Ranma and his friends belong to Rumiko Takahashi. They're used here
without permission.

As always, previous chapters of newRanma and all my other stories
can be found at: http://www.furinkan.net/fanfic/

------------------------------
newRanma 12: Falling

by Chris Jones
------------------------------

    "Man, I have spent way too much time in hospitals lately,"
Ranma lamented.

    Daisuke, who had his feet propped up on his desk while he
read a sports magazine, nodded his head. "How's whatsisname anyway?
The shrink."

    "Makuna-sensei. Still in a coma, last I heard" Ranma said. "I
was gonna go see him again today after school, but it's getting kinda
depressing."

    "I can believe that," Hiroshi agreed. "My grandpa was in the
hospital for about a month a few years ago. Of course we had to go
every day. By the end of the month, I just wanted the old fart to die
so I wouldn't have to go anymore."

    Ranma chuckled. "This is the guy who ran in the Tokyo
marathon last year, right?"

    Daisuke rolled his eyes. "A guy has a heart-attack, and
suddenly he turns into a health expert. Well, it's better watching
him jog than choking down greasy food all the time."

    "Speaking of food, what do you wanna do for lunch today?"
Ranma asked.

    "You ever stop thinking about your stomach, Saotome? I dunno.
It's still a few hours away, so--"

    "Guys--" Hiroshi bolted into the classroom and came to a
sudden stop in front of his friends. "C'mere."

    "What?" Daisuke asked.

    "Just... come on," Hiroshi urged. "Before it's too late."

    A little sleepily, Ranma stood and stretched, arching her
back slightly. "What's the big de-- HEY!" she cried as Hiroshi
grabbed her hand and pulled her from the classroom.

    "Hiroshi has gone baibai," Daisuke noted, following after the
pair.

    "This way," the youth said, dragging Ranma along.

    "Let go of me!" Ranma shouted, slapping at Hiroshi's hand.
Before she could do anything to get free, Hiroshi had dragged her
into one of the school storage rooms. Daisuke followed in behind,
looking curiously at the pair.

    "I sear to God, Hiroshi," Ranma warned. "If you don't let go
of me right now--"

    "Okay, we can hide in those closets. There are slots to look
out of and--"

    "Hiroshi, have you had your medication today?" Daisuke asked.
"What the hell is going on?"

    "Trust me!" Hiroshi pleaded. "If you're ever gonna trust me,
then get in the closet."

    Ranma was rubbing at her wrist. She hadn't liked being
grabbed so roughly at all. Worse, she hated the way it made her body
respond to Hiroshi's. Still, Hiroshi had an almost fervent expression
on his face. She nodded and followed Daisuke into the closet on the
other side of the storage room.

    "Okay," Hiroshi whispered in the darkness of the supply
closets. He spoke in a tone that was just barely audible even in the
quiet of the storeroom. "I overheard something that I was *not*
supposed to. They're gonna be here in a few minutes and--"

    "Who's gonna be here?" Daisuke asked.

    "We gotta be quiet," Hiroshi urged his friends.

    Ranma grimaced, about ready to get up and leave. The closet
was dark and cramped. It was hot, and she was uncomfortably close to
the two boys as well. If her body had started becoming aroused when
Hiroshi had grabbed her wrist, having him leaning over her to look
out the small vent holes in the door was even more intense.

    After a few minutes, she began to feel Daisuke's breath on
her neck. She gulped, suddenly worried that this whole thing had some
sort of pretext to get her alone in a private, vulnerable situation.
Her mind rebelled against the thought. Still, part of her couldn't
stop thinking about what would happen if the two boys did try to grab
her and start taking off her clothes and putting their hands on her--

    Ranma shook her head, unwilling to deal with the images. She
shifted positions slightly so that she was not so close to either one
of the boys. Ranma swore mentally that if either one of them tried
for so much as an illicit pinch, she'd beat the both of them bloody,
medical restrictions or no.

    "There..." Hiroshi whispered.

    Ranma's attention was torn away from her predicament to the
front door of the storage room. The handle turned, and the door
opened, admitting a young woman in a Furinkan uniform. Ranma
recognized her as one of the eleventh graders, one of Nabiki's
acquaintances. She thought the girl's name was Miyako or something
similar.

    She glanced around the room suspiciously. For a second, Ranma
was afraid they'd be detected. The girl continued to glance around
the room, looking around all the corners. After a second, she took a
step toward the back wall and pulled the blinds down, making sure
that no one would accidentally see in from outside.

    Glancing around the room once more, she found a long, cracked
mirror. She picked it up and carried it over to the closets.

    Ranma, Hiroshi, and Daisuke froze. Neither one of the three
made any sound or breath while the girl was so close. For several
seconds, all they could see out the vent holes in the door was the
girl's waist.

    She deposited the mirror against the doors and made her way
back towards the middle of the room.

    A few seconds later, there was another noise at the door.
This time it admitted a man Ranma recognized as one of the student
teachers, Hanimaru-sensei. He was tall and broad shouldered.

    "You came," the girl said, her voice just above a whisper.

    "We could both get in big trouble for this," the man said. "I
could lose my job or be kicked out of school or worse."

    "It's okay," the girl replied. "Nobody knows. I can't wait
any longer, Sooya-chan," she said, leaning up against him.

    Ranma's eyes widened in realization.

    The student teacher's eyes flashed. His sour expression
dissolved, and he returned the girl's embrace. Their lips met in a
passionate kiss.

    "Quickly," she urged him. "We don't have much time."

    He nodded, and began to work the zipper on the back of the
girl's dress. She pulled his tie off and began to unfasten the
buttons on his shirt.

    Ranma began to tremble as he watched the two lovers disrobe
each other. In just a few seconds, they were both almost completely
naked. Their mouths moved over each others' bodies.

    "Hurry," the girl urged. She knelt down in front of the man,
facing the mirror she had placed against the closet door. She
prostrated herself, spreading her knees apart and almost touching her
face to the floor. The teacher knelt down behind her, his hands
running all over her naked, vulnerable body. Finally, he placed his
hands on her hips and--

    The girl cried out and--

    It felt unreal to Ranma to see such a private, intense scene.
She knew all the words that described the act, but they didn't seem
to convey the reality. It looked uncomfortable, but both the man and
woman had expressions of sheerest ecstasy on their faces. The girl's
mouth was open, and a low, continuos moan escaped her mouth as she
was rocked from behind. The student teacher's face was contorted, as
if in pain, as he thrust against her.

    He wrapped his arms around her, lifting her off the floor.
She was supported across his hips.

    Ranma and her friends could clearly see the man's engorged
cock penetrating the girl's swollen, red vulva. Their bodies moved
together.

    After just a few minutes, their actions became fevered and
jerky. The girl cried out, clutching her hand to her mouth. Her lover
groaned deeply through clenched teeth.

    Giggling, she slumped forward. Moving awkwardly, she climbed
down off of her lover and stood, leaning against him.

    "Are you okay?" he asked, wearily getting to his own feet.

    "Hai," she said, pecking his cheek. "That was great."

    "Ecchi. Setting up a mirror like that. God, what if someone
had seen?"

    "I would have taken the blame," she assured him, grinning up
into his guilty stare.

    "That doesn't mean I wouldn't be thrown out of here on my
ass. The entire school is on edge after what happened to the
principal."

    "I know," the girl replied, trying to get dressed. "I wish it
didn't have to be like this, but it's still more than a year until I
graduate."

    "I know," he said, pulling his pants back up.

    Ranma watched the two dress and exchange small talk in the
wake of what just happened. The two had left the room before Ranma
realized that she was shivering despite the heat.

