  She's done so much for us over the past year that I
have to wonder if we'll ever be able to repay her."
        Akane nodded knowingly, a strange wonder on her face.  "She has
a way of doing that.  You'd never know it, though..."
        Ranma simply showed confusion.  "Um... Akane?  Who's Na-chan?"
        Akane positively cackled.  "I'll tell you later.  We really
should be on our way."  She started to edge Ranma toward the exit. 
"Um... Kaori?"
        "Yes?"
        She smiled secretively.  "Can I come by tomorrow afternoon? 
There's some things I'd like to talk about."  Ranma looked at Akane for
a moment; her smile twisted in mischief.
        Kaori smiled, and nodded.  "I'd like that."  For a moment, her
face matched Akane's.  "You two have fun, okay?"
        "Oh, we will..."  She started to turn Ranma toward the exit. 
"Shall we, Ranma?"
        Ranma noticed the force behind Akane's ministrations, and
wondered what her fiancee had planned.  Whatever it was, it had to be
something special.  "Lead the way, Akane..."

***

        "Stop here."
        Ranma blinked in surprise as she stepped out of the cab. 
Considering their route, she had thought that they were heading home - a
place which had surprises of its own.  She hadn't expected Akane to stop
the trip early, though her choice of locales was nothing to complain
about.  After all, at this time of night, nobody was likely to bother
them...
        "Akane?"
        Akane turned from paying the cab driver, and smiled.  "Be
patient, Ranma.  I'll be there in a minute."  She stepped out of the cab
carefully, and wrapped her arms around Ranma's waist.  A shiver went up
Ranma's spine as Akane guided her toward their second destination - the
local park.  She had a suspicion as to what Akane wanted to do here - a
thought that both elated and terrified her.
        "Um... Akane?  Why here?"  She figured she already knew the
answer; however, that didn't make the question any less valuable.
        She felt Akane's fingers drum along her waist.  "Well, this
place was always special to me.  I... I want you to be a part of it,
too."
        Ranma swallowed.  "Okay."  Her steps felt wobbly on the soft
ground; heels were clearly made for a concrete jungle.  She took them
off; what was planned here wouldn't require physical elegance.
        The playground wasn't all that different from a thousand others
in Japan.  Swings hung suspended from chains of foot-long links; a
merry-go-round stood nearby, stationary colours ready to become a
swirling rainbow at a child's push.  A quiet park bench stood out in
Ranma's view; somehow, the lonely wooden structure called to her.
        Akane's hands, rather, guided her to the swing set.  "When we
were young, Mom would take us here to play.  We would spend hours here
playing, until Mom would make us go home."  She sat in a swing; her feet
gently rocked the swing back and forth.  "After Mom died, I came here
whenever I was lonely.  It just... seemed like something to do."
        Ranma sat down next to her; it took her a moment to get her
skirt in order.  "It's nice that you have a place like this."  She drew
a line in the dirt with her toe.  "I... I wish I did."
        Akane stared at her shoes, then at Ranma's stocking feet.  "Was
it really that bad, on the road?"
        "I didn't think so at the time.  I mean, I really didn't know
what I was missing then.  Back then, it was just me and Pop.  I studied
the Art; whenever I could fit it in or Pop got caught, I went to
school.  I never knew what I was missing until I settled down here." 
She smiled, and looked over at Akane.  "It felt... good to have you ask
to be my friend, Akane."
        Akane swallowed; their swings were edging closer together. 
"It... felt good to have a friend, then.  Most of the guys were trying
to 'conquer' me through combat; most of the girls were... well...
hostile to me, due to some misunderstandings."
        "Are these... those kind of misunderstandings?"  Ranma didn't
say the L-word; such a designation seemed limiting here.  Limits needed
to be broken here, not made; she found herself dangerously close to
Akane's face.
        She could see the indecision in Akane's eyes.  "Yeah.  I mean,
just because a girl doesn't like guys doesn't mean she's a..."
        Ranma touched Akane's lips.  "No words like that, Akane.  Not
like that."  Excitement overriding her fears, she moved her lips inches
away, an open invitation.  "Not like that."
        Akane's eyes closed; Ranma closed her own.  She followed Akane's
heavy breath, closer, closer...
        "Yaah!"  The connection of two souls broke suddenly; Ranma found
her support slipping.  In a second, she was sprawled in the dirt, the
swing swaying its mocking tone - and Akane, trying to suppress a fit of
giggles.  Ranma looked at her dust-encrusted outfit, and sighed.
        "Something tells me this might be difficult to explain."
        Akane blinked, and offered a hand to help her up.  "Why?"
        The redhead grabbed the offered hand.  "Because, if both our
clothes are dusty, they'll think we were doing something."
        "Both our clo... what are you... don't you daAARE!"  With a
yank, Akane found herself pulled down to Ranma's level - easily within
tickling range.  In seconds, the two were rolling in the dirt, their
