Suggested changes: {Original : Changed}
--
Mac :})
Shuma in 2000. Don't settle for the lesser evil.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Nicholas Leifker" <nightelf@thekeep.org>
To: <ffml@fanfic.com>
Sent: Sunday, April 02, 2000 6:28 PM
Subject: [FFML] [fanfic][Ranma][Repost] Clothes Make The... - pts. 1-9
Genma and Soun looked at one another, but couldn't really say a
word against it. Kasumi was the {closet : closest} 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 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 : to} be.
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 : had}. 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.
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 : girl}-form, and put on the
tight-fitting
gym outfit.
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 : several} 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."
Ranma smiled as her mother fussed over her. She hadn't admitted
it to herself then, but she really enjoyed how {mom : 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?"
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 :
son} 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?"
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 :
compunctions} about
hitting girls) from killing Shampoo.
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 : currently} 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 : know} the
perfect
outfit for you."
"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 : his} nose as he got a good look at her:
shapely
legs, firm body, healthy (ahem) endowments... beautiful, perfectly-made
face... face...