    After a few minutes, Ranma and her friends silently left the
supply closet and walked back to class.

    Ranma felt like her panties had soaked through. They were wet
and sticky between her legs. She couldn't help but notice that both
her friends had noticeable bulges. Both boys pulled uncomfortably at
their pants, trying to relieve the pressure.

    They were late back to class, of course, and had to stand in
the hallway, but neither of the three seemed to really mind.

    It was almost twenty minutes into their punishment when
Daisuke spoke.

    "Hiroshi. I love you, man. You're like a brother, you know
that?"

    "Yeah," Hiroshi replied. "Did you see--"

    "We all saw," Ranma noted. Her emotions were warring inside
her. She felt guilty for witnessing something so private. At the same
time, she was aroused to the point of misery. What she had seen
was... undescribable. Not only had she witnessed the physical
component of something so intense, but the emotional byplays between
the two lovers. The combination was powerfully arousing. If she were
at home, Ranma would run off to take a 'long bath' or do something...
anything else so that she could be alone for an hour or so.

    "I thought there would be more... fluid," Hiroshi admitted.
"They always make it look so wet and messy in doujinshi."

    "The videos I've seen are pretty much like... what we saw.
Well, not like what we saw. The actresses are all... bigger for one
thing, and it's not so real and..."

    "We get the point," Ranma noted.

    There were another few seconds of silence between the three.

    "I think," Ranma said, "That if we ever told anyone what we
saw, it could really hurt those two."

    Hiroshi and Daisuke nodded seriously.

    "So, I think we should promise to never talk about what just
happened ever again," the redhead continued.

    "Agreed," Hiroshi said.

    "Agreed," Daisuke agreed.

    Even if she never spoke about it again, Ranma realized, she'd
never be able to forget what she had seen.

* * *

    The three were subdued at lunch, despite the fact that
Shampoo had prepared a veritable ramen feast for the entire group.

    "You okay, Ranchan?" Ukyou asked as they sat underneath the
trees on the Furinkan grounds.

    "Yeah, just tired," Ranma said. She couldn't help but imagine
what Ukyou's body would look like supported across her male body's
thighs. What would it feel like? Would it be hard to do? Would it be
slippery and wet? Would it be soft?

    Ranma suddenly realized she was shivering again.

    "You must be tired, Ranma-kun," Nabiki said, leaning over
Ranma and pushing her hand against the girl's forehead. Incidentally,
her breasts were pressed against Ranma's shoulder.

    The newness and uncertainty of the desire had faded. It had
been replaced by a familiar longing and need. More than anything
else, Ranma wanted to grab Nabiki's wrists and throw her down on the
ground. She wanted to kiss Nabiki as passionately as she had seen the
two lovers in the storage room kiss. She wanted to squeeze and knead
Nabiki's breasts in her hands. She wanted to suck on the girl's
nipples. She wanted to--

    "Ranma?" Akane said, leaning over the shaking girl. "Are you
okay?"

    Guilt washed away all of Ranma's arousal. The sensation was
almost painful. Crying out, the girl lurched to her feet and ran away
from the group.

    "Akane do something to Ranma?" Shampoo asked, although not as
angrily as Akane expected her to.

    The dark-haired girl shook her head in confusion.

    "What on earth was that?" Ukyou wondered out loud.

    Nabiki grimaced as she watched Ranma disappear into the
school.

    Hiroshi and Daisuke were silent.

    "The pigtailed girl is in distress," Kunou noted, rising to
his feet.

    "Kunou-chan, wait..." Nabiki urged. It was too late, since
Kunou was already sprinting after Ranma. "Oh hell."

    "What's wrong?" Akane asked. "Why did Ranma run off like
that?"

* * *

    Ranma found herself hiding behind the restricted shelves of
the library. Her body was shaking and her mind was in turmoil. The
reality of her situation had finally come crashing down on her.

    Her body was starting to make decisions on its own. It didn't
seem to care about her engagements or anything else.

    She was cowering in the corner, trying to figure out some way
to make it all go away, when she heard a quiet rustling.

    Ranma looked up. Kunou was standing above her, his face full
of concern and worry.

    "Are you injured, beautiful one?" he asked in a quiet voice.
Ranma felt his words hammer into her body.

    "Go away, Kunou," she warned.

    Instead, the kendoist knelt down next to her. Ranma wanted to
lash out at him, force him to leave, so she couldn't--

    "Are you sick?" he questioned her in a whisper tone. "Do you
feel ill?"

    He was so close. Ranma could smell the musky scent of his
cologne and the clean, leafy smell of his shampoo. Her shaking
increased.

    She could do nothing but close her eyes as he reached out,
ever so gently letting his fingers caress her forehead, and then her
cheek.

    "Kunou, don't--"

    He cut her off, pressing his lips to hers.

    It would be so easy, Ranma realized as Kunou's tongue invaded
her mouth. She could kneel in front of him, like the girl in the
storage room. She could just open her shirt and let him do the rest,
she thought. Her arms wrapped around his back seemingly of their own
accord. She could pull her pants down just a little and she would be
able to feel everything she wanted to. She just had to--

    Ranma pushed Kunou roughly away and slapped him across the
face.

    "What?" the kendoist demanded, rubbing at the bruise on his
cheek. "Did I hurt you? Did I--"

    "Just... shut up, Kunou. I don't want this. I ain't
interested in this. I like girls, okay? You know that," she said,
covering her face with her hands.

    "My beautiful goddess... Ranma," he said, reaching out to
her. "Please--"

    "NO, KUNOU! DON'T TOUCH ME!" she screamed.

    The librarian's assistant poked her head into the room,
startled by Ranma's voice.

    "Saotome-san? Are you okay?"

    Ranma stood and ran past the woman, leaving Kunou behind.

    The kendoist wilted under the burning hot glare the librarian
gave him.

    "What did I do?" he wondered out loud.

* * *

    By the time Akane caught up with Ranma, the red-head was in
the girl's showers behind the locker room. She was in the stall
furthest from the door. Akane could see her canvas pants under the
privacy divider.

    She walked around to the front of the stall. Ranma was curled
up directly underneath the spray, her arms wrapped around her legs
and her face buried in her knees. Her water-logged clothes hung
limply over her arms and legs. From the feel of the spray, Akane
could tell that Ranma was being drenched with freezing-cold water.

    "Are you okay?" she asked, noting Ranma's quiet trembling.
She wasn't sure if the girl was upset or shivering from the cold.
Getting no answer from her fiancee, she crouched down as close as she
dared to the cold water, balancing on her toes. "Did Kunou do
something? I don't think I've ever seen him so upset before."

    Ranma remained silent.

    "What happened, Ranma?" she demanded.

    "You don't wanna know, Akane. Trust me," Ranma mumbled in
response, her voice muffled by the web fabric of her pants.

    "I do wanna know," the dark-haired girl retorted. "So tell
me, okay?"

    "You say that, but then you're gonna get all mad like you
always do and pound me when I tell you."

    "I said I wouldn't do that," Akane assured the redhead, doing
her best not to prove the girl right. "It's okay. I won't get mad. I
promise."

    "I kissed Kunou," Ranma said.

    *CRACK*

    Water still running down her face, Ranma stared in horror at
Akane's left hand. The dark haired girl had just crushed a large
portion of the privacy divider.

    "You... what?" Akane asked, her tone unbelieving.

    "I don't know what came over me," Ranma croaked out. "It's
like my body is doing whatever it wants to despite what I want. I
couldn't help myself when he touched me. I almost let him... let..."