only goal to keep the other laughing uncontrollably - a war Ranma won
easily.  Ranma tickled her mercilessly, stopping only after she had
Akane pinned to the ground.
        "Concede?"
        Akane looked at her position carefully, then smiled.  "I guess. 
After all, with you flashing your panties in my face, it's kind of hard
for me to concentrate on fighting back.
        "Huh?"  Ranma looked down at her position, then blushed.  "Oh." 
She got up, her leg stance unusually narrow for her.
        Akane shook her head  "Honestly, Ranma.  You think you would
have learned by now."  She pulled herself up from the ground, and dusted
off her tuxedo.
        Ranma shrugged.  "Well, it wasn't like it was one of the things
Pop taught me while we were on the road..."  Dusting off her skirt and
putting her outfit in order, she reached around and grabbed Akane by the
waist.  The position felt strange at first; after all, she was an inch
or two shorter than her date.  "Shall we?"
        Akane smiled.  Ranma had a guess as to why; for the first time
that night, she wasn't the one in charge.  "Of course."  Ranma led her
from the park to Nerima's streets, her steps uneven along the ground.
        The streets had a surreal feel to them; dimly lit by the
fluorescent lamps, the surfaces alternated between light and shadow. 
Without the bustle of other human beings to populate it, the more quiet
residents of the city made themselves known.  Occasionally, a neglected
scrap of paper would blow by, bringing memories of spectres of
childhood's past.  For the most part, it was like visiting a haunted
house.
        In other words, precisely the conditions to bring two people
closer.  Ranma tightened her grip on Akane's waist; for her part, Akane
didn't fight it.  She nearly bolted when the unmistakable yowl of a cat
pierced her ears; to her credit, she merely stiffened, then quickened
her pace.
        "Ranma?"
        The girl in question swallowed.  Her nerves were sent to the
edge by the yowl; the situation at present would not allow her to calm
down.  "Yes?"
        "What does this mean for us?"
        Ranma paused for a second.  "What do you mean?"  This was no
conversation she'd foreseen.  She had expected the relationship to stay
as it was - no commitments, no wondering if there should be an *us*.
        Akane put her hand on Ranma's; the touch was like fire.  "Where
do we go from here, Ranma? I mean... this is nothing I've ever
experienced before.  I mean, I nearly kissed - really kissed - another
woman tonight.  I nearly proved all of them right, that I am some le...
le... girl lover."  She bit her lip.  "And... I wanted it."
        Ranma looked around; they were only a few blocks from the
house.  Whatever needed to happen had to happen before then.  "Do you...
still want it?"
        Her heart stopped at Akane's nod.  She stopped her walk, and
turned Akane to face her.
        "Akane, I won't kiss you unless you absolutely, positively want
it.  I... I know what it's like to doubt your sexuality; it's something
I would never force on anyone."  She closed her eyes.  "If you want to
kiss me... you're welcome to."
        For interminable seconds, all Ranma felt was the caress of wind,
its chill cooling any flush on her cheeks.  The thought passed her mind
that perhaps Akane had turned away; after all, how many times had she
turned away from her own womanhood?  This was where the dragons lived,
after all, the traps where a person could do the unforgivable, and
actually discover herself.
        Her heart stopped when she felt the hand on her chin; for a
moment, it felt like Akane was examining her date's face, as she felt
her head move about slightly.  "Ranma..."  The word signalled the
approach; Ranma could feel her getting closer.  Hot breath, a slight
raising of the tiptoes, a second hand reaching out to grab her
forearm...
        Contact.  The kiss was everything and nothing she expected;
instead of electricity, she received fire - warm, burning emotion
between two people, coalescing into one sharing spot between then.  Her
hands reached out to hold her, to feel more, to become more... time lost
meaning, as they both melted into it.  The separation came at great
reluctance; both of them wanted to go on, but knew instinctively that it
was time.
        She opened her eyes.  She had to know, had to make sure she was
there.  The last thing she wanted was a bad reaction from Akane.
        "Akane... are you all right?"  Ranma couldn't see Akane's eyes;
they hid beneath a mop of black.  The mouth quivered, the thunder
warning of coming tears.
        "Ranma?"  The voice was almost husky with emotion.
        "Yes?"
        Akane relaxed into her arms, and lay her head down on Ranma's
shoulder.         
        "Ranma... just hold me."
        Ranma wrapped her arms around her fiancee.  There was no turning
back, now; no matter what happened, even if Akane were to find out the
truth, there was a part of Akane that wanted *her*.  She now owned a
part of Akane's heart - just as Akane owned a part of hers.
        She only hoped that she'd get to keep it when it was all over. 
She'd been debating words to say to her in response; all that could come
was a bit of English Hinako-sensei had forced her to read.
        "As you wish, Akane-chan... as you wish."