    "What the *HELL* were you thinking?" Akane demanded.

    "I wasn't thinking!" Ranma protested.

    "WITH KUNOU?" Akane screeched.

    "Not just Kunou. It coulda been anyone," Ranma said, her
voice shaking. "Ryouga, Hiroshi, Daisuke, Ukyou, Nabiki--" the girl
gulped. "You. It's... God, I hate this! I hate my stupid, fucked-up
body. It doesn't do anything right anymore!"

    Akane was taken aback by the Ranma's expression. It was
obvious to her that at least some of the droplets running down
Ranma's face were tears. Her anger at Ranma's admission fled.

    "Why didn't you say anything?" Akane asked in an emotionless
tone.

    "Oh, I'm just supposed to go and tell my fiancee, 'Hey, I'm
getting turned on by everybody I meet. What do you think I oughtta do
about it?'." Ranma paused for a second. "Tofuu's still got your
mallet, right?"

    Akane blushed slightly. "Yes, not that it matters. Why? Why
haven't you told anyone that you... that you're... that you've been
having... feelings... like this?"

    "Why do you think I've been going to a shrink three times a
week? It's not like it really matters that I can't see him anymore,
since all he does is tell me I'm perfectly normal and shouldn't worry
about it."

    "But why Kunou?" Akane asked, her face twisted in confusion.

    "Because he was close," Ranma admitted, her face turning red,
even under the cold water. "And he touched me... softly. And...
GYAHHH!! I hate this!"

    Akane stared at her fiancee in exasperation.

    "I was in the library," Ranma started to explain. "He kneeled
down in front of me, and touched my face. Then he kissed me. It was
all I could do to keep my pants on."

    Akane closed her eyes, the scene Ranma described playing over
and over in her head. Kunou was pretty pushy, she had to admit. Ranma
probably hadn't done anything to invite the kiss, but...

    "So you like guys now?" Akane asked quietly, dread filling
her heart.

    "NO!" Ranma protested angrily. "But my body doesn't seem to
know that," she amended in defeat. Her voice was barely audible over
the hiss of the shower.

    Akane knelt down next to Ranma doing her best to stay out of
the cold water. Allowing one arm to get wet, she put what she hoped
was a comforting hand on the miserable girl's knee.

    "So, if it had been a girl..." she suggested.

    Ranma shuddered. "And what am I supposed to do then? Force a
girl to kiss another girl? I know you're not interested in that sort
of thing!" she said, laughing humorlessly. "I'm stuck in between a
rock and a hard place, and I can't get out."

    Akane jerked at Ranma's words as if she had been slapped.
Sighing, she leaned closer to Ranma, letting the cold spray trickle
down her face. With one arm, she reached back behind Ranma and began
to turn the shower knob. Within seconds, the deluge of freezing cold
water stopped.

    "Well, I'm not interested in kissing girls," Akane admitted.
"But... kissing my fiancee..."

    Ranma's eyes went wide. She suddenly realized how close to
Akane she was. The girl's warm breath was raising goose-pimples on
the cold flesh of her neck.

    Akane could hear Ranma's breath speed up. She was suddenly
very aware of how close her face was to that of her fiancee. Their
lips were inches apart. Ranma's were blue and trembling.

    Her eyes closing, the redhead began to lean forward.

    "Hey, are you in here, Akane?" Nabiki's voice came from the
door of the locker room.

    Ranma's eyes popped open to see Akane jerk away from her. She
hurriedly backed away from Ranma. Her face was full of shame.

    To Ranma, it felt like somebody had stabbed her in the gut.

    "We're back here," Akane called out.

    "So are you two ever going to get back to class, or... Did I
interrupt something?" the girl asked, seeing the odd scene in front
of her.

    "No," Ranma said darkly. "Nothing at all." Then, she paused
for a second, an odd expression on her face. "*ACHOO*," she sneezed.


* * *

    By the time Ranma got home that afternoon, her nose was
running, and her throat was starting to get sore from the constant
sneezing. Her eyes, reddened from sitting under the cold water, never
did seem to clear up. She seemed to be running a low grade fever.

    To make matters worse, when she stopped to use the restroom
after getting back to the Tendou's house, there was a long, red smear
in her panties. She swore at length, cursing her body, her mother,
and any female relatives she may or may not have had. As she reached
into the cabinet near the porcelain basin for a pad, she also cursed
her own stupidity for sitting under a cold shower for so long.

    Ranma had a hard time sleeping that night. She tossed and
turned the whole time, her sneezes and sniffling keeping her awake.
She was awake the next morning when Kasumi came in and called her
down to breakfast. When the older girl asked if Ranma wanted to stay
home from school, Ranma agreed readily.

* * *

    "So Ranma had a fever?" Ukyou asked curiously as she,
Shampoo, and Kunou met Akane and Nabiki after they walked through the
school gates that next morning. "That's why he was acting so
strangely?"

    Akane nodded, her mouth closed.

    Nabiki sighed. Her sister really was a horrible liar.

    "Is... the pigtailed girl... okay?" Kunou asked, a guilty
expression decorating his face.

    "She's fine!" Akane assured him, not quite meeting his eyes.
"It's just a little cold. She'll be over it in a few days."

    "It's not like my Ranchan to get sick," Ukyou speculated.

    "It happen before. Shampoo should go make sure Ranma... Airen
has plenty to eat. Old amazon saying, 'is best to feed fever'."

    Akane glared angrily at the purple-haired girl, but couldn't
think of any way to counter her suggestion.

    "Yeah," Ukyou agreed. "Ranma will need lots of protein and
carbohydrates to fight off an infection," Ukyou said. "I could whip
up some stamina okonomiyaki and..."

    "That would be a bad idea," Nabiki argued as the chef trailed
off. "Ranma feels like hell.  She didn't even come down to dinner
last night. Do we really want to put her through the stress of having
visitors?"

    "Do you think Ranma would mind if I sent flowers?" Kunou
asked Nabiki. The girl winced at the guilt in his voice.

    After a few seconds of thought, Akane shook her head. "I
don't think she'd mind."

    "Well, let Ranma know that I'm saving his seat by the
counter," Ukyou reminded her.

    Nabiki nodded and waved as the girl trudged away from the
group.

    "Maybe Shampoo bring over dim-sum platter tomorrow," Shampoo
said.

    Akane grimaced, but nodded her approval.

    Nabiki inclined her head. "Good idea. There's no sense in
spreading her cold around after all," she concluded.

    After the group dispersed, Akane turned to her sister with an
appreciative expression. "Thanks, Nabiki. I don't know how Ranma
would feel if everyone barged in on her today."

    "I'll put it on your tab," Nabiki said. "Now what's the deal
with Kunou? I thought he was over his guilt thing."

    Akane rolled her eyes. "It happened yesterday. He forced
Ranma to kiss him," she explained.

    "Wait a second. Forced? Forced our Ranma?"

    Akane looked away again, suddenly unable to meet her sister's
eyes.

    "You're not telling me the whole story, either, are you?"
Nabiki guessed.

* * *

    Ranma's fever rose slowly but steadily throughout the day.
She slept for a few hours in the morning, but rose to eat lunch.

    "You're burning up!" Nodoka fretted, feeling her child's
forehead after they ate.

    "I know," Ranma sniffled. "This sucks. I ain't supposed to
get sick!"

    "Ranma rarely gets sick," Genma noted. "But when he does, he
always runs a fever like a bonfire."

    "You should get back in bed," Kasumi prompted. "I'll call
Tofuu-sensei, and see what he thinks we should do."

    A few hours after lunch, Kasumi brought the portable
television into Ranma's room so that she could watch 'Nurse Academy'.

    Ranma stared emotionlessly, her fever making the scene seem
unreal, as an actor and an actress worked their way into the dense
plastic foliage.

    "This way," the grounds-keeper, Sifuru, said, leading one of
the nurses, Kakeri, by the wrist.

    He took her into the gardening shed, but once inside, he hung
his gardening shears on a pegboard. The hook shifted down under the
weight, and the floor of the shed began to descend. Sifuru and Kakeri
both had to duck as a false floor slid into place over their heads.

    When the secret elevator stopped the pair was surrounded by
high-tech yet cheesy looking electronic equipment.

    "What is this place?" the nurse asked, half in curiosity,
half in dread.

    "This is where I conduct surveillance on the hospital for the
Ministry of Intelligence," the groundskeeper admitted. "Every
surgery, every treatment, every conversation. It all comes through
here. No one else would ever be permitted to have this knowledge, but
I feel I can trust you now," he said, letting his hand close on her
waist.

    The nurse leaned into the grounds-keeper's body, her eyes
half-closing. "Oh, Sifuru," she whispered in a breathy tone.

    "Okay, this is creepy," Ranma said out loud, her voice
echoing in her ears.

    On the screen, the groundskeeper wrapped his other strong arm
around her back. Ranma could see that he was breathing on the nurse's
neck. "I trust you, Kakeri," he said. "I trust you enough to risk it
all--"

    *click*

    Ranma changed the channel, having decided that she had had
more than enough of 'Nurse Academy' to last a lifetime.

    The channel she had switched to displayed a rather
effeminate-looking young man talking to a reporter in a dress suit.

    "Once again, we're talking with Naota Takara," the reporter
said, "son of the man killed in a police hold-up last week after he
shot and critically wounded Tokyo psychologist Takedo Makuna."

    Ranma's eyes popped open in surprise and disbelief. She sat
upright and turned the volume up on the television.

    "I understand that you were one of Makuna-sensei's patients,"
the reporter prompted the pretty young man.

    "That's correct," he replied, shifting in his chair. "But not
for quite a while. I saw Makuna-sensei while I was in high-school.
That's really when all this started."

    "Please explain what happened," the reporter said. "Give us
any insight you can into what caused your father to commit such a
brutal crime."

    "Well, to put it bluntly, I'm homosexual," Naota replied.
"When I was fourteen, my father caught me reading a certain
magazine."

    The reporter made an understanding noise.

    "He was very upset, and beat me severely," Naota continued.
"My father had always been very physically violent, even abusive, so
I thought it was just another beating. Afterwards, he started trying
to drill into me how evil pornography and homosexuality were. I never
really understood why he was so upset, but I did try to keep my
secrets away from him at that point. It was about that same time that
he started collecting illegal guns. It's also about the same time
that he started fighting with my mother.

    "After a few years, he saw me kissing one of my close
friends. I was beaten, of course, but when I tried to apologize, he
just told me how sick I was. The beatings continued. He threatened me
with his guns several times. Eventually, he decided that I 'needed
help' and sent me to Makuna-sensei.

    "What Makuna-sensei told me was that I was normal, if in the
minority for Japanese society. It was quite a revelation for me. I
had grown up thinking I was some sort of monster, but I understood
how badly I was being abused. After about a year of treatment, I left
home and finished high school in Hiroshima. Later, my mother left my
father and moved into an apartment near mine. It wasn't until I
learned that he killed himself that I returned to Tokyo. I believe
that my father blamed Makuna-sensei for my departure."

    "How did you learn about your father?" The reporter asked.

    "Police in Tokyo contacted me and asked me to identify my
father's body after the shooting."

    Ranma started guiltily, suddenly aware why the police had not
called her back after she promised to help identify the body of
Makuna-sensei's assailant. She was glad that they hadn't called her,
but now she felt guilty that someone else, the man's son no less, had
to perform such a gruesome task in her stead.

    "How do you feel about your father right now?" The reporter
asked. "Are you saddened by his death?"

    "I'm more saddened by the fact that he chose to take his
anger against me out on one of the few people who ever helped me,"
Naota answered. "I'm very sad my father is dead, but after I left
home, I didn't have much love left for the man. I'm more sad that he
died before he got the help he needed."

    "What was your relationship to Makuna-sensei?" The reporter
queried, as typically sensitive as most television journalists.

    "My relationship with Makuna-sensei was strictly patient-
doctor," Naota replied, heading off the reporter. "I believe that my
father thought that I was... intimate... with Makuna-sensei, but
nothing could be further from the truth. I have never met a finer,
nor more ethical person."

    "Can you tell us anything about Makuna-sensei's condition?"
The reporter questioned, obviously reading from a list of questions.

    "No. I wasn't able to see him when I tried to visit the
hospital."

    "Thank you for answering our questions, Takara-san. Is there
anything else you'd like to say before we break?"

    "Yes. I have found out that one of Sensei's patients
witnessed the attack by my father and stayed to perform CPR. I don't
know if I'll ever meet you, but I want to thank you for what you
did."

    Ranma blinked in shock as the reporter thanked Naota again
and the television screen switched to display a soft-drink
commercial.

    Ranma felt weak after seeing the interview. She turned the
television off and laid flat on her back. Was human life worth so
little that it was reduced to television sound-bites? Still, Natoa's
last words echoed in her head. They buoyed her up somewhat. With
those words echoing in her head, Ranma drifted off to sleep.


* * *

    Ranma woke again when Akane came into her room. Her head was
spinning with fever the entire time. She felt out of it, not sure for
a little while after she woke if she was dreaming or not.

    "What?" she asked, unsure of what Akane said.

    "I said," Akane repeated herself. "Would you like some more
blankets?"

    "Uh, yeah. Sure. Whatever."

    Ranma zoned out for a little longer, but woke again after she
realized that Akane had bundled her up like a burrito. She was
burning up, but couldn't bring herself to move.

    Akane brushed the girl's head with her slender hand. Ranma
loved the feel of it. It was so cool. The expression on Akane's face
was tender and kind.

    Ranma managed to free one hand from the pile of blankets
Akane had wrapped her in and brushed her fingers against the girl's
arm.

    She was surprised when Akane jerked away.

    "What?" Ranma mumbled.

    "Kasumi is going to have dinner ready in a few minutes,"
Akane said coldly. "Do you feel like eating."

    "Nnn... I dunno," Ranma groaned. She did her best to put
Akane's weirdness down to her fever, but it still weighed on her.

    She didn't remember Akane leaving, or dozing off again, but
she woke a little while later.

    "I heard you weren't doing well," a light, feminine voice
came from the doorway of her room. It was Taiyoko. Nabiki was a few
steps behind her. Both girls were dressed fairly nicely. Taiyoko was
wearing a short skirt, while Nabiki was wearing a pantsuit.

    "Hey. 'S good to see you."

    "I came over t-to go... shopping with Nabiki," the blonde
girl said. "I thought that I should check on you if you weren't
feeling too good."

    "Ah, I'll be better in a few days. It takes a hell of a lot
more than a cold to keep Ranma Saotome down for long."

    "Well, you rest then," Taiyoko said.

    "I's... funny. You're pretty enough to go on a date," Ranma
mumbled semi-deliriously.

    Taiyoko blushed deeply and ran from the room. Ranma was
asleep again before she made it from the doorway. She wasn't sure,
but later thought that the girl might have kissed her forehead before
she left.

    A little while later, there was another visitor.