***

        "Is there anything else you wish of me, Ukyou-sama?"
        Ukyou looked at the kunoichi with sad eyes.  "No, Konatsu. 
You're free to go."
        "Thank you, Ukyou-sama."  Konatsu looked up; his smile almost
cheered her up a bit.  "And try not to be so depressed.  Hope is not yet
lost, after all."  He vanished into the shadows, far from sight but not
far from mind.
        "I know," she whispered, hoping she could make herself believe
it.  If Konatsu's report had been accurate, she had already lost.  The
very idea of losing in this most important struggle left her near tears;
her throat hurt from holding them back.  "I shall just have to find a
way."
        Finding a way, however, would not be easy.  Akane had her
out-glitzed; there was no way she could provide the glamorous show Ranma
had enjoyed last night.  Worse, Ranma had enjoyed the night; in an
impossibly-romantic setting, she had been encouraged to initiate
romantic contact - something that came dangerously close to fruition. 
How could she snatch victory from that?
        Her thoughts turned back to the beginning, to free days and
sunny skies.  She remembered frolicking with a six-year-old boy,
fighting imaginary monsters and searching for natural treasure.  Times
were good then - there was no Akane, no betrayals, nothing to get
between her and him.  She was happy, he was happy.
        Somehow, she needed to revive that feeling.  She needed to
remind him... er, her... of those good feelings they'd shared, and that
they could share again.  Somehow, some way, she would do it.
        Ideas began forming in her head.  Glitz was the last thing on
her mind; Ranma was never one for such posh accommodations anyway. 
Ranma was a child of nature - and it would be nature that would lead the
child back to her.