    "She has a fever of 104," she heard Tofuu's voice. "I don't
think it's meningitis, but if it gets any higher or it doesn't break
by tomorrow, we'll do a spinal tap just to be sure."

    "Is there anything you can do for my son?" Ranma heard her
mother's voice echo out.

    "With a fever this high, I'm fairly certain that it's a
bacterial infection. I'll give her some antibiotics."

    Ranma marvelled at the distorted sound of their voices.

    "Ranma, I'm going to give you an injection now," Tofuu said.

    The girl nodded, letting him know she was ready.

    "Do you need a painkiller?" he asked afterward.

    "Yeah," Ranma hissed, her throat dry and scratchy. "I've been
crampin' up."

    Tofuu chuckled. "It sounds like your throat is pretty sore."

    "A little," Ranma admitted. "Mostly, I got a headache."

    Ranma felt the doctor's fingers at her lips. She swallowed
the pills he proffered, and sat up on one elbow to sip at the glass
of water her mother offered.

    Not knowing or caring what time it was, Ranma turned over and
went to sleep.

* * *

    The fever dreams seemed to start fairly quickly.

    Ranma was tied down the table once more, but this time, Genma
was just beating her senseless rather than raping her.

    There wasn't a lot of difference in terms of the trauma
either way, but Ranma was doing her best to try to ignore the
situation as irrelevant. After a few seconds, she drifted through the
table and into a pair of strong, masculine arms.

    "Oh, thank God," Ranma breathed. "It's Kunou."

    "Verily, pigtailed girl," the kendoist said, whispering into
her ear. His breath tickled her neck.

    "Wait a second," Ranma mumbled as the man's hands trailed
down her belly. "This isn't right."

    "Isn't it?" Hiroshi and Daisuke asked as they undressed her.

    "Can't be," Ranma said, lifting her arms so that Daisuke
could pull her blouse off.

    "You're just not thinking clearly," Hiroshi told her as he
pulled her skirt from around her ankles. His hands ran up her legs,
and gently pushed her thighs apart.

    "You're right. I'm supposed to be doing this with girls, not
guys!" Ranma protested. Wearing only a pair of socks, she ran away
from the two.

    "T-t-this way!" Taiyoko urged, gesturing to her. Ranma
changed directions and ran past the stuttering girl, directly into
Nabiki's bedroom. Inside, Nabiki was lying naked on her bed. Her legs
were propped up against the wall, and her head hung off the side of
her mattress. An expression of ecstasy decorated her features.

    Indeed, Nabiki's hands were hard at work in between her legs.

    "It feels good, doesn't it," she asked Ranma.

    The redhead nodded, unable to take her eyes off of the
spectacle.

    "I can't seem to stop anymore," Nabiki said. "I do this
whenever it's too much to bear. I must be sick. Do you think I need
to go to a hospital?"

    "Haven't you spent enough time in hospitals lately?" Akane
asked, poking her head into the room.

    Ranma found herself in a clearing in the wooded park near
Furinkan High school. She was wearing her nurse's uniform again, but
didn't appear to be in a hospital setting of any kind.

    "Please, no more Nurse Academy. I swear to God, I'm never
gonna watch any more soap operas ever again!"

    "That's good, because you've got more important things to
do," Nabiki said, holding out a long, slightly curved magical wand to
Ranma. It was pink, and had bells dangling off of it.

    "And just what the hell is this supposed to be?" the redhead
asked, pulling at the hem of her too-short skirt.

    "It's your holy wand, Nurse Angel Ranma," Kunou said as he
pulled on his boots. He stood to his feet, revealing that he was clad
almost entirely in European-style plate armor. The only eastern
concession to the outfit was the kanji for 'Kunou' embroidered into
his surcoat. He unsheathed his sword with steely hiss. "Use it to
heal the world of evil influence."

    "How girly," Ranma complained. "Can't I get a sword? Or how
about a magic cup like those two?" she asked, pointing to Soun and
her father, both of whom were clad in pirate costumes. The two men
did indeed have magic cups. Genma's was a wooden chalice, inset with
metal studs. It overflowed with strong-smelling sake. Soun's was a
tall tankard that seemed to be eternally full of pale beer.
Accordingly, both men were roaring drunk.

    "Boys get grails. Girls get wands," Nodoka informed her as
she was adjusting her own nurse costume.

    "Huh? I don't get it."

    "It's symbolic, you moron!" Akane said, holding up her
Henshin wand. She spun around a few times and was suddenly clad in a
bright red stylized sailor fuku.

    "The beauteous Sailor Akane speaks truly," Kunou indicated as
he buckled a shield to his arm. "A woman bring forth water from a
grail just as easily as a man could give birth! Verily, a feminine
touch is best for coaxing magic forth from a wand."

    "I don't get it."

    "Of course you do, Ranma," Nabiki said. She was now clad in a
black leotard with a deep, plunging neckline. Her breasts were almost
entirely exposed, and the points of her nipples were visible through
the thin cloth. She wore stockings patterned with bat shapes, and
appeared to have two large bat-wings protruding from her back. "It's
your dream after all."

    "Think about it for a second," Kasumi urged her.

    Ranma did so. "Ewww!" she yelled, dropping her wand. "I'm a
guy! Gimme a sword like Kunou's!"

    "Are you?" Hiroshi and Daisuke asked in doubtful tones. Both
young men were wearing tuxedos and masks. Each held a long-stemmed
rose.

    "Do I look okay, Nabiki?" Taiyoko asked. She was also clad in
a bat-girl outfit. Ranma couldn't help but notice that both girls
were carrying white lilies.

    "You look fine," Nabiki assured her, using one finger to
gently stroke the long, oval-shaped pistol in the center of her
flower. She tore her gaze away from the two girls, only to see Kunou,
who appeared to be having some difficulty getting his sword back into
his scabbard.

    "Pick up your wand, Dear," Nodoka chided her child. "How else
are you going to heal?"

    "I'm not touching that thing!" Ranma protested. The pink wand
lying on the ground was suddenly looking less and less like a little
girl's toy, and much more like something that Ranma would see in the
boys' locker room. She wanted no part of it!

    She was angry! How dare they try to force her to be something
she was not? In outrage, she grabbed Daisuke's rose, and held it in
the air above her. She called down lightning, which struck in the
center of the clearing. All there were burned away instantly. Shampoo
and Ukyou both begged her to stop, but it was too late for that.
Ranma screamed, the anger and madness becoming all consuming. The
burning-white light filled the world around her, cleansing and
destroying everything.

    After a time, the white light faded to grey and finally to
black. Ranma was left alone in an inky darkness. She hunched over and
wept, the feelings of anger and hatred replaced by sadness and loss.
Her anger had destroyed everything. Now she was left with the
consequences.

    Ranma was suddenly in her own futon. Her face was wet with
tears and perspiration. She felt like she was in an oven, so she
kicked the blankets away, leaving her damp flesh exposed to the cool
night air.

    Was it a dream? Had she truly woken up? She no longer felt
the chills that indicated a fever, but the world around her still
seemed distorted and unrealistic.

    She staggered to her feet and to the doorway of her room. She
hoped it was real, because she really had to use the bathroom. Ranma
didn't really remember relieving herself afterwards, but she did have
vague memories of changing her pad and washing her hands. After that
was taken care of, Ranma's stomach chose to remind her that she had
skipped dinner.

    Trying to will away the loud grinding noises coming from her
midsection, Ranma made her way downstairs and into the kitchen. Once
she was inside, the refrigerator seemed to call out to her. Ranma
drifted over and pulled the door open. The white light bathed her in
its radiance, revealing a veritable cornucopia before her. Ranma
began to feast.

* * *

    Akane lay awake, her face buried in her pillow. It was well
after midnight, but she knew how often Nabiki stayed up late to read
or work out. Kasumi might be up late as well, but she was more likely
to have gone to sleep.

    Ranma wasn't likely to be up and about since she had been
sleeping all evening anyway.

    Akane's thoughts were a whirlwind. They had been for several
days, really. Ever since... Ever since Ranma said...

    After deciding that the absence of noise from next door
indicated that her older sister was asleep, Akane reached up to turn
on the lamp next to her bed. She reached in between her mattress and
boxspring, and pulled out several glossy magazines.

    She had to be quiet so she didn't draw any attention to
herself, but Akane was becoming experienced at that. She was almost
shaking when she opened the first of the magazines.

* * *

    The horrible maw in her stomach filled for the time being,
Ranma stumbled back up the stairs and towards her room. Her head was
pounding slightly, and everything around her still seemed to be
surrounded in a nebulous haze. Her balance was off, and she felt
incredibly light, as if each step threatened to push her off into the
stratosphere.

    Drawn to the light spilling out from underneath it, she
opened the door to her room and stepped inside. Only, it wasn't her
room.

    "Akane?" Ranma asked in a raspy tone.

    The girl was standing in front of the long dressing mirror
near her desk. She was wearing a lace bra, gloves and thigh-high
stockings, but no panties. Her hips were titled suggestively and one
leg was propped up on a chair. In the mirror's reflection, Ranma
could clearly see the girl's lightly-furred delta and her narrow
cleft.

    A chance glance at Akane's bed revealed that there was a
magazine open to a page displaying a large-busted model in almost
exactly the same pose. The lace panties that matched Akane's bra were
concealing the next page.

    Akane blinked at Ranma's intrusion and opened her mouth in
horror. She wrapped her arms around her lace-clad torso and bent over
try to shield her body. She almost fell over trying to get out of her
seductive pose. Her mouth worked open and closed, but Akane was
beyond speech. Expressions of fear, embarrassment, and anger
alternated across her face.

    "Ohhh," Ranma cooed dreamily, her eyes not quite focusing on
her fiancee's almost-naked body. "Okay, okay. I get it. I'm still
dreaming. Normally I'd stay and we could mess around or something,
but I'm not feeling too good."

    "R-ranma?" Akane stammered as Ranma reached out for her.

    The exhausted-looking girl gently brushed the tips of her
fingers across Akane's cheek.

    "Man, you look really cute. It's a shame that you're not like
this in real life."

    Ranma shuddered and swayed on her feet for a second. "Nnn..."
she groaned. "I gotta get back to bed so I can wake up," she yawned.
The girl turned on one heel and staggered out the door. "You can tell
Nabiki and my dad to leave me alone too. And I'm especially not
interested in seeing Kunou," the redhead muttered. She left Akane's
room and closed the door behind her.

    Akane blushed to her waist and dived under her covers,
scattering the magazines into the floor.

* * *

    Ranma woke the next morning feeling significantly better. The
fever seemed to have broken, and while she felt shaky, Ranma felt
ready to return to regular life.

    "Do you think you're going to go to school today?" Nodoka
asked her just after Ranma had bathed and dressed.

    "I think so," Ranma replied, her voice still a little
scratchy. Staying at home was nice, but Ranma craved a return to her
active lifestyle.

    "Tofuu-sensei said that you shouldn't be contagious, so I
suppose it's okay if you want to go," Nodoka said.

    Ranma nodded happily as she stepped out into the hallway.

    Akane was just coming out of her room, clad in her Furinkan
uniform. Upon seeing the redhead, her jaw clenched and her eyes
widened. She darted back into her room and slammed the door shut
behind her.

    Ranma grimaced, wondering what could be wrong with the girl.
She had some vague, fever-colored memories of the dreams she had the
night before, but nothing that she thought could possibly have
affected Akane.

    She went down to the main room and sat down in her customary
place. Smiling, Kasumi dished out a generous portions of rice and
miso. Ranma set about eating eagerly.

    Kasumi cleared her throat to get Ranma's attention. "Ranma-
kun?"

    "Hey, this is really great, Kasumi."

    "Thank you, but I was planning on serving baked fish as
well."

    "Oh?"

    "Yes," Kasumi informed her. "It wasn't very nice to clean out
the refrigerator without permission, Ranma."

    "Uhh..." Ranma smiled apologetically. She did have vague
memories of eating the night before, but was almost certain that she
had dreamed it. "Sorry."

    "I have trouble tasting anything in the morning anyway,"
Nabiki mumbled, her eyes still half-closed as she ate. She took a
long sip of tea.

    "Uh... you and Taiyoko went out shopping last night, huh?"
Ranma asked.

    Nabiki very nearly choked on her tea. "Yeah," she said after
catching her breath.

    "Good," Ranma smiled, ignoring Nabiki's unintentional
outburst. "I'm glad she's starting to make more friends."

* * *

    Ranma's day at school was long and miserably boring. She had
missed a surprise math quiz the day before and was made to stand in
the hall while the instructor went over the problems on the test with
the rest of the students.

    Worse, Hiroshi and Daisuke both looked like she felt. Neither
boy seemed to want to talk much. A chance remark from Hiroshi
indicated that he was feeling pretty guilty about spying on the pair
the trio had watched earlier in the week.

    Ranma nodded. She had been very excited about what she had
seen, but couldn't think back about it without feeling a fresh wave
of guilt.

    Compounding everything else, Akane wouldn't even look at her,
let alone talk to her. Ranma ate the extravagant lunches that Shampoo
and Ukyou provided, not even caring if Akane was glaring at her or
not.

    The last thing Ranma felt like she needed when she returned
home that afternoon was the cacophony of her parents' raised voices.

    They were arguing loudly in the room they shared upstairs.
Downstairs in the main room, Soun was doing his best to ignore the
two while reading a newspaper. Kasumi had on a pair of headphones as
she dusted the room. Her face was still pensive.

    "--And then you didn't have the decency to come back!" Nodoka
yelled as Ranma topped the stairway.

    Akane looked at Ranma for the first time that day with a
speculative expression.

    Ranma shook her head, indicating that Akane should probably
not interfere.

    "Do you know how long ten years is, Genma? Ten, long, lonely
years that I spent all by myself?!" Nodoka yelled at the top of her
lungs. Ranma could hear her voice clearly through the closed door.
"When you did finally come back, you didn't have the kindness in your
heart to let me know that you had returned. What was I supposed to
think? Your letters had just stopped! For all I knew you and Ranma
were dead... or worse!"

    "What was I supposed to do?" Genma answered her guiltily.
"Just come home and let you chop our heads off?"

    "Do you really think so little of me?" Nodoka asked
incredulously. "Do you really think I would have forced my own
darling son to commit seppuku when I hadn't seen him for over a
decade?"

    "You sure as hell could have fooled me!" Genma snapped back.
"This kind of inconsistent behavior is why I had to take Ranma away
in the first place! I shudder to think--"

    "Ranma would have been perfectly fine if you had left him
with me!" Nodoka countered. "I certainly haven't been completely
ignoring him for the last two months!"

    "WHAT?!" Genma bellowed. "What nonsense are you spouting now,
woman?"

    "Your only son who loves you and depends on you has had the
worst crisis of his life, and you can't be bothered to lift a finger
to help him or say a word to comfort him. You're a horrible father,
Genma!"

    "I'm a wonderful father!" Genma shouted. "I raised Ranma as
best I knew how and--"

    "Did you have any clue," Nodoka interrupted him, "that your
son... your *daughter*... had her first period last month?"