***

        She'd gone too far.
        Her body was as coddled and protected as she had ever been.  A
silk nightgown covered her body; sheets and a comforter made sure the
cold wind would never touch her.  The mattress where her body lay was
the softest thing she'd ever rested on, with the possible exception of
the pillow beneath her head.  The quiet in the room was almost deafening
to her; the room was, now and seemingly forever, hers and hers alone.
        And it was all based on a lie.
        It was time to start coming back.  Just a simple 'miracle
recovery' wasn't going to work, now; too much was invested in her new
self for her to simply disappear.  No; this had to be done the hard
way.  She had to tell the truth - the simple, cold, hard, damning truth.
        What she didn't know was how to go about it.  She knew that just
out-and-out admitting it to everyone would be a bad thing.  She could
soothe the hurt feelings of one person at a time; anything beyond that
was out of her control.  Unfortunately, each person she told was a
gamble.  If one person could not be soothed... everything she'd worked
for could be ruined.   
        "Ranma?  Are you awake?"
        Her eyes shot open.  She'd been expecting, almost hoping, for a
late-night visit; however, the person paying a call was the last person
she'd expected.         "Um... sure, Nabiki.  Come on in."
        The door slid open, sending bright light burning into the room. 
The silhouette reached over to the wall, and turned on the lights. 
"Ranma... after tonight, I think we need to talk."
        Ranma sat up in her bed, and nodded.  After what happened to
Akane, she should have expected this.  "Okay."
        Nabiki sat down at the edge of the bed.  "Ranma, why do you
think Akane was crying when you got home tonight?"
        Ranma sighed.  This wasn't a question she could really answer. 
"To be honest, I don't know for certain.  I have an idea as to why,
though..."
        "Will you tell me that idea?"  Nabiki had the eyes of a
predator.  Ranma could see the flame in them, the desire to get to the
truth.
        "Well... I... maybe this is wishful thinking, but... I think
Akane realized she... she loved me."  Her face turned downward.  "I
could be wrong, though."
        The reaction was not what Ranma had expected from Nabiki.  For
some reason, Nabiki always seemed to exude confidence of one type or
another.  Here, in the shadows of the night, that confidence was gone;
her bangs hid her piercing stare, like a veil.  "You're not wrong,
Ranma.  I know my sister.  I've known for a long time how she felt about
certain things - and about certain people, too."  She looked upward. 
"What I want to know is what you plan on doing about that - especially
considering your own problems."
        "My problems?  What problems do I have?"
        Nabiki ended Ranma's charade with four words: "No more lies,
Saotome."
        Ranma hid her surprise.  Truth to tell, she wondered if Nabiki
had known all along.  "You know, huh?"
        Nabiki nodded slowly; her eyes were closed from the light. 
"Yes, Ranma, I know.  I... I took a look at the books you were reading;
no natural-born woman would read them unless they were doing a
psychology paper."  She moved over to the desk, and picked up a copy of
'Conundrum'.  "To be honest, I've seen a number of these titles before,
in Kaori's library; that's how I knew about them."
        Ranma gasped at the mention of Kaori's name; words spoken here
and there began to fit together.  "So... you're Na-chan?"
        Nabiki nodded.  "I... I approached them two years ago, when I
first began to suspect my sister was... not a traditional woman.  I
needed information, then, information to protect my sister from a
society ready to condemn her and a father who would likely ostracize
her.  To be honest, I ended up with more knowledge than I ever
expected."  A feline smile crossed her lips; Ranma started as she felt
Nabiki's hand on her thigh, through the covers.  "A lot more, Ranma."
        Ranma swallowed.  "You mean..."
        A low, playful chuckle emanated from Nabiki's throat.  "I'm no
traditional girl either, Ranma.  I'm not a flaming lesbian, but I know
better than to limit myself to men.  Besides... women just understand
each other, in ways a man never could."  She raised an eyebrow,
half-questioning, half-inviting.  "Wouldn't you agree, Saotome?"
        "Um... yeah."
        Nabiki patted her beneath the covers, clearly smiling at Ranma's
nervousness.  "Ranma, I have to leave tomorrow on a business trip. 
Daddy wants me to take care of some things elsewhere; at the same time,
I plan on doing some work for a few friends of mine."  Her smile
vanished.  "Ranma, a bit of advice.  Your position is more dangerous
than you realize.  My father is getting paranoid; don't be surprised if
he does something stupid to try to get you to be a man.  Also watch out
for attacks from outside; it wouldn't surprise me if Cologne came up
with something to try to further her aims over your feelings."  She bit
her lip.  "One other thing, Saotome: Tell the others, as soon as
possible.  Because... the longer you wait, the more they'll be hurt."
        "Okay.  I will."  Ranma pursed her lips.  "Where are you 
headed?"
        "China," Nabiki said flatly.  "That should give you something to
think about."  She got up from the bed, and made her way to the door. 
"Good night, Miss Saotome - and good luck."
        Ranma tucked herself into bed at the words.  "You too, Nabiki. 
And... thanks."  Sleep came very soon after that; her mind was on other
things by that point.