    Ranma felt her face turn red, still acutely aware of the
sanitary pad she was currently wearing. She started to open the door.

    "Mom, Dad--"

    Nodoka and Genma both whipped around, suddenly standing
shoulder to shoulder.

    "Get out!" Genma shouted.

    "This doesn't concern you, Ranma," Nodoka warned her. Ranma's
eyes darted to the hilt of her katana, where Nodoka had loosened the
blade in its scabbard.

    Ranma gulped and hastily backed out of the room, shutting the
door behind her.

    "See!" Genma yelled, still loud enough to be heard throughout
the rest of the house. "Your only son *fears* you! How can you call
yourself a mother when he fears a psycho like--"

    "Are you saying that my son is a coward!?" Nodoka cried out.

    "He's certainly been acting like a pansy for the last two
months!"

    "My son is more manly than--"

    "See!" Genma blurted out. "You ask why I had to take him
away! That's why! You would have jumped to his rescue every time I
tried to discipline him."

    Ranma felt sickened, even on top of her cold. There was
nothing she could do. If it were a fight, she could just pound Genma,
but that wouldn't stop the arguments.

    Ranma ran out of the house and into the dojo, not wanting to
hear any more. A few minutes later, Nabiki stepped in as well, and
watched Ranma perform a calming kata.

    "Domestic disputes are messy," Nabiki said.

    "Fat lot you know about it," Ranma quipped.

    "You should see Taiyoko's parents," Nabiki countered. "You
think they're mean to her? You should see what they do to each
other."

    Ranma nodded in concession, not abandoning her kata.

    Nabiki sat down and pulled her hair back over her ear. "The
worst part is that if anyone tries to interfere, even to help out, a
husband and wife will still defend each other to the death, even if
they hate each other."

    "Yeah, it's okay if they yell at each other all day," Ranma
said. "But if you try to say anything to help..."

    "Just... stay out of it, okay?" Nabiki said. "They'll deal
with it themselves. I think that a lot of what Taiyoko has gone
through is because she's usually caught in all the middle of her
parents' bickering. I've seen it happen before, and I'd hate for it
to happen to you."

    "I'll try," Ranma conceded.

* * *

    Ranma skipped dinner for the third time, preferring the
rumbling in her gut to facing her parents again. She stayed out in
the dojo for some time, practicing katas and reading manga. Footsteps
on the stone walk outside the dojo let her know that it looked like
Akane and Nabiki had opted to go out as well.

    Ranma wondered if the two girls would stop by the dojo to
invite her, but they walked away from the house without passing by
the dojo. In fact, it didn't even sound like they were talking.

    Complaining to herself, and desperately wondering what she
could do about the distance and anger growing between her parents,
Ranma curled up in the middle of the dojo floor. It felt like her
whole world was falling down around her!

    Doing her best to let the unpleasant feelings wash over her,
Ranma napped briefly, and was woken by footsteps outside the dojo.

    The door slid open, and Akane stepped inside.

    Still not meeting Ranma's questioning stare, she kicked off
her dress shoes and walked over to the martial artist. She sat down
in front of Ranma, her stocking feet crossed behind her. Her gaze was
fixed on the floor.

    "Man, my life has been weird lately," Ranma said.

    "Weirder than bird-princes and Chinese curses?" Akane asked
quietly.

    "Good point," Ranma conceded. "I don't know what to do about
this. Nabiki says that I should just stay out of it, but I'm not so
sure that's the best way to act. What do you think, Akane?"

    "Your parents, you mean?" Akane said.

    Ranma nodded.

    "I honestly don't know. I don't ever remember my mother and
father fighting. I could haven been too little, but..."

    "It's okay. I didn't expect you to be a relationship expert
or anything," Ranma said. "It's not like we gotta real good
relationship, and we're supposed to be engaged."

    "About that..." Akane gulped, still staring at the floor.
"About... our... our... relationship."

    Ranma felt a sinking feeling in her stomach.

    Akane's mouth was working wordlessly. Ranma suddenly
remembered something that she though had been part of one of her
dreams. Akane's semi-naked body, clad in white lace. At first she was
staring lustily into the mirror, but then was hunched over in
embarrassment and shame. What had really happened?

    "About what you said, in the locker room," Akane explained.
"You've been... You said I was..."

    "What is it, Akane?" Ranma asked, realizing how close the two
of them were together. She could easily reach out and touch Akane.
With just a short motion, she could draw the girl in for a kiss, or
more.

    "Back when... God, this is hard for me. Back when you were
first injured, I started worrying about you. What would happen to
you... and me... if you decided that you liked being a girl more than
being a boy."

    Ranma nodded seriously, leaning in close to Akane. She could
hear Akane's rapid, shallow breathing. "But that's not the case," she
said, quietly enough that no one but Akane could hear.

    "When you kissed Kunou, I thought it was," Akane said. "When
you said that... When you said that your body didn't know the
difference, I thought that... that... everything I was afraid of had
come true. But then, we started talking about kissing and... and..."

    Ranma could feel her heart speeding up.  Their faces were so
close. All she had to do was turn a little and...

    "So?" Ranma prompted, inhaling deeply.

    "Like you said," Akane replied. "We don't have a very good
relationship. Not what you'd call 'romantic' by any means. But... if
you want... if you... if you want our relationship to be more, then
maybe it can be."

    "Akane..." Ranma breathed.

    The dark-haired girl stared up into Ranma's eyes. She was
shaking and trembling. There was an expression of panic on her face,
but there was something else there as well. Akane closed her eyes,
and leaned a little closer to Ranma. Did she want what Ranma wanted?
Could it be? Ranma leaned over, her body tense. Suddenly, Akane
jerked away, her eyes going back to the floor.

    "So... After you change back-- " Ranma jerked to a halt,
stopping herself cold before kissing her fiancee.  Akane's eyes were
darting around nervously, never quite stopping on Ranma. "After you
change back, maybe we can... I don't know... maybe try a few dates or
something?"

    Ranma allowed her body to relax and did the best to keep the
conflicting emotions from filling her eyes with tears. She had been
so *sure* that Akane wanted to kiss her and be kissed! How could she
have been so wrong?

    Akane started to her feet, and walked toward the door. She
slipped on her shoes and ran from the dojo.

    "Akane, wait!" Ranma shouted, running after her.

    The two met again in the kitchen, where Akane was frozen.

    Ranma stared in confusion at her fiancee. "What did you mean,
when I change back?"

    Akane put a finger to her lips, and looked around. Ranma
realized that she could hear the sound that had startled Akane, too.

    "It's that old pervert!" Akane hissed. "He better not be in
my room or I'll--"

    "I don't think it's him," Ranma said. "Maybe it's a robber.
It's coming from my Mom and Dad's room."

    Akane nodded and silently followed Ranma up the stairway and
down the hall.

    They were almost to the doorway of Genma and Nodoka's room
when they heard a sharp, feminine squeal.

    "Mom?" Ranma whispered in shock. She realized that the door
was standing very slightly ajar. Curious, but dreading what she might
see, Ranma stepped up quietly and peeked through the door.

    Nodoka was laying on her back, completely naked. Her legs
were up in the air, held by Genma's strong fists. The bulky martial
artist was behind her, thrusting wildly against her has he held her
legs aloft. His pants were missing, of course, but his gi-top was
still half-way on.

    Nodoka squealed again, this time muting her scream by biting
her hand. The other hand was clenched into a fist. Occasionally she
beat it into Genma's broad, muscular thigh. This seemed to spur the
man on, increasing the speed of his thrusting. The two were bouncing
around like a jackhammer. It was amazing that they were making as
little noise as they were.