***

Ichinohei Hitomi
Katrina Lee Halbred
Nicholas Leifker
August 28, 1999




-- Attached file included as plaintext by Listar --
-- File: revelat.txt



Leifker presents...

Revelations

A Clothes Make The... side story by Nicholas Leifker

Ranma 1/2 created by Rumiko Takahashi.  Clothes Make The... written by
Halbred, Ichinohei, and Leifker.  All rights reserved.

*******************************************************************

Oh my god... 

In an instant my motions stop, like a picture frozen in time, as I realize
what... what I'm doing.  I... why?  how?  I never meant for it to go this
far, never wanted it to go this far, never wanted it in the first place...
but I never had a choice in these matters.  I was pushed into this life,
knocked into this body, and seduced into this existence... this hell.  

Automatically the mantra comes back to me, a prayer said every day since
the cursed waters came to me.  "I am a guy, I am a guy, I am a GUY,
DAMMIT!"  I hit a fist against a locker door, feeling a reassuring crunch
as it surrenders to my reduced, but still formidable, strength.  I can
feel blood trickling from my knuckles, but I don't care.  For a fleeting
moment, I remember who I am... who I was.  I am no longer.

At least this body didn't take away all of my manhood... but, as I look, I
realize that it took enough.  The lower half of my body is an easy
silhouette, my petite feet soled in white sneakers and my... not my
privates remain encased in the tight shorts.  The top is somewhat loose on
me, though it stretches around my most pronounced assets.  The hair ribbon
is new, a part of a disguise... or was the disguise what I wore before?  

The problem is, I don't know anymore.  I... I find I _like_ the way I look
in the mirror, even though what manhood remains screams for help.  At the
same time, I hear a call to stay this way, to abandon all this stupid male
ego and ridiculous half-life.  I can hear its insistence, pleading to
my manhood... and pleading to an empty audience.  

I don't feel like punching doors now.  What good would it do?  Even if I
could make the world disappear, even if I could find some hot water and
escape from being me, it would still find me... and remind me.  It haunts
me, it does; it reminds me that I am no man, not now or ever.  It seeks to
bring me to full womanhood, to be emasculated in front of Kami and man.

An image of black hair flashes before my eyes, and I pale.  Akane.  God
help me... what am I going to do about her?  I am no longer a 'man among
men', I have become a woman among women.  Most of the people I hang around
with claim femininity as their banner: the Tendo girls, Ucchan, Shampoo...
and now I find the banner over my own head, above my reach.  I lash out at
myself, wishing to rip my own body apart, to keep my soul... what remains
of my soul... intact.  My body is not my own; its weaknesses and desires
have corrupted me to the point of no return.  

I can feel the energy seeping away from my body, and I fall down to the
floor.  Crying is such a girlish thing to do, a useless, pathetic release
of tears to appease some inward weakness.  I can feel the tears coming,
despite my best efforts; even more evidence of my frailty.  The cold 
concrete beneath me saps my strength, as any emotional control I had
crumbles to dust.  A new mantra whispers in my ear, and my blood runs cold.  

I am Ranma.  I am woman.

Dear God, what have I become?  

*****************************

Care to guess what kind of mood I was in when I wrote this?

Thanks to all those who were there to help with this - both on-computer
and off.

Nicholas Leifker
nightelf@thekeep.org
June 27, 1998





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