    "Oh my..." Akane whispered. Ranma realized that she was
peeking into the room just below her.

    Ranma was stunned. She never imagined her father in such a
position, let alone her mother. It looked so awkward, and yet so
compelling.

    Akane started to shake, shivering against Ranma.

    Nodoka was writhing more and more wildly, bucking against
Genma with a wet, slapping sound. She covered her face with both
hands, screaming into them. She whimpered audibly afterwards and
nodded at her husband. "Now!" she groaned.

    Genma nodded and picked up the pace of his thrusting. His
face was contorted in a horrible expression. After just a few
seconds, he groaned loudly, and ceased his wild motions. He sighed
deeply and slumped backwards.

    "Nnn... No-chan..." he groaned, falling back.

    Taking a deep breath, Nodoka lifted herself backwards off her
husband, rotating her legs over her head in the process.  She
produced a handkerchief from inside her kimono which had been
discarded nearby, and began to dab gently between her legs.

    "You always make such a mess of me," she chided quietly.

    Ranma had no idea that her mother was so flexible.

    Genma's member, huge and erect, stood straight up, pointing
to the ceiling. Nodoka leaned over, and began to gently wipe it with
her cloth, cleaning it of the residue of their love-making.

    After a few seconds, she lay down on her side next to her
husband, her hand resting on his broad chest.

    Ranma decided that she needed to leave. She felt guilty
enough about spying! She started to back away, but ran into Akane's
tense arm. The girl had a death grip on the door facing and was still
peering intently into the room.

    "It's been so long," Genma noted quietly.

    "Not since before you left," Nodoka agreed. "Do you remember?
You stained my green dress, just before the nuns showed up."

    Ranma blinked in shock.

    "I thought I would never find my pants," Genma reminisced.
"And there you were, trying to convince that one old bag that you
were doing gymnastic exercises."

    "It had been three years since I graduated and she still
bought the story," Nodoka said, smiling.  "I always thought that she
must have mistaken me for one of the students."

    "Heh... wonderful times."

    "Of course you and Ranma left not long after that," Nodoka
noted sadly.

    "I can't say it was the wisest thing I've ever done," Genma
admitted. "And I've done some pretty stupid things. More than
anything, I wanted to train him up so that he could one day defeat
Happosai."

    "I was so lonely afterward. Saying those horrible things this
afternoon made me remember all that. I can't tell you how sorry I am,
Darling. I only wanted Ranma to have a normal life and grow up like
any other boy. I very much wanted to pamper him and spoil him, just
like you were afraid of. I thought that by threatening you with that
stupid contract, I could keep the both of you at home."

    "And I took the bluff," Genma admitted, "just like I always
do. At the time it was better in my mind than the alternative."

    "And we both know what that bought us," Nodoka seconded after
almost a minute of silence between the two.

    "Do you still want a divorce?" her husband asked her.

    Ranma felt like she had been kicked in the gut. Were they
really considering such a horrible thing? Were two people who had
just made love serious about parting?

    Nodoka turned over, lying on her stomach. She kicked her bare
feet up in the air while resting her chin on her hands.

    "I don't know," she said honestly. "I'm not even sure I meant
it when I said it this afternoon. But then..."

    "How long will it be?" Genma finished for her. "How long
until you start acting shrewish again or I start panicking? How long
before one of us starts obsessing again?"

    He turned over and leaned up against her, beginning to run
his hand up and down her naked back. It trailed back over her round
buttocks, and down one thigh.

    "Do you want to be apart?" Genma asked quietly.

    "I've thought about it," Nodoka conceded. "Many times. There
are so many bad feelings between us. There has been so much time
lost. I honestly wonder if it wouldn't be better to try to find
someone else and start over. Even if..."

    "Even if?"

    "Even if I still love you."

    Ranma was shaking. She had so few memories of her mother
growing up that it was like the woman was a ghost to her. Now that
her family was back together again, she was going to go away?

    "I love you too, Wife."

    "I think--"

    "I think that I am not a very good man," Genma interrupted.
"I think that I have made a great many mistakes. I often try to do my
best, especially where the boy is concerned, but you can see how well
I've done there. Even though he's exceeded my wildest expectations,
I've hurt him more than all his enemies put together." He paused to
gently caress the woman's naked calf. He squeezed her foot, smiling.
"I think that I would like to stay together, even if we continue to
argue. I would like to see Ranma mature. I would like to see... my
family continue to grow. Even if it means making... arrangements."

    "I have considered that as well," Nodoka seconded. "I wonder
how it would affect Ranma? She... he is more observant than in the
past. I do not think that any... arrangements... we made would go
unnoticed."

    "You can say that again," Genma guffawed. "And you can bet
that Tendou's girls will notice. The last thing I need is Akane
beating me in the head for being 'unfaithful'."

    Nodoka giggled cutely. "Perhaps we should proceed slowly. We
can take the challenges as they come."

    "Challenges?"

    "Like this," Nodoka indicated. "Are you up to the task?"

    "Well, that sounds like a challenge to me!" Genma said,
nuzzling against his wife's neck.

    Ranma was startled as she was pushed away from the door.

    "What?" she whispered as Akane pulled on her arm.

    "Don't you think we should give them some privacy?" Akane
asked in embarrassment. Ranma noticed that her fiance was still
trembling. She wondered why Akane had just now decided that they
needed privacy.

    "Yeah," Ranma conceded. "I guess so. God..." She was deeply
affected by the intensity of what she had seen. How could two people
who loved each other so much have so much animosity between them?

    "I didn't know that they were having so many problems," Akane
said quietly.

    "I guess I did," Ranma admitted, cocking one ear back down
the hall as the creaking sound began to emanate from the room again.
"I didn't want to think about it before, but... Hey, what did they
mean by 'arrangements'?"

    Akane blushed. Ranma could see her face and neck turn red,
even in the darkness.


-----

~to be continued...

My apologies to everyone who never thought they'd read through a
lemon scene featuring Genma.

A note on fever dreams...

I am probably one of the least immune individuals I know. This was
partly due to a childhood fraught with illnesses and partly due to an
overzealous dermatologist who decided to treat my teenage acne with
Euyrithrominicin (SP), a powerful antibiotic. At any rate, I got
strep-throat several times as a child. My mother never took me to the
doctor until I was "really" sick, by which time my mild streptococcus
infection had progressed into a life-threatening case of Scarlet
Fever. This happened no fewer than 4 times while I was growing up.
When I started breaking out with acne in my teen years, the doctor
overprescribed antibiotics for me until every bug in my body was
immune to them. Needless to say, I've had my share of high fevers.
The last really high fever I had was when I got a round of booster
shots when I started school at UT. I took several live-culture and
dead-culture vaccines, and ran a 104 degree fever for several days
after.

The unifying feature of all the fever dreams I've ever had was the
scene at the end of Ranma's dream sequence in which she is
overpowered by anger, rage, and then sadness and remorse at having
destroyed everything. The emotions themselves are overwhelming to the
point of hallucination. I was certain that the rage I felt had
destroyed everything around me. It was only after I woke up that I
realized it wasn't the world that was burning up, it was just me.


* * *

C. Jones - guilty@furinkan.net - http://www.furinkan.net

Public Key: http://www.furinkan.net/key.txt

Everybody in the room stared at Mihoshi. The policewoman
began to cry. "I didn't mean to infect the world! I'm so
sorry!!!! WAHHHAHHHHHHH!!!!"

                       - From 'The Virus'